Transit leaders agree: Shifting half of all local travel away from individual vehicles by 2039 will require an aggressive mix of land use reform and expansion of transit options, including the Austin’s forthcoming light rail line. Exactly how those changes play out over the next decade-plus was the focus of a recent Urban Land Institute […]
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 inWhispers
What do you think of Austin Energy’s climate plan?
Austin Energy has asked customers for input in its update to the utility’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2030. The goal of that plan is to keep up with customer demand while also pursuing the city’s climate protection and sustainability goals in its 437-square-mile service territory. Increasing price volatility within the Electric Reliability […]
Posted inWhispers
City to hold public meeting on investigation into Oakwood Cemetery remains
The Parks and Recreation Department has scheduled a virtual community meeting for 6 p.m., Sept. 19 to provide updates on the effort to conduct DNA and isotopic analysis of the unidentified remains discovered in 2016 during construction work at Oakwood Cemetery. The analysis work is being conducted free of charge by archaeology teams from the […]
Posted inWhispers
Mearns Meadow construction has begun
The start of construction on the Little Walnut Creek flood risk reduction project has caused the closure of Mearns Meadow Boulevard from Rutland Drive to Parkfield Drive through next spring, when work on the first phase is scheduled to conclude. The project, which is expected to last until early 2026, is intended to reduce flooding […]
Posted inCity Hall
Pilot program to give small, local businesses preferences for city contracts
In October, the city will begin a two-year pilot program that will attempt to give preference for some contracting opportunities for small and locally owned businesses. At Wednesday’s meeting of City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee, staff from the city’s Central Procurement office presented plans for the program, which was called for when Council adopted […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit finds police department backlog of 20,000 public information requests
The Austin Police Department recently had a backlog of more than 20,000 public information requests, causing some requests to wait for more than a year to receive a response, according to a recent city audit. That audit also found APD has far less public information staff to handle requests than the rest of the city […]
Posted inWhispers
New report unlocks ‘Affordability Unlocked’
A new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute has examined Austin’s Affordability Unlocked housing initiative in comparison to other affordable housing programs in seven major U.S. cities. The report – Local and State Policies to Improve Access to Affordable Housing – looked at the basic components of Austin’s plan since it was instituted in 2019 […]
Posted inWhispers
Data remains positive on Austin office construction
Austin remains one of the strongest markets for the construction of new office space despite having one of the highest vacancy rates and price per square foot in the nation, according to data gathered by the real estate services group Commercial Edge. The group’s July report found Austin has 6.2 million square feet of office space […]
Posted inWhispers
Sign up for breakfast panel and hear from leaders working to address homelessness
Downtown Austin Alliance has scheduled an “Issues & Eggs” breakfast panel for Sept. 26, looking at the current state of homelessness in Austin and how to address it. The event will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at St. David’s Episcopal Church on Eighth Street. Discussion will focus on the $65 million recently awarded […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin Housing Finance Corporation selects 20 small developers for training program
The Austin Housing Finance Corporation has selected 20 participants for its Small Developer Training program. The training program is intended to provide small developers – especially those from historically overlooked communities – with mentorship, networking and potential pathways to financing for eligible real estate projects in Austin. The program aims to help create more affordable […]
Posted inAustin
Financial justice nonprofit gets boost to expand services
A local financial justice nonprofit group will be able to expand its services in Austin and around the state dramatically with a $250,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation. The banking giant’s gift will let Financial Health Pathways more than triple the number of participants in its I Save Texas! savings enhancement program and expand […]
Posted inEnvironment
NOAA heat impact study puts faces to local effects of 2023 heat wave
Community organizations have been advocating for the city to direct more resources toward heat relief and climate emergency response. A 2021 study examining how extreme heat affects East Austin residents is giving more weight to that work. The study, titled “Heat vulnerability of Latino and Black residents in a low-income community and their recommended adaptation […]