SRCC GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Monday, September 1, 2014 7:15 PM
GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
205 E. MONROE, AUSTIN, TEXAS
AGENDA
To be sure you get a vote, become 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. Verification of quorum. Reminder: state your name when presenting or seconding a motion. If an acronym is stated during the meeting and you don’t know what it means, please feel free to raise your hand and ask.
Presenter throughout: Sounthaly Outhavong, President, unless otherwise noted.
2. 7:20 Membership and 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 Approve minutes from August 4, 2014, last regular monthly meeting (available at www.srccatx.org).
4. 7:25 Treasurer’s Report – All reports are available upon request to the Treasurer.
5. 7:30 Committee Chairs reports
1) Parks, Schools, Environment; 2) Planning & Zoning – items below; 3) Transportation & Public Safety; 4) Norwood – items below; 5) Historic District; 8) Finance; status of projects funded by SRCC; 9) ANC Austin Nbhd Council; 10) Communication; 11) Quality of Life
3) Transportation – The repaving of Woodland and Annie has begun!
9) ANC Austin Neighborhood Council – This is the first year ANC has come up with a formal platform. It will provide greater specificity on candidates position on issues relevant to our community. You can see a copy of the 2 page document here.
Some of the “planks†that may be of particular interest to our neighborhood include:
· Support legislation that addresses inequity between residential and commercial taxes and eliminates tax payer subsidies for development.
· Ensure that land development code rewrite preserves neighborhood character and is “bottom-up†in addressing the needs of communities.
· Require any variances to SOS ordinance and waterfront overlay to require a super-majority vote of applicable boards, commissions and city council for approval.
Laura Morrison spoke at the meeting. One of the primary themes of her remarks was to ensure that the Corridor and Neighborhood planning process incorporates all aspects of the Imagine Austin plan. It currently is too focused on density. Without also giving adequate weight to other aspects of Imagine Austin such as transportation and affordability, it risks degrading our communities.
Two resolutions were voted on and passed,
1) Eliminating fee and expense waivers for special events, aimed at for profit events. This was nearly unananimous. (document here)
2) Alternative plans for the I-35 corridor. This passed but was more contentious given some of the wording in the resolution. (document here)
One resolution on improving public engagement in planning sessions and changes to city laws and codes was presented for review/comment . It seemed well received by meeting attendees. It aims to create an ordinance to ensure that public feedback is obtained in a systematic, principled BS impartial manner using national standards for public engagement and input. The draft resolution is here.
OLD BUSINESS
6. 7:35 Update on 517 E. Oltorf – Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus, Inc.’s request (C14-2013-0081) to upzone to GR (with conditional overlay) to increase their impervious cover limit and allow for additional construction.–APPROVED by council
Presenter: Gretchen Otto, SRCC Vice President
On the third reading Council approved the request of the church to upzone to GR with a restriction to only civic and what is allowed in SF-3. They will be allowed to build out to 85% impervious cover and will be required to install a rain garden. SRCC will not be required to pay for any of the runoff improvements.
NEW BUSINESS
7. 7:40 508 E. Oltorf Coffee Shop – Update on status of Conditional Use Permit required to allow the owners of 508 Oltorf to build a small coffee shop on ground floor. New information to be discussed (change in parking) and new vote by membership required.
Presenters: Marc Davis, SRCC Planning and Zoning Committee member; and Steve Portnoy, Carlson Commercial Properties, LLC, representative for property owner, Mobile: (512) 415-5890 | Office: (512) 474-2900; steve.portnoy@gmail.com.
This is the property on Oltorf that housed a dentist office and an insurance office, just west of Curra’s. We voted in favor of a limited restaurant conditional use permit that allows for a coffee shop style business. The site requires 17 parking spaces after an urban core credit (originally 21) but they have space for 23. Staff asked to remove the parking along Rebel but that appears to limit access to the proposed coffee shop. The City does not want head-in parking along Rebel and changed some of the garden buffer to a parking spot. They will be presenting the original plan to the City and proposing not to include the changes the City wants included because they conflict with requests from nearby neighborhood residents and the SRCC supported vote.
UPDATE: A vote was later conducted by the Executive Committee through email and the result was to approve the following
MOTION: (Regarding property at 508 E. Oltorf, that housed a dentist office and an insurance office, just west of Curra’s) To support SRCC’s original motion of support for the CUP along with all the requests and restrictions negotiated with the developer.
8. 7:55 1009 Reagan Terrace – Request for setback variance in order to add a second story to an existing structure which extends 5 feet into the ten foot rear setback. P&Z Committee voted not to oppose; need vote by general membership.
Presenter: Jean Mather, Chair of SRCC Planning & Zoning committee
Long time (22 years) residents are looking to rebuild their shed into a two story home office but the rear yard setback on the existing structure is only 5’ rather than the 10’ required. They have included privacy measures on the windows and upstairs deck area.
UPDATE: A vote was later conducted by Executive Committee through email and the result was to approve the following
MOTION: To adopt the SRCC’s Planning and Zoning recommendation regarding property at 1009 Reagan Terrace: to not oppose the property owners’ request for setback variance to the 10’ requirement and allow a 5’ setback on the existing structure in rear yard.
9. 8:05 Norwood House – update on progress on the Norwood Estate project.
Presenter: Colleen Theriot, President of the Norwood Park Foundation; colleen.theriot@norwoodparkfoundation.org
Colleen is the President of the Norwood Park Foundation and provided an update on the project. The Norwood House is a historic home right next to the dog park at Riverside and I-35. NorwoodParkFoundation.org has all the details about the home and the project. All the toxic elements have been removed and the foundation will be repaired next. They are interested in talking with anyone who knew the family or visited the home in the past. The original pool was the first geothermal heated pool in Austin. The proposed budget is approximately 1.5 million dollars and they expect to raise that much from donations.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Call for volunteers: need Area Coordinators for Area 3a to replace Kathleen Littlepage. Can provide names of block captains, etc. Area 3 boundaries are between I35 and Woodland from Riverside Dr. to Woodland. Still also need a co-coordinator for Area 1.
*Frequently used acronyms: ACF – Austin Community Fund; ANC: Austin Neighborhood Council; SF – Single Family zoning category; FLUM – Future Land Use Map
