This meeting will be held at Matthews Elementary School in the Cafeteria at 7pm.
Meeting Agenda
Austin’s City Council is considering changes to the City’s Vertical Mixed Use Ordinance, which would allow for increased height in exchange for more affordable housing. Details on this proposal are in the agenda backup for the April 21, 2022 City Council hearing. OWANA will keep you posted on developments on this proposal, as it may have major impacts for the residences adjacent to corridors such as 6th Street and Lamar.
OWANA recently sent a letter to our District 9 Councilperson, Kathie Tovo, expressing support for increasing affordable housing opportunities in the neighborhood while also maintaining compatibility standards for developments along major corridors near residences.
You may have heard (and if you haven’t, you’re in the right place!), the City Council has initiated zoning cases on properties in our neighborhood currently owned by the The University of Texas. This property includes the land occupied by the Gateway Apartment and the Open Door Preschool.
There is not a request for specific zoning from UT, nor is there a recommendation from the City staff on any proposed zoning districts at this time.
The City of Austin will be holding a public meeting to receive your input and ideas on any potential future development of the property.
Some neighborhood residents have met to discuss the potential rezoning, and their thoughts are summarized in this document.
The public (and virtual) meeting about the site will be held on Monday, June 21, 2021 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Details are below. If you would like to be included on the email list for notification for future meetings, email the Case Manager with the City of Austin, Wendy Rhoades, at Wendy.Rhoades@austintexas.gov.
Please be advised that due to the anticipated large number of meeting participants, those wishing to speak will be given 1 minute of speaking time. If you would prefer to provide written input, you can submit it to Speak Up Austin and/or email Wendy Rhoades.
The steering committee along with members from the Zoning have drafted a letter with some concerns around the new Land Development Code. Here it is.
The OWANA Steering Committee wrote a letter expressing their strong support for Item 98, changing voting requirements at the Historic Landmark Commission from a two-thirds super majority to a simple majority.
The City Council will hear Item 98 at the September 28 meeting. If you have the time, please consider attending the meeting at City Hall and signing up to show your support or testify in favor of Item 98.
The OWANA Steering Committee has drafted a statement on the current CodeNext draft that outlines some of the current concerns with the proposal and offers some recommendations for changes in the next draft.
Read the Steering Committee Statement on Draft CodeNext [pdf].
A fourplex in Old West Austin is likely to be demolished despite a push by Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo to save it in the name of historic preservation.
A resolution put forward by Tovo to initiate historic zoning on the property at 1618 Palma Plaza failed, 3-8, with only City Council members Ora Houston and Leslie Pool joining Tovo to protect the building from being razed and replaced with a different development.
Tovo originally had the backing of the Old West Austin Neighborhood Association in her attempt to preserve the building. However, after Council postponed action on the resolution the previous week, the neighborhood group struck a deal with the company planning to develop the property, by which it would drop its opposition to the demolition in exchange for a financial contribution from the developer to help finance two area parks projects.
Read the rest of the article on Austin Monitor.