In yet another Northwest Austin zoning case, the Zoning and Platting Commission recommended rezoning for an empty piece of land owned by the recently shuttered Austin White Lime company during their August 19 meeting.
The two tracts at 6101 and 6105 Melrose Trail, which represent a combined area of about 5 acres, are located in the Milwood neighborhood of Northwest Austin. They are currently zoned interim small lot residential. The company is seeking an upzoning to multifamily residence high-density zoning, or MF-5, which is the most intense of the conventional residential base districts.
City staff did not support that request. They instead proposed MF-3, which is a lower-density option. According to Planner Sherri Sirwaitis, who presented the city’s recommendation to the commission, staff reasoned MF-3 would more closely line up with zoning in the area, and the location in the neighborhood wasn’t appropriate for what the company is requesting.
“Traditionally, MF-5 and MF-6 … are at the intersection of arterials and collector roadways,” Sirwaitis said. “They’re at more intense roadways, and that’s where those are meant to go.”
Richard Suttle, who represented the company at the meeting, argued that the language used to describe the appropriate setting for MF-5 zoning only specified that it should be “near” a major roadway, rather than directly fronting one. He noted that the site was only two-tenths of a mile away from McNeil Drive, and 0.23 miles away from Parmer Lane.
Suttle also noted that environmental constraints on the site, including sloped terrain and watershed protections, limited the amount of buildable area on the site, necessitating a taller and narrower structure.
“You’ve got about three acres out of five that are developable, because the single-family houses are all buffered by floodplain or (a critical water quality zone),” he said.
Commissioner Christian Tschoepe introduced the motion to recommend the applicant’s request for MF-5 to City Council, seconded by Commissioner Taylor Major. That motion was approved 7-1, with Commissioner Betsy Greenberg the lone ‘no’ vote.
“Those houses aren’t going away that are all around it to make more growth and lots more MF-5,” Greenberg said, commenting on why she would be voting against.
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