We are Rosedale residents — parents, neighbors, business owners, and homeowners — united to promote responsible growth and increased density that creates family-friendly affordable housing.
For decades, Rosedale has been a peaceful, residential neighborhood where families walk, bike, and gather. We believe in responsible growth that respects neighborhood infrastructure, safety, and long-standing protections like deed restrictions. Deed restrictions may be negotiated to accommodate affordable housing alternatives to single family homes — but not ignored.
Today, our community faces an unprecedented challenge. A proposal by the Austin Independent School District and developer OHT Partners would replace the original Rosedale Elementary School with a 435-unit, six-story luxury apartment complex served only by small neighborhood streets.
After the school closed in 2022, AISD solicited neighborhood residents’ opinions on what to do with the 4.3 acre campus. A modestly sized development that prioritized teacher housing was settled on … and then the district went silent. Then — surprise! — AISD discarded those plans and decided to sell to the highest bidder. The result was OHT’s proposal, which was quickly dubbed “The Death Star.”
Shocked, the neighborhood recoiled. Play Fair With Rosedale an unofficial, ad hoc organization comprised of neighborhood residents, sprung up to oppose the new plan.
What Play Fair With Rosedale stands for
We support strong public schools and recognize AISD’s financial challenges. But we also believe:
- It is unacceptable for a school district to sue its own constituents at the bidding of a developer.
- Austin needs more family-friendly affordable housing, not more luxury apartments.
- The fate of the Rosedale site will set a precedent for how other closed school properties across Austin are redeveloped.
- Closed school campuses are an opportunity to promote housing that keeps families in Austin and their children in AISD schools.
- Increased density must be approached strategically so as to not overwhelm a neighborhood’s infrastructure.
- The OHT development would overwhelm our residential streets with auto traffic, which compromises the safety of pedestrians and cyclists and diminishes quality of life.
Our mission: Promote thoughtful redevelopment that protects public safety, neighborhood infrastructure, and quality of life in Rosedale — for current residents, future neighbors, and generations to come.
Meet our litigation attorney: Renea Hicks
Renea Hicks represents the neighborhood in the deed restriction and related legal proceedings.
A longtime Rosedale resident, Renea volunteered his time and expertise to help ensure the community’s interests are thoughtfully and effectively represented.
Renea is widely recognized as one of Texas’s leading appellate lawyers. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law and has argued cases — and filed numerous briefs — before both the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected as a Texas Super Lawyer in Civil Appellate Law every year since 2003. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, five federal appellate courts, and all federal district courts in Texas.
Earlier in his career, Renea served as Texas State Solicitor in the Office of the Attorney General (1993–1995), acting as the state’s lead appellate lawyer. He has been involved in major Texas litigation matters for more than three decades.
We are grateful for his experience and commitment to ensuring the legal issues in this case are fully and professionally addressed.