QUICK LINKS TO NEIGHBORHOOD TOPICS:
Comments? Complaints? Input? Please
send us an email with any comments, complaints, or concerns about neighborhood
matters by clicking here.
Next WANG Board Meeting: The next meeting
of the WANG Board of Directors will occur on Monday, July 6, 2009 (the first Monday of the month), beginning at
7:00 pm at the Clubhouse at Lions Municipal Golf
Course. Anyone is welcome to
attend, and if you have an issue to discuss with the board, please contact our
President, August Harris, at 320-8808 or via email by clicking here.
Next Neighborhood Planning Meeting:
On Tuesday, July 7th, 2009, the next Central
For your reference, a map is posted at www.westaustinng.com/Unfinished_land_use_July_07_2009
which depicts the location, current zoning, and use of land of these remaining
properties. Please let Paul DiGiuseppe, Principal Planner for the City of
The meeting details are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, July 7th
Time: 6:30PM-9:00PM
Location:
Please remember to abide by the strict 10MPH
speed limit when on the
If you are not able to attend the meeting,
you can provide your comments to the City Staff by emailing either Victoria
Craig (victoria.craig@ci.austin.tx.us) or Paul DiGiuseppe (Paul.DiGiuseppe@ci.austin.tx.us) with your input.
For complete information on the
Neighborhood Planning process, go to http://www.westaustinng.com/NeighborhoodPlanningInfo.htm.
Also, please check out the updated Website, http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zoning/central_west_austin.htm. .
According to
Officer Kelly LaHood (APD Central West District Command Kelly.LaHood@
ci.austin.tx.us, 974-5788), there are many scams going around at the moment, so
APD recommends that you be sure to call and verify any business cards given
out. For example, there have been
reports of thefts associated with folks in a white van who offer to perform
tree trimming services. According
to reports, these folks are two very thin (possible drug users) white males. They drive a van that is older and may
have green hand painted writing on the van that says discount tree trimming or
cheap tree trimming. If you see this van in your
area, please call 911 and at least get the license plate. Many people
report the van and thefts but no one has yet given us the license plate. Thank
you for your eyes and ears! And be
cautious!!!
The new APD
District Representative for our neighborhood (SPO David J. Knutson #3002,
Central West District Representative, Ph:
512-974-5917) provided the following list of tips for preventing vehicle
burglary:
VEHICLE BURGLARY PREVENTION TIPS
Most
of these crimes occur because people leave car doors unlocked or leave
valuables in plain sight. The most likely targets for theft are briefcases,
purses, wallets, expensive sunglasses, watches, camera gear, MP3 players, PDAs,
gym bags, sports equipment, auto parts, CDs, speakers, power tools, spare
change, and mail.
Vehicle burglaries are crimes of opportunity, and carelessness often results in
vehicles being broken into; however, residents can minimize their chances of
being a victim by taking a few simple steps:
ü
Keep all
car doors and windows closed and locked – even if it’s a quick
errand. This sounds like common sense, but about 30% of vehicle burglaries are
from vehicles where the doors were not locked or a window was down.
ü
Do not
leave valuables or packages in plain sight in your vehicle. This may sound like
a simple solution, but it happens all the time where items of value are left in
plain view. It automatically makes you a target. If you must leave valuables in
the car, put them in the trunk.
ü
If your
vehicle has a built in security system, use it. If you don’t have a
security system installed, it is worth the investment - it may also qualify you
for a discount on your auto insurance.
ü
Park your
vehicle in an area that is visible to the public and well-lit at night. If
possible, park your car in the garage. If garage parking is not available, the
next best option is to park your car in the driveway and install motion-sensor
security lighting on your home.
ü
Never
leave an electronic garage opener in the car. It can provide a thief easy
access to your home.
ü
Headed to
the gym or hike & bike trail? Burglars are, too. Hiding valuables under the
seat is not enough. Bring as few
items as possible with you - leave jewelry, watches, laptops, etc at home. Keep
any necessary valuables like keys, identification, and credit cards on your
person.
ü
Keep a
list of serial numbers (include make and model information, as well) for the
commonly used electronic equipment you may keep in the car, like CD players,
stereo faceplates, MP3 players, etc. Keep a copy of this inventory in a safe
place such as a safe deposit box. We also suggest that you engrave your
driver’s license number on your valuables to aid in their recovery,
should they be lost or stolen.
ü
If your
car is burglarized, please report it to the police department immediately.
These
simple steps should be used whenever you park your car, whether you are just
“running in for a minute” or parking for the evening.
In addition to protecting your own property from criminals, you can be a good
neighbor by watching out for suspicious persons or activities in your area. No
one knows a neighborhood better than the people who live there, so the Police
Department depends on the assistance of concerned, responsible residents to
report suspicious persons or activity. If you see something that looks
suspicious, call 9-1-1. Suspicious activity may include:
ü
A person
looking into parked cars may be looking for a car to steal or for valuables
left in plain view inside.
ü
The sound
of breaking glass or car alarm could mean a vehicle break-in.
ü
Any
vehicle without lights at night, cruising slowly, or following a course that
seems aimless or repetitive is suspicious in any location. Occupants may be
"casing" for a burglary.
ü
Persons
walking around a neighborhood pulling on car door handles may be looking for
unlocked vehicles to steal from.
Residents are encouraged to call 9-1-1
immediately about all suspicious activity. Don’t worry about feeling
embarrassed if your suspicions are wrong; think instead about what could happen
if your suspicions are right and you don't call. It is the Police
Department’s job to investigate suspicious matters, and any assistance in
spotting suspicious persons or activities is appreciated.
REMEMBER: A thief can
burglarize your vehicle in less than 30 seconds!
Austin Police Department - Central West Area Command
APD 2008 Resource Manual – A copy of the APD Resource
Manual for 2008 is posted at Resource
Manual January 2008.pdf. The
manual includes information on when to make 911 and 311 calls, an alphabetical listing
of city services, and a listing of agencies providing housing and human
services.
Reporting VIN Etching - When folks don’t
report petty crimes or other little things they feel the Police can't solve,
things can escalate to where it is a real problem, which becomes frustrating
for folks. The police are not
bothered by hearing from citizens about petty crimes or “little
things,” and we should never
hesitate to call 9-1-1 or 3-1-1 to report an incident. The police are dispatched according to a
priority system. If an Officer is
available he/she will be sent; if not when one becomes available they will be
sent out. While the police do have
limited resources, there is a "Crime Analyst” whose job is to track
crime by frequency and types. This
information is used to deploy, patrol officers, special units, develop plans to
curve the crime. The police look
for "Hot Spots," and when the neighborhood starts reporting crime and
demanding action, then the police know there is a problem and focus their attention
on it.
So if
you have an aggressive solicitor, or one whose story does not seem right, or
one who tries your door handle before knocking.....Call 9-1-1. Let the police check them out. If they aren't breaking the law,
fine. It at least lets them know
that the police know they are in the area.
It also lets them know folks care enough to ask the police to check
things out in their neighborhood.
Sometimes, the police are lucky to find a person who has outstanding
warrants and they get picked up. If it is suspicious to you, then it is worth
calling in. This also lets the
patrol officer assigned to your area know what kind of things to look for and
he/she patrols with a better purpose.
As for yourselves
be aware of your surroundings. Don't leave property in plain view in either
your vehicles or your yards. These
become tempting crimes of opportunity.
Use motion sensor lighting.
Perhaps put radios or TVs on timers during the day when your gone to
work. Say one timer in a front room
for a couple of hours, then a second in another room for a later time. Crooks look around and try to listen to
see if someone is home. Close
blinds so they can't look in. The best thing of all is neighbors looking
out for neighbors.
New Historic
Preservation Ordinance Allows Local Historic Districts To Be Established: On June 22,
2006, the Austin City Council passed an ordinance allowing for the
establishment of local historic districts (“LHDs”) by providing
rehabilitation incentives for properties in such districts. The stated purpose of these LHDs is to
preserve the areas. The neighbors
in a LHD will devise a “preservation plan” and the city will grant
some tax abatements for preservation efforts.
To qualify for a local
historic district designation, the ordinance requires that:
1. a
petition be filed requesting local historic district designation by the owners
of at least 60% of the land within a proposed local historic district to
initiate rezoning of the property;
2. 51%
of the structures within a local historic district must be contributing at the
time the nomination is placed on the agenda of the Historic Landmark
Commission, but not at the time the case is heard by Council;
3. at
least 25% of the contributing buildings within a local historic district must
be documented with ownership and occupancy histories in no less than 5 year
intervals);
4. Section
25-2-355(A) clarifying the criteria for designation of a historic landmark and
a historic area combining district;
5. the
Historic Landmark Commission to review applications for remodel permits which
affect the exterior of a building within a National Register Historic District
The Historic Task Force Recommendations are available by clicking here,
the Task
Force Report is available by clicking here,
and the actual Ordinance
is available by clicking here.
On August 24, 2005, the Heritage Society sponsored a seminar
on the upcoming local historic districts.
You can download the presentation
by Steve Sadowsky, City of
According to the summary, “owner-occupied residential
properties would be eligible for a seven-year abatement on the added value of
the rehabilitation with the re-investment of 25% of the pre-improvement value
of the structure in qualified rehabilitation expenditures, including at least
5% of the pre-improvement value of the structure re-invested in exterior
restoration or rehabilitation.”
That’s a mouthful, but essentially, the City won’t tax the
increase in value from any improvement/rehabilitation for seven years if (1) at
least 25% of the pre-improvement value of the structure is used for
“qualified rehabilitation expenditures” and (2) at least 5% of the
pre-improvement value of the structure is used for “exterior restoration
or rehabilitation.” Different
rules apply for income producing properties.
THIS IS BIG NEWS BECAUSE THE ORDINANCE MAY BE AN EXTREMELY USEFUL TOOL FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Taming The Teardown Trend: Across the
nation and throughout our neighborhood, there are growing concerns that
teardown trends are irreparably changing historic neighborhoods as fine
historic homes are demolished to make way for much larger, new houses. Too often, these oversized structures
disrupt the architectural and historic character of the existing neighborhood,
diminishing livability and destroying the amenities that originally made the
neighborhood an attractive place to live.
For this reason, the National Trust for Historic
Preservation has released “Protecting America’s
Historic Neighborhoods: Taming the
Teardown Trend,” a comprehensive report on strategies and best
practice solutions being used in communities today to control teardowns. This booklet, which is available by
clicking here,
empowers property owners, once defenseless against the changes sweeping through
their neighborhoods, with necessary preventative tools to combat
teardowns. The report also offers
viable alternatives for preservationists and local governments seeking to limit
the teardown trend.
Deed Restriction Tool for Protecting Neighborhood: At our May
board meeting, Nikelle
Meade, a partner with the Brown McCarroll law firm, presented information
on how deed restrictions can be used as an effective tool for like-minded
neighbors to protect their local neighborhood from over development. WANG will work toward setting up a
program to help small groups of neighbors (perhaps a group of neighbors on a
one or two street area) enact an agreed set of deed restrictions that would
preserve the general “look and feel” of the street, or at least
prevent the most offensive development outcomes.
Are The City’s Land Use and Zoning
Requirements Not Being Enforced? Are there new construction projects on your street where the City is not
enforcing its land use and zoning requirements relating to impervious cover,
setback requirements, tree protection?
If so, please send us an email to let us know by clicking here. This
information will be forwarded to the Austin Neighborhood Council (ANC) which is
compiling a database of code enforcement “failures” across the city
which will be presented to the City in an effort to obtain better
enforcement. Alternatively, you can
contact the City code enforcement directly at Zoning.Enforcement@ci.austin.tx.us
or 974-6576.
Trash Day Slide Schedule: The City of
Construction Awareness Information System: The City of Austin Construction Awareness
Information System is available to provide information about on-going
construction projects that may affect your travel through the City. At the City’s web site (www.cityofaustin.org/ca), click on
the map to get project information and the latest news and meeting dates. You can obtain construction information
about Central Austin Projects by clicking here.
Crime Alert: Recent crime concerns in our neighborhood
– see the Crime Information page.
In addition, a recent search of the Austin Police Department
Registered Sex Offenders Database identified on registered sex offender living
in the 78703 zip code at 1115 West 9th Street.
For specific information and pictures of the registrants and
to get up to date listings, go the APD database search site at https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/Portal/index.aspx
and enter the required information.
Zoning and Variance Alerts: Click Boards and
Commissions Agendas to see the agendas for the
Board of Adjustments and the Zoning and Platting Commission. For a listing of prior variance request
decisions, click here.
News 8 Austin Article Regarding Tarrytown Shopping Center: Click here
to see an article entitled “Strict rules drive businesses out of shopping
center,” describing recent developments about the Tarrytown Shopping
Center.
Police Reports for
At the attached page, a map is
provided showing the Police Reporting Areas (PRAs) for our neighborhood. Below the map is a listing of crime
reports that are organized by PRA, so that you can see what types of crimes
were reported for each PRA. I was
frankly surprised to see how many crime reports were filed for our neighborhood
during this reporting period. I
guess we are getting our money’s worth from APD!
Holiday
House 2425 Exposition (478-2652) (RIP)
Lucy’s Boatyard,
Maudie’s Cafe, 2608 W. 7th (473-3740) (menu)
Mangia’s Pizza, 2401 Lake Austin Blvd. (478-6600) (menu)
Magnolia Cafe,
Zoot Restaurant, 509 Hearn (477-6535) (menu)
Original David’s Brick Oven, 1608 W. 35th (453-4330) (Lunch Menu and Dinner Menu)
Food!Food!,
Mozart’s,
3825 Lake Austin Blvd. (477-2900)
Hula Hut, 3825 Lake Austin Blvd. (476-4852) (menu)
Téo Espresso,
Gelato & Bella Vita (formerly Babbo’s), 26 Doors Shopping Center
(451-9555)
ThunderCloud
Subs,
FAX: 479-0440 ORDER
ON-LINE!) (menu)
Texenza Coffee,
Starbucks,