Plans for an electric-vehicle charging lot spanning Pleasant Valley Road were thwarted by Planning Commission members who objected to its auto-centric nature at their last meeting. The project would have created two electric-vehicle charging parking lots flanking Pleasant Valley at Cesar Chavez Street. The easternmost lot is currently home to a vacant building and a […]
Planning
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission endorses ‘plot twist’ for South Central Waterfront Plan
Though the future of Austin’s south shore has been shaken by a court ruling against the proposed tax increment reinvestment zone, members of the Planning Commission last week took their turn tackling the South Central Waterfront Plan in a sprawling discussion that spawned a number of novel proposals. The plan, which has been in the […]
Posted inPlanning
Study raises questions about senior/child care center proposed for Nash Hernandez Building
A new study calls into question the feasibility of proposals to use the Nash Hernandez Building in East Austin as an activity center for older people and young children. The report on the legal and financial realities of the intergenerational resource and activity center (IRAC) has caused staff from the Austin Public Health Department and […]
Posted inPlanning
City seeks input on area food plan that highlights fragility for farms, restaurants
The Office of Sustainability has published the draft of its long-in-development food plan for Austin and Travis County, which seeks to balance pressures of development and land use against the need to feed a fast-growing metro area. Released last month after more than a year of community input on priorities related to food availability and […]
Posted inPlanning
Report offers city, developers strategies to reduce parking downtown
A new report from public policy and real estate leaders in Austin recommends a variety of approaches the city can take to reduce the presence and impact of multilevel parking decks in new developments in the downtown core and beyond. The recently released technical assistance panel report from Urban Land Institute Austin was an attempt […]
Posted inPlanning
Environmental commissioners air concerns about waterfront district plan
A proposed framework for how the south shores of Lady Bird Lake will build out in future years received a lukewarm response from the Environmental Commission on Thursday. While only the Planning Commission and City Council are scheduled to vote on the draft regulating plan in April and May, the fact that several commissioners expressed […]
Posted inPlanning
Council calls for more trees and green infrastructure
On Thursday, City Council approved a step forward for increasing the number of trees in the city as well as promoting pedestrian and bicycle access throughout Austin. The vote was unanimous on the resolution sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool. After passage of the item on the consent agenda, Pool said, “In the face […]
Posted inPlanning
Incentive package for music venues, arts spaces headed for May public hearing
The city is working to make incentives for creative spaces available to individual sites and properties as well as larger cultural districts that have been proposed in city planning documents in recent years. Monday’s Arts Commission meeting included a presentation from Donald Jackson, a business process consultant in the Economic Development Department, on progress on […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council hears plan for another South Congress PUD
A proposed 6.0102-acre planned unit development would mean big changes for the southwest corner of South Congress Avenue and Riverside Drive, including the possibility of a tower more than 500 feet tall. City Council heard details about the plans at its work session Tuesday. Zoning Officer Joi Harden offered a development assessment, describing the PUD […]
Posted inPlanning
Council appears headed for pause on HealthSouth redevelopment plans
Members of City Council suggested Tuesday they’re inclined to hold off on selecting any redevelopment plans for the former HealthSouth site, in part because of the current real estate pipeline in the surrounding area and continued high interest rates that make new projects difficult for developers. Tuesday’s work session included a presentation on the four […]
Posted inPlanning
City seeks feedback on density, planning framework for South Central district
The city has released the plan intended to shape the development of the southern shoreline of Lady Bird Lake and beyond, with public input sought until March 20. City Council is expected to consider the South Central Waterfront Combining District & Density Bonus Program this spring, likely at its joint meeting with the Planning Commission […]
Posted inPlanning
Lost Creek, five other areas to vote on leaving the city
Texas Republicans and Democrats will be going to the polls on March 5 to select their candidates for the November election. But another election is coming in May, and the only people who get a chance to vote in it are those who live in the Lost Creek Municipal Utility District or one of five […]