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>Collin County has traffic problems. Collin County's traffic problems are a function of its land-use pattern—which spreads development extremely thin on the lan

>Collin County has traffic problems. Collin County's traffic problems are a function of its land-use pattern—which spreads development extremely thin on the landscape, and segregates uses, ensuring that people have to make lengthy motor vehicle trips to accomplish pretty much every one of their day to day needs. The offered solution: >For automobile flooding (congestion), the only way to deal with it and still have a successful economy is to address it at the source. We need to absorb those trips locally before they become a flood. Instead of building lanes, we need to be building corner stores. I'm thinking hard about this article - I'm an ex-Houstonian. I can't go back. They worship the vehicle. They brag about their hour+ commutes one way. It's been wrapped up in machismo Texan pride. Because, inevitably when you bring up how much it sucks that no matter what we want to do, we've got a 20 minute drive ahead of us at least, instantly everyone's anti-tax hackles are raised. "Socialism" is on everyone's lips, you're getting suspicious glances. So hell yea brutha, we drivin! At least we don't have state income tax or zoning laws like those stupid Californians, just look at all the good that did them! /s If Strongtowns can find a way to start convincing Texans that cornerstores (which sounds to me like, need zoning) can be built without increasing taxes, I bet they could make the pitch. I remember as a real young kind in Green Bay, WI and then Charleston, SC, we could ride our bikes around and go places. I remember as a slightly older kid in Houston being tremendously bored on my friend's couch, suggesting we bike somewhere, and then realizing we had nowhere we could go. It was nothing but miles of suburbia encased in impassable freeways. Life got fun again at 16 when I finally got a car.

xvedejas 8y ago
As someone who grew up in Collin county and now lives in SF, isn't zoning the reason there aren't more corner stores in either? I know Houston doesn't have a "proper" zoning system, but according to a developer friend of mine, their development regulations are actually much more strict than most places, with huge setback requirements for instance.
- ip26 8y ago
  Zoning is a tool. You can use it to make anything, really. Including sprawl that looks like an absence of zoning.
- JamesBarney 8y ago
  I can confirm we have huge setback and parking requirements. Which is great if you think parking lots are beautiful.
conductr 8y ago
The corner store solution is so bogus. Plano has tons of under utilized commercial space. Practically every intersection has 4 corners of partially vacant huge strip centers. People here choose to frequent the newer nicer always hip and usually chain oriented strip centers near the freeways (shops at legacy, legacy west) at the expense of supporting the interior commercial districts. So, I would say until traffic gets much worse people would not support the corner stores.
- GavinMcG 8y ago
  "Corner store" doesn't mean a store at the corner of an intersection. It means the store you can walk to from your home, with many of the things you might need day to day. The term implies more density, rather than just being closer.
  - JJMcJ 8y ago
    Like Manhattan were almost every block with apartments will have a small store.
- xellisx 8y ago
  A lot places in N. Texas is like that. I see lots of unused commercial space in Tarrant County. I've seen places built with in the last 10 years that it's hard to get someone to occupy it in the first place, or for more than 6 months. With all the available commercial space in some of these cities, it amazes me to see new spaces still being built.
ta_egdhs 8y ago
/r/neoliberal has a fantastic slogan/soundbite for you to use. "legalize housing" a people ideologically against government intervention should be all for removing government barriers to building what you want where you want. that includes corner stores and town houses. they naturally should be against the gov telling you how much setback you need and how tall you can build. don't phrase it as we need to zone for corner stores. phrase it as we need to legalize corner stores.
lewis500 8y ago
Why would you have to increase taxes to let people build corner stores? They aren't proposing government-run corner stores.
nikhizzle 8y ago
Out of curiosity, why do Texans dislike state income tax, but subject themselves to 2% property tax? This was one of my family's reasons to choose against moving there.
- claydavisss 8y ago
  This tax structure simultaneously keeps housing cheap while putting more money in the hands of workers.
  - xellisx 8y ago
    "Cheap"? Housing pricing in most of Texas have gone crazy in the last couple years. I'm paying 2x more in property tax than I was 2 years ago because of the "boom".
- kodablah 8y ago
  It's about where the tax goes, local vs state, worker vs landowner. Also, as a by product, helps encourage turnover. There is also sales tax for other expenditures, but a lack of state income tax in general encourages income/business.
- shiftpgdn 8y ago
  Property tax is variable from neighborhood to neighborhood. I pay 3.6%, some of my co-workers pay as high as 5.2% and some less than a fraction of a %.
- tjalfi 8y ago
  There are some exemptions for Texas property taxes if you are over 65, disabled, or a veteran. Sources: [0] [1] [2] [0] https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/are-you-getting-all-your-texas-property-tax-breaks.html https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/are-you-getting-all-... [1] https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-kennedy/article211993084.html https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-... [2] https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/exemptions/age65older-disabled-faq.php https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/exemptions/...
kodablah 8y ago
> They worship [...] They brag [...] machismo [...] suspicious glances [...] hell yea brutha, we drivin [...] those stupid Californians Sounds like it was good for everyone that you left and are not going back. The problem so many have these days is their lack of understanding towards other people's preferences, and then leveraging it to demean. Clearly, lifestyle disagreements must be wrapped up in pejoratives and stereotypes as though Texas isn't steeped in diversity. I'm sorry your boredom on your friend's couch and other your-life-and-situation-specific anecdotes jaded you, but that doesn't mean you understand preferences of others or the general societal situations.

xvedejas 8y ago

As someone who grew up in Collin county and now lives in SF, isn't zoning the reason there aren't more corner stores in either? I know Houston doesn't have a "proper" zoning system, but according to a developer friend of mine, their development regulations are actually much more strict than most places, with huge setback requirements for instance.

ip26 8y ago
Zoning is a tool. You can use it to make anything, really. Including sprawl that looks like an absence of zoning.
JamesBarney 8y ago
I can confirm we have huge setback and parking requirements. Which is great if you think parking lots are beautiful.

conductr 8y ago

The corner store solution is so bogus. Plano has tons of under utilized commercial space. Practically every intersection has 4 corners of partially vacant huge strip centers. People here choose to frequent the newer nicer always hip and usually chain oriented strip centers near the freeways (shops at legacy, legacy west) at the expense of supporting the interior commercial districts. So, I would say until traffic gets much worse people would not support the corner stores.

GavinMcG 8y ago
"Corner store" doesn't mean a store at the corner of an intersection. It means the store you can walk to from your home, with many of the things you might need day to day. The term implies more density, rather than just being closer.
- JJMcJ 8y ago
  Like Manhattan were almost every block with apartments will have a small store.
xellisx 8y ago
A lot places in N. Texas is like that. I see lots of unused commercial space in Tarrant County. I've seen places built with in the last 10 years that it's hard to get someone to occupy it in the first place, or for more than 6 months. With all the available commercial space in some of these cities, it amazes me to see new spaces still being built.

ta_egdhs 8y ago

/r/neoliberal has a fantastic slogan/soundbite for you to use. "legalize housing" a people ideologically against government intervention should be all for removing government barriers to building what you want where you want. that includes corner stores and town houses. they naturally should be against the gov telling you how much setback you need and how tall you can build. don't phrase it as we need to zone for corner stores. phrase it as we need to legalize corner stores.

lewis500 8y ago

Why would you have to increase taxes to let people build corner stores? They aren't proposing government-run corner stores.

nikhizzle 8y ago

Out of curiosity, why do Texans dislike state income tax, but subject themselves to 2% property tax? This was one of my family's reasons to choose against moving there.

claydavisss 8y ago
This tax structure simultaneously keeps housing cheap while putting more money in the hands of workers.
- xellisx 8y ago
  "Cheap"? Housing pricing in most of Texas have gone crazy in the last couple years. I'm paying 2x more in property tax than I was 2 years ago because of the "boom".
kodablah 8y ago
It's about where the tax goes, local vs state, worker vs landowner. Also, as a by product, helps encourage turnover. There is also sales tax for other expenditures, but a lack of state income tax in general encourages income/business.
shiftpgdn 8y ago
Property tax is variable from neighborhood to neighborhood. I pay 3.6%, some of my co-workers pay as high as 5.2% and some less than a fraction of a %.
tjalfi 8y ago
There are some exemptions for Texas property taxes if you are over 65, disabled, or a veteran. Sources: [0] [1] [2] [0] https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/are-you-getting-all-your-texas-property-tax-breaks.html https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/are-you-getting-all-... [1] https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-kennedy/article211993084.html https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-... [2] https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/exemptions/age65older-disabled-faq.php https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/exemptions/...

kodablah 8y ago

> They worship [...] They brag [...] machismo [...] suspicious glances [...] hell yea brutha, we drivin [...] those stupid Californians Sounds like it was good for everyone that you left and are not going back. The problem so many have these days is their lack of understanding towards other people's preferences, and then leveraging it to demean. Clearly, lifestyle disagreements must be wrapped up in pejoratives and stereotypes as though Texas isn't steeped in diversity. I'm sorry your boredom on your friend's couch and other your-life-and-situation-specific anecdotes jaded you, but that doesn't mean you understand preferences of others or the general societal situations.