CURRENT DEVELOPMENT VS. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT FACTS
450,000 square feet currently made up of 2-3 story office buildings
Proposed: Owner/Applicant is requesting to REZONE the property to a “Planned Unit Development” (PUD)
653,376 square feet proposed in residential buildings (574 apartments and 36 townhomes),
Proposed: 1,618,904 TOTAL RE-DEVELOPED square feet
868,376 square feet of business office (17, 14, 8, 5 and several 4 story buildings are depicted in the application (v 1.0))
89,028 square feet of retail
8,000 square feet of restaurant
NOTE: there is not a formally submitted "new" proposal to the city. However, the developer and his emissaries have discussed various new layouts and configurations featuring fewer residential units and more restaurants, but nothing has been submitted formally to the city (as of 12/16/2014); as such, it is our view that this is not a proposal and the original proposal stands.
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT INTENT ACCORDING TO CITY ORDINANCE / CODE MUST:
Preserve the natural environment,
Encourage high quality development and innovative design (what does this really mean? who enforces it?),
Ensure adequate public facilities and services (like bike racks, LOL),
Produce a final development product that is superior to development under conventional zoning
All this in exchange for relaxed development standards and greater density for the developer/owner.
KEY SUCCESS FACTOR NOTES:
A Neighborhood Center (from the ImagineAustin plan) is depicted for this intersection MOPAC/Spicewood~Anderson Lane.
The Domain is depicted as a Regional Center which is expected to have EVEN greater density and height and be a sort of additional “downtown” area.
There are 14 Neighborhood Centers in the ImagineAustin plan. Two are in this NW city corridor near 183: FAR WEST BLVD @ MOPAC and ANDERSON @ MOPAC respectively.
Neighborhood Centers are envisioned to accommodate up to 10,000 people within the Center.
Neighborhood Centers are the smallest and least intense of the three types of activity centers
Neighborhood Centers are Characterized as:
[a checkmark (✓) denotes Austin Oaks proposal meets this characteristic an (✖) denotes that it does not]
✖ Walkable, bike-able, and transit-able
✖ Accommodate 5,000 to 10,000 people
✓ 3,500 Jobs (NC’s are required to provide between 2,500 and 7,000 jobs)
ISSUES IDENTIFIED WITH THE CURRENT PUD:
Adds 21,000 estimated car trips over existing traffic. (a trip = another car on the road)
Adds 125-150 students to schools that are already significantly over capacity
Height of the buildings are greater than anything outside of downtown (17, 14, 8, 5 stories and several 4 story buildings.)
This proposal does NOT fit a Neighborhood Center’s requirements
This proposal sets an bad precedent for all Mopac neighborhoods moving forward
Trees and canopy cover are threatened
Of the trees surveyed on the property
72 are heritage trees (over 24”) and
98 are protected trees (over 19”)
Plan has 9 heritage trees and 44 protected trees being razed
No demonstration of the superiority that merits granting of a PUD in the proposed design plan
Current zoning for the property already allows for increased density and redevelopment
BENEFITS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN (OR TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD)
CITED BY THE DEVELOPER:
Applicant considering paying FEES in LIEU of adding a park
Addition of retail and restaurants for the neighborhood
Applicant will contribute to affordable housing (as is required of a PUD) with FEES in LIEU of providing actual AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS
FEES in LIEU of doesn’t help us. We NEED affordable APTS and we need park & play areas for children
Other “superiority” items provided in the APPLICATION for the PUD (bike racks provided...this counts as “superior”)
Building a park does not help with the traffic or bridges/road capacity constraints existing TODAY.
CURRENT STATE OF THE RE-ZONING APPLICATION
AND THE PROCESS THAT FOLLOWS:
Application was filed on July 16
City staff is reviewing the application, with comments not yet out to the public
This will be followed by a period of response from the developer, then another round of
comments from City staff. This cycle may repeat as often as the parties choose.
Near the end of the City staff review, the application goes before the Environmental
Board, at which neighbors may be present and provide comments
When all comments are cleared, the matter goes before the Zoning and Platting
Commission (aka ZAP), a meeting which neighbors may attend and provide comments
2-4 weeks after the ZAP meeting, the matter can go before City Council in a series of 3
readings, again a forum which neighbors may attend and provide comments
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Consider what you would like to see in redevelopment of Austin Oaks.
Think about our evolving community and what is needed, what preserves our quality of life, what fits our evolving City. Like the many homes being renovated in our neighborhood now, we will see re-development in the coming decades. It needs to be smart redevelopment.
Relay your thoughts and opinions to your the city council and post your comments on our website: nopud.weebly.com or on facebook through the link on our website.
Provide your feedback about the PUD to the City staff and City Council
Email the Planning and Review case manager: [email protected] (new case manager TBD in mid DEC 2014 - this is still pending!)
Email City Council members: http://austintexas.gov/mail/all-council-members
BE SURE TO REQUEST, when you write in, that your feedback be included in the backup for ZAP and City Council meetings about this case. (Just cut & paste this line into your note!)
450,000 square feet currently made up of 2-3 story office buildings
Proposed: Owner/Applicant is requesting to REZONE the property to a “Planned Unit Development” (PUD)
653,376 square feet proposed in residential buildings (574 apartments and 36 townhomes),
Proposed: 1,618,904 TOTAL RE-DEVELOPED square feet
868,376 square feet of business office (17, 14, 8, 5 and several 4 story buildings are depicted in the application (v 1.0))
89,028 square feet of retail
8,000 square feet of restaurant
NOTE: there is not a formally submitted "new" proposal to the city. However, the developer and his emissaries have discussed various new layouts and configurations featuring fewer residential units and more restaurants, but nothing has been submitted formally to the city (as of 12/16/2014); as such, it is our view that this is not a proposal and the original proposal stands.
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT INTENT ACCORDING TO CITY ORDINANCE / CODE MUST:
Preserve the natural environment,
Encourage high quality development and innovative design (what does this really mean? who enforces it?),
Ensure adequate public facilities and services (like bike racks, LOL),
Produce a final development product that is superior to development under conventional zoning
All this in exchange for relaxed development standards and greater density for the developer/owner.
KEY SUCCESS FACTOR NOTES:
A Neighborhood Center (from the ImagineAustin plan) is depicted for this intersection MOPAC/Spicewood~Anderson Lane.
The Domain is depicted as a Regional Center which is expected to have EVEN greater density and height and be a sort of additional “downtown” area.
There are 14 Neighborhood Centers in the ImagineAustin plan. Two are in this NW city corridor near 183: FAR WEST BLVD @ MOPAC and ANDERSON @ MOPAC respectively.
Neighborhood Centers are envisioned to accommodate up to 10,000 people within the Center.
Neighborhood Centers are the smallest and least intense of the three types of activity centers
Neighborhood Centers are Characterized as:
[a checkmark (✓) denotes Austin Oaks proposal meets this characteristic an (✖) denotes that it does not]
✖ Walkable, bike-able, and transit-able
✖ Accommodate 5,000 to 10,000 people
✓ 3,500 Jobs (NC’s are required to provide between 2,500 and 7,000 jobs)
ISSUES IDENTIFIED WITH THE CURRENT PUD:
Adds 21,000 estimated car trips over existing traffic. (a trip = another car on the road)
Adds 125-150 students to schools that are already significantly over capacity
Height of the buildings are greater than anything outside of downtown (17, 14, 8, 5 stories and several 4 story buildings.)
This proposal does NOT fit a Neighborhood Center’s requirements
This proposal sets an bad precedent for all Mopac neighborhoods moving forward
Trees and canopy cover are threatened
Of the trees surveyed on the property
72 are heritage trees (over 24”) and
98 are protected trees (over 19”)
Plan has 9 heritage trees and 44 protected trees being razed
No demonstration of the superiority that merits granting of a PUD in the proposed design plan
Current zoning for the property already allows for increased density and redevelopment
BENEFITS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN (OR TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD)
CITED BY THE DEVELOPER:
Applicant considering paying FEES in LIEU of adding a park
Addition of retail and restaurants for the neighborhood
Applicant will contribute to affordable housing (as is required of a PUD) with FEES in LIEU of providing actual AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS
FEES in LIEU of doesn’t help us. We NEED affordable APTS and we need park & play areas for children
Other “superiority” items provided in the APPLICATION for the PUD (bike racks provided...this counts as “superior”)
Building a park does not help with the traffic or bridges/road capacity constraints existing TODAY.
CURRENT STATE OF THE RE-ZONING APPLICATION
AND THE PROCESS THAT FOLLOWS:
Application was filed on July 16
City staff is reviewing the application, with comments not yet out to the public
This will be followed by a period of response from the developer, then another round of
comments from City staff. This cycle may repeat as often as the parties choose.
Near the end of the City staff review, the application goes before the Environmental
Board, at which neighbors may be present and provide comments
When all comments are cleared, the matter goes before the Zoning and Platting
Commission (aka ZAP), a meeting which neighbors may attend and provide comments
2-4 weeks after the ZAP meeting, the matter can go before City Council in a series of 3
readings, again a forum which neighbors may attend and provide comments
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Consider what you would like to see in redevelopment of Austin Oaks.
Think about our evolving community and what is needed, what preserves our quality of life, what fits our evolving City. Like the many homes being renovated in our neighborhood now, we will see re-development in the coming decades. It needs to be smart redevelopment.
Relay your thoughts and opinions to your the city council and post your comments on our website: nopud.weebly.com or on facebook through the link on our website.
Provide your feedback about the PUD to the City staff and City Council
Email the Planning and Review case manager: [email protected] (new case manager TBD in mid DEC 2014 - this is still pending!)
Email City Council members: http://austintexas.gov/mail/all-council-members
BE SURE TO REQUEST, when you write in, that your feedback be included in the backup for ZAP and City Council meetings about this case. (Just cut & paste this line into your note!)
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