B-05 and B-06 Letter of Recommendation, Gunter St project EMLK NPCT.pdf — original pdf

Backup

EMLK Contact Team Re: 1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter St. project Case NPA-2021-0015.01 Nov 19, 2021 Hello Planning Commission, City Council Members, Mayor Pro Tem and Mayor, The EMLK NPCT offers the following letter of recommendation regarding the potential rezoning & FLUM change of 1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter St. We have been excited to observe a tight knit group of neighbors who are self-organized, with the Springdale- Airport Neighborhood Association (SANA) offering support. As a very brief background, these properties are located at the intersection of two narrow, majority residential streets, Gunter and Munson, and just off of the busy Airport Rd. Recent new development has stressed the traffic and safety for walkers, drivers, and resident parking on Gunter. EMLK Contact Team voted unanimously against rezoning the properties at our Nov 15, 2021 meeting, please see neighbor concerns listed below. 10 neighbors, including multi-generation Austin families, attended our meeting and all were against the rezoning. Neighbor concerns that have not been sufficiently addressed: ● Vehicle access to a commercial property should be off of Airport, not off of the already stressed residential street, Gunter. There are code issues at the state level with this access, which the neighborhood needs City staff and the applicant to prioritize ways to fix. If access remains on Gunter, significant traffic & safety accommodations need to be made to improve safety, such as: onsite parking, residential permit parking on Gunter, speed bumps, or even making the street one way. ● The planned private use is atypical and not compatible with the residential character of the neighborhood. If the owner sells the property, the mixed use-commercial zoning could enable a busy business amongst this tight knight residential community. The neighbors are enthusiastic for development of SF-6 housing at this location. The planned use for the development has changed multiple times and is very atypical for this area- it is not true commercial, because it is expected to be used by partners of the company only, and it is not residential. The developer claims to have engaged multiple times with the neighbors but their efforts have been strained, and residents don’t feel that a good faith effort has been made to understand and respond to their needs. For the reasons above, we request that this application be denied. Thank you, Angela B Garza, Melonie House-Dixon, Dianna Dean, Alexandria Anderson, Nadia Barbot Co-Chairs, East MLK Neighborhood Plan Contact Team