Today, Armbrust & Brown PLLC announced that attorney Michael Whellan, who is a former president and shareholder of Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody will be joining their firm on Jan. 15. It’s a big change for Whellan, who is well-known at City Hall, where he has represented an array of clients including, among many others, […]
Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody
Local law firm with practice areas that include Real Estate issues. GDHM is a donor to the parent organization of the Austin Monitor.
Posted inAustin
Mayor, community leaders unveil new facility for the homeless
A $14.6 million facility combining housing and services for Austin’s chronically homeless is expected to break ground in Central East Austin early next year with the support of Mayor Steve Adler, the Downtown Austin Alliance, various nonprofit organizations working to end homelessness and several prominent community leaders. The 40,000-square-foot Housing First Oak Springs facility will […]
Posted inZoning
Developers and neighbors come together on Austin Oaks charrette
Negotiations between neighbors and developers over the proposed Austin Oaks Planned Unit Development are going swimmingly, according to what representatives involved in the process told the Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday. After agreeing in September to engage with neighbors through a charrette, an intensive planning process in which area stakeholders seek to find consensus […]
Posted inCourts
Court denies injunction against Foundation Communities
How much havoc can one neighbor wreak on a $20 million affordable housing project backed by federal, state and local governments and nonprofits? Potentially, quite a bit. On Tuesday, Foundation Communities avoided potential disaster for its Bluebonnet Studios on South Lamar when Judge Rhonda Hurley denied an injunction that would have stopped construction on the […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Courts, Local Politics
Zimmerman libel suit against Bulldog dismissed
Less than 24 hours after being sworn in to office as the new District 6 representative, City Council Member Don Zimmerman had his lawsuit against the Austin Bulldog dismissed and was ordered to pay court costs and attorney’s fees. Zimmerman filed the lawsuit in October, alleging libel in an article published by the Bulldog written by […]
Posted inAustin, Elections, Local Politics
Two-page ad attacks political consultant Butts
A two-page color ad in Sunday’s Austin American-Statesman, headlined “Invisible man controls the Austin City Council,” attacks political consultant David Butts and calls on voters to reject some candidates Butts supports in the Dec. 16 runoff election. The ad says, “Did you ever wonder why, no matter how much we vote for change in the […]
Posted inCity Hall, Local Politics
Ethics panel wants last word on complaint inquiries
Austin’s Ethics Review Commission voted unanimously this week to recommend City Council ensure the commission has the last word in ethical complaints against the mayor, members of City Council and all of its appointees, city executives, and assistant city attorneys. “The main issue is the lack of due process,” said commission Vice Chair Peter Einhorn. […]
Posted inDevelopment
Developers vow to pay affordable housing fees despite changes to PUD
Changes to Austin’s Hyatt Regency on Barton Springs Road are on the way. The Hyatt is part of a 9.56-acre Planned Unit Development that was approved by City Council in 2007. As part of that original agreement, developers promised to donate a sum of money toward affordable housing based on how many residential units were […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Former commissioner seeks to change city policies in ethics cases
Former Zero Waste Advisory Commissioner Daniela Ochoa Gonzalez, who resigned after accusations of conflict-of-interest violations, is asking the city to reconsider how it does business. Her situation could change how the city deals with ethics complaints against people who serve on its many boards and commissions. The Ethics Review Commission took a first step toward […]
Posted inDevelopment
Ironic twist in development regulations could scuttle condo project
Neighbors and developers showed up at Citizens Communication en masse at last Thursday’s City Council meeting to speak out against city staff’s rejection of the Weekly Homes’ Harper Park site plan. It seems playing by the rules could keep a proposed condominium project at 5816 Harper Park Drive from being built. Planning and Development […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Judge reverses ruling against TDS over city anti-lobbying ordinance
A ruling against the City of Austin in a case stemming from the application of its Anti-Lobbying Ordinance could have broad implications for the way the city’s Purchasing Department enforces its no-contact provisions. On Thursday, Federal District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled for the plaintiff, Texas Disposal Systems, in the lawsuit the company brought against […]
Posted inDevelopment
ZAP grants extension of site plan to build 397-unit project
With only four members on the dais, the Zoning and Platting Commission granted a neighborhood appeal of an extension of a site plan review by default last week. Commissioners voted 3-1 to deny the appeal, but because they need a minimum of 4 votes to take action, that vote amounted to an approval of […]