TipSheet: Austin City Council, 9.12.24

Today, City Council will meet once again for its regular Thursday meeting. And we, in turn, have once again read through the agenda and compiled a list of the items that caught our eye. 

After years of debate, an “agent of change” is back. Council will consider changes to the code today that would put the responsibility of mitigating noise issues from existing music venues on new hotels and developments that choose to locate near them. 

Council will also consider new economic incentives that support affordable commercial space, community-based development and the preservation of existing creative spaces and venues. But that’s not all! In a separate item dealing with Chapter 380 agreements, Council will consider economic incentives for businesses that are focused on workforce development and paying middle-skill workers well. 

And, in kind of similar news, Council will also consider adopting a new framework for developing and supporting cultural districts in the city. 

For a while now, the city has been looking for ways to make its historic preservation efforts a little more equitable (and a little less focused on giving tax breaks to fancy homes with loads of historic associations). That effort has culminated in the Equity-Based Preservation Plan, which has wound its way through the various boards and commissions to land at City Council today for potential adoption.

As we have reported, the CapMetro Bikeshare (née MetroBike) is undergoing a massive change in terms of expansion and electrification. That change doesn’t come cheap, and Council will consider expanding the current contract by about $4 million to $18.5 million today in order to make all of that happen.

Council Member Mackenzie Kelly has a resolution that would ban per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from firefighting equipment and materials. The chemicals are known to cause cancer and other health problems for firefighters in addition to contaminating the environment. Kelly’s resolution would phase out their use and encourages other municipalities to follow suit.

Led by Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, Council will also vote to initiate rezoning of 10505 and 10545 Dessau Road in order to establish a foster village for foster children. In addition to addressing that specific property, the resolution also asks the city to look into other underused properties that can be developed to serve the community.

In terms of zoning, there’s a handful of DB90 cases, which continue to cause distress among the city’s neighborhood associations. Those cases include an Oak Springs rezoning that is opposed by the Govalle/Johnston Terrace Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, a rezoning on East 12th Street, a rezoning on the 2300 block of Cesar Chavez and a plan for Montopolis Boulevard.

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