Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- How Trump’s federal funding freeze is beginning to affect Austin
- APD won’t enforce SB 14 as Paxton and Trump further attack gender-affirming health care
- After shutting off mental health care for Austin musicians, SIMS Foundation restarts services
- Council approves call for better coordination, planning among downtown projects
- Commercial EV station moves forward despite opposition
-
Discover News By District
Popular Whispers
- Council Member Mike Siegel will speak out against cuts to federal services
- City manager hosts community meetings on next year’s budget
- DAA offers a look at future of Sixth Street entertainment district
- RRCD names Klepadlo as executive director
- Zero Waste Advisory Commission adds own ‘no’ rec on merge with RMC
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,…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 4, 2022
$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,…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Oct 10, 2022
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…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 16, 2022
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…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 6, 2022
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…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 29, 2022
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…
Budget • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 18, 2022
Subscribe to our newsletter
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…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 13, 2022
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…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 30, 2022
'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…
Public Health • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 27, 2022
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…
Land Development Code • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 9, 2022
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 • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • May 20, 2022
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…