AUSTIN, Texas -- Mayor Steve Adler wants to scale down the Grove at Shoal Creek in order to keep the project moving forward.
Adler said Tuesday he will put forward an amendment on Thursday to cap office at 115,000 square feet and retail space at 100,000 square feet. That is a 40 percent reduction from the property owner's proposal, but the amendment appeases demands from the Bull Creek Road Coalition.
Developers of the Grove at Shoal Creek plan to pay more than $1 million toward park improvements.
"There is no park development fee requirement at all," said Jeff Howard, attorney for the developer. "We have proposed to pay $750 per unit."
District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool co-founded the BCRC, a neighborhood group that has opposed the development at every turn. Pool said Tuesday she is concerned this developer won't pay enough for park improvements.
"The $750 per unit sounds like a lot of money, but in point of fact it will not go as far as would be needed for the park size we are looking at having here," Pool said. "I would like to work with the applicant on having better financial support for the park."
Comparable agreements are difficult to find, since most of Austin's recently approved projects similar to the Grove at Shoal Creek are Municipal Utility Districts, which are taxing entities and exempt from parkland dedication fees.
The most recent comparisons include Goodnight Ranch, which paid $42 per unit, and the former Taco Cabana on South Lamar Blvd.--nicknamed Taco PUD--that opted to provide Austin Parks and Recreation Department 1,000 square feet of office space. However, developers of the Taco Cabana property chose to replace the building with another fast food restaurant without utilizing the zoning entitlements that would trigger the creation of that office space.
The Austin Oaks project continues to face delays at city commissions before arriving at City Council. However, that applicant has offered to pay $5,155 per apartment in park improvement fees. The project is largely commercial office space at the intersection of Spicewood Springs Rd. and MoPac.
District 10 Council Member Sheri Gallo offered a resolution Tuesday that would explore funding for road improvements outside the immediate area of the Grove at Shoal Creek, but several Council Members said that would subvert the city's priority list of road improvements.
"There are traffic safety issues and traffic mitigation needs all over the city," District 4 Council Member Greg Casar said. "I just want the highest priority ones funded first."
Adler said he wants the City Council to approve the project on first reading Thursday. He asked the public Tuesday to refrain from speaking before the full City Council Thursday. Instead, the public hearing will remain open, so the public can weigh in on pending changes at a later date.