[LoneStarMike]

From the Austin Chronicle:

Taco Tower Project on Council's Plate
The Taco PUD wins divided blessing of Planning Commission
By Elizabeth Pagano, Fri., June 21, 2013

Though the opposition was out in force at last week's Planning Commission meeting, commissioners nevertheless voted 5-3 to recommend a zoning change that would allow developers Post Paggi to increase the height of its planned condo project to 96-feet. Several commissioners took the time to argue that the added density at Riverside and Lamar was not only a good fit – it was exactly what the city needs, with an increase in population interested in living Downtown and a limited amount of space for people to live.

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Developers note that, in exchange for the benefit of added height from the zoning change, they are offering a selection of community benefits that include saving trees, providing retail and restaurants on the ground floor, water quality controls, a public plaza, and space for a bike share program. Developers will also be required to provide a certain amount of affordable housing, or pay a $430,000 fee in lieu to the city's affordable housing fund, though that determination will ultimately be up to Council.

According to the Austin American Statesman, City Council postponed until Aug. 8 a vote on the zoning for a 96-foot mixed-use project at 211 S. Lamar Blvd.