Last week’s City Council meeting ended on a high note when a once-contentious rezoning for an East Side mobile home park found agreement and praise from all sides. Council Member Greg Casar summed it up, saying, “This is how you negotiate a zoning case.” The case found a happy resolution that extended beyond the District […]
Husch Blackwell
The legal firm formerly Brown-McCaroll, a locally-based practice, before that entity was purchased by the national Husch-Blackwell. Practice areas include Real Estate and Development.
Posted inDevelopment
Mobile home development stokes hope and fear
The Zoning and Platting Commission narrowly approved a recommendation Tuesday for an 855-home expansion of the Oak Ranch mobile home park on the east side after three hours of contentious testimony from neighbors on both sides of the issue. The commission voted to recommend rezoning the property from small lot single-family (SF-4A) and medium density […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Griffin School wins variances, though protests lingered
The Griffin School has finally received its variances from the city of Austin’s Board of Adjustment. Board members voted unanimously to amend a previous variance that decreased the minimum street width requirements for the school, which is located at 5000 Martin Ave., from 40 feet to about 27 feet, attaching a condition raising the cap on […]
Posted inPlanning
Radio Coffee and Beer wins Planning Commission case
Though there were a number of conditions attached to the approval before it was all said and done, plans to allow liquor sales at Radio Coffee and Beer are moving forward.Planning Commissioners granted a request for a cocktail lounge permit at Radio Coffee and Beer. Radio Coffee and Beer, located at 4204 Manchaca Road, was […]
Posted inRoads, Travis County
County Commissioners maintain toll appointment
An ordinary appointment to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Board of Directors during Monday’s Travis County Commissioner Court meeting turned into a debate over transparency and the economic burden of toll roads. Commissioners voted 4-0, with one abstention, to reappoint Nikelle Meade to the seven-member board that oversees the agency in charge of building […]
Posted inDevelopment
Complex sign proposal boggles board
A complex sign plan for a well-known, if obscured, development in North Central Austin overwhelmed the Sign Review Board at its most recent meeting. Though the board understood the need for better signage at 6406 IH-35 North, members asked for more time to look over the complex request, voting unanimously to postpone the case until […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Deal struck in long-running battle over Exposition Boulevard project
The warring parties over the proposed development at 3215 Exposition Boulevard unexpectedly struck a deal on Wednesday with the assistance of Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole. City Council is now expected to pass the zoning on consent today, after years of dispute with developers and the neighborhood and hundreds of emails from those for and […]
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission OKs increased FAR for downtown high-rise
The Planning Commission heard its first Downtown Density Bonus Program case last week. And, while there will be a contribution to the city’s affordable housing trust fund, developers were also asking for entitlements greater than those offered under the Downtown Austin Plan. Ultimately, the commission supported the project unanimously. Riverside Resources Investments II, Ltd., […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council postpones decision on former Austin State School property
With only six City Council members on the dais, the vote on a contentious West Austin zoning case was a draw Thursday night, pushing off further a decision that has been years in the making. Developers are asking for Multifamily (MF-2) zoning on their parcel at 3215 Exposition Boulevard. Staff is recommending a lesser […]
Posted inDevelopment, Environment
Environmental Board OKs affordable housing project despite concerns
The Environmental Board was the scene of a showdown last week when a proposed affordable housing project faced environmental concerns from city staff. Developers of the Windy Ridge Apartment Homes at 10910 FM 620 were requesting water and wastewater service from the city. The 12-acre property that is slated to be home to […]
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission denies MF-2 zoning for West Austin tract
A controversial development plan on Exposition Boulevard is back at City Hall. Austin Elm Terrace, LP was asking for Multifamily (MF-2) zoning on the 3215 Exposition Boulevard lot, which is just over two acres. The tract was formerly part of the Austin State School, and the majority of the land is currently unzoned. […]
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission won’t amend NCCD to fix permit mistake
The Planning Commission has shot down a city staff scheme to fix a mistake that left a neighborhood business in limbo. Though the request was solely to initiate an amendment to the Hyde Park Neighborhood Conservation Combining District (NCCD,) the Planning Commission declined to wade into those waters at all. The commission voted unanimously […]