8 April 2026
The WANG Board of Directors (BoD) came together on Wednesday 8 April 2026 at Howson Branch Library. Directors in attendance were Craig Lill, Cathy Kyle, Heidi Gibbons, David Bolduc, Darcy Gardiner, Kris von Rosenberg and Blake Tollett. Our guests included, Sara Madera, Michael Falk, Roy Adell, Lyn Boswell, Austin Independent School District (AISD) Trustee District 5, Dorothy Randall and Michelle Rogerson Lynch.
Our President Cathy Kyle brought us together just after 6pm. Our first order of business was the adoption of our minutes from March, and upon motion and second, they were so adopted.
Under New Business:
· Michelle Rogerson Lynch spoke to us about the pending application for waiver submitted by Zed’s Ice Cream in the Casis Shopping Center to allow them to sell beer and wine within 300 feet of a public school (here, across the street from Casis Elementary School). The applicant has spoken with the Casis Campus Advisory Council, but not the full Parent Teacher Association. The applicant is willing to limit their hours of alcohol sales to after 5pm on weekdays and noon on weekends, and is willing to memorialize these conditions through a restrictive covenant. During discussion, it was brought out that the city’s granting of the waiver would entail no conditions and that restrictive covenants, if agreed to, must be privately enforced. Trustee Boswell reiterated that AISD policy has been to oppose these waivers although there have been exceptions. As for the additional parking necessary for the proposed use and the potential of this use to impact neighboring streets, the applicant envisions the Casis Shopping Center surface parking being sufficient even with the addition of food trailers, another revenue generating proposal being considered by the center’s ownership. WANG and the affected neighbors will be informed as to the public hearing on this that will be in front of the City Council.
· Anne Buchanan spoke to us about the goings on at Reed Park and the upcoming Kiln Fest the Friends of Reed Park will stage on 2 May 2026 from 3 to 6pm. Currently invasive species are being cleared from the park and the slough area with the subsequent replanting of more native species, all to help the drainage issues. These remedial steps are in lieu of the initial Watershed Protection Department proposal to transform the park into a holding pond for storm runoff before it enters Lake Austin and our suburban water supply. The Kiln Fest itself will be a neighborhood event with food and fun included. Friends of Reed Park is a 501(c)(3) organization that depends on public support to restore, enhance and maintain this 6-acre green space. Their long-term financial goal is an endowment of 10 million dollars.
· WANG BoD ratified the email decision to join with the Better MoPac Coalition that addresses concerns with this proposed expansion. A virtual/in-person public open house will be held at Austin High School on 22 April from 6 to 8pm.
· Residents are advised that the city is holding a series of open houses to discuss if and at what level new bonds will come before us.
· Austin Fire Department (AFD) is addressing potential wildfire dangers facing our community. They have an analysis program that they will bring to your home for an assessment.
Under Land Matters:
· Darcy discussed the most recent meeting (Tuesday 7 April) with the folks from the Girls School of Austin (GSA) at Council Member Duchen’s office. GSA has submitted a site plan that will be approved administratively, once the comments from city staff are addressed, since the plan adheres to current standards. The main issue here for the neighbors is traffic and how it is going to be handled with the addition of 50 more students and the attendant increase in staff. GSA is a magnet school that has a very limited number of neighborhood children that walk or bike to school. There is not sufficient parking on site for the staff as is, and although the GSA administration is now attempting to abide by their current Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from 2013 that addressed similar traffic issues, there are still recurring issues that impact close by neighbors. A new CUP will be necessary for this expansion proposal and public hearings will begin in front of the Planning Commission. It should be noted that the conditions baked into the CUP are not necessarily going to be enforced by the city; enforcement will be on the neighbors to undertake privately.
· Blake discussed the variance request being sought for the rebuilding of a garage destroyed a couple of years back by fire. The rebuild, although within the required interior yard setback for residential properties, will virtually be on the footprint of the destroyed garage and will be similar in size and mass with no additional living space. On motion, Blake was tasked with writing to the Board of Adjustment our non-opposition to the request.
Under Communications, our webmaster Haidar Khazan reported that he has found a host for our website for $300 for a three-year contract. Cathy received permission to accept the proposal. Holly Reed reported prior to the meeting that our monthly newsletter received 250 views in the first day after publishing and continues to be looked at.
Under Membership, no report.
Under Transportation, Craig reported that he has been in contact with the folks doing road construction at W. 35th Street and Exposition and that there is no firm date for completion of this water department repair. On the plus side, there has been sidewalk improvements baked int the project.
Under Austin Neighborhoods Council (ANC), David reported that two topics of intense discussion at the March 25 meeting were the MoPac South Extension proposal and the upcoming City Council elections in Districts 1, 5 & 8.
ANC full report:
Candidates
Candidates present were:
ANC President Jeffrey Bowen (D8)
David Weinberger (D5)
Alexandria Anderson (D1)
Steven Brown (D1)
Development Services
Leah Adrian, Neighborhood Assistance Center Staff, gave a presentation on the City of Austin’s Community Registry website. She shared the following information:
https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/community-registry
https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/neighborhood-assistance-center
Leah Adrian: leah.adrian@austintexas.gov 512.978.4633
Mary Helen McCarthy (bilingual, Spanish): maria.mccarthy@austintexas.gov 512.974.7117
Community.Registry@austintexas.gov
NeighborhoodAssistanceCenter@austintexas.gov
Open Data Portal Info: https://data.austintexas.gov/d/u3yy-shmz
Property Profile: https://maps.austintexas.gov/PropertyProfile/
Development Notifications:
https://www.austintexas.gov/development-services/development-notifications
MoPac South Expansion Project
Bobby Levinski, Senior Staff Attorney, Save Our Springs Alliance (SOS) reported on a public meeting held March 24th by Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA). There will be 4 new toll lanes (Levinski says more like 6-8 in some places). There’s a draft environmental assessment out, but SOS wants a full Environmental Impact Statement. The project will involve a 110 acre increase in impervious cover. There will be water treatment pond devices called “jellyfish,” which SOS says are not SOS ordinance-compliant, don’t work well, and which Travis County has stopped using. There will be 35-foot construction easements on either side. Jeffrey Bowen said the people there to answer questions couldn’t answer questions.
SOS urges everyone to join the Better MoPac Coalition https://www.bettermopaccoalition.org/.
South Towne
Leigh Ziegler, ANC Sector 8 Rep, summarized the testimony she gave to City Council on Travis Country neighborhood concerns regarding a proposed dense infill project at the intersection of MoPac South and Highway 71. The developer wants to build a 1000-unit mixed use project. There are issues with an auto sales/service space next to Gaines Creek, which flows to Barton Creek and with the amount of traffic expected. The City Council approved the staff recommendation.
Montopolis/Blacklands
ANC President Jeffrey Bowen spoke to City Council on behalf of the ANC regarding ANC’s concerns about proposed developments in Montopolis and Blackland neighborhoods. He also voiced displeasure at the way neighborhood advocates were treated at the March 12th Planning Commission meeting. District 1 Council Member Harper-Madison criticized the city’s zoning process and neighborhood associations. Former City Council member Daryl Slusher wrote about CM Harper-Madison’s complaints in his Austin Independent newsletter https://theaustinindependent.org/miracle-on-west-2nd-street-council-votes-down-two-zoning-cases/ In the final vote on council, the neighborhoods prevailed, the zoning changes were denied.
Longhorn Dam
Ana Aguirre, ANC Past President, reported the Longhorn Dam was taken off the bond proposal because if the bond failed, they couldn’t have a revote for years. They’ve known since 2015 that it needs major work when the floodgates could not be manually opened after the automated system failed.
Circuit of the Americas
Ana Aguirre reported that COTA has new owners. They want to build a golf course and a high-end hotel that will provide jobs for local residents. Ana would like to see a portion of the land that will be parkland situated in Del Valle. There is still time to comment on environmental issues associated with the COTA plan.
Under Old Business, Craig again reminded us to sign up for the blood drive being hosted by our good neighbors at Tarrytown United Methodist Church on Saturday the 12th from 8am to noon.
Setting our next meeting for Wednesday 13 May at Howson Branch Library beginning at 6pm, we adjourned.
