Tag Archives: City of Austin Planning Commission
Monday, June 25, 2018 by Jack Craver
Planning
East side subdivision evokes legacy of racist deed restrictions
There wasn’t much the Planning Commission could do about the subdivision sought by the the owner of an acre of land at 4520 Rimrock Trail, near the Morris Williams Golf Course. The commission was legally required to approve the owner’s…
Monday, May 21, 2018 by Jack Craver
Land Development Code
CodeNEXT: What’s the plan, here?
After seeing the city spend five years and $8.5 million on CodeNEXT, some members of the Planning Commission are worried that the final product will be little more than a “plan to plan.”Currently, the commission is in the process of…
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 by Jack Craver
Land Development Code
Planning commissioners spar over reduced lot sizes in CodeNEXT
The 13 volunteer citizens appointed to the city Planning Commission spent eight grueling hours Monday night proposing and debating changes to CodeNEXT.It was a stark contrast to the the treatment the proposed code overhaul received from the city’s other land…
Tuesday, May 15, 2018 by Jack Craver
Land Development Code
Planning commissioners propose ‘anti-McMansion ordinance’ for CodeNEXT
Three members of the Planning Commission have proposed a series of “anti-displacement” measures in CodeNEXT that they say will discourage demolitions of existing low-cost housing and incentivize the construction of smaller units that middle-income people can afford.Speaking to reporters at…
Friday, May 11, 2018 by Jack Craver
City Council
Council rejects attempt to remove Planning commissioners
Following an occasionally heated debate, City Council voted down a proposal Thursday that would have declared the current membership of the Planning Commission to be in violation of the city charter.At issue is a provision of the charter, approved by…
Thursday, May 10, 2018 by Jack Craver
City Council
Who has a ‘direct or indirect interest’ in real estate? It depends who you ask
City Council appears divided over what do about a provision of the city charter that requires two-thirds of the members of the Planning Commission to be “lay members” who are not “directly or indirectly connected with real estate or land…
Friday, May 4, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Planning
North Shoal Creek plan put on hold
Despite an overwhelming workload courtesy of CodeNEXT, Planning Commissioners managed to spend more than three hours discussing a plan centered on just one neighborhood at its most recent regular meeting.Neighbors have been pushing for a North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Plan…
Monday, April 30, 2018 by Jo Clifton
City Council
Council takes no action on Planning Commission
Faced with no easy or painless options, City Council members decided late Thursday night to put off considering how to get out of their predicament of a development-heavy Planning Commission and a desire to get through the rewrite of the…
Monday, April 30, 2018 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Is CodeNEXT spreading?
Contagion… Is the trauma of CodeNEXT spreading to other Central Texas cities? That’s the horrific question at least one Sunset Valley resident must have asked herself when she opened her mailbox recently. Inside was a postcard sent by the city…
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 by Jack Craver
Land Development Code
Planning Commissioners zero in on CodeNEXT mapping
CodeNEXT, the seemingly interminable process of rewriting the city’s land use regulations, has been guided by two distinct goals. The first is to provide a simpler code that is easier for the layperson to understand, including by introducing new language…
Monday, April 23, 2018 by Jo Clifton
City Charter
Changes ahead for Planning Commission?
At this week’s meeting, City Council is scheduled to consider changes to how members of the city’s Planning Commission are selected. The city attorney’s office has offered two alternative approaches – one of which could have a radical impact on…
Thursday, April 19, 2018 by Jack Craver
Planning
Planning Commission skeptical of apartment complex in Southeast Austin
Things aren’t looking good for a landowner in Southeast Austin hoping to turn a 10-acre tract into a 125-unit apartment community.At its latest meeting, few members of the Planning Commission voiced support for the request by the property owners, Angelos…
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 by Jack Craver
Planning
Affordability trumps traffic concerns for Govalle apartment complex
The Planning Commission recommended that City Council approve a zoning change that will allow a 290-unit apartment complex to be built at 1125 Shady Lane, near the intersection of Bolm Road and Airport Boulevard.The commission voted 7-4 to change the…
Friday, March 30, 2018 by Joseph Caterine
Land Development Code
As deadline nears, CodeNEXT capacity figures still in question
The land use commissions received a briefing on the affordability implications of the third and final draft of CodeNEXT Tuesday night, with only a few weeks left before they turn in their official recommendations to City Council. Consultants and staff…
Tuesday, March 20, 2018 by Jack Craver
Zoning
South Lamar neighbors to get office traffic instead of residential traffic
Nearly two years ago, the Planning Commission voted 10-1 to recommend a zoning change that would allow a 70-unit apartment building to be built on a vacant lot at 2413 Thornton Road.As is often the case in zoning battles, nearby…
Friday, March 16, 2018 by Joseph Caterine
Housing
Planning Commission moves Rosewood Courts case to Council
Voting against a request to postpone the case, the Planning Commission unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to grant a portion of east side public housing project Rosewood Courts historic zoning at its Mar. 13 meeting.Controversy has centered around whether all of…
Monday, March 5, 2018 by Joseph Caterine
Zoning
East side zoning case gets personal
It takes great care for the Planning Commission to balance developer and neighborhood concerns for any zoning case. That can be especially true when the land in question is smack dab in the middle of one of the most rapidly…
Tuesday, February 20, 2018 by Joseph Caterine
Land Development Code
Land use commissions skeptical about CodeNEXT 3.0 promises
The third draft of CodeNEXT made its long-awaited debut last Monday, presented to the public at an open house that evening in the flattering light of the golden hour – but by the next night, at the joint land use…
Friday, February 9, 2018 by Jack Craver
Land Development Code
What policies would create the most housing in CodeNEXT?
As the city of Austin has learned over and over again in recent years, allowing something to be built doesn’t mean that it will be.Hence, density bonuses that offer developers the opportunity to build bigger buildings in exchange for on-site…
