No city in Texas has adopted bird-friendly building policies for new construction or retrofits, but the Travis Audubon Society hopes Austin, a designated “Bird City,” will lead the way. To advance this cause, the organization enlisted Heidi Trudell, a consultant and researcher on preventing bird collisions, to prepare a report that could be presented to […]
City of Austin Design Commission
The city’s design commission recommends City Council on urban development, with a focus on excellence in design.
Posted inDevelopment
Developer unveils conceptual designs for HealthSouth redevelopment
The Economic Development Department and developer Aspen Heights Partners kicked off the stakeholder engagement process by unveiling the conceptual plans for the redevelopment of the former HealthSouth site at 12th and Red River streets at the Design Commission on Jan. 23. Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend the proposal to City Council as complying with the city’s […]
Posted inParks
Trail project moves to complete Oltorf-Riverside connection
The city’s Public Works Department is gearing up to finally complete a 3.5-mile urban trail that would connect Mabel Davis and Roy G. Guerrero Park in Southeast Austin. The new trail segment would bridge the existing gap between trails ending on East Riverside and Oltorf streets. With site plans submitted earlier this month and a […]
Posted inPlanning
Funding gaps, underground parking price tag plague DAC project
The team behind the Dougherty Arts Center replacement project unveiled design plans for the Butler Shores facility to a room full of applause this past Monday. However, the mood following a parallel reveal at the Design Commission was not quite as celebratory. Citing concerns over the project’s financing, the Design Commission postponed approval of the […]
Posted inPreservation
Staffers provide update on new equity-focused historic preservation plan
As Austin faces rapid change, the city is drafting a new equity-based preservation plan – replacing the existing plan from 1981 – in hopes of better preserving Austin’s cultural heritage. “Much has changed in Austin over the past 40 years … so we need an up-to-date plan with up-to-date policies and tools to help steward […]
Posted inPreservation
Design Commission gives nod to bathhouse project
With the unanimous blessing of the city’s Design Commission, plans to renovate and and restore the historic Barton Springs Bathhouse continue to move forward. Barton Springs’ 1947 bathhouse is unimpeachably historic, with city, state and federal historic designations that all come with their own set of requirements for the rehab. On the city’s end, that […]
Posted inDevelopment
Design Commission wants to remove downtown FAR caps, cut Council out of density bonus program
Following a City Council discussion earlier this year about updating the Downtown Density Bonus Program, the Design Commission last week recommended several changes for Council to mull, including removing Council’s discretion over allowing extra-dense towers and removing floor area ratio limits. Council’s discussion and the commission’s recommendations centered around one aspect of the program: the […]
Posted inDevelopment
City staffers propose Great Streets fees-in-lieu
City staffers have recommended new fees-in-lieu for the Great Streets requirement of the Downtown Density Bonus program, as City Council directed last year. On June 28, they presented their recommendations to the Design Commission. Establishing fees-in-lieu for Great Streets is a “specific solution to a specific problem,” as Design Commission Chair David Carroll put it. […]
Posted inPreservation
Design Commission gives feedback on Fiesta Gardens vision
On Monday, the Design Commission reviewed plans for Fiesta Gardens, a city-owned events center in East Austin that is set to receive extensive renovations within the next two years. The venue, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, includes a dining hall, a grandstand overlooking Lady Bird Lake and a Parks and Recreation […]
Posted inAustin
Design Commission eyes Dougherty Arts Center plan
The Design Commission on Monday gave feedback on design alternatives for the Dougherty Arts Center redevelopment, setting up a City Council discussion next month. Though commissioners differed on the best alternative, they commended the project as a whole. The “beloved” community arts center, currently located at 1110 Barton Springs Road, will move next to the […]
Posted inPlanning
Design Commission advances new hotel project on downtown parking lot
The Design Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend a density bonus for a proposed 17-story hotel project at 617 Colorado St. in downtown Austin. The site is currently a surface parking lot at the southeast corner of Seventh and Colorado streets. The tract, only about 10,000 square feet in size, is zoned Central Business District. […]
Posted inCity Hall
Design Commission work group starts process to revise Urban Design Guidelines
The Design Commission’s newly formed Urban Design work group has begun talks to revise the city’s Urban Design Guidelines, which are more than 10 years old. Unlike Austin’s zoning code, which contains the city’s building and construction requirements, the Urban Design Guidelines are a set of recommendations for developers to follow that focus mainly on the […]