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JOIN US

FOR OUR REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

TO DISCUSS THE LATEST ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE

AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD CHALLENGES

The West Austin Neighborhood Group will meet on MONDAY, 02/10/2020, at 6:30 PM at

the Howson Branch Public Library.

We will be discussing the Land Development Code Revision, CAP METRO and More!

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West Austin Neighborhood Group

Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

February 10, 2020 6:30 PM

Howson Public Library

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I. Call to Order Holly Reed

II. Approval of January 2019 Meeting Minutes Holly Reed

III. Neighbor Communications

• A. Cap Metro Project Connect Jackie Nirenberg
  
  

IV. Land Matters Blake Tollett

• 2309 & 2311 Quarry Road variance request Blake Tollett
• LDC Revision Update Holly Reed
• Deed Restrictions Mike Cannatti

V. Transportation August Harris

VI. Membership Joe Bennett

VII. Newsletter Advertising Committee Haidar Khazan / Sarah Cain

VIII. ANC Report Joyce Basciano / Heidi Gibbons

IX. Treasurer’s Report George Edwards

IX. Old Business

X.

• Red Bud Trail Bridge Project Update Mary Arnold
• Save Historic Muny District / Save Muny Update Mary Arnold
• Brack Tract Update Holly Reed

XI. New Business Holly Reed

• Next Meeting: March 9, 2020 6:30 PM Location TBD

XII. Adjourn Meeting Holly Reed

Austin Land Code undergoes changes....click here

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CM Tovo is encouraging anyone who wants to speak to the Council this week before second reading of CodeMESS to speak on

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11

CM Tovo says the Council could be voting as early as Feb. 11 (of course giving no one a chance to even review the second version.)

"Residents are encouraged to provide their comment on Tuesday, February 11 so that Council has the benefit of comments as early as possible for deliberation."

Registration for speaking Feb. 11 opens 8:30 AM on MONDAY FEB. 10 (this is before our meeting so wanted to give us all a heads up!!)

Please make plans to attend the Council’s meetings next week; at this point, we are scheduled to vote as early as February 11. I encourage you, your friends, and your neighbors to attend and participate in this important decision.

Even if you choose not to speak, it is important for the Council to see and hear from those who would be most impacted by these proposed changes.

The dates for Council meetings are as follows:

Tuesday, February 11

10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

*Registration to speak on Tuesday opens at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, February 10, and closes at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 11.

Wednesday, February 12

3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

7:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.

*Registration to speak on Wednesday opens at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, and closes at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12.

Thursday, February 13

9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

2:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.

*Registration to speak on Thursday opens at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 12, and closes at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 13.

Residents are encouraged to provide their comment on Tuesday, February 11 so that Council has the benefit of comments as early as possible for deliberation. If Council meets beyond February 11, the public will be able to speak on the subsequent days at the times indicated above. Citizens may register to speak by completing an electronic registration in person on the kiosks located in the lobby of City Hall. Depending on the number of community members who register, the Mayor has indicated that individuals will have one or two minutes to speak, with no donation of time.

This week we’ve had several Land Development Code work sessions covering a range of common questions, from flooding to mapping to the preservation incentive. You can see videos or view transcripts for the February 4 Work Session here and the February 5 Work Session here.

Thank you again for your continued engagement with this process.

Best,

Kathie Tovo

Council Member District 9

Dear Neighbors,

We have received hundreds of calls and emails expressing serious concern over the Land Development Code (LDC) rewrite. I share your frustration over the pace, the process, and the product.

It is no secret that I have opposed the council actions that led us to this point. I believe in transparency and taking the time to get things right. The current path does neither. Let’s remember that Austin embarked on the rewrite to achieve affordability and simplicity. This code delivers neither.

Council is scheduled to begin deliberations on second reading of the Land Development Code revisions on February 11th, with a vote likely happening between Feb. 11-13. This week, LDC staff gave a series of presentations outlining some of the most recent code and map changes. The code and these presentations need serious attention from all citizens.

You can find links to the current draft code and maps, as well as each of the presentations and council discussions below:

• Current draft code and maps
  
• Tuesday presentation | Tuesday video
  
• Wednesday morning presentation | Wednesday afternoon presentation | Wednesday video

Wednesday afternoon’s presentation included new drawings depicting the types of structures, including unit size and impervious cover, that would be possible per the current draft code. Large parts of District 10 are zoned for a variation of R2 zoning, which can be found on slides 19-23. Below is an example of what could be built on an 8,500 square foot lot using the preservation bonus, which staff laid out on Wednesday afternoon.

Some residential areas of District 10 are currently proposed for R4 zoning, which is sometimes referred to as a “missing middle” zone. This zone is currently mapped in transition areas as well as in some neighborhoods, such as off of Greystone and Mesa.

An example of base R4 zoning on an 8,000 square foot lot can be seen below.

RM1 zoning is another missing middle category, which we see mapped in District 10 in places including, but not limited to, the interior of neighborhood lots off of Jollyville Road and areas off of Exposition and Enfield.

You can see the base entitlements for RM1 on a 7,500 square foot lot below. Other depictions for missing middle possibilities can be found on slides 28-36.

My office is working diligently to digest the hundreds of pages of code and map changes released on January 31st. We also are meeting with staff and other council offices as we draft amendments and prepare for next week’s deliberations. Please know we are reading and absorbing your emails and taking as many phone calls as possible.

I might be in a minority on the council in my opposition to the current process, but I will continue to speak out on your behalf – you can hear one example of this in the video below.

We have held several office hours sessions and town halls on the Land Development Code over the last year. With such a short turnaround between release and Council action it simply is not possible for us to hold office hours and a town hall before the vote. We have LDC office hours scheduled for February 25th from 9-11 a.m. at Galaxy Cafe on Mesa Drive, and we anticipate holding a town hall in the coming weeks.

Before the vote on second reading, Council will be taking public comment on the latest versions of the maps and code. If you would like to testify, I encourage you to sign up to speak on February 11th so your comments can be heard as early as possible. If you are unable to come to City Hall that day and still wish to speak in person, you also can register to speak on February 12th or 13th. However, please note it is possible that Council could vote on the 11th. Please see the end of the mayor’s recent message board post for details about how citizen testimony will be structured. You will find a summary of the public comment process and meeting start times here.

Dozens of Council amendments were posted yesterday on the Council Message Board and more may be added in the coming days. In addition to the amendments that I post, I also am co-authoring several amendments with other council members. For example, many of the concerns I’m hearing from the community relate to transition zone depth. I am working with Council Members Kitchen, Pool, and Tovo to create language reducing transition zone impact, and that joint amendment as well as others I support may be posted by one of my colleagues.

As your representative, I am listening to and working to represent the concerns I am hearing from you. My staff are available by phone or email, and you can contact my chief of staff, Kurt Cadena-Mitchell, at kurt.cadena-mitchell@austintexas.gov or at (512) 978-2207. Thank you for your continued engagement through this process.

Regards,

Alison Alter
Council Member, District 10

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The West Austin Neighborhood Group is a non‐profit organization of neighborhood residents with the shared goal of preserving the character of West Austin. WANG is concerned with community development, ecology, safety, and many other matters that indirectly and directly affect the quality and character of our neighborhood and the City of Austin.

WANG publishes two print newsletters and 8 to 10 e‐newsletters which are emailed to paid members as well as anyone who is interested in neighborhood issues and requests it. The print newsletters are published in April/May and again in September/October (prior to the WANG Annual Meeting), both of which are circulated to the nearly 5200 residences in Tarrytown and Depp Eddy. All proceeds support the mission of the organization.

Guidelines:

• Payment and ad copy MUST be received by 10 days prior to publication date.

• Proofs must be signed and returned in a timely manner to avoid errors.

Print‐Ready ads are ads that can be placed directly into the newsletter publication for printing

without modification. Our preferred file format for receiving print‐ready ads are PDF files. Using PDF files avoids common font problems that can occur with other document formats such as Word. If your software does not support creating PDF files, we also accept EPS files with embedded fonts or fonts that have been created to outlines.

If you are not able to provide your ad in PDF or EPS format as per the above specs, we are able to work with you on raster‐based images such as JPG, PNG, GIF, or TIFF using “paint” type Programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Paint, or GIMP. These files must be at least 600 DPI in order to print clearly. We must receive and approve any files prior to the deadline

Special Requests:

We are able to accommodate special sizes or color inserts and full‐page or center spread color ads on a case‐by‐case basis. Please contact us at advertising@westaustinng.com for more information and pricing options.

Questions and Contact:

For any questions or for more information, please contact us at advertising@westaustinng.com

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Will your property be re-zoned ?

The Austin Fire Dept will be doing some invaluable training at the site over the next two weeks prior to the building being demolished.

Will Lion's Municipal Golf Course be saved??

What's happening on the replacement and when will it happen?

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If you haven't renewed your membership for 2020 ....

Choose your level of contribution!

$250..........Benefactor Level Membership

$100..........Patron Level Membership

$50............Friend Level Membership

$30............Family Level Membership

$15............Senior Level Membership

$500 .........Business Level Membership

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Organized 1973......"To preserve our neighborhood and protect it from deterioration"

Board of Directors

• President: Holly Reed President@westaustinng.com
  
• Secretary: Cathy Kyle Secretary@westaustinng.com
• Assistant Secretary: Blake Tollett AsstSecretary@westaustinng.com
• Treasurer: George Edwards Treasurer@westaustinng.com
• Past President: Cathy Kyle PastPresident@westaustinng.com

All Current Members (click on name to send email)

• Holly Reed ............................member since 2015 (President)
• Cathy Kyle ............................member since 2010 (Secretary)
• Blake Tollett .........................member since 1994 (Asst Secretary)
• George Edwards ..................member since 2004 (Treasurer)
• Mary Arnold .........................member since 2006 (Muny Tract)
• August "Happy" Harris.........member since 2005 (Transportation)
• Michael Cannatti .................member since 1999 (CWANPCT)
• Joseph M Bennett ...............member since 2001 (Membership)
• Haidar Khazen .....................member since 2004 (Web Master)
  
• Craig Lill ...............................member since 2017
• Joyce Basciano ...................member since 1999
• Brady Pedneau ................... member since 2019 (ANC Liason)
• Bob Hamilton........................new member
• Sarah Hawthorne Cain.........new member
• Heidi Gibbons.......................new member

Honorary Committee Members

• Honorary Mayor Steve Adler
• Honorary Alison Alter
• Honorary Kathie Tovo

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