The task force was created by Austin City Council in August 2017 to develop ways to preserve and expand affordable housing for owners and renters, preserving and supporting small businesses and cultural assets, and financing strategies for these recommendations.
Its 17 members include local residents, business owners, advocates and real estate professionals appointed by Mayor Steve Adler and City Council members.
Around three dozen people attended the meeting, which was held at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center in Northeast Austin.
Big problems
A common talking point was the city and its agencies did not listen to the Austin residents most affected by these issues and instead served the interests of wealthier newcomers and developers.
Community speakers raised concerns about Capital Metro’s remapping initiative, which rolled out this week, and CodeNEXT, which many said would exacerbate gentrification and displace the long-time residents it purports to help,
Chivas Watson, a District 10 resident who has lived in Austin for more than 20 years, said at the meeting he was in the process of being evicted.
“In Austin, we don’t only need affordable housing. We need attainable housing,” Watson said, citing accessibility in securing a lease or mortgage and feeling a sense of belonging in one’s community.
He was a vocal critic of CodeNEXT, which he said would drive up property values even more and disadvantage Austin residents who are not homeowners.
"We need to change [the land-use code] in some areas," Watson said. "But you don't empower people by displacement."
Toni Rayner, a District 1 resident who has lived in Austin since 1977, is a caregiver for her elderly parents. She also criticized CodeNEXT, which she felt was not addressing the issues of gentrification and displacement.
“If I see a billboard for another luxury anything, I might stand in the middle of MoPac and scream,” Rayner told the task force.
Seeking solutions
Task force Chairman Raul Alvarez said the committee would take into consideration the community feedback as it drafted its report for the council, which will be presented in the fall.
Task force member Ruby Roa, a community organizer, encouraged attendees of the meeting not to wait on the report. Instead, she counseled them to “inundate” their council members and the mayor with calls and complaints.
John Henneberger, an affordable housing advocate and MacArthur genius grantee who was appointed to the task force by Mayor Adler, also appealed to the attendees.
“We don’t know how to solve a lot of these [issues],” Henneberger said. “We need solutions.”
The task force’s next meeting is July 6. It will be held in the Street-Jones Building at 1000 E. 11th St., Room 400A, Austin.
For more information, see the task force’s website.
