[* This meeting has been joined in progress *]
[II. CITIZEN COMMENTS]
[00:00:13]
THAT'LL DO IT. THAT'LL. THROW ME. I HAVE SOME TEST PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT I HAVE. LET ME KNOW YOUR CATCH. AND IF I'M CLOSER HERE, I'M NOT REALLY HEARING ANYTHING BACK. READY TO GET THROUGH THAT MUCH? I UNDERSTAND, BUT WE SHALL SEE. SO. THERE WE GO. YEP. THAT'S LIKE REALLY, REALLY LOUD THOUGH. MORE LOUD THAN NORMAL. SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY HERE. AND NOW WE'RE FEEDING BACK LIKE CRAZY. I WONDER WHO FOUGHT THIS SYSTEM LAST TIME. WITHOUT FEEDBACK. OKAY. WE'LL SEE. THANKS FOR WORKING WITH OUR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES TOO. WE'LL TRY NOT TO HAVE A THIRD STRIKE FOR ANYBODY TONIGHT. IT LOOKS LIKE I HAVE ANOTHER SIGNED UP FOR THE 2905 PATRIOT DRIVE I HAVE. IS IT KAI? YEAH. AWESOME. COME ON UP TO THE PODIUM FOR US, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. I'VE NEVER DONE ONE OF THESE BEFORE, SO TO BE HONEST, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS PROTOCOL OR WHAT'S ACCEPTABLE, BUT I DID BRING SOME THINGS WITH AS FAR AS AERIAL SHOTS OF THEIR PROPERTY. DOES IT HELP IF I GIVE THOSE TO Y'ALL OR ARE WE ABLE TO TAKE THEM? WE AREN'T ABLE TO TAKE THEM, UNFORTUNATELY, SINCE THE PUBLIC HEARINGS NOW OPEN. I CAN AT LEAST HOLD IT UP HERE SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S PROBABLY A GOOD 15 TO 20 ACRES OF PROPERTY BEHIND THEM. SO THERE'S NOTHING IN TERMS OF LIKE OBSTRUCTING VIEWS OR CAUSING ANY TROUBLE IN THAT AREA. THE ACOSTAS, I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ALMOST FOR FIVE AND A HALF YEARS NOW.
WE SIGNED A CONTRACT, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT HE WAS REFERRING TO AS FAR AS MAYBE THEY DODGED A BULLET, BUT AT THAT TIME WE SUBMITTED FOR PERMITS AND THE ACOSTAS WERE TURNED DOWN BECAUSE AT THAT TIME, THE FLOODPLAIN ACTUALLY ENCROACHED IN THE AREA WHERE WE WERE TRYING TO WORK. SO WE WERE DEAD IN THE WATER. AND I'VE WORKED WITH LCRA. I'VE DONE ALL KINDS OF THINGS, EVEN FEMA, TO TRY AND GET TO A POINT WHERE WE COULD GET THESE FOLKS A POOL.
AFTER PROBABLY ABOUT 6 TO 8 MONTHS AGO, THE ACOSTAS HAD READ THAT THERE HAD BEEN A CHANGE TO THE FLOODPLAIN AND REENGAGED IN TO SEE IF WE COULD BUILD A POOL. SO WE WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROCESS, GOT EVERYTHING DONE. WE WERE EXCITED. THEIR KIDS HAVE MOVED INTO THIS AREA. THEY'VE GOT GRANDKIDS. THEY'RE TRYING TO KIND OF CREATE AN AREA IN THEIR BACKYARD FOR THEIR FAMILY. AND I HAVE WORKED WITH CODY FOR 15 YEARS AND BUILT POOLS IN THIS AREA FOR ALMOST 24. AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE DIFFICULT, BUT I THINK LAGO IS PROBABLY ONE OF MAYBE TWO THAT I'VE WORKED WITH THAT HAVE CONSIDERED THE BUILD LINE AND ISSUE FOR SWIMMING POOLS, EVEN IN WHAT I CALL AUSTIN, THE MOST DIFFICULT PLACE IN THE WORLD TO WORK.
THEY'RE THEY'RE LIMITED TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GREATER THAN THREE FEET IN HEIGHT, THAT IS PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO THE HOME. AND SO THE POOLS DON'T GENERALLY FALL WITHIN THOSE GUIDELINES. I'VE TRIED TO TALK WITH A FEW OF THE FOLKS AT WORK AND OUR CONSTRUCTION TEAM, AND IT APPEARS EVEN OUR SUPERINTENDENTS, IT APPEARS THAT PERHAPS A PORTION OF THIS IS BEING MISREAD AND MAYBE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD LOOK INTO, OR AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BECAUSE IT DOES. IN THE LAST FOUR MONTHS, I HAVE LOST PROBABLY CLOSE TO $400,000 WORTH OF PROJECTS BECAUSE OF THIS RULE. AND IT IS BECOMING A REAL ISSUE FOR US WHERE WE ARE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME, EVEN BUILDING POOLS OR GETTING TO A CERTAIN POINT WHERE WE WANT TO FOCUS ON THESE AREAS BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET ANYTHING THROUGH. THE YARDS ARE THEY'RE NOT HUGE. AND WHEN YOU TAKE A PERSON'S YARD, WHICH IS 45FT AND CUT OUT 25FT OF IT, IT JUST DOESN'T LEAVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO ANYTHING. THIS IS A POOL. THIS IS THE POOL THAT WE DESIGNED FOR THEM. IT HAS ALREADY BEEN SCALED BACK 35% SO THAT WE COULD TRY TO MAKE IT WORK WITHIN THE THE FRAME THAT WE'VE GOT. NOW WE'RE ENCROACHING ALMOST TEN FEET INTO THAT 25 FOOT EASEMENT, BUT WE STILL HAVE TO MAINTAIN SETBACKS OFF OF THE HOUSE AS WELL. AND SO WE'VE DONE ALL THE NECESSARY THINGS IN TERMS OF STRUCTURAL STEEL AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S STRONG ENOUGH. BUT TO BE IN THAT CLOSE TO THE HOME. BUT WE'RE STILL JUST STIFLED BECAUSE OF THIS, THIS POLICY. SO SAME SITUATION WITH THE ANOTHER CLIENT. BUT YOU KNOW, SHE'S NOT HERE, BUT I AM REPRESENTING HER FOR THE NEXT MEETING AS WELL. AND THESE ARE WIDOWS AND FAMILY PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST TRYING TO HAVE A PLACE TO KEEP THEIR KIDS ENTERTAINED AND HAVE A GOOD TIME. AND IT'S REALLY STARTING TO IMPEDE ON THE WAY THAT, IN MY OPINION, PEOPLE ARE VIEWING THIS AS LIKE A COMMUNITY OF WHERE DO WE CAN WE GET A POOL IN THIS PLACE? IS THIS WHERE WE WANT TO BE? SO SOME CONSIDERATION I THINK WOULD BE JUST APPRECIATED. SO THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE COMMENTARY. AND I HAVE ONE OTHER. I DO NOT HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM TIED TO IT. FOR RANDY. NO. YES. YES, SIR. I'M
[00:05:04]
HERE KIND OF SHORT NOTICE. IT'S FOR RANDY STEWART AND SARAH, HIS WIFE. THEY HAD A MEDICAL EMERGENCY THEY HAD TO GO TO. THEY BOUGHT A LOT ON THE CORNER OF COOLIDGE AND CLEVELAND ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO. FROM AN INDIVIDUAL. 2007 COOLIDGE IS ADDRESS. THEY PAID LIKE 55,000 FOR THIS LOT. THEY'VE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON SURVEYS AND TREE SURVEYS AND GETTING THE HOUSE PLOTTED, DRAWING PLANS TO FIT THE LOT WITHIN THE RESTRICTIONS, THE SETBACKS THAT YOU HAVE ON THE LOT. AND WE STARTED IN THE PROCESS OF PERMITTING IT, AND THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE HOUSE CAN BE NO HIGHER THAN 15FT ON THIS LOT, WHICH THE HOUSE, WE LOWERED THE ROOF PITCH FROM A TEN TO AN EIGHT, AND IT'S STILL 25FT TALL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU CAN'T MOVE IN A DOUBLE WIDE MAYBE, AND GET 15 FOOT TALL. BUT TO BUILD A 2500 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE AND KEEP IT UNDER 15FT IS IMPOSSIBLE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE THE HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS CAME FROM ON SOMETHING. IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S GOING TO BLOCK ANYONE'S VIEW. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND. I LIKE TO HAVE SOME CLARIFICATION ON WHERE YOU CAME UP WITH 15FT FOR THIS PARTICULAR LOT. THAT'S I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE DIRECT ANSWERS THAT WE CAN GIVE FROM THE DAIS UP HERE, UNFORTUNATELY. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES CAN DO A ASSESSMENT AND BASICALLY GIVE BACKGROUND INFORMATION TO IT. BUT AT A AT A GENERAL LEVEL, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE SPECIFIC TO THAT LOT. IT WOULD APPLY TO EVERYTHING WITHIN THAT ZONING WITHIN THE CITY. PERHAPS ASIDE FROM THAT, DEFINITELY YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT VENUE. THIS BOARD CAN HEAR HEIGHT VARIANCE AND HEIGHT SPECIAL EXCEPTION TYPE CASES FOR SURE ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE UNIQUE, THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE WORKED WITH TO BE ABLE TO PUT SOMETHING ELSE DIFFERENT THERE. SO DO YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE KIND OF LAST MINUTE. DO YOU KNOW IF AN APPLICATION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED ANY OTHER INFORMATION FOR THAT FOR A VARIANCE? NO. OKAY. GOT IT. SO I GUESS I'M THE BUILDER I'VE BUILT IN GEORGETOWN FOR 30 YEARS. AND LEANDER, CEDAR PARK, EVEN IN AUSTIN, WHEN IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO DO. BUT FOR SURE, SOME OF THE STUFF THAT Y'ALL ARE REQUESTING ON THE EVEN THE PERMITS ARE I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN MY LIFE, AND I'VE BEEN BUILDING FOR 50 YEARS. SO. AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, JORDAN, IT'S THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE LOT, CORRECT? YES. FROM THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE LOT, WHICH ON THIS LOT IT SLOPES FROM FRONT TO BACK. SO THE HIGHEST POINT IS MAYBE A FOOT HIGHER THAN WHERE OUR BUILD SLAB IS GOING. SO WE'RE BASICALLY STARTING AT THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE LOT. AND THE LOT FALLS FOUR AND A HALF, FIVE FEET TO THE BACK SIDE. SO THERE'S REALLY NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO LOWER THE HOUSE ON TO A DIFFERENT POINT, BECAUSE WE'RE BASICALLY BUILD LINE TO BUILD LINE FRONT TO BACK ON THE LOT ALREADY. DEFINITELY WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN THOSE CHALLENGES OUT HERE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHY THAT WE HAVE SOME SOME PEOPLE, I WOULD SAY FROM A TOPOGRAPHICAL STANDPOINT CAN BENEFIT FROM THAT. WITHIN THE WITHIN THE GUIDELINES AND SOME UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S QUITE THE OPPOSITE. SO FOR SURE, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES CAN GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF WHAT WOULD NEED TO BE DONE TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION. AND WE CAN HEAR THAT ALSO ANYTIME WE HEAR COMMENTS LIKE THIS THAT'S TAKEN TO HEART FROM THE FEEDBACK THAT THIS BOARD IS ABLE TO WORK WITH PLANNING AND ZONING AND CITY COUNCIL FOR CODE REVIEW SOMETIMES, AND THIS IS MAYBE AN OVERARCHING STATEMENT, SOMETIMES THE THINGS THAT ARE ON RECORD WITH ANY MUNICIPALITY MAY BECOME OUTDATED. AS THE TIMES CHANGE, BUILDING TRENDS CHANGE, STANDARDS CHANGE, AND WE DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE A SCENARIO WHERE EVERYTHING THAT HAS BECOME NORMAL, SOMEWHERE ELSE IS SOMETHING THAT'S HAVING TO BE LOOKED AT IN A SPECIAL CASE WITHIN THE CITY. SO I THINK THAT'S THAT'S TAKEN TO HEART. AND THERE'S A MUCH LARGER CONVERSATION GOING ON WITHIN LAGO VISTA RIGHT NOW ABOUT THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT WAY. BUT THERE IS PROCESS FOR REMEDY IN PLACE RIGHT NOW, BASICALLY APPLICATION THROUGH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. AND THEY CAN GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE NECESSARY PROCESSES TO BE ABLE TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROPERTY, FOR SURE. OKAY. AND WE CAN HELP YOU WITH CONTACT INFORMATION AFTERWARDS AND EVERYTHING ELSE IF YOU GUYS NEED THAT. YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S TOTALLY NEW TO ME. I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA. EVEN ALL YOUR PERMITTING AND EVERYTHING, A LOT OF IT IS JUST GREEK TO ME. I JUST NEVER HAVE ENCOUNTERED IT BEFORE. VERY MUCH UNDERSTAND AND SYMPATHIZE. WE'RE ALL WE'RE ALL JUST PEOPLE FROM LAGO VISTA, TOO. CHANCES ARE WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THE PROCESS ON YOUR SIDE OF IT OR SOMEBODY ELSE'S.SO? SO I'LL HAVE THE OWNERS GET IN TOUCH. UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK THEY GOT KIND OF TAKEN ON THE LOT BECAUSE THE PERSON THAT SOLD IT TO THEM WAS A BUILDER. AND HE CLEARED THE LOT OF
[00:10:03]
CEDARS AND EVERYTHING, AND THEN PROBABLY FOUND OUT THAT HE COULD ONLY BUILD A 15 FOOT TALL HOUSE ON IT AND SOLD THESE PEOPLE AND DIDN'T DISCLOSE THE FACT THAT THEY COULD ONLY PUT A TRAILER HOUSE ON IT. SO AND THEY'RE ABOUT 75000 INTO IT AT THIS POINT WITH EVERYTHING THEY'VE DONE. DEFINITELY HAVE TO TRY TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR THESE THINGS. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. I'LL HAVE THEM GET IN TOUCH THEN. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. THAT IS ALL I HAVE SIGNED TO SPEAK FROM PUBLIC COMMENT. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO WISH TO SPEAK WHO DIDN'T GET AN APPLICATION IN IN TIME? SIGN UP IN TIME. ASK A QUESTION. SURE. FROM THIS. CAN'T EVEN TAKE A QUESTION. NO. DARN. NO. ALL RIGHT. CATCH YOU THE NEXT MEETING. AT THE NEXT MEETING.AND THEN THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DESK. FOR SURE. THEY CAN HELP YOU WITH QUESTIONS BEYOND THAT. AGENDA WISE, FOR TONIGHT, THERE'S NOT ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE CAN WORK THROUGH WITHOUT QUORUM, UNFORTUNATELY. SO. WE ARE SEVEN MINUTES TILL SEVEN, AND WE CAN ADJOURN THIS MEETING OF THE BOARD
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.