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 landmark status as the Franzetti building in 1977 and reappearing decades later in a campaign […]
Kali Bramble
Posted inHousing
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 the $250 million in funding approved by voters in 2018. Breaking down the spending, Housing and […]
Posted inPreservation
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 first addressing the case earlier this month, City Council declined to vote on the decision […]
Posted inCity Council
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 Tovo, follows a recommendation issued last month by the city’s Library Commission, following a 2019 resolution […]
Posted inAustin
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 working group encouraged recommending the mandate to City Council. The ensuing debate suggested that the […]
Posted inPlanning
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 recommended approving the application to vacate the section of Harvey Street in a 6-0-1 vote, […]
Posted inPreservation
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 Trail came to the commission in 2017, but repeated postponements and posturing toward initiating historic […]
Posted inRoads
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 Hill Road, Salt Springs Drive, Nuckols Crossing Road, St. Elmo Road, and West Yager Lane […]
Posted inPreservation
Future of El Mercado Uptown uncertain following approval of demolition permit
Nearly five decades of serving frozen margaritas and enchilada plates at 1700 Lavaca Street may be coming to an end in the near future. Finding insufficient support for historic zoning, the Historic Landmark Commission approved an application for 1700 Lavaca Street’s demolition in a 7-2 vote, with commissioners Terri Myers and Ben Heimsath in opposition. “And another one […]
Posted inAustin
Park renamed to honor civil rights legend Volma Overton Sr.
The 65 acres of northern waterfront at Town Lake Metro Park has a new name following a resolution honoring civil rights activist Volma Overton Sr. The park, formerly known as Lamar Beach, will now go by Volma Overton Sr. Shores. “Growing up in the Black community, Overton was a household name,” City Council Member Natasha […]
Posted inPlanning
Landmark commission approves ‘Keep Austin Weird’ sculpture
The Historic Landmark Commission approved plans for a public artwork installation on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Congress Avenue this past Monday, but not before a heated dispute over the piece’s cultural merit. Plans for the statue, a 12-foot optical illusion that, from the proper vantage point, reads “Keep Austin Weird,” came before […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro updates city on federally funded transit study
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority shared how it plans to spend the first $900,000 in federal money granted to Project Connect this past Thursday in a briefing with the city’s Environmental Commission. The grant, awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program, will fund a pilot study in an equity-based approach to transit-oriented development (ETOD) […]