Stories by Joseph Caterine
School district fiscal forecast bleak
Although it did not come as a shock, the precarious position of the Austin Independent School District’s financial future dampened the mood at the end of the board of trustees’ Jan. 22 meeting. The ever-increasing amount of recapture the district…
AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 24, 2018
Mobility plan preview raises questions at Planning Commission
At a special called Jan. 18 meeting, the Planning Commission got its first look at the beginnings of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, what will be an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin. The plan is still in…
Planning • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 23, 2018
CodeNEXT wrong on PUDs, says commission
Waiting for the release of the third and final draft of CodeNEXT has not stopped the Zoning and Platting Commission from continuing to criticize the second draft, even after the commission submitted its formal recommendation last October. One of the…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 22, 2018
Flag lot variance request revived after failed approval
Having already been postponed once before, a plat application for a new subdivision in West Austin was postponed again by the Zoning and Platting Commission at its Jan. 2 meeting after a motion to approve failed to pass. Two of…
Planning • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 18, 2018
AISD submits top picks for Transformation Zone partner
After meeting with representatives from eight Northeast Austin campus advisory councils last week, the Austin Independent School District administration has selected its top picks for the role of design partner in a Transformation Zone grant. Empower Schools Inc. from Boston…
AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 16, 2018
Commission struggles with perplexing conditional use permit
CodeNEXT may make the current Land Development Code seem outdated, but there are still buildings around the city that have yet to be registered with the city. In these cases, something as simple as changing a building’s use can carry…
Planning • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 12, 2018
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AISD pumps brakes on Confederacy renamings
The initiative to change the names of Austin school facilities bearing the titles of Confederate military personnel lost steam at the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees’ Jan. 8 work session. The item was scheduled to come to a…
AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Jan 10, 2018
Commission tries in vain to add affordability requirements to commercial rezone
The legal constraints of Vertical Mixed Use zoning stalled efforts to add income-restricted affordable housing to a rezoning request at the Zoning and Platting Commission’s Dec. 19 meeting. The 2-acre property at 9829 1/2 North Lake Creek Parkway is currently…
Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Dec 22, 2017
Commission recommends mixed use family-friendly project in East Austin
A mixed use commercial rezone request in the middle of an east side single-family neighborhood met unanimous approval from Planning commissioners at their Dec. 12 meeting. Staff had recommended against placing such intense zoning in a residential area, but the…
Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Dec 21, 2017
Valid petition helps broker compromise in Montopolis rezone
The Planning Commission recommended to limit the units for a Montopolis condominium project proposed in a rezoning request at its Dec. 12 meeting, largely in response to strong opposition from the neighborhood. “I think this is a testament to you…
Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Dec 20, 2017
School communities to have more say in new facility designs
Following an intensive community engagement process in the drafting of the 2017 bond package, Austin Independent School District staff informed the board of trustees at its Dec. 11 work session that the designs of the new facilities will continue in…
AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Dec 19, 2017
Commission votes against rezoning former mobile home park property
Many commission decisions set a precedent, but only some make a statement. At its Dec. 12 meeting, the Planning Commission voted to recommend denying a rezoning application for a Montopolis property in what some commissioners called a clear example of…
