At its last meeting, the Planning Commission voted to approve a staff recommendation on the second part of a request to amend the consent agreement for Moore’s Crossing, a municipal utility district east of Austin proper, in order to clarify the developer’s transportation infrastructure obligations. The commission went further than the staff recommendation on the […]
Joseph Caterine
Posted inZoning
North Austin zoning case clears ZAP
At its meeting on Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission approved a request to rezone a Northwest Austin property for Community Commercial (GR) use. Ron Thrower, the agent representing owner and applicant Douglas Reynolds, said his client intends to have an automobile parts store on the site at 6914 McNeil Drive. “We’re trying to get […]
Posted inWhispers
River Place rezoning case postponed yet again
At its meeting on Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission postponed the River Place rezoning case again, this time until Feb. 21. Jeff Howard, representing MileStone Community Builders, said that it was actually one of the principals of the Autism Trust, the group that will be overseeing the planned autism center in the River Place […]
Posted inPlanning
Developer, city arborist agree on heritage tree removal
In a rare exception to the city’s 95 percent preservation rate for heritage trees, the Planning Commission approved staff’s recommendation of a variance during its Jan. 10 meeting that would permit applicant Stantec Inc. to remove two heritage trees in order to construct a new hotel at 400 Josephine St. In fact, the applicant plans […]
Posted inPlanning
Unadopted South Lamar Corridor Plan influences Planning Commission appeal
A subpar neighborhood traffic analysis did not stop the Planning Commission from granting an appeal for a 60,000-square-foot mixed-use project at 2010 South Lamar Blvd. during its Jan. 10 meeting. Due to the site plan not meeting city code with its driveway on South Lamar, the applicant, Frontier Realty LLC, was forced to move the […]
Posted inPlanning
Specter of CodeNEXT informs vertical mixed-use cases at Planning Commission
In two separate cases on Tuesday, the Planning Commission approved vertical mixed-use zoning on Congress Avenue. The majority of the commissioners continue to see VMU zoning as a way to increase density along or near core transit corridors in line with the goals of Imagine Austin and CodeNEXT. The first applicant, Guefen Development Company, applied […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission approves Plaza Saltillo project, affordability level disputed
After what Chair Stephen Olivier called “officially our longest case ever,” the Planning Commission approved three rezoning items associated with the six tracts of the Plaza Saltillo project at its Jan. 10 meeting. The properties, owned by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, span 11 acres along East Fifth Street and the rail line. In 2013, […]
Posted inWhispers
ZAP decides more warehouses, fewer services for rural Austin
More warehouses can be built on the outskirts of Austin as a result of a Zoning and Platting Commission decision at its Jan. 3 meeting. The commissioners approved applicant Peter Pham Phuong’s request to rezone 3119 East Howard Lane from rural residential to limited industrial. “Warehouse Limited Office zoning is meant to be a transitional category,” […]
Posted inWhispers
CodeNEXT schedule approved for Planning Commission
Following up on a discussion at last month’s joint meeting of the Planning and Zoning and Platting commissions, Greg Guernsey, director of the Planning and Zoning Department, appeared at the Dec. 13 meeting of the Planning Commission to set its CodeNEXT schedule for the coming year. CodeNEXT is the city’s ongoing overhaul of the Land […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission approves South Austin rezoning despite traffic, flooding concerns
Despite opposition from neighbors, the Planning Commission last week voted to support the rezoning of a South Austin property to allow condominiums and townhouses. At its Dec. 13 meeting, the commission unanimously approved the rezoning of 4507 and 4511 Vinson Drive from Family Residence (SF-3) to Townhouse & Condominium (SF-6) in the South Manchaca Neighborhood […]
Posted inPlanning
Waiver applicant pitches restrictive covenant with themselves
The Planning Commission voted 7-4 at its Dec. 13 meeting to postpone a decision on a compatibility waiver for a new multifamily residential development called the Lofts at 12th, located at 2724 East 12th St. The waiver would accommodate the five-story apartment complex by allowing the developer to scale down a 25-foot setback triggered by […]
Posted inResources
City defends stance on Dripping Springs discharge permit
Chris Herrington, an engineer with the city’s Watershed Protection Department, hopes to dispel the notion that the city of Austin is an “800-pound gorilla” that intimidates surrounding municipalities into submitting to its environmental policy. At the Dec. 7 meeting of the Environmental Commission, Herrington and other Watershed Protection staff presented a brief on the city […]