The City released some of its own 11th Hour model images yesterday via a series of promotional posters. They're super entertaining and enlightening!!
Our basic question for you is: do these images help to make the case for adopting this code? They (staff, politicians, interest groups) have been accusing us of "fear mongering" for the last month or so as we've shown Austin what the code will look like in the real world; do the City's own images help to allay anyone's fears/concerns?? Are they now "fear mongering", or is this just what their code looks like?
We'll break this into a few blog posts for easy digestion. First, let's look at their RM1 illlustrations in a "Transition Zone" setting.
If the pictures didn't tell the whole story, here's a bit more to consider:
Building #1 in their images is a replica of the 4-unit building from the mid 1960's that we modeled in our RM1 comparison. It shows how small, compatible and affordable a multi-family building can really be.
Building #2 is a replica (based on the plans and elevations we submitted to the City) of one of our RM1 models. It has lots of parking, and would offer great views from the rooftop decks.
Building #3 is their "vision" of what RM1 might look like, but it doesn't exploit the available envelope for height, which is either extremely unlikely or points out that they shouldn't allow so much height in the first place. Also, note that while all of the other buildings on the street show parking, their example shows no evidence of any parking. The code would allow this, but the Market won't- high end condo buyers will demand parking, so the #2 model is far more realistic, with a full covered parking garage.
Finally, which example of the 4 building types looks more like "Austin" to you? Is this really the vision for our city that we want?
Let's show our appreciation to the City by sharing their images far and wide!! Please post to your social media and get people talking about what they envision for Austin's future, and more importantly, whether what's proposed would actually deliver affordable housing, or just more high-dollar housing for the affluent.
Here's a link to the whole set of marketing posters produced by the City.
Our basic question for you is: do these images help to make the case for adopting this code? They (staff, politicians, interest groups) have been accusing us of "fear mongering" for the last month or so as we've shown Austin what the code will look like in the real world; do the City's own images help to allay anyone's fears/concerns?? Are they now "fear mongering", or is this just what their code looks like?
We'll break this into a few blog posts for easy digestion. First, let's look at their RM1 illlustrations in a "Transition Zone" setting.
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| City of Austin "poster" for RM1 zone (click to enlarge) |
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| Close up of street view showing the current code draft. That's a clone of our RM1 model to the left (#2) |
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| Here's the City's aerial view of the same street |
Building #1 in their images is a replica of the 4-unit building from the mid 1960's that we modeled in our RM1 comparison. It shows how small, compatible and affordable a multi-family building can really be.
Building #2 is a replica (based on the plans and elevations we submitted to the City) of one of our RM1 models. It has lots of parking, and would offer great views from the rooftop decks.
Building #3 is their "vision" of what RM1 might look like, but it doesn't exploit the available envelope for height, which is either extremely unlikely or points out that they shouldn't allow so much height in the first place. Also, note that while all of the other buildings on the street show parking, their example shows no evidence of any parking. The code would allow this, but the Market won't- high end condo buyers will demand parking, so the #2 model is far more realistic, with a full covered parking garage.
Finally, which example of the 4 building types looks more like "Austin" to you? Is this really the vision for our city that we want?
Let's show our appreciation to the City by sharing their images far and wide!! Please post to your social media and get people talking about what they envision for Austin's future, and more importantly, whether what's proposed would actually deliver affordable housing, or just more high-dollar housing for the affluent.
Here's a link to the whole set of marketing posters produced by the City.