05 NPA-2023-0002.01 - Christ Church Planning; District 3 Staff Report — original pdf

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Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: East Cesar Chavez CASE#: PROJECT NAME: Christ Church Planning PC DATE: August 13, 2024 NPA-2023-0002.01 DATE FILED: July 14, 2023 June 25, 2024 June 11, 2024 May 28, 2024 April 23, 2024 March 26, 2024 February 27, 2024 January 23, 2024 December 12, 2023 112 and 206 Medina Street, 1001, 1005, 1010, and 105 San Marcos Street ADDRESS/ES: DISTRICT AREA: 3 SITE AREA: 1.3 acres OWNER/APPLICANT: Christ Church of Central Austin AGENT: Thrower Design, LLC (Victoria Haase and Ron Thrower) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith STAFF EMAIL: Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation From: Recreation & Open Space, Single Family and Civic To: Mixed Use Base District Zoning Change Related Zoning Case: C14-2024-0010 (southern tract) From: SF-3-NP Related Zoning Case: C14-2024-0017 (northern tract) To: CS-DB90-CO-NP PHONE: (512) 974-2695 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 From: SF-3-NP To: CS-MU-V-CO-NP ACTION: NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: December 14, 2000 CITY COUNCIL DATE: TBD PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: August 13, 2024 – (action pending) June 25, 2024 – Postponed to August 13, 2024 on the consent agenda at the request of the Applicant. [R. Johnson – 1st; F. Maxwell – 2nd] Vote: 7-0 [G. Cox and A. Phillips were off the dais. C. Hempel, A. Azhar, A. Haynes and J. Mushtaler absent]. June 11, 2024 –Postponed to June 25, 2024 on the consent agenda at the request of Staff. [A. Azhar – 1st; F. Maxwell – 2nd] Vote: 10-0 [J. Mushtaler off the dais. G. Cox and N. Barrera- Ramirez was absent]. April 23, 2024 – Postponed to May 14, 2023 on the consent agenda at the request of staff. [G. Anderson – 1st; A. Woods – 2nd] Vote: 10-0 [G. Cox, J. Mushtaler and A. Phillips off the dais] NOTE: Errant postponement date, so case was renotified for June 11, 2024. March 26, 2024 – Postponed to April 23, 2024 on the consent agenda at the request of Staff. [A. Azhar – 1st: F. Maxell – 2nd] Vote: 10-0 [G. Anderson off the dais. P. Howard and A. Phillips absent]. February 13, 2024- Postponed to March 26, 2024 on the consent agenda at the request of the Applicant. [A. Azhar – 1st; F. Maxwell – 2nd] Vote: 12-0 [One vacancy on the dais]. December 19, 2023- Postponed to February 13, 2024 on the consent agenda at the request of staff. [A. Woods – 1st; A. Phillips – 2nd [Vote: 7-0 [N. Barrera-Ramirez, J.P Connolly, G. Cox, A. Haynes, J. Mushtaler absent]. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: To support the applicant’s request for Mixed Use land use. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: The plan amendment application includes two properties. The northern property is a 0.45-acre tract with a parking lot on an unpaved surface. The surrounding land uses to the north and east are Single Family. To the south is Civic land use with Recreation/Open Space land use to the west. The southern property is a 0.87-acre tract with a church building with ancillary buildings and a parking lot. The surrounding land uses are Recreation/Open Space to the north, Single family to the east, Mixed Use and Multifamily Residential to the south and Single Family to the west. See FLUM map below. Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 The property is located within ½ mile of the Plaza Saltillo Station metro rail station, and the Plaza Saltillo Neighborhood Center as identified on the Imagine Austin Growth Concept Map. The properties are also located one block north of East Cesar Chavez which is an Activity Corridor. The properties are in an area with robust public transportation options and near an activity center and corridor where Mixed Use land use is appropriate. LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS: EXISTING LAND USE: Recreational and Open Space - This category allows large public parks and recreation areas such as public and private golf courses, trails and easements, drainage‐ways and detention basins, and any other public usage of large areas on permanent open land. 1. Maintain, improve and extend existing parks and recreational facilities; 2. Open spaces that are currently in a naturalistic state should be preserved to the greatest extent possible; and Purpose Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 3. Any undevelopable land should be left as open space. Single family - Single family detached or up to three 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. 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 public facilities, including governmental offices, police, functional institutional uses that serve ‐ ‐ 4 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 ‐ ‐ civic uses; oriented civic facility, including all hospitals, colleges and universities, 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 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. PROPOSED LAND USE: 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 5 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 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: • ~290 feet south of the Plaza Saltillo Activity Center • ~170 feet north of the E. Cesar Chavez Street Activity Corridor Yes Mobility and Public Transit: Located within 0.25 miles of public transit stop and/or light rail station. Yes Mobility and Bike/Ped Access: Adjoins a public sidewalk, shared path, and/or bike lane. Yes Connectivity, Good and Services, Employment: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles to goods and Yes Connectivity and Food Access: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of a grocery store/farmers market. Yes Connectivity and Education: Located within 0.50 miles from a public school or university. • Bus routes along Waller Street • Bus routes along E. Cesar Chavez Street • 0.5 miles from Plaza Saltillo Station • Sidewalks on the north side of E. 2nd Street • Sidewalks on San Marcos Street services, and/or employment center. 0.3 miles from Whole Foods 0.4 miles from Sanchez Elem. School 1.0 mile from Metz Elem. School 1.2 miles from UT Charter School walking trail. 0.4 miles from Comal Pocket Park 0.5 miles from Plaza Saltillo Station Park • • • • • • Yes Connectivity and Healthy Living: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles from a recreation area, park or 6 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 • 0.7 miles from Pan American Neighborhood Park Yes 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.) 0.2 miles from Community Car Collaborative 0.4 miles from CommUnity Car East Austin Health Center 0.4 miles from Integral 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. 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. No Culture and Creative Economy: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of a cultural resource (ex: library, theater, museum, cultural center). No Culture and Historic Preservation: Preserves or enhances a historically and/or culturally significant site. No Creative Economy: Expands Austin’s creative economy (ex: live music venue, art studio, film, digital, theater.) No 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. No 11 Number of “Yes’s” Proximity to Imagine Austin Activity Centers and Corridors 7 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 Proximity to Public Transportation 8  Proximity to Public Parks Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 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, 9 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 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 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 10 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 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 on July 14, 2023. The applicant proposes to change the land use on the future land use map (FLUM) from Recreation/Open Space, Single Family and Civic to Mixed Use land use. The applicant proposes to change the zoning on the property from SF-3-NP (Family Residence District – Neighborhood Plan) to CS-MU-CO-NP (Commercial Services district – Mixed Use combining district – Conditional Overlay combining district – Neighborhood Plan) and CS-DB90-CO-NP (Commercial Services district – Density Bonus 90 combining district – Conditional Overlay combining district – Neighborhood Plan). For more information on the proposed zoning, see case reports C14-2024-0010 and C14-2024-0017. The applicant proposes to make improvements to the Christ Church of Austin with some future plans are to add more space for church programs, parish house, classrooms and meeting space, administrative office, although there are no plans to expand the sanctuary. Other plans are to add and formalize parking with a parking garage, build affordable housing units and possibility some small-scale retail, such as a coffee shop. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was virtually held on February 26, 2024. The recorded community meeting can be found here: https://publicinput.com/neighborhoodplanamendmentcases. Approximately 327 community meeting notices were mailed to people with utility accounts or own property within 500 feet of the subject property, in addition to neighborhood and environmental groups who requested notification for the area. Two City staff members attended, Maureen Meredith and Mark Walters. Victoria Haase and Ron Thrower from Thrower Design, LLC attended, who are the applicant’s agents. No one from the neighborhood attended. Below are highlights from Victoria Haase’s presentation: • The Church owns the properties. • The north property is currently used as a parking lot, which is 0.45 acres. • The southern property is where they have the sanctuary, administrative offices and classroom spaces, which is 0.88 acres. • The future land use map request for the northern tract is a request from Recreation/Open Space to Mixed Use land use. • The future land use map request for the southern tract is a request from Single Family and Civic to Mixed Use land use. • The zoning request is to rezoned the properties to CS-MU-CO-NP. • The church is in need for additional space for their church programming, their parish house, classrooms and meeting space, administrative office, etc. Not to expand their 11 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 sanctuary, just to expand their programming and meeting space that they have outside of church hours. • They would like to add parking and formalize parking, potentially get structured • Part of their desire for future development is to provide affordable housing units, with possibly a small retail component, like a coffee shop. • The conditional overlay would prohibit a list of uses and have shared this with the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Association. Here were no neighborhood attendees at the meeting so no questions were asked. parking. 12 Applicant Summary Letter from Application Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 13 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 14 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 15 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 16 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 17 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 Postponement Request 18 Letter of Recommendation from the Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 (No letter as of August 6, 2024) From: Meredith, Maureen Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2024 4:25 PM To: ericryanpace@gmail.com; eccsector7rep@gmail.com; saraz@zlyst.com; mpm167@gmail.com; azucar_a1@att.net Cc: Tomko, Jonathan <Jonathan.Tomko@austintexas.gov> Subject: FW: ECC NPCT Rec?: NPA-2023-0002.01_Christ Church Planning Dear ECC NPCT: These cases are on the August 13, 2024 Planning Commission hearing date. If you would like your team’s letter of recommendation included in the staff reports, please email it to me and Jonathan no later than Thursday, August 8th by 5:00 pm. Thanks. Maureen From: Meredith, Maureen Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2024 5:03 PM Cc: Tomko, Jonathan <Jonathan.Tomko@austintexas.gov> Subject: ECC NPCT Rec?: NPA-2023-0002.01_Christ Church Planning Dear East Cesar Chavez NPCT: Cases NPA-2023-0002.01 and C14-2024-0010_Christ Church Planning will be on the May 14, 2024 Planning Commission hearing date. If you would like your team’s letter of recommendation included in the staff case reports, please email it to me and Jonathan Tomko, the zoning case manager, no later than Wednesday, May 8th by 5:00 pm which is when our staff reports are due. If we get it after this date and time, we will submit it as late back-up to the Planning Commissioners. You can watch the recorded community meeting here: https://publicinput.com/a6466. Thanks. Maureen 19  Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 20 Site Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 21 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 22 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 23 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 24 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 25 Victoria Haase’s Presentation at the February 26, 2024 Virtual Community Meeting Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 26  Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 27  Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 28 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 29 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 Correspondence Received From: Sara Smith Sent: Thursday, August 8, 2024 2:48 PM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Cc: Tomko, Jonathan <Jonathan.Tomko@austintexas.gov> Subject: Re: Christ Church zoning change NPA-2023-0002.01 External Email - Exercise Caution Hi Maureen, Yes, thank you for accepting my change. Please see below. I'd like to retract my previous comment because the original ask from Christ Church during public comment was for a basic zoning change to mixed use. They have since changed their ask and are seeking to apply the new DB90, which I am completely opposed to. Christ Church has communicated to the neighborhood that they are seeking DB90 so that they can save money and build an above ground parking garage instead of the underground parking garage they were originally planning for with the basic mixed use zoning change. They said the plan now is for the first several floors to be parking garage with a few floors of office space and possibly residential units on top. They said a very small retail spot on the ground floor is not out of the question but they have made it clear it is not a priority for them. Christ Church is completely out of touch with the pain points and needs of the neighborhood. We already have a very serious crime and blight situation happening in the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood. The Christ Church property is near the epicenter of the blight and crime. A huge parking garage without any street activation will only exacerbate the problem. I ask that the City of Austin deny Christ Church's request to apply DB90 to their zoning change and require significant street activation in their building plans when they reach that step in the process. Thanks, Sara 30 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 31 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 From: Lauren Malkani Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2024 10:55 AM To: Meredith, Maureen <Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov> Subject: Oppose NPA-2023-0002.01 / Christ Church of Austin External Email - Exercise Caution Hi Maureen, I am a neighbor from this proposed rezoning to "mixed use" at 112 and 206 Medina and 1001, 1005, 1010 and 105 San Marcos. I would like to object the rezoning to of this property to mixed use. Can you record my response? I am happy to submit a signature if needed. My address is 1203A E. 2nd St. 78702 and I am the property owner. Thank you, Lauren 32 Planning Commission: August 13, 2024 33