I've visited the area several times recently and gotten to hear some of the details of how the process of getting a house works. It seems like there is some red tape to deal with, but I suppose its necessary to accomplish the goal. She had to deal with her realtor, some other realtor, and also a representative of the affordable housing program. They required her to submit pay stubs and other information about her income. Even though she did earn less that the income limit and had a signed letter from her employer the program representative claimed she earned too much to qualify for a new house, but she did qualify for a resale. On that note, if you own a house in Mueller you have to get approval from the offices to do any substantial changes or improvements to your house, and if you choose to sell your house you first have to offer it back to Mueller first to be resold as affordable housing, though they may decline. Ultimately, if you do qualify, Mueller will pay $89,000 dollars of your house.
They have various different types of houses in Mueller for various income levels. They have houses, row houses, duplex-type houses, condos, and even larger more expensive homes, thought I am not sure wether those are involved with the affordable housing program. The video below talks about how the Muller development got rolling. The city had this large piece of land close to the center of town, and really the only option for it was to make housing, to take a bite of the some 35,000 people without available affordable housing. (we talked about this at the beginning of the semester, I think that is the right number.) It seems like the housing there is just getting eaten up. everything they have built is full, and even some condos and houses not even built yet already have owners.
http://www.muelleraustin.com/photos-and-videos#num=0&id=223
they have a nice website. it has just basic info about the area and the program, but it also has more in-depth information like design guidelines, information about purchasing homes, and also serves as a event guide and community message board.
http://www.muelleraustin.com/
The area does kind of feel like some generic tract home development, filled with McMansion Jrs, and home styles are kind of bland and beige colored, but I think underneath the outer layer it is a really well thought out and planned community and a nice place to live. They homes are close together and small, so the population is dense, but the layout and green spaces make it seem like a suburban neighborhood. There are a few small green spaces throughout and one large central park with a playground and pool. The pool house is pretty cool, we even visited it once for a Construction class. On the older streets the trees have started to grow in and the sidewalks are nice to walk on. There are several amenities nearby including more parks and an outdoor amphitheater and a place for foodtrucks farmer's markets. There is a nice civic center in core of the Muller area as something that would draw outsiders to the area. There are also multi-story apartment buildings next to the housing development with commercial businesses and restaurants on the ground level. Nearby they are planning on building an HEB designed by Lake-Flato, and it's neat a large retail center with a Home Depot and things like that. They even kept the old air traffic control tower and put pretty lights on it as a reminder of the area's past (this reminds me of the potential of the Holly St. Power Plant).
It's not all built yet, but they really are making this area a town within a town, an urban node that is a blend of a nice suburban neighborhood with houses and parks and ponds and a more dense urban area with mixed-use structures that is walkable and is a place that Austinites would want to live in or visit. I hope this post doesn't seem like an infomercial. Before I didn't know much about the area or the housing program, and was skeptical, but having had some experience with it and after taking a closer look I have come to really appreciate the area and the efforts it is making to improve the city.
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