The city, interested members of the public and HHM & Associates, Inc. have been working on a survey of historic downtown and near downtown buildings, trails and bridges to identify what landmarks might attract history-minded tourists to Austin. The survey includes neighborhoods that are bordered by MoPac on the west, I-35 on the east between […]
District 9
Posted inPlanning
West Campus zoning program set for changes as city plans density-focused upgrade
Austin’s West Campus neighborhood may be about to enter a new era of development, as city staff plan to update a special zoning overlay that has guided new building in the area since the early aughts, according to a presentation delivered by city staff to the Planning Commission during a meeting on April 8. Under […]
Posted inCity Council
Council OKs next steps in planning improvements to Sixth Street district
With early data suggesting the area’s safety can continue to improve, City Council approved a detailed resolution Thursday directing city staff to pursue a wide-ranging set of improvements and operational changes aimed at encouraging daytime activity in the Sixth Street Entertainment District. The resolution, approved in its fourth version as part of the consent agenda, […]
Posted inPreservation
Preservationists praise developer for giving Sixth Street historic buildings ‘some love’
As Dallas-based Stream Realty moves forward with efforts to revitalize more than 30 properties it owns along East Sixth Street, the company is evincing a notable shift in strategy: preserving historic buildings instead of replacing most of them with new construction. “We just really feel good about the retail story in Austin,” said Paul Bodenman, […]
Posted inTransportation
Vision for transforming city core draws scrutiny ahead of likely Council vote
With Downtown Austin poised for overlapping mega-projects over roughly the next decade, City Council’s Mobility Committee took a closer look last week at the draft Austin Core Transportation Plan, which aims to tie all of the projects together. Committee members broadly supported the plan’s vision, but raised concerns about implementation details, including how to balance […]
Posted inPreservation
Historic survey of downtown Austin nears completion
Austin’s Preservation Office is poised to complete its Historic Resources Survey of the downtown area by the end of the year, wrapping up years of work documenting sites of cultural interest. Preservation Office Planner Sofia Wagner met with Historic Landmark Commission members earlier this month for a progress update on the project, which to date […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission reverses city rejection of university-area site plan in an unusual case
The Planning Commission voted unanimously last week to reverse a decision by city planning staff to reject a site plan for a 142-unit student-oriented development at 2610 Hume Place, on appeal from the applicant, marking a rare use of the commission’s sovereign authority. Usually, city commissions have the power only to make recommendations to City […]
Posted inPlanning
New strategic plan for downtown streets keeps momentum with stamp from Planning Commission
The Planning Commission recommended a new plan for the city’s downtown streets with several amendments during a meeting on March 11, joining the Urban Transportation and Design commissions and including some of their respective recommendations for the plan. The document in question, called the Austin Core Transportation Plan, was prepared by the city’s Department of […]
Posted inPlanning
Urban Transportation Commission recommends new strategic plan for downtown streets
The Urban Transportation Commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council approve a new strategic plan from the Department of Transportation and Public Works for the streets of Austin’s small-yet-mighty downtown, along with a list of their own recommendations regarding the plan, during a meeting on March 4. The new plan, called the Austin Core […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Early data suggest opening Sixth Street to traffic has improved public safety
Early data from the Austin Police Department suggests that a new public safety initiative aimed at reducing crime and violence on East Sixth Street is yielding positive results. The changes, which took effect in December, reintroduced vehicular traffic on weekend nights for the first time in decades, reversing a long-standing pedestrian-only policy in the entertainment […]
Posted inPlanning
Student housing union advocates for renters ahead of city’s UNO update
The University Tenants Union student group at the University of Texas has launched a new housing toolkit aimed at helping student renters better navigate the housing market in West Campus and surrounding areas. The organization, which advocates for tenant rights and policy reforms affecting student housing, developed the resource to centralize legal and practical guidance […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission bucks opposition to recommend DB90 for Red River plots
The Planning Commission voted 9-0-1, with Commissioner Grayson Cox abstaining, to recommend a proposal from a landowner to rezone three addresses on Red River Street in the Hancock neighborhood that was widely panned by neighbors at a public meeting on Feb. 11. The recommended rezoning would change the three properties at 4305, 4307 and 4309 […]