Will Wynn, Mayor of Austin

Will Wynn, Mayor of Austin

Wednesday, 07 February 2007

Q. How did you become involved in politics?

A. It never really crossed my mind. My background is in real estate and commercial development and I was involved in real estate projects in the early 90s. I became part of the Downtown Austin Alliance and later the chair of the alliance. That got me active in city hall. There was certainly a time when downtown wasn’t a good place to be, and I just wondered why the city wasn’t doing more with it.

Q. What is the biggest challenge in Northwest Austin today?

A. Austin is growing. Growth done incorrectly is disastrous for the air, the schools, the environment. One reason traffic is so bad here is that people are shopping in one area of the city, then living in another part, then working in another part. I’d like to see more developments where people can live work and play in the same vicinity. The Domain will be a sort of test case for mixed-use development in that area. It will set the tone for the future.

Q. How would you like to see Austin developed to prevent urban sprawl and capitalize on the land we have?

A. Nowhere more than Northwest Austin do we have a chance to change land use patterns for the better. There are still some big swaths of undeveloped land in Northwest Austin, and that area actually has the highest number of homes furthest from a city park. We want to use money from the last bond election to pinpoint small areas within north Austin that can be used as parks.

Q. The commuter rail will be operational by 2008. How do you see the commuter rail transforming Austin?

A. It’s hard because, while it seems like a lot of money, what we’re starting with for the commuter rail is really a very modest beginning. What the rail can truly do, besides helping traffic, is to dramatically change land use patterns. Transit-oriented developments form where everything is centralized into one area rather than spread all over. People can’t judge the commuter rail strictly on ridership. My sense of success for commuter rail is much more holistic. Having a mayor whose background is in real estate, rather than politics, is a good thing for Austin. Will Wynn knows the value of the undeveloped land in Austin and has a strategy for using it. Now in his second term, Wynn is working with regional planning organizations and transportation alliances to make Austin a model for the contemporary city.

• Family: Father of two daughters ages 10 and 8
• Education: Bachelor’s in Environmental Design from Texas A&M University
• Contact information: 974- 2250, will.wynn@ci.austin.tx.us

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