Tag Archives: City of Austin Environmental Commission
City prepares to implement new Wildland-Urban Interface fire code
Austin Fire Department officials gave the Environmental Commission an update on the new Wildland-Urban Interface Code Wednesday. City Council voted in April to adopt the new code, which regulates residential and commercial building requirements to protect structures against wildfires. With the…
Fire • By Daniel Salazar • Oct 27, 2020
Watershed Protection Department seeks to fill gaps in city regulation for creekside health
The Watershed Protection Department recently discovered two pieces of regulation missing from Austin’s land use code that could aid and restore the health of the city’s many creeks. Ana Gonzalez, a senior environmental scientist with the department, presented the issue at…
Environment • By Savana Dunning • Oct 9, 2020
Environmental Commission recommends increased impervious cover in waterfront overlay
Historically, it is rare for the Environmental Commission to recommend a variance to increase impervious cover in a waterfront overlay. Lately, however, the redevelopment of old, heavily covered lots has the commissioners opting for the lesser of two evils and…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 15, 2020
Environmental Commission recommends increased impervious cover for Goodwill
Goodwill of Central Texas is hoping to bring a new secondhand store and drop-off center to 2411 Lake Austin Blvd. In order to do so, the donation retailer will require a variance to allow it to build up to 89…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 21, 2020
East Austin tank farm site poised to become a PUD
Despite years of remediation efforts and development proposals for the former East Austin tank farm at 1011 and 1017 Springdale Road, the site has remained undeveloped. Then in May, the Jay Paul Company brought the city a new development proposal…
Development • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 20, 2020
Springdale Farm project earns variance from Planning Commission
At its Tuesday meeting, the Planning Commission passed an environmental variance for 755 Springdale Road. The applicant, StoryBuilt, has sought the change for more than a year, but the case failed to clear the Environmental Commission earlier this summer due to concerns…
Development • By Nina Hernandez • Aug 14, 2020
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Environmental Commission recommends vision plan for John Treviño Jr. park
A 330-acre former ranch east of U.S. Highway 183 has been waiting for the city to introduce park amenities since 2003. On Aug. 5, the city-owned parcel took one step closer to becoming a nature-focused, master-planned metropolitan park named in…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 11, 2020
Environmental Commission recommends environmental aspects of COTA PUD
The Circuit of the Americas has been making its way through city boards and commissions on its quest to expand from a concert venue and racetrack into a more residential- and retail-focused development. The 1,153-acre parcel located east of State…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Jul 17, 2020
Environmental Commission recommends Watershed Protection Department budget
Among the coronavirus pandemic’s many consequences is an impact on the Watershed Protection Department’s proposed budget for the 2021 fiscal year. Even with the decision to cut back in areas, the department is still proposing a $107.1 million operating budget…
Budget • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 19, 2020
Springdale Farm development proposal lacks support due to environmental concerns
For over a year, Austin developer StoryBuilt has worked with the Govalle neighborhood to design a site plan for the 4.8-acre site that operates as Springdale Farm and Eden East at 755 Springdale Road. While the overall design for a…
Development • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 10, 2020
City reworks its Community Climate Plan through an equity lens
Five years ago, Austin’s Office of Sustainability began implementing its 2030 Community Climate Plan in order to work toward the city’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Now, the department is revising its plan to update metrics and…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 9, 2020
Environmental Commission says Public Works project 'flies in the face' of environmental regulations
In order to create easy access and support increased traffic headed to a new Habitat for Humanity development in Southeast Austin, the Public Works Department is working on constructing a road that crosses a “classified waterway.” Under city code, a…
