Brodie Oaks redevelopment wins final approval

City Council gave final approval Thursday to the redevelopment of the Brodie Oaks shopping center, which developers envision as a vibrant mixed-use center with retail space, restaurants, offices and residential towers, as well as green space and a hotel.

Attorney David Armbrust told the Austin Monitor that developers Barshop & Oles and Lionstone Investments of Houston provided a vision of what the shopping center might become nearly four years ago. They presented the vision to Council in the spring of 2021. He said he expects it to take two to three more years before the project is completed.

Armbrust said the developers would work hard to keep the retailers who are currently on the site by arranging for them to move into spaces not being disturbed.

When the redevelopment is completed, the impervious cover on the site will be reduced from 84 percent to 56 percent and will have to comply with the water quality standards of the Save Our Springs Ordinance. An earlier staff report stated that the new project would eliminate nearly 4 acres of untreated runoff from buildings and parking areas, which currently drain directly into the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Nevertheless, Council approved an amendment to the SOS Ordinance because the impervious cover level is still higher than that allowed by the ordinance.

But Bill Bunch of the SOS Alliance told Council they should not approve the plan. Bunch said his group is opposing it because “it does not come even close to complying with Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan,” in that the site should not have such high density and tall buildings. “We also know that skyscrapers are neither affordable nor climate-friendly.” He said the additional concrete and steel that such buildings require generate additional pollution as compared to smaller buildings.

Finally, he said the group recognizes that the PUD would reduce the impervious cover on the site, but it would still be considerably more than allowed under the SOS Ordinance. He added that the developers were not providing any off-site mitigation land, despite requests from SOS.

Several advocates from a nearby neighborhood expressed concern about the tall buildings and the traffic the new development would generate.

On the other side was George Cofer, representing himself, but recognized as a longtime advocate for preservation of the environment. The developer’s proposal includes restoration of more than 25 percent of the site to open space next to the Barton Creek Greenbelt, certainly an attraction for hikers and those who want to preserve the environment.

Cofer said he knows the developers and shops at one of their shopping centers. He said he had confidence in the team they have selected to design and build the PUD.

“I support the PUD and urge you to vote yes,” he said. “About 25 years ago, I gave myself a talking to and I said, ‘If we’re going to build a great city, then let’s build a great city.’ This kind of development will help us get the kind of projects on the ground that we need to facilitate housing, parks, trails, transportation in South Austin. We just don’t have it right now. I think we need it.”

District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter was not on Council when they first approved the PUD. However, he has been supportive of the new development, which will be in his district. On Thursday, he said, “We’ve had a lot of conversations about this.” He said he had walked door-to-door in the closest neighborhood to find out what residents were thinking. He concluded that “by and large, almost unanimously people were very excited about this. … It’s going to be done in a very environmentally friendly” way.

In addition to the improvements for Barton Creek and Barton Springs, Alter said he was very pleased that the developers were going beyond what was required in providing affordable housing. They will be partnering with Foundation Communities, he said, to create affordable housing.

Council Member Leslie Pool said she wanted to applaud the developers of the project. She said the Imagine Austin plan identifies the site as an activity center for redevelopment in an environmentally sensitive area. “And I think (the PUD) thoughtfully deals with complex environmental issues, while also providing a project that it is appropriately dense. … So, in my opinion, it sets the bar for future PUDs going forward.

“The best thing about the PUD is that it did not ask for public tax dollars to make it happen.”

Rendering by Lionheart Overland via the city of Austin.

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