07 C14-2025-0039 - 1305 W Oltorf; District 3 - Galindo Elementary Neighborhood Association Objection Letter — original pdf

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Planning Commission Meeting of June 10, 2025 C14-2025-0039 Marcelle Boudreaux 1305 W.Oltorf Street Dear Planning Commission Members, The Galindo Elementary Neighborhood Association, GENA, voted at our general membership meeting of May 19 to oppose the rezoning request for 1305 W. Oltorf Street from CS-General Commercial Services District to CS-V, General Commercial Services District with Vertical Mixed Use Building (V) Combining District. The FEMA floodplain maps show a portion of 1305 W. Oltorf street is in the floodplain and is adjacent to a large floodplain on its back border. The west side of the property is flanked by the Union Pacific railroad tracks and the property's driveway is adjacent to the the railroad crossing on Oltorf. Attached are a video and frame grabs captured at 1305 W.Oltorf Street during the historic flood of October 2015. During this flooding event which had rainfall amounts of 10-12 inches in hours, the Travis County Constable and residents of the adjacent Woodview Mobile Home Park had to be evacuated by boat. As noted in the Notice of Public Hearing, CS-General Commercial Services District is intended predominantly for commercial and industrial activities of a service nature having operating characteristics or traffic service requirements generally incompatible with residential environments. This site is not appropriate for residential use. The railroad crossing, floodplain and the geographic features of the site make it unsuitable and unsafe for residences. All three of the Future Land Use Maps (last updated in 2006) generated by GENA and the city's planning department show this site as CS only because of the known risks. Unfortunately, the applicant was granted a waiver on the required traffic study despite known and documented traffic and flooding issues at this site; claiming traffic trips will be reduced when the project is built. Oltorf is also a major east-west route across South Austin and has frequent traffic jams extending for several blocks in both directions at the railroad crossing. Since 2015, impervious cover has greatly increased in the central city and flood mitigation efforts have been an underfunded priority until recently. With the recent flooding and deaths in central Austin, it is in the best interests of the city to put the safety and wellbeing of their residents first. GENA welcomes development that is appropriate for this site and does not put our residents and the lives of first responders in danger. We urge all of you to vote no on this zoning request. Respectfully, Patty Sprinkle, GENA President 07 C14-2025-0039 - 1305 W Oltorf; District 31 of 1