* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [CALL TO ORDER ] [00:00:04] PRESENT WITHIN COUNCIL CHAMBERS. AND NOW CALL THIS MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO ORDER AT 6:00 PM FIRST, LET'S TAKE ROLE. PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU'RE HERE WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME. CHAIR WOODS. I AM HERE. VICE CHAIR HANEY. HERE. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. HERE. COMMISSIONER AHMED IS NOT WITH US THIS EVENING. COMMISSIONER LON. HERE. COMMISSIONER GANNON. HERE. COMMISSIONER BREIRA RAMIREZ. HERE. COMMISSIONER TROJAN. HERE. COMMISSIONER POWELL. HERE. COMMISSIONER BRETON. HERE. COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE DOES NOT LOOK TO BE WITH US THIS EVENING. COMMISSIONER HILLER HERE. I JUST WANNA CHECK IN WITH STAFF THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY COMMERS ONLINE AT THE MOMENT. OKAY. AND I ALSO WANNA WELCOME OUR NEW BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS CHAIR, JEFFREY BOWEN, WHO'S JOINING US THIS EVENING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 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 POTENTIALLY IN ATTENDANCE VIRTUALLY. SIMILARLY, SPEAKERS CAN PRESENT HERE FROM COUNCIL CHAMBERS OR PARTICIPATE VIRTUALLY. WE HAVE AN EXTREMELY FULL AGENDA THIS EVENING AND OUT OF RESPECT FOR EVERYONE WHO IS HERE TO SPEAK AND OUR PLANNING STAFF'S TIME, I WANNA MAKE A FEW REQUESTS TO KEEP US MOVING EFFICIENTLY. MS. GARCIA WILL BE ANNOUNCING THE SPEAKERS DURING PUBLIC HEARINGS. FOR CASES WITH A LOT OF SPEAKERS, SHE'LL BE CALLING THREE SPEAKERS AT A TIME. SO WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, PLEASE COME ON DOWN AND SIT IN THE FRONT HERE IN FRONT OF A MICROPHONE TO BE READY TO SPEAK WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM AND WANT TO WAVE YOUR TIME, YOU DO NOT NEED TO COME DOWN. JUST GIVE ME A WAVE AND I'LL KNOW THAT YOU'RE PASSING. ALSO, PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO DONATION OF TIME FOR SPEAKERS ON CONSENT. AGENDA ITEMS, COMMISSIONERS, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS ON THE VARIOUS CASES ANSWERED. UH, SO TO KEEP US MOVING QUICKLY, PLEASE BE READY WITH YOUR QUESTIONS AND WHEN YOU STATE WHO YOUR QUESTION IS FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, A STAFF LIAISON APPLICANT OR A DIFFERENT SPEAKER, PLEASE START ASKING YOUR QUESTION AS THEY'RE MAKING THEIR WAY UP TO THE MICROPHONE. WE'LL TAKE A SHORT BREAK AT SOME POINT, BUT COMMISSIONERS, AS ALWAYS, IF YOU NEED TO LEAVE THE DAIS, FEEL FREE TO DO SO. PLEASE JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AT LEAST SEVEN COMMISSIONERS PRESENT ONLINE AND IN PERSON ANYTIME. AND FINALLY, IF WE NEED TO EXTEND THE MEETING PAST 10:00 PM WE'LL MAKE A MOTION TO DO SO. THANK YOU ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, OUR CITY STAFF, AND MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS FOR BEING HERE AND ENGAGING WITH THIS PUBLIC PROCESS. SO WITH THAT, MS. GARCIA, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO. CHAIR. OKAY. THE FIRST [ Consent Agenda] ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 14TH MEETING. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EDITS TO THOSE MINUTES? OKAY, SEEING NONE THOSE ITEMS, THOSE MINUTES WILL BE ADDED TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. OUR FIRST ACTIVITY TONIGHT IS TO VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. ITEMS THAT ARE CONSENT APPROVAL, DISAPPROVAL, POSTPONEMENTS OF PUBLIC HEARINGS OR NON-DISCUSSION ITEMS. VICE CHAIR HANEY WILL READ THE PROPOSED CONSENT AGENDA AND SPECIFY THOSE THAT ARE CONSENT POSTPONEMENT AND NON-DISCUSSION. AND AFTER THIS COMMISSIONERS, YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST ANY CONSENT ITEMS BE PULLED FOR DISCUSSION. VICE CHAIR, WOULD YOU MIND READING THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR US? ABSOLUTELY. ALRIGHT. ITEM NUMBER TWO IS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT. UH, 2 0 2 4 DASH 0 8 0 1 7 0 0 3 7 0 0 5 AND 7 0 0 7 GUADALUPE STREET REZONE IN DISTRICT FOUR. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 12TH. ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A REZONING C ONE FOUR DASH 20 0 2 4 DASH 0 3 6, WHICH IS ALSO 7 0 3 7 5 AND 7 0 7 GUADALUPE STREET REZONE IN DISTRICT FOUR. THAT IS ALSO UP FOR APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 12TH. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT NPA DASH 2 0 2 6 20 SH ROWAN VEIL IN DISTRICT NINE. THAT IS UP FOR STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 12TH. ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS A REZONING C 14 DASH 2026 SH ROWAN VALE IN DISTRICT NINE. THAT IS UP FOR STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 12TH. ITEM NUMBER SIX IS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT NPA DASH 2 0 2 5 0 2 0 4. CONGRESS VIEWS IN DISTRICT TWO. UM, THAT IS UP FOR PLANNING COMMISSION POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 26. ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS REZONING C ONE FOUR DASH 20 25 0 0 9 6 CONGRESS VIEWS AND DISTRICT TWO THAT IS UP FOR PLANNING COMMISSION POSTPONEMENT TO MAY THE 26TH. ITEM NUMBER EIGHT IS A REZONING C FOUR DASH 20 26 0 2 SOUTHEAST AIRPORT, MLK REZONING AND DISTRICT ONE THAT IS UP FOR NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TWO MAY THE 12TH. ITEM NUMBER NINE IS A REZONING C FOUR DASH 2 0 25 DASH 0 1 23 0 1 NORTH LAMAR IN DISTRICT NINE. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR CONSENT. ITEM NUMBER 10 IS A REZONING, UH, [00:05:01] C ONE FOUR DASH 2 0 26 DASH 0 0 0 6 HW WEST SIX RESTAURANT, UH, IN DISTRICT NINE. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR DISCUSSION. ITEM NUMBER 11 IS A REZONING C FOUR DASH 2024 DASH 0 1 47 14 0 5 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. THAT IS UP FOR APPLICANT INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT. ITEM NUMBER 12 IS A RESTRICTED, A RESTRICTED COVENANT TERMINATION, C ONE FOUR DASH ZERO SIX DASH 0 1 1 7 RCT 1317 AND 1405 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR CONSENT. ITEM NUMBER 13 IS RESTRICTIVE CO IS A RESTRICTIVE COVENANT TERMINATION C 14 DASH SEVEN TWO DASH 29 9 RRC, T 1 3 1 7 AND 1 4 0 5 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE IN DISTRICT NINE. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR CONSENT. ITEM NUMBER 14 IS THIS HISTORIC ZONING C 14 H DASH 2026 DASH 0 0 1 8 HILL THOMPSON HOUSE IN DISTRICT ONE. THAT IS ITEM IS UP FOR CONSENT. ITEM NUMBER 15 IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS PC DASH 2 0 26 DASH 0 0 5 2 A GIRL SCHOOL OF AUSTIN CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT IN DISTRICT 10. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR, UH, DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT. ITEM NUMBER 16 IS AN EV VARIANCE SP DASH 2 0 24 DASH 0 3 8 1 C POINT SH RUNDBERG MULTIFAMILY AND DISTRICT FOUR. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR CONSENT. ITEM NUMBER 17 IS AN LDC AMENDMENT C TWO ZERO DASH 2 0 24 DASH 0 0 4. THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS. THAT ITEM IS UP FOR DISCUSSION. AND ITEM NUMBER 18 IS AN LDC AMENDMENT C TWO DASH 20 0 26 DASH 0 0 3 AMENDMENTS RELATED TO TRANSIT SYSTEM PROJECTS. THAT ITEM IS ALSO UP FOR DISCUSSION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VICE CHAIR. I WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT COMMISSIONER AHMED HAS JOINED US AS WELL. DO ANY COMMISSIONERS NEED TO RECUSE OR ABSTAIN FROM ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? MS. GARCIA, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THE CONSENT ITEMS? YES, CHAIR. BEGINNING WITH ITEMS TWO AND THREE, THESE ITEMS ARE OFFERED FOR APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO MAY 12TH. WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM, WE'LL BE HEARING FROM OUR FIRST SPEAKER, ANNA REE. ANNA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES MOVING FORWARD TO ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE. THESE ITEMS ARE OFFERED FOR STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO MAY 12TH. WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM OUR SPEAKERS IN FAVOR, STARTING WITH THE APPLICANT, ABBY TAKO. AND THEN WE'LL BE HEARING FROM DAVID GOSS, WHO WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY AND CARLY GRATTON, WHO WILL BE HEARING US VIRTUALLY, BUT OR BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. BUT FIRST, WE'LL BE HEARING FROM ABBY TECO. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, MS. TECO ISS WAIVING HER TIME. LOOKS LIKE OUR ONLINE FOLKS ARE NOT WITH US, BUT WE'LL COME BACK IF THEY JOIN. OUR NEXT SPEAKERS IN FAVOR ARE PATRICK ROSE, ADAM WEISBERG, WHO WILL BE JOINING VIRTUALLY AND CANDACE MCT, WHO IS ALSO JOINING US VIRTUALLY. YOU'LL EACH HAVE TWO MINUTES START BEGINNING WITH PATRICK. MOVING FORWARD, WE HAVE ROBIN STALINS, DON GARNER, AND ALLISON HARMON. YOU'LL EACH HAVE TWO MINUTES, BEN STUBY WHO'LL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY SHIVA MAYER AND CHRISTOPHER GOODPASTER. YOU'LL EACH HAVE TWO MINUTES MOVING FORWARD AND WE'RE HEARING FROM THOSE IN OPPOSITION, WE HAVE SUSAN GOLDBERG, MARTHA NEWMAN, AND ANDREW WEINBERG. YOU'LL EACH HAVE TWO MINUTES. WE HAVE S WINCHESTER, DIANA PHILLIPS AND DAVID PHILLIPS. WE HAVE PATRICK MCKENNA, BARBARA SEALEY, AND PAULA KAUFMAN. MS. KAUFMAN, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. WE HAVE S WINCHESTER, DIANA PHILLIPS AND DAVID PHILLIPS. WE HAVE PATRICK MCKENNA. OKAY. PAULA KAUFMAN. MA'AM, ARE YOU THERE? WE HAVE, [00:10:06] WE HAVE PATRICK MCKENNA. WE WILL COME BACK TO MS. KAUFMAN. MOVING FORWARD, WE HAVE LYNN COX, MARCH, MARK HUTCHINSON AND GRETCHEN SCARDINO. WE HAVE DANIEL SCARDINO, TINA CURRY, AND MICHAEL BREEN, KIMBERLY MEAD, WILLIAM COATES, AND ANN COATES. ANITA CHER MARK MIX, AND MICHELLE CONNORS, PAIGE HAUSER, DREW ZECK AND FRANCESCA PAI. AND SIR, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES THANK YOU. PLANNING COMMISSION FOR HEARING US HERE IN TRAVIS HEIGHTS. MY NAME IS PAIGE HOUSER AND I LIVE WITH MY FAMILY ON BRACKEN RIDGE STREET CATTYCORNER TO THE POTENTIAL ROWAN VALE SITE. TO BE CLEAR, I'M NOT OPPOSED TO THE INTENTION TO IMPLEMENT ANY MEASURE TO ADDRESS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY. I ALSO REALIZE THAT OUR PROXIMITY AS A NEIGHBORHOOD SITS AT A NEXUS FOR INCREASED DENSITY AND DEVELOPMENT AND HAS BEEN THAT WAY FOR A LONG TIME. THE CLARITY THAT I'M SEEKING IS WHY IF THERE'S A NEW NORMAL FOR US, WHY CAN'T THERE BE MORE PROFOUND DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW DESIGN GOOD AND BAD IMPACTS EVERYTHING, EVEN COMMUNITIES? BY THE NATURE OF THIS PROJECT, IT SPEAKS TO THE CORE OF WHY YOU WANT TO BUILD HERE, INCLUDING NEW FOLKS TO OUR COMMUNITY, SCHOOLS, STREETS AND PARKS. WE HAVE A GREAT PLACE HERE AND WE LIKE ITS VIBRANCY, OUTSPOKENNESS, AND OUR PASSION FOR EVERYTHING EMANATING FROM GLEN CREEK ENC. CLOSING BUILDING HERE MEANS THAT YOU HAVE SKIN IN THE GAME. IF THAT IS INDEED THE CASE, THEN THAT MEANS YOU ALSO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT DISHONOR THE SPIRIT OF YOUR CHOSEN SURROUNDINGS BY BEING COGNIZANT OF PROPORTION AND DESIGN BUILD PRINCIPLES THAT ARE APPROPRIATE TO THE SIZE OF THE LOT AND BUILDING ENVELOPE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. MOVING FORWARD, WE HAVE SEAN ROSENBERG, CECILIA ROMMAN, AND MELINDA STEELE. IF YOUR NAME WAS PREVIOUSLY CALLED, FEEL FREE TO GO AHEAD AND START YOUR COMMENTS, SIR. RIGHT HERE. OKAY. OKAY. MY, MY NAME IS FRANCESCO PASANTE AND I LIVE IN THE TRA HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ON KENWOOD AVENUE. AND I'M SPEAKING AGAINST THE PROPOSED REZONING. UH, THE CHARACTER OF TRA SITES, SINGLE FAMILY, SEMI-RURAL. HISTORIC IS AN ASSET TO AUSTIN, JUST LIKE SILK PARK IS. IT IS PART OF AUSTIN'S BRAND. IT IS CENTRAL TO ITS LONG-TERM ATTRACTIVENESS AS A PLACE TO LIVE. AND IT MUST BE SAFEGUARDED. THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF, UM, [00:15:02] ROWAN VA, UM, IS WAY TOO BIG AND INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THE TWO ARGUMENTS PUT FORWARD TO DEFEND THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT. HOUSING, AFFORDABILITY AND PROXIMITY TO THE SOUTH CONGRESS CORRIDOR ARE NOT, DO NOT JUSTIFY, UNDERMINING THE CHARACTER OF TRACIS. AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR AUSTIN. THEY MUST BE RECONCILED, BUT THEY CANNOT SIMPLY OVERRIDE THAT. AND I THINK THAT THE, THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT IS COMPLETELY OUT OF CHARACTER WITH THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IT'S GOING TO BE IN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. MOVING FORWARD. OUR FINAL THREE SPEAKERS ARE DAVID SWAN, MELINDA STEELE, AND MICHAEL YBARRA. ALL RIGHT. UM, SO I THINK I DID NOT EXPECT TO SPEAK TODAY. I'M MICHAEL IBARRA. I CAME TO DONATE MY TIME. UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP WAS TOLD BY STAFF THAT THIS ITEM WOULD BE POSTPONED DUE TO TECHNICAL, UH, DIFFICULTIES. AND SO THE DOZENS OF FOLKS WHOSE NAMES YOU'VE HEARD ARE NOT HERE THIS EVENING. UM, AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE THAT THEIR VOICES DO GET HEARD. UM, HAVING SAID THAT, I HAVE A FEW NOTES HERE. UM, AGAIN, MY NAME'S MIKE LEE BARRA. I HAVE DONE SOME WORK IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING. UH, I, I, I BELIEVE IN IT. I KNOW THIS DEVELOPER HAS A, HAS A GOOD REPUTATION IN THE COMMUNITY, IN THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITY. HAVING SAID THAT, IF THEY WERE A COUPLE BLOCKS OVER, THIS WOULD BE A NO-BRAINER AS IT IS GRANTING THIS REZONE AS IT'S PROPOSED, WOULD TAKE IMAGINE AUSTIN AND THROW IT IN THE DUST BIN. IMAGINE AUSTIN EXISTS FOR A REASON. IT'S GOT SETBACKS. IT'S SUPPOSED TO TRANSITION THAT DENSITY OUT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, THIS FAILS TO DO THAT. UH, IT DOES SO AT THE COST OF NOT ONLY THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER THAT FOLKS HAVE TALKED ABOUT, BUT ALSO THE HISTORICAL CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS OF COURSE PROTECTED. UM, YOU KNOW, AS SOMEBODY WHO, WHO DOES WORK A LITTLE BIT IN THIS, NOT IN THE LAND USE PART, BUT ADJACENT, UM, AT THE VERY MOST, THIS IS A CONDITIONAL OVERLAY SORT OF SITUATION. MAYBE THERE'S A ONE-OFF WHERE IT HAS, UH, SPECIAL DISPENSATION, BUT THERE ARE COMPROMISES IN TERMS OF THE SETBACKS. SO YOU DON'T HAVE THESE VERTICAL WALLS AND OTHERWISE INTEGRATE IT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD TO OUR NEXT ITEMS, WE DID HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION, ELIZABETH COUCH. WE'RE GONNA MOVE BACK TO ONE OF OUR VIRTUAL SPEAKERS WHO LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE IN OUR QUEUE. MS. PAULA KAUFMAN. MS. KAUFMAN, YOU ARE UNMUTED, SO FEEL FREE TO BEGIN WHENEVER YOU'RE READY AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO OUR NEXT ITEM. WE DID HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER AND ELIZABETH COUCH. I'M, THIS IS PAULA COFFMAN. I'M SPEAKING AGAINST THE 64 UNIT AND ONE AND ONE, UM, AND ONE LESS ONE ACRE. AND I HAVE THE SRCC, UM, UNMUTED. SO FEEL FREE OUR, UM, OUR POSITION BECAUSE THIS, THIS POSITION WAS VOTED ON BY ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THEREFORE, IT SHOULD CARRY A LOT OF WEIGHT. WE HAVE A LARGE NEIGHBORHOOD. FIRST OF ALL, WE, UM, SUPPORT, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ALONG OUR CORRIDORS OF CONGRESS AVENUE AND, UM, IH 35 RIVERSIDE AND BEN WHITE. WE HAVE RE EXPENSE ON IH 35. AND IN BRECKENRIDGE ARE NOT CORRIDORS. [00:20:01] THE PROJECT SHOULD BE MOVED. POINTS NUMBER THREE, PRESERVATION, DEMOLITION. AND POINT NUMBER FIVE, AFFORDABILITY ARE INTERRELATED BECAUSE AS OUR CC HAS NUMEROUS AFFORDABLE UNITS AND OLDER HOMES, ADUS AND MULTIFAMILY HOMES TODAY, IF YOU WANT TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHY NOT PROVIDE TAX CREDIT TO LANDLORDS OFFERING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TODAY, RATHER THAN DEVELOPERS WHO MUST BUILD IT. OVER THE NEXT YEARS, SAN ANTONIO PROVIDES SUCH CREDITS TO SMALL LANDLORDS OFFERING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. POINT NUMBER FOUR, FLOODING AND THE ENVIRONMENT. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO RIGOROUSLY PROTECT OUR PROPERTY VALUES. IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. THE CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE LIKELY WOULD NOT SUPPORT THE PROPOSED INCREASE IN THE DENSITY OF 64 UNITS ON LESS THAN ONE ACRE. THE CITY OF AUSTIN CANNOT AFFORD LITIGATION EXPENSES THAT PROPERTY OWNERS SUE FOR DAMAGES SUFFERED BECAUSE OF OVERDEVELOPMENT, THE PROJECT SHOULD BE MOVED OR BILL FEWER UNIT. AND FINALLY, COMPATIBILITY THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPATIBLE IN THE CENTER OF A BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD. AS CITY STAFF CONCE, THE PROJECT SHOULD BE MOVED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE. MOVING FORWARD TO ITEMS SIX AND SEVEN, THESE ARE BEING OFFERED FOR AS A PLANNING COMMISSION POSTPONEMENT TO OUR MAY 26TH MEETING. WE'LL BE HEARING FROM BRAD MASSENGALE, WHO WILL BE SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION. BRAD, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES AS MR. MASSENGILL COMES UP, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE HAS JOINED US AS WELL. HI, Y'ALL. UM, I'M BRAD MASSENGILL, SPEAKER. I'M, I'M ON THE, UH, BOARD OF THE SOUTH BOSTON CREEK ALLIANCE AS WELL AS, UH, ON THE AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL. BUT I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE, UH, SOUTH CONGRESS NEIGHBORHOOD COMBINED CONTACT TEAM. UM, THIS, THIS PROPERTY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL, UH, POSTPONING THIS 'CAUSE, UH, THE CONTACT TEAM IS, IS AGAINST THE ZONING CHANGE TH THIS PROPERTY. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UH, BACK AND FORTH WITH THE DEVELOPER AND CITY STAFF, UH, HAVING TO DO WITH THE, THE 40 SOME ODD UNITS THAT WERE ON THIS PROPERTY. BEFORE. IT WAS A MOBILE HOME PARK. IT WAS A QUITE AFFORDABLE, DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING. UH, THERE'S BEEN NO EFFORT TO TO REPLACE THESE UNITS, ONE FOR ONE. UM, IT'S BEEN DRAGGING ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME. UH, TEXAS HAS A BUNCH OF PEOPLE LIVING IN MOBILE HOMES AND WE HAVE VERY LITTLE MOBILE HOME ZONING LEFT IN THIS, IN THE CITY HERE. SO, UH, WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO PROTECT THIS. UM, IT'S STILL THERE, STILL LAID OUT. I WAS BY THERE TODAY. THE INFRASTRUCTURE'S STILL THERE, THE METERS, EVERYTHING IS STILL THERE. IT'S A NICE LITTLE PARK, YOU KNOW, WITH LANDSCAPING AND THE WHOLE DEAL. SO, UH, TURNING IT INTO DENSITY BONUS HOUSING AT THIS POINT AS A REWARD FOR A, UH, UH, OWNER THAT HAS NOT BEEN FORTH WITH AND, AND WORKING WITH THE, WITH THE, WITH THE CITY OR THE, UH, CONTACT TEAM. UH, I DON'T THINK THEY NEED TO BE REWARDED WITH THE, UH, EXPENSIVE UPZONING. UH, WE'VE WORKED A LOT WITH OTHER PROJECTS UP AND DOWN CONGRESS AND WE'RE LOSING AFFORDABILITY. AND THIS, THIS PARTICULAR PLACE, IT WAS LIKE A BLOCK AWAY FROM PLEASANT HILL SCHOOL AND RIGHT ON THE BUS LINE. SO DON'T LET IT GO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. MOVING FORWARD TO ITEM NUMBER EIGHT. THIS ITEM IS BEING OFFERED AS A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO OUR MAY 12TH MEETING. WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT VICTORIA HASSI VICTORIA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. MS. HASI IS WAIVING HER TIME MOVING FORWARD. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS RON THROWER. RON, YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. MR. THROWER IS WAIVING HIS TIME. WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THOSE SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION. AGAIN, THIS IS BEING POSTPONED TO MAY 12TH. WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER OR OUR FIRST SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION, DR. DEBORAH L. MURPHY. UH, DR. DEBORAH WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY, MA'AM, YOU'LL HAVE FI OR YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. LOOKS LIKE SHE'S NOT IN OUR QUEUE, BUT WE WILL COME BACK AND CHECK. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAURA WEAND. LAURA, YOU'LL [00:25:01] HAVE TWO MINUTES. MS. WEAND IS WAVING HER TIME MOVING FORWARD. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS NADIA, BARB. NADIA WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. NADIA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEXANDRIA ANDERSON. ALEXANDRIA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES MOVING FORWARD. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHIRLEY. TERRY. SHIRLEY, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. LOOKS LIKE NEITHER OF OUR VIRTUAL SPEAKERS ARE IN OUR QUEUE, SO WE'LL MOVE FORWARD TO ITEM NUMBER NINE. THIS ITEM IS BEING OFFERED FOR CONSENT. WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT LINDSAY WALKER. LINDSEY, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS LINDSEY WALKER. I'M A LAND PLANNER WITH HUSH BLACKWELL. I'M REPRESENTING THE PROPERTY OWNER, UH, FOR 3 0 1 NORTH LAMAR STREET. I BELIEVE I HAVE A PRESENTATION. OH, IT'S ON CONSENT. OKAY. IF IT'S ON CONSENT, THAT'S OKAY. . THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. WALKER. MOVING FORWARD TO ITEM 12. THIS ITEM IS BEING OFFERED FOR CONSENT. WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT LEAH BOJO. LEAH, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. MS. BOJO IS WAIVING HER TIME. WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM OUR SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION, TREY ALLISON. TREY, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS TREY ALLISON REPRESENTING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD REGARDING THE TERMINATION OF THE 2008 SCHULER FAMILY PUBLIC, UH, COVENANT. FIRST I'D LIKE TO SAY WE ARE A PRO DEVELOPMENT NEIGHBORHOOD AND A PRO TERM, AND WE ARE PRO TERMINATION OF THIS PUBLIC AGREEMENT. IT'S JUST ABOUT THE ORDER OF OPERATIONS. WE'VE GOT A CART BEFORE THE HORSE SITUATION HERE. IN 2008, THIS PUBLIC COVENANT WAS NEGOTIATED AND EXECUTED ALONGSIDE ITS SISTER DOCUMENT, OUR PRIVATE COVENANT. THESE TWO DOCUMENTS WERE DESIGNED TO WORK AS A PAIR. I'M NOT LONE IN BELIEVING THIS. MS. BOHO HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS FACT ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. SHE HAS DISCUSSED PRESERVING ITEMS FROM THE PUBLIC COVENANT IN THE PRIVATE AGREEMENT, AND HAS STATED MANY TIMES THAT WE MUST NEGOTIATE AND FINALIZE THE PRIVATE COVENANT BEFORE THE SITE CAN BE DEVELOPED. MS. BOHO EVEN RECENTLY WITHDREW A ZONING CASE ON THIS PROPERTY, TERMINATING THE PUBLIC COVE COVENANT NOW OR MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY FUTURE ZONING CHANGES BEFORE AMENDING THE PRIVATE AGREEMENT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. THE PRIVATE AGREEMENT SUPERSEDES THE PUBLIC AGREEMENT IN ANY FUTURE ZONING CHANGES IS ULTIMATELY THE FI FINAL LAYER DETERMINING HOW THE SITE CAN BE DEVELOPED. LUCKILY, LUCKILY, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM, WE ARE PRO DEVELOPMENT AND EXCITED FOR THIS INVESTMENT. WE HAVE ALREADY PROPOSED AMENDING THE COVENANT TO ACCOMMODATE AN UNLIMITED HEIGHT DEPARTMENT TOWER, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE ZONING RESTRICTIONS, OF COURSE, SOMETHING THE AGREEMENT DOES NOT CURRENTLY PERMIT. WE ALSO PROPOSED A DEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT WOULD YIELD MORE BUILDING VOLUME THAN THE DEVELOPER ORIGINALLY PRESENTED TO US. WE WANT TO WORK WITH THE DEVELOPER SO WE ALL CAN WIN TOGETHER. OUR ASK IS SIMPLE, PUT THE HORSE BEFORE THE CART, RECOMMEND TO CITY COUNCIL THAT THE TERMINATION BE CONTINGENT ON A AMENDED AND EXECUTED PRIVATE COVENANT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. MOVING FORWARD TO ITEM 13. THIS ITEM IS ALSO BEING OFFERED FOR CONSENT. WE'LL FIRST BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT. LEAH BOJO. YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. MS. BOJO IS WAIVING HER TIME. AND WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM OUR SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION. MR. TREY ALLISON, I'M SO SORRY TO MAKE YOU COME ALL THE WAY BACK UP. ALL RIGHT, WELL, I GUESS I'LL FIND ANOTHER TWO MINUTES OF CONTENT HERE. UM, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT MS. BOJO HAS ARGUED THAT, UH, THAT WE NEED TO TERMINATE THE PUBLIC AGREEMENT IS BECAUSE OF SB EIGHT 40. UM, SHE CLAIMS IT SUPERSEDES CERTAIN ELEMENTS IN THE PUBLIC AGREEMENT, BUT THE REALITY OF IT IS, IS SB EIGHT [00:30:01] 40, UM, IS ONLY REGARDING UNILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH THE CITY AND THE CITY. IT'S NOT A, UH, MULTILATERAL, IT DOESN'T PERTAIN TO MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS, WHICH THIS PUBLIC COVER COVENANT IS BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE, UH, PARTY, UH, THE SCHULER PARTY. UM, THIS IS A LEGAL GRAY AREA AND IT HASN'T BEEN ADJUDICATED. AND I RECOMMEND WE AT LEAST TAKE SOME TIME TO FIGURE OUT IF IT'S, EVEN IF THIS IS A VIABLE ARGUMENT. AND I'D JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT YOU HAVE A WILLING AND READY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT UNDERSTANDS ALL THE INS AND OUTS OF THESE AGREEMENTS AND THESE COMPLEX PROPERTIES. THESE PROPERTIES ARE UNUSUAL BECAUSE THEY ABUT DIRECTLY UP AGAINST OUR HOMES, THESE COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES. THERE'S NO STREET, THERE'S NO NOTHING. IT'S RIGHT UP AGAINST OUR HOUSES. AND WE ARE LIKE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND, AND NEW NEIGHBORS AND EVERYTHING. WE'RE NOT AGAINST DEVELOPMENT. WE ARE, WE, WE LITERALLY SAID, HEY, BUILD A UNLIMITED HEIGHT SKYSCRAPER, OR AT LEAST WHATEVER YOU CAN GET THE CITY TO ALLOW YOU TO BUILD. SO WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE PRO DEVELOPMENT. UM, WE SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS AS A NEIGHBORHOOD TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER A, A PLAN THAT WE CAN ULTIMATELY BAKE INTO A PRIVATE COVENANT, WHICH WE ALREADY HAVE WITH THIS PROPERTY. UM, WE WOULD JUST LIKE A LITTLE MORE TIME BEFORE WE TERMINATE THIS PUBLIC AGREEMENT TO TAKE THE SPIRIT OF WHAT'S IN THE PUBLIC AGREEMENT AND ALL THE PAPERWORK THAT ALREADY EXISTS. AND WE HAVE THE CURRENT LAY OF THE LAND AS IT IS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN ALL OPERATE IN GOOD FAITH TO WORK TOGETHER TO GET THIS RESOLVED ASAP. SO PLEASE ENCOURAGE MS. BOHO AND HER TEAM TO WORK WITH US ON THIS PRIVATE AGREEMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND WITH NO LINGERING VIRTUAL SPEAKERS LEFT IN OUR QUEUE. THAT CONCLUDES SPEAKERS FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA. THANK YOU, MS. GARCIA. DO ANY COMMISSIONERS WANT TO PULL ANY OF THE 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? MOTION BY VICE CHAIR, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES AND THIS CONCLUDES THE CONSENT AGENDA. SO WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR FIRST AND [15. Conditional Use Permit: SPC-2026-0052A - Girls' School of Austin Conditional Use Permit; District 10 ] ONLY DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT CASE FOR THE EVENING. THIS IS ITEM 15, GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. THIS IS A POSTPONEMENT REQUEST BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO JUNE 9TH, AND THE APPLICANT IS OPPOSED. JUST A REMINDER THAT THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC HEARING AND SPEAKERS ARE NOT TO DELVE INTO THE MERITS OF THE CASE. UM, JUST SPEAK ON THE POSTPONEMENT REQUEST AND WE'LL HEAR FIRST FROM THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT IS JAMES CHI. JAMES WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. JAMES, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. OKAY. LOOKS LIKE HE'S NOT CURRENTLY IN OUR QUEUE, BUT WE WILL CHECK AGAIN. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS WE'LL BE DOING THE THREE SPEAKERS AT A TIME. AGAIN, EVERYBODY WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES. SO AGAIN, IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT, SARAH GILBERT, MARIA ARGA, AND SUE SHIER. SO ALL THREE SPEAKERS, PLEASE COME UP AND TAKE A SEAT AND YOU CAN GET STARTED IN WHATEVER ORDER YOU COME UP. BUT LET'S HAVE ALL THREE SPEAKERS COME UP, PLEASE. THANK YOU. OKAY. SHALL I START? PLEASE DO. OKAY. BEFORE I BEGIN, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE AND COMMITMENT COMMISSIONERS. AND I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT I SUPPORT THE CONCEPT OF THE GIRLS SCHOOL EFFORTS TO EMPOWER GIRLS TO BE AMBITIOUS IN THEIR DREAMS AND ACTIONS IS IMPORTANT WORK, BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE IN BALANCE WITH THE SURROUNDING ECOSYSTEM AND ENVIRONMENT. MY NAME IS MARIA AGA. I LIVE AT 2002 BREMAN STREET WITH THE, WITH MY HUSBAND JOSE. WE ARE ONE BLOCK WEST OF THE GIRLS SCHOOL. WE MOVED IN WHEN THE GIRLS SCHOOL WAS STILL OPERATING AS DILL SCHOOL. WE'VE RAISED OUR DAUGHTERS ON BREMAN STREET, OUR HOUSES, OUR FOREVER HOME. MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE GIRLS SCHOOL IMPACT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STARTED IN 2009. THE TRAFFIC STEADILY INCREASED AS THE SCHOOL WAS GROWING. IN 2012, THE GIRLS SCHOOL WAS READY TO SUBMIT THEIR FIRST CUP TO THE CITY. AND IN TO ENSURE SUPPORT FROM THOSE OF US WITHIN 500 FEET, THEY PROMISED A CAP ENROLLMENT TO 150 STUDENTS. THAT WAS THE CAVEAT TO GET US TO AGREE TO THE CUP. SO HERE WE ARE TODAY, AS IF THERE WAS NO MEANING TO THAT AGREEMENT IN 2 20 12. WHILE THAT WAS MANY HEADMASTERS AND GIRLS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AGO WITH NO RECOGNITION OF THAT AGREEMENT, WE NEIGHBORS REMEMBER, AND WE FEEL THE TRAFFIC EVERY DAY ON OUR STREETS WITH ALL THE CUTTING THROUGH. IT'S, IT'S JUST, IT'S VERY DISRUPTING. [00:35:01] UM, I I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I DON'T SUPPORT THE REQUEST OF THE 30 PLUS PERCENT ENROLLMENT EXPANSION WITH MEANS MORE STUDENTS, MORE TRAFFIC, MORE STAFF. I WANT TO SHARE THAT COMMISSIONERS TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THE GIRLS SCHOOL LEADERSHIP STUDENTS AND PARENTS COME AND GO AS DO THEIR IDEAS AND INTERESTS IN MANAGING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. MEANWHILE, THOSE OF US IN OUR HOMES YEAR AFTER YEAR ARE LIVING THE SCENARIOS WE SHARED IN OUR LETTERS. PLEASE DO NOT CONSENT TO THIS CUP AS CURRENTLY PRESENTED. IT DOESN'T INCLUDE SUSTAINABLE ACCOUNTABLE TRAFFIC MITIGATION SOLUTION. MORE WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE. THANK YOU. I JUST WANNA REMIND SPEAKERS THAT THIS IS A DISCUSSION ON WHETHER OR NOT THE CASE WILL BE POSTPONED THIS EVENING IF WE DO HEAR THE CASE. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE JUST SPEAKING ON, ON THE NEED TO HEAR THE CASE TONIGHT OR IN THE FUTURE AND NOT DELVING INTO THE MERITS OF THE CASE AT THE MOMENT. IF WE DO HEAR THE CASE, YOU'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK ON THE MERITS OF THE CASE. SO I I WAS CONFUSED. IT'S NO PROBLEM. , WE, WE DIDN'T KNOW, BUT THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO SPEAK ABOUT THAT, BUT SHE'S NOT ON THE LIST OF SPEAKERS. SO WE'LL JUST HEAR FROM THE LIST OF SPEAKERS AT THE MOMENT ON THE MERITS OF THE POSTPONEMENT, AND IF WE HEAR THE CASE, WE'LL SPEAK ON THE MERITS OF THE CASE. UM, WELL DO I. OKAY. UM, SO MY NAME IS SUE AND, UM, UH, I JUST KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE REQUEST FOR POSTPONEMENT THAT THE NEIGHBORS, I BELIEVE, UM, WE WANTED, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME AS FAR AS, UM, EVALUATING SOME OF THE TRAFFIC SITUATION. I THINK, UM, WE HAD A THIRD PARTY INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS, UM, UH, INTERESTED IN GIVING FEEDBACK ABOUT HOW THE IMPACT OF THIS EXTRA TRAFFIC WOULD, UM, UH, AFFECT, UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND AROUND THE SCHOOL. SO I THINK, UM, WE RESPECTFULLY WANTED TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, UM, TO GET, GATHER MORE DATA ON OUR SIDE, UM, AND GET A POSTPONEMENT. UM, SO THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR COMMENTS. BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD TO OUR NEXT THREE SPEAKERS, IS MS. SARAH GILBERT PRESENT? OKAY, MOVING FORWARD TO OUR NEXT THREE SPEAKERS. AGAIN, EVERYBODY WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES, AND THESE NEXT THREE ARE ALSO IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT. WE HAVE SARAH COLEMAN, NICHOLAS BERNARD, AND JOSE, AKA EVERYONE. SEEMS LIKE THOSE THREE SPEAKERS ARE WAIVING THEIR TIME. AND OUR FINAL SPEAKER IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT IS MS. DARCY GARDNER. AND THEN OUR NEXT TWO SPEAKERS THAT ARE OPPOSED TO THE POSTPONEMENT, YOU CAN BEGIN COMING FORWARD. VICTORIA HASSI AND RON THROWER. I, HI, MY NAME IS DARCY GARDNER. UM, I'M REPRESENTING THE WEST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP. I SIT ON THEIR LAND MATTERS COMMITTEE. UM, WE SUPPORT THE GIRLS SCHOOL. THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORTS THE GIRLS SCHOOL. UM, WE ARE, HOWEVER, ASKING FOR A SIX WEEK POSTPONEMENT TO ALLOW ALL THE PARTIES TIME TO COLLABORATE ON SOLUTIONS. THERE JUST HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH TIME REGARDING HOW BIG THIS ISSUE IS AND HOW IT CAN GROW TO REALLY ADDRESS THAT. UM, YESTERDAY, APRIL 26TH MARKED THE FIRST PRODUCTIVE COLLABORATIVE MEETING BETWEEN THE GIRLS SCHOOL AND THE NEIGHBORS. UM, WE THANK COMMISSIONER HILLER AND COMMISSIONER AHMED FOR HELPING FACILITATE THAT. I THINK IT GAVE A LOT OF HOPE TO ALL THE NEIGHBORS THAT THEY ARE BEING HEARD. UM, AND THIS WILL BE A COLLABORATION TO MAKE IT BETTER FOR EVERYONE. UM, THE ADDITIONAL TIME THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR WILL HELP THE NEIGHBORS IN SEVERAL WAYS. THE FIRST ONE IS THEY HAVE ENGAGED THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING RESEARCH. UM, THAT GROUP WAS OUT ON FRIDAY. THEY NEED MORE TIME. THEY WANT TO COME SEE THE FLOW. THEY WANT TO ACTUALLY KIND OF SHOW UP IN THE MORNING AND SHOW UP IN THE AFTERNOON. UM, AND THEY JUST NEED MORE TIME TO REALLY PUT TOGETHER A CONCRETE QUEUING, ROUTING, UM, AND, AND MITIGATION MEASURES. UM, AND I THINK THEY WILL COME UP WITH A ROBUST ANALYSIS THAT HELPS EVERYONE COME TO A CONCLUSION THAT THIS REALLY CAN BE A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYONE. UH, THE CURRENT CUP RELIES HEAVILY ON TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES. THEY'RE NOT CLEARLY DEFINED OR ENFORCEABLE. A POSTPONEMENT WOULD ALLOW THOSE MEASURES TO BE REFINED INTO SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE AND ENFORCEABLE CONDITIONS. UM, THERE'S NO VIABLE STAFF PARKING SOLUTION THAT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED. UM, WEST AUSTIN, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR UNDERUSED PARKING FACILITY. UM, IT'S ALL WITHIN A FIVE MINUTE WALKING DISTANCE, AND WE WANT THEM TO EXPLORE THOSE OPTIONS, AND THAT HASN'T HAPPENED TO [00:40:01] DATE. IT'S A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ONGOING STAFF PARKING. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS VICTORIA HASI WITH RAILROAD DESIGN. UM, SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT TOOK QUITE A BIT OF EFFORT AND COORDINATION TO GET THE PEOPLE HERE THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT. A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE BEING, UM, THE STUDENTS THAT GO TO SCHOOL AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF BOSTON. AND, UM, A SIX WEEK DELAY FOR THIS CASE MEANS THAT THAT'S GOING TO PUSH INTO THE SUMMER SCHEDULE. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, A LOT OF THESE KIDS' SCHEDULES ARE PACKED ALREADY WITH THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING, SUMMER CAMPS, VISITING FAMILY, GOING OUT OF TOWN. THIS HAS BECOME A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT FOR THESE GIRLS TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION ABOUT WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THEM. AND SO WE WOULD ASK THAT IT BE HEARD TONIGHT. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS SOUGHT OUT AN ADDITIONAL, UH, REVIEW OF THIS SITE AND THE TRAFFIC, UH, PATTERNS AND CONSIDERATIONS BY, UH, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. UM, BUT I WILL SAY THAT I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALSO GIVE A FAIR BIT OF, UH, IMPORTANCE TO THE PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE, ARE SEASONED IN WHAT THEY DO. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE DELAY IN WAITING FOR THAT INFORMATION IS GOING TO RESULT IN ANYTHING DIFFERENT OR, UH, SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT OR DIFFERENT AT ALL TO WHAT HAS BEEN PRODUCED AND HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY, UH, TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS THAT ARE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC SECTOR. SO, UM, FURTHER, I I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A SMALL ENDEAVOR. THIS IS A SMALL SCHOOL. EVEN EVEN WITH THE REQUEST OF AN ADDITIONAL 50 STUDENTS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 200 STUDENTS. THIS IS A SMALL SCHOOL. SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHILE IT'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT, UH, CAMPUS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO BUILD, IT'S A BIG DEAL TO THIS SCHOOL. AND SO A DELAY EVEN AS MUCH AS SIX WEEKS IS A BIG DELAY THAT JUST, UM, GROWS AS TIME GOES ON. AND SO WE WOULD REQUEST THAT IT BE HEARD TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO A SPEAKER WHO WAS IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT, JOSE AKA. WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. WE'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. NO. HELLO COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME HERE TONIGHT AND LISTENING TO OUR CONCERNS. I AM HERE AS A NEIGHBOR OF THE GSA, THE GIRLS CALLED AND CONCERN AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, UH, A REQUEST FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OF THIS, UH, UH, EVALUATIONS SO WE CAN FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE TRAFFIC ISSUES AND THE SAFETY ISSUES THAT THEY RAISE. I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH EDUCATION. WE HAVE THREE GIRLS AND, UH, THEY ALL WENT TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN OUR AREA. WE'RE ALL IN FAVOR OF IT. SO THIS IS NOT THE ISSUE WE'RE ARGUING. WE'RE WE'RE NOT AGAINST EDUCATION AT ALL. WE JUST WANT TO BE IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. WE WANT TO LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS, IS AN ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF A COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, SO I WENT TO SCHOOL IN, UH, BACHELOR'S OF ENGINEERING AT THE CIVIL ENGINEERING IN THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. I ALSO HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE OF, UH, STRUCTURAL AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY. BEEN WORKING HERE FOR, UH, SEVERAL DECADES. AND, UH, I DO BELIEVE THERE ARE SERIOUS CONCERNS TO WHAT THESE ACTIVE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SOLUTION BRINGS UP. AND, UH, I DON'T THINK THEY'D HAVE A LEVEL OF COORDINATION, STAFFING, AND BEHAVIORAL COMPLIANCE THAT WOULD BE ACTUALLY REQUIRED OR ENFORCEABLE UNDER THE EXISTING CUP. SO WE NEED TO EVALUATE THIS MORE SERIOUSLY. IT WILL BRING EVERLASTING CHANGES TO A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD. PLEASE POSTPONE IT. LET US HAVE SIX WEEKS GET THE REAL EXPERTS TO WORK ON THIS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THEIR INVESTIGATIONS TO, UH, HIRE, UH, PRIVATE COMPANIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. UH, PLEASE HELP US IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHAIR. UH, RON THROWER, OBVIOUSLY AGAINST THE POST MEMO REQUEST. WE'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD TONIGHT. I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THERE'S GONNA HAVE TO BE A LONG LIST OF NAMES THAT HAVE TO BE READ INTO THE RECORD. THEY'RE ALL GONNA WAIVE THEIR RIGHT TO SPEAK OTHER THAN ONE PERSON THAT DOES WANT TO SPEAK. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION TO THE POSTPONEMENT IS LEE KOSKI. AND LIKE MR. THROWER SAID, WE'RE JUST GONNA GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE NAMES. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, YOU ARE WELCOME TO, BUT YOU'RE ALSO WELCOME TO WAIVE YOUR TIME. SO, LEE KOSKI, [00:45:01] BRETT SMITH AND UBA. UH, REBECCA KONO. HI. HI, MY NAME'S LEE KOSKI. UH, I DIDN'T COME HERE PLANNING TO SPEAK. UH, I'M A TEACHER. UH, I'VE TAUGHT ONLY AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. NOW I TEACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. THAT'S TO SAY WE DO A LOT OF WORK WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE THINK OF OUR SCHOOL AS PART OF THE COMMUNITY. UH, THAT'S THE SAME SPIRIT, UH, IN WHICH THE GIRLS SCHOOL OPERATES. AND, UH, I DIDN'T COME PLANNING TO SPEAK BECAUSE I DIDN'T COME PLANNING TO SPEAK TO THE UNDERLYING MERITS. BUT WHEN I REALIZED THAT WHAT WAS ON THE TABLE TODAY WAS THE QUESTION ABOUT DEFERRAL, I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BRING UP A POINT THAT WASN'T RAISED BY SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPOKEN ALREADY. UH, AND THAT IS THAT, UH, WHAT ANYBODY WHO GOES TO THE SCHOOL WILL TELL YOU IS THAT OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SIX MONTHS HAS BEEN A PERIOD OF EXPERIENCED ESCALATION AS WE DROP THE GIRLS OFF AT SCHOOL AND NOW WE'RE SUBJECT TO REGULAR DISRUPTIONS FILMING BY PEOPLE IN THE STREETS. OUR GIRLS ARE STARTING TO ASK US QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING, WHY PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING THEM. AND SO TO CREATE SPACE FOR THAT TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR DISRUPTS EVERYBODY. IT MAKES GIRLS FEEL LESS SAFE. AND UNLESS THERE'S SOME EXPECTATION THAT SOMETHING TANGIBLE IS GONNA COME OUT OF THIS ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC REPORT BY, UH, WHAT I UNDERSTAND TO BE STUDENTS, THEN I DON'T THINK THERE'S A REASONABLE REASON TO POSTPONE THIS ANY FURTHER. BECAUSE, UH, BY RULING ON, UH, BY REJECTING THE MOTION TODAY, YOU WOULD GIVE THE SCHOOL THE CLOSURE IT NEEDS TO MAKE EVERYBODY FEEL SAFE AND MOVE ON WITH UH, THEIR LIVES. THANKS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SET OF THREE SPEAKERS, AGAIN, IF YOU DO WISH TO COME UP, YOU PLEASE ONLY SPEAK TO THE MERITS OF THE POSTPONEMENT, MS. MELINDA MADURA, ROBIN BIRCHFIELD, AND KIMBERLY DAVIS. THOSE THREE SPEAKERS ARE WAIVING THEIR TIME. TED HUGHES, CLAIRE HUBERMAN, AND DENISE BEAL. THOSE SPEAKERS ARE WAIVING THEIR TIME. DREW CARMEN, CARRIE TOWSLEY STEWART, AND LEANNA ROWE. THE SPEAKERS ARE WAIVING THEIR TIME. I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THE LIST. THERE'S QUITE A FEW. AND IF YOU HEAR YOUR NAME AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME UP, PLEASE DO SO. SARAH ORMAN, M BAUER, ALIANA, CORVETTE, RACHEL NEN, ROBIN MABRY, BRAD HUFFMAN, ERIN ORMAN, KELSEY BANISTER, LINDSEY HARRIS, CHANDLER, YANKEE, MARIA, DMA, DATU, BRIE, TRISTAN, HEATHER, GO, BRANDON WARD, ASHLEY WHITMORE, RALPH DAVIS, GIAS BENU, JESSICA SANCHEZ, KRISTEN HURLEY, REBECCA PAR, PAREO, SIENNA PAREO. HANNAH MA, KIMBERLY FTI, CCY BLUNT, SARAH PETRI, SARIAH NRI, JEREMY KIMBALL, DIXIE KIMBALL, ADAM ORMAN, JENNY SPARKS, LAUREN TODO, PATRICK O'DONNELL, RYAN DAVIS, FREDDIE MARSHALL, KATIE HEISENBERG, JASON BALLANTINE TARA ABOUT VALENTI POPPY BALLANTINE AND MONICA SANTOS AND CHAIR. THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON DISCUSSION. , THANK YOU. I KNOW OUR PROCESS CAN BE A LITTLE CONFUSING ON THESE ITEMS, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS ON BOTH SIDES UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE DO HEAR THIS CASE, WHETHER IT'S IN THE FUTURE OR THIS EVENING, YOU'LL STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK ON THE MERITS OF THE CASE. BUT FOR NOW, WE'RE GONNA MOVE INTO OUR REGULAR PLANNING COMMISSION ROUND ROBINS. THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC HEARING ITEM. WE DON'T NEED TO VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING, BUT AS A REMINDER TO COMMISSIONERS ONLY ASK QUESTIONS THAT WILL HELP YOU MAKE A DECISION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE POSTPONE THIS CASE THIS EVENING. SO WE HAVE SPOTS FOR EIGHT COMMISSIONERS AT FIVE MINUTES EACH. WHO WOULD LIKE TO START US OFF? YES, GO AHEAD. COMMISSIONER POWELL. UH, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT AND PROBABLY THE APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVE. JUST QUICK SIMPLE QUESTION. UM, DO YOU HAVE A ROUGH TIMEFRAME THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS ARRIVE TO COUNCIL? IF THIS WAS PUSHED FORWARD FROM PLANNING COMMISSION? UM, YES, THAT WOULD, WE WOULD LIKE THAT TO ARRIVE AT COUNCIL BEFORE THEY GO ON SUMMER BREAK, SO THAT WOULD BE MAY 28TH. GOT IT. OKAY. THAT'S THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE. THANKS COMMISSIONER POWELL. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? YES, GO AHEAD. COMMISSIONER HILLER, SORRY FOR THE APPLICANT. UM, IN, IN LIGHT OF THE REQUEST FOR A SIX WEEK POSTPONEMENT, WHAT, IS THERE A TOLERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FROM A POSTPONEMENT STANDPOINT THAT YOU'D BE WILLING TO COMPROMISE ON? [00:50:02] NO. OKAY. THAT'S FINE. UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT ARE THE ISSUES THAT WAS RAISED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN TERMS OF OFFSITE PARKING, HAS THERE BEEN ANY, UH, SUCCESS AT REACHING, UM, PROPERTY OWNERS NEARBY THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO, TO OFFER THAT? NO, WE'VE, WE'VE NOT, UH, ENGAGED IN THAT JUST YET. OKAY, COOL. NO MORE. THAT'S ALL YOUR QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONER, OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? DID ONE SECOND, MAY, MAY I ADD TO THAT RIGHT QUICK? YOU MAY. UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL CONTEXT OF WHAT IT TAKES TO GET 50 ADDITIONAL STUDENTS ON THIS PROPERTY. WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH A YEAR LONG PROCESS OR LONGER FOR A SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT, AND THEN THERE'S GONNA BE ANOTHER YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION THAT'S GONNA OCCUR. SO WE'RE GONNA BE TWO YEARS OUT AT A VERY MINIMUM BEFORE WE ACTUALLY NEED THE ADDITIONAL PARKING. WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO WORK ON IT. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL? OH, I WAS JUST GONNA ASK THE APPLICANT SOMETHING, BUT THEY SAT BACK DOWN . THAT'S FINE. I'LL SKIP MY QUESTION. WELL, OKAY, I JUST, I WANNA JUST CONFIRM THAT, UM, GIVEN YOUR TIMELINE FOR COUNSEL, THAT DOES INDICATE THAT THERE'S AT LEAST A MONTH BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN YOU WOULD POTENTIALLY HAVE THIS COUNSEL IF WE WERE TO ACTUALLY HEAR THIS CASE THIS EVENING. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. AND I ASSUME THAT GIVEN THAT THERE WERE SOME PRODUCTIVE, UH, CONVERSATIONS THIS WEEK FACILITATED BY SOME PLANNING COMMISSIONERS THAT YOU WOULD HOPE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN A REALLY THOUGHTFUL WAY BETWEEN NOW WHEN WE THIS WOULD COME TO COUNCIL, IS THAT CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY. AND I ASSUME THAT THE NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT ARE OUTSTANDING, IT SOUNDS LIKE, HAS NARROWED SIGNIFICANTLY. SO WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS WEEK BY WEEK, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE POSTPONEMENT? OKAY, WITH THAT, I WILL LOOK FOR A MOTION. YES. VICE CHAIR. UH, I WOULD MOVE THAT WE GO AHEAD AND HEAR THIS CASE TONIGHT, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR DEBATE BY CHAIR. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? UM, YEAH, I, UH, APPRECIATE, UH, WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS TO SAY. I APPRECIATE, UH, ALL OF THE SIGNIFICANT BACKUP THAT WE'VE, WE'VE HAD. UM, UH, AND I I THINK WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST PUBLIC RECORD. WE ALREADY HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, FULL GROWN ENGINEERS THAT HAVE LOOKED AT THE TRAFFIC, UH, ANALYSIS ON THIS. I, I THINK, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S JUST NOT REALLY A WHOLE LOT NEW THAT COULD COME TO LIGHT, UH, WITH A SIX WEEK POSTPONEMENT AND THEN ANOTHER MONTH FOR COUNCIL. I THINK, UH, OFTEN AS WE SEE, UH, WITH OUR CASES WHEN, UH, THEY LEAVE THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND MOVE TOWARDS COUNSEL, THAT'S KIND OF LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, UM, UH, A LOT OF TIMES IN LEGAL CASES WHERE IT'S LIKE RIGHT BEFORE YOU'RE GOING BEFORE THE JUDGE. YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS REALLY KIND OF, KIND OF HAPPEN. UH, AND SO I'M, I'M FINE WITH MOVING THIS FORWARD AND, UH, I'M SO GLAD TO SEE AS MANY PEOPLE HERE PARTICIPATING. I, I'VE NEVER SEEN THE ROOM THIS FULL. UM, AND SO I THINK THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT WE HAVE. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL, UM, UH, WHAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT THAT SCHOOL IS DOING. AND, UM, AS A FORMER RESIDENT OF, YOU KNOW, HALF A MILE AWAY, I'VE DRIVEN BY IT ENOUGH TIMES THAT, UH, UM, I SEE WHAT, WHAT GREAT STUDENTS THEY HAVE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S VERY ORDERLY FROM WHAT I CAN SEE. THANK YOU. ANY COMMISSIONERS WISH TO SPEAK AGAINST THE MOTION? OTHERS FOR I'LL SPEAK YOU SPEAK AGAINST GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER KELLY. I, UH, AS FAR AS IT GETS THE MOTION, I'M, I'M, I, I MOVE BY THE DURATION OF IT. I DON'T LOVE THAT. I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING THAT WAS LESSER WOULD BE IDEAL, BUT I ALSO FEEL LIKE GIVING THE, UM, APPLICANT AND THE COMMUNITY MORE TIME HAS MERIT AND I TOO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE RESULTS OF A THIRD PARTY FOR BOARD FORMATION. UM, SO ANYWAY, IN LIGHT OF THAT, I STAND AGAINST. THANKS, COMMISSIONER HILLER. ANYONE ELSE SPEAKING FOR I, I'LL SPEAK JUST BRIEFLY TO THE MOTION. I TEACH A CLASS ON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AT UT AND WE TALK A LOT ABOUT HOW THE FORUMS THAT WE HAVE FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ARE ACTUALLY REALLY DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO ACCESS. AND I SEE THAT WE HAVE SO MANY SPEAKERS HERE TONIGHT ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS CASE. IT'S A BIG DEAL TO COME OUT AT SIX O'CLOCK NOW, SEVEN O'CLOCK ON A TUESDAY EVENING. AND I REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROCESS. AND I THINK WHEN WE ASK PEOPLE TO SHOW UP AGAIN AND AGAIN TO THESE MEETINGS, UM, WE ARE NOT NECESSARILY MAKING IT AS EASY AS WE CAN TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION. I ALSO AM REALLY HEARTENED TO SEE ALL OF THE YOUNGER SPEAKERS THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO BE HEARD AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE US TO HEAR THIS CASE THIS EVENING FOR THAT REASON. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS AGAINST THE MOTION? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND [00:55:01] TAKE A VOTE. SO WE HAVE A MOTION BY VICE CHAIR HANEY TO HEAR THIS CASE THIS EVENING. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. THOSE IN FAVOR AGAINST. ALL RIGHT, THAT MOTION PASSES 11 ONE. SO WE WILL GO AHEAD AND HEAR THIS CASE THIS EVENING. WE HAVE NO OTHER DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT CASES, SO WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR ZONING CASES AND KIND OF WITH THE SAME, UM, SENTIMENTS IN MIND, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THAT WE TAKE UP OUR CASES OUT OF ORDER THIS EVENING AND GO AHEAD AND HEAR ITEM 15 AS OUR FIRST PUBLIC HEARING CASE, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A LOT OF YOUNGER SPEAKERS HERE WHO I'M SURE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO BED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER THAN WE ALL WILL BE THIS EVENING. , IS THERE ANY OBJECTION FROM THE COMMISSION TO TAKING UP ITEM 15 FIRST? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND HEAR FROM STAFF ON THAT CASE PLEASE. GOOD EVENING. I'M HEATHER CHAFFIN WITH AUSTIN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, UH, REPRESENTING THIS CASE. AGAIN, GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN. THE SITE IS 2.31 ACRES, UM, IN THE JOHNSON CREEK WATERSHED. THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW PRIVATE PRIMARY EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AND PRIVATE SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES INCREASING FROM 150 TO 200 STUDENTS ON THE PROPERTY. THIS IS A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT ONLY. NO PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS ARE PROPOSED WITH THE APPLICATION AT THIS TIME. STAFF, UH, RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE CUP WITH THE CONDITION THAT ANY FUTURE SITE DEVELOPMENT, ANY IMPROVEMENTS FOR THIS SITE BE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS MEMORANDUM THAT HAS BEEN PREPARED BY STAFF. IT'S IN YOUR BACKUP. IT'S DATED APRIL 7TH, 2026. UH, SO IT HAS A HANDFUL OF CONDITIONS IN THERE. STAFF ALSO RECOMMENDS, UH, FIVE CONDITIONS BE APPROVED AS PART OF THE CUP. THESE ARE CONDITIONS THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN APPLIED TO THE SITE AND THE APPLICANT HAS PROPOSED CONTINUING WITH THESE, UH, BEING APPLIED TO THE SITE. AND THOSE INVOLVE DUMPSTER PICKUP BETWEEN SIX AND NINE, 6:00 AM AND 9:00 PM MAINTENANCE WORK BETWEEN SEVEN AND 9:00 AM EXCEPT FOR EMERGENCIES DROP OFF AND PICK UP TIMES TO BE STAGGERED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. ATTENDANCE LIMITED TO 200 STUDENTS INSTEAD OF THE EXISTING 150. AND AGAIN, LIMITED TO, UH, PRIVATE AND PRIVATE PRIMARY AND PRIVATE SECONDARY K THROUGH EIGHT. THE PROPERTY IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF WINDSOR ROAD AND THE EAST SIDE OF MCCALL ROAD. AS FRONTAGE ON BOTH OF THOSE STREETS. IT'S ZONED SF THREE NMP AND MOST OF THE SITE IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPED WITH THE EXISTING GIRLS SCHOOL. AND THE REMAINDER OF THE PROPERTY IS AN ADJACENT LOT THAT HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY THE GIRLS SCHOOL. IT PREVIOUSLY WAS USED FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE. IT'S ALSO ZONED SF THREE NMP. SO THAT IS THE AREA THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND INTO PROPERTIES IN THE AREA IN ALL DIRECTIONS. NORTH SOUTHEAST WEST ARE ALSO ZONED SF THREE MP AND ARE ZONED AND ARE OCCUPIED BY SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL USES. UM, THE APPLICANT SUBMITTED DATA FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS. THIS WAS NOT REQUIRED BY THE CITY, BUT THE APPLICANT ELECTED TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION SINCE THEY KNEW THERE WOULD BE, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, POSSIBLE TRANSPORTATION IMPACT. A MEMORANDUM FROM CITY STAFF WITH ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IS IN THE BACKUP IS EXHIBIT E. I ALSO HAVE TRANSPORTATION STAFF AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. UH, VIRTUALLY THE CONDITIONS THAT WOULD BE INCORPORATED AS PART OF OUR RECOMMENDATION THAT THESE ARE FOR ANY FUTURE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE SITE. UH, DURING A SITE PLAN REVIEW, IT'S RECOMMENDED THE DEVELOPER RETRIP THE CROSSWALK AT THE INTERSECTION OF MCCALL IN WINDSOR. DURING SITE PLAN REVIEW. IT'S RECOMMENDED THE DEVELOPER RETRIP THE CROSSWALK AT MCCALL AND HORN LANE, UM, NOTING THAT THE REQUIRED RIGHT OF WAY FOR WINDSOR ROAD IS 72 FEET AND RIGHT OF WAY REQUIRED FOR MCCALL ROAD RANGES FROM 58 TO 64 FEET, WHICH MAY MEAN A, UH, RIGHT OF WAY DEDICATION IN THE FUTURE. UH, IF THE NUMBER OF UNITS [01:00:01] CHANGE, THEN OF COURSE THE CALCULATIONS AND THE ANALYSIS WOULD CHANGE AND THE NTA WOULD HAVE TO BE, UH, REASSESSED. THE SITE WOULD BE SUBJECT TO A STREET IMPACT FEE. UM, AGAIN, IT, THIS IS BASED ON THE PROPOSED USES, NOT FOR OTHER USES. ANY CHANGES IN THE ASSUMPTIONS WOULD REQUIRE, UH, ANOTHER LOOK AT THE NTA. UM, AND THE NTA DOES NOT GRANT OR GUARANTEE APPROVAL OF ANY PROPOSED DRIVEWAY TYPES OR LOCATIONS. AND THOSE WILL BE RE REVIEWED AT TIME OF ANY SITE PLAN APPLICATION OR ANY PHYSICAL SITE IMPROVEMENTS. SO THE PROJECT HISTORY, AS A LOT OF YOU KNOW, THIS WAS FORMERLY IN A ISD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND IT WAS STILL ELEMENTARY UNTIL THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS. AND A ISD SOLD THE PROPERTY IN ABOUT 2002, 2003. AND IT BECAME A PRIVATE SCHOOL. AND A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT WAS APPROVED AT THAT TIME TO ALLOW PRIVATE PRIMARY EDUCATION. SO, UH, K THROUGH SIX IN 2009, THEY ADDED PROPERTY INTO THE SITE AND A NEW CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT WAS ISSUED, WHICH ADDED PRIVATE SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL, WHICH GOT THEM TO HIGHER GRADES WITH THE FOLLOW WITH SOME CONDITIONS THAT, UM, THE TWO NOW 2009 CUP LIMITED, UM, TO PRIVATE PRIMARY AND PRIVATE SECONDARY AND PRE-K THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE. AND NO MORE THAN 50% OF THE STUDENTS IN GRADES FIVE THROUGH EIGHT AND THAT SCREENING OF WASTE COLLECTION AND LOADING AREAS BE MATCHED TO PRINCIPAL BUILDING MATERIALS. UM, IN 2012. THOSE, THOSE WERE ALL CHANGE OF USE. NO PHYSICAL CHANGES TO THE SITE, NO PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SITE. IN 2012, A CUP WAS SUBMITTED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT THAT INCLUDED SITE IMPROVEMENTS. SO IT HAD SOME CONDITIONS THAT WERE RELATED TO THE LAND USE, BUT ALSO TO PHYSICAL SITE IMPROVEMENTS. SO THAT WAS THE DUMPSTER PICKUP THAT I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER. THE MAINTENANCE WORKERS FROM SEVEN TO NINE NEIGHBOR NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR EVENTS, NO ATTENDED UNATTENDED PUBLIC RECYCLING DROP OFF AND PICK UP TO BE STAGGERED EXISTING DRIVEWAYS TO REMAIN PARKING SPACE TO HAVE CONCRETE CURBS AND ATTENDANCE LIMITED TO 150 STUDENTS. MOST OF THOSE HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED IN THE NEW REQUEST AND NEW RECOMMENDATION, EXCEPT FOR THE PHYSICAL CHANGES BECAUSE THERE IS NO PHYSICAL SITE PLAN WITH THIS. UM, AGAIN, K THROUGH EIGHT STUDENTS AND NO MORE THAN 50% OF THE STUDENTS IN GRADE FIVE THROUGH EIGHT. SO THAT'S, THAT WAS THE EXISTING, THAT'S THE EXISTING CONDITION CONDITIONS AS OF TODAY. THE CURRENT APPLICATION SEEKS TO INCORPORATE THAT ADDITIONAL LOT AND HAVE THE PRIVATE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES ON THE ENTIRE 2.31 ACRE PROPERTY. INCREASING ENROLLMENT FROM 150 TO 200 STUDENTS. AND AS I SAID, THE THE FIVE CRITERIA THAT I LISTED AT THE BEGINNING ABOUT DUMPSTER PICKUP, PICKUP, MAINTENANCE, DROP OF PICK OFF BEING STAGGERED, PICK UP DROP OFF AND PICK UP BEING STAGGERED. UM, AND THEN K THROUGH EIGHT STUDENTS. UM, THERE IS STAFF, UM, AGAIN WITH THE NTA, UH, MAKING THAT PART OF THE CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL. STAFF, UH, SUPPORTS THE REQUEST AND, UM, YOU'LL SEE IN YOUR BACKUP THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS. AND THEN ALSO, UH, CORRESPONDENCE IN SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION TO THE PLAN. NOW I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANTS THEY'RE GONNA BE TAKING UP THEIR TIME TOGETHER. SO VICTORIA HASSI AND RON THROWER, THEY WILL BE RECEIVING FOUR MINUTES OF TIME OF DONATED TIME FROM DENISE BEAL AND LEONNA ROWE. ARE Y'ALL BOTH PRESENT? PERFECT. YOU BOTH WILL HAVE A TOTAL OF NINE MINUTES. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. VICTORIA HASSI WITH ROWER DESIGN. UM, I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD, UM, TO BE STANDING HERE IN FRONT OF YOU REPRESENTING WHAT I'VE COME TO KNOW AS A SMALL BUT VERY MIGHTY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF BOSTON. UM, PRESENTATION, UM, AS I NORMALLY START OUT, OUR PRESENTATIONS, UM, GIVING YOU SOME CONTEXT TO OF THIS PROPERTY TO IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ELEMENTS AND CAP METRO, UH, TRANSIT SERVICE. UM, [01:05:01] AS HEATHER SAID BEFORE, THIS SITE IS FORMALLY THE DILL SCHOOL. IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1950S AND A ISD SOLD IT TO THE GIRLS SCHOOL IN 2003. THE SITE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ZONED SF THREE AS LONG AS ZONING HAS EXISTED IN AUSTIN AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN EDUCATIONAL USE. EDUCATIONAL USES ARE PERMITTED IN SF THREE ZONING. AND AS YOU TRANSITION FROM A PUBLIC TO A PRIVATE USE, A CUP IS REQUIRED, WHICH IS WHERE YOU SEE THE 2003 CUP COMING INTO THE MIX. IN 2009, THERE WAS A SUBSEQUENT CUP, UH, WHERE THE SCHOOL ADDED IN THE WINDSOR LOT, ALSO KNOWN AS LISA'S HOUSE. AND THAT, UM, DIDN'T, DIDN'T PROPOSE ANY SITE IMPROVEMENTS. AND THEN 2012 CUP WAS A TOTAL REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CAMPUS. AND THOSE ARE THE 10 ITEMS THAT YOU HEARD HEATHER TALK ABOUT JUST A BIT AGO. SO WITH THE SCHOOL ACQUIRING THE PROPERTY AT 1913 MCCALL, IT ALLOWED THEM TO EMBARK ON AN ENVISIONING, UH, OF HOW THEY COULD USE THIS LAND TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE SCHOOL. LAST FALL, THERE WAS A TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS PUT TOGETHER TO FORM A MASTER PLAN, AND THEY INTERVIEWED STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, BOARD MEMBERS, PARENTS, UM, WE TALKED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE WAS A LOT OF DATA COLLECTION THERE. AND ALL OF THAT CULMINATED INTO THE SITE PLAN. THAT IS A PORTION OF THE CUP THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU THIS EVENING. THE VISUALS THAT YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE ARE SOME OF THE DRAWINGS, RENDERINGS, ARTWORK THAT THIS GIRLS PRODUCED AS PART OF THEIR ENVISIONING SESSION IN THE FALL. SO AS PART OF THE CUP, THERE ARE TWO MAIN COMPONENTS, AND THAT IS TO ADD IN THE PROPERTY AT 1913 MCCALL, UH, TO BE A PART OF THE CAMPUS FACILITY. AND THEN ADDING AN ADDITIONAL FI 50 STUDENTS TO THEIR, UH, SCHOOL. AS PART OF THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WE ENGAGED WITH THEM STARTING IN OCTOBER. UM, THE FOLLOWING REQUESTS WERE SUBMITTED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR CONSIDERATION. THE GSA HAS AGREED TO MORE THAN HALF OF THESE ITEMS, AND THERE'S PARTIAL AGREEMENT, OR AT LEAST WILLINGNESS FOR SEVERAL OTHERS. AND THE FOLLOWING IS A CONCISE LIST OF AGREEMENTS, ACTIONS, EFFORTS, AND THE DISPOSITION OF EACH. AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S 25 ITEMS WHERE THERE IS AGREEMENT AND A HANDFUL THAT WERE CONSIDERED, BUT ULTIMATELY ARE NOT ATTAINABLE. AS MENTIONED BEFORE, THE CUP REQUESTS 50 STUDENTS, UH, AN INCREASE IN 50 STUDENTS AND ADDITION OF 1913 MCCALL. IT ALSO, THE, THE PLAN THAT YOU'LL SEE HERE SHORTLY ADDS IN THE AMENDMENTS TO THE EXISTING BUILDINGS, AMENDMENTS TO PARKING LOT INTERNAL DRIVES, NEW BUILDINGS, NEW OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS AND PLAY AREAS. BUT I DO WANNA NOTE THAT THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE NOT, UM, THAT ARE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE CUP THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT. THE CUP IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT IS FOR THE 50 ADDITIONAL STUDENTS AND THE ADDITION OF 1913 MCCALL. THIS IS THE, THE CONCEPT PLAN THAT WAS PRODUCED BY MCKINNEY YORK ARCHITECTS AND IT IS THE CULMINATION OF GREAT EFFORT OVER THE PAST EIGHT MONTHS. UM, AND I WANNA CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT IT IS ZONED SF THREE PROPERTY, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE TO ABIDE BY NOT ONLY THE HEIGHT RESTRICTION OF 35 FEET, BUT ALSO THE IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMITATION OF 45%, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT LIMITING FACTOR TO, UH, THE CAMPUS. ALSO, I WANNA TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT THIS CONCEPT PLAN PROPOSES IS A BYPASS LANE, UH, WHICH IS, DOESN'T CURRENTLY EXIST TODAY. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIG IMPROVEMENTS THAT IS PROPOSED TO HELP, UH, WITH THE THROUGHPUT OF TRAFFIC THROUGH THE SITE, WHICH WILL ALSO HELP WITH THE QUEUING ISSUES ON MCCALL ROAD. UM, IT ALSO CREATES A NEW PARKING LOT, AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE SOUTHERN MOST SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE SITE. UM, INCREASING THAT OR PUTTING IN THAT BYPASS LANE, UM, AT THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL CAUSED FOR SOME OF THOSE PARKING SPACES TO BE TAKEN OUT. AND SO WE'RE REPLACING THOSE PARKING SPACES DOWN SOUTH. AND THEN THERE'S NEW ACADEMIC BUILDINGS ON THE SOUTHERNMOST PORTION OF THE PROPERTY. UH, THE PROPERTY THAT IS 1913 MCCALL. THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL PLAYGROUND AREAS, OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS, THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO EXISTING BUILDINGS. UM, AND ONE OF THOSE IS TO THEIR GYM FACILITY. SO THEY WILL ACTUALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE A FULL HALF COURT FACILITY ALLOWING THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN ORGANIZED SPORTS. AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA PASS IT ON TO RON COMMISSIONER RUN THROWER REPRESENTING MR. THROWER. COULD YOU TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON IT? THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. RUN THROWER PROUDLY REPRESENTING GIRLS SCHOOL. I'M GONNA GO THROUGH A LOT OF TECHNICAL STUFF AND I'M GONNA TALK FAST 'CAUSE I GOT A LOT OF INFORMATION TO COVER. SO, ORIGINALLY, AS WAS NOTED, WE HAD TO BEG THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO PERFORM A NE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC ANALYSIS FOR THIS. WITH THAT, THE CITY OF AUSTIN GAVE US THEIR [01:10:01] INFORMATION THAT THEY WANTED US TO GO DO DATA COLLECTION ON ONLY THREE LOCATIONS. AND ON THE THREE DAY PERIOD, WE RECOGNIZED WE NEEDED TO CAST A WIDER NET TO DO, TO LOOK AT MORE, UH, STREETS IN THE AREA TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE TRAFFIC OPERATIONS. SO WE WENT OUT AND COUNTED EIGHT LOCATIONS ACROSS FOUR DAYS. AND WITH THAT WE ALSO GATHERED SOME, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPEEDS, WHICH THE CITY OF AUSTIN DID NOT REQUIRE. UM, THE, THE, UH, FINDINGS FROM THE NTA ARE THAT THERE'S NO IMPACT. HEATHER HAS ALREADY READ THE CONDITIONS. I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH THAT. SO THEN LOOKING AT THE QUEUING ANALYSIS THAT WAS PERFORMED BY DKS, UH, BASICALLY THEIR, THEIR FINDINGS ARE THAT UNDER THE EXISTING CONDITIONS, THE SCHOOL IS OPERATING EFFICIENTLY TODAY DUE DUE TO STAFF PRESENCE, COORDINATED LOADING PROCEDURES AND STAGGERED DISMISSAL SCHEDULES. AND WHAT THEY'RE SEEING IS THAT THE 95TH PERCENTILE OF Q IN THE STREET IS SEVEN VEHICLES. AND THAT WAS WITNESSED BY NOT ONLY THEM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. I WITNESSED IT ONCE ON THE MANY DAYS THAT I'VE BEEN OUT THERE AND ON, ON, UH, DAYS THAT VICTORIA'S ALSO BEEN OUT THERE WATCHING THE PICKUP OPERATIONS OCCURRING. WE OFTEN SEE FAR LESS THAN SEVEN, SOMETIMES NO CARS IN THE STREET. SO THE FINDINGS WILL CERTAINLY SHOW THAT IF WE DO NOTHING TO THE SITE, THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE AN IMPACT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS MUCH AS 26, UH, CARS QUEUED UP, DOWN, UM, A CALL WITH THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS AS ENVISIONED WITH THE SITE PLAN AND THROUGH THE, UH, THE QUEUING ANALYSIS, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE AN IMPACT OF THE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY OF THE STREETS IN THE AREA. WE ARE PUTTING IN THE, UH, BYPASS LANE, THE DROP OFF ZONE, WHICH IS GONNA HAVE A TREMENDOUS BENEFIT TO THE THROUGHPUT ON THE SITE, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MONITOR IT OVER TIME. SO IN THE PROPOSED CONDITIONS, WE'RE LOOKING AT A SITUATION WHERE THE 95TH PERCENTILE REMAINS THE SAME WITH THE IMPROVEMENTS SO THAT THE, THE, THE 95TH PERCENTILE ONLY SHOWS SEVEN CARS, WHICH IS EQUAL TO THE EXISTING CONDITIONS. AND THIS IS NOT A SYSTEM FAILURE, IT'S A FUNCTIONING SCHOOL. MANY OF Y'ALL HAVE BEEN OUT THERE AND Y'ALL HAVE SEEN THE QUEUING THAT'S GOING ON. AND SO THE FINDINGS, I'M GONNA JUST GLOSS OVER THE SPEEDING, BUT YOU'LL CERTAINLY SEE THAT THE GIRLS SCHOOL IS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE SPEEDING THAT'S GOING ON IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. A LOT OF THAT IS THE NEIGHBORS THEMSELVES. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS IS NOT A STATIC PROPOSAL. WE HAVE A NOTE ON THE PLAN THAT IT, THAT SAYS THAT THE SCHOOL WILL REASSESS THE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THOSE OVER TIME. SO IF GSA SEES A A FAILING CONDITION, THEY WILL BE REASSESSING THIS EVERY EVERY SIX MONTHS. AND SO WITH THIS FROM A TRAFFIC AND LAND USE POSITION, TRAFFIC IS FINE. LAND USE IS FINE. IF, UH, WE, WE LOOKED AT AN ADDITIONAL 17 ELEMENTARY MIDDLE SCHOOLS AROUND AUSTIN THAT HAVE ACCESS TO LOCAL, UH, LEVEL ONE STREETS JUST AS GIRLS SCHOOL. AND WHAT WE'RE FINDING FROM A POPULATION STANDPOINT, WHEN YOU HAVE ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, THAT THE A ISD SCHOOLS OPERATE AT ABOUT 150 STUDENTS PER ACRE. GSA IS PROPOSING 85 STUDENTS PER ACRE, 58% OF WHAT IS NORMAL WITH A ISD SCHOOLS. SO BEFORE YOU AS A SCHOOL THAT ASKS FOR MORE ANALYSIS THAN REQUIRED, IT'S A SITE PLAN THAT'S GUIDED BY ENGINEERING ANALYSIS. IT'S A COMMITMENT TO ONGOING MONITORING AND ADJUSTMENTS. A SCHOOL THAT'S OPERATING EFFICIENTLY TODAY, A SCHOOL THAT'S GONNA OPERATE EFFICIENTLY TOMORROW AND THE SURROUNDING STREETS HAVE THE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY. AND SO WITH THAT, UM, WE ASK THAT YOU SUPPORT THE PROJECT BASED OFF OF SOUND ENGINEERING, THOUGHTFUL DESIGN, AND A COMMITMENT FOR CHANGE ALONG THE WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS REBECCA KONO. SHE'LL BE RECEIVING FOUR MINUTES OF TIME FROM SARAH ORMAN AND M BAUER. ARE Y'ALL BOTH PRESENT? REBECCA, YOU'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES. THANK YOU. UM, GOOD. A GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. I'M REBECCA KONO AND I'M THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN. I'M ALSO A NATIVE AUSTINITE. I WANTED TO START WITH JUST A SHORT THOUGHT EXPERIMENT FOR THE GROWNUPS IN THE ROOM. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL? I WANT YOU IN YOUR MIND TO PICK THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW YOU EXPERIENCED IT OR HOW REMEMBERING IT MAKES YOU FEEL. AND I'LL GO FIRST. IN SEVENTH GRADE, I ATTENDED PORTER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL AN A ISD SCHOOL. IF THAT DOESN'T RING A BELL, IT'S BECAUSE IT CLOSED IN 2006 TO PAVE THE WAY FOR THE ANN RICHARDS SCHOOL FOR YOUNG WOMEN LEADERS, LIKE MOST MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SEVENTH GRADE, I HAD NEW NEEDS, NEW INTERESTS, AND I WANTED A NEW SOCIAL CIRCLE. I ATTENDED A ISD SCHOOLS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE, AND AFTER GRADUATING FROM UT, I SPENT 40, SORRY, 34 YEARS IN EDUCATION AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR ACROSS SEVEN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. I CAN TELL YOU, NO OTHER SCHOOL EVEN COMES CLOSE TO GSA IN PROVIDING HIGH INTELLECTUAL RIGOR STARTING IN KINDERGARTEN AND KNOWING AND SUPPORTING EACH CHILD AND HER FAMILY. BECAUSE I HAVE SPENT MORE THAN HALF MY CAREER EDUCATING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, IT IS MY CALLING TO KNOW WHAT OUR STUDENTS NEED, AND IT'S MY [01:15:01] JOB TO OPERATIONALIZE HOW WE MEET THOSE NEEDS. GSA IS ASKING YOU TO APPROVE OUR REQUEST TO GROW OUR STUDENT BODY BY UP TO 50 STUDENTS. AND SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE PLANNING TO GROW OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL IN OUR CURRENT FORMAT WITH ONLY ONE SECTION PER GRADE. WE HAVE A RIGOROUS AND WELL-DEFINED ACADEMIC PROGRAM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. YOUNG WOMEN BEGIN TO DEVELOP THEIR IDENTITIES IN MORE COMPLEX AND MAGNIFIED WAYS, PHYSICALLY, COGNITIVELY AND PERSONALLY. THEY'RE READY FOR AND CURIOUS ABOUT NEW INTERESTS AND NOVEL IDEAS. IN ORDER TO DELIVER ON STUDENTS' INTELLECTUAL NEEDS, GSA MUST OFFER A WIDER VARIETY OF CLASSES, LEVELS AND PROGRAMS. AND WE WANT TO HAVE THE STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN THESE CLASSES IN ORDER TO ADDRESS STUDENTS' NEEDS FOR MORE SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES. WE ALSO NEED TO BE ABLE TO RECONFIGURE CLASS ROSTERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY SO THE GIRLS WILL SPEND TIME WITH EACH OTHER IN DIFFERENT GROUPINGS. THE CURRENT CLASS SIZE LIMIT ACROSS THE SCHOOL IS 18 STUDENTS. MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS NEED A LARGER COHORT. HAVING 30 STUDENTS PER GRADE IN THESE GRADES, MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES ALLOW US TO RECONFIGURE CLASS ROSTERS AND INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES. THEY WILL HAVE A BIGGER POOL OF POTENTIAL FRIENDSHIPS AND SOCIAL CONCERNS IN THEIR EARLY, EARLY ADOLESCENT YEARS. COMMISSIONERS, YOU BRING YOUR EXPERTISE IN CITY DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, ARCHITECTURE, PUBLIC WORKS, AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING TO YOUR ROLE IN SERVICE TO THE CITY. IN MY ROLE AS HEAD OF SCHOOL, I'M EXPECTED TO HAVE DEEP KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY. I HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT. ULTIMATELY, MY JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THAT SCHOOL OPERATIONS SUPPORT THE MISSION AND THE TEACHING AND LEARNING THAT HAPPENS ON OUR CAMPUS. THIS SCHOOL YEAR, I'VE ALSO HAD TO DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THE INS AND OUTS OF TRAFFIC ENGINEERING . I HAVE INVESTED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AND ENERGY INTO LEARNING ABOUT TRAFFIC AND CITY POLICY AND ANALYZING TRAFFIC FLOW AND EFFICIENCY, AS WELL AS PAYING ACUTE ATTENTION TO WHAT THE NEIGHBORS NEED. BECAUSE DOING THOSE THINGS ARE VITAL FOR THE GSA TO CONTINUE OUR UNIQUE MISSION. IN OCTOBER, 2025, WE ASKED OUR ASKED OUR FAMILIES TO REVISE THEIR ROUTE TO THE SCHOOL ENTRANCE TO REFLECT THE 2012 AGREEMENT THE GSA MADE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS. AND WE SAW AN IMMEDIATE REDUCTION IN THE TIME IT TOOK FOR DROP OFF AND DISMISSAL. IT ALSO STREAMLINED THE FLOW OF RESIDENT VEHICLES BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN MCCALL AND WINDSOR ROADS. LATER IN OCTOBER, GSA INVITED OUR NEIGHBORS TO CAMPUS SO WE COULD BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT OUR INTENT TO APPLY FOR A NEW CUP TO BETTER SERVE OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. THAT EVENING NEIGHBORS SHARED THAT THE CHANGE TRAFFIC PATTERN HAD CREATED NEW PROBLEMS AND THAT THEY WERE HIGHLY CONCERNED ABOUT ADDITIONAL STUDENTS ADDING TO THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING ISSUES. AT THAT TIME, OUR NEIGHBORS OFFERED SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE COULD MITIGATE THOSE ISSUES SO THAT IN THE SUBSEQUENT WEEKS AND MONTHS, WE IMPLEMENTED MANY OF THEIR SUGGESTIONS, INCLUDING HAVING ADMINISTRATORS ON MCCALL ROAD TO DIRECT TRAFFIC, CHANGING THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DISMISSAL TIME FROM 4:00 PM TO 3 55 TO REDUCE WAIT TIME. LAUNCHING A COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE GSA DRIVERS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF DRIVING MORE SLOWLY, LOADING CARS MORE EFFICIENTLY AND BEING RESPECTFUL WHEN PARKING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ONE RESULT, BOTH LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL DISMISSAL TIME HAVE BEEN REDUCED BY UP TO EIGHT MINUTES EACH. OUR PARENTS AND STAFF HAVE MADE IT A PRIORITY TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THE NEIGHBOR'S NEEDS WHEN DRIVING TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND PARKING ON THE SURROUNDING STREETS. WE HAVE BEEN USING OUR CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS AS WELL. OUR STAFF NOW HAVE CAR TAGS, SO THEY ARE EASILY IDENTIFIABLE. WE RECENTLY PUT TRAFFIC CO CONES OUT ON THE CALL TO PREVENT CARS FROM STANDING DURING DROP OFF AND PICKUP, AND WE ARE REACHING OUT TO NEARBY PARKING LOT OWNERS TO ASK PERMISSION TO USE THEIR PROPERTY UNTIL LAST YEAR, WE BORROWED THE COMMANDER'S LOT AT 2002 SHARON LANE. WITH THE RECENT CHANGE OF COMMAND, WE HAD TO MEET NEW REQUIREMENTS AND ARE CURRENTLY WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM FOR PERMISSION TO RE RESUME USE OF THAT LOT FOR STAFF DURING SPECIAL EVENTS. OUR SCHOOL HAS BEEN AT THE CORNER OF MCCALL AND WINDSOR ROADS FOR 24 YEARS. WE ARE TARRYTOWN NEIGHBORS, WHILE OUR STUDENT BODY DOES INDEED INCLUDE FAMILIES FROM 37 DIFFERENT ZIP CODE CODES. 16% OF OUR FAMILIES LIVE IN THE 7 8 7 0 3 ZIP CODE, AND NEARLY A THIRD OF OUR FAMILIES LIVE IN DISTRICT 10 31%. THE GSA IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO PROVIDE OUR GIRLS WITH THE BEST ROLE MODELS FOR HOW TO BE GOOD CITIZENS AND GOOD NEIGHBORS. COMMISSIONERS. THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN IS PROVIDING AN EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY FOR GIRLS OF OUR CITY AT A TIME WHEN EDUCATING AND SUPPORTING GIRLS IS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY. VOTING TO APPROVE OUR REQUEST TO INCREASE OUR ENROLLMENT LIMIT TO 200 STUDENTS IS A VOTE FOR THE GIRLS OF AUSTIN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. I'M GONNA CALL UP THE NEXT THREE SPEAKERS IN FAVOR. CLAIRE [01:20:01] HUBERMAN, ALIANA CORBETT AND ERIN ORMAN. PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE FRONT AND YOU WILL EACH HAVE TWO MINUTES. THANKS SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO US THIS EVENING. MY NAME IS CLAIRE HOMAN. I'M AN OB GYN PHYSICIAN AND MY DAUGHTER EMMA, IS A THIRD GRADER AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL. I LIVE THREE BLOCKS FROM THE SCHOOL AND I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF TERRYTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE I WAS 1-YEAR-OLD. I FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT I'M ABLE TO LIVE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE INVESTED AND BELIEVED IN SUPPORTING MY EDUCATION BECAUSE OF THAT. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN AND EXPANDING THEIR CAPACITY OF 200 STUDENTS. THERE IS CONCERN, AS YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD REGARDING TRAFFIC PATTERNS WITH THE PRESENCE OF THE SCHOOL AND INCREASING THE CAPACITY. BUT THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS BEING ADDED THROUGH THIS REQUEST SEEMS MINIMAL COMPARED TO WHAT WE MIGHT BE PROVIDING AS A COMMUNITY TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIRLS EDUCATION. AS YOU'VE HEARD, THE SCHOOL HAS BEEN HERE SINCE 1955 WITHOUT A VERY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CAPACITY DESPITE A RAPIDLY GROWING CITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD. I REGULARLY NAVIGATE ST. ANDREW'S AND SCHOOL TRAFFIC IN ORDER TO GET TO AND FROM WORK. AND I ADJUST MY SCHEDULE OR ROUTE BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN SCHOOL DROP OFF AND PICK UP ARE, IT'S NOT A SURPRISE. AND OCCASIONALLY THERE IS AN URGENCY IN GETTING TO THE HOSPITAL, CATCH A BABY. IT SEEMS THERE'S LESS URGENCY IN DRIVING DOWN MCCALL ROAD TO EXIT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND A LONG ESTABLISHED SCHOOL ALSO. AND YOU AND I WOULD A SACRIFICE THAT ONE WOULD THINK A HOMEOWNER WOULD UNDERSTAND WHEN BUYING A HOME NEAR A LONG ESTABLISHED SCHOOL. ALSO, IT'S AUSTIN, YOU CAN'T GET RID OF THE TRAFFIC, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THE DROP OFF AND PICKUP PROCESS IS CONSTANTLY BEING ASSESSED WITH STUDENTS AND STAFF HELPING, HELPING LOAD AND UNLOAD CARS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY. I WOULD ASK THAT WE ALL TAKE A MOMENT, SLOW DOWN AND UNDERSTAND THAT WE MAKE THESE ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR LIFE SO THAT WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE GREATER GOOD OF SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE. I'M SURE THAT YOU CAN THINK OF THAT TEACHER THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO YOU, THAT COMMUNITY THAT HELD YOU UP AND SUPPORTED YOU. FOR MY DAUGHTER THAT IS THE GSA COMMUNITY WHERE SHE AND THE OTHER GIRLS FEEL LOVED AND SUPPORTED. THE STAFF AT THIS SCHOOL HAVE BEEN HAVE THE BEST INTEREST OF THESE GIRLS IN MIND. AND I SINCERELY HOPE THAT EVERYONE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ALSO HAS THESE GIRLS' BEST INTEREST IN MIND AND HOW WE CAN MAKE THIS UNIQUE AND VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE TO MORE PEOPLE. FOR ME, I'M GRATEFUL TO CALL THE GSA MY NEIGHBOR. AND I, I LIKE KNOWING THAT I HAVE TRUSTED MEMBERS OF MY COMMUNITY RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. AND SINCERELY, HOPE THIS PLAN IS APPROVED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'M ERIN. I'M ANA. WE WANTED TO START OFF OUR TIME BY TAKING A SECOND TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES. WE'RE BOTH GRADUATING EIGHTH GRADERS AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN. I'VE BEEN AT THE GSA SINCE THIRD GRADE, AND I'VE BEEN AT THE GSA SINCE SIXTH GRADE. WE EACH SPEND PART OF OUR WEEKDAY MORNINGS DRIVING TO SCHOOL. PERSONALLY, I TAKE ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO GET TO SCHOOL. I TAKE A WHOPPING 40 OUT OF THAT TIME. WE SPEND ABOUT TWO MINUTES AT MOST IN THE DROP OFF LINE. THEN WE GET TO CLASS. WE SPEND EIGHT HOURS LEARNING, MAKING MEMORIES, LAUGHING AND MAKING AN IMPACT ON THE GIRLS YOUNGER THAN US TOO. RIGHT NOW, WE ONLY HAVE 17 PEOPLE IN OUR WHOLE GRADE. ON ONE HAND, IT PROVIDES A CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY THAT EVERYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH. ON THE OTHER HAND, WE DON'T GET AS WIDE OF A VARIETY OF GIRLS AND THERE'S LESS FLEXIBILITY WITH CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES. THERE ARE 25 TO 26,000 GIRLS WHO CAN GO TO K THROUGH EIGHT SCHOOLS IN AUSTIN. AND THAT'S ONLY IN A ISD. WE HAVE 37 ZIP CODES ATTENDING OUR SCHOOL, INCLUDING OUR OWN. THAT MEANS THAT THERE ARE GIRLS DRIVING FROM AROUND 35 DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS TO GET TO SUCH A BRILLIANT SCHOOL EVERY DAY. EACH OF THOSE GIRLS ARE BENEFITING EVERY SINGLE MINUTE THEY SPEND IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHILE AT SCHOOL, OUR GIRLS VOLUNTEER AROUND THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY PAYING BACK THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES THEY GET. WE GO HAVE PE FUN WITH THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED. WE PROVIDE RESOURCES AND MATERIALS FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT ST. LOUIS HOUSE. WE DONATE AND VOLUNTEER AT AUSTIN CREATIVE REUSE AND WE VOLUNTEER OUR HELP AT FARMS AND ANIMAL SHELTERS AROUND THE CITY, INCLUDING URBAN ROOTS AND SAFE IN AUSTIN. PART OF TERRY TOWN'S COMMUNITY IS THE AUSTIN ASSISTED LIVING CENTER. WE GO THERE TWICE A YEAR FOR A CONCERT TO GIVE PEOPLE THERE LIVING THERE. THE JOY OF MUSIC. EXPANDING THE GSA MEANS GIVING MORE GIRLS MORE OPPORTUNITIES, MORE KNOWLEDGE, MORE MEMORIES, AND MORE OF POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. EVEN IF SOME MAY FEEL THAT THE TIME SPENT GETTING TO SCHOOL OR WAITING IN THE DROP OFF LINE, BEING TYPICALLY UNDER 30 MINUTES IS INCONVENIENT. WE BELIEVE IT IS A REASONABLE AND WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT INVESTMENT TO GIVEN THE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT IT HAS ON THESE GIRLS. THE NEXT GENERATION OF GIRLS DESERVES A CHANCE TO GET TO EXPERIENCE THIS TYPE OF EDUCATION. AND BY EXPANDING OUR SIZE, WE'RE ALSO EXPANDING THE AMOUNT OF STRONG, CAPABLE, INDEPENDENT, INTELLIGENT, CREATIVE, TALENTED, THOUGHTFUL, ADVENTUROUS YOUNG WOMEN. THIS SCHOOL IS OUR HOME. WE HOPE THAT BY MAKING IT LARGER, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE MAKING MORE ROOM FOR MORE BRIGHT FUTURE THINKERS. AS YOU CAN TELL, THE SCHOOL MEANS THE MOST TO US, AND WE HOPE YOU TAKE THIS SPEECH INTO DEEP CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU FOR [01:25:01] YOUR TIME. GO FIREBIRDS. THANK YOU. THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT THREE SPEAKERS, ALL IN FAVOR ARE DREW, CARMEN, ROBIN BIRCHFIELD, AND BRAD HEIN. UH, THERE WE GO. UH, HI, UH, COMMISSIONERS. UH, MY NAME'S DREW CARMEN. I'M A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND A PLANNER, UH, HERE IN TOWN. AND, AND MY DAUGHTER GOES TO THE GIRLS SCHOOL. SHE'S IN KINDERGARTEN. UM, I I I JUST WANNA KIND OF STEP BACK A LITTLE BIT AND KINDA LOOK AT THIS FROM A BROADER, UH, UH, KIND OF URBAN PLANNING STANDPOINT. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS USE A HUNDRED PERCENT ALIGNS WITH, UH, THE CITY'S KIND OF CORE, UH, PLANNING VALUES. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS GOOD INFILL GROWTH. UH, IT'S MANAGEABLE. UM, YEAH, THEY CAN UTILIZE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. IT'S, UH, IT'S KIND OF HITS ALL THE, UM, ALL THE POINTS. UM, BUT SORRY, WAS THAT ME THAT NO, YOU CAN KEEP GOING. SORRY. UH, BUT I, I'M NOT GONNA BELABOR THE, UM, TRAFFIC ISSUE. WE'VE, YOU KNOW, HEARD FROM STAFF AND, UH, MR. THROWER AND IT'S, UH, I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE A GOOD IDEA ABOUT, UH, UH, THAT, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT I WANTED TO UH, POINT OUT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE CUP IS A PLANNING TOOL. THIS IS LIKE EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR. YOU KNOW, LIKE APPROPRIATE CONTEXT SENSITIVE GROWTH WITH SOME CONDITIONS, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, I, I JUST THINK THIS PLANNING TOOL IS DOING A GOOD JOB. UM, AND, AND I LOVE IT. BUT I GUESS THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS, IS THIS. IF WE LOOK AT THIS FROM A, NOT A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE, BUT A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, THE GIRLS SCHOOL AND ALL SCHOOLS, THEY, THEY PROVIDE REAL MEANINGFUL BENEFITS TO, TO OUR COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, AND I, I'LL TAKE THIS DIRECTLY FROM THEIR, OR PARAPHRASE THEIR MISSION STATEMENT, AN INSTITUTION WHERE YOUNG WOMEN CAN LEARN TO BECOME CONFIDENT, ENGAGED CITIZENS, RIGHT? UH, AND LEAD INTELLECTUALLY VIBRANT LIVES AND FULFILLING LIVES. UM, SO I, YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK GIVING 50 MORE GIRLS THAT OPPORTUNITY IS, UH, YOU KNOW, A REALLY WORTHWHILE EFFORT. UM, SO THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT AND I HOPE YOU CAN SUPPORT THIS CUP. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I ALSO WANNA THANK EVERY GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN, FAMILY TEACHER, BOARD MEMBER, AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTER WHO'S HERE TONIGHT. YOUR PRESENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES AND I WANNA THANK THOSE HERE WHO ARE HERE IN OPPOSITION. IT TAKES ENGAGED, COMMITTED CITIZENS TO SHOW UP FOR THESE CONVERSATIONS. AND I BELIEVE THAT AT THE HEART OF ALL THIS, WE ALL WANT THE SAME THING. A VIBRANT, THRIVING AUSTIN THAT GETS IT RIGHT. I HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE GIRL SCHOOL COMMUNITY AS A PARENT, AS A BOARD MEMBER, AND NOW AS A STAFF MEMBER. AND THROUGH MY DAUGHTER, I HAVE SEEN THE OUTCOME OF THE GIRLS SCHOOL EDUCATION FIRSTHAND. SHE IS A CONFIDENT, CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER WHOSE INTELLECT IS MATCHED BY HER ABILITY TO LISTEN, EMPATHIZE, AND LEAD CHANGE. SHE'S A YOUNG WOMAN WHO KNOWS THAT REAL LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT OVERPOWERING A ROOM, OVERPOWERING A ROOM. IT'S ABOUT ELEVATING EVERYONE IN IT AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN. WE DON'T JUST TEACH THAT WE LIVE IT. AND THAT IS PRECISELY HOW WE HAVE APPROACHED THIS EXPANSION. WE PARTNERED WITH TRAFFIC ENGINEERS, CIVIL ENGINEERS, AND LAND USE CONSULTANTS. WE CONDUCTED RIGOROUS ANALYSIS OF PEAK DROP OFF AND PEAK AND PICKUP CONDITIONS. WE ENGAGED IN MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS AND CITY LEADERSHIP. WE LISTENED CAREFULLY AND WE AGREED TO PERMIT ACCOMMODATIONS. AND THE RESULT WAS A SITE PLAN THAT TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL, THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND AUSTIN'S FUTURE COMMISSIONERS BEHIND THIS APPLICATION ARE FAMILIES, TEACHERS, STAFF, AND GIRLS. GIRLS WHO WILL LEAVE THE GIRLS' SCHOOL CONFIDENT IN WHO THEY ARE AND CURIOUS ENOUGH TO NEVER STOP ASKING QUESTIONS BECAUSE THE WORLD THAT THEY ARE INHERITING DEMANDS EXACTLY THAT. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I WANT THEM READY. AND THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN MAKES THEM READY. I ASK THAT YOU APPROVE THIS APPLICATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COULD YOU STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE? ROBIN BIRCHFIELD. THANK YOU. [01:30:01] HELLO COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS BRAD HEFFER AND I'M THE PARENT OF TWO STUDENTS AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN BELLAMY, WHO'S IN FIRST GRADE. PENELOPE IS IN THIRD GRADE. THEY ACTUALLY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO COME UP HERE, BUT I THINK THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE SORT OF CONFIDENCE THAT THE GIRLS SCHOOL AND GENDERS, I WISH THEY COULD READ THIS FOR ME. UM, TO ECHO WHAT THE OTHERS HAVE SAID, MY DAUGHTERS HAVE HAD AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE AT GSA, IT'S A SPECIAL PLACE THAT BUILDS CONFIDENT, THOUGHTFUL, AND CAPABLE GIRLS. WE HAVE SEVERAL PARENTS AT THE SCHOOL WHO ARE EDUCATORS THEMSELVES AT OTHER SCHOOLS, AND THEY CHOOSE TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN NOT TO THE SCHOOL THAT THEY WORK AT. BUT TO GSA, THAT'S ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED. MY WIFE AND I ARE ALSO STRONG BELIEVERS IN GIRLS ONLY EDUCATION. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THESE EN ENVIRONMENTS CAN HELP GIRLS BUILD CONFIDENCE, TAKE ON LEADERSHIP ROLES, AND PURSUE FIELDS LIKE STEM, WHERE GIRLS OFTEN FALL BEHIND BOYS IN CO-ED SETTINGS. THIS TYPE OF EDUCATION IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT DURING THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS WHEN CONFIDENCE OFTEN DROPS AND SOCIAL PRESSURES INCREASE. THERE'S A REAL DEMAND FOR THAT KIND OF ENVIRONMENT IN AUSTIN TODAY. AND ALL THE FAMILIES THAT YOU SEE HERE TODAY ARE NOT HERE BECAUSE IT BENEFITS US. MY KIDS ALREADY GO TO THE SCHOOL. WE WANT MORE GIRLS TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME OPPORTUNITY THAT OURS HAVE HAD. I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEIGHBOR'S CONCERNS ABOUT TRAFFIC. I UNDERSTAND THAT FRUSTRATION. OUR HOUSE IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE FORMER ROSEDALE SCHOOL SITE, AND I LIVE FOR YEARS WITH EXACTLY THE SAME TYPE OF TRAFFIC THAT THE NEIGHBORS ARE TALKING ABOUT. BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT SCHOOL TRAFFIC IS INHERENTLY CONCENTRATED DURING SHORT WINDOWS. WHEN MY KIDS WENT TO HYDE PARK BEFORE THEY WENT TO GSA, THE PICKUP LINE ALSO SPILLED INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND BLOCKED INTERSECTIONS THAT HAPPENS AT MOST SCHOOLS. BUT I WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT THIS PARENT GROUP IS VERY CONSCIENTIOUS OF OUR IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WE STRIVE TO MINIMIZE IT TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE. I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT MY GIRLS ARE VERY HAPPY TO TELL ME WHEN I'VE MISSED THE PROPER PICKUP ROUTE. ULTIMATELY, THIS COMES DOWN TO BALANCE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD DOES HAVE REAL CONCERNS, BUT THERE'S ALSO A CLEAR AND MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY BENEFIT. EXPANDING FROM 150 TO 200 STUDENTS ALLOWS MORE FAMILIES TO ACCESS THIS. AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL RESPECTIVELY SUPPORT THE PERMIT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU EACH FOR YOUR COMMENTS. MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT SPEAKERS, WE HAVE BRANDON WARD, WHO WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF TIME FROM MELINDA MADURA. MELINDA, ARE YOU PRESENT? OKAY. AND THEN ALSO COMING TO THE FRONT WILL BE KIMBERLY DAVIS AND THEN CCY BLUNT, WHO WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF TIME FROM TED HUGHES. TED, ARE YOU PRESENT? PERFECT. AND WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME SO WE CAN MAKE SURE EVERYBODY GETS THEIR ACCOMMODATED TIME. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS BRANDON WARD. I TEACH FIFTH AND SIXTH GRADE HUMANITIES AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. CAN'T BELIEVE THAT. UM, SIX OR SEVEN YEARS BEFORE COMING TO GSA THOUGH I WAS TEACHING SECOND GRADE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, UH, STUDENTS, I WAS TEACHING SECOND GRADE AND I REMEMBER ACTUALLY TEACHING A SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON ABOUT COMMUNITIES. AND I BROUGHT IN MY GUITAR ONE DAY, AND I STILL REMEMBER THE CHORUS OF THE SONG I SANG. AND IT WAS PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES LIVE, WORK AND PLAY PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES LIVE, WORK AND PLAY. AND, UH, THAT COURSE HAS STRANGELY STUCK WITH ME ALL OF THESE YEARS. AND AFTER MOVING FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL, UH, AFTER A FEW YEARS, GSA FINALLY BECAME THE SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY WHERE I GOT TO PUT DOWN ROOTS. AND I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT. I FOUND A SCHOOL THAT I COULD POUR MYSELF INTO AND WAS EQUALLY POURED INTO BY THE ENDLESS SUPPORT AND CARE FROM THE TEACHERS, THE OTHER TEACHERS, THE OTHER PARENTS, AND THE STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL. IT'S A PRIVILEGE AND HONOR TO SIT NEXT TO STUDENTS THAT I'VE TAUGHT IN FIFTH GRADE AND SIXTH GRADE, AND TO HEAR THEM SPEAK THIS EVENING AND LOOK FORWARD TO, TO TEACHING, UH, IN THE COMING YEARS. UH, AND SO THIS WAS A COMMUNITY. THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE I COULD BELONG AND FIT. THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE I COULD LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY. AND SO HERE ARE JUST A FEW MOMENTS TO ADD ON WITH, UH, ALIANA AND AARON THAT SHARED A FEW MOMENTS OF WHAT THEY DID IN THE COMMUNITY. HERE'S SOME THINGS THAT I DO IN THE COMMUNITY. IF I'M NOT TEACHING, YOU'LL FIND ME WALKING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, OR RUNNING ON A GOOD DAY. UH, TARRYTOWN TEXACO RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM US HAS HELPED ME OUT WITH A DEAD BATTERY PLENTY OF TIMES, AND A FLAT TIRE. UH, THEY'RE ALSO CARE FOR OUR LITTLE, ONE LITTLE SCHOOL BUS THAT WE HAVE, AND THEY'VE CARED FOR IT EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. UH, MANY OF OUR STAFF WAS VERY EXCITED WHEN LITTLE FIELDS POPPED UP 'CAUSE IT ACTUALLY GAVE ME A DESTINATION TO WALK TO INSTEAD OF JUST WALKING CIRCLES. BUT I COULD GO AND GET TACOS. SO VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT. MY KIDS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN FOSTERING, UH, ANIMALS, AND SO WE HAVE VISITED AUSTIN PETS ALIVE FAR TOO MANY WEDNESDAYS IN A ROW, AND WE'RE RIGHT THERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD DOING THAT. OUR PE COACH, COACH SPARKS IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT. THANK YOU. SHE, UH, TAKES OUR STUDENTS OVER TO TRIANGLE PARK, UH, FOR P ACTIVITIES AND GAMES. UH, AND ONCE A ONCE A YEAR OR ONE ONE YEAR, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO RECEIVE AN INVITATION TO THE HALLOWEEN PARTY THAT HAPPENS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IT WAS BUMPING. IT WAS VERY THRILLING AND EXCITING. I HOPE. MAYBE, MAYBE, UH, NEXT OCTOBER, [01:35:01] UM, EVERY YEAR I TAKE MY STUDENTS UP TO THE TEXAS MILITARY MUSEUM UP AT CAMP MAYBERRY. UH, THE FIREFIGHTERS FROM FIRE STATION 10 HAVE COME OUT TO OUR SCHOOL ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, TALK FIRE SAFETY, AND TO TO HONOR THEIR SERVICE. ONCE A MONTH, I TAKE MY STUDENTS OVER TO THE HOUSING LIBRARY TO VISIT MISS MARYBETH. AND SO THOSE ARE JUST SMALL. I COULD KEEP GOING AND GOING EASILY, EASILY ABOUT MANY MORE MOMENTS AND EXPERIENCES THAT WE HAVE, UH, IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD THAT MAKE IT SPECIAL. AND TRUTHFULLY, GSA FEELS LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES THE G THAT THAT TERRYTOWN NEIGHBOR SPECIAL. UM, IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS JUST SO MUCH GOING ON, I BELIEVE IT'S AS IMPORTANT AS EVER TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. THAT IS RIGHT THERE IN OUR SMALL COMMUNITIES WHERE WE LIVE, WORK AND PLAY. I BELIEVE THAT INVESTING IN THE GROWTH OF GSA IS INVESTING IN STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WHO CARE ABOUT THE WORLD AND THEIR COMMUNITY. AND IT REALLY HAS BEEN THE PROFESSIONAL JOY OF MY LIFE TO BE A PART OF THIS AMAZING SCHOOL AND THIS FANTASTIC NEIGHBORHOOD. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. HI. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS KIMBERLY DAVIS. I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE GSA CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. I'M A RESIDENT OF THE TERRYTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD. I LIVE AROUND THE CORNER FROM THE GIRLS SCHOOL, UM, ON FOREST TRAIL. WE'VE LIVED THERE SINCE 2014. UM, OUR DAUGHTER, NINA, HAS ATTENDED THE GSA STARTING IN FALL OF 2018 IN THE FIRST GRADE, AND SHE'S NOW IN THE EIGHTH GRADE AND SHE'S HERE WITH ME TONIGHT. SHE'S IN THE SAME CLASS WITH ERIN AND ALIANA AND CECE. UM, WE'VE BEEN SO GRATEFUL THAT THIS SCHOOL HAS BEEN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, WE WALK NINA TO SCHOOL EVERY MORNING FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, AND IT'S REALLY BEEN A WHOLESOME AND MEANINGFUL RITUAL IN OUR FAMILY. NOW THAT SHE'S AN EIGHTH GRADER, WE'VE ALLOWED HER TO WALK HOME FROM SCHOOL OR SOMETIMES TO THE NEARBY JUICE LAND WITH FRIENDS AFTER CLASS. UH, THE EIGHTH GRADERS ALSO LIKE TO MEET FOR BREAKFAST AT VERACRUZ AT, UH, LITTLEFIELD, OR GO TO ZBS IN CAIS VILLAGE AFTER SCHOOL EVENTS. AND FOR NINA'S RECENT BIRTHDAY, ALL OF THE EIGHTH GRADERS WALKED DOWN THE STREET TO OUR HOUSE AFTER SCHOOL FOR A PARTY. YOU WERE THERE. UM, THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO MOVE AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WITH AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE HAVE CONTRIBUTED MEANINGFULLY TO NINA'S MATURITY AND TO THAT OF HER FRIENDS. THESE ARE THE TYPES OF EXPERIENCES THAT WE WANTED FOR OUR DAUGHTER WHEN WE CHOSE GSA AND WE HOPE THAT MORE YOUNG WOMEN CAN HAVE THE GREAT FORTUNE TO GO TO SCHOOL IN TERRYTOWN. UM, ALSO AS SOMEONE WHO'S LIVED NEAR THE GSA FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, I WALK AND DRIVE DOWN MCCALL MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY TO TAKE HER TO SCHOOL, TO PICK HER UP, TO WALK THE DOG. UM, AND I CAN SAY THAT I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED OVERWHELMING TRAFFIC. THE BACKUP IS BRIEF AND ORDERLY. UM, AND TO BE CLEAR, WE WOULD NEVER LET NINA WALK HOME IF WE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF SPEEDING HAPPENING ON MCCALL. UM, SOMETIMES THE GSA DOES HOST EVENTS FOR THE GIRLS, LIKE THE RECENT TALENT SHOW OR STRINGS CONCERT, AND THERE ARE CARS LINING THE STREET. BUT WE THINK OF THIS AS BEING PART OF A THRIVING AND BUSTLING COMMUNITY, UM, AND A COMMUNITY THAT HAS SPACE FOR GIRLS AND SCHOOL CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY LIKE THE GIRLS WHO ATTEND GSA. HELLO COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS CECE BLUNT AND I'VE BEEN AT THE SCHOOL SINCE KINDERGARTEN. WE CALL OURSELVES THE GIRLS SCHOOL FOR A REASON. EVERY STUDENT HERE, INCLUDING ME, IS A PART OF THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY. THAT MEANS EACH INDIVIDUAL GIRL IS IS NOT ONLY A PART OF ONE OF THE 37 ZIP CODES THAT OUR STUDENTS CALL HOME, BUT THE TARRYTOWN COMMUNITY TOO. COMMUNITY SERVICE IS SOMETHING WE ARE INVOLVED IN. FROM THE VERY FIRST YEAR AT GSA THIS PAST YEAR, THE EIGHTH GRADE CLASS SPEARHEADED A VERY LARGE COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT. THE ENTIRE SCHOOL WAS INVOLVED, WHETHER IT WAS A LARGE CONTRIBUTION OR SMALL, THE MISSION OF OUR SCHOOL STATES, THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN PROVIDES AN ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGING EDUCATION FOR GIRLS IN A COMMUNITY THAT FOSTERS CREATIVE LEARNING AND PERSONAL EXCELLENCE. OUR MISSION IS TO DEVELOP CONFIDENT YOUNG WOMEN WHO LEAD IN, WHO LEAD INTELLECTUAL VIOLENCE AND FULFILLING LIVES. WITH THE GIRLS THAT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS SCHOOL, THEY'RE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE WITH COUNTLESS ORGANIZATIONS IN SCHOOLS AROUND AUSTIN, SUCH AS TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED, THE SAFETY AND AUSTIN FARM. OUR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE PERFORMS ANNUALLY FOR THE RESIDENTS AT THE AUSTIN STATE ASSISTED LIVING CENTER. AND WE COLLECT BOOKS EACH YEAR FOR BOOK SPRING. IN ADDITION, WE LEARN FROM THE CITIES AROUND US BY VISITING COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE BOB BULLOCK MUSEUM, LAGUNA GLORIA, THE BLANTON, ZACK THEATER, AND THE TEXAS STATE CEMETERY. BY EXPANDING THE SCHOOL, WE ARE GIVING 50 MORE GIRLS THE RESOURCES TO CHANGE THE FUTURE. AND BY ALLOWING THIS PERMIT, IT WILL GIVE, IT WILL ALLOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO INVEST IN THOSE GIRLS TOO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT THREE SPEAKERS IN FAVOR ARE CARRIE TOWSLEY STEWART BRETT SMITH, WHO WILL BE RECEIVING FOUR MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM RACHEL NEN AND ROBIN MABRY. ARE Y'ALL BOTH PRESENT? PERFECT. RIGHT. [01:40:01] AND THEN KELSEY BANISTER, PLEASE COME FORWARD AND PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME WHENEVER YOU START SPEAKING SO WE CAN MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS THEIR TIME. HI, I AM CARRIE TOUSLEY AND I LIVE AT 29 12 WINDSOR ROAD. SO I WANTED TO SHARE MY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE AS SOMEBODY THAT WALKS TO SCHOOL. MY DAUGHTER PIPER AND I HAVE CROSSED BREMAN AND MCCALL OVER 600 TIMES THIS SCHOOL YEAR. AND I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN A HUGE CHANGE IN THE WAY THAT THE TRAFFIC FLOW IS GOING. SO ONCE WE REROUTED OUR TRAFFIC TO GO AROUND KINDA SOME NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS, WHAT WE'VE NOTICED AS, AS WE'RE WALKING IS THAT THERE'S NO LONGER A LINE AT MCCALL GOING DOWN, WINDSOR WAITING TO RUN US OVER AT ALL. THERE'S ALMOST ZERO CARS WAITING. UM, THERE'S ALSO OUR WALK FROM BREMAN TO MCCALL IS NOW LINED WITH HANDS OUT THE WINDOW WAVING TO US, TELLING US HELLO, GOOD MORNING. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE. WE WERE SEEING THE TRAFFIC FLOW ROUTE CHANGE. UM, I WANTED TO NOTE THAT OF COURSE THERE'S GONNA BE A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY INTENTIONALLY VIOLATING ANY RULES, BUT THEY'VE BEEN MAKING THESE TURNS FOR SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AND THAT'S MUSCLE MEMORY THAT WE'RE JUST GONNA ALL HAVE TO WORK THROUGH. I THINK SOMETIMES THE INVISIBLE SUCCESS OF REROUTING TRAFFIC TAKES QUITE A WHILE TO BE FELT THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, ULTIMATELY TERRY TOWNS WIN IS OUR WIN AS OUR ENROLLMENT GROWS. SO DOES OUR FOCUS ON THE, AND OUR INVESTMENT ON GETTING THIS RIGHT. AS A PARENT, I REALLY APPRECIATE NO MORE AWKWARD MERGING OR NO MORE GRIDLOCK TRAFFIC ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL. AND, UM, I'M ALSO EXCITED TO SEE GSA TAKE THIS PROBLEM ON AS THE PROBLEM SOLVERS THAT THEY ARE WITH A LOT OF EXCITEMENT. AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN ROBIN SO EXCITED TO TELL ME ABOUT HOW MANY CARS WE'VE REDUCED IN OUR CAR LINE. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN COMMIT TO GOING FORWARD AND UM, WE HAVE A HUNDRED PERCENT COMMITMENT INTERNALLY. COMMISSIONERS, IF I CAN JUST GET YOUR ATTENTION REAL QUICK, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS ON THE LIST, UM, BUT I JUST BEFORE OUR LAST SPEAKER, BRETT, WHO'S SITTING NEXT TO ME COMES UP, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE'S SO MANY ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS SIGNED UP, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE GONNA FORFEIT THEIR TIME TO SPEAK, BUT I DO WANNA ASK ALL OF THE GSA, UH, STUDENTS, STAFF, PARENTS TO STAND UP, UM, TO MAKE IT THEIR PRESENCE. NO. AND THEN WITH THAT, I'LL LEAVE IT TO BRETT TO BE THE LAST SPEAKER AND SUPPORT. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME'S BRETT SMITH. UH, I'VE BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. UH, I'VE GOT TWO KIDS THAT WENT TO THE GSA, UH, LILY IS A SOPHOMORE AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY IN CHICAGO, AND CHARLOTTE IS A JUNIOR AT AUSTIN HIGH. AND, UH, I CAN CERTAINLY SAY THAT GSA HAS HAD AN ENORMOUS IMPACT ON OUR LIVES AND ON AND ON THEIR LIVES. I CAN IMAGINE THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVE A PRETTY CHALLENGING JOB. I I PICTURE THAT EVERY DAY. IT'S SOMEBODY COMING TO ASK YOU FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKING YOU NOT TO GIVE IT TO 'EM. AND YOU'VE GOTTA SORT THROUGH A LOT OF INFORMATION TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF ALL OF THE REQUESTS THAT YOU GET AND HOW TO PUT IT IN ITS PROPER CONTEXT. SEEING FROM THE BROADEST PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER. THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CITY AT A HIGHER LEVEL. WE'D LIKE TO PRODUCE MORE THOUGHTFUL, WELL-ROUNDED AND ENGAGED, ENGAGED CITIZENS TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY. IN SHORT, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT. IT'S ONLY AN ARTIFACT OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS HERE THAT GSA IS THE REQUESTER. THIS IS THE SORT OF THING THAT CITIES ASK SCHOOLS TO DO ALL THE TIME. THEY ASK PEOPLE TO INVEST THEIR MONEY, THEIR TIME, THEIR LABOR TO EDUCATE MORE KIDS. SO IT'S ONLY A FUNCTION OF THE WAY THAT WE DO CITY PLANNING THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE THIS ASK. THIS IS NOT A DEVELOPER TRYING TO SQUEEZE EXTRA LOTS OUT OF A SITE SO THEY CAN MAKE THEIR NUMBERS WORK WITH A BANK. THIS IS NOT AN OVERZEALOUS HOMEOWNER ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS FOR THE EXTRA THOUSAND SQUARE FEET THEY ADDED ONTO THEIR HOUSE. THIS IS NOT A CORPORATION TRYING TO MAXIMIZE THEIR SHAREHOLDER VALUE BY PUSHING THE LIMITS OF THE BUILDING CODE. IT IS NOT GROWTH FOR GROWTH SAKE. WE'RE NOT JUST TRYING TO GROW THE SCHOOL 'CAUSE WE BOUGHT SOME LAND AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN. RECALL WHAT MISANO TOLD YOU, IT IS A PEDAGOGICAL IMPERATIVE. MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN REQUIRE SOMETHING [01:45:01] DIFFERENT AND IN ORDER TO DELIVER THAT TO THEM, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT POPULATION. IT IS THE POPULATION THAT OPERATIONALIZES OUR ABILITY TO DELIVER ON THE PEDAGOGICAL IMPERATIVE. THOSE TWO THINGS ARE INTIMATELY TIED TOGETHER. PART OF THE REASON I WANTED TO BE ON THE GIRLS SCHOOL BOARD BEYOND JUST THE MUSCLE MEMORY OF DRIVING THERE EVERY DAY, IS BECAUSE I WANTED TO SPEND MY TIME AROUND INTENTIONAL, FOCUSED, EARNEST PEOPLE THAT REALLY GET IT. THIS IS NOT A QUESTION ABOUT JUST DOING SOMETHING 'CAUSE WE CAN, THIS IS DOING SOMETHING BECAUSE THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE EFFECTIVE AT WHAT THE MISSION OF THE SCHOOL IS. SO WHAT ARE WE ASKING? UH, I THINK RON KIND OF WENT THROUGH IT A LITTLE TOO FAST, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT RON POINTED OUT THAT I THINK'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IS HE CITED, I THINK IT WAS 11 SCHOOLS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. AND HE HAS A RATIO OF NUMBER OF KIDS TO NUMBER OF ACRES. AND I, I DON'T REMEMBER THE NUMBER BUT YOU GUYS HAVE IT IN YOUR PACKET. SO FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ALREADY CONSIDERED HOW THEY TAKE THIS APPROACH. THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MANY KIDS PER ACRE DO WE PUT ON SCHOOLS LIKE THIS IN SIMILAR NEIGHBORHOODS ON SIMILAR STREETS. THAT'S A FRAMEWORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN CONSIDERED, ALREADY BEEN DECIDED, IS ALREADY OPERATIONAL. SO WHAT WE'RE ASKING IS REALLY NO DIFFERENT THAN PREVIOUS DECISIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONSIDERED. NOW, IT'D BE FAIR TO ASK WHETHER OR NOT WE'VE DONE THE WORK. HAVE WE LISTENED? HAVE WE BEEN CONSIDERATE? HAVE WE BEEN INTENTIONAL IN THE APPROACH THAT WE'VE TAKEN? I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A WHOLE SET OF NOTES HERE ABOUT ALL THE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN IN, BUT I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE MEETINGS WE'VE BEEN IN. WE'VE DONE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PUBLIC MEETINGS. I'VE PERSONALLY SAT IN AT MEETINGS AT THE CITY AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN TONS OF EMAILS, PHONE CALLS AND LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS. AND I CAN TELL YOU MUCH, MUCH OF THAT CONVERSATION HAS BEEN EXTREMELY PRODUCTIVE. WE, WE COMMISSIONED A TRAFFIC STUDY THAT WAS WAY PAST WHAT WE HAD TO DO. AND WE DIDN'T DO IT JUST 'CAUSE IT WAS FUN AND WE FELT LIKE SPENDING EXTRA MONEY. WE DID IT BECAUSE THESE ARE INTENTIONAL, THOUGHTFUL PEOPLE WHO TAKE THEIR OBLIGATIONS SERIOUSLY. AND THEY HEARD THAT TRAFFIC WAS A CONCERN. NOW, I'M NOT A PLANNING COMMISSIONER, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE THE PLANNING COMMISSION PLAYS IS THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL FILTER THROUGH WHICH GOOD IDEAS HAVE TO PASS. I'M SURE LOTS OF PEOPLE COME UP WITH GOOD IDEAS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU ALL HAVE PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUNDS THAT ARE INFORMED ON HOW WE BEST MAKE THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS. AND SO HOW DO WE MAKE SENSE OF THE IMPACT THAT THIS DECISION MAKES? THERE'S A DEPENDENT AND INDEPENDENT VARIABLE RATE. THERE'S A CUP AND WHAT DOES THE IMPACT ON THE TRAFFIC, HOW DOES THIS CHANGE? AND SO FOR THAT ANSWER, WE DO WHAT PROFESSIONALS DO, WHICH IS WE ASK THE PROFESSIONALS. SO WE TURN TO THE TRAFFIC REPORT AND WE ASK OURSELVES, WHAT DO THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERS TELL US ABOUT THE IMPACT? RECALL RON'S SLIDE, NO IMPACT. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DECISION HERE THAT CAN HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF IMPACT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY QUESTIONS WHETHER, WHETHER OR NOT THE GIRLS SCHOOL PRODUCES HIGH QUALITY CITIZENS AS AN IMPACT FOR THE CITY. WE'VE DONE THE HOMEWORK TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE TRUE IMPACT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THE RESULT OF THAT STUDY IS RELATIVELY CLEAR. SO AGAIN, THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CITY AT A HIGHER LEVEL. WE'D LIKE TO PRODUCE MORE THOUGHTFUL, WELL-ROUNDED, ENGAGED CITIZENS. WE'D LIKE TO DEVOTE OUR TIME, OUR MONEY AND OUR LABOR TO DOING MORE. THE CUP ALLOWS US TO HAVE MORE IMPACT ON THIS CITY WITHOUT HAVING REAL IMPACT ON TRAFFIC. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SPOKEN SO FAR, AND TO MS. HASI FOR HELPING US MOVE THIS PROCESS ALONG. FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH AND READ OFF ALL OF OUR REMAINING SPEAKERS IN FAVOR. AND IF AS ALWAYS, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP YOUR TIME, YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME UP WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED. SO GOING DOWN THE LINE, WE HAVE KELSEY BANISTER, LINDSAY HARRIS, LEE KOSKI, CHANDLER YANKEE, MARIA DTO, BRIE TRISTAN, HEATHER GOM, ASHLEY WHITMORE, RALPH DAVIS, GIAS BENU, JESSICA SANCHEZ, KRISTEN HURLEY, REBECCA PARILLO, SIENNA PARILLO, HANNAH MA, KIMBERLY FTI, SARAH PETRI. SO SARIAH NARI, ADAM ORMAN, JENNY SPARKS, EMMA BOWER, LORNA TODO, PATRICK O'DONNELL. RYAN DAVIS. [01:50:02] YES. AND PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME WHEN YOU'RE READY TO SPEAK. DO I HAVE TO CLICK IT? I'M ON. OKAY. HI. YES. AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. YAY. HI, MY NAME'S EMMA BOMER. I, UH, WASN'T REALLY SURE IF I WAS GONNA SPEAK OR NOT, BUT I CAN'T STOP TALKING. MY STUDENTS COULD TELL YOU THAT. SO I TEACH MATH AT THE GIRLS' SCHOOL. THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR AT THE GIRLS' SCHOOL. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HOPEFULLY I CAN SAY SUCCINCTLY IS THIS HAS BEEN A LIFE CHANGING POSITION TO WORK IN, TO WORK WITH THESE GIRLS. AND IT MAKES ME WONDER IF I HAD GONE TO A SCHOOL LIKE THIS MYSELF WHEN I WAS BUT A WE KID . UM, SO FOR US HERE AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL, SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS AMAZING IS I DON'T THINK I EVER WOULD'VE GONE TO CITY HALL EVER. UM, I KNOW I LIKE TO VOTE, BUT THIS SCHOOL IN MY EMPLOYMENT AT THIS SCHOOL HAS CAUSED ME TO COME AND SPEAK TO YOU AND STAND UP AND BE A LITTLE BIT SHAKY AND A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS. UM, I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT NUMBERS. I CAN RAMBLE AND I DON'T USE, UH, FULL SENTENCES, SORRY. SO ALL THAT GOES TO SAY ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I'M HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE I NOTICE MY STUDENTS ARE HERE. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE BEING ABLE TO BE A ROLE MODEL FOR THEM. AND THE IDEA THAT I COULD HAVE MORE THAN JUST 17 KIDS LEARNING ALGEBRA ONE FROM ME 'CAUSE THEY LOVE IT SO MUCH. UM, THAT SOUNDS AMAZING TO ME AND I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE A VERY BIG IMPACT. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. RESUMING WITH OUR LIST, WE HAVE FREDDIE MACHO, KATIE HEISEN, HEISENBERG, JASON BALLANTINE, TARA BALLANTINE, POPPY BALLANTINE, MONICA SANTOS. AND WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM OUR SPEAKERS IN OPPOSITION, BEGINNING WITH OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION, DARCY GARDNER. DARCY, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES. I, HI. I AM BACK AGAIN. MY NAME IS DARCY GARDNER. UM, I, I THINK WHAT'S BEING MISSED IN ALL OF THIS IS THIS IS A WELL LOVED SCHOOL. THE NEIGHBORS LIKE THEM THERE, THEY WANT THEM THERE. THIS IS NOT AN US AGAINST THEM. THIS IS NOT, THE NEIGHBORHOODS DON'T WANT THEM THERE. THEY'RE ASKING FOR A SOLUTION. THEY'RE ASKING FOR THE NEIGHBORS OR FOR THE SCHOOL TO COME FORWARD AND SAY, WE RECOGNIZE THERE'S A PROBLEM. UM, I THINK YOU'VE RECEIVED 25 LETTERS FROM NEIGHBORS JUST IN THE VICINITY RIGHT AROUND THE SCHOOL. AND IF THERE'S NOT AN EXISTING PROBLEM, I DON'T BELIEVE 25 NEIGHBORS WOULD BE WRITING IN SAYING, HELP US. HOW CAN WE RESOLVE THIS? UM, THE NEIGHBORS ARE FULLY INVESTED IN FINDING A SOLUTION. UH, THEY HAVE THE GIRLS SCHOOL AND REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT THEY'VE MET WITH THE NEIGHBORS. THEY MET WITH WEST DAWSON NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP. THERE'S BEEN NO COLLABORATION. THEY HAVE GIVEN US DATA. UM, THE NEIGHBORS HAVE STATED THEIR CONCERN, BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN COLLABORATION. UM, THE NEIGHBORS DID PUT FORTH A MAP OF A SOLUTION THAT THEY THOUGHT COULD BE A TALKING POINT, COULD BE A STARTING POINT, AND THAT WAS DISMISSED AS IT WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT PART OF THE MISSION OF THE GIRLS' SCHOOL. SO THEY WANT THE SCHOOL TO BE THERE, BUT THEY ALSO WANT THE STREETS TO BE SAFER. THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE SCHOOL TO TAKE THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL ON TIME. THEY WANT THEIR KIDS TO WALK IN THE STREET. SO THIS IS REALLY A SITUATION WHERE THEY NEED HELP FIGURING OUT THIS SOLUTION. UM, THERE'S A COUPLE MORE SPEAKERS COMING ON. UM, JAMES HILL SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT THE TRAFFIC STUDY AND THEY DID DO OVER AND, AND AND ABOVE. BUT WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU IS THAT SOME OF THE STREETS WERE CLOSED DURING THE TRAFFIC STUDY. WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU IS THEY DIDN'T ANALYZE PEAK HOURS OR PEAK TIMES WHEN THE ROADS ARE BACKED UP FURTHER THAN THE STUDY SHOWS YOU. SO THERE'S PIECES HERE THAT ARE MISSING THAT I THINK IT WOULD BE UNFORTUNATE IF WE MOVE FORWARD. WE ARE PRO SCHOOL, THEY ARE GREAT NEIGHBORS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE IS A TRAFFIC SITUATION THAT IS UNSAFE FOR EVERYONE. IT'S UNSAFE FOR DROP OFF. THEY PURCHASED, UM, THE ADJACENT LOT. THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A SOLUTION THAT WORKS FOR THE NEIGHBORS AS WELL. AND IT'S JUST NOT BEING MET THAT WAY. THEY'RE BEING MET WITH. THIS ISN'T PART OF THE MISSION. UM, WE CAN'T DO THE THINGS WE WANNA DO. AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS HOLISTICALLY. AND I THINK WHAT I WANT EVERYBODY HERE TO UNDERSTAND, AS THE NEIGHBORS CAME TO WEST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, TRYING TO BE COLLABORATIVE, THEY CAME TO US BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T BEING HEARD. SO THERE IS REAL OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A DYNAMIC SITUATION WHERE THE SCHOOL GETS WHAT THEY WANT, WHICH IS WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTS, BUT THE NEIGHBORS ALSO CAN LIVE AND EXIST AND, AND HAVE SAFE STREETS FOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN. SO I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A A, A SEVERAL PRONG APPROACH. [01:55:01] AND ONE IS FOR THEM TO USE THIS SITE AS A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A WAY FOR TRAFFIC TO FLOW BETTER ON SITE AS WELL AS AROUND, UM, THE AREA. SO THAT'S WHAT THE NEIGHBORS ARE ASKING FOR THIS. THEY LOVE THE SCHOOL, THEY WANT THEM THERE. THEY THINK THEY'RE DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, BUT THEY ARE REALLY CAUSING SOME DANGEROUS ROADS FOR OTHER FAMILIES THAT LIVE THERE AND OTHER GIRLS AND BOYS THAT GO TO SCHOOLS THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE. THE OTHER THING I WANNA POINT OUT, STATISTICALLY, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS. THIS IS NOT A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL. THIS USED TO BE A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL THAT ALL THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN WALKED TO SCHOOL. THIS ISN'T THAT. THIS IS A VERY BUSY DROP OFF, A VERY BUSY PICKUP. AND IT WOULD BE AMAZING IF, IF THEY WOULD WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORS TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR THIS. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. I THINK, UM, THIS ISN'T AN US AGAINST THEM FROM THE NEIGHBOR'S PERSPECTIVE. THIS IS LET'S GO TO THE TABLE AND FIGURE OUT A REALLY AMAZING CREATIVE WAY TO GIVE EVERYBODY WHAT THEY WANT. UM, AND I THINK THE NEIGHBORS ARE FEELING LIKE THIS ISN'T COMPLETELY COHESIVE IN, IN WHAT THEY'RE ASKING. SO THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT, YOU GUYS. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. UH, WE'LL GO THROUGH THREES AGAIN. SO OUR NEXT THREE SPEAKERS ARE JAMES SHAY, SARAH GILBERT AND MARIA ARGA. YOU'LL EACH HAVE TWO MINUTES AND JAMES SHAY WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY AGAIN. JAMES, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. OKAY, GREAT. UH, MY NAME IS JAMES SHAA. I'M NEIGHBOR TO THE SCHOOL AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT REQUEST. I WANNA BEGIN BY THANKING YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. I PHYSICALLY SERVED AS PLANNING COMMISSIONER UNDER MAYOR ADLER. I UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF TIME, ATTENTION, AND JUDGMENT THESE CASES REQUIRE. YOU'RE OFTEN ASKED TO BALANCE COMPETING INTERESTS IN SITUATIONS WHERE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES ARE VERY REAL AND I RESPECT THE WEIGHT OF THAT RESPONSIBILITY. I WANNA FOCUS MY COMMENTS ON THE ROLE OF THE COP ITSELF. A CONDITION USE PERMIT IS NOT A STATEMENT OF INTENT OR COOPERATION. IT'S AN ENFORCEABLE LAND USE TOOL. IT ONLY WORKS IF THE CONDITIONS ATTACHED TO A CLEAR, MEASURABLE AND ENFORCEABLE BY THE CITY. IF SOMETHING IS NOT WRITTEN IN COP OR TIED TO ENFORCEABLE APPROVAL, THEN EFFECTIVELY DOESN'T EXIST. FROM A REGULATORY STANDPOINT, THIS IS WHERE THE CONCERN LIES. IN THIS CASE, THE SCHOOL IS ALREADY OPERATING AS IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND SAFETY ISSUES ARE ONGOING. UNDER CURRENT ENROLLMENT, THE EXPANSION BEING REQUESTED WOULD AN INTENSIFY THOSE IMPACTS AT THE SAME TIME. MUCH OF WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED TO YOU TODAY, BOTH IN TERMS OF CURRENT OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC ANALYSIS, APPEARS TO RELY ON ACTIVE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT. THAT MEANS PARENTS ARE BEING ASKED TO FOLLOW THEIR RULES. STAFF ACTIVELY DIRECTING TRAFFIC. PARENTS GENERALLY COMPLYING WITH A LEVEL OF COORDINATION THAT HELPS THINGS FUNCTION MUCH BETTER, WHICH WE APPRECIATE GREATLY WITH WHAT THEY'VE DONE. BUT THAT LEVEL OF MANAGEMENT IS NOT REQUIRED BY THE COP, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT SHOULD BE THE NEIGHBORHOOD THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS EXPERIENCED. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OPERATIONS FALL BACK TO WHAT IS ACTUALLY ENFORCEABLE UNDER THE COP ALONE? AND IN THOSE SITUATIONS, THE IMPACTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE. THERE'VE BEEN REAL SAFETY CONCERNS AS WELL AS REPEATED CONFLICTS BETWEEN PARENTS AND PARENTS AND NEIGHBORS. THIS ISN'T SUSTAINABLE OR APPROPRIATE CONDITION IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. SO THERE IS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT IS BEING ASSUMED, WHAT IS ACTUALLY ENFORCEABLE. IF THIS COMMISSION IS GONNA RELY ON ACTIVE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AS PART OF ITS REASONING FOR APPROVAL, THEN THAT MANAGEMENT MUST BE REQUIRED IN A WAY THAT THE CITY CAN ENFORCE. OTHERWISE IT BECOMES OPTIONAL OVER TIME AND THE BURDEN SHIFTS ONTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES. THE SAME IS TRUE FOR PHYSICAL DESIGN. MOST RELIABLE WAY TO MANAGE THESE IMPACTS IS NOT THROUGH INFORMAL COORDINATION, BUT THROUGH BUILT-IN SITE AND ACCESS DESIGN THAT CONTROLS HOW TRAFFIC MOVES WE'RE ACCUSED AND HOW IT INTERACTS WITH THIS. WE'RE AT TIME. THOSE ELEMENTS NEED. THANK YOU. OKAY. OKAY. UM, I JUST WANNA START AND APOLOGIZE. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS PROCESS WORKS, SO IT'S NO PROBLEM HERE. I'M OKAY. ? YEAH. I'M MARIA REGA AND I LIVE AT 2002 BREMOND STREET. SO I JUST WANNA SAY I FEEL LIKE THE CARDS ARE STACKED AGAINST US GIRLS SCHOOL. UH, THIS IS A, UM, WE'RE JUST A GROUP OF NEIGHBORS. WE DON'T HAVE A PAID ADVOCATE LIKE THROWER TO HAVE SCHEDULED MEETINGS FOR WEEKS WITH ALL OF YOU GUYS. WE DON'T HAVE FUNDS TO DO OUR OWN THIRD PARTY OBJECTIVE STUDY TO STU TO DO, TO TRAFFIC, TO LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC. AND WE ALSO FULLY SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE GIRLS SCHOOL. IT'S, IT'S, THIS IS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. I MEAN, I LOVE HEARING THE STORIES ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THESE GIRLS. I I MEAN, I TOLD Y'ALL BEFORE, I HAVE THREE OF MY OWN DAUGHTERS. WE WOULDN'T BE HERE IF WE DIDN'T HAVE JUSTIFIED REASONS FOR THE CONCERN OF THE [02:00:01] EXPANSION OF THE SCHOOL. UH, THE 25 LETTERS. PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE YOU MAKE A DECISION. I THINK IT'S REAL IMPORTANT TO, TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. I WANNA MENTION THAT I DID MY OWN RESEARCH AND ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS, THERE ARE FOUR NON PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS IN TRAVIS COUNTY THAT ARE SIMILAR IN SIZE AND SCOPE TO THE GIRLS SCHOOL. AND ALL FOUR OF THESE, OR NONE OF THESE FOUR, WHICH ARE KIRBY HALL HEADWATERS, PARAGON PREP, AND SCHOOL IN THE HILLS. NONE OF THEM ARE IN A, A NEIGHBORHOOD ZONED FOR SINGLE FAMILY ON FOUR SIDES. THEY ALL, UH, KIRBY HALL NEAR UT HEADWATERS ON BRODY PARAGON PREP AT ANDERSON AND, AND GREAT NORTHERN AND AND SCHOOL IN THE HILLS AT RIVER PLACE IN 2222. IT'S JUST, THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT SCENARIO AND THAT'S PART OF WHY WE'RE HERE. AND YES, WE HAD TO GET SCRAPPY ABOUT THE UT STUDENTS, BUT THEY, THEY, THEY ARE FULL GROWN ENGINEERS. THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THEIR PE LICENSES YET. THEY ARE REAL ENGINEERS. THESE PEOPLE ARE GRADUATING WITH THEIR MASTER'S DEGREES. WE, WE JUST HAD TO DO WHAT WE COULD. ANYWAY, THANK YOU. AND UM, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU SARAH. BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT THREE IS MS. SARAH GILBERT HERE. MOVING ON TO OUR FINAL THREE SPEAKERS OF THE EVENING. ON THIS ITEM WE HAVE JOSE REGA SU, SHE AND SARAH COLEMAN, WHO WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF DONATED TIME FROM NICHOLAS BERNARD. NICHOLAS, ARE YOU PRESENT? PERFECT. ALL RIGHTY. WHENEVER Y'ALL ARE READY, PLEASE COME TO THE FRONT. AND SARAH, YOU'LL BE GIVEN FOUR MINUTES. I'M BACK. UH, 2002 BRANDON STREET. MY WIFE JUST SPOKE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. UH, I WANTED TO STRESS A FEW COMMENTS. UH, I'M OPPOSING TO THE EXPANSION PLANS OF THE GSAI LIVE A BLOCK AWAY. WE LEAVE THEIR TRAFFIC, WE LEAVE THEIR TRAFFIC, UH, WE LEAVE THEIR NOISE. THERE IS ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS WHEN THERE IS, UM, SPECIAL EVENTS FOR PARKING. SO IN GENERAL, MY OPPOSITION HAS FOUR GENERAL ISSUES, FIRST, NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY ISSUES. SECOND CONFLICTING PEAK HOUR TRAFFICS, THIRD PARKING INVASION ON PEAK DAYS, AND FOURTH, INCREASED POLLUTION. IN REGARDS TO NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY ISSUES. IT'S BEEN CLEAR THERE'S A DISTINCT, UH, DIFFERENCE OF VIEWS BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, THEY EVEN BO THEY EVEN ANNOUNCED THAT THEY COME FROM 35 DIFFERENT ZIP CODES. ALL THIS IS TRAFFIC GENERATED TO THE SCHOOL AND IT'S POLLUTION, NOISE AND TRAFFIC, UH, INCREASED VOLUME IN THE CITY STREETS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE'S NOT A SINGLE SIGN THAT I HAVE SEEN THAT LIKE YOU SEE IN BREER WOODS OR IN CAIS WHERE THEY SUPPORT THEIR SCHOOL. THERE'S NOT A YARD SIGN LIKE THAT. SO THIS IS NOT A VERY HAPPY SITUATION. THERE'S A FEW PARENTS THAT HAVE THEIR KIDS HERE. I'M SURPRISED THEY'RE PROBABLY UNDER 5% OF THIS, UH, POPULATION. WE HAD TO RAISE OUR VOICE LOUDLY BEFORE THEY CAME IN AND STARTED TO PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY. THEY IGNORE A LOT OF OUR PREVIOUS COMMENTS. PLEASE DON'T SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL. UH, LET US HAVE MORE TIME IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. LET US HAVE MORE TIME FOR THEM TO REVIEW THEIR SITUATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS CHE AND I LIVE DIRECTLY NEXT DOOR TO GROVE SCHOOL AT THE CORNER OF WIND HALL. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION AND TO THE PROPOSED EXPANSION. I WANNA START WITH SAYING IT'S NOT ABOUT OPPOSING THE SCHOOL ITSELF. WE VALUE EDUCATION AND WE UNDERSTAND THE ROLE THE SCHOOL PLAYS. UM, I HAVE KIDS, I'M A PEDIATRICIAN. I LOVE KIDS. UM, BUT WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SIZE IN STUDENT POPULATION WILL HAVE REAL IMPACTS ON THOSE OF US WHO LIVE HERE EVERY DAY. UM, DURING DROP OFF AND PICKUP. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS HAVE BECOME CONGESTED, UNPREDICTABLE. UM, TRAFFIC CAN BE BLOCKED WHEN THEY DON'T FOLLOW THE INTENDED DIRECTIONAL PATTERNS. DRIVEWAYS CAN BE BLOCKED BY QUEUED VEHICLES. UM, WE SEE A LOT OF FRUSTRATION, BUT MOST CONCERNING IS THE SAFETY RISK. STUDENTS ARE SOMETIMES DROPPED OFF, UM, AT THE STREET IN [02:05:01] DARDEN. TRAFFIC AND NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN ARE WALKING AND BIKING TO LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND NEIGHBORS ARE OUT WALKING EVERY DAY. UM, A FEW YEARS AGO, THIS BECAME VERY REAL FOR MY FAMILY. MY SON WAS RIDING HIS BIKE ON MCCALL IN FRONT OF OUR DRIVEWAY WHEN HE WAS HIT BY A CAR ENTERING THE SCHOOL DRIVE. THE DRIVER RETURNED FROM WINDOR ON MCCALL AND MADE A WIDE LEFT TURN INTO THE SCHOOL ENTRANCE WITHOUT EVER ENTRANCE, WITHOUT EVER SEEING HIM. THANKFULLY, HE WAS OKAY. BUT THAT MOMENT MADE IT CLEAR HOW VERY, UM, HOW DANGEROUS CONDITIONS COULD BE. THERE HAVE BEEN EFFORTS AT TIMES TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW, BUT THEY'VE BEEN INCONSISTENT. WHAT GETS PUT IN PLACE ONE YEAR DOESN'T ALWAYS CARRY OVER WHEN LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT THE SCHOOL AND OVER TIME THINGS SLIP AND WE GET BACK TO THE SAME PROBLEMS. THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR US TO TRUST ADDING MORE STUDENTS AND MORE TRAFFIC. UM, BECAUSE IT COULD ALL DEPEND ON WHO'S RUNNING THE SCHOOL AT THE TIME. A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT IS MEANT TO ENSURE THAT A USE REMAINS COMPATIBLE WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS. UM, GOOD FAITH EFFORTS BY GIRLS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO STREAMLINE, STREAMLINE TRAFFIC FLOW WHILE APPRECIATED, ARE NOT CODIFIED OR ENFORCEABLE IN THE SITE PLAN AND CAN BE EASILY FORGOTTEN OR NEGLECTED. SO IF NEW LEADERSHIP COMES TO THE SCHOOL, IF THE SCHOOL EVER CHANGES HANDS TO A NEW ENTITY IN THE FUTURE, THERE'S NOTHING TO PROTECT THE NEIGHBORHOOD FROM THESE CHAOTIC AND DANGEROUS TRAFFIC PATTERNS TO RISE AGAIN. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION FURTHER MY PRESENTATION. DO I OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE TIME, UH, TO TALK WITH YOU TODAY. MY NAME'S SARAH COLEMAN. I LIVE ON MCCALL AND GRISWOLD. UM, I WANNA FOCUS TONIGHT ON ONE SPECIFIC ISSUE, WHICH IS THE SCHOOL DISMISSAL QUEUE. UM, TO START UP FROM THE TOP, I AM ALSO AN EDUCATOR. I'M A PROFESSOR. I HAVE A DAUGHTER, AS YOU CAN TELL, UH, WHO ALSO WALKS IN BIKES AND SCOOTERS ALL THE TIME, UP AND DOWN MCCALL, RIGHT? SO THIS ISSUE HITS REALLY HOME HERE FOR ME AS WELL. UM, WE ARE NOT OPPOSED TO THE GIRLS SCHOOL IN ITS EXPANSION. IN FACT, THE NEIGHBORS ACTUALLY SAID EARLIER IN OCTOBER WHEN WE REACHED OUT TO THEM, WE'RE WANNA WORK WITH YOU AND WE WOULD SUPPORT A 200 CAP, UH, AN INCREASE IN THE CAP TO 200 IF YOU WOULD FIND US WITH SOME PHYSICAL SITE IMPROVEMENTS TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION. AND THAT WAS DEEMED QUOTE, NOT IN MISSION WITH THE GIRLS SCHOOL. UM, THE APPLICANT'S I WANNA FOCUS PARTICULARLY ON THIS TRAFFIC STUDY. SO THE APPLICANT'S TRAFFIC CONSULTANT CONDUCTED A QUEUING STUDY, AS WAS MENTIONED. UM, AND ACCORDING TO THEIR ANALYSIS, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL VEHICLE Q EXTENDS ONLY TO THIS MAIN POINT HERE ON THE CORNER OF HORN AND MCCALL, TWO CARS SOUTH, AND THEY TREAT A SINGLE MAXIMUM OBSERVATION OF SEVEN VEHICLES ON ONE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE 95TH PERCENTILE, UH, CONDITION. IN THE LAYMAN'S TERMS, FOR THE REST OF US, THE WORST 5% CASES, THEY SAY THE LANE, THE LINE ONLY GOES THIS FAR, BUT THE, WHAT THE RESIDENTS FIND, HOW DO I GO TO THE NEXT ONE? THERE SHOULD BE A BUTTON ON YOUR, OKAY. CLICKER ON THE, OKAY. UM, THESE PHOTOS ARE ALL TAKEN FURTHER SOUTH ON MCCALL THAN WHERE IT SAYS, IN FACT, THEY'RE ALL TAKEN ON MCCALL AND GRISWOLD, RIGHT, WHICH IS A TWO BLOCKS SOUTH. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE QUEUE DOES NOT STOP WHERE THE CONSULTANTS SAY IT DOES. THESE ARE NOT RARE, EXCEPTIONAL DAYS. THEY'RE REGULAR DISMISSALS. AND THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBER DUCHENNE'S RECOMMENDATION, WE HAVE BEEN TAKING PICTURES OF THIS CONDITION SO THAT YOU ALL HAVE A VISION OF WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING. NOW, CONSIDER WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GO TO THE IDEA WHERE YOU'RE GONNA DOUBLE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. THE STUDY SUGGESTS THE QUEUE COULD EXTEND ALL THE WAY TO HERE, TO THE CORNER OF GRISWOLD AND MCCALL, BUT AS WE KNOW FROM OUR CURRENT EXPERIENCES AND SEEN IN THE PICTURES, IT ALREADY DOES THAT. SO WHAT I'M ASKING IS IN SHOWING YOU IS THAT THE REAL WORLD QUEUE EXTENDS FURTHER, RIGHT? THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION IS THAT THE POST EXPANSION QUEUE OF AN ADDITIONAL 50 CARS COULD EXTEND EVEN FURTHER. COULD IT GO TO THE FIVE POINT INTERSECTION? AND THE MAP ON THE RIGHT SHOWS YOU WHERE FOREST TRAIL WOODMONT MCCALL ALL MEET BLINDLY ON PAGE TWO OF THE OF THE SCHOOL'S. I WANNA FOCUS TO YOU AT ON ONE LAST PART OF THIS, ON PAGE TWO OF THE SCHOOL'S QUEUING ANALYSIS. THE REPORT ITSELF SAYS, QUOTE, THE PRIMARY CONSTRAINT AFFECTING Q PERFORMANCE IS INTERNAL SITE CIRCULATION. THAT'S THEIR WORDS, NOT OURS. AT THE SCHOOL'S OWN ANALYSIS SAYS THAT WITH THE PROPOSED PLAN, QUOTE, CONCENTRATED ARRIVAL DEMAND COULD STILL EXCEED PEAK CAP CAPACITY AND THE LOADING AREA DURING PEAK DISMISSAL. THE APPLICANT'S OWN TRAFFIC ANALYSIS IDENTIFIES THE SITE ENTRANCE AND LOADING AREA AS INSUFFICIENT TO HANDLE PEAK DEMAND. THE Q SPILLS OUT, THEY KNOW INTER INTERNAL CIRCULATION IS THE PROBLEM, BUT THE PROPOSED SITE PLAN DOES NOT INCLUDE MEANINGFUL PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS TO ADDRESS IT. THE THREE [02:10:01] CAR BUMP OUT IS THE ONLY PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT TO THE SITE. AND WHEN NEIGHBORS ASKED THIS WEEK FOR DATA ON HOW IT IMPROVED QUEUING, THE APPLICANT WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY QUANTITATIVE DATA AS TO HOW IT SAYS, QUOTE, OUR EXPECTATION OF ITS SUCCESS IS SUPPORTED BY OUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE. OPTIONAL RELIANCE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN FOR NEIGHBORS AS WELL. NEARLY EVERY FAVORABLE FINDING IN THE QUEUING MEMO IS CONDITIONED ON SUSTAINED NEAR PERFECT EXECUTION OF VOLUNTARY OR INFORMAL PRACTICES. FAMILIES USING PLACARDS, PARENTS NOT USING HORN LANE STAFF DEPLOYED ON PUBLIC STREETS INDEFINITELY. GRADE RELEASE SCHEDULES BEING RETUNED REGULARLY OVER TIME, AND FAMILIES VOLUNTARILY SWITCHING TO WALKING AND BIKING. NONE OF THESE HAVE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS. NON-COMPLIANCE WAS DIRECTLY OBSERVED EVEN DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD AND NOTED IN THE TRAFFIC STUDY, NEIGHBORS ARE NOT OPPOSED TO EXPANDING THE GIRLS SCHOOL, BUT WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR IS AN EXPANSION THAT PARTNERS WITH MEANINGFUL PHYSICAL SITE IMPROVEMENTS TO ADDRESS QUEUING AS PART OF THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, AND WE WILL NOW BE HEARING FROM OUR APPLICANTS FOR A TWO MINUTE REBUTTAL. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. AGAIN, VICTORIA HASI. SO I WOULD INVITE YOU TO, UM, BELIEVE THAT SCHOOLS BELONG IN NEIGHBORHOODS. WHETHER YOU'RE A PRIVATE SCHOOL OR YOU'RE A PUBLIC SCHOOL. SCHOOLS BELONG IN NEIGHBORHOODS. WHETHER YOU CAN WALK TO THAT SCHOOL OR YOU HAVE TO BE DRIVEN TO THAT SCHOOL. I MEAN, THE REALITY IS, IS THAT NEIGHBORHOODS CHANGE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. FAMILIES GROW. KI KIDS LEAVE THE HOUSE, THEY GO TO COLLEGE, THERE'S EMPTY NESTERS, THERE'S A CYCLE, A NATURAL CYCLE TO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE TYPICALLY FOUND. AND SOMETIMES THAT REQUIRES THAT SCHOOLS THEN GET THEIR ENROLLMENT FROM AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I DO BELIEVE, AND I THINK A MAJORITY OF US BELIEVE THAT SCHOOLS BELONG IN NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THAT'S NO DIFFERENT FOR THE GIRLS SCHOOL OF AUSTIN. UM, I WILL SAY THAT WE ARE MEMORIALIZING AS MUCH AS WE CAN IN THE CUP. IT IS TRUE THAT THE CURRENT CUP, UM, IS ONLY LOOKING AT, UH, UH, STUDENT LIMITATIONS, UH, NUMBER ON LIMITING STUDENTS AS WELL AS INCLUDING THE ADDITIONAL PROPERTY. THERE ARE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT ARE PROPOSED IN THE CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN, AND THOSE ARE ELEMENTS THAT WHILE ARE NOT NECESSARILY APPROVABLE IN THIS CUP, UM, THEY ARE PUT FORWARD AS A, AS TRANSPARENT EFFORT TO PHYSICAL SITE CHANGES. THOSE PHYSICAL SITE CHANGES MAY NOT BE TO THE DEGREE THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS REQUESTED, BUT THEY ARE PHYSICAL SITE CHANGES THAT ARE SHOWN WILL MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO NOT HAVING ADDITIONAL, UM, ISSUES WITH REGARDS TO TRAFFIC IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND, AND PERHAPS EVEN PROPOS OR EVEN ALLOWING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE WAY THE CURRENT TRAFFIC EXISTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S GONNA BE AN ADDITION OF 50 STUDENTS. SO, UM, WE ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I THINK THAT THERE IS, UM, MEMORIALIZING THIS AGREEMENT FOR A TRAFFIC PATTERN THAT WAS ONCE LOST. IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE ANYONE CAN FIND, UM, AN ACTUAL DOCUMENT OF THAT AND THAT WILL BE MEMORIALIZED IN THE CEP THIS TIME AROUND. THANK YOU. AND CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM. THANK YOU MS. GARCIA. AND TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM, I HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER POWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROSN. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES. SO WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR ROUND ROBIN AND WE HAVE SLOTS FOR EIGHT COMMISSIONERS TO ASK QUESTIONS OF ANYONE HERE, WHETHER THAT'S STAFF, THE APPLICANT, OR ANY OF OUR SPEAKERS FOR FIVE MINUTES EACH. IT LOOKS LIKE COMMISSIONER POWELL, YOU'D LIKE TO START US OFF. UH, ABSOLUTELY. I'D LIKE TO START WITH THE QUESTION FOR THE HEAD OF SCHOOLS. WELL, A FEW QUESTIONS. SO FIRST OFF, UH, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME. THANK YOU TO ALL OF Y'ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TO BE A PART OF THIS TONIGHT. UM, I WANTED TO ASK YOU, YOU SHARED THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE OPERATIONS SIDE OF TRYING TO IMPROVE THIS. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT OF KIND OF THE SPECIFIC POINTS AND, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY THE LAST YEAR OR SO THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN WORKING ON? SURE. SO STARTING WITH REROUTING THE TRAFFIC SO THAT THERE'S THE TRAFFIC FLOW GOES IN ONE DIRECTION WITH A SINGLE POINT OF ENTRY ONTO MCCALL. UM, WE HAVE NOTIFIED THE PARENTS IN MULTIPLE WAYS AND ASKED THEM, I'VE STILL ON THE CORNER MYSELF, , WITH POINTING TRAFFIC DOWN THE STREET. UM, WE HAVE ADDED STAFF AT THE CURB TO FACILITATE DROP OFF AND DISMISSAL. WE HAVE KIDS IN THE MORNING WHO OPEN CAR DOORS SO THAT WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE. UM, EVERY DAY AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY WHEN THERE'S DISMISSAL [02:15:01] FOR LOWER SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL, ONE OF THE ADMIN TEAM MEMBERS, USUALLY JESSICA SANCHEZ OR RALPH DAVIS OR I GO OUT TO THE CURB, UM, TO DIRECT TRAFFIC AND TO WAG A FINGER AT THE PEOPLE WHO WENT THE WRONG WAY OR DOWN THE WRONG STREET. UM, THOSE, THOSE ARE THE MAJOR WAYS IN ACTION. WE ALSO, UM, AS I SAID BEFORE, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING PARKING OPTIONS. UM, IN THE PAST YEARS WE'VE USED THAT COMMANDER'S LOT, AND THIS YEAR WE ARE HAVING TO, TO RENEGOTIATE THAT. SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF THAT. GOT IT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION, UH, I HEARD THE PARKING PIECE. ARE THERE SOME OTHER AREAS WHERE, YOU KNOW, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS AN ADMINISTRATOR THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING TO IMPROVE AS, AS THINGS CURRENTLY ARE? SURE. SO, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN WE HAD OUR TALENT SHOW, WE REALLY PUT IT OUT THERE FOR PARENTS TO CARPOOL AND RIDE SHARE SO THAT THEY COULD FACILITATE, YOU KNOW, LESS TRAFFIC AND LESS PARKING ON THE STREETS. WE INTEND TO CONTINUE THAT. WE ALSO, UM, WERE RECOMMENDED BY, BY, UM, ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS, UH, A COMPANY CALLED, IS IT MOVE MOVABILITY TO FACILITATE CARPOOLS AMONGST THE PARENTS. WE HAVE PAR, YOU KNOW, WITH THE NUMBER OF ZIP CODES, WE HAVE PARENTS COMING FROM LITTLE AREAS AROUND TOWN, AND WE CAN FACILITATE COMMUNICATION WITHIN A ZIP CODE TO HELP FAMILIES KNOW WHO LIVES NEAR THEM AND, AND CARPOOL MORE. UM, I GOT A LETTER FROM A FOURTH GRADER SUGGESTING THAT WE USE OUR BUS TO GO PICK UP KIDS FROM DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS. . UM, THAT'S A POSSIBILITY AS WELL. UM, SO WE ARE EXPLORING AS MANY OPTIONS AS WE CAN. GOTCHA. AND THEN AS YOU LOOK TO, YOU KNOW, IF THIS CP PASSES EXPAND BY 50 STUDENTS, OTHER THAN KIND OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT OPERATIONALLY, WHAT ARE Y'ALL LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF ACCOMMODATING THAT INCREASED STUDENT POPULATION? SO THE SITE PLAN SHOWS THE NEW BUILDING, WHICH ADDS SIX CLASSROOMS. RIGHT NOW. OUR CLASSROOMS ARE FULL 90% OF THE TIME. UM, AND SO THAT THOSE SIX CLASSROOMS ARE THE MAIN GIST OF THE SITE PLAN TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE STUDENTS ON CAMPUS. UM, TO MY POINT ABOUT ACCOMMODATING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, UM, OUR GYM IS NOT MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT SIZED . UM, THE VOLLEYBALLS HIT THE ROOF ALL THE TIME, UM, WHEN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS ARE IN THERE. SO WE REALLY WANT TO EXPAND THE GYM SIZE SO THAT IT'S, UM, MORE CAPABLE OF HANDLING THOSE SHOTS THAT GO STRAIGHT UP IN DIGGING A LITTLE MORE SPECIFICALLY, I MEAN, OPERATIONALLY IN TERMS OF THE TRAFFIC CONSIDERATIONS. SORRY, SORRY. NO, NO, YOU'RE ALL GOOD. YEAH. YEAH. SO THAT, THAT DROP OFF LANE IN THE, THE SITE PLAN IS A MAJOR PIECE OF THAT DUAL LANE SUGGESTION THAT WAS MADE. UM, BEING ABLE TO LOAD THE KIDS, SMALLER KIDS WHO TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, THE KIDS WITH THEIR STRING BASES, THAT'S THAT DROP OFF LANE IS REALLY A BIG PART OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO USE TO, TO FACILITATE TRAFFIC. THE OTHER PIECE THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW IS THAT PRIOR TO MY TAKING THE HELM OF THE GIRLS SCHOOL FOUR YEARS AGO, UM, IT WAS KIND OF A SCRAPPY NEW LITTLE SCHOOL. THERE WAS A HEAD OF SCHOOL WHO, UM, WE CAN, UM, HONOR TO SAY MADE THE GIRLS SCHOOL A REAL SCHOOL. AND THEN WE HAD DURING COVID TIME A LITTLE BIT OF TUMULT IN LEADERSHIP. SINCE I'VE TAKEN ON THE HEADSHIP OF THE SCHOOL, IT'S BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME TO PUT INTO POLICY THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU'VE HEARD TODAY. THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE LEFT TO JUST WORD OF MOUTH AND INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY. WE WANNA CODIFY WITHIN THE SCHOOL, UM, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, THESE TRAFFIC CHANGES THAT YOU'VE SEEN, SO THAT IF I GET ABDUCTED BY ALIENS, THE NEXT HEAD OF SCHOOL KNOWS WHAT WE'VE DONE. SO IT'S NOT JUST, WELL, HOW DOES THIS WORK? RIGHT? THE TEACHERS SHARED WITH US, UM, WE'VE ADDED WALKIE TALKIES TO THE MIX. WE'VE ADDED, THERE'S LOTS OF CHAT ON THE, ON THE CHAT, BUT ALL OF THAT'S GONNA GO INTO THE POLICIES. AWESOME. AND THEN ONCE SUPER QUICK, FINAL QUESTION. NO, SORRY, SORRY. UH, IF WE HAVE A SLOT, WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU. WE'LL COME BACK TO, WE GOTTA KEEP MOVING THIS EVENING. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD. COMMISSIONER BRETON, UH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AND THEN HOPEFULLY ONE LAST FOR MS. HASI. HOPE YOU DON'T GET TRIPPED THERE. YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ALIENS ABDUCTING YOU. THANK YOU . UM, OKAY. SO, UH, IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, UH, AS BEING A PART OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, HAVE THERE BEEN SOME IMPACTS, UH, AROUND YOU, UH, TO TRAFFIC THAT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THE PERCEPTION THAT TRAFFIC HAS BEEN CAUSED BY THE GIRLS SCHOOL PICKUP OR DROP OFF? SURE. SO OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS RE UM, RENEWING THE WATER AND WASTEWATER LINES. SO THROUGHOUT [02:20:01] THE PAST TWO YEARS, ROADS AROUND US HAVE BEEN CLOSED INTER INTERMITTENTLY FOR EITHER TEARING UP THE ROADS AND REPLACING THOSE WATER LINES AND WASTEWATER LINES, UM, DETOURS THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WINSTED WAS CLOSED FOR MOPAC ACCESS AND DIRECTED ONTO SHARON, WHICH HAS EXPERIENCED A LOT OF SPEEDING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, THE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN WORKED WITH US TO DO THE WORK ON MCCALL IN THE SUMMER WHEN SCHOOL WAS OUT, BUT THAT DIDN'T PREVENT A LOT OF TRAFFIC ISSUES BECAUSE OF THOSE DETOURS AND CLOSED ROADS. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU FOR ILLUMINATING THAT. UM, SO HAS THERE BEEN WORK DONE WITH THE ADJACENT NEIGHBORS ON TRAFFIC? I SAW A LIST OF, OF SOME THINGS KNOCKED OFF. COULD YOU ILLUMINATE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? I HAVE SOME FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TOO. UM, SO WHEN WE HAD THAT MEETING IN OCTOBER, UM, OUR INTENT WAS TO TALK ABOUT THE CUP PROCESS AND THE NEIGHBORS DEFINITELY CAME WITH THEIR TRAFFIC CONCERNS. AND SO IN THE, IN THE TIME INTERVENING, WE'VE MET WITH THE NEIGHBORS HERE AT CITY HALL. UM, WE HOSTED A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING TO, TO INTRODUCE THE SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND EXPLAIN HOW IT WAS CONNECTED TO OUR MISSION. UM, RON SHARED THE SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT THE NEIGHBORS PROPOSED, AND IT, IT DOESN'T SUPPORT OUR MISSION. IT WOULD, IT WOULD USE SO MUCH OF OUR PROPERTY JUST FOR TRAFFIC WHEN WE'VE, WE PREFER THOSE PRACTICAL, RELATIONAL, UM, STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING TRAFFIC. UH, SO, UH, FOLLOW UP QUESTION. IF THE CUP IS APPROVED, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR NEW STUDENTS ON CAMPUS? THE ADDITIONAL STUDENTS ON CAMPUS? SO WE WOULD START WITH THE SIXTH GRADE AND ADD INCREASINGLY AS THOSE STUDENTS MOVED UP, JUST FUNNELING KIDS IN THROUGH THE SIXTH GRADE. UM, THE SOONEST WE WOULD BE ABLE TO EVEN START THAT PROCESS WOULD BE FOR THE FALL OF 28, UM, WITH GETTING THE SITE DEVELOPMENT, THE CONSTRUCTION PLAN APPROVED, RAISING MONEY FOR THAT, UM, GETTING THE WORD OUT, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. SO WE WOULD, IT WOULD BE AT THE SOONEST THE FALL OF 28. WONDERFUL. SO, UH, IN THAT INTERVENING TIME, CONSIDERING THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE SINCE OCTOBER AND OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, UH, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT MORE PROGRESS COULD BE MADE TO KNOCK OFF SOME OF THE THINGS ON THE LIST THAT YOU ARE STILL IN CONSIDERATION ABOUT? ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA STOP MAKING IMPROVEMENTS AND STRATEGIZING. IT'S WHAT WE DO. WE'RE CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS. IT'S WHAT WE MODEL FOR THE KIDS. WE ASK THE KIDS TO DO. WE'RE GONNA KEEP DOING THIS. I HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION BECAUSE THAT WAS A LONG LIST OF THINGS WITH A, A BUNCH APPROVED AND SOME OF THEM STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION AND SOME NOT REALLY, UH, ABLE TO DO AT THIS TIME. UH, ARE SOME OF THOSE GONNA BE REDUCING THE NUMBER IN SOME WAY OF DRIVING, UH, PARENTS DROPPING THEIR KIDS OFF, MAYBE BIKING OR USING TRANSIT? EXACTLY. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S TRICKY BECAUSE OF WHERE TRANSIT LANDS RELATIVE TO OUR SCHOOL, BUT I HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR CARPOOLING. I HAVE VERY HIGH HOPES FOR PROVIDING SOME TRANSPORTATION AND USING SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT THE CITY PROVIDES. YOU HEARD THE GIRLS TALKING ABOUT OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CITY, UM, AND IT BEHOOVES THE SCHOOL AS AN INSTITUTION TO DO THE SAME. WONDERFUL. OKAY, MY LAST QUESTION, I'VE GOT ONE MINUTE LEFT. UH, FOR MISS HASI, UH, WHAT ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE TO WORK THROUGH THESE ISSUES WITH THE GIRLS SCHOOL AS A PART OF THE PROCESS? THE CUP, IF IT'S, UH, APPROVED, THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU. UM, THE SCHOOL IS ALWAYS THERE, UM, TO TAKE QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, AND I KNOW REBECCA HAS FIELDED A FAIR SHARE OF THOSE NOT OVER, NOT JUST OVER THE PAST EIGHT MONTHS, BUT EVEN PRIOR. UM, AND I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS, THERE'S NOTHING MORE THAT THE GIRLS SCHOOL WANTS THEM TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY. THEY ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND TO FOSTER THAT RELATIONSHIP. SO JUST BECAUSE THE, IF THE CCP GETS APPROVED AND, AND THE SCHOOL GETS TO MOVE FORWARD AND, AND DOING ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THEY'VE PROPOSED, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THIS IS THE END OF ANYTHING. AS, AS WE NOTED EARLIER, THE SCHOOL'S COMMITTING TO REVIEWING TRAFFIC AS IT FLOWS THROUGH THE SITE BI-ANNUALLY AND, AND EVEN, EVEN MORE FREQUENTLY THAN THAT, BUT IN THE LEAST BI-ANNUALLY, THEY WANNA BE GOOD NEIGHBORS. THEY, THEY DON'T WANNA CAUSE ISSUES. SO YEAH. IF I CAN JUST ADD ONE OTHER THING. WE DID LOOK AT DATA IN TERMS OF WHAT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THERE WERE 12 HOUSES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS THAT TASI, I'M SORRY, I'M GONNA CUT YOU OFF, BUT PERHAPS THE COMMISSIONER WILL ASK YOU A FOLLOW UP QUESTION ABOUT THAT. SOUNDS GREAT. UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER ROEN, GO AHEAD. UH, I'D LIKE TO, UH, ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT. I AM INTERESTED IN HEARING THE REST OF YOUR RESPONSE ABOUT THE, UH, HOUSES THAT HAVE HAD TROUBLES, UM, UM, TO THE POINT THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UM, CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING IN THIS AREA WITH THE IMPROVING THE WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE, [02:25:01] BUT ALSO TOO, WE WERE LOOKING AT THINGS, UM, EVEN BEYOND THAT AND IN THIS AREA SURROUNDING THE SCHOOL, WE NOTICED THAT THERE HAS BEEN ABOUT 12 PROPERTIES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDER EITHER COMPLETE, UH, TEAR DOWN AND, AND BUILDING NEW CONSTRUCTION OR MAJOR REMODELS. SO AS YOU KNOW, LIVING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU'RE GONNA GONNA HAVE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS. SO THOSE ARE ALSO THINGS THAT ARE ADDING TO, UM, THE ISSUES ON THE STREET IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO GET THROUGH, UM, AND NAVIGATE THE STREETS. SO. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. UM, SO, UH, ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. SO I'M A FATHER OF TWO MYSELF AND I AM CRAZY AS I THINK MOST PARENTS ARE, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE HOURS OF THREE TO 5:00 PM EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE SOCCER FIELDS AND MUSIC SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED IN THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CITY AND IMPOSSIBLE TO NAVIGATE TO, WE'RE NOT USING OUR BEST MINDS WHEN WE'RE DRIVING TO PICK UP OUR KIDS. WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT GETTING THEM TO PRACTICE AND DOING OTHER THINGS, MAKING SURE THEY GET HOME, MAKING SURE DINNER GETS PUT ON THE TABLE, ET CETERA. WITH ALL THAT IN MIND, THERE IS CONCERN, I THINK, FROM THE NEIGHBORS AS THEY'VE EXPRESSED ABOUT THE, THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF THE TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN IMPLEMENTED ON THE SITE. AND I THINK YOU'VE TOUCHED ON THIS ALREADY, WHAT EXACTLY CAN BE PLACED IN THE FUTURE, UM, CUP DOCUMENTS THAT WOULD MEMORIALIZE THIS, UM, SO THAT THERE IS A TRIGGER IN THE FUTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS IMPLEMENTED WHEN THE ALIENS DO EVENTUALLY COME FOR OUR HEADMISTRESS AND, AND INSTALL THEIR OWN LEADER. SO I, UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE WAS A TRAFFIC FLOW PATTERN THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2012, AND NO ONE'S BEEN ABLE TO PRODUCE AN ACTUAL DOCUMENT OR A MAP AS TO WHAT THAT WAS DECIDED TO BE BACK AT THAT TIME. AND SO THE GOAL WITH THE CUP, WHILE THE CUP DOESN'T PRESCRIBE A TRAFFIC FLOW, UM, TO IT, WE WANT THAT DOCUMENTED, WHETHER IT'S SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE CEP AS A NOTE, WE'RE, WE'RE ADDING SOME OTHER NOTES TO THE CEP THAT THAT AREN'T, AREN'T NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL ARE PROVING AS PART OF THE CEP, BUT WE DON'T WANT THEM LOST. AND THAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO POINT BACK TO SOMETHING TO SAY, HEY, REMEMBER THIS IS WHAT WAS AGREED TO. UM, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE THAT, THAT THAT DOCUMENTATION. WOULD THE APPLICANT BE WILLING TO CONSIDER SOMETHING LIKE A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING THAT JUST MAKES IT A SLIGHTLY MORE FORMAL DOCUMENT AND AGREEMENT ABOUT THAT TRAFFIC PLAN? ABSOLUTELY. YES. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE PLAN, WOULD THE APPLICANT AND THE SCHOOL BE WILLING TO CONSIDER DEVELOPING A, A TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT PLAN? SO I, UH, IN FACT, ONE OF THE OTHER SPEAKERS SPOKE EARLIER ABOUT MOVABILITY AND MOVABILITY IS A NONPROFIT THAT, UH, LITERALLY WORKS TO WORK WITH EMPLOYERS AND SCHOOLS TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR EXPERIENCE RIGHT OPERATIONALLY WITHOUT BUILDING MORE PAVEMENT. AND I THINK THAT'S A BIG PIECE OF THIS PUZZLE OF, SO I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, WILL THE SCHOOL COMMIT TO BUILDING AND MAINTAINING THIS TDM, WHICH WILL MEMORIALIZE NOT JUST THE WHERE THE CARS SHOULD GO, BUT HOW WE CAN, WHAT ARE THE TOOLS NECESSARY TO INCREASE WALKING TO SCHOOL, BICYCLING, CARPOOLING AND SUCH? I DEFINITELY KNOW THAT THE GIRLS SCHOOL WOULD BE INTERESTED IN LOOKING INTO, UH, A TDM. UM, I PERSONALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL IS INVOLVED IN, YOU KNOW, ESTABLISHING THAT AND I SUSPECT THE GIRLS SCHOOL DOESN'T EITHER. UM, BUT I KNOW RON CAN HELP US WITH THAT. SO AND SO CAN DKS ENGINEERS. OKAY. I I THINK IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT CONCEPT BECAUSE IT WOULD MEMORIALIZE THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION SO THAT BOTH THE SCHOOL AND THE NEIGHBORS ARE, UH, DON'T LOSE TRACK OF WHAT WE'VE COMMITTED TO HERE. I, I GUESS I HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME. IS IT POSSIBLE TO BRING UP YOUR PRESENTATION? I WANNA UNDERSTAND A BIT OF THE ANALYSIS A BIT FURTHER. IS THAT SOMETHING STAFF CAN DO? DID I CATCH YOU OFF GUARD? THIS IS, UH, APPLICANT'S PRESENTATION. IT, IT, IT REALLY WAS THE DKS TRAFFIC NUMBERS. [02:30:03] ONE OF THE OTHER COMMENTS WAS MADE, UH, THAT, UH, BY THE, ONE OF THE NEIGHBORS THAT SAID THAT THESE TRAFFIC NUMBERS DIDN'T CAPTURE THE PEAK. AND I, I KIND OF WANNA UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT BETTER. I, I KNOW WHERE THE COUNTERS WERE PLACED, BUT I I HOW LONG WERE THEY IN PLACE AND WHAT THEY ACTUALLY MEASURED? COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE? UH, JUST RIGHT QUICK. OUR TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER JAMES SCHWARTZBERG IS HERE TONIGHT. OH, OKAY. AND WE CAN CERTAINLY, OKAY. JAMES IS HERE. . YES. UH, WELL, I'M HAPPY TO ASK THAT QUESTION. JAMES, IF YOU COULD JUST GIVE US MAYBE A MINUTE, TWO MINUTE OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE COUNTING PROCESS, UH, LOOKS LIKE. UH, JUDGE SCHWART IS THIS, THAT'S A DIFFERENT ZONING CASE THAT IS POSTPONED? NOPE. AND YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND DESCRIBE THE PROCESS AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE THE, THE NUMBERS, UH, TO DO THE T UM, ANALYSIS FOR THIS. WE, I GUESS THE CITY ASKED US TO DO THREE LOCATIONS. WE EXPANDED A LITTLE BIT MORE TO EIGHT LOCATIONS. UH, ESSENTIALLY WE WERE LOOKING AT, UH, COUNTING THE A DT AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING OVER 24 HOURS OVER THAT FOUR DAY PERIODS, ALONG WITH THE DOCUMENTING THE SPEECH THAT WERE HAPPENING DURING THAT TIME AS WELL. SO THAT WAS BASICALLY THE, THAT IT WAS COLLECTED FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ZONING ANALYSIS. OKAY. FORGIVE ME FOR DIVING INTO THE WEEDS FOR A MINUTE. I, I DON'T SEE WHERE THE TIME IS, BUT, SO Y'ALL MEASURED A DT, SO TOTAL DAILY TRAFFIC, AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC? IT WAS DOCUMENTED. IT'S, THEY COLLECTED ABOUT EVERY 15 MINUTES. SO WE HAVE ABOUT A 15 MINUTE INCREMENTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SO YOU BOTH, YOU HAVE THE TIME SERIES DATA AS WELL? CORRECT. OKAY. AND THAT'S WHAT WAS USED TO DEVELOP YOUR ESTIMATES OF Q HOW LONG? THE, THE PEAK QUEUING, UH, PEAK QUEUING WAS BASED MORE ON OUR OBSERVATIONS. THIS IS GOING OUT AND SEEING WHAT'S OUT THERE, WHAT WE ACTUALLY SAW IN REGARDS TO, BASED ON HOW MANY STUDENTS THERE ARE NOW, LOT EXPANDING THAT KNOWING, UH, AN ADDITIONAL 50 STUDENTS WOULD BE ADDED. WHAT DO WE ANTICIPATE THAT KIND OF IMPACT IS GONNA BE? UM, HONESTLY, THE COUNTS RELATED TO THAT, UH, DO NOT HAVE AN IMPACT IN REGARDS TO THE ACTUAL QUEUING PART OF THAT. I GUESS THE OVERALL TOTAL VOLUMES ARE RELATIVELY LOW. IS THAT, IS THAT FAIR? OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANKS COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE, YOU NEVER HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR DIVING INTO THE WEEDS. WE APPRECIATE YOUR EXPERTISE. COMMISSIONER GANNON, GO AHEAD. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING OUT. THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY ENGAGING CONVERSATION AND I WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL THE STUDENTS WHO ARE STILL HERE FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. THIS IS A HUGE THING TO DO, SO I WANNA GIVE EVERYONE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, ESPECIALLY THE STUDENTS. UH, I LOVE TO SEE THE YOUTH COMING OUT AND, UH, LAYING THEIR VOICES BE HEARD. UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR, AH, AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FORGIVE ME, MARIA ARIAGA, IF YOU COULD COME DOWN, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU ABOUT, UM, THE UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC STUDY AND, UM, HOW YOU'VE ENGAGED WITH THEM AND IF THERE'S A CHANCES TO, TO, UH, CONTINUE THAT ENGAGEMENT, EVEN IF THIS IS, IF THIS CUP IS, IS APPROVED HERE AT THIS BODY TONIGHT, IF YOU WOULD STILL ENGAGE WITH THE UNIVERSITY. SO TO BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT, I'M SO SORRY. CAN YOU TURN THE MICROPHONE ON? I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE CAPTURED FOR THE RECORD. YES, THANK YOU. SO TO BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'RE TRYING TO BE VERY SCRAPPY WITH HOW DO WE COME AT THIS WITH SOME OBJECTIVE OBSERVATION ON THE TRAFFIC AND QUEUING. AND SO I WORKED FOR THE COCKLE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING FOR 15 YEARS AND I GOT LOTS OF CONTACTS THERE. AND SO I CONTACTED, UM, UH, MY CLOSE COLLEAGUE, UM, WHO IS A DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH. AND I SAID, DO YOU HAVE SOME STUDENTS WHO MIGHT TAKE THIS ON AS A PROJECT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PAY FOR AN OFFICIAL STUDY, NOR DO WE HAVE THE TIME, RIGHT? I MEAN, RIGHT NOW, RIGHT. I MEAN, BECAUSE I KNEW THAT THIS HEARING WAS COMING UP. AND SO HE IDENTIFIED SOME STUDENTS WHO TOOK THIS ON AS, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST, THEY DONATED THEIR TIME, BUT THEY WERE, THEY'VE BEEN IN THE MIDDLE OF FINALS AND SO THEY HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH TIME TO DO ALL THE WORK THAT THEY WANTED TO DO, BUT, BUT THEY AREN'T PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS. THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR PE LICENSES YET. SO THEY CAN OFFER SOME REALLY GOOD SUGGESTIONS OF HOW TO BE MORE THOROUGH WITH, [02:35:01] UH, CREATING PHYSICAL SOLUTIONS, BUT THEY CAN'T SIGN OFF ON IT WITH CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS AND ALL THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT OFFICIALLY LICENSED. I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. AND I, YEAH, I, I APPLAUD THE SCRAPPINESS, I THINK IS AS OFTEN AS WE CAN. I, I LOVE USING THE UNIVERSITY, WHICH IS IN OUR TOWN AND A GREAT RESOURCE. I THINK, UH, WE SHOULD ALL BE REACHING OUT TO THE UNIVERSITY TO CRUNCH NUMBERS LIKE THIS AND FOR EXACTLY THIS REASON. UM, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO FOLLOW UP THEM AND, AND SEE IF THE STUDENTS DO COME UP WITH AN INNOVATIVE IDEA. UM, IT STUDENT WORK IS NEVER A REPLACEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL, UH, WORK. UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE'S A PLACE FOR IT, AND I THINK THAT A LOT OF INNOVATIVE IDEAS LIE IN STUDENT WORK. SO I WANNA APPLAUD YOU AND, AND, UH, ENCOURAGE YOU TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT. UM, AND I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT, UH, AND IT, IT, UH, RELATES TO THE UT STUDY AND IF THERE IS A EXTREMELY INNOVATIVE SOLUTION THAT THE STUDENTS FIND, UM, IF THIS IS APPROVED TONIGHT, IF THE CUP IS APPROVED TONIGHT, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THE INCLUSION OF THOSE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE FOUND IN STUDENT WORK, IN TRAFFIC PLANNING OR, OR, OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE? UM, I WOULD SAY THAT SO LONG AS, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT SOLUTIONS COULD COME FORWARD. UM, AND SO LONG AS THOSE SOLUTIONS AREN'T CAUSING FOR THE GIRLS' SCHOOL TO, UM, LOSE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, WHICH IS A, A BETTER CAMPUS AND SCHOOL, UH, EXPERIENCE FOR THE GIRLS, UM, I DON'T SEE WHY THEY WOULD OPPOSE ANYTHING LIKE THAT. YEAH. OKAY. UH, UH, THANK YOU. THAT WAS MY QUESTIONS. UM, OKAY. AND THAT'S IT. THANK YOU BOTH. THANK YOU. THANKS COMMISSIONER GANNON. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. UH, YEAH, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR MS. OI, DON'T GO ANYWHERE . UM, A COUPLE QUICK THINGS TO FOLLOW UP. YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR PRESENTATION THAT YOU ALL HAD LOOKED AT SOME OTHER SCHOOLS THAT HAVE HAD TRAFFIC WHO ARE LOCATED IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND HAVE GOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT. COULD YOU SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE? UM, YES, ACTUALLY I FLEW AROUND, UH, ON THE COMPUTER QUITE A BIT LOOKING AT, UH, A ISD DATA AND ACTUALLY LOOKING AT SCHOOLS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY. SO WITHIN ALL 10 DISTRICTS, COUNCIL DISTRICTS. AND, UM, WE FOUND A GOOD DEAL OF SCHOOLS THAT ARE SITUATED JUST LIKE THIS AND HAVE A FAIR LARGER AMOUNT OF STUDENTS AT THEIR SCHOOL. UM, UH, ADMITTEDLY I DIDN'T GO OUT AND OBSERVE TRAFFIC AT ALL OF THOSE SCHOOLS, BUT UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE KIDS, I, MY DAUGHTER USED TO GO RIGHT HERE TO BECKER ELEMENTARY AND UM, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE CRAZINESS THAT HAPPENS WITHIN THAT 10 MINUTES OF UH, PICKUP AND DROP OFF. AND UM, I THINK THAT'S JUST TO A DEGREE, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO EXPECT. RIGHT. UM, THAT IS ACTUALLY, I'M SO GLAD YOU MENTIONED BECKER BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS A SCHOOL SUMMIT US ARE FAMILIAR WITH BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE BOLDEN AND THAT THEY HAVE, I BELIEVE AT ONE POINT THEIR, UM, POPULATION PEAKED AT 500 KIDS AND THEIR SITE IS PROBABLY OF A SIMILAR SIZE, I WOULD IMAGINE MAYBE SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE FOR THE GIRLS SCHOOL, BUT THEY'VE MANAGED TO SORT OF EFFICIENTLY MOVE THEIR KIDS THROUGH A SORT OF PICKUP AND DROP OFF LINE, SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU ALL ARE CONSIDERING FOR THE CUP, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. I ACTUALLY THINK, UM, GIRLS SCHOOL IS GONNA DO MUCH BETTER JOB AT IT. YES. AND I AGREE. I GUESS MORE GENERALLY SPEAKING, UM, YOU, WE'VE SEEN THAT THESE TYPES OF SORT OF HANDS-ON SOLUTIONS HAVE WORKED ATIS USE WITH SCHOOLS WITH LARGER ENROLLMENTS. ANOTHER EXAMPLE MIGHT BE ZILKER WHERE WE HAVE A VERY NICE BIKE LANE IN FRONT OF IT, BUT THEY HAVE TO MANAGE MAKE SURE THE KID THAT THE CARS DON'T GO INTO THE BIKE LANE. SO SORT OF THAT UM, HANDS-ON APPROACH, UM, HAS REALLY WORKED. UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING YOU ALL ARE TRYING TO ENSURE IS IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WOULD BE MEMORIALIZED AND IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA DISAPPEAR OVER TIME NECESSARILY. THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH. UM, AND THEN I GUESS, UH, FINAL QUESTION JUST TO SORT OF CLARIFY SOMETHING, UM, MY UNDERSTANDING, AND BASED ON THE CROWD THAT'S HERE TONIGHT, THERE'S A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT GO TO THE GIRLS SCHOOL. SO IF YOU HAD 50 ADDITIONAL STUDENTS, YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE TALKING ABOUT 50 EXTRA FAMILIES OR 50 EXTRA CARS. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, YES. SO WHEN THE ENROLLMENT INCREASES, WE WOULD ACTUALLY EXPECT SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS TO POTENTIALLY STAY AND HAVE YOUNGER SIBLINGS IN THE OLD YOUNGER GRADES AND THAT WE WOULD SEE NOT A COMPLETE INCREASE OF 50 ADDITIONAL FAMILIES. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE HOPING FOR. YEP. EXCELLENT. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. THANKS SO MUCH. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER AHMED. THANK YOU. UH, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON SOME OF THE QUESTIONS SKIDMORE HAD, SO I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE TRAFFIC STUDY. THANK YOU. SO I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT THE TRAFFIC STUDY INCLUDED KIND OF AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRAFFIC IN 15 MINUTE [02:40:01] INCREMENTS, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. AND SO TO BE CLEAR, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE DAY, INCLUDING THE PEAK TRAFFIC TIMES IN THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON, UH, THERE WERE NO TIMES DURING THE COURSE OF THE DAY WHERE YOU SAW TRAFFIC LEVELS THAT WERE UNREASONABLE WHEN YOU WERE RECORDING THESE TRAFFIC LEVELS IN 15 MINUTE INCREMENTS. IS THAT CORRECT? I WOULD'VE TO GO BACK TO LOOK AT THE DATA TO COMPLETELY VERIFY THAT, BUT IN THE, WHAT WE DID SEE IN IT, I DON'T BELIEVE WE EVER SAW ANYTHING THAT WAS COMPLETELY, UH, OUTTA LINE OR, OR UNUSUALLY HIGH. OKAY, GREAT. I JUST WANT TO CONFIRM THAT THIS WASN'T JUST AGGREGATE NUMBERS, TOTAL NUMBER OF CARS DURING THE DAY, BUT IT ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE 15 MINUTE INCREMENTS DURING THOSE TIMES AS WELL, CORRECT? YEAH, WE LOOKED AT IT THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SO IT STARTS AT, YOU KNOW, MIDNIGHT AND RUNS THROUGH MIDNIGHT THE NEXT, UH, LOOKING AT EACH OF THESE AND AVERAGE THEM. OKAY. UH, I APPRECIATE IT. THAT'S THE ONLY QUESTION THAT I HAD. THANK YOU. THANKS COMMISSIONER AHMED. OKAY, LAST QUESTION. SLOT COMMISSIONER HILLER, GO AHEAD. ALL RIGHT. QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT. I'M GONNA LEAD THE WITNESS A LITTLE BIT. UM, PRESUMING THE VOTE GOES IN YOUR FAVOR ON THIS THIS EVENING, WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP? UM, IF THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO CONTINUE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE UT STUDENTS PRODUCE. I DON'T THINK IT'S BEYOND THE SCHOOL TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE COULD BE SOME GOOD IDEAS THAT COME OUT. I DON'T THINK THE DATA'S GONNA SHOW ANYTHING DIFFERENT, BUT PERHAPS THERE COULD BE SOME OTHER IDEAS THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED WITH THE CUP AND THE CONSTRUCTION ELEMENT SITE PLAN. SO I'M, THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ARCHITECTS WERE GONNA START WORKING ON THEIR ASPECT OF THE PLAN AND WE WILL START WORKING ON OUR ASPECT OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE PLAN, WHICH BASICALLY IS TURNING EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAW IN THAT PRETTY PICTURE INTO, UM, A FORMAL CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENT. SORRY, YOU'LL HAVE TO BEAR WITH ME. I'M KIND OF SAYING THIS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S BENEFIT, WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP FORMALLY IN TERMS OF PASSAGE OF THIS THROUGH THE, THE CITY PERMITTING PROCESS? SO LEAVING HERE, WE WOULD GO NEXT TO CITY COUNCIL. RIGHT? UM, IF IT'S APPEALED TO CITY COUNCIL, YES. OKAY, GOT IT. GOT IT. SO THERE'S A OPPORTUNITY FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE AND MAKE REQUESTS? THAT'S CORRECT. GOT IT. OKAY. MAYBE PERHAPS IN THAT TIME, IF THE UT STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO PRODUCE SOMETHING THEN THAT, YOU KNOW, TO REPEAT MR. GANS POINT ABOUT THERE BEING INCORPORATION OF THAT IF IT'S A GOOD IDEA? YEAH. OKAY. WELL NO OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I JUST WANNA TAKE A QUICK STRAW POLL. ARE THERE OTHER COMMISSIONERS THAT HAVE BURNING QUESTIONS THAT DID NOT GET ANSWERED IN OUR ROUND OF EIGHT VICE CHAIR AND WE HAVE CHAIR BOWEN. OKAY. ANY OBJECTION TO ADDING TWO ADDITIONAL QUESTION SLOTS AT THE MOMENT? OKAY, WE'LL HEAR FIRST FROM VICE CHAIR AND THEN WE'LL COME TO YOU CHAIR BOWEN. UM, I ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION FOR STAFF. GOD FORBID, UM, , I JUST THOUGHT YOU LOOK LONELY OVER THERE, SO I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO COME UP. UM, SO THE RECOMMENDATION NUMBER FIVE, UM, IS THE REASSESSMENT TRIGGER. IT'S TIED TO THE IT, UH, HEADCOUNT. AND I'M JUST WONDERING, UM, IF THE OBSERVED QUEUING OR LIKE 3 1 1 COMPLAINT VOLUME OR SOME SOMETHING LIKE THAT SHOWS SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT'S MODELED, WHAT MECHANISM WOULD TRIGGER A REASSESSMENT OR, OR IS THERE SUCH A MECHANISM? IT, IT WOULD BE TIED TO THE SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. SO IT, WHAT IS BEING PERMITTED AT THAT TIME AND HOW IT IS DESIGNED AT THAT TIME? UM, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A POST-CONSTRUCTION 3 1 1 ASPECT OF IT UNLESS IT BECOMES A SITUATION WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THERE IS A PERMITTED USE ON A SITE, BUT THEY GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THEY WERE, UH, ALLOWED TO DO. HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, WITH BARS AND RESTAURANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SUDDENLY THERE'S A PATIO AREA THAT WASN'T THERE BEFORE. THOSE KINDS OF THINGS CAN BE ADDRESSED THROUGH THREE ONE, BUT THE NTA AND THE CUP ARE DESIGNED TO APPLY AT THE TIME OF THE DESIGN AND PERMITTING AND WHAT'S SHOWN AT THAT TIME. AND IF THEY CONTINUE TO COMPLY WITH THAT, THEN IT SHOULD STAY WITHIN THOSE PARAMETERS. UM, THE LANGUAGE IN THERE I THINK IS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE NTA IS REVIEWING WHAT WE, WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US NOW, BUT IF THE PLAN THAT COMES IN IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, THEN THEY MAY HAVE TO [02:45:01] REEXAMINE IT. GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAD. NOW I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT. UM, SO WE GOT ROBUST, UH, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION ON THIS AND, UM, BOTH SOME OF THE, THE FOLKS, UM, FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, SPEAKING HERE TONIGHT AS WELL AS IN LETTERS, UH, WERE EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY FELT LIKE THEY WEREN'T REALLY HEARD DURING THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS WITH THE SCHOOL DURING THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS. UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO HEAR KIND OF, UH, I I I KNOW IT WAS A ROBUST, UH, DISCUSSION THAT Y'ALL HAD AS WELL, BUT I JUST WANTED TO HEAR KIND OF, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE TO ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, MAKING EVERYONE FEEL THAT THEY'VE BEEN HURT AND, AND THAT YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, TAKEN AND STUDIED AND COME BACK TO SAY, YEAH, WE, WE LOOKED AT THIS CLOSELY, BUT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO DO IT BECAUSE X MAKE SENSE? YES. UM, I'LL JUST POINT OUT THAT WHEN WE PRESENTED THE CONCEPT SITE PLAN TO THE NEIGHBORS, UM, I THINK ON, ON THE GIRLS SCHOOL SIDE, EVERYONE WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WAS PRODUCED AND OUR PRESENTATION OF THAT TO THE NEIGHBORS REALLY FOCUSED ON LOOK AT THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN AT THIS CAMPUS. AND, UM, PERHAPS IT GOT A LITTLE LOSS ON US THAT, I DON'T WANNA SAY THE NEIGHBOR DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THAT. I THINK THEY HAVE STATED TONIGHT THAT THEY DO CARE ABOUT THE GIRLS SCHOOL AND THEY CARE ABOUT THE EDUCATION THAT THE GIRLS ARE GETTING. UM, BUT THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR ABOUT. AND SO THERE WAS A RECOGNITION OF THAT AND, UM, MOVING FORWARD, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRIED TO KEEP CONVERSATION REALLY TO, TO JUST THAT ISSUE BECAUSE THAT IS THE ISSUE THAT THEY CARE A LOT ABOUT. UM, WHAT WAS THE SECOND HALF OF YOUR QUESTION, ? NO, YOU, YOU PRETTY MUCH GOT IT. . OKAY. OKAY. IT, IT WAS A MEANDERING QUESTION. SO THAT, THAT'S ON ME. UM, I GUESS THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU CHAIR BOWEN. GO AHEAD. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I JUST GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS ACTUALLY ONE FOR, FOR STAFF. 'CAUSE I, I'M READING SOME OF THE REPORTS HERE AND IT TALKS ABOUT THEY WERE GOING TO DO A TRAFFIC CALMING ON WINDSOR ROAD AND IT SAID THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE BY MARCH. I KNOW THIS IS PROBABLY NOT IN YOUR, IN YOUR, UH, WICK SO TO SPEAK, SINCE YOU'RE NOT A TP. UM, BUT IT SAYS THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO START A PROJECT ON THAT. IS THERE ANY STATUS ON THAT TRAFFIC CALMING THE APPLICANT STATED THAT IT HAS BEEN DONE. IT HAS BEEN DONE. OKAY, GREAT. ALSO, SO ONE OF MY OTHER QUESTIONS WAS REALLY, UM, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF NEIGHBORS BASED UPON THE MAPS IN HERE, UM, I I GUESS YOU HAVE YOUR STUDENTS THAT COME IN, BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE REST OF THE NEIGHBORS. HOW DO THEY REALLY ENGAGE WITH THE FACT OF GOING AGAINST THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS? BECAUSE I NOTICED ONE OF THE OTHER COMMENTS IN HERE WAS, UH, SOME OF THE CROSSWALKS BEING RE REMARKED TO THOSE TYPE OF ISSUES, WHICH I THINK THAT WOULD REALLY FALL BACK ON THE CITY VERSUS ON YOU GUYS. BUT IN TRYING TO FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE ISSUES AND ALSO TRYING TO DEAL WITH NEIGHBORS THAT ARE LIKE, I GOTTA GET OUT, I GOTTA GET IN AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE TYPE THING AND NOT DEALING WITH IT. SO YES, MA'AM. UH, THE PRINCIPAL. SO ARE YOU ASKING HOW WE ADDRESS THE ISSUES IN, IN PRACTICE? YES. SO THAT'S PART OF WHY WE HAVE ADMIN STAFF OUT ON THE STREET, UM, DURING DISMISSAL. UM, SO THAT I THINK THE, THE PARENTS ARE PRETTY WELL AWARE THAT THAT, THAT COMING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY FOR, FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IS AN ISSUE. OUR DISMISSAL TIME, UM, OFTEN COINCIDES WITH OUR NEIGHBORS TRYING TO GO PICK UP THEIR OWN CHILDREN FROM OTHER SCHOOLS. AND SO WE ARE OUT THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT WHEN NEIGHBORS COME OUT OF THEIR DRIVEWAYS THAT OUR TRAFFIC IS PAYING ATTENTION AND CAN MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. WELL, AND, AND KIND OF, I'M, I'M REALLY KIND OF CONCERNED WITH THE FACT OF WE'RE WANTING TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN AND THAT, UM, THE NEIGHBORS THAT ACTUALLY LIVE THERE IN THEIR OWN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES HAVE GOT JUST AS MUCH RIGHT TO THE STREETS AND BEING, YOU KNOW, COGNIZANT OF THAT. OH, DEFINITELY. THAT PARTICULAR, THAT PARTICULAR [02:50:01] THING ADDING, YOU KNOW, SOME EXTRA TRAFFIC. I UNDERSTAND. AND I, I THINK YOUR CONCEPT FOR YOUR THE SCHOOL IS GREAT. I JUST, UH, I'M JUST KIND OF SEEING, I JUST SEE SOME ISSUES WITH NOT HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY TRYING TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS IN THIS ENTIRE PROCESS AND WORKING TOGETHER. SO, UM, WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS THE REASON WE CHANGED THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC WAS BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC COMING INTO THE SCHOOL DRIVEWAY WAS BLOCKING TRAFFIC. THERE WERE CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER EMERGENCY VEHICLES COULD GO THROUGH. WE HAD HEARD FROM THE NEIGHBOR WHO LIVES DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR DRIVEWAY THAT IF SHE WAS OUT AND ABOUT DURING OUR DISMISSAL TIME, SHE WOULDN'T BOTHER TO TRY TO COME HOME. AND WITH THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE MADE, SHE HAS LET US KNOW THAT SHE IS NOW ABLE TO GET IN AND OUTTA HER DRIVEWAY. UM, OUR CARS WILL, THE PARENTS, WHEN YOU WATCH THEM IN THE QUEUE, UM, THEY STAY CLOSE TO THE CURB IN THE RIGHT OF WAY SO THAT CARS GOING UP AND DOWN THE STREET CAN GET PAST THEM ON THE ROAD. SO IF THERE'S A CAR PARKED PARALLEL PARKED ON MCCALL, THE TRAFFIC LINE WILL SAN GO AROUND THAT CAR UNTIL THERE'S ROOM FOR SOMEBODY TO MOVE FORWARD. HAS ANYBODY THE CITY ACTUALLY APPROVE THE, THAT CHANGE IN FLOW OF THE TRAFFIC TO WHERE, I MEAN, Y'ALL JUST COME UP WITH THIS ON YOUR OWN, OR WAS SOMEBODY AT, AT AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION OR SOMEBODY ELSE COORDINATED WITH YOU GUYS TO SAY, WE WANT TO DO THIS SO THAT THIS WASN'T JUST Y'ALL'S? SO THIS GOES BACK TO THE QUESTION OF WHAT HAS BEEN MEMORIALIZED. UM, I HAD GONE THROUGH THE OLD PARENT STUDENT HANDBOOKS AND FOUND THAT, THAT THAT TRAFFIC FLOW WAS LISTED THERE. I COULD NOT FIND ANYWHERE, UM, AN AGREEMENT WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I COULDN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE IN THE CITY RECORDS THAT THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I HAD JUST HEARD HEARSAY FROM THE NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE DRIVEWAY FROM US AND SEEN IT IN THIS, IN THE PARENT STUDENT HANDBOOK. SO WHEN WE WERE HEARING THAT TRAFFIC WAS BACKING UP BECAUSE THEY WERE COMING FROM THREE DIRECTIONS, WE MADE THE DECISION TO GO AROUND THE BLOCK AND HAVE IT ALL COME FROM ONE DIRECTION. BUT YOU SEE WHERE I'M GOING, I JUST, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SURE GET IT MEMORIALIZED, BUT ALSO GET IT TO WHERE IT'S KIND OF LIKE THIS IS ACCEPTED BEHAVIOR OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS. SURE. BUT YOU ARE DEALING WITH TWO A TWO LANE, UH, RESIDENTIAL STREET. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'LL GO AHEAD AND LOOK FOR A MOTION ON THIS ITEM. YES. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. UM, I'D LIKE TO MOVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION. STAFF RECOMMENDATION, LOOKING FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE, WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR DEBATE. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO START BY SPEAKING TO YOUR ITEM? UM, YEAH, I'M VERY DELIGHTED TO SEE THE ENGAGEMENT TONIGHT AND PARTICULARLY BECAUSE I AM A PRODUCT OF ALL GIRLS SCHOOL EDUCATION, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. YOU CAN BE A FUTURE PLANNING COMMISSIONER , MAYBE A LITTLE MORE, I HOPE. BUT, UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS MADE ABOUT KEEPING NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS OPEN. WE KNOW THAT THAT'S A REAL ISSUE RIGHT NOW IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND MORE GENERALLY THAT I THINK THAT SOME OF YOU MAY SEE ME GET A LITTLE EMOTIONAL. I HAVE A MIDDLE SCHOOLER, SADLY A BOY, NOT A GIRL . BUT, UM, THE GIRLS SPEAKING HERE TONIGHT ARE SO IMPRESSIVE AND I THINK JUST SPEAK TO EXACTLY WHAT YOU ALL ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS SCHOOL AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT IT BOTH INTERNALLY, AS YOU KNOW, AS WE WORK THROUGH THE SITE PLAN, BUT ALSO AS PLANNING COMMISSIONERS AND PEOPLE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT OUR CITY AND WHAT WE WANT OUR CITY TO LOOK LIKE. SO I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT THIS AND HAPPY TO MAKE THIS MOTION BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS AN EXCELLENT STEP FORWARD FOR THE GIRLS SCHOOL AND FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION. ANYONE SPEAKING AGAINST ANYONE ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK FOR THE MOTION? COMMISSIONER GANNON, I WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT THIS. UM, AND UH, JUST REAL QUICK, JUST PERSONALLY, I HAVE THREE KIDS. THEY'RE IN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, UH, THAT HAVE DIFFERENT START TIMES AND DIFFERENT DROP OFF TIMES, AND SO I'M INTIMATELY AWARE OF THE CHALLENGES OF TRYING TO GET MULTIPLE KIDS TO MULTIPLE LOCATIONS WITHIN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, THROUGH VERY CROWDED STREETS. UM, UH, I'M ALSO, UH, EXTREMELY ENCOURAGING OF CHILDHOOD INDEPENDENCE AND PUTTING MY KIDS ON BIKES AND PUTTING THEM OUT ON THE STREETS IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. AND THE SAFETY OF OUR STREETS IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, PARAMOUNT AND I WANT TO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARENT WHOSE, WHOSE KID WAS HIT. THAT'S A, AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE SITUATION. UM, AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THE KID WAS ALRIGHT. UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I I THINK THAT EVERY PARENT HERE CAN, CAN RELATE TO THAT FEAR. AND, AND, UH, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THE CITY, THE OKAY, THE GOOD NEWS IS THE TRAFFIC IS BAD EVERYWHERE. UH, BUT IN A WAY IT'S, IT'S AN ISSUE THAT THE, THAT THE CITY IS REALLY TRYING TO TAKE ON. AND, UM, [02:55:01] UH, THERE IS PROGRAMS LIKE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS AND THE LIVING STREET INITIATIVE AND, UH, THERE'S LOTS OF REALLY, UH, EAGER AND CAPABLE PEOPLE AT THE CITY WHO, WHO, UH, WHO ARE CHALLENGING THIS, THIS, UH, TRAFFIC PROBLEM. AND HOW DO WE GET OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL AND HOW DO WE BUILD CHILDHOOD, UH, INDEPENDENCE? SO FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND REACHING OUT TO THE CITY, UH, LOOKING INTO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL AND THE, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM. THEY'VE WORKED WITH, UH, MY OWN COMMUNITY TO BUILD CHICANE, UH, UH, RAIN GARDENS RIGHT IN THE STREET TO, TO SLOW DOWN TRAFFIC. THEY'VE PUT, UH, PLANTERS IN ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S CLOSE BY US. THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY INNOVATIVE WAYS AND I WANNA, UH, ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT TO THE CITY. THANKS, COMMISSIONER GANNON, OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION FOR COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE. I'LL JUST SPEAK VERY BRIEFLY ON FOR THE MOTION AND AGAIN, USE MY BRIEF TIME HERE TO JUST MAKE A PLUG TO KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. RIGHT. IT, THERE'S A PROBLEM, THERE'S THE EXTERNALITY OF THERE CONCENTRATION OF PEOPLE GOING TO THE SCHOOL, AND IT CAN BE REALLY DISORGANIZED OR IT CAN BE, CAN BE MORE ORGANIZED. AND IT SEEMS LIKE Y'ALL HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO DO ALL OF THE PIECES OF WHAT IS A TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT PLAN. SO YOU'VE ALREADY ARE DOING THE WORK AND COMMISSIONER GANON BROUGHT UP THE POINTS, THE RESOURCES FROM THE CITY AND OTHER NONPROFITS. BUT HERE'S A CHANCE, RIGHT? THIS IS WHAT WE DO IN CITIES, RIGHT, IS WE GET MORE PEOPLE CLOSE TOGETHER. IN THIS CASE OF YOUNG GIRLS COMING TOGETHER IN MIDDLE SCHOOL TO, YOU KNOW, TO BECOME, UH, TO GROW AND BECOME SORT OF VIBRANT MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE CAN DO THAT WITHOUT BUILDING MORE PAVEMENT. SO KEEP BUILDING ON THAT AND I THINK YOU WILL PROVE TO YOUR NEIGHBORS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MORE PEOPLE CAN BE THERE WITH LESS DISRUPTION. I'M EXCITED TO SEE IT MOVE FORWARD. OTHER COMMISSIONERS FOR OR AGAINST COMMISSIONER POWELL? YEAH, SO I, I'LL BE VOTING FOR THIS MOTION, BUT I WANT TO GIVE A, A, LET'S SAY A GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS SITUATION. THE GOOD NEWS IS, I THINK Y'ALL CAN TELL FROM THIS MEETING, UM, THE RIVETING, RIVETING PROCESS OF PLANNING COMMISSION HERE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT, UH, WE RUN INTO A LOT OF FIGHTS TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST. UM, THE LOCAL POLITICAL PROCESS, THE LOCAL DEMOCRACY INVOLVES A LOT OF PEOPLE ON FULL ON OPPOSING SIDES. AND I'M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL THAT THAT'S, THIS ISN'T ONE OF THOSE CASES, THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD EVERYONE'S ON THE SAME TEAM. WE'LL HEAR IT FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, FROM THE SCHOOL, THE VALUE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I WANT TO JUST SAY THAT KEEPING THAT IN THE YEARS TO COME, 'CAUSE THIS IS VERY CLEARLY A MULTI-YEAR PROCESS WITH A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE FEEDBACK IS GOING TO BE CRITICAL FOR THE SUCCESS FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, FOR THE ENTIRE CITY OF AUSTIN. I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT THE BAD NEWS IS, AND I THINK IT'S SOLVABLE, BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM HERE. YOU KNOW, UH, I THINK ONE SPEAKER FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAID IT BEST THAT PEOPLE DON'T ACCIDENTALLY WRITE 25 LETTERS ABOUT THE TRAFFIC. THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON HERE AND, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR THE HEAD OF SCHOOLS, FOR THE OTHER ADMINISTRATORS, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S EFFORTS TO SOLVE THIS AND UH, I HATE TO GIVE HOMEWORK TO SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, BUT THIS IS GONNA CONTINUALLY BE SOMETHING TO SOLVE, ESPECIALLY AS NEW STUDENTS COME IN, AS THEY LOOP UP. IF THE COP CONTINUES THROUGH, IT DOESN'T GET APPEALED. UM, IT'S GONNA BE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS IS A CONTINUAL CONVERSATION. IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO JUST DO A MEETING AT A SCHOOL AND INVITE FOLKS. TO BE HONEST. Y'ALL MIGHT NEED TO GO KNOCK ON DOORS DOWN THAT STREET AND MAKE SURE EVERY NEIGHBOR KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON. IT'S A REAL CONSIDERATION. Y'ALL DO HAVE TO GO THE EXTRA EFFORT, BUT FROM WHAT I'M SEEING FROM THIS GIRL'S SCHOOL, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL ARE UP TO THE TASK. SO PLEASE, PLEASE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE SHARED LOVE OF COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO CAME TODAY. THIS IS A MUCH MORE PACKED HOUSE THAN WE USUALLY HAVE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, KEEP THE COMMUNICATION GOING. ENGAGE IN THIS AS A YEARS LONG PROCESS THAT IT WILL BE FOR THE BEST OUTCOMES FOR EVERYONE. AND AGAIN, I'M JUST GRATEFUL TO SAY, WHICH IS SO RARE TO SAY SOMETIMES, UH, IN THE WORK WE DO AS A COMMISSION, THAT I REALLY THINK THERE'S A WONDERFUL OUTCOME HERE. THANKS COMMISSIONER POWELL. WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION MADE BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE THOSE IN FAVOR AGAINST. ALL RIGHT, THAT MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. HONESTLY, I JUST WANNA TAKE A QUICK, UH, POINT OF PRIVILEGE TO ADDRESS THE YOUNGER SPEAKERS AND ATTENDEES THIS EVENING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CASE. I HOPE THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OF MANY TIMES THAT YOU COME TO CITY HALL AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT YOU. UNFORTUNATELY, WE OFTEN DON'T HEAR FROM YOUNGER SPEAKERS ON THESE CASES, BUT YOU ARE A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS AND WHO WE ARE ALL UP HERE [03:00:01] WORKING SO HARD TO BUILD A BETTER CITY FOR. SO I WANNA SAY THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE HOPE WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON. I WOULD LIKE TO MOTION FOR A 10 MINUTE RECESS. CAN I GET A SECOND? SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR. OKAY, LET'S BE BACK AT NINE 10. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. 11:00 PM FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO, BEFORE WE JUMP INTO OUR NEXT PUBLIC HEARING CASE, WHICH IS ITEM 10 ON OUR AGENDA, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION THAT WE EXTEND THIS MEETING PAST OUR 10 O'CLOCK DEADLINE TO 11:00 PM SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR. ANY OBJECTION? THANK YOU ALL. MUCH APPRECIATED. WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR OBJECTION NOTED? NO. OKAY. WITHOUT OBJECTION. THAT ITEM PASSES AND WE'LL BE EXTENDED TO 11:00 PM LET'S MOVE INTO [10. Rezoning: C14-2026-0006 - Holly Wu W. 6th Street Restaurant; District 9] ITEM 10 ON OUR AGENDA. HOLLYWOOD WEST SIXTH STREET RESTAURANT. WE'LL HEAR FROM STAFF. FIRST, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. CYNTHIA HARI WITH AUSTIN PLANNING. THIS IS ITEM 10 ON YOUR AGENDA. C 14 20 26 0 0 1 1 HOLLYWOOD WEST SIXTH STREET RESTAURANT. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 1608 WEST SIXTH STREET. THE SITE IN QUESTION IS APPROXIMATELY 0.52 ACRES DEVELOPED OF THE PARKING LOT IN AN OFFICE BUILDING. THERE IS ACCESS TO WEST SIXTH STREET, WHICH IS AN AS SP LEVEL THREE IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR AND AN A SMP TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK CORRIDOR. THE PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY ZONED GENERAL OFFICE NEIGHBORHOOD. PLAN, GONP COMBINED DISTRICT ZONING AND IS CHARACTERIZED AS MIXED USE. THE SURROUNDING AREA HAS SEVERAL OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL USES AROUND IT, AS WELL AS VARIOUS RESIDENTIAL TYPES SUCH AS CONDOMINIUM, RESIDENTIAL AND MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL. THE APPLICANT ORIGINALLY REQUESTED TO GO FROM GENERAL OFFICE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN GONP TO COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN GR NP ON APRIL 15TH, 2026. THE APPLICANT AMEN THEIR APPLICATION TO REQUEST. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL CONDITIONAL OVERLAID NEIGHBORHOOD. PLAN L-R-C-O-N-P COMBINED DISTRICT ZONING. THERE IS NO DEMOLITION PROPOSED FOR THE PROPERTY AND THE APPLICANT IS INTENDED TO KEEP THE CURRENT BUILDING TO ALLOW FOR A HIGH-END RESTAURANT USE. THE APPLICANT AMENDED THEIR REQUEST TO MATCH TASK RECOMMENDATION OF L RCO AND P WITH SERVICE STATION AS A PROHIBITED USE. THIS PROPERTY IS IN THE OLD WEST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AND FALLS WITHIN THE RECOMMENDED AREA FOR NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDLY COMMERCIAL USES BASED ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, THE ADJACENT PROPERTY TO THIS SITE IS ZONED MF FOUR NP. THE MF FOUR BASED ZONING DISTRICT IS EQUIVALENT TO GO G AND CS COMMERCIAL BASED ZONING DISTRICTS BASED ON HEIGHT AND OR OTHER SITE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. THE REQUESTED REZONING IS FOR LR BASED DISTRICT, WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO MF TWO AND MF THREE BASED ZONING DISTRICTS BASED ON HEIGHT AND OTHER SITE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. THIS REZONING WOULD BE MORE RESTRICTED THAN THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY, WHICH WOULD IN TURN PROVIDE A BALANCE OF INTENSITIES AND DENSITIES FOR THE AREA. THERE ARE MANY EXISTING ZONINGS THAT ALLOW FOR SIMILAR OR MORE INTENSE USES APPROXIMATELY 0.25 MILES TO THE EAST AND WEST. IN SUMMARY, THIS REZONING WOULD PROMOTE COMPATIBILITY WITH THE ADJACENT AND NEARBY USES. ON APRIL 17TH, 2026, ANA AND THE APPLICANT AGREED TO THE FOLLOWING PROHIBITED USES ON THE PROPERTY. UM, ALTERNATIVE FINANCIAL USES, CLUB OR LODGE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY FACILITIES, COMMUNICATION SERVICE FACILITIES, COMMUNITY EVENTS, COMMUNITY GARDEN COMMUNITY RECREATION, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC CONSUMER CONVENIENCE SERVICES. CONSUMER REPAIR SERVICES, CUSTOM MANUFACTURING HOSPITAL SERVICES, LIMITED MEDICAL OFFICES EXCEEDING 5,000 SQUARE FEET, UM, OR NOT EXCEEDING 5,000 SQUARE FEET OFFSITE, ACCESSORY PARKING, PETTY CAB STORAGE AND DISPATCH PET SERVICES, PLANT NURSERY, PRINTING AND PUBLISHING, PRIVATE PRIMARY EDUCATION FACILITIES, PRIVATE SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES, SAFETY SERVICES, SERVICE STATION THEATER AND URBAN FARM STAFF DOES NOT OBJECT TO THESE PROHIBITED USES. IN ADDITION TO THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION OF L RCO P, WHICH CURRENTLY ONLY HAS SERVICE STATION LISTED AS A PROHIBITED USE, I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS AND WE WILL NOW BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT. EVAN OR THE OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER IN FAVOR, EVAN TE GUCCI. EVAN LEFT FIVE MINUTES SIR. IF YOU DON'T MIND JUST MAKING SURE THAT YOUR MICROPHONE IS ON BY PRESSING THE RED BUTTON ON THE MICROPHONE. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. I'M EVAN TINY GUCCI OF TINY GUCCI ARCHITECTS AND I AM THE AGENT FOR THIS, UH, ZONING CASE. UM, FIRST I'M GONNA TAKE YOU, WELL FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE TWO, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS BACK BEHIND ME AND I HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF O ONE OVER THERE THAT WILL BE FOLLOWING ME. FIRST I'M GONNA TAKE YOU TO THE PROCESS WE WENT THROUGH. IT ALL STARTED ON FEBRUARY THE 27TH WHEN WE FILED THE, UH, ORIGINAL ZONING APPLICATION FOR CHANGE FROM G-O-N-O-N-P TO GRNP. [03:05:02] ON MARCH TO THE FOURTH, I WAS NOTIFIED BY DSD THAT SENDS OUR CASES NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN. WE WOULD NEED TO MEET WITH AWA ANA TO OFFER MORE DETAILS. SO WE COORDINATED MEETING WITH ANA AND NEIGHBORS FOR THREE FOR MARCH 26TH. ON MARCH 26TH, WE MET WITH ANA AND SOME INTERESTING INTERESTED NEIGHBORS WHO HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF OUR ZONING CASE WHERE WE AGREED TO SEEK MORE RESTRICTED LR NP ZONING AND WOULD CONSIDER A RESTRICTED COVENANT THAT WOULD COVER SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS. ON APRIL THE NINTH, WE REVISED AND RESUBMITTED OUR ZONING APPLICATION, INCLUDING A REVISED SUMMARY LETTER. ADDITIONAL PROHIBITED USES WERE ALSO SUBMITTED TO DSD FOR INCLUSION IN THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAY AT ANA'S REQUEST FURTHER ADDRESSING NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS IN RESPONSE TO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND GOOD FAITH EFFORTS TO REACH A COMPROMISE OR WANT TO EXPRESS SATISFACTION WITH THE REVISIONS AND VOTED TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT ON APRIL 23RD. SOME MEMBERS WHO WERE STILL NOT PLEASED WITH OUR COMPROMISE REQUESTED ANOTHER MEETING, WHICH MY CLIENTS I AGREED TO ATTEND, BUT ONLY ONE PERSON SHOWED UP IN THE MEETING WAS UNFORTUNATELY UNPRODUCTIVE. MY CLIENTS AND I ARE A BIT CONCERNED WITH HOW THIS NEIGHBOR HAS APPROACHED THIS ISSUE NOT BEING AS TRANSPARENT AS WHO HE EXPECTED AND SOMEWHAT HARMFUL TO OUR BUSINESS. SO HERE WE ARE TODAY TO PUT THIS ISSUE TO A VOTE. UH, DURING THIS PROJECT THOUGH, MY CLIENTS BEGAN TO GET WET FEET BECAUSE OF ALL THE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE NEIGHBOR'S COMPLAINTS, AND ASKED ME TO LOOK INTO SB EIGHT 40 TO SEE, TO SEE, LOOK FOR SOME OTHER OPTIONS. BUT I CONVINCED THEM THAT WE NEED TO CARRY ON WITH THIS, UM, WITH THE LR NPCO ZONING AND MAYBE ADD SOME RESTRICTED COVENANTS. SO WE DID THAT AND, UM, YES, SO WE AGREED TO SOME RESTRICTED COVENANT ITEMS ADDED ONTO OUR MORE RESTRICTIVE ZONING CATEGORY TO REACH A COMPROMISE. WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS A FAIR COMPROMISE FOR ALL CONCERNED PARTIES. SO THOSE RESTRICTED COVENANTS ARE A OUTDOOR AMPLIFIED OR PERCU PERCUSSION SOUNDS SHALL BE PROHIBITED. B, INSTALL AND MAINTAIN COMMERCIALLY ODOR CONTROL SYSTEMS CONSISTENT WITH INDUSTRY STANDARDS USING APPROPRIATE FILTRATION OR SCRUBBERS IN THE KITCHEN. EXHAUST SYSTEM DELIVERIES SHALL OCCUR BETWEEN 9:00 AM AND 4:00 PM EXCEPT FOR CIRCUMSTANCES OUTSIDE LANDOWNER'S CONTROL D CONSTRUCT A DUMPSTER CLOSURE DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE DISTURBANCE TO NEIGHBORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AND E ALL REFUSE FACILITIES, MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT, AND RELATED MATERIALS SHALL BE SCREENED FROM VIEW, FROM ADJACENT PROPERTIES AND PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY AND COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE CITY OF AUSTIN CODE REQUIREMENTS AS MAY BE AMENDED. AND I WANT TO FINISH THIS BY SAYING THAT, UM, UH, NOT ONLY AM I DO HANDLING THIS ZONING CASE FOR JIMMY AND LING WU, UM, I'M ALSO THE ARCHITECT, OUR SIX, UH, RESTAURANTS HERE IN THE TOWN IN AUSTIN AND ONE WE'RE BUILDING IN CEDAR PARK RIGHT NOW. AND WE STRIVE TO DO THE BEST WE CAN WHEN WE DESIGNED THESE FACILITIES. AND SHE HAS, I MEAN, SHE'S VERY WELL KNOWN AS ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTERS IN AUSTIN. SO WE'RE NOT, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KIND OF SURPRISED THAT PEOPLE ARE AGAINST THIS WHEN WE FEEL LIKE IT'LL ADD TO THE MIXED USE, UH, OF EFFECT IN THAT AREA. AND, YOU KNOW, BEING ON THE PLANNING, I MEAN, BEING ON THE DESIGN COMMISSION FOR 14 YEARS AND AN AUTHOR, ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF IMAGINE AUSTIN, WE KNOW THIS IS WHERE AUSTIN WAS HEADED. THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. WE'VE LOOKED FOR MORE MIXED USE IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS SO THAT WE CAN FORM COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. SO I THINK WE ARE REALLY LOOKING TOWARDS A FUTURE HERE WITH THIS PROJECT, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET YOUR APPROVAL AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS LING WU, WHO WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES FROM JIMMY AND G LING, OR JIMMY, ARE YOU PRESENT? HI EVERYONE. HI. I'M JUST A CHEF, BUT EVERYONE ASKED ME TO COME OVER HERE. I'VE BEEN THIS CITY 26 YEARS. I SEE HOW THE CITY CHANGE. SO IN MY CULTURE, MOM, GRANDMA DOESN'T TELL YOU, I LOVE YOU, HONEY, GIVE YOUR HEART. BUT THEY ALWAYS ASK YOU, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT? I FEEL LIKE THIS CITY GIMME A LOT OPPORTUNITY TO GROW, TO LEARN. IT'S KIND OF MY JOB. I THINK I NEED TO SHARE MORE LOVE FROM MY CULTURE. AND TO ME, I WANTED TO PROVIDE [03:10:01] MORE, BETTER, LIKE DYING EXPERIENCE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I'VE BEEN THIS LIKE ON WEST SIXTH STREET AS LONG TIME AND BEEN LIKE, HAVE EVAN HELP. AND, UH, I KIND OF LIKE SLOWLY DOWN MOVING ORDER MY RESTAURANT TAKING CARE OF THAT. EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT, THAT EVERY RESTAURANT BUILD, JUST LIKE MY KIDS, EVEN MY KIDS KNOW, MOM, YOU SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR WORKER, WITH YOUR RESTAURANT THAN US, BUT MY KIDS ALREADY UNDERSTAND ME AND THEY SUPPORT ME. WHOLE FAMILY SUPPORT ME TO DOING ALL OF THIS BECAUSE LIKE I LOVE AUSTIN, IT BECOME MY SECOND HOMETOWN. I ALREADY LOVE THIS CITY. I LIKE IT SINCE LIKE I GREW WHEN I ARRIVED HERE IS WHY I WAS 21 YEARS OLD. SO I FEEL LIKE THIS CITY GROW, WE MEET TOGETHER. I HAVE A FAMILY HERE. I HAVE LOTS OF FRIENDS HERE, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS HAVE A, LOTS OF REGULARS SUPPORT ME NO MATTER WHERE I GO. SO, AND ALSO THIS BUILDING I PASSED BY A HUNDRED TIMES, BUT TODAY FINALLY I GOT ME. AND THANK YOU GUYS. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IN FAVOR IS SHEILA LEON. SHEILA WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF TIME FROM MIKE BENHART. MIKE, ARE YOU PRESENT? SHEILA, YOU WILL HAVE FOUR MINUTES. GOOD MORNING. I MEAN, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I'M SHEILA LYONS, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE OLD WEST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCI ASSOCIATION. AWANA, I'M HERE TO EXPRESS OUR SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSED REZONING OF 1608 WEST SIXTH STREET FROM GENERAL OFFICE TO NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL WITH THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAY AND RESTRICTED COVENANT AS NEGOTIATED THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ZONING PROCESS. THIS RECOMMENDATION REFLECTS A BALANCE AND PRAGMATIC APPROACH WHILE ADJACENT RESIDENTS OPPOSE ANY ZONING THAT WOULD ALLOW RESTAURANT USE. ANA EVALUATED THIS REQUEST WITHIN THE BROADER CONTEXT OF WEST SIXTH STREET, A MAJOR CORRIDOR WHERE THE CITY HAS CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTED MIXED USE IN COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY BASED ON ESTABLISHED ZONING PATTERNS AND PRIOR REZONINGS. WE BELIEVE THIS PROPOSAL IS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS LOCATION. IMPORTANTLY, THE CURRENT PROPOSAL RE REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN INTEN IN INTENSITY. FROM AN EARLIER REQUEST, THE APPLICANT INITIALLY PURSUED COM COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL ZONING, BUT AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH ANA AGREED TO INSTEAD PURSUE NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL, THIS CHANGE REDUCES SITE STANDARDS AND MEANINGFULLY LIMITS THE RANGE AND INTENSITY OF PERMITTED USES. THE PROPOSED ZONING COMBINED WITH A CONDITIONAL OVERLAY AND RESTRICTED COVENANT ESTABLISHES CLEAR ENFORCEABLE PROTECTIONS. THE INTENT OF THE REZONING IS TO ALLOW ADAPTIVE REUSE OF THE EXISTING STRUCTURE FOR RESERVATION ONLY OSI STYLE RESTAURANT, ALONG WITH LIMITED DAYTIME USES SUCH AS CHEF COOKING CLASSES FOR ASIAN CUISINE AND OCCASIONAL CORPORATE LUNCHES. THE RESTAURANT WILL OPERATE WITH A SINGLE PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED KITCHEN EQUIPPED WITH A COMMERCIAL GRADE VENTILATION AND FILTRATION SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO CAPTURE CREASE AND CONTROL EMISSIONS. THIS IS AN INHERENTLY LOW INTENSITY FORMAT, SERVING A LIMITED NUMBER OF GUESTS IN A CONTROLLED SETTING WITH NO EXPANSION OF THE BUILDING FOOTPRINT. THEY AGREED UPON CONDITIONAL OVERLAY, FURTHER RESTRICTS A WIDE RANGE OF POTENTIALLY INCOMPATIBLE USES, THEREBY REINFORCING COMPATIBILITY WITH A SURROUNDING RESIDENTIAL AREA. THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, THE APPLICANT HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE AND COLLABORATIVE, WORKING IN GOOD FAITH TO ADDRESS CONCERNS EVEN AMONG ADJACENT RESIDENTS. THERE'S A RECOGNITION THAT IF REZONING IS TO OCCUR, THIS NEGOTIATED FRAMEWORK IS MORE RESPONS A REMORSE RESPONSIBLE OUTCOME. FOR THESE REASONS, ANA SUPPORTS THIS REZONING AS A REASONABLE AND ENFORCEABLE COMPROMISE THAT PROTECTS THE CHARACTER AND LIVABILITY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TO APPROVE THE LR ZONING, INCLUDING THE AGREED UPON PROHIBITED USES, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DONNA OSBORNE, WHO WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF TIME FROM WILLIAM OSBORNE. WILLIAM, ARE YOU PRESENT? DONNA, YOU'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES. THANK YOU. I DON'T THINK I'LL MEET HIM, BUT HELLO, CHAIR WOODS AND COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS DONNA OSBORNE, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF OLD WEST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. UH, WE'VE REACHED A CLEAR AGREEMENT WITH THE APPLICANT AND PROPERTY OWNERS TO INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL PROHIBITED USES ON THE PROPERTY ALONGSIDE WITH THE SERVICE STATION USE, UH, WITHIN THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE REQUESTED ZONING CHANGE FROM GEO TO LR. THOSE WERE READ OFF, I WAS GOING TO LIST THEM. I DON'T KNOW THAT I NEED TO READ 'EM OFF AGAIN, BUT WE, UH, RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THOSE BE ADDED TO THE CONDITIONAL OVERLAY TO GIVE A BETTER LEVEL OF WHAT THE RESTRICTIONS COULD BE ON THIS PROPERTY. UM, NEXT I WANNA POINT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE SLIDE. [03:15:01] UM, THIS IS WEST FIFTH AND WEST, UH, LOWER FIFTH AND SIX ABOVE STARTING, UM, THREE GREEN DOTS ARE LAMAR AND GOING ALL THE WAY TO MOPAC ON SIXTH STREET. WHAT IS, WHAT ARE THREE GREEN DOTS AT SIX AND LAMAR? UM, OUR RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE OR ARE THERE THAT WILL BE NO LONGER THERE AS THAT IS BEING REDEVELOPED INTO A, A LARGE MIXED USE LUXURY CONDOMINIUM PROJECT WITH, UH, TWO RESTAURANTS ON SITE. SO YOU GO DOWN AND THEN THERE'S A BLUE DOT, WHICH IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER RESTAURANT AT THAT IS THE NEW, UH, BLANCO AND SIXTH STREET PROPERTY THAT ALSO INCLUDES SWEDISH SHELL. NEXT DOOR THERE'S IS IT HAROLD'S THE BAR, THE LITTLE CAFE BAR, AND AROUND THE CORNER ROSIE'S. AND THEN ACROSS THE STREET WE HAVE CLARK'S ACROSS THE STREET FROM THAT THERE'S THREE BLUE DOTS THAT ARE, UM, HAVE BEEN REZONED AND THEY WILL BE, ONE WILL BE A MIXED USE, UM, UH, MULTIFAMILY WITH TWO RESTAURANTS, AND NEXT TO IT WILL BE AN OFFICE BUILDING WITH A RESTAURANT BELOW IT. UM, COMING ON DOWN THE PACK, WE'VE GOT MORE, UM, THAT WHEREAS, UH, CLOSE TO WIND FLOW, THERE IS, UH, A BUILDING THAT WILL BE BUILT THAT WILL INCLUDE A RESTAURANT. THERE IS FOOD SERVICE THERE. NOW THERE'S ALSO LYNN W RESTAURANT ON THE SOUTH, ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET, THERE IS A NIGHT CAP. THEN YOU GO PAST THAT. WE'RE LOOKING AT ANOTHER, UH, ZONING CASE WHERE THERE WILL BE ANOTHER POTENTIAL RESTAURANT. AND THEN THE RED.IS WHERE HOLLYWOOD IS PROPOSING TO TURN AN EXISTING, UH, STRUCTURE INTO A RESTAURANT. BELOW THAT, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THREE OR FOUR OTHER RESTAURANTS. SO WE DON'T SEE HOW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AND WITH THE, UM, SUCCESS OF WHAT'S GOING ON ON SIXTH STREET, THAT WE ARE TRYING TO CRAFT SOMETHING THAT IS RESPONSIBLE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT ALLOWS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT. AND, UM, WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UM, THE NEXT SLIDE, I THINK I DO PUSH THAT. SO THE GREEN SQUARE IS THE LOCATION OF THE RESTAURANT. THE RED OUTLINES ARE THE ADJACENT MULTIFAMILY AND CONDOMINIUM, UH, PROJECTS THAT ARE, HAVE A MAJOR CONCERN, UNDERSTANDABLY, BEING RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO A RESTAURANT. HOWEVER, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS SUPPORTED MULTIPLE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE, UH, IN, YOU KNOW, ADJACENT TO PROPERTIES THAT ARE, UM, EXISTING AS SINGLE FAMILY OR MULTIFAMILY ALREADY. SO IT'S NOT, THIS IS NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY. IT WILL BE A VERY CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AS A SMALL RESTAURANT. UM, AND WE FEEL THAT IT IS APPROPRIATELY REZONED FOR THIS USE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THOSE SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION, WE'LL, STARTING WITH OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER, DOUG. BYRON. DOUG, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES. CAN YOU GIMME A QUICK TUTORIAL ON HOW TO MANAGE THE PRESENTATION? JUST THE, IS THIS YOUR PRESENTATION? YES. SO YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CLICK THROUGH IT JUST BY CLICKING THE REMOTE. OKAY. HERE. THANK YOU. AND I BELIEVE PAMELA'S GONNA, UH, GIMME HER MINUTES. PAMELA HEINZ. TWO MINUTES, I BELIEVE. DO WE HAVE DOUG SIGNED UP TO RECEIVE A DONATION OF TIME? LET ME DOUBLE CHECK. OH, YES, MY APOLOGIES. PAMELA HEINZ, IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S GONNA BE DONATING IN YOUR PRESENT. WONDERFUL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING. GO AHEAD. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. UH, ALLOW, ALLOW ME TO SPEAK THIS EVENING. WHAT'S THE TOTAL TIME? SEVEN. OKAY. MY NAME IS DOUG BYRON. I'VE BEEN IN AUSTIN RESIDENCE FOR 33 YEARS. I LIVE NEXT DOOR TO THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. UH, WE'RE AT 6 0 6, UH, WESTLAND, ALSO KNOWN AS THE WEST 10 CONDOS. I I'M SPEAKING THIS EVENING ALONGSIDE MY NEIGHBORS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORS. UM, IT'S AT THE, THE WEST SIXTH APARTMENTS AND WEST END CONDOS. UM, I'M IN RECEIPT OF, UM, NUMEROUS LETTERS OF OPPOSITION TO THIS PROJECT, PARTICULARLY ZONING CHANGE. UM, AND THIS, THESE LETTERS, UM, INCLUDE SIGNATURES FROM, UH, THE OWNER OF THE WEST SIX APARTMENTS REPRESENTING 129, UH, AFFORDABLE HOME UNITS. AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR, OUR NEIGHBORS AT WEST END CONDOS, I BELIEVE THERE'S 32, UH, 32, UH, INDIVIDUALLY OWNED CONDOS. UM, THESE LETTERS INCLUDE, AGAIN, YOU [03:20:01] KNOW, OUR, OUR NEIGHBORS, UH, BOTH RESIDENTS AND AND OWNERS, UH, TO INCLUDE SEVERAL AWANA MEMBERS. UM, I THINK IT'S, UH, IMPORTANT TO CREATE A DISTINCTION THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE GREAT WORK THAT, THAT DON AND SHEILA DO FOR AWANA. UH, THEY SPEAK FOR, UM, THE AWANA ZONING COMMITTEE AND NOT THE ONE, THE ANA MEMBERSHIP. THE ANA MEMBERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN, UH, CONSULTED AND NOT, AND NOBODY'S ASKED THEIR OPINION OR, OR THEIR, THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ABOUT HAVING A RESTAURANT NEXT DOOR. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT THAT OUT. UM, OUR POSITION VERY SPECIFICALLY IS AT THE PROPERTY UNDER ITS CURRENT ZONING, IS A BUFFER BETWEEN OUR RESIDENTIAL LIFE AND THE COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES ACROSS THE STREET. OKAY. UM, RETAIL SPACE THERE IS WHETHER IT'S GENERAL OR LIMITED, CREATES OPERATIONAL INCOMPATIBILITY. AND THIS IS BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN STANDARDS. UH, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT'S BEEN, THERE'S BEEN RECENTLY PROPOSED AMENDMENTS RELAXING THESE STANDARDS TO INCREASE HOUSING SUPPLY, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS APPLIES IN THIS CASE. OKAY. SO I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OPERATIONAL COMPATIBILITY. INCOMPATIBILITY, OPERATIONAL INCOMPATIBILITY IS WHEN THE DAY-TO-DAY FUNCTIONING OF COMMERCIAL USE CONFLICTS WITH NORMAL RESIDENTIAL ENJOYMENT. OKAY? EVEN IF THE ZONING TECHNICALLY PERMITS THE USE. THIS INCLUDES IMPACTS THAT OCCUR THROUGH THE USE PATTERNS OF RETAIL BUSINESSES. IN OTHER WORDS, THE GENERAL OFFICE, UH, LOCATION NEXT DOOR TO US HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD NEIGHBOR. UH, WE'VE ENJOYED PEACE AND QUIET WITH THEM, AND WE DON'T THINK THAT THAT WOULD CONTINUE WITH A RETAIL UM, OPERATION. I'M GONNA, UM, NEXT SLIDE IS A SITE PLAN. UM, JUST GETTING ARIEL GIVING A SENSE OF HOW CLOSE WE ARE TO THE, UH, THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. I'M GONNA READ, UM, A SUMMARY LETTER THAT WAS, UH, DATED MARCH TWO BY THE APPLICANT. UM, SAYS, OUR PROPOSED HOURS OF OPERATIONS ARE FIVE TO 10:00 PM SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. THESE HOURS SHOULD MINIMIZE ANY DISTURBANCE TO MOST OF OUR DIRECT NEIGHBORS WHO ARE PRIMARILY NINE TO FIVE OFFICES. YOU CAN IMAGINE WHEN WE READ THIS LETTER, UH, WE'RE A LITTLE BIT SHOCKED CONSIDERING THAT THERE'S RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY ON THREE SIDES OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. AGAIN, WE HAVE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HOUSING, WE'VE GOT 129 AFFORDABLE HOMES, AND THEN OF COURSE, THE WEST END CONDO OWNERS, SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEEN LIVING THERE SINCE 1993. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A BETTER SENSE OF THE PROXIMITY. THIS IS, UH, THIS IS THE WEST END CONDOS. THIS IMAGE SHOWS, UM, THE, THE, THE UNIT THAT'S MOST ADJACENT TO THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. UM, THAT CONDO IS ABOUT 30 FEET FROM THE ACTUAL BUILDING ITSELF. OKAY. UM, THIS IS AN IMAGE OF OUR COMMON AREA. YOU KNOW, IT'S, WE'RE IN A, WE'RE IN THE URBAN CORE. I THINK HAVING SOME, SOME QUIET OUTDOOR SPACE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ENJOY IT FOR SINCE THE LATE SEVENTIES. UM, OUR COMMON AREA, OUTDOOR COMMON AREA SPACE, UM, ENDS SEVEN FEET AWAY FROM, AGAIN, THE SUBJECT PROPERTY BUILDING. NOT, NOT THEIR LOT, BUT FROM THEIR BUILDING. WE'RE SEVEN FEET AWAY AT OUR COMMON AREA. UM, THIS, THIS IMAGE SHOWS, UM, THE CORNER MOST UNIT AND THE, UH, WEST SIXTH APARTMENTS, AGAIN, AFFORDABLE HOMES. AND IT'S APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET FROM THE PROPOSED RESTAURANT LOCATION. UH, THIS IS JUST ANOTHER, ANOTHER IMAGE OF OUR, OF OUR KIND OF, UM, OUR COMMUNITY. COMMON AREA SPACE IS WHERE WE HAVE KIDS' BIRTHDAY PARTY, FAMILY GET TOGETHERS, OF COURSE, RELAX, UNWIND. SOMETIMES EVEN WE GET TO READ A BOOK IN PEACE AND QUIET. SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS ARE GONNA SPEAK. UM, THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA, UH, FOLLOW ME AND TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE PARTICULAR, UM, UH, CONCERNS SUCH AS TRAFFIC AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ODOR AND, AND, AND LIGHTING AT, AT, AT, AT NIGHTTIME, THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, I'LL JUST MENTION REAL QUICKLY, UH, BEHAVIOR SPILLOVER, YOU KNOW, THIS IS COMMENTS, RESTAURANTS, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF USES THAT ATTRACT GATHERING CAN SPILL BEYOND PROPERTY LINES. UH, EXAMPLES OF THIS WOULD BE SMOKING OUTSIDE, WAITING, PATRONS, LOUD DEPARTURES, LOITERING. I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THE SITE PLAN HERE. I'M SORRY, THE AERIAL IMAGE. SO ON THE PROPOSED RESTAURANT SITE AT 1608 WEST SIXTH STREET, THEIR DRIVEWAY, UM, THEIR INGRESS EGRESS, THE ONLY ONE THEY HAVE WHO'S CURRENTLY ON THE, THE WEST SIDE OF THAT PROPERTY. UM, IT, IT DOES GO SLIGHTLY UP AN INCLINE. AND SO THE, THE 50 TO 60 CARS PER EVENING THAT WILL BE DRIVING THAT DRIVEWAY, THEIR HEADLIGHTS WILL, UM, WILL SH, WILL SHINE DIRECTLY IN TOWARDS THIS PARTICULAR, UM, UH, APARTMENT RESIDENCE, WINDOWS EVERY [03:25:01] NIGHT, ALL NIGHT, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AS THE APPLICANT STATED. UH, I DON'T THINK THAT'S, UH, CONSIDERED A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE. UM, I THINK, UM, THE NEXT PART OF MY PRESENTATION IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE'RE FORTUNATE, UM, IN, IN, IN A SENSE THAT A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE KIND OF GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO MOVES IN NEXT DOOR AND THEY WANNA, THEY WANNA CHANGE OF USE, THEY WANNA CHANGE THE ZONING, THEY WANNA OPEN A NEW BUSINESS. AND, AND THERE'S A LOT OF TIMES THERE'S A QUESTION MARK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO THEY ARE. AND IN THIS, IN THIS CASE, THIS IS ACTUALLY A CURRENT NEIGHBOR OF OURS. UM, UH, THE SAME FOLKS, UM, OPENED A RESTAURANT IN 2018 AND IT'S RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. SO WE'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THEM. UM, THIS IS THE KIND OF, UH, SITUATION WE'VE HAD TO, UM, ENDURE AND SEEING THIS EVERY DAY. THIS IS A GREASE TRAP. WE HAVE LAUNDRY STORAGE, WE HAVE KEG STORAGE, KIND OF ALL KINDS OF OTHER THINGS. HERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT. AND I'M TALKING FAST BECAUSE I THINK I MIGHT BE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. IS THAT RIGHT? YES. HERE'S A FAMOUS MOP BUCKET. THREE, THREE MONTHS. UM, THAT MOP BUCKET DID NOT MOVE. THANK YOU. IF I COULD ADD, THERE'S 30 SECONDS. UM, YOU CAN GIVE A, A FINAL THOUGHT. SURE. FINAL, FINAL THOUGHT. SO WE DID, UH, UH, MEET WITH THE APPLICANT ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO. UH, I THOUGHT IT WAS PRODUCTIVE. WE ACTUALLY MADE THEM A SUGGESTED, A SUGGESTED OFFER THAT WE WOULD SUPPORT THEIR ZONING CHANGE WITH CERTAIN CONDITIONS. UM, THE NEXT DAY I SENT AN EMAIL TO FOLLOW UP, AND HERE WAS THE RESPONSE THAT I RECEIVED. HEY, DOUG LING, JIMMY AND I ARE VERY BUSY PEOPLE, BUT AGREED TO MEET WITH YOUR GROUP. THE MEETING WAS NOT PRODUCTIVE AT ALL, AND WE PROBABLY WON'T BE MEETING AGAIN. ISSUE IS BEYOND YOUR OWN SELFISH CONCERNS. WE'VE DONE ALL THAT WE CAN TO SATISFY THE OPPOSITION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LORI MANKA, WHO WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. LORI, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. HELLO, MY NAME IS LORI MANKA. I LIVE AT THE WEST END CONDOS, UH, THAT DOUG HAS BEEN REFERENCING AT 6 0 6 WESTLAND STREET. THESE CONDOS ABUT THE PROPERTY THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE REZONING REQUEST. AS MENTIONED, I CAN SEE THE PROPERTY FROM MY BACK PATIO. IT IS VERY CLOSE, SO COUNT ME AMONG THE DOZENS, ACTUALLY HUNDREDS, IT SOUNDS LIKE, OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE ROUTE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY THIS CHANGE. UM, THE OFFICE THAT HAS EXISTED ON THIS PROPERTY TO DATE HAS BEEN BASICALLY SILENCED IN THE EVENINGS AND ON THE WEEKENDS. THERE'S BEEN NO NOISE, NO LIGHT POLLUTION, NO SMELL FOR LITERALLY DECADES. TURNING THIS PROPERTY INTO A RESTAURANT IS GONNA HAVE A VERY SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT ON DOZENS. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE OVER A HUNDRED RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE CONDO COMPLEX AND APARTMENTS THAT ARE RIGHT NEXT TO THE PROPERTY AND KIND OF RIGHT AROUND IT, THE PEACE AND QUIET THAT THE RESIDENTS HAVE ENJOYED FOR LITERALLY DECADES ON EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS WILL BE DESTROYED INSTEAD OF PEACE AND QUIET. WHEN WE'RE HOME TRYING TO REST AND RELAX, WE WILL HAVE CONSTANT NOISE, ODORS, LIGHT POLLUTION. AND THIS IS A PROPERTY THAT'S NOT JUST HAS A FEW HOUSES AROUND IT. THIS IS A PROPERTY THAT HAS MANY HOUSEHOLDS LIVING RIGHT NEXT TO IT. THIS KIND OF USE IS NOT THE, THE MIXED USE OR THE USE THAT IT'S BEING REQUESTED IS NOT CLOSE BY. IT MIGHT BE DOWN THE STREET OR AROUND THE CORNER, BUT IT'S NOT CLOSE BY. THERE ARE NO RESTAURANTS RIGHT AROUND US IN THIS IMMEDIATE AREA. PLEASE PUT YOURSELF IN THE SHOES OF DOZENS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE HURT BY THIS ON A DAILY BASIS GOING FORWARD. THANKS FOR LISTENING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FAYE MOORE. FAYE, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE JOB THAT YOU DO. I SEE IT'S NOT EASY. AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. UH, MY NAME IS FAYE MOORE AND MY HUSBAND AND I LIVE LESS THAN 50 FEET FROM LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE BUILDING THAT'S IN QUESTION, THE 1608 WEST SIXTH. WE MADE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN OUR CONDO AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER AND THE ZONING AND THE PROPOSED CHANGE MAY SEEM MODEST, [03:30:01] BUT FOR THOSE OF US THAT ARE LIVING DIRECTLY ADJACENT, IT REPRESENTS A, A DRAMATIC SHIFT IN THE QUALITY OF OUR LIFE AND IMPACTS THE VALUE OF OUR PROPERTY. ANA IS NOT DIRECTLY, NOT THE PEOPLE THAT VOTED FOR IT IS NOT DIRECTLY ADJACENT. MY PREFERENCE IS THAT THE PROPERTY REMAIN OFFICE USE THAT GIVES US MORE BUFFER BETWEEN OUR RESIDENTS AND WHAT, WHAT'S IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THE ISSUE IS ABOUT PROTECTING THE INVESTMENT THAT WE MADE IN GOOD FAITH. THOUGHTFUL ZONING IS CRITICAL TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN ANY CITY. ZONING ISN'T JUST ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR AFFORDABILITY. IT'S ABOUT PRESERVING THE CHARACTER, SAFETY AND LIVABILITY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. CHANGES THAT UNDERMINE WHAT MAKES A PLACE DESIRABLE. RISK MAKING HOUSING AFFORDABLE FOR THE WRONG REASON, BECAUSE NOBODY WOULD WANT TO LIVE THERE WHEN SHE SHOWED ALL THE MAP OF THE, THE RESTAURANTS GOING IN. WHEN YOU JUST DISREGARD THOSE PEOPLE THAT LOOKED AT ZONING AND MADE A, A INVESTMENT AND YOU SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T MATTER. WE WANT RESTAURANTS AND BUILDINGS HERE. YOU, THEY, THEY, WELL, WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL, UH, NOT AT, AT MINIMUM. I HOPE YOU WILL ENSURE THAT THERE, THAT IT'S, IF YOU DO APPROVE IT, THAT IT'S NARROWLY TA TAILORED AND ENFORCEABLE SO THAT WHAT IS PROMISED TODAY CANNOT BE QUIETLY CHANGED TOMORROW. THANK YOU. THANKS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK CARLSON. MARK WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. MARK, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. HELLO. THANK YOU GUYS. MY NAME IS MARK CARLSON, MY WIFE AND I HAVE OWNED A CONDO AT 6 0 6 WESTLAND, UM, SINCE ABOUT FEBRUARY OF 2007, AND HAS SHOWN ON SOME MAPS EARLIER. OUR PROPERTY IS RIGHT NEXT TO 1608 WEST SIXTH. AND I HAD SENT IN A COUPLE PICTURES AND I JUST WANTED TO RE REITERATE, UM, HOW CLOSE OUR PROPERTY IS AND THE, THE ZONING, UM, AROUND 1608, UH, WEST SIXTH, UH, SURROUNDED THREE SIDES BY THE MF FOUR. SO EVEN THOUGH THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSION EARLIER ABOUT OTHER BUSINESSES AND THINGS AROUND IT, IT'S SURROUNDED BY, UM, MF FOUR RESIDENTIAL. AND THEN I THINK, UH, OTHER TWO PICTURES I HAD SENT IN WERE JUST SHOWING THAT, UH, SIMILAR TO WHAT DOUG HAD SHARED ABOUT THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF OUR BUILDING AND OUR PROPERTY TO THE RESTAURANT AND HOW IT WOULD HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT TWO, UH, CATEGORIES OF OPERATIONAL INCOMPATIBILITY, UH, WITH MY TIME. UH, FIRST THE TRAFFIC AND VEHICLE VEHICLE TURNOVER, AND THEN THE ODOR WASTE AND PET PEST ATTRACTION. THE CURRENT ZONING HAS A MORE PREDICTABLE PATTERN OF TRAFFIC, MAINLY NINE TO FIVE. AND WE'VE BEEN, UH, ENJOYING THAT SINCE FEBRUARY, 2007. AND SO OUR EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS ARE MUCH, UM, QUIETER AND, UH, WOULD CHANGE DRAMATICALLY WITH A RETAIL RESTAURANT GOING IN, UH, INTO THAT SPACE AND WOULD DISRUPT OUR LIVES AT HOME. AND THE, UH, LIMITED RETAIL EVEN STILL WILL HAVE DIFFERENT TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND DIFFERENT, UH, COMPARED TO THE OFFICE USE THAT IT CURRENTLY IS. UM, SECONDLY, WITH THE ODOR WASTE AND PES, UM, THERE ARE UNIQUE OPERATIONAL BURDENS TO A RETAIL AND RESTAURANT AND WOULD BRING, UH, THE GREASE EXHAUST AND THE FOOD SMELLS AND THE DUMPSTER ODORS AND THINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY NOT IN EXISTENCE UNDER THE EXISTING, UH, OFFICE ZONING. UM, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND I AM, AND UNDERSTANDING AND REVIEWING THIS REZONING, UH, REQUEST AND IT'S NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR QUIET AND CALM WAY OF LIFE THAT WE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCE BY URGE THE COMMISSION TO PLEASE DENY THIS ZONING REQUEST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANNA HEFTY. ANNA, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES. HI, MY NAME IS ANNA HEFTY AND I LIVE AT WEST END CONDOS IN CLARKSVILLE. THESE ARE MY NEIGHBORS THAT HAVE SPOKEN BEFORE ME, AND I AM HERE RESPECTFULLY TO ASK YOU TO OPPOSE THIS REQUEST TO REZONE FROM GENERAL OFFICE TO LIMITED RETAIL. MY MAIN OBJECTION IS WITH THE RESTAURANT. UM, AT FIRST IT MAY SOUND LIKE A SMALL CHANGE, BUT FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVE NEXT DOOR, YOU'VE HEARD THAT IT WON'T BE, THIS PROPERTY IS SORT OF NESTLED IN ON SIXTH [03:35:01] STREET IN BETWEEN TWO VERY LARGE MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES. WE JUST FEEL THAT A RESTAURANT WOULD BE INCOMPATIBLE AT THE SITE BECAUSE IT WILL REMOVE THE BUFFER ZONE THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. AND ALL THAT QUIET AND PEACEFULNESS THAT US AS PROPERTY OWNERS AND RENTERS REALLY APPRECIATE ON THE NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS. UM, I DON'T WANNA REITERATE EVERYTHING THAT MY NEIGHBORS HAVE SAID, BUT, YOU KNOW, RESTAURANTS ARE LOUD. IT'S AROUND THE CLOCK. THEY SAY DELIVERIES WILL HAPPEN DURING THE DAY, BUT TRASH PICKUP WILL HAPPEN AT PRE-DAWN. MAYBE, UM, THEY SAY THE RESTAURANT WILL CLOSE AT 10:00 PM BUT WE KNOW THAT CLOSING DOWN COULD TAKE HOURS AND THAT'S RIGHT NEXT TO OUR HOMES. THIS IS NOT DOWN SIXTH STREET FURTHER TOWARDS LAMAR. THIS IS NOT AN AREA THAT'S HAD RESTAURANTS HISTORICALLY, AND IT'S BEEN A VERY COMFORTABLE NEIGHBOR TO BE A GENERAL OFFICE. AND THAT'S WHY WE, I REQUEST THAT WE VOTE IT DOWN. AND I WANNA SAY IS NOTHING AGAINST THE, THE NEIGHBOR, THE RESTAURANT PROPOSAL ITSELF. I THINK THAT'S FINE, BUT THIS LOCATION IN PARTICULAR JUST SEEMS VERY INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE RESTAURANT. UM, SO FOR THESE REASONS, I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO DENY THIS ZONING REQUEST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL TABOR. MICHAEL WILL BE RECEIVING TWO MINUTES OF TIME FROM HOPE MORGAN. HOPE, ARE YOU PRESENT? YES, MICHAEL, YOU'LL HAVE FOUR MINUTES. HELLO? IT'S ON. OKAY, GREAT. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY AND, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT, UH, YOUR TEAM HAS A LOT OF THINGS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT OR, OR, UH, ANALYZE. SO DO APPRECIATE THE TIME. MY NAME'S MIKE TABOR AND UH, I'M HERE TO LY EXPRESS MY OPPOSITION TO PROPOSE CHANGE FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT, UH, 1608 WEST SIXTH STREET, WHICH CEASES TO, TO TRANSITION THE SITE FROM GENERAL OFFICE USED TO, UH, THE, FROM NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. NOW. NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I GUESS, UH, QUITE FRANKLY, THAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND BEFORE I CAME, I THINK THEY'VE MADE SOME COMPROMISES OF WHAT THEY'RE GONNA IMPLEMENT HERE. SO QUITE, QUITE FRANKLY, UH, I THINK WE AS A NEIGHBOR, NEIGHBORS, WE PROBABLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW THAT 'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS. I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE BASING THIS ON ON SOME PREVIOUS INFORMATION. HOWEVER, UH, WHILE IT SUPPORTS CONTINUED ECONOMIC GROWTH, UH, THE SPECIFIC CONTEXT OF THE SITE SITUATED HAS A RELATIVELY ISOLATED COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES SURROUNDED BY THREE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES, MAKES IT POORLY SUITED FOR A MORE INTENSIVE RESTAURANT NEWS. MY CONCERNS RELATE TO THREE PRIMARY AREAS, TRAFFIC IMPACTS, CURBSIDE OPERATIONS, AND COMPATIBILITY WITH SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. FIRST OF ALL, LET'S GO THROUGH THE TRIP GENERATION TRAFFIC IMPACTS. ACCORDING TRIP GENERATION DATA PUBLISHED BY THE INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS, ITE RESTAURANT USES TYPICALLY GENERATE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER VEHICLE TRIP VOLUMES THAN GENERAL OFFICE USES, PARTICULARLY DURING PEAK, UH, DURING, PARTICULARLY DURING PEAK DINING PERIODS. UNLIKE OFFICE, UH, TRAFFIC, WHICH IS GENERALLY CONCENTRATED DURING MORNING AND EVENING COMMUTE HOURS, RESTAURANT TRAFFIC IS MORE CONTINUOUS AND IT INVOLVES FREQUENT TURNING MOVEMENTS, SHORT TERM STOPS AND VEHICLE CIRCULATION THROUGHOUT THE DAY. ON A CORRIDOR SUCH AS WEST SIXTH STREET, THIS INCREASE IN ACTIVITY CAN INTRODUCE ADDITIONAL CONFLICT POINTS, INCLUDING VEHICLE SLOWING TO ENTER AND EXIT THE SITE, QUEUING NEAR ACCESS POINT AND INTERACTING, INTERACTING WITH PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLISTS. AND NOTE THERE'S A CYCLIST LANE RIGHT THERE. IT WILL BE IN FRONT OF THE SPOT. UH, THESE CONDITIONS CAN REDUCE O OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND INCREASE SAFETY RISKS ALONG AN ALREADY ACTIVE CORRIDOR, CURB MANAGEMENT AND DEL DELIVERY ACTIVITY. NOW, I, I GUESS IT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THEY'LL RESTRICT THE DELIVERY TIME. SO, SO CLEARLY THAT'S THE JUSTICE PART OF THIS. BUT STILL, RE RESTAURANT USES ALSO PLAY SIGNIFICANTLY SIGNIFICANT GREATER DEMAND ON CURB SPACE COMPARED TO OFFICE USES AND AN ONSITE PARKING AND LOADING AREAS, OR LIMITED AS IS INCREASINGLY COMMON IN, IN AUSTIN, I GUESS WAS, WAS THE SOME OF THE ACTIVITY VOLUME DEVELOPMENT. UH, THERE'S A STRONG LIKELIHOOD THAT OPERATIONAL NEEDS WILL EXTEND INTO PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY. THIS MAY INCLUDE FREQUENT RIDE SHARE, PICKUP AND DROP OFF FOR TO GOERS, AS YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS RECURRING DELIVERIES FROM FOOD SERVICE AND, UH, SUPPLY VEHICLES WITHOUT, WITHOUT CLEARLY DESIGNATED AND ADEQUATELY SIZED LOADING ZONES. THESE ACTIVITIES CAN LEAD TO LANE BLOCKAGES, LOCALIZED CONGESTION AND DISRUPTIONS TO TRAFFIC FLOW COMPATIBILITY. THE THIRD, NUMBER THREE, COMPATIBILITY WITH SURROUNDING AREAS. GIVEN THAT THIS PROPERTY IS NOT, UM, IS NOT PART OF A LARGER CONTIGUOUS, UH, COMMERCIAL DISTRICT, A HIGHER INTENSITY RESTAURANT USE MAY CREATE IMPACTS THAT ARE NOT WELL BUFFERED BY SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENT OFFICE USES TYPICALLY OPERATE WITHIN STANDARD DAYTIME HOURS AND DURING RELATIVELY LOW LEVELS OF NOISE AND ACTIVITY OUTSIDE THOSE PERIODS. SO OUTSIDE OF SIX OR SEVEN, IT'S QUIET. IN CONTRAST, THE RESTAURANT IS LIKELY TO INTRODUCE [03:40:01] EXTENDED HOURS OPERATION, INCREASED LIGHTING, MECHANICAL NOISE, UH, AND GREATER LEVELS OF EVENING AND NIGHTTIME ACTIVITY. AND AS, AS WAS MENTIONED AND SHOWN BEFORE THIS, THIS RESTAURANT'S RIGHT ON TOP OF THE PROPERTY. SO IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, A LONG WAY AWAY. AND, UH, THE MINIMUM MITIGATION MEASURES IF, IF IT IS APPROVED, UH, WE WOULD URGE A COMMISSION TO, UM, RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT A MINIMUM CONDITIONS BE IMPOSED TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF ADJACENT RESIDENTS. SPECIFICALLY, THE APPLICANT SHOULD BE REQUIRED AT THEIR EXPENSE TO INSTALL A SOLID BARRIER FENCE NO LESS THAN 10 FEET IN HEIGHT ALONG THE PROPERTY LINES ADJACENT TO THE RESIDENTIAL LEASES. THIS BARRIER SHOULD BE DESIGNED TO REDUCE NOISE AND LIGHTS SPILL OVER. SO IT, IT'S CRITICAL TO, I THINK, TO HELP THE, HELP THE, THE NEIGHBOR, AS YOU SAW THE ADJACENCY IS VERY, VERY CLOSE TO THE PROPERTY LINE. THEY NEED A, A FENCE THAT SHOULD BE TALL ENOUGH THAT SHOULD BLOCK THEIR CUSTOMERS FROM COMING INTO OUR AREA ALL THE TIME. I MEAN, I THINK SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. WE'LL NOW BE HEARING FROM THE APPLICANT FOR A TWO MINUTE REBUTTAL. I THINK THE APPLICANT IS WAIVING HIS REBUTTAL TIME. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK? GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO COME TO THIS COMPROMISE. AND WHEN I SEE A LETTER, YOU KNOW, LETTERS THAT THICK, WE HAD TWO PUBLIC MEET, TWO MEETINGS WHERE THEY COULD HAVE, THE NEIGHBORS WERE INVITED, THEY COULD HAVE ATTENDED. NO MORE THAN A DOZEN PEOPLE SHOWED UP. SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. BUT THE, THE TWO ISSUES I THINK THAT HAD COME UP MOST ARE TRAFFIC AND THEN THE ODORS. WELL, I OWNED THE BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET, 16 0 8, 16 0 9 FOR 45 YEARS WHERE I HAD MY ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE. SO I KNOW THAT AREA REALLY WELL IN THE BUILDING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW. BELONGED TO MY STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS. SO I GO BACK AND FORTH, YOU KNOW, TWICE A WEEK SO I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND THERE AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS. UM, AND WHEN WE BOUGHT OUR PLACE, 6 0 6 WASN'T BUILT YET, AND MY FATHER WERE, MY FATHER SPOKE AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION. WE WERE, WE'RE HUGE FANS OF THE ZONING CHANGE THERE BECAUSE WE COULD SEE, EVEN BACK IN THE EIGHTIES, WE COULD SEE KIND OF THIS AREA TURNING OVER. IN FACT, ONE OF OURS, UH, WE HAD A ZONING CHANGE APPLICATION FOR OUR PLACE. IT WAS THE FIRST RESIDENTIAL OFFICE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SIXTH STREET. SO I KNOW THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS OF SIXTH STREET. AND YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THAT THAT CONTROLLING SIXTH STREET TRAFFIC, THAT TRAIN, THAT TRAIN LEFT LONG TIME AGO. AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GONNA GET ANY WORSE BY HAVING OUR LITTLE, UH, GROUP OF PEOPLE THERE. BUT THE OTHER ONE THING I WANT TO ISSUE IS A, THE ODOR ISSUE. UH, OUR LAST RESTAURANT WAS BUILT LING AT THE GROVE AND IT'S IN A MIXED USE, UH, DEVELOPMENT. AND IN FACT, OUR KITCHEN, OUR KITCHEN, UH, EXHAUST SYSTEM GOES UP IN EXHAUST RIGHT THERE. ABOUT 300 UNITS ARE ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE LING THE, UH, THE GROVE. AND THEY, WE HAVEN'T GOT ANY COMPLAINTS FROM THEM. WE HAVEN'T GOT ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT OUR OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS THERE, UH, BECAUSE THOSE STREETS ARE VERY NARROW AND, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION, IT'S HARD TO CIRCULATE. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING THOSE TWO UP TO KIND OF THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, LET'S TAKE A VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM MOTION BY COMMISSIONER POWELL. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR ROUND ROBIN. SO WE HAVE SLOTS FOR EIGHT COMMISSIONERS TO ASK QUESTIONS AT FIVE MINUTES EACH. WHO WOULD LIKE TO START US OFF? COMMISSIONER ROEN. UH, COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT. , MR. TAN, GUCCI, YOU MENTIONED THE, UH, SOME OF THE OFFSETTING MEASURES THAT YOU'RE PLANNING TO TAKE, WHICH INCLUDED THE RESTRICTED TIMES FOR DELIVERY AND TRASH PICKUP. MM-HMM . UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE ODORS OBVIOUSLY ARE A BIG ISSUE. YOU MENTIONED, UH, SCRUBBERS OR OTHER, UH, MEANS OF CLEANING THE AIR. ARE, ARE THERE ANY, IS THERE SOLID FUEL COOKING IN THIS PARTICULAR CONCEPT OR IS IT ONLY GAS? ONLY GAS, I BELIEVE. RIGHT. ONLY GAS. ONLY GAS. AND YOU'D BE, YOU'D BE POTENTIALLY USING A SCRUBBER TO CLEAN THE, THE AIR THAT'S COMING OUT OF THE EXHAUST SYSTEM, IS THAT CORRECT? WELL, LIKE I MENTIONED, THE RESTAURANT WE HAVE AT THE GROVE, IT EXHAUSTS RIGHT UP OR THE, THERE'S LIKE 300 UNITS RIGHT ABOVE OUR RESTAURANT, SO WE HAVEN'T HEARD ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT. IS THERE, IS THERE ANY PLAN TO SCRUB THE AIR THAT'S COMING OUT BESIDES JUST BRINGING IT OUTTA THE FILTERS FROM THE EXHAUSTED? WELL, I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON THE EXHAUST SYSTEMS LIKE THAT, BUT I'M, I'M PRETTY SURE THEY'RE PRETTY, UH, STATE OF THE ART RIGHT NOW. AND I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, JUST LIKE WE DON'T AT THE GROVE. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CONSIDER AGREEING TO A SCRUBBER SYSTEM IF THAT WERE, UH, TO AMELIORATE SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS TO, UH, INCLUDE AS PART OF THE EXHAUST SYSTEM? [03:45:01] I, I THINK THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE RESTRICTIVE COVENANT. OKAY. I THINK IT WAS MENTIONED. ALL RIGHT. AND, UH, YOU MENTIONED, I THINK THAT THIS IS ROUGHLY 60 SEATS FOR OMA STYLE DINING. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. HOW MANY TURNS DO YOU ANTICIPATE HAVING A NIGHT? IS IT JUST TWO TURNS OR IS IT THREE? HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK? 2 2 2 TURNOVERS. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POTENTIALLY 120 GUESTS A NIGHT. YES. UH, AND I'M ASSUMING A LOT OF THOSE ARE GONNA COME VIA, UM, RIDE SHARE OF SOME FORMAT AS IS VERY COMMON THESE DAYS? MOST OF THEM DO THESE DAYS. 'CAUSE IF THEY WANNA HAVE A FEW DRINKS, RIGHT. ARE YOU GONNA HAVE ONSITE VALET? IS THERE GONNA BE A, A, A SPACE DEDICATED FOR THOSE CARS TO DROP OFF? WE, WE COULD PROVIDE THE VALET IF WE NEED TO. WE COULD GO TO THE BANK BUILDING THAT'S ON, ON, UM, OVER BY EL LA ROYO AND, AND, AND LEASE SOME OF THOSE SPACES OUT IF WE HAD TO. OKAY. I I, I, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ME BECAUSE I WOULD PROBABLY CUT OFF A FINGER TO HAVE A LYNN OWNED RESTAURANT MOVE IN NEXT TO MY HOUSE THAT I COULD GO TO EVERY DAY. UM, I THINK THE, THE ISSUE THOUGH IS THAT IT IS, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO LIVE ADJACENT TO A, UM, A RESTAURANT. WE, MY OLD OFFICE WAS IN WESTLAND RIGHT NEXT TO, UH, THE OLD GALAXY CAFE AND OH YEAH, WHEN THE BURGERS WERE NOT BURNING, IT SMELLED PRETTY GOOD THERE, BUT WHEN IT BURNT, THEY WERE NOT GREAT. UM, AND WE COULD TELL THE DAYS THAT THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THEIR GRIDDLE. I THINK MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN PLACE THAT CAN ADDRESS NEIGHBOR CONCERNS IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR. OBVIOUSLY I'VE EATEN AT LEN BISTRO A NUMBER OF TIMES AND I THINK THE, THE, THE BACK PARKING CONDITION IS PERHAPS NOT SOMETHING YOU'RE MOST PROUD OF ABOUT YOUR RESTAURANTS AND MAYBE WISH YOU HAD DONE BETTER. I THINK THOSE ARE THE AREAS THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE NEIGHBORS THAT ARE RESIDENTIAL SO CLOSE TO THIS PROPERTY THAT THAT'S YEAH. SOMETHING THAT'S KEPT UP MM-HMM . UM, AND I WOULD LIKE, YOU KNOW, CONVERSATIONS WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO PROVIDE ASSURANCES THAT THAT WILL BE DONE. UM, IF IT'S A MATTER OF GOING INTO, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALREADY HAVE RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS OF SOME FORM THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. UM, THAT MAYBE THOSE ARE INCLUDED IN THERE AS WELL. UM, I DO, UH, FEEL THAT THIS IS, I MEAN, PEOPLE MENTION TAKEOUT, ET CETERA. IT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THIS IS A TAKEOUT CONCEPT. THIS IS, THIS IS VERY HIGH END DINING. CORRECT. UM, SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS GONNA HAVE THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE WOULD HAVE WITH ANOTHER STYLE OF RESTAURANT, BUT, UM, YOU WANT I AGREE. I AGREE. THANK YOU. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A ZONING CHANGE CASE? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ? EXCUSE ME. SORRY. WE, IF A COMMISSIONER HAS QUESTIONS FOR YOU, THEY CAN CALL YOU UP. I WAS JUST CONFUSED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU SIR. I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS? VICE CHAIR, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR STAFF AND, AND THIS MIGHT ALSO BE MORE OF AN APPLICANT QUESTION TOO. OKAY. I JUST, IF, IF WE DON'T APPROVE THIS TONIGHT, IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT, UM, THE APPLICANT COULD DEVELOP BY WRIGHT USING SB EIGHT 40? CYNTHIA HAD AUSTIN PLANNING? YES. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO USE SB EIGHT 40, UM, WITH THEIR CURRENT ZONING. OKAY. AND SO IF THEY USED SB EIGHT 40, THEY WOULD BE ENTITLED TO, UH, WHAT, 60 FEET MULTI, NONE OF THE RESTRICTED COVENANTS THAT, UH, THAT ANA HAD. SO YES, SO 60 FEET IN HEIGHT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, AND I THEN I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR THE FOLKS FROM ANA, BUT SHEILA OR DONNA, WHICHEVER ONE OF YOU WANT TO COME UP, UM, Y'ALL ARE OBVIOUSLY KIND OF A FREQUENT FLYERS HERE AT THE COMMISSION. SO I, I, I HEARD SOMETHING TONIGHT THAT I HADN'T HEARD BEFORE. UM, AND THAT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE, UH, GIVE Y'ALL AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO IT. I, SOMEONE SAID THAT Y'ALL DON'T REPRESENT OH ONE AS MEMBERSHIP AND I'VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT TO BE THE CASE BEFORE, SO I WAS CURIOUS. I'M GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE, UM, IN DECEMBER OF 2024, UM, THE, UH, GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MET AND THEY ACTUALLY MADE A MOTION THAT THE ZONING COMMITTEE COULD ACTUALLY, UM, MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE OHANA MEMBERSHIP. BECAUSE BASICALLY WHEN PLAN, I MEAN WE, THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP ONLY MEETS FOUR TIMES A YEAR. AND IF A CASE COMES UP AND, UM, LIKE RIGHT NOW TO WAIT FOR, IT WOULD BE UNREASONABLE TO ASK, UH, THE APPLICANT TO WAIT UNTIL OUR NEXT MEMBERSHIP IN JUNE TO, UH, MAKE A DECISION. AND OUR ZONING COMMITTEE REALLY DOES A DEEP DIVE INTO EVERY CASE. AS YOU KNOW, WE SURELY LOOK AT, AT EVERYTHING WE GET, WE ALWAYS INCLUDE NEIGHBORS THAT ARE MOST AFFECTED IN THE CONVERSATION. AND PROBABLY, UH, [03:50:01] YOU KNOW, DOUG DID NOT KNOW THAT BECAUSE HE'S A NEW MEMBER AND I'M, I'M SORRY TO BUTT IN THERE, BUT I ASSUME Y'ALL, Y'ALL DID THAT HERE. Y'ALL, Y'ALL HAVE HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH THE NEIGHBORS AS WELL AND YEAH. GONE THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. I, I I SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF. WE'RE JUST, YOU, YOU CAN SEE THE TIME SCHEDULE WE'RE ON. THANKS MUCH. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAD CHAIR OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS ON THIS CASE. OKAY. THEN I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION VICE CHAIR. I'LL MOVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROJAN, LET'S MOVE INTO OUR DEBATE. VICE HANEY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO START OFF SPEAKING TO YOUR MOTION? UH, YEAH, I, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND, UM, WHERE THE NEIGHBORS ARE COMING FROM ON THIS. UM, I'VE, I'VE, I'VE LIVED NE NEXT TO TWO. I LIVED NEXT TO A RESTAURANT, NOW I'VE LIVED NEXT TO A RESTAURANT BEFORE. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO MITIGATE THAT. I, I WOULD JUST BECAUSE OF OUR FOLKS DOWN THE STREET, UM, AT THE LEGISLATURE, THIS IS REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK KIND OF A BEST CASE SCENARIO WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS COME TOGETHER WITH A DEVELOPER TO COME UP WITH, YOU KNOW, A, UH, PLAN TO MITIGATE SOME OF, UH, SOME OF THE UNINTENDED OR UNPLEASANT, UH, EXTERNALITIES THAT, UH, THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU'RE NEXT TO A RESTAURANT. UM, I, I THINK YOU KNOW THIS, UH, , I, I SUPPORT THE APPLICATION. ANYONE SPEAKING AGAINST THE MOTION? ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK FOR COMMISSIONER POWELL? YEAH, I THINK JUST, UM, I, I'M GONNA BE VOTING FOR THIS, BUT ALSO WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE IS A, A PRETTY NOTABLE BREAKDOWN, UH, THROUGH THE THREE LEGGED STOOL OF THESE PARTIES HERE. I THINK I HOPE TO SEE, UM, BETWEEN NOW AND THIS MOVING FORWARD TO COUNCIL OR ANY OTHER STEPS IN THIS PROCESS. YOU KNOW, LET'S GET THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION BACK OPEN. THERE'S CLEARLY A BREAKDOWN BETWEEN AWANA AND SOME OF THE RESIDENTS AND WITH THE DEVELOPER AND WHAT THE, YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE. I THINK FROM A PURE ZONING LEVEL, I SUPPORT IT. UM, I ALSO, JUST TO BE FRANK, IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF RESTAURANTS, PARTICULARLY RESTAURANTS THAT REPRESENT DIVERSE CULTURAL, UM, IDENTITIES CLOSING DOWN. SO I DO WANT TO INCENTIVIZE AND SUPPORT THOSE OPENING. UM, BUT THERE'S CLEARLY SOME WORK THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN BETWEEN NOW AND CITY COUNCIL AND I HOPE ALL PARTIES COME TO THE TABLE. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST THE MOTION? MS. HORY? UM, CAN I MAKE A QUICK CLARIFICATION? UM, I'M NOT SURE WHO MADE THE MISSION TO HANEY, BUT, UM, YOU SAID STAFF RECOMMENDATION, THE COS THAT, UM, THE OTHER EXTRA USES THAT ANA HAS AGREED TO ARE NOT STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS. SO I JUST WANNA CLARIFY WHAT THE MOTION IS FOR, 'CAUSE YOU MENTIONED OTHER USES. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND I WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE, UH, THE OTHER USES. APPRECIATE YOU, UH, CALLING MY ATTENTION TO THAT. SO THE MOTION IS FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION PLUS THE USES INCLUDED IN THE CO AGREED TO BY ANA. THAT IS CORRECT. THANK YOU. MADAM CHAIR DOES YOUR SECOND STAND? COMMISSIONER POWELL. GREAT. I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER ROSN. THANK YOU. OTHER COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST COMMISSIONER PATRICIAN? UM, I'D JUST LIKE TO BUILD OFF OF, UH, SOME THINGS THAT COMMISSIONER POWELL SAID. I AM VOTING FOR THIS. UM, I DO THINK THAT THIS IS AN EFFORT TO START TO BUILD, UH, MIXED USE IN COMPLETE COMMUNITIES ON SOME OF THE MAIN THOROUGH, FAR IN OUR CITY. AND I THINK HAVING DIFFERENTIAL USES LIKE THIS SO THAT FOLKS CAN WALK TO PLACES IS VERY IMPORTANT. I, I DO WANNA ALSO MENTION THOUGH, JUST REITERATE MY PREVIOUS COMMENTS, IT CAN BE PRETTY IMPACTFUL TO LIVE NEXT TO A RESTAURANT THAT IS NOT CONSCIOUS OF WHAT IT'S DOING TO THE FOLKS THAT LIVE AROUND IT. AND I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION REMAIN OPEN AND THAT THE APPLICANT REMAIN RESPONSIVE TO THOSE REQUESTS. AND AS THE, UM, APPLICANT MOVES TOWARDS PERMITTING, UH, AND WHATEVER, UH, REFINEMENT OF THE RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS, YOU'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THAT IT DOES INCLUDE SOME LANGUAGE THAT DOES MAKE SURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THE CONCERNS OF THE EXISTING NEIGHBORS. I KNOW THAT THAT HAS NOT BEEN A POSITIVE, UH, SERIES OF, OF COMMUNICATION AT TIMES BETWEEN Y'ALL AND I REALLY HOPE THAT THAT IS REPAIRED. UM, BUT I WILL BE VOTING FOR THIS. THANK YOU. ANY COMMISSIONER SPEAKING AGAINST, IF NOT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THE MOTION BY VICE CHAIR HANEY, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROJAN FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION PLUS THE AGREED USES LISTED IN THE CO, UH, THAT HAS BEEN AGREED TO BY ANA AND THE APPLICANT. THOSE IN FAVOR, . THAT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO OUR SPEAKERS HERE THIS EVENING AND TO MS. HORY FOR YOUR HELP ON THIS CASE. OKAY, MOVING RIGHT ALONG. LET US [17. LDC Amendment: C20-2024-004 - Citywide Density Bonus] MOVE INTO ITEM [03:55:02] 17, WHICH IS OUR LDC AMENDMENT FOR CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS UPDATES. WE WILL HEAR FIRST FROM STAFF ON THIS ITEM. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS WARNER COOK AND I'M PRINCIPAL PLANNER WITH AUSTIN PLANNING. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO BRIEF YOU AGAIN ON THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM PROPOSAL. I'LL BREEZE QUICKLY THROUGH THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION SINCE SOME OF Y'ALL HAVE HEARD IT MULTIPLE TIMES NOW, INCLUDING AT YOUR MARCH 31ST MEETING. THEN I'LL SHARE KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENT AND THE TIMELINE FOR THE PROJECT. I'M GONNA TAKE A PAUSE WHILE FOLKS ARE STILL TALKING BEHIND ME ACTUALLY. IS THAT OKAY? YEAH. I CAN'T FOCUS . YEAH. DO YOU THINK SIX? OH NO, I CAN DO IT IN SIX. YEAH, I'VE GOT IT DOWN. YEAH. OKAY. JUST REPEATING MYSELF. I WILL GO VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE I ALREADY PRESENTED AT THE MARCH 31ST MEETING. TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK THROUGH SOME QUICK BACKGROUND. THE PROPOSED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CODE AMENDMENT AND THE TIMELINE FOR THE PROJECT. AFFORDABILITY REMAINS A CHALLENGE AND A CITY PRIORITY AND OUR POLICY GUIDANCE GIVES US THE TOOLS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, INCLUDING DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS AS JUST ONE OF THE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX TO HELP INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR CITY. I ALSO WANTED TO CALL ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THE GREATEST NEED IN OUR CITY TODAY IS AT 50% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME OR MFI AND BELOW, WHICH, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE, IS ABOUT $67,000 TODAY FOR A FOUR PERSON HOUSEHOLD. THESE ARE THE HOUSEHOLDS HAVING THE HARDEST TIME FINDING RENTAL HOUSING AND OWNERSHIP HOUSING IN THEIR PRICE RANGE. DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS ARE VOLUNTARY AND MARKET BASED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. THIS TOOL ALLOWS A DEVELOPER TO BUILD TALLER OR DENSER IN EXCHANGE FOR PROVIDING COMMUNITY BENEFITS, PRIMARILY AFFORDABLE HOUSING. BECAUSE THEY ARE VOLUNTARY, IT RELY, THE TOOL RELIES ON FAVORABLE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS FOR ITS SUCCESS. AND THEREFORE BONUSES TEND TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE IN THE 50 TO 80% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME RANGE. TODAY OUR REAL ESTATE MARKET LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN IT HAS EVEN IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, AND IT'S SLIGHTLY SLOWED DUE TO EXTERNAL FACTORS. WHILE RECENT STATE CHANGES TO LAW, SUCH AS SENATE BILL EIGHT 40 OR SB EIGHT 40 HAVE HELPED TO ENCOURAGE MORE OVERALL HOUSING, BUT HAVE IMPACTED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS. WITH ALL OF THIS IN MIND, COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO CREATE A NEW PROGRAM WITH A TIERED STRUCTURE THAT OFFERS DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF HEIGHT IN EXCHANGE FOR INCOME RESTRICTED HOUSING COUNCIL ALSO ASKED US TO CONSIDER MARKET FEASIBILITY IN OUR GUIDELINES TO CONSIDER OTHER TYPES OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS, RELAXING COMPATIBILITY REGULATIONS AND INCORPORATING TENANT PROTECTIONS AND UNIT REPLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS WHEN EXISTING MULTIFAMILY HOUSING WOULD BE REDEVELOPED USING THE PROGRAM. FINALLY, COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO EITHER UPDATE OR ALIGN EXISTING PROGRAMS SUCH AS DENSITY BONUS 90 DB 90, VERTICAL MIXED USE VMU AND DENSITY BONUS EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT D-B-E-T-O-D WHILE CREATING THE NEW PROGRAM. SO THE NEW PROGRAM CALLED THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM AIMS TO MEET THE FOLLOWING HIGH LEVEL GOALS. WE ARE LOOKING TO ENCOURAGE THE CREATION OF INCOME RESTRICTED HOUSING IN THE AREA OF GREATEST NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL CITY SUBSIDY BEING NECESSARY. WE'RE LOOKING TO PROVIDE MORE OPTIONS FOR NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE'RE HOPING TO MAKE THE REQUIREMENTS STREAMLINED, SIMPLE, CONSISTENT. THIS AIDS IN OUR DEVELOPMENT REVIEW TIMELINE. IT AIDS NEIGHBORS TO KNOW WHAT CAN BE BUILT NEXT DOOR. IT HELPS PROPERTY OWNERS MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR PROPERTY WITH THE FULL SET OF INFORMATION. AND THEN LASTLY, WE WOULD LIKE TO HELP ENSURE THAT THE NEW PROGRAM IS NOT ANY MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN WHAT'S NOW ALLOWED BY WRIGHT. SINCE WE'RE DEALING WITH NEW STATE LEGISLATION, THAT HAS CHANGED THAT RECENTLY. WE'VE CONDUCTED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OVER THE LAST ROUGHLY YEAR AND A HALF TO UNDERSTAND WHAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUT OF DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS. WE USE BOTH IN-PERSON AND DIGITAL METHODS OF REACHING OUT TO FOLKS, INCLUDING SURVEYS, OPEN HOUSES, INTERVIEWS WITH DEVELOPERS, COMPENSATED FOCUS GROUPS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND MORE THROUGH THAT WE'VE HEARD A VARIETY OF VIEWS, BUT A FEW TOP THINGS KEPT COMING UP THAT FOLKS WANTED TO SEE, INCLUDING THAT THEY'D LIKE TO SEE A PROGRAM THAT'S MORE CONTEXT SENSITIVE WITH THE TALLER BUILDINGS CLOSER TO TRANSIT AND SHORTER BILLINGS FARTHER AWAY. THEY'D ALSO LIKE TO SEE A MIX OF INCOME LEVELS WHENEVER POSSIBLE AND AS MANY TYPES OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS WHILE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WOULD REMAIN THE PRIMARY BENEFIT. AND THEN FINALLY, WE HEARD THE NEED OVER AND OVER TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT PRESERVING EXISTING AFFORDABILITY AND TO FOCUS ON [04:00:01] THE AREA OF GREATEST NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY. WITH ALL OF THAT, OUR PROPOSAL TO ADDRESS THESE NEEDS AND THE FEEDBACK WE'VE HEARD WOULD BE TO CREATE FIVE NEW COMBINING DISTRICTS THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM OR DBC. THESE FIVE NEW COMBINING DISTRICTS WOULD OFFER DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF ADDITIONAL HEIGHT BEYOND ONE SPACE ZONE, RANGING ON THE LOW END FROM NO ADDITIONAL HEIGHT UP TO 60 EXTRA FEET. AS PART OF STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION, ONLY ONE TIER WOULD APPLY PER PROPERTY AS COUNCIL ADOPTS THE PROPOSAL. IF THEY SHOULD LATER THIS SPRING, THEN STAFF WOULD STOP ACCEPTING NEW DENSITY BONUS 90 AND VMU APPLICATIONS GOING FORWARD. BUT THOSE WITH EXISTING ENTITLEMENTS WOULD CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE THROUGH SUBMITTING A SITE PLAN. THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS WOULD BE AVAILABLE ON A VARIETY OF COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE SPACE ZONES. HOWEVER, IT WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE ON ANY RESIDENTIAL OR INDUSTRIAL ZONES UNDER STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION. AND THE PROGRAM AIMS TO CREATE A SIMPLE BALANCE OF ADDITIONAL ENTITLEMENTS AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS, ALL OF WHICH WOULD BE THE SAME REGARDLESS OF WHICH HEIGHT TIER IS APPLIED UNDER STAFF'S PROPOSAL. THIS IS A SINGLE SLIDE THAT DISTILLS ALL OF THE BONUS PROGRAMS. YOU KNOW, THE GREATEST HITS OF THE STAFF PROPOSAL. I'M NOT GONNA READ IT ALL IN DETAIL, BUT EACH OF THESE BULLETS HAS SOMETIMES MULTIPLE SLIDES THAT ARE IN YOUR BACKUP THAT EXPLAIN THEM IN MORE DETAIL AS WELL AS THE STAFF REPORT AND THE ACTUAL DRAFT ORDINANCE. THE PROGRAM WOULD REQUIRE 10% OF THE NEW UNITS ON A SITE TO BE INCOME RESTRICTED. WE WOULD ALSO REQUIRE THAT NEW DEVELOPMENTS THAT REDEVELOPED EXISTING MULTIFAMILY HOUSING WOULD PROVIDE TENANT SUPPORTS AND IN CASES WHERE THE DEVELOPMENT IS NATURALLY OCCURRING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT THEY WOULD ALSO NEED TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIT REPLACEMENT THAT ARE IN CHAPTER FOUR 18 OF CITY CODE TODAY. THE LAST SET OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT AUSTINITES WOULD RECEIVE FROM THESE PROJECTS ARE AN ACTIVE MIS MIXED USE SITE IN BUILDING DESIGN STANDARDS THAT ALSO ADD TO THE PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, VARIOUS AMOUNTS OF ADDITIONAL HEIGHT ARE OFFERED AND WE WOULD ALSO BE RELAXING SITE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND ADDING ADDITIONAL USES. WE ARE HERE WITH YOU ALL THIS EVENING. WE'LL BE AT COUNCIL MAY 21ST. WE HAVE A WEBSITE SPEAK OF AUSTIN.ORG/CITYWIDE DB AND WITHOUT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANKS MS. COOK, BEGINNING WITH OUR SPEAKERS IN FAVOR. WE'LL BE FIRST BE HEARING FROM OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER LAURA KEY. LAURA, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES AND THEN Y'ALL CAN BECOME BEGIN COMING TO THE FRONT. STEVEN BUCHANAN, WHO IS ALSO IN FAVOR, AND BRAD MASSENGILL, WHO IS OUR PRIMARY SPEAKER AND OPPOSITION, UM, AS THE BOARD CHAIR FOR PEACE PARK CONSERVANCY. I'M HERE TO FOLLOW UP ON AMENDMENT 17 AND 18, WHICH WERE APPROVED MAY 27TH, 2025, WHICH INCLUDED FUNDING AND ACCESS FOR PEACE PARK AS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOOD OVERLAY. NOW THAT THE CONVERSATION HAS EXPANDED TO A CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, PEACE PARK CONTINUES TO ASK THAT THESE ORDINANCES INCLUDE SPECIFIC ATTENTION TO ACCESS AND CARE FOR PARKS AND GREEN SPACES. THE MAYOR SAYS THAT DOWNTOWN IS AUSTIN'S LIVING ROOM, BUT ANYONE WHO HAS LIVED IN WEST CAMPUS KNOWS THAT PEACE PARK IS ITS BACKYARD. THE 84 ACRES OF PEACE DISTRICT PARK ARE THE PRIMARY RECREATIONAL GREEN SPACE FOR THOUSANDS OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS PEACE PARK'S PROXIMITY TO THE DENSEST CENSUS TRACKS IN THE STATE SHOW INCREASED RATES HIGHER THAN IT AT ANY PREVIOUS TIME IN ITS 150 YEAR HISTORY. IN 2025 MORE THAN 244,000 PEOPLE VISITED KINGSBURY COMMONS. AND THE 7 8 7 0 5 WAS THE ORIGIN ZIP CODE FOR THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF THESE VISITS. THE MOST INTENSE DEVELOPMENT IN WEST CAMPUS IS WITHIN LESS THAN ONE MILE OF PEACE PARK. THE PARK WALK COMES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VISITORS ANNUALLY AND PROVIDES A HEALTHY NATURAL OUTLET FOR RECREATION, EXERCISE, AND STRESS RELEASE. ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS FOR A LARGE AND GROWING PART OF AUSTIN'S POPULATION. DENSITY AMENDMENTS NEED TO INCLUDE MORE SUPPORT FOR GREEN SPACE GENERALLY, AND PEACE PARK SPECIFICALLY, FEES IN LIEU OF PARKLAND CANNOT BE USED TO OPERATE OR MAINTAIN PARKS. AND THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS ARE CLEAR. INCREASED VISITATION FROM INCREASED DENSITY CREATES MORE IMPACT FOR URBAN PARKS LIKE PEACE, WHICH CREATES INCREASED NEED FOR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SUPPORT. STEWARDING PEACE PARK CARRIES A BIG COST, AND OUR DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM SHOULD TAKE THIS INTO ACCOUNT. WE REQUEST THAT THE SPECIFIC AMENDMENTS FROM MAY 27TH, 2025 BE HONORED AND ITS STAFF PROVIDED DENSITY BASED MECHANISM FOR PARK SUPPORT. THE CON CONSERVANCY SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO INCREASE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES, [04:05:01] BUT UNDERSCORES THE FUNDING PRESSURES AND THE O AND M NEEDS OF AUSTIN'S OLDEST PARK THAT IS ALREADY DOING SO MUCH TO SERVICE ITS NEIGHBORS AND COMMUNITIES. NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO SUPPORT PEACE PARK AS YOU CONSIDER THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM. THANK Y'ALL. IS STEVEN BU OH, IS STEVEN BUCHANAN PRESENT? STEVEN'S ALREADY LEFT. PERFECT. ALRIGHT, BRAD, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. HEY Y'ALL. BRAD MASSENGILL AGAIN. UM, IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY. UH, I, I'M PRETTY DISAPPOINTED IN THE, IN THE OUTREACH THAT THAT WENT ON FOR THE PARTICIPATION. HAS SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED IN DENSITY BONUS, UH, HEARINGS AT CITY COUNCIL AND WHATNOT FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. UM, SEEING ALL THOSE PEOPLE DOING ALL THAT STUFF THAT, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN FOR ME. AND, AND BEING ON THE, UH, THE REGISTRY TO BE GETTING NOTIFICATIONS FOR STUFF LIKE THIS THAT THAT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT. BUT, UM, THERE ARE SOME GOOD THINGS IN THIS. IT'S, UH, IT'S MORE GRANULAR THAN THE DB 90 THING. UM, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, UM, AND SOME SUGGESTIONS AND, UH, AROUND FEE AND LIE, I WOULD HOPE THAT THAT WOULD BE TAKEN UP FRONT AND NON-REFUNDABLE. UH, 'CAUSE SOME OF THESE THINGS, THEY GET STARTED, THEY UP ZONE AND THEN THEY NEVER DO ANYTHING WITH IT. UH, AND, AND WE'RE LOSING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND POTENTIALLY, UH, OTHER USES AS THESE PROPERTIES ARE BEING SPECULATED WITH AS MUCH AS ANYTHING ELSE. UM, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, UH, CURRENT DB 90 ZONINGS THAT, THAT DON'T HAVE SITE PLANS. ARE THEY GONNA BE, BE ABLE TO REVERT BACK TO THE PREVIOUS ZONINGS OR ARE THEY GONNA BE PROVISIONS FOR THESE DB NINETIES TO TAKE ANY OF THESE OTHER ZONING, NEW ZONING, UH, CATEGORIES ON AS, 'CAUSE SOME OF THESE WERE DEFINITELY NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SOME OF THE PLACES THEY'RE TRYING TO BE INSERTED. SO SOME OF THESE MAY BE BETTER SUITED. SO I WAS WONDER IF THERE'S ANY BACKTRACKING THAT CAN HAPPEN THERE. UM, ANOTHER THING IS THAT, THAT 50% MFI, UH, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY HIGH FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. UH, I I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS, TEACHERS, UH, PEOPLE THAT, UM, UH, EARNING CATEGORIES, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S RIGHT ABOUT THERE, RIGHT ABOUT 50%. SO SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE MAKING JUST A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH TO QUALIFY. AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE SHUTTING OUT PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKING LOWER, UH, AMOUNTS OF MONEY. I MEAN, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 120, $130,000 A YEAR AS BEING MFI, THAT RULES OUT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN FAST FOOD OR SUPPORT OR CONSTRUCTION. SO WE'RE LEAVING A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE OUT. UM, UH, THE, THE OTHER THING THAT BREEDING THE BACKUPS, THE, THE, THERE'S A, THERE'S STUFF IN THERE ABOUT THE POLLUTION AND LIVING CLOSE TO HIGHWAYS AND HIGH DENSITY, UH, ROADWAYS. AND WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOUTH CONGRESS, THAT'S ACTUALLY A STATE HIGHWAY, YOU KNOW, AND IT, THERE'S ACTUALLY RULES THAT AGAINST BUILDING HIGH DENSITY, UH, APARTMENTS, CLOSE TO POLLUTION SOURCES. SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE BEING CONSIDERED, UH, WHEN WE'RE MOVING FORWARD. 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT AREN'T INCLUDED. I, I AM ENCOURAGED WITH THE, THE, THE DISPLACEMENT, UH, MEASURES, YOU KNOW, THE ONE FOR ONE, UH, REPLACEMENT FOR EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS WE COULD BE DOING, UH, AS FAR AS COMPATIBILITY. I KNOW THE, THE STATE IS KIND OF TIED OUR HANDS ON SOME OF THIS STUFF, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO, UH, GIVE UP ZONINGS THAT AREN'T CURRENTLY EXTENDED. AND, AND SINCE WE'RE SWITCHING TO, UH, THESE COMBINING DISTRICTS, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE WE'RE, UH, EMASCULATING, UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP, WHAT IS THAT GONNA MEAN? IN THE FUTURE [04:10:01] WHEN, WHEN WE WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THESE THINGS THAT ARE MORE LIKE MODULAR THINGS THAT YOU CAN PLUG IN ALL OVER THE CITY. IT, IT, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR, WHERE DO WE PLUG INTO THIS PROCESS? BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY DIFFICULT. I MEAN, Y'ALL KNOW THAT AS MUCH AS ANYONE. IT'S, IT'S A LOT FOR SOMEONE TO COME UP ON A SIX O'CLOCK ON A SATURDAY NIGHT AND MAYBE GET A SPEAK AT WHAT, 10 O'CLOCK, 11 O'CLOCK, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW? SO, AND CITY COUNCIL'S EVEN WORSE 'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE WORKING DURING THE DAY TO COME UP AND TALK. SO THESE OUTREACH, UH, MEASURES TO, TO INCLUDE THE, THE PUBLIC. I WISH THERE WERE A LITTLE MORE ROBUST. SO, THANKS. THANK YOU MR. MASSING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS CHAIR. THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM. THANK YOU. I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BRETTON, SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR HANEY. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES. OKAY. SO AT THIS POINT, TECHNICALLY WE WOULD GENERALLY MOVE INTO OUR ROUND ROBIN. I WANNA REMIND US ALL THAT WE DID HAVE A ROBUST OPPORTUNITY FOR QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM A MONTH AGO. AND THEN SINCE THEN WE'VE HAD A MONTH TO ASK STAFF ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. SO IF THERE ARE COMMISSIONERS THAT HAVE NEW QUESTIONS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ANSWERED THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED, UH, THEY'RE WELCOME TO TAKE A QUESTION SLOT. BUT I WOULD HOPE THAT WE CAN MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY THROUGH THIS PART. ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION AT THE MOMENT? OKAY, SEEING NONE, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A BASE MOTION. SO THAT WOULD GENERALLY BE STAFF RECOMMENDATION. AND THEN FROM THERE WE'LL START MAKING AMENDMENTS FROM THAT MOTION. LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO MAKE THAT BASE MOTION. COMMISSIONER POWELL, I'LL MOVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU. LOOKING FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. WONDERFUL. SO FROM THERE, LET'S GO AHEAD AND JUMP INTO OUR AMENDMENTS THAT WERE SHARED IN ADVANCE BY THE WORKING GROUP. UM, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A LIST OF THE WORKING GROUP AMENDMENTS. AND BECAUSE WE'VE, UH, SHARED THE MINUTE ADVANCE, WE'RE NOT GONNA READ THROUGH EACH ONE. BUT I WANNA GIVE COMMISSIONERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PULL ANY AMENDMENTS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS IN MORE DETAIL. ANY AMENDMENTS THAT WE DON'T PULL, WE WILL ASSUME THAT WE WANT TO PASS, UM, TOGETHER WITH THE BASE MOTION. SO, WHICH COMMISSIONERS HAVE AMENDMENTS THEY WOULD LIKE TO PULL FROM THE WORKING GROUP? COMMISSIONER ROJA, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, . UM, I'LL START THOUGHT SOME OTHER PEOPLE. WE'RE GONNA JUMP IN HERE FIRST, BUT, UM, I THINK WE'D LIKE TO TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT, UM, UH, AMENDMENTS NUMBER FIVE. AND, SORRY, JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE GET THE RIGHT ONE HERE. UH, NINE. NINE, YES. THANK YOU. FIVE AND NINE. GREAT. ANY OTHER AMENDMENTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PULL FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION? I WOULD, SORRY. UH, COMMISSIONER AHMED, AND THEN I'LL COME TO YOU. COMMISSIONER TROIAN, I'D LIKE TO PULL, UM, ITEM NUMBER EIGHT AS WELL. OKAY. COMMISSIONER TROIAN AND FOUR PLEASE. ITEM FOUR. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE FROM THE WORKING GROUP THAT WE WANNA PULL? UM, AND MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED TO PULL THIS ONE, BUT WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR THE WORKING GROUP TO JUST GIVE A QUICK EXPLANATION OF, UM, ITEM NUMBER ONE JUST SO THAT WE CAN COVER THE FEE AND LIE CHANGES? IS THAT, CAN WE, DO I NEED TO PULL IT TO DO THAT? YOU DON'T NEED TO PULL IT. WE CAN, UM, JUST HAVE THAT KIND OF AS A, A QUESTION AT THE MOMENT. UM, I CAN ADDRESS THAT. UH, AMENDMENT IT IS TO ALLOW FEE AND LIE PAYMENTS FOR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS AS WELL AS FOR OWNERSHIP DEVELOPMENTS. AND TO HAVE THOSE FEE AND MOVE FUNDS RESTRICTED FOR USE IN OUR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE OR OWNERSHIP HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE SUPPORTED PROJECTS WITHIN A MILE AND A HALF RADIUS OF THE ORIGINATING DENSITY BONUS PROPERTY. AND THEN IF NO ELIGIBLE RHDA OR OHDA FUNDED PROJECTS EXIST TO ACCEPT THOSE FUNDS WITHIN THREE YEARS, THOSE FEE AND LIE PAYMENTS WOULD REVERT TO GENERAL R-H-D-A-O-H-D-A FUNDING FOR ANY CITYWIDE PROJECT RECEIVING THE FUNDING. THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS IS THAT WE'RE HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME AS A CITY GENERATING GAP FINANCING FOR OUR RHDA AND OHDA FUNDED PROJECTS, WHICH GENERALLY REACH DEEPER LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY THAN WE SEE WITH THESE DENSITY BONUS UNITS WHEN THEY'RE INCLUDED. I THINK THERE'S SOME PROBLEMS WITH COMPLIANCE AND MONITORING OF THE DENSITY BONUS UNITS THAT ARE BUILT ON SITE, AND WE REALLY WANNA PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE GAP FINANCING FOR SOME OF THOSE DEEPER AFFORDABLE, SOME OF THOSE DEEPLY AFFORDABLE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE REALLY STRUGGLING TO PENCIL AT THE MOMENT. GREAT. I APPRECIATE THAT EXPLANATION. SURE. OTHER I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST, UM, YES. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. LONG WE'LL PULL ITEM NUMBER 10. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GANNON, DO YOU WANNA PULL OTHER ITEMS? YEAH, I'LL PULL SEVEN. WE'LL PULL SEVEN. SEVEN. OKAY. ANY OTHER WORKING GROUP AMENDMENTS THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO PULL FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION? COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE SEVEN. SEVEN WAS JUST PULLED CHAIR. CAN YOU POT [04:15:01] POTENTIALLY REPEAT ALL THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN PULLED? YES. SO THE AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN PULLED FROM THE WORKING GROUP ARE 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, AND 10. OKAY. SO WE WILL COME BACK TO EACH OF THOSE, BUT I AM GOING TO LOOK FIRST FOR A MOTION TO GO AHEAD AND ADD ITEMS 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 12, 13, AND 14, UM, INTO OUR AMENDMENTS THAT WE PASS ALONG WITH THE BASE MOTION. CAN I GET A MOTION? UH, COMMISSIONER BRETTON, GO AHEAD. I WILL MAKE THAT MOTION. OKAY. , I'M LOOKING FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO AMEND THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO INCLUDE WORKING GROUP AMENDMENTS 1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, AND SIX. UH, MADE BY COMMISSIONER BRETTON, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. DOES THERE NEED TO BE ANY DISCUSSION SEEING NO ONE WANTING TO SPEAK IN THIS? LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THESE WORKING GROUP AMENDMENTS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OKAY. THAT'S UNANIMOUS. GREAT. UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND START WITH ITEM FOUR. COMMISSIONER BRETTON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT ITEM AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO OUR QUESTIONS? UH, I THINK THERE'S A REAL GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND, UH, THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS TO ALLOW FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONSTRUCTION. UH, GIVEN THAT THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF VERY, UH, EITHER GEOGRAPHICALLY RESTRICTED OR VERY COMPLICATED PROCESSES TO GO THROUGH TO GET TO TALLER HEIGHTS, UH, I THINK A HIGHER BONUS TO HELP ALLOW A CLEARER PATH FOR THAT IS A HELPFUL THING. WONDERFUL. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS AMENDMENT? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL? UM, YEAH, I THINK FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE NOT IN THE WORKING GROUP, GIVEN THAT THERE'S A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS RELATED TO HEIGHT AND SORT OF INCREMENTS, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHERE WE ARE NOW BASED ON THE BASE MOTION OR A WORKING GROUP AMENDMENTS AND SORT OF THIS AMENDMENT IN PARTICULAR AND WHAT THE HEIGHTS MIGHT END UP LOOKING LIKE? LET'S SEE, IF I AM READING CORRECTLY, NUMBER THREE WAS ADDED IN AS THE RECOMMENDATION ALREADY, WHICH MEANS THAT THE SCALING, UH, THERE WAS NO ADJUSTMENT MADE TO THE BASE. AKA PLUS ZERO, UH, COMBINING DISTRICT. THERE WE GO. THOSE ARE THE ONES. UH, AND THEN IT WOULD BE PLUS 25, PLUS 50, PLUS 75. AND THEN THIS MOTION SPECIFICALLY REFERS TO A PLUS 100 AND A PLUS 1 25. I THINK THOSE NUMBERS ARE POTENTIALLY FOR DISCUSSION. AND I THINK, SORRY, JUST TO CLARIFY WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. SO IF THE BASE IS 60, THAT ADDS THAT AMOUNT TO EACH ONE? CORRECT. SO WHAT IS THE HIGHEST HEIGHT WE WOULD POTENTIALLY GET UNDER THIS ONE? IS THAT, I MEAN, SO IT'S 60. I KNOW THAT VARIES BASED ON THE, THIS 180 5 WOULD BE THE TALLEST. WOULD BE THE TALLEST. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER AHMED, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES. JUST SIMPLY WHY LIMITED AT THAT? LIKE WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THAT BEING THE LIMIT THERE VERSUS GOING HIGHER? UH, SOMETHING THAT I THINK, UH, IN CONVERSATION WITH THE WORKING GROUP WE WERE TRYING TO AIM FOR IS TO HIT A HEIGHT OF ABOUT 180 FEET, GIVEN THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONSTRUCTION THAT WE SEE IN THE CITY. I'M CERTAINLY NOT THE EXPERT ON THIS, UH, BUT GIVEN THE, UH, CONVERSATION IN THE WORKING GROUP SEEMED APPROPRIATE TO DO A PLUS 1 25 FELT VERY, UH, INCREMENTAL. INCREMENTAL AND, UH, DIGESTIBLE. I THINK I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT THE REASON, UH, THAT WE WANNA GET TO 180 IS THAT THAT'S THE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT FOR TYPE ONE OR TYPE TWO CONSTRUCTION. AND SO I THINK THAT PEOPLE OPTING INTO A DENSITY BONUS WHERE THEY CAN ONLY GET KIND OF HALFWAY TO THE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT FOR ONE CONSTRUCTION TYPE IS GONNA ACTUALLY END UP SENDING THEM BACK DOWN TO THE LOWER CONSTRUCTION TYPE. AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE FULL RANGE OF EACH CONSTRUCTION TYPE THAT WE'RE MAKING AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. THAT WAS KIND OF THE THINKING ON THAT WELL STATED. UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER AHMAN? DO, DO YOU WANNA FOLLOW UP ON THAT? SURE. JUST ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION ON THAT. THAT, UH, 180 FEET BEING KIND OF THE MAXIMUM FOR ONE CONSTRUCTION SITE, ONE CONSTRUCTION TYPE, UH, HAS THAT ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE? IS THAT ALWAYS THE CASE REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF BUILDING OR WHATNOT? UH, OR DOES THAT VARY SOMETIMES? UH, I'M SURE IT DOES VARY. THAT'S KINDA MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IS THAT GENERALLY 180 IS THE MAX FOR TYPE ONE AND TYPE TWO CONSTRUCTION. SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE AN AVERAGE OR WHATNOT FOR THE TYPE. THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION. COMMISSIONER BEREN, IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO AN AMENDMENT? YES, IT IS. I WOULD LIKE, UH, TO KNOW IF THE ORIGINAL AUTHORS OF THIS AMENDMENT WOULD ENTERTAIN, UM, INSTEAD OF A HUNDRED AND 125 AS THE TWO TIERS WE'RE ADDING TO ADD INSTEAD 120 AND 190 TO ACHIEVE 180 FEET AND 250 [04:20:01] FEET. I WOULD I THINK I'M GOING TO ASK THAT WE GO AHEAD AND MOTION FOR THE AMENDMENT AS WRITTEN, BUT IF YOU WANNA MAKE THAT AS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, UH, YOU'RE WELCOME TO. OKAY. CAN I ADD TO MY, UH, MOTION? YOU HAVEN'T MADE A MOTION YET. WE DON'T HAVE EVEN A MOTION ON THE TABLE FOR THIS ITEM YET. GREAT. SO WE'RE JUST DISCUSSING. GREAT. WE'RE JUST DISCUSSING, WE'RE JUST TALKING SO YOU CAN ASK ANOTHER QUESTION. UM, SO I THINK THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, UM, FROM THE AUTHORS AND POTENTIALLY FROM THE GROUP, UM, TO ACHIEVE THESE EXTRA HEIGHTS, UM, I THINK THERE'S A, A HIGHER, UM, FOR LACK OF A BETTER BETTER WAY OF SAYING THIS, A HIGHER BARRIER TO ENTRY TO THESE PROJECTS. THEY HAVE TO MEET HIGHER REQUIREMENTS. UM, AND I WOULD ADD TO, UH, IF I WERE TO MAKE A MOTION TO SUGGEST THESE NEXT TWO TIERS WOULD BE TO, UM, RECOMMEND THAT WE INCLUDE OR THAT STAFF GENERATE, UH, A SERIES OF CRITERIA FOR THESE TOR TIERS THAT MIGHT INCLUDE, UH, ADJACENCY TO TRANSIT, UH, EXISTING CITY TRANSIT OR FUTURE TRANSIT, UH, THE CLASS OF THE ADJACENT ROADWAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE APPROPRIATE FOR A BUILDING OF THE SCALE THAT TAKE INTO CONSIDER THE PARCEL SIZE, UH, AND POTENTIALLY PROXIMITY TO IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS. I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY REASONABLE TO INCLUDE IN A SUBSTITUTE MOTION. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM BEFORE WE MAKE THE BASE MOTION FOR ITEM FOUR? UM, I HAVE A QUICK COMMENT. SURE. JUST, UH, FOR POINT OF CLARIFICATION, 180 IS THE BASE OR, OR THE OF THE TALLEST HEIGHT FOR A TYPE ONE B, BUT TYPE ONE A IS UNLIMITED HEIGHT, SO THERE'S NOT A, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT OTHER, UH, COMMISSIONERS TO BE UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT 180 IS THIS CAP THAT BUILDINGS CAN'T GO OVER. WE HAVE A LOT OF BUILDINGS THAT ARE OVER 180 FEET, SO THERE, THERE IS MECHANISMS TO GET OVER 180. THAT'S HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND. IT'S CALLED A TYPE ONE A. OKAY. . WONDERFUL. OKAY. NOT SEEING ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS? I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION FOR THE WORKING GROUP AMENDMENT FOR, AND I'M LOOKING FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRETTON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE YOUR SUBSTITUTE, UH, MOTION? YES. UH, YES. MY SUBSTITUTE MOTION WOULD TO, UH, REPLACE THE PROPOSED TIERS WITH, UH, TWO ADDITIONAL TIERS, WHICH WOULD BE 120 FEET, UH, AND 190 FEET. THESE WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO THE BASE ZONING, NOT MAXIMUM HEIGHTS THEMSELVES, UH, AND TO INCLUDE IN THAT A REQUEST FROM STAFF THAT THEY DEVELOP CRITERIA RELATED TO THESE TALLER TIERS THAT REQUIRE A HIGHER BARRIER TO ENTRY THAT COULD INCLUDE, UH, THE ADJACENCY TO, UH, CERTAIN CLASS OF ROADWAYS ADJACENCY TO TRANSIT, PARCEL SIZE, AND PROXIMITY TO IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS. LOOKING FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR HANEY. OKAY. UH, LET'S MOVE INTO, SORRY. WE'RE, LET'S GO INTO DEBATE FOR THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION. THANK YOU. , WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? UM, SPEAKING TO THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AND, UH, WITH THE INPUT OF MY DISTRICT OFFICE, IT HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED THAT THE HEIGHTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE SOME OF THESE PROJECTS IN ADDITION TO THE 180 FEET ARE ALSO POTENTIALLY 250 FEET. UM, I DO THINK THAT THERE, AS I MENTIONED, NEEDS TO BE SOME HIGHER CALIBER OF PROJECT THAT THESE NEED TO, TO CROSS. WE DON'T WANNA BE DUMPING THESE ONTO VERY SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS, UH, AT THIS ELEVATION. BUT I THINK THAT, UH, IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CITY, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UM, ADJACENT TO THE THINGS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER AND ON SITES ESPECIALLY THAT HAVE THE SIZE APPROPRIATE FOR A STRUCTURE OF THIS SIZE, UM, THESE CAN BE VERY SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS AND I WOULDN'T WANT TO MISS OUT ON SOME OF THESE HEIGHTS, UM, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T WANT THESE ON EVERY SINGLE PARCEL IN THE CITY. ANYONE SPEAKING AGAINST THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION? ANYONE ELSE? OH, I'M SORRY. COMMISSIONER LON. OH, I THINK, ARE WE ON SET? SUPER. SORRY. NO PROBLEM. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WEREN'T ASKING TO SPEAK. OH, NO, NO, NO. I'M STILL WAITING FOR MY ITEM. I'M GOOD. OKAY. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, GO AHEAD. UM, I JUST WANNA SECOND THAT I APPRECIATE THE CHANGE IN THE WILLINGNESS AND THE AUTHOR AND THE WORKING GROUP TO ACCEPT THIS MODIFICATION. UM, WE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT FIXING OUR PDAS AND PS, WHICH I HOPE THAT THAT WORK DOES ALSO CONTINUE. BUT IN THE INTERIM, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A REALLY GOOD STEP TO ENSURE THAT OUR DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM WORKS FOR HIGHER HEIGHTS, AND THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THOSE PROES ARE FINISHED BECAUSE THAT MEANS WE'RE MISSING OUT ON A LOT OF MIDDLE TIER TALLER BUILDINGS [04:25:01] THAT ARE NOT DOWNTOWN. AND I THINK WE'VE ALSO SEEN HOW COMPLICATED BOTH PDAS AND PUD CASES CAN BE HERE IN THIS DAES. SO HAVING THIS MECHANISM THAT ENSURES WE HAVE GREAT LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY, SOME ADDITIONAL DESIGN REQUIREMENTS, AND THAT WE'RE REALLY PRO PENCILING THESE PROJECTS AT THE HIGHEST HEIGHT POSSIBLE, WHERE APPROPRIATE FEELS LIKE A WIN WIN WIN. SO THANK YOU TO Y'ALL FOR THE FLEXIBILITY AND TO COMMISSIONER TROIAN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST COMMISSIONER AHMED? I HAVE A QUESTION. UH, CAN I ASK, UH, FOR CLARIFICATION? SO I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS, IN CONCERT WITH ITEM SEVEN, WHICH ALLOWS FOR 50% BONUS IN HEIGHT, WOULD THAT ESSENTIALLY ALLOW FOR INSTEAD OF 250 UP TO SAY 375 UH, FEET NEAR TRANSIT, WOULD THIS KIND OF, UH, UH, YEAH, GO ON TOP OF, UH, WOULD THEY GO ON TOP OF EACH OTHER? SO, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T PASSED ITEM SEVEN YET, THERE'S NO, WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING THEM TOGETHER AT THIS POINT. GOT IT. MAKES SENSE. UM, MAKES SENSE. WHEN WE GET TO ITEM SEVEN, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONSIDER AT THAT POINT, BUT IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. THANK YOU. I COULD, I COULD MERELY STATE THAT THIS, THESE ADDITIONAL TIERS DID NOT ANTICIPATE AN ADDITIONAL 50% INCREASE ON TOP OF THEM, IF THAT HELPS. COMMISSIONER RERA RAMIREZ, I'M JUST A LITTLE CONFUSED. SO ARE WE, UM, ARE WE KEEPING THE PLUS A HUNDRED AND PLUS 1 25 OR ARE WE REPLACING IT WITH THE ONE 20 AND 180? YEAH, I BELIEVE WE'RE REPLACING IT WITH ONE 20. OKAY. THE MOTION IS TO REPLACE. OKAY. SO PLUS A HUNDRED IS OUT. WELL, IF WE PASS THIS SUBSTITUTE MOTION, WE CAN, WE COULD GO BACK TO THAT AMENDMENT IF THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILS. THANK YOU. YEAH. UH, SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OR AGAINST COMMISSIONER GANNON. YES, I, I, UM, I SUPPORT THIS, BUT I DO WANT TO JUST, UH, PUT OUT THERE THAT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE ALL LOVE BIG TALL BUILDINGS, BUT I DO THINK THAT TALL BUILDINGS, IN A SENSE, ARE A POLICY FAILURE, UH, WITH ADDING THE, THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT. UM, LET'S ALSO THINK ABOUT BROADENING THE REACH OF THIS POLICY. UM, VERY TALL BUILDINGS THAT ARE BUILT VERY EXPENSIVELY REPRESENT A HIGH LAND COST. AND THAT HIGHLY LAND COST IS ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE THERE'S NOT THE ABILITY TO BUILD HOUSING IN THE LOW COST AREAS. UH, SO BY BROADENING THE SCOPE OF DENSITY BONUSES OR JUST WHERE WE'RE ALLOWED TO BUILD HOUSING, UM, IT SHOULD HOPEFULLY EVEN OUT THE, UH, LAND COST CITYWIDE AND ALLOW US TO BUILD, UM, HOUSING WITH A MORE AFFORDABLE CONSTRUCTION TYPE. THERE'S BEEN STUDIES THAT SHOW, UH, HOW DO YOU GET, HOW OR HOW DO YOU GET A BUILDING TO PENCIL? THERE'S EITHER TWO WAYS YOUR, YOUR RENTS AND YOUR AND AND THE COST OF HOUSING GO UP SO THAT THE PENCILS OR, UM, THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION GOES DOWN. AND THAT INCLUDES THE LAND COST ITSELF. SO UNTIL WE INVENT NEW CONSTRUCTION TYPES, UH, THE THING THAT WE HAVE TO REALLY PUSH ON IS, UM, FINDING LOWER COST OF LAND SO THAT WE DON'T END UP IN A SITUATION WHERE A LOT OF VERY TALL BUILDINGS ARE PENCILING BECAUSE IT'S VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN THE CITY. SO I DO SUPPORT THESE HEIGHTS, BUT WITH THAT IN MIND, I WANT TO, OR, OR I WANT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT ALL WE CAN DO TO ALLOW GENTLE DENSITY IN THE REST OF OUR CITY, UH, WILL HELP MORE HOUSING, UH, PENCIL IN A VERY BROADER SENSE AND WILL BE MORE IMPACTFUL THAN ONE OR TWO VERY TALL POINT LOADED BUILDINGS. THANKS, COMMISSIONER GANNON. ANYONE SPEAKING AGAINST THIS SUBSTITUTE MOTION? OKAY. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE. THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER TROJAN, SECONDED BY REMIND ME. UH, VICE CHAIR HANEY. COMMISSIONER JEON. CAN YOU READ THE SUBSTITUTE FOR US ONE MORE TIME, PLEASE? YES. SO THE MOTION, THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION IS TO REPLACE THE TWO UPPER TIERS WITH 120 FEET AND 190 FEET ABOVE THE BASE ZONING, UH, TO INCLUDE AND TO DIRECT STAFF TO DEVELOP CRITERIA FOR THESE TALLER TIERS, UH, THAT DETERMINE THEIR APPROPRIATENESS FOR THE SITE, UH, BASED ON SUCH THINGS AS THE CLASS OF ADJACENT ROADWAYS, THE ADJACENCY TO TRANSIT, THE PARCEL SIZE, AND THE PROXIMITY TO IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS. THANK YOU. THOSE IN FAVOR? OKAY. THAT'S UNANIMOUS. THAT ITEM PASSES. LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE FROM THE WORKING GROUP, UM, COMMISSIONERS, ROJAN OR BRETTON, COULD YOU SPEAK VERY BRIEFLY TO THIS ITEM AND WHAT ITS INTENT IS? SURE. UM, SO ITEM FIVE, UH, WAS REALLY INSPIRED BY THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PRESENTATION THAT WE RECEIVED DURING THE LAST MEETING. UM, AND IS RELATED TO THE IDEA THAT A 75 FOOT OR 75% GROUND [04:30:01] FLOOR REQUIREMENT ON THE PRINCIPAL ROADWAY, UH, MAY SERVE SOME PROPERTIES, BUT IT MAY NOT SERVE OTHER PROPERTIES. AND THAT BY RELAXING AND PERHAPS PROVIDING SOME, UM, FLEXIBILITY IN THAT REQUIREMENT, WE MIGHT GET OTHER USES, OTHER WAYS OF CREATING A BETTER, UH, URBAN CONDITION, UM, ON OUR, ON OUR STREETS. SO ON SOME BUILDINGS THAT MAY INCLUDE, SAY, RESIDENTIAL STOOPS FACING FORWARD, RATHER THAN REQUIRING IT ALL BE CIVIC OR COMMERCIAL, IT COULD ALSO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT A BUILDING WITH A VERY NARROW FRONTAGE, SAY 50 OR 75 FEET, HAS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PRESENCE IN OUR CITY THAN A HALF A CITY BLOCK, UH, WHERE WE WOULD HAVE MULTIPLE FACES OF A BUILDING THAT ADDRESS THAT ARE ADJACENT TO STREETS. AND WE MIGHT WANT THEM TO BECOME MORE ENGAGED WITH THOSE STREETS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. SO THIS WOULD PROPOSE TO CREATE A MENU OF OPTIONS, UM, IN WHICH THE DEVELOPER WOULD BE ASKED TO CHOOSE FROM, UM, A SERIES OF DIFFERENT POTENTIAL OPTIONS, UH, UNDER THIS TO SATISFY THE GROUND FLOOR REQUIREMENT, UM, NOT SIMPLY REVERT BACK TO JUST THE 75%. UM, AND THAT THIS IS A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION FOR THAT TO BE CREATED BY STAFF. THANKS, COMMISSIONER ROJAN. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. DO YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ON IT? UM, I DID AND I WAS HOPING THAT STAFF COULD HELP US OUT WITH SOMETHING. SO, MS. COOK, IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL AND CHAIR, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I MAY ADD TO COMMISSIONER TROJAN'S? SURE, GO AHEAD. SO I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY MEANT TO BE A REPLACEMENT FOR THE 75% FRONTAGE REQUIREMENT, BUT RATHER A WAY TO ADD FLEXIBILITY TO THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SITES THAT WE SEE IN OUR CITY. SO JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT POINT. APPRECIATE THAT. UM, GREAT. SO MY STAFF QUESTION WAS JUST IF YOU COULD WALK US THROUGH WHAT THE WAIVER POLICY WILL BE WITH THE NEW PROGRAM UNDER CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS. SO, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION FOR THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS, GROUND FLOOR BUILDING FRONTAGE REQUIREMENTS, WOULD BE THE SAME AS EXISTS IN DENSITY BONUS ETOD IN DENSITY BONUS 90 TODAY, WHICH ALLOWS FOR A MODIFICATION IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE, ZONING A SITE INTO THE BONUS PROGRAM, COMBINING DISTRICT. UM, THAT MODIFICATION COULD BE A FULL WAIVER, WHICH IS SOMETHING THE COMMISSION AND COUNCIL HAS APPROVED ON SOME OF THOSE SITES ALREADY TODAY IN THE EXISTING PROGRAMS. IT COULD ALSO BE A MODIFICATION TO CHANGE, YOU KNOW, AND NOT DO A 75% AND INSTEAD ASK FOR CERTAIN SQUARE FOOTAGE OR, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER KINDS OF COMBINATIONS THAT, THAT Y'ALL CAN THINK OF. UM, GREAT. AND JUST A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THIS, BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE OUR CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, OR EXCUSE ME, OUR DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM COMING TO US IN TWO WEEKS, AND THERE'S ALSO BEEN SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE WOULD MANAGE, UM, THE 75% REQUIREMENT GIVEN THE SMALL FOOTPRINT OF SOME OF THE DOWNTOWN. UM, SO I GUESS I WAS JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALIGNING THIS WITH SORT OF, OF BOTH DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS AND THAT WE SORT OF SEE THAT CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE BOARD, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. YEAH, I'LL ADD THAT WE'VE BEEN IN CLOSE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DOWNTOWN AND THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM PROPOSALS. AND ONE OF THE REASONS YOU SEE MORE ROBUST OR, YOU KNOW, EXPLICIT CRITERIA IN THE DOWNTOWN IS BECAUSE WITH THE HIGH RISE LEVEL AND HIGH PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. UM, BUT WITH THE CITYWIDE PROGRAM, AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO REALLY FOCUS ON STREAMLINING, WHICH IS WHY STAFF WENT WITH THE 75%. THAT SAID, IT DOES NOT WORK NECESSARILY VERY WELL IN ALL CASES. SO THAT IS WHY THE WAIVER IS IN STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION. I'M OKAY. GREAT. AND I THINK, UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE, UM, AMENDMENT MAKER THEN, IF THAT'S OKAY. UM, SO JUST TO CLARIFY ONE OTHER THING WHICH STAFF DIDN'T MENTION, BUT WE KNOW THAT THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES GENERALLY ARE BEING UPDATED. WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO ADDING THAT AS A SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR THIS? YES. OKAY, GREAT. SO I THINK THE ONLY CHANGE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE TO THIS IS TO MAKE IT MORE EXPLICIT THAT THIS NEW, UM, RECOMMENDATION REGARDING THE, THE FLEXIBILITY AROUND THE 75 FOOT REQUIREMENT, UM, WOULD INCLUDE, UH, SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE UPDATED, UH, DESIGN URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES BEING PRODUCED BY THE DESIGN COMMISSION. IS THAT, IS THAT A MOTION MAKER'S AMENABLE TO THAT? YES, I AM. THANK YOU, . OKAY. SO WE CAN TREAT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE YET. COMMISSIONER BRENTON, YOU ARE A CO-OP HERE. I, I HAVE A QUESTION JUST TO MAKE SURE I HEARD YOU CORRECTLY, YOU SAID WOULD INCLUDE YES. OKAY. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S NOT EXCLUSIVE. YES. JUST TO, UM, CLARIFY, WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT, WE HAD A ROBUST MEETING WITH THE DESIGN COMMISSION WHO ARE TRYING TO BRING BOTH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, AND THEN MORE BROADLY TO UPDATE THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES. THAT WORK WAS ALREADY UNDERWAY. SO WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THIS WIDER SCOPE OF THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM THAT THOSE GUIDELINES WERE REFERRED TO IN THIS AMENDMENT, SO THAT IT WAS AGAIN, ALIGNED ACROSS, UM, ALL OF OUR DENSITY PROGRAMS. MAKES PERFECT SENSE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? OKAY. LET'S GET A MOTION [04:35:01] THAT INCLUDES THIS UPDATE. UH, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE THE MOTION? SURE. I THINK THE ONLY CHANGE WE WOULD MAKE IS GENERAL RECOMMENDATION. CREATE A GONE FOUR MENU BASED ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE URBAN UPDATED URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS BEING PRODUCED BY THE DESIGN COMMISSION, A MENU IN THE PROPOSED, UM, VERSUS THIS LANGUAGE ABOUT THE A MENU AND PROPOSED DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS UPDATE THAT COULD BE STRUCK. OKAY. UH, LOOKING FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRETTON. OKAY. WE CAN MOVE INTO DEBATE. AND JUST A REMINDER, WE DON'T NEED TO DO OUR FULL DEBATE ON EVERY ITEM. UH, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS MOTION? OKAY. LET'S, OH, GO AHEAD. COMMISSIONER POWELL, JUST FOR FUN. THANKS FOR COORDINATING WITH THE DI DESIGN COMMISSION, SPEAKING FOR IT. I THINK THAT'S GREAT WORK. WONDERFUL. ANYONE ELSE WANNA SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON ITEM FIVE AS AMENDED. THOSE IN FAVOR? GREAT. THAT'S UNANIMOUS. WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM SEVEN. COMMISSIONER GANNON, CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THIS AMENDMENT SEVEN. THIS IS KIND OF A COMPETING ONE WITH, UH, WITH ITEM FOUR AND, UM, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S PROBABLY THE APP SITE FOR A PLUS 1.5 TIMES ONE 90. UM, I DO THINK THAT THERE'S SOMETHING ELEGANT ABOUT, UH, ADAPTIVE ZONING WHERE AS OUR, OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM AND OUR BUS LINES GROW IT, THE, THE REACH OF TRANSIT IS FELT BY, UM, ANY INCREASED DENSITY THAT IS JUST, UH, RESPONSIVE IN OUR ZONING. UM, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT ALSO, UH, COULD HAMPER THE EX, UH, EXPANSION OF TRANSIT AND I'M HUGELY SUPPORTIVE OF TRANSIT. SO, UH, TO, TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF SIMPLICITY, I WOULD SAY, UM, THIS IS A COMPETING ONE. AND IF WE'VE ALREADY, IF WE'VE ALREADY PASSED NUMBER FOUR, I THINK WE CAN PROBABLY LET THIS ONE GO. YOU WISHING TO WITHDRAW THIS AMENDMENT? I'LL WITHDRAW. OH. UM, CAN I MAKE AN ALTERNATE SUGGESTION? SURE. OKAY. UM, WOULD THE COMMISSIONER BE OPEN TO MAKING THIS A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION INSTEAD THAT STAFF EXPLORE AN OPTION TO CREATE A BONUS BASED ON TRANSIT AND FUTURE TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE? GENERAL RECOMMENDATION IS, SO A GENERAL EXACTLY. WITH A COMMISSIONER. MAXWELL SAYS . OKAY. UH, I'M GONNA COME BACK TO YOU FOR THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE ON THAT. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, DOES ANYONE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED AS A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION HERE? GREAT. I DO. I HAVE A QUESTION. THANKS, COMM. I THINK WHAT WAS PROPOSING AS A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION IS GOING TO BE WHAT I'M PROPOSING A LITTLE BIT ON ITEM NUMBER 10. SO DO YOU THINK WE CAN REVISIT THAT ONE? WE KIND OF, WE WILL REVISIT ITEM 10, CERTAINLY. YEAH. AND MAYBE WE CAN LIKE INTEGRATE SOME OF HIS PROPOSED LANGUAGE INTO ITEM 10 AMENDMENTS. SURE. SO WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON ITEM SEVEN AT THE MOMENT AS AMENDED, AND THEN WHEN WE GET TO ITEM 10, WE CAN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION. PERFECT. THANKS. WONDERFUL. UM, OKAY, I'M GONNA ASK COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR US ON ITEM SEVEN? UM, YES. PER THE DESCRIPTION, I WOULD SAY, UM, A RECOMMENDATION, A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION TO HAVE STAFF INVESTIGATE A BONUS INCREASE, UM, IN ADDITIONAL HEIGHT, UH, WITHIN FOURTH, UH, FOURTH MILE TO THE PROJECT CONNECT TRAIN LINES, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT DOES. OKAY. LOOKING FOR A SECOND IF THAT WORKS FOR ME. COMMISSIONER GANNON SECONDS. UM, DO WE NEED DEBATE? ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM? COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE. I'M SORRY. I WANNA BE A BIT CONTRARIAN RIGHT NOW OF, SO MAYBE I'M SPEAKING AGAINST IT. I, I DON'T KNOW OF IF WE'VE ALREADY MADE A, OUR PREVIOUS AMENDMENT RIGHT TO ALLOW FOR THE GREATER HEIGHTS, UH, IN A MORE GENERAL SENSE. RIGHT. THEN ARE WE JUST MORE COMPLIC JUST COMPLICATING THE WORK OF STAFF FURTHER BY ASK BY MAKING THAT GENERAL RECOMMENDATION? 'CAUSE IT'S A RATHER EXHAUSTIVE LIST, RIGHT? IT'S A QUARTER MILE FROM PROJECT CONNECT. IMAGINE AUSTIN CARTER NETWORK CAPITAL HIGH FREQUENCY BUS NETWORK, FIVE, 5% ADDITIONAL HEIGHT. I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE SAYING IS WE WANT TO PUT IT IN PLACES THAT OF WE WANT DENSITY, BUT WE'VE KIND OF ALREADY ADDRESSED IT. SO I I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT'S DOING, QUITE FRANKLY AS IT MOVES FORWARD. SO I KNOW YOU'RE SPEAKING AGAINST NOT ASKING A QUESTION, BUT I, I WANNA CLARIFY THAT I THINK THAT EXHAUSTIVE LIST IS NO LONGER IN PLAY AND THIS IS NOW MORE OF A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION TO CONSIDER PROXIMITY TO TRANSIT AND A HEIGHT INCREASE MORE BROADLY WITHOUT BEING TOO PRESCRIPTIVE. AND, AND I'M HAPPY TO AMEND THE RECOMMENDATION TO REFLECT THAT LANGUAGE. [04:40:02] YEAH, GO AHEAD AND GIVE THE RECOMMENDATION . SO LEMME TRY THIS AGAIN. SO, UM, UM, A DIRECTION FROM STEP TO STAFF TO CONSIDER A BONUS INCREASE IN HEIGHT, AN ADDITIONAL HEIGHT, UH, WITHIN A CERTAIN DISTANCE OF PROJECT CONNECT TRAIN LINES. IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR NETWORK CAP, METRO HIGH FREE BUS NETWORK, UM, WITH FLEXIBILITY REGARDING THE VARIOUS BONUS TIERS, UM, AS, UM, AS NEEDED OR AS APPROPRIATE BEST WORD. IS THAT HOW YOU WORDED IT ORIGINALLY? UH, NO. I THINK I HAD KEPT IN SOME, SOME, BUT I'M HAPPY TO MAKE IT MORE GENERAL, I THINK PER, UH, COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE REQUEST. OKAY. SO I THINK JUST PROCEDURALLY I'LL NEED YOU TO WITHDRAW YOUR PREVIOUS AMENDMENTS. OKAY. I WILL WITHDRAW THE PREVIOUS AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. AND SUGGEST THE UPDATED AMENDMENT WITH THE MORE GENERAL, LIKE, UH, RECOMMENDATION AS PER THE DISCUSSION. COMMISSIONER GANNON DOES YOUR SECOND STAND? IT DOES, BUT JUST GENERAL QUESTION, IF WE HAVE TWO, UM, UH, UH, TWO GOOD IDEAS THAT ARE, ARE MAYBE CONFLICTING OR THERE'S A TENSION BETWEEN THEM, LIKE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, WE WANT TO GET TO TWO 50. UM, THERE'S, THERE'S THE ONE OPTION THAT SAYS IT'S TWO 50, BUT PROBABLY THE HIGHEST ONES ARE NOT APPROPRIATE BY X, Y, AND Z VERSUS ANOTHER ONE THAT GETS KIND OF THE SAME PLACE THROUGH A DIFFERENT MECHANISM. UH, COULD WE RECOMMEND BOTH OF THEM AND IS KIND OF AT COUNCIL'S DISCRETION? YEAH, SO BECAUSE THIS ITEM IS JUST A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION TO STAFF, WE'LL LEAVE IT UP TO STAFF DISCRETION TO DETERMINE HOW THAT FITS IN WITH THE PROPOSAL OVERALL AND THE OTHER AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE. AND, AND I WOULD ALSO JUST NOTE THAT I THINK GIVEN THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON WITH TOD, WHICH OUR CAP METRO FOLKS CAN TALK TO, UM, I THINK THIS IS ACTUALLY KIND OF A GOOD STAFF DIRECTION IN GENERAL BECAUSE IT COULD BE THAT WE SEE THAT THERE IS A BONUS, UH, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR PARTICULARLY LIKE OUR HIGH FREQUENCY CAP METRO SURE. LINES THAT ARE NOT REALLY COVERED BY THE HIGHER HEIGHTS WE DID IN THE EARLIER AMENDMENT MM-HMM . WHERE YOU MIGHT NOT WANT A TWO 50 BUILDING, BUT YOU MIGHT WANNA GIVE A LITTLE BONUS TO SOMETHING THAT COULD BE 1 25 INSTEAD OF DB 90. SO I THINK THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR BOTH OF THESE, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU'RE ASKING. AND I WOULD HOPE THAT COUNCIL AND STAFF WOULD MOVE, MOVE FORWARD WITH BOTH AT SOME TIMELINE, WEAVE THEM TOGETHER IN SOME VERY COOL WAY. , COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, CAN I JUST MAKE A RECOMMENDATION HERE? UM, I KNOW WE'RE REALLY VAGUE ABOUT LIKE APPRO PROXIMITY TO TRANSIT LINES AT C METRO. WE'RE CURRENTLY USING 400 FEET FROM ANY ACTIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN WHICH WE'RE ASKING DEVELOPERS TO WORK WITH US ON INTEGRATING TRANSIT. I THINK 400 IS A GOOD DISTANCE TO START AND IT'LL BE COMPATIBLE WITH CAP METRO'S TWO OD REQUIREMENTS. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THAT IF WE WANNA DO 400 FROM, UH, FROM, FROM THE RAPID, UM, HIGH FREQUENCY BUS LINES, I THINK THAT THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. MAYBE, UH, 400 FOR THE FIRST TIER AND THEN JUST TO DOUBLE IT. 800 FOR THE, FOR TIER TWO? OR ARE WE GETTING TOO GRANULAR? THINK WE'RE OKAY. WE COULD SAY, UH, MATCH EXISTING, YES. MATCH EXISTING MATCH BUMPERS FIRST. IF YOU'RE LOCATED WITHIN LIKE A QUARTER MILE, THAT'S TOO FAR FROM THE NEAREST TRANSIT FOR YOU TO REALLY GAIN BONUS BENEFITS. BUT IF YOU'RE WITHIN 400 FEET, WHICH IS LIKE ONE CITY BLOCK, IF YOU HAVE ANY TRANSIT AMENITIES WITHIN THAT 400 FEET, THEN IF YOU IMPROVE IT OR ADD TO IT, THAT SHOULD QUALIFY YOU FOR A BONUS. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE AT THE MOMENT. I THINK THAT WE NEED TO, UH, DISPOSE OF THAT MOTION. UM, WE'RE IN DEBATE. IS ANYONE WANTING TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THE MOTION? COMMISSIONER POWELL? UH, I'LL SPEAK FOR, AND I THINK JUST TO EMPHASIZE THE GENERAL RECOMMENDATION PIECE WE MENTIONED STAFF DISCRETION AND TO SAY THAT A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY, IT'S OKAY IF THIS MAYBE ISN'T IN MY BOOK, AT LEAST IN MY YES VOTE. IT'S OKAY IF THIS IS LIKE PUT TO THE SIDE, BUT MORE DOCUMENTED ON THE RECORD TO HONOR THE WORK OF THE WORKING GROUP AND TO BE A, A DIRECTIONAL PIECE. UM, SO I LIKE, I'D LIKE I HEAR COMMISSIONER LAN, I APPRECIATE THE CONTEXT, BUT I THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, AS YOU SAID, IT'S, UH, AS COMMISSIONER GAN SAID, TECHNICALLY COMPETING, BUT JUST REALLY GOOD WORK, REALLY GOOD THOUGHT PROCESSES AND SOMETHING WE JUST WANT TO HAVE DOWN ON THE BOOKS IS HOW I'M VIEWING MY GUESS VOTE. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WISHING TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THE MOTION? COMMISSIONER BRETON? UH, I THINK TWO THINGS. ONE, UH, DENSITY NEAR TRANSIT IS AWESOME. UH, I LIVED IN WEST CAMPUS AND THAT'S A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS WELL CONNECTED TO TRANSIT, UH, AND MORE HOUSING, MORE PEOPLE LIVING NEAR TRANSIT IS A GOOD THING FOR THE CITY. GIVEN THE GOALS FOR MODE SHARE AND, UH, ALL THESE OTHER THINGS. UM, TO THE POINT ABOUT THE GENERAL RECOMMENDATION NATURE OF THIS, UH, I THINK IT'S A GREAT THING TO SOMETIMES PLANT IDEAS THAT WILL TAKE TIME TO GROW AND EXPAND INTO SOMETHING THAT [04:45:01] ACTUALLY WORKS. UH, THERE WAS ONE MORE THING THAT I WAS GONNA SAY THERE, BUT I THINK I'VE LOST IT. AND IN THE INTEREST OF TIMEOUT IN MY COMMENTS, THANKS, COMMISSIONER BRETTON. OTHER COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST? SO COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, I'M GONNA HAVE YOU RESTATE THE AMENDMENT ONE MORE TIME FOR US PLEASE. UM, A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO CONSIDER A HEIGHT BONUS INCREASE, UM, WITHIN A FOURTH MILE OF, OR WITHIN PROJECT CONNECT A SPECIFIC DISTANCE OF PROJECT CONNECT THE IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS NETWORK, CAT METRO HIGH FREQUENCY BUS NETWORK, AND THAT THOSE TIERS WOULD BE CALIBRATED AS APPROPRIATE. THOSE BONUS, UH, TIERS WOULD BE CALIBRATED AS APPROPRIATE. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OKAY. THAT'S UNANIMOUS. UM, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING UNTIL 1130 SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR HANEY. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES. LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM EIGHT. UH, THIS IS ALSO COMMISSIONER GANNON. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK BRIEFLY TO YOUR JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS AMENDMENT? SURE. UM, SO TARGETING ONLY THE SMALLER, LOWER DENSITY SITES PROTECTS THE LARGER, UH, GARDEN STYLE APARTMENTS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE GOT, UM, CLARIFICATION ON AT THE WORKING GROUP FROM STAFF, THAT THE LARGER MF SITES, UH, CONTAIN A LOT OF NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT WE WANT TO BE SENSITIVE AROUND. UM, SO THE IDEA IS THAT IF WE COULD FIND SOME CALIBRATION THAT A DOESN'T ENCROACH ON THE LARGER GARDEN STYLE APARTMENTS THAT HAVE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF UNITS, UM, ON EACH OF THE SITES, BUT DOES TARGET THE SMALLER MAYBE INFILL, UH, UH, NEIGHBOR, UH, MULTIFAMILY ZONES, THEN UM, WE COULD COME IN MORE INCREMENTALLY WITHOUT THE RISK OF LARGE SCALE DISPLACEMENT. SO, UH, IF YOU GO TO THE THIRD PAGE OF THIS, I DID A LITTLE, UM, NUMBER CRUNCH ON MULTIFAMILY LOTS THAT ARE BELOW A HALF ACRE. I THINK THAT, UM, TO TOUCH ON THIS VERY BRIEFLY, UH, SOMETHING SURPRISING THAT I FOUND IN THE DATA WAS THAT, UM, A THIRD OF OUR MULTIFAMILY LOTS OR 31.2% OF OUR MULTIFAMILY LOTS ARE NONCONFORMING, MEANING THEY'RE UNDER THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE. UH, OVER HALF, 59.7% ARE UNDER A QUARTER ACRE, AND 78% OF OUR LOTS ARE UNDER A HALF ACRE. AND THAT'S FOR ALL MULTIFAMILY, BUT THAT ONLY EQUATES TO LESS THAN 10% OF THE LAND THAT ZONED MULTIFAMILY. SO THAT KIND OF BLEW MY MIND WHEN I WAS, UH, CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS. SO I THINK THAT A HALF ACRE WE'RE HITTING ALMOST OFF THE LOTS, WE'RE HITTING 78.7% OF THE MULTIFAMILY LOTS. SORRY, I'M GONNA TAKE THAT BACK BECAUSE I, I HAVE ISOLATED TO ONLY, UH, MF ONE THROUGH MF FOUR, WHICH ARE, UM, MEDIUM TO LOW DENSITY MULTIFAMILY. UH, I'M NOT INCLUDING THE MF FIVE AND, AND THE MF SIX CATEGORIES. UM, SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE SLIGHTLY OFF, BUT NOT BY MUCH. IT'S 76% OR, OR SORRY, 77.6% OF ALL OF OUR MULTIFAMILY LOTS IN THAT CATEGORY ARE BELOW A HALF ACRE, BUT THAT ONLY TRANSLATES TO 16% OF, OF THE LAND ZONED. SO I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A, A PRETTY NICE WAY TO, UH, AVOID MASS DISPLACEMENT WHILE ALSO ALLOWING A DENSITY BONUS TO HIT OUR MULTIFAMILY FAMILY SITES, WHICH, UM, I THINK WILL HELP SPREAD THE DENSITY AROUND AND NOT, UH, YOU KNOW, AVOID THE POINT LOADING PROBLEM THAT I HAD ALLUDED TO EARLIER. THANKS. COMMISSIONER GANNON. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER AHMAD, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM? UH, YEAH. SO FIRST OF ALL, I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF EXTENDING OUR DENSITY PROGRAM TO, UH, MF ZONE SITES. SO I APPRECIATE, UH, YOU ADDING THIS IN HERE. MY QUESTION IS AROUND THE HALF ACRE REQUIREMENT WHERE, UH, THIS WOULD ONLY BE APPLICABLE TO LOTS, UH, SMALLER THAN HALF ACRE. YOU MENTIONED THAT THE REASON FOR THAT WAS TO AVOID MASS DISPLACEMENT. AND SO IF THAT'S THE REASON FOR THE HALF ACRE, IS THERE ANY WAY INSTEAD TO MAKE IT DEPENDENT ON THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT MAY BE LOST WITH A REDEVELOPMENT AS OPPOSED TO THE SIZE OF THE LOT? BECAUSE THERE MAY BE SOME LARGE SITES OUT THERE, UH, LARGE, UH, LOTS OUT THERE THAT DON'T HAVE A TON OF UNITS THERE, RIGHT. WHERE IT MAY MAKE SENSE TO ALLOW A DENSITY PROGRAM, UM, UH, DEVELOPMENT. UM, I THINK THAT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD QUESTION FOR STAFF. UH, IS THERE, UH, DO YOU GUYS WANNA WEIGH IN ON, UH, IT WOULD, I THINK FROM STAFF'S [04:50:01] PROTECT PERSPECTIVE, BE CHALLENGING TO QUANTIFY AT THE ZONING STAGE, THE EXISTING, IT'S ALREADY CHALLENGING TO QUALIFY THE EXISTING NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE UNITS. I ALSO THINK THAT THAT GETS US INTO THE TERRITORY OF MAKING ZONING DECISIONS BASED ON LIKE THE EXISTING USES THERE VERSUS THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THE ZONING BEING REQUESTED. I WOULD RATHER KEEP IT TO BASE ZONES, WHICH ARE MUCH SIMPLER. SO USING SIZE LOT WOULD BE THE BEST APPROXIMATION OF THAT, OF THE AMOUNT MORE CONCRETE, UH, THAT'S EASILY MEASURABLE. YEAH. THANK YOU. AND, AND, UM, FOR MY OWN AMENDMENT, I WOULD, UH, I WOULD LOVE TO LOOK TO STAFF TO KIND OF HELP GUIDE, UH, WHAT THAT NUMBER IS. UM, I'VE PINNED IT AT A HALF ACRE AND I'M, I'M, I FEEL CONFIDENT AND, AND HAPPY MOVING FORWARD WITH A HALF ACRE, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S WORK, UH, WITHIN THE D 10 OFFICE TO, UH, STUDY, UM, OUR MULTIFAMILY RIGHT NOW IN OUR, IN, IN THE NATURALLY OCCURRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE GARDEN SALE APARTMENTS. SO IF THERE IS, UH, IF THERE'S RESEARCH COMING OUT OF THAT THAT COULD BE LINKED TO THIS, I WOULD LOVE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, USE THE DATA THAT'S COMING OUT. YES, UNDERSTOOD. AND SOMETHING THAT I ALSO JUST CONSIDERED AS WELL IS THAT ONE OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT PUTTING A LOT OF ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS IS THAT IT CAN UPSET THE IDEA OF THE HIERARCHY WHICH WE ARE CREATING WITHIN CODE. SO ONE OF THE REASONS THAT STAFF HAS VERY SIMILAR RECOMMENDATIONS, REGARDLESS OF HEIGHT TIER, IS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE COMPROMISING DECISIONS AND SWITCH BETWEEN TIERS. SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CONCERN WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDING IN ADDITIONAL BASE ZONES, BUT MAYBE ONLY FOR SOME HEIGHT TIERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OR ONLY CERTAIN SIZE LOTS THAT WE START, IT'S LESS STREAMLINED. HMM. YEAH. AND STEVIE GREATHOUSE, DIVISION MANAGER AUSTIN PLANNING ALSO WANNA PROVIDE THE CAVEAT THAT WE ALWAYS LIKE TO PROVIDE TO ALL OF THESE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE WILL BE CONSULTING WITH AUSTIN LAW DEPARTMENT, AUSTIN LAW AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO THE COUNCIL PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING A, IS KIND OF KEEPING THE, THE HIERARCHY IN PLACE AND IS ALSO, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING THAT'S SETTING UP A STATE WHERE WE'RE TREATING SIMILAR PROPERTIES DIFFERENTLY, UM, AMONG OTHER THINGS. SO I JUST KNOW THAT WE'LL BE DOING THAT CONSULTATION AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO COUNSEL. I HAVE A QUESTION BEFORE, UM, COMMISSIONER GANNON. SURE. UM, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO MAKE THIS MORE GENERAL AND JUST MENTION THAT, UH, WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UH, STAFF TO, UH, FIND WAYS TO, UM, TO ALLOW FOR DENSITY BONUSES ON THESE MF ONE THROUGH FOUR LOTS IN A WAY, UH, THAT PREVENTS MASS DISPLACEMENT, WHETHER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE LOT SIZE OR OTHER MECHANISM THAT MIGHT, UH, DO THAT BETTER? I, I WOULD, UM, I AM CURIOUS, AND I THINK THIS IS A GOOD POINT FOR DISCUSSION, UH, HOW WE SEE THESE DENSITY BONUSES WORKING ON LARGER SITES ON MULTIPLE ACRE SITES. UH, IS THAT A, UM, IS THERE A, IS THERE A, IS THAT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT SOMETHING WE CAN POINT AT AND IS A DENSITY BONUS THE APPROPRIATE TOOL FOR A MULTI ACRE SITE? UM, I DON'T KNOW. , I THINK THAT MIGHT BE OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF THIS SPECIFIC AMENDMENT . UM, BUT IT'S, WELL IT'S KIND OF, THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE NUT OF THE PROBLEM THAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT WITH THIS IS ARE YOU, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR STAFF ABOUT THIS SPECIFICALLY OR I WANTED TO BRING IT TO WHOM? CAN WE DIRECT YOUR QUESTION? OKAY. UM, CAN I DIRECT IT TO THE COMMISSION? NO, NOT REALLY. . OKAY. I THINK THAT I WOULD, UM, I I, BEFORE MAKING IT GENERAL, I WOULD, I GUESS I WOULD, UH, OFFER IT FOR VOTE. OKAY. SO WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR, MAKE THE MOTION FOR ITEM EIGHT? YES. I, I MOVE, UM, I MAKE THE MOTION FOR, FOR ITEM EIGHT, UH, LOOKING FOR A SECOND. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. WE'LL MOVE INTO DEBATE FOR THIS. ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM? COMMISSIONER POWELL. I, I HATE TO DO IT 'CAUSE I LOVE THE INTENTION OF THIS SO, SO MUCH AND THE WORK AND DATA ANALYSIS COMMISSIONER GANNON'S PUT IN, I THINK I'M GONNA SPEAK AGAINST IT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF SIMPLICITY AND CLEAN STREAMLINED IMPLEMENTATION. I THINK THAT'S A REAL STRENGTH OF WHAT STAFF PUT IN FRONT OF US. UM, BUT THAT SAID, I HONESTLY FEEL A LITTLE BAD GOING AGAINST IT BECAUSE THE, THE FOCUS ON DISPLACEMENT, THE FOCUS ON TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER LINE TO HOLD THAT I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT. BUT I THINK EQUALLY, OR IN MY OPINION, A LITTLE BIT MORE IMPORTANT IS JUST MAKING SURE THIS IS SIMPLE, [04:55:01] STREAMLINED, EASIER TO IMPLEMENT. THEN I THINK, UH, THIS COULD ADD AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF COMPLEXITY TOO. BUT AGAIN, COMMISSIONER AGAIN, UH, THE CHART, THE DATA WAS EYE-OPENING AND I REALLY LIKE THE DIRECTION THAT THIS WOULD BE GOING. THANK YOU. AND, AND IT'S OKAY, I CAN TAKE CRITICISM. I WENT THROUGH ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL. I'M JUST READING THIS, THIS IS OTHER COMM PROFESSIONALLY. THANK YOU. OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST THE ITEM. COMMISSIONER AHMED. UH, I'LL SPEAK AGAINST IT AS WELL. UH, AND I REALLY WANT TO ECHO WHAT COMMISSIONER POWELL SAID. UH, I LOVE THE INTENT BEHIND IT AND I AGREE WITH INTENT BEHIND IT. IT JUST SEEMS A LITTLE PRESCRIPTIVE HERE, UH, WITH THE SIZE OF THE LOT AND THERE MAY BE OTHER WAYS TO GO ABOUT, UM, GO ABOUT ACHIEVING THE SAME GOAL THERE. UH, AND I, I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE STAFF KIND OF LOOK INTO WHAT OTHER WAYS THERE ARE VERSUS HAVING THAT ONE PRESCRIPTIVE WAY TO GO ABOUT, UH, ACHIEVING THIS GOAL. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, UM, I'M GONNA SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THIS AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY MORE BECAUSE I'M THINKING OF THE LONG-TERM GOAL HERE OF FIXING SOME OF OUR MULTIFAMILY AND MISSING MIDDLE DEVELOPMENT IN PARTICULAR. I LIKE THE INTENT OF THIS AND HOW WE'RE TRYING TO SORT OF THINK THROUGH HOW THIS APPLIES TO THINGS THAT ARE MAYBE OUTSIDE OF THE SPECIFIC SCOPE. AND I FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS MIGHT BE, AGAIN, A LITTLE BROAD OR KIND OF GOING DOWN A DIFFERENT PATHWAY THAN WHERE WE WERE ORIGINALLY BROUGHT WITH OUR STAFF RECOMMENDATION. BUT I THINK, AGAIN, THE RESEARCH AND INTENT HERE IS REALLY GREAT. AND IF THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT INTO THE FINAL VERSION, I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE COULD COME BACK TO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MISSING MIDDLE IN THE FALL. OTHER COMMISSIONER SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST THE MOTION? YES. COMMISSIONER BRETTON, I WILL SPEAK FOR THIS. I THINK THIS IS, IS, UH, AT FIRST BITE A VERY MEASURED SORT OF SIGNAL, UH, TO CITY COUNCIL TO STAFF THAT WE WANT TO LOOK AT MULTIFAMILY, BEING ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL AFFORDABILITY, ESPECIALLY IN LOTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDERUTILIZED OR SMALLER THAT COULD SEE DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOUSING THAT AREN'T FEASIBLE WITH OUR CURRENT ZONES. ESPECIALLY TO COMMISSIONER MAXWELL'S POINT, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT POINT TO TALK ABOUT LATER THIS YEAR WITH, UH, THE MISSING MIDDLE, UH, PROPOSED ZONES. OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE. I'LL SPEAK BRIEFLY FOR IT AS WELL. I MEAN, I, I DON'T LOVE IT AS WRITTEN WITH THE LOT SIZE TRIGGER BECAUSE I THINK IT'S OVERLY COMPLICATED, BUT IT WAS AN AREA OF GREAT FRUSTRATION FOR ME THAT MULTIFAMILY WAS JUST TAKEN OFF THE TABLE IN THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW. AND IF THE REASON WHY IT WAS TAKEN OFF THE TABLE IS BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, DISPLACEMENT, POTENTIAL DISPLACEMENT, WELL THEN LET'S FIX THAT WITH WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR, YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH EXISTING SORT OF ORGANIC, AFFORDABLE UNITS AND NOT JUST SORT OF PUNT ON IT AND PASS IT OFF COMPLETELY. AND, AND SO FOR THOSE REASONS I'LL SUPPORT IT. WE HAVE ONE MORE SPOT AGAINST, IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THAT. YES. CHAIR BOWEN. UM, ACTUALLY WHAT COMES TO MIND ON PART OF THIS WHOLE PROCESS WAS AFTER WHAT THE MAYOR SAID BACK IN MARCH AND ALSO WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES WAS TALKING ABOUT UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. AND I THINK THAT IN SOME CASES, SOME OF THESE IDEAS, UM, WERE NOT LOOKING BEYOND THE FACT OF LOOK AT ACACIA CLIFFS CLIFFS, FOR INSTANCE. UH, WHAT WERE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT DO POP UP WITH THESE, WITH THE FACT OF SAYING, OKAY, WE'RE, UM, WE REMOVE SOMEWHAT AFFORDABLE TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. AND THAT LEADS TO A LOT OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. AND I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE ALSO IN THE BACK, IN THE BACK OF OUR MINDS ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT MANY OF US CANNOT SEE THAT POP UP. AND THAT JUST NEEDS TO BE A REMINDER. ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THIS AMENDMENT BY A MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER. CAN I ASK, IS IT POSSIBLE? WELL, SORRY. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO MAKE A AMENDMENT TO THIS AMENDMENT RIGHT NOW? YOU CAN MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION. SUBSTITUTE MOTION. UM, CAN I DO THAT RIGHT NOW? PLEASE? UH, CAN I MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, UH, THAT KEEPS, UH, THE MAJORITY OF THE LANGUAGE THERE, BUT UH, CHANGES THE, UH, LANGUAGE BY LOTS UNDER A HALF ACRE TO, UM, TO SOMETHING ABOUT, UH, AVOIDING MASS DISPLACEMENT? SO, UH, ALLOW THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS ON MF ONE, MF TWO, MF THREE, AND MF FOUR LOTS IN A WAY THAT, UH, UH, AVOIDS MASS DISPLACEMENT FOR LARGE COMPLEXES. OKAY. UH, LOOKING FOR A SECOND? [05:00:03] YEAH, I TAKE THAT. OKAY. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. UH, LET'S MOVE INTO DEBATE ON THE UPDATED MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER AHMED, WHICH IS TO ALLOW THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS ON MF ONE, MF TWO, MF THREE, AND MF FOUR IN A WAY THAT AVOIDS MASS DISPLACEMENT FOR LARGE COMPLEXES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KEEP IN THE LANGUAGE WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS WAIVED GROUND FLOOR MIXED USE REQUIREMENTS, SUB CHAPTER E MINIMUM LOT SIZE? YEAH, I WOULD SAY SO. OKAY. UH, THOSE SPEAKING FOR COMMISSIONER AHMED, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? I JUST SIMPLY WANTED TO SIMPLIFY THINGS A LITTLE BIT AND MAKE IT LESS PRESCRIPTIVE, BUT, UH, THE GOAL THERE IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS WHAT COMMISSIONER GANNON HAD SAID. ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK AGAINST THE MOTION? COMMISSIONER MAXWELL? UM, I ACTUALLY PREFER THE MORE PRESCRIPTIVE VERSION. I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IS INTENDED BY SAYING MASS DISPLACEMENT. AND I THINK THAT THAT ACTUALLY IS NOT THE TYPE OF LANGUAGE WE'D LIKE TO BE USING IN THIS SITUATION. OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST, UH, COMMISSIONER BRUTON? UH, YEAH, I, I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE THE WORD THAT I USED EARLIER, WHICH IS SIGNAL, THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE WE SAY WE WANT IT TO HAPPEN, BUT RATHER AS A VERY CLEAR HERE'S THE NUMBER THAT COMMISSIONER GANNON LOOKED AT, UH, TO HOPEFULLY FIND A GOOD PLACE WHERE WE AVOID THESE MORE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES WHILE STILL HAVING TIME WITH THE CITY STAFF AND WITH COUNCIL STAFF AND WITH CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER, UH, WHAT WE'VE PUT FORWARD AND THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE IT. SO I'M GONNA BE VOTING, UH, NO ON THIS SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT, OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR OR AGAINST, I WILL SPEAK AGAINST, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE SPIRIT OF THE AMENDMENT, BUT I AGREE THAT I THINK THE LANGUAGE SPECIFICALLY, UM, IMPLIES THAT WE THINK THIS IS A BIG CONCERN FOR THIS DENSITY BO BONUS PROGRAM IN GENERAL. AND IF I DID THINK IT WAS, I DID THINK MASS DISPLACEMENT WAS A CONCERN, I WOULDN'T BE VOTING FOR IT. AND I THINK IT'S A BIT BROAD, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR. AND I DON'T THINK THAT A HALF ACRE IS A PERFECT OPTION. AND I DO AGREE THAT IT'S A BIT PRESCRIPTIVE, BUT I THINK IT GETS US CLOSER TO WHAT WE WANT WITHOUT NECESSARILY, UM, USING THIS LANGUAGE THAT I AM UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IN TERMS OF WHAT IT SIGNALS ABOUT THE REST OF THE PROGRAM. BUT I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE, THE SPIRIT AND THE INTENT OF THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION. OTHER COMMISSIONERS SPEAKING FOR THE MOTION? OKAY. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER AHMED, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. UH, THIS IS, EXCUSE ME, CHAIR, BASED OFF THE COMMENTS. I'LL GO AHEAD AND WITHDRAW MY MOTION. WITHDRAW THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER AHMED. UM, SO WE'RE BACK TO THE BASE MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. CAN YOU REMIND ME WHO SECONDED? THE, UH, OKAY. MADE BY COMMISSIONER GANON. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. WE'VE DONE OUR FULL DEBATE FOR THIS. UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE. THOSE IN FAVOR. OKAY. THAT'S UNANIMOUS. SO THAT'S ITEM EIGHT. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NINE. UH, COMMISSIONER ROJAN, THIS IS YOUR AMENDMENT. CAN YOU SPEAK BRIEFLY, BROADLY TO THE INTENT OF THIS AMENDMENT? ? YES. UH, VERY BRIEFLY. YES, VERY BRIEFLY. UM, THIS IS RELATED, HOLD ON NUMBER NINE. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID APPRECIATE ABOUT DB 90 IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WAS THE FACT THAT IT WAS, UH, IT HAD SOME BUILT, BUILT-IN CAVEATS THAT MADE THESE SUPERIOR BUILDINGS AND OPENED UP CHANNELS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO ADD THINGS ON THAT WOULD MAKE THESE PROJECTS MORE COMPATIBLE, ESPECIALLY WITH RESIDENTIAL ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, AND I'M TRYING TO MAKE A WAY, A PATH FORWARD THAT WOULD ALLOW A MENU OF OPTIONS OR SOME REQUIREMENTS THAT WOULD BRING SOME SUPERIORITY TO THESE BUILDINGS THAT WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO REACH A HIGHER BAR BECAUSE THEY WILL OFTENTIMES FIND THEMSELVES ADJACENT TO SINGLE FAMILY UH, LOCKS. THANKS. COMMISSIONER RESN. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, I BELIEVE YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? UM, I DO, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE MOTION MAKER IS, UM, AMENABLE TO THIS. BUT JUST TO POINT OUT THAT WITH THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS THAT IS COMING NEXT IN TWO WEEKS, WE'VE ACTUALLY REQUESTED THAT WE HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY AROUND THAT AND THAT IT BECOMES A MENU THAT IS NOT PUT INTO CODE AND IS ACTUALLY IN CHAPTER FOUR 18 OR SOME SIMILAR VEHICLE WHERE IT CAN BE UPDATED AND ADJUSTED AS NEEDED. AND WE THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS IMPORTANT DOWNTOWN SO THAT WE HAD FLEXIBILITY, UM, AS TO WHAT THOSE SORT OF REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE OR WHAT THE MENU LOOKED LIKE. AND IF WE THOUGHT THAT WE, THAT WAS IMPORTANT FOR DOWNTOWN, IT FEELS LIKE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS. SO I BELIEVE THE COMMISSIONER IAN IS OPEN TO ADJUSTING THIS LANGUAGE AGAIN SO THAT IT'S ALIGNED WITH WHAT WE WILL BE POTENTIALLY PASSING IN TWO WEEKS. I WOULD CONCUR WITH THAT ASSESSMENT. UM, I THINK THE, THE FLEXIBILITY THAT THIS INTRODUCES THE KIND OF COMPATIBILITY WITH ADJACENT SINGLE FAMILY USES, AND I THINK ALSO THE MODULARITY OF THESE TWO PROGRAMS WITH EACH OTHER IS, IS THE GOAL HERE. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH [05:05:01] QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM BEFORE WE GO TO A MOTION? OKAY. COMMISSIONER BEDRO NOR MAXWELL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR THE LANGUAGE AS UPDATED? UM, YEAH. SO WE WERE JUST GONNA SAY, UH, GENERAL RECOMMENDATION REDESIGN REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE SUPERIOR, UH, SUPERIORITY COMPATIBILITY DESIGN REQUIREMENTS WITH THIS PROGRAM SIMILAR TO THE, THOSE PROPOSED IN THE REVISED DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM PER PER PERMISSION PER PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS. AND WE CAN INCLUDE THE DATE IF WE NEED TO. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER WAS CONSIDERED WAS ALIGNED WITH THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, I THINK THAT FOR REVISED DENSITY, DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM PER PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS IS SUFFICIENT. SUFFICIENT. IT COVERS US IF WE END UP, UH, MAKING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ON A DIFFERENT DATE THAN INTENDED. UH, LOOKING FOR A SECOND FOR THAT. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER TROJAN, DO WE NEED DEBATE ON THIS ITEM? ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST? OKAY. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THAT. THOSE IN FAVOR? THAT'S UNANIMOUS. WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM 10, WHICH IS ALSO, UH, AN AMENDMENT BY COMMISSIONER ROSN. COMMISSIONER RO, CAN YOU SPEAK TO IT BRIEFLY PLEASE? THAT'S IT, YEAH. UM, AND THIS IS ALSO, ONCE AGAIN RELATED TO THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS AND SOME OF THE LANGUAGE PROPOSED THERE, WHERE THERE IS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE SOME, UH, USES SPECIFICALLY NON-RESIDENTIAL USES THAT ARE, UH, THAT OFFER GREATER COMMUNITY BENEFIT. THAT MIGHT BE A GROCERY STORE, IT MIGHT BE DAYCARE, EDUCATIONAL, ET CETERA. UM, THAT I THINK ARE WORTH ACKNOWLEDGING AND MAY RELAX OTHER REQUIREMENTS IN THE BUILDING. THIS IS NOT THINGS THAT WE EXPECT TO HOP UP IN EVERY BUILDING, BUT IF THERE IS A DEVELOPER WILLING TO INCLUDE SOME OF THESE ITEMS, THAT IT WOULD ALLOW THEM SOME FLEXIBILITY IN OTHER WAYS. AND THIS IS ALL THE GOAL OF CREATING COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. THANKS, COMMISSIONER MADREN, COMMISSIONER LAW. I BELIEVE YOU PULLED THIS ITEM. DO YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AROUND IT? ACTUALLY, I'M REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS RECOMMENDATION. I JUST WANT TO MAKE A REFINEMENT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE 75% GROUND FLOOR FRONTAGE. UM, A LOT OF COMMUNITIES WOULD HAVE TO DIFFICULTY, UM, FULFILLING THIS REQUIREMENT. I WANT TO PROPOSE THAT TRANSIT AMENITIES CAN BE COUNTED TOWARDS THIS REQUIREMENTS, SPECIFICALLY TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE AMENITIES SUCH AS SHELTERS, INFORMATION DISPLAYS, MICRO MOBILITY HUBS, AND TRANSIT PLAZAS. BECAUSE THEY ACTIVATE THE URBAN REALM, THEY PROVIDE CLEAR PUBLIC FUNCTION AND I FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS PART OF THE ACTIVE STREET GATE SCAPE. SO I WOULD JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE AMENITIES ARE INCLUDED IN THE ACTIVE RECOMMENDATION. THANKS, COMMISSIONER LA COMMISSIONER ROJAN, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT FITS IN WITH THE AMENDMENT THAT YOU'RE MAKING OR IS THAT A SEPARATE AMENDMENT? I THINK IT COULD, I THINK IT ALSO MIGHT BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR AMENDMENT 11 THAT ALREADY MENTIONS THE, UH, TRANSIT, UH, AND OTHER TRANSPORTATION ITEMS THAT WOULD BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE, UH, A MENU OF OPTIONS TO BE INCLUDED IN BUILDINGS. COMMISSIONER LON, DO YOU FEEL LIKE AMENDMENT 11, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY PASSED, ADDRESSES THAT REQUEST? I WANT TO JUST BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC, NOT JUST TRANSIT AMENITIES, BUT I REALLY WANTED TO KIND OF EMPHASIZE SIZE TRANSIT, UM, TRANSIT PLACEMAKING. SO LIKE CERTAIN TRANSIT AMENITIES THAT WE WANT TO HAVE DEVELOPERS WORK WITH, TRANSIT AUTHORITIES OR A TP TO KIND OF INCORPORATE THOSE ALONG THEIR STREET SCAPES TO KIND OF QUALIFY AS AN OFFSET OF THE 75%. IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN AMEND? I MEAN, IT'S ALREADY PASSED, SO I CAN'T ALREADY AMEND. UM, ITEM 11, YOU CANNOT AMEND ITEM 11, BUT YOU'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL AMENDMENT TO THAT. I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT THESE ARE ALL GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I'M PROPOSING. SO I THINK ADDING THE TRANSIT AMENITIES TO THIS IS VERY MUCH WITHIN THE SPIRIT OF THE CURRENT AMENDMENT, AND I'M OKAY ADDING THAT. OKAY, GREAT. UH, SO ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT ITEM 10? OKAY. UH, COMMISSIONER ROSN OR COMMISSIONER LON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO STATE A MOTION FOR ITEM 10 THAT CAPTURES THIS? COMMISSIONER LON, IF WE SAY THAT IT'S, IT'S THE AMENDMENT AS WRITTEN WITH THE ADDITION OF TRANSIT AMENITIES INCLUDED IN THAT WORDING. IS THAT GET TO THE HEART OF WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR? YES. TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE AMENITIES. TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE AMENITIES. AND DID YOU WANT TO ADD SPECIFIC WORDING AROUND THAT OR WITH THE ADDITION OF TRANSIT SUPPORTED AMENITIES COVERS IT. I MEAN, I CAN PROVIDE EXAMPLES, , IF WE WANNA BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC. UM, WE CAN ADD IN SHELTERS, MICRO MOBILITY HUBS, AND TRANSIT PAUSE. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO IS THIS A MOTION BIKE? COMMISSIONER? [05:10:01] ROJAN. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE DONE. THAT'S IT. LET'S GET OUTTA HERE IS A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ROJAN, A GENERAL RECOMMENDATION REGARDING COMMUNITY BENEFITS. CONSIDER ALLOWING USES THAT OFFER SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY BENEFITS TO OFFSET OR REPLACE OTHER REQUIREMENTS SIMILAR TO THE PROPOSED LANGUAGE IN THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM WITH THE ADDITION OF TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE AMENITIES INCLUDING SHELTERS, MICRO MOBILITY HUBS. I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER LAN. I DIDN'T QUITE, AND KEN PLAZA, LOOKING FOR SECOND. UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER POWELL. DO WE NEED DEBATE ON THIS ITEM? ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST? COULD I JUST ASK A QUESTION? I THOUGHT I HEARD COMMISSIONER LANCE INCLUDED, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THOSE ITEMS. IS THAT CORRECT? WELL, THAT WOULD BE, YES. GREAT. THANK YOU. UH, OKAY. ANYONE LIKE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM? GREAT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE. THOSE IN FAVOR? THAT'S UNANIMOUS. WONDERFUL. HAVE ANY COMMISSIONERS SHARED ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS WITH OUR STAFF LIAISON IN ADVANCE? WOULD ANY COMMISSIONERS LIKE TO ADD AMENDMENTS FROM THE DAAS IN ADDITION TO OUR WORKING? I HAVE 25 . I'M VERY MUCH KIDDING. , ANY DAY OF AMENDMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? OKAY, SEEING NONE, LET'S RETURN TO OUR BASE MOTION AS AMENDED. WE CAN MOVE INTO DEBATE ON OUR BASE MOTION. I HAVE SPOTS FOR THREE SPEAKERS FOR AND AGAINST WHO WOULD LIKE TO START US OFF? COMMISSIONER POWELL. UH, IN SPEAKING FOR, I THINK WE'VE COVERED THIS ALL VERY THOROUGHLY. I JUST WANNA THANK STAFF, LIKE LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF STAFF MEMBERS HERE AT 1122. UM, THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE FOR YOUR CONTINUED WORK ON THIS EXTREMELY COMPLEX PROBLEM. AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING COMING OUT THAT'S GONNA GO TO COUNCIL AS A GREAT RECOMMENDATION THAT'S GONNA PUSH THE COMMUNITY FORWARD. SO JUST THANK Y'ALL VERY, VERY MUCH. THANK YOU TO THE WORKING GROUP AS WELL. Y'ALL PUT A TON OF WORK INTO THAT, SO, UH, I ALMOST FEEL GUILTY, UH, MAKING THIS MOTION GIVEN HOW MUCH MORE WORK EVERYONE ELSE HAS PUT INTO IT. Y'ALL HAVE DONE FANTASTIC WORK. ANYONE SPEAKING AGAINST THE BASE MOTION AS AMENDED? FOUR. OKAY. I APOLOGIZE. I DID NOT GET DOWN. WHO MADE THE BASE MOTION? IT WAS COMMISSIONER POWELL AND IT WAS SECONDED BY, NOPE, I THINK IT WAS COMMISSIONER BRETTON. THANK YOU. THIS IS THE BASE MOTION FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION AS AMENDED. UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE. THOSE IN FAVOR. OKAY. THAT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR COMMISSIONERS AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO STAFF FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK ON THIS. IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED AND THANKS FOR STAYING UP LATE WITH US. OKAY, OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN LDC AMENDMENT AMENDMENTS RELATED TO TRANSIT SYSTEM PROJECTS. I WANNA HONOR THE FACT THAT WE HAVE STAFF WHO HAVE BEEN HERE WAITING TO TAKE UP THIS ITEM AND GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO MAKE THEIR PRESENTATION, BUT I THINK IT'S LIKELY THAT WE MIGHT HAVE TO POSTPONE THIS IF THERE IS MUCH, UM, DEBATE OR, UH, IF COMMISSIONERS HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING TO MIDNIGHT. CAN I GET A SECOND? SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR HANEY WITHOUT OBJECTION. THAT ITEM PASSES AND WE'LL HEAR FROM [18. LDC Amendment: C20-2026-003 - Amendments Related to Transit System Projects] STAFF ON ITEM 18. HELLO, I'M DONNA GALATI WITH AUSTIN PROJECT CONNECT, THIS ORDINANCE. OKAY. THIS ORDINANCE WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH INCREDIBLE COORDINATION BETWEEN SEVEN CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OUR PARTNERS AT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOCUS OF STREAMLINING PROCESS SUPPORTING PROJECT DELIVERY OF LIGHT RAIL, GUIDEWAY CONSTRUCTION, AND ITS IMPACTS TO UNDERGROUND UTILITY PLACEMENT. CITY COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION IN 2021 REGARDING PROCESSES LOOKING FOR IMPEDIMENTS TO DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT CONNECT. UH, THERE'S A FOUNDATIONAL ORDINANCE PASSED IN 2022 THAT MODIFIED PERMITTING TOOLS. WE ANTICIPATED THEN AND SPOKE ABOUT ADDITIONAL IMPEDIMENTS BEING IDENTIFIED AS THAT DESIGN PROGRESSED, AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY. THERE ARE SIX COMPONENTS OF THIS ORDINANCE THAT DIANA AND I WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH. THE FIRST IS SITE PLAN MODIFICATIONS. IT'S JUST THAT FIRST BULLET TO FACILITATE THE PERMITTING PROCESS, SITE PLANS WILL BE ALLOWED TO HAVE NON-CONTIGUOUS LIMITS OF CONSTRUCTION. SO EXISTING FAST TRACK REGULATIONS HAVE BEEN IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE FOR YEARS AND YEARS, AND IT JUST MEANS PERMITTING IN LAYERS. IT JUST MEANS EXPEDITIOUS. SO, UM, IN A, A GOOD EXAMPLE IS A HIGH RISE WITH AN UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE. UH, FAST TRACK. EXISTING FAST TRACK REGULATIONS ALLOW FOR AN UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE OF A SITE LAYER OF A SITE PLAN TO BE PERMITTED SO THAT CONSTRUCTION CAN BEGIN WHILE THE ABOVE GROUND LAYER OF THAT SITE PLAN IS STILL IN DESIGN AND REVIEW. A, UM, [05:15:01] THE FOUNDATIONAL ORDINANCE OF 2022 ENSURED THAT CONSTRUCTION OF LIGHT RAIL COULD UTILIZE THIS EXISTING PERMITTING OPTION. A NON-CONTIGUOUS LIMITS OF CONSTRUCTION WOULD ENABLE EVEN MORE EFFICIENT REVIEW. FOR EXAMPLE, UM, AN ABOVEGROUND LAYER THAT CONSISTED MAYBE OF TWO STATIONS THAT WERE NOT CONTIGUOUS, GIVEN THAT THE WORK IN BETWEEN HAD, HAS ALREADY BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED ON A LOWER LAYER OF THAT SAME SITE PLAN. THERE IS A 2000 UTILITY POLICY ORDINANCE THAT DOES NOT ALIGN WITH CURRENT AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL ALIGNMENT BECAUSE THIS POLICY IS OBSOLETE AND TO PREVENT CONFUSION, IT IS TO BE RESCINDED WITH THIS AMENDMENT. UH, NUMBER THREE, LIGHT RAIL STREET SCAPE STANDARDS OR BACK OF CURB WHEN THE TRANSPORTATION CRITERIA MANUAL WAS UPDATED. A PLACEHOLDER FOR PROJECT CONNECT DESIGN CRITERIA WAS INCLUDED KNOWING THAT PROJECT SPECIFIC DESIGN STANDARDS WOULD BE NEEDED. THE PCDC WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND WAS FURTHER REVIEWED BY THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY REVIEW PANEL OR TARP. THE PCDC HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE CITY'S RULES PROCESS. SO THIS ORDINANCE AMENDMENT JUST TIES LIGHT RAIL CONSTRUCTION TO THE RULE SAYING THE LIGHT RAIL CONSTRUCTION NEEDS TO COMPLY WITH THE RULE IN THE CRITERIA THAT WAS JUST PASSED. AND THERE ARE SOME EXAMPLE SLIDES THAT I CAN GO BACK TO IF NEEDED. AND NUMBER FOUR IS WATER QUALITY COMPLIANCE PROGRAM THAT I WILL LET DIANA DESCRIBE. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. DIANA WANG AUSTIN WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT IN ORDER TO INCENTIVIZE A PROJECT TO BUILD WATER QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE RATHER THAN APPLY FOR PAYMENT IN LOO. THIS ORDINANCE ALLOWS WATER QUALITY TREATMENT COMPLIANCE ACROSS WATERSHEDS AND SITE PLANS, AND IT PROVIDES CREDIT FOR OFFSITE TREATMENT. UH, SO LOOKING AT THE LIGHT RAIL ALIGNMENT ON OUR WATERSHEDS, AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS WOULD WORK IS YOU WOULD HAVE A SITE PLAN ON RIVERSIDE THAT WOULD BUILD A LARGER WATER QUALITY POND AND TREAT, UH, AN AREA THAT IS NOT REQUIRED PER REGULATIONS AND APPLY THAT CREDIT FOR A SITE PLAN DOWNTOWN OR ON GUADALUPE WHERE THERE'S NOT SPACE, UM, IN ORDER TO MAKE THE IMPLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION A LITTLE BIT SMOOTHER. UM, THE PROGRAM ALSO REQUIRES SUBMISSION OF A WATER QUALITY TREATMENT PLAN THAT WOULD BE SUBMITTED BEFORE PERMITTING. SO, UH, THIS WOULD EXPEDITE THE SITE PLAN PROCESS BECAUSE DECISIONS WOULD ALREADY BE MADE ON WHERE, UH, PAYMENT IN LIEU IS JUSTIFIED AHEAD OF TIME. AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, OUR DELIVERY PARTNER, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, WOULD NOT NEED TO PAY PAYMENT IN LIEU OR OTHER FEES, UM, UNTIL YOU GOT TO A SITE PLAN LAYER WHERE WATER QUALITY WAS REQUIRED. NUMBER FIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OF HERITAGE TREES. THE ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OF HERITAGE TREES DOES NOT ALTER REGULATIONS. IT ONLY MODIFIES PROCESS. THIS ENSURES EXPEDITIOUS REVIEW. SO EVERYTHING THAT IS REQUIRED FOR HERITAGE TREE REVIEW WILL STILL BE REQUIRED. THE ONLY CHANGES TO PROCESS THAT'S AFFECTING TIMING AND EXPENSE OF HEARINGS. SO THE LANGUAGE IN THE ORDINANCE, IN THE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT IS BORROWED DIRECTLY FROM THE A ISD WALNUT CREEK WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AND AIRPORT ORDINANCES. SO IT'S THE VERY SAME LANGUAGE IN THOSE ORDINANCES IN THIS AMENDMENT, UM, JUST FOR EXPEDITIOUS REVIEW. AND ALL OF THE SAME REVIEW ELEMENTS AND AND REQUIREMENTS ON THE APPLICANT ARE STILL, UM, REQUIRED AND MAINTAINED AND TO BE REVIEWED. UM, AND FINALLY, NUMBER SIX, ADMINISTRATIVE RULE MODIFICATIONS. THESE ARE CODE MODIFICATIONS TO ADDRESS COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES. SO LIGHT RAIL REQUIRES A UTILITY FREE ZONE UNDER THE GUIDEWAY WHERE NO UTILITIES CAN EXIST. AND GIVEN OUR ALREADY CONSTRAINED RIGHT OF WAY, THIS CREATES AN ESPECIALLY CRAMPED CONDITION UNDERGROUND AND MAKES COMPLIANCE WITH EXISTING SPACING RULES CHALLENGING. AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND THE CITY'S UTILITY DEPARTMENTS PROACTIVELY WORK TOGETHER TO DEVELOP CODE MODIFICATIONS THAT WOULD PRESCRIBE NEW SPACING MINIMUMS THAT CAN BE USED UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, GREATLY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF WAIVERS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE PROCESSED THROUGH, UH, CONSTRUCTION OF LIGHT RAIL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM, MS. GARCIA? YES. I BELIEVE WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE. YES, WE HAVE BRAD MASSENGILL IN OPPOSITION. BRAD, YOU'LL HAVE FIVE MINUTES. DO NOT BELIEVE MR. MASSENGILL IS STILL HERE. THAT CONCLUDES THE SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM. . THANK YOU. LET'S TAKE A VOTE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM. LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO PUBLIC CLOSE THE [05:20:01] PUBLIC HEARING. COMMISSIONER BRETTON SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THAT ITEM PASSES. SO WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR ROUND ROBIN FOR THIS. WE HAVE SPOTS FOR ALL COMMISSIONERS TO ASK QUESTIONS AT FIVE MINUTES EACH IF NEEDED, NOT SEEING ANY QUESTIONS. UH, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL. UM, I THINK MAYBE JUST CLARIFICATION FROM STAFF ON THE NEXT STEPS OF THIS AND SORT OF THE TIMING I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL. UM, YES. THE NEXT STEP IS COUNSEL ON MAY 21ST. THANK YOU. AND SORRY, JUST TO CLARIFY, THERE'S A REASON THAT THIS IS BEING DONE NOW AT THIS SPECIFIC TIME. UM, YES, THIS IS, UH, ALIGNED TO GO TO COUNSEL AT THE SAME TIME AS AN, UH, INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT. AND THAT IS REQUIRED AGAIN, BECAUSE OF TIMING, BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE THEIR BREAK. OR JUST TO PROVIDE MORE CONTEXT AS TO WHY WE HAVE TO PASS AND DISCUSS THIS TONIGHT. UM, THIS IS ALIGNED TO GO WITH THE, I'M NOT SURE IF SOMEBODY ELSE WANTS TO. UM, SURE. I I CAN SPEAK ON THAT. THIS IS, UH, ALIGNED WITH THE DESIGN, UM, SCHEDULE. SO IN ORDER FOR THE, UH, CONSULTANT TEAM THAT HAS JUST BEEN ONBOARDED TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES THAT THEY'RE WORKING UNDER, WE WANTED TO ESTABLISH THIS ORDINANCE SO THAT THEY COULD START THE WORK WITH THE, UH, A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, UH, YEAH, I'M, I I'M JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT'S LATE. I DON'T WANNA KEEP MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS HERE. THIS IS SUCH A INTERESTING PROGRAM THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE STAFF WORK ON THIS. OUR UNDERSTANDING AT CJOC WAS THAT THERE WAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF URGENCY ABOUT THIS, WHICH IS WHY THE STAFF BRIEFING NEEDED TO HAPPEN THIS EVENING. I'M JUST REALLY TRYING TO DIG AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT URGENCY IS SPECIFICALLY. HI, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER OR COMMISSIONERS . THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING US. I'M LISA STORR. I'M THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN AT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP. UM, HAPPY TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. WE STRIPPED OUT OUR UPDATE FROM THIS PRESENTATION TO SORT OF STREAMLINE TONIGHT'S, UH, HEARING ON THIS. AND, UM, THAT UPDATE WOULD'VE INCLUDED SORT OF THE WORK THAT IS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW. WE'VE RECENTLY BROUGHT ON TWO OF OUR PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD CONTRACTING TEAMS WHO WILL BE DOING, WHO ARE CURRENTLY DOING THE FINAL DESIGN OF THE ALIGNMENT AND ARE WORKING UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT MANY OF THESE RULES, INCLUDING CODES AND UH, CRITERIA UPDATES WILL BE UNDERWAY WHEN WE DO OUR FIRST IN WITH THROUGH THE PUBLIC PROJECTS PROCESS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER IS OUR CURRENT DEADLINE. SO WE'RE DEFINITELY TRYING TO GET THIS TO COUNCIL BEFORE BREAK SO THAT THERE'S DESIGN CERTAINTY ON THE, AND IN ALL OF THE COORDINATION WITH ALL OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE'RE DOING ALONG THE WAY. GREAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? COMMISSIONER GANNON, UH, THANK YOU FOR GOING OUT AND, AND PRESENTING. UM, THIS SEEMS LIKE MM-HMM . REALLY SOUND POLICY JUST FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR WITHOUT DIGGING TOO DEEPLY INTO IT. UM, AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY, UH, CONSIDERATION FOR, UM, USING THESE POLICIES FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT, SPECIFICALLY FOR HOUSING, IF WE CAN GET, COULD THIS BE A NEW SITE PLAN, LIKE PART THREE? UM, I THINK IN TERMS OF HOW, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO PROCESS, UM, I DEFINITELY THINK THAT ANYTHING THAT THAT HELPS PROCESS IS SOMETHING THAT I WANNA SHARE WITH, UM, WORK WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, SEE IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE CAN EXPAND ON, YOU KNOW? ABSOLUTELY. UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE'S SOMETHING THAT CAN, CAN BE EXPANDED. I, UH, THERE'S CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE THAT ARE JUST, YOU KNOW, DESIGN SPECIFIC BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING OUT OF IT'S, IT'S RIGHT OF WAY CONSTRAINTS SURE. AND, AND UTILITY SPACING, UM, BECAUSE OF CONSTRAINED RIGHT OF WAY AND, AND GETTING OUT FROM UNDER THE, UH, THE GUIDEWAY. YEAH. I, I, BUT THE PROCESS STUFF, UM, I FULLY, I FULLY SUPPORT, UH, THE WORK AND, AND USING TRANSIT AND THIS GIGANTIC INVESTMENT THAT WE AS A CITY ARE MAKING INTO TRANSIT. USING THAT AS, AS SORT OF A, A WAY TO CUT THROUGH A LOT OF OTHER, UH, RED TAPE, UM, WOULD BE AMAZING IF WE COULD HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE WAIVERS FOR, UH, UTILITY CONDITIONS ON, YOU KNOW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD SAVE A LOT OF OF TIME FOR ME AT LEAST. SO, THANK YOU . I APPRECIATE IT. COMMISSIONER BOER RAMIREZ. YEAH. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. AND I KNOW, UM, THE SAME NIGHT THAT YOU PRESENTED TO COJC, YOU WERE ALSO AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION. I'D WONDERED IF YOU COULD TALK A BIT ABOUT, UM, THEIR COMMENTS AND THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AND HOW YOU'RE ADDRESSING THOSE. UM, WE MENTIONED IN THE BACKUP, UM, FOR [05:25:01] YOU THAT WE SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDATION TO, UM, VISIT, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, UM, IS COMMITTED TO, UM, THAT AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING. YES. GREAT. AND THEN I, I LIKED WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT HOW THE HERITAGE TREE, THE BIT, UM, THE LANGUAGE YOU TOOK FROM THE HAIR ABOUT HERITAGE TREES WAS ALSO SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU HAVE IN THE AIRPORT AND A ISD HI. UM, AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR ALL THAT. UM, AND I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER GANNON THAT IT SEEMS TO ME AS THOUGH YOU'VE BUILT UPON WHAT WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM AND WHAT WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH OUR AGREEMENTS WITH A ISD, WHAT WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH THE AIRPORT, ET CETERA. AND YOU'VE BUILT THIS BRAND NEW PUBLIC PROJECT PROCESS. AND SELFISHLY I'M THINKING SAME WITH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CAP METRO PROJECTS OR OTHER PUBLIC TRANSIT PROJECTS, UM, EXPERIENCE SIMILAR, UM, TYPES OF BENEFITS OR OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT THERE CAN BE, HAD TO CUT THIS RED TAPE AND, AND HAVE THE NON-CONTINUOUS SITE PLANNING AND THE FAST TRACKING, ET CETERA. SO I'M, I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS A SORT OF JUMPING OFF POINT FOR OTHER SIMILAR TYPES OF PROJECTS. AND SO I'M ROOTING FOR YOU GUYS AND I WANNA SEE THIS, UH, SUCCESSFUL. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITH QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM. OKAY. LET'S TAKE A BASE MOTION AND THEN WE'LL MOVE INTO AMENDMENTS IF THERE ARE ANY. UM, COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? READY TO MAKE A MOTION? GO FOR IT. . I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR THESE AMENDMENTS. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. ARE THERE ANY AMENDMENTS? OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THE MOTION FOR STAFF RECOMMENDATION MADE BY COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GANNON. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THAT'S UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, STAFF FOR STICKING WITH US. UM, ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA LAND THIS PLANE BEFORE MIDNIGHT. LET'S MOVE INTO [19. Discussion and action to establish a working group related to the Downtown Density Bonus Program. (Sponsored by Chair Woods and Secretary Maxwell) ] OUR DISCUSSION. ACTION ITEMS. ITEM 19, DISCUSSION ACTION. TO ESTABLISH A WORKING GROUP RELATED TO THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM. THIS WAS ADDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL AND MYSELF. UM, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION TO ESTABLISH A WORKING GROUP RELATED TO THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BO BONUS PROGRAM. THAT INCLUDES COMMISSIONER MAXWELL BREON, TROJAN POWELL, AND AHMED. THAT'S THE, UH, UH, SUB QUORUM THAT WE HAD ESTABLISHED AT OUR PREVIOUS MEETING. LOOKING FOR A SECOND FOR THAT. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER POWELL. WITHOUT OBJECTION. THAT ITEM PASSES. LET'S MOVE INTO OUR [PERMANENT COMMITTEE UPDATES] PERMANENT COMMITTEE UPDATES, CODES AND ORDINANCES. JOINT COMMITTEE. WE WILL BE MEETING TOMORROW AFTERNOON. GREAT. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. JOINT COMMITTEE. NO UPDATES. JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, NO UPDATES. SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE. WE HAVE A MEETING MAY 6TH, 1130 AM WONDERFUL. UH, WORKING GROUP [WORKING GROUP UPDATES] UPDATES. THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS WORKING GROUP WORKED TO MAKE SEVERAL AMENDMENTS TO THE CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM. WE WILL BE DISBANDING AFTER TONIGHT'S MEETING. HOW ABOUT THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES WORKING GROUP? UM, WE HAD A VERY PRODUCTIVE, UH, CONVERSATION WITH THE URBAN DE, WITH THE DESIGN COMMISSION, WHO, AS I MENTIONED, OUR WORKING ON THIS. AND WE'D LIKE TO ACTUALLY PROBABLY REVISIT THE WORKING GROUP AND REALLY BEGIN TO ENGAGE WITH THEM MORE FULLY AFTER WE CONSIDER THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM IN TWO WEEKS. WONDERFUL. ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? OKAY. HEARING NONE. I WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT 11:39 PM THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.