General Manager's Note — February 2007

General Manager's Note — February 2007

Written by Claire Love Wednesday, 07 February 2007

The first time I saw a draft of Cedar Park’s future land use map, I noticed the piece of property behind my parents’ back fence was zoned for commercial use.

It’s a strange feeling to think the land through which we carved hiking trails as kids will soon be blanketed with concrete. Most of the trees we climbed will probably be bulldozed to make room for a strip center, and the deer that once made their way across that piece of land to the corn feeder at my parents’ house will soon have to find another place to roam.

As sad as this situation may seem, it should come as no surprise to anyone living in a high-growth city like Cedar Park. Commercial development is needed to balance the tax base and provide places for people to work and shop without having to commute to other cities. With statistics that predict the city will be built out in the next five to eight years, proper planning is imperative to ensure the best use of the remaining undeveloped land in Cedar Park.

Speaking of growth, we are excited to announce the launch of our third newspaper in Northwest Austin this month. With the new publication, Community Impact will be in more than 160,000 homes and businesses in Williamson and north Travis counties.

Spending time in the new coverage area talking to business owners has reminded me how far Cedar Park and Leander have come in the last 20 years. When I was a kid, options were limited and we did most of our shopping in Northwest Austin. In fact, our closest grocery store was south of RM 620. Although many of the developments taking place in Northwest Austin continue to impact residents and business owners in Cedar Park and Leander, we aren’t nearly as reliant on that area as we used to be. In fact, we have almost everything we need right here in our own backyard – sometimes literally.

Claire Love

0 Comments