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Large housing development in the works on Barton Springs and Lamar
Developers are looking to rezone a property currently home to the Bicycle Sport Shop on Barton Springs Road and South Lamar Boulevard. If successfully rezoned as a planned unit development, the lot would be redeveloped as a nine-story building with…
Planning • By Willow Higgins • Jun 6, 2022
Travis County opens applications to very low-income residents for housing voucher waitlist
Next month, on the first of July at 8 a.m., a relatively small number of low-income residents will get the opportunity to settle or continue to stay in Travis County. That’s because the Housing Authority of Travis County is opening…
Housing • By Seth Smalley • Jun 6, 2022
TxDOT wants cops to crack down on speeders, but APD's traffic enforcement units are understaffed
With traffic crashes killing about 10 people a day across the state, the Texas Department of Transportation is launching its first-ever safety campaign focused on the leading cause of road deaths: speeding. The new campaign includes an increase in speed…
Transportation • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jun 3, 2022
Landmark commission hopes developer can give LGBTQ businesses on Fourth Street a fighting chance
As people across the world geared up to celebrate Pride Month, Austin’s LGBTQ community mourned the loss of its last cultural stronghold to redevelopment. On Wednesday, the city’s Historic Landmark Commission elected not to recommend historic zoning for the block of warehouses on…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Jun 3, 2022
Council to consider new ADU policies, ditch preapproved blueprints
City Council shifted priorities this week on policies related to accessory dwelling units, with members showing little interest in creating preapproved ADU blueprints and instead considering a new measure aimed at making ADUs easier to build. At Tuesday’s Housing and…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 3, 2022
Plan to update urban trails, sidewalks and bike lanes prioritizes equity
At the City Council Mobility Committee meeting last month, representatives from the ATX Walk Bike Roll program spoke about their commitment to achieving equitable outcomes when updating Austin’s urban trails, bike lanes and sidewalks. ATX Walk Bike Roll, a joint…
Transportation • By Samuel Stark • Jun 3, 2022
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APD pushes for return of license plate readers, nixed during 2020 police budget cuts
The Austin Police Department advocated for the reinstatement of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, during a May 23 presentation to the city’s Public Safety Committee, reigniting long-standing concerns about privacy and data sharing among law enforcement agencies. City Council…
Police • By Emma Freer • Jun 2, 2022
Cultural Arts continues revisions for arts contracts funded by hotel tax
The city is moving ahead with further revisions to its process for awarding contracts for Cultural Arts funding, with the rollout of the first phase of a three-tiered pilot program expected to take place in October. Cultural Arts staff members…
City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 2, 2022
Planning Commission supports first phase of East Austin development
The Planning Commission OK’d a rezoning on May 24 for the first phase of a larger development planned along Hudson Street in East Austin. Ledgestone Development Group plans 97 units in a mix of single-family homes and attached townhomes on several…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 2, 2022
Vela plans resolution to prevent police from investigating abortion
In light of a likely U.S, Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision legalizing abortion, City Council Member Chito Vela is working on a resolution that tells Austin police they should not investigate or solicit information…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jun 1, 2022
Ahead of Council vote, committee sculpts VMU2 proposal
City Council members at Tuesday’s Housing and Planning Committee meeting shared their latest thinking on proposed changes to Vertical Mixed-Use (VMU) zoning ahead of a vote on June 9. Council Member Chito Vela outlined a new compromise to reduce compatibility…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 1, 2022
City highlights resilience measures during Wildfire Awareness Month
The city of Austin is no stranger to irregular weather patterns, with some predicting that near-record May temperatures foreshadow an unusually hot and dry summer. With temperatures rising, staff members across a number of city departments are bolstering their defenses…
