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Land use/development
March 28, 2007
Senators tear into homebuilders
The Texas Association of Builders and the Homebuilders Association of Greater Austin found their testimony Wednesday less than well-received at the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee. The builders oppose three bills expanding land use control for cities and counties along Texas 130.
Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, who sponsored the bills (SB 1688, 1689, 1690), criticized the groups for not working with him earlier to try to address their concerns. He also accused the Austin homebuilders group of sending inflammatory e-mails to its members containing erroneous information about the proposed legislation.
Committee chairman John Carona, R-Dallas, complained that the groups had not contacted his office about their concerns with the bills until Monday.
“It may come as a surprise… but you all don’t have the political muscle around here to wait until the last minute,” Carona said. “There are organizations that, do but the homebuilders don’t.”
The most ambitious of the three bills would allow Austin to create a special district or districts around the toll road where it could impose its development rules and collect sales and property taxes to pay for roads, streets and utility improvements in the district without being required to fully annex and provide city services for up to 15 years.
