Stories by Kimberly Reeves
Light development could give Bull Creek PUD edge on approval
Planned Unit Developments, by their very nature, are fraught with controversy and angst, give and take, variances and concessions. But even though the property owners hired high-powered lawyer David Armbrust to shepherd their proposal through the process, the big question…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 21, 2009
Proposed constitutional amendments set for Nov. 3 elections
Unlike the cancer research bond package that featured high-profiled backing by cyclist Lance Armstrong two years ago, there will be no celebrities and no major media campaign for Nov. 3’s 11 constitutional amendments. Three of the amendments might spark some…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 20, 2009
Capital Metro’s interim CEO apologizes for MetroRail delays
Capital Metro Interim CEO Doug Allen, in an address to the CAMPO Transit Working Group Monday, said the transit agency made crucial mistakes in the process of developing the 32-mile MetroRail line that is now projected to be about a…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 20, 2009
ROMA presents recommendations for downtown transportation
ROMA Design Group’s Jana McCann presented transportation recommendations at a town hall meeting on the downtown master plan recently, providing some idea of where urban rail stops might go as well as how streets could be reconfigured to accommodate rail,…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 19, 2009
Comprehensive plan, CAMPO 2035 to chart Austin’s future growth
Consider the question: Where do we go from here? Last night, two meetings held miles apart asked the same question. One was the city’s introduction to the comprehensive planning process. The other was a Transportation Policy Board workshop on the…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 13, 2009
Specifics for downtown sub-districts unveiled
Planners from ROMA Design Group unveiled the specifics of downtown’s seven proposed sub-districts on Saturday, but the question in one smaller session returned to the core issue of downtown planning: Can density exist side by side with current buildings? Attendance…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 12, 2009
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Austin Revitalization Authority awaits results of upcoming audit
Remember the old adage, “Hope for the best but plan for the worst” ? Surely that was one thought Acting Director Greg Smith was pondering last night as he led the Austin Revitalization Authority’s board of directors through the maze…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 9, 2009
Despite opposition, Waste Management moves closer to OK for expansion
Since members of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality seemed to agree to just about everything landfill operator Waste Management-Texas (WMT) requested Wednesday, Travis County Commissioners can declare themselves unhappily vindicated for agreeing not to oppose expansion for another landfill…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 8, 2009
East 11th Street developer gets extension on completing mix-use project.
Developer Michael Casias has asked the Austin Revitalization Authority (ARA) for a one-month extension on the completion of his project in the 1200 block of East 11th Street (Block 19). Casias is clearly well on the way to finishing the…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 6, 2009
Could new downtown projects mean local economy is on the rebound?
Maybe the first significant sign of an economic turnaround in Austin was the presentation of two major downtown projects before the Design Commission last week. And maybe the strongest sign that many people aren’t quite sure that turnaround is…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Oct 5, 2009
Austin Energy still in search of spot for substation
The placement of the Austin Energy substation at Mueller is a complicated set of maneuvers that did not appear to get any easier during discussion at last week’s Planning Commission meeting. Neighbors in the Windsor Park neighborhood, led by Rick…
Uncategorized • By Kimberly Reeves • Sep 29, 2009
Proposed South Shore PUD tests goals of new ordinance
As hard as Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez worked to make the new Planned Unit Development ordinance as predictable and objective as possible, the final decision on any PUD still comes down to one question: Will this project help or…
