Following concerns from some stakeholders, Austin City Council postponed a vote in January on the regulating plan for the East Riverside Corridor until March.
City staff and an owner of property on East Riverside Drive said that more issues have been raised— concerns about waste management, remodels and what would happen if a rail line does not come through for a long time—in addition to the longstanding concern about banning commercial drive-thrus.
"The general consensus was that as the information became more well-known to the property owners on East Riverside, that there seemed to be more issues than I was certainly aware of," East Riverside Drive property owner Cis Myers said. "We're just trying to work through those, meet [council's] goals and come up with a win-win situation."
Given the year-and-a-half-long planning process and November public hearing, Councilwoman Kathie Tovo said there has been ample time for any stakeholders to raise concerns. City Council originally considered postponing the vote until April before moving it to March 7.
The proposed East Riverside Corridor regulating plan looks to increase the number of transportation and housing options, create more neighborhood open space, and improve the streets and infrastructure for the 3.5-mile corridor between Hwy. 71 and I-35.