At the urging of Council Member Ann Kitchen, City Council gave first reading approval for rezoning the apartment complex property at the corner of Toomey Road and Sterzing Street close to Zilker Park. Tenants of the complex, which will be demolished to make way for a new building, have reached an agreement with the property […]
Zoning
ZAP says MF-2 too dense for Menchaca, a Project Connect corridor
On Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission rejected Multifamily Low-Density (MF-2) zoning for three properties along Menchaca Road over objections from some commissioners who argued for more density on a corridor slated for Project Connect investment. “When I look at the surrounding uses, I don’t really see support for MF-2,” said Commissioner Betsy Greenberg, who […]
Major development on Regiene Road wins first-round OK
City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve on first reading Major Planned Development zoning for a 16-acre East Austin site previously zoned for industrial uses. The only industrial use allowed on the site at 6501 and 6705 Regiene Road will be a brewery. Zoning chief Jerry Rusthoven told Council the only disagreement between the city’s […]
Neighbors fight for more community benefits from huge East Austin development
A rezoning for a massive mixed-use development in East Austin went before the Planning Commission last Tuesday, showcasing intense negotiations between the applicant and neighbors trying to squeeze community benefits from the project. The current proposal for the 15-acre site at 6705 and 6501 Regiene Road calls for a whopping 1 million total square feet […]
ZAP opposes denser homes on substandard Rogers Lane
What should come first, development or the infrastructure to support it? That was the main question the Zoning and Platting Commission wrestled with last Tuesday in a Northeast Austin zoning case. The case concerned a request to rezone an acre of land at 5417 Rogers Lane from Single-Family – Standard Lot (SF-2) to Townhouse & […]
ZAP votes against rezoning for affordable housing project, the Rhett
The Zoning and Platting Commission Tuesday recommended denying a rezoning for the Rhett, an affordable housing project at 1000 East Yager Lane in North Austin. The commission’s vote comes as the city falls short on its affordable housing production goals. ZAP also recently failed to recommend a rezoning for a separate affordable housing project. All […]
Council gives initial approval to denser zoning on S. Lamar site
Last Thursday, Council gave first reading approval to rezoning of about 3 acres of land close to the intersection of South Lamar and Menchaca. Developer John Warnock promises to provide 10 percent of an estimated 450 apartment units to renters earning 60 percent of the median family income if granted the MF-6 zoning he is […]
As one family finds out, rezoning a property in Austin ‘takes perseverance’
Most of the time, developers’ representatives appear before the Zoning and Platting Commission to request a zoning change. But on Tuesday, the commission heard a request not from someone looking to turn a profit, but from a family aiming to build a multigenerational homestead. Members of the Rees family told ZAP that they plan to […]
For neighbors’ sake, Planning Commission recommends downsizing multifamily project by half
In an attempt to appease neighbors wary of new multifamily development, the Planning Commission Tuesday recommended less dense zoning than was requested by the owner of several vacant lots at Grady and Brownie drives in North Austin. The commission followed city staffers’ recommendation of Multifamily-Low Density (MF-2) and Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use (LR-MU) zoning for the […]
ZAP recommends VMU zoning on increasingly dense Slaughter Lane corridor
On Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission unanimously recommended Vertical Mixed-Use zoning to allow a 290-unit multifamily development with ground floor retail at 1017 W. Slaughter Lane. Though VMU zoning is more often seen in the central city, commissioners thought the tract fit the bill for dense housing. “I think it really takes what we […]
12th and Springdale rezoning gets final Council approval
In a move that will bring more housing to East Austin, City Council approved the rezoning of 1200, 1202 and 1208 Springdale Road at its Aug. 26 regular meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison made the case at the meeting for capturing the benefits of new development instead of opposing growth altogether. While acknowledging that “East […]
Council gives initial OK to Fair Market rezoning
City Council has tentatively approved a height increase for a new East Austin office project that would replace Fair Market, an event space, on the southern half of the block bordered by Waller, East Fifth and Sixth streets. Council Member Pio Renteria, taking the lead on the case in his District 3, motioned to approved […]
