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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2008 > June > 19
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Update: City Council postpone actions on Zach zoning change
With a packed agenda on its hands, the Austin City Council last night postponed action on a proposed zoning ordinance change that would permit Zachary Scott Theatre to exceed current height limitations when they build a new theater at their West Riverside Dr. and S. Lamar Blvd. site.
Although the council had originally indicated it would discuss the item at 6 p.m, it was until 9:40 p.m. that any discussion began. Action will now by taken on the proposed zoning change at the July 24 council meeting.
As they planned their new 500-seat theater, Zach project managers alerted city staff that the stage house for the new venue would exceed the 60-foot zoning district height limit. Working with city staff, the project managers crafted a detail request to amend the zoning restrictions so that theater could build stage houses that would exceed zoning height limits by 33 percent. The new Zach theater needs a stage house between 75 and 80 feet tall.
But the neighbors squealed. Specifically, the Zilker Neighborhood Association and its president Jeff Jack, objected to the proposed amendment. Though the nearby Barton Place condo project going up on Barton Springs Road is slated to by 75 feet tall, apparently neighbors didn’t want Zach to be able to do the same.
Zach leaders are now working with Jack and the neighborhood association to re-word the request for the zoning amendment per Jack’s demand that the language of the amendment be restricted to Zach and “not be transferrable” to future theater building projects or set any kind of precedent for zoning amendments for future theater building projects.
Of course, there’s no saying what such a restrictive zoning ordinance might mean when, say, the Long Center begins working on its third planned theater.
Read the city background materials here
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