Planning commissioners explore development options for East Austin

Will there be a development moratorium on the east side? Probably not, but the Planning Commission is taking a closer look at its options for slowing development in the East Cesar Chavez corridor. Commissioners examined the tools available for dealing…

Pool proposes changes to rules for lobbyists

If City Council Member Leslie Pool and her cadre of ethics reformers have their way, any number of people who are currently working to persuade city officials to take action, or not, will have to register under a revised city…

Rosewood Courts' historic zoning denied

Balancing affordable housing and preservation in East Austin resulted in a dead-even split at the Historic Landmark Commission on Monday night, when a divided commission of six failed to recommend initiation of historic zoning for Rosewood Courts, one of the…

Commissioners weigh first mass-gathering case after revisions

The Travis County Commissioners Court postponed action on Tuesday on what County Judge Sarah Eckhardt dubbed the “maiden voyage” of a new mass-gathering permit policy. Before the commissioners was an application to approve a permit for the 2016 edition of…

Citywide compost pickup may be on the way

The blue recycling bin that many Austinites leave on their curbs may soon have a counterpart – a green organics collection bin. While a citywide compost pickup program boasts obvious environmental benefits, it would come at a cost to taxpayers,…

Ethics complaint filed against HLC commissioner

Less than one month after the first meeting of the new Historic Landmark Commission, ethics question are flying and a formal complaint has already been lodged. Kent Anschutz filed a complaint against Commissioner Arif Panju earlier this month, alleging conflict…

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Cap Metro delays hiring service plan consultant

After hearing conflicting advice on which firm to choose, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors voted unanimously Monday to postpone selecting a consultant to head up the development of the organization’s 10-year service plan. The board will take…

Plans for expanded Convention Center laid out for Council committee

As design consultants laid out the plans for an expanded Austin Convention Center to members of the Economic Opportunity Committee on Monday, they emphasized the inability of the current center to accommodate a growing city with a growing roster of…

Affordable housing project loses momentum

A proposed affordable housing project in northern Travis County is facing stiffening political headwinds thanks to tenacious lobbying from neighbors whose efforts have brought county commissioners to the brink of yanking their support for the project. Acting in their capacity…

City to file suit, announces cooperation with TCAD

The city of Austin will file suit in state district court this afternoon against the Travis Central Appraisal District challenging what the city calls the undervaluation of commercial and vacant properties in the city of Austin and seeking a declaration…

AISD hears final budget draft

On Monday, the Austin Independent School District’s chief financial officer gave trustees the good news first: AISD will have more revenue than it expected to have in June’s version of the Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget. But most of it will go to…

ZAP recommends County Line rezoning

Last week, the city’s Zoning and Platting Commission unanimously approved a compromise that will allow County Line on the Lake to operate its patio legally, though it will prohibit outdoor amplified sound. Commissioners voted to recommend requesting a zoning change…