B-12 (NPA-2021-0011.01 - MOD 53.5; District 4).pdf — original pdf

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Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET DATE FILED: March 11, 2021 (In-cycle) NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: North Loop CASE#: NPA-2021-0011.01 PROJECT NAME: MOD 53.5 PC DATE: February 8, 2022 December 14, 2021 ADDRESS/ES: 901, 903, 905 E. 53rd ½ Street DISTRICT AREA: 4 SITE AREA: 0.7481 OWNER/APPLICANT: Timmermann Properties and North Loop Rentals, LP AGENT: Land Use Solutions (Michele Haussmann) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith STAFF EMAIL: Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation PHONE: (512) 974-2695 From: Single Family Base District Zoning Change To: Mixed Use To: MF-2-NP, as amended Related Zoning Case: C14-2021-0034 From: SF-3-NP NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: May 23, 2002 CITY COUNCIL DATE: TBD PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: February 8, 2022 – ACTION: 1 1 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 December 14, 2021 – Postponed to February 8, 2022 on the consent agenda at the request of staff. [A. Azhar – 1st; R. Schneider – 2nd] Vote: 11-0 [P. Howard off the dais. J. Shieh absent]. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends an alternate land use of Multifamily Residential land use. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the Multifamily Residential land use instead of the applicant’s request for Mixed Use because the Multifamily Residential land use provides a transition between the Mixed Use land use and zoning to west of the property and the Single Family land use and zoning to the east. The three lots in this future land use map change encroaches into the residential area. Multifamily Residential land use is more appropriate in this situation. Below are Goals and Objectives from the North Loop Neighborhood Plan that supports this request. 2 2 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS EXISTING LAND USE ON THE PROPERTY Single family - Detached or two family residential uses at typical urban and/or suburban densities. Purpose 1. Preserve the land use pattern and future viability of existing neighborhoods; 2. Encourage new infill development that continues existing neighborhood patterns of development; and 3. Protect residential neighborhoods from incompatible business or industry and the loss of existing housing. Application 1. Existing single‐family areas should generally be designated as single family to preserve established neighborhoods; and 2. May include small lot options (Cottage, Urban Home, Small Lot Single Family) and two‐family residential options (Duplex, Secondary Apartment, Single Family Attached, Two‐Family Residential) in areas considered appropriate for this type of infill development. PROPOSED LAND USE ON THE PROPERTY Mixed Use - An area that is appropriate for a mix of residential and non‐residential uses. 3 3 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Purpose 1. Encourage more retail and commercial services within walking distance of residents; 2. Allow live‐work/flex space on existing commercially zoned land in the neighborhood; 3. Allow a mixture of complementary land use types, which may include housing, retail, offices, commercial services, and civic uses (with the exception of government offices) to encourage linking of trips; 4. Create viable development opportunities for underused center city sites; 5. Encourage the transition from non‐residential to residential uses; 6. Provide flexibility in land use standards to anticipate changes in the marketplace; 7. Create additional opportunities for the development of residential uses and affordable housing; and 8. Provide on‐street activity in commercial areas after 5 p.m. and built‐in customers for local businesses. Application 1. Allow mixed use development along major corridors and intersections; 2. Establish compatible mixed‐use corridors along the neighborhood’s edge 3. The neighborhood plan may further specify either the desired intensity of commercial uses (i.e. LR, GR, CS) or specific types of mixed use (i.e. Neighborhood Mixed Use Building, Neighborhood Urban Center, Mixed Use Combining District); 4. Mixed Use is generally not compatible with industrial development, however it may be combined with these uses to encourage an area to transition to a more complementary mix of development types; 5. The Mixed Use (MU) Combining District should be applied to existing residential uses to avoid creating or maintaining a non‐conforming use; and 6. Apply to areas where vertical mixed use development is encouraged such as Core Transit Corridors (CTC) and Future Core Transit Corridors. STAFF’S RECOMMENDED LAND USE ON THE PROPERTY 4 4 of 37B-12Multifamily Residential - Higher-density housing with 3 or more units on one lot. Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 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. Purpose 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. 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 13 dwelling unit condo development. The property is located less than 600 feet from Airport Boulevard which is an Activity Corridor and on the edge of the Highland Mall Station Activity Center. The property is near 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. • The property is located less than 600 feet from Airport Boulevard which is an Activity Corridor and on the edge of the Highland Mall Station Activity Center. The nearest public transportation is along Airport Boulevard. 3. Protect neighborhood character by ensuring context-sensitive development and directing more intensive development to activity centers and corridors, redevelopment, and infill sites. • The proposed development being near Airport Boulevard and the Highland Mall Station Activity Center is appropriate. 5 5 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 4. Expand the number and variety of housing choices throughout Austin to meet the financial and lifestyle needs of our diverse population. • The proposed 13 dwelling units will expand the housing choices in the neighborhood and in Austin. 5. Ensure harmonious transitions between adjacent land uses and development intensities. • Staff’s recommendation for Multifamily Residential land use provides a transition from the Mixed Use land use and commercial uses to the west and the Single Family land uses to the east. 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 not located in the Drinking Water Protection 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. 8. Protect, preserve and promote historically and culturally significant areas. • To staff’s knowledge there is no historic or cultural significance to this • Not applicable. 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 in a walkable and bikeable area near numerous businesses. 10. Expand the economic base, create job opportunities, and promote education to support a strong and adaptable workforce. • Not applicable. creative art forms. • Not applicable. 11. Sustain and grow Austin’s live music, festivals, theater, film, digital media, and new 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. 6 6 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Proximity to Imagine Austin Activity Centers and Corridors 7 7 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Proximity to Park Facilities 8 8 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Proximity to Public Transportation 9 9 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 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. Regional Centers - Regional centers are the most urban places in the region. These centers are and will become the retail, cultural, recreational, and entertainment destinations for Central Texas. These are the places where the greatest density of people and jobs and the tallest buildings in the region will be located. Housing in regional centers will mostly consist of low to high-rise apartments, mixed use buildings, row houses, and townhouses. However, other housing types, such as single-family units, may be included depending on the location and character of the center. The densities, buildings heights, and overall character of a center will depend on its location. 10 10 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 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 application was filed on March 11, 2021 which is considered in- cycle because staff extended the February open filing period by two weeks due to the winter storm. The applicant proposes to change the future land use map from Single Family to Mixed Use. Staff recommends Multifamily land use. The applicant proposes to change the zoning from SF-3-NP to MF-2-NP to build 13 for-sale condo units. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was virtually held on January 19, 2022. The recorded meeting can be found at https://www.speakupaustin.org/npa. Approximately 416 community meeting notices were mailed to people who rent or own property within 500 feet of the subject tract, in addition to neighborhood and environmental groups who requested notification for this area. Mark Walters and Maureen Meredith from 11 11 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 the Housing and Planning Department facilitated the meeting. Also in attendance were Michele Hausmann and Kayla Simon from Land Use Solutions, the applicant’s agents and four people from the neighborhood. After staff gave a brief presentation outlining the applicant’s plan amendment and zoning change requests, Michele Hausmann provided the following information. Her full presentation is at the back of this report. • Initial discussions with the North Loop Neighborhood Plan Contact Team started in March 2021. • October – November they amended zoning application from MF-6-NP to MF-2-NP and had a follow-up meeting with the North Loop NPCT. • Northwest of the property is Travis Flats a 146-unit multifamily project which also has an office building on that property. • Directly to the west of the property is Child Inc., which we met with. • To the north and east are single family homes. • The property is 0.75 acres, proposed for 13 for-sale urban infill homes. • Two bedrooms, 2.5 bath homes, with attached garage. • 1,500 – 1,600 square feet size on average • Three-stories at 34 feet in height. • The project is supported by the North Loop Neighborhood Plan Contact Team. Q: What assurances does the neighborhood have that the Timmermann’s don’t just turn around and sell the property for a completely different development? A: When we met with the North Loop NPCT our proposal was an MF-6-NP development which had 90 feet of height. What I proposed at that time was to limit it with a conditional overlay to an MF-3-NP district but when we redesigned the site we lost a unit and it was eventually reconfigure down to MF-2-NP. We worked with Christine Barton Holmes who is a site planner at the City and we got the development to fit within the MF-2-NP. The maximum height for MF-2-NP is 40 feet, but our development is 34 feet. We could add a conditional overlay limiting the units to 13 and the maximum height of 34 feet. Q: Will they have additional parking because the apartments on the Travis County property is a mess. There isn’t enough parking because people park all over the place and there is trash everywhere and they didn’t add pet waste stations, so I’m wondering if this development will follow suit. A: The units will each have their own two-car, full-size garages so we don’t anticipate any parking problems. I understand the Travis Flats development is new so maybe you are seeing people moving in and more people parking on the street, but I’m not quite sure what the issue is. Q: I’m concerned there is not enough infrastructure for this development. Our area is already burdened with traffic and there are no sidewalks in the area. A: Sidewalks will be building on E. 53rd ½ Street with this development. 12 12 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Q: Will there be visitor parking is it just for the residents or will there be a spot here or there where visitors park? A: There is one handicap parking space on the site, we are one space overparked. We will not ask for any parking reductions which we could qualify for because the property is in the urban core. There is no visitor parking on-site. Visitors could park in the garage of the units. Q: Will storm water be addressed? A: Yes, when the site plan is submitted we will need to meet all watershed storm water requirements and landscaping requirements, etc. 13 13 of 37B-12Applicant Summary Letter from Application Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 14 14 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 15 15 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 16 16 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 17 17 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 18 18 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 19 19 of 37B-12Letter of Recommendation from the Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 20 20 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Site 21 21 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 22 22 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 23 23 of 37B-12 Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 24 24 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 25 25 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 26 26 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Properties 901, 903 & 905 E. 53rd ½ Street 27 27 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 View northwest and north View north side of street 28 28 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Properties east of subject tracts Properties west of subject tracts 29 29 of 37B-12Applicant’s Presentation at the Jan. 19, 2022 Community Meeting Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 30 30 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 31 31 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 32 32 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 33 33 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 34 34 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 35 35 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 Correspondence Received 36 36 of 37B-12Planning Commission: February 8, 2022 37 37 of 37B-12