Small Area Planning Joint Committee - Oct. 19, 2022
Small Area Planning Joint Committee Special Called Meeting of the Small Area Planning Joint Committee - This regular meeting will follow a hybrid format. Please see agenda for details. Public comment may be made in-person or by telephone.
1. SPECIAL CALLED MEETING of the SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE (SAPJC) OCTOBER 19, 2022 11:30 AM PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 2103 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR. AUSTIN, TX 78752 Some members of the SAPJC may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Mark Walters, 512-974-7695, mark.walters@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: James Shieh, Chair David King, Vice Chair Cesar G. Acosta Jeffrey L. Thompson Jennifer Mushtaler Patrick B. Howard Betsy Greenberg AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 3 speakers signed up by noon (12:00 PM) the day before to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Small Area Planning Joint Committee’s Regular Meeting on April 13, 2022 Staff briefing regarding the Palm District Plan (Mark Walters, Housing and Planning Department) Discussion and possible action to approve the Small Area Planning Joint Committee’s 2023 meeting schedule STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. 3. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Mark Walters at the Housing and Planning Department, at 512-974-7695, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Small Area Planning Joint Committee, please contact Mark Walters at 512-974-7695 or mark.walters@austintexas.gov.
Small Area Planning Joint Committee 2023 Meeting Schedule Planning and Development Center (PDC) 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Austin, TX 78752 Time: 11:30 AM Location: Room, TBD Schedule: February 1, 2023 April 12, 2023 June 7, 2023 August 9, 2023 October 4, 2023 December 13, 2023
SMALL AREA PLANNING JOINT COMMITTEE APRIL 13, 2022 11:30 AM STREET-JONES BUILDING, ROOM 400A 1100 EAST 11TH STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the committee may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, call or email the board liaison at 512-978-1725 or susan.watkins@austintexas.gov. Members Absent Jennifer Mushtaler CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Members in Attendance Patrick Howard James Shieh, Chair Jeffrey Thompson Cesar Acosta David King, Vice-Chair Betsy Greenberg Staff in Attendance Mark Walters Susan Watkins Stevie Greathouse Greg Dutton Laura Keating Victor Cortes DRAFT MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: Chair Shieh called the meeting to order at 11:40 AM. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 3 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. No speakers signed up to speak. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Approval of minutes from the December 8, 2021, Small Area Planning Joint Committee meeting. King clarifies minutes: On Commissioner King’s motion, Commissioner Thompson’s second, the committee unanimously voted to approve the December 8, 2021, minutes as amended. b. Approval of minutes from the February 9, 2022, Small Area Planning Joint Committee meeting. On Commissioner King’s motion, Commissioner Thompson’s second, the committee unanimously voted to approve the February 9, 2022, minutes. 2. OLD BUSINESS a. None 3. NEW BUSINESS a. 90-92 Rainey Street - Reflectivity Variance in the Waterfront Overlay (SPC-2020- 0121C) - Discussion and possible action on a variance for reflectivity standards in the Rainey Street subdistrict of the Waterfront Overlay. • Amanda Swor (Drenner Group) presented on behalf of the applicant. • On Commissioner Acosta’s motion, Commissioner Greenberg’s second, the commission voted to close the public hearing. • The variance request was discussed. Commissioner King made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Greenburg, that the variance request be forwarded to the Planning Commission without a recommendation with information from staff regarding potential impacts on adjacent buildings, bird-friendly design, transmittance, reflectivity, LEED best practices and energy efficiency. 4. PUBLIC HEARINGS a. None 5. STAFF BRIEFINGS Stevie Greathouse presented. Waterfront Overlay. Greg Dutton presented. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS a. Housing …
PALM DISTRICT PLAN Public Review DRAFT 10/14/2022 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION 3 EQUITY FRAMEWORK 4 HISTORY 6 EXISTING CONDITIONS 24 ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY 36 VISION STATEMENT 40 VISION FRAMEWORK 41 KEY OPPORTUNITY SITES 42 DESIRED OUTCOMES 47 SCENARIOS 52 IMPLEMENTATION 59 RECOMMENDATIONS 60 LOOKING FORWARD 69 Appendices A1 The Palm District: Austin’s Cultural Hub - AIA Communities by Design Report A2 Listening Report for Palm District Visioning Phase A3 Palm District Existing Conditions Report A4 Palm District Planning City Council Resolution EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2019 the Austin City Council directed staff (Resolution No. 20190523-029) to develop a small area plan for the eastern edge of Downtown: the Palm District. Initial work on the plan began in the latter part of 2019 and early 2020, but was halted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. As 2020 wound down, staff resumed work on the project by developing and refining background documents, designing the public engagement strategy and planning process, conducting preliminary stakeholder outreach, and preparing for the formal kickoff of the planning prosses in May 2021. Beginning in 2019, Housing and Planning Department Staff convened a City of Austin Palm District Planning Team comprised of representatives from multiple City Departments including Convention Center, Parks and Recreation, Watershed Protection, Transportation, Sustainability, Economic Development, Real Estate, and the Corridor Program Office to provide input and review key deliverables throughout the process. HPD staff also met regularly with representatives from the Downtown Austin Alliance and Waterloo Greenway, as well as Travis County staff, and other key community stakeholders serving as partners in support of the planning process. The Palm District planning process employed a five phase planning process: • Pre-Planning—The project team researched the Palm District in preparation of developing the plan. • Visioning—The project team engaged community and developed a draft vision and outline for the plan. • Active Planning—Staff used the draft vision to identify recommendations and to develop multiple scenarios for the Palm District. As part of their partnership with the City in support of this process, the Downtown Austin Alliance engaged a professional urban design firm, Asakura Robinson, to assist with outreach, focus group facilitation, development of possible future scenarios and a preferred scenario for the draft plan. • Draft Review—Staff developed the draft plan with guidance from city and key stakeholder partners and released the draft for public review and comments. • Plan Adoption—During this time staff will review …
33 Public Review Draft Palm District Plan 34 Public Review Draft Palm District Plan 35 Public Review Draft Palm District Plan ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY The Housing and Planning Department led an outreach and engagement process bringing together the thoughts and ideas of a broad range of community stakeholders and institutional partners to inform and develop the goals and future vision for the Palm District. This robust community engagement strategy was grounded using an equity lens. Intentional steps were taken to elevate the voices of community members that have cultural and historic ties to the district, some of whom no longer live in the vicinity of the district due to gentrification and displacement caused in part by past planning decisions. It must be noted that early engagement efforts were entirely moved online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Organizational Briefings and Inter-agency Coordination Beginning in 2019, staff held regular briefing meetings with various city boards and commissions, key city departments, external organizations, and community-based organizations and invited them to participate in the planning process. City departments and external partners were consulted on the various products created throughout the planning process including the draft Vision Framework, American Institute of Architects workshops, the framework desired outcomes, preferred scenarios, and plan document. Targeted Outreach to East Austin Thought Leaders In late Summer 2021, Martha P. Cotera (dba Information Systems Development) was contracted to engage East Austin community members with cultural and historic bonds to the Palm District. A series of interviews, focus groups, and small group meetings were held with East Austin Mexican- American community leaders, current and former elected officials, Palm School alumni, Rainey Street Historic District residents and advocates, and current and former East Austin residents. Also targeted were organizations such as Raza Roundtable, PODER, HABLA and Nuestro Grupo/Academia Cuauhtli, Mexic Arte Museum, La Peña, with well documented involvement in the district. The interviewers gathered interviewees’ stories, desires, and thoughts about the Palm School and Park, the Rainey Street Neighborhood, Waterloo Greenway, the potential 5th Street Heritage Corridor, and other aspects of the Palm District. From her work with the East Austin stakeholder groups, Martha Cotera produced an in-depth report that includes a historic framework outlining the Mexican-American contributions and political efforts in the City of Austin and in the planning area specifically. The report includes the challenges of both displacement and the work of advocacy for the preservation of historic and cultural features …
