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Boat dock variance dredges up concerns at the Board of Adjustment

There are occasions when, regardless of how a homeowner may redesign, reorient or reimagine a site, there is simply no option to make a project code-compliant. That still doesn’t mean that the request for a variance will be supported. This…

Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Feb 15, 2019

Ethics Review Commission dismisses case against Human Resources director

The city of Austin professes to have a “mother-friendly” work environment that supports new moms and working parents. However, a complaint filed in December by the Office of the City Auditor brings that policy into question. The complaint filed by…

City Hall • By Jessi Devenyns • Feb 14, 2019

Buda seeks passage of aquifer storage bill

Buda’s explosive growth, from about 7,300 people in 2010 to nearly 17,000 today, coupled with a changing climate that brings both floods and drought, means that the city has to carefully manage its water resources. The city is hoping to…

Water • By Jo Clifton • Feb 14, 2019

CAMPO tries to update 2040 plan, is held back by process

Without concrete policies in place, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization could quickly fall short of its goal to incorporate transportation demand management into its 2040 Regional Transportation Plan. Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt presented an amendment of the 2040…

Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Feb 14, 2019

Scraped lots are not entitled to variances because of tree placement

Generally, when trees are the cause of a variance request, the Board of Adjustment is quite accommodating. After all, considering all the good trees do for the environment and the city’s stringent protections for them, it can be difficult for…

Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Feb 14, 2019

City has tough decisions on affordable housing bond

The city’s affordable housing challenges were thrown into sharp relief during a presentation Tuesday morning by the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department to members of City Council. The presentation was before Council’s Housing and Planning Committee, but the chair,…

Housing • By Jack Craver • Feb 13, 2019

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Austin ISD board members push back on short timeline to close schools

The Austin Independent School District’s board of trustees is balking at the administration’s plan to announce school closures by summer. AISD has lost more than 6,000 students in the past six years, and enrollment is projected to continue its decline.…

AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Feb 13, 2019

Board of Adjustment changes rules for those seeking appeal

After postponing the vote last month in an effort to ensure that a fair and open appeals process is available to the public, the Board of Adjustment made a decision Monday night that may prove contentious. In a 6-5 vote…

City Hall • By Jessi Devenyns • Feb 13, 2019

Del Valle PID moves forward, but county is not done negotiating

The petition to create the Velocity Crossing Public Improvement District in Del Valle was unanimously approved by the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday morning after its third and final public hearing. As the county’s first commercial PID, the development has…

Planning • By Ryan Thornton • Feb 13, 2019

Certified petition brings more questions on soccer stadium

The city of Austin has certified the petition circulated by residents opposed to a planned soccer stadium that would be built on city-owned property. The petition drive began last year and was pushed by a group known as Friends of…

Local Politics • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 12, 2019

Adler succeeds Conley as CAMPO chair

In accordance with its bylaws, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization unanimously approved Austin Mayor Steve Adler’s succession to chair of the Transportation Policy Board at the board’s meeting Monday evening. The previous chair, Will Conley, announced his plan to…

Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Feb 12, 2019

Citing density concerns, West Austin lot receives recommendation for subdivision

After purchasing his home in May 2016 under the assumption that the city would permit him to subdivide his 3.2-acre lot into two 1.6-acre lots, Rick Engel, the owner of Ski Shores restaurant, found himself still pleading his case almost three…

Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Feb 12, 2019

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