The Planning Commission recommended that City Council approve a zoning change that will allow a 290-unit apartment complex to be built at 1125 Shady Lane, near the intersection of Bolm Road and Airport Boulevard. The commission voted 7-4 to change the zoning on the 8-acre lot from single family to multifamily, despite objections from the […]
Jack Craver
Posted inPlanning
Grove PUD remains in limbo
The drama over the Grove at Shoal Creek may be far from over. The project has been tangled in city bureaucracy ever since City Council greenlighted the controversial planned unit development at the corner of 45th Street and Bull Creek Road in December 2016. While the Council vote granted the zoning needed to build the […]
Posted inAustin
How can city government help Austin parents with child care?
The high cost of day care, which can easily run $1,000 per month, is one of a number of expenses that are making the city increasingly inhospitable to working- and middle-class families. City Council is exploring ways to make child care more accessible and affordable. The city’s own employees are struggling to pay the high child […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Housing bond forces tough decisions for Council members
While three City Council members say they want to present an affordable housing bond to voters worth between $250 million and $300 million, it is unclear how many others on the dais are in favor of such a large figure. First, some Council members are reluctant to support spending increases that will lead to tax […]
Posted inHousing
City proposes ways to reduce permitting costs for homeowners
In November of last year, City Council approved a resolution aimed at making it easier and cheaper for homeowners to repair or renovate their houses. The resolution asked the Development Services Department to consider setting up a separate, simpler permitting process for homeowners, including a dedicated team of city staff that could help property owners […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Public Safety Commission: Who polices the police?
Last month, members of the Public Safety Commission voiced concerns about the lack of consistent rules or guidelines on investigating senior members of the police, fire and emergency medical services departments for harassment or discrimination. On Monday, a representative of the city’s Human Resources Department conceded that the city did not have a defined process […]
Posted inBudget
Council braces for another tight budget cycle amid threats from Legislature
City Council will have to raise property taxes by 5 percent in the Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget just to continue funding existing programs, according to a financial forecast prepared by the city budget office. In a presentation to Council members on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo projected that Council will have a […]
Posted inHousing
Garza, Renteria, Casar unveil Housing Justice Agenda
Three City Council members say they are united to push for a series of aggressive affordable housing measures, including a major increase in housing subsidies and reforms of the land development code. At a panel at the Austin Convention Center Tuesday afternoon, Council members Delia Garza, Pio Renteria and Greg Casar described seven parts of […]
Posted inPolice
Will Manley be made police chief? City manager remains mum
In spite of the praise he has received from city leaders for his response to the Austin bombings, Interim Police Chief Brian Manley is not necessarily a shoo-in to be the next permanent police chief. City Manager Spencer Cronk is still in the process of deciding what to do about the vacant position, which Manley […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Council members push for $300M affordable housing bond
If Austin is going to do something about its affordability crisis, many on City Council believe that it will take a massive infusion of public funds to build housing that is affordable to low-income and working-class residents. To that end, at least two Council members have said they want to put a bond measure on […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Adler to developers: CodeNEXT must provide more housing
Mayor Steve Adler told members of Austin’s real estate industry Tuesday that the city is making it easier to build and that he hopes the potential overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code will allow for much greater density on the city’s transportation corridors. At a luncheon hosted by the Real Estate Council of Austin […]
Posted inHousing
Council approves compromise to redevelop and preserve Rosewood Courts
City Council voted Thursday to permanently preserve eight buildings that are a part of Rosewood Courts, a public housing development in East Austin that was built 80 years ago for African-Americans with funds from the newly created United States Housing Authority. Under the plan approved unanimously by Council, the exteriors of eight buildings along Chicon […]