District 9

Preservationists praise developer for giving Sixth Street historic buildings ‘some love’

As Dallas-based Stream Realty moves forward with efforts to revitalize more than 30 properties it owns along East Sixth Street, the company is evincing a notable shift in strategy: preserving historic buildings instead of replacing most of them with new…

Preservation • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 25, 2025

Vision for transforming city core draws scrutiny ahead of likely Council vote

With Downtown Austin poised for overlapping mega-projects over roughly the next decade, City Council’s Mobility Committee took a closer look last week at the draft Austin Core Transportation Plan, which aims to tie all of the projects together. Committee members…

Transportation • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 24, 2025

Historic survey of downtown Austin nears completion

Austin’s Preservation Office is poised to complete its Historic Resources Survey of the downtown area by the end of the year, wrapping up years of work documenting sites of cultural interest. Preservation Office Planner Sofia Wagner met with Historic Landmark…

Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Mar 21, 2025

Planning Commission reverses city rejection of university-area site plan in an unusual case

The Planning Commission voted unanimously last week to reverse a decision by city planning staff to reject a site plan for a 142-unit student-oriented development at 2610 Hume Place, on appeal from the applicant, marking a rare use of the…

Planning • By Miles Wall • Mar 19, 2025

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New strategic plan for downtown streets keeps momentum with stamp from Planning Commission

The Planning Commission recommended a new plan for the city’s downtown streets with several amendments during a meeting on March 11, joining the Urban Transportation and Design commissions and including some of their respective recommendations for the plan. The document…

Planning • By Miles Wall • Mar 18, 2025

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…

Planning • By Miles Wall • Mar 7, 2025

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Early data suggest opening Sixth Street to traffic has improved public safety

Early data from the Austin Police Department suggests that a new public safety initiative aimed at reducing crime and violence on East Sixth Street is yielding positive results. The changes, which took effect in December, reintroduced vehicular traffic on weekend…

Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 6, 2025

Student housing union advocates for renters ahead of city’s UNO update

The University Tenants Union student group at the University of Texas has launched a new housing toolkit aimed at helping student renters better navigate the housing market in West Campus and surrounding areas. The organization, which advocates for tenant rights…

Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 25, 2025

Planning Commission bucks opposition to recommend DB90 for Red River plots

The Planning Commission voted 9-0-1, with Commissioner Grayson Cox abstaining, to recommend a proposal from a landowner to rezone three addresses on Red River Street in the Hancock neighborhood that was widely panned by neighbors at a public meeting on…

Zoning • By Miles Wall • Feb 20, 2025

Council approves call for better coordination, planning among downtown projects

The city hopes to bring coordination to the many high-profile projects taking over downtown Austin in the coming years, with the city manager charged with determining the budgetary and planning resources needed throughout the district. On Thursday, City Council approved…

City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 18, 2025

Documentary film highlights the history of an 1870s-era home and the story of Clarksville

Everyone involved in the making of “Haskell House and the Story of Clarksville,” a documentary short film about the oldest documented residence within the Clarksville National Register historic district, was recognized by the Austin Parks and Recreation Board at its…

Preservation • By Hunter Simmons • Jan 31, 2025

Planning Commission endorses plan for vacant lot on Bruning Avenue

A small vacant lot and former junkyard in the North Loop neighborhood may become part of a new housing development stretching across three addresses after a Planning Commission vote to recommend rezoning the tract in a meeting on Jan. 14.…

Zoning • By Miles Wall • Jan 29, 2025