A neighborhood plan amendment heard by the Planning Commission on Jan. 24 highlighted diverging attitudes around how the Holly neighborhood, anchored by East Cesar Chavez Street, should change.
At issue is a request to change the future land use map for several properties on the 2300 and 2400 block of East Second Street from single-family and civic use to mixed-use.
“This case is a bit unique in that it has been brought by five different owners on the block, including residential neighbors,” said Michael Whellan, the representative for the property owners.
The request originally involved just one commercial property before several nearby property owners joined in. Owners who spoke Tuesday say they want more flexibility with how they – or a future owner – can use their properties.
“We just want to be able to have the flexibility to relocate and potentially do something more appropriate with the property,” said Danielle Murray, who owns one of the single-family homes associated with the request.
Whellan and Murray said the request makes sense for an already lively area and aligns with city plans that call for more mixed-use development.
The immediate area already has mixed-use development, with shops, bars and restaurants taking up much of the block. Neighboring properties also have mixed-use on their future land use map.
But not everyone thinks that there should be more mixed-use development along East Cesar Chavez. One person spoke against the request at the meeting, and another wrote in opposition.
“This is another injection of gentrification,” Gavino Fernandez said, noting that some adjacent single-family homeowners have not signed on to the request because they want to stay in their homes over the long term.
He also said the request just encourages speculation by developers. “There’s no telling what it’s gonna bring …. So why are we approving a blank check just because a developer and a couple landowners say, ‘Hey, we’re probably gonna be moving out of here anyway.'”
Fernandez said he has fought changes to the neighborhood that don’t align with the Holly Neighborhood Plan, which he helped to create in 2001. Fernandez also ran unsuccessfully for the District 3 seat on City Council in 2022.
After a brief discussion, the commission voted 8-1-1 in favor of the change to mixed-use land use, with Commissioner Carmen Llanes Pulido against and Commissioner Jennifer Mushtaler abstaining.
“Single-family is not the right pattern of zoning between a commercial corridor and multifamily,” said Commissioner James Shieh, referring to the location of the properties between East Cesar Chavez and Santa Rita Courts, a public housing project slated for redevelopment in the near future. “So if you look at that, mixed-use is an appropriate zoning category.”
City Council is scheduled to vote on the change at its Feb. 23 meeting.
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City of Austin Planning Commission: This commission addresses issues of land use as assigned to it by Austin's City Code. These include the abilities "[t]o make and amend a master plan, recommend approval or disapproval of proposed zoning changes and control land subdivision within neighborhood planning areas and submit, annually, a list of recommended capital improvements." It has sovereign authority, or the right to make final decisions on certain cases.
