Circle C Neighbors

HEB/Stratus and the CCHOA ad hoc committee needs your input on the 2 HEB's that will be within 1/2 mile of each other in our community. Please send your thoughts to these addresses:

arausch@austin.rr.com
info@circlecranch.com
mch@lawsw.com
moede.eric@heb.com
otto.martin@heb.com
imacsal@aol.com (I'll print out your letter and take it to the City of Austin zoning process)

You must speak up, before it's built and your stuck in traffic (swearing about it).
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1/7/04
Martin Otto of HEB,

I received an 8 page flier from HEB the other day for a ''white sale''. This HEB flier had no groceries in it. Only blankets, sheets, dishes, gift sets, party goods, frames, pots and pans, kitchen appliances etc.

Since so many of the residents here in Circle C have concerns of this oversized 93,000 sq ft HEB, why not build a smaller, Brodie Lane size store, and leave out all the ''extra'' stuff that appears to make HEB a WALMART type store?

The Brodie Lane store is still very large. I know there is a ban from City Council on all big boxes over 50,000 sq ft in this environmentally sensitive area. But why do you have to use the grocery store 100,000 sq ft loophole? It sure seems like HEB greased some wheels at City Council for this special treatment.

Also, why would you build a second an HEB across from Seton Hospital? That's about 1 mile away from the tract proposed Slaughter/Escarpment HEB. Don't you have any concern for our neighborhood? Why must Circle C be turned into HEB land? Just so you can squeeze out your competitors?

I shop at HEB, but you forcing too much of your size and presence on Circle C is sounding like company in my home, that just won't leave.

Sal Costello
CCHOA member paid in full

HEB <=> Wal-Mart ? WHY ??


my email to HEB, via Otto (who has not replied) - Russ


Mr Otto,

? ? ?  I tend to agree with Sal's assessment.? ?  We anticipated the opportunity to discuss some concerns with you, in particular, about the massive size of this store, the parking lot surface, and the justification for drive-up services.

? ? ?  The size of the store is not easily explained by adding a Sushi bar and chef or more fresh produce.? ?  The expansion into dry goods puts?  your grocery store more in line with Wal-Mart and Target, which, in my mind, no longer would give you the exemption to build over 50,000 square feet (Big Box limits imposed by the new moritorium and Big Box ordinance for building on the Edwards Aquifer).? ? ?  You currently enjoy the 100,000 square foot limit exemption, ONLY FOR GROCERY STORES !

? ? ? ?  Otto, I was hoping that you could better explain why HEB needs such a monster store in the middle of a bed room community that has very strong feelings about overbuilding commercial properties.? ? ?  If this store has features like the Central Market, with extensive out door decks, I could understand a little better.? ?  I also didn't hear you mention anything about using the second floor space, which typically has housed offices, classrooms, and inside dinning at other HEBs and Central Markets.? ? 

? ? ? ?  I can't understand 93,000 square feet.? 


? ? ? ?  You heard a were offered a long list (60 items) of concerns from the CCHOA ad hoc study committee, however, I never heard ANY commitment on your part or Stratus Properties to comply with any of them.? ?  I understand that you have a tenative agreement on some 29 points (mostly included in the CCHOA list) with the New Villages of Western Oaks (via Stephani Stone).? ?  What items are your ready to tie to your zoning request?  ?? ?  What is HEB's commitment, in writing ?


? ? ? ? ?  We heard that lighting would be designed to avoid light pollution, as much as possible.?  The parking lot surface may become an issue in that discussion, and it was not included in the CCHOA items that were offered.? ?  Will your parking lots be cement (highly reflective) or Asphalt (highly toxic), or something more environmentally acceptable ?


? ? ? ? ? ?  I regret that CCHOA did not conduct the meeting in a more proper manner, In other Town Hall meetings, we generally produce an agenda, and then move for approval of that agenda.?  Had we done so, then I think we would have enjoyed a more interactive question and answer session.?  Instead, the meeting was rushed and we were compelled to do the best we could individually.?  That's not how an HOA is supposed to operate and post meeting feedback indicated a significant disappointment our attempts to establish a meaningful dialog.? ? 

? ? ?  Unfortunately, some of this misunderstanding is a problem with the CCHOA?  3 member HOA board.?  You should know that the Circle C Ranch homeowners just got court approval to make some badly needed changes in their organization.?  They intend to expand the board from 3 to 9 members within the next 60 days, which will mean that that you will be working with a new HOA management team.? ? 

? ? ? ?  In the end, it would be ideal if all of the local HOA's could endorse your zoning change request, before you get to the public hearing.? ? ? 

? ? ? ?  The good news is that everyone agrees that the Escarpment Village shopping center is a much better idea than apartment buildings.? ?  I think most of us agree that your previous settlement agreement allowed for sufficient impervious cover allocations, too.? ?  The biggest roadblock, right now, appears to be the shear size of this HEB building.? ? ? 

? ? ?  The other issues can be worked out over time, but the building foot print just hasn't been justified, in my mind, and petitions to that effect are now being distributed.? ? ?  I trust you'll continue to work with use for a more suitable solution and we all look forward to a community shopping center, that sets new standards for the highest quality designs and tenants.

The HEB big box threat

Why am I concerned about the size of this new HEB ?

1) The primary reason that Circle C Ranch home owners rejected Endeavor's plan to plant a 200,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter off of MOPAC, was traffic.

There were a dozen other very serious issues, but the bottom line, at least for the Circle C suveys, was traffic congestion using roadways that can't accomadate the numbers of customers a Wal-Mart can draw (up to 70 miles away).


2) In a huge Town Hall meeting last summer, more than 500 residents of the area sent a very clear message to the Austin City Coucil - they don't want Big Boxes close to their family oriented neighborhoods.

Big Boxes finally got the negative attention and scrutiny that the warrant. A Big box (anything over 50,000 square feet) is a low cost warehouse type business that grew out of industrial zoned low cost areas of rural towns. Allowing them into the General Retail (GR) zoned areas was a mistake. GR zoning is for neighborhood scalled businesses, and these giant discount warehouses are clearly not neighborhood compatible stores.

The good news is that the city recognized this oversight, after many public hearing, letters, and finally, a recommendation from the ZAP commission, after hearing too many complaints about Wal-Marts coming to Austin.

3) Big Boxes create a NEGATIVE cash flow. They drain money from the local ecconomy and end up costing the community more than the community gets back.

- Big Boxes don't support local chairities.
- Big Boxes don't contribute to the communities they operate in (some, like Wal-Mart, make their employees volunteer, but Wal-Mart does not support them with funds, goods, or paid time off).
- Bad jobs; despite the smiling faces and friendly people who keep these warehouses working, the conditions are terrible, management is downright cruel, and women do 90% of the clerical and manual labor work, while men enjoy a majority of the management jobs.
- Wal-Mart was the posterchild of nasty tricks, but don't overlook the others - they all opperate on a shoestring budget, which doesn't allow them to offer good jobs, good wages, or community services.

3) Grocery store vs All-In-One. This is where I'm worried about HEB. They are No 1 in Texas with just over 50% of the grocery business. They do an excellent job with groceries. But, they are now expanding OUTSIDE the grocery business into Drugs, Dry Goods, and Linen (what next, clothes - electronics, computers.) They are blurring the lines between grocery stores and just another BIG BOX.

4) CCHOA still doesn't get it. We are just another neighborhood in a big city. And still, CCHOA does not reach out or make any attempt to work with it's neighbors. They are not working with Ledgend Oaks or Western Oaks, or Sendra, or the New Villages of Western Oaks, all of whom will be sharing the good and the bad features of the new Escarpment Village.

Our CCHOA board worked in secret to prepare the Stratus Settlement, and they are still working in secret to agree to an amendment to that agreement.

The orginal agreement was done with out the members input - this MUST NOT HAPPEN with any future negotiated agreements. CCHOA belongs to the MEMBERS - we have a right to participate. This is a democratic process and the courts have upheld that right.

Get involved, get all the facts, and then tell HEB that the project will be just fine, thank you, with a store no larger than 50,000 square feet. The are going to turn right around and build a second store on FM 1826, so what's the rush to build a BIG BOX in Circle C ??

If we can get HEB to downsize the store and agree to the specific details already suggested to them, then we can expect to enjoy neighborhood shopping in about a year. If not, there will be an ugly series of public hearings and many more delays.

For the record:

CCHOA tract 103 ad hoc committee and chair, Andi Rausch,

To date, over 150 members of the CCHOA have taken time out of their day to sign each of the 2 petitions (online and on paper) regarding tract 103. The number of signatures grow daily, as members are beginning to ask other members to sign paper versions of the petition.

It's important that you hear what your neighbors are saying, and include their voice, with exact words and meaning, with your list of negotiations with Stratus/HEB. Please provide me with your last meeting date, so I can send the complete petitions with all signatures, addresses, phone numbers and emails before that last meeting.

We will also continue to collect signatures up until the zoning process begins, and I will deliver the petitions to zoning. I also expect to meet with Stratus this week, to ask for a real presentation, where residents are allowed to have an actual dialog with HEB and Stratus. Comments, questions and concerns can not be swept under the rug, as our president O'Reilly believes. He silenced our neighbors at the last meeting.


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This petition has been online and on paper for less than a week and already many dozens of your neighbors have signed:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/cctrees/petition.html

To:?  City of Austin Neighborhood Planning & Zoning Department

Builder/Developer of tract 103, and other tracts within Circle C, must include a Registered Consulting Arborist (list available at asca-consultants.org) on their development team. Prior to construction, RCA will inventory trees for tree preservation program, specific to the communicate preservation program and procedures with on site contractors and operators. From site preparation on, all environmental designs must be approved by the Registered Consulting Arborist.

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http://www.PetitionOnline.com/CCheb/petition.html

By my signature below I certify that I am a member in good standing of the Circle C Homeowners Association, Inc. I will support the proposed zoning change for track 103, provided that the following items are met:

1. The maximum single tenant size not to exceed 75,000 s.f.
2. No drive through fast food restaurant can be located on tract 103.
3. Site lighting shall be shoe-box style fixtures not exceeding the lighting standards heights located along the roadways in Circle C.
4. All signage to be monumental ground mounted signage not to exceed six (6) feet.
5. Pedestrian access shall be an essential design component and integrated into all aspects of the development.
6. Bike lanes shall be provided on each side of Escarpment.
7. Create a different approach to the detention pond location, so that it is not visibly seen from any public roadway. Potential options may include, but not limited to, underground storage/treatment or relocating surface treatment (ponds) to the rear of the site.


Ad hoc committee, thank you for your work. Andi, Please confirm that you received this email.

Sincerely,
Sal Costello