Last week, City Council postponed action on a staff proposal that would significantly increase parkland dedication fees for developers of most new residential developments, with fees dependent on density. Staff brought forth the proposal after more than a year of work as a result of a resolution adopted by Council in August 2014. Although Council […]
Parks
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Naming Parks: The struggle continues
A park’s namesake must be dead. Members of the Land, Facilities and Programs Committee discussed this and other new stipulations as part of a first look Wednesday at a naming ordinance for Austin parks and recreation buildings. After more than an hour of debate, though, proposed rules were sent back to Parks and Recreation Department […]
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Committee is unanimous: Caswell Center tennis players need parking spots
A vacant court isn’t all it takes to play tennis in Austin. It also takes a vacant parking spot. To that end, City Council’s Open Space, Environment and Sustainability Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend that 28 parking spaces be transferred to the Parks and Recreation Department and turned into dedicated parkland. Currently, those spaces […]
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Parks Department dives into future of Austin pools
Next week signals the close of many Austin municipal and neighborhood pools. Diving boards active throughout the summer months will be hushed as the kids who once tumbled from them head back to school. During these final days, volunteers with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will be conducting informal surveys of pool users, asking […]
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Parkland dedication fee proposal raises questions
As the city’s Parks and Recreation Department gears up to propose an increase to its parkland dedication fee, local groups and City Council Member Sheri Gallo are questioning whether it’s the right fee for the department to be boosting. The proposed hike comes in two forms: New developers must either dedicate land on which to […]
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Naming protocol on the way for city parks
The road to naming city parks and recreation facilities has been strewn with indecision and tough choices. And so, the Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday said it would begin drafting its own protocol for the naming and renaming of its land and buildings. “This has been an issue that has really troubled us as […]
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Parks Department sat on Metz Pool repair bid for nearly 6 months
Although the city’s Parks and Recreation Department ordered the repair of an East Austin neighborhood pool in late April, it appears that the department had bids for the work for some time. This, even as department officials initially told residents that the pool would have to be closed for the 2015 summer season and then […]
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Communication breaks down between city and community over Sunken Garden tree removal
When the city of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department decided to remove three trees from Sunken Garden, home to one of the three cardinal springs that feed Barton Springs, it did so before seeking community input — and now the feedback isn’t so favorable. Michael Fossum of the Austin Heritage Tree Foundation said it was not […]
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Should Austin’s small parks be held to different standards?
The Parks and Recreation Department says it does not make sense to create a unique policy addressing pocket parks – small urban parks less than 2 acres in size – despite the challenges faced by locals who say it has taken too long to build one in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Ricardo Soliz, manager of […]
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New parkland dedication fee would “maintain” park-to-person ratio
With recent unanimous approval from members of the city’s Planning Commission, the Parks and Recreation Department says it might soon be able to recalibrate the fee it charges residential developers in lieu of making parkland available. Developers unwilling or unable to put aside park acres in proportion to the amount of land on which they […]
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Open-space recycling a challenge to city, says staff
Austin’s recycling requirements are ambitious, but they don’t cover one major area — open spaces. Now, the city is taking steps to make up for it. The Austin Resource Recovery Department recently performed an assessment on Parks and Recreation Department recycling efforts, and both are considering a plan to provide these services at city parks, […]
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Austin ventures into civic crowdfunding
The Internet is replete with crowdfunding appeals for endless pet projects: help fund your college roommate’s rap EP, pitch in for your buddy’s film or donate a few dollars toward your cousin’s volunteer trip to Haiti. But what about a Kickstarter campaign to outfit a neighborhood pool with picnic tables, benches and a new pavilion? […]