Stories by Jack Craver
Planning Commission OKs change to 30-year-old development agreement
Homes produce a lot less sewage now than they did 30 years ago. That’s partly why the Planning Commission decided Tuesday to allow the construction of an office building in western Travis County over the objections of city staff. The…
Planning • By Jack Craver • Jan 24, 2019
A new vision for Brush Square Park
City officials believe that Brush Square Park, home of the O. Henry Museum, the Susanna Dickinson Museum and Austin Fire Station 1, has the potential to be a downtown gem. As it stands, however, it is an inefficiently used piece…
Parks • By Jack Craver • Jan 23, 2019
City hopes 10-foot fence will deter crime on Red River
The city of Austin is inching toward a “short-term” solution to a downtown alleyway that police and business owners say has become a magnet for criminal activity. Drug dealing, prostitution and human waste are frequent issues in the alley between…
Austin • By Jack Craver • Jan 18, 2019
Austin Energy tries to encourage Austinites to buy electric cars
Last week, the city of Austin was awarded a coveted $2.5 million grant from a foundation funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pursue a number of environmental initiatives focused on energy efficiency and green transportation. While the…
Energy • By Jack Craver • Jan 18, 2019
IndyAustin PAC will not be involved in stadium battle
Linda Curtis, the Bastrop-based activist best known for gathering signatures for various citizen initiatives in Austin, has disbanded a political action committee linked to her advocacy group, IndyAustin. The group will continue to engage in advocacy, Curtis said in an…
Austin • By Jack Craver • Jan 17, 2019
Legal questions swirl around soccer stadium petition
The organizers of an initiative aimed at stopping the construction of a Major League Soccer stadium in North Central Austin say that the city must hold an election on the matter in May, despite contrary claims from city attorneys. Last…
Music & Entertainment • By Jack Craver • Jan 15, 2019
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City proposes new demolition rules
In response to an audit last year that identified a number of problems in the city’s demolition permitting process, the Development Services Department has recommended a number of changes aimed at streamlining the process and ensuring safety. The recommendations were…
The Code • By Jack Craver • Jan 11, 2019
City employee forced out for using city computer for food trucks
A city employee has been fired after city auditors accused him of using his city computer to manage two food trucks that he owns. For his part, the employee claims that he is being treated unfairly and that his mistakes…
City Hall • By Jack Craver • Jan 10, 2019
Adler calls on Council to do 'big things,' Garza elected mayor pro tem
Mayor Steve Adler began his new four-year term on an optimistic note, saying that the city is “poised to get some really big things done” when it comes to addressing Austin’s major challenges, notably housing and transportation. Adler, along with…
City Council • By Jack Craver • Jan 8, 2019
North Austin neighborhood group doesn't want more renters
A family seeking to sell roughly 30 acres of undeveloped property in North Austin won approval last month from the Zoning and Platting Commission for a zoning change that will allow the land to be developed into over 130 homes,…
Zoning • By Jack Craver • Jan 8, 2019
Traffic concerns for proposed Braker Lane development give Zoning Commission pause
At the corner of Braker Lane and Dessau Road sits an oddly shaped 0.9-acre parcel of land that has been the subject of at least two heated zoning disputes. In mid-2016, the owner of 1308 E. Braker Lane, Sinh Tron…
Zoning • By Jack Craver • Jan 7, 2019
Arbitrator rules against city contractor in home repair case
An independent arbitrator has ruled in favor of a homeowner who accused a contractor hired by the city of not doing the necessary work to repair her home and ultimately leaving her house in worse shape than it was originally.…
