At last week’s meeting of the Animal Advisory Commission, commissioners voted to form a working group aimed at addressing the ongoing capacity crisis at the Austin Animal Center. The move came after Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland sent a memo to City Council and Mayor Steve Adler noting that the lack of space may […]
Sean Saldaña
Posted inAustin
Austin Animal Center contemplates ‘notifications for possible euthanasia’
In a memo last month, Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland updated City Council and Mayor Steve Adler about the ongoing capacity issues at the Austin Animal Center. The memo included a few lines that made animal lovers around the city sit up and pay close attention: “This current challenge may create the need for […]
Posted inPlanning
Vision plan takes on mobility woes at Zilker Park
Last month, the Parks and Recreation Department held its first community meeting for the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan, an ambitious effort to develop a framework for the park’s future. The department calls it the “first comprehensive planning effort in the park’s 104-year history.” With months of planning under its belt far, the vision plan […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark Commission sends West Line case to Architectural Review Committee
Last week, applicants asked the Historic Landmark Commission for permission to demolish a building located in the West Line Historic District and replace it with a one-story cabana and a garage at 1415 W. 10th St. The building, which was first constructed in 1939, was not approved for demolition; instead, the commission moved to have […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission reverses course, grants demolition for Scenic Drive home
Last month, a demolition permit request for the property at 2708 Scenic Drive came in front of the Historic Landmark Commission. The home, which was built in 1952, has fallen into disrepair, but instead of granting the permit, city staffers and the commission initiated the historic zoning process – a process that came to a […]
Posted inParks
PARD continues to work through lifeguard staffing shortages
After a year of lockdown measures and closures aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus, Austinites have entered the summer season ready to interact with the world again. But as people head outdoors, they’re noticing that the city’s aquatics operations aren’t as robust as in previous years, with many pools and splash pads around the […]
Posted inEnvironment
City begins blue-green algae mitigation at Red Bud Isle
Since 2019, dog-lovers in Austin have had to worry about cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, when stories came out of several dogs dying after swimming in Lady Bird Lake during the algae bloom. A particular area of concern has been Red Bud Isle, a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Since the initial incidents, […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Animal Center continues to struggle with capacity
Earlier this week at the Animal Advisory Commission’s monthly meeting, commissioners discussed the reopening process of the Austin Animal Center as the risk of coronavirus continues to decline locally. In recent months, the shelter has been running out of kennel space for incoming pets – a development that jeopardizes the shelter’s no-kill status. One of the contributing […]
Posted inAustin
ZWAC looks to extend contract for encampment cleanups
Last week, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission voted unanimously to advance a contract extension with Relief Enterprise of Texas Inc., a contractor that has handled homeless encampment trash cleanup for the city around Interstate 35, U.S. Highway 183, Loop 1 and U.S. Highway 290. The contract, which was brought before ZWAC last year, was initially […]
Posted inPreservation
Former Long Estate granted demolition permit after March fire
Last month, the Historic Landmark Commission unanimously voted to issue a demolition permit for 2308 Woodlawn Blvd., a property located in the Old West Austin National Register Historic District. Unlike many demolition permit requests that the landmark commission hears, this one was not the result of dilapidation or part of a process to drastically redesign […]
Posted inPreservation
Last residential house on Rainey cleared for demolition by landmark commission
In 2019, a KUT report introduced Austinites to John Contreras, then known as “The Last Man on Rainey Street.” Rainey Street, historically a residential neighborhood, has become one of the city’s most prominent centers for nightlife and large-scale development. Contreras’ story was noteworthy because unlike many current Rainey Street residents, he didn’t live in an […]
Posted inPreservation
Jackson-Novy-Kelly-Hoey House gets approval for front-yard pool
This week, the Historic Landmark Commission revisited a case from March in which homeowners at 2406 Harris Blvd. had requested a certificate of appropriateness to put a pool in their front yard. The issue raised concerns among commissioners because the property is home to the historic Jackson-Novy-Kelly-Hoey House. At the time, the commissioners seemed to […]