When you look at a map, it’s pretty easy to distinguish man-made boundaries from the rivers and oceans that have been codified into borders. The edges of Austin have both kinds of boundary lines. Some lines on the map flow like the water they trace, while in other places, like the lower right corner of […]
District 2
Posted inPreservation
‘This is sacred ground’: Austinites and researchers seek to restore Mexican American cemeteries in Montopolis
Sandwiched between private properties in southeastern Travis County sits a little-known cemetery off Hoeke Lane, just west of U.S. Highway 183. From the outside, there’s nothing that indicates the site is the final resting place for a number of Mexican and Mexican American residents who died decades ago. It’s a wilderness. The headstones, many of […]
Posted inAustin
Council to consider loan for Airport Hilton
When Austin’s airport lost 63 percent of its passengers last year due to Covid-19, the Airport Hilton lost 60 percent of its business. Now, Austin-Bergstrom Landhost Enterprises, or ABLE, the nonprofit corporation that operates the hotel, is asking for City Council approval to borrow up to $2.6 million from the city’s Aviation Department. The item […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to delve into Airport Hilton questions
City Council is preparing to discuss extending a $2.6 million loan to cover overdue bills from the Austin Airport Hilton. The hotel, which is operated by Austin-Bergstrom Landhost Enterprises, or ABLE, lost a considerable amount of revenue over the past year as a result of Covid-19. Although it seems clear that the city is responsible […]
Posted inZoning
South First multifamily project gets Planning Commission support
A 260-unit apartment proposal at 6311 S. First St. moved one step closer to construction after the Planning Commission recommended rezoning the vacant site at its Feb. 9 meeting. The new zoning allows the developer to add more units, including nearly 100 income-restricted units, and 1,000 square feet of retail is also proposed. Though neighbors […]
Posted inDevelopment
Environmental Commission unanimously votes to advance Goodnight Ranch zoning change
A proposal to amend zoning requirements for a South Austin residential development was discussed and subsequently approved by the Environmental Commission at its Jan. 20 meeting. Goodnight Ranch is a master planned unit development that covers 695 acres encompassing the area on the east side of Old Lockhart Road between Nuckols Crossing Road and Capitol View […]
Posted inCity Council
Delia Garza is on the move
Delia Garza is blazing a trail of firsts: first Latina on Austin City Council; first Latina mayor pro tem; and soon, the first Latina Travis County Attorney. “I stand on the shoulders of other Latinas,” Garza noted. “There were four before me who tried,” she said. “Even my own (seat) on the City Council would […]
Posted inCity Council
Vanessa Fuentes: Building a pipeline to community power
Vanessa Fuentes, like all of us, had no idea what 2020 would entail when she ran to become the District 2 City Council member. But the issues that the pandemic have exposed were less of a surprise. “I didn’t realize the extent of what 2020 would include,” Fuentes told the Austin Monitor. “(But) certainly, the […]