A commercial zoning request is set to proceed to Leander City Council on March 7 despite announced intentions by H-E-B to no longer develop a store near the southwest intersection of FM 2243 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
Leander's Planning and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning Nov. 8 despite multiple pleas from residents of the nearby Ridgmar Landing subdivision. That approval allows the applicants, the Beasley Tract and Williamson County, to still proceed with the request for a general commercial zoning designation.
The request was originally scheduled to go before City Council on Dec. 6 and again on Jan. 17 but was postponed at H-E-B's request. H-E-B sent a letter to Ridgmar Landing residents dated Jan. 16 stating they no longer were interested in developing the corner lot. The case was most recently postponed Feb. 7 so it could be properly advertised to the public.
Joe Lanane’s career is rooted in community journalism, having worked for a variety of Midwest-area publications before landing south of the Mason-Dixon line in 2011 as the Stillwater News-Press news editor. He arrived at Community Impact Newspaper in 2012, gaining experience as editor of the company’s second-oldest publication in Leander/Cedar Park. He eventually became Central Austin editor, covering City Hall and the urban core of the city.
Lanane leveraged that experience to become Austin managing editor in 2016. He managed eight Central Texas editions from Georgetown to San Marcos. Working from company headquarters, Lanane also became heavily involved in enacting corporate-wide editorial improvements. In 2017, Lanane was promoted to executive editor, overseeing editorial operations throughout the company. The Illinois native received his bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University and his journalism master’s degree from Ball State University.
