TipSheet: Austin City Council, 7.18.24

Though City Council members briefly reappeared to help unveil this year’s budget last week, they will have their first regular meeting this week after summer break. As one might expect, the agenda is somewhat overstuffed in an effort to make up for that lost time. We’ve done our level best to discern what the most interesting parts of this week’s agenda are, but the whole thing is also posted online for those who prefer to do the work themselves.

Though it’s always a little unclear what will and won’t be discussed, there are a number of big items on the agenda, including the South Central Waterfront Plan. For those who need a refresher, the plan will change how the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, across from downtown, can be developed in a way that would increase density. It’s been the source of much consternation as it’s made its way to City Council. We’re expecting that to continue.

Back before the break, Council members opted to stall making a decision about proposed City Charter amendments that could be on this November’s ballot in order to give themselves more time to ponder the issues and more time for staff to work out the details. Those amendments are back, with ballot language, and include a proposition to have Council confirm the city attorney and changes to how petitions are handled. And, though it’s vanishingly unlikely that it will appear on the upcoming ballot, Council is poised to affirm its delayed support for a climate bond, no later than 2026. 

We’ve done some recent reporting on the potential sale of the city’s district cooling system. That’s also on today’s agenda, though Austin Energy has decided to withdraw it for now.

In an intriguing development sponsored by Council Member Zo Qadri, Council will consider whether to establish a public bank. The reasoning, according to the resolution, is that “a national movement is occurring of state and local entities creating public banks with the intent to create loans for a public purpose, re-invest city revenues locally, and provide non-predatory banking services for the public.” Here’s a KXAN story on it.

After losing a suit to the Save Our Springs Alliance, Council has modified its public speaking rules in order to be, well, legal. Here are those new rules, which are expected to be adopted today.

A number of amendments to the Land Development Code are also up for consideration today. From Council Member Ryan Alter’s office, there’s a resolution that seeks to refine the recently passed HOME ordinance’s preservation bonus by encouraging preservation through greater development entitlements, like increased height. After some changes in 2023, some larger developments (like the Borden Dairy site) have opted to use Planned Development Agreements, or PDAs, in order to build. A resolution from Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison would increase what could be built on those sites in exchange for community benefits, like the city’s other density bonus programs. And Council Member Mackenzie Kelly is focusing on safety barriers that could prevent car crashes at hospitals after a fatal crash at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center and a subsequent investigation of the issue by KXAN.

Speaking of density bonus programs, Qadri also has a resolution that will revamp the downtown one to, potentially, remove height caps and encourage more pedestrian-oriented uses, among other things.

And Council will hold a public hearing about a new bonus program aimed at preserving and creating venues and creative spaces in the Red River Cultural District. In other cultural news, the city will use 2018 bond funds to, among other things, help the Museum of Human Achievement purchase and preserve its space.

With a proposal selected by the Urban Renewal Board, it’s now up to Council to determine the future of the 900 and 1100 blocks of East 11th Street.

Council will also consider a good deal of money for ongoing improvements to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

In an ongoing effort to expand the availability of child care in the city, Council Member Alison Alter has taken a dive into the details and come forward with a resolution to eliminate street impact fees for child care facilities in order to make their development more affordable.

And, in terms of zoning, there are a whole mess of cases, and a few we’re particularly keen to follow up on, including a floodplain variance for a new tower on West Avenue, an east side preservation case, the reappearance of a Cesar Chavez rezoning and an Oak Springs rezoning that is attempting to employ DB90 now that VMU2 is kaput.

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