SLNA Meeting 4/15/04

 

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Kevin Lewis.   Officers in attendance were Kevin Lewis, Carol Gibbs, Bill Stoughton, and Roberta Leahy. 

 

·                     Kevin opened the meeting by stating that SLNA wishes to be an open organization and welcomes all.

 

Announcements: 

 

·                     Vote May 15th on the Travis County Hospital District Proposal.  The proposal is: Formation of a new taxing entity for all of Travis County to fund hospitals through County property taxes, instead of the current method which is only Austin property owners   It's expected to be a low turn-out election, so each vote counts a lot.

 

·                     Dan Garrison and Sara Moore gave brief explanation of the mission of the Town Lake Trail Foundation and its adopt-a-garden program. More info at their website, http://www.townlaketrail.org/ or call 512/302-0608.

 

·                     On 4/24/04 Saturday, It's My Park by Barton Hills Association.  Barton Creek Clean-up meeting At Homedale Circle

 

·                     Walgreens proposal as presented by Steve Drenner on behalf of David Darr, developer:

 

                  - Zoning difference would be to change to "footprint" of store area only to LR, parking area would be LO, The CS area which exists today would remain CS except for the footprint area.  LR is less intense than CS. This zoning would reduce the ability to use it for something else if Walgreens were to go away.

               - The following proposed mitigation measures for Bluebonnet access are expected to increase traffic safety, and improve traffic flow:

1.    Expanded right-of-way: road is now 42'-47' wide-- would be changed to 56' wide. This straightens out the road and increases the “stacking” distance for traffic waiting to turn north onto Lamar from Bluebonnet.

2.    Corners would be relaxed.

3.    Would provide for a dedicated left turn for Bluebonnet traffic on both sides of Lamar.

4.    Expanded width gives room for a right turn lane from Bluebonnet onto Lamar.

5.    Driveway onto Bluebonnet would have signage discouraging right turns onto Bluebonnet.

6.    Lowered grade on east side of Bluebonnet access increasing visibility.

7.    The road will be striped and transitioned back to two lanes to discourage higher speeds.

8.    Will widen the Lamar access driveway by 5'.

9.    Will add a speed limit sign on Bluebonnet.

10.      Pedestrian walks on Bluebonnet to edge of trailer park border on both sides, and all the way to Del Curto (with permission from the property owners, the Wongs).

           

Drenner’s team discussed the idea of a second Lamar access driveway (shared with Wireless Toyz) with the City’s transportation officials. They said it was not feasible due to the safety issue with people walking out of the store. Also, if exiting traffic was backed up, incoming Wireless Toyz customers would have trouble turning into their parking area.

 

More notes:

-They can over-detain run-off from on-site and from upstream with the detention pond. The pond is bigger than what is required by city code (18,000 cubic yards). Site water goes to the water quality pond, then to the vault.  They can reduce the flow from the site by 50%.

-They got permission to re-do the inlet structures on Lamar so that they will be better able to handle the water flow coming down Lamar. 

-The number of trees out front (Lamar) were reduced to increase sight distance on the curve.

- All road/sidewalk/drainage construction proposed will be paid for by David Darr 100%. There would be no “fiscal posting” or waiting for the City to make the improvements. 

- Sidewalk width would be 4', with 2' of green space between sidewalk and curb.

- “Headache bar” is not possible because Walgreens has big trucks; but they have only one or two 18 wheelers per week, with 2-3 smaller delivery trucks per day.

- Walgreens’ count of traffic numbers through the Bluebonnet intersection is 1921 trips a day plus an additional 700 trips from the store.  The city's study counted 1420 trips a day.

 

--Walgreens filed an application for the zoning change yesterday (4/14/04).

The process: staff review makes a recommendation to the Zoning and Platting Commission (“ZAP”)and to the city council.

Then to get a site development permit takes 2-3 months.  If all goes well they expect to have Maria's new building done, the Bluebonnet work done, and the pond built.

 

After the presentation was done and the presenters left, a SLNA discussion followed.

-We would want a performance bond which was offered to us at the last neighborhood meeting in the amount of $15,000.  It would be for legal defense to use if Walgreens didn't do all that they would be promising to do in a “restrictive covenant” (an agreement between them and us, unenforceable by the City).  $15,000 is not enough.  Promises are expensive.

-Why worry about promises? It has been the situation that developers made promises that were not followed through.

Example: Kinney Ave. at Barton Springs Rd. The sidewalk on Kinney Ave was never put in as promised.

-The burden is on us to watch the project.

-They need to make an agreement about their site plan before ZAP. Zap has an advisory role.  City Council has the power.

           

·                     A motion was made to extend the meeting at 9:00. All agreed.

 

-Bryan King passed out a document titled  Memorandum of Understanding Between BHNA, GNA, SLNA, And ZNA .

The document states that our four neighborhood areas (Barton Hills Neighborhood Assoc., Galindo Neighborhood Assoc., South Lamar Neighborhood Assoc., And Zilker Neighborhood Assoc.) are combined into one Neighborhood Plan under the City of Austin Neighborhood Planning process, and that we can take the initiative to make plans for our neighborhoods with the city process. We agree to cooperate, combine efforts, and ideas, and not to do anything that would be adverse to another neighborhood.

-Bryan would like all interested to sign up for the Advisory Committee for our neighborhood planning.  First on the list of things to do is to walk through all the streets to take an inventory of true land use, cross checking the zoning for each lot.

-If we examine our needs, and develop a plan for our neighborhood, then we can influence the outcome. The city is taking these neighborhood groups seriously these days.

-Marci made a motion to accept the Memorandum, and it was a unanimous vote.

-The meeting ended at 9:15