While it’s fashionable in the U.S. for private enterprises to attach the word “plaza” to many things that are not, like shopping malls or condominiums, a public plaza can be hard to find (Austin’s beautiful Plaza Saltillo actually prohibits “loitering,” the primary activity in a plaza). However, City Council members now hope to generate public […]
City Council
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City Council votes: Manchaca to become Menchaca
Austin City Council voted Thursday afternoon to rename South Austin’s Manchaca Road to reflect its allegedly historically accurate spelling: Menchaca. While the issue may appear to be too simple for debate, the vowel in question is a placeholder for a much broader controversy involving the intersection between historical record, identity and the right way to […]
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Council approves plan to revamp incentives, with small businesses in mind
City Council voted Thursday to approve the framework for a restructuring of the city’s economic incentives programs, with the goal of increasing small business growth and improving job opportunities for lower-wage and middle-skill workers. The 9-1 vote saw Council Member Ellen Troxclair object, with Council Member Alison Alter absent, to the package of three resolutions. […]
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Council will try a new tactic to rid Austin of plastic bags. Asking nicely.
City Council is taking up a resolution Thursday encouraging local stores to keep honoring the city’s “bag ban.” It’s the latest response to a state Supreme Court ruling this year that found Texas cities and towns could not enforce regulations of single-use plastic bags. After the ruling, a lot of people in Austin wondered if […]
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Council OKs Shady Lane project on first reading
Council approved multifamily zoning for the Flats on Shady at 1125 Shady Lane on first reading Thursday, with only District 3 Council Member Pio Renteria dissenting. The developers at Barton Creek Capital plan to build about 300 units, with 15 of those units dedicated to people making 60 percent of the median family income. The […]
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North Shoal Creek plan prompts debate over density
City Council may have given up on CodeNEXT, the proposed comprehensive rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code, but the debate over growth and development is certainly not going away. On Thursday, Council will take up the North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Plan, which lays out the principles of development for the area bounded by U.S. […]
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McKalla proposals hold promise, with no promises from city
Tuesday is the day when those with hopes of turning the city’s property into something other than a 20,000-seat soccer stadium will get a chance to convince City Council members that everything from open space and performance stages to high-concept mixed-use development would be preferable to professional sports. The question is whether the presentation at […]
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Council seeks clarity – and more money – in soccer negotiations
Wednesday’s City Council meeting dedicated to the ongoing push that could bring Austin a professional soccer team frequently resembled a public bargaining session, with Council members pushing staff and hired legal counsel to extract more concessions and precise terms and conditions in any legal agreements. The biggest monetary ask on Wednesday came in the morning […]
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Expect talk on rent, rail station and ticking clocks at soccer hearing
With the term sheet for a proposed professional soccer stadium on city property in North Austin out for public debate since Friday, a special City Council meeting today on the possible agreement will give those on both sides a chance to have perhaps the most substantive debate on the issue yet. As of Tuesday evening, […]
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Troxclair decides not to seek re-election
Council Member Ellen Troxclair, the lone conservative on City Council, announced Wednesday that she would not be seeking re-election to her District 8 seat. Troxclair was elected as part of the first group of Council members elected from districts, and she represents the southwest part of the city. In a press statement, Troxclair characterized her […]
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Council waives bidding rules for Austin Rowing Club
The Austin Rowing Club is going to get another chance. After hearing dozens of people testify in support of the club, City Council voted unanimously Thursday to give the nonprofit the go-ahead to negotiate a new contract to manage and operate the Waller Creek Boathouse on Lady Bird Lake. The boathouse is a city-owned property […]
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City likely to help Cap Metro fund studies
City Council appears poised to move forward Thursday with approval of an amendment to its agreement with the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority that will help the agency fund preliminary engineering work and environmental analysis on what sorts of projects would be appropriate for Project Connect corridors. Assistant City Manager Robert Goode explained during the Council […]