Despite strong statements of support for historic zoning from two of the newest members of City Council at last week’s meeting, fewer than half of the Council members voted in favor of designating a portion of the property known as Running Rope Ranch at 7304 Knox Lane in Northwest Austin as historic. As the Austin […]
Districts
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
DB90 designation signals redevelopment on Hart Lane
A proposal to rezone several tracts of land on Hart Lane to allow for more intensive redevelopment under the DB90, or Density Bonus 90, zoning district was recommended by the Zoning and Platting Commission by an 8-1 vote during a public meeting on Feb. 18. The locations at 7201, 7201 and 1/2, 7205, 7121 Hart […]
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 […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commercial EV station moves forward despite opposition
After the Planning Commission denied the request for a commercial electric-vehicle charging lot in East Austin last April, the project is moving forward based on an ordinance passed by City Council. Last April, the Planning Commission voted 7-3-3 to deny the request for the commercial fleet EV charging station that would not be open to […]
Posted inCity Council
Council approves call for better coordination, planning among downtown projects
The city hopes to bring coordination to the many high-profile projects taking over downtown Austin in the coming years, with the city manager charged with determining the budgetary and planning resources needed throughout the district. On Thursday, City Council approved the Downtown Austin Strategic Initiative, a comprehensive plan aimed at coordinating strategies targeting mobility, infrastructure, […]
Posted inPreservation
Burnet Middle School on track for head-to-toe modernization project
A major glow-up is on the horizon for Burnet Middle School, with plans for a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility poised to break ground this summer. The Historic Landmark Commission got a rundown on the $158 million project last week when a permit to demolish the school’s existing digs in North Central Austin made its way to […]
Posted inZoning
Council-initiated Dessau Road rezoning for nonprofit office to be returned with dueling recommendations
A rezoning initiated by City Council on two properties that local nonprofit Foster Village plans to use for office space will come back with dueling recommendations from the Planning Department and the Zoning and Platting Commission after the latter voted down the former’s and submitted its own during a special called meeting on Feb. 6. […]
Posted inPreservation
Zoning and Platting Commission recommends against historic zoning for Northwest Austin ranch
The Zoning and Platting Commission voted 7-3 to recommend against adding historic zoning to part of the site of the former Running Rope Ranch during a special called meeting on Feb. 6, with Chair Hank Smith abstaining due to a conflict of interest. The Austin Monitor has previously reported on the long process of redevelopment […]
Posted inZoning
Neighbors turn out for Manor Road proposal
A proposal to amend a city plan surrounding Capital Metro’s Martin Luther King Jr. Station was met with anger from neighbors during a Planning Commission meeting on Jan. 28 and a successful request from developers for commissioners to postpone any decision on the case. The amendment would remove a plot of land at 2967 Manor […]