The possibility of an ordinance regulating barbecue smoke emissions from Austin restaurants has failed—for now.
District 3 Council Member Pio Renteria said he proposed the regulations after hearing from community members who were concerned about their health and quality of life because of expore to hours of wood-burning smoke emissions near their homes seven days a week.
“I brought this basically to say, ‘Hey, we need for the businesses and the neighbors to get together and find a solution to this problem.’ Because as we have seen here recently with all the lawsuits that came on. … We were trying to come to a solution so it didn’t have to get to that point,” Renteria said.
Residents of the Bouldin Creek neighborhood filed a lawsuit against Terry Black’s Barbecue on Barton Springs Road for what residents claim to be excessive smoke emissions. Complaints about Terry Black’s and La Barbecue on East Cesar Chavez Street spurred Renteria to create the proposed new regulations.
The new regulations have since been denied twice by City Council committees, most recently Aug. 3. Renteria said he will continue to look for ways to solve the issue. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo of District 9 said residents have told her when they contact 311 with smoke emission complaints, the call center cannot help because no city law is in place.