Item 3a - Rainey Neighborhood Submission — original pdf
2019 Board of Directors:Sandra De LeonPresidentTowers of Town Lake CondosDan KnopfVice PresidentThe Shore CondosLora HerringTreasurerTowers of Town Lake CondosBrooke SchumacherSecretaryWindsor on the Lake ApartmentsStaci LivesayCommunications OfficerThe Shore CondosJudy CobbMilago CondosRandall MinickMilago CondosRobert ReySkyhouse ApartmentsMichael CortinasMilleniun ApartmentsRainey Neighbors AsociationFebruary 11, 2019Dear Esteemed Design Commissioner,A City Council resolution was passed in 1999 directing the City Manager to workwith the Rainey Neighborhood to facilitate discussions leading to land use objectivesand priorities for the neighborhood. Of special concern was the vulnerable nature ofthe neighborhood due to its relative isolation and susceptibility to the negative effectsof larger scale projects in the vicinity. (Resolution No 990603-81, Austin City CouncilMeeting, June 3, 1999) Today, the Rainey Neighborhood has eleven infill projects invarious stages of the permitting process for new development with five of thoseprojects surpassing 45 stories in height.There are significant mobility issues in the Rainey Neighborhood as a result of therapid growth predicted in 1999. Factors that contributed to these issues include: theabsence of any process that assessed the infrastructure prior to the upzone from SF-3to CBD; the lack of process that studied, optimized and informed the appropriate levelof density and mixed-use for the area; and Rainey is bordered on three sides by WallerCreek, Lady Bird Lake and IH-35, leaving only two main access points in and out ofthe neighborhood. Rainey was built to accommodate single-family homes on longblocks, a pattern that impedes circulation, unlike the street grid in the downtown corewith shorter blocks that create connectivity. Add to the mix a maximum FAR of 15:1with unlimited height. To date, Rainey has yet to implement a comprehensive masterplan. In the absence of a plan, and given the accelerated pace with which newdevelopment is occurring in the area, the neighborhood is requesting that these fiveconditions be formally adopted in the Rainey Street Subdistrict.▪ Adopt a comprehensive mobility plan, like the Rainey Traffic Study, formed collaboration with the Rainey Neighbors Association, specifically addressing the unique mobility issues in the Rainey Subdistrict.▪ Approval of current entitlements, 8:1 FAR and below, for site plans on the condition that they are accompanied by corresponding improved infrastructure, especially mobility infrastructure that is based on the 34 mobility recommendations outlined in the Rainey Street Traffic Study.▪ Approve infill that does not alter the current street dimensions nor speed limit.▪ Approve infill that promotes ancillary amenities in addition to restaurants, such as retail that provides goods and services to Rainey residents.▪ Amend code to …
