 In this Issue:
Protect Lady Bird Lake and the East Riverside CorridorThe Austin City Council holds their first regular meeting this Thursday, January 22nd. Just a quick look tells us we have the same city council hell bent on developer deregulation, no matter the harm to Lady Bird Lake, coherent city planning required by city ordinances, or the beauty and quality of life of our city. If you have time, please sign up to speak here and show up at City Hall Thursday at 10 a.m. Let the City Council know you are watching and won't take it lying down. Item 56 on the agenda, the City Council proposes to remove 2.6 acres of Lady Bird Lake shoreline property at 1404 East Riverside Drive from the East Riverside Corridor Plan. The draft City Council resolution proposing to remove this tract from the community-developed Corridor Plan makes the "up is down" argument that removing this tract from the Corridor Plan "will allow for more cohesive development regulations." It further explains the developer wants to create a Planned Unit Development "PUD" on the property. Removing the property from the Corridor Plan and allowing a PUD has the exact opposite purpose: get rid of "cohesive development regulations" and let the developer do what it wants. A Corridor Plan provides consistent standards, standards the developer wants to dodge in ways that are not explained at all. Further, the whole point of a PUD is to, in effect, throw all of the City's development regulations in the trash can and simply write your own, single-site standards. City Code actually says site specific "PUD" zoning should be limited to tracts 10 acres or larger. They regularly ignore this basic standard as proposed here. Up is down; night is day; bad is good. But, hey, they "got the message" and "respect the voters." We ask, how much of the Lake Overlay Ordinance, in place since the 1980s to protect the lake and increase public lakefront park land but torn up for the Statesman PUD and Endeavor's rezoning of the Cidercade property, will be thrown out this time? We won't know until after they tear up the Corridor Plan for this plan-free, special deal lake front property.  Protect Austin from Commercial Sign and Billboard BlightAlso, this Thursday, the City Council is proposing to dramatically deregulate digital signs and billboards. These are Items 64 and 86 on the agenda linked above. SOS joins with Community Not Commodity to urge citizens to speak up and tell the council to slow down. Much of this information is provided by CNC. We haven't had time to decipher all of the proposed changes, but many of the proposed changes will translate into an uglier city, with lots more "for sale" signs. It includes illuminated commercial signs in public rights of way, at bus stops, on residential streets, and at bike share kiosks. There are 2500 bus stops in CAP METRO’s area. In addition, Council is proposing to remove existing limits on relocating billboards that are threatened by condemnation due to “transportation improvements along core transit corridors and future core transit corridors.” Among the restrictions being eliminated is the rule that prohibits moving a billboard to a location within 500 feet of a residential dwelling unit. At the January 13 Planning Commission Meeting, Planning Commission Chair Alice Woods described the digital sign proposal as a “seismic change to what is allowed in our city in terms of digital advertising.” Another commissioner warned that adopting such a “massive” change could make it “difficult to put the rabbit back in the hat.” No wonder they are trying to rush it through before anyone knows what is going on.  Trial Set in Lawsuit to Validate Convention Center Petition This coming Monday, January 26, at 9:00 a.m. SOS staff attorneys will be representing Austin United PAC in its lawsuit against the City of Austin for failing to certify the "Save the Soul of Austin" citizen petition that would give Austin voters the right to delay the City's $5.6 billion convention center project at a May 2026 election. The case has been assigned to the Honorable Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum, 200th District Court, on the 9th floor of the Travis County Civil Courthouse at 1700 Guadalupe St. The trial is open to the public and is set for two days. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Please dress appropriately and respect court decorum. There are screens near the elevators that identify the case (D-1-GN-25-010865) and will list the court room. If you aren't aware of the importance of this issue, please watch the Austin Free Press 19 minute documentary, The Magic Hole, here. Note: Because it will be a jury week, parking around the facility may be challenging. There is street parking and a parking garage across 17th Street. As always, we are grateful to the engaged citizens who continue to show up, speak out, and hold City Hall accountable. Your steadfast commitment to Central Texas, to the springs, culture, and protected wild spaces that define this region, remains our strongest defense against backroom deals and deregulation disguised as progress.
In Solidarity, SOS Alliance Comments are closed.
|
Archives
February 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed
Save Our Springs Alliance
|
Quick Links |
SOS is a 501 c3 non profit and your donation is tax deductible