1. Location

2. Applicants

3. Logo

4. City procedures needed to open a coffee shop in a residential area

      Currently the lot is zoned residential (SF3). To open a coffee shop there, CNA would approve amending the UBC Plan, and City Council would have to adopt the UBC recommendation. Needed would be an available Infill Option available to neighborhoods, either Corner Store or Mixed Use Building. Some definitions.

UBC Planning Area Subdistrict: Delwood 2, Wilshire Wood/Delwood 1 Subdistrict: Cherrywood Subdistrict: Blackland, Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Cherrywood Subdistrict Our part of the UBC planning area. Some provisions of the UBC Plan apply only to our subdistrict. By amendment, our subdistrict could be further divided. For example, if we wanted to allow corner stores along one street but not elsewhere, it would be possible to make that street its own subdistrict. Even an area-wide option could be approved only for the smaller area within its boundaries. Base Zoning District Cherrywood home lots' base zoning is “SF3." Only Single Family (or duplex) construction is allowed. Other base zoning classifications allow apartments, civic uses (churches, schools, etc.), commere, or offices. For instance, “LR” (Neighborhood Commercial) allows a store serving primarily its immediate area . "MF" allows Multiple Family residences. Upzoning Changing a property to a less restrictive base district (such as changing SF3 to LR). Special Use Relaxing a zoning category to allow an additional use withen that category. For instance, Corner Store Special Use, if adopted, would allow some base SF3 properties to have limited commerce. Combining District Overlay Cherrywood houses are SF3-NPCD because UBC Plan rules supercede ("overlay") some base SF3 rules. Spot-zoning Zoning lot by lot instead of uniformly across a like area. The practice is esisted by the City on grounds that similar situations should be treatly similarly. Variance An exception to a district’s rules granted to remedy a unique hardship. Setback How far from your property line your construction must be. There are Front Yard, Side Yard and Rear setbacks. If your house has a 10' minimum front setback, you can build no closer to the front property line than 10 feet. If a Corner Store has a 10' maximum setback, it must be no further than 10 feet from the referenced property line. Mixed Use For this project, Mixed Use refers to a ground floor coffee shop and residential quarters above. Deed Restriction Condition written into a deed of sale or a property. Original deed restrictions that were attached at the time of subdivision are written into the original deeds and attached plats and subdivision layouts. Some are handwritten. When the Willowbrook subdivision was platted, the original deeds fobade garage apartments or businesses among other things. Willowbrook encompasses Brookview to Maplewood E/W and Shieffer to 38½ N/S (including the Café Lux lot). In this subdivision , deed restrictions can be amended by vote 75% of present owners once a decade commencing in 1996. The City does not enforce them. But violators expose themselves to civil suit.

 

a. Corner Store Option (see #6 below)
 
    One way that a Coffee Shop could be allowed at this site is by UBC amending its Plan to allow Corner Stores. This could be done Area Wide, or for the Cherrywood Sub District only, or for a new Sub District, were one created through an amendment to the UBCP. Were this option selected, we would leave the lot zoned “SF3”, and simply amend the UBC Plan to allow Corner Stores, which would allow a limited list of Special Uses on corners throughout the area (Area Wide or Sub District), on SF3 and MF properties that are on corners thoroughout the area. This could happen for the whole UBC Planning Area, for just the Cherrywood Subdistrict, or even for a smaller new subdistrict (say, along a corridor along 38½ from IH35 to Cherrywood). The option would apply anywhere in the approving area or subdistrict. We could not add restrictions of our own.

     Realistically, we anticipate very few corner stores if any. A successful local "mom & pop" enterprise demands uniquely favorable conditions. For Café Lux these appear promising – a higher residential density in Duplex Nation, the school, playground, church, bus stop, nearby greenbelt, and a more heavily traveled 38½ St. But overwhelmingly small businesses prefer a location with more visibility and traffic. Actually, Café Lux would be Austin's first corner store established since the option was created. If it failed, it would likely revert to a residence, although knocking down walls, a shaded deck, and several paved parking spaces off the alley would be rather unresidential. For more on all that's involved in opening a coffee shop, see < http://caffe.home.mindspring.com/index.html >.

b. Mixed Use Building Option (see #7 below)

     Although discouraged for individual properties such as 3809 Maplewood, this option is technically available for this site, and may in fact be the best choice for a coffee shop with residence above. This Special Use, and the relelated Zoning Change that would be required, could be applied only to the single property, or to additional properties; in this case probably to a group of properties that occur along 38½. Additionally, the property would have to be upzoned to a category that would allow this use, the most restrictive of which would be “LR”. The UBC Plan would have to be amended to achieve this. Unlike the Corner Store option, under this option, we could add restrictions of our own, such as uses and hours allowed of operations for projects within the Mixed Use Building designated property or contiguous properties).

5. Business plan (Executive Summary)

      As presented by the applicant, Café Lux, a corporation, will provide the highest quality coffee experience in the Austin area; drawing from the expertise of its owners and founded in the tradition of the Seattle area coffee industry. Locally baked pastries would be offered. About 500 square feet of table space would be inside. A shaded paatio or deck would be added outside. The lawn would be lushly landscaped. Hours would be 7:30a-5p, except for special occasions such as neighborhood or school meetings. About 8 parking spots would be in the back, accessible from the alleyway off 38½ St.

     The intended location for Café Lux is the corner of 3809 Maplewood Road. The store targets the surrounding Upper Boggy Creek Planning Area, families, school parents, young professionals and college students. Over fifty percent of The Upper Boggy Creek neighborhood range in age from twenty-two to forty-four. This is the highest demographic for gourmet coffee consumption.

     Mission: Provide a relaxing and comfortable social atmosphere where the Austin community can enjoy the highest quality service and gourmet coffee.

6. Corner Store infill option (for Neighborhood Plans)

                                   Excerpted from COA, "Neighborhood Plan Combining District Options" (June 2003). 5 pages, but 1.5M because of graphics.

7. Neighborhood Mixed-Use Building infill option (for Neighborhood Plans)

     Excerpted from COA, "Neighborhood Plan Combining District Options" (June 2003). 5 pages, but 6M because of graphics.

8. Proposed site at 3809 Maplewood

This is on the corner across from from Maplewood Elementary

To the rear is an alleyway between Maplewood and Cherrywood.  Parking would be here.
The alley is not public, but this lot is right at the entrance,  Cafe patrons would not use the rest.

Asbury Methodist is visible across 38½ Street.  A bus stop half a block away is on the
Exposition/Chicon loop, via UT.  No. 21 (clockwise) and No. 22 (counterclockwise)
busses run about every half-hour on weekdays, less frequently on weekends.