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Stories by Audrey McGlinchy, KUT

Homes in Austin’s white neighborhoods are valued much higher than ones in communities of color

People of color in Austin can expect their homes to be worth nearly three times less than homes owned by white residents, according to a new report. Researchers with Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Illinois-Chicago found that,…

$1,700, $2,900, $3,200 a month? What’s the real cost of rent in Austin?

The rent in Austin is too damn high. But how high? Recently, Axios published data showing the median rent in Austin is a whopping $2,930 per month. (That includes rental homes of all sizes.) Another report from Bloomberg published in July,…

Amid rising housing costs, Austin increases (slightly) park fees charged to builders

Following a conversation that pitted the amount of parkland in Austin against housing affordability, City Council members on Thursday voted against doubling park fees charged to residential developers. Instead, they opted to raise these fees by 10 percent. The vote…

Mobile home park residents facing eviction in South Austin can stay a bit longer, judge rules

Roughly a dozen families living at a mobile home park in South Austin who received 60-day notices to leave will be able to stay for the time being after a Travis County judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday. Residents…

Neighbors protested housing for homeless Austinites. Then, they (sort of) changed their stance.

Austin’s Planning Commission meets every other Tuesday in the cavernous chambers of City Hall. Members assemble virtually and in person to hear requests and pleas from the public about what should be built in the city. Plot by plot, these…

Austin officials are deciding what property tax bills will look like. Here are some terms to know.

Later this week, the Austin City Council is expected to adopt its budget for the coming fiscal year, which includes how it plans to tax property owners. Some institutions that collect property taxes, like the Austin Independent School District, have…

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Austin builders are starting a lot of new homes. Finishing them is not so simple.

Alexandra Spurlock bought a new three-bedroom home in Hutto, about a half-hour drive north of downtown Austin. When she signed the papers last summer, the home was nothing more than a plot of dirt. The builder said the house would…

Austin struggled to hire summer employees. Then, it failed to pay some on time.

At least 34 employees with Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, including some who care for children as part of city-run summer camps, went as long as a month without pay because of a clerical error. At least one employee’s paycheck…

'I'm just in shock': Austinites react to Supreme Court decision ending the constitutional right to abortion

Dawn Hennessey said she was going to cry. “Honestly, I’m just in shock,” Hennessey, who owns a bakery in South Austin, said. “I’m appalled. It’s a setback. We’re gonna have an underground railroad next thing you know. It’s horrifying.” Austinites…

How tall should buildings be when they're near single-family homes?

There’s a building on South Lamar that looks like a stepladder. Well, maybe a stepladder if you laid it on the ground. Or, maybe just a set of stairs – for a giant. “As you move across Lamar, you’re literally…

Alamo Drafthouse owners bought an old school and promised affordable housing. Years later, there is none.

For a moment, the possibilities for a former school building in one of Austin’s most coveted neighborhoods seemed endless. A contemporary arts center with space for restaurants. What about a community theater? The 4-acre spot in Hyde Park, several groups…

Austin votes to ban no-knock warrants and decriminalize small amounts of weed, initial results show

By a sweeping margin, voters in Austin appear to have approved a proposition to sanction small amounts of marijuana and ban the use of no-knock warrants by police. Nearly 85% of voters were in favor of Proposition A, according to initial…

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