Over the course of more than three hours, the Planning Commission heard often rancorous public comments on a new ordinance that would regulate short-term rentals, then voted to recommend 11 of their own amendments to the ordinance at its regular meeting on Feb. 11. The proposed ordinance would attempt to bring short-term rentals, or STRs, […]
City of Austin Planning Commission
This commission addresses issues of land use as assigned to it by Austin’s City Code. These include the abilities “[t]o make and amend a master plan, recommend approval or disapproval of proposed zoning changes and control land subdivision within neighborhood planning areas and submit, annually, a list of recommended capital improvements.” It has sovereign authority, or the right to make final decisions on certain cases.
Posted inHousing
City considers new STR rules requiring oversight from platforms
The city’s proposed overhaul of regulations for short-term rental properties could tighten licensing requirements, impose new restrictions on ownership, and shift enforcement responsibilities onto rental platforms. Members of City Council and the Planning Commission got a detailed look at the possible changes last week during a joint meeting that served as the first public hearing […]
Posted inZoning
Neighbors turn out for Manor Road proposal
A proposal to amend a city plan surrounding Capital Metro’s Martin Luther King Jr. Station was met with anger from neighbors during a Planning Commission meeting on Jan. 28 and a successful request from developers for commissioners to postpone any decision on the case. The amendment would remove a plot of land at 2967 Manor […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission endorses plan for vacant lot on Bruning Avenue
A small vacant lot and former junkyard in the North Loop neighborhood may become part of a new housing development stretching across three addresses after a Planning Commission vote to recommend rezoning the tract in a meeting on Jan. 14. The lot, located at 5210 Bruning Ave. and 705 East 53rd St. and near Airport […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission OKs re-rezoning in Montopolis
The Planning Commission voted to recommend a rezoning petition for a long-empty parcel of land in the Montopolis neighborhood during its Jan. 14 meeting. The vote was contrary to the recommendation of Planning Department staff, who cited concerns about road access and a lack of progress on development at the site since a previous rezoning […]
Posted inCity Council
Council approves requiring safety bollards at new medical facilities
City Council agreed unanimously on Thursday to require installation of safety barriers, called bollards, at the pedestrian entrances of medical facilities when a new facility is being constructed. The new rules are intended to prevent the kinds of tragedies that have occurred in Austin as well as other medical facilities around the nation when a […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission recommends rezoning of Anderson Square
The Planning Commission voted to rezone Anderson Square in Tuesday’s meeting against staff’s recommendation. The property is a 16-acre retail center near the intersection of North Lamar Boulevard and U.S. Highway 183 – currently home to businesses such as Hobby Lobby, Planet Fitness and a bingo hall – was proposed for redevelopment. Situated in a […]
Posted inPreservation
Commission fails to reach recommendation on historic zoning for East Austin house
After a series of votes, the Planning Commission failed to reach a decision on recommending historic zoning for an East Austin house, leaving the issue to be decided by City Council without their input. The property at 900 Spence St. in East Austin was built in 1915 and was described in city documents as an […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission postpones East Austin rezoning decision after clerical error
After more than half a dozen community members took the dais to speak against an East Austin rezoning request, the Planning Commission voted to postpone its decision due to a clerical issue in the agenda. This marks the second consecutive meeting in which an administrative mistake has delayed the commission’s ability to act on an […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission postpones decision on Anderson Square rezoning
The Planning Commission unanimously voted to postpone a rezoning request for Anderson Square in North Austin after the property owner requested an amendment to the application, seeking to increase the maximum height limits. A 16-acre retail center near the intersection of North Lamar Boulevard and U.S. Highway 183 – currently home to businesses such as […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission postpones commercial rezoning of East Austin church
Though the Planning Commission voted at its most recent meeting to recommend commercial rezoning for the Alpha Seventh Day Adventist Church property on 51st Street, a posting error means that vote will need to take place again. The church community has advocated for expanding the church’s parking lot and creating latitude for future growth. Commissioners […]
Posted inPreservation
Planners vote to preserve east side building despite developer opposition
The Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward on historic zoning for the building at 1500 East 12th St., which is estimated to have been built near the turn of the 20th century. According to city documentation, over the building’s century-long history it was a neighborhood grocery store, the meeting place of Black fraternity […]