City Council members have their work cut out for them this month, with the first of six work sessions leaving a lot of ground to cover before their vote on Austin Energy base rates for 2023. With the independent hearing examiner ruling largely in its favor, Austin Energy is continuing to propose a shift to […]
Kali Bramble
Posted inEnergy
Draft recommendation suggests EUC will push back on Austin Energy rate case
With the end of the year steadily approaching, schedules are packed and the city is at full throttle preparing for a ruling on Austin Energy’s controversial rate review case. Last week, the Electric Utility Commission spent its meeting deliberating a draft resolution that would ask City Council to substantially deviate from Austin Energy’s proposed revenue […]
Posted inCity Council
Council opts to make Austin a friendlier place for backyard chickens
Chicken enthusiasts have cause for celebration, as a proposal to loosen setback regulations for chicken coops passed last week on City Council’s consent agenda. The move stems from a collaboration between the Public Health Department and the Office of Sustainability, which sought to make it easier for Austinites living on smaller lots to reap the […]
Posted inCity Council
Council considers overnight concrete pour exceptions for South Congress HEB project
Among last week’s packed agenda, City Council debated a resolution that would grant the HEB redevelopment at Oltorf & South Congress a permit to pour concrete overnight. The project, which aims to open a new grocery by 2024, has the distinct potential to congest traffic at the intersection, thanks to lane closures for construction materials. To […]
Posted inPreservation
Unpermitted demolition stokes existential crisis at Historic Landmark Commission
Frustration was palpable at last week’s meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission, with yet another unpermitted demolition garnering little fanfare outside the Historic Preservation Office. The vacant lot at 4008 N. Lamar, once home to a 1926 residence converted for commercial use, was reportedly demolished this spring. According to property representative Todd Cruz, the demolition […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission makes no exceptions for sign standards on Congress Avenue
Austin-based health care provider Curative will have to rethink its storefront design thanks to the Historic Landmark Commission, which unanimously voted last week to reject signage for the startup’s flagship clinic on Congress Avenue. The rejected proposal would have rendered Curative’s logo in 72 square feet of halo-lit white vinyl lettering on the lowermost facade […]
Posted inPreservation
Fairmont Hotel financiers take a second shot at historic home relocation
After six years of thwarted negotiations, Manchester Financial Group is still eyeing 606 and 608 E. Third St., a site just blocks from the Austin Convention Center and dead center of downtown’s burgeoning Palm District. But first, the Fairmont Hotel financiers will have to face the Historic Landmark Commission, which is determined to salvage the […]
Posted inEnergy
Six weeks out from controversial base rate review hearings, Austin Energy proposes yet another rate hike
Despite the welcome relief of cooler temperatures, there appears to be no end in sight for Austin Energy’s woes, as the utility tackles yet another unpopular rate change. As the base rate review case approaches City Hall, Austin Energy has announced that its annual revision of pass-through rates could mean another hike in energy rates […]
Posted inEnergy
Workers demand labor protections at Austin Energy base rate rally
It was an unusually lively morning outside Austin Energy Headquarters last Saturday, as a coalition of workers, environmentalists and community leaders gathered to air their grievances with the publicly owned utility. With a potential increase to residential rates on the horizon, the Texas Climate Jobs Action Fund led the diverse group of unions and civic […]
Posted inEnergy
Impartial examiner report backs up Austin Energy base rate proposal, but critics aren’t giving up
As the November deadline to update utility rates approaches, the pressure is on for Austin Energy and its stakeholders to make their final arguments before city policymakers. Following the release of the impartial hearing examiner’s report earlier this month, participants in the base rate review process stopped by the Electric Utility Commission to break down […]
Posted inPreservation
Preservation office gets new design standards and equity plan
Big changes for Austin’s Historic Preservation Office are on the horizon, with new historic design standards and an equity-based preservation plan on course to bring major updates to the city’s preservation program. Cara Bertron, senior housing and planning officer, stopped by the Historic Landmark Commission last week with an update on both projects, which are […]
Posted inPreservation
Demolition case reveals shortcomings in city’s historic preservation policies
A monthslong debate over an East Austin bungalow has ended in a victory for the property owner, with City Council voting to reject historic zoning last Thursday. The home, located at 1403 E. Cesar Chavez St., initially came to the Historic Landmark Commission as a demolition request in January. Despite its ruling that the site […]