Facing a valid petition from the neighborhood, City Council provided the bare minimum of nine votes to approve zoning changes in the South Congress and Red Bird Lane neighborhood last week that will allow for development of 90-foot, 275-unit apartment complex as well as several thousand feet of retail space. Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voted […]
Zoning
Posted inZoning
Following court ruling, Oak Springs project scrambles to get back on track
Planning Commission members unanimously recommended an Oak Springs Road zoning change that was temporarily thwarted by a court ruling – despite concerns at their most recent meeting about an abbreviated timeline from a neighborhood representative. In May 2023, developers submitted a site plan that was approved through the now-obsolete Vertical Mixed Use 2 ordinance process, […]
Posted inZoning
Affordable housing complex competes for space with a church in Payton Gin zoning change
Planning Commission members have embraced an affordable housing project in North Austin despite concerns from the church it will replace. Developers plan to build a 100 percent affordable, six-story, 192-unit apartment complex at 1706 Payton Gin Road using the city’s Affordability Unlocked program. In return for the development incentives offered through the program, the project […]
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 inDevelopment, Zoning
Imagine Austin series looks at prospects for equitable development amid rapid growth
Austin’s combination of intense population and income growth and state laws that limit inclusionary zoning might make it difficult to institute equitable housing policies, but a national land use leader advises there are still ways for the city to adapt to the demands of being a growth center. At the recent Imagine Austin Speaker Series […]
Posted inZoning
St. David’s snags Planning Commission approval to expand South Austin presence
St. David’s HealthCare is one step closer to redeveloping a medical office building near its South Austin hospital, nearly quadrupling the square footage. The Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning request on Feb. 13 that would allow St. David’s to redevelop an existing medical office complex at 4007 James Casey St. The medical office currently […]
Posted inZoning
Valid petitions fail to sway Council in two zoning cases
Last week, City Council approved historic zoning on first reading for a small Folk Victorian house in East Austin over the objection of the owner of the property at 1100 E. Second St. The Planning Commission approved recommending historic zoning in December. The owner, who wanted to demolish the house, filed a valid petition requiring […]
Posted inZoning
Council OKs Affordability Unlocked plan despite neighbors’ objections
City Council last week approved a zoning change and neighborhood plan amendment that will allow a developer to build a five-story apartment complex just west of the intersection of South First Street and Eberhart Lane. The vote was 9-0, with Council Member Alison Alter abstaining and Council Member Ryan Alter absent. Because there were nine […]
Posted inZoning
Reclaimed water issue stops PUD from getting final approval
With only six members of City Council voting Thursday in favor of changing plans for the West Parcel of the Hyatt Planned Unit Development at Riverside Drive and South First Street, the developer will have to come back for a third vote. The change won approval on first reading last month, and Mayor Kirk Watson […]
Posted inZoning
Council OKs first reading of zoning change but Austin Water wants more
City Council approved on first reading last week an amendment to the Hyatt West Planned Unit Development at the intersection of Riverside Drive and South First Street. As the developer’s representative, Leah Bojo, told the Planning Commission last month, her client wants to eliminate the minimum parking requirement for the area known as the West […]
Posted inZoning
Follow-up zoning case promises more housing for South Lamar
City Council on Thursday will consider two linked zoning cases that developers hope will result in tracts for multifamily uses under a unified zoning designation of MF-6, the highest density of multifamily zoning. Council approved the initial zoning for a 2.9-acre tract at 2700 S. Lamar Blvd. in 2021. This week, they will look at […]
Posted inZoning
East 12th Street rezoning wins final approval
City Council gave final approval last week to a major change in land use on East 12th Street from commercial to mixed use, including an increase in height limits from 40 feet to 60 feet. The properties in question are within Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison’s district, and she strongly defended her support for the changes […]