Austin FC plans to break ground on its new soccer stadium in North Austin this fall, but before the club can officially begin construction, it must move through a few more steps in the process. On June 6, the future Major League Soccer club cleared one of those hurdles, receiving a zoning variance from the city of Austin that will allow plans to move forward on the 22,000-seat stadium planned near the intersection of Burnet Road and Braker Lane, along with associated projects like parking facilities, infrastructure improvements and an affordable housing complex. Council members approved the zoning changes by a unanimous 10-0 vote, with District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison off the dais. City residents Francoise Luca and Susan Spataro spoke in opposition to the zoning variance on June 6. Luca urged council to postpone the vote on zoning because of “questions about the infrastructure around this project.” Richard Suttle, who represented the club at the June 6 meeting, said the next phase of the development will be a site plan and site development permit. That site plan, Suttle said, will be tied to researching traffic impacts in the area and the club’s plan for managing events. District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool, who represents the area where the stadium will be built, said she hopes Austin FC representatives and neighborhood residents can continue working together to make the project successful. Representatives from the team met with neighborhood residents ahead of the council meeting to share details of the stadium plan. “It’s a multifaceted project and what we have before us today is just one step along the way to what I hope will be a boon for this city, the surrounding residents and the Domain area,” Pool said. On June 10, the club released additional renderings for the stadium, showing some areas of the stadium that had never previously been seen. The renderings included premium club seats and suites, as well as a supporters bar adjacent to the designated supporters section of the stadium.