SRCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING   (www.srccatx.org)

TUESDAY, December 5, 2023 @ 7:00 PM

Register Here: Zoom

SRCC:  See the future. Shape the future.

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SRCC GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING  (www.srccatx.org)

Tuesday, November 21, 2023, 7:00 PM

Zoom Meeting

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SRCC:  See the future. Shape the future.

AGENDA

To vote or make motions, please become a member. Join or renew: www.srccatx.org. Not sure if your membership is current? Email: membership@srccatx.org and we’ll let you know. We welcome members and non-members to join our meetings. Please register 24 hours in advance so we can confirm your membership status.

1.  7:00  Welcome Members and Guests

Verification of quorum. Reminder to state your name when presenting or seconding a motion. Try the PayPal subscription option for automatic annual renewals: https://www.srccatx.org/membership-dues

Presenter throughout unless otherwise noted: Noah Balch, SRCC President  (5 min)

2.  7:05  Approve General Membership Meeting Minutes

Vote on motion to approve minutes. Meeting minutes available at: www.srccatx.org.

Presenter: Chris Phillips-Frishman, SRCC Secretary (5 min)

Upcoming meetings:  GM Dec 19

EC Dec 5

3.  7:10  Treasurer’s Report

All reports available upon request: treasurer@srccatx.org   

Presenter: Will Andrews, SRCC Treasurer  (5 min)

4.  7:15  Membership Report 

Members must pay dues to participate in SRCC business and actions, such as voting and making motions. Try the subscription option for automatic annual renewals. Presenter: Mary Janecek-Friedman, SRCC Membership (5 min)

5. 7:20 Reports from Standing Committee Chairs

a) Planning and Zoning; b) Historic Preservation; c) Finance; d) Mobility; e) Public Safety; f) Parks and Environment; g) Schools; and h) Communications  (10 min)

6. 7:30  Reports from Area Coordinators and Group Representatives 

a) TECHS CAT; b) ANC; c) SCC; d) South Central Waterfront; and e) St. Edward’s (10 min)

GENERAL BUSINESS ITEMS

7.  7:40  Parks and Environment
Discuss a new state law that will force Austin to change park dedication rules for new developments; consider triangle park, Live Oak development, and investment for clean-up efforts. 

Presenters: David Todd, SRCC Parks and Environment (10 min)

8.  7:50  Planning and Zoning 

Controversial proposal to revise Land Development Code continues to spark engagement; updates regarding local projects; discuss VMU2 lawsuits regarding notice concerns over affordable unit ordinances (only Affordability Unlocked remains); Hyatt PUD request to eliminate parking requirement did not pass because they will not hook up to the City’s reclaimed water line. 

Presenter: Anita Tschurr, SRCC Planning and Zoning Chair (15 min)

9.  8:05  Mobility

General updates re: CapEx, Project Connect, and PTMD; discuss lawsuit against Austin City Council and Austin Transit Partnership; new law removing requirement for parking spaces in new developments.

Presenter: Mark Thompson, SRCC Mobility Chair (15 min)

10.  8:20  GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: contact Tom Groce, SRCC Public Safety Chair at: tgroce71@gmail.com  

If you have questions about using the Neighborhood ListServ: https://groups.io/g/SouthRiverAustin

The next General Membership meeting is December 19, 2023.

The next Executive Committee meeting is December 5, 2023.  

Frequently used acronyms: 

ACF: Austin Community Fund

ANC: Austin Neighborhood Council

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

TECHS CAT: Travis Early College High School

ZAP: Zoning and Platting

Agenda Prepared by Noah Balch, president@srccatx.org Agenda subject to change. Please check www.srccatx.org for most recent version.

ZOOM LINK:                       https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rceChqDotEtJWlq68Z8StTQZDapifMWeF     

From the City of Austin:

Land Development Code Amendments

The Land Development Code (“LDC”) governs land use regulations in our city, dictating what can be built, where it can be built, and how much can be built. It has undergone numerous amendments since its adoption in the mid-1980s, responding to changing policy goals.

Only the Planning Commission and City Council may initiate amendments to the LDC. The topic of a code amendment can include any content that the LDC comprises: zoning, subdivision, site plans, environment, water quality, and more. The focus may be geographically limited to a corridor, an activity center, or on a more extensive area, but most code amendments have applicability to the entire city of Austin. 

Through the code amendment process, public hearings will be held at the Planning Commission and City Council. Public hearings are one of the ways that residents can participate and comment on changes to the City’s land development code. Each amendment is required to be presented to the Planning Commission and City Council prior to adoption but may also be presented to other boards and commissions depending on the subject matter of the amendment. To register to participate in a City Council meeting follow the procedures outlined in the Public Participation webpage. To register for the Planning Commission, follow the registration link available on the agenda for the desired meeting date. Planning Commission agendas are available starting at 10:30 a.m. CT on the Friday before the meeting date and can be found on the Commission’s webpage. 

If you are interested in these amendments, please attend the October 26, 2023 Austin City Council Regular Meeting at 2:00 p.m. CT, located at Austin City Hall, 301 W. 2nd St.

Please see the October 25, 2023 update to the Proposed Code Amendments. And here are the Council’s questions and answers. The Council also provided a redline of the proposed revisions to the LDC.

Upcoming hearings concerning the LDC are scheduled to be held at Austin City Hall, including a Planning Commission Meeting on Tuesday, November 14 at 6:00 p.m. CT; and a City Council Meeting on Thursday, December 7 at 10:00 a.m. CT.

LDC Amendment Process: Three City Council resolutions by Mayor Pro Tim Paige Ellis, District 8, Council Member Leslie Pool, District 7, and Council Member Zo Qadri, District 9 initiated the proposed LDC amendments. Please find the resolutions here: 20230601-048, 20230720-126, 20230914-083.

Dear Neighbor, 

SRCC’s October 2023 issue of Neighborhood News featured an editorial column in the “Our Community” section that contained certain errors we would like to correct. Soon, the City Council will vote on proposed amendments to the Land Development Code in two phases. Please click on this link to the Public Notice, which contains important dates related to the proposed amendments. Proposed zoning changes details may be read here. And please see the following corrections to three points made in the “Our Community” editorial column:

• All single family lots will be 2,500 sq. ft. or smaller, meaning lots larger than 2,500 sq. ft. (the majority of residential lots) will be considered to be more than one lot.

Correction: The City Council will not consider lot size reductions to 2,500 sq. ft. until Phase II, if at all. For now, the City will consider increasing the number of allowable housing units from 2 to 3 on each single-family (SF) zoned property. The City will also consider removing or revising restrictions on the number of unrelated adults living in each housing unit. There are other proposed zoning changes to review, which are found at the link above.

• A 2,500 sq. ft. single-family lot can have as many as three housing units. Larger lots could have twice that. 

Correction: As stated above, during Phase I, the City Council is neither considering lot size reductions to 2,500 sq. ft., nor allowing owners to place more than 3 housing units on each lot, regardless of size.

• The proposal also changes regulations on setbacks, height, impervious cover, and floor-to-area ratio (FAR). This is to make it easier to fit multiple housing units on a 2,500 sq. ft. lot.

Although the City may study and consider certain amendments to setback, height, impervious cover, and floor-to-area ratio during Phase II, they are not considering these amendments currently. They are, however, considering removing the Subchapter F “McMansion” restrictions from duplexes and triplexes. 

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Statement from SRCC

We are pleased that our neighborhood responded alertly to oversights in this month’s Neighborhood News. In the future, we plan to fact check articles and cite sources more thoroughly. This process is not foolproof. We invite all our community members to conduct research, stay vigilant, reach out to us, attend SRCC meetings, and acknowledge neighbors at every turn. We become a stronger community together. Thank you.  

• Noah Balch, SRCC President

With an acknowledgment to: Sylvia Rzepniewski, SRCC Member