The Austin Independent School District recently announced that it was exploring the renaming of five of its facilities that bear titles of former Confederate officers and soldiers: the John T. Allan Facility, Zachary Taylor Fulmore Middle School, Sidney Lanier High School, John H. Reagan High School, and Eastside Memorial High School (at the Johnston Campus). […]
Joseph Caterine
Posted inLand Development Code
Commissioners question right of appeal under CodeNEXT
In a presentation at the joint land use commission meeting on Nov. 7, city staff claimed that clarifications made to the right to appeal under CodeNEXT draft two would improve the process for the city and appellants alike, but some commissioners contradicted that characterization and said the changes would actually narrow the power of appeal. […]
Posted inCourts
Council reaches settlement in substandard housing case
After a years-long battle between the city and apartment complex owner Walter Olenick, City Council voted unanimously last Thursday to approve a settlement that will compensate the city $150,000 and secure affordable units in the future. As part of the agreement, the city will be dropping property maintenance lawsuits for code violations (totaling in fines […]
Posted inPlanning
Five years later, Imagine Austin gets progress report but no update
Despite a long road ahead, the progress report on Imagine Austin presented at the Nov. 7 joint land use commission meeting indicated that the city was on track in its implementation of the comprehensive plan. Still, some commissioners expressed frustration that staff had forgone an update to the plan in spite of new reports and […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission embraces ADUs in CodeNEXT
After months of debate, the Planning Commission at its Nov. 1 meeting directed staff and consultants to make the building of accessory dwelling units less constrained in the final draft of CodeNEXT. The current code places several restrictions on the construction of ADUs, and the second draft of the new code has dropped some of […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Land use commissions diverge ahead of CodeNEXT third draft
Differences of opinion between the Planning Commission and Zoning and Platting Commission are becoming more distinct. The Zoning and Platting Commission managed to submit an official recommendation on Monday, whereas the Planning Commission passed a less formal resolution on Wednesday, but both commissions made their positions known to staff this week close to the Oct. […]
Posted inZoning
Commission experiences déjà vu when previous case returns
Rezoning a property is an arduous and lengthy exercise on its own, but for some, it is not enough to remove cumbersome restrictions. Last week, the Zoning and Platting Commission voted to approve the staff recommendation to terminate a public restrictive covenant on a property that prohibited some of the same uses blocked by its […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission plots new CodeNEXT recommendation road map
In hindsight, future historians may interpret the Planning Commission’s Oct. 24 resolution as taking a clever shortcut toward the final destination of an April 2018 CodeNEXT adoption. Or, it may be viewed as a turnaround that strayed off the clear path set by City Council. In any case, the timeline for reviewing the code has […]
Posted inWhispers
AISD superintendent receives raise after positive evaluation
At its Oct. 23 meeting, the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees approved the evaluation of Superintendent Paul Cruz and increased his annual salary to $310,958. The board also extended Cruz’s term to Dec. 31, 2020. Out of the many accomplishments made by the district under Cruz’s direction in the past academic year, board […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Planning Commission hosts massive CodeNEXT public work session
The Planning Commission opened the doors of City Hall yesterday to a public eager to share its thoughts on the second draft of CodeNEXT. Despite some polarizing opinions on certain topics, the atmosphere remained cordial, and the complex review process that typically seems unwieldy for once almost appeared manageable. The zoning chapter of CodeNEXT has […]
Posted inWhispers
Planning Commission to hold CodeNEXT open house
At its regular meeting tonight, the Planning Commission will be breaking up into several discussion groups as a means of expediting their review of CodeNEXT’s second draft. Members of the public are free to participate in as many of these sessions as they would like, although the commission will be focusing on all the chapters […]
Posted inAISD
AISD seeks environmental flexibility in redevelopment of Barton Springs schools
The Austin Independent School District is one step closer to reaching an agreement with the city that would allow it to redevelop some of its overcrowded campuses in order to accommodate growth in student populations. At its meeting last Wednesday, the Environmental Commission voted unanimously to approve staff’s recommendation to permit the district to reorganize […]