The Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday opposed rezoning a single-family lot to mixed-use zoning, siding with neighbors who fear that commercial uses will encroach into their single-family neighborhood.
The property in question is at 12604 Blackfoot Trail in Northwest Austin. The owner, Abraham Birgani, hopes to rezone the 0.34-acre site from Single Family-Large Lot (SF-1) to Community Commercial-Mixed Use (GR-MU). Birgani and his representative, Frank Winters, did not disclose their plans for the property, which has one single-family home. Birgani also owns a commercial property next door where he rents space to a smoke shop.
While neighbors wrote both for and against the rezoning, the three who spoke at the meeting were opposed.
“We are definitely opposed to the commercial zoning he’s asking for,” Scott Fehr said. “That is way out of character and would cut into our single-family zoning area.”
While neighbors said they would accept Single Family-Standard Lot (SF-2) zoning, they appeared not to be inclined to support anything with more density, given the lack of clarity about Birgani’s plans.
“We’re not here to affect the neighborhood,” Winters said, adding that traffic will only be able to enter and exit the property from McNeil Drive instead of Blackfoot Trail, a residential street.
Commissioners sided with neighbors that GR-MU would be too dense, given the proximity to single-family homes.
“GR might be over-zoning this property and allowing things like pawn shops or auto repair or bail bond,” Commissioner Lonny Stern said. As a compromise, he argued in favor of Limited Office-Mixed Use (LO-MU), the zoning city staff recommends.
Commissioner Cesar Acosta agreed with Stern: “What I did like about the LO-MU proposal from staff was that it would allow for duplex, townhome and a … wider range of typology, which I thought was a good buffer between a vape shop and a single-family neighborhood.”
But Winters said Birgani is not interested in LO. “You can’t even get financing to build offices in this market that we live in after the pandemic,” he responded.
“I don’t think that there’s a lot to say other than it’s not an unreasonable request,” Winters said, given the commercial zoning on nearby properties.
The lack of interest in LO led the commission to recommend City Council approve SF-2 zoning. Stern voted in opposition.
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City of Austin Zoning and Platting Commission: The City of Austin's Zoning and Platting Commission addresses issues of land use as assigned to it by Austin's City Code. It has sovereign authority, or the right to make final decisions on certain cases.
