For established neighborhood businesses like the Draught House in North Central Austin, it can be an uphill battle to convince those nearby that expansion does not necessarily mean selling out to the new kids on the block. At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the pub and brewery, a […]
Top Stories
Posted inLand Development Code
Barton Hills fence can’t stay
Dogs, hills and swimming holes might be the foundation of a good life in Central Texas, but they aren’t a good reason for a tall fence in Barton Hills, according to the city’s Board of Adjustment. Bruce Moseley was asking for a variance that would allow him to maintain a 9-foot 1-inch fence at his […]
Posted inEnergy
Changes in the Texas wholesale energy grid may increase prices
In August 2017, City Council made a commitment to providing 65 percent renewable energy to its residents by 2027. This aggressive energy plan is, according to Robert Cullick, director of communications and marketing at Austin Energy, the only one of its kind in the country. At the Nov. 13 meeting of Council’s Austin Energy Utility Oversight […]
Posted inCity Hall
Commission subpoenas whistleblower notes
The city’s Ethics Review Commission has sent a subpoena to Nathan Wiebe, chief of investigations at the Office of the City Auditor, demanding previously protected information, including the name of and allegations made by a whistleblower against Margo Frasier, Austin’s former police monitor. It has also demanded witness interview memos and recordings. The auditor’s office […]
Posted inCity Hall
Is it time for Austin to have a ‘strong mayor’?
It’s a common refrain in city political debates: Austin is a big city and it’s time it started acting like one, whether that means building mass transit, allowing taller buildings or adopting single-member City Council districts. For Roger Borgelt, a member of the Charter Review Commission, it means ditching Austin’s longtime council-manager form of government. […]
Posted inThe Code
City regulations may create more homelessness
City ordinances prohibiting panhandling in certain areas, criminalizing camping in public places, living in a car or tent, or sitting or lying on the sidewalk in parts of downtown are creating barriers that make it more difficult for people to overcome homelessness. That’s the conclusion of an audit from the Office of the City Auditor […]
Posted inResources
City composting may soon expand, go high-tech
A month after select Austin residents received their green compost bins to expand the city’s composting pilot program, the time has come to assess the success of the program’s reception. On Nov. 8, Emlea Chanslor, Austin Resource Recovery acting division manager, came to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission meeting to present preliminary findings from the […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
MLS team’s ambitions cast shadow over Austin’s other soccer hopefuls
The possibility of the Major League Soccer club from Columbus, Ohio, relocating to Austin has brought attention to other lower-profile but still ambitious soccer-related projects in the area. And one of the central questions surrounding Columbus Crew ownership group Precourt Sports Ventures’ goal of building a large soccer stadium in Austin is whether, metaphorically speaking, […]
Posted inDevelopment
Carport door raises big issues in Zilker
A recent case at the Board of Adjustment will allow one Zilker resident to finally close the door of their carport. But the case has also opened the door on neighborhood association politics and what happens when a complex Land Development Code collides with homes built to the brink of their entitlements. Garage doors are […]
Posted inCity Council
Troxclair: Hotel tax plan separate from Adler’s ‘downtown puzzle’
Today’s City Council budget work session will almost certainly feature discussion about a proposal from Council Member Ellen Troxclair that seeks to reallocate money from the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax to pay for more expenses for Austin’s parks, which she argues will free up money from the General Fund budget that can pay for historic […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council members call for CodeNEXT changes
Just as the sun was beginning to glare down on the stretch of lawn around the welcome sign to Blazier Elementary School yesterday morning, a group of four City Council members kicked off what they are calling the #FixtheCode #4AllAustinites campaign. During the short press conference, the Council members called for more community engagement and […]
Posted inPlanning
Report spells out Congress Avenue’s potential transformation
The future of Congress Avenue leading up to the state Capitol could see bicycles claiming the middle of the road as cars pass on both sides. That is one configuration in the discussion for an eventual makeover of the street from Riverside Drive to 11th Street, in a bid to turn the outdated and somewhat […]