TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.23.23

City Council will convene today for its last regular meeting in February. It also marks the first official Council meeting with interim City Manager Jesús Garza, who has taken back his seat following the near-unanimous firing of Spencer Cronk. A helpful programming note from Mayor Kirk Watson states that Council intends to hear public testimony on I-35 at 1 p.m. and public testimony on the potential police contract at 2:45, with zoning to be taken up afterward. The meeting, according to Watson, will end in a closed executive session. 

Though we’re not anticipating anything close to the pathos of that last City Council meeting, with police contract negotiations currently at a standstill and a new proposition on the table from Council Member Ryan Alter, we are expecting a bit of drama as Council continues to work on the details of a contract extension.

We’re also expecting that continued discussion on the proposed expansion of I-35 through downtown will get a fair amount of attention. Today’s item would approve a resolution about how the city would like to see the expansion play out, with an emphasis on maximizing the number of east-west connections that would be possible over the road and narrowing its silhouette as much as possible. 

In other news, Council will be asked to authorize almost $4 million in Thrive grants for artists and extend a contract for the current boathouse on Lady Bird Lake as relocation plans continue to move forward. However, it looks like neither the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development policy plan nor the Palm District Plan will be moving forward today, with ETODs pending a committee discussion and staff requesting a postponement to May 18 for the Palm plan.

From Council Member Ryan Alter, there is an interesting resolution that seeks to work with local colleges and universities to tackle the dearth of affordable student housing in town.

In terms of zoning, we’ll be watching the presentation about a new planned unit development at 200 E. Riverside Drive. We’re also keeping an eye on a Windsor Park rezoning and the case of a potential cocktail lounge on Guadalupe.

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