City Council was nearly unanimous in its support for a resolution that would direct city staff to craft a recommendation for developing a new density bonus on Thursday. Earlier this year, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo ditched a density bonus proposal that she had requested from staff that she and others agreed would not accomplish […]
Jack Craver
Posted inZoning
Zoning Commission tries to limit lengthy testimony
Apparently traumatized by two marathon hearings over the controversial Grove at Shoal Creek planned unit development, members of the Zoning and Platting Commission spent more than an hour Tuesday discussing ways to limit the amount of time consumed by public testimony on zoning cases. As a result of the commission’s action, applicants in zoning cases, […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy agrees to rate deal with businesses, consumer advocates
Eighteen of the 26 advocacy groups, businesses and individuals who signed up to intervene in the ongoing Austin Energy rate review have signaled support for a compromise with the utility. The deal would lower electricity rates for both residential customers and businesses for the next five years. Thomas Brocato, an outside legal counsel for Austin […]
Posted inDevelopment
Arguments heat up over controversial Grove PUD
Plans and feelings will have to change dramatically in the coming weeks if City Council is ever to reach a consensus on the Grove at Shoal Creek, an enormous mixed-use development proposed for a 75-acre tract of land in North Central Austin. Council’s only action on the project Thursday was unanimous: It voted to postpone […]
Posted inBudget
Adler: Business incentives shouldn’t be ‘bad word’
In a booming city with an unemployment rate south of 3 percent, it’s not surprising that people might be skeptical of spending taxpayer dollars to lure more jobs into town. In a recent survey of Austinites about city spending priorities, business recruitment was the city program for which by far the greatest number of respondents […]
Posted inTransportation
Mobility bond talks turn to sidewalk regrets
City Council Member Ora Houston says fatigue, a lack of information and compassion for a colleague led her to a bad decision for her constituents toward the end of a late-night City Council discussion in June over the proposed $720 million transportation bond. Houston now regrets casting the deciding vote to divvy up $27.5 million […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy defends its rate proposals to Council
City Council members didn’t have a whole lot to say on Monday during their first hearing regarding the electricity rates that Austin Energy, the city-owned electric utility, has proposed for the next five years. Convened as the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee (a committee of the full Council), they sat, for the most part, silent […]
Posted inZoning
Neighbors seek to block new mental health clinic in North Austin
A group of neighbors in Northeast Austin is seeking to stop a mental health clinic from coming to their area, saying they are concerned about the safety of children at a nearby elementary school. Austin Travis County Integral Care, the public health authority, is planning to build a behavioral health clinic at 1120 East Braker […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin libraries not giving up on CDs
Even in the Live Music Capital of the World, there are undoubtedly plenty of people who haven’t bought a physical music album in years. All Austinites, however, continue to buy compact discs through their taxes. On Thursday, City Council approved a contract with a vendor to provide thousands more music albums to the city’s 22 […]
Posted inBudget
Council members want more social services spending in budget
A number of City Council members voiced surprise and disappointment at the 2017 budget proposed by city staff, saying it fell woefully short of the commitment to health and human services called for in previous Council resolutions. Council Member Delia Garza was particularly flummoxed by the $99.2 million Health and Human Services budget submitted by […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission starts process on affordable housing incentive program
The city Planning Commission on Tuesday kicked off the creation of an amendment to Austin’s land development code to encourage developers to build more affordable housing. The objective of the proposal, which is only in the beginning stages of being drafted, is to increase the number of properties for which the city can offer developers […]
Posted inBudget
How do Austinites want the city to spend their money?
As Austin grows, so does its government. City staff unveiled a proposed budget Wednesday that would increase general fund spending by $56 million, or 6.1 percent, for a total of $969.2 million. The increased spending is made possible not because of a tax hike necessarily, but because the ever-rising value of Austin homes is generating […]