City Council on Thursday voted to create a program that would allow more homes on single-family lots, as long as some homes are priced affordably. “What we are trying to accomplish here, from a high level, is to create an ownership density bonus program that allows for affordable units to be built without subsidy,” said […]
City Hall
Posted inAustin
PAC seeks clarity, cost breakdowns for $1.6B convention center expansion
The political action committee co-founded by a former member of the Downtown Commission wants the mayor and City Council to answer questions about the planned expansion of the Austin Convention Center, it announced in a news release last week. Laura Cantu-Templeton, co-founder of the City Accountability Project PAC, has submitted 10 questions to all 11 […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission dismisses complaints over Zilker Park votes
The Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan continues to generate controversy. This week, accusations about the motivations of two of the plan’s supporters came before the Ethics Review Commission. In April, Austinite Teri Adams filed two complaints with the Ethics Review Commission. One was against Hanna Cofer, a member of the Environmental Commission and chief operating […]
Posted inAustin
Pilot program aims to narrow gaps in Austin’s digital divide
A pilot opportunity from the Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission aims to support the city’s digital inclusion program by resourcing new computer labs around the community. At the commission’s May 24 meeting, Chair Nehemiah Pitts described how he initially came across the partnership opportunity when he met contacts from the N50 Project, a coalition of […]
Posted inAustin
‘Austin American-Statesman’ staff strike over low pay
Members of the Austin American-Statesman’s labor union went on strike Monday because of an ongoing contract dispute with the newspaper’s parent company, Gannett. Nicole Villalpando, who covers health care for the Statesman and serves as the union’s vice chair, said she and some of her other colleagues have to work other jobs. “We have about […]
Posted inZoning
Council gives initial approval to redevelopment of East Austin dairy plant
A huge mixed-use development on the site of a Borden Dairy plant in East Austin’s Govalle neighborhood is nearing approval. City Council on Thursday voted on first reading in favor of a rezoning that would allow the project to advance. Developer Endeavor Real Estate plans to build 1,400 residential units, a 220-room hotel, 411,500 square […]
Posted inThe Code
Board of Adjustment struggling with vacancies
Vacancies on the Board of Adjustment, coupled with a strict requirement for a supermajority vote in order to approve variances, are causing consternation among the members who have tried to address the problem. But one fix proposed by longtime Board Member Michael Von Ohlen conflicted with other city regulations. Austinites go before the Board of […]
Posted inCity Hall
Proposal to change Council meeting rules draws opposition
City Clerk Myrna Rios has proposed changes, some of them controversial, to rules for the conduct at City Council meetings. Council is scheduled to take up the new rules at today’s meeting. During Tuesday’s work session, Rios defended her proposals, including a ban on allowing a member of the public to donate time to another […]
Posted inTipSheets
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 6.1.23
City Council will once again convene for a meeting today. We’ve done our best to predict what might be of interest, based on the posted agenda. However, our best can vary, so anyone looking for the whole of possibility offered by today’s meeting might want to check out the agenda in full online. In somewhat […]
Posted inCity Hall
Good news, bad news from Legislature for Austin
For the city of Austin, the just-ended 88th regular legislative session offered both good news and disappointments, as outlined in a lengthy memo from Brie Franco, the city’s intergovernmental relations officer. On Tuesday, as her team was getting ready to monitor the special session Gov. Greg Abbott called to deal with property taxes and border […]
Posted inAustin
Panelists eye affordability pains in music, EMS, hospitality sectors
Leaders from two of Austin’s most prominent economic sectors – housing and hospitality – see passage of a new Land Development Code and eliminating the tipped minimum wage for restaurant staff as two long-needed steps to address increasing affordability concerns across the city. Last week, the LBJ Presidential Library’s Future Forum panel discussion looked at […]
Posted inAustin
Annual count shows small drop in Austin’s homeless population
Data from the city’s first point-in-time count of the local homeless population in three years show a slight decrease in the total number of people living without shelter, with laws against camping in public causing a sharp decrease in the number of unhoused people in the downtown core. Austin’s Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) released […]