The website for the Dawson Neighborhood Group warns in bold letters, “Dawson Neighborhood Poised to Lose Another Beloved Business! Help the Great Outdoors!” The site urges readers to contact the offices of Mayor Steve Adler and City Council Member Pio Renteria. A similar plea appears on the Great Outdoors nursery’s website. Problems arose when Thomas […]
The Code
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Planning Commission OKs porch change
There were a lot of long discussions at the most recent meeting of the Planning Commission, but the discussion about changing the city’s Land Development Code in order to allow a more liberal approach to porches wasn’t one of them. The code amendment will allow street-facing porches to encroach 5 feet into the side-yard setback […]
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Small-lot code fix divides commissioners
Plans to tighten the city’s code to prevent an unintended use of the city’s small-lot amnesty provision are moving to City Council without a recommendation from the Planning Commission. Small-lot amnesty allows the development of lots as small as 2,500 square feet for neighborhoods that have opted in to the standards in their neighborhood plans. […]
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Land-use pros respond to lobby proposal
If City Council eventually approves an ordinance based on Council Member Leslie Pool’s resolution to revise the city’s lobby registration laws, the result could be a Planning Commission with no architects, engineers or other land-use professionals, according to a group of those professionals representing 11 different organizations. A separate city ordinance prohibits any registered lobbyist […]
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STR moratorium headed back to Council
Though the city continues to untangle City Council’s myriad proposed amendments to the Short Term Rental Ordinance, a proposed ordinance placing a moratorium on commercial short-term rentals sailed through the Planning Commission on Tuesday night. If approved by Council, the ordinance will change city regulations in order to suspend the issuance of Type 2 short-term […]
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Lobby registration arguments continue
An attorney working on revisions to the city’s lobby registration ordinance has accused opponents of the change of refusing to negotiate in order to prevent the process from moving forward. Fred Lewis, the major architect of the proposed changes, told the City Council Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday that opponents to the revisions – […]
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Opposition to lobbying resolution organizes
Some of Austin’s most influential members of the development, engineering, architectural and contractor communities have banded together to address mounting concerns over proposed revisions to the city’s Lobbying Registration Ordinance. The list of organizations concerned about the language in the currently proposed ordinance is impressive. A letter sent out this week to City Council was […]
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PUD proposal could impact Grove application
Since it was announced in April, the proposed Grove at Shoal Creek Planned Unit Development has provoked a critical response from neighbors. Now, City Council is mulling over a policy change that could make it more difficult for that project’s zoning request and others like it to get approval. The code amendments that Council will […]
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Building professionals distraught over proposed city lobbying changes
Area engineers and others in the building industry showed up to a Monday meeting of the Ethics Review Commission to voice concerns over a proposal that would likely require many of them to register as lobbyists because of their regular interactions with city officials. A final draft of the changes is still a ways off, […]
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Committee gets preview of lobby registration fight
Two things became clear Wednesday when the Audit and Finance Committee heard a brief presentation and two speakers on proposed revisions to the lobby registration ordinance: First, the proposed changes will be controversial. Second, City Council Members Ellen Troxclair and Don Zimmerman are prepared to fight – along with members of the engineering, architectural and […]
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Council pursues unusual process for STRs
The debate over short-term rentals isn’t over in Austin. Not even close. After approving a series of recommendations for future restrictions Tuesday, City Council delayed further action on its ongoing resolution until Oct. 8. While the goal of the resolution was to present a comprehensive vision for short-term rental regulations that city staff could use […]
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City looks to strengthen contact team rules
The way that the city’s neighborhood-plan contact teams do business may be changing. City Council Member Pio Renteria is pushing for code amendments that will create clearer guidelines and more city oversight for Austin’s contact teams. On Monday, his resolution was at the Planning and Neighborhoods Committee. Neighborhood-plan contact teams manage adopted neighborhood plans in […]