[Determination of Quorum / Meeting Called to Order]
[00:00:05]
UH, JULY 13TH, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION TO ORDER AT 6 0 7.
UM, WE, UH, HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT AND, UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START WITH THE ROLL CALL.
UM, WHEN I MENTIONED YOUR NAME, UH, JUST RAISE YOUR HAND AND SAY HERE OR ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PRESENCE.
UH, UH, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE MYSELF AS CHAIR, TODD SHAW.
UH, WE HAVE VICE CHAIR HEMPEL UH, WE HAVE COMMISSIONERS, UM, STARTING WITH, UH, MISSIONER CONLEY, UH, THEN COMMISSIONER COPPS, COMMISSIONER FLORES, COMMISSIONER BUSH TODDLER, UH, COMMISSIONER.
I DON'T SEE COMMISSIONER PRICES, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, AND OH, AND I, OKAY.
COMMISSIONER SHEA APOLOGY HAS WENT OUT OF ORDER THERE.
SO THAT, UM, THE CDN THAT GIVES US, UH, EIGHT BY MY COUNT THIS EVENING.
UM, SO WE'RE JUST OVER QUORUM, SO WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF OPENINGS FOR PEOPLE TO SPEAK.
SO, UH, LIKE TELL US TO RECOGNIZE, UH, LET'S SEE, TONIGHT WE HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER JESSICA COHEN, UH, JOINING US.
AND, UM, WITH THAT QUICK REMINDERS, UH, COMMISSIONERS WERE, UH, HAVE YOUR VOTING MATERIALS, UH, RED, YELLOW, GREEN CARDS, UH, REMAIN COMMITTED WHEN YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING, UH, RAISE YOUR HAND TO BE RECOGNIZED AND CALLING ME VERBALLY.
IF I'M FAILING TO SEE YOU, UM, IT'S A LITTLE EASIER THIS EVENING.
THERE'S ONLY EIGHT, NINE BOXES.
UM, LET'S SEE, UM, FOR THE PARTICIPANTS OUT THERE, UH, SELECT STAR SIX TO UNMUTE, AND IF YOUR HIDING IS PULLED FOR DISCUSSION, YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMAIN ON THE LINE.
UH, YOU'LL RECEIVE AN EMAIL WITH HER ABOUT 15 MINUTES AWAY FROM TAKING YOUR, TAKING OUT THE ITEM.
SO, UH, THE FIRST ITEM THIS EVENING IS TO GO THROUGH THE AGENDA AND, UH, APPROVE THE CONSENT
[Reading of Agenda]
AGENDA AND MINUTES.AND SO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
AND AS I'VE COMMITTED TO, I'M GOING TO TRY TO GET THROUGH THIS MORE QUICKLY.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO, UM, UH, READ OUT THE ITEM ON THE PUBLIC HEARINGS.
I'LL JUST READ THE CASE NUMBER, UM, THE ADDRESS AND WHETHER OR NOT IT'S, UM, CONSENT OR PULLED FOR DISCUSSION.
SO THE FIRST ITEM ON CONSENT THIS EVENING IS THE APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 22ND MINUTES.
UH, DO WE HAVE ANY CHANGES THAT ARE REQUIRED OR TO THE MINUTES HEARING, SEEING NONE? WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADD THOSE TO THE, UH, UM, CONSENT AGENDA AS THEY ARE, UH, MOVING INTO THE PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS, UH, TO READ THESE OUT, WE HAVE ITEMS B ONE, IT'S A REZONING CASE NUMBER C 14 20 21 0 0 4 7.
UH, MORRIS CROSSING, FARMHOUSE, AND, UH, DECIDED BASED ON CONSENT.
UH, ITEM B TO THE PLAN AMENDMENT MTA 2021 DASH OH TWO.
OH DOT OH ONE SHELBY LANE RESIDENCE.
THIS ITEM IS, UH, POSTPONE UNTIL AUGUST 24TH.
YEAH, VITAMIN B3, REZONING C 14 20 21 0 0 1 5 SHELBY LANE RESIDENT.
THIS ITEM IS POSTPONE TILL AUGUST 24TH.
YEAH, HAVE I DONE, UH, BEFORE PLAN AMENDMENT NPA 20 21 0 0 2 NINE.ZERO ONE DOT S H AT 10 21 EAST ST.
UH, THIS IS APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT UNTIL AUGUST 24TH, THE FIVE REZONING CASE NUMBER C 14 20 21 0 0 5 DOT THERE, SAGE AT 10 21 EAST ST.
THIS ITEM IS, UH, WE HAVE AN APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TILL AUGUST 24.
UH, ITEM B SIX PLAN AMENDMENT NPA 2021 DEATHS ARE ZERO ONE EIGHT.ZERO ONE.
UH, THE CARLY'S DOT THREE, TWO.
[00:05:02]
WE HAVE B SEVEN REZONING CASE NUMBER C 14 DASH 2021 DASH 0 0 1 8.THIS ONE, UH, ITEM IS ALSO ON CONSENT.
WE HAVE ITEM B EIGHT REZONING CASE NUMBER C 14 DASH 2021.
YEAH, 0 0 0 9 17 25 TO MEET ROAD.
AND WE, THIS ITEM IS, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD POST-MOMENT TO JULY 27 AND APPLICANT IS IN AGREEMENT.
B NINE IS A PLAN AMENDMENT CASE NUMBER NPA THAT'S 2020
UH, B 10 REZONING CASE NUMBER C 14 DASH 20 21 0 0 5 8 CENTRAL EAST.
THIS IS, UM, ON CONSENT B 11 PLAN AMENDMENT NPA DASH 2021 DASH 0 0 1 SEVEN.ZERO TWO STO BAR RESIDENTIAL.
THIS ITEM IS, UH, WE HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TILL JULY 27.
APPLICANT IS IN AGREEMENT AND A B 12 REZONING CASE NUMBER C 14 DASH 2021 DASH 0 0 5 5 9 0 1 TO 9 0 7 STOVALL STREET NEIGHBORHOOD.
POSTPONE IT TILL JULY 27TH APPLICANT IN AGREEMENT.
YEAH, IT'D BE 13 PLAN AMENDMENT CASE NUMBER NPA 2020 DASH ZERO ZERO TWO.ZERO ONE FAIR MARKET.
THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION THIS EVENING, AND THEN WE HAVE THE ACCOMPANYING REZONING ITEM B 14.
IT'S A CASE NUMBER C 14 20 21 DASH 0 0 6 1 SARAH MARKET REZONING.
AND AGAIN, THIS ONE WILL BE, UH, TAKEN UP WITH B 13 FOR DISCUSSION, UH, THE 15 PLAN AMENDMENT CASE NUMBER NPA DASH 2021 DASH 0 0 2 6 0 1, BRADY AND BROWNIE MIXED USE.
THIS ONE IS, UM, UH, THEN HAS NEVER HEARD POSTPONE UNTIL JULY 27TH APPLICANT.
WE HAVE THE 16 REZONING C 14 20 21 DASH 0 2 3 8, RADIANT BROWN IN MIXED USE.
THIS IS, UM, SIMILARLY, UH, HOW NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT UNTIL THE JULY 27 AFRICAN AN AGREEMENT, UH, THESE 17 REZONING CASE NUMBER C 14, JAZ 2021 DASH 0 0 3 6 HIGHWAY TWO 90 AND 1826.
THIS IS ON CONSENT B 18 REZONING C 14 20 21 DASH 0 0 8 8 7 7 1 5 AND 7 8 0 9 OLD BKS ROAD BESIDE HIM IS ON CONSENT.
LASTLY, WE HAVE ITEM B 19 PRELIMINARY PLAN, CHASE NUMBER C EIGHT DASH 2020 DASH 0 0 3 3, SALARY RIDGE AND WILD HORSE RANCH.
THIS ITEM IS, UM, DISAPPROVED FOR REASONS.
UH, THE STAFF JUSTIFICATION FOR DISAPPROVAL IS FOUND IN EXHIBIT C, UH, THE BACKUP.
AND SO, UH, LET'S SEE, THOSE ARE THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE ON CONSENT
[Consent Agenda]
AND FOR DISCUSSION.UH, DO WE HAVE, UH, ANY THAT NEED TO RECUSE THEMSELVES FROM ANY OF THESE ITEMS? OKAY.
UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UH, COMMISSIONERS THAT WISH TO PULL ANY OF THE ITEMS THAT WERE LISTED ON CONSENT? OKAY.
SO WITH THAT, UM, UH, WITH THE, UH, CONSENT AGENDA, IF YOU WERE GOING TO INCLUDE THE MINUTES FROM JUNE 22ND AND THE, UH, ITEMS READ INTO THE CONSENT AGENDA, DO I HAVE A, UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE COMMISSIONER? UH VICE-CHAIR HEMPEL UH, OKAY.
AND SECOND, UH, COMMISSIONER FLORES.
SO LET'S GO AND VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH INCLUDES MINUTES AND THE ITEMS, UH, I READ OUT BEFORE CONSENT.
[00:10:02]
OR YOUR ITEMS LOOKS ALL GREEN.SO COMMISSIONER, IF I SHARE A HANDFUL, IS THAT YELLOW OR GREEN? I CAN'T TELL HELLO.
I'M IN MY HOTEL TONIGHT, SO I DON'T HAVE MY NORMAL CARDS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE BOTTLE OF COLOR.
I JUST, TO ME, THE LID LOOKS YELLOW, BUT OKAY.
SORRY, I'LL GO WITH, THIS'LL BE MY YELLOW.
I CAN'T WAIT TO, WELL, WE MAY NOT SEE ANY RED, BUT THERE.
WE'VE CLEARED THE CONSENT AGENDA AND NOW
[ Items B13 - B14]
WE'VE GOT, UH, ONE ITEM FOR DISCUSSION.UM, WELL WE'RE TAKING ITEMS THE 13 AND 14 TOGETHER.
AND SO DO WE HAVE STAFF TO KIND OF GIVE US A, UH, SUMMARY OF THE CASES? YES.
THIS IS MARK WALTERS WITH THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, AND I'M HERE TO PRESENT ITEM 13, MPA 20 20 0 0 2 DOT OH ONE FAIR MARKET DISTRICT THREE U ADDRESS IS 1111 0 8, 11 10 EAST FIFTH STREET AND 5 0 2 AND 5 0 4 WALTER STREET.
THE REQUEST IS TO MODIFY THE HEIGHT MAP FROM, UH, THE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT FROM 60 TO 85 FEET.
AND STAFF IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL.
THAT'S THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
UM, SO WE HAVE, UH, SPEAKING, UH, IS THE APPLICANT THIS EVENING, UH, IN BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT, MR. RICHARDS, SETTLE CHAIR, COMMISSION LIAISON.
ANDREW, WE'LL HEAR FROM THE ZONING STAFF NOW.
UM, I HAD, THIS IS HEATHER CHAPMAN HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT IT'S THEN IN CASE C 14, 20 21 0 0 6 1, THE REQUEST IT'S GO FROM T O D N P T T O D P O D AND P CHANGE A CONSTRUCT CONDITION OF ZONING.
AND AS MARK SAID, UH, IT STILL ALLOW THE ISTATION AREA PLAN AND REGULATING PLAN TO INCREASE THE BUILDING HEIGHT TO 85 FEET TO, UH, RECOGNIZE THE DENSITY BONUS THAT IS PERMITTED UNDER THIS PLAN.
THE APPLICANT IS PROPOSING TO UTILIZE THE TOD DENSITY PLAN TO INCREASE FAR SO THAT I'M SORRY, FCR FOR DEVELOPMENTS TO INCLUDE RESIDENTIAL UNITS OR PAY A FEE IN LIEU TO THE HOUSING PLANNING DEPARTMENT FOR THIS PROJECT.
THEY ARE INTENDING TO DO AN OFFICE BUILDING WITH GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
SO THEREFORE THEY'RE PAYING TO SEE AND LOSE TO THE HOUSING PROGRAM AND THE INCREASED FAR PER THAT, UH, PAYMENT.
SO FOR THIS, IT WOULD ALLOW THE BUILDING HEIGHTS TO GO FROM 60 FEET TO 85 FEET.
AND, UH, THE CITY WILL BE UPDATING THE STATION AREA PLAN, REGULATING PLAN ACCORDINGLY, UH, RELATED TO THIS, THE APPLICANT HAS STATED THEY INTEND TO MAINTAIN AND CONSTRUCT ROY AND MCKEE IS THE LAST IS, SPAZA AN UNDEVELOPED AREA.
THAT'S IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THE PROPERTY.
IT WAS PREVIOUSLY, UH, RIGHT AWAY THAT WAS INTENDED TO BE A STREET CONNECTION, BUT, UH, IT WAS LATER PLANNED TO BE, UH, PARKLAND.
AND, UH, THE CITY CANNOT REQUIRE THAT THESE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS BE PART OF THE ZONING CASE YET AND ADDITIONAL OVERLAY OR PUBLIC RESTRICTIVE COVENANT.
THE PROPERTY IS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF EAST FIFTH STREET BETWEEN MEDINA AND BALLER STREET.
IT'S 11 SMALL LOSS AND THEY SEND FROM SIX, THREE TO THE ALLEY TO THE NORTH, CURRENTLY DEVELOPED THE FAIR MARKET AND OUTDOOR INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT VENUE WITH ITS ASSOCIATED OFFICES.
AGAIN, TO THE WEST OF IT IS THE FORMER RIGHT OF WAY, OR I GUESS MAYBE IT IS CURRENTLY RIGHT AWAY, BUT THE AREA THAT HAS BEEN INTENDED AND PLANT THE PARK THAT HAS NOT BEEN DEVELOPED AS SUCH THE BEYOND THE ALLEY TOOK NORTH THE RIGHT OF WAY.
THAT WAS MEANT TO BE THE CONNECTION HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AS A PRIVATE PARKING
[00:15:01]
LOT AS THE STATUS OF THE LEGAL STATUS OF THAT PORTION ITEM.NO SO IN THE AREA, UM, EVERYTHING IS ZONED TO U D N P TO THE WEST AND NORTH AND EAST ACROSS THE MEDINA STREET TO THE WEST IS MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT.
MULTI-FAMILY RETAIL RESTAURANT AND OTHER GROUND FLOOR USES THERE'S MORE PERSONAL SERVICES.
COCKTAIL LOUNGE, COMMERCIAL USES TO THE EAST ACROSS WALLER STREET IS COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE
BUT PRIOR TO THAT, THESE PROPERTIES WERE REZONED, INCLUDING, UH, THE FIRST TRACKS ON THE AREA CASE HISTORIES HE LISTED IN THE BACKUP.
THEY UTILIZE SECURE OVERLAY TO INCREASE THE PERMITTED HEIGHT AND MODIFY OTHER DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
THESE WERE THE CLOSEST TRACKS.
UH, THE HEIGHT INCREASE WENT UP TO 68, 70, 80, AND 1 25 FEET OF BUILDING HEIGHT IN VARIOUS ZONING CASES.
UH, THE CLOSEST TRACT IS DEVELOPED WITH MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL WITH, UH, COMMERCIAL GROUND FLOOR USES AGAIN, AS I SAID, IN 2017, THE CURE OVERLAY WAS MOVED FROM THIS AREA THAT THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM SO REMAINS.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY AVAILABLE TOOL TO ALLOW AN INCREASE IN FAR HEIGHT IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE FAR UNDER THE DENSITY BONUS BONUS PROGRAM, THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING THE HEIGHT TO INCREASE TO 85 FEET FAST IS SUPPORTING THIS.
UH, THIS IS AN AREA THAT SUPPORTS INCREASED DENSITY AND MIX OF LAND USES AND HAVE A LOSS OF TRANSIT ACCESS.
THIS IS A FEE AND LOO SITE, AND THERE ARE, UH, PEOPLE SIGNED UP IN OPPOSITION BECAUSE THIS IS A PROPERTY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FEE IN LIEU OPTION INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THE AFFORDABLE, HAVING A HOUSING OPTION ONSITE.
AND THAT'S IT FOR MY THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND NOW WE WILL MOVE TO THE, UH, APPLICANT, UH, MR. RICHARD SETTLE.
I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT AND I'LL TRY NOT TO TAKE THE WHOLE SIX MINUTES.
UM, THIS CASE WE'VE, WE'VE GOT THE PRESENTATION LOADED IN AND I'D LIKE TO GO THROUGH IT REALLY QUICK.
THE FIRST PAGE IS JUST SIMPLY AN ARIEL, AND WE CAN GO BACK TO TALK ABOUT THESE, BUT THERE'S ONE THAT I REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS IN ON THE SECOND PAGE SHOWS, UH, EXISTING CONDITIONS WITH CORAZON NEXT TO US, THE AREA OF RIGHT AWAY, THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO DO THE PARK.
AND THEN THE FAIR MARKET BUILDINGS WHERE WE WERE PROPOSING OUR PROJECT.
IT COULD, IT SHOWS A CONCEPT OF, OF HOW THE PARK AND THE TWO BUILDINGS, UH, COULD INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.
THE NEXT PAGE IS THE SAME THING, BASICALLY SHOWING ALONG FIFTH STREET AND THE PARK, BUT THE, THE MAIN, THE MAIN, UM, EXHIBIT THAT I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT IS THE NEXT ONE THAT SHOWS THE RELATIVE HEIGHTS WITH TOPOGRAPHY ADDED IN TO THE BUILDINGS TO SHOW THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO POKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOD.
TOD IS BY THEIR VERY NATURE OR LEND THEMSELVES TO DENSITY.
WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM AND PAY INTO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND, UH, TO BASICALLY GET AN EXTRA FLOOR OF HEIGHT ON THIS BUILDING AND ALLOW US TO DO MODERN FLORIDA TO CEILING HEIGHTS, UM, IT'LL AMOUNT TO BETWEEN 900,000 AND A MILLION DOLLARS INTO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, FEE THAT THAT WILL BE, UM, SPENT WITHIN A CERTAIN DISTANCE OF THE TOD.
AND WE'RE PLANNING OFFICE WITH THE COMMERCIAL ON THE GROUND FLOOR IMPORTANCE OF THIS EXHIBIT THAT I HOPE YOU CAN SEE NOW IS TO SHOW THAT, UH, BETWEEN THE, THE, THE OTHER BUILDINGS AROUND THIS, WON'T BE OUT OF PLACE AT ALL, AND, UM, MEETS THE PLANNING PRINCIPLES OF, OF DENSITY IN AND AROUND, UH, TODD.
[00:20:01]
UM, THE REASON WE HAVE TO FILE TWO DIFFERENT CASES, WE HAVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT AND, AND THE ZONING CASE BOTH TO, UH, ALLOW US TO GO FROM 60 TO 85 FEET TO ALLOW US TO HAVE THE ONE MORE FLOOR.AND THEN WE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM THROUGH THE FEE IN LIEU THERE THAT'S MY PRESENTATION.
AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
UM, SO I HAVE SOME OTHER, UH, FOLKS HERE SPEAKING, UM, I GUESS IN FAVOR, BUT THEY MAY JUST BE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, DENNIS MCDANIEL, OR RE SURE.
UH, CARLOS, DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK? YEAH, DENNIS MCDANIEL BEAR THERE WITH, THIS IS RICHARD AND THEY'RE WITH ME AND THEY'RE ON THE LINE IN CASE THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT I COULDN'T ANSWER THEIR RESOURCES.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE, UH, THOSE THAT ARE LISTED IN OPPOSITION.
AND I HAVE, UH, YEAH, AT FIRST HERE, UH, KRISTEN HEANEY STAR SIX, 10 MEET.
ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR ME? I AM GREAT.
HI, MR. SHAW, I BELIEVE WE MIGHT HAVE MET BACK IN THE ALLENDALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION DAYS.
AM I MAKING THAT UP? OH, YOU ARE CORRECT? YES.
UM, CAN YOU, ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE TODAY? YOU HAVE, UH, YOU'RE THE MAIN OPPOSITION SPEAKERS.
UM, AND I WON'T TAKE UP SIX MINUTES.
I AM THE CHAIR OF THE ECS OR CHAVEZ NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
UM, I'VE LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE 2005.
THIS ONE WAS, IT'S A TOUGH ONE.
IT'S ALSO KIND OF AN EASY ONE FOR US.
AND I KNOW YOU GUYS MAY HAVE SEEN THIS IN COMPARISON TO THE CENTRO EAST PROJECT, BUT THE CHALLENGE WE HAD WITH THIS ONE WAS THAT TODAY AND OUTSIDE OF THE SALTO PLAZA DEVELOPMENT, THERE HAVE BEEN, THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS NEVER APPROVED ANYTHING OVER 75 FEET.
AND THOSE HAVE BEEN PROJECTS THAT HAVE, UM, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER SOME CONSIDERABLE OR BENEFIT BACK TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I GUESS I WOULD SAY, UM, IT DOES INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, UH, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE BUILDING THAT IN THE FALL PLAZA THAT ONLY WENT UP TO 75 FEET.
UM, SO THE REQUEST FOR 25 ADDITIONAL FEET AT THIS LOCATION, UM, HAS JUST BEEN HARD FOR US TO FIND ANY COMMON GROUND WITH THE APPLICANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW, UM, HOW IT ACTUALLY MEETS THE NEIGHBORHOOD GOALS, HOW IT ACTUALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY HERE.
UM, THAT'S THE, AND LU PROGRAM IS GREAT.
I WILL ADMIT THAT THE APPLICANT DID TRY TO MEET OUR REQUESTS TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE GET THAT C AND LIEU MONEY BACK INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD? YOU KNOW, THE, THE GOAL OF THOSE FUNDS IS TO HELP CREATE DIVERSE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS OUR CITY.
AND UNFORTUNATELY WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW IS MANY PROJECTS ARE COMING WITH A STRICT, WITH JUST A REQUEST PRIMARILY FOR, FOR HEIGHT, JUST TO GET ANOTHER FLOOR OF OFFICE SPACE OR TWO IN THIS CASE AT 25 FEET IS I THINK YOU COULD PROBABLY GET TWO MORE FLOORS IN THERE.
UM, AND THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT FINANCIAL IMPACT ISN'T REALLY IT ISN'T HELPING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IS THE POINT.
UM, I THINK THAT THERE IS A GROWING CONCERN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I KNOW THERE IS I'VE, I'VE HEARD FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS, THERE'S A GROWING CONCERN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MORE THESE, THESE PROPOSALS COME IN, EVERY TIME THAT THIS GROUP CHOOSES TO GIVE MORE, UM, WITHOUT NEEDING ADDITIONAL NEEDS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, UM, THAT WE'RE JUST SORT OF ASKING TO BE ROLLED OVER AND TO HAVE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT HAPPENED.
SO, UM, THE 100 AND THE ZONING FOLKS ON THE STAFF MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, OTHER, OTHER HEIGHT VARIANCES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED, I MENTIONED 68 FEET, 70 FEET, 80 FEET, 125 FEET, UM, 125 FEET.
AND PROBABLY THE ADC HAS A GUEST OR EXCEPTIONS IN THE FALL TIO PLAZA DEVELOPMENT,
[00:25:01]
OR, YEAH, THE FAULTY IN A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT THAT 120 FEET WAS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ONE OFFICE BUILDING THAT, UH, SORT OF MEETSUM, SO THAT, THAT BECOMES A GROWING CONCERN IS THAT, THAT THESE KINDS OF THINGS IN, IN THE ZONING CHANGED SPECIFIC TO JUST ONE LOT AND NOT TO AN ENTIRE DONING AREA, UM, BECOME PROBLEMATIC.
UM, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT TO SAY.
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, STAR SIX, SEVEN, YOU, HELLO, THIS IS SUSAN.
UM, I OWN A PROPERTY AT 1101 EAST SIXTH STREET, WHICH IS RIGHT ACROSS THE ALLEY FROM THIS DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND ALSO I SERVED ON THE EAST COAST CHAVEZ NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACTEE TEAM FOR ABOUT 12 YEARS.
I'VE, I'VE ROLLED OFF IT NOW, BUT, UM, I WAS THERE AT THE TABLE.
UM, WHEN THIS RIGHT OF WAY, UM, ISSUE CAME UP IN REGARDS TO THE CORAZON PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CHANGE A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE, UM, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING IN IT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WHETHER IT'S A PLANNING CHANGE OR, UH, A ZONING CHANGE, THERE SHOULD BE SOME BENEFIT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I DON'T REALLY SEE HOW THIS PROJECT IS BENEFITING THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY TALK ABOUT HOW THEY'RE GOING TO CREATE THIS ALIVE, CAUSE PARK OUT OF THAT RIGHT OF WAY.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THEIR DESIGN, WHICH THEY SHOWED ON THE SCREEN A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DIG INTO THAT AREA TO, TO ACHIEVE THEIR CONSTRUCTION.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO THAT RIGHT AWAY ANYWAY.
SO TELLING US THAT THEY'RE GOING TO, BUT THAT'S WHAT IS BENEFITING THE NEIGHBORHOOD SEEMS A LITTLE HOLLOW TO ME, BUT THE OTHER ASPECT OF IT, UM, JUST BECAUSE I'VE BEEN AT THIS TABLE BEFORE, UM, IS THAT THIS SAME DEVELOPMENT TEAM MEMBERS OF THIS DEVELOPMENT TEAM, UM, WE'RE MEMBERS OF ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT TEAM, THAT'S THE CORAZON PROJECT.
THEY WERE ALLOWED TO USE THAT RIGHT AWAY DURING CONSTRUCTION, BASED ON THE PROMISE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BUILD THIS VERY SAME VALASQUEZ PARK AND GOLLY, GEE, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
AND I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW MANY TIMES THIS DEVELOPER CAN GO TO THE SAME.
WELL, UM, SO I'M OPPOSED TO THE HEIGHT I'M OPPOSED TO THE HEIGHT, BECAUSE I FEAR THAT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS GONNA JUST BECOME AN EXTENSION OF DOWNTOWN AND THAT'S NOT WHAT THESE THOUGHTS IT IS.
AND, UM, AND I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE, UH, BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD GETS ANY BENEFIT AT ALL.
UM, AND NOW WE HAVE, UH, UH, APPLICANT REBUTTAL.
UM, WE, WE JUST HAVE AN HONEST DISAGREEMENT, I THINK, WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE BENEFITS, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHY THE CORAZON DIDN'T DIDN'T TEN-ISH UP THE PARK, BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY WILLING TO ENTER INTO WHATEVER ENFORCEABLE AGREEMENTS THE CITY DEEMS NECESSARY TO ALLOW THIS DEVELOPER TO TURN THE SURPLUS RIGHT AWAY.
PUBLIC WORKS HAS SAID THEY DON'T WANT THE ROAD THERE, BUT WE'LL ENTER INTO WHATEVER AGREEMENTS NEED TO BE TO, TO, TO SOLIDIFY THE, THE COMMITMENT TO DO VELASQUEZ PARK.
AND THE PAYMENT OF THE FEE IN LIEU IS SET UP TO WHERE IT HAS TO BE SPENT WITHIN A HALF MILE OF THE TOD.
SO WHILE WE DID TRY TO, WE TRIED TO WORK OUT A DEAL WITH HOUSING WHERE WE'D ACTUALLY BUY A LOT AND GIVE IT TO SOMEBODY TO GUARANTEE IT.
THEY DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA.
SO WE'RE BACK INTO THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM WHERE OUR MONEY WILL BE PAID IN.
IT WILL BE SPENT WITHIN A HALF MILE.
THE, UM, IN TERMS OF, OF TURNING THE TOD INTO DOWNTOWN WE'RE, WE'RE ASKING FOR ABOUT HALF OF THE FLORIDA AREA RATIO THAT IS ALLOWED BY RIGHT DOWNTOWN.
MOST BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN ARE EXCEEDING THE EIGHT TO ONE, BUT IF YOU HAVE EIGHT TO ONE AT BUY, RIGHT WHERE WE'RE ASKING FOR SOMETHING IN THE, IN THE REALM OF FOUR TO ONE, AND BASICALLY ASKING TO GO FROM 60, 85 FEET TO GET AN EXTRA FLOOR DENSITY TO US, THEN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM EFFORTS ARE ONGOING AT THE CITY RIGHT NOW TO STUDY INCREASING DENSITIES AT THE TLDS BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE WANT IT TO BE.
A DENSITY IS ENCOURAGED AT T ODS.
AND, AND WE FELT LIKE, UM, WITH THE PARTICIPATING IN THE NC PROMISE
[00:30:01]
PROGRAM AND THE COMMITMENT TO DO THE PARK, WE WOULD ASK FOR SUPPORT IN ALLOWING US TO DO ONE MORE, ONE MORE STORY ON THE BUILDING, WHICH WOULD AMOUNT TO A SIX STORY BUILDING AT THE TOD, WHICH ALSO FITS INTO THE FABRIC OF THE EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD.AND WITH THAT I'LL CLOSE AND BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
SO I'VE DONE MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING, UH, COMMISSIONER
SO A ROUND ROBIN FOR QUESTIONS NOW, UH, WHO, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, BASHIR HEMPEL OKAY.
HI, THIS IS A QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT, MR. SETTLE.
UM, I'M SORRY IF I MISSED THIS, BUT THE, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PARKING? ISN'T IT FIVE STORIES UNDERGROUND, UM, IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU HAVE TO STAY AT THE CURRENT HEIGHT? UM, ARE YOU STILL ABLE TO DO THAT UNDERGROUND PARKING? WE, WE COULD PROBABLY DO THE UNDERGROUND PARKING, BUT, UM, AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE THE SAME DENSITY AND WOULD REQUIRE LESS PARKING, BUT WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO REARRANGE THE WHOLE PROGRAM, UH, FOR THE BUILDING THEN, BUT THE, BUT THE, BUT THE PARKING RIGHT NOW IS PROPOSED TO BE UNDERGROUND.
SO IT DOESN'T COUNT TOWARDS THE BUILDING HEIGHT.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, UH, COMMISSIONER CONLEY.
UM, I HAVE, UH, ACTUALLY QUITE A FEW, BUT I'M NOT PROBABLY ABLE TO GO THROUGH THEM ALL.
UM, BUT MY FIRST QUESTION IS ACTUALLY ABOUT PARKING AS WELL.
AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S STRIKING FOR ME IS THAT, UM, THIS IS A TOD, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE OBVIOUS ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HA IT'S, IT'S, IT'S AN AREA THAT IS SERVED BY TRANSIT AND DOES HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF CONNECTIVITY.
WE'LL HAVE MORE WITH PROJECT CONNECT IS SORT OF SUPPOSED TO BE, UH, AN AREA FOR TRANSIT USE.
AND YET WE'RE DESIGNING THIS ENTIRE PROJECT WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DRIVE THEIR CARS HERE.
AND I WAS WONDERING IF, IF ANY THOUGHT WAS GIVEN TO THAT TO THE, TO THE FACT THAT THIS IS BASICALLY LIKE A CAR DESIGNED PROJECT AND THE TOD, SORRY, QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT.
PARKING IS, UH, AS WE TRANSITION TO OUR NEW CITY WITH, WITH TRANS AND ALL PARKING IS STILL A NECESSARY EVIL.
IF YOU START AT THE BASE LEVEL LENDERS AND FOLKS THAT INVEST IN THESE BUILDINGS, THEY WANT SOME LEVEL OF PARKING.
UM, EVEN THOUGH WE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE HAD SOME PROJECTS IN TOWN IN DOWNTOWN NOW THAT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ANY PARKING, BUT MOST OF THE TIME EVERYBODY WANTS SOME PARKING.
THE OTHER THING THAT PARKING DOES FOR YOU IS IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO COME.
AND, UM, FROM OTHER PARTS WHERE YOU CAN'T TAKE THE TRANSIT TO COME VISIT THE COMMERCIAL AND RETAIL SPACE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THE WHERE REASONABLE MINDS CAN DIFFER IS HOW MUCH PARKING DOES SOMEBODY NEED.
AND USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS, IS THAT THE ARCHITECTS AND THE, UH, FINANCIAL GUYS GET TOGETHER AND THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT THE MARKET WILL REQUIRE IN ORDER TO GET IT FINANCED.
AND THAT'S HOW YOU END UP WITH, UM, SOME LEVEL OF PARKING, EVEN, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE IN THE TOD.
BUT DO YOU THINK THAT THE FIVE STORIES OF PARKING, UM, REFLECTS THAT KIND OF COMPROMISE WITH THE IDEA THAT YOU DO WANT YOUR, YOU DO WANT THE PEOPLE COMING TO WORK HERE TO USE THE TRANSIT SYSTEMS TO BE TRANSIT CLIENTS, RIGHT.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT, THE AMOUNT OF PARKING I'M NOT QUESTIONING THE NEED FOR ANY PARKING, BUT SURE.
WELL, IN THE FIVE LEVELS IS CURRENTLY A PLACEHOLDER.
I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S THE MOST, IT'LL BE, AS WE GET FARTHER INTO THE DESIGN, IT COULD BE LESS, BUT THE IMPORTANT PART IS WE'RE NOT DOING THE PARKING LIKE YOU SEE IN MANY OF THESE BUILDINGS WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T LACK AS YOU COME UP OUT OF THE GROUND WITH THE PARKING AND THEN START THE OCCUPIABLE SPACE ITSELF.
SO WHAT WE DID IS A MAXIMUM OF FIVE UNDERGROUND WITH, WITH MEET THE STREET GROUND LEVEL PEDESTRIAN USES.
OKAY, SORRY, BECAUSE THE TIME IS LIMITED.
I'M GOING TO JUMP ONTO MY NEXT QUESTION, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT ANSWER.
MY NEXT QUESTION IS ABOUT THE POCKET PARK, UM, THAT IS BEING PROPOSED BECAUSE IT REALLY IS BEING PROPOSED AS A SORT OF A COMMUNITY BENEFIT AS AN OPEN SPACE THAT MIGHT POTENTIALLY BENEFIT, UM, OTHER FOLKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD RENTERS WHO LIVE ACROSS THE STREET AND SO FORTH.
[00:35:01]
BUT IN THE DESIGNS FOR THE POCKET PARK, UM, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO TELL HOW MUCH THAT IS.IN FACT, THE CASE AND HOW MUCH THE PARK IS REALLY JUST GOING TO BE A SPACE DESIGNED TO CATER TO THOSE BUSINESSES, THOSE STOREFRONTS.
I MEAN, WE SEE, UM, THE STOREFRONT FACING, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE STOREFRONTS OF THE FACING VENUES.
AND THEN WE SEE SORT OF TABLES AND CHAIRS, UM, IN THE DESIGNS PROPOSED, WHICH KIND OF LEADS ONE TO ASSUME THAT THAT SPACE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A SPACE THAT SERVES THE CLIENTS AND CUSTOMERS OF THOSE BUSINESSES.
AND I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW MUCH THAT SPACE WILL ACTUALLY BENEFIT, YOU KNOW, OTHER IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, HOW FREELY THEY'LL BE ALLOWED TO USE THAT SPACE, UM, VERSUS HOW MUCH THAT SPACE WILL BE DESIGNED TO SORT OF JUST CATER TO THE BUSINESSES, UM, IN THE DEVELOPMENT.
WELL, I THINK THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS IS WE'RE TURNING A, WHAT WAS ESSENTIALLY A STREET INTO A POCKET PARK OR, OR, OR A GREEN SPACE? UM, I THINK, I THINK BOTH WILL OCCUR.
I THINK IT'LL BE A SPOT FOR BOTH OUR PROJECT AND THE PROJECT NEXT DOOR TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER THROUGH THE GREEN SPACE, BUT THEN IT'S ALSO, UH, AN AREA WHERE FOLKS WILL BE ABLE TO TRANSVERSE BETWEEN FIFTH AND SIXTH THEN IN, THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND, AND KIND OF HANG OUT AND HAVE A PLACE TO, UM, IT'S NOT BASICALLY IT IS CURRENTLY A GREEN SPACE, RIGHT? IT IS CURRENTLY A HILL WITH A, WITH, WITH A FEW TREES.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S NOT A DEVELOPED GREEN SPACE, BUT IT'S A GREEN SPACE.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WALK THEIR DOGS THERE ALREADY.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PEOPLE USE THAT AREA, UM, WHETHER IT'S DEVELOPED OR NOT.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, UM, HOW MUCH THE DESIGN WILL BE KIND OF OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, YOU KNOW, AS TIME PASSES AND YOU HAVE BUSINESSES OCCUPYING THAT, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TENDENCY SEEMS TO BE, TO SORT OF PRIORITIZE THE USERS OF THOSE BUSINESSES AS OPPOSED TO PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN GENERAL.
WELL, IT, IT WON'T BE WALTER FENCED OFF.
UM, IT'LL BE OPEN AND INVITING AS, AS, UH, AS A PATHWAY RIGHT NOW.
IT'S PRETTY STEEP HILL AND IT'S KIND OF ROUGH WHEN YOU GO OVER THERE NOW AND IT'LL BE EASIER TO PASS THROUGH AND EASIER TO HANG OUT ON.
UM, DO YOU ONLY THIS TIME, BUT WE MAY HAVE MORE OPENINGS AT THE END, SO LET'S SEE.
UH, DO WE HAVE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER, MITCH, TYLER.
UM, QUESTION, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UH, WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE AREA AROUND, AS FAR AS NEIGHBORHOOD, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A BIT OF BUFFER BETWEEN A RESIDENTIAL HOMES LIKE THIS PROPERTY ISN'T RIGHT UP AGAINST RESIDENTIAL HOMES OR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I JUST WANT TO CONFIRM MY UNDERSTANDING FROM MY AERIAL VIEWS AND, AND, UM, FROM A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS OVER TRUMP SING IN THAT AREA.
HEATHER SHOPPING, HOUSING AND PLANNING.
THIS PROPERTY TO ALL DIRECTIONS BACKS UP TO A MIX OF COMMERCIAL OFFICE AND THERE MIGHT BE SOME RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.
SO WE'RE A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE PARK AND THE ELEMENTARY AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN A QUESTION FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD REPRESENTATIVES.
I BELIEVE WE HAD TWO SPEAKING, SO I DON'T KNOW, WANT TO, I DON'T KNOW WHO WANTS TO FEEL THE QUESTION.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN ABOUT ALLOWING THE HEIGHT TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CREEP CLOSER AND CLOSER AND CLOSER.
UM, AND THE CONCERN THAT THERE MAY NOT BE A LOT OF, UH, GIVE BACK TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, IF THIS HEIGHT DENSITY IS ALLOWED.
SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE IS IF THE COMMISSION WERE TO ALLOW, UH, THE APPLICANTS REQUEST, WHAT WOULD THE NEIGHBORHOOD REQUEST BE? WHAT, WHAT WOULD HELP THE NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE, SINCE, UH, MY, MY UNDERSTANDING Y'ALL, HAVEN'T GOTTEN MUCH OUT OF IT.
WHAT WOULD HELP THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I GUESS KRISTIN WAS SOMEONE WHO'S SPOKEN.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE STILL ON THE LINE TO ANSWER THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A HANDFUL OF THINGS AND FOR ONE, YOU KNOW, IT BECOMES CHALLENGING BECAUSE I, I DO UNDERSTAND, AND I THINK THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD UNDERSTANDS THAT WE DON'T GET TO DICTATE WHAT BUSINESSES CHOOSE, WHAT DEVELOPERS CHOOSE TO DO ON THESE LOTS.
[00:40:01]
IN THIS MOMENT THAT LIKE TWO PROJECTS TO COMPARE THE CENTRAL EAST PROJECT, WHICH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, APPROVED OF AND WAS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA TODAY, WHICH WAS ALSO A REQUEST FOR 85 FEET.AND THAT PROJECT CONTINUED TO MEET THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S CONVERSATIONS OF MOVING A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE PROJECT FROM OFFICE TO, UH, TO HOUSING AND TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND THEN AGAIN, TO ALSO GO FURTHER WITH THAT AND TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA MEET YOUR REQUESTS ALSO TO ENSURE THAT 20% OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS ARE ACTUALLY FAMILY-FRIENDLY UNITS.
SO THERE ARE TWO BEDROOMS OR MORE, UM, THAT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE AS THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE PROJECTS, IT'S EASIER FOR US TO SAY, OKAY, LIKE WE CAN GET BEHIND THIS, THIS 85 SEAT HERE BECAUSE, UM, BECAUSE THERE IS A REAL DIRECT IMPACTS TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH SOME OF THE ARGUMENTS THAT WERE MADE BEFORE, AS FAR AS LIKE CONTEXTUALLY DOES 85 SEATS STICK OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB OVER THERE ANYMORE.
IS THAT THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES STILL LIKE, WHAT, WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO? ONE OF THOSE SORT OF LAST DITCH EFFORTS THAT WE MADE WITH THIS PROJECT WAS TO ASK, IS THERE, IS THERE A WAY TO CONCEIVE OF, UM, SOME MARKET RATE RENT OR AFFORDABLE RENT STRUCTURE FOR BUSINESSES THAT COULD COME INTO THE PROJECT? UM, IT WAS MET WITH, WELL, WE HAVEN'T FIGURED IT ALL OUT YET.
SO THERE WASN'T AN THERE WASN'T, UM, SORT OF EVEN AN INTENT TO MAYBE TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT IN ADVANCE.
AND, AND AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES THOSE THINGS ARE HARD TO FIGURE OUT AHEAD OF TIME, BUT THE CHALLENGE WITH THESE ALWAYS BECOMES, YOU KNOW, I, I, I REVIEWED THE, THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION AND THE REPORT, AND I SEE THAT THEY'VE HIGHLIGHTED, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN THAT IT MEETS.
AND THE THING IS IN THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN THAT IT NEEDS.
AND, UM, THE CHALLENGE IS LIKE, IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE 85 FEET TALL TO MEET ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
AND SO UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING COMING BACK, I APPRECIATE THE COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS REGARDING THAT POCKET PARK.
I MEAN, AND I THINK THE INSIGHTS ARE SPOT ON LIKE, YES, THERE IS A GREEN SPACE THERE THAT EXISTS, BUT THE REALITY IS IT'S, IT'S HIGHLY SLOPED.
IT BACKS UP TO A, UM, A DRIVE IN A PARKING ALLEY AND A DEAD END ABOVE.
I MEAN, I, I, I APPRECIATE THE PHILIPPINE FISHER'S COMMENTS THERE TOO, ABOUT HOW THAT SPACE WOULD BE UTILIZED AND WOULD IT TRULY BE AN OPEN PUBLIC GREEN SPACE VERSUS SOMETHING THAT GETS EATEN UP BY OTHER BUSINESSES, ET CETERA, BUT THOSE KINDS OF GREEN SPACES AND TREE SPACES, CAUSE THEY CAN SLOPE IT.
THEY CAN TEAR IT, THEY CAN STAIR-STEP IT.
AND WHILE IT MAY NOT BE LIKE A PLAYGROUND PARK PER SE, IT COULD BE A NICE GATHERING SPOT AND A SAFE GATHERING SPOT.
AND THOSE KINDS OF POCKET THINGS IN AROUND OTHER METROPOLITAN CITIES ARE REALLY JUST KIND OF THE GEM IN THE CITY WHEN YOU FIND ONE OF THOSE NICE QUIET SPOTS.
SO I THINK THAT IDEA, BUT OKAY, SO WE'LL GO ON TO THE NEXT COMMISSIONER, UM, COMMISSIONER SHANE.
SO I HAVE A QUESTION FOR STAFF.
I MEAN, I'M, I'M HAVING A LITTLE ISSUE WITH THIS WHOLE FEE AND LEAVE.
I MEAN, WHEN DEVELOPMENTS COME IN AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE, LET'S SAY ACTUALLY BUILDING CERTAIN AMOUNT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, UNITS, AND THEN THERE'S GOING TO COMMIT TO, UH, FOR INSTANCE, X AMOUNT FOR CERTAIN MFI, IT ACTUALLY GETS BUILT RIGHT.
AND ACTUALLY BECOMES PART OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE COMMUNITY AND, AND, AND IT ADDS TO THE AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY THE, TO THE AREA, WHAT I WOULD, THE CONCERN I HAVE HERE WHEN I HEAR THE FEE AND LEON AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S, YOU KNOW, A 25 FEE IS 60 TO 85.
THAT'S MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, ONE STORY IT'S LIKE TWO STORIES.
SO JUST DEPENDS WHEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE MEASURING TOO, BUT WITH ALL THAT EXTRA, I MEAN, HOW IS THIS FEELING CALCULATED? WHEN WAS THIS, WHEN WAS THE VALUE ACTUALLY, UH, CALIBRATED, UM, CAN STAFF ANSWER THAT ON THIS DENSITY BONUS ON WHEN, WHEN THIS NUMBER, HOW, HOW THE AMOUNT THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVE THROUGH FEE AND LU, UH, HOW IS THAT CALCULATED IN A WAY WITH, WITH WHAT METRICS AND HOW LONG AGO, I MEAN, IS THIS PART OF THE TOD PLAN? AND CAN YOU, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT KIND OF ATTACKING THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT? I TIME THAT THE FEE AND LOUISE WAS CALCULATED, I KNOW IT IS CALCULATED, UH, RECALCULATED ON A REGULAR BASIS.
[00:45:01]
PREVIOUS, UH, DEPARTMENT AND CD THAT, UH, IT'S THE THROUGH RATION TO DETERMINE WHAT THE E YEAH, SORRY, YOU'RE FALLING OUT.I CAN'T, I CAN'T HEAR COMMISSIONER SHAY.
I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP A LITTLE BIT.
THE DENSITY BONUS IS ACTUALLY CALCULATED ON SQUARE FEET.
SO WHILE YOU TECHNICALLY COULD GET TWO FLOORS UNDER TWENTY-FIVE FEET, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET THE MODERN FLORIDA CEILING HEIGHTS.
WE ADDED ADDITIONAL FOOT, BUT THE KEY TO THE CALCULATING, THE DENSITY BONUSES, THE FLORIDA AREA RATIO BUMP OF GOING FROM TWO TO FOUR, AND THAT'S HOW IT IS CALCULATED.
AND THEN THE VALUES, WHEN WAS THAT REVISE? THAT IS CORRECT.
THAT IT IS BASED ON THE ACTUAL FLOOR AREA.
I'M JUST STATING THAT IT, WHATEVER THE PROPORTION IS, IS EVALUATED BY THE CITY.
UH, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE TIMEFRAME IS, BUT EVERY FEW YEARS IT IS EVALUATED BY THE CITY AND RECALCULATED AND IT'S CURRENTLY AT $12.
AND HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SITTING AT $12 TOO LONG? I DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, PRETTY MUCH, UH, W WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW HOW MUCH IT'S COSTING SO MUCH MORE TO BUILD THESE DAYS.
UM, AFFORDABILITY IS GETTING MORE DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN YET IF OUR VALUATIONS ARE STILL STUCK FROM YEARS AGO OR EVEN TWO YEARS AGO, I'M SORRY.
AND SOMEHOW WHEN, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO BUILD IT, AND THEN YOU GIVE IT, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE DEVELOPER ACTUALLY IS, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THE PRODUCT AT THEIR PRICE AND STILL BRING IT TO THE, TO THE, TO THE MARKET AT THE GOAL OF WHATEVER MFI THEY'RE TARGETING.
BUT IN THIS CASE HERE, IF THAT NUMBER ISN'T ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO, TO MEET THAT SAME TYPE OF METRICS OF ACTUALLY SOMETHING BEING BUILT, THEN, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE A LITTLE BEHIND THE CURVE OF WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING ON THE MARKET.
BUT MY CONCERN RIGHT NOW IS, I MEAN, MILLION BUCKS DOESN'T GO VERY FAR, YOU KNOW, UM, ESPECIALLY TODAY.
UM, SO I MEAN, I, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE SOMETHING MORE THAN THAT.
I MEAN, APPRECIATE THAT THE POCKET PART, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN THERE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, PART WAS WANTING TO DEVELOP IT, UH, YOU KNOW, AND MAINTAIN A CERTAIN POINT.
I APPRECIATE YOUR DOING THAT AT SOME POINT, IF YOU DIDN'T DO IT, SOMEBODY ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT.
I AGREE WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I WISH THERE'S SOMETHING MORE THAT WE COULD, UH, GIVE BACK, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT THE, THE COST OF HOUSING THESE DAYS NOW, UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, TO STAFF ABOUT THE WHOLE PARKING SITUATION.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT THAT, AND MAYBE THE APPLICANT CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WITH ANY TYPE OF TDM, ANY TRAFFIC DEMAND MANAGEMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING, YOU KNOW, SHOWERS OR THEY'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE SHOWERS ARE GOING TO BE, UH, BIKE PARKING, ANY TYPE OF RIDE SHARE, ANYTHING LIKE THAT IS THAT PART OF IT IS THE STAFF CAN BE EVALUATING THAT, UM, IN THIS NEXT PROCESS, HEATHER CHAPLAIN, HOUSING AND PLANNING, THESE ARE NOT THINGS THAT WE ARE TYPICALLY ALLOWED TO REGULATE AT TIME OF ZONING, UNLESS IT'S THE PUD ZONING CASE.
BUT, UM, THIS PROPERTY BEING IN THE CENTRAL CITY AND BEING INSIDE THE TOD IS ALLOWED A PARKING REDUCTION.
AND, UM, AS FAR AS REQUIRING NUMBERS OF PARKING SPACES FOR BIKES OR SHOWERS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT THAT'S BEYOND WHAT WE CAN DO IN AS ZONING ORDINANCE COMMISSIONER SHAY.
UM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, AND YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH CONSTRUCTION COSTS, GOING UP, DEVELOPERS ARE GENERALLY LOOKING TO TRY TO MINIMIZE THE PARKING TO THE EXTENT THEY CAN, BECAUSE FRANKLY IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT COST-EFFECTIVE TO BUILD PARKING.
SO YOU CAN, YOU CAN BE ASSURED THERE WILL BE CONSIDERATION FOR TDM AND TRYING TO GET THE PARKING DOWN SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BUILD IT.
AND THEN ONE MORE THING, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF STUCK WITH THE $12 BECAUSE THE LAW DEPARTMENT GETS VERY ANXIOUS WHEN WE TRY TO OFFER MORE.
SO WHAT WE TRIED TO DO WAS OFFER DEVELOPMENT OF THE PARK AS PART OF A COMMUNITY BENEFIT, AS OPPOSED TO JUST LEAVING IT A SLOPED HILL THAT REALLY PEOPLE CAN ENJOY.
UH, THIS TIME, UH, COMMISSIONER WITH THE QUESTIONS COMMISSIONER COX, I I'VE JUST BEEN LISTENING INTENTLY BECAUSE A LOT OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS HAVE KIND OF POKED IN PLACES WHERE I
[00:50:01]
PROBABLY WILL CONTINUE TO POKE, UM, THE, THE MILLION DOLLARS.I MEAN, MILLION DOLLARS WILL BUY YOU WHAT ONE SINGLE FAMILY, LOT SOMEWHERE.
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY AFFORDABLE UNITS YOU CAN PACK ON THAT, UH, WITH, WITH THAT.
SO THAT, AND THEN THE ISSUE WITH THE POCKET PART, I'M TRYING TO JUSTIFY IN MY MIND TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT THAT THE DEVELOPER'S GETTING.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO CONTINUE ASKING ABOUT THAT COMMISSIONER CONNOLLY WAS SAYING WAS, IF, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ARIEL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET, WHERE THAT LINEAR PLAZA THING GOES ALL THE WAY TO FOURTH STREET, MUCH OF THAT SPACE IS TAKEN UP BY BASICALLY OUTDOOR RESTAURANT SPACE.
ACTUALLY THE MAJORITY OF THE WIDTH IS TAKEN UP BY OUTDOOR RESTAURANT SEATING.
UM, AND SO I GUESS MY QUESTION TO THE APPLICANT OF MR. SUTTLE IS, IS, ARE YOU ANTICIPATING SOMETHING SIMILAR, OR ARE YOU ABLE TO MAKE A COMMITMENT THAT, THAT FULL WIDTH BETWEEN YOUR PROPOSED BUILDING AND THE EXISTING APARTMENT BUILDING WOULD BE OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, OR IS HALF OF IT, OR A THIRD OF IT THAT WITH GOING TO BE TAKEN UP BY PRIVATE RETAIL SERVICE STUFF.
I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THESE RENDERINGS, AND WE MARKED THEM CONCEPTUAL THAT THE TABLES AND CHAIRS WERE JUST THERE TO SHOW THE PEOPLE'S SPACE.
WE CAN, WE COULD NEGOTIATE THAT THROUGH THE SITE PLAN PROCESS, WHERE THAT COULD BE OPENED.
THESE TABLES AND CHAIRS WERE IN NO WAY MEANT TO SHOW THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMMANDEERED BY THE RESTAURANTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
THE, THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE INTENT IS TO TAKE, WHAT'S BASICALLY OLD RIGHT AWAY.
THAT IS JUST NOT VERY USABLE AND, AND TERRACE IT DOWN AND MAKE IT A GATHERING SPOT FOR EVERYBODY.
AND WERE THERE ANY OTHER ITEMS I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU SAID THAT THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS SQUISHY ABOUT YOU TRYING TO OFFER UP MORE TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND.
UM, BUT I'M WONDERING IF THERE WAS ANY OTHER IDEAS THAT YOU, YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD COME UP WITH.
IF YOU WERE WILLING TO OFFER MORE MONEY TO AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND FOR THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT THAN WHAT THE CITY IS REQUIRING, THEN IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE YOU'VE GOT A POCKET OF MONEY THAT YOU CAN POTENTIALLY SPEND ON ANOTHER GOOD CAUSE IN THIS AREA.
IS THERE ANY OTHER THINGS THAT YOU DISCUSSED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, OR JUST, JUST THOUGHT ABOUT THAT YOU COULD POTENTIALLY JUST SWEETEN THE DEAL FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THIS ADDITIONAL HEIGHT.
NOTHING THAT WE COULD COMMIT TO TONIGHT.
WE DID THE, THE IDEA THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAME UP WITH OF AFFORDABLE OFFICE SPACE WAS INTRIGUING.
THE REASON THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO COMMIT TO THAT IS BECAUSE AS YOU GET INTO TRYING TO GET THESE PROJECTS DESIGNED AND THEN, UM, PRICED OUT AND THEN FINANCED AND ALL IS THAT YOU, YOU CAN'T ON THE FRONT END LIMIT YOUR, YOUR RENT AND YOUR REVENUE SOURCE, BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING TO WORK GOING IN.
YOU THINK THEY WILL, BUT, UH, WE JUST COULDN'T LIMIT IT ON THAT.
SO WE WERE OPEN TO OTHER IDEAS, THE, THE, THE OTHERS TO TALK ABOUT, BUT THE ADDITIONAL SPACE OR THE ADDITIONAL HAIFA LOUSY EXTRA FLOOR AND THE ADDITIONAL DENSITY DENSITY BONUS, BUT IT ALSO INCREASES THE BASICALLY ASSESS VALUATION THAT WILL INCREASE THE TAX REVENUE.
AND THAT ALSO GETS PUT INTO THE GENERAL POT.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S NOT A NEIGHBORHOOD ISSUE, BUT IT'S IT'S FOR ALL OF US.
AND, AND THAT'S AN INTERESTING THING.
I JUST WANTED TO, I JUST WANT, I HAVEN'T HELPED.
WE HADN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW UP ON SOME OF THESE THINGS.
UM, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO TOUCH BASE ON IS THAT THE, UM, THE CITY COUNCIL DID TAKE UP THIS ISSUE OF THE CM LOO AND WHAT THE RATES ARE, AND THEY ARE ACTIVELY, UM, LOOKING AT IT.
UM, AND THE LAST TIME THE RATES HAVE CHANGED WAS 2013.
SO YOU GUYS ARE SPOT ON IN TERMS OF HOW OUT-OF-STATE THEY ARE.
UM, AS FAR AS THE MILLION DOLLARS GOES, THERE ARE LOCAL, UM, ORGANIZATIONS, THE GUADALUPE NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR ONE THAT CAN TAKE A MILLION DOLLARS AND PUT, UH, OLDER HOUSES AND RENOVATE HOUSES AND HAS DONE PLANS WHERE THEY PUT 2, 3, 4 KIND OF DUPLEX TYPE PROJECTS ON A LOT LIKE THAT, PROBABLY FOR A BUDGET OF AROUND THAT.
SO IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT IT GETS TRICKY WHEN YOU HAVE TO TAKE THOSE, IF THOSE FUNDS GO DIRECTLY INTO FAMILY VERSUS TRYING TO PUT THEM INTO A, A PRIVATE PROJECT.
AND I THINK WE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO SKIN THAT CAT, UM, AND THEN THE AFFORDABLE OFFICE SPACE.
ONE, I THINK THAT JUST BECOMES, THAT BECOMES, AGAIN, A CHALLENGE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO SAY THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO FIGURE OUT HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
[00:55:01]
UM, AND YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T DO YOUR OFFICE BUILDING UNLESS IT'S 85 FEET WHEN THE TOD WAS DESIGNED FOR 60 FOOT BUILDINGS.AND THAT WAS WHAT THE DENSITY WAS FOR.
AND I'M LESS INTERESTED IN THE FORMAL OFFICE SPACE, BUT I THINK AFFORDABLE RETAIL SPACE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SEE SO MANY SMALLER BUSINESSES, LITTLE BREW, BREW SHOPS, WHATEVER, UH, HAVE TO LEAVE BECAUSE THE RENTS JUST GET TOO HIGH.
SO I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPER AND THE APPLICANT TO CONSIDER SOME SORT OF PLAN LIKE THAT TO TRY TO SWEETEN THE DEAL, BUT I'LL DEAL WITH MY TIME.
COMMISSIONER COX, UM, JUST AN ALL COMMISSIONERS THAT HAVE QUESTIONS, UH, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.
SO I GUESS, CAN I GET SOME CLARITY? I DIDN'T KNOW IF DID, DID THE APPLICANTS SAY EXACTLY WHAT, HOW MUCH AFFORDABLE HOUSING WOULD GO INTO FEE AND LOU? I MEAN, I KNOW THAT THE SQUARE FEET AREN'T FINALIZED YET, BUT I GUESS IT'S BETWEEN 900,000 IN A MILLION.
AND, UH, ABOUT THE PARKING IS THE PARKING THAT'S GOING TO BE AVAILABLE OUT OF OFFICE HOURS.
WOULD THAT BE AVAILABLE TO THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE? THAT'S A QUESTION THAT I DON'T KNOW, ANSWER TO GENERALLY SPEAKING, UM, PARKING, PARKING GARAGES ARE OPEN, UM, AT LEAST FOR ME AT DIFFERENT TIMES, BUT I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
UM, AND THEN I GUESS I HAD A QUESTION FOR SOMEONE FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, AND JUST KIND OF ABOUT WHAT, WHAT OUTREACH THERE WAS TO CAUSE THERE ARE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN APARTMENTS WITH, WITHIN A STONE'S THROW OF, OF THAT POCKET PARK AND WHAT, WHAT OUTREACH THERE WAS TO THOSE RESIDENTS TO SEE IF THERE WAS PERCEIVED BENEFIT TO THOSE NEIGHBORS.
JEFF CURRENTLY THAT SPECIFIC SECTOR DOES NOT HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE.
UM, THAT SAID THERE WAS A CITY LED MEETING A FEW MONTHS BACK REGARDING THIS PROJECT AND THE CENTER EAST PROJECT THAT HAD, UM, A LARGE AMOUNT OF PARTICIPATION AND ALL THE NOTES FROM THOSE CONVERSATIONS, I BELIEVE ARE IN THE REPORT THAT YOU GUYS RECEIVED.
UM, AND I WOULD SAY THE FEEDBACK WAS MIXED OF FOLKS THAT WERE KIND OF ASKING WHY, WHY ISN'T THIS A GOOD THING, AND FOLKS THAT WERE CONCERNED ABOUT IT, UM, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO, UM, I WOULD SAY CONCERNS ABOUT THAT, THAT PARK SPACE.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING WITH THAT.
SEE, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT, THAT THAT NEIGHBORHOOD TEAM DIDN'T MAKE THAT LITTLE EXTRA EFFORT TO REACH OUT.
I'M GOING TO JUST LOOK LOOKING AT YOUR BYLAWS.
IT SEEMS THAT THERE ARE EIGHT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE TEAM FOR OWNER RESIDENTS AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE ON THE TEAM FOR RENTERS.
AND YET LOOKING AT CENSUS DATA, IT LOOKS LIKE ABOUT 63% OF THE RESIDENCES ARE RENTAL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THEY ALL WITHIN THE LAST, THEY ALL WITHIN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO, AND THEY'RE ALL IN SECTOR EIGHT, YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT WRONG.
AND LIKE I SAID, UNFORTUNATELY AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME, WE DO NOT HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE IN SECTOR EIGHT.
WE DO UTILIZE, UM, WE HAVEN'T KEPT UP WITH, UH, REGULAR MEETINGS AND ZOOM MEETINGS.
WE DO, UM, WE DO EVERY, AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO ENGAGE FOLKS.
UM, THE CENSUS NUMBERS HAVE BEEN, THEY'VE BEEN ABOUT THAT FOR ABOUT THE LAST 30 OR 40 YEARS.
WE FIND ANYBODY THAT DIDN'T THINK THE PARK WAS A GOOD IDEA.
EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA.
NOBODY THINKS THE PARK'S NOT A GOOD IDEA, BUT I THINK THE QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT THIS PART, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE THING THAT HASN'T BEEN BROUGHT UP VERY WELL IS, IS HOW, UM, WHAT THE SLOPE OF THAT PARK, WHAT IT WOULD TAKE ACTUALLY TO MAKE THAT PARK ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE.
I KNOW WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT KIND OF THAT THOROUGHFARE FROM THE PARK UP TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STREET.
AND SOMEBODY MENTIONED THE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE UP THERE.
I BELIEVE THE SLOPE ON THAT SITE IT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP BEFORE.
IT'S SUCH THAT IF, IF WE WERE GOING TO TRY TO MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH, YOU'D HAVE TO
[01:00:01]
EFFECTIVELY RAMP MOST OF THE PARK.UM, ANYWAY, THERE'S SOME CHALLENGES WITH THAT, WITH THAT PARK BEING KIND OF A PUBLIC ASSET.
AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY SOME BENEFITS THAT COULD OCCUR LIKE A PUBLIC, LIKE A, LIKE A POCKET PARK, LIKE THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED ON, ON CONGRESS.
IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF, IS IT A POCKET PARK OR IS IT A PUBLIC SPACE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD? AND I THINK THAT THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND LET COMMISSIONER CONLEY SEEMS LIKE YOU HAD SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
UH, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU A SPOT TO GO AHEAD.
AND I THINK MY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WERE LARGELY ALREADY COVERED BY, UM, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.
UM, BUT I DID WANT TO KIND OF FINISH ASKING THE NEIGHBORHOOD ABOUT THAT, THE QUESTION OF THE REPRESENTATION, UM, ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT TEAM AND, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST THE, I THINK THIS IS A CITYWIDE CONCERN THAT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT TEAMS REALLY JUST SIMPLY DO NOT REPRESENT THE RENTERS AND NEIGHBORHOODS ARE RENTERS ARE JUST LEFT OUT OF THAT PROCESS.
BUT I WAS WONDERING, UM, IF THERE, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE IS ANY IDEA, UM, OR HAS THERE BEEN ANY CONVERSATION AT ALL, UM, WITH THE RENTERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, FROM THE PARTS THAT YOU SAID WERE NOT REPRESENTED IN THE CONTACT TEAM, WOULD YOU KNOW, SORRY, THIS IS A QUESTION ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD REPRESENTATIVE.
UM, OUTSIDE OF, OF OUR SORT OF PUBLIC OUTREACH THAT WE DO THROUGH, LIKE I SAID, THROUGH OUR WEBSITE THROUGH NEXT DOOR, THROUGH A FACEBOOK GROUP, UM, AND THE FOLKS THAT SHOW UP AT OUR MEETINGS, UM, AT THIS POINT, LIKE I SAID, WE ARE NOT ON LIKE YOU GUYS AT TIMES STRUGGLING TO MEET QUORUM AND TRYING TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE AS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONTINUES TO ADAPT AND CHANGE AND GROW.
SO, UM, OUTSIDE THOSE TYPICAL PLATFORMS, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS TALKING ABOUT IT AND, AND NOT SHOWING UP AT OUR MEETINGS AND MAYBE THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY MY QUESTION, HAS THERE BEEN, UM, ANY ATTACK, SO I'M GUESSING I PRETTY MUCH UNDERSTAND THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN INTENTIONAL AND INTENTIONAL PROCESS TO REACH OUT TO THE RENTERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, WHO LIVE ACROSS ON THE OTHER SIDE, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A TARGETED, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A TARGETED CAMPAIGN TO THE RENTERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS ACCURATE.
SO WE REALLY, WE KNOW WHAT THE HOMEOWNERS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL ABOUT THE PROPERTY, BUT WE DON'T KNOW REALLY WHAT THE RENTERS FEEL.
AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, THERE WAS A CITY LED, THERE WAS A CITY LED MEETING ABOUT BOTH OF THESE PROJECTS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A LOT.
AND I THINK THE CITY HAS MUCH BETTER RESOURCES AND FURTHER REACH AND WAYS TO MAIL ALL OF THE, THOSE RESIDENTS.
I DON'T HAVE THE EMAIL ADDRESSES OF ALL THOSE RESIDENTS.
I DON'T ALWAYS HAVE A WAY TO, UM, COMMIT THE PRIZE, PRETTY MANAGERS TO DIRECT EMAILS TO ALL THOSE FOLKS.
SO THERE WAS A CITY LED MEETING.
THERE WAS MORE PARTICIPATION FROM RENTERS AT THOSE MEETINGS.
AND I THINK THAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE IN YOUR NOTES.
UM, SO THIS IS A QUESTION THEN TO STAFF, WOULD STAFF BE ABLE TO TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT, UM, HOW WELL-REPRESENTED THE RENTERS WERE IN THOSE MEETINGS IN THE CITY LED MEETINGS OR, OR IF OUTREACH WAS DONE ABOUT THE PROJECT SPECIFICALLY TO THE RENTERS, HEATHER CHAFFIN, HOUSING AND PLANNING, I CANNOT SPEAK TO HOW MANY PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETINGS, BUT WE DO SEND OUT NOTICES TO ANYONE WHO HAS A UTILITY ACCOUNT.
THE RENTERS DON'T HAVE UTILITY ACCOUNTS.
THEN IF THE RENTERS DON'T HAVE, IF THEIR UTILITY IS BUNDLED IN AS IS THE CASE WITH MANY RENTAL UNITS, THEN THEY PROBABLY DID NOT RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF IT.
IS THAT CORRECT? UH, THIS IS MY FALTERS.
IT'S KIND OF HARD TO TELL IF YOU CAN'T OR NOT.
UH, THIS IS MARK WALTERS, UH, HOUSING PLANNING.
WE HAVE A STATUTORY OF THE REQUIRED NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT MEETING THAT WAS ATTENDED.
I AGAIN ABOUT, UH, SAY 20, SOME ODD PEOPLE FROM WHAT I
[01:05:01]
COULD SEE THROUGH THE TEAMS MEETING, UH, YOU COULDN'T NECESSARILY DETERMINE WHO WAS A RENTER AND WHO WAS A, A HOMEOWNER.UH, SO THE MEETING WAS AN HOUR AND A HALF LONG, AND WE DID HAVE A, A LIVELY DISCUSSION.
UH, BUT I DON'T YOU AGAIN, UNLESS THEY EXPRESSEDLY STATED OR ENTERED INTO THE CHAT THAT THEY WERE A RENTER ON MONDAY, THERE WAS REALLY NO WAY TO KNOW.
AND PEOPLE WITH ALSO, IT GETS SENT TO ADDRESSES AS WELL AS UTILITY ACCOUNTS.
SO, UH, AND, AND FEWER AND FEWER APARTMENTS NOW HAVE, UH, BUNDLED, UH, UTILITIES, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY, LOTS OF WATER, TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THAT TO MAKE, TO SPUR CONSERVATION EFFORTS.
SO, UH, YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I CAN SAY.
YEAH, FEWER, BUT MANY, MANY, MANY STILL DO, RIGHT AS, AS HAS BEEN THE CASE THAT EVERY APARTMENT I'VE EVER LIVED IN AS A REC CENTER IN AUSTIN.
BUT, UM, THIS IS THE LAST QUESTION I WANT TO TURN THIS BACK TO THE, UH, DEVELOPER AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME EXCHANGES, UH, WITH, UH, DIFFERENT COMMISSIONERS ABOUT THE POCKET PARK.
AND I WAS WONDERING IF WE COULD JUST HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARITY ON, ON THE, ON WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR THE PARK.
IS IT GOING TO BE OPEN TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD? HOW ACCESSIBLE IS IT GOING TO BE? IF THERE'S JUST A LITTLE, IF WE CAN HAVE A CLEARER SENSE OF WHAT THE IDEA IS FOR THAT, THAT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL.
SO, UH, REAL QUICK, I'M GOING TO TAKE THE LAST QUESTION YOU'RE OUT OF TIME, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND MAKE THAT MY QUESTION TO THE DEVELOPER AND I'VE GOT SOME FOLLOWUP AS WELL.
THE ANSWER IS THE PARK WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
I MEAN, IT IS IT'S, IT WOULD BE IT'S IT'S PUBLIC RIGHT AWAY.
NOW WE WOULD HAVE TO GET THE APPROPRIATE PERMITS AND APPROVALS FROM THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO DO IT, BUT IT WILL BE AN OPEN, UM, PARK AREA, OPEN SPACE FOR THE PUBLIC AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE DIFFERENCE, THE DIFFERENCE FROM WHAT IT IS NOW TO WHAT WE INTENDED IS IT'LL BE A LITTLE MORE IMPROVED AND A LITTLE MORE, UM, USER-FRIENDLY WITH STAIRS AND STUFF.
UM, AND FLAT, FLAT AREAS TO WALK DOGS AND STUFF, BUT IT WILL BE DEFINITELY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
SO I THINK WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, DO WE HAVE, I, I HEARD STAIRS.
IS THERE ANY OTHER KIND OF CONCEPTUAL, UH, IDEAS ON HOW THIS WILL BE ACTIVATED? UM, IN PARTICULAR, UH, IS PART, UH, DO THEY HAVE ANY INVOLVEMENT OR APPROVAL IN, IN HOW THIS PARK IS, UH, DEVELOPED? THEY WOULD DEFINITELY BE CONSULTED BECAUSE IN ORDER TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO TURN THIS INTO A PARK, WE NEED PERMISSION FROM THE CITY BECAUSE IT'S THE CITY'S RIGHT AWAY.
AND SO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WOULD BE CONSULTED ON ACTIVATION AND IMPROVEMENTS.
WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT STAIRS, IT'S ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GET A GRADE CHANGE FROM, UH, IT TO SIXTH STREET.
AND SO THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I REFERENCED STAIRS.
UM, WE COULD, WE COULD DEVELOP A COMMITTEE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO HAVE INPUT INTO THE DESIGN OF THE OPEN SPACE AND PARK AS WELL.
AND I HAVE A QUESTION FOR, UM, I GUESS THE NEIGHBOR, UH, THIS WOULD BE, I GUESS, YEAH, I'VE GOT A NEST KRISTEN HANEY.
SO, UM, APART FROM, UH, JUST WHAT WE'VE HEARD, I'VE HEARD, UM, AFFORDABLE LEASE SPACE, UH, ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS SEEKING IS BENEFITS, UH, BESIDES WHAT WE'VE HEARD HERE TODAY, UH, IS IF WE LEFT ANYTHING OUT THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN THAT WE HAVE NOT HEARD YET? UM, I DON'T THINK SO.
AND THIS IS ALWAYS THE TOUGH THING THAT WE ASK OURSELVES AT THESE MEETINGS TOO, IS, IS, IS WHAT ELSE CAN WE COME UP WITH? WHAT CAN, WHERE CAN, WHERE CAN WE GET, UM, UH, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS OBVIOUSLY A BIG ONE.
UM, WE'VE HAD OTHER PROJECTS WHERE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF, UM, OF SOME KIND OF AFFORDABLE RENT STRUCTURE FOR, UM, FOR NONPROFIT SPACE AND CREATIVE WORKSPACE AND, AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, THOSE, THOSE CONVERSATIONS HAVEN'T ALWAYS PANNED OUT.
UM, AND WE'LL FIGURES, WE TEND TO FIGURE SOMETHING ELSE OUT.
UM, ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS HAVE TAPPED OUT AT 75 FEET.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE OTHER THING THAT JUST BECOMES HARD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS PROJECT IS DELIVERING, UM, MAYBE ON PAR OR WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER LESS THAN WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER PROJECTS
[01:10:01]
THAT WE'VE ALLOWED TO GO UP TO 75 FEET ARE ASKING, AND IT'S ASKING FOR 10 MORE FEET.UM, AND IT'S ASKING FOR A PLAN FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CHANGE FOR ONE SPECIFIC LOT.
UM, AND SO, YEAH, I MEAN, I, I THINK W WE'RE WE'RE OPEN TO MORE CREATIVE, CREATIVE WAYS TO THINK ABOUT IT.
IT'S, IT'S CHALLENGING WHEN WE'RE NOT THE ONES THAT ARE THE DEVELOPERS AND HAVE THE DOLLARS TO SPEND AND, AND THINK ABOUT, BUT, UM, WE'RE CERTAINLY OPEN TO ADDITIONAL POSSIBILITIES.
AND, UM, I GUESS TO THAT POINT, UH, ON THE PARKING, DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE ANY, UM, ANY THOUGHTS ON THE AMOUNT OF PARKING THIS AT THE SITE? WHAT IS YOUR POSITION OVERALL ABOUT HOW THESE DEVELOPMENT AND THE LEVEL OF PARKING? YEAH, I THINK IN GENERAL, WITH ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS, THE INCREASE IN TRAFFIC AND PARKING IS, IS, IS JUST AS A BASELINE CONCERN.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S NECESSARILY ANYTHING VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THIS PRO PROJECT THAT WAS, UM, CITED AS PROBLEMATIC.
UM, MORE, MORE, UH, JUST, OR LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE COMING IN AND OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD NOW.
SO, UM, I THINK THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE PARKING, I MEAN, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH SOME OF WHAT RICHARD WAS SAYING IS THAT I KNOW OUR CITY IS STRIVING TO BE, UM, MORE COMMUTER FRIENDLY AND AT THE SAME TIME, PEOPLE STILL USE THEIR CARS A LOT.
SO, WHICH ALSO, I THINK SPEAKS TO THE FACT THAT, UM, MAYBE MORE PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE COMING TO THESE OFFICES, THEN THAT LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
I WAS ABLE TO FIND OUT TEXT THAT THE PARKING CAN BE WICKED, MAKE THE PARKING AVAILABLE TO THE DISTRICT AFTER HOURS.
WE HAVE TO, WE WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE SOMETHING TO COVER THE COST OF SECURITY AND CLEANING UP FOR THE NIGHTTIME USE, BUT IT CAN BE.
AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS WHERE IT'S NOT AT THIS BUILDING.
WE'RE ASKING THAT IT BE BUILT IT SIX STORIES INSTEAD OF FIVE AND IN EXCHANGE DO THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM.
UM, SO WITH THAT, UH, DO WE HAVE, UM, LET'S SEE, DID WE CLOSE THE PUBLIC AREA ON THIS? WE DID.
UM, SO DO I HAVE ANY MOTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS ON THE SIDE OF THEM? NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE A SHOT AT IT.
CAN JUST SHARE A HANDFUL NOW, ARE YOU MUTED? OH, OH, LET'S SEE.
YOU ARE ME TWO SCREENS AND I'M OPERATING ON SIMILAR.
UM, YES, I'LL, I'LL START, UM, BY, LET'S SEE, PULLING UP MY NOTES, UM, ON ITEM B 13, UM, GOING WITH STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION TO, UM, GO TO 65 FEET AND THEN ON B 14, UH, GOING WITH STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION TO, UM, CHANGE A CONDITION OF ZONING AS STATED IN THE AGENDA.
LET'S SEE, LET'S GO OVER THAT ONE MORE TIME.
SO I'M LOOKING AT, UM, HELP ME OUT HERE.
UH, SO B 13, THE PLAN AMENDMENT.
UM, THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE LAND USE MAP, BUT THE REQUEST TO CHANGE THE BASE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT FROM 65 TO 85.
AND, AND YOU WERE, YOU WERE IN THAT I HEARD 65, BUT YOU MEANT 85 OR WAS IT 80 FROM 65 TO 85 PER STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION.
AND THEN BEFORE, SORRY, JUST A POINT OF ORDER.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S FROM 60 TO 85, SORRY.
SO, UH, STAFF
AND THEN B 14 IS ALSO, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF IN, UH, JUST GOING FROM TOD DNP TO TOD EMPTY AND CHANGE THE CONDITION OF ZONING.
[01:15:01]
UM, OKAY.DO WE HAVE A SECOND FOR THIS MOTION? OH, DID I SEE COMMISSIONER THOMPSON? OKAY, THANK YOU.
UH, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION LAST YEAR? OH, SURE.
SO I AM, I'M SUPPORTING THIS BECAUSE, UM, IN LOOKING AT THE, THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE THAT WE'RE CLOSE TO PLAZA, SATIO THAT WE'RE REALLY NOT GOING, UM, HIGHER THAN SOME OF THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS.
UM, AND THAT THE, THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT IS GOING TO ALLOW FOR MORE, UM, DOLLARS TO GO INTO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THE, THE PARK SPACE THAT WILL BE CREATED, UM, I, I REALLY HOPE THAT THAT CAN BE CEMENTED IN, UM, UH, RESTRICTED COVENANT OR, OR SOME SUCH AGREEMENT.
AND I REALLY LIKED THE APPLICANT'S IDEA OF A COMMITTEE, UM, A CITIZEN LIKE COMMITTEE THAT COULD HELP ADVISE ON THAT PARK.
AND SO, UM, WITH THAT, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE, THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT WILL HELP THEM, UM, GET ANY PARKING THAT IS NEEDED, WHETHER THAT'S FIVE STORIES OR LESS UNDERGROUND, UM, FINANCIALLY I THINK THAT HELPS.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M SUPPORTING, OKAY.
JEFF COMMISSIONER WAS SPEAKING AGAINST A COMMISSIONER MITCH TODDLER.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY MORE OF A QUESTION, UH, BECAUSE I'M I'M.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN EVEN GET AN ANSWER FROM STAFF AT THIS POINT.
I THINK THAT, YEAH, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF NOT BEYOND THE QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT.
SO I GUESS MY OBJECTION IS I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE LOCKED INTO, AND THIS IS PROBABLY MY NEWNESS.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE LOCKED INTO COMMERCIAL ONLY ON THIS SPACE, UM, AND WHY THERE ISN'T AN OPTION FOR IT TO BE MIXED USE AND POTENTIALLY GET THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, I'M, I'M A BIG FAN OF THE GREEN SPACE INCORPORATION THAT COMES UP ON ALMOST EVERY PROJECT I LOOK AT, BUT, UM, UH, I AGREE THAT WE HAVE A BIG PROBLEM WITH THIS FEE IN LIEU, IN THAT MONEY GOES INTO A POT THAT ESSENTIALLY IS WORTHLESS AND DOES NOT PROVIDE A FINANCIALLY VIABLE MECHANISM TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THESE AREAS BECAUSE OF THE, THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION.
AND SO I'M SENSITIVE TO THE BUILDER TRYING TO, AND THE DEVELOPER TRYING TO OPTIMIZE WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND MAKE SENSE OUT OF IT.
UM, BUT I'M NOT SEEING A LOT OF GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE LOCKED IN THE COMMERCIAL ONLY COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR MR. THOMPSON.
SO I THINK THIS IS BOTH AN EASY CASE AND A HARD CASE.
IT'S, IT'S EASY IN THAT IF I LOOK AT WHERE SHOULD WE PUT ANOTHER OFFICE BUILDING IT'S, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE STREET FROM A METRO RAIL AND ON, YOU KNOW, THE LANCE ARMSTRONG BIKEWAY, UM, AND YOU KNOW, UH, A BLOCK FROM MY 35, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, IT'S HARD IN THAT.
WOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PARKING ON THIS AND YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A GREAT POCKET PARK, BUT MAYBE THAT POCKET PARK IS GOING TO BE KIND OF INCORPORATED INTO THE RESTAURANT PADS FOR THE COMMERCIAL SPACE.
AND IS, IS IT GOING TO FEEL LIKE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A POCKET PARK AND YEAH, THE, THE FEE IN LIEU NUMBERS ARE WAY TOO LOW.
UM, AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS SHOULD BE CHANGED.
AND I WOULD HOPE THAT WE CAN SOMEHOW, YOU KNOW, MOVE FORWARD AND SAY, THE FEE IN LIEU NUMBERS SHOULD BE HIGHER.
WE SHOULD HAVE WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT PUBLIC SPACES ARE DESIGNED IN WHICH THEY HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO FEEL PUBLIC SO THAT THE PUBLIC DOESN'T THINK THAT THAT'S JUST A SEATING AREA FOR THE RESTAURANT OR, OR THE, THE LAWN FOR THE OFFICE BUILDING.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THE PARKING SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THE, TO THE, YOU KNOW, RESTAURANTS AFTER HOURS.
AND IF WE HAD WAYS THAT AS A CITY, WE COULD MAKE THAT HAPPEN, I WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH IT.
UH, BUT I KIND OF FEEL LIKE THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO GET BUILT ANYWAY.
AND IF WE'RE GOING TO BUILD AN OFFICE BUILDING, THAT'S WHERE IT IS.
IS IT SET A PRECEDENT? YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE GO UP, YOU KNOW, AN EXTRA STORY OR TWO EVERY 10 OR 15 YEARS, AND SORT OF THE, ON OUR TODD'S IN THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S SETTING THE PRECEDENT.
I THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE EXPECTATION OF, OF PEOPLE WHO MOVE TO THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND, AND IT'S BEEN THAT, YOU KNOW,
[01:20:01]
FOR ALL OF MY LIFE, AND I'M NOT A YOUNG, A YOUNG MAN.SO, UM, I, I, I CAN SUPPORT THIS EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT THE BEST PROJECT I'VE SEEN.
UM, COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST MR. CUTS, I'M MORE SPEAKING NEUTRALLY BECAUSE I HONESTLY SERIOUSLY HAVEN'T DECIDED HOW TO VOTE ON THIS, BUT THE QUESTIONING ABOUT THE OUTREACH TO RENTERS MADE ME A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE JUST BECAUSE I'VE PARTICIPATED IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS BECAUSE I SOUGHT IT OUT.
UM, AND AS LONG AS A NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION IS MAKING THEMSELVES ACCESSIBLE AND DOING OUTREACH ON AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY BASIS, UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S INCUMBENT ON VOLUNTEERS AND NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION FROM RENTERS.
I THINK THAT IS INCUMBENT ON THE DEVELOPER WHEN THEY WANT TO COME TO US FOR ADDITIONAL HEIGHT, ADDITIONAL ENTITLEMENTS THAT THEY'VE SOUGHT OUT AND GOTTEN ALL OF THE INPUT THAT THEY POSSIBLY COULD, UH, FOR, FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND HOW IT'S GOING TO IMPACT, UH, THOSE PEOPLE.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE CITY IS STATUTORILY REQUIRED TO DO WHATEVER THEY DO.
AND WE'VE DISCUSSED HOW THE NOTIFICATION RULES ARE A BIT LACKING WHEN IT COMES TO RENTERS.
BUT, UM, I, I, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING MISSING.
THERE'S A MISSING OPPORTUNITY HERE TO DO SOMETHING MORE.
AND IF THE DEVELOPER WAS WILLING OR EXPLORING, TRYING TO OFFER MORE IN TERMS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUNDING, AND THEY WERE SLAPPED DOWN BY CITY LEGAL, MY HOPE WOULD HAVE BEEN THAT THEY TURNED AROUND AND TRIED TO FIND ANOTHER ALTRUISTIC WAY TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY WITH, WITH THOSE FUNDS OR HOWEVER, HOWEVER ELSE, UM, SUBSIDIZED RENTAL AGREEMENTS FOR RETAIL, LOCAL BUSINESSES, THAT SORT OF STUFF WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT.
SO I JUST, I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE'S, THERE COULD BE MORE HERE, BUT LIKE COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SAID, I'M ALSO LOOKING AT THE SPOT AND SAYING, YEAH, OFFICE BUILDING RETAIL AT THE BOTTOM.
UM, SO I'M HOPING OTHER COMMISSIONERS HAVE THOUGHTS AND ALL RIGHT.
SO COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR MR. CONLEY, UM, I'LL SPEAK FOR, ALTHOUGH I'M KIND OF NEUTRAL.
THERE'S A LOT ABOUT THE PROJECT AS COMMISSIONER THOMPSON MENTIONED THAT STILL MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE.
IT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE THAT, THAT WE HAVE A TOD SITE WITH, WITH SO MUCH PARKING AND, AND, AND I THINK THERE'S STILL A NUMBER OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PARK AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AS FAR AS THE QUESTION ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP AND RENTERS.
UM, I ALSO TO EXPRESS THAT, I MEAN, THE QUESTION ISN'T, WHO IS IT INCUMBENT ON TO DO OUTREACH? THE QUESTION IS EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP SHOULD BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND WHEN IT COMES FORWARD TO SPEAK IN THE NAME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IT SHOULD SPEAK, IT SHOULD DO SO REPRESENTATIVELY.
SO IF A NEIGHBORHOOD HAS 51 50 5% RENTERS, BUT ITS CONTACT TEAM IS ENTIRELY MADE UP OF HOMEOWNERS AND THAT IS AN EQUITY CONCERN AND, AND FULL STOP.
UM, SO THERE HAS TO BE SOME MEASURE IN THE FUTURE OF AUSTIN TO REMEDY THAT, UM, FOR EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE CITY, RENTERS NEED REPRESENTATION IN THE PROCESS AND THEY DON'T GET IT.
UM, AS, AS FAR AS THIS PROJECT GOES, I'M, I'M STILL ON THE FENCE BECAUSE I DO WISH THAT WE COULD GET A LITTLE MORE SUBSTANCE IN TERMS OF, UH, VALUE AND BENEFIT FROM THIS, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARDS TO THE FEE AND LOU AND I DO WISH THAT THE PROJECT WERE MORE DESIGNED TOWARDS TRANSIT, UM, SINCE THIS IS A TOD, UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.
AND I STILL HAVE NOT ENTIRELY MADE UP MY MIND ON HOW I'M GOING TO VOTE.
UH, I GUESS WITH THAT, I COUNT THAT AS A KIND OF, BUT NOT A FOUR.
SO I NEED, I GUESS I'D LIKE TO HEAR, I NEED TO, DO WE HAVE SOMEBODY SPEAKING IN FAVOR? OKAY.
UM, CAN I MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION? YES, YOU CAN.
I MEAN, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE POSTPONE THIS FOR.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW TWO WEEKS AND THE NEXT MEETING, BECAUSE HERE'S THE THING, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE ARE SO CLOSE TO COMING UP WITH A PLAN TO MAKE THIS LIKE A GREAT DEVELOPMENT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A TRANSIT ORIENTED.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, SHOULD I EVEN SPEAK ABOUT THIS UNTIL I GET A SECOND? YEAH,
[01:25:01]
LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, ASK FOR A SECOND.I SEE A COMMISSIONER MOOSE TALLER SECOND IN YOUR MOTION.
SO GO AHEAD AND SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION, BUT DOUG CAME IN THE ROOM.
SO, I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE SO CLOSE TO GETTING A GREAT DEVELOPMENT, RIGHT.
AND, YOU KNOW, PART OF ME THINKS THAT IF WE SENT THIS TO COUNCIL AND IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO KNOW VOTES AND WHAT'S THE MESSAGE, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE'VE KIND OF FILTERED OUT ALL THE CONCERNS AND ISSUES AND CONCEPTS IN, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THIS GREAT.
WE SHOULD GIVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
AND IF WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, I FEEL LIKE, UM, THE DEVELOPERS COULD GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT, TAKE A LOOK AT SOME NUMBERS.
MAYBE THEY COULD GET SOME AFFORDABILITY IN SOME OF THE COMMERCIAL SPACES, OR AT LEAST SOME COMMITMENT IN THAT.
UM, THERE COULD BE SOME MORE CONCEPTUAL OR EVEN RESTRICTED COVENANTS AND CONCEPTS OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, PUT THAT IN PAPER, UH, FOR THE PARK.
UM, THERE'S SO MANY CASES THAT I FEEL LIKE WE CAN BRING TOGETHER, UM, TO MAKE IT WORK.
SO THAT'S WHY I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE COME BACK IN TWO WEEKS AND THEY'LL HAVE SOME BETTER IDEAS, SO, OKAY.
DO WE HAVE, UM, COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING AGAINST THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON? UM, WELL FIRST I'LL START WITH THIS WITH THE, I, I KNOW THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, I, THIS IS MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS WAS MY NEIGHBORHOOD TEAM BEFORE I JOINED THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
AND I KNOW SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL ON THE TEAM AND I KNOW THAT THEY WORK HARD AND THEY WORK HARD TO GET REPRESENTATIVES.
AND, AND I DID NOT MEAN TO SAY THAT AT ALL.
I DO THINK THAT THERE IS A, A LACK OF EQUITY WHEN THAT REPRESENTATION IS MISSED.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO RETHINK AS A CITY, HOW WE DESIGN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TEAMS. UM, THAT SAID, I ALSO DON'T KNOW THAT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY WORK, THEY'RE GONNA GET A SOLUTION IN TWO WEEKS.
UM, AND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE DEVELOPER HAS THINGS THAT THEY CAN OFFER AT THIS POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WANT TO PUT THOSE SWEETEN THE POT SOMEHOW BEFORE THEY GET TO CITY COUNCIL, THEN I THINK THAT'S GOOD FOR US, BUT WE HAVE A, UH, A REALLY BUSY SCHEDULE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF, UH, AND, AND THE NEXT MEETING AND A LOT OF STUFF COMING FORWARD.
SO I JUST DON'T SEE HOW AN EXTRA TWO WEEKS IS REALLY GONNA HELP US.
COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR COMMISSIONER MS. TODDLER.
UM, I AGREE THAT I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME THERE'S GOOD DISCUSSION TONIGHT.
THERE WERE GOOD POINTS RAISED, AND I THINK WE CAN GET TO A BETTER PLACE ON IT.
AND AS A PLANNING COMMISSION, I DON'T REALLY WANT TO RUSH THINGS THROUGH, I THINK THE TWO WEEKS WHILE IT IS A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND EXPENSE FOR THE DEVELOPER TO COME BACK AND HAVE REPRESENTATION FOR IT.
I THINK IN THE LONG RUN WOULD MAKE FOR A MUCH BETTER PROJECT.
AND I I'D LIKE FOR US TO BE VERY DELIBERATIVE AND THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE ASKING AND HOW WE'RE SHAPING THE DEVELOPMENTS, YOU KNOW, UH, WITH THE VARIED OPINIONS THAT COME IN.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S, UH, UH, A BIG IMPOSITION AND I THINK IT WOULD BE A QUICK HEARING IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND, YOU KNOW, AND THAT WOULD GIVE US INSIGHT.
NOW THEY CAN GO BACK AND THINK ABOUT IT AND TALK ABOUT IT AND POTENTIALLY COME BACK WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE OF WHAT WE'RE HOPING WOULD BE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE COMMUNITY AND STILL A WIN FOR THE DEVELOPER IN THE, IN THE CITY.
UM, AND IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO THEN, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME DELIBERATING ON IT.
WE COULD, WE'LL EITHER OPT TO PASS IT ON THE COUNCIL AND LET THEM DEAL WITH IT.
COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST FISHER CALMLY.
UM, WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT POSTPONING A PRODUCT PROJECT, MY QUESTION IS ALWAYS, WHAT EVIDENCE DO WE HAVE THAT, THAT BUYING OURSELVES THIS EXTRA TIME IS GOING TO ACTUALLY CHANGE ANYTHING MEAN? IS THERE, IS THERE ANY, IS IT, IS IT REASONABLE TO BELIEVE THAT IN TWO WEEKS SOMETHING IS GOING TO EMERGE AROUND THIS CASE THAT HASN'T EMERGED ALREADY? YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT CAN THEY PULL OUT OF THE WOODWORK IN TWO WEEKS? SO FOR ME, IT'S, IT'S AT THIS POINT, I PREFER TO JUST TAKE IT TO A VOTE, UM, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE THIS VERY SAME DISCUSSION WITH THE SAME, SAME ANSWERS ALL OVER AGAIN.
SO I DON'T HAVE A STRONG REASON TO BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING NEW IS GOING TO EMERGE OUT OF THIS PROCESS FROM WHAT I HEARD TODAY.
UH, COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR THE MOTION COMMISSIONER COPPS, I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS OPTIMISM THAT
[01:30:01]
I THINK OUR DISCUSSION HERE POTENTIALLY MIGHT HAVE SPURRED SOME IDEAS, UM, FOR THE DEVELOPER AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH.AND EVEN IF TWO WEEKS IS NOT ENOUGH THE FORMALIZE, ANYTHING, AT LEAST THEY COULD PROPOSE SOME IDEAS THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT TEAM WITH, OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OR DO A LITTLE BIT MORE DIGGING INTO THE TOD AND SEE HOW THEY CAN MAKE THAT WORK A LITTLE BETTER WITH THIS PROJECT, AT LEAST PROPOSED SOME THINGS.
AND THEN THEY CAN FINALIZE THAT AS WE WORK TOWARDS COUNCIL.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR ABOUT THE SUPPOSEDLY LIVELY DISCUSSION THAT HAPPENED AT THE PUBLIC MEETING, UH, WHICH, WHICH WE DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ASK ABOUT, BECAUSE THAT MAY ALSO GIVE A FEW HINTS AS TO HOW, HOW WE CAN, WE CAN CLOSE THIS GAP.
SO I, I I'VE SEEN THINGS WORK OUT WITH POSTPONEMENTS, EVEN SHORT ONES.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC THAT, UH, THAT THEY COULD PRODUCE A BETTER PROJECT, UH, COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST LAST SPOT.
UH, WHEN WE VOTE ON THIS, WE HAVE TO, UM, DO A FEW THINGS.
UM, WE HAVE TO VOTE AS PART OF THIS CUS TOLD MINT, UH, TO RECONSIDER THE CLOSING AT THE PUBLIC HEARING, WHICH WE DID ON THIS ITEM, AND THEN WE HAVE TO, UH, IDENTIFY A DATE SPECIFIC.
SO, UM, WHAT DID, WAS YOUR, UH, SUBSTITUTE MOTION FOR TWO WEEKS? I BELIEVE I HEARD COMMISSIONER SHAY, CORRECT.
SO, WHICH WOULD BE NEXT MEETING AND THAT IS THE 27TH OF AUGUST.
SO AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE VOTING ON IS TO POSTPONE JULY.
SO AGAIN, UH, THE MOTION IS TO POSTPONE THIS ITEM TILL JULY 27TH AND WHICH WILL INCLUDE A VOTE TO RECONSIDER, UH, THE CLOSING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING.
I'M GETTING INSTRUCTIONS HERE.
UH, WE HAVE TO FIRST, UM, DO THE RECONSIDERATION OF THE, WE HAVE TO VOTE SEPARATELY.
SO THE FIRST VOTE IS TO RE CONSIDER THE CLOSING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING SO THAT, UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE.
SO THIS IS TO OPEN UP THE, UH, UH, IT'S, UH, TO RECONSIDER, LIKE I SAID, THE CLEANSING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING, WHICH WE JUST DID.
SO LET'S GO AND VOTE ON THAT CHAIR, IF YOU CAN NOTE THE FIRST AND THE SECOND THAT MOTION.
OH, WELL, I WOULD, I'M GUESSING IT'S THE SAME AS THAT, UH, THE FOLKS LOADED.
WE, SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO RE OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING RECONSIDERATION OF THE CLOSING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING COMMISSIONER SHEA SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MOOSE TALLER.
LET'S GO AND VOTE ON THAT ITEM.
AND I'M GOING TO COUNT GREEN FIRST, UH, ONE, UH, FIVE, AND THEN THOSE VOTING AGAINST, I SEE 1, 2, 2 AGAINST AND OH THREE AGAINST.
NOW I HAVE A ANDREW, IF WE CANNOT RECONSIDER THE CLOSING, CAN WE ACT ON THE SUBSTITUTE CHAIR, LAYS LIAISON ADVAIR AS A FUNDAMENTAL POLICY OF, UH, THE PUBLIC HEARING.
YOU SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, UM, RECONSIDER THE PUBLIC HEARING SO YOU, THAT YOU CAN POSTPONE THIS ITEM.
UH, WELL, WE'RE NOT EVEN GETTING TO THAT POINT.
UH, WE'RE NOT EVEN RECONSIDER, UH, RECONSIDERING, I GUESS I'M NOT DON'T THE RULES REQUIRE IT.
WE HAVE TO, UM, ALLOW SPEAKERS CHAIR VIA TOM AIDA IS CORRECT.
UH, BUT OUT OF FORT MELANIE HAS THIS COMMISSION HAS ACTED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING OUT OF FORMALITY.
IT SHOULD HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING, BUT YOU ARE CORRECT.
AND A TOMA, YOU WOULD STILL HAVE A FULL PUBLIC HEARING.
SO WE COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THE VOTE ON THE POSTPONEMENT.
[01:35:01]
THIS, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T VOTE FOR RECONSIDERATION DOES NOT KEEP US FROM VOTING ON THE POSTPONEMENT.IS THAT CORRECT? CHAIR, COMMISSIONER LAYS ON ANDROID.
COULD YOU, UH, STAY AT EASE FOR JUST A MINUTE? THANK YOU.
I DON'T THINK THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE, SO I APOLOGIZE.
I HAVEN'T COME ACROSS THIS OH, EMISSION OR HELPFUL.
I, I THINK, UM, TO YOUR POINT, I THINK WE STILL NEED SEVEN.
WELL, I'M PRETTY SURE WE NEED, UM, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE DOWN TO ONLY EIGHT MEMBERS, I THINK IT'S STILL A MAJORITY OF IT, TOTAL NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS, BUT, WELL, WE'LL CONFIRM THAT.
SO TARA, EVEN ON ANY VOTE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE W WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ISSUES WITH THAT.
I MEAN, CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH COMMISSIONERS HERE.
SO, UM, AT A LATER DATE WE MIGHT ACTUALLY GET MORE COMMISSIONERS, BUT YEAH.
SO, UM, WE, WE DO REQUIRE SEVEN, UH, ANDREW CONFIRMED THAT.
SO YES, JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, EVEN THOUGH WHEN WE'RE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS, WHERE WE HAVE A SMALL NUMBER, IT MAKES IT MORE CHALLENGING FOR ITEMS TO PASS.
UM, SO WE STILL HAVE TO GET SEVEN, SO IT MAKES, UH, WE'LL SEE WHAT ANDREW COMES BACK ON.
AND IF WE CAN GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION MOTION.
SO THE SUBSTITUTE, UH, SO I'M GONNA, THE, THE RECONSIDERATION DID NOT PASS, BUT WE'RE NOW GOING TO VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SHAY SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MOOSE FELLER TO POSTPONE THIS ITEM IS B 13 TO BE 14 TO, UH, JULY 27TH.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND SEE FIRST SHOW ME THAT, THOSE IN FAVOR, MR. MOOSE.
JOHN, ARE YOU HOLDING UP? OH MY GOSH.
UH, SO THAT'S FIVE VOTING FOR, AND THOSE VOTING AGAINST I SEE THREE.
AND SO THAT ITEM FAILS, SUBSTITUTE MOTION DOES NOT PASS.
SO WE'RE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION, WHICH CAN I MAKE A NEW SUBSTITUTE? AND THAT IS TO FORWARD TO COUNCIL WITHOUT RECOMMENDATION, JUST IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.
AND HE SAID, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET A, A 7% VOTE TONIGHT.
SO DO WE HAVE A SECOND FOR THAT MOTION? COMMISSIONER SHADE, A SECOND SET MOTION, UH, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.
DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT MOTION? I DON'T.
I MEAN, IT APPEARS FROM THE COMMENTS OF, FOR, AND AGAINST THAT.
WE'RE NOT GONNA, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A MAJORITY VOTE, SO I JUST THINK WE SHOULD JUST MOVE IT FOR IT TO COUNCIL WITHOUT HIM WITHOUT A RECOMMENDATION.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION PROCESS QUESTION, UH, PROCEED.
SO WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE OF DOING THAT VERSUS NOT HAVING LIKE, IF, IF THE ORIGINAL MOTION WAS JUST, JUST EASE AND SPEED, I GUESS IT JUST, IF THAT'S THE WAY IT'S GOING TO END UP, LET'S JUST END IT NOW.
IT GETS NO RECOMMENDATION VERSUS I GUESS, PASSED ON IS NOT BEING APPROVED.
IS THERE A PRACTICAL DIFFERENCE TO THAT WHEN IT GETS TO COUNCIL? AND I THINK EITHER WAY IT'S THAT COUNCIL, WOULD IT BE KNOWN AS NO RECOMMENDATION AND, AND I THINK COMMISSIONER COPPS GIVEN A LOW NUMBER OF COMMISSIONS HERE TODAY? I, I WOULD FAVOR COMMISSIONER THOMPSON'S MOTION.
DID WE GET, UH, WE DIDN'T GET A SECOND.
UH, DO WE WANT ANY OTHER DISCUSSION THOSE AGAINST INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING AGAINST? ALL RIGHT.
SO I, UM, UH, THE MOTION, UH, SUBSTITUTE MOTION BY COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SHEA TWO FOR THIS, THE COUNCIL WITHOUT RECOMMENDATION.
LET'S GO AND SEE THOSE IN FAVOR.
UH, I SEE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, AND THOSE AGAINST 71.
[01:40:01]
SO THAT MOTION PASSES.UH, SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS GOING
[C1. Discussion and possible action to recommend the process for the update to the Urban Design Guidelines. (Co-Sponsors: Vice-Chair Hempel, Howard, Mushtaler and Praxis)]
TO GO THROUGH THE AGENDA.UH, HERE NEXT WE HAVE ITEMS, UH, C ONE, UH, DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION TO RECOMMEND PROCESS FOR THE UPDATED URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES.
UH, WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE ANY ACTION.
I BELIEVE, UM, MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP WE HAVE HERE THIS EVENING, WE HAVE LASHER HEMPEL AND COMMISSIONER MOST TALER.
I THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONES, BUT WE DON'T, UH, THERE HAS BEEN NO MEETING, CORRECT ON THIS WORKING GROUP AS OF YET.
NO, THERE HAD NOT BEEN A MEETING.
UM, I HAD OFFERED TO HELP SIT, BUT WHEN I, WHEN I SIGNED TO DO THE WORKING GROUP, I SAID, BECAUSE IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A JOB TRANSITION, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO LEAD THAT GROUP AND THAT CHARGE.
SO WE DON'T HAVE A STRONG LEADER FOR THAT AT THE MOMENT.
UM, AND I'M SORRY THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT COME TOGETHER FOR THIS MEETING.
UM, OUR OTHER COMMISSIONERS WHO WERE ON THAT WORKING GROUP ARE NOT PRESENT THE SAME THING BEING SAID.
I THINK WE CAN HAVE SOMETHING DONE FOR THE MEETING THEN OUR NEXT MEETING ON JULY 27TH.
AND IT IS JUST A REVIEW OF THE PROCESS AND NOT THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES THEMSELVES.
AND, UH, I GUESS, UH, WHEN I HAD, I SENT OUT AN EMAIL TO THE TEAM BECAUSE I'VE BEEN GETTING EMAILS FROM, UH, CHAIR CAROL, UM, AND HE, UH, WE'RE TRYING, HE'S TRYING TO GET THIS ON THE, UH, TOWNSVILLE AGENDA BEFORE THEY START MOVING INTO BUDGET HEARINGS, UH, OR ON THEIR AGENDA.
SO, UM, IF REALLY WE SHOULD REALLY TRY TO GET THIS ON, UM, BRINGING AMENDMENTS TO THE TEAM BACK TO THE PC, UH, FOR CONSIDERATION AT OUR NEXT MEETING, UH, WHICH BY THE WAY, THE VICE CHAIR WILL BE LEADING THAT EFFORT.
SO, UM, REAL QUICKLY THOUGH, UH, ANDREW, I NEED YOUR HELP.
THIS ITEM IS HERE, BUT CAN WE USE THIS C1 IS A WAY TO ADD ADDITIONAL, UH, COMMISSIONERS TO THE WORKING GROUP.
IS THAT ALLOWED WITH THIS AS POSTING
UM, OKAY THEN I'LL STOP THERE.
UH, OKAY, WELL, WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE ANY ACTION ON THIS.
UM, WE'LL TAKE IT UP AT THE NEXT MEETING.
[D. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
UM, THIS IS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UH, COMMISSIONER COX.I WAS JUST WONDERING, I GUESS FOR STAFF, IF THERE'S A DATE WE CAN SAY YET ABOUT THE AUSTIN ENERGY BRIEFING, AS IT IMPACTS SETBACK REQUIREMENTS WILL CHANGE.
THAT IS SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 10TH, AUGUST 10TH.
AND DO YOU KNOW AT THIS POINT WHO'S GOING TO BE PROVIDING THAT BRIEFING CHAIR? I DO NOT.
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO JUST EMAIL THAT WHENEVER THAT'S AVAILABLE? I CAN CERTAINLY DO SOME THANK YOU.
UM, CAN I SHARE COST? SO DO YOU KNOW, UH, ON THE SAME ITEM, UM, DOES ANY DO ANY OF, YOU KNOW, IF, CAUSE I'VE HEARD THAT, UM, THE CITY MANAGER'S ALREADY KIND OF PUT HIS, YOU KNOW, EITHER SUPPORT OR NOT SUPPORT TO THIS, HAVE YOU GUYS HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? I'VE HEARD ALL SORTS OF WEIRD STUFF ABOUT IT THAT THEY WERE RECONSIDERING OR THAT THEY WERE STANDING BY THEIR PUBLIC PROCESS.
UH, SO HONESTLY I JUST WOULD LIKE TO GET SOMEONE FROM AUSTIN ENERGY IN FRONT OF US THAT WE CAN.
SO FOLKS, THIS IS NOT, UH, WE'RE MERELY HERE TO KINDA, UH, WE'RE NOT HERE FOR DISCUSSION ON THESE ITEMS. SO LET'S, LET'S GO AHEAD.
AND, UH, I, I WAS TOLD, UH, COMMISSIONER ZAHRA IS NOT HERE AND CON UM, I DON'T KNOW, COMMISSIONER CONLEY.
UM, I BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME TALK ABOUT NINE AND THAT HE WANTED TO PROPOSE AND YOU WERE GOING TO SPONSOR AS WELL.
DO YOU RE DO WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND ADD THAT AT THIS MEETING? UM, IT WAS WITH REGARDS TO, UM, WHAT'S SHARED JURY
[01:45:01]
MEMBER.WHAT, UM, THE ITEM THAT COMMISSIONERS ARE WANTING TO ADD FOR A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM.
I THINK IT WAS A CODE CHANGE FOR, HAS TO DO WITH AFFORDABILITY UNLOCKED.
YEAH, I THINK WE, I THINK THERE WAS ANOTHER ITEM THAT HE WAS PURSUING.
WELL, LET'S GO, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND WAIT UNTIL HE GETS BACK THEN.
UH, I THINK THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE.
UM, IF YOU DON'T OR IF WE CAN WE MOVE ON? YEAH.
SO WE WERE, UH, THERE WAS AN TEACHER AGENDA ITEM TO CONSIDER YES.
UM, SO DO YOU WANT ME TO GO AHEAD, SO HE'S NOT HERE IF YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND, UM, I, IF YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND PROPOSE THAT AND GET, UH, ANOTHER PERSON TO SPOT A SECOND, IT, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET, KEEP THAT MOVING, OR WE CAN WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, I CAN TRY TO PROPOSE IT AND SEE IF SOMEONE ELSE WILL SECOND.
IT, UM, I THINK THE REQUEST WAS TO INITIATE A CODE CHANGE TO THE VMU ORDINANCE, UM, UH, LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE 25 TO SUB CHAPTER E.
UM, AND THE IDEA WAS IT WOULD BE A MINOR TAX CHANGE RELATING TO THE AFFORDABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE VMU PROGRAM ONLY.
AND IT WOULD NOT REZONE ANY NEW PROPERTIES OR IMPACT THE ZONING FOR CURRENT ZONE PROPERTIES.
UM, SO HE HAD A PRELIMINARY CONVERSATION WITH HOUSING STAFF AND THEY SEEMED OPEN TO THE SUGGESTION.
UM, AND HE SAID THAT HE WAS WILLING TO DO SOME DUE WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S THE LAST CONVERSATION THAT I HAD WITH HIM ABOUT IT.
AND I WAS INTERESTED IN HAVING THAT SAME CONVERSATION.
SO I TOLD HIM I WOULD SECOND THAT IF SOMEONE ELSE WANTS TO, WE CAN PUT IT ON THE NEXT MEETING.
SO COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON DRD.
AM I ASSUMING THAT THIS IS THE ABILITY TO TAKE IT TO 60 OR 80% DEPENDING ON YEAH.
WE JUST DISCUSS WHAT THE LEVELS OF, OF, OF VME YOU ARE.
SO WE JUST NEED TO, AND, AND WE'LL MAKE SURE WE GIVE COMMISSIONERS OUR FULL CREDIT FOR, EVEN THOUGH HE'S NOT HERE, COMMISSIONER
WHEN THAT COMES UP ON THE AGENDA.
SORRY THAT, UM, UM, WE GET A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPLANATION.
I JUST, I FEEL LIKE I KNOW BITS AND PIECES OF WHAT'S COMING IN.
IT SOUNDS GOOD, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN WE GET INTO DISCUSSIONS NEXT TIME.
THE VMU ORDINANCE IS A CHALLENGING ONE TO UNDERSTAND.
I, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ IT AND YOU'LL PROBABLY HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE IT IS VERY COMPLICATED.
UM, BUT IT IS DUE FOR SOME, UH, CHANGES.
SO, UH, OKAY, WELL THAT WILL BE ADDED.
UH, IT'S A TEACHER AGENDA ITEM.
UM, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CONNOLLY FOR STEPPING IN THERE AND
[E. BOARDS, COMMITTEES & WORKING GROUPS UPDATES]
NOW JUST GO TO BOARDS AND CON UH, COMMITTEE WORKING WITH UPDATES.UH
WE'VE GOT ONE IT'S SO FAR, AT LEAST IT'S THE CALENDAR COMING UP, I THINK NEXT WEEK, UH, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN JOINT COMMITTEE.
OH, WE HAVE NOT MET SINCE WE, UH, VOTED ON THE MEMO AT OUR LAST MEETING.
UM, BUT I DO HAVE A MEETING WITH STAFF ON JULY 22ND.
UM, JUST TO TALK ABOUT THE YEAR AHEAD FOR THE COMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP COMMISSIONER FLORES ON THAT TEAM.
UM, WE, WE DON'T HAVE EITHER COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH THAT.
SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO THE NEXT ONE.
SMALLER AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE AND THE ACTIVITY.
UH, THEN WE HAVE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, UH, ADVISORY BOARD.
SO WE DID, AND WE, UH, PUT A RECOMMENDATION FOR HOW THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD WOULD BE SORT OF FOLDED IN AS AN ADVISORY TO THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION.
UH, WE HAVE OUR MOBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION WORKING GROUP.
UM, YOU HAVE AN UPDATE COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.
UH, YEAH, WE DID MEET AND HAD SOME GOOD CONVERSATION.
[01:50:01]
HAD SOME QUESTIONS TO STAFF, UH, THAT I, I THINK I'VE SENT THROUGH IN CCU CHAIR.AND I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO GET BACK BACK TO US.
AND I GUESS, UM, MR. RIVERA, WE STILL DON'T, WE HAVEN'T HAD THE LATEST VERSION IT'S NOT BEEN RELEASED.
THE LATEST HEARD FROM STAFF IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT LATE JULY, EARLY AUGUST.
SO I GUESS OUR AMENDMENTS WILL GET PUSHED OUT SOME MORE UNTIL WE SEE WHAT THE REVISIONS ARE PROPOSING.
UM, SO, AND WE ALREADY HEARD FROM THE, UH, URBAN, UH, DESIGN, UH, IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WORKING GROUP, UH, WE'LL TRY TO GET SOMETHING BACK TO THE TEAM ON THE 27TH AND WITH THAT, UH, AM I MISSING ANY GROUPS? I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY OTHER WORKING GROUPS YET.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THIS MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT 7:58 PM.