[00:00:02]
[Determination of Quorum / Meeting Called to Order]
WE'RE GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 5 0 5, AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE ROLL CALL.JUST GO IN THE ALPHABETICAL ORDER AS LISTED IN THE AGENDA.
COMMISSIONER, UH, VICE-CHAIR AZAR.
AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE EX OFFICIO MEMBER, UH, CHAIR COHEN
IT IS A CONSENT ONLY AGENDA TONIGHT.
UH, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
[Consent Agenda]
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY EDITS TO THE TWO SETS OF MINUTES THAT WE HAVE FOR NOVEMBER 28TH AND DECEMBER 12TH, 2023.SEEING NONE, WE'LL MOVE THOSE TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.
AND SINCE WE ONLY HAVE ONE MEETING TO, OR ONE ITEM TONIGHT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND READ THE CONSENT AGENDA.
PLAN AMENDMENT NPA DASH 2023 DASH 0 0 0.
CHRISTCHURCH PLANNING THAT IS OFFERED FOR APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT REQUEST TO FEBRUARY 13TH, 2024.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS ON THIS ITEM? OKAY.
UM, IS THERE A MOTION TO
HELP ME
OR COMMISSIONER? OR COMMISSIONER WOODS.
COMMISSIONER ZA IS OUR, IS A SECOND, SECOND
COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS IS A SECOND ON THAT.
UM, SO BEFORE WE WRAP UP THIS, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE COMMISSIONER SHAW, THIS IS HIS LAST MEETING AND WE ARE SO APPRECIATIVE OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE WHILE YOU'VE SIT ON IN THIS ROOM AND ON THE ES.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO ALLOW ANYBODY TO, TO OFFER SOME THOUGHTS.
BUT I'LL START AND SAY, YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A GREAT MENTOR IN THIS POSITION, AND I ONLY HOPE TO DO HALF AS GOOD A JOB AS YOU DO YOUR ATTENTION TO DETAIL, THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT YOU POURED INTO EVERY MEETING, UM, WAS REALLY REMARKABLE.
AND I WANNA THANK NOT ONLY YOU, BUT ALSO YOUR FAMILY, WHO I KNOW IS, UM, PART OF THOSE LATE NIGHTS AND ALLOWING YOU TO, TO TAKE THAT TIME AND YOUR JOB
SO THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE.
I KNOW YOU REALLY, REALLY CARE ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOUR DISTRICT, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND IT'S VERY APPARENT.
I GUESS I'LL GO AHEAD AND SPEAK AND I'LL, I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, I ALREADY HAD THE HONOR SPEAKING, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WERE STEPPING OFF HIS CHAIR, BUT I DO WANNA SAY, REALLY, I'M GONNA ECHO WHAT THE CHAIR SAID.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER SHAW FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE.
I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, JOINING IN WHEN YOU WERE STILL ON THERE SAID ALMOST, I'M BEGINNING TO FEEL LIKE IT'S THE END OF AN ERA.
'CAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO WERE AROUND FOR THE LDC CONVERSATIONS WHO NOT GONNA BE AROUND FOR MUCH LONGER.
BUT I DO WANNA SAY, I'VE ALWAYS APPRECIATED YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS, YOUR COMMITMENT TO REALLY BRIDGING, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALL HAVING CONVERSATIONS WHERE WE CAN FURTHER OUR GOALS COLLECTIVELY.
AND I JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU.
I THINK THOSE ARE ALL REALLY IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR ANYONE TO HAVE, BUT CERTAINLY FOR YOU BEING ON THE COMMISSION AND CHAIR, IT REALLY HELPED FOR YOU TO BRING US ALL TOGETHER AND REALLY REMIND US OF WHAT OUR COMMON GOALS AS A COMMUNITY ARE AROUND ADVANCING, NOT JUST LAND DEVELOPMENT, BUT SO MANY OTHER CONVERSATIONS THAT HAPPEN IN OUR COMMISSION.
SO WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION.
UM, AND AS THE CHAIR SAID, OF COURSE, THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY AROUND YOU FOR LENDING YOU TO US FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
I'M SURE THEY'LL BE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BACK, BUT SURELY IT WILL BE OUR LOSS.
OH MY GOSH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SERVING SO MUCH DEDICATED SERVICE AND YOU NEVER GOT AS JADED AS SOME OF US DID WHEN THE COURTS OVERTURNED ALL OF OUR HARD WORK.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT, AND IT'S BEEN A, A BIG PLEASURE SERVING WITH YOU.
EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT.
[00:05:01]
I'LL JUST SAY BRIEFLY, I'M SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE JOINED THE COMMISSION WITH YOU AS CHAIR.REALLY MADE THE TRANSITION EASY AND YOU GUIDED US SO WELL THROUGH ALL THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOME.
AND I'VE ALWAYS REALLY APPRECIATED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON CASES.
I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE SOMEONE WHO REALLY SEES THE FOREST FOR THE TREES IN A LOT OF THESE INSTANCES, SO HAVE REALLY APPRECIATED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE WITH YOU AND EXCITED TO SEE WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU.
UM, I'M GONNA PULL THE COMMISSIONER HAYNES AND SAY, AS THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK,
AND I KNOW THAT MANY OF US, UM, KNOW HOW MUCH HE'S DONE FOR THE CITY AND HOW MUCH LEADERSHIP HE'S SHOWN HERE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR SO MANY YEARS.
AND I THINK IT'S JUST A CREDIT TO BOTH OBVIOUSLY HIS HIMSELF AS A PERSON, BUT ALSO TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS WORK AND HOW SERIOUSLY HE TOOK IT AND HOW MUCH HE VALUED THAT OPPORTUNITY.
UM, WE ARE SO LUCKY IN AUSTIN TO HAVE SUCH WONDERFUL PEOPLE LIKE TODD SHAW, WHO REALLY DO GIVE THEIR HEART AND SOUL TO THE MANY, MANY ISSUES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIX AS A CITY.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE YOU.
YES, IT WAS 2019 AND I WAS A BRAND NEW BABY, BABY BOA BOARD MEMBER, AND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE LDC CODE WAS, NOTHING.
AND AS I DOVE INTO CODE NEXT, AND I SAT AND JOINED THE BOARD, AND THEN YOUR CHAIR AND I WATCHED YOU, AND YOU WERE SO MASTERFUL AT YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOU WERE JUST AMAZING HOW YOU BRIDGED THE DIVIDE BETWEEN TWO VERY OPPOSING TYPES OF PARTIES.
AND IT MADE ME WANT TO BE CHAIR, AND THAT'S LITERALLY WHY I'M CHAIR.
SO SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
IT'S BEEN AMAZING TO WATCH YOU.
YOU'RE JUST, IT'S GONNA BE A LOSS FOR THE CITY TO HAVE YOU MOVE ON.
COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS, I SAW YOU COME OFF MUTE.
OH, COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS, I SAW YOU COME OFF MUTE.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THOUGH, I'VE ONLY HAD A VERY SHORT TIME, UM, TO SPEND WITH YOU ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
IT HAS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE.
YOU ALWAYS MADE ME FEEL WELCOME AND HELPED ME AND WERE SO FORGIVING OF ALL OF THE MISTAKES I HAVE MADE UP TO THIS POINT.
AND I HOPE THAT, UM, WHATEVER YOU DO, PEOPLE WILL RECOGNIZE THAT QUALITY IN YOU TO REACH OUT AND TRY TO GO ACROSS THE DIFFERENT, UM, WORLDS THAT IN, IN WHICH EACH OF US LIVED.
AND I REALLY FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE CROSSED OVER TO EXTEND THAT HAND AND THAT BRANCH TO ME AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND MY LIVED EXPERIENCE AND AS I HAVE UNDERSTOOD YOURS.
AND SO THAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT I, I REALLY DO TREASURE AND WISH I WASN'T LOSING THAT.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
I WANT TO RECOGNIZE, UM, UM, BOARD MEMBER HUNTER, UM, AS PART OF ATTENDANCE AND BOARD MEMBER HUNTER.
I DIDN'T, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO SAY ANYTHING, BUT, UM, WE'RE, UH, THANKING COMMISSIONER SHAW FOR HIS SERVICE.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO, I DIDN'T WANNA LEAVE YOU OUT.
UM, TO THE FORMER CHAIR, I REALLY, UM, APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR KINDNESS.
AGAIN, JUST TO, UH, FOLLOW UP WITH WHAT COMMISSIONER, UM, PHILLIPS SAID, JUST KIND OF LIKE CHECKING IN.
I WASN'T REAL SURE LIKE WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO.
I KNEW I COULDN'T VOTE, I DIDN'T KNOW I COULD ASK QUESTIONS.
AND SO JUST FOR YOUR GUIDANCE TO SAY IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TAKE THEM AND, UM, I APPRECIATE THE, UH, THE FLEXIBILITY IN ALLOWING ME TO COME IN AND LEARN, BUT ALSO THEN TO SHARE, UM, THE PERSPECTIVE OF, UH, THE, THE GROUP THAT I REPRESENT, WHICH IS AUSTIN, ISD, AND ALL OF OUR FAMILIES.
UM, WELL, IF YOU GUYS WOULD GIMME A POINT OF PRIVILEGE, I'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW THINGS.
AND, UH, WE'LL TURN ON THE MIC HERE.
UM, USUALLY I JUST GO OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I THOUGHT, UM, I, I'M, UH, WHAT YOU SAID WAS VERY EMOTIONAL
I MEAN, WHAT YOU SAID IS WHO I AM.
THOSE, THAT'S WHO TODD SHAW IS.
SO I'M GLAD THAT, UH, YOU, UM, YOU UNDERSTAND I THE SINCERITY THAT I BRING TO THIS PHYSICIAN.
BUT, UM, GOSH, JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW THIS ALL STARTED AND WHERE WE ARE NOW, UM, REFLECTING BACK, UM, ALLENDALE ALLENDALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ZONING CHAIR, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WE HAD CODE NEXTS IN FRONT OF US IN 2017, AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOLE INVITED ME TO JOIN HER AS SHE MADE ROUNDS TO ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO EXPLAIN THIS CODE AND THE DRAFT AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITHIN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THAT WAS A REAL HONOR TO BE ABLE TO REACH OUT AND TALK TO, UH,
[00:10:01]
NEIGHBORHOODS AND HEAR THEIR CONCERNS.THEN IN 2018, I WAS, UH, ASKED TO SERVE AS THE D SEVEN PLANNING COMMISSIONER NORIA ZARAGOZA HAD DECIDED TO RESIGN.
I WAS READY, BUT, OH MY GOSH, YOU KNOW, TO JUST GO FROM, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION TO PLANNING COMMISSIONER WAS BIG AND THE LEARNING CURVE WAS STEEP.
WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THINGS CODE NEXT, UH, DIFFERENT WORKING GROUPS, MODELING RESULTS WAY OVER MY HEAD.
YOU HAD TO
BUT THE REAL POWER THERE BEING, YOU KNOW, THE PLANNING COMMISSION OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS IS THE, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE SURROUNDED WITH, UH, FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, NOT JUST FROM ALLENDALE, BUT FROM ALL OVER THE CITY, UH, YOU KNOW, GOT ARCHITECTS, URBAN PLANNERS, DEVELOPERS, CITY COUNCIL, UH, ALL THESE INFLUENCES AND YOU GET A REAL CHANCE TO LEARN.
AND I, YOU KNOW, I, I FEEL LIKE IT'S BEEN SUCH AN ENRICHING TIME IN MY LIFE WHERE I REALLY GET, YOU KNOW, AS AN ENGINEER, PROJECT MANAGER, AS MY PROFESSION, UH, BUT AT RISK OF INSULTING SOME OF THE URBAN PLANNING PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE.
I JUST MIGHT ADD URBAN PLANNER TO MY RESUME,
ANYWAY, IT, IT'S BEEN, YEAH, A GREAT SIX YEARS.
UH, THE ONE THING I WANT, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT IS HOW DIVIDED THE CITY IS RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE WENT THROUGH WITH THE LAND CODE AND THEN OUR FAILED ATTEMPTS AT, UH, TRYING TO GET THESE INCREMENTAL CHANGES, UH, THAT KEEP GET, THAT KEEP GETTING INVALIDATED BY THE COURTS, UH, RECENT PUBLIC HEARINGS ON ZILKER AND HOME, HOW DIVIDED THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY
I MEAN, WE'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY TO WORK TOGETHER.
UM, I WANNA COMMEND MY FELLOW PLANNING COMMISSIONERS, 'CAUSE I THINK WE DID DEMONSTRATE HOW YOU CAN WORK TOGETHER, UH, THROUGH ALL THE, UH, CODE CHANGES AND THE VERY, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SOME REALLY CONTENTIOUS ISSUES THAT WE WOULD WORK ON.
UH, OFTENTIMES WE WOULD AGREE TO, UH, CHANGING OUR RULES TO ALLOW MORE FLEXIBILITY, MORE Q AND A.
AND I KNOW IT WAS A LOT OF LATE NIGHTS, BUT IN THE END WE HAD MORE FAVORABLE VOTES AND WE HAD A BETTER PRODUCT.
BUT IT TOOK TIME AND ENERGY TO LISTEN TO ONE ANOTHER AND REALLY UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE COMING FROM.
SO I THANK YOU ALL FOR THOSE LATE NIGHTS BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF Q AND A, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN THE MIDDLE OF DEBATES WE WOULD STOP AND ANSWER QUESTIONS.
BUT ALL OF THAT REALLY, I THINK, YIELDED TO WHAT I CONSIDER A GOOD TEAM AND GOOD RESULTS.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL LETTING ME DO THAT.
AS I LEAVE THIS ROLE, I HAVE AN ASK OF C CITY LEADERSHIP TO FIND THE COURAGE TO MAKE ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT PASSING A REVISION TO OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
UM, I HAVE SEEN THE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RESOURCES FROM STAFF, UH, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY IN THESE INCREMENTAL CHANGES, ONE LITTLE CHIP AT A TIME.
UM, WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE ANOTHER STEP BACK AND REALLY TRY TO PASS COMPREHENSIVE LAND CODE, UH, A COMPREHENSIVE LAND CODE.
AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S, OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES IT.
WHAT I HEARD DURING THE HOME DEBATE WAS SO MUCH, UH, OR THE THINGS THAT WERE ADDRESSED IN THE DRAFT LAND CODE BEFORE THE COURTS, UH, BEFORE WE LEARN, YOU KNOW, HEARD FROM THE COURTS, UM, THINGS LIKE, UM, INTEGRATING AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS INTO RESIDENTIAL, UH, SCALE, MULTI-UNIT DEVELOPMENTS.
WE HAD A FORMULA FOR THAT, THAT IT WOULD ALLOW FOR THE THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS ASKING FOR.
WE, YOU KNOW, ON THE ISSUE OF FLOODING, WE HAD, UM, PASSED, UH, WE CHANGED THE REGULATIONS THAT ALONG OUR TRANSIT CORRIDORS WHERE WE'RE PUTTING MORE DEVELOPMENT, WE ACTUALLY, UH, REQUIRED THAT YOU HAD TO, UM, PROVIDE DETENTION BASED ON THE ENTIRE SITE AREA.
NO MORE GRANDFATHERING FOR IMPERVIOUS COVER.
SO WE THOUGHT OF THAT, WE DID IT, WE DON'T HAVE IT NOW, WE'RE MISSING THAT.
UM, LASTLY, TOWARD THE END, THE CITY, UH, REALLY FOUND WAYS TO KIND OF MODERATE SOME OF THE RESIDENTIAL ZONING IN GENTRIFIED AREAS
[00:15:01]
OR AREAS THAT WERE VULNERABLE TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS THAT WAS PART OF THE LAND CODE.WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT NOW.
SO, SO MANY OF THE THINGS THAT I HEARD DURING THE HOME DEBATE, UH, THAT WERE CONCERNS WE WERE ADDRESSING WHEN WE WERE DEBATING THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND CODE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
AND I WOULD ASK CITY LEADERS TO MAKE, TAKE ANOTHER SHOT AT IT.
AND, UM, LASTLY, THANK YOU TO CITY STAFF, UM, OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS AT AUSTIN ENERGY.
I KNOW HOW COMPLICATED YOUR JOBS ARE, BEING A CITY STAFF PERSON.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK YOU DO, UH, FOR THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
UM, YOU SUPPORTED ME AND MY TIME AS CHAIR.
I APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH, UH, AND LET ANDREW, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOUR PROFESSIONALISM, YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND COMMITMENT.
UH, WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU.
SO, AND ALL THE COMMISSIONERS I'VE WORKED WITH BEFORE THE CHAIRS, UM, IT'S BEEN GREAT.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME.
ALL RIGHT, ONE MORE THING BEFORE WE WRAP UP.
I WANTED TO READ OUT THIS CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION.
UM, THIS IS COMING FROM, EXCUSE ME, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL'S OFFICE, UM, BUT REALLY SIGNED BY ALL OF THE ELECTED LEADERSHIP SAYS, FOR THE MANY YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO AUSTIN AND LEADERSHIP IN IMPLEMENTING IMAGINE AUSTIN, FOR PROVIDING THE PLANNING VISION TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THIS GROWING CITY, AND FOR NAVI NAVIGATING AND ENDURING ENDLESS HOURS OF CODE DISCUSSION OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, TODD SHAW IS DESERVING OF PUBLIC ACCLAIM AND RECOGNITION.
THIS CERTIFICATE IS ISSUED AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT THIS 19TH DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR 2023.
AND I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE, AND, UH, LUISA, DO YOU MIND, I WOULD LIKE ALL OF US TO PULL TOGETHER FOR A PICTURE.
YOU TWO CHAIR, YOU CAN GIVE HER YOUR CAMERA, BUT, UH, WE DO WANNA ADJOURN AND THEN WE CAN DO THAT.
SHALL WE ADJOURN?
COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS AND BOARD MEMBER HUNTER.
OKAY, WE GOING TO, WE'LL GET ANOTHER ONE.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET, OKAY.
UM, SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH TODD AND I WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING AT, UM, 5 23.
WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU CAN'T GO HOME? WHAT DO YOU, WHEN WRONG, WHO DO YOU, WHERE DO YOU.