City Council unanimously approved a rezoning of the city-owned McKalla Place property on Thursday, granting Precourt Sports Ventures the entitlements needed to move forward with its proposed site plan. The vote redesignates the property at 10414 McKalla Place and 10617½ Burnet Road from limited industrial services (LI-NP) zoning to limited industrial services-planned development area (LI-PDA-NP) […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Very arcane issues
Details, details… Recently, a complaint by the Board of Adjustment brought to light their perceived issues with city-provided legal counsel. It also brought to light a misconception about Austin Monitor coverage. In William Burkhardt’s “Bar Grievance Complaint Against Mr. Brent Lloyd” (as embedded below) we couldn’t help but note the following passage: Brent Lloyd: You […]
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No decision on Butler Pitch & Putt contract
With Mayor Steve Adler and Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison both absent for a vote at Thursday’s meeting, City Council has postponed approving a contract of up to 20 years for Pecan Grove Golf Partners for managing Austin’s nearly 70-year-old Butler Park Pitch & Putt golf course. Council will be taking up the contract for a […]
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Sparks fly over proposed changes to camping laws
Representatives of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition and the Downtown Austin Alliance continue to stress that they are working together to end homelessness in Austin. But their conflicting messages to City Council on Thursday about proposed changes to ordinances that target the homeless population were definitely not on the same page. Council Member Greg Casar […]
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Council to weigh money for a new homeless shelter
City Council members will vote today on items that would expand the number of beds in Austin’s homeless shelters. Council will vote to direct staff to find land and funding for an emergency shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness. Members could also approve a one-time donation of city money to help the Salvation Army reduce a […]
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Council to postpone vote on camping, panhandling ordinance
As the city puts more resources into shelters and programs to assist those without a place to live, City Council is also considering modifying three often-counterproductive city policies that target homeless people. The policies prohibit camping in public areas, sitting or lying down in portions of downtown and approaching passersby to ask for money. Council […]
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Austin’s Google Fiberhood smaller than promised
In 2013, with much fanfare, Google announced the arrival of Fiber in Austin, with promises of providing free Google Fiber services to 102 city buildings. But the internet giant has succeeded so far in providing that service to only 28 sites. When City Council passed a resolution in August 2013 to create the Community Connections […]
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Historic Landmark Commission postpones demolition of home, has questions about integrity
A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but it does not always clearly tell the story of the integrity of a century-old structure. Such is the case for the Herrera family home at 1805 E. Third St. At the May 20 meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission, commissioners voted 6-1 to postpone the hearing for […]
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BoA says expanded parking at Travis County Tax Office is insufficient
For years, the Travis County Clerk’s Office and the Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd. have used the vacant lot next door to accommodate the perpetual parking overflow from Austinites seeking a variety of services. Now, as Austin continues to expand, the property next door at 5325 and 5335 Airport Blvd. is slated to become […]
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Ethics commission finds Prop J PAC violated campaign finance laws
After hours of politically caustic testimony, the Ethics Review Commission found at its May 8 meeting that the No on Prop J political action committee had violated city ethics codes by failing to disclose a $10,000 donation in a timely manner. The case, which came before the commission in March, was filed by Fred Lewis, […]
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Kitchen backs reopening Butler Park golf course contract
City staff has been directed to examine options to reopen the bid process for management of the Butler Park Pitch and Putt golf course so the longtime owner of the course can be considered for a contract extension. City Council Member Ann Kitchen, whose South Austin district includes the parkland property off South Lamar Boulevard […]
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Dougherty move OK’d but questions remain
Council voted Thursday to instruct the Parks and Recreation Department to move forward with preparing a design for a new site for the Dougherty Arts Center at Butler Shores Park. However, the instructions were not an all-out endorsement of the park site and left open the possibility that Dougherty might end up somewhere else. The […]