The Save Historic Muny District, which represents those who wish to preserve the first integrated golf course in the South, now has a board of directors. The board includes Mary Arnold and Ken Tiemann, both longtime advocates for the Lions Municipal Golf Course, as well as Volma Overton III, the grandson of the legendary NAACP […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inHousing
Affordable housing takes a few steps forward
Housing prices continue to climb in Austin as more people move to the music and tech mecca of Texas. According to Zillow, the median home value in Austin is $372,200, while the median list price is $399,000. In adopting its Strategic Housing Blueprint, City Council set a goal of adding 135,000 new housing units to […]
Posted inWhispers
McFadden has a new gig
Local political consultant and alternative transportation advocate Elliott McFadden announced Wednesday that he was officially launching his new consulting business, McFadden Mobility Consulting. He told friends on Facebook, “I will be offering strategic planning, business analysis, product development and communications services to organizations and governments seeking to innovate in the shared-use transportation space.” McFadden has […]
Posted inWhispers
Alter rejects contract with Piatra Inc.
Council approved awarding a construction contract with Piatra Inc. without discussion during the consent portion of Thursday’s agenda. Council Member Alison Alter was the sole vote against authorizing the contract. Alter chairs the Council Audit and Finance Committee, which heard extensive negative comments about work the company had previously done for low-income homeowners under a […]
Posted inCity Council
Council nixes appeal, asks staff to work with restaurant
On Thursday City Council rejected an appeal from Casa de Luz, a vegan restaurant on Toomey Road that has had multiple disputes with building officials, the latest one specifically about compliance with requirements of the city fire code. The appeal in question was from a determination by the Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals […]
Posted inWhispers
Another zoning case bites the dust
With District 1 City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison on vacation, Council had already planned a number of postponements from today’s meeting. Late Wednesday afternoon, representatives of the J.J. Seabrook Neighborhood Association in East Austin and developer Glenn F. Cooper (the Urban Groundskeeper, Inc.) told the Austin Monitor that they had agreed to ask Council for […]
Posted inCity Council
Casa de Luz continues fight with city
Casa de Luz, a vegan restaurant on Toomey Road, has been involved in an ongoing dispute with city building officials over its compliance with requirements of the Fire Code for the past eight years. City Council will be asked to resolve the latest clash at Thursday’s meeting. At issue is an appeal of a ruling […]
Posted inWhispers
Piatra Inc. set to receive new city contract
Piatra Inc. is one of a handful of construction companies that racked up a number of complaints from homeowners about substandard work after the company worked on their homes under a city program to help low-income homeowners. Yet the company is now set to receive a contract worth more than half a million from the […]
Posted inPolice
Report faults APD’s handling of information
The Austin Police Department has failed to comply with the federal policy relating to access to criminal justice information maintained by the FBI, according to a special report from the Office of the City Auditor. Assistant City Auditor Andrew Keegan briefly described his findings to the Council Audit and Finance Committee on Thursday. The Texas […]
Posted inWhispers
John Umphress retiring to keep bees
For the past 14 years, John Umphress has worked as an energy conservation program specialist with the Green Building section of Austin Energy. At his retirement party this week, Umphress received accolades from his former bosses, all of whom have preceded him into retirement: Tom “Smitty” Smith of Public Citizen, Andy Sansom of Texas Parks […]
Posted inZoning
Council moves forward with zoning under ‘Byzantine’ Land Development Code
The new owners of a former drive-thru bank at 1900 W. William Cannon Drive were able to get part of what they were seeking on first reading of their zoning case before Council last week. After much conversation, Council voted unanimously to grant Neighborhood Commercial-Neighborhood Plan (LR-NP). The applicants, Cody Carr and Grady Field, were […]
Posted inWhispers
Nonprofits mobilize against Proposition A
The political action committee PACE PAC will officially kick off its campaign to defeat Proposition A at a 9 a.m. news conference at the Long Center today. The Long Center itself, along with sister organizations the Austin Symphony, Ballet Austin, Zach Theatre and the Austin Opera, started campaigning this weekend with a flyer for people […]