Uncategorized

Road pact with Travis County Residents uneasy about losing current roadways Developers of a proposed 1,000-acre mixed-use subdivision outside the City of Bee Cave are close to clearing another administrative hurdle with Travis County. CC&G Development has already started to tear up the roads in the proposed Spanish Oaks at Bee Cave under a development […]

Sue over Bradfield tract SBCA cites violations of federal Clean Water Act An attorney for the Save Barton Creek Association (SBCA) has written a letter notifying the Bradfield Tract’s new owners that the environmental group intends to sue for violations of the federal Clean Water Act. SBCA has already sent a similar letter to the […]

Satisfied with water legislation Tough funding decisions will come next session The president of the board of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) and the leader of the state’s groundwater alliance both expressed satisfaction with the results of Senate Bill 2, which creates an additional 33 groundwater districts across Texas and defines each […]

Made great strides this session Efforts to clean air of particular importance, advocates say “We won,” proclaims Tom ‘Smitty’ Smith, director of Texas Public Citizen. It’s a rare pleasure for environmentalists to come away from a legislative session feeling that they gained more than they lost. But that’s the story this year, following the renewal […]

Session as one of the best City Council praised for addressing issues early City lobbyists are hailing this legislative session as one of the most successful in the last decade, primarily for what didn’t happen rather than what did. Angelo Zottarelli of Adams and Zottarelli has lobbied on behalf of Austin for the better part […]

Troublesome wastewater plant City Council to discuss options tonight The Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (GBRA) has stepped in to help the city of Buda bring its wastewater plant into state compliance, and tonight the Buda City Council will consider what role the GBRA might have in the city’s future wastewater operations. Jeff Saitas, executive director […]

Board of Adjustment By David Ansel Herman Thun, president of LZT Architects, Inc., serves the City of Austin as chairman of the Board of Adjustment. It is a unique nine-member board that is appointed by the City Council. It hears appeals from the decisions of the City Building Inspector in the enforcement of zoning provisions […]

With one more vote to go Bennett tract zoning takes one step forward After months of conversations and negotiations, development of Robertson Hill (formerly the Bennett tract) moved forward once more Thursday, but did not receive the final third-reading approvals needed for development to actually begin. The City Council approved a plan modified through the […]

AEP for system improvements Agreement to improve transmission capacity The LCRA Board of Directors voted Wednesday to approve a joint development agreement between the agency and a multinational energy company to develop new power transmission infrastructure. General Manager Joe Beal said the agreement would result in improved transmission capacity to South and West Texas and […]

Bank trickle down to subs Bond trustee holding $2.6 million for airport hotel Problems with the Chase Manhattan Bank have caused the Landmark Organization, which built the Hilton Hotel at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, to stop making payments to subcontractors on that project. Landmark notified subcontractors by letter on April 19 that their payments had been […]

Variance for Doggett land Some say driveway will lead to Bull Creek degradation By Doug McLeod Last week the Environmental Board voted 5-3 to recommend a variance allowing construction of a new driveway off of Spicewood Springs Road along Bull Creek—a move that some Board members say will lead to degradation of Bull Creek and […]

Attracts national attention Conservancy's goal is to set aside 50,000 acres What do the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA), the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Save our Springs Alliance have in common? Not too long ago, it was lawsuits, but now they are working together and sharing the resulting benefits, according to […]