Massive Brodie Oaks PUD OK’d on first reading

Voting unanimously, City Council gave first round approval Thursday to a massive redevelopment of the Brodie Oaks shopping center. The old-fashioned mall with a huge expanse of concrete at the intersection of Lamar Boulevard and Loop 360 that backs up to the Barton Creek greenbelt will be reconfigured to host 1.2 million square feet of office space, 140,000 square feet of retail, 1,700 residential units and a 200-room hotel, if all goes according to the plan developer Barshop & Oles has proposed. The Planning Commission recommended the development in November.

Council Member Ann Kitchen provided leadership on three items needed for developers to move forward with the project. Kitchen will be retiring at the end of this year, so her successor will likely have the job of shepherding the project through the final stages of approval.

One of the selling points of the redevelopment is a reduction in impervious cover from 84 percent to 56 percent. In order to accomplish that, developers are promising more than 13 acres of open space and refurbishment of nearby trails.

While that is a considerable reduction, it does not meet the standards of the Save Our Springs Ordinance, which would reduce concrete to 15 percent. So, one of the amendments Council must approve will allow for the increased impervious cover.

Staff from Austin Energy will have to reach agreement with development representatives on where to locate a substation on the property without increasing impervious cover.

The current zoning on the property would not allow for such a reduction in impervious cover and provide all of the amenities the developer is seeking. As a result, Barshop & Oles is asking to increase height from the permanently allowed limits of 35 to 60 feet up to 160 to 275 feet. The increase in height seemed to be the main point of contention with some neighborhoods.

Attorney David Armbrust, who represents Barshop & Oles, told the Austin Monitor that his client has hired a consultant who has experience in siting such substations in innovative ways that reduce impervious cover. Armbrust said the developer has already worked out an agreement with the Austin Fire Department to locate a fire and EMS station on the property.

Representatives of the SOS Alliance, the Sierra Club and three neighborhoods voiced opposition to the height and density.

Bill Bunch of the SOS Alliance said while the group supports greater density it cannot support the developers’ plan. “Skyscrapers are not climate friendly.” He also asked Council to require off-site mitigation for impervious cover greater than 15 percent.

Barton Hills neighborhood advocate Melissa Hawthorne said she saw some good things about the proposal but could not support 3.1 million square feet of development on the greenbelt and over Airman’s Cave, the longest underground cavern in the area. Once done, she said, “we don’t get this back. We don’t get a do-over on this one.” She called it “Domain South on the greenbelt.”

Lorraine Atherton of the Zilker Neighborhood Association told Council members by approving the PUD they would be “in defiance of every guideline of the Imagine Austin plan.” She said the huge development would disrupt planning for the rest of South Austin.

George Cofer, who was executive director of the Hill Country Conservancy for many years, started his statement by saying he’s still at the conservancy but noted that the organization does not take positions on developments. However, he said the organization is very happy to be working with Barshop & Oles on trail design and maintenance and the ecological restoration of the land between Brodie Oaks and Barton Creek.

“There’s a really good opportunity for the community to have safe trails … to enjoy what is an extraordinarily beautiful tract of land.” He said the conservancy will be giving guidance on restoring “between five and 10 miles of some of the worst trails in Austin, Texas.”

Photo caption: A conceptual rendering of the project shows green space along Barton Creek and buildings stepping up in height toward Loop 360, via the city of Austin. This story has been changed since publication to correct the total square feet proposed and to clarify that an agreement with Austin Energy is not part of the zoning process, though it is part of the development process.

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Posted In: Planning, District 5