[00:00:06]
[CALL TO ORDER]
A QUORUM PRESENT WITHIN COUNCIL CHAMBERS.I NOW CALL THIS MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO ORDER AT 6:03 PM FIRST, LET'S TAKE ROLE.
PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU'RE HERE WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, CHAIR WOODS.
COMMISSIONER LON, ONCE YOU'VE GOTTEN, ONCE YOU'VE JOINED US.
COMMISSIONER BREIRA RAMIREZ IS NOT WITH US THIS EVENING.
COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE IS NOT WITH US THIS EVENING.
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 ON SHEET, 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 WHEN 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. GARCIA AND ANNOUNCING THE SPEAKERS DURING OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS.
MS. GARCIA, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO CHAIR.
[Consent Agenda]
AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE MARCH 31ST MEETING.DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EDITS TO THOSE MINUTES? OKAY, SEEING NONE, THE 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. VICE CHAIR HANEY 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 FE HANEY, WOULD YOU MIND READING THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR US? ABSOLUTELY.
UM, SO ITEM NUMBER TWO IS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT NPA DASH 2 0 2 5 DASH 0 0 3 0 0.01, BEN WHITE DISTRICT FIVE THAT IS UP FOR APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 12TH.
ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A REZONING C 14 DASH 20 25 0 1 4 BEN WHITE DISTRICT FIVE.
THAT IS ALSO UP FOR APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 12TH.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT NPA DASH 20 20 0 3 180 7 0 1 NORTH MOPAC REZONING IN DISTRICT 10.
ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS A REZONING C 14 DASH 2025 DASH 8 8 87 0 1 NORTH MOPAC REZONING AND DISTRICT 10.
ITEM NUMBER SIX IS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT NPA DASH 20 26 2 2.
UH, SH ROWAN VEIL IN DISTRICT NINE.
THAT IS UP FOR NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONE TO APRIL 28TH.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS, UH, C UH, REZONING C 14 DASH 2026 SH ROWAN VEIL IN DISTRICT NINE.
THAT I ITEM IS ALSO UP FOR NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO APRIL 28TH.
ITEM NUMBER EIGHT IS A REZONING C ONE FOUR DASH 20 26 0 7 55 NORTH I 35 IN DISTRICT THREE.
ITEM NUMBER NINE, UH, IS A REZONING C ONE FOUR DASH 2026 DASH 0 0 4 SPRINGDALE FARM FOLLOW UP IN DISTRICT THREE.
AND I BELIEVE STAFF HAS SOMETHING TO READ ON THAT.
YES, JONATHAN TOMKO WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE HAVE TWO USES THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED.
THEY ARE FOOD SALES AND COMMERCIAL OFF STREET PARKING.
AND ONE USE THAT WAS ON THE CONDIT WE ALLOWED THAT WOULD BE MOVING TO PROHIBITED.
AND THAT IS GENERAL RETAIL SALES GENERAL.
AND THIS IS, UH, THE APPLICANT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE IN AGREEMENT TO THIS CHANGE SO IT CAN STAY ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
UH, ITEM NUMBER 10 IS REZONING C ONE FOUR DASH 2 0 25 DASH 0 0 5 1 WOODWARD MIXED USED FLATS IN DISTRICT THREE.
THAT ITEM IS UP FOR STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO JUNE THE NINTH.
ITEM NUMBER 11 IS A REZONING C 14 DASH 20 26 5 FAMILY AFFAIR LIQUOR STORE AT 5 1 2 BAKER LLC IN DISTRICT ONE.
ITEM NUMBER 12, THIS HISTORIC ZONING C 14 H DASH 20 26 0 0 3 NIETZCHE VERSUS GOINS HOUSE IN DISTRICT ONE.
THAT ITEM IS UP FOR PROPERTY OWNER POSTPONEMENT TO JUNE THE NINTH.
AND ITEM NUMBER 13 IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.
S PC DASH 2 0 25 DASH 0 1 7 7 A 5 0 1 16 EAST CESAR CHAVEZ STREET CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.
[00:05:01]
IS RIGHT AWAY.VACATION 2 0 2 4 DASH 0 180 3 LM 2 0 24 8 3 LM 1 9 1 1 9 0 9 KAMALA STREET, UH, IN DISTRICT NUMBER ONE.
THAT ITEM IS UP FOR CONSENT AS WELL.
VICE CHAIR HANEY, DO ANY COMMISSIONERS NEED TO RECUSE OR ABSTAIN FROM ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? OKAY, MS. GARCIA, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ANY OF THE CONSENT ITEMS? YES, CHAIR.
BEGINNING WITH ITEMS TWO AND THREE, THESE ITEMS ARE OFFERED FOR APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO MAY 12TH.
WE'LL BE HEARING FROM ANDY, JOSIE.
ANDY, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
I
WHEN I PRACTICED THIS PRESENTATION AT HOME LAST TIME I CAME, I HAD FIVE MINUTES AND I DIDN'T READ THE NEW RULES.
SO I WILL BE SLIP SLIDING THROUGH A LOT OF THESE, UH, PRESENT THESE, UH, ITEMS REALLY QUICKLY.
I DO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY.
UM, I AM HERE ON BEHALF OF, OF, UH, THE CIRCLED PROPERTY, WHICH YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT.
UH, THE APPLICANT IS ON THE LEFT.
UM, WE ARE LITERALLY A FEW FEET AWAY.
UM, THIS IS, THESE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN MY PRACTICE THAT POST FOR A PICTURE.
UM, I'M, I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE REASON FOR POSTPONEMENT BECAUSE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND OUR BUSINESSES, THE MEDICAL BUSINESSES NEAR ME ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN CONTEXT SENSITIVE INTENSITY.
UM, WE'VE GOT A COMPLEX SITUATION CAUSING SOME DELAYS.
IN FACT, THE LOBBYIST THAT IS HIRED, UH, TO ADVOCATE FOR THE APPLICANT IS ACTUALLY, UH, THE APPLICANT ISN'T THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT IS GOING BACK AND FORTH THAT WE'RE REALLY NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AS NEIGHBORS AND AS THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THEN PUT ON TOP OF THAT, THE TABC, THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, NON-CONFORMING USES CITY PERMITS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST BECOME A REALLY COMPLEX SITUATION CAUSING THE APPLICANT TO DELAY.
UM, AS WAY OF EXPLANATION, UH, BECAUSE OF THE NEIGHBOR'S CONCERNS, UM, THIS STARTED IN 2021 WHEN THE OPERATOR AND APPLICANT DECIDED TO CHANGE THE USE FROM THE EXISTING RESTAURANT TO A GENERAL RETAIL, UH, STORE.
I'LL BE SKIPPING THROUGH A COUPLE OF THESE SLIDES IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.
UM, BUT THEN THEY GOT A CITATION WHEN THEY STARTED SELLING WHATEVER THEY WERE SELLING.
AND, UH, FOR THAT THEY WERE NOT CERTIFIED FOR THE, UH, CURRENT USE.
IN FACT, YOUR CITY STAFF HAS BEEN SO GOOD WEEDING THROUGH ALL OF THE DATA.
UM, THIS, THE CURRENT PROPERTY IS NOT BEING USED, UH, IN A, IN A CONFORMING USE.
SO ON THEIR APPLICATION, THEY SAID IN YELLOW, YOU SEE, WE ARE REQUESTING THE ALCOHOL.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
MOVING FORWARD TO ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE.
THESE ITEMS ARE OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
WE'LL BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT, DAVID HARTMAN.
DAVID, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
MR. HARTMAN'S WAIVING HIS TIME.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY GILEAD, ZUMBA.
GILEAD, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
I'M WITH THE PROJECT TEAM AND I'LL BE WAIVING MY RIGHT TO SPEAK.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS DEBORAH GLASS.
DEBRA WILL ALSO BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
DEBORAH, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
HELLO, MY NAME IS DEBORAH GLASS.
I AM A NORTH SHO CREEK RESIDENT AND VOLUNTEER WITH THE NORTH SHO CREEK NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM.
WE'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH DAVID HARTMAN, THE LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEVELOPER OF THE PROPOSED SITE 87 0 1 NORTH MOPAC.
UM, THE CONTACT TEAM APPRECIATES HIS DISCUSSIONS OF OUR CONCERNS AND OUR ABOUT THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT.
WE DID NOT ORIGINALLY SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL THAT INCLUDED RESIDENTIAL REZONING FOR THIS SITE, AND WE WERE VERY PLEASED THAT IT WAS REMOVED FROM THE DEVELOPER'S AMENDED REZONING APPLICATION.
IN ADDITION, WE DISCUSSED A PREFERENCE OF A LIMIT OF 120 FEET HEIGHT VERSUS A PROPOSED 180 FEET.
UM, AT THIS POINT, THE CONTACT TEAM'S BIGGEST CONCERNS ARE ENVIRONMENTAL, PARTICULARLY THE PERCENTAGE OF ALLOWABLE IMPERVIOUS COVER AND POLLUTION IMPACT ON SHOAL CREEK.
WE RECOMMEND AN 80% IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMIT LOWER THAN THE 95% THAT WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION AT THIS SITE DONE IN THE EARLY 1980S.
ALSO, THE SITE IS NEAR THE HEADWATERS OF SHOAL CREEK.
WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE REQUIRED STEPS AND ANY GUARDRAILS THAT ARE IN PLACE TO LIMIT POLLUTION LEVELS THAT COULD OCCUR AT THIS PIVOTAL
[00:10:01]
LOCATION THAT AFFECT CREEK WATER AND ITS BANKS.THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS AMELIA COBB.
AMELIA WILL ALSO BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
AMELIA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
LOOKS LIKE MS. COBB IS NOT CURRENTLY IN OUR QUEUE, BUT IF SHE JOINS, WE'LL MAKE SURE TO COME BACK TO HER.
MOVING FORWARD TO ITEM SIX AND SEVEN.
THESE ITEMS ARE OFFERED FOR NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO OUR APRIL 28TH MEETING.
WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM ABBY TECO.
ABBY, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS PATRICK ROSE.
PATRICK, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THOSE SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION IS SHIVA.
MAYOR SHIVA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT.
I'M GONNA SPEAK JUST ON POSTPONEMENT HERE AND WAIVE THE BALANCE OF OUR TIME.
WE THOUGHT THAT INITIALLY WE MIGHT HAVE TO PRESENT ALL OF OUR ARGUMENTS.
AT THIS POINT, WE RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR A POSTPONEMENT ON THIS ISSUE.
UH, OUR NEIGHBORS ONLY RECEIVED THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION LAST WEEK AND HAVE NOT HAD TIME TO FORMULATE A FULL RESPONSE TO THIS COMMITTEE.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHICH WAIVERS, BONUS PROGRAMS, AND ANY APPLICABLE MODIFICATIONS THE DEVELOPER TENDS TO APPLY FOR.
THE DEVELOPER HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US ON THIS AND IS IN THE PROCESS OF RESPONDING.
THE DEVELOPERS ALSO AGREED TO SPEAK AT A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION GENERAL MEETING ON APRIL 21ST, AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THAT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION.
BOTH SIDES AT THIS POINT HAVE DEMONSTRATED WILLINGNESS TO MAKE CONCESSIONS AND WE ASK FOR ADDITIONAL TIME TO DO SO.
WHILE YOU'RE COMING UP, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT COMMISSIONER BREER RAMIREZ HAS JOINED US VIRTUALLY AS WELL.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL IBARRA.
MICHAEL, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARTHA NEWMAN.
MARTHA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
I'M ACTUALLY HERE IN PART TO ASK A QUESTION BECAUSE, UM, WE'RE BEING PRESENTED AS AGAINST THE POSTPONEMENT, BUT WE'RE FOR THE POSTPONEMENT.
SO ARE WE PRESENTING AGAINST THE CHANGE OR AGAINST THE POSTPONEMENT HERE? SO THE COMMISSION UNDERSTANDS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE DEVELOPER ARE IN AGREEMENT TO A TWO WEEK POSTPONEMENT.
SO THAT'S ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA CURRENTLY.
SO IF YOU WISH TO STILL SPEAK ON THE ITEM, YOU'RE WELCOME TO, BUT OTHERWISE IT WILL MOVE FORWARD ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA UNLESS ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS PULLS IT AS A TWO WEEK POSTPONEMENT.
WELL, AS LONG AS WE, IF YOU PULL IT, WE CAN COME BACK AND MAKE OUR POINT LATER THAN IF WE PULL IT.
EVERYONE WHO'S SIGNED UP TO SPEAK WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO SPEAK.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EXPLAINING THAT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANITA CHER.
ANITA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MELINDA STEELE.
MELINDA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES MY TIME.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRIS GOODPASTER.
CHRIS, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
BEN, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES MOVING FORWARD.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DIANA PHILLIPS.
DIANA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAY DAVID PHILLIPS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL BREEN.
MICHAEL WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
MICHAEL, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
HE'S NOT CURRENTLY ONLINE AT THE MOMENT, BUT WE'LL ALWAYS COME BACK AND CHECK.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PATRICK MCKENNA.
PATRICK WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
PATRICK, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KIMBERLY MEAD.
MER VIRTUALLY KIMBERLY, YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
SHE'S NOT CURRENTLY ONLINE, BUT WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CHECK TOWARDS THE END.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN DAVID.
JOHN WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
JOHN, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
MY NEXT SPEAKER, J DAVID, TWO MINUTES.
MY NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL GREEN.
MICHAEL, BE JOINING VIRTUALLY.
[00:15:01]
MICHAEL, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, MR. DAVID, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TINA CURRY.
TINA WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
TINA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
SHE'S NOT CURRENTLY IN OUR QUEUE AS WELL.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHELLE CONNORS.
MICHELLE WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
MICHELLE, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
SHE IS ALSO NOT CURRENTLY IN OUR QUEUE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK, MIX.
MARK, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES MOVING FORWARD.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK HUTCHINSON.
MARK, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
MOVING FORWARD TO ITEM NINE, WE'LL BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT MICHAEL WAYLAN.
MICHAEL, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
THIS ITEM IS BEING OFFERED AS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO JUNE 9TH.
WE'LL BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT VICTORIA HASSI.
VICTORIA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
THIS ITEM IS BEING OFFERED AS A PROPERTY OWNER POSTPONEMENT TO JUNE 9TH.
WE'LL BE HEARING FROM OUR FIR WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM OUR SPEAKERS IN FAVOR, SCOTT MENZIE.
SCOTT, YOU'LL HAVE HAVE TWO MINUTES CHAIR.
SO SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT CASE MAY BE PULLED.
CAN WE MAYBE HOLD OFF ON THE SPEAKERS? IS THERE SOMEONE WHO'S SPECIFICALLY WI WISHING TO PULL THAT ITEM? OKAY, SO THAT'S FINE.
WE CAN GO AHEAD AND PULL THAT IN WHICH CASE WE'LL JUST HEAR FROM THE SPEAKERS WHEN WE TAKE UP THAT ITEM SO THAT WE WON'T MAKE YOU SPEAK TWICE ON THIS.
SO WE WILL BE HAVING THAT AS A DISCUSSION TONIGHT.
LOOKS LIKE NONE OF OUR VIRTUAL SPEAKERS HAVE JOINED OUR QUEUE.
AND THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
DO ANY COMMISSIONERS WANT TO PULL ANY OF THE OTHER CONSENT ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION OR OTHERWISE HAVE QUESTIONS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? OKAY.
SEEING NONE, 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 CHAIR? MAY, MAY I MAKE ONE COMMENT ON ONE OF THE CASES? YES, YOU MAY.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ON THE ROWAN VEIL CASE.
UM, I'VE SPOKEN TO A NEIGHBOR, UH, EARLIER TODAY AND I UNDERSTAND FROM THE TESTIMONY TODAY THAT THERE IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BEING MADE BETWEEN THE APPLICANT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND THE OTHER NEIGHBORS.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THOSE FOLKS TO MAKE USE OF THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
UM, THIS IS A BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, TO REALLY HAVE A VOICE IN WHAT HAPPENS THERE.
UM, THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING PROJECT, UH, FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF BENEFIT THAT CAN COME FOR YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS.
AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT, UH, MAKE IT KNOWN THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO REALLY LEAN IN, HAVE A VOICE, HAVE A SAY, TAKE PART IN THIS PROCESS.
SO I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE THUS FAR AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.
LOOKING FOR A MOTION, A SECOND TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.
MOTION BY VICE CHAIR HANEY, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRETTON.
WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES.
THIS CONCLUDES THE CONSENT AGENDA.
[12. Historic Zoning: C14H-2026-0013 - Nitschke-Versea-Goins House; District 1 ]
OUR DISCUSSION CASE FOR THE EVENING, WHICH IS ITEM 12, WHICH HAS BEEN POLLED.WE WILL FIRST HEAR FROM STAFF ON THIS CASE.
ITEM 12, OH, CALL CONTRERAS PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU DON'T MIND JUST TURNING YOUR MICROPHONE ON THERE WE GO ON.
CALL CONTRERAS PLANNING DEPARTMENT ITEM 12.
THE GOYS MERCY NICHE KEY HOUSE AT 9 0 7 EAST 13TH STREET IS AN OWNER OPPOSED HISTORIC ZONING CASE INITIATED BY THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION.
AFTER THE REVIEW OF THE DEMOLITION PERMIT FOR THE PROPERTY, THE LANDMARK COMMISSION UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED HISTORIC ZONING ON THE BASIS OF ITS SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS AS DEFINED IN LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE SECTION 25 2 3 52.
THE 20 20 16 EAST AUSTIN HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY FOUND THE PROPERTY ELIGIBLE FOR LOCAL LANDMARK DESIGNATION, INDIVIDUAL LISTING, AND THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES AND CONTRIBUTING TO POTENTIAL LOCAL AND NATIONAL REGISTER.
HISTORIC DISTRICTS STAFF RECOMMENDS HISTORIC ZONING FOR THE FRONT PORTION OF THE LOT ONLY CONTAINING THE ORIGINAL PORTIONS OF THE HOUSE.
LIMITED HISTORIC ZONING IS RECOMMENDED TO FACILITATE ANY FUTURE REMOVAL OF NON-ORIGINAL ADDITIONS AND OR NEW CONSTRUCTION BEHIND THE EXISTING BUILDING.
THE OWNER HAS REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO THE JUNE 9TH MEETING TO EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR SELLING THE PROPERTY.
[00:20:01]
THAT CONCLUDES THE STAFF PRESENTATION.MS. GARCIA, DO WE HAVE SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM? YES.
WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER IN FAVOR, SCOTT MENZIES.
SCOTT, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
SORRY, I DIDN'T PREPARE A SPEECH FOR TONIGHT BECAUSE OF POSTPONEMENT.
I JUST WANTED TO COME UP AND SAY THAT, UH, THE ACTION FOR ONE MORE POSTPONEMENT IS KIND OF GETTING, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE, LITTLE TOUGH FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
I'M THE PRESIDENT SCOTT MENS, HE'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE ROBERTSON HILL NEIGHBORHOODS ASSOCIATION.
UM, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED IN OPPOSITION TO THE DEMOLITION OF THE PROPERTY.
UM, WE HAVE WORKED WITH SWEET HILL, UM, TO ALSO HAVE, UM, UM, BE IN SUPPORT AND WRITE LETTERS OF SUPPORT, UH, FOR AGAINST THE DEMOLITION AND THE POSTPONEMENT HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER AND WE'VE HAD TO SHOW UP TIME AND TIME AGAIN JUST TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD AND LET EVERYONE KNOW AT THE HLC AND NOW THE PLANNING COMMISSION THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANNA, YOU KNOW, KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TOGETHER AND KEEP HISTORY ALIVE.
AND, UM, I'VE DONE QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH ON THIS PROPERTY AND DONE A LOT OF THINGS, UH, WITH SWEET HILL, UM, TO TRY TO JUST KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOODS TOGETHER, KEEP 'EM PRESERVED, AND KEEP, UM, UH, KEEP THE HISTORY ALIVE IN EAST AUSTIN.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FRANCOIS LEVY.
FRANCOIS WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
FRANCOIS, YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
I'M AN ARCHITECT AND AN EAST AUSTIN RESIDENT.
AND I SHARED WITH, UM, UH, STAFFS A LITTLE, UH, TWO PAGE DOCUMENT THAT I PREPARED COMPARING THE DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO FOR THIS LOT IF AS THE OWNER REQUEST IT BE, UH, DEMOLISHED.
AND THEN SHOWING HOW BY PRESERVING THE HISTORIC STRUCTURE, THIS IS A, UH, MORE VIABLE AND DESIRABLE PROPERTY.
AND THIS IS A CLEAR CASE WHERE THE HOME ORDINANCE IS, UM, HELPING US, UH, PRESERVE AUSTIN HISTORY AND AUSTIN HISTORICAL STRUCTURES.
UH, STAFF HAS DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB, UH, RESEARCHING THE HISTORY, UM, ON THIS PROPERTY.
AND THERE'S REALLY NO REASON WHY IT COULDN'T BE FULLY DEVELOPED WITH THREE UNITS AND BENEFIT FROM EVEN ADDITIONAL SQUARE FOOTAGE OR ANY DEVELOPER.
AND SO, UM, IN ANTICIPATION OF POTENTIAL, UM, ARGUMENTS THAT PRESERVING HISTORY IS SOMEHOW NOT ECONOMICALLY VIABLE.
YOU CAN SEE FROM THE FIRST SLIDE, THE TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED IN THIS HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO VERSUS THE SECOND SLIDE, UM, WHICH IS, UH, EVEN MORE DESIRABLE.
SO, UM, THAT'S, UH, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH, UM, THE COMMISSIONERS, UM, AND THE PUBLIC.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MIRIAM CONNOR.
MIRIAM, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES MOVING FORWARD.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARY KALE.
MARY, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
HI EVERYBODY, MY NAME'S MARY KALE.
I'M ON THE BOARD OF PRESERVATION IN AUSTIN, AND I CHAIR THE ADVOCACY COMMITTEE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
HAVING SERVED ON A COMMISSION, A CITY COMMISSION FOR EIGHT YEARS, I APPRECIATE THE LONG HOURS YOU PUT IN.
I'M HERE TODAY IN SUPPORT OF HISTORIC ZONING FOR THIS HOUSE.
UH, AS THE BACKUP MATERIALS HAVE SHOWN, UM, IT'S QUITE VALUABLE FOR MANY STANDPOINTS THAT THE CITY'S OWN EAST AUSTIN SURVEY INITIATED AND FUNDED BY THE CITY LISTS IT AS ELIGIBLE FOR LOCAL LANDMARK LISTING, INDIVIDUAL LISTING ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER, CONTRIBUTING TO A POTENTIAL LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT AND CONTRIBUTING TO A POTENTIAL NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT.
AND AS YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THE, UM, OLDEST HOMES IN THAT AREA DATING BACK NEARLY 140, 150 YEARS, POSSIBLY ONE OF THE OLDEST HOMES IN THE CITY.
UM, IT ALSO REFLECTS DIVERSE HERITAGE, UM, EMBODYING, LITERALLY EMBODYING GERMAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY IN THIS, UM, COMPLICATED
[00:25:02]
IN THE COMPLICATED HISTORY THAT'S AUSTIN IN A IN A PART OF TOWN THAT HAS A VERY RICH CULTURAL HISTORY.AND I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT, UH, I KNOW THAT IN 2024, ONLY 16% OF AUSTIN'S HISTORIC PROPERTIES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.
AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECTIFY THAT AND PRESERVE THE CULTURAL FABRIC.
AND I WANNA REITERATE WHAT THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER SAID ABOUT SUPPORTING HISTORIC ZONING FOR THE FRONT PART OF THE LOT CONTAINING THE ORIGINAL PORTIONS OF THE HOUSE, ONLY TO ALLOW FOR THE REMOVAL OF NON-ORIGINAL ADDITIONS AND FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION SO THAT THIS IS A WIN-WIN FOR THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY AND, AND FOR THE CULTURAL FABRIC OF AUSTIN.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TRAVIS HOLLERER.
TRAVIS WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM LUISA BRIS MADE LUISA, ARE YOU PRESENT? TRAVIS? YOU'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES.
UH, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR WOODS, VICE CHAIR, HANEY AND COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS TRAVIS HOLLER AND I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SUPPORT HISTORIC DESIGNATION FOR THE HOUSE AT 19, UH, SORRY, 9 0 7 EAST 13TH STREET.
THIS CASE IN MANY WAYS IS EXACTLY WHY OUR PRESERVATION POLICIES EXIST AND WHY THEY MUST BE USED.
THIS MODEST HOME, AS MARY MENTIONED, WAS BUILT IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY.
IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST REMAINING STRUCTURES IN SWEET HILL, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT TELLS A DEEPLY HUMAN STORY ABOUT AUSTIN, THE STORY OF ANNA ELIZA GOINS, A BLACK WOMAN, A WIDOW, AND A MOTHER OF SIX WHO IN THE FACE OF SEGREGATION AND LIMITED OPPORTUNITY CREATED A HOME, A LIVELIHOOD, AND A COMMUNITY BY RENTING ROOMS TO WORKING CLASS AUSTINITES.
THAT STORY IS NOT RARE IN SPIRIT, BUT IT IS INCREASINGLY RARE IN THE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE OF OUR CITY.
WE ARE LOSING EAST AUSTIN'S HISTORIC FABRIC AT AN ALARMING PACE.
AND ONCE THESE PLACES ARE GONE, THE STORIES THAT THEY HOLD BECOME HARDER AND EVENTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL ANY MEANINGFUL AND TO TELL IN ANY MEANINGFUL OR TANGIBLE WAY.
WHAT MAKES THIS CLAY CASE ESPECIALLY CLEAR IS THAT THE CITY HAS ALREADY DONE THE WORK.
THE 2016 ESAU AND HISTORIC SURVEY RECOMMENDED THIS PROPERTY FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
ITS HIGHEST LEVEL OF RECOGNITION.
SO THE QUESTION BEFORE YOU TONIGHT IS NOT WHETHER THIS PLACE IS SIGNIFICANT.
IT'S WHETHER WE ARE WILLING TO ACT ON WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW.
AND IMPORTANTLY, THIS IS NOT A ZERO SUM DECISION.
AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION TO DESIGNATE ONLY THE FRONT PORTION OF THIS HOME STRIKES A THOUGHTFUL BALANCE WITH A PRESERVATION BONUS.
AND THE HOME ORDINANCE TOOLS, THIS PROPERTY CAN BOTH PRESERVE ITS HISTORIC CORE AND ACCOMMODATE MEANINGFUL NEW DEVELOPMENT.
THAT'S EXACTLY THE KIND OF WIN-WIN OUTCOME WE SHOULD ALL BE CHAMPIONING.
IT'S ALSO OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY IN ENSURING THAT ESAU'S HISTORY IS NOT ERASED BUT CARRIED FORWARD.
AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO EXACTLY THAT, NOT JUST IN PRINCIPLE, BUT IN PRACTICE.
IF WE DON'T ACT PROACTIVELY TO PRESERVE PLACES LIKE 9 0 7 EAST 13TH STREET PLACES WE HAVE ALREADY IDENTIFIED AS IMPORTANT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT THESE BATTLES ONE BY ONE, ALWAYS A STEP BEHIND AND ALWAYS WITH MORE RISK.
DESIGNATING THIS HOME SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT AUSTIN VALUES ITS FULL HISTORY AND THAT WE'RE WILLING TO USE THE TOOLS WE'VE CREATED TO PROTECT IT.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR, UM, SERVICE TO THE CITY.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PAULINA KOVICH.
PAULINA IS RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM ASHLEY CUMMINGS.
ASHLEY, ARE YOU PRESENT? PAULINA, YOU'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR TIME.
MY NAME IS PAULINA KOVICH AND I'M HERE AS THE SECRETARY OF THE SWEET HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THIS PROPERTY SITS.
AS STATED IN THE LETTER WE SENT LAST MONTH, OUR ASSOCIATION CAME TOGETHER IN MARCH AND VOTED TO SUPPORT THE HISTORIC HISTORIC ZONING FOR THIS PROPERTY.
OUR REASONS FOR SUPPORTING THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION ARE AS FOLLOWS.
SWEET HILL IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN AUSTIN WITH DEEP TIES TO THE CITY'S IMMIGRANT ROOTS, AS WELL AS ITS AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL HISTORY.
OVER TIME, HOWEVER, MANY OF ITS HISTORIC HOMES HAVE BEEN LOST TO DEMOLITION AND ENCROACHMENT STEADILY ERODING THE FABRIC AND CHARACTER THAT DIVINE THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
FOR THE 1935 SANBORN MAPS, SWEET HILL HAS LOST 12 HOMES TO I 35 EXPANSION AND AN ASTONISHING 43 DWELLINGS TO THE PROPERTY ON WHICH DENNY'S AND THE DOUBLETREE HOTEL NOW SIT.
THIS IS NOT TO MENTION THE COUNTLESS HOMES IN THE INTERIOR OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAVE FACED THE BUSINESS END OF A BULLDOZER OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES.
WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE CONTINUED LOSS IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE.
IF WE ARE TO RETAIN WHAT MAKES SWEET HILL UNIQUE, WE MUST TAKE ACTION TO PRESERVE WHAT REMAINS.
AND OF THE SEVEN PROPERTIES ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BLOCK, ONLY THREE REMAIN FROM BEFORE.
19 39 0 7 IS THE MIDDLE OF THE THREE AND ACTS AS A GLUE BETWEEN THE REMAINING TWO HOMES, A SMALL UNIFIED FRONT OF SWED HILL HISTORY.
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE 1887 AERIAL MAP OF THE CITY,
[00:30:01]
YOU CAN SEE 9 0 7 PEACH STREET.WE ARE ASKING YOU TO KEEP THIS PHYSICAL LINK TO THAT EARLY AUSTIN ALIVE.
SECONDLY, THE ZONING REQUEST AS INITIATED BY THE LANDMARK COMMISSION IS MODEST, ONLY ASKING FOR THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION OF THE ORIGINAL FRONT TWO ROOMS, A VERY REASONABLE REQUEST, WHICH DOES NOT PREVENT ADDITIONAL MODERN DEVELOPMENT IN THE REAR OF THE PROPERTY, WHICH WE DO NOT OPPOSE.
THIRDLY AND CONVERSELY, WHAT WE DO OPPOSE ARE THE SCARS THAT REMAIN AFTER THIS PROPERTY OWNER RECEIVES THEIR DEMOLITION PERMITS IN NEIGHBORING DAVIS THOMPSON NEIGHBORHOOD, SEVERAL BLOCKS EAST OF 9 0 7 DEMOLITION PERMITS WERE GRANTED.
1807 EAST 13TH HAS BEEN EMPTY FOR SIX YEARS AND IS NOW A PARKING LOT FOR BUSINESSES ALONG 12TH AND CHACON 1705 EAST 13TH WAS DEMOLISHED IN MAY, 2024 AND REMAINS AN EMPTY LOT TO THIS DAY.
WE LOVE HAVING NEIGHBORS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD NOT EMPTY LOTS.
WE CANNOT RECREATE THESE TIES TO OUR PAST.
ONCE THIS HISTORY AND THESE ORIGINAL MATERIALS ARE GONE, THEY'RE GONE.
HOW MUCH OF AUSTIN'S HISTORY IS IN THE LANDFILL? PLEASE VOTE FOR HISTORIC ZONING IN ORDER TO PREVENT FUTURE AUSTINITES FROM HAVING TO SCOUR THE DEPTHS OF OUR TRASH HEAPS TO FIND THEIR ROOTS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RIVER ANO RIVER.
HI, MY NAME'S RIVER AND I AM THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR AND FORMER OWNER OF 9 0 7 EAST 13TH.
AND, UH, I SENT YOU GUYS AN EMAIL WITH SOME ATTACHMENTS AND I HOPE YOU HAVE THOSE.
UM, SO, UM, I WANTED TO SHARE THAT I GAVE YOU THE CONTRACT THAT SHOWS THAT THE HOLDING COMPANY IS EUREKA, WHO BOUGHT IT FROM ME.
AND WHEN I SOLD IT TO EUREKA, I GAVE THEM AN ENVELOPE AT THE CLOSING TABLE OF THE HANDWRITTEN DEED TO THE HOME BECAUSE IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL IN MY EYES.
I HAD GONE TO RESEARCH THE HOME AT THE HISTORIC COMMISSION.
I LIVED THERE 13 YEARS AND I'VE LIVED NEXT DOOR NOW FOR, SINCE THEN.
UM, AND I ASKED THEM TO PRESERVE THE FRONT TWO ROOMS IN A LETTER.
WHEN I SOLD THE HOME TO THEM, I SAID, I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO, BUT THEY'RE VERY BEAUTIFUL.
THEY'RE FROM THE 18 HUNDREDS, THEY'RE THE ORIGINAL CITY PLATTE.
AND WHEN I SOLD IT TO THEM, THE FRONT TWO ROOMS WERE IN BASICALLY STELLAR LIVING CONDITION.
AND I WANT YOU TO SEE THIS BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THEIR ARGUMENTS IS THEY'RE IN BAD CONDITION, BUT THEY WERE IN GREAT CONDITION WHEN EUREKA GOT IT, GREAT CONDITION, YOU KNOW.
SO I ALWAYS WANTED THE FRONT TWO ROOMS TO BE SAVED.
AND I ALSO, WHILE I WAS THERE, HAD JAMIE CHICO, THE ARCHITECT, DRAW UP PLANS FOR A REDO OF THE PLACE.
AND I GAVE YOU A, UH, THE, THE LAND, THE A DRAWING OF THAT PLAN THAT SHOWS THAT WE PRESERVED THE FRONT TWO ROOMS AND WE BUILT TO THE MAXIMUM ENVELOPE IN THE BACK AND FROM THE STREET.
YOU COULD NOT TELL ANYTHING WAS THERE, BUT THE FRONT TWO ROOMS, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE LAND IS, ALL YOU COULD SEE IS THOSE FRONT TWO ROOMS AND YOU HAVE MAXIMUM BUILD IN THE BACK.
AND SO 'CAUSE OF LIFE, JUST BEFORE WE WERE JUST, ALL THE CITY HAD APPROVED THIS FULLY AND WE WERE ABOUT TO BREAK GROUND, AND THAT'S WHEN I SORT OF SWITCHED PLANS AND ENDED UP SELLING THE PROPERTY.
UM, SO I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT I GUESS MY TIME IS UP, BUT I HAVE MANY STORIES FROM THE BLOCK IF YOU WANTED TO HEAR THEM.
WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THOSE SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION.
OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION IS WILL CAMPOS.
WILL, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES BILL.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, UM, AS THE COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE.
UH, WE BELIEVE FROM TALKING TO MS. RIVER THAT, UH, THE MOST APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION WOULD ACTUALLY BE TO SELL THE PROPERTY BACK TO HER AND GIVE HER CONTROL OF THE PROPERTY TO DO WHAT, UH, SHE, SHE'S FIT WITH IT, UM, AS SHE'S THE NEIGHBOR AND HAS A CONNECTION TO THE PROPERTY.
UM, UNTIL THAT TIME THOUGH, WE WOULD LIKE TO POSTPONE TO GIVE HER TIME TO, UM, FACILITATE THE TRANSACTION.
UM, WE'RE NOT, UM, ALL THAT CONCERNED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL OF THE PROPERTY.
WE DON'T THINK THE DEVELOPMENT MARKET RIGHT NOW MAKES MUCH SENSE.
AND SO WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE.
UM, IN FACT, THIS IS MAINLY JUST A FINANCIAL DECISION OF THE COST OF FIXING TWO ROOMS, HALF DEMOING, GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF ARCHITECTURAL SITE PLANS, STUFF LIKE THAT.
IT JUST ISN'T, UH, A GOOD FINANCIAL, UM, PLAY FOR US, UH, AS OPPOSED TO DEMOLITION.
SO I THINK THAT THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION IS TO POSTPONE AND GIVE, UH, RIVER TIME TO PURCHASE THE PROPERTY.
[00:35:01]
CHAIR.THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM.
AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS.
LET'S TAKE A VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER POWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES.
WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR ROUND ROBIN.
SO WE HAVE SLOTS FOR EIGHT COMMISSIONERS TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THE SPEAKERS OR OUR STAFF LIAISON FOR FIVE MINUTES EACH.
WHO WOULD LIKE TO GO FIRST? COMMISSIONER POWELL.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR, UH, RIVER, THE PREVIOUS PROPERTY HONOR.
SO FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME.
COME AND SPEAK WITH US AND, UH, TELL THE STORIES OF YOUR OWNERSHIP OF THIS PROPERTY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, CATCH US UP TO SPEED.
I DID WANT TO ASK, I, I PULLED THIS ITEM BECAUSE I'M, I'M HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING WHY WE SHOULDN'T VOTE ON IT TONIGHT AND MOVE FORWARD IN THIS PROCESS.
KNOWING HOW MUCH TIME, UH, YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION ALSO, AND SO MANY FOLKS HAVE SPENT ON THIS, UM, I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD VALIDATE THAT AS WELL AS FRANKLY THE, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE HISTORICAL LANDMARK COMMISSION.
SO TO YOU, WHETHER IT'S YOUR PERSONAL INTEREST IN ACQUIRING THE CO PROPERTY, UM, WOULD THIS VOTE, WOULD THIS HISTORIC ZONING DESIGNATION CHANGE YOUR CALCULUS ON PURCHASING THE PROPERTY BACK? OR DO YOU THINK IT WOULD IMPACT THAT CALCULUS? OH, THE BUTTON.
OH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, COMMISSIONER.
UM, RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT IS THE DELAY UP FOR A VOTE OR THE WHOLE CASE UP FOR A VOTE? I'M CONFUSED.
SO, UH, IT WOULD'VE BEEN ON CONSENT, WHICH WOULD HAVE POSTPONED THIS UNTIL JUNE.
UM, AND SO MY INTENTION IN PULLING THIS IS TO SEE IF WE COULD VOTE ON IT TONIGHT.
UM, I DEFINITELY WANT TO PRESERVE THE FRONT TWO ROOMS. THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THERE'S A PLAQUE OR NOT.
UM, GENERALLY I'M THE KIND OF PERSON WHO DOESN'T GENERALLY GET INVOLVED IN GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS WHEN I DON'T HAVE TO, JUST GENERALLY AS A HUMAN.
AND IF YOU KNOW ME, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I MEANT.
BUT, UM, SO WHETHER IT'S THERE OR NOT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME AT ALL.
THE QUESTION REALLY IS WHETHER I'LL BE ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND OBTAIN THE PROPERTY.
AND SO I'M HOPING THAT CAN HAPPEN.
AND THAT'S A BIGGER QUESTION THAN WHETHER I WOULD PRESERVE THE FRONT TWO ROOMS. APPRECIATE YOU.
AND THEN I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE, UH, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PROPERTY OWNER.
SO AGAIN, CARRYING ALONG THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING, I, I GUESS I'M STRUGGLING TO SEE HOW, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD WITH A HISTORIC ZONING DESIGNATION WOULD AFFECT A TRANSACTION, WHETHER THAT'S WITH RIVER OR WITH ANY OTHER POTENTIAL PURCHASER OF THE PROPERTY.
CAN YOU TELL ME A BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THIS POSTPONEMENT WOULD ACTUALLY CHANGE THAT CALCULUS? OF COURSE.
UM, I, WE SEE IT AS THE, THE PROPERTY'S IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE AND RECEIVED SOME CODE VIOLATIONS, MEANING IT NEEDS A NEW ROOF.
I THINK THE STRUCTURAL REPORT THAT'S IN THE, THE BACKUP SHOWS THAT IT'S NEEDS A WHOLE NEW FOUNDATION, ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND SO THE CALCULUS OF GOING AHEAD AND REMEDYING ALL THE THINGS, UM, IN THAT HOUSE, UH, IS MUCH, MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE SIMPLE DEMOLITION.
UM, WE SEE IT AS NOT AN OPTION, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING OF JUST LEAVING TWO UNREPAIRED ROOMS IN THE FRONT, UH, ON THE PROPERTY GOING FORWARD UNTIL A TRANSACTION GOES THROUGH.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S ALLOWABLE OR NOT.
AND SO OUR PREFERENCE WOULD BE THAT WE'RE NOT FORCED TO GO AHEAD AND, UH, I GUESS GO INTO A RENOVATION THAT WE WEREN'T PLANNING FOR.
THAT WASN'T REALLY OUR INTENT.
UM, IT'S GONNA BE PRETTY EXTENSIVE.
AND SO IT SEEMS LIKE FROM A STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVE AND THAT STRUCTURAL REPORT, UH, THERE'S PRETTY EXTENSIVE REPAIRS THAT NEED TO BE DONE.
UM, AND WITH, BEFORE JUMPING INTO THAT, UH, WE THOUGHT IT MADE MORE SENSE TO SAY, HEY, WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE EXACTLY.
WE DON'T NECESSARILY WANNA INCUR THE, THE COST OVER WHAT JUST PURE DEMOLITION WOULD COST TO, UH, RENOVATE ALL THIS, ALL THE SPACE AND RATHER LEAVE THAT, UH, IN THE HANDS OF THE VISION OF, I THINK RIVER THAT MAKES MORE SENSE TO US.
UM, SO THE IDEA IS NOT TO BE BACKED IN A CORNER EFFECTIVELY.
WE'D RATHER POSTPONE HAVE THE TRANSACTION GO THROUGH AND THEN THE, UH, OUTCOME OF THE NEW OWNERSHIP AND DECIDE WHAT GOES ON, WHETHER IT'S HISTORIC OR NOT HISTORIC.
UH, WE'D RATHER NOT, UM, BE IN THE HISTORIC PROCESS, THE HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL PROCESS FOR TWO ROOMS THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN INTEREST IN RENOVATING.
SO, UM, I, I'LL SAY THAT'S PROBABLY MY LAST QUESTION, BUT JUST, UH, I, I HEAR WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM AND FOR ME, I STRUGGLE TO SEE HOW POSTPONING THIS PROCESS FURTHER GETS US CLOSER TO MAKING SURE THE STRUCTURE IS PRESERVED, IF THAT'S THE WILL OF THIS COMMISSION, WILL OF COUNCIL.
SO, UH, APPRECIATE THE PERSPECTIVES, BOTH Y'ALL.
MAY I SAY REAL QUICKLY? WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER COMMISSIONERS TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS.
UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS.
UH, RIVER, THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY.
[00:40:01]
SOMETHING MORE YOU'D LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR SIMPLY THAT I WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE THE TIME MYSELF TO TRY TO PUT THE TRANSACTION TOGETHER.SO IF I HAD ALL THE CASH RIGHT NOW, WE WOULD NOT BE HERE TONIGHT AT ALL.
YOU KNOW, SO I WOULD, I WOULD APPRECIATE THE EXTRA TIME.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT EUREKA'S IMPATIENT ABOUT, BUT IF THEY ARE, I'D STILL RATHER HAVE EXTRA TIME WITH THEIR NOT WHERE THEY'RE MORE RELAXED
AND AT THE SAME TIME, UM, I'VE SAID TO THE NEIGHBORS THAT I'M, I WANNA MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND I'M CERTAINLY GONNA PRESERVE THE FRONT TWO ROOMS. SO IT WOULD JUST BE KIND OF A WASTE OF TIME TO DO MORE HEARINGS AND PROCESSES HERE.
ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S APPROVALS, APPROVALS, AND THEN LAWSUITS, THEN EVERYTHING'S JUST OUTTA CONTROL.
WHAT I THOUGHT WE COULD DO TONIGHT, HONESTLY, IS WE'RE ALL HERE, WE'VE ALL SET ASIDE THE WHOLE EVENING.
'CAUSE I'M SO GRATEFUL WE'RE FIRST, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED, BUT I THOUGHT MAYBE WE COULD ALL GO AND SIT DOWN SOMEWHERE, ALL OF US, AND GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER AS NEIGHBORS, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT MY NEIGHBORS KNOW EUREKA.
AND EUREKA OWNS MOST OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THEY'RE WILLING TO MEET WITH US AND TALK WITH US, AND I THOUGHT WE COULD START TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER TONIGHT.
I THINK THE, THE MERITS OF THE CASE, UH, TONIGHT BEFORE US ARE REALLY NOT WHO OWNS THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT WE'RE WEIGHING IN ON TONIGHT.
IT'S WHETHER OR NOT THIS PROPERTY IS APPROPRIATE FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATION.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT COMMENT FOR BOTH OF YOU.
UM, THAT IT'S, IT THAT, THAT REALLY DOESN'T FACTOR INTO OUR DELIBERATIONS AT THIS POINT.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S MY ONLY COMMENT.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? YES.
UM, YEAH, CAN I HAVE STAFF COME CHAT WITH US FOR A SECOND? SORRY.
I'LL, SHE'S GONNA, THAT'S SO QUICK QUESTION.
I THINK JUST TO CLARIFY WHERE WE'RE AT IN THIS PROCESS AND WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE AND TO SORT OF ECHO COMMISSIONER IAN.
UM, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE OWNERSHIP OF THIS PROPERTY, WE ARE ALREADY IN A PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED.
COMMISSIONER, UM, AFTER THIS PUBLIC HEARING, UM, WE WILL MOVE ON TO SCHEDULING FOR CITY COUNCIL, UH, WHERE CITY COUNCIL WILL DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT THIS BUILDING IS GOING TO BE DESIGNATED HISTORIC, UM, AT THE END.
AND BECAUSE THE CITY INITIATED THIS, THE PROCESSES WILL MOVE FORWARD REGARDLESS OF WHO THE OWNER IS.
IS THAT ALSO CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
OWNERSHIP WILL NOT HAVE ANY, UM, THERE, IT WON'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.
AND THEN I JUST AS A MATTER OF INTEREST, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL ABOUT HOW WE FEEL ABOUT THE HISTORIC VALUE OF THIS HOUSE AND WHATNOT, BUT THAT, UM, RECOMMENDATION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ON THE MERITS OF THE CASE, AGAIN, NOT CONSIDERING WHO OR WHAT WILL BE DONE TO THE PROPERTY AFTERWARDS.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
BOTH COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS AND STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS ARE SOLELY BASED ON THE MERITS OF THE CASE.
SORRY, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER AHMED, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I, I THINK ONE QUESTION, UM, I, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS CLEAR ON, AND THIS IS FOR RIVER AND THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE, WITH THE THOUGHT THAT YOU'RE LOOKING INTO, UH, POTENTIALLY PURCHASING THIS, UH, THIS PROPERTY.
UH, AND I BELIEVE THIS MAY HAVE BEEN ASKED BY ANOTHER COMMISSIONER, BUT I WASN'T CLEAR ON THE ANSWER.
WOULD YOU, UH, BE MORE LIKELY TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY OR LESS LIKELY TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY WITH THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION? DO YOU SEE MORE VALUE IN IT OR LESS VALUE? I'LL, I'LL BE HONEST, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT DOES.
I'M SORRY, I DON'T WANNA CUT OFF THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING, BUT I THINK LEGALLY THIS IS NOT REALLY APPROPRIATE FOR US TO CONSIDER.
IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE.
UH, BUT IF I HAD IT, I WOULD AGREE TO THIS PROCEEDING, I WOULD JUST GO, OH YEAH, WE AGREE TO THIS NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT.
SO
UM, I, I MIGHT COME BACK TO SOMETHING.
SORRY TO, SORRY TO CUT OFF THAT LINE OF QUESTIONING.
COMMISSIONER GANDEN, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OKAY.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? IF NOT, I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION RELATED TO THIS ITEM.
I'D LIKE TO MOVE TO, UH, ACCEPT STAFF RECOMMENDATION OR MOVE FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATION, CORRECT.
HISTORIC DESIGNATION AND ALIGNMENT WITH THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION.
DO I HAVE A SECOND FOR THAT RECOMMENDATION? SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROJAN.
COMMISSIONER POWELL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? ABSOLUTELY.
AND, UH, APPRECIATE Y ALL WITH ENGAGING THIS.
I THINK THE POINT OF MY LINE OF QUESTIONING, UM, I, I STRONGLY AGREE WITH WHAT MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS HAVE ILLUMINATED.
IT DOESN'T, THE OWNERSHIP IN MY MIND DOESN'T ACTUALLY REALLY MATTER.
WHAT MATTERS IS THE MERITS OF THE CASE.
I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION WAS UNANIMOUS ON THIS
[00:45:01]
AND SPEAKING, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY.SO SPEAKING, JUST PERSONALLY ON THIS SIDE, UM, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE OLDEST HOUSES IN THE CITY.
THERE ARE VERY, VERY, VERY FEW HOUSES THAT STILL EXIST IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN FROM THIS TIME PERIOD.
THE FACADE, THE STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE, WHAT IT MEANS, NOT JUST WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THE ENTIRE CITY IS OFF THE CHARTS.
IF I'M BEING COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT, I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW, UH, THIS PROPERTY COULD BE ACQUIRED WITHOUT AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE LEVEL OF HISTORY INVOLVED WITH THAT.
UH, THAT'S ALSO INCLUDING THE FACT OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE THERE, AN IMMIGRANT STORY, A MULTICULTURAL STORY, A STORY THAT I THINK ILLUMINATES A LOT OF THE TRAJECTORY OF THE CITY.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, A AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, I THINK ON THE MERITS OF THE CASE, IT ISN'T JUST A YES, THIS SHOULD BE HISTORICALLY DESIGNATED, THIS SHOULD BE HISTORICALLY ZONED.
I THINK IT IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY OBVIOUS DECISION.
AND, UM, WHILE I, I RESPECT EVERYONE'S RIGHT TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE EXTRA TIME AND CONSIDER AND CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE PROPERTY OWNER BEING REPRESENTED HERE TODAY.
UM, I THINK THAT WE, UH, HEAR THE COMMUNITY OUT ON THIS AND, AND DO THE RIGHT THING.
COMM ANY COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION COMMISSIONER AHMED? YEAH.
UH, SO I'D SAY, FIRST OF ALL, MY BELIEF IS THAT, UH, THIS DOES NOT, THIS PARTICULAR PROPERTY DOES NOT MERIT THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION.
UH, MY CONCERN IS THAT, UH, THIS WILL SET A PRECEDENT IN THIS PART OF TOWN.
UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE, UH, UH, ONE OF THE MOST, UH, UH, UM, UH, CLOSEST TO DOWNTOWN AREAS IN THE CITY.
IT'S AN AREA WHERE WE NEED MORE HOUSING DENSITY.
AND I, I KNOW IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, IT SEEMS LIKE THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION, UH, WAS REALLY INITIATED IN RESPONSE TO DEMOLITION PER, UH, PERMIT.
AND SO IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS, UH, LESS ABOUT THE, THE MERITS OF THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION, MORE TO PREVENT DEMOLITION.
AND I, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, ABOUT THAT POTENTIALLY HAPPENING IN OTHER PROPERTIES THERE AND POTENTIALLY STOPPING OTHER DEVELOPMENT, UH, AND ALLOWING US TO HAVE DENSER HOUSING IN THIS PART OF, UH, EAST AUSTIN COMMISSIONERS.
SPEAKING FOR THE MOTION COMMISSIONER ROEN, UM, RESPECTFULLY DISAGREEING WITH MY, UH, FELLOW COMMISSIONER.
I THINK IN SPEAKING ON A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TOPIC, I HOPE THIS DOES SET A PRECEDENT.
I THINK, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I AM VERY INTERESTED IN REGARDING THIS PROJECT IS THE COMPROMISE, UM, THAT HISTORIC HAS SET HERE, ALLOWING THAT JUST THE FIRST FRONT TWO ROOMS WOULD BE PRESERVED AND ALLOWING FULL DEVELOPMENT OF THE REST OF THE SITE.
UM, I THINK AS WE GROW AS A CITY, THIS IS A IMPORTANT WAY FOR US TO PRESERVE IMPORTANT PROPERTIES AND PRESERVE SOME OF OUR HERITAGE, BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR CITY HAS TO GROW AND WE NEED MORE HOUSING IN THESE SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, BECAUSE OF, OF WHERE THEY SIT.
SO I'M VOTING IN FAVOR OF THIS.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION? ANY OTHER? SPEAKING IN FAVOR? YES, COMMISSIONER GANNON.
I JUST WANT A SECOND THAT I, UM, APPRECIATE THE COMPROMISE FROM HISTORICALLY UNMARKED COMMISSION.
AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A, UH, IT'S A SENSITIVE SITE, IT'S A SENSITIVE NEIGHBORHOOD.
ALL NEIGHBORHOODS ARE SENSITIVE.
UM, BUT I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A WAY THAT WE COULD BOTH, UH, INCORPORATE THAT KIND OF DENSITY.
UH, THAT IS, IS OPENED UP WITH THE HOME AMENDMENT, SPECIFICALLY THE PRESERVATION BONUS, UM, AND STILL RETAIN THE, UH, CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS IS KIND OF THE IDEAL CASE FOR THE PRESERVATION BONUS, WHERE THERE IS A HISTORIC PIECE, UH, WHICH WE CAN HOLD ONTO.
WE EXEMPT THAT SQUARE FOOTAGE AND WE CAN STILL BUILD MORE THAN WHAT WE CAN BUILD, UH, IF WE WEREN'T PRESERVING THOSE FRONT TWO ROOMS. NOW THAT BEING SAID, UM, PRESERVATION DOES COME WITH A LARGE TALL, UM, IT IS NOT EASY TO PRESERVE THESE BUILDINGS, AND IT IS A, A LABOR OF LOVE, UH, PIECING AN OLD HOUSE BACK TOGETHER.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK THAT ANYONE WHO'S DONE IT WILL, WILL, UH, RECOGNIZE.
UM, SO I DON'T THINK IT'S A, UH, ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH.
UM, BUT I, I DO THINK THAT THIS IS A, UM, A GOOD CASE FOR THE PRESERVATION BONUS.
I THINK IT'S A GOOD CASE TO, UM, RECOGNIZE THE COMPROMISE FROM HISTORIC LANDMARK.
SO I WILL ALSO BE VOTING IN FAVOR OF IT.
WE HAVE A MOTION FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION BY COMMISSIONER POWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROJAN.
THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT, THOSE AGAINST THAT ITEM PASSES TEN ONE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS
[00:50:01]
WHO WERE HERE THIS EVENING, AND TO OUR STAFF LIAISON, MS. CONTRERAS, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEEDBACK ON THIS ITEM.THAT CONCLUDES OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS FOR THE EVENING.
[15. Staff briefing on proposed amendments to City Code Title 25 (Land Development) to repeal certain regulations related to Downtown Density Bonus Program and Rainey Street Subdistrict Regulations and establish new Downtown Density Bonus 400 (DDB400) and Downtown Density Bonus 850 (DDB850) combining districts, that grant additional building height and modifies uses and site development regulations, in exchange for affordable housing and other community benefits, for properties that are located Downtown. Presentation by Alan Pani, Principal Planner, Austin Planning. ]
ITEM 15, WHICH IS OUR STAFF BRIEFING RELATED TO PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO CITY CODE TITLE 25.I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN 11 ONE.
I MIGHT BE COUNTING ERRONEOUSLY THOUGH.
UH, MY NAME IS ALAN PANTY WITH AUSTIN PLANNING.
I WILL BE WALKING Y'ALL THROUGH, UH, THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PHASE ONE PROPOSAL.
UH, I'LL TOUCH BASE A LITTLE BIT ON THE BACKGROUND OF WHY WE'RE HERE, UH, THE EXISTING PROGRAM AND THE PROCESS, UH, THAT INVOLVES AND THEN DIVE INTO OUR PROPOSED CHANGES, THE URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS, COMMUNITY BENEFITS, UH, THE NEWLY PROPOSED, UH, PROCESS FOR DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS.
UM, AND THEN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR ENGAGEMENT SO FAR AND TIMELINE.
SO, UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE HERE DUE TO A RESOLUTION FROM 2024, UH, WHERE COUNCIL INITIATED AN UPDATE TO THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS.
THEY ASKED US TO DO A NUMBER OF THINGS WITHIN THAT RESOLUTION.
UH, MORE IMPORTANTLY, UH, IN LAST FALL IN RESPONSE TO SENATE BILL EIGHT 40, COUNSEL ADOPTED AN ORDINANCE WHICH AMENDED OUR CBD ZONING OR OUR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT ZONING.
UM, AND ASKED US TO BRING BACK AN UPDATE BY JUNE OF THIS YEAR FOR THREE OF OUR DENSITY BONUS SUBDISTRICTS, AND I'LL SHOW WHAT THOSE ARE IN A SECOND.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, UH, LAST FALL, UH, DANA COUNCIL, UH, UPDATED THE CORE SUBDISTRICT, RAINY SUBDISTRICT AND CONVENTION CENTER SUBDISTRICT.
UH, THE HEIGHT AND FAR MAP WAS AMENDED TO ADD A HEIGHT LIMIT TO 350 FEET.
UH, THIS IS HOW THE CURRENT DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM WORKS.
UH, IF YOU PARTICIPATE, THIS MAP DICTATES HOW FAR YOU CAN GO AS FAR AS HEIGHT AND FAR, AND IF YOU WANT TO EXCEED, UH, THESE LIMITS ON THE MAP, YOU HAVE TO GO TO COUNSEL FOR APPROVAL, UH, FOR YOUR SPECIFIC SITE.
SO FOR OUR PROPOSED CHANGES, UH, FIRST WITH THE APPLICABILITY, WE ARE SLIGHTLY REVISING THAT GEOGRAPHY THAT COUNCIL ASKED US TO BRING BACK.
UH, MOSTLY IT IS RELATED TO RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, WHICH WAS SPLIT BETWEEN THE CORE SUBDISTRICT AND AN OUTER SUBDISTRICT.
SO WE ARE REMOVING THE PART THAT WAS WITHIN THE CORE TO DO IT ALL TOGETHER IN PHASE TWO, SO THAT WE ARE NOT SPLITTING RED RIVER INTO TWO DIFFERENT DENSITY BONUSES ACCIDENTALLY.
UH, DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM AND WILL CONTINUE TO SUPERSEDE THE CAPITAL DOMINANCE OVERLAY.
UH, OUR EITA DENSITY BONUS AND THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY, WE ARE PROPOSING TO CREATE TWO NEW COMBINING DISTRICTS AS PART OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM.
THOSE ARE DDB 400 AND DDB EIGHT 50.
EACH OF THESE ARE THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT THAT A SITE WOULD RECEIVE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAD A CBD BASE ZONING, UH, WHICH HAS 350 FEET AS YOUR BASE HEIGHT, YOU WOULD BE RECEIVING 400 FEET UNDER DDB 400 WOULD BE ABLE TO BUILD UP TO 750.
STAFF IS PROPOSING TO REZONE ALL OF PHASE ONE GEOGRAPHY INTO DDB 400.
AND THEN SITES WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO REQUEST REZONING INTO DDB EIGHT 50 THROUGH OUR REZONING PROCESS.
THIS IS A MAXIMUM HEIGHT THAT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE EXCEEDED BY COUNCIL APPROVAL BECAUSE IT IS A COMBINING DISTRICT WHICH SETS THAT MAXIMUM HEIGHT.
SO THERE IS NO SITE SPECIFIC REQUEST TO COUNCIL THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED AT THAT POINT.
WE WILL BE CREATING COMBINING, UH, ADDITIONAL COMBINING DISTRICTS IN PHASE TWO FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE GEOGRAPHY FOR DOWNTOWN.
UH, THOSE MAY BE IN BETWEEN THESE TWO LOWER, UM, OR ABOVE.
WHO KNOWS? UH, WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY PROPOSING ANY SUBDISTRICTS FOR THIS FIRST PHASE, HOWEVER, IN PHASE TWO WE MAY DO SO.
UM, THAT COULD INCLUDE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS SUCH AS GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS OR COMMUNITY BENEFIT OPTIONS.
WE'RE USING RED RIVER AS A GOOD EXAMPLE WHERE THAT WE MAY HAVE MORE CULTURAL OR LIVE MUSIC REQUIREMENTS, UH, FOR THAT SUBDISTRICT.
UH, THIS MAP SHOWS AGAIN, THE GEOGRAPHY I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
SO THE ORANGE IS THE TDB 400 GEOGRAPHY THAT WE ARE PROPOSING TO REZONE SITES INTO.
UH, THAT SAME GEOGRAPHY IS REALLY COVERED BY THAT DDB EIGHT 50, WHICH IS THE SITES THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO REQUEST REZONING INTO THAT ADDITIONAL COMBINING DISTRICT.
AGAIN, THE REMAINDER OF THE GEOGRAPHY FOR DOWNTOWN WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF AS PART OF PHASE TWO, WHICH WILL BE, UH, BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT ON THE HEIGHTS, I'VE BEEN SPEAKING TO OUR CURRENT BASE HEIGHT FOR CBD ZONING, WHICH IS 350, SIMILAR TO WINDSOR ON THE LAKE.
THE AVERAGE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROJECT THAT IS PARTICIPATED IN CBD IS 450, SO SIMILAR TO 300 COLORADO.
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THE MAX, UH, PROPOSAL HEIGHT FOR A DDB 400, UH, IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE WHAT THE REPUBLIC CAN BUILD TO TODAY.AND THEN LASTLY, OUR PROPOSED MAXIMUM HEIGHT FOR DDB EIGHT 50, WHICH IS 1200 TOTAL FEET, UM, IS ABOVE THE WATER LINE, WHICH IS AGAIN, AUSTIN'S TALLEST BUILDING, UH, ONE OF THE TOP 25 IN THE COUNTRY.
THE PROGRAM WILL HAVE, UH, GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL OF THE SITES PARTICIPATING.
THAT INCLUDES APPLICABILITY GATEKEEPER USES.
OTHER THINGS THAT I'LL GET INTO IN A SECOND.
AGAIN, WE ARE NOT CREATING ANY SUBDISTRICT REQUIREMENTS FOR PHASE ONE, BUT IN THE FUTURE WE MAY HAVE SOME THAT WOULD BE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS THAT BE, WOULD BE SPECIFIC TO THAT SUBDISTRICT DIVING INTO THESE SITE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, UM, FOR BOTH OUR PROPOSED D DB 400 AND DDB EIGHT 50, WE ARE PRO PROPOSING SOME EXEMPTIONS FROM SITE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
UH, THESE INCLUDE LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS, MINIMUM SITE AREA MAXIMUM BUILDING COVERAGE.
A LOT OF THESE DON'T APPLY TO CBD AND DMU ZONING, WHICH ARE THE PRIMARY ONES IN PHASE ONE.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE OTHER ZONING WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THOSE WILL INCLUDE IT.
WE'RE PROPOSING TO PROHIBIT OR MAKE CONDITIONAL SOME OF THE NON-TRANS SUPPORTIVE USES.
THESE IS THE USES THAT WOULD BE MATCHING WHAT DBE TODD CURRENTLY HAS AS RESTRICTED OR CONDITIONAL, UM, FAR WOULD BE UNLIMITED, UH, FOR THIS PROGRAM.
THERE WOULD BE THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT I MENTIONED BEFORE.
UM, AND THEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE WOULD CONTINUE WITH OUR GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS.
I'LL GET INTO MORE DETAIL FOR THEM, BUT THE THREE MAIN ONES THAT EXIST CURRENTLY, WHICH ARE GREAT STREET STANDARDS, TWO STAR ENERGY GREEN BUILDING RATING AND DESIGN WOULD CONTINUE WITH SOME OF THEM REVISING SLIGHTLY, AND I'LL GET INTO THAT IN A SECOND.
SO OUR PROPOSED UPDATED GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS, I'LL START WITH THE EASY ONES.
THOSE WILL CONTINUE TO APPLY AS THEY ARE.
WE ARE PROPOSING TO HAVE AN UPDATE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
WHATEVER IS UPDATED WILL CONTINUE TO APPLY TO THAT NEW PROGRAM AS IT MOVES FORWARD.
SO THOSE UPDATES WOULD BE INCLUDED.
THE TWO STAR RATING, AGAIN, WILL CONTINUE TO APPLY.
THE ONLY UPDATE THERE IS WE'RE ASKING FOR BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN STANDARDS TO BE PART OF YOUR TWO STAR RATING.
THOSE ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM ALREADY.
UM, SO THEY WILL CONTINUE TO FUNCTION WITHIN THAT PROGRAM.
LASTLY, THE BIG CHANGE IS RELATED TO OUR URBAN DESIGN.
CURRENTLY, UH, PROJECTS PARTICIPATING IN THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS HAVE TO GO TO DESIGN COMMISSION.
UH, THEY GO, THEY SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, STAFF REVIEWS, IT GOES TO DESIGN COMMISSION.
THEY REVIEW AND PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION.
STAFF TAKES THAT RECOMMENDATION, MOVES IT FORWARD.
DESIGN COMMISSION WOULD NO LONGER BE A PART OF THIS PROCESS.
UH, WE'RE PROPOSING URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS AS OPPOSED TO THAT.
SO THERE WILL BE SOME REQUIRED STANDARDS FOR EACH SITE, SITE DEVELOPMENT TYPE STANDARDS THAT ARE RELATED TO DESIGN.
AND THEN THERE WOULD BE A SELECTION, UH, FROM AN OPTION OF LIST OF STANDARDS.
AND AGAIN, I'LL GET INTO THAT IN A SECOND.
SO THESE URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS, UH, IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM PROJECTS WOULD HAVE TO ADHERE TO THE MANDATORY ONES AND THEN SELECT A NUMBER FROM THE OPTIONAL LIST.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE DESIGN COMMISSION WORKING GROUP, UH, ON THE CREATION OF THIS, ALONG WITH ALSO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WITHIN CITY STAFF TO COME UP WITH A TOTAL LIST OF 14.
THAT LIST MAY CHANGE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
UH, BUT WE ARE CURRENTLY PROPOSING THAT SITES UTILIZING D DB 400 WOULD HAVE TO MEET SEVEN OF THE 14 OPTIONALS AND DDB EIGHT 50 WOULD HAVE TO MEET 10 OF THE 14.
AGAIN, THE DESIGN COMMISSION REVIEW WOULD NO LONGER BE PART OF THE PROCESS AND WOULD NOT BE REQUIRED.
STAFF WOULD BE DETERMINING THE COMPLIANCE WITH THE STANDARDS DURING THE SITE PLAN REVIEW.
AGAIN, IN FUTURE PHASES, UH, THESE STANDARDS MAY BE REVISED OR ADDITIONAL OPTIONS MAY BE ADDED AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
UM, HERE'S A BRIEF LANGUAGE OF THE DIFFERENT STANDARDS.
UM, I'LL GO THROUGH THE MANDATORY ONES.
WE DO HAVE FULL LANGUAGE, UH, FOR EACH OF THESE IN OUR BACKUP.
UM, SO IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN READING WHAT EACH ONE MEANS DIRECTLY, WE DO HAVE THAT AS WELL.
BUT FOR MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS, UH, WE'RE ASKING FOR SCREENING FOR OUR WASTE UTILITY, MECHANICAL, AND ESPECIALLY ABOVE GROUND PARKING.
UH, WE'RE PROPOSING SOME SLIGHTLY REVISED PARKING LIMITS THAN WHAT IS CURRENTLY ALLOWED IN DOWNTOWN.
WE'RE, UH, ASKING FOR PEDESTRIAN ORIENTED FRONTAGE AROUND 75% OF YOUR PRINCIPAL STREET, WHICH ALIGNS WITH OUR DBE TODD TYPE REQUIREMENTS, DV 90, AS WELL AS, UH, REQUIRING PRIMARY ENTRANCES EVERY 150 FEET, UM, OF FRONTAGE.
THE OPTIONAL LIST IS MUCH LONGER, SO I WON'T GET INTO EACH ONE OF THESE.
BUT FOR EXAMPLE, THAT INCLUDES ENHANCED PEDESTRIAN FRONTAGE.
SO THAT WOULD BE 75% OF YOUR TOTAL BUILDING FRONTAGE AND AS OPPOSED TO JUST A PRINCIPAL STREET.
UH, THAT COULD ALSO INCLUDE THINGS LIKE LIMITING THE NUMBER OF CURB CUTS ON EACH OF YOUR FRONTAGES, LIMITING THE NUMBER OF GARAGE LANES, UM, PROVIDING TRANSPARENCY ON STREET FACADES OR TRANSPARENCY ABOVE GROUND ABOVE THE GROUND FLOOR IN THE FIRST TWO FLOORS.
UM, AGAIN, THERE'S A FULL LIST HERE AND THE FULL LANGUAGE FOR EACH OF THESE IS IN OUR BACKUP.
IF YOU HAVE INTEREST IN ANY OF THOSE,
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THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS WE'RE PROPOSING, UH, WILL FUNCTION SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY.THE CURRENT PROGRAM ALLOWS YOU TO CHOOSE A 50 50 SPLIT, WHERE 50% OF THE PROGRAM UH, REQUIRES IT TO BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHETHER IT'S FAMILY OR ONSITE.
AND THE OTHER 50% IS A CHOICE FROM THE LIST OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
MOST SITES OR PROJECTS HAVE CHOSEN TO DO AFFORDABLE FOR, FOR BOTH HALF.
SO MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN A HUNDRED PERCENT AFFORDABLE FEE AND LIE.
UH, HOWEVER, IT'LL BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT NOW WHERE IT'LL BE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT WILL BE AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHETHER ONSITE OR FEE AND LIE.
BUT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REDUCE THAT REQUIREMENT BY UP TO 2% OF YOUR UNITS OR 20% OF THE FEE IN DEPENDING ON, UH, WHICH OF THE OPTIONS YOU CHOOSE FROM THE MENU.
THE MENU WAS REVISED SLIGHTLY FROM THE CURRENT ONE BASED ON USAGE THAT HAS BEEN, UH, ADOPTED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS OF THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITY BENEFITS AS WELL AS NEWLY ONES THAT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED BY COMMUNITY.
UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON WHAT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS WILL BE.
SO, UH, THE CURRENT PROGRAM IS A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING, SO I'LL START WITH OUR PROPOSED 'CAUSE A LITTLE BIT CLEANER.
WE'RE REQUIRING IF YOU'RE DOING ONSITE 5% OF YOUR UNITS AT 50% M FIVE, IF YOU'RE DOING RENTAL, OR 5% OF YOUR UNITS AT 80% IF YOU'RE DOING OWNERSHIP, THE FEE AND LIE WOULD BE $10 PER BONUS SQUARE FOOT UNDER DDB 412 UNDER DDB EIGHT 50.
AGAIN, THE EXISTING PROGRAM VARIES GREATLY, UM, ESPECIALLY ON THE FEE AND LIE DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT YOU DO, WHAT ZONING YOU HAVE, AND WHAT SUBDISTRICT YOU'RE IN.
UH, SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FEES THAT VARY BETWEEN ALL OF THEM.
RAINY IS PARTICULARLY CONFUSING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DO 5% OF YOUR UNITS AT UP TO EIGHT TO ONE FAR ONSITE UNITS, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO DO EITHER A FEE AND MOVE OR ONSITE.
WE CHOSE OUR FEES, UH, TO BE SOMEWHAT IN LINE WITH THE CURRENT PROGRAM, UH, DUE TO MARKET CONDITIONS THAT WE KNOW DON'T NECESSARILY PENCIL.
UM, TODAY, ONE OF THE NEW UPDATES WE DO HAVE FOR THIS PROGRAM IS THE INCLUSION OF OUR, UH, REQUIREMENTS FROM OUR CODE SECTION FOUR 18.
UH, THOSE ARE OUR DENSITY, BONUS, LEASE AND REDEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS.
UH, YOU LEARNED MORE ABOUT THEM RECENTLY WITH OUR CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS, UH, BRIEFING AS WELL.
THAT INCLUDES THE DISPERSION OF AFFORDABLE UNITS AND EQUAL ACCESS TO AMENITIES WITHIN AFFORDABLE UNITS.
IT REQUIRES TENANT PROTECTION AND REDEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR EXISTING AFFORDABLE MULTIFAMILY AND FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL USES.
AGAIN, THE LIST OF THE COMMERCIAL USES THAT WOULD QUALIFY IS ON THE SCREEN, BUT THAT INCLUDES BASICALLY OUR LEGACY BUSINESSES IN DOWNTOWN.
UM, FINALLY, UH, GETTING TOWARDS OUR PROCESS.
SO AGAIN, TO REITERATE, OUR CURRENT PROCESS INVOLVES A DESIGN COMMISSION REVIEW.
UH, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO GO TO A DESIGN COMMISSION MEETING.
UH, THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION BEFORE STAFF CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION.
WE ARE PROPOSING A NEW PROCESS THAT IS VERY SIMILAR TO OUR DB 90 OR DBE TUB PROCESS WHERE YOU SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO HOUSING FOR CERTIFICATION AND COVENANTS.
ONCE THAT IS REVIEWED AND APPROVED, YOU CAN GO STRAIGHT TO YOUR SITE PLAN SUBMITTAL, UM, DURING THE SITE PLAN REVIEW.
THAT'S WHEN GRADE STREET STANDARDS, UH, URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS, AND THE OTHERS WILL BE REVIEWED ALONG WITH ALL OF YOUR OTHER TYPICAL REVIEW.
AND ONCE THAT IS, UH, APPROVED, YOU'LL HAVE YOUR PERMIT.
IF YOU'RE REQUESTING REZONING FOR DDB EIGHT 50, YOU WOULD GO THROUGH A STANDARD REZONING, UM, AS Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR, AND THEN YOU WOULD GO THROUGH THE TYPICAL PROCESS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
SO FAR, UH, WE HAVE MET WITH A NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, INCLUDING DREA, DANA, A I A, RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, ULI.
WE'VE, UH, PRESENTED TO A NUMBER OF COMMISSIONS, INCLUDING Y'ALL TODAY.
UM, AS WELL AS OBVIOUSLY WORKED WITH A LOT OF OUR INTER DEPARTMENTAL.
UH, WE ARE HERE TODAY WITH Y'ALL FOR THIS BRIEFING.
WE WILL BE AT CODES AND ORDINANCES ON APRIL 29TH, THE END OF THE MONTH.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL BE BACK WITH Y'ALL, UH, THE MIDDLE OF MAY FOR CONSIDERATION AS WELL AS COUNCIL BY THE END OF MAY.
AGAIN, THIS TIMELINE IS VERY MUCH BASED ON COUNCIL'S REQUEST TO BRING THIS BACK BY JUNE OF 2026.
AND WITH THAT, HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
I THINK THAT WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND SUSPEND OUR NORMAL RULES SO THAT EACH COMMISSIONER HAS A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS ON THIS AS WE DID FOR OUR CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM.
UM, WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MAKE THAT CHANGE.
SO WE HAVE SLOTS FOR ALL COMMISSIONERS AT FIVE MINUTES EACH.
UM, I CAN GO DOWN THE ROW OR IF FOLKS JUST WANNA LET ME KNOW WHEN THEY HAVE QUESTIONS, MAYBE THAT'S THE EASIEST THING.
THEY DON'T WANNA START US OFF.
COMMISSIONER AHMED, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THIS, UH, VERY THOUGHTFUL PROPOSAL.
IT WAS VERY EDUCATIONAL AS WELL.
UM, MY QUESTION WAS, UH, ON THE TOPIC OF THE OPTIONAL DESIGN
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STANDARDS AND ON THE PROPOSED COMMUNITY BENEFITS, UH, UH, THE OPTIONAL COMMUNITY BENEFITS WHERE THE DEVELOPER CAN ESSENTIALLY CHOOSE A CERTAIN NUMBER OUT OF THE BUCKET.UM, ARE THERE CERTAIN COMMUNITY BENEFITS OR OPTIONAL DESIGN STANDARDS THAT YOU MIGHT PREFER OVER OTHERS? AND ALSO, IS THERE ANY CONCERN THAT EVERY DEVELOPER ENDS UP PICKING THE SAME ONES BECAUSE THEY'RE CHEAPER TO IMPLEMENT THAN THE OTHERS? UM, SO WE DID COME UP WITH OUR DESIGN STANDARDS WITH THE WORKING GROUP, UH, DESIGN COMMISSION AS WELL AS A LOT OF STAFF.
UH, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THERE ARE LIKELY SOME THAT MAY BE EASIER THAN OTHERS.
HOWEVER, OUR DESIGN STANDARDS ARE INTENDED TO BE APPLICABLE OR AVAILABLE TO ESSENTIALLY EVERY PARCEL IN TOWN, UM, AND NOT NECESSARILY BE, YOU KNOW, MORE, UH, BURDENSOME THAN THE OTHER.
UM, YES, THERE ARE SOME THAT MAY BE CHOSEN MORE OFTEN THAN OTHERS, UH, BUT THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, WILL PROBABLY JUST BE PART OF THE, THE DESIGN PROCESS.
AND I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING AT.
WAS THERE EVER ANY CONSIDERATION OF A WEIGHTED SYSTEM IN CASE THERE'S CERTAIN ONES THAT YOU FEEL LIKE PROVIDE MORE BENEFIT THAN OTHERS WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO HIT A CERTAIN NUMBER OR WHATNOT SO THAT, UH, IF THERE'S CERTAIN BENEFITS OF THOSE THAT ARE MORE COSTLY TO THE DEVELOPER OR MORE VALUABLE TO US, THEY'RE MORE INCENTIVIZED TO IMPLEMENT THOSE O OVER OTHERS? UM, THERE WAS SOME CONSIDERATION, AGAIN, PART OF THE, THE REASON WE CHOSE WITH A CALL IT FLAT SYSTEM FOR, FOR THE OPTIONAL STANDARDS IS THAT BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALL THE SITES IN THE CASE WHERE IT MIGHT NOT BE AVAILABLE TO SOMEWHERE THE OTHER, THE WAITING WOULD THEN MAKE THAT MORE IMBALANCED AS WELL.
SO WE WANT IT TO BE EQUAL ACROSS ALL SITES DOWNTOWN, AS MUCH AS THAT IT'S FEASIBLE.
AND THEN, UH, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT PENCILING IN THIS ENVIRONMENT MM-HMM
UM, I THINK THAT'S QUITE IMPORTANT, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE WANT THE DESIRED OUTCOME FROM THESE PROGRAMS. AND SO WITH THIS, UH, WITH KIND OF THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THESE BENEFITS, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND EVERYTHING, HOW MUCH ENGAGEMENT THAT YOU HAVE WITH, UH, LOCAL DEVELOPERS, AND IF YOU DID HAVE THAT ENGAGEMENT, HOW MUCH, UH, UH, CERTAINTY WAS THERE OR CONFIDENCE WAS THERE THAT THEY CAN BUILD TO THIS AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BOTH THE, UH, 400, UM, DENSITY BONUS AND THE EIGHT 50 DENSITY BONUS? YEAH, SO WE, WE DEFINITELY TALKED TO, YOU KNOW, RIKA, ULI AND OTHER, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATIONS OR STAKEHOLDERS AND NDA WHO HAVE BUILT IN DOWNTOWN.
WE DID NOT NECESSARILY RUN, YOU KNOW, PRO FORMAS WITH THEM.
OUR FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, UH, THAT OUR CONSULTANTS DID IS AVAILABLE ON OUR SPEAK UP PAGE.
UM, HOWEVER WE'LL POINT OUT THAT REALLY IT SHOWS THAT UNDER CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS, NOTHING PENCILS, RIGHT? UM, THE DENSITY BONUS ITSELF DOES NOT NECESSARILY WORK BECAUSE MARKET RATE DOESN'T CURRENTLY WORK.
SO OUR FEES ARE NOT NECESSARILY CALIBRATED BECAUSE REALLY IT WOULD MEAN THE CITY WOULD BE SUBSIDIZING PROJECTS FOR THIS TO WORK.
HOWEVER, WE DID LOOK AT PAST MARKET CONDITIONS FOR DOWNTOWN SPECIFICALLY.
SO LOOKED AT RENT RENTS FROM, YOU KNOW, 20 20, 20 21, AND THOSE VACANCY RATES AND FOUND THAT OUR FEES COULD HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER.
WE DID NOT CHOOSE TO SET THOSE FEES SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER BECAUSE WE ALSO WANT TO PUT THIS IN A REALITY WHERE HOPEFULLY THE MARKET WILL IMPROVE, UH, SHORTLY, BUT WE KNOW IT WILL NOT GO BACK TO PERFECT MARKET CONDITIONS IN SIX MONTHS.
SO WE TRY, TRY TO STRUCK THAT BALANCE WHERE IN 20 20, 20 21 DEVELOPERS WERE PARTICIPATING VERY HEAVILY UNDER THE CURRENT FEE STRUCTURE THAT WE, YOU KNOW, TRY TO COPY KNOWING THAT THAT WILL WORK.
OTHER THANKS, COMMISSIONER AHMED, OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER IAN? UM, I JUST WANTED TO LEAD OFF, UH, I, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE WAY THAT THIS PROGRAM IS STRUCTURED.
I THINK THAT'S A KIND OF A FANTASTIC WAY TO, TO ALLOW DEVELOPERS TO KIND OF TAILOR SOME OF THE BENEFITS THAT WE'RE GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE CITY ITSELF IN A WAY THAT MATCHES THE BUILDING AND THE SITE THEY SPECIFICALLY HAVE.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS LIKE, I THINK IT WAS OPTION 11, WHICH HAD TO DO WITH, UM, BATHROOMS AND MOTHER'S ROOMS AND WATER FOUNTAINS.
THOSE THINGS I'D LIKE TO ACTUALLY SEE MOVE TO THE REQUIRED IN ALL BUILDINGS CATEGORY.
UM, JUST BECAUSE I THINK THAT THEY DO PROVIDE A LOT OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT DOWNTOWN.
UH, AND I FEAR THAT THE DIFFICULTY THAT THAT ENSUES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THOSE BUILDINGS, WHICH SHY THEM AWAY FROM THAT OPTION.
SO I THINK THOSE ARE, THERE'S A COUPLE IN THERE.
IT'S ALSO LIKE GROCERY STORE AS A COMMUNITY BENEFIT I THINK IS AMAZING.
BUT IF YOU'VE GOT ONE ON EACH CORNER, DO WE HAVE TOO MANY? AND IS THERE A GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCE THAT WE NEED TO ESTABLISH FOR THOSE? BUT ON THE BASIS OF THIS, I THINK IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING PROGRAM.
UM, CHAIR, AM I ABLE TO CALL ANOTHER SPEAKER TO SPEAK ON THIS? SURE.
UH, STEVEN BUCHANAN, WOULD YOU MIND COMING UP? UH, STEVEN IS WITH RIKA.
UM, HE AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THESE THINGS RECENTLY.
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PERSPECTIVE ON THIS.HELLO, STEVEN, CAN YOU SPEAK TO, YOU'VE DONE, UH, DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS BEFORE, I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, CAN YOU SPEAK TO, UM, THIS PARTICULAR PROPOSAL IN, IN LIGHT OF YOUR EXPERIENCE, UH, AS A DEVELOPER IN THE CITY? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
MY NAME IS STEVEN BUCHANAN AND I'M WITH UNITED PROPERTIES, UM, ALSO JUST HERE AS A CITIZEN, UM, WITH RIKA TODAY.
UM, I CAN SAY THAT THIS IS A STEP TOWARDS SIMPLIFICATION IN MY MIND, WHICH IS EXCELLENT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PATCHWORK OF THE LAST DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, YOU COULD MOVE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A STREET AND HAVE DIFFERENT RULES, AND I THINK THAT JUST COMPLICATES THINGS FOR EVERYBODY.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE CONCERNING IN MY MIND THAT WE'RE FOCUSED SO MUCH ON, YOU KNOW, INCREASING A PROGRAM THAT OVERALL, IN MY MIND WAS WORKING IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
I THINK THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BRUNO WAS PROBABLY THE BEST CALIBRATED PROGRAM.
SO I THINK THIS IS A GREAT THING TO BE MOVING FORWARD AND BE EVEN SIMPLER.
UM, BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT KIND OF MAYBE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, THE OPTION OF FEE AND LIE AND ONSITE AFFORDABLE, WE'RE DOING THAT DOWNTOWN, BUT WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY WANTING TO DO THAT ELSEWHERE.
I THINK THAT'S MAYBE MORE CONCERNING TO ME.
UM, BUT I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT I'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO TALK TO BRIAN ABOUT AND OTHER PLANNING COMMISSIONERS, OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT, IS THAT OFTENTIMES THE DEVELOPER REQUIRES FLEXIBILITY, RIGHT? AND IT'S NOT TO GET OUT OF A CERTAIN RULE OR A CERTAIN REQUIREMENT, BUT WE OFTEN SPEAK IN THIS MENU BOARD FORMAT.
AND I THINK OFFERING 15 ITEMS IN SAYING YOU HAVE TO HIT 67% OF THESE PLUS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT A LOW BURDEN TO HIT.
UM, SO I WOULD STRUGGLE WITH, YOU KNOW, WEIGHTING THEM HARDLY ONE DIRECTION OR ANOTHER BECAUSE I THINK GETTING 10 OUT OF 15 OR 14 THINGS IS, IS EXCELLENT, RIGHT? UM, SO I I, I REALLY DO APPRECIATE EMBEDDING MORE FLEXIBILITY AND A MORE SIMPLISTIC VIEW OVER THIS ENTIRE PART OF THE CITY.
AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT FEE AND LIEU ARE NOT THEIR APPLICATION TO THIS DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, IT'S THE FACT THAT THEY'RE PROPOSED TO NOT BE APPLIED TO THE CITYWIDE.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, I THINK IF I COULD POSE IT AS A RHETORICAL QUESTION, MAYBE IT'S LIKE THE PART OF OUR TOWN THAT IS THE MOST DENSE AND THAT WE HAVE THE HIGHEST, YOU KNOW, DISPARITY OF INCOMES, RIGHT? THE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN THESE HIGH RISES AND THE PEOPLE THAT OWN OFFICE SPACE, LEASE OFFICE SPACE RENT IN THESE BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALLOWING A FEE IN LIEU TO NOT PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE PART OF AUSTIN THAT ARGUABLY DESERVES IT THE MOST.
BUT THEN WHEN WE GET ONE OR TWO CONCENTRIC RINGS OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN, THE FEE IN LIE OPTION IS JUST COMPLETELY OFF THE TABLE.
SO IT BRINGS A QUESTION TO MY MIND OF WHY DO WE NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRE ON SITE AFFORDABILITY DOWNTOWN AND THE MOST DENSE PART OF THE CITY? BUT THEN IF YOU MOVE TO, YOU KNOW, NORTH LAMAR, WELL NOW YOU HAVE TO DO ONSITE AFFORDABLE, YOU HAVE NO FLEXIBILITY.
AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT A LACK OF DESIRE OF DOING ONSITE AFFORDABILITY, IT'S MORE THAT BASED ON EACH SITE, BASED ON THE LAYOUTS, THE UNDERLYING CODE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ADAPT TO THINGS.
AND IN ONE ENVIRONMENT IT MIGHT MAKE MORE SENSE TO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY.
RIGHT? SO YES, THAT'S MORE THE CONCERN.
AND MY FINAL QUESTION IS JUST THE, THE TIERS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS THE 400 AND THE EIGHT 50 UH, FEET, UH, THAT'S ADDED TO THE BASE, SONY, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THOSE ARE THE APPROPRIATE TIERS? IS THERE A CAUSE FOR AN INTERMEDIATE TIER? I DON'T, UH, UH, FOR THE, YOU CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION.
I DON'T THINK SO IN DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING FROM THREE 50 TO EIGHT 50 OR SEVEN 50 AND 1200, AND AT THAT POINT YOU'RE ALL STEEL CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.
I THINK IT'S MORE SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE SMALLER DENSITY BONUSES, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE SURE THAT IF WE ARE GOING HIGHER, THAT IT MAKES SENSE WITH THE, THE CHANGES TO THE CONSTRUCTION TYPE, THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS, ALL OF THAT.
AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 800 AND 1200 VERSUS 400, THAT'S KIND OF ALL THE SAME.
AND PERSONALLY, I WOULDN'T SEE A BUILDING GOING MORE THAN 600 FEET ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE, BASED ON THE MARKET COMMENTS.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, STEVEN.
UM, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? YES, COMMISSIONER GANNON.
UH, THIS QUESTION FOR STAFF, UM, FIRST OFF, VERY COOL.
UM, I HAVE PERSONALLY NEVER USED THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS MYSELF, SO THERE'S A LOT OF WEEDS THAT I'M NOT IN.
UM, SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, CAN YOU GIMME CLARITY, UM, AM I UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY THAT, UH, THE
[01:15:01]
DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS 400 IS GONNA BE A CITY INITIATED, UH, PROCESS? SO, UM, THE PROPERTIES THAT ARE IN ORANGE WILL HAVE THAT BY RIGHT.THEY, UH, CHOOSE TO USE IT OR CHOOSE NOT TO USE IT.
HOWEVER, IF YOU WANNA GO HIGHER TO THE EIGHT 50, THAT WOULD, UH, BE AN APPLICANT INITIATED, UH, BONUS, THAT'S HOW THAT ONE WOULD WORK, CORRECT? YES.
THE CITY IS PROPOSING TO REZONE ALL OF THAT JRF IN PHASE ONE INTO DDB 400 AT THE SAME TIME AS THESE COMBINING DISTRICTS ARE CREATED.
SO IN MAY, UM, AND THEN YES, AN APPLICANT WOULD HAVE TO INITIATE THEIR OWN REZONE INTO EIGHT 50 IF THEY CHOSE TO.
AND OUTSIDE OF THE, I'M LOOKING AT THE MAP RIGHT NOW OUTSIDE OF THE ORANGE AND THE, UH, HATCHED ORANGE, UH, THE AREAS OF DOWNTOWN, WOULD THOSE BE, UH, ELIGIBLE FOR THIS BONUS AS WELL? SO NOT AT THE MOMENT.
UH, THIS IS ONLY PHASE ONE, WHICH ARE THE THREE SUBDISTRICTS THAT THE COUNCIL TOLD US TO BRING BACK.
THE REST OF THE GEOGRAPHY DOWNTOWN WILL BE BROUGHT BACK BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
UM, AND WHETHER THAT IS IN THESE COMBINING DISTRICTS OR ADDITIONAL COMBINING DISTRICTS REMAINS TO BE SEEN, BUT IT WILL BE IN A SIMILAR FORMATTED PROGRAM.
AND IF I COULD JUST ADD TO THAT CV GRADE HOUSE DIVISION MANAGER AUSTIN, PLANNING FOR THE REMAINDER OF DOWNTOWN BETWEEN NOW AND FUTURE ACTION, THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE UNDER THE EXISTING PROGRAM OR MAKE THE CHOICE TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEW PROGRAM IS IN PLACE.
UM, I, I DO WANT TO HEAR, AND, AND THIS MAYBE IS JUST A, UH, AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION, BUT I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE OPTIONAL URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS.
UM, I DON'T KNOW, UH, WE PROBABLY DON'T WANNA JUST WALK THROUGH ALL 14 OF THEM, BUT, UM, UH, LIKE THE CANTA LEAVE FOR CLEARANCE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT ONE? YEAH, THIS WAS, UH, SOMETHING WE WORKED WITH OUR, UH, URBAN DESIGN TEAM, UH, FROM, FROM PLANNING.
UH, WHEN SITES CHOOSE TO DO A CANTILEVER AS PART OF THEIR DESIGN, THEY WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS ENOUGH, UH, HEIGHT, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF THE RIGHT WORD, BUT SPACE FOR TREES THAT MAY GROW AS PART OF THE GRAY STREETS UPDATE.
SO THEY WERE JUST TRYING TO ENSURE THAT IF YOU'RE DOING A CANTILEVER, THE VOLUME IS ENOUGH TO ENSURE THAT THOSE TREES GROW TO THEIR NATURAL OR MAX, UH, SIZE WITHOUT THE BUILDING KIND OF PROCESS.
THAT'S NOT WHAT I WAS THINKING, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR YEAH.
UM, AND THEN PROTECTIONS FOR PEDESTRIANS FROM PRECIPITATION, THAT'S JUST LIKE A, THAT'S ALMOST LIKE A SUBCHAPTER E FOR YES.
OVERHANG OR YOUR SELECTION REALLY.
UM,
UM, WELL, YEAH, I THINK THIS IS REALLY EXCITING.
COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, UH, YEAH, I WAS ACTUALLY WONDERING IF WE COULD BRING UP THE MAP THAT COMMISSIONER GANNON JUST REP, UH, I BELIEVE IT'S ON PAGE, UH, LEMME GET THIS RIGHT, UH, LOOKS LIKE IT'S 10.
JUST SO THAT WE CAN CLARIFY A COUPLE OF QUICK THINGS.
SO JUST SO WE CAN ALL LOOK AT THIS TOGETHER VISUALLY, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE ORANGE AREA IS THE NEW DB 400, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE EIGHT 50 D WOULD BE ANOTHER OPTION.
I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT AREA THAT'S HATCHED ON THE OTHER SIDE.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S ANOTHER PLAN HAPPENING HERE CONCURRENTLY, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL CITY PLAN.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THOSE TWO WILL INTERACT? YEAH, SO WE WILL BE WORKING AND HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CENTRAL CITY TEAM, UH, TO COORDINATE, YOU KNOW, FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS AND ENGAGEMENT ON THE PROPOSED HEIGHTS FOR THE DIFFERENT AREAS.
UM, PARTICULARLY AS WE GET INTO PHASE TWO, THAT WILL BE DEFINITELY A BIGGER TOPIC OF CONVERSATION, LIKELY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS.
UH, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THEM AT THEIR OPEN HOUSE TO TALK THROUGH THESE DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT APPROPRIATE HEIGHTS FOR DIFFERENT AREAS.
UM, AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, THE REMAINDER OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF DOWNTOWN.
SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE WHAT THAT BLACK AREA THAT'S KIND OF HATCHED RIGHT NOW.
THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY, WE WOULD SEE FUTURE SUBDISTRICTS POTENTIALLY IN THAT AREA? CORRECT.
AND THEN I KNOW ANOTHER PIECE OF THE CENTRAL, UM, CITY PLAN THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IS THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY ACROSS THE RIVER AND REALLY NOT A, A SHOWN ON THIS MAP, BUT IS THERE A INDICATION THAT WE MIGHT HAVE THAT AS A FUTURE SUBDISTRICT OR SOMETHING WE COULD CONSIDER? UM, THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT COULD BE INITIATED BY PLANNING COMMISSIONER COUNCIL AS A FUTURE PHASE, CALL IT PHASE THREE IF YOU WANTED TO, OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS UPDATE.
WE ARE CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON AS PART OF PHASE TWO FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DOWNTOWN GEOGRAPHY.
UM, BUT THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT COULD BE INITIATED TO, TO BE BROUGHT BACK.
AND THEN JUST TO CLARIFY, BECAUSE WE OBVIOUSLY DID SOME GREAT WORK ON ETOD.
SO EE EXPLAIN HOW SOME OF THE AREAS THAT ARE CURRENTLY DON'T, OR I GUESS MAYBE LONG TERM, HOW WOULD THE DEN DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS WORK WITH OUR ETOD PLANTS? YEAH, SO ETOD UH, EXISTS ALMOST VERY SELDOM IN DOWNTOWN.
I THINK VERY FEW PARCELS IN DOWNTOWN ARE REZONED TO DBE TODD, HOWEVER, WHEN IT WAS ADOPTED, IT WAS PURPOSELY NOT REZONED IN DOWNTOWN.
[01:20:01]
UM, I GUESS I THINK TECHNICALLY THERE ARE SOME FEW PARCELS THAT ARE REZONED INTO DBE TODD.UM, SO THEY CAN BOTH EXIST ON A PARCEL MM-HMM
UM, THE, THE SITE WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO CHOOSE, CHOOSE WHICH DENSITY BONUS THEY WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN.
AND THEN A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON SORT OF THESE REQUIREMENTS, UM, REGARDING THE NEW URBAN STANDARDS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANTED TO FLAG NUMBER THREE ON, UH, PAGE 17, WHICH IS THAT PEDESTRIAN ORIENTED FRONTAGE WE'VE SEEN IN BOTH OUR DOWNTOWN, OUR DB 90 PROGRAM, AS WELL AS IN SOME OTHER SITUATIONS WHERE THE 75% RULE IS A LITTLE BIT INFLEXIBLE SO TO SPEAK.
DID WE DO SOME CHECKING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS APPROPRIATE FOR DOWNTOWN, LIKE THE SITES ACTUALLY FIT 75%? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES.
AND UM, IN OUR BACKUP, UH, WE HAVE KIND OF THE FULL LANGUAGE AND WE ACTUALLY KIND OF HAVE AN EXEMPTION OR A VARIANT FOR KIND OF SMALLER PARCELS, WHICH IS MORE BASED ON SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE, THE SITE OR THE BUILDING.
UM, AND I FORGOT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I THINK IT'S LIKE 40 OR 50% OF THE SPACE AS OPPOSED TO THAT FRONTAGE.
I DO ALLOW FOR A LOT BIT OF THAT VARI.
YEAH, I THINK I JUST HAVE A CONCERN WITH THIS BEING REQUIRED AND THEN IT BEING LIKE PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO IT, THAT'S SORT OF A LOSE LOSE, WHICH WE DON'T WANT.
AND THEN I THINK MORE GENERALLY, UM, THESE STANDARDS WILL ACTUALLY GO INTO CODE OR WILL IT BE MORE LIKE CHAPTER FOUR 18 WHERE THERE'S ABILITY TO CHANGE THEM OVER TIME? THESE WILL BE IN CODE, UM, AS PART OF THE DENSITY BONUS.
AND I, I GUESS I WILL JUST FLAG THAT I HAVE A BIG CONCERN ABOUT THIS BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY MOSTLY THESE SEEM FINE AND OBVIOUSLY WE'RE BASING OFF THE WORK WE'VE SEEN IN DOWNTOWN, BUT FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE OPTIONAL ONES, WE MAY ACTUALLY WANNA CHANGE WHAT THOSE OPTIONS ARE OVER TIME AND IT BEING IN CODE MAKES THAT MUCH HARDER.
IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY? SO WE HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY AROUND CHANGING THE STANDARDS AS NEEDED OR UPDATING THEM ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE.
UM, I CAN CHECK WITH LAW REALLY 'CAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO WILL DICTATE WHERE THIS GOES IN CODE.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THEY CURRENTLY WOULD PREFER FOR IT TO BE IN CODE MM-HMM
UM, I WILL SAY DEFINITELY AS WE WORK THROUGH PHASE TWO, BECAUSE WE WILL BE COMING BACK AND NOTIFYING ESSENTIALLY THE SAME GEOGRAPHY AND DOING A LOT OF THE SAME WORK, UM, THERE IS OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS LIST TO, TO CHANGE AND GROW.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY TRYING TO TAKE THE NEXT SIX MONTHS AS WELL TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK THROUGH THESE.
UM, BUT YES, I, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IF THEY'RE CODED IT'S SLIGHTLY HARDER TO AMEND.
YEAH, NO, I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
AND, AND I GUESS, UM, JUST ONE OTHER KIND OF QUESTION RELATED TO THIS.
ON NUMBER TWO, THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS, THERE WAS SOME WORK DONE ON THE PARKING BY ULI TAP THAT.
UM, IS THAT AN ALIGNMENT OR A SLIGHT INCREASE, I THINK IS THE WAY YOU SAID IT IN YOUR PRESENTATION? AGAIN, STAKEHOLDERS FELT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT AND, AND I GUESS I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE ONES WHERE I'D LIKE TO MAYBE SEE SOME FLEXIBILITY SO THAT IF THE, FOR A REASON THERE WAS A LEGITIMATE REASON AS WE WIND MIGHT LESS OR MORE PARKING ON A SPOT WE HAD THAT VERSUS IT BEING SO CODIFIED, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
UM, SO IT, IT IS BASED ON THE RESEARCH THAT WAS DONE FOR THE DOWNTOWN PARKS AND THE UI STUDY.
UM, AGAIN, IT, THE CURRENT MINIMUMS ARE ESSENTIALLY 40% DOWNTOWN.
YOU CAN GO UP TO 80 IF YOU DO ONE OF LIKE A LIST OF THINGS, WHICH ONE OF THOSE IS PAY A FEE.
UM, AND WE ARE BASICALLY MOVING THAT SLIGHTLY.
AND THEN FROM 80 YOU CAN GO TO A HUNDRED.
IF YOU GO UNDERGROUND, OURS IS 40 STILL THE MINIMUM OR THE MAX THEORETICALLY.
AND THEN YOU CAN GO TO 60 IF YOU DO ONE OF THE FIVE.
AND THEN FROM 60 TO 80 IF YOU GO UNDERGROUND.
SO REALLY IT'S ONLY THAT LAST 20%.
THE ANALYSIS DID FIND THAT MOST OF THE SITES IN DOWNTOWN HAVE BEEN UNDER 60 SO FAR.
SO THERE IS STILL THAT KIND OF, THAT THAT BUFFER, UM, IF YOU WANTED TO GO UNDERGROUND TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS, VICE HANNEY, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS.
UM, BUT, UH, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT I, I I DO APPRECIATE THE STREAMLINING OF THE REVIEW PROCESS.
UM, BUT WHAT HAPPENS, UM, WHEN SAY THE DEVELOPER HAS MAYBE A DISAGREEMENT WITH STAFF ON, UM, UH, SOME OF THE URBAN DESIGN ASPECTS? I MEAN, 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE THAT REVIEW PROCESS, SO YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A PUBLIC FORUM, BUT I WOULD THAT JUST BE ADMINISTRATIVE AND IS THERE A WAY TO APPEAL IT OR, UM, SO WE, WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE A WAY TO APPEAL IT.
HOWEVER, THE REASON FOR THIS CHANGE IN PART OF IT IS BECAUSE THESE ARE NOW GONNA BE WRITTEN AS STANDARDS.
SO THERE REALLY WE WILL BE NO DISCRETION IN THE REVIEW.
UM, IT WILL BE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE CHOOSING TO MEET A NUMBER OF THESE IN, IN THE REVIEW.
YOU EITHER KIND OF MEET IT OR YOU DON'T WRITE.
THE LANGUAGE IS INTENDED TO BE WRITTEN.
UH, SO IT'S AN ACTUAL STANDARD KIND OF LIKE ANY OTHER BUILDING CODE OR OTHER STANDARD, UM, IN THAT SENSE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE ALSO HAVE THE MENU LIST.
SO YOU CAN CHOOSE DEPENDING ON YOUR SITE, BECAUSE THERE MAY BE SOME THAT ARE HARDER FOR, YOU KNOW, A REASON OR OTHER.
I ADMIRE YOUR OPTIMISM
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I GUESS WE CAN ADDRESS THAT LATER.
UM, AND THEN ON THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT OPTIONS, I, I NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR OBLIGATION BY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT, 20% OF FEE IN LIE.
[01:25:01]
ALL FOR HAVING GROCERY STORES AND ALL OF THAT IN DOWNTOWN.UM, BUT I MEAN A 2,500 SQUARE FOOT GROCERY STORE DOES, DOES THAT REALLY, I MEAN, HOW DID WE COME UP WITH THE, THE THOUGHT THAT THAT WOULD, WOULD NEGATE 20% OF THE FI IN LU? I MEAN IS THAT HOW, HOW DID WE ARRIVE AT THAT? UM, SO PART OF THAT WAS THE BASED ON RESEARCH WE DID WITH FOR UNO AS WELL.
UM, WE ORIGINALLY ACTUALLY HAD A SLIGHTLY LARGER SQUARE FOOTAGE FOR UNO, WHICH HAS KIND OF VERY SIMILAR TYPE OF BUILDINGS AND DEVELOPMENT, RIGHT.
UM, HOWEVER, WE FOUND THAT THERE WAS PROPOSALS FOR UNO WITHIN UNO TO DO A 2,500 SQUARE FOOT ACTUAL GROCERY.
UM, WHICH IS WHY WE REDUCED THAT.
SO IT WOULD MORE, MORE LIKELY TO BE USED BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST HINDRANCES IS THE SIZE OF THESE BUILDINGS DOES NOT REALLY ALLOW FOR THAT BIG OF A GROCERY STORE TO GO IN SOMETIMES AND WOULD BE ASHAMED TO KIND OF LOSE THAT BENEFIT JUST DUE TO, YOU KNOW, SOME SQUARE FOOTAGE.
AND I DON'T THINK WE ANTICIPATE THAT FOLKS WOULD JUST START PUTTING IN GROCERY STORES WILLY-NILLY.
LIKE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT NOT ONLY WOULD THAT USE NEED TO BE DEVELOPED AS PART OF THAT BUILDING, BUT THEY NEED TO BE COMMITTING TO OPERATING THAT USE AND HAVING A TENANT IN THERE AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT COME WITH THAT.
UM, THAT I THINK IS GONNA MAKE FOR SOMEBODY THAT ISN'T COMMITTED TO PROVIDING A GROCERY STORE, THEY'RE STILL GONNA BE MORE LIKELY TO JUST GO AHEAD AND PAY THE FULL FEE IN LOW.
THANKS VICE CHAIR HANEY, OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? YES, COMMISSIONER BRETTON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE ON THIS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TIGHT TURNAROUND.
UM, VERY QUICKLY, COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE CAPITAL DOMINANCE, UH, PIECE HERE THAT IT EXEMPTS CAPITAL DOMINANCE OVERLAY.
SO THAT IS CURRENTLY ALREADY EXEMPT, UM, FOR DOWNTOWN, SO WE'RE REALLY JUST COPYING THAT CURRENT OVERLAY.
UM, AND IT'S NOT THE CAPITAL VIEW OVERLAY YES.
WHICH IS DIFFERENT, BUT, SO I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT FOR Y'ALL MAY KNOW, BUT OTHER PEOPLE MAY NOT.
IT IS TRULY JUST THE CAPITAL ITSELF DOMINANCE.
IT IT, SO I I'M VERY HONESTLY BLANKING ON THE EXACT, IS THERE A RADIUS AROUND THE CAPITAL WHICH IS PREVENTED FROM HITTING A CERTAIN HEIGHT UNLESS YOU PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM? YES, AND I WILL BE HONEST THAT I AM BLANKING AS WELL ON THAT RADIUS AND AND NUMBERS, BUT YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
IT OKAY, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WASN'T MISREMEMBERING THAT THAT IS HOW THAT WORKS.
I CAN FIGURE OUT THE NUMBERS LATER.
UM, OKAY, SO THEN I'VE GOT A SECOND QUESTION.
SO I HEARD, UH, STEVEN FROM RIKA MENTION PERCENTAGE, AND THIS JUST POPPED INTO MY HEAD AS A PART OF THE URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS THAT YOU HAVE, YOU'VE GOT A A A 400 REQUIRES SEVEN OUT OF 14 AND THEN, UH, EIGHT 50 REQUIRES 10 OUT OF 14.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED, BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THAT ADDITIONAL STANDARDS MAY BE ADDED LATER, UH, MAKING IT A RATIO OR A PERCENTAGE THAT WAY INSTEAD OF IT IF THE LIST GROWS BUT YOU HAVE LOWER RIGHT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, AND I MEAN THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE WE CAN CONSIDER.
UM, LIKE YOU SAID, I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE IT AS A A PERCENTAGE IF AS THINGS MAY CHANGE, IT WILL BE EASIER TO MANAGE, UM, THAT IT'S, IT'S SENSITIVE.
I'M JUST PROPOSING THAT JUST NOW THAT WE'VE PUT THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION IT.
AND I DO WANNA CAUTION IN PHASE TWO WE MAY ADD STANDARDS WITHOUT NECESSARILY INCREASING THE NUMBER BECAUSE AS YOU CONTINUE TO ADD MORE DESIGN STANDARDS, IT'S GONNA BECOME KIND OF LESS FEASIBLE TO LIKE YES.
ADDING MORE AND MORE TO THE POINT THAT THE GENTLEMAN FROM RICOH WAS MAKING IS ADDING COSTS THAT IS POTENTIALLY GONNA BE SORT OF BLOWING THE ABILITY FOR THE, THE CALIBRATION TO WORK.
UM, OKAY, SO THEN I REALLY WANTED TO UH, PRAISE THE AMOUNT OF SIMPLIFICATION THAT IT SEEMS HAS GONE INTO THE, YOU KNOW, THE RAINY SUBDISTRICT HAD LIKE FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF FEE IN LOOP OR BONUS SQUARE FOOT AND THIS CAN VARY ACROSS THE, THE DIFFERENT SUBDISTRICTS AND ALL THIS SORT OF STUFF.
I'M INTERESTED, SO YOU MENTIONED THAT THE COUNCIL DIRECTION WITH THE TIGHT TURNAROUND HAD THE SPECIFIC AREAS THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT FORWARD RIGHT NOW, THE 400 AND THE EIGHT 50, BUT IF YOU SAW THE PREVIOUS MAP, IT IS VERY FRAGMENTED WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT SUBDISTRICTS.
WHY NOT EXPAND THE SUBDISTRICTS, THE 400 FOR EXAMPLE, FURTHER NORTH OR FURTHER WEST? WHAT WAS THE REASONING THAT WENT INTO JUST FOCUSING ON THIS SPECIFIC PART AGAIN THAT WAS REALLY IN RESPONSE TO COUNCIL'S DIRECTION TO FOCUS ON THESE THREE SUBDISTRICTS, THE COMBINING DISTRICT MAY APPLY TO THOSE GEOGRAPHIES YOU MENTIONED, WHETHER IT'S WEST OR NORTH AS PART OF PHASE TWO, UM, WE JUST FOCUSED ON THIS FIRST AREA AS FAR AS WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE REZONING AND PUTTING THESE COMBINING DISTRICTS.
AGAIN, IT MAY BE THAT THE SAME COMBINING DISTRICT WILL APPLY OR BE RE UH,
[01:30:01]
OR PROPERTIES MAY BE REZONED AS PART OF PHASE TWO OUTSIDE OF THIS BOUNDARY AND IT WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE ONE SUBDISTRICT AS YOU MENTIONED.SO IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE LIMITED TO IT AT THIS TIME.
IF I CAN RESTATE REALLY QUICK, SO AS A PART OF PHASE TWO, THE 400 SUBDISTRICT MAY BE SPREAD OUT AND THERE MAY BE NEW SUBDISTRICTS ADDED AND THEN APPLIED TO DIFFERENT PARTS AS YOU EVALUATE THOSE AREAS? THAT IS CORRECT.
AND WE CURRENTLY, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE AN EXISTING DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN THAT PROVIDES POLICY GUIDANCE TO DOWNTOWN.
WE DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH STAFF RECOMMENDING APPLYING THESE MORE INTENSE SUB-DISTRICTS OUTSIDE OF THE CORE AND RAINY.
UM, EVEN IF STAFF, IF COUNCIL HAD GIVEN US DIRECTION, WE MAY HAVE PUSHED BACK A LITTLE IN THAT DIRECTION.
UM, UNTIL WE HAVE THE CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE CREATION OF THE CENTRAL CITY PLAN AND SORT OF THE, UM, SUPERSEDES OF THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN, IF YOU WILL.
LIKE THE POLICY CONVERSATION NEEDS TO HAPPEN FIRST, UM, BEFORE WE KNOW WHERE IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO MAP THE NEW COMBINING DISTRICTS OUTSIDE OF THE CORE.
CERTAINLY I I JUST WANT TO UH, EMPHASIZE THE AMOUNT OF SIMPLICITY THAT HAS GONE OR THE AMOUNT OF SIMPLIFICATION THAT HAS GONE INTO THE OLD REGULATION TO THE NEW REGULATION.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT MOVED FORWARD BECAUSE RIGHT NOW INSTEAD OF FIVE OR SIX OR EIGHT DIFFERENT OPTIONS, HOWEVER MANY THERE ARE, THERE ARE TWO, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S GEOGRAPHICALLY LIMITED.
AS WE MOVE FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT NOT GROW INTO THE SAME SORT OF WILLY-NILLY SET OF OPTIONS, UH, WITH DIFFERENT REGULATIONS ALLOWED.
YEAH, JUST REALLY QUICK, THE CAPITAL DOMINANCE IS A QUARTER MILE OF THE CAPITOL AND IT'S A WEIRD ANGLE HEIGHT, SO I WON'T OF COURSE IT'S EXPLAIN IT.
COMMISSIONER POWELL, DID YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? YEAH, JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION PERSPECTIVE, FROM THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE, UM, FROM Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, AS THIS MOVES FORWARD AND ALSO JUST THANK Y'ALL FOR THE WORK ON THIS
I KNOW THERE'S MORE WORK TO BE DONE, BUT, UH, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE SIMPLIFICATION PERSPECTIVE OF THIS.
WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK IS GONNA MAKE THIS, UM, EASIER FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND? LIKE WHAT CHANGE DO Y'ALL THINK IS THE BIGGEST LEAP FORWARD ON THAT FRONT? UM, WELL I THINK A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE IS HEIGHT, I THINK GENERALLY IS EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND AS OPPOSED TO FAR, WHICH CAN BE A VERY VAGUE NUMBER DEPENDING ON EACH SITE.
25 TO ONE CAN MEAN 500 DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, SECONDLY, AGAIN, THE AFFORDABILITY BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE SIMPLIFIED, WHETHER IT'S ONSITE UNITS AND A SET PERCENTAGE OF 5% OF UNITS.
UM, OR IF YOU'RE PAYING A FEE, AGAIN, IT'S ONE FEE AND IT'S NOT CONFUSING BASED ON USE AND ZONING AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS.
UM, I THINK IT'S HELPFUL THE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS WILL STAY THE SAME.
SO WE'LL STILL CONTINUE TO SEE THE GREAT STREET STANDARDS, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT AND PEOPLE HAVE APPRECIATED THOSE DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND I THINK MAYBE IT'S MOSTLY DEVELOPERS, BUT I THINK THE PUBLIC URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS WILL ALSO KEEP IT SIMPLE BECAUSE YOU WILL KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING WHEN YOU'RE SUBMITTING YOUR SITE PLAN, SO YOU'LL KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AS OPPOSED TO THE DESIGN COMMISSION, WHICH HAS CREATED A LOT OF REALLY GOOD PROJECTS.
HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, AN APPLICANT CAN GO IN WITH ONE VISION AND IT CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS AND IT COULD BE THE SAME FOR THE COMMUNITY.
THEY SEE THE FIRST IMAGE OR WHATEVER IT IS.
UM, AND THAT MIGHT NOT BE WHAT COMES OUT AT THE END BECAUSE THERE IS A KIND OF DISCRETIONARY REVIEW IN THE, IN THE MIDDLE.
AND TO LINGER ON, NUMBER ONE, ESPECIALLY LIKE THE HEIGHT VERSUS FAR, AND DON'T GET ME WRONG, I THINK FAR IS AN AMAZING, AMAZING TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX, BUT I'M EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, AS THIS CONTINUES THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION, SAY, HEY, THIS IS JUST WHAT THIS MEANS IN HEIGHT, JUST IN PURE FEET, UH, I'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, MAYBE 10, 15 MINUTE LONG CONVERSATIONS JUST TRYING TO EXPLAIN FAR.
SO APPRECIATE THE WORK PUT INTO THAT.
I KNOW THERE'S A A LOT MORE AHEAD OF US, BUT, UH, I THINK THE SIMPLIFICATIONS GONNA BE GREAT FOR THE PUBLIC.
THANKS COMMISSIONER POWELL, I'M JUST GONNA CHECK IN WITH THE REMAINING COMMISSIONERS.
I THINK I USED UP MY QUESTION ALLOTMENT FOR THE YEAR DURING OUR CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS CONVERSATION.
UH, COMMISSIONER HILLER, ANY QUESTIONS FROM YOU? COMMISSIONER BARRE RAMIREZ AND COMMISSIONER LON? I DON'T SEE ONLINE, BUT I'M GONNA TAKE THAT AS NO QUESTIONS.
SO THE QUESTION IS, DO WE NEED A SECOND? SORRY, I JUST QUICK OH, COMMISSIONER LON, ANY QUESTIONS FROM YOU? NO.
DO WE NEED A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS? OKAY, WONDERFUL.
WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. PANY AND UH, THANK YOU TO THE SPEAKERS WHO ARE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS, UM, VERY MUCH FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS AND YOUR FEEDBACK.
WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO FORMING A WORKING GROUP.
[16. Discussion and action to establish a working group related to the Citywide Density Bonus Programs. (Sponsored by Chair Woods and Commissioner Gannon) ]
INTO OUR DISCUSSION ACTION ITEMS. ITEM 18, DISCUSSION ACTION.TO ESTABLISH A WORKING GROUP RELATED TO CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS. SO WE'VE ALREADY ESTABLISHED A SUB QUORUM RELATED TO THIS ITEM AND I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION TO TURN THAT SUB QUORUM INTO A WORKING GROUP.
SO I'M GONNA MOTION TO CREATE A WORKING GROUP RELATED TO THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS. THAT INCLUDES COMMISSIONER WOODS, COMMISSIONER GANNON,
[01:35:01]
COMMISSIONER ROJAN, COMMISSIONER HILLER, AND COMMISSIONER BRETTON.CAN I GET A SECOND? THANKS COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
[17. Discussion and action to establish a working group related to the Urban Design Guidelines update. (Sponsored by Secretary Maxwell and Commissioner Gannon)]
17, DISCUSSION ACTION TO ESTABLISH A WORKING GROUP RELATED TO THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES UPDATE.SO THAT WAS SPONSORED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL AND COMMISSIONER GANNON.
I HAVE HEARD FROM COMMISSIONER, LET'S SEE WHERE MY NOTES ARE.
SKIDMORE, THAT SHE WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF THIS WORKING GROUP.
ARE THERE OTHER COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THIS WORKING GROUP? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
OKAY, LET'S ACTUALLY, I'M, I'M GONNA START WITH OUR ONLINE COMMISSIONERS.
I'M SO SORRY 'CAUSE I ALWAYS MISS YOU
SO I'M GONNA SAY COMMISSIONER BRE RAMIREZ.
I SAW COMMISSIONER MAXWELL FIRST AND THEN WE HAVE ONE MORE SPOT.
SO I WILL GLADLY SEED THE CHAIR TO, UH, COMMISSIONER GANNON.
I WILL ALSO SEED THE CHAIR IF SOMEONE ELSE WANTS TO JOIN.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED IN JOINING? WOULD ONE OF YOU LIKE TO JOIN? GO FOR IT.
SO I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION TO FORM A WORKING GROUP RELATED TO THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES UPDATE THAT INCLUDES COMMISSIONER BRA RAMIREZ, LAWN, SKIDMORE, GANNON, AND MAXWELL.
CAN I GET A SECOND FOR THAT PLEASE? SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR HANEY.
UH, OUR NEXT ITEM IS DISCUSSION ACTION
[18. Discussion and action to conduct officer elections for the Chair, Vice Chair, Parliamentarian, and Secretary. ]
TO CONDUCT OFFICER ELECTIONS FOR THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, PARLIAMENTARIAN AND SECRETARY.OUR STAFF LIAISON HAS RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING NOMINATIONS VIA EMAIL.
THIS IS ACTUALLY JUST OUR EXISTING SLATE OF OFFICERS.
SO NOMINATION FOR PARLIAMENTARIAN IS COMMISSIONER AHMED.
NOMINATION FOR SECRETARY IS COMMISSIONER MAXWELL NOMINATION FOR VICE COMMISSIONER HANEY.
AND NOMINATION FOR CHAIR IS COMMISSIONER WOODS.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ADDITIONAL NOMINATIONS THEY'D LIKE TO MAKE AT THIS TIME? OKAY, WITHOUT OBJECTION, I'D LIKE US TO JUST GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THE FULL SLATE UNLESS ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO PULL OUT A SPECIFIC OFFICER POSITION FOR DISCUSSION.
OKAY, LET'S TAKE A VOTE ON THAT.
[PERMANENT COMMITTEE UPDATES ]
MOVE INTO OUR PERMANENT COMMITTEE UPDATES.SO ITEM 19 IS CODES AND ORDINANCES, JOINT COMMITTEE.
UH, WE'LL ACTUALLY BE MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT AT SIX O'CLOCK.
UH, WE RECENTLY MET, UM, AT GREGOR, GREAT ATTENDANCE AND RECEIVED SOME WONDERFUL STAFF BRIEFINGS, SO THEY'LL BE MAKING THEIR WAY TO OUR COMMISSION.
UM, COMMISSIONER AHMED, ANYTHING TO ADD? NO, I THINK THAT'S GOOD.
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.
SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE.
UM, WE'RE GONNA BE MEETING ON MAY THE SIXTH.
OUR MAY 26TH MEETING IS LIKELY TO BE A CONSENT ONLY MEETING, SO YOU CAN PLAN ACCORDINGLY FOR A SHORT MEETING THAT EVENING.
AND WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR FUTURE
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
AGENDA ITEMS. I HAVE AN A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM TO FORM A WORKING GROUP RELATED TO THIS DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS WORK THAT WE WERE HEARING ABOUT TONIGHT.UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
I THINK BECAUSE THIS WORK NEEDS TO BE COMPLETE BY MAY 12TH, WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID FOR THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUSES.
AND GO AHEAD AND JUST FORM AN INFORMAL SUB QUORUM NOW THAT CAN START WORKING ON THAT.
AND THEN WE'LL FORM A WORKING GROUP OFFICIALLY AT OUR NEXT MEETING.
WHO IS INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THAT SUB QUORUM? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, LOOKING ONLINE.
FIRST
ANYONE ELSE? THAT'S A GOOD START.
AND WE WILL MAKE THAT OFFICIAL AS A WORKING GROUP AT OUR NEXT MEETING.
OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? OKAY.
SEEING CHAIR, A MOMENT OF PRIVILEGE, UH, PLEASE.
UM, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR REELECTION.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR LEADERSHIP FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
I
IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO CHAIR THIS COMMITTEE.
UH, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, I WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT 7:42 PM THANK YOU.
SO, OH, COMMISSIONER BARR RAMIREZ.
DID YOU, WERE YOU RAISING YOUR HAND? I'M SO SORRY.