Way out in Austin’s northwest corner, where the city bleeds into undeveloped wildland, two people are trying to build a homestead. To do that, they’re asking the city of Austin for an upzoning to a district type meant for building small apartment, townhouse and condo complexes. The Zoning and Platting Commission voted to recommend the […]
District 6
Posted inCity Council
Council Member Krista Laine opts to discontinue District 6 field office
As she prepares for her first City Council meetings later this month, newly elected District 6 Council Member Krista Laine will represent residents of Northwest Austin and a portion of Williamson County without the use of a satellite office that has been available for constituent relations for 10 years. After her November win over former […]
Posted inCity Council
As she exits Council, Kelly sees police contract passage among highlights of 2024
While cleaning out the District 6 satellite office that was opened to give residents in Williamson County and far Northwest Austin easier access to their City Council member, outgoing D6 seat holder Mackenzie Kelly took time to reflect on her four years representing the district. “We are the furthest district from downtown, and we’re the […]
Posted inCity Council
From Round Rock’s school board to City Hall, District 6 newcomer Krista Laine gives conservatives a run for their money
If, in the days leading up to 2020, you had asked Krista Laine where she saw herself halfway through the decade, she likely would have told you she’d be back in the world of commercial real estate, where she’d made a name for herself as an appraiser handling land development projects across Central Texas. But […]
Posted inElections
Laine appears to edge out Kelly in race for D6 Council seat
Austin’s District 6 seat for City Council appeared to have been won by challenger Krista Laine, based on unofficial results from Travis and Williamson counties posted early Wednesday morning. Laine held a 704-vote lead over incumbent Mackenzie Kelly, according to the results, with the combined totals showing 13,953 votes for Laine and 13,249 votes for […]
Posted inElections
Incumbent Mackenzie Kelly faces Krista Laine in D6 race
Council Member Mackenzie Kelly and her lone challenger, Krista Laine, will go head to head in the Nov. 5 election. Kelly touts her credentials as a promoter of all things public safety, while Laine says she will do better for the district in that area as well as others. One factor favoring Laine is that […]
Posted inPlanning
Watershed Protection details preparation for Old Lampasas Dam repairs
The Watershed Protection Department appears to ready to move ahead with the start of the Old Lampasas Dam #3 Modernization Project, having completed the diligence called for by City Council this spring. In a memo released Monday, WPD Director Jorge Morales detailed his department’s progress on the environmental and quality-of-life concerns included in a May […]
Posted inCity Hall
Mackenzie Kelly seeks common ground while pursuing public safety, housing goals in 2024
The photo above the light switch in City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly’s office captures her slim 4 percent win in the 2020 election for the District 6 seat. It serves as a reminder that she works for the 48 percent of the voters who didn’t select her, as well as the 52 percent who did. […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin throws $2.6 million more into project converting hotel into housing for elderly people without homes
Lee esta historia en español More money is being poured into a former North Austin hotel that will be converted into housing for elderly people who are exiting homelessness. City Council on Thursday authorized an additional $2.6 million for continued renovations to the Pecan Gardens project, raising the total contract to $6.5 million. The contract […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental Commission recommends code variances for Old Lampasas Dam modernization project
At its meeting on Wednesday, the Environmental Commission voted to approve a set of Land Development Code variances to accommodate the Watershed Protection Department’s Old Lampasas Dam #3 Modernization Project. The Northwest Austin dam was built in the early 1980s and is classified by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as an intermediate size and […]
Posted inCity Hall
Site plan appeal reveals city tech failings at ZAP
Though an appeal to a site plan extension failed at the Zoning and Platting Commission’s most recent meeting Aug. 15, the case exposed what happened after mayoral declaration to help development held up by the pandemic went into effect. In this case, Cindy Barron was contesting the extension for a storage unit project at 9718 […]
Posted inParks
Balcones Canyonlands gets ready to welcome a new visitor center
The Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP) Coordinating Committee heard an update from Travis County on May 12 about the plans for a new visitor center at the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP). Kimberlee Harvey, the committee’s secretary, delivered the update, which was initially created by Melinda Mallia, director of the county’s Natural Resources and Environmental Quality […]