Stories by Joseph Caterine
Five years later, Imagine Austin gets progress report but no update
Despite a long road ahead, the progress report on Imagine Austin presented at the Nov. 7 joint land use commission meeting indicated that the city was on track in its implementation of the comprehensive plan. Still, some commissioners expressed frustration…
Planning • By Joseph Caterine • Nov 9, 2017
Commission embraces ADUs in CodeNEXT
After months of debate, the Planning Commission at its Nov. 1 meeting directed staff and consultants to make the building of accessory dwelling units less constrained in the final draft of CodeNEXT. The current code places several restrictions on the…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Nov 6, 2017
Land use commissions diverge ahead of CodeNEXT third draft
Differences of opinion between the Planning Commission and Zoning and Platting Commission are becoming more distinct. The Zoning and Platting Commission managed to submit an official recommendation on Monday, whereas the Planning Commission passed a less formal resolution on Wednesday,…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Nov 3, 2017
Commission experiences déjà vu when previous case returns
Rezoning a property is an arduous and lengthy exercise on its own, but for some, it is not enough to remove cumbersome restrictions. Last week, the Zoning and Platting Commission voted to approve the staff recommendation to terminate a public…
Zoning • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 27, 2017
Commission plots new CodeNEXT recommendation road map
In hindsight, future historians may interpret the Planning Commission’s Oct. 24 resolution as taking a clever shortcut toward the final destination of an April 2018 CodeNEXT adoption. Or, it may be viewed as a turnaround that strayed off the clear…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 26, 2017
Planning Commission hosts massive CodeNEXT public work session
The Planning Commission opened the doors of City Hall yesterday to a public eager to share its thoughts on the second draft of CodeNEXT. Despite some polarizing opinions on certain topics, the atmosphere remained cordial, and the complex review process…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 25, 2017
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AISD seeks environmental flexibility in redevelopment of Barton Springs schools
The Austin Independent School District is one step closer to reaching an agreement with the city that would allow it to redevelop some of its overcrowded campuses in order to accommodate growth in student populations. At its meeting last Wednesday,…
AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 23, 2017
Planning Commission quartet revolts against calls for CodeNEXT delay
In an unconventional maneuver, four Planning Commissioners hosted an impromptu press conference Thursday at City Hall, announcing their opposition to voices critical of the CodeNEXT timeline. Commissioners Chito Vela, Greg Anderson, Jeffrey Thompson and Angela De Hoyos Hart all made…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 20, 2017
Commission vents about CodeNEXT's momentum
Somewhere, hiding mysteriously in the drafting timeline of the new land use code, there is a point of no return. The Zoning and Platting Commission, a body that has repeatedly called for the CodeNEXT review process to be slowed down,…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 19, 2017
CodeNEXT density increase could mean parking requirement decrease
The spirit of road rage sometimes goes beyond Austin’s congested highways and injects itself into debates revolving around the city’s transit problems. That angst could be felt at the Oct. 10 Planning Commission meeting, when staff presented how parking requirements…
Land Development Code • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 17, 2017
Council rejects settlement with apartment complex owner in substandard housing case
The plot thickened in an ongoing affordable housing saga as City Council Thursday denied a settlement in the city of Austin’s lawsuit against Orchard Plaza apartments owner Walter Olenick for substandard housing code violations. Council Member Greg Casar, in whose…
Courts • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 13, 2017
Commission casts aside CodeNEXT timeline
A code rewrite is by nature a precarious undertaking, where even an informal conversation can trigger a tectonic shift in the entire process. At its Oct. 10 meeting, the Planning Commission played around with the idea of shifting gears to…
