Linda Anthony

"The reason I got involved [in city politics again] was because I realized I didn't know many people who were still involved," Anthony said. "Things have changed since the [first time] I was on ZAPCO, and I wasn't too keen on what I had seen."

What are some of the changes you would like to see in West Lake Hills?

"[In the past], variances were few and far between. In fact, a number of the projects that come through [now] would not even make it to [council in the past] because they would require too many variances. People knew that if you were coming in to ask for a lot of variances, your chances were slim and none.

"The pendulum swings back and forth. I think at one point it may have gotten too restrictive. Somehow the flood gates were opened."

Anthony said that residential variances were granted for any project, even if it did not adhere to the West Lake Hills master plan.

"I think there is now more of a feeling that we need to be a little more careful. We need to go a little more slowly in what we say because there is a lot less developable space in West Lake Hills. What do we want our city to be? We call ourselves a rural village or we call ourselves a forest community, but what you see going in doesn't look like that. I think there is a real awareness that maybe it is time to pull the reins in."

Anthony said she thinks it might be time for the council to look at zoning codes and be more restrictive with what is allowed to be built.

What are your feelings toward the Dark Skies initiative?

"I am on the lighting subcommittee, and it was something I was interested in during my time on ZAPCO. As we got Belmont Village [Senior Living], we had residents ask for Dark Skies, and as other subdivisions come in we have residents interested in Dark Skies.

"When I first moved here, you couldn't see another house from my house, and gradually things get built. You eventually become aware of encroachment, for lack of a better word. You see lights, you hear noise. As the community fills out and grows, [the city] loses its natural feel."

Anthony said she has very strong feelings about lighting in the city.

"I don't like it. I don't think there is a need to illuminate your home. Some of this decorative monumental lighting has gone too far."

Anthony said she would like to eventually see the city require a lighting plan similar to plans required when building physical structures.

"We have a list of what we want and what we don't want. Unless we have a site plan that shows what you are putting, where it is going and how bright it is going to be, how do we know what was approved and what wasn't?"

Bee Caves Road changes

"There is something coming down the pike, and it's an exciting concept," said Linda Anthony, West Lake Hills city councilwoman. "What do we want Bee Caves [Road] to look like? What do we envision? It is the gateway. The bridge between Austin, Lakeway and Bee Cave. Right now it's a hodgepodge of shopping centers, single commercial sites, a few churches and duplexes."

Anthony said there are possibilities to make the roadway a more attractive and inviting strip for businesses and to make the area a destination for residents.

"We can do things to cluster and group things," she said. "We can do things with shared parking [and] with pervious pavings to help loosen some restrictions we have on commercial development. There is no reason it couldn't be an attractive, thriving part of West Lake Hills."

Anthony said the beautification of Bee Caves Road is something the entire council supports.

"[The council is discussing] what we can do to entice businesses we want [to come and] to enhance that development. [We want] to make it more physically attractive and make it more commercially viable," she said. "So many of those businesses are on little teeny lots, and when you put restrictions on those you are constrained to a very small site. There are things we can do to loosen that.

"If we make [Bee Caves Road] more attractive, it will do [good] things for our tax rolls," she said. "It needs to be looked at creatively."

West Lake Hills Mayor Dave Claunch said the plan to beautify the road is just conceptual, and council is only exploring what the roadway could look like.