AUSTIN, Texas — Lourdes Godoy has run Money Tax Services on East 12th Street in East Austin for more than 30 years.
Godoy said it's an area riddled with traffic, and she is concerned about a new development coming in that will worsen it.
The city of Austin is set to hear multiple zoning requests that fall under the city's new density bonus program (DB90), which was approved in April. It will allow up to 90-feet builds on commercially-zoned properties in exchange for affordable housing.
On 3117 and 3121 E. 12th St., not too far away from Godoy's business, is a site being eyed for a development that would include about 100 multifamily units mixed in with retail space.
"During peak hours, and we have emergency vehicles. How are they going to travel [on] 12th Street?" Godoy asked.
She's worried that if the build comes in, it will impact business.
"I think that there's plenty of empty spaces within our city or maybe on the outskirts. Maybe they dedicate that money there," Godoy said.
Jenny Grayson, the president of the McKinley Heights Neighborhood Association, echoed Godoy's sentiment about the traffic and said she believes the city and the developer should put that into consideration.
"It's reckless to put a building of that size on a two-lane street without doing a traffic impact analysis," Grayson said. "I think people consciously made a choice to move to a neighborhood. And this puts all of that at risk. It puts safety at risk."
Councilmember Natasha Harper-Madison, who represents the area, released the following statement:
"As an East Austin neighbor myself, I fully support opportunities that require onsite affordability because building more income-restricted homes in our communities allows our teachers and frontline workers the option to live in the city that they help strengthen and shape."
This isn't the first time neighbors and business owners have raised doubts about new city developments under DB90. Earlier in August, residents in North Austin with a similar fight also expressed concerns over a development set to be built in the Skyview Neighborhood.
City leaders have repeatedly cited the need to address affordability and combat the growth in Austin.
There are a number of DB90 cases set to be heard before council members, including those in East and North Austin. That meeting is set during the city's regularly scheduled council meeting on Aug. 29.
Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.