04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 10 - Staff Report — original pdf

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NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET NEIGHORHOOD PLAN: North Shoal Creek CASE#: NPA-2025-0031.01 DATE FILED: August 13, 2025 PROJECT NAME: 8701 N Mopac Rezoning PC DATE: March 10, 2026 February 10, 2026 January 13, 2026 ADDRESS/ES: 8701 N Mopac Expy SVRD NB DISTRICT AREA: 10 SITE AREA: 6.39 acres OWNER/APPLICANT: Mopac Atrium Investments, LLC, a Texas limited liability company AGENT: Dubois Bryant & Campbell, LLP (David Hartman) CASE MANAGER: Maureen Meredith PHONE: (512) 974-2695 STAFF EMAIL: Maureen.Meredith@austintexas.gov TYPE OF AMENDMENT: Change in Future Land Use Designation From: Commerce To: Mixed Use Activity HUB/Corridor Base District Zoning Change Related Zoning Case: C14-2025-0031.01 From: CS To: LI-PDA NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN ADOPTION DATE: August 23, 2018 CITY COUNCIL DATE: TBD ACTION: 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 101 of 29PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: April 14, 2026 – (action pending) March 10, 2026 – Postponed to the April 14, 2026 hearing on the consent agenda at the request of the neighborhood. [B. Bedrosian – 1st; N. Barrera-Ramirez – 2nd] Vote: 11-0 [A. Lan off the dais. One vacancy on the dais]. February 10, 2026 – Postponed to March 10, 2026 on the consent agenda at the request of the Applicant. [F. Maxwell – 1st; B. Bedrosian – 2nd] Vote: 11-0 [A. Lan absent]. January 13, 2026 – Postponed to February 10, 2026 on the consent agenda at the request of the Applicant. [F. Maxwell – 1st; P. Breton – 2nd] Vote: 11-0 [Two vacancies on the dais]. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff supports the applicant’s request for Mixed Use Activity HUB/Corridor land use. BASIS FOR STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION: Staff supports the applicant’s request for Mixed Use Activity HUB/Corridor land use because the property is located along the MOPAC service road where this land use is appropriate. The applicant’s original request was to build multifamily residential development in this location but revised their zoning request to prohibit residential uses and to reduce the maximum building height from 180 feet to 120 feet. 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 102 of 29 LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS: EXISTING LAND USE: Commerce - This character district accommodates commercial activities such as retail entertainment venues, or campuses located mostly along highway frontage roads. Although these sites should allow for internal pedestrian connectivity, their overall design is fashioned to the needs of people arriving by car. Residential uses are inappropriate due to a lack of external connectivity. Character and Intent • Entirely commercial, no residential uses. • Typical Land Uses o Primary Uses: Office, retail restaurants, services, car dealerships and multitenant commercial. o Secondary Uses: Entertainment, recreation, institutional uses, ponds and storm water facilities. Commerce District Features 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 103 of 29 The following features were identified as characteristics that should be typical to the Commerce District: • Auto-oriented, region-serving commercial with frontage road access • Building heights up to six stories where not adjacent to Residential Core • Heights should step down to be compatible with adjacent residences • Placement of windows should respect the privacy of neighboring residences • Landscaping and fences to buffer adjacent residences • Adequate parking, visible from street • Multi-lane drive-thru facilities. PROPOSED LAND USE: Mixed Use Activity Corridor – Mostly mixed-use or commercial, some residential parcels. This character district is applied along major commercial roadways well-served by transit, designated as Activity Corridors on Imagine Austin’s “Growth Concept Map,” and other roads identified through the planning process. Access to frequent transit makes these corridors good locations for a mix of housing and commercial uses. This district offers residents along the corridor and in nearby neighborhoods convenient access to work, entertainment, shopping, and services. Although they provide access to local residents, these corridors can be destinations for people across Austin and the region. Buildings along these corridors will be taller near major roadways. If adjacent to single-family areas design considerations such as lower heights, architectural designs, and landscaping should be used to ensure compatibility with residential lots. Typical Land Uses Primary Uses: Mixed-use, commercial, retail, restaurants, transit-oriented development Secondary Uses: Multi-family, office, civic and institutional uses, community buildings MIXED USE ACTIVITY CORRIDOR FEATURES. The following features are identified as characteristics that should be typical to the Mixed-Use Activity Corridor: • Buildings located close to the street • Wider sidewalks, street furniture, and street trees • Sidewalk cafe seating allowed • Façades with display windows along sidewalk • Pedestrian-scaled lighting • Buildings no taller than five stories, and heights should vary from lot to lot • Development should support increased transit ridership • Building heights should step down to be compatible with adjacent houses • Placement of windows and balconies should respect the privacy neighboring of residences • Landscaping and architectural designs to buffer adjacent residences • Mostly mixed-use, neighborhood and region-serving commercial, some apartment buildings • Parking structures hidden from the street or adjacent houses • Surface parking on the side of or behind buildings • Limited drive-thru facilities • Open and green space should be incorporated into developments. 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 104 of 29 Yes Yes Imagine Austin Decision Guidelines 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: • On the edge of the North Burnet/Gateway Station Activity Center 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 No No to goods and services, and/or employment center. Connectivity and Food Access: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles of a grocery store/farmers market. Connectivity and Education: Located within 0.50 miles from a public school or university. • 1.3 miles to Pillow Elementary School, 3025 Crosscreek Dr, Austin, TX 78757 Yes Connectivity and Healthy Living: Provides or is located within 0.50 miles from a recreation area, park or walking trail. • Proposed Urban Trail 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 Texas Children's Specialty Care Austin, 8611 N Mopac Expy #300, Austin, TX 78759 No No Housing Affordability: Provides a minimum of 10% of units for workforce housing (80% MFI or less) and/or fee in lieu for affordable housing. • The revised zoning change request removes housing 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. No No Not known No 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). 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. No Yes Not located over the Edwards Aquifer Contributing Zone or Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone Total Number of “Yeses” 7 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 105 of 29 Proximity to Imagine Austin Activity Centers and Corridors 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 106 of 29 Proximity to Public Parks 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 107 of 29 Proximity to Public Transportation 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. 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 108 of 29 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, 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 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 109 of 29 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 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 applicant proposes to change the land use on the future land use map from Commerce to Mixed Use Activity HUB/Corridor. The applicant proposes to change the zoning on the property from CS (General Commercial Services district) to LI-PDA (Limited Industrial district – Planned Development Area). The applicant’s original request was to build a multifamily development but on March 30, 2026 amended their zoning application to remove this request and to reduce the maximum building height from 180 feet to 120 feet. For more information on the proposed zoning, see case report C14-2025-0088. PUBLIC MEETINGS: The ordinance-required community meeting was virtually held on February 25, 2026. The recorded meeting can be found here: https://publicinput.com/neighborhoodplanamendmentcases. Approximately 115 meeting notices were mail to people who have utility accounts (renters) and own property within 500 feet of the subject tract, in addition to neighborhood and environmental groups who requested notification for the area. Three City of Austin staff members attended from Austin Planning, Maureen Meredith, Mark Walters, and Chase Gonsoulin. David Hartman from Dubois Bryant & Campbell, LLP, the applicant’s agent, also attended. Six people from the neighborhood attended. Below are highlights of David Hartman’s presentation. (NOTE: The zoning application was revised on March 31, 2026 removing the request for residential units and reducing the maximum building height request from 180 feet to 120 feet). • We are requesting to rezone the property from CS to LI-PDA. • The current use is an office building. • The adjacent streets are Level 4 and Level 5 • There are multiple Capital Metro stops near the property • The property is close to the North Burnet/Gateway Regional Activity Center • Near proposed urban trails • Proposed maximum height of 180 feet. (Note: Amended to max. height 120 ft.) • Proposed Floor Area Ratio of 3:1 • Multiple rezoning of properties in the area (see Applicant’s presentation) Q: Some concerns the Planning Contact Team has is if the site was developed today the impervious cover would be 80%. The property is near the Shoal Creek Trail, and the Shoal Creek headwaters is within 1000 feet and is very prone to flooding. The site has no water 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1010 of 29 quality protection. The bike trails are difficult to get to because they are on the other side of the railroad tracks. We are concerned about our neighborhood being surrounded by tall, high-rise buildings. A: I plan to meet with your team again and look forward to continuing this dialog with this case. For the record, in terms of impervious cover of the site zone CS zoning today, which is 95% impervious cover, for our zoning case it’s a lateral IC from CS zoning. Q: On page 32 of our North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Plan, it says the Mopac Frontage Road is not compatible for residential uses with the fast moving highway traffic and loud and frequent railroad traffic. A: Thank you for pointing that out, I saw that in the plan. As you know, one of the purposes of these plan amendments is to revisit and update or refresh plans as they organically grow over time. Given the proximity to amenities, this is the right place for residential and other uses that would be allowed. Q: You mentioned access to the 183 ramps, but it looks like this is not easy to do. Access by car even to the core part of neighborhood is not very friendly. Do you have a different configuration to allow access to your property? A: I will study the ingress and egress of the property of the property again and will be able to talk about this when we meet tomorrow. Q: I didn’t see with the housing component that affordable units were being provided. A: We will voluntarily offer affordable housing units. We will partner with HomeBase or Habitat for Humanity and have a private restrictive covenant with 10% at the current MFI. We did this with another PDA zoning case near this property. (NOTE: The applicant amended their zoning request to remove the request for residential uses). Q: Would the current zoning allow for a hotel? A: The current zoning of CS would allow a hotel use. Q: With the CS zoning, what is the maximum height currently allowed? A: With CS, the maximum height is 60 feet. The PDA zoning allows you to modify the height. With this project, 180 feet is the proposed maximum (Note: revised zoning application reduce this to maximum 120 feet). Q: You mentioned a potential for a medical connection; can you talk more about this? A: For my subject tract is a use category called Hospital Services Limited for outpatient services. Comments: • I don't have any problems with height necessarily, but the way that this proposed development weaves into the neighborhood is going to be incredibly limited. I would say this development is probably almost exclusively limited to motor vehicle access. 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1011 of 29 Applicant Summary Letter from Application submitted on August 11, 2026 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1012 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1013 of 29 Revised Zoning Application Summary Letter dated March 30, 2026 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1014 of 29 Letter of Recommendation from the Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) From: Meredith, Maureen Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 12:59 PM To: akhcobb@ eicksteadj@; dzahsh@; adynaton1@; Sharon.justice@; stevenw@ Cc: Sirwaitis, Sherri <Sherri.Sirwaitis@austintexas.gov> Subject: April 14 PC, NSC NPCT Rec ltr? NPA-2025-0031.01_8701 N Mopac Importance: High Dear North Shoal Creek NPCT: Please see the email from David Hartman revising his zoning application. If your team would like to submit a letter of recommendation to be included in our staff case reports, please email it to me and Sherri Sirwaitis, the zoning case manager, no later than Tuesday, April 7th by 4:30 pm, which is when our reports are due. If we get it after this date and time, we will submit it as late material to the April 14th PC hearing, but it will not be included in our staff reports. Please let me know if you have any questions. Maureen Maureen Meredith (she/her) Senior Planner Austin Planning 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr. Austin, TX 78752 512-974-2695 maureen.meredith@austintexas.gov Please Note: Correspondence and information submitted to the City of Austin are subject to the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552) and may be published online. Por Favor Tome En Cuenta: La correspondencia y la información enviada a la Ciudad de Austin está sujeta a la Ley de Información Pública de Texas (Capítulo 552) y puede ser publicada en línea. 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1015 of 29 Site 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1016 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1017 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1018 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1019 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1020 of 29 David Hartman’s Presentation at the February 25, 2026 Virtual Community Meeting 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1021 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1022 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1023 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1024 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1025 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1026 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1027 of 29 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1028 of 29 Correspondence Received No correspondence received. 04 NPA-2025-0031.01 - 8701 N Mopac Rezoning; District 1029 of 29