A South by Southwest panel discussion earlier this week didn’t gloss over the challenges Black communities in Austin face if they’re not already owners of highly valuable residential real estate. During the panel Advancing Black Homeownership Through Housing Equity, Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford used the panel’s location in Austin to frame how […]
Development
Posted inLand Development Code
City Council approves phase two of ‘site plan lite’
City Council has passed phase two of “site plan lite” – an ordinance amending development regulations for residential re-subdivisions and multifamily residential site developments of five to 16 units. The final version of the ordinance was passed with five amendments and was approved by 10 members of the dais, with Council Member Marc Duchen voting […]
Posted inHousing
Icon Homes prepping smaller home printing tech to meet Austin’s infill push
Austin-based 3D-printed home manufacturer Icon Homes has plans to use new building technology created specifically to take advantage of the city’s push for smaller infill homes. After speaking at a South by Southwest panel last week focused on the push to “future-proof” sustainably built new homes against severe weather and changing needs, Jared Kuhn, Icon’s […]
Posted inHousing
Housing panelists examine what’s worked in Austin, and across Texas
At a South by Southwest panel discussion last week on housing policies in Texas, City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison shared possible new components of the “agrihood” housing-plus-agriculture approach she championed last year. While sharing her views on steps the city has taken in recent years to address affordability concerns around housing, Harper-Madison talked about the […]
Posted inPreservation
Plans to demolish Highland Park home with links to Commodore Perry faces backlash from neighbors
The owners of a West Austin property formerly home to the grandson of Edgar Howard “Commodore” Perry may find their plans to make way for new construction prove more challenging than expected. Last week, the Historic Landmark Commission voted unanimously to postpone the request to demolish the midcentury modern residence, which owners claim would take […]
Posted inHousing
SXSW panel looks at national housing shortage – and how Austin is responding
Cities across the nation are facing the same housing crunch that Austin has spent recent years trying to correct, with a new report from Realtor.com showing a gap of 3.8 million houses and apartment units across the country. Those findings served as the jumping-off point for Monday’s South by Southwest panel discussion that included Mayor […]
Posted inDevelopment
Austin Energy Green Building program logs 21,573 projects since its creation
In 1991, Austin Energy Green Building developed the first rating system in the country to evaluate the sustainability of buildings, creating a model for other cities and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system. Heidi Kasper, energy efficiency services director at Green Building EVET, gave an overview of the […]
Posted inPreservation
Council decides against historic zoning for Running Rope Ranch
Despite strong statements of support for historic zoning from two of the newest members of City Council at last week’s meeting, fewer than half of the Council members voted in favor of designating a portion of the property known as Running Rope Ranch at 7304 Knox Lane in Northwest Austin as historic. As the Austin […]
Posted inPlanning
Urban Transportation Commission recommends new strategic plan for downtown streets
The Urban Transportation Commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council approve a new strategic plan from the Department of Transportation and Public Works for the streets of Austin’s small-yet-mighty downtown, along with a list of their own recommendations regarding the plan, during a meeting on March 4. The new plan, called the Austin Core […]
Posted inHousing
HUD cuts could endanger portion of more than $15M in federal housing funds
The city could see significant disruptions to its affordable housing and homelessness programs as a result of proposed federal budget cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a memo released last week. The memo, issued by intergovernmental relations officer Carrie Rogers, advises that reductions in HUD staffing and funding could affect […]
Posted inZoning
Riverside PUD gains second-round approval
Although a neighboring property owner tried to prevent Thursday’s vote by seeking a postponement of the second and third readings on rezoning of a property at 200 E. Riverside Drive, attorney Richard Suttle convinced City Council to move forward with second reading. The new Planned Unit Development zoning would allow for a 500-foot-tall office and […]
Posted inPlanning
New convention center design revealed at Council
Trisha Tatro, director of the Austin Convention Center, promised during Tuesday’s City Council work session a “world-class design” and the “first net-zero carbon convention center in the world.” Katy Zamesnik, assistant director of the convention center, told Council that Austin is the 11th-largest city in the United States but has the 61th-largest convention center. After […]