B-01 (NPA-2020-0021.01 - Woodland on IH35, District 9).pdf — original pdf

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Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET 1829 S. IH-35 Service Road NB DATE FILED: July 7, 2020 (In-cycle) NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: East Riverside/Oltorf (Riverside) Combined CASE#: NPA-2020-0021.01 PROJECT NAME: Woodland on IH-35 PC DATE: August 10, 2021 October 13, 2020 ADDRESS/ES: DISTRICT AREA: 9 SITE AREA: 1.068 acres OWNER/APPLICANT: Woodland on IH35 Properties, LLC (Gopal Guthikonda) AGENT: Thrower Design (Ron Thrower & Victoria Haase) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith STAFF EMAIL: Maureen.meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation PHONE: (512) 974-2695 From: Commercial Base District Zoning Change To: Multifamily Residential Related Zoning Case: C14-2020-0075 From: GR-NP To: MF-6-NP NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: November 16, 2006 PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: August 10, 2021 – [action pending] October 13, 2020 – Approved the applicant’s request for an indefinite postponement on the consent agenda. [J. Thompson – 1st; A. Azar – 2nd] Vote: 12-0 [One vacancy] 1 1 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the applicant’s request for Multifamily Residential land use. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: Staff supports the applicant’s request for Multifamily Residential land use because the proposed multifamily development will provide housing choices for the City and the planning area. Multifamily land use is appropriate in this location along the frontage road of IH-35 with adjacency to commercial/office uses to the north and south and residential to the east. The following are sections of the East Riverside/Oltorf Combined Neighborhood Plan that staff believes supports the request: 2 2 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS EXISTING LAND USE ON THE PROPERTY Commercial -Lots or parcels containing retail sales, services, hotel/motels and all recreational services that are predominantly privately owned and operated for profit (for example, theaters and bowling alleys). Included are private institutional uses (convalescent homes and rest homes in which medical or surgical services are not a main function of the institution), but not hospitals. Purpose 1. Encourage employment centers, commercial activities, and other non‐ residential development to locate along major thoroughfares; and 2. Reserve limited areas for intense, auto‐oriented commercial uses that are generally not compatible with residential or mixed use environments. Application major highways; and 1. Focus the highest intensity commercial and industrial activities along freeways and 2. Should be used in areas with good transportation access such as frontage roads and arterial roadways, which are generally not suitable for residential development. PROPOSED LAND USE ON THE PROPERTY Multifamily Residential - Higher-density housing with 3 or more units on one lot. Purpose 1. Preserve existing multifamily and affordable housing; 2. Maintain and create affordable, safe, and well-managed rental housing; and 3. Make it possible for existing residents, both homeowners and renters, to continue to live in their neighborhoods. 4. Applied to existing or proposed mobile home parks. Application 1. Existing apartments should be designated as multifamily unless designated as mixed use; 2. Existing multifamily-zoned land should not be recommended for a less intense land use category, unless based on sound planning principles; and 3. Changing other land uses to multifamily should be encouraged on a case-by-case basis. 3 3 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 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 proposed development is a multifamily development with units to be offered for sale and 50% of the units priced at 80% MFI. The development will add housing units to the City and the planning area and should increase the variety and types of housing choices. The property is near commercial uses. 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. • The nearest public transportation is along Oltorf Street which is approximately ½ mile south of the property. The property being located along the frontage road of IH-35 is not a comfortable walking or biking environment. 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 not located on an activity corridor or within an activity center, but is located along the frontage road of IH-35 where a multifamily land use and development is compatible. 4. Expand the number and variety of housing choices throughout Austin to meet the financial and lifestyle needs of our diverse population. • The proposed multifamily development will expand the number and variety of housing choices. 5. Ensure harmonious transitions between adjacent land uses and development intensities. • Multifamily Residential land use is appropriate in this location along the frontage road of IH-35 with commercial and residential land uses adjacent to the property. 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 in the Desire 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 Heritage Oaks Neighborhood Park is located to the south of the property. 8. Protect, preserve and promote historically and culturally significant areas. 4 4 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 • 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 along the frontage road of IH-35, which is not a comfortable walkable or bikeable environment. 10. Expand the economic base, create job opportunities, and promote education to support a strong and adaptable workforce. • The proposed multifamily development could provide a limited number of jobs for the City and the planning area. 11. Sustain and grow Austin’s live music, festivals, theater, film, digital media, and new creative art forms. • The proposed development is near downtown and Riverside Drive where live music venues are located. 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. 5 5 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 Proximity to Imagine Austin Activity Centers and Corridors 6 6 of 28B-1 Proximity to Park Facilities Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 7 7 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 Proximity to Public Transportation 8 8 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 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 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 9 9 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 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 17, 2020, which is in- cycle for neighborhood planning areas located on the east side of IH-35. The applicant proposes to change the land use on the future land use map from Commercial to Multifamily Residential. The applicant proposes to change the zoning on the property from GR-NP to MF-6-NP to build a multifamily development. For more information on the proposed zoning, please see zoning case report for C14-2020-0075. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was held on September 15, 2020. Approximately 465 meeting notices were mailed to people with utility accounts (renters) and people who own property within 500 feet of the subject tract, in addition to neighborhood and environmental groups who requested notification for the area on the City’s Community Registry. Five city staff members attended the meeting, in addition to Victoria Haase and Ron Thrower, the applicant’s agents from Thrower Design, and fourteen people from the neighborhood. After city staff gave a brief presentation, Victoria Haase gave a presentation with the following information: • The property is located along IH-35. To the north of the property is Lady Bird Lake. The furthest major street to the south is Oltorf Street. • The property currently is designated for a Commercial on the future land use map. • The existing zoning is GR-NP which allows for a variety of Commercial Services today. • The request is to change the FLUM from Commercial to Multifamily • The zoning request is from GR-NP to MF-6-NP to build an apartment-style condominium development. The proposed height is 90 feet, which is the maximum allowed by the MF-6 zoning district. • We don’t have an absolute number on the dwelling units, but it will be a greater than 100 units and 50% of those will be affordable truly affordable per the City of Austin’s affordable housing program, which as not been established yet. 10 10 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 • • The property has access to I-35 from the service road only, there is no access currently to the neighborhood to the east and there isn't any proposed with this development. • There are vegetative buffers currently that separate the single-family neighborhood to the east from this subject tract. • Vegetative buffers will remain. Some may have to be removed temporarily to address infrastructure easements for utilities, but anything that is removed will be replaced to the greatest extent possible. More trees will be planted along portions of the eastern border to help with screening. To help with screening there will be no balconies or windows on the eastern facade that faces the single-family residences. Also, there will only be transom windows on the eastern façade to facilitate privacy. Transom window are for light only. • The conceptual building footprint shows some of the trees that are existing and plans for putting in some additional trees. There will be a privacy fence that will be as high as the city will allow without a variance. • The developers have added a mural leaf pattern on that eastern facade to blend in with the tree canopy. Q: Can we limit the stories in the apartment complex, so it won't loom over the houses? A: The development of the property just over an acre in size. With the number of affordable units proposed and the parking that would be required, 90 feet is what it will take to make this project work. Q: Will there be a fence between your property and the businesses to the north and south of your multifamily development? A: There are no plans for a fence along the northern property line because there is an access easement where no fences are allowed. There is also no plan for a fence along the southern property line. Q: Will there be a conditional overlay to restrict the height on the building? There doesn’t appear to be other 90-foot buildings overlooking residential neighborhoods along IH-35. A: As I mentioned earlier, we plan to use the full 90 feet allowed in the MF-6 zoning to make the project workable and to provide the affordable units. Affordability Unlocked doesn’t require the level of parking typically required in developments, but in today’s market, parking is important to be provided. Q: Will the owner apply for a variance or compatibility? A: Under Affordability Unlocked, compatibility standards are waived. Q: Is a TIA required? A: A TIA was not required at this point in the rezoning process because it didn’t trigger the having to do one, but at the site plan stage when the City has more details on the project, city staff will look at it again. I want to point out, again, that the property only has access to IH- 35 frontage road. 11 11 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 Q: Will the units be for sale or rent? Also, will Short-Term rentals be allowed? A: The units will be for sale. Short-Term rentals haven’t come up before. I believe that is something that can be prohibited. I’ll have to talk to our clients. Q: Has the owner developed other properties of this size? A: Yes, they have, and the current owner will also be the developer of this tract. Q: What is the estimated parking space-to-unit ratio? A: They plan to meet the LDC requirements for multifamily development once the final number of units is determined. Q: In your slide show it says there will be an 8-foot perimeter fence. A: That was a typo in the presentation. It will be a 7-foot perimeter fence, which is what the LDC would allow. Q: How many entrances will there be onto IH-35 frontage road? A: The City has requirements for driveway spacing and I don’t think this development meets the criteria to have two driveway access points. Also, because the property fronts onto IH-35, TXDOT will also be involved in the review process. Q: If the zoning is approved what is the timeline for development? A: Probably at least 18 months to two years. Q: How long would construction take? A: It would take 18 to 24 months to complete construction. Q: What properties has the owner previously developed? A: He has developed a 214-unit and a 209-unit development, but I don’t have the locations at this time. I’ll have to get back to you. Q: If the units are for sale, how will the affordability be done or how will it be recorded? A: The developer must partner with an affordable housing organization. Q: Do you know the prices of the units? A: At 80% MFI, a one-bedroom efficiency would be $157,000; two-bedroom would be $187,000; three-bedroom would be $197,000 and four-bedroom would be $217,000. There’s an affordability timeline, I believe it is 99 years for units for sale and 40 years for rental units. Q: Do you know approximate number of shortage of housing units in Austin and if this project might help correct that? A: I do not have current numbers for how much shortage of housing or affordable housing we have. I know we are behind the Strategic Housing Blueprint says the number of units we need. I don’t know the answer to this question. Q: Does the FAR of the project exceed the limits? 12 12 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 A: MF-6 does not have an FAR requirement and I don’t know what the proposed FAR is on this project. We are not that far along to know at this time. Also, Affordability Unlocked also waives FAR. Q: What happens if an owner of an affordable unit sales their condo? A: The affordability period is 99 years, so that unit could not sale for market rate before then. There will be a restrictive covenant in place that runs with the land to make sure that that happens. CITY COUNCIL DATE: Not scheduled at this time ACTION: 13 13 of 28B-1Applicant Summary Letter Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 14 14 of 28B-1Letter of Recommendation from the Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 From: Malcolm Yeatts Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2021 5:16 PM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov>; Clark, Kate <Kate.Clark@austintexas.gov> Subject: RE: EROC NPCT Rec?: NPA-2020-0021.01_1829 S. IH-35 SVRD NB *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** EROC has sent out an email Request for Vote for NPA-2020-0021.01. The email vote will close on Thursday August 5. I can have the results of the vote to you on the morning of Friday August 6. Malcolm Yeatts Chair, EROC Contact Team ************************ From: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2021 3:16 PM To: EROC NPCT Members Cc: Clark, Kate <Kate.Clark@austintexas.gov>; Victoria <Victoria@throwerdesign.com>; Ron Thrower <ront@throwerdesign.com> Subject: EROC NPCT Rec?: NPA-2020-0021.01_1829 S. IH-35 SVRD NB Dear EROC NPCT: The plan amendment (NPA-2020-0021.01) and zoning case (C14-2020-0075) for 1829 S. IH-35 SVRD NB are scheduled for the August 10, 2021 Planning Commission hearing date. If you would like your letter of recommendation added to staff case reports, please send it to me and Kate no later than Tuesday, August 3, 2021 by 4:30 pm which is when our reports are due. If we get the letter after that date and time, it will not be the staff reports but will be submitted as late back up for the Planning Commission hearing. Maureen Maureen Meredith, Senior Planner City of Austin, Housing & Planning Dept. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1088 Austin, Texas 78767 Phone: (512) 974-2695 Maureen.meredith@austintexas.gov 15 15 of 28B-1Site Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 16 16 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 17 17 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 18 18 of 28B-1 Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 19 19 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 20 20 of 28B-1 Applicant’s Presentation at the September 15, 2020 Community Meeting Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 21 21 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 22 22 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 23 23 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 24 24 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 25 25 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 Correspondence Received From: Lawrence Sunderland Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 3:17 PM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: 1829 S. IH-35 SVRD NB *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Plan Amendment Case #: NPA-2020-0021.01 Zoning Case #: C14-2020-0075 Property address: 1829 S. IH-35 SVRD NB I approve of this amendment. It conforms to the desires of the participants of the EROC Neighborhood Plan Adopted on 11/16/2006 Page 151: the majority of those questioned said new apartments, townhouses, and/or condominiums would be acceptable along major corridors. Larry -----Original Message----- From: David Todd Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2020 9:09 AM To: Clark, Kate <Kate.Clark@austintexas.gov> Cc: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: C14-2020-0075 Thanks for your response. In the future, I hope that the description of the proposed zoning change highlights the practical implications of the change, particularly the height change. I imagine that most people who got the mail-out were not aware of that. I was not. While I heartily support more high-density development along our heavy-traffic roads, such as IH-35, I think that they should not exceed 60' when they adjoin single-family dwellings. David 26 26 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 27 27 of 28B-1Planning Commission: August 10, 2021 -----Original Message----- From: David Todd Sent: Tuesday, August 3, 2021 9:26 AM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov>; Clark, Kate <Kate.Clark@austintexas.gov> Subject: Case NPA-2020-0021.01 *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** I support the proposed change of zoning from commercial to multi-family for Case C14-2020-0075, 1829 S IH 35 SVRD NB. Similarly, I support the proposed amendment of the neighborhood plan for the same property, as Case NPA-2020-0021.01. David Todd -- David Todd 1304 Mariposa Drive, #211 Austin, Texas 78704 512-416-0400 28 28 of 28B-1