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Notice of Filing of application for rezoning Date Mailed: December 10, 1997 File Number C14-97-0153 Owner: Vaughn Stenis Co-Ownership (Wayne D. & Wanda R. Stenis) Agent: Armburst Brown & Davis (512) 435-2300 Address/Location of Proposed Rezining: N. Cap of Tx Hwy and Spicewood Springs Road Existing Zoning: DR (Development Reserve) Proposed Zoning: MF-1 (Multi-Family Residence - Limited Density) If you have any questions concerning this proposed rezoning, please contact the Department of Development Review and Inspections, 301 West 2nd Street, Third Floor, Austin, Texas, 78701, or call Craig Alter at (512) 499-2769.Please reference the above file number when requesting information.

• YBCA Home Page Yaupon Bluffs Community Association, Inc (Arbor at Great Hills Subdivision)
  Issue Committee: Kelley Jones & Yvonne Thorne-Booth: 502-9141 & Steve Benigno: 343-0337
• David Mandy (homeowner on spicewood springs) 343-2095
• Austin 360:Community: Bull Creek Foundation
• City of Austin: Development Process: General Information

UPDATE 7/20/98

Well faithful followers, the Stenis tract rezoning hearing is postponed...  again.
Yaupon Bluffs Community Association, JPI Development, Bull Creek Foundation,  and Old Spicewood Springs Neighborhood issued a joint letter to Planning Department case manager David Wahlgren July 16, requesting a postponement of the July 21 Stenis Tract multi-family Zoning Case (C14-97-0153 at 360 and Spicewood Springs Road). Mr. Walgren said he would recommend postponement to October 13, after the September 26 bond election which has funds in it for the purchase of the Stenis Tract. So, we do not need to have a crowd at next Tuesday's Planning Commission meeting!
This decision was to allow the City of Austin another chance to purchase the land so that it can be permanently preserved, which is the end goal.
Now, we need to move on to helping the September 26 bonds pass. The funds to purchase Stenis are part of the $30 million GREENWAYS INITIATIVE, which is also coupled with the DESTINATION PARKS INITIATIVE, to give us more green space throughout Austin.
How can you help? Do these two things:
1. Come to the City Council Hearing Thursday July 23 at 6 p.m.    Go by City Hall at 124 West 8th after Monday noon, sign a card    indicating your support, or come Thursday to 301 W. 2nd and do the    same. Even if you do not intend to speak you can show your support.    If you can't do this, you may send a fax to Mayor and City Council,    c/o Beverly Griffith, 499-1886 or email to    beverly.griffith@ci.austin.tx.us    Indicate you and/or your group support the GREENWAYS INITIATIVE    and DESTINATION PARKS INITIATIVE.
2. Also Send your Organization's endorsement of the GREENWAYS INITIATIVE    and DESTINATION PARKS INITIATIVE to Maggiearms@aol.com. If you are    willing to volunteer to help with the bond campaign, tell Maggie. Please read the message to Skip Cameron of the Bull Creek Foundation copied below.
========================================
Skip Cameron:
Subject: Bonds Public Hearing, Thursday, July 23rd, 6:00 p.m.
  Date:  Thu, 16 Jul 1998 23:07:51 EDT
  From:  Maggiearms@aol.com
Hello Everyone,
The City Council public hearing for items for the September Bond Election will be next Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 307 W. 2nd Street.
You can sign up in advance to speak as early as Monday afternoon at the City Clerk's office at City Hall, 124 W. 8th Street.
To sign up to speak, you will fill out a card with your name and address.  You can add comments to the card such as, "I support Greenways
and Destination Parks. In case you are not present when your name is called, your comments will be read.
The complete list of endorsements is below.
Citizen Advisory Groups:
Austin Parks and Recreation Board
Austin Planning Commission
Citizen Bond Advisory Committee
Business/Professional Groups:
Austin Asian American Chamber of Commerce
Capital City Chamber of Commerce
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Hispanic Contractor's Association
Mexican American Business and Professional Women's Association (MABPWA)
Network of Asian American Organizations
Environmental Groups:
Austin Sierra Club
Clean Water Action
EcoFair
People Organized in Defense of the Earth and her Resources (PODER)
Save Barton Creek Association
Neighborhood/Community Groups:
American Institute for Learning
Austin Neighborhoods Council
Austin Parks Foundation
Austin Metro Trails and Greenways
Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association
Bull Creek Foundation
Central Texas Mutual Housing Association
Downtown Neighborhood Association
Friends of the Parks
Greater East Austin Youth League
Hyde Park Neighborhood Association
Lincoln Gardens Neighborhood Association
METSA-ACORN
Montopolis Cornerstone
Montopolis Area Neighborhood Improvement Committee (MANIC)
Pecan Springs Neighborhood Association
South Austin Greenway Alliance (SAGA)
Southeast Corner Alliance of Neighborhoods (SCAN)
Sustainable Foods Coalition
Texas Community Project
Windsor Park Neighborhood Association
Thanks for everyone's help and I look forward to seeing you at the public hearing.
Maggie Armstrong

UPDATE 6/25/98

Apartment Rezoning saga continues, but not for long:
We attended the planning commission meeting Tuesday just in case the rezoning case received any attention.  Due to the Bull Creek Foundation’s request for postponement and JPI’s written agreement, the commissioners unanimously voted in favor of the request to postpone.
The hearing is now set for July the 21st.  I believe that it will really happen this time.  Everyone has used up their excuses to postpone, the Planning Commission’s staff is finished with their recommendations and JPI has submitted all necessary material.
Please plan on July 21st.  A lot of time has passed since this started, but the prospect of 300 apartments on Old Spicewood Springs Road is still very real.  Everyone’s attendance to provide the kind of neighborhood opposition evidence that can not be ignored will be needed.
As this date gets closer we will keep you informed.
Kelley Jones YBCA Apartment Rezoning Committee

UPDATE 6/22/98

THE RE-ZONING HEARING FOR THE APARTMENTS HAS BEEN POSTPONED AGAIN.
It will NOT occur tomorrow the 23rd.
The date had a conflict with an important meeting of the Bull Creek Foundation.  The effort to reschedule the hearing had been going on for some time, but only now, 31 hours before it was scheduled, have all parties agreed and a method to hold the hearing been worked out.  It is still on the agenda, but with a RECOMMENDATION PENDING status.  That lack of recommendation from the planing commission's staff will hold the hearing.
I know it is starting to seem like there will never be a real event, but the hearing WILL occur and we are trying to keep all of you from wasting any of your time attending a meeting where our case is not being heard.
Best guesses now are July 7th or 21st.  You can check the Planning Commission's agenda yourself anytime you wish with the following URL:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/planning/plpcagen.htm
You will hear later when the date is set.  Thank you for your patience and sticking through this.
Kelley Jones YBCA Re-Zoning Committee

UPDATE 6/4/98

The hearing has been postponed again.

Today, Thursday the 4th,  was the day that I had set on my calendar to confirm with Mr. David Walhlgren, case manager, that indeed the rezoning hearing on the Stenis tract was going to happen June 9th.   I wanted to make sure before we started the final push of signs, flyers, speech preparation and the constant begging that you all come to the hearing. I called and it is postponed yet again.  This time it is because another neighborhood group had not been properly notified.

The new date is June 23rd.  Mr. Wahlgren was very sure that the 23rd would be the real day this time.  No matter, we will keep a close eye on it and keep you informed.

You should all note however, that the case will still appear on the June 9th calendar for the Planning Commission.  It is called a "pulled’ item in that it was too late to remove it from the calendar when the decision was made to postpone it.

Try to keep the evening of the 23rd open and stay tuned,

Kelley Jones YBCA Rezoning committee

Update 5/25/98 So much for high tech.  I just realized that this message had not been successfully sent.  My apologies.

To the point, if you have not already heard, the rezoning meeting has been rescheduled for June 9th.  This as mentioned before is not a big surprise,  it will however eliminate the problem of having to show up the day after Memorial day.

More data will be coming as it becomes available.  So for the time being, please circle the 9th on your calendars.

Thank You,

Kelley Jones YBCA Rezoning committee

Update 5/20/98

This is it. I think.

We have learned that JPI has requested the planning council to hear
their rezoning request and the date has been set for;

 M a y 26, 1 9 9 8 6:00 pm at City Council Chambers
307 West 2nd street

The reason I said "I think" is that JPI may try a strategy of letting us
all arrange our schedules, find someone to watch the kids, find parking
and eventually the meeting only to have JPI plead a fake "we’re not
ready" and ask for a few more weeks. We are doing what we can to try
and prevent that from happening by talking to the planning commission
and JPI to get a firm date.

When we know the date you will get notification in several forms, but
you need to prepare yourselves for the possibility of two trips to the
planning commission if that is what it takes to stop 300 apartments from
crowding on to Old Spicewood springs road, creating a traffic nightmare
and marking the beginning of the end of the rural beauty of OSSR.

For now you need to:

1) Call the case manager, Mr. David Wahlgren at 512 499-6455 and express
your opposition to the rezoning of the Stenis tract to Multi Family,
case number C14-97-0153

2) Write the Planning Commission expressing your opposition to Case
number C14-97-0153 and mail or Fax it to The Attention of
NIKKI HOELTER
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW & INSPECTION,
P.O. BOX 1088, AUSTIN, TX 78767.
Fax 499-1860

3) MARK YOU CALENDAR and plan to be at the meeting on the 26th.

If you want to contact the Planning Commissioners directly their
addresses are below. We will be attempting a structured meeting with
them prior to the actual hearing.

 Ms. Maggie Armstrong 345-6343
(H)
 4305 Burney Drive
 Austin, TX 78731 (APPOINTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIC
MITCHELL)
 E-Mail Address: maggiearms@aol.com

 Ms. Betty Baker (Secretary) 404-3091
(DP)
 ACVB
 201 E. 2nd Street
 Austin, TX 78701 (APPOINTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER JACKIE
GOODMAN)

 Mr. Walter Brown (Vice-Chair) 441-1111
(W)
 2603 Crownspoint 282-0153
(H)
 Austin, TX 78748 (APPOINTED BY CONSENSUS)
 E-Mail Address: wbrown@faulkcomp.com

 Ms. Jean Mather 444-4153
(H)
 1611 Alameda Drive
 Austin, TX 78704 (APPOINTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER BEVERLY
GRIFFITH)
 E-Mail Address: jmather531@aol.com

 Mr. Dusty McCormick (Chair) 302-4745
(H)
 815-A Brazos, #465
 Austin, TX 78701 (APPOINTED BY CONSENSUS)

 Mr. Art Navarro 472-7077
(W)
 2214 E. Cesar Chavez
 Austin, TX 78702 (APPOINTED BY MAYOR KIRK WATSON)
 E-mail Address: artnav@io.com

 Ms. Rachael Rawlins 499-1860
(F)
 P.O. Box 1088
 Austin, TX 78767 (APPOINTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAM
SPELMAN)

 Mr. Dave Sullivan (Parliamentarian) 239-1381
(W)
 1710 Waterston
 Austin, TX 78703(APPOINTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DARYL
SLUSHER)
 E-Mail Address: sully@moontower.com

 Mr. Ray Vrudhula (Asst. Secretary) 331-8483
(W)
 TEK USA 833-5199
(F)
 10713 RR 620 North, Bldg. E, Suite 514
 Austin, TX 78726 (APPOINTED BY MAYOR PRO TEM GUS GARCIA)


 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW & INSPECTION DEPARTMENT STAFF:

 Nikki Hoelter - Coordinator 499-2782
(W) 499-1860 (FAX)

 WEB Address
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/planning/plpcagen.htm

A meeting will be held at Skip Cameron’s house (Bull Creek Foundation),
8711 Bluegrass Drive, at 7:00 p.m. (today), Wednesday May 20. We will
attend, but if you want to get caught up and more involved, bring a
chair and we will see you there.

If anyone would like to offer to keep the some of the neighborhood kids
on the 26th to allow more people to attend the rezoning hearing then
please respond to me with the number of children you could keep and the
minimum age you would accept.


Kelley Jones
YBCA Rezoning committee

UPDATE 4/1/98 Neighbors, The Fight against the development of the Stenis tract is still alive. Many things are happening and I hope to have something concrete to relay soon. The silence has been due to the agreement by JPI to hold off their request for rezoning until mid April to allow the City to again attempt to purchase the land. While this is a possibility, I personally do not have a great deal of faith that such a deal will go through in time. I spoke at a Bond Election Community Meeting recently and while I made (I think) an eloquent case to save the shrinking precious treasures of Austin's Creeks and water ways, the demand for money for libraries, sidewalks, roads etc. seemed to bury the somewhat esoteric cause of saving land from the bulldozer. We need 2.1 million to acquire the Stenis tract to save that land, as it is for everyone, Old Spicewood Springs from a traffic disaster, and the unique seclusion our homes enjoy from the increasing urban pressures of Austin. One of the Bonds was for 98 million, to build a better downtown library. We also attended a home owner association meeting of 7 associations regarding the attempt to build 500 condos on the north end of Old Spicewood Springs road. The other home owners there were to say the least, not happy. We offered to share info and felt the attempt to add condos adds weight to our traffic issue. On a separate subject. I received the following from Skip Cameron of the Bull Creek Foundation. The issue is a ban on alcohol. The Bull Creek Foundation believes that the impact of alcohol in the Bull Creek greenbelt, such as the area under 360, is increased litter, assaults and even just destructive bad judgment such as driving in the creek. In that I and my wife use the road under 360 often and enjoy the serenity of the greenbelt, I support their proposed ban. Please read the following and take a moment to contact Austin Parks & Recreation Department with your input. Thank You, Kelley Jones YBCA Re-Zoning Committee

========== NOTE FROM BULL CREEK FOUNDATION =========== Please join Bull Creek Foundation in voicing your support for an alcohol ban in Bull Creek Parks and Greenbelts. The deadline is April 3 to make your calls or send your faxes to:Jesus Olivares, Director of Austin Parks & Recreation Department (PARD) at 499-6716. or send your fax c/o Linda Ransom at fax number 472-2174. (PARD does not yet have e-mail) So far, 95% of the calls to PARD have been in favor of allowing the alcohol. These must have come from the partyers who saw signs posted at the parks. Bull Creek Foundation requested that PARD ban alcohol after the results on the Barton Creek Greenbelt were favorable. We have seen a recent increase in litter in the creek and creekside areas, as well as assaults and EMS calls caused by too much drinking in these area. Alcohol will still be allowed for planned outings and parties, if permission is requested from PARD in advance. Do your part and give PARD a call or send a FAX right away. Please pass this message on to your network of neighbors and friends. Skip Cameron Bull Creek Foundation =====================================================

UPDATE 2/12/98 A meeting of the YBCA Apartment Rezoning Committee was held last night. Greg Warner, Steve Benigno, Rama Hegde, Yvonne-Thorne-Booth and myself attended.  Kerry hardy also stopped by to deliver her Petition sheets.  First, the attendees delivered four more Petition sheets outstanding. This raised our petition compliance to right at 75% of our neighborhood.  I am still hoping for a complete accounting of all addresses. We decided that as we do not know when the rezoning meeting will occur, we need to have the "must items" done first.  The first is to have our speakers ready.  Steve took the subject of Traffic, Greg took Environment, and I accepted Quality of Life issues. We agreed to work up our 3 minute speeches and practice them on each other next Thursday at 7:30 here at 9005 Spicebrush.  This is important to avoid overlap, and contradiction in front of the rezoning commission. Bruce Clark Is welcome to attend as he will need to have a 5 minute speech ready as a summary. Second we worked out the layout for the signs we will have produced for the final attendance push once we know the date of the rezoning meeting.  Steve will manage their production.  We also agreed that we will need flyers to handout out at the Spicewood Springs and 360 intersection 1 or 2 days prior to get every one we can to the rezoning meeting.  Yvonne will manage their production. We still need accident data for OSSR to complete our neighborhood association position letter that will accompany our Petition data.  Greg agreed to take another stab at finding where we can get it. Rama agreed to contact other neighborhood groups to re coordinate our efforts. We are moving forward, but honestly 5 very part time people does not feel like much of a match for a juggernaut like JPI.  We will do all we can, but without aggressive and coordinated opposition I feel we are somewhat out gunned.  Do not let yourself feel that we have this under control.  All ideas and help welcome.  If you would like to attend our meetings but the time is not good for you then reply with what time is good and we will do our best to suit as many people as possible. Last item, Please make a commitment to yourself that you WILL ATTEND the rezoning meeting whenever it is scheduled if at all possible. YBCA Apartment Rezoning Committee

UPDATE 2/6/98

Last night a general home owners meeting was held to discuss the apartment rezoning issue.   Fewer than 25 home owners attended as well as Bruce Clark, Tom Watson and Minh Trinh of our Board.  Mr. Skip Cameron President of the Bull Creek Foundation attended as a guest.

It was confirmed that the re-zoning meeting is still on hold.  It is not clear if this is good or bad.

The current plan remains to have HEAVY attendance at the rezoning Planing Commission  meeting.  We will be sending out an Email, updating the WEB site, calling you, putting up signs, handing out flyers and anything else we can think of to increase attendance.  We plan to have about 5 speakers with prepared topics that we would want everyone to support or to speak briefly to indicate your support of the issues presented.

The suggested formal letter to the Planning Commission was presented for the home owners to approve.  It was unanimously approved and will be signed by our Board President and submitted to the Zoning Planning Committee along with our final summarized petition results from our neighborhood. 

Pages containing the addresses that have not yet signed the petition were distributed to volunteers.  If you have not signed yet, expect a neighbor to contact you soon.  We are striving for a complete accounting of all addresses.

Skip Cameron spoke for  approx. 15 minutes on the history of the Stenis tract including the success to prevent the prior effort to build 650 apartments on the same site around 3 years ago.  He feels that the battle will be very difficult this time, but not impossible.  He also focused on the need to get the land purchased by someone that will preserve it as it is.  If we were to prevent the rezoning, nothing would stop another attempt to get it rezoned to multifamily other than a change of ownership to the City, a public land trust or similar owner.

A committee meeting will be held in the next few days to try and assign the remaining tasks.  If you are one of the people that has offered your help, thank you and expect another message soon with the date/time and place.

YBCA Rezoning Committee

Feb 1, 1998

This is the first "Broadcast" Email message to those home owners that provided their Email address to the Yaupon Bluffs Community Association.  Its first purpose is to weed out bad addresses by finding the ones that are returned to us.  Later we will use this to alert all of you should a change in the apartment re-zoning issue require your immediate attention.

UPDATE

Currently a meeting for all home owners is scheduled for Feb. 5 1998 at 7:00 pm at Hill Elementary School.  The rezoning issue will be a prime agenda item.  Please try to be there!

A web page is up to provide information on the Spicewood Springs apartment issue. It is growing daily as things are added and as people post their thoughts in the comment section.  It can be accessed at   http://www.callup.com  Give it a look!  Many thanks to Roger Blood for his donation of the server space and his time to put the page together.

So far 68% of all home owners in our neighborhood have signed the petition requesting that the Stenis Tract not be rezoned to Multi-Family.  If you have not had an opportunity to sign and would like to, we will bring the petition to the Feb. 5th meeting.

If you would like to get involved in the effort to prevent rezoning of the Stenis Tract on Old Spicewood Springs Rd., we could use the help. Please reply to this Email.

YBCA Rezoning Committee

There will be a meeting for the entire neighborhood ( YBCA Home Page YBCA) on Feb. 5 1998 at 7:00 pm at Hill Elementary School. This is the same location as the annual meeting in November. The purpose of the meeting is to educate the neighbors concerning the development. After the committee members make a short presentation to the association concerning the development, we will open the meeting to questions and discussion to get feedback from the neighbors to develop a consensus opinion regarding thes issue. This is your opportunity as a neighbor to express your opinions to the Board and the association. If you are interested in helping or have some special knowledge or contact with members of the planning commission, please call a committee member. It is imperative that we get as many neighbors as possible to assist with this matter.

Apartment Rezoning Update
JPI is continuing to pursue the rezoning of the Stenis tract on Old Spicewood Springs Road from interim rural residential (I-RR) to multi-family (MF3), in order to construct 300 apartments at that location. These apartments would consist of 12-13 3 story buildings located between Bull Creek and Spicewood Springs Road. Due to the flood plain, these buildings will be as close to Spicewood Springs Road as possible, although the developer has promised a 50 foot setback. Construction would begin in February or March of 1999, and continue for a minimum of 12 months.

Yaupon Bluffs Community Association Position
The Yaupon Bluffs Community Association Board of Directors has assigned a committee to investigate and head up the activities to protest this rezoning. The committee's position is that the development may not be in the neighborhood's best intersts for the following reasons:

• traffic: Daily trips are expected to increase over 40% on Spicewood Springs Road.
• Property values: Possible negative impact on values and Quality of life due to aesthetic issues
• Environment: Bull Creek may be adversely affected

JPI Apartment Project Info
JPI has a $2 million contract for the property, contingent on rezoning
Plan includes 50 foot setback from SPicewood Springs Road
Apartments would rent for $1.02 / sq ft. (average)
Construction would begin Feb. 1999. First phase would open 10 months later, second phase 2 weeks later, third phase 2 weeks later, and fourth phase 2 weeks later again.
Entrance for the apartments in current plan is from Spicewood Springs Road, although they are researching an entrance from the little roadthat goes under 360. (requires going into the flood plain)
Spicewood Springs Road currently handles 4800 car trips per day; Apartments estimated to add 1902 more.
JPI contact: Brett Denton 322-5505

Link to chart describing the 100 Year floodplain

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