Title
Consider an ordinance rezoning approximately 0.16 acres of land located east of the intersection of North Georgetown Street and East Austin Avenue from SF-2 (Single-Family - Standard Lot) zoning district to MU-L (Mixed-Use Limited) zoning district. (Second Reading)
Body
The owner of 806 East Austin Avenue seeks to rezone the property from SF-2, the city's standard single-family zoning district, to MU-L, the downtown mixed use zoning district intended for residential portions of eastern downtown. Similar to two properties rezoned from SF-2 to MU-L in 2015, this one is adjacent to existing MU-L zoning on the west and north, allowing for continuity within the district. Properties to the east and south are zoned SF-2 and are occupied by single-family homes.
The lot is currently vacant, but the applicant intends to build a new home and has a building permit pending. In addition to single-family homes, the MU-L zoning district permits a variety of non-residential uses which are limited in size and operating hours. Offices are the primary non-residential use seen in the district, evidenced by an architecture and interior design firm, engineering firm, real estate office, attorney's office, and specialty contractor which have recently relocated to MU-L. Boutique retail, artisanal workshops, live/work units, and bed and breakfasts are also permitted. To minimize the impacts of a business locating adjacent to an existing home, all non-residential uses are required to construct a six-foot brick or stone wall along property lines shared with a single-family use. This requirement may be waived with the permission of the abutting homeowners.
The design and development standards of the MU-L district require all new construction to meet the city’s historic design guidelines for residential properties to maintain compatibility with the neighborhood. This provides a level of architectural protection not offered by the SF-2 district. Moreover, MU-L provides design standards similar to the SF-D district, which was adopted in 2016 to preserve the character of a few blocks of older homes on nonconforming lots just east of this proposed rezoning. Taken together, SF-D and MU-L will enhance the current fabric of the urban, small lot residential properties in this area of downtown. The SF-2 district, on the other hand, would permit new construction that is highly suburban in nature and out of proportion with the neighborhood.
Finally, the SF-2 zoning district requires all properties platted in 2002 or later to have a two-car garage and two additional parking spaces on the driveway. This property is not platted; going through the necessary platting process would trigger this requirement. The MU-L district has no such garage requirement, keeping with the historic nature of the neighborhood. The property owner contracted with a homebuilder to create plans for the home which call for a one-car garage, which would be prohibited under SF-2 zoning but permitted under MU-L zoning.
P&Z recommendation: The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval on August 16, 2017.