SRCC GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES
Monday, September 7, 2015 7:15 PM
LIFE IN THE CITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
(formerly Grace UMC)
205 E. MONROE, AUSTIN, TEXAS
CALL TO ORDER/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. 7:15 Meeting procedures, etiquette, welcome newcomers. Verification of quorum. Reminder: state your name when presenting or seconding a motion. If an acronym is stated during the meeting and you don’t know what it means, please feel free to raise your hand and ask (see also footnote*).
Presenter throughout: Sounthaly “Tune†Outhavong, SRCC President, unless otherwise noted. (5 min)
2. 7:20 Membership and voting. Pay multiple years in advance and get a discount.
Single membership: 1-yr $20; 2-yr $35; 3-yr $50 / Family membership: 1-yr $35; 2-yr $65; 3-yr $95
NOTE: In order to vote, dues must be paid a month in advance, with the exception that if a former member’s
dues have lapsed no more than 2 years, they may renew at the meeting and be eligible to vote. (2 min)
3. 7:22 Approve minutes from August 3, 2015, last regular monthly meeting (available at www.srccatx.org). (3 min)
–Due to lack of a quorum, there was no vote to approve the August minutes. That vote is tabled until October.
4. 7:25 Treasurer’s Report – see attachment to agenda distributed at the meeting; all reports are available upon
request to the Treasurer.
Presenter: Nancy Byrd, Treasurer (5 min)
–Please email treasurer@srccatx.org for details.
5. 7:30 Committee Chairs reports
1) Parks, Schools, Environment; 2) Planning & Zoning; 3) Transportation & Public Safety; 4) Norwood; 5) Historic District–item below; 8) Finance; status of projects funded by SRCC; 9) ANC*; 10) Communications (10 min)
–ANC meeting: a) Short Term Rental regulations (STRs) were discussed. City has been focusing on education of regulations, are now moving toward enforcement. Surprisingly, most complaints are from Type 1 STRs. b) Keep Austin Beautiful gave a presentation on their successes. October 17 is next big cleanup of Lady Bird Lake. Links on SRCC website to volunteer. c) Jim Duncan gave a presentation on City Development Codes comparing Seattle to Austin and what we can learn from them. Even though Seattle is more expensive to live in, it’s more affordable because of their higher minimum wage. (See CodeNEXT notes below) d) Three votes were taken at the ANC meeting: 1. ANC bylaw amendments – passed (SRCC rep abstained), 2. resolution regarding public charter schools that haven’t been held to same standards as other schools and not as well regulated – passed (SRCC rep abstained), 3. CodeNEXT resolution to call for better tracking and transparency for better tracking of changes – passed (SRCC voted in favor).
OLD BUSINESS
6. 7:40 CodeNEXT: update on progress, status of rewrite, opportunity to ask questions. https://austintexas.gov/codenext
Presenter: Jim Duncan, member of the Land Development Code Revision Advisory Group, jim@duncanassociates.com (10 min + 5 min Q&A)
–Jim has been on citizen advisory group for two years. By profession he was a city planner. Austin’s development code hasn’t been updated since 1984 and really needs to be updated. CodeNEXT is that process. Phase 1 is ending, which was looking carefully at existing code and problems with it. They did community character profiles. Into Phase 2 now, having spent $2.2 million thus far. Phase 3 will happen in future and involves the actual re-writing of the existing code. Membership of the CAG is all new now, they’ve gone from 11 to 18 members and they are appointed by council. Next month we will have a rep from CodeNEXT here to talk more about the process.
NEW BUSINESS
7. 7:55 Proposed bikeway along East Riverside–Presentation of BikeAustin’s plans to ask city about adding bike lanes and improved pedestrian facilities on Riverside corridor.
Presenter: Miller Nuttle, BikeAustin, miller@bikeaustin.org, and Matthew Cramer, matthew.s.cramer503@gmail.com, campaign site: bikeaustin.org/riverside (10 min + 5 min Q&A)
–BikeAustin’s goal is to improve bicycle infrastructure and bike culture locally. Advocacy with city, for all ages and abilities. East Riverside corridor (segment from I-35 to 71) is a key part of their plans and they are focusing on pushing for city to implement East Riverside Plan, with protected bike lanes in both directions and on both north and south sides of Riverside. Protected lanes means that bike lanes are separated from traffic by white bollards. They are visiting neighborhood groups to learn more about people’s perspectives, experiences, concerns, and ideas. They have also been meeting with elected officials. BikeAustin is asking for the official support of SRCC for their efforts to improve this corridor. SRCC plans to have a vote on this at the October general meeting. Bicycle Master Plan has recently been updated by city and this is included in the plan, but we need to prioritize the funding for making this particular portion of the plan happen in the near future.
8. 8:10 1900 Burton/Mariposa Rezoning–Update on stakeholder meeting with an apartment complex seeking to rezone two lots from MF-2/MF-3 to MF-4
Presenter: Sounthaly Outhavong, SRCC President (10 min)
–Large apartment complex is being greatly increased in size. The complex will impact traffic all along Woodland (location is adjacent to SRCC eastern boundaries). The development target renters are young professionals who will often be traveling to downtown. This could affect traffic throughout Travis Heights as drivers try to avoid Congress Avenue, I35, Riverside Drive. Developers are requesting a zoning change. 134 existing units are currently zoned MF-3, proposed second tract is empty but plans for 122 new units–would need to rezone from MF-2 to MF-4 FOR BOTH TRACTS. Nearby residents are very concerned. We might need to push for a TIA even though estimates have not met the threshold that would trigger a traffic impact analysis. This is an ongoing effort, more info to come.
9. 8:20 1227 Hillside–Proposed home/garage apartment at 1227B Hillside Ave.
Presenter: Marilyn Orton, marylinorton@gmail.com, Rosalyn Clifton, owners (10 min)
–Owners are planning to build a fourth building on their large MF-2 lot. It will be a three-car garage with a 1200 sq. ft. apartment above. No variances are required but the owners just wanted to let us know of their plans. Please contact them with questions.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Newsletter: Call for articles, due by end of September.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We still need a volunteer to chair our neighborhood watch program. We also need a new Area Coordinator for Area 2 and Area 3a could use more block captains.
Monthly Review: Stay up-to-date on neighborhood news and SRCC announcements by signing up for our Monthly Review emails at www.srccatx.org. These simple, easy-to-read digests are available to all area residents.
Account reconciliation, Profit & Loss and Balance reports available upon request from treasurer@srccatx.org or financecommittee@srccatx.org
*Frequently used acronyms: ACF: Austin Community Fund; ANC: Austin Neighborhood Council; SF: Single Family zoning category; FLUM: Future Land Use Map; GSRC NPCT: Greater South River City Neighborhood Planning Contact Team, NCCD: Neighborhood Conservation Combining District
Minutes Prepared by Gretchen Otto, vicepresident@srccatx.org
