In a move to create more options for affordable housing while also reducing waste, the city of Austin is trying to make it easier to relocate homes. When a builder comes in to redevelop a lot, the existing home is often demolished because it’s easier and cheaper than relocating it. Those materials then end up […]
Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT
Posted inCity Hall
Austin interim city manager appoints head of police oversight without promised national search
Austin has named interim Director Gail McCant to run the Office of Police Oversight – one of the highest-profile offices in the city. And it has done so without public notice. Created in 2018, the office oversees police policy, conduct and discipline. Essentially, the department is tasked with holding police accountable. Farah Muscadin, who started […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison takes temporary leave to address mental health
Austin City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison will temporarily step away from her position to address her mental health, she announced Monday. “This year has been extremely challenging for me,” she said. “I live with depression and anxiety. Thankfully these issues can be treated with focused care.” Her leave is effective immediately and will last 60 days. […]
Posted inPolice
Austin slowly expands police oversight powers voters passed in the spring
Months after Austinites overwhelmingly passed a sweeping measure calling for stronger police oversight, the City Council voted Thursday to set hard deadlines for staff to expand the Office of Police Oversight’s power. The resolution was approved 10 to 1, with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting against. Proposition A, which was backed by the criminal justice nonprofit Equity Action, […]
Posted inPolice
Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon announces retirement
Chief Joseph Chacon will leave the Austin Police Department next month. Chacon told interim City Manager Jesús Garza of his plans to retire last week, city leaders said, and he officially gave his notice Monday morning. He has served in law enforcement for 31 years. Chacon said he had been considering retirement for the last […]
Posted inParks
City Council puts controversial Zilker Park Vision Plan on hold
City Council will not move forward this month with a controversial plan to revamp Zilker Park, Mayor Kirk Watson said Monday. The announcement comes after Council members Paige Ellis, Ryan Alter and Zo Qadri released a joint statement saying that while there’s some consensus around the Zilker Park Vision Plan, there are other elements that […]
Posted inCity Council
Council greenlights change to reduce land size needed to build a home in Austin
The size of land Austinites need to build a home on is about to get smaller – as part of an effort to encourage developers to build smaller and cheaper houses. City Council on Thursday approved a resolution that will start the process. The initiative would reduce the size of land required to build a home, […]
Posted inPlanning
New building under construction on your block? Austin could change how you’re notified.
East Austin residents flooded a City Council meeting last month for a vote on rezoning the Borden Dairy plant to allow mixed-use development. The 21-acre site will make room for apartments, hotel rooms and a mix of office, restaurant and retail space. Many residents expressed concerns about the impact to traffic and air and water […]
Posted inEnvironment
‘Stay hydrated, stay cool and stay safe’: Austin, Travis County officials warn of heat risks
Austin has been under an excessive heat warning since late last week, putting residents – especially those most vulnerable – at risk for heat-related illnesses. Temperatures have been at or near 100 degrees, and with no end in sight, Austin and other cities in the area have offered places like rec centers and libraries as […]
Posted inTransit
Transit and city leaders agree on final plan for Austin’s light rail system
Austin leaders on Tuesday gave an official thumbs-up to the city’s massive rail line project just two weeks after the plan was revealed to the public. The final vote taken by City Council, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors and Austin Transit Partnership sets in motion the next phase of the plan, which […]