Pioneer Crossing at 10930 Defender Trail is an old, undeveloped planned unit development that City Council approved in 1997. A history of foreclosures and bankruptcy has left the 1,410-acre parcel fragmented between various owners. Nevertheless, the site is still beholden to the original agreements that require 112.5 acres to be dedicated to parkland. Despite 25 […]
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 inPlanning
Despite road safety concerns, ZAP approves final plat for Oaks at Slaughter development
Despite some residents’ concerns about road safety, on Sept. 3 the Zoning and Platting Commission approved the preliminary plan and final plat for the nearly 19-acre Oaks of Slaughter mixed-use development, which will house an HEB and retail shopping next to Interstate 35 between William Cannon Drive and Slaughter Lane in South Austin. While three […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: (Cont’d)
If forums were homes… South Austin residents concerned about the city’s policies regarding homelessness and plans for opening a housing center in the area are pushing for candid questions and answers at a community meeting scheduled for Tuesday night. The groups Safe Austin for Everyone Project and SafeHorns are emphasizing that the meeting from 6:30 […]
Posted inPlanning
New rules put pressure on land use commissions
Operating under new rules as a result of the so-called “shot clock bill,” members of the Zoning and Platting Commission and the Planning Commission will be under pressure to rapidly make decisions about whether to approve or reject subdivision development applications. Commissioners will also be under greater pressure to attend meetings and, in many cases, […]
Posted inPlanning
Despite reduction in size, subdivision still troubles neighbors and ZAP
After failing to get his 82-lot subdivision at 9406 Morninghill Drive approved last fall, David Knapp refiled a subdivision application for his 51-acre ranch late last year. But this time he requested the approval of a plan that would include only 30 homes and would not require a variance to forgo a second entrance to […]
Posted inPlanning
Water drainage fears force postponement at ZAP
Drainage engineering studies are site-specific and don’t always capture the concerns of adjacent properties. However, without addressing those concerns, a study doesn’t always tell the whole story. At the July 16 meeting of the Zoning and Platting Commission, Commissioner David King said he has heard time and again that a city engineering study has OK’d […]
Posted inPlanning
Third time not the charm for River Place case at ZAP
At the end of Milky Way Drive there’s a 42-acre greenbelt buffering the River Place neighborhood from Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Since 2015, there has been an ongoing debate over how best to develop that tract of land. The latest hearing on the development plan came before the Zoning and Platting Commission on July 16. Jeff […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP case triggers discussion on affordable housing and transit in North Austin
Northwest Austin is developing quickly. Many of the large tracts of developable land in the far reaches of the city’s jurisdiction, by Farm to Market 620 and Texas State Highway 45, are outside the city limits, which makes it difficult to regulate how development is rolling out. Such was the case at 14310-15700 N. FM […]
Posted inPlanning
ZAP recommends allowing cellphone tower on church property
Data use on cell phones has become so ubiquitous that Verizon Wireless is finding some of its towers overwhelmed by capacity. One area Verizon is unable to adequately serve is in North Austin at the Parmer Lane and MoPac Expressway area. To help alleviate 126 percent over-capacity of cellular data usage this past April, Vincent […]
Posted inLand Development Code
ZAP says unlimited RVs should be allowed in mobile home parks
City Council will attempt to alleviate some of Austin’s affordability pressures on Thursday by discussing rezoning mobile home parks that are operating as such yet are not appropriately zoned and by amending the mobile home ordinance to allow recreational vehicles in the parks. City staff recognized that there is a disconnect between the way city code […]
Posted inZoning
Annexation causes confusion over property zoning at ZAP
Before being annexed into the city of Austin in 1984, the half-acre lot at 9606 Swansons Ranch Road operated as a commercial lot with a gunsmithing business and later a seafood business. After annexation, the parcel of land, which was then zoned Single Family Residence – Standard Lot (SF-2), continued to operate commercially, with an […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP recommends rezoning AISD property for commercial use
Austin Independent School District’s Rosedale School is a special institution that serves students of all ages with severe disabilities, including children who are medically fragile or who need intensive behavioral support. Many of these special-needs children require intensive medical care, which requires them to frequently leave school and as a result, fall behind in class. […]