D.9.a - 812 W. 12th Street - citizen comments — original pdf

Backup

(cid:15)(cid:26)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:1)(cid:16)(cid:25)(cid:29)(cid:21)(cid:24)(cid:26)(cid:27)(cid:21)(cid:1)(cid:18)(cid:15)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:16)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:6)(cid:6)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:8)(cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:17)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:4) July 23, 2021 Terri Myers, Chair City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission Re: 812 W. 12th Street Dear Ms. Myers and Commissioners, Since the spring of 2008, No Comply has been located at 812 West 12th Street. In our more than 14 years of operation, we have aspired to become a symbol of community stewardship, and while we are extraordinarily proud of our strides so far, we are still more excited about the future. Local businesses are very hard to operate due to competition with national chains, rising rents, and growing pressure for new development. There is no shortage of incentives to prioritize national retailers and chain restaurants over Austin-based, small businesses like ours, but our hope is that you’ll take this opportunity to preserve a small but significant piece of Austin’s dynamic, inclusive, and unique culture. As a skate shop, we have served thousands of Austinites, including K-12 aged children, underserved communities including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women. While many of us grew up when skateboarding was considered at best a juvenile hobby, it is now a wholly accepted activity, something parents and children participate in together, and a billion- dollar industry that is statistically more popular than Little League. There is no sign of its popularity slowing down—quite the opposite. We are proud to have supported the sport for so long and in so many ways, culminating in the 2011 opening of the Skate and BMX Park near House Park by the Austin Parks & Recreation Department, the result of a successful 2006 bond election aimed at better utilizing a formerly underutilized public space. We played a key role in helping Austin host the ESPN X Games for multiple years, and we have hosted countless demonstrations with the world’s top skateboarders, all of which has made Austin one of the country’s most influential and important skateboarding epicenters. It cannot be overlooked that skateboarding is making its Olympic debut this weekend in Tokyo, which will inevitably ignite still more interest and enthusiasm. We want to stay where we are to support the young girl who will ask her parents for her first board; we want to celebrate her learning to push, and we want to applaud her resilience when she gets up after her first fall. Why? Because when that little girl understands that she can get back on her board after a fall, she’ll grow into a woman who will apply that same strength to everything she does. In 14 years of operation, however, our biggest source of pride is not the popularity of our business or our sport, but our impact in the community. Along with our frequent partnership with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, we have worked alongside several important local nonprofits and causes. With Daniel Johnston’s Hi, (cid:15)(cid:26)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:1)(cid:16)(cid:25)(cid:29)(cid:21)(cid:24)(cid:26)(cid:27)(cid:21)(cid:1)(cid:18)(cid:15)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:16)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:6)(cid:6)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:8)(cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:17)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:4) How Are You Project Foundation, we raised over $50,000 from collaboration projects. In the last year alone, we raised $200,000 with the Central Texas Food Bank. Just last week, we raised $15,000 for the Food Bank. We also support many local community initiatives by fundraising/donating skateboards and shoes to individuals in need in our community. Simultaneously, we have been an employer of a great number of Austin youth, an employer of many Austin adults paying competitive, livable wages with benefits, and built not just customer relationships, but generations of community relationships. All of this success is directly related not just to who we are and what we do, but where we are located. Both literally and metaphorically, we are at the heart of our community. We are writing you to today requesting you ensure we are able to remain in this location where we can continue to partner with our neighbors and have a positive impact on our diverse community. If you visit No Comply—and we sincerely hope you will—you’ll witness a cross-section of our Austin—parents and children, people of color and members of the LGBQT+ community, skaters from different variations, and members of every socio-economic strata. You may see Matthew McConaughey or Dave Chappelle, tenured UT professors or the founders of Austin FC. You will see a robust and exceedingly diverse community brought together by a single shared interest, an interest that cultivates inclusivity, resilience, self-reliance, discipline, and creativity. Members of our community can buy their equipment, clothes, and shoes online, but in a society that is increasingly divided and isolated, the people who come to No Comply do so because it holds a crucial place in their community. We are a meeting place, an art gallery, a music venue, and so much more. Throughout history, our building has been a women’s clothing store and a soda fountain, a place that provided goods and service, but also a place to gather and engage. We are continuing this vital tradition, and we want to stay where we are as long as you’ll allow. We have been here for 14 years, as a community steward and beacon of local business in Austin, and we are asking you, with deep gratitude, sincere hope, and complete humility, to let us stay in what has become our home. Thank you for your service to the community, Elias Bingham Owner No-Comply skate shop (cid:15)(cid:26)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:1)(cid:16)(cid:25)(cid:29)(cid:21)(cid:24)(cid:26)(cid:27)(cid:21)(cid:1)(cid:18)(cid:15)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:16)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:6)(cid:6)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:8)(cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:17)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:4) Chase Hawk X Games BMX Gold Medalist Alejandro Rose-Garcia aka Shakey Graves Bret Johnston Director, James A. Michener Center for Writers The University of Texas at Austin Terry Lickona Producer, Austin City Limits Dr. Ray Buchanan Associate Professor The University of Texas at Austin Joah Spearman Founder & CEO, Localeur.com Michael Sieben Managing Editor of Thrasher Magazine Co-owner of Roger Skate Co. Tom Gimbel Co-Founder, Hi, How Are You Project GM, Austin City Limits Enterprises Leslie Moore Owner, Word of Mouth Catering Philip Speer Chef/Owner, Comedor Brett Stiles Owner, Stiles Design Michael Fojtasek Chef/Owner, Olamaie, Little Ola’s Biscuits Jamund Washington TV & Film Producer/Director HBO & Showtime Megan Niles Health & Fitness Coach (cid:15)(cid:26)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:19)(cid:23)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:1)(cid:16)(cid:25)(cid:29)(cid:21)(cid:24)(cid:26)(cid:27)(cid:21)(cid:1)(cid:18)(cid:15)(cid:11)(cid:1)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:6)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:16)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:6)(cid:6)(cid:12)(cid:12)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:14)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:6)(cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:8)(cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:17)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:4) Brandon Hunt Co-Founder, Via313 Pizza Angélica Rahe Artist / Musician Darren Griffin Head of Membership & Communications Soho House Austin Nolan Green Owner, Machine Head Coffee Sarah Boyd Jessica Collins Rebecca Dreiling Timothy Kerr Scott & Brooke McMillan Chris Oberdorfer Daniel Ohly Alexis Sanford (cid:4)(cid:20)(cid:26)(cid:19)(cid:13)(cid:14)(cid:23)(cid:2)(cid:1)(cid:10)(cid:21)(cid:20)(cid:25)(cid:1)(cid:6)(cid:19)(cid:22)(cid:26)(cid:17)(cid:23)(cid:28) Jake Schneider (cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:27)(cid:17)(cid:24)(cid:20)(cid:23) Lani Thomison Mary Murphy (cid:5)(cid:14)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:1)(cid:20)(cid:15)(cid:1)(cid:8)(cid:21)(cid:14)(cid:23)(cid:12)(cid:25)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:24)(cid:2)(cid:1)(cid:7)(cid:26)(cid:24)(cid:14)(cid:26)(cid:18)(cid:1)(cid:20)(cid:15)(cid:1)(cid:11)(cid:16)(cid:14)(cid:1)(cid:4)(cid:26)(cid:25)(cid:26)(cid:23)(cid:14)(cid:1)(cid:9)(cid:23)(cid:14)(cid:24)(cid:14)(cid:19)(cid:25) (cid:16)(cid:27)(cid:21)(cid:29)(cid:20)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:26)(cid:1)(cid:17)(cid:26)(cid:30)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:27)(cid:28)(cid:22)(cid:1)(cid:19)(cid:16)(cid:12)(cid:1)(cid:8)(cid:17)(cid:6)(cid:18)(cid:6)(cid:15)(cid:4)(cid:7)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:17)(cid:18)(cid:2)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:10)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:13)(cid:5)(cid:13)(cid:16)(cid:2)(cid:13)(cid:4)(cid:17)(cid:11)(cid:6)(cid:11)(cid:16)(cid:3)(cid:8)(cid:16)(cid:8)(cid:14) Lars Frazer Cristina Fisher Pace Davis Jason Neff Rachel Schoening Laura Davis Rashanna Moss Anne-Marie Griger Brandy Joy Smith