Nearly three years after the city approved funding to upgrade the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, the project remains incomplete. The wait for new theater seating to complete the upgrade has been pushed back to at least summer 2026 amid departmental transitions and procurement delays. The delay extends a yearslong effort to modernize the sizable East […]
Planning
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Downtown Commission rejects downtown height limits, supports housing funding shift
The Downtown Commission is asking City Council to reject new height limits for downtown towers and, instead, replace the city’s Downtown Density Bonus Program with a funding system tied to future property-tax revenue. Their recommendation, which was approved last week, contrasts with the Planning Commission’s call a day earlier to set a 700-foot cap in […]
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East 11th cocktail lounge plan met with opposition, no recommendation
The owner of a site in East Austin’s Rosewood neighborhood is asking for a zoning change that would allow future development to include a bar. So far, that request has been met with opposition from neighbors and city staff, over nine months of postponement and, most recently, ambivalence from the Planning Commission during their Sept. […]
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Council looks to serve up more neighborhood coffee shops
Coffee and cafes are on the City Council menu this week. This Thursday’s meeting will include a resolution that directs city staff to study how small hospitality businesses can open in residential neighborhoods more easily. The proposal from District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter asks the city manager to conduct review of existing city codes […]
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Commission approves permit for Austin Resource Recovery center near Colony Park after misgivings, postponement
A conditional use permit requested by the city was approved by the Zoning and Platting Commission during their Sept. 2 meeting. The permit was nearly rejected, and eventually postponed, during an earlier meeting of the commission. The approval will allow redevelopment of 8301 Johnny Morris Road in Northeast Austin into a 131-acre, $253.5 million hub […]
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Zoning and Platting recommends planning process west of Loop 360
As the Austin Monitor has previously reported, the Zoning and Platting Commission was considering recommending that the city initiate a planning process for the area west of Loop 360 on the north side of the Colorado River. Well, on August 5, the commission passed a motion making just such a recommendation by a 7-1 vote, […]
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Planning Commission recommends Hudson Yards-esque development on South Congress
A rezoning to support a massive new development designed by the same firm that built NYC’s Hudson Yards picked up a recommendation from the Planning Commission during a meeting on July 8. If built, the 6.48 acre site at at 500 South Congress would encompass around 950 residential units, 225 hotel rooms, 600,000 square feet […]
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Elon Musk narrowly wins fight against neighbors over Austin-area home
One of the richest men in the world just won a fight against a handful of his neighbors in Texas. On Wednesday evening, the West Lake Hills City Council voted to allow Elon Musk to keep most of the fencing and gates he has built at his home in the Austin area — as long as he makes changes to bring […]
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Planning Commission OKs removal of east side pecan tree
In a case that may tug at the heartwood of tree-hugging Austinites, the Planning Commission approved an variance allowing the cutting of one individual pecan tree during its May 27 meeting. The variance was granted at the request of nonprofit LifeWorks, who owns the property at 819 Tillery Street that the tree sits on. Its […]
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City to postpone UNO vote to consult with UT
A vote on a long-debated plan to allow taller buildings and expanded development in the University Neighborhood Overlay district has been postponed until the fall, pushing back the move to add student housing capacity near the University of Texas. The postponement request was outlined in a pair of May 30 memos from Planning Director Lauren […]
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Planning Commissioners and public weigh in on West Campus zoning updates with support… and some reservations
Planning Commissioners and the public weighed in on planned changes to a West Campus zoning plan during a marathon public comment session on May 13. Conducted as part of a hearing at the Planning Commission about the updates, the comments were mostly supportive. It was capped off by commissioners’ unanimous votes to recommend the plan […]
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East Austin leaders look to reset talks over future of Palm Park and school site
A recent City Council vote that initiates the process for Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park to be zoned as public parkland may open the door to renewed negotiations between city officials, the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, and longtime Latino advocates who have raised concerns for years about being excluded from decisions around the historic site’s redevelopment. […]