The Travis County Commissioners Court approved revisions to County Code Chapter 481, the county’s public improvement district policy, on Tuesday. Notable updates to the policy included required on-site community benefits in every public improvement district, in addition to required affordability goals for commercial and residential properties. Christy Moffett, director of economic and strategic investments with […]
Public Improvement District
A special tax area. Property owners in the area pay a supplemental tax that goes toward extended city services in the area.
Posted inPlanning
Del Valle PID moves forward, but county is not done negotiating
The petition to create the Velocity Crossing Public Improvement District in Del Valle was unanimously approved by the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday morning after its third and final public hearing. As the county’s first commercial PID, the development has raised a number of concerns over the past several weeks about what distinguishes this PID […]
Posted inTravis County
County says affordable housing should be priority in Del Valle PID
Public improvement districts are becoming more prevalent in eastern Travis County, but commissioners are worried that not enough is being done to ensure that lower-income residents will benefit from the opportunities PIDs bring to their communities. Before voting next week on a petition to create the Velocity Crossing PID in Del Valle, commissioners consulted with […]
Posted inUncategorized
‘Snoopy PUD’ wins first-round approval
Council approved a complicated set of Planned Unit Development regulations at their March 22 meeting for the piece of property at Riverside Drive and South First Street currently occupied by a Hooters and a surface parking lot. As Planning and Zoning Assistant Director Jerry Rusthoven explained to Council, “We have renamed this PUD the Snoopy […]
Posted inPlanning
Developer proposes twin PIDs for single development
The man behind Travis County’s first official public improvement district is back for more, this time with a proposal that ratchets up the complexity of an already intricate process. Last Tuesday, Pete Dwyer of Dwyer Realty Companies presented to the Commissioners Court his vision for Lagos, a massive development that would sit just south of […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council OKs WildHorse Ranch PID
A major mixed-use development planned in eastern Travis County cleared an important hurdle Thursday, when City Council voted 8-2 not to object to the first-ever public improvement district created by the Travis County Commissioners Court. Key to approval of the resolution authorizing the WildHorse Ranch PID was a clause inserted by Mayor Steve Adler that […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council members raise concerns about WildHorse PID
Travis County’s first attempt at its very own public improvement district could be imperiled by a skeptical City Council, which by state law must give its blessing to such projects if they are located within Austin city limits. Discussing the WildHorse Ranch PID during a work session Tuesday, Council members echoed concerns voiced earlier this […]
Posted inPlanning
County creates first PID, possibly setting up showdown with city of Austin
City Council is now on the clock to determine whether it wants to be the spoiler for Travis County’s first-ever public improvement district. The Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to approve the creation of the WildHorse Ranch PID in far Northeast Austin. Because the project is within Austin’s city limits, Council now has 30 days […]
Posted inTravis County
Commissioners Court refines PID procedures
The Travis County Commissioners Court has made some notable procedural adjustments in the face of controversy over the public improvement district (aka PID) policy it passed earlier this year. On Tuesday, the court took several votes to tweak the procedures by which it will approach future PIDs. The actions came two weeks after City Council […]
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 inDevelopment
PID passions fly at Travis County
A public hearing over a public improvement district sparked heated words between members of the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday morning. After wrangling the lengthy discussion to its conclusion, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt admitted that she had opened a Pandora’s box by allowing Commissioner Brigid Shea and Commissioner Ron Davis to weigh in during […]
Posted inTravis County
PID problems aired at Commissioners Court
Two Travis County commissioners are each keeping a wary eye on the slow creation of the county’s first-ever public improvement district, or PID. Commissioners Brigid Shea and Gerald Daugherty took time during the Commissioners Court’s weekly voting session on Tuesday to air concerns about the specific PID before them, as well as PIDs in general. […]