After briefly weighing a state Senate run, Austin City Council Member Greg Casar is seeking reelection once again, facing challengers from his ideological right and left. Louis C. Herrin III and Ramesses II Setepenre are running against Casar to represent North Central Austin’s District 4 on Austin City Council. Casar said this campaign has been […]
Daniel Salazar
Posted inElections
Leslie Pool, Morgan Witt face off in District 7 Council race
In the least crowded field of the five Council elections this fall, Leslie Pool, the incumbent, is facing only one challenger, newcomer Morgan Witt, to represent North Austin’s District 7 on Austin City Council. Pool is one of the original members of the city’s first 10-1 Council and has won elections in 2014 and 2016. […]
Posted inPlanning
Design Commission advances new hotel project on downtown parking lot
The Design Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend a density bonus for a proposed 17-story hotel project at 617 Colorado St. in downtown Austin. The site is currently a surface parking lot at the southeast corner of Seventh and Colorado streets. The tract, only about 10,000 square feet in size, is zoned Central Business District. […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission approves South Austin condo rezoning
The Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning request that paves the way for more condominiums in South Austin at its Tuesday night meeting. Staff recommended the rezoning of a 1.45-acre tract at 219 Lessin Lane, near Ben White Boulevard and South Congress Avenue, from a Family Residence base zone (SF-3) to a Townhouse & Condominium […]
Posted inHousing
Affordable housing proposals advance after outcry over gentrification, institutional racism
Charges of institutional racism and bias in housing policy engulfed a pair of votes at the Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors meeting Thursday. The board, which is made up of all of the members of the Austin City Council, considered requests to authorize negotiating and executing agreements with development teams on two affordable […]
Posted inPlanning
ZAP to consider Training Kitchen request as commission grapples with postponement woes
At the Zoning and Platting Commission Tuesday night, a rezoning request from a nonprofit that wants to build a community center on a South Austin lot was postponed by commissioners until early October. But the discussion underscored the commissioners’ frustration about how the body is handling postponement requests and what they mean for projects. The Training Kitchen wants […]
Posted inWhispers
Planning commissioners pay tribute to former leaders
Planning commissioners paid tribute to their former leaders, Chair Conor Kenny and Vice Chair Fayez Kazi, at the board’s Tuesday night meeting. Kenny left to join Kazi at Civilitude Group to work on affordable housing developments together. New chairman Todd Shaw thanked the two for advancing affordable housing in Austin. “Conor and Fayez really took […]
Posted inHousing
City’s RENT 2.0 program ramps up
After its launch earlier this summer, the second round of the city’s rental assistance program is gaining steam. The Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants, or RENT, program provides direct rental assistance to residents financially hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic. The first iteration of the RENT program disbursed $1.2 million to almost 1,700 families earlier […]
Posted inHousing
Thousands of potential units in projects certified so far under Affordability Unlocked program
A city bonus program to spur more affordable housing has already played a role in several income-restricted projects across Austin. Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department staff and affordable housing developers provided an update on the Affordability Unlocked program to City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee on Tuesday morning. Affordability Unlocked offers waivers or easements […]
Posted inZoning
ZAP endorses mixed-use for East Austin tract
On Tuesday night, the Zoning and Platting Commission voted in favor of mixed-use zoning for an East Austin property, but once again clashed over the scope of conditional overlays. ZAP commissioners recommended designating a 4.67-acre tract at 5601 Nixon Lane, off FM 969 east of U.S. Highway 183, with a community commercial base zone, a […]