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Zilker substandard lot case sparks debate at Board of Adjustment
An appeal to grant a variance to homebuilders on Kinney Avenue raised questions of precedent and procedure at the Board of Adjustment meeting this past Monday. On behalf of property owner Molly Development Company, applicant Ian Ellis sought the board’s…
Land Development Code • By Kali Bramble • Nov 17, 2021
Land use commissions face uphill battle to stay at City Hall
When City Council approved plans for a new Permitting and Development Center in 2017, the idea was that all land use commissions would eventually hold meetings there as part of a “one-stop shop” for all things development. But now that…
City Hall • By Jonathan Lee • Nov 16, 2021
Resilience hub initiative continues to evolve
Winter Storm Uri, the extreme weather event that left an unknown number of Austin residents dead last February, inspired the initiative to create resilience hubs across the city that would act as a public resource in times of crisis. The initial…
Public Health • By Willow Higgins • Nov 16, 2021
EMS makes progress on billing backlog
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services is chipping away at a billing backlog that started with a demanding learning curve associated with a new patient records system implemented in 2019. Additional billing delays carried over into 2020 as city staffers started…
EMS • By Amy Smith • Nov 16, 2021
Two down, one to go: Cap Metro passes joint powers agreement
At the Nov. 10 meeting of the Capital Metro Board of Directors, members emerged from a closed-door executive session to pass the joint powers agreement. The purpose of the joint agreement between the city, Capital Metro and the Austin-Transit Partnership…
Transit • By Seth Smalley • Nov 16, 2021
Capital Metro drivers and mechanics to vote this week on pay boost
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill being signed into law by President Biden has thrown a lifeline to Austin-area transit operator Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has struggled for months to recruit enough bus operators to maintain service. This week, the…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Nov 15, 2021
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Audit praises city's Covid assistance efforts, with rental payment results mixed
An audit found mixed results in the execution of some of the city’s programs created with federal money to provide assistance with the many impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. A report last week from the Office of the City Auditor…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 15, 2021
Neighbors fight for more community benefits from huge East Austin development
A rezoning for a massive mixed-use development in East Austin went before the Planning Commission last Tuesday, showcasing intense negotiations between the applicant and neighbors trying to squeeze community benefits from the project. The current proposal for the 15-acre site…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Nov 15, 2021
Council members pose tough questions about city's storm response
During Wednesday’s City Council Audit & Finance Committee meeting, Chair Alison Alter and fellow committee members Kathie Tovo and Mackenzie Kelly praised city staffers’ heroic efforts as Winter Storm Uri ground the city to a halt in February. But those…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Nov 11, 2021
Montopolis school for Black students reopened its doors as neighborhood fights for preservation
Montopolis Negro School, a segregation-era grade school for Black children, reopened its doors on Saturday, welcoming Montopolis residents new and old, including some former students, back to an alma mater that hasn’t operated as a school in 60 years. The…
Preservation • By Willow Higgins • Nov 11, 2021
Transit jobs, affordability concerns added as priorities for area job training plan
Job training leaders are emphasizing the rising cost of housing in the Austin area as one of the pain points that can be solved through education and rapid placement with major employers in need of workers. Workforce Solutions Capital Area…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 11, 2021
County acts to prepare for next big storm
The question of disaster relief preparedness was central at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session. With the memory of Winter Storm Uri still fresh in people’s minds, the county is putting together a contingency plan. “The goal here is to get some…
