The federal Fair Housing Act aims to protect people from discrimination when renting, buying or financing a home. Despite those protections, the reality is that housing discrimination persists in many cities, and today City Council will consider a review of how fair housing practices measure up in Austin – and across Central Texas. If approved, […]
Housing
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City code enforcement suit may eliminate affordable units
For weeks, tenants at Orchard Plaza apartments in Windsor Park have been evacuating the premises following a contempt order against the owners for substandard housing conditions. Meanwhile, the question of whether the property will continue to provide affordable housing is still up in the air. Owners Walter Olenick and Rae Nadler-Olenick declined to comment, but […]
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Council to consider tool that would bring permanently affordable housing to East Austin
Today, City Council is set to consider implementing a tool that would bring more affordable housing units to the east side. It’s called a community land trust, and it could create homes that remain affordable for decades to come. If approved, the measure would designate two local nonprofits, the Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation and the […]
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Overriding staff reservations, Commissioners Court OKs affordable housing project
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday gave its blessing to a low-income apartment project despite reservations from staff and a nonprofit that advocates for fair housing. At question was the proposed Del Valle 969 Apartments, a development planned to be built at 14011 FM 969, in an unincorporated area known as Hornsby Bend. The […]
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Is ‘missing middle’ housing still missing from CodeNEXT?
Jake Wegmann, an assistant professor of housing and real estate at the University of Texas, stood on the sidewalk in Mueller, a large mixed-use development on the site of Austin’s old airport. He pointed across the street to a string of attached, two-story homes. “These are town homes,” he said. “Here’s some missing middle housing.” […]
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What is ‘missing middle’ housing?
Annette Naish used to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, traveling across the U.S. responding to natural disasters. “I found out that in this country there are some of the most wonderful people in the history of the Western world,” she said. Now that she’s retired, Naish tends to stay in North Austin, at […]
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Austin won’t reopen its housing voucher waitlist anytime soon
The federal housing choice voucher program, which used to be called Section 8, is aimed at helping low-income families meet their housing costs. Here in Austin, it’s one way the city is trying to meet the growing demand for deeply affordable housing. But concerns about federal funding shortfalls mean the program won’t be open to […]
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Judge orders Cross Creek Apartment complex to make repairs
For years, residents of the Cross Creek Apartments in North Austin have been complaining about poor living conditions. They say they continue to pay rent while living with broken windows, poor security and a lack of hot water, among other issues. Jorge Menchaca, who has lived at the affordable housing complex for about six years, […]
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Council members consider ways to refine Strategic Housing Plan
In recent weeks, the release of Austin’s first-ever strategic housing plan has faced scrutiny as well as garnered support at public meetings. The plan aims to address the city’s growing affordability crisis by setting goals for new housing production. Tomorrow, City Council members are set to vote on whether or not to adopt the plan, […]
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Travis tax appraisers tout new techniques for assessing property values
The Travis Central Appraisal District is figuring out the values of properties faster and more accurately, all while fighting off a record number of protests and lawsuits from taxpayers challenging their appraisals, agency leaders told the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday. Lonnie Hendry, who heads the district’s commercial property division, described how the agency […]
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135,000 new housing units over the next decade: feasible or overly ambitious?
Socar Chatmon-Thomas points at an apartment building under construction along the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, near East Riverside Drive. “So this whole thing used to just be nothing,” said Chatmon-Thomas, who has worked in Austin real estate since 1994. “Just fields and that’s it. Nobody lived around here.” And those who did, said […]
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Austin plan sets goals for more affordable housing. But where should it go?
City Council is set to vote this week on whether to adopt the city’s first-ever housing plan. The plan aims to address Austin’s growing affordability crisis by setting goals for new housing production. But apart from encouraging more affordable housing, there’s also the question of where exactly it should go. The Strategic Housing Plan sets […]