Sections

About Us

 
Make a Donation
Local • Independent • Essential News
 

Stories by Jo Clifton

Candidates signing up for 2024 City Council races

Although City Council elections are nearly a year away, two incumbents and eight contenders have already indicated their intention to run by filing paperwork appointing campaign treasurers. Another has also told the Austin Monitor that he plans to run again.…

Planning Commission wants more teeth in HOME proposal

After 12 hours of listening to citizens’ suggestions and complaints about the proposed changes to the Land Development Code, known as the HOME initiative, the Planning Commission last week came up with a number of technical recommendations for City Council…

Environmental Commission ponders HOME initiative

Dave Sullivan, a longtime advocate for environmental causes and a member of the city’s Environmental Commission, offered his colleagues a motion supporting City Council’s proposed HOME initiative at this week’s meeting. According to Sullivan’s motion, last month the commission heard…

City planning revision of density bonus programs

Members of the city’s Housing and Planning Department say they will be hiring a consultant with expertise in creating and using incentives known as density bonuses to help them untangle the city’s myriad, often competing, development programs. Most of those…

City loses second suit over development rules

A group of citizens who sued the city over four ordinances designed to make it easier to develop new housing projects have apparently prevailed on three of the four laws. That means the city will have to go back to…

Reclaimed water rule postponed till April

On Thursday, City Council voted to postpone adoption of a long-planned ordinance requiring certain large developments to hook up to the city’s reclaimed water system. Bill Bunch, executive director of the Save Our Springs Alliance, asked Council not to agree…

Subscribe to our newsletter

New law means parkland funds will drop drastically

The amount of parkland dedication fees City Council can collect starting on Jan. 1 will be severely limited, two principal planners for the Parks and Recreation Department told Council at Tuesday’s work session. Robynne Heymans and Scott Grantham explained that…

Aggrieved citizens sue over funding Project Connect

A group of prominent citizens has filed suit against all members of City Council and members of the Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors, claiming that ATP may not legally spend city property taxes or issue debt needed to build…

Reclaimed water issue stops PUD from getting final approval

With only six members of City Council voting Thursday in favor of changing plans for the West Parcel of the Hyatt Planned Unit Development at Riverside Drive and South First Street, the developer will have to come back for a…

City official explains need to fix Barton Springs Road bridge

There is an urgent need to move forward with repairs and expansion of the Barton Springs Road bridge leading into Zilker Park, Eric Bailey, acting deputy director of Capital Delivery Services for the city, told City Council’s Mobility Committee last…

RVs won't be allowed on single-family lots under coming code changes

When City Council considers changes to the Land Development Code in December, while they will discuss giving property owners the option of having three units on single-family lots and allowing tiny homes on those lots, they will not consider adding…

HOME proposal draws a crowd of speakers, both pro and con

A total of 297 interested citizens signed up to address a joint meeting of City Council and the Planning Commission on Thursday about proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations intended to increase the amount of housing available to middle-income…

Back to Top