The Planning Commission has recommended Vertical Mixed Use zoning for a vacant 0.87-acre piece of land at 6424 S. Congress Ave. If City Council approves the rezoning, developer JCI Residential plans up to 95 residential units atop 1,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The VMU designation eases building restrictions in exchange for requiring 10 percent of units to be affordable for those making 80 percent of the median family income. The case had been postponed twice at the request of Mario Cantú, chair of the South Congress Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, who is opposed to the rezoning. Because Cantú could not make the Feb. 8 meeting, he requested a third postponement over the objection of Alice Glasco, agent for the applicant. “We believe we’ve been in the process long enough,” Glasco said, pointing out that delays in approval can increase the cost of building housing. The case was originally scheduled for December. Ultimately, commissioners decided to hear the case and voted 10-0-2 in favor of VMU zoning, with commissioners Grayson Cox and Carmen Llanes Pulido abstaining.

You know winter is really over when you get the notice that it’s time to register for summer camp. Early registration has begun for the Parks and Recreation Department’s series of “accessible, diverse and inclusive” summer day camps for youth (ages 5-12) and teenagers (ages 12-15). Those who qualify for financial aid or are taking advantage of adaptive/inclusion support programs may register early. You can choose between therapeutic camp, arts and culture camp, nature/outdoor adventure camp and community rec center camps. The camps have different locations and dates. Find more information about this year’s summer camps and then register here.

A group aiming to convince City Council not to commit $278 million in property taxes to partially fund the South Central Waterfront development has begun a petition drive. Council has approved creation of a tax increment reinvestment zone for the area, but has not taken the vote on the percentage of tax dollars that will go to finance roads, sidewalks, park areas and other amenities. Leaders of the group called Taxpayers Against Giveaways include attorneys Fred Lewis, Bill Bunch and Roger Borgelt, as well as NAACP leader Nelson Linder, photographer Holly Reed and businesswoman Laura Templeton. The petition language notes that the South Central Waterfront consists of “118 acres of some of the most valuable land in Austin.” The former Statesman site is owned by a trust whose trustee is development attorney Richard Suttle. Although Suttle has said a planned unit development on the site will not go forward without the TIRZ, Lewis and company believe that not to be true. TAG has a Facebook page and Twitter account but is still working on its website.

After two years in the position, it’s official: Sylnovia Holt-Rabb is Austin’s new director of Economic Development. Holt-Rabb has worked for the city for 21 years, serving as acting director of the department since March 2020. According to a press release announcing the hire, during her tenure, the EDD “launched 13 unique pandemic-related financial assistance programs distributing more than $50 million to aid individuals, nonprofits and small business.” The department oversees operation of the Cultural Arts Division and Small Business Program, among other things. “I’m honored to be appointed as the city’s next Economic Development director and look forward to continuing in this leadership role to assist local businesses with the resources they need to be successful enterprises,” Holt-Rabb said in a statement to the press.

In preparation for budget season, the city’s quality of life commissions will be holding three virtual town halls to give community members an opportunity to weigh in with their spending priorities for the 2022-23 fiscal year. According to a city news release, the town hall meetings “will serve as listening sessions for the commissions to decide what communities need right now and how their budget recommendations can address those needs.” The virtual meetings, which will will last about two hours each, are scheduled for the following dates:

• Wednesday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall on Affordability and Resiliency
• Thursday, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall on Access and Engagement
• Saturday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m., Town Hall on Public Safety and Health

Register here to attend. Zoom links will be emailed after registration. Those who are unable to attend a meeting but still want to share their feedback with the commissions may email budgetqa@austintexas.gov. All three meetings will offer Spanish and American Sign Language interpretation.

The unveiling of new historical signage for Eastwoods Park has been postponed and rescheduled for the summer to coincide with the annual Juneteenth festivities. Juneteenth historical interpretation signage and a Lone Star Legacy Award plaque, which were installed at the park last year, will be officially dedicated in a joint ceremony on June 11 at 11:00 a.m. Eastwoods Park, the site of Wheeler’s Grove, one of Austin’s earliest Emancipation parks, was once a favorite location for the local Black community to celebrate Juneteenth. The Eastwoods Neighborhood Association proposed a Juneteenth interpretive sign last year after surveying the surrounding community and raising funds for the installation.

Sure, last week was a bit, uh, chilly, but all that unpleasantness is in the past and it’s time to turn your attention forward to POOL SEASON. Season passes are now available for city swimming pools via the ATXSwims app, which you can find at Google Play and the Apple App Store. Once you’ve got your pass, you’ll use your phone to enter the facility. You can also get passes at pard.flowbirdhub.com – you’ll just need to email a copy of your receipt to AquaticsOffice@AustinTexas.gov and then pick up your season pass at Bartholomew, Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, or Springwoods pools. Speaking of Barton Springs, the popular pool will be closed for annual maintenance Feb. 26-March 11, but there are many other alternatives; just visit AustinTexas.gov/swimming to find locations and hours of operation. The ATXSwims app comes in mighty handy for daily ticket sales too, if you can’t commit to a season pass.

With normal city operations on hiatus due to freezing rain and glacial temperatures, the city of Austin is also freezing requests for information this week. The city submitted a “catastrophe notice” to the state on Feb. 7, which suspends certain Texas Public Information Act deadlines. That means pending public information requests will be paused for a week, and any PIRs submitted this week will be considered received on Feb. 14. However, according to a press release from the city, “Departments whose operations were not affected by the winter weather should continue to respond to public information requests under normal procedures.” The catastrophe notice will expire on Feb. 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Austin Community College District is offering free Covid-19 testing at several of its campuses for students, college employees and community members. No appointment is required and walk-ins are welcome. Covid vaccinations – first, second and booster shots – are also available to the community at campus clinics. This week, free Covid testing is available at the following locations:

• Wed., Feb. 9, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Highland Campus, 6101 Highland Campus Drive
• Thu., Feb. 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Round Rock Campus, 4400 College Park Drive
• Fri., Feb. 11, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Hays Campus, 1200 Kohlers Crossing

With humidity levels plunging and wildfire danger rising, the Commissioners Court has voted to issue another burn ban, effective immediately, for the unincorporated areas of the county. As Travis County Chief Fire Marshal Tony Callaway explained in a news release, the new burn ban “is needed to ensure the public’s safety.” Though the new ban covers outdoor burning, it does not affect “prescribed burns conducted under the supervision of a prescription burn manager.” The burn ban is due to expire on Wednesday, March 9, “unless further action is taken by the county judge or county fire marshal prior to that date.”

With the citywide boil-water notice still in effect, Austin/Travis County has opened additional sites for residents to pick up bottled water. As of Monday, seven sites are open to supply water to those who lack the ability or the means to purchase or boil their own water. Here is the location of the seven water distribution sites:

• Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane, noon-8 p.m.
• Austin Water Glen Bell Service Center, 3907 South Industrial Drive, open 24 hours (bring your own water container)
• Austin Water North Service Center, 901 W. Koenig Lane, open 24 hours (bring your own water container)
• Kelly Reeves Athletic Stadium, 10211 W. Parmer Lane, noon-8 p.m.
• Southeast Metropolitan Park, 4511 State Highway 71, noon-8 p.m.
• Travis County Tax Office-Southeast, 4011 McKinney Falls Parkway, noon-8 p.m.
• Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, 12138 N. Lamar Blvd., noon-8 p.m.
• ACC Pinnacle Campus, 7748 U.S. Highway 290, noon-8 p.m.

Those who need water but cannot get to any of the distribution sites should call 311 for assistance. Residents are asked to please recycle all single-use plastic bottles and jugs instead of throwing them in the trash. You can find the most up-to-date information on water distribution sites here.

The next Wild Neighbors webinar explores a topic that is close to many people’s hearts: hummingbirds, the winged jewels of the avian world. Tania Homayoun, a conservation biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife, will share her knowledge of hummingbird biology, the various species found in Central Texas and how you can attract more of these tiny, iridescent hovercrafts to your garden. (Bonus: Not only do hummingbirds pollinate flowers, they eat hundreds of insects a day, including mosquitoes!) Friday, Feb. 18, noon-1 p.m. Sign up here. If you’ve missed previous episodes of the Wild Neighbors Speaker Series or want to rewatch a favorite, they’re all archived on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.