SRCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
TUESDAY, August 2, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Zoom Teleconference
MINUTES
Only members may vote. As an officer, you should be a member. Please confirm by emailing membership@srccatx.org, and we’ll confirm.
1. 7:00 Executive Meeting Welcome
Presenter throughout unless otherwise noted: Wendy Todd, President (5 min)
The Chair called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm. There was no July meeting of the Executive Committee or the General Membership. Jason Molin (new Area Coordinator) introduced himself.
2. 7:05 Membership report & voting
Reminder that SRCC current dues status is required to participate in SRCC business and actions such as voting and making motions. (5 min)
3. 7:10 June 2022 Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
Approve minutes. (5 min)
Remaining meeting dates in 2022: GM Aug 16; EC Sept 6; GM Sept 20; EC Oct 4; GM Oct 18; GM Nov 15; EC Dec 6
Motion to approve by Russell Fraser/Mary Friedman. No comments or corrections were noted, the minutes were approved.
4. 7:15 Treasurer’s Report
All reports available upon request to the Treasurer: treasurer@srccatx.org
Presenter: Will Andrews, Treasurer (5 min)
The Treasurer presented the financial report for the calendar year through the end of July. There was more income than expenses; net positive for the year. A question was asked about the typical dues income per year, and it appears we are on track for a typical year.
5. 7:20 Standing Committee updates re: events/goals/issues
Presenters: Committee Chairs, including 1) Planning and Zoning; 2) Historic Preservation; 3) Finance; 4) Mobility; 5) Public Safety; 6) Parks and Environment; 7) Schools; and 8) Communications (10 min)
- Planning and Zoning – see later item
- Historic Preservation – nothing to report
- Finance – see later items. Regarding the Google transition to Google Workspace, we were able to keep our existing Free Legacy Edition of G Suite subscription (the alternative would have been pretty costly). This service is what SRCC uses for email and Google Drive (used for storing and sharing SRCC documents).
- Mobility – see later item that includes PTMD (Parking Transportation Management District). There are some existing PTMDs near Lady Bird Lake near Austin High School, one in East Austin near Chicon & E 10th, and one in Mueller. There is no new info regarding the I-35 projects other than there are currently some legal issues.
- Public Safety – a crime analysis of the SRCC neighborhood shows that overall we are in better shape than the adjacent areas. There was a question about an RV at the dog park.
- Parks and Environment – Gratitude was expressed to Carol Martin for getting the bench installed in Stacy Park in memory of Claudette Lowe. Sat Aug 6th is a volunteer event at Blunn Creek, starting at 8:30 am, SW corner of the park, 900 St. Edward’s Drive. David Todd volunteered to give a guided tour of the preserve, and mentioned that it’s relatively cool. There is a recycled water line that will be coming through the SRCC area; trying to see if there’s a way to use some of the water in Little Stacy. David and Jeff K will get together to see if there are any Austin Park Foundation grant opportunities that could apply to Little Stacy. The installation of Talbot’s art throne sculpture in Little Stacy has been completed.
- Schools – the first day of school is Aug 15th. There are currently camps going on, and teachers will be coming back next week. There will be a school bond on the ballot this November, which may include money for teacher housing.
- Communications – working on the newsletter. Mary Friedman has been posting on social media. If you want to post any SRCC stuff to social media, send it to Mary.
6. 7:30 Additional Updates from Representatives and Coordinators
9) Norwood; 10) GSRC NPCT; 11) EROC, NPCT; 12) ANC; 13) SCC; 14) South Central Waterfront; 15) St. Edward’s; 16) S. Central Affordable CDC; and 17) Ad-hoc Land Development Code Revision (10 min)
- Norwood – nothing to report.
- GRSC NPCT – nothing to report.
- EROC NPCT – nothing to report.
- ANC – met July 27. Had an overview of the City budget; the average resident will pay $120 more for City services this year. Our electric rates are likely to increase. Sierra Club is opposing the proposed rate structure, which they claim favors large commercial users over residents. There was a draft resolution discussed to make City government more responsive to residents and increase resident participation (see draft here) and one about bikes and parking (see draft here). ANC voted to update their bylaws to reflect 501 c 3 status.
- SCC – was unable to attend the July meeting. The main topic was concern about Hustler Hollywood, the adult entertainment store on S. Congress near Cosmic Coffee.
- South Central Waterfront – our rep hasn’t been fully onboarded yet. See item 8 below.
- St Edward’s – they were going to have fireworks for the start of school, but it has been canceled due to drought and other issues.
- S Central Affordable CDC – nothing to report.
- Ad-hoc Land Development Code Revision – nothing to report.
NEW BUSINESS
7. 7:40 Finance Committee Funding Requests
Discuss and request funding in excess of Finance Committee’s budget.
- Approve the cost of an 8-page, 4-color publication to recognize SRCC’s 50th year: $1,875-$2,000.
- Approve an expenditure to Vista Printing for 40 new yard signs with SRCC logo and slogan: $326.40.
Presenter: Sam Martin, Chair Finance Committee [VOTE] (10 min)
There have been some requests for purchases that were not previously included in the budget. The finance committee reviewed the requests and is recommending that they be approved.
There is extra cost associated with the color printing of the 50th anniversary newsletter, and the finance committee is in support of the expenditure. Wendy expressed concern about the cost associated with continuing to print the newsletter, and feels that cost would be better allocated toward the website and SRCC’s digital presence.
Motion (Finance Committee/Sarah Campbell): Approve the cost of an 8-page, 4-color publication to recognize SRCC’s 50th year: $1,875-$2,000. 13/0/0 motion passes.
A couple of years ago we printed new signs to reflect the new meeting location, then COVID hit and we have been unable to use the signs since our meetings are being held via Zoom. New signs have been designed. The finance committee feels that this will help make our presence known.
Motion (Finance Committee/Sarah Campbell): Approve an expenditure to Vista Printing for 40 new yard signs with SRCC logo and slogan: $326.40. 11/0/1 motion passes.
Ken was looking at billboards in the neighborhood, and was wondering about using them for SRCC – may want to consider the school’s electronic billboard. Also consider a banner across Congress.
8. 7:50 South Central Waterfront (305 S. Congress/Statesman PUD) Update and Vote
Discuss EPS financial study, parkland, mobility, and affordable housing. Determine SRCC’s updated position regarding the project.
Presenters: Sarah Campbell, SRCC Planning & Zoning, Wendy Todd, President, Noah Balch, Vice President [VOTE] (15 min)
A team from SRCC met with the redevelopment firm Endeavor (Andy Pastor and Sander Moyn) and owner’s representative Armbrust Brown (Richard Suttle and Amanda Morrow). The applicant claimed that the project would be financially infeasible with community benefits as required by current Planned Unit Development code and the South Central Waterfront Framework Vision Plan. The applicant has “opted-into” the South Central Waterfront Framework Vision Plan although there is no codified regulating plan that describes required community benefits in exchange for allowing far greater entitlements. The developers claim public funds are necessary to make parkland improvements, extend Barton Springs Road, provide underground parking, subsidize affordable housing and to realize the South Central Waterfront Framework Vision Plan.
The previous position of SRCC is to oppose the PUD until there is a regulating plan and financial framework. Since the regulating plan is not codified and the proposed Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) is unfunded, SRCC will need to reconsider its position. A proposed idea is to evaluate this project as a stand-alone PUD which would be required to provide parkland dedication, affordable housing, and infrastructure without public cost participation. The purpose of a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone is to incentivize private investment in “blighted areas” by providing subsidies. The argument is usually discussed as a “but for” public participation, this redevelopment would not take place. Redevelopment is taking place without public subsidies. An example is the RiverSouth (Snoopy PUD) at 401 S 1st St.
SRCC has been patient and reasonable in anticipation of a regulating plan and tax increment fund that would yield projects that easily meet the South Central Waterfront Vision Plan. There are discrepancies between the adopted scenarios from 2016 and the currently proposed Statesman PUD project filed in 2019. The developer is dedicating less land for parkland with less access than originally proposed, yet it is receiving more in exchange, while continuing to request public funds. The developer proposes 4% affordable housing at 80% MFI (normally this is required to be 10% housing at 60% MFI). Recently, the developer proposed a new offering of affordable units at 422 on the Lake (formerly RunTex), located at 422 W Riverside, rather than on-site affordable housing. The terms of this offer remain unclear and vague. SRCC cannot support this project without a better understanding of what is possible without public funding and the value of the community benefits versus the additional entitlements. It would further benefit SRCC’s members for the developer and the City’s economic consultants to more sufficiently explain how they determine if this project is “feasible” without requiring public funding.
9. 8:05 Little Stacy Art in Public Places
Discuss possible dates, times, and dedication budget for ribbon cutting event to celebrate the “Magic Portal” installation by artist James Talbot, and to recognize 20 years of the community-built KABOOM playscape.
Presenters: Wendy Todd, President (10 min)
This is located near the pavilion at Little Stacy. We are considering holding an informal ribbon cutting event on a Sunday morning around back-to-school time. Project Connect has an outreach vehicle (MEEP) which has a battery powered fridge and a sound system, and we might see if they want to participate. The tentative date and time is around 9am Sunday, Aug 28th. We will check in to see if we can get donations of food or drink, and make it a bit of a party.
We should consider having another party in the playground around the Halloween timeframe to celebrate 20 years of the KaBOOM! playground equipment.
10. 8:15 Austin Projects
- The Austin Transportation Department prepares to implement new parking management strategies around South Congress to address parking and mobility challenges.
- South Congress Parking Study
- Parking and Transportation Management District
- Parking strategies include: paid parking, residential permits, commercial vehicle loading zones, and affordable parking options for service industry workers
- Homeless Strategy Division Meetings
- The City of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Division will host two virtual public meetings on August 3 and 4 to provide a progress report on efforts to address homelessness, as well as an opportunity for attendee Q&A.
- Register to attend a Virtual Meeting
- First session: Wednesday, August 3, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Registration link:
- Second session: Thursday, August 4, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Registration link:
Presenter: Noah Balch, SRCC Vice President (5 min)
ATD and Parking
Some recent topics include the use of RPP (Residential Parking Permit zones), concerns about overnight parking and people sleeping in their cars.
The proposed South Congress PTMD (Parking Transportation Management District) is a tool for hyper-management of a problem parking area. The PTMD should result in cash flow, from meters on Congress and nearby streets; residents should have parking passes at no cost. RPP has been applied in starts and fits, and often results in pushing the problems in adjacent areas. There is an idea that providing free parking is essentially subsidizing cars. One of the levers of a PTMD is to control the parking demand by making it cost more to park. After expenses, 51% of the profits can be used by the neighborhood to prioritize mobility projects. We may have an existing list of projects that were included as part of the neighborhood plans. Concern was mentioned about safety and TNC (Transportation Network Company, such as Lyft or Uber) drop-off and pick-up zones, and delivery vehicles which park in the driving lanes. There are 3 steps to the PTMD application; it will be presented to SRCC for a vote, then it will go to UTC (Urban Transportation Committee), then it will go to City Council. The City is trying to get it done very quickly.
Homelessness
The City will host public meetings to discuss the homelessness strategy. This is an issue that affects us all. One consideration is providing mobile medical and mental healthcare to help people experiencing homelessness.
11. 8:20 GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
SRCC has restarted the NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH program, and is looking for participants. Anyone interested should contact Tom Groce, SRCC Public Safety Chair at tgroce71@gmail.com to get involved!
Do you have questions about using the Neighborhood ListServ? This link will take you to information about subscribing, unsubscribing, posting a message, and more. https://groups.io/g/SouthRiverAustin
The chair adjourned the meeting at 8:34pm
The next General Membership meeting is August 16, 2022.
The next SRCC Executive Committee meeting is September 6, 2022.
Frequently used acronyms:
ACF: Austin Community Fund
ANC: Austin Neighborhood Council (https://www.atxanc.org/)
BoA: Board of Adjustment
CDC: Community Development Corporation
EROC: East Riverside/Oltorf Combined Contact Team
FLUM: Future Land Use Map
GSRC NPCT: Greater South River City Neighborhood Planning Contact Team
NCCD: Neighborhood Conservation Combining District
NHPA: National Historic Preservation Act
NPCT: Neighborhood Planning Contact Team
PC: Planning Commission
PUD: Planned Unit Development
SCC: South Central Coalition of neighborhood associations
SF: Single Family zoning category
ZAP: Zoning and Platting
Agenda Prepared by Noah Balch, vicepresident@srccatx.org Agenda subject to change. Please check www.srccatx.org for most updated version.
ZOOM REGISTRATION LINK FOR THIS MEETING: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvcOmqqTgvHNSiZpdgfTWVOp1OK8VN7-qd
