For almost a year, residents of the mobile home community—located at 1301 W. Oltorf St., Austin, near the Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co.—navigated through various departments, reports and city of Austin staff for action. The final site plan exemption was approved Nov. 28, and property owner Ascentia expects repairs to begin early next year after moving a gas line near the bridge.
Woodview Estates has approximately 70 homes in its property, where residents have a land lease. The majority of residents are Hispanic and Spanish speaking, residents said.
Before the bridge’s collapse, located over West Bouldin Creek, deteriorating conditions worried residents about the safety of their transportation and accessibility to citywide services.
“There’s been patches made here and there by [city of Austin], which has improved the situation, but nothing permanent. Sometimes the residents themselves fix the bridge, but it’s been years since the bridge deteriorated,” Woodview Estates resident Marylou Leal said.
Finding community support
Due to the community’s private road, the property owner, Ascentia, Austin City Council District 3 and the development services department worked together to create a site plan. The bridge is also in a legal nonconformance zone, meaning it cannot comply with existing regulations due to its construction at a time when these regulations were not established, according to city staff. Specific code requirements are needed for Austin’s Planning and Zoning Department to handle structures that fall under this category.
Residents first voiced their concerns to Austin City Council District 9; however, the redrawing of the City Council districts following the 2020 census caused Woodview Estates to move into Austin City Council District 3.
These existing issues led to a yearlong process of getting the bridge to comply with city code, according to emails from a records request.
“We can find help, but sometimes that’s the hardest part of it all because we think, who’s going to help us? And being able to speak with our representative or with someone in the city of Austin,” Woodview Estates resident Julia Valle said.
Residents such as Valle and Leal also received leadership assistance from Central Texas Interfaith, a community organizing nonprofit that advocated on their behalf. The CTI previously provided food assistance to Woodview Estates residents during Winter Storm Uri.
“Folks are busy and trying to advocate for yourself when you're managing all these things is pretty difficult, but it is important because that's where growth happens,” said Monique Vasquez, organizer for the Central Texas Interfaith organization.
CTI organizer Edie Clark said teaching residents to become leaders can create an impact in their lives and in the needs of their community. Then they can develop relationships with representatives and community members.
“We really all have the same goal of making Austin a better place for all of us,” Clark said.
Valle and Leal brought various staff from development services, the Austin Code Department and staff from District 3 inspect the bridge. Valle also participated in the District 3 candidate forum, promising the candidates to continue working on this issue, Clark said.
“There is help available. There are organizations that provide assistance on how to ask for help, but again, that’s the thing, one has to be proactive in finding help or knowing where to ask,” Valle said.
Access to safe living
According to the records request, the bridge’s damage hampered trash pickup, the Austin Fire Department’s emergency response and heightened watershed waterway issues.
“The property’s location is in a flood plain, critical water quality zone, erosion hazard zone and is in proximity to protected trees, adding complexity to the approval process for the needed repairs,” said Yuri Barragán, policy adviser for Austin City Council District 3, through an email interview.
When a single component from the site plan is not complying with city code, the property owner has to make revisions, Barragán said.
“Council staff remain available to help liaison between residents and city staff and provide updates on ongoing improvement projects. Continuing these conversations is essential to ensuring that a resident’s right to a safe living space is maintained and addressed with all tools available to the city,” Barragán said.
While the project has received final approval in its last exemption request, a gas line still sits in the bridge and a final proposal is expected, said Marko Vukovich, Ascentia’s vice president of operations, through an email interview.
“At the end of the day, fixing the bridge isn’t our job, but unity is needed as a push to make things happen,” Leal said.
