Austin City Council voted Thursday to approve a rezoning that could add up to 1,000 apartments in the Circle C neighborhood near South MoPac Boulevard and Kiker Elementary School.
The council approved the change unanimously among voting members. Council Member Marc Duchen abstained.
Opponents raised concerns about traffic, school capacity and safety near Kiker Elementary, while supporters said the project would add needed housing to Southwest Austin.
Most people who appeared at City Hall to comment on the proposal, including members of the Protect Circle C Coalition, opposed the rezoning.
Resident Kraig Kujawa urged the council to delay the case for a full traffic study, citing congestion and safety concerns near the school. Lisa Lyons said she and her neighbors supported adding housing but objected to the proposed density and its potential effects on traffic. Anna Elisa Baker, a parent of three children who attended Kiker, cited concerns about traffic and school overcrowding.
“I respectfully implore you to consider the long-term impacts this decision will have on traffic safety, the school capacity, public services and the quality of life for the current and future residents,” Baker said.
Circle C resident Abhinav Vasudevan supported the project, saying more housing would increase supply and hopefully lower housing costs.
“As long as they’re adding to the overall supply of units, that’s going to put downward pressure on prices.”
Council Member Paige Ellis, who represents the area, said in a council message board post ahead of the vote that she planned to support the rezoning because it posed a rare opportunity to boost Southwest Austin’s housing stock.
“This case has not been easy for anybody,” she said at Thursday’s meeting.
Ellis, who was the only council member to speak on the case before the vote, also addressed traffic concerns. She said the Circle C Homeowners Association formally opposed extending South Bay, which runs from Escarpment Boulevard toward MoPac but does not connect to the highway. Some residents have said an extension could help manage traffic from the development.
The Circle C Homeowners Association did not respond to the American-Statesman’s requests for comment.
Ellis said she is working with the Austin Independent School District to address traffic during pickup and drop-off at Kiker.