Brentwood At Midtown: Multifamily At 3114 La Branch St.

[hindesky]

Architect - https://www.interfield.net
 

[004n063]

I love the unassuming contiguity in this neighborhood. 

[hindesky]

[bookey23]

Did anything end up happening here?

[hindesky]

7 minutes ago, bookey23 said:

Did anything end up happening here?

I haven't seen anything yet.

[houstontexasjack]

There is a variance request for a proposed 40 unit multifamily complex at 1414 Rosalie St. They are seeking to reduce the number of required spaces from 53 to 43. 
 

[hindesky]

1 hour ago, houstontexasjack said:

There is a variance request for a proposed 40 unit multifamily complex at 1414 Rosalie St. They are seeking to reduce the number of required spaces from 53 to 43. 
 

This is this proposed apartment project.

 

 

[houstontexasjack]

28 minutes ago, hindesky said:

This is this proposed apartment project.

 

 

Merci beaucoup. 😊 I didn’t see anything with the Rosalie address from the variance request in HAIF’s records. 

[hindesky]

Just now, houstontexasjack said:

Merci beaucoup. 😊 I didn’t see anything with the Rosalie address from the variance request in HAIF’s records. 

Yeah the permits show a La Branch address but this might change with the parking variance.

[004n063]

I thought Midtown was one of the neighborhoods that didn't have a minimum parking requirement?

[hindesky]

2 variance request signs one facing La Branch and one facing Rosalie.

[hindesky]

The Planning Commission deferred this at the request of the applicant. Several neighbors spoke against it due to the limited street parking available in the area.

 

The applicant showed this drawing to the Planning commission as one way they could modify the plans.

Edited May 16 by hindesky

[phillip_white]

Quite a few of the townhome residents around this property use a portion of it for parking. Not sure if they have permission or not, but there's even a gate installed into the fence.

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7399211,-95.3727447,3a,75y,206.17h,76.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s94mLAUUzi2SVcktbecQm9g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[hindesky]

Planning Commission will consider the off street variance request at the May 30th meeting.

[hindesky]

Planning Commission deferred this at the applicants request. Lots of opposition from the neighborhood due to the lack of parking this will provide and minimal off street parking available. One of the commissioners asked the opposers if they would be ok if this were two stories higher to create more on site parking (the opposers seemed to be against it no matter what). Also one of the commissioners lives in Midtown and sat on the Midtown Authority board and this is exactly the kind of project they hoped for. A walkable neighborhood with mass transit. 

[phillip_white]

"There's not enough parking for everyone in my household to park our single-driver cars within a block AND I refuse to empty my two-car garage of all my hoarded junk."

Midtown is a joke. Developments like this should get automatic approval.

[houstontexasjack]

I wonder what opting into TOD would do to the design. I think it would allow the parking reduction as a matter of right in exchange for a “pedestrian realm” on the property.

[TX3G4R]

People are brain dead. Who moves into a dense(ish) neighborhood for Houston standards, and then complains about a multi family development. A lot of people really need to move to the burbs if they don’t enjoy city living.  

[j.33]

Maybe the residents can get the city to remove the parking restrictions on Elgin. That would open a lot more street parking for the area. 

[004n063]

5 hours ago, j.33 said:

Maybe the residents can get the city to remove the parking restrictions on Elgin. That would open a lot more street parking for the area. 

I would assume that the fire station has something to do with that.

[hindesky]

Planning Commission deferred this once again at the applicants request.

[hindesky]

The Planning Commission staff wanted to defer the off street variance in order to do a traffic survey but a couple of the Commissioners actually just wanted to approve it. Traffic surveys are really required for these few potential tenants but the neighbors who oppose it wanted one done. It was deferred.

 

[j.33]

Wow, a shocking turn of events, the commission ended up denying the variance. I’m a bit shocked by the decision. The previous meeting, most seemed on board with it. Definitely felt a tone shift with it during yesterday’s meeting. Not sure what’s up.

Anyways, it was denied and will most likely end up at 35 units, and valued engineered (no interior walkways, no trash chute, no weight/workout room, and no ground floor lobby - all from what the applicant said would happen if they don’t get the variance). 

[Amlaham]

I'm confused I thought there were no parking minimums required anymore in this area

[mfastx]

This city is going backwards. 

[hbg.50]

38 minutes ago, mfastx said:

This city is going backwards. 

I’m indifferent on this since I don’t live in that area but aren’t we talking about 48 parking spaces vs. 43?   What am I missing?

[houstontexasjack]

On 7/13/2024 at 9:17 AM, Amlaham said:

I'm confused I thought there were no parking minimums required anymore in this area

Part of Midtown got carved-out. 

[houstontexasjack]

On 7/12/2024 at 7:45 PM, j.33 said:

Wow, a shocking turn of events, the commission ended up denying the variance. I’m a bit shocked by the decision. The previous meeting, most seemed on board with it. Definitely felt a tone shift with it during yesterday’s meeting. Not sure what’s up.

Anyways, it was denied and will most likely end up at 35 units, and valued engineered (no interior walkways, no trash chute, no weight/workout room, and no ground floor lobby - all from what the applicant said would happen if they don’t get the variance). 

I think this one would have been eligible for reduced parking if it had used T.O.D. design with a “pedestrian realm.” I wonder if the commission denied this to encourage T.O.D. design.

[j.33]

58 minutes ago, houstontexasjack said:

I think this one would have been eligible for reduced parking if it had used T.O.D. design with a “pedestrian realm.” I wonder if the commission denied this to encourage T.O.D. design.

What it came down to was that staff's (City of Houston Planning Dept) recommendation was to deny (which is weird because I am pretty sure they're recommendation two weeks ago was to approve and it was switched to defer for two weeks to give residents time to review the parking study).

The planning commission has to basically agree with "staff's decision" unless they can find an unnecessary hardship that the applicant will experience. The commission went back and forth trying to figure out what the hardship could potentially be if they were to vote to approve the variance (going against staff's recommendation). Commissioner Baldwin talked about economic hardship for the developer already getting 80% the way through permitting...state laws doesnt allow you to use financial hardship as one of the hardships so that was struck down. Commissioner Baldwin also stated that there will be a hardship on pedestrians if this gets denied because the development does meet a lot of walkable places guidelines and makes it safer for pedestrians by providing wider sidewalks, less curb cuts, and pedestrian scale lighting and that could potentially go away if the parking variance is denied. Ultimately, they couldn't find the hardship, thus they had to agree with staff's recommendation. 

[phillip_white]

On 7/12/2024 at 7:45 PM, j.33 said:

Wow, a shocking turn of events, the commission ended up denying the variance. I’m a bit shocked by the decision. The previous meeting, most seemed on board with it. Definitely felt a tone shift with it during yesterday’s meeting. Not sure what’s up.

Anyways, it was denied and will most likely end up at 35 units, and valued engineered (no interior walkways, no trash chute, no weight/workout room, and no ground floor lobby - all from what the applicant said would happen if they don’t get the variance). 

The silliest part of the neighborhood opposition is that this will get built no matter what. They're essentially downgrading the property at their own expense.