B-07 (NPA-2021-0015.01 - Austin Sports Facility; District 3).pdf — original pdf

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Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: East MLK Combined (MLK) CASE#: NPA-2021-0015.01 PROJECT NAME: Austin Sports Facility PC DATE: April 12, 2022 February 22, 2022 February 8, 2022 January 11, 2022 December 14, 2021 DATE FILED: July 29, 2021 (In-cycle) ADDRESS/ES: 1138 ½ & 1140 Gunter Street DISTRICT AREA: 3 SITE AREA: 0.834 acres OWNER/APPLICANT: GSTF, LLC in care of Michael Orsak of 3 MP ENT AGENT: Brown & Ortiz P.C (c/o Caroline McDonald) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith, Housing and Planning Dept. (512) 974-2695 PHONE: STAFF EMAIL: Maureen.meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation From: Single Family Base District Zoning Change To: Mixed Use Related Zoning Case: C14-2021-0125 From: SF-3-NP NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: CITY COUNCIL DATE: ACTION: To: CS-MU-CO-NP November 7, 2002 1 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 Not scheduled at this time PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: April 12, 2022 – Pending. February 22, 2022 – After discussion, postponed to April 12, 2022. [G. Cox 1st; J. Mushtaler – 2nd] Vote: 7-5 [C. Hempel, J. Howard, J.P. Connolly, J. Thompson and A. Azhar voted nay. S.R. Praxis abstained]. February 8, 2022 – Postponed to February 22, 2022 on the consent agenda by the Planning Commission. [J. Shieh – 1st; G. Cox – 2nd] Vote: 11-0 [C. Hempel abstained from Items B-15 & B-16. S. R. Praxis absent]. January 11, 2022 – Postponed to February 3, 2022 on the consent agenda at the request of the neighborhood. [A. Azhar – 1st; J.P. Connally -2nd] Vote: 11-0 [C. Hempel abstained on Items B-4 and B-5]. December 14, 2021 – Postponed to January 11, 2022 on the consent agenda by the Planning Commission. [A. Azar – 1st; R. Schneider – 2nd] Vote: 11-0-1 [P. Howard off the dais. J. Shieh absent]. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: To approve the Applicant’s request for Mixed Use land use. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: Staff supports the applicant’s request for Mixed Use land use because the property has frontage along Gunter Street and along Airport Blvd. Airport Blvd is an Activity Corridor where Mixed Use land use is appropriate. The property is in the Oak Springs sub-area of the planning area. The plan supports mixed use along Airport Blvd. Sections from the East MLK Combined Neighborhood Plan: 2 2 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 3 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 3 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 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. 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 4 4 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 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. 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 CS-MU-CO-NP zoning would allow for residential, office, and retail uses. The property is near public transportation services and is within walking and biking distance to 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 has frontage along Airport Blvd which is an activity corridor and is located north of the Springdale Station activity center. There is public transportation in the vicinity and is considered a walkable and bikeable environment. 3. Protect neighborhood character by ensuring context-sensitive development and directing more intensive development to activity centers and corridors, redevelopment, and infill sites. • Mixed Use land use is appropriate in this location with frontage along Airport Blvd which is 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. 5 5 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 • The proposed zoning of CS-MU-CO-NP would allow for residential uses that could expand the number of housing choices in Austin. 5. Ensure harmonious transitions between adjacent land uses and development intensities. • The property has Mixed Use land use to the south and northwest of the property and there is Mixed Use land use to the west of the property along Airport Blvd. 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 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 within walking distance to Givens District Park, Oak Springs School Park and Springdale Neighborhood Park. 8. Protect, preserve and promote historically and culturally significant areas. • To staff’s knowledge there is no historic or cultural significance to this 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 bikable area with access to services. 10. Expand the economic base, create job opportunities, and promote education to support a strong and adaptable workforce. • The proposed CS-MU-CO-NP zoning could create jobs. 11. Sustain and grow Austin’s live music, festivals, theater, film, digital media, and new creative art forms. • Not applicable. • Not applicable. 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. 6 6 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 Proximity to Imagine Austin Activity Center and Corridor 7 7 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 Proximity to Parks 8 8 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 Proximity to Public Transportation 9 9 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 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. 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 10 10 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 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 July 29, 2021 which is in-cycle for neighborhood planning areas located on the east side if I.H.-35. The applicant proposes to change the future land use map (FLUM) from Commercial to Mixed use. The applicant proposes to change the zoning on the property from SF-3-NP to CS-MU-CO- NP for a private live/workspace with a gym, bowling alley, sauna and an office component. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was virtually held on September 15, 2021. The recorded meeting can be found at https://www.speakupaustin.org/npa. Approximately 432 community meeting notices were mailed to people who own property or rent within 500 feet of the property, in addition to neighborhood and environmental groups who requested notification for the area on the City’s Community Registry. After staff gave a brief presentation, Caroline McDonald, the applicant’s agent provided additional information. • The property was purchase by the owners earlier this year. They want to build a mixed-use project with an office on the first floor and a residential unit for the owner to stay if he works late. It will be a private office with private amenities, such as the gym, bowling alley and sauna. • Q: Is the proposed entrance going to be on Gunter Street or Airport Blvd? A: The proposed entrance will be on Gunter Street because there are issues with having the entrance on Airport Blvd because of driveway spacing issues and drainage issues. Also, Airport Blvd is a Texas Department of Transportation road and there are curb cut issues based on speed limits and that kind of criteria. Q: It’s still not clear regarding the private uses on the property. Is it just for one person to hang out? A: They owners are real estate developers so the office on the bottom will be for leisure activities, like a play area and if they are working late, they will need a place to stay so there will be a small residential component. 11 11 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 Q: How long do you expect the building construction to last? A: If we get the zoning done by the end of the year, it will probably take until the end of 2022 to go through the permitting process through the City of Austin, so that would put us at the end of 2022. I suspect it would take 6 – 8 months for construction. Q: How many people would be working there and how much traffic would it have? A: There are two people who work there. There will be a cleaning person who comes daily. It’s hard to predict how many clients they will have daily. Q: I’m still confused about the uses on the property. It says in the application the use is a proposed sports facility, but you say it’s going to be for only a few people. A: I apologize for the confusion. When we started the process in January the concept has changed. The initial intent was for the property to be primarily as a sports facility for the company; however, because of the location to the airport and to Airport Blvd, the owners thought it would be best to move their office here and to make it a component of the property. Q: Do you know if the property will be gated with signs telling people “Do Not Enter”? A: We don’t know yet. This is something we’re still exploring. Q: It seems like the use of the property is changing over time. I’m concerned that given the proposed zoning it could just become a commercial use like a bar or a club. A: For the use to become a bar or a club it would require another zoning change and a conditional use permit process. Also, part of our zoning request is a conditional overlay to prohibit some intense commercial uses as bail bonds and pawn shops. Q: There is a lot of on-street parking on Gunter Street from people who live in the apartment complex. It will be unsafe to add more traffic to Gunter Street. How many people will work there? A: I believe there wouldn’t be more than five to seven people working there, but there will be clients coming into the building. There will be plenty of parking on-site. Q: I’m still concerned that the uses on the property will change again. A: I will provide you my email so I can be a part of the neighborhood conversations. We can explore putting restrictions on the property so you can have some comfort in knowing what uses could be allowed. The property owner wants to be a good neighbor. Q: Can you tell us what features you will have that will help the neighborhood in that area? A: I can only address our property. If you want information on the broader area you will need to talk to the City. We are interested in meeting with the neighborhood to listen to your concerns. Q: Have the owners considered a name for the building? We would like them to consider naming it after a prominent person of color from our community. 12 12 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 A: We haven’t gotten that far in the process, but we would like to meet with the neighborhood to discuss further. Q: I need clarification of the getting the entrance off Airport Blvd instead of Gunter Street is essentially impossible or just difficult to have happen? A: The main reason we can have a driveway on Airport Blvd is a Land Development Code issue and not being able to satisfy the Code requirements. The Code effectively prohibits there being a driveway within certain distance of another driveway. It’s usually based on the amount of traffic on the street or the speed limit. There might be a possibility to get a variance, but I don’t know if the City or TXDOT would approve it. Q: Where is the company that owns the property based? I tried to Google the company and can’t even find website for their real estate company. A: They are a local company. I can get to you more information. Q: Have you looked at how the water on the property will flow? We’ve seen how some neighborhoods flood because of some of these developments. A: We are not at the stage of having technical details to know the complete understanding of how storm water will run from the property, but we will have water detention so there will be no change from existing conditions. A: Will there be noise after 9 p.m. and how tall will the buildings be? A: It will have typical office hours and will comply with all noise ordinances. The zoning district allows four-stories, but we are anticipating two-stories. Comments: • Our neighborhood’s biggest concerns are that we really don’t know what this place is going to be used for and how many people will work there. • We are concerned that the only entrance will be on Gunter Street where there are dangerous parking issues. We want the only entrance to be off Airport Blvd. • My family and I have lived on Munson Street over 60 years. There have been • numerous close car accidents at the intersection of Gunter Street and Munson Street. I’m concerned about the traffic, especially when there are school buses on the street. I don’t want to be combative, but I want the owner to know that if the entrance/exit cannot be moved to Airport Blvd I will fight this development. 13 13 of 33B-7Applicant Summary Letter from Application Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 14 14 of 33B-7Letter of Recommendation from the E. MLK Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 15 15 of 33B-7 Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 16 Site 16 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 17 17 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 18 18 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 19 19 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 20 20 of 33B-7Site Site Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 21 21 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 View north on Gunter St. View south on Gunter Street toward Airport Blvd 22 22 of 33B-7Applicant’s Presentation at the September 15, 2021 Community Meeting Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 23 23 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 24 24 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 25 25 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 Correspondence Received From: Matthew Wong Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2021 5:53 PM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: Gunter Rezoning Hearing *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Hi Maureen, I am Matthew Wong, a resident of the 1139 3/4 Gunter, Unit B. I have some serious concerns about the property across the street being rezoned for commercial use. The neighborhood is already loud. Inviting a commercial property that will have a bowling alley is a major concern for quietness. This is a residential neighborhood where families live. Rezoning this property creates huge risks around long term livability of this area and will negatively impact property values. Further, the traffic on Gunter is incredibly bad. Parking is already congested and cars race down Gunter and Munson. The traffic will get even worse with a commercial property unless it has an entrance off of Airport Blvd. The residents of the 1139 Gunter Units already have significant issues with traffic and parking and I want to make sure this was brought to your attention. Thank you, Matthew Wong From: Madhu Singh Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2021 2:56 PM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Cc: Caroline McDonald ; Chaffin, Heather <Heather.Chaffin@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: E MLK NPCT Rec? - NPA-2021-0015.01_1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter St *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Hi there, here is my letter--it's the same as my neighbor's :) To: Austin City Council We, the undersigned owners of property affected by the requested zoning change described in the referenced file, do hereby protest against any change of the Land Development Code 26 26 of 33B-7 which would zone the property to any classification other than SF-1-NP, SF-2-NP, SF-3-NP, SF-4 A/B-NP, SF-5-NP or SF-6-NP. Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 The community and property owners along Gunter and Munson have agreed that 1138 ½ & 1140 Gunter St. should remain residential. The property should serve and blend into the pre- existing neighborhood and should not create further noise/light pollution or traffic. Parking, general congestion, speeding vehicles, and proximity to Airport Blvd. have already caused Gunter to be unsafe. The proposed zoning changes will worsen matters by increasing through traffic along the dangerously busy corridor, especially if the property maintains a Gunter egress, as proposed. Further, per the filing notice sent on 8/6/2021, the City of Austin itself states that CS-MU- CO-NP zoning is “intended predominantly for commercial and industrial activities of a service nature having operating characteristics or traffic service requirements generally incompatible with residential environments.” Given the city’s own description of the zoning designation, we - the owners of property affected by the proposed development - object to the request to upzone. Sincerely, Madhu Singh From: Betty Martin Sent: Monday, October 25, 2021 12:03 PM To: Chaffin, Heather <Heather.Chaffin@austintexas.gov>; Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: E MLK NPCT Rec? - NPA-2021-0015.01_1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter St *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Heather/Maureen: Please let me know if you need an actual separate letter or if this will suffice. Dear Planning Commission and City Council: I am just 4 houses down Munson from the proposed changes (NPA-2021-0015.01 and C14-2021-0125) at 1138 1/2 and 1140 Gunter Street. I generally hate over reacting to change, but 3 specific concerns about this project have me very concerned. First, at the previous Zoom meeting the representatives apparently said the project was a small gym for the use of the developers employees after hours (of other gyms apparently). That just seems highly unlikely. 27 27 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 Second, running into the agent handling the property they said they had signed an NDA about its use. Totally respect their obligation and the lack of info given the NDA. But in light of my first issue this all seems to be wrapped in a lot of unnecessary cloak and dagger. Third, I understand they are looking to put the entrance on Gunter. There is an inordinate amount of parking on Gunter and through traffic from Airport to Springdale often speeds down Gunter and Munson (right past my house) already. Adding the entrance for this project on Gunter is only going to exacerbate all that. I respectfully request that these exceptions to existing zoning and property use be denied until the developer is forthright about their use intent. If community reservations are sufficiently assuaged at that point, I also request that access/egress be on Airport not Gunter. I understand there is apparently some code requiring access and egress points off of Airport to be 200 feet apart? Right now McDonalds, the mechanic shop and the Tropicana are hardly 200 feet apart in total. So adding this additional access/egress point just beyond them shouldn’t be too contentious. Thank you for your time and consideration. Elizabeth Martin 3609 Munson St 78722 From: Nicolas Thatcher Sent: Friday, September 17, 2021 1:36 PM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Cc: Chaffin, Heather <Heather.Chaffin@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: Questions on Zoning Change Request- Austin Sports Facility This is great, thank you Maureen On Wed, Sep 15, 2021 at 5:25 PM Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> wrote: Here are the applicant’s responses. I believe they will go over them again tonight. Hi, Nicolas: Maureen 1. Will there be residents on this property or will all visitors be day visitors? There are no plans to have full time residents at this time. 28 28 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 2. From a traffic perspective, Gunter Street already has very high pass-through traffic and congestion due to cars parking on both sides of the road. The pass- through traffic sometimes speeds by, causing major concern for neighbor safety. Having this development across the street with an entrance on Gunter Street will make these matters worse if not addressed by the city. Has the development team taken this into consideration when working out the entrance/exiting of the property? While no traffic impact analysis has been performed at this time, any future development would adhere to all local guidelines for safety. 3. Will there be noise after 9 PM? The proposed use does not anticipate any noise that does not comply with all local guidelines. 4. How tall will the building be? The final height of the building is unknown but will be significantly lower than the proposed limits set by City of Austin CS zoning guidelines. ************ From: Nicolas Thatcher <nickt3744@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 9:50 AM To: Chaffin, Heather <Heather.Chaffin@austintexas.gov> Cc: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: Questions on Zoning Change Request- Austin Sports Facility Hello Heather/Maureen, I am submitting comments for the rezoning request for The plan amendment and zoning cases for 1138 ½ and 1140 Gunter Street (NPA-2021-0015.01 and C14- 2021-0125) As the owner across the street of 1139 1/2 Gunter Street, Unit A and B, I would like deny any commercial or mixed use of the property. Since the egress is going to be on Gunter, I believe this will cause more issues with the already bad traffic and safety challenges that the street has. I believe that the lot should remain singe family zoning. Many Thanks Nic Thatcher 29 29 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 From: Jim Callison Sent: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 1:23 PM To: Chaffin, Heather <Heather.Chaffin@austintexas.gov>; Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: Proposed zoning changes on Gunter Street *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** RE: NPA-2021-0015.01 and C14-2021-0125 Dear Planning Commission and City Council, I'm a resident who lives on Munson Street, my house is located just (4) houses down from where Munson St. intersects Gunter St. Both parking AND traffic are already (and will continue to be) a big problem in this area and I only see it being compounded exponentially if a "secretive" developer sways the City Planning Dept. and be granted alterations to already existing Zoning Code statutes for whatever kind of business they are trying to do or build. This development scenario would have a profound domino-effect disaster for our neighborhood, which is already suffering from over-crowded parking on the very narrow residential street of Gunter, the subsequent parking overflow from it onto Munson, and the fact that more and more traffic on these two streets is coming from "non- neighborhood" drivers who use both Munson and Gunter Streets as "short-cuts" between Airport Blvd and Springdale Road, just to avoid the stoplight located there. There is just no way a development of any kind would NOT affect our neighborhood in a negative way, especially one that wants to use Gunter Street as their entrance and egress to whatever it is they want to build...it would just compound the problems we already have and deal with on a daily basis. Some recent improvements have happened on both Munson and Gunter Streets for which I am grateful for but in the name of safety, more needs to happen before there's a tragedy...and mark my words, it will happen if the City fails to listen to us. Firstly, a sidewalk was recently added the length of Munson St. from Gunter St. to Springdale Rd. which before, any pedestrians on Munson St. literally had to walk in the road with vehicular traffic. Secondly, the City recently installed (3) "NO PARKING" signs on Gunter St. to try and stop people from parking right on the corner of Gunter & Munson and also directly across the street from that corner where a fire hydrant is located. That signage so far has had mixed results...sometimes people heed the signs and sometimes they don't. As narrow as Gunter St. is and with the current parking nightmare, it's literally a challenge to safely pass in either direction an oncoming vehicle. "Most" of the time (but NOT ALL the time) drivers will wait to the side for an oncoming vehicle to pass before they feel it's safe to drive the short distance on Gunter St. from Munson St. to Airport Blvd. What NEEDS TO HAPPEN is a full-on designation of NO PARKING on one side of Gunter St. from Airport Blvd. to Oak Springs Dr. As I mentioned above, a majority of the traffic we neighbors see on a daily basis on both Gunter and Munson Streets is NOT local residents, it is non-local drivers using both of these streets as "short- cuts" between Springdale Road and Airport Blvd to avoid the stoplight at that intersection. The speed limit on ANY residential neighborhood street is 25MPH and that's a basic DMV-101 question on a drivers license exam. Yet day after day (and especially night after night!) there is a certain amount of bozo drivers who use Munson St. as their own personal NASCAR racetrack and floor it to in excess of freeway speeds from one end to the other. I've looked up and down and on both sides of Munson and Gunter Streets...THERE ARE NO SPEED LIMIT SIGNS POSTED ANYWHERE ON THESE STREETS!! This is in reference to the part I wrote of where I said "MARK MY WORDS"...there is going to be a tragedy one of these days on one or both of these two streets because of some speeding bozo driver. I absolutely hate with a passion streets with speed-bumps or other kinds of traffic measures to slow down vehicles. But the way a lot of drivers using Munson St. are excessively speeding up and down it, it's only a matter of time before someone is hit and killed and I for one would embrace some kind of traffic measures taken on Munson St. in order to force people to slow down. 30 30 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 In closing, I reiterate what I said before...whatever this developers plans are for building something that needs the City Planning Dept. granting them a waiver to bend or alter the existing Zoning Codes to allow them to proceed will only compound the problems we already have concerning traffic and parking in our neighborhood. As Nancy Reagan always said "JUST SAY NO!" Thank you for your time and consideration. Respectively, James Callison 3609 Munson St. - Unit 2 Austin, TX 78721 From: Eric Castillo Sent: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 1:35 PM To: Chaffin, Heather <Heather.Chaffin@austintexas.gov>; Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: Rezoning of 1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter St. *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Good afternoon, Wanted to express our concerns about the rezoning of 1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter St., I have lived on Munson Street. all my life (54 years). My parents live at 3702 Munson Street, where I lived until I got married. My husband and I bought our home at 3605 Munson Street and have lived there for over 32 years. Our neighborhood has changed so much! Our concerns in the rezoning of 1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter St: • Parking / Congestion: vehicles from the Lupine Terrace Apartments are not allowed to park in the apartment complex, if they do not have a permit, therefor the overflow of vehicles park on Gunter Street & Munson Street. • Traffic: the traffic is terrible due to the cars that are parked on both sides of the street along side Gunter Street & Munson Street. If you are trying to pull out of Munson Street. onto Gunter Street and a vehicle turns off from Airport Blvd to Gunter Street, you are almost guaranteed that you will need to pull over to one side of the street, if a space is available or will have to reverse back onto Munson Street, if a school bus is turning, you are really stuck then. • Speeding: Gunter Street & Munson Street are used for a short cut from Airport Blvd., vehicles speed thru Gunter Street & Munson Street to get onto Springdale Road. We have to be very careful when we are pulling out of our driveway. My daughter has been hit by a car that turned onto Munson Street from Gunter Street. It has caused Gunter Street & Munson Street to be unsafe. The proposed zoning changes will make matters worse by increasing through traffic along an already dangerous busy corridor, especially if the property maintains egress, as proposed. 31 31 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 My husband & I would like to see the property remain residential as it has all of my life. Sincerely, Joseph & Mary Castillo From: Candice DePrang Boehm Sent: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 10:06 AM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: 1138 1/2 & 1140 Gunter *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Hi Maureen, I live a stone's throw from the properties in the subject line and am opposed to the current development plan. Gunter cannot withstand more traffic - I likely would only support something with an entrance from Airport Blvd. - and the current plan is private, not open to the neighborhood. The Gunter / Munson pocket needs more neighbors that are invested in our area, not a private complex. I sincerely hope you will not approve the current development plan or at the very least pass on my feedback. Respectfully, Candice -- Candice DePrang Boehm 281/433.0737 32 32 of 33B-7Planning Commission: April 12, 2022 33 33 of 33B-7