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Housing
Project Connect anti-displacement funding gets close look from Community Development Commission
Members of the Community Development Commission have requested more information from city staff about the decision-making process for spending Project Connect funds intended to preserve or create affordable housing near the mass transit system. Last week, the commission received a…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 20, 2024
Builders can now construct homes on less land, as Austin’s new minimum lot size goes into effect
A controversial rule that lowers the amount of land needed to build one house in Austin goes into effect Friday. Landowners wanting to build a home in some city neighborhoods will now need 1,800 square feet of land, about two-thirds…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 16, 2024
Rents in Austin are down. But many renters still struggle to find housing they can afford.
When the rent payment on Leigh Vladyka’s Austin apartment comes out of his bank account, he tries to avoid looking. Each month, almost half of his take-home pay goes to rent. Nearly $1,600 gone from the $3,400 deposited. And there…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 6, 2024
As construction slowdown continues, a new workforce housing project takes shape
While the pipeline for multifamily housing projects has slowed severely since the end of 2023 in Austin, a local developer has announced something of a rarity: a new 110-unit project aimed primarily at workforce and middle-income residents. Earlier this week,…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 2, 2024
Stressing community trust, county commissioners consider candidates for Housing Authority board
At its meeting July 16, the Travis County Commissioners Court considered six applicants to fill two vacancies on the board of the Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC). Commissioners will make a final decision this coming Tuesday. Candidates focused on…
Housing • By Lina Fisher • Jul 19, 2024
Questions on short-term rental rules linger as city moves toward new regulations
A city memo published earlier this month suggests that, more than a decade after Austin became a leading destination in the market for short-term rentals, City Council could have code language later this year to comprehensively regulate the industry. The…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 28, 2024
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Panelists offer cautious optimism on HOME and other city land use changes
Local real estate and development professionals weighed in Wednesday on the potential impact of the city’s many recent changes in land use policy, which were intended to add housing stock and address the affordability problem that has affected the area…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 27, 2024
Austin has a high rate of segregation between homeowners and renters, study finds
Renters and homeowners in the Austin metro live more sequestered from each other than in other U.S. cities, according to a study from Harvard University released last week. The Austin area has one of the highest levels of renter and homeowner…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 25, 2024
Planning Commission wants housing for older adults on city land near transit lines
The Planning Commission wants City Council to prioritize creating senior and disabled-accessible housing units on city-owned land located near transit corridors, with a priority given to equitable transit-oriented developments, or ETODs, throughout the area. At a meeting last week, the…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 18, 2024
City exploring private real estate for homeless shelters ahead of Marshalling Yard closure
The city is searching through a variety of private real estate options that could serve as temporary congregate shelter space beginning in March 2025, when the Marshalling Yard facility is slated to close. Last week, City Council’s Public Health Committee…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 10, 2024
Audit finds office-to-residential conversions a bad fit for most local real estate
A recent audit by the Office of the City Auditor looking at the possibilities for converting vacant office spaces into housing stock has found the practice known as adaptive reuse is likely a poor fit for office buildings mostly constructed…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 3, 2024
Affordability panel looks to city, schools, churches to deliver needed housing
Austin-area housing advocates see major institutions such as the city, local schools and religious organizations as having the most potential for adding affordable housing units throughout the city in the coming years. During a recent panel discussion on the city’s…
