The fate of a century-old storefront at the corner of East 12th and Comal streets remains up in the air, with debate over its merits as preservation-worthy intensifying at the city’s Historic Landmark Commission. 1500 E. 12th St. landed on commissioners’ radar last month, when an application to demolish the structure from owner and real […]
Kali Bramble
Posted inWater
For future water conservation, reuse may be key
Though July’s rain may have eased some fears over the continuing drought, Austin Water is still playing the long game, with plans to prepare for a drier future. Water Resources Supervisor Marisa Flores Gonzalez joined the city’s Water and Wastewater Commission last month to discuss a new indirect potable reuse project, designed to stretch Austin’s […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission considers imposing historic zoning for neglected east side building slated for demolition by Eureka
Dallas-based real estate developer Eureka Holdings is once again ruffling feathers on 12th Street, with an application to demolish a century-old storefront at the Comal Street intersection meeting some resistance from the city’s Historic Landmark Commission. The two-story building has lived many lives, from a German beer hall weathering Prohibition to Civil Rights-era meeting place […]
Posted inPreservation
After decades on the back burner, revitalization efforts at historic Black cemetery are in full swing
After an uphill battle for recognition, things are looking up for Bethany Cemetery, with a vote at this month’s Historic Landmark Commission meeting initiating the site’s historic zoning process. The cemetery, founded in 1893 by and for Black Austinites, houses the graves of dozens of enslaved people later freed, Buffalo Soldiers and early Black settlers. […]
Posted inWater
Austin Water tees up to propose rate increases to Council
Austinites can prepare to add their water bill to the list of services getting increasingly more expensive, as a proposal for hikes in utility rates makes its way through City Council’s pipeline. The proposal, which Austin Water unveiled early last week, would see residential rates increase by 9.5 percent on average, bumping the combined water […]
Posted inEnergy
Resource Management Commission sets sights on natural gas utilities in bid to expand oversight
As the city prepares to renegotiate its contract with Texas Gas Service, Austin’s Resource Management Commission is vying for a seat at the table, with a proposal to expand its purview to include the utility’s oversight on its way to City Council. The proposal, spearheaded by Commissioner Paul Robbins, would amend the commission’s bylaws to […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy on track on its goals for assisting low-income customers
A year and a half into Austin Energy’s campaign to expand its Customer Assistance Program, the utility says it’s on track to enroll 90 percent of eligible ratepayers by June of next year. The enrollment target dates back to December 2022, when Council asked the utility to tackle its underwhelming 37.5 percent participation rate among […]
Posted inEnvironment
New climate report shows last summer’s record-high temps might not be a fluke
The results are in from researchers at the University of Texas’ Climate CoLab, and those who hoped last summer’s record-breaking temperatures to be a deviation from the norm might want to adjust their expectations. The new Climate Projections report, which hit city desks last week, runs climate models with both static and increasing emissions scenarios […]
Posted inTransportation
Mobility Committee briefing outlines progress and funding gaps in sidewalks and urban trails program
Since issuing a major facelift to Austin’s urban trail and sidewalk plans late last year, Transportation and Public Works Department staffers are following up with City Council, stopping by last month’s Mobility Committee meeting for a progress update. The plan calls for 810 miles of new sidewalk infrastructure and 740 miles of shared street solutions, […]
Posted inPreservation
Developing a former summer camp proves to be more than a seasonal project
Efforts to redevelop a former ranch and summer camp in Northwest Austin have hit another snag with the city’s Historic Landmark Commission, which has voted for a second time to postpone the convoluted case. The house at 7304 Knox Lane first appeared as a demolition case last spring, when commissioners unanimously ruled to initiate historic […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy dialing in to climate protection plan
After pausing to rethink its approach, Austin Energy is revisiting its update to the 2030 Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan with a series of workshops set to begin next month. The first of four workshops, scheduled for June 7 at the utility’s Mueller headquarters, will focus on the fundamentals, bringing newly participating stakeholders up […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark Commission greenlights demolition for former Mary Lee School campus
A former special education facility for mentally disabled girls may soon be slated for demolition and redevelopment after the plans earned the Historic Landmark Commission’s seal of approval last Monday. The seven-building campus that was once home to the Mary Lee School of Special Education – located at 400 W. Live Oak St., about 1.5 […]