Concrete is the second-largest industrial producer of carbon dioxide in the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Yet it is still one of the most popular building materials. Tom Ennis, the sustainability officer with the Watershed Protection Department, told the Environmental Commission at its June 19 meeting that Austin need not continue to contribute […]
Jessi Devenyns
Posted inPlanning
Environmental Commission recommends SOS amendment for private development
Under the Save Our Springs Ordinance, which was passed in 1992, all land in the Barton Springs Zone is subject to increased development regulation in order to protect the water quality of the springs and the Edwards Aquifer. One of the stipulations of this increased scrutiny is that variances to development restriction are expressly prohibited. […]
Posted inPreservation
Commissioner calls modern addition to Masonic Lodge a ‘desecration of an actual landmark’
In a collaborative effort, the Austin-based Mason Chapter of the York Rite began working with the city’s Historic Preservation Office and several local architecture firms to design a structure that would allow the Masons to retain their ancestral lodge on the corner of Seventh and Lavaca streets, while providing the economic security needed to keep […]
Posted inUncategorized
Planning Commission sees its first development trying to ‘unlock affordability’
Last May, City Council unanimously passed the Affordability Unlocked bonus program, a density program that loosens site restrictions and promotes the construction of more units in affordable and mixed-income housing developments. This month, the first developer came before the Planning Commission to request a zoning change to better allow them to take advantage of the ordinance’s […]
Posted inEnvironment
City shares reason for Barton Springs’ cloudy water last December
After Barton Springs was closed for a few days last December following an unusual level of turbidity in the water, the city immediately began investigating the cause. As the plumes of sediment filling the freshwater pool settled, instruments measuring water quality led staff to discover that some geothermal well drilling about 4,000 feet from Barton […]
Posted inWhispers
Local lawyer presents plan for Barton Springs bypass gate
Ever since a woman drowned while tubing in Barton Creek on Memorial Day 2016, Joe Riddell, an environmental attorney and avid inner tuber, has been working on a new design for the bypass tunnel grate where she was trapped. Armed with a cardboard diorama and an action figure, Riddell presented his plan to redesign the […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission split between preserving mobile homes and encouraging density
Council is set to consider a citywide effort to standardize zoning for mobile home parks today, but a few cases still present some wrinkles. One of those cases, which came before the Planning Commission at its June 11 meeting, sparked a debate about whether blanket rezoning to Mobile Home is the appropriate course forward for mobile […]
Posted inPlanning
BoA says project’s affordable housing is a token gesture
In Austin, “affordable housing” has become a magical phrase that is repeatedly heard within the walls of City Hall. Although affordable housing is undoubtedly needed in the city, the Board of Adjustment indicated that it’s fed up with this phrase being used as a bargaining chip for increased development entitlements. “I will not barter affordable […]
Posted inPreservation
Planning Commission gives no recommendation on contentious historic zoning case
After the Historic Landmark Commission voted against the owner’s wishes and staff recommendation to recommend historic zoning for the property at 1603 Willow St., the case came to the June 11 meeting of the Planning Commission. The commissioners weighed the recommendation of the HLC and the testimony of two dozen neighbors against Historic Preservation Officer […]
Posted inPlanning
Lack of notification brings case back to BoA
After the Board of Adjustment quickly approved a variance with hearty support last month to allow an increase in building height from 40 to 50 feet for the construction of a cultural center, the property at 810½ San Marcos St. came back before the board on a technicality. The Guadalupe Association for an Improved Neighborhood […]
Posted inPlanning
Flooding concerns prevent BoA from approving increased impervious cover
When it comes to drainage controls, how much of a good thing is too much? The answer is, when drainage control threatens to heighten flood risk due to the increase in impervious cover required for its installation. Jason Asbury came on behalf of Homex Partners to the Board of Adjustment’s June 10 meeting to ask […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Review Commission finds Frank Rodriguez in violation of city ethics rules
Justice has been a long time coming in the case concerning Frank Rodriguez’s continued ties to Latino Healthcare Forum, a nonprofit he founded while serving as a senior policy adviser to Mayor Steve Adler. After the Ethics Review Commission chose not to accept a settlement agreement presented by both parties last month, commissioners heard the […]