07 C14-2026-0026 - Phoenix Motor Works; District 9 - Public Comment — original pdf

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Steering Committee Members: Stephen L. Amos, Chair Mark Ashby, Jeff Callahan, Scott Campbell, Marc Carlson, Hunter Coleman, Evelyn Fujimoto, Adrienne Goldsberry, Nick Mehl, William Osborn, Charlie Rice, Paul Shattuck, Shawn Shillington September 18, 2026 City of Austin Planning Commission c/o Planning Department 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive Austin, Texas 78752 Re: C14-2026-0026 - Phoenix Motor Works 1125 and 1127 W 6th Street Request to Rezone from CS-MU-V-CO-NP to LI-PDA-CO-NP - Item 7 Dear Chair Woods and Planning Commissioners: The Old West Austin Neighborhood Association (OWANA) writes in support of the rezoning request for 1125 and 1127 West 6th Street, commonly known as the Phoenix Motor Works property, from CS- MU-V-CO-NP to LI-PDA-CO-NP. OWANA’s support follows discussions between the OWANA Zoning Committee and the project developer regarding the proposed redevelopment of the property and the neighborhood’s concerns regarding the future development and operation of the site. The proposed project would create an office and retail building along West 6th Street, with a building height of approximately 60 feet along W 6th Street before stepping back approximately 30 feet and increasing to a maximum height of approximately 90 feet. OWANA believes that maintaining the initial 60-foot height along W 6th Street, together with the substantial step-back before the additional height occurs, is an important aspect of the project. In OWANA’s view, the lower street-facing portion of the building better respects and responds to the existing scale and historical character of the West 6th Street corridor while allowing additional density farther back from the street. The proposed development will also complement the property immediately to the west, which was rezoned to LI-PDA last year and is proposed for a residential apartment building with retail uses on the ground floor. Together, the two projects would provide a complementary mix of office, retail, and residential uses along this portion of W 6th Street and support a more pedestrian-friendly environment. An especially important part of OWANA’s discussions with the developer has been the developer’s willingness to look beyond the boundaries of the property that is the subject of this rezoning case. The developer has agreed to rework and enhance the existing street and plaza area west of the building at 1111 W 6th Street, which is owned by the same developer. The developer has also expressed a willingness to coordinate with the developer of the adjacent property to the west so that the streetscape improvements across the properties can be planned as a coordinated whole. 07 C14-2026-0026 - Phoenix Motor Works; District 9 - Public Comment1 of 3The intent is for the streetscape to be designed by the same landscape architecture firm, creating continuity in landscaping, pedestrian circulation, planting areas, trees, paving, and other streetscape elements along W 6th Street, continuing around the corner onto Walsh Street all the way to W 5th Street. OWANA believes this coordinated approach will create a substantially more cohesive pedestrian environment than treating each property as an independent development. We appreciate the developer’s willingness to engage with OWANA in a cooperative and constructive manner and to memorialize the neighborhood’s concerns and the developer’s commitments in a recorded Restrictive Covenant (RC). The proposed RC addresses a range of issues important to the surrounding neighborhood, including: • Enhanced W 6th Street landscaping and streetscape improvements, including native and/or • regionally appropriate plantings and enhancement of the existing planting zone; Improvements to the existing plaza and pedestrian areas at 1111 W 6th Street, including removal of the existing paver patio west of the building and conversion of that area to additional landscaped space; • Coordination of streetscape improvements for 1111, 1125, and 1127 W 6th Street with the adjacent western property, with the goal of creating a unified streetscape designed by the same landscape architecture firm and extending around Walsh Street all the way to W 5th Street; • Landscape installation and ongoing maintenance requirements, including adequate funding for installation, replacement, irrigation, and continued maintenance; • Awnings over street-facing retail entrances to provide shade, pedestrian comfort, and a more defined sense of place; • An enhanced streetscape along the northern boundary of 1125 and 1127 W 6th Street, including an eight-foot planting zone and ten-foot pedestrian clear zone, subject to applicable City requirements; • A ten-foot pedestrian walkway intended to provide continuity with pedestrian improvements on the surrounding block; • Façade standards addressing materials, continuous glass curtainwall, and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood; • Prohibition of Administrative and Business Offices and Professional Office uses on the first floor of any building or structure on the Property, preserving the opportunity for more active, pedestrian-oriented ground-floor uses; • Efforts to bury utility lines along W 6th Street, to the extent feasible and approved by the applicable utility providers and governmental authorities; • Efforts to relocate the existing transformer from W 6th Street to the rear of the property, contingent upon Austin Energy approval and technical feasibility; and These commitments address many of the issues that OWANA considers important to the successful integration of the project into the W 6th Street corridor. In particular, the combination of a lower street- facing building scale, active ground-floor uses, coordinated landscaping and pedestrian improvements, and restrictions addressing sound, lighting, operating hours, and construction activity provides a framework for development that is responsive to the surrounding neighborhood. The developer’s willingness to work with OWANA, coordinate with neighboring property owners, and incorporate these commitments into a recorded Restrictive Covenant has been an important part of OWANA’s consideration of the rezoning request. 07 C14-2026-0026 - Phoenix Motor Works; District 9 - Public Comment2 of 3Accordingly, OWANA supports the rezoning request in Case C14-2026-0026 from CS-MU-CO- NP to LI-PDA-CO-NP, subject to the execution and recording of the agreed Restrictive Covenant containing the commitments described above. OWANA respectfully requests that the Planning Commission approve the rezoning request consistent with the negotiated conditions and the final terms of the Restrictive Covenant. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Stephen L. Amos Chair Old West Austin Neighborhood Association (OWANA) 07 C14-2026-0026 - Phoenix Motor Works; District 9 - Public Comment3 of 3