A possible revision of the city’s ordinance regulating panhandling is drawing concern from downtown business leaders who say the proposed changes would allow aggressive requests for money and could create safety issues in areas with heavy foot traffic. The amendments to the city’s solicitation ordinance had been on the agenda for Thursday’s City Council meeting, […]
Austin
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Ciclovia on hold while parking proposal creates controversy on Congress Avenue
The dream of shutting down Congress Avenue for a daylong bicycle festival is in a state of suspended animation. City Council made a step toward the idea just over a year ago when it voted on a resolution directing the city manager to explore the potential costs related to the event known as a Ciclovia. […]
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Austin-Round Rock is the 9th-fastest-growing metro area in the U.S.
The Austin-Round Rock metro area is the ninth fastest growing in the country, according to 2017 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The total population in 2017 was 2.1 million. The area did see a slight decline in its rate of population growth compared to the year before. Molly Cromwell, a demographer with the […]
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Draft audit recommends changes, improvements for Visit Austin
A draft summary from the Office of the City Auditor finds that the city’s convention center needs to improve its internal communication and tracking of deliverables related to its annual contract with the city of Austin. The complete audit is expected to be finished this week in advance of Monday’s meeting of City Council’s Audit […]
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Council members ask questions and PSV surveys support as soccer relocation winds on
The debate around using city property to build a professional soccer stadium in North Austin looks to be one of the larger issues on City Council agendas ahead of the July recess, and Council Member Leslie Pool provided an early look Monday at her line of thinking on the matter. Pool, whose District 7 includes […]
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Pool wants Council to see all proposals for possible soccer stadium site
City Council Member Leslie Pool is planning to open a request for proposal process for the city-owned property at McKalla Place, a move that could have significant impact on a push by owners of a Major League Soccer franchise to build a stadium on the 24-acre site in North Austin. Pool, whose District 7 includes […]
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Business leaders raise concerns about homelessness
It’s not just advocates for the homeless who have serious concerns about homelessness downtown. Businesses say that the mass of misery on the streets is a threat to downtown commerce and the city’s ability to attract visitors. The effects of the homeless population on business came up in a discussion at the Public Safety Commission […]
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Workforce startups targeting gaps between workers, training programs
Last fall, Adam Chasen started looking at the many difficulties and inefficiencies Austin’s workplace training ecosystem has with linking up with prospective workers looking to move into higher-paying careers in fields like information technology and manufacturing. It became the mission of his startup company, KeyUp, which he hopes to build into a resource that local […]
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The debate over decriminalizing homelessness
A campaign to decriminalize behaviors associated with homelessness got a boost Monday from the Public Safety Commission, which voted to approve a resolution that instructs the city manager to review ordinances that may “create barriers for people who are trying to obtain housing or employment.” The resolution, which was authored by Commissioner Daniela Nuñez, highlights […]
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Survey finds soccer stadium concerns; alternative development proposals on tap
With City Council members set to receive a proposal for constructing a 20,000-seat soccer stadium on a parcel of city-owned land in North Austin, a new survey shows Austin residents have mixed support for any agreement that would let owners of a professional sports franchise utilize the land for its own benefit. The Strategic Research […]
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In this East Austin neighborhood, there are now more dogs than children
In one rapidly changing East Austin neighborhood, dogs now outnumber children nearly two to one, according to a new report from the University of Texas’ Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis. Researchers released the findings today in an addendum to a March 2018 report, which explored the effects of gentrification on longtime residents of East […]
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A year later, workforce plan pieces coming into alignment
Nearly a year after Austin, Travis County and an assortment of nonprofit organizations announced a coordinated effort to move low- and middle-income residents into more stable and high-paying jobs, the early talks and planning to make that happen are coming into focus. At last week’s City Council meeting, a procedural public hearing paved the way […]