Agenda for Jan 10th, 2017 meeting (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

Agenda for Jan 10th, 2017 meeting (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

January 10, 2017, Meeting time: 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm

Meeting Location:

St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville Road

Location: 1941 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX 78721

Phone: (512) 926-6339

Agenda

Codenext: Elizabeth Mueller member of CAG team from District 1 (CAG - Codenext Advisory Group)

Basics of Codenext

What is Codenext and What it is not?

How it will impact our life as citizens?

How will Codenext impact east and west Austin differently based on land-characteristics and infrastructure?

How will land plan and subdivision plan change based on code next?

What is the time line for Codenext?

What is our action item from Contact Team and Neighborhood association perspective

Bike Austin and Yellow Bike project - Mercedes Feris, Miller Nuttle

About Bike Austin's advocacy campaigns 

Review of City Transportation Plans as they pertain to Central East Austin

 - Bike Master Plan

 - Urban Trails Master Plan 

 - EastLink Plan 

What's in the bond for Active Transportation 

How to get your local projects prioritized

Consider Request from 3401 Oaksprings Rd.

We are requesting to be placed on the Agenda for January’s meeting

The request is to see if the group would consider making a decision out of cycle.  

Typically the address of the property would cause for the decision to be made in July.  This is a decision to be considered for out of cycle only and not on the actual zoning change.  If you agree for us to be allowed  to present out of cycle for a decision,  at the following agenda we would present the request for the property at 3401 Oak Springs Rd, to be changed from a SF-3 to a LO- with possible MU or MU-CO.0000000000000000

Email to Council member Ora Houston about subdivision

Email to Council member Ora Houston about subdivision

Hello Mrs. Houston,

The landgrab experiment in east side has reached an abnormal level. I am studying the land laws of the state and city ordinances including annexation documents. 

Many of the development are happening in subdivisions which were outside the city limits and COA annexed them at a latter date. So the plat maps here were done under the jurisdiction of the county (even though city planning approved it if it was in ETJ). Any land is a joint custody of the city and the county (that is why you pay tax to the county). The subdivision rights are not expunged when city annexes a subdivision and the home rule laws also never alludes to anything like that.  People often buy a property knowing the subdivision and land sizes etc. so state provides the idea of plat vacation if you have to change subdivisions. This is a safe-guard and not a nuisance.

City has decided to ignore the subdivision laws altogether. Builders are building roads and ROWs which clearly conflicts with the subdivision plat maps.  This is very convenient for city because they do not have to go through "eminent domain" or "condemnation process" in building a road and they get the roads after 12 months. The real challenge is that these subdivisions are destroying adjoining houses because there are no water mitigation laws within existing subdivisions. This is great for builders because now they can buy the next door house too. The subdivisions were built with a purpose and ignoring those purposes destroys the subdivision.

City is treating builders and citizens very differently because the ROW (right of way) rules are completely different. A builder can convert a SF3 (single family lot) to a ROW with no problem while a normal citizen cannot take water and sewer line under the driveway. This also creates a fundamental issue of our rights to property.  The county has very well defined "vacation" laws which I believe trumps the city ordinance. 

here are some details of my case as an example (but there are many cases like this)

1. Ebony acres was formed in 1952 - as shown in platmap.

2. It was in Austin ETJ (the notes show it as Government outlots adjoining City of Austin)

3. Austin Planning commission approved the plat and it has clear easements in the platmap.

4. The subdivision was annexed (full purpose) in 1970s.

5. The utilities were brought in 1960s and 70s and citizens had to pay for it (I have all details)

A developer is trying to put lot 6,7 and 10 in another new subdivision (where part of the new subdivision is in another subdivision). Lot 7 will be used for a ROW (city road) through our subdivision as per their proposal to connect the 2 subdivisions. So our subdivision will be effectively re-platted. City is refusing to go through plat vacation.

There is an AG opinion around a very similar case where the AG has mentioned that Plat vacation" will be required to create new subdivision - I have attached the opinion. I need your help to get another AG opinion and we would like to craft the question for the AG (somebody like Jeff Jack). This mad rush for landgrab is destroying your constituents so I hope you will take action.

regards

AG opinion

Agenda for Dec 13th, 2016 meeting and Outcome (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

Agenda for Dec 13th, 2016 meeting and Outcome (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

Meeting Location:

St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville Road

Location: 1941 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX 78721

Phone: (512) 926-6339

Dec 13th, 2016

Introduction - Pinaki (5 min)

What is contact Team?

Goals of EMLK Combined Contact Team

CIP and Non-CIP projects (15 mins + 10 min question)

1. What's your planning area - what does that mean - what can you expect?
2. How does planning area help city - and what is the process
3. What are Capital Improvement Projects and What are non-Capital Improvement Projects
4. How get Capital Improvement projects done in your area

Bikes and Bond - what's in future for biking in east side (20 mins + 10 mins questions)

1. The future of bike in east side (like bike paths etc)
2. How we can make it safer
3. How will bond money be spent in our area for bikes
4. What are the show stoppers
5. How contact team can help millenniums to make Austin Bike Friendly
6. If there is any CIP allocation that may be needed

The Creeks and storm water in EMLK neighborhood (20 mins + 10 mins questions)

1. We have  creeks in the EMLK combined region - current status
2. Some future scenarios - what happens as the landscape changes
3. How much impervious coverage can we afford.
4. How can we make our creeks clean and kid friendly

Agenda for Nov 15th, 2016 meeting and Outcome

Agenda for Nov 15th, 2016 meeting and Outcome

Agenda 1. Introduction - 7.00 pm to 7.05 pm - Pinaki Ghosh 2. 1907 Webberville Residential Infill Development  - 7.05 pm to 7.25 pm - Victor Wang 3. ThinkEast _ new Development at Shady Lane - Richard deVarga - 7.25 pm to 7.45 pmThe owner mr. deVarga will talk about the project details 4.  The Salvation Army Women's and Children's Shelter at Tennehill Ln. 7.45 pm to 8.05 pm - Major Kelly will talk about the details of the project. 

The entire meeting had about 30 attendees and it was very well received.

We raised $48 for the church which they said will be donated to Salvation Army. I will post the presentations soon
 

Future EMLK Contact team Meeting Dates

Future EMLK Contact team Meeting Dates

St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville Road

Location: 1941 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX 78721

Phone: (512) 926-6339

Nov 15, 2016

Dec 13, 2016

Jan 10, 2017

Feb 14, 2017

Mar 14, 2017

April 4, 2017 (not 11th)

May 9, 2017

June 13, 2017

July 11, 2017

August 8, 2017

Sept 12, 2017

Oct 10, 2017

EMLK Contact team Members

here are the current EMLK CT members - Joy and Lauren have requested to be removed.

Joy	Casnovsky	78721	Pecan Springs/Springdale
Lauren	Stanley	78723	JJ Seabrook
Moody	Andrews	78723
Tommy	Ward	78723	Pecan Springs/Springdale
Ursula	Carter	78723	Pecan Springs/Springdale
Juan	Wah
Karen	Lacey
Tyson	Brown
Brent	Laumen	78723	Pecan Springs/Springdale
Schuyler	Costello
Clifford	May
Pinaki	Ghosh		Ebony Acres
Karen	Lacey

Inputs from Margaret Valenti on August 30, 2016

As a follow up to last night’s EMLK Contact Team meeting I am attaching my notes/talking points.  I’ve also copied the text below for your convenience.

 East MLK Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Team Meeting

August 30th, 2016

7pm - 8:15pm

University Hills Branch Library

Loyola Lane

Contact Team Duties

Contact Team ‘Training Sheets’ addressing a range of issues including the roles and responsibilities of the contact teams, what is Land Use & Zoning, how to write a plan amendment recommendation letter and more can be found here: http://austintexas.gov/department/neighborhood-plan-contact-teams

It is possible to search the community registry database and get a list of all registered neighborhood associations in the planning area.  Search by zip codes: 78721 & 78723

Build relationships with both of your council members: http://www.austintexas.gov/government

District 1; Ora Houston

District 3; Pio Renteria

What we can realistically achieve

How we can help the city projects in EMLK

Many neighborhood plan contact teams are successful in implementing the action items in their city council adopted neighborhood plan. 

Refer to the Implementation Guide found here for tips on “how to implement” http://austintexas.gov/department/implementation-program

 View your neighborhood plan and ‘implementation tracking chart’ here: http://austintexas.gov/page/adopted-neighborhood-planning-areas-0

How we can influence the FLUM

Be an active NPCT and participate in any plan amendment meetings that are held by Maureen Meredith; Senior Planner, Neighborhood Plan Amendment Case Manager.  Respond to requests for meetings/conversations by property owners, applicants, agents etc…

 How we can relate to Code Next

• Read the Code Prescriptions
• The four Code Prescriptions represent a preview of the specific direction being taken in the new code as well as “conversation starters” to gather community feedback on whether these Prescriptions accurately reflect community values expressed in Imagine Austin.

Topics:

• Natural and Built Environment (http://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Planning_and_Zoning/CodeNEXT/2016-03-07_NBE_Prescription_DRAFT_Comp.pdf)
• Household Affordability (http://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Planning_and_Zoning/CodeNEXT/2016-04-29_CompactAccessibleAffordable4_HD.pdf)

• Mobility (http://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Planning_and_Zoning/CodeNEXT/2016_07_08_Mobility.pdf)

• The final Code Prescription, covering fiscal health, will be released in September. There will be a public forum, date TBA.

• Request a CodeNEXT Road Show presentation (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CNroadshow).  

• Visit the CodeNEXT web site (http://austintexas.gov/codenext). Sign up on the home page for updates and the CodeNEXT e-newsletter.

  

• Follow CodeNEXT on Facebook (@austincodenext) and Twitter (@AustinCodeNEXT).

Agenda for August 30, 2016 EMLK Contact Team Meeting

University Hills Library branch (4721 Loyola Ln, 78723) Meeting room #2 from 7.00pm-8.45 on Tuesday, 8/30  (thanks Joy)

Agenda

1. Election - we cannot really move forward without an election. So we need to have an election for president and Vice President. (Its a good thing we don't need a treasurer) 

2. Margaret will Speak about contact teams topics

Our Duties

What we can realistically Achieve

How we can help the city projects in EMLK

How we can influence the FLUM

How we can relate to Code Next

3. Go over the current Projects and divide it among ourselves to get some feedback from local neighborhood groups

4. Plan for next meeting - how we can increase our outreach and reach broader audience

PInaki Ghosh was elected the Chairman

Margaret Valenti Provided a great presentation representing city of Austin

Pinaki Ghosh promised to start working on # 3 and 4.

Joy agreed to transfer the google group ownership to Pinaki