AUSTIN, Texas — The Save Our Springs Alliance has filed a lawsuit against the city of Austin over its approval of the Statesman Planned Unit Development (PUD).
In 2022, the Austin City Council approved the plan for a development to be built on a piece of property that used to serve as the headquarters for the Austin American-Statesman. The new development would encompass more than 3.5 million square feet of development on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, directly east of the Congress Avenue Bridge.
The council's approval was one of the first steps in a process to turn the site into a mixed-use development that would include restaurants, office space and retail in addition to housing.
The lawsuit accuses the city of violating state and local substantive procedure laws. One example the group cites is that the development was billed as a zoning ordinance, but also includes waivers and exceptions to the city's code.
The group argues that proper notice wasn't given in order to implement the new changes and that some were introduced after closed public hearings.
“The package of development entitlements associated with the Statesman PUD is unprecedented,” said Bobby Levinski, an attorney representing the Save Our Springs Alliance. “This PUD goes beyond zoning by essentially adopting a separate code unique only to this property.”
The city released the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
“We just received the lawsuit filed by SOS that challenges a 2022 ordinance and related actions involving the former Austin American-Statesman property. We are reviewing the lawsuit and will respond through the court process as appropriate.”
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