by Tom Linehan

Josiah Ingalls kicked off his campaign for the District 7 city council seat on Saturday June 14, warning against the City’s planning strategy for Burnet Rd and similar commercial streets.  He also expressed opposition to rail until the City pays down more of its current debt.

Ingalls lives in the Wooten neighborhood. He moved there nine months ago because he and his family were priced out of their neighborhood on Riverside Drive, a result of all of the recent development occurring along the Riverside corridor. He believes the housing affordability problem that Austin is currently experiencing is a result of the City pursuing a path of rapid development. “Austin cannot build fast enough to accommodate everyone moving here,” he said.

City staff will begin land use planning of Burnet Rd and Anderson Ln later this year.  Staff intend to separate planning of properties along the corridors from planning of the adjacent neighborhoods.  Ingalls said staff took this approach on East Riverside, and the resulting zoning hurt neighborhoods.  Developers have been building large developments along the corridor at the expense of existing smaller and more affordable housing options. It increased the number of housing units, but all of them were more expensive than what existed before.

On a related matter, Ingalls believes the City acted too quickly on making changes to rules regarding “granny flats.” Last week, the City Council instructed City staff to research changing the regulations to make it easier for people to build granny flats 500 square feet or less. Ingalls supports the idea of granny flats but believes changes to the existing rules should be part of the City’s CodeNext process.

Ingalls also opposed using tax dollars to bring companies to Austin. He believes the money could be better spent on initiatives that would keep it affordable. “Companies that move here,” Ingalls says, “should pay their own way.”

The City should not move forward with a large metro rail project at this time, Ingalls said. It cannot afford it.  Instead, he says, we should be paying down on what we have and devote our efforts to making our existing transportation options work, like connecting buses to rail stops.

Ingalls stressed that he has no agenda to pursue other than to serve the interests of the district. Ingalls, who ran for Mayor in 2009 and then for City Council Place 1 in 2011, said he moved from Seguin to Austin 10 ½ years ago to live in the Capitol where state laws are made because he wanted to get involved and make a difference. He later decided that local government is the best place to start.

Elected officials should understand the cause and effect of the laws they make, Ingalls said.   Elected officials take an oath to uphold the law. And what he has seen at City Hall are local laws being made that are contradictory in nature. For example, the city passed an ordinance that prohibits no more than four unrelated people from living in a house. Yet, another city law says that if you live together more than 30 days you are a family. The two contradict one another. Ingalls says it would be better to make laws that make sense, ones that more fully recognize the cause and effect. “Is it a real fix?” Ingalls asks, “or just another band-aid?”

Ingalls sent me an issue paper following his kickoff campaign event which you can read here.   IngallsIssuePaper

By Steven Zettner, editor

City Council on Thursday approved a resolution directing planning staff to proceed with land use planning of the Burnet Rd corridor from 45^th to 183, and of Anderson Ln from Mopac to the CapMetro Red Line track.  The vote was 7-0, in support of a substitute version from Council Member Laura Morrison that identified specific issues that staff should account for during the planning.

The resolution also approved a neighborhood plan process for the North Shoal Creek planning area.  Staff will present a different resolution in August proposing neighborhood plans or updates for other area neighborhoods.  Council members acknowledged that some neighborhoods may not want neighborhood planning, and seemed disinclined to require it.  Allandale Neighborhood Association had previously voted to oppose such a plan.  Allandale also opposed the corridor planning, prior to completion of CodeNext.

Staff on Thursday June 5 held a public meeting to explain the proposed 12-18 month planning process for the North Central Austin area.

Many residents were confused about the distinction between ‘neighborhood plans’ and ‘corridor plans’.  In the past, neighborhood plans covered both the interior and edges of neighborhoods, including areas along the major streets. They defined priorities for capital projects or improvements, and changed zoning.

The North Central Austin plans are different in that 1) planning of neighborhood interiors would be part of ‘neighborhood plans’, whereas planning along major commercial streets would be part of ‘corridor plans’, and 2) no zoning changes would occur yet.  Rather, staff would define ‘character zones’ that provide guidance on what the future zoning should be, without actually implementing new zoning rules.  The new rules would be added after they are adopted upon completion of the CodeNext zoning rewrite process, presumably in 2016.

City planner Jennifer Todd said staff proposed to break the planning up into neighborhood plans and corridor plans so that there could be more focus on corridors as holistic systems.  Past efforts to plan corridors piecemeal resulted in poor alignment of transportation and land use.  Stakeholders on one side of a corridor were left out from planning on the other side.

What Happens Now?

Staff will begin analysis of the two corridors, with public input meetings to begin sometime in the fall.  Outreach will continue to the Rosedale, Brentwood, Crestview, Wooten and Highland neighborhoods to determine their interest in doing neighborhood plans or updates.

Staff will also be determining the width of the corridor plan areas.  This is likely to be a contentious issue, since many neighborhoods fear that any upzoning of single family housing to duplexes, fourplexes or rowhouses will unleash an ongoing wave of upzonings deeper into the neighborhood.

Staff, stakeholders and the future Council will need to address the following land use and transportation questions:

1. Where is future housing appropriate, and where not?   In particular, what is the right trade-off between adding new housing to address the city’s affordability crisis, vs. adding new car traffic on the corridors and residential streets? How far from transit should upzoning be allowed?  What rules would govern changes to the boundaries of ‘transition zone housing’ in the future?  On Anderson Ln, do we even know where the future transit stations would be that should anchor transit-oriented development?
2. What kind of housing will be zoned?  What proportion of the housing mix will be 1-BR or micro-units that exclude families, and what impact will that housing mix have on the community’s demographics and culture?  Even if no changes occur and development continues on properties already zoned for VMU,  North Central Austin’s housing mix over 30 years could change from 20% 1-BR units to 50% 1-BR units – not much different than Downtown’s current 60% ratio.  Families could be locked out of much of the neighborhood.  That’s a risk because our area’s vibrancy and even its economy rely on a healthy balance of young adults, families and seniors.
3. How will future housing affect current residents?   Will impervious cover increase, leading to higher flash flood risk? Will the area’s tree canopy decrease?  Will streets become less safe for pedestrians and cyclists due to on-street parking?  Would duplexes or four-plexes suffer poor maintenance, as often happens today due to poor code enforcement and off-site owners? Will upzoning raise taxes for long-term residents, accelerating gentrification?  Will staff attempt to model such impacts?
4. How pedestrian-friendly will the corridors be?  The city’s traffic strategy involves getting people out of their cars. Can staff find rules and resources to add the plazas, pocket parks, trails and other pedestrian amenities that would make transit-oriented zones a safe and pleasant walking experience for people of all ages?  Can staff plan and enforce smaller block sizes for potentially dense areas like along Anderson Ln?  Existing mechanisms aren’t up to the task.  On Burnet and Anderson, this issue is especially important because the richness of transit station amenities is one of the few ways to improve overall transit quality and ridership.

The real question, though, is whether the City of Austin can deliver on the transit-oriented walkable vision defined in Imagine Austin.  Staff is asking citizens to put their faith in a  vision that will depend heavily on the as-yet-unknown results of CodeNext, plus a lot more public investment than previously committed.  Crestview Station without a park?   It’s not like the City has a lot of street cred in this part of town.  Expect the planning process to be bumpy.

By Tom Linehan

Melissa Zone at her District 7 City Council kickoff last Sunday positioned herself as a tough urban planner who would champion neighborhoods, while addressing challenges like affordability, transportation, safety and the environment.

“If we’ve ever needed an experienced urban planner on City Council, it is now!” Zone told a gathering of 30 people at Big Daddy’s Burger Bar at 183 and Burnet Rd.

Zone, a native of Cleveland, moved to Austin with her husband Phil from Florida four years ago. She has a B.A. in Urban Studies and a Masters in Public Administration. She currently works as a senior planner for Travis County’s Transportation and Natural Resources Department. A resident of Crestview, she has been active in that neighborhood’s fight to get a neighborhood park.

Allandale resident and supporter Donna Beth McCormick introduced Zone.

Rapid growth and the city’s rewrite of its Land Development code is why “we need a council member who understands land development regulations and will protect the interest of the community,” Zone said.

She touted her transportation experience with the county and as a member of the CAMPO Technical Advisory Committee.

Zone, who attended a community meeting last week regarding a proposed planning process for Burnet Rd, said she has experience conducting corridor studies. She said she would meet individually with neighborhoods, soliciting their input on the pros and cons of development along those corridors. She would then gather all of the information and bring the neighborhoods together as a group.

Asked how one might save small local businesses along Burnet Rd, Zone noted there are initiatives that can be pursued including working with local banks, perhaps offering city-backed loans to help small businesses. If elected she would work to make sure the small businesses stay.

Zone noted that many of the concerns in the southern part of District 7 are shared by those in the northern part of the district as well. That especially applies to traffic along Burnet Rd, Lamar, I-35, Mopac, and Anderson.

With regard to housing affordability, Zone acknowledged there is no simple answer. Creating a compact city, which is part of the Imagine Austin vision, is shifting household spending from high transportation costs for those that live further away, to more expensive housing in the central city. “It doesn’t make it any more affordable,” she said, “because you are simply shifting your money.”

There are other areas to look at to help address housing affordability, Zone said. She would explore ways to ease homeowners’ property tax burden. One way to do that, she suggested, is for the City to require sales price disclosure on commercial properties. Knowing the actual transaction price of a commercial property would mean commercial property owners would be required to pay taxes on the true value of the property, which in many cases is significantly higher than what they pay now. It would shift more of the property tax burden to commercial property owners.

She also proposed that the city enact dedicated transportation impact fees on developers to offset the costs of transportation improvements that result from new developments. This would reduce the reliance on bonds to fund those projects and ultimately lower property taxes.

With regard to light rail, Zone said that when you look at the numbers, the proposed route along the east side of Downtown and UT to Highland Mall does not serve the population density areas of the city. She acknowledges there is a need for rail but does not agree with the proposed route. “If you are going to start somewhere, you should start where the demand is, because that is what deflates the costs.” she said.

Josiah Ingalls

Campaign Platform Announcement and Bio

As a City Council candidate who has spoken extensively with residents throughout District 7, Josiah Ingalls is focusing on several issues that are important to District 7 voters and to Austin residents in general. They include:

• Housing affordability. It’s crucial to preserve the ability of longtime residents to stay in their homes through residential tax relief options, assessment reform and other means. Our seniors need to know that they’ll be able to spend the rest of their lives in the homes and neighborhoods they love, regardless of the pressures of urban development.

• Traffic – Temporary fixes must be replaced with real solutions. Working with the State to address the segments of I-35 that narrow to three lanes is one possible approach.

• Public Transportation – Our citizens want more frequent and accessible options for connections, especially to the light rail lines.

• More public spaces, improvements to existing public spaces, and special emphasis on activities for young people. We lack infrastructure and opportunities were young people can engage in safe, healthy, energetic activity.

• Neighborhood preservation – Neighborhood associations and other local groups are ready to work together to achieve favorable zoning, preserve the look and feel of their neighborhoods, and ensure safe areas for people to walk, jog, bicycle, and play.

Josiah appreciates that Austin is a vibrant city with true neighborhood communities surrounding thriving business corridors and filled with amazing cultural and creative hubs. That combination is unique and deserves special attention to protect it and move ahead. I’m looking forward to doing that for the citizens of Austin City Council District 7.

Biography

Josiah James Ingalls was born April 11, 1980 in Bangor, Maine, third in a family of five children. He attended Bangor area schools and moved with his family to Texas at age 12, living at various times in Waxahachie, Seguin and Beeville before settling in Austin in 2004. He worked in the hospitality, food service and television industries before acquiring his own company, Austin Area Landscaping, a full service residential maintenance enterprise.

Josiah participated in the early planning meetings for single-member City Council districts, helping to produce a comprehensive plan that Council members assented to have placed on the ballot and that subsequently won approval from the people of Austin. He also organized and led a campaign for more local pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs, or “hawk lights”) after two teenagers were killed by a speeding driver while crossing the street near a South Austin high school.

Josiah is a familiar face to many in Austin’s political circles. He ran for Austin Mayor in 2009 on a platform that included affordable housing, city-wide recycling opportunities and better solutions for public transportation and traffic issues. In 2011, he campaigned for Place 1 on the Austin City Council, advocating more insightful planning for the city’s growth, more transparency in how the Council conducts its business, and greater investment in public mental health services.

A man of many interests, Josiah also is an established technical author. In February 2014 he published The Micro Measurement System, A Proposal for Ending Uncertainty in Scientific Metrics. The book proposes a measurement system called MMS, based on various aspects of the hydrogen atom, as a more reliable replacement for the metric system at subatomic dimensions.

Josiah resides in the Wooten Park neighborhood with his wife, Janet, and daughters Heather, 3, and Kelly, 1½. He is a member of the Wooten Park Neighborhood Association, Austin Moose Lodge, and Texans for Accountable Government, and Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Dear District 7 voter,

To raise awareness of our volunteer news service, we will be placing yard signs around the district that say ‘I Vote in District 7 – AustinDistrict7.org’.

It’s a relatively cheap and democratic way to raise awareness of the election and of the information available on our site. But even a cheap method isn’t free. Yard signs run about $3 at cost. Also, to remain balanced we can only take pledges from voters, not from candidates or groups from outside the district.

If you would consider sponsoring signs, please email editor@austindistrict7.org to let me know so we can gauge the size of our order. Especially effective would be pledging to sponsor more signs, and then reselling at cost to neighbors. AustinDistrict7.org is not a non-profit, but we are not looking to make a profit – just to defray volunteer costs.

Thank you for considering this request!

The following District 7 campaign events are scheduled in June:

Melissa Zone Campaign Kickoff
Big Daddy Burger Bar
9070 Research
Sunday June 8
2:00 to 4:00 PM

Ed English Meet and Greet
Pok-e-Jo’s
2121 W. Parmer Lane
Austin, TX 78727
June 12, 6:00-7:30 PM
Location phone – 512-491-0434

Ed English Meet and Greet
Waterloo Ice House
8600 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78757
June 19, 6:00-7:30 PM
Location phone – 512-458-6544

Both Meet and Greets will introduce Mr. English, with a brief presentation on a platform topic, followed by an open Q&A session. A $25.00 donation is requested, but not required.  Appetizers and tea will be served.

by David Dixon

The typical Austin household pays about $1,260 a year on their electric bill.  Single-family residents typically pay even more.  That’s a significant chunk of the cost of living in Austin.  A common question from rate payers is about renewable energy – will adding wind or solar sources increase my bill?

Maybe even two years ago, the answer might have been – yes.  But the market is changing so quickly.  We have entered an era where renewables are, certainly from a taxpayer perspective, the least expensive form of energy. I hope that our future City Council will understand why this is the case, and encourage Austin Energy to expand its renewable energy goals.

Austin Energy, our city-owned electric utility, historically has been conscientious in keeping rates competitive.  They aim to keep their rates in the lower 50th percentile of Texas retail rates. In fact, until a rate hike in October 2012, it had been 18 years since the utility raised rates.

That doesn’t mean customers aren’t affected by higher or lower fuel costs – part of our utility bill is the power supply adjustment that reflects the cost of “fuel”.  What makes ‘fuel-to-fuel’ comparisons slippery is that it does not factor in the capital costs or ongoing operations and maintenance costs for a particular generation source. For example, coal may look inexpensive when just considering the current fuel costs, but the overall cost picture changes when including the huge capitol expenditures required for utility owned fossil fuel generation. For example, Austin Energy spent $220 million for environmental controls a few years ago on the Fayette coal plant in order to meet air quality regulations. This capitol expense is not captured in the fuel costs. Additionally all the external costs of burning fossil fuels: health, air quality, water usage, climate change are not captured at all.

On the other hand, Austin Energy buys long term large scale wind and solar contracts at a fixed price. This cost is completely captured in the power supply adjustment and that price includes all capitol costs, fuel (free!), and operations and maintenance costs for the wind and solar farms. The latest, all inclusive wind contracts that Austin Energy signed this past February will actually lower the power supply adjustment for all Austin Energy rate payers.

Locally generated solar power is very attractive for different reasons.  It is unique in our generation portfolio because the power is generated right where it’s consumed, which eliminates line losses and requires no new transmission or distribution infrastructure. It requires capitol cost but these costs are only partially borne by the utility. The majority of the cost is paid for by rate payers. Solar installation costs in Austin are among the lowest in the country and solar companies have created hundreds of local jobs.

Wind and solar generation accrue multiple benefits to Austin Energy, its rate payers and the city itself. Our council members oversee our utility and it is important that they educate themselves on these benefits and understand how the costs of these energy sources have dropped rapidly in the past few years. Adding additional renewable energy to our generation mix should be a priority for our utility, our council, and our city.

City Council candidate Jimmy Paver played federal and state cards at his campaign kickoff event on Saturday afternoon, promising to leverage his knowledge from many years serving as an aide to Lloyd Doggett and Mark Strama to fix Austin’s transportation problems.

Paver also said he would use his public policy acumen to wring more services from a growing but inefficient city budget. He told a crowd of 60 at the Dart Bowl bowling alley that the city can’t keep raising taxes or utility rates when so many are struggling.

“Austin has a rising tax base, but our services are staying the same or being diminished,” Paver said. “We have no new parks, we have no extended library hours, the pools are open fewer days out of the year. And we have roads that don’t befit a city of our stature.”

Austin in recent years has directed too much of its investment to Downtown and visitor services, Paver said. One way to improve services and still contain costs will be to reprioritize, spending more on services meaningful to residents. Paver said he would also consider a homestead property tax exemption tied to duration of residence.

The city should stick with its renewable energy programs, however, because that will lead to long-term cheaper utility rates, said Paver, who worked on renewables policy while serving as an aide to former State Representative Strama.

Paver also served for several years on US Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s campaign and home office staff. “The state and federal experience I can bring is the ability to work with regional partners,” he said, with transportation an issue in particular need of such partnership. “We need to improve our infrastructure, we need an east-west route through the city, and we need to improve and widen our roads.”

In the near-term, traffic congestion is a four-hour issue that relatively inexpensive solutions could help to ease, he said, “like car pooling, time shifting when people are going, and allowing employers to let people work from home.”

Paver sought a balance on land use. “We need to protect the integrity of our neighborhoods,” he said, “and then we need to sponsor prudent growth.”

Paver, who was born and raised in District 7, said serving fellow citizens would be a special priority. “One of those problems we have in government is a lack of attention to the needs of the people that we serve. I will work tirelessly to ensure that you as individuals will be listened to, assisted, and supported.

“From a pothole on Lamar, to a policy position on taxes, no one will be shut out of this process, or turned away because I think I know more than you do.”

District 7 Council candidate Jeb Boyt at his campaign kick-off Tuesday rallied supporters behind policies to address the city’s long-term affordability and transportation challenges.

He also stressed his extensive record in city and state government, especially in support of parks, trails, and Downtown Austin.

About 50-60 people attended the event at Pour House Pub on Burnet Rd.

“We need to make sure people have a place to live,” said Boyt. He noted the citywide occupancy rate of 97%. To bring prices down, the city needs to get the occupancy rate under 90%. To do that, “we’ve got to build housing in Austin. We need to build housing of all types, all throughout the city.” The housing should be appropriate for each stage of someone’s life – “for college, for singles, for families, and for when they’re tired of mowing the lawn and taking care of the house.”

“Families need to have housing so they’re not moving their kids from school to school.” Likewise, he said more housing was needed so people wouldn’t have to drive from Williamson County and add to congested roads.

Boyt said the City’s transportation plan was a good one; the trick was to execute it. Boyt voiced strong support for three upcoming transportation projects: Lone Star Rail, urban rail, and I35 improvements. For each of these, Boyt called out funding as key, and said he would fight to get these projects funded.

I35 projects would be spaced out over the coming generation, he said. “And we need to keep our eye on the prize – one of the big opportunities as we work on I35 is to rebuild the connections between east and west Austin, build a parkland on top of I35, to make it safe for people to walk and cycle across I35.”

Transportation problems can only be solved with better coordination amongst regional partners, said Boyt. Bringing partners like Round Rock into CapMetro would be a priority.

Parks are another special priority for Boyt, who for years led a non-profit, Austin Metro Trails and Greenways, to develop a citywide network of creek trails. Boyt served on the Parks Board, and said he championed all kinds of parks, from small local ones to big metropolitan parks. He said he worked on rec centers and historic houses.

Maintaining parks represents a special challenge, Boyt said. As legal counsel for several state boards and commissions related to land use, “I wrote laws and policies, and I implemented programs.” He recalled helping communities along the coast sort out state and federal programs. The funds from these programs paid for “parks, ports and toilets.”

Boyt laughed. “You know – people think you’re working on parks – it sounds like a lot of fun.”

“But you spend a lot of time talking about toilets. When it comes down to it, you’ve got to take care of the basics.”

Downtown has been a focus for Boyt at City Hall. Serving on the Downtown and Waller Creek commissions, Boyt said, “I worked to make Downtown a place where we would all want to live, or walk anytime of day or night.” The Waller Creek vision he helped to shape will “preserve the live music along Red River, and the natural values in the creek – so people will have access to the natural beauty of Central Texas, right in the center of downtown Austin.”

Boyt also served on the 2012 Bond Advisory Task Force, defining the city’s capital funding strategy for the coming six years.

The new 10-1 council offers an opportunity to make government more transparent and accountable. He promised to help deliver on that opportunity. The key on this and other common issues will be to work together.

Boyt said he has lived in District 7 for 21 years and understands the local issues. “I know District 7. I know Austin. I’m ready to get to work here.”

Here’s Sarah Coppola’s Statesman profile of City Council District 7. It’s behind a paywall.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/growth-traffic-encroaching-on-neighborhoods-in-aus/nftFn/