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Austin Monitor
Austin Transit Partnership seeks federal grant funding for light rail
Leaders of the Austin Transit Partnership are expected today to give the OK to petition the federal government for transportation grants needed to cover half the cost of the planned light rail system through downtown Austin. That step, which will come during the ATP Board of Directors meeting, will be the most significant public move on the light rail project since the downtown route was announced this spring.
Council to consider joint hearing with Planning Commission on code amendments
Mayor Kirk Watson wants everyone in Austin to know that City Council will be holding a hearing on changes to the Land Development Code. Specifically, Council will be considering comments on proposals to allow three units per lot in single-family residential districts, allowing tiny homes and RVs to serve as accessory dwelling units and eliminating the dwelling unit occupancy limit for residential uses.
Huston-Tillotson University wants to improve maternal health outcomes by training more doulas
Huston-Tillotson University is launching a program that will train doulas, midwives and lactation consultants in an effort to combat Texas’ high maternal mortality rates, especially among Black women. The historically Black university announced the new partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas on Thursday. Known as Boldly...
Austin joins fight against proposed private dam on South Llano River
Austin is joining the fight against a proposed private dam on the South Llano River that experts say could have an impact on the city’s water supply. City Council voted last week to approve a resolution directing the city manager to seek a contested case hearing regarding an application by Waterstone Creek LLC to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to construct a dam on the South Llano River and to engage with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in opposing any permits for the project.
Preservationists grapple with front lawn makeover at Tarrytown Tudor
A proposal to redesign the front lawn of a historic Tarrytown home is receiving some pushback at the city’s Historic Landmark Commission, putting historic design standards for both landscaping and fencing to the test. The property at 2900 Tarry Trail, built in 1938 by architect Edward C. Gatewood, currently...
Council approves commercial zoning for foundation company site
Austin City Council gave its initial approval last week to change the zoning for four North Austin lots that host a foundation repair business on Georgian Drive to bring it into compliance with city regulations. If approved on second and third readings, the new zoning will be Commercial Services-Mixed Use...
City could reduce compatibility buffers to 75 feet to encourage new housing
City staff has recommended the city end building compatibility height restrictions at 75 feet from single-family homes that for decades have had a barrier of several hundred feet from tall buildings. That recommendation is one of nine included in a new memo to Mayor Kirk Watson and City Council from...
Planning Commission takes a pass on District 10 historic zoning recommendation
A bid for historic zoning in Old West Austin left the Planning Commission divided at their most recent meeting. Owners of the Griffin House at 2502 Jarratt Ave. are seeking a historic designation that will protect the home from changes and offer tax abatement in return. Planning commissioners remained split evenly, so the zoning case will move on without a recommendation from the body.
Hays County district clerk sues district attorney for ‘neglect of his duties’
The Hays County district clerk is suing District Attorney Kelly Higgins and asking that he be removed from office. Avrey Anderson claims Higgins demonstrated “intentional, corrupt failure and neglect of his duties” by refusing to prosecute cases of simple drug possession and low-level marijuana offenses, and where doctors have illegally treated transgender patients or performed abortions.
Council approves ordinance change making music venues easier to open
Music venues and some other creative spaces will have an easier time opening in all parts of the city as a result of City Council approving an update to the building code that lowers planning and zoning restrictions on those businesses. The code amendment passed on consent, ending a nearly...
City, NXP to help fund child care through Chapter 380 agreement
City Council heard from more than a dozen people talking about the city’s proposed Chapter 380 agreement with NXP Semiconductors at Thursday’s meeting. Almost every one of them praised the company, which has been in Austin since 1974, operating two facilities. Mayor Kirk Watson called on Sylnovia Holt-Rabb,...
Hundreds of Steiner Ranch properties get water cut off for violating restrictions
Several hundred customers in the Steiner Ranch community were fined or had their water shut off over the past week for violating restrictions meant to conserve water. Travis County Water Control and Improvement District No. 17 said it has been trying since July 5 to get violators in compliance of the restrictions, which include limiting irrigation to no more than two days a week.
Cap Metro wants French company to run bus service despite warnings from union leaders
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is moving to hire a Paris-based company to operate bus service in the Austin area – sidelining the current contractor, MV Transportation, and raising alarms among union leaders representing more than 1,200 bus drivers and maintenance workers. A panel of four Capital Metro board members...
Council considering allowing tiny homes, RVs as accessory dwelling units
City Council seems poised to initiate changes to city zoning regulations that will allow tiny homes and recreational vehicles to be used as accessory dwelling units in single-family neighborhoods. Council Member Leslie Pool is sponsoring a resolution on today’s Council agenda that notes that back in 2014, staff identified zoning...
Vela’s call for transparency would require police to release detailed data monthly
Austin Police Department may soon be required to regularly publish comprehensive data on the city’s digital portal in a move to add transparency and address a backlog of thousands of public information requests. City Council is set to consider a resolution from Council Member Chito Vela that directs city...
Cap Metro board holds public hearing on proposed FY 2024 budget
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday held a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023-24 Operating and Capital Budget. Kevin Conlan, deputy chief financial officer, presented an overview of the $871 million budget proposal to the board members. Capital Metro staff has completed its public engagement portion of the budget process, which included in-person and virtual feedback sessions.
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 9.14.23
At the risk of seeming optimistic and bad at defining “fun,” today’s City Council meeting seems like it could be just that. There are a few things in particular that caught our eye, and those are detailed below. The agenda (and backup) can also be read in its entirety here.
Campaign to landmark Peter Pan Mini Golf gains traction at city’s preservation office
After 75 years in business, Austin’s Peter Pan Mini Golf is hoping to celebrate many more, with a grassroots campaign to zone the site historic beginning to take shape at the city’s Historic Preservation Office. The one-of-a-kind golf course made headlines after news broke that a change in...
Council hears details of proposed $1M incentive package for NXP Semiconductors
A Dutch semiconductor manufacturer with two factories in Austin has applied to receive the city’s first major economic incentive package since 2017. City Council heard details at Tuesday’s work session about the proposed agreement with NXP Semiconductors N.V., which is looking to invest $290.8 million to remove and replace four of its five production lines in Austin. The company employs 2,768 people locally and has facilities on Ed Bluestein Boulevard just east of U.S. Highway 183, and in Oak Hill just west of Escarpment Boulevard.
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