During last week’s State of Our City address, Mayor Steve Adler said it is projected that City Council will put $68.2 million into the city’s Housing Trust Fund over the next decade, not including funds from Pilot Knob. So where, exactly, is all that money coming from? In a move that will more than double […]
Housing
Posted inHousing
Oracle: when a tech company expands in Austin
Demolition, it seems, follows Robin Wilkins. Wilkins, 54, moved into the Lakeview Apartments on South Lakeshore Boulevard after another apartment building she was living in was slated to be torn down. She stayed for five years, paying no more than $720 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. Nonetheless, throughout that stay she knew the fate […]
Posted inHousing
Zoning commission OKs northwest SMART homes
A speech by a neighbor denouncing a proposed SMART housing complex as dangerous and poorly planned didn’t stop the Zoning and Platting Commission from unanimously approving it at its meeting last Tuesday. The site plan for a 120-unit apartment complex at 11015 and 11017 Four Points Drive was requested by Foundation Communities, a nonprofit that […]
Posted inHousing
Council moves to protect tenants from displacement
Following the recent controversy surrounding a Riverside Drive apartment complex demolition permit that displaced around 100 low-income families, City Council has taken a step toward establishing new rules to assist tenants in similar situations in the future. Council approved a resolution Thursday directing city staff to draft an ordinance that would establish “tenant relocation assistance […]
Posted inHousing
Appraisal district, Mueller folks air differences
Some owners of affordable housing in the Mueller development have seen their homes’ appraised values double since 2013. One of those homeowners is Janeka Rector, whose home was appraised at $179,000 last year. Next year it will be appraised at more than $378,000. “The 10 percent cap (on appraisals) on my home is the only […]
Posted inHousing
Code says STR licenses are a strain on staff
Short-term rentals such as those listed on Airbnb and HomeAway are a hot-button issue in Austin, and the city is at work trying to fix the problems that residents have drawn attention to in the past several months. Austin Code Department staff has also identified problems, not the least of which is a shortage of […]
Posted inHousing
Committee zeros in on affordable housing
Lack of affordable housing, an issue that continued to plague Austin during the boom times of the last decade, was the main focus at the last Housing and Community Development Committee meeting. The city of Austin’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department said the city needs a minimum of 48,000 affordable housing units and that […]
Posted inHousing
HousingWorks breaks down Austin’s affordability
For the second year, HousingWorks Austin has taken a close look at the city’s household affordability crisis in each City Council District. The study has found some startling disparities. Perhaps the greatest contrast is the difference in distribution of subsidized housing between Austin’s eastern and western Council districts. Currently, Districts 1, 2 and 3 contain […]
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RECA report on affordability blames city, neighbors
As the city struggles to provide development review services needed to ensure that its many regulations are being followed, the Real Estate Council of Austin reports that “Austin is steadily losing ground in its efforts to become a ‘beacon of sustainability, social equity, and economic opportunity’ as Imagine Austin envisioned. The necessities of life, especially […]
Posted inHousing, Travis County
County land deal could lead to new homeless shelter
Travis County is considering a real estate deal with the Salvation Army that could lead to a brand-new shelter for homeless women and children. During its regular voting session last week, the Commissioners Court voted to direct staff to begin preparations to sell the land at 4523 Tannehill Lane to the charitable organization. The Salvation […]
Posted inDevelopment, Housing
Report: Dangerous rental properties threaten tenants, city efforts remain “inadequate”
The city of Austin is failing to identify unsafe rental properties, failing to effectively monitor properties with repeated code violations and lacks the enforcement mechanisms needed to quickly address dangerous conditions at repeat offender properties. Those are the conclusions of a study by members of the University of Texas Law School’s Entrepreneurship and Community Development […]
Posted inDevelopment, Housing
Affordable housing approved in East Austin
The board of commissioners for the Housing Authority of the City of Austin and its subsidiaries gave final public approval Thursday to a new affordable housing development in East Austin. Called the Reserve at Springdale, the development will be located at the intersection of Springdale Road and Rogge Lane. It will consist of a 292-unit […]