Meeting Date: February 17, 2025
The attendees include 2100 Polaris Project Representatives, Wooten Contact Team members, Wooten Neighborhood residents, and City of Austin staff. The meeting was held at Nosh and Bevvy.
The meeting focused on finalizing the agreement on the 2100 Polaris project. WPNCT had two main objectives with the rezoning case:
- Ensure the Redline Parkway Trail can pass along this site and is activated by the site.
- Reduce the quantity and impact of car traffic, improve bike and pedestrian infrastructure on nearby streets, and increase commercial spaces and publicly accessible amenities to enhance the walking and biking experience.
The contact team had met with the 2100 Polaris team developers in the past few weeks to discuss the request. The original presentation can be reviewed below.
Agreed Items
At the meeting, the developer and WPNCT agreed to:
- Ensure the Redline Parkway Trail can pass along this site and is activated by the site.
- Developers will enter into a restrictive covenant(or other legally binding agreement) that ensures the Redline Parkway Initiative, Cap Metro, and/or any other partners of the Reline Parkway Trail project have the easement and any other legal rights they need to build the trail at this location. The trail easement will be 20’ as the City Parks Dept requires.
- Ensuring the trail is easily visible from Polaris.
- A mural will screen the Parking Garage facing the trail. The developers will work with the Wooten Neighborhood Association to hire local artists to paint a mural on the garage side facing the trail at the height of a person on the trail, approximately 15’.
- Developer to work on placing walk-up units, preferably live/work, on the trail and trail access route similar to the image below
- Work with Austin Transportation and Public Works Dept. to use Street Impact Fee Offsets to make neighborhood requirements during construction to:
- Add a new light on a Burnet Road intersection near Polaris
- Make street improvements to Polaris, including removing the median and preventing a left turn on Bowling Green.
- Narrow streets and add bike lines to Polaris, Hathaway, Bowling Green, Colfax, Doris, and Shamrock Roads.
- Have secured and covered bike parking for residents and guests.
- Incorporate a Bike Share Program onsite.
- Unbundle the cost of renting housing units from the cost of renting parking spots.
Items not agreed to
In discussions with the developers, the following items were not agreed to and were removed from the proposal:
- Incorporate a Car Share Program site – The developer worked with Moveability to discuss this option. Due to transit retrieving companies and driverless cars, the developer did not agree to this option. After multiple discussions on this item, the contact team removed it.
- Access to amenities for the general public with a fee. The developer declined this proposal. The contact team agreed to remove it.
- Make a $5000 donation to the Wooten Neighborhood Association to help with neighborhood goals. The developer did not agree to this due to the lack of a mechanism for sending and enforcing funding to be used for intended purposes. The contact team decided to remove it.
- Commercial Use space: Due to the type of zoning already in place and the project’s location, commercial use space is not viable in this location.
Vote
The Wooten Contact Team took a vote, and all neighborhood members agreed to the terms.
Next Steps
- WPNCT will send a letter of support for the record at the next Planning Commission meeting, which will occur on February 25.
- WNPCT discussed memorializing items that will not be part of the restricted covenant (e.g., mural, bike share). The developer’s representatives discussed having a fact sheet letter outlining all the provisions and copies provided to the neighborhood.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on March 3, 2024.