Item B-01 (Neighborhood Briefing Paper 03_15_21).pdf — original pdf

Backup

Neighborhood concerns about 1434 Genoa Drive rezoning (C14-2020-0131) 5.2 acres in far South Austin. Existing zoning: DR. Proposed: MF-5. See reference materials at https://texasoaksneighborhood.com/zap. No Direct Access to Slaughter Lane All multifamily zoning along Slaughter Lane, Menchaca, S. Congress, and S. First has direct access to a major arterial street. The subject parcel does not. Access to Slaughter requires travel through two level- one streets. Safety should be a priority Our neighborhood has significant fire and flood risk, limited access, and a failed intersection The impacts of the proposed development contradict the City of Austin Vision Zero and Strategic Mobility Plan, which direct decision-makers to "Prioritize the protection of human life over all else in the planning, design, and operation of Austin's transportation network." Due to unique geographic constraints, all of the current 1,665 households, two churches, and all future developments rely on Bilbrook and David Moore Drive. The NTA states that the Slaughter Lane / Bilbrook intersection is already at capacity and there is no room for additional improvements. ▪ The November 2020 TIA for the approved SF6 Messinger project shows that even with the agreed mitigation strategies the Bilbrook/Slaughter intersection will have an LOS of F (fail) in the AM and PM hours and a delay of 329.9. Bilbrook provides the primary access and is the only west bound option for the entire 623-acre area . ▪ Additional traffic on Bilbrook will impact daily commuter safety and delay or potentially block emergency vehicle access and neighborhood evacuation routes needed for fire and flood. FPT will significantly increase the delay and exacerbate the inherent safety concerns with failed intersections. ▪ The Bilbrook and Slaughter intersection experienced a 400% increase in crashes from 2017 to 2018. ATD has identified Slaughter as is one of 13 high-injury roadways in Austin. ▪ The capacity of David Moore Drive is limited. Traffic exiting the neighborhood can only turn east from David Moore onto Slaughter, which will have a LOS of E and a 35.8 delay. The road is often blocked by traffic on Slaughter stopped at Texas Oaks Drive. This level one street can be accessed only through other neighborhood residential streets that have parking on both sides and inadequate width for commuter traffic. The Slaughter Lane RR Overpass Bridge has been identified by Austin Public Works as requiring “immediate rehabilitation or replacement.” The proposed development is directly adjacent to the bridge. In addition, the NTA is directing multi-modal traffic to a bridge that has “experienced movement/deflection which have both caused noticeable separation” between the sidewalk and the street and have triggered major cracking in the roadway surface.” Concerns about C14-2020-0131 Page 1 Fire and Flood This area is located within the Wildland-Urban Interface and is identified as high fire risk by AFD. The neighborhood had a road-closing wildfire in 2011. AFD has noted that there is a “serious evacuation problem in this neighborhood.” Priority evacuation may be required. AFD did not review evacuation impacts of the MF3 staff recommendation. High rainfall already causes damage downstream. Stormwater from the project would be directed to existing waterways which currently exceed their banks and cause flooding issues for St. Paul Catholic Church, David Moore Drive, and Mary Moore Searight Park. The drainage ditch along Slaughter Creek Drive floods during heavy rains and carries debris, blocking detention ponds that service the Hollows at Slaughter Creek neighborhood. In addition, Bilbrook and Slaughter Creek Drive have low-water crossings south of the proposed development, and additional runoff would make these crossings impassable more often. Our area has apartment vacancies Within one mile of the subject property, over 99 one- and two-bedroom apartment units (priced around $1,100 per month) are currently available. Most of these apartment complexes have a very high vacancy rating of 10% or greater. Multi-modal routes in the 78748 zip code are measured in hours, not minutes. Many neighbors attempting to use the bus to get to downtown experience nearly an hour and a half travel time. Those trying to go to Mopac and 360 are nearly two hours one way for bus travel. This level of time commitment makes multi- modal an unrealistic option for neighbors. Zoning greatly impacts our neighborhood issues and is where our voice must be heard Our neighborhoods received the following feedback from COA Senior Planners regarding the site review process. “There really isn’t much opportunity for neighborhoods to engage actively in an administrative site plan process. You can submit comments which will be passed onto the developer, but we lack any enforcement mechanism. So long as projects comply with Code, we *must* approve them. That dynamic all but nullifies any opportunity for neighborhoods to collaborate or negotiate on project details.” We ask the Commission to recognize the safety, traffic, flooding and wildfire concerns of the 623-acre area. ▪ Recommend transitional density zoning of MF1 or lower. ▪ Limit vehicle trips per day to 700. ▪ Ask the City to work with our neighborhoods toward a comprehensive neighborhood plan that accommodates new development while also protecting the safety and livability of the 623-acre area which includes City and ETJ. Contact Information Several neighborhoods are working together closely on this issue. For ease of communication, we have one point of contact: Michelle Adams, Texas Oaks South Neighborhood Association, 611 Kingfisher Creek Drive, Austin TX 78748; 512-574-2969. Concerns about C14-2020-0131 Page 2  Subject tract does not have direct access to Slaughter Lane. Bridge is seperating from sidewalk causing pedestrian and bicycle safety concerns. Repairs are failling. Bridge cracks are large enough to catch bicycle tires which increases the likelyhood for accidents and propelling riders into Slaughter traffic.  Flooding along eastern edge of subject track. This stormwater flows into the detention pond at the Hollows at Slaughter Creek and often carries flood debris causing potential blockage. Slaughter Creek drive is impassable during large storm events. Our neighborhoods have approached the County several times regarding connection to Chappell Ln in our area and the Chappell Ln off Menchaca. The requests have been denied due to the RR crossing and need for an extensive bridge to address the floodplain shown below.  Chappell Ln R a i l r o a d Slaughter Creek Austin Floodpro map: Chappell Lane west crosses Slaughter Creek and is impassible during high water. At David Moore Drive and Slaughter, drivers can only turn left (east) due to the median on Slaughter Lane. Ingress/Egress at David Moore is commonly blocked by traffic waiting at the Texas Oaks light. Our neighborhoods requested connection to Texas Oaks when Iron Rock Ranch apartments were built and was denied.