Austin Council Nov. 19: Two Office Parcels Face Commercial Rezoning
Austin City Council hears two rezonings Nov. 19, 2026: C14-2026-0046 on East Howard Lane and C14-2026-0059 on Menchaca Road, both staff-backed with conditions.
Illustration- Source Briefing
- Public record
Austin City Council is scheduled to hold public hearings Nov. 19, 2026 on two proposed commercial rezonings: a warehouse-office parcel at 3127 East Howard Lane and an office parcel at 3908 Menchaca Road. City staff back a narrower, conditional version of both requests. Nothing is decided until Council votes.
Why it matters
Both cases move small office-zoned sites toward retail-capable zoning, the kind of entitlement step that precedes a sale, a tenant deal or a site plan. Neither agenda item states a project, a unit count or a dollar figure, so the filings signal intent to reposition the land rather than a funded development.
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Council’s 10 a.m. Central Time agenda lists them back to back: item 91 (file 26-3093) for Howard Plaza, case C14-2026-0046, in the Harris Branch watershed, and item 92 (file 26-3094) for Menchaca, case C14-2026-0059, in the West Bouldin Creek watershed.
The numbers
- C14-2026-0046, Howard Plaza (Council District 1): request from warehouse limited office (W/LO) to community commercial (GR). Staff recommends GR-CO (conditional overlay). The Zoning and Platting Commission voted its recommendation Oct. 20 for GR-CO, “as amended.” The site is held by an individual owner.
- C14-2026-0059, Menchaca (Council District 5): request from limited office (LO) to neighborhood commercial (LR). Staff and the Planning Commission, which heard it Oct. 27, recommend LR-CO. The owner is Serendipity Properties Inc., represented by Keepers Land Planning.
A commission vote is a recommendation. Only Council can approve a zoning change, and conditional overlays can limit uses and traffic on the site.
What’s next
Council holds both hearings Nov. 19. Builders and brokers watching the South Lamar and Harris Branch corridors should read the conditional overlays when the backup is posted, since they set which retail uses survive. Related Austin zoning coverage is on the Austin market hub.
On the record
Council agenda item 91 (file 26-3093) C14-2026-0046 Howard Plaza, 3127 East Howard Lane: request W/LO to GR; staff and Zoning and Platting Commission recommend GR-CO; hearing Nov. 19, 2026, 10 a.m. CT
Public record · austintexas.legistar.com
Primary record
- Public recordCouncil agenda item 92 (file 26-3094) C14-2026-0059 Menchaca, 3908 Menchaca Road: request LO to LR; staff and Planning Commission recommend LR-CO; owner Serendipity Properties Inc.View the record on austintexas.legistar1.com
- Zoning and Platting Commission agenda, Oct. 20, 2026 (item 3, C14-2026-0046)services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=483305
- Planning Commission agenda, Oct. 27, 2026 (item 11, C14-2026-0059)services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=483771