Austin City Council began its meeting around 10:15 a.m. May 14 with 31 items on the zoning-intensive agenda.

Approved items:

  • The milkweed plant will now be added to the city's landscape portfolio to encourage planting that species, which in turn will likely raise the population numbers of the monarch butterfly.
  • Council passed an Impervious Cover Transfer Agreement with Roy Cavanaugh, owner of Ace Auto Glass and a salvage yard at the same location at 6308 Spicewood Springs Road. The ordinance was amended to prevent construction of an access road to the site from Yaupon Road.
  • Property at 8060 W. Hwy. 290 was rezoned from limited office-neighborhood plan to neighborhood commercial-mixed use-neighborhood plan.
  • Property at 3714 Manchaca Road was rezoned from multifamily residence-moderate-high density to limited office-mixed use.
  • Property at 6000 Mountain Shadows Drive was rezoned to allow the construction of Monarch Suzuki Academy, a music school.

Postponed items:

  • Council postponed until May 21 an appeal to prevent the construction of a hotel called Red Bluff Hotel, which would include a restaurant, near the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and Cesar Chavez Street. If council votes to deny the appeal on May 21, construction will move forward as planned.
  • Consideration of rezoning Radio Coffee and Bar at 4102 Manchaca Road to allow construction of a restaurant on the northern area of the property was postponed until June 11.
  • Consideration of rezoning 5610 and 5804 Wier Hills Road to a townhome and condominium zoning was postponed until June 11. If passed, the item would allow construction of Cottages of Lantana.

Denied or failed items:

  • A request to rezone Korean United Methodist Church at 2000 Justin Lane so the property could be used for office space and a three-story parking garage was not acted upon by council and therefore fails.