SRCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING – MINUTES
TUESDAY, June 1, 2021 7:00 PM
Zoom Teleconference
via THE INTERNET
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
The Chair called the meeting to order at 7:04
1. 7:00 Meeting procedures, Zoom tools, etiquette, welcome & introductions of new members
Presenter throughout: Cynthia Milne, President, unless otherwise noted. (8 min)
The chair asked that people wait to be recognized prior to speaking. There was a question about when we will be back in person, though the timeline is unclear.
2. 7:08 Membership & voting announcements. Reminder that SRCC current dues status is required to participate in SRCC business and actions such as voting and making motions. (2 min)
Reminder that we are unable to renew membership the night of the meeting, so if you want to vote, you will need to renew prior to meeting night. It was suggested that we contact the church to see if they are ready to host us for in-person meetings.
3. 7:10 Approve minutes from May 2021 Executive Committee Meeting
Reminder: schedule for Executive meetings: 1st Tuesday of most months; 7:00pm – 8:30pm, Location: teleconference during 2020 (eventually will return to Good Shepherd on the Hill).
Remaining meeting dates in 2021: GM Jun 15; EC (tentative) Aug 3; GM Aug 17; EC Sept 7 (tentative); GM Sept 21; EC Oct 5 (tentative); GM Oct 19; GM Nov 16; EC Dec 7. (5 min)
There were no comments or corrections – the minutes were approved as posted.
4. 7:15 Treasurer’s Report. All reports available upon request to the Treasurer @ treasurer@srccatx.org
Presenter: Will Andrews, Treasurer (5 min)
The Treasurer presented the report through yesterday. YTD expenses have been low, and with more income from dues we are net positive for the year. The net income for Jan- May of 2021 is more than in 2020. The Membership Secretary indicated that a thank-you note was received regarding the SRCC donation to the Central Texas Food Bank, and that she will post that note to the SRCC website.
5. 7:20 Standing Committee check-ins on events/goals/issues.
Presenters: Committee Chairs. 1) Planning and Zoning 2) Historic Preservation; 3) Finance 4) Mobility; 5) Public Safety; 6) Parks and Environment; 7) Schools; 8) Communications (15 min)
- Nothing to report
- There are a couple of buildings on Congress that the developer is going to demolish, and the new structures appear to be larger. There was a demo request in Rainey Street – the residential house that was being demolished was being taxed at a much higher rate per square foot than the commercial property next door. The Chair stated that they had made a presentation about how the historic designations and associated entitlements can encourage affordable housing.
- Nothing to report
- The Street Impact Fee is a new fee from Council for developers to account for the impact to nearby streets, which would be assessed at the permitting phase. These fees are designated for roadway capacity improvements. The fees will start being charged in June 2022. A member noted that there were concerns with developers getting significant discounts on these fees in the Rainey Street area, and that the fees didn’t really cover the impact. A member said they they felt the City wasn’t providing the adequate Service Level Agreement for the taxes that are paid, and there isn’t a level playing field for all the developers – some are treated more favorably. It was suggested that we work with other neighborhood groups to come up with a consistent message.
- Working on a draft of a Neighborhood Watch announcement to include in the upcoming newsletter and on the website.
- June 5th will be a Blunn Creek work event, and there is another one June 12th, both at 8:30 meeting at 900 St. Edward’s. Go to Givepulse.com to sign up. Also, there is a bench being installed in Little Stacy Park.
- There are only 2 days left in the school year. Hoping that things get back to normal in the fall. There was a question from new families about how to walk to THES and where to safely cross Woodland; many cross at Sunset near the park. The school zone sign on Woodland is only visible N-S, not for the E-W traffic.
- Nothing to report
REPORTS OF AD HOC COMMITTEES and REPRESENTATIVES
6. 7:35 Check-ins on events/goals/issues
Presenters: Committee Chairs/Representatives. Norwood; NPCT; ANC*; SCC*; South Central Waterfront; St. Edward’s; S. Central Affordable CDC; Ad-hoc Land Development Code Revision; Ad-hoc Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (10 min)
- Norwood – nothing to report
- NPCT – nothing to report
- ANC / Ad-hoc LDC – a lot of neighborhoods are working together to identify how the upzoning proposals are impacting the neighborhoods. There is a concern that the City is using the new Mobility Bond to put transportation into the city, but they are encouraging constructing the buildings to serve the transportation. The City isn’t just counting where to put Orange/Blue Line stops, but any properties along the transit lines, they will possibly upzone them as well. There is an effort to get legislation passed so that the City doesn’t need to ask adjacent neighbors if they object to proposed upzonings, and to eliminate the ability for neighbors to protest. It sounds like this legislation died in committee.
- SCC – nothing to report
- SCWAB – nothing new since last report. There is a meeting tomorrow of the full board, including the development corporation
- St Ed’s – nothing to report
- S. Central Affordable CDC – the board has not been active during the pandemic, but there is a rumor that there is a development occurring in Bouldin that will result in some funds being available for affordable housing. SRCC’s current representative’s term expires in December, and we will need to have someone else step us as a board member representing SRCC, as the position is term-limited.
- DEI – nothing to report; committee is disbanding
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None.
NEW BUSINESS
7. 7:45 Parking Strategy: Discussion of how to collect and organize the community’s questions/concerns regarding the parking strategy and present information on this topic to the membership. Please see the South Congress Parking Strategy – Public Draft here.
Presenter: Mark Thompson, Chair Mobility Committee (20 min)
The Mobility Chair indicated that the newsletter would be a good starting point for getting the message out. He has emailed the City to get a list of people who have RPP that are covered in the study area. A member asked when the deadline was for submitting questions to the City; we haven’t heard anything from the City about the timeline. Originally the City intended to present at a June meeting of the UTC, but that is unlikely to happen at this point. There was a concern about one of the restaurants in the Music Lane development which is not validating parking and the impact that would have on the neighborhood. It was suggested that by disallowing employees to have free parking on the neighborhood streets (via paid street parking via the PTMD), then it will force the negotiations between the employees and the employers. It was mentioned that the restaurant will be within the PTMD area. There was discussion about how much of the neighborhood this affects – not just those nearby that have RPP, but also those that try to get out of the neighborhood and have to deal with delivery trucks, etc., blocking up the residential streets.
There was a question about the extent of the PTMD map; the size hasn’t been determined yet – the Chair is taking input. Also, it should be noted that a property can be within the PTMD map without being set up for paid parking.
It was suggested that members should participate as a stakeholder in the Orange Line and Blue Line groups, as this affects traffic and mobility in the area.
A member asked about the impact from development of the Statesman tract. The project is under plan review; there is a proposal in place asking for much more than the developer was originally entitled to. The SCWAB representative indicated that nothing has been agreed to yet about the development.
A member mentioned that there is another development at 200 Academy, where they did a Traffic Impact Analysis (during COVID, in November 2020).
8. 8:05 SRCC Newsletter: Discussion of Mary Friedman’s offer to create a one-time newsletter in both paper and online form as a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of these distribution methods. Gretchen Otto has written job descriptions for producing the SRCC Newsletter.
Please see the job description here.
Presenter: Mary Friedman, Membership & Betty Weed, Chair Communications (10 min)
The Membership Chair said that the newsletter is not just about informing members, but also informing other neighbors and making them aware of SRCC; both to inform them and as a recruiting tool. Ruth Casares has volunteered to be the Newsletter Editor. The Membership Chair may try to put out a really short newsletter to alert people specifically about the S. Congress Parking Study and the PTMD.
There was a suggestion to keep the newsletter focused on all areas of SRCC, so it should also include information about the Parker Lane issues. It was also mentioned that the newsletter should be unbiased and informational. It was suggested that the newsletter include a recurring section about neighborhood history.
A member shared that while the public’s interaction with the City has been constrained by the pandemic, the City is moving forward regardless of participation, so even though this feels like a lull, keeping neighbors informed of ongoing issues is important. It was suggested that the newsletter become digitized, and it include a survey of what is important to the community.
There was discussion about going back to in-person meetings and using the meeting signs to help increase visibility.
Ruth suggested including a welcome basket for new residents, introducing them to SRCC.
9. 8:15 2105 Parker Lane: Discussion of how SRCC can reach out to Area 7 residents to support them in their continuing involvement with the Foundation Communities’ project which was recently approved by the City Council.
Presenters: Mary Friedman, Membership Chair (10 min)
The Membership Chair suggested that SRCC should continue to be involved in this development, even though it is moving forward. In the past Foundation Communities has worked with the nearby neighbors. It was suggested that we form an ad-hoc committee to establish a liaison position for SRCC. The goal would be to explore what the best ways are to have ongoing communication and share information. The committee could write up the plan and bring it to the EC. Ken Burnett has volunteered to participate. There was a proposal about establishing an ad hoc committee, chaired by Ken Burnett, to explore the idea of establishing an SRCC Liaison position to foster ongoing communication with Foundation Communities. The committee will explore specific opportunities and contacts, write a job description, and identify a volunteer to serve as Liaison. The committee will bring a recommendation to the EC.
A member mentioned how there was overlap between the “7-points†position that SRCC has taken on the LDC, and those can be applied to the Foundation Communities project.
It was reiterated that this issue was brought to the attention of the SRCC EC; there was a valid petition, and EROC was in opposition, but SRCC didn’t take a vote.
Ken Burnett asked that if anyone has experience or relationships with Foundation Communities, to please participate in the ad-hoc committee and provide input. It was expected that the work we do here could be coordinated with the effort that other neighborhoods are doing related to upzonings in their neighborhood.
10. 8:25 ANNOUNCEMENTS
SRCC currently has the following volunteer positions open:
-Outreach Committee Members/Chair
-SRCC Newsletter Editor/Designer
The neighborhood ListServe is on the new Groups.io platform. Find everything you need to know about SouthRiverAustin group here: https://groups.io/g/SouthRiverAustin
The next SRCC General Membership meeting is Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
The next SRCC Executive Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, 2021.
The Chair adjourned the meeting at 8:32pm.
Agenda Prepared by Megan Spencer, vicepresident@srccatx.org
