After years of failed proposals and persistent remediation efforts, the Environmental Commission unanimously voted last Wednesday to advance the development of a former East Austin tank farm into a mixed-use development called Springdale Green. Located near the intersection of Springdale Road and Airport Boulevard, the area, which sits on the Boggy Creek and Tannehill Branch watersheds, […]
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 inDevelopment
Environmental Commission unanimously votes to advance Goodnight Ranch zoning change
A proposal to amend zoning requirements for a South Austin residential development was discussed and subsequently approved by the Environmental Commission at its Jan. 20 meeting. Goodnight Ranch is a master planned unit development that covers 695 acres encompassing the area on the east side of Old Lockhart Road between Nuckols Crossing Road and Capitol View […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Environmental Commission discusses its role in political advocacy
The Jan. 20 meeting of the Environmental Commission addressed a resolution that would support the city’s 87th State Legislative Agenda, a City Council resolution that passed in September of last year. According to the city, the agenda – which has no formal policy directives or fiscal impact – “is used to communicate (local interests) to the […]
Posted inWater
Council OKs contract for Ullrich repairs
After a considerable amount of discussion at its Thursday meeting, City Council approved a contract of more than $22 million, plus a 10 percent contingency, for a joint venture to rebuild the electrical pump station serving the Ullrich water treatment plant. Austin Water considers the project “critical to the reliability of the water treatment process” […]
Posted inPlanning
Environmental Commission endorses variance for new Concordia dorm
The Environmental Commission has recommended a variance for Concordia University in order to build a new residence hall on its campus in Northwest Austin. The university wants to construct another campus residence hall for students at 11400 Concordia University Drive off of FM 620. Kristy Nguyen, an environmental review specialist with the city’s Development Services […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental Commission approves variances for water treatment plant upgrades
The Environmental Commission on Friday approved a series of environmental variances for improvements to the Albert H. Ullrich water treatment plant near Tom Miller Dam and Red Bud Isle west of downtown Austin. A total of seven variances are needed to construct a new electrical building, retaining walls, new electrical and mechanical equipment and duct […]
Posted inWater
Proposed discharge permit draws ire of city, Environmental Commission
The Environmental Commission received an update Wednesday on the impacts of a proposed wastewater treatment plant southwest of Austin. Abel Porras, the supervising engineer in the Environmental Resource Management Division of the city’s Watershed Protection Department, described the water quality impacts from proposed wastewater discharge into Barton Creek. The Sawyer-Cleveland Partnership has applied to the […]
Posted inFire
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 WUI Code expected to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2021, the city is working on […]
Posted inEnvironment
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 the Oct. 7 meeting of the Environmental Commission. She explained that the banks of a […]
Posted inPlanning
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 making compromises for improved water quality in exchange for higher levels of impervious cover than […]
Posted inPlanning
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 percent impervious cover on a site where code caps the limit at 40 percent. Candace […]
Posted inDevelopment
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 to transform the 30-acre site into a mixed-use planned unit development called Springdale Green. The […]