Downtown visitors and residents will no longer have to rely on street smarts or commerce to find relief in that area of town. On Thursday, City Council approved a resolution that will usher in the city’s first public restrooms, though they will be temporary for the time being. The resolution, which will lead to two […]
Austin
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Austin’s black population growing again
After years of decline, Austin’s African-American population appears to be growing again. In a presentation during a City Council work session Tuesday, city demographer Ryan Robinson explained to Council members that the black population within Austin’s city limits increased by an estimated 8,000 in the four years following the 2010 census. In the entire Austin […]
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Austin loses Smart City bid to Columbus
It appears that United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx has decided that Austin is not a Smart City. On Tuesday, Ohio’s two members of the U.S. Senate announced that their state capital, Columbus, won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge and the $50 million purse that comes with the title. A spokesperson […]
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Downtown Austin Alliance targets homelessness
The Downtown Austin Alliance has launched a new pilot program aimed at tackling the glaring problem of chronic homelessness in Central Austin. The Homeless Outreach Street Team, or HOST program, hit the streets on June 1. Its small roster is made up of representatives from the DAA, the Austin Police Department, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical […]
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In poll, residents reveal Adler is best of Austin, transportation worst
A poll commissioned by the Austin Monitor with the help of sponsors shows that more people approve of Mayor Steve Adler’s job performance than that of City Council as a whole — with 51 percent of respondents endorsing Adler’s leadership, compared to 40 percent approval for Council. The poll was conducted by phone from June […]
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Biz leaders ponder how to maintain Austin’s soul
Elsewhere in Texas, a conversation about how to save a town’s soul may lead to talk of a mass baptism. But in Austin, the discussion centers more on music and housing. “Maintaining Austin’s Soul” was the subject that a panel of four business leaders discussed before a crowd of about 250 real estate professionals and […]
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“Amplify” dispute intensifies in Austin
Two well-known businesses are fighting over the word “amplify” in Austin. Yesterday, I Live Here, I Give Here took the step of formally opposing a federal trademark application by Amplify Federal Credit Union that would prohibit ILHIGH from using the word “amplify” in their fundraising campaigns — most notably the annual “Amplify Austin” fundraising drive […]
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More funds needed to finish Waller project
City Council will be considering seven items on Thursday’s agenda with a combined financial impact of $7.5 million for completing the Waller Creek Project, which has been fraught with difficulties since the discovery that the intake tunnel had been designed and built in a way that obscured a view of the Capitol. During Tuesday’s work session, […]
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A census, but for downtown parking
In a city obsessed with mobility issues, even parking can be a flashpoint that excites visceral debates about whether there is too much or not enough temporary vehicular storage. Soon, however, the Downtown Austin Alliance will temper parking passions with cold hard data mined from a sweeping census of all available spaces in the city’s bustling […]
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Viral news proves a mixed bag for Great Outdoors
Tom Tinguely, owner of the Great Outdoors nursery on South Congress, wants everyone to know that he is working through issues with the city’s Development Services and Code departments and that the business is fully operational. That’s important, because when the Dawson Neighborhood Organization tried to call attention to problems that the Great Outdoors was […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: We get procedural
Let the autopsy commence!… On election night, David Butts, chief strategist for Our City, Our Safety, Our Choice, said that opponents had overplayed their hand, but he also praised the media for exposing inaccuracies in Proposition 1 advertising. “The press,” he said, “did a really great job of exposing (deceptive advertising). “It’s one thing for us […]
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Opponents question legality of Prop 1 spampaign
The political action committee fighting against Proposition 1 suggested on Wednesday that Uber, Lyft and the PAC those corporations have poured millions into could be breaking the law in their fight to rewrite the city’s ride-hailing regulations. “To be blunt, this campaign doesn’t pass the smell test,” said former City Council Member Laura Morrison, a […]