TipSheet: Austin City Council, 12.8.22

If all goes according to plan, today will be the last City Council meeting for Mayor Steve Adler and Council members Pio Renteria, Ann Kitchen and Kathie Tovo (as well as zoning guru Jerry Rusthoven). Of course, if last week’s two-day meeting marathon and the hints dropped at Tuesday’s work session are any indication, there’s a possibility that Council will meet again to settle the still-unsettled matter of the Austin Energy rate case.

Last week, Council members extended their meeting by a day to vote on those rates, but instead spent most of Friday hammering out the details of the Statesman PUD. On Tuesday, a number of questions still hung in the air, so we’re taking the easy bet that this will be the biggest item – in terms of time and energy spent – on the agenda today. 

However, it’s not the only item. 

In transportation news, the expansion of Interstate 35 downtown seems to be moving forward, so the city is focusing on cap-and-stitch to mitigate its impact. Today Council will vote on a funding agreement with TxDOT that will facilitate that mitigation. Council will also vote on a station-planning process for the Project Connect light rail project that is now underway. And as we reported in brief earlier this week, the city is also looking to triple its MetroBike program, among other things. Speaking of Project Connect, Council is looking to make changes to nominations to its governing board and makeup – adding community at-large members to Austin Transit Partnership.

In terms of planning, Council is set to review a programming plan for the hike-and-bike trail (now managed by the Trail Conservancy). For a sneak peek on that, here you go. Today’s meeting is also another chance for CM Tovo’s resolution intended to guide the management of city-owned real estate. Though it has been discussed several times, there were still a number of questions at the last meeting. And it seems like this is probably the last chance for its approval, given the shifting makeup of Council in the new year. 

Following up on some wavering plans for the Nash Hernandez Building, CM Renteria has a resolution that aims to secure its future as a building for aging, low-income residents. Across the river, Council is also poised to approve another resolution from Renteria urging city staff to move forward with the sale of parkland approved by voters in 2021.

CM Tovo also has a resolution that takes a swing at making affordable condo ownership a little easier in Austin and a last-minute attempt at a crackdown on unlicensed operators of short-term rentals.

In terms of zoning, now that the Statesman PUD has been approved, we’re looking at a few different cases. On today’s agenda is the Brodie Oaks PUD, a North Austin townhome project, the St. Johns site that was once home to Home Depot, and the potential historic zoning of the Westgate Tower.

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