Read the PDF version here.

It’s My Park Day, Gillis Park, November 4 at 9:00 a.m.
by Marty Harris
Come join us Saturday, November 4th for It’s My Park Day at Gillis Park
It’s My Park Day is Austin Parks Foundation’s biannual, community-led day of service occurring every Spring and Fall, where neighborhoods volunteer in local parks and green spaces on projects such as litter cleanup, tree mulching, invasive species management, riparian zone restoration, trail management, and more. This is a great way to build the neighborhood community, foster local relationships, and connect with other park green space lovers. The Fall IMPD is November 4th, starting at 9 a.m. at our neighborhood park, Gillis Park on 2410 Durwood Ave at the corner of West Oltorf and South 1st.
We will mulch the trees with 16 cubic yards of compost mulch provided by the city and do a cleanup sweep of trash in Gillis Park and along the creek nearby. We have not done this for a year and with the impact of past the summer heat the area really needs our attention.
Gloves, shovels, transport compost tubs and trash pick up tools will be provided, but feel free to bring your own, if you can.
Open Volunteer Registration will start on Monday, October 9th and will end on the morning of the event on November 4th. Pleases sign up at the site below. You will also need to fill out a waiver to volunteer. We are asking for 30 people for this task.
Dawson Neighborhood Association became stewards of Gillis Park many years ago and it is again a good community building project that helps to bring our local community together, and with needed to care for our local park and green space.
Visit this site for more information and to volunteer: https://austinparks.org/impd/
Please join us for this event!

Next Meeting: Holiday pot luck!!!
Monday, December 11, 6:30PM at the South Austin Neighborhood Center at 2508 Durwood (between Durwood and South 1st)
We meet on the 2nd Monday of February, April, June, August, October, and December.
DNA email distribution: GroupIO page (sign up!)
DNA on NextDoor

Newsletter Editor:Eliot Kimber, drmacro@gmail.com

Thanks to our sponsor!

Dawson Elementary serves children ages 3 to 12 years.Please contact Dawson’s principal, Tania Jedele, at 512-698-9151, to setup a time for a tour.

Update on the Proposed Changes For the Land Development Code
Last July, the Austin city council passed a resolution directing the city manager to create revisions to the land development code that would allow more houses to be built on smaller lots, with substantial changes to existing height, impervious cover and setback limits.
The city manager has been directed to bring a proposal to council for discussion by November 23 and for a vote by December 14.
Here is the language of the resolution as enacted: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=412618
New developments: the city is considering allowing the use of RVs parked on single-family zoned properties to be used as permanent residences and eliminating the limits on the numbers of unrelated adults living in a single dwelling.

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2023/09/council-to-consider-joint-hearing-with-planning-commission-on-code-amendments/

These proposals will be on the agenda at a joint meeting of the Planning Commission and City Council on October 26:

https://communityimpact.com/austin/south-central-austin/government/2023/10/05/austinites-can-weigh-in-on-housing-density-occupancy-proposals-oct-26/

Here’s where you can provide feedback to the city about the proposal and sign up to receive updates:

https://www.speakupaustin.org/d0670

You can also email all the council members and the mayor from this page:

https://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members

Here’s a link to the presentation at the ANC July meeting, which strongly opposes the proposal:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uEhc7brCQKuGkz02OIURAjt96DHjV1Yl/view

Here’s an article that presents the proposal in a much more positive light:

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2023/09/austin-policy-lets-builders-forgo-red-tape-the-result-more-affordable-housing-less-public-input/

Minutes of Dawson Neighborhood Association September 13, 2023
Convened at 6:30 p.m. at South Austin Neighborhood Center
Julie Woods, President, called the meeting to order.
Minutes approved.

Zoom recording for meetings? No consensus reached.
Tree trimming/creek: Davey Tree, on behalf of COA, is trimming tree limbs from electrical lines. Unfortunately, two trees were completely cut down along East Bouldin Creek at approximately Wilson & El Paso for no apparent reason after property owner called to have a limb removed.Julie’s conversation with Davey Tree: a. They can’t talk about other people’s property. b. Renters have little input. c. Property owners can negotiate to limit trimming and be present during trimming. d. Electrocution is possible, even from large distances from electrical lines.
Discussed possible creek clean up in near future and potential partnerships with other groups, e.g., Keep Austin Beautiful, Parks Foundation, South Austin Creek Foundation. Discussed methods to notify property owners who own non-navigatable creek. East Bouldin Creek in Gillis Park is a place to start creek clean up and “rewilding the creek”. Leave notices “Rewilding in Progress”. Start a sub-group to work on rewilding the creek.
Zilker: Zilker Vision Plan is off the table per Mayor Kirk Watson. Some think the opposition film by Rewild Zilker was propaganda with no credentials cited. What will replace Vision Plan? Parking needs improvement. One critique of the Vision Plan is that it recommended an umbrella nonprofit to oversee the plan that seemed to limit public input. The Vision Plan lacked traffic studies, environmental studies (esp. with regard to Barton Springs), and engineering reports. Maybe when new Zilker discussions and plans re-emerge, DNA can provide input.
Introductions of meeting attendees, explanation of interactions with other neighborhood groups, and City Council District 3 Representative = José Velásquez.
Single Family Zoning/Affordability: Mueller Project, built on COA land, has affordable components, but most of Mueller is not affordable. City Council member Leslie Pool’s resolution (reinterpretation of single family zoning, e.g., smaller legal lots with 3 buildings allowed per lot) will lead to infill, but will it help affordability? Does Austin have the infrastructure, electric, water, sewer, for increased density? Does Austin have the water resources and water treatment plants for increased density? Will Leslie Pool’s resolution lead to increased property taxes for existing residents?
COA is working on an “Equitable Affordability Plan”.
Report on DNA’s Neighborhood Mobility Plan will take place at next meeting in October.
“The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, by Jane Jacobs (1961) recommended read.

Minutes of Dawson Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, September 13, 2023
There was not much time spent on the DNPCT side of the meeting as there was not much to report. Most of the meeting discusion was given to DNA meeting before this meeting.

Approval of June Minutes—minutes were approved by member vote
Mention by Martin that the city was proposing to change the number of parking places needed for both residential and commercial use.
Notice made to the group of Nominations for DNPCT officers to be made at the October Meeting.
Meeting adjourned.