The OWANA Spring 2025 Newsletter (Old West Austin Neighborhood Association)

 

View this email in your browser Newsletter best viewed on a desktop. TABLE OF CONTENTS This is a jam-packed edition of the OWL, so here's what's included: 1. A note from our new Steering Committee Chair, Steve Amos.  2. March General Membership Meeting Agenda 3. What We've Been Up To 4. Committee Updates (Zoning, Events, Membership) 5. CCDC Update 6. Support Mathews Friends for Excellence 7. Neigborhood Businesses Update 8. Business Member listing NOTES FROM THE CHAIR Dear Neighbors, I’m Steve Amos, your 2025 OWANA Steering Committee Chair. I’ve lived on Waterston Avenue since 1988, so it’s about time I stepped up to serve the best neighborhood, in the best city in America! It’s an honor to be part of this incredible community and to work alongside a dedicated team on the OWANA Steering Committee and our hardworking Zoning Committee Members. Please join me in giving them all a well-deserved round of appreciation. Also, a huge thank you to all OWANA corporate sponsors who help make our events, zoning actions, education support, and so much more possible. Looking Ahead to 2025 and Beyond Let’s be real—these are challenging times, but they’re also filled with exciting opportunities to strengthen our community and build on the efforts of those who have served OWANA over the years. This year is shaping up to be an exciting one, with incredible opportunities for us to come together - scroll down to the Events section for some upcoming opportunities!  Neighborhood Growth & Change Like many of you, the recent zoning changes motivated me to get involved. I’d like to give a huge shout-out to Sheila Lyon, Donna Osborn, Miguel Rivera, and the entire Zoning Committee for their tireless efforts. Thanks to our zoning team’s advocacy, we’ve seen real community wins—from reducing late-night pickleball noise to securing a new pathway to the hike-and-bike trail, and much much more. We have major developments ahead, including transformational changes on 5th and 6th Streets, along Lamar, and the expansion of MoPac’s exit impacting César Chávez, Austin High School, and 5th Street. Plus, diligently working to maintain OWA’s character along West Lynn and throughout our neighborhood, while still supporting growth. Next Generation Did you know that OWANA contributes to a college scholarship fund to support Mathews Elementary graduates? We plan on building relationships with Austin High School and the University of Texas; engaging students within our community, while helping further their skills for life-long success. Your Involvement Matters There are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved this year, whether by joining a committee, attending events, providing an extra contribution to support Zoning efforts or volunteering. What is YOUR vision for our neighborhood’s future? What will Old West Austin look like in 20, or even 75 years? Let’s shape it together. Mayor Kirk Watson aims to make Austin the best place to be a kid. Let’s tell the  Mayor that OWANA is ready to lead the charge!   Membership Fee Increase Recommendation & Support Given the work to be done, we recommend OWANA annual membership be increased to $35 a year; less than a coffee latte a month. We invite you to join or renew today—and if you’re inspired, additional donations are always welcome to help fund our neighborhood’s work and events. Upcoming Meetings & Events I look forward to seeing you at our next General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, March 4, and at our first big event of the year, Music in the Park on March 1! Thank you for being part of what makes Old West Austin home. I’m excited for the year ahead and grateful for the opportunity to serve this wonderful neighborhood as we strive to “build community”.. See you soon, Steve Amos Chair, OWANA Steering Committee   MARCH GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Tuesday, March 4 at 7pm  Mathews Elementary School Cafeteria 906 W. Lynn St General Membership Meeting Agenda  Welcome and General Announcements Committee Updates Zoning Committee Presentation Vote on New Steering Committee Member, Evelyn Fujimoto Vote on Membership Fee Increase Discussion of Upcoming Membership Drive Open Discussion Adjourn Notes from the January 2025 Steering Committee can be reviewed here.  Agenda Item 4 is to vote on one more Steering Committee member. Evelyn Fujimoto has graciously volunteered for this position. Here is her bio for your reference:  Evelyn Fujimoto is principal at EMF ǀ Collaborative in Austin, TX. She earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design from The University of Texas at Austin. Her award-winning design career spans the globe with a portfolio that includes over 9 million square feet of completed building interiors across North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Fujimoto’s professional accreditations attest to her expertise in the design and delivery of interior spaces, as well as a commitment to sustainability and resilience. Living and working abroad, Fujimoto has learned to embrace diverse views and positions to listen, learn, and bridge divided opinions to achieve consensus. Fujimoto’s projects have received recognition and accolades for their design excellence, including adherence to sustainable design practices, value creation for the business community, and demonstration of leading industry and construction methods. These include LEED Platinum, Gold, and Silver, AIA Design Awards, ENR Regional Awards, and Interior Design BoY (Best of Year) Honoree. Notable projects include the London Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in the UAE, BHP Headquarters in Houston, Texas and the Travis County Civil and Family Courthouse in Austin, Texas. OWANA thanks Evelyn for initiating and authoring the draft editable opposition letter regarding the 1209 W. 5th St. zoning change. Within just a few days, at least 31 opposition letters were sent to the Mayor and Council Members. The neighborhood opposition letters have given us the opportunity to achieve a better outcome for the 1209 W 5th Street rezoning case along with bringing attention to the possible misuse of PDA zoning. WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO This has been a very busy start of the year for the OWANA Steering Committee, Zoning Committee, and volunteer committee members. In the past few months, we have: Completed work on a new membership tracker (more on that below) Started making updates to the OWANA website (still a work in progress!). Planned upcoming events (more on that below too!) Constantly (pretty much constantly!) monitoring projects proposed in the neighborhood and advocated for our neighborhood at City Council meetings and commission hearings (see the Zoning Update below for more detail).  And more! As future editions of the OWL come out this year, we will continue to update you on the valuable work that the Old West Austin Neighborhood Association is doing and how it directly affects your everyday life.  COMMITTEE UPDATES ZONING Submitted by Sheila Lyon   W 6th & N Lamar: - C14-2024-0179  APPLICANT:  Armbrust and Brown PLLC, Richard T. Suttle OWNER:  600 North Lamar, Ltd. & 603 and 605 Baylor, Ltd. Proposal:  Request to rezone 600 N Lamar from CS-MU-CO-NP & CS-MU-V-CO-NP to eTOD-DBETOD–NP.  The Zoning Committee along with nearby neighbors have been working with Endeavor Development to find an acceptable scale and massing compromise for the proposed rezoning.  Currently, proposed zoning height is 112’. A DBETOD request to rezone is allowed because a slice of the property on the east side is in the eTOD overlay - the Mayor amended the eTOD overlay to say that if a portion of a property is in the eTOD overlay that the entire property is considered in the overlay.  It is important to note the Mayor removed the properties from the west side of N Lamar from the overlay with the condition that the properties would have to file an application to rezone to eTOD as they are not automatically included in the overlay. 600 N Lamar is in the Sub-district 2 (90’) eTOD overlay.  Endeavor is also asking to be rezoned to Sub-district 1 (120’) in this rezoning.   603 and 605 Baylor Street lie outside the eTOD rezoning overlay.  At most both CS zoned properties can ask for the height restriction of 40’ to be removed to allow a 60’ building height. This case is waiting to be scheduled for Planning Commission Status:  Ongoing.   505 Oakland Avenue – C14-2024-0161 APPLICANT:  HD Brown, Amanda Brown OWNER:  Buck Shapiro, 505 Oakland Ave. LLC Proposal:  Request to rezone 505 Oakland Avenue from LO-NP TO CS-MU-CO-NP.  The owner purchased the property June 2024.  The reason for the rezoning is Commercial Services (CS) zoning allows for more uses than Limited Office (LO) and the owner was having difficulty renting the property with the limited uses for LO zoning.  There are no current plans to make modifications of the structure.   At a Zoning Committee meeting, it was pointed out that it is not really a zoning issue but the more modern structure does not reflect the historic character of the neighborhood making the property less marketable. There is no reason to oppose the up-zoning to CS zoning as the property is surrounded by CS zoned properties. OWANA asked to prohibit CS uses that are not a good fit for the neighborhood. There are 28 prohibited uses.  In addition, OWANA is currently attempting to negotiate a Restrictive Covenant for outdoor sound restrictions and no late night hours Status:  Ongoing. 705 West Lynn Street – PR 24-159632 - West Line National Register Historic District APPLICANT:  DAR Construction Prospective Buyer:  Scott Turner Proposal: Total demolition. Old West Austin Neighborhood Association, OWANA, supports retaining contributing structures in our historic district and integrating existing building forms into the overall project for new development. In the case of 705 West Lynn, preserving the façade and front rooms of the existing house and adding on to the structure would have a significant impact toward that goal.  The applicant met with the OWANA zoning committee and we suggested these two options for maximizing the square footage for two living units:  1. Add a second floor to a garage structure.  2. Remove a portion or the entire heritage tree on the lot to allow for a second unit. This particular case is one that is to decide on keeping a heritage tree or a contributing structure. OWANA will support the position of keeping the contributing structure. We hope that HLC can also recommend keeping the structure. We are aware that the city tree ordinance regarding heritage trees is very strict; it seems to us in this case that if both OWANA and the HLC support this position there is the possibility of the city arborist accepting this solution. The potential Owner in today’s meeting said that he could keep the first 15 ft. of the house and make the project work if the heritage tree in the back of the lot could be removed. The tree is so close to the rear structure that it might be damaged during construction. It could be the case that some mitigation is required to offset this lost.  The United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Report “NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM” lists 705 West Lynn as a representative property to illustrate “the broad patterns of development, diverse range of resources, and salient features of the dominant types and styles present in the district. They have been selected on the basis of their geographic distribution, relationship to similar properties, and degree of integrity.” Listed as a contributing structure, 705 West Lynn is a Center-passage, Side Gable Classical Revival style, and individually eligible for National Register listing. At the February 5th, the Historic Landmark Commission (HLC) voted to postpone the hearing so the applicant can attend the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) on February 12th....applicant was unable to attend meeting. Status:  Ongoing.   W 6th & Walsh – SP 2024-0428C.SH APPLICANT:  Kimley Horn, Natalia Garau OWNER:  Stephen Griffith Proposal:  The applicant is proposing mixed-use development along with associated improvements. Utilizing VMU density bonus will allow a height of 90 feet. Massing proposal will be presented at the March 4th General Membership meeting. This case is waiting to be scheduled for the Planning Commission. Status: Ongoing.   1114 West 5th Street - 2024-128390 LM  APPLICANT: Mashell Smith OWNER:  Anchor Equities, LTD Proposal:  Right of Way vacation of Sayers St. @ 1114 West 5th Street Case was heard by the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) on February 4th. Applicant request from owner of two properties that have north and south adjacencies to Sayers from 5th Street.  Sayers also abuts properties (owners) on Walsh and would close off their access to 5th from Sayers St.  UTC motion made and voted on to deny vacation citing lack of benefits to do so. The OWANA Zoning Committee sent an opposition letter to the Planning Commission opposing the vacation of Sayers Street, as its continued use will provide a safer and more efficient route for service vehicles while benefiting the pedestrian experience on surrounding streets.  The case was then pulled from the Planning Commission due to UTC vote and owner on Walsh/OWANA opposition. Status:  Closed 1717 W. 6th Street Lake Austin Commons PUD Amendment (Hartland Plaza) - C814-82-006.02(83) APPLICANT:  Amanda Hendrix, Armbrust & Brown, PLLC OWNER:  Aquila  Proposal: City Council February 27th – first reading public hearing and approve an ordinance amending City Code Title 25 and amending Ordinance No. 821104-F by rezoning property locally known as 1717 West 6th Street and 506 Campbell Street (Lady Bird Lake and Johnson Creek Watersheds).  Applicant Request: To rezone from planned unit development-neighborhood plan (PUD-NP) combining district zoning to planned unit development-neighborhood plan (PUD-NP) combining district zoning, to change conditions of zoning. The ordinance may include exemption from or waiver of fees, alternative funding methods, modifications of City regulations, and acquisition of property.  The OWANA Zoning Committee along with nearby neighbors was able to negotiate Ordinance and Restrictive Covenant agreements.  These agreements cover land use and site development standards, building and design standards, affordable housing, environmental standards, and community benefits. The rezoning is scheduled for the February 27th City Council Meeting. Status: Ongoing 1209 W 5th Street - C14-2024-0007 APPLICANT:  Drenner Group - Leah Bojo OWNER:  1209 West Fifth Street LLC Proposal: Rezone from Limited Industrial Service-Conditional Overlay-Neighborhood Plan (LI-CO-NP) combining district zoning to Limited Industrial Service-Planned Development Area-Neighborhood Plan (LI-PDA-NP) combining district zoning.  The Development of the Property shall comply with the following. The maximum height of a building or structure on the Property shall not exceed 120 feet for a building with square footage containing at least 70% residential uses. Hotel use is prohibited for a building 120’ high.  Otherwise, maximum height is 90 feet. In addition, Restrictive Covenants for sidewalks & landscaping, affordable housing and one with OWANA for additional site requirements were established. The rezoning was approved on consent at City Council on December 12, 2024. Status:  Closed. 701 Baylor Street - C14-2024-0134 APPLICANT:  Clean Tag Permits (Linda Sullivan) OWNER:  Britten Avenue Properties LLC Proposal:  City Council December 12 - Conduct a public hearing and approve an ordinance amending City Code Title 25 by rezoning property locally known as 701 Baylor Street (Shoal Creek Watershed).  Applicant’s Request: To rezone from multifamily residence moderate-high density-historic area-neighborhood plan (MF-4-HD-NP) combining district zoning to family residence-historic area-neighborhood plan (SF-3-HD-NP) combining district zoning.  OWANA supports the rezoning and the second-floor addition at the center-to-rear of the house located at 701 Baylor Street. Considering the small lot size, heritage live oak tree, and being respectful of neighbors views the design has done its best to meet the design standards of the Castle Hill Local Historic District.   The rezoning from MF to SF is necessary because of the new HOME rules, where triplexes can only be built on SF properties. MF properties are now defined as a minimum of 4 units. However, one unit or two units are still allowed. The rezoning was approved on consent at City Council on December 12, 2024. Status:  Closed.   1013 & 1015 West Lynn and 1004 & 1006 Eason - C14-2024-0135  APPLICANT:  Thrower Design – Ron Thrower and Victoria Haase OWNER:  Zydeco Development Corporation (sale of property will close upon final zoning approval) Proposal:   City Council December 12 - Conduct a public hearing and approve an ordinance amending City Code Title 25 by rezoning property locally known as 1013 and 1015 West Lynn Street and 1004 and 1006 Eason Street (Lady Bird Lake Watershed).  Applicant Request: To rezone from general commercial services-mixed use-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (CS-MU-CO-NP) combining district zoning and family residence-neighborhood plan (SF-3-NP) combining district zoning to general commercial services-mixed use-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (CS-MU-CO-NP) combining district zoning to change conditions of zoning, including a site-specific amendment to modify height and compatibility buffer standards in Chapter 25-2, Subchapter C, Article 10 (Compatibility Standards) to allow for 60 feet in height at a distance measuring between 25 feet and 50 feet of the triggering property.  The rezoning was approved on consent at City Council on December 12, 2024. Status:  Closed. Zoning Committee Fund The OWANA Zoning Committee extends a huge thanks to Paul McKaig for his generous donation to the zoning fund. These contributions tremendously help to protect the OWANA community and preserve its historic character. Beginning late last year, you might have noticed a more robust Zoning Committee report. There are many recent initiatives proposed and approved by the City of Austin Development Department that are impacting our neighborhood in both positive and negative ways. As we welcome new growth and density, it is challenging for the volunteer members of the Zoning Committee to utilize all the resources we need as we continue to review and assess the zoning changes proposed for our neighborhood.  We work with many fine developers and their consultants to negotiate projects that benefit both the developers and the neighborhood. We invite you to support our work through the Zoning Committee Fund. The fund will facilitate our work and help improve our chances of keeping the growth in step with our amazing neighborhood. Please consider a donation to the Zoning Committee fund.  Thank you!      Follow this link to donate Scroll down to “INDIVIDUAL DONATION”. Please reference: OWANA Zoning Committee Fund. Donations and participation are essential if we are to be successful in representing you and your part of the neighborhood in more complicated zoning cases. For example, OWANA was able to hire a pickleball sound mitigation consultant because of generous donations from neighbors along with OWANA zoning funds. EVENTS Submitted by Erika Tatum  Live Music in West Austin Park Join us for a picnic in West Austin Park (1317 W. 10th St.) on March 1, 2025 from 12-5pm for five (that's right - five!!) neighborhood and local bands and musicians including Vanessa Lively (12pm-12:45pm), Above Ground (1:00pm to 1:45 pm), The Cocktail Toppers (2pm to 2:45pm), and local musicians, Amethyst Jonquille (3pm to 3:45pm) and Mel Davis and the Blues Specialists (4pm to 5pm). House Park BBQ recently reopened after suffering fire damage in 2020 (see an update farther down in the OWL), and is ready to serve food for the event. Did you know House Park BBQ is the oldest indoor BBQ pit in Austin, dating back to 1943?! Food will be available from House park from 12 until the BBQ runs out so come early! Bring your lawn chairs, picnic blankets, family, neighbors, friends, and dog friends can play in the dog park next to the stage! There is food and fun for everyone so spread the word! A big thank you to our event sponsors: Astound Powered by Grande, Jeffrey's Swedish Hill  Clark's Oyster Bar and a new neighbor, Mark Smith. Your generous donations make these wonderful and fun community events possible. ********************** Annual Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt Are your kids ready to hunt for eggs of every color including the Golden Egg? Join us on April 19, 2025 starting promptly at 9 am for our annual Easter Egg Hunt in West Austin Park (1317 W. 10th St). OWANA will provide coffee and some breakfast treats/snacks and feel free to add to the breakfast potluck (e.g. bagels, muffins, donuts or fruit). Our youngest neighborhood children will start out first followed by older children in search of eggs galore. Your egg donations a week or so ahead and at the latest by Friday, April 18th are needed and greatly appreciated! Please drop a dozen (or more if you feel inclined ) of filled eggs on the front porch of 1608 W. 9 1/2 St. or to 1417 W. 10th St. Volunteers (calling all early risers or teens/adults who want to serve their community) to hide eggs are also needed at 7:15 am to 8:30 am on Saturday morning in West Austin Park!! We hope to see you there as this is a great community event to make friends and meet your neighbors!   MEMBERSHIP Submitted by Renae Alsobrook A huge thank you to Donna Osborn for managing memberships over the past 2 years, in addition to all the other hats she wears! She’s handing the reins to incoming Membership Chair Renae Alsobrook. We’re also pleased to report that we have a new online membership system in place that will help us grow our membership, improve member communications, increase revenue, and lighten the administrative load of it all. We look forward to sharing more at our March 4th meeting. At present count, we have 180 active household memberships. Clarksville Community Development Corporation (CCDC) Update The Clarksville Community Development Corporation Has Two Speakers Scheduled for its Free Clarksville Community Conversations Series.  Talks Will Take Place at the Haskell House, 1705 Waterston Avenue.   Sunday, March 9 @2PM. Dr. Tara A. Dudley, an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, will discuss the Cumberland style of home – the kind of home Clarksville’s earliest residents built. The Hezikiah Haskell House is a prime example of this type of architecture.  She will also share information about the decades of community and archival research she has done into the African American builders and craftsmen who helped build Clarksville and other freedom colonies in the Austin area. Dr. Dudley has plans to consolidate this research into a book about the history of Black builders and architects in Austin and Travis County. A nationally-known expert on African American craftspeople, builders, and architects and their contributions with a focus on the antebellum and Reconstruction eras in the U.S. South, Dudley is a compelling speaker. Dr. Dudley worked as a senior architectural historian for Austin-based preservation consulting firm HHM & Associates, Inc. for two decades and continues to lead and consult on preservation projects across the US. She is the author of the multiple award-winning book Building Antebellum New Orleans: Free People of Color and Their Influence (University of Texas Press, February 2021).  Saturday, April 12 @2PM. Floris Sorrells, an elder from Manchaca, will share her knowledge of the foodways of old Clarksville and other early Austin area freedom colonies: What people grew and why, how they prepared their food, and the historic origins of the food. Event attendees will be invited to share memories of the food their great grandparents, grandparents and other elders in their lives, grew and prepared.  Born and raised in Manchaca, Ms. Sorrells grew up on her family’s farm learning how to grow vegetables, raise livestock, identify medicinal plants and herbs, and live off the land. She is committed to preserving the “old ways” taught to her by her parents, grandparents and other relatives and sharing this knowledge with current and future generations in hopes that these foodways and traditions will live on. Stephanie L. Lang, a writer, organizer and community curator who uses the power of storytelling to explore concepts of Memory, Place and Resistance, will facilitate the discussion.  At the end of the event, Kurt Schmidt, a Clarksville Community gardener and creator of the new Hezikiah Haskell Heritage Garden, will briefly comment about the kinds of vegetables that will be grown there and his goals for the Garden.     For more information, contact the CCDC at Clarksvillecdc@gmail.com or check out their website.    Support Mathews Elementary! Mathews Friends for Excellence is hosting a fundraiser on Thursday, February 27, at Taco Flats (1110 W. Lynn)! Take a lunch break or give yourself the night off from cooking dinner by eating some delicious Taco Flats tacos (and maybe drinking a margarita too?)....and support our wonderful neighborhood school at the same time!  Some background: Mathews Friends for Excellence (MFE) is a group that supports Mathews Elementary through an endowment fund. They offer scholarships for high school seniors that attended Mathews Elementary, and also fund various special projects that are wish-list items from the Principal.  OWANA gifted MFE $1500 last year at the general membership meeting and has promised to look at continuing funding for up to 5 years. THANK YOU!!!    Last year MFE raised $1500 from a Galaxy Cafe fundraiser. This year Clarksville Taco Flats is giving 15% of its net sales to MFE. You can eat anytime between 9am - 11pm to participate. Enjoy!   Neighborhood Businesses Update A quick update on neighborhood (and near neighborhood) businesses opening and relocating: Waterloo Records: Many of you may have heard that Waterloo Records will be relocating from its existing location (see the Zoning Report above for the proposal for the current site) to a new location just a little farther north on Lamar. The Austin Chronicle recently ran a detailed story on the future of Waterloo Records. We are so happy that this Austin institution will be around for years to come!  House Park BBQ: In case you haven't noticed, House Park BBQ on 12th & Lamar is back open! Much of it was destroyed by fire in 2020 but neighborhood resident Matt Sullivan worked hard to reopen it. Stop by soon for great BBQ soon and support another Austin insitution (or get some of their BBQ at Music in the Park on March 1)!  Manana: Retailer Manana will be opening a shop on W. Lynn adjacent to Caffe Medici. The owners would like to offer the neighborhood 20% off with code OWL20 in-store or online, it is good for a minimum purchase of $30. Thanks Manana!  BUSINESS MEMBERS A sincere thank you to our current business members! You can find more information about how your business can be part of OWANA here.  G O L D   M E M B E R S  https://www.astound.com/texas/   Zydeco Development 901 Río Grande St #200 www.zydecodevelopment.com   1204 W. Lynn St https://jeffreysofaustin.com/ 1200 W. 6th St https://www.clarksoysterbar.com/ 1128 W. 6th St https://www.swedishhillaustin.com/ S I L V E R   M E M B E R S    1112 North Lamar Blvd https://www.castlehillfitness.com/ 1605 West Avenue https://ashbycollective.com/ 1200 B. W. 6th St https://pecansquarecafe.com/ 1130 W. 6th St https://www.rosiesaustin.com/ 1130 W. 6th St https://howardsaustin.com/ Dr. Georgeanne Freeman 1611 W. 5th St https://www.freemanmedicalclinic.com/   B R O N Z E   M E M B E R S    NICK DEAVER  JES DEAVER architecture 606 Highland Ave ndjda.com/ 512-494-9808 ******************************************* WALLY WORKMAN GALLERY  1202 W. 6th St https://www.wallyworkmangallery.com/   Follow Us on Social Media for Quick Updates on Neighborhood Happenings & Events Facebook Instagram Copyright © 2025 OLD WEST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.