Short Articles

Articles here are arranged in categories, some in more than one category. Many were included in News and Announcements in the past, but are now preserved for historical purposes; generally, this is because they are referenced elsewhere on the site.

  • December Holiday Decorating Contest is Underway

    Published on: November 26, 2024

    Time to get into the holiday mood and brighten up your home and yard! The NWACA Holiday Decorating Contest is here again – but this time, there are gift card prizes as well as yard signs for the top three...

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  • 2024 Halloween Decorating Contest Winners

    Published on: October 21, 2024

    ...

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  • Next Steps on Mobility and Parking

    Published on: October 15, 2024

    Next Steps on Mobility and Parking Near Murchison and Doss [This message provided by Laura Dierenfield from Austin Transportation and Public Works.] The City of Austin and AISD recently met with NWACA leadership to discuss safety and mobility in and...

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  • Halloween Decorating Contestants

    Published on: October 15, 2024

    Check out these homes that have been entered in the 2024 NWACA Halloween Decorating Contest: 3901 Amy Circle 4305 Bamford Dr 4201 Burney Dr 4209 Cat Hollow 4103 Deepwoods Dr 4502 Deepwoods Dr 4211 Far West Blvd 8408 Greenflint Ln...

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  • NWACA Neighborhood Garage Sales October 5

    Published on: October 1, 2024

    These NWACA members are holding garage sales on Saturday, October 5, from 8 a.m. until noon. Please visit them and see what treasures they have to offer! H.# Street Name Zip Code 6502 Laurelwood Drive 78731 4204 Lostridge Drive 78731...

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  • Fall Election Forum Coming October 9

    Published on: August 26, 2024

    See more details here on the election forum for candidates for Mayor and City Council District 10....

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  • Website Links for 2024 Election

    Published on: August 22, 2024

    ...

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  • July 2024 Spicewood Springs Road Update

    Published on: August 6, 2024

    July 2024 Spicewood Update...

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  • 4th of July Feedback, please

    Published on: July 14, 2024

    Feedback on July 4th Festivities The NWACA Board would like to get feedback from those who participated in this year’s July 4th activities – parade and/or Freedom Fest, to help plan for the future. Please go to this link to...

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  • Election Forum Coming October 9

    Published on: July 11, 2024

    See Website Links for 2024 Election to see the candidate websites. Note that we’ll also have at tables most of the candidates for AISD Board Member at Large and both of those running for ACC Board Place 9, so you...

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  • NWACA Annual Meeting – May 15

    Published on: April 17, 2024

    Annual Neighborhood Meeting – May 15, 6:30 PM Huffman Hall, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 4121 Steck Avenue Here are the meeting slides,as well as these from Austin Water, explaining some of the wastewater line improvements being done in our neighborhood....

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  • Hearings on LDC Changes in April and May

    Published on: April 2, 2024

    Please review Proposed Amendments PC CC 4-11-24 for some detail behind the proposed changes to the Land Development Code, for which hearings are scheduled in April and May. The referenced documents can be found at this Planning Commission site. More...

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  • LDC Survey Results

    Published on: December 6, 2023

    Here is the 2023 LDC Survey Results. For background on the LDC proposals, please see the items in previous postings....

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  • Handouts from Nov. 15 LDC Meeting

    Published on: November 15, 2023

    Here are the materials we handed out at the November 15 Town Hall on the proposed Land Development Code changes under discussion by City of Austin entities: 10-25-23 Draft Ordinance for Phase 1 - Discussion Only Summary of Proposed LDC...

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  • November 15 Session Coming on LDC Changes

    Published on: November 6, 2023

    NWACA and surrounding neighborhoods will be holding an information session about the proposed changes to the Land Development Code Wednesday, November 15 6:30 to 8:00 pm Huffman Hall, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church 4121 Steck Avenue (large parking lot) See this...

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  • Scam Avoidance Documents

    Published on: November 1, 2023

    Thanks to everyone who attended the presentation on avoiding scams on October 26, 2023. We had a lively session with lots of questions and answers. For those who couldn’t make it, our speaker graciously provided a copy of the 2023_Crime...

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  • Zoning / LDC Changes Proposed

    Published on: October 19, 2023

    (updated on 11/17/23) Homeowners received a purple post card about October 15th, pointing out that Land Development Code (LDC) changes are being proposed to: allow up to 3 housing units, including tiny homes and recreational vehicles (RVs), on a single-family...

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  • NWACA 2023 Annual Meeting Slides Available

    Published on: May 17, 2023

      Announcement: The presentations shown during the 2023 NWACA annual meeting (held May 11th 2023) are available at the links below: 2023 NWACA Annual Meeting slides (including Oak Wilt bulletin) AFD Wildfire Division Presentation (Chris Vetromile) APD Office of Community...

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  • May 10 Updated Plan for Greystone Drive Speed Mitigation

    Published on: May 9, 2023

    Austin Transportion and Public Works has provided an update for the Greystone Drive Speed Mitigation effort. The individual pages:...

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  • Information and Feedback Regarding Greystone Speed Mitigation

    Published on: April 22, 2023

    At the community meeting on Wednesday, April 19th, neighbors asked where to direct their questions and comments about the Greystone project to the Austin Transportation Department. ATD has asked that email go to [email protected], and phone calls to 512-974-2300. They...

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  • Greystone Drive Speed Mitigation

    Published on: March 16, 2023

    The Austin Transportation Department (ATD) plans to add speed mitigation devices (speed bumps) to Greystone Drive this spring. These three documents provide information about this plan: Greystone Speed Management Flyer from ATD Greystone Speed Management Project Background-NWACA FAQ Document from...

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  • Meeting Materials from May 12, 2022 NWACA Annual Meeting

    Published on: May 17, 2022

    NWACA held its 2022 Annual Neighborhood Meeting in a hybrid form. For those who were unable to attend, you may want to review these items: NWACA Annual Meeting slides NWACA WUI Code Development Services handout NWACA-Vision-Zero-Handout PropertyTaxInfo-2022 To watch a...

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  • NWACA Annual Neighborhood Meeting – May 12, 2022

    Published on: May 4, 2022

    NWACA Annual Neighborhood Meeting – May 12, 2022 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church – Huffman Hall Please join us at our annual neighborhood meeting to learn what’s happening in NWACA and around Austin. During the first...

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  • 2022 NWACA Annual Interest Survey Results

    Published on: April 24, 2022

    Each year, the NWACA Board surveys the neighborhood to see what areas are of greatest concern for them, The Board uses the results to set or adjust its priorities. See the summary of this year's survey results at the link...

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  • Quarterly NWACA Road Construction Report – Spring 2022

    Published on: March 23, 2022

    There are three major road construction projects scheduled for our area. Preliminary work has already started on two of them with heavier work scheduled for the last half of this year. 1. As was mentioned in a recent NWACA Notes...

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  • Solidarity Statement from the NWACA Board

    Published on: November 9, 2021

    In light of recent antisemitic events across our community, the NWACA Board has issued the following statement repudiating such actions and expressing our full support of the Jewish community: The Northwest Austin Civic Association (NWACA) stands with the Jewish community....

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  • Recording and Slides from October 13 Forum

    Published on: October 14, 2021

    If you were unable to join us for the Informational Forum on the November 2nd Election, or if you want to review the materials again, these will be helpful to you. Recording of the Zoom session Election Forum Moderator Presentation...

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  • Detailed FAQ on Public Safety

    Published on: September 28, 2020

    In early September, questions that were commonly heard in our neighborhood regarding policing and public safety were collected and sent to Councilmember Alter's office for answers. A brief version of the response by her office is published in the October...

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  • Items from CM Alter’s Town Hall on 4/21/20

    Published on: April 24, 2020

    On April 21st, Councilmember Alison Alter held a virtual town hall meeting on Food Access Issues and Senior Issues during Covid-19. See the following links for more details: Presentation Summarizing the Town Hall Content video recording of the Town Hall...

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  • LDC (CodeNEXT) Updates Published 1/31/20

    Published on: February 4, 2020

    Late Friday evening January 31, 2020, new maps were released which involve new areas of “up-zoning”- allowing greater density, deeper into some of the neighborhoods in NWACA, for the creation of “Missing Middle” residential housing, coded as R-4. Our neighborhood...

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  • Latest Updates on LDC (CodeNEXT) Revision

    Published on: November 14, 2019

    As we have updates for the NWACA Community regarding the revision of Austin's Land Development Code, we will be putting them here. Items will appear in the order of latest information first. Posted 4/6/20 - from the LDC Revision Team...

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  • Materials from 10/24/19 NWACA Meeting on Code Revision

    Published on: October 25, 2019

    If you were unable to attend the NWACA Informational Meeting regarding revisions to the City of Austin Land Development Code on 10/24/19, or if you'd like to review some of the material, here is information for you. video of the...

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  • NWACA Community Meeting July 25, 2019

    Published on: July 16, 2019

    NWACA Community Meeting - Understanding Changes to City of Austin Ordinances and Help for the Homeless On July 25, 2019 NWACA held a community meeting to hear about changes to City of Austin ordinances as they relate to no sit/no...

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  • 2019 Annual Meeting Presentations Available

    Published on: May 29, 2019

    In case you were unable to attend the May 1 NWACA Annual Meeting, we've posted all of the presentation here Enjoy!...

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  • Home Advisor Web Page on Wildfire

    Published on: January 30, 2019

    This web site has an interesting collection of information regarding how to deal with wildfire: Home Advisor It does a very good job of addressing the needs of different sub-populations: children, seniors, and pet owners, as well as providing general...

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  • Fun at First Annual NWACA National Night Out!

    Published on: October 2, 2018

    Hundreds of neighbors joined together for the First Annual NWACA National Night Out on Saturday evening, September 29, 2018. Even the weather cooperated! Neighbors enjoyed meeting each other and having a bite to eat - hot dogs from the Randall's...

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  • 2018 Annual Meeting Files Available

    Published on: May 9, 2018

    We were pleased to see more than 130 neighbors at the May 8, 2018 Annual Neighborhood Meeting. If you were unable to attend, or if you would like to review the presentations again, the slides can be found here. In...

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  • NWACA Boundary Extended to US 183

    Published on: April 7, 2018

    NWACA has extended its boundaries to include the neighbors in Westover Hills, the area north of Spicewood Springs Road. The boundaries now are Loop 360 to the west, U.S. Highway 183 to the north, MoPac to the east, and RM...

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  • 3/26/18 Presentation on Neighborhood Watch

    Published on: April 2, 2018

    If you were unable to attend the recent meeting on Neighborhood Watch, here's a copy of the presentation that was done by Officer Darrell Grayson. It has many helpful ideas about keeping our neighborhood safe. Northwest Hills Neighborhood Watch...

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  • 3/5/2018 ATD Presentation on Speed Mitigation

    Published on: March 14, 2018

    The Austin Transportation Department (ATD) held an informational meeting on March 5th to present plans for three new speed mitigation installations in our neighborhood: 1. Mesa Drive from First View Drive to Cross Valley Run 2. Hart Lane from Greystone...

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  • Wildfire Maps Now Online

    Published on: June 8, 2017

    There were several GIS maps on display at the NWACA Annual meeting in May, which showed risk factors to our homes in times of wildfire (or house fire next door). Those have now been uploaded to the Wildfire Prevention Library....

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  • Presentations from NWACA 2017 Annual Meeting

    Published on: May 12, 2017

    NWACA Annual Neighborhood Meeting Thursday, May 11, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00 PM See the slide presentations from the meeting here: 2017-NWACA-Annual-Meeting-slides 2017-NWACA-Annual-Meeting-OakWilt...

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  • Austin Oaks PUD Approved on April 13, 2017

    Published on: April 19, 2017

    At its meeting last week, the Austin City Council passed a PUD ordinance for the Austin Oaks site. After making several amendments, Council voted 8-2 in favor of the PUD. (Councilmember Pool was out of town.) For more detail about...

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  • Austin Oaks on March 2 Council Agenda – recent discussions

    Published on: February 28, 2017

    In the last several weeks, members of the NWACA Board and of the Zoning Committee have met with the Mayor and members of City Council to discuss the plans for Austin Oaks. We have reiterated our support for the outcome...

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  • Presentation from Jan 22 Town Hall on Austin Oaks PUD

    Published on: February 13, 2017

    Neighbors have asked that we post the presentation that was given at the NWACA Town Hall held on January 22, 2017. Please see the document here...

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  • Results Posted for December/January Austin Oaks Survey

    Published on: January 18, 2017

    During December, 2016 and early January, 2017, NWACA conducted a survey of the neighborhood regarding the final plans submitted for the Austin Oaks PUD. The survey asked about aspects of the proposed PUD and concerns about it, as well as...

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  • Austin Oaks Summary Chart

    Published on: October 10, 2016

    This chart summarizes data about the proposed Austin Oaks PUD over the last two years. It shows the current state of the site and key elements of the proposed changes from three points in time. The first point in time...

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  • NWACA Board Resolution on Austin Oaks Submission – 9/14/16

    Published on: September 22, 2016

    At its September 14, 2016 NWACA Board meeting, the Board adopted the following resolution regarding the Austin Oaks latest PUD submission (as of 9/1/16): RESOLUTION NO. 2016‐5 WHEREAS, on February 10, 2016, the Northwest Austin Civic Association (NWACA) Board of...

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  • NWACA Board Resolution on Austin Oaks Charrette

    Published on: February 19, 2016

    At its February 10, 2016 monthly meeting, the NWACA Board of Directors passed this resolution endorsing the charrette process and supporting the outcome of the Austin Oaks charrette....

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  • Update on OSMs for Austin Oaks Charrette

    Published on: January 8, 2016

    Development of the Objectives, Strategies, and Measures (OSMs) for the Austin Oaks charrette is continuing to move forward as we approach the charrette date. At this point, there is a draft OSM list created by the Charette Working Group (the...

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  • Austin Oaks Charrette Neighborhood Update

    Published on: November 19, 2015

    Save the Date: During the week of January 24-29, 2016, the owner of the Austin Oaks site and the neighborhood stakeholders surrounding the site will participate in a design charrette in a collaborative effort to create a consensus-based design for...

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  • 10/27/15 Meeting about Austin Oaks Charrette

    Published on: October 29, 2015

    On Tuesday, October 27, the group of neighborhood representatives met again with Michael Whellan and Jon Ruff, to begin the planning for the neighborhood charrette for Austin Oaks. Ben Luckens, one of our neighbors who is a City Planning consultant...

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  • COA Restricted Front and Side Yard Parking

    Published on: October 27, 2015

    NWACA received this notice from the City of Austin regarding off-street parking. The link internal to the message indicates that our area has already been "opted-in" to this parking restriction ordinance. This is passed on to the community as an...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip # 24: Virtuous Firewise Pyramid

    Published on: October 21, 2015

    NWACA is a neighborhood with families occupying more than 4,000 homes, and we have some of the most beautiful trees and vegetation in the State of Texas. However, NWACA is also designated as one of the most potentially dangerous urban...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #23: Financial Reasons to be Firewise

    Published on: September 16, 2015

    NWACA’s Wildfire Prevention Committee continues to encourage the neighborhood to be aware of the risks of wildfires to the whole neighborhood. With the ongoing drought, our landscapes and green spaces become excellent fuel for fires that might be triggered from...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #22: Insuring Valuables

    Published on: August 16, 2015

    A previous article addressed using home insurance policies to cover your valuables so that their value would be documented and your investment protected through your insurance company and/or the use of fire-rated safes. Much of the contents in your home...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #21: Protect Your Valuables with a Fireproof Safe

    Published on: July 20, 2015

    The NWACA Newsletter has provided articles for about two years on how to protect your home and property from urban wildfires…however, there are times when you can’t stop fate and your home is destroyed by fire. So how do you...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #20 – Water is Crucial

    Published on: June 22, 2015

    In the Sunday June 7, 2015 Austin American-Statesman, there was a front-page article entitled “Will Quenching Last?” It spoke in-depth to the rainfall and floods of the month of May, asking if those had stopped the drought. The short answer...

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  • Drenner PUD Survey Results Report

    Published on: June 17, 2015

    Littlefield Consulting has published a results report of the phone survey conducted throughout District 10 for Drenner Group on May 17-18, 2015, regarding the Austin Oaks PUD. Read the report here: Littlefield Report...

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  • NWACA Board Resolution on Austin Oaks PUD Issued

    Published on: June 16, 2015

    At its June 10, 2015 meeting, the NWACA Board of Directors reviewed the status of the rezoning request for the Austin Oaks property at Spicewood Springs Road and Mopac, considered input from the neighborhood, and discussed next steps the Board...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #19B Debunking Wildfire Myths

    Published on: June 15, 2015

    A myth is defined as “a widely held but false belief or idea, a misrepresentation of the truth, an exaggerated or idealized conception of a person or thing.” With the ever-increasing wildfire events around the United States and local fires...

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  • 2015 Annual Meeting Files Posted

    Published on: May 21, 2015

    For those who were unable to attend the May 14, NWACA Annual Meeting, you may want to review the presentations and handouts from the meeting. See these files for the details: Slides: 2015 05 14 NWACA Annual Meeting slides Handouts:...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #19A – Avoid the Myths

    Published on: May 21, 2015

    A myth is defined as “a widely held but false belief or idea, a misrepresentation of the truth, an exaggerated or idealized conception of a person or thing.” With the ever-increasing wildfire events around the United States and local fires...

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  • Key Points about NWACA and the Austin Oaks PUD

    Published on: May 13, 2015

    To clarify for everyone what the NWACA Board and the Ad Hoc PUD Committee have been and are doing with respect to the Austin Oaks PUD, the Committee has put together the key points below. At the Annual Meeting tomorrow...

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  • Recent Meetings about the PUD

    Published on: May 4, 2015

    Neighbors, Based on authorization from the NWACA Board upon reviewing the results of the latest survey, members of the NWACA Ad Hoc PUD Committee and a NWACA Zoning Co-chair have had two meetings regarding the PUD over the last four...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #18 – Using the Plan

    Published on: May 1, 2015

    Over the last two years, two plans have been developed that help residents and homes of NWACA prepare to survive a wildfire. Each plan is a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The overarching CWPP was developed by a joint task...

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  • March 2015 Austin Oaks PUD Survey Results

    Published on: April 9, 2015

    During the month of March, 2015, NWACA ran a survey for the neighborhood to respond to changes proposed by the developer in December 2014 to the PUD zoning application for the Austin Oaks property. See the following documents for the...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #17 – What to Do When the Wildfire Comes

    Published on: February 23, 2015

    First, you should have already done all of the fire-damage prevention to your home talked about in the previous tips. Those “tips” helped you harden your home against urban wildfires and their deadly embers, by working on the landscape and vegetation-intense...

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  • Safety Tip: Secure Your Garage Door

    Published on: February 18, 2015

    A very vulnerable part of a home is the garage door. Those with glass panels or windows can show the thief just what we have; those with a common type of garage door opener can be compromised by a thief...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #16 – Be Sure Your Home Is Not a Source of Fire

    Published on: January 27, 2015

      NWACA has been diligent over the past few years in getting the Austin Fire Department, the Texas Forest Service, the City of Austin, Travis County and others to educate all of us in the dangers of urban wildfire. We’re...

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  • Austin Oaks PUD – Official Update – Nov. 24, 2014

    Published on: November 24, 2014

    NWACA wishes to assure you that we continue to proceed exactly as communicated to our community regarding this matter: To date, we have: Conducted a Community Forum on the Austin Oaks (AO) PUD. Conducted a survey to get the community's...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #15: Fire Embers and Snowflakes

    Published on: October 27, 2014

    It is generally acknowledged by firefighters and fire experts that embers from a wild fire are more dangerous to homes and structures than the actual flames from the wildfire. Why is this? Well, the flight characteristics of fire embers are...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #14 – Be Prepared for a Local Wildfire

    Published on: September 29, 2014

      About 2000 NWACA homes within a half mile of Stillhouse Hollow Preserve received a postcard from the Wildfire Division of the Austin Fire Department (AFD) last week, with this message on one side of the card. Our homes are...

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  • NWACA Board Vote on Austin Oaks PUD

    Published on: September 19, 2014

    The NWACA Board has voted unanimously to oppose the PUD Re-zoning Application for Austin Oaks based on the results of the NWACA residents’ survey, and the comments received at the NWACA Community Meeting on the Austin Oaks PUD Application.  After thoughtful...

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  • Notes from 8-19-14 Community Meeting on Austin Oaks PUD

    Published on: August 25, 2014

    More than 300 people attended the Community Meeting about the Austin Oaks PUD on Tuesday, August 19, and most were very actively engaged. Neighbors provided a clear message to the City staff and the developer’s staff that those present oppose...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #13: Learn More and Become an Assessor

    Published on: July 28, 2014

    What do you know about urban wildfires? Bastrop - The Pinnacle Fire - Steiner Ranch – California - Colorado - Washington State - all have been in the news, all cases of wildfire that burned a lot of vegetation, destroyed...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #12: Minimize Plant Flammability

    Published on: May 28, 2014

      An 8-page pamphlet from the Texas Forest Service reminds us that “Fire-resistant does not mean fire-proof. Homeowners should maintain a healthy landscape with proper cleaning, pruning and watering. Put the right plant in the right place.” “Firewise Landscaping in...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #11: Don’t Let Yard Debris Accumulate

    Published on: April 30, 2014

    We all now know that fire embers are a secondary starter of fires and they can fly as much as a mile from a wildfire source…starting new fires. Piles of dry tree limbs and other trimmings, brush, lawn debris, leaves,...

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  • What to Do if You See Pruning February through June

    Published on: April 29, 2014

    Have you seen a contractor's workers pruning a live oak or a red oak between February and June? Professionals should know better, but unscrupulous “tree trimmers” apparently don't know or don't care. Do you have a new neighbor who might...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #10: Mulch Practices

    Published on: April 4, 2014

      Originally, mulch was a material consisting of leaves, bark or compost spread around and over a plant to enrich or insulate the soil. Today, most mulches are commercially produced wood chips, bark and other components. The vast majority of...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #9 – Spring Cleaning in the Landscape

    Published on: February 28, 2014

      March is right around the corner and this is generally the time when homeowners return to their yards and gardens to get ready for the growing season. While you are cleaning away leaves and debris and trimming plants, it’s...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #8 – Register for Notifications

    Published on: February 28, 2014

    This month’s tip is a bit more generic than hardening a home; it applies to any citizen who wants to be notified of a regional emergency situation due to weather, wildfire, or other incident important to a broad population. The...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #7 – Wooden Fence Strategies

    Published on: February 28, 2014

      A rather vulnerable element for a home for wildfires is a wooden fence. From time to time, wood fences have been called “wicks” because grass fires can attack the bottom of a wooden fence and then follow it around...

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  • Reporting Coyote Sightings

    Published on: February 10, 2014

    If you observe coyotes or have an encounter with a coyote in our neighborhood, please call 3 - 1 - 1 and report it. The operator will ask several questions and then forward the information to Animal Control, who will...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #6 – Ember-Proofing Turbine Vents

    Published on: November 29, 2013

    There is a wide assortment of rotary turbine roof exhaust vents. The majority are made of metal, generally either sheet metal or aluminum with typically a 12” or 14” louvered turbine that is either wind-driven or power-driven. Usually, a circular...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #5 – Screen the Ridge Vents

    Published on: November 14, 2013

      Roof and attic spaces are vented by a variety of different types of vents. The more common ones are soffit vents installed in the eave soffits (usually horizontally installed under eaves); end-gable vents (usually vertically installed in the vertical...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #4: Get a Home Risk Assessment

    Published on: September 29, 2013

      With a projected drought of more than 20 years, it’s not really a matter of if, but when, a wildfire event will happen in NWACA. Homeowners in the Western United States, in Steiner Ranch, Bastrop, and other Central Texas...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #3: Barbecue with Caution

    Published on: August 30, 2013

    Barbecuing baby-back ribs, brisket, chicken, and other fare in the backyard over a weekend during the summer is normally considered a fine Texas tradition! And more often than not, we probably store our prized barbecue pit/mobile kitchen on our deck…yep,...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #2: Firewise Landscaping

    Published on: August 30, 2013

      Firewise Communities require landscaping around homes to be lean, clean and green. The primary focus on landscaping is in the Home Ignition Zone, of which there are three primary zones: Zone 1 – the home and its immediate surroundings,...

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  • Speed Studies – 2011

    Published on: July 5, 2013

      During 2011, the Transportation Committee worked with the Austin Police Department and the Austin Transportation Department to conduct volume and speed studies on busy streets in NWACA. Below is data from those studies. Street Hart Lane Lakewood Lemonwood North...

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  • Wildfire Prevention Tip #1: Hardening Existing Homes

    Published on: July 4, 2013

    To harden your home against embers and reduce wildfire fuel stores: Install screens of 1/8" or smaller opening sizes over attic vents, soffit vents, and other openings into the home If you have wooden vents, spray them with fire retardant...

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  • Bees Need to be Removed?

    Published on: May 28, 2013

    If you have honeybees making a nest in a tree or somewhere else in your yard, where they might pose a problem for your family, you can have them removed by an organization which will relocate them to a place...

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  • Plant List and Presentations Available

    Published on: April 29, 2013

    On Saturday, April 27, we had a presentation on deer-resistant and drought-resistant gardening, followed by a tour of neighborhood yards with landscaping that illustrated many of the examples discussed. For those who weren't able to attend, you can see two...

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  • Deer-resistant Plants

    Published on: January 10, 2013

    An often-asked question: what can we plant that the deer won’t eat? As the author of the article cited below says, if they’re hungry enough, they’ll eat your shoelaces if you don’t move fast enough! In this posting, we get...

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  • Bull Creek District Park Remains an On-Leash Park for Dogs

    Published on: February 21, 2011

    Feb. 17, 2001 - News Release from Austin Parks and Recreation The Austin Parks and Recreation Department Director Sara Hensley, after a critical and careful analysis of the recent completed review of fecal contamination monitoring at the Bull Creek District...

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  • Speed Studies – 2010

    Published on: December 31, 2010

      The Austin Police Department completed a Stealth Box Study of traffic on Greystone Drive (4200 block between Mesa and West Rim) on December 2-3, 2010. The speed limit is 30 mph, but 46% of drivers were speeding over 30...

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  • Reporting Intentional Deer Feeding

    Published on: January 26, 2010

    In February 2009, the City of Austin passed an ordinance making it illegal to intentionally feed deer within the City limits. If you see someone breaking the law, contact contact 3-1-1. Make sure to have the address of the offender...

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  • Dealing with Dead Deer or Other Dead Animals

    Published on: January 26, 2010

    If you find a dead deer or other dead animal on a city street or other city property, contact 3-1-1 to report it to Austin Resource Recovery (formerly Solid Waste Services). Please note that the dead animal must be placed...

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  • Feeding of Deer Prohibited in City of Austin

    Published on: January 12, 2010

    Here is the text of the City of Austin ordinance regarding the feeding of deer: ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS. § 10-8-1 DEFINITION. In this chapter FOOD means corn, fruit, oats, hay, nuts, wheat, alfalfa, salt blocks, grain, vegetables, and commercially...

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