[nndl] Re: Meeting Minutes, February 2, 2009

This note has been added to the minutes being posted on the web site.

2009/2/3 Lisa Wright < [at] >

Minutes for Northfield
Neighborhood Association Meeting

February 2, 2009

Meeting called to order by Vice President Clay Crenshaw at 7:05
p.m.

Guest Speaker

Ed Clark, Director of Corporate Communications for Austin
Energy (AE), gave a presentation about the new automated meters that will be
installed throughout the neighborhood. AE expects to have 290,000 meters
installed throughout the city by April, installing at a rate of about 1,000 per
day. The meters will have a single number reflecting the kilowatt hours (Kwh)
used. They take two minutes to install and transmit usage information to AE by
radio waves. Neighbors should receive a postcard from AE, but we will not
receive a specific time when the installation will take place. Installers will
knock on doors prior to installing, and leave a green door hanger when it is
complete if it is successful. If they can't get access to the meter, they will
leave a red door hanger and an appointment will have to be made.

Meters will allow remote turn on and shut off, automatic
detection of power outages and power restoration. Other future benefits will include
time of day pricing and the ability for consumers to choose their billing
cycle.

We will still see people in the neighborhood reading water
meters.

Mr. Clark also encouraged neighbors to take advantage of the
following programs from AE, details and contact information at http://www.austinenergy.com/:

• Free programmable
  thermostats: The "Power Partners Program" provides a free programmable
  thermostat, worth about $200. It allows people to set the time of day when
  heat and AC come on, saving money. In return, AE can cycle AC units to
  manage peak usage, which customers generally don't notice.
• Energy efficiency
  evaluations. This service, free for older homes, provides an evaluation of
  insulation and other items that can be improved to make buildings more
  energy efficient, sometimes by 30-50%.

Treasurer's report

$2020.65 Starting Balance

     255.00 Newsletter ads

$   255.00 Total Income

$      35.00 Austin
Neighborhood Council Membership

        38.00 Post office box fee

$      73.00 Total Expenses

$2202.65 Current Balance

$1052.65 Current Balance Without Park Grant

Clay Crenshaw noted that the Hyde Park Neighborhood
Association has a balance of roughly $100,000 from various fundraising events
(historic home tour, higher ad revenues, etc.). He encourages everyone to think
about ways that Northfield could raise money.

Rezoning Request

Pam Pritchard presented her plans for a pub in a suite of 100
W North Loop, which would require a zoning change. Currently the property is
zoned GR (Retail). The request is to change to CS-1 zoning, which would allow
liquor sales without food sales. The request was presented to the Planning
Commission on January 27, 2009. The planning commission postponed its decision
after neighbors attending the hearing objected. The hearing is rescheduled for
February 10, 2009 at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.

[Note: This information was added
to the minutes following the meeting. Zoning Change Review Sheet associated
with this rezoning request: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/agenda/2009/downloads/c11_c1420080248_012709.pdf.

Planning Commission Meeting: Second and Fourth Tuesday of the
month, 6 p.m. City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street, Council Chambers, Room 1001 City
Staff: Dora Anguiano, Neighborhood Planning & Zoning Department, (512)
974-2104  Greg Guernsey, Neighborhood Planning & Zoning Department,
(512) 974-7668 (from the city Web site: http://malford.ci.austin.tx.us/boards/meetings.cfm)
. ]

The purpose of the presentation was to request a vote from
the association members to support the plan. Present to answer technical
questions was an agent hired by Ms Pritchard. The space to be rezoned is 770 sq
ft of the retail space on the property, which is being sublet from Phara, who
leases from Timmerman.

The pub would feature the following:

• Sales of beer ($4.50) and
  cocktails ($4.50-7.50)
• Cozy, welcoming
  environment
• No live music
• No food sales, but customers
  could order from Phara's or the Parlor (or bring their own food)
• Wifi
• Soccer on TV
• Open 35 hours per week to
  start, growing to 52 per week, open until midnight on weekends

Zoning documents refer to the address, rather than the
suite. The agent explained that the zoning would be a "conditional use" request
applicable only to the 770 sq ft of this space, and the use would go away if
this specific business failed or if the same use continued but with an
interruption in business. The neighborhood could stipulate this as part of a
statement of approval. There were concerns that since it is not clearly spelled
out in the documents currently before the planning commission, that this could
not be trusted.

Concerns were raised about:

• Parking. The planning
  commission considers that the parking of the entire property (not just the
  spaces allocated to the suite) is adequate. Striping and handicapped
  parking improvements would have to be made.
• Existing problems,
  including registered sex offenders living in the apartment portion of the
  property, violent crime, noise from other businesses with late hours, traffic
  accidents, fights in parking lots.
• Renters in the area were
  not notified of the rezoning request because notices go to property owners
  rather than renters. The signage that should have accompanied the request
  was also not clearly displayed for public view.
• Previous rezoning requests
  that have been misrepresented to the neighborhood.

Lisa Wright moved that the members vote to grant a
conditional use approval of the request to change zoning of 100 W North Loop. Lindsey
Schell seconded. Members voted 11 for and 13 against. The association president
will write a letter to the planning commission noting that the neighborhood
does not support this zoning change.

Respectfully submitted,

Lisa Wright