Stories by Joseph Caterine

As deadline nears, CodeNEXT capacity figures still in question

The land use commissions received a briefing on the affordability implications of the third and final draft of CodeNEXT Tuesday night, with only a few weeks left before they turn in their official recommendations to City Council. Consultants and staff…

Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Mar 30, 2018

Commission strikes compromise in contentious mixed use zoning request

In line with the emphasis on mixed use zoning proposed in the CodeNEXT draft, the Zoning and Platting Commission voted to approve staff’s recommendation of mixed use Limited Office zoning for a lot on Slaughter Lane during its Mar. 20…

Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Mar 26, 2018

Commission votes to deny rezoning for Northwest bar

The Zoning and Platting Commission voted to side with members of a Northwest Austin neighborhood against a request that would permit a bar to open in their neighborhood. It is not the first time this neighborhood has opposed similar requests,…

Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Mar 20, 2018

Planning Commission moves Rosewood Courts case to Council

Voting against a request to postpone the case, the Planning Commission unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to grant a portion of east side public housing project Rosewood Courts historic zoning at its Mar. 13 meeting. Controversy has centered around whether all…

Housing • By Joseph Caterine • Mar 16, 2018

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East side zoning case gets personal

It takes great care for the Planning Commission to balance developer and neighborhood concerns for any zoning case. That can be especially true when the land in question is smack dab in the middle of one of the most rapidly…

Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Mar 5, 2018

School board approves Confederate school renaming process

The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 7-2 last night to approve an action initiated by district staff last fall to rename five school facilities named after Confederate military personnel. Deliberation on whether to change the names for…

AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Feb 27, 2018

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Middle school turnaround plan impresses board

Having to reinvest in a failing school is typically a somber affair, but the Austin Independent School District’s board of trustees was pleasantly surprised by the thought and energy that had been put into the Burnet Middle School Turnaround Plan…

AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Feb 22, 2018

Land use commissions skeptical about CodeNEXT 3.0 promises

The third draft of CodeNEXT made its long-awaited debut last Monday, presented to the public at an open house that evening in the flattering light of the golden hour – but by the next night, at the joint land use…

Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Feb 20, 2018

School board still split on school renamings

At its Feb. 12 work session, the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees formally discussed the possibility of renaming several Confederate-affiliated facilities. It was the first time it has done so since tensions between some trustees had culminated in an…

AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Feb 14, 2018

Commission vice chair calls density bonus programs a failure

At the Zoning and Platting Commission’s Feb. 6 meeting, Vice Chair Jim Duncan continued his series of CodeNEXT presentations with an indictment of the city’s density bonus programs, one of the city’s main approaches to facilitating housing for households making less…

Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Feb 12, 2018

City demographer smashes assumptions about growth at CodeNEXT meeting

For the past year, the land use commissions have been reviewing the drafts of CodeNEXT, and the discussions have primarily revolved around how to accommodate the incredible population growth the city has experienced for the past few decades. About two…

Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Feb 1, 2018

Neighborhood fights for holistic infrastructure improvements on east side rezoning

Less than a week after the Planning Commission held a CodeNEXT discussion on the predicament of upzoning in areas with insufficient infrastructure, it had the opportunity to weigh in on a real-life example. At their Jan. 23 meeting, commissioners voted…

Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 26, 2018