HPNA General Meeting January 10th Agenda Presentation by Don Crabill, construction project manager with the City of Austin, on the widening of 38th St., due to get underway in early January. Talk by Don Iden, President of the Ridgetop Neighborhood Association, about the various alternatives for the No. 15 bus currently under discussion by Cap Metro. The No. 15 bus runs north on Red River from downtown. Sharing of latest developments on the fate of Austin State Hospital, which has been recommended for closure.

North Hyde Park NCCD Meeting - Thursday, January 20, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 600 E. 50th (one block east of Duval & one block south of 51st) 7:00-9:00 PM.

T he Hyde Park Planning Team has prepared a draft Neighborhood Conservation Combining District (NCCD) for the northern part of Hyde Park. The boundaries are from 45th to 51st and Guadalupe to Red River. The intent is to extend zoning to the area north of 45th Street that is similar to the existing NCCD now in effect south of 45th

January, 2005   National Register District Neighborhood   Vol. 31, No. 1

O n November 18, 2004, the Third Court of Appeals ruled that Hyde Park Baptist Church (HPBC) has the legal right to build a massive curb-to-curb, 5-story parking garage on Avenue D, a small residential street in our historic neighborhood. "Of course, we're disappointed with the decision," said Glen Coleman of Hyde Park Neighborhood Association. "But what's important to us, as neighbors, is finding a way to bridge our differences and break the cycle of lawsuit and appeal. Despite the ruling, we'd like to invite church leaders to join us in exploring projects that will fulfill the true mission of the church, while enhancing the neighborhood we share."

Coleman was joined in his offer by Susan Moffat of the Alliance to     Save Hyde Park, another neighborhood group that played an active role in struggle over the proposed garage.     "We understand that this case was extremely important to church leaders when they first brought the lawsuit in the spring of 2001," said Moffat. "But the world has changed since then and Austin has changed, too. Having had time to reflect, we hope church leaders will join us in exploring the most positive and productive use for this site."     Neighbors note that the proposed garage will cost over $5 million in church offerings to build. "When you look at all the needs in the larger community, it's hard to believe that there's not a better use for that money," said Moffat.     Neighborhood leaders stressed that they will continue to welcome church members to park throughout the neighborhood and would be willing to re-enter negotia-

tions to discuss ways to make the church's current garage more functional. The church already owns a 5-story garage in the 3900 block of Speedway, but it is chronically underused, with empty spots available on the upper floors even at peak hours. Church representatives have attributed this underuse to design problems and to the fact that many members now favor large SUVs, which were not in common use when the existing garage was constructed in the late 70s.     According to its newsletter, the church will convene its Core Committee to review all options in the wake of the court ruling. Neighborhood representatives have been in touch with the committee chair to ensure that lines of communication remain open. "Court decisions aside," said Coleman, "we still hope the church will meet with us as neighbors in building a positive vision for the future together." Continued on page 3