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Bryker Woods Neighborhood News
 BWNA News Sources and Feeds
The BrykerWoods Neighborhood has two news sources - each specializing in a different type of delivery technology. You can subscribe to either or simply visit occasionally with your web browser. Each of the environments excels in a different type of communication and each is worthy of a browser bookmark!
a) BrykerWoods Blog - purpose for delivering the latest neighborhood news and events via web or RSS feed. Think of this as the BrykerWoods Neighborhood bulletin board where you can view the latest posting of news. An advantage of a Blog is the ability to "subscribe" to news feeds via an RSS viewer. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually. Lean more about Blogs and RSS.
b) BrykerWoods Yahoo Group - purpose for communication among BWNA residents via email and/or the web. This is a traditional email distribution list (aka LISTSERV). By subscribing you can post or deliver email messages to other BWNA listserv subscribers. No subscription is necessary to read the listserve messages. The delivery of email can be managed via the tools provided by Yahoo Groups. You can chose to receive email deliveries (“digest mode” is an option) or you can view the email via the web. In other words, tools have been made available that permit you to get BrykerWoods communications on your terms, when and how you want.
State of the BrykerWoods Neighborhood (Fall 2007)
What makes the Bryker Woods Neighborhood so desirable? Many will argue that it is more than the central Austin location. Beyond the proximity to the University and downtown, it is the elementary school, the parks and greenbelts, the charming homes and the historic neighborhood. Quite often people also comment on the neighborhood “character” - such as the homes, streetscape & trees. These neighborhood attributes are frequently the reason that people choose to live in the Bryker Woods neighborhood. Ironically, some of these desirable neighborhood qualities are threatened as result from being such a great neighborhood. Obviously the Bryker Woods neighborhood would be a much different place were the streetscape to consist of tightly spaced town homes each with a front yard privacy fence or wall.
Bryker Woods is a neighborhood that “works”. Although functional and highly desirable, the neighborhood does have some significant threats to the quality of life we all enjoy. Namely the current threats stem from redevelopment and traffic. Currently Bryker Woods like many older central city neighborhoods is experiencing a variety of insensitive construction projects. Some of the new homes built are frequently out of scale and intrude on neighboring properties. Traffic has always been an issue for Bryker Woods (especially since the construction of MoPac) and as Austin has grown, the problems associated with cut-through traffic have gotten much worse. The intensified redevelopment of West Campus will only exacerbate the problems associated with existing cut-through traffic. An additional threat and an area of historical concern is the potential commercial encroachment from Seton Medical complex and the 35th street corridor. It was these threats that led to the creation of the Bryker Woods Neighborhood Association (aka BWNA) almost 25 years ago.
Neighborhoods undergo change and change is not necessarily bad. Some demographic trends for the Bryker Woods neighborhood look promising. Compared with census data collected over 10 years ago, the percentage of families with school age children has increased. This is a strong sign for our central city neighborhood. A trend that will continue to prove challenging is the cost of homes and the associated property taxes. Although never guaranteed, property values in Bryker Woods have continued to rise. Other assumptions that are potentially erroneous are static neighboring properties and the ability to transform a purchased property into an immense home. The pleasant view from your kitchen window and the privacy in your back yard are not necessarily guaranteed – although the new McMansion ordinance does help. Also not guaranteed is the right to build a massive urban loft on a lot formally occupied by a small neighborhood cottage. What you can expect and what you can do with property in Bryker Woods fall somewhere in between. All property within Bryker Woods is zoned SF-3 and it behooves everyone to learn what can and cannot be done when remodeling and rebuilding.
Bigger homes are not always better. Many families are choosing a smaller home for a more central Austin location. The emphasis is quality over quantity of house. Bigger homes require bigger lots and most lots in Bryker Woods are relatively small in size. It is precisely this reason that the massive new homes are viewed as intrusive and insensitive to neighborhood character. Speculative and “flipped” homes invariably present the most egregious examples of the McMansion phenomena. Forfeiting scale and context in deference to profit margin, these massive homes are of concern for many neighborhood residents. An additional concern is the loss of more “affordable” houses within the neighborhood. The resulting prices of the huge homes are such that only the very well off can move into the Bryker Woods neighborhood – pricing out all but the wealthiest of families.
What direction should the Bryker Woods go? What ever direction, residents and property owners should have a say in the process. Currently the Bryker Woods neighborhood is undergoing a city neighborhood planning process - our neighborhood is part of the Central West Austin Planning area. The process is inclusive and provides opportunity for residents, property and business owners to all have a voice in what direction they want the neighborhood to take. Contemporary, tightly spaced lofts? Period homes and streetscape? Or a combination of both? Regardless of direction, neighborhood residents and property owners should have a say in the process.
Many Bryker Woods residents value the historical aspect of the neighborhood. Those interested in preserving the neighborhood streetscape and period homes, now have the ability to create Local Historic Districts. Such a city of Austin designation requires a majority of property owner support. The resulting code has enforceable remodeling and building guidelines. Data from other historic districts around the country show that property values do NOT decrease in value – most districts continue to appreciate quite well because of demand for centrally located period homes of modest size with good schools. I encourage everyone to talk with your neighbor and discuss what direction you think Bryker Woods should go (especially with regard to housing) and act. All neighborhoods evolve. And some neighborhoods choose the path of preservation just as others choose the path of dense urban development.
Actions Bryker Woods residents can take are many. When remodeling and/or rebuilding exercise sensitivity and respect for neighboring property owners. Of course small homes built over 50 years ago will need to be enlarged and remodeled to accommodate growing families. Scale and not style is most important however. A current trend in housing places an emphasis on the quality of living space over the quantity of living space. Context is also quite important as the Bryker Woods neighborhood is part of a National Register Historic District (Old West Austin) and many residents value the style of the neighborhoods period cottages.
Residents can also help keep an eye out for illegitimate building activity within the neighborhood. The city of Austin does not have the staff to adequately patrol and monitor building activity and some developers are notorious for exploiting the lack of permit compliance. Should you see a project and have questions, look for a posted building permit and research city website’s permit database. And should you see a permit or building violation alert the city immediately by calling 311. Protection of the neighborhoods tree canopy is also something in which we all can participate. Replanting and care of existing trees will not only help preserve an important neighborhood attribute but also help mitigate the city’s heat island effect. Furthermore shade is a precious commodity during the long hot Texas summer.
We pay high taxes to live in Central Austin and the quality of life we enjoy is vulnerable. Become involved in the neighborhood in some capacity. The Bryker Woods Neighborhood Association (BWNA) is always looking for more participation. The ongoing city neighborhood planning process is an excellent way to help ensure the neighborhood maintains qualities you enjoy as well as make improvements. Vote in the upcoming city council elections - select a candidate that represents your interests for central Austin neighborhoods. Should you have children in a neighborhood elementary school, consider becoming more involved if not already. Our schools are some of the best in town and they are vital to our neighborhood. Lastly, take a walk in the neighborhood. Get out and experience Bryker Woods. We are after all incredibly fortunate to live in such as desirable urban neighborhood.
All the best,
Edward A. Tasch
BWNA President 2004-2007
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