Petition opposes SCWF development

A group aiming to convince City Council not to commit $278 million in property taxes to partially fund the South Central Waterfront development has begun a petition drive. Council has approved creation of a tax increment reinvestment zone for the area, but has not taken the vote on the percentage of tax dollars that will go to finance roads, sidewalks, park areas and other amenities. Leaders of the group called Taxpayers Against Giveaways include attorneys Fred Lewis, Bill Bunch and Roger Borgelt, as well as NAACP leader Nelson Linder, photographer Holly Reed and businesswoman Laura Templeton. The petition language notes that the South Central Waterfront consists of “118 acres of some of the most valuable land in Austin.” The former Statesman site is owned by a trust whose trustee is development attorney Richard Suttle. Although Suttle has said a planned unit development on the site will not go forward without the TIRZ, Lewis and company believe that not to be true. TAG has a Facebook page and Twitter account but is still working on its website.