Voters strongly approved a ballot proposal Tuesday that allows the city to begin the process of trading a small piece of parkland for a much larger parcel, along with receiving other significant financial commitments from technology company Oracle, which recently relocated its headquarters to Austin. As of late Tuesday night, Proposition B was winning with 87,152 […]
District 3
Posted inHousing
In wake of Rosemont snafu, county updates housing bylaws
On Oct. 5, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved changes to the bylaws of the Strategic Housing Finance Corporation. The amendments came in the wake of a massive blunder at the Rosemont apartment complex in South Austin – which is managed by the SHFC – where scores of tenants were given eviction notices and forced […]
Posted inPlanning
Montopolis Bridge in East Austin could get $7 million in amenities and visual improvements
An 83-year-old East Austin bridge with a view of the downtown skyline could get some major aesthetic upgrades under a project being considered by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. The Montopolis Bridge was opened to traffic in 1938 to replace an older crossing washed away by deadly floods three years earlier. The bridge served as a crossing for […]
Posted inPreservation
Demolition on San Marcos Street postponed as neighbors resist redevelopment in East Austin
Opinions clashed over the fate of two cottages at 82 San Marcos St. last Monday, as the Historic Landmark Commission evaluated an application for their demolition. The two homes, built in 1941, are located in the Willow-Spence National Register Historic District in East Austin. After a lively round of public testimony, the commission unanimously approved […]
Posted inDistrict 3, Zoning
Council gives initial OK to Fair Market rezoning
City Council has tentatively approved a height increase for a new East Austin office project that would replace Fair Market, an event space, on the southern half of the block bordered by Waller, East Fifth and Sixth streets. Council Member Pio Renteria, taking the lead on the case in his District 3, motioned to approved […]
Posted inRoads
Renteria opposes Red River extension into Rainey Street, MACC area
Council Member Pio Renteria has come out against a proposal to create a new roadway through the Rainey Street district that would require using some of the land provided by the city for the creation of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. An extension of Red River Street south and then east has […]
Posted inRoads
Red River extension into Rainey neighborhood draws concern from MACC backers
The city’s Transportation Department is circulating the latest plans for a southern expansion of Red River Street, which would create a new thoroughfare through the Rainey Street neighborhood to address growing traffic concerns. While the heaviest public comment on the proposed plan will take place this fall, department officials have started discussing the project with […]
Posted inHousing
Property group wants to help Rosemont residents, but won’t put anything in writing
At the Tuesday meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, Patrick Howard with the Housing Authority of Travis County announced that the board of directors of the Strategic Housing Finance Corporation unanimously voted against an agreement drafted for, and proposed by, tenants of the Rosemont apartment complex in South Austin. Though Howard verbally pledged to […]
Posted inHousing
South Austin tenants aren’t getting evicted but still want answers
Tenants of the Rosemont at Oak Valley apartment complex, who had previously been given abrupt (though now rescinded) notices of their imminent evictions, still have unanswered questions for the Housing Authority of Travis County. Though the Housing Authority has since pledged to assist in smooth transitions for the residents affected by structural damage from the […]
Posted inHousing
County to provide short-term lodging and repairs for Rosemont residents
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court revisited the situation at the Rosemont apartment complex in South Austin, where over 80 families we had been given abrupt notice they would have to leave their homes by the end of the month as a result of structural and aesthetic damage from Winter Storm Uri. Following the […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission struggles with latest Plaza Saltillo rezoning
The Planning Commission, unable to accept a height increase for an office project in the Plaza Saltillo area amidst concerns about the building’s design, sent the case to Council without a recommendation Tuesday. The office project will replace Fair Market, an event space, and take up the southern half of the block bordered by Waller, […]
Posted inHousing
Housing Authority withdraws removal notice for Oak Valley residents
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court heard from some of the 85 families who were abruptly given notice last week that they would have to leave their homes at the Rosemont at Oak Valley apartment complex by the end of the month, with management citing unlivable conditions from damage caused by February’s winter storm. The displaced residents detailed […]