Council members may soon have to decide between aesthetics and costs, as they hear a presentation this week on an Austin Water Utility request to construct a new water tower at the Mueller Airport Redevelopment site. The Mueller Neighborhoods Coalition has been pushing for a tower designed to fit in with area and not be […]
Mark Richardson
Mark Richardson is a multimedia journalist, editor and writer who has worked in digital, print and broadcast media for three decades. He is a nationally recognized editor and reporter who has covered government, politics and the environment. A journalism graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, he was recently awarded a Foundation for Investigative Journalism grant and has three Associated Press Managing Editors awards for excellence in reporting.
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Aquifer district ponders annexation in western Travis County
The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has begun to move, albeit slowly, toward annexing a portion of western Travis County that is not currently protected by a groundwater district. The BSEACD has jurisdiction over parts of southern Travis County and northern Hays County. Other groundwater districts cover northwest Hays, Burnet, and northern Travis […]
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Subdivision moves forward despite flood plain, road access qualms
A case normally dispatched by the Zoning and Platting Commission on its consent agenda took on an adversarial tone Tuesday night, as residents near a planned subdivision complained about potential flood dangers and loss of access to their property. Commission members, who have almost no discretion in subdivision cases, had no choice but to approve […]
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Neighborhoods group endorses single-member districts—sort of
Two Austin City Council Members gave opposing views on single-member districts last night during a forum at a meeting of the Austin Neighborhoods Council. And while Sheryl Cole and Mike Martinez had divergent opinions on the value of electing Council members to districts, ANC members were less definitive on the issue. Martinez, the driving […]
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City proposes wider critical water quality zone to protect Colorado
Changes in the way critical water quality zone (CWQZ) buffers are measured in the Colorado River south of Longhorn Dam, approved last week by the Environmental Board, are designed to improve water quality and preserve the river’s economic and recreational values. A proposal developed by the city Watershed Protection and Development Review Department (WPDR) […]
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Council rejects tightening McMansion standards for East Austin
The City Council could not agree to one group’s solution to the problem of gentrification in East Austin neighborhoods last week, turning down a proposed amendment to the city’s McMansion ordinance. The Organization of Central East Austin Neighborhoods (OCEAN) had proposed amending the McMansion ordinance in the OCEAN planning area to keep the 0.4 floor-to-area […]
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Another look at downtown plan and affordability
Members of the Council’s Land Use and Transportation Committee got the first official look at the new Downtown Austin Plan on Monday. Chair Brewster McCracken declared the plan “some of the best work I’ve ever seen,” but the issue of affordable housing remains a sticking point. Jim Adams and Jana McCann with ROMA Group […]
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Consultant begins work on Austin’s zero waste plan
Austin is well positioned to pursue a goal of Zero Waste, but there is much work yet to be done. That is the analysis of consultant Gary Liss of Gary Liss and Associates, hired by the city to help develop a plan to cut the city’s waste stream by as much as 90 percent. […]
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Time Insurance zoning case gets final approval
Just one day short of a year after it was passed on first reading and four years after it was originally filed, the Time Insurance zoning case was given final approval by the City Council on Thursday, as neighborhood residents seemed resigned to the project going forward despite their objections. The long-running case involved […]