The opportunity has arrived for Austin to live up to its reputation and beloved mantra of weirdness.
Corporate honchos have routinely challenged local businesses by placing clean and friendly franchises next to eclectic, family-owned originals. Now the big-shots are eager to override the diverse makeup of our downtown scene by building homogenous hotels and office buildings with little regard for the area's history.
Gone unchecked, corporate bullies will fly effortlessly under the radar as mere "urban developers." But Austin is full of weirdos willing to organize and question the skyscraper vision that has materialized in downtowns worldwide, right?
The nearby city of Lakeway offers us inspiration as they just passed a zoning amendment to promote the city's small-town character. One of their stated objectives is "to encourage urban design that results in smaller networks of utilities and streets." If we don't get behind an ordinance preserving Austin's own character, we'll be a Dallas just as Lakeway would have been a Round Rock.
Downtown Austin has three businesses at risk of losing their leases: Tesoros, Las Manitas and Escuelita del Alma. Under the developer's current plan, a complex of Marriott hotels will take their place and will be similar in generic design to the Marriott just blocks away. It will be the kind of hotel that, when you stand in its lobby, you can't tell if you are in Austin, Los Angeles or St. Louis. Austin's future with this kind of urban development will be flavorless, predictable and certainly less jazzy than what we've got now.
College students with impassable 40-Acre and West-Campus coordinates might not be familiar with the vibes found in Austin's varying neighborhoods. A weekend stroll downtown is a good starting place for anyone interested in leaving their bubble.
A walk down Congress Avenue is a free and easy way to connect with the pulse of our city. Old buildings still have their original signs with business names that are small and unobtrusive, and it's easy to imagine when a trolley used to run down the middle of the street. Right before Second Street on the east side are the three businesses to be demolished. Next to a parking lot, the small brick buildings look dainty compared to the nearby Frost Tower. Their storefront decorations and names reflect their Hispanic ownership - the entire block is minority-owned, and half of it is being displaced.
Inside Tesoros are brightly colored imports from Mexico and Central and South America. The tapestries, clothing and jewelry entice all sorts of window shoppers. Escuelita del Alma is a Spanish immersion day-care center with a two-year waiting list, and it is the only day-care located downtown for parents working nearby.
Las Manitas has Mexican food that attracts people whose faces are found in newspapers and magazines, as well as people who would never recognize those famous ones. Although small in size, this restaurant is big in character and ambience. Outside, a notebook is set up for waiting customers to list the top 10 reasons why Las Manitas should stay where it is, and there are pages of heartfelt comments.
Although it seems as though size means more to city dealmakers than integrity, three council members recently stepped up in defense of the small guys and asked Marriott to revise a plan by Oct. 31 that will allow the businesses to stay in their original locations. But they are up against a tough philosophy, one that judges a city's success on the number of conventions it holds. Because more conventions means more people walking around buying things, supporting the economy so that more hotels and sterile offices can be built.
Unfortunately the size of a building does not reflect the size of the contribution a business makes to its community. Ousting Las Manitas from its current location makes Austin seem spineless and will result in a big loss for everyone, especially the city's cultural base.
Growth is inevitable, and can be good when done responsibly and carefully. It is natural for businesses to come and go, to relocate and rename. But when we start tearing them down, the history goes as well.
As of now, Mr. Marriott has no intention to build his hotel with consideration for the three proud businesses he'll be punishing. We know it can be done, and Austin residents and leaders should hold intruding developers to a higher standard than it currently does. If you would like to help the effort to avoid the disappearance of these businesses, visit the Web site, www.savelasmanitas.org.
Pine is a government and public relations senior.
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