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Alvarez and Quintanilla more closely matched, as are Lewis and Thomas The mayoral and City Council elections will be held this Saturday, May 6, but for most candidates the fund-raising has produced slim pickings this year. With the weak opposition giving incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson a de facto, no-contest win, his fund-raising efforts have been […]

Candidates offer opposing views on growth and surface water The future of growth and commercial development in Northern Hays County may be determined by Saturday's election of a new director to the board of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD). Judging by the number of campaign signs plastered all over Buda, starting at […]

Austin Police PAC and Thomas Henderson named as defendants Incumbent Council Member Willie Lewis' reelection campaign raised the political stakes higher yesterday in the Place 6 council contest by filing a criminal complaint against the Austin Police Political Action Committee (AP PAC) and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, the former Dallas Cowboy, convicted felon and Texas lottery […]

Follows close on heels of City Council's initiative The Austin City Council kicked off its affordable housing initiative last week. Now a second candidate who wants to be on that council has offered his own plan. Rafael Quintanilla, a candidate for the Place 2 seat that Council Member Gus Garcia is leaving, held a press […]

Fish and Wildlife Service just got 1,700-page document last week Deal, what deal? Developer Gary Bradley's scheduled to make a luncheon speech today to the Real Estate Council of Austin titled War & Peace, to talk about the deal he made with the City of Austin to settle litigation and fix development regulations for more […]

Austin Police PAC, Thomas Henderson chipping in big bucks The political contest between incumbent Council Member Willie Lewis and chief opponent Danny Thomas is beginning to get ugly, with charges and counter charges flying over how campaign money is being spent and how the city authorities are doing nothing about it. Attorneys for the reelection […]

SMART Housing Initiative aims for 5,000 units by 2005 Developers have become wearily familiar with Austin's zoning process, including battles in which neighbors of a proposed project pack the room for hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council. Now the council is proposing that city staff make decisions on zoning when "reasonably priced" housing […]

Appeal by neighbor denied, with three neighborhood groups supporting project The City Council voted 7-0 last night to deny the appeal of Clara Touchet concerning the Planning Commission's granting of a conditional-use permit site plan with variances for the Southpark Meadows music venue at 9600 S. I-35 southbound. The decision clears the way for applicant […]

Five candidates field questions from neighborhood residents Sixteen days from today voters will decide who gets elected–or gets into a runoff–to sit on the Austin City Council. Last night the candidates strutted their stuff at Becker Elementary School in near South Austin at a forum sponsored by the Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association and South Central […]

Neighbors show up in force to oppose zoning change The Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend against office zoning in a north Austin neighborhood whose residents fear "commercial creep." The proposal by Debra Dozier to rezone her home at 1418 Cardinal Hill Road to allow for a medical office was rejected on a vote of […]

Neighbor claims developer not living up to development agreement A concerned neighbor who lives just across Barton Creek from the Terrace Planned Unit Development (PUD) at South MoPac Expressway and Loop 360 is campaigning for the city to reexamine whether the project is complying with requirements. Political heat was deflected from the Terrace PUD when […]

Advisory board gives mixed reactions, some fearing traffic gridlock Jim Adams of the Roma Design Group Inc. of San Francisco last week unveiled a conceptual plan for part of the Town Lake waterfront that includes mixed uses and heights, new streets, streetscapes and denser development than would be allowed under current zoning. Adams made his […]