Participation in the Development Review Process

With respect to Cousins proposed development of the Marshall Tract, there are five classes of citizens in Lost Creek:

• Those that live within 200 feet of the Marshall Tract
• Those that live within 500 feet of the Marshall Tract
• Those that belong to the LCNA and attend the meetings
• Those who belong to LCNA but do not attend the meetings
• Those that do not belong to LCNA

And in some of these classes their a distinction between being a property owner and a tenant who pays utility bills, and possibly whether they are a citizen of Austin. And, often in communication with LCNA, only people with valid e-mail address get notifications. LCNA information about the project is available to LCNA members on their website.The city sends notices by mail only to people living within 500 feet of the property and civic environmental organization with interests in the property.

Outside of the neighborhood there are others who can have a voice including other neighborhoods, and civic and environmental organizations with an interest in the property.

Each has specific rights and responsibilities. All should participate in fact based discussions and make up their own minds about the Cousins proposed development of the Marshall Tract. And everyone should voice their opinions and have access to the mechanism to express that voice.

Application of Zoning Heights to Land Contour

Most diagrams that I've seen depicting zoning heights and setbacks are shown on flat land. The Marshall Tract is far from flat. It has a pretty interesting contour. I know that somehow the city accounts for this be applying some averaging technique, but I was curious to see what the heights and setback would look like for various types of zoning, and assuming that the heights are measured from the elevation of Quaker Ridge. What I got is shown below.

GO is General Office, the base zoning planned by Cousins for the PUD (with lots of variances). The East Riverside Corridor is an example of how Austin handled heights and setbacks for better compatibility. The distance scale goes from zero at Quaker Ridge to 2000 at Loop 360 (approximately).

I don't know how Austin will handle the heights and setbacks for the Marshall Tract. But, it should be a strong discussion point for us, after we see what staff recommends.

Some Additional Thoughts on Compatibility

A community is formed whenever the neighborhood shares some set of values. It's a vital community if it contains diversity of knowledge. With shared values, communication is open and the members learn from each other's diversity. New members join the community if they share some of the community’s values. The physical characteristics of the community's neighborhood comes to reflect its shared values. A new development that intrudes on the values of the community is rejected by the community, and if it is allowed by the City because of political alliances or the prospect of tax income, it can severely damage the quality of life within the community.

A major issue with  compatibility is “compatibility with what?” As an example, consider the Loop 360 corridor. Every housing or office development is considered in only an incremental way, not in a “global” way. As a result, Loop 360 traffic continues to grow way beyond the capacity of the road because each development meets the “local” code.

Tine frame is another compatibility issue. Developments must be considered with respect to the past, present and future.

Compatibility with  the environment is also an important issue, as is compatibility with wildlife.

Compatibility has to be defined in a much broader, comprehensive way.

Neighborhood Character and Compatibility

CodeNEXT is an ambitious project to rewrite the land use code for Austin. The present code is the result of years of incremental changes. It is difficult to access and understand. Land developers and owners, as well as citizens are all unhappy with the existing code. Land developers and owners think that the code is too difficult to apply taking too long, being too expensive, and being too restrictive. Citizens think that the code doesn't do enough to protect neighborhood and does not employ a democratic process.

There are two concepts in CodeNEXT that would apply to the rezoning of the Marshall Tract – the concept of neighborhood character and the concept of compatibility.

“Every neighborhood in Austin has a distinct character worth preserving and building upon. The diversity of lifestyles and uniqueness of our living environments has given our city its personality and feel. The new Code will put a framework in place to better protect, enhance, and ensure the long-term stability and appeal of our neighborhoods.

A revised land development code could:

• Provide a document that is more accessible and easier to understand for all users.
• Provide more effective zoning tools to address specific issues.
• Help define what we can build near or within neighborhoods.
• Make neighborhood plans and visions are easier to access and understand.
• Ensure that new buildings will make good neighbors with existing ones – in terms of their size, character and design, and allowed uses.
• Reinforce the mix of creative small businesses that prosper in Austin’s neighborhoods, integral to defining their character.”

Compatible is defined as (in Dictionary.com):

• capable of existing or living together in harmony
• able to exist together with something else
• consistent; congruous (often followed by with)

According to the CodeNEXT team, compatibility is not defined in the present land use code. Their definition is:

“A development, building, and/or land use that is designed to be able to exist or occur without conflict with its surroundings – in terms of its uses, scale, height, massing and location on its site.”

The CodeNEXT team also points out that that “there is a missing middle”, for example between residential and high rise office buildings, in the existing code. This transition zone is different than a buffer.

The CodeNEXT team also pointed out that one size does not fit all. The code for compatibility must consider the context. The example they illustrate in the drawing is an urban, walkable context. Lost Creek is a suburban, drivable context.

The character of Lost Creek is incompatible with the character of the Cousins proposed development. The existing plans by Cousins does not provide a transition from the high rise office buildings to an SF2 residential setting.

Leaving the Marshall Tract zoned SF2 would be compatible with the existing Lost Creek neighborhood, and allow the developer to build in a transition zone between the new residential area and the existing office buildings, and park land.

Here's an overview of the whole CodeNEXT project.

The Character of Lost Creek

Lost Creek Blvd & South Capital of Texas Highway
Neighborhood Scout

Overview
"Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy median real estate price is $504,402, which is more expensive than 98.4% of the neighborhoods in Texas and 92.3% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.

The average rental price in Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy is currently unreported, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.

Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy is a suburban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Austin, Texas.

Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy real estate is primarily made up of medium sized (three or four bedroom) to large (four, five or more bedroom) single-family homes and townhomes. Most of the residential real estate is owner occupied. Many of the residences in the Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy neighborhood are established but not old, having been built between 1970 and 1999. A number of residences were also built between 2000 and the present.

In Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy, the current vacancy rate is 0.7%, which is a lower rate of vacancies than 95.7% of all neighborhoods in the U.S. This means that the housing supply in Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy is very tight compared to the demand for property here."

Notable & Unique Characteristics
"The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around."

People
"The rate of college educated adults in the Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy neighborhood is a unique characteristic of the neighborhood. 87.5% of adults here have received at least a 4-year bachelor's degree, compared to the average neighborhood in America, which has 22.6% of the adults with a bachelor's degree. The rate here is higher than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.8% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

In addition, priests and therapists would like to think they know the secrets to a truly successful marriage, but according to NeighborhoodScout's research, the folks of the Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy neighborhood may actually hold the key. 74.9% of its residents are married, which is a higher percentage than is found in 99.5% of the neighborhoods in America.

Also, wealth makes most things in life easier, and a few things harder. If you are wealthy and enjoy keeping up with the Jones', this neighborhood will interest you. In fact, according to NeighborhoodScout's research, the Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy neighborhood is wealthier than 99.2% of the neighborhoods in the United States. Residents here are truly in a unique situation even when compared to other Americans, based on the shear amount of wealth concentrated here. Even in times of economic downturn, residents of this neighborhood, as a group, suffered less and recovered more quickly. This is indeed a stand-out characteristic of this neighborhood.

Finally, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy is among the best neighborhoods for families in Texas. In fact, this neighborhood is more family-friendly than 98.4% of neighborhoods in the entire state of Texas. Its combination of top public schools, low crime rates, and owner-occupied single family homes gives this area the look and feel of a "Leave It to Beaver" episode. Many other families also live here, making it easy to socialize and develop a strong sense of community. In addition, the high number of college-educated parents influences the academic success of the local schools. Overall, you will find all of the amenities a family needs to thrive in the Lost Creek Blvd / S Capital Of Texas Hwy neighborhood. In addition to being an excellent choice for families with school-aged children, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for urban sophisticates and highly educated executives."

There is much more information about Lost Creek and adjacent neighborhoods in this report. Some can be accessed at no charge and others require the payment of a fee.

Office Buildings that Blend In

I always admired the way that the office buildings were developed on Loop 360 across from Lost Creek. They blended in with the trees and contours of the land. They are not higher than the trees and the dark glass helps.I just realized yesterday that those office buildings are in the City of West Lake Hills.

Zoning of Marshall Tract in Context of Other Loop 360 Properties

The City of Austin's Development Web Map ( a GIS) is a great tool to look at many aspects of a parcel of land. For this exercise, I chose to look at the zoning of land along Loop 360. Each tract of land is color coded as to its present zoning. It takes three images to see all of Loop 360. What I suspected, and confirmed, by these images is that the Marshall Tract is presently zoned compatible to all the other land (SF2) along the Hill Country Scenic Highway. No other residential area has office development intrusive to the neighborhood. The closest analogy is South Wild Basin Rd. There is a deep LO development between Loop 360 and the start of residential development in Rob Roy. But there is no intrusion into the residential development.

The maps are color coded. The most important ones for this exercise are:

• Single Family - Large Lot (SF1): Medium Purple
• Single Family - Standard Lot (SF2): Medium Brown
• Family Residence: Light Brown
• LO - Limited Office: Pale Purple
• PUD - Planned Unit Development: Grey
• I-RR - Interim Rural Residence: Deep Purple

Loop 360 North

Loop 360 Central

Loop 360 South

Another observation is that there are a lot of PUDs along Loop 360. That makes it very difficult to determine the degree of compatibility with neighboring property because each PUD has its own ordinance defining what the internal zoning actually is.

If you want to see the entire Loop 360, view the image below, or download the image by clicking here.