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Land Development Code
Parking requirements jam up decision at the Board of Adjustment
In Austin, the subject of parking has a way of striking a nerve. So when a proposal for an office project at 43 N. Interstate 35 came before the Board of Adjustment on Aug. 10, board members struggled to come…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 17, 2020
Board of Adjustment considers neighboring trees grounds for variance
Last month, the Board of Adjustment postponed the case for the property at 1711 Waterston Ave. in order for the property owners to cobble together a case presenting a valid hardship. This month, the owners of the Clarksville bungalow returned…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 13, 2020
Subdivision change initiated to help homeowner
Council Member Kathie Tovo and her staff have been trying for more than a year to help two constituents in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood solve a complicated subdivision problem that prevents them from building an addition to their 486-square-foot home.…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Aug 4, 2020
Board of Adjustment denies sign variance, says it came too early in development process
The north MoPac Expressway by the old Hewlett Packard campus may not appear to be very scenic at first glance. Yet this section of highway is identified as a Scenic Roadway under city regulations, so all road signs must adhere to…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Jul 24, 2020
Board of Adjustment says maintaining area character is not sufficient hardship
While neighborhood character is an important aspect of design in a historic neighborhood, it is not the only thing the Board of Adjustment takes into account when considering a variance request to modify a home. Architect Ryan Bollom proposed adding a…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Jul 20, 2020
Board of Adjustment debates request to sacrifice heritage tree or waterfront overlay
The Board of Adjustment exists to help residents achieve variances from the Land Development Code’s building regulations, but only if an applicant is willing to provide information and evidence of a valid hardship. Dan Coops, the owner of 71 Julius…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 17, 2020
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Board of Adjustment calls retroactive variance request a 'cluster'
Although the structure at 1401 E. Third St. is already completed, it cannot pass final inspection due to encroachment into the property’s side setback. In an effort to avoid reconstructing the entire building, the applicant came before the Board of…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 15, 2020
Judge throws out City Council votes on new Austin land code, putting rewrite in jeopardy
In a ruling that could derail Austin’s rewrite of its Land Development Code, a Travis County district judge voided two votes City Council has taken so far on the changes. The city has spent nearly eight years and more than…
Courts • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 19, 2020
LDC vote postponed due to COVID-19
The new Land Development Code, which was moving toward final passage with the support of seven Council members just a few days ago, has now been relegated to the back burner as Mayor Steve Adler and City Council look at…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Mar 17, 2020
Parks board asks Council to add commercial projects to parkland dedication ordinance
The Parks and Recreation Board has asked for a change to the city’s parkland dedication ordinance that would require commercial developments to set aside parkland or make a fee-in-lieu payment to the city. The resolution unanimously approved at last week’s…
Land Development Code • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 2, 2020
Planning Commission recommends Imagine Austin amendments but postpones neighborhood request
At Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting, city staff asked commissioners for their recommendations for amending the language of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan. Staff brought two requests to the dais. One was for an endorsement to alter the language of the…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Feb 27, 2020
Land use code to protect transit-oriented trees and increase canopy cover
A recent amendment to the draft Land Development Code could change how heritage tree preservation impacts new development on corridors. Council Member Paige Ellis offered a concept last week, the Supplemental Heritage Tree Preservation Program, that she said would help…
