You are hereAftermath of the East Side Pedal Pushers City Council variance meeting
Aftermath of the East Side Pedal Pushers City Council variance meeting
I didn't get a chance to write up a recap of what happened last Monday down at the City Council chambers, but Simon Z saved me the trouble by sending one out yesterday. Here's what he has to say about the somewhat bittersweet results of our actions:
OK, so the update on Lee and his Eastside Pedal Pushers bike shop is that about 30-40 people from the bike community showed up at City Hall for the Board of Adjustments meeting on Monday evening and registered that they were against the granting of a parking variance for Pedal Pusher's landlord that would enable him to evict PP and the other tenant, Julia's, and replace them with tenants who have offered more money to open a coffee shop at that location.
A variance is basically an exemption from a requirement in city code, which in this case was to reduce the car parking requirement for a coffee shop type business from 12 spaces to 0 (zero) spaces. The main reason being that there is very little parking at that location. As a biker I'm normally in favor of waiving parking requirements, which tend to encourage driving, but in this case there are a couple of issues:
1) There is a bus stop in front of Lee's shop which means that there is no way to park in front of that location
2) There is no adequate, alternative parking, so the folks who will suffer are residents, other business owners, pedestrians and road users who have to deal with increased congestion and reduced visibility.
3) There is already an approved plan for a multi-story hotel on the same block (Medina and Waller between E. 6th and 7th) that will increase traffic.
4) There are other available locations in East Austin with adequate parking.
5. There are 2 existing coffee shops within 4-5 blocks of this location (Cafe Mundi and Progress)
So there were good and bad results to last night's solidarity from the bike community. Lee's landlord did not attend the hearing, probably assuming it was certain to pass. Due to the opposition, the variance hearing was postponed to Monday November 10th at 5.30pm, City Hall, Council Chambers, which everyone is again encouraged to attend. The bad part is that Lee's landlord called to say he was angry at his audacity in contesting the variance and gave him a verbal 30 day notice to move out.
According to Lee, he has a strong lead on a new and better location, but that doesn't mean y'all should stop and see him and ask what help he needs with the move.
Cheers, Simon
So regardless of the variance meeting, Lee is going to have to move. luckily it sounds like he has a new location in mind, but I'm sure an abrupt 30-day move notice is the last thing any business owner wants sprung on them. If you're on the east side, check in with the guys at ESPP and see if there's anything you can do to help. We've gotta look out for our own, as it's obvious that the lure of money trumps "community value" in the eyes the landlord of this property.
Note to the 6th (or 7th) generation: best to look at VACANT properties, or ask the tenant who IS there when you go look at properties with your nice real estate agent if they are moving out.
Sorry, but I think supporters of ESPP are going to the wrong track with the parking argument. By doing this, you're simply supporting the car culture and ensuring that future businesses are stuck with burdensome parking requirements, even if they're trying to plan for pedestrian/bicycle patrons and for not impacting the neighborhood with overflow parking. A better move would have been to try and leverage an offer of support for the new tenant's variance with a deal for ESPP that gave them more time in the space and even a reduction in rent for that time to help with moving expenses. It's been done before, and it would help define whether the landlord is truly a money grubber or not by seeing their reaction to such a proposal.
To the new tenant: Good luck with your business. Would it be possible to have a combination bike shop/coffee shop? I always thought that would be a cool idea.
Hey, you know, I agree that parking requirements are usually no bueno, because parking lots encourage driving.?.In this case, however, there is only a few spots on the street (Medina) and maybe a couple on 6th, but also a bus stop directly in front of ESPP, so "overflow" traffic will indeed have to go somewhere else. Residential streets? Maybe they can work a deal with nearby businesses to use their lots after dark? Regardless of parking, I'm concerned also with the increased car congestion that will be around. I've watched lotsa drivers pull practically halfway out into 6th from Medina to try to do the left turn onto 6th. And then there's supposedly an hotel being developed on the lot at 6th/Waller(goodby Ms.B's bar)...guess what? More traffic. And then what about the vacant lot at the other corner of 6th/Medina. Gonna be something there, who knows when. Possibly more traffic...ah the fun never ends.
Thank you for that entry. I really like the coffee shop/bike shop idea too. Somebody should totally jump on that! The only thing is Im not sure where the rumor started that we were to be a coffee shop.
If we get this space, by the time we build out the 4 bathrooms with HC accessibility, kitchen, bar, etc. we won't be much bigger then a coffee shop, but our main objective is to be a "show casing" space for, but not limited to, designers, artists, musicians, theatrical performances, film, and even culinary. Hence our name THE EAST SIDE SHOW ROOM. We will serve coffee, but also beer, wine, cocktails, and food from our chef Sonya Cote, who will be using nonprocessed, seasonal, and local ingredients only. We are shooting for a very unconventional gallery. We want people to visit us more often than stuffy galleries, giving the artist more exposure.
All that being said, I still like the idea of a bike shop with us, I just dont think there is enough room with this particular space. And gosh, as much rules as the city and health dept. has laid on us, I wonder if they would even let that come to be. But I'm definetly open to working with both Julias and ESPP. I would love to brainstorm with them.
And speaking of them, we would love to help! Without the Parking Variance we wont be there either, but for sure if we are, we will definetly try and let them stick around longer. We have so much build out and permits to pull, plus I'm doing most of the work from my work shop here at home. I'm sure we can work around one side of the building in the beginning. Ironically, we (the landlord and us) have talked about this before way early on. We just dont know for sure if we are to be there. And even if we aren't, I'm sure we can still help somehow, like with their move or finding a space since we would be looking as well.
I appreciate that you'll give us more time to move. I guess it's up to landlord though. He was pretty pissed when he called to give me the verbal eviction.
If this is really something you're looking to pursue, you may want to speak with the people who run the coffee shops inside Mellow Johnny's and Bicycle Sport Shop. Both shops have a fully stocked coffee/snack bar which seem to be pretty busy in their own right, and obviously they were able to work out the permitting to allow an elbow-grease run business to work side-by-side with a food business. Thanks again for speaking with me via email yesterday. That definitely cleared some things up for me and I'll be posting about it this evening.
I would like to set the record straight here since, as you have admitted in most of your blogs about me and my family, you "dont know the legistics" of all this. I was brought to this space, 1100 east 6th St, because it was and is FOR RENT. From what I have understood from Lee, my realtor, and the landlord of this property, both present tenants Julia's Wedding Shop and ESPP have been on month to month for a while and were offered to sign a new lease at a higher rent and they both turned it down. Meanwhile the landlord has tried to show Lee other properties that he has turned down and continues to do so for Julia. The landlord spoke to both tenants letting them know that he will be looking for new tenants and showing the space.
This is where I enter the story. From the hate mail I've recieved from you people, let me make one thing clear. I am a sixth generation Texan, that's right! 6! So dont call me and my family fucking Yankees. I am an East Austin Resident, I work out of East Austin, I am an artist that represents East Austin, I AM EAST AUSTIN!
Lee was at his store when I was shown the space back in August. My realtor who happens to be a mutual friend of Lee's and I, asked him if he did indeed know that the building was for rent and he said YES and even later ask her to help him find a new space. I dont think it would be surprising to you that Lee was extremely kind in an akward situation for both of us and he even let me take measurements.
I had little time to decide if we (my mother, sister, and I) could indeed use this space since there was already a letter of intent for this building. And just for your information, the group trying to get this space before us is the kind of corporate development you seem to confuse us for. I dont have one investor involved, not one bank loan, I am an artist that waits tables on the side, my sister is a bilingual school teacher and my mother works for a lame temp agency. Hardly the "trumps" as you have mentioned. I have been saving for this for at least 5 years, I've been building work for this for at least 4 years, and my only partners is my mother and sister. We have every right to rent a building that is FOR RENT and try to accomplish our dream and we will continue to do so no matter how much hate mail, hasseling and boycott threats you people give us.
I feel very sorry for both ESPP and Julia's for having to move. I can relate for I have been "booted" from many of my rentals because my lease was up and I simply couldn't afford the higher rent, but I have certaintly NEVER thought to villanize the new tenants. Chances are we will not be able to use this space, so we will be back to looking for spaces just like them. I wish both present tenants all the luck and I only hope that the new places they find dont have current renters like them to make what I know all to well a difficult process to accomplish the dream of a small buisness owner.
PS. If you want to continue to write hate mail to my website, have the desantcy to leave a valid email address to hear my side. But I ask that you just leave us alone. Also, we do appreciate the appology from Julia's Wedding shop via the land lord yesterday. Thank You.
I'm really sorry that you've been getting hateful email. That is really crappy. So far no one that I've talked to has admitted to it, but I think a lot of people just still act like name calling seventh graders.
Now, what does "I AM EAST AUSTIN!" mean?
So here's my side of story: I've been in this bldg. for 3.5 yrs. Current landlord bought the place 3 yrs. ago. He let us stay here on month-to month basis and he didn't raise rent. Good for him on not raising rent! So, sometime later (months?) I asked him about signing a lease. He said, "Well, why don't you give me a proposal, if you're willing to take over Julia's space, because..."(I won't list reasons) I felt really uncomfortable about "booting" her out, so I never gave him a proposal. So when I talked to Julia, she said the landlord asked her if she wanted to expand into my side of bldg.! So I realize the landlord did nothing illegal, just kinda lame and obviously only caring about $$$.
So far the landlord has only offered me ONE other property and it is not suitable for the shop.
And finally, if I recall correctly, when I was asking your realtor/mutual friend about space, I think I was asking her about property in Del Valle(southeast of airport) that is near where we have other mutual friends living. I like that area for living, but not for moving the bike shop there.
Oh, another thing about this whole situation is that I was under the impression that y'all were only trying to rent one side of the bldg., and so it was quite a surprise to hear about the variance for the whole bldg. by someone other than you or the landlord. I realize you're not obligated to tell me anything, but it seems it woulda been nice to hear that serious plans were being made by landlord.
Good luck.
Hi Lee
I wish we could talk in person because again there seems to be ALOT of confussion here. I am just a renter like you. I am not your battle! I dont know how I am in the middle of all this drama between you, Julia, and the landlord. Im so sorry for any misunderstandings you may have got from me the few minutes I met you back in August. If me and my family would have believed there was some wrong doing in trying to rent this place, we are not the kind of people that would have gone through with it. But I ask you this Lee, How would I have found out about any of this you have just described? You are looking at spaces now, do you know the stories of any of the tenants present in those places? Do you feel obligated to find out and work them out? You must know as well as I do all the hardships of getting a business off the ground so you should understand that I dont have time or the means to take care of anyone elses, and that is if I even find out about them in the first place. And now Im having to save my bussiness and family name on this fucking site. Again, I am terribly sorry for your hard times right now. I mean what I say, about helping you out ANY way I can. But please stop taking your pain and anger out on us. When or if we ever meet I will bring you the copies of hate mail which might make a little more sense of my defense about being "East Austin" and me being just as an important part of my community as you! I believe you when you say you did not write them because the little I know of you and from what Ive heard of you, I would not imagine you would. Nevertheless, YOU and YOUR situation has pulled me and my family in the middle of the cross fire. And we have NOTHING to do with all of this! I dont know how everything has gotten to this point. You have my number so lets get some coffee or better yet a beer and stop talking like this on this fucking blog!