Taking a walk down one of the many beautiful trails of Butler Park, it’s easy to get lost in the beauty of the scenery and forget that Lady Bird Lake is also one of the city’s financial assets. Parks and Recreation Department financial contract compliance staff made a presentation to the board at its Dec. […]
Joseph Caterine
Posted inWhispers
City attorney to run for U.S. House of Representatives
Michael Siegel, an assistant attorney with the city of Austin, filed for candidacy in the 2018 race for Texas’ 10th congressional district. He joins fellow Democrats Tawana Cadien, Richie DeGrow and Ryan Stone in challenging seven-time Republican incumbent Michael McCaul. In a press release, Siegel said that he was inspired by Democratic victories in the […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission demands more precision in CodeNEXT land uses
It’s easy to get lost in the new CodeNEXT zoning categories and their form-based considerations without keeping in mind their underlying purpose: setting the standards for how properties in Austin can be used. At the Nov. 28 joint meeting of the land use commissions, the CodeNEXT team explained how the list of uses had been […]
Posted inAISD
School district announces first-year bond project timelines
The Austin Independent School District is not wasting any time putting the 2017 bond money to use, according to a presentation by Superintendent Paul Cruz at the school board’s Nov. 27 meeting. Cruz emphasized that strict adherence to project timelines would be necessary to get the most bang for bond buck, but those schedules could […]
Posted inAISD
Trustees alarmed at exclusion of minority-owned businesses from middle school renovation
In the bidding for 2013 bond improvements to the Dobie Middle School campus, two minority-owned firms were passed over in favor of a company that included a few minority-owned subconsultants as part of its proposal. The Austin Independent School District approved the selection at its Nov. 27 board meeting, but only after trustees took a […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT may separate land use commissions from connectivity oversight role
If it seems like there hasn’t been much talk about how CodeNEXT deals with connectivity, it’s because the latest draft has largely sidelined the land use commissions’ participation in that process. Uncomfortable being benched, some commissioners at their Nov. 20 joint meeting called for staff to go back to the drawing board and figure out […]
Posted inPlanning
Rosedale bar expansion elicits neighborhood resistance
For established neighborhood businesses like the Draught House in North Central Austin, it can be an uphill battle to convince those nearby that expansion does not necessarily mean selling out to the new kids on the block. At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the pub and brewery, a […]
Posted inAISD
School board wrestles with large STAAR achievement gaps
Like one wrong note disturbing the harmony of a symphony, one faulty academic indicator can throw off a school district’s sense of which of its schools need the most attention. Some trustees on the Austin Independent School District board voiced skepticism at a Nov. 13 work session that using the evaluation of gaps in STAAR […]
Posted inWhispers
Montopolis upzone request postponed
At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Planning Commission voted to postpone a request to rezone a property at 2404 Thrasher Lane from Commercial to Urban Family Residence and also to amend the neighborhood plan accordingly. Agent Jim Wittliff said that if the zoning change did not go through, owner Vahonia Realty would have to build […]
Posted inWhispers
CodeNEXT final draft pushed back to February
Two weeks before the original Nov. 28 release date, city staff officially announced yesterday that the final draft of CodeNEXT (the one produced by staff and consultants, at least) will not be published until Feb. 12 of next year. The news came in a memo put out in the morning by Interim Assistant City Manager […]
Posted inZoning
Commission split on CURE rezone east of I-35
A rezoning application for several properties on East Fourth Street is moving forward to City Council with no recommendation after a divided discussion at the Planning Commission’s Nov. 14 meeting on the appropriateness of the central urban redevelopment (CURE) combining district on the central east side. Council passed a resolution at its Oct. 19 meeting […]
Posted inAISD
AISD considers charter school option for Mendez Middle School
Facing severe under-enrollment and a below-average educational suitability assessment, Mendez Middle School may be turned over to a community partner in hopes of reversing the campus’ downward trajectory. Austin Independent School District staff shared the project initiative with the board of trustees at its Nov. 13 work session, explaining the opportunity presented by Senate Bill […]