TipSheet: Austin City Council, 5.12.16

City Council will hold its regular meeting Thursday. Below is a list of items we’re watching. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda. The Office of the City Clerk posts a copy on its website, here.

2. Authorize the use of the Competitive Sealed Proposal method for solicitation of maintenance, inspection, warranty, and construction work consisting of dewatering, providing access, and removal of sedimentation in support of the Waller Creek Tunnel Project.

3. Authorize additional contingency funding for the construction contract with OSCAR RENDA CONTRACTING for the Waller Creek Inlet Facility at Waterloo Park project in the amount of $5,000,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $39,781,250.

4. Authorize additional contingency funding for the construction contract with SJ LOUIS CONSTRUCTION OF TEXAS for the Waller Creek Tunnel Main Tunnel and 4th Street Creek Side Inlet project in the amount of $500,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $50,400,500.

5. Authorize additional contingency funding for the construction contract with OSCAR RENDA CONTRACTING for the Waller Creek Tunnel 8th Street Creek Side Inlet Facility project in the amount of $1,500,000 for a total contract amount not to exceed $6,974,052.

9. Authorize negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary or desirable to acquire a temporary construction easement, totaling approximately 14,458 square feet, for the Waller Creek Tunnel Project, located at 701-703 East 9th Street, Austin, Travis County, Texas, from ASHLAND EQUITIES COMPANY LLC, A NEW YORK LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, in an amount not to exceed $119,221 (District 9).

13.Approve an ordinance amending the Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Watershed Protection Department Capital Budget (Ordinance No. 20150908-002) to increase appropriations by $7,500,000 for the Waller Creek Tunnel Project. Related to Item #14.

14. Approve a resolution declaring the City’s official intent to reimburse itself from Certificates of Obligation to be issued for expenditures related to the Waller Creek Tunnel Project in the total amount of $7,500,000. Related to Item #13.

Monitor’s take: This long list of items all deal with the Waller Creek Project and the fact that it finds itself over budget by about $7.5 million. Here are the details from Tuesday’s work session.

16. Approve a resolution directing the City Manager to recommend a plan and timeline for adoption and implementation of a Wildland Urban Interface Code; to ensure that all high risk wildfire urban interface areas are assessed regarding the need for a local community wildfire protection plan; to provide a progress report to the Public Safety Committee regarding components of a comprehensive risk assessment plan and to report back to council within 90 days.

Monitor’s take: Obviously, no one likes wildfires, so this promises to be fairly uncontroversial. The one sticking point could be implementation costs, but that is likely to come up when it returns in 90 days. (If at all. We don’t know how much these things cost!)

10. Approve an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 9-2 relating to requirements for non-peak hour concrete installation within portions of the Central Business District and Public zoning districts.

Monitor’s take: Though our sources tell us that this oft-postponed item will once again be postponed on Thursday, they also tell us that construction folks and downtown residents are very close to striking a compromise. Keep hope alive!

19. Approve a resolution directing the City Manager to recommend implementation scenarios for the City to assume departments, activities, or functions provided by independent school districts located in the City of Austin if those departments, activities, or functions have a municipal purpose.

Monitor’s take: This, ladies and gentlemen, is the famous “tax swap” that has been making the rounds around town. It’s a pretty complicated proposal, so if you’d like to study up, we recommend Courtney Griffin’s excellent explainer that we published earlier this month. And, for those of you fed up with reading for the day, here is our KOOP radio show on the subject.

23. NPA-2015-0023.01 – Boys and Girls – Legacy Club – District 1 – Approve second and third readings of an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 20070809-55 of the University Hills/Windsor Park Combined Neighborhood Plan, an element of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, to change the future land use designation on the future land use map (FLUM) on property locally known as 4717 Turner Lane (Walnut Creek Watershed; Little Walnut Creek Watershed) from Higher Density Single Family, Transportation, and Commercial land uses to Civic land use. First Reading approved on April 7, 2016. Vote: 11-0. Owner/Applicant: Boys and Girls Club of Austin (Chuck Carroll). Agent: Drenner Group (Jewels Watson). City Staff: Maureen Meredith, 512-974-2695.

24. C14-2015-0086 – Boys and Girls – Legacy Club – District 1 – Approve second and third readings of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 25-2 by rezoning property locally known as 4717 Turner Lane (Walnut Creek Watershed; Little Walnut Creek Watershed) from family residence-neighborhood plan (SF-3-NP) combining district zoning to community commercial-mixed use-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (GR-MU-CO-NP) combining district zoning for Tract 1, from townhouse and condominium residence-neighborhood plan (SF-6-NP) combining district zoning to community commercial-mixed use-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (GR-MU-CO-NP) combining district zoning for Tract 2, and from neighborhood commercial-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (LR-CO-NP) combining district zoning to community commercial-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (GR-CO-NP) combining district zoning for Tract 3. First Reading approved on April 7, 2016. Vote: 11-0. Owner: Jimmy Nassour. Agent: Drenner Group (Jewels Watson). City Staff: Heather Chaffin, 512-974-2122.

Monitor’s take: This once-controversial item is now set to pass on consent, and the public hearing has been closed. While there is a petition against the rezoning, it won’t impact the decision as it is only 12 percent, not the required 20 percent.

25. C14-2015-0133A – 1204 San Antonio Street – District 9 – Approve second and third readings of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 25-2 by rezoning property locally known as 1204 San Antonio Street (Shoal Creek Watershed) from general office (GO) district zoning to downtown mixed use-conditional overlay (DMU-CO) combining district zoning. First Reading approved on April 14, 2016. Vote: 7-0-1-1 (Council Members Troxclair and Gallo off the dais. Mayor Adler-Abstained; Mayor Pro Tem Tovo-Recused). Owner/Applicant: Texas Association of Counties (Gene Terry). Agent: Alice Glasco Consulting (Alice Glasco). City Staff: Victoria Haase, 512-974-7691.

Monitor’s take: Set for discussion today, the major bone of contention in this case is the height. We explained the exact problem the last time it was before Council.

26. C814-2012-0163 – Sun Chase Planned Unit Development – District 2 – Approve second reading of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 25-2 by zoning property locally known as 15201, 15810, and 16070 Pearce Lane, and 7910 Wolf Lane (Dry Creek East Watershed) from interim-single family residence-standard lot (I-SF-2) district zoning and interim-single family residence-small lot (I-SF-4A) district zoning to planned unit development (PUD) district zoning. First Reading approved on February 11, 2016. Vote: 8-0-1, Mayor Adler and Council Member Casar off the dais; Council Member Troxclair abstained. Owner/Applicant: Qualico CR, L.P. (Vera Massaro). Agent: Armbrust & Brown, L.L.P. (Richard Suttle). City Staff: Wendy Rhoades, 512-974-7719.

Monitor’s take: As we noted last week: We covered this case when it was at the Planning Commission in January. Although there were some questions about how affordable housing for the development would work, the commission voted unanimously to recommend it. Since then, Council has approved it on first reading.

33. C14-2015-0153 – Iglesia Filadelfia – District 4 – Conduct a public hearing and approve an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 25-2 by rezoning property locally known as 9015 Capitol Drive (Little Walnut Creek Watershed) from family residence-neighborhood plan (SF-3-NP) combining district zoning to community commercial-neighborhood plan (GR-NP) combining district zoning. Staff Recommendation: To grant general office-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (GO-CO-NP) combining district zoning. Planning Commission Recommendation: To grant general office-conditional overlay-neighborhood plan (GO-CO-NP) combining district zoning. Owner/Applicant: Leonel Rangel. City Staff: Sherri Sirwaitis, 512-974-3057.

Monitor’s take: We haven’t covered this case in the past, but understand that neighborhood opposition over the request for increased impervious cover will likely mean a discussion on this one today.

43. C14-2016-0027 – WhichCraft Beer Store – District 5 – Conduct a public hearing and consider an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 25-2 by rezoning property locally known as 2110 South Lamar Boulevard, Suite F (West Bouldin Creek Watershed) from general commercial services (CS) district zoning to commercial-liquor sales (CS-1) district zoning. Staff Recommendation: To grant commercial-liquor sales (CS-1) district zoning. Planning Commission Recommendation: To grant commercial-liquor sales (CS-1) district zoning. Applicant: City of Austin. Owner: Charles Tames. City Staff: Andrew Moore, 512-974-7604.

Monitor’s take: We’d put money on this case passing with flying colors tomorrow, but the twists and turns of why the rezoning is taking place in the first place is worth tuning in for.