AUSTIN, Texas — Cathy Bartley has called Skyview Road in North Austin home for 15 years, and she's not the only one who can count decades in the area. Carol Olewin has also lived on the same road for 26 years.
The two are part of a community that is in the midst of a fight to find a compromise with developers who have proposed building a five-story mixed-use apartment building just feet away their homes.
"It's going to be an eyesore. It's going to be horrible. It's incredibly intrusive," said Bartley.
Bartley argues the development will bring the property value of their homes down and change their "quality of life."
"We feel like we're David and Goliath," said Bartley. "You know, we're just homeowners trying to keep our homes, keep our investments, keep our lifestyle."
The project is part of a zoning request that falls under Austin's newest density bonus program dubbed "DB90." It allows developers to build up to 90-feet on commercially zoned properties in exchange for affordable housing.
Kim Updegrove, the Executive Director for Mothers' Milk Bank Austin located on Dillard Circle, said the building would face the apartments, fueling her concerns over congestion and parking.
"If you now build a very dense apartment building that brings in all of these folks who, yes live near mass transportation," said Updegrove. "They will be in competition with the people who are already using the circle parking, the spaces that are already filled."
Updegrove said she's not against the development as she is aware affordable housing is needed, but worries over how it's being executed.
"You need green space, you need places to go outside," said Updegrove. "You need places to park your vehicle. You need to conveniently be able to access your home, and it doesn't sound like that's part of the plan."
However, with the development appearing to be inevitable, Bartley, Olewin, Updegrove and several other neighbors have been in talks with the developer -- Urban Genesis -- about how they can find some common ground.
Last week, Skyview residents, District 4 leader Chito Vela and a team from Urban Genesis gathered in the backyard of one of the homes that would directly be impacted to discuss where the project stands.
Urban Genesis declined to make a formal comment to KVUE, but during the discussion with residents, Gahl Shalev noted that he and his team wanted to address their concerns and said, "We're not just here to destroy neighborhoods."
The residents drafted up a list of demands, which wanted Urban Genesis to consider:
- No balconies or windows facing single-family homes
- A privacy wall or screen along the single-family property lots
- Provide an off-site parking plan
Vela believes DB90 is a necessary tool to address the affordability crisis in Austin, and is confident the city, Skyview residents and Urban Genesis will reach a compromise.
"We've got to think about the needs of the entire community, whether it's with roads or trails or sidewalks or whatever the case may be," said Vela. "There is a give and take between a lot of the different neighbors and the neighborhood association and the contact team and there's been a lot of tough projects that are controversial that we're able to work through."
Urban Genesis, which has developed apartments in Austin, San Antonio and Houston, had set their sights on the Skyview neighborhood a few years ago, but because of past compatibility and city parking requirements were forced to axe the project.
In November 2023, Austin leaders removed requirements, giving developers free will to decide how much parking space they want to add to their builds. And in April, DB90 came to fruition as a replacement to its vertical mixed-use (VMU2) program, which was struck down by a Travis County District Judge in December.
A planning commission meeting is set for Aug. 13, where the case is expected to be heard. There will also be a public comment portion.
The planning commission will make its recommendation and the next step will be for it to head to city council.
Since DB90 was approved, there have been 47 zoning case applications, according to the planning department.