04 and 05 - NPA-2024-0019.01 and C14-2024-0121 Red River; District 9 Public Correspondence — original pdf
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From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Andy Schulz Boudreaux, Marcelle Dohn Larson Case Nos. NPA-2024-0019.01 and C14-2024-0121 Tuesday, January 28, 2025 12:31:09 PM External Email - Exercise Caution Dear Ms. Boudreaux, Thank you again for your time yesterday discussing the above cases with me and my neighbor. I live on East 44th Street near Bennet Street, and I write on behalf of myself, my wife, and several neighbors on 44th Street who are deeply concerned about the changes requested by the applicant in the above cases. To be clear, we support efforts to create more housing, and especially more affordable housing, in the City of Austin. However, the effort to do so in the proposed manner at this specific location is not appropriate for our neighborhood. We are mindful that the Planning Department has recommended approval of the requested change from residential to mixed use, but without the DB90 density bonus. Although elimination of the DB90 bonus density certainly is a necessary improvement, they are not sufficient and the proposed changes remain inappropriate for multiple reasons. As an initial matter, there are currently three modest detached single-family dwellings on these properties, each with off-street parking. Notwithstanding the applicant’s representation that these dwellings are in poor condition, from the exterior they appear to be fine. In one case, some fresh paint and trimming of shrubbery seems to be all the house needs. These small homes are in keeping with our neighborhood, and we think an appropriate alternative would be to use small lot options to increase density while preserving the character of our neighborhood and minimizing the negative impact of the proposed changes. The negative impacts on our neighborhood that would result from approval of the pending applications include the following: First, the DB90 density bonus requested by the applicant would allow a structure up to 70 feet tall, or twice as tall as any other building in the neighborhood and three to four times as tall as most of the single-story homes that predominate in our neighborhood. A building that tall would be grossly out of proportion and would overshadow neighboring properties. This fact alone should cause the application to be rejected out-of-hand. Even the 40-foot maximum height that would be allowed under the Planning Department’s recommendation would result in a structure that looms over the other home on our street and would be inappropriate for that reason alone, especially considering the absence of any setback requirements that could mitigate the domineering effect of such a tall structure. Second, the traffic study on which the Department staff’s recommendation is partly based is flawed. To begin with, the analysis is based on the Staff’s recommendation and so does not even purport to address the traffic consequences of the applicant’s request for a DB90 bonus density. Since, among other things, the DB90 bonus density would eliminate any limits on the number of units that could be built, and the applicant has submitted no site development plan, there’s no telling how much additional traffic would result – but without doubt it would be enormous. Even apart from that problem, the study is further flawed because it does not seem to take into account, either separately or collectively, the effects of the significant expansion underway at Hancock Center just a few blocks to the South, or the expansion of I-35 just a few blocks to the East. Both of these projects will increase traffic on Red River and Bennet Street (as well as 44th Street as a route to Bennet Street), and this effect will only be compounded if the pending applications are approved. At Hancock Center, HEB is nearing the completion of its $17.5 million expansion that includes the addition of a BBQ restaurant among other attractions. The former Sears building, which has been vacant for many years, is being converted to a new community health center. Both of these changes will draw more traffic to the area, and Bennet Street serves as an access point to the Hancock Center and its north parking lot. The north parking lot has been closed during construction, and its closure probably skewed the traffic analysis because drivers going to HEB and the other stores there (24 Hour Fitness, Twin Liquor, Petco, and others) likely directed themselves to the south or west side of the Center to park in the south lot. During the years of construction to expand the I-35 corridor, highway traffic will be shunted onto local streets, especially ours on the west side. The construction will eliminate streets on the west side of the highway, so more local traffic will be on our streets even after construction is completed. There will only be more cars on our streets due to the increased commercial activity at Hancock Center. The approach to the Bennet Street entry point will be via our street, or 43rd Street or 45th Street. In short, our neighborhood streets will be far more congested. The traffic analysis does not consider any of these impacts, or how they will be magnified by additional housing and commercial businesses on Red River between 43rd and 44th Streets. Third, the increased traffic created by these changes would lead to several serious health and safety risks for our neighborhood. Red River narrows to become a single lane in each direction exactly at 43rd Street. (At this point it should be designated as an ASMP Level 1 Street, as it is beginning at 45th Street, rather than Level 3). Cars traveling up Red River often do not slow down quickly enough when the street narrows, and so the street is already hazardous at this point, where there is both a bus stop and a pedestrian crosswalk. There is no room for parking on this section of Red River, either for any new residences or commercial businesses. The increased traffic, increased commercial activity, the bus stop, and the crosswalk, all in this narrow street with fast moving vehicles, are a recipe for accidents, injuries and fatalities. Around the corner, on our street, is where the new residents and shop owners in the new development, as well as their guests, customers, and delivery trucks, will inevitably park, narrowing the street to just one traveled lane. Combined with the additional traffic, our street will cease to be the quiet family-friendly walkable lane, and instead become a hazardous thoroughfare for pedestrians and vehicles alike. A useful contrast is the mixed use area located several blocks West of Red River, at Duval and 43rd Street where the Duval Center with several neighborhood businesses is located. There, both Duval and 43rd Street are wide, and there is on-site parking on both sides of the street directly in front of the businesses. There is additional parking immediately adjacent to and/or behind these businesses. None of these features are present at Red River between 43rd and 44th Streets, and their absence renders the pending proposals hazardous and unwise for our community. For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully urge the Planning Commission to reject the above-referenced applications in their entirety on the ground that they are inappropriate for our neighborhood. Sincerely, Andrew Schulz 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".