hancock neighborhood association newsletter - www.hancockna.org - march 2013 - ! HUFFSTICKLER GREEN COMPLETE The official handoff of Huffstickler Green by the City of Austin to the Hancock Neighborhood Association and the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association for their joint maintenance took place Friday February 1, at the Green at 38th and Duval. A number of years ago, HNA neighbor, Joel Cryer, who died two years ago, spearheaded the initiative for the project named for the late Albert Huffstickler, aka the Poet of Hyde Park. The landscape design was done pro bono by Hancock neighbor and landscaper Michael Biechlin. The Green is a joint project of Hancock and Hyde Park Neighborhood Associations working with the City Neighborhood Connectivity Division. It was funded by City mitigation funds to beautify 38th for putting in the large utility poles. - Wednesday March 20 ­ 7pm NEXT HNA MEETING Hancock Recreation Center AT&T CELL RECEPTION If you are an AT&T customer and have problems with cell reception in the neighborhood, there's and app for that. AT&T Mark the Spot is an application that provides customers a means to provide feedback on network user experience to AT&T and receive updates on enhancements to the AT&T network, addressing their Mark the Spot submissions. JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP - GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION - PAGE 1 hancock newsletter is published by the Hancock Neighborhood Association [HNA]. HNA meetings are held bi-monthly beginning in January, at 7pm on the 3rd Wednesday at the Hancock Recreation Cen- ter located at 41st & Red River. Editor . . . . . . Carol Moczygemba Layout . . . . . . Bart Whatley Advertising . . Kathleen Strong kstrong@wt.net Webmaster . . George Wilson The Hancock neighborhood extends from 32nd to 45th Streets and Duval to I-35. NEIGHBORS CONCERNED ABOUT HARRIS AVENUE DEVELOPMENT The following are concerns expressed by neighbors in the area of the development proposed for the property of the former Child Craft Day Care. The former Child Craft Day Care at 718, 720 and 722 Harris Ave. has been demolished, and the 3 fifty-foot lots have been cleared. These lots are across the street from Lee Elementary School. Zoning for these lots is SF-3-CO-NP, which permits six three-bedroom, two-bath duplex units, thus housing possibly 18 unrelated adults on this site. The developers plan to build in this configuration. The developers, Cutsinger and Cole, have obtained approval for 18 on-site parking spaces. They have a history of leasing to students with maximized occupancy. Dorm duplexes have devastated the Northfield neighborhood and other Austin neighborhoods and could have a very negative impact on Harris Avenue, Lee Elementary, and the Hancock neighborhood communities. See photographs of these types of duplexes at: http://www.northfieldna.org/stealthdorms.html Most importantly, being diagonally across the street from Lee Elementary School, the increased traffic is a danger to our children who walk and bike to and from the school. Lee Elementary School PTA has voiced its concerns to the developers. The proposed duplexes are not compatible with the Hancock Neighborhood Plan, which has the goal of preserving family and adult single-family, residential homes. It came as a surprise to many in the neighborhood that the zoning of the three Harris Avenue lots allows for 3 duplexes. This is true of most of the neighborhood. The proposed parking of 18 vehicles would be in carports in an alley that is less than one block long, and the exit and entrance of the vehicles will be on Woodrow Avenue, which is a - PAGE HNA Officers President......... Carolyn Palaima VicePresident..... David Yeager Secretary......... Julia Reynolds Treasurer......... Bruce Fairchild CANPACReps...... Bart Whatley, Mike Hirsch Neighborhood Council Liaison...... Linda Guerrero Please visit our website for email addresses ! LONGHORN RUN The proposed route of the 2013 Longhorn Run on Saturday, April 13 affect some streets in the Hancock neighborhood. The event includes a 10K and 2-mile race organized by UT Student Government and RecSports as a fundraiser for both departments. There will be only partial road closures and rolling openings. Arrangements have been made with APD to assist in making sure that residents can get to/from their destination with minimal disruption. The run starts at 8 am. Submitted by Jennifer Speer, MS, Associate Director, UT RecSports Jennifer.Speer@austin.utexas.edu 512.475.7178 JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP - GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION 2 main walking and biking path for school children going to Lee Elementary and the Lee playground. There are 6 children that live off of Woodrow and the adjoining 700 block of Carolyn Avenue. Many more children use Woodrow and Carolyn as their main street for accessing Lee Elementary. The City of Austin had previously considered using the end of Carolyn Avenue as a staging area for the 32nd Street overhaul, which would have included the use of Woodrow, but after doing a safety study at the request of concerned neighbors, the City agreed that there was a safety concern for the children and families going to and from Lee Elementary and withdrew the Carolyn and Woodrow Avenue proposed staging site from the plans. The same issues and concerns would be true with adding the potential 18+ vehicles entering and exiting the alley onto Woodrow for travel to Harris and Carolyn Avenues. The Northfield Neighborhood Association has said it: "Having so many unrelated people on one "single-family" property creates a parking problem. It creates a traffic problem. It creates a trash problem. It createsa noise problem. It creates a strain on infrastructure designed for single- family occupancy. And it creates a safety hazard for both the residents of the stealth dorm as well as surrounding neighbors." --Northfield Neighborhood Association Website Kevin Cutsinger and his wife, Wanda, own other properties at 2917 Rio Grande, 306 Franklin Blvd., and 5201 Leralyn. In addition, a Cutsinger Custom Homes sign holds a demolition permit at 923 E. 37th Street. Ross Cole manages numerous other properties in the Northfield area. Write or email the developers and ask them to reconfigure the floor plans and marketing plan so the housing will attract families and adults, for which there is a great demand. The developers are: Mr. Kevin Cutsinger: kcutsinger@cutsingercustomhomes.com; 1979 CR 200 Liberty Hill, TX 78642, and Mr. Ross Cole: ross@austincentricrealty.com 502 West 30th Street, Austin, TX 78705. - HYDE PARK Home Owner & Neighborhood REALTORŪ Jeff Baker 512.619.7421 ABOR | REALTORŪ | Former State Licensed Appraiser HybridRealtor@Stanberry.com jeffbakerart.biz In partnership with solesforsouls, I will be donating 200 pairs of shoes for those in need with each real estate transaction. To see how you can get involved check out soles4souls.org! - JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP - GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION - PAGE ALSO CHECK OUT 3 NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING NOTES JANUARY 16, 2013 HNA officers elected for 2013 are: President, Carolyn Palaima Vice President, David Yeager Secretary, Julia Reynolds Treasurer, Bruce Fairchild Reed Henderson, Chair of the Perry Estate Special Committee, reported that there was considerable feedback in the form of the Perry Estate survey and position statements from several neighbors within 200 ft. of the property. Basically, no support was given for a zoning change from residential to commercial. There was strong sentiment against outdoor amplified sound. JE Acoustics generated a report of recommendations on sound allowances and limitations. Another major issue was a request for commercial zoning for the entire tract. The Perry committee suggested tract zoning, each of which will have zoning restrictions. Tract zoning will be commercial zoning on two tracts. The estate owner, Clark Lyda is open to that concept. Lyda still wants event space use and still has a desire for hotel space use. These items will come before HNA for a vote. Charter still has negotiations progress and so the Perry committee requests extension of charter. Motion carries to extend charter of Perry Estate Committee until March 20th. Special meeting of Perry Committee to be held February 20. HNA member asks: Summary of big picture of Special Committee; general discussion of the role and goal of the Special Committee. Response to question from HNA member, Lyda still wants option to build a senior living facility. 5 minute report from Chad regarding sound testing. Clarification to buffer on north or west. Discussion has been around limiting all noise below recommended decibel levels. For unamplified music, specific musical instruments are banned and complicated rules apply. It's easier to limit amplified music because an appliance can be plugged into speakers to govern decibel levels. th Thursday, Jan 17 2013 - sound simulation will be on garden area. Typical stereo setup for a wedding will be set up. Recorded music will be played up to the recommended decibel level. Speakers will be pointed away from residences because that is standing city regulation. - JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP - GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION - PAGE 4 ! ! ! . JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION - PAGE 5 AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE HIGHLAND MALL UPDATE ACC is committed to increasing college completion rates. At the heart of the college's plan to boost those rates is transforming Highland Mall into a state-ofthe-art learning environment and center for community and business partnerships, expanding education opportunities for all Central Texans. Highland Mall is an Austin landmark, and the ACC Highland project will revitalize an area rich in history with a focus on higher education. The property provides ample space to grow innovative instructional programs, reduce crowding at existing campuses, and expand collaborations with public and private partners. The site has many advantages, including its central location, access from major roadways, and proximity to public transportation. ACC began purchasing property at Highland Mall in 2010; over a two-year period, the college acquired all of the mall land and three former anchor store buildings. The ACC Highland project aligns with the City of Austin's Airport Boulevard initiative. The college will continue to partner with neighborhood groups, the city, and other stakeholders as Highland Mall's next chapter takes shape. . ! JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP - GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION - PAGE 6 ! PERRY ESTATE ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE STUDY Synopsis of Study and Recommendations by Chad N. Himmel, PE, JEAcoustics February 05, 2013 For the complete report go to the HNA website Proposed events at Perry Estate are to include acoustic and amplified music and speech announcements. If event noises are loud enough, they have the potential to disturb sensitive receivers, such as residential areas beyond the property boundaries and residential areas planned for the project site. JEA's scope of services includes a noise study to develop design criteria for outdoor music noise, to determine conditions affecting residential uses on and adjacent to the proposed project, plus development of design recommendations for environmental acoustics and noise control. The primary intents of this study are to determine and recommend noise control measures necessary to (a) conform with existing city ordinance and code noise restrictions, (b) prevent unreasonable interior noise intrusions for residential structures on the property and (c) prevent noise annoyance due to sound transmissions across property boundaries from events held on the site. In this study, JEA reviewed various indoor and outdoor noise limits, noise assessment, low frequency noise criteria and information available from published references. In addition, JEA conducted a series of ambient noise measurements in the vicinity of Perry Estate to be used as a basis for developing allowable outdoor noise criteria for proposed events and music sounds, in order to prevent disturbance of residents with event sounds. JEA found that typical amplified event music and noise may easily achieve existing city ordinance and code noise restrictions, but that event noises must be managed and limited in order to achieve the suggested noise criteria to prevent disturbances. In other words, city code does not provide a reliable basis for preventing disturbance; much stricter limits are needed and recommended for this project. Noise management and limiting methods must also include methods for limiting low-frequency noise to achieve suggested goals. JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP - Allowable Average Outdoor Event Noise Levels Received at Dwellings Condition to be prevented most of the Day (7am-7pm) Evening-Night (7pm-7am) time at a dwelling. The Perry Estate A detailed sound propagation model of the Perry Estate site and vicinity was constructed to analyze, develop and validate various noise sources and noise limiting solutions. Preliminary noise limiting solutions have been recommended, including the following, which may be used partially or altogether to achieve project goals. Further evaluation and design will be needed by the owner, planners, architects, engineers, and/or sound system designers to determine how the following measures will be implemented to achieve the goals. - Limit the scheduled hours to daytime only, or strictly limit evening hours and limit the frequency and duration of events. - Use an electronic sound level management system to limit amplified noise produced by sound systems to levels indicated in Table 2. In the evening (7pm-10pm), achieve the equivalent of 55 dBA / 67 dBC or less at a distance of 50 feet from the amplified sound sources; in the daytime (7am-7pm), 60 dBA / 70 dBC. - Restrict the use of louder non-amplified musical instruments. Establish a detailed list of approved and disallowed instruments based on typical loudness, such as a limit of 85 dBA / 95 dBC at a distance of 3 feet. - Limit the size of the performing non-amplified ensembles or groups, for example, no more than five performers at the same time. Other optional noise mitigation solutions recommended in this report include the following, which could be added to the measures listed above, if needed to achieve goals. - Design the sound system to have minimal wattage, low volume displacement speakers, and other measures to ensure the system is not capable of producing very loud levels of lowfrequency (bass) noise. - Use shielding structures, lightweight shells, or partial enclosures to direct event sounds away from residential receivers, and arrange speaker orientations facing away from residents. GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION - PAGE 7 NEW CITY BAG GUIDELINES In March 2013, businesses will be required to provide reusable bags at checkout. The following bags are exempt from the Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance: Laundry, newspaper, and waste bags: Bags used for laundry dry cleaning bags, door-hanger bags, newspaper bags. Packages of multiple bags intended for use as garbage, pet waste, or yard waste Pharmaceutical and veterinarian bags: Bag must be made of paper and used only for prescription drugs or other medical necessities. Restaurant bags: Restaurant bag must be made of paper for take-away food. Single-use plastic bags are only allowed if necessary to prevent moisture damage, such as transportation of soups, sauces, salad dressing, and other liquids. Non-Checkout Bags: Bags used inside the business to contain bulk items, to wrap frozen foods, to prevent moisture damage, and to contain unwrapped foods such as baked goods (i.e. produce bags) Charity Nonprofits: Bags used by a nonprofit or other hunger relief organization to distribute food, clothing or other household items. ! JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMAIL GROUP GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/HANCOCKNEIGHBORHOODASSOCIATION - PAGE 8