Austin’s Town Lake development activity raises ire of protestors

A Tuesday evening City Hall rally hosted by savetownlake.org gathered more than 1,900 signatures petitioning against development proposals to allow development closer to the Town Lake shoreline.

The proposal would allow variances to Austin’s Waterfront Overlay Ordinance, which requires buildings to be 200 feet from the shore.

Thomas Cook, founding director of savetownlake.org, began gathering signatures two weeks ago to inform the Austin Parks and Recreation Board about the growing concern for responsible development around Town Lake, he said. Cook said the fast-track developments sprouting around the Austin neighborhoods are often reviewed quickly, and issues can be overlooked.

CWS Capital Partners, a developer in favor of constructing condo high-rises near the Town Lake watershed, has requested a variance to the Town Lake Waterfront Overlay Ordinance in order to build 80 feet from the water, rather than the established 200 feet, Cook said.

Handing out information packets and signs, Bethany Meister, a volunteer for the organization, spoke to rally members on the implications of emerging developments.

"The upcoming decisions can have an ecological and environmental impact on the lake and could change the face of Austin for decades, for years," she said.

The decision could impact the city policies as well because of the change in the Waterfront Overlay Ordinance, said Neal Wise, a St. Edward’s University political science professor.

"Once you start granting variances, from there it’s just a slippery slope," he said. "The variance will lay precedent for other developers, and it’s difficult to determine if the precedent is good."

While singing environmentally friendly jingles such as "Habitat, you’ve got to have habitat to carry on," rally protesters joined local musicians in front of City Hall in wait for the Planning Commission’s decision planned for later Tuesday evening.