[00:00:08]
[CALL TO ORDER]
FIRST, LET'S TAKE ROLE.PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU'RE HERE WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, CHAIR WOODS.
CAN YOU TRY AGAIN HERE? DID IT COME THROUGH? YEAH.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR EXOFFICIO BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS, CHAIR COHEN, WHO WILL BE SAYING GOODBYE TO US AFTER THIS MEETING.
SO WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME WORDS OF FAREWELL AT THE END OF THE MEETING TONIGHT.
AS USUAL, TONIGHT'S MEETING WILL BE HYBRID, ALLOWING FOR A VIRTUAL QUORUM AS LONG AS THE COMMISSIONER SERVING AS CHAIR IS PRESENT IN CHAMBERS.
THEREFORE, WE HAVE COMMISSIONERS HERE AT CITY HALL AND IN ATTENDANCE, VIRTUALLY SIMILARLY, SPEAKERS CAN PRESENT HERE FROM COUNCIL CHAMBERS OR PARTICIPATE VIRTUALLY VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO SEND YOUR SIGN-IN SHEET TO OUR STAFF LIAISON PER THE CLERK'S GUIDELINES.
AND PLEASE HAVE YOUR GREEN, RED, AND YELLOW ITEMS FOR VOTING.
PLEASE REMAIN MUTED IF YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING AND RAISE YOUR HAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
IF I DON'T SEE YOU, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO UNMUTE AND LET ME KNOW.
VERBALLY, WE'LL HAVE ASSISTANCE FROM MS. BROWN IN ANNOUNCING THE SPEAKERS DURING OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS.
MS. BROWN, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO.
OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA
[Consent Agenda]
IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE MARCH 10TH MEETING.DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EDITS TO THOSE MINUTES? OKAY, SEEING NONE, THOSE MINUTES WILL BE ADDED TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.
OUR FIRST ACTIVITY TONIGHT IS TO VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
ITEMS THAT ARE CONSENT APPROVAL, DISAPPROVAL, POSTPONEMENTS OF PUBLIC HEARINGS OR NON-DISCUSSION ITEMS. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL WILL READ THE PROPOSED CONSENT AGENDA AND SPECIFY THOSE THAT ARE CONSENT, POSTPONEMENT AND NON-DISCUSSION.
AFTER THIS COMMISSIONERS, YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST ANY CONSENT ITEMS BE PULLED FOR DISCUSSION.
COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, WOULD YOU MIND READING THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR US? HAPPY TO HELP CHAIR.
UH, ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A PLAN AMENDMENT NPA 2 0 2 3 0 0 1 4 0.0 4 43 0 2 KNUCKLES CROSSING DISTRICT TWO.
THAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO MAY 5TH, 12TH.
UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE IS REZONING C 14 20 25 6 5 43 0 2 KNUCKLES CROSSING DISTRICT TWO.
THAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO MAY 12TH.
UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS IN PLAN AMENDMENT NPA 20 25 0 0 3 0 0 1 BEN WHITE DISTRICT FIVE.
THAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 14TH.
ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS I IS, UH, SIX IS A REZONING C 14 20 25 0 1 0 4, BEN WHITE DISTRICT FIVE.
THAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 14TH.
ITEM NUMBER SIX IS A REZONING C 14 20 24 0 1 4 7 14 0 5 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE, DISTRICT NINE.
THAT IS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 28TH.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS A RESTRICTED COVENANT TERMINATION.
THAT'S ITEM C 14 0 6 0 1 1 7 R, CT 13, SORRY, 13, 17 AND 1405 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE, DISTRICT NINE.
THAT IS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 28TH.
ITEM NUMBER SIX IS, ITEM NUMBER EIGHT IS RESTRICTED COVENANT TERMINATION.
C 14 72, 2 99 R, CT 13, 17, AND 1405 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE, DISTRICT NINE.
THAT IS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 28TH.
UH, ITEM NUMBER NINE IS A REZONING CC 8 14 2 8 0 8 7 2 SOUTH SHORE P EDITION DISTRICT THREE.
ITEM NUMBER 10 IS AN LDC AMENDMENT C 20 20 25 6 AMENDMENT TO THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR REGULATING PLAN DISTRICT THREE THAT'S OFFERED ON CONSENT.
ITEM NUMBER 11 IS A RESTRICTED COVENANT AMENDMENT C 14 95 70 RCA 13 1 13 0 1 SOUTH MOPAC, UH, EXPRESSWAY NORTHBOUND AND 2 7 2 9 7 6 BARTON SKYWAY RC AMENDMENT DISTRICT EIGHT.
AND THAT'S APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO, UH, MAY 12TH.
UH, ITEM NUMBER 12 IS HISTORIC ZONING, C 14 19 87 0 0 1 6, MAYOR HOUSE, HOUSE ORDINANCE CLEANUP, DISTRICT NINE THAT'S OFFERED ON CONSENT.
ITEM NUMBER 13 IS HISTORIC ZONING.
THAT'S ITEM C FOUR C 14 H 20 25 1 22 OH
[00:05:01]
AND THELMA MITCHELL ELLIOT HOUSE.AND THAT'S OFFERED ON CONSENT.
ITEM NUMBER 14 IS HISTORIC ZONING, C 14 H 20 26 0 0 1 3 NISH COINS HOUSE, AND THAT'S THE, UH, POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 14TH BY THE PROPERTY OWNER.
AND FINALLY ON, UH, ITEM NUMBER 15 IS A SITE PLAN EXTENSION SP 2 0 1 9 2 0 2 0 2 5 3 CXT TWO SPRINGDALE FARM.
COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, DO ANY COMMISSIONERS NEED TO RECUSE OR ABSTAIN FROM ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? SEEING NONE, MS. BROWN, DO WE HAVE SPEAKERS TO SIGN, SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON ANY OF THE CONSENT ITEMS? YES, WE DO.
STARTING OFF, WE HAVE FOR ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE, WE HAVE THE PRIMARY SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION.
ANDY, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU CHAIR WOODS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR TIME.
I BROUGHT A SHOW AND TELL ITEM AND I PROMISE TO KEEP THIS RELEVANT TO THE POSTPONEMENT.
UM, WITH REGARD TO THESE TWO CASES, I AM A DIRECT NEIGHBOR IMPACTED BY THE ZONING CHANGE, AND THE OTHER NEIGHBOR IS A BANK.
I AM A PHYSICIAN AND I HAVE A MEDICAL FACILITY.
SO AS YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT MEDICINE AND ALCOHOL AND BANKS, UH, MAY, MAY NOT BE THE BEST MIX.
I ALSO AM A PAID MEMBER OF THE WESTERN TRAILS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, AND THEY WERE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THIS, THIS CHANGE UNTIL I RECEIVED NOTICE BECAUSE MY PROPERTY IS WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED FEET.
SO DESPITE THE APPLICANT SAYING THAT THEY'VE TALKED TO EVERYONE, UM, THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED OUR ATTORNEY'S CALLS.
AND ONLY OVER THE WEEKEND DID I FIND OUT THAT, UH, UH, THERE WAS A, THAT THEY HAD ACTUALLY AGREED TO A POSTPONEMENT, EVEN THOUGH I ASKED FOR A 60 DAY POSTPONEMENT.
SO WHILE WE ARE GRATEFUL, UH, FOR THE POSTPONEMENT, AND I'M KEEPING THIS ON TOPIC, UM, THIS IS A VERY, VERY COMPLICATED ISSUE FOR THE NEIGHBORS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD I HAVE WITH ME.
AN EXHIBIT ONLY SINCE I RECEIVED THE ZONING CHANGE WAS I AWARE THEY WERE ACTUALLY SELLING ALCOHOL AT THIS PROPERTY BECAUSE MANY YEARS AGO DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE GOVERNOR ALLOWED TO GO SALES OF ALCOHOL IN RESTAURANTS.
SO THE TABC RULES FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF OUR ATTORNEY, ARE CLEAR THAT IT MUST BE A RESTAURANT THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE IT IN THE CABIN OF A CAR.
THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE LOCKED SOMEWHERE AND HERMETICALLY SEALED.
SO I WAS ABLE TO VERY EASILY UNSEAL, UNSEAL THIS AND EMPTY IT.
AND THESE ARE THE JELLO SHOTS AND JELLO GUMMY WORMS THAT THEY'RE PROBABLY SAYING IS FOOD.
I DIDN'T FIND ANY FOOD IN THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT, UM, STOPS.
I WAS NEVER ABLE TO PURCHASE FOOD, AND THERE'S NO KITCHEN THAT I CAN SEE.
SO THIS IS A MUCH, MUCH MORE COMPLICATED ISSUE.
AND STAYING ON THE TOPIC OF POSTPONEMENT, I MIGHT BE BACK IN THREE WEEKS TO ASK YOU FOR A LITTLE MORE TIME BECAUSE WE FEEL THIS DIRECTLY IMPACTS OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION JUST WANTS TO WORK WITH THE APPLICANT AND LIKE I SAID, OVER THE WEEKEND WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY REACHED BACK TO US.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FOR ON ITEM 10, WHICH IS FOR CONSENT.
WE HAVE THE APPLICANT, MICHAEL WHELAN.
MICHAEL, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
FOR OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WE HAVE FOR ITEM 13, WHICH IS ON CONSENT, WE HAVE MS. ORA HOUSTON, WHO IS OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER.
MS. HOUSTON, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
SO GLAD TO BE BACK AGAIN IN THIS ROOM.
UH, MY NAME IS ORA HOUSTON AND I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF, UH, GROWING UP IN AUSTIN AND AN AUSTIN THAT WAS SEGREGATED AS A RESULT OF THIS PLAN, THE 1928 MASTER PLAN, THE PLAN FORCED NEGROES WHO HAD LIVED THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO RELOCATE TO EAST AVENUE, EAST OF EAST AVENUE, WHICH IS NOW I 35.
AS A CHILD, MY PARENTS AND I LIVED AT EIGHT 15 EAST 11TH STREET ACROSS THE STREET FROM SAMUEL HOUSTON COLLEGE IN A COMPLETE COMMUNITY, LOT LUMBER COMPANY, HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL, HARLEM THEATER DOCTORS AND AMAZING EDUCATORS WERE IN THAT COMMUNITY.
MY PARENTS PURCHASED THEIR HOME ON EAST 22ND STREET IN THE FIFTIES.
[00:10:01]
THE STRICT SEGREGATION RULES IN AUSTIN, MAINOR ROAD WAS THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN NEGRO AUSTIN FROM WHITE AUSTIN, SOUTH OF MAINOR ROAD.NEGROES COULD PURCHASE PROPERTY BUILT HOUSING AND OUR RENT.
TODAY, MOST OF THE BLOCK IS PHYSICALLY THE SAME EXCEPT FOR THE PROPERTY OF DR.
AND MRS. HOLLOWAY, WHICH IS NOW HOME TO $4 MILLION HOUSES.
I WAS ABLE TO GET A HISTORIC SIGN PLACED CLOSE TO THE TWO, UM, PLACED TO THEM, PLACED TO TWO THE SIDEWALKS.
SO NEW NEIGHBORS HAVE SOME IDEA ABOUT WHO LIVED ON THE LAND BEFORE THE FOUR HOMES WERE BUILT.
MY PARENTS WERE THE PILL PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY.
MY FATHER, OH ELLIOT WAS THE FIRST NEGRO APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS TO THE COORDINATING BOARD OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
MY MOTHER, THELMA EMMA ELLIOT, WAS THE FIRST NEGRO FEMALE TO GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK IN 2026.
I AM THE ONLY BLACK PERSON WHO LIVES, WHO OWNS THEIR OWN HOME ON 22ND STREET FROM CHESTNUT AVENUE TO CHICON.
WHY SHOULD THIS HISTORY BE PRESERVED? BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT TO MARK THE PRO.
BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT TO MARK FOR POSTERITY THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE MY FATHER, MOTHER, AND ME BEFORE.
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT IS COMPLETELY ERASED TODAY.
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS UNDER PRESSURE FROM RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT CHANGES MAY BE INEVITABLE.
YET NEW NEIGHBORS SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY.
THEY, THEY NOW SHARE THE HISTORY OF PEOPLE WHO BETTERED THEMSELVES AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD THROUGH HARD WORK AND A DEEP SENSE OF FAIRNESS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
WE ARE GOING TO ITEM 14, WHICH IS A PROPERTY OWNER POSTPONEMENT FOR APRIL 14TH.
WE HAVE THE PRIMARY SPEAKER, SCOTT MENZIES.
WE CAN COME BACK TO THE SPEAKER FOR 13, BUT, UM, FOR 14, WE HAVE, LET ME, IF YOU DON'T MIND JUST PRESSING THAT BUTTON ON THE MICROPHONE UNTIL IT TURNS GREEN.
I'M A ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN AND I WORKED WITH MS. HOUSTON TO PREPARE THE APPLICATION AND GO THROUGH THE VERY SORT OF DIFFICULT, UH, MAZE OF THE CITY, UM, APPLICATION PROCESS, BUT HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT HELP AND SUPPORT FROM THE PRESERVATION OFFICE STAFF.
UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT OF COURSE, I'M IN FAVOR OF THE APPLICATION.
THIS HOUSE, UH, MEETS CRITERIA FOR, UM, ARCHITECTURE.
IT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE RANCH STYLE, WHICH, UH, IN MY YOUTH AS A YOUNG PRESERVATIONIST, I NEVER THOUGHT WE WOULD BE LISTING, UH, RANCH STYLE HOUSES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER.
BUT NOW WE ARE, UH, LOW THESE MANY YEARS.
IT'S INTACT TO THE HISTORIC PERIOD, THE PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE.
AND IT'S, IT'S PRIMARILY SIGNIFICANT FOR ITS ASSOCIATION WITH, UH, DR.
ELLIOT, UM, ADVOCATED ESPECIALLY FOR THE CREATION OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
AND THE COLLEGE AND THEIR FIRST GRADUATION CEREMONY DEDICATED THAT CEREMONY TO DR.
UM, MRS. ELLIOT, AS MS. HOUSTON SAID, WAS A PRECURSOR.
UM, THESE ARE THE, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICANS TO GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
UM, AND SHE WENT ON TO HEAD ONE OF LBJS WAR ON POVERTY PROGRAMS CALLED, UH, PROJECT ENABLE IN THIS CITY.
TOGETHER, THEY, UH, PROMOTED AND SUPPORTED EDUCATION, UH, SOCIAL JUSTICE.
UM, SHE WAS A PROBATION OFFICER IN THE TRAVIS COUNTY JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM FOR MANY YEARS, AND THEY DEDICATED THEIR LIFE TO SERVICE.
[00:15:01]
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.THIS IS A PROPERTY OWNER POSTPONEMENT.
UM, FOR APRIL 14TH, WE HAVE OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER, SCOTT MENZIES.
SCOTT, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
GOING ONTO OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WE HAVE MARY KAY.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MIRIAM CONNOR.
MIRIAM, YOU'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LUISA BRIDESMAID LUISA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PAULINA K KOVICH.
PAUL, YOU'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ASHLEY CUMMINGS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TRAVIS, HOLLER.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FRANCOIS LEVY, WHO IS JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
FRANCOIS, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES GO AND PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF.
UH, I'M THE OWNER OF NOBLE JOE COFFEE COMPANY.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF FRAN, WE DON'T HAVE RE ON.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SAM REYES.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS ITEM 15, WHICH IS ON CONSENT.
WE HAVE MICHAEL WAYLON, MR. WAYLON'S WAIVING HIS TIME CHAIR.
THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKER'S ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE SPEAKER WHO WAS ONLINE IS HE SIGNED UP FOR A SPECIFIC, UH, ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
I DANE IS SIGNED UP FOR A DISCUSSION ITEM.
SO, MR. KENNY, WE'LL BE COMING BACK TO YOU.
DO ANY COMMISSIONERS WANT TO PULL ANY OF THE CONSENT ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION OR OTHERWISE HAVE QUESTIONS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? OKAY.
IS THERE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AND APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING? MOTION BY COMMISSIONER AHMED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES AND THIS CONCLUDES THE CONSENT AGENDA.
[9. Rezoning: Location: C814-2008-0087.02 - South Shore PUD Addition; District 3 ]
DISCUSSION CASES.THE FIRST ITEM IS NUMBER NINE ON OUR AGENDA AND WE WILL HEAR FIRST FROM STAFF ON THIS CASE.
ITEM NUMBER NINE IS CASE NUMBER C 8 1 4 DASH 2 0 2 8 0 0 8.
7.02 IS A REZONING REQUEST OF 1 7 0 5 AND 1717 SOUTH LAKESHORE BOULEVARD AND 1712 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE FROM ERC DASH CMU, WHICH IS EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR CORRIDOR.
MIXED USE TO PUD STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION IS TO CONDITIONALLY GRANT A SECOND AMENDMENT OF THE PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT ZONING, WHICH WOULD BE THE SOUTH SHORE PUD.
IT WOULD ADD APPROXIMATELY 1.4 ACRES TO THE EXISTING PUD AND INCREASE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT TO 180 FEET.
THE CONDITION IS THAT THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF THE SITE PLAN SUBMITTAL SHALL APPLY TO ANY PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ON THE TRACT AS DESCRIBED IN CITY CODE TITLE 25 1.
ARTICLE 14 PARKLAND DEDICATION.
THE SUBJECT TRACT IS APPROXIMATELY 1.4 ACRES THAT WAS FORMERLY A RESTAURANT BABY A'S AND A SEVEN 11 CONVENIENCE STORE.
IT IS JUST EAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF SOUTH LAKE SHORE BOULEVARD AND EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE TO THE NORTH ACROSS LAKE SHORE BOULEVARD IS A FOUR STORY MULTIFAMILY APARTMENT BUILDING.
THE ALEY SOUTH SHORE, WHICH HAS SOME STREET LEVEL RETAIL TO THE WEST ACROSS EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE ARE TWO RESTAURANTS AND AN AUTO SALES USE TO THE SOUTH ACROSS EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE IS A CONVENIENCE STORE WITH A SERVICE STATION WITH TRUCKS AND A DONUT SHOP.
AND TO THE EAST IS A DETENTION
[00:20:01]
POND, UH, FIVE STORY MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENTS.THE BELL SOUTH SHORE, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES SOME STREET LEVEL RETAIL AND A JIFFY LOOP AUTO SERVICE CENTER SITE IS ADJACENT TO THE PROPOSED, UH, TO A PROPOSED PROJECT CONNECT RAIL STOP AT EAST RIVERSIDE AND SOUTH LAKE SHORE DR.
AND THE SITE IS WITHIN THE RIVERSIDE STATION'S.
IMAGINE AUSTIN ACTIVITY CENTER ALONG RIVERSIDE, UH, DRIVE, WHICH IS AN IMAGINE AUSTIN ACTIVITY CORRIDOR, AN A SMP LEVEL THREE CORRIDOR, AND PART OF THE A SMP TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK.
UH, THIS PROJECT, UH, IF APPROVED WOULD, UH, AIMS TO COMPLY WITH THE PUT ORDINANCE FOR, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS AN INCENTIVE, UH, FOR DEVELOPMENT.
UH, AND THOSE, UM, STAFF NOTED THAT THOSE AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS ARE GREATER THAN WHAT IS UNDER THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR WHERE IT'S CURRENTLY ZONED TODAY.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENTS, ALSO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM PAR THAT WILL BE PART OF THE STAFF'S PRESENTATION FOR THIS AND SHOW MY COLLEAGUE WILL GO INTO FURTHER DETAIL ABOUT THE THE PARKLAND DEDICATION.
I'M A PRINCIPAL PLANNER WITH THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
UM, I'LL PRESENT TONIGHT ON THE SOUTH SHORE PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THE DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW, JONATHAN JUST COVERED IT, BUT IT, THE MAP ABOVE SHOWS THE ORIGINAL 20 ACRES OF THE P AND THE AREA.
UH, THE ADDITIONAL AREA TO THE LEFT HATCH IS THE NEW AREA THAT'S BEING INCORPORATED.
IT'S ADJACENT TO A FUTURE PROJECT CONNECT STATION.
THE ORIGINAL 2009 PUD RESTRICTED PARKLAND DEDICATION TO THE 2007 PARKLAND DEDICATION ORDINANCE, WHICH CHARGED $650 PER RESIDENTIAL UNIT AT THE TIME OF ADOPTION OF THE ORIGINAL 20 ACRES.
THIS AMOUNT PER UNIT REFLECTS THE COST TO BUY PARKLAND AND DEVELOP PARKS IN AUSTIN 20 YEARS AGO.
THE, UM, SORRY, THE, UH, APPLICANT PROPOSED LANGUAGE SHOWN HERE IN BLACK ASS AN ADDITIONAL PARKLAND PROVISION THAT AIMS TO VEST THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEWLY ADDED AREA.
TO THOSE 2007 REGULATIONS, THE CITY REQUIRES ALL PUTT AMENDMENTS TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE WITH OR EXCEED CURRENT PARKLAND DEDICATION CODE FOR ANY PUD OR PUTT AMENDMENT.
UH, THE ADJACENT PUD LAKESHORE PUD AMENDMENT THAT WAS ADOPTED IN 2005, FOR EXAMPLE, ANNEXED AN ADDITIONAL AREA JUST LIKE THIS ONE AND BROUGHT THAT AREA INTO COMPLIANCE WITH CURRENT PARKLAND DEDICATION CODE AND THEN ALSO EXCEEDED IT BY, UM, DEDICATED, DEDICATED AN ADDITIONAL TRAIL AND EASEMENT.
UM, THESE ARE CASES ARE RELEVANT BECAUSE IT'S DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE SOUTH SHORE POD.
SO IT'S THE SAME MARKET CONDITIONS AT THE SAME TIMING AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PENCIL IN THE ADDITIONAL PARKLAND FEE THE, UM, APPLICANT PROPOSAL TO VE VEST.
THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS TO $650 A UNIT GROSSLY UNDERVALUES THE CURRENT COST OF ACQUIRING PARKLAND, WHICH IS SET TODAY AT OVER $4,600 A UNIT.
APRS POSITION IS THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO BRING THE ADDITIONAL AREA OF SOCIAL PUT INTO COMPLIANT WITH CURRENT PARKLAND DEDICATION CODE RATHER THAN VESTING IT TO 20-YEAR-OLD FEES AT 375 PROPOSED UNITS.
THAT'S $101.5 MILLION LOST IN PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES, WHICH IS AN UNRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCE TO THE EAST RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WELL EXCEEDS THE VALUE OF A HALF ACRE LAND OF A HALF ACRE OF LAND PROPOSED AS A DONATION AND EXCHANGE FOR VESTING THE FEES TO $650 A UNIT.
UH, THE LAND THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED FOR DEDICATION IS OF INTEREST TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UM, AS AN ACQUISITION AND WE'VE BEEN PURSUING IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND WE'LL BE BIDDING ON IT IN THE FUTURE, BUT IT CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AS PARKLAND DEDICATION ASSOCIATED WITH THESE PUD REQUIREMENTS BECAUSE IT IS TOO FAR AWAY.
IT'S OVER A QUARTER MILE, SO IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE PUT SERVICE AREA.
UM, BUT WE COULD ACCEPT IT AS A DONATION SEPARATE FROM THE PUT AMENDMENT CONSIDERATION.
STAFF RECOMMENDS BRINGING THIS ADDITIONAL AREA, THE HATCHED AREA, THE ADDITIONAL AREA SHOWN IN THE PUT INTO COMPLIANCE WITH CURRENT PARKLAND DEDICATION CODE WITH THE PAYMENT OF FEES IN LIEU INEFFECTIVE THE TIME OF SITE PLAN SUBMITTAL.
THE PUT AMENDMENT AS WRITTEN REPRESENTS PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE INFERIOR TO CURRENT CODE.
SO THE PARCEL AS IT SITS TODAY WOULD BE SUBJECT TO CURRENT CODE THAT GETS VESTED THROUGH THIS PUTT AMENDMENT
[00:25:01]
TO 2007.WE'RE ACTUALLY INFERIOR TO CURRENT CODE EVEN THOUGH IT'S A PUTT IN GETTING ADDITIONAL ENTITLEMENTS.
SO THE ACTION TONIGHT IS TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL REGARDING THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS, UH, AMENDMENT.
AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM? YES.
UM, FOR THIS ITEM WE HAVE THE APPLICANT, MICHAEL WHALEN.
MICHAEL, YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
I HELLO MICHAEL WHALEN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT HERE TO OBVIOUSLY DISCUSS THIS CASE.
UH, AS YOU JUST HEARD, IT INVOLVES 1.4 ACRES AT THE INTERSECTION OF EAST RIVERSIDE IN SOUTH LAKESHORE.
IT IS AT A FUTURE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL STOP.
AND THIS REQUEST WOULD UL ULTIMATELY ADD, AS YOU HEARD, AN ESTIMATED 357 ADDITIONAL UNITS AT THE RAIL STATION WITH UP TO 180 FEET.
WE ARE REQUESTING TO ADD THE SMALL PARCEL TO AN ADJACENT PUD, THE ROUGHLY 20 ACRE SOUTH SHORE PR P, WHICH YOU JUST SAW.
AND HERE YOU CAN SEE AGAIN THE APPLICANT IN THIS CASE IS GRACO PARTNERS.
THEY WERE ALSO THE APPLICANT IN THE ORIGINAL PUD.
THEY BOUGHT, UH, THEY BROUGHT THAT ORIGINAL PUD FORWARD DURING THE GREAT RECESSION AND THEN BUILT IT OUT IN SEVERAL PHASES OVER THE NEXT DECADE, IT'S TAKEN 'EM A DECADE.
TODAY AUSTIN FINDS ITSELF ONCE AGAIN IN A CHALLENGING ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, NOT THE SAME ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS REFERENCED A MOMENT AGO.
AND WE HAVE BEFORE US A REAL PROJECT WITH AN APPLICANT WHO HAS DEMONSTRATED A RECORD OF SUCCESS.
IN FACT, GRACO ALWAYS ENVISIONED ADDING THIS PARCEL INTO THE P THOUGH IT TOOK THEM SOME TIME TO GET THE OTHER TWO PARCELS.
THEY OWNED ONE OF THE THREE PARCELS TO GET THE OTHER TWO PARCELS UNDER CONTRACT.
FOR REFERENCE CITY POLICIES DESIGNATE THIS PARCEL AS AN APPROPRIATE AREA FOR GROWTH.
IT'S LOCATED WITHIN AN IMAGINE AUSTIN CENTER AND ALONG AN IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR.
AND AS NOTED YOU CAN SEE HERE, IT IS LITERALLY AT A FORTHCOMING AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL STATION.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE BRIEFED A TP AND PROJECT CONNECT FULLY.
OUR PROPOSAL WOULD BE A MAJOR STEP FORWARD SUPPORTING THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL AND FOR TRANSIT ALONG THE EAST RIVERSIDE IN GENERAL.
AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE SITE IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPED TODAY AS AN AUTO AUTO ORIENTED SUBURBAN STYLE COMMERCIAL SITE SURROUNDED BY SURFACE PARKING DRIVEWAYS AND MULTIPLE WIDE CURB CUTS.
HERE YOU CAN SEE A STREET VIEW OF THAT PARCEL, WHICH AS YOU HEARD CURRENTLY FEATURES A SEVEN 11 AND A BABY A'S AGAIN, THIS TYPE OF SITE SITE LAYOUT IS NOT WHAT EITHER THE CITY OR CAP METRO WOULD ENVISION AT A FUTURE LIGHT RAIL STATION.
OUR PRINCIPAL REQUEST IS TO ALLOW THE TRANSIT SUPPORTED BUILDING HEIGHT OF UP TO 180 FEET AT THIS KEY LOCATION.
WE BROUGHT THIS PROPERTY, THIS PROPOSAL TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT TEAM OR E ROCK.
YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM THEM IN A MOMENT A YEAR AGO BEFORE WE EVEN SUBMITTED THE APPLICATION.
AND WE, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO REGULARLY MEET WITH THEM AND UPDATE THEM THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD LET US KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR YEARS TO GET THE CITY TO ACQUIRE A HALF ACRE PARCEL ADJACENT TO HERITAGE OAK NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, WHICH I'M GONNA SHOW YOU IN A MOMENT.
AND WE THOUGHT THIS COULD OFFER A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A WIN-WIN.
AS WE KNOW, THE CITY'S PARKLAND MANDATES, UH, OUR, A MAJOR COST FOR ANY PROJECT, PARTICULARLY FOR DENSE ONES WITH CONSTRAINED SITES AND PARTICULARLY RIGHT NOW GIVEN CURRENT ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.
WE ALSO FELT THAT THIS PROPERTY WAS ALREADY WELL CONNECTED TO THE CITY'S PARKS AND TRAIL SYSTEM.
AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THESE ARE THE TRAIL SYSTEM, BUT WE SAW THAT THERE WAS AVAILABLE LAND AND A NEED AT THE HERITAGE OAK NEIGHBORHOOD PARK.
AND HERE YOU CAN SEE OUR PROPOSED PUD UH, LANGUAGE SLIGHTLY MODIFIED, WHICH WAS STILL WITHIN A MILE OF THE PROPERTY AS YOU CAN SEE HERE.
SO, AND THERE'S THE MILE, THERE'S HERITAGE PARK AND THERE'S THE HALF ACRE NEXT TO IT.
UH, WE COMMITTED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD A YEAR AGO THAT WE WOULD TRY TO ACQUIRE THE HALF ACRE NEXT TO HERITAGE OAK AND DEDICATE IT TO THE CITY, ENSURING THAT OUR CASE HAD A DIRECT BENEFIT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHILE ALSO ENSURING AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE PROJECT.
IN ADDITION TO DEDICATING THIS PLAN, WE WOULD ALSO PAY PAR THE ORIGINAL PUD FEE OF $650 PER UNIT AT EVERY STEP WE HAVE SOUGHT TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT COMMITMENT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE WERE HOPEFUL WE COULD HAVE COME HERE TO YOU TODAY WITH THAT HALF ACRE PARCEL IN HAND IN DECEMBER AND AGAIN IN JANUARY, WE TOLD THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DIRECTLY ABOUT THE WORK WE'D BEEN DOING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO ACQUIRE THIS PARCEL.
THEN IN FEBRUARY, PARKS SUDDENLY TOLD US FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY TOO ARE INTERESTED IN ACQUIRING THIS PROPERTY, WHICH WAS NEW INFORMATION FOR BOTH US AND THE CONTACT TEAM.
[00:30:01]
ALL OF A SUDDEN THE TAX AUCTION ON THE PROPERTY WAS SUDDENLY PUSHED BACK FROM MARCH TO MAY AT THE CITY'S REQUEST.SO WHILE WE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THE PARCEL IN HAND, WE ARE COMMITTED TO WHAT WE SAID WE WOULD DO AND WE ARE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK IN GOOD FAITH WITH THE CONTACT TEAM TO ACQUIRE THIS PARCEL, UH, AT THE NEXT AUCTION.
SO TO RECAP, OUR 1.4 ACRE SITE IS LOCATED AT A FUTURE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL STATION.
OUR CASE WOULD ALLOW FOR TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE DENSITY AT THIS KEY SITE.
WE HAVE BEEN SEEKING TO DO THAT WHILE WORKING WITH THE CONTACT TEAM OVER THE PAST YEAR TO EXPAND A LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD PARK.
AND WE ASK YOU TO RECOMMEND THIS CASE TO COUNSEL AND SPECIFICALLY ASK YOU TO RECOMMEND THAT COUNSEL INCORPORATE THE PROVISIONS THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU INTO THE PUT PROVIDING FOR THE DEDICATION OF THE HALF ACRE PARCEL ADJOINING HERITAGE OAK PARK AS A WAY TO SATISFY PARK LAND MANDATES ALONG WITH THE $650 PER UNIT.
OKAY, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GAIL GOFI.
I'M THE CHAIR OF THE E ROCK CONTACT TEAM.
SO CAN I SPEAK FIRST? YES, THAT'S FINE.
I'M THE CHAIR OF THE EAST RIVERSIDE ULT TORF COMBINED CONTACT TEAM.
THE E ROCK CONTACT TEAM VOTED TO SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL FOR THE AMENDMENT TO THE SOUTH SHORE POD.
THIS PROPOSAL IS FOR THE DEVELOPER TO BUY THE ABANDONED STRIP OF LAND ADJACENT TO THE HERITAGE OAKS PARK AND GIVE IT TO THE CITY AS PART OF THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENT.
THE IRAN CONTACT TEAM HAS BEEN ASKING THE CITY TO BUY THIS PROPERTY FOR FOUR YEARS.
THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAD PREVIOUSLY TOLD THE CONTACT TEAM THAT THE PURCHASE OF THIS PROPERTY AT THE TRAVIS COUNTY AUCTION WAS NOT A PRIORITY.
THE PURCHASE OF THIS PROPERTY IS IMPORTANT FOR MORE THAN JUST AN ADDITION TO THE PARK.
THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN THE CENTER FOR CRIME IN THIS AREA FOR YEARS.
THE CITY CANNOT FIND AN OWNER TO SIGN A TRESPASS FORM, SO THE POLICE CANNOT ENFORCE TRESPASS LAWS ON THIS PROPERTY.
THIS PROPERTY CONTINUES TO BE A SOURCE OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN THE EAST RIVERSIDE AREA.
THIS PROPERTY IS NEXT TO THE NEW CHILDREN'S NATURE PLAY AREA IN THE PARK.
THE RESIDENTS DO NOT USE THIS PLAY AREA BECAUSE OF THE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ONLY A FEW FEET AWAY.
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT.
AND GAIL GOFF, DO YOU STILL WISH TO SPEAK? YES.
I'M A MEMBER OF THE CONTACT TEAM SINCE IT'S INCEPTION MANY YEARS AGO.
SO AS MALCOLM MENTIONED, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH MICHAEL WHALEN AND HIS TEAM FOR OVER A YEAR AFTER RECEIVING AN EMAIL FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN AUGUST OF 2024 THAT THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN ACQUIRING THIS STRIP FOR THE HERITAGE OAKS PARK BECAUSE THIS STRIP IS NEXT TO THE PARK IN THE WONDERFUL NEW NATURE PLAY, UH, ADDITION, WHICH IS REALLY SUPERB.
UM, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR USERS TO FEEL SAFE IN USING IT.
WHEN MICHAEL WHALEN ASKED HOW THE SOUTH SHORE PUD COULD GAIN SUPPORT FOR THEIR PROJECT, WE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THE HOP SITUATION AND THE CONTACT TEAM THEN VOTED TO WORK WITH THE APPLICANT IN ORDER TO ACQUIRE THIS ORPHAN LOT.
SO WAYLON'S TEAM HAS WORKED DILIGENTLY TO LOCATE THE OWNERSHIP, FOLLOW THE CASE THROUGH TO THE COUNTY'S ATTORNEY, COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WHEN THE DEFAULT FOR BACK TAXES, UH, WAS FILED.
AND HE AND HE FOLLOWED IT ALL INTO AUCTION AND LET US KNOW AT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY WHAT WAS GOING ON.
SO WE HOPE THAT YOU'LL SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT REQUEST.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DANE KINNEY, WHO IS JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
DAN, PLEASE PUSH UNMUTE, AND YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
UH, GOOD EVENING CHAIR, VICE CHAIR COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS DANE KENNY AND I'M THE OWNER AT NOBLE JOE COFFEE COMPANY.
WE'RE A LOCAL, UH, COFFEE TRUCK LOCATED RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, AND WE'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING IN THE AREA FOR ABOUT FIVE
[00:35:01]
YEARS.AND, UH, THAT'S ACTUALLY WHEN I MET THE GREAT FOLKS AT GREAT CO.
UH, I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK TO SUPPORT THIS CASE.
WE'VE GOTTEN TO SEE THE DEVELOPMENT OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS AND WE'VE HAD NOTHING BUT OF LIKE PHENOMENAL, UH, EXPERIENCES WITH RECO AND ALL THE PARTNERS, UM, THE APPLICANT FOR THIS CASE.
SO, UH, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT WE'RE NOT A RECO TENANT.
UH, BUT WE REACHED OUT TO THEM WHEN WE FIRST WERE LOOKING IN THE AREA, FINDING A LOCATION, UH, AND WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, JUST OVER THE YEARS DEAL WITH THEM IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT CAPACITIES.
UM, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT AREA OVER THE YEARS AND THEIR TEAM HAS JUST BEEN ON THE BALL.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE IN WORKING WITH PEOPLE.
WHENEVER THERE'S BEEN AN ISSUE, THEY JUMP ON IT RIGHT AWAY AND THEY'VE REALLY ELEVATED THE WHOLE ENVIRONMENT.
AND, UM, THROUGH MY BUSINESS, I KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE ALL IN THE AREA.
'CAUSE I'M THERE EVERY DAY, SO I GET TO SEE IT FIRSTHAND.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY THAT OVERALL THEY'VE JUST DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB, UH, BUILDING THE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND THEY WORK AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE LIKE TO BE A SMALL PART OF THAT COMMUNITY.
SO, UH, IT'S REALLY COOL TO BE A PART OF THIS, THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS ENVIRONMENT.
UM, I THINK THAT THE, THE PROJECT THAT WE'RE, THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON HERE WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS ADDITION FOR THE AREA AS WE'VE SEEN THE GROWTH FROM, UH, DOWNTOWN AND JUST RIVERSIDE OVERALL.
IT WOULD REALLY GIVE NEW SPOTS FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE, NEW CUSTOMERS, NEW BUSINESSES, AND, UH, NEW RIDERS FOR THE TRAIN THAT WILL HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, BE COMING TO RIVERSIDE ONE DAY AND HELP WITH SOME OF OUR, UH, TRAFFIC ISSUES OF THE CITY.
UH, SO AGAIN, JUST AS A LOCAL, UH, BUSINESS PERSON ENTREPRENEUR, UH, WE'VE WORKED WITH GRACO FIRSTHAND, UH, COULDN'T RECOMMEND THEM ENOUGH AND WE'VE REALLY APPRECIATED, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING IN, UH, NEIGHBOR AND PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, WITH OUR NEIGHBORS THERE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, CHAIR.
THAT CONCLUDES SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM.
LET'S TAKE A VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION, A SECOND MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LAN WITHOUT OBJECTION.
THAT ITEM PASSES AND WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR ROUND ROBIN SO I CAN TAKE QUESTIONS FROM EIGHT COMMISSIONERS FOR FIVE MINUTES EACH.
WHO WOULD LIKE TO START US OFF? I CAN START.
UH, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE STAFF LIAISON FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND I'M SO SORRY, I'LL NEED YOU TO REMIND ME YOUR NAME ONE MORE TIME.
UM, BUT AS YOU'RE COMING UP, I'M CURIOUS IF YOU CAN TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THE FUNDING THAT'S PAID UNDER THE PARKLAND DEDICATION ORDINANCE IS GENERALLY USED.
SO MY NAME IS ROBIN ROBINS WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO THE FUNDING THROUGH PARKLAND DEDICATION IS, UM, GOES TO PURCHASING LAND AND DEVELOPING PARKS.
AND IT IS IN RESPONSE TO NEW, UH, RESIDENTS.
SO THE PARKLAND DEDICATION ORDINANCE IS SET UP SO THAT AS NEW RESIDENTS MOVE INTO AUSTIN, WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THAT GROWTH BEYOND JUST GENERAL MAINTENANCE OR WEAR AND TEAR.
WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH EXPANDING ACCESS TO THE PARK SYSTEM OR EXPANDING THE PARK SYSTEM AS OUR POPULATION BASED GROWTH.
SO WE INVEST MONEY IN LAND ACQUISITION AND THEN WE INVEST MONEY IN BUILDING NEW PLAY GAMESES NEW BALL FIELDS AROUND, UM, THE CITY.
AND IT HAS A, UH, A TIDE WITH A NEXUS TO WHERE THE NEW RESIDENTS MOVE IN.
WE HAVE TO SPEND THAT MONEY WITHIN A CERTAIN DISTANCE OF WHERE THOSE NEW RESIDENTS MOVE IN, WHICH IS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE'RE ACCEPTING LAND DEDICATIONS, THE NEW PARK SERVES THOSE NEW RESIDENTS WITHIN A WALKING DISTANCE.
AND THAT WALKING DISTANCE IS A COUNCIL MANDATED OR COUNCIL RESOLUTION THAT STATES THAT EVERY AUSTINITE SHOULD BE WITHIN A WALKING DISTANCE OF A PARK, WHICH IN THIS AREA IS A QUARTER MILE.
SO THE FUNDING WOULD HAVE TO BE USED TO ACQUIRE PARKLAND SPECIFICALLY WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF THIS SITE.
UH, INITIALLY THAT'S WHERE WE LOOK FOR IT.
UH, THAT'S WHERE WE LOOK FOR A LAND ACQUISITION.
AND IF THERE IS NO LAND ACQUISITION, WE ARE ABLE TO EXPAND IT SLIGHTLY.
WE HAVE CODE CRITERIA THAT LAYS OUT EXACTLY HOW WE CAN SPEND THAT MONEY, BUT IF THERE'S A QUARTER ACRE WITHIN THIS AREA, WE'RE ABLE TO PURCHASE IT WITHOUT, IS THERE A QUARTER ACRE WITHIN THE QUARTER MILE PROXIMITY OF THIS SITE? UM, NOT, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF ONES THAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT BEFORE.
I THINK I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AGAIN TO THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND AS WE THINK ABOUT KIND OF WHETHER THIS IS A REASONABLE SWAP.
I UNDERSTAND THE PARCEL THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED IS WITHIN A MILE OF THE SITE, SO IF THERE'S NOT SOMETHING WITHIN, IF YOU COULD HELP US TO UNDERSTAND
[00:40:01]
MM-HMMWHETHER THERE'S SOMETHING WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OR HALF MILE OR A MILE.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS, SO MAYBE WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION KIND OF THROUGHOUT THIS TIME.
YEAH, I THINK IN THE, THE, UH, SORT OF IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND IS THE VALUE OF THAT HALF ACRE IS WELL UNDER WHAT THE FEES THAT WE COLLECT WOULD BE.
SO WE COULD BUY THAT HALF ACRE PARCEL PLUS ADDITIONAL PARCELS WITH THE FEES THAT WE COLLECT.
SO THE VALUE OF THE, THE DONATED PARCEL IS WELL UNDER WHAT THE FEES WE WOULD COLLECT WOULD BE UNDERSTOOD.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. WHEEN, BUT IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO HA GET THAT INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT PARCELS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE WITHIN PROXIMITY TO THIS SITE, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH MS. HAMMONDS.
MR. WHALEN, I'M WONDERING WHAT HAPPENS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE IF THE COST OF THIS PARCEL INCREASES BY THE TIME IT'S AT AUCTION? AGAIN, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WOULD STILL WORK FOR THE LANDOWNER IN THIS CASE? YEAH, I'M SORRY I WAS SCRAMBLING.
UH, TO FIND, UH, A SPECIFIC CITATION.
UM, ANYWAY, UH, MICHAEL WHALEN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT, UM, UH, TO ANSWER THE SPECIFIC QUESTION, WE KNOW WE'RE AT RISK, UH, IN TERMS OF THAT COST.
UH, THE DEFAULT JUDGMENT HAD IT VALUED AT $200,000, BUT I THINK FURTHER RESEARCH HAS IT AT TWO 40 OR TWO 50.
I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER.
UH, AND WE'RE JUST AT RISK THAT, UH, UM, THAT WE MIGHT NOT, UM, BE ABLE TO GET IT, BUT WE'RE PREPARED.
WE'VE MADE THE CLIENT MADE A COMMITMENT EXPLICITLY TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, AND, UH, THEY'RE PREPARED TO STAND BY THAT COMMITMENT.
SO THERE'S NO, I MEAN, THEORETICALLY THERE'S NOT A COST ESCALATION HERE AT WHICH THAT COMMITMENT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE MET.
WE'RE PREPARED AND, AND, AND I'D HAVE TO SAY LAND IS SO DIFFICULT TO FIND AND SO VALUABLE LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.
THAT'S ONE REASON WHY WE SAW A WIN-WIN HERE TO WORK WITH THEM.
AND I, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT THE PARK'S OWN LONG-TERM PLAN HAS A NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, WHICH THIS IS HERITAGE OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD PARK.
THEIR SERVICE AREA IS ONE MILE.
AND THE, AND THIS SITE IS WITHIN THAT ONE MILE AREA.
IS HERITAGE OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD PARK WITHIN A MILE OF THE SITE IN QUESTION? YES.
IS IT THE CLOSEST PARK TO THE SITE? I THINK WOODLAND POCKET PARK IS CLOSER THE, IT'S A 0.33 ACRE PARK AND IT, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT DISTANCE.
HOW FAR IS IT? IT'S A RESIDENTIAL, IT'S A RESIDENTIAL LOT THAT'S EMPTY AND, UM, BUT IT MIGHT BE HALF A MILE.
WELL, I CAN WE, I CAN FIND OUT HOW, HOW FAR IT IS AND CAN UPDATE YOU IN A MOMENT.
YEAH, AND I, I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT YOU CAN ASK THE CONTACT TEAM.
THERE'S NO VACANT LAND AVAILABLE WITHIN A QUARTER ACRE OF EAST RIVERSIDE AND LAKESHORE.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER BEDROSIAN A I AM SORRY, MR. WELLON, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF EXERCISE TODAY, IF YOU DON'T MIND JOINING US AGAIN.
I WAS GONNA ASK MICHAEL GINI, WHO'S LISTENING TO FIND OUT HOW FAR THE, UH, UH, UH, THE, THE POCKET PARK IS.
UM, SO THIS IS A FRUSTRATING CASE TO COME BEFORE US BECAUSE IT'S A CASE.
I THINK GENERALLY SPEAKING, I DON'T WANNA MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, BUT I THINK THERE'S A LOT ABOUT THIS PROJECT THAT WE WOULD REALLY SUPPORT, UH, THIS BUILDING, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING INCREASE, UM, ITS PROXIMITY TO THE NEW STATION.
YOU'RE IN A POSITION NOW WHERE YOU'RE GONNA BE IN A BIDDING WAR WITH PARD.
UH, AND I'M SUPER FRUSTRATED THAT WE HAVE A DEVELOPER IN PARD THAT CAN'T SEEM TO GET TOGETHER ON THE SAME PAGE, ON THE SIMILAR PIECE OF PROPERTY AND ARE NOW PUTTING THEMSELVES AT ODDS OVER WHERE TO GO FROM HERE, A HALF ACRE IN AUSTIN AT $250,000.
SOUNDS LIKE A BARGAIN OF THE CENTURY.
UH, IS THAT NOT A, A MASSIVE UN UNDERVALUATION OF THAT PROPERTY? WELL, THE MARKET WILL TELL US.
SO FIR FIRST OF ALL, UH, I SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION.
I'M EXTRAORDINARILY FRUSTRATED, UH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, SINCE, UH, WE THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE AN AUCTION.
AND THEN I WAS TOLD BY THE DEPUTY COUNTY ATTORNEY THAT CITY ATTORNEYS ASKED FOR IT TO BE POSTPONED, UNILATERALLY, UNILATERALLY AT PARKS DIRECTION.
SO I'M MORE THAN A LITTLE FRUSTRATED AND WE SHOULD BE IN A COLLABORATIVE MODE.
BUT HERE WE ARE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S WORTH.
WE'LL KNOW WHAT IT'S WORTH WHEN IT'S AUCTION AND THE MARKET'S GONNA TELL US WHAT IT'S WORTH, AND NOW THE PUBLIC KNOWS THAT IT'S GONNA BE UP FOR AUCTION.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT MORE PEOPLE TO SHARE WOODS POINT, UH, COMPETING POSSIBLY FOR THIS, UH, PARTICULAR PIECE OF PROPERTY.
SO WHAT, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE OUTBID FOR THIS PROPERTY? WELL, WE HAVE, UH, UH,
[00:45:01]
IF, IF WE DON'T GET IT, WE HAVE AS AN OPTION, UH, THAT WE WOULD PAY A FEE IN LIE.UM, AND CANDIDLY, THE OPTION WAS, YOU KNOW, A CURRENT FEE IN LIE.
AND AND THE REALITY IS, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE CLIENT'S GONNA PROCEED AT THAT POINT.
UH, THIS, THIS IS NOW A CONCRETE BUILDING.
IT'S NOT A 75 FOOT TALL BUILDING, STICK AND BRICK, IT'S A CONCRETE STRUCTURE WITH 357 UNITS RIGHT THERE AT A RAIL STATION.
AND, UM, HE OWNS ONE OF THE LOTS.
SO EVEN IF THE JOINT VENTURE FALLS APART, BECAUSE THE ZONING DOESN'T GET THROUGH, UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ANYTHING'S GONNA HAPPEN.
YOU'LL GET ANOTHER TENANT ON HIS LOT, A BANK BUILDING OR ANOTHER, ANOTHER TENANT ON THAT BUILDING.
IT'S TAKEN HIM AN EXTREMELY LONG TIME, A DECADE TO GET THIS WORKED OUT WITH THIS, UH, LEGACY FAMILY.
AND, UH, YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE 1.43 ACRES AGAIN TOGETHER, IN MY OPINION.
I GUESS THE QUESTION THOUGH IS IF YOU DO NOT ACQUIRE THE LAND TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING US TO APPROVE A MUCH LOWER, UH, DOLLAR AMOUNT PER KEY FOR PARKLAND DEDICATION, IF THERE'S NO LAND AS A RESULT OF AN OUTBIDDING, WHAT HA WHAT ARE WE, IS IT THAT WE DEFAULT JUST TO THE ORIGINAL DEDICATION AMOUNT? NO, WE WOULD, NO, I MEAN, UH, I MAY COME BACK WITH AN, UH, ANOTHER AMENDED PUT AND HAVE TO SEE WHERE THE MARKET IS AND WHAT WHAT WE CAN DO.
BUT YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW THIS IS, WE MADE A, WE MADE A VERY SPECIFIC COMMITMENT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE ALREADY COMMITTED TIME AND RESOURCES TO FOLLOWING THAT COMMITMENT THROUGH FOR A YEAR.
AND IT WASN'T UNTIL FEBRUARY THAT I LEARNED OF, UH, OF THIS, UH, UH, CURVE BALL.
BUT THAT'S FINE, YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE.
IS THERE AN OPTION TO POSTPONE THIS CASE UNTIL YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THE LAND AND EXECUTED THE DEAL THAT'S NECESSARY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN? I, I THINK WE'RE READY TO PROCEED.
I MEAN, UH, IT'LL, IT'LL BE AT AUCTION IN MAY UNLESS WE GET STYMIED AGAIN, UM, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS A POSSIBILITY AND WE'RE AT RISK, BUT WE NEED TO, WE'RE NOT GONNA KNOW THAT UNLESS WE START MOVING FORWARD AND WE FIND OUT, AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT CITY MANAGEMENT WILL, UH, SEE WHAT'S GOING ON AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO ALLOW FOR THE AUCTION TO OCCUR SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT THE MARKET PRICE, UH, IS.
UH, BY THE WAY, IT'S 0.6 MILES, UH, FROM THE, UH, UH, THE, THE POCKET PARK IS 0.6 MILES, BUT IT, THERE'S NO ADJACENT LAND TO BUY.
YOU KNOW, YOU'D BUY A SINGLE FAMILY HOME, TEAR IT DOWN, AND THEN YOU'D BE ADDING TO THE PARK TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.
I HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION FOR, UH, MS. HAYMONDS.
I AM SURE MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS WOULD BE FINE IF YOU WANTED TO STAY THERE, JUST TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON AND OFF BY THE WAY.
UM, UH, REAL QUICK QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THAT PIECE OF LAND, ONCE AGAIN, I CAN'T BUY A HALF ACRE IN NORTH LOOP FOR 250,000.
IF I DID, I'D OWN SEVERAL ACRES OF LAND.
UM, THAT IN THAT, IS IT OKAY IF I ASK MY QUESTION? YOU CAN FINISH YOUR QUESTION WITH THAT IN MIND.
UH, I THINK THE VALUE OF THIS PROPERTY IS QUITE A GREAT DEAL MORE IF IT, IF IT APPROACHED THE AMOUNT THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A DEFICIT BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OFFERED BY THE APPLICANT AND THE AMOUNT THAT IS CURRENTLY REQUIRED BY PARKLAND DEDICATION, WOULD YOU ACCEPT THE LAND AS PART OF THEIR PARKLAND DEDICATION? WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CONSIDER ACCEPTING THE LAND AS PART OF THEIR PARKLAND INDICATION? IT WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF HOW WE EVALUATE EVERY OTHER PROJECT THAT COMES IN, IN TERMS OF SERVICE AREA, UM, FOR THE PARK.
I, I, I KNOW THAT, AND, AND YOU AND I HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF TALKING ABOUT PROJECTS LIKE THIS.
I THINK THE QUESTION I HAVE IS WITH THE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THERE IS NO OTHER LAND TO PURCHASE IN THIS AREA, AND YOU'VE GOT A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS, AND THE CURRENT PROPERTY IS ACTUALLY A DETRIMENT TO THE PARK THAT IS SERVING THIS AREA, WOULD PART BE OPEN OR A PR BE OPEN TO ACCEPTING THE LAND? UH, YES, WE CAN, WE CAN ACCEPT THE LAND.
UM, AND I I THINK IT JUST COMES AT THE COST OF, UM, HOW WE TREAT EVERY OTHER DEVELOPMENT.
SO IT'S JUST WEIGHING, WEIGHING THAT AGAINST EACH OTHER, BUT THOSE PROJECTS WOULD HAVE TO COME SPEAK TO US.
COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER IAN, WE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO UNDERSTAND COME BACK TO YOU.
UM, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER AHMED HAS QUESTIONS.
UM, I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR ONE OF THE TWO FOLKS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD TEAM THAT
[00:50:01]
WE'RE SPEAKING.MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS, IF THE OPTION HERE IS TO PROVIDE THIS HALF ACRE, UH, FOR HERITAGE, UH, FOR THE PARK THAT'S ABOUT 0.6 ACRES AWAY OR PROVIDE, UH, WHAT, UH, THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM PARK IS SAYING IS A LARGER AMOUNT THAT GOES TOWARDS A PARK THAT'S WITHIN A QUARTER ACRE OR WITHIN A HALF ACRE, WHY IS IT THAT YOU ARE PREFERRING THAT THE APPLICANT, UM, STICKS WITH THE $650 PER UNIT AND PROVIDES THAT HALF ACRE VERSUS GOING WITH WHAT PART IS RECOMMENDING? I HAVE BEEN TRACKING THE ACQUISITION OF PARKLAND IN THE RIVERSIDE AREA FOR OVER 20 YEARS, AND I PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION THAT I GAVE TO THE PARKS BOARD ABOUT SOME OF THE RIDICULOUS PURCHASES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE.
AND, UH, I'M GOING TO SEND THAT TO ALL OF YOU COMMISSIONERS SO THAT YOU CAN SEE, FOR INSTANCE, THE, UH, THE CLOSEST PARK, AS THEY WERE MENTIONING, IS A FORMER RESIDENTIAL LOT OF, UH, ONE THIRD OF AN ACRE WHERE NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE.
AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT IT WAS A PARK AND NO ONE HAD TOLD THEM.
UM, THERE IS ANOTHER, UM, ONE THAT IS, UH, JUST DOWN THE STREET AT, UH, ROYAL CREST AND RIVERSIDE THAT IS ESSENTIALLY A UTILITY EASEMENT THAT IS CALLED A PARK.
AND THEN THERE IS A GREEN BELT THAT IS ESSENTIALLY A VERY NARROW DRAINAGE DITCH.
THESE ARE THE KIND OF PARKS THAT ARE IN OUR AREA.
TH THIS WAS THE ONLY, UH, UH, ACQUISITIONS PROPERTY THAT COULD BE BOUGHT.
THERE'S NO PROPERTY TO BUY IN THE EAST RIVERSIDE AREA.
AND WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS THAT ALL OF THIS MONEY WILL GO TO ANOTHER AREA BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING AVAILABLE.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENED AND WE HAVE DOCUMENTED EXAMPLES OF THAT.
SO YOUR CONCERN IS EVEN THOUGH IT'S MORE MONEY, IT MAY BE USED LESS EFFICIENTLY AND NOT TO BENEFIT THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE SEEN AS YOUR PAST, PAST EXPERIENCE? YES.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT.
MR. WHALEN, IF, UH, YOU DON'T MIND IF, SORRY THAT WE KEEP CALLING YOU UP HERE.
SO LIKE COMMISSIONER ROJAN WAS SAYING, I I, I SEE A LOT OF POSITIVES IN, UH, THIS PROJECT HERE, ESPECIALLY BEING RIGHT NEXT TO, UH, LIGHT RAILS POTENTIAL RIGHT LIGHT RAIL STOP.
UM, WITH THE RECOMMENDATION THAT, UH, PARD HAS GIVEN, UH, WITH THE 4,800 I BELIEVE PER UNIT IN FEES, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS PROJECT WILL MOVE FORWARD AT THAT LEVEL? UM, I'M NOT SURE, AND I WENT BACK 'CAUSE I WANTED TO REMIND MYSELF, UH, THERE ARE CONTRACT OBLIGATIONS WITH THE OTHER TWO OWNERS.
THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S TWO LOTS, TWO FAMILIES THAT OWN THE TWO LOTS ADJACENT TO US.
AND SO, UH, I I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER IS, I JUST DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE'S MORE EXPENSIVE, COSTS HAVE RISEN.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A RECESSION.
I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS IS GONNA GO, PROBABLY A LONG TIME.
SO I JUST DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER.
GRACO HAS ALREADY DEMONSTRATED, AND WE'VE GOT A REPRESENTATIVE HERE, A DECADE OF WORKING THROUGH RECESSIONS.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER, UM, UH, MR. DIAZ AND UH, MR. GRAY ARE PREPARED TO WORK THAT HARD, UH, UH, THROUGH, UH, THIS RECESSION.
IF THERE'S GONNA BE MORE AND MORE AND MORE ESPECIALLY, UH, GIVEN WHERE I THINK WE'RE GETTING TO A POINT WHERE I THINK THERE'S A FAIR COMPROMISE.
AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT PARKS IS WILLING TO, UH, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THE, THE HALF ACRE WITH SOME, UH, PRE WITH SOME, UH, WITH SOME PRESSING CROSS EXAMINATION.
AND IF WE WERE TO, UH, RECOMMEND SOME HAPPY MEDIUM IN BETWEEN WHAT PART IS ASKING AND WHAT, UM, I GUESS WAS, UH, KIND OF, UH, PROPOSED INITIALLY, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU MAY BE AMENABLE TO AND COULD POTENTIALLY WORK FOR THE APPLICANT? YES, I, I, YES, I, I THINK THAT MR. DIAZ AND, UH, MR. GRAY ARE PREPARED TO DO THAT.
WE JUST HAVE NEVER HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO DISCUSSION.
[00:55:01]
LAST QUESTION, UH, IS I, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS CLEAR AND I, I I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER ROJAN HAD, UH, HAD KIND OF ASKED ABOUT THIS.IF THE PURCHASE DOES NOT GO THROUGH, IS THERE ANYTHING CONTRACTUALLY THAT WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO PAY, UH, THE, THE FULL AMOUNT THAT IS KIND OF RECOMMENDED BY PART OR, UH, THERE, THERE'S NO KIND OF CONTRACT THERE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? NO, NO, NO, NO.
WE JUST HAVE A, IT'S A JOINT VENTURE AGREEMENT WITH THE OTHER TWO PARCELS.
THERE'S NO OBLIGATION TO PAY ANY PARTICULAR AMOUNT OF MONEY TO PARKS OR PARK LAND AS PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION.
IT'S JUST A JOINT VENTURE WITH THE OTHER TWO, UH, LEGACY FAMILY, UH, OWNERS.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL? GO AHEAD.
UM, YEAH, QUICK QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT.
FIRST
I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT, UH, FACTOR THAT ISN'T BEING WEIGHED IN.
I KNOW THAT WE JUST HEARD THAT THERE'S A PARTICULAR QUOTE STANDARD AT, UH, PARKS, BUT EVERY, EVERY PUT IS DIFFERENT.
EVERY PUT IS UNIQUE PRESENTS, UNIQUE SITUATIONS.
THE LOCATION OF LAND, AS YOU'VE JUST HEARD FROM THE CONTACT TEAM, IS EXTRAORDINARILY HARD IN THIS PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, THIS PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND IN OTHER PUDS, UH, SOMETIMES IT ENDS UP HAPPENING AT CITY COUNCIL, NOT THIS EARLY, BUT, UH, SPRINGDALE GREEN, I BELIEVE WE HAD A, A PARKLAND, UH, FEE THAT WAS, UH, SPECIFIED TO BE UTILIZED IN DISTRICT FEE.
I'M, I'M JUST, I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FEE OR, UH, THE PARKLAND FEE ACTUALLY, BUT WHEN, BUT THAT'S AN EXAMPLE.
YOU CAN DIRECT FEES TO A PARTICULAR DISTRICT OR A PARTICULAR AREA AND IT'S BEEN DONE IN THE PAST.
THAT'S A GREAT SEGUE TO MY QUESTION FOR STAFF.
UM, SO I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING VERY HARD ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT PLAN, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT MOVE FORWARD.
AND PARKLAND FEES ARE ACTUALLY A KEY CONCERN OF THAT COMMUNITY AS WELL.
WE REPEATEDLY TRIED TO GET SOME LANGUAGE PUT IN REGARDING WHERE PARKS WOULD BE PURCHASED IN THAT DISTRICT.
WE HAD EXACTLY THE SAME FRUSTRATIONS.
SO I REALLY JUST WANNA SHARE THAT I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE.
AND I WANNA NOTE THAT IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS IT WAS MADE CLEAR THERE IS FLEXIBILITY REGARDING WHERE PARKS CAN BE PURCHASED, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A SPECIFIC AREA LIKE THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR.
COULD YOU SPEAK TO THAT PLEASE? UH, EXCUSE ME.
UM, I, UH, MANAGE PARKLAND DEDICATION CHAPTER 26 IN LAND USE, UH, FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
UM, I'M NOT SURE I QUITE UNDERSTOOD YOUR QUESTION.
UH, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS BECOMING VERY INFLEXIBLE WITH THIS REGARDING TO THIS SPECIFIC PUD IN TERMS OF WHERE AND HOW YOU CAN PIE LAND USE FOR THE PARKLAND DEDICATION, BUT MY CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT WERE VERY SIMILAR.
AND I GUESS WHAT I WAS ASKING IS WHAT LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY DOES THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAVE IN TERMS OF EVALUATING LAND FOR A SPECIFIC CORRIDOR AREA LIKE THE EAST RIVERSIDE? SO THE ONE QUARTER MILE IS NOT HARD AND FAST, IS THAT CORRECT? UH, FOR EXPENDITURE, A FEE IN LIEU OF, OR IT JUST GENERALLY, HOW WOULD YOU USE THE DEDICATION OF OFFSITE PARK LAND? YEAH, HOW WOULD YOU USE IT BEYOND THE ONE QUARTER MILE? BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
YEAH, SO THE, WE COULD USE IT FOR PARK IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN A QUARTER MILE AS WELL.
AND IF THOSE OPTIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, UH, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS THERE, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A HUGE ISSUE WITH REGARDING TRANSPARENCY OF PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A SPECIFIC AREA, PARTICULARLY IN A PLANNED AREA LIKE THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR.
AND I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS WHAT, WHERE THE FLEXIBILITY IS BEYOND THE QUARTER MILE, DOES THAT MEAN ANYWHERE IN THE CORRIDOR IT CAN BE USED? DOES IT MEAN THAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY GO FORWARD AND TRY AND PUT, PUT IN EXTRA LAND IN A PARK PARK? LIKE WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES BEYOND THE QUARTER MILE? OH, FOR, FOR EXPENDITURES? UH, I, I'M THINKING, IS THAT WHAT MM-HMM.
YOU'RE TRYING TO GET TO MM-HMM
UH, YEAH, OUR CRITERIA FOR FEE IN LIEU OF EXPENDITURES OF PARKLAND DEDICATION.
SO IF SOMEBODY PAYS FEE IN LIEU OF DEDICATING PARKLAND, WE WOULD TRY TO LOOK FOR PROJECTS OR LAND WITHIN A QUARTER MILE.
IF THEY'RE NOT WITHIN A QUARTER MILE, WE EXPAND THAT OUT TO HALF A MILE AND GO FURTHER OUT THAN THAT TO ALL THE WAY UP TO TWO MILES FOR PARK IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THIS PARK IS WITHIN A MILE, IS THAT CORRECT? WITHIN A MILE.
SO THIS IS, AND I THINK MY CHAIR CHAIR EARLIER ASKED IF YOU GUYS HAD IDENTIFIED OTHER PRIOR PROPERTIES THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BOUGHT BETWEEN THAT QUARTER MILE AND HALF MILE OR MILE.
IS THERE A, SOME SORT OF POSSIBILITY BESIDES THE ONE THAT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD? NO.
THERE, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S ANY LAND OTHER THAN IN THIS PARCEL.
UH, THIS IS, WOULD NOT BE A NEW PARK, IT WOULD BE A PARK EXPANSION.
UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD APPROACHED US ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO.
WE SPENT FOUR YEARS TRYING TO TRACK DOWN OWNERS OF THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY, UH, TO BUY IT FROM 'EM,
[01:00:01]
UM, AND WORKED WITH THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT TO GET IT ONTO THE AUCTION BLOCK.THERE WILL BE NO BIDDING MORE, UH, WE WILL BE CAPPED WAY LOWER THAN ANY CLOSE TO THE VALUE OF THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY.
SO, UH, BUT, BUT WE WILL BE MAKING A BID.
THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE COMMITTED TO THAT, BUT THAT BID WILL BE WELL, WELL BELOW WHAT MICHAEL WILL BE ABLE TO OFFER FOR THE PROPERTY.
SO, AND WE WILL, UH, ACCEPT THE LAND.
THE, THE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS IS, IS THAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR SOME GRANDFATHERED FEE AND FEES FOR PARKLAND EDUCATION.
WE CANNOT GRANDFATHER FEES, WE DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY, THAT'S COUNCIL APPROVED FEES.
SO YOU WANT US TO WAIVE A, I THINK $1.5 MILLION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, UH, FOR WHAT THEY COULD GET THAT LAND FOR.
SO IT'S QUITE A BIT OF MONEY AND WAY MORE THAN I'M WILLING TO SIT THERE AND SAY THAT WE CAN WAIVE THESE FEES.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? YES.
I THINK I'M GONNA MAYBE QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT.
UH, TAKING A STEP BACK, UH, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, SO THIS IS AN EXPANSION TO THE EXISTING POD OF HOW, HOW COULD WE DEVELOP THIS PROPERTY WITH THE PROJECT YOU ARE PROPOSING OUTSIDE OF THE PUD? DOES IT HAVE TO BE IN THIS PUD TO HAPPEN AND WHY? UM, GREAT QUESTION.
MICHAEL WHALEN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
SO A WATERFRONT OVERLAY LIMITS THE HEIGHT AND, UH, IT'S 1.43 ACRES AND, UH, YOU CANNOT BUILD A, A SITE THAT IS GOING TO, UH, REALLY, REALLY HELP, REALLY HELP OUR RAIL SYSTEM AND GRANTS AND LOANS, UH, AT 60 FEET OR 90 FEET.
90 FEET I THINK IS THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY ON TWO.
I THINK IT COVERS TWO OF THE LOTS, IF I'M RECALLING.
SO, UH, IN ORDER TO OVERCOME THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY, YOU HAVE TO, UH, USE A PUT, THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT.
AND THEN AS FAR AS THE VALUATION OF PARKLAND IN THE POD, THE 600 AND X DOLLARS IS FROM THE ORIGINAL PUD DOCUMENT? CORRECT? THAT'S THE, UH, DECEMBER, 2009 IS WHEN THAT PASSED.
HAS THE, HAS THE PUD BEEN EXPANDED IN THE PAST BEFORE? NO, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME.
SO, UH, MR. GRAY OWNED THIS PROPERTY AT THE TIME AND, UM, UH, HE KNEW THAT ULTIMATELY THIS IS WHAT WOULD BE NEEDED IS TO GET THE TWO OTHER PROPERTY OWNERS.
IT'S HIS, HIS PROPERTY ALONE IS A THIRD, YOU KNOW, IT'S A THIRD, A THIRD, A THIRD, PLUS OR MINUS.
AND IT JUST ISN'T ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING WITH, OR YOU CAN DO SOMETHING WITH IT, BUT AIN'T GONNA BE SOMETHING LIKE THIS, UH, MEANINGFUL, UH, WITH 357 UH, UH, DWELLING UNITS.
I THINK THIS QUESTION, MAYBE THE APPLICANT CAN ANSWER, IF NOT, UH, HARD STAFF CAN, UH, I THINK IT WAS IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT, UH, BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE PROJECT, HOW MUCH PARKLAND THEORETICALLY, UH, WOULD BE NE NEEDED TO DEDICATE IF WE HAD THE SPACE, YOU KNOW, ADJACENT IT BE, IT WOULD BE 10%, YOU WOULD HAVE TO, THE MAXIMUM THEY CAN REQUIRE OF LAND OF LAND IS 10%.
UH, SO 1.4 ACRE, UH, TRACK, THEY'D BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, 0.14.
IF, BEAR WITH ME, EDUCATING ME ON PARKLAND DEDICATION OF LEARNING ALL THE TIME.
IF WE COULD FIND 0.14 ACRES, PLUS OR MINUS WHATEVER THAT 10% OF THE PROPERTY IS ADJACENT, WOULD THAT FULFILL THE OBLIGATION? UH, YEAH.
THAT, THAT WOULD BE, UH, FULFILLING THE PARKLAND OBLIGATION WITH LAND DEDICATION.
UM, AND IF THE LAND DEDICATION BECAUSE OF THE CAP DIDN'T MEET THE FULL REQUIREMENT, THERE MAY BE LEFTOVER FEES AS WELL.
AND THAT WOULD JUST BE MEETING CURRENT CODE.
SO THEN IF IT COULD MEET THAT, THEN THE VALUE OF THAT LAND DEDICATION IS PARKS AGNOSTIC TO THAT, IN OTHER WORDS? UH, IT HAS, THE LAND VALUATION IS SET IN CURRENT CODE, UM, AT, UH, SEVERAL MILLION AN ACRE.
BUT, UM, THERE'S LIKE A FORMULA THAT SETS UP HOW YOU FIGURE OUT THE LAND.
BUT THAT'S, UH, IF IT WAS SUBJECT TO CURRENT CODE UNDER THE 2007 ORDINANCE, IT WOULD BE, UM, OH, UH, 9.4 ACRES.
IT WOULD BE A HIGHER AMOUNT OF LAND THAT WOULD BE NEEDED.
A LARGER, GREATER AMOUNT OF, OKAY.
I STEP BACK BECAUSE I KNOW, I'M SO SORRY.
WE'VE GOT LIKE A 1.1 ACRE TRACT.
[01:05:01]
HOW MUCH LAND WOULD NEED TO BE DEDICATED PARKLAND? UH, IT DEPENDS ON THE ORDINANCE.UNDER THIS, UH, ORDINANCE, UNDER CURRENT CODE WOULD BE 1.8 ACRES, AND THAT WOULD BE CAPPED AT THE 10% OF THE GROSS SIDE ACRES.
BUT IF THEY WANTED TO BE VESTED TO THE 2007 ORDINANCE, IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT AMOUNT.
SO THERE, THERE'S A STATE STATUTE THAT LIMITS THE AMOUNT THAT PARKS CAN TAKE RIGHT.
WE'RE, WE'RE OFFERING THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT THAT THEY'RE ALLOWED STATUTORILY TO TAKE.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I GET THIS CLEAR THEN.
SO THE AMOUNT OF LAND THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO BE DEDICATED WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 10% OF THE GROSS SITE AREA.
GROSS SITE AREA IS 1.8 ACRES, 1.4 ACRES, 1.4 ACRES.
SO THEN PLUS OR MINUS 0.14, THE ENGINEER, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT MATH.
ACRES OF PARKLAND DEDICATION, IS THAT RIGHT? STAFF UNDER CURRENT CODE? YES.
THAT'S ALL I'M TALKING ABOUT IS CURRENT CODE.
POINT FOUR ACRES OF PARKLAND DEDICATION.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? YES.
IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY NEW COMMISSIONERS OF QUESTIONS, WE CAN CHAIR, I THINK, UH, SORRY, I'M SO SORRY.
UM, FROM, FROM THE CHEAP SEATS OUT HERE, UM, BUT I ACTUALLY HAD A QUESTION EITHER ONE OF THE, THE FOLKS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, IF, IF THEY'RE STILL AVAILABLE,
UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK OVER THE YEARS, WHICH I UNDERSTAND HAS BEEN EXTENSIVE.
UM, YOU SAID SOMETHING, UH, WHEN YOU WERE TESTIFYING, UM, THAT I JUST, IT, IT KIND OF MADE MY EARS PERK UP.
UM, YOU SAID THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UH, SAID THAT THEY HAD NO INTEREST IN THE, UH, THE HALF ACRE THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE NOW, UM, UH, CONSIDERING IS, IS DID I, DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY? YES.
I BELIEVE THAT WAS FROM A, UH, MEMO GIVEN TO US, UH, FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN, UH, AUGUST, 2024 SAYING, UH, WHEN WE HAD, UH, PREVIOUSLY ASKED THEM TO BUY THE PROPERTY, AND THEY SAID, NO, THAT'S, UH, NOT A PRIORITY BECAUSE, UH, IT'S, UH, THE ADDITION OF THAT PROPERTY WOULD NOT SIGNIFICANTLY APPROVE THE HERITAGE OAKS PARK, WHICH WAS NOT REALLY THE INTENT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE PROBLEM IS MORE THE PROBLEM WITH CRIME, THE PROBLEM, UH, NOT HAVING OWNERSHIP OF THIS PARK, OF, OF THIS LAND.
UM, AND, UH, THE, UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DID NOT SEE THIS AS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT TO THE PARK IN TERMS OF, UH, MORE ACREAGE.
AND SO THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED AND THAT'S WHY WE HAD TO START PURSUING OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
THANK YOU, UH, VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
I APPRECIATE, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWER.
UH, MY NEXT QUESTION WOULD BE FOR PARKS.
UM, I BELIEVE I HEARD, UH, IN THE INITIAL TESTIMONY THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR YEARS, UM, TRYING TO ACQUIRE THIS.
AND THEN, UH, I BELIEVE, UH, JUST A SECOND AGO, MR. SCOTT, THAT YOU SAID THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WORKING FOR FOUR YEARS TO TRY TO ACQUIRE THIS.
CAN YOU RECONCILE THAT WITH, UH, THE MEMO THAT, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD RECEIVED, I GUESS 18 MONTHS AGO? YES, I CAN.
UH, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT HAD WORKED TO TRY TO TRACK DOWN THE OWNER.
UH, ORIGINALLY WE THOUGHT THE, UH, PROPERTY WAS OWNED BY AN APARTMENT COMPLEX NEXT DOOR, AND THE, THE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES THAT WERE HAPPENING ON THE PROPERTY COULD BE TAKEN CARE OF, UH, WITHOUT, UH, ACQUIRING THE PROPERTY.
UM, SO WE, WE THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, HEY, LET'S, LET'S HAVE THEM, UH, UH, CITY APPROACHED THEM, TELL 'EM THEY NEED TO CLEAN UP THE PROPERTY.
UM, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE.
SO WE TRIED TO TRACK DOWN SOMEBODY IN CALIFORNIA THAT WE THOUGHT THAT OWNED THE PROPERTY, UH, CHASED DEAD, UH, BUSINESSES THAT HAD, UH, FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY OR, OR NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE, UH, UNTIL WE COULD NOT FIND ANY CURRENT OWNER OF THE PROPERTY TO BUY THE PROPERTY FROM.
UM, WE APPROACHED THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT ASKING HIM IF WE COULD, UM, BUY THE PROPERTY, UH, GET IT, UH,
[01:10:01]
UM, FILED FOR DELINQUENT TAXES, WHICH WE HAD KNOWN THAT WEREN'T ON THERE.UM, AND, AND WE, WE, THIS TOOK YEARS OF RESEARCH AND MU MANY STAFF HOURS, UH, IN PARTICULAR FROM, UH, SCOTT GRANTHAM ON OUR TEAM, UH, WHO WORKED, UH, TRYING TO TRACK DOWN THOSE OWNERS AND WAS WORKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD DURING THAT TIME.
UM, AT SOME POINT, UH, THERE'S NOWHERE ELSE TO GO UNTIL IT'S PUT ONTO THE AUCTION BLOCK.
UH, WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THAT.
UH, I THINK, UH, THE APPLICANT WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING THAT ALSO AS WELL FROM US, UH, REQUESTING THAT IT BE PUT ON THE AUCTION BLOCK.
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
I THEN, I GUESS, BUT AT SOME POINT THERE WAS NO BUYER TO BUY THE PROPERTY FROM.
I THAT'S, UH, THAT'S PRETTY REMARKABLE.
I, DURING COLLEGE, I WAS A TITLE CLERK.
UM, AND SO I, I DID A LOT OF TITLE, TITLE RESEARCH AND, UH, I, I'D NEVER ENCOUNTERED THAT
BUT, UH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, MAYBE THAT DOES HAPPEN FROM TIME TO TIME.
UM, I'M, I GUESS MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION WOULD BE IF YOU WERE WORKING SO CLOSELY, YOU SAID, BUT THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT, BUT I GUESS MAYBE YOU MEANT THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR.
UM, IF Y'ALL WERE WORKING SO CLOSELY TOGETHER, WHY DID Y'ALL HAVE TO ASK FOR THE POSTPONEMENT? UH, THE, WELL, OUR LAW DEPARTMENT DID, UH, WE WERE WORKING TO RIGHT, BUT THEY SAID THAT THEY, UH, DID THAT AT YOUR DIRECTION, SO YES.
YEAH, WE, WE WERE, UH, TRYING TO GET, UH, WELL MAKE THE, UH, TAX ASSESSORS PROCESS THAT THEY HAVE FOR, UM, HAVING MONEY WIRED WITHIN 24 HOURS IF YOU WERE ACTUALLY TO WIN THE BID, WHICH IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY FROM THE CITY, UH, TO WIRE FUNDING, UH, WITHIN 24 HOURS.
UH, IT'S GETTING VERY DEEP INTO THE WEEDS ON THIS, BUT, UH, THAT WAS AN IMPOSSIBILITY WITH CITY CANNOT WIRE FUNDS IN 1 24 HOURS, TAKES MANY DAYS.
AND IF YOU WERE TO ACTUALLY WIN THE BID, THOSE FUNDS HAVE TO BE WIRED WITHIN 24 HOURS.
UM, SO WE WERE WORKING WITH THE, UH, TAX ASSESSOR, UH, TO WORK OUT A PROCESS TO WHERE WE COULD PARTICIPATE IN THEIR AUCTION.
COMMISSIONER HANEY, UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR, YOUR QUESTION TIME HAS EXPIRED.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MIGHT HAVE A FOLLOW UP, BUT MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE CAN PICK UP ON THIS SLIDE QUESTION.
I'M SORRY, DID I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IS I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO MOVE ON.
UNFORTUNATELY, YOU GAVE ME AN ANSWER.
OTHER QUESTIONS? WE'VE GOT TWO MORE SLOTS IF NEEDED.
I GUESS I JUST WANNA CONFIRM WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THE PARD STAFF.
SO, UM, AND I'M ALSO LEARNING QUITE A BIT, TAKING LOTS OF NOTES, BUT, UM, IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH YOUR CONCERN IS THAT YOUR LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE, RIGHT? THAT YOUR, YOUR BEST INTEREST IS TO GIVE AS MUCH PROPERTY AS POSSIBLE TO GIVE AS MANY AMENITIES AS POSSIBLE TO THE NEW RESIDENTS, AND THEN ALSO BALANCE THE NEEDS OF THE EXISTING RESIDENTS.
AND SO THERE'S AN EXISTING, UM, VESTED 2007 POLICY, AND THEN THERE'S A NEW POLICY AND YOU'RE TRYING TO, UM, AND MAYBE YOU CAN
IS THAT THE MAIN, THAT'S THE MAIN CONCERN I'M HEARING FROM YOU ALL? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
IT, IT'S, UH, USING FEES FROM 20 YEARS AGO TO BUY LAND AT TODAY'S PRICES, WE CAN'T RECONCILE THAT, SO WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH EXPENDING THAT MONEY IF, YOU KNOW, AT THE, WITH THAT BIG DISCREPANCY.
AND SO IN YOUR ROLE AS PROVIDING PARKLAND FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE, YOU'RE CONCERNED THAT YOU ARE, THAT, THAT YOU'RE MISSING, THERE'S A GAP THERE THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO FILL BECAUSE THEY'RE COMING IN AT A LEVEL THAT'S LOWER AND POTENTIALLY, UM, YEAH.
YOU'RE LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE? YEAH, 1.5 MILLION.
THAT'S KIND OF WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE.
THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY, CORRECT.
[01:15:02]
YES.THIS IS FOR THE CITY STAFF AS WELL.
SO, UM, YOU SAID THAT THE CITY HAS A CAP NOT LIKELY TO WIN THE AUCTION.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, SAY IF BOTH THE CITY AND GRACO LOST THE ACTION, WHAT WOULD BE THE DEFAULT FUNCTION? WHAT WOULD THE NEIGHBORHOOD GET IN RETURN OR WILL WOULD PARK GET IN RETURN? I, I THINK THE, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S MAIN CONCERN IS THE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING ON THAT LOT.
SO IF THERE IS A NEW OWNER OF THAT LOT, UH, THEY, THEY WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT ACTIVITIES HAPPENING ON THAT.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD ELIMINATE, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S CONCERNS.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE PARK WOULD NOT BE EXPANDED.
UH, IT'S A VERY MODEST EXPANSION, UH, WILL, THERE WOULDN'T ALLOW FOR ANY NEW RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, BUT, UH, I THINK ANY ADDITIONAL PARK LAND YOU CAN GET IN THERE, IT WOULD BE VALUABLE.
BUT, UM, I THINK THE PROBLEM THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS EXPERIENCING AND, AND THE, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IS EXPERIENCING WITH THIS NEGATIVE ACTIVITY HAPPENING ON THIS PROPERTY NEXT DOOR WOULD BE ELIMINATED WITH WHOEVER WINS THAT AUCTION.
IN THAT CASE, THEN THE APPLICANT WOULD JUST PAY A FEE IN LIEU, AND THEN YOU WOULD ASK THEM TO PAY BASED ON LIKE THE 20-YEAR-OLD AMENDMENT, LIKE THE $650 FEE, OR YOU WOULD ASK THEM TO KIND OF COME BACK AND REEVALUATE OR RE RENEGOTIATE.
THIS, THIS PUD WAS, WAS NEVER, UH, AFTER SUPERIORITY AS IT RELATES TO PARKS.
THE, THE, THEIR GOAL, UH, WAS I THINK TO, TO SOLVE GARNER THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT BY ACQUIRING THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY, UH, WHICH IS GREAT.
WE WOULD LOVE TO ACCEPT THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY AT THE END.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE CAN'T DO AS STAFF IS, IS WAIVE, UH, PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES AT THE TUNE OF $1.5 MILLION OR SUPPORT THAT.
SO THAT, THAT'S THE REASON IN OUR OPPOSITION TO THIS P AMENDMENT OR THIS E EXPANSION OF THE PUT WITH OLD PARKLAND EDUCATION.
ANY PUD THAT COMES IN TODAY THAT'S AMENDING THEIR PUT OR EXPANDING ANNEXING LAND INTO IT, WE BRING THEM UNDER CURRENT CODE REQUIREMENTS AND, AND THIS ONE IS ASKING FOR TO STAY UNDER A 2009 FEE.
UH, SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
THAT TAKES US TO THE END OF OUR ROUND ROBIN, AND SO I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION ON THIS ITEM.
UM, YEAH, I'D LIKE TO MOVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION WITH THE FOLLOWING CHANGE, UH, STRIKE THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO PARKLAND DEDICATION AND INSTEAD RECOMMEND THAT THE APPLICANT SHOULD SATISFY PARKLAND DEDICATION, PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS BY DOING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING.
ONE, PAY 650 PER RESIDENTIAL HOTEL MOTEL UNIT AND DEDICATE THE HALF ACRE PARCEL ADJACENT TO THE HERITAGE OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD PARK TO THE CITY, OR NUMBER TWO, COMPLY WITH THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS, IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF THE SITE SITE PLAN SUBMITTAL.
THANKS, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, DOES STAFF HAVE YOUR MOTION SHEET? UM, I CAN SHARE IT WITH THEM, IF YOU DON'T MIND.
THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, JUST SO THAT WE CAN BRING IT UP ON THE SCREEN AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS CLEAR ON WHAT THAT LANGUAGE IS.
UM, I'M LOOKING FOR A SECOND FOR THE MOTION.
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROJAN.
SO WE CAN TAKE THREE SPEAKERS, FOUR AND THREE SPEAKERS AGAINST, UM, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
I KNOW YOU'RE SENDING THIS TO STAFF RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO I'LL SEND IT TO COMMISSIONER ROEN IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK FOR FIRST.
UH, FIRST I'D LIKE TO JUST, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK THAT, UH, A PR DOES IN WITH THE PARKLAND DEDICATION FUNDS.
I HAVE SEEN THE RESULTS OF THE PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR PARKLAND IN OUR CITY, AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, LOOKING AT, UH, ONLINE, IT DOES APPEAR THAT THIS LAND IS VALUED WELL IN EXCESS OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN THAT LOCATION.
I HOPE MR. WELLINS CLIENT DOES NOT PAY ANYWHERE NEAR THAT AMOUNT.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF THE EQUIVALENCY OF THE PARKLAND DEDICATION AND THE IMPORTANCE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF GARDENING THIS PROPERTY AND THE BENEFIT THAT IT'LL HAVE TO THIS PARK, ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT THIS PROJECT IS PERFECTLY SUITED FOR THE HEIGHT AND THE BENEFITS IN THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FEES THAT WOULD BE PAID TO THE CITY, UH, I THINK THIS IS A REASONABLE AMENDMENT TO THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND I'M IN SUPPORT.
THANKS, COMMISSIONER IAN? YES, COMMISSIONER AHMED, I'D LIKE TO OFFER A AMENDMENT, UH, A MODIFICATION TO THE AMENDMENT.
UM, I'D LIKE TO CHANGE IN, UH, I GUESS THE FIRST PART OF WHAT COMMISSIONER, UM, MAX WA SUGGESTED, UH, THE DOLLAR AMOUNT FROM $650 TO $1,300.
SO THE AMENDED MOTION WOULD READ
[01:20:01]
STAFF RECOMMENDATION, STRIKING THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO PARKLAND DEDICATION, AND INSTEAD RECOMMENDING THAT THE APPLICANT SHALL SATISFY PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS BY DOING ONE OF THE PO, ONE OF THE FOLLOWING, PAY $1,300 PER RESIDENTIAL OR HOTEL MOTEL UNIT AND DEDICATE THE HALF ACRE PARCEL ADJACENT TO THE HERITAGE OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD PARK TO THE CITY, OR COMPLY WITH THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF SITE PLAN SUBMITTAL.IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
LOOKING FOR A SECOND FOR THE AMENDMENT.
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON.
SO WE'LL MOVE INTO SUB DEBATE AROUND THE AMENDMENT SPECIFICALLY, AND THEN WE WILL, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE MO MOTION MAKER, IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE.
UM, SORRY, CAN YOU JUST CLARIFY, I THINK FOR EVERYBODY ON THE DS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT I HAD RECOMMENDED, WHICH WAS SIX 50, THE 1300, AND THEN WHAT STAFF WAS RECOMMENDATION RECOMMENDING? YEAH, SO STAFF WAS RECOMMENDING, UM, THAT THE PARKLAND DEDICATION FEE, I THINK END UP BEING ABOUT $4,800 PER UNIT, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT.
WHAT YOU ARE RECOMMENDING IS 650 PLUS WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HAS ASKED FOR, WHICH IS THE ACQUISITION OF A HALF ACRE, UH, FOR THE, UH, FOR THE PARK.
WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING IS THE HALF ACRE PARK THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS WANTED PLUS KIND OF A HAPPY MEDIUM WHERE WE GO TO 1300, UH, FROM THE SIX 50, SO SHORT OF THE 4,800 THAT WAS ASKED FOR BY PART, BUT NORTH OF THE $650.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
SO I GUESS QUESTION FOR THE ORIGINAL MOTION MAKER, WOULD YOU ACCEPT THIS AS AN AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION OR WOULD YOU WANT THIS TO BE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION? I, I THINK THIS IS AN ACCEPTABLE AMENDMENT.
SO WE WILL HAVE DEBATE AROUND THE AMENDMENT AND THEN WE'LL RETURN TO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
UM, WE HAVE A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GANNON, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE MOTION MAKER? SURE, GO AHEAD.
UM, UH, WHERE IS THERE, IS THERE ANY BASIS FOR WHERE THAT NUMBER COMES FROM THE 1300? YEAH, SO THE IDEA IS TO FIND SOME TYPE OF HAPPY MEDIUM HERE, UM, WHERE WE CAN GET SOME MORE FUNDING FOR, FOR PARKLAND.
UM, BUT AN IMPORTANT THING FOR ME IS I THINK THIS PROJECT, UH, POTENTIALLY HAS A LOT OF VALUE, UH, FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD HERE, FOR THE CITY, UH, AND FOR THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM AS WELL.
AND SO FOR ME, UH, YOU KNOW, SEEING THIS PROJECT ACTUALLY WORK AND PENCIL IN, UH, IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO SOME OF THE, UH, DISCUSSIONS THAT I HAD WITH THE, WITH THE APPLICANT LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS WOULD BE KIND OF A FAIR COMPROMISE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THE PROJECT TO BE BUILT, BUT YET, UH, ALLOW FOR BETTER FUNDING FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
COMMISSIONER AHMED, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK FURTHER TO YOUR AMENDMENT OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE COVERED IT? I THINK I'VE COVERED IT.
ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK AGAINST THE AMENDMENT? ANYONE ELSE SPEAKING FOR THE AMENDMENT? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE.
AGAIN, THIS IS JUST ON THE AMENDMENT TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE FROM COMMISSIONER MAXWELL'S ORIGINAL MOTION FROM SIX 50 PER RESIDENTIAL OR HOTEL MOTEL UNIT TO 1300 PER RESIDENTIAL OR HOTEL MOTEL UNIT.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
SO WE'LL MOVE BACK TO THE BASE MOTION AS AMENDED.
WE'VE HAD ONE SPEAKER FOUR, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK AGAINST THE BASE MOTION? ANYONE ELSE SPEAKING FOR COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE? GO AHEAD.
SO I'LL SPEAK BRIEFLY FOR THE BASE MOTION AS AMENDED OF, AGAIN, LEARNING ABOUT PARKLAND MEDICATIONS AND PUDS.
I'VE COME TO, I, I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS SOME LEVEL OF NEGOTIATION THAT HAS HAPPENED HISTORICALLY WITH PUDS.
I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT STAFF HAS TO RECOMMEND WHAT'S IN CITY CODE.
I MEAN, THAT IS A JOB OF STAFF, SO I KNOW WHERE Y'ALL ARE OF, WE KNOW THAT BETWEEN 2008 OR 2009, THE ORIGINAL PUD AND TODAY THERE'S BEEN INFLATION, RIGHT? SO I APPRECIATE, UH, COMMISSIONER AHMED'S AMENDMENT TO INCREASE THAT AND, AND THAT INCREASE FROM SIX 50 TO 1300 IS WELL IN EXCESS OF WHAT OUR GENERAL INFLATION HAS BEEN.
I MEAN, I KNOW EVERYTHING IN AUSTIN COSTS MORE THAN LOTS OF OTHER PLACES, BUT STILL, SO IT FEELS TO ME LIKE A REASONABLE, UH, A REASONABLE AMOUNT.
AND THEN ALSO RECOGNIZING THIS SORT OF NEGOTI NEGOTIATION HERE WITH PUDS IS I, YOU KNOW, I I'M STUCK ON THE ONE QUARTER MILE.
IF THIS PROPERTY WERE A JUST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AT ALL.
SO I KNOW THAT'S A LARGER POLICY ISSUE, BUT MAYBE WITH OUR ACTION TODAY, WE KIND OF FORCE THAT POLICY
[01:25:01]
QUESTION OF MAYBE THAT HARD NUMBER OF A QUARTER OF A MILE ISN'T HELPFUL IN MANY CASES.SO, AND THAT'S WHY I'LL BE SUPPORTING IT.
THANKS, COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE.
ANYONE ELSE SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST THE MOTION? YES, COMMISSIONER BRETTON, GO AHEAD.
HI, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT, UH, SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN KNOCKING AROUND IN MY BRAIN, UH, REGARDING THIS AND WHY I PLAN TO SPEAK OR, UH, VOTE IN FAVOR OF IT.
AND IT IS, UH, THE DISPOSITION OF THE APPLICANT AND HOW THEY'VE WORKED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, FOR QUITE A WHILE, IDENTIFIED A NEED THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS CONSISTENTLY SAID, NOT ONLY TO THE APPLICANT, BUT TO THE CITY, UH, IS A NEED THAT THEY NEED FULFILLED.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE ACTIONS THAT WE TAKE AS A COMMISSION AND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL TAKES BUILD AN INCENTIVE STRUCTURE FOR PEOPLE DEVELOPING, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITY TO ACTUALLY DO THIS SORT OF THING, UH, WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOODS AND VARIOUS GROUPS, UH, TO FULFILL THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO I'M REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT GRACO AND THE APPLICANT, UH, THE VARIOUS APPLICANTS HAVE WORKED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT THIS.
BRETTON ONLY SPOTS AGAINST LEFT.
ANYONE SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION? OKAY.
SO JUST TO REPEAT, WE HAVE A MOTION AS AMENDED FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION WITH THE FOLLOWING, CHANGE TO STRIKE THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO PARKLAND DEDICATION AND INSTEAD RECOMMEND THAT THE APPLICANT SHALL SATISFY PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS BY DOING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING.
PAY $1,300 PER RESIDENTIAL OR HOTEL MOTEL UNIT AND DEDICATE THE HALF ACRE PARCEL ADJACENT TO THE HERITAGE OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD PARK TO THE CITY, OR COMPLY WITH THE PARKLAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF SITE PLAN SUBMITTAL.
MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROJAN.
THOSE IN FAVOR? OKAY, THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO OUR STAFF LIAISONS, TO OUR SPEAKERS THIS EVENING, AND TO APPLICANT FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS ITEM.
THAT IS OUR ONLY DISCUSSION ITEM FOR THIS EVENING.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM 16, WHICH
[16. Staff briefing regarding an update to the City's comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin. Presentation by Evelyn Mitchell, Principal Planner, Austin Planning.]
IS OUR STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE TO THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.OKAY, UH, GOOD EVENING CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, AND COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS EVELYN MITCHELL AND I'M A PRINCIPAL PLANNER FOR AUSTIN PLANNING AND THE PROJECT LEAD FOR THE IMAGINE AUSTIN UPDATE.
MY NAME IS CHRIS RYERSON, I'M A DIVISION MANAGER WITH LONG RANGE PLANNING, UH, WITH AUSTIN PLANNING.
AND I'M GONNA KICK OFF OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT ON THE IMAGINE AUSTIN UPDATE.
UM, WHERE IS OUR, AH, HERE, IT'S, SO JUST A QUICK LOOK AT THE AGENDA.
UM, WE'LL TALK FIRST OFF JUST TO KIND OF SET THE STAGE OF WHY UPDATING IMAGINE AUSTIN MATTERS.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL JUMP INTO A BIT MORE OF A GENERAL OVERVIEW, WHICH WILL INCLUDE KIND OF LOOKING AT THE PAST SIX MONTHS AND WHAT GOT US TO THIS POINT, PROJECT GOALS AND SCOPE ADVISORY GROUPS.
AND THEN I'LL TOUCH ON THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN FRAMEWORK AND OUR IDEAS ABOUT IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN, UH, IMPLEMENTATION.
AND THEN THE FINAL SIDE WILL BE, UH, LOOK AT THE TIMELINE SO THAT Y'ALL ALL KNOW WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
SO UPDATING IMAGINE AUSTIN IS IMPORTANT FOR BOTH PRACTICAL AND STRATEGIC REASONS.
FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, JUST AS HIGH PERFORMING BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS REGULARLY UPDATE THEIR STRATEGIC VISIONS.
SO SHOULD WELL RUN CITIES LIKE AUSTIN, WHILE IT'S BEST PRACTICE TO UPDATE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN EVERY EIGHT TO 10 YEARS, EXCUSE ME, IT HAS NOW BEEN ALMOST 14 YEARS SINCE THE ORIGINAL IMA IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN WAS ADOPTED IN 2012.
AND THEN EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, IMAGINE AUSTIN IDENTIFIES AND CLARIFIES A COHESIVE LONG-TERM VISION FOR THE CITY AND STRENGTHENS OUR CAPACITY TO PROACTIVELY PRIORITIZE AND FULFILL OUR STRATEGIC LONG-TERM GOALS.
AND WE THINK IT DOES THIS IN TWO WAYS.
FIRST, IT PROMOTES STRATEGICALLY ALIGNED DECISION MAKING THAT RECOGNIZES THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL AND INTERCONNECTED NATURE OF MANY OF OUR KEY ASPIRATIONS AND CHALLENGES AS A CITY.
AND IT ALSO PROVIDES A, A FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTIVE, ACTIONABLE COLLABORATION FOCUSED ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT HELP US ACHIEVE OUR LONG-TERM GOALS.
SO THESE ARE THE MAJOR MILESTONES THAT HAVE HAPPENED WITH THE UPDATE OVER THE PAST SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS.
IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR, THE RESOLUTION TO ADOPT, TO UPDATE IMAGINE AUSTIN WAS ADOPTED.
[01:30:01]
THE RESOLUTION, WE SELECTED OUR CONSULTANTS BEGIN THE ONBOARDING PROCESS.IN REFINING OUR SCOPE IN NOVEMBER, COUNCIL REALLOCATED HALF OF THE IMAGINE AUSTIN BUDGET.
SO DUE TO THAT MODIFICATION, WE PAUSED WORK WITH THE CONSULTANTS TO RE-SCOPE THE PROJECT, CLARIFYING WHICH TASKS WOULD BE STAFF LED AND WHICH UNDER THE REFINED BUDGET SHOULD REMAIN CONSULTANT LED.
AND TO HELP IDENTIFY THE CONSULTANT LED VERSUS STAFF LED TASKS, WE HAD TO REVISIT OUR PROJECT GOALS.
UM, THROUGH SCULPING WE IDENTIFIED THAT THE MAIN DELIVERABLE THAT WE NEED TO KEEP CONSULTANT LED BASED ON OUR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE IS THE CREATION OF A CITYWIDE PLACE TYPES MAP, WHICH WE, WHICH WILL BE THE FIRST CITYWIDE LAND USE MAP OF THE CITY.
AND WHILE WE'VE HAD TO ADJUST OUR ENGAGEMENT APPROACH, CREATING MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BE CONSISTENTLY INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE UPDATE PROCESS IS STILL VERY MUCH A HIGH PRIORITY OF OURS, ALONG WITH UPDATING THE IMAGINE AUSTIN POLICIES, ENSURING THE PLAN STRUCTURE IS CLEAR AND CONCISE FOR ALL OF ITS USERS AND STRENGTHENING ALIGNMENT WITH IMAGINE AUSTIN AND OTHER CITYWIDE PLANS.
SO WHILE RES SCOPING, WE REALLY HAD TO WORK WITH THE CONSULTANTS, UH, TO IDENTIFY THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE PLAN FOR THEM TO WORK ON.
WITH THAT, WE SETTLED ON A LOT OF WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE LEFT SIDE IN THE GREEN BOXES, UH, EXISTING CONDITIONS, THE LAND USE GOALS AND POLICIES, THE PLACE TYPES METHODOLOGY, WHICH WILL DIRECTLY INFORM THE CREATION OF THE PLACE TYPES MAP.
AND I WANT TO NOTE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE CONSULTANT LED TASKS OR THE TASKS ON THE LEFT WILL BE CONCERNED THAT LED STAFF WILL VERY MUCH BE A PART AND PRESENT AND ACTIVE THROUGHOUT ALL OF THOSE TASKS.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO CALL OUT THAT THE TASKS ON THE RIGHT, UH, WILL BE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR STAFF.
SO ENGAGEMENT, DETERMINING THE BEST WAYS TO ALIGN, IMAGINE AUSTIN WITH OTHER CITYWIDE PLANS AND THE CITY STRATEGIC PLAN, AND THEN DRAFTING THE PLAN ITSELF.
AS PART OF THE UPDATE PROCESS.
WE'RE FORMING AN IMAGINE AUSTIN COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP, UH, THAT WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLACE TYPES, MAP AND OTHER KEY COMPONENTS OF THE UPDATE.
THE WORKING GROUP WILL CONSIST OF 45 MEMBERS AND WILL MEET ABOUT SIX TIMES FROM SPRING OF THIS YEAR, UH, TO SUMMER AND FALL OF 2027.
THERE WERE TWO APPLICATION WINDOWS WHICH RESULTED IN ROUGHLY 360 APPLICATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY.
MY TEAM DEVELOPED A DETAILED AND METHODICAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS TO SELECT THE 45 MEMBERS AND 15 ALTERNATES THAT REFLECTS THE CITY OF BOSTON DEMOGRAPHICS AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE, NOTING THAT WITH SUCH A LARGE GROUP IT WAS HARD TO NAIL DOWN EVERY ASPECT.
UH, THE VALUATION COMMITTEE WAS COMPRISED OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEVEN DIFFERENT CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS LISTED ON THE SLIDE THAT EVALUATED EACH APPLICATION AND PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE IMAGINE AUSTIN TEAM.
OF THE GRAPHS ON THE SLIDE REFLECT THE INITIAL COHORT OF 45 SELECTED MEMBERS.
WE ARE STILL FINALIZING THE WORKING GROUP, SO THESE NUMBERS MAY CHANGE SLIGHTLY, BUT WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND FACTORS WE CONSIDERED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AS MENTIONED, ONE GOAL WAS TO ALIGN THE WORKING GROUP'S COMPOSITION AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN DEMOGRAPHICS.
THE SELECTION PROCESS SOUGHT TO BALANCE REPRESENTATION ACROSS MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS WHILE ENSURING A STRONG AND ENGAGED GROUP.
UH, THE FINAL COMPOSITION WILL BE, UH, COMPRISED OF A POOL OF VERY QUALIFIED APPLICANTS REPRESENTATION ACROSS CATEGORIES, UH, DEPENDS ON WHO APPLIED, MET THE VALUATION CRITERIA AND WAS AVAILABLE TO PARTICIPATE FOR THE DURATION OF THE PROJECT.
AS A RESULT, SOME GROUPS MAY APPEAR OVER OR UNDERREPRESENTED COMPARED TO CITYWIDE PERCENTAGES.
PARTICIPATION IN CITY PLANNING PROCESSES HAS ALSO HISTORICALLY VARIED ACROSS COMMUNITIES DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN ACCESS, AWARENESS AND TIME AVAILABILITY, WHICH FURTHER INFLUENCES THESE OUTCOMES.
I ALSO WANTED TO NOTE THAT THE UNDER THE RACE AND ETHNICITY BAR GRAPH, UH, THE WHITE IDENTIFYING CATEGORY INCLUDES APPLICANTS WHO IDENTIFY AS WHITE ALONE, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO IDENTIFY AS MIXED RACE AND SELECTED WHITE AS THEIR PRIMARY RACIAL IDENTITY, WHICH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE SHOWN IN THAT CATEGORY AND LOWER IN OTHERS.
UH, FOR INTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, WE'RE ALSO CREATING AN IMAGINE AUSTIN INTERAGENCY TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP.
THIS GROUP WILL CONSIST OF CITY STAFF ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, AS WELL AS OTHER LOCAL AGENCIES.
UH, THE IMAGINE AUSTIN TEAM WILL PROVIDE UPDATES TO AND SEEK INPUT AND FEEDBACK FROM THIS GROUP THROUGHOUT THE UPDATE OR THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE UPDATE PROCESS.
UM, SOME EXAMPLES OF, UH, FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'LL BE SEEKING, UH, WILL BE ON THE TOPICS OF POLICIES, PLAN ALIGNMENT, AND THEN THE PLACE TYPES MAP DELIVERABLES.
ALL RIGHT, SO LOOKING AT THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN FRAMEWORK, WE ARE PROPOSING TO STREAMLINE
[01:35:01]
AND SIMPLIFY THE STRUCTURE OF THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN.SO MAKE IT EASIER FOR ALL USERS TO UNDERSTAND AND INCREASE ITS USE AS A KEY REFERENCE POINT AND DECISION MAKING TOOL IN THE YEARS TO COME.
UH, AND I THINK THIS WILL LOOK FAMILIAR TO A LOT OF YOU, BUT JUST TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH IT, UH, STARTING AT THE TOP, UM, THE VISION IS OUR WHY.
UH, IT PAINTS A PICTURE OF THE ASPIRATIONAL BUT ACHIEVABLE SUCCESS THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS.
AND THEN BELOW THAT, THE GOALS ARE THE HOW.
THESE ARE THE STATEMENTS THAT FURTHER DEFINE THE CITY WE WANT TO BE AND HOW WE WANT TO GET THERE.
UH, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ROOM TO LIST 'EM ALL, BUT A FEW EXAMPLES THAT ARE, ARE IN THE CURRENT IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN ARE PHRASES YOU'LL PROBABLY RECOGNIZE, LIKE AUSTIN IS LIVABLE, AUSTIN IS MOBILE AND INTERCONNECTED AUSTIN VALUES AND RESPECTS ITS PEOPLE AND AUSTIN IS NATURAL AND SUSTAINABLE, AND THERE'S SEVERAL OTHERS AS WELL.
UM, THE IMAGINE AUSTIN VISION AND GOALS WILL INFORM THE TWO MAIN DELIVERABLES OF THE PLAN.
UH, THE FIRST YOU SEE ON THE LEFT THERE, WHICH IS THE CITYWIDE PLACE TYPES MAP.
THIS WILL BE THE CITY'S FIRST COMPREHENSIVE FUTURE LAND USE MAP.
AND IT IS MEANT TO GUIDE GROWTH DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROVISION.
THE SECOND MAIN OUTPUT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS THE PRIORITY PROGRAMS SHOWN THERE IN THE MIDDLE AND BLUE.
UM, AND THESE ARE, UH, ORGANIZED THE PLAN'S KEY POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR COLLABORATIVE IMPLEMENTATION ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS.
SO THE CURRENT IMAGINE AUSTIN PRIORITY PROGRAMS ARE SHOWN IN THE GRAY BOXES.
UM, AND THEY'LL BE USED AS THE STARTING POINT FOR DETERMINING THE PRIORITY PROGRAMS IN THE PLAN UPDATE.
BUT WE'RE GONNA KIND OF OPEN UP THAT CONVERSATION WITH OUR DIFFERENT ADVISORY GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY OF WHETHER THESE ARE STILL, YOU KNOW, THE, THE EXACT RIGHT PRIORITY PROGRAMS FOR THE PLAN.
UM, SO WE, WE KIND OF PROVIDED AN EXAMPLE THERE AT THE BOTTOM, AND THIS IS JUST TO SHOW THAT PRIORITY PROGRAMS WILL BE CROSS-REFERENCED TO SHOW WHICH OF THOSE PLAN GOALS THEY SUPPORT THE GOALS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
UH, AND THEN EACH WILL INCLUDE POLICIES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE PRIORITY PROGRAM OUTCOMES.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE IN THE EXAMPLE HERE, UM, UNDER THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITY PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS, UH, THE GOAL THAT AUSTIN IS NATURAL AND SUSTAINABLE.
AND THEN AN EXAMPLE POLICY THAT YOU MIGHT FIND UNDER THAT PRIORITY PROGRAM, UH, IS LISTED THERE, WHICH IS EXPAND THE CITY'S GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK TO INCLUDE ELEMENTS SUCH AS, UH, PRESERVES AND PARKS, TRAILS, STREAM CORRIDORS, GREEN STREETS, GREENWAYS, AND AGRICULTURAL LANDS.
AND SO IT'S POLICIES LIKE THOSE, UH, THAT WILL BE THE BASIS OF, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT ON THIS NEXT SLIDE.
SO ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE DEPARTMENTAL SYSTEM PLANS, OR YOU COULD ALSO THINK OF THEM AS STRATEGIC PLANS.
UM, THE CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN AND OUR IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS LIKE THE CIPM BOND PROGRAMS, THE ANNUAL CITY BUDGET, AND THE CITY MAN MANAGER, ANNUAL ANNUAL GOALS.
THAT ALIGNMENT IS CRUCIAL TO SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF IMAGINE AUSTIN'S PRIORITY PROGRAMS. AUSTIN PLANNING IS WORKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S, OFFICE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS, AND, UH, AUSTIN BUDGET AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE TO DEVELOP AND IMPROVE FRAMEWORK FOR ALIGNING THESE PLANS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS.
AND JUST TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH OUR CURRENT THINKING, YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE SLIDE, UM, THERE WE'VE LISTED DEPARTMENTAL PLANS.
UM, IT'S NOT ALL OF THEM, IT'S JUST A FEW EXAMPLES, UH, BUT THOSE SHOWN IN THE GRAY BOXES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SLIDE, THOSE WILL ALSO SERVE AS CHARTER REQUIRED PLAN ELEMENTS.
UM, IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE, A SUBSET OF THE DETAILED POLICIES FROM THOSE DEPARTMENTAL OR STRATEGIC PLANS, UH, WILL BE DESIGNATED AS IMPLEMENTATION PRIORITIES UNDER THE RELEVANT PRIORITY PROGRAMS IN THE UPDATE.
AND WHILE PRIORITY PROGRAMS GENERALLY, UH, SORRY, COMPREHENSIVE PLANS GENERALLY TAKE A 20 TO 30 YEAR VIEW.
THE TOPIC SPECIFIC DEPARTMENTAL PLANS SHOULD LIKELY BE UPDATED ON 10 YEAR CYCLES TO KEEP THEM RELEVANT AND UP TO DATE FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE TOPICS.
AND THEN KIND OF DROPPING DOWN A LEVEL, THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PRIORITY PROGRAMS AND THE DEPARTMENTAL OR SYSTEM PLANS SHOULD BOTH INFORM THE THREE TO FIVE YEAR OUTLOOK AND PRIORITIES OF OUR CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND THEN FINALLY, THE CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN SHOULD INFORM OUR MAIN IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS MENTIONED EARLIER, LIKE THE CIP AND BOND PROGRAMS, THE ANNUAL CITY BUDGET, AND THE CITY MANAGER ANNUAL GOALS.
UM, SO HERE WE HAVE A HIGH LEVEL PROJECT TIMELINE THROUGHOUT THE TWO YEAR UPDATE PROCESS ENDING WITH THE PROPOSED ADOPTION IN SPRING OF 2028.
WE'VE DIVIDED THE TIMELINE INTO THREE CATEGORIES, UH, SO INTERNAL ENGAGEMENT, EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT, AND DELIVERABLE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, UNDER INTERNAL ENGAGEMENT, WE HAVE A POLICY WORKSHOP THAT WE'LL BE HOSTING FOR STAFF TO REVIEW, UM, UPDATE, REVISE THE IMAGINE AUSTIN POLICIES IN SEPTEMBER.
UNDER EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT, UH, WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP, UH, WHICH WILL BE MEANING THROUGHOUT THE MAJORITY OF THE UPDATE.
AND THEN UNDER DELIVERABLES, FOR EXAMPLE, WE
[01:40:01]
HAVE THE EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT, UM, WHICH WE'RE AIMING TO HAVE COMPLETE THIS SUMMER.UM, AND SO WITH THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION AND WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? YES, GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER POWELL.
SO FIRST OFF, JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE Y'ALL FOR THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE SO FAR AND ESPECIALLY THE WORKING GROUP.
UH, WAS THAT 360 APPLICANTS, YOU SAID? UH, ABOUT 360 APPLICANTS.
SO HONESTLY, I WAS CURIOUS, WHAT WAS THE, UH, KIND OF MARKETING OR COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT LED TO THAT SUCH HIGH LEVEL OF INTEREST? YEAH, SO WE DID KIND OF THIS STANDARD OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT, UM, GOING THROUGH THE CITY'S SOCIAL, UH, SOCIALS WE HAVE IMAGINE AUSTIN LISTSERV, UH, DEPARTMENT LISTSERV.
WE WENT THROUGH OUR PARTY PROGRAM CHAMPIONS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS ASKED FOR, FOR THEM TO, UM, ADD THE APPLICATION TO THEIR, UH, NEWSLETTERS.
UM, AND AS WE WERE GETTING, AND ALSO THROUGH, UM, UH, CMO IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AS WELL, UH, AS WE WERE GETTING APPLICATIONS IN, WE WERE KIND OF COMPARING THEM TO THE DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT WE WERE WEIGHING THEM AGAINST, SOME OF WHICH WE PRESENTED ON, UM, AND IDENTIFIED DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE MIGHT NEED TO DO A MORE TARGETED OUTREACH.
UM, SO MY STAFF, UH, WITH YOUTH, FOR EXAMPLE, MY STAFF REACHED OUT TO UT, UM, AND OTHER UNIVERSITIES TO TRY AND GET MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH DIFFERENT, UM, STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
AND SO WE DID ONE IN 22, 20, 24, I BELIEVE, AND THEN ONE OF 2025 APPLICATION WINDOW.
TH THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.
AND UH, AGAIN, JUST APPRECIATE THE CARE THAT Y'ALL ARE PUTTING INTO IN TERMS OF MAKING IT A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP OF THE CITY FOR SUCH AN IMPORTANT PLAN.
THANKS COMMISSIONER POWELL, OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
UM, YEAH, SO I HAD AN INTERESTING, A QUESTION RELATED TO ONE OF YOUR, UM, NOTES ABOUT DEMOGRAPHICS AND THAT IS OUR YOUNGER POPULATION HERE IN AUSTIN MM-HMM
UM, AND SPECIFICALLY THE UNDER 18 YEAR OLDS.
DID I SEE THAT THERE'S 2%? AND CAN YOU TALK TO US ABOUT HOW YOU PLAN TO ENGAGE WITH THE YOUTH OF AUSTIN SINCE THEY'LL BE THE ONE MAYBE IMPLEMENTING SOME PARTS OF THESE PLANS? YEAH, SO WE ARE, UH, COMING UP WITH SOME TARGETED OUTREACH.
WE'RE IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE AUSTIN YOUTH COUNCIL PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE HERE.
UM, I ACTUALLY WENT TO THEIR PRESENTATION LAST WEEK WHERE THEY PRESENTED ON THEIR DC TRIP, UM, THAT THEY HAD, I BELIEVE, EARLIER THIS YEAR.
UH, AND SO I'M IN TALKS WITH THEIR COORDINATOR TO SEE HOW WE CAN POTENTIALLY BE INVOLVED, UH, WITH THEM IN THE FALL.
UM, AND THEN POTENTIALLY LOOK AT REACHING OUT TO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE KIND OF CITY COUNCILS AS WELL.
UM, AND MAYBE SOME OTHER STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVEN'T, HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED YET.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF, OF, UH, WORKING THROUGH.
AND SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, THEY, UM, UNFORTUNATELY IT LOOKS LIKE THE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT WOULD NOT BE PART OF THE ACTUAL WORKING GROUP THAT Y'ALL ARE PUTTING TOGETHER FOR THE SUMMER.
SO THE WORKING GROUP IS 18 AND UP, UM, YES, 18 AND UP.
SO, BUT WE ARE GONNA BE, BE ABLE TO INCLUDE YOUTH VOICES IN THESE PLANS BECAUSE AGAIN, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GONNA BE MOST IMPACTED BY IMAGINE AUSTIN.
SO THE AUSTIN YOUTH COUNCIL ENGAGES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, SO WE'LL BE INVOLVING THEM IN OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND KIND OF DELIVERABLE REVIEW, UM, OPTIONS.
SO THEY WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE INPUT THAT WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, 'CAUSE I HAVE TWO UNDERAGE, 18 TO EIGHT AUSTINITES AND THEY'LL BE VERY UPSET WITH ME IF THEY DON'T GET TO HAVE A SAY.
SO I WAS A FORMER TEACHER AND I DID MY THESIS ON HOW TO GET YOUTH INVOLVED, UH, IN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGH PLANNING.
SO IT'S VERY MUCH A GOAL OF OURS,
AND THEN ONE OTHER QUESTION, UM, DID YOU MENTION THAT THESE ARE PAID, THE WORKING GROUP POSITIONS ARE? YES.
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S A VERY SIGNIFICANT TIME COMMITMENT.
AND THEN I GUESS THE FINAL QUESTION IS, WHEN DO YOU EXPECT TO ANNOUNCE WHO IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE PART OF THE WORKING GROUPS? UM, ONCE WE FINALIZE THE, UH, 45.
SO WE'RE AIMING TO HAVE OUR FIRST MEETING IN MAY, SO BY MAY OF THIS YEAR.
AND THEN I DO HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION.
I REALIZE, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE MAPPING THAT YOU ALL DISCUSSED AND SORT OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE SINCE THAT SOUNDS LIKE A VERY EXCITING PIECE OF THE, THIS UPDATE TO THE IMAGINE AUSTIN.
YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT THE PLACE TYPES MAPPING? YEAH, SO I MEAN, ONE WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT IS THAT IT'S, IT'S SORT OF A, A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT FUTURE LAND USE MAPPING.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE, UH, AND I I JUST MOVED HERE RECENTLY FROM SAN ANTONIO AND SAN ANTONIO FACED STILL FACES THE SAME CHALLENGE, WHICH IS NOT HAVING A COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE FUTURE LAND USE MAP.
AND SO, AS EVELYN SAID, WHEN, WHEN THE BUDGET GOT CUT AND WE REALLY HAD TO REPRIORITIZE WHAT WE WERE GONNA HAVE THE CONSULTANTS WORK ON, YOU KNOW, THAT FELT TO US LIKE THE BIGGEST VALUE ADD OF THIS UPDATE PROCESS.
UM, AND THEN THAT'S WHY WE AS STAFF ARE TAKING ON A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE POLICY WORK.
UM, BUT THE IDEA BEHIND PLACE TYPES IS THAT RATHER THAN JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE STANDARD LAND USE CATEGORIES, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT'VE COME ACROSS SO, YOU KNOW, SINGLE, SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL OR MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, THE PLACE TYPES, FIRST OF ALL ARE MEANT TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE HOLISTIC VIEW AT ALL OF THAT.
SO THEY WILL LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT LAND USES THAT ARE ALLOWED AND THAT WILL CORRESPOND
[01:45:01]
TO DIFFERENT PERMITTED ZONING DISTRICTS.UM, YOU KNOW, SO IT TIES INTO THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT ALMOST NARRATIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF DESCRIBING WHAT THOSE PLACES SHOULD BE LIKE, THE TYPES OF AMENITIES THEY SHOULD HAVE, UM, THE TYPES OF MOBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION THAT SHOULD BE INTEGRATED, TALKING ABOUT WHERE PARKS, SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, LIBRARIES, THINGS LIKE THAT ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN CERTAIN PLACE TYPES AND MAYBE NOT AS IMPORTANT OR, UH, AS APPROPRIATE IN OTHER PLACE TYPES.
AND SO THE WAY THAT WE'VE TALKED WITH A CONSULTANT ABOUT GOING THROUGH THIS IS, UH, FIRST THE FIRST STEP IS GONNA BE DEVELOPING THE PALETTE OF PLACE TYPES.
'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THAT WORK DEFINING WHAT THEY ARE, NAMING THEM, MAKING SURE, OOPS, SORRY, MAKING SURE THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, SPAN THE FULL RANGE OF USES THAT WE'LL NEED ACROSS THE CITY.
WE'LL GO OUT TO THE COMMUNITY TO TO TALK ABOUT THOSE, GET THEIR FEEDBACK, REFINE AND FINALIZE THEM.
AND THEN THE NEXT STEP, THE NEXT STEP WILL REALLY BE, UH, A METHODOLOGY TO THEN LOOK AT DIFFERENT FACTORS TO SYSTEMATICALLY APPLY THOSE PLACE TYPES ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, AND WE HAVEN'T EXACTLY DEFINED THE METHODOLOGY YET.
THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA DEVELOPING, BUT THAT COULD BE, OF COURSE, EXISTING FUTURE LAND USE MAPS WHERE WE HAVE THEM WOULD BE ONE BASIS FOR THAT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT LOTS OF OTHER CITY POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY TO THOSE PLACE TYPES, INCLUDING, UH, LIKE THE WORK THAT OUR DEPARTMENT DOES ON COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW DO WE CREATE CONDITIONS WHERE MORE COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, TRANSIT ORIENTED COMMUNITIES CAN BE, CAN BE CREATED.
UM, AND THE IDEA BEHIND THAT IS THAT IT'S A METHODOLOGY, IT'S CONSISTENT ACROSS THE CITY.
SO THAT'LL DEVELOP A, A DRAFT MAP.
WE'LL HAVE EIGHT MEETINGS, EIGHT MEETINGS FOR, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY TO LIKE GO OVER THAT DRAFT MAP, MAP, EXPLAIN IT, TAKE IN FEEDBACK, ET CETERA, AT THOSE MEETINGS.
WE'RE NOT GONNA COMMIT ON THE SPOT TO, YOU KNOW, CHANGING SOMEBODY'S PLACE TYPE.
BUT WE'RE GONNA TAKE ALL OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GET FROM THOSE EIGHT MEETINGS, LOOK FOR CONSISTENT TYPES OF COMMENTS, UM, THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT AND SAY, OKAY, DO WE NEED TO TWEAK OUR METHODOLOGY IN SOME WAY BECAUSE WE MISSED SOMETHING OR IT DIDN'T GET, IT DIDN'T GET APPLIED IN A WAY THAT'S MAKING SENSE, BUT IT WON'T BE SPOT CHANGING.
YOU KNOW, JUST WHERE THE SQUEAKY WHEELS COME UP AND SAY, WE THINK OUR PLACE TYPE SHOULD BE CHANGED, IT'LL THEN BE SORT OF REAPPLYING THAT METHODOLOGY WITH THAT TWEAK AND CONSISTENTLY APPLYING THAT ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY.
WE'LL THEN GO BACK OUT FOR FOLLOW UP MEETINGS WITH THE COMMUNITY BEFORE THEN FINALLY, HOPEFULLY FINALIZING THE PLACE TYPE MAP.
DOES THAT, I KNOW THAT WAS LONG.
DOES THAT VERY DETAILED ANSWER.
AND THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS CHAIR, OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER BERO, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION.
I'VE, I'VE LONG BEEN INTERESTED IN THIS PROCESS.
I THINK THE, THE QUESTION AND I'LL, AND I'LL POSE IT RE RELATIVE TO THE MAPPING YOU JUST SPOKE ABOUT, WHAT IMPACT DOES THIS HAVE AND HOW DOES IT HAVE IMPACT ON HOW THE CITY DEVELOPS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DECADES? SURE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN OUR LINE OF WORK, YOU DON'T GET A LOT OF IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION,
UM, BUT I DO THINK ESTABLISHING THE PLACE TYPES MAP AND ESTABLISHING OUR COLLECTIVE VIEW OF HOW AND WHERE THE CITY SHOULD DEVELOP IN DIFFERENT WAYS, DIFFERENT INTENSITIES, DIFFERENT USES, DIFFERENT DENSITIES, THINGS LIKE THAT DOES REALLY, UM, SET THE STAGE.
IT PROVIDES A VISION FOR WHERE WE WANNA GO FIRST OF ALL.
BUT THEN FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, WHEN NOT SO MUCH THE CASE YOU DISCUSSED TONIGHT, BUT LIKE WHEN CASES COME IN FRONT OF YOU WHERE YOU'RE DEBATING PLAN AMENDMENTS OR YOU'RE DEBATING, YOU KNOW, ZONING CASES ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE PLAN AMENDMENTS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS IS MEANT TO PROVIDE THAT GUIDANCE TO YOU ALL AND TO CITY COUNCIL, UM, FROM A DECISION MAKING STANDPOINT TO REALLY HOPEFULLY STICK TO WHAT WE AS A COMMUNITY SAY IS IMPORTANT TO US IN TERMS OF OUR GROWTH PATTERN.
SO FROM THAT PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, I THINK IT JUST REALLY GUIDES A LOT OF THE WORK IN TERMS OF PLAN AMENDMENTS, ZONING CASES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THEN FROM A BIGGER PICTURE, LIKE I SAID, WE HOPE THAT IT, IT CREATES A VISION THAT NOT ONLY PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL BUY INTO, BUT THE COMMUNITY, THE RESIDENTS, THE DEVELOPERS, EVERYBODY KIND OF AGREES LIKE, THIS IS WHERE WE NEED TO GO, THIS IS WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS.
AND SO IT'S SIMILAR, I WOULD SAY TO ALUM THAT WOULD'VE BEEN PUT TOGETHER BY A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN GROUP.
IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, IT PROBABLY JUST IS NOT QUITE AS GRANULAR AS THOSE GET WHEN IT COMES TO INDIVIDUAL PROPERTIES.
OR WILL IT BE THAT GRANULAR? NO, IT'LL HAVE TO BE THAT GRANULAR BECAUSE WHEN YOU CONSIDER A PLAN AMENDMENT OR YOU KNOW, A ZONING CASE THAT REQUIRES A PLAN AMENDMENT, IT'S SPECIFIC TO THAT PARCEL.
UM, SO IT WILL ULTIMATELY HAVE TO BE APPLIED PARCEL BY PARCEL.
BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY IS WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE DOING FUTURE LAND USE MAPPING OR WHAT WE'RE CALLING PLACE TYPE MAPPING, THE THE STARTING POINT IS, IS TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE BROAD
[01:50:01]
PATTERNS THAT YOU WANNA SEE IN THE COMMUNITY, OF COURSE.UM, AND THEN LOOKING AT THOSE BROAD PATTERNS, UNDERSTANDING WHERE THERE'S POTENTIAL CONFLICT POINTS, WHERE THERE'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT TRANSITIONS FROM ONE LAND USE OR PLACE TYPE TO ANOTHER, WORKING THROUGH THOSE CHALLENGES TO, TO HAVE THAT KIND OF BROADER PATTERN.
AND THEN WE DIG DOWN AND APPLY IT, UH, PARCEL BY PARCEL WITHIN THOSE BROAD PATTERNS.
AND DO YOU APPLY ZONING CATEGORIES TO THOSE PARCELS, OR DO YOU APPLY YOUR PLACE TYPES TO THOSE PARCELS? THIS PROCESS ONLY APPLIES THE PLACE TYPES OR THE LAND USE.
YEAH, IT DOESN'T, UM, AND ALL OF THAT, ALL THAT DOES, WHICH YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH, IS, YOU KNOW, THAT PLACE TYPE, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, PLACE TYPE X WILL THEN HAVE, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR 15 APPLICABLE ZONING DISTRICTS.
AND SO IF SOMEBODY IS WITHIN THAT PLACE TYPE ALREADY, THEY CAN ASK YOU TO REZONE TO ANY OF THOSE ZONING DISTRICTS WITHOUT ASKING FOR A PLAN AMENDMENT.
IF THEY'RE TRYING TO ASK FOR A, A ZONING DISTRICT THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THAT PLACE TYPE, THEN OF COURSE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME TO YOU FOR A PLAN AMENDMENT AS WELL.
SO IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO PROCESS TO WHAT YOU HAVE NOW.
THANK YOU THERE, COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? YES.
COMMISSIONER HILLER, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OFF TOPIC JUST IN TERMS OF THE PRESENTATION AND BUSINESS BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION, BUT I AM JUST CURIOUS, I SEE YOU'VE DEVOTED SEVERAL SLIDES TO DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWNS.
WHAT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION DID YOU COLLECT THAT WAS, UH, NOT PART OF THE EVALUATION PROCESS? UM, I DON'T HAVE THE FULLEST IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, BUT I CAN GO THROUGH THIS POSSIBLE TO GO THROUGH THIS SLIDE AGAIN.
BUT I MEAN IF IT'S, IF IT, IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE A DEEP DIVE ON IT
OFF THE DI I'M JUST SORT OF CURIOUS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF, UM, CATEGORIES THAT I'M SEEING ON HERE, BUT MM-HMM
WERE THERE OTHER CATEGORIES WHERE YOU WERE LIKE, HEY, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS, OR PEOPLE DIDN'T GIVE US ENOUGH INFORMATION TO IDENTIFY 'EM, LIKE MARRIED, UNMARRIED OR RELIGION OR SOMETHING ELSE? WAS THAT WE DIDN'T CRITERIA AT ALL THAT WAS INVESTIGATED? NO, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
WE DIDN'T ASK FOR LIKE RELIGION STATUS OR MARITAL STATUS.
UM, WE, ONE CATEGORY THAT WE DID ASK FOR, UH, WHICH ISN'T A PART OF LIKE THE CENSUS COLLECTION IS STAKEHOLDER GROUP.
SO WHICH KIND OF STAKEHOLDER GROUPS THROUGH THEY IDENTIFY, UM, WHICH IS REALLY HELPFUL, UM, UH, FOR US IN CREATING THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP AND GOING THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS TO HELP KIND OF BALANCE OUT WHICH KIND OF COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE HAD.
UM, SO WE HAVE SOME EXPERTS, WE HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ACTIVISTS.
UM, JUST, WE JUST KIND OF WANTED A WELL-ROUNDED HOLISTIC, HOLISTIC GROUP OF PEOPLE WHEN IT CAME TO THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP.
UM, BUT FOR, SINCE THIS INFORMATION, UM, I THINK THOSE WERE, THOSE WERE THE MAIN ONES THAT WE, THAT WE LOOKED AT.
SO THIS IS NECESSARILY MEANT TO BE A GROUP OF PURE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN DIFFERENT FIELDS, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING YOU CORRECTLY.
LIKE CAN YOU, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT ONE MORE TIME? SORRY.
SO YOU'RE NOT PURELY LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO'S LIKE, HEY, I REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PROPERTY CODE BY THE WAY, I WORK FOR A TITLE COMPANY AND I DO TITLE RESEARCH AND THAT KIND OF THING.
NO, WE BELIEVE THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE IS REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO BRING IN LIKE DIFFERENT LIVED EXPERIENCES IN THE CITY AS WELL.
UM, THE, GOING OFF A LITTLE BIT ON A TANGENT, THE SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS, RESPONSES, SOME OF THEM WERE JUST REALLY POWERFUL AND GREAT AND TALKING ABOUT HOW THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES IN AUSTIN IMPACTED WHY THEY WANNA BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP AND WHY THEY WANNA BE A PART OF THE MAGIC AUSTIN PROCESS.
AND SO WE REALLY JUST WANTED TO HAVE KIND OF REFLECTIVE, HOLISTIC MIGHT BE THE, NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT KIND OF DIVERSE, DIVERSE GROUP OF, OF REPRESENTATIVES.
THANKS COMMISSIONER HILLER, OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? I'LL TAKE ONE.
WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO PULL BACK UP THE SLIDE ABOUT WITH THE TIMELINE ON IT, UM, JUST TO REMIND ME THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT? SO I'M CURIOUS HOW THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP INPUT IS GOING TO IMPACT THE PLAN? YES.
SO THEY, ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT, UH, WILL BE DELIVERABLES CREATED OR, UM, THAT WILL IMPACT THE CREATION OF THE PLACE TYPES MAP.
UM, AS WELL AS LOOKING AT, UH, THE VISION.
WE'LL BE CHECKING BACK IN WITH COMMUNITY RELEASING A VISION SURVEY SOON.
UM, SO THEY WILL KIND OF WORKSHOP THOSE ITEMS. UM, AND THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GET FROM THE WORKING GROUP MEETING, WHATEVER TOPIC AREA THAT IS, WE'LL TAKE THAT FEEDBACK AND UM, HAVE IT IMPACT KIND OF THE, THE KIND OF CREATION OR REFORMATTING OF A DIFFERENT DELIVERABLE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE PLACE TYPES PALETTE, UM, WE'LL WORKSHOP THE PLACE TYPES PALETTE A LITTLE BIT WITH THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP, GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM THEM.
[01:55:01]
THEN WE'LL KIND OF SHARE THAT FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT, UH, FROM THE WORKING GROUP INTO THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS THAT WILL, WHERE WE'LL PRESENT THE PLACE TYPES PALETTE.AND THEN WHAT WILL THE FEEDBACK FROM THE, HOW WILL THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS IMPACT THE FINAL PLACE TYPES? YEAH.
SO WE'LL TAKE THE KIND OF FEEDBACK AND COMMUNITY INPUT THAT WE HEAR FROM THEM, UM, AND KIND OF WORKSHOP THAT INTO SEE IF WE CAN WORKSHOP THAT INTO, UM, ANY KIND OF ALTERATIONS OR REVISIONS OF THE PLACE TYPE PALETTE.
UM, WE'RE NOT THAT FAR YET, UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ENVISIONING.
YEAH, I MEAN, I WOULD JUST SAY IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE AN ITERATIVE PROCESS.
SO WE'LL OFTEN START OUT, WHETHER IT'S THE PLACE TYPES PALETTE OR SOME OF OUR, YOU KNOW, THE VISION OR SOME OF OUR POLICY WORK, THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP IS OFTEN GONNA BE OUR FIRST STOP.
YOU KNOW, THEY ARE MEANT TO BE A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP OF, OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE WHOLE CITY.
SO WE'LL GET THEIR INSIGHT, WE'LL REFINE OUR MATERIALS, THEN TAKE THAT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN OFTENTIMES WE'RE GONNA, WELL NOT OFTENTIMES ALWAYS WE'RE GONNA BE BRINGING WHAT WE THEN HEAR AT THE BROADER COMMUNITY MEETINGS, REFINING THAT AND BRINGING THAT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE, THE WIDER COMMUNITY.
THESE ARE THE, THE CHANGES THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING MAKING TO, YOU KNOW, WHICHEVER DELIVERABLE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AT THAT POINT.
UM, SO IT'LL ALWAYS BE KIND OF THAT FULL CIRCLE FROM THE WORKING GROUP TO THE COMMUNITY AND THEN BACK TO THE WORKING GROUP.
THIS IS LESS A QUESTION AND MORE OF JUST SORT OF A PLEA AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE DONE SUCH A GOOD JOB OF CREATING THIS WORKING GROUP THAT'S REALLY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT KIND OF GETS BEYOND THE USUAL SUSPECTS IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO ME, I THINK TO HAVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT IS MEANINGFUL AND IT'S NOT JUST FOR ITS OWN SAKE AND SPINNING OUR WHEELS.
SO I REALLY HOPE WE CAN FIND WAYS TO MEANINGFULLY LET PARTICIPANTS IN THIS ENGAGEMENT PROCESS KNOW HOW THEIR ENGAGEMENT WAS ACTUALLY USED IN THE FINAL PLAN.
UM, AND THERE WAS A REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS.
MEMPHIS RECENTLY UPDATED THEIR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE, LOOKS LIKE Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH MEMPHIS 3.0.
UM, THERE'S A, THERE'S A GREAT MEMO ABOUT HOW THEY REALLY CLEARLY LIKE TRACKED EVERY ENGAGEMENT COMMENT THAT WAS GIVEN TO THEM THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND HOW IT MADE ITS WAY INTO THE FINAL PLAN.
SO I HOPE WE CAN DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT BECAUSE I THINK IT REALLY ENGENDERS MORE TRUST IN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WHEN PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW THEIR INPUT WAS MEANINGFULLY INTEGRATED IN THE PLAN.
AND I KNOW THAT'S A GOAL OF Y'ALL'S AS WELL.
WE ARE CREATING KIND OF A SYSTEM TO HAVE, UH, A FINAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT REPORT, UH, TO TRACK ALL OF THE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FOR DIFFERENT MILESTONES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE UPDATE.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE A, WE HAVEN'T DECIDED YET, BUT I THINK MAYBE QUARTERLY KIND OF EMAIL BLAST OF THIS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY OF WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON AND THEN BEING TRANSPARENT TO COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE'LL BE INCORPORATING THEIR FEEDBACK AT EACH STEP OF THE WAY IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PLANNING ON DOING AS WELL.
WELL, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THEY ALL HAVE PUT INTO THIS AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING IT WITH US THIS EVENING.
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS ON THIS? COMMISSIONER GANNON.
OKAY, I GOT ONE QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS.
UM, I'M, I'M INTRIGUED BY THE PLACE TYPES CONCEPT.
IS THERE ANY, UH, UH, PRECEDENT CITIES THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT OR, YOU KNOW, OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE USED THE PLACE TYPES AS OPPOSED TO UH, YOU KNOW, A STANDARD FUTURE LAND USE MAP? MM-HMM
YEAH, PROBABLY THE TWO BEST EXAMPLES TO LOOK AT WOULD BE CHARLOTTE.
UM, THEY DID ONE VERY RECENTLY AND IS PROBABLY MOST COMPARABLE TO HOW WE'LL DO IT.
UM, DENVER ALSO HAS A SIMILAR VERSION.
UM, THEIRS JUST ENDS UP BEING A LOT MORE COMPLICATED BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE PLACE TYPES AND THEN THEY HAVE LIKE A VARIETY OF KIND OF LIKE, I DON'T WANNA USE A ZONING TERM, BUT THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE CONTEXTS, LIKE CONTEXT LEVELS THAT CAN BE APPLIED.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU STARTED OUT WITH 10 PLACE TYPES, BUT THEN YOU HAVE THESE MULTIPLE CONTEXT LEVELS THAT CAN BE APPLIED, YOU KNOW, SAY THREE THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO EACH, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU HAVE 30 ITERATIONS OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE.
IT GETS VERY, VERY CONFUSING I THINK IN DENVER.
UH, AND I USED TO WORK IN DENVER.
UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK DENVER AND CHARLOTTE ARE THE TWO BEST EXAMPLES.
UM, AND THOSE ARE EXAMPLES THAT ARE, ARE, UM, THE PRIMARY CONSULTANT WORKING ON THE PLACE TYPES MAP DID HELP WORK ON BOTH OF THOSE PLANS.
UM, AND THEY'VE BEEN KIND OF EVOLVING THEIR PROCESS AND THEIR APPROACH ALONG THE WAY.
SO HOPEFULLY WE BENEFIT FROM EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY.
I'M EXCITED TO SEE IF Y'ALL COOK OUT.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? YES, COMMISSIONER LA GO AHEAD.
ARE YOU ABLE TO DISCLOSE YOUR CONSULTANTS AND HOW YOU SELECTED THEM? UM, SO OUR PRIME IS THE GOODMAN CORPORATION, WHICH IS A LOCAL AUSTIN, UH, CONSULTANT GROUP.
AND THEN THE MAIN, UH, SUB THAT WE'LL BE WORKING WITH IS MIG.
UM, AND THEY, THAT'S THE CONSULTANT THAT CHRIS WAS TALKING ABOUT AND THEY HAVE EXTENSIVE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING EXPERIENCE, UM, IN PLACE TYPE
[02:00:01]
MAPPING EXPERIENCE.UM, WE, FOR THE PROCESS, WE, IT WAS VERY EXTENSIVE AND WE DID A LOT OF RESEARCH AND ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND WENT BACK AND FORTH.
WE REALLY JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CHOSE CONSULTANTS THAT HAD THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE.
HAVING TGC OR THE GOODMAN CORPORATION AS LOCAL WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US.
UM, AND SO THROUGH JUST KIND OF THAT ITERATIVE PROCESS, WE SELECTED THOSE CONSULTANTS.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM.
WELL WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO BOTH OF YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING IN SHARING AN UPDATE WITH US ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROCESS.
[17. Discussion and action to approve a recommendation to Council for the FY26-27 budget. (Sponsored by Parliamentarian Ahmed and Commissioner Breton)]
17, DISCUSSION ACTION.TO APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 20 26, 16 27 BUDGET.
WE HAD A BUDGET WORKING GROUP THAT SHARED THEIR BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS WITH US AHEAD OF TIME.
MS. BROWN, IF IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE, COULD WE PULL UP THAT BUDGET RECOMMENDATION SLIDE SO WE CAN TALK THROUGH? SO COMMISSIONERS, AHMED AND BRETT, I WANNA GIVE YOU ALL THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST REALLY BRIEFLY AND HIGH LEVEL RUN THROUGH EACH OF THOSE ITEMS, MAYBE LIKE NO MORE THAN A MINUTE PER ITEM AND GIVE US YOUR JUSTIFICATION FOR THOSE.
AND THEN I'LL GIVE THE COMMISSION AN OPTION TO PULL ANY OF THOSE ITEMS IF YOU WANNA DISCUSS THEM INDIVIDUALLY.
OTHERWISE WE CAN PASS THIS ALL TOGETHER AS A SINGLE ITEM IDEALLY.
UM, SO AS WE GET THIS PULLED UP, COMMISSIONER AHMED, DO YOU WANNA GET US STARTED TALKING THROUGH THAT, UH, LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS? ABSOLUTELY.
CAN WE WAIT UNTIL IT'S PULLED UP? I THINK IT'LL JUST BE EASIER TO SPEAK TO IT.
IN THE MEANTIME, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT IT WAS A MY PLEASURE TO WORK WITH COMMISSIONER AHMED.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS.
AND WE WORKED ALONG TOGETHER,
UH, AND THAT HELPED US MAKE SOME REALLY WONDERFUL, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
THANK YOU AS ALWAYS TO OUR CITY STAFF.
SO EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF THIS, SO IF YOU WANNA GET STARTED, WE CAN LOOK AT IT ON OUR OWN.
SO I'LL JUST VERY QUICKLY GO THROUGH THE FIRST FOUR.
UH, THE FIRST ONE WAS ACTUALLY THERE FROM, UH, A PREVIOUS TIME WHEN WE HAD, UH, COME UP WITH THESE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THAT WAS A TRAINING, OPTIONAL TRAINING FOR, UH, NEW PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS.
UH, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A YEAR AND THERE'S STILL THINGS THAT I'M LEARNING.
UH, AND I THINK IF WE WERE TO HAVE A TRAINING LIKE THAT, IT WOULD REALLY HELP NEW PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS BE PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE MUCH QUICKER.
THE SECOND IS STAFF REPORT ENHANCEMENT.
SO THE IDEA HERE IS, UH, I DON'T KNOW THE LAST TIME, UM, THE FORMAT OF THE BACKUP MATERIAL AND STAFF REPORTS WAS, UH, WAS FIGURED OUT OR DETERMINED, UH, UH, HOW CLOSELY STAFF HAD WORKED WITH PLANNING COMMISSIONERS.
BUT THE IDEA HERE IS, UH, AS I'VE TALKED TO DIFFERENT PLANNING COMMISSIONERS, I THINK A LOT OF US HAVE THOUGHTS ON HOW THESE REPORTS COULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE, EASIER TO DIGEST, UH, AND JUST GIVE US THE INFORMATION WE NEED QUICKLY RELATED TO A CASE.
UH, AND SO THE IDEA IS FOR THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO WORK WITH THE DIFFERENT PLANNING COMMISSIONERS TO GET FEEDBACK FROM ALL OF US ON THE TYPE OF THINGS THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN THESE REPORTS.
AND WE'RE SPECIFICALLY ASKING FOR BUDGET ADD RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S ONE HEAD CONSULTANT, PART-TIME, HEAD, WHATEVER, TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD BE TOUGH WITH CURRENT RESOURCES.
AND SO, UH, JUSTIFICATION HERE IS CLARITY AND EASE OF UNDERSTANDING, UH, FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE USING THESE, UH, STAFF REPORTS FOR PLANNING COMMISSIONERS AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT, UH, THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY UNDERSTANDS THESE CASES BASED OFF THESE REPORTS.
UM, ONE EXAMPLE, A COUPLE EXAMPLES THAT WE HAD HERE WAS, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY ZONING CHANGE, HAVING A CHART THAT SUMMARIZES THE KEY DIFFERENCES IN ENTITLEMENTS BETWEEN WHAT THE BASE ENTITLEMENTS ARE, WHAT THE PROPOSED OR REQUESTED ENTITLEMENTS ARE, AND WHAT THE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS ARE.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW, I HAVE TO KEEP GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE BACKUP DOCUMENT AND A REFERENCE WORKSHEET TO KIND OF FIGURE THAT OUT.
UH, ANOTHER EXAMPLE THAT I'D HEARD FROM ACTUALLY ONE, UH, COMMISSIONER, WAS TO HAVE, UH, THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT TEAMS AND, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS THAT ARE READILY AVAILABLE IN THAT DOCUMENT SO THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO 'EM RIGHT AWAY TO TRY TO GET ALL DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEWS ASSOCIATED WITH A PARTICULAR CASE.
MAY I ADD ONE SMALL PIECE HERE? UM, YES,
[02:05:01]
PLEASE.TO THIS STAFF REPORT ENHANCEMENT.
UH, I WILL DRAW Y'ALL'S ATTENTION TO MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS COVER MAXIMUM SETBACKS.
SO ON UNDERSTANDING THAT IT MAY BE HARD TO EXACTLY FIT, UH, WHAT THE, CHOOSE EXACTLY WHAT IT WILL BE BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT OPTIONS SOMEONE MAY CHOOSE TO DEVELOP A SITE WITH.
SO THIS IS JUST MAXIMUM, THAT WAY IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR STAFF TO ACTUALLY CALCULATE EXACTLY, UH, IN THAT EXAMPLE, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A COMPLETELY COMPREHENSIVE, BUT THERE'S A CERTAIN KEY METRICS I THINK ALL OF US LOOK AT WHENEVER WE'RE TRYING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT TO APPROVE A ZONING CASE.
UH, THE NEXT ONE, YOU KNOW, CALL IT, UH, A CONSORTIUM OR FOCUS GROUP.
THE IDEA IS HAVING, UH, A GROUP, UH, ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO HELP THEM CREATE AND SUPPORT, UH, A GROUP OF EXPERTS IN FINANCE AND CONSTRUCTION AND OTHER LAND USE, UH, BACKGROUNDS, UH, FOR, UH, CONSULTATION ON PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENTS.
AND REALLY, THIS CAME FROM, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN WE WERE WORKING THROUGH THE UNO WORK.
AND I REMEMBER AT THE TIME THERE WAS A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH ON WHAT HEIGHT WE SHOULD HAVE FOR DIFFERENT ZONES ASSOCIATED WITH UNO, BUT I THINK ONE THING THAT WE WERE OFTEN MISSING IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE WA OF THIS WAS TO GET MORE DENSITY IN CERTAIN PARTS OF WEST CAMPUS.
AND WHAT WE WERE MISSING WAS WHETHER OR NOT THE HEIGHTS THAT WE HAD THERE WOULD ACTUALLY ALLOW FOR DEVELOPMENT TO HAPPEN.
AND SO THE IDEA IS TO GET SOME FEEDBACK, UH, FROM LOCAL PROFESSIONALS IN TOWN, UH, TO GET A SENSE FOR WHETHER OR NOT WHAT WE'RE, UH, PROPOSING.
UH, WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, CODE AMENDMENTS, NOT ONLY IS IN LINE WITH OUR, UH, UH, STRATEGIC GOALS FOR THE CITY, UH, AND WORKS FROM A, UM, FROM A GENERAL, UH, URBAN PLANNING PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALSO, UH, ALLOWS FOR THE INTENDED OUTCOME IN TERMS OF THE TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT ARE ENVISIONED BY THAT CODE AMENDMENT.
THE NEXT ONE THAT WE HAVE IS A COMMUNITY LIAISON FOR ZONING CASES.
UH, MANY OF US COMMISSIONERS HAVE GOTTEN FEEDBACK FROM NEIGHBORS AND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS THAT IT'S REALLY HARD TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK INTO, UH, REALLY TAKE ANY ACTION ON, UH, ZONING CASES.
WE'VE HEARD THAT'S HARD TO GET IN TOUCH SOMETIMES WITH A, UH, PROJECT MANAGER ASSOCIATED WITH A ZONING CASE.
WE'VE HEARD FROM MANY THAT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW ZONING C CHANGE WILL IMPACT THEM.
I, MYSELF, BEFORE I JOINED PLANNING COMMISSION, I'VE GOTTEN THESE ZONING, UH, NOTIFICATIONS AND THEY FEEL LIKE ANOTHER LANGUAGE BEFORE I REALLY, YOU KNOW, GOT INTO THE WEEDS ON THIS.
UH, AND THEN, UH, THE IDEA IS THIS.
UH, AND THE OTHER ISSUE IS THAT OFTENTIMES THESE NEIGHBORS DON'T KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE THEIR OPTIONS TO SUPPORT OR OPPOSE A PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE.
AND SO THE IDEA IS TO HAVE A COMMUNITY LIAISON WHO WOULD BE THE MAIN POINT OF CONTACT IF YOU CALL IN BASED OFF OF A, UH, A ZONING CHANGE, UM, UH, SIGN, UH, OR, YOU KNOW, IF YOU END UP CALLING ABOUT THAT.
AND POTENTIALLY THERE'S SOME PROACTIVE WORK THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL DOES.
BUT THE WHOLE IDEA IS TO HELP DEMYSTIFY THE PROCESS FOR NEIGHBORS AND ENCOURAGE THEIR, UH, PARTICIPATION.
BECAUSE WHEN NEIGHBORS PARTICIPATE, I THINK WE GET A BETTER OUTCOME WHEN WE REALLY HEAR ALL POINTS OF VIEWS ON THESE CASES.
AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS COMMISSIONER BRETT.
I'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT WRITTEN UP ABOUT THIS BECAUSE, UH, I TRY TO LEAVE THIS TO BE GENERALLY, UH, AN OVERVIEW.
SO, UH, THIS AMENDMENT FOCUSES ON WHAT I SEE AS A LARGER ISSUE, WHICH IMPACTS HOW WE MAKE PROGRESS ON ACHIEVING OUR GOALS FOR AUSTIN, UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE LAID OUT AS A PART OF, FOR EXAMPLE, IMAGINE AUSTIN.
UH, AND GENERALLY FOR OUR USE, HAVING EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE, UH, AND EQUITABLE LAND USE IN THE CITY.
SO WHEN COUNCIL DIRECT STAFF GENERALLY TO MAKE CHANGES TO PROCESSES, PROGRAMS, AND GUIDELINES, I, THERE'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, UH, THAT CAN RANGE FROM SOMETHING AS MINOR AS JUST A LITTLE BIT OF RESISTANCE TO CHANGE TO SOMETHING AS MAJOR OF, AS A FEAR OF LOSING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR THE DEPARTMENT OR THE, THE PROGRAM.
UH, AND I THINK THAT THIS LEADS ESPECIALLY ON DIRECTIONS FOR MORE HOLISTIC, UH, ISSUES OR ADJUSTMENTS TO PROCESSES TO UNCLARITY AND SLUGGISHNESS AND FOLLOWING COUNCIL DIRECTION.
SO, I WANT TO BE CLEAR, I DON'T THINK THE CHOICES TO BE HEAVY HANDED, UH, IN COUNCIL DIRECTION, THE PEOPLE RUNNING, UH, THE CITY SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEIR EXCELLENTLY CRAFTED, UH, FEEDBACK AND DRAW ON THE DEEP RESERVOIR OF KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY HAVE TO INFORM HOW TO BEST IMPLEMENT COUNCIL DIRECTION.
[02:10:01]
TO FOCUS ON THEIR JOBS, WHICH IS TO RUN THESE PROCESSES, NOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CHANGE THEM TO BE BEST EFFECTIVE.WE SHOULD CREATE AN OFFICE WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IT IS TO LEAD THESE EFFORTS, NOT ONLY FOR THE BENEFIT OF CITY STAFF, BUT FOR COUNCIL AND BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY WHERE THERE'S A CLEAR OFFICE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CRAFTING CHANGES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONERS, BRETTON AND AHMED.
DO ANY COMMISSIONERS WITHOUT PULLING ITEMS, JUST NEED TO ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS OF OUR WORKING GROUP? YES.
SO WHEN WE'RE ASKING FOR BUDGET, ARE WE ASKING FOR LIKE A CERTAIN ALLOCATED AMOUNT OR WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR LIKE, SUPPORT FROM, FROM COUNSEL? YEAH.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS, UM, WE DIDN'T SPECIFY EXACT AMOUNTS, BUT WE'RE ASKING FOR THINGS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY COST SOME MONEY, RIGHT? WHERE SOME BUDGET WOULD NEED TO BE ALLOCATED AS FAR AS HOW MUCH IT IS, WHETHER IT'S ONE HEAD, TWO HEADS OR WHATEVER WE'RE LEAVING THAT FOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, I GUESS IT WOULD BE STAFF TO FIGURE OUT, BUT WE'RE REALLY ASKING FOR, THESE ARE THE THINGS, IF WE COULD PUT SOME MONEY TOWARDS IT WITHOUT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT THE COST OR NUMBER OF RESOURCES ARE FOR IT, THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE.
THE POINT ABOUT HAVING TRAINING FOR, UM, FOR PC MEMBERS, THAT'S A REALLY GREAT IDEA.
THAT'S WHY WE CAN PUT SOME, WELL, WE CAN'T TAKE THAT.
THAT WAS, UH, I THINK
AND YES, THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE ADVOCATED FOR, I THINK THE LAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES.
AND I WILL SAY I APPRECIATE EVERYONE ON THIS DI GETTING UP TO SPEED SO QUICKLY, BUT I THINK EVERYONE WHO'S COME ON BEHIND PLANNING KITCHEN WOULD'VE BENEFITED FOR SUCH A TRAINING.
SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT RECOMMENDATION FORWARD.
YEAH, JUST ALONG THOSE LINES, I WILL SAY THAT MAYBE THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO FOR THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT DID PAY FOR ME TO ATTEND AN A PA CONFERENCE AS A PLANNING COMMISSIONER.
SO IT IS FEASIBLE FOR THEM TO DO.
AND I WILL ALSO NOTE, AS A MEMBER OF THE A PA AUSTIN CENTRAL TEXAS CHAPTER, THERE IS A LOT OF FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THINGS LIKE THIS.
AND I THINK ACROSS THE REGION FROM AS FAR AS BRIAN TO LEANDER, THERE'S OTHER COMMISSIONS THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE TRAINING.
SO I THINK IT'S, IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
COMMISSIONER HILLER, GO AHEAD.
SO I GUESS FIRST OFF, I WANT TO COMMIT, OR SORRY, COMPLIMENT, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS THAT WORKED ON THIS, YOU APPEAR TO HAVE COME IN SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS UNDER BUDGET FOR, FOR THE, UH, SUGGESTED, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY, UH, COMMITTEE.
I, UH, I, I, I DO, AND I, I'M AFRAID THIS MIGHT SOUND A LITTLE BIT LIKE A CRITICISM, BUT I DON'T MEAN IT THAT WAY.
I'M PURELY TRYING TO BE HELPFUL.
MY FIRST IMPRESSION WITH FOCUS GROUP FOR CODE AMENDMENTS IS I KIND OF THINK WE'RE THE FOCUS GROUP FOR CODE AMENDMENTS.
LIKE IF I'M THE CITY COUNCIL AND I'M LOOKING AT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, I'M GOING, HEY, THAT'S WHAT I HAVE THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR.
SO I, I THINK IF WHAT YOUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL LEVELS OF EXPERTISE, WHAT YOU'RE KIND OF TRYING TO DO IS MAYBE PULL IN OR CREATE CRITERIA FOR PEOPLE TO BE NOMINATED TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
ANYWAY, THAT'S JUST MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF THAT.
UM, WHERE YOU'RE, YOU'RE KIND OF ACHIEVING THE SAME GOAL WITHOUT CREATING ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF BUREAUCRACY.
UM, BUT ALSO IN COMMUNITY LIAISON FOR ZONING CASES, I WOULD BE, I'M, I'M A LITTLE ILL-INFORMED 'CAUSE WHEN I THINK OF THAT ROLE, I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE, ABSOLUTELY.
BUT I THINK OF CITY STAFF THAT ARE ALREADY HIRED AS LIKE, HEY, THAT THAT IS THEIR PURPOSE IS, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO KIND OF DOING ALL THE HANDHOLDING THEY DO FOR US.
BUT THEORETICALLY, EVERY PERSON IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE A COMMUNITY LIAISON TO SOME EXTENT.
AND I, I'M SURE YOU AND PETER TALKED ABOUT THAT.
SO I JUST THOUGHT MAYBE YOU COULD RESPOND TO IT.
I, I THINK THOSE ARE GREAT PIECES OF FEEDBACK.
SO THE IDEA WITH THE FOCUS GROUP WAS MORE THAN ANYTHING JUST ENSURING THAT, UH, WITH THESE, UH, CODE AMENDMENTS THAT PROJECTS WILL ESSENTIALLY PENCIL OUT, RIGHT? THAT WE WE'RE, UH, WE'RE NOT PUTTING IN CODE AMENDMENTS THAT ARE GONNA RESULT IN ESSENTIALLY JUST EMPTY LAND BECAUSE IT'S SO ONEROUS, THE SETBACKS OR THE HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS OR WHATNOT, THAT IT'S, YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE PROJECTS GONNA START THERE.
AND SO, UH, I GUESS ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO HAVE ENOUGH EXPERTISE WITHIN THE COMMISSION ON THAT.
[02:15:01]
I FOUND THAT, UH, IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO THE UNO DAYS OR FOR, FOR INSTANCE, UM, THERE WERE FOLKS WITHIN THE PLANNING COMMISSION THAT HAD TO REACH OUT TO, UM, TO DEVELOPERS THAT WERE ACTIVE IN THAT AREA TO GET A SENSE FOR WHETHER OR NOT THE, UH, THE PROPOSED KIND OF, UH, ENTITLEMENTS WERE ADEQUATE TO ALLOW FOR CONSTRUCTION OR NOT, RIGHT? SO IT WAS REALLY TO TRY TO SOLVE THAT SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, SO THAT WE DON'T GO ABOUT COMING UP WITH THESE, UH, CODE AMENDMENTS.AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, NOT SEEING THE, THE STARTS THAT WE WANT BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT FROM A VIEW OF URBAN PLANNING AND NOT WHAT DOES IT TAKE IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT TO ACTUALLY SEE THESE PROJECTS GO.
UM, SO THAT WAS KIND OF THE THOUGHT BEHIND THAT.
UH, AS FAR AS THE COMMUNITY LIAISON, YES, WE DO HAVE PEOPLE AND STAFF RIGHT NOW THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN CHARGE OF TAKING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE PROJECT MANAGER ON ZONING CASES, THEY HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO WORK ON.
THEY'RE WORKING WITH, UH, WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS.
AND THE FEEDBACK THAT I'VE HEARD FROM A FEW DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, UH, NEIGHBORS, IS ONE, SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO GET IN TOUCH WITH, UH, SOMEONE PERHAPS BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UH, FOLKS OR, UM, STAKEHOLDERS THAT THEY'RE JUGGLING.
UH, AND THEN SECONDLY, IT'S JUST, IT'S HARD TO, UH, UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT THE IMPACT TO THEM IS.
IF THERE'S A ZONING CHANGE FROM THIS SET OF LETTERS TO THIS SET OF LETTERS, WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY MEAN IN TERMS OF MY LIFE IN THIS HOME IF THIS IS HAPPENING NEXT DOOR? UH, SO HELPING TO KIND OF DEMYSTIFY THAT.
AND THEN THE THIRD THING THAT I'VE HEARD ALSO IS A LOT OF TIMES THE, UH, NEIGHBORS OR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AREN'T CLEAR ON WHAT THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS ARE TO POTENTIALLY SUPPORT OR, UH, OR GO AGAINST A PROJECT.
SO GIVING SOME ADVICE OR GUIDANCE ON DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY CAN GO ABOUT DOING THAT.
SO MAYBE, UH, MORE SO THAN WHAT'S BEING DONE RIGHT NOW WHEN THEY REACH OUT.
COMMISSIONER HANNON, AND WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU.
DID YOU WANNA RESPOND FURTHER TO THAT? YES, SORRY, YOU DID A QUESTION.
UM, I WILL BE, UH, HOPEFULLY PRETTY SHORT.
SO, UH, REGARDING THE FOCUS GROUP FOR CODE AMENDMENTS, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING AS A PART OF THE, I THINK IT'S THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE THAT SETS UP, UH, THE LAND USE COMMISSIONS, UH, WHICH WE SIT UNDER THAT THERE'S A PROHIBITION, UH, ON THE PERCENTAGE OR NUMBER OF MEMBERS WHICH CAN BE EMPLOYED IN THE SORT OF AREAS THAT WE MIGHT BE TRYING TO GET FEEDBACK FROM.
AND SO THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH HAVING THE PLANNING COMMISSION FILL THIS EXACT ROLE, ALTHOUGH CERTAINLY WE ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY.
AND THE COMMUNITY DOES, UH, INVOLVE DEVELOPERS AS WELL.
UM, AND SOME OF US DO WORK AS DEVELOPERS OR WORK ON, UH, LAND USE STYLE THINGS, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY LIAISON FOR ZONING CASES PIECE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, I MAY BE WRONG, THAT, UH, THE PEOPLE WHO SERVE AS THE CASE MANAGERS CURRENTLY, IT IS NOT THEIR MAIN JOB DESCRIPTION TO EXPLAIN CHANGES TO THE COMMUNITY, CONNECT WITH THEM, AND FOCUS ON HOW TO ACTUALLY CONNECT PERSON TO PERSON OR PERSON TO GROUP OR GUIDE PEOPLE THROUGH THE PROCESS.
THAT'S NOT THEIR MAIN FOCUS, AND THAT'S WHY WE, UH, DECIDED ON THIS KIND OF WORDING AND THAT SORT OF, UH, SOLUTION.
COMMISSIONER GANNON, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I DO HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, AND THIS IS ON THE ORDINANCE CREATION, UH, OFFICE.
THE ORDINANCE AND POLICY SUPPORT OFFICE.
UM, WOULD THIS BE, UM, I GUESS THIS IS IN Y'ALL'S, UH, UH, IDEA.
THIS IS, UM, A SEPARATE OFFICE THAT WOULD BE MADE UP OF PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WORK IN THE DEPARTMENTS THAT THEY WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY WRITING, UH, POLICIES FOR, UM, OR WOULD IT BE PULLING PEOPLE OUT OF DIFFERENT OFFICES? LIKE LET'S SAY THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY YOU WANTED TO CHANGE SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN ENERGY IS DOING.
SAY YOU WANTED TO TOUCH THE 15 FOOT SETBACKS AROUND POWER LINES, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE, THERE'S A SEPARATE SET OF STAFF WHO IS NOT UNDER THIS DEPARTMENT, UM, AND DOES NOT WORK IN THAT DEPARTMENT? OR WOULD WE BE, ARE YOU SUGGESTING WE'RE PULLING PEOPLE IN, UH, AS, YOU KNOW, A TASK FORCE? SO HOW WOULD THAT TO, TO, HOW WOULD YOU STAFF THAT DEPARTMENT? I DON'T KNOW HOW, UH, CITY STAFF, UH, THE CITY MANAGERS OR COUNCIL MIGHT WANT TO START TO STAFF THAT DEPARTMENT, BUT MY EXPECTATION
[02:20:01]
IS THAT DEPARTMENT WOULD NOT BE MADE UP OF, UH, SECONDED EMPLOYEES, IF THAT'S THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY.NOT EMPLOYEES FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT GET PULLED IN AT CERTAIN TIMES OR FOR, UH, CERTAIN PROJECTS, BUT RATHER IT IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE OR MAYBE A PERSON AT A TIME WHEN THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF COUNCIL DIRECTION THAT ARE FOCUSED ON HANDLING, ENGAGING BOTH STAKEHOLDERS EXTERNAL TO THE CITY WHO ARE IMPACTED BY THE ORDINANCE, UH, THAT MAY BE CRAFTED AND STAKEHOLDERS INTERNAL TO THE CITY, THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, WHICH HANDLE THOSE PROCESSES AND WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE HOW THEY DO THINGS, UH, IF THAT THING WAS CHANGED.
I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
DO WE HAVE ANY FINAL QUESTIONS? AND DOES ANYONE WISH TO PULL ANY OF THESE ITEMS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION? YES.
UH, I, I'D LIKE TO PULL THAT LAST ONE FOR DISCUSSION.
UH, ITEM SIX, THE ORDINANCE CREATION.
ANY OTHER ITEMS WE WANNA PULL FROM THIS LIST? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE CARE OF THE REST OF THEM AND THEN WE'LL FOCUS ON ITEM SIX.
SO LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO PASS PROPOSALS 1, 2, 4, AND FIVE FROM THE BUDGET WORKING GROUP.
I'M LOOKING FOR MOTION RATHER.
UM, ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION ON THOSE ITEMS? COMMISSIONER AHMED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRETTON.
UH, DO WE NEED FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE? ALL RIGHT.
SEEING NO OBJECTION, UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON PASSING ITEMS 1, 2, 4, AND FIVE FROM THE BUDGET WORKING GROUP.
SO COMMISSIONER GANNON, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK TO WHY YOU'RE PULLING THIS ITEM? I DO.
UM, AND I'M, I HAVE ONE CONCERN HERE THAT, UH, IF WE'RE CREATING AN AN OR IF WE'RE RECOMMENDING THE CREATION OF AN OFFICE THAT WOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, HANDLE THE, OR HELP OR BE IN CHARGE OF CREATING, UM, THE ORDINANCES, I'M, I'M WORRIED THAT CREATES A, I I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A BOTTLENECK OR, UH, A WEAK LINK IN THE CHAIN THAT IF, IF THAT DEPARTMENT, UM, IS HEADED BY SOMEONE WHO MAYBE IS NOT AS FORWARD THINKING AS, AS WE HOPE OR IS MORE FORWARD THINKING THAN WE HOPE, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S, IT'S CONCENTRATING A LOT OF POWER, THE CREATION OF ORDINANCES IN ONE SMALL OFFICE, AND THEN FURTHER, THAT OFFICE WOULD THEN BE STAFFED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT INTIMATELY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE, UH, DAY-TO-DAY RUNNINGS OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT THEY WOULD BE THEN, UH, MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO CHANGE.
UM, SO, AND, AND I'M THINKING ABOUT, UH, PROCESSES LIKE SITE PLAN LIFE AND SITE PLAN LIGHT, UH, TWO SPECIFICALLY WHERE I FEEL LIKE, UM, THERE WASN'T QUITE THE IMPACT THAT WE WERE HOPING FROM SITE PLAN LIGHT PART TWO.
UH, AND PART OF THAT WAS BECAUSE THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, NOT ALL DEPARTMENTS CAME TO THE TABLE.
NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT REASONS WHY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS DIDN'T COME AND WATERSHED DID COME TO THE TABLE, BUT WHAT THEY PASSED WAS NOT AS MEANINGFUL AS WHAT A LOT OF THE ADVOCATES WERE HOPING WOULD BE PASSED.
SO I THINK A LOT OF THE, THE, UM, CONCERN ON THAT ONE WAS FOCUSED AROUND THAT, OR AN INSTANCE SPECIFICALLY SAY, THIS OFFICE, THIS OFFICE, THIS OFFICE.
SO THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE THAT I'M KIND OF THINKING OF WHEN I'M READING THIS.
MAYBE THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO, UH, BE MORE DIRECT AND, UM, FOCUSED IN, IN, IN THE CREATION OF ORDINANCES.
UM, IS THIS KIND OF THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO SOLVE WITH THIS PIECE? CAN I ASK THAT QUESTION? THAT, THAT IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF, OF ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I THINK, UH, CAN OCCUR WHEN WE HAVE STAFF WHO ARE BOTH RESPONSIBLE FOR RUNNING A PROCESS AND THEN ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS.
UM, TO YOUR POINTS, YOUR, YOUR CONCERNS, I THINK, LET ME SEE IF I CAN ENUMERATE THEM.
UH, IS BOTH A SORT OF CONCENTRATION OF POWER, SO TO SPEAK, ON WHO CRAFTS ORDINANCES AND, UH, HOW THEY'RE ACCOUNTABLE, AND THEN A LACK OF STAFF KNOWLEDGE WHO ARE IN THAT DEPARTMENT ON THE INTER INTRICACIES OF, UH, THE PROCESSES THAT THEY MAY BE WRITING CHANGES TO.
IS THAT SORT OF YOUR RULE? YEAH,
[02:25:01]
I WOULD SAY THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS THAT I WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT.UM, AND THE FIRST, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE SORT OF OUTSOURCING THE, THE, UM, MAYBE THE POWER OF THE COUNCIL TO REALLY CRAFT THEIR OWN ORDINANCES AND THE DIVERSITY OF, OF, OF VOICES THAT YOU GET FROM, FROM OUR COUNCIL SYSTEM, WHICH IS THE DIVERSITY THAT I THINK, UH, I APPRECIATE.
UM, AND THEN, YEAH, I THINK MY SECOND CONCERN IS YOU WOULD THEN HAVE EITHER ONE DEPARTMENT THAT KNEW EVERY SINGLE THING ABOUT EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT IN THE ENTIRE CITY.
AND THAT WAS, AND THAT IS THEIR SOLE RESPONSIBILITY.
'CAUSE THEY ARE SORT OF TASKED WITH, YOU KNOW, COMING UP WITH THE CHANGES TO THOSE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
OR THEN YOU HAVE, YOU OPEN UP THE DOOR FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, WHO, UH, I DON'T WANNA SAY, UM, CORRUPTION OR, OR WHATEVER, BUT THERE WOULD BE MAYBE SOME DEPARTMENTS WORK BETTER WITH, UH, THIS VERY CONCENTRATED POWER OF THE ORDINANCE WRITING DEPARTMENT.
SO I GUESS, YEAH, THOSE ARE MY, MY TWO CONCERNS WITH THIS ONE.
COMMISSIONER GANNON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION RELATED TO THIS ITEM? UM, COULD, I GUESS, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM, FROM, FROM THE FOLKS WHO DRAFTED IT, IF THAT'S, IF THERE'S, IF THOSE CONCERNS SORT OF LAND, I THINK WE CAN'T REALLY HAVE THIS, WE CAN'T HAVE JUST PROTRACTED BACK AND FORTH, SO WE NEED TO KIND OF MOVE FORWARD WITH EITHER, UH, SUPPORTING OR DISPOSING OF THIS ITEM.
SO I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION RELATED TO ITEM.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO DISPOSE OF ITEM SIX.
MORE RECOMMENDATIONS IF I MIGHT SPEAK TO IT JUST FOR BRIEFLY.
YEAH, LET ME GET A SECOND FIRST.
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GANNON.
COMMISSIONER SMORE OF, I, I THINK MY, AND I APPRECIATE IT, COMMISSIONER GANNON, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
I THINK WE RUN INTO A FUNDAMENTAL CHALLENGE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HAVING AN OFFICE THAT IS NOT UNDER THE CITY MANAGER.
I THINK THAT JUST RUNS AGAINST OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT HERE IN AUSTIN WITH A COUNCIL MANAGER SYSTEM.
SO, I MEAN, STAFF IS ULTIMATELY DIRECTED BY OUR CITY MANAGER.
SO I THINK THAT, THAT THE WHOLE CONCEPT THAT WE WOULD HAVE SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THAT JUST IS, IS NOT IN KEEPING WITH OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT.
SO I THINK WE WOULD GET, IT WOULD BE SHUT DOWN BY LEGAL RIGHT AWAY, QUITE HONESTLY.
COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE, ANYONE SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION TO DISPOSE OF ITEM SIX FROM THE WORKING GROUP? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL? UM, I JUST WANTED TO, I UNDERSTAND WHY THIS CONCEPT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED SOME, UM, SUCH A LEVEL OF DISCUSSION.
AND I, I JUST WANNA SHARE THAT I THINK THERE IS A FRUSTRATION BOTH ON CITY STAFF SIDE AS WELL AS FROM COUNCIL STAFF, THAT THIS TYPE OF DEEP POLICY WORK IS VERY HARD TO SPEND TIME DOING, AND THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THE BANDWIDTH NECESSARILY, AND THAT CITY STAFF SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND NECESSARILY THE DIRECTION.
SO THE IDEA OF PUTTING IT OUTSIDE OF THE TRADITIONAL FRAMEWORK IS EXACTLY FOR THAT REASON.
IF YOU THINK OF SOMETHING LIKE THE OMB AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, OR EVEN THE WAY WE'VE HAD A LEGISLATIVE STUDY GROUP AT THE, AT THE STATE.
SO THE IDEA BEING THAT THESE POLICY EXPERTS WOULD GET A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY ENGAGE WITH DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS AND HAVE A SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THAT DEEP THOUGHT AND WORK THAT WE DON'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO COMPLETE AS PLANNING COMMISSIONERS OR STAFFERS.
IT'S ON THE SECOND HALL, SECOND FLOOR, OR EVEN AS STAFFERS IN THE CITY DEPARTMENTS.
SO I THINK THAT THAT IS A RECOGNITION OF THE, SOME OF THE THINGS OF BEING ASKED IS QUITE DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING AND TO GIVE SPACE AND TIME TO SOMEONE TO REALLY FOCUS ON THAT.
ANYONE ELSE SPEAKING FOR THE MOTION, OTHERS SPEAKING AGAINST, YES, COMMISSIONER POWELL, GO AHEAD.
I, I THINK I'LL, I'LL SPEAK AGAINST, UH, DISPOSING THIS MOTION JUST SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE, UM, BEING TRANSPARENT, I THINK ANY BUDGET RECOMMENDATION THAT ADDS AN OFFICE OR HEADCOUNT IS VERY UNLIKELY TO PASS IN THIS CURRENT FISCAL STATE.
BUT I THINK IT'S A HELPFUL THING TO SAY, HEY, AS A COMMISSION, WE'RE RECOGNIZING THERE'S A BIT OF A GAP HERE AS COMMISSIONER MAXWELL SHARED.
UM, SO I VIEW IT AS MORE OF A SIGNAL THAN LIKE A FULL IMPLEMENTATION PIECE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
UH, JUST BECAUSE WITH THE BUDGET CRUNCH, I THINK IT'S MORE LIKELY HEAD COUNT GOES DOWN THAN UP OTHERS SPEAKING FOR THE MOTION AGAINST.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THE MOTION TO DISPOSE OF ITEM SIX FROM THE BUDGET WORKING GROUP.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO DISPOSE OF THE ITEM.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, THOSE AGAINST 1, 2, 3, 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
SO THIS, UH, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT A RECOMMENDATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR BUDGET WORKING GROUP FOR ALL OF YOUR TIME, CLEARLY PUT INTO THESE REALLY THOUGHTFUL RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR WORK ON
[02:30:01]
THIS.LET'S MOVE INTO OUR COMMITTEE UPDATES.
[PERMANENT COMMITTEE UPDATES ]
SO LOOKING FOR AN UPDATE FROM THE CODES AND ORDINANCES JOINT COMMITTEE.UM, SO TOMORROW'S MEETING WAS, UH, CANCELED FOR LACK OF BUSINESS.
OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON APRIL THE 15TH.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN JOINT COMMITTEE.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS GONNA BE APRIL 1ST, NEXT WEDNESDAY.
UH, MOSTLY FOCUSED AROUND, UH, THE IMAGINE AWESOME BRIEFING THAT WE GET.
JUST GOT, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT JOINTLY.
GREAT JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.
COMMISSIONER HILLER, WE MEET TOMORROW.
SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE.
UM, WE HAD OUR LAST MEETING ON MARCH, UH, THE 10TH ELECTED CHAIR, UM, VICE CHAIR.
AND OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON MAY 6TH, WHERE WE'LL HAVE, UH, SOME NEW BUSINESS.
WONDERFUL SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.
UH, CITY COUNCIL ON THURSDAY IS GOING TO CONSIDER, UH, DISSOLVING THE ADVISORY BOARD.
UH, OUR ONLY WORKING GROUP IS A BUDGET WORKING
[WORKING GROUP UPDATES ]
GROUP.WE JUST HEARD YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, SO WE WILL GO AHEAD AND DISSOLVE THAT WORKING GROUP UNTIL THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE.
COMMISSIONERS, AHMED AND BRETTON.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
ON TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. ITEMS. I HAVE ONE TO ADD.I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE WE JUST DID THIS BECAUSE WE DID, BUT IN ORDER TO GET BACK ON OUR REGULAR ANNUAL CYCLE, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND HOLD OFFICER ELECTIONS IN APRIL.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO ADD A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM TO THE APRIL 14TH MEETING TO HOLD OUR FULL SLATE OF OFFICER ELECTIONS SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
SO JUST A NOTE ON THAT, YOU CAN MAKE NOMINATIONS FOR OUR PLANNING COMMISSION OFFICERS BY EMAILING OUR STAFF LIAISON AND WE'LL TAKE THOSE UP IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WERE RECEIVED BY OUR STAFF LIAISON.
ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? OKAY, SEEING NONE, A REMINDER THAT WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING NEXT TUESDAY ON MARCH 31ST AT 6:00 PM IN THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM.
AND JUST WANNA GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY GOODBYE TO CHAIR COHEN, WHO'S GONNA BE SADLY LEAVING US AFTER THIS MEETING.
UM, I WILL JUST START BY SAYING, CHAIR KHAN, YOU'VE BEEN ON THIS COMMISSION LONGER THAN I HAVE, AND IT HAS BEEN SUCH A PLEASURE TO LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERTISE THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT FROM THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS.
UM, YOU'VE SO RARELY MISSED A MEETING.
WE'VE ALWAYS, UM, HAD SO MUCH USEFUL AND THOUGHTFUL, UM, COMMENTS THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT AND THAT HAVE SPARKED A LOT OF REALLY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION I THINK THAT WE'VE HAD ON THIS DAY.
SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR, FOR YOUR WORK AND YOUR TIME WITH US HERE AT PLANNING COMMISSION IN ADDITION TO ALL OF YOUR WORK ON BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AND YOU'LL BE VERY MISSED.
ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS? COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE, GO AHEAD.
IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOU HERE ON PLANNING COMMISSION AND AS, UH, CHAIR WOODS JUST SAID OF YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE ON BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, AND THEN SERVING HERE AS WELL AS OUR EX OFFICIO REPRESENTATIVE, AS A TESTAMENT TO YOUR COMMITMENT TO THIS CITY, UH, I WISH YOU WELL ON YOUR NEW POSITION AS CHAIR ELECT OF TCDP, AND I'M HAPPY TO KNOW THAT YOU'LL KEEP FIGHTING FOR AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY IN A STATE THAT IS SADLY, UH, FAR TOO FREQUENTLY HOSTILE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND ITS RESIDENTS.
ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE, IN AN ERA WHEN OUR SIMPLE EXISTENCE AND PUBLIC LIFE IS CONSIDERED A POLITICAL STATEMENT OR EVEN A REVOLUTIONARY ACT, I AM PROUD TO BE A REVOLUTIONARY WITH YOU.
IF YOU, IF YOU HAD TOLD ME SIX YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST GOT APPOINTED TO THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT BY COUNCILMAN RENTER THAT I WOULD END UP LOVING IT,
I DIDN'T KNOW A SINGLE THING ABOUT LAND USE.
I JUST KNEW I WAS UNHAPPY WITH GENTRIFICATION ON THE EAST SIDE AND DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND THAT'S HOW I GOT INTO ALL THIS.
AND EVEN THOUGH I HAVEN'T ALWAYS AGREED WITH EVERY COMMISSIONER HERE, I ABSOLUTELY RESPECT AND ADORE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU BECAUSE AFTER SIX AND A HALF YEARS, NOBODY KNOWS HOW HARD IT IS TO COME TO THESE MEETINGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND SPENDING ALL YOUR FREE TIME THAT YOU COULD BE SPENDING WITH YOUR FAMILY OR YOUR CHILDREN LOOKING AT STAFF BRIEFINGS AND AGENDA ITEMS AND, AND ZONING REQUESTS AND APPLICATIONS.
AND IT HAS BEEN MY ABSOLUTE HONOR TO HAVE SERVED AS THE CHAIR BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT.
AND BECAUSE I AM GOING TO BE YOUR NEXT DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR, I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT, SORRY, I DON'T WANNA GET IN TROUBLE FOR THIS.
[02:35:01]
EMILY GREGORY, FLIPPED HOUSE DISTRICT 87 MAR-A-LAGO.OH, AND I BELIEVE VICE PRESIDENT BANCE IS HERE.
UM, I WILL NOW ADJOURN THIS MEETING WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT 8:37 PM THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.