North Central Austin Edition | January 2023

2023 ANNUAL COMMUNITY GUIDE

“RIGHT NOW, IT’S A BIG PARKING LOT, AND WITH HOW THE CITY IS GROWING, THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT IS A GOOD IDEA.” TODD GIBBS, TODDPILATES & BARRE OWNER IN BRODIE OAKS

“WHILE WE SUPPORT A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN DENSITY, ... THE PROPOSAL IS MORE LIKE A SATELLITE DOWNTOWN.”

BILL BUNCH, SAVE OUR SPRINGS ALLIANCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Environmental concerns Along with the increased trac the project may bring, Lingafelter said Sunset Valley ocials will also monitor the environ- mental aspects of the project. “Obviously, any development in that area is of concern with its proxim- ity to Barton Creek,” Lingafelter said. The Save Our Springs Alliance, which works to protect the Edwards Aquifer, opposes the project the way it was presented during its rst reading at City Council. Bunch said although Barshop & Oles is propos- ing to reduce impervious cover from 84% to 54%, that is not enough. In the case of this project, impervious cover refers to human-made structures, including buildings and parking lots, where rainfall cannot be absorbed. monitoring

It is important for this area to have less impervious surfaces as they pre- vent water from entering the aquifer, Bunch said. “The developer should be required to buy o-site mitigation land, or a conservation easement, so that the impervious cover on both tracts, taken together, would meet the 15% limit,” Bunch said. Barshop & Oles’ attorney David Armbrust said, according to Austin’s amended SOS ordinance, o-site mit- igation is not required if a developer meets the water equality require- ments and city sta agreed. Arm- brust said developers chose to seek a site-specic amendment, which requires a three-fourths vote of the Austin City Council. Armbrust said that vote may be challenging, but he

believes the community will benet from the project. Some of the benets include the acres of publicly accessible park spaces; trailheads and connections into the Barton Creek Greenbelt; and an SOS ordinance-compliant level of water quality that will improve water runo into Barton Creek, Burdette said. The company will work with non- prots—including the Austin Parks Foundation and Hill Country Conser- vancy—to improve the condition of the greenbelt and clean up trails, Bur- dette said. APF representative Joy Casnovsky said the two entities have agreed to lead a team, oering guidance that includes routing and design of sus- tainable, low-maintenance trails con- nected to the greenbelt.

“Right now, a portion of the run- o travels through a pond in front of the adjacent Retreat at Barton Creek apartments, but much of it enters untreated into the greenbelt and Bar- ton Creek,” Burdette said. Burdette said all rainwater and stormwater in the redevelopment will be captured, treated and used on-site for irrigation, so none of it will run into Barton Creek. “South Austin is the perfect place for this, as it is a little dierent from other parts of our city with how much the community cares about the envi- ronment and how eclectic the area is,” Leonard said.

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NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • JANUARY 2023