After purchasing former Texas Governor Ann Richards’ home on 2311 Shoal Creek Boulevard in 2017, the Texas Beta Students Aid Fund, which is the nonprofit arm of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, retained single-family zoning on the property. Yet neighbors reported that there was an unusually high level of activity occurring in the house – […]
Jessi Devenyns
Posted inParks
Project Catalyst and Country Club Creek Trail: An ‘inopportune’ overlap
At the same meeting of the Environmental Commission where citizens aired their concerns about the Northern Walnut Creek Trail, commissioners had questions about the Country Club Creek Trail off of Riverside Drive. Commissioners wanted to know how plans for the Country Club Creek Trail could be impacted by the controversial 97-acre development known as Project […]
Posted inPlanning
New medical office moves forward with no recommendation from Environmental Commission
Trees are such an essential resource in Central Texas that even the thought of razing them to the ground can rattle the branches of the Environmental Commission. The city of Austin does not have the authority to mandate the preservation of heritage trees within the extraterritorial jurisdiction. Despite that, the Environmental Commission was uncomfortable approving […]
Posted inParks
Public expresses concern about Urban Trails causing erosion
In 2014, the city of Austin approved an Urban Trails Master Plan that laid out the path forward to construct 300 miles of non-motorized trails throughout the city. Five years later, construction is well underway, but community members have raised some concerns about the environmental impacts of one of the trails on the east side […]
Posted inWhispers
Sexual assault exams on the rise in Austin
Non-report evidence collection for sexual assaults is up. But that’s a good thing, Jenny Black, the director of forensic nursing at SAFE Alliance’s Eloise House, told the Public Safety Commission at its April 1 meeting. “I think it’s important that we have strong numbers of non-reports,” said Black, explaining that having collected evidence allows victims […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin’s changing demographics cause for concern in the Barton Springs Zone
It’s no secret that Austin’s population is exploding, and forecasts that the city’s population will expand to 1 million by 2020 is a subject of concern for many. What is surprising about this boom is that it is actually nothing new. Since 1900, Austin’s population has doubled every 20 years, according to Environmental Commissioner Hank […]
Posted inWhispers
Wildland-Urban Interface Code under development a year past original adoption date
As Austin tops lists for U.S. cities at risk of wildfire damage, having a code that accounts for everything from managing vegetation to fire-safe requirements for new development is crucial. However, after Council provided a plan and a timeline for adoption in November 2016, the Austin Fire Department’s Wildland-Urban Interface Code has still not been […]
Posted inWhispers
City searches for consultant to review APD sexual assault cases
After Council mandated an independent review of police handling of sexual assault cases, the city manager’s office has been busy laying the groundwork to engage a consultant to examine sexual assaults reported to Austin police over the past seven years. Joe Silva from the city manager’s office came to the April 1 meeting of the Public Safety Commission […]
Posted inUncategorized
Dougherty redevelopment plans to go before Council in May with parks board approval
After voters decided last November to approve $25 million in bond funding to replace the Dougherty Arts Center, the Parks and Recreation Department immediately got to work designing a new facility specifically intended to accommodate the arts. With hundreds of voices from public input and an assessment of the feasibility of all the previously proposed sites, […]
Posted inBudget
Public safety departments cite $3.5M in unmet needs
At Monday’s Public Safety Commission meeting, commissioners unanimously voted to send a memo to City Council recommending an additional $3.5 million in funding for the 2020 fiscal year. The money would fund initiatives including a $10,000 raise for future police cadets, re-approved funding for the interdepartmental mental health outreach team, a new records management system […]
Posted inPreservation
Effort to historically zone Texas Supreme Court justice’s house narrowly fails at HLC
A debate over the definition of the word “significant” was the topic du jour at the March 25 meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission. The word’s interpretation came into question because, when it comes to determining whether a home is worthy of historical landmark designation, it must meet two of the five requirements with significance: archaeology, […]
Posted inWhispers
Public Safety Commission gets a new chair
It was the end of an era at the April 1 meeting of the Public Safety Commission. After serving four and a half years as chair, Rebecca Webber yielded the post to Ed Scruggs, the District 8 representative on the commission. Webber, whose term extends until 2021, will continue to serve as vice chair and […]