The Manchaca Business Alliance has claimed that the cost of signage and other components of the recently renamed Menchaca Road will add up to $200,000, or roughly eight times the city’s estimate. Members of the group filed a suit against the city over the name change and were granted an injunction on installation of new signage. The new cost estimates come from a consultation by Texas Department of Transportation engineer Epigmenio Gonzalez, who is responsible for southern Travis and Hays counties. A local nonprofit advocating for the name change – in recognition that the name of Texas Revolution soldier José Antonio Menchaca’s name was misspelled in paperwork to honor him – had raised money to cover the costs of new signage. The business group said the city will have to end up covering the extra costs, and said the suit was filed to prevent the unneeded expenditure. As of a Nov. 29 court ruling, the name change remains on hold.

Following an executive session evaluation of City Manager Spencer Cronk on Thursday, Mayor Steve Adler announced that Council had given Cronk “a pretty glowing review.” He added, “We’re excited and pleased that you are here and right now you’re making us all look pretty wise in our manager selection.” Naturally, Cronk responded that it has been an honor for him to serve for the past year, even though his service began in February. Cronk has certainly been tested by dealing with the recent water crisis and trying to get a new contract with the city’s police force, but there have been no major stumbles. The mayor did not mention what Cronk’s salary might be now that he has come through an initial review with flying colors. According to The Texas Tribune, his salary was $325,000 in March.

Austin Independent School District invites the community to attend the groundbreaking of a new elementary school for students of T.A. Brown Elementary and Webb Primary School. The modernized new campus, constructed on the site of the old T.A. Brown, will be a green school focused on outdoor learning and the arts as well as STEM. The school is scheduled to open in January 2020 and will be the first modernization project completed under the AISD 2017 Bond Program. The groundbreaking event features remarks from T.A. Brown principal Veronica Sharp and Webb Primary Director Marizza Marquez and performances by students of the two schools. The school district will provide refreshments. The event is at 505 W. Anderson Lane, Friday, Nov. 30, 4-5:30 p.m.

On Thursday City Council voted unanimously to lease a 9.4-acre parcel of city-owned property in Southeast Austin to Urban Roots, a nonprofit focused on getting young adults involved in urban farming. The organization offers various programs, including internships and fellowships, to teach young people how to grow and cook their own food. Council Member Delia Garza, whose district includes the site, said that the site at 4711 Winnebago Lane likely would have been sold to a commercial developer four years ago had Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo not strongly advocated holding on to the land, although Tovo’s suggested use for it at the time was housing and workspace for artists. Garza said that the new facility will be helpful in addressing “food security issues” in her district, much of which is considered to have “food access issues” because of the lack of grocery stores or other outlets for healthy food and fresh produce. The contract has Urban Roots paying $1,000 a month in rent over the next 15 years for the plot of land.

This whisper has been updated to clarify Tovo’s role in the development of the tract.

After being defeated by LaTisha Anderson in his bid for re-election to the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees, Trustee Ted Gordon delivered a statement about his thoughts on the future of the district. In recent months, Gordon has led a coalition of activists calling on the district to take major steps to reduce racial and economic segregation between schools by redrawing boundary lines. In contrast to fellow departing Trustee Julie Cowan, who delivered a statement lauding the district, Gordon called AISD a “fine school district” but said it was failing to live up to its duty to help low-income and minority students succeed. “Austin has a problem. Despite thinking of itself as liberal, it’s one of the worst communities in the country in terms of the upward mobility for poor children,” he said, highlighting the “particularly dire” outcomes for African-American children. Though leaving the board, Gordon promised that he would continue his advocacy for desegregation.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School owns a 25-acre plot of land at 6113 Southwest Parkway that the school hoped to sell after rezoning the land from LR-MU-NP to GR-MU-NP. The GR zoning would allow potential buyers to develop up to 60 feet in height instead of 40 feet. The case was pulled for discussion at the most recent meeting of the Planning Commission because Commissioner Todd Shaw believed there to be a discrepancy between the Oak Hill neighborhood contact team and the applicant. Jeff Howard, representing the applicant, explained that there was only one condition put forth by the neighborhood contact team that was not exactly met. The neighborhood requested that the applicant post 100 percent of the fiscal cost for a new traffic signal at Vega and Southwest Parkway. Howard explained that the applicant would only agree to 100 percent if the developer chooses to exceed 40 feet in height at site plan. Meaning, if the structure becomes a 60-foot, four-story building rather than a 40-foot, three-story building, there would likely be more traffic, and therefore a new signal would be necessary. Commissioner Karen McGraw had some hesitation with the specter of a 60-foot building in that area, seeing as it was not very consistent with the surrounding building heights. Howard confirmed that zoning laws show that such a height is appropriate on major arterial roadways such as Southwest Parkway, and this was agreed upon with the Oak Hill neighborhood contact team. No plans are set yet, but the land is likely to be bought and developed as a multifamily unit. The motion passed 10-1 with McGraw against and Commissioner Conor Kenny recused.

The Parks and Recreation Department has posted an online survey to gather public input about the state of the city’s parks and whether residents would like to see them altered, expanded or left alone. The survey results will help the parks department shape the future of the city’s 300 parks as well as determine users’ current, day-to-day needs. The parks department hopes that the long-range planning process will help the department reach its goal of assuring 24 acres of parkland for every 1,000 Austin residents by 2028. The survey will be posted through the end of January. All community members are invited to participate. Find the survey here.

Council Member Pio Renteria is questioning the payment that the city is receiving in return for vacating a 20-foot-wide alley in East Austin. Renteria brought up the matter during Tuesday’s work session, noting that there was a great disparity in the appraised value for two different parcels. Council is poised to approve the vacating of approximately 669 square feet of right-of-way between East Fourth and East Fifth streets, west of Robert T. Martinez Street, at Thursday’s meeting. For that small property, a developer will pay the city $44,856, according to city records. However, city documents indicate that the city would receive about $61,600 for a much larger parcel between East Fifth and East Sixth streets running from Navasota Street to Onion Street. That parcel is described as approximately 5,410 square feet of right-of-way within a 20-foot-wide alley. Two different companies, each taking half of the alley property, have deposited funds for the purchase. However, Renteria told his colleagues, “We’re not getting our value” in the latter sale. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, who advocates keeping alleys open for alternative uses, particularly pedestrian commerce, also said she wanted to review the proposed sales before Thursday’s meeting.

Though the November election is a thing of the past, there are still three Council seats up for grabs, with Districts 1, 3 and 8 all holding runoff elections. Over the next week, the Austin Monitor will be recapping those races. For those who want to brush up in the meantime, the city has posted their candidate forums online – a partnership of the League of Women Voters and the city of Austin Ethics Review Commission. Early voting for the Dec. 11 election runs from Nov. 29 through Dec. 7.

The city has announced a call for ideas for a one-day symposium on transparency in government to be held sometime next year. Both advocates and practitioners will network, mingle and discuss trending topics at the 2019 Open Government Symposium. Have a topic for discussion or suggestion for a panelist? Fill out the short online form.

The anti-displacement task force that City Council created earlier this year to explore the effects of gentrification has completed its final recommendations and posted the report online for public viewing. The report does not mince words, stating that displacement is a “serious threat” that, if not addressed, will “destroy Austin’s long-term desirability as a place to live.” The task force makes a series of recommendations that are grouped into four key areas: financing strategies; increasing affordable housing for homeowners; increasing affordable housing for renters; and preserving small businesses and cultural assets. The task force’s co-chairs will present the report to City Council today at 9 a.m. Read the full report here (PDF).

The Austin Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Economic Outlook next Thursday, Dec. 6. The event is, according to a chamber press release, “the premier business and economic forecasting event of the year, attracting more than 600 attendees from the Austin region.” Speakers include Army Futures Command Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. James M. Richardson; Forcepoint CEO Matthew P. Moynahan; and Wells Fargo Securities LLC’s director and senior economist, Sarah House. Tickets can be purchased here. “The Austin region has experienced unprecedented economic growth over the last 15 years, but we cannot take this sustained growth as a given,” said Austin Chamber of Commerce President Mike Rollins. “It is important for us to understand the trends that are driving the economy both in Austin and nationally. … The health and performance of our economy impacts more than bottom lines of job creators, it means jobs and money to pay the bills for the entire Central Texas region. Comprehending what awaits us in 2019 is of the highest importance for the chamber and our region.”