The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is getting ready to bring electric buses to Austin. But they still have a lot of details to work out. At the agency’s July 30 board meeting, Dottie Watkins, vice president of bus operations, discussed some of the first steps the agency is taking on the road to a zero-emissions […]
Ryan Young
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro attempts to reverse falling college student ridership
In a bid to get more college students to hop on the bus, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is making several changes to its subsidy agreements with the University of Texas at Austin and the Austin Community College system. Both schools will transition to a flat annual fee to pay for transit service, and ACC […]
Posted inWhispers
Maybe in the next process?
Just prior to what appears to be a halt of CodeNEXT, a cohort of cycling enthusiasts showed up at Monday’s Bicycle Advisory Council meeting to demand that the city’s Land Development Code show some bike parking love. Their resolution – which is still a draft, pending the next meeting – calls for five bicycle parking spaces at […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro gives green light to Green Line
On Monday, the board of directors of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to study a hotly debated commuter rail line that could stretch from downtown Austin to as far away as Elgin. The Green Line would be very similar to Capital Metro’s existing MetroRail Red Line that runs from downtown to Leander. Like the […]
Posted inPublic Health
Dell Medical investment begins to pay dividends
Dell Medical, the University of Texas’ new medical school, wants Travis County residents to know it is spending their tax dollars wisely – and equitably. In 2012, voters approved $54 million of new property taxes to build Dell Med in conjunction with $85 million of matching local and federal funds. Construction of the school’s facilities […]
Posted inHousing
County commissioners see SH-45 development as key to more affordable housing
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court received an update on Turner’s Crossing, a proposed mixed-use subdivision that would be located about 15 miles south of downtown Austin. The project will make use of a public improvement district to fund more services and infrastructure for itself. It is also expected to provide benefits to Travis […]
Posted inWhispers
Capital Metro demos robot buses
With robot buses now rolling around downtown streets, it looks like the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority will soon be the proud owners of the first autonomous vehicle fleet in Austin. The small shuttle buses – perhaps better described as “pods” – will fit several people each and make trips between the Central Library and the […]
Posted inPlanning
Board of Adjustment says yes to South Lamar student housing
On July 9, the Board of Adjustment approved the construction of a small university dormitory in the South Lamar neighborhood, despite the concerns of some neighbors that the proposed facility could create parking shortages on a narrow neighborhood street. The dorm would be located at 4004 Valley View Road and situated directly behind the Texas […]
Posted inLand Development Code
For CodeNEXT, signs of changes to come
CodeNEXT, Austin’s attempt to reform and simplify its Land Development Code, has been a lightning rod for controversy. Activists see the code, which controls everything from how high buildings can be built, how far back their foundations must be from the street and how much parking is legally required, as the solution to myriad big-city […]
Posted inPlanning
Views along scenic RM 2222 to remain unspoiled
At the July 9 Board of Adjustment meeting, the board rejected a variance request to adorn a scenic roadway with a monument. Park Centre, an office park located at 8601 RM 2222, sought to construct an additional “monument sign” for a second driveway to the property. Because that stretch of RM 2222 is a scenic roadway, […]
Posted inPlanning
Board of Adjustment fights over North Loop parking space
Parking was a major sticking point at the July 9 Board of Adjustment meeting, where board members tackled the lack of parking at one particular North Loop property, exposing a rift in Austin’s current transportation thinking. Lauren and Joe Cunningham are seeking to turn a derelict building at 101 E. North Loop into a cooperative […]
Posted inAustin
Urban Transportation Commission ponders fettering booting companies
In Central Austin, traffic is plentiful, but parking spaces are not. That’s where booting companies come in – they enforce parking rules at private businesses by immobilizing would-be offenders. Their fines are often cheaper than the charges levied by towing companies, too. But some Austinites feel their practices are predatory. They say the booting companies […]