Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting to reject a developer’s appeal related to city regulations for parkland dedication for a proposed apartment complex at 403 E. Koenig Lane. Only six members of the board – the minimum for a quorum – attended the meeting at the Zilker Botanical Garden. The case […]
Planning
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Would opening Sixth Street to cars on the weekend make it safer? One Council member wants to know.
Austin City Council members will vote Thursday on whether to have city staff look into reopening Sixth Street to vehicular traffic on weekend nights. The intent is to make the street safer, said Council Member Kathie Tovo, whose district includes downtown Austin. Tovo said according to a study done by the nonprofit Responsible Hospitality Institute, […]
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Convention center plans meet resistance from Downtown Commission skeptics
The Downtown Commission will consider asking City Council not to move forward with any new plans to expand the Austin Convention Center, with commission members asking city staff for more information to justify the project. Staffers gave an update on the expansion plans at this week’s Downtown Commission meeting, outlining the new scope of the […]
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Canyon rimrock complicates reconstruction of Lake Austin boat dock
On July 7, the Environmental Commission approved a variance request to deconstruct and rebuild the Norris boat dock located at 1874 Westlake Drive. Scott Hiers, program manager for the Watershed Protection Department, presented pertinent details to the commission, including site characteristics, the property description, background, as well as critical environmental features of the property. “The […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission struggles with latest Plaza Saltillo rezoning
The Planning Commission, unable to accept a height increase for an office project in the Plaza Saltillo area amidst concerns about the building’s design, sent the case to Council without a recommendation Tuesday. The office project will replace Fair Market, an event space, and take up the southern half of the block bordered by Waller, […]
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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 […]
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More height for Lamar Beach property means more access for all
With the help of a variance from the city’s Board of Adjustment, a new development on a puzzle of a downtown parcel will be moving forward, connecting a neighborhood to the lake in the process. Nikelle Meade, representing Pressler RRI, acknowledged that increasing the height of the project from 60 to 75 feet via a […]
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Planning Commission recommends updates to land use plans for E. 11th and 12th streets
In the late 1990s, City Council decided to revitalize so-called blighted areas east of downtown through urban renewal plans. Now, over 20 years later, the city is updating these plans along East 11th and 12th streets. The primary goal is to simplify the East 11th and East 12th street urban renewal plans and their associated […]
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County rebuffs city’s offer to buy Palm School, leaving its future uncertain
In a vote few people were aware of until last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court rejected the city of Austin’s offer to purchase the historic Swante Palm School building on the eastern edge of downtown. Community activists, who for years have advocated preserving the school to honor its Mexican American history, were not aware […]
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Council delays considering wastewater service in Bull Creek watershed
City Council put off a decision on whether to grant a wastewater service extension request to CWS Capital Partners in the environmentally sensitive Bull Creek Watershed at Thursday’s meeting. The postponement came after Council Member Leslie Pool announced that there was an agreement to put off the matter until July 29, the next Council meeting. […]
Posted inPlanning
Palm planning process kicks off, with school preservation a key goal
After years of talk, a long-held dream of creating a district that celebrates the cultural history of a historically Hispanic neighborhood in the eastern segment of downtown Austin is finally ramping up with the Palm District Planning Initiative. The planning area includes Waller Creek, the Red River Cultural District, Palm School, Rainey Street, the Emma […]
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As temporary Healthy Streets close, permanent version prepares to open
As Austin’s Healthy Streets program winds down, with less than four miles of the temporary slow streets remaining, the city is preparing a new pilot program for 10 permanent Healthy Streets. The pilot will “test the application of our Healthy Streets principles – calming traffic, opening up street spaces to people walking, biking, driving, parking, and […]