Planning commission approves Strandman Cove rezoning with stepped heights and on-site affordability

The Austin Planning Commission on Aug. 12 approved a rezoning and plan amendment for the 5.34-acre Strandman Cove site, adopting the applicant’s stepped-height proposal, an on-site affordable housing commitment and two one-time contributions to local organizations.

Staff from the Planning Department recommended rezoning the property to LI-PDA-NP (Limited Industrial — Planned Development Area — Neighborhood Plan) with a conditional overlay. After public comment and a round of questions from commissioners, the commission voted to approve the applicant’s step-back height plan and related commitments.

The applicant’s representative, Alice Glasgow, said the project would be “multifamily development for approximately 945 units” and that “10% will be affordable on-site.” Glasgow told the commission the development team will make a $250,000 contribution to the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation and a $50,000 contribution to the Colorado River Conservancy after the project receives a certificate of occupancy.

Neighborhood members who spoke opposed the requested maximum heights and said the project as proposed would be incompatible with adjacent residential areas. Candice Fox, co-chair of the Govalle Johnson Terrace neighborhood plan contact team, said the neighborhood supported development but had reached an impasse with the applicant over height and unit mix, and urged lower heights to preserve compatibility and to increase family-scale units. Valerie Menard, another contact-team member, urged a lower height facing the river and expressed concerns about pressure on the Colorado River and neighborhood character.

Staff planning analyst Jonathan Tomko described the site’s context: a medium warehouse property with industrial and commercial uses to the north and west, undeveloped land to the south fronting the Colorado River, and the recently rezoned Borden Dairy site to the east. Tomko also noted that East Cesar Chavez and East Seventh Street are Imagine Austin activity corridors and that Shady Lane between those streets is identified in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP) as part of a transit-priority network.

In explaining the adopted height limits, the applicant clarified the stepbacks recorded into the public record: from the south property line, the first 75 feet of depth will be limited to a 30-foot height; the zone between 75 feet and 225 feet from the south property line will be limited to 90 feet; and the portion beyond 225 feet will be permitted up to 120 feet. Glasgow said the stepped heights mirror concessions reached between the neighborhood contact team and the developer of the adjacent Borden Dairy site.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant about unit counts, school impacts, impervious cover and pedestrian connectivity. Glasgow said the taller building envelope supports a larger unit count (945 units under the applicant’s proposal versus 670 units under a lower-height neighborhood scenario) and that 95 units would be affordable on-site for 40 years under the applicant’s plan; the neighborhood-height alternative would have produced 67 affordable units, a difference of 28 units. Staff pointed commissioners to an educational impacts study in the appendix of the staff report and said parks and other departments will review environmental and connectivity issues during site plan review.

Commissioners who spoke in favor said the project increases housing supply and that negotiated neighborhood commitments—10% on-site affordability plus the financial contributions and step-back heights—address some community concerns. Commissioners also noted that redevelopment requires modern site standards that can improve sidewalks, stormwater detention and pedestrian safety in the area.

The motion to approve the applicant’s request, including the stepped height limits and the conditional overlay terms, was made by Commissioner Ahmed and seconded by Commissioner Anderson. The motion passed unanimously, with the commission recording a unanimous vote in favor.

The commission’s approval rezones the parcel to LI-PDA-NP with the applicant’s stepped height limits and records the developer’s 10% on-site affordable housing commitment for 40 years and the $250,000/$50,000 contributions to Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation and the Colorado River Conservancy. Additional details about prohibited uses under the conditional overlay and site-plan-level environmental and connectivity requirements will be addressed during subsequent site plan review and permitting.

The commission closed the public hearing on these items the same evening and moved on to other agenda items.