CodeNEXT is the talk of the town. So it’s no surprise the main topic of conversation at the Environmental Commission meeting Wednesday evening was no different. The commission heard recommendations from the Watershed Protection Department, but took no formal action on the suggestions presented. Erin Wood, principal planner with the Watershed Protection Department, said CodeNEXT […]
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 inLand Development Code
Barton Springs redevelopment changes hit a wall at the Environmental Commission
The Watershed Protection Department proposed a number of amendments to the Watershed Protection Ordinance at the Environmental Commission’s April 5 meeting. Andrea Bates, the environmental program coordinator at the Watershed Protection Department, said most of the amendments presented were cleanup items to “either clarify or increase the consistency of current code requirements,” with the exception […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental Commission supports Red Bluff plans for consolidation
The Environmental Commission unanimously passed a resolution to consolidate three tracts in the Red Bluff area and to work with its surrounding communities to turn the property into a nature wildland preserve at last Wednesday’s meeting. According to Commission Chair Marisa Perales, this is the second phase related to the Red Bluff area cleanup the […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Honoring Mary Gay Maxwell
Remembering Mary Gay… A year after her death, the Environmental Commission remembered its former chair, and longtime Austin conservationist, Mary Gay Maxwell. The commission unanimously passed a resolution to rename the Slaughter Creek Management Unit on Wednesday night. The land’s new name will be the Mary Gay Maxwell Management Unit. The unit is composed of […]
Posted inDevelopment
Environmental Commission schedules special meeting on Easton Park
After two hours of debating the urgency of cut and fill variances requested for a residential development in the controversial Pilot Knob planned unit development, the Environmental Commission voted to postpone action until a special called meeting no later than March 15. The item regarding the Easton Park planned community was almost not heard at […]
Posted inParks
Zilker Park could soon see new ADA-compliant restroom
At its Feb. 1 meeting, the Environmental Commission approved staff recommendation to grant an amendment and a variance to city code that would allow an additional restroom facility to be built inside Zilker Park. Gary Gregson, the program coordinator from the Parks and Recreation Department, said that the facility would help accommodate growing traffic to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Flannigan commission appointee stirs controversy
Although City Council approved the appointments of nearly 100 new and returning members of city boards and commissions Thursday, it declined to accept the appointment of nuclear engineer Rick Jacobi, Council Member Jimmy Flannigan’s nominee to the Environmental Commission. After several environmentalists spoke against Jacobi’s appointment because of his involvement with the nuclear waste industry, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Junior League contends with concerns over heritage trees
After a great deal of hand-wringing over the future of three heritage trees, the city’s Environmental Commission recommended that the Junior League of Austin be granted the several variances it needs to build a new facility in Northwest Austin at 5330 Bluffstone Lane. The 2,500-member women’s service group has outgrown its current facilities, explained Sarah […]
Posted inResources
City defends stance on Dripping Springs discharge permit
Chris Herrington, an engineer with the city’s Watershed Protection Department, hopes to dispel the notion that the city of Austin is an “800-pound gorilla” that intimidates surrounding municipalities into submitting to its environmental policy. At the Dec. 7 meeting of the Environmental Commission, Herrington and other Watershed Protection staff presented a brief on the city […]
Posted inEnvironment
City works to create more aggressive response to major floods
As Austin adjusts to the reality of major flooding on a regular basis, City Council is working to create a more comprehensive set of policies to respond to the damage caused by heavy rainstorms. Last year, Council created a Flood Mitigation Task Force to take a deeper look into how to protect Austinites from the […]
Posted inDevelopment
Broadstone 620 development limited by environmental risks
There are some limits to Austin’s breakneck expansion, and the developers of Broadstone 620 may have stumbled into them on Nov. 16. Austin’s Environmental Commission voted 7-2 not to recommend building a new wastewater system for the development because it would intensify development in an environmentally sensitive area. Commissioners Hank Smith and Richard Grayum were […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental variances for church approved, despite lack of tree survey
The Environmental Commission approved a list of variance requests for the Iglesia Camino del Rey Church during its Nov. 4 meeting, despite the fact that there was no tree survey for review. The new church with parking will cover 10,000 square feet on a 7.7 acre lot in east Austin. But, in order to complete […]