Austin, known for its legendary developer vs. neighborhood battles, has another big one on its hands.

At issue is a major mixed-use development proposed for the Borden Dairy plant in East Austin, at East Cesar Chavez and U.S. I83. Supporters say the plans for 1,400 apartments and other development will bring needed housing to Austin, where housing experts have said demand continues to exceed supply, driving prices up.

The Austin Planning Commission in March recommended approval of the rezoning necessary for the project to move forward. It is scheduled to go before the Austin City Council on Thursday for a final vote.

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Endeavor Real Estate Group is proposing to redevelop the 21-acre site with 411,500 square feet of office, 106,000 square feet of retail, a 220-room hotel and 1,400 apartment units.

Opponents say it is the wrong project for a site that is just steps from the Colorado River, as well as a nearby 43-acre wildlife preserve, and is directly across from the 400-acre Roy Guerrero Colorado River Park. They have concerns about the environmental effects and the potential for increased traffic at an already bottle-necked site, among other issues.

In addition, with Endeavor's plans calling for buildings up to 120 feet tall, with 95% for the proposed project covered in buildings and pavement impervious to rainwater, opponents contend the project would set a precedent for other towers along the Colorado River. They say other new projects nearby have all adhered to the existing 60-foot height limit.

But Richard Suttle Jr., an attorney who represents Endeavor, said buildings that are 120 feet tall "will not affect any existing residential. If approved at this density, there will be voluntary affordable housing and other community benefits."

"This is a perfect place for more housing," Suttle said. "There are no residential neighbors close."

At a protest and press conference Wednesday, neighborhood advocates said Suttle is wrong.

"Our neighborhood is right around the corner here, a block away," said Gina Grande, co-chair of the River Bluff Neighborhood Association. "The huge scope of what Endeavor wants to do with the Borden Dairy property is entirely out of scale and out of sync with where it's located and what this area can handle."

Other speakers at the protest were members of the nonprofit social justice organization PODER, the Govalle/Johnston Terrace Neighborhood, the Sierra Club, the Austin Neighborhoods Council and the Save Our Springs Alliance. The groups urged the City Council to oppose rezoning for the project as it is currently proposed, and without proper environmental, traffic and water-quality studies.

They also called on the council to limit the scope of the project, to have the developer include affordable housing and to create a no-build zone to buffer it from the nearby Colorado River wildlife sanctuary.

“The Colorado River between Longhorn Dam and the mouth of Walnut Creek is the cleanest and most natural urban river in Texas, surrounded by an unusually wild riparian greenbelt — a rare ecological and recreational asset for a city of this size,” said Valerie Menard, Colorado River Conservancy project director. “But this site and others further east don’t have the legal protections other riverfront areas in Austin have. Riverfront redevelopment on this scale should not proceed without a plan for protection of the river corridor, impacted wildlife, and nearby neighborhoods.”

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“The potential environmental and ecological harm to the river, adjacent parklands, and urban wildlife habitat is obvious, and yet completely unstudied,” said Susana Almanza, PODER executive director. “The impact on surrounding neighborhoods — some of the last affordable pockets left in East Austin — is equally obvious, in a project with zero affordable housing."

"It's about profits, it's not about people," Almanza said at the protest. "It's not about protecting the environment, it's about money."

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Suttle said the property owner is willing to provide some affordable housing, although the amount remains to be determined.

Endeavor has a contract to buy the Borden site for its proposed project, the protest organizers said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin mixed use development, protests planned near downtown and river