Tag Archives: City of Austin Environmental Commission
Carbon-reducing concrete could come to Austin
Concrete is the second-largest industrial producer of carbon dioxide in the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Yet it is still one of the most popular building materials. Tom Ennis, the sustainability officer with the Watershed Protection Department, told…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • Jul 1, 2019
Environmental Commission recommends SOS amendment for private development
Under the Save Our Springs Ordinance, which was passed in 1992, all land in the Barton Springs Zone is subject to increased development regulation in order to protect the water quality of the springs and the Edwards Aquifer. One of…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 27, 2019
City shares reason for Barton Springs' cloudy water last December
After Barton Springs was closed for a few days last December following an unusual level of turbidity in the water, the city immediately began investigating the cause. As the plumes of sediment filling the freshwater pool settled, instruments measuring water…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 24, 2019
Austin at risk for violating federal ozone standards
Ozone levels in the Austin area have been hovering just below federal violation levels for the last six years. Ground-level ozone – or “bad” ozone – is an ingredient in smog and a primary pollutant that can cause a number…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 11, 2019
Shoal Creek Trail solution coming to Council
After a catastrophic landslide carved a 30-foot-high cliff through residents’ backyards along Shoal Creek last year, the city sprang into action to devise a plan to stabilize what was left. However, the slope shifted again this spring, leaving Austinites wondering…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 10, 2019
Despite zebra mussels, Austin’s waterways seeing a recovery trend
The news is full of horror stories about zebra mussels invading intake pipes and sediment causing city water to be of questionable quality. Yet statistics show that, overall, the waterways of Austin are regaining their health. According to Mateo Scoggins of…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • May 20, 2019
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Environmental Commission recommends rimrock stairwell to lake
Shoreline access from the rimrock cliffs of Lake Austin has been a touchy subject in the past. While mechanized access has not been permissible for nearly a decade and property owners are only allowed to install pedestrian access, there are…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 24, 2019
West Austin housing development claims vested rights, compromises on development regulations
Even if a property remains undeveloped for years, the property’s vested rights can, in some cases, allow a project to be grandfathered into another era’s development regulations. In the case of a project at FM 620 at Storm Drive, that era…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 22, 2019
Tree protection outweighs density concerns for Environmental Commission
There are only four reasons a heritage tree can be removed in the city of Austin: it must be dead, diseased, an imminent hazard, or prevent reasonable use of a property. Even if a tree meets one or more of…
Development • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 19, 2019
Project Catalyst and Country Club Creek Trail: An 'inopportune' overlap
At the same meeting of the Environmental Commission where citizens aired their concerns about the Northern Walnut Creek Trail, commissioners had questions about the Country Club Creek Trail off of Riverside Drive. Commissioners wanted to know how plans for the…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 10, 2019
New medical office moves forward with no recommendation from Environmental Commission
Trees are such an essential resource in Central Texas that even the thought of razing them to the ground can rattle the branches of the Environmental Commission. The city of Austin does not have the authority to mandate the preservation…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Apr 9, 2019
Public expresses concern about Urban Trails causing erosion
In 2014, the city of Austin approved an Urban Trails Master Plan that laid out the path forward to construct 300 miles of non-motorized trails throughout the city. Five years later, construction is well underway, but community members have raised…
