The entire Austin City Council voted unanimously in favor of rezoning the lots immediately north of the A&W Monday night, in spite of Robert Helmers’ continuing objections.

Tuesday, November 16, 1999

The entire Austin City Council voted unanimously in favor of rezoning the lots immediately north of the A&W Monday night, in spite of Robert Helmers’ continuing objections.

At issue was the rezoning of the nearly half an acre of property located south of the revamped intersection of 4th St. NW and 1st Drive NW and immediately north of the A&W and Point Ice Cream shop.

The lots in question came into being as they are now as a result of the realignment of the two streets in 1998. The city of Austin currently owns the site and had requested the rezoning.

The city of Austin, however, did not pay for the lighting and parking lot put in on the site last year, that was financed by the adjacent business owners.

Helmers wanted to know why A&W owner Gregg Johnson could pave a lot next to his business when Helmers was denied a similar request by both the council and the Austin Planning Commission.

"Craig Hoium (city planning and zoning administrator) told me ‘under no condition can you expand on an R-2 property,’" Helmers said to the council, referring to his request for a rezoning on the Kar Korner property and an adjacent lot in December. "I go home and I find another R-2 lot has been increased in size … I’m upset at the way the city is singling me out. Didn’t the A&W use that lot for business all spring and summer? Why didn’t they get a citation?"

Helmers was the only citizen to speak to the issue at the council meeting, but his assertions of "unethical business practices by city management" met with silence from the council, the mayor or city staff.

After the meeting, Mayor Bonnie Rietz said Helmers’ accusation was "not an accurate statement."

"The city can’t and wouldn’t do that," Rietz said. "And the two situations are entirely different, two completely separate situations."

Helmers did his best to draw a parallel between the two rezoning requests, but, like the Austin Planning Commission meeting, he was asked to stick to the subject at hand – the A&W parking lot.