Austin City Council considers Rosedale School rezoning Thursday, May 21
Austin’s City Council will vote on the Austin school district’s rezoning application for the Rosedale Elementary School this Thursday, May 21. The public meeting is at Austin City Hall (301 W. Second St.) and the Rosedale case is agenda item No. 76, according to the meeting agenda.
Our ‘ask’ from the council
Play Fair With Rosedale and the Rosedale Neighborhood Association are asking city council to delay a vote or at least not give final approval to the rezoning application. This would allow time to negotiate a compromise with the Austin Independent School District to end the lawsuit, satisfy neighborhood concerns, and create a blueprint for the other school campuses that AISD is closing.
What you can do
- Attend the council meeting on May 21 and wear your Play Fair with Rosedale T-shirt if you have one. If there is one public hearing to attend – this is it! The earliest the rezoning application can come up is 2 p.m., although we think it will be a bit later – how much is uncertain. For now, plan on being there from 2-6 p.m. if you can and watch for email updates on the best time to arrive.
- Sign up to speak against agenda item No. 76. Registration is open until noon on Wednesday.
Neighborhood leaders will make a coordinated presentation that should cover the main points but nothing says “we are serious” like a lot of people signing up to speak against an agenda item. You can always waive your right to speak when your name is called or donate your time to someone else. Remarks from the public are limited to two minutes unless someone has donated their time to a speaker. - Write a personal email to all City Council members and the mayor if you haven’t already. We’ve made it easy by gathering the council members’ email addresses and information, but be sure to personalize the message. We hope you will voice your support of the concept of the alternative development plan described below.
- Take the high road. Whether by email or at the meeting, always remain calm and respectful.
The neighborhood’s alternative development concept
Rosedale has a history of working for compromises and neighborhood leaders have developed a concept we hope will bring about a negotiated compromise that is a win-win-win for everyone – the neighborhood, the city, and AISD.
Rosedale architects and other experts have produced an alternative development concept that focuses on affordable housing. It features a combination of townhomes, duplexes, stacked flats, court flats, laneway units, and a small apartment building in the corner of the property closest to Burnet Road and 49th Street. In this preliminary draft the number of units could range between 145-215 units.
Rosedale leaders have met with a number of council members and their staff to discuss this concept. We will continue to gather input, adjust current assumptions, and refine the concept into a broadly supported, financially viable project. See the attached draft site plan.
Rosedale neighborhood’s goals
Key goals of this concept are:
- Affordable homes to buy and apartments to rent aimed at teachers, firefighters, and others who work in Austin but can’t currently afford to live in the city.
- Integration with the existing neighborhood rather than an incompatible Texas Donut that dwarfs every home around it and chokes our streets with traffic.
- Enough density to promote affordability but far less than the developer OHT’s 435-unit proposal.
- A development that attracts residents who are more likely to use mass transit than luxury apartment dwellers.
- Much needed cash for AISD.
- Termination or settlement of the deed restriction lawsuit.
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