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Development
Council pushes for ‘agrihood’ pilot program merging homes with farmland in East Austin
The city will target part of Northeast Austin as an area that could see more small farms mixed with affordable homes, in a nod to the “agrihood” movement to bring homes closer to agriculture. Last week, City Council approved a…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • May 7, 2024
Council OKs restrictive covenant for Southwest Parkway apartments
The owners of 9.6 acres of undeveloped land at 8413 Southwest Parkway are moving forward with plans to build a total of 438 apartments, including 219 units available to households earning 60 percent of the median family income, as well…
Housing • By Jo Clifton • May 7, 2024
With Austin office buildings 20 percent vacant, conversion to housing remains out of reach
Two years ago, with the office real estate market in Austin stuck at a 20 percent vacancy rate, Brad Stein took the first of two trips to other markets to see if some of the hundreds of thousands of empty…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • May 6, 2024
Historic east side home may not get the votes needed to preserve it
City Council surprised staff during Thursday’s zoning hearing when the vote to zone the Sinnigson House at 1100 E. Second St. as historic did not have the eight votes needed for final passage. The home was built in 1888. Although…
Preservation • By Jo Clifton • May 3, 2024
Council appears to support revised plans for South Central Waterfront District
City Council appears to be supportive of staff’s recommendations for how to revise the planning and density bonus programs for the South Central Waterfront District, in effect rejecting some of the Planning Commission’s most substantial ideas for the area. This…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • May 2, 2024
Community Foundation unveils $15M fund for affordable, permanent supportive housing
Developers of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing units for unhoused people could soon receive financial assistance from a new Austin Community Foundation fund intended to fill gaps in the financing for those subsidized projects. Last week, the foundation announced…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 29, 2024
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Ahead of May vote, Council hears staff feedback for revised South Central Waterfront plan
Planning Department staff explained to a portion of City Council members this week why they intend to move forward with only about half of the Planning Commission’s suggested changes to the South Central Waterfront Plan. At a combined meeting of…
Land Development Code • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 26, 2024
City could push 'agrihood' combos of farmland, housing developments in East Austin
The city may soon take steps to promote the creation of “agrihood” developments in Northeast Austin, which would combine small community farms with housing. Proponents of the movement see the still-rare projects as an answer to Austin’s housing needs and…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 24, 2024
Design Commission hears how buildings can be safer for birds
No city in Texas has adopted bird-friendly building policies for new construction or retrofits, but the Travis Audubon Society hopes Austin, a designated “Bird City,” will lead the way. To advance this cause, the organization enlisted Heidi Trudell, a consultant…
Planning • By Amy Smith • Apr 24, 2024
New EV station will not charge forward in East Austin
Plans for an electric-vehicle charging lot spanning Pleasant Valley Road were thwarted by Planning Commission members who objected to its auto-centric nature at their last meeting. The project would have created two electric-vehicle charging parking lots flanking Pleasant Valley at…
Planning • By Elizabeth Pagano • Apr 23, 2024
City to tally public assets in 78702 with goal of preservation and activation
The city will inventory all of the culturally and economically significant publicly owned real estate just east of downtown in a move intended to preserve and enhance locations central to the area’s longtime Black and Latino communities. A resolution passed…
Preservation • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 22, 2024
Austin outlaws the construction of windowless bedrooms
Developers in Austin will have to provide some form of natural light in bedrooms after City Council members voted Thursday to amend the city’s building code. For the most part, Austin will accomplish this change by simply replacing one word…
