Following an occasionally heated debate, City Council voted down a proposal Thursday that would have declared the current membership of the Planning Commission to be in violation of the city charter. At issue is a provision of the charter, approved by voters in 1994, that calls for no more than one-third of the Planning Commission […]
Jack Craver
Posted inWhispers
Council wants Landmark Commission to review demolition plans for schools
City Council unanimously, with Council Member Ellen Troxclair absent, approved a resolution Thursday that encourages the Austin Independent School District to coordinate with historic preservation advocates in the implementation of the large-scale reconstruction program that it is undertaking with the bond funds approved by voters last fall. The resolution directs city staff to identify upcoming school […]
Posted inCity Council
Who has a ‘direct or indirect interest’ in real estate? It depends who you ask
City Council appears divided over what do about a provision of the city charter that requires two-thirds of the members of the Planning Commission to be “lay members” who are not “directly or indirectly connected with real estate or land development.” Activists opposed to CodeNEXT have filed a complaint with the Travis County District Attorney […]
Posted inPolice
Council members: APD should not be allowed to sell guns
In 2016, City Council approved a contract that allowed the Austin Police Department to trade more than 1,700 handguns to an arms dealer as part of a deal to acquire new weapons for police officers. Council Member Alison Alter doesn’t think it’s right for city guns to make their way back to the private market. […]
Posted inWhispers
Council to consider new committee appointments system
City Council members want to develop a new way of appointing members to various Council committees, but they don’t agree on what the new process should look like. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan has proposed that the mayor, based on feedback from Council members, submit a list of appointments that Council could make changes to and […]
Posted inResources
Garbage companies fight over landfill standards
Over the past two years, City Council has faced challenges in deciding who to pay to haul and dispose of the large amount of trash generated by city facilities. One of the big local trash players, Texas Disposal Systems, has claimed that city lobbying rules, which limit communications between a company bidding on a contract […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Divisions over city’s future on display at CodeNEXT forum
After a similarly lengthy forum on Saturday, members of the city’s two land use commissions – the Planning Commission and the Zoning and Platting Commission – endured four hours of public testimony Tuesday night over CodeNEXT, the proposed overhaul of the city’s land development rules. The 80 members of the community who spoke at the […]
Posted inHousing
Council wants to help homeowners resist ‘predatory home flipping’
City Council Member Delia Garza has no interest in selling her home in Southeast Austin, but she was intrigued by a letter she received in the mail recently from somebody interested in buying it. An ominous all-caps headline on the yellow card reads, “THIRD NOTICE” – language one would expect on an overdue bill. Below […]
Posted inCity Council
Despite hurt feelings, Council members embrace electric scooters
Rushing to respond to electric scooters that have taken over downtown, City Council will consider an ordinance on Thursday to establish rules regarding the increasingly popular devices. The proposed ordinance, drafted by city transportation staff, will allow the Transportation Department to issue licenses that allow companies to put their products on city streets and sidewalks. […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Planning Commissioners zero in on CodeNEXT mapping
CodeNEXT, the seemingly interminable process of rewriting the city’s land use regulations, has been guided by two distinct goals. The first is to provide a simpler code that is easier for the layperson to understand, including by introducing new language to describe zoning categories. The second goal is to use the new code to encourage […]
Posted inWhispers
Council to vote to rename Jeff Davis Avenue
As part of the push to rename city streets and landmarks that pay homage to the Confederacy, City Council will vote Thursday to do away with Jeff Davis Avenue, in North Central Austin. The resolution, authored by Council Member Leslie Pool, proposes renaming the street after Will Holland, a former slave who fought in the […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission skeptical of apartment complex in Southeast Austin
Things aren’t looking good for a landowner in Southeast Austin hoping to turn a 10-acre tract into a 125-unit apartment community. At its latest meeting, few members of the Planning Commission voiced support for the request by the property owners, Angelos Angelou and John Sasaridis, to change the zoning on 4500 Nuckols Crossing Road from […]