HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS JULY 3, 2024 HR-2024-048021 1519 ALAMEDA DRIVE TRAVIS HEIGHTS-FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 7 – 1 PROPOSAL Construct a new house and pool. PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS The proposed new house is three stories tall, with a habitable basement and garage beneath the two main floors. Materials include concrete and stucco with vertical wood accents; alternately, vertical seamed metal and stone are proposed as accents. The proposed building comprises three rectangular masses with flat roofs of varying heights. Fenestration includes undivided corner and vertical windows, a front-facing garage, and an obscured front door atop a walled staircase. DESIGN STANDARDS The City of Austin’s Historic Design Standards (March 2021) are based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and are used to evaluate projects in National Register districts. The following standards apply to the proposed project: Residential new construction 1. Location The proposed building appears appropriately sited. 2. Orientation The proposed building is oriented toward the street. The front-facing garage at the front of the building is not compatible with the standards. 3. Scale, massing, and height The proposed building’s scale and height exceed those of nearby contributing buildings, and its massing is more complicated. Wall-plane offsets are used to reduce its monumentality when viewed from the street. 4. Proportions The proposed building’s proportions are not compatible with the surrounding historic district. 5. Design and style Though the proposed building is internally consistent in design and style, it does not appear to reflect the design or style of the surrounding district. 6. Roofs The proposed flat roofs do not reflect the roof styles of surrounding contributing buildings. 7. Exterior walls The proposed wood and stucco materials are mostly compatible; stone and metal options are less compatible. 8. Windows and doors The proposed fenestration does not reflect the fenestration styles present in surrounding contributing buildings. 11. Attached garages and carports See 2. Summary The project does not meet most of the applicable standards. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK Use dark colors to disguise massing and scale. Do not use option with wood siding. Ensure the garage blends. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Comment on plans. 7 – 2 LOCATION MAP 7 – 3
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS AUGUST 7, 2024 HR-2024-072700 TRAVIS HEIGHTS-FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 707 EAST MONROE STREET 24 – 1 PROPOSAL Construct an ADU at rear of property. PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Construct a two-story accessory dwelling unit on the site of a previously permitted and demolished carport at the rear of the property. ADU is proposed to be 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, with a garage facing the existing side driveway. Two exterior doors, one adjacent to the garage and one to the side under a second-floor porch, provide access. Several large windows appear at the north and west elevations, which are viewed as the front of the ADU. In addition to the second-floor side porch, the exterior walls feature awnings over all windows. Roof is to be hipped and set at a moderate pitch. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Two-story craftsman house with porch at one front corner and a front gable facing the street at the other. Second floor was built as an addition to the rear of the property. Windows are in good condition and the screens appear to be original. The main roof is a large side gable that creates a good amount of height to the house, which is set slightly above the street elevation. Siding appears to be asbestos or similar, and the house is raised on piers with a vented crawlspace. The house at 707 East Monroe Street was constructed around 1941 as part of the development of south Austin that was occurring throughout the area at the time. The building was first owned by Cecil & Minnie Warren. Mr. Warren worked as a porter, then as a chef, at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel on Congress Avenue. Mrs. Warren lost a brother in World War II, off the coast of France. As of 1947, the house was owned by Mrs. Ruth Phelps, who worked as a stenographer at the Texas State Board of Embalming. After another ownership change, the house was bought by Frank & Madie Tisdale, who lived there for several years, with their daughter eventually marrying and moving in 1955 to Japan with her children to join her husband, who was serving overseas. DESIGN STANDARDS The City of Austin’s Historic Design Standards (March 2021) are based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and are used to evaluate projects in National Register districts. The following standards apply to …
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS AUGUST 7, 2024 PR-2024-071202; GF-2024-086393 OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 1106 ENFIELD ROAD 25 – 1 PROPOSAL Demolish a ca. 1926 house. ARCHITECTURE The house at 1106 Enfield Road is a two-story eclectic Mission Revival house with troweled stucco cladding, multi-light casement windows, a compound flat and gabled roof covered in red clay tile, and decorative details including a tapered stucco chimney and arched gateway. Landscape features include an arched limestone bridge and limestone retaining walls. RESEARCH The house at 1106 Enfield Road, originally addressed as 6 Enfield Road as part of the Pease estate was subdivided, was constructed between 1924 and 1926. Its first occupants were realtor John Brizendine Riley, his wife, Texann, and their two children. Riley, who originally worked for the Stacy Realty Company, was appointed as sales agent of the new Pemberton Heights neighborhood by the Austin Development Corporation in 1927. By the early 1930s, the Rileys had sold the home to Jake J. Hendricks and his family. Hendricks worked for the Texas Department of Education as the chief of the textbook division. Son George Hendricks also went into education, becoming a junior high school teacher and author of at least one book on Texas history. During the 1950s and 1960s, the home was owned by the Coughran family. Walter E. Coughran was a salesman with the Higginbotham Baily Company, a wholesale dry-goods firm. After around 1966, the property was purchased by the City of Austin in preparation for a new crosstown expressway; however, the roadway was never constructed. Instead, the City began leasing out the home. Most renters were short-term, and included politician Terence O’Rourke and multiple University of Texas professors. PROPERTY EVALUATION The property contributes to the Old West Austin National Register district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain moderate integrity. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it may meet two criteria for landmark designation: a. Architecture. The building is constructed with an eclectic combination of Spanish Revival and Mission Revival b. Historical association. The property is associated with realtor John Brizendine Riley, though he only lived in c. Archaeology. The property was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human influences. the home …
Historic Land Commission 1106 Enfield Road August 7, 2024 Ricca Keepers Demolition Request Subject property is 1106 Enfield Road which we are asking to demolish • Owner Dr. Caryn Carlson has been a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas for many years • Roof leak/damage, with internal water damage, e.g., paint peeling, mildew and possible mold on walls • Main supporting beam is rotten • A/C not functioning Rear-yard Home was built in 1925 • Fence in backyard has fallen • Sewage line exposed in down backyard • Water leak inside the house with extensive ceiling and beam damage Rear External broken/peeling masonry, very large parts of the external stucco have fallen off the walls Internal walls have extensive cracks Cracks on external concrete/tiles and internal tiles indicating foundation problems Outdated electrical wiring (knob and tube) Galvanized pipes throughout the house Side of House Framing and Structural Concerns Framing and Structural Concerns Framing and Structural Concerns Thank you!
Steering Committee Members: Christopher Hurst AIA, Chair Paula Hern, Meghan Yancy, Claudette Kazzoun, Rob Kish, Steve Amos, Germaine Curry, Margaret Sullivan, William Osborn, David Schofman, Shawn Shillington, Erika Tatum August 1, 2024 Dear Chair Heimsath and Historic Landmark Commissioners, The Old West Austin Neighborhood Association, OWANA, Zoning Committee has voted to oppose the purposed demolition of 1106 Enfield Road. The sole purpose of the demolition, like the zoning change, is to hopefully increase the marketability of the property. Chapter 25-11, Article 4 Section J of the COA Land Development Code states: The building official may not release a demolition or relocation permit for a building or structure deemed contributing to a National Register Historic District or a historic area (HD) combining district until the Commission has reviewed and made recommendations on the application for a building permit for the site, unless the building official determines that demolition or relocation is necessary for reasons related to public safety. Plans for new development have always been a requirement for demolition of a contributing structure. There are no plans or drawings to accompany this demolition and its sole purpose is for speculative sale of the land. The property was listed for sale last January 2023 and delisted for lack of offers in July 2023. Since its rezoning the last two contracts on the property were for single family use and both declined to follow through as the price was not feasible. The rezoning was in vain and we suggest the proposed demolition is in vain. The house has been vacant for more than a year. OWANA does not support demolition based solely on financial hardship. The Zoning Committee reminds the City of Austin that re-zoning this property did not guarantee its sale. The current real estate market has slowed due to rising interest rates. There are other MF properties for sale in our neighborhood that have been on the market for a while and are not selling due to the current market conditions and desired sale prices. Additionally, the sale of this property is complicated by its location on Enfield Road. Access to the property is on a sloped, curved, one-way section of Enfield Road that neighbors find dangerous. Because of this, nearby neighbors oppose any redevelopment without seeing plans or drawings. Please oppose the demolition of 1106 Enfield Road. OWANA does not want to set a precedent of up- zoning based on …
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS AUGUST 7, 2024 PR-2024-077690; GF-2024-086395 OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 1508 B PEASE ROAD 26 – 1 Demolish a ca. 1947 contributing garage apartment. PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Two-story garage apartment with pyramidal hipped roof, double bay doors at first floor, horizontal siding, and 6:6 wood windows. The apartment at 1508 B Pease Rd. Unit B was constructed in 1947 by Mike and Ethel Balagia, who lived in the main house on the property, as a rental unit. Residents of 1508 B Pease Rd. included teachers, draftsmen and engineers, a pharmacist, and a clerk. Mike Balagia worked as a butcher, a grocery store owner, and a clerk for the Adjutant General. PROPERTY EVALUATION The property contributes to the Old West Austin National Register district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high integrity. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it does not meet two criteria for landmark designation: a. Architecture. The building does not appear to convey architectural significance. b. Historical association. The property does not appear to have significant historical associations. c. Archaeology. The property was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. d. Community value. The property does not possess a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, the neighborhood, or a particular demographic group. e. Landscape feature. The property is not a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Release the demolition permit upon completion of a City of Austin Documentation Package. New construction in National Register districts must be reviewed by the Historic Landmark Commission before the permit may be pulled. LOCATION MAP 26 – 2 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 26 – 3 26 – 4 Demolition permit application, 2024 Occupancy History City Directory Research, July 2024 1992 Unit A: Joseph G. Staffel, renter - Student Unit B: Susan E. Kimbrough, renter 1984 1508 Pease Rd: Gaylord Armstrong, renter 1508 ½ Pease Rd: Emily L. Thigpen, renter 1981 1508 Pease Rd: Mrs. Ethel B. Balagia, owner – Retired 1508 ½ Pease Rd: Nancy Glass - Employee at Austin Community College …
Austin Property Inspections PO Box 92015 Austin, Texas 78709 512.848.3523 gary@austinpropertyinspections.com PROPERTY INSPECTION REPORT Jennifer Hanlen (Name of Client) 1508 Pease Road, Unit B, Austin, Texas 78703 (Address or Other Identification of Inspected Property) Gary Hart TREC# 7396 mb.#512.848.3523 7/25/2024 (Name and License Number of Inspector) (Name, License Number and Signature of Sponsoring Inspector, if required) (Date) Prepared For: Concerning: By: This property inspection report may include an inspection agreement (contract), addenda, and other information related to property conditions. If any item or comment is unclear, you should ask the inspector to clarify the findings. It is important that you carefully read ALL of this information. This inspection is subject to the rules (“Rules”) of the Texas Real Estate Commission (“TREC”), which can be found at www.trec.state.tx.us. The TREC Standards of Practice (Sections 535.227-535.231 of the Rules) are the minimum standards for inspections by TREC-licensed inspectors. An inspection addresses only those components and conditions that are present, visible, and accessible at the time of the inspection. While there may be other parts, components or systems present, only those items specifically noted as being inspected were inspected. The inspector is not required to move furnishings or stored items. The inspection report may address issues that are code-based or may refer to a particular code; however, this is NOT a code compliance inspection and does NOT verify compliance with manufacturer’s installation instructions. The inspection does NOT imply insurability or warrantability of the structure or its components. Although some safety issues may be addressed in this report, this inspection is NOT a safety/code inspection, and the inspector is NOT required to identify all potential hazards. In this report, the inspector will note which systems and components were Inspected (I), Not Inspected (NI), Not Present (NP), and/or Deficient (D). General deficiencies include inoperability, material distress, water penetration, damage, deterioration, missing parts, and unsuitable installation. Comments may be provided by the inspector whether or not an item is deemed deficient. The inspector is not required to prioritize or emphasize the importance of one deficiency over another. Some items reported as Deficient may be considered life-safety upgrades to the property. For more information, refer to Texas Real Estate Consumer Notice Concerning Recognized Hazards, form OP-I. This property inspection is not an exhaustive inspection of the structure, systems, or components. The inspection may not reveal all deficiencies. A real estate inspection helps to reduce some of the …
From: To: Subject: Date: Historic Preservation Office The proposed demo at 1508 Pease Rd. Saturday, July 27, 2024 3:07:37 PM [You don't often get email from https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification ] Learn why this is important at External Email - Exercise Caution Dear Sam, We oppose yet another destruction of a home in our historic neighborhood. There is one every six months, ruining the fiber and beauty of our streets and Changing modest large homes , to insane mansions, that greedily take up all the yard area and build big walls around themselves. Please stop this before we are an ugly Dallas or Houston! Thank you, Sheila Fleming and Family 1500 West Lynn 110 Austin tx78703 Sent from my iPad CAUTION: This is an EXTERNAL email. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious or phishing email, please report it using the "Report Message" button in Outlook. For any additional questions or concerns, contact CSIRT at "cybersecurity@austintexas.gov".
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS AUGUST 7, 2024 PR-2024-081374; GF-2024-086399 OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT 3411 HAPPY HOLLOW LANE 27 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE Demolish a contributing garage in a historic district. Main house is a single-story, symmetrical house with Colonial Revival influences. The front gabled entry is bracketed by two narrow columns on each side, with four shuttered windows filling out the front of the house. The contributing garage is located to the right and behind the house where the driveway terminates. It is a wood-frame, single-bay structure with an attached storage space. Whereas the main house is clad in stucco, the garage is covered in wood siding painted to match. RESEARCH Originally occupied by the Smith family, the property at 2411 Happy Hollow Lane has limited listings in local news sources, as well as in fire insurance maps and other historical documents. According to the National Register nomination, the house was built in 1938 and has had minimal alteration over time. The garage appears to have been slightly altered with the attached storage space, but apart from that only minor repairs or upkeep has been done. PROPERTY EVALUATION The property contributes to the Old West Austin National Register district. Designation Criteria—Historic Landmark 1) The building is more than 50 years old. 2) The building appears to retain high integrity. 3) Properties must meet two criteria for landmark designation (LDC §25-2-352). Staff has evaluated the property and determined that it does not meet two criteria for landmark designation: a. Architecture. The building is a good example of Colonial Revival architecture in the district and in Austin. b. Historical association. The property does not appear to have significant historical associations. c. Archaeology. The property was not evaluated for its potential to yield significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. d. Community value. The property does not possess a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, the neighborhood, or a particular demographic group. e. Landscape feature. The property is not a significant natural or designed landscape with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Approve the demolition. LOCATION MAP 27 – 2 PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos 27 – 3 Demolition application, 2024
From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Historic Preservation Office Fahnestock, Sam PR-2024-081374 GF-2024-086399 3411 Happy Hollow Lane Thursday, August 1, 2024 12:30:51 PM External Email - Exercise Caution To the Historic Landmark Commission Liaison, Re: Review Case Number: PR-2024-081374; GF-2024-086399 for 3411 Happy Hollow Lane This is a response to the notification I received from the City of Austin: I am in favor of the Argust/Rowan’s request to demolish their deteriorating garage. I understand the garage will be replaced by another that will be in character with the house, a contributor to the Old West Austin National Historic District. Thank you, Joyce Basciano 1907 W 34th Street Austin, TX 78703 CAUTION: This is an EXTERNAL email. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious or phishing email, please report it using the "Report Message" button in Outlook. For any additional questions or concerns, contact CSIRT at "cybersecurity@austintexas.gov".
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS AUGUST 7, 2024 PR-2024- 046875; GF-2024-058073 10413 SOUTH INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 35 28 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Demolish a ca. 1940 house and outbuilding, one ca. 1910 house and outbuilding moved onto the lot in the 1950s, and a ca. 1994 log cabin with various non-historic outbuildings within the bounds of Slaughter Creek Neighborhood Park. The oldest building on the property is a one-story house with an uncommon cross-hipped roof clad in corrugated metal; various historic-era additions have been constructed over the years. It is clad in horizontal wood siding with 2:2 and 1:1 wood windows and several vinyl replacement windows. According to historic aerials and research by PARD, the building appears to have been moved onto the lot during the 1950s and used as a residence by the farm manager. The ca. 1940 house is a rustic Ranch-style dwelling with 6:6 wood windows, an integral covered carport, and a cross-gabled roofline. It is clad in vertical unpainted cedar siding. Its associated outbuilding is a long horizontal structure clad in matching cedar siding with a stone veneer water table and aluminum windows; this structure appears to be a repurposed agricultural building. A secondary barn has since been demolished. The property at 10413 South Interstate Highway 35 was once a rural farmstead on Slaughter Creek owned by the Carrington family. Joe C. Carrington, Sr., was a civic leader whose many occupations included insurance sales and farming. He used the property along Slaughter Creek as grazeland, though he did not reside on the property. He also served as a state senator, president of the Chamber of Commerce, and head of the state prison board. The 117-acre Slaughter Creek farm, acquired by Carrington in 1937,1 appears to have been used not only as agricultural land but also as a gathering space for various organizations; both Joe C. Carrington, Sr. and Dr. Joe C. Carrington, Jr. were leaders in the Boy Scouts of America2. Bettie Jean Bunnell Carrington was born in Graham and raised by her father, County Sheriff Bert Bunnell. She was a talented pianist who received her BA in Music Education from TCU in 1954. She began a 26-year teaching career shortly after graduation while she raised her young children alongside her first husband. Carrington earned her Master of Educational Psychology degree before moving her family to Austin in 1966, where she worked for the …
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS AUGUST 7, 2024 PR-2024-021145; GF-2024-043942 7304-06 KNOX LANE 30 – 1 PROPOSAL ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH Relocate an early twentieth century house with 1940s vernacular additions to a lot outside the city limits. The building at 7304 Knox Lane is an eclectic house with early Ranch and vernacular stylistic influences applied to what appears to be an early-twentieth-century vernacular farmhouse. It is one and one-half stories in height, with an L-shaped plan and intersecting partial-width porches. Its compound roofline features deep eaves with cedar shakes at gable ends. Fenestration includes 8:8 wood windows of varying dimensions. The house at Knox Lane and Running Rope Lane, known as 7304 or 7306 Knox, appears to have been constructed in the early twentieth century and augmented heavily by the Knox family in the 1940s. The land was purchased in the 1930s by Mary Lou and Warren Penn Knox. W. P. Knox, the district commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America, turned the property into a day camp for boys called Running Rope Ranch. Knox was a Vermont native who moved to Austin after World War I. After serving as an Army captain in World War II, he became involved in Central Texas outdoor youth activities, including work as the official operator of the Arrowhead Ranch Camp in Kerrville, before opening Running Rope Ranch in the 1940s. The ranch offered riding lessons, hiking and survival training, swimming in the spring-fed pool—the land boasted seven natural springs, which were later identified by Margaret Thomas Knox as a habitat of the threatened Jollyville Plateau salamander1—and other outdoorsmanship training. From 1959 to 1966, legendary Austin horsewoman Ginger Pool taught at the ranch.2 The Knox family operated the day camp for ten years. Knox, noted as “larger than life” in posthumous publications, had eclectic interests. He entertained his pupils by showcasing rope tricks he learned as a rodeo performer after WWI. He was a life member of the Marshall Ford Game Protective Association, volunteered on the Council of the Texas Confederate Home for Men, and taught Sunday school at University United Methodist Church. In later years, James and Margaret Thomas Knox and their children moved to the property. Margaret Knox, Captain W. P. Knox’s daughter-in-law, was the daughter of famed Austin architect Roy L. Thomas. She married aviator and P.O.W. James Knox in 1944. After he retired from the military, the couple moved …
From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Jack Richards Fahnestock, Sam RE: Knox Ranch Development in NW Hills Monday, June 24, 2024 3:35:06 PM You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important External Email - Exercise Caution Mr. Fahnestock- sign up for this? 1. Is there an upcoming hearing re this project? If so, I would like to attend by phone. Where can I 2. I would like my slightly amended comments to be substituted for my earlier email if possible. Please see below for the amended comments. 3. Will you discuss these questions with me? Possibly what I’m asking for is groundless. Possibly not. I would like the City of Austin to help me rather than a developer explaining the law to me, who obviously has a conflict of interest/is adverse to me on this issue. 4. Is the development plan approved, regardless of whether the home is designated “historic”? I was not given notice of this, or at least it’s been years since I received any notice. Thanks, Jack Richards Jack Richards | Shareholder | Trop, Pruner & Hu, P.C. | 512.517.6051 Patent Procurement, Litigation, and Counseling From: Fahnestock, Sam <Sam.Fahnestock@austintexas.gov> Sent: Monday, June 24, 2024 10:52 AM > To: Jack Richards < Cc: Subject: RE: Knox Ranch Development in NW Hills Hi Mr. Richards, Thank you for writing in – I understand your concerns. I will add your comments to backup for the case so the Commission may review them ahead of the next meeting, and they can take them into consideration when making their decision. You may wish to call the applicant to address your questions. You should have received a notice in the mail about the relocation of the house on the property if you live within 500 feet, which has their contact information on it, but here it is just in case: Ricca Keepers (512) 550-6508 Ricca is just the one relocating the existing house, but she may be able to put you in contact with the developer. I do not have their information, unfortunately, but I hope you’re able to get in contact with the right people to address these issues! Thank you, Sam Fahnestock Planner II | he/him City of Austin | Planning Department P: (512) 974-3393 E: sam.fahnestock@austintexas.gov 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, Austin, Texas > From: Jack Richards < Sent: Monday, June 24, 2024 8:50 AM To: Fahnestock, Sam …
From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Champe Fitzhugh Historic Preservation Office; Fahnestock, Sam Jack Richards; Knox Lane Development: July 3 Meeting Wednesday, June 26, 2024 1:38:18 PM Betsy Clements Some people who received this message don't often get email from is important . Learn why this External Email - Exercise Caution To whom it may concern: My name is Champe Fitzhugh, and I live with my wife and our 3 boys at 7221 Running Rope. We are directly across the street from the entrance to the short Knox Lane cul-de- sac which ends at the Knox property. At the July 3 meeting, it is my understanding that Mr. Jimmy Nassour intends to speak. Apparently Mr. Nassour represented that he has had several meetings with nearby residents regarding his plan to redevelop the historic Knox property. If that is the case, and I do not believe it is, those meetings did not involve us, despite our being directly impacted by the proposed plans. The development “plans” continue to experience mission creep. Mr. Nassour now apparently proposes 20 ADUs rather than the original single-family home project. Of course all of his plans have a single entrance and exit, one that involves traffic aimed directly at our home. There is no infrastructure to support the number of vehicles that would involve. There is no accounting for the environmental devastation such a development would entail. This is just a developer, with no regard for anything but his pocketbook, trying to take advantage of a situation. The Knox property is a historical feature of our neighborhood. It is a scarce natural water source for wildlife. It is a singular property in the City of Austin. Allowing someone to callously destroy that, with an indefinite plan, a single entrance and exit onto a quiet residential street (one that would have to provide for, conservatively, the comings and goings of 40 new vehicles) would be to completely disregard the neighborhoods, the citizens, and the many, many children who regularly ride their bikes up and down Running Rope, use it to walk to school (we have a group of about 9 children who walk to Doss every morning), and to permit the creation of health and safety hazards while allowing the destruction of natural resources. No one would benefit from this plan except for Mr. Nassour and his wealthy investors. There have not been ANY meetings regarding 20 ADUs. …
