At the Environmental Commission, the third time was not the charm to recommend a change to the land plan of the Senna Hills Municipal Utility District. The proposed change would repurpose 11.73 acres of irrigation land with two developable acres allocated for a school into 11.73 developable acres of office space. “It’s a deadlock,” Commissioner […]
City of Austin Environmental Commission
An advisory board to members of the Austin City Council. Its purview includes “all projects and programs which affect the quality of life for the citizens of Austin.” In many cases, this includes development projects.
Posted inPlanning
Old mine to become new town center
A decades-old sand and gravel mine just east of Austin city limits may be about to get a face-lift as a new Mueller-esque planned unit development (PUD). The proposal for the 2,122-acre property includes 12,000 residential units, 2.25 million square feet of commercial space, 700 acres of parkland, and a three-acre fire station. According to […]
Posted inPlanning
Volvo request for service extension stalls at the Environmental Commission
City water and wastewater flow just 175 feet away from the site of a newly proposed Volvo dealership; however, the 26-acre site at 10600 N FM 620 remains on well water and a septic system. Even with a plan to alter the land use to commercial and introduce a manyfold increase in utility usage, both […]
Posted inPlanning
Landowner offers environmental concessions, gets commission approval for restricted covenant updates
Down in Southwest Austin, behind the Oak Hill HEB, is an undeveloped 18-acre parcel of land that is subject to a 1987 restrictive covenant. Currently, the undeveloped land at 6901 Old Bee Caves Road is zoned for commercial use, but because the landowner wants to change the zoning to mixed-use and increase building height from 35 […]
Posted inLand Development Code
At the Environmental Commission, man-made islands get man-made variances
There are few undeveloped lots along Lake Austin. However, those that are find themselves uniquely positioned as a clean slate that is ideal for a new, modern home – except when the lot is the wrong shape. Just underneath Mt. Bonnell on a man-made island is one of these empty plots. The 0.55-acre lot at 4409 […]
Posted inPlanning
Camelback project narrowly receives Environmental Commission’s approval
After nearly four and a half hours of testimony and discussion, and two votes due to some confusion over the conditions attached to a motion, the Environmental Commission endorsed the environmental superiority of the Camelback PUD, the controversial planned unit development on a 145-acre plot of land that fronts Lake Austin just west of Loop […]
Posted inEnvironment
Tree removal permitting to change in October
Sometimes trees have the most powerful voices in our city. At the Sept. 5 meeting of the Environmental Commission, Max Elliott, who is a resident of the Govalle neighborhood, alerted the commission that recently a builder removed five heritage trees “on a Saturday morning when the neighborhood couldn’t really ask any questions.” The applicant removed […]
Posted inAustin
Citing historical lessons, Environmental Commission opts for mitigation rather than preservation
It’s not often that a variance to remove heritage trees comes before the Environmental Commission. But when it does, the decision is no walk in the park. “Trees like this are one of the challenging cases for us,” City Arborist Keith Mars said at the Sept. 5 meeting of the commission. He acknowledged that it is […]
Posted inDevelopment
Development Services preliminary budget asks for 50 new employees
According to the 2017 customer satisfaction poll by the Development Services Department, the time it takes to complete the inspection process was ranked as the most important component but had the lowest satisfaction rating. In an effort to change that perception, the department is asking for 50 new employees. The cost of this new staff […]
Posted inWater
Austin Water lays the path forward for the next 100 years of water conservation
There’s no denying it: The climate as we know it is changing, but access to water sources is not. Three years ago the second iteration of the Water Forward Task Force convened in an effort to draft a 100-year water supply plan and shift the way the city thinks about its water resources. The task […]
Posted inPlanning
Environmental Commission votes against tram, arguing for safety
Everyone knows the saying, “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?” Well, spoiler alert, the answer should be no. Although that was not exactly the question that the Environmental Commission asked at its Aug. 1 meeting, it did contemplate the virtue of granting a variance to allow the property owners at […]
Posted inPlanning
Critical water quality zone crossing approved for the second time
Sometimes for development projects, it’s the second time that’s the charm. Over a decade ago, developers of a 42-acre tract of land at 1322 W. Dittmar Road received a variance to construct a private drive across a critical water quality zone to develop the northern portion of the property. However, due to the project never […]