The Downtown Austin Plan, conceived in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis and approved in 2011 as Austin’s commercial real estate market was kicking back into high gear, is going to get a hard look under the hood. Last month, the city’s Downtown Commission voted 6-3 to recommend City Council direct the city manager […]
Planning
Posted inPlanning
Camelback project narrowly receives Environmental Commission’s approval
After nearly four and a half hours of testimony and discussion, and two votes due to some confusion over the conditions attached to a motion, the Environmental Commission endorsed the environmental superiority of the Camelback PUD, the controversial planned unit development on a 145-acre plot of land that fronts Lake Austin just west of Loop […]
Posted inPlanning
Plans for Colony District Park permit move forward
The Zoning and Platting Commission had a few questions before unanimously approving a conditional use permit for additional amenities to Colony District Park last Tuesday. The park, which is located at 7201 Colony Loop Drive, is home to Overton Elementary School, and the community is eager to make improvements to the public spot. Plans include […]
Posted inPlanning
Shoal Creek plan includes wins, losses for density advocates
On Thursday, City Council unanimously approved the North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Plan, a document that outlines how the neighborhood, which is bound by MoPac Expressway, U.S. Highway 183, Burnet Road and Anderson Lane, will accommodate future population growth. The plan does not put in place any new zoning regulations. Instead, it provides a framework that […]
Posted inPlanning
BoA considers a quirky corner case
Sometimes, a permit can be granted or revoked based on a four-degree angle. “Even though I’m at an intersection, the city does not consider this a corner lot,” Joshua Lien, the owner of 14000 Echo Lane, explained to the Board of Adjustment at its Aug. 13 meeting. He was there to request a variance that […]
Posted inPlanning
Do ‘flag lots’ threaten neighborhood character?
No neighbors voiced opposition to the plans, but two members of the Planning Commission last Tuesday voiced concern about a developer’s attempt to subdivide three large lots in East Austin to create “flag lots” that would each include two homes. The properties are at 2106 EM Franklin Ave. and 1191 and 1197 Greenwood Ave. Developers […]
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For grandfathered signs, the proof is in the permitting
Occasionally, despite one’s best intentions to provide the right board or commission with the proper permitting to ensure a smooth continuation of a project, a request is presented incorrectly. “I’m not sure that this item is properly before the board,” Assistant City Attorney Brent Lloyd said to the Board of Adjustment at its Aug. 13 meeting, […]
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Cellphone tower ruffles Board of Adjustment
Sometimes, if you don’t know what to do, you have to ask. Vincent Huebinger, representing Crown Castle International and Dean Davidov in a request to relocate a single-antenna cellphone tower to another location at 610 1/2 Kenniston Drive on the southeast corner of Airport Road and North Lamar Boulevard, came to the Aug. 13 meeting […]
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Four city parcels ID’d for redevelopment focus in next budget
The Economic Development Department is recommending City Council spend the next budget year focusing on putting four pieces of city-owned property into higher use with mixtures of housing, commercial space, parklands and more. A recent memo detailed the department’s efforts since April to shift to a “portfolio approach” in selecting the city properties that can […]
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Despite need for housing, ZAP does not approve Southwest Austin subdivision
After the Environmental Commission failed to recommend the environmental suitability of a densely planned Southwest Austin subdivision due to traffic concerns, the preliminary plan for this development proceeded to the Zoning and Platting Commission. Much like the hearing in June, the case at Tuesday night’s Zoning and Platting Commission was greeted by a crowd of […]
Posted inPlanning
Environmental Commission votes against tram, arguing for safety
Everyone knows the saying, “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?” Well, spoiler alert, the answer should be no. Although that was not exactly the question that the Environmental Commission asked at its Aug. 1 meeting, it did contemplate the virtue of granting a variance to allow the property owners at […]
Posted inPlanning
Seaholm Waterfront study produces a plan that PARD recommends
Seven years ago, the Seaholm Intake building along the shores of Lady Bird Lake was turned over to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, and it has since stood waiting for change. Now, after months of study, community input, and a partnership between the parks department, The Trail Foundation and the Austin Parks Foundation, there is […]