Thursday, May 21, 2015

Tweet, Tweet


Right across the street from us is a huge area of mostly undeveloped land - 75 acres in all.  It is loaded with trees like this.  If you go to Google Earth and search for Bull Creek Road, Austin TX, you will see it just on the right of Bull Creek Road.  Right now there are only a few state department buildings on it. Otherwise, beautiful meadows full of wildflowers, lots of people walking dogs there or just enjoying a quiet walk by the creek --a very peaceful oasis in the middle of a city. Nice, isn't it?

Oops! Wrong. A developer has bought it from the state, has met with all the neighboring associations (including us) and cheerfully told us all that they are going to develop a "legacy" area there. In their minds a "legacy" means office buildings, townhouses, apartments, retail, parking garages, homes priced up to $1 million, etc. They will "try" to preserve 13 acres of it as open space and some people are buying into that story. The reality of it is that they have to leave those 13 acres on the east side alone because Shoal Creek is there as the eastern boundary of their land and it has some sections set aside as floodplain areas, so they couldn't be built on anyway.

In the meantime, until the power of The Mighty Dollar begins to take control of the area, I will continue to put my Give-Aways in the trees.


Can you see him? How about this closeup ...


So far this little red birdie is staying with me.

3 comments:

Diane O. said...

Pave paradise put up a parking lot

Unknown said...

Pretty red birdie!!

Optimista said...

I admired some sweater children a friend had found and she told me about your blog. Then I found this lovely post about a piece of land to which I am deeply attached. Now I'm wondering whether there was hidden art there that I missed when I've visited (hundreds of times over the years). I've been keeping my eyes open for photo opps (see http://foodieisthenewforty.blogspot.com/2012/11/off-topic-shoal-creek-fields.html) but not art. Going to have to start looking now.

I am guessing since you live so nearby that you've been keeping up with BCRC or maybe even involved. If not, please join the "fun."