SPECIAL THIS MONTH: Separate farewell articles from both Association Co-Presidents Gary Penn and Bruce Nadig. Please look for both articles.

The Fate of Central City Neighborhoods T his is the last "From the Co-President's Desk" column I will be doing. Next month one of our new, very capable Co-Presidents will be taking over this space. Pecan Press The Pecan Press is published monthly by the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association in Austin, Texas. Editor Grant Thomas   454-7284   <hgthomas@palnet.org> Associate Editor Sarah Sitton   459-4530   307 E. 39th St. Poetry Editor Nancy Taylor Day   892-0127   <NancyLTD@aol.com> Crime Reporter Bruce Nadig   323-0779   <motorbruce@hotmail.com> Advertising Director Mike Capochiano   4904 Avenue H   467-9198 Production Manager Robert M. Farr   731-0617   <bobfarr@austin.rr.com> Mail Ads to: Print Deluxe 7500 Chelmsford Dr. Austin, TX 78736 Note: Each month's ad and editorial deadline is the 15th of month preceding publication. Distribution Coordinator Herb Dickson   4401 Avenue D   458-4335 Area Coordinators North of 45th/West of Duval - Pam Dozler 458-8927 North of 45th/East of Duval - Sarah Heather 452-8486 South of 45th/West of Speedway - The Gossetts 452-3654 South of 45th/East of Speedway - Martha Campbell 452-2815 Contributors Bruce Banner,Candy Gray Becker,Cynthia Beeman,Laurence Becker, Mary Collins Blackmon,George Bristol,Lewis Brownlow,Katherine Bryn,Mark Burkhardt,Amon Burtoe,Martha Campbell,Inga Maric Carmel,Josephine Casey, Nicole Caspers,Kitty Clark,Carol Cohen Burton,Mike Capochiano,Susan Crites-Krumm,Celeste Cromack,Rob D'Amico,Herb Dickson,Avis Davis,Don Davis,Lynn Denton,Pam Dozler,Cathy Echols,Jordan Erdos,Jack Evins,Patricia Florence,Merle Franke,Gregory Free,Larry Frelich,Robert Garrett,Mary Carolyn George,Larry Gilg,Susan Gilg,Ann S. Graham,Carolyn E. Grimes,Ben Heimsath,John Kerr,Susan Kerr,Bo Kersey,Deanna King,Susan Kirk,Anna Kotecki,Karen McGraw,Sharon Majors,Barbara Manson,Alan Marburger,Peter Maxon,Brook Meggs,Fred Meredith,Susan Moffat,Catherine Moore,Jill Nokes,Harry Pape,Wanda Penn,Cecil Pennington,Linda Pennington,Peter Pfeiffer,Dorothy Richter,Margie Sanford,Sheree Scarborough,Cathy Short,Sarah Sitton,Thad Sitton,Julie Strong,Kathleen Strong,Lao Tzu,Jennifer Vickers,Katie Vignery,Sandra Villalaz-Dickson,Lorre Weidlich,Joe Wiseman

There will likely be a crisis of some sort, since Central Austin neighborhoods are caught in a tug of war between those (city planners, the Statesman, the Chamber of Commerce and a host of individual developers) who see our SF-3 zoned neighborhoods as potential sites for redevelopment and those, mostly neighborhood residents, who think there is something valuable in our communities as they are. The aggressive partisans of the destructive doctrine of "highest and best use" see nothing as permanent or having intrinsic value. To them land is a site for building upon and buildings are devices for making money, to be replaced by other devices as soon as the cash flow from the current structure drops below what some alternative use might be able to direct into the property owner de jour's pocket. The result here in Boomtown is that most of the good things of the past have been replaced by inferior substitutes, the principal virtue of which is that they were thought likely to make more money for the people making the decision. To what extent other values will be factored into land use decisions, if at all, is the main theme behind the disputes, debates and decisions every week at the City Council, the Planning Commission, the Landmark Commission and the Board of Adjustment. In most of these cases the voice of the impacted neighborhoods is only weakly heard, or entirely absent.     For more than a generation the City Council has struggled with a very difficult problem: how to keep the City of Austin from being surrounded by a ring of hostile suburbs that drain the vitality out of the core City, leaving a decayed hole in the donut of sprawling growth. That is the pattern that has ruined most of the large cities in this country. The Austin strategy has been to annex Continued on page 4

    While HPNA values the opinions of all our neighbors, to have voting privileges you must be an active, signed-up member one month prior to being able to vote. Sign up in October so you can vote in November. Don't usually come to meetings? All the more reason to sign up during the Fire Station Festival when it's so easy. Don't wait until you have an issue on your block before becoming an active member. Can't make the Festival? Send in the membership form in this Pecan Press along with your dues.

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