The Aviation District Master Plan
Is the Aviation District Master Plan (ADMP) a welcome improvement or an unprincipled rapacity for increased city revenue? I’ll share with you my thoughts and considerations on this project and you can decide for yourself.
Part 1 - Roads & Traffic
For starters, the plan closes off Aviation Blvd from Bowie Drive to Travis. Note the cobblestone appearance on the map. Commuters will have to filter through neighborhood streets to connect with Pat Booker or use the already congested Hwy 78. The closed off section will be pedestrian only access. This is going to impact everyone who lives south of Kitty Hawk.
Traffic will become a nightmare on this end of Pat Booker, so to help prevent auto accidents caused by poorly navigated left turns, hard medians are to be installed in the center lane. With only two lanes to start with and no way to widen Pat Booker, this should prove a bit “colorful” at times.
Part 2 - Build Back Better "GENTRIFICATION"
We’re all familiar with the Marxist phrase “Build Back Better,” which seems to be the theme of the Aviation District Master Plan. The problem with “Build Back Better” is that first you must destroy. Who and what gets destroyed doesn’t seem to matter to those who believe that the end justifies the means. This begs the question, “who is really behind all of this nonsense?” And why must we destroy something to improve it? How does that work?
The ADMP concept as portrayed, indicates a scorched earth approach of eradication and replacement. This may well include weaponizing code enforcement, and possibly worse. I have discussed this in the past with one of our sitting Council Members and he said, “they promised me they would never do something like that.” Keep in mind that this was and is a current sitting Council Member; so just who, may I ask is “they”. Is there a private consortium of authority in Universal City that is above some of our Council Members? Is it the EDC?
Recently, there have been rumors floating around about homeowners being told to bring their house up to code or else. It’s probably just rumors and idle gossip, but as I live right next to the proposed future utopia, I will be conducting interviews with some of the residents and businesses and will report on my findings at some point in the future. (Update: it is going on with some of the businesses, more to come.)
Part 3 - Money Over People
In my opinion, the Aviation District Master Plan has a three-fold intent, none of which truly benefits those who live in and around the area. First, the plan provides for tourist and dining attractions, which will bring in more venue tax for the city. Second, The plan seems to include removing most, if not all current structures, including houses. Lastly, the plan involves several new apartment buildings, row houses and tiny garden homes, vastly increasing the number of small rental units and greatly increasing the amount of utility profits and ad valorem revenue.
Now there was a citizens based focus group involved at the time this plan was hatched. Who were these people? Did they think this thing all the way through? Do they live on that side of town? Did they come from “blue states” and bring their “progressive” ideas with them? I don’t know, all I have to go on for now is the actual published Aviation District Master Plan, which looks to me like unadulterated gentrification and greed.