The Austin Code Department is responsible for making sure land is used for its intended purpose. So what happens when land-use rules are broken? One East Austin theater at the center of a code dispute is finding out the answer to that question. There are a lot of ways to violate city code – for […]
East Austin
East Austin is the quadrant of Austin that, generally speaking, is east of IH-35.
Posted inLand Development Code
No special exceptions for East Austin special exception
Angry neighbors were no match for strange coincidences at the Board of Adjustment earlier this month. Nanette DiNunzio was seeking a special exception that would allow her to retain her garage, which – because it is in the 5-foot setback – would not normally be compliant with city code. She argued that a special exception […]
Posted inDevelopment
New plan fails to impress in the wake of unapproved East Austin demolition
Almost two years later, one East Austin homeowner is back at the Board of Adjustment asking for a variance redo, with a promise to reconstruct the demolished home it had promised to preserve. At this point, owner 2100 E. 14 Ventures LLC is seeking a variance for the property at 2100 E. 14th St. to […]
Posted inDevelopment
County PID project hits yet another snag
City Council Member Ora Houston urged the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday to tap the brakes on a proposed massive project in far East Austin. Houston personally visited the court’s regular weekly voting session to tell the commissioners that she had been kept in the dark about WildHorse Ranch, a project that could bring […]
Posted inPlanning
East Seventh bar plan goes south at BoA
It appears that the dream of another east side bar may be over, after Board of Adjustment members definitively shot down a request at their last meeting for reduced parking. Currently, the building at 1309 E. Seventh St. has room for only four parking spaces, which is less than the nine required once parking reductions […]
Posted inPreservation
Small demo points to a “big issue” in East Austin
Though the Historic Landmark Commission finally had a chance to weigh in on a neighborhood demolition, that demolition will still be moving forward after members of the commission ruled that an East Austin home was not a good candidate for historic zoning. Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky said that the house at 2101 Maple Ave. […]
Posted inPreservation
Demolition avoided on Cesar Chavez
In a rare turnaround, a small East Austin home that has been a longtime rental in the neighborhood is now headed for preservation instead of demolition. Initially, the owners of 2205 East Cesar Chavez St. were seeking a demolition permit for the home. However, since then, Kenneth and Myung Soon Lemond have changed their minds […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council backs ordinance to expand, improve Rebekah Baines Johnson Center
What would LBJ do? That was the question invoked repeatedly by both supporters and opponents of a code amendment aimed at facilitating the rehabilitation of the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, the retirement community at 21 Waller St. created by federally insured mortgages during Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration and named after the former president’s mother. The […]
Posted inDevelopment
“Grandiose” East Austin remodel stalls at BoA
Fast-paced change in Central East Austin has helped contribute a boon of cases to the city’s planning commissions, where it has become clear that prosperity has been a mixed bag. At their most recent meeting, Board of Adjustment members took up a case that showcased how rampant redevelopment has its pros and cons. And, without […]
Posted inPreservation
“Friendless” house to be demolished
Though historic zoning was initiated for the 1911 home on San Bernard Street, a depleted Historic Landmark Commission did not show enough support to move historic landmark status forward for the “house with no friends” last week. Because the homeowner opposed the historic zoning through a valid petition, a unanimous vote of the eight commissioners […]
Posted inHousing
East Austin zoning mess fix moves forward, for now
A fix for a mistake made two years ago is headed to City Council, and nine east side properties once owned by the city hang in the balance, as does a deal struck for affordable housing as a condition of the 2014 sale of those properties. City of Austin Planning and Zoning Department Manager Jerry […]
Posted inPreservation
House, not history, derails preservation bid
In order for a building to qualify for historic landmark status in Austin, it must meet two or more of the local historic designation criteria. That process can be complicated, but there are also issues that even a layman can understand with ease. As one East Austin case illustrated recently, it also must be a […]