[00:00:06]
[Determination of Quorum / Meeting Called to Order]
I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING TO ORDER, UM, SINCE WE HAVE A QUORUM.SO I AM, WHAT WAS THAT? ALL RIGHT.
UM, SO AS I READ YOUR NAME, JUST RAISE YOUR HAND.
UM, WE'VE GOT COMMISSIONERS AS OUR COMMISSIONER COX COMMISSIONER.
UH, YOU WANT HIS PULIDO, MR. SNYDER.
AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE COMMISSIONERS HOWARD COMMISSIONER FLORES, COMMISSIONER FLORES.
UM, SO IT IS YOU'RE SO ABSENT TONIGHT.
WE HAVE COMMISSIONERS HOWARD THOMPSON AND CHER SHAW.
UM, WE ARE STILL WAITING ON COMMISSIONERS, MUCH DOLLAR PRAXIS TO ATTEND AND CONNOLLY TO, UM, HOP ON.
SO WE'LL, UH, EXPECT THEM LATER.
SO WE'VE GOT A TOTAL OF SEVEN CURRENTLY, AND I THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBER, UM, JESSICA COHEN FOR ATTENDING TONIGHT.
SO, UM, AS A REMINDER, UM, HAVE YOUR RED, YELLOW, AND GREEN READY AND REMAIN MUTED WHEN YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING, UH, RAISE YOUR HAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
AND AS ALWAYS, IF I MISS YOU, JUST LET ME KNOW VERBALLY, UM, THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK.
[CITIZEN COMMUNICATION]
DO HAVE, UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION TONIGHT.I JUST WANTED TO MAKE GENERAL COMMENTS AS RELATED TO TITLE SIX AND ACTUALLY THE HOMELESS AS LOW.
I JUST WANT TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION AND THE ARTICLE THAT WAS WRITTEN ON JULY 6TH, 2021 BY NATHAN BERNIER, K E T.
IT SPECIFIES HOW CAT METRO'S MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR TRANSIT EXPANSION HINGES ON FEDERAL RACIAL EQUITY.
AND I JUST WANTED TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION.
ONE PARAGRAPH SAYS CAPITAL METROS ON 266 PAGE ANALYSIS WHILE FINDING ITSELF IN COMPLIANCE WITH TITLE SIX ALSO REVEALED SOME OBVIOUS DISPARITIES.
THE MAKEUP OF THE ORGANIZATIONS TO ADVISORY PANELS IS DISPROPORTIONATELY WHITE COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE, WHICH COSTS CAP METRO SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PORTRAIT THAN THE BUS SERVICE HAS 70% WHITE RIDERSHIP AND CATERS TO THE AGENCY'S WEALTHIEST WIDER DURING THE MIDDAY BUSES ON ROUTES THAT SERVE LARGELY PERCENTAGES OF MINORITY WRITERS ARE MORE, UH, FULL AND LESS PUNCTUAL.
AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT AS YOU'RE MOVING FORWARD, I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE AS WELL THAT 80% AREA MEDIAN INCOME IS THE NEW RED LINING.
AND WHILE THERE ARE NO SIGNS THAT SAY BLACKS OR HISPANICS ONLY ARE WHITE FOLEY, I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE PORTERS THAT ARE ADJACENT OR PREDOMINANTLY MAKEUP PROJECT CONNECT THE GOLD LINE, UH, THE HIGHLAND VILLAGE AREA, IT'S 80% AREA MEDIAN INCOME, ABOUT $55,000.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS ONLY EARN ABOUT 42,000 IN HISPANICS EARN 50,000.
IF YOU GO DOWN THE ORANGE LINE IN YOUR HIGH PARK, YOU MAY RECALL THAT, UM, THAT WAS BUILT EXCLUSIVELY FOR WHITE PEOPLE BY COLONEL MONROE SHAPES BACK IN 1890 OR SO UP TO 1924.
AND THEN THE BLUE LINE WAS REZONED, UM, BACK ON OCTOBER 17TH, 2019.
AND SO I GET THE EXCITEMENT ABOUT THE PROJECT CONNECT, BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO BE COGNIZANT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD.
AND YOU'RE DOING ZONING CASES TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S EXCLUSIONARY ZONING THAT IS HAPPENING IN AUSTIN, AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE HOMELESS, I JUST WANTED TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION NORTH OF US.
180 3 RAIL IS 24 TO 30 YEARS IN 1934.
RUTLAND IS WHERE THE HOMELESS HAS BEEN PRIORITIZED TO MOVE.
THERE'LL BE 101 VOUCHERS OUT OF 171 UNITS.
I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY THAT'S PRIORITY BECAUSE THE PROJECT SUMMARY ACTUALLY MAKES IT APPEAR AS THOUGH THIS AREA IS A HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA WITH HIGH QUALITY SUPPORTIVE LIVING AND TRANSIT CONNECTED AND AMENITY RICH NEIGHBORHOODS.
BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY CONFLATED WITH NINE 11 AND NINE 15 WEST 24TH STREET,
[00:05:01]
WHICH IS IN FACT, THE HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA BY THE SAME, UH, DEVELOPER, THE CNO GROUP.AND SO I'M JUST CALLING THIS YOUR ATTENTION SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
AND THAT BABY FROM MOM MADE ME MAKE MY COMMENTS.
THANK YOU, MS. JOSEPH NOW ONTO THE REST OF MY AGENDA, UM, FOR THE PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE LISTENING IN ALWAYS SELECT STAR SIX TO UNMUTE.
AND IF YOUR ITEM IS PULLED FOR DISCUSSION, YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMAIN ON THE LINE.
YOU'LL RECEIVE AN EMAIL WHEN WE'RE ABOUT 15 MINUTES AWAY FROM TAKING UP THE ITEM.
SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE WE HAD, UH, A COUPLE OF COMMISSIONERS JUMP ON.
WE HAVE COMMISSIONER PRAXIS AND COMMISSIONER CONNOLLY.
[Reading of Agenda]
AGENDA FOR THOSE LISTENING ON THE FIRST THING THAT WE'LL DO TONIGHT IS TO VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, INCLUDING OUR JULY 13TH MEETING MINUTES AND PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS THAT ARE CONSENT POSTPONEMENTS OR NON-DISCUSSION ITEMS. I'LL READ EACH PUBLIC HEARING ITEM AND IDENTIFY THAT THOSE THAT ARE CONSENT POSTPONEMENT AND NON-DISCUSSION, IF YOU'RE WAITING ON THE LINE TO DISCUSS AN ITEM THAT IS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, I'LL GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO PULL THE ITEM FOR DISCUSSION AFTER I'VE READ THROUGH THE ITEMS. SO, FIRST I HAVE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.UM, IF THIS IS THE FIRST ITEM, UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS ON THE MINUTES FROM JULY 13TH? ALL RIGHT.
SEEING NONE, THOSE WILL STAY ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AS IS.
NOW WE'LL GO TO OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS.
SO, UM, TONIGHT WE'VE GOT B ONE C 14 DASH 2021 DASH 0 0 0 9 17 25 TO ME ROAD.
THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONE INTO AUGUST 24TH.
ITEM B TWO IS NPA 20 21 0 1 0 2 6 0.01, GREEDY AND BROWNIE MIXED USE.
THIS IS A DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, APPLICANT IS NOT IN AGREEMENT.
THE DATE WOULD BE SEPTEMBER 14TH.
WE HAVE ITEM B3, C 14 20 21 DASH 0 0 3 9, GRADING AND BROWNIE MIXED USE.
A NEIGHBORHOOD IS REQUESTING POSTPONEMENT TO SEPTEMBER 14TH AND THE APPLICANT IS NOT AN AGREEMENT ITEM BEFORE NPA 2021 DASH 0 0 1 SEVEN.ZERO TWO STOVALL RESIDENTIAL.
THIS IS FOR DISCUSSION ITEM B BEEFY B FIVE IS C 14 DASH 2021 DASH 0 0 5 5 9 0 1 AND 9 0 7 STOVALL STREET.
THIS IS, UH, WE'LL HAVE A DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM B SIX.
THIS IS C 14, UM, 20 21 0 0 1 0 PROJECT
THIS IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT AND THERE'S, UM, AN APPLICANT RECOMMENDATION OF INCLUDING PROHIBITED USES THAT ARE REFERENCED IN THE O W U N A LETTER DATED 7 23 21.
THOSE ITEMS ARE FAR LIMITED TO ONE TO 35 TO ONE IMPERVIOUS COVERAGE, LIMITED TO 85%, AND THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAYS TO BE MEMORIALIZED RECORDING INSTRUMENTS AS DETERMINED BY STAFF AND THE LAW DEPARTMENT ITEM B SEVEN IS C 14 DASH 20 21 57 0 8 SPRINGDALE ROAD.
THIS ITEM IS APPLICANT POSTPONE MINUTE UNTIL AUGUST 10TH.
ITEM B EIGHT IS 1, 2 7 0 9 5 9 3, RIGHT OF WAY, PROTECTED TREE REMOVAL.
BUT AS A REMOVAL APPEAL, THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION.
AND THEN WE HAVE B NINE S P 2016 DASH 0 1 0 6 C X T TO WATERLOO PARK TOWER OFFERED FOR CONSENT, AN ITEM B 10 C EIGHT, J 20 20 0 1 4 8 PROSPECT PARK PRELIMINARY PLAN.
THIS IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT WITH CONDITIONS.
[00:10:01]
SO, UM, DO ANY COMMISSIONERS NEED TO RECUSE THEMSELVES FROM THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA? I DO HAVE ONE, UM, SOMETHING THAT I MIGHT OFFER HERE, UM, TO MOVE THINGS ALONG.THERE'S AN ITEM C ONE THAT, UM, IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO RECOMMEND THE PROCESS FOR THE UPDATE TO THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES, COMMISSIONER MUSH TALER, UM, OFFERED AN AMENDMENT, WHICH IS IN OUR BACKUP.
AND THAT WAS THE ONLY COMMENT THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SO FAR FROM THE WORKING GROUP.
UM, AND SO IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS TO THAT, UM, I'D LIKE TO PUT IT ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS? YES.
FOR WANT A SUGGESTION ON THAT ITEM, IS IT POSSIBLE TO DO IT RIGHT NOW? I WILL BE HAPPY TO GO THROUGH A DISCUSSION TO DO THAT.
THE, UM, TO DO WHAT, UM, JUST TO, I KNOW THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER STROLLER HAD SUGGESTED TO COMMUNITY GROUPS TO GO TO, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TWO MORE TO THAT LIST.
LET'S UM, GO AHEAD AND ADD THAT, UH, IF YOU'D LIKE TO STATE THAT NOW.
AND WE ADD A FRIENDS OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE AUSTIN HOUSING COALITION TO THAT LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS, RUINS OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND WHAT WAS THE SECOND ONE? AND THE AUSTIN HOUSING COALITION.
UM, I'M STILL OKAY WITH HAVING THIS ON CONSENT COMMISSIONER SAYING, UM, I'LL BE RECUSING ON THE STOVE, THE SNOWBALL CASE, I THINK IT WAS BEFORE, AND THERE'S A ZONING MPA, BUT, UM, SINCE IT'S NOT CONSENT, BUT THEN WE JUST FYI B FOUR B FIVE.
UM, ARE WE OKAY WITH KEEPING ITEMS C1 ON CONSENT WITH THE ADDITION FROM COMMISSIONERS ARE FRIENDS OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS AND AUSTIN HOUSING COALITION, COMMISSIONER YANNIS, PULIDO.
UM, WE'LL ADD THAT TO OUR CONSENT AGENDA THEN.
SO LET ME, UM, DOES ANYBODY WANT TO PULL ANY OF THE OTHER CONSENT ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION OR YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE OTHER ITEMS? GREAT.
UM, ONE OTHER ITEM FOR POSSIBLE.
DO WE NEED TO, UM, DISCUSS C2 OR IS THAT, UH, NO, NO.
THERE WAS A, UH, UH, A GOOD CALL.
SO ANOTHER ITEM THAT I'D LIKE TO OFFER FOR CONSENT IS C2.
SO THIS IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER INITIATING AMENDMENTS TO CITY CODE CHAPTER 25 DASH TWO SUB CHAPTER II TO AMEND THE AFFORDABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR VERTICAL MIXED USE BUILDINGS.
THIS WAS THE CO-SPONSORS WHERE COMMISSIONERS AS ARE IN CONNOLLY.
UM, THIS IS SIMPLY THE INITIATION PROCESS.
SO THAT IS WHY WE'RE OFFERING AN ON CONSENT.
AND WE DID HAVE A CITIZEN WANTING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, UH, MS. AGARI, UM, BUT IF THERE'S NO OBJECTIONS AND ADDING IT TO THE CONSENT AGENDA, WE CAN STILL HAVE HER SPEAK AND, UM, ADD IT TO OUR CONSENT AGENDA, SEEING NO OBJECTIONS.
UM, ANDREW IS MS.
NOW WE CAN GO AHEAD AND HAVE HER SPEAK ON ITEM C2.
GARY IS ON THE LINE, MR. KELLY, IF YOU ALSO LIKE STAR SIX AND PROVIDE YOUR REMARKS.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN NOW.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, COMMISSIONERS, UH, APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO
UH, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT ITEM C2.
I'M A LONG-TIME RESIDENT OF DISTRICT TWO.
UM, I DO BELIEVE THIS ITEM MERITS A ROBUST DISCUSSION.
I DO WOULD, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO CONSIDER SOME QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE REGARDING THIS ITEM, IT HAS TO DEAL WITH, IF THIS HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE EQUITY OFFICE FOR THEIR INDEPENDENT REVIEW TO DETERMINE THE LONG-TERM IMPACT THIS POLICY WOULD HAVE ON RESIDENTS, MEETING ALL LEVELS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
ALSO, THIS ITEM HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE OFFICE FOR DISPLACEMENT
[00:15:01]
PREVENTION FOR THREE INDEPENDENT INDEPENDENT REVIEW.I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE PUT 10 PERCENTILE THAT IS SELECTED FOR BOTH ITEMS A AND B UNDER THIS ITEM.
I BELIEVE THOSE ARE EXTREMELY LOW.
UM, THE 80% MSI, I WOULD HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, BECAUSE FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE 77 4 4 ZIP CODE, THE MFI 4 77, 4 4 IS 50% OF THE AUSTIN METRO MFI.
SO IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THE COMMISSION WOULD CONSIDER, UM, MFI IS FITTING THOSE MFI LEVELS BASED ON THE CENSUS TRACT OF BACK SPECIFIC FOR THAT SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BE PROPOSED.
UM, I ALSO AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE 40 YEARS.
I BELIEVE THAT'S TOO SHORT, A TIMEFRAME.
UM, AND, UM, ALSO AGAIN ALSO REGARDING THE 60% IN MR. I HAVE THE SAME CONCERN REGARDING THE 80%.
I JUST REALLY BELIEVE, UM, I JUST SAW THIS ITEM YESTERDAY, UH, WOULD LOVE TO ENGAGE WITH Y'ALL LINDA INDIVIDUALLY TO VISIT WITH YOU, BUT THE CONCERNS THAT THIS WOULD HAVE ON THE EASTERN CRESCENT, UM, I JUST AM, I WANT TO SPEAK FOR THOSE THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, UM, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MINIMIZED OR MARGINALIZED, AND I BELIEVE WE NEED TO PROTECT ALL MINORITY AND LOW INCOME RESIDENTS.
AND I WOULD JUST ASK THEM TO CONSIDER A REAL BEST DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM.
AND SO THIS, UM, ITEM THAT WE ARE MOVING TO CONSENT C2 IS JUST THE INITIATION AND THE CODE AMENDMENT WILL BE FURTHER VETTED ALONG THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO THERE WILL BE A LOT OF TIME AVAILABLE FOR A MORE ROBUST DISCUSSION, AND WE CAN KEEP THE SECRETARY IN THE LOOP ON THAT AS IT MOVES FORWARD.
UM, BUT I DO WANT TO ASK AGAIN, IF EVERYBODY'S OKAY ON KEEPING THIS INITIATION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
CAN I MAKE A SHORT COMMENT? SURE.
UM, SO OUR CURRENT AFFORDABILITY GUIDELINES FOR WHERE TO GO MIXED USE ARE 5%.
SO OWNERSHIP YOU HAVE TO BUY PROVIDE 5% OF 80% MFI AND 5% AT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF A FIVE.
THIS WILL CHANGE IT TO 10% AT 80% MFI TO ALIGN IT WITH OUR GENERAL GOALS AND THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD BEFORE.
AND THEN FOR RENTAL ACTUALLY CURRENT, UH, CURRENTLY IT SAYS 10% AT 80% MFI.
THIS WOULD CHANGE IT TO 10% AT 60%.
SO IN BOTH CASES WERE ACTUALLY REDUCING THE MFI LEVELS WERE BOUGHT.
UH, WHAT IS IT, WHAT OWNERSHIP AND RENTAL BASED ON WHAT IS IN THE EXISTING ORDINANCE.
SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT.
SO LET ME GO THROUGH OUR CONSENT AGENDA AGAIN AT NINE.
DO YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF CORRECTIONS TO INCLUDE AS I READ THESE THROUGH? SO FOR I'M SORRY.
UH, WE'RE WELCOMING COMMISSIONER MUCH TALLER.
SO WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE CONSENT AGENDA.
UM, TONIGHT WE'VE GOT, UM, B ONE IS NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO AUGUST 24TH.
ITEM B TWO IS A DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT.
B3 IS DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT BEFORE AND B FIVE ARE PULLED FOR DISCUSSION ITEM B SIX IS AND B SEVEN, SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN SIX IS A CONSENT.
UM, WITH THE CORRECTION THAT THE LIST THAT I READ EARLIER INCLUDES PROHIBITED USES, UM, B SEVEN IS AN APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT ITEM B EIGHT IS FOR DISCUSSION ITEM B NINE IS CONSENT AND ITEM B 10 IS CONSENT WITH CONDITIONS PER EXHIBIT C OF THE STAFF REPORT.
WE ALSO HAVE ITEMS TO SEE ONE WITH THE ADDITION OF OUTREACH TO THE FRIENDS OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE AUSTIN HOUSING COALITION AND ITEM C TWO IS ALSO ON A PRETENSION CONSENT.
[Consent Agenda]
MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA, INCLUDING THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.IS THERE A SECOND COMMISSIONER AZHAR UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, MR. AND MRS. TYLER WAS HAVING SOME AUDIO PROBLEMS, SO SHE LOGGED OUT AND BACK IN.
YEAH, SHE'LL BE LOGGING BACK IN, BUT WE SHOULD DO A MIC CHECK WHEN SHE GETS BACK ON.
I SEE NINE COMMISSIONER AND MUCH TALLER.
UM, DO, WERE YOU VOTING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? UM, I CAN, SORRY.
[00:20:01]
SO I'M GOOD.THIS CONCLUDES OUR CONSENT AGENDA.
[Items B2 & B3]
HAVE A DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT.UM, THE WAY THAT WE'LL, UM, DO THIS IS, UM, THIS IS FOR ITEMS, B2 AND B3, THE GRADIENT BROWNIE MIXED USE THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S REQUESTING A POSTPONEMENT AND THE APPLICANT IS OPPOSED.
SO WE WILL, UH, THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, SO WE'RE NOT AT THIS POINT DELVING INTO THE MERITS OF THE CASE.
UM, WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE POSTPONEMENT.
UM, WE'LL HEAR TWO FROM EACH SIDE, THOSE FOUR AND THOSE OPPOSED, AND THEN HAVE OUR REGULAR ROUND ROBIN, UM, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
SO, UM, MR. RIVERA, THE FIRST, UM, DO YOU KNOW WHO WE'RE HEARING FROM CHECK COMMISSION LAYS ON ANNIVERSARY? SO FIRST WE'LL HEAR FROM MS. JADE, LAVERA FOLLOWED BY JESSICA ROBERTSON.
MISS LAVERA STAR SIX TO UNMUTE.
I AM A NATIVE AUSTINITE AND COMMUNITY LEADER, AS WELL AS A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AS YOU ARE AWARE, WE HAVE REQUESTED A POSTPONEMENT OF THE CASE TO SEPTEMBER 14TH DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I'VE TAKEN TIME AWAY FROM MY FAMILY KIDS WORK AND STAYING UP UNTIL 3:00 AM, MANY NIGHTS TO RESEARCH, NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM AND UNDERSTAND WHAT POWER WE AS CITIZENS HAVE TO STAND UP TO DEFEND OUR RIGHTS.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE LEARNING CURVE.
I HAVE DONE THIS ALL TO SHOW UP AND BE THE VOICE OF THE COLLECTIVE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS A DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHIC OF PRIMARILY MINORITIES AND RESIDENTS WITH ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE.
THE DEVELOPER INITIALLY REQUESTED TO BE INVITED TO A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING, UM, UPON THE REQUEST OF THE PRIOR POSTPONEMENT.
AND WHILE WE DID STAND TRUE TO OUR AGREEMENT, UM, AND SCHEDULED A COMMUNITY MEETING THE DEVELOPER WAS UNFORTUNATELY UNABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING.
WE AS A COMMUNITY, NEED MORE TIME TO PREPARE, EDUCATE, AND INFORM AND ANALYZE TO DETERMINE WHAT THIS TRULY MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, IN THE COMMUNITY MEETING THAT WE HELD THAT THE DEVELOPER WAS INVITED TO, UM, WE HAD AN ALARMING AMOUNT OF RESIDENTS SHOW UP THAT HAD NO REAL UNDERSTANDING OF THIS, UM, CASE AND WERE INFORMED THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS THAT ARE NOT AWARE AS WELL.
I THINK IT IS ESSENTIAL AND TO THE BEST INTEREST OF FOLLOWING TRUE TO WHAT AUSTIN STANDS FOR IN THAT THE PEOPLE ARE INCLUDED AND AT LEAST MADE AWARE, UM, HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS, BEING ABLE TO BE INFORMED WHOLLY AND REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE EFFECTS WILL BE, WHAT THE PLANS ARE GOING TO BE.
THE RESIDENTS THAT ARE HERE HAVE A MAJORITY OF THEM BEEN HERE FOR 20 PLUS YEARS AND TO SEE THAT THERE IS A BENEFIT TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WE NEED TO HAVE THE, UM, TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS AND MEETINGS WITH A DEVELOPER IN ORDER TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR PLANS ARE AND ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS AS WELL AS BE HEARD AS A NEIGHBORHOOD, AS A PEOPLE, AS THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE DIRECTLY AND IMMEDIATELY IMPACTED BY THIS POSSIBLE REZONING.
UM, I, IN ADDITION, I JUST WANT TO ADD THAT THE REASON THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR THE CITY, UM, POSTPONE UNTIL THE SEPTEMBER 14TH AGENDA IS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THAT IS WHAT'S NECESSARY IN ORDER TO REALLY DO THE OUTREACH THAT'S NECESSARY AND HAS THE COMMUNITY TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS IMPACT MEANS? NOT ONLY DO WE NEED TO MEET WITH THE DEVELOPERS, BUT THEN WE ALSO NEED TO DISCUSS AS A COMMUNITY TO, UM, TO THEN BE ABLE TO REALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT CAN WORK IN UNITY HERE.
IS, UH, JESSICA ROBERTON ON THE LINE STAR SIX TO UNMUTE.
[00:25:01]
JESSICA ROBERTSON AND I'M A RESIDENT IN THE NORTH AUSTIN AREA.AND SO I WANTED TO, I AM A, I'M A, UH, I'M AN OFFICER OF, UH, OF THE NORTH LAMAR, UH, CIVIC ASSOCIATION.
SO I'M, UH, I'M ALSO REQUESTING POSTPONEMENTS, UM, IN SUPPORT OF THE GRADY BROWNIE REZONING.
UM, IF THIS WERE HAPPENING IN OUR, IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IF A MEETING HAD HAPPENED WITH THE DEVELOPER, A SCHEDULED COMMUNITY MEETING WITH THE DEVELOPER AND THEY DID NOT SHOW UP, UM, EVERYONE IN OUR, I MEAN, EVERYONE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD BE, WOULD BE AT A LOSS.
UM, EVERY, THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO HAVE ALSO SAID, WELL, THAT WAS DEFINITELY GROUNDS FOR IT.
UM, GROUNDS HAS GROUNDS FOR A POSTPONEMENT.
THEY WOULDN'T, UH, THEY WOULDN'T STAND WHERE THEY SOUND VERY, UH, THEY SOUNDED VERY COMPETENT IN THAT.
I FEEL STRONG HERE SUPPORTING JANE.
I KNOW HOW MUCH WORK SHE ALONE HAS BEEN DOING, UM, TO, AS, UH, TO MAKE UP FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND EDUCATION THAT GOES INTO, UM, UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS ZONING, WHAT ZONING CHANGES ARE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND NOT JUST THE CUBS, BUT THE, THE EFFECTS.
UM, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT, OR I, I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S WHY THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WAS, WAS SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN FOR THIS, UH, FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE OF HOW, UH, HOW COMPLICATED THAT IS AND THE, UH, THE TIME AND LABOR INTENSIVE IT TAKES TO UNDERSTAND, UM, AND OPPOSE IT.
SO THIS IS THE POSTPONEMENT OF THIS CASE IS OR OPPOSE IT.
SO THE POSTPONED CASE IS ACTUALLY VITAL, UH, TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, WE HAVE QUESTIONS THAT ONLY THE DEVELOPER CAN ANSWER.
IT, DOES THE NEIGHBORS, THERE HAVE QUESTIONS THAT, UH, EVEN A RESPONSE FROM THEM NEEDS FURTHER, FURTHER, UM, UNDERSTANDING.
AND, UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE JUST GIVEN THE GIVEN, ASKING FOR THE TIME, THE RESPECT, UM, AND, UH, AND YEAH, THE TIME AND THE RESPECT, BASICALLY FROM THE, UM, FROM THE DEVELOPERS TO DO WHAT THEY SAY, UM, WHAT'S THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO DO.
ANDREA, WHO DO WE HAVE, UM, IMPOSE TO THE POSTPONEMENT CHAIR COMMISSIONER ON ADVAIR.
SO WE'LL HEAR FROM MISS VICTORIA HUSTLING, FOLLOWED BY MR.
UM, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
THIS IS VICTORIA HASSEY WITH SERVER DESIGN REPRESENTING THE LANDOWNERS OF THE SUBJECT TRACKS.
UM, SO I HAVE BEEN WORKING TO GET A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING WITH JADE AND HER COMMUNITY SINCE APRIL.
UM, AND THAT HASN'T HAPPENED UNTIL JUST RECENTLY.
I I'VE REACHED OUT AND MADE MANY ATTEMPTS TO ASK FOR MEETING DETAILS, AND I UNDERSTAND IT IS HARD TO KIND OF PULL THE NEIGHBORHOOD TOGETHER AND, AND, UM, GET EVERYONE ON BOARD.
BUT I'VE, I'VE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO MEET WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE APRIL AND ONLY.
I WAS GIVEN 48 HOURS, UM, GIVEN A MEETING NOTICE WITH 48 HOURS OF WHICH WE ALREADY HAD A PRIOR, UH, PRIOR MEETING WITH ANOTHER COUNCIL MEMBER OFFICE THAT EVENING.
AND WE COULD NOT ATTEND THE MEETING, UM, THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SET FORTH JUST LAST WEEK.
SO WITH THAT, I, WE WERE AGREEABLE.
WE AGREED WITHOUT ANY SORT OF OPPOSITION, UM, TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS, TO INITIAL REQUESTS FOR POSTPONEMENT.
UM, AND WE WERE HOPEFUL THAT WITH THE SECOND REQUEST WAS THERE WHERE A MONTH OF TIME WENT BY THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT MEETING, BUT LIKE I SAID, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
AND WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH HEARING TONIGHT.
WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DISCUSSION.
WE ARE STILL OPEN TO MEETING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD MOVING FORWARD BEFORE WE GO TO COUNCIL, BUT AT THE VERY LEAST WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD THIS EVENING AND START THE DISCUSSIONS HERE WITH PLANNING COMMISSIONERS.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO RON.
THANK YOU, MR. THROWERS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE.
YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, UH, COMMISSIONERS, RON THROWER.
I JUST WANT TO ECHO WHAT MS. SAUCY HAD SAID THAT WE ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO MEET WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD IF THIS HEARING MOVES FORWARD TONIGHT.
AND WE WILL DEFINITELY DO IT PRIOR TO WHENEVER THIS CASE GOES TO A CITY COUNCIL WE'RE COMMITTED TO MEETING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, WE WILL CERTAINLY BE LOOKING FOR MORE THAN 48 HOURS NOTICE FOR THE FUTURE MEETING AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO SITTING DOWN AND HAVING DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM.
AND, UH, AGAIN, WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD TONIGHT WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING AND WE'LL MAKE EVERY EFFORT POSSIBLE TO MEET WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD PRIOR TO CITY COUNCIL.
[00:30:03]
OKAY, GREAT.DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YES.
DID I MAKE A MOTION? UM, I, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION BEFORE YOU DO THAT.
UM, FOR STAFF, WHEN IS THIS SCHEDULED TO GO TO COUNCIL? GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
THIS IS SHERRY WAITRESS WITH THAT HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE NOT SCHEDULED THESE CASES YET FOR CITY COUNCIL.
UM, I GOT A QUESTION TOO, I GUESS, THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD REQUESTING, UM, WOULD, DID YOU GUYS RECEIVE ANY TYPE OF, UM, EXHIBITS? I'M JUST KINDA CURIOUS TO SEE, YOU KNOW, BESIDES JUST THE CITY STAFF STUFF, UH, WAS ANYTHING PRESENTED OR SENT IT TO YOU GUYS KIND OF SHOWING WHAT WAS INTENDED OR IS IT JUST THE CITY NOTICES AND THAT'S ALL YOU GUYS HAVE TO GO ON.
UH, NO, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING FURTHER DETAILS AT ALL.
UM, THE ONLY INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACCESS AND READ AND INTERPRET SELF INTERPRET OURSELVES ONLINE.
UM, AS WELL AS FROM THE INITIAL, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, UM, IN WHICH I, AT THAT, AT THAT MEETING, ONLY TWO RESIDENTS, UM, SHOWED UP MYSELF AND ONE OTHER.
AND, UM, THAT WAS JUST PURELY AN INITIAL INFORMATION MEETING.
AND THERE WERE SEVERAL DIFFERENT STATEMENTS MADE BY THE DEVELOPER AT THAT POINT THAT WERE CONTRADICTING AND LED TO FURTHER, ABSOLUTELY FURTHER QUESTIONS, UM, ON THEIR TRUE INTENTIONS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, IF I MAY, UH, ADDRESS AND, AND SPEAK TO WHY THE, UH, THERE WAS SUCH A SHORT NOTICE ON THE, UM, ON THE MEETING SCHEDULING, UM, THE ENTIRE, ALL OF US WERE ALL NOTIFIED AT THE SAME TIME.
AND, UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO MAKE A CORRECTION THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN TRYING SINCE APRIL TO MAKE THIS MEETING.
IT HAS BEEN, UM, SINCE THE LAST SCHEDULED MEETING AT THE END OF JUNE AND DUE TO COVID, UM, YOU KNOW, CHANGES IN THE WORLD IN THE WORLD, OPENING BACK UP, THERE WERE SCHEDULES AND IT WAS A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TASK TO GET UNITED, UM, AT THE COMMUNITY MEETING THAT WAS HELD LAST WEEK.
UH, WE EVEN HAD SOMEBODY THAT'S OUT OF THE COUNTRY THAT TOOK THE TIME TO CALL IN, UM, BECAUSE IT, IT WAS THAT IMPORTANT AND THEY WERE ALSO JUST GIVEN 48 HOUR NOTICE, UM, TO THAT MEETING, OF COURSE, IDEALLY FURTHER NOTICE IS, IS IDEAL AND EXPECTED, AND WE CAN ABSOLUTELY, UM, COMPLY WITH THAT, BUT WE DO NEED MORE THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE NEXT HEARING IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
DO YOU HAVE A DATE, LIKE A MEETING DATE IDENTIFIED ALREADY WITH THE COMMUNITY? WE DO NOT YET.
UM, BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY WE ARE GOING TO TOUCH BASE AT THE END OF THIS WEEK, DEPENDING ON IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET THE POSTPONEMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO REALLY CHANGE, UM, WHAT POSSIBLE STRATEGY AND ULTIMATELY TIME, UM, THAT WE, THAT WE HAVE.
AND I WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT DONE QUICKLY ENOUGH.
SO THEN IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR CLARIFICATION THAT YOU STILL HAVE WITHIN THE TIME PERIOD THAT YOU REQUESTING THAT YOU GET THAT DON'T, YOU KNOW, DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE, HAVE THE MEETING AND THEN NOTHING'S, YOU KNOW, FIGURED OUT OR RESOLVED.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TRY TO GET THAT MEETING WITH THE DEVELOPER ASAP, JUST SO YOU HAVE MORE TIME FOR CLARITY.
I APPRECIATE THAT COMMISSIONER SHAY, UM, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES, UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL, UH, COMMUNITY NEIGHBORS THAT ARE SCHEDULED TO BE OUT OF POUNDS ON VACATION NEXT WEEK.
AND SO IT WAS IDEALLY LIKELY GOING TO BE THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WHICH WOULD BE THE SECOND WEEK OF AUGUST THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SCHEDULE THIS MEETING.
WHO'S YOUR PRACTICE? DID I SEE YOUR HAND UP EARLIER? NO, IT'S COVERED WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK IS COVERED.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CAUSE YOU'RE MUCH TALLER.
WE APPROVED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
I THINK I WAS JUST LIKE BACK AT THE DOCUMENTATION.
SO WE APPROVED ON JUNE 8TH, UM, REQUESTS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO POSTPONE TO JULY 13TH.
SO MY QUESTION IS TO BOTH SIDES, SOMEBODY OBVIOUSLY PUT THAT REQUEST IN, SO SOMEBODY
[00:35:01]
KNEW THIS WAS COMING.UM, AND SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD SIDE, YOU KNOW, AS THE, AND I UNDERSTAND IT'S COVID, AND IT'S DIFFICULT AND THIS IS TRICKY, BUT WHAT STEPS YOU ALL TOOK TO TRY AND GET THE NEIGHBORHOOD TOGETHER PRIOR TO THIS JULY 13TH MEETING, BUT I'D ALSO LIKE TO POSE THE SAME QUESTION TO THE DEVELOPER.
I KNOW, UM, I THINK MS. HAAS SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN MAKING EFFORTS SINCE APRIL.
SO BETWEEN THE JUNE 8TH, WHEN WE GRANTED THE, THE REQUEST BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO NOW, I'D LIKE TO KNOW FROM BOTH SIDES.
CAUSE I KIND OF FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAVE MADE EFFORTS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, TO UNDERSTAND THAT AT 48 HOURS IN THE LAST MINUTE THAT'S TRICKY, BUT WHAT HAPPENED UP UNTIL THAT POINT TO TRY AND GET THIS TOGETHER? SO I'D GIVE THE REST OF MY TIME TO EACH ONE TO ANSWER THAT AND YOU CAN DIVIDE IT INTO SOME SHARE HUMBLE.
UM, SO I HAVE BEEN REACHING OUT TO JADE TRYING TO COORDINATE THIS SINCE THE END OF APRIL.
I HAVE EMAILS GOING BACK ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF APRIL.
AND THOSE APP EMAILS ACTUALLY SHOULD BE IN BACKUP.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE POSTPONEMENT REQUESTS AND LOOK AT THE EMAIL CHAIN ALL THE WAY AT THE BOTTOM, IT GOES BACK TO APRIL.
WE HAVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT MEETING WITH CITY STAFF, UH, IN MID APRIL.
AND IT WAS AFTER THAT, THAT I REACHED OUT TO JADE ASKING FOR ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE GREATER DIALOGUE.
AND I'VE CONTINUED TO REACH OUT BECAUSE OUR CALENDARS FILL UP AND I WANT TO GET ON THE BOOKS SO THAT I KNOW THAT IT'S THERE AND IT'S READY AND IT'S WAITING.
AND THE MANY TIMES THAT I REACHED OUT ASKING FOR DATES AND DETAILS, SHE WASN'T ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE.
AND I, I UNDERSTAND LIFE IS BUSY AND WE ARE IN COVID.
AND SO THAT IS WHY WE AGREED TO TWO POSTPONEMENT REQUESTS.
BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, YOU KNOW, TWO POSTPONEMENT REQUESTS HAVE GONE BY AND WE STILL HAVEN'T HAD A MEETING.
UM, AND OUR, OUR CLIENT WOULD LIKE TO NEW FORWARD AND START THE DISCUSSION THIS EVENING.
I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, ANSWER THAT QUESTION AS WELL.
UM, SO THIS, THE INITIAL REQUEST, UH, FROM MS HAFI TO ATTEND A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING WAS FOR THE JUNE 8TH, UM, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING.
AND THERE, AS I MENTIONED, INITIALLY, THERE HAS BEEN A HUGE, UM, CHALLENGE AROUND OUTREACH, UM, SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC, UM, AND, AND CURRENT RESIDENTS HERE, UM, THERE IS NOT ALREADY AN ESTABLISHED, YOU KNOW, RESIDENT COALITION.
UM, SO THERE HAS BEEN TIME THAT HAS BEEN NEEDED TO, TO TAKE INITIALLY IN ORDER TO TAKE A, UH, CONSISTENT AND FIND AND SPEAK TO RESIDENTS THAT HAVE AN INTEREST OR HAVE AN OPINION ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AND GET THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION AND THEREFORE BE ABLE TO, TO BUILD THIS, UM, THE DIRECT NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, COMMUNITY THAT IS DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THIS.
AND THAT IS PRIMARILY, UM, THE REASON THAT IT TOOK SO LONG TO BE ABLE TO GET THIS SCHEDULED, BECAUSE IT HAS TAKEN A LOT TO LEARN THE SYSTEM TO NAVIGATE WHAT EXACTLY, UM, THE, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO HERE, UM, AND BUILD AND FIND, UM, AN INFORM OTHER RESIDENTS TO SEE IF THEY, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR POSITION ON IT AND EDUCATE AND, UM, BE INFORMED ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT IN, IN, IN GENERAL.
UM, AND I HAVE BEEN, UM, SORT OF A ONE PERSON TEAM TO START.
AND JUST RECENTLY HAVE, I, I HAVE REACHED A POINT WHERE I HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE SYSTEM, OF THE PLAN OF ACTION THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO HERE AND EXACTLY HOW THIS ENTIRE PROCESS WORKS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT DO WHEN I'M COMPETING WITH SOMEONE WHO DOES THIS AS THEIR JOB, YOU KNOW, AND KNOWS THE INS AND OUTS, UM, COMPLETELY.
SO IT'S, ESPECIALLY IN THIS UNDERSERVED AND LOW
[00:40:01]
INCOME NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS PRIMARILY MINORITIES.IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DO THIS.
IT HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT AND DAUNTING TASK, BUT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO DO, AND I HAVE STEPPED UP TO BE THAT VOICE AND BE THAT COMMUNITY BUILDER, UM, IN THIS.
AND SO THAT IS, I APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULTY AND UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS.
UM, IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT AS A COMMISSIONER ALSO TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE PROCESS.
DID YOU HAVE COMMUNICATION WITH THE DISTRICT? ARE WE AT A TIME? SORRY.
DID SOMEONE WENT TO PICK UP THE PAYMENT COMMISSIONERS ARE OKAY.
YOU WANT TO HAVE A IN QUESTION? I WAS JUST GOING, THANK YOU.
I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, UM, JADE, IF YOU HAD REACHED OUT TO THE DEVELOPER AFTER THE JUNE 8TH MEETING IN, UM, IN ANY COMMUNICATION AT ALL, EVEN IF IT WAS JUST TO LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE, UM, GETTING A DATE FOR THE COMMUNITY MEETING.
UM, I HAVE, AS, AS VICTORIA MENTIONED, UM, WE HAVE BEEN IN REGULAR COMMUNICATION AS FAR AS UPDATE AND STATUS, AND I DID INFORM THEM THAT IT HAD BEEN DIFFICULT TO GET THE MEETING SCHEDULED, BUT I WAS ACTIVELY WORKING ON IT.
UM, MS. CASSIE, CAN I HEAR FROM YOU, WHAT WAS THE FIRST DATE IN WHICH YOU HAD COMMUNICATION WITH THE NEW BIRD? UM, YES.
COMMISSIONER IS THE FIRST DATE, UM, THAT I REACHED OUT WAS ON APRIL 23RD.
UM, I REACHED OUT KIND OF FOLLOWING UP AFTER THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT MEETING WITH CITY STAFF AND, UM, ASKING AND INVITING FOR GREATER DIALOGUE AND OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
CAN YOU PLEASE SPEAK TO, UM, THE SURF COMMUNICATION OR FOLLOW UP YOU HAD IN JUNE? SO THAT ONE MORE TIME SPEAK TO THE COMMUNICATION THAT YOU THEN HAD SUBSEQUENTLY HAD IN JUNE? UM, YEAH, SO I CONTINUED TO REACH OUT IN MAY AND, UH, JUNE 4TH I BELIEVE WAS WHEN THERE WAS A REQUEST TO POSTPONE AGAIN, BUT, UM, THAT WAS THE SECOND REQUEST TO POST FROM, BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UM, JADE SAID THAT SHE WOULD LET ME KNOW WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD DETAILS WERE OR REACHED OUT AGAIN, UM, ON JUNE 22ND TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY DEVELOPMENT FOR NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING.
AND SHE SAYS AT THAT POINT IN TIME THAT THEY HAD NOT FINALIZED DATES YET, AND THEY WERE STILL LOOKING TO JULY AND IT JUST CONTINUED THROUGH JULY.
AND I CONTINUED TO CHECK IN, UM, IT'S, LIKE I SAID, DIDN'T, I DIDN'T GET A CONFIRMATION OF A MEETING UNTIL 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE.
I APPRECIATE THAT CLARIFICATION.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS MR. TAX? UM, I GUESS THE QUESTION FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IF, IF, IF WE POSTPONE THIS, IF WE END UP POSTPONING THIS FOR ANOTHER MONTH, UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I JUST READ THROUGH THE CORRESPONDENCE CHAIN, UH, THAT VICTORIA FORWARD TO SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS AND ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS AN EFFORT BOTH ON THE APPLICANT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S PART TO TRY TO GET SOMETHING SET UP AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD DID OFFER A DATE THAT WASN'T GOOD FOR THE DEVELOPER, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE, UM, BOTH WAYS.
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IT HOW CONFIDENT THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOLKS, UH, ON, ON THE CALL, UM, HOW REASONABLY CONFIDENT THEY ARE, THAT IF WE POSTPONE THIS FOR ANOTHER MONTH, THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GET A TIME SET UP ON YOUR END FOR THE DEVELOPER ATTEND AND DISCUSS THIS.
I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR, WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN AUGUST? YES.
UH, THE CONFIDENCE LEVEL IS VERY HIGH.
UM, AFTER THE MEETING THAT WE HELD LAST WEEK, UM, THE, UH, THE DEVELOPER WAS INITIALLY INVITED TO, UM, THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE, UM, ATTENDANCE THAN WE HAD EVEN ANTICIPATED, AND IT WAS VERY WELL
[00:45:01]
KNOWN THAT THERE ARE, UM, WE HAVE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE READY TO, UM, TO ATTEND.AND SO I DIDN'T EVEN EXPECT SO MANY PEOPLE TO ATTEND HONESTLY.
AND, UM, EVERYONE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THAT DEVELOPER WAS NOT THERE.
UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, EVEN SOMEONE FROM OUT OF THE THAT'S CURRENTLY OUT OF THE COUNTRY CALLED IN TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS.
SO, UH, I W I ANTICIPATE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE THIS MEETING, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AND ABSOLUTELY BE ABLE TO DO THAT IN ADVANCE WITH PROPER ADVANCED NOTICE OF, UH, TO, TO THE DEVELOPERS AS WELL AS TO THE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS.
UM, SO I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT IN THAT.
AND THEN A QUESTION FOR STAFF, UM, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE COUNCIL AGENDA LOOKS LIKE, UM, IN TERMS OF THE OUTLOOK ON, ON WHAT, WHAT AGENDA, WHAT MONTH THIS MIGHT END UP ON THE COUNCIL? ARE YOU ABLE TO TELL THAT AT ALL, AT THIS POINT, COMMISSIONERS, THIS IS SHERRY AWARENESS AGAIN, WITH THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE NOT BEEN SCHEDULING CASES UNTIL THEY MAKE IT THROUGH COMMISSION BECAUSE THE NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS KEEP CHANGING FOR WHAT TYPE OF MEETING, WHETHER IT'S A TELECONFERENCE OR IN-PERSON, OR A JOINT MEETING.
AND AS OF SEPTEMBER, THE FIRST, THE MEETINGS THAT CITY COUNCIL WILL BEGIN AGAIN IN PERSON.
AND SO WE ARE TAKING CASES INDIVIDUALLY AFTER THEY MAKE IT THROUGH COMMISSION BEFORE SCHEDULING THOSE FOR COUNCIL FOR THE CHANGING NOTIFICATION, IF WE, UM, AND I, I APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, MR. WAITERS, IF, IF WE SCHEDULE, IF WE POSTPONE THIS TO, UM, AUGUST 24TH, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE, YOU'D BE REASONABLY CONFIDENT THAT IT WOULD END UP ON A COUNCIL AGENDA IN SEPTEMBER? I IMAGINE THAT, YES, WE WILL BE LOOKING TOWARDS THE SEPTEMBER AGENDA AT CITY COUNCIL.
I'VE GOT TWO MORE SPOTS FOR QUESTIONS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IS THERE A MOTION MR. COX EMOTION AND A FLY? UM, UH, UH, I, I MOTION THAT WE POSTPONE THIS TO THE AUGUST 24TH MEETING.
SO THAT WOULD BE ESSENTIALLY A MONTH FROM NOW, SEE A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER YANEZ.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO THAT COMMISSIONER COX? YEAH, I HAVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE KNOWING HOW HARD IT IS TO GET THINGS TO SCHEDULE.
I DON'T BLAME THE DEVELOPER FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO ATTEND THE DATES, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IT'S CRAZY BUSY AS A CONSULTANT.
UM, BUT, BUT ALSO WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT THERE IS STRONG INTEREST ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD SIDE.
IT WAS SLOW TO PICK UP, BUT I THINK NOW THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS IS, THEY'RE A BIT MORE FAMILIAR WITH IT.
AND THERE IS STRONG INTEREST WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT THERE WILL BE AN IMPETUS, UM, TO, TO GET THIS SCHEDULED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, HOPEFULLY FOR A DATE THAT THE DEVELOPER CAN ATTEND.
SO I JUST WANT TO GIVE THEM ONE LAST OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE, UH, JUST FROM PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE, I KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO, TO, TO KIND OF GO FROM ZERO, UH, TO FIGURE OUT HOW, HOW THIS PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROCESS WORKS.
ANY COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST THIS, YOUR CONTRACT PROPOSE A COUNTER MOTION.
IF I CAN, UM, A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, SORRY.
I HAD TO PROPOSE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
I'M GOING TO TRY TO PROPOSE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, UM, THAT WE I'M IN AGREEMENT THAT, THAT, THAT WE SHOULD GIVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO THE DEVELOPER AND WORK THINGS OUT AND COME TO BETTER UNDERSTANDING.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT WE TAKE THE CASE UP FOR DISCUSSION TODAY AS AN INITIAL STEP, WHERE WE CAN, UH, HEAR THE DEVELOPER'S PRESENTATION, UM, GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CASE.
AND THIS WILL ALSO PROBABLY BE HELPFUL FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE LINE.
UM, WE'LL ALLOW THE DEVELOPER TO PRESENT SOME OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CASE THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE ON OUR BACKUP RIGHT NOW, AND THEN SEND THE DEVELOPER AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD BACK TO, UH, WORK SOMETHING OUT AND, AND TALK TO EACH OTHER FURTHER.
IF THAT MAKES, IF I CAN PROPOSE THAT.
THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE.
IS THERE A SECOND, UM, COMMISSIONERS ARE, OR COMMISSIONER COX.
I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU A QUESTION.
UM, IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THAT SUBSTITUTE MOTION
[00:50:01]
WITH A POSTPONEMENT? SO BASICALLY MAKE THE MOTION THAT COMMISSIONER CALLING MADE, BUT THEN SAY AFTER HEARING THE APPLICANT'S PRESENTATION POSTPONE TO THE STATE, IS THAT, IS THAT EVEN LIKE LEGAL? UM, I THINK WE, I DON'T, MR. RIVERA CAN HELP US WITH THAT.IT SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD WANT TO HEAR THE DISCUSSION, HEAR THE PUBLIC HEARING, AND THEN THIS TIME, IF WE WANT TO POSTPONE IT, CHAIR COMMISSION LAYS ON ADVERSE.
SO WHERE WE RUN INTO ISSUES IS, UM, THE PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, SO YOU WOULD WANT HIM OPEN IT, YOU WOULD WANT TO, UM, KEEP THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN.
UM, BUT TO WHAT THE POSTPONEMENT DATE OF ACTION STILL BE AUGUST 24.
IS THAT THE DESIRE OF THE COMMISSION? I, I WOULD OFFER THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION IF THAT'S ALLOWED MR. SHARING, WAS THAT A THUMBS UP? YEAH, I'M IN FAVOR OF THAT, IF THAT WORKS.
SO LET ME MAKE SURE I'M HEARING THIS CORRECTLY.
SO COMMISSIONER CONNOLLY'S SUBSTITUTE MOTION IS TO HEAR THE CASE TONIGHT WITH THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT THAT THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL AUGUST 24TH, WHEN WE'LL VOTE ON IT.
COMMISSIONER, CAN I, WHETHER THIS IS AN AMENDMENT OR A SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
THIS IS THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION, WHICH WAS TO POSTPONE UNTIL AUGUST 24TH.
THANK YOU, CHAIR, COMMISSIONER LAYS AND VERA.
SO, UM, ONE FURTHER INFORMATION FROM THE LAW DEPARTMENT.
IT REALLY WOULD BE BEST IF THE COMMISSION, UH, DECIDES WHETHER TO HEAR THE CASE OR A POST POSTPONE.
AND I, I THINK I HAD A CONCERN WITH THAT BECAUSE IF WE STARTED HEARING FROM BOTH SIDES AND WE LEAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN, WE NEVER CLOSED IT FOR US TO HAVE DISCUSSION.
SO IT WOULD BASICALLY BE US JUST LISTENING TO ONE SIDE AND THEN LISTEN TO THE OTHER SIDE AND THEN WE JUST LEAVE IT OPEN.
SO IT'S, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH, UNLESS WE CLOSE IT TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS IT, THEN WE HAVE TO OPEN IT BACK UP.
AND I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, THROWING, HAVING TO THIS WHOLE PROCESS, IF WE DO THAT.
REMIND ME WHO THE SECOND WAS ON COMMISSIONER.
CONNELLY'S SUBSTITUTE HIS COMMISSIONERS ARE, UM, IS THERE ANYBODY SPEAKING WELL, COMMISSIONER SAY YOU WERE KIND OF SPEAKING AGAINST IT.
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE SPEAKING FOR THE SUBSTITUTE? WHAT'S WHAT'S THE MOTION.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF LEGAL BASICALLY FLUSHED EDUCATION OR ANDREW.
DO WE NEED TO GO BACK TO COMMISSIONER AND CONNOLLY'S ORIGINAL SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO COMMISSION LIAISON.
WE SHOULD PROBABLY GO BACK TO THE COX MOTION.
SO WE'LL GO BACK TO COMMISSIONER COX'S ORIGINAL MOTION, WHICH WAS TO POSTPONE UNTIL AUGUST 24TH.
THAT WAS SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER YANEZ, PULIDO.
UM, ANYBODY SPEAKING, UM, AGAINST THIS MOTION FOR MR. SHANE.
SO I'LL SPEAK PORRIDGE IF THERE'S, UM, THERE'S SOME NUANCES TO THIS THING THAT I FEEL LIKE IT'D BE GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE DEVELOPER TO PRESENT, UM, ON THERE COULD BE POTENTIAL, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPATIBILITY THINGS THAT MAYBE THE NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD WANT TO SEE THERE'S POTENTIAL AFFORDABILITY OPPORTUNITIES.
THERE'S POTENTIAL, COS THAT COULD BE PUT ON IT, UH, CONDITIONAL OVERLAYS OR EVEN RESTRICTED COVENANT.
SO THOSE ARE ALL THESE COMPONENTS THAT, UM, COULD REALLY BE PART OF THE CRAFTING OF WHAT MOVES FORWARD.
AND SO I THINK THIS WILL GIVE THAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR THAT DISCUSSION.
AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS READY TO, UH, GET DOWN AND DIRTY, ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES WITH THEM.
[00:55:01]
MR. KENNEDY.I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK NEUTRAL AT THIS POINT.
I THINK THE INTENT BEHIND DESIRING TO HEAR THE MOTION, TO HEAR THE PRESENTATION TODAY FROM THE CLIENT AND FROM THE, UM, FROM THE APPLICANT AND SEE WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED IS PRECISELY TO SORT OF HELP JUMPSTART WHAT SHAY IS DESCRIBING, BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THERE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS KIND OF COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN SO FAR, UM, IN TERMS OF HAVING THE DEVELOPER AND THE COMMUNITY SIT DOWN AND TALK AT ALL.
UM, AND THERE'S AT LEAST REASONABLE REASON TO ASSUME THAT THAT THE COMMUNITY DOES NOT HAVE THE ATTENTION TO DO PRECISELY WHAT SHAY IS DESCRIBING, ROLL UP HIS SLEEVES AND GET INTO THE NITTY GRITTY.
SINCE THE COMMUNITY HAS SPOKEN RIGHT HERE ON PUBLIC RECORD SAYING THAT THEIR INTENT IS TO OPPOSE THE DEVELOPMENT.
SO, UM, IF THE INTENT IS TO JUST BUY TIME TO OPPOSE THE DEVELOPMENT, WELL, THEN THAT'S ONE PROCESS.
BUT IF THE INTENT IS TO ACTUALLY FIND TIME TO DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE AND FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK AND GET INTO IT, THEN THAT'S A DIFFERENT PROCESS.
SO I'M ON THE, YOU KNOW, I'M ON THE FENCE HERE.
ULTIMATELY, IF WE'RE GOING TO POSTPONE IT, LET'S GO, LET'S POSTPONE IT.
BUT, UM, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, UM, POSTPONING IT WITHOUT SOME STIMULUS TOWARDS ACTUALLY BRINGING THE PARTIES TOGETHER TO TALK MEANINGFULLY DOESN'T, UH, DOESN'T DO MUCH IN TERMS OF MOVING THINGS FORWARD FROM STAFF KIND OF INPUT ABOUT THAT AGAIN.
CAUSE I UNDERSTAND LEGAL HAD SAID, OH NO, DON'T DO IT.
BUT UM, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY, UH, I KNOW WE PULLED BACK BEFORE AND GOT HER HAND SLAPPED AND THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THAT AGAIN.
SO, UM, MAYBE A STAFF CAN EXPAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE RELUCTANCE TO LET US DO THAT.
CHAR CONVENTIONAL HE'S ON ANTIVIRUS.
SO ONCE YOU OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING THAT KIND OF, UH, TRIGGERS, UH, CERTAIN, UH, REQUIREMENTS, UM, WE HAVEN'T DONE IT IN THE PAST.
UM, WHERE ARE WE? UH, PROBABLY SHOULDN'T AND, UH, WE, UM, UH, CORRECTED THEN.
UM, UM, BUT, UM, WE ARE, WE'RE BURYING INTO, UM, NOTICE ISSUES.
CAN YOU SHARE, UH, SPEAKING FOR OKAY.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION FROM BOTH SIDES.
UM, BUT WHAT I'M, IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, WHAT I'M HEARING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE REQUEST WAS TO POSTPONE TILL SEPTEMBER THE DEVELOPER WANTS TO GET IT ON, BUT WHAT I'M HEARING FROM CITY STAFF IS IF WE POSTPONE TO AUGUST, THEY CAN STILL MAKE THE SEPTEMBER COUNCIL HEARING, WHICH I'M, I GUESS I'M ASKING FOR CITY STAFF TO CORRECT.
IF I'M WRONG, THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO ANY EARLIER.
ANYWAY, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET ON AN AUGUST AGENDA WITH CITY COUNCIL.
SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE GIVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE ANYTIME WE CAN SEND A PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION WITH A HEARING CASE TO COUNCIL, THAT'S MORE HELPFUL THAN ONE WITHOUT ANYTHING IN ANY TIME THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE DEVELOPERS CAN WORK TOGETHER, THEN THAT SEEMS TO BE A MUCH BETTER WINS.
SO, UH, GIVEN THAT WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY REALLY MOVING THE DEVELOPER'S AGENDA, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE SAME I'M IN FAVOR OF, OF ASKING THEM TO COME BACK AND, UM, AND DO THIS.
AND I, I WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE, UM, BOTH SIDES TO, YOU KNOW, TO START TOMORROW WITH GETTING THAT INITIAL MEETING ON THE CALENDAR TO, AND, AND TO BE OPEN EARS.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE CAN HELP BRIDGE THE GAP AND CONCERNS COMMISSIONERS TO CLARIFY ABOUT CITY COUNCIL SCHEDULING.
THERE IS ONLY ONE MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL IN AUGUST, IT'S AUGUST THE 26TH.
AND THE NOTIFICATION FOR THAT MEETING WILL BE DUE NEXT WEEK.
NEXT TUESDAY, THE NEXT AVAILABLE MEETING AFTER THAT WOULD BE SEPTEMBER THE SEC, SECOND, OR SEPTEMBER THE 30TH.
SO THOSE WOULD PROBABLY BE THE MEETING DATES THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT IF THIS CASE WAS POSTPONED AT COMMISSION.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR AGAINST? ALL RIGHT.
THE MOTION IS TO POSTPONE UNTIL AUGUST 24TH BY COMMISSIONER COX AND SECOND BY COMMISSIONER YONIS.
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ALRIGHT, 10 0 2 POSTPONING TILL AUGUST 24TH.
[01:00:01]
AND JUST AS A NOTE, WE ARE GOING TO TAKE UP OUR, THE REMAINDER OF OUR DISCUSSION CASES IN ORDER.[Items B4 & B5]
THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BEFORE AND BEING FIVE.UM, DO WE HAVE MAUREEN MEREDITH ON THE PHONE CHAIR? DO YOU HAVE ANY, I'M GOING TO BE RECUSING FROM THIS I OWN REAL ESTATE, UH, LESS THAN 500 FEET AWAY.
THIS IS MAUREEN MEREDITH HOUSING AND PLANS DEPARTMENT ITEM NUMBER B 12 IS PLANNING AMENDMENT NPA 2021 DASH 0 0 1 7 0.02.
THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 9 0 1 AND 9 0 7 STOVALL STREET.
THE REQUEST IS TO CHANGE THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP FROM SINGLE FAMILY TO MULTIFAMILY LAND USE.
IT IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE CRESTVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM, AND THERE IS CORRESPONDENCE FROM PROPERTY OWNERS AND INTERESTED PARTIES IN THE STAFF REPORT IN LATE BACKUP.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
IS MARK GRAHAM ON THE PHONE? NO.
MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, MARK CREAM FROM, I WASN'T EVEN PLANNING THE CASE MANAGER FOR THE ZONING CASE.
UM, THE REQUEST FOR ZONING IS CHANGED FROM SF THREE N P T M F N T.
STAFF IS MAKING AN ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATION TO
LET ME START WITH THE, UM, CURRENT SO MANY CONDITIONS.
UM, THE SUBJECT SITE IS A ONE ACRE SITE, UH, THERE'S COMMERCIALS ZONING ACROSS STILL BALL STREET, AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE EAST.
UH, THERE'S ALSO MF THREE ZONING IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO, UH, THE SOUTH, UH, ABOUT HALF OF THE SOUTH PROPERTY LINE.
THE REST OF THE ZONING ON THE SOUTH AND AROUND TO THE WEST IS
UM, THE REQUESTED JOANIE WOULD ADD, UM, WOULD BE, UH, AS, AS MAUREEN SAID TO CHANGE FROM SINGLE FAMILY TYPE ZONING TO MULTI-FAMILY ZONING AND WHERE THE ADD THE ABILITY TO SUPPORT, UH, PERHAPS AS MANY AS 54 EFFICIENCY TYPE UNITS BASED ON, UH, THE AMOUNT OF AREA THAT'S REQUIRED PER UNIT, THEN MORE PRACTICALLY SOMETHING CLOSER TO, UH, 43 UNITS, UH, WITH AVERAGE OF A THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT.
THAT'D BE SOME COMBINATION OF, UM, TWO PLUS BEDROOMS, ONE BEDROOM AND EFFICIENCY, UM, GRANTS WITH IT, A MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF 60 FEET.
THE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WE'D LIKE YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO ARE THE IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR, UH, THAT IS, UH, LESS THAN 300 FEET AWAY.
AND I IMAGINE AUSTIN HAS LABELED LAMAR STREET AS A, UM, ACTIVITY CORRIDOR THAT DOES HAVE CAP METRO, UH, RAPID, UH, BUSES.
IT WILL ALSO BE A, UM, CONNECT CORRIDOR WITH THE ORANGE AND BLUE LINES.
UM, ACCORDING TO THE PLAN, YOUR TRIP, IT'S A THREE MINUTE WALK FROM THIS SITE TO THE THREE 50 BUS.
UM, AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S A VERY GOOD SITE FOR THE USE OF TRANSIT.
UM, THE COMPLAINTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE, THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT INCREASED TRAFFIC, INCREASED PARKING PROBLEMS ALONG THE STREET, THE OPTIONS OF SIDEWALKS IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, MAKING IT LESS THAN IDEAL FOR ADDING, UM, A LOT OF PEDESTRIAN TRIPS OR BICYCLE TRIPS.
UM, THE REASON WE'RE RECOMMENDING MS. THREE IS IT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE STATEMENT OF THE DISTRICT.
UM, MAXIMUM DENSITY FOR MP3 WOULD BE 36 UNITS AN ACRE AGAIN, DEPENDING ON THE UNIT SIZE, IT'D BE APPROPRIATE FOR, UH, RESIDENTIAL AREAS NEAR SUPPORTING TRANSPORTATION AND COMMERCIAL FACILITIES.
UH, LAMAR IS ALSO CLOSE TO CONCENTRATIONS OF EMPLOYMENT, UH, SUCH AS THE TEXAS, UH, DPS OFFICE, UM, ACCESS TO GROCERIES, ENTERTAINMENT, RECREATION SERVICES NEARBY, WE FEEL DOES NOT GRANT SPECIAL PRIVILEGE AND RESULTS IN EQUAL TREATMENT FROM SIMILAR PROPERTIES.
I'VE NOTICED THAT THERE IS MP3 ZONING ON TOBY AND MORROW'S STREETS TO THE SOUTH.
ALSO THIS STRATEGY OF HAVING, UM, A MULTI-FAMILY ZONING ISSUES, UM, TO THE NORTH, UM, EASTERN ANDERSON SQUARE AND NORTH OF ANDERSON LANE.
AND ALSO NORTH THAT WE DRIVE, UM, UP TO THE COMMERCIAL ZONING ONE HIGHWAY 180 3.
[01:05:01]
PATTERN, UM, CONSISTENT WITH THESE POLICIES AND PRINCIPLES ADOPTED BY, UM, UH, CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING.UH, THEY ADOPTED THE IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT SURPRISED PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR INCREASED HOUSING, VARIETY AND HOUSING DENSITY IN AREAS THAT ARE WALKABLE TO RECREATION, EDUCATION, ENTERTAINMENT, DEAL WITH ACCESS TO ACTIVITY CORRIDORS THAT COMPLETES THE STAFF PRESENTATION.
JARED COMMISSIONER LAYS ON ADVAIR.
SO NOW WE'LL HEAR FROM, UH, APPLICANT, UH, VICTORIA HERAT.
YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES SELECT STAR SIX, GETTING ME IN COMMISSIONERS.
UH, THIS IS VICTORIA HOSLEY WITH SERVER DESIGN ON BEHALF OF THE LANDOWNERS OF 901 AND 9 0 7 3.
WILL YOU LET ME KNOW WHEN THE PRESENTATION IS IN FRONT OF YOU? OKAY.
SO THE FIRST FIVE IS, UH, SHOWS THE SUBJECT TRACKS IN BLUE AS THEY RELATE TO ELEMENTS OF THE IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND ALSO CAPITAL METRO TRANSIT ELEMENTS, THE SUBJECT SITE TOTALS AND ACRE NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF TWO.
IMAGINE AUSTIN ACTIVITY CORRIDORS, WHICH ARE ANDERSON LANE AND NORTH LAMAR BOULEVARD.
SO THE REQUEST IS TO CHANGE THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP TO MULTIFAMILY FOR THESE TWO TRUCKS, NEXT SLIDE, AND THEN TO REZONE THE PROPERTY TO MFR, WHICH WILL ALLOW ON AVERAGE 40 DWELLING UNITS PER ACRE.
THIS MAP HIGHLIGHTS SIMILARLY SITUATED PROPERTIES IN THE GENERAL AREA WHERE THERE IS A TRANSITION OF COMMERCIAL ALONG THE CORRIDOR, FOLLOWED BY MULTIFAMILY ZONING, AND THEN TRANSITIONING INTO SINGLE FAMILY AREAS.
OUR REQUEST IS CONSISTENT WITH THIS PATTERN ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND IS DESIRABLE FOR ENSURING COMPATIBILITY AMONG LEASES.
EVEN THE LOCKED IMMEDIATELY TO THE SOUTH OF THE SUBJECT TRACKS ON BOTH TOBY AND MORROW HAVE THIS TRANSITIONAL PATTERN IN PLACE TODAY.
NEXT SLIDE CHECKS FOR PATIENT ACCESS FOR THIS SITE IS VERY GOOD.
CONSIDERING THE RESOURCES WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN OUR CITY AT THIS TIME, THE SITE IS ABOUT 300 FEET FROM THE NEAREST CAPITAL METRO BUS STOP.
AND THERE ARE FOUR OTHER STOPS WITHIN THAT QUARTER MILE WALK SHED.
THE HALF MILE WALK SHED IN GREEN HAS MANY MORE STOPS AVAILABLE AND INCLUDED THE CAPITAL METRO TRANSIT HUB JUST OUTSIDE OF THE HALF MILE WALK SAID AT 0.6 MILES AS THE CRESTVIEW TRAIN STOP WHILE OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM MAY NOT BE ROBUST ENOUGH TO MOVE THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR CITY TODAY, IT IS LOCATIONS LIKE THESE THAT HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FUTURE.
THIS IS THE LOCATION WHERE WE SHOULD BE INCREASING DENSITY.
IF WE, AS A CITY WANTED TO ACTION BEHIND THEIR WORDS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE.
THIS IS AN EARLY CONCEPTUAL LAYOUT THAT WE SHARED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING CONTACT TEAM.
WHILE, WHILE AN ACRE CAN THEORETICALLY ACHIEVE 40 UNITS ON AVERAGE, REALISTICALLY AFTER SETBACKS, UH, COMPATIBILITY, SETBACKS, PARKING DETENTION, AND WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS, THE SITE IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE SOMEWHERE AROUND 20 UNITS.
THESE TWO LOTS ARE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING, WHICH CAN COME IN.
MANY FORMS SEEN HERE IN THIS DIAGRAM.
THIS IS THE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT BELONGS IN THE MIDDLE BETWEEN SINGLE FAMILY ZONES AND CORRIDORS WITH MID AND HIGH RISE BUILDINGS.
NEXT ONE NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THIS AREA IS ORGANICALLY TRANSITIONING TO A PATTERN OF DENSITY THAT INCREASES AS YOU MOVE CLOSER TO THE LAMAR CORRIDOR.
THE LOTS OF YELLOW STARS HIGHLIGHT PROPERTIES THAT HAVE BEEN SUBDIVIDED AND THEN DEVELOPED WITH DUPLEX AND DUPLEXES AND TWO FAMILIES DWELLING UNIT CONFIGURATION.
THE NEXT YEAR OF DENSITY WOULD BE THE MISSING MIDDLE TYPE TRIFEXIS FOURPLEXES, SMALL STYLE COURTYARD APARTMENTS, TOWNHOUSES, SIMILAR TO THE TOWNHOUSES THAT HAVE EXISTED FOR SEVERAL DECADES IMMEDIATELY TO THE SOUTH OF 901 STIR BAR WITH THE CITY'S NEED FOR HOUSING AND BALANCING APPROPRIATE INCREASES IN DENSITY.
THIS SITE CAN ACHIEVE BOTH AND FLIP THAT I'LL PASS AROUND.
HI COMMISSIONERS, RON THROWER HERE.
UM, ANDREI HE'LL ADVANCE THE SLIDE PLEASE.
WE'RE CURRENTLY AT CRESTVIEW COMMENTS.
UM, OVER THESE NEXT THREE SLIDES, I JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT GETS BUILT ALONG THE CORRIDORS TODAY, AND THAT IS THE HIGH INTENSITY, VERY DENSE, UH, MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT CRESTVIEW COMMONS IN THIS ONE.
THE MARK ON BURNET ROAD IS ANOTHER ONE.
AND IN THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE YOU'LL SEE THE PEARL, WHICH IS THAT, UH, CANUCK AND WOODROW AND ALL OF THESE PROJECTS ARE VERY HIGH, DENSE, UH, MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT.
[01:10:01]
ANDREW, IF YOU'LL REVERT BACK TO SLIDE FOUR, PLEASE, THAT'S THE SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE FEW I, A FEW AREAS OF TRANSITION, WHERE WE HAVE COMMERCIAL ALONG THE CORRIDOR, AND WE HAVE SOME LEVEL OF MULTI-FAMILY BEHIND.AND AS SOMEBODY WHO IS RAISED IN THIS AREA AS A KID, RODE MY BIKE ALL THROUGH THIS AREA, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE, THESE APARTMENTS HAVE BEEN THERE FOR DECADES AND THIS TYPE OF TRANSITION WORKS.
IT IS A MORE INTENSE, UH, MULTI-FAMILY, THEY'RE MORE, WE HAVE PROPOSED FOR THE SNOWBALL TRACKS, BUT AGAIN, THE SMALL AMOUNT OF UNITS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING ON THE PROPERTY AND THE LOW AMOUNT OF DENSITY, UH, DOES OFFER A LEVEL OF TRANSITION BETWEEN THE COMMERCIAL ALONG IN THIS CASE, LAMAR AND THE SINGLE FAMILY THAT EXPANDS WEST FROM THERE.
AND AS MARK GRAHAM HAD POINTED OUT POINTEDLY.
SO IS THAT THERE IS MULTIFAMILY DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THIS, TO THE SOUTH.
AND IT IS ALSO LOCATED BEHIND COMMERCIAL AND THE SAME OCCURS ALONG MORO, UH, WHICH SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS ON THE, ON THE DAYAS MAY RECALL THAT WE WERE INVOLVED WITH THE REZONING OF THE PROPERTY ON MORROW TO MULTIFAMILY ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO.
UH, THIS IS A TYPE OF PATTERN THAT WORKS IS, IS IT PROVIDES MISSING MIDDLE.
AND WITH THAT, WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT.
NOW WE'LL HEAR FROM THE OPPOSITION BEGINNING WITH MS. HELEN KELLY, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES, A SELECT STAR, SIX, PROCEED WITH YOUR REMARKS.
THANK YOU, MS. KELLY, CAN YOU SPEAK CLOSER TO YOUR MICROPHONE HERE? SOUND VERY LIGHT.
I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT SOME FACTS.
I THINK FACTS MATTER, AND THERE'S A LOT OF MISINFORMATION FROM THE DEVELOPER AND CITY STAFF.
UH, FIRST THE BUS LINE IS NOT RAPID.
IT'S NOT EXPRESSED THE CRESTVIEW STATION IS A MILE AWAY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE WALKED A MILE AND THAT'S A HUNDRED DEGREE WEATHER, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING I WOULD RECOMMEND.
UM, ALSO THE STREETS DO HAVE A LACK OF SIDEWALK AND THEY'RE NOT VERY SAFE AS IS.
AND SO THE IDEA THAT THIS IS GOING TO SUDDENLY BE A TRANSPORTATION HUB BECAUSE THERE'S ONE BUS STOP.
UH, IT'S JUST LAUGHABLE AGAIN, WE'RE NOT ON A CORRIDOR.
UM, AND IT'S NOT LAMAR BURNETT OR CANUCK AND NO MATTER HOW MANY BUZZWORDS THEY WANT TO THROW IN THERE, UM, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE SOMETHING.
SO WITH THAT SAID, I'D LIKE TO GET TO MY PRESENTATION.
I PROVIDED TO MR. RIVERA EARLIER TODAY, IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW ALONG, I HUSBAND NICK AND I BOUGHT OUR HOME IN CRESTVIEW.
THIS IS OUR FIRST HOME, UH, BACK IN FEBRUARY OF 2016, THERE'S A PHOTO OF HIM AND OUR DOG, HANK FROM THIS PAST CHRISTMAS.
USUALLY WE GO TO AMARILLO TO SEE OUR PARENTS, BUT DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, WE STAYED HOME.
HOME HAS TAKEN ON A GREATER SIGNIFICANCE DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE PLACE OF REFUGE FROM THE WORLD AND HAS MADE PEOPLE REEVALUATE THE QUALITY AND THE QUANTITY OF THEIR SPACE, BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING MORE AT HOME FROM WORK TO SCHOOL, TO HOBBIES, TO EXERCISE WITH THAT IN MIND, I WANT TO CHALLENGE SOME OF THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT I THINK ARE BUILT INTO THIS PROCESS, LIKE TRANSIT POPULATION GROWTH AND THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE WILL NEED TO GET TO DOWNTOWN AUSTIN TO GO TO WORK.
AUSTIN IS GROWING THAT'S UNDENIABLE, BUT PROJECT CONNECT, WHICH IS FREQUENTLY CITED.
ONE WITH IMAGINE AUSTIN, WHICH IS NOT A WALL, UM, BY THE DEVELOPER AND THE CITY STAFF.
THESE ARE YEARS, NOT DECADES AWAY.
FIRST HAD AN ALL TIME LOW AND PEOPLE, PEOPLE THAT CAN AFFORD TO LIVE AND WHAT WILL LIKELY BE AT LEAST A HALF A MILLION DOLLAR UNIT, PROBABLY A MILLION DOLLAR UNIT CAN WORK FROM HOME HERE IN AUSTIN OR ANYWHERE WHY THEY WOULD CHOOSE TO LIVE BEHIND AN AUTO BODY SHOP.
I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE OF THE ONE BUS STOP THAT ISN'T EXPRESS OR RAPID, OR TO WALK A MILE TO THE LIGHT RAIL ON A HUNDRED DEGREE WEATHER, NOT TO MENTION IF YOU'RE WEARING MAKEUP OR HILLS AND A SUIT.
THAT'S A NO-GO, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD AS IT EXISTS, BUT THAT'S PACKED A LITTLE DELI, QUIRKY, HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS, AND THE BAND JAMMING OUT NEXT TO THE HOME OF MY DAD'S RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHER NEIGHBORS DESERVES MORE RESPECT THAN IT HAS BEEN AFFORDED
[01:15:01]
IN THIS PROCESS.IF WE WANT TO KEEP AUSTIN, AUSTIN, SOME PEOPLE BOUGHT INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD TO RAISE THEIR KIDS HERE BECAUSE OF THE GOOD SCHOOLS, SOME BOUGHT THINKING, THIS IS WHERE I WOULD GROW OLD AND SOMEBODY I'M THINKING, WOW, THIS IS THE LARGEST PURCHASE I'M EVER GOING TO MAKE IN MY LIFE.
IT MADE THOSE POSITIONS UNDER THE CURRENT ZONING REGULATIONS AND THE CURRENT AND FUTURE LAND MAP CONTAINED WITHIN THE CRESTVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN.
WHAT'S BEING ASKED IS INAPPROPRIATE UNDER THE CURRENT MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 25, 2 DASH FIVE.
ONE STATES THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS IS TO PROVIDE A BROAD RANGE OF RESIDENTIAL DENSITY.
WHY IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BEING DEMOLISHED WHEN NEW DEVELOPMENTS LIKE THE GROVE, THE CRESTVIEW STATION, AND YOU ARE NOT BEING BUILT MORE DENSE.
EACH OF THOSE HAS SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES TO PAD DEVELOP A POCKET.
PEOPLE, CHILDREN AND PETS NEED SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE.
AS IT EXISTS NOW IS ALSO INADEQUATE AS A FEBRUARY STORM AND THE CURRENT SQUAM AND WASTEWATER PROJECT MAKES CLEAR GOING FROM A SINGLE FAMILY TO A MULTIFAMILY ZONING WOULD DO AWAY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS TO MAINTAIN THE SINGLE FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS.
I'VE LISTED ACCEPT THREE AS A FOUR, A AND B AN SF FIVE, UM, WHICH IS FOR PROJECTS WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THERE IS NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE MISSING MIDDLE THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD WHATEVER GIVES THEM THE MOST BANG FOR THEIR BUCK.
THEY'RE NOT BRINGING ANYTHING OF VALUE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THAT'S A FIXED IS FOR PROJECTS ON NON MINOR RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
THIS MALL I'M LIKE THE ONE CITED BY MR. THRILLER DOES NOT OPEN ON TO ANY CORRIDORS.
IT OPENS ONTO A MINOR OF RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
THE BUSINESSES THAT EXISTS ON LAMAR ARE PROHIBITED ON THE BACK END FROM BUILDING THAT THERE'S A 50 FEET BUFFER OF VEGETATED ZONES.
SO IT'S A DISTINCT AREA FROM THE COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE EMMA DESIGNATIONS CALL FOR HIGH DENSITY DENSITY IS THAT ARE HIGHER THAN THE CRUSTY STATION TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, WHICH AT MOST HAS 15 TO 24 UNITS.
THE RESPONDENTS COULD BUILD UP TO 14 UNITS ON THE CURRENT, UNDER THE CURRENT ASSET THREE DESIGNATION.
WHEN WE GET TO THE
WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR IS COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE.
I THINK SOMETIMES I'VE ATTENDED A COUPLE OF THESE MEETINGS IN PREPARATION FOR THIS THAT YOU GUYS LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD AND DEVELOPER CONTACT.
AND THAT'S WHY I WENT AHEAD AND INCLUDED AN EMAIL.
I'M THE DEVELOPER, ESSENTIALLY THEY MOCK AS KELLY, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.
PLEASE PROVIDE A FINAL THOUGHT, I GUESS IN CONCLUSION, THERE SIGNIFICANT OPPOSITION.
THERE'S A PETITION WITH 30%, UM, OPPOSITION FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND YOU CAN TELL THAT THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPERS HAVE NOT BEEN NEUTRAL IN THIS PROCESS.
I GUESS THE LAST THING I WANT TO SAY IS THAT 53 UNITS HAVE BEEN ADDED IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS UNDER EXISTING ZONING, GOING TO 54 UNITS POTENTIALLY IN ONE GO ON ONE LOT IS COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE.
THANK YOU, MS. KELLY, MR. MATTHEW DUBIN, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SELECT STAR SIX.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO MS. CAITLIN RYAN.
MY NAME IS MATTHEW PERRY AND MY PHONE WAS NOT WORKING.
[01:20:01]
HI.UM, I AM ACTUALLY WITH YOU DUBIN IN HIS PHONE WOULD NOT UNMUTE, UH, I'D LIKE HIM TO GO AHEAD AND READ IN MY FACE.
MY NAME IS MATTHEW DUBIN AND I'M A LICENSED ARCHITECT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
I LIVE AT 1 0 1 5 STOVALL STREET, WHICH IS ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE WATSON SOBA INTERSECTION.
BEFORE I BEGIN, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN INFILL DEVELOPMENT AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF DIFFERENT HOUSING TYPES WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN CORRIDOR.
WE HAVE A HOUSING EQUITY CRISIS IN OUR CITY AND I, I AM ON BOARD WITH THE OVERALL INTENT OF THIS DEVELOPER.
HOWEVER, I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS, THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT, ETHAN OF SOBA IS THE CORRECT LOCATION FOR THIS KIND OF PROJECT.
PLEASE ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN MY BIGGEST SENSE OF UNEASE ABOUT THIS PERSPECTIVE COMBINATION OF REZONING OF
IT'S A POTENTIAL INCREASE IN UNSAFE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, WHICH IS ALREADY A CRITICAL ISSUE IN NORTHWEST PRESS VIEW AT THE CORNER OF WATSON AND SOBA.
SO IF THAT'S CLASSIFIED AS A LOCAL STREET AND WAS NOT DESIGNED FOR LARGE AMOUNTS OF TRAFFIC, THE STREET HAS TWO SETS OF SPEED BUMPS AND DOES NOT EVEN HAVE SIDEWALKS OR PEDESTRIAN USE YET.
STOVALL IS STILL COMMON TO USE AS A CUT-THROUGH TO ANDERSON LANE FOR SOUTHBOUND TRAFFIC FROM LAMAR BOULEVARD IN PATRONS OF THE LAMAR GATEWAY MALL, BECAUSE STOVALL CONNECTS TO A ONE-WAY SOUTHBOUND LAMAR BOULEVARD, WHICH WAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED IN THE REZONING PROPOSAL THAT SOUTH THAT LAMAR IS ONE WAY SOUTHBOUND.
THE WATSON INTERSECTION IS ALREADY INCREDIBLY BUSY WITH ALL TRAFFIC TURNING NORTH TO ACCESS ANDERSON LANE AND OR HIGHWAY 180 3.
IN FACT, IT IS THE ONLY ROUTE FOR PEOPLE TO TRAVEL.
NORTH DRIVERS OFTEN SPEED AND NEGLECT, A FULLY STOPPED THROUGH THIS FOUR WAY INTERSECTION AT ALL TIMES THE DAY.
TRUTHFULLY, I'M VERY FEARFUL TO IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IN ADDITION TO 54 OR, OR EVEN 36 MORE HOUSEHOLDS, ONE WITH EACH ONE WITH ONE OR TWO VEHICLES PER HOME.
IT IS PROBABLY SAFE TO ASSUME THAT IT WILL POSE EVEN MORE OF A DANGER TO THE RESIDENTS OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD FOR CHILDREN AND PETS THAN IT CURRENTLY DOES.
I'M ADVOCATING FOR A SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR ALL THE RESIDENTS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.
MS.
UM, I AM GRATEFUL TO HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU ALL BECAUSE I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS SIZE OF DEVELOPMENT, EVEN WITH THE NEWLY RECOMMENDED MS. THREE AND P EXTEND A LOT FURTHER THAN THE IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING LOSS.
OTHER END OF THE BLOCK OF SOBA.
I WORKED FROM HOME AND I HAVE A FIRSTHAND, NEARLY CONSTANT ACCOUNT OF THE INAPPROPRIATE USES OF STOBO AS A THEATER ROAD WHILE OUR RESIDENTS, WHICH INCLUDE PREGNANT WOMEN, ELDERLY THEY'RE CARETAKERS OF FAMILY, FAMILIES WITH PETS ARE PRESENT AND WALKING OUT DOORS WITHOUT SIDEWALKS.
CARS ARE OFTEN COMING DOWN, WATSON FROM MAURA OR ANDERSON, TURNING EASTWARD TO LAMAR.
THEY DO THIS TO AVOID TRAFFIC LIGHTS AT THE LAMAR AND ANDERSON INTERSECTION.
THE TWO-WAY STOP AND SPEED ON DO LITTLE TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY.
THIS CAN THE CONDITIONS THAT THIS KIND OF TRAFFIC ACTIVITY WITH SUCH A MOBILE PEDESTRIAN CONTINGENCY IS ALREADY RATHER DANGEROUS.
MY OFFICE WINDOW FACES THIS INTERSECTION, AND I SEE THIS ALL DAY WHEN I TOLD CASE MANAGER MARK GRANT, THAT I RECOGNIZE THE HOUSING MARKET CRISIS IN AUSTIN.
AND I AGREE THAT WE NEED MORE DEVELOPMENT TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE.
AS VICTORIA SAID, I FULLY OPPOSE EVEN THE RECOMMENDED IN MS. THREE NP.
I POSE IT EVEN UNDERSTANDING THE INTRICACIES OF BUILDING AND THAT 36 ALLOWABLE UNITS, MORE THAN LIKELY WOULDN'T BE BUILT TO THAT CAPACITY.
MOSTLY, I WAS EXTREMELY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THIS FOREST RIGHT HAND SOUTHBOUND TURN FROM SOBA TO LAMAR WAS NOT MENTIONED IN ANY MATERIAL.
I'M URGING YOU TO LOOK DEEPER INTO THIS, TO BE CLEAR, YOU CANNOT TURN LEFT ON LAMAR FROM SOBA.
YOU CAN ONLY TURN RIGHT AND GO SOUTHBOUND.
THAT MEANS EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO WANTS TO ACCESS ANDERSON 35 NORTH OR SOUTH 180 3 NORTH OR SOUTH MOPAC NORTH OR SOUTH IS ALREADY TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STREET OF SOBA.
THIS IS THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE.
THESE PEOPLE ARE THEN DANGEROUSLY CROSSING TRAFFIC COMING SOUTH DOWN OFF OF ANDERSON.
UH, HERE, THE GOAL IS TO STRENGTHEN TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY I FEAR AS MORE THAN LIKELY JUST TO WAIT TO GET A DEVELOPMENT TASK.
MOST OF THESE PEOPLE WILL BE DRIVING CARS.
THE CROSS YOU STATION REALISTICALLY REQUIRES A CAR TO GET TO.
I ALSO WANT TO TELL THEM THAT YOU WILL KNOW THAT WE ACCOMMODATE A MULTITUDE OF BASEBALL AND TEE-BALL GAMES AT THE TENNIS FIELD.
THAT MEANS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE PARKING ALL THE WAY UP WATSON TO SOBA.
IT'S FRIGHTENING TO THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN RUNNING AROUND AND TRAFFIC LEAVING THROUGH THE CROWDED COMMUNITY SPACE WITH SUCH A LARGE INFLUX OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.
EVEN IF WE'RE ONLY GETTING TO THOSE 20 UNITS THAT VICTORIA MENTIONED, IT'S JUST NOT THE RIGHT PLACE FOR A DRASTIC CHANGE IN ZONING MOST ESPECIALLY AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT EXIT STOVE ON ANY
[01:25:01]
OTHER DIRECTION THAN SOUTHBOUND ALAMAR OTHERWISE IT DEAD END.I RECOMMEND YOU LOOK INTO THE DEVELOPMENT IS 7,600 GOLF STREET, WHERE THEY ADDED SIX HOMES TO ONE LOT, ANYTHING MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, SIX TO 10 ADDITIONAL CARS IS UNREASONABLE FOR OUR LOCAL STREET.
LET'S FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY AND NOT A DEVELOPER'S INTEREST VEILED.
RYAN WILL NOT HEAR FROM MS. BENTON.
UH, WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND VOICE OUR OBJECTIONS.
THIS REZONING REQUEST, AS PART OF THE PETITION ALREADY SIGNED AND SUBMITTED BY US AND OUR NEIGHBORS.
WE TALKED EXTENSIVELY ABOUT THE ADVERSE EFFECTS.
WE BELIEVE THE REASONING WILL HAVE ON THE WALKABILITY AND CHARACTER OF THE STREET AND NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE HAVE ADDITIONAL CONCERNS, INCLUDING TRAFFIC PARKING DRAINAGE, AND MORE AS PART OF THIS PROCESS, I'VE READ DOCUMENTS, NOTING HOW THIS MODERATE TO HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT IS APPROPRIATE, GIVEN ITS PROXIMITY TO NEARBY BUSINESSES LIKE CONTINENTAL COLLISION AND HERTZ RENTAL.
BUT TO BE CLEAR, CONTINENTAL COLLISION IS A LAMAR FACING BUSINESS WITH A LAMAR ADDRESS.
AND HERTZ IS AN ANDERSON FACING BUSINESS WITH AN ANDERSON ADDRESS, BOTH BEING BUSIER STREETS.
THIS DON'T REQUEST ASKS FOR UP TO 54 UNITS TO BE BUILT UP TO 60 FEET TALL ON STOW BOSS STREET, A RESIDENTIAL STREET, PART OF THE CRESTVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD CURRENTLY POPULATED WITH FAMILIES AND SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
WHILE WE'VE HEARD THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THAT IT IS NOT THE DEVELOPERS' DESIRE TO REACH THESE MAXIMUM MAXIMUMS. WE ARE NOT EVALUATING INTENTIONS HERE, BUT WE ARE, BUT RATHER WHAT ANYONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO WITH THIS PROPERTY IN KEEPING WITH THE AUSTIN CODE AND HOPEFULLY UPHOLDING THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THERE ARE SIX ZONING DISTRICTS BETWEEN THE CURRENT ZONE AS
MULTI-FAMILY ZONING DESIGNATIONS, INCLUDING THE CURRENT ASK, BEING INAPPROPRIATE FOR A DEVELOPMENT WITH AN EXIT ONLY ONTO A MINOR RESIDENTIAL STREET AND A SAFE, UH, IN A SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
WE'LL NOW HEAR FROM MR. SEAN BENTON.
SO HE WAS PART OF MY, UH, WE, WE WROTE THAT A LITTLE BIT TOGETHER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. CHIP HARRIS YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
MY NAME IS CHIP HARRIS AND I SERVE AS THE FACILITATOR OF THE CHRISTIAN NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM, C N T C T.
THE FACILITATOR POSITION IS EQUIVALENT TO BEING THE CHAIR, BUT WITH A DIFFERENT TITLE, I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO PRESENT THE RECOMMENDATION AND THE CONTACT TEAM AFTER A LENGTHY AND THOROUGH DISCUSSION AND DEBATE AT THE CONTACT TEAM MEETING ABOUT THE PROPOSED MPA AND ZONING CHANGE FOR 9 0 1 AND 9 0 7 STOVALL, THE FOLLOWING MOTION WAS MADE AND APPROVED AND WILL SERVE AS THE CNPC T'S RECOMMENDATION.
IT READS THE CNPC T SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE DENSIFICATION OF 9 0 1 AND 9 0 7 STOVALL, SIMILAR TO OTHER NEARBY PROPERTIES THAT HAVE RESUB DIVIDED, BUT MAINTAIN THEIR
THAT ENDS THE MOTION WHILE SUPPORTING INCREASED DENSITY.
MANY OF THE MEETING PARTICIPANTS SIDED MULTIPLE ISSUES THAT LED TO THEIR SUPPORT OF THE MOTION, INCLUDING THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGE AND ITS EFFECT ON A NARROW STREET POPULATED WITH SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, ADDITIONAL HOME, ADDITIONAL ISSUES STATED INCLUDED, INCREASED TRAFFIC, ADDITIONAL STREET PARKING IMPACTING THE SAFETY OF CYCLISTS PEDESTRIANS.
MANY OF WHOM ARE ELDERLY OR CHILDREN, INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY OF THE CITY NOISE AND NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER.
OVER 20% OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN 200 FEET F SIGNED A PETITION OPPOSING THE ZONING CHANGE, AND IF FULLY DEVELOPED UNDER THE CURRENT ZONING OF SF THREE, ONCE THE PROPERTY IS RE SUBDIVIDED, THE INCREASE IN DENSITY WOULD BE 500% UNDER THE CURRENT ZONING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME COMMISSIONERS.
[01:30:02]
THANK YOU, MR. HARRISON, WHILE WE'RE HERE, VICTORIA HOSPITAL.UM, HELLO, COMMISSIONERS VICTORIA AGAIN.
SO I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT SOMETHING.
SO THIS SITE IS VERY NEAR A TIER D, WHICH IS A TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.
AND AGAIN, WHILE I UNDERSTAND OUR SYSTEM IS NOT AS ROBUST AS, AS WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE TODAY, WE'VE GOT TO START SOMEWHERE AND THAT SERVES WITH GETTING GREATER DENSITY AROUND OUR TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT AND THE MAPS IN THE COORDINATE SYSTEMS DON'T LIE.
THE TRAIN STATION IS, UH, ROUGHLY 0.6 MILES FROM THE SUBJECT TRACK BY FOOT.
AND THAT IS BY SIDEWALK ALONG LAMAR BOULEVARD.
AND IF A TOWNHOUSE OWNER DOES NOT WANT TO LIVE BEHIND AN AUTO BODY SHOP, WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO PAY MUCH MORE FOR A SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE TO LIVE NEXT TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP? IT'S EITHER GOING TO BE MILLION DOLLAR HOMES ON THESE TWO LOTS, OR IT'S GOING TO BE TOWNHOUSE STYLE HOMES THAT ARE MORE ACHIEVABLE AT $500,000 COMPARED TO A MILLION PLUS PUBLIC PARKS DO PROVIDE GREAT OUTDOOR SPACE FOR CHILDREN AND PETS.
AND THIS LOT WILL NOT ACHIEVE 54 UNITS.
AS I SAID BEFORE, IT IS REALISTIC THAT 20 UNITS CAN BE ACHIEVED HERE.
BY THE TIME YOU FACTOR IN ALL THE REQUIRED SITE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS FOR A SITE.
AND I'LL ALSO SAY THAT WE CANNOT BUILD TO 60 FEET, EVEN THOUGH THE ZONING ALLOWS IT BECAUSE OF COMPATIBILITY.
IT'S ANY DEVELOPER THAT COMES FORWARD.
THESE SAME RULES APPLY TO THEM, AND THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE 54 UNITS BECAUSE BY THE TIME YOU PUT IN ALL OF THOSE OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, THERE ISN'T ROOM FOR 54 UNITS.
SO THE OTHER THING I WANT TO ADD AND END WITH IS THAT DEVELOPMENT FOR TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, THE CITY HAS STREET IMPACT FEES, COMING, THINGS OF THOSE NATURES, THAT WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT, THIS IS WHERE THE FUNDING COMES FROM TO MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING SIDEWALKS, INCLUDING WIDENING STREETS, INCLUDING, UH, BIKE LANES, ALL OF THESE THINGS COME WITH DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT IT, WE'RE GOING TO BE STUCK WITH WHAT WE HAVE AND MAYBE SOME PEOPLE PREFER THAT.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, INVITE YOU TO, UH, AN AUSTIN THAT CAN BE MORE SUSTAINABLE AND HAVE OTHER OPTIONS, UH, FOR LIVING AND, AND EXISTING IN A CITY.
THEN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME WITH A SINGLE FAMILY OR A SINGLE USE AUTOMOBILE.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANY, OKAY.
CHAIR, COMMISSIONER LAYS ON ANDOVER.
MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
MY WEBEX IS ACTING AT, UM, YES.
VOTES AND SECOND ARE IN CHICAGO.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? UM, LET'S SEE.
FIRST COMMISSIONER WITH A QUESTION, COMMISSIONER COX, UM, QUESTION TO THE APPLICANT.
SO EVERYONE HAS SPOKEN SEEMS TO AGREE THAT YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF UNITS.
SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE, UM, WHAT, WHAT PARTICULAR PROBLEMS DO YOU HAVE MOVING DOWN TO AN MS. THREE OR EVEN AN MSU THAT'S FOR THE APPLICANT COMMISSIONER RON THROWER HERE? UM, I THINK MS. THREE WOULD BE AN ACCEPTABLE, UM, UH, ZONING DISTRICT TO OBTAIN FOR THIS PROPERTY.
UM, I WOULD JUST ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT IF I MAY, THAT MS. THREE EXISTS ON THE PROPERTY DIRECTLY ABIDING IN TO THE SOUTH AND IT'S 12 UNITS ON A HALF ACRE, AND THAT WOULD BE 24 UNITS PER ACRE.
AND OUR PROPOSAL IS CURRENTLY AT 20 UNITS PER ACRE.
SO IF WE WERE TO APPROVE AN MF ZONING FOR THIS Y'ALL WOULD NOT BE OPPOSED TO A CONDITIONAL OVERLAY THAT CAPS IT AT 20 UNITS PER ACRE.
[01:35:04]
WE CAN DOUBLE CHECK WITH OUR CLIENTS AND GET BACK WITH YOU DURING THIS HEARING.BUT, UM, RIGHT NOW I THINK THAT WOULD BE AN ACCEPTABLE OUTCOME.
UM, I'M TRYING TO MAKE SURE I FULLY UNDERSTAND ALL THE DIFFERENT REGULATIONS BETWEEN THE MSA ZONING AND THE SF ZONING.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE STREET OR THE SIDE YARD SETBACK IS THE SAME FOR THESE MF ZONINGS AS IT IS FOR THE SF ZONINGS.
UM, THE ZONING, THE SETBACK TO THE SINGLE FAMILY, THREE ZONING, UM, IN IS THE COMPATIBILITY STANDARD OF TWENTY-FIVE FEET.
YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING IN THAT 25 FEET.
YOU CAN'T HAVE THE DRIVE AISLE.
YOU CAN'T PUT THE TRASH, YOU CAN'T PUT ANY BUILDINGS.
SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A 25 FOOT BUFFER TO THE WEST AND A 25 FOOT BUFFER ALONG THE SOUTH.
UM, ON THE COMMON PROPERTY LINE TO THE SF THREE ZONING WHERE IMPRACTICAL IN PREP.
SORRY, I'VE GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS I'M TRYING TO GO THROUGH FAST IN PRACTICAL TERMS, APPROVING AN MF ZONING ACTUALLY GIVES A GREATER SIDE SETBACK THAN IF IT REMAINED EFSA SF STANDARD.
AND THEN, UH, COULD YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TRIGGER IS? IF AN MF ZONING IS APPROVED FOR HAVING TO DO DETENTION AND HAVING TO DO A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS? UM, I CAN'T TELL YOU ON THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS, WHAT HAPPENED HERE IS THE MOST COMMON THING THAT THEY'VE DEFERRED THAT TO THE SITE PLAN.
AND SO ONCE THEY SEE HOW MANY UNITS ARE ON THE PROPERTY, THEN THEY MAKE THE DETERMINATION ABOUT DURING THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS.
UM, I'M SORRY, THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION, UH, WHAT WOULD TRIGGER DETENTION W WOULD DETENTION BE REQUIRED FOR AN
AND THE PRINCIPLE IS HISTORIC.
YOU CAN'T EXCEED HISTORIC FLOWS.
THEY WOULD BE REQUIRED TO DETAIN THE TWO YEAR STORM AND HAVE WATER QUALITY DEPENDING ON, UM, OTHER CRITERIA.
PART OF THE PROBLEM WITH FITTING EVERYTHING IN THE LAW IS GETTING A DETENTION POND IN AND THEN THE WATER QUALITY POEMS PLUS BUILDING AND PARKING, BUT THAT'D BE PART OF THE AREA THAT THEY HAVE TO REMAIN PERVIOUS COVER, RIGHT? YES, I'M SURE.
I THINK THAT'S, I LIKE THAT ANOTHER COMMISSIONER WITH THE QUESTION.
AM I SORRY? MY WEBEX IS MISSING.
IS THERE A MOTION COMMISSIONER COX? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS ALLOWED, BUT STAFF WILL SHUT IT DOWN.
IF IT'S NOT, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION FOR
ONE IS IT CAPS THE NUMBER OF UNITS PER ACRE AT 20 UNITS PER ACRE.
UM, SO WE'RE GIVING THE APPLICANT WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSING TO US.
AND THEN THE SECOND PART OF THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAY WOULD BE A REQUIREMENT.
UM, IT'S GOING TO GET SHOT DOWN A REQUIREMENT TO DO A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS EITHER BY THE APPLICANT OR STAFF TO HELP ADDRESS THE COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVED FROM.
IS THERE A SECOND FOR THAT? I WAS WAITING TO HEAR IF IT GOT POPPED DOWN, ANDREW, YOU'RE GOING TO SHOOT IT DOWN IN A SENIOR.
I'M AFRAID SO WELL, IF I DROP THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS, DOES IT SURVIVE? YOU'D MAKE ME HAPPY.
I'LL MAKE, I'LL MAKE STAFF HAPPY AND DROP THE TRAFFIC IMPACT.
IS THERE A SECOND FOR THAT MOTION? I'LL SECOND.
[01:40:03]
UM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO THAT OR ARE YOU ASKING QUESTION CREATURES GOING PROPOSE ANY SUBSTITUTE, BUT I CAN WAIT UNTIL THE MOTION, THE MOTION.COMMISSIONER COX, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION.
I, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE CONCERNS AND COMMENTS, UM, MADE BY THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, WE HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, KIND OF THAT INCREMENTAL GROWTH IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, I DO WISH THAT THERE WAS A WAY THAT WE COULD, WE COULD HAVE THIS, THE CITY OR APPLICANT LOOK AT THAT PARTICULAR INTERSECTION THAT WAS BROUGHT UP.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY OUR HANDS ARE TIED LEGALLY ON THAT.
UM, BUT, UH, I, THE REASON WHY I'M COMFORTABLE WITH
UM, AND, AND A LOT OF THE SETBACK AND COMPATIBILITY STANDARDS WOULD BE THE SAME BETWEEN NSF AND THIS PARTICULAR MF.
UM, AND SO I DON'T THINK PHYSICALLY AND VISUALLY, UM, THE ADJACENT NEIGHBORS ARE GOING TO, TO HAVE ALL THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE, UM, VERSUS THE EXISTING ZONING.
I WISH I COULD DO MORE ON THE TRAFFIC SIDE OF THINGS, BUT THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.
WHY COMMISSIONERS ARE THANK YOU CHAIR.
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SUBSTITUTE, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD.
STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION FOR MFC.
IS THERE A SECOND FOR THAT? IS YOU'RE IN COLLEEN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION, MR. ZAR? SURE.
SO I THINK THE FIRST QUESTION FOR ME IS THAT, ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND SORT OF THE, UH, WHAT THE APPLICANT IS SUGGESTING, I, I WOULD BE AGAINST THE NUMBER OF UNITS FOR MULTIPLE REASONS.
I THINK THE FOREST BEING THIS ISN'T HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA, THE FLUENT, THE, UH, THIS IS NOT PART OF OUR GENTRIFYING TOPOLOGIES.
I'M NOT SURE WHY WE'RE LIMITING UNITS HERE, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE FINE WITH THAT IN DENSITY IN GENTRIFYING AREAS.
SO I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION THAT I WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE FOR ALL COMMISSIONERS HERE.
SECONDLY, IS STILL FIVE LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES, ACTUALLY FROM A TRANSIT STOP, LESS THAN 10 MINUTES FROM A BUS RAPID STOP.
IT IS A LONG DAY MAJOR CORRIDOR.
AND THIS IS THE AREA WHERE WE SHOULD NOT BE GAPPING, YOU KNOW, THE UNITS AT 20 OR WHATEVER WE WANT TO GAP IT IS, BUT THERE IS A STAFF RECOMMENDATION, CLEAR STAFF RECOMMENDATION WHERE STAFF HAS MADE THE DETERMINATION THAT IT MAKES SENSE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH
SO AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE WHY YOU WOULD GO AHEAD AND CAP IT AND TURN, THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF CONVERSATION THAT I KNOW THAT CAUSED A LOT OF TROUBLE IN DISCUSSION DURING A LAND OF OPEN CODE WHEN WE CREATE THESE ONE OFF ZONING CATEGORIES, BASED ON WHAT WE THINK MAKES SENSE IN THAT MOMENT.
AND I HAVE TWO SARAH ZONING CATEGORIES AS THEY HAVE BEEN CREATED SERVICE.
CERTAIN BIRDS HAVE BEEN BASED ON CERTAIN ENGINEERING AND PLANNING REQUIREMENTS AND SENSIBILITIES.
AND I WANT TO HONOR WHAT IS IN THERE.
I'M NOT SURE AGAIN WHY WE HAVE TO CAP IT.
SO I SUGGEST THIS, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATION MOVING FORWARD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WOULD GO WITH MSP, WHICH A STAFF RECOMMENDATION WOULD, THEIR REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE BUILT IN THERE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE DEVELOPER IS STILL WORKING TOWARDS DIFFERENT DETAILS, THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO HAMMER OUT DURING SITE PLAN.
ANY COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO HELLER AND, UH, I'LL ACTUALLY DO BOTH AT ONCE CAUSE I'M AGAINST BOTH, BUT THE REASON I'M AGAINST, I AGREE, WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THESE OPPORTUNITIES.
TRANSITIONS ARE A DESIRED WAY TO GO TO MAKE THINGS MAKE SENSE.
AND SO I UNDERSTAND WHERE OUR STAFF WAS COMING FROM, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS COMING FROM.
AND I AM REALLY ACTUALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS TRAFFIC.
UH, CRESTVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD IS, UH, A VERY FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY'VE GONE.
THEY'VE, THEY'VE DONE A LOT IN THEIR AREA TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND WALKABILITY OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO WHILE I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT MIDDLE HOUSING COME IN AND BRING A PIECE THAT WE NEED, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THAT WAS A ONE-WAY COMING OUT OF THERE.
AND I SHARE THE CONCERN WITH THE RESIDENTS THAT THAT'S GOING TO FORCE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC BACK THROUGH THESE RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
AND THESE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG FAMILIES.
I ALSO, I, I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT ON THE COMMISSION, BUT WE'VE GOT TO STOP THIS EAST WEST DIVISION.
I KNOW MINORITY FAMILIES MOVING INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD
[01:45:01]
WITH YOUNG CHILDREN.SO WE NEED TO HANDLE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ALL OVER OUR CITY WITH THE SAME RESPECT.
AND I WOULD AFFORD THE SAME RESPECT TO A NEIGHBORHOOD IN ANOTHER PART OF TOWN THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE SAFETY FOR THESE FAMILIES.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS WORKS.
THAT WAS A PROBLEM IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO IT DOES GET ME KIND OF ANGRY BECAUSE THIS ONE WAS IGNORED.
AND I THINK THAT'S A FAILING OF WHAT THE CITY IS DOING WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIDS WALKING TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND PARKS AND BALLGAMES.
MISS YOU'RE SPEAKING FOR MR. KHAN KINDLY, UM, A NUMBER OF POINTS WORTH MAKING.
ONE IS THAT THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS WAS NOT IGNORED.
UM, IT WAS SIMPLY PUT OFF TO THE SITE PLAN PROCESS.
SO THERE WILL BE A TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY AND ANALYSIS DONE.
UM, YOU KNOW, SECOND, YOU KNOW, IT MAY, IT MAY SURPRISE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION TO DISCOVER THAT FAMILIES LIVE IN APARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENT COMPLEX IS ACTUALLY ARE PLACES THAT HOST MANY, MANY, MANY FAMILIES, SOME WITH CHILDREN, SOME WITHOUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THE DEFINITION OF WHAT IS A FAMILY IS NOT NORMATIVE, RIGHT? SO WE CANNOT IMPOSE SOME KIND OF DEFINITION.
FAMILIES LIVE IN SMALL UNITS, FAMILIES LIVE IN LARGE UNITS WHEN THEY HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO DO SO AND THE RESOURCES.
SO, UM, ANOTHER THING THAT'S WORTH POINTING OUT IS THAT WHEN WE REPEAT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, REAFFIRM THIS IDEA THAT MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENT MAKES NEIGHBORHOODS LESS SAFE, THAT IS FUNDAMENTALLY CLASSES.
THERE IS NOTHING LESS SAFE ABOUT A PERSON WHO CAN AFFORD TO BUY A LARGE HOME, RIGHT? A PERSON WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY A LARGE HOME.
IT'S JUST AS WELCOME IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IN FACT, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENTS A WHOLE LOT OF VALUE, THEY BRING WONDERFUL VALUE TO NEIGHBORHOODS.
THEY BRING DIVERSITY, THEY BRING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
THEY'RE EXCELLENT NEIGHBORS, THEIR CHILDREN ENJOY GOING OUT AND KNOCKING ON DOORS DURING HALLOWEEN.
RIGHT NOW MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTS ARE AS MUCH A PART OF THE CITY AS ANYONE ELSE, AND THEY DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH THAT RESPECT AND THEY WILL BE PART OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AND ANOTHER THING THAT'S WORTH POINTING OUT IS THAT THIS IS CLOSE TO THE RED LINE.
THIS IS CLOSE TO, UM, THE BLUE LINE.
THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF NEW TRANSIT.
UM, THERE WILL BE NEW TRAFFIC, UH, UM, NEW TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE BUILT IN THE AREA.
IT WILL BE A BIKE FRIENDLY AREA.
SO THE ASSUMPTION THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO RELY ON A CAR, THIS CAR CENTRIC, WORLDVIEW IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRANSITION BEYOND.
UM, SO ALL OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, I WOULD JUST LIKE ALL OF THESE POINTS I'D LIKE TO MAKE.
UM, SO THAT WE DON'T CONSTANTLY FRAME OUR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENT AS THOUGH HOMEOWNERS WERE THE CENTER OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THE ONLY POPULATION WORTHY OF BEING TREATED WITH RESPECT.
UM, THIS IS AT THE EDGE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT IN, IT'S NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE WE'RE ADDING THIS IT'S IT'S RIGHT AT THE EDGE.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER POINT THAT'S ALSO WORTH CONSIDERING.
UH, SPEAKING AGAINST CONDITIONER COX.
I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF WHEN, WHEN WE AGREE WITH AN APPLICANT'S PROPOSAL, UM, MAKING SURE WE GIVE THEM THEIR PROPOSAL RATHER THAN ALLOWING, UH, POTENTIALLY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
AND, AND THIS, THIS, UH, TO ANSWER SOMEONE'S QUESTION ABOUT WHY WE CAN'T FORCE THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS.
SO WHAT COMMISSIONER CALLIE SAID, ISN'T ACTUALLY CORRECT.
THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT THERE'S A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS.
THE STAFF WILL DETERMINE IF THE INTENSITY OF THE DEVELOPMENT IS SUFFICIENT TO REQUIRE A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS.
IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT THERE WON'T BE A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS AND THE SECOND UNFORTUNATELY LEGAL OR WHATEVER FOR, FOR, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE EXPERTS WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT WE CAN DO LEGALLY, WON'T ALLOW US TO MAKE THAT A CEO.
SO FOR THE PEOPLE WATCHING OR LISTENING IN, UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S WHY WE CAN'T FORCE A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS BECAUSE OF THE LEGAL PARAMETERS WE HAVE TO OPERATE IN.
THE SECOND BEST THING WE CAN DO TO HELP THE TRAFFIC IS BY LIMITING THE NUMBER OF UNITS.
AND WE, AND, AND MY INITIAL CEO WAS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF UNITS TO WHAT THE DEVELOPER INTENDS TO BUILD.
SO, SO WE ARE FINDING THAT MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT, WHICH IS TRAFFIC DRAINAGE, INTENSITY, AND WHAT WOULD, WHAT THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE WOULD BE WITH THE ZONING DESIGNATION THAT STAFF OR THE APPLICANT ONCE I'M ALSO REALLY CONCERNED FRAMING THIS AS A GREAT ORIENTED SPACE.
UM, IT'S IN AN ODD SITUATION WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF REGIONAL TRANSIT THAT IN A GENERAL PROXIMITY, BUT I DRIVE THROUGH THIS INTERSECTION WAY MORE THAN I EVER WANT
[01:50:01]
TO.AND IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE WORST INTERSECTIONS IN AUSTIN TO TRY TO BE A PEDESTRIAN, UH, THAT THAT BUS STOP ON LAMAR IS A ONE-WAY BUS STOP.
SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF SOMEONE'S COMING BACK FROM WORK OR SOMEONE'S GOING TO WORK WHERE THE HECK THEY GO, AND IF THEY HAVE TO WALK ACROSS 180 3 OR LAMAR, IT'S A DISASTER.
SO THAT'S WHY I'LL BE VOTING WEBEX.
UM, ANOTHER COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR SPEAKING AGAINST MR. YANNIS TOLEDO, I DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT TO ADD.
I THINK THAT'S VERY THOUGHTFUL, UH, CONVERSATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS ON BOTH SIDES, BUT I DO JUST WANT TO QUESTION A COUPLE OF ASSUMPTIONS.
ONE THAT THIS IS NOT A GENTRIFYING AREA.
UM, UPROOTED MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE DIFFERENT THINGS ABOUT THIS, BUT JUST IF YOU KNOW, CRESTVIEW, AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO GREW UP THERE ACTUALLY, UM, IT WAS NOT A RACIALLY SEGREGATED AREA.
WELL, IT MIGHT'VE BEEN RACIALLY SEGREGATED, BUT IT WAS NOT A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE OF COLOR WERE RELEGATED IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
BUT EVEN 20 YEARS AGO, IT WAS AN EXTREMELY WORKING CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A CLASS DIVIDING LINE AROUND GROVER, UH, ACTUALLY NOT EVEN LAMAR OR
AND SO I SAY THAT BECAUSE THE, THE SIZE OF THE HOUSES THAT HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED, THE KIND OF DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GONE IN, AND THE CHANGE OF INCOME OVER THE AREA, CERTAINLY CONSTITUTES GENTRIFICATION, MAYBE NOT THE SAME WAY IN A RACIAL, UH, LINE LIKE YOU SEE IN EAST AUSTIN, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S HOME TO SOME OF THE MOST AFFORDABLE HOUSING STOCK IN AUSTIN.
UH, AND ACTUALLY SOME OF THE MORE RACIALLY DIVERSE RENTAL PROPERTY.
UM, I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER CONNOLLY'S COMMENT ABOUT, UM, OR I GUESS WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ADDRESS EACH OTHER ON THE DAYAS, BUT, UH, THE COMMENT THAT FAMILIES DO LIVE IN APARTMENTS, AND THAT'S DEFINITELY TRUE FOR SOME OF THE EXISTING MARKET AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THAT AREA, BUT IT'S NOT TRUE OF MOST OF THE NEW MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING, MUCH OF WHICH COSTS WAY MORE TO MOVE INTO THAN WHAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE RENTING AND LIVING IN OWNER OCCUPIED HOMES ARE PAYING TO LIVE ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
SO I JUST THINK THOSE ARE IMPORTANT, UM, CONSIDERATIONS.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR SPOT ZONING, UH, JUST IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE PLANNING THIS, BECAUSE I DO SEE THE APPEAL WITH TRANSIT, BUT I ALSO AM.
I AGREE WITH SOME OF THEM, THE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE DANGER OF THIS INTERSECTION.
IF ANYBODY WOULDN'T SPEAK FOR INSURING ECONOMY, UM, I'LL JUST MAKE BRIEF REMARK, UM, WHICH IS THE GENTRIFICATION IS THE TRANSFER.
IF THE GENTRIFICATION IS THE TRANSFORMATION OF A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS A WORKING-CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD INTO AN UPPER-CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD, THEN TAKING AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONVERT LOTS THAT WOULD BECOME GIANT MILLION DOLLAR HOMES, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, AND TURN THAT INTO MULTIPLE LOTS THAT WILL BE VASTLY MORE ACCESSIBLE, ACTUALLY SLOWS THE PROCESS OF GENTRIFICATION RATHER THAN ACCELERATING IT.
UM, SO THAT'S ONE POINT WORTH CONSIDERING SECOND, I DO THINK THAT THIS IS A DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD THAN EAST AND MANY OF THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS WAS IN EAST AUSTIN.
IT IS A HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA.
THE AVERAGE INCOMES IN THE AREA ARE DIFFERENT THAN MANY OF THE OLDER, MORE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS IN EAST AUSTIN.
THAT'S ALSO WORTH CONSIDERING CREATING HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD DOES MEAN CREATING ACCESS TO A WHOLE NUMBER OF OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, SO WITH THAT, AND I, AND I, I ACKNOWLEDGE THE POINT THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER COX MADE THAT THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS WILL ONLY TAKE PLACE IF CITY STAFF DEEMS THAT IT IS NECESSARY AT THE SITE PLAN PROCESS.
UM, BUT IF THEY DEEM IT AS NECESSARY CAN TAKE PLACE.
UM, SO JUST TO CLARIFY, UM, THOSE REMARKS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 20 UNITS, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOME GIANT MONSTROUS APARTMENT COMPLEX.
UM, THAT'S ALSO A POINT THAT'S WHAT IT'S WORTH COMING BACK DOWN TO EARTH ON AS WELL.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE.
UM, THE MOTION ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE VOTING ON IS TO GO WITH STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION OF MF THREE DASH NP COMMISSIONER AZHAR.
DID YOU WANT TO ADD TO YOUR, UM, YOUR MOTION ABOUT BEFORE THE NPA? YES.
THERE WAS A MORE AND FOR THAT AS REZONING FOR THE LAW.
EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND THE MOTION, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR TO YOUR GREEN THREE.
[01:55:02]
AND WE'RE MISSING ONE AND STAINING WENT GREEN.AND THEN, UH, AGAINST, OKAY, SO WE ARE MISSING TWO, CORRECT? RIGHT THERE SHOULD BE 10 THOUGH.
WAIT, WHO'S IN STAINING STAINING PRACTICE.
I'M NOT SEEING YOUR, UM, YOUR CAMERA.
AND IT'S REALLY HOT IN THIS OFFICE.
SO WE GO BACK TO COMMISSIONER COX'S MOTION, WHICH WAS FOUR MM, THREE, UM, WITH A CONDITIONAL OVERLAY THAT CAPS THE, UM, THE PROJECT AT 20 UNITS PER ACRE AND COMMISSIONER COX.
I ASSUME THAT THAT ALSO INCORPORATED BEFORE THE PLAN AMENDMENT.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THAT.
OH, WE DIDN'T DO DISCUSSION ON IT.
UM, SO WE HEARD FROM COMMISSIONER COX, SPEAKING ON HIS MOTION.
ANYBODY SPEAKING AGAINST ANYBODY SPEAKING FOR MISSIONERS ARE THANK YOU CHAIR.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WE CAN FORWARD THIS MOTION BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE MOVING AHEAD WITH MP3 HERE TO ALLOW FOR INCREASED HOUSING IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, PARTICULARLY AS WE HAVE MENTIONED, THIS IS A HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREA.
I DO WANT TO READ A FEW COMMENTS HERE AS WELL, BECAUSE I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT TRAFFIC AND I RESPECT AND AGREE WITH THAT, BUT I ALSO WANT TO READ SOME OTHER COMMENTS THAT WENT BACK UP IF SOMEBODY READ THEM, BUT WE ARE NOT MAKING A TRACK OF LAND TO BE REZONED WITHOUT REGARD TO THE IMPACT THAT IT WILL HAVE ON OUR LIVES.
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS TO OWN A HOME.
AND SO APARTMENTS ARE FOR MOST PEOPLE, A TEMPORARY RESIDENCE, NOT A PLACE WHERE THEY'RE LOOKING TO BUILD A LIFE WHERE WE WANT NEIGHBORS.
WE WANT NEIGHBORS WHO SHARE OUR VISION OF WHAT A HOME IN A COMMUNITY MEANS.
STOP GOAT, GOAT, TRANSIENT, YOUNG PERSONS LIKE COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE ALSO APT TO RENT OUT THEIR PARTMENTS WHEN THEY'RE AWAKE AND SHORT-TERM RENTALS AND ADORES FOR NOISE AND OTHER ISSUE.
OTHER USE ISSUES THAT ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH A FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE OURS AND GOAT GOAT.
I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON PROPERTY VALUE, TWO HOMES ON THIS BLOCK OF STOVALL AND GOAT GOAT.
I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT AND NOISE AND NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER AND GOAT.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY TRAFFIC MIGHT BE ONE REASON, BUT WE CAN CLEARLY SEE THE FOLKS WHO ARE AFRAID OF THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN APARTMENTS, THAT THEY ARE NOT THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO SHARE THEIR VISION OF WHAT A HOME IN A COMMUNITY MEANS ABOUT TRANSIENT YOUNG PERSONS, LIKE THE STUDENTS, THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PROPERTY VALUES.
SO AGAIN, AS I APPRECIATE MOVING FORWARD WITH MFP, I WISH WE HAD NOT GOT BACK INCREASING MORE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS HIGH OPPORTUNITY AND ALSO IS CONNECTED TO TRANSIT.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION SPEAKING FOR MR. SNYDER.
UM, I, UH, I LIVE ON A ANALOGOUS STREET ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF TOWN, JUST A HALF A BLOCK FROM LAMAR, UH, STRAIGHT.
THAT IS SORT OF THE ONLY WAY IN AND OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, HIGHLY TRAFFICKED, BUT A SMALL RESIDENTIAL STREET THAT UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO WAS ALL SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING.
WHAT'S CHANGED IS A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT LIKE WHAT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS SEEING WITH LOTS, GETTING DIVIDED OR VERY LARGE HOMES GOING UP, UM, SOME FLEXES, UM, AND ON MY STREET, WHICH I THINK IS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE 10 YEARS AHEAD OF WHERE OTHER PARTS OF TOWN ARE.
WE'VE HAD, UH, A LARGE MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT, WHICH DID RESULT IN A STREET THAT HAD NO SIDEWALKS HAVING SIDEWALKS.
SO I FEEL LIKE THIS IS, THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD COMPROMISE
[02:00:01]
FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS WE HEAD TOWARD A MUCH MORE DENSE AREA IN THIS CASE.UM, AND THE REASON THAT I VOTED AGAINST THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION, BUT, UM, FOR THIS ONE IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PUTTING IN A LOT MORE DENSITY, BUT 20 UNITS AND NOT A LARGE APARTMENT COMPLEX.
UM, SO I FEEL LIKE THAT THAT WILL BECOME AS LAMAR CONTINUES TO BECOME MORE DENSE, A WAY TO STEP DOWN DENSITY FROM THE CORRIDOR INTO MORE OF A SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO I THINK, I THINK IT IS A GOOD COMPROMISE.
AND I THINK THAT THE CAP, UM, ON THE NUMBER OF UNITS PER ACRE, UM, IS, UH, A WELL-CONSIDERED ONE.
AND I KNOW THAT THE COMMISSION SOMETIMES GETS INTO THIS AND, AND I WOULD JUST CAUTION US, UM, FROM IMPUGNING MOTIVATIONS ON THE PART OF NEIGHBORS.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT CHANGE.
THEY KNOW PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE NOW, AND THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT CHANGE BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, WHETHER THAT MEANS NEIGHBORS TOWERING OVER THEM, A BUSIER STREET, WHATEVER IT IS, I WOULD JUST CAUTION US TO BE CAREFUL IN ASSUMING WHAT THE MOTIVATION OF PEOPLE WHO RAISE CONCERNS BEFORE US IS.
ANY COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING AGAINST MR. CONNOLLY? I SPEAK AGAINST, ALTHOUGH I DO PLAN TO VOTE FOR, UM, BECAUSE I WANT THIS PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD ALSO CAUTION US AGAINST SOMETHING, WHICH IS, I WOULD CAUTION US AGAINST PLANNING THING, THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY, BASED ON A STATUS QUO THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN LOGIC, A CERTAIN WORLD VIEW THAT IS THE POST-WAR ERA IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND ASSUMING THAT THAT CAN HOLD AND THAT, THAT IS WHAT WE CAN PRESERVE.
UM, AND THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES TO THAT.
EVERYBODY IN THE CITY AGREES THAT WE'RE IN A SERIOUS HOUSING CRISIS.
EVERYBODY AGREES THAT WE NEED MORE HOUSING, JUST NOT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AND YES, MORE HOUSING BRINGS CHALLENGES THAT, YOU KNOW, DENSITY BRINGS CHALLENGES.
UM, PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO RE THINK THEIR LIFESTYLES AND IT INCLUDES THE USAGE INDEPENDENCE ON MOTOR VEHICLES.
THAT'S THIS IS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.
UM, AND TO ASSUME THAT WE CAN SORT OF CONTINUE A DEVELOPMENT MODEL FROM THE 1950S OR 1970S.
AND JUST REPRODUCE THAT INTO PERPETUITY IS IT'S, IT'S, IT'S UNREALISTIC, IT'S, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FROM A PLANETARY PERSPECTIVE IN TERMS OF THE SURVIVAL OF OUR SPECIES.
SO I HATE TO SOUND SO GRANDIOSE, BUT AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO WAKE UP TO REALITY.
THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET USED TO LIVING IN SMALLER UNIT SIZES AND MORE DENSE DEVELOPMENTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET USED TO SHARING SPACE.
AND IF I SAY NOTHING ELSE ON THIS COMMISSION ABOUT THAT, WE HAVE TO GET USED TO SHARING SPACE IN NEW WAYS AND THE CITY THAT'S FINE.
MAYBE 20 YEARS DOWN THE LINE, SOMEONE WILL RECOGNIZE THAT THAT IS THE FACTS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE, AND IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE THEN.
UM, SO I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THIS.
I WISH WE WOULD STOP TREATING NEW HOUSING AS THOUGH IT WERE CANCER.
AND I WISH WE WOULD START TREATING NEW HOUSING, LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS A BENEFIT, LIKE SOMETHING THAT GENUINELY PROVIDES SHELTER FOR PEOPLE AND ALLOWS THEM TO ACCESS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE.
SO THE MOTION IS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH STAFF STAFF RECOMMENDATION ON BEFORE FROM SINGLE FAMILY TO MULTIFAMILY AND B FIVE, THAT WITH MF THREE DASH NP WITH A CONDITIONAL OVERLAY TO CAP THE PROJECT AT 20 UNITS PER ACRE.
SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SEVEN, ALL THOSE AGAINST, AND THOSE ABSTAINING IS THAT GREEN CHEMISTRY YELLOW.
SO WE'VE GOT SEVEN STEREO TWO.
[B8. Appeal: 12709593 ROW Protected Tree - Removal Appeal; District 6]
WE ARE GOING TO, I AM BEING EIGHT, WHICH IS THE PROTECTED TREE, UH, AN APPEAL OF THE REMOVAL.UM, JUST A REMINDER BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING IS THAT, UM, THIS IS, UH, SIMILAR TO THE CASE THAT WE HEARD,
[02:05:01]
UM, THAT WAS ALONG THE WILLIAMSON CREEK GREENWAY.UM, WE CAN VOTE AFTER WE HEAR EVERYTHING TO EITHER UPHOLD STAFF'S DETERMINATION, WHICH IS DENYING REMOVAL.
WE MAY VOTE TO UPHOLD THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS DETERMINATION, WHICH IS TO GRANT REMOVAL WITH MITIGATION, OR WE CAN COME UP WITH ANOTHER, UM, ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION, UM, OR ADDRESSING MITIGATION OPTIONS, UM, IF WE APPROVE GRANT REMOVAL.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, LET'S GET STARTED WITH, UM, KENDRA JOHNSON.
SO WE'LL ACTUALLY BEGIN WITH STAFF PLEASE.
OH, I THOUGHT THAT'S THE NAME? THAT WAS OKAY.
MY NAME IS
UM, I AM GOING TO REFERENCE YOU TO SPEND THE BACKUP MATERIAL THERE.
THERE IS ROUGHLY A YEAR AND A HALF OF HISTORY TO THIS CASE, UH, TO NOT, UH, REITERATE MATERIAL THAT, UH, THAT IS ALREADY IN YOUR BACKEND MATERIAL WOULD REFERENCE DUE TO A MEMORANDUM THAT I PROVIDED TO COVER THE, THE HISTORY OF THIS CASE ALONG WITH, UH, AND THEN THE, FROM LISA CALENDER, GSA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, URBAN FORESTER, ALONG WITH FACT THAT MATERIAL FROM THE ORIGINAL APPLICANT, UH, MR. RIVERA COVERED THE, UH, OR I'M SORRY, TARA COVERED THE, THIS SCENARIO ACCURATELY, UH, AND I'M HERE TO PROVIDE ANY, UH, POLICY GUIDANCE, UH, FOR QUESTIONS THAT THE COMMISSION MAY HAVE.
WE'VE GOT, UM, THE, UH, APPELLANT KENDRA ROTIS.
AM I INTERRUPTING SOMEONE? OKAY.
WE DO PASSIONATELY LOVE OUR TREES HERE.
WE'RE ABSOLUTELY AGAINST THE REMOVAL OF OUR CITY TREES, AND WE WANT OUR TREES TO STAY THESE TREES.
THEY'RE THE HEART AND SOUL OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THEY ARE NOT NUISANCE PRAISE.
THEY OFFER US A PLACE TO BECOME A COMMUNITY FROM THAT SHAPE.
THIS IS WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO BREATHE THE OXYGEN.
THEY PROVIDE, UTILIZE THAT TAPE, BE A KID, PLAY.
ALL OF US NEIGHBORS GET TOGETHER.
THEY LEARN TO WALK OUTSIDE LIKE TAG SOCCER.
NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITH THE EXTREME TEMPERATURES THAT WE HAVE WITHOUT THAT SHADE, THE TREES YOU WANT TO TALK MONEY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY SAVE US MONEY.
THESE TREES KEEP DOWN THE TALK, THE POWER FOR EVERYONE.
AND IT'S NOT JUST INITIAL VILLA PARK, BUT IT'S THE COLDEST TECH IN ITSELF.
IT'S KEEPING THE HEAT DOWN FROM THE BLACKTOP PAVEMENT, BUT IT'S BRUTAL WITHOUT FADE.
WE ARE ABLE TO LOOK AT MY EXHIBIT.
I SUBMITTED FOUR PICTURES FOR YOU FROM GOOGLE MAPS, PUBLIC RECORDS, IT'S A SIDE VIEW AND A FRONT ROW AND A FRONT VIEW OF THE PROPERTY FROM 2013, WHERE YOU SEE THE SHADE.
AND THEN THERE'S A RECENT ONE FROM 2021 AS WELL.
AND IN VIEWING THIS, YOU'LL SEE THAT POSSIBLE TO SYSTEMATICALLY BEEN REMOVING ALL OF HIS TREES, BUT HE'S NOT STOPPING WITH HIS TREES.
HE'S GOING AFTER ALL OF THE CITY'S TREES.
SO AS FAR AS FINDING CISCO, HE'S GOT EIGHT ACRES BEHIND US WITHIN 500 FEET THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED FOR OVER 140 TOWNHOMES BEING PUT IN.
SO WE'RE LOSING ALL OF THAT WATER SOAKAGE AND OVER 60% OF THE TREES THERE.
AND JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, A COUPLE STREETS AWAY FROM US, WE'RE ALREADY IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY, THEY SPENT OVER THREE IN DOLLARS
[02:10:01]
DEALING WITH DRAINAGE ISSUES, JUST BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN A SEGMENT OF EXPERIENCE.SO AIDING THESE THREE, IT HAS SO MANY INCREDIBLE BENEFITS FROM KEEPING THE POWER DOWN AND HOW OUR USAGE TO BE, NOT A PLACE TO GATHER.
I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT UP UNTIL THE RECENT, I DON'T KNOW, ISSUES THAT PATRICK BROUGHT BANGY AND LOUIS, AS WELL AS BRAD HAVE BEEN RESIDENTS OF THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND BEFORE PATRICK SPLIT EVERYBODY, THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THE CRAZIEST BALL.
SO THAT IS A MAJOR POINT, BUT I WOULD ALSO JUST ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY ELSE TO SPEAK.
I GUESS THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.
THANK YOU FOR, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'LL HEAR FROM MS. DONNA, MS. DONNA HOFFMAN, SELECT STAR SIX.
YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES, UM, GOING ON TO, UH, MR. BRAD, BRAD BERTRAM.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE TIME AND OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF NOT ONLY MY FAMILY, BUT AMONGST THE MAJORITY OF THE COL-DE-SAC COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE HERE AS THE SAME FOR SAVING THE TREES.
WE DID NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT OUR CASE BEFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND SUBSEQUENTLY THEY APPROVED MR. VOLCKER'S, UM, I GUESS, UH, REQUEST TO HAVE THE TREATMENT MOVED.
UM, MY WIFE AND I ARE HOMEOWNERS, UH, ADA TO THREE CROWN COURT.
I'M AN AUSTIN NATIVE AND I GREW UP IN CUL-DE-SAC AND BALCONIES WOODS.
WELL-ESTABLISHED MATURE TREES SURROUNDING MY HOUSE AND THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND THIS IS THE AUSTIN THAT YOU, AS A PLANNING COMMISSION HAVE HAD TREMENDOUS EFFORT ABOUT BUILDING AS WELL AS PRESERVING AS IT CONTINUES TO GROW AS A COTTONWOOD, AN IDEAL TREE.
NO, I WOULD PREFER TO HAVE A LARGE LIVE OAKS OR RED OAKS IN THE CUL-DE-SAC SURE, BUT THESE MASSIVE MATURE TREES ARE IRREPLACEABLE TO MY FAMILY AND REPRESENT NOT ONLY IMMEDIATE RELIEF FROM THE TEXAS SUN, BUT ALSO THE FUTURE MEMORIES.
MY SON WILL HAVE BEING ABLE TO PLAY OUTSIDE AS HE LEARNS TO RIDE A BIKE LANES WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN, AND OVERALL HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE CHILD'S THAT I WANT TO OFFER HIM ALONGSIDE THIS.
WE'VE HAD THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF HAS BEEN CHALLENGING TO EVERYONE AND THE TASK OF KEEPING BOTH OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN SAFE AND SANE HAS BEEN CHALLENGING YET ALONG PROVIDING THEM WITH SOME FORM FOR SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT.
WHILE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO TAKE HER CHILDREN TO COMMUNITY PARKS, CHILDREN, MUSEUMS, OR OTHER EXPERIENCES OF VITAL SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AS A COL-DE-SAC COMMUNITY.
WE WERE ABLE TO OFFER SOME LAYER OF SOCIALLY DISTANCE INTERACTION, MR. VOLCKER, AND HIS CHILDREN INCLUDED BECAUSE OF THE BENEFITS THESE TREES OFFER WITHOUT THESE TREES, OUR STREET WOULD BE IN FULL SUN AND WENT TO A HUNDRED PLUS DEGREE TEMPERATURES AND NO SHADE BECOME UNUSABLE FOR OUTDOOR ENJOYMENT.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN CRITERIA FOR MOOT WERE FOR REMOVAL STATE THAT PROTECTED TREE MUST BE DISEASED OR DEAD OR PRESENT AN EMINENT EMINENT HAZARD JULY FOR PROPERTY TO BE CONSIDERED FOR REMOVAL.
THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR OUR TREES.
THE FACT IS THESE TREES ARE ON RECORD FROM MULTIPLE CITY EMPLOYEES AS BEING HEALTHY AND POSING LOW RISKS TO THE INDIVIDUALS, THE UTILITIES AND THE HOUSEHOLDS SURROUNDING THEM.
THEY BENEFIT THE WILDLIFE IN THE AREA BECAUSE OF THE SCALES AND THE COTTONWOOD LEAVES.
BUD BUDS ARE STICKY PRODUCING RESIN AND EARLY SPRING BEES COLLECT THIS RESIDENT, WHICH THEY USE TO PROTECT THEIR HIVES OVER 360 SPECIES OF BUTTERFLY AND MOTH CATERPILLARS FEED ON THE LEAVES OF THE COUPLE OF WOOD AND MANY SONGBIRDS FEAST ON THE INSECTS THAT CALL THE COTTONWOOD HOME AS QUOTED BY THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP AREA AND THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.
COTTONWOODS ARE ONE OF THE MOST WIDESPREAD AND IMPORTANT WILDLIFE TREES IN THE U S AND CANADA, AS EXASPERATING AS COTTONWOOD TREES CAN BE.
THEY AREN'T VALUABLE WILDLIFE HABITAT HABITAT RESOURCE.
OVERALL, MR. FOLKERS PRESENTING HIS EVIDENCE FROM THE BASIS THAT OTHER CITIES HAVE DEEMED COTTONWOOD TREES TO BE PROBLEMATIC.
[02:15:01]
BEEN DECIDED BY A FEW MINUTES TO PALLIATE, HE'S NOT THE CASE.NATIONALLY THREE STATES OF MAINE, THE COTTONWOOD AS THEIR STATE TREE.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN RIGHT AWAY, AND PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL BENEFIT TO THE FAMILIES OF WILDLIFE AND THE SURROUNDING AREA REMOVAL OF THIS TREE IS NOT NECESSARY AND WARRANTED REPLACEMENT.
COMMUNITY BENEFITS GREATLY OUTWEIGH.
I CAN DO A POST PARTY'S ARGUMENTS.
WE ARE NOW FROM RENEE HAUSMANN, MS. RENEE HUSSMAN, OKAY.
HAD THIS BEEN HANDLED IN A PROPER AND RESPECTFUL WAY WHERE THAT YOU COULD HAVE KNOWN OUR FEELINGS.
IT HAD, WE BEEN NOTIFIED OF MEETINGS THAT WERE BEING HELD BEFORE THIS.
IT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER FOR YOU ALL TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS.
THE TREES, AS WE HAVE SAID, SHADERS OUR STREET, BUT SINCE THE PURSE TREE, AND LET ME REMIND YOU ALL, YOU THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE TREE.
WE'RE NOT THERE'S FOUR, AND HE'S GOING AFTER HIM.
WE'VE KNOWN IT SINCE THE BEGINNING THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE THE TREES BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE COTTON THINGS ON THEM AND THEY HAVE LEAVES IN THE FALL.
WELL, I, I RECOMMEND YOU PUT THE SCREEN NET OVER YOUR AIR CONDITIONING MO MOTOR.
AGAIN, LIKE YOU HAD UP UNTIL YOU STARTED TRYING TO FIGHT THIS.
I RECOMMEND THAT YOU TELL YOUR LAWNMOWER GUY TO MULCH THE LEAVES.
THEN YOU'LL BE FEEDING YOUR YARD.
IT'S THE SAME TIME THAT YOU'LL BE CUTTING THE GRASS.
SO, AS I KNOW, YOU HAVE A HIGHER PRACTICE THAT COMES IN AND TAKES CARE OF YOUR YARD.
I ALSO KNOW THAT, UM, IT IS NOT CAUSING YOU ANY EXTRA WORK.
THE WATER THAT NOW COMES DOWN INTO MY YARD FROM, FROM WHERE THAT TREE, THE FIRST TWO YOU'VE ALREADY PUT DOWN IS NOW TEARING UP MY FRONT YARD AND FLOODING IT.
IT HAS ALREADY AFFECTED THE KIDS WHERE IT'S TOO HOT IN THE AFTERNOON.
I ASKED YOU ALL TO CONSIDER THIS.
WHEN THEY CUT DOWN THE FIRST TREE OF WHICH EVERYBODY TOLD ME, RENEE BRACE HERSELF, THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GIVE HIM ONE TREE JUST TO KEEP HIM QUIET.
THE PACKERS REALIZED IF YOU JUST KEEP THROWING, MAYBE YOU'LL KEEP PITCHING.
AND IF YOU GO ONE TREE AT A TIME, MAYBE YOU CAN GET IT DOWN.
AND I PROMISE YOU HE'S BEHIND ANYTHING THAT WILL HAPPEN TOWARDS THE NEXT TWO TREES.
SO IF YOU UNDERSTAND, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ONE BUT FOUR, AND WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SHADE, BUT THE TOTAL SHAPE, I DO NOT HAVE AN AIR CONDITIONER FOR MY HOUSE BY CHOICE.
AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO TURN THE FANS ON UNTIL ABOUT 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING BECAUSE OF THE SHADE FROM TREES, BECAUSE OF THE SHADE FROM THOSE TREES.
SO EVEN THOUGH SOME OF US HAVE SOME SOLAR PANELS, WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE SPRING MOMENT THAT WE HAVE TO GET RID OF THESE TREES, BECAUSE WE HAVE OUR SOLAR PANELS, UM, UNDERSTAND THAT THE CITY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO HAVE SOLAR PANELS TO HAVE YOUR MACHINE, YOUR AIR CONDITIONER WORK MORE BECAUSE YOU'VE CUT DOWN ON THE TREES THEY WOULD PREFER.
AND IF YOU CALL THEM, THANK YOU.
YOU WILL NOW HEAR FROM MR. LUTHER HOUSEMAN, UM, COMMISSIONERS.
I ARRIVED, UM, AND CAN SPEAK WHEN YOU'RE READY.
THIS IS HOW I'VE BEEN WALKING BACK TO YOU.
I KNEW HIM WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD AND I'M NOW EIGHT TO RIDE A BIKE, MAYBE SOME BIRTHDAY PARTIES AND HOLIDAYS ALL MADE POSSIBLE BY THE BEAUTIFUL TREE CUT DOWN, MADE IT SUPER HOT.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I ASKED TO PLANT TREES BECAUSE THEY MAKE MY LIFE BETTER.
[02:20:01]
THANK YOU, MR. HAUSMANN.IF WE'LL HEAR FROM MR. GALLUP LONG, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I HAVE OWNED AND OPERATED ARBORVITAE TREE CARE HERE IN AUSTIN FOR 38 YEARS.
DURING THAT TIME, I HAVE ASSESSED THOUSANDS OF TREES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, INCLUDING BOTH PRO BONO AND PAY CONSULTATIONS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON SUCH PROJECTS AS THE BARTON SPRINGS TREE ASSESSMENT AND THE WALNUT CREEK TUNNEL PROJECT.
IN DIFFERENT INSTANCES, I HAVE ADVOCATED FOR BOTH TREE PRESERVATION AND TREE REMOVAL.
I HAVE ALSO BEEN HIRED BY THE CITY TO PROVIDE CARE ON VARIOUS PUBLIC PROPERTIES, INCLUDING EASTWOODS PARK MAYFIELD PARK, AND FOR THE TREATY OAK AFTER IT WAS POISONED IN 1990, I HAD BEEN AN ISA CERTIFIED ARBORIST FOR 29 YEARS.
AND I'M ALSO A FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY'S FORMER URBAN FORESTRY BOARD, WHICH I SAT ON FOR SEVEN YEARS.
I'M ASKING YOU TONIGHT TO UPHOLD STAFF RECOMMENDATION, TO DENY REMOVAL OF THE TREME QUESTION AT THE, AT THE REQUEST OF THE CITY'S PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, ARBORIST, I PERFORMED A BASIC VISUAL ASSESSMENT OF THIS TREE, AND I AGREE WITH HER ASSESSMENT THAT THERE ARE NO TREE THAT WARRANT ITS REMOVAL.
AS OTHERS HAVE NOTED THE NEIGHBOR WHO DESIRES THE REMOVAL OF THIS TREE SUCCESSFULLY FOUGHT FOR THE REMOVAL OF ANOTHER MUCH LARGER PROTECTED TREE ADJACENT TO THIS ONE, ALSO ON PUBLIC PROPERTY, ALLEGEDLY BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL WATERLINE ISSUES.
YET THE CITY NORMALLY REQUIRES WATERLINE ISSUES NEAR PROTECTED TREES TO BE RESOLVED WITHOUT REMOVING THE TREE.
IN THIS CASE, THE CITY ELECTED TO REMOVE THE TREE.
NOW, THE ARGUMENT IS THAT THIS TREE IS A FIRE HAZARD DUE TO THE SEED.
IT POSSIBLY PRODUCES FOR ABOUT SIX WEEKS OUT OF THE YEAR ON A WELL-MAINTAINED RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY IN A SUBURBAN ENVIRONMENT.
THESE TREES POSE NO UNUSUAL FIRE THREAT.
IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ASH JUNIPER IS POSING IMMENSELY, GREATER FIRE HAZARD THROUGHOUT AUSTIN.
YET THE CITY DOES NOT HAVE A POLICY OF REMOVING ALL ASH JUNIPER ON PUBLIC PROPERTY.
THIS NEIGHBOR ALSO WISHES TO HAVE THE TREE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS ONE, REMOVED THAT TREE ALSO ON PROPERTY IS TWICE THE SIZE AS THE ONE IN QUESTION, THE PUBLIC WORKS ARBORS HAS ACTUALLY SCHEDULED FOR AN ASSESSMENT BY THE TOP INTERNAL ASSESSMENT EXPERT IN THE UNITED STATES TOMORROW COMMISSIONERS, IT SEEMS THAT THIS NEIGHBOR'S INTENT IS TO HAVE EVERY COTTONWOOD ON PUBLIC PROPERTY.
IN THIS CUL-DE-SAC REMOVED CURIOUSLY.
WEREN'T AN ISSUE FOR THIS NEIGHBOR PRIOR TO THE INSTALLATION OF SOLAR PANELS ON THE EAST FACE OF THEIR ROOF.
THESE TREES PROVIDE ENORMOUS BENEFIT TO THE RESIDENTS OF THIS CUL-DE-SAC AND UNLESS THEY CAN BE PROVEN HAZARDOUS BY A THOROUGH INTERNAL ASSESSMENT DONE BY A QUALIFIED EXPERT, THIS COMMISSION SHOULD VOTE TO PRESERVE THEM.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE, AND THANK YOU FOR HEARING OUR, OUR SPEECH.
NOW WE'LL HEAR FROM MR. KIRK ANDERSON SELECT STAR SIX.
HI, MY NAME IS PERKIN AND I HAVE LIVED HERE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.
ONLY ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS HAS BEEN HERE LONGER.
TENSE OR PRESENT FACTS THAT ARE REAL.
UNLIKE THE INFORMATION PRESENTED BY THE OPPOSITE AUSTIN CODE OF ORDINANCES, TITLE SIX CHAPTER SIX DASH THREE, ARTICLE FOUR, PUBLIC TREATS DUTY TO PROTECT PUBLIC TREATS.
THESE TREES ARE THE TALLEST AND LARGEST TREES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HAVE BEEN HERE PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THIS PARTICULAR 20 INCH TREE ALONE SHADES, THE PAVEMENT OF THIS CALLED THE SACK IN THE AFTERNOON.
THERE ARE MANY COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS AND OTHER STATES WHERE YOU CAN LIVE IF YOU DON'T WANT COTTONWOODS.
AND THAT INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO ME BY THE OPPOSITION.
NUMBER TWO, THE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING LETTER THAT I RECEIVED THE FIRST TIME,
[02:25:01]
THIS REQUEST WAS DENIED BY THE PUBLIC WORKS.THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION DENIED IT AS WELL.
ONLY ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, WAS IT APPROVED AND HE WAS UNOPPOSED.
AND NOW IT'S FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
I WAS NOTIFIED NOR WERE THE OTHERS.
THE FINAL APPROVAL SHOULD NOT STAND ON LEGAL PROCEDURE ERRORS ALONE.
1 34 INCH TREE HAS ALREADY BEEN REMOVED BASED ON FUN, PROVEN CLAIMS. IT WAS PROVEN TO BE HEALTHY.
ONCE IT WAS REMOVED EXPERT TESTIMONY FROM SPOKANE, IOWA COULD EASILY BE COUNTERED LETTER FOR LETTER.
I MEAN REALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU OWN A HOME MAINTENANCE IS REAL.
EVERYTHING LIVING ON EARTH MUST FIND A SOURCE OF WATER TO EXPLOIT.
IF IT HAPPENS TO BE THE COTTONWOOD IN YOUR YARD OR ON THE STREET, IT'S UP TO YOU TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR WATER PIPES.
MS. DONNA HOFFMAN, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS.
114 AND COUNTING AUSTIN PETITIONERS JOINED THE PEOPLE HERE REQUESTING YOU TO VOTE FOR THE APPEAL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION DECISION.
WE'RE ASKING YOU TO PROTECT AND SAY A MAJESTIC COTTONWOOD AND IN PUBLIC EASEMENT, THIS GENTLE GIANT IS OVER 65 FEET TALL.
IT STANDS LIKE A WELCOMING FRIEND AT THE TOP OF THE CUL-DE-SAC, WHERE THE CHILDREN WHO'VE BEEN SPEAKING PLAY.
IT HELPS REDUCE THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT.
IT REMOVES CO2 FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND IT PROVIDES A MUCH NEEDED SHADE AND HABITAT.
I SPOKE WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONERS ABOUT THIS GENERAL FRIEND, THE CROWN COURT COTTONWOOD.
AND I LEARNED THAT THE COMMISSIONERS HAD BEEN HIGHLY PRESSURED.
THE WORD BULLY CAME UP FROM COMMISSIONERS AND NEIGHBORS.
UM, MORE EXAMINATION OF THE CROWN COURT COTTONWOOD WOULD PROVIDE A MORE OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS.
THE CITY ARBORIST RECOMMEND LEAVING THE TREE IN ITS PLACE.
YOU CAN POWER THE ARBORIST TO CONTACT THE EXPERT IN SONIC TOMOGRAPHY, OR YOU COULD JUST TRUST THE EXPERTISE OF THE CITY STAFF MEMBER.
THIS TREE PROTECTS THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF THE FAMILIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY TALKED ABOUT THE UPCOMING LARGE DEVELOPMENT NEAR THE CHILDREN'S HOME.
SO ALL OF THE TREES ON THE STREET SHOULD BE LEFT STANDING THERE FOR SO THEY HAVE SOME GREEN RELIEF FROM THAT UPCOMING DEVELOPMENT REMOVING THE TREE WOULD TURN UP THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT.
UM, ALONG WITH SHADING AND COOLING, THE TREE HELPS STOP CLIMATE CHANGE AND RELEASES OXYGEN FOR PEOPLE TO BREATHE.
SO IN 2001, AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL CREATED THE HEAT ISLAND REDUCTION TASK FORCE.
IN 2006, THE CITY CREATED THE TREE TASK FORCE.
OUR CITY HAS TO CONTINUE TO ENFORCE THOSE WISE POLICIES OF TREE PRESERVATION, AND YOU CAN HELP US REACH 20, 20 AUSTIN COMMUNITY CLIMATE GOALS BY KEEPING THE CROWN COURT COTTONWOODS.
THERE'S NO WAY TO MITIGATE THE AMOUNT OF BENEFITS THAT A TREE THIS SIZE CAN CAN PROVIDE.
IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR TREES TO GROW THAT LARGE.
AND IT TAKES A LOT OF WATERING TO HELP A YOUNG TREE GET STARTED IN THE HEAT THAT WE HAVE NOW, AND THAT'S THE RESOURCE AND SERVICE THE CITY HASN'T BUDGETED FOR.
SO WE NEED TO KEEP THE GENTLE GIANT TREES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
I BELIEVE MANY PEOPLE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WHO AGREED TO THIS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE FULL IMPACT.
WE'LL UNDERSTAND YOUR VOTE FOR THIS APPEAL OF THE DECISION.
YOU CAN FOLLOW A MORE PREDOMINANT PRECEDENT THAT IS FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDATION OF A CITY STAFF MEMBER.
AGAIN, THE CITY ARBORIST RECOMMENDS IN FAVOR OF THE CITY PROTECTING AND SAVING THE GIANT COTTON WOODS.
VERY, UM, VERY MUCH INCLUDING THIS ONE, WHICH IS IN GOOD HEALTH.
AND SO I URGE YOU TO OVERRULE THE INITIAL DECISION TO ACCEPT THE EXPERTISE OF THE STAFF MEMBER AND TO PROTECT AND GUARD THIS TREE.
SO PLEASE HELP PROTECT THIS CROWN COURT COTTONWOOD AND ALL OF AUSTIN'S VITAL GREEN CANOPY.
[02:30:01]
US VOTES FOR THE APPEAL.NOW WE'LL HEAR FROM THE OPPOSITION OF THIS APPEAL.
I BEGAN WITH MR. PATRICK VOLKER.
MY NAME IS PATRICK VOLKER OR MY PRESENTATIONS.
JUST A PLACE TO LET US KNOW WHEN TO ADVANCE THE SLIDES.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO ME.
UM, I, I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED AT THE LARGE AMOUNT OF MISINFORMATION AND THINGS THAT ARE BEING SAID ABOUT ME.
UM, THERE'S, IT'S TOO MUCH TO COUNTER, SO I'M JUST GOING TO TRY TO GO WITH MY, UH, SLIDES AND HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU NEED CLARIFICATION ON SOME OF THESE OUTLANDISH THINGS THEY'RE SAYING NEXT SLIDE.
THE CONDITIONS FOR THE STORIES AND RULES THAT WERE GIVEN TO ME WAS I WAS GOING TO REMEDIATE, REMOVE THE TREE AT MY OWN EXPENSE CITY STAFF HAS ALREADY GIVEN ME THE MITIGATION METRICS THAT THEY WANTED ME TO DO.
AND I WAS GOING TO BE REPLACING THE STREET BY PLANTING TWO, FOUR INCH CALIPER NURSERY SHOCK, A STOCK SHADE TREE ADJACENT TO THE RIGHT OF WAY.
AND I INTEND TO PLANT TWO OAK TREES.
SLIDE THREE IS THE CUL-DE-SAC OF CROWN COURT.
UH, THE PROPERTIES ADJACENT TO THIS TREE, UH, SIGNIFIED BY YELLOW BOXES ARE THE THREE NEIGHBORHOOD PROPERTY OWNERS THAT SUFFER FROM THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE STREET.
AND THEY'RE ALL FOR REMOVAL OF THE TREE.
THE BLUE SQUARES ARE THE NEIGHBORS ACROSS THE PHOTO SACK THAT LIVE THAT THEIR PROPERTIES ARE A HUNDRED FEET AWAY FROM THIS TREE.
AND THEY WERE ALSO THE, FROM THE FUNDS.
SO THEY DON'T REALLY GET A LOT OF THAT.
SO THEY RECEIVE ONLY THE BENEFITS OF THE TREE.
AND IT'S CLEAR TO SEE HOW PROXIMITY TO THIS TREE DICTATES YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS IT.
RENEE HOUSEMAN EMAILED THE CITY STATING I WAS LYING ABOUT MY TREE.
CHECK MY BACKUPS FOR REFERENCE ON JULY 9TH, BOTH RENEE HOUSEMAN AND ROTIS WROTE THE CITY STAFF FALSELY ACCUSING ME AND NEIGHBOR, MR. HUNT OF POISONING, THE TREES, THE FOLLOWING DAY CITY STAFF INVESTIGATORS FOR THIS ACCUSATION.
THIS IS SPOKANE MUNICIPAL CODE, UM, PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES.
IT'S A, IT'S AN ORDINANCE FOR SPOKANE WASHINGTON, AND IT'S SAYING POPLAR AND COTTONWOOD TREES AND NUISANCE PLANTING AND OR MAINTENANCE OF COTTONWOOD AND POLAR SHADE TREES ALONG THE SIDES OF STREETS AND CITY IT'S HEREBY DECLARED TO BE A NUISANCE.
IT'S A MENACE TO SEWER AND WATER PIPES AND HYDRANTS, NO PERSON SHALL PLANT MAINTAINED SUCH STREAM.
WHY WOULD THE CITY OF SPOKANE FILLED THE NEED TO HAVE THIS STRONG OF AN ORDINANCE? IF THESE TREES DO ITS PART IN WHICH WE DO NOT BREAK PIPES, NEXT SLIDE, OHIO SEVEN HILLS, ANY COTTONWOOD TREES, THEREBY DECLARED TO BE A PUBLIC NUISANCE AND MAYBE ABATED BY THE CITY.
ARBORS NEXT SLIDE, IOWA GENERAL ASSEMBLY COTTONER AND TAUGHT WITH TREES AND ALL HER COTTON BEARING POPLAR TREES ARE FOR HIM AND IN CITIES OR THE NUISANCES.
AND HERE THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FUZZ CAUSE IT'S THE COTTON BEARING SPOKANE OR WAS TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE ROOTS DAMAGE AND PIPES FIVE EIGHT, NEXT SLIDE.
THESE ARE REFERENCES TO PAGES FIVE TO 11 TO MULTIPLE ARTICLES.
TALK ABOUT COTTONWOOD TREES AND THE PROBLEMS THEY CAUSED.
ONE OF MY BACKUPS ARE REFERENCES TO ADDITIONAL MUNICIPAL CODES AND ORDINANCES DECLARING THESE TREES AND NUISANCE.
WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS? IF THIS PROBLEMS WEREN'T LEGITIMATE.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY, I'M NOT SEEKING THE REMOVAL FOR THE TREES DAMAGED THE CITY PIPES, MICHAEL ALVIS FROM AUSTIN WATER PROVIDED REPAIR DETAILS FOR WATER MAIN REPAIRS FROM 2020 20.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN INCURRED OVER $61,000 IN WATER, MAIN REPAIRS OVER THESE 20 YEARS.
THIS IS THE NUMBERS THAT MR. ELVIS GAVE CITY STAFF AND MYSELF, $61,000 WITH THE DATES, ALL THAT SLIDE 11.
THIS IS THE, THIS IS VILLA PARK DRUG IN OUR SUBDIVISION.
UH, CROWN PORT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN RED.
THERE'S SIX OTHER CUL-DE-SACS OF EQUAL SIZE AND INFRASTRUCTURE ON THIS CALL ON THE STREET.
ACCORDING TO INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM PIR REQUESTS, NONE OF THESE SIX OTHER CUL-DE-SACS HAVE INCURRED ANY WATER MAIN REPAIRS IN 20 YEARS, ZERO AWFUL.
THIS ACTS A BIT IDENTICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AS CROWN COURTS.
COTTONWOODS ARE KNOWN TO DAMAGE CLIENTS EXCERPTS FROM NEIGHBORS, E-MAILS RENEE HOUSE, JANUARY 16, EMAIL TO THE CITY.
HAS THERE BEEN AN OCCASIONAL PIPE ISSUE WITH THE TREE ROOTS AND THE 20 YEARS I'VE LIVED HERE YET.
[02:35:01]
BUT THE HOUSE THAT I LIVE IN WAS BUILT IN 1978, CORINDA ROTIS IS JULY 9TH, EMAIL TO THE CITY.IT HAS LONG BEEN THOUGHT THIS TREE HAS MESSED WITH THE CITY WATER LINE.
IN FACT, THERE WAS A FIX AND PATCH JOB A FEW YEARS BACK.
SO EVEN THE APPELLANTS ARE ADMITTING TO CITY STAFF THAT THERE IS PROBLEMS WITH THE ROOTS AND PIPES, THE 20 INCH COTTONWOOD TREE IN QUESTION, WHICH IS WHAT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT.
AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY THE CITY DECIDED TO REMOVE THAT 34 INCH, NOT ME, THE CITY CHOSE TO DO THAT BECAUSE IT WAS DAMAGING MY PIPES.
UH, SLIDE 15, IF YOU LOOK HERE IS THE PICTURE OF THE 20TH COTTONWOOD TREE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE MOST THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL REPAIRS ON OUR CUL-DE-SACS AND SOME OF THE MOST RECENT ONES, THEY CUT IN THE ROAD RIGHT NEAR WHERE THE ROOTS OF THIS TREE ARE.
AND THEY HAD TO DO THE REPAIRS RIGHT THERE.
MY ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION APPEAL.
THE CITY STAFF PRESENTED THEIR INFORMATION AND THEY HAD MY NEIGHBORS CONCERNS.
THEY HAD THEIR EMAILS, THEY HAD EVERYTHING.
I PRESENTED THE HISTORY, BACKGROUND EVENTS AND INFORMATION RELATED TO MY SITUATION.
THIS INCLUDED INFORMATION ON DAMAGE TO MY PIPES PROBLEMS WITH THE FLOODS AND DAMAGE.
AFTER 1.5 HOURS IS PROBABLY INCORRECT.
IT'S A TYPO AFTER SOME AMOUNT OF TIME OF BACK AND FORTH QUESTIONING BETWEEN ALL PARTIES AND THE COMMISSION.
THE COMMISSION AGREED TO GRANT ME A MODIFIED DECISION.
PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR FINAL REMARKS.
I ASK THAT THE COMMISSION SUSTAIN THAT THIS, THIS, THIS DECISION SLIDE 17, THE APPELLANTS HAD MADE MANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE REMOVAL OF THESE TREES.
UH, BUT ALL OF THESE FIRSTS WILL BE ADDRESSED WITH THE MIDDLE PATIENT REQUIREMENTS THAT THE CITY HAS GIVEN TO ME.
I'M GOING TO BE REPLACING THESE, THIS TREE WITH TWO OAK TREES THAT WILL PROVIDE THE SAME BENEFITS THAT THIS TREE PROVIDES, BUT THEN THEY'LL ALSO PROVIDE ACORNS AS WELL.
I MEAN, I, I'M JUST TRYING TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS. I'M HAVING THIS TREE IS ON THE PROPERTY LINES.
WE'LL NOW HEAR FROM MR. BRAD HUNT, MR. HUNT, AND YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES AND HOT.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M NO LONGER NEEDED.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS HERE, THIS OCTOBER, I'VE SEEN THREE TO FOUR BREAKS.
THE GUY CAME NASTY, SPRAY PAINT ON THE STREET TO TREAT PEOPLE, CAME OUT TO FIX IT.
THEY BROUGHT THE BACKHOES AND I STARTED DIGGING.
I'D GO OUT AND VISIT WITH THEM THREE, EACH ONE OF THEM TALK TO THEM AND I WATCHED THEM DIG AND I EVEN LOANED THEM SOME TOOLS SO THEY COULD CUT IT.
EVERY ONE OF THOSE WAS THE ROOTS COMING FROM THE TREES, THE PIPE THAT COMES ACROSS THE STREET FEEDS THE TAP THAT PATRICK AND I HAVE, IT COMES RIGHT UP TO WHAT THE TREE USED TO BE.
AND THE CURRENT TREE, NOT QUITE IN THE MIDDLE, BUT ALMOST RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.
AND THEN THE DOG LEGS OVER TO THE TAB THAT HAS ALL BEEN BROKEN BY ROOTS.
AND THAT'S ALL IT'S EVER BEEN DONE WITH IT CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
20 YEARS LATER, OVER ALL THESE YEARS, THE ROOTS EXCEEDED PAST THE NORMAL TANK AND THEY'RE HUGE ROOTS.
THOSE ROOTS ACTUALLY BROKE THE PATRIDGE PIPE.
COULDN'T DO IT BECAUSE IT WAS ENTANGLED WITH ROUGE HAD TO COME BACK AND GO TO TEMPORARY PATCH, HAD TO COME BACK AND FIX IT.
AT A LATER DATE, I HAD A PLUMBING ISSUE.
MY PLUMBER WENT OUT, HE CUT A SIX TO EIGHT PINCH ROUTE TO GET TO MY COPPER PIPE.
I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE ROUGE AND IF Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW BIG THEY ARE, YOU CAN COME TO MY HOUSE BILL IN THE BACKYARD.
AND I HAVE A 17 INCH BY 17 INCH BRICK COLUMN, 14 INCH CONCRETE SITS ON.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU CAN SEE HOW HIGH THE ROOTS LIFTED AND ALL THE WAY OUT OF THE GROUND.
NOW I AM CONCERNED ABOUT A LOT OF SIGNS, BUT THE WAY THE CITY HAS HANDLED IT, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S JUST A LOT OF COLLUSION GOING ON BETWEEN RENAE, WHO HAS CONTACTS, CORINDA, WHO DOES THE WRITING.
AND THEN WE HAVE LOVELOCK AND THEN WE HAVE THE CITY AND THEY SEEM TO ALL GET TOGETHER ON ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF.
SO IT'S FROM MINISTER DIFFICULTY TRYING TO GET SOMETHING DONE.
AND ALL WE WANT IS TO PROTECT OUR PROPERTIES, MOVING OUR PIPES AS AN IMPOSSIBILITY.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE WOULD COME UP WITH THAT.
IF THE TREE WAS IN THEIR YARD, I DOUBT SERIOUSLY.
IF THEY SAY, WELL, LET'S JUST MOVE OUR PIPES.
NOW THAT WAS A CONCERN I REALLY HAVE HERE IS THAT THERE'S THE ACTIVIST.
HOW DID SHE FIND OUT ABOUT IT? THERE'S SOMEBODY WRITE HER A LETTER TO BE SURE TO SEND ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF, SOME HEAVY SPEND TO DO IT, THIS KIND OF STUFF.
NOW WE HAVE OUR OWN PEOPLE HERE, FRIEND, AND WANTS TO WRITE LETTERS.
CRIMINAL HAS WRITTEN SOME VERY HORRIBLE THINGS ABOUT PATRICK AND I, AND I FIND THAT A PORTRAIT.
BUT THE OTHER THING THAT I FIND IS THE CONDESCENDING REMARKS.
[02:40:01]
ABANDONED AND LEWIS.SO I CANNOT BELIEVE SHE WOULD SAY THAT SHE EVIDENTLY HAD JUST DONE LIKE HISPANICS BECAUSE SHE WAS REALLY TALKING BAD ABOUT HIM.
AND Y'ALL HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION.
PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO WELL, YOU KNOW, THE COTTON GUM DOES ANYTHING WITH THE COTTON.
I HAVE TO WASH MY AIR CONDITIONING UNIT, THE COALITION THREE TIMES OR MORE A WEEK, JUST BECAUSE OF THE COTTON, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT COMPRESSORS GO OUT BECAUSE OF THAT, MY GARAGE FREEZER, REFRIGERATOR, YOU KNOW, THOSE MOTORS, THEY CLICK.
I THINK YOU UNDERSTAND ROOTS, ROOTS, ROOTS IS EVERYTHING AND FACTS DO MATTER.
SO, UM, WE HAVE LISTED ON THE RE AS THE REGISTRANTS, UM, LARISSA SILVIS AND VEGGIE SILVIS, BUT THEY'RE NOT PRESENT ON THE TELECONFERENCE.
WE'LL MOVE TO THE APPELLANT'S REBUTTAL.
MS. RODDIS YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I JUST WANT TO SAY EVERYTHING THAT I'VE HEARD HERE.
WE ARE DISCUSSING BOTH PATRICK AND BRAD HUNT.
WE'RE DISCUSSING THE 34 INCH TREE, WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED.
I ALSO FIND IT VERY IMPORTANT TO SAY I LOVE ALL MY NEIGHBORS, DESPITE EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, I WOULD ALSO LIKE IT NOTED THAT ON AUGUST 1ST, 2016, I WAS COMING HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE I HAD JUST HAD MY FIRST CHILD AND WE WERE GETTING BRAND NEW COPPER PIPING, I BELIEVE PUT INTO THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE HAVE NOT HAD A BREAK IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SINCE THAT COPPER PIPING HAS GONE IN ROOTS, DO NOT GROW TOWARDS WATER.
THEY ONLY GROW TOWARD TYPES THAT BREAK PREVIOUSLY, WE HAD PVC.
WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE HAVING ANY MORE ROOT GROWTH.
THERE IS NO BUCKLING OF CEMENT.
OUR TREES HAVE A SAFE BILL OF HEALTH AND THEY JUST HAVE SO MANY GOOD THINGS THEY BRING UP.
EVERYONE CHAIR COMMISSION LIAISON ON VERA.
THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKER REGISTRATION.
LET'S VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND SECOND, IT WAS A COMMISSIONER SNYDER, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO TO OUR QUESTIONS.
ANY COMMISSIONER WITH A QUESTION? UH, COMMISSIONER RASH DOLLAR.
I THINK I SUBMITTED SOME OF MY QUESTIONS LATE TO STAFF ON THIS.
UM, I GOT A LITTLE BIT IN WHAT WAS OFFERED TO MITIGATE, BUT, UM, SO THE QUESTION, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD BE A SNAP FOR AUSTIN WATER, BUT IF I UNDERSTAND THE 34 INCHES ALREADY BEEN REMOVED, IF THE, IF THE, I GUESS THE FIRST QUESTION IS, CAN WE CLARIFY THE AUSTIN WATER DOES OR DOES NOT THINK THE 20 INCH IS AN INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEM FOR THEM? NOPE.
DID ANYBODY HEAR ME OR MY FROZEN LISA, PLEASE PROCEED.
UM, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
I'M THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR PUBLIC WORKS FORESTRY.
UM, I CAN SPEAK TO THAT QUESTION.
MIKE ALVAREZ, WHO WAS ORIGINALLY FROM AUSTIN WATER UTILITIES, THE FIRST PERSON WHO LOOKED AT THIS TREE AND THEY ACTUALLY EXCAVATED THE 34 INCH, UH, ROOTS OF THE 34 INCH TREE.
I GOT AN EMAIL FROM HIM JUST YESTERDAY AND HE DID STATE.
AND I CAN FORWARD THIS LATER THAT HE SEES THE 20 INCH COTTONWOOD AS HAVING NO IMPACT ON THE WATER UTILITIES TO BOTH OF THOSE HOUSES, MR. FULKERSON OR BRAD'S HOUSE.
I WAS GOING TO SAY IF FOR SOME REASON THAT'S, THAT'S WRONG, THAT'S INCORRECT.
AND THE TREE ROOTS DO BECOME A PROBLEM THEN, AND IT CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE PIPES.
THEN WHAT WOULD, WOULD THAT FALL ON THE CITY TO MAKE THOSE REPAIRS? WELL, TYPICALLY ROOTS DO NOT SEEK OUT PIPES,
[02:45:01]
PIPES BREAK, AND THEN THE ROOTS WILL GROW OVER TO WHERE THAT WATER SOURCE IS.SO AGAIN, ROOTS ARE NOT ACTIVELY SEEKING TO CRUSH PIPES.
THEY'RE JUST OPPORTUNISTIC WHEN THERE'S ANY SOURCES.
BUT IF FOR SOME REASON WE, WE SAY WE'RE WRONG AND THERE ENDS UP BEING A PROBLEM THEN WHO BECOMES RESPONSIBLE FOR REMEDYING.
THAT PROBLEM, BOTH IN TERMS OF FINANCE AND THE FIX, I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE ISSUE HAPPENS, BUT THAT MIGHT BE A WATER QUALITY QUESTION.
AND KEITH MARS MIGHT SPEAK TO THAT, BUT THIS TREE'S ROOTS ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN A LIVE OAKS OR ANY OTHER TREE ROOTS.
IT DOESN'T HAVE SUPERNATURAL POWERS, UH, AS A COTTONWOOD TO CAUSE MORE DAMAGE TO A PIPE IN ANY OTHER TREE, IT HAS THE SAME KIND OF ROOT SYSTEM.
UM, SO I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO, YEAH, NO, I UNDERSTAND.
BUT IF FOR SOME REASON THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND THERE NEEDED TO BE A REPAIR WHO WOULD, YOU KNOW, ALONG THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED.
WHO NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THAT REPAIR ALONG THE PUBLIC RIGHT.
OF WAY THE CITY MAKES THE REPAIRS WITHIN THE PUBLIC RIGHT AWAY.
SO THAT COST WOULD NOT FALL TO EITHER THE HOMEOWNER WHO IS REQUESTING THIS OR THE, THE OPPOSITE HOMEOWNER WHO HAS ALSO STATED THEY RE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS FROM IT.
AND, UM, HOW LONG, UH, STORM UREA SIDE, IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM, HOW LONG WOULD IT NORMALLY TAKE TO RESTORE WATER OR SERVICE? IF ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS AN UNANTICIPATED PROBLEM DUE TO THIS ISSUE? YOU KNOW, I REALLY COULDN'T SPEAK FOR AUSTIN.
WHY DON'T YOU TELL AGAIN, THERE WOULD BE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WOULD DICTATE THAT.
SO I, I WOULD BE OUT OF PLACE TRYING TO SAY A DAY OR TWO A WEEK.
UM, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I'M SURE THAT THE CITY WOULD, YOU KNOW, EXPEDITE THEIR REPAIRS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT FAMILY IS WITHOUT WATER.
I, IF I HAVE TIME LEFT ON MY TIME, I HAD A QUESTION FOR ONE OF THE ARBORIST, UM, REGARDING THE NUISANCE FACTOR OF THE, OF THE COTTON.
I WAS CURIOUS IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER OF OUR PROTECTED HERITAGE TREES THAT POTENTIALLY HAVE OTHER NUISANCE FACTORS GUY LEBLOND DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT? OH, THIS GUY'S STILL HERE.
HI, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF WHAT THE LIST OF HERITAGE TREES IS.
IT'S OBVIOUSLY OAKS ELMS, ET CETERA.
UH, THE CEDAR ELM, WHICH IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE HERITAGE TREES HAS A, UH, VERY HEAVY SEED CROP, WHICH IS, UH, FAIRLY INVASIVE.
BUT AGAIN, THERE'S, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT TREE.
ALL TREES HAVE, UH, SOME NESS OR LITTER ASSOCIATED WITH THEM, LIVE OAKS, UH, PRODUCE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF ACORNS.
AND SO THAT COULD CERTAINLY BE CONSIDERED A NUISANCE BY SOMEBODY WHO WANTS A NICE CLEAN LAWN OR A NICE CLEAN DRIVEWAY.
SO I WOULD SAY ALL TREES HAVE SOME LITERACY ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
AND I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THE COTTONWOOD, UH, SEED, WHICH IS JUST ASSOCIATED WITH THE FEMALES, AND I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THIS 20 INCH TREE IS A FEMALE.
UH, UH, I WOULDN'T CALL IT A PARTICULARLY UNUSUAL.
THANK YOU, MR. COX, FOR STAFF.
AND I MAY BE MISSING THIS ON THE ISA RISK ASSESSMENT FORM THAT WE HAVE IN OUR BACKUP.
UM, COULD YOU ESTIMATE THE AGE OF THIS TREE? IS THAT FOR ME? WELL, GO AHEAD.
YEAH, I'D SAY THOSE COTTONWOODS ARE PROBABLY IN THE RANGE OF, UH, 80 YEARS OLD.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ASSESS THE AGE OF TREES BY THEIR SIZE BECAUSE OF THE SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT THEY'RE IN THAT THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT THEY RECEIVE THAT CAN VARY FROM SITE TO SITE.
SO ESTIMATING AGE FROM SIZES IS VERY DIFFICULT, BUT I BELIEVE, UH, EIGHTIES IS A GOOD ESTIMATE AND THE STAFF, UH, THAT ARE ON THE LINE HELPING US TONIGHT HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN THAT WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT OR
[02:50:01]
POTENTIALLY REBUILT REBUILT.I BELIEVE THAT, UM, RENEE OR KENDA, SOMEBODY MADE REFERENCE TO THAT WHEN THEY BROUGHT IN NEW COPPER PIPES, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO? WELL, COPPER PIPES ARE TYPICALLY USED FOR SERVICES, NOT, NOT FOR, FOR ACTUAL DISTRIBUTION LINES, UH, THAT ARE OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE CITY.
UM, SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS, UH, IF THE TREE IS 80 YEARS OLD, I'M ASSUMING THAT THE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT 80 YEARS OLD OR IS IT, UM, I MEAN, I'M ASSUMING NO, TH TH THEY'RE I'M SORRY.
THE HOMES ARE ABOUT 40 YEARS OLD, THE HOME THEY'RE ABOUT 40 YEARS OLD OR SO MR. FAULKNER'S HOME IS NOT QUITE THAT OLD.
UM, SO IN STAFF'S EXPERIENCE, IF WE WERE TO REMOVE EVERY TREE IN THE CITY THAT CAUSED POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH WATER LINES, HOW MANY TREES WOULD THAT BE? YEAH, WELL, BECAUSE I SEE TREES IN THE RIGHT OF WAY EVERY DAY.
I WOULD TELL YOU THAT JUST ABOUT EVERY TREE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
MY LAST QUESTION IS, DOES STAFF HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE TREES WITHIN THE CITY OR URBAN FOREST, OR ARE THESE COTTONWOODS, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF SPECIES WISE ARE COTTONWOODS WITHIN THE CITY? WHAT, HOW PREVALENT THESE COTTONWOODS ARE THROUGHOUT THE CITY? THEY'RE VERY PREVALENT, UH, WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY, ACTUALLY, UM, ALL OVER THE CITY, UH, ESPECIALLY ON THE EAST SIDE, I SEE THEM THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST SIDE.
THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE PREVALENT THAN SAY THE, OR THE SOUTHWEST, BUT, UM, THEY ARE SMATTERED ALL OVER THE CITY.
I HAVE A QUESTION AND THIS IS ABOUT THE TREE MITIGATION.
SO, UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, A FOUR-INCH CALIBER.
OH, HOW TALL IS THAT? WELL, THAT CAN BE EIGHT TO 10 TO 12 FEET TALL.
AND HOW DID THEY ARRIVE AT TWO FOUR-INCH CALIPER CARS? CAN YOU EXPLAIN ON TYPICAL TREAT MITIGATION? CAUSE WE'VE HAD TO DO THIS ON DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE, BUT OFTENTIMES IN TREATMENT OCCASION, OFTENTIMES WE'D HAVE TO REPLACE WITH EQUAL CALIBER INCHES.
SO IF I HAD TO REMOVE 20 INCHES, I'D FIND A WAY TO GET 20 INCHES BACK ON MY PROJECT.
UM, SO IN THIS CASE HERE, THIS IS A 20 INCH COTTONWOOD.
AGAIN, IT'S NOT A HERITAGE TREE, IT'S A PROTECTED TREE, BUT UNDER PRIVATE PROPERTY, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO REMOVE IT.
UM, BUT WE GET TO GO THROUGH SOME TYPE OF MITIGATION.
SO HOW DID IT ARRIVE THAT THERE'S ONLY EIGHT INCH CALIPERS THAT'S BEING REPLACED FOR A 20TH? WELL, I THINK WE WERE TRYING TO NOT BE TOO DIFFICULT OR TO PUT A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP ON, UM, MR. FALKER AND IT'S BECAUSE THERE'S A LIMITED AMOUNT OF SPACE IN HIS YARD ALSO TO MITIGATE TREES, UM, FOR THEM TO GROW, WE WERE LIMITED BY THE SIZE OF HIS YARD, AS WELL AS TAKING INTO CONSIDER FINANCIAL FINANCIALS FOR HIM TRYING NOT TO BE, YOU KNOW, PUNITIVE.
SO WE HAVE TWO, FOUR INCH CALIPERS AND THEN, AND HERE'S THE THING, BUT IT'S INSIDE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
SO THE RIGHT OF WAY IS MORE THAN JUST HIS YARD.
SO IN, I GUESS I'M LOOKING AT THIS AS, I MEAN, I, I WANT TO LOOK AT THIS MORE KIND OF AS A PLANNING APPROACH, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS, HOW IT PROVIDES SHADE TO THE PUBLIC REALM, RIGHT.
AND OFTENTIMES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S ABOUT THE PRIVATE REALM.
SO IF THIS COTTONWOOD TREE IS THERE AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT BETTER FOR THE PUBLIC REALM AND IT'S, I'M NOT LOOKING AT THIS, YOU KNOW, ACTUAL INSTANCE, BUT IF WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS FROM NOW, RIGHT.
CAUSE TREES GROW, YOU KNOW, THEN DOES THE TWO FOUR-INCH BRING UP, YOU KNOW, IN TIME, SOMETHING THAT'S MUCH MORE DESIRABLE TO THE AREA THAN A SINGLE COTTONWOOD.
AND IF NOT, THEN WHY ARE WE ONLY REPLACING WITH TWO, FOUR INCH? MAYBE IT COULD BE THREE, FOUR AN INCH OR MAYBE EQUAL CALIPERS AND IT COULD BE SPREAD OTHER PARTS OF THE PUBLIC REALM, WHICH IS THE RIGHT OF WAY.
AND IT COULD BE ON OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTIES.
SO IF THE OTHER NEIGHBORS ARE WILLING TO, THEN WE COULD ACTUALLY COME
[02:55:01]
UP WITH ALMOST KIND OF A PLANTING FOR THE GENERAL AREA, UM, THAT COULD BRING BACK SOMETHING SIMILAR.SO I'M JUST WONDERING HOW THAT ENDED UP.
SO LITTLE WHEN THE TYPICAL MITIGATION IS EQUIVALENT CALIPER INCHES, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS MORE, YOU, YOU GUYS JUST CAME UP WITH THAT MORE AS A FINANCIAL APPROACH, IS THAT RIGHT? ESPECIALLY IF YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE TIME, SOMEBODY ELSE GOT THAT QUESTION.
LET'S LET'S LET'S PAUSE THERE.
WE NEED ANOTHER COMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER.
CAN YOU PLEASE, UH, MY APOLOGIES CHAIR, MAY I PROCEED? THIS IS KEITH MARS.
UH, SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO DESTRUCT THE COMMISSION SYSTEM, SOME OF THE BASELINE CODE THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH.
SO, UM, TO DIRECTLY ANSWER THE QUESTION ON MITIGATION, THIS, THIS INSTANCE DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE REGULAR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL.
UH, THIS DOES FALL UNDER WHAT'S CALLED TITLE SIX OF CODE OF ORDINANCES TO MY KNOWLEDGE IN THE TIME THAT I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, ROUGHLY 13 OR 14 YEARS AND CONSULTING WITH SOME OF MY PREDECESSORS THAT THE COMMISSION HAS NOT SEEN THIS TYPE OF APPEAL.
SO WE ARE ALL HAVE NAVIGATING NEW TERRITORY FOR LANGUAGE THAT HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR AT LEAST ACCORDING TO WHAT I CAN SEE FROM OUR RECORDS SINCE THE EARLY 1990S, HOWEVER, THIS, THIS APPEAL PROCESS HAS NEVER BEEN UTILIZED.
SO IN THAT REGARD, FORGIVENESS ON THE, THE, UH, THERE'S JUST SIMPLY NOT PRECEDENT FOR HOW TO ADDRESS THESE SITUATIONS, BUT TO TAKE US BACK TO THE ISSUE OF MITIGATION TITLE 6, 3 75 DISCUSSES OR CONTEMPLATES REQUIREMENTS TO REPLACE A TREE, UH, SECTION EIGHT STATE SET, UH, THE URBAN FORESTER IN THIS CASE, THAT IS A PUBLIC SERVANT FORESTER THAT'S BEFORE YOU TONIGHT THAT MAY REQUIRE A PERSON TO REQUEST ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVAL, TO REMOVE A TREE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY, TO PLANT A REPLACEMENT TREE OR MAKE PAYMENT EQUAL TO THE REPLACEMENT VALUE.
UH, IT DOESN'T CONTEMPLATE THE SAME CONSIDERATIONS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED IN TERMS OF MITIGATING ENTRENCH, AS WE WOULD ON A DEVELOPMENT INSTANCE AND APPLICATION OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, UH, THE, TO KIND OF FURTHER ADDRESS THAT, YES, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S MANY OPTIONS OF HOW WE, OR HOW ONE WOULD GO ABOUT MITIGATING THE REMOVAL OF HOW THE INHERENT CHALLENGE WITH THAT IS, IS THE TREE HAS BEEN GRANTED REMOVAL ON PUBLIC PROPERTY IN ORDER TO MAKE THE PUBLIC WHOLE OF HOW DOES ONE OR HOW DO WE, THE CITY PLANT TREES ELSEWHERE.
UM, UM, THAT IS INHERENTLY PART OF THE CHALLENGE WITH THIS.
UH, AS I UNDERSTAND CHATTING WITH OUR, UH, OUR CITY OF AUSTIN ATTORNEYS AS WELL, THAT, UH, DION SLICES OF LOCATION AND PROXIMITY WHERE THE TREE IS REMOVED, THAT WE WOULD NEED FURTHER LEGAL GUIDANCE ON, ON MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS A, THERE'S A NEXUS THERE, UH, AND IT REQUIRE FURTHER LEGAL COUNSEL.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT.
WE'RE GOING, WE'RE GOING SO ON THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, ONE OF OUR FAVORITE QUESTIONS WE LOVE TO ASK PEOPLE IS, IS, WAS THAT THERE WHEN YOU BOUGHT THE PROPERTY? SO I I'D LIKE TO ASK, UH, I THINK I HEARD LISA SAY THAT THE TREES WERE MUCH OLDER THAN THE PROPERTY IMPLYING THAT THE TREES WERE THERE ALREADY NOW THAT THIS IS A PRETTY LARGE TREE, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S KIND OF NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART.
I PROMISED I WOULDN'T SPEAK OFTEN, UNLESS IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME.
SO I COULD I GET AN ANSWER TO THAT ONE, MAYBE LIKE, I'LL ALSO LIKE HOW LONG WOULD THIS MITIGATION TAKE BEFORE IT EVEN CAME CLOSE TO DOING THE SAME THINGS THAT THE BIG TREES DOING RIGHT NOW? BIZARRE, OUR GUY, THAT QUESTION FROM IS COHEN.
WAS THAT A QUESTION FOR STAFF? YES.
LISA, OUR GUY CAN ANSWER, LIKE HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO, TO MITIGATE, UH, YOU KNOW WHAT, BUT THIS 80 YEAR OLD TREE IS DOING AND CONCERNS TO LIKE, UH, OF HOW MUCH CO2 IT SEQUESTERS, UH, WHAT IT'S DOING
[03:00:01]
FOR WATER ABSORPTION, UH, OR FLOOD PREVENTION.WE'RE TALKING TO VERY SMALL ORANGE TREES AS OPPOSED TO THIS 20 INCH LEGACY TREE.
SO IS IT REALLY MITIGATION OR IS IT JUST TOKEN NOTED? N UM, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT MR. LEBLANC IS NOT STAFF.
UM, IF WE COULD HEAR FROM LISA, THIS IS LISA.
UM, THIS, THIS TREE IS REALLY IN OUR LIFETIME.
IT'S YOUR REPLACEABLE? IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION, IT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE 30, 40 YEARS TO REPLICATE IF UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR TWO TREES, MAYBE NOT EVEN THEN, AGAIN, SUPER IDEAL CONDITIONS, A LOT OF GOOD GROWING SEASONS FOR THE, FOR TWO TREES TO EVEN COME CLOSE TO DOING WHAT THIS ONE TREE DOES IN TERMS OF SHADE, STORMWATER, MITIGATION, AESTHETICS, MENTAL SHADE THAT PROTECTS PEOPLE FROM SKIN CANCER.
UM, THE BENEFITS GO ON AND ON.
IF WE HAD ANOTHER EXTREME WEATHER EVENT, LIKE WHAT, LIKE WINTER STORM YARI, WHAT, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE NUTRIENTS? WELL, THEY COULD DIE, UM, BECAUSE YEAH, I THINK ONLY THE BIGGEST AND STRONGEST TREE SURVIVED AND EVEN OUR BIG TREES, UH, DID SUCCUMB TO THE FREEZE BECAUSE THEY WERE BUDDING OUT AT THE TIME.
I WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THESE COTTONWOODS WERE FULL OF LEAVES, NEW, SMALL LEAVES, AND CATECHINS IN MARCH.
MID-MARCH WHEN I VISITED THEM, THEY LOOKED BEAUTIFUL.
SO THESE ARE TREES THAT GROW IN THE MIDWEST AND, AND MANY HARSH CONDITIONS.
SO I THINK THAT THEY'RE FAIRLY BULLETPROOF AND THESE TREES WENT THROUGH THE DROUGHT OF 2011.
UM, LET'S SEE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THIS WILL BE YOUR SECOND ONE.
I FORGOT TO ASK TO STAFF, UH, IF, IF THIS, IF, IF THE PROPERTY OWNER IS NOT ALLOWED TO REMOVE THIS TREE, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF THAT'S AN UPHOLDER DENIED.
UM, DOES THE PROPERTY OWNER HAVE THE RIGHTS TO APPEAL THIS IN THE FUTURE OR APPLY AGAIN IN THE FUTURE FOR REMOVAL OF THIS TREE? IF, IF CONDITIONS CHANGE KEITH MARS, DO YOU WANT TO FEEL THAT QUESTION? I LOOK AT INSURANCE, KEITH MARS, CITY OF AUSTIN BUILD THE SERVICES OF THE TITLE.
SIX DOES NOT HAVE A MORATORIUM OR VEGETARIAN OR SEXUAL OR LIMITATIONS ON A PILL.
IT STATES THAT, UM, THE, AN INDIVIDUAL MAY HAVE KILLED EVERY COURSE OFFICIAL TO ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER IS VERY UNIQUE IN THIS INSTANCE THAT THEY ARE THE DECISION-MAKING BODY, UH, AS YOU HAVE SEEN IN OTHER, OR IN CASES THAT YOU'RE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION PROVIDES RECOMMENDATION.
SO IN THIS INSTANCE, THERE WERE ANY INSTANCE WHERE THIS CODE APPLIES.
IF I'M LOOKING MISSION WILL MAKE A DETERMINATION.
IF THERE ARE, IF A PERSON, UH, UH, CONTENDS DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, DETERMINATION, AND THEY CAN, UNTIL THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE HEARING TONIGHT.
THERE ARE NO FURTHER APPEALS TO COUNCIL, UH, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE, UH, SHOULD THE SITUATION MATERIALLY CHANGE.
UM, THE PILLS CAN BE BROUGHT BACK THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT I JUST MENTIONED.
AND, AND JUST TO CLARIFY, SO IF CONDITIONS CHANGE THIS PROPERTY OWNER COULD, WHETHER IT'S AN APPEAL OR IT'S A NEW APPLICATION, THEY STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEEK REMEDY TO HAVE THIS TREE REMOVED.
IF, IF CONDITIONS IS THAT IT APPRECIATE JUST THAT.
AGAIN, YOU HAVE AN ACCURATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUE.
REMEDY MAY BE PROVIDED ADMINISTRATIVELY FOR STAFF, BUT THE STAFF DOES NOT AGREE.
THEN THERE ARE, UH, COMMISSIONED REMEDIES TO HEAR APPEALS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, WE'LL ENTERTAIN MOTIONS.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION, UH, WHO IS FIRST? UM, I THINK COMMISSIONER IS OUR CHAIR.
[03:05:01]
RIGHT AHEAD.MY, UM, MOTION IS TO UPHOLD STAFF'S DETERMINATION OF DENYING REMOVAL AND POETRY.
UM, I'M A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND HAVE BEEN PRACTICING FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS.
I'VE HEARD A LOT OF REASONS TO NOT PLANT TREES, UM, ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF TREES FROM LIVE OAKS TO, UM, ANY TREE YOU CAN IMAGINE.
THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON WHY THE TREATY IS A NUISANCE.
AND, UM, I, WHAT WAS UPSETTING ABOUT THIS CASE? I THINK MOSTLY HOW THE NEIGHBORS WERE FIGHTING OVER THIS CASE.
UM, I, IN LOOKING AT THE STREET VIEW, UM, AND, AND SEEING THE COL-DE-SAC AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, THE TREES ARE HUGE.
THEY, UM, IN THE STREET VIEW THEY DON'T HAVE LEAGUES, BUT THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF SHADE WHEN, WHEN THEY DO HAVE LEAVES ON THEM AND WHERE THE TREES HAVE, THE TREE HAS BEEN REMOVED ON THE ONE LOT IN QUESTION IT'S REALLY HARD, OR IT LOOKS VERY, VERY HOT.
AND THERE'S, UH, A FEW SMALL TREES THAT HAVE BEEN PLANTED.
AND LIKE IT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER ARE GOING TO TAKE DECADES TO REACH WHERE THEY'RE PROVIDING ANY KIND OF REASONABLE EXCHANGE WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, ADDITIONALLY, YOU KNOW, THE, THIS IDEA OF NUISANCE, UM, LIVE OAKS, IT WAS MENTIONED, LIVE OAKS, DROP ACORNS, THEY DROP LEAVES, THEY DROP SAPP, BOROUGH, DROP, BIG ACORNS, THEY CAN DAMAGE CARS.
UM, THERE'S JUST ALWAYS GOING TO BE AN ARGUMENT.
IF THE TREE IS DOING SOMETHING THAT MAYBE INHIBITS THAT PERSON'S IDEAL VERSION OF A MAINTAINED PROPERTY, UM, THE LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER HAS COTTONWOODS AS A DISTRICT THAT BENEFITS HABITAT FOR BUTTERFLIES AND BIRDS.
AND SO I RE I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UPHOLD STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION.
I THINK KEITH MARS IS A REALLY PHENOMENAL ARBORIST AND I RESPECT HIS OPINION.
SO, UM, THAT'S WHY I MADE THE MOTION.
ANY COMMISSIONERS VOTING OR SPEAKING AGAINST SPEAKING FOR, OR WERE YOU SPEAKING AGAINST MR. ZAR? I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A NEUTRAL COMMENT.
I JUST WANT TO DO WITH HER HUSBAND FOR HIS BEST MONEY.
I REALLY APPRECIATE HIM STAYING ON AND SPEAKING TO US TODAY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO PACK HIM AND ACKNOWLEDGE HIM FOR HIS DUSTIN.
CAN WE START SPEAKING THEN OR AGAINST MR. COX? I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I, I ACTUALLY WAFFLED BACK AND FORTH ON THIS WHILE LOOKING THROUGH ALL THE BACKUP AND HEARING THE TESTIMONY, UM, PRIMARILY BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE A HYPOCRITE.
I UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO TAKE A MAGNIFICENT, SUPER TALL CEDAR ELM TREE DOWN THAT WAS RIGHT ON MY FRONT PROPERTY LINE, BUT IT WAS ON THE DECLINE, HER ARBORISTS, UH, OPINION AND THE WINTER STORM WAS KIND OF THE FINAL DEATH MOUNT FOR IT.
MY DECISION HERE IS THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT PROFESSIONAL ARBORISTS SAYING THAT THIS TREE IS HEALTHY.
UM, AND THERE'S JUST NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD POSE A THREAT TO, TO LIVE FOR PROPERTY.
I'M NOT REALLY SWAYED BY THE COTTON, UH, ISSUE.
THERE ARE WAYS TO MITIGATE THAT.
UM, AND I'VE GOT CEDAR ELMS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, ABOUT NUISANCE WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS COMING OFF OF TREES.
UM, BUT, AND I'M ALSO NOT SWAYED BY THE WATERLINE ISSUE BECAUSE, UH, I AM FAMILIAR WITH WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, AND TREES GRAVITATE TOWARDS WATER LEAK.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, UM, WHEN WATER LINES ARE SPOT REPAIRED, THEY ARE ACTUALLY MORE LIKELY TO LEAK.
SO REPAIR IS JUST A BAND-AID AND, AND THE WAY THEY DO IT MAKES IT MORE LIKELY TO LEAK, WHICH IS WHY IT KIND OF EXACERBATES LEAK AFTER LEAK REPAIR, AFTER REPAIR.
SO NEW INFRASTRUCTURE, COMPLETELY NEW INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD, WOULD ACTUALLY RESOLVE A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES.
AND I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE TAKING DOWN HUNDREDS OF TREES JUST BECAUSE THEY, THEY LIKE WATER AND THEY GRAVITATE TOWARDS WATER.
UM, I DO AGREE WITH STAFF'S DETERMINATION THAT THE LARGER TREE NEEDED TO COME DOWN.
CAUSE IT, IT WAS AN ISSUE WITH, WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THAT LOCATION.
UM, UH, I WISH STAFF AND THE CITY DID MITIGATION FOR THAT REMOVAL OF THE 34 INCH TREE.
UM, BUT THAT OPPORTUNITY IS LOST.
I DO THINK THAT THE MITIGATION THAT WAS PROPOSED FOR THE 20 INCH TREE SEEMS FAIR, BUT AGAIN, I'M JUST NOT SWAYED
[03:10:01]
BY, UH, THE REASONS TO TAKE DOWN THE STREET BASED ON A PROFESSION, OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING AGAINST BEFORE MR. MASH TODDLER.UM, I THINK, UM, CITY STAFF FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS, I'M SORRY, IF THAT WAS POTENTIALLY ME LEADING A MISINTERPRETATION OF MY INTENTION, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT AND TRY AND REASSURE THE, UM, THE FOLKS ASKING FOR THE TREE TO BE REMOVED THAT IF THE TREE WERE TO BE A PROBLEM, AND IF IT WERE TO BE FOUND THAT WE WERE SOMEHOW WRONG ABOUT THAT CALL, THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE FINANCIALLY LIABLE FOR THE WATER DAMAGE AND AN ASKING ABOUT THE OTHER VARIETIES OF TREE.
MY, MY, THAT WAS MY POINT WAS TO SHOW THAT MANY OF OUR HERITAGE TREES AND BIG TREES LIKE THAT DO WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY ARE HEALTHY, THEY DO PRODUCE ALL KINDS OF THINGS AND ALMOST EVERY SEASON, UM, THAT REQUIRES ROUTINE UPKEEP.
AND SO WITH THE FALL COMING, I HOPE EVERYBODY WILL CONSIDER PLANTING A TREE.
OKAY, MR. SHANE, I'M GOING TO SPEAK, UH, JUST NEUTRAL, BUT, UM, I MEAN, IN GENERAL, UH, THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THE PUBLIC REALM IS SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ALL OF US.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M GLAD THAT EVERY, YOU KNOW, THAT PEOPLE CAME FROM ALL SIDES TO COME OUT AND SPEAK ABOUT THIS SINCE IT IS OUR REALM.
I DO THINK THAT THE CITY NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A BETTER TYPE OF MITIGATION PLAN, JUST LIKE THEY HAVE FOR DEVELOPERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, TO GET SOMETHING CLOSE TO EQUIVALENT IN THIS CASE HERE.
I MEAN, IT, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT FITS.
AND I THINK THEY, UH, MAYBE THERE SHOULD BE A PLAN THAT LOOKS RATHER THAN JUST AT THAT ONE SMALL PORTION TO LOOK AT THE ZOOM OUT, KIND OF IN A PLANNING WAY TO SEE IF WE LOSE ONE OF THESE TREES, WHAT CAN WE COME BACK WITH TO BENEFIT GREATER IN THE LONG RUN, UM, WITH BETTER PLACEMENT, BETTER SPECIES AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO RATHER THAN, UH, A NET LOSS GAME IN THE LONG RUN RE COME OUT MUCH BETTER AND STRONGER, AND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF GAME PLAN MOVING FORWARD.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS? WE SHOULDN'T TO SPEAK? THINK MY WEBEX BRUISE.
DID I MISS ANY HANDS? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE.
SO THE MOTION IS TO UPHOLD STAFF'S DETERMINATION OF DENYING REMOVAL.
UM, THAT'S OVERRULING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS DECISION AND DENY REMOVAL OF THE SUBJECT TREE.
SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR 10, THAT'S AN UNANIMOUS.
WE'RE THROUGH ALL OF OUR, UM, DISCUSSION CASES.
WE WERE ALREADY THROUGH C1 AND C2.
[D. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
AGENDA ITEMS? OKAY.NOT SEEING ANY, IF I MISSED YOU, JUST SPEAK UP.
I JUST WANTED TO RECONFIRM THAT AUGUST 10TH IS SET FOR THE AUSTIN ENERGY BRIEFING.
COMMISSIONER LAYS ON INTERFERON THEN HAS THE, UH, EXCELLENT.
[E. BOARDS, COMMITTEES & WORKING GROUPS UPDATES]
TO BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS UPDATES.UH, DO WE WANT, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING FROM CODES AND ORDINANCES ORDINANCE HAS JOINT COMMITTEE.
WHAT ABOUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN JOINT COMMITTEE? UM, NO, WE DID NOT MEET THIS MONTH, BUT I DID MEET WITH STAFF, UH, TO DETERMINE OUR SCHEDULE, UH, FOR OUR QUARTERLY MEETINGS.
AND OUR NEXT ONE SHOULD BE IN JANUARY.
THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.
SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE.
WE'RE GOING TO PLAN FOR AUGUST MEETING, BUT WE HAVE NO CASES.
SO UNLESS SOMETHING COMES UP, WE'RE GONNA JUST DO LIKE A SPECIAL CALL MEETING IF NEEDED.
SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.
THAT'S COMMISSIONER THOMPSON AND HOWARD WAIT, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.
AND THEN MOBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION WORKING GROUP.
THAT'S COMMISSIONER THOMPSON TOO.
[03:15:01]
THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT NINE 19.THANK YOU EVERYBODY HAVE A GOOD REST OF YOUR WEEK TONIGHT.