The Allandale Reporter

Judge Cooper awards Lincoln $22K in attorneys fees

Judge Margaret Cooper awarded Lincoln Properties $22,748 in attorney's fees attributed to defending against Allandale's claims regarding approval of the Northcross site plan that includes a 196,000 sq ft Wal-Mart Supercenter. While the order has not been finalized, this is the amount granted by Judge Cooper at the hearing that took place on Monday, April 14.

Hearing on Attorneys Fees Monday, April 14th

Northcross Mall Lawsuit
Allan McMurtry

The attorneys for Allandale have filed a petition before the District Court in Austin, Texas seeking payment of part of our legal fees as they relate to our lawsuit.  We have incurred expenses due to the claim filed against us by Lincoln Properties and have filed to be recompensed for those expenses. 

This petition will be heard on April 14th at 9:00AM in the 200th Judicial District Court of Travis County in the Travis County Courthouse.  Once this matter is taken care of, we will be filing an appeal of the original verdict from November of 2007.  This appeal will be before the Texas Court of Appeals.

In the Statesman's Opinion

In case you missed it, the Austin American-Statesman's editorial board wrote the following editorial concerning the outcome of the lawsuits regarding the planned Northcross Supercenter in Friday's paper, "Benefits and risks of Northcross activist." To summarize, fighting city hall can be a noble effort but advised against appealing the decisions. It would be costly and look at what happened to SOS. We had a weak case. If it were a Whole Foods, we wouldn't be fighting it. Hating Wal-Mart does not a legal case make. Be happy with the concessions we received. It will be a greatly improved mall, a convenient superstore, and we will have more shopping choices. Your opinion?

Court Rules in favor of the City

Late yesterday afternoon Judge Orlinda Naranjo issued her ruling against RG4N allowing Lincoln and Wal-Mart to move forward on development of the 192,000 Supercenter on the west side of the Northcross property. You can read the judge's ruling here and RG4N's response to it here. For more information about the ruling, read today's Austin American-Statesman's article, "Judge says Wal-Mart can be built at Northcross Mall," by Katie Humphrey and Sarah Coppola.

Special ANA General Meeting, Thursday

There will be a special Allandale Neighborhood Association Membership meeting to discuss the Northcross Lawsuit

Date: Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tim: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Location - Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive

Tom Linehan
President, Allandale Neighborhood Association       

RG4N Trial Wraps Up

And now we wait... until mid-December to learn Judge Orlinda Naranjo's decision on the two and one-half day RG4N trial that concluded today. The Austin Chronicle's Lee Nichols, a writer who lives in Crestview, sat through the entire trial. You can read the highlights in his blog on the trial. We should all be appreciative of getting the digest version. Judging from his account, it was long and mostly boring. Thursday's Austin Chronicle also included an article about the Northcross project by Michael King, "Point Austin: Whose City Is It? Northcross Wal-Mart fight about a lot more than a site plan." There are two points the article makes: one is don't diss The Austin Chronicle in court - they'll write about it, and two, if Lincoln, the City, and Wal-Mart win and a Supercenter goes in at Northcross it will be remembered as a victory for the big monied out-of-towners.

You will find the Austin American-Statesman's wrap-up of the trial in the following article: "Trial ends in Wal-Mart case: Judge expects to rule in mid-December," by Sarah Coppola.  

RG4N Trial got underway today

The Responsible Growth for Northcross (RG4N) trial got underway today. Both the Statesman and the Austin Chronicle posted stories about day one of the trial on their websites. And while Wal-Mart is pushing to get into our neighborhood, they've decided against moving forward on plans to build a Supercenter in downtown Tulsa (read story here).

It's been a long haul but it's not over

Thanks to everyone who has helped out with this very long and involved effort to prevent a Wal-Mart Supercenter from becoming a part of Allandale. The fight has gone on for over a year now. It has been a major resource drain and we have legal bills to pay. Judge Margaret Cooper ruled yesterday that City was not obligated to hold a public hearing in the approval process for Lincoln's site plan at Northcross (read today's article in the Statesman). That said, the fight is not over. This is still not a done dea. The RG4N trial is on for Tuesday, November 13.

Join Responsible Growth for Northcross at FEISTY FEST!

Bad development deals. Anti-neighborhood politics. Let's get feisty and fight for ALL of our neighborhoods. Help RG4N stop the Wal-Mart Supercenter at Northcross Mall. We need YOUR support for our lawsuit.

What: Feisty Fest (Benefit for RG4N's legal fund)
When: Sunday, November 11th, 12:00 noon - 6:00 pm
Where: The Triangle Park, Guadalupe & Lamar

FREE Admission! FUN for the whole family!

Court Hearing Tomorrow

A reminder that tomorrow is the court hearing on Allandale's lawsuit against the City regarding the Northcross development. The hearing is scheduled for 2:00 PM, at the Travis County Courthouse at 11th and Guadalupe. You are encouraged to join us. We want to make the point that responsible city government matters to folks in and around Allandale. For those of you wanting the details of Allandale's case, click here to read Allandale's response to the cross-motions submitted by the developer, Lincoln Properties, and the City of Austin regarding our motion for summary judgment. In a nutshell Allandale's position is the city did not adhere to its own laws when it approved the site plan that included a Wal-Mart Supercenter with a garden center.

Court Hearing this Thursday, November 1

This Thursday, November 1, 2:00PM, at the Travis County Courthouse at 11th and Guadalupe, Allandale's motion for summary judgment will be heard. Please come. We would like a show of support from the neighborhood to make the point that responsible city government matters to us.

The motion for summary judgment is the case Allandale brought against the City. It's asking the judge to rule on whether Lincoln Properties' site plan violated city code which requires a public review process when a conditional use such as Wal-Mart's garden center is included as part of the development.

Which group do I contribute to?

submitted by Tom Linehan

Who do I give my money to, the Allandale Neighborhood Association or RG4N? The answer is CONTRIBUTE. Either way, your money will go to funding the lawsuit. HOWEVER, the monies are not pooled together. Each organization has and is responsible for their respective legal costs.

Northcross Update

This week the Austin Chronicle covered RG4N's community meeting to discuss it's lawsuit against Lincoln Property. In the article, "It's not a done deal," by Lee Nichols, the Chronicle reported the turnout to the meeting at First Unitarian Universalist Church on Grover St, was approximately 200. At the meeting, RG4N pointed out that the work currently underway on the east side of the mall is phase one of the redevelopment and should not be confused with construction of the Supercenter set for the west side of the mall which has not started.

Allandale Lawsuit in today's Austin Chronicle

Today's Austin Chronicle includes an article by Katherine Gregor relating to ANA's lawsuit filed against the City over the Northcross development. The article, Developing Stories, Another Northcross Lawsuit: Allandale Neighborhood Association, includes remarks from Bruce Bigelow, ANA's attorney as well as a quote from Brewster McCracken and Assistant City Manager, Laura Huffman.  In the article, Laura Huffman says Wal-mart has yet to submit the voluntary upgrades to the project brokered by the City that will treated as an amendment to the site plan.

Allandale Neighborhood Association Sues the City of Austin

PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release

Allandale Neighborhood Association Sues the City of Austin

July 3, 2007, Austin, TX -- The Allandale Neighborhood Association (ANA) today filed suit against the City of Austin (COA) asking for a declaratory judgment to determine whether the City of Austin violated its own ordinances in conjunction with the approval of the site plans for redevelopment of Northcross Mall. The Allandale Neighborhood Association Executive Committee met in an open public forum on June 27, 2007 and voted unanimously to instruct its attorneys, Blazier, Christensen, Bigelow & Virr, PC, to file a lawsuit.

Second Site Plan Approved

On Thursday, the Austin American-Statesman confirmed the City has approved Lincoln's second site plan. The article, "City approves site plan for Northcross Wal-Mart," said the approval clears the way for the 192,000 sq ft Supercenter to be built.

Also on Thursday RG4N filed a lawsuit against the City of Austin and Lincoln Property seeking to invalidate the site plan. Here are links to their press statement and lawsuit petition.

Allandale Executive Committee Votes to File Lawsuit

At last night's ANA meeting, the Executive Committee voted unanimously to file a lawsuit against the City for approving the Northcross site plan that includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter. As ANA has stated all along, we are concerned the development will create significant traffic problems, negatively impact surrounding businesses, and ultimately change the character of the area.

It’s NOT a Done Deal!

We, the Allandale Neighborhood Association (ANA), are working on your behalf and need your help. As you know, Lincoln Property Company is redeveloping Northcross Mall to include a 192,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter. A one-stop store of this magnitude will overburden our roads, negatively impact surrounding businesses, and ultimately change the character of Allandale.

For decades, Allandale residents have successfully fought to preserve the quality and character of our neighborhood. We have saved the neighborhood from serious threats by:

• Securing the largest zoning rollback (to SF-2) in Austin history;
• Blocking the conversion of Koenig Lane into a 6-lane freeway;
• Stopping a church expansion that would have destroyed many neighborhood homes;
• Blocking the extension of Far West Boulevard into Allandale.

Northcross and the Supercenter

It's not a done deal. We continue to press on. In the last couple of weeks, while City staff review Lincoln's second site plan - one that has since been modified to include a smaller Supercenter, members of the ANA's Northcross Committee have let the City know our concerns have not changed. Northcross is no place for a Supercenter. We don't have the infrastructure nor the desire for a single retailer of that scale.

Update on Northcross Development

Today's Austin Chronicle has a good article on where things stand with the fight over the Northcross redevelopment. "Counting Cars and Fears: Northcross, policy, and power at City Hall" by Katherine Gregor addresses the revised TIA Lincoln submitted to the City and its implications for the development. The City has until June 21st to approve the second site plan Lincoln submitted.

Revised Traffic Impact Study Submitted

In an article from today's Austin American-Statesman, "Wal-Mart submits new traffic estimates for Northcross store," by Sarah Coppola, the planned redevelopment with the Wal-Mart Supercenter will not overburden area streets. According to their revised study, it will generate fewer trips per day, approximately 5,000 fewer, than originally estimated in the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) Lincoln submitted to the city in 2005. Part of the decrease is due to less retail being considered by Lincoln and a slightly smaller Wal-Mart. You can see the revised study here.

Wal-Mart Modifies Size of Supercenter

submitted by Tom Linehan

In Saturday's Austin American-Statesman, there was an article about Wal-Mart's Letter to the City stating it is willing to reduce the size of the planned Supercenter for Northcross from 219,000 sq ft to 186,500 sq ft. (191,000 including the garden center). See Wal-Mart will reduce size of Northcross store, by Sarah Coppola.

Preregister for 1st Annual Allandale Tyke and Bike Ride

Riders get ready for the first annual Allandale Tyke and Bike ride. This is a .5 mile ride for elementary age and younger children. The event takes place, Saturday morning, May 19th, 9:00 - 11:oo. Here's the  map of the location of the event. Acceptable modes of transportation include: bicycles, bicycles with training wheels, tricycles, skates, scooters, wheel chairs, skate boards, peddlecars, and strollers. No electric or motorized transportation.

Participants will receive a t-shirt, participant number, a bike attachment (either a water bottle holder or head light), and free ice cream at Amy's at the end of the ride. Cost is $20. Children without a helmet will be provided one free. Monies will go to the ANA Legal Fund. Click here to print out registration form or go here to register online.

In search of a better northcross development

This week's Austin Chronicle included a story by Kathrine Gregor, "Developing Stories, A Public-Private Northcross?", that talks about Jennifer Kim's efforts to pursue a public-private partnership for development of Northcross.  She's not having much success getting other councilmembers to sign on but the article is revealing in regards to councilmembers' worry about being individually sued by Wal-Mart if they were to interfere with the development. Something is not right if your city council cannot look after the interest of it's citizenry because they fear being sued. I encourage you read it.

Contribute to the Allandale Legal Fund

We are working on your behalf and need your help. As you know Wal-Mart and Lincoln Property are planning to build one of the largest Supercenters in Central Texas in our neighborhood - a monster convenience store drawing traffic from all around central Austin. It's a pretty building but a Supercenter nonetheless that will create traffic problems, negatively impact surrounding businesses, and ultimately change the character of Allandale.

No matter the design, this type of development belongs along a highway with easy in and out access. Wal-Mart is experimenting with their new urban design concept but we don't want to be their guinea pig. Help us in our efforts to keep this Supercenter out or have it significantly downsized by contributing to the Allandale Legal Fund. Monies raised will be devoted exclusively to preventing a 219,000 plus sq ft supercenter from being constructed in our neighborhood.

Click here to make your donation online or mail it to:

Allandale Fundraiser Legal Fund,
P.O. Box 10886
Austin, Texas 78766-1886

Allandale Fundraising Committee

It's Time for a New Traffic Impact Analysis

submitted by Tom Linehan

It’s a fact. Wal-Mart significantly undercounted the traffic impact of the Supercenter at Ben White. The City also acknowledges the formula used to estimate traffic counts for the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) for the Northcross redevelopment do not apply to Supercenters. 

In response to Brewster McCracken’s request for traffic data from City staff, the numbers provided in the initial TIA Lincoln Properties provided with the site plan at the Ben White store undercounted actual traffic by over 6,500 vehicle trips per day on a Tuesday in January and by 9,766 on a Saturday. In an email to Wells Dunbar, an Austin Chronicle reporter, dated April 10^th, Brewster McCracken wrote the following:

Wal-Mart Brochure

submitted by Tom Linehan

Today's business section of the Austin American-Statesman has an article on the recent flyer Wal-Mart sent to residents in the area regarding the planned Supercenter, "Walmart brochures flood Northcross area," by Shonda Novak. The brochure talks about the uniqueness of the supercenter and the changes it is making in response to neighborhood feedback. However, Jason Meeker with RG4N who is quoted in the article says the building is "pretty" but it fails to show the overwhelming traffic that comes with it. If you're like me and didn't receive the brochure, you can see it here.

ANA's Response to Lincoln and Wal-Mart's Term Sheet

Here is a link to Allandale Neighborhood Association's response to the Term Sheet that was given to us by Assistan City Manager Laura Huffman. The Term Sheet was from Lincoln and Wal-Mart and addresses the list of concerns we submitted to them back in January regarding the Northcross redevelopment.

Open House Draws a Crowd

With all the discussion and intereste this development has generated, it's no surprise yesterday's open house at the Norris Conference Center drew a crowd. When I arrived at 7:15 there were people circulating around the tables Lincoln and Wal-Mart set up by topic: operations, community, design, traffic, Lincoln, etc. At the Traffic table, they had a screen simulating traffic flow around Northcross presumably showing what's anticipated once the project is completed. It reminded me of an ant farm. See for yourself. (click on link to download video file. ). Here's a link to the Statesman's coverage of the event: "Wal-mart holds open house to talk about Northcross supercenter," by Sarah Coppola. I also uploaded some pictures of the development they had on display in the Snapshot gallery to the right.

Are you pleased with the term sheet?

submitted by Tom Linehan

I posted a link to Wal-Mart/Lincoln's proposed Term Sheet on Saturday. The Term Sheet is in response to the issues Allandale and the other nearby neighborhoods and RG4N submitted to Lincoln and Wal-Mart through the City back in January.

The Term Sheet is consistent with what Lincoln and Wal-Mart told the representatives from the affected neighborhoods at the Wednesday, 2/21 meeting at Armbrust & Brown. It addresses a number of the issues we submitted, but did not get to the one that underlies all of the issues - the size of the supercenter. It's still a 200,000 plus square foot retail store. The above photo is what the 200,000 plus square foot Wal-Mart looks like on 620. 

Response from City on Request for TIA

On January 12th, a formal request for a new Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) was sent to the City of Austin by Bruce Bigelow, an attorney with the law firm of Blazier, Christensen, Bigelow & Virr, on behalf of the Allandale Neighborhood Association. On February 8th, the City responded with the following letter . The short version of the response is the TIA submitted by Lincon/Wal-Mart, according to  George Zapalac, Development Services  Manager with the Watershed Protection  and Development Review Department, complied with all City rules and regulations.

Northcross Term Sheet

All-

Enclosed please find a term sheet from Lincoln and Wal-Mart. In addition to the feedback we receive from neighbors at the open house on Monday, some of you indicated an interest in holding meetings with your individual neighborhood associations and providing feedback from those groups. We would like to have this feedback by Monday, March 26^th. The City will also continue to accept feedback provided directly.

One of the most commonly asked questions right now is how the City will capture these proposals in an agreement. Most of these proposals could be amended into the site plan for the project. A few, like restricting certain uses on the property, would be captured in a Restrictive Covenant. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Laura Huffman
Assistant City Manager

This Week's Wal-Mart Coverage

Here's a link to this week's Austin Chronicle coverage of the Northcross redevelopment project and their take on the Wednesday, February 21st meeting. In the article, "Developing Stories," Katherine Gregor reports that reactions to what was offered up by Lincoln Property and Wal-Mart amounted to crumbs. The City's role, according to talking with Assistant City Manager, Laura Huffman, is to make sure the developer's understands clearly the neighborhoods's concerns and that their response to those concerns is on point. She acknowledged they did not reduce the size of the superscenter but did address a number of the other concerns.

Wal-Mart/Lincoln Open House Monday

 Open House/Community Work Session

Marth 5^th, 2007

3:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Norris Conference Center

http://www.norriscenters.com/austin-maps.tmpl.htm

Red Oak Ballroom

Northcross Mall

2525 Anderson Lane

Come view the project’s progress and get questions answered. Wal-Mart

Representatives and architects will be present.

For more information: ncinfo@martinsalinas.com

Northcross Redevelopment - Next Steps

Seems like it has been a long time  since ANA held its special meeting at Covenant Presbyterian Church and approved the following motion: "ANA has the intent to file a lawsuit against the City based on advice of legal counsel. ANA will begin immediately to raise money for a lawsuit. ANA will actively pursue meeting with and if necessary, monetarily supporting like organizations whether or not we pursue a lawsuit."

Since that time, we’ve been very busy on the Northcross redevelopment project and our collective efforts are making a difference. Thanks to all of the residents who have volunteered their time and expertise on this project and to both the current and past ANA Executive Committee members for their work and support.

Based on Wednesday's meeting with the City, Lincoln Property and Wal-Mart's representatives, technical staff, and consultants, they have addressed a number of the concerns we submitted in writing back in January. These include truck routes, acces to the development via Foster Lane, hours of operation, design, truck idling, traffic at the intersection of Burnet and Anderson, sidwalks, greenspace, and others.

Notes from Yesterday's Meeting on Northcross

submitted by Tom Linehan

Here are my notes from yesterday's meeting. It was held at the offices of Armbrust & Brown from 11:00 to 1:30. Representatives from Allandale, North Shoal Creek, Crestview and Brentwood neighborhood associations and RG4N were in attendance as well as Laura Morrison with the Austin Neighborhood Council, Laura Huffman, Assistant City Manager, other City staff, a number of lawyers and Wal-Mart and Lincoln Property experts. The room was crowded.

The purpose of the meeting was to provide the neighborhoods with their response to the issues the neighborhoods submitted to the City regarding 

Ice Rink at Risk

One of the features of Lincoln Property's redevelopment of Northcross is an expanded ice rink,  however Thursday's article in the Austin Business Journal says that's at risk if there are further delays on the redevelopment. The owner of Chaparral Ice, Charles Collins, says a lawsuit over the development could put him out of business. Here's the link to the article, "Wal-Mart brawl puts Northcross tenant on thin ice."

Arms Around Northcross

submitted by David Erwin

Yesterday's Benefit Concert

Here's a sound clip of Brewster McCracken at yesterday's "Wal-Mart Isn't Weird" Benefit Concert for Responsible Growth for Northcross at Brentwood Tavern. The concert was well-attended and the music excellent.

Wrap Around Wal-Mart in the News

Yesterday's protest of the Wal-Mart supercenter planned for Northcross is on the frontpage of today's Metro & States section of the Austin American-Statesman., "Human wall against Wal-Mart." The Statesman's web site includes a photo gallery of the event. There were approximately 3,000 people participating in the event. 

Updated Results From Newsletter Survey

Here is an update to the survey results reported earlier. I just received another 95 surveys which makes for a total of 289 responses.

The results from January survey on the Northcross redevelopment are consistent with the results from our earlier online survey conducted back in November. The survey was included in the January Special Issue Newsletter that was delivered to Allandale households. Residents were asked to complete the short survey and mail it back by January 16th.

Out of the 289 responses we received, the majority are against the Northcross redevelopment that includes a Wal-Mart. Specifically, 72%  of the respondents are opposed, 26% are for, and 1% have no opinion.  Click here to see the results. What follows are the additional comments people submitted with the survey.

Mark Your Calendar for this Saturday, February 10!

from Denise Dailey, RG4N

* 10am-10:10, Arms Around Northcross (Rain or Shine, meet at 9:30am)

* 2pm-7pm: "Wal-Mart Isn't Weird" Benefit Concert for Responsible Growth for Northcross @ Brentwood Tavern, 6701 Burnet Rd.

* All Day Long: Northcross Area Business Support Day

Fundraising Preparations Underway

On January 13, 2007, a cold, wet Saturday afternoon, approximately 200 Allandale residents came to a meeting at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Neighbor after neighbor expressed just how passionate they are against their beloved neighborhood being ruined by Lincoln Property Company's and Wal-Mart's Northcross site plan. During the discussion, Allandale resident Jim Bryce dramatically demonstrated that it takes a show of power in the form of money to get corporations to sit down and talk. He suggested we raise a sizeable pot of money for a lawsuit to get their attention.

List of Issues Submitted to the City

On Thursday last week, the Allandale Neighborhood Association submitted this list of issues to the City regarding the planned Northcross redevelopment. The list, requested by the City from the neighborhoods affected by the Northcross redevelopment and Responsible Growth for Northcross (RG4N) is the outcome of a 2-week effort by a team of neighborhood residents coordinated by Linnea Anderson. I think you'll agree it's quite thorough.

RG4N Sends Press Release re: Polling Calls

What follows is a press release sent out today by Responsible Growt for Northcross:

[01-20-07]
RESIDENTS SURROUNDING NORTHCROSS RECEIVE MISLEADING PUSH POLL PHONE CALLS IN FAVOR OF WAL-MART SUPERCENTER

A comparison of Responsible Growth for Northcross recent survey with the push poll phone calls reveals intent to deceive by Wal-Mart Supercenter backers.

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 20, 2007. A biased survey is being conducted by proponents of the controversial Northcross Mall redevelopment plan, according to many residents of neighborhoods surrounding the mall.

Allandale is Emphatic - No Wal-Mart

submitted by Tom Linehan

Over 160 Allandale residents showed up on a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon and endured a 3 hour meeting to let it be known: WE DON'T WANT WAL-MART IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

It was standing room only at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The meeting started out awkwardly as the Allandale Board worked through whether or not this was the appropriate meeting to approve minutes from the previous general meeting. ANA President, Gretchen Vaden decided it wasn't and moved on to the meeting agenda starting with comments from members of the audience.

Request Submitted to the City of Austin for a New Northcross Traffic Impact Analysis

submitted by Paul Nagy and Gretchen Vaden

A formal request for a new Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) was sent to the City of Austin today by Bruce Bigelow, an attorney with the law firm of Blazier, Christensen, Bigelow & Virr, on behalf of the Allandale Neighborhood Association. The letter is focused on traffic because traffic may be the overriding issue to be resolved in the current plan for the redevelopment of Northcross Mall by Lincoln Properties. Any additional ideas or comments should be sent to George Zapalac, Director of the Land Use Review Department at george.zapalac@ci.austin.tx.us with a reference to this letter.

Crime Incidents - Wal-Mart vs. Target

submitted by Brent Sjolseth

 Click here to view crime incident report numbers requested from the Austin Police Dept. These numbers are based on the address of the retail establishment and not the shopping center itself.

The Allandale Neighbor - Special Issue

Click here to view this Special Issue of The Allandale Neighbor devoted to the Northcross Redevelopment.

Special Meeting of the General Membership of the Allandale Neighborhood Association

Date: Saturday, January 13th

Time: 3 p.m.

Place: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3003 Northland, in Eaton Hall

A Special General Membership Meeting has been petitioned for by a group of residents as allowed in the bylaws. The petition reads as follows:

We, the undersigned members of Allandale Neighborhood Association, do hereby call for a special meeting of the General Membership, under the provisions of the ANA Bylaws Article VI, paragraph 5. Issues to be discussed relate to Northcross redevelopment and include but are not be limited to:

1. A period in which the membership is invited to ask questions and make comments.

2. Treasurer’s report stating all bank balances and money owed by ANA.

3. Discussion and action regarding a financial contribution from ANA to “Responsible Growth for Northcross”, an organization opposing the present redevelopment plan.

4.  An executive committee meeting to act on any expenditures approved by the membership.

5.  Appointment of a delegation of ANA members to meet with City Council to express ANA’s position on Lincoln’s current redevelopment plan.

We also request that this meeting be held in a venue which imposes no restriction on its length, and that it be scheduled as soon as possible, but no later than the 30 days required in the ANA Bylaws.

The meeting is open to all Allandale residents. Any voting that may occur, however, will be limited to residents who have paid dues on or after September 1, 2006. Any resident who submits a membership form and dues at the meeting will be eligible to participate.

Northcross Redevelopment Top Local Story

The Austin Chronicle chose Wal-Mart's plans to locate in our neighborhood as one of their top 10 Local Stories for 2006. See for yourself: "Top 10 Local Stories: From Bonds to Boobs."

No vote taken on the Northcross redevelopment

A public protest at City Hall and a well orchestrated series of testimony before the City Council by Responsible Growth for Northcross did not persuade the City Council to vote to stop Wal-Mart. Points brought up by the group regarding improper notification, an inaccurate Traffic Impact Analysis, and need for a conditional use permit for the proposed garden center were countered by City staff. Council members McCraken and Kim asked many questions and were clear about their concern with the development but when time was up no vote was taken. For more on last night's hearing, read today's Statesman, "Austin OKs new rules on big stores," or go to KVUE's web site: "City Council hears Wal-Mart debate at meeting".

ANA's Executive Committee is meeting to discuss the project on Saturday at 11:00 at Yarborough library. Please submit the issues you want addressed regarding this development in the comment section below.

Wal-Mart Delays Plans

Yestderday, Wal-Mart announced it will delay its plans to build a store at the Northcross location for 60 days to allow time to meet with neighborhood groups regarding the Supercenter. More about this announcement in today's Statesman. What questions do you want Wal-Mart to answer regarding the new store? Click on "Comments" below.

Tomorrow's City Council Meeting

From the City's web site: "City staff is scheduled to present answers to questions from Council and the public regarding the development of Northcross Mall at the Dec. 14, 2006, Austin City Council meeting. Austin City Council meets in the Council Chambers of Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St." Here's a link to the City's web page devoted to the Northcross Mall redevelopment. The redevelopment discussion  is item #82 on tomorrow's agenda.

Responsible Growth from Northcross is organizing a noon rally outside City Hall. Here are the details:

We will assemble one of the largest rallies ever held at City Hall at NOON on Thursday, December 14th. Be there!

Here are the details for Thursday, Dec. 14th:

• Come at 12 noon to City Hall (map)
• Bring your yard sign or we have some for you
• Park in the FREE parking garage below City Hall
• Wear red.
• Make signs. (Suggestions: "No Wal-Mart!" "Not a Done Deal!" "Support Local Businesses!" "Responsible Growth!" “Save Our Neighborhoods!” “City Council: Work for The People, Not Wal-Mart.” “City Council: Vote with The People, Not Lincoln Property.”)
• Meet us outside in the plaza on the south side                    
• At 6:00 P.M.  the council will discuss the Northcross issue.
• Register now at one of the City Hall kiosks to show support or to reserve a speaking spot.

Northcross on City Council's Agenda

Northcross redevelopment on December 14th City Council agenda. More info on the Responsible Growth for Northcross website. There is also a story in today's Austin American-Statesman regarding the agenda item, "Wal-Mart plan now going under council microscope." At the meeting City staff will review the approval process for the development. You can read the Assistant City Manager's memo to council regarding the site development summary here.

Big News day on Northcross Redevelopment

In an effort to keep you informed on the latest with the Northcross redevelopment, here are links to recent pieces in the news regarding the development. Today's Austin Chronicle had two articles: "Beside the Point: their Northcross to bear, by Wells Dunbar" and "Developing Stories: Northcross Neighbors to Wal-Mart: You don't want us as enemies" by Katherine  Gregor. Fox7 did a piece on Tuesday entitled:  "Council Member Enters Fight Against Mega Wal-Mart. " 

ANA's Position on Northcross Redevelopment

On Sunday, December 3rd, the Executive Committee of the Allandale Neighborhood Association met and prepared the following resolution regarding the redevelopment of Northcross Mall - Allandale Neigborhood Association Board Resolution (requires Adobe Acrobat).

Northcross Mall Redevelopment in the News

Today's Austin American-Statesman has a front-page article on the need for the proposed big-box ordinance siting the 217,000 sq foot Wal-Mart planned for Northcross as the latest reason. Neighborhoods like ours are being caught off-guard because they don't have to go through public review when the site is already zoned for big stores. Read "Austin big-box debate fires up". And here's a a related Op-Ed piece that specifically addresses the Wal-Mart planned for Northcross: "Wal-Mart has work to do to ease concerns."

This is not over!

submitted by Tom Linehan and Steven Zettner

It was standing room only by the time everyone finished filing in at tonight's Responsible Growth for Northcross meeting. The message was simple: Wal-Mart is not a done deal.

The  meeting lasted a little over an hour and in that time organizers provided a background on the project, gave a status on where things stand, took questions, and laid out the plan for mobilizing oppostion. It concluded with people directed to one of 8 committee tables to volunteer. A petition was signed and donations taken.

Northcross Redevelopment in the News

Today's Austin American-Statesman has a front-page article in the Business section on the the Northcross Redevelopment. The article talks about the formation of the Responsible Growth for Northcross, a group that has organized to oppose Wal-Mart in the development (info on upcoming meeting). It mentions the outcome of our survey, includes a quote from ANA's president, Gretchen Vaden, interviewed a resident who supports having the Wal-Mart, and a store owner who is opposed to it. Here's a link to the article.

Why Isn't ANA Doing Anything to Stop Wal-Mart?

submitted by Linda Huff

After observing that the survey produced by the ANA shows a significant majority of Allandale residents oppose the Wal-Mart, I felt compelled to write and express my concern as to why the ANA is not taking a lead in opposing the Wal-Mart based on the reasons in the the ANA charter: " to protect the neighborhood quality of life, safety, residential characteristics and property values."

Northcross, I believe, should have a grocery store but not a 220,000 square foot behemoth that will be unleasable if the store is later abandoned by Wal-Mart. In researching past Lincoln  Property/Wal-Mart deals I became aware that these companies initially give a very low traffic flow impact, then, after they are in place and operating, they petition cities to expand the arterial roads to their complexes.

Wal-Mart - Not in Our Neighborhood

submitted by Tom Linehan

Area residents don't want Wal-Mart as an anchor tenant in the planned Northcross redevelopment according to our online survey. Of the 260 responses, 69% or 180 people are against it, 17% (45 people) are for it, and 13.5% (35 people) are undecided. (Click on image to see full graph). 
 

Here's a link to the full results (when the image appears, click on it to enlarge). The following are links to the "Other" responses for Questions two, three, and four.

The purpose of the survey was to get an idea of what residents thought about Lincoln Properties' plans for the redevelopment of Northcross Mall which includes a 2-story Wal-Mart.

How to Make Northcross a Huge Success

submitted by Steven Zettner

Wham. Here comes Wal-Mart. And this being central Austin, the anti-Wal-Mart folks aren’t far behind. I’ve also heard from a few folks, many of them 40+ year residents of the neighborhood, who welcome Wal-Mart’s convenience and low prices with open arms. I think they are a minority, but one we should certainly respect.