A1 Chair Cohen Request for Joint Meeting.pdf — original pdf
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From: Cohen, Jessica - BC <BC-Jessica.Cohen@austintexas.gov> Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2021 1:25 PM To: Alexander, Jason <Jason.Alexander@austintexas.gov>; Shaw, Todd - BC <BC- Todd.Shaw@austintexas.gov>; Ramirez, Nadia - BC <BC-Nadia.Ramirez@austintexas.gov> Cc: Lucas, Denise <Denise.Lucas@austintexas.gov>; Truelove, Rosie <Rosie.Truelove@austintexas.gov>; Moore, Andrew <Andrew.Moore@austintexas.gov>; Rivera, Andrew <Andrew.Rivera@austintexas.gov>; Ramirez, Elaine <Elaine.Ramirez@austintexas.gov>; Hawthorne, Melissa Whaley - BC <bc-MelissaWhaley.Hawthorne@austintexas.gov>; Kiolbassa, Jolene - BC <bc-Jolene.Kiolbassa@austintexas.gov>; Hempel, Claire - BC <BC- Claire.Hempel@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: Invitation to Meet, re: Permitting & Development Center Good Afternoon Mr. Alexander, I'm going to have to decline your invitation to tour the PDC. Like many of my fellow Austinites from district 3, leaving work to attend a meeting at noon on a weekday would require me to take PTO. Board members and commissioners already donate considerable time to serving their city and that time expenditure is tripled for those elected to serve as chair. With the holiday season almost upon us, it's not feasible for me at this time. I'd like to add that offering a tour of the facility, while a nice gesture, doesn't address our concerns about the lack of equity, accessibility, transparency, and public input the majority of us on the sovereign boards agree are significant problems with the proposed move. Instead, I propose a special called joint meeting of the Board of Adjustment, Planning Commission, and Zoning and Platting Commission at Austin City Hall. The week of November 29th is the fifth week of the month which should allow for easy booking of the main chamber in the evening. I believe it would be appropriate if the city manager, an ex-officio member of the Planning Commission like myself, were there to discuss the issues the PDC creates for holding hearings and meetings. Once you have a confirmed date, I'll work with our liaison to communicate time and agenda items with the BoA members. Respectfully, ---------- Jessica Cohen Chair Board of Adjustment From: Alexander, Jason <Jason.Alexander@austintexas.gov> Sent: Friday, November 12, 2021 3:08 PM To: Kiolbassa, Jolene - BC <bc-Jolene.Kiolbassa@austintexas.gov>; Shaw, Todd - BC <BC- Todd.Shaw@austintexas.gov>; Cohen, Jessica - BC <BC-Jessica.Cohen@austintexas.gov> Cc: Lucas, Denise <Denise.Lucas@austintexas.gov>; Truelove, Rosie <Rosie.Truelove@austintexas.gov>; Moore, Andrew <Andrew.Moore@austintexas.gov>; Rivera, Andrew <Andrew.Rivera@austintexas.gov> Subject: Invitation to Meet, re: Permitting & Development Center Chairs Kiolbassa, Shaw, and Cohen Good afternoon. I hope this email finds all of you well. My name is Jason Alexander – I am the Assistant to the City Manager, and I wanted to take this opportunity to reach out on behalf of our office and those of Denise Lucas and Rosie Truelove, Directors of the Development Services and Housing & Planning Departments, respectively. We have been made aware of your concerns related to the Manager’s decision to have all land use boards and commissions begin conducting meetings at the new Permitting & Development Center (PDC) starting in 2022. While this decision has been part of the new facility planning process for some time, we recognize we may not have communicated that approach as effectively with you as would be expected, and for that we apologize. In an effort to create a transition that is good and smooth for everyone, we would welcome and appreciate the opportunity to meet with you at the new site shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday. This would be an opportunity to visit with Development Services and Housing & Planning Department leadership, tour the facility and its amenities, and further discuss any concerns or questions you might have. We are proud of this new site and are excited to put it toward fruitful community use. Ideally, we would try to schedule this as a lunch meeting/tour. If you would be amenable to this, please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you, and hope you each have a pleasant weekend in the meantime. Sincerely, Jason Alexander Assistant to the City Manager City of Austin, Office of the City Manager 512 974 2306 | Jason.Alexander@austintexas.gov 301 W. 2nd Street, 3rd Floor | Austin, TX 78701 Jessica Cohen Boards and Commissions Scheduled Meeting Disclosure Information: Written disclosure is required by visitors when attending a scheduled meeting with a City Official regarding a municipal question for compensation on behalf of another person. Anyone scheduling or accepting a meeting invitation with a City Official must either acknowledge that the disclosure requirement does not apply or respond to the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BCVisitorLog IMPORTANT NOTICE: The City of Austin provides e-mail addresses for members of its boards and commissions for their use as board members. This address should not be used for private or personal messages. The views expressed in e-mail messages reflect the views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any board or commission of which the author may be a member. In particular, the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the City of Austin, or any of its departments, employees or officials. E-mail messages may be subject to required public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. Jolene Kiolbassa Boards and Commissions Scheduled Meeting Disclosure Information: Written disclosure is required by visitors when attending a scheduled meeting with a City Official regarding a municipal question for compensation on behalf of another person. Anyone scheduling or accepting a meeting invitation with a City Official must either acknowledge that the disclosure requirement does not apply or respond to the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BCVisitorLog IMPORTANT NOTICE: The City of Austin provides e-mail addresses for members of its boards and commissions for their use as board members. This address should not be used for private or personal messages. The views expressed in e-mail messages reflect the views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any board or commission of which the author may be a member. In particular, the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the City of Austin, or any of its departments, employees or officials. E-mail messages may be subject to required public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act.