For 75 years Julia Mitchell has lived in her two-bedroom house in East Austin. She's seen the neighborhood change from the porch of her 100-year-old home.
"I don't like it. If they would have built single-family homes or duplexes it would of been all right, but I just hate to see all the big apartments," Mitchell said.
The reason she's not a fan of the new condos and apartments is they drive up property values. And higher property values mean higher property taxes that some can't afford to pay.
"I just hate to see people who have been over here that have so much ties, you know, into the neighborhoods over here to move," Mitchell said.
"We still have to try and protect citizens that may lose their home because of increased value," Austin City Council Member Sheryl Cole said.
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Homestead preservation
Rising property values has prompted Austin City Council to consider helping out low-income homeowners.
 
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Cole hopes to do that by creating a homestead preservation district in parts of East Austin. The boundaries are south from Town Lake to Manor Road, and Interstate 35 east to Airport Boulevard.
"I think affordable housing throughout the city is a big issue, but particularly it is in East Austin because that used to be one of the more affordable places to live and we see that quickly changing," Cole said.
On Thursday, the Austin City Council will vote on an ordinance
to create a homestead preservation district in East Austin.
Basically, a homeowner within the district, if they meet certain requirements, could ask the city to buy their land. The homeowner would still own the house.
"The individual would be protected against escalating values in the land because it is actually being owned by a city or a nonprofit," Cole said.
Julia said she likes the idea and one day might even sign up, as long as she gets to keep her house.
If the ordinance passes, the city of Austin will still have to wait on state lawmakers. House Bill 470 will have to clear both the House and the Senate before the City can go any further with creating the preservation district.
