City Council will hold its (kind of) regular meeting again today, after top-secret interviews with city manager candidates are completed. Expect a short meeting, with a start time around 4 p.m. ANYWAY, here are the things we have our eye on. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda. The Office of the City Clerk posts a copy on its website, here.
Item 16: C14-2017-0028 – Great Hills Mixed Use – District 10 – Conduct a public hearing and approve an ordinance amending City Code Title 25 by rezoning property locally known as 9828 Great Hills Trail and 10224 Research Boulevard (Walnut Creek Watershed). Applicant Request: To rezone from community commercial (GR) district zoning and limited office (LO) district zoning to general commercial services-mixed use- vertical mixed use building (CS-MU-V) combining district zoning.
Monitor’s Take: As reported on Wednesday, this zoning case would allow a shopping center to be redeveloped with housing. As is typical these days, there will probably be a lot of talk about affordable housing – a plan for that aspect of the development has yet to be established.
Item 14: C14-98-0146(RCT) – 6610 McNeil Drive Termination of Restrictive Covenant – District 6 – Conduct a public hearing to terminate a public restrictive covenant on a property locally known as 6610 McNeil Drive and 12602 Blackfoot Trail (Rattan Creek Watershed). Staff Recommendation: To grant the restrictive covenant termination. Zoning and Platting Commission Recommendation:To grant the restrictive covenant termination. Owner/Applicant: Abraham Birgani. Agent: Shaw Hamilton Consultants (Shaw Hamilton). City Staff: Sherri Sirwaitis, 512-974-3057.
Monitor’s Take: Though getting rid of the restrictive covenant on this property probably won’t be a big deal, the Austin Monitor would like to inform you that this is but one piece of a zoning puzzle that Jo Clifton described as “Kafkaesque.”
Item 22: Update on EMS Labor Meet and Confer Agreement
Monitor’s Take: Not sure if the current situation around Austin-Travis County EMS contracts rates as Kafkaesque, but it’s certainly … something. At the moment, as we reported today, negotiations between the city and the EMS employee association collapsed Monday with no contract in place, so we will be watching this for sure!