Sexual assault has become a hot-button topic in Austin over the past several weeks. Of course, this sort of crime is nothing new; sexual violence has been with us for centuries and has always been difficult to deal with. In an effort to engender ongoing coordination between agencies charged with responding to crimes of sexual […]
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State, medical school lay out plans for new Austin State Hospital
Officials from the state and from Dell Medical School at the University of Texas have put together their plans for a new Austin State Hospital that will be constructed on the existing 95-acre campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood. State money directed to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission will pay for the $300 […]
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John Treviño Metro Park gets development contract
The 330-acre plot of former ranch land that sits 2.5 miles east of Highway 183 has stood vacant since 2003 as it waits to become the future John Treviño Metro Park. This metropolitan park is one of two remaining undeveloped parks without a master plan in the city of Austin. (Commons Ford Ranch Metro Park […]
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City charter would push possible stadium election to November
Petitions calling for an election that could challenge the city’s deal for a new soccer stadium aren’t expected to be certified until early February, but city staff has already decided November is the soonest a referendum election could take place. Citing the city charter’s language covering referendum elections, city spokesman David Green said the current […]
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Austin Fire Department’s burning desire for education takes them to California
Firefighters in Austin are adept and experienced when it comes to fighting brush fires. However, when it comes to large-scale wildland/urban-interface fires, our city’s firefighters don’t have as much experience. So, in hopes of gaining some real-life education in anticipation of a “mega-fire” that is feared to happen in West Austin, the Austin Fire Department […]
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Task force talks trash – and cash for recycling at all Austin parks and facilities
This story was mistakenly re-published in October, 2019. It was originally published in 2018. The Parks and Recreation Recycling Task Force is recommending several different ways to pay for consistent recycling around Austin. City Council approved the task force in June to support the city’s Zero Waste Plan. The plan, passed in 2009, aims to […]
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Austin brings community health into the community
Last summer, after city officials called on the Austin Police Department and other public safety departments to address issues attributed to homelessness, a coalition of public safety and social services groups began working to increase support for this vulnerable population. One of the programs taking the lead on this effort is the Homeless Outreach Street […]
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Council members push for $300M bond to meet Austin’s affordable housing needs
City leaders are weighing the possibility of putting an affordable housing bond on the ballot this November. A city task force is recommending a $161 million bond, but some Austin City Council members want to almost double that amount. Council Members Pio Renteria, Delia Garza and Greg Casar are promoting what they call the Housing […]
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‘Snoopy PUD’ wins first-round approval
Council approved a complicated set of Planned Unit Development regulations at their March 22 meeting for the piece of property at Riverside Drive and South First Street currently occupied by a Hooters and a surface parking lot. As Planning and Zoning Assistant Director Jerry Rusthoven explained to Council, “We have renamed this PUD the Snoopy […]
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Public Safety Commission endorses police union contract
Rejecting the pleas of police accountability activists, the Public Safety Commission voted Monday night to recommend the approval of the proposed new union contract between the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association. Both Police Chief Brian Manley and APA President Ken Casaday stressed that if a contract is not approved, police officers will […]
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Human Rights Commission finds the naming of Austin public spaces inequitable
In Austin, streets have their names changed from time to time. City parks, however, rarely seem to undergo name changes, but the Human Rights Commission wants to change that. On Nov. 27, the Human Rights Commission considered amending its previous recommendation to City Council’s Gender Equity Resolution to require a more gender-neutral approach to the […]
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Building heights, regulations among CodeNEXT concerns at RECA lunch
Builders and other leaders in the Austin housing industry hope the release of the third draft of the city’s CodeNEXT planning document later this month will alleviate the confusion and contradictory objectives they say have plagued the first two drafts. That was one of the consensus points Tuesday at a luncheon hosted by the Real […]