Questions surrounding the city’s revised camping, sitting and resting ordinances were brought to the public’s attention Monday as the state stepped in for cleanup operations and the city of Austin simultaneously conducted an operation to enforce its camping ban outside the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. At the Nov. 4 meeting of the Public […]
Jessi Devenyns
Posted inPreservation
Rendon House deemed worthy of preservation due to exceptional merit of its prior owner
Edward Rendon Sr.’s contributions to the East Austin community have never been in question. However, whether or not his house is eligible to be zoned historic to commemorate his efforts has become a subject of debate. Rendon was an activist who fought for the East Austin Latino community, and among other things, helped clean up […]
Posted inWhispers
Richard Overton’s home one step closer to becoming a museum
In a unanimous 10-0 vote on Oct. 28, the Historic Landmark Commission recommended Richard Overton’s house for historic zoning. Overton, who was the oldest living World War II veteran when he passed away last year, lived in his home from 1948 until his death. Volma Overton Jr., Overton’s cousin and executor of his estate, told […]
Posted inPreservation
Historic Landmark Commission hesitantly approves Masonic lodge renovation plans
After months of discussions and tweaks to the original plans for the Royal Arch Masonic Lodge, the Historic Landmark Commission finally came to a compromise with designers for a 30-plus-story addition to the 93-year-old ancestral home of the Masons at 311 W. Seventh St. In a 6-4 vote, the commissioners approved the initial certificate of […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Parks board recommends that the Parkland Dedication Ordinance remain untouched
The city of Austin has had a Parkland Dedication Ordinance as part of its Land Development Code since 1985. The ordinance has been updated three times since its institution, with the most recent iteration in 2016, after two years of engagement from both the public and experts. As a result of that collaboration, the ratio […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Lake setbacks threaten construction of family home in West Lake
Paris Schindler, owner of the lot at 1901 Westlake Drive, came to the Board of Adjustment seeking a variance to construct a 6,354-square-foot family home. While normally a 2.26-acre property would easily accommodate such a structure, 44,000 square feet of the lot is within the Lake Austin setback and much of the property ascends a […]
Posted inWater
Hays and Travis counties prioritize aquifer conservation
The Trinity Aquifer is the primary groundwater supply for Hill Country residents in both Hays and Travis counties. But as a natural resource, its freshwater supply is limited, even as populations continue to grow. Already, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is reporting that aquifer storage is strained. Continued groundwater pumping has reduced the spring […]
Posted inTransportation
Parks board member ‘completely opposed’ to meters in parks
Last week, the city of Austin changed the prices on its parking meters for the first time in nearly 30 years. Prices jumped from $1.20 inside the city’s downtown core – $1 outside of that core – to $2 an hour at all metered stations. Jason Redfern with the Austin Transportation Department told the Parks […]
Posted inEnvironment
Commission calls air quality motion a ‘vague statement,’ fails to pass it
Despite the philosophical support of commissioners, a motion to improve air quality at construction sites failed at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Environmental Commission. Commissioner Pam Thompson prepared a motion on the fly during a presentation by the Office of Sustainability about air quality in Austin. In her motion, Thompson requested the commission’s support […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Board of Adjustment waits for new code to make a decision on a fence
Slow and steady wins the race, and sometimes that requires a case postponement – or two, or three – to successfully acquire a variance. Such was the case at the Oct. 14 meeting of the Board of Adjustment, where Corey Keller came to request a variance to allow him to increase the height of his […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin remains within air quality compliance parameters
After concerns earlier this year that Austin would fall out of compliance with the EPA’s established National Ambient Air Quality Standards, new data presented at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Environmental Commission show that a risk of violation is likely to be avoided for 2019. This year has produced only three days of unhealthy […]
Posted inPlanning
Developer turns variance process upside-down, asks Environmental Commission for ‘feedback’
In an unusual request, development lawyer Richard Suttle with Armbrust & Brown appeared before the Environmental Commission on Oct. 16 to ask not for a site plan variance, but for feedback on a possible upcoming one. “I’m anticipating needing to come back,” Suttle told the commissioners. He was hoping they would provide him with questions […]