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Zoning
More homes on the way to substandard Rogers Lane
Rogers Lane, a steep, narrow road in East Austin, has seen substantial development recently. On Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission heard a rezoning case that could bring 107 additional units to the street, drawing concern from some residents. The…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • May 19, 2022
Planning Commission recommends rezoning amid 'heartwrenching' testimony
A case at the Planning Commission Tuesday highlighted the vulnerability of renters amid Austin’s rapid growth, as older apartment buildings are increasingly torn down to make way for new development. At issue is the Old Homestead apartment complex, an 80-year-old,…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • May 13, 2022
Montopolis project gets Council go-ahead
City Council approved a rezoning Thursday that will bring affordable housing for women and children experiencing homelessness to the Montopolis neighborhood. The rezoning from Family Residence (SF-3-NP) to Multifamily-Moderate Density (MF-4-NP), which Council approved on all three readings, will allow…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • May 10, 2022
Mixed-use project with affordable units coming near Mueller, pending rezoning
The Planning Commission Tuesday supported a rezoning request for a 143-unit, mixed-income, mixed-use development near the Mueller neighborhood. The rezoning concerns two tracts: a 1.2-acre property at 2015 E M. Franklin Ave., home to Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In, and…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Apr 29, 2022
Planning Commission prods developer to talk with tenants facing displacement
Tenants don’t often speak at public meetings on zoning cases that affect them. But when they do, people seem to listen. At least that was the case Tuesday when the Planning Commission heard from Andrew McKenna, a North Austin resident…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Apr 15, 2022
ZAP divided on rezoning for neighborhood bar on Menchaca
The Zoning and Platting Commission disagreed Tuesday on a request to zone a South Austin property to allow liquor sales and commercial use amid concern from neighbors over noise and traffic. The rezoning concerns a 5-acre tract at 11530 Menchaca…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Apr 8, 2022
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Zoning battle ends in victory for Grady and Brownie project
More condos and retail space are coming to North Austin following City Council’s approval of a contentious zoning case last Thursday. Despite neighborhood opposition backed by a valid petition, Council unanimously approved zoning changes for the Grady & Brownie mixed-use…
Zoning • By Kali Bramble • Mar 29, 2022
Council approves St. Elmo zoning with promise of affordable housing
City Council gave its final blessing Thursday for a new multifamily complex in the St. Elmo area as developers promised that 10 percent of the 370 rental units would be affordable for families earning 60 percent of the median family…
Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Mar 29, 2022
An inflexible code puts small landlord’s business at risk
Prospective salon tenants have been knocking on the door of Stephen Straus’ charming house-turned-office at 3402 Kerbey Lane for months, only to be turned away because of the city’s rigid land development rules. Though a salon would be an ideal…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Mar 28, 2022
ZAP unable to mediate inter-church zoning dispute
The Zoning and Platting Commission couldn’t agree on a rezoning for an apartment project with up to 300 units, in part because of a disagreement between two churches about a restrictive covenant. After multiple failed motions on March 1, the commission…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Mar 18, 2022
Over 200 affordable homes planned on city-owned property in East Austin
An affordable housing project called the Libertad is set to bring over 200 affordable homes to city-owned property in East Austin. The project at 900 Gardner Road will be built on a vacant, 8.5-acre slice of a larger property that…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Mar 11, 2022
Planning Commission dims owner's hopes of turning plant nursery into housing
The Planning Commission threw a wrench into an East Austin business owner’s plans to cash out on his property and allow it to be developed, voting Tuesday against removing a restrictive covenant that prohibits anything but a plant nursery. The…
