Most City Council members still don’t know what to make of the first draft of CodeNEXT, the long-anticipated overhaul of the city’s zoning code that was first unveiled late last month. On Wednesday, the consultants hired to craft the draft code gave a presentation to Council members that touched on the guiding aspirations of the […]
Jack Craver
Posted inResources
Council denies controversial waste disposal contract
City Council voted unanimously last week to kill a garbage collection contract after outcries from both environmentalists and waste hauling companies that claimed they would be hurt by the proposed deal between the city and Republic Services, a Phoenix-based waste disposal firm. Council’s decision followed a recommendation by the Zero Waste Advisory Commission earlier this […]
Posted inCity Council
Confusion and frustration continue over Council committees
City Council appears united in the belief that its committee system must change, but debate on Thursday about who will serve on what committee shows that Council members have still not reached a consensus on what exactly the new system should look like. While a measure that cut in half the number of committees (from […]
Posted inCity Council
Council approves resolution aimed at creating more Capitol View Corridors
City Council approved a resolution Thursday aimed at preserving “visual corridors” of the state Capitol in East Austin. Brought forward by Council Member Ora Houston – who in a prepared statement described the view of the Capitol that she grew up enjoying as both “magical” and increasingly endangered – the resolution does not impose any […]
Posted inHousing
Tax credits could provide big increase in affordable housing units on Goodrich Ave.
With the assistance of the state and federal government, Pathways at Goodrich Place, a public housing complex at 2126 Goodrich Ave., may soon have more than three times as many apartment units serving residents who otherwise couldn’t afford to live in the surrounding Zilker neighborhood. City Council voted Thursday to endorse an application by Pathways […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council selects search firm to find new city manager
City Council settled on a firm to conduct the search for a new city manager Thursday following a convoluted and unusual process in which each Council member ranked the three firms competing for the contract. Council ultimately voted 7-4 to award the contract to Russell Reynolds Associates, a global firm that specializes in recruiting high-level […]
Posted inWhispers
Troxclair has concerns about corridor consultant
City Council Member Ellen Troxclair raised concerns about the consultant the city hired to assist in the implementation of the corridor plan that voters approved as part of the $720 million mobility bond. HNTB, the contractor that finished second in the bidding process, she noted, appeared to have more experience managing large programs, including multibillion-dollar […]
Posted inWhispers
Renteria urges lower height for Plaza Saltillo
City Council Member Pio Renteria announced to his colleagues during a Tuesday work session that he will push for the Plaza Saltillo project to be capped at a height of 78 feet on first reading, rather than the 125 feet recommended by staff. That is the minimum height that the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has […]
Posted inAustin
What will Trump mean for Austin?
In addition to bracing for a flurry of laws proposed at the state legislature aimed at constraining the power of local governments, City Council is looking ahead at the first year in a decade in which its majority is at odds politically with every branch of the federal government. At a work session Tuesday, Council […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council approves solar-ready resolution
In spite of objections from the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, City Council approved a resolution Thursday aimed at making all future buildings in the city “solar-ready.” The resolution, which passed 10-1, with only Council Member Ellen Troxclair in opposition, kicks off the process of amending the city’s energy code. If an ordinance mirroring […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council gets its first look at CodeNEXT
It’s finally here. At least the first draft. For the first time, City Council members got a presentation on CodeNEXT, the long-awaited rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code. The report detailed ways in which city staff, in collaboration with consultants, propose simplifying and reforming what many have described as a byzantine set of rules […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy makes good on energy efficiency goals
Austin Energy officials say the city-owned utility is making good on a lot of the ambitious energy efficiency goals set out for it in the Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan approved by City Council in December 2014. Thirty-one percent of the energy Austinites consume now comes from renewable sources, up from 25 percent when […]