As budget season stirs up City Hall, Austin’s Economic Development Department is preparing to share the wealth, with plans to allocate $2.7 million in grants for preservation efforts at historically designated sites. The Heritage Preservation Grant Program, which began accepting applications Tuesday, will fund projects ranging from rehabilitation and repairs to education and marketing at […]
Kali Bramble
Posted inPreservation
State Theatre slated for head-to-toe renovation project
The State Theatre, the smaller sibling space of the Paramount Theatre and one of Austin’s oldest operating venues, will soon undergo a 21st-century upgrade. Emily Little of Clayton Korte Architects stopped by last week’s Historic Landmark Commission meeting to share details on the upcoming project, which will include a new rooftop lounge, streamlined access to […]
Posted inDevelopment
City, TxDOT still on board to bridge eastern and western parts of downtown over I-35
As the Texas Department of Transportation readies for the green light to expand Interstate 35, city staff hopes to leverage the massive infrastructure project to give downtown Austin a once-in-a-lifetime face lift. Both TxDOT and Austin’s Transportation & Public Works Department visited the Downtown Commission last week for an update on their respective ends of […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark Commission debates historic exemption for new safe fence ordinance
The Historic Landmark Commission faced an unusual case last week, when a construction proposal at a landmarked home at 1412 W. Sixth 1/2 St. collided with pending City Council action to ban unsafe fence designs. The resolution, which would mandate flat tops for new fences under 6 feet tall and prohibit gaps running 2 to […]
Posted inPreservation
Developers behind Fairmont Hotel revisit historic home relocation battle
With a $600 million development deal allegedly in the pipeline, Manchester Financial Group once again is eyeing a slice of prime real estate across the street from the Austin Convention Center. Since 2016, two historic homes on East Third Street have been caught in a tug of war between the hotel magnate and the city’s […]
Posted inResources
Resource Management Commission considers petition for oversight on gas utilities
The city’s Resource Management Commission may soon find itself a bit busier, with plans for a vote to add oversight of Austin’s natural gas utilities to its purview. Commissioner Paul Robbins, a longtime environmentalist, brought the proposal forth. It would explicitly designate the commission as City Council’s primary adviser on gas utility policies like rate […]
Posted inPublic Health
ECHO says permanent supportive housing is the only way out of Austin’s homelessness crisis
Austin’s Ending Community Homelessness Coalition joined City Council’s Public Health Committee this month to break down the nonprofit’s latest point-in-time count, which in late January found 2,374 Austinites experiencing some degree of homelessness. While that figure is down from 2020, Executive Director Matt Mollica said it will take years of sustained effort to truly address […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy rolls out updates to renewable energy and storage program
As Austin Energy continues to refine its renewable energy and storage network, customers using solar panels or electric vehicles can look forward to some system upgrades. Richard Genece, vice president of customer energy solutions, and Tim Harvey, renewable solutions manager, stopped by last week’s Electric Utility Commission meeting to present a number of developments in […]
Posted inPlanning
Housing and Planning Department maps out next steps following compatibility reform vote
Following City Council’s move last week to recalibrate compatibility requirements, city staff joined the Housing and Planning Committee on Tuesday for an update on what’s next. Currently, Austin’s compatibility standards affect development up to 540 feet from lots zoned as Urban Family Residence (SF-5) or lower, a distance far beyond the nationwide average. Proponents say […]
Posted inWater
As drought worsens, Austin Water ramps up conservation protocols
Despite an unusually rainy spring, Austinites should hold off celebrating any end to the statewide dry spell. Austin Water staff joined City Council’s Austin Water Oversight Committee last week to discuss the ongoing crisis, confirming that the city is still on track to meet the Stage 2 drought threshold by the end of the year. […]
Posted inParks
Zilker Park Vision Plan wins over Parks and Recreation Board, but the battle is far from over
Following a marathon of public testimony this past Monday, the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan has secured the blessing of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board, though its opponents say the fight is far from over. The vision plan, an ambitious program of park updates including parking garages, road closures and a 5,000-seat amphitheater, has garnered […]
Posted inEnergy
As wait times for transformers climb to 70 weeks, housing developments are struggling to turn the lights on
As American manufacturers struggle to keep pace with demand, wait times for power transformers have put housing and infrastructure projects across the country on hold. Austin Energy executives joined City Council’s Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee last week to discuss the nationwide shortage, reporting that new units are now taking nearly 70 weeks to arrive. […]