City Council OKs zoning change, new road
Austin • City Council approved on second reading a rezoning of land at 1601 Cedar Bend Drive on Nov. 12.
The vote would allow developer MMK Ventures to build a 118-unit townhome complex but require construction of a new road between Old Cedar Lane and Cedar Bend Drive.
Council voted 7-4 on the item, which likely will come back for a third reading Dec. 10. The city had recommended road access to vehicles, but council’s Nov. 12 vote would prohibit vehicular access on the new road and only allow bicyclists, pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
Another segment of road is already planned to connect Cedar Bend to Scofield Farms Drive, said Angela Piñeyro De Hoyos, president of the River Oaks Neighborhood Association and member of the city’s Planning Commission.
Crash gates would be installed as part of construction for the limited-access road. Gates would be removed when the city builds bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, streetlights and sidewalks.
Both the developer and the River Oaks Neighborhood Association support the rezoning and restricting road access, De Hoyos said. If vehicles were allowed access, she said commuters from Parmer Lane would use it as a connection.
The site of the complex and proposed road are north of Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park. District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool voted in favor of the zoning change and limited road access. De Hoyos said the townhome complex would also be near River Oaks Elementary School in Pflugerville ISD.
“We’ve had great support from the community and neighborhoods all around [the site] and PfISD to make sure it’s a transportation change made safely for the school,” she said.
TravCo courts bond rejected by voters
Travis County • In a tight race, Travis County voters denied a proposal Nov. 3 for $287.3 million in bond funds to build a new civil and family courts complex in downtown Austin.
Voting results showed 50.72 percent of voters opposed the courthouse proposal, with 37,130 votes counted, according to official results.
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said Nov. 4 the county’s Commissioners Court will review all options to figure out the “next best option” from a financial and timing perspective.
“It was a tough loss,” she said. “It was a close race, but we lost. Now we must regroup and figure out how to provide this justice another way. ... We need to move swiftly because we are in dire need of additional space.”
City Council lessens restrictions on ADUs
Austin • City Council agreed to lessen restrictions on accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, after about three hours of debate at its Nov. 19 meeting.
ADUs have also been called granny flats and garage apartments.
Changes approved by council allow ADUs to be located 10 feet from each property’s main home instead of 15 feet as required previously. The minimum lot size required to build an ADU was reduced from 7,000 square feet to 5,740 square feet, and the structure cannot be larger than 1,100 square feet.
Driveways are also no longer required and neither is parking as long as the property is located no more than 0.25 miles from an activity corridor with bus or transit routes.City Council highlights
City Council highlights
• Nov. 19: Council approved a partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute to conduct a multiyear Mobility Transformation Program.
• Nov. 19: Council approved more public safety funding for 10 days in March for the annual South by Southwest Music and Media Conference and related events.
• Nov. 16: The City Council Mobility Committee approved sending staffers’ recommended changes to the transportation network companies ordinance to the full council likely in December.
• Nov. 12: New licenses for Type 2 short-term rentals, or STRs, which are not owner-occupied, will be banned until March 2017 after council approval. Twenty Type 2 STR license applications were under review prior to the Nov. 12 ban, but not new licenses will be considered. A public hearing before March 2, 2017, to review the effect the moratorium had.
