Update: January 17, 2018 Meeting of the Hancock Neighborhood Association Rescheduled to Wednesday, February 7, 2018

The Hancock Association meeting for January has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at 7:00 pm at the Hancock Recreation Center.

Agenda:

• Officer nominations

  The Hancock Neighborhood Association bylaws require that notice must be given of the time, place, and nominees at least one month prior to the election of officers. Because such notice was not given prior to the January 17th, 2018 meeting, additional nominees for President, Vice-president, Secretary, and Treasurer will be accepted from the floor at the 1.17.18 meeting, and will then be included in the properly posted notice prior to the election of officers to be held at the March 2018 meeting. The following were nominated for officers at the November meeting: Mark Harkrider, President; Ann Tucker, Vice President; Barbara Epstein, Secretary; Bruce Fairchild, Treasurer.

• Development in the neighborhood

  The owners of the Perry Estate submitted a site plan in November, 2017 (Case Number:SP-2017-0161C). (Neighborhood Associations cannot challenge site plans) The City staff submitted many comments concerning the current site plan, including clarification and/or requiring more information on utility placement, designated drainage area, fire plans, off-street and on-site parking-plans, transportation, landscape and tree mitigation. The Perry Estate has until June 10, 2018 to address the staff comments. Bruce Fairchild, HNA Treasurer, will contact resident-homeowners who live on Park, which is next to the Estate, to ascertain if there are any concerns by neighbors with the recent site plans.

• CodeNEXT Update:

  Draft 3 of the Land Development Code (CodeNEXT) will be released on February 12, 2018 “with anticipated first reading by the City Council in late April, ’18.” The City initially planned to release the 3d draft in November, but staff needed more time to address comments and to edit. Major Austin institutions continue to critique the premise behind CodeNEXT and its content. Before the new year, the Austin Independent School District released a strong resolution calling into question CodeNEXT’s basic premise that increasing residential density would lead to affordable housing for working families. AISD called for the preservation of family-friendly neighborhoods. According to the district, existing homes remain the most reliable form of affordable housing for the families that send their children to Austin’s public schools and the teachers who work in them. The school district also warned against CodeNEXT’s elimination of the city’s existing parking rules. The City of Austin’s Environmental Commission thus far has refused to support CodeNEXT, saying it has potential negative impacts on area flooding and other environmental issues. Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission passed a resolution in October stating that CodeNEXT Draft 2 "does not go far enough to encourage the continued use of existing building fabric, which is a vital component of a diverse, vibrant and equitable community. Instead, CodeNEXT continues to enable the demolition and replacement of existing housing stock with new construction. Consequently, the Commission cannot recommend the adoption of CodeNEXT as written."

• Reports: July 4th Parade Committee, Historic Neighborhood Committee, Zoning Committee, Treasurer’s report, CodeNEXT
• Discussion