Undeveloped Milwood tract may see major upzoning - Austin Monitor

"In yet another Northwest Austin zoning case, the Zoning and Platting Commission recommended rezoning for an empty piece of land owned by the recently shuttered Austin White Lime company during their August 19 meeting. The two tracts at 6101 and 6105 Melrose Trail, which represent a combined area of about 5 acres, are located in the Milwood neighborhood of Northwest Austin. They are currently zoned interim small lot residential. The company is seeking an upzoning to multifamily residence high-density zoning, or MF-5, which is the most intense of the conventional residential base districts."

"City staff did not support that request. They instead proposed MF-3, which is a lower-density option. According to Planner Sherri Sirwaitis, who presented the city's recommendation to the commission, staff reasoned MF-3 would more closely line up with zoning in the area, and the location in the neighborhood wasn't appropriate for what the company is requesting. "Traditionally, MF-5 and MF-6 ... are at the intersection of arterials and collector roadways," Sirwaitis said. "They're at more intense roadways, and that's where those are meant to go.""

"Richard Suttle, who represented the company at the meeting, argued that the language used to describe the appropriate setting for MF-5 zoning only specified that it should be "near" a major roadway, rather than directly fronting one. He noted that the site was only two-tenths of a mile away from McNeil Drive, and 0.23 miles away from Parmer Lane. Suttle also noted that environmental constraints on the site, including sloped terrain and watershed protections, limited the amount of buildable area on the site, necessitating a taller and narrower structure. "You've got about three acres out of five that are developable, because the single-family houses are all buffered by floodplain or (a critical water quality zone)," he said."

Two tracts at 6101 and 6105 Melrose Trail total about five acres in the Milwood neighborhood and are currently zoned interim small lot residential. The property owner applied to rezone the site to MF-5 multifamily residence high-density. City staff recommended MF-3, citing closer alignment with surrounding zoning and neighborhood context. Planner Sherri Sirwaitis stated MF-5 and MF-6 typically locate at arterial intersections and more intense roadways. Company representative Richard Suttle argued the site is near major roadways and that environmental constraints limit buildable area, requiring taller, narrower development. The Zoning and Platting Commission recommended rezoning.

Read at Austin Monitor