Hi. I’m Spike. I’ve been living in Austin since 1991. Things have changed a whole lot here since I arrived. Currently it’s estimated that 110 people per day are moving here. To be clear– I begrudge no individual their desire and right to live in this town. Like so many other people, I came from somewhere else, too.
That said, I have been raising my volume rather exponentially to (try to) match the exponential bullshit that has come with too much change too fast. I’m hardly alone. It’s pretty impossible these days to have a conversation that doesn’t involve the hellish traffic situation and the explosive real estate market. The utter disregard for planning and infrastructure demonstrated by the greedy powers that be is the very definition of disheartening. The corporate tax breaks are disgusting, a disgustingness that is magnified by the growing tax burden of those of us just trying to survive.Â
To wit– yesterday TCAD released their latest appraisals. My little East Side house– at least according to those assessor assholes– jumped $40,000 in value in the past year. I know I know– what a great FWP to have, to be sitting on a house that is suddenly, by my standards, worth a fucking fortune. But here’s the thing: like so many old Austinites, I am not driven by a desire to be wealthy. I came here on a whim and I stayed here because I found so many like-minded, huge-hearted, taco-fanatical badasses. This city existed far more on love than cash for a very long time.
People tell me to quit my bitching, change happens, be glad for what I have. You know what I say to that? Fuck You. Oops. Did I say that out loud? Yes yes, I know change happens. I’m not an idiot. But the change happening now is so hinged on greed, such a desire by financial fat cats who couldn’t care less about displacing those of us who truly consider this place home, not just some weekend adult playground. They are goose-slaying assholes who do not understand the golden eggs they so desire will no longer exist once they push out all those who made Austin such a desirable place just by being who they are.
I am being squeezed out of my home. It might take another five years or ten but the day is coming when I will be FORCED to sell. I have no idea where I’ll go. I will be so sad to leave this place that has been so good to me. But unless something changes radically– and it won’t– I’ll eventually turn over the keys to my beloved place to someone who thinks paying $6,000 a year in taxes is nothing.Â
I know that wherever I wind up, I’ll be fine. It’ll take some adjusting, but I’ll figure it out. I am sad that my son, who grew up in this town, will never be able to afford to own even a tiny home here. And thinking about all this sad change, I decided to start yet another blog. I’m going to unroll it over the next few weeks. I’m going to take you on a tour of My Austin and show you all the places I’ve lived in my 24 years as an Austinite. I’m going to tell you (to the best of my memory) the rent I paid “back then.” And I’m going to show you what these places are currently valued at in this insane market.Â
I’m still in the thinking stages of this project. I was going to announce it later but in light of TCAD’s Big Bullshit Reveal yesterday, I decided to let you all know now what’s up. I’m thinking I will probably just do a set number of posts– one or two about each place I lived. But if it turns out interest merits more than that, perhaps I’ll invite y’all to send in your pictures and stories.
I know that this little blog is not going to undo the insanity. I know I’m spitting in the wind. But what I want people to know is that this housing thing is about way more than money. We aren’t just losing our houses. We are losing our personal histories, the places we celebrated our milestones, the neighborhoods where we raised our families. We are being robbed. No amount of money can make up for that loss and that grief.Â
I’ll post my first housing story soon. Meanwhile, thank you for tuning in. Oh, and that picture up above? That’s me standing in front of 502 Park Blvd in Hyde Park. It’s not the house I lived in there– that house was demolished last year (which you can read about here). It was replaced with this motherfucking monstrosity that went for nearly a million bucks recently. See what I mean? FUCKING INSANE.Â
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