A group of Texas craft brewery owners is suing to overturn a state law that affects their distribution rights. Until a few years ago, beer distributors in Texas paid craft breweries for the right to sell their products. But in 2013, state lawmakers passed a bill that brought sweeping changes to the industry. Breweries could […]
Syeda Hasan
Posted inHousing
Residents uneasy about Housing Authority’s plans to renovate public housing
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin is moving forward with a plan to renovate its public housing complexes, but some residents are concerned about where they will live during construction. Julie Ahmadi has lived in the Housing Authority’s Lakeside Apartments for about six years. A couple of months ago, she got a letter […]
Posted inHousing
Affordable housing development facing delays at City Hall
The Elysium Park apartment complex, a new affordable housing development planned for North Austin, is facing delays at City Hall. City Council has decided to postpone a zoning decision for the project. The proposed development would include about 90 units, a majority of which would be priced at below-market rates – in other words, affordable […]
Posted inPlanning
Hyde Park neighborhood groups divided over future of Austin State Hospital
State leaders are considering selling the Austin State Hospital, a historic facility near the Hyde Park neighborhood, but residents are divided over the future of the site. After construction was completed in 1861, the Austin State Hospital becaome the first facility in Texas established to care for the mentally ill. But now, state lawmakers are […]
Posted inThe Code
Austin homeowners, hotel industry spar over city’s STR ordinance
The city of Austin is facing legal action over its rules governing short-term rentals. But some in the hospitality industry say those rentals should have to play by the same rules as hotels. Short-term rental supporters and critics sparred over the issue yesterday. Last month, a group of homeowners and renters sued the city of […]
Posted inDevelopment
Lack of contractor oversight leaves Texas homeowners unprotected
Amir Khalil and his girlfriend, Emily Thomas, bought their duplex off of South Lamar in February, but so far, it doesn’t feel quite like home. Khalil pointed out the damage that’s left over from an incomplete remodel job on the house. The laundry room ceiling has a gaping hole. In the kitchen, sections of the […]
Posted inDevelopment
Hyde Park residents vote to keep state hospital, but Texas lawmakers will decide its fate
For more than a century, the Austin State Hospital has been a fixture in Hyde Park. While the facility near Guadalupe and 41st streets is primarily a psychiatric hospital, its winding trails and tree-lined campus are a popular recreational space for neighbors. Now, state leaders are considering selling the property and relocating the hospital — […]
Posted inCourts
City faces lawsuit over short-term rental ordinance
A group of homeowners and renters are suing the city of Austin over its effort to regulate short-term rental units, or STRs, like those you’d find on sites such as Airbnb or HomeAway. The suit claims several problems with the city’s STR ordinance, from a cap on the number of occupants to a 10 p.m. curfew. […]
Posted inCourts
Legal battle over Shoal Creek PUD intensifies
A few months ago, residents of Austin’s Shoal Creek neighborhood sued to stop a massive new development from going up. Now that legal battle is getting more complicated. Twenty homeowners filed a lawsuit in district court in April over a proposed Planned Unit Development called the Grove at Shoal Creek. It alleges that the city […]
Posted inHousing
Austin’s first-ever housing plan hits City Hall
This week, city leaders released a draft of Austin’s first-ever strategic housing plan. Unlike broader visions for the city’s future, it focuses on how development will impact the housing supply. The plan is the direct result of a startling 2015 audit of the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department. In that audit, the Office of […]
Posted inDevelopment
Potential Shoal Creek development sparks debate among neighbors
In Austin’s Shoal Creek neighborhood, residents are divided over the prospect of a massive new mixed-use development. While some welcome the growth, others say the proposal hasn’t been properly vetted. But taking a walk around the Shoal Creek neighborhood, one can clearly see that, for or against, the residents are all concerned. Along a quiet […]