Stories by Kali Bramble
Transportation Department reveals plans for federal infrastructure grant
Transportation Department Director Robert Spillar stopped by the City Council Mobility Committee meeting last Thursday to share how the department aspires to use the first round of funding from the federal bipartisan infrastructure law. The infrastructure law, passed last November,…
Transportation • By Kali Bramble • Mar 16, 2022
Homeowners concerned about implications of updates to Austin Strategic Mobility Plan
The city’s Transportation Department has begun updating Austin’s Strategic Mobility Plan for the first time since its inception in 2019, but not before encountering a few snags in community feedback. “I think one of the issues we’re having is that…
Transportation • By Kali Bramble • Mar 14, 2022
Developer off to rocky start with unpermitted demolition of former Frisco Shop
Developers of a new housing complex may find themselves in hot water after forgoing approval to demolish the last remaining fixture of a historic restaurant chain on Burnet Road. The Frisco Shop was sold to developer Oden Hughes following its…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Mar 9, 2022
Council approves anti-displacement funding for year two of Project Connect
Forty-one million dollars is officially on its way to the affordable housing pipeline as of last Thursday, when City Council resolved to allocate funding from Project Connect’s $300 million anti-displacement budget in the next fiscal year. The resolution, sponsored by…
Planning • By Kali Bramble • Mar 7, 2022
Renovation of historic Fontaine building postponed amid calls for more research
A proposal from new tenants of the Reverend Jacob Fontaine Gold Dollar building – the last stronghold of Austin’s oldest Freedom Colony – met resistance from the Historic Landmark Commission Monday. The building has long been on the commission’s radar, acquiring…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Mar 4, 2022
Housing department provides update on 2018 affordable housing bond expenditures
As part of its efforts to ease the city’s affordability crisis, Austin’s Housing and Planning Department stopped by the City Council Housing and Planning Committee last Tuesday to brief members on the status of affordable housing programs. The briefing tracked…
Housing • By Kali Bramble • Mar 1, 2022
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Budget pressures impact Council’s verdict on San Jacinto warehouse
Preservation prospects for the Nalley-Shear-Bremond warehouse at 301 San Jacinto St. appear grim. With no motion made by City Council members last Thursday, the case is effectively dead, clearing the path for developers to apply for a demolition permit. After…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Feb 24, 2022
Austin joins growing list of cities eliminating library late fines
An ordinance eliminating late fees at the Austin Public Library has received unanimous approval from City Council, making Austin the latest of nearly 400 cities across the country to adopt such a policy. The ordinance, sponsored by Council Member Kathie…
City Council • By Kali Bramble • Feb 22, 2022
Animal Advisory Commission debates citywide microchip mandate
Members of Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission butted heads this past Monday over a proposal that would mandate the use of microchips for all pet owners in the city. Following a study by volunteer researchers at UT Austin, the commission’s microchip…
Austin • By Kali Bramble • Feb 16, 2022
Eureka Holdings right-of-way acquisition moves forward despite neighborhood objections
Homewood Heights residents took an unusual approach to resist development this past Tuesday, requesting that the Urban Transportation Commission reject a right-of-way vacation on an unmaintained and unused street. Despite concerns the vacation would reinforce hazardous traffic conditions, the commission…
Planning • By Kali Bramble • Feb 15, 2022
Landmark commission weighs case for preserving former home of 'Statesman' editor
A case to preserve the former home of Austin American-Statesman editor Charles E. Green hit the desks of the Historic Landmark Commission this past Monday, and not for the first time. An application to demolish the building at 1505 Forest…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Feb 8, 2022
Vision Zero initiative brings second rollout of speed limit reductions
City Council slipped a number of roadway changes through its brief, sentimental meeting this past Thursday, passing several ordinances that will lower the speed limit on a number of roads in Southwest, Southeast and Northeast Austin. Prioritized sections of Convict…
