The city of Austin owns 5 acres of land on three adjacent properties at 1127-1131 Tillery St. Two of those acres are home to a grove of pecan trees that some in the neighborhood worry are in danger of being felled in order to construct affordable housing units. The Austin Housing Finance Corporation is working […]
Housing
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Council pushes for financing, streamlined planning to encourage accessory dwellings
A resolution passed by City Council earlier this month may make it easier and less expensive for homeowners to construct accessory dwelling units on their property. City staff has been instructed to look for funding to provide low-cost loans to residents who need help borrowing to cover the construction costs of the units, which some […]
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City aims to fast-track displacement prevention program as Covid-19 destabilizes residents
The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department is attempting to accelerate progress on the first effort of its Displacement Prevention programs as more households find themselves unable to pay monthly rent or home mortgages due to Covid-19. Erica Leak, policy and planning manager for the department, told City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee on Monday […]
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Workforce housing group raising funds to assist residents in need
The nonprofit group Affordable Central Texas is looking to raise $125,000 to assist residents in the three apartment complexes owned by the Austin Housing Conservancy Fund, which was created to preserve workforce housing in the Austin area. The ACT Together Fund will be available to approximately 750 of the 1,200 residents in those three complexes […]
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Rent deferred. Full amount due. What landlords are telling tenants during the COVID-19 crisis.
It’s a hell of a time to try to open a restaurant. That’s what Steven Kresena was thinking last week as he watched Austin Mayor Steve Adler order all restaurants and bars closed to diners in an attempt to stall the spread of the coronavirus. Kresena had just inspected the tile in his new restaurant, […]
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Commissioners Court to facilitate talks in disagreement between ABoR and TCAD
TCAD Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler told the Travis County Commissioners Court on March 10 that despite receiving a cease-and-desist order to stop collecting third-party sales data, her office is still working to acquire the necessary data to accurately appraise home values in Travis County. On Feb. 14, Crigler announced that the Travis Central Appraisal District […]
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City looks to hike fees on downtown developers opting out of affordability requirements
The city has proposed increasing the fees paid by downtown developers looking to add density to their construction projects but opting not to include affordable units in the buildings. At last week’s Downtown Commission meeting, a presentation on the plan to recalibrate the city’s downtown density bonus program revealed that consultants have recommended increasing the […]
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Austin landlords repeatedly cited for health and safety violations could get right to rent revoked
José Pérez and his family were afraid of their stove. It caught on fire when they tried to cook, so the family bought prepared food. They had other problems in their apartment, too: The air conditioning went out for a week one August, there was no hot water for a month, and mold grew in […]
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Fannie Mae award will bring services to Montopolis affordable housing project
The federal housing lender Fannie Mae has awarded $555,000 to a local affordable housing nonprofit to help add health care and educational services to a project that will bring 90 new housing units to the Montopolis neighborhood. The Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation received the award as part of Fannie Mae’s Sustainable Communities Innovation Challenge, which […]
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State empowerment zones seen as wrong tool for city to preserve affordable housing
The city’s Neighborhood Housing & Community Development Department has opted not to use a state statute created to encourage infill development as a method for preserving affordable housing stock, instead choosing to enter into direct partnerships with developers using city property. In a December memo to City Council, department Director Rosie Truelove said a two-year […]
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Workforce housing conservancy lands first bank investor, with $500,000 pledged
A $500,000 investment from Texas Capital Bank, announced last week, marks the first money from a large financial institution put into a fund created to preserve workforce housing units around Austin. In addressing the investment in the Austin Housing Conservancy Fund managed by the Affordable Central Texas nonprofit, Mayor Steve Adler said he and other […]
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Affordability committee moves forward as Realtor group sounds home price alarm
Members of the Regional Affordability Committee are continuing their work updating the group’s strategic plan for improving housing options, while another group tied to the Austin housing market has called for decisive action to keep housing prices from growing at an unsustainable rate. Last month the affordability committee, which is made up of three City […]