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Board of Adjustment rules on several Lake Austin cases

Austin’s Board of Adjustment made several decisions last week related to residential changes in the Lake Austin area.   A request to tear down a boathouse behind a home on Tortuga Trail was blocked by Board Member Michael Von Ohlen,…

Travis County Commissioners Court spending for June 10, 2014

Here is a detailed look at how much money Travis County Commissioners spent last week:   ·         Approved $4,938.54 for three different cash security agreements with Gehan Homes, Ltd. for sidewalk repair in Pct. 1. ·         Approved $720.00 for a…

Residents say redevelopment project doesn’t have enough parking

Rapid redevelopment projects are starting to stack up in parts of East Austin, where even pro-growth residents are beginning to ask for a little breathing room. What they got was a little more time from the Planning Commission.   At…

Central Corridor Group endorses Project Connect plan for urban rail

Urban rail in Austin rolled closer to reality Friday. By a 13-1 vote, the Central Corridor Advisory Group put its stamp of approval on Project Connect’s Locally Preferred Alternative, or LPA, for Austin’s future transportation project.   The Locally Preferred…

Firefighters union seeks standing in agreement between DOJ, city

The union representing Austin firefighters filed a motion in U.S. District Court Friday seeking to intervene in the pending settlement between the City of Austin and the U.S. Department of Justice. Seeking a consent decree, the city and the Justice…

Council holds off on appraisal petition, postpones action until 2015

The Austin City Council backed away from filing a challenge petition over the Travis Central Appraisal District’s commercial property valuation process early Friday, voting instead to postpone any action until 2015.   But Council members will not be sitting on…

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Despite opposition, Council narrowly OKs measure on ‘granny flats’

There were storms raging inside and outside of City Hall early Friday morning, when the Austin City Council took on “granny flat” advocates and detractors at last week’s meeting.   The fight started 12 hours earlier, on the steps of…

Council meeting going strong well past midnight

Despite severe weather Thursday night that left thousands of Central Texans without power, Austin City Council members were still in session with several major items still on the agenda shortly after midnight. The Monitor will have coverage of these issues…

Council removes covenant but postpones Lake Austin zoning case

Council members dispensed with at least one aspect of the 2208 Lake Austin Boulevard zoning case Thursday. While members postponed the main zoning case indefinitely, Council unanimously voted to remove a restrictive covenant on the property.   Alice Glasco, representing…

Council votes to cut Seton’s fee waiver request by more than half

Those opposed to offering the future Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas a bundle of fee and requirement waivers can take heart after the Austin City Council cut the total value of the waivers from over $2.4 million…

City Council orders restaurants to compost organic waste by 2018

Austin City Council members Thursday approved changes to city ordinances that will require food service permit holders to begin composting organic waste by 2018. Under the measure, full enforcement of the new rules will not come until a year later.…

Council OKs measure to have Austin Energy collect all line fees

The Austin City Council unanimously Thursday approved an item that directs Austin Energy officials to collect full reimbursement for the cost of line extensions. The measure, long supported by veteran Electric Utility Commissioner Shudde Fath, would allow the utility to…