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Tag Archives: Development Services Department

Site plan appeal reveals city tech failings at ZAP

Though an appeal to a site plan extension failed at the Zoning and Platting Commission’s most recent meeting Aug. 15, the case exposed what happened after mayoral declaration to help development held up by the pandemic went into effect. In…

New building under construction on your block? Austin could change how you're notified.

East Austin residents flooded a City Council meeting last month for a vote on rezoning the Borden Dairy plant to allow mixed-use development. The 21-acre site will make room for apartments, hotel rooms and a mix of office, restaurant and…

Housing and Planning Committee grapples with how to prioritize code amendments

Members of City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee grappled during a Tuesday briefing with how to best approach moving forward on a set of amendments to the city’s Land Development Code. The discussion occurred at the committee’s May 23 special…

Garza makes major changes to city organization

Interim City Manager Jesús Garza announced a series of major organizational changes in a press release late Friday, saying his “highest priority is to organize our people and our work so that we are operating cohesively and focused on problem-solving.”…

Safer Sixth Street memo pushes new cameras, advises against gun buyback

The city is moving ahead with several new components of last year’s Safer Sixth Street initiative, with police, fire and emergency services staff already using a new staging area on Neches Street intended to improve response times for medical needs…

Tree division seeks to make enviro manual more user-friendly

The Environmental Criteria Manual, a book of rules used to help implement the city’s Land Development Code, hasn’t had a significant update in the past decade. But best practices for urban forestry have changed since then, and the manual is…

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Development Services has a full plate managing environmental concerns

The Development Services Department briefed the Environmental Commission last week on some of the work it has been doing to improve environmental protections on construction sites. The DSD is in charge of regulating tree protection measures as well as inspecting…

How sound permits regulate the Austin music scene

In the Live Music Capital of the World, sound and noise policy is critical both to those who enjoy the entertainment industry and those who live within earshot. On Wednesday, the city’s Environmental Commission was briefed on the different types…

With Council approval, DSD to add 41 new workers

City Council on Thursday approved a staff request to hire 41 new reviewers and inspectors in the Development Services Department starting in July, with a goal of having those new employees trained and ready to work by the end of…

Development Services seeking more staff this summer

The Development Services Department, which conducts inspections and approves permits for new housing, remodeling and commercial construction, is facing an ever-increasing volume of work, as Assistant City Manager Rodney Gonzales and department Director Denise Lucas explained at Tuesday’s City Council…

Uproar over update of plumbing, mechanical codes

Every four years, the city’s Development Services and Austin Code departments go through a process of updating their technical codes related to plumbing, heating and air-conditioning design, installation and inspection. And with those updates comes a renewal of the battle…

City says fix the leak now, get the permit later

In an effort to assist residents dealing with the aftereffects of prolonged freezing temperatures, heavy snow and freezing rain, City Council approved an ordinance Thursday waiving residential permitting and development fees for repairing or rebuilding structures and removing downed trees.…

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