Following the lead of Mayor Kirk Watson, City Council unanimously approved an indefinite postponement of the South Central Waterfront Combining District and Density Bonus Program at its most recent meeting. “The South Central Waterfront area is very crucial. We all know how crucial it is to our downtown development. And the development regulations in this […]
South Central Waterfront Plan
Posted inCourts
SOS sues city to stop Statesman PUD
The Save Our Springs Alliance has sued the city in an attempt to stop construction of the Statesman Planned Unit Development that Council approved in December 2022. Specifically, the environmental organization seeks to stop any “permit approvals, city fee waivers, and ‘other development subsidies’ contained in the final ordinance.” The Statesman property, previously the home […]
Posted inPlanning
Council appears to support revised plans for South Central Waterfront District
City Council appears to be supportive of staff’s recommendations for how to revise the planning and density bonus programs for the South Central Waterfront District, in effect rejecting some of the Planning Commission’s most substantial ideas for the area. This week’s work session meeting included a presentation from principal planner April Geruso that recapped staff’s […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Ahead of May vote, Council hears staff feedback for revised South Central Waterfront plan
Planning Department staff explained to a portion of City Council members this week why they intend to move forward with only about half of the Planning Commission’s suggested changes to the South Central Waterfront Plan. At a combined meeting of the Mobility Committee and the Housing and Planning Committee, the message from principal planner April […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission endorses ‘plot twist’ for South Central Waterfront Plan
Though the future of Austin’s south shore has been shaken by a court ruling against the proposed tax increment reinvestment zone, members of the Planning Commission last week took their turn tackling the South Central Waterfront Plan in a sprawling discussion that spawned a number of novel proposals. The plan, which has been in the […]
Posted inCourts
Judge rules city can’t use taxpayer money for South Central TIRZ
Travis County District Court Judge Jessica Mangrum has ruled that the city of Austin and the developers of the Statesman Planned Unit Development may not move forward with funding of the development on Lady Bird Lake with $354 million in property taxes. The Save Our Springs Alliance, former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, former Council Member […]
Posted inPlanning
Environmental commissioners air concerns about waterfront district plan
A proposed framework for how the south shores of Lady Bird Lake will build out in future years received a lukewarm response from the Environmental Commission on Thursday. While only the Planning Commission and City Council are scheduled to vote on the draft regulating plan in April and May, the fact that several commissioners expressed […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council hears plan for another South Congress PUD
A proposed 6.0102-acre planned unit development would mean big changes for the southwest corner of South Congress Avenue and Riverside Drive, including the possibility of a tower more than 500 feet tall. City Council heard details about the plans at its work session Tuesday. Zoning Officer Joi Harden offered a development assessment, describing the PUD […]
Posted inPlanning
City seeks feedback on density, planning framework for South Central district
The city has released the plan intended to shape the development of the southern shoreline of Lady Bird Lake and beyond, with public input sought until March 20. City Council is expected to consider the South Central Waterfront Combining District & Density Bonus Program this spring, likely at its joint meeting with the Planning Commission […]
Posted inPlanning
Regulating plan for Austin’s South Central Waterfront could be adopted this year
The long-awaited regulating plan to guide development patterns just south of the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge could arrive just as a handful of massive new projects in the area move forward for approval. A city memo released last week updates the status of the South Central Waterfront District Regulating Plan, spelling out that […]
Posted inPlanning
Culture, climate district gets mixed reviews from feedback sessions
An effort to create a new “living room” in the center of Austin along Lady Bird Lake needs some fine-tuning and a more precise mission, according to early community feedback gathered by an outside consulting firm. A memo delivered on Dec. 30 by Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley includes the latest work done […]
Posted inPlanning
Memo brings questions about affordability, public benefits for Statesman redevelopment
A new memo that forecasts significantly higher costs for affordable housing and other public benefits proposed by the city for the largest development project in the South Central Waterfront has raised a number of questions as the planned unit development process moves forward in the coming weeks. City Council was scheduled to conduct the second […]