Two of the great planning processes of Austin’s current age came together under one roof on Wednesday night as the Planning Commission talked both CodeNEXT and Project Connect with the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Todd Hemingson, Capital Metro’s vice president for strategic planning and development, used the opportunity to make the case for more transit-supportive […]
Planning
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Environmental Commission rejects Champion tract amendments
After years of lawsuits related to the development of the Champion tract, proposed amendments to the original 1996 development agreement will go to City Council without the Environmental Commission’s blessing. “We are here to tell you what the best environmental thing to do for this land is,” Commissioner Pam Thompson said to city staff last […]
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Mobility plan preview raises questions at Planning Commission
At a special called Jan. 18 meeting, the Planning Commission got its first look at the beginnings of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, what will be an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin. The plan is still in its early stages, but some commissioners expressed concerns that the forecasts being created to develop […]
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Environmental Commission weighs options, recommends boat dock variance
It is always difficult to plan a project. However, conventional wisdom suggests that when three construction options exist, you pick the path of least resistance and do not select the choice that requires you to seek a variance from City Council. Unless of course, a variance would make the site environmentally superior to its current […]
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Flag lot variance request revived after failed approval
Having already been postponed once before, a plat application for a new subdivision in West Austin was postponed again by the Zoning and Platting Commission at its Jan. 2 meeting after a motion to approve failed to pass. Two of the three existing single-family homes located on the 1.98 acres at 1401 Allen Road will […]
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Commission struggles with perplexing conditional use permit
CodeNEXT may make the current Land Development Code seem outdated, but there are still buildings around the city that have yet to be registered with the city. In these cases, something as simple as changing a building’s use can carry extraordinary implications. At the Jan. 9 Planning Commission meeting, commissioners debated whether a request for […]
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Champion case moves to commission
Champion land use cases never die; they just move to another forum. In this case, the question of development restrictions on the 45-acre tract at 6409 City Park Road has gone from City Council to the courthouse and back to Council, and it is now moving to a hearing at the Environmental Commission on Jan. […]
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Champion tract returning to Council
Because neighborhood activists won their open meetings lawsuit against the city last month, City Council will be reconsidering an ordinance that amends an old settlement agreement related to development on the Champion tract at 6409 City Park Road at next week’s meeting. District Judge Scott Jenkins ruled that the city violated the Texas Open Meetings […]
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Rosedale bar expansion elicits neighborhood resistance
For established neighborhood businesses like the Draught House in North Central Austin, it can be an uphill battle to convince those nearby that expansion does not necessarily mean selling out to the new kids on the block. At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the pub and brewery, a […]
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Request for lakefront bulkhead variance creates new questions
It’s not often that a request for a variance from the city’s code has no predecessors against which it can be compared. At the Environmental Commission meeting on Nov. 15, this unlikely scenario became reality. Janis Smith, civil engineer and representative for the owner of 4213 Waters Edge Cove, came to the Environmental Commission seeking […]
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Council OKs annexing commercial area only
Last year, at the urging of District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen, City Council rejected annexation of a 34-acre tract of land in Southwest Travis County that is almost totally surrounded by the city of Austin. On Thursday, Kitchen again argued successfully against the annexation of the residential section of the area. However, this time […]
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Five years later, Imagine Austin gets progress report but no update
Despite a long road ahead, the progress report on Imagine Austin presented at the Nov. 7 joint land use commission meeting indicated that the city was on track in its implementation of the comprehensive plan. Still, some commissioners expressed frustration that staff had forgone an update to the plan in spite of new reports and […]