Mark Richardson

The Council’s Land Use and Transportation Committee has give a tentative go-ahead to a pair of Texas 130 area subdivisions, using a funding method that would allow the city control over the area without spending tax dollars on developing infrastructure. The developer of the proposed Whisper Valley and Indian Hills developments told committee members Mayor […]

Following a brief executive session, the Zoning and Platting Commission approved a variance last night to allow White Stone Church at 4101 North FM 620 to build with 40 percent impervious cover. The ZAP, with only six members present, voted to deny the variance two weeks ago, but reversed that vote and held the matter […]

More than four months after the end of hearings in federal Bankruptcy Court late last year, the Save Our Springs Alliance received word last week that the court has denied the group’s proposed reorganization plan. The ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta puts the future of SOS in jeopardy, though it is not the […]

One month before the May 10 City Council election, some candidates are well-funded for the home stretch—including Randi Shade, who is challenging incumbent Jennifer Kim. Shade has more than $103,000 in cash to make it to the finish line, while Kim reports $74,000 cash on hand. On Thursday, both were among the candidates filing their […]

When the City began it’s Pay as You Throw waste collection service in 1997, the idea was to offer three levels of service – 30, 60 and 90-gallon carts – priced so that customers paid for the volume of waste they disposed. The system has worked well over the past decade, but as times have […]

Lee Walker, chair of Capital Metro’s board of directors since 1997, announced Monday that he is retiring from that position on May 31. Walker took the position in the midst of an FBI investigation of the agency and has led it through a turbulent decade of change.   Walker did not give a specific reason […]

It seems Holly Armstrong got things a bit backwards. She wanted to develop a tract of land on Macmora Road into a complex of retirement townhouses at the suggestion of a couple of her friends who are getting ready to retire. However, she went straight to seeking a zoning change without first developing a plan […]

Council members ran into some opposition last week in approving Vertical Mixed Use (VMU) zoning changes in three neighborhoods in the Opt-in, Opt-out Process. Rosedale, Judges Hill and the Downtown Neighborhood Planning Area were up before Council last week as part of the ongoing opt-in, opt-out VMU process. One other, the North Austin Civic Association, […]

The Environmental Board stopped short Wednesday night of recommending a zoning change to allow Stratus Properties to build a new apartment complex over the Barton Springs zone of the Edwards Aquifer. Instead, the board urged Council members to look at development trends across the entire area rather than just looking at the proposed project by […]

On a day that was supposed to clarify whether the proposed Villa Muse Studios would go forward in East Travis County, the Council’s actions on Thursday did little but muddy the waters and leave the film studio project’s future in doubt.   The Council voted 4-3 to instruct city staff to open negotiations with the […]

Reassured by their success in Europe and some large American cities, Austin police officials are looking to install surveillance cameras in several of the city’s “criminal hotspots” in order to more quickly respond to crime. However, at least one group is raising privacy concerns over how the system might be used.   Police Chief Art […]

Despite overwhelming neighborhood support, the Burch-Jackson House fell two votes short last Thursday of getting historic zoning from the City Council, leaving the current owner free to move the structure to rural Hays County.   Both the Planning Commission and Historic Landmark Commission recommended historic zoning for the property at 1706 Canterbury St., but there […]