City Council last week rejected a rezoning request from the owners of property on Anderson Mill Road that would have allowed them to open a used car lot on the property. However, Council Member Mackenzie Kelly offered to help Ramin and Jennifer Zavareh come up with a request Council could support by its next meeting […]
District 6
Posted inZoning
ZAP opposes commercial rezoning on Anderson Mill
The Zoning and Platting Commission Tuesday recommended denying a rezoning for a North Austin property, with commissioners agreeing with city staffers that the requested commercial zoning would not be appropriate. The 1-acre site at 9815 and 9817 Anderson Mill Road is currently zoned Neighborhood Commercial (LR-CO). The property owner, Ramin Zavareh, requests Commercial Services (CS) […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP rejects request for mixed-use zoning next to single-family homes
The Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday opposed rezoning a single-family lot to mixed-use zoning, siding with neighbors who fear that commercial uses will encroach into their single-family neighborhood. The property in question is at 12604 Blackfoot Trail in Northwest Austin. The owner, Abraham Birgani, hopes to rezone the 0.34-acre site from Single Family-Large Lot […]
Posted inCity Council
Mackenzie Kelly: ‘Hyper-focused on public safety’ in 2023
Over Mackenzie Kelly’s two years as City Council’s lone conservative, she has made a point of finding common ground with those she often disagrees with and avoiding the charged rhetoric employed by politicians at the state and national level. “That’s really been a mainstay of how I’ve conducted myself here, finding out what priorities other […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental Commission recommends Concordia sports complex variance
Earlier this month, the Environmental Commission recommended a variance for Concordia University’s sports complex project in North Austin. Concordia is working on a number of improvements to upgrade its sports facilities in compliance with NCAA rules, including an artificial turf soccer field, track and field with natural grass, eight tennis courts and a parking lot. […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP recommends mixed-use zoning along Lakeline Boulevard over neighbors’ objections
Despite objections from several neighbors, the Zoning and Platting Commission recommended a rezoning Tuesday that could bring a mixed-use development to Lakeline Boulevard. The property in question at 2610½ S. Lakeline Blvd. straddles the boundary between Austin and Cedar Park. The property owner hopes to rezone the 3.2-acre Austin tract to Community Commercial-Mixed Use (GR-MU) […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP supports zoning change that would allow school to reopen
A visual arts school that shut down after running afoul of zoning laws received support Tuesday from the Zoning and Platting Commission to open back up. Colette Barcilon, president of Gemini School of Visual Arts, explained that the Texas Workforce Commission shut the school down because it did not have a fire safety certificate. The […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP recommends fraction of proposed units for Northwest Austin tract
District 6 saw a return to its roots at the most recent meeting of the Zoning and Platting Commission, where a multifamily project dubbed the Zimmerman was the focus of discussion at City Hall. Currently, 11400 Zimmerman Lane is zoned Development Reserve, which is intended as a placeholder that does not commit land to any […]
Posted inZoning
Small business forced to pay thousands on zoning ‘technicality’
The Zoning and Platting Commission Tuesday blamed the city’s complex code after hearing the case of a landscaping business being forced to rezone its property at a cost of thousands of dollars. The 1.7-acre property at 13561 Pond Springs Road in Northwest Austin is home to Perfect Cuts Landscaping, and was previously a nursery for […]
Posted inCity Council
Mackenzie Kelly: A collaborative conservative among Democrats
Since the creation of the 10-1 City Council, the Council members who have represented District 6 in far Northwest Austin have stood out for one reason or another. The first two – conservative Republican Don Zimmerman, followed by progressive Democrat Jimmy Flannigan – were miles apart on the political spectrum yet similar due to their […]
Posted inEnvironment
Attempted tree removal creates cul-de-sac conflict
A saga that stretched a year and a half and pitted neighbor against neighbor ended last week when the Planning Commission prevented North Austin resident Patrick Fulker from removing a cottonwood tree in the public right of way. Neighbor Krenda Rodis saved the tree by appealing the Environmental Commission’s decision allowing it to be removed. […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP lacks votes in contentious 3M property rezoning
The Zoning and Platting Commission last Tuesday failed to recommend rezoning part of 3M Company’s former campus in Northwest Austin, falling short of the six votes required for a motion to pass. The case now goes to City Council without the commission’s input. The rezoning is part of plans by developers Karlin Real Estate and […]