reserved for posting of meeting minutes
BCNA Zoning Committee meeting 07/17/2017
Agenda here:
General Association Meeting: 2ndTuesday, every other month
Steering Committee Meeting:1st Monday, each month
Zoning Committee Meeting: 3rd Monday each month
Newsletter Publication: 2 weekends before General Meeting
Here’s the link to the city site for all things CodeNext: https://www.austintexas.gov/codenext
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What: Open House Meeting – Draft Event Parking Program
When: Thursday, July 13, 2017, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Austin Energy Town Lake Center Assembly Room, 721 Barton Springs Rd.
More
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EVENTS DOWN THE HILL Whether you’re interested in avoiding traffic, parking issues, or strolling to a good time, here are the websites to discover the goings-on of which to be aware: LONG CENTER http://thelongcenter.org/events/ PALMER AUDITORIUM https://beta.palmereventscenter.com/calendar/
Agenda here
Minutes of the BCNA General Association Meeting
Date: December 9, 2014, 6:45pm
Location: The High Road, 700 Dawson Rd.
6:45-7:00pm Welcome and Introductions
Kevin welcomed the group and then turned the meeting over to Catie Mohin.
Manuel Jimenez, Chief Deputy Constable for Travis County addressed the group and gave us his contact information.
7:00-7:05 Announcements
Catie turned the meeting over to Ingrid Weigand, Election Committee Chair.
7:00-7:30 BCNA Election of Officers for 2015 – Ingrid Weigand, Election Committee Chair
Ingrid reviewed the procedures for voting.
Officer Positions, Uncontested
Vice-President Neighborhood Issues: Cory Walton
Vice-President External Affairs: Stuart Hampton
Communications Director: Catie Mohin
Treasurer: Ronnie Dittmar
Secretary: Sue Bornstein
Cynthia Scheibel moved and Brandon Wilde seconded that the slate of uncontested officers be elected. They were elected unanimously.
Contested Officer Positions
President: Erin McGann and Kevin Lewis, Presidential Candidates, both gave brief speeches. BCNA President: Kevin Lewis won re-election by a vote of 41-5.
Sector rep elections:
Lavender Zone: J.C Schmeil, the candidate for the Lavender Zone will stand for election in February since he had not registered for this election in time.
Blue Zone: Ellen Gibbs moved Brandon Wilde seconded that J.T. Harechmak be elected as the Blue Zone rep. Unanimously elected by Blue zone residents.
Orange Zone: Bookie Read-Orr moved and Sue Bornstein seconded that Paul Strange be elected Orange Zone rep. Unanimously elected by Orange Zone residents.
Brown Zone: Magdalena Rood will stand for election for the Brown Zone in February since she had not registered in time.
Green Zone: Lorie Barzano and Vicki Knipp are candidates. The Green Zone residents voted with a 4/4 tie. Our bylaws state that only residents of the sector being voted on are allowed to vote. It was decided that Lori and Vicki will both serve as Green Zone reps but will share one vote on the Steering Committee.
Yellow Zone: Jeff Seiden and John Bodek were candidates. Jeff Seiden was elected by a vote of 8 to 4 by Yellow Zone residents, with one abstention.
Pink Zone: Melanie McNearney and Greg Smith are candidates. Greg was not present. Melanie was elected Pink Zone sector rep.
Kevin Lewis returned to lead the meeting as the 2015 President of BCNA.
7:30-7:35 South Lamar Corridor Study – Alan Hughes, COA spoke about the South Lamar Corridor Study. The study’s purpose is to look at what can be done from a mobility standpoint for all users on S. Lamar. There is an open house tomorrow night from 6-8 PM at Zilker Elementary School. The meeting is to solicit information from users. Alan was asked how input from users will be processed and utilized. There was concern about potential for more traffic to be diverted through Bouldin Creek. There was a question about flooding issues as part of this process. Someone from Watershed Dept. will be there.
7:35-7:45 BCNA Traffic and Parking Committee introduction — Gary Hyatt, Sue Bornstein.
Gary spoke about the newly reconstituted Traffic Committee. Cyndi Collen and Gail Armstrong have volunteered to serve on the committee as well. We will be doing a lot of our meetings online and through the BCNA Yahoo group.
7:45-8:15 Zoning Issues and Zoning Committee report — Will Burkhardt, ZC Chair
Zoning Committee will write a position paper on this issue and submit to the Steering Committee. Other neighborhood associations have done so.
8:15-8:55 Bouldin Creek Local Historic District proposal — Cory Walton
Cory Walton gave a presentation on Local Historic Districts. There are few of them in Austin at the present. Cory prepared a Q&A of questions about the LHD process. The boundaries of a LHD should follow the historical development of the area. Over 50% of area property owners must support it. The estimate for the proposed reconnaissance survey is $4,800 (60 hours at $80 an hour). The BCNA Steering Committee supported the reconnaissance project with the preference that other funders be found to share the cost. It was asked how much the cost would be to proceed with a plan after the survey was done. If the entire neighborhood agreed to participate it could cost up to $22,000. Eligible properties could qualify for a tax rate freeze on the added value of improvements for up to seven years. Cory read a resolution asking the GA for its support and asking the Steering Committee to approve the finding the funds for this project.
Bill Ley moved to not do the survey. Erin McGann seconded that motion. Discussion was about concern for the possible restrictions that might accompany the designation. It was also stated that studies have shown that this does not adversely affect the value of property. However, if you have a contributing structure, you would need to approach the Landmarks Commission prior to demolition. Another comment was that we are really just talking about doing a baseline inventory of our neighborhood. It was suggested that we bring representatives from Austin’s other LHDs to a meeting to discuss their experiences with this process. The motion from Bill Ley did not pass.Stuart Hampton then moved that we spend $4,800 to get a baseline survey. Lorie Barzano seconded the motion. Discussion followed about the time frame for getting this report. Cyndi Collen suggested a friendly amendment that we expect to get a deliverable by the end of 2nd quarter 2015. Stuart accepted the friendly amendment, as did Laurie. There was discussion about the fact that the SC’s preference was that it would be preferable to raise some of the funding from other sources. It was recommended that the SC understand what the deliverables are prior to signing the contract. 23 for; 8 against; 3 abstain. Motion carries.
8:55-9:00 BCNA Parks Committee update, funding request for plantings in roundabouts
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM.
Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association General Meeting 8/12/2014
6:45 PM Welcome, intros
6:58 PM Announcements
7:00 PM Special Event Residential Parking Permits –
Special parking permits for the 25 event days to protect Bouldin Creek from event based parking. City will implement “attention getting fines” along with flip down no parking signs with parking permitted on non-event days. City Staff must pose the specifics in response to resolution from City Council. Development process is ongoing. Residents urged to be ready to comment once City of Austin requests stakeholder comment.
7:14 PM Code Next
City of Austin’s citywide rewrite of development code is called Code Next. Many possible changes are being suggested. BCNA has not weighed in yet, but in the next 2-6 months, there may be decisions coming that we will want to be a part of. Austin’s development community is a prime driver to push for a streamlined and easier code. There is concern that our Neighborhood Plan will be set aside or invalidated in the process. Next meeting is 505 Barton Springs (One Texas Center) on August 18th at 4 PM.
7:23 PM Oak Creek Village Sidewalk Construction and Funding
Sidewalks were built and BCNA Steering Committee disbursed $11,000 from a sum of money that was given to us by developer for this purpose. There is money left after paying for the sidewalks. Kevin suggests we ask stakeholders (Wilson/Fletcher residents) to ask for input on spending excess funds. We may hold off until the development is finished to see what the needs really are.
7:28 PM Hyatt development and attorney’s fees.
The Hyatt PUD developer was required to pay into Bouldin Creek Community Development Corporation (BCCDC) as part of a restrictive covenant with BCNA. BCCDC was recently paid $43,000 through this agreement. The developer was authorized for residential development only, but they now want to use some of the space for business and administration. The developer agreed to pay into the BCCDC for non-residential uses though this was not required; BCNA will not oppose their request to Council to allow the new uses. The BCCDC can receive up to $50,000 more if the Hyatt developer goes through with plans for development.
We incurred attorney’s fees to help us with the addendum to the restrictive covenant and the Steering Committee will need to vote to pay them once we see the bill.
7:38 PM Zoning Committee Report
Milton St, Board of Adjustment approved the homeowner’s request for a variance on a carport. BCNA voted not to oppose
900 Jewel, Variance granted for addition to rear of house. BCNA voted not to oppose.
910 Christopher St – City Council to hear Historic Zoning –BCNA supported the request.
PSW Condo development at 900 S 1st. St: variances and right-of-way vacations are in play. Of particular concern is the unnamed street that is the north border of this part of the neighborhood, which serves as one of the 2 entrance/exits to the this area. The future of the many live oaks and a heritage pecan tree on the property is in question. Next Board of Adjustment hearing on a request for compatibility waiver is next month. BCNA voted to oppose the request due to ambiguous language.
PSW Bouldin Court – A residential development with 22 houses/units. Right-of-way vacations are also an issue here. Concerns are visual impact, traffic impact, and watershed impact. If the unnamed street on the north is closed by PSW’s right-of-way vacation request for the PSW condo project, Copeland Street will be the only way into and out of the neighborhood. Limiting egress to one street would be a safety issue, especially with a possible 22 new residences added to the neighborhood. Bouldin Court could potentially be a 5A residential redevelopment, possibly the largest outside of the Oak Creek Village redevelopment. So far, there is no neighborhood support for the project. After 2 years of dialogue, there is no change in PSW’s plans or position despite meetings with Bouldin residents.
7:46 PM South Congress Area Parking
No action at the moment. Kevin was asked to meet with Council Member (CM) Riley and CM Morrison and Director of Transportation Spillar. CM Riley was proposing the idea of one side of street no restrictions the other side would be RPP. Neighbors were not happy with plan. Merchants on South Congress want more parking and want a solution. In the short term, there is no movement pending more from the CoA Transportation Office.
The City of Austin has allowed residents who would like to get their curbs repainted to do the painting with permission and guidance from the Public Works department. Paula.
7:54 PM Parks Committee Report
Parks Committee is reorganizing after many years of operation. Looking for people to take a small part of one of the many parks or roundabouts and help take care of these spaces. Parks committee is actively looking for new members to help us with the many parks and green spaces. Looking for independent groups to devote small increments of time to get a small area cleaned up. Several residents at the meeting volunteered, but more are needed.
W Bouldin Creek Greenbelt entrance – new entry area will be built in September. Building this with money from Rolling Stones concert many years ago and with other dedicated funds.
7:59 PM South Central Waterfront Planning process
Focused on Statesman site and nearby Crockett property.
8:02 PM Terry Black’s BBQ – Smoke issues
Concern that the smoke is a danger to neighbors and causing health problems. Neighbors researched problems caused by wood smoke and possible solutions. Neighbors will meet with Blacks on 8/26 to begin a dialogue to figure out what mitigation techniques might be affordable and effective.
8:06 PM Town Lake Park Long-Term Study interim recommendations
Next meeting with Tur Partners is August 20th, 6 PM at Palmer Event Center.
Past meetings discussed event RPP, traffic management, maintaining a 25 event-day limit. There is also interest in building a new parking garage, depressing Riverside Dr. (to make a tunnel, with land bridges over top) to increase green space without closing Riverside. A new parking garage would be around $42M.
The next meeting agenda will address funding, management and exploring public-private partnerships for managing parks.
Special events policy is also being rewritten at the City of Austin and is intertwined with parks use.
8:25 PM Adjourned