Stories by Jessi Devenyns
'Air Temp' home to be restored rather than demolished
Following months of hand-wringing from the community and negotiations between city staff and property owners, the “Air Temp” home at 2502 Park View Drive is going to get a new lease on life. On Sept. 28, the Historic Landmark Commission…
Preservation • By Jessi Devenyns • Oct 5, 2020
Travis County launches new coronavirus relief grants for nonprofits
With $61.1 million to spend and the clock ticking ever closer to the expenditure deadline of Dec. 30 set by the federal government for coronavirus relief funds, the Travis County Commissioners Court authorized a new grant program called TCTX Serve…
Travis County • By Jessi Devenyns • Oct 1, 2020
Commissioners Court approves Central Health budget, with concerns
On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court unanimously approved Central Health’s $367.3 million budget, stamping its seal of approval on the 6.9 percent, or $76.5 million, increase for the Travis County health care provider and the corresponding $24.97 average increase in annual…
Budget • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 30, 2020
PARD contends with homeless encampments during pandemic with limited resources
With nearly 300 parks and 17,409 acres of property to oversee, Wes Bickham, an environmental coordinator with the Parks and Recreation Department, has a lot of ground to cover in his work finding alternative solutions for people experiencing homelessness who…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 29, 2020
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Parks board pushes against long-term reservation program for parks
Every year when the weather warms up, the city’s parks and greenbelts fill up. This year, that trend has been amplified by the pandemic as Austinites flock to city parks, causing some of the most popular outdoor spaces to hit…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 25, 2020
Public Safety Committee examines the use of police time, asks for more data
As the city of Austin looks into redefining the duties of its police department, staffers are reaching out to community members to hear feedback about what the next iteration of the Austin Police Department could look like. Simultaneously, city staff are…
Public Safety • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 24, 2020
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County works toward December deadline for CARES expenditures
In just over three months, Travis County will come up against its federally set deadline of Dec. 30 to spend the entirety of its $61.1 million in federal coronavirus relief dollars. As of Sept. 22, the county has spent only…
Travis County • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 23, 2020
Board of Adjustment debates the value of maintaining area character
Swapping primary and secondary residences is an approach to creating larger living spaces for homeowners that has become a popular tactic for preserving homes that contribute to area character. However, at the Sept. 14 meeting of the Board of Adjustment,…
Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 22, 2020
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Board of Adjustment offers free advice, grants lot size variance
Small lots are not uncommon in East Austin, so the Board of Adjustment regularly grants variances to allow homeowners to maximize such properties. On Sept. 14, the board once again unanimously granted a variance for small lot amnesty to allow…
Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 18, 2020
Combating climate change in Austin to start at Austin Energy
As the Office of Sustainability’s newly revised Climate Equity Plan makes its way through boards and commissions for public comment, its latest stop was the Electric Utility Commission on Sept. 14. Zach Baumer, who is the program manager for the…
Energy • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 17, 2020
County works out budget snags with Cap Metro in transportation blueprint
Travis County has nearly finished its second year of partnership with Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority to provide transit operations into unincorporated parts of Travis County. In the process, transportation staff has uncovered a few unanticipated costs that will affect the…
Transit • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 16, 2020
Environmental Commission recommends increased impervious cover in waterfront overlay
Historically, it is rare for the Environmental Commission to recommend a variance to increase impervious cover in a waterfront overlay. Lately, however, the redevelopment of old, heavily covered lots has the commissioners opting for the lesser of two evils and…
