[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER ]
CHAMBERS.I 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.
COMMISSIONER LAWN DOES NOT LOOK TO BE WITH US YET THIS EVENING.
COMMISSIONER GANNON, CAN YOU TRY THAT ONE MORE TIME? WE ARE NOT HEARING YOU, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT SORTED OUT.
COMMISSIONER BRETTON IS NOT WITH US THIS EVENING.
COMMISSIONER SKIDMORE? I'M 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 IN ATTENDANCE VIRTUALLY SIMILARLY, SPEAKERS CAN PRESENT HERE FROM COUNCIL CHAMBERS OR PARTICIPATE VIRTUALLY VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO SEND YOUR SIGN IN SHEET TO OUR STAFF LIAISON PER THE CLERK'S GUIDELINES.
I DO NOT THINK YOUR GREEN, RED, AND YELLOW ITEMS FOR VOTING WILL BE NECESSARY TONIGHT.
WE WILL HAVE ASSISTANCE FROM MS. BROWN IN ANNOUNCING THE SPEAKERS DURING OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
SIGNED UP TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? YES, SURE, WE DO.OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS DONNA HOFFMAN.
DONNA, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE MICROPHONE IS GREEN.
IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS EVENING.
UM, AND THANK YOU STAFF FOR SHARING THE MATERIALS THAT I THINK I HOPE YOU HAVE RECEIVED.
I'M THE PROPERTY OWNER AT 1500 GREGORY STREET, UM, IN 7 8 7 0 2.
IT'S RIGHT BEHIND EASTSIDE PIS PIZZA IN BETWEEN THE CARVER LIBRARY AND THE TEXAS STATE CEMETERY.
SO, UM, I'M HERE TONIGHT TO JUST INTRODUCE THIS ISSUE AND TO SPECIFICALLY REQUEST OF YOU A, UM, SOME RESEARCH, A REVIEW OF THE ZONING AND OVERLAY OF THE PROPERTY AT 1405 ROSEWOOD, WHICH IS ABOUT A TRIPLE SIZED LOT, UM, THAT USED TO BE ON KOMAL STREET WHEN IT RAN FROM ROSEWOOD OVER TO 11TH STREET.
WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A REVIEW OF THAT, UM, OVERLAY OR ZONING, AND WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A REPORT BACK TO A MEETING OF FOLKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS, WAS A, A POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
ONE OF THE PURCHASES OF THAT PROPERTY, IT WAS BOUGHT FOR 500 K FROM A, UM, OLDER AFRICAN AMERICAN AUNT AND UNCLE IN 2021, AND THEN IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND AND PUT ON THE MARKET FOR 1,000,750 K.
AND, UM, THE, ONE OF THE PURCHASERS PARTNERS WAS THE PRESIDENT OF A NEW SMALLER REDUCED NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WHO, UM, MAY HAVE SIGNED OFF ON A, A CHANGE IN SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS A CONDITIONAL OVERLAY.
AND, UM, OUR, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS ALWAYS HAD A CONDITIONAL OVERLAY THAT'S FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND WE'VE HAD THIS HISTORY OF DISPLACEMENT.
SO MY HOUSE WAS BUILT BY JIMMY BUTLER IN THE BLACK SHARE NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN 2005.
WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT MY HOUSE, I WALKED FROM MY JOB AT SIERRA CLUB ON 12TH STREET HOME AND I MET THE MAN IN HIS, UM, FINAL YEARS OF HIS LIFE WHO HAD LIVED NEXT DOOR.
HE SAID, THESE ARE THE CREPE MYRTLES THAT MY MOTHER PLANTED HERE.
AND I'LL NEVER FORGET THE DAY HE HAD HIS NIECE THERE AND HE WAS SHOWING HER THAT ACROSS THE STREET IN THIS LOT, 1405 WAS A BARN AND HAY AND HORSES.
AND HE WAS SAYING, I'LL NEVER FORGET THE DAY.
FORGET THE DAY THAT THE GAVEL CAME DOWN AND THE JUDGE TOOK OUR HOUSE AWAY AND SENT THE MEXICANOS TO MANCA AND THE AFRICAN AMERICANS TO PFLUGERVILLE.
SO HIS NEIGHBOR ACROSS WHAT WAS GREGORY STREET'S EXTENSION THERE ON CO MALL WAS AN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN WHO USED TO BRUSH HIS SISTER'S HAIR BEFORE SCHOOL IN THE MORNING.
SO THESE RELATIONSHIPS WERE DISRUPTED AND DISPLACED.
SO IN ONE OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT I'VE, I'VE, UM, SHARED WITH YOU, IT'S A STATEMENT FROM KENNETH THOMPSON.
UM, HE'S THE FORMER CHAIR OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN RESOURCES COMMISSION.
UM, IN HIS STATEMENT HE TALKS ABOUT THE 1928, UM, PLAN OF RACIAL SEGREGATION OF OUR CITY.
SO THAT WAS CONTINUED IN THE 1970S URBAN REMOVAL, RIGHT IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE I NOW LIVE.
AND NOW WE ARE SEEING A POTENTIAL, UM, CONTINUATION
[00:05:01]
OF THAT ILL PATTERN AND WE WANNA DISRUPT THAT AND GIVE THE CITIZENS IN THAT OR EVERY, ALL THE RESIDENTS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD THE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND AND COMMENT AND HAVE A, A ROBUST COMMUNITY DIALOGUE.SO WE'D LIKE YOUR HELP WITH THAT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SO PRACTICE.
GOOD EVENING PLANNING COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS SO PRAXIS, UH, FROM DISTRICT THREE.
I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF COMMUNITY POWERED A TX.
UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE HEARD FROM MANY NEIGHBORS THAT THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT THE FUTURE OF A SITE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT MS. HOFFMAN JUST SPOKE OF.
UM, AND THEY'RE REALLY JUST REQUESTING SUPPORT FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SENSE OF THE SITUATION, UM, AS WELL AS ANY FOLLOW UP ACTION THAT MAY BE NEEDED BY PLANNING COMMISSION TO PREVENT THE DISPLACEMENT IMPACTS, UM, OF ANY POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, PLANNING ISSUES ARE OFTEN SO INACCESSIBLE TO RESIDENTS, UM, AND WE TRY TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS, UM, FOR FOLKS AND DEMYSTIFY DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SO WE'RE HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET SOME TYPE OF SUPPORT FROM YOU ALL.
UM, AND FROM FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, UM, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO READ A STATEMENT, UM, BY, UH, JANELLE ROMEO, A BLACK BUSINESS OWNER IN DISTRICT ONE.
SHE SAID, MY NAME IS JANELLE ROMEO.
I'M THE OWNER, FOUNDER CHEF AT TWIN ISLES RESTAURANT.
I STARTED WITH A FOOD TRUCK IN 1326 ROSEWOOD, WHICH IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET WITH ANYTHING BAKED POTATO.
I WAS THERE FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS BEFORE I LEASED THIS PROPERTY AT 1401 ROSEWOOD.
I'VE BEEN IN THIS BUILDING FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.
I'VE BEEN OPEN SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 2025.
IT TOOK ME A FULL YEAR OF RENOVATIONS TO BE ABLE TO GET OPEN AND BE UP AND RUNNING TO TRY TO BUILD A FIVE STORY BUILDING HERE WOULD BE DISHEARTENING.
WHERE WOULD I GO IN A MARKET LIKE AUSTIN, IT'S NOT EASY TO JUST MOVE TO A NEW BUILDING AND START OVER WHEN YOU STARTED OVER ON YOUR OWN ALREADY.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU WOULD TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THIS ZONING CASE.
I CAME HERE KNOWING I'M CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND DOING IT IN A BIG WAY BY BRINGING MY CULTURE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S ALREADY FULL OF SO MUCH CULTURE THAT'S DISAPPEARING.
SO YEAH, IT'S HARD TO NOW HEAR ABOUT THIS ZONING ISSUE.
I WOULD HAVE TO CLOSE BECAUSE I CANNOT AFFORD TO START OVER HERE.
UM, ALLOWING UH, AND BREAKING IT ALL DOWN FOR A BIGGER BUILDING OR WHATEVER THEY'RE WANTING TO DO.
THIS NEIGHBORHOOD HAS TO BE PROTECTED.
THIS IS A HISTORICAL BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE CARVER LIBRARY CANNOT BE THE ONLY THING LEFT IN A HISTORICALLY BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THEN THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO RENAME IT AT SOME POINT.
PLANTING ROOTS HERE IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE'RE SHARING WITH THE CITY, WHICH IS CARIBBEAN CULTURE.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN WELCOMING AND APPRECIATIVE OF WHAT I'VE DONE HERE TO POSSIBLY SEE THAT TAKEN AWAY AS HARD.
I NEVER GOT ANY NOTICE BEFORE TODAY WHEN A NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT LET ME KNOW.
I REQUEST A REVIEW OF THE REZONING AT 1405 ROSEWOOD AND A NEIGHBORHOOD WIDE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.
UM, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CASE.
UM, AND SO YES, I THINK THERE'S ALSO CONFUSION IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE STATUS, UM, OF THE, THE ZONING TYPE AND HOW THIS CAME TO BE.
UM, AND SO HOPEFULLY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND PLANNING COMMISSION CAN, UM, HELP US MAKE SENSE OF THIS.
THAT CONCLUDES SPEAKERS ON PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
I WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT COMMISSIONER LAWN AND COMMISSIONER BRETTON HAVE ALSO JOINED US.
[Consent Agenda]
ON THE CONSENT AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 28TH AND MAY 12TH MEETINGS.THOSE MINUTES HAVE BEEN POSTPONED BY STAFF TO JUNE 9TH.
OUR FIRST ACTIVITY TONIGHT IS TO VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
ITEMS THAT ARE CONSENT APPROVAL, DISAPPROVAL, POSTPONEMENTS OF PUBLIC HEARINGS OR NON-DISCUSSION ITEMS. COMMISSIONER MAXWELL WILL READ THE PROPOSED CONSENT AGENDA AND SPECIFY THOSE THAT ARE CONSENT POSTPONEMENT AND NON-DISCUSSION.
AFTER THIS COMMISSIONERS, YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST ANY CONSENT ITEMS BE PULLED FOR DISCUSSION.
COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, WOULD YOU MIND READING THE AGENDA FOR US? I HAPPY TO HELP CHAIR.
UM, ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A PLAN AMENDMENT NPA 20 25 0 0 2 OH 0.04.
CONGRESS VIEWS DISTRICT TWO THAT IS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TILL JULY 14TH.
UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A REZONING C 14 20 25 0 0 9 6.
THAT IS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO JULY 14TH.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS A PLAN AMENDMENT N PA 20 25 0 0 1 6 0.02 FORMER A ISD BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT THREE.
THAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TO JUNE 9TH.
UH, ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS REZONING C 14 20 25 1 25 FORMER A ISD BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT THREE.
THAT'S A NEIGHBORHOOD POSTPONEMENT TIL JUNE 9TH.
AND ITEM NUMBER SIX IS A REZONING C 14 20 25 0 1 2 3 74 0 1 HIGHWAY TWO 90 REZONING DISTRICT EIGHT, AND THAT IS A STAFF POSTPONEMENT TO JUNE 9TH.
THANKS, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL, DO ANY COMMISSIONERS NEED TO RECUSE OR ABSTAIN FROM ITEMS ON THE AGENDA? OKAY, MS. BROWN, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ANY OF THE CONSENT ITEMS? NO CHAIR.
DO ANY COMMISSIONERS WANT TO PULL ANY OF THE CONSENT ITEMS FOR POSTPONEMENT
[00:10:01]
OR OTHERWISE HAVE QUESTIONS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? ALL RIGHT.IS THERE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AND INCLUDING THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING? I HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER POWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MAXWELL.
AND THIS CONCLUDES THE CONSENT AGENDA.
[PERMANENT COMMITTEE UPDATES]
INTO OUR COMMITTEE UPDATES FOR AN UPDATE ON THE CODES AND ORDINANCES JOINT COMMITTEE.UM, OUR LAST MEETING WAS CANCELED DUE TO LACK OF BUSINESS.
HOW ABOUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN JOINT COMMITTEE? NO UPDATES.
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, NO UPDATES.
SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE NEXT MEETING, SEPTEMBER 9TH.
AND URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES UPDATE WORKING GROUP.
OH, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY ON HOLD UNTIL AFTER, UM, UNTIL THAT ITEM COMES BACK FROM THE DESIGN COMMISSION.
DO WE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THAT ANY COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO BRING? OKAY.
I WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT 6:11 PM THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.