Local muralists and other visual artists have until Sept. 15 to submit an application to create a new two-story mural at the historic Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium at Congress Avenue and 10th Street. The community recommended the mural installations as a way to recognize the history of the property and the bakery. Plans call for […]
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 inHousing
Are rents falling? Apartment association sees construction, weak demand causing ‘negative rent growth’
A combination of softer demand by renters and new multifamily apartment units completing construction has caused some lowering of rents in the Austin market, according to members of the Austin Apartment Association. At a series of panel discussions last week, the appearance of “negative rent growth” after years of upward movement was a topic of […]
Posted inAustin
Life sciences, housing policy seen as keys for Austin’s five-year growth strategy
Business leaders see the life sciences sector as the next major piece of the Austin economy and expect it to grow quickly along with semiconductor and automotive manufacturing, financial services and national defense in the years to come. Focusing on those industries while addressing housing costs and the growing local labor pool were some of […]
Posted inWhispers
City announces creative grant awards
The Economic Development Department has announced 65 grant recipients receiving a total of $1.5 million from the latest installment of the Creative Space Assistance Program. The program was created to help arts organizations and commercial spaces in music and arts avoid displacement. The grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 can be used for rent subsidies, […]
Posted inAustin
Budget shortfall forces Austin Music Foundation to suspend operations
The Austin Music Foundation nonprofit group has suspended activity and laid off its employees in response to a budget shortfall of nearly $200,000 from its planned budget of just over $300,000. At least $85,000 of that shortfall is the result of AMF not receiving a Cultural Arts contract from the city for one of the […]
Posted inWhispers
UT to open new research space
The University of Texas-Austin has committed to open Impact Labs, a 10,000-square-foot wet lab space that will be part of the innovation and research spaces at Karlin Real Estate’s Parmer Austin project on Parmer Lane just east of I-35. The life sciences lab space will be managed by UT’s Discovery to Impact program, which helps […]
Posted inWhispers
ULI honors Austin developments
Urban Land Institute Austin has announced the winners of the competitive projects categories in the organization’s annual Impact Awards, which were held Aug. 29 at ZACH Theatre. Austin ISD’s Rosedale School won the “Most Influential Project” award from a field of 15 nominees that also included Austin Community College’s Rio Grande campus and the Dell […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council delays decision on new hotel tax that could fund homelessness services
City Council has put on hold a long-discussed partnership with local hotels that could generate millions of dollars in General Fund revenue to cover expenses related to services for the homeless. At last week’s meeting, Council voted to delay action on the proposed Austin Tourism Public Improvement District until Sept. 14. The delay in deciding […]
Posted inPlanning
City seeking developers interested in East 11th Street revitalization
The city is looking for developers interested in remaking two of the most high-profile blocks downtown, which could shape the future of the Black community in East Austin. Last month the Austin Economic Development Corporation (EDC) opened a request for qualified developers who could take on one or both of the blocks along East 11th […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council pushes for tweaks to new hotel tax envisioned to help serve homeless population
A hotel tax mechanism long eyed as a source of funding for homelessness services goes before City Council for possible approval today. It could face considerable scrutiny based on the structure of the deal, which some members see as unfavorable for the city. Council received a presentation at Tuesday’s work session on the proposed Austin […]
Posted inWhispers
Hotel tax updates show more money for the arts
Updates on collections of the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues presented favorable financial pictures for both the Live Music Fund and Cultural Arts Funding Program. A presentation at this month’s Arts Commission meeting showed that total hotel tax collections in July (for hotel business conducted in June) was $36.2 million. That total means about $2.8 […]
Posted inPlanning
Regulating plan for Austin’s South Central Waterfront could be adopted this year
The long-awaited regulating plan to guide development patterns just south of the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge could arrive just as a handful of massive new projects in the area move forward for approval. A city memo released last week updates the status of the South Central Waterfront District Regulating Plan, spelling out that […]