Though the Planning Commission voted at its most recent meeting to recommend commercial rezoning for the Alpha Seventh Day Adventist Church property on 51st Street, a posting error means that vote will need to take place again. The church community has advocated for expanding the church’s parking lot and creating latitude for future growth.
Commissioners voted 11-2 in favor of the zoning, with commissioners Danielle Skidmore and Grayson Cox voting in opposition. However, because the address was listed incorrectly on the commission’s agenda, the vote was later rescinded and postponed to the next meeting.
The church, which has been located at 3016 E. 51st St. since 1983, hosts an active congregation and food pantry, which the church’s pastor, Laurent Grosvenor, said served up to 2,000 families per month. The church requested to change its current family residence zoning to community commercial zoning.
“We care deeply about this community and have invested decades in building our presence here. This rezoning will help us continue to grow and serve in this location for many years to come because this is more than a church, it’s our community,” Grosvenor said.
Despite community concerns, Grosvenor assured the commission that the church has no plans or intention to sell the property. “They wish to do the exact opposite and create the room they need to grow their presence and ability to serve the community,” Michael Whellan, the church’s lawyer, said.
Grosvenor said that the church is considering building a gym, classrooms and office spaces to support both the church community and the broader neighborhood.
Whellan said that the property currently only has 42 paved parking spaces, forcing many of those visiting the church or food pantry to park in a dirt lot that is not ADA accessible and can be unsafe, especially after rain.
“Right now more than 50 percent of our parking capacity is out back in the dirt, and the raw conditions of that area truly pose a safety hazard for our congregation and visitors,” said Eric Shepperd, a member of the congregation.
To facilitate the expansion of paved parking, the recommended commercial rezoning would permit a maximum impervious cover of 90 percent.
Residents that live close to the church expressed concerns about the impact of expanding impervious cover.
“The impervious cover, up to 90 percent, is a serious concern for the neighborhood,” said Emily Nobel, who lives in a property adjacent to the church and has experienced localized flooding from runoff. “Allowing the church to essentially double the impervious cover puts my property and the surrounding homes at risk of additional localized flooding.”
“The property is subject to drainage issues, the church themselves mentioned that,” Robert Mendez, another neighboring resident, said. “There are additional ways they could increase their parking without using impervious cover.”
While city staff requested a more limited commercial rezoning that would restrict the maximum impervious cover to 80 percent, the commission instead recommended the applicant’s request for a more robust commercial rezoning.
“I understand the desire for maximum flexibility, but that’s not really how we should be zoning our city,” Commissioner Grayson Cox said, advocating for the staff’s recommendation of a more limited commercial zoning. “We should be zoning our city based on what category makes the most sense in that particular location.”
“I don’t think I’ve fought for a parking lot one time on this commission and I don’t plan to in the future. That being said, I also understand what displacement is doing and the cost of living,” Commissioner Greg Anderson said in support of more expansive commercial zoning. “My guess is that there are a lot of folks that are still a part of this church that do now have to commute in and cultural displacement is real as well … I don’t want to play a role in displacing this church or anyone from attending this church so I hope we can support what the church is requesting.”
The Planning Commission will rehear the case at its Nov. 12 meeting. Because there is a valid petition against the rezoning, it will also require a supermajority of City Council, or nine votes, to ultimately be approved.
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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.
