About the Author
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor.
Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- Austin’s airport is getting a new concourse and 20 more gates but not until the 2030s
- New rules in the works for electric vehicle charging stations
- Judge rules city can’t use taxpayer money for South Central TIRZ
- Budget deficit looms over city this year and beyond
- Save Our Springs Alliance sues City Council over Open Meetings Act
-
Discover News By District
Springdale Farms gets Council nod
Monday, November 24, 2014 by Elizabeth Pagano
Springdale Farms’ request to change its land use got a cautious first approval at City Council early Friday morning. The case, which has ignited debate over urban farms in East Austin once again, was approved on first reading in a vote of 5-1, with Council Member Laura Morrison voting in opposition and Council Member Bill Spelman absent. Morrison said that she was voting no with a “strong suggestion” that the two opposing sides get together and have a conversation — perhaps with city staff or a mediator — and work out the conflict. Because the change has a valid petition against it, at least six Council members will have to approve the change. And, as Council Member Mike Martinez pointed out, that (theoretical) approval is just the first step in the process. “They will still have to come back for a Conditional Use Permit, even should this happen to pass on all three readings at some point in the future,” said Martinez. “The conversation is not done and it’s still going to have to happen.”
Join Your Friends and Neighbors
We're a nonprofit news organization, and we put our service to you above all else. That will never change. But public-service journalism requires community support from readers like you. Will you join your friends and neighbors to support our work and mission?