Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdogc
NIMBY Rainey St Neighborhood association + NIMBY HOA members plan to protest this at next meeting. Just got the email and doc is below. Complaint is around access only through alley, but they seem to object anytime there is any sort of construction.
https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/do....cfm?id=376650 |
Yup -- I live on Rainey and my building's HOA and general manager submitted letters to the PC, saying something to the effect of "we all object to this going forward" with some excuses about access to the alleyway.
I made sure to send a separate letter clarifying that no, everyone is not universally objecting to this. A few select quotes from it below:
"letters and objections from other individuals existing properties do not represent a unanimous or consensus view among residents of the neighborhood. Indeed, despite being misleadingly worded, objections from The Shore Condominiums are in no way indicative of the attitude of all condominium occupants. In any event, the use of and benefits derived from the Rainey Street area effects far more than residents of the neighborhood – it effects store and restaurant owners and employees, bar owners and employees, and the thousands of people (Austin residents, or otherwise) that visit Rainey Street on a continued basis. The Commission’s ultimate decision should not be significantly impacted by a small majority of residents who might otherwise object to this development, at the expense of thousands who would stand to benefit from the continued improvement to the Rainey Street neighborhood."
"Objections to the placement of 80 Rainey St’s parking garage aim to do precisely that. Such objections are a thinly-veiled excuse to stop any future development from occurring in the neighborhood, regardless of reason. These include, as the Planning Commission is undoubtedly aware: (1) placement and relocation of trees; (2) increased traffic; (3) an incorrect notion of increased housing costs for existing residents; or (4) stress on existing infrastructure. If the developers of 80 Rainey Street chose a different layout for the entrance of their parking garage, objections to this development would undoubtedly continue based on any of the above-listed standbys.
However, as can be shown by the successful development and completion of the Hotel Van Zandt, The Quincy, 70 Rainey, Skyhouse, and others, the neighborhood is entirely capable of adjusting to new circumstances. Objections of this nature are particularly egregious here, where the plans for 80 Rainey Street include street-level and second-floor commercial, retail, and restaurant space to an extent that puts many developments elsewhere in the city to shame."