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
- 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
- Austin’s new CapMetro Rapid lines debut with buses every 20 minutes
- After shutting off mental health care for Austin musicians, SIMS Foundation restarts services
- Austin ISD announces hiring freeze as budget deficit grows to $110 million
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Stories by Chad Swiatecki
Memo highlights needs, gaps in achieving city's climate goals by 2040
The city still has to rework or commit more funding and resources toward the majority of the goals involved in implementing its Climate Equity Plan, which aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. A recent staff memo from…
City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 22, 2025
Federal report shows city's progress, shortfalls in addressing housing needs
A report recently submitted to the federal government offered a picture into how the city has progressed in achieving its housing goals using federal dollars, while also highlighting areas where improvement is needed to make sufficient progress on its most…
Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 21, 2025
Council Member Krista Laine opts to discontinue District 6 field office
As she prepares for her first City Council meetings later this month, newly elected District 6 Council Member Krista Laine will represent residents of Northwest Austin and a portion of Williamson County without the use of a satellite office that…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 17, 2025
Dirty no more? City opts to keep Sixth Street open to traffic at all times
Beginning this weekend, the city will keep Sixth Street open to vehicular traffic on weekends, a substantial departure from decades of street closures designed to accommodate nightlife culture that saw thousands of pedestrians gather in the roadway while moving among…
Transportation • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 16, 2025
Report sees strong growth for life sciences jobs and real estate throughout Austin
Austin’s bio and health ecosystem is emerging as a significant driver of economic development, with new projects and public policy efforts shaping the future of the sector, according to the 2024 Austin Bio & Health Report authored by industry analysts…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 15, 2025
City outlines proposed code changes to regulate short-term rentals
The city plans to move forward with an overhaul of its short-term rental regulations, with public hearings beginning next month to discuss the code amendments under consideration to manage the industry and collect Hotel Occupancy Tax from the more than…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 14, 2025
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Public health commissioners eye heat resistance steps for city budget requests
Public health proponents for the city and Travis County appear ready to push for more heat mitigation resources in the next city budget, with a recent playbook from the Office of Resilience likely to help prioritize those financial requests. At…
Environment • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 13, 2025
ECHO report shows growing mortality rate among the area’s homeless community
The most comprehensive study of homelessness mortality in Austin shows that more than 1,000 people died between 2018 and 2023 with the average age of death falling at 50 years – which is 20 years younger than those living in…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 10, 2025
Planning memo details performance, possible changes for density bonus programs
A new analysis of the city’s density bonus programs finds mixed results in their ability to deliver community benefits such as affordable housing in new real estate projects. A memo released last week by Planning Department Director Lauren Middleton-Pratt details…
Land Development Code • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 9, 2025
Density proponents encouraged by HOME six-month progress report
The city of Austin’s Development Services Department has released its six-month report on the early outcomes of the Home Options for Mobility and Equity (HOME) Phase 1 initiative. A memo released last month by José G. Roig, director of DSD,…
Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 8, 2025
Watson touts moves toward stability, predictability for city services in 2024
Mayor Kirk Watson returns to the word “stability” frequently when discussing the moves and decisions inside City Hall in 2024 and what residents want headed into 2025. For Watson, stability and predictability come in the form of things like the…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 6, 2025
Pool reflects on housing and environmental progress as she closes 10 years on Council
Leslie Pool faced something of a quandary nearly two years ago, when she considered running for the office of tax assessor-collector for Travis County. Knowing that her time as a City Council member would expire in 2024, she saw the…
