The upcoming second draft of Austin’s new Land Development Code is expected to eliminate one of its key zoning tools, known as “transect” zones, which focus on a building’s form rather than its use. In theory, transect zones would allow for a wider range of uses in a given area, as long as a building […]
Planning and Development Review
The Planning and Development Review Department is responsible for Austin’s city planning, preservation, and design. The department also provides development review and inspection services for the city.
Posted inDevelopment
Austin moves forward with expedited building permits
Builders in Austin have long complained about the city’s notoriously slow permitting process. Now, the city is set to launch a new program that will offer a faster option – but it comes with some costs. Building in Austin typically requires getting a permit from the city’s Development Services Department. But as recent reports have […]
Posted inAustin
Annexation could threaten emergency response in southeastern Travis County
A small annexation in far South Austin could have big consequences for the southeastern corner of Travis County. Last Tuesday, Chief Ken Bailey of Emergency Services District No. 11 appeared before the Travis County Commissioners Court to seek protection from the city gobbling up a 27-acre tract along Interstate 35, south of Slaughter Lane. The […]
Posted inAustin
Coalition fights to add worker protections to expedited building permit process
The people who are building Austin can no longer afford to live in it, labor advocates say. Although they’re working on the big construction projects that are pushing Austin’s growth, construction workers in Austin have few protections, and many are living on or near poverty wages, pushing them to move outside of Austin to areas […]
Posted inCity Hall
Facing termination, CodeNEXT leader quits
The top executive presiding over the city’s rewrite of its land use regulations, Matt Lewis, submitted his resignation on Thursday after an investigation by the Human Resources Department concluded that Lewis had violated city policies regarding harassment of and retaliation against other city employees. Lewis, the executive lead over CodeNEXT and assistant director of long-range […]
Posted inDevelopment
ZAP delays decision on North Austin subdivision amid neighbor complaints
The Zoning and Platting Commission delayed action on a proposed multiuse development in North Austin after residents from the area showed up to register their disapproval of the anticipated increase in traffic. The commission, which was missing three of its 11 members at the Tuesday meeting, moved to vote on whether to recommend the plan […]
Posted inBudget
City planning departments talk budgets
As the city’s budget process gears up, each department is making its way to City Council with its budget for the upcoming year. And in the wake of the Zucker Report, eyes are on what was once the Planning and Development Review Department. Planning and Zoning Director Greg Guernsey and Development Services Director Rodney Gonzales […]
Posted inCity Hall, Development, Land Development Code
City works to build trust in wake of Zucker Report
On Wednesday, Austinites had a chance to address the Zucker Report publicly for the first time. Developers, neighborhood advocates and other stakeholders offered their feedback on the report and the development process in two meetings, and heard from Zucker Systems President Paul Zucker about his analysis. Though most who spoke did so to reiterate their […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Housing, Land Development Code, Planning, Zoning
Ott splits Planning & Development Review Dept.
Like the couple that marries and divorces but marries again only to divorce a few years later, the Planning and Development Review Department is once again being broken into a neighborhood planning department and a development review department. In a memo to Mayor and Council released this afternoon, City Manager Marc Ott said that in […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ott addresses Zucker Report in city memo
The city released a draft copy of the Zucker Report last week amid growing curiosity about what it contained. This week, the aftershocks began. Zucker Systems analyzed the city’s Planning and Development Review Department last year, and in its 700-plus-page report, recommended 464 changes to current practices. Of those, the report designated 121 as high […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Housing, Land Development Code, Planning, Preservation, Uncategorized, Zoning
Explainer: The Zucker Report marginalia
There was a lot of unveiling in the Zucker Report. We saw that a third-party analysis of the City of Austin’s Planning and Development Review Department did, indeed, show what appears as evidence of multiple divisions in shambles, as had been suggested for some time by department patrons. And, no doubt, there will be plenty […]
Posted inAustin, Development
Zucker Report released despite staff apprehension
After months of speculation, the City of Austin posted the draft Zucker Report on its website Thursday night. Last year, Zucker Systems performed an analysis of the Planning and Development Review Department, and while they did find “many exemplary features” within the department, a quick glance makes it clear why the city was less than […]