Owners of businesses in the city’s floodplain will soon be able to make changes to their buildings or rebuild entirely so flash floods pose less of a threat – to structures as well as employees and customers. The tweak to city code, currently working its way through boards and commissions, will allow commercial buildings within […]
City of Austin Zoning and Platting Commission
The City of Austin’s Zoning and Platting Commission addresses issues of land use as assigned to it by Austin’s City Code. It has sovereign authority, or the right to make final decisions on certain cases.
Posted inZoning
ZAP recommends fraction of proposed units for Northwest Austin tract
District 6 saw a return to its roots at the most recent meeting of the Zoning and Platting Commission, where a multifamily project dubbed the Zimmerman was the focus of discussion at City Hall. Currently, 11400 Zimmerman Lane is zoned Development Reserve, which is intended as a placeholder that does not commit land to any […]
Posted inZoning
More homes on the way to substandard Rogers Lane
Rogers Lane, a steep, narrow road in East Austin, has seen substantial development recently. On Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission heard a rezoning case that could bring 107 additional units to the street, drawing concern from some residents. The rezoning covers 17 acres of vacant land at 7902 W. Rogers Lane & 4708 Rogers […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP unable to mediate inter-church zoning dispute
The Zoning and Platting Commission couldn’t agree on a rezoning for an apartment project with up to 300 units, in part because of a disagreement between two churches about a restrictive covenant. After multiple failed motions on March 1, the commission let the case go on to City Council without a recommendation. The rezoning concerns a […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP OKs live music, alcohol sales at soccer-themed food court
The Zoning and Platting Commission on Feb. 15 recommended allowing live music and additional cocktail lounge space at the Pitch, a food court concept next to Austin FC’s training center. The Pitch, which opened earlier this month, features an outdoor stage as well as four restaurants and two bars in several repurposed shipping containers. The […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP disapproves of rezoning for cliffside condos
Should extreme topography influence whether or not to grant a rezoning? That was the main question the Zoning and Platting Commission wrestled with Tuesday over a request to rezone a property at 4833 Spicewood Springs Road to allow 20 condo units. “If you have vertigo, this is not the place for you,” Commissioner Jolene Kiolbassa […]
Posted inZoning
Small business forced to pay thousands on zoning ‘technicality’
The Zoning and Platting Commission Tuesday blamed the city’s complex code after hearing the case of a landscaping business being forced to rezone its property at a cost of thousands of dollars. The 1.7-acre property at 13561 Pond Springs Road in Northwest Austin is home to Perfect Cuts Landscaping, and was previously a nursery for […]
Posted inPlanning
ZAP members OK ‘spot zoning’ for ADU
Last Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission heard what may be one of the last requests to build an accessory dwelling unit on a Single Family Residence-Standard (SF-2) lot after City Council resolved to allow ADUs in such spots in December. When Cody Carr, founding partner of Carr Residential, requested a rezoning to build an ADU […]
Posted inCity Hall
Committee sends ‘meeting place question’ to full Council
Although they rejected the idea of changing the bylaws of three land use commissions to designate a specific meeting place, members of the City Council Audit & Finance Committee on Wednesday expressed their willingness to consider directing staff to hold the meetings at City Hall instead of at the new Permitting and Development Center (PDC) […]
Posted inCity Hall
Land use commissions worry move from City Hall will hurt public participation
In a rare joint meeting, three land use commissions frustrated by an unwelcome move from City Hall grilled city staff last Monday about why meetings will soon be held in the new Permitting and Development Center. The staffers, after hearing a litany of questions and concerns, did not budge. “This was an administrative decision going […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP says MF-2 too dense for Menchaca, a Project Connect corridor
On Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission rejected Multifamily Low-Density (MF-2) zoning for three properties along Menchaca Road over objections from some commissioners who argued for more density on a corridor slated for Project Connect investment. “When I look at the surrounding uses, I don’t really see support for MF-2,” said Commissioner Betsy Greenberg, who […]
Posted inCity Hall
Land use commissions face uphill battle to stay at City Hall
When City Council approved plans for a new Permitting and Development Center in 2017, the idea was that all land use commissions would eventually hold meetings there as part of a “one-stop shop” for all things development. But now that the building is finished, the commissions don’t want to move. In recent weeks, the Planning […]