Concerns about family displacement and housing affordability prevented the Planning Commission from recommending approval of a proposed apartment complex in the Montopolis neighborhood Tuesday. In two different votes, the commission failed to garner the seven votes necessary to endorse the recommendation by city staff for the proposed 23-acre mixed-use development on Bastrop Highway and Ponca […]
Jack Craver
Posted inZoning
ZAP says no to gas station, yes to office space
The site of a burned-down day care center will now likely become office and retail space, thanks to action taken by the Zoning and Platting Commission last week. The commission adopted city staff’s recommendation that the .96-acre plot of land at 11812 Millwright Parkway, near the intersection of Anderson Mill Road and Highway 183 in […]
Posted inAustin
Immigrant rights activists confront mayor over deportations
Mayor Steve Adler engaged in a courteous but tense public conversation over the city’s immigration policies with a group of immigrant rights activists outside of his City Hall office Monday afternoon. ICE Out of Austin – a group pushing for local law enforcement to no longer cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain or […]
Posted inDevelopment, Planning
Planning Commission recommends major PUD east of Austin
The Planning Commission recommended last week that City Council members approve a planned unit development for a massive mixed-use project in an unincorporated area of Travis County, about 10 miles east of the airport – where, if approved, the effort could span both sides of Pearce Lane. The panel unanimously gave the nod to the recommendation […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission OKs condo development
Despite concerns raised by neighbors, including a telephone psychic who worried that the noise from nearby construction could harm her business, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval last week of a zoning change to facilitate the construction of six single-family residences at 2106 Allwood Drive and 2013 Bluebonnet Lane. Next-door neighbor Dede Spontak sold the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics panel dismisses complaints against Historic Landmark Commission
For the second time in recent months, the Ethics Review Commission waded into the affairs of the Historic Landmark Commission in response to a complaint from an activist. But unlike the previous instance, the commission quickly dismissed the complaints, ruling that it did not have the jurisdiction to judge the merits of the allegations, which […]
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission punts controversial Thornton Road project to Council
Neighborhood activists appeared to score a partial victory Tuesday when the Planning Commission voted to forward a controversial proposal for a major development on Thornton Road to City Council without a recommendation. Although a majority of commissioners present voted to deny staff’s recommendation to approve the project, the panel fell one vote short of the […]
Posted inDevelopment
Zoning commissioner voices concerns about Austin Oaks charrette
Developers and neighbors participating in the design charrette regarding Austin Oaks, a proposed major mixed-use development at the southwest corner of MoPac Expressway and Spicewood Springs Road, told the Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday that preparations for the event are going well. The charrette, which is an attempt to bring area stakeholders together to […]
Posted inCity Council
Gallo touts tax cuts, bemoans traffic after first year
In her first year on City Council, Sheri Gallo occupied a unique place on the 11-member body. After triumphing in a close runoff election against longtime progressive activist Mandy Dealey in December 2014, Gallo was widely perceived as one of the three right-leaning members of the new 10-1 Council. Although she repeatedly rebuked partisan labels, […]
Posted inCity Council
Ora Houston recalls challenging but rewarding year
In an interview with the Austin Monitor, City Council Member Ora Houston called her first year on Council “extremely rewarding” but said that the job had a “steep learning curve.” In addition, the changes to city government that 10-1 promised may take much longer to materialize than advocates of the new system expected. Certain advocacy […]
Posted inEMS
Council delays decision on EMS staffing issues
City Council heard two competing narratives over a staffing shortage in the City of Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services communications and dispatch section of its discussion last week, as department management urged Council to approve an ordinance that would eliminate a midlevel employee classification so that some entry-level employees could fill positions currently reserved for […]
Posted inDevelopment
ZAP postpones project over pipeline concerns
The Zoning and Platting Commission postponed a decision on a proposed project at its Dec. 15 meeting over concerns relating to a nearby gas pipeline. In the course of the discussion, commissioners suggested that current city regulations do not require a great enough distance between buildings and potentially hazardous pipelines. The development before the commission […]