The Mayor and at least some members of the Austin City Council are talking about bringing back the proposed Land Development Code (LDC) rewrite and working on parts of it on which they can agree. That would be while waiting for an appeals court ruling on the lawsuit...
The Stonegate Neighborhood Association in East Austin agreed to a compromise with developers on the Heflin Lane zoning case reported on earlier in the Independent. Under the compromise more units will be built on the property than the neighborhood would prefer (the...
We’re going to begin December by tying up some loose ends here at the Independent, specifically with some updates on zoning and land use cases we’ve reported on before, but until now we have not followed up with the results. Call it one of the challenges of a small...
In election contests between a Democrat and a Republican it is usually a given that the Democrat has the stronger social justice position. It is very arguable, however, which candidate in the District 6 City Council runoff occupies the social justice high ground when...
by Daryl Slusher A new flashpoint has arisen in the ongoing saga of the Austin City Council majority remaking East Austin in the name of racial and social justice while long time residents push back that the Council policies themselves are aggravating racial...
by Daryl Slusher One of the paradoxes of current day Austin governance will be on vivid display at this Thursday’s virtual City Council meeting. That is that even as the Council crusades for racial and social justice — for example slashing the police department...
by Daryl Slusher Over the last few years anyone paying attention to discussions at the City Council and Planning Commission has heard a lot about taking racial equity into account in land use cases. That standard, however, seems to apply only when it benefits the...
by Daryl Slusher Since the proposed new Land Development Code (LDC) and accompanying citywide rezonings were driven back from the proverbial five yard line in March and April, the fierce debate over that issue has been in something of a lull. A coalition of primarily...
by Daryl Slusher Austin’s Land Development Code (LDC) rewrite recently made an appearance on the Austin City Council agenda. This was at their April 9 online, socially distanced meeting. The meeting was otherwise dominated by coronavirus briefings and...
by Daryl Slusher Nine Vote Super Majority Now Required To UpZone Homes Against Owner’s Wishes First and Second Reading Council Votes Quashed Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer this afternoon ruled for the plaintiffs, and against the City of Austin, in a lawsuit...
