On Sept. 12, City Council approved a zoning change for a 0.42-acre property in the Zilker neighborhood that will allow the developer to build to 90 feet, falling under the Density Bonus 90 category. The property at 2130 Goodrich Ave., currently the site of a one-story office building, is about 100 feet from South Lamar […]
Zilker Neighborhood Association
Zilker is a neighborhood in south central Austin, Texas. It extends south of Lady Bird Lake, approximately bounded by the Union Pacific Railway to the southeast/south, Barton Skyway to the south, Rabb Road and Robert E Lee Road to the west and Lady Bird Lake to the north.
Posted inTransportation
City makes Barton Springs Road safety improvements ahead of pilot
The city recently began work on a series of safety improvements to the crash-prone stretch of Barton Springs Road between Stratford Drive – inside Zilker Park – and South Lamar Boulevard, ahead of a yearlong pilot program that has prompted a mixed response. The improvements include a reduction to one westbound lane between Azie Morton […]
Posted inParks
Parks board homes in on outreach efforts as plans for Zilker march forward
The city’s Parks and Recreation Board tackled two separate presentations on the future of Zilker Park at its last meeting. Both presentations focused on outreach and questions of how to make moving forward with any plan a more equitable proposition. Currently, the city is in the midst of a comprehensive planning process to guide future development […]
Posted inParks
Parks board not so fond of the Butler Landfill maintenance project
The gravel lot between Zilker Park and the MoPac Expressway bridge, which most Austinites know as the park’s overflow parking lot, also serves a less visible purpose – it’s a landfill. The Butler Landfill, which spans a total of 8 acres, is scheduled for maintenance this spring to protect its cap, part of which doubles as […]
Posted inZoning
After long wait, Toomey Road rezoning wins initial approval
At the urging of Council Member Ann Kitchen, City Council gave first reading approval for rezoning the apartment complex property at the corner of Toomey Road and Sterzing Street close to Zilker Park. Tenants of the complex, which will be demolished to make way for a new building, have reached an agreement with the property […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Zilker substandard lot case sparks debate at Board of Adjustment
An appeal to grant a variance to homebuilders on Kinney Avenue raised questions of precedent and procedure at the Board of Adjustment meeting this past Monday. On behalf of property owner Molly Development Company, applicant Ian Ellis sought the board’s permission to waive regulations over construction on smaller, or “substandard” lots. The board voted unanimously […]
Posted inZoning
Planning commissioners say South Lamar development will make Austin a ‘real city’
To bring more commercial and multifamily space to the South Lamar Corridor, Endeavor Real Estate Group, the owner of a 1.8-acre lot on the corner of South Lamar Boulevard and Bluebonnet Lane, requested a zoning change at the Aug. 13 meeting of the Planning Commission to add vertical mixed-used to the mix. The property is […]
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 inPlanning
BoA votes to protect ‘compatibility to nothing’
A recent Board of Adjustment variance case proved that sometimes rules are rules, even absent the reasons they were put in place. William Faust, representing applicant Greg Smith before the board, explained that a small, vacant tract of residentially zoned land was preventing them from moving forward with their plans for development, because of compatibility […]
Posted inPlanning
‘Stealth venue’ gets caught in neighborhood’s radar
A note to Austin business owners: When seeking a late-hours permit, you might want to make sure that your social media doesn’t celebrate “great noise” as a positive attribute, particularly if your establishment is nestled between Bouldin Creek and Zilker neighborhoods. Last week, members of the Planning Commission considered a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that […]
Posted inZoning
Planning Commission OKs condo development
Despite concerns raised by neighbors, including a telephone psychic who worried that the noise from nearby construction could harm her business, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval last week of a zoning change to facilitate the construction of six single-family residences at 2106 Allwood Drive and 2013 Bluebonnet Lane. Next-door neighbor Dede Spontak sold the […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Board rules former cat palace can stay
There was opposition from the neighborhood association, but that wasn’t enough to keep the Board of Adjustment from a unanimous decision to allow one Zilker neighborhood resident to keep her Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in place in her backyard. Tracy Perkins, who is the owner of 1502 Kinney Ave., rented the property for nine years […]