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Council sends cost overrun issues to committee

City Council members approved an additional expenditure last week of a little more than $91,000 for the construction contract for restoration of infrastructure along lower Shoal Creek to Lady Bird Lake. The total budget of that project was $1,217,366 to…

Possible strip club makes museum wary of deck

With a proposed Congress Avenue strip club drawing fire from groups across the city, it might not be the right time for other tenants of 422 Congress Ave. to ask for changes. Though the owners of Shiner’s Saloon explained that…

CapMetro board to vote on new bus routes

The Capital Metro Operations, Planning and Safety committee has approved adding several proposed bus service changes to the full Capital Metro board’s regular March 23 agenda for a final vote. Lawrence Deeter, senior planner for Capital Metro, presented proposed June 2015…

CAMPO says buses should skip highway traffic

Most highway drivers resist the urge to cruise alongside a traffic jam on the route’s shoulder — it is illegal, not to mention rude. Some buses in Texas, however, may soon get a pass to jump the line. The Capital…

Council approves garage over McMansion rules

Despite some concerns that the case was one of many headed its way, City Council approved an appeal Thursday that will allow a Bouldin Creek house to retain a garage instead of forcing the homeowners to revert to the allowed…

Planning Commission wants AISD representative

The Planning Commission is looking into adding a new member to the dais to advise its members about how zoning changes might affect Austin schools. At a meeting Tuesday, Commissioner James Nortey said Austin Independent School District President Gina Hinojosa…

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Ott splits Planning & Development Review Dept.

Like the couple that marries and divorces but marries again only to divorce a few years later, the Planning and Development Review Department is once again being broken into a neighborhood planning department and a development review department. In a…

Council funds AISD software, debates relationship

When it comes to using tax dollars to serve children in the Austin community, there can be a fine line between education and health and human services. Before passing an agreement Thursday to help fund truancy tracking software for the…

Animal Advisory Commission wary of animal legislation

Members of Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission requested more time Wednesday night to consider whether to recommend a bill some say would threaten city shelters’ “no-kill” status. The committee considered two bills filed by state representatives concerning veterinarian practice in city…

City seeking 567 volunteers for commissions

In order to keep the city’s many boards and commissions running on time, City Council must make 500 appointments by June 30. Other groups need to appoint an additional 67 individuals to participate in the process of advising Council on…

Ott addresses Zucker Report in city memo

The city released a draft copy of the Zucker Report last week amid growing curiosity about what it contained. This week, the aftershocks began. Zucker Systems analyzed the city’s Planning and Development Review Department last year, and in its 700-plus-page…

House bill could restrict local voter initiatives

A voter-led initiative that banned hydraulic fracturing — also known as “fracking” — in Denton last fall appears to have inspired a Texas House bill that could quash similar measures in the future. House State Affairs Committee members heard arguments…