[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER ]
ORDERED THE REGULAR MEETING AND THE ZONING AND PLANNING COMMISSION.TONIGHT IS TUESDAY, MARCH 17TH, 2026.
WE ARE IN AUSTIN CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, ROOM 1001.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO CHAIR.
[ Consent Agenda]
GOING TO ENTAIL APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 17TH, 2026.THERE WERE SOME LAST MINUTE CHANGES TO THOSE MINUTES, AND I'M ASSUMING THOSE ARE NOW INCLUDED AS PART OF THE BACKUP.
SO THESE ARE THE MINUTES AS REVISED THIS AFTERNOON.
UM, ITEM TWO IS AN APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT.
IT IS C 14 20 25 DASH 0 1 1 2 LAGOS AUSTIN WEST FM 9 73 MIXED USE.
IT IS A ZONING FROM IRR TO GRMU.
IT IS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF AND THERE IS A POSTPONEMENT TO MAY 5TH, UM, THAT IS REQUEST BY THE APPLICANT.
ITEM THREE IS REZONING C 14 20 25 DASH 0 0 9 4 21 17, WEST 49TH, AND 47 0 9 ROSEDALE AVENUE MULTIFAMILY.
UH, IT IS A REZONING FROM SF THREE TO MF SIX CO.
IT IS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF AND THIS WILL BE A DISCUSSION ITEM.
ITEM FOUR IS A REZONING CASE, C 1497 DASH 0 1 4 1 0 4 PALMER NORTH PDA AMENDMENT IN DISTRICT ONE.
IT IS AT 3 0 2 AND A HALF, FOUR 16 AND HALF 500, 5 12 AND A HALF, 5 32 AND A HALF, 7 24 AND A HALF EAST PARER LANE AND SEVERAL OTHER ADDRESSES.
I'M NOT GONNA READ THE REST OF THEM ON MCALLEN PASS AND HARRIS RIDGE PARKWAY.
IT IS A-L-I-P-D-A TO L-I-P-D-A TO CHANGE A CONDITION OF ZONING.
IT IS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 7TH.
UH, ITEM FIVE IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT, S PC 2025 DASH OH 2 4 4 A BARTON CREEK PLAZA LOT 2 38 0 1 SOUTH CAPITAL TEXAS HIGHWAY NORTHBOUND IN AUSTIN.
UM, IT IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW PRIVATE SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL USE IN THE LO LIMITED OFFICE ZONING AND IT IS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF.
AND WE'RE GONNA ADD IN CONDITIONS THAT, UM, THE SITE PLAN EXEMPTION WAS APPROVED FOR THE CHANGE OF USE UNDER 20 25 1 5 7 3 0 2 DA.
THE SITE PLAN EXEMPTION PROPOSALS THE FOLLOWING SIX BIKE PARKING SPACES, UM, WHICH ARE GONNA BE DEFERRED UNTIL TEXDOT DOES IMPROVEMENTS TO 360.
UH, THERE'S NO CHANGE TO THE EXISTING BUILDING COVERAGE INCREASE IN EXISTING OPEN SPACE FROM 96 7 0 3 SQUARE FEET TO 97 2 42 SQUARE FEET.
A FINCH SCHOOLYARD AREA IS 49373.61 SQUARE FEET WITHIN THE AREA.
ASTROTURF AND FALL PROTECTION IS 21,342 SQUARE FEET OF THAT AREA.
AND THEN THERE'S A DECREASE IN EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER FROM 152,460 SQUARE FEET TO 151,921 SQUARE FEET.
UH, SO WITH THOSE CONDITIONS, ITEM FIVE WILL BE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF.
ITEM SIX IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT, SPC 2025 DASH 0 1 7 9 CHEB MCKINNEY FALLS.
IT IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW A BIG BOX GREATER THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FEET FOOD SALES AND G-R-M-U-C-O ZONE.
IT IS RECOMMENDED BY, WITH CONDITIONS AS STATED IN THE BACKUP.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA CHAIR BEFORE WE PROCEED? COULD WE GO THROUGH THE FORMAL ROLL CALL WITH ALL THE COMMISSIONS OR ALL THE QUESTIONS? SORRY, I SKIPPED OVER THAT PART.
HE'S IN HIS CAR TRYING TO GET HERE, BUT WHO'S THERE?
COMMISSIONER CHRISTIAN SHEPPEY.
OKAY, SO EVERYONE PRESENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF COMMISSIONER BOONE.
UM, SO I'VE READ INTO THE MINUTES, THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM ITEM ONE.
REZONING ON ITEM TWO IS POSTPONED TO MAY 5TH.
ITEM THREE IS A DISCUSSION ITEM.
ITEM FOUR IS A POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 7TH.
ITEM FIVE IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT WITH THE CONDITIONS AS READ INTO THE RECORD.
AND ITEM SIX IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT WITH THE CONDITIONS AS STATED IN THE BACKUP.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? I'LL, UH, CAN I SEE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS READ? I MOVE TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS READ.
COMMISSIONER FLORES WAS FIRST SHE HAD HER HAND UP.
OKAY, SO WE'RE GONNA GO WITH COMMISSIONER FLORES AS THE SECOND.
[00:05:01]
THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.OPPOSED? IS THAT AN OPPOSED OR IN OR SUPPORT? WHO IS THAT IN THE TOP? UH, COMMISSIONER CORTEZ.
ARE YOU COMMISSIONER CORTEZ, ARE YOU IN SUPPORT OF THE CONSENT AGENDA? IN SUPPORT OF, OKAY, THERE'S A DELAY AND YOUR HAND CAME UP AFTER I SAID THOSE OPPOSED? I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE OPPOSED.
SO SHE BEING UNANIMOUSLY IN SUPPORT.
[3. Rezoning: C14-2025-0094 - 2117 W 49th St. and 4709 Rosedale Ave. Multifamily; District 7 ]
GOING TO OUR DISCUSSION ITEM ITEM THREE C 14 20 25 DASH 0 9 4 21 17, WEST 49TH STREET AND 47 0 9 ROSEDALE AVENUE REZONING FROM SF THREE TO MS SIX C.DO WE HAVE S STAFF PRESENTATION? THANK YOU.
CYNTHIA HAD WITH AUSTIN PLANNING, THIS IS ITEM THREE ON YOUR AGENDA.
C 14 20 25 0 0 9 4 WITH CASE NAME 2 1 1 7 WEST 49TH STREET AND 47 0 9 ROSEDALE AVENUE MULTIFAMILY.
THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED ON 2117 WEST 49TH STREET AND 47 0 9 ROSEDALE AVENUE.
THE APPROX, THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION IS APPROXIMATELY 4.62 ACRES IS CURRENTLY ZONED SF THREE WITH ACCESS TO WEST 49TH STREET, WEST 48TH STREET AND RAMSEY AVENUE.
THE SURROUNDING AREA IS CHARACTERIZED AS NEIGHBORHOOD MIXED USE WITH COMMERCIAL ZONINGS TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE PROPERTY AND SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL TO THE NORTHWEST AND SOUTH.
THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING MF SIX CO FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF APPROXIMATELY 435 MULTIFAMILY UNITS.
THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAY WILL LIMIT THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING TO A MAXIMUM OF 75 FEET ON JANUARY 7TH.
THIS PROPERTY WENT TO HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION HLC AND WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
THE HLC VOTED TO STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ADDITIONAL REHABILITATION AND ADAPTIVE REUSE OF MORE OF THE HISTORIC FABRIC OF THE PROPERTY, AS WELL AS SETTING BACK NEW CONSTRUCTION AS FAR AS POSSIBLE BEHIND THE HISTORIC FACADE.
BUT TO ULTIMATELY RELEASE THE PROPOSED PERMIT FOR PARTIAL DEMOLITION DECONSTRUCTION AND RECONSTRUCTION, THE STAFF IS RECOMMENDING MF SIX CO BECAUSE THE REQUEST IS CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT OF THE BASE DISTRICT PROVIDES A BALANCE OF INTENSITIES AND WILL ADD HOUSING STOCK TO THE AREA THAT THE PROPERTY HAS ACCESS TO MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS SUCH AS BUS STOPS, BIKE PATHS AND SIDEWALKS.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE GOODS AND SERVICES TO THE EAST, NORTH, AND SOUTH AND THE APPROVAL OF THIS REQUEST WOULD EXPAND THE NUMBER OF UNITS AND HOUSING OPTIONS IN THIS AREA.
THE PROPERTY DOES NOT FALL WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AREA, BUT IT IS ADJACENT TO THE BURNETT ROAD ACTIVITY CORRIDOR AND IS PARTIALLY IN SUB-DISTRICT TWO OF THE EQUITABLE OF THE EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT EAD OVERLAY.
THE PROPERTY WAS NOT REZONED WITH THE EAD REZONINGS BECAUSE IT HAS A SINGLE FAMILY BASED ZONING CLASSIFICATION.
THE REZONING OF THIS PROPERTY WILL ALLOW FOR MORE MULTI-FAMILY UNITS IN CENTRAL AUSTIN AND NEAR THE E TODD OVERLAY.
THE PROPOSED CONDITIONAL OVERLAY WILL REDUCE THE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT ALLOWED IN MF SIX TO PROVIDE A TRANSITION INTO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD.
I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT DAVID HARTMAN.
DAVID WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM BEN BRODER.
BEN, ARE YOU PRESENT? DAVID, YOU'LL HAVE NINE MINUTES BEFORE YOU START IF I CAN.
WE HAVE A LOT OF SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TODAY AND I'M JUST GONNA ASK EVERYBODY TO BE VERY PROFESSIONAL AND POLITE IN YOUR COMMENTS.
Y'ALL BEEN VERY GOOD SO FAR AND I'M GONNA ASK YOU, Y'ALL CONTINUE TO BE VERY DIRECT IN YOUR COMMENTS.
AND, AND AGAIN, I SAID THIS LAST TIME I'VE TALKED TO ABOUT THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE NOT GONNA BE LOOKING AT THE ASPECT OF THE LAWSUIT THAT'S GOING ON BETWEEN THE CITY, A ISD AND THE THE RESIDENTS.
THAT'S NOT PART OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE LOOKING AT ANY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPLICATION.
STAFF HAS TOLD US THE APPLICATION WAS FILED CORRECTLY.
LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAS CONCURRED.
SO THOSE TWO ISSUES I'VE BEEN TOLD BY DIRECTLY BY LEGAL ARE NOT PART OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TONIGHT.
WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT THE ZONING FROM SINGLE FAMILY TO MS SIX.
SO I WANTED TO SAY THAT BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH ANY, UH, DISCUSSION FROM ANYBODY.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS.
DAVID HARTMAN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
WE HAVE A CIVIL ENGINEER AND TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER EXPERTS AS WELL HERE TONIGHT.
AS STAFF INDICATED THIS IS OVER FOUR AND A HALF ACRES.
UM, IT HAS ROBUST MULTIMODAL CONNECTIVITY INVOLVES NO DISPLACEMENT, NO EXISTING WATER QUALITY CONTROLS AND NO DETENTION FOR THE ORIGINAL ROSEDALE SCHOOL.
ADJACENT TO MULTIPLE IMAGINE AUSTIN CENTERS NEAR PROPOSED PROJECT CONNECT 38 STATION, 38 STREET STATION, ESTIMATED OPEN TO 20 20 33 AROUND THE SAME TIME THIS PROJECT OPENS AND PRIORITY EXTENSION
[00:10:01]
45TH STREET STATION LOCATED WITHIN E TODD VILLE AREA, SUBDISTRICT TWO, WHICH AUTHORIZES MAXIMUM 90 FEET OF HEIGHT.THERE'S EXISTING MULTIPLE CAPITAL METRO BUS STOPS AND ROUTES NEAR THE SITE AND INCLUDE TWO METRO RAPID ROUTES AND STOPS ALONG BURNETT ROAD SUNSHINE DRIVE AND GUADALUPE NEAR MULTIPLE BICYCLE ROUTES AND URBAN TRAIL NETWORK LOCATED NEAR BURNETT ROAD, WHICH IS IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR AND AS STAFF INDICATED, 49TH RAMSEY AND 48TH R LEVEL ASS MP LEVEL ONES.
THE CURRENT ZONING IS SF THREE.
THERE'S MULTIPLE E-O-D-B-E TODD COMBINING DISTRICT IN THIS VICINITY ALONG ADJACENT TRACKS, UM, AUTHORIZING A MAXIMUM OF 90 FEET EXTENDING A QUARTER MILE TO THE EAST, AND THEN ANOTHER FURTHER QUARTER MILE, UH, AUTHORIZES A MAXIMUM 120 FEET.
SO OUR PROPOSED ZONING OF M MS SIX CO I REFER TO AS MF SIX LIGHT BECAUSE THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAY LIMITS HEIGHT TO MAXIMUM 75 FEET.
SO WE'RE STEPPING DOWN FROM 120 FEET TO TO 90 FEET TO OUR SIDE IS 75 FEET FOR FOUR AND 35 MULTI-FAMILY UNITS INCLUDING AFFORDABLE UNITS.
AS YOU KNOW, MF SIX DOES NOT HAVE KIND OF A BUILT-IN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, SO WE'RE PROVIDING OR VOLUNTEERING TO DO A, COMMITTING TO THE VOLUNTARY AFFORDABLE UNITS BY PRIVATE RESTRICTIVE COVENANT WITH HOME BASE OR OTHER GROUP.
UH, AS STAFF INDICATED, WE WERE PRESERVING THE FACADE OF THE FORMER ROSEDALE SCHOOL BUILDING.
IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY HLC.
WE'RE DEBTING ON DEDICATING ONSITE PUBLIC PARKLAND, WHICH WE'VE INCREASED TO ONE HALF ACRES.
UM, IN RESPONSE TO COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, WE'RE PAYING S FEES, PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES.
THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL RETURN THIS LAND TO THE TAX ROLLS AND GENERATE OVER 10 MILLION IN TAX REVENUE OVER THE COMING 10 YEAR PERIOD.
ENVIRONMENTAL, WE'RE COMING UP TO CURRENT TO CURRENT CODE AND ALL, UH, CITY PLANNING STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF MS SIX CO O.
YOU SEE THE ROSEDALE VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER TO THE EAST, MULTIFAMILY FURTHER TO THE EAST, AND THE DBE TODD AUTHORIZING 90 FEET IMMEDIATELY TO THE EAST OF BUDDING THE PROPERTY AND OTHER UP AND DOWN THIS AREA.
AGAIN, IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS, CRESTVIEW STATION, HIGHLAND MALL STATION, MUELLER STATION DOWNTOWN, AND THEN THE IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR.
ALL THIS, OUR COMP PLAN DICTATES AND DIRECTS GROWTH HAPPEN IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA.
UM, AGAIN, WALKING DISTANCE TO THE, THE PROJECT CONNECT, UM, 38TH STREET STATION AND THE, UH, INITIAL LOOKS, THE PRIORITY EXTENSION 45TH STREET STATION.
I LIKE THIS OLD SLIDE FROM THE PROJECT CONNECT.
IT SHOWS THE WALK SHED BIKE SHED, UM, UP AND DOWN THE PROJECT CONNECT THE, THE THE LIGHT RAIL LINE.
UH, AND THIS, UH, THIS PROJECT LIES RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE FIRST PRIORITY EXTENSION, THE 45TH STREET STATION.
THIS SHOWS, AGAIN, KIND OF A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF HOW THE, THE ZONING EAD SUBDISTRICT STEPPED DOWN.
IN THE MIDDLE IS THE 120 FEET MAXIMUM HEIGHT STEPS DOWN TO 90 FEET AND THEN STEPS, UH, THEN THERE'S OUR PROJECT, AND THIS IS JUST A ZOOMED IN, UH, PORTION, UH, SHOWING A LITTLE BIT CLOSURE.
AND AGAIN, UH, THE DBE TODD OVERLAY WHEN IT WAS APPROVED BY 20 IN 2024 BY COUNCIL COVERED APPROXIMATELY 850 ACRES OF LAND.
SO THERE'S LAND ALL THROUGHOUT THIS DPE TIDE OVERLAY LEVEL ONE STREET LEVEL TWO STREETS THAT'S COVERED AUTHORIZING 90 FEET, 120 FEET AGAIN ON THE GROUND TODAY, YOU CAN WALK TO THREE SEPARATE, TWO DIFFERENT METRO RAPID BUS ROUTES.
THREE DIFFERENT METRO RAPID BUS STOPS NORTH OF THE PROPERTY ON SUNSHINE DRIVE AND, AND, UM, OVER ON NORTH LAMAR.
AND THEN THIS JUST ZOOMS IN AND SHOWS THE LOCAL COLLECTORS.
YOU CAN BE ON THE, YOU KNOW, JUMP ON A, A LOCAL COLLECTOR AND BE ON THE RED LINE AND HIGHLAND STATION, UH, PRETTY QUICKLY.
AND THEN, UM, FURTHER SHOWS THE, UM, EVERYONE'S FAVORITE, UH, BIKE PATH SHOVE, CREEK BIKE PATH AND ALSO URBAN TRAILS.
SO IN SUMMARY, IT JUST HAS ROBUST, RICH MULTIMODAL CONNECTIVITY.
UM, WHERE, UH, TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE DENSITY IS, IS, IS AS SHOULD GO.
WE DID DO A N NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS AND STAFFS HERE, I THINK, TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THAT.
BUT WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING, WHAT THE NTAS SUGGEST IS COMPLETING OFFSITE MISSING SIDEWALK GAS FROM THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT TO MULTIPLE ADJACENT CAP METRO STOPS TO FURTHER ENHANCE MULTIMODAL CONNECTIVITY, CONSTRUCTING A MIDBLOCK RAISED PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, CONSTRUCTING SIDEWALKS ALONG THE SITE'S, FRONTAGE, PAYING STIFF FEES, WHICH ARE USED FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE VICINITY, AND THEN DEDICATING RIGHT AWAY ALONG THE BEDDING STREETS MINIMUM FOUR FOOT BASICALLY IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
THIS ILLUSTRATES THAT YOU SEE IN THE GREEN DOTS ON THE, ON THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM, THE BUS STOPS
[00:15:01]
AND OUR OFFSITE SIDEWALKS THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONNECT SIDEWALK GAPS AND THEN THE SIDEWALKS ON SITE, AND THEN THE CONVERTING STRIPE CROSSING TO ERASE PEDESTRIAN.THIS JUST ILLUSTRATES THAT IT'S NOT THE LEVEL OF A STREET OR THE FORM OF THE ADJACENT DEVELOPMENT THAT DICTATES KIND OF THE DEVELOPMENT OR THE STREET.
THERE ARE A LEVEL IN STREETS THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AND OTHER PLACES OF THE CITY WHERE THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, HIGH RISE CONSTRUCTION, NEW ACES IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
AND THEN LEVEL TWO STREETS THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT ARE BOUNDED BY, BY, UH, SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.
IT'S REALLY THE GRID THAT, UM, WHAT THOSE STREETS CONNECT TO IN THIS, IN THIS STREET, UM, CONNECTS TO, TO MULTIPLE, UM, MULTIPLE STREETS.
AS I'VE INDICATED, THERE'S PLENTY OF PRECEDENT FOR APPROVED DB 90 AND MF SIX ZONING CASES ON AS MB LEVEL ONE STREETS.
THE TOP LEFT HAND EXAMPLE IS A GOOD EXAMPLE ON GOODRICH.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, ONE LOT REMOVED FROM LAMAR.
UM, ON THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER IS MF SIX, UM, UH, ON TOME ROAD.
OTHER EXAMPLES, THE COMMON FEATURE WITH ALL OF THESE IS, IS THEY HAVE MULTIMODAL CONNECTIVITY, AND THIS IS WHERE TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE DENSITY SHOULD BE.
THIS IS A RENDERING THAT OUR ARCHITECT PUT TOGETHER FOR THE HLC AND HLC APPROVAL, AND YOU SEE THE FACADE PRESERVATION KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED IN RED ON THE BOTTOM, AND HE CAN SPEAK TO IT MORE, UM, MORE ARTICULATELY THAN I CAN, BUT IT, IT DOES SHOW KIND OF BUILDING ARTICULATION, VARIED ROOFTOPS, YOU KNOW, GABLES ON THE ROOFS TO KIND OF DRAW FROM THE THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, IN TERMS OF OUR ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES, AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE SUMMARY OF EVERYTHING WE'VE GONE THROUGH PROVIDES MUCH NEEDED HOUSING IN SUPPORTER OF DIRECTIVE FOR MORE HOUSING IN ALL AREAS, INCLUDING VOLUNTEER AFFORDABLE HOUSING, NEAR TRANSIT, PROVIDES TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE DENSITY AND SUPPORTIVE PROJECT, PROJECT CONNECT AND COUNCIL GOALS.
EVERYTHING ELSE WE'VE DISCUSSED.
AND, AND WE JUST, AT THE BOTTOM I'LL SAY WE REQUEST APPROVAL OF CITY PLANNING STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO SUPPORT MULTIPLE CITY POLICIES.
I'LL JUST CLOSE BY SAYING WITH A FEW MIN FEW SECONDS, I HAVE LESS THAT WE'VE, UH, APPRECIATE THE INPUT AND THE FEEDBACK TO ENHANCE THE PROJECT TO DATE.
AS INDICATED, WE'VE, WE'VE DOUBLED THE SIZE OF PARKLAND.
WE'VE, WE'VE HAD A PARTICULARLY GOOD DIALOGUE WITH AN INDIVIDUAL, UM, SCOTT MORLEY THAT I THINK WILL BE TESTIFYING TONIGHT AND, YOU KNOW, COMING UP WITH IDEAS FOR COMMON, UM, COMMON PROVISIONS THAT WE CAN WEAVE INTO THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT ONGOING DIALOGUE AND CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT ON THE PROJECT AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE TO CITY COUNCIL FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD READ READING, OVERCOMING MONTHS.
UM, I'LL END THERE AND BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS SCOTT FOSTER.
SCOTT, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES PASS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS KELLY REES.
KELLY, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES PASS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ZACHARY FADI.
ZACHARY, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
IT'S HOWDY, COMMISSIONERS, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS.
MY NAME IS ZACH FADI AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF ALLOWING HOMES IN ROSEDALE.
I LIVE AT THE TRIANGLE LESS THAN A MILE AWAY, AND OFTEN BIKED BY THE ABANDONED SCHOOL TO GET TO SHOAL CREEK TRAIL.
THE TRIANGLES A MIXED USE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT WHOSE HISTORY ECHOES WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE TODAY? I LIVE ON STATE OWNED LAND LEASED, LEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPED IN EARLY TWO THOUSANDS TO SHORE UP THEIR OWN BUDGET CRISIS.
MANY NEARBY RESIDENTS FOUGHT AGAINST THE LAND BEING DEVELOPED.
THEY WANTED IT KEPT AS A PIECE OF VACANT LAND THEY USE AS A PARK.
I DON'T BLAME THEM FOR PREFERRING HAVING A PARK OVER, ALLOWING SOMEONE ELSE TO HAVE A HOME, BUT I'M GLAD THEY LOST.
I'M GLAD THAT ME, MY NEIGHBORS AND A GENERATION OF RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD THEIR LIVES.
HERE AT THE TRIANGLE, I CAN WALK TO MY DENTIST, PHARMACIST, BIKE, SHOP AND GYM.
I'M FIVE MINUTES FROM THE BEST BUS LINE IN OUR CITY, THE 8 0 1.
THE BURNETT CORRIDOR IS SIMILARLY WELL SITUATED AS MANY SHOPS, BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS, BUS LINES AND AMENITIES.
IT'S EXACTLY WHERE WE WANT TO BE ALLOWING MORE HOMES.
OUR CITY'S LACK OF HOUSING HAS BEEN A DRIVING FACTOR OF AI I'S PHYSICAL CRISIS.
AND WHY AND WHY DOES SELLING THIS SITE? BY ALLOWING HOMES TO BE BUILT HERE, WE'LL BE HELPING TO BOTH BRING IN MORE CHILDREN TO ATTEND OUR SCHOOLS AND SHORING UP ITS FINANCES.
IT WENT FOR OUR CITY, OUR SCHOOLS, AND THE MANY NEW NEIGHBORS WHO WILL GET TO CALL ROSEDALE HOME IF WE WANT ROSEDALE AND OTHER, ANY INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS TO ONCE AGAIN BECOME AFFORDABLE TO WORKING CLASS FAMILIES.
IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT REDUCING OUR CAR DEPENDENCY TO DOING OUR PART, TO REDUCING CLIMATE EMISSIONS, WE'VE GOT TO LEARN TO SAY YES TO HOUSING.
WE PARTICULARLY HAVE TO LEARN TO SAY YES TO HOUSING THEIR JOBS, TO TRANSIT G AND GROCERIES.
AUSTINITES DESERVES HOMES AND LIFESTYLES THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO LIVE WALKABLE LOW CARBON LIFESTYLES.
[00:20:02]
THANK YOU.OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GREG ANDERSON.
GREG WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
GREG, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
HEY EVERYBODY, THANK YOU FOR HEARING US TODAY.
GREG ANDERSON SPEAKING FOR MYSELF AND I, I KNOW IT'S VERY DIFFICULT IN A LOT OF AREAS OF TOWN TO BUILD HOUSING AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE GREAT PEOPLE WEIGHING IN ON THIS TODAY.
IT'S TOO BAD THAT THIS ISN'T A BUY RIGHT CASE.
IT'S ONE OF THOSE ITEMS WHERE WE GET TO CHOOSE, DO WE WANT HOUSING AND TAX BASE AND MONEY FOR A ISD AND TRANSIT RIDERSHIP, OR DO WE WANT TO JUST TRY OUR BEST TO KEEP THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE? YOU KNOW, KIND OF TO VALUE THE FOLKS WHO ALREADY HAVE A HOME AT THE COST OF THOSE WHO DON'T.
WE WON'T HEAR FROM THE 400 PLUS FAMILIES THAT GET TO LIVE IN THIS BUILDING.
AND I'M SORRY THAT WE DON'T GET TO HEAR FROM THEM.
THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THIS CASE IS HAPPENING.
THEY'RE OUT THERE WORKING, THEY'RE OUT THERE STRUGGLING.
THEY'RE OUT THERE WITH MULTIPLE JOBS.
THEY'RE OUT THERE DOING ALL THE THINGS THEY HAVE TO DO IN A CITY THAT HAS NOT BUILT ENOUGH HOUSING.
AND IT WOULD BE AMAZING IF WE COULD JUST SIMPLY ALLOW BUY RIGHT DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL THE HOUSING THAT WE NEED, BUT WE KNOW WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT.
WE ARE WAY BEHIND IN THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING THAT WE NEED IN THE CITY, AND IT'S REALLY A SHAME THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE BATTLES EVERY SINGLE TIME.
YOU HAVE NO BRAINER CASES IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TONIGHT.
ONE OF THOSE INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS AND IT, IT'S, IT'S A BAD HABIT THAT WE'VE GOTTEN ALONG THE WAY WHERE WE FEEL THAT CERTAIN TYPES OF HOUSING ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH OTHER TYPES OF HOUSING.
WE'RE NOT TALKING INDUSTRIAL USES HERE.
WE'RE NOT TALKING THIS MELTING PLANT.
SO I'M EXCITED FOR VOTE AND I APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SAM STRONG.
SAM, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I LIVE IN DISTRICT 10, AND I'M HERE TO REGISTER MY SUPPORT IN FAVOR OF THE REZONING TO THIS PROPERTY TO MF SIX.
I'LL PROBABLY TOUCH ON A LOT OF THE SAME TOPICS THAT THE SPEAKERS BEFORE ME HAVE SAID, PROBABLY LESS ELOQUENTLY THEN.
UM, THE TWO THINGS I WANNA REALLY TOUCH ON IS, ONE IS I THINK THIS PROPERTY IS IN AN AMENITY RICH NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT HAS A LOT TO BUILD THIS CASE FOR MF SIX.
SECOND THING IS, IS WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? WE'RE HERE FOR THE KIDS.
OKAY, WE'RE HERE FOR AUSTIN SCHOOLCHILDREN.
SO ON THE FIRST TOPIC, AS WAS NOTED, THIS IS WITHIN, UM, AUSTIN CAP METRO AT 8 0 3, 3 AND THREE BUS ROUTE WALKING DISTANCE.
IT'S TWO BLOCKS FROM THE SHOAL CREEK BIKE TRAIL, THE SAME BIKE TRAIL THAT I USE ABOUT EVERY SINGLE DAY TO GET TO WORK.
IT IS WITH, UH, WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE TO OTHER PARKS IN THE AREA TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES, UM, TO THE MANY RESTAURANTS AND OTHER COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES DIRECTLY NEXT DOOR TO THIS BUILDING.
UH, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A VERY, UH, IT'S A GOOD SPOT FOR THIS.
I THINK THAT THIS IS A PLACE THAT, UH, HAS A LOT OF, THIS NEIGHBORHOOD HAS A LOT TO GO FOR IT, WHICH YOU CAN TELL ON THE PROPERTY PRICES OF THE SURROUNDING HOUSES.
I THINK ONE ACROSS THE STREETS ON THE MARKET FOR 1.5 OR 2 MILLION, I FORGET.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I I THINK IT MAKES SENSE.
UH, THE SECOND THING IS WHY ARE WE HERE? I MEAN, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS IN A FINANCIAL CRISIS.
THEY'VE JUST CLOSED 10 SCHOOLS.
THEY'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO POTENTIALLY EVEN CLOSE, UM, FURTHER SCHOOLS IN THE COMING FUTURE, WHICH IS VERY SAD.
THEY'RE IN A FIGHT FOR THEIR LIFE TO NOT GET TAKEN OVER BY THE STATE VIA THE FAILED SCHOOLS THAT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A PROBLEM.
SURE, EVERYONE'S HEARD ABOUT IT.
UM, AND WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN DO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE SCHOOLS, OUR SCHOOLS CAN OPERATE SUCCESSFULLY AND RETAIN IN LOCAL CONTROL.
THIS WILL GIVE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT $20 MILLION.
$20 MILLION THAT GETS TO GO TO OUR SCHOOL CHILDREN, TO MY NIECE WHO'S AT AN A ISD SCHOOL TO EVERYONE'S KIDS IN THIS, IN THIS ROOM WHO GO TO A ISD.
WE WANT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SURVIVE AND THERE'S A SERIOUS RISK RIGHT NOW THAT IT DOESN'T, AND WE NEED THAT $20 MILLION TO MAKE THIS WORK.
WE'RE IN A, WE'RE IN A BUDGET DEFICIT AS IS.
I THINK I FORGOT WHAT THE LAST NUMBER WAS.
WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THOSE SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION, STARTING WITH OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER, CHRIS ALLEN.
CHRIS WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM DANIEL RAY.
DANIEL, ARE YOU PRESENT? YES, I'M CHRIS.
I'M AN ARCHITECT AND HAVE HELPED GUIDE ROSEDALE LAND USE EFFORTS AND SEVERAL CITYWIDE CODE PROJECTS OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES.
[00:25:01]
AND DEVELOPMENT SINCE I GOT MY REAL ESTATE LICENSE ON MY 18TH BIRTHDAY.THAT'S ME IN FRONT OF THE CHESTNUT COMMONS AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT I DESIGNED IN 2008.
UH, ARE WE A BUNCH OF NIMBYS? I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HEARING HERE IN THE ROOM TONIGHT.
UH, ROSEDALE HAS AN AMAZING TRACK RECORD WORKING WITH DEVELOPERS TO CREATE WIN-WIN OUTCOMES.
REMEMBER THE HUGE BATTLE HERE AT ZAP OVER THE OVETA ROSEDALE AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS LAST YEAR.
YOU DON'T, YOU KNOW WHY? 'CAUSE IT WAS HERE WITH OUR ENDORSEMENT AND IT WAS ON YOUR CONSENT AGENDA AS IT WAS ON CITY COUNCIL'S AGENDA FOR CONSENT.
WE SUPPORTED THAT UNANIMOUSLY.
THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW ON ROSEDALE AVENUE WITH 75 UNITS OF DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, I'M SORRY, ON, UH, MEDICAL PARKWAY WITH DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
IN FACT, IN UH, 2022 AND 2023, WE WERE HAPPILY WORKING WITH A ISD TO CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR TEACHERS AT THE ROSEDALE CAMPUS.
BUT THEY ABANDONED THAT EFFORT.
I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT DURING THAT PERIOD, WHENEVER NEIGHBORS ASKED ABOUT THE DEED RESTRICTIONS, A ISD LIED ABOUT THEM BOTH IN PERSON AND IN WRITING.
WE DIDN'T HEAR MUCH FROM A ISD AFTER THAT UNTIL THEY SUMMONED US TO A MEETING ON OCTOBER 20TH OF LAST YEAR.
THAT NIGHT, THEY DROPPED TWO BOMBS ON US.
ONE OHT HAD ALREADY FILED A ZONING APPLICATION FOR MAXIMUM DENSITY MF SIX FOR THE SITE, AND TWO, THAT THEY WERE SUING MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM.
THERE WERE NO COMMUNITY INPUT SESSIONS, NO DIALOGUE, JUST AN UGLY AND ILL-CONCEIVED LAWSUIT THAT WILL POTENTIALLY TAKE YEARS TO RESOLVE.
THAT'S THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM TONIGHT.
IT IS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO BE CONSIDERING A ZONING CHANGE ON THIS PROPERTY, GIVEN THE LEGAL CASE THAT'S PENDING.
WHAT WE HOPE YOU'LL UNDERSTAND TONIGHT IS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE CITY KEEPS TELLING US THAT IT HAS NO INTEREST IN DEED RESTRICTIONS, YOUR VOTE TONIGHT COULD PUT THE GIANT THUMB OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON THE SCALES OF JUSTICE ADDING INSULT TO OUR INJURIES.
IS THIS PROPERTY JUST A PIECE OF SURPLUS LAND THAT A ISD CAN UNILATERALLY MONETIZE? OR IS IT A COMMUNITY ASSET THAT BELONGS TO ALL OF US? AND BY THE WAY, LEMME TAKE A BREAK, EVERYBODY WHO'S A DEFENDANT IN THIS LAWSUIT, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND UP? 125 ROSEDALE RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN SUED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SHOULDN'T ALL OF US HAVE SOME SAY IN WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE SCHOOL SITES BEFORE THEY'RE ALL GONE FOREVER TO US? THIS IS OUR PARK, OUR PLAYGROUND, OUR GATHERING SPOT FOR PEOPLE IN PETS.
IT'S WHERE WE USED TO HAVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND EVENING CLASSES AND WHERE WE VOTED FOR NEARLY 90 YEARS.
IT'S BEEN THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS PART OF ROSEDALE.
DID ISD HAVE ANOTHER OPTION? IF YOU LOOK AT THE SURVEY OR PLATS, YOU CAN SEE THAT ALL OF THE LOTS PLATTED IN 1938 ARE STILL 100% INTACT ON THE PROPERTY.
THE RIGHT OF WAY FOR ROSEDALE AVENUE IS EVEN STILL IN PLACE.
THE SITE IS SHOVEL READY FOR UP TO 79 UNIT NEW UNITS OF MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING USING THE EXISTING SF THREE ZONING AND HOME AMENDMENTS.
A ISD COULD HAVE OPTED TO SELL THE SITE FOR 12 TO $15 MILLION AND THEY COULD HAVE THAT CASH IN THEIR HANDS NOW, NO CONFLICT.
WE ALL WORRY ABOUT AIS D'S FINANCIAL CRISIS.
LET'S DO SOME MATHS TO SEE WHAT THE SALE DOES FOR THEM.
WITH A $1.63 BILLION BUDGET FOR THE NEXT YEAR, THEY SPEND ROUGHLY $4.5 MILLION PER DAY.
THE $26 MILLION SALE PRICE DIVIDED BY 4.5 IS 5.77.
IF THEY EVENTUALLY WIN IN COURT, THEY'LL GET ALMOST SIX DAYS OF BUDGET RELIEF FROM ALL OF THIS UGLINESS AND AUSTIN WILL LOSE THIS COMMUNITY ASSET FOREVER.
IS THAT WORTH IT? DOES THE CITY VOTE TO APPROVE ZONING REQUESTS BASED ON PLANNING PRINCIPLES, MERITS OF THE CASE? OR DO WE JUST HAND OUT ENTITLEMENTS TO PEOPLE OR ENTITIES WE FEEL SAD ABOUT? DOES THE CITY OFTEN GRANT ENTITLEMENTS TO APPLICANTS WHO'VE MISMANAGED THEIR MONEY AND JUST NEED A BIT MORE TO GET THEM TO THEIR NEXT PAYCHECK? DOES THE CITY REALLY WANNA REWARD A ISD FOR SUING THEIR NEIGHBORS AND BEHAVING LIKE THIS WITH LAND THEY HOLD AND TRUST FOR US? I'M ASKING FOR A FRIEND JUST FOR FUN.
LET'S SAY THAT SOME PORTION OF THE SITE SHOULD BE REDEVELOPED AND WE'RE TRYING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT SORT OF PROJECT WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE TRANSITIONAL USE TO SIT DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM THESE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ON RAMSEY AVENUE.
JUST FOR SOME, JUST FOR FUN, LET'S IMAGINE THAT WE LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THESE HOMES AND CARE ABOUT THEM.
WOULD AFFORDABLE HIGHER DENSITY MISSING MIDDLE COTTAGES BE THE RIGHT FIT? WOULD WE WANT TO BUILD TOWN HOMES LIKE WE SEE AT MILLER OR LIVE WORK UNITS OR SMALL APARTMENT BUILDINGS? OR WOULD WE SAY, HELL NO.
LET'S BUILD A 75 FOOT TALL MONOLITHIC TEXAS DONUT RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET.
WOULD ANY SELF-RESPECTING PLANNING EXPERT REALLY THINK THAT'S APPROPRIATE AS A TRANSITION TO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES? OF COURSE NOT.
[00:30:01]
FOR DECADES WITH A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY ASSET ACROSS THE STREET AND WAKE UP ONE DAY TO THIS NIGHTMARE? NO.WOULD ANY OF US WANT TO HAVE MADE THE LARGEST INVESTMENT OF OUR LIVES AND SUDDENLY FIND IT'S ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS MONSTROSITY? NO, WE WOULDN'T WISH THIS ON ANYONE.
THIS IS A WIN-LOSE ZONING CASE, BUT SET UP TO HAND ONE DEVELOPER HUNDREDS OF MILLION IN ENTITLEMENTS WHILE HANDING HUNDREDS OF NEIGHBORS A GREAT BIG BOOT IN THE ASS.
THERE'S THERE'S NO WIN-WIN OUTCOME AVAILABLE WHEN ROSEDALE ISN'T ALLOWED TO DO WHAT ROSEDALE DOES BEST.
HERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THIS.
COMPARE THE FOOTPRINT OF THIS MONSTER BUILDING TO ALL OF THE BUILDINGS IN THE VICINITY.
THERE'S A DECENT SIZED APARTMENT COMPLEX AT THE RIGHT CENTER OF THE IMAGE THAT WAS CONSIDERED HIGHEST AND BEST USE WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S ABSOLUTELY INSANE HERE.
LOOK AT ALL THOSE BUILDINGS AND COMPARE THEM.
SINCE 1999 WHEN KIRK WATSON FIRST INTRODUCED SMART GROWTH, ROSEDALE HAS BEEN ON BOARD WITH ADDING HOUSING DENSITY TO OUR TRANSIT CORRIDORS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS PROPERTY ISN'T ON A CORRIDOR.
NO AMOUNT OF WISHING OR MAGICAL THINKING WILL GIVE THIS SITE ACCESS TO ANYTHING THAT RESEMBLES A ROADWAY THAT MAKES SENSE FOR A MASSIVE APARTMENT.
ONE OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS THAT MR. HARTMAN SHOWED US WAS A LEVEL ONE ROADWAY THAT HAD WHAT, FOUR LANES ONE WAY.
THIS IS TWO LANES, TWO WAY 27 FEET OF PAVEMENT AROUND THIS SITE.
THIS IS A CORRIDOR, IT'S A TRANSIT CORRIDOR UP BURNETT ROAD NEAR NORTH CROSS FIVE LANES OF ROADWAY.
THE BUILDING TO THE LEFT SIDE IS THE ONLY APARTMENT BUILDING ON BURNETT ROAD THAT'S SIX STORIES TALL AND IT HAS JUST 316 UNITS.
THE PROJECT WE'RE DISCUSSING TONIGHT ON THREE TINY RESIDENTIAL STREETS WOULD BE LARGER IN EVERY WAY THAN ANY OTHER APARTMENT PROJECT ON BURNETT ROAD.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO ANYONE? BECAUSE THIS PROPERTY DOESN'T HAVE ANY FRONTAGE ON BURNETT ROAD, THE DEVELOPERS HAVE NO WAY TO IMPROVE THE DYSFUNCTIONAL INTERSECTION AT 49TH STREET.
THE MISALIGNMENT, LACK OF ANY TURNING LANES MEANS THAT RESIDENTS OF THESE NEW APARTMENTS WILL AVOID THAT INTERSECTION LIKE THE PLAGUE AND WILL RACE THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRYING TO FIND THEIR WAY TO 45TH STREET, SHOAL CREEK BOULEVARD, BURNETT ROAD AT 46TH.
HERE'S THE TURN THE PUNCH BALL FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE.
THIS AI GENERATED SCALE MODEL SHOWS JUST HOW RIDICULOUS THIS SITUATION IS.
WE'LL JUST SIT HERE FOR A MINUTE AND ENJOY THIS.
IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS, LET'S LOOK AT THE ONLY RENDERING OF THE PROJECT THAT OHT HAS SHARED.
THIS CHARMING DRAWING SHOWS OFF THEIR FEEBLE EFFORT TO RECONSTRUCT A PART OF THE DEMOLISHED SCHOOL'S FACADE AT THE CORNER OF 49TH AND RAMSEY.
WE'RE THE LUCKY FIRST VICTIMS OF AD'S PROPERTY MONETIZATION CAMPAIGN.
BUT THERE WILL BE MANY TO FOLLOW.
WE URGE YOU TO SET THIS MESS ASIDE OR JUST VOTE NO.
SO THE CITY AND A SD CAN BE ENCOURAGED TO FIGURE OUT AN APPROPRIATE WAY FORWARD AS AIS SD ADAPTS TO A NEW FINANCIAL REALITY.
AT WORST, PLEASE VOTE TO SEND THIS ON TO COUNCIL WITH NO RECOMMENDATION AT ALL.
WE'LL HAVE OTHER SPEAKER SPEAKERS TO FOLLOW WHO WILL GO INTO GREATER DETAIL ON SOME OF THE ISSUES I'VE INTRODUCED.
LIKE ME, THEY'RE MAD AS HELL, DISAPPOINTED IN AD'S, BAD DECISION MAKING, AND FRUSTRATED WITH THIS PREMATURE ZONING PROCESS.
I HOPE YOU'LL BE PATIENT WITH US AS WE WORK TO GET YOU UP TO SPEED ON THIS AWFUL SITUATION THAT'S TAKEN OVER OUR LIVES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN FRETWELL.
JOHN WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM LORI WINNET.
LORI, ARE YOU PRESENT? LORI NETTE, ARE YOU PRESENT? I AM NOT SEEING LORI NETTE, SO I'M GONNA HAVE TO GIVE JOHN, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
OKAY, JOHN, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES.
HELLO, MY NAME IS JOHN FRETWELL AND I LIVE AT 46 10 SINCLAIR, TWO BLOCKS FROM THE EXISTING SITE FOR PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT.
I'M NOT A DEFENDANT IN THE CASE, JUST AN INTERESTED PARTY.
I'M SPEAKING AGAINST THE REZONING.
I'VE LIVED IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE 2019 AND AN AUSTIN SINCE 1992.
WHEN I STARTED GRADUATE SCHOOL AT UT AND HAVE NOW LIVED OVER HALF MY LIFE IN AUSTIN.
WE MOVED INTO THE ROSEDALE NEIGHBORHOODS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE QUIET STREETS THAT WERE EASY TO WALK AND BIKE WITH THE PROXIMITY TO LOCAL SHOPPING AND RESTAURANTS.
I CURRENTLY USE THESE SCRE STREETS AND BIKE FOR ERRANDS.
UH, USED TO GO TO WORK DOWNTOWN.
MY WIFE IS CURRENTLY, UH, TRANSITING DOWNTOWN EVERY DAY ON OUR BIKE TO SIXTH STREET RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD.
UH, WE USE, WE EMBRACE THE BEST OF LIVING IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
DENSITY AND RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT ARE WHAT MAKE AUSTIN A GREAT CITY.
HOWEVER, THE DETAILS DO MATTER.
EVEN THOUGH I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME IN AUSTIN, I HAVE MOVED AROUND AND LIVED IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
AND WHILE THIS DOESN'T MAKE ME AN EXPERT, IT GIVES ME PERSPECTIVE ON LIVING IN A HIGH DENSITY MIXED NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR
[00:35:01]
DOWNTOWN.THIS IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN FORT WORTH, WHICH SHOWS OUR HOUSE IN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME NEIGHBORHOOD WITH SOME APARTMENTS EMBEDDED AND HIGHER DENSITY APARTMENT COMPLEXES ON THE PERIPHERY.
BUT THESE HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO ARTERIAL ROADS, AS WE SEE MANY EXAMPLES ACROSS AUSTIN.
SIMILARLY, YEARS LATER, I MOVED TO OREGON AND WE WENT FULL PORTLANDIA.
MY WIFE AND I BIKE COMMUTED TO WORK.
WE WENT BY BIKE BUS AND WE CONSOLIDATED DOWN TO ONE CAR.
SO WE GET THE CONCEPT OF PROJECT CONNECT.
ALSO NOTE, SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WITH OTHER MIXED DENSITY STRUCTURES THAT ARE INTEGRATED INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THERE ARE DISAGREEMENTS AND COMPROMISED BENDING ON THE PROJECT, BUT AGAIN, THE LARGER STRUCTURES ARE ON THE PERIPHERY AND DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE MAJOR ARTERIAL ROADS.
IF YOU WANT B KMS FOR A HIGH DENSITY MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT.
THESE ARE PRETTY GOOD EXAMPLES.
AND I KNOW THE CITY IS REFERRED TO PORTLAND IN THEIR PLANNING.
SO FROM SEPTEMBER 23, WHOOPS, EXCUSE ME.
HIGHLIGHTING THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
OKAY, SO, UM, THIS JUST SHOWS THE SPACE WITH THE SCHOOL REMOVED AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, UM, LET'S SEE, SAMPLES MOVING AROUND.
YOU'VE SEEN THESE EXAMPLES OF WHAT A ISD PROPOSED.
THE SCENARIO B IS WHERE THE FINAL RESULT WAS WHEN WE CAME TO IT.
UM, AND SO THIS WAS FEEDBACK THAT WE HEARD.
AND SO ESSENTIALLY WE'RE PICTURING SOME KIND OF MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED TO SEE.
SO WE'LL GO THROUGH THAT QUICKLY.
AS CHRIS MENTIONED, WHEN WE WENT TO THE OCTOBER, 2025 MEETING, UM, THIS IS WHAT WE SAW AS THE PRESENTATION.
MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS IT LOOKED LIKE A PRISON.
AND THEN I THOUGHT, WELL, THAT MIGHT BE PREFERABLE 'CAUSE AT LEAST WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT THIS DEVELOPMENT WAS GONNA LOOK LIKE.
THERE IS NO PRECEDENT FOR THIS SCALE OF DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTIN, EVEN THOUGH WE SAW OTHER EXAMPLES, ESPECIALLY, UH, EMBEDDED IN ON THREE SIDES BY SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
AND YOU'VE SEEN THAT ONE BEFORE.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT DRAWINGS, BUT WHY DON'T WE GO AROUND AUSTIN AND SEE WHAT'S REALLY BUILT.
THE IMAGE ON THE LEFT IS IN THE CENTRAL AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD, AND TO THE RIGHT IS A FAR WEST, UH, DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS ONLY FIVE STORIES.
BUT THE DEVELOPMENT IS GOING UP NEAR FAR WEST TO PROVIDE THE COMPARISON.
THE PROPERTY IS ONLY FIVE STORIES AND IS ADJACENT TO A FOUR LANE ROAD WITH ADEQUATE SIGNALING AND TURN LANES AND EASY ACCESS TO MOPAC.
SIMILARLY, ON THE BOTTOM LEFT IS A SIMILAR ROAD VANTAGE POINT, THIS ONE DIRECTLY ACROSS THE FORMER ROSEDALE SCHOOL.
AND ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS A BETTER COMPARISON.
IT'S A SIX STORY LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT ON NORTH SHOAL CREEK, WHERE CONSTRUCTION OFTEN BLOCKS THE BIKE LANE.
BUT THIS PROCESS PROPERTY IS IN A MULTIFAMILY COMMERCIAL AREA WITH QUICK ACCESS TO MOPAC.
IMAGINE THIS VIEW COMING OUTTA YOUR DOOR EVERY MORNING AND THE SHOCK OF THE CHANGE.
SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE AREA FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE.
SO AS WE MENTIONED, THERE'S GONNA BE NO IMPROVEMENT AT 49TH AND BURNETT AS SHOWN BY THAT RED CIRCLE.
AND AS CHRIS MENTIONED, ESSENTIALLY EVERYBODY IS GOING TO BE HITTING ALL THESE SIDE STREETS BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO GET TO BURNETT ROAD, HANCOCK, SHOAL CREEK BOULEVARD, AND 45TH STREET.
WHAT DO THESE LOOK LIKE? UH, IMAGINE TAKE ANYBODY WHO'S TRIED TO MAKE A LEFT-HAND TURN AT ROSEDALE 45TH OR 46 ONTO BURNETT ROAD, YOU MIGHT CHANNEL YOUR INTER CLINT EASTWOOD AND SAY, YOU KNOW, DO YOU FEEL LUCKY PUNK? 'CAUSE IT IS REALLY TOUGH DURING PEAK TRAVEL HOURS REGARDING THE, UH, RAMSEY AVENUE CROSSWALK.
INVARIABLY, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY TRY TO CROSS THAT, PEOPLE ARE RUNNING RED LIGHTS ALMOST A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE TIME.
THERE WAS ONE TIME I WAS WALKING WITH MY DOG ON A SUNDAY MORNING AND ACTUALLY GOT FLIPPED OFF FOR USING THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALK.
I GUESS THIS PERSON WAS ON THEIR WAY TO CHURCH AND THAT EXTRA 20 SECONDS WAS GONNA MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD AND A SIMILAR SITUATION.
WE CAME UP, MEDICAL ARTS, WE'RE BIKING IN THE BIKE LANE AGAIN ON A SUNDAY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH SUNDAYS, NO TRAFFIC.
SOMEBODY WENT BY AND JUST FLIPPED US OFF FOR RIDING OUR BIKE.
MY POINT IS THINGS ARE ALREADY RUNNING AT A BOILING POINT IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ANYWAY.
WE ARE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, BIKING AND COMMUTING, AND I TOOK THE BUS DOWNTOWN.
I DIDN'T SEE A TON OF PEOPLE DOING THAT.
I DO SEE THE OTHER BIKERS AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
WE JUST WANT SOMETHING MORE REASONABLE.
AS CHRIS MENTIONED, THIS PROCESS IS NOT GONNA END HERE.
[00:40:01]
ARE GONNA SET A PRECEDENT WITH THIS REDEVELOPMENT DECISION.I IMPLORE YOU TO TAKE THE TIME AND CONSIDER ALL THE INFORMATION BEING PRESENTED TO GET IT RIGHT AND LET COMMON SENSE RULE.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, SAY SOMETHING FOR A SECOND, PLEASE.
I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER MAJOR.
CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? CAN I SAY SOMETHING, UH, VERY QUICKLY? I'M, I'M NOT GONNA COMMENT ON THE, THE, THE MERITS BEFORE US, BUT I, I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE A VERY QUICK STATEMENT, PLEASE.
UH, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE ARE SCHEDULED TO SPEAK.
UH, I, I'M WILLING TO LISTEN TO EVERYBODY, BUT I, I I THINK IT'S WORTH REITERATING.
UH, PROFANITY IS A NECESSARY, UH, HYPERBOLIC.
COMPARISONS TO WAR IS A NECESSARY.
UH, NEITHER IS SEXUAL INDU INNUENDO.
UH, AND NEITHER IS JUST OFFHAND COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE OF FAITH.
LIKE, LET, LET'S PLEASE KEEP THIS PROFESSIONAL AND TO THE MERITS OF THE ISSUE AT HAND.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION IS KATHY FRETWELL.
KATHY WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM CAROL WAGNER.
KATHY, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES.
HELLO, I'M KATHY FRETWELL, AND I HAPPEN TO LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE AS JOHN FRETWELL.
SO YOU ALREADY KNOW WHERE I LIVE, SO I CAN SKIP THAT PART OF THE SPEECH.
SAY WHICH ONE OF THESE? OH, THERE WE GO.
UH, AS SEVERAL SPEAKERS HAVE, HAVE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE DIFFERENCE THAT I'M OFFERING TODAY IS I AM A LICENSED CIVIL ENGINEER, AND THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT BACKUPS AT 49TH AT ANN, 49TH AND BURNETT HERE.
THIS IS THE INTERSECTION YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
THIS IS WITH THE SCHOOL CLOSED.
YOU ADD 435 UNITS TO THIS SITE, AND YOU'RE REALLY GONNA END UP WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES.
YES, THE, THE DEVELOPER HAS STATED THAT THERE WAS A TRAFFIC NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS COMPLETED, BUT WE FOUND MANY INACCURACIES IN THIS REPORT.
FIRST, THE LOCATIONS WHICH THE TRAFFIC WERE COLLECTED WERE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE REPORT ALSO CALLED OUT 489 EXISTING TRAVELING DAILY TRIPS FROM THE SITE.
THE SITE HAS NEVER HAD 489 TRIPS.
IT CALLED IT OUT AS A OFFICE BUILDING.
THIS HAS NEVER BEEN AN OFFICE BUILDING.
IT IS, IT WAS A SCHOOL, IT THEN, IT IS NOW A TRAINING FACILITY WHERE MAYBE 50 CARS A MONTH COME FROM THIS SITE.
THE NEXT THING THAT THE REPORT TALKED ABOUT WAS THE 1,975 TRIPS THAT WOULD COME FROM THIS SITE AND THAT 20% REDUCTION WOULD HAPPEN BY TAKING TRANSIT AND WALKING FROM THIS SITE.
BUT THE DEVELOPER HAS TOLD US EARLY TONIGHT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HEARD HIM SAY THE WORDS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BECAUSE THAT IS NOT HOW WE WERE TOLD THIS BUILDING WOULD BE.
WE WERE TOLD IT WAS GOING TO BE LUXURY HOUSING.
THAT IS WHY THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS UPSET.
UM, LUXURY HOUSING DOES NOT TAKE TRANSIT.
LUXURY HOUSING DOES NOT TAKE THEIR BIKES.
UM, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT BACKUPS AND, UH, ADDING TO THIS WOULD BE THIS.
WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS A, A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS FOR THIS SITE THAT WOULD LOOK AT THE PEAK HOUR DEMAND AND THE IMPACTS THAT OF THE TRAFFIC FROM THIS EXISTING PROPERTY.
AGAIN, ONE LIGHT AT 49TH AND BURNETT ROAD WITH NO LEFT TURN LIGHT.
THE LIGHT ALSO CAUSES LONG CUES INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THERE'S NO RIGHT OF WAY TO EXPAND OR IMPROVE THIS INTERSECTIONS.
THERE'S EXISTING, UH, DEVELOPMENT ON EACH SIDE OF THIS WITH NO AREA TO IMPROVE AND ADD A LEFT HAND TURN.
THERE'S ALSO NO LEFT TURN LANE FOR THE 435 PEOPLE THAT WILL NEED TO TURN LEFT ONTO BURNETT ROAD OFF OF BURNETT ROAD INTO THEIR NEW HOMES.
THIS IS FURTHER COMPLICATED BY THE CONNECTION TO WOODROW AVENUE.
AT THIS INTERSECTION, THIS WILL CAUSE ACCIDENTS.
AND SPEAKING OF ACCIDENTS, THERE IS A BLIND CURVE THAT EXISTS ON BURNETT ROAD BETWEEN 47TH AND 49TH.
THERE'S ALREADY BEEN A CAR THAT HAS FLOWN INTO THE, UH, FBF LAW BUILDING PRIOR TO ITS CONSTRUCTION BECAUSE TRAFFIC COMING UP FROM SOUTH ON, UH, COMING TO THE NORTH
[00:45:01]
TOWARDS 49TH, CANNOT SEE THE LIGHT THERE AND HAS FLOWN INTO THE BUILDING.THERE ARE ALSO TWO SEPARATE ACCIDENTS GOING SOUTH, UH, INTO THE FORMER GUSTO RESTAURANT BECAUSE THE, THE TRAFFIC THAT'S COMING AND LEAVING AT 49TH CAN'T SEE THE RESIDENTS OR PEOPLE THAT MIGHT WANT TO TURN INTO EITHER PINT HOUSE PIZZA OR THE ROSEDALE VILLAGE.
THIS CREATES A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION AND ADD 435 CARS TURNING AND TRAVELING IN THIS AREA THAT WILL IMPACT THIS SITUATION WORSE AS A CIVIL ENGINEER.
I TOOK A QUICK LOOK AT THIS, UH, GIS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS AREA FOR THIS SITE.
THE EXISTING DEMAND CALCULATED WITH AUSTIN'S WATER FORWARD INFORMATION IS ABOUT 2 MILLION GALLONS A DAY.
THIS PROPOSED PROPERTY WILL REPRESENT ABOUT 13 TIMES THAT DEMAND AND WILL REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES OF WATER AND WASTEWATER IN THIS AREA, ALL OF WHICH WILL NOT BE PAID BY THE DEVELOPER STORM WATER.
THERE IS NO PROPOSED STORM WATER, UH, DETENTION AT THIS EXISTING SITE.
THIS PROJECT WILL ADD SIGNIFICANT IMPERVIOUS COVER.
THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN THREE PEOPLE IN 2025 THAT WERE KILLED IN THE HANCOCK BRANCH OF SHOAL CREEK DUE TO FLOODING AT A MINIMUM PLEA, UH, REQUIRE A HUNDRED PERCENT DETENTION AT THIS SITE FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT.
THE ELECTRICAL GRID IN THIS AREA IS ALSO VERY UNSTABLE.
WE'VE, WE'VE LIVED WITH FOUR DAYS DURING URI AND TWO DAYS LAST MAY WHERE WE HAD NO ELECTRICITY IN THIS AREA.
A SIX STORY DEVELOPMENT OF 435 UNITS IS A VERY LARGE DEMAND FOR THE WEAK GRID.
ROSEDALE IS FOR RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT DESPITE WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID IN THIS ROOM.
UM, BUT THIS CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN AUSTIN, THE TRANSPORTATION, WATER, WASTEWATER, AND STORM WATER AS WELL AS THE ELECTRIC, ARE NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THIS OHD DEVELOPMENT.
THEY'RE INADEQUATE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE SUPPORTED, AND THE IMPACT AND DEVELOPMENT P FEES THAT THE DEVELOPER WILL PAY WILL NOT COVER THE COST IN THE, THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SCOTT LEDGE.
SCOTT WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM KENDALL MORL.
KENDALL, ARE YOU PRESENT? YES, SCOTT, YOU WILL HAVE SIX MINUTES.
UM, MY DAUGHTER, MY LIVES LIZ, UH, FIVE HOUSES DOWN FROM WHERE THE, UH, PROPOSED APARTMENT BUILDING WOULD BE BUILT.
UH, I'M HERE KIND OF REALLY REPRESENTING HER.
UM, THE, UH, COUPLE THINGS THAT HAVE F FIRST OF ALL, UH, I NEED TO STOP.
SHE'S NOT A DEFENDANT IN THE LAWSUIT, WHICH I THINK LE LEAVES US A LITTLE MORE FREE TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE VERY SPECIFIC ISSUES.
UM, I JUST WANNA START WITH SOMETHING TO KIND OF COUNTER SOME THINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAID.
UM, OUR FAMILY, WE ARE STRONG SUPPORTERS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
MY WIFE'S A RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHER.
UM, MY DAUGHTER IS A A MIDDLE SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER.
UH, WE HAVE THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
ALL THE LIVES OF ALL OF OUR KIDS WOULDN'T THINK OF DOING IT OTHERWISE.
UM, SO WE APPRECIATE THE STRUGGLES THAT THEY'RE HAVING.
THE STRUGGLES THAT THEY'RE HAVING ARE NOT UNIQUE TO AUSTIN.
THEY'RE UNIQUE TO JUST ABOUT EVERY URBAN CITY THAT'S OUT THERE THAT HAS HAD A, A LONG FUNCTIONING SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO WE SUPPORT WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE WAY THAT THEY'RE GOING ABOUT IT.
UM, MY PERSPECTIVE'S A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE.
UH, I RETIRED A FEW YEARS AGO FROM ABOUT 40 YEARS IN THE DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
UH, BEEN SITTING IN THIS SEAT A NUMBER OF TIMES BEFORE.
UM, I REALLY WANNA START WITH, UM, WHAT I THOUGHT AT THE TIME WAS AN INTERESTING COMMENT, BUT SINCE THEN IT'S BECOME FUNNY, UH, THAT THE, THE, UH, COMMISSIONER SAID TO ME AT ONE OF THE HEARINGS, UM, I BROUGHT UP A POINT THAT I THOUGHT WAS VERY VALID, AND HE SAID, UM, UH, YOU DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND, SIR.
YOU'RE MAKING A ZONING REQUEST.
YOU MAKE THE REQUESTS, WE MAKE THE REQUIREMENTS.
AND THAT'S REALLY KIND OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO SPEAK TO.
MY, MY, UH, SPECIFIC, UH, FIELD WHEN I WAS IN THE DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY, WAS TRAFFIC, UH, DOVE INTO THE TRAFFIC STUDY OF THIS, UH, PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY.
[00:50:01]
IS THAT YOU WILL LOOK AT THIS WITH US.BUT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE CURRENT TRAFFIC STUDY IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED, UM, AND TO MAKE A DECISION ON FUNDAMENTALLY INCORRECT INFORMATION IS VERY PROBLEMATIC.
UM, SO THE, UH, THIS FIRST SLIDE, YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THESE PICTURES.
THESE ARE THE TYPICAL ROSEDALE BUNGALOW, MOST OF 'EM BUILT IN THE 1940S.
UM, UH, MANY OF THE HOMES, NO GARAGE, SINGLE CAR DRIVEWAY.
SOME OF 'EM BARELY HAVE A DRIVEWAY.
UH, THE, THE RESULT OF THAT IS THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF ON-STREET PARKING THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, THESE PICTURES, UH, NOTHING IS STAGED ABOUT THESE.
I TOOK THESE AT 10 30 THIS MORNING JUST IN A DRIVE THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS IS VERY TYPICAL FOR WHAT A ROSEDALE STREET LOOKS LIKE, UH, INCLUDING IF YOU LOOK IN THE LOWER LEFT PEDESTRIANS WALKING DOWN THE STREET, UM, THERE ARE NO SIDEWALKS ON ANY OF THESE STREETS.
UH, THE STREETS ARE 27 FEET WIDE, UH, TYPICALLY DOUBLE PARKED LIKE THIS, WHICH LEAVES A TRAVEL LANE OF SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 11 TO 13 FEET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, UM, IN THE HIGHWAY, UH, CRITERIA MANUAL.
THIS TYPE OF STREET UNDER 28 FEET WITH DOUBLE PARKING IS WHAT THEY CLASSIFY AS A YIELD STREET.
MEANING VERY OFTEN WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE GOING DOWN THE STREET, AND WE'VE ALL EXPERIENCED THIS, UM, YOU NEED TO PULL OVER TO ALLOW SOMEBODY TO COME THROUGH OR VICE VERSA, UM, UH, THAT TYPE OF STREET, UH, THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF THAT STREET, AND YOU'LL SEE THIS IN A MINUTE, IN, IN THE, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, NET OR NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS, THEY'RE SAYING, CARRYING CAPACITY AROUND 1200 VEHICLES PER DAY ON THESE STREETS.
UM, HIGHWAY CRITERIA MANUAL SAYS THAT WHEN THESE STREETS BECOME DOUBLE PARKED, UH, THAT CARRYING CAPACITY DROPS TO ABOUT 500 VEHICLES PER DAY.
UM, SO YOU'VE SEEN THIS SLIDE BEFORE TOO.
UH, EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN YELLOW THERE IS THE PROPOSED BUILDING.
UM, THE OTHER VERY, UH, INFORMATIVE THING YOU SEE ARE THE THREE RED ARROWS, WHICH INDICATE THE PROPOSED ACCESS POINTS TO THE BUILDING.
AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES, THE BUILDING HAS NO FRONTAGE OF ANY KIND ON BURNETT ROAD.
SO 100% OF THE TRAFFIC FROM THE BUILDING IS DESTINED TO USE THE NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS TO COME AND GO.
UH, THIS IS THE, UH, THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS PERFORMED BY THE CITY.
AND I WANNA MAKE A DISTINCTION THERE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THIS IS THE BE ALL AND END ALL OF OF TRAFFIC STUDIES.
AND AGAIN, MY BACKGROUND, MY 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, I'VE BEEN REVIEWING LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF THESE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS TYPICALLY USED WHEN THERE'S, YOU KNOW, 300 TO A THOUSAND VEHICLES PER DAY THAT MIGHT BE IN PLAY.
UM, ONCE YOU GET BEYOND THAT POINT, UH, IT BECOMES NECESSARY TO EXAMINE A MUCH WIDER, UH, SECTION OF THE, OF TRAFFIC FLOW.
THAT'S CALLED A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS.
UM, THIS, UH, UH, THIS, UH, PARTICULAR THING, IF YOU, THIS IS THE CITY'S REPORT.
THE THINGS IN YELLOW ARE COMMENTS THAT I'VE MADE, UH, RELATED TO THAT.
UM, THE, UH, UH, THE MAIN THING THAT YOU'LL SEE AT, AT THE BOTTOM THAT'S, THAT'S IMPORTANT.
I'LL TRY AND GET THROUGH THIS PRETTY QUICKLY.
UM, THE, UM, UH, THE ASSUMPTION THAT YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT THAT, UH, THEY INCLUDED THE, THE EMPTY SCHOOL BUILDING AS AN A A SD OFFICE.
UM, UH, NOT CORRECT THE, THE EXISTING VEHICLE TRIPS WERE A FRACTION OF THAT IN ITS CURRENT USE, BUT IN ITS FORMER USE AS A SCHOOL, ABOUT 186 VEHICLES PER DAY VERSUS THE 486 THAT THAT STAFF WAS SUGGESTING WOULD COME THROUGH THAT SITE, WHEN YOU ALLOW THAT NUMBER TO CARRY THROUGH, UM, IT, IT SAYS NET ADJUSTED TRIPS OF ALMOST 1400 A DAY WILL COME FROM THIS NEW USE.
BUT EVEN MORE IMPORT IS THE, UH, UP ABOVE WHERE IT SAYS IS MID-RISE MULTIFAMILY UNDER ITE CODE 2 21 WOULD YIELD, UH, 4 35 UNITS AT, UH, 1975 TRIPS PER DAY.
I'LL, I'LL WRAP UP REAL QUICKLY.
UM, I, I URGE YOU TO GO AHEAD AND READ THROUGH THIS, UH, STUDY.
IT'S GONNA BRING UP WHAT THESE DIFFERENCES ARE.
AND THE MAIN THING IS IT, THIS USE CREATES FAILURE LEVEL ON ALL OF THE SURROUNDING CITY STREETS.
NOT, NOT AN IMPACT, A FAILURE LEVEL.
OUR NEXT, UH, MAY I ASK THREE QUESTION, THE SPEAKER? SPEAKER, YES.
UM, WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR ASSUMPTIONS, MODELING ASSUMPTIONS, UM, ARE CORRECT FOR THIS SCENARIO VERSUS THE DEVELOPERS, RIGHT? BECAUSE I'M SURE THEY WOULD'VE COUNTERPOINTS.
I'M CURIOUS WHY YOU THINK YOUR MODELING ASSUMPTIONS FOR PARKING, TRAFFIC AND SO ON ARE MORE ACCURATE? SO, A, A NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS, AND THAT WAS CONDUCTED BY THE CITY, NOT BY THE APPLICANT.
[00:55:01]
UM, THAT, UH, PUTS MEASURING POINTS DIRECTLY OUTSIDE OF, OF WHERE THE NEW PROJECT IS PROPOSED, ESSENTIALLY ALMOST AT THE, AT THE ENTRANCES AND EXITS.AND WHAT THEY MEASURE IS CURRENT TRAFFIC AT THOSE POINTS VERSUS PROJECTED TRAFFIC AT THOSE POINTS.
UM, IT FAILS TO RECOGNIZE ANY OTHER TRAFFIC THAT FLOWS THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT ROSEDALE IS ALREADY A CUT THROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD FROM 45TH STREET.
UH, PEOPLE, IT'S A LOT QUICKER TO GO UP THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAN IT IS TO GET ON BURNETT ROAD.
ALSO FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU CAN HEAD NORTH TO HANCOCK, WHICH HAS A, A SIGNALED INTERSECTION ON BURNETT WITH A LEFT TURN ARROW.
ALL OF THOSE STREET FLOWS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY.
AND AGAIN, IT'S IN YOUR PACKAGE.
UM, I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, THE ADDITION OF THOSE OTHER STREET FLOWS INTO THE STUDY, THAT'S WHERE IT SHOWS THAT THIS GOES INTO FAILURE MODE.
IT'S ALSO THE FACT THAT, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY'S ANALYSIS, THEY HAVE VIEWED THIS AS 1200 VEHICLES PER DAY AS ACCEPTABLE TRAVEL HIGHWAY CRITERIA.
MANUAL CANNOT BE MORE SPECIFIC THAT WHEN YOU DOUBLE PARK THIS SIZE ROAD, THAT CAPACITY DIMINISHES TERRIBLY ABOUT 500 VEHICLES PER DAY ON A DOUBLE PARKED 27 FOOT ROAD.
SO, UH, AT THE VERY LEAST, A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS, A FULL ENGINEERED IMPACT ANALYSIS WILL MEASURE THESE ADDITIONAL STREETS.
IT WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THESE VERY IMPORTANT FACTORS BECAUSE EVEN IF THIS IS REQUIRED LATER AT TIME OF SITE PLAN, UM, THIS WILL BE SO FAR DOWN THE ROAD.
HOW DOES A DEVELOPER BACK OFF OF THEIR PROPOSED DENSITY, IF A, IF A TRANSPORTATION PLAN AT THAT TIME SAYS, THESE STREETS JUST CAN'T HANDLE IT? AND I THINK IT'S INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO MAKE A VERY IMPORTANT DECISION FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, TO MAKE THAT DECISION WITH FLAWED INFORMATION OR WITHOUT ADEQUATE INFORMATION, UH, SEEMS VERY DIFFICULT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION IS MICHAEL.
MICHAEL WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM STEVEN SCA.
STEVEN, ARE YOU PRESENT? MICHAEL, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES.
I'M HERE TONIGHT AS SOMEONE WHO'S BEING SUED BY MY PUBLIC SCHOOL, A ISD, BUT I'M ALSO HERE AS SOMEONE WHO HAS SPENT NEARLY 50 YEARS IN MY ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE TRYING TO HELP CITIES MAKE BETTER DECISIONS.
I LIVE AT 48 0 5 SINCLAIR AVENUE.
I WANNA BEGIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT BEING REQUIRED TO SPEND SIGNIFICANT TIME AND RESOURCES DEFENDING MYSELF IN A LEGAL DISPUTE IS DEEPLY FRUSTRATING.
BUT THE MAIN REASON I'M HERE TONIGHT IS BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND I CARE ABOUT GETTING IT RIGHT.
AUSTIN NEEDS ABUNDANT HOUSING.
AUSTIN NEEDS MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION.
AUSTIN NEEDS SAFE STREETS AND WELL-DESIGNED BIKEWAYS AND WALKWAYS.
I'M A FOUNDING PRINCIPAL OF A FIRM WITH MORE THAN 80 STAFF WORKING ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES.
OUR WORK INCLUDES MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING, K 12 SCHOOLS, HIGHER EDUCATION, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, AND ADAPTIVE REUSE.
I STRONGLY SUPPORT ADDING DENSITY TO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
I GAVE AWAY MY CAR 25 YEARS AGO, AND I'VE USED, UH, PUBLIC TRANSIT AND MY BICYCLE TO, UH, OPERATE MY COMPANY AND, AND, UH, MY PRIVATE LIFE.
I STRONGLY SUPPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT NEARLY FIVE DECADES OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.
I'VE RARELY SEEN A REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL AS POORLY CONCEIVED AS THE ONE PROPOSED BY OHT FOR THE ROSEDALE ELEMENTARY SITE.
TONIGHT, I'M RESPECTFULLY ASKING YOU TO REJECT OR AT LEAST POSTPONE ACTION ON THIS REZONING REQUEST AND ALLOW TIME FOR MEANINGFUL COLLABORATION.
OUR ATTORNEY UNFORTUNATELY, HAS ADVISED US THAT LITIGATION MAY CONTINUE FOR MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS.
TAKING TIME NOW TO FIND COMMON GROUND COULD ACTUALLY HELP A ISD MOVE FORWARD MORE QUICKLY IN THE LONG RUN, ACROSS DOZENS OF JURISDICTIONS WHERE I HAVE ATTENDED ZONING HEARINGS, COMMISSIONS CONSTANTLY OR CONSISTENTLY ASK ONE KEY QUESTION.
HAVE THE APPLICANTS WORKED WITH THE NEIGHBORS TO FIND A MUTUALLY ACCEPT AGREEABLE SOLUTION? IN THIS CASE, MEANINGFUL COLLABORATION HAS NOT OCCURRED.
THERE ARE SEVERAL IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT DESERVE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION.
FIRST, APPROPRIATE DENSITY AIS, SD AND O HTS PROPOSAL IS MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF TIMES THE DENSITY OF OTHER RECENT A ISD SCHOOL.
REDEVELOPMENTS THIS SCALE, THE SCALE, UH, SORRY.
THIS SCALE OF, UH, DRAMATICALLY OUT OF PROPORTION WITH BOTH COMPARABLE PROJECTS AND THE SURROUNDING HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD.
[01:00:01]
COY WAS ABOUT 18 ACRES, AND THEY BUILT 675 UNITS.NORMAN SIMS, 7.9 ACRES, 156 UNITS.
ROSEDALE HAS BEEN PROPOSED 4.62 ACRES WITH 435 UNITS.
MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF TIMES WHAT'S BEEN ALLOWED OR REQUESTED BEFORE.
SECOND HOUSING CHOICE AND NEIGHBORHOOD FIT.
INSTEAD OF ONE GIANT LUXURY APARTMENT BLOCK WITH A MASSIVE PARKING STRUCTURE, WE COULD PURSUE GENTLE DENSITY STRATEGIES, A BLEND OF TOWNHOUSES, STACKED WALK-UP FLATS, COTTAGE COURTS, ADUS, AND SMALL APARTMENT BUILDINGS.
THESE APPROACHES CAN ADD MEANINGFUL DENSITY OF HOUSING WHILE SUPPORTING WALKABILITY SAFETY AND COMPATIBILITY WITH EXISTING HOMES.
THIRD, EVI ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.
A DISTRIBUTED PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT CAN EXPAND TREE CANOPY, REDUCE HEAT ISLAND EFFECTS, IMPROVE AIR QUALITY, MANAGE STORM WATER MORE EFFECTIVELY, AND SUPPORT BIODIVERSITY WHILE MAKING BETTER USE OF THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE.
FOURTH, BETTER TRANSPORTATION OUTCOMES.
LARGE SINGLE BLOCK DEVELOPMENTS OFTEN REINFORCE CAR DEPENDENCY AND INCREASE CONDITION CONGESTION, NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE DENSITY SUPPORTS TRANSIT USE, BIKING, AND WALKING.
AND IF YOU WA SEE THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU'LL SEE HOW IT'S HAPPENING NOW.
FIFTH, LONG-TERM COMMUNITY RESILIENCE.
A MIX OF HOUSING TYPES ALLOWS FAMILIES TO GROW, SENIORS TO AGE IN PLACE, AND NEW RESIDENTS TO REMAIN CONNECTED TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT ALSO SUPPORTS ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AND REDUCES THE RISK OF REDEVELOPMENT, RE LEADING TO EX EXCLUSIVE ENCLAVES THAT ARE UNAFFORDABLE.
THIS WILL, UH, THIS DECISION YOU'RE ABOUT TO MAKE WILL LIVE WITH US FOR DECADES.
WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR A FEW MORE WEEKS TO GET IT RIGHT.
FINALLY, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACHIEVABILITY COLLABORATIVE DESIGN COULD REDUCE CONFLICT.
SHORTEN LITIGATION HELP A ISD ACCESS FUNDING SOONER, AND RESULT IN A DEVELOPMENT THAT STRENGTHENS RATHER THAN DESTROYS THIS HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE SITE OF A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL CARRIES DEEP EMOTIONAL AND CIVIC MEANING WHEN PUBLIC LAND IS REDEVELOPED.
DESIGN SENSITIVITY AND GENUINE ENGAGEMENT ARE ESSENTIAL TO BUILDING DURABLE PUBLIC TRUST.
WITH THOUGHTFUL PLANNING, THIS SITE COULD BECOME A MODEL OF FISCAL, OF A MODEL OF FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, AFFORDABLE NEIGHBORHOOD SCALED GROWTH FOR ROSEDALE, BUT ALSO FOR THE OTHER CLOSED SCHOOL SITES THAT A ISD WILL BE SELLING IN THE FUTURE NEIGHBORHOODS WITH A SENSE OF PLACE THAT FIELD NATURALLY WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF ITS SURROUNDINGS RATHER THAN IMPOSED UPON IT.
FOR THESE REASONS, I RESPECTFULLY URGE YOU TO POSTPONE OR REJECT THIS REZONING REQUEST AND ENCOURAGE A ISD TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY, COLLABORATIVELY, TOWARD A BETTER SOLUTION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, AND FOR YOUR STEWARDSHIP OF THIS PUBLIC, PUBLIC ASSET.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION IS LAURA ALLIE.
LAURA WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM MOLLY MARTIN.
MOLLY, ARE YOU PRESENT? I'M HERE.
LAURA, YOU WILL HAVE SIX MINUTES.
I LIVE WITH MY HUSBAND MICHAEL AT 48 0 5 SINCLAIR AVE.
I AM ONE OF THE NEIGHBORS BEING SUED BY OUR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, I HAVE NEVER BEEN SUED BEFORE.
IT WAS A SAD DAY TO BE SERVED, UH, BY THE DISTRICT, AND I STILL REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY.
UM, I DO OPPOSE THIS CURRENT PLAN.
AS MICHAEL HAS MENTIONED, WE HAVE A THRIVING ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE.
WE HAVE DESIGNED OVER 9,000 MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL UNITS, UM, FROM LARGE SCALE URBAN PROJECTS AS YOU SEE HERE, TO APPROPRIATELY SCALED, UM, TO APPROPRIATELY SCALED, UH, RESIDENTIAL MULTIFAMILY APARTMENTS NESTLED INTO HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE ALSO TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN CARING FOR UNHOUSED FOLKS.
UM, WE, BY PROVIDING, UH, SORRY.
UM, SO WE, WE, UH, WE CARE DEEPLY FOR THE UNHOUSED FOLKS.
SO ALL I WHY, WHY I'M SAYING ALL OF THIS IS, UM, THAT WE KNOW WHAT IT TAKES FOR DEVELOPERS TO HAVE SUCCESS, AND OUR DEVELOPER CLIENTS ARE ON REPEAT.
MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN WITH US FOR 35 YEARS, SO THEY CONTINUE TO BE OUR FRIENDS AND WE GIVE THEM GREAT SUCCESS.
UH, WE ALSO KNOW THE CHALLENGES FACING PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF OUR SLIDES SHOWING OUR, UM, PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
UM, WE'VE DONE HIGH SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
[01:05:01]
WE UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMIC PRESSURES ARE ENORMOUS, ESPECIALLY HERE IN TEXAS.UM, I GIVE YOU THIS BRIEF HISTORY TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE SAY THAT OHT AND A ISD PLAN IS ILL-CONCEIVED.
UM, IT IS AT ITS HEART A GREEDY PLAY BY A HUGE DEVELOPER KNOWING A ISD IS IN A DESPERATE SPOT, AND IT'S A CRUEL JOKE THAT OUR CITY, WHICH CLAIMS TO WANT WALKABILITY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND AFFORDABILITY TO LET THIS EVEN MOVE FORWARD.
THIS PROJECT HAS NONE OF THESE THINGS.
UM, O-H-T-A-I-S-D HAS PUSHED THIS PROPOSAL FORWARD AT BREAKNECK SPEED TRYING TO BULLY THE LITTLE GUY ROSEDALE, UH, INTO SUBMISSION.
UH, A ISD ACCEPTED THIS HIGH BID OF 26 MILLION.
IT SEEMED LIKE FAST, EASY MONEY, BUT LET ME REMIND YOU THAT THIS GIANT AMOUNT OF MONEY WILL ONLY COVER LESS THAN SIX DAYS OF AD'S OPERATING COSTS.
SO THIS MONEY GRAB BARELY PUTS A BANDAID ON AD'S, MONEY TROUBLES, BUT IF ALLOWED, IT WILL FOREVER HARM A SMALL HISTORIC AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO I WANNA TELL YOU WHO IS, WHO IS ROSEDALE? WHAT IS ROSEDALE? UM, IT'S A SMALL, UNASSUMING HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD.
MOST COTTAGES AND SMALL HOMES WERE BUILT IN THE THIRTIES AND FORTIES.
THE MOST FAMOUS HISTORIC PROPERTY IS THE MONROE HANCOCK FARMSTEAD, 1838, SITUATED AT 49TH AND SINCLAIR, MR. ORANGE HANCOCK, A FORMERLY ENSLAVED MAN AND HIS FAMILY LIVED HERE, REGISTERED TO VOTE, SAVED WAGES, AND PURCHASED HIS OWN FARM.
THIS HISTORIC FARM THAT HOSTS MANY SCHOOL TOURS AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATIONS IS ON THE SAME STREET AS THIS PROPOSED OVERSCALED OHT DEVELOPMENT.
I SHARE THESE DETAILS TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE PLACE YOU'RE PREPARING TO VOTE ON.
UM, DENSITY IS NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
APPROPRIATE DENSITY IS AT THE HEART OF EVERY GOOD ZONING AND CITY PLANNING PRACTICE LANDING THE DEATH STAR IN THE MIDDLE OF ROSEDALE IS NOT.
WE JUST HEARD TONIGHT THAT THERE'S SOME AFFORDABLE, I'M WONDERING IS THERE THREE FIVE? I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, BUT THAT'S A NEW TERM THAT WE'VE JUST HEARD OVER 2000 MORE DAILY CAR TRIPS.
THIS IS A FACT GENERATED BY THE TRAFFIC STUDY FROM THE CITY ON STREETS THAT ARE NARROW MOSTLY WITHOUT SIDEWALKS.
IT IS ANTI GOOD CITY PLANNING PRACTICE, ANTI AURA PRACTICE.
I WILL CLOSE BY READING FROM YOUR WEBSITE.
THE AUSTIN PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE PEOPLE CENTERED PLANNING SERVICES TO CREATE A CITY WHERE EVERYONE CAN THRIVE.
THE COLLABORATIVE, THEY COLLABORATE WITH RESIDENTS AND DEVELOP LONG RANGE PLANS, FOCUSING ON SUSTAINABILITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ECONOMIC VITALITY, AND CULTURAL CULTURAL PRESERVATION.
GUIDED BY IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THE O-H-T-A-I-S-D PROPOSAL DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD.
UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, JUST REALLY QUICK, UH, MS. MRS. ALLEY WAS REFERRING TO SLIDES.
UH, I DIDN'T SEE THOSE SLIDES COME ACROSS THE SCREEN.
I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY ELSE ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE ONLINE, BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANY, ANY OF THE SLIDES SHE WAS REFERRING TO.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND EMAIL THAT OUT TO THE COMMISSION SO Y'ALL HAVE ACCESS TO THAT.
THEY WERE, ISN'T THERE A WAY FOR THE ONLINE PARTICIPANTS TO SEE THE SLIDES? SO COMMISSIONER, WE SAW THE SLIDES FROM THE OTHER PRESENTATIONS, JUST NOT MRS. ALLIE.
SO BEFORE THE NEXT SPEAKER WITH SLIDE STARTS, CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN SEE THE SLIDES? YES, OF COURSE.
AND AGAIN, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT PRESENTATION IS EMAILED OUT TO THE COMMISSION FOR Y'ALL'S REVIEW.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JANINE MARTIN.
JANINE WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
JANINE, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
LOOKS LIKE MS. MARTIN IS NOT CURRENTLY ONLINE, BUT WE'LL COME BACK TOWARDS THE END.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MATTHEW STA.
MATTHEW, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I'VE LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR OVER 20 YEARS, RAISED MY KIDS ON ROSEDALE AVENUE, APPROXIMATELY SEVEN HOUSES AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO READ FROM THE OHT PARTNERS WEBSITE, O HT PARTNERS.COM.
THIS IS HOW THEY DESCRIBE THEMSELVES.
OHT ADDS VALUE TO EVERY PROJECT AND CULTIVATES TRUST WITH EVERY DEAL.
I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY'RE CULTIVATING TRUST WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
OHT PARTNERS LEVERAGES SUBSTANTIAL INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE AND EXTENSIVE MARKET KNOWLEDGE TO IDENTIFY AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES.
SURELY I COULD BUY A SINGLE FAMILY THREE PROPERTY AND UP ZONE IT TO MULTIFAMILY.
IT'S A BEDROCK OF HOW WE'D BECOME THE LEADING MULTIFAMILY REAL ESTATE CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT
[01:10:01]
INVESTMENT FIRM IN TEXAS.OUR EXPERTISE, SEEMINGLY INTEGRATION AND TIGHT FOCUS ON BOTTOM LINE, ENABLES US TO BUILD AND DEVELOP BEST IN CLASS COMMUNITIES AND COMPETITIVE PRICES FOR OUR INVESTORS AND THIRD PARTY GENERAL CONTRACTING PARTNERS.
WE ADD VALUE TO EVERY PROJECT WE BUILD AT OHT.
WE DON'T JUST BUILD APARTMENTS THAT ARE PROUD TO BE CALLED HOME.
SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2010, WE'VE SOUGHT TO CULTIVATE CONFIDENCE AND TRUST AND ULTIMATELY BUILD LASTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH AND EVERY COMMUNITY.
THIS IS DIRECTLY OFF THE WEBSITE.
OHT DEVELOPS BEST IN CLASS LUXURY MULTI-FAMILY COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN, DALLAS, HOUSTON, AND SAN ANTONIO MARKETS.
TODAY WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HEARD ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
IN THE OCTOBER PLAN, THEY SHOWED A 75 FOOT PARKING GARAGE, A BUDDING, A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE SINGLE LOT THAT THEY'RE ASKING TO CHANGE FROM SF THREE ABUTS ANOTHER SINGLE FAMILY LOT.
NOW THEY'RE SAYING THEY'RE GOING TO PUT A DRAINAGE DETENTION POND.
I ASK EVERYONE ON THE COMMISSION, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO GIVE UP THE LOT NEXT TO YOU TO HAVE A DRAINAGE POND PUT NEXT TO YOUR HOUSE? THERE IS NO RESTRICTION ON ANY OF THESE PROPERTIES.
OHT COULD SELL THIS LOT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER AFTER REZONING THE PROPERTY.
THEY'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT FREE TO DO SO.
MF SIX DASH CO 75 IS PROBABLY WORTH 55 TO 75 MILLION ON THE RETAIL MARKET.
OHT HAS NO RESTRICTIONS ON THIS PROPERTY.
THEY TOOK A $13 MILLION SINGLE FAMILY PROPERTY WITH MAXIMUM DENSITY OF 30 FOOT TALL AND NOW ARE ASKING FOR 75 FEET.
OHT IS SUPPOSEDLY AN AUSTIN DEVELOPER.
THEY'RE ONE OF THE TOP 10 LARGEST DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES IN THE UNITED STATES.
THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE HEADQUARTERED IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
IF NOT, YOU CAN GO TO THEIR WEBPAGE AND INVEST WWW.OHTPARTNERS.COM.
A SD WILL SELL OFF EVERY SCHOOL THAT THEY CLOSE.
IF THIS REZONING IS APPROVED, A ISD CANNOT SELL ALL 113 PROPERTIES AND GENERATE ENOUGH INCOME TO STAY SUSTAINABLE.
I ASK, WHY DO WE DRAW BORDERS FOR TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT? THIS IS OUTSIDE THE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JIM CUNNINGHAM.
JIM WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM TAMARA BLINKEN.
TAMARA, ARE YOU PRESENT? YES, JIM, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES.
WHILE I'M NOT A DEFENDANT, I LIVE FOUR HOUSES OUTSIDE THE ZONE WHERE MY NEIGHBORS ARE BEING SUED.
SO THE LUXURY APARTMENTS CAN BE BUILT TO REPLACE A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL THAT MANY OF US INTERACTED WITH OVER THE DECADES AS EITHER A STUDENT, A PARENT, OR A VOLUNTEER.
BECAUSE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD RECOGNIZES AND SUPPORTS PUBLIC EDUCATION, WE WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH A ISD TO DISCUSS THE WAYS IN WHICH A SOLUTION THAT COULD HELP THE SCHOOL DISTRICT PROVIDE A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY IN THE FORM OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, HOLDING MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MEETINGS TO DISCUSS SOLUTIONS SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY AND THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
WE DECIDEDLY OR IN NO WAY NIMBYS, ALTHOUGH THAT CERTAINLY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN THE CASE WITH A COUPLE OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE FAIRLY CLOSE BY, UH, WHO WE SAT AND LISTENED TO WHO HAVE LEFT THE ROOM, DECIDED THEY DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR OUR SIDE.
UM, WE ARE TAX PAYING COMMUNITY SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT OF THE SNAFU THAT IS BEING CONSIDERED A FEW POINTS.
FIRST, THIS PROPOSED COMPLEX IS NOT LOCATED ON A MAJOR CORRIDOR AND BEARS NO RESEMBLANCE TO ANYTHING CURRENTLY IN EXISTENCE.
THIS IS A, THIS IS A PROPOSED MONSTROSITY, SHOEHORNED IN A NEIGHBORHOOD AT LEAST PARTIALLY BASED ON A NONSENSICAL TRAFFIC STUDY AS A RESIDENT ON ROSEDALE AVENUE.
AT PRESENT, I HAVE PARKING AND TRAFFIC ISSUES.
OUR STREETS ALREADY NARROW BEAR THE TRAFFIC OF RESIDENTS, RENTERS, WORKERS AND SHOPPERS FROM BURNETT ROAD BUSINESSES, CONSTRUCTION CREWS, YARD CREWS, DELIVERY TRUCKS OF EVERY STRIPE, PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS.
I CAN ASSURE YOU THE ROUNDABOUT AT THE END OF MY BLOCK WASN'T PUT THERE FOR ORNAMENTAL PURPOSES, IS PUT THERE BECAUSE WE'VE GOT TRAFFIC PROBLEMS. I KNOW THERE'S AN ISSUE WHEN PEOPLE WISHING TO PARK MOVE MY TRASH CAN SO THAT THEY CAN PARK THEIR CAR, INCLUDING PUTTING THE CARTS IN MY YARD AND THUS THE CITY DOESN'T PICK UP THE TRASH THE FOLLOWING MORNING.
[01:15:01]
NOT TO MENTION THOSE TIMES WHEN THE TRASH GETS KNOCKED OVER AND NO ONE PICKS IT UP AFTER A BEER TOO MANY AT PINT HOUSE, BECAUSE SO MANY OF OUR HOMES ARE DUPLEXES, TOWN HOMES OR A AND B UNITS, WE'RE ALREADY FILLING UP OUR STREETS WITH CARS.ADDING HUNDREDS MORE CARS IS JUST SILLY ON ITS FACE.
WHAT I'VE SEEN WITH THE ONGOING GENTRIFICATION OF MY BLOCK IS THAT OLDER, MORE AFFORDABLE RENTAL UNITS ARE BEING TORN DOWN INNOVATIVELY.
WHAT HAS REPLACED THEM ARE NEWER, MORE EXPENSIVE HOUSING.
THE HOME NEXT DOOR TO ME HAS HOUSED MUSICIANS, ARTISTS, A MAP MAKER, STUDENTS, BAKERS, AND EVEN A PALM READER.
MAYBE THE PALM READER KNEW SOMETHING, SOMETHING NONE OF THE REST OF US REALIZED.
NOW THE PLACE NEXT DOOR IS AN OFF AND ON AIRBNB SHORT-TERM RENTAL.
I HAVE NO DOUBT ALLOWING THIS SORT OF DEVELOPMENT WILL ONLY HASTEN THE FURTHER DEGRADATION OF A THRIVING, ACTIVE AND LOYAL OLD AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD.
TO BORROW A PHRASE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT TILL IT'S GONE.
MY KIDS WENT TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
I WORK FOR THE TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
WHAT WE NEED IS COMMUNICATION.
THAT'S THE ONE THING WE HAVEN'T HAD.
WE THOUGHT WE HAD IT WITH A ISD.
WE'VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THEM TO DEVELOP A PLAN THAT WORKED FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE SCHOOL, AND HOPEFULLY THE CITY AS WELL.
THE IDEA IS WE WERE GONNA BUILD HOUSING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR EDUCATORS.
AND THE NEXT THING WE KNEW IS, OH YEAH, FORGET THAT.
WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
THAT'S NOT HOW YOU TURN NIMBYS INTO YES, IN MY BACKYARD.
AND I HOPE YOU GUYS WILL TAKE SOME OF THIS INTO ACCOUNT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS APRIL MALEEK.
APRIL, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
HI, THIS IS A GOOD SEGUE FROM HIS CONVERSATION, BUT MY NAME IS APRIL MILICK.
I'M A ROSEDALE RESIDENT AND MY FAMILY HAS BEEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE THE FORTIES.
UH, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE ON THAT, 45TH STREET AT THAT TIME WAS THE EDGE OF TOWN ALSO.
UH, MY GRANDMA AND GRANDPARENTS WOULD TELL THE STORY AS FAR AS THEY ALL HAD TO CHIP IN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO, UH, PAVE THE ROAD IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE BECAUSE IT WASN'T PAVED AT THAT TIME.
UM, I'M NOT SAYING THAT TO COME HERE AS THE OLD GUARD.
I'M COMING HERE TO SAY I'M THE NEW VERSION OF THE OLD GUARD.
SO MY GRANDMA, UH, WORKED AT THE ROSEDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UM, SHE ONLY WORKED THERE BECAUSE A LITTLE LADY AROUND THE CORNER FROM HER RECOMMENDED HER FOR THE JOB.
AND, UH, THEY WERE LIFELONG FRIENDS.
ALSO, MY DADS, MY DAD AND MY UNCLES ALSO WENT TO SCHOOL THERE, AS WELL AS MY SISTER WHO WENT THERE WHEN IT WAS A SCHOOL FOR THE HANDICAPPED IN THE LATE SEVENTIES AND EARLY EIGHTIES.
SO, NEEDLESS TO SAY, I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, I'M NOT, I LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE ARE NOT OPPOSED TO REDEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT IS THE NEW VERSION OF THE OLD GUARD.
WE JUST, LIKE HE SAID, WANNA HAVE COMMUNICATIONS AND WORK WITH PEOPLE TO DEVELOP THE SITE.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN AUSTIN.
I'VE SEEN MANY THINGS IN AUSTIN GO TO THE WAYSIDE, WHERE NOW WE DON'T HAVE AUSTIN AS AUSTIN ANYMORE.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE REDEVELOPMENT THAT KEEPS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH WE LIVE AND WHAT MAKES AUSTIN, AUSTIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DARRELL AZAR.
DARRELL WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM SARAH TON SMUIN.
SARAH, ARE YOU PRESENT, SARAH? JUST ONE SECOND.
ANOTHER PERSON SIGNED UP TO DONATE TIME.
DID YOU DONATE SARAH? ALRIGHT.
UM, MAY I DO THAT? I I WILL NEED A MINUTE TO PROCESS ALL OF THAT PROBLEM.
SO IF WE COULD JUST GIVE IT A COUPLE SECONDS PROBLEM.
TAKE ME A MINUTE TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
[01:20:18]
OKAY.ALRIGHT, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU CHAIRMAN AND COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR TIME.
I APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
MY NAME IS DARYL AZAR AND I LIVE AT 4 9 0 6 LINWOOD STREET, WHICH IS A ONE BLOCK STREET THAT DEAD END, BUT TRANSVERSES BETWEEN 49TH AND A BUS RIGHT INTO THE SCHOOL, AND THEN GOES DOWN TO HANCOCK WHERE THERE'S A FIRE STATION.
UH, MY FAMILY HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M NOT A, I'M NOT A DEFENDANT IN THIS LAWSUIT BECAUSE I LIVE THREE, YOU KNOW, THREE HOUSES AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL, BUT I'M JUST NORTH OF 49TH, SO I'M NOT ACTUALLY A DEFENDANT.
I AM HOWEVER AFFECTED, UH, JUST AS MUCH AS ANYONE WHO WAS SUED.
AND MORE THAN MOST, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE OF EXACTLY WHERE I LIVE.
MY FAMILY HAS LIVED IN THIS SINGLE FAMILY HOME, UH, UH, SINCE 1937 BEFORE THE SCHOOL WAS BUILT AND BEFORE MOST OF THE OTHER HOMES IN THIS AREA WERE BUILT.
UM, UH, IT, MY BROTHER AND, UH, MY MOTHER AND, AND I ALL ATTENDED ROSEDALE ELEMENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UM, AND SO I'VE BEEN ACTUALLY A RESIDENCE IN THIS, UH, HOUSE IN FOR 50 YEARS.
I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, ITS LIMITATIONS AND THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING CONDITIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
NOW, THERE WAS SOME REPRESENTATIONS MADE BY EARLIER SPEAKERS THAT SOMEHOW WE WANTED TO KEEP THIS AS A PARK AND THAT THIS WOULD BE SOME DEVELOPMENT THAT WORKING FAMILIES COULD ENJOY.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY, NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE.
UH, I, WE DON'T OPPOSE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SCHOOL.
UM, WE ARE STRONGLY IN SUPPORT OF RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT.
HOWEVER, O HTS, UH, UH, PROPOSAL IS NOT RESPONSIBLE AND IT DOESN'T AFFORD, UH, REALLY CREATE ANY AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THEIR APPLICATION SAYS NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SUDDENLY TODAY THEY SAY, WELL, WE'RE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE WITH SOMEONE WHO WILL SUBSIDIZE SOME OF THESE UNITS, SOME UNNAMED NUMBER.
WELL, UH, YOU KNOW, THE PROOF WILL BE IN THE PUDDING, BUT IT'S SURE NOT IN WRITING.
UM, HOUSING STOCK IS IMPORTANT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, LUXURY HOUSING THOUGH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S IN SHORT SUPPLY, AND THAT'S WHAT OHT BUILDS.
IT SAYS SO ON THEIR WEBSITE, THAT'S WHAT THEY BUILD LUXURY HOUSING AND, AND LUXURY HOUSING IS, IS EVERYWHERE.
WHAT WE NEED IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
MAXIMUM DENSITY IN OF ITS IN OF ITSELF DOES NOT EQUATE TO AFFORDABILITY, BECAUSE IF IT DID, NEW YORK CITY WOULD BE THE MOST AFFORDABLE PLACE IN THE WORLD.
IT HAS TO BE DONE CORRECTLY AS SOME OF THE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DESCRIBED.
UH, AS FAR AS THE TRAFFIC HAZARDS, WELL, THIS, THIS IS NOT JUST A NUISANCE.
THE TRAFFIC THAT THIS PROJECT WOULD GENERATE AROUND 2000 TRIPS A DAY IS ACTUALLY A SAFETY ISSUE.
LINWOOD STREET IS ALREADY A CUT THROUGH AND IS, UH, HOUSES MUCH SPILLOVER TRAFFIC FROM BURNETT ROAD, BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS, EVEN ONES ON HANCOCK.
UM, THERE ARE TIMES OF THE DAY WHERE I CAN'T PARK IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE AT ALL AND I HAVE TO PARK ON THE NEXT STREET OVER BECAUSE IT'S FILLED WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE FILLING IT UP AND, AND THERE'S TRAFFIC GOING UP AND DOWN.
UM, THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO EXACERBATE THAT SITUATION AND PEOPLE ARE GONNA GO LOOK AT THAT 49TH STREET LIGHT AND THEY ALREADY DO, AND THEY GO RIGHT DOWN MY STREET AND THEN GO OVER TO HANCOCK TO, TO EITHER GO WEST OR TO GET TO BURNETT ROAD THAT WAY.
ALL THE SMALL STREETS AROUND THIS ARE GOING TO BE INUNDATED.
UM, I'D ALSO POINT OUT THERE ARE FOUR YOUNG CHILDREN LIVING ON THIS ONE BLOCK STREET RIGHT NOW, AND A FIFTH IS ON THE WAY.
UH, AND, AND, AND THERE ARE VERY FEW SIDEWALKS.
UH, THERE'S ONE OF THEM RIGHT THERE.
THERE'S SMALL, SMALL CHILDREN ON JUST THIS ONE BLOCK, AND THERE'RE ELDERLY PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I THINK THIS CREATES QUITE A HAZARD.
THERE'S A PATCHWORK OF FRAGMENTS OF SIDEWALK ON MY STREET, AND MOST STREETS IN ROSEDALE HAVE NONE DESPITE THE, YOU KNOW, UH, A, UH, COMMENT EARLIER BY STAFF THAT THERE ARE SIDEWALKS.
WELL, I CAN ONLY THINK OF ONE STREET THAT HAS ANY SIGNIFICANT SIDEWALKS IN THAT AREA.
UM, I JUST THINK IT'S KIND OF IRRESPONSIBLE TO MORE THAN DOUBLE THE POPULATION OF AN AREA THAT LACKS THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO ACCOMMODATE IT.
THIS PROJECT IS JUST GONNA PUT PEOPLE AT RISK.
AND I, I'VE HEARD THE MANTRA THAT TRAFFIC CONGESTION IS GOOD BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO FORCE PEOPLE TO TAKE, TAKE MASS TRANSIT.
WELL, THAT ARGUMENT, I BELIEVE, IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED.
[01:25:01]
IN LUXURY HOUSING WILL PREDOMINANTLY DRIVE OR CALL A UBER OR MAYBE A WAYMO, BUT MOST OF 'EM ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE THAT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.THEY'RE GONNA GET IN THEIR CARS AND THEY'RE GONNA DRIVE, WHICH IS WHY EVEN THE FLAWED TRAFFIC STUDY INDICATES 2000 TRIPS HAVING GONE TO THAT SCHOOL AND LIVED NEXT DOOR TO IT.
MOST OF MY LIFE, I CAN TELL YOU, IT NEVER HAD 400 AND SOMETHING TRIPS A DAY WHEN IT WAS A SCHOOL.
KIDS EITHER WALKED TO SCHOOL OR THEY TOOK A BUS AND THERE WERE A FEW PEOPLE DROPPING THEIR KIDS OFF.
BUT THAT WAS NOT A COMMON THING.
I'VE WATCHED IT FOR MY WHOLE LIFE.
SO THAT'S VERY FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED IN THE WAY THEY PUT THAT TOGETHER.
AND I'M SURE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN OVERSIGHT, BUT IT'S JUST NOT TRUE.
OHT IS PLANNING TO PROVIDE A LOT OF INTERNAL PARKING FOR A REASON BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT WOULD BE FINANCIAL SUICIDE TO BUILD THIS AND THEN EXPECT PEOPLE TO RIDE THE BUS.
THEY'RE JUST NOT GOING TO DO IT.
ALL THESE DRIVERS AND DELIVERY TRUCKS ARE JUST GONNA FLOW ALL THROUGH.
AS, AS YOU SAW ON THE CHART EARLIER FROM, UH, JOHN FRETWELL, THEY'RE GONNA FILTER ALL THROUGH THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S GONNA BE CONTINUAL.
AND ON MY STREET, I'LL BE LUCKY TO GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP 'CAUSE MY BEDROOM IS 25 FEET FROM A CONSTANT FLOW OF TRAFFIC.
NOW I REALLY DO SYMPATHIZE WITH ISD AND ITS PREDICAMENT.
UH, MY BROTHER WAS A TEACHER, MY FATHER WAS A TEACHER, AND I APPRECIATE, I'LL WRAP THIS UP.
UH, THEY'RE IN THIS DIFFICULT SITUATION, BUT THAT DOESN'T REALLY GIVE THEM A REASON TO SUE THEIR OWN CONSTITUENTS AND PULL A BAIT AND SWITCH.
AND IT, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM.
UH, I, I THINK WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IS COME BACK TO THE TABLE AND LET'S FIND SOMETHING THAT'S REASONABLE FOR EVERYONE AND HELPS THEM AS WELL.
I JUST WANNA STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT MR. ZA RECEIVED HIS THREE MINUTES OF TIME FROM SUSAN SCHIFF RAIN.
I WILL COME BACK TO CHECK ON SARAH TOWARDS THE END AS WELL.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION IS AARON PERMAN.
AARON, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I'M AT 4 9 1 3 LINWOOD AND I'LL KEEP THIS SHORT 'CAUSE WE'RE KINDA NEAR BEDTIME HERE.
UH, AND Y'ALL HAVE HEARD A LOT OF THE SAME STUFF, BUT YEAH, THAT'S WHY I SAY THAT.
YEAH, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF DEVELOPMENT.
LIKE, I DON'T THINK ANYONE HERE WANTS TO LIVE NEXT TO AN ABANDONED BUILDING.
UM, BUT I JUST THINK THIS, THIS DEVELOPMENT ISN'T RESPONSIBLE.
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTIVE OF, UH, WANTING TO RIDE MORE HOUSING, BUT IT JUST SEEMS KIND OF HAIR-BRAINED, THIS WHOLE TRAFFIC STUDY.
AND, YOU KNOW, SHE'S LEARNING TO RIDE HER BIKE ON THESE STREETS.
WE, WE DON'T HAVE A SIDEWALK ON OUR STREET.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT TERRIFIES ME THAT WE'RE GONNA ADD THOUSANDS OF MORE CARS THAN IF THE TRAFFIC STUDY WAS DONE RIGHT.
WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SHE'S GONNA HIT BY A CAR OR SOMETHING.
AND, AND SO REALLY IT'S JUST A MATTER OF SAFETY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, EITHER UPGRADING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND STREETS AROUND IT TO SUPPORT THE SIZE OF DEVELOPMENT OR, UM, UH, REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF, UH, DENSITY SO THAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE CAN SUPPORT IT.
IT JUST SEEMS TO MAKE MORE SENSE AND IT SEEMS KIND OF FLIPPANT TO SUPPORT A PROJECT WHEN WE KNOW THAT IT'S BASED ON A FLAWED TRAFFIC STUDY.
I VOICED MY, UH, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGEMENT TO, YOU KNOW, EITHER POSTPONE AND GO GET THE ACCURATE DATA OR TO, TO REJECT THIS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SUZANNE RICHARDSON.
SUZANNE, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
HELLO? I AM, UM, I'M A RESIDENT OF ROSEDALE.
I'VE BEEN THERE FOR 13 YEARS, AND, UM, I LIVE TWO HOUSES AWAY FROM THE AREA THAT IS GETTING SUED, SO I'M NOT BEING SUED.
UM, I DON'T WANNA RESTATE ALL THE POINTS THAT I AGREE WITH, UM, THAT PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY SAID.
UM, BUT I DO WANT TO JUST BE HERE AND LET YOU KNOW THAT I OPPOSE, UM, THE REZONING AND OUT OF EVERYTHING THAT I'VE HEARD TONIGHT, UM, THINGS THAT I COULD REPEAT THAT I AGREE WITH.
THE ONE THING THAT I WANNA SAY THAT I THINK REALLY, UM, IS, IS A VERY GOOD POINT IS THAT JUST PLEASE MAKE A GOOD DECISION, UM, THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE SETTING A PRECEDENT FOR AUSTIN, MAYBE TEXAS.
AND, UM, JUST PLEASE MAKE A GOOD DECISION ABOUT THE REZONING IN THIS CASE.
AND ANYWAY, I OPPOSE THE REZONING.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISTINA SINGH.
CHRISTINA, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
[01:30:08]
IT SAYS ON HER SHEET, SHE'S VIRTUAL.NO, SHE'S NOT VIRTUAL, SHE'S NOT HERE.
RATHER, SHE RE-REGISTERED AS IN PERSON OKAY, AND IS NOT CURRENTLY IN OUR QUEUE, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE TO COME BACK TO THESE FOLKS THAT WERE NOT HEARD TOWARDS THE END.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION IS SUSAN WALSH.
SUSAN, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
MY APOLOGIES, SUSAN AGAIN, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
WELL, YOU GUYS CAN TELL THAT WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, RIGHT? AND I'LL TRY NOT TO SAY THINGS PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY SAID.
I AM REALLY EXCITED YOU GOT TO SEE THE OLD PLAT BECAUSE WHEN I WAS SUED BY A ISD, WE GOT TO SEE A LOT OF THAT PAPERWORK AND IT SHOWS THE OLD FASHIONED PLAT WITH THE ON BURNETT ROAD.
I MEAN, SHOWING WHERE THE BUSINESSES GO.
THEY'RE CALLED BUSINESSES THERE AND YOU MAY HAVE NOT HAVE NOTICED, BUT THEY'RE NOT VERY DEEP LOTS EVEN FOR THE BUSINESSES.
SO THAT'S WHY THEY TEND TO BE ONE AND TWO STORIES.
SO WE HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S VERY OLD FASHIONED.
HOUSES WERE BUILT IN THE 1930S AND FORTIES.
PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF CARS BACK THEN, SO MOST OF THEM WERE ZING FOR MAYBE ONE VEHICLE.
UM, BUT THAT SERVES US WELL BECAUSE WE WALK AND WE GO PLACES SLOWER.
AND IT IS KIND OF A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT TALKED ABOUT AS MUCH AS HYDE PARK OR SOME OF THE OTHER FANCIER NEIGHBORHOODS THAN OURS.
UM, I OPPOSED THE ZONING CHANGE FOR MAYBE A DIFFERENT REASON THAN SOME OTHER OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM.
YOU KNOW, AUSTIN HAS GONE THROUGH SO MANY ZONING CHANGES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.
I'VE LIVED HERE SINCE THIRD GRADE, NOT QUITE A UNICORN.
AND I HAVE SEEN SO MANY CHANGES.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS EXCITED ABOUT IS THE INFILL OF LOTS, MAKING LOTS SMALLER, BEING ABLE TO PUT A SECOND, YOU KNOW, PROPERTY MAYBE ON YOUR LOT.
THAT'S AN EXCITING THING AND PEOPLE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT AS SOMETHING MY HUSBAND AND I TALKED ABOUT.
MAYBE, YOU KNOW, HAVING ANOTHER HOUSE, WHEREAS WE GET OLDER, ONE OF OUR KIDS MIGHT MOVE INTO OUR HOUSE AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, OHT IS JUST ASKING FOR TOO MUCH.
I THINK, UM, FOR OUR SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD ALSO, I'M CONCERNED THAT YOU'RE ASKING, YOU'RE GOING TO UPGRADE THEIR ZONING WHEN THEIR WHOLE LOT IS NOT ZONED THAT WAY.
YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE BURNETT CORRIDOR, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT ON BURNETT.
THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THIS SMALLER AREA OFF OF BURNETT, BUT YOU'RE EXTENDING IT PAST WHERE IT WOULD BE.
SO IF THIS HAD NOT BEEN JUST ONE SCHOOL, THIS HAD BEEN A PIECE OF LOT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS LOOKING FOR A DEVELOPMENT, IT PROBABLY WOULD'VE HAD SOME MORE EXTENSION BETWEEN WHERE THE SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES WERE AND WHERE A LARGE MULTI-STORY SCALE APARTMENT WOULD BE.
I THINK EVERYONE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD LIKES DIVERSITY OF SIZE OF HOUSES.
UM, IT WAS RATHER SAD THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT WAS OUR CASE.
OUR THAT WE JUST LOVE THIS PROPERTY SO MUCH THAT WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T JUST FOR THE NEW RESIDENTS, BUT WOULD BE FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS BECAUSE WE WANT TO EMBRACE NEW PEOPLE INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE ABOUT.
AND I THINK YOU CAN HEAR THAT FROM PEOPLE.
IT'S LIKE A LOT OF NEIGHBORS CAME OUT.
SO PLEASE DENY THIS, THIS OUTRAGEOUS JUMP OF ZONING TO THE SF SIX AND, UM, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO TALK WITH US.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAURA GINETTE.
LAURA, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
IS LAURA PRESENT MOVING FORWARD? OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHUCK VSAN.
CHUCK, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UM, I'M A RESIDENT OF ROSEDALE AND I'VE BEEN SO FOR 45 YEARS AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID HAS BEEN SAID, SO IT WON'T TAKE A LOT OF YOUR TIME,
[01:35:02]
BUT NO, I'LL TAKE MY THREE MINUTES.HAVE YOU BEEN THERE AND STOOD AND LOOKED AT IT? I ASSUME YOU HAVE.
I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THE, THE DIFFERENCE IN SCALE THAT YOU ARE ASKING OR THE APPLICANT IS ASKING A NEIGHBORHOOD.
IMAGINE BEHIND ME, I'M LOOKING AT THE SCHOOL OF SOME 200 RESIDENCES, UM, LOOKING ACROSS NOW TO THE SCHOOL TO 435 RESIDENCES TO A NEIGHBORHOOD BEHIND ME, WHICH IS ONE STORY HOUSE AND TWO STORY HOUSES.
NOW LOOKING AT A, AT A, IT'S BEEN DESCRIBED AS MONSTROSITY, BUT WHATEVER IT IS STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU AT THE PROPERTY LINE, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST THING I'VE SEEN FROM, FROM OHT IS A SEVEN, SIX STORY, 75 FOOT BUILDING.
IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM JUST, IT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT.
IT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MAKE ANY SENSE.
SO I I TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHY, YOU KNOW, HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN? HOW COULD SOME, WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A STEP DOWN AND GRANTED IS A STEP DOWN FROM SOME FUTURE ON BURNETT ROAD, WHERE NOW THE TALLEST BUILDING IS THE BRAXTON AROUND THE, ON BERNARD IN 49TH, WHICH IS MAYBE FOUR STORIES, I DON'T EVEN THINK IT'S FIVE BURN ROAD, MAY SOMEDAY BE, BE A A WHAT YOU GUYS AND WHAT WE ALL HOPE FOR IT TO BE.
BUT YOU'RE GONNA STEP DOWN TWO FROM THAT TO A 70, 70 FOOT BUILDING TO A NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT DOESN'T, SOMETHING DOESN'T MAKE SENSE ABOUT IT.
AND I, I WONDERED WHY THAT WAS THE CASE, AND I SEE I'M RUNNING AHEAD OF TIME EVEN THOUGH I SWORE THAT I WOULDN'T, UM, I WOULDN'T JUST POINT OUT ONE, ONE THING ABOUT THE TRAFFIC, OF COURSE I'VE DONE, I'VE TRIED TO SNEAK OUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND GET, GET OUT SAFELY.
BUT THERE, THE THING THAT ABOUT THE TRAFFIC STUDY THAT I'VE NOTICED IS THAT IT IS BASED ON SOME REAL, UH, REAL INACCURACY.
THE THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT USED A MAP, USED A MAP THAT WAS WAS WRONG.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BETH CONDON.
BETH, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UH, I WAS TAKING MINE TO DARYL AND I DUNNO WHERE THAT MISTAKE.
UM, IT SEEMS DARRELL ALREADY HAD RECEIVED HIS MAXIMUM DONATION OF TIME.
YOU'RE WELCOME TO WAIVE YOUR TIME OR COME UP AND SPEAK AND TAKE THE THREE MINUTES.
I'M BETH CONDON, AND YES, I LIVE ON SINCLAIR IN ROSEDALE AND I AM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT IS BEING SUED.
UM, AFTER 43 YEARS LIVING HERE, UM, THIS HAS REALLY CHANGED EVERYTHING.
UH, FOR US, FOR ME, UM, DURING THIS TIME I LOST A LOT OF MY VISION.
SO FOR ME IT IS DANGEROUS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, WHEN YOU'RE VISION IMPAIRED TO MAKE IT AROUND AND WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE THINGS ON YOUR PER PER PERIPHERAL, UH, VISION.
SO MY CONCERN IS FOR THE CHILDREN, FOR THE SENIORS MYSELF TOO.
UM, FOR ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WE'RE OUTSIDE ALL THE TIME.
IT IS NOT THE, THE NORMAL, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT IS, UH, LIKE A FAMILY AND I LOOK AT IT THAT WAY BECAUSE THEY HELP ME WHEN I WENT THROUGH THINGS.
SO TO ME, I'M, I'M ASKING YOU TO TAKE TIME.
DON'T RUSH THIS, PLEASE, BECAUSE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
UM, BUT IT ALSO, I DON'T WANNA SEE
[01:40:01]
ANY MORE ACCIDENTS.THE LAST TIME WE CAME HERE THAT DAY I GOT A A TEXT SAYING, WATCH OUT.
THERE WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT AT BURNETT AND 49TH THAT HAPPENS OFTEN AND IT IS SCARY TO, TO HAVE THAT.
UM, SO PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC AND THINK THIS THROUGH AND I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ALL OF US.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAURA MARTIN.
LAURA, YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I LIVE AT 47 0 4 ROSEDALE AVENUE AND I'M A DEFENDANT IN THE LAWSUIT THAT A-A-I-S-D HAS BROUGHT AGAINST THOSE OF US LIVING ADJACENT TO THE OLD ROSEDALE SCHOOL.
I ATTENDED AUSTIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN HAVE OR CURRENTLY DO ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN AUSTIN.
I'M AN ADVOCATE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, A CONSTITUENT AND A TAXPAYER.
I HAVE GREAT CONCERN ABOUT THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THIS STATE HAVE BEEN FACT FACING OVER THE PAST YEARS.
I DO SYMPATHIZE WITH A ISD AND THE CURRENT FUNDING CRISIS.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT THEIR AGGRESSIVE STANCE AGAINST THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND TAXPAYERS IS VERY CONCERNING WITH OTHER SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED FOR CLOSING, SELLING AND REDEVELOPMENT.
SHOULD WE NOT EXPECT MORE? SHOULD THERE NOT BE SOME SORT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS? PERHAPS SOME PROTOCOL IN INVOLVING ALL INVESTED PARTIES FOR THE BEST USE OF THIS AND THE OTHER PROPERTIES? WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE GENTLEMAN THAT SPOKE EARLIER, WE'RE NOT LOBBYING FOR IT TO BECOME A PARK.
AS MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS HAVE NOTED WE'RE NOT ANTI-DEVELOPMENT.
WHEN THEY, WE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR A ISD EMPLOYEES ON THE ROSEDALE SITE.
WE WERE FULLY SUPPORTIVE WHEN THAT WENT AWAY.
I STILL BELIEVE THAT PERHAPS SOME OF THAT MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING MIGHT BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE PLANS.
THE LAST THING I EXPECTED WAS TO BE SUED BY THE VERY SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT I'VE BEEN SUPPORTING AS A PROPERTY OWNER AND CITIZEN.
THE BIGGEST STICKING POINT FOR ME RIGHT NOW IS THAT WITH AN ACTIVE LAWSUIT UNDERWAY, IT FEELS REALLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY TO BE CONSIDERING THE REZONING.
WOULD IT NOT MAKE MORE SENSE TO ALLOW FOR RESOLUTION OF THE LAWSUIT AS THE OUTCOME WOULD, COULD WELL AFFECT THE USE OF THE PROPERTY? I FEEL THAT THE CITY IS PREMATURE IN WEIGHING IN ON THIS AS THE DECISION COULD AFFECT THE NEUTRALITY OF THE JUDGE DECIDING THE CASE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KATHLEEN HARRINGTON.
KATHLEEN, YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I DONATED MY TIME TO CHRIS ALLEN, BUT IF HE DOESN'T GIVE IT ALL YES MA'AM.
HE RECEIVED HIS MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME.
SO YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME TAKE THAT TIME OR WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO SPEAK.
THANK YOU FOR, UM, HEARING US.
UM, THE MAIN THING I WANNA SAY IS AS SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE SAID, WE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SITE.
WE KNOW DEVELOPMENT'S GONNA HAPPEN, WE'RE FINE WITH THAT.
BUT ALL WE'RE ASKING IS FOR IT TO BE REASONABLE DEVELOPMENT.
AND I LIVE DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET.
LITERALLY THE SCHOOL IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME.
I, MY LANDLORD HAS BEEN SUED 'CAUSE SHE LIVES NEXT DOOR TO ME ACROSS THE STREET.
THERE ARE SOME STILL AFFORDABLE PLACES IN ROSEDALE.
WELL, ONE OF THE MANY REASONS, UM, WE'RE HAPPY FOR NEW PEOPLE TO MOVE INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE AFFORDABLE FOR SOME MORE PEOPLE, BUT THIS IS NOT GOING TO GIVE US THAT.
AND THIS BUILDING IS GONNA BLOCK
[01:45:01]
OUT THE SUN FROM OUR BLOCK, LITERALLY FROM OUR HOUSES.UM, REALLY JUST ALL WE'RE SAYING IS HAVE MERCY.
THINK ABOUT WOULD YOU WANT THIS TO BE ACROSS THE STREET FROM YOUR HOUSE? FROM YOUR HOUSE? I DOUBT IT.
WE'RE NOT SAYING DON'T BUILD, DON'T REDEVELOP.
BUT PLEASE GIVE US A CHANCE TO TALK TO THE DEVELOPERS AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT'S REASONABLE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS STEPHANIE SCHUSTER.
STEPHANIE, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
MOVING FORWARD, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS REGINA ALLEN.
REGINA WILL BE RECEIVING THREE MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM DEBRA TO STEFANO.
DEBRA, ARE YOU PRESENT? REGINA, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES.
MY NAME IS REGINA ALLEN AND I'M A PAST PRESIDENT OF THE ROSEDALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND ALSO SERVED AS THEIR ZONING CHAIR FOR NUMEROUS YEARS.
I WANTED TO EXPLORE HOW WE GOT HERE TONIGHT FROM SF THREE SINGLE FAMILY ZONING TO MULTIFAMILY HIGHEST DENSITY ZONING WITH AN ALLOWABLE HEIGHT OF 90 FEET.
HOW GOOD INTENTIONS AND EXCITEMENT OVER LIGHT BRAIL LED TO UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES WHEN YOU UP ZONE GIANT SWATHS OF THE CITY WITH BROAD BRUSH STROKES.
PLANNING SHOULD BE SITE SPECIFIC.
IN NOVEMBER OF 2020, AUSTIN VOTERS PASSED PROP A TO FUND PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN PROMISED US 27 MILES OF LIGHT RAIL, A DOWNTOWN SUBWAY TUNNEL, A NEW COMMUTER RAIL LINE, AND EXPANDED BUS SERVICES.
THIS PLAN WAS SCALED BACK IN JUNE OF 2023 DUE TO COST OVER RUNS OF 40%, EXCEEDING $10 BILLION.
THE NEW PLAN WAS FOR A 9.8 MILE LINE WITH 15 STATIONS CONNECTING 38TH STREET TO UL TORF AND THEN TO YELLOW JACKET LANE, WHICH IS NEAR THE AIRPORT, NOT AT THE AIRPORT, BUT IT'S NEAR THE AIRPORT.
IN MAY OF 2024, THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED AN ORDINANCE THAT OUTLINED AREAS TO BE REZONED NEAR THE RAIL LINES BY DRAWING QUARTER AND HALF MILE CIRCLES AROUND EACH TRANSIT STATION AND THEN JOINING THEM ALL UP WITH A SHARPIE MARKER.
EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENTS OR EADS WERE CREATED.
THE PROPERTIES WITHIN THESE BOUNDARIES WERE UP ZONED AND ALLOWED MORE HEIGHT BASED ON THEIR PROXIMITY TO THE PROPOSED RAIL LINE.
AND THAT ORDINANCE TOOK EFFECT IN JULY OF 2024.
SIX MONTHS LATER, IN JANUARY OF 2025, CAPITOL METRO RELEASED THE MAP THAT THEY HOPE BEGINS TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON IN 2027.
NOTE THE RAIL LINE NOW TERMINATES AT 38TH STREET IN THE CITY'S STAFF ZONING REPORT FOR THIS PROPERTY, THEY STATE THE ROSEDALE SCHOOL SITE IS PARTIALLY IN SUBDISTRICT TWO OF THE E TODD OVERLAY, WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY THE RED LINE ON THE MAP THAT CLIPS THE TIP OF THE ROSEDALE SCHOOL.
SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE STARRED THAT SCHOOL PROPERTY.
IT'S ABOVE AND TO THE LEFT OF THE ORANGE DASH LINE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SLIDE.
THE SCHOOL SITE IS ALSO CONSIDERED TO BE IN THREE E TODD STATION AREAS.
45TH STREET AREA, THE 47TH STREET STATION AREA AND THE NORTH LOOP STATION AREA.
REMEMBER, THERE ARE NO PROPOSED PLANS FOR THOSE STATION JET.
THE STAFF REPORT SHARES THAT THE TYPOLOGIES OF THOSE STATIONS SEEK TO ENCOURAGE AFFORDABILITY, INCLUDE LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AS DEVELOPMENTS OCCUR.
HENCE THE EQUITABLE AND THE EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENT DEVELOPMENT.
SADLY, WE HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT AFFORDABILITY UNTIL TONIGHT.
I DON'T KNOW WHY THE DEVELOPERS TALKING ABOUT A PRIVATE AFFORDABILITY.
INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH THE CITY STANDARDS AND USING THEIR, UM, AFFORDABILITY, UH, IN THE STAFF QUOTES, THEY, UM, I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THEY FELT THE HIGHEST DENSITY MULTIFAMILY ZONING WAS APPROPRIATE ON A SITE BORDERED ON THREE SIDES BY SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
THEY STATE THAT THIS DISTRICT IS APPROPRIATE IN AREAS ADJOINING DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AND MAJOR INSTITUTIONAL OR EMPLOYMENT CENTERS IN THE SECOND CLIP SECTION.
THEY SUPPORT THEIR CHOICES BY SAYING THAT MF SIX CO IS SUITABLE AS IT WOULD BE A STEP DOWN IN INTENSITY FROM THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT CSVE, TODD, DBE TODD, EAST OF THE PROPERTY TO THE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES, SF THREE SOUTH AND NORTH AND WEST OF THE PROPERTY.
[01:50:03]
SO HERE IS HOW WE TIE UP RAIL LINES, E TODDS AND MF SIX WITH 90 FEET OF HEIGHT.THE PROPERTY WITH COMMERCIAL INTENSITY, AND I'M GONNA AIR QUOTE THAT IS IN THE REPORT, IS REFERRING TO WHAT WOULD STEP UP TO ALLOW 120 FOOT TALL BUILDINGS AND OFFER A BUFFER TO THE OHT PROJECT FROM BURNETT ROAD.
AND THAT PRO PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY THE ROSEDALE VILLAGE.
ROSEDALE VILLAGE FALLS IN THE E TODD OVERLAY DISTRICT AND IS NOW ZONED TO 120 FEET IN HEIGHT.
WHEN YOU DESIGN WITH A SHARPIE MARKER, YOU, YOU DO NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE ACTUAL SITE LIMITATIONS.
YOU ASSUME THAT THE ROSEDALE VILLAGE COULD SUPPORT 120 FEET OF COMMERCIAL BUILDING ON A SITE THAT IS 109 FEET DEEP AT THE INTERSECTION AND 108 FEET 18 FEET AT ITS WIDEST.
A SITE THAT IS ABOUT 200 FEET LONG UNTIL IT RUNS INTO COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS WITH THE RESIDENTIAL UNITS TO THE SOUTHWEST.
AN AI GENERATED ROSEDALE VILLAGE SHOWS ONLY NINE STORIES BECAUSE THE LOT IS TOO SHALLOW TO BUILD THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF PARKING FOR A 12 STORY BUILDING.
IT COULDN'T CREATE A PARKING GARAGE WITH THE NORMAL SWITCHBACK RAMPS.
WE COMMONLY SEE BECAUSE PARKING GARAGES NEED TO BE AT LEAST 120 FEET WIDE AND THE SITE IS 118 FEET AT ITS WIDEST.
THE AI DRAWING CREATED A LOVELY CIRCULAR RAMP THAT TOOK UP ALL THE SPACE WE NEEDED FOR APARTMENTS.
BANKS DON'T FUND PROJECTS THAT DON'T HAVE PARKING.
THERE WILL NOT BE 120 FOOT BUILDING IN THE PLACE OF ROSEDALE VILLAGE ANYTIME SOON.
NOTHING WILL BUFFER THE 90 FEET ALLOWED ON THE ROSEDALE SCHOOL SITE.
AND THERE ARE NO, NO TRAINS NORTH OF 38TH.
WHY ARE WE RUSHING THIS DECISION? THANK YOU.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JANICE GOODSPEED.
JANICE, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES JANICE OR JANICE.
I'M JUST GONNA BRIEFLY GO THROUGH SOME OF THE OTHER FOLKS THAT WERE NOT WITH US AT THE MOMENT.
JANINE MARTIN, IS SHE ONLINE? SHE WAS TRYING TO CALL IN, BUT THE PASSWORD WAS NOT WORKING TESTED.
WE DID HAVE OTHER VIRTUAL SPEAKERS WHO RECEIVED THAT INFORMATION.
WHO I WILL COME BACK TO JANINE AFTER THESE NEXT FEW IS SARAH LAN HERE, CHRISTINA SINGH, LAURA NETTE, AND THEN JANICE GOODSPEED.
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO FROM THE AV N TO, TO HELP OUT JANINE
[01:55:04]
WE JUST SENT JANINE A LINK.HOPEFULLY THAT'LL HELP HER GET ONLINE.
IF ANYBODY COULD LET JANINE KNOW, THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE DO WE HAVE THAT THAT WAS OUR FINAL SPEAKER.
WE CAN ALSO START WITH QUESTIONS AND COME BACK TO THE SPEAKER BEFORE Y'ALL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
IF IT'S GOING TO TAKE ANOTHER MOMENT.
BUT WE CAN ALSO JUST HANG TIGHT FOR A SEC.
IS THERE SOMETHING I MISSED? HAVE, HAVE ANY OF THE PEOPLE WE SKIPPED HAVE COME BACK OR NO? NO.
LOOKS LIKE SHE'S NOT YET IN HER QUEUE.
PASSWORD IS NOT WORKING, NOT WORKING.
SHE SAYS, CAN YOU ASK HIM TO SOMEBODY ELSE? WE HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING WE CAN DO FROM OUR END.
WE DID HAVE OTHER VIRTUAL SPEAKERS WHO WERE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT LINK.
SO IF SHE DOES JOIN, WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.
BUT I BELIEVE WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD AND THAT'LL TAKE US TO THE THREE MINUTE APPLICANT.
GOOD EVENING, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS.
AGAIN, THANKS FOR EVERYONE'S INPUT AND TESTIMONIES TONIGHT.
I JUST WANNA CLARIFY A A FEW THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN QUICKLY CLARIFY.
A FEW THINGS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP.
AGAIN, WE ARE PROVIDING ONSITE PARKLAND DEDICATION, ROUGHLY A HALF ACRE THAT'LL BE DEDICATED AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, I PROVIDED MULTIPLE EXAMPLES OF SIMILAR SITUATED PRO PROJECTS, UM, IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THERE WAS A COMMENT THAT THERE'S ONLY ONE SIX STORY PROJECT ON BURNETT.
AND I WOULD JUST, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UM, OFFER THAT THERE O ONLY UNTIL RECENTLY HAS THERE BEEN, UM, UH, THE TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX TO AUTHORIZE RESIDENTIAL OF, YOU KNOW, A IN LARGER, BASICALLY HIGHER THAN 60 FEET.
VM U2 WAS ADOPTED IN 2022 IS A RULED BY COURT.
DB 90 WAS ONLY APPROVED IN FEBRUARY, 2022, WHICH AUTHORIZES 90 FEET.
AND I KNOW FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S A, A PROJECT AT HOUSTON AND CLAY AVENUE JUST TWO BLOCKS NORTH OF THIS.
THAT'S A EIGHT STORY SITE PLAN THAT'S UNDER REVIEW.
MULTIPLE OTHER EXAMPLES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT THE HLC UM, CONSIDERATION.
THE SORT LANDMARK COMMISSION THAT WAS, THAT APPROVAL WAS RECOMMENDED BY STAFF.
IT WAS REVIEWED BY ARCHITECTS AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE IN THE PRESERVATION AND ARCHITECTURE BUSINESS.
AND THAT APPROVAL WAS UNANIMOUS.
UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRACK FOOT ANALYSIS, I'LL, I'LL, I WILL DEFER THAT TO CITY STAFF TO ANSWER, BUT I WILL REMIND EVERYBODY THAT WE'RE DOING THINGS LIKE DEDICATING RIGHT AWAY, PROVIDING, UH, COMPLETING MISSING SIDEWALK GAPS TO ADJACENT BUS STOPS.
UM, THERE'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE WATER AND WASTEWATER AND STORM SER SEWER.
WE ARE EXTENDING STORM WATER, UH, STORM SEWER, EXCUSE ME.
AND WE HAVE A CIVIL ENGINEER WHO CAN ADDRESS THAT MORE ROBUSTLY.
UM, UH, THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT THIS CASE BEING RUST RUSHED.
[02:00:01]
UH, SUBMITTED APPLICATION ROUGHLY A LITTLE OVER A HALF A YEAR AGO.SO THAT'S ABOUT THE NORMAL CADENCE REALLY FOR SOMETHING TO, UH, COME TO ZAP.
AND THEN DRAINAGE AND DETENTION POND IS IN FACT GONNA BE LOCATED IN OUR GARAGE.
AND THEN FINALLY, I'LL, I'LL CLOSE BY SAYING THE RESTRICTIVE COVENANT WITH HOME BASE, THAT'S HOME BASE IS AN ARM OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.
AND THAT'S DONE BECAUSE IT'S AN MF SIX ZONING CATEGORY CO WITH MAXIMUM 75 FOOT OF HEIGHT.
I'VE DONE THAT MECHANISM WHERE THE HOME BASE OR HABITAT KIND OF MONITORS AND CONTROLS THE AFFORDABLE UNITS.
I'VE DONE THAT ROUGHLY A DOZEN TIMES FOR MF SIX, MF FOUR ZONING CASES.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE TIMES I'VE DONE THAT IS WITH OHT.
SO WE'RE VERY EXPERIENCED WITH THAT AND WE'LL HAVE THE IDEA BIND THAT AS YOU'LL HAVE IT SIGNED AND RECORDED, SIGNED AND READY TO RECORD JUST BEFORE COUNSEL FOR THIRD READING.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS.
AND I RE REQUEST THAT YOU SUPPORT STAFF RECOMMENDATION CHAIR.
THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM.
NO, NO, WE JUST DID A TEST AS WELL AND WE WERE ABLE TO LOG IN.
DO I HEAR A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
ANY QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION? YES, I'D LOVE TO HEAR TRANSPORTATION RESPOND TO THE, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TIA OR THE TRAFFIC STUDY.
IS A TRANSPORTATION STAFF PERSON HERE.
I'M WITH AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
ARE THERE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK? I I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS BROUGHT UP ABOUT THE TRAFFIC STUDY.
CAN YOU JUST DISCUSS THE STATUS REVIEW OF THE, OF, OF THE STUDY OR THE CREATION? SURE.
UH, WHAT TRIGGERED THE TRAFFIC STUDY IS A REQUIREMENT IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
SO IF A NEW DEVELOPMENT, COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IS COMING ONTO A RESIDENTIAL STREET, WHICH IS OVER 50% OF THE PROPERTIES ARE, ARE RESIDENTIAL AND THEY'RE ADDING 300 TRIPS TO THAT STREET, THEN A NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS IS CONDUCTED.
UH, IT IS ACTUALLY THE ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC ON RAMSEY THAT IS REQUIRED THAT TRIGGERED THE NTA ON THIS PROPERTY AND NOT THE TRAFFIC ON 49TH STREET.
AND WE ALSO HAVE RESTRICTIONS OF WHAT WE LOOK AT BASED ON THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AND THAT IS ON THE PROPERTY ROADS AT THE PROPERTY FRONTAGE.
SO THE EXTENSION OF GOING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT TRIGGERED BY OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
UH, AND THAT TYPE OF STUDY WOULD HAVE, THE PROPERTY WOULD HAVE TO DEVELOP MORE THAN A NET OF 2000 DAILY TRIPS INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR A MORE EXTENDED TRAFFIC STUDY.
TRAFFIC COUNTS WERE CONDUCTED AND OR CONDUCTED ON THE THREE LOCATIONS IN THE STUDY.
UH, WE LOOKED AT THAT AS ACTUAL TRAFFIC TAKEN IN EVERYTHING IN CONSIDERATION.
AND THEN WE USE THE, UH, ITE TRIP GENERATION MANUALS TO ESTIMATE WHAT THIS DEVELOPMENT HA WOULD ADD TO IT.
IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS GOING TO HAVE A NET NEW OF APPROXIMATELY A THOUSAND DAILY TRIPS, 1100 DAILY TRIPS.
UM, WHEN WE WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT THE, UH, THE SCHOOL ITSELF WHEN IT WAS OPERATIONAL BEFORE COVID, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT 2019, 2020 AND THE STUDENT POPULATION AND THE FACULTY AND STAFF NUMBERS THAT WERE PROVIDED BY A ISD, IT'S GENERATING SLIGHTLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT THE SCHOOL GENERATED WHEN IT WAS FULLY OPERATIONAL.
UH, LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THINGS I GOT PULLED UP HERE.
UH, THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES ARE, UH, ON ALL THESE STREETS CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE.
UH, WHAT THE, IS IN THE, UH, LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, THE 1200 DAILY CHIPS IS CONSIDERED DESIRABLE OPERATING LEVEL.
THAT IS NOT AN INDICATION OF CAPACITY THAT IS DESIRABLE OPERATIONAL LEVELS.
IT'S ALSO HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT THOSE NUMBERS WERE CREATED IN 1991 AND HAVE NOT BEEN ADJUSTED FOR CURRENT CROSS SECTIONS AND OPERATION CONDITIONS.
UH, WE FEEL LIKE THIS TRAFFIC AS WE ANTICIPATE TO BE DISTRIBUTED ON THE NETWORK IS ACCEPTABLE.
ALSO, THE NEIGHBORHOOD SPEEDS BASED ON, ON DATA COLLECTED.
UH, ALL 95% OF THE TRAFFIC IS OCCURRING AT OR BELOW THE CURRENT SPEED LIMIT AT 25 MILES PER HOUR.
UH, THE, THE CROSS SECTIONS ON THESE STREETS 49TH STREET AND OTHERS ARE IN A LINE WITH WHAT THE CROSS SECTIONS OF LEVEL ONE STREETS ARE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS ADOPTED BY THE TRANSPORTATION CRITERIA MANUAL.
[02:05:01]
FOR THE YIELD FLOW SO THAT IF YOU HAVE PARKING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET, YOU DO HAVE TO YIELD AND IT'S NOT A FREE FLOW CONDITION.THAT IS FOR SAFETY PURPOSES AND ALSO FOR SHARED THE SHARED STREET CONCEPTS BECAUSE WE DO KNOW A LOT OF RESIDENTIAL STREETS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN DO NOT HAVE DEDICATED SIDEWALKS FOR PEDESTRIANS OR CYCLISTS.
UH, IN COMPARISON, WE HAVE HAD OTHER DEVELOPMENTS OF A SIMILAR NATURE.
WE'VE HAD ONE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S ADDING 350, UH, MULTIFAMILY UNITS ON A LEVEL ONE STREET.
UH, THE EXISTING TRAFFIC ON THAT STREET WAS OVER 2000 DAILY VEHICLES.
THIS IS GOING TO ADD APPROXIMATELY 28 TO 3000 DAILY VEHICLES IN THE FUTURE.
AND CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THAT DEVELOPMENT.
OTHER QUESTIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION STAFF? UH, YES, I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SORT OF EXPLICITLY ADDRESSING SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT CAME UP, UH, AND SOME OF THE CRITIQUES OF THE TRAFFIC STUDY BY THE CITY.
SO ONE WAS THEY SAID IT WAS MIS MISCHARACTERIZED THE TRAFFIC GENERATED BY THE CAMPUS.
UM, THEY SAID ACCORDING TO THE TRAFFIC STUDY DONE BY THE CITY, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT, I THINK IT WAS 500 TRIPS OR SO.
UH, BUT THE REALITY, WHAT THEY SAID IT WAS JUST OCCASIONALLY USED AS TRAINING.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT SPECIFICALLY? UM, SO IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAT THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE LISTENING, UH, CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
INFORMATION WE HAVE WAS PROVIDED BY THE CURRENT USE OF THE FACILITY, UM, PROVIDED BY A ISD.
IT WASN'T CONSIDERED A FULL TRAINING FACILITY.
UH, SO OFF OFFICE SEEMED TO BE THE MOST PRACTICAL AND THE MOST SIMILAR TO HOW IT'S ACTUALLY BEING USED.
UH, IN FACT, I, UM, IT'S GEN USING AS AN OFFICE.
IT'S KIND OF NEUTRAL BETWEEN A SCHOOL AND A MULTIFAMILY.
SO WE FELT LIKE THAT WAS A PRETTY GOOD GUESS OF WHAT IT WOULD BE DOING.
OBVIOUSLY IF IT'S NOT BEING UTILIZED AT THE CAPACITY THAT A ISD HAS ASSUMED THAT THAT NUMBER COULD CHANGE.
SO LET US UH, SAY HYPOTHETICALLY THAT, UH, WHAT THE RESIDENTS CLAIM IS THE CASE THAT IT'S LIKE 50 TRIPS.
UH, I THINK THEY SAID A MONTH, THEY'RE JUST BARE MINIMAL USAGE.
IF THAT WERE THE CASE, WOULD THAT ALTER THE OUTCOME AND THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE STUDY? UH, ONE SECOND.
UH, NO IT WOULD STILL NOT TRIGGER A FULL TIA, UM, IT WOULD ADD A SMALL AMOUNT MORE TRAFFIC TO THE ROADS.
WE'RE TALKING A COUPLE OF HUNDRED DAILY TRIPS, BUT THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE EXCESSIVE FOR A LEVEL ONE ROAD.
WHAT, WHAT IS THAT THRESHOLD? SO SAY RIGHT NOW, 1400 IS THE TOTAL VEHICLES PER DAY ESTIMATED IN THE FUTURE.
WHAT, WHAT WOULD THE THRESHOLD BE TO, TO TRIGGER THAT AT THE CAPACITY FOR A, A LEVEL ONE ROADWAY WITH TWO LANES, IT STARTS OFF OF ROUGHLY 2000 DAILY TRIPS A DAY.
AND THERE ARE OTHER CHARACTERISTICS THAT CAN REDUCE THAT VALUE BASED ON ARE THERE ON STREET PARKING, IS THERE SIDEWALKS AND THINGS OF THAT.
SO A LEVEL ONE ROADWAY COULD GET UP TO 2000 VEHICLES PER DAY.
IT IS ACTUALLY CONTROLLED BY THE INTERSECTIONS MORE THAN IT IS THE MID-BLOCK CAPABILITY.
SO YOUR, YOUR ESTIMATE HERE FOR THE MULTIFAMILY BEFORE YOUR PRORATION FOR THE TDM TRIP PRODUCTION IS, IS RIGHT AT THAT THRESHOLD.
SO IT'S NOT INACCURATE TO SAY THAT THIS IS KIND OF ON, ON THE LINE DEPENDING ON HOW YOU DO YOUR INPUT MAP? YES, BUT WE DISTRIBUTE TRAFFIC ON THE MULTIPLE STREETS AND WHAT WE WERE COMMUNICATED WHERE THE DRIVES OVER ALL ARE.
SO WHAT ALL THAT TRAFFIC WILL GO ON A SINGLE STREET.
LEMME ASK, BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE HEARD THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND EVERYBODY ELSE SAY HERE, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CONCERNS YOU ABOUT THE STUDY THE STAFF HAS DONE? ARE YOU STILL SUPPORTING THE REPORT THE STAFF HAS DONE? EVEN IF WE ADJUST FOR THE CURRENT TRAFFIC AND NOT USE IT AS A FULL OFFICE BUILDING, IT'S NOT GONNA ADD ENOUGH TRAFFIC HERE TO EXCEED ANY, UM, VOLUME LIMITS THAT WE HAVE OR WE ACCEPT WITHIN THE CITY.
UH, I UNDERSTAND THERE COULD BE PARKING CONCERNS AND THAT ARE EXISTING IN REGARDS TO EXISTING BUSINESSES.
WE HAVE MECHANISMS TO DEAL WITH THAT, WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, PARK PARKING PROGRAM PERMITS, UH, WHICH COULD BE PERCEIVED, UH, PURSUED AND THAT COULD BE DONE WITH OR WITHOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT AND THAT CAN CONTROL WHO PARKS ON WHAT STREETS.
[02:10:01]
JUST A QUESTION, COULD WE RECOMMEND THAT TO COUNCIL TO CONSIDER THAT BEFORE THIS GOES TO COUNCIL TO DO A NEIGHBORHOOD PARKING STUDY? YES.TYPICALLY IT'S TRIGGERED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SIX 60, UH, 66% OF THEIR NEIGHBORS ON A STREET WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE IT.
UM, AND THEN THEY GET THE PARKING PERMITS AND THEY'RE ALLOWED TO PARK.
UH, AND THEN ENFORCEMENT WILL TAKE CARE OF THOSE THAT DO NOT HAVE PERMITS TO PARKING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE PARKING OR THE TRANSPORTATION STAFF? YES.
UM, WAS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD HANDLE THIS PROBLEM OF LEFT TURNS ON 49TH STREET TO GET ONTO BURNETT ROAD? I MEAN, THERE'S NOT SPACE FOR A LEFT TURN LANE THERE.
IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO GET IT IN.
AND EVEN IF WE COULD SQUEEZE IT IN, IT WOULD BE A SHORT, A VERY SHORT TURNING BAY FOR THAT LEFT VEHICLES.
UH, TO GET A FULL TURN LANE, WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY NEEDS AT THE INTERSECTION.
SO IT, IT'S NOT EASILY FEASIBLE TO IMPROVE THAT SITUATION OF THE DIFFICULTY MAKING A LEFT TURN ONTO BURN IT NOT, AND THEN HAVING MANY, MANY POSSIBLY LEAVING FIRST, LIKE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR APARTMENTS TO GO WORK AND WANNA TURN TO GO TO THE NORTH, THERE'S GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.
AND WHAT WE CAN DO THOUGH IS ONCE WE GET THAT TRAFFIC VOLUME AND UNDERSTAND THE PATTERN, WE CAN THEN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL ITSELF SO THAT YOU HAVE MORE GREEN TIME ON 49TH STREET TO GET ONTO, UH, BURNETT ROAD.
BOEING NORTH AND SOUTH IS THE RIGHT OF WAY CONCERN TO HAVE TO MAINTAIN TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC IN BOTH DIRECTIONS PLUS A LEFT TURN.
BUT IF THAT WERE NOT THE CASE, IF THE ROADWAY WAS CHANGED IN SOME WAY TO MAYBE GO DOWN TO ONE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION OR RIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION TO ADD A LEFT TURN LANE, WE WOULD NEED A GREATER AMOUNT OF PAVEMENT TO GET ENOUGH TRAVEL AS IT'S CURRENTLY CONFIGURED.
WITH TWO AND TWO RIGHT NOW, IT'S ONE IN EACH DIRECTION.
ONE, AND WHAT WE WOULD DO IS AT THE INTERSECTION, WE WOULD HAVE ONE LANE GOING WESTBOUND, AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE ONE GUY GOING EASTBOUND OF, UH, TO BURN IT, BUT ADD A LEFT TURN LANE ALSO, SO THEY OPERATE SIMULTANEOUSLY.
BUT THE, SORRY, SO THIS WAS FROM 49TH, NOT FROM BURNETT, CORRECT.
ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON THE BURNETT SIDE, WHICH IS ALSO NO.
AND THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE, UH, FUTURE CORRIDOR PLANS OR BURN? IT IS TO NOT ADD, UH, A TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE.
BUT AS YOU SAID, YOU COULD ALSO SIGNALIZE THIS SO YOU HAD MORE TIME TO TURN STRAIGHT OR LEFT.
THAT COULD BE, WELL, YOU GOTTA HAVE THE TRAFFIC THERE TO SEE THAT WOULD WORK.
CHAIR, CAN WE TAKE A BREAK? SORRY, GO AHEAD.
IF THERE'S STILL QUESTIONS FOR THIS PERSON, I THINK WE SHOULD FINISH, BUT THEN AFTER THAT I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE A SHORT BREAK.
ANY MORE TRANSPORTATION? ANY TRANSPORTATION RELATED QUESTIONS? UH, JUST A COUPLE, MR. CHAIRMAN, GO AHEAD.
UH, SO THE, THE CONVERSATION REGARDING OFFSITE TURN LANES, IS THAT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS OR IS IT OUTSIDE OF IT THAT'S OUTSIDE THE SCOPE? UH, OKAY.
WE DON'T, IN AN NTA WE DO NOT LET LOOK AT INTERSECTION OPERATIONS TURN, UH, DELAYS THAT COULD BE GENERATED.
IT IS PURELY A VOLUME STUDY THAT THE LDC REQUIRES.
JUST CONFIRMING AND, AND, UH, CONVERSATIONS REGARDING TURN LANE AND TRAFFIC SIGNALS WOULD, UH, OH, A SCOPE.
BUT THIS PROJECT DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR TIA BECAUSE IT'S LESS THAN 2000 VEHICLE TRIPS PER DATE, RIGHT? THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THE, THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC IS PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY THE CAPACITY OF THE INTERSECTION.
UM, THE INTERSECTION AT BURNETT 49TH, THAT IS IN THE CITY'S, UM, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM FOR STREET IMPACT FEES? THAT IS CORRECT.
BUT THIS PROJECT WOULD NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THAT OR WOULDN'T, UH, BASED ON SOME PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES, THIS SITE WOULD NOT GENERATE ENOUGH STREET IMPACT FEES TO PAY FOR THAT IMPROVEMENT AT THAT INTERSECTION.
WE HAVE A COMMISSIONER ASKING FOR A BREAK, FIVE MINUTE BREAK.
WE CAN EITHER TAKE A BREAK OR, I MEAN, HOW MUCH MORE QUESTIONS DO WE, DOES COMMISSIONERS HAVE COMMISSIONER? I HAVE, I HAVE A COUPLE.
DO YOU WANNA TAKE A BREAK FOR FIVE MINUTES? YEAH, WE TAKE A BREAK.
[02:15:01]
BEEN HERE FOR SEVERAL HOURS, SO I'LL TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK, COME BACK AT 8 25.I KNOW THAT IT'S A TOUGH ASK, BUT IF SOME OF THE ROSA PEOPLE COULD STAY AS THEY DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR Y'ALL, SO COOL.
STAY TILL 8 25 OR WE'LL RESUME AT 8 25.
FOR STAFF AND ANYBODY, UH, WHAT ARE THE, UM, SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS AND OTHER PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE DEVELOPER'S GOING TO HAVE TO PUT IN AS PART OF THIS REDEVELOPMENT? UH, REQUIRED SIDEWALK OF IMPROVEMENTS WOULD BE ALONG THEIR FRONTAGE.
UM, BECAUSE OF THE STREET IMPACT FEE PROGRAM, WE CAN ASK THEM TO DO OFF STREET OR OFFSITE IMPROVEMENTS, BUT THEY CAN DECLINE THOSE AND JUST PAY THE FEE.
UM, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO OPERATE UNDER WHAT'S CALLED ROUGH PROPORTIONALITY.
SO THERE IS A MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF IMPROVEMENTS AND MITIGATIONS THAT THE CITY CAN ASK FOR, BE THAT THROUGH THE FEE OR THROUGH, UH, BUILT INFRASTRUCTURE.
I, I SEE THAT THERE WERE SOME OFFSITE IMPROVEMENTS ON, UH, ONE OF THE BACKUP, UH, TO THE SOUTH OF THE PROPERTY.
ARE SOME OF THOSE, UH, BEING INCLUDED? I'M GONNA HAVE TO REFER THAT TO THE DEVELOPER THEMSELVES.
'CAUSE AGAIN, AT SITE PLAN WE CAN ASK, BUT WE CAN'T REQUIRE, AND IF THEY'RE VOLUNTEERING TO DO SOMETHING, I CAN'T COMMIT TO THAT.
CAN SOMEONE ASK WHICH SIDEWALKS FROM THE APPLICANT HAVE Y'ALL COMMITTED TO DAVID HARTMAN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT? YES, WE HAD COORDINATED SOME WITH NT WITH THE TPW ON THE NTA, INCLUDING IDENTIFYING WHICH SIDEWALKS WE THOUGHT FELT, UH, FIT WITHIN OUR ROUGH PROPORTIONALITY CALCULATION.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THAT WILL BE NAILED DOWN AT TIME OF SITE PLAN AND THE, THE, THE FEE LEVEL MAY CHANGE THE PRICE OF RIGHT OF WAY DEDICATION, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY CHANGE, BUT WE'VE CALCULATED, RUN THE CALCS AND WE THINK EVERYTHING IN THE, THE, THE SIDEWALKS AND INCLUDING OFFSITE SIDEWALKS ARE SOMETHING THAT WILL HAPPEN AT TIME OF SIGHT PLAN.
AND JUST A REMINDER TO EVERYBODY, WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT ZONING HERE AND WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT THE SITE PLAN.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO THE SELLER IS OR WHO THE BUYER IS, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE SCHEMATIC SITE PLAN LOOKS LIKE, WE ARE JUST LOOKING AT THE ZONING PROPOSAL IN ANY CONDITIONS WE ATTACH TO THAT ZONING PROPOSAL.
LONNIE? UH, I JUST WANTED TO ASK STAFF ONE QUESTION ABOUT, UM, COMPATIBILITY, SETBACKS AND, UM, HOW FAR AWAY THIS PROPERTY HAS TO BE FROM A SINGLE FAMILY HOME ON ALL SIDES? SORRY, LEMME GIMME ONE SECOND.
CYNTHIA HAD AUSTIN PLANNING, I'M JUST GONNA PULL IT UP REALLY QUICK.
IT'S IN THE SITE PLAN COMMENTS.
THE SITE IS SUBJECT TO COMPATIBILITY, UM, ON THE NORTH, SOUTH, AND WEST.
AND THOSE RESTRICTIONS ARE ANY STRUCTURE THAT'S LOCATED AT LEAST 50 FEET, BUT LESS THAN 75 FEET FROM ANY PART OF A TRIGGERING PROPERTY MAY NOT EXCEED 60 FEET.
AND THEN ANY, OR SORRY, LESS THAN 50 FEET FROM ANY PART OF A TRIGGERING PART, TRIGGERING PROPERTY MAY NOT EXCEED 40 FEET.
AND THEN ANY ONSITE AMENITY, INCLUDING A SWIMMING POOL, TENNIS COURT, BALL COURT, OR PLAYGROUND MAY NOT BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN 25 FEET OR LESS FROM THE TRIGGERING PROPERTY.
AND THEY'LL BE, THEY'LL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH COMPATIBILITY REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE ZONING IS.
OKAY, MR. CHAIRMAN, CAN I FOLLOW UP REALLY QUICKLY? SURE.
UM, SO, SO, SO BASED ON WHAT, UH, I'M, I'M SORRY MA'AM, I, I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME, BUT BASED ON WHAT THE STAFF MEMBER JUST READ IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE CURRENT GUIDELINES ARE IN FACT STRICTER THAN THE 25 FOOT SETBACK THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS REQUESTING, RIGHT? NOT EXACTLY.
I DON'T BELIEVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS REQUESTING A 25 FOOT SETBACK.
UM, UH, COULD YOU CLARIFY WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT? Y YES MA'AM.
SO WE RECEIVED SEVERAL EMAILS, WELL AT LEAST I DID, SAYING, HEY, WHEN YOU VOTE ON THIS, CAN YOU VOTE TO, TO, TO, TO PUT IN PLACE A 25 FOOT SETBACK ON THE ENTIRE PROPERTY? OKAY.
UM, SORRY, I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT.
UM, SO THEY MIGHT BE, IT DEPENDS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING MAYBE FROM THE PROPERTY LINE.
THEY'RE ASKING TO INCREASE THE SETBACK THAT'S ALREADY REQUIRED.
UM, I IT, I THINK IT'S CURRENTLY, IS IT 10 OR 15 FEET? 15? IT'S 15 FEET.
SO IT WOULD BE INCREASING IT BY 10 FEET FROM THE PROPERTY LINE IF THAT'S SOMETHING
[02:20:01]
THAT YOU CHOOSE TO ADD.BUT THE COMMISSION CHOOSES TO VOTE ON THAT.
SO THERE'S AN EXISTING 15, THERE'S AN EXISTING 15 FOOT SETBACK.
REGARDLESS OF THAT SETBACK, COMPATIBILITY WILL APPLY FROM THE TRIGGERING, FROM THE TRIGGERING PROPERTY SIGN.
WELL, SO, SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS GETTING AT BECAUSE OF WHAT'S WRITTEN TO THE CODE COMPATIBILITY, LIKE THEIR REQUEST WILL BE OKAY.
THAT THAT'S, THAT'S THE POINT I WAS WANTING TO ARTICULATE.
AND, AND FOR THE RECORD, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND THE FOOTAGE REQUIREMENT, YOU KNOW, A STANDARD LANE IS 10 FEET ACROSS, SOMETIMES 11.
SO YOU NEED TO BE AT LEAST LAMAR BOULEVARD AWAY FROM A SINGLE FAMILY HOME THAT'S 50 FEET.
SO IT WOULD BE EVEN LARGER THAN THAT THAN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPATIBILITY 75 FEET, THAT'S SEVEN LANES AND A TURN LANE AWAY FROM A SINGLE FAMILY HOME TO GO TO 60 FEET, WHICH IS LIKE A FIVE OR A SIX STORY BUILDING, USUALLY A FIVE STORY BUILDING BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT LOW CEILINGS.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
OTHER QUESTIONS? I GUESS, HOW IS THE UNDER COMPATIBILITY, HOW IS THE BUILDING ACHIEVING SIX STORIES?
SO, UM, IF FOR SOME REASON THEY'RE CLOSER THAN THAT, THEY'LL BE SHORTER THAN THAT IN THAT, IN THAT ZONE.
THEY CAN HAVE A, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A STAIR STEP IF THEY WANT TO GET STAIR STEP BACK SO THEY CAN GO ON THE 15 FOOT SETBACK AND GO STRAIGHT UP 75 FEET.
OTHER QUESTIONS? DO I HEAR A MOTION FROM SOMEBODY? AND AGAIN, WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE ZONING.
UM, I MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC PORTION.
SO THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS SF THREE TO MF SIX CO.
THE CO IS RESTRICTING HEIGHT TO 75 FEET.
THAT'S THE ONLY CON CO THAT'S ON THERE RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S RECOMMENDATION I MOVE TO APPROVE STAFF MOTION.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? UH, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TALK FOR A LITTLE BIT, BUT I THINK, UM, I, WE SHOULD DEFER TO BETSY GREENBERG FIRST
I THINK THIS CASE SHOULD BE POSTPONED NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY NEED FUNDING.
A ISD WON'T BE GETTING MONEY FOR THIS PROPERTY ANYTIME SOON.
THEY KNOW THIS AND HAVE PUT THE HYPOTHETICAL MONEY FOR THIS PROPERTY INTO THE 2027 BUDGET INSTEAD OF 2026.
INSTEAD OF SUING NEIGHBORS, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT COULD BE WORKING WITH THEM TO COME UP WITH A REASONABLE SOLUTION THAT WOULD ENABLE THEM TO SELL THE PROPERTY MORE QUICKLY.
I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO POSTPONE, BUT HAVING ASKED A FEW OF MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, I DON'T THINK I'LL GET A SECOND IF I'M WRONG ABOUT THAT.
I'LL CERTAINLY SECOND AND VOTE FOR A MOTION TO POSTPONE.
CITY LEGAL HAS TOLD US THAT WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO CONSIDER PRIVATE AGREEMENTS OR LAWSUITS NO MATTER HOW RELEVANT WE MAY THINK THEY ARE.
INSTEAD, THE COMMISSION IS SUPPOSED TO ONLY CONSIDER WHETHER THE PROPOSED ZONING IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE LOCATION.
I BELIEVE THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS NO, THE PROPERTY IS NOT ON BURNETT ROAD, AND THIS LEVEL OF INCREASED DENSITY WILL CREATE TRAFFIC SAFETY ISSUES AS WELL AS OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS RELATIVE TO THE SCHOOL BUDGET.
THE SMALL FINANCIAL BENEFITS FOR A ISD DO NOT JUSTIFY THE RESULTING DAMAGE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT TO MENTION THE PRECEDENTS THAT WILL BE CREATED THAT WILL AFFECT THE ADDITIONAL SCHOOL SITES THAT ARE BEING CLOSED.
NEXT THURSDAY, THE CITY COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER A RESOLUTION CONCERNING MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING.
IT'S ITEM 40 ON THE MARCH 26TH AGENDA.
THE RESOLUTION BEGINS BY SAYING THAT THE CITY IS COMMITTED TO PROMOTING ATTAINABLE AND DIVERSE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS OF ALL INCOME LEVELS.
I WON'T READ A SIX PAGE DRAFT RESOLUTION, BUT THE RESOLUTION CONTINUES TO DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO PROPOSE RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS THAT ALLOW FOR A RANGE OF MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING TYPES SUCH AS TOWN HOMES, COTTAGE COURTS, DETA, COTTAGE COURTS OF DETACHED HOMES, SINGLE STAIR BUILDINGS, AND SMALL SCALE MULTI-UNIT BUILDINGS.
THIS PROPERTY FROM SF THREE FOR A LUXURY
[02:25:01]
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE CITY'S GOAL OF CREATING MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING FOR THAT REASON, I'LL BE VOTING NO UNLESS SOMEBODY WANTS TO MOTION TO POSTPONE.WELL, HE CAN MAKE THE MOTION BUT POST, SEE IF YOU GET A SECOND.
I MOVE THAT WE POSTPONE THIS CASE.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MOTION.
SHE JUST MADE A MOTION TO POSTPONE.
COMMISSIONER DIDN'T ALREADY MAKE A MOTION THOUGH.
CAN WE HAVE A DATE? CERTAIN YOU HAVE A DATE? UM, I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE CALENDAR.
YOU JUST PICK A FIRST OR SECOND MEETING IN, IN A MONTH.
THE FIRST MEETING FOR APRIL WILL BE APRIL 7TH, AND OUR SECOND MEETING WILL BE APRIL 21ST FINE.
IS THERE A SECOND? AS I SUSPECT
I LOOK AT THE MISSING MIDDLE AS SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE MORE ON THE INTERIOR OF THE RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS.
SO IT'S GONNA BE REALLY INSIDE OF THE EXISTING NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, NOT, AND THIS IS ON THE PERIPHERY.
THIS IS THE VERY EDGE OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO I SEE THE MISSING MIDDLE IS GOING IN, TAKING DOWN TWO OR THREE HOUSES IN AN INTERIOR STREET AND BUILDING MISSING MIDDLE IN THE INTERIOR.
UM, THIS IS ONE THAT'S MORE ON THE EDGE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, AND IS WARRANTS HIGHER DENSITY.
UM, SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND WE HAVE A SECOND.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? UH, VERY BRIEFLY.
UH, I IS IT YOUR I NOT I FULLY INTEND TO, TO VOTE IN SUPPORT OF THE MEASURE.
I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY REALLY QUICKLY, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY KNOWS THEY WERE HEARD.
UM, I, I PERSONALLY WENT OUT THERE.
I TALKED TO SOME NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE IN THE, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, I EVEN HAD SOME PRETTY EXHAUSTIVE CONVERSATIONS, UH, WITH CITY LEGAL STAFF ABOUT, I'M PERSONALLY OKAY VOTING FOR THIS FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
I THINK THE CITY'S ENGINEER DID A GOOD JOB EXPLAINING WHY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OFFSITE TURNS AND TRAFFIC SIGNALS ARE OUTSIDE THE LEGALLY REQUIRED SCOPE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSPORTATION ANALYSIS.
UH, AS, AS FAR AS COMMUNITY INPUT, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE APPLICANT HAS INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF PARK LAND THEY INITIALLY OFFERED.
UH, AND THEY'VE ALSO, THEY ALSO HAVE VERBALLY COMMITTED TO PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, AS FAR AS UTILITIES, UH, I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT UTILITIES ARE NOT PART OF OUR PURVIEW.
UH, IF THE ZONING PASSES THINGS ABOUT DRAINAGE, UH, WHAT UTILITIES, WATER WASTEWATER WILL BE HANDLED THROUGH THE SITE, THROUGH THE SITE PLAN PROCESS.
UH, AND FINALLY, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THE QUESTION IN THE LAWSUIT OF WHO OWNS THEIR PROPERTY AND WHICH DE RESTRICTIONS SHOULD BE ENFORCED IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE QUESTION BEFORE US, WHICH IS, HOW SHOULD THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, WHAT LAND SPECIFICALLY SHOULD CITY OF AUSTIN ALLOW MF SIX ON THIS TRACT LAND? UM, AND THEN BASED ON THAT VERY QUICK ANALYSIS, THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHY I AM, UH, IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION.
THIS IS A, AGAIN, JUST A RECOMMENDATION WE'RE MAKING TO CITY COUNCIL.
THERE'LL BE THREE READINGS AT CITY COUNCIL.
I WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE A ISD AND THE DEVELOPER TO MEET WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS OFTEN AS THEY CAN BETWEEN NOW AND, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, UM, TO TALK ABOUT THE AFFORDABILITY ISSUE.
A LOT OF RESIDENTS SAID THEY WOULD SUPPORTING AFFORDABILITY, BUT IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD ABOUT IT TONIGHT.
UH, SO I THINK AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT YOU MEAN BY AFFORDABILITY WOULD GO A LONG WAYS AND KIND OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO I, I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT TO HAPPEN AT A MINIMUM WHATEVER HAPPENS HERE TONIGHT.
UH, I GUESS I JUST WANT, I JUST WANT TO, UH, I AS A, AS A EXPLANATION OF CONTENT OF, OF, UH, CONTEXT.
UM, I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, I'M GENERALLY WELL KNOWN AS VERY, VERY GROWTH ORIENTED, VERY PROPERTY RIGHTS ORIENTED KIND OF PERSON.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TRY TO SET A STANDARD THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO REPLICATE ACROSS EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL THAT IS GOING TO GET REDEVELOPED.
AND I THINK FURTHERMORE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT GROWTH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME PEOPLE, UM, MAKE ARGUMENTS, YOU KNOW, FOR AND AGAINST DIFFERENT THINGS WHO, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU CAN SAY THAT YOUR AFFORDABILITY, BUT SOMETIMES THAT JUST MEANS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO KILL THE PROJECT.
BUT I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS WHO HAVE EARNEST CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROJECT.
UM, AND SO WITH THAT, I DON'T NECESSARILY QUITE THINK THAT 75 FEET WOULD BE, I WALKED AROUND THE AREA FOR ABOUT, ABOUT SEVEN, EIGHT HOURS ON SUNDAY.
I DON'T THINK GIVEN THE LAYOUT
[02:30:01]
THIS 75 FEET FOR LIKE THE AMOUNT OF ACREAGE IS APPROPRIATE, I WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO SAY THAT WE SHOULD JUST COPY ANITA COI WHEN WE DID THIS PROJECT BEFORE I DID THE RESEARCH ON ANITA COI.AND IF WE COPIED ANITA COI FOR THIS, YOU WOULD END UP AT A THIRD OF THE OVERALL DENSITY.
NOW, ANITA COI SIZE LINE, IF YOU COULD LOOK INTO IT ABOUT HALF IS COMPLETELY UNDEVELOPABLE BECAUSE OF A FLOOD, FLOOD PINS REASON.
BUT EVEN IF YOU DO JUST THE PART THAT IS DEVELOPED, THE NINE ACRES, YOU STILL END UP AROUND 50 OR 60 ACRES, UH, UNITS PER ACRE.
UM, NOW IF YOU DO THAT KIND OF SIZE FOR RENT IN THIS LOT, IT DOESN'T PENCIL IN THE CURRENT MARKET.
AND SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO FIGURE, I THINK THERE IS, YOU KNOW, AND I CAN MAKE A MOTIONS TO THAT END TO PROPOSE SOMETHING THAT WILL PENCIL IN THE MARKET BE MAYBE HIGHER DENSITY THAN THE MISSING MIDDLE THAT THE CITY IS PROPOSING FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
BUT PROVIDE SOMETHING THAT IS SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THE DB 90 THAT I THINK PEOPLE INTENDED FOR COMMERCIAL ON CORRIDORS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND THE MISSING MIDDLE THAT WE INTENDED FOR THE IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, THOSE ARE KINDS OF THE PRINCIPLES THAT I'M THINKING AROUND.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT GROWTH SERVES THIS SORT OF GREATER GOOD.
WE NEED GROWTH, GROWTH THAT YOU PAY FOR REDEVELOPMENT, UTILITIES, ROADS, SIDEWALKS, EVERYTHING ELSE.
UM, BUT IT HAS TO FIT THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK OF THINKING.
SO THAT'S THE WAY I'M THINKING ABOUT IT, IF ANYONE GETS SURPRISED BY THE WAY I VOTE IN THE UPCOMING MOTIONS.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I DID WANNA MAKE AN ADDITIONAL COMMENT ABOUT THE TRAFFIC SAFETY CONCERNS.
SORRY, I'M JUST REALIZING I CUT OFF LAW.
UH, COMMISSIONER STERN APOLOGIES.
THERE IS A VERY REASONABLE, UH, CONCERN THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN A, ON A STREET THAT FEELS DANGEROUS.
YOU DO, YOU FEEL CONSTRAINED AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SPACE THAT FEELS UNSAFE.
UH, AND IT IS VERY NATURAL REACTION.
I THINK THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT THIS IS PROBABLY A NOT SAFE CONDITION.
HAVING WORKED FOR A FEW YEARS IN TRAFFIC SAFETY AND DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE STARTING TO REALIZE IN TRAFFIC SAFETY IS THAT PLACES LIKE THIS WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF CONSTRAINTS AND THERE ARE A LOT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OR THINGS YOU CAN BUMP INTO, UM, ARE ACTUALLY MUCH SAFER BECAUSE THEY FORCE PEOPLE TO BE MORE ALERT.
WHAT IS MUCH MORE DANGEROUS IS ACTUALLY SOME OF THE MORE MODERN SUBURBAN STYLE STREETS THAT ARE MUCH WIDER.
YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT YOUR 40 FOOT WIDE OR MORE SUBURBAN STREETS.
THESE MAKE PEOPLE FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE TO LOOK AT THEIR PHONE, TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO FIDDLE WITH THEIR RADIO OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
THAT'S PROBABLY AN OUTDATED EXAMPLE, BUT, UM, THESE ARE MUCH DANGEROUS.
WHAT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD HAS IS SORT OF DEFAULT SHARED STREETS, THIS IDEA THAT THE RIGHT OF WAY IS SO NARROW THAT YOU HAVE TO DRIVE SLOWLY AND BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST TOO SCARED NOT TO.
UM, I LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH VERY NARROW STREETS THAT WAS BUILT MORE RECENTLY, BUT INTENTIONALLY NARROW.
A LOT OF THE STREETS YOU HAVE TO YIELD, THEY ARE THOSE YIELD STREETS BECAUSE THERE COULD BE ON STREET PARKING BOTH WAYS.
UM, I LET MY KID WHO'S IN THIRD GRADE WALK TO SCHOOL, UH, BY HIMSELF.
AND BACK IN PART I KNOW THAT BECAUSE I'M COMFORTABLE WITH HIM DOING THAT.
'CAUSE I KNOW PEOPLE ARE VERY CAUTIOUS, BUT I KNOW THERE ARE SOME STREETS THAT HAVE A WIDER RIGHT OF WAY WHERE I'M MUCH LESS COMFORTABLE ABOUT THAT HAPPENING.
UM, SO IT'S COUNTERINTUITIVE THAT STREETS THAT FEEL DANGEROUS ARE OFTEN MUCH SAFER.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, I JUST WANNA GET THAT OUT THERE 'CAUSE IT'S A VERY REASONABLE CONCERN THAT THE COMMUNITY'S EXPRESSING.
AND I CAN'T SEE IF THERE'S ANYBODY STILL IN THE CHAMBER THERE WHO'S HEARING THIS, BUT, UM, IT'S STILL FULL.
I DO WANT THAT TO BE OUT THERE AND UNDERSTAND THAT WHERE THERE, WHERE YOU FEEL UNSAFE FORCES YOU TO PAY ATTENTION.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF SCIENCE BEHIND THIS ANYWAY.
AND THAT IS ONE THING, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I FEEL COMFORTABLE, UH, SUPPORTING THIS MOTION.
UM, WELL, SO I HAVE TO SAY I, I HAVE GIVEN THIS, I LOT OF THOUGHT, UH, CERTAINLY I'VE READ A LOT OF EMAIL ABOUT THIS.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR SENDING THOSE IN.
UM, IN ADDITION, I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I DO FEEL BAD ABOUT THE LAWSUIT, WHICH I KNOW THAT WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT NECESSARILY AND IT'S OUTSIDE OF OUR PURVIEW.
UM, I'VE ALSO SPOKEN TO THE DEVELOPER TEAM, UM, AND GIVEN THEM SOME WHAT FOR ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPONENT.
AND PARTLY BECAUSE THERE ISN'T RETAIL IN THIS PROJECT.
[02:35:01]
DIDN'T DO DB 90 AND SO WE LOST THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.SO CERTAINLY, UM, AS THIS MOVES ITS WAY THROUGH COUNCIL, I THINK THAT'S AN AREA OF NEGOTIATION.
UH, I'VE ALSO TALKED TO THEM ABOUT TRANSPORTATION, DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO ON SITE TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT IS MADE WITH CARS FROM THAT PROPERTY.
UM, EVEN STILL, I LIVE IN A PROPERTY LIKE THIS.
I DON'T DRIVE, THERE'S A VERY ACTIVE TRADE OF PARKING SPOTS IN THIS BUILDING.
'CAUSE A LOT OF US ARE ONE CAR HOUSEHOLDS, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE MANY OF US HERE.
BUT WE ARE, AND IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE DIRECTLY ON ROUTE 8 0 1, WHICH WAS MENTIONED EARLIER TODAY.
AND I THINK A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OVER THERE WILL FEEL SIMILARLY ABOUT THE THREE AT 8 0 3.
EVEN IF YOU IN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME A FEW BLOCKS AWAY, DON'T USE IT, MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN MULTI-FAMILY WILL.
UM, IN ADDITION, JUST FOR, BECAUSE IT CAME UP A LOT, UM, I LIVE IN THE ST.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF MULTI-FAMILY HOMES THAT ARE ON, UM, ONE IN TWO WAY STREETS.
IN FACT, THERE'S, UH, A HUGE APARTMENT COMPLEX GOING UP ON A SUBSTANDARD STREET.
IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, UM, TAKE A LOOK AT SHELBY LANE OR WHEN YOU'RE, THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE ON THE MIRACLE MILE AND, UH, YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN.
OR ACTUALLY, CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN IS MOSTLY NOT BUILT ON ARTERIALS.
IT'S MOSTLY ON FOURTH STREET, FIFTH STREET, SIXTH STREET.
SO I FEEL LIKE THAT'S COMPLETELY A RED HERRING AND SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE EMAILS.
UM, THE NEXT THING THAT I, I WANTED TO MENTION, UM, WAS ABOUT SCALE.
I HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE 25 FEET.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED THAT QUESTION JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS, UM, CORRECT THAT THESE BUILDINGS WILL BE 75 FEET AWAY FROM A SINGLE FAMILY HOME IF THEY'RE GONNA BE THAT HEIGHT.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I JUST WANNA PUT IT OUT THERE FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONSIDERING WHETHER TO POSTPONE.
AND SO WE GOT, UM, AN HOUR AND A HALF MEETING AND THEN WE GOT A THREE HOUR MEETING.
AND I DON'T SEE WHY ANOTHER POSTPONEMENT IS GONNA DO ANYTHING BUT FILL OUR INBOX AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF COMMENTS HERE WHEN THE REAL ACTION IS HIGHER UPSTREAM.
SO AGAIN, THERE ARE THREE OPTIONS TO GET HEARD IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THEY DO THAT, BUT FOR NOW, I'M RECOMMENDING THAT WE APPROVE THE, UM, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION.
I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY WE SHOULD.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
I JUST WANNA ADD, I JUST WANNA ADD SOME COMMENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THESE TYPES OF INTEL SITES ARE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO PROMOTE DENSITY IN AREAS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE EITHER HAVE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION AND OR, YOU KNOW, FORESEE THAT THERE WILL BE THAT TRANSPORTATION THERE IN THE FUTURE.
UM, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD BROUGHT UP AROUND, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OTHER, YOU KNOW, CITY RESOURCES THAT, YOU KNOW MAY BE TAXED.
AND I, I WANT TO ALSO POINT OUT THAT LIKE THE CITY DOES HAVE PROCESSES, UM, FOR THE DEVELOPER TO EXPLORE WHAT THE CAPACITY OF THOSE SYSTEMS ARE.
AND THEN THEY'RE REQUIRED TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS AND ELECTRICAL GRID GRIDS IN ORDER, YOU KNOW, TO SERVE THEIR PROJECT.
UM, I THINK, UH, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION.
UM, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT THE APPLICANT CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE TRAFFIC CONTINUE CONSIDERATIONS, UM, AS THEY PROGRESS TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, THEIR COUNCIL.
UM, AND THROUGHOUT THE, THE SITE PLAN PROCESS.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? IF NOT, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL A VOTE AGAIN.
THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION, WHICH IS SF THREE TO M MS SIX CO, THE CO BEING A LIMITATION ON HEIGHT, THE 75 FEET.
I HAVE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ALL THOSE OPPOSED I GUESS TWO
AND AGAIN, I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE APPLICANT AND THE, AND THE CITY TO ALL GET TOGETHER AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BEFORE WE GO TO CITY COUNCIL WHERE THE DECISIONS ACTUALLY MADE.
IF YOU WANTED TO GIVE THE DEAL, YOU HAVE
UM, BECAUSE THERE'S NO, UH, I ACTUALLY DID THE MATH AND I CAME VERY SURPRISED BECAUSE THIS IS LIKE A 3% CAP, HUH? HE DIDN'T OFFICIALLY MAKE A MOVE.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS ITEM SEVEN, DISCUSSION
[7. Discussion and action to approve a recommendation to the Austin City Council regarding the division of responsibilities between the Zoning and Platting Commission and the Planning Commission. (Sponsored by Commissioner Osta Lugo and Chair Smith) ]
ACTION.TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNCIL REGARDING THE DIVISION RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN ZCO AND PLANNING COMMISSION.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY UPDATES ON THIS WORK?
[02:40:01]
YES, MR. CHAIRMAN.FINALLY HAVE OUR PROPOSED DIVISION OF LABOR.
UH, WE ARE TALKING, I THINK DAVID, RIGHT? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEETING NEXT WEEK TO, TO, TO HASH OUT AND GET CONSENSUS AMONG THE WORKING GROUP BEFORE WE PUSH THINGS UP TO THE ENTIRE COMMISSION.
OKAY? SO WE'LL HOPEFULLY SEE THIS IN APRIL.
[8. Discussion and action to approve a recommendation to Council for the FY26-27 budget. (Sponsored by Vice Chair Greenberg and Chair Smith)]
DISCUSSION AND ACTION.TO APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL FOR THE BUDGETS.
DO WE WANT TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO BUDGET OR DO WE WANT TO PASS? IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'LL TAKE THE SAME ACTION EITHER WAY.
[PERMANENT COMMITTEE UPDATES ]
AND ORDINANCES, JOINT COMMITTEE, GREENBERG FLORES, OR STERN THE MEETING, UH, THIS MEETING GOT CANCELED DUE TO LACK OF BUSINESS.THEY ARE LOOKING AT SCHEDULING A SPECIAL CALL MEETING IN APRIL, END OF APRIL.
UM, I DON'T KNOW THE AGENDA YET.
JUST ONE OF THE ITEMS IS GONNA BE TO REPLACE ME AS CHAIR AT THAT MEETING.
APRIL ALSO IS TIME TO VOTE ON NEW OFFICERS.
RIGHT? CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW FREE TIME.
REALLY? YEAH, IT'S EITHER THIS WEEK OR NEXT WEEK.
I JUST GOT NOTIFIED OF IT THIS AFTERNOON.
I WOULD LOOK IT UP ON MY COMPUTER WHEN MY COMPUTER DIED.
UM, BUT THERE IS A MEETING COMING UP VERY SOON.
SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE, PKI, OLUGO OR CHEPE.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE HAVE AN UPDATE, RIGHT? UM, WE FINALLY MADE QUORUM AND UH, GOT THROUGH A LOT OF OLD BUSINESS AND ELECTED NEW OFFICERS.
UM, DON ALL CONGRATULATE ME AT ONCE.
UM, WE ALSO AGREED TO MOVE TO A QUARTERLY SCHEDULE TO HELP WITH OUR ATTENDANCE ISSUES.
AND, UM, WE HEARD A PRESENTATION ON THE 1404 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE, HUD, UM, WHICH IS A 381 UNIT.
AFFORDABLE, MIXED, UH, MIXED AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT.
UM, FOR A VACANT LOT ON THE WATERFRONT, WE RECOMMEND STAFF.
OKAY, ITEM 12 IS LAND USE COMMISSION ROSE RESPONSIBILITIES.
WE'LL HEAR MORE ON THAT IN APRIL.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? IF NOT, I WILL CALL US ADJOURNED AT EIGHT FIFTY SEVEN.
BUT EVERY TIME A PRIME MESS, ANOTHER BEGINS AND.