Once again the eastern end of Montopolis is under attack. This time it is the Ecology Action Circle Acres Nature Preserve in the bullseye as developers and city council move to develop properties adjacent to the former dump turned riparian biodiverse ecological park that’s been free and open to the public as a community benefit for years.

The original post from EA is below. Read it and light up city hall to put a stop to this. The people of Montop and the working class of Austin deserves better.

Once again, profit-focused developers and their enablers want to replace the community and land between Roy Guerrero Park and the Montopolis Negro School with new developments, for new people, with way more money than the families who’ve lived in this barrio for generations.

Proponets are gaslighting and deflecting, saying people should accept this because the development is a Habitat for Humanity project with 17 units reserved for 60%-80% median family income (which isn’t compatible with the working and poverty classes of Montop if you look at Austin’s MFI numbers). They say things like, “if you get your way a developer will just build giant mcmansions for over $800k each instead of these,” and its the broken land development code to blame, not the council nor the profiteers.

The same lawyer - former city council staffer Leah Bojo - who was once involved with issues of the defeated Montopolis Negro School development pushed by Austin Stowell, is giving mixed messages to the planning commission and the city council.

Its the same song and dance we’ve seen for years. The settler pilgrims want their hands on this slice of Montopolis and will greenwash, bullshit, and outright obfuscate in order to make these developments happen.

——LANGUAGE FROM ORGINIAL ECOLOGY ACTION POST—-

Via @ecologyactionatx - Save Urban Greenspace - We need your help!

As soon as this Thursday, Oct 1 Austin City COuncil will decide whether or not to approve an up-zoning case on a 2 acre lot immediately above our #circleacrenaturepreserve.

Developers are seeking to put 34 luxury condos on this heavily wooded lot, which will threaten the integrity of the poorly capped Grove Landfill. The landfill abuts a highly erosive creek that is already stressed from major apartment developments upstream. Increasing impervious cover on the property above us could result in a failure of the contaminated cap along #countryclubcreekeast and will also negatively impact the rich biodiversity at Circle Acres and #RoyGguerreropark.

We also believe rezoning this property for luxury condos will inevitably lead to the displacement of our long term neighbors and accelerate gentrification in Montopolis. Adding in a portion of “affordable” units rated at more than twice the neighborhoods median family income is not a real solution to the displacement this will cause.

The surrounding community has fought for months to stop the developers and their lobbyists from pushing through this case. The City’s own planning department is recommending not to rezone, but our Councilmember @piorenteria has admitted to not even reading their recommendations and wanting to replace the existing housing stock with new structures (and people).

There is a valid petition to oppose the rezoning and we need just 3 council votes to defeat the rezoning effort.

Sign this petition to reach out to Austin City Council and ask them to oppose rezoning 508 Kemp Street. Tell them to protect the natural spaces left in Austin and respect the 15 years of work we and the #rhizomecollective have done converting a toxic brownfield to a thriving nature preserve. Ask them to respect the existing Montopolis Neighborhood Plan and honor the wishesof the community most affected. Council is well aware that Montopolis is one of Austin’s most vulnerable neighborhoods to gentrification.

@protectmontopolis

@mayorsteveadler

@centraltexasmycology

@mycoresearchstation

@travisaudubonsociety

#atxcouncil #igatx #igaustin #parks #gentrification #austin