Stories by Jo Clifton
City loses second suit over development rules
A group of citizens who sued the city over four ordinances designed to make it easier to develop new housing projects have apparently prevailed on three of the four laws. That means the city will have to go back to…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Nov 14, 2023
Reclaimed water rule postponed till April
On Thursday, City Council voted to postpone adoption of a long-planned ordinance requiring certain large developments to hook up to the city’s reclaimed water system. Bill Bunch, executive director of the Save Our Springs Alliance, asked Council not to agree…
Water • By Jo Clifton • Nov 13, 2023
New law means parkland funds will drop drastically
The amount of parkland dedication fees City Council can collect starting on Jan. 1 will be severely limited, two principal planners for the Parks and Recreation Department told Council at Tuesday’s work session. Robynne Heymans and Scott Grantham explained that…
Parks • By Jo Clifton • Nov 9, 2023
Aggrieved citizens sue over funding Project Connect
A group of prominent citizens has filed suit against all members of City Council and members of the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors, claiming that ATP may not legally spend city property taxes or issue debt needed to build…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Nov 8, 2023
Reclaimed water issue stops PUD from getting final approval
With only six members of City Council voting Thursday in favor of changing plans for the West Parcel of the Hyatt Planned Unit Development at Riverside Drive and South First Street, the developer will have to come back for a…
Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Nov 7, 2023
City official explains need to fix Barton Springs Road bridge
There is an urgent need to move forward with repairs and expansion of the Barton Springs Road bridge leading into Zilker Park, Eric Bailey, acting deputy director of Capital Delivery Services for the city, told City Council’s Mobility Committee last…
Roads • By Jo Clifton • Nov 2, 2023
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RVs won't be allowed on single-family lots under coming code changes
When City Council considers changes to the Land Development Code in December, while they will discuss giving property owners the option of having three units on single-family lots and allowing tiny homes on those lots, they will not consider adding…
Housing • By Jo Clifton • Oct 31, 2023
HOME proposal draws a crowd of speakers, both pro and con
A total of 297 interested citizens signed up to address a joint meeting of City Council and the Planning Commission on Thursday about proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations intended to increase the amount of housing available to middle-income…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Oct 27, 2023
City auditor unveils new online tracking system for audits
The Office of the City Auditor is advertising a new tool to let any member of the public see how different departments are doing in response to audit findings. That tool is a new online dashboard that tracks recommendations from…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Oct 26, 2023
Council’s plans to change housing rules upset some neighborhood advocates
Austin’s “single-family neighborhoods are in jeopardy of losing big” with the proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations, according to Ana Aguirre, president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council. While housing advocates have praised City Council Member Leslie Pool’s HOME initiative,…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Oct 25, 2023
Green Pastures gets to keep three-year site plan extension
Despite pleas from several neighbors, City Council declined Thursday to overturn a ruling from the Planning Commission granting a three-year extension to a site plan for redevelopment of the historic Green Pastures restaurant and surrounding gardens. The vote was unanimous,…
Development • By Jo Clifton • Oct 24, 2023
Council approves convention center expansion contracts
On Thursday, City Council voted to award the contract for construction and pre-construction of a refurbished and enlarged Austin Convention Center to two firms, JE Dunn Construction and Turner Construction, for up to $1.2 billion. They also directed staff to…
