by Holly Reed

Happy New Year to our West Austin Neighborhood Group members and neighbors. Please join us for our first meeting of 2024, on Wednesday January 10, 6 PM at the Howson Public Library. 2023 presented many challenges for our growing neighborhood and City. We hope to continue working with City policy makers to encourage more COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT as a stronger part of City Planning this year.

On Dec. 7th the Austin City Council passed the “HOME” Ordinance which will allow up to 3 buildings on every single-family zoned lot in Austin. WANG’s proposed amendments to “HOME,” to encourage smaller housing, less displacement, less demolition, less loss of tree cover, less stress on infrastructure, less environmental damage, by limiting the size of the buildings, were ignored by the majority of Council in their deliberations. Only Council Members Alison Alter and MacKenzie Kelly voted against the “HOME” Ordinance as proposed.

You can view the draft ordinance here:

https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=420018

What does this mean for single-family zoning in neighborhoods?

Phase 1 (approved Dec. 7, 2023) will allow up to 3 units to be built on any single-family zoned lot with a minimum lot size of 5750 sf.

• Properties that redevelop with 2 and 3 units are not subject to the McMansion Ordinance and will be allowed .65 FAR (floor area ratio,) for 3 units and .55 FAR for 2 units.

• Garages 200 sf and under do not count toward FAR

• City front setback for 3 units is 15 feet (formerly 25 feet)

• Restrictions on number of unrelated adults living in a housing unit are removed

Phase 2 of the “HOME” Ordinance will be considered this spring and proposes changing the minimum lot size of single-family zoned property from 5750 sf to 2500 sf, as well as removing limits on building impervious cover and height.

WANG will continue to advocate for growth that aligns with our Neighborhood Plan and encourages more affordable housing without destroying historic neighborhoods and our tree canopy.

Please stay in touch with us. We are here to help with your concerns.

The original Maudie’s—Maudie’s Café at 2608 West 7th Street—is expanding! The expansion will add more seating indoors and out with new patio space, a larger and upgraded kitchen, and reconfigured parking with a new ADA ramp. The result will be more of the Maudie’s that everyone loves, according to Maudie’s owner Joe Draker.

Beloved menu staples will remain, and the re-do of the interior will be in keeping with the vibe of the neighborhood.

The expansion has long been anticipated by Maudie’s fans, the surrounding neighborhoods, and Maudie’s employees. The restaurant will gain 1,400 square feet for a total of 4,000 square feet. The new kitchen will be built in the space being vacated by Twin Liquors as it relocates into half of the former Goodwill space in the center, and there will be a new patio on the west end of the building.

The new larger and updated kitchen is especially welcomed by team members, as all of Maudie’s ingredients are prepped and dishes made fresh daily in a relatively small space for such a heavily trafficked restaurant.

“Maudie’s has always been an extension of our patron’s living rooms and after 18 years of breakfast, lunch, and dinner service the facilities demanded an upgrade,” Draker says. Currently, the construction is set to begin early in the new year, and Draker proposes to keep Maudie’s open throughout the process as he did during the first expansion in 2005.

The original Maudie’s Café opened as a homestyle restaurant in 1954, owned by Maudie Hamilton Wilson. She sold the business to Draker in 1992 and he transformed it into a Tex-Mex restaurant 4 months later. Now with six locations, Maudie’s is beloved as an iconic Austin institution.

NOTICE: Please note, beginning Monday, January 8, 2024, Deep Eddy Pool will close for repairs. Improvements include replacement of a damaged bulkhead, as well as upgrading older deck lighting. The project is expected to last for eight (8) weeks.

Apply to be a lifeguard at Lifeguardaustin.com

by Council Member Alison Alter

Dear Neighbors,

SAVE THE DATE!

Join Council Member Alison Alter at an emergency preparedness pop-up event for Central/Northwest Austin on Wednesday, January 17th at the Old Quarry Branch Library (7051 Village Center Dr.).

Stop by between 4 and 7 p.m. to connect with her office, disaster preparedness experts, and various city departments.

Experts will share information on specific disaster risks in District 10, how to sign up for emergency alerts, and what to include when creating a plan or building a supply kit.

Please see the attached flyer for event details, and help spread the word!

click on link to District 10 Newsletter....

The historic Lions Municipal Golf Course (Muny)will be 100 years old in 2024! As celebrations and events are planned for Muny’s Centennial next year, the Muny Conservancy and Save Historic Muny District, along with thousands of community members, continue to work towards the preservation of all 141 acres and 18 holes of this treasured historic public open green space. The West Austin Neighborhood Group was founded in 1973, as part of agrass roots citizen led effort to SAVE MUNY,as a public golf course and open green space. For 50 years, WANG has been a strong advocate for the preservation of Lions Municipal, working with the City of Austin and University of Texas towards a permanent solution whereby Muny will be saved for good. There are at least 100 reasons to Save Muny, but at the top of that list is Muny’s place in Civil Rights History. In 1950, two young Black caddies who worked at Muny brought their communities together by playing the golf course, despite racist Jim Crow laws and Austin’s East / West geographical segregation policy. Through the courageous act of these children, Lions Municipal became the first desegregated public golf course in the southern United States. After hearing about Muny’s peaceful integration, heroic champion boxer Joe Louis came to play golf at Lions Municipal in 1951, and again in 1953, as part of his effort to integrate golf throughout the country. Black and Hispanic golfers from allover Texas came to play at Muny, the only public golf course that welcomed everyone

Tiger moth caterpillars have been a common sight lately in the Central Texas area. These insects are native to the United States and are sometimes called “woollybear caterpillars”. “Woollybear caterpillar” is a more general term that refers to various species of caterpillars that are densely covered in hairs, called setae, and tend to wander.

While these caterpillars can be highly variable for individual species, the common ones seen lately are woollybear (Isabella tiger moth), saltmarsh caterpillar (saltmarsh moth), and garden tiger moth caterpillar, also known as the great tiger moth caterpillar. Woollybear caterpillars are usually black on each end with brown in the middle. Saltmarsh caterpillars are variable and can be a creamy yellow to brown to black in color. Garden/ great tiger moth caterpillars tend to be black on the top part of the body and brown on the bottom.

All three of these caterpillars feed on a wide variety of herbaceous and woody plants, but only sometimes considered to be pests when they feed on field crops.

Tiger moths have a complete life cycle with four life stages- egg, larva, pupa, adult. Eggs are laid in clusters on the leaves of host plants. Larvae go through several instars before they pupate in soil. Larvae tend to actively disperse and may be seen in groups moving over turf, roads, sidewalks, or other locations. Adults usually emerge in the spring to mate and begin the cycle again. Moths can be active year-round in South Texas, but for most parts of Texas, larvae overwinter in the last larval instar in protected locations.

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Organized 1973......"To preserve our neighborhood and protect it from deterioration"

Board of Directors

• President: Holly Reed President@westaustinng.com
  
• Secretary: Cathy Kyle Secretary@westaustinng.com
• Assistant Secretary: Blake Tollett AsstSecretary@westaustinng.com
• Treasurer: George Edwards Treasurer@westaustinng.com
• Past President: Cathy Kyle PastPresident@westaustinng.com

All Current Members (click on name to send email)

• Holly Reed ............................member since 2015 (President)
• Cathy Kyle ............................member since 2010 (Secretary)
• Blake Tollett .........................member since 1994 (Asst Secretary)
• George Edwards ..................member since 2004 (Treasurer)
• Mary Arnold .........................member since 2006 (Muny Tract)
• Michael Cannatti .................member since 1999 (CWANPCT)
  
• Joseph M Bennett ...............member since 2001 (Membership/E-Newsletter)
• Craig Lill ...............................member since 2017
  
• Joyce Basciano ...................member since 1999
• Bob Hamilton........................member since 2020
• Sarah Hawthorne Cain.........member since 2020 (Advertising)
• Heidi Gibbons.......................member since 2020 (ANC Liason)
• David Bolduc ........................member since 2023
• Open board chair
• Open board chair

Honorary Committee Members

• Honorary Kirk Watson
• Honorary Alison Alter
• Honorary Kathie Tovo

Contact your City Council Representatives:

(click on name to send email)

• Mayor: Kirk Watson 512-978-2100
  
• District 1: Natasha Harper Madison 512-978-2101
  
• District 2: Vanessa Fuentes 512-978-2102
  
• District 3: Jose Velasquez 512-978-2103
  
• District 4: Jose "Chito" Vela 512-978-2104
  
• District 5: Ryan Alter 512-978-2105
  
• District 6: Mackenzie Kelly 512-978-2106
  
• District 7: Leslie Pool 512-978-2107
  
• District 8: Paige Ellis 512-978-2108
  
• District 9: Zohaib "Zo" Qadri 512-978-2109
  
• District 10: Alison Alter 512-978-2110
  

Email All of the Council: Entire Council and Mayor

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EMERGENCY.......................................911

Fire......................................................911

Ambulance (EMS) .............................911

Police Dept.......................512-975-5000

Austin ISD......................................512-533-6000

Casis Elementary School.............512-414-2062

Austin High School.......................512-414-2505

O.Henry Middle School...............512-414-3229

City of Austin........................................512-494-9400

Texas Gas Service.............................1-800-700-2443

Grande Communications...................512-220-4600

AT&T (new service)...........................1-800-464-7928

Time Warner Cable (Cust. Svc)...........512-485-5555

Austin/Travis Hazardous Waste.........512-974-4343