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Stories by Chad Swiatecki

Council approvals move Colony Park toward reality, with more density expected

The long-gestating Colony Park development project took major steps forward Thursday with City Council’s passage of four items related to the master development agreement and the creation of a critical financing mechanism for the $257 million project. Council unanimously passed…

ASPIRE project to bring affordable housing, business training to North Austin

BiGAUSTIN, the Black-led nonprofit group that has provided microlending, business training and workforce assistance for nearly 30 years, has announced plans to construct a massive new community resource center and affordable housing community in a partnership with Banc of America…

Ethics commission notifies D8 candidate of campaign materials violation

The Ethics Review Commission will file a letter of notification for a City Council candidate who neglected to put required disclaimers on some of his campaign materials. At last week’s meeting, the commission held the preliminary hearing for the complaint…

Council hears push for offices, senior space at Nash Hernandez building

City Council could help decide the future of the Nash Hernandez building in East Austin in the coming months, as debate continues over whether to convert the long-idle building into office space or a senior center. At Thursday’s meeting, Lori…

Council considers Colony Park TIRZ ahead of expected approval

City Council appears ready to move forward next week with the creation of a property tax mechanism that will bring more than $80 million over 20 years to the Colony Park development in East Austin. At Tuesday’s work session, staff…

Real estate leaders put affordable housing bond under the lights

In summarizing the city’s many efforts and successes to preserve and create more affordable housing, Rosie Truelove offered a simple summary of what’s going on in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. Speaking at last week’s…

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PARD pushes to use Nash Hernandez building for offices instead of senior services

The Parks and Recreation Department is pushing back against a City Council recommendation and wants to convert an idle East Austin property into office space instead of a facility for seniors and children. In a memo released last week, PARD…

Watson, Israel weigh in on mayoral plans to help arts community

As local artists and musicians continue to be priced out of Austin, the next mayor and City Council will need to take decisive, ongoing actions and think in new ways to prevent the city’s highly touted creative culture from being…

Study finds middle-income housing fund outperforms high-dollar real estate

An Austin investment fund created to support and stabilize middle-income rental housing has been verified as an attractive and viable investment by researchers from two Texas universities. Affordable Central Texas, which began acquiring middle-income rental communities in late 2018, has…

Austin's growing pains impacting housing, jobs east of 130

The push of economic development flowing from Austin has officially hit the SH-130 corridor, and is bringing the same pressure on infrastructure, housing and workforce development that have become regular talking points in Austin political circles for years. At a…

Commission delays vote on support for senior services facility

The Community Development Commission will take another month before deciding to support a proposal to convert the long-vacant Nash Hernandez Building into an intergenerational facility providing care and services to seniors living in East Austin. The commission voted unanimously to…

City seeks applicants to help craft five-year food system plan

The city has opened its application process for members of the advisory committee that will help the Office of Sustainability draft a comprehensive food plan for the city, with the goal of addressing food insecurity for vulnerable Austin residents. The Community…

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