Environmental Commission backs staff recommendation for South Lamar redevelopment, adds conditions for affordability and green measures

City staff and the applicant presented a redevelopment‑exception site plan for the SOLA mixed‑use project at 2728 South Lamar (SP20240397C) during the Environmental Commission’s May 6 meeting. Mike McDougall, environmental policy program manager for Austin Development Services, said the site lies in the Barton Springs Zone and that the redevelopment exception (LDC 25‑8‑26) resets a site’s watershed impervious‑cover limit to the existing amount while imposing additional water‑quality and sedimentation requirements.

McDougall said the project reduces impervious cover from about 3.8 acres to 3.4 acres, proposes sedimentation/filtration water‑quality ponds for the entire site, and must pay a Barton Springs mitigation fee. He reported the mitigation fee calculation yields $534,927.24 to be paid prior to site‑plan permit issuance.

Applicant Hannah Reamer of LJA Engineering told the commission the project will provide on‑site water quality treatment where none exists today, add sidewalks and landscaping, and provide housing that includes a portion of affordable units. Commissioners and public commenters probed geotechnical risks for an underground parking level, traffic and access impacts, the project’s tree removal and planting calculations (engineer figures showed 626 caliper inches removed and about 255 inches of mitigation planting proposed), and the scale of affordable housing.

Staff and applicant said the project includes 399 total units across the site, with 305 units in the Barton Springs Zone portion and 28 affordable units proposed; the DB90 zoning requirement alone would have required four affordable units. Commissioner discussion focused on whether the project should deliver more affordable housing and additional on‑site community benefits.

Motion and outcome: The commission voted unanimously to recommend the redevelopment exception to City Council but attached several augmenting conditions. The recommendation asks the applicant and Council to increase affordable housing to 25% of units (targeting a mix at 30–60% MFI as written), require bird‑friendly building design, incorporate a community garden (roof or ground), adopt dense native planting and low‑mow/no‑leaf‑blowing practices, and work with City staff to formalize a safe access point to the Barton Creek Greenbelt near the site. The vote was recorded as unanimous (10‑0).

What to watch: The redevelopment exception requires council approval because the proposed number of dwelling units exceeds the city code threshold. If Council approves the exception, site‑plan conditions (water‑quality ponds, mitigation payment, tree mitigation, and other design and permitting steps) will be required before a site‑plan permit is issued.

For council staff and neighbors, remaining questions include final geotechnical findings for the underground garage, confirmation of the final affordable‑unit size mix and tenure (rental vs ownership), and exact tree‑planting locations and species for mitigation.