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Tag Archives: historic preservation

$2.7 million on the table as Heritage Preservation Grant opens for next round of applicants

As budget season stirs up City Hall, Austin’s Economic Development Department is preparing to share the wealth, with plans to allocate $2.7 million in grants for preservation efforts at historically designated sites. The Heritage Preservation Grant Program, which began accepting…

Landmark Commission debates historic exemption for new safe fence ordinance

The Historic Landmark Commission faced an unusual case last week, when a construction proposal at a landmarked home at 1412 W. Sixth 1/2 St. collided with pending City Council action to ban unsafe fence designs. The resolution, which would mandate…

Planning Commission recommends historic zoning for Broken Spoke

The iconic Broken Spoke dance hall is headed for official historic status, ensuring the venue is preserved as the South Lamar corridor continues to develop.  The Planning Commission on Tuesday voted 8-0 to recommend approval of historic zoning for the…

West Downtown on track to receive national historic status

Austin could soon welcome a brand-new historic district into the mix, with an application for the West Downtown National Register District lined up to get the rubber stamp next month. Located west of the Capitol between Seventh and 15th streets,…

Council approves review of historic preservation incentives, with eye on equity

City Council wants incentives connected to historic preservation to be used more equitably, and has directed the city manager to review and suggest changes to city policies that could result in more historic designations in East Austin. Last week Council…

Preservationists lament the eroding of Travis Heights at Historic Landmark Commission

The city’s Historic Landmark Commission mourned the steady chipping away of homes recognized in the Travis Heights-Fairview Park National Register district last week, with yet another falling to the housing market’s demand for more contemporary, spacious designs. The application to…

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Council declines historic zoning for Westgate building

Nine of 11 City Council members voted last week to deny city historic landmark status to the clearly historic Westgate Tower at 1122 Colorado, on a motion by Council Member Zo Qadri, whose District 9 includes the building. Council Member…

Report: ADU expansion, tax relief among city's options to promote preservation

Preservation advocates want the city to simplify the process for building accessory dwelling units, and use an ombudsman position to help navigate city processes as some of the steps needed to save existing housing stock while helping to address affordability.…

Westgate tower takes step toward historic zoning

City Council gave first reading approval to historic zoning for the Westgate Tower at 1122 Colorado St. as part of the zoning consent agenda on Thursday. The Westgate, a physical landmark between the Capitol and University Tower, is considered an…

Effort to designate West Austin house historic fails at Council

At its regular meeting last week, City Council did not pass an item that would have designated West Austin’s Delisle House a historic landmark. Before the vote, Mayor Steve Adler explained that the measure would need a nine-vote supermajority to…

Effort to save lakefront estate from demolition divides Planning Commission 

The Planning Commission was split Tuesday on whether to help save an eclectic lakefront estate from demolition by zoning it historic amid concerns over tax breaks and the likelihood that a previous owner participated in segregation as a business owner.  The…

Castleman-Bull house resolution OK’d with changes

City Council approved a resolution from Council Member Kathie Tovo last week directing City Manager Spencer Cronk to study questions about restoring the interior of the historic Castleman-Bull House, which has sat vacant since the Austin Convention Center acquired and…

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