About the Author
Chad Swiatecki is a 20-year journalist who relocated to Austin from his home state of Michigan in 2008. He most enjoys covering the intersection of arts, business and local/state politics. He has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, New York Daily News, Texas Monthly, Austin American-Statesman and many other regional and national outlets.
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Most Popular Stories
- Lost Creek neighborhood sues city over tax efforts
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Discover News By District
Stories by Chad Swiatecki
Downtown Commission reviews plan for equitable historic preservation
Members of the Downtown Commission debated and mostly praised the draft version of the city’s Equity-Based Preservation Plan, which is open for public feedback through the end of May. At last week’s meeting, the commission looked beyond the scope of…
Preservation • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 25, 2024
Incentive package for music venues, arts spaces headed for May public hearing
The city is working to make incentives for creative spaces available to individual sites and properties as well as larger cultural districts that have been proposed in city planning documents in recent years. Monday’s Arts Commission meeting included a presentation…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 22, 2024
City seeking $191M state loan to cover costs of caps and stitch for I-35
The city will turn to a state loan program as a major source of the funding for the more than $500 million cost of constructing caps and a stitch over Interstate 35 after it is buried and expanded over the…
Roads • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 21, 2024
Parks Dept. looks to move forward with new, scaled-back Dougherty Arts Center
The replacement for the deteriorating Dougherty Arts Center will move forward in a phased approach, without the underground parking called for previously by City Council, in an attempt to dramatically reduce the cost of the new facility. During the Tuesday…
Budget • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 20, 2024
Black arts collective wants progress on city's African American cultural district
An East Austin arts nonprofit is looking to organize musicians, artists and other creatives for job opportunities and to put pressure on the city to move forward with building out plans for the African American Culture and Heritage District that…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 19, 2024
Visit Austin offers look at strategy to support hotels during convention center closure
Staff from Visit Austin plan to aggressively market the city to new and recurring visitors in the coming years as part of a three-part strategy to support the local hotel and convention industry during the four-year closure of the Austin…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 18, 2024
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Imagine Austin series looks at prospects for equitable development amid rapid growth
Austin’s combination of intense population and income growth and state laws that limit inclusionary zoning might make it difficult to institute equitable housing policies, but a national land use leader advises there are still ways for the city to adapt…
Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 15, 2024
City seeks feedback from disability community on five-year federal housing plan
The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities heard a briefing last week from the Housing Department, which is seeking input from Austin residents with disabilities to identify the greatest community needs that could be addressed using federal funds from the…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 14, 2024
Considering a community-first approach to public safety and crime prevention
Criminal justice leaders at the state and federal levels see benefits in changing the idea of public safety in the U.S. to promote community intervention and public health approaches to problems like gun violence as well as most nonviolent crimes.…
Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 13, 2024
Federal grant provides $105M for Chavez-Fourth Street cap over rebuilt I-35
The city received a boost in its plan to construct broad, plaza-like caps over sunken portions of Interstate 35, with the announcement of a $105 million federal grant to fund a portion of the construction. On Monday, the U.S. Department…
Roads • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 12, 2024
Author, advocate explores universal income among solutions for homelessness
A San Francisco-based nonprofit group focused on helping people who are homeless is expanding basic income payments, with results that they hope can win over local elected officials willing to try the programs using public money. Kevin Adler, founder of…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 11, 2024
Musician advocates decry city's inaction on fair pay for SXSW performers
With South by Southwest set to kick off over the weekend, advocates for musicians are calling attention to what they say is inadequate progress on the issue of fair pay for official showcase performances during the festival. Those calls come…
