January 5, 2017 UPDATE:  The East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Plan Contact team met on January 4, 2017 and voted in favor of sending the attached letter (ECCNPT Letter in Opposition – Plaza Saltillo, 4 Jan 2016) to the City of Austin Planning Commission to be included in the materials for their agenda item on the CapMetro/Endeavor Plaza Saltillo Development on Tuesday, January 10, 2017

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The East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Plan Contact team will hold a Special Meeting on Wednesday, January 4th, 2017, at 6:00 pm at the RBJ Residential Center at 21 Waller Street to vote on the Zoning Change requested for the CapMetro/Endeavor Plaza Saltillo Development and other agenda items.

Click this link to open the AGENDA for the ECCNPCT 1.4.17 Special Meeting

Supporting documentation from Endeavor Real Estate:

(1) Plaza Saltillo Infographic (Endeavor)   (2) Plaza Saltillo Overview (Endeavor)

Endeavor Real Estate is requesting a Zoning Change that would allow them to increase the maximum height on the tract from the currently allowable 40 feet to 125 feet at the Cap Metro/Plaza Saltillo development between I-35 and Waller Street, from 4th to 5th Street.  

Zoning changes must be approved by the city and the ECC Contact Team has the opportunity to offer our opinion by submitting a letter to the Austin Planning Commission stating whether or not we think the increased height is warranted and good for our neighborhood.

It is unknown at this time if the 60 to 125-foot office building height increase, if approved, could open the door to upzoning the adjacent single-family (SF) residential areas to central business district (CBD), or a similarly intensive zoning designation.

They also will ask for an adjustment in the affordable housing allowance, most of which would be located on one small tract of the development, on 4th Street between Navasota and Onion Streets (a range of Median Family Income-MFI levels up to 60% MFI, including 30%, 50% and 60% MFI).

The Endeavor developers’ plan for Cap Metro/Saltillo Plaza was introduced at an East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (ECCNPCT) meeting in June 2016 with the understanding that future updates would be made prior to submitting the request to the Planning Commission.  Endeavor will present additional information about this development at the Community Meeting on January 4th – see attached document for details as well as this article in Austin Towers, online journal.

If you have questions and want your voice to be heard, attend the Community Meeting on January 4th and/or notify your ECCNPCT representative and also email members of the Planning Commission directly.

The Austin Planning Commission will vote on this Zoning Change at their January 12, 2017 meeting at City Hall.