At last month’s meeting on March 22, the Historic Landmark Commission discussed a certificate of appropriateness application to modify the landscape, construct a terrace and build a swimming pool at the historic Jackson-Novy-Kelly-Hoey House at 2406 Harris Blvd. First recommended for historic zoning in 2009, the property has been home to “some of the most […]
District 9
Posted inPlanning
Council discusses a recalibrated Downtown Density Bonus program
City Council members on Tuesday supported recalibrating the Downtown Density Bonus program to increase the community benefits developers must provide in exchange for more floor area ratio. The changes – should Council vote to implement them – could shape the skyline and impact the city’s supply of income-restricted affordable housing. “We’re applying an extremely outdated formula […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark Commission postpones decision to deliberate on historic designation
At last week’s meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission, commissioners reviewed a rehabilitation case at 1601 Brackenridge St. The home, which was built in 1915, was first inhabited by William and Lettie Webster Davis, two teachers at the Texas School for the Deaf. According to city documents, the couple taught “during a time of great […]
Posted inPlanning
Council postpones vote on Rainey towers, Tovo pushes density bonus changes
Council Member Kathie Tovo previewed her upcoming push to change the downtown density bonus rules as part of her opposition to three new residential towers planned for the Rainey Street District. “I believe we need to have a policy conversation that was deferred from 2014 about what benefits should be embedded within our density bonus […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music, Downtown commissions explore options for preserving downtown venues
With music venues and creative spaces becoming more endangered as real estate prices continue to climb, members of the Downtown Commission and Music Commission are looking to enlist other groups in an effort to include those spaces in new developments. August Harris, chair of the Downtown Commission, spoke to the Music Commission at this month’s […]
Posted inZoning
Council postpones decision on Delta Kappa Gamma rezoning
City Council last Thursday postponed rezoning the historic Delta Kappa Gamma headquarters at 416 W. 12th St., yielding to a request from a property owner on the same block. Delta Kappa Gamma, an organization that supports women educators worldwide, seeks Downtown Mixed-Use (DMU) zoning to allow Stratus Properties to replace the circa-1959, midcentury-modern building, which […]
Posted inPreservation
Ellen Wyse house denied historic designation, after owners protest
A debate at the Jan. 26 meeting of the Planning Commission centered around the merits of historic preservation versus the potentially regressive effects of a historic landmark designation on cash-strapped property owners. The owners and developer of the Ellen Wyse house favored demolition, while the Historic Preservation Office enumerated the reasons for the house’s historical […]
Posted inPreservation
Planning Commission recommends rezoning Delta Kappa Gamma building to make way for tower
Paving the way for a proposed 31-story residential tower on the site of the historic Delta Kappa Gamma building at 416 W. 12th St., the Planning Commission voted 11-0-1 last Tuesday to recommend the requested Downtown Mixed-Use (DMU) zoning. The circa-1959 midcentury-modern building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as the […]
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission endorses Rainey high-rise
The Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend construction of a skyscraper on Rainey Street that would be one of Austin’s tallest buildings. 90-92 Rainey St., currently occupied by Container Bar, would become a residential high-rise with about 450 residential units, a cocktail lounge on the ground floor, and a large underground parking garage. City […]
Posted inCity Council
Kathie Tovo: A ‘completely unexpected’ year
For Kathie Tovo, who has been on Austin City Council since 2011, 2020 was a year like no other. Tovo told the Austin Monitor that she’s most proud of some of the work she did on the city’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. She pointed to a resolution to expand eligibility criteria for utility assistance shortly […]