Item 13. Del Valle Food Co-op DRAFT Recommendation — original pdf

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BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board Recommendation Number: XXXXXXXX-XXX: Support for Del Valle Food Co-Op Rezoning and Fee Relief WHEREAS, the Austin‑Travis County Food Plan, adopted by Austin City Council in October 2024, calls for expanding access to nutritious and affordable food for all residents, prioritizes community‑led solutions, and emphasizes strengthening food markets and retail outlets in underserved areas; and WHEREAS, the Del Valle Food Co‑Op is a community‑driven initiative launched in 2023 to establish a neighborhood grocery store in East Austin — a location with limited retail access to healthy foods — with the goal of improving food accessibility, reducing transportation barriers, and providing a walkable, community‑centered food retail option; and WHEREAS, the project received a $500,000 allocation from the City of Austin through the American Rescue Plan Act, representing a public investment in equitable food access and local economic development; and WHEREAS, the co‑op has been developed through strong, ongoing collaboration with community partners including Go Austin Vamos Austin (GAVA) and Austin Cooperative Business Association (ACBA), with community organizing and outreach central to designing a store that reflects local needs, priorities, and lived experience; and WHEREAS, Phase I activities have been completed, including business planning, creating a market study, cooperative incorporation, governance development, and hiring operational leadership, demonstrating readiness for next-phase site planning and implementation; and WHEREAS, the Del Valle Food Co‑Op has established over 40 paid member‑owners and has secured additional membership pledges, reflecting sustained local support and community engagement; and WHEREAS, the Del Valle Food Co-Op has identified a development site at 5807 Ross Road to serve East Austin residents; and WHEREAS, the selected site is within an area identified in a 2023 market feasibility study as having strong potential to support a neighborhood grocery store; and WHEREAS, the selected site also meets key feasibility criteria, including access to utilities, location outside of the floodplain, proximity to public transportation, and accessibility to surrounding neighborhoods; and WHEREAS, the site must be rezoned from SF-6 (Townhouse & Condominium Residence) to LR (Neighborhood Commercial) or an equivalent commercial designation that permits a neighborhood- scale grocery store to proceed; and WHEREAS, the Del Valle Food Co-Op has secured site control through a lease agreement with the property owner, including authorization to pursue rezoning and an option to purchase the property; and WHEREAS, the standard rezoning process is estimated to cost $10,000 or more, including application fees, planning or legal support, and site/engineering coordination, creating a financial barrier for this community project; and WHEREAS, a Council‑initiated rezoning could allow the City to handle much of the staff and legal work, lowering costs to around $3,000 and supporting a faster, more successful rezoning; and WHEREAS, there is precedent for city-initiated rezoning on private property to support community or public-serving uses, including the 2005 Pioneer Farms case, which successfully received a Council-led rezoning for a living‑history museum and educational use; and WHEREAS, property owners have successfully rezoned undeveloped parcels from SF-6 (single-family residential) to LR (Neighborhood Commercial), as shown in this example (linked here), showing that this type of rezoning is recognized and feasible; and WHEREAS, more than half of the $500,000 public investment has been allocated to foundational project development, including community engagement, market studies, training, site acquisition, and business planning, and the remaining funds are essential to ensure the Del Valle Food Co‑Op can launch successfully and operate effectively; WHEREAS, the Del Valle Food Co‑Op has adapted its development approach from a proposed shipping container to modular school portables to better meet local building and zoning requirements and streamline permitting; and WHEREAS, these modular buildings became available through communications with Austin ISD, providing a unique opportunity to repurpose existing school portables for community food access; and WHEREAS, the portables are scheduled to be ready for transport in summer 2026, while AISD schools are not in session, and due to planned school consolidations and closures, the district cannot store the buildings beyond this summer, creating a firm, time-sensitive window for their transfer; and WHEREAS, rezoning of the site at 5807 Ross Road is required before the modular buildings can be transported, installed, and operational, creating a time-sensitive opportunity that underscores the need to expedite the rezoning process; and WHEREAS, the proposed rezoning serves a clear public purpose by advancing adopted City policies, addressing documented food access disparities, and supporting equitable economic development in an underserved area; and WHEREAS, this request is limited to a single, site-specific rezoning tied to a publicly supported, community-serving project and does not represent a broader change in zoning policy or process; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, The Austin Travis-County Food Policy Board recommends that: ● Austin City Council initiate and support a Council‑led rezoning process for the property at 5807 Ross Road to enable development of the Del Valle Food Co‑Op; ● City Council waive, reduce, or subsidize rezoning‑related fees, or otherwise assume responsibility for such costs, to remove financial barriers for this community‑based project; ● City Council expedite the rezoning process to the greatest extent feasible, consistent with applicable legal and procedural requirements, in recognition of the project’s time‑sensitive implementation timeline; ● City Council coordinates across relevant City departments (including Economic Development and Planning) to facilitate successful and timely project delivery. Date of Approval: Record of the vote: Vote in Favor: Vote Against: Abstaining: Absent: Attest: City of Austin, Office of Climate Action and Resilience, Food Policy Manager/ ATCFPB Staff Liaison