20210816-2a: Response to Planning Commission Action — original pdf

Recommendation

URBAN RENEWAL BOARD RECOMMENDATION 20210816-2a Seconded By: Tetey Date: August 16, 2021 Subject: Response to Planning Commission Action Motioned By: Motwani Recommendation Response to Planning Commission’s recommendations on the proposed modifications to the East 11th and 12th Street Urban Renewal Plan and Neighborhood Conservation Combining Districts. Description of Recommendation to Council See attached Vote For: Escobar, Pierce, Motwani, Tetey, Watson, Bradford Against: None Abstain: None Absent: Skidmore Attest: Laura Keating 1 of 1 To: City Council of Austin From: Urban Renewal Board Date: August 16, 2021 Subject: Response to Planning Commission’s action on the Urban Renewal Plan and Neighborhood Conservation Combining Districts The Urban Renewal Board (URB) engaged in a multiyear effort to update the Urban Renewal Plan (URP) and the East 11th and 12th Street Neighborhood Conservation Combining Districts (NCCDs). The goal of this effort was to update the zoning regulations to support the URP and to provide consistency and clarity regarding entitlements. The Board’s recommendations were formed with the assistance of consultants, staff, and community input. The following response to the Planning Commission’s (PC) amendments to the URP and NCCDs is to provide more background on the URB’s recommendations. • The URB does not support the amended vision statement proposed by PC. The URB crafted and recommended the following vision statement for the URP: Champion sustainable revitalization reflecting diversity, achieving equity, and preserving East Austin’s cultural history. While the URB agrees with PC that development should be community informed, compatible, and mixed use and previously considered the inclusion of this language in the vision statement, the URB does not believe this language should be in the vision statement. These elements either are currently addressed directly in the URP and NCCDs or will be included in the strategic plan to be developed by the URB that will drive its future efforts. • The URB does not support FAR limits for Subdistrict 1, 2, and 3 in the East 11th Street NCCD. On 11th Street, Council Resolution 20200423-039 directed modifications to the NCCD to both put in place the zoning to support the URP to maximize the value of the Urban Renewal Agency’s properties while continuing to promote the vision set by the community and succinctly and clearly communicate property owners’ entitlements. The URB considered and accepted the recommendation from staff and consultants that site development standards such as height, setbacks and impervious cover will effectively control the size of development and floor-to-area ratio (FAR) standards are not needed. • The URB does not support FAR limits for all properties in the East 12th Street NCCD which would be a reduction in entitlements for many properties. • The URB does not support the reduction of height entitlements for Subdistrict 2 in the East 12th Street NCCD. On 12th Street, Council Resolution 20210127-054 directed modifications to the NCCD to both update the zoning regulations to ensure consistency with anticipated modifications to the URP and include any additional amendments necessary to succinctly and clearly communicate property owners’ entitlements. The URB does not believe a reduction to currently existing height and FAR entitlements recommended by PC aligns with this direction. • The URB does not support making hotel-motel use conditional in the East 11th and 12th Street NCCD. The URB refined the list of allowed land uses in the URP and NCCDs to support an active street and uses that serve the community. With respect to hotel-motel uses on 11th Street, the URB accepted the recommendation from staff and consultants that the corridor has developed sufficiently to permit hotel- motel use generally, which will make it consistent with what currently is permitted on 12th Street. Hotel- motel use is currently permitted on 12th Street, and the URB believes that making this use conditional on both corridors does not align with the direction provided under the two Council Resolutions. • The URB supports PC’s recommendation to prohibit liquor sales use in the East 12th Street The original URB recommendation proposed that liquor sales, currently prohibited, be a conditional use on 12th Street. Because the use must also be allowed in the base zoning, only a few properties would be affected. The URB has reconsidered this change and supports liquor sales use remaining prohibited. • The URB supports PC’s intent that all existing single family uses will be able to rebuild with no NCCD. restrictions. The URB intended through the “save & except” provision to ensure that all existing single-family houses remain legal and are not subject to non-conforming regulations. The URB supports the PC action to ensure that if existing single-family homes are damaged or destroyed the property owner can rebuild as single-family and that homeowners have the right in perpetuity to use and improve their properties with no limits on value of improvement, repair, rebuild or sale as associated with a single-family use currently. The URB would respectfully ask City Council to support the Urban Renewal Plan and Neighborhood Conservation Combining Districts as presented by the URB and as reflected above.