08 NPA-2022-0029.02 - St. Johns Site; District 4.pdf — original pdf

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Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET DATE FILED: August 29, 2022 (Out-of-Cycle) NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: St. John/Coronado Hills Combined CASE#: NPA-2022-0029.02 PROJECT NAME: St. Johns Site PC DATE: October 11, 2022 ADDRESS/ES: 7211, 7309, 7313 ½ N IH 35 SVRD NB, 819 ½ Blackson Ave and 910 ½ E. St. Johns Ave DISTRICT AREA: 4 SITE AREA: 19.11 acres OWNER/APPLICANT: City of Austin (Michael Gates, Office of Real Estate) AGENT: City of Austin (Christine Freundl, Redevelopment Project Manager, Office of Economic Development) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith STAFF EMAIL: Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation PHONE: (512) 974-2695 From: Civic and Neighborhood Mixed Use To: Mixed Use Base District Zoning Change Related Zoning Case: C14-2022-0118 From: P-NP, CS-MU-NP and LO-MU-NP To: CS-MU-V-NP NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: CITY COUNCIL DATE: TBD PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: ACTION: 1 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 October 11, 2022 - STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff supports the request to change the future land use map to Mixed Use. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: The property is a 19.11-acre tract of land with frontage along the east side of IH-35, bordered by Blackson Avenue to the north and St. John Avenue to the south. The request for Mixed Use land use to build 280 affordable housing units, 280 market rate housing units, and 15,000 square feet of commercial is supported by staff because Mixed Use land use and development is appropriate in this location. The request also meets the goals of the St. John/Coronado Hills neighborhood plan. The plan supports Mixed Use land use as a transition between IH-35 and the residential uses to the east of the property. The proposed project will provide much-need affordable housing and neighborhood-serving commercial uses that the plan also supports. 2 2 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 ‐ ‐ functional institutional uses that serve public facilities, including governmental offices, police, LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS EXISTING LAND USE ON THE PROPERTY Civic - Any site for public or semi fire facilities, hospitals, and public and private schools. Includes major religious facilities and other religious activities that are of a different type and scale than surrounding uses. Purpose 1. Allow flexibility in development for major, multi the greater community; 2. Manage the expansion of major institutional uses to prevent unnecessary impacts on established neighborhood areas; 3. Preserve the availability of sites for civic facilities to ensure that facilities are adequate for population growth; 4. Promote Civic uses that are accessible and useable for the neighborhood resident and maintain stability of types of public uses in the neighborhood; 5. May include housing facilities that are accessory to a civic use, such as student dormitories; and 6. Recognize suitable areas for public uses, such as hospitals and schools, that will minimize the impacts to residential areas. Application 1. Any school, whether public or private; 2. Any campus major government administration facilities; 3. Any use that is always public in nature, such as fire and police stations, libraries, and museums; 4. Civic uses in a neighborhood setting that are of a significantly different scale than surrounding non oriented civic facility, including all hospitals, colleges and universities, and civic uses; ‐ ‐ 3 3 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 5. An existing civic use that is likely or encouraged to redevelop into a different land use should NOT be designated as civic; and 6. Civic uses that are permitted throughout the city, such as day care centers and religious assembly, should not be limited to only the civic land use designation. Neighborhood Mixed Use - An area that is appropriate for a mix of neighborhood commercial (small shopfront retail that serve a market at a neighborhood scale) and small to medium residential uses. scale retail or offices, professional services, convenience retail, and ‐ ‐ density 1. Accommodate mixed use development in areas appropriate for a mix of residential uses and neighborhood commercial uses that serve surrounding neighborhoods; and 2. Provide transition from residential use to high intensity commercial or mixed use. Purpose Application 1. Appropriate for areas such as minor arterials and collectors, small parcels along major family residential development, and areas in environmentally arterials that abut single sensitive zones where high intensity commercial uses are discouraged; and ‐ 2. May be used as a transition from high intensity commercial and residential uses to single family residential uses. ‐ 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; 4 4 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 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. Yes Imagine Austin Decision Guidelines Yes Complete Community Measures Imagine Austin Growth Concept Map: Located within or adjacent to an Imagine Austin Activity Center, Imagine Austin Activity Corridor, or Imagine Austin Job Center as identified the Growth Concept Map. Name(s) of Activity Center/Activity Corridor/Job Center: • Located on the north edge of the Highland Mall Station Regional Center Yes Mobility and Public Transit: Located within 0.25 miles of public transit stop and/or light rail station. • Bus routes run along IH-35 service road and on St. John Avenue Yes Mobility and Bike/Ped Access: Adjoins a public sidewalk, shared path, and/or bike lane. • There are sidewalks along Blackson Avenue and St. Johns Avenue. Yes Connectivity, Good and Services, Employment: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles to goods and services, and/or employment center. • There are numerous businesses along IH-35. Connectivity and Food Access: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of a grocery store/farmers market. Connectivity and Education: Located within 0.50 miles from a public school or university. Yes Connectivity and Healthy Living: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles from a recreation area, park or • 1.1 miles from Pickle Elementary School walking trail. • St. John Park abuts the property to the east. 5 5 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 Connectivity and Health: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of health facility (ex: hospital, urgent care, doctor’s office, drugstore clinic, and/or specialized outpatient care.) Yes Housing Affordability: Provides a minimum of 10% of units for workforce housing (80% MFI or less) and/or fee in lieu for affordable housing. • • • 50% of the housing will be affordable to people at 50%, 60% and 70% MFI for a total of 280 units. Yes Housing Choice: Expands the number of units and housing choice that suits a variety of household sizes, incomes, and lifestyle needs of a diverse population (ex: apartments, triplex, granny flat, live/work units, cottage homes, and townhomes) in support of Imagine Austin and the Strategic Housing Blueprint. Yes Mixed use: Provides a mix of residential and non-industrial uses. 15,000 sq. ft. of commercial uses are proposed with the residential units. Culture and Creative Economy: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of a cultural resource (ex: library, theater, museum, cultural center). 1.1 miles from St. John Branch Public Library Culture and Historic Preservation: Preserves or enhances a historically and/or culturally significant site. Creative Economy: Expands Austin’s creative economy (ex: live music venue, art studio, film, digital, theater.) Workforce Development, the Economy and Education: Expands the economic base by creating permanent jobs, especially in industries that are currently not represented in particular area or that promotes a new technology, and/or promotes educational opportunities and workforce development training. Industrial Land: Preserves or enhances industrial land. Number of “Yes’s” 8 Imagine Austin Priority Program PUD Specific Bonus Features Yes Public Space Features and Public Art: Incorporates public space features and/or public art into project (Ex: plazas, streetscapes, gardens, and other people-friendly spaces where different ages can socially interact). • Proposal expands the existing St. John Public park Integrates and/or Expands Green Infrastructure: Preserves or expands Austin’s green infrastructure (ex: parkland, community gardens, green streets, creeks, stormwater features that mimic natural hydrology) into the urban environment and transportation network. Protects the Environment: Reduces greenhouse gas emissions, water, energy usage, and/or increases waste diversion. Protects Environmentally Sensitive Lands: Protects Austin’s natural resources and environmental systems by limiting land use and transportation development over or near environmentally sensitive areas, preserves open space, and protects natural resources more than ordinance requirements. Water/Wastewater Infrastructure: Sustainably manages Austin’s water resources and stream corridors through on-site use of storm water, effective landscaping, flood mitigation, and other low-impact development techniques more than ordinance requirements. Total Number of “Yes’s” 1 6 6 of 348Proximity to Imagine Austin Activity Corridors and Centers Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 Proximity to Public Parks 7 7 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 Proximity to Public Transportation 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. 8 8 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 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. Activity Centers for Redevelopment in Sensitive Environmental Areas - Five centers are located over the recharge or contributing zones of the Barton Springs Zone of the Edwards Aquifer or within water-supply watersheds. These centers are located on already developed areas and, in some instances, provide opportunities to address long-standing water quality issues and provide walkable areas in and near existing neighborhoods. State-of-the-art development practices will be required of any redevelopment to improve stormwater retention and the water quality flowing into the aquifer or other drinking water sources. These centers should also be carefully evaluated to fit within their infrastructural and environmental context. 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 9 9 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 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 plan amendment application was filed outside of the July open filing period because the Austin City Council approved a resolution on July 29, 2022 directing staff to initiate both the plan amendment and zoning change applications. The City Council resolutions directs staff to submit a plan amendment application requesting to change the future land use map (FLUM) from Civic and Neighborhood Mixed Use to Mixed Use land use. The City Council directed staff to submit a rezoning application requesting a zoning change from P-NP (Public district – Neighborhood Plan), CS-MU-NP (General Commercial Services district – Mixed Use combining district – Neighborhood Plan) and LO-MU-NP (Limited Office district – Mixed Use combining district – Neighborhood Plan) to CS-MU-V- NP (General Commercial Services district – Mixed Use combining district – Vertical Mixed Use Building combining district – Neighborhood Plan) for a mixed use development to include 280 affordable housing units at 50%, 60%, and 70% MFI and 280 market rate units. Also proposed is 15,000 square feet of commercial uses, and the expansion of the St. John Public Park that includes an additional three acres with walking trails, gathering spaces and multigenerational amenities. For more information on the zoning case, please see case report C14-2022-0118. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was virtually held on September 20, 2022. Approximately 388 meeting notices were mailed to people who rent or own property within 500 feet of the subject tracts. The recorded meeting can be found at https://www.speakupaustin.org/npa. Five city staff members attended, Maureen Meredith and Mark Walters from the Housing and Planning Department, and Christine Freundl and Christine Maguire from the Economic Development Office, Timothy Bray, Policy Aid for Councilmember Chito Vela. Also in attendance were David Walsh from Greystar Development and Laura Cortez from Cortez Consulting. Three people from the neighborhood we also in attendance. Below are highlights from Christine Freundl’s presentation. The full presentation is included in this report: • Christine provided an overview project the background and timeline of the project. • The property is located at the intersection of IH-35 and St. Johns Avenue and Blackson Ave. • The adjacent St. Johns Park has been improved. 10 10 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 • The property is two tracts, combined to be 19 acres is a former The Home Depot. • The St. John neighborhood was established in 1890’s as a freeman community. This was also the location for the St. John Industrial Institute and Orphanage and then the St. John Elementary School. In the 1990’s the property was sold and developed into The Home Depot. It was acquired by the City of Austin for a new Public Safety facility. In 2017, the Austin City Council passed a resolution that directed staff to rethink how the site could better serve the community. In 2019, the University of Texas Center for Sustainable Designed worked with the community to identify community goals. As a result of the two-year community engagement process, three main community and policy goals arose. • o The community envisioned a mixed-use/mixed-income district with o Open Space for recreation and congregation; and o A space for community, retail, and support services for the St. Johns neighborhood. • • In 2020, staff issued a Request for Proposals seeking a development partner for the redevelopment of the 19-acre site that included the three main community goals. In March of 2021, a multidiscipline panel evaluated the proposals and recommended Greystar Development Central in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin. Further timeline details are included in the presentation. • The proposed development includes: o 112 affordable housing units at 50% MFI o 141 affordable housing units at 60% MFI o 27 affordable housing units at 70% MFI, and o 280 market rate housing units are proposed for a total of 560 units. • 15,000 square feet of community retail, local business, non-profit uses. • Expand St. John Park by adding approximately 3-acres of additional parkland with walking rails, community gathering spaces, and multi-generational amenities. Q: How has the proposal changed since Greystar shared their plans with the neighborhood association meeting? A: The project is very similar to what has been presented to the Neighborhood Association and at the Community meetings. What we’re moving forward with is taking the input we received from the community meetings and further refining the plan. Q: Will the St. John Park be expanded? Right now, it’s secluded A: Yes, the goal of the project would be to provide additional parkland onsite that would stretch from St. Johns Avenue to Blackson Avenue This would allow the park to be opened and have better access to the north and south, as well as to the east. It would be connected to the development trough a major boulevard that connects to the commercial space. Q: The city needs housing. Are we making sure the zoning will maximum the amount of housing made there? A: One of the three main goals was to provide housing. This development will have 560 housing units and 50% of those will be income-restricted, affordable. This proposed zoning will facilitate this amount of housing. 11 11 of 348 Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 12 12 of 348 City Council Resolution Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 13 13 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 14 14 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 15 15 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 16 16 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 17 17 of 348Applicant Summary Letter from Application Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 18 18 of 348Letter of Recommendation from the St. John Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 From: Akeem McLennon Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 4:29 PM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Cc: jweeks < >; Anissa Carbajal-Diaz < >; Thelma Williams < >; B Taylor < >; Robert Meisel < >; Chaffin, Heather <Heather.Chaffin@austintexas.gov>; Freundl, Christine <Christine.Freundl@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: St. John NPCT Rec? NPA-2022-0029.02_7211 N IH-35 (St. John Site) *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Hello members of the Austin City Council and city staff, I would like to send this letter on behalf of the St John Neighborhood Association in recommendation for the development on 7211 & 7309 N IH 35 SVRD NB. The proposed zoning changes to include mixed use multifamily and commercial development are in line with a long process of community engagement to improve and redevelop the area. Over the last few years, the neighborhood has worked closely with members of city council, staff, and the University of Texas, to transform the property in question from an abandoned Home Depot to something that can benefit the community and city as a whole. Ultimately, we arrived on a RFP process that called for additional affordable housing, improved greenspace, retail, and non-profit opportunities in the area. This is in line with the proposed zoning changes. Since winning the bid to redevelop the property, HACA / Greystar has also done further engagement with the community on some of the specifics of what would be built. 19 19 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 20 20 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 21 21 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 22 22 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 23 23 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 24 24 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 25 25 of 348 Applicant’s Presentation at the September 20, 2022 Community Meeting Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 26 26 of 348 Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 27 27 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 28 28 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 29 29 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 30 30 of 348 Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 31 31 of 348 Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 32 32 of 348 Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 33 33 of 348Planning Commission: October 11, 2022 34 34 of 348