Downtown Austin leaders are increasingly focused on residential development as a way to stabilize the city’s core, as office vacancy rates remain stubbornly high and some buildings struggle to find tenants at all. With more than one-fifth of downtown office space currently sitting vacant or available for near-term leases (and some estimates placing that number […]
Chad Swiatecki
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.
Posted inBudget
City staff identify $101M in funding needs to address homelessness in Austin
Ahead of this month’s budget workshops, city staff have released estimates that it will take more than $100 million in additional funding to sustain and expand the local homelessness response system as the expiration of federal pandemic relief aid approaches and long-term capital and service demands continue to grow. The memo from Homeless Strategy Officer […]
Posted inHousing
Housing staff wants more funding, support for land trusts to build affordable homes
The Housing Department is pushing City Council to continue to provide funding for land acquisition and development subsidies to preserve long-term housing affordability. In a recent memo responding to a Council resolution from last year, housing officials describe land banking as “the bedrock” of future affordability. The memo acknowledges that expanding the city’s community land […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit: Economic official granted arts, music funding against city code
The former director of the Economic Development Department authorized a handful of grant awards that violated city code restrictions, according to a new investigative report from the Office of the City Auditor. The report concludes that Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, who retired in December, allowed four arts organizations to receive Live Music Fund grants for projects that […]
Posted inHousing
Housing staff suggest ADU pilot program aimed at 80% MFI households
City housing staff say a publicly-funded program to help homeowners build accessory dwelling units would likely see limited uptake and may fall short of the city’s affordability goals, particularly for households most at risk of displacement. In a recent memo responding to a 2023 resolution from City Council, Interim Housing Director Mandy DeMayo outlined findings […]
Posted inAustin
Dozens of city music grants stalled over missing final reports
Sixty recipients of Austin’s Live Music Fund grants are currently in non-compliance with the city’s reporting requirements, leaving more than half a million dollars in hotel tax funds unpaid and effectively frozen, according to data presented at the June 16 meeting of the Austin Arts Commission. In total, 70 grant contracts across all city arts […]
Posted inHousing
City eyes fund to preserve affordable housing, capitalize on overbuilt apartment market
In talking about the possibility of establishing a city fund specifically for preserving existing affordable housing stock, Council Member Marc Duchen said part of the motivation is to give the city more tools to step in before property owners decide to rebuild aging multifamily properties at higher price points. Using the recent, controversial redevelopment of […]
Posted inCity Hall
Jobs and redevelopment take center stage in annual economic development report
The Economic Development Department says it supported more than 27,000 jobs and distributed over $54 million in community investments during fiscal year 2024, according to its recently released annual report. The report outlines the department’s evolving priorities, including the transfer of its cultural programs to a new Office of Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment and […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Focused on real affordability, City Council moves to improve density bonus programs
City Council voted Thursday to initiate a review and potential overhaul of the city’s density bonus programs, signaling a shift toward more flexible and customized incentives to promote affordable housing and community benefits across different parts of the city. The resolution was supported by all of City Council but Council Member Krista Laine, who abstained. […]
Posted inPlanning
City to postpone UNO vote to consult with UT
A vote on a long-debated plan to allow taller buildings and expanded development in the University Neighborhood Overlay district has been postponed until the fall, pushing back the move to add student housing capacity near the University of Texas. The postponement request was outlined in a pair of May 30 memos from Planning Director Lauren […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown report: Office vacancies up, infrastructure growth continues
Downtown Austin is in a transitional period, with the latest “State of Downtown Austin” report highlighting diverging paths for public and private sector development. The Downtown Austin Alliance’s annual review, now in its seventh year, notes an increase in downtown office vacancies, up to 22 percent versus the 18 percent reported last year. Office vacancies […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council looks to change the ‘unhappy experience’ of DB90
City Council is preparing to initiate a broad review and recalibration of the city’s density bonus programs, including DB90, which was introduced last year as a tool to encourage the development of affordable housing through additional entitlements. The resolution, which is scheduled to be taken up at the June 5 Council meeting, is sponsored by […]