New apartments on hold
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Many of the 40-plus people in attendance at Tuesday's Austin City Planning Commission meeting were there to see if a former nursing home on the city's northwest side would be converted into a small apartment complex.
They'll have to wait at least another month to find out.
The commission decided to wait until next month's meeting to decide whether or not to take any action on a request by Kevin and Sara Schammel, of Austin, to have apartments on the site of the former Burr Oak Manor.
The point of contention during Tuesday's meeting was if a non-conforming land-use permit was even valid for Schammel to use to renovate the property.
Scott Richardson, an Austin attorney who said he represents many residents who live around the property, said that according to city bylaws, the permit expires one year after the previous facility closes.
In this case, it was Burr Oak Manor, which closed in October 2001.
When asked by commission chairman Brian Johnson if this was accurate, assistant city attorney Craig Byram said he was "persuaded by Mr. Richardson's argument. My immediate reaction is I don't think this will be possible."
Commission members had questions whether or not there would be adequate parking at the facility, located at 400 10th Ave. NW.
In Schammel's proposal for a 24-unit multi-family rental apartment complex, he said the property would have adequate parking under city code, which specifies 1.25 parking spaces per unit. In this case, a 24-unit complex would have to have 30 parking stalls, which is the number of stalls available at the Burr Oak property.
However, some commission members balked at such an idea, suggesting either more parking spaces are needed or less apartments.
"In today's age, I don't know too many families that don't have less than two cars," said commission member Gordon Kuehne. "It's a major concern for these folks."
"It just seems like there's not enough spots per unit," Johnson said.
Schammel, who has purchased the Burr Oak property, said he's willing to listen to residents about their concerns and wants to turn the property into something usable.
"We're trying to come up with a nice project that also satisfies the concerns the neighbors have," he said.
Schammel said if the apartments are built, an estimated price for a two-bedroom unit would be $650 a month and between $850 and $900 monthly for a three-bedroom unit.
The apartments would be furnished with dishwashers, washers and dryers, he said.
Paul Johnson, an Austin architect hired by Schammel to help devise how the proposed complex would be configured, said the units would be ideal for someone working at either Hormel Foods' Corporate South offices or the Austin Medical Center, because of its proximity.
"These are upper-scale units," he said.
Dan Fields can be reached at 434-2230 or by e-mail at dan.fields@austindailyherald.com