Stories by Audrey McGlinchy, KUT
How a 91-year-old Supreme Court case from Ohio echoes in Austin's zoning plan
Austin Mayor Steve Adler sat in front of nearly 200 people gathered at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in early November. He’d been invited by the Allandale Neighborhood Association in Northwest Austin to answer questions about CodeNEXT, the city’s rewrite of…
Zoning • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Dec 8, 2017
In this new neighborhood, none of the homeowners own the land
Laura Soto, 38, sands several planks of wood that will serve as the trim for the outside of her new home. A few feet from her lies a plank of wood labeled “front porch,” another labeled “door.” On a break…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 29, 2017
Council reveals six finalists for city manager position
After getting heat for keeping candidates’ identities secret and evading reporters, City Council has released the names of six finalists for the city manager position. Mayor Steve Adler published the names and biographies to the Council Online Message Board Monday…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 21, 2017
New to Austin's public transit system? A Cap Metro employee will ride the bus with you
Priscilla Jove, 19, sat cross-legged on a bench at a bus stop on the corner of West Oltorf Street and South Lamar Boulevard Saturday afternoon. A biology student at Austin Community College, Jove was headed out to study. She said…
Transit • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 20, 2017
How three former federal immigration officials view Texas’ ‘sanctuary cities’ ban
The next chapter in the fight over Texas’ immigration enforcement law begins Tuesday, as attorneys on both sides of the case over Senate Bill 4, the so-called “sanctuary cities” law, head back to federal court. Judges for the 5th U.S.…
Texas State Legislature • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 7, 2017
Austin's new Central Library opens Saturday. Will people use it?
Taylor Barnett, 24, hasn’t had a public library card since the 1990s, when she was a kid growing up in Victoria, Texas. She would frequent the local library with her grandparents, especially after they bought a computer with little idea…
Austin • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Oct 27, 2017
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We collected your CodeNEXT fears. And then tried to fact-check them.
Nearly 100 people crammed into a back room of a South Austin lodge to hear Mayor Steve Adler tackle some boring stuff. Made up mostly of members of the Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association, the audience sat in cushioned beige chairs…
Land Development Code • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Oct 12, 2017
Rents rise despite new housing keeping pace with growth, study finds
Developers that want to build low-income housing in wealthier neighborhoods should engage more with neighborhood groups to convince them of the merits of affordable housing. That’s one recommendation in a study published today by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Oct 10, 2017
Second draft of CodeNEXT allows more housing in more places, city says
Austin is releasing a second draft of CodeNEXT, the city’s rewrite of its Land Development Code, today. “We are really excited about the new draft coming out,” Peter Park of Opticos Design, a consultant hired by the city, told City…
Land Development Code • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 15, 2017
Harvey 'washed us back home': Is Austin too expensive for those relocating after Harvey?
Wendy Rivera sat in a metal folding chair outside the shelter for Hurricane Harvey evacuees in Southeast Austin. She shared a 44-ounce convenience store soda with her husband, Ramiro. Ramiro, tall, soft-spoken and tattooed, used his body and a white…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 8, 2017
How one immigrants' rights group is preparing for 'sanctuary cities' law
Candelario Vazquez, 34, stood in front of a 20-person audience. None of the adults and children, some of them squirming in their hard plastic chairs, asked to be in his audience. “Good morning, friends,” said Vazquez, who works for the…
Public Safety • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 23, 2017
Regulation Vacation: City collects taxes from unlawful Airbnbs
Becca Dobberfuhl has a name for her Bouldin Creek home. “It’s all this rusty, rusty, rusty color,” she said. “And the house is a modern house and it has a box-like look to it so we call it the ‘Rusty…
