Minutes
SRCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING (www.srccatx.org)
Monday, May 6, 2019 7:15 PM
Life in the City United Methodist Church (formerly Grace UMC)
205 E. Monroe, AUSTIN, TEXASS
CALL TO ORDER/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. 7:15 Meeting procedures, etiquette, welcome newcomers. Verification of quorum.
Presenter throughout: Eric Cassady, SRCC President, president@srccatx.org, unless otherwise noted. (10 min)
–Meeting called to order at 7:20.
2. 7:25 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 or make motions, 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. 7:27 Approve minutes from April 1, 2019 monthly general meeting (available at www.srccatx.org). (3 min)
MOTION: Dan Fredine, second by Oliver Caruso: To approve the minutes from the April 1, 2019, general membership meeting. 21 for, 0 against, 0 abstaining = PASSED
4. 7:30 Treasurer’s Report – see reverse of agenda. All reports available upon request to the Treasurer treasurer@srccatx.org
Presenter: Oliver Caruso (Treasurer) (5 min)
–April report: $957.44 income, zero expenses.
5. 7:35 Committee Chairs reports
1) Planning and Zoning–see item below; 2) Historic Preservation; 3) Finance; 4) Mobility-see item below; 5) Public Safety; 6) Parks and Environment; 7) Schools–see item below; 8) Communications; 9) Executive Committee;
Representatives: 10) ANC*-see item below; 11) SCC*-see item below; 12) South Central Waterfront; 13) St. Edward’s; 14) S. Central Affordable CDC–see item below (20 min)
1) P&Z: Sarah Campbell gave a quick update on plan amendment for 200 Academy Dr/Melissa Lane property. NPCT met and voted against support of change to FLUM. Retail use is not appropriate for interior of neighborhood.
2) Historic Pres: no rep present
3) Finance: no report
4) Mobility: looking for new chair
5) Pubic Safety: Tom Groce showed off new magnetic car signs in for neighborhood watch patrols
6) Parks: see item below
7) Schools: Gretchen Otto reported that AISD is moving forward with plans to consolidate/close schools and redraw boundaries. They have released the “regions†they will use to determine which schools in each area of the city should close. Our region includes Travis HS, Fulmore/Lively MS, and about 10 nearby elementaries. It is likely that at least one nearby elementary will be closed. The district is looking to repurpose the buildings of closed schools for community benefits such as affordable housing or community centers. Proposal to write a resolution similar to one from Windsor Park which supports making sure closures are equitable. Gretchen will bring this resolution forward at a future meeting.
8) Communications: It’s time to write articles for the summer newsletter! Please submit all articles to Gretchen Otto by END OF MAY.
9) EC: nothing additional; see below
10) ANC: no rep; see below
11) SCC: no rep present
12) SCW: no update
13) St Eds: no rep present
6. 7:55 SRCC currently has a vacancy in the position of ANC Representative, and Gabriel Pereira has volunteered to fill the role. At the April SRCC Executive Committee meeting the EC voted to recommend Gabriel as the ANC representative. [VOTE EXPECTED]
Presenter: Eric Cassady, SRCC President (10 min)
Gabriel Pereira has been nominated for ANC Rep. This is an elected position which requires a vote. The EC voted to recommend Gabriel for the position.
MOTION: Claudette Lowe, seconded by Penelope Hyslop: To approve Gabriel Pereira for SRCC ANC rep., 22 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions = PASSED
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
7. 8:05 AISD will be renaming Fulmore Middle School in the fall to Sarah Beth Lively Middle School, and would like to give us an update on that process.
Presenter(s)/Guest(s): Reyne Telles, AISD Director of Communication & Engagement, reyne.telles@austinisd.org; and/or Stacie Holiday, Principal, stacie.holiday@austinisd.org (10 min)
— Sherry Lepine, Academic Director, in place of Ms. Holiday, and Laura DeGrush from AISD: Renaming has already officially happened. They are working to ensure that all stakeholders voices are heard and all are able to give input during process. Ms. Lively was a teacher for 25 years and then volunteered for another 22 years. She taught journalism. They are creating new logo, replacing signage. What to do with historical elements? Still want to honor legacy of Fulmore and what he did for education. Full name change in effect for new school year—new signage, repainting gym floor, converting all over the summer. Engagement with students, having 8th graders do a farewell, something special for incoming 6th graders. Have action plans for community engagement.
Visit austinisd.org/renaming for more on the renaming process.
NEW BUSINESS
8. 8:15 The Downtown Austin Alliance is managing a study of the parking and mobility infrastructure along South Congress for the City of Austin. The goals of the project are to focus on comprehensive data collection and analysis, address short-term parking challenges, future-proof any parking management and policy recommendations, and support the corridor’s long-term mobility vision, recognizing that parking is ultimately one piece of a broader access strategy.
Link to a map of the South Congress Public Improvement District.
Link to a map of the South Congress Data Collection Study Area.
Presenter: Wendy Todd, SRCC Rep to South Central Waterfront, wendypricetodd@gmail.com (10 min)
—The city contracted with DAA to do parking study of South Congress PID area. They count the number of parking spaces available and then parse it out on a map by type. See maps in links. Wendy represented SRCC. They had a meeting and then did a walking tour of the area with some business owners, AISD, School for Deaf, and a rep from Bouldin. There is a lot of animosity from some businesses (not all) that city-owned streets aren’t available to their employees and they are lobbying hard for more parking/no RPP. Data gathering, surveying what happens on a typical day. Some issues: church parking lot/parking garage; truck deliveries at all hours; geofencing rideshares. Wendy is asking for input from everyone, esp people who live near South Congress and who have RPP parking on their street. Consultants are from Nelson Niguard; they are from other cities but also from Austin, so they can mediate.
9. 8:25 An amendment to the Residential Affordable Housing Development Bonus Program is being proposed by CM Casar, which may apply like a city-wide density bonus program. There are some concerns that the standards aren’t strong enough (possibly including higher MFI, greater % of units, period of time specified, no arms length provision).
Link to Review Sheet for draft amendment.
Presenter: Gretchen Otto, S. Central Affordable CDC Board & SRCC Member, gretchenotto7@gmail.com (5 min)
–Request for code amendment was passed by council in Feb and went to staff to write new language for ordinance. Amendment calls for density bonus city-wide and is referred to as “Affordability Unlocked.†The language from staff is now available, see link. Council to discuss on first reading this Thursday May 9. SCA CDC has some concerns that there are loopholes but hasn’t had a chance to carefully parse the ordinance text. May bring forward a resolution regarding tightening language at a future meeting. There was also some discussion of the Waterfront Overlay plan and the so-called “Snoopy PUD†at 425 Riverside Drive, which is going to result in some affordable housing funding. For more information on this PUD, visit http://www.riversouthaustin.com/
10. 8:30 City Council is starting to consider changes to the Land Development Code. After the failure of CodeNext, it appears that the new approach is to start proposing piecemeal changes to development policies. There are concerns about the language regarding transition zones and NCCDs in particular (both of which would impact Travis Heights); at this point there appears to be strong support for both elements among the Council.
Link to LDC Council Directives 4-29-2019.
Presenter: Gretchen Otto, member of disbanded SRCC CodeNext Committee, gretchenotto7@gmail.com (5 min)
–The gears are back in motion on revising the Land Development Code (LDC). Council has passed policy direction for city manager and asked for new revision fall of 2019. Things are moving fast and it’s time to resurrect an ad-hoc committee to get involved. Concerns about transition zones and NCCDs. Please contact Eric or Gretchen if you are interested in serving on this committee. We will need a chair to be a leader in getting folks together.
11. 8:35 There are plans to name a park (Indiangrass Wildlife Preserve) and a park “feature” (the Blunn volcano overlook) after Rene Barrera. Rene was a president of the SRCC, a manager of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department nature preserve system, and a long-time steward of the Blunn Creek Nature Preserve. Neighbors are asking for a vote for a letter of support on the two naming petitions. [VOTE EXPECTED]
Presenter: David Todd, SRCC Parks and Environment Chair, dtodd@wt.org (10 min)
–Rene Barrerra worked at PARD for 22 years and oversaw entire preserve system. He passed away April 15 from lymphoma. He was very dedicated to his work, especially Blunn Preserve. There is an effort underway to honor him by renaming Indiangrass Wildlife Preserve after him, as well as the Blunn Preserve volcano overlook. Memorial Service on June 1. Renaming a park needs to go before council. Naming a feature can be decided by PARD staff.
MOTION: To support and endorse renaming two park areas in honor of Rene Barrera: that the Indiangrass Wildlife Preserve be renamed Louis Rene Barrera Indiangrass Wildlife Preserve and that the Blunn Creek volcanic overlook feature be named after Louis Rene Barrera, in honor of his life and contributions.
Motion by David Todd, seconded by Sarah Campbell. 22 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions=PASSED
8:45 GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Update from Jose on Rebel Road body shop: They are having a meeting with city staff at South Austin Rec Center Wednesday May 15 at 6pm to address continuing ongoing code violations, all members are encouraged to attend
- Cap Metro Orange Line (S. Congress) Open House May 8th @ Fulmore/Lively 4:30pm-6:30pm
- VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We need volunteers for several open positions including
MOBILITY COMMITTEE CHAIR
AREA COORDINATOR – AREA 4A
OUTREACH COMMITTEE MEMBERS/CHAIR
- SRCC is restarting the NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH program, and are looking for participants. Anyone interested should contact Tom Groce, SRCC Public Safety Chair at tgroce71@gmail.com to get involved!
- Greater South River City Neighborhood Planning Contact Team members are stewards of our 2005 Neighborhood Plan. To join or for information, visit this page:
https://www.srccatx.org/about/greater-south-river-city-neighborhood-plan/
Contact Terry Franz if interested: tmfranz@airmail.net
*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; SCC: South Central Coalition of NAs
Meeting adjourned at 8:45
Agenda Prepared by Dan Fredine, vicepresident@srccatx.org
Minutes Prepared by Gretchen Otto
