The choice of a Plaza Saltillo developer came down to a nail-biter in the final minutes of the Capital Metro Transportation Authority board meeting Monday. In the end, the board chose Endeavor Real Estate Group and Columbus Realty Partners in a 5-3 vote. The board’s other option, Saltillo Collaborative, will not continue negotiations with Capital […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Working group starts process of how to regulate rideshare companies
The mood swayed between optimism and frustration last Wednesday evening at the preliminary meeting of the Transportation Network Companies Working Group, where about 30 people from various transportation constituencies met to discuss ground rules for a conversation about how to regulate rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber. “What we do know is there are […]
Posted inDevelopment, Transportation
Residents say redevelopment project doesn’t have enough parking
Rapid redevelopment projects are starting to stack up in parts of East Austin, where even pro-growth residents are beginning to ask for a little breathing room. What they got was a little more time from the Planning Commission. At last Tuesday’s commission meeting, developer Mike McHone spoke on behalf of MX3 Homes LLC, which […]
Posted inTransportation
Central Corridor Group endorses Project Connect plan for urban rail
Urban rail in Austin rolled closer to reality Friday. By a 13-1 vote, the Central Corridor Advisory Group put its stamp of approval on Project Connect’s Locally Preferred Alternative, or LPA, for Austin’s future transportation project. The Locally Preferred Alternative describes an urban rail line that would run through the East Riverside corridor, cross […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local Politics, Transportation
Riley, Cole continue to oppose SH45 SW in CAMPO’s 2040 Plan
Austin Council Member Chris Riley and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole voiced continued opposition to State Highway 45 Southwest toll road project at the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board meeting Monday. Riley and Cole opposed including SH45 SW in the CAMPO 2040 Plan. Riley was carrying Council Member Bill Spelman’s proxy and […]
Posted inDevelopment, Transportation
Commission backs plan to end free parking at Walsh Boat Landing
Kayakers, canoeists and partiers on barges won’t get to enjoy free parking at Lake Austin’s Walsh Boat Landing for much longer. At Tuesday’s Urban Transportation Commission meeting, Austin’s Parking Enterprise Manager Steve Grassfield told commissioners that nearby streets and lots will soon feature metered parking. The Walsh Landing area is home to popular hangouts […]
Posted inDevelopment, Transportation
Road extension causes concerns over Lamar Beach master plan
An item on today’s City Council agenda calling for the expedited perusal of a master plan for the Lamar Beach Metro Park merged with community and Austin Independent School District concerns about the extension of Pressler Street– included in the master plan – at Councils’ Tuesday work session. Council Member Bill Spelman also expressed specific […]
Posted inTransportation
Transportation staff puts $400 million in road projects on the table
Austin Transportation Department Director Robert Spillar Tuesday presented Austin City Council members with a menu of options for road improvement projects that might grace a potential November 2014 city transportation bond. The full price of all the projects – much of it for Interstate 35 – mentioned by Spillar amounts to more than $400 million […]
Posted inDevelopment, Transportation
ZAP rejects neighborhood’s plea to keep new traffic off their street
The Zoning and Platting Commission heard a plea from a group of South Austin residents to keep traffic from a proposed development off their street, but the panel said no to their concerns. Most of the neighbors who spoke at the commission meeting supported a South Austin development in the 7400 block of Cooper […]
Posted inLocal Government, Transportation
Capping I-35 could provide substantial economic benefit for city
A study commissioned by city staff shows that one plan floated recently to cut traffic congestion – taking a portion of Interstate 35 underground through central Austin – could bring the city millions of dollars in new property tax revenues, and should be the subject of further study. The project, known as Capping I-35 […]
Posted inTransportation
TxDOT engineers plan small steps before major expansion on I-35
Traffic engineers with the Texas Department of Transportation know how they want to spruce up the Travis County corridor along Interstate 35, but they aim to start small. At a media workshop Tuesday, officials went over TxDOT’s short- and long-term ideas for the state’s most congested stretch of freeway, while Austin State Sen. Kirk Watson […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Transportation
Hays County Commissioner says plans for SH 45 SW ‘done deal’
Construction on the estimated $100 million State Highway 45 Southwest toll road connecting northern Hays County to southwest Austin is expected early next year. “It’s been in the works for 26 years now,” Hays County Pct. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones said. “I’ve been involved with it since I became commissioner three years ago; and when […]