Local developers hear call for creative space partnerships through cultural trust

As the city’s recently activated Economic Development Corporation takes its first significant steps to preserve creative spaces, the local real estate and development community is starting to explore ways to partner and bring arts and music uses into new and…

Loop 360/Davenport fire station lease raises questions

After serious questions about whether staff members had provided City Council with sufficient information before moving forward on construction of a new Loop 360/Davenport fire/EMS station, Council on Thursday approved a 40-year lease for the property at 4601 Westlake Drive.…

Disagreement over valid petition delays Northeast Austin zoning case

A controversial rezoning at the intersection of Grady and Brownie in Northeast Austin turned more contentious at City Council Thursday when a neighbor and the applicant accused each other of exploiting a nonnative-English-speaking family to sway their opinion on the case.…

Austin ISD adds two Fridays off this semester to provide 'stress relief' to staff amid omicron wave

Lee esta historia en español. The Austin Independent School District is adding two three-day weekends to the spring semester to give teachers a break as the omicron Covid-19 wave has stretched campuses thin. Students will now have two extra Fridays…

Opera house redevelopment project gets first OK

City Council unanimously approved the first reading of the proposed zoning change to three tracts just east of South Congress Avenue while signaling that there is much negotiating and bargaining awaiting the project, which aims to revive part of the…

Parks board approves vision plan for Allandale park revamp

Allandale’s favorite park has major improvements headed its way. Planners involved with the Beverly Sheffield Northwest District Park presented their vision plan and final draft concept for the historic neighborhood park to the Parks and Recreation Board last week.  …

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Park renamed to honor civil rights legend Volma Overton Sr.

The 65 acres of northern waterfront at Town Lake Metro Park has a new name following a resolution honoring civil rights activist Volma Overton Sr. The park, formerly known as Lamar Beach, will now go by Volma Overton Sr. Shores.…

Austin spends nearly $1 million to settle lawsuits alleging it mishandled sexual assault cases

The city of Austin is settling two lawsuits alleging it violated the rights of sexual assault victims by mishandling the investigations. The city’s settlement amounts to $825,000, which will be split among 15 plaintiffs, and $50,000 for the plaintiffs’ lawyers.…

Council moves to put a stop to wage theft

Austin is taking a step toward joining El Paso and Houston in punishing employers that engage in wage theft, with a resolution City Council approved unanimously on Thursday. A dozen people signed up to tell Council members to approve the…

As Austin reimagines public safety, new police findings emerge

Arrests made by Austin police declined 51 percent from 2017 to 2020, yet use-of-force incidents increased 58 percent, according to an independent review of the Austin Police Department. A city-retained consulting firm, Kroll Associates, spent 48 months reviewing Austin’s police…

Landmark commission approves 'Keep Austin Weird' sculpture

The Historic Landmark Commission approved plans for a public artwork installation on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Congress Avenue this past Monday, but not before a heated dispute over the piece’s cultural merit. Plans for the statue, a…

Council appears ready to hit pause on downtown court relocation

City Council appears set to delay a decision on relocating the Downtown Austin Community Court to the former City Hall building on West Eighth Street. At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Kathie Tovo said she planned to ask Council to…