15 NPA-2024-0024.02 - Stonehollow Tracts; District 7 Staff Report — original pdf

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Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET DATE FILED: Aug 16, 2024 NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: North Burnet/Gateway CASE#: NPA-2024-0024.02 PROJECT NAME: Stonehollow Tracts PC DATE: November 12, 2024 ADDRESS/ES: 11800, 11800 ½, 11801, 11525 Bldg. A, 11525 Bldg. B, 11525 ½, 11700, 11700 ½, 11701, 11701 ½ Stonehollow Dr.; and 2105, 2029 Gracy Farms Ln. DISTRICT AREA: District 7 SITE AREA: 37.94 acres OWNER/APPLICANT: TR Stonehollow Corp., a Delaware Corporation and Stonehollow A, Ltd., a Texas limited partnership AGENT: DuBois Bryant & Campbell, LLP (David Hartman) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith STAFF EMAIL: maureen.meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation PHONE: 512-974-2695 To: High Density Mixed Use From: Mixed Use Base District Zoning Change Related Zoning Case: C14-2024-0125 and C14-2024-0126 From: NBG-NR Subdistrict-NP To: NBG-CMU-Midway(CMU-M) Subdistrict-NP NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: November 1, 2007 CITY COUNCIL DATE: December 12, 2024 ACTION: Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: November 12, 2024 – (action pending) STAFF RECOMMENDATION: To support the applicant’s request for High Density Mixed Use land use. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: Staff supports the applicant’s request for High Density Mixed Use because it will provide more housing in the planning area and the city. The area has been growing over the years with the Q2 Stadium and the proposed new McKalla Rail Station to be developed near the subject property. City Council signed resolution 20230504-020 which directed staff to initiate amendments to the North Burnet/Gateway Vision Plan recognizing the area’s growth. Transitioning the property from Mixed Use to High Density Mixed Use is consistent with the development of the area. Below are some of the North Burnet/Gateway Plan Goals that staff believes supports the applicant’s request: ONE: Transform the aging, auto-oriented commercial and industrial uses into a livelier mixed-use neighborhod that is more pedestrian- and transit-friendly and can accommodate a significant number of new residents. a. Create a dense and vibrant “town center” with an urban form and uses less reliant on the automobile. This means creating a concentration of interrelated uses that provide for a range of activities to occur in close proximity to transit. b. b. Achieve a balance of jobs, houses, retail, open space and community facilities. The essence of a mixed-use area is that it allows for opportunities to live, work, and play within the same area. c. Enable opportunities for transit- oriented development based on the presence of both the Capital Metro and the potential Austin-San Antonio Inter-municipal Rail District (currently Union Pacific) commuter rail line. d. Enable redevelopment and adaptive reuse while accommodating existing uses. Recognize that the auto-oriented uses will be less appropriate and could be reformatted to more local neighborhood-oriented uses. e. Include significant higher density residential uses in the mix to accommodate some of the region’s expected population growth. f. f. Provide for a variety of housing options and affordability, so that people of all income levels can live and work in the area. Encourage housing to be developed in close proximity to potential jobsites as well as public transit so that residents may reduce their dependency on personal vehicles and save on transportation costs. 2 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS: EXISTING 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 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 3 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 6. Apply to areas where vertical mixed use development is encouraged such as Core Transit Corridors (CTC) and Future Core Transit Corridors. PROPOSED LAND USE: High Density Mixed Use - An area that is appropriate for a mix of residential and non‐residential uses with floor‐to‐area ratios of 3.0 or higher. Purpose 1. Encourage dense, pedestrian‐ oriented development in downtown, areas near downtown, and sites with exceptional transportation access; 2. Provide a transition between the central core and surrounding districts; and 3. Encourage redevelopment of sites in or near the center city. Application 1. Applicable to most mixed‐use/commercial sites in the Central Business District; 2. May be applied to other central areas, such as the Central Urban Redevelopment Area, where existing population and infrastructure can support higher‐density development; 3. May also be applied to areas outside of the central core where higher densities can be supported and neighborhood impacts are minimal; and 4. Can be used to accommodate Transit‐Oriented Development at existing or proposed transit stations. Yes Imagine Austin Decision Guidelines Complete Community Measures Yes 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: • Within the North Burnet Gateway Station Regional Activity Center • Near W. Braker Lane, activity corridor Yes Mobility and Public Transit: Located within 0.25 miles of public transit stop and/or light rail station. • Near Metro Rail Red Line • Bus routes near the property 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 services, and/or employment center. 4 No Connectivity and Food Access: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of a grocery store/farmers market. Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 • 0.7 miles from Gracy Food Mart • 2 miles from Whole Foods Domain Connectivity and Education: Located within 0.50 miles from a public school or university. No Yes Connectivity and Healthy Living: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles from a recreation area, park or walking trail. • ~0.5 miles Northern Walnut Creek Greenbelt • 0.9 miles from Gracywoods Neighborhood Park • 1.1 miles from North Star Greenbelt No No 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.) 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. • Proposed zoning would allow for mixed use Culture and Creative Economy: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of a cultural resource (ex: library, theater, museum, cultural center). 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 “Yeses” No No Not known Not known No 7 5 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 Proximty to Imagine Austin Activity Centers and Corridors 6 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 Proximity to Public Parks 7 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 Proximity to Public Transporation 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 8 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 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 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 9 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 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 on August 16, 2024. The applicant proposes to change the land use on the future land use map (FLUM) from Mixed Use to High Density Mixed Use for a proposed multifamily development. The applicant proposes to change the regulating plan from NBG-NR Subdistrict – NP (North Burnet Gateway – Neighborhood Residential Subdistrict- Neighborhood Plan) to NBG- CMU-Midway Subdistrict (North Burnet Gateway – Commerical Mixed Use Midway Subdistrict – Neighborhood Plan). For more information on the proposed change to the regulating plan, see case report C14-2024-0125 and C14-2024-0126. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was held on September 18, 2024. The recorded virtual community meeting can be found here: https://publicinput.com/neighborhoodplanamendmentcases. Approximately 405 community meeting notices were mailed to property owners and utility account holders who live within 500 feet of the subject property. Two city staff members attended the meeting from the Planning Department, Maureen Meredith and Mark Walters. David Hartman from Dubois Bryant and Campbell, LLP, the applicant’s agent attended. No one from the neighborhood attended. Below are highlights from David Hartman’s presentation: • The property is approximately 30 acres. • Currently on the property are seven one- and two-story buildings on the property. • The property is about ½-miles from the proposed Broadmoor Station. • Stonehollow Drive, Gracy Farms Lane, and Metric Blvd are ASMP Level 3 Streets. • Parmer Lane and Braker Lane are Imagine Austin activity corridors. • The existing zoning is NBG-Neighborhood Residential. We are proposing to change to CMU-Midway zoning, with development bonus max. height 350 feet and 10:1 FAR. • Existing FLUM is Mixed Use. The proposed FLUM change is for High Density Mixed Use. • What we are proposing is in-line with what is there now. • The property is within the NBG Regional Center, which is a more intense center on the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan. 10 Applicant Summary Letter from Application Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 11 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 12 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 Letter of Recommendation from the Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) (There is no neighborhood plan contact team in the North Burnet/Gateway Planning Area) 13 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 Site 14  Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 15 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 16  Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 17  Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 18  Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 19 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 Applicant’s Presentation at the Community Meeting 20 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 21 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 22 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 23 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 24 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 25 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 26 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 27 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 28 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 29 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 30 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 31 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 32 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 33 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 34 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 35 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 36 Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 37  Planning Commission: November 12, 2024 Correspondence Received (No correspondence received) 38