Stories by Jack Craver
One part of Camelback PUD isn't controversial: A big new park
The Parks and Recreation Board couldn’t find anything bad to say about the parkland proposed as part of the Camelback PUD, a proposed mixed-use development on a 145-acre plot of land that fronts Lake Austin just west of Loop 360.…
Parks • By Jack Craver • Sep 7, 2018
Austin Energy shifts money away from apartment weatherization program
Every year, Austin Energy pays contractors to make apartment buildings more energy-efficient. They put in place new duct sealant, solar screens and attic insulation, which helps tenants reduce their energy consumption and lower their utility bills. This year, however, the…
Energy • By Jack Craver • Sep 6, 2018
Travis County gets slow start to $185M bond program
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt isn’t ready to hit the panic button, but she is expressing concern about the amount of time it’s taking for the county to get going on the $185 million of projects that voters approved in…
Bonds & Propositions • By Jack Craver • Sep 5, 2018
City of Austin considers opioid strategies
The city of Austin is aiming to develop a coordinated effort with Travis County, law enforcement and health agencies to fight opioid addiction. An Aug. 30 memo to City Council from Stephanie Hayden, director of the Austin Department of Health…
Public Health • By Jack Craver • Sep 4, 2018
Council reluctantly approves Fred McGhee to commission
City Council on Thursday voted to approve the appointment of local activist Fred McGhee to the Community Development Commission but also condemned McGhee for sexually charged comments he made to a city staffer as a member of the commission last…
City Hall • By Jack Craver • Aug 31, 2018
Council considers which strings to attach to corporate incentives
After postponing action earlier this month, on Thursday City Council will again consider establishing new rules regarding economic incentives for businesses. Council members plan on considering a number of amendments to the proposal aimed at ensuring that public dollars are…
Austin • By Jack Craver • Aug 29, 2018
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Council to consider changes to Community Development Commission
The city of Austin may be dealing with yet another headache over who gets to sit on a city commission and who should or can be removed. The Community Development Commission is responsible for overseeing the implementation of projects funded…
City Hall • By Jack Craver • Aug 28, 2018
Shoal Creek plan includes wins, losses for density advocates
On Thursday, City Council unanimously approved the North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Plan, a document that outlines how the neighborhood, which is bound by MoPac Expressway, U.S. Highway 183, Burnet Road and Anderson Lane, will accommodate future population growth. The plan…
Planning • By Jack Craver • Aug 27, 2018
Affordable housing crisis: To conserve or to create?
As Austin struggles with an ongoing shortage of affordable housing, some housing activists and elected officials believe the city’s top priority should be creating new housing, both by allowing the market to build new units that target various income levels…
Housing • By Jack Craver • Aug 24, 2018
How can Austin incentivize affordable housing?
Members of City Council believe it’s time for a change to the city’s density bonus programs. Currently, Austin has 13 “development incentive programs” that offer developers additional building entitlements if they provide a certain amount of housing that is affordable…
Housing • By Jack Craver • Aug 23, 2018
North Shoal Creek plan prompts debate over density
City Council may have given up on CodeNEXT, the proposed comprehensive rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code, but the debate over growth and development is certainly not going away. On Thursday, Council will take up the North Shoal Creek…
City Council • By Jack Craver • Aug 22, 2018
Despite progress, builders complain of long waits for permits
Among the many factors blamed for Austin’s affordability crisis are the city’s notoriously complicated development regulations. The development review process is so cumbersome, critics say, that builders have to hire agents to get their permits approved, creating a cost that…
