The Allandale Reporter

Allandale Storm Drain project in today's news

TheAllandale drain improvement project is in the news today. YNN reports that the project has exceeded the original budget once again and the city council is being asked to approve an additional $223,607 to complete the work. In this report, the contractor, Texas Sterling Construction, has asked for additional money seven different times since the project began for things like extra signs, additional water line work, paving, and more totaling $500,000. The latest request is to cover the costs to replace nearly two miles of curb along the roads where the drainage work has occurred. It is hard to believe this was not considered in the original plan. The council is expected to vote on the extra funds at this Thursday's council meeting. The reporter talked with Allandale resident Donovan Miller. Click here to read and/or view the report.

The October 2011 Allandale Neighbor

The October Allandale Neighbor is being delivered. I received mine today and I hope you received yours as well. I am so pleased with the contributions neighbors submitted. I am always worried when we start the process that I won't have enough content to fill the 24 pages. But when it all comes in, I end up with too much. Many thanks to all of the folks who put the time and effort into writing an article. There is talent in this neighborhood.

The focus of this issue is coping with the drought. A big thank you to Angela Caras who talked to the tree experts and put together a piece on taking care of your trees during these dry times. We also have an article about a drought-hardy grass. St Augustine is not made for Austin summers. I am adding both articles to the website in case you would like to comment at the end of each article.

Dallas Nightclub property redevelopment in the works

This proposed development is not in Allandale but in Crestview, however it is just across Burnet Rd and it will it will likely impact us. A developer is asking the Crestview Neighborhood to adopt a Vertical Mixed Use (VMU) overlay on the property where the Dallas Night Club is located. The following is an excerpt of a post to the Crestview listserve about a meeting tomorrow night regarding the development:

The idea for the redevelopment is a 3-story mixed-use building that faces Burnet Road, with retail on the bottom floor and approximately 250 apartments on the back part of the property. A parking garage will be in the middle, not visible from the street or from the neighbors who back up to the property. It's a large area, about 7 acres, a bit smaller than the area of Brentwood Park. 

The developer will do a few nice things too: remove the liquor/bar zoning from the dallas property, build a really wide sidewalk with more new trees along Burnet, and allow walkable street access to the green/park space. 

Click here for the details about the proposed development in the Crestvoew Neighborhood Association's October newsletter (page 3). Monday night the Crestview Neighborhood Association is having  a meeting to vote on the proposed redevelopment at 6:30pm at the Crestview United Methodist Church at Grover/Woodrow,

 

The Votes have been counted on the Great Northern Blvd sound walls

Based on the ballots received by the MoPac Improvement Project Team from adjacent property owners, the proposed sound wall along Great Northern Blvd north of the Far West pedestrian bridge to Foster, Sound Wall #2, was voted down and will not be constructed. Six adjacent property owners voted for it, 10 voted against it, and 4 did not respond.

Adjacent property owners voted FOR the sound wall south of Far West  to 2222 along Great Northern Blvd, Sound Wall #3, by a margin of 26 to 3, with 16 no responses. Because this sound wall is to be constructed in the City of Austin's right-of-way, it will now go to the Austin City Council for approval. There were a total of 3 sound wall segments out of 23 proposed along MoPac that were voted down. You can get more information about the outcome of the vote and the project at the Mopac Improvement Project website: www.mopacexpress.com.

Raccoon mischief

What follows is an email I received from my neighbor down the street about a raccoon that had dug a hole into his roof. I agree with Dan, that is very odd and it makes me wonder if it is somehow related to the hot, dry weather causing uncharacteristic behaviors in area wildlife seeking water and food. I have never heard of a raccoon burrowing a hole in a person's roof. Your comments/observations welcomed.

Hi Tom -

We live just down the street from you, creekside on Bullard at 5913. I just wanted to let you know about an odd thing that happened. This weekend I noticed there were some roof shingles on the ground, and got the ladder out to go look. What I found was a patch of roof, about a yard across, about a yard from the edge, where the shingles were all torn up. In the middle of this there was a 6-10 inch hole through the roof, with what looked like bite marks around the periphery. Plywood actually pulled up at a corner. Something strong gnawed it's way through our roof! Roof rats? Squirrels? Raccoons? We weren't sure. Never had a problem with any of them before. No one was actually in our attic when we found the hole, thank goodness. Nothing disturbed. I covered up the hole temporarily with a piece of wood and a cinderblock. The next evening I went out with a flashlight, looked up at the roof, and saw a good sized 'coon up there, looking for his or her hole! I chased it off the roof, and it scampered down a tree. It did not look sick, just a little surprised. It looked a little on the big side to squeeze through that hole, so I'm guessing it came back to enlarge it.

Now, I've lived here for almost twenty years, and I've NEVER seen a rodent bore a hole right through the roof. Never even seen a raccoon on the roof. Maybe it's the terrible summer heat. I don't know. Why would it do that? But people should be aware. There is at least one raccoon living in Shoal Creek at the south end of the neighborhood who knows how to puncture roofs, and doesn't hesitate to do it! Roof is now fixed (maybe that means it's going to rain?) Not sure how to keep that raccoon from doing it again, but we'll be vigilant. Thought the neighbors would like to know.
Best Regards,
Dan Lester

City deferring enforcement of Board's ruling on short-term rentals

The city's Board of Adjustment has ruled that short-term rentals, also referred to as vacation rentals, for a period of less than 10 days is a violation of city code. The City of Austin however is deferring enforcement of the ruling which has critics, including some of the people who live next to the short-term rental properties upset. The City originally ruled that there is nothing in the code relating to length of a residential lease. However, opponents cite Section 25-2-3 of the code, which says, "Residential uses include the occupancy of living accommodations on a nontransient basis." According to one city official, the city is is in the process of reviewing the short-term rental business and there is a good possibility that the city code relating to residential uses will change when the review process is completed. You can expect more to come on the matter as it works its way through the courts. Click here to read "Despite board's ruling, Austin allows short-term home rentals - for now," on statesman.com.

August 2011 Allandale Neighbor now being delivered

The Allandale list serv lit up in July as residents learned more about the proposed sound walls for Great Northern Blvd. Some want it, some don't. In this issue of the Allandale Neighbor we attempt to get the facts out about the project including what's next.

As always, this issue of the Allandale Neighbor covers a number of topics. We provide an update on the Storm Drain Improvements Project, list the winners from the Allandale Parade, and provide a write-up on the re-opening of the Northwest Recreation Center. School is starting and we provide a glimpse of what is in store for Gullett and Lamar. As always we have our President's letter, Laura DiCarlo's Neighborhood Watch column, a garden column from Giner Soule’, and Dog Talk from Cheryl Silver. 

The Allandale Neighbor is a volunteer effort. Many thanks to the newsletter team: Cathy Savage who does the layout and advertising, Angela Caras who is our copy-editor, and our writers: Laura Dooley, Cynthia Keohane, and Stephanie Schulz.

Please support our advertisers. It's always good to support the folks that support us. Click here for the electronic (pdf) version of the August newsletter.

Tom Linehan
Editor, The Allandale Neighbor 

Allandale Storm Drain Improvements Project Update 8/16/11

Informal Meeting: The Project Manager, Tony Krauss, is usually available for questions at the north end of the excavation on Bull Creek Road at 5:30 p.m. most Tuesdays, including Tuesday, August 16. If you come, please stay out of the barricaded area.

Status of Box Culvert on Bull Creek Rd: The contractor continues to install the two 7 by 4 foot box culverts on Bull Creek Road. Construction was at the White Rock intersection on August 15, and it is likely to take most of the week to get through the intersection. Progress may be a little faster in the block north of White Rock. The contractor may reach the White Horse intersection in early September.

For installation of the box culvert, about 400 feet of Bull Creek Road is completely closed to traffic on a 24-hour basis. The progress depends on the amount of rock and the conflicting utility lines. The closure cannot be reopened at night for safety reasons.

Francis Stanish, former owner of Top Notch dies

Francis Stanish, the original owner of Top Notch restaurant, died on Friday at the age of 75, after battling breast cancer for 14 years. She and her husband, Ray, opened up the hamburger shop on Burnet Road in 1971. She sold it last year to the people who own the Galaxy Cafes and Zocalo. You can read more about her death on Addie Broyles’ Relish Austin Blog; or click here to read her obituary in today's paper. (photo credit: Paul Lowry)

Allandale Storm Drain Improvements Project Update 8/9/11

Informal Meeting: There will be no meeting on Tuesday, August 9. The Project Manager, Tony Krauss, is usually available for questions at the north end of the excavation on Bull Creek Road at 5:30 p.m. most Tuesdays. If you come, please stay out of the barricaded area.

Status of Box Culvert on Bull Creek Rd: The contractor continues to install the two 7 by 4 foot box culverts on Bull Creek Road between RM 2222 and White Rock Drive. Progress is about 30 feet a day. We may reach White Rock late next week. It will likely take until early or mid-September to reach White Horse Drive.

For installation of the box culvert, about 400 feet of Bull Creek Road is completely closed to traffic on a 24-hour basis. The progress depends on the amount of rock and the conflicting utility lines. The closure cannot be reopened at night for safety reasons.