SRCC GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
MONDAY, February 3, 2014 7:15 PM
GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
205 E. MONROE, AUSTIN, TEXAS
MINUTES
To be sure you get a vote, be a member. You can join or renew online www.srccatx.org. Not sure if you are current? Email membership@srccatx.org and we’ll let you know.
CALL TO ORDER/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. 7:15 Meeting procedures, etiquette, welcome newcomers.
Presenter throughout: Marc Davis, President,
2. 7:20 Membership & voting announcements. Pay multiple years in advance and get a discount.
Single membership: 1-yr $20; 2-yr $35; 3-yr $50 / Family membership: 1-yr $35; 2-yr $65; 3-yr $95
NOTE: In order to vote, dues must be paid a month in advance, with the exception that if a former member’s dues have lapsed no more than 2 years, they may renew at the meeting and be eligible to vote.
3. 7:22 Approved minutes from December 2, 2013, last regular monthly meeting (available at www.srccatx.org).
MOTION: Eric Rangel / Marty Peck – to approve the minutes = PASSED
4. 7:25 Treasurer’s Report – available on website: SRCCatx.org
Account reconciliation, Profit & Loss and Balance reports available upon request from treasurer@srccatx.org
Presenter: Nancy Byrd, Treasurer
5. 7:30 Committee Chairs reports
1) Parks, Schools, Environment – Kim McPherson thanked the neighborhood for supporting the Travis Heights Elementary School (THES) in-district charter school. A key component of the school is “service learning†that is all about teaching children to become good citizens. A national expert has provided the training for the teachers to implement this program and things are moving forward. Volunteer opportunities and donations are handled through the website. http://www.travisheightselementary.com
2) Planning & Zoning – item(s) below
3) Transportation & Public Safety – This committee has a new chair, Marty Peck, and anticipate lots of activity in the coming months. Please let us know if you’d like to participate.
4) Norwood – The Norwood House restoration project received funds from SRCC to help rebuild the front porch.
5) Historic District – no update
8) Finance – status of projects funded by SRCC grant program: The grant project is moving along. The curb cut project for Blunn Creek is in the works. The Heritage Oaks Park projects are also making use of the grant money as well as a donation from a film crew that could possibly be used for park benches . Blunn Creek Preserve also benefited from the grant process and will be planting lots of seedlings and bushes along with additional signage.
9) Reps to ANC Austin Nbhd Council – There is a growing concern amongst the ANC about the CodeNext land development code changes. Jeff Jack offered to come to a meeting to inform us all on these changes.
10) Communication – no update
11) Quality of Life – no update
Announcement: A public open house will be held at ACC Highland from 9:30-noon. Project Connect is working to implement new transit options to connect the airport to downtown. The Jeff Kessel has volunteered to be SRCC contact, attend the meetings, provide feedback based on the SRCC positions and report back to the General Membership. Please let him know if you’d like to participate or contact vicepresident@srccatx.com.
OLD BUSINESS
6. 7:40 Update on Congress Avenue Baptist Church’s request (C14-2013-0022) to up-zone to GR (with conditional overlay) to allow for commercial parking and the eventual construction of a parking garage on the back half of their lot.
Presenter: Marc Davis, President
This property extends from Congress Avenue eastward to Nickerson. CABC wants to upzone the eastmost half of the lot which is behind the church building. They have been leasing out parking spots to nearby businesses without the proper zoning to do so. The upzoning would allow them to legally do this but they have requested GR(general retail) zoning which is more than adequate to accommodate this use. It seems the goal is to build a parking garage on the site. Planning Commission (PC) reviewed the request in January and voted against the upzoning. Neighbors pulled together a “valid petition†that requires City Council to have a super majority in order to get the desired changes.
7. 7:50 Report on South Central Waterfront Plan Initiative. For information and updates on the planning process, see http://www.austintexas.gov/waterfront . Next event: Waterfront Talk-a-bout 2, Feb. 12, 2014, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, St. David’s Episcopal Church, 301 E. 8th St.
Presenter: Garret Nick, Secretary, Alan Holt, alan.holt@austintexas.gov Principal Planner, Urban Design Division, Planning & Development Review Department, City of Austin; Kate Mulholland, kate.mulholland@austintexas.gov Planner, Comprehensive Planning Division, City of Austin,
Alan Holt is a Principal Planner with the City’s Planning Department and provided an update about the South Central Waterfront Plan Initiative. The South Central Waterfront is an area of 97 acres bounded by South First Street on the west, Blunn Creek to the east, Lady Bird Lake on the north, and East Riverside Drive and East Bouldin Creek on the south (see map below or click here). 30 private property owners and 97 acres of prime real estate are under pressure to be developed in the near future. The City is looking to gather stakeholder input on how we can develop this area while maximizing benefits for public and private interests. Supporters of this plan believe that relying on existing building standards alone, this property will not achieve its full potential and will underperform compared to other models that have been developed during past efforts and especially in the last two years. The SDAT in 2012 and the Sustainable Places Project in 2013 both lay out a vision for achieving a better future for Austin’s South Central Waterfront. City Council has directed the committee to produce a plan as soon as possible. The official website now has a video of the presentations given at the recent talk-about. There will be more walk and talk abouts starting with the next talk-about on Feb 12th, at St Davids Episcopal Church from 7-9pm. The two major property stakeholders representatives were present at these events and are very interested in making this vision a reality. A grant was received by the City of Austin that brought together the SDAT team. A recommendation was made to tap into the Sustainable Places program, a HUD program, to analyze the various scenarios for financial and civic viability. The Austin Board of Realtors is helping to obtain another grant to bring in more professional input. Given the complexity of the initiative and all the information involved, Mr. Holt encouraged those interested to visit the website and familiarize yourselves with the material and then come to the events to give your feedback. http://www.austintexas.gov/waterfront. Members expressed concerns that the new plan might not adhere to the existing Waterfront Overly code requirements that restrict building heights, distance from the shore and other key factors.
NEW BUSINESS
8. 8:05 IH 35 Capital Area Improvement Program. plans for changes to IH 35 at Oltorf and Riverside Drive. Proposal to close east/west traffic at Woodland Avenue / IH 35 underpass.
Presenters: Steven Miller, HTNB Corp, consultant to Texas Department of Transportation, Gary Schatz, City of Austin Transportation Department; assisted by Beverly Silas ; Stacey Benningfield, Mobility Plan Project Manager , Texas Department of Transportation stacey.benningfield@txdot.gov,
Gary Schatz, Assistant Director in Austin Transportation Department, and Steven Miller, consultant to Texas Department of Transportation,TxDOT, presented background information behind the proposed I-35 changes being referred to as the IH35 Capital Area Improvement Program. The slides presented at the meeting can be found on project website www.mobility35.org. Attendees were encouraged to sign up for the mailing list to be notified of all the future meetings. The CAIP currently stretches along a 65-mile stretch from Georgetown to San Marcos. The goal is to improve the traffic flow and add capacity to I-35 by maximizing what is already there with a minimal amount of land acquisition. East/West connectivity is a factor as well as increasing mobility for all users. They are developing different design criteria for the various types of roads involved. The projected cost of the program is between 1 and 2 billion dollars. The centerpiece of the plan is the Future Transportation Corridor (FTC), the goal of which is to add an additional lane in each direction. Ramp modifications, collective-distributor roads and innovative intersections are being considered. We are in phase 2 of a 5-phase process and concepts are preliminary. Phase 1, conceptual design is ending and now moving into Phase 2 Plan Implementation. Phase 3 will be Environmental Design studies; Phase 4 will be Construction Plans; Phase 5 will be Construction. Presenters did not provide timeframes but assured the attendees that they are still considering alternative options. The current conceptual plan involves closing the Woodland crossing and adding turnaround lanes at the intersections to the north at Riverside and to the south at Oltorf. An alternative conceptual plan flies Woodland over a depressed I-35 but the grade difference along Woodland creates some challenges. The third alternative conceptual plan leaves Woodland mostly as is while making some changes to I-35. The main concern of attendees is maintaining the East/West connectivity of Woodland. The plan that includes closing Woodland was very unpopular with most attendees. Residents who live along Woodland Avenue also voiced concerns about the current amount of traffic along Woodland and encouraged others to consider the benefits of reducing traffic on Woodland. Emergency vehicle access was discussed as another concern and it was noted that APD and other emergency services are involved in the process. All ramps will be re-evaluated during this process and updated to current standards. Presenters stated that best way to impact these decisions is to participate in the process defined by information on www.Mobility35.org.
9. 8:25 Proposal to open Woodland Avenue gate access for residents of Brook apartment complex (1824 S. IH 35).
Presenter: Matt Holloway mwh617@gmail.com
Currently, residents of the Brook apartments cannot access Woodland directly from their property, but must exit onto the frontage road and drive through the neighborhood to reach destinations north of Woodland or west of I-35 . There are two gates that could be opened but the gate on Woodland is closed based on a restrictive covenant that was agreed upon for safety reasons during negotiations with the developer. Concern for safety is based on the very steep hill, lack of visibility at this section of Woodland, and speed of traffic heading east. The potential for accidents involving drivers going east and residents exiting onto Woodland is significant. Comments made that only right turns would be considered in any case. Rather than change the restrictive covenant, there was a suggestion implement a pilot program for a couple months and include a right turn only sign. No action was taken.
10. 8:40 Variance request for 1201 Woodland Avenue
Presenter: Jean Mather, Zoning committee, Sarah Campbell, member
The applicant has a large lot and is looking to divide it into two legal lots. There is a 100’ frontage but the existing home is centered on the property. The Code requires a 50’ frontage for each subdivision. An earlier proposal included 30’/70’ split and creatively divide the property but given the location of the trees, the house and the property line it would require a variance on the side setback. A new proposal has been submitted. The committee will need to review the new proposed changes before being brought to a vote.
11. 8: 50 Variance request for 1806 Drake. Request by David Cancialosi. Owner: Connie Leaverton
Presenter: Jean Mather, Zoning Committee
There is a concrete walkway which leads to an existing concrete pad that was grandfathered but given that it was within the side setback the addition of a covering on the pad triggered the need for a variance. A new letter was sent by the city addressing impervious cover limits but our Committee reviewed the letter and it was determined that the request was still appropriate.
MOTION: Jean Mather / Russell – to support the variance requests = PASSED
13. 9:00
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
– Save the Date : SRCC Annual Membership meeting / Potluck dinner / Annual Elections. This event takes place on Tuesday, March 4th, 2014 at 6:00 pm. Bring a dish. Kids welcome.
Marc Davis, the current SRCC President, and Carol Martin, the current Vice President, have both stepped down. Eric Rangel has expressed his intention to run for Vice President but the position of President is still up for grabs. If you’d like to add your name to the ballot for any of the positions please contact membership@srccatx.org to verify you are a current dues paid member and declare your intention.
