City Council took its first look Tuesday at a long list of recommendations from a task force focused on reducing displacement of Austin’s low- and middle-income populations. The report that was unanimously approved by the Anti-Displacement Task Force includes 107 ideas for how to keep people and businesses from being priced out of the city. […]
Jack Craver
Posted inAISD
AISD board approves one Confederate name change, delays others
Eight months after voting to find new names for five facilities named after veterans of the Confederate military, the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees on Monday approved renaming one building, but punted on the remaining four. As a result of the board’s action, the Allan Center, formerly named for Confederate Army Officer John […]
Posted inZoning
Council approves 18 townhouses in Northeast Austin
In spite of opposition from neighbors who fear flooding and increased traffic, at its Nov. 15 meeting City Council overwhelmingly approved a rezoning to allow the construction of 18 new homes on a vacant lot at 10300 Dessau Road. The site was previously zoned Family Residence, or SF-3, which allows the type of single-family homes […]
Posted inCity Council
Minimum lot sizes: A roadblock for affordable housing?
Last week, Austin voters approved a record-busting $250 million for affordable housing, but a discussion during Thursday’s City Council meeting showed that building new housing isn’t simply a matter of having enough money. At issue is a small piece of vacant land that the city owns at 3000 Funston St., just east of MoPac Expressway […]
Posted inWhispers
Council approves new fire chief
On Thursday, City Council voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Joel Baker to head the Austin Fire Department. Baker spent 30 years with the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, which he led as chief from June 2015 until February of this year, when he announced his retirement. Since former chief Rhoda Mae Kerr retired in […]
Posted inWater
To conserve water amid warming climate, city envisions major underground storage system
For four years, volunteer members of the Integrated Water Resource Task Force have been crafting a plan to conserve Austin’s water supply over the next century. While experts have long warned that a warming climate, coupled with a growing population, poses a serious risk to the world’s water supply, the weeklong boil notice that Austin […]
Posted inWhispers
Robbins decries proposed gas rate change
Energy activist Paul Robbins is sounding the alarm about gas prices for Austin residents. The company that provides gas to city residences, Texas Gas Service, has proposed changing the way it charges customers to fund its conservation programs. Currently, households pay a little under 4 cents per 100 cubic feet of gas consumed. TGS is […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Which areas of Austin killed Props J and K?
Last week, Austin voters approved nine of 11 propositions on the ballot, including seven bond measures totaling $925 million, a proposition that made small spelling corrections to the city charter and a proposition authorizing City Council to set rules for removing members of the Planning Commission. All nine measures passed with at least two-thirds of […]
Posted inDevelopment
City tries to get developers to embrace ‘great urban design’
While the most often discussed aim of density bonuses has been to create affordable housing, the city also hopes to use them as a way to encourage other community benefits, including superior design. “We’re trying to shift the narrative and shift the story and say great urban design is important,” Jorge Rousselin, who is the […]
Posted inElections
District 1 runoff: Mariana Salazar and Natasha Harper-Madison
With less than a percentage point separating them, Natasha Harper-Madison and Mariana Salazar will advance to a December runoff election for East Austin’s District 1 seat. In the end, Salazar had 5,673 votes (or 26.01 percent), with Harper-Madison behind at 5,469 (25.07 percent). “I’m feeling grateful and empowered,” said Salazar at her election watch party. […]
Posted inElections
Another brother-sister runoff in East Austin’s District 3
Council Member Pio Renteria finished way ahead of multiple opponents in his bid for re-election in East Austin’s District 3. Renteria won 47.71 percent of the vote, while his sister, Susana Almanza, came in a distant second place, with 21.32 percent. “I think we did pretty good,” Renteria said at his election party Tuesday night. […]
Posted inPreservation
Property owners who forfeit landmark status will have to pay more
Owning a property that has been designated a historic landmark has its benefits and its drawbacks. The city of Austin, Travis County and the Austin Independent School District all offer hefty property tax exemptions for landmark properties – with the expectation that the property owner will take certain measures to maintain the structure’s historic character. […]