Photo courtesy City of Austin The 2011–12 Austin City Council (from left): Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, Councilman Bill Spelman, Councilwoman Laura Morrison, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Councilwoman Kathie Tovo, and Councilmen Chris Riley and Mike Martinez.
Consent agenda highlights (items approved without discussion)
Posted 10:30 a.m.
- Seven "yes" votes will be required for the 10-1 council to approve an item on final reading. The 10-1 council will also officially start their terms Jan. 6 instead of Dec. 16.
- Amendments to city code will be drafted and brought back to council to require a permit for outdoor music events with amplified sound occurring on city parkland.
- The city will begin exploring how to implement civic crowdfunding for projects and will establish a pilot program to test the approach.
- A public hearing for changes to the Austin Bicycle Plan has been set for Nov. 6.
Waller Creek Tunnel Project continues to move forward
(11:05 a.m.)
Council has authorized negotiations and execution of an agreement with a contracting group for construction of the Waller Creek Tunnel Project.
Oscar Renda Contracting and the city will now enter talks, with the city not willing to spend more than $5.5 million on the project.
The project is a 5,600-foot-long tunnel built underground to divert floodwaters from the creek. It is part of a larger project of the Waller Creek Conservancy called the Waller Creek Redevelopment Project.
Vote: 6 "yes", 0 "no" with Mayor Lee Leffingwell not present
Golf course negotiations to continue
(1:45 p.m.)
Council decided to continue finalizing negotiations that may allow a golf course to be developed at Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park, but no deal can be executed until council reviews the final agreement.
The PGA-quality course would be on 735 acres of parkland, and the owner intends to host tournaments in the future.
Due to the postponement of final passage, there will most likely be another opportunity for the public to voice opinions before the agreement is approved by City Council.
Much support was voiced for the project during the Oct. 23 meeting. Members of the public said the development would break the cycle of East Austin being a "dump" for projects that do not provide an economic boost for the surrounding neighborhoods.
Vote: 6 "yes", 0 "no" with Mayor Lee Leffingwell not present
St. Elmo's Market and Lofts project slowed by City Council
What seemed to be a popular South Austin development caused controversy at the Oct. 23 Austin City Council meeting.
The council voted to approve only on first reading rezoning regulations that potentially allow the construction of St. Elmo's Market and Lofts along South Congress Avenue south of Ben White Boulevard, including properties at 4323 S. Congress St., 113 Industrial Blvd. and the 4300 block of Willow Springs Road. The development would be about 9.5 acres in size and include retail, residential space, hotel space and a parking garage.
Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole proposed additional readings before council makes such a "landmark" decision, she said. Mayor Lee Leffingwell was not present at the meeting.
City staff recommended that City Council not approve the zoning changes that would allow the plan to move forward, while the Planning Commission gave the proposal a green light. City staff it did not support the project because the proposed property is not compatible with existing industrial uses in the area, such as businesses that might cause noise for future residents of the development.
About 15 community members were present during the meeting Oct. 23 holding bright orange signs encouraging City Council to vote "no" and prevent the development.
Vote: 4 "yes," 2 "no" with Councilwoman Laura Morrison and Councilwoman Kathie Tovo voting "no."
Decision on land development code rewrite direction delayed
The city's Planning and Development department will have to wait until Nov. 6 to receive a direction on how to go about rewriting the land development coe.
City Council heard from members of the public and stakeholders Oct. 23 on the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to rewriting the land code.
While council has heard the recommendation of a "deep clean" approach, a deep look at the current code to clean up language and redundancies, support for a "complete makeover" has become louder over the last two days. The "complete makeover" would wipe away all currently existing code and start from scratch.
Their decision was delayed due to encouragement from Mayor Pro Tem Cole who said they should allow Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who was not present at the meeting, a voice in the decision.
