Government
BY GRACE DICKENS & BEN THOMPSON
The Village at Spanish Oaks changes approved Bee Cave City Council approved a number of changes to The Village at Spanish Oaks mixed-use development at its Feb. 24 meeting. Although the max building area for the 18-acre site is unchanged at 1.96 million square feet, the amendments do alter how many senior living, multifamily and hotel units are permitted. The changes also adjust roadway plans to include a roundabout and left-hand turn lanes, according to city documents. “I think the changes are improvements over the previous plan,” Mayor Kara King said at the meeting. The details Approved changes include: • Increasing the total number of multifamily units from 250 to 310 • 50 fewer senior living units, equaling 225 total • Adding 40,000 square feet to the hotel plot and 20 more hotel keys, or units • Various square footage changes for plots within the development Council members also approved changes to traffic
Austin OKs increased loud vehicle penalties City Council approved an ordinance Feb. 26 to combat excessively loud vehicles that residents and law enforcement say have become a growing nuisance on city streets, particularly in West Austin. “Loud cars and motorcycles have been a citywide problem for years, with an increas- ing number of complaints along the [RM] 2222, [Loop] 360, and Mopac corridors,” council member Marc Duchen wrote in his Feb. 27 newsletter. “The initiative targets only those vehicles that are significantly louder than others.” What happened Austin police will now be able to cite motorists whose cars or motorcycles are unreasonably loud after an initial warning is issued. The increased enforcement applies to vehicle noise that’s 85 decibels or louder and that’s being made “intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence.” Vio- lations are Class C misdemeanors punishable with fines up to $500.
The Village at Spanish Oaks
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SOURCE: CITY OF BEE CAVE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
plans within the development, with traffic patterns feeding through a roundabout in the amendment. In addition to the roundabout, Creveling said the project will include two dedicated left-hand turn lanes to address concerns about mobility in the area. A protected left-hand turn could be online as early as December or January, Creveling said. Multiple residents spoke in support of a protected left-hand turn at the Spanish Oaks entrance, as residents only have one way in and out of the neighborhood. What’s next? The project will undergo a new traffic impact analysis to determine the traffic impact of the new parcel plans, and the development will need to be replatted and considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Lakeway to allow full color building signs Lakeway residents may notice more pops of color around the city following the approval of a new sign ordinance in February. The specifics The ordinance changes were initially proposed by Lakeway’s Economic Development Committee. “What we’re trying to do is increase visibility of these businesses so they can be seen by potential customers,” EDC Chair Larry Harlan said. The measure was adopted by Lakeway City Council in a 5-2 decision Feb. 17, with Mayor Tom Kilgore and council member Kent O’Brien opposed to the final version of the ordinance. Like other cities in the Lake Travis-Westlake area, Lakeway’s prior sign ordinance rules only allowed business signs to be built in earth-tone colors. Although initially larger in scope, the approved ordinance changes include full color
New wildfire tool adopted locally
The changes
Approvals: code officials will now approve new signs and monument signs if they are code-compliant; commission approval for variances or at code official direction Commercial real estate signs: maximum size increased from 12 square feet to 24 square feet in earth-tone colors on property with frontage on RM 620/Hwy. 71 Building signs: full-color signs with a logo up to 24 square feet for all commercially zoned locations
A new artificial intelligence-driven tool adopted by four Central Texas fire depart- ments could improve how officials prepare for and respond to wildfire threats. Diving in deeper Known as the Mitigate platform, the new tool has been adopted by Lake Travis Fire Rescue, Pflugerville Fire Department, Westlake Fire Department and Travis County Fire Rescue. Mitigate combines data on vegetation, weather and topography to simulate how wildfire could spread, according to a news release. “We can estimate how quickly a fire might compromise evacuation routes, how wide the fire front could become,” said Bobby Abbott, Lake Travis Fire Rescue fire chief.
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SOURCE: CITY OF LAKEWAY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
signs with a logo for all commercially zoned locations and bigger commercial real estate signs. Kilgore voted in opposition to the amended ordinance, saying the amendment proposed by council member Kelly Brynteson rejects the original vision of the EDC. “I think people are cautiously trying to stag- ger-step this in, and we hope the steps we are doing is positive for our smaller businesses,” Brynteson said.
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