Planning Commission endorses, amends updated erosion protections

The Planning Commission voted unanimously on Feb. 25 to recommend, with amendments, an ordinance proposed by the Watershed Protection Department to add new erosion protections to a section of the Colorado River below Longhorn Dam.

The Austin Monitor has previously reported on the ordinance, which would increase the reach of an existing erosion hazard zone, or EHZ, along the banks of the Colorado south of Longhorn Dam from 100 feet to 200 feet. This would impose regulations and requirements for analysis of potential dangers before building, depending on proximity to the banks.

An amendment from Commissioner Ryan Johnson to exempt single-family residential uses from the expansion of the EHZ passed 7-2, with commissioners Danielle Skidmore and Grayson Cox voting “nay.”

Matt Hollon of the Watershed Protection Department said during the meeting that the department would welcome such a measure, which he said would address a key concern of homeowner stakeholders along the affected portion of the river.

Skidmore said in explaining her “nay” vote that she was concerned the exemption could create a “false impression of safety” for homeowners or prospective buyers. She introduced her own amendment, seconded by Cox, to change the mechanism of the exemption to an automatic variance that would allow the homes to technically remain in the expanded EHZ while still being free from its added regulatory burdens.

Skidmore’s amendment was voted down 8-2, however, with several commissioners citing a lack of clarity in how, or whether, an automatic variance would work.

Another amendment from Commissioner Alice Woods, which also passed unanimously, made a general recommendation to department staff to look into rules requiring disclosure of the risk posed by erosion to buyers of any property within the expanded EHZ, regardless of whether or not it applies to the property. Woods said her amendment was intended to speak to Skidmore and Cox’s concerns.

Several members of East Austin environmental justice organization PODER spoke in favor of the ordinance at the meeting, with many of them referencing the Save Our Springs Ordinance, which provides even stricter protections upstream of Longhorn Dam, in their comments.

“While it does not achieve parity with the protections of the (Save Our Springs) Ordinance, which is really our ultimate goal for East Austin, it is a positive step in the right direction,” said Valerie Menard, the coordinator of PODER’s Colorado River Conservancy Project.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.