Plans for a local sports venue dedicated to curling will stay on the drawing board for another month.

During its Nov. 27 meeting, the Sunset Valley City Council said it did not have enough information to grant two variances needed to allow the proposed Austin Curling Center to move forward.

The council asked site plan applicants Dennis and Anita Dunn to either provide more information to help the council justify the variances, or submit a new site plan that conforms to the land use code.

The council scheduled a public hearing for the January meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Rose Cardona said that the discussion would be about the two variances, "not whether we like curling or whether it is good for the City of Sunset Valley." She said the variances were related to issues that were important to residents.

The discussion focused around three main issues:

• A variance for impervious cover, or covered space where rain cannot soak back into the ground;
• a variance for the replatting of lots;
• and complications related to the site's location on Country White Lane in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ.

The applicants said the center would raise curling's profile locally and generate revenue and hotel stays for the community.

Background

Curling is a Winter Olympics sport played in the Midwest and Northeast.

In a round of curling, four-person teams send two stones down an ice lane toward the scoring area. The teams control the speed and curve of the stone by sweeping the ice in front of the stone as it travels, according to the United States Curling Association.

Teams score points by having their stone be closer to the center of the scoring zone than other teams' stones. Teams get a point for each of their opponents' stones that are farther away from the scoring zone than their own.

A game is 10 rounds, or ends.

There are three arena-based clubs that play the sport in Texas, said Kim Newyn, growth and development manager of the United States Curling Association.

In 2010, representatives from the Austin Curling Center submitted conceptual plans to the city for review. The representatives asked for a watershed variance, but the city did not grant approval, according to city documents.

On Nov. 1, the Dunns submitted a new preliminary site plan for the project. The site would include the curling facility, a bar and restaurant to serve patrons during events, and eco-friendly design features such as solar panels and rainwater harvesting.

Impervious cover

The site plan calls for 21.9 percent of the property to be impervious cover. Only 18 percent is allowed by city code.

"The applicant is requesting a variance to allow for this excess impervious cover under the auspices of an impervious cover credit via rainwater harvesting in accordance with the [Lower Colorado River Authority's] Water Quality Management Technical Manual," according to city documents.

"LCRA's technical manual does not apply in the City of Sunset Valley," it continued.

The Dunns plan to build the curling center with four lanes, or sheets, for curling. Dennis Dunn said a four-sheet center would be able to attract national events, such as the national curling championships or the U.S. Olympic trials.

Cardona said the Dunns could resubmit the plans with a three-lane center, which would likely conform to the impervious cover rules.

Dennis Dunn argued that a three-lane center would create only a regional facility and not be able to host larger events.

Replatting

"The preliminary site plan is a single development on two separate lots," according to city documents.

"This would require a variance from the Subdivision Regulations in Chapter 3 of the Land Development Code, as the lot dimensions, setbacks and the proposed building would not be in conformance with this section unless the two lots are replatted into a single lot."

Staff said that kind of variance is not included in Sunset Valley code.

ETJ

One issue complicating the council's decision is the site's location in the city's ETJ. The site is neither in Austin nor Sunset Valley city limits. It cannot be annexed by Austin, but it can be annexed by Sunset Valley in the future.

"Property in the ETJ is subject to watershed, subdivision and sign regulations of the city," according to city documents. "Property in the ETJ is not subject to zoning, building codes or parking regulations."

The site plan's commercial use does not conform with the city's master plan, which calls for single-family residential zoning. However, the city has a limited authority to enforce that in the ETJ.

"The only mechanism to support the master plan would be not to grant any variances that encourage or assist with commercial development of this property," according to city documents.

Another factor is whether the city will want to annex Country White Lane sometime in the future.

The council and the applicants discussed parking issues. The site plan has eight parking spaces. Dennis Dunn said he has discussed setting up valet services with the nearby Lowe's home improvement store.

Newyn said several hundred people would attend national events at the center.

"The project will require significant water and wastewater improvements at the expense of the developer and increased maintenance for the city as a result of triggering provisions in the contract with the City of Austin for Sunset Valley to become the water provider in this area," the documents said.

Project Engineer Ed Moore of The Moore Group said that the developers will pay for the utility costs associated with developing the property.

Comments

Newyn said that the center would bring economic benefits to the area. She said the 2012 Junior Nationals generated roughly $250,000 for the economy of Madison, Wis.

Dennis Dunn said that it will take four to six months to go through the proper channels to build the center.

"If we are not open by the Winter Olympics, it is not worth our business," he said.

One council member asked if the applicants would consider naming the facility the Sunset Valley Curling Center instead of the Austin Curling Center.

After jokingly asking if it would improve his chances of getting the site plan approved, Dunn said that Austin has greater regional and national name recognition than Sunset Valley.

Councilman Jeff Burdett said that he appreciated what the Dunns were trying to do and that he liked the idea.

"We do have issues, such as the annexation issue, the ETJ issue and the platting process issue that we have to deal with," he said.

Dunn said he and Anita live in the nearby Travis Country subdivision and work and shop in the area. "We are members of this community, not somebody coming in from the outside," he said.

He said they are essentially a mom and pop operation, and he found it hard to believe the Sunset Valley was not more interested in creating "a world-class operation" in their backyard.

Burdett, who was appointed to the council in the summer, said that this was the first he had heard of the project.

He added that it seems as though Dunn wanted the council to move quickly to approve the plan, but that City Council "does not hurry up and do anything."

Cardona was on the council when the first plans were introduced in 2010.

"Between 2010 and now, you have not added more parking or less impervious cover," she said.

One public speaker said she grew up in Wisconsin and earned a varsity letter in curling.

"If [the sport in question] was football, what would we be doing to get it done?" she asked.

"Nothing different," Cardona replied.

"Not in Texas. I don't believe that," the speaker responded.

"In Sunset Valley, it wouldn't make a difference," Cardona said.