In another act in the ongoing drama over the Pilot Knob planned unit development, members of the Water and Wastewater Commission spent an hour-and-a-half Wednesday night trying to understand the implications of the controversial deal between the city and a developer that could cost city agencies over $100 million in lost revenue. “This is a […]
Planned Unit Development
A zoning classification designated by the city to allow greater flexibility for projects within its boundaries.
Posted inCity Council
Pilot Knob deal turmoil continues
At Tuesday’s work session, Mayor Steve Adler launched a discussion on the Pilot Knob planned unit development with a spirited defense of City Council’s now controversial decision to redirect the PUD’s water and wastewater impact fees to the city’s affordable housing trust fund. The fees would normally be paid instead to the Austin Water utility. […]
Posted inCity Council
Unresolved PUD changes spark Council fight
As has been widely reported by now, civility lost its way at last Thursday’s City Council meeting, culminating with a tweet from Council Member Leslie Pool. That tweet, since deleted, read, “So maybe this is the nail in Gallo’s coffin.” It was posted as tensions, and subtext, ran high during a heated discussion about proposed […]
Posted inDevelopment
Grove PUD promises housing for teachers
Though the Grove at Shoal Creek Planned Unit Development hasn’t made much progress through the city’s boards and commissions yet, that hasn’t stopped developers from moving forward in some respects. Yesterday, ARG Bull Creek Ltd. announced plans to set aside 19 affordable homes specifically for Austin Independent School District teachers, which the group says is […]
Posted inDevelopment, Planning
Planning Commission recommends major PUD east of Austin
The Planning Commission recommended last week that City Council members approve a planned unit development for a massive mixed-use project in an unincorporated area of Travis County, about 10 miles east of the airport – where, if approved, the effort could span both sides of Pearce Lane. The panel unanimously gave the nod to the recommendation […]
Posted inLand Development Code
PUD changes advance despite commission stalemate
Changes to the city’s Planned Unit Development policy are moving forward as quickly as promised, but they will be doing so without a recommendation from the Planning Commission. If approved by City Council, the proposed amendment to the city’s Planned Unit Development Ordinance would require a supermajority approval at Council when a land-use commission denies […]
Posted inDevelopment
Zoning commissioner voices concerns about Austin Oaks charrette
Developers and neighbors participating in the design charrette regarding Austin Oaks, a proposed major mixed-use development at the southwest corner of MoPac Expressway and Spicewood Springs Road, told the Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday that preparations for the event are going well. The charrette, which is an attempt to bring area stakeholders together to […]
Posted inDevelopment
ZAP chair hopes to avoid more PUD postponements
Gabriel Rojas, the chair of the Zoning and Platting Commission, told colleagues at the commission’s meeting last week that he hoped the discussion over the Grove at Shoal Creek Planned Unit Development – a controversial proposal for a mixed-use development at the intersection of 45th Street and Bull Creek Road – would not take as […]
Posted inCity Council
Council makes density bonus rules more stringent
Changes to the city’s Planned Unit Development density bonus program, designed to encourage developers to build more on-site affordable housing, won City Council approval on a vote of 10-1 on Thursday. Only Council Member Don Zimmerman voted against the overall changes, but Council Members Sheri Gallo and Ellen Troxclair abstained on one amendment. Mayor Pro […]
Posted inPlanning
Council OKs Pilot Knob on second reading
City Council took the next-to-last step in approving Planned Unit Development zoning for the 2,200-acre Pilot Knob project in Southeast Austin last night. The project sits in the district of Council Member Delia Garza, who last week expressed concerns that there was not sufficient affordable housing in the project. However, on Thursday night she made […]
Posted inPlanning
Pilot Knob attorney seeks fee waivers
City Council heard more ideas about how to create more long-lasting affordable housing in the Pilot Knob Municipal Utility District last night. But, on agreement between Council Member Delia Garza and Richard Suttle, the attorney for the developer, the vote on second reading for zoning was postponed for one week. The developer, Brookfield Residential, has […]
Posted inZoning
Developers and neighbors come together on Austin Oaks charrette
Negotiations between neighbors and developers over the proposed Austin Oaks Planned Unit Development are going swimmingly, according to what representatives involved in the process told the Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday. After agreeing in September to engage with neighbors through a charrette, an intensive planning process in which area stakeholders seek to find consensus […]