South Austin Residents Roar In Protest Over Developing Wildlife Gallery In Their Midst

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — Lions and tigers and bears are not welcome at the Bouldin Creek neighborhood in South Austin.

A petition garnering more than 800 signatures is circulating opposed to construction of a private wildlife gallery displaying hundreds of stuffed exotic animals and birds meant as an educational forum for youngsters, according to a published report.

Residents in the area express frustration at ongoing construction of the site that's been going on now for about three years, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The homeowners are worried about the impact the site might have on their property values as well as the parking and traffic issues the museum could spark in the historically quiet neighborhood, according to the report.

Outdoor sportsman Rick Warren bought the property that used to be a church some six years ago, transforming it into a showcase to house his expansive taxidermy collection from his far-flung hunting expeditions all over the world. As a street-level view of the place shows, the developing gallery takes up most of the block, raising concerns about where visitors would park in visiting the site.

Dubbed the Warren Wildlife Gallery, the site has a Facebook page. In it, photos of the taxidermy are displayed in man-made settings mimicking each creature's natural habitat. There are deer there, and tigers, a rhinoceros, extinct passenger pigeons and other wild creatures, suspended in animation looking life-like.

There's even a human representation in the form of a likeness of Teddy Roosevelt (an avid outdoor game hunter in his day) in full safari attire, clutching the tail of one of the animals the presidential facsimile has taken down. That figure is less life-like, a mannequin of slight build in contradiction to the barrel-chested musculature that made the former president a formidable presence in real life.

Some of the posed stuffed animals are placed in incongruous settings, including a white tiger situated behind a pillar like a house cat, placed in front of a Christmas tree with a Santa hat atop its lifeless head.

A gallery spokesman told the Statesman the owner hopes to raise awareness about sustainable hunting and wildlife preservation, and will seek a conditional use permit toward that aim. Officials there envision busloads of school children descending upon the place to learn more about the wild kingdom.

But residents aren't as enthusiastic. In addition to the online petition against the site, a complaint was recently filed with the city alleging a land use violation (the case is pending review), the newspaper reported.

“There’s nothing of cultural value that I could see of a museum with stuffed dead animals,” Bouldin Creek resident Beverly Johnson told the newspaper. “I think it’s horrible, and just a storage for his taxidermy.”

While the Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association has yet to take an official position on the matter, a vote by homeowners on their new neighbor is scheduled next month, according to the report. Still, the neighborhood association has been keeping tabs on the development, soliciting details on the site's use from the property manager in 2015.

"As many of you have noticed there is now a large house 'mansion' at 1401 Bouldin Ave. (the old church building at the corner of Elizabeth St and Bouldin Ave)," the statement by the property manager, Jesse Ramel, said of the property at 1401 Bouldin Ave. "First and foremost this is a house that is zoned SF3. It is not being used as a commercial business or a home business. There will be people living in the house as their residence and per the City of Austin code there will never be more than six people living here that are not related to each other. We have created our own parking area with 6 parking spaced behind a gated driveway also."

Ramel said some 7,000 square feet of the house is dedicated to the private gallery, which is part of the house rather than a separate space. The property manager stressed no part of the house, including the private gallery, will be used as a commercial event space that can be rented.

The online petition against the site reflects residents' prevailing thoughts on the topic: “It is highly likely that this (conditional use permit) request is being made in an attempt to ultimately get a (Travis Central Appraisal District) exemption from property taxes," the petition states in part. "For a property owner of over 12 normal size lots in Bouldin Creek, and an annual tax bill well in excess of $100K to be using this wildlife organization to pay an effective property tax rate of zero percent is obviously appalling to many local residents on many levels, especially those that send our kids to public schools right here in the neighborhood.”

The petition outlines four basic points of opposition to the facility:

• "We don’t want a conditional use permit approved for the 1401 Bouldin property to allow for a cultural services land use."
• "We don’t want to see this property used as an event space for an owner that does not live on the property."
• "We don’t want a museum or gallery on the property, nor do we want any of the resulting visitors, traffic, new parking lots in place of family homes, and street parking issues in the heart of the Bouldin Creek neighborhood."
• "We oppose the possibility of this large tract of neighborhood property being designated tax exempt as it will not serve a public purpose. It is too early to tell whether or not this will happen, but the requested conditional use permit provides a pathway to this possibility."

The lion may sleep tonight in South Austin, but residents are poised to roar in protest once the permitting process begins in protest. One thing's for sure: What was once a quiet neighborhood has turned into a real jungle.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Image of young tigress resting peacefully in the jungle by Aadya Khatavkar via Wikimedia Commons