With Mayor Steve Adler and Council Member Pio Renteria out of town, leaving just nine City Council members to vote at its meeting yesterday, the owner of the property at the intersection of Hymeadow Drive and U.S. Hwy 183 lost his bid to rezone the property to allow for a liquor store. The vote was […]
Zoning
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Commission decides mistake made in East Austin plan
Cold case zoning files may not have the same morbid allure as the cold case murders unearthed on late night television, but for the neighborhood and stakeholders involved in these mysteries, justice is still on the line. Last week, the Planning Commission sided with staff’s judgment that a 16-year-old zoning rollback of an East Austin […]
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Historical use clashes with CodeNEXT future in East Cesar Chavez zoning case
It was another episode of Whose Code Is It Anyway? during the limbo period before CodeNEXT, when it sometimes feels like planning is made up and zoning doesn’t matter. This time, the Planning Commission struggled at its May 23 meeting to weigh the precedence of historical commercial use for an East Cesar Chavez Street storefront […]
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At last, City Council approves Austin Oaks PUD
After just over two hours of debate Thursday night, City Council gave its final approval for Austin Oaks, the controversial planned unit development on 31 acres of land at the corner of MoPac and Spicewood Springs Rd. The development was approved on third reading 8-2, with only Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo and Council Member […]
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Final fight over Austin Oaks this week?
After many months of arguments and thousands of hours of work by representatives of the city, neighborhoods and the developers, the third and final vote on the Austin Oaks planned unit development may finally happen on Thursday. But it may not, because City Council Member Alison Alter wants to make sure that one of her […]
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Renteria says no on tough Vinson Oaks case
Although City Council approved a zoning change on second reading last week that would allow for town houses, including two affordable units, in a neighborhood south of Ben White, property owner Antonio Giustino may find himself back at square one when the item returns for third reading. The property at 4511 Vinson Drive is on […]
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Rainey Street traffic study calls for less parking, more pedestrian crossings
Last year, residents of the Rainey Street neighborhood struck a deal with a developer looking to build new condos in the area. They agreed to conduct a comprehensive traffic study, determining what the most pressing transportation needs are and how they could be affected by new development. Preliminary findings of the study show that on […]
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Council rejects dense project on narrow street
For developer Ross Wilson at PSW Real Estate and lobbyist Glen Coleman, downzoning the junkyard at 2413 Thornton Road from commercial services to Multifamily-4 seemed like a no-brainer. But because of the narrow neighborhood street and the increased traffic a 70-unit multifamily project would generate, staff recommended MF-2, with construction of fewer than 55 units, […]
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King upholds neighborhood-first attitude in environmental variances case
Although some considered it off-topic, newly appointed Zoning and Platting Commissioner David King brought a neighborhood-centered perspective to the forefront of an environmental variances case, which the commission voted to recommend at its March 7 meeting. King had requested the item be pulled off the consent agenda at the beginning of the meeting, apologizing that […]
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Proposed residency for adults with autism in jeopardy
The future of a residential facility for adults with autism is in limbo after a vote by a city of Austin commission. Autism Center Austin’s proposed home is 40 acres of an 82-acre lot just south of FM 2222 in West Austin. The owner of the land, Berta Bradley, recently split the lot, gifting half […]
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New ZAP commissioner opposes first rezoning case
Unable to come to a consensus, the Zoning and Platting Commission had no official recommendation in a rezoning case for a property currently zoned Development Reserve in Northwest Austin. Applicant Robert Earl Strobo is seeking Single Family Large Lot (SF-1) zoning for 4509 City Park Road and is agreeable to staff’s recommendation of a conditional […]
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Council weighs supporting affordable housing development in North Austin
Today, City Council is set to consider throwing its support behind nine affordable housing projects, all vying for competitive state tax credits that could help fund the developments. But some residents who live near one of these proposed projects in North Austin aren’t so happy with the idea. For Donna Clayton and her teenage son, […]