The city transportation department is adamant: Nothing has been determined yet about parking for special events held in Zilker Park. Hence, the meeting at the Austin Energy headquarters on Barton Spring Road Thursday evening was an opportunity for Austinites to review different proposed parking policies for major events, such as the Austin City Limits Music […]
Jack Craver
Posted inPublic Safety
African-Americans spend more time in Travis County jail for same offenses as whites
Travis County has a long way to go before its criminal justice system matches its progressive reputation, according to a report released Thursday by a local advocacy group. African-Americans booked into the county jail spend more time behind bars than whites charged with the same crime, said the analysis by Grassroots Leadership, a community organizing […]
Posted inAustin
Can an expanded convention center solve the ‘downtown puzzle’?
After months of research, city staff has come up with a few ways that City Council can find money to begin solving the so-called “downtown puzzle,” the expression used by Mayor Steve Adler to describe a host of potential downtown projects that could benefit the city. Those projects include expansion of the Austin Convention Center […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Abbott takes aim at Austin’s tree protections
Austin leaders who watched with dismay as GOP lawmakers spent much of the recently concluded legislative session undermining city policies on immigration, ride-sharing and short-term rentals could at least take comfort in the fact that the state did not completely take away its ability to protect trees. In fact, city leaders welcomed a tree-regulation bill […]
Posted inCity Council
Council approves workforce training audit
It took a while for City Council to wrap its collective head around the concept, but after an hour and a half of discussion it overwhelmingly approved a study that will try to assess the effectiveness of some area workforce development efforts. The resolution approved by Council June 22 authorized city staff to negotiate and […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT likely to ditch transect zones
One of the key concepts underpinning the proposed revamp of the city’s land development code will likely not be included in the next draft of the proposal, city staff informed City Council members Wednesday. The team responsible for drafting the new code is considering getting rid of transect zones, Jerry Rusthoven of the Planning and […]
Posted inResources
Council approves composting contract despite Texas Disposal Systems objections
City Council approved a contract Thursday to dramatically expand the city’s curbside organics collection and composting program. The new contract builds upon the pilot program that has been in place for nearly four years. Under that program, Organics By Gosh, a local composting firm run by a husband-and-wife duo, processed organic waste collected from the […]
Posted inWhispers
Council to vote on new CodeNEXT timeline
City Council is scheduled to vote on a new timeline for CodeNEXT at its meeting today. The current timeline has the Zoning and Platting Commission and the Planning Commission deliberating on the second draft of the code in October, after which Council will take up the code, ideally approving it on first reading in December […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT proposes new program to bolster affordable housing
CodeNEXT, the proposed overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code, dramatically expands an existing city program that offers developers incentives to build housing reserved for low- and middle-income buyers and renters. In a presentation to City Council members on Wednesday, the consultants hired to craft CodeNEXT explained that the “density bonus” program included in the […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Evolve Austin wants to make the case for density
A coalition of businesses and nonprofits hopes to mobilize people to support a new Land Development Code that will make Austin more compact and connected. On Monday, Evolve Austin announced its plans for a yearlong grassroots campaign fueled by volunteer canvassers knocking on doors or soliciting people in public places. The goal is to raise […]
Posted inPublic Health
Council narrowly approves controversial Central Health board nominee
By a one-vote margin, City Council approved the appointment of a new member to the Central Health Board of Managers after complaints about the nominee’s potential conflicts of interest. Council voted 6-5 to assign Julie Oliver, a division controller for St. David’s HealthCare, to a vacant seat on the nine-member board that governs Central Health, […]
Posted inLand Development Code
What businesses are coming to your neighborhood under CodeNEXT?
Mayor Steve Adler continues to assure the public that City Council still has ample time to “calibrate” CodeNEXT. The reassurance is in response to myriad concerns about how the proposed overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code will impact neighborhoods. Early meetings on the subject have displayed just how hard it will be to come […]