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General Manager’s Note — April 2007

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Written by CJ Geoffroy Saturday, 07 April 2007

The only constant is change

Revitalization and change are key to businesses growth. A city’s growth is no different, and Austin remains one the fastest growing cities in the U.S. because of its ability to deal with revitalization and change.

It might be hard to imagine Austin’s current population doubling, but that is what is predicted. The city officials are actively preparing for this growth.

I recently attended the North Burnet/Gateway Draft Plan Public Meeting held at the ACC Northridge Campus. Nearly 200 people showed up on a Saturday morning to hear the city’s proposal on how it plans to change the landscape of Northwest Austin forever. Emotions and passions ran high, and it was evident that this proposed plan will affect many business owners and citizens. Mayor Wynn has referred to this area as another downtown and with 20-story high rises being proposed, that is exactly what it will become.

This issue marks the introduction of our new feature, Community Corridors which provides a detailed look at future land use, transportation projects, residential growth, commercial projects and history of US 183. As a child in the early ‘80s, I remember sitting in the lobby of The Bank of The Hills waiting as my father conducted business regarding his video arcade, Smitty’s. That was over 20 years ago and now there is a commercial project, The Park at Aspen Lake, that poises to change the face of that building as well as the 183 corridor from Anderson Mill to 620.

The revitalization and continued growth of Northwest Austin has caused the city council to take note of its importance. Even though none of the city council members live within our distribution area, they are recognizing the area’s value to the city’s quality of life. With the upcoming election May 12, voters are asked to respond to an oversight by the legislature and correct a change in the school property tax. A strong turnout for this and the school board elections shows the city that the Northwest Austin vote does count.

CJ Geoffroy