Home > City Beat > Archives > Development category
Development
June 11, 2009
Council passes height limits along Lady Bird Lake
Developers will be bound by new height restrictions along Lady Bird Lake, as part of rules adopted by the Austin City Council on Thursday night.
The limits are mostly a victory for neighborhood activists who argued highrise development could spoil vistas of the lake and block public access, ending two years of often contentious public debates on the issue.
According to the new rules, buildings along the lake cannot exceed 96 feet in some areas, 60 feet in others.
Thursday’s vote was the third and final that was required to enact the height limits. The votes have been spread over more than six weeks, when most disagreements were settled. The remaining sticking point concerned guidelines for the city to grant exemptions to the limits.
The council decided it should be able to grant an exemption if a project will significantly improve the community by being allowed to exceed the height limits.
Neighborhood activists who wanted the height limits had pushed for them to be absolute. Although they came up short on that matter, nearly every aspect of the height limits conformed to what they wanted.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction, but there are some important questions still to be resolved,” said Jeff Jack, a director of activist group Save Town Lake, a citizens group formed in 2006 before the lake’s name change to fight what it sees as overdevelopment along the waterfront.
The step Jack referred to was establishing a legal framework to that allows developers to exceed the height limits in exchange for concessions such as public access to the waterfront. The council voted to form a committee to create such a framework. Jack argues those concessions should be limited “and not be used to satisfy community needs that can be met outside the waterfront, such as (population) density and affordable housing.”
Those options were sought by some advocates of a denser urban core. The change restores height limits that were approved in 1986 but effectively wiped off the books in 1999.
The new regulations were drafted by a task force created by the City Council in 2007 amid neighborhood concerns about a project planned for East Riverside Drive. CWS Capital Partners LLC wanted to build towers up to 200 feet high, but resolved a legal challenge from Save Town Lake by agreeing to stop at 96 feet.
The project is next to the American-Statesman property, which is for sale and will be bound by the 96-foot-height limit if redeveloped, city officials said.
The change may apply to the Brackenridge Tract, a 345-acre stretch along Lake Austin Boulevard that the University of Texas wants to redevelop. A state government use, such as student housing (as UT is considering), would trump the height limits, said Robert Heil, a city planner working on the height limits. A private partnership use may or may not be subject to the height limits, he said.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment Categories: Development
January 27, 2009
City releases draft resolution
The City of Austin’s Public Information Office on Monday released a draft resolution proposed by Council Member Laura Morrison. The resolution, which Morrison says is likely to change in coming weeks, is an effort to bring more openness to the process when the city evaluates tax-incentive packages for businesses that want to locate here.
The draft was released as part of a larger open-records request for communications among the three council members who were sponsoring the resolution. (In a sidebar article that ran last week, we mistakenly referred to the resolution as an ordinance).
Morrison was among the first to send her response to our open-records request to the city’s Public Information Office, and did so several days ago, said Reyne Telles, a city spokesman. City policy is to gather all materials covered under an open-records request before releasing it.
The draft resolution directs City Manager Marc Ott to prepare an ordinance “regarding an enhanced process for review of proposed economic incentive agreements.” It specifically calls for working with a stakeholder group to creating a cost-benefit analysis that would be conducted by a third party and accounts for “all direct and indirect costs of incentive agreements,” as well as holding a minimum of two public hearings, one before the city manager makes a recommendation to the council, with advanced notice of the hearing including “availability of all public information, including the cost-benefit analysis.”
Morrison had declined an earlier verbal request from the Statesman to release the draft, saying she and other council members still had to meet with stakeholders and probably would modify the proposal before unveiling it. She has shown the draft to at least one member of the public, making it public information.
In a later interview she said it would be turned over to us through the city’s Public Information Office in response to our open-records request. That happened Monday.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Development
December 18, 2008
City: Hike and Bike trail needs $25 million face lift
The trail around Lady Bird Lake, so revered that it recently inspired its own coffee table book, needs $25 million in improvements, city of Austin staff told the Austin City Council Thursday.
And that’s on top of about $12 million needed to close a mile-long gap in the trail on the south side of the river near Interstate 35.
However, city staff and trail advocates acknowledged that finding the money from both city and private sources won’t happen overnight. For instance, much of the city portion likely wouldn’t come until the next general bond election, and that’s not likely to happen until at least 2012.
“We see this as a plan that will roll out over a number of years,” said Stuart Strong, assistant director of the city Parks and Recreation Department.
The trail itself, which runs about 10 miles in a loop from Longhorn Dam in East Austin to MoPac Boulevard in West Austin, needs about $1.6 million of work to smooth it out, improve drainage and stabilize banks and retaining walls, Strong said.
The trail should have paved and otherwise improved access points at 16 major trailheads and about 15 minor trailheads, Strong said. The cost: $3.9 million. And the trail needs eight of its existing 11 restrooms renovated, as well as seven new restrooms. That would cost another $4.6 million, the staff report said.
The rest of the $25 million would be spent on drinking fountains, shelters, bridges, observation points, signs and other improvements. Parks advocates, for instance, envision an area for intense fitness training on the south side of the lake at MoPac and a much improved trailhead at I-35, with a fishing pier and a kayak/canoe facility.
How to pay for all of this? Strong mentioned future bonds elections, as well as private contributions spearheaded by the Trail Foundation. Susan Rankin, executive director of the foundation, acknowledged that the beloved trail “is beautiful the way it is. But it’s being loved to death.”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment Categories: Development
October 29, 2008
Developers try to move forward with Lakeline Station
Troubled California developer Pacific Summit Partners and its new funding source HomeFed Corp. are talking to City of Austin officials about possibly creating a public improvement district to help pay for the upfront costs of building their planned $400 million Lakeline Station project in Northwest Austin.
The developers continue to fight with former landowner William Savage over ownership of 141 of the 326 acres involved in what was supposed to be the first high-density project around the commuter rail line set to open next year. The land is question is the portion of the property closest to the rail station.
Savage tried to foreclose on the property earlier this year after Pacific Summit missed at least one quarterly payment. Pacific Summit sought to save the project by filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the partnership directly related to Lakeline Station. HomeFed now controls the general partnership as it tries to reorganize in bankruptcy court.
Council Member Brewster McCracken said Pacific Summit’s previous financial troubles wouldn’t keep him for supporting a public improvement district now that it has found a new funding source.
City leaders are considering public improvement districts as a way to pay for the expensive infrastructure needed to support dense development along Texas 130 and around rail stops. The districts could issue debt, which would be repaid by a fee assessed on property owners who voluntarily participate in the district.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment Categories: Development
August 20, 2008
JCC expansion plans get recommendation
The Jewish Community Association of Austin is one step closer to expanding its Dell Jewish Community Campus after it reached agreement on most issues with nearby neighbors.
Residents have opposed the association’s plans until now, but compromise cleared the way for recommendation Tuesday night from the Zoning and Platting Commission to approve the necessary rezoning.
The two sides aren’t in full agreement, however. Some residents who live around the campus near MoPac Boulevard and Far West still fear the rezoning will give the JCAA too much flexibility and want the group to sign a private agreement with the neighbors that would give them more say if the association changes its plans down the road.
They also want the city to do an annual traffic count to ensure the campus doesn’t exceed a traffic cap of 9,000 daily car trips at full build-out. The city staff has suggested that it do the count before each new building permit is issued.
The case is scheduled to go to City Council on Aug. 28, but could be postponed.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Development
August 5, 2008
JCAA zoning fight postponed
A showdown at the Zoning and Platting Commission between the Jewish Community Association of Austin and nearby neighbors opposing the group’s plans to expand its Austin campus likely will be postponed for two weeks.
The zoning case was supposed to be heard tonight, but members of the city staff requested the postponement after they decided that they needed more time to address neighbors’ concerns about traffic, according to Jerry Rusthoven, assistant director of the city’s zoning and neighborhood planning department.
Among the issues still be considered is how the city will project future daily trip generation, which the city badly underestimated when the JCAA won approval for its campus near Far West and Hart Lane in Northwest Austin in 1998.
The JCAA has built less than half of the buildings originally approved under a now-expired permit, yet the campus generates about as many daily car trips as the maximum that was allowed over 20 years even after the entire campus was built.
City staff members have yet to make a formal recommendation for the JCAA’s application to rezone its property.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Development
August 1, 2008
11th St. businesses, ARA try to resolve dispute
The Austin Revitalization Authority met with East 11th Street business owners this morning to address the owners’ complaints that the ARA is an inept property manager.
The ARA is a nonprofit group that the City of Austin formed a decade ago to redevelop E. 11th and 12th streets — then crime-ridden and dilapidated — into vibrant gateways to downtown. ARA officials admit that some things haven’t been handled well, but said they’re taking steps to correct them.
So far, the nonprofit has built two buildings on E. 11th, and it is in charge of leasing those spaces to small, women- and minority-owned businesses.
The business owners’ complaints about the ARA include late utility bills; being denied parking passes; and unresponsiveness. They’re also upset that the ARA recently billed them for thousands of dollars in extra rent dating back to 2005. Those charges are unreasonable under their lease terms, they said.
“There’s no way you can justify going all the way back to 2005 and 2006. It makes you look incompetent,” said Brian Joseph, owner of Bydee Art Gallery on E. 11th
He added: “In five to 10 years, you will have no minority businesses in this area. They won’t be able to afford to be here.”
ARA president Byron Marshall said the ARA should have sent the extra-rent charges sooner, but is allowed to bill for them. He said the ARA also plans to hire a property management company soon so that it can focus on its main task: completing the redevelopment of E. 11th and E. 12th.
The discussion was tense at times. At one point, 11th St. ad agency owner M.P. Mueller called the ARA’s management practices a “shell game.” ARA board member Sterling Lands responded: “It would be in everyone’s best interest to get to a point where we’re not throwing bricks at each other.”
The tenants agreed to pay for the 2007 and 2008 charges, and meet with ARA board members to figure out how to resolve the 2005 and 2006 amounts.
The business owners have also set up meetings with City Council members and City Manager Marc Ott to talk about their concerns.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Development
July 29, 2008
Study: Traffic congestion tops citizen concerns
Traffic congestion tops Central Texans’ concerns when they think about challenges facing the region as the population grows, according to a study released today by Envision Central Texas, a nonprofit regional planning organization.
Envision Central Texas conducted the “Vision Progress Assessment” along with TIP Strategies Inc. of Austin to gauge progress toward the “Regional Vision” presented by the planning group in 2004 for the five counties in the region: Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson.
In addition to traffic congestion, study participants noted concerns about planning for growth, saying smaller communities lack resources, and placed high priority on environmental concerns, ranging from open space preservation to climate change.
The study, which can be found on the Envision Central Texas Web site, is based on interviews with 26 local business owners and community leaders, online survey results of nearly 1,000 participants, and focus groups and public workshops that reached about 400 participants.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment Categories: Development
June 5, 2008
Archaeology meets Waller Creek Project
There’s lot of talk these days about the future of Waller Creek.
A family friendly destination. A stroll through nature. Hotels and cultural attractions. Three-dimensional models and computer presentations of what’s to come.
But before those visions can materialize, the city has to look to the past.
Archaeologists are excavating in Waterloo Park and along the shore of Lady Bird Lake this week to make sure the inlet and outlet of the flood-control tunnel (the key to the dreams for future glory) don’t land on top of historical sites or artifacts.
So far? They’ve found a lot of buttons, marbles, a comb, some metal charms, a broken plate, a small plastic toy rabbit and a whole bunch of pennies.
“We have, to date, not found anything that would be classified as historical,” said Gary Jackson, a project director with the public works department.
They did find a couple house foundations in Waterloo Park, the site of a neighborhood until sometime in the mid-20th Century, said Rachel Feit, an archaeologist with Ecological Communications Corporation.
“This is the type of thing you typically find when you do excavations,” Feit said, standing near a 2- to 3-foot deep trench in Waterloo Park.
The archaeologists dig trenches in different areas of the park comparing old fire insurance maps with current maps to look in the most logical places, Feit said. They anticipated finding some foundations, and the household stuff that goes with them, in Waterloo Park, she said.
None of these objects will be bound for museums, but even the mundane items can be amusing.
“We have found a very, very large number of pennies from right around the same date” in the 1940s, Feit said. “What we’re assuming is its from somebody’s penny jar that was broken.”
Feit did not know the history of the neighborhood’s demise, but said she wouldn’t be surprised if it was related to the frequent flooding of nearby Waller Creek.
The Waller Creek Project aims to remedy that problem, taking the area out of the flood plain to make way for a development hailed as a hip version of the San Antonio Riverwalk. A 22-foot wide, mile-long tunnel will route storm water from Waterloo Park to Lady Bird Lake.
The project has long been in the works, stalled by rising costs. But it got off the ground last year when Austin paired with Travis County to share the $124 million tunnel cost.
Renderings of the tunnel’s above ground features in Waterloo Park and at the shore of Lady Bird Lake are available online at the Waller Creek Project site. Three dimensional models of those features are also on display in the City Hall lobby.
“We hope to make it a world class destination that all of our citizens can enjoy,” Council Member Sheryl Cole said.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Development
April 22, 2008
City of Bastrop Courts Villa Muse with incentives
Backers of the giant proposed Villa Muse entertainment studio and production facility didn’t request direct financial incentives from Austin when they unsuccessfully asked the city to release nearly 2,000 acres from its regulatory and taxing so that the project could save time and money.
But it appears the City of Bastrop won’t get the same bargain if the project lands in its future growth zone.
Bastrop is refusing to release correspondence between city leaders and the developers that would detail exactly what the city is offering and the developer is requesting in order to develop Villa Muse in Bastrop’s future growth zone.
But in a letter to the Texas Attorney General seeking a ruling on whether the city has to comply with a public records request by the Austin American-Statesman, the city says its correspondence includes proposed tax revenue splits and prospective grants.
“If the City’s proposed and anticipated incentive levels were made public prior to the Parties reaching a final agreement on the matter, other cities interested in reaping the potential economic benefits resulting from the Project could easily undercut the City of Bastrop’s negotiating status by offering arguably increased incentives…” wrote Bastrop City Attorney Jo Christy Brown.
The Villa Muse developers have been negotiating with Bastrop since February. Austin officially denied their request for a temporary release from its extraterritorial jurisdiction in March.
The Villa Muse development team has said that they want to keep the project in or near a major Texas city. San Antonio and Ft. Worth are also rumored to be contenders.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment Categories: Development
April 11, 2008
Tarrytown developer withdraws request for zoning change
The Tarrytown developer who envisioned townhomes and condominiums at 3215 Exposition Blvd. has withdrawn his request for a zoning change that would have allowed the project.
Steve Beuerlein, a neighborhood resident of Burlington Ventures Inc., the developer of the proposed project, said restrictions precluded them from doing what they envisioned and what was best suited for the market. The plan was to provide an option for older Tarrytown residents who wanted to move out of their homes, but stay in the neighborhood, he said.
In the fall, area residents opposed multifamily zoning for the 2.2-acre site that was formerly part of the Austin State School grounds and collected hundreds of petition signatures. Already facing potential commercial development on the nearby 345-acre Brackenridge tract owned by the University of Texas, residents said multifamily zoning would set a bad precedent if other parts of the school are sold.
Before withdrawing the request yesterday, the developer asked the City Council for an “indefinite postponement” on the matter late last month.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Development
March 12, 2008
Dukes supports Villa Muse and vice versa
Texas Representative Dawnna Dukes is an outspoken supporter of the proposed Villa Muse entertainment studio and production studio. It turns out that support goes both ways.
Villa Muse founder and CEO Jay Podolnick has given $4,000 to Dukes in the last two years, including travel expenses for a film industry conference in Los Angeles.
The proposed site of the 1,100-acre Villa Muse project is in Dukes’ eastern Travis County district.
Dukes was also the author of a 2007 House bill that created an incentives program designed to bring more movie industry projects and jobs to Texas.
Last week Dukes sent a scathing letter to Austin Mayor Will Wynn and Council members Better Dunkerley, Lee Leffingwell and Jennifer Kim criticizing their vote to deny the developers’ requests to have the project site temporarily released from the city’s growth zone so that Villa Muse would not be subject to the city’s taxes and regulations for decades.
Developers has said the release was critical to locating here. It is unclear whether or not the developers will move forward in Central Texas.
Permalink | Comments (37) | Categories: Development
February 27, 2008
Villa Muse promoters hold town hall
The developers of an ambitious entertainment studio and production facility in eastern Travis County want you to help them make their project a reality.
One week before a critical city council vote that could make or break the project the developers are holding a town hall meeting tonight so that the public can meet the people behind the project, ask questions and “learn what they can do to help make Villa Muse a reality.”
The developers are no doubt hoping for a big turnout at next week’s city council meeting where a vote is expected on the developer’s request for the city to release the project’s 1,100-acre site from its regulatory oversight and tax obligations for decades.
The developers say the release is a make-or-break deal for Villa Muse. The 6 p.m. meeting will be held at the Austin Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Auditorium at 207 W. 18th St.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Development
February 14, 2008
Downtown plan gets expanded for rail
The city’s consultants charged with articulating a vision for the future of downtown are being asked by City Council to expand their boundaries when it comes to rail planning.
City Council members plan to ask ROMA Design Group and HR&A Advisors to study the costs of extending rail service to East Seventh Street and Pleasant Valley Road, Austin Bergstrom International Airport, Zilker Park and the Mueller Airport redevelopment. They also will look at possible routes and technology along with benefits and drawbacks of dedicated and non-dedicated lanes.
Council members will hear estimates on the cost of expanding this service on the Feb. 28 meeting and decide whether or not to move forward.
On March 6 the council will decide which issues listed in the first phase of the plan, including affordable housing and transit, it will try to tackle first with new policies and funding.
Permalink | | Categories: Development
See developments in 3D
At City Hall on Saturday morning, there will be a demonstration of a computer software program that gives a 3D visual of what development would look like in the immediate surroundings, says a staffer in the office of Council member Jennifer Kim, who will be giving opening remarks at the event.
The tool, “3D Data Model,” can be used in development and planning processes.
After the demonstration by city communication and technology staff, there will be breakout sessions, including opportunities for hand-on experience.
The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at 301 W. Second St.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Development
January 24, 2008
Looking for real life experiences with new building ordinance
The so-called McMansion Ordinance, which limits the size of single-family homes and duplexes in nearly 50 neighborhoods closest to downtown, is more than a year old.
The new rules were championed by neighborhood advocates who argued many newly built houses were blocking sunlight, destroying trees and marring their neighborhood’s character.
Have the new regulations accomplished what they set out to do? Have they resulted in significantly lower property values for small lots and houses as the homebuilding industry warned?
If you have been affected by the new rules as a homeowner, architect, builder or neighbor, we’d like to hear from you.
Please contact Growth and Development reporter Kate Miller Morton at kmorton@statesman.com.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Development
January 10, 2008
And the city manager finalists are...
The Austin City Council has named Jelynne Burley and Marc Ott the finalists for the Austin city manager’s job.
Burley is the deputy city manager in San Antonio (résumé); Ott is an assistant city manager in Fort Worth (résumé).
The city will hold a reception Tuesday night at which residents can meet the finalists, Mayor Will Wynn said. The time and place for that event have yet to be determined.
Burley and Ott edged out two Austin candidates — assistant city managers Laura Huffman and Rudy Garza — and three other external candidates: Venutra, Calif., City Manager Rick Cole; Savannah, Ga., City Manager Michael Brown; and Kansas City, Mo., City Manager Wayne Cauthen.
Permalink | Comments (21) | Categories: Development
November 5, 2007
Council puts the brakes on golf course resolution
Conspicuously absent from Thursday’s City Council agenda is a resolution opposing the redevelopment of Lions Municipal Golf Course by the University of Texas.
Council Member Jennifer Kim sent out a news release last week calling for Austin “to put a brake on any proposed development projects” at the Brackenridge tract. A task force has recommended redeveloping the tract to bring in more money for the university.
Kim said she would proffer a resolution at the Nov. 8 meeting to express the city’s opposition.
But Kim on Monday issued another release stating that she could not find support from the others on the dais to go forward with a resolution.
City Manager Toby Futrell has sent a letter to the university stating that Austin would like to buy the golf course and wants to be fully involved in the planning process.
“My colleagues feel that this is sufficient,” Kim said. “While it is still my preference to move forward with the resolution, I respect the opinions and wishes of my colleagues.”
Council Member Betty Dunkerley, who was named as a co-sponsor in last week’s news release, said Monday that she came to realize a formal resolution might hamper the city’s negotiations with the university. The city has notified the university of its position, and Dunkerley said she first wants to see how that process plays out.
The University of Texas Board of Regents will take public comment on the tract’s future Nov. 9.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Development
November 1, 2007
Judge hears Wal-Mart case
The opposing sides in a lawsuit over a Wal-Mart supercenter faced off in a courtroom today.
There weren’t many fireworks — a few audience members seemed to be in danger of dozing off — but state District Judge Margaret Cooper spiced things up a little with her combative questioning style.
Cooper didn’t rule today; she said she would sent the lawyers a letter with her order.
Lincoln Property Co. wants to redevelop Northcross Mall, which it owns, and lease space to Wal-Mart and other stores.
The Allandale Neighborhood Association filed suit against Lincoln and the City of Austin in July, arguing that the city should have held a public hearing and required Lincoln to get a special permit before approving a site plan for the store.
Allandale basically wants the judge to void the site plan, which could compel Lincoln to create a new design and the city to hold a public hearing under tougher new rules for proposed big-box stores.
Maura Phelan, Allandale’s lawyer, argued today that the plans for the Wal-Mart included a garden center, which usually triggers a public hearing under city rules. The city never held a hearing and denied neighbors a chance to object to the project, she said.
Casey Dobson, the city’s lawyer, said the city can approve garden centers as “accessory uses,” which don’t require holding a public hearing.
A trial is also scheduled for Nov. 13 on a lawsuit filed by Responsible Growth for Northcross, a group of North Austin residents fighting the proposed Wal-Mart.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Categories: Development
October 30, 2007
Trammell Crow to drop rezoning effort
Developer Trammell Crow Residential intends to withdraw its application to rezone the property at 8100 N. MoPac Blvd.
David Kobierowski, an area resident who opposed the zoning change, implied in a news release that the decision had something to do with an Oct. 23 Statesman article. But Brent Stewart of Trammell Crow Residential said the decision had nothing to do with the story and everything to do with the property being posted for foreclosure. Trammell Crow had been under contract to purchase the property, but terminated the contract on Oct. 24, Stewart said.
Concerned that current residents of the Northcastle Apartment Homes would lose their homes with reasonable rents, Kobierowski and others in the Balcones West area were against Trammell Crow’s plans to demolish the complex and build 362 new apartments with average rent of $1,500.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Development
October 25, 2007
Figuring out housing affordability
A group of about 100 people gathered this morning to talk about the vexing issue of how to create more affordable housing in Austin.
The two-hour summit was hosted by Council Member Jennifer Kim, who has mentioned affordable housing as one of the key issues in her re-election battle this spring.
But Kim made only brief comments at the beginning and end, and gave the stage to a few speakers and city Chief of Staff Kristen Vassallo, who led the group in a brainstorming exercise about the priorities for developing low-cost housing.
The group — comprised of a broad range of people, from housing advocates to developers to urban planners and health advocates — came up with a list of nearly 30 items. Asked to place sticky dots on issues they card about most, a few priorities emerged.
Topping the list was aggressively seeking housing tax credits to pay for low-cost housing, finding ways to include affordable housing in the transit-oriented developments that are being planned around town, and integrating special-needs housing into new housing developments.
Vassallo said the city will hold follow-up public meetings to flesh out the ideas.
She said the city is already writing a policy to try to preserve affordable units around town, and will also hire a firm early next year to do a comprehensive housing market study of the Austin area.
Permalink | | Categories: Development
October 18, 2007
Harry Whittington, an ally on alleys
Mary Ogden could not have hired a more fitting person to represent her in an alley-rights dispute than Harry Whittington.
Ogden owns 217 Congress Ave., site of the Copa Bar & Grill, so she’s wrapped up in the saga over whether a Marriott hotel complex will be built on that block and displace Las Manitas restaurant.
A 211 Congress Ave. landowner just got permission from Lidia and Cynthia Perez, Las Manitas’ owners, to build over part of an alley on the block, but the landowner needs Ogden’s blessing, too.
Ogden hired Whittington to work out an agreement. Whittington knows the legalese on alleys inside and out because he’s waged a decade-long battle with the City of Austin over whether it properly condemned an alley on a downtown block that Whittington owned to build a parking garage.
A judge recently ruled that the city had failed to condemn the 20-foot alley, and a jury ruled earlier this year that the city had illegally condemned the block.
The city will probably appeal, but Whittington — who is also known as the man Dick Cheney accidentally shot during a hunting trip a few years ago — has no plans to back down and settle the lawsuit.
Ogden’s alley issue won’t be as rancorous; Whittington said she’s willing to let the hotel developer use the alley. But if it does turn nasty, Whittington, 80, has plenty of experience fighting the city.
“People ask why I still go to the office and I just say it’s because I can. I enjoy it,” he said.
Permalink | | Categories: Development
October 11, 2007
Reed Hall gone but not forgotten
The former West Austin home of the late Austin environmentalist, philanthropist and arts patron Roberta Crenshaw was demolished last Friday, two weeks after it failed to win an historic designation at the Historic Landmark Commission and only hours after its owners were issued a demolition permit by the city.
The demolition horrified members of the West Austin Neighborhood Group who filed an appeal mid-day Friday.
Demolition was halted temporarily that afternoon, but the city concluded that the neighborhood group had no right to appeal because city code allows it only in cases where the structure in question already has an historic designation or is located in a national registry district.
The Tudor Revival home at 3200 Bowman near Exposition and Windsor belongs to Richard and Ann Smalling who successfully argued that mold and water damage inside the home was so extensive the house would have to be almost entirely rebuilt to save it, leaving nothing more than a replica of the original house that could not be seen from the road.
City officials supported the Smalling’s position, and supporters of giving the 1930s-era home an historic designation failed to win the supermajority required to move forward at the Historic Landmark Commission Sept. 24.
West Austin Neighborhood Group leader Blake Tollett said the neighborhood is waiting written documentation from the city explaining how the appeal was handled. It is also considering lobbying to change the supermajority rule to make it easier to take cases to the Planning Commission and City Council.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Development
October 10, 2007
Commission says no to Riverside highrises
The Planning Commission unanimously rejected a developer’s plans to build three, 200-foot high high-rises on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake late Tuesday night.
At issue was CWS Capital Partners’ request for a variance allowing it to build 150 feet from the shore, 50 feet closer than the city’s regulations allow. In exchange for the variance, the developer had offered to donate nearly 2 acres of waterfront parkland to the city and extend the hike-and-bike trail by nearly one-third of a mile. CWS can appeal the decision to the City Council.
If the variance request is ultimately denied, CWS plans to build two 17-story high-rises 200 feet from the shore, as the current rules allow, but also will remodel dozens of apartments that now sit as close as 20 feet to the shore and sell them as three-story townhomes. Those apartments can be renovated without a variance because they predate the 200-foot rule.
Under that scenario the developer would not donate park land and the hike-and-bike trail would not be extended.
CWS vice president Greg Miller told the commissioners his company’s plans weren’t set in stone and there was plenty of room for compromise. But he insisted that CWS must get something in return from the city if it agrees to pull back from the shore and not rebuild the units it is already allowed to without any variances.
“We wanted to provide a choice,” Miller said. “While there is a plan that we have presented that we believe is a benefit for the public and for the owner, we are willing to talk about many different alternatives. We will continue to be interested in talking about all the possibilities, and we’re willing to listen about ideas and different ways that you can conclude a benefit not only for the owner but also a considerable benefit for the public.”
CWS’ plans were strongly opposed by Save Town Lake, a nonprofit group formed last year to oppose the granting of any variances that would allow developers to build closer to the shore than city regulations now permit.
Members of the group showed up in force Tuesday and spoke at length about why the commissioners shouldn’t grant the variance.
The commissioners ultimately agreed, but several referred to the vote as a lose-lose situation acknowledging that the city could end up with buildings closer to the shore than the developer’s current plan and no extension of the hike-and-bike trail.
Permalink | Comments (29) | Categories: Development
October 3, 2007
Showdown at the Planning Commission over Riverside highrises
The Austin Planning Commission will hear CWS Capital Partners LLC’s proposal for a controversial Riverside high-rise project on Oct. 9 at what promises to be a well-attended meeting with plenty of fireworks.
CWS is proposing to build three 17-story condominium and apartment buildings at 222 and 300 E. Riverside Drive on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake.
The developer is asking the city for several variances including one that would allow it to build within 150 feet of Lady Bird Lake, 50 feet closer than the city’s regulations allow.
If its request is denied, CWS says it will build two 17-story high-rises 200 feet from the shore, as the current rules allow, but will also remodel dozens of the apartments that sit as close as 20 feet to the water and sell them as three-story townhomes. Those apartments can be renovated without a variance because they predate the 200-foot rule.
CWS has said it also will withdraw its offers to donate nearly 2 acres of the property for parkland and to extend the hike-and-bike trail by nearly one-third of a mile, which would help close the gap in the trail that forces people onto sidewalks along Riverside.
CWS’ plans have spurred stiff opposition from Save Town Lake, a nonprofit organization formed last year to oppose the granting of any variances that would allow developers to build closer to the water’s edge than city rules allow.
More than 70 people attended a hearing at the Parks and Recreation Board in late August. The board voted 5-4 against the developer’s variance request.
CWS’ proposal has won the backing of the nonprofit Town Lake Trail Foundation, and it is trying to rally further support through a petition drive both on the trail and online.
The Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers in City Hall.
Permalink | | Categories: Development
Neighborhood and housing advocates to meet
Neighborhood representatives and housing advocates will meet on Saturday afternoon to discuss the effects of development on neighborhoods and its residents.
The free event will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Mitchie’s Gallery in the Lincoln Village Shopping Center at the corner of Interstate 35 North and U.S. 290 West.
The goal of the event is to elevate the conversation on affordable housing, said organizer David Kobierowski, who lives in the West Balcones area and founded Austin Housing Pinch, an educational campaign. Organizers also hope to raise awareness about displacement resulting from new development, Kobierowski said.
Speakers include representatives from Habitat for Humanity, People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), Texas Low Income Housing Information Service and the University of Texas School of Law. After the speakers, neighborhood issues and concerns, such as planned developments in various neighborhoods and working with the city on zoning and planning matters, will be discussed.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Development
October 2, 2007
Austin Energy and Trammell Crow swapping land
When Austin leaders speak enthusiastically about the wave of new development anticipated around commuter rail stations, power substations aren’t exactly what they have in mind.
So acting on orders from the City Council to reconsider its plans to build a new substation near the Crestview rail stop, Austin Energy has agreed to swap developer Trammell Crow Co. 5.6 acres on Ryan Drive for 2 acres Crow owns on Lamar Boulevard. The transaction must be approved by City Council.
The swap has spurred opposition from some nearby neighbors who don’t believe the city is getting a fair deal since the city is giving up more than twice as much land as it is getting.
But a private appraisal done for Austin Energy places a higher value on the smaller tract, according to Cheryl Mele, Austin Energy senior vice president of electric service delivery.
Mele said the 2.06 acres in the 7520 to 7530 block of North Lamar Boulevard was appraised for $1.4 million, while the 5.6 acres Austin Energy will be giving up at 6909 Ryan is valued at $1.34 million.
The difference is attributed to access. The Lamar site has commercial frontage on a major thoroughfare, while the Ryan property has limited access to a side street. The Ryan tract is near the future Crestview train station, but is on the opposition side of the rail road tracks and there are no plans to connect the two sides with a bridge any time soon.
Mele said the new substation needs to be in the same general area so that it can take pressure off the 1940s-era Koenig substation that is showing signs of age. Building on the Crow tract will greatly reduce the amount of transmission lines that the utility must build, she said.
Trammell Crow Senior Vice President Eric DeJernett said the company eventually plans to bring the new site into its 72-acre Crestview Station mixed-use development at Lamar and Airport boulevards, but it is not yet sure what will be built there.
Crow is partnering with Stratus Properties to build 450 single family houses, 880 multifamily units and more than 60,000 square feet of commercial space on the former site of Huntsman Labs.
Permalink | | Categories: Development
September 24, 2007
Petition drive's start bumped until Thursday
Those people itching to sign the Stop Domain Subsidies petition to change Austin’s charter will have to wait a couple more days.
Organizers of the petition drive said two weeks ago that the name-gathering would begin Tuesday, Sept. 25, but have now bumped the start date to Thursday to allow some more input on the petition language. A kickoff event is planned for Thursday at the Cedar Door at 201 Brazos St. More details to come.
The coalition of small local businesses opposing the tax incentives given to the Domain shopping center in North Austin need to gather 18,000 to 20,000 signatures from registered voters in the city to qualify the amendment for the May 2008 ballot. The amendment would prohibit the city from granting future tax incentives to retail projects and prevent the payout to the Domain.
Permalink | | Categories: City Charter, Development
