Austin City Council unanimously voted first reading approval Oct. 14 of the rezoning of land near S. Lamar Blvd. to make way for a multifamily apartment project, despite neighborhood opposition.

A development is planned with 10% of an estimated 450 apartment units going to renters earning 60% of the median family income if the multifamily residence highest density (MF-6) district zoning is granted, the Austin Monitor said.

The vote was taken after a public hearing regarding the zoning, the Austin City Council meeting’s action notes said.

The idea is to rezone property “locally known as 2700, 2706, 2708, 2710, 2714 S. Lamar Blvd., Part of 2738 S. Lamar Blvd. and 2803 Skyway Cir. (Barton Creek Watershed-Barton Springs Zone, and W. Bouldin Creek Watershed),” the meeting notes said.

Resident Lorraine Atherton spoke against the rezoning during the hearing portion of the Oct. 14 council meeting, a transcript of the meeting said. Atherton pointed out that the vertical mixed-use designation should be retained because it would require affordable housing.

“We feel that VMU is the perfect, perfect solution for redevelopment on this site, and it would be a terrible mistake to add this sort of density without -- on this site to give up the flexibility of the VMU overlay without it being included in the density bonus program…without a real smart housing application in hand,” Atherton said in the transcript.