Josh Rosenblatt

Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo on Tuesday defended a new department initiative targeting crime downtown before Austin City Council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee, but he will need to provide more data to convince some committee members that the initiative isn’t unfairly targeting the homeless population. Acevedo told the committee that APD launched […]

Austin City Council approved on Thursday the rezoning of a large property on the northeast corner of Riverside Drive and South 1st Street to allow for the construction of a six story mixed-use building that will include 9,000 square feet of pedestrian-oriented uses, up to 240 multifamily residential units and  a three-level garage. The site […]

It’s been a little over two weeks since the city started regulating short-term rentals, and already Austin City Council is considering tweaking the law. At Tuesday’s work session, Council members debated an amendment that would substantially reduce the fees paid by short-term rental owners, a change that didn’t please opponents of the properties. At issue […]

Austin City Council members on Thursday cleared the way for complaints related to five city construction projects to move forward into the arbitration process, but not before making clarifying amendments to the language and deciding that an evaluation of the process by which workers can make prevailing wage complaints is long overdue. Under the terms […]

The Water and Wastewater Commission was unable yesterday to recommend approval of $15.5 million in additional construction funds for Water Treatment Plant 4, citing “opaque” reasoning from staff as to why that money is necessary. If City Council approves the additional funds, that would bring the total price tag for construction of the plant to $374.5 million, well […]

More than four years ago, when the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) was trying to come up with names for the park situated next to the Long Center for the Performing Arts, they received 21 nominations from individuals around the city. In the end City Council elected to call the plot Butler Park (beating out […]

At their meeting last Austin City Council members approved on first reading rezoning measures that would allow a South Austin church to consider all of its property General Office, but not before several members voiced their concerns that the rezoning could signal an ugly shift in the city’s development priorities. The Christian Life Church of […]

Austin City Council last week cleared up some longstanding business related to the city’s purchase of 61 environmentally sensitive acres in Southwest Austin, land that one environmentalist has called the “crown jewel” of Barton Springs. In April 2000, at the urging of several prominent Austin environmental activists, developer Bill Walters agreed to sell the city […]

Austin City Council continued its efforts to secure the viability of its three taxi franchises Thursday night by approving on first reading 20 additional franchise permits for Lone Star Cab. Should Council approve the measure on third reading in November, Council will be closer to satisfying the demands of a Dec. 15, 2011, resolution, which […]

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell tried to pitch regional unity while arguing against two upcoming resolutions that concern potential threats to Barton Springs at Tuesday’s City Council work session, but it’s doubtful that he convinced his colleagues harm would be done to the city’s relationship with its neighbors. Leffingwell’s concerns centered on two resolutions that City […]

An expert on humane deer management recommended the city educate citizens on the use of repellants, fences and strategic plant and flower selection to control the city’s sprawling deer population, rather than using lethal means.  At a special called meeting of the Animal Advisory Commission held on Thursday night, Laura Simon, field director of the […]

After three deaths and dozens of reported cases, it looks like Travis County’s long summer of West Nile Virus may be winding down. The number of reported cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the county has dropped considerably since peaking almost exactly one month ago, according to the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department. […]