After hearing from the city’s floodplain administrator and the owner of an east side property, City Council unanimously approved two variances to the city’s floodplain regulations on Thursday. Their action will allow property owner Luc Pham to build a house in the 100-year floodplain of Tannehill Branch Creek. The proposed home will be at 1121 […]
Floodplain variance
A deviation from normal floodplain construction restrictions granted by any number of municipal entities.
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission recommends floodplain redevelopment changes
Despite lingering concerns, the Planning Commission on July 12 recommended a tweak to floodplain regulations that would allow existing businesses within the floodplain to rebuild without special permission from City Council. The rule change would give city staffers the power to approve redevelopment of existing commercial buildings in the floodplain if they are rebuilt to […]
Posted inLand Development Code
City considers changes to floodplain redevelopment
Owners of businesses in the city’s floodplain will soon be able to make changes to their buildings or rebuild entirely so flash floods pose less of a threat – to structures as well as employees and customers. The tweak to city code, currently working its way through boards and commissions, will allow commercial buildings within […]
Posted inDevelopment
Decision on floodplain variance on hold
Sam Kumar, owner of Journeyman Austin Holdings Inc., came to City Council last week requesting a floodplain variance to allow parking in both the 100-year floodplain and the 25-year floodplain at his building at 1000 N. Lamar Blvd. Kevin Shunk, the city’s floodplain administrator, strenuously objected to the new variance and walked Council through the […]
Posted inPlanning
City adjusts flood map adjustment timeline
The Atlas 14 study conducted by the National Weather Service indicated that in the immediate future, Central Texas is likely to experience more powerful storm events that will increase flooding by 30 percent. Last fall’s major floods turned scientific conjecture into observable reality. Now Atlas 14 has rendered the city of Austin’s current flood maps out […]
Posted inCity Council
Hyde Park flood plain variance finally OK’d
Even though Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza did not really approve of granting flood plain variances to allow construction of a home at 4515 Avenue D, she changed her vote last week so that the property owner would not have to come back to Council a third time. When the matter came before Council on […]
Posted inCity Council
Flood plain variance a conundrum for Council
After hearing from the city’s flood plain expert, Council voted 6-5 Thursday to grant a variance to allow a property owner to replace an older, smaller home in the flood plain of Waller Creek at 4515 Avenue D with a larger home that would sit above the flood plain. Kevin Shunk, Austin’s flood plain administrator, […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council OKs Koenig flood plain variance
Despite a recommendation from the city’s flood plain engineers that they deny the variances, City Council members voted 6-4 at their last meeting to grant variances allowing construction of an apartment complex, partially within the 25-year flood plain and partially within the 100-year flood plain. Developers propose to build a four-story multifamily building with 383 […]
Posted inDevelopment
City Council OKs parking garage in floodplain
Despite concerns from staff, City Council unanimously approved a variance last week that will allow a downtown developer to build condominiums with parking in the floodplain. Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the key point for him was that there was egress from 1010 West 10th St. to land not in the floodplain, for every unit. He also […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council grants floodplain variance for Park PUD on Barton Springs
Despite warnings from staff, the City Council approved a floodplain variance for one of South Austin’s most familiar lots at its June 12 meeting, finally clearing the way for development of the Park PUD. In March 2011, after a protracted battle with several neighborhoods, Council approved a Planned Unit Development for 805 Barton Springs […]