Springdale Farm (District 3)

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Sabino Pio Renteria
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 11:03 am

Springdale Farm (District 3)

Post by Sabino Pio Renteria »

Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Council Members,

Several of your offices have reached out to me to obtain more information about Springdale Farm and their Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application that will appear on our August 20th agenda.

I have had the opportunity to speak to some of you about the long history and former council actions that lead to this CUP application. Additionally, I know that some of you have even gone out to the neighborhood and visited Springdale Farm in District 3 to see it for yourselves.

However, due to concerns about creating a “walking quorum,” I haven’t yet had the chance to have a conversations about this with each of you. Therefore, in order to communicate effectively and comply with the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA), I am making this post to share some background and provide you with a summary of my thoughts on this case.

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I will be voting YES, to grant Springdale Farm’s appeal, and I hope you will join me in supporting this local business and community hub that has grown to become such a valuable asset to District 3 and our City.
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Background:
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Springdale Farm is a 4.83 acre property in the Govalle Neighborhood, located between the Colorado River and Boggy Creek.

Paula and Glen Foore, purchased the land through the City’s Economic Re-development Program over 23 years ago. The program encouraged the development of small businesses that would employ people in economically disadvantaged areas of town.

After purchasing the land, the Foores started a small landscaping company and began plotting a garden. Enjoying their garden more and more, they slowly transitioned from local landscapers to organic urban farmers. In 2008, the community’s interest in their produce reached new heights and they began to transform the property into what is now Springdale Farm.

Since then, a gradually increasing number of customers, including several chefs from local restaurants, have lined up to purchase healthy, local, and fresh produce from the biweekly farm stand on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

But life as urban farmers has brought its own challenges. The Foores have had to look for additional revenue sources to keep the farm in operation. That has included hosting events such as fundraisers and weddings for folks who are interested in urban agriculture and the beautiful green space that the farm has to offer.

However, not all of the events hosted on the property are meant to turn a profit. Many of these events have benefited nonprofit organizations like the Autism Society of Central Texas, Urban Roots, the Texas Land Conservancy, and a diverse set of charitable groups that are doing great work in our city.

Even if the farm where able to survive a denial of their CUP, the financial reality would mean these nonprofit events would necessarily be the first to go. But this isn’t the only benefit the Foores contribute to our community.

Springdale Farm serves District 3 and adds value to our entire City in many other ways, including:

- Providing access to healthy, local, and fresh produce for individuals, families, and over 50 restaurants in the City.
o Offering over 70 varieties of fruits and vegetables over the course of the year.

- Expanding healthy food access to low-income families by participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and accepting Lone Star Card benefits.

- Providing 10% discount to local chefs and 15% discount to the farm’s East Side neighbors.

- Providing jobs, including to individuals who have worked with the family for over 20 years.
o In a letter of support during last year’s discussion, Juan Peña, an employee who has worked with the family for over 20 years wrote “… they are good people that created a source of dignified work for us as workers. The jobs they create have given us the opportunity to sustain our family.”
o Another employee, Cresencio Licea, who has worked with them for over 22 years added that “the Foore’s family has been like a family to me.”

- Operating the “Springdale Center for Urban Agriculture” non-profit which uses grant funding from the Austin Food and Wine Alliance to grow and study heirloom plants.
o Their goal is to learn about how different heirloom varieties are affected by Central Texas climate. The non-profit is committed to sharing their findings with other farmers and the public to improve production of heirlooms in our region.

- Partnering with The Thinkery to develop educational programs for children.

- Providing educational tours and field trip opportunities to students ranging from grade school to college in order to promote urban farming and increase knowledge about food sources and production.

The Foores have truly found their passion in urban farming. They love what they do and they have consistently used their success to give back to the community. We should support their ability and willingness to function as a responsible and socially conscious local business.

While there are legitimate concerns about parking and music at the farm, the Foore’s are constantly trying to find solutions and have made a lot of progress to address any concerns the neighbors have raised. During events, the Foores walk the perimeter with a sound decibel reader to make sure they are not creating a nuisance. To address parking issues, they have struck a deal with AISD to use Allen Elementary’s parking lot for offsite parking. (Allen Elementary is not currently functioning as an actual elementary school as it has been underused since being vacated by the IDEA charter school).

I have followed this case for a long time and I know that the Foores have always strived to be respectful of their neighbors. After all, Springdale is not only their business, it’s also their home.


Conditional Use Permit (CUP) Application:
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There is one important thing to note that is essential to understanding this application: Any given land use would require a Conditional Use Permit to allow outdoor entertainment. In other words, no zoning classification exists in the City of Austin which allows outdoor entertainment without a CUP.

That’s why Springdale Farm is coming to us.

In their application, they are not asking for a single thing that goes beyond the conditions and entitlements set in their zoning by the previous council. In fact, they are actually agreeing to comply with several additional restrictive conditions that were not a part of the CS-MU-CO-NP zoning designation that the Council approved unanimously in December of 2014.

This zoning change included all of the following restrictions which are identical to the proposed CUP:
- Over 50 prohibited uses (too many to list here)
- An 80 foot setback from adjacent single-family house
- 2,000 trips per day
- Required agreement with AISD for offsite parking

- In relation to events:

o Events with 50 people or fewer
 Unlimited number
 No outdoor amplified sound

o Events with 51-150 people
 22 per year
 Outdoor amplified sound allowed with restrictions
• Not allowed during SXSW

o Events with over 150 people
 5 per year
 Prohibited after 5pm
 No outdoor amplified sound

o Hours:
 Monday limits 3pm – 8pm
 Tuesday limits 3pm – 8pm
 Wednesday limits 3pm – 8pm
 Thursday limits 3pm – 8pm
 Friday limits 3pm – 9pm
 Saturday limits 10am – 10pm
 Sunday limits 10am – 8pm

In addition to the zoning restrictions mentioned above, the CUP includes the following additional conditions:
- Parking signage at farm and parking lot
- Required security officers anytime the Allen parking lot is used
- Accessible ADA and bicycle parking
- Crosswalk installation at Mansell Avenue and Gonzales St.

With all of these restrictions and with the tremendous amount of respect I have seen from the Foores throughout the course of this seemingly never ending Springdale saga, I am confident that we can support this local business and make sure that the concerns of the surrounding residents are addressed.

Thank you very much for your time,

Pio
Council Member District 3
Don Zimmerman
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:05 am

Re: Springdale Farm (District 3)

Post by Don Zimmerman »

I concur with Councilmember Renteria on this matter.
Don Zimmerman
Council Member District 6 (northwest Austin)
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