Item 2A - Right-of-Way Vacation of the alley of East 8th Street - GNDC responses to objections — original pdf

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From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Attachments: Mark Rogers Smith, Mashell; CLMD Land Management Nhat M. Ho; Rachel Stone; Fayez Kazi GNDC Update Ltr 5.3.20 File #10076-1901 Sunday, May 3, 2020 12:05:20 PM GNDC_File #10076-1901_809 E 9 ROW.pdf *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** Dear Ms. Smith, I have attached a letter that I'm hoping provides the pertinent background and an update related to our application for the alley vacation adjacent to our property at 809 East 9th Street. As you probably are aware, the application was approved on consent by both the Urban Transportation Commission and Planning Commission late last year. In February of this year, also on consent, the City Council approved selling the remainder of the alley to GNDC. You already should have copies of the letter and email that I sent last month to all of the condominium owners at the Tyndall who submitted objection letters to the alley vacation. In my letter and email, I offered to meet virtually if the Tyndall owners wished to and I provided my phone number, email address and mailing address. I have had no responses of any kind from anyone. Despite their statements regarding safety, I'm quite certain the Tyndall owners are actually concerned about the loss of views of our downtown. While such a concern is reasonable, had anyone investing in a west-facing condominium at the Tyndall asked about the development potential of the Lopez Property-- 809 East 9th Street-- the developers of the Tyndall undoubtedly knew that the entitlements are the same as those for the Tyndall. While it is an investor's responsibility to understand the pros and cons of their investment, it is my responsibility to develop property owned by our corporation to its highest and best use in order to most effectively fulfill our mission. Had the developers of the Tyndall acquired the Lopez Property, their project certainly would have been built as far to the west and as tall as we plan to build on that same property. And, just as certainly, they would have wished to build using the 572 feet of the remainder of alleyway, just as we would like to do. Their objections suggest our property is not right for seniors, yet I'm also quite sure that the real estate agents for the Tyndall are not trying to dissuade any potential buyers who are 62 years of age or older from acquiring units in the Tyndall that are along East 9th Street. GNDC has a long history of developing high quality housing in Austin. La Vista de Lopez will exemplify our commitment to providing the best affordable homes developed in our city. Thank you for your time and consideration. -- Mark C. Rogers, Executive Director Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation 813 East 8th Street, Austin Texas 78702 512-479-6275 ext. 6 www.guadalupendc.org CAUTION: This email was received at the City of Austin, from an EXTERNAL source. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious and/or phishing email, please forward this email to CSIRT@austintexas.gov.