B-03 (NPA-2020-0002.02 - Centro East; District 3).pdf — original pdf

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Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: East Cesar Chavez/Plaza Saltillo (TOD) Station Area Plan CASE#: NPA-2020-0002.02 PROJECT NAME: 6th & Onion (Zoning Case Name: Centro East) PC DATE: DATE FILED: July 31, 2020 (In-cycle) June 22, 2021 June 8, 2021 1501, 1509 E. 6th Street & 1510 E 5TH ST ADDRESS/ES: DISTRICT AREA: 3 SITE AREA: 1.362 acres OWNER/APPLICANT: Donald Reese, 6th & Onion East Master GP, LLP (6th & Onion East, LP) (6th & Onion East GP, LP) AGENT: Armbrust & Brown, PLLC (Michael J. Whellan) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith, Housing and Planning Dept. PHONE: (512) 974-2695 STAFF EMAIL: Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation From: Specific Regulating District (There is no proposed change to the future land use map. The applicant proposes to change the building height from 60 feet to 85 feet) Base District Zoning Change To: Specific Regulating District Related Zoning Case: C14-2021-0058 From: TOD-NP To: TOD-NP NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: East Cesar Chavez Plan adopted May 13, 1999. Plaza Saltillo (TOD) Station Area plan adopted December 11, 2008. 1 1 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: June 22, 2021 – (Recommendation pending) June 8, 2021 - Postponed to June 22, 2021 on the consent agenda at the request of staff. [A. Azhar – 1st; J. Mushtaler – 2nd] Vote: 11-0 [J. Shieh and Y. Flores absent]. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff supports the applicant’s request to increase the building height from a maximum of 60 feet to a maximum of 85 feet. If approved, the change will amend in the Plaza Saltillo Station Area (TOD) Plan document. There is no change to the future land use map. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: The proposed residential development, which includes affordable housing units, will provide additional housing choices to people in the planning area and the city. The property is located within the Plaza Saltillo Activity Center and is less than 500 feet south of E. 7th Street, which is an activity corridor. The property is near public transportation, numerous businesses and is located across the street from the Plaza Saltillo Station. Increased density is appropriate at this location. Below are sections from the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Plan: 1. Land Use, Zoning and Neighborhood Character Neighborhood Vision: The neighborhood envisions commercial corridors that are safe and pedestrian- friendly. These corridors should be mixed use residential, commercial and include civic elements. Mixed residential and retail uses, such as stores with residences above are encouraged. Development should be compatible with the existing neighborhood, economically and environmentally sustainable and conducive to a blend of vibrant economic activity and quality of life. The neighborhood envisions open spaces, plazas and market places that contribute to friendly street activity. Compatible development is desired to preserve the beauty of the neighborhood and should accommodate existing families. They would like the barrier effect of IH-35 reduced and stronger connections between the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood and downtown should be developed. The neighborhood will work to retain the history, culture and diversity of the neighborhood and provide visual landmarks to highlight the history and cultural heritage. Goal 1: Provide zoning for a mix of business and residential land uses in the commercial corridors and selected other commercial areas. Primary resources: City of Austin and Travis County Tax Appraisal District Objective 2: Encourage more retail and commercial services within walking distance of residents. 2 2 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Goal 2: Ensure that new structures and renovations are compatible with the existing neighborhood and protect homes from incompatible business or industry. Primary resources: City of Austin and public and private sectors Objective 1: Ensure that all new or redevelopment projects are compatible with the existing character of the area in scale, density, design, and parking. LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS EXISTING AND PROPOSED LAND USE ON THE PROPERTY Specific Regulating District - This map designation is intended for areas that have an adopted regulating plan. This district will be identified on the Future Land Use Map, but is not considered a typical land use category. The purpose of this designation is to make the user aware of the Regulating Plan and that it should be reviewed for development regulations. Approved Regulating Plans: 1. Plaza Saltillo TOD Station Area Plan 2. Martin Luther King (MLK) Boulevard TOD Station Area Plan 3. Lamar/Justin TOD Station Area Plan IMAGINE AUSTIN PLANNING PRINCIPLES 1. Create complete neighborhoods across Austin that provide a mix of housing types to suit a variety of household needs and incomes, offer a variety of transportation options, and have easy access to daily needs such as schools, retail, employment, community services, and parks and other recreation options. • The applicant proposes a residential development which includes affordable housing units. This property is being developed in conjunction with the property to the west of Onion Street which will have office and retail uses. The proposed residential units will provide additional housing to the city and the planning area. The property is located near public transportation and numerous businesses. 2. Support the development of compact and connected activity centers and corridors that are well-served by public transit and designed to promote walking and bicycling as a way of reducing household expenditures for housing and transportation. 3 3 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 • The property is located within the Plaza Saltillo Activity Center, directly north of the Plaza Saltillo Station and within 500 feet of the E. 7th Street, an activity corridor where mixed use developments are encouraged. The area is walkable and bikeable and has access to public transportation. 3. Protect neighborhood character by ensuring context-sensitive development and directing more intensive development to activity centers and corridors, redevelopment, and infill sites. • The property is located within the Plaza Saltillo activity center and less than 500 feet south of E. 7th Street, an activity corridor. 4. Expand the number and variety of housing choices throughout Austin to meet the financial and lifestyle needs of our diverse population. • The proposed residential development will expand the number and variety of housing choices. 5. Ensure harmonious transitions between adjacent land uses and development intensities. • The proposed development is appropriate in this location close to public transportation and across the street from the Plaza Saltillo station. 6. Protect Austin’s natural resources and environmental systems by limiting land use and transportation development over environmentally sensitive areas and preserve open space and protect the function of the resource. • The property is located within the Desired Development Zone. 7. Integrate and expand green infrastructure—preserves and parks, community gardens, trails, stream corridors, green streets, greenways, and the trails system—into the urban environment and transportation network. • The property is not proposed for a park use. 8. Protect, preserve and promote historically and culturally significant areas. • To staff’s knowledge there is no historic or cultural significance to the property. 9. Encourage active and healthy lifestyles by promoting walking and biking, healthy food choices, access to affordable healthcare, and to recreational opportunities. • The property is located in a walkable, bikeable area with good public transit access. 4 4 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 10. Expand the economic base, create job opportunities, and promote education to support a strong and adaptable workforce. • The proposed residential development could provide some job opportunities. 11. Sustain and grow Austin’s live music, festivals, theater, film, digital media, and new creative art forms. • The property is located near downtown which has numerous live music venues and where various multimedia festivals are held. 12. Provide public facilities and services that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease water and energy usage, increase waste diversion, ensure the health and safety of the public, and support compact, connected, and complete communities. • Not applicable because the proposed use is not a public facility or service. 5 5 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Proximity to Imagine Austin Activity Corridor and Activity Center 6 6 of 35B-3 Proximity to Parks Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 7 7 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Proximity to Public Transportation IMAGINE AUSTIN GROWTH CONCEPT MAP Definitions Neighborhood Centers - The smallest and least intense of the three mixed-use centers are neighborhood centers. As with the regional and town centers, neighborhood centers are walkable, bikable, and supported by transit. The greatest density of people and activities in neighborhood centers will likely be concentrated on several blocks or around one or two intersections. However, depending on localized conditions, different neighborhood centers can be very different places. If a neighborhood center is designated on an existing commercial area, such as a shopping center or mall, it could represent redevelopment or the addition of housing. A new neighborhood center may be focused on a dense, mixed-use core surrounded by a mix of housing. In other instances, new or redevelopment may occur incrementally and concentrate people and activities along several blocks or around one or two intersections. Neighborhood centers will be more locally focused than either a regional or a town center. Businesses and services—grocery and department stores, doctors and dentists, shops, branch libraries, dry cleaners, hair salons, schools, restaurants, and other small and local businesses—will generally serve the center and surrounding neighborhoods. Town Centers - Although less intense than regional centers, town centers are also where many people will live and work. Town centers will have large and small employers, although 8 8 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 fewer than in regional centers. These employers will have regional customer and employee bases, and provide goods and services for the center as well as the surrounding areas. The buildings found in a town center will range in size from one-to three-story houses, duplexes, townhouses, and rowhouses, to low-to midrise apartments, mixed use buildings, and office buildings. These centers will also be important hubs in the transit system. Job Centers - Job centers accommodate those businesses not well-suited for residential or environmentally- sensitive areas. These centers take advantage of existing transportation infrastructure such as arterial roadways, freeways, or the Austin-Bergstrom International airport. Job centers will mostly contain office parks, manufacturing, warehouses, logistics, and other businesses with similar demands and operating characteristics. They should nevertheless become more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, in part by better accommodating services for the people who work in those centers. While many of these centers are currently best served by car, the growth Concept map offers transportation choices such as light rail and bus rapid transit to increase commuter options. Corridors - Activity corridors have a dual nature. They are the connections that link activity centers and other key destinations to one another and allow people to travel throughout the city and region by bicycle, transit, or automobile. Corridors are also characterized by a variety of activities and types of buildings located along the roadway — shopping, restaurants and cafés, parks, schools, single-family houses, apartments, public buildings, houses of worship, mixed-use buildings, and offices. Along many corridors, there will be both large and small redevelopment sites. These redevelopment opportunities may be continuous along stretches of the corridor. There may also be a series of small neighborhood centers, connected by the roadway. Other corridors may have fewer redevelopment opportunities, but already have a mixture of uses, and could provide critical transportation connections. As a corridor evolves, sites that do not redevelop may transition from one use to another, such as a service station becoming a restaurant or a large retail space being divided into several storefronts. To improve mobility along an activity corridor, new and redevelopment should reduce per capita car use and increase walking, bicycling, and transit use. Intensity of land use should correspond to the availability of quality transit, public space, and walkable destinations. Site design should use building arrangement and open space to reduce walking distance to transit and destinations, achieve safety and comfort, and draw people outdoors. BACKGROUND: The plan amendment application was filed on July 31, 2020, which is in- cycle for neighborhood planning areas located on the east side of I.H.-35. The existing land use on the future land use map is Specific Regulating District. There is no proposed change to the future land use map. The proposed change is a request to increase the building height from 60 feet to a maximum of 85 feet. For more information on the proposed changes to the Plaza Saltillo (TOD) Regulating Plan, please see case report C14-2021-0058. 9 9 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Amendments to Station Area Plans located within a city council approved neighborhood plan must go through the plan amendment process. 25-2-766.23 AMENDMENTS TO STATION AREA PLAN. (A) Council may, by zoning ordinance, amend a station area plan at any time. (B) Amendments to a station area plan may be proposed by land owners not more than once each calendar year for each property owned. (C) For a station area plan that is within an adopted neighborhood plan area, an amendment to the station area plan must be reviewed and approved in accordance with the neighborhood plan amendment process established by council. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was held virtually on September 24, 2020. The recorded meeting can be found at this website: https://www.speakupaustin.org/npa. Approximately 442 meeting notices were mailed to people who own property or have utility accounts within 500 feet of the property, in addition to neighborhood groups and environmental organizations who requested notification for the area on the Community Registry. Four staff members attended the meeting, including Michael Whellan and Michael Gaudini, agents for the applicant, and four people associated with the applicant. Eight people from the neighborhood attended the meeting. After staff gave a brief presentation, Michael Whellan, one of the applicant’s agents, made a presentation with the following information: • We are proposing changes to the Plaza Saltillo Station Area Plan and the Regulating • Plan to increase the height to 85 feet. It would increase the FAR and trigger a requirement for long-term, income-restricted affordable housing units. • The project does not include Cisco’s property or the White Horse property. • We are not requesting additional height on the west side of the property. • The property is directly north of the Plaza Saltillo Station, which is at the heart of the plan, which is a unique opportunity to deliver on the Plaza Saltillo vision. • The Plaza Saltillo TOD has four design principles: o Greater density than community average o A mix of uses o Quality pedestrian environment o A defined center. • The plan calls for mixed use projects with increased housing and connectivity near especially near the train station. • We propose a robust mix of uses including residential, office, retail and restaurants where people can live, work, shop and socialize. (See presentation at the back of this report) • 10 10 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Q: Is it wise to increase building height to 85 feet where there is only one ingress/egress on E. 6th Street, which is a heavy pedestrian street? What about the southwest or northwest corner or Onion Street being utilized to some degree? A: We spoke to Austin Transportation Department about the possibility of a second driveway entrance and exit on E 5th Street, but they rejected that idea. We can continue to work with the City on this. Onion Street is a dedicated pedestrian walkway with no vehicular traffic allowed. The other concern is getting the driveway too close given the volume that is anticipated from the train station. Like I said, this is something we will need to work with the City on. Q: Why is this request being done through the plan amendment process and not the rezoning process? A: There is an ordinance that says the regulating plan amendment process is supposed to follow the plan amendment process rather than the rezoning process. The ordinance number is 20081211-082, but somehow this did not get into the City Code. Q: How does a 25-foot height increase contribute to your vision of transit supportive pedestrian and bike friendly project? A: It is right next to the train station. Capital Metro and Austin Transportation Department has done work on reverse commutes that uses access to the transit system to go out from the city core to work in offices, retail, hospital and the service industry. Having a mix of uses in one location reduces the number of trips that any person has to take by vehicle when you have all these uses on a single block. The focus has been on creating a mixed use environment and one that has more housing which the Strategic Housing Blueprint has identified as a real need, particularly for affordable housing. Q: If increasing height is to increase affordable units, then why not forgo your rooftop amenity space to meet the goal and it can be a better compromise height? A: This is a fair question. There is a possible alternative to use cement instead of wood to reduce the height to get below 85 feet. Q: If there is merit to increasing the building height, why not implement this change to additional lots that meets the same requirements as outlined for this development project? Why not just amend the plan? A: Staff’s response: To change the plan document would require City Council direction and action because it would require changes to the station area plan and the regulating plan which would be a significant change and would trigger an involved public engagement process. It’s not something staff can just do themselves. Q: You mentioned 25 affordable units could be added in this project. How many affordable units will be provided at the 60-foot height instead of going to the additional 85 feet? A: I don’t know exactly at this time, but we could have those numbers to you by the 8 pm meeting the ECC NPCT, but it would be at least half of the units. 11 11 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Q: This seems like a one-off, that you are amending the plan for one development? A: Because this is how the amendment process was set up if you want to amend the regulating plan to build something that is not currently allowed in the plan. CURE zoning was a way to do this, but that option does not exist anymore. Q: The Saltillo Plaza made has maintain a maximum building height of 60 feet. How is this project preserving the original vision of the district? A: The TOD principles that have been articulated includes an increase in residential uses which is precisely what we are doing, increasing height to add affordable units. You really can’t go much higher than this because of the International Building Code requirements it more difficult to build. CITY COUNCIL DATE: July 29, 2021 ACTION: 12 12 of 35B-3Summary Letter from Application Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 13 13 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 14 14 of 35B-3Letter of Recommendation from the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Plan Contact Team Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 15 15 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 16 16 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 17 17 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 18 18 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 19 19 of 35B-3 Amend the Base Maximum Building Heights Map in Station Area Plan from 60 ft. to 85 ft. Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 20 20 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 21 21 of 35B-3 Amend Base Maximum Building Height Map in the Regulating Plan from 60 ft. to 85 ft. Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 22 22 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 23 23 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 24 24 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Future Land Use Map Zoning Map 25 25 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Imagine Austin Growth Concept Map Activity Center and Corridor 26 26 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 Applicant’s Community Meeting Presentation on Sept. 24, 2020 27 27 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 28 28 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 29 29 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 30 30 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 31 31 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 32 32 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 33 33 of 35B-3 Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 34 34 of 35B-3Planning Commission: June 22, 2021 35 35 of 35B-3