06 Combined Neighborhood Opposition Part 3 — original pdf

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C14-2024-0071 Thornton Road Multfamily Kyla Kanz Tue 8/27/2024 11:07 AM To: Hadri, Cynthia <Cynthia.Hadri@austintexas.gov> External Email - Exercise Caution Dear Cynthia, I am writing to express my opposition to Case No. C14-2024-0071, a multifamily project located on Thornton Rd. within District 5.  The Owner and their Agent’s application and the City Staff’s recommendation will adversely affect the South Lamar Neighborhood, particularly from a traffic and pedestrian safety perspective.  Even now, I have to put my dog in my car and drive somewhere to find a safe place to walk him. I must load my bike into my car to find a safe place to ride it. Sometimes, it takes 10 minutes just to drive off of my little one-block street, 20 minutes if there is a train. The project is approximately 1250 LF from the intersection of W. Oltorf and Thornton Rd., and its proximity to the railroad tracks exacerbates traffic patterns. Thornton Rd., a City of Austin Level 1 Street, consists of a 30’ clear space (FOC to FOC) and sporadically available sidewalks. This cross-section, paired with street parking, results in the current traffic patterns that require drivers to often yield to oncoming traffic and weave in and out of parked cars, trash cans, and pedestrians. There are also no complete sidewalks on much of this road, and all the street parking makes this, at times, a one-way street. The congestion along Thornton Rd. is best displayed at its intersection with Oltorf, which experiences frequent backups and often requires quick and unsafe maneuvers to merge onto Oltorf.  The daily backups at this intersection are exacerbated by the at-grade railroad crossing along Oltorf, approximately 200 LF from the Oltorf and Thornton intersection. The Owner and their Agent’s application seek a density far beyond what is appropriate for the neighborhood and this Level 1 Street the project is located on. If allowed, their desired land use would increase traffic counts along Thornton Rd. by over 1,400 trip counts per day.  A development this size is more appropriately located on a Level 3 Street, such as Lamar Blvd., but Lamar Blvd. traffic is already ridiculous, and no infrastructure improvements are in the plans that I know of. While less intensive, City Staff’s recommendation does not go far enough to protect the neighborhood and its residents. Thornton Rd. is a Level 1 street, as defined by Section 2.4.1.2 of the City of Austin Code, which serves primarily residential destinations, typically with no retail or mixed-use. While Thornton already has several commercial uses along its frontage, it is concerning to see that City Staff are further pursuing this incompatibility with their recommended land use.  Of additional concern is the Vertical Mixed-Use Building Combining District (V), which is so loosely defined that its description can be covered in a single sentence.  This vague land use leaves the neighborhood and its residents with no picture what this project will ultimately become and how it will affect the South Lamar Neighborhood. What happened to green spaces? How about a park with trees every once in a while? Forget about affordable housing options; Austin cares nothing for that; we're paying out the nose for housing that's becoming unlivable.  We are East L.A. without the cultural perks. What the hell happened to Austin? We literally sold our soul! For these reasons and many more, I ask you to reevaluate the project property and its appropriate use. We suggest that you reengage with the Owner and their Agent to work towards a more amenable outcome for the betterment of Thornton Rd., the South Lamar Neighborhood, District 5, and the City of Austin. Thank you for your consideration, Kyla Kanz 2216 Thornton Rd. 311 Austin TX 78704 To: Planning Commission, City of Austin From: Lorraine Atherton, Zilker NA zoning committee member Re: August 27, 2024, agenda item 6, Thornton Road rezoning, Case C14-2024-0071 Planning Commission Chair and Commissioners, In 2015 and 2016 the Zilker and South Lamar neighborhood associations opposed attempts to upzone the 2300-2400 blocks of Thornton Road, as described in the following letter. I have sent the South Lamar NA letter in a separate attachment. The 2016 rezoning case was withdrawn before the City Council could finalize its approval of MF2. Item 6 on your current agenda is essentially a revival of the request for VMU that was denied in 2015, only much worse. Today, ten years later, implementation of the South Lamar Mitigation Plan is proceeding very slowly. Two eminent domain cases, involving the acquisition of drainage easements on either side of the 2300 block of Thornton Road, are on the City Council’s August 29 agenda. It would be wise to put off any rezoning of these properties until after construction begins on the drainage projects. Note that point 4 in the ZNA letter is relevant to your agenda item 11 on changes to residential drainage requirements, and that the street improvements proposed in the South Lamar Mitigation Plan have not been pursued. Here is the text of the 2016 Zilker NA letter: The Executive Committee and Zoning Committee of the Zilker Neighborhood Association agree with the South Lamar Neighborhood’s position on the rezoning case C14-2015-0047 (Thornton Road). The main points are: 1. The VMU overlay is not appropriate for properties that are not on a designated core transit corridor. ZNA studied this issue in connection with our successful VMU proposal in 2008, and we concluded that VMU was not appropriate on Oltorf west of the railroad track. If it’s not appropriate on Oltorf, it is certainly out of the question on a street like Thornton, with no possible connection to South Lamar. 2. Properties within the South Lamar Mitigation Plan should not be rezoned before staff has "enhanced tools to better anticipate the cumulative effects of increasing density on a neighborhood’s natural and manmade infrastructure," as proposed in the mitigation plan. The South Lamar Neighborhood Association has described a potential 1 analytical approach that tries to capture methods to determine what the infrastructure can support. It or a better method should be implemented before any of these properties are upzoned. 3. The rezoning proposal threatens affordability, neighborhood character, and small businesses. Again, the South Lamar Mitigation Plan recommends that planning in this area should "incorporate methods to define and protect a neighborhood’s character, infrastructure and safety." Those methods should be implemented before any of these properties are upzoned. 4. The rezoning proposal threatens to overwhelm the watershed of West Bouldin Creek and exacerbate existing drainage and flooding problems downstream, where hundreds of new residential units have been built within ZNA’s boundaries on the banks of West Bouldin Creek. The Watershed department should be required to perform specific analysis where density can affect upstream, downstream, and neighborhood drainage collection points. There are no analyses that we know of that require new developments to help with mitigation efforts other than a buffer of 10% additional retention. 2  South Lamar Neighborhood Association August 8, 2016 Mayor Adler and City Council Members City of Austin 301 W. Second Street Austin, Texas 78701 Re: Case C14-2016-0039 2413 Thornton Road Dear Mayor Adler and City Council Members, South Lamar Neighborhood Association (“SLNA”) opposes the applicant request for a zoning change from CS-General Commercial to MF-4-CO in Case C14-2016-0039 for the property located at 2413 Thornton Road. SLNA would support a change consistent with the base staff recommendation of a zoning change to MF-2 or the property remaining as CS-General Commercial The current applicant plan and Planning Commission recommendation, creates an unfunded transportation improvement project, and increases safety risks to an overburdened infrastructure on Thornton and Kinney Oaks roads. The planning solution also undermines the recent decision Council made regarding Case C14-2015-0047 2303-2311 Thornton Road our community’s support of Thornton Road Studios. During the Planning Commission presentation, the applicant for 2413 Thornton openly acknowledged that Thornton Road infrastructure is inadequate. The traffic congestion and safety risks have been documented previously. The staff recommendation called for a complete transportation package, which would require approximately $497,000. An alterative approach for approximately $392,000 would provide limited benefit and would create incentive for traffic to use Kinney Oaks Road, a 24 foot roadway to access Lamar. In either transportation plan, the applicant plan for MF-4 zoning would not fund material improvements based on rough proportionality limits. The applicant’s alternate plan for a 75,000 square foot general office building could fund a basic transportation improvement based on an estimated rough proportionality calculation of $550,000. It should be noted that the residents at the applicant’s soon to be completed 104 unit development at 2505 Thornton Road would share the benefits of these transportation improvements. In the best case scenario a commercial development could also provide a destination for the creative community of Thornton Road Studios. With this in mind we request that any development on Thornton be required to meet at least minimum requirements of the Agent of Change guidelines under consideration to prevent this development affecting their current operations. During the prior Case C14-2015-0047 2303-2311 Thornton Road, the dense development was not right for this location. Our request remains the same as it was in the prior case – determine how far overcapacity the infrastructure should eventually increase above the current level of inadequacy. The precedent of the applicant proposal would lead to a minimum of 388% volume above capacity and increase the incentive to displace existing small businesses. South Lamar Neighborhood has worked successfully to implement affordable housing along the Lamar transit corridor including the 107-unit Foundation Communities Bluebonnet Studios project at Lamar and Del Curto. We have similarly worked with the developer on Bannister Road to make a proposed development work in locations, which have reasonable infrastructure. www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 1 of 19 The documentation attached describes the current conditions and zoning history of Thornton Road. Thornton Road has a 55-year history of Planning Commission and City Council voting against intensive zoning because: • • • • The Neighborhood’s character is predominantly SF3 and MF2, Thornton Road has inadequate width and limited connectivity Neighborhood is geographically isolated - no access across railroad Potential flooding hazards from West Bouldin Creek We urge you to continue this tradition and avoid creating an unfunded transportation obligation.. Sincerely, Kim Johnson President South Lamar Neighborhood Association Cc: SLNA Zoning and Thornton Road Working Group www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 2 of 19 • • • 2413 Thornton Road Background 1. South Lamar Mitigation Plan As we presented in prior cases, the South Lamar Neighborhood Mitigation Plan1, included a requirement to address the effects of infill development on several issues. The October 3 2014 staff memo highlights goals including: “address the challenges created by many years of development on a site-by-site basis, lacking water detention and exacerbated by recent infill developments where inadequate infrastructure exists” . “anticipate the cumulative effects of increasing density on a neighborhood’s natural and manmade infrastructure” “incorporate methods to define and protect a neighborhood’s character, infrastructure and safety and provide commensurate mitigation requirements to better manage density and its associated costs. While the South Lamar Mitigation Plan has provided additional measures such as the additional water retention requirements and initial tools to anticipate the cumulative effects of density, the actual watershed and transportation infrastructure of the neighborhood and Thornton Road has not changed despite a 43% increase in dwelling units from 2004 to 2015 and another 80% jump in 2016. Recommended improvements in area drainage are not funded, the goals have not been met. Using the initial analysis tools, the Transportation Department analysis suggested infrastructure improvements in the prior case C14-2015-0047 2303-2311 Thornton Road to partially addresses the inadequacy of the existing infrastructure. The staff efforts in this case demonstrated the extreme challenge of improving capacity and safety on Thornton Road. The existing problems shown in the traffic analysis identify additional volume from Thornton Road developments and other area projects such as the “Enchanted Forest” case C14-2015-0146 on Oltorf and the parking overflow from existing Oltorf businesses require significant investment to provide even minimal relief. None of the past analysis adequately analyzes the potential safety impacts from increased density and traffic on the alternate exits (Cinnamon Path etc.) for Thornton Road traffic. This issue will increase in importance as the South Lamar Corridor traffic patterns change. Figures 1, 2 and Table 1 provide an overview of Thornton Road area. Thornton Road has a total overall length of 2700’ or .51 miles. The road dead ends at Oltorf on the north and provides limited access to other Local Roads via Bridgeway and Waterloo Trail on the south. 2413 Thornton is 0.4 miles from the intersection of Oltorf and Thornton according to Google Maps. The property is 0.32 miles from the nearest bus stop for the 338 bus route, and 0.52 miles to the 3/803, which connects to downtown and 0.7 miles to the 5 bus stops2. Thornton Road is a local street acting as a collector. Despite numerous recommendations since 1961 that Thornton Road be widened, Thornton Road is 30’ with a 50’ ROW. In addition to access via Oltorf, Thornton Road crosses 3 streets3, none of which provides direct connectivity to an exit point. Bridgeway Drive extends 735’ between Kinney Court Circle and the RR tracks; Summer Creek is 534’ ending at a cul- de-sac to the west and the RR tracks to the east; Waterloo Trail extends 1350’ ending at a cul-de-sac to the west, the RR tracks to the east and crossing Cinnamon Path, which connects, to Del Curto. 1 Memorandum to Mayor and Council From Gregory I Guernsey October 3, 2014 2 All distances calculated from CapMetro Trip Planner June 5, 2016 3 See also Figure 18 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 3 of 19 Figure 1 Thornton Road Dimensions Thornton Road is currently home to 136 residences located in 79 properties with a predominant zoning of SF-3. The estimated size of the properties bordering Thornton Road is 29.8 acres. Current projects under construction will add 104 units increasing the residential units by 76%. The following Table 1 shows the present characteristics. Zoning SF3 SF-4B-CO SF-6 MF-2 MF-3 CS Properties 63 2 3 3 1 6 Table 1 Acreage 13.54 1.490 0.326 6.280 0.330 7.870 The characteristics above are graphically presented in Figure 2 The current 6 CS properties are located 1000 feet into the core of the neighborhood and surrounded by residential properties. Historically these properties were listed as Residential A per Austin City Code or the equivalent of SF-3. Section 4 provides a brief history of Thornton Road zoning cases. www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 4 of 19 Figure 2 – Thornton Road parcel map 2. Traffic Analysis and Limitation of Proposed Solutions Revised Thornton Road is currently over capacity. This project proposes no offset or accommodation for the added density. The Traffic Study for the prior case4 suggests that the volume of traffic on the road is currently equal to that of a Collector Street according to the City of Austin. The Traffic Study continues with the following statement on page 1 (Item C17 page 4 of 30); “However, the existing roadway width (approximately 28’ to 30’) and right-of-way width (varies 50’ to 60’) is closer to that of a Local Street….Vehicles park along both sides of Thornton Road essentially narrowing the street to one travel lane.” The study further indicates that current daily volume over threshold of 1800 vpd for a street of this capacity is 830 vpd or 146% of capacity leading to a service level of F. 2017 volume with units under construction will bring the traffic volume to 192% above threshold. Development at MF-2 for this property and neighboring properties will lead to a projected volume of nearly 4000 vpd or 288% over threshold. The applicant’s plan creates a precedent for volumes that will exceed 400% of threshold. The photos below show the state of the road Saturday January 16, 2016. 4 The Traffic Study references the Thornton Traffic Study dated November 25, 2015 was included with Case C14-2015-0047 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 5 of 19 Figure 3 Thornton Just South of Oltorf January 16, 2016 Figure 4 shows the same street on the same day. The present volume on Thornton Road is exacerbated by overflow parking from Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company (ABGB). The pictures below are from a video from a recent Saturday promotion. The overflow parking stretched from Thornton to and past the subject property. Throughout this area, the traffic was essentially limited to one lane except for the no parking zone at the curve. Figure 4. Approximately 2211Thornton Road January 16 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 6 of 19 Even given this congestion at north end of Thornton and Oltorf, The Traffic Study does not address the impact of increased traffic on alternative routes that are in use shown in red. Residents and businesses on the subject property normally avoid the Thornton Oltorf intersection due to the congestion. The applicant plan would put an additional 70 units (174 units total) whose most direct access to Lamar under the planned South Lamar Corridor Plan would be through Kinney Oaks, Kinney Roads to go north on Lamar or Iva/Del Curto to go south on Lamar. The traffic analysis and development at a higher density should address the traffic considerations for these developments and future developments on other streets that are not Collectors. Figure 5 Existing Traffic Patterns for Thornton Road In C14-2015-0047 the staff recommendation included a plan for widening the road to include a left turn lane for northbound traffic on Oltorf with a pedestrian signal near the 331 bus stop and an optional traffic signal at Thornton and Oltorf. While the road-widening plan with pedestrian signal would produce no net benefit to users other than accelerating right turn traffic according to the traffic study it would provide some relief. The service level for the intersection would remain the same grade F as it is today in 2017. In addition, the pedestrian signal would encourage additional parking for new “Enchanted Forest” entertainment complex planned on the north side of Oltorf. No engineering has been attempted to analyze the potential path of the road widening and easements, or utility relocation that would be required to accomplish the road widening at Oltorf. Additional information on traffic is found on the following YouTube links https://youtu.be/a9Ut9ccL0_I https://youtu.be/xS0lT2tLIXw 3. Watershed Impacts The Thornton Road area faces significant impacts from flooding ass described in the South Lamar Mitigation Plan and the plan for the Del Curto Storm Drain Improvements –Phase 1B plan. The overall development of the area always presents concerns on flooding especially when existing infrastructure problems are not addressed. . Any proposed development on Thornton needs to be carefully evaluated for the full impact on the West Bouldin Creek watershed. The cumulative development on the southern part of Thornton presents potential issues for Bridgeway if not done properly as shown by the Austin FloodPro map. www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 7 of 19 Figure 6 Drainage of Del Curto Watershed to Subject Property The following picture shows the impact of flooding on Bridgeway on October 30, 2015, South of the subject property. The following picture shows the impact of flooding on Oltorf at the railroad track north of the subject property on October 30 2015. Figure 7 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 8 of 19 Figure 8 Oltorf Flooding 10-30-15 Photo Courtesy of Peter Williams 4 Thornton Road History Thornton Road has a 55-year history of Planning Commission and City Council voting against intensive zoning because: • • • • • Neighborhood is residential in character Thornton Road has inadequate width and limited connectivity Subject tracts are long distance from the thoroughfare (Oltorf) Neighborhood is geographically isolated - no access across railroad Potential flooding hazards from West Bouldin Creek “I cannot figure any street system which would not work severe hardship on any of the residences in the area.” - Planning Commission Minutes Feb 14, 1961 This history was recently updated to show the City Council rejection of a proposed project with similar density at 2303-11 Thornton by a vote of 10-1. The case history is summarized graphically below and in narrative form in Appendix A. www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 9 of 19  Figure 9 Thornton Road 1937 Figure 10 Thornton Road 1945 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 10 of 19 Figure 11 Thornton Road 1952 Figure 12 Thornton Road 1961 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 11 of 19  Figure 13 Thornton Road 1967 Figure 14 Thornton Road 1968 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 12 of 19  Figure 15 Thornton Road 1969a Figure 16 Thornton Road 1969b www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 13 of 19  Figure 17 Thornton Road 1971 Figure 18 Thornton Road 1973 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 14 of 19 Figure 19 Thornton Road 1974 Figure 20 Thornton Road 1986 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 15 of 19  Figure 21 – Case C14-2015-0047 2303-2311 Thornton Road www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 16 of 19  Appendix A Formerly Section 8 - Thornton Road History Notes There are currently six commercial properties on Thornton which were zoned commercial in 3 separate zoning cases: 1 July 21, 1967: 2401-2413 Thornton 2 Nov 6, 1969: 2301-2311 Thornton 3 Mar 7, 1974: 2313-2315 Thornton Note that in the final CS zoning, the planning commissioner recommended that “this tract should be more restrictive in its use”, and Thornton should be widened to 60'. The first commercial uses on Thornton Road were around 1955 at #2401 which was then just outside the city limits. City limits extended only through #2315 at that time. Around 1960, the city annexed the remaining southern section of Thornton Road. Here is the history with some highlighted quotes from the meeting minutes discussing the problems of Thornton Road. There are pertinent quotes in the planning commission minutes for which links are provided. Apr 6, 1961 First zoning request for Commercial in interior of Thornton which was not granted City Council heard the application for zoning from "A" residential to "C" commercial at 2317-2409 Thornton (Roy F. Beal, E.F.Evans Company) and 2519-2707 Thornton (H.G. Linscomb) which was NOT RECOMMENDED by the Planning Commission with the following notes: The Planning Commission had studied these cases at length, and the problem of the zoning was a street problem. Mr. Beal's operations (E.F. Evans - sheet metal company) are under a non- conforming use, and are of an industrial of commercial type that is permitted under "C". Mr Linscomb (property at the south dead end of Thornton) has 6-1/2 acres and wants to put a contractor's office and equipment yard with some warehouses that will store only durable goods. He explained that about 25 acres would be earmarked for commercial uses. Discussion of former zoning, and dedication for right-of-way boulevard was held. Mr. Linscomb state he would give whatever they wanted as a reasonable amount. The Director of Planning stated the Railroad Company had indicated it would dedicate a right-of-way provided someone else developed it; and he pointed out certain problems concerning the dedicated thoroughfare stating it would be necessary to rechannel the creek; concerning the development of Lightsey Lane in connection with the residential subdivision of South Terrace in which houses are under construction; concerning Thornton Road which is not opened on the ground on the Lindsey Tract; and concerning the early development of the entire area as residential with houses selling on three sides and the commercial area in the middle, away from the thoroughfare. He stated ultimately there would be a public responsibility to develop the streets in a large commercial area; in the meantime the residential developers are required to develop the street, put in the utilities and handle the drainage. Councilman Bechtol discussed the traffic flow, and state it would be up to the applicants to work that out and that the I&GN Railroad to join in it, and asked Mr. O'Quinn to contact the railroad and work this out. Mayor Pro-tem Palmer stated the Council would make a personal inspection of the area. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=41208 Discussion at Planning Commission 2/14/61: www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 17 of 19 http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=215317 AND ON 3/14/61 where they voted to DENY: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=215318 This case stayed pending for years, finally denied after no response from applicant: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=38206 July 27, 1967 1st successful zoning on Thornton #2401 2401-2411 Thornton from “A” residence to “BB” residence (street side) and 4 acres 2401-2413 Thornton (adjacent to railroad tracks) from “A” to “C” http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=38224 http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=39039 Planning Commission minutes: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=215219 Nov 6, 1969 Council approves 2nd CS zoning in interior of Thornton http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=38488 2301-2311 Thornton from “A” residence district to “C” commercial district Planning Commission minutes: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=215286 Apr 9, 1970 Council heard 2316-2318 Thornton from "A" to "C", NOT recommended by Planning Commission, which recommended "BB" instead. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=24632 Jan 7, 1970 Council approved 2512-2514 from "A" to "B" w/ restrictive covenant to limit of 15 units. Planning Commission did not recommend change to "B" but instead recommended "BB" which was less intensive - "because of the limited access to this interior area from Oltorf Street and not wishing to set a precedent for more intensive zoning". Restrictive covenant of 15 units and subject to 5' right-of-way http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=24553 Mar 8, 1973 Council DENIED 2502-2504 Thornton from "A" to "C" but APPROVED "A" to "BB" which is what Planning Commission recommended "BB", explaining: "Thornton Road is a dead-end street extending southerly off of Oltorf. It is an area developed prior to annexation and many of the uses there now are still single family. Recent zonings cover very deep lots, fronting on Thornton Road; and there is a warehouse fronting on the railroad track. Three zoning requests had been zoned "BB" residence and "B" residence and the fourth request was recommended for denial of the "C" Commercial zoning, but recommended for (low density- hence "BB") apartment zoning." Mar 7, 1974 3rd successful commercial zoning case Council approved 2313-2315 Thornton from "A" to "C" Planning Commission recommended the change subject to 1/2 the r-o-w (5') to increase Thornton Road to 60'. Planning commission comments: "this was an older area in South Austin on a very long dead-end street and was predominantly residential. The previous requests for "C" Commercial, which had been granted, had either been dismissed because of incompletion of requirements or their not being used for "C" purposes. He added that is was the opinion of the staff that rather than continue to zone "C", this tract should be more restrictive in its use." http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/edims/document.cfm?id=27013 http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=27345 www.southlamar.org Austin, TX 78704 Page 18 of 19 C14-2024-0071 Thornton Road Multfamily Salmeron Barnes Tue 8/27/2024 12:50 PM To: Hadri, Cynthia <Cynthia.Hadri@austintexas.gov> External Email - Exercise Caution Hello - I am wring you today to express my opposion to Case No. C14-2024-0071, a mulfamily project located on Thornton Rd., within District 5. Both the Owner and their Agent’s applicaon, and City Staff’s recommendaon will have adverse effects to the South Lamar Neighborhood, parcularly from a traffic and life safety perspecve. The project is approximately 1250 LF from the intersecon of W. Oltorf and Thornton Rd., with traffic paerns that are exacerbated by its proximity to the railroad tracks. Thornton Rd., which is a City of Ausn Level 1 Street, consist of a 30’ clear space (FOC to FOC) and sporadically available sidewalks. This cross-secon paired with street parking results in the current traffic paerns that require drivers to oen yield to oncoming traffic and weave in and out of parked cars, trash cans, and pedestrians. The congeson along Thornton Rd. is best displayed at its intersecon with Oltorf, which experiences frequent backups and oen requires quick and unsafe maneuvers to merge onto Oltorf. Addionally, the daily backups at this intersecon are exacerbated by the at- grade railroad crossing along Oltorf, approximately 200 LF from the Oltorf and Thornton intersecon. The Owner and their Agent’s applicaon seeks a density that is far beyond what is appropriate for the neighborhood and the Level 1 Street the project is located on. If allowed, their desired land use would increase traffic counts along Thornton Rd. by over 1,400 trips counts per day. This applicaon represents a gross misuse of the tools the City has worked to put into place to allow for the overall increase in housing units, including affordable housing units. A development of this size is more appropriately located on a Level 3 Street, such as Lamar Blvd., or a greater street level. City Staff’s recommendaon, while less intensive sll does not go far enough to protect the neighborhood and its residences. Thornton Rd. is a Level 1 street, which as defined by Secon 2.4.1.2 of the City of Ausn Code, serve primarily residenal desnaons, typically with no retail or mixed-use. While Thornton already has several commercial uses along its frontage, it is concerning to see that City Staff further lean into this incompability with their recommended land use. Of addional concern, is the Vercal Mixed-Use Building Combining District (V) which is so loosely defined that its descripon is covered by a single sentence. This vague land use leaves the neighborhood and its residences with no picture of what this project will ulmately become and how it will affect the South Lamar Neighborhood. Lastly, this addional influx of traffic would be detrimental to the small businesses that exist on Thornton. In parcular, Easley Boxing Gym, which serves at-risk mintory youths. It is because these reasons, and many more, that I ask you to reevaluate the project property and what an appropriate use for it would be. I’d suggest that you reengage with the Owner and their Agent to work towards a more amenable outcome for the beerment of Thornton Rd., the South Lamar Neighborhood, District 5, and the City of Ausn. Thank you, Sal Barnes CAUTION: This is an EXTERNAL email. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious or phishing email, please report it using the "Report Message" button in Outlook. For any additional questions or concerns, contact CSIRT at "cybersecurity@austintexas.gov". C14-2024-0071 Thornton Road Multifamily Gergana Slavova Tue 8/27/2024 12:28 PM To: Hadri, Cynthia <Cynthia.Hadri@austintexas.gov> External Email - Exercise Caution I am writing to you today to express my opposition to Case No. C14-2024-0071, a multifamily project located on Thornton Rd., within District 5. Both the Owner and their Agent’s application, and City Staff’s recommendation will have adverse effects to the South Lamar Neighborhood, particularly from a traffic and life safety perspective. The project is along Thornton Rd, close to the intersection of W. Oltorf and Thornton Rd., with traffic patterns that are exacerbated by its proximity to the railroad tracks. I understand from a neighbor in my condo complex that Thornton Rd. is classified as a City of Austin Level 1 Street. Thornton Rd is just wide enough for 2 cars to pass side-by-side. But since this is a fairly quiet residential street, many people park along the side of the road which causes moving vehicles to yield to oncoming traffic and weave around parked cars or trash cans. Furthermore, since the sidewalks are only sporadically available, many pedestrians are forced to walk along the road for certain sections of it which causes a safety issue if the traffic is increased. The congestion along Thornton Rd. is further exacerbated at its intersection with Oltorf, which experiences frequent backups due to the nearby railroad crossing and often requires quick and unsafe maneuvers to merge onto Oltorf. The Owner and their Agent’s application seeks a density that is far beyond what is appropriate for the neighborhood. If allowed, their desired land use would increase traffic counts along Thornton Rd. by over 1,400 trips counts per day! A development of this size is more appropriately located along a larger road such as Lamar Blvd, for example, which I understand is a Level 3 Street. City Staff’s recommendation, while less intensive still does not go far enough to protect the neighborhood and its residents. Thornton Rd. is a Level 1 street, which as defined by Section 2.4.1.2 of the City of Austin Code, serves primarily residential destinations, typically with no retail or mixed-use. While Thornton already has several commercial uses along its frontage, it is concerning to see that City Staff further lean into this incompatibility with their recommended land use. I’m also concerned about the loose definition of the Vertical Mixed-Use Building Combining District (V) which is basically just a single sentence. This vague land use leaves the neighborhood and its residences with no picture of what this project will ultimately become and how it will affect the South Lamar Neighborhood. It is because of these reasons, and many more, I ask you to reevaluate the project property and what an appropriate use for it would be. Suggest that you re-engage with the Owner and their Agent to work towards a more amenable outcome for the betterment of Thornton Rd., the South Lamar Neighborhood, District 5, and the City of Austin. Regards, ~Gergana Slavova Thornton Rd Resident Laura Szalay 2720 Kinney Oaks Ct. Austin, Texas, 78704 Cynthia Hadri Senior Planner | Current Planning City of Austin, Planning Department Cynthia.Hadri@austintexas.gov Re: Case No. C14-2024-0071 Ms. Hadri, I have been a resident either living on Thorton Road (previously at 2314 Thornton Road) and now live on Kinney Oaks Court. There is a development planned for our neighborhood that is out of scale for Thornton Road. I am in opposition of the proposed density for the road due to the car trips projected to be added to our street. It is currently a challenge to navigate our street at times with the current traffic. Below is an assessment prepared by our neighbor and civil engineer. Letter to City Council and Staff – C14-2024-0071 We are writing you today to express our opposition to Case No. C14-2024-0071, a multifamily project located on Thornton Rd., within District 5. Both the Owner and their Agent’s application, and City Staff’s recommendation will have adverse effects to the South Lamar Neighborhood, particularly from a traffic and life safety perspective. The project is approximately 1250 LF from the intersection of W. Oltorf and Thornton Rd., with traffic patterns that are exacerbated by its proximity to the railroad tracks. Thornton Rd., which is a City of Austin Level 1 Street, consist of a 30’ clear space (FOC to FOC) and sporadically available sidewalks. This cross-section paired with street parking results in the current traffic patterns that require drivers to often yield to oncoming traffic and weave in and out of parked cars, trash cans, and pedestrians. The congestion along Thornton Rd. is best displayed at its intersection with Oltorf, which experiences frequent backups and often requires quick and unsafe maneuvers to merge onto Oltorf. Additionally, the daily backups at this intersection are exacerbated by the at-grade railroad crossing along Oltorf, approximately 200 LF from the Oltorf and Thornton intersection. The Owner and their Agent’s application seeks a density that is far beyond what is appropriate for the neighborhood and the Level 1 Street the project is located on. If allowed, their desired land use would increase traffic counts along Thornton Rd. by over 1,400 trips counts per day. This application represents a gross misuse of the tools the City has worked to put into place to allow for the overall increase in housing units, including affordable housing units. A development of this size is more appropriately located on a Level 3 Street, such as Lamar Blvd., or a greater street level. City Staff’s recommendation, while less intensive still does not go far enough to protect the neighborhood and its residences. Thornton Rd. is a Level 1 street, which as defined by Section 2.4.1.2 of the City of Austin Code, serve primarily residential destinations, typically with no retail or mixed-use. While Thornton already has several commercial uses along its frontage, it is concerning to see that City Staff further lean into this incompatibility with their recommended land use. Of additional concern, is the Vertical Mixed-Use Building Combining District (V) which is so loosely defined that its description is covered by a single sentence. This vague land use leaves the neighborhood and its residences with no picture of what this project will ultimately become and how it will affect the South Lamar Neighborhood. It is because these reasons, and many more, that we ask you to reevaluate the project property and what an appropriate use for it would be. We’d suggest that you reengage with the Owner and their Agent to work towards a more amenable outcome for the betterment of Thornton Rd., the South Lamar Neighborhood, District 5, and the City of Austin. Please consider our concerns when reviewing this case. We appreciate your time and attention to this matter. Thanks. Laura Szalay C14-2024-0071 Thornton Road Multifamily Home Dana Lasman Tue 8/27/2024 8:47 AM To: Hadri, Cynthia <Cynthia.Hadri@austintexas.gov> External Email - Exercise Caution Hi Cynthia,  I am wring to you today to express opposion to Case No. C14-2024-0071, a mulfamily project located on Thornton Rd., within District 5. Both the Owner and their Agent’s applicaon, and City Staff’s recommendaon will have adverse effects to the South Lamar Neighborhood, parcularly from a traffic and life safety perspecve. The project is approximately 1250 LF from the intersecon of W. Oltorf and Thornton Rd., with traffic paerns that are exacerbated by its proximity to the railroad tracks. Thornton Rd., which is a City of Ausn Level 1 Street, consists of a 30’ clear space (FOC to FOC) and sporadically available sidewalks. This cross-secon paired with street parking results in the current traffic paerns that require drivers to oen yield to oncoming traffic and weave in and out of parked cars, trash cans, and pedestrians. The congeson along Thornton Rd. is best displayed at its intersecon with Oltorf, which experiences frequent backups and oen requires quick and unsafe maneuvers to merge onto Oltorf. Addionally, the daily backups at this intersecon are exacerbated by the at- grade railroad crossing along Oltorf, approximately 200 LF from the Oltorf and Thornton intersecon. The Owner and their Agent’s applicaon seeks a density that is far beyond what is appropriate for the neighborhood and the Level 1 Street the project is located on. If allowed, their desired land use would increase traffic counts along Thornton Rd. by over 1,400 trips counts per day. This applicaon represents a gross misuse of the tools the City has worked to put into place to allow for the overall increase in housing units, including affordable housing units. A development of this size is more appropriately located on a Level 3 Street, such as Lamar Blvd., or a greater street level. City Staff’s recommendaon, while less intensive sll does not go far enough to protect the neighborhood and its residences. Thornton Rd. is a Level 1 street, which as defined by Secon 2.4.1.2 of the City of Ausn Code, serves primarily residenal desnaons, typically with no retail or mixed-use. While Thornton already has several commercial uses along its frontage, it is concerning to see that City Staff further lean into this incompability with their recommended land use. Of addional concern, is the Vercal Mixed-Use Building Combining District (V) which is so loosely defined that its descripon is covered by a single sentence. This vague land use leaves the neighborhood and its residences with no picture of what this project will ulmately become and how it will affect the South Lamar Neighborhood. It is because of these reasons, along with the immense safety issues and lack of discussion on increasing the street infrastructure to withstand such a large increase in car and foot traffic, and many more, that we ask you to reevaluate the project property and what an appropriate use for it would be. We’d suggest that you re-engage with the Owner and their Agent to work towards a more amenable outcome for the beerment of Thornton Rd., the South Lamar Neighborhood, District 5, and the City of Ausn. Thanks, Dana Lasman Carriage Park Condos 2216 Thornton Rd, unit 410 CAUTION: This is an EXTERNAL email. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious or phishing email, please report it using the "Report Message" button in Outlook. For any additional questions or concerns, contact CSIRT at "cybersecurity@austintexas.gov". CASE NUMBER: C14-2024-0071 Jayne Truckenbrod Mon 8/26/2024 8:21 PM To: Hadri, Cynthia <Cynthia.Hadri@austintexas.gov> External Email - Exercise Caution Good evening, I received a notice in the mail and am writing to note my OBJECTION to the proposed request for the rezoning of 2313, 2315, 2401, and 2413 Thornton Road. I am a homeowner in the neighborhood and have serious concerns about what the proposed development will do to the traffic on our small neighborhood street of Thornton Road.  We already have a very busy street, with incomplete sidewalks, cars parking along both sides of the road, and unsafe conditions for pedestrians and neighbors.  The proposed development will add an unsustainable increase in traffic to our neighborhood. I am unable to attend the inperson public hearing tomorrow, but am happy to continue to communicate our neighborhood concerns. Thank you, Jayne Truckenbrod 2216 Thornton Road #310 CAUTION: This is an EXTERNAL email. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious or phishing email, please report it using the "Report Message" button in Outlook. For any additional questions or concerns, contact CSIRT at "cybersecurity@austintexas.gov". C14-2024-0071 Thornton Road Multfamily rebecca lamar Tue 8/27/2024 10:07 AM To: Hadri, Cynthia <Cynthia.Hadri@austintexas.gov> External Email - Exercise Caution Ms Hadri, Letter to City Council and Staff – C14-2024-0071 We are writing you today to express our opposition to Case No. C14-2024-0071, a multifamily project located on Thornton Rd., within District 5. Both the Owner and their Agent’s application, and City Staff’s recommendation will have adverse effects for the South Lamar Neighborhood, particularly from a traffic and life safety perspective. The project is approximately 1250 LF from the intersection of W. Oltorf and Thornton Rd., with traffic patterns that are exacerbated by its proximity to the railroad tracks. Thornton Rd., which is a City of Austin Level 1 Street, consists of a 30’ clear space (FOC to FOC) and sporadically available sidewalks. This cross-section paired with street parking results in the current traffic patterns that require drivers to often yield to oncoming traffic and weave in and out of parked cars, trash cans, and pedestrians. The congestion along Thornton Rd. is best displayed at its intersection with Oltorf, which experiences frequent backups and often requires quick and unsafe maneuvers to merge onto Oltorf. Additionally, the daily backups at this intersection are exacerbated by the at-grade railroad crossing along Oltorf, approximately 200 LF from the Oltorf and Thornton intersection. The Owner and their Agent’s application seek a density that is far beyond what is appropriate for the neighborhood and the Level 1 Street the project is located on. If allowed, their desired land use would increase traffic counts along Thornton Rd. by over 1,400 trips counts per day. This application represents a gross misuse of the tools the City has worked to put into place to allow for the overall increase in housing units, including affordable housing units. A development of this size is more appropriately located on a Level 3 Street, such as Lamar Blvd., or a greater street level. City Staff’s recommendation, while less intensive, still does not go far enough to protect the neighborhood and its residences. Thornton Rd. is a Level 1 street, which as defined by Section 2.4.1.2 of the City of Austin Code, serves primarily residential destinations, typically with no retail or mixed-use. While Thornton already has several commercial uses along its frontage, it is concerning to see that City Staff further lean into this incompatibility with their recommended land use. Of additional concern, is the Vertical Mixed-Use Building Combining District (V) which is so loosely defined that its description is covered by a single sentence. This vague land use leaves the neighborhood and its residents with no picture of what this project will ultimately become and how it will affect the South Lamar Neighborhood. It is because of these reasons, and many more, that we ask you to reevaluate the project property and what an appropriate use for it would be. We’d suggest that you reengage with the Owner and their Agent to work towards a more amenable outcome for the betterment of Thornton Rd., the South Lamar Neighborhood, District 5, and the City of Austin. Rebecca Lamar 2216 Thornton Rd, #423 Austin, Tx. 78704