As proposed, the Franklin Common project at 2011-2015 EM Franklin Ave. would feature a mix of homes available to own at both market-rate and affordable levels. Representatives of the development team said up to 30% of homes—43 units—could be listed at affordable rates averaging 80% of the area median family income, currently $110,300 for a family of four.
In addition to housing, project plans also include a coffee shop and community center, shared yards and walkways, and up to 1 acre of parkland on the site's east side bordering the Morris Williams Golf Course.
Developer agent Conor Kenny said the project is designed to scale from heights of up to four stories on the northern edge of the property down to two to three stories on the southern side, which borders an existing single-family subdivision. Kenny said developers are focused on providing "missing middle" housing throughout most of the site in addition to the selection of affordable units and green space.
“While there are a lot of aspects to it, it is actually I think a relatively straightforward case about what kind of development we want to encourage and allow in the city, and what kind of signals that we want to send to developers who are looking at parcels of land in Austin ... and what kind of elements of affordability, community benefits and housing types that we want to encourage people to be brining here in Austin," Kenny said.
The project plans drew a mix of responses from east side residents speaking at the April commission meeting. Many community members expressed support for a denser project to an accessible part of town, and plans that would offer homes to middle-class Austinites who may be at risk of getting priced out of town.
“We have a wonderful neighborhood, and I think this is a neighborhood that can support a lot more density and our neighbors who can’t afford the $2.1 million houses," said Chris Gannon.
Some opponents of the plan called attention to the increased population and traffic flow that would accompany the project on the residential block between Manor Road and East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Liz Johnson, president of the JJ Seabrook Neighborhood Association, also worried about the effect more density would have as the area welcomes hundreds more housing units over the coming years—including the city-backed redevelopment of a former public works campus on Manor.
Others said the project may set a precedent and lead to a "domino effect" of higher-density projects on the east side, and that it could endanger the local environment and wildlife.
“We understand the need for more housing, affordable housing, more density, I get it. But does it have to be done all at once and all on the east side? It seems like we’re taking the brunt of it," said resident Gayle Borst. “My neighborhood is becoming something that it wasn’t originally supposed to be. ... This is just not the site to overdo things on. So I’m here to speak selfishly for the preservation of my creek and my wildlife who are voiceless, because they’re being squeezed out.”
After further review of the project outline and several agreements made between the development team and neighbors, planning commissioners signed off on the rezoning case in an 8-0-2 vote. Commissioner Jennifer Mushtaler said the project sparked "stimulating discussion" from both sides of the case and showed a plan that is not perfect, but that could provide a blend of much-needed housing in the city. That thought was shared by Vice Chair Claire Hempel, who moved for approval.
“I’m simply coming from a side of, we need housing. I think that the connectivity to the transportation nearby just makes this, it makes a lot of sense for a development like this to happen," Hempel said.
