Looks like things might not be groovy at the Grove... (Austin: apartment complexes, neighborhoods)

[10scoachrick]

I don't exactly have a dog in this race; but this strikes me as 'business as usual'...

Staff concerns about the Grove

[austinnative69]

if business as usual smells of corruption.

[austinnative69]

"The city’s front-line engineers found the proposed development would double traffic on a nearby stretch of Jackson Avenue — from 35th Street northward to Bull Creek Road — and requested that the developer come up with a plan to address the congestion.
However, the final version of the March report struck that request and said “no additional analysis of Jackson Avenue is required at this time” — even though it kept the staff’s finding that traffic would double. Instead, the city would allow the developer to postpone proposing fixes for Jackson Avenue until after the project is approved"

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by austinnative69

"The city’s front-line engineers found the proposed development would double traffic on a nearby stretch of Jackson Avenue — from 35th Street northward to Bull Creek Road — and requested that the developer come up with a plan to address the congestion.
However, the final version of the March report struck that request and said “no additional analysis of Jackson Avenue is required at this time” — even though it kept the staff’s finding that traffic would double. Instead, the city would allow the developer to postpone proposing fixes for Jackson Avenue until after the project is approved"

"double traffic" is a meaningless statement.

Double from what to what?

From what service level to what?



If it goes from 20 cars a day to 40, that's a doubling.

[Aquitaine]

I'm not sure I understand why this isn't an anticipated problem. Isn't the whole point of developments like The Grove to increase density (and therefore try to make a dent in housing costs in central neighborhoods) -- which obviously means more traffic density as well?

It seems short-sighted to cover that up. If density is the goal...then all the good and bad that comes with it will be as well!

[centralaustinite]

I love how the developers apparently over-estimated public transit access to the site, assuming (without talking to Cap Metro) that the #19 bus would magically start appearing every 10 minutes (I don't think any route in the entire city currently runs that often) instead of once an hour as it now does!

The other thing that annoys me -- and I'm told that this is how it commonly goes down with big developers -- is that they don't have clear every staff comment, meanwhile, you and me and every small business and non-profit I've been a part of who has to try to build or remodel something in this city, has to spend time and money to clear EVERY SINGLE STAFF COMMENT on their site plan and building permit! Sheesh

[pop251808]

I wonder which will get held up the longest: this high density development in west Austin or the proposed new dump off of 183 south of town? Which neighborhood has more stroke down at Armadillo World HQ?

[sojourner77]

Meanwhile, mega-apartment complexes are being built along frontage roads of already choked freeways throughout the Austin metro.


The Grove (and the Austin Oaks PUD) demonstrates how the wealthy are able to fend off anything that threatens their property values. Everyone else can eat ****.

[austinnative69]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

The Grove (and the Austin Oaks PUD) demonstrates how the wealthy are able to fend off anything that threatens their property values. Everyone else can eat ****.

Wait a dog-gonned second. I think the concern is -- how are we planning for this type of infill? I understand that we have a developer that has bought this land, but that doesn't mean that the neighbors, who have created Neighborhood plans, don't have a say.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by austinnative69

Wait a dog-gonned second. I think the concern is -- how are we planning for this type of infill? I understand that we have a developer that has bought this land, but that doesn't mean that the neighbors, who have created Neighborhood plans, don't have a say.

Why should neighborhood plans have any say over someone else's land not in their neighborhood?

Should the developer of the Grove now get veto power over all those pre-existing neighborhood plans?