A family’s request to allow an above-garage apartment for a caretaker of their special-needs son stoked controversy last Tuesday at the Planning Commission, when neighbors opposed a rezoning necessary to move the plans forward. The family – Danielle Skidmore, her ex-wife Melissa Skidmore, their son Peter, and Melissa’s current partner Brad Hoskins – urged the […]
District 9
Posted inPreservation
Travis Heights residents put up a fight to preserve century-old fourplex
The Historic Landmark Commission kicked off 2023 with a bang last Wednesday, with nearly a dozen Travis Heights residents taking the stand to oppose demolition of a century-old home on the corner of East Monroe Street and Newning Avenue. The house at 409 E. Monroe St., which has been a rental fourplex since the 1930s, […]
Posted inDevelopment
Zoning changes show downtown northwest quadrant changing
With its collection of mostly historic homes-turned-offices, downtown’s northwest corner can often feel like a ghost town, at least compared to the rest of downtown. But a flurry of development activity over the past two years is set to make the area much livelier. According to a review of zoning requests and other development filings, […]
Posted inCity Council
In D9, Qadri wants to ensure ‘an abundance of affordable housing’
Just past 10 p.m. on Dec. 13, after a night frantically pacing around the Whip In shaking hands, posing for pictures and checking on election updates, Zohaib Qadri – more commonly known as Zo – felt comfortable declaring victory in the District 9 race for City Council. His win, by just 343 votes, was the […]
Posted inCity Council
Tovo considers changes and challenges after 11 years on Council
After more than a decade on Austin City Council, Kathie Tovo’s view on the nature of elected life is that plenty of day-one priorities and worries for new Council members are likely to remain top concerns for years to come. Take housing availability and homelessness, for example. Tovo thinks back to when these two hot-button […]
Posted inPublic Health
Downtown Alliance praises ‘transformation’ of ARCH under new management
Just months after the management switch-up at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, the Downtown Austin Alliance is praising what it calls “transformational change” at the downtown men’s shelter. The alliance’s safety and hospitality committee toured the facility in early December to learn about recent improvements made by Urban Alchemy, the California-based nonprofit now in […]
Posted inPlanning
Environmental Commission ponders new South Central PUD
Another South Central Waterfront planned unit development proposal has officially commenced, with real estate development attorney and City Council regular Richard Suttle stopping by the Environmental Commission last week for preliminary negotiations. If realized, the project will bulldoze the defunct Texas Department of Transportation headquarters at 200 E. Riverside to make way for two 410-foot […]
Posted inCity Council
Extended Statesman PUD deliberations end in approval
After years of discussions, City Council approved a redevelopment plan Friday for one of the city’s most prominent tracts of land – the 19-acre lakefront property at 305 S. Congress Ave., formerly home to the Austin American-Statesman. Approval of Planned Unit Development zoning allows a huge mixed-use development to move forward over the coming years. […]
Posted inPreservation
Westgate tower takes step toward historic zoning
City Council gave first reading approval to historic zoning for the Westgate Tower at 1122 Colorado St. as part of the zoning consent agenda on Thursday. The Westgate, a physical landmark between the Capitol and University Tower, is considered an excellent example of New Formalism. It has been the home of numerous politicians and lobbyists […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission weighs in on Palm District Plan
The Planning Commission heard a presentation Tuesday on the Palm District Plan, an initiative that aims to guide growth and preserve cultural heritage in a rapidly changing part of downtown. “The overarching vision of the district,” Stevie Greathouse with the Housing and Planning Department said, “is that it become a vibrant, historic hub of downtown […]
Posted inPlanning
New PUD proposed for S. Congress has full roster of environmentally friendly features
City Council members got their first look at a proposed planned unit development to be built at 311-315 S. Congress Ave., next to the Statesman PUD. Developers of the project, called the Firestone PUD after its current major occupant, are proposing a 400-foot tower to provide for approximately 450 multifamily residential units. The owners, Wesley H. […]
Posted inElections
Guerrero and Qadri set for runoff in District 9
With six candidates on the ballot and the incumbent term-limited, the District 9 City Council race fulfilled its promise Tuesday night as one of the most competitive contests on the ballot. None of the candidates cleared the 50 percent threshold needed, so progressive political professional Zo Qadri and longtime educator and environmentalist Linda Guerrero will […]