District 9

Dirty no more? City opts to keep Sixth Street open to traffic at all times

Beginning this weekend, the city will keep Sixth Street open to vehicular traffic on weekends, a substantial departure from decades of street closures designed to accommodate nightlife culture that saw thousands of pedestrians gather in the roadway while moving among…

Transportation • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 16, 2025

Drawing on his last two years, Qadri hopes to expand his leadership on mobility

After a busy year, Zo Qadri has set his sights on taking on more mobility work in 2025. That seems an apt role for the City Council member who represents District 9, which covers Downtown, the University of Texas and…

City Council • By Amy Smith • Jan 2, 2025

Landmark commission says goodbye to Nau's Enfield Drug

All good things must come to an end, and the time has come for Nau’s Enfield Drug to join the souls of bygone local staples in the mixed-use afterlife. But first, the Historic Landmark Commission hopes the site’s new stewards…

Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Dec 10, 2024

PARD memo eyes expected 2026 bond package to complete new Dougherty Arts Center

The Parks and Recreation Department is looking toward an expected 2026 bond package to obtain the funding needed to complete the new Dougherty Arts Center, which is slated to be built in two phases in the coming years at a…

Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 10, 2024

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Congress Avenue transformation plan gets support from Urban Transportation Commission

The Urban Transportation Commission has voted to support the proposed transformation of most of the downtown portion of Congress Avenue, turning much of the street into a pedestrian- and multimodal-focused corridor and removing almost all vehicular traffic. The recommendation to…

Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 6, 2024

Arts Commission joins call for bond money to replace Dougherty Arts Center

The Arts Commission wants City Council to commit to including funding for a new Dougherty Arts Center in the city’s next bond package, likely to go before voters in 2026. At its most recent meeting, the commission unanimously approved the…

Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 25, 2024

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Latest State of Downtown report shows the city core's businesses and housing are in transition

The latest report on downtown Austin’s economic and cultural health shows the city core is seeing ongoing vacancies and low utilization of office space in a trend that has caused a flattening of many indicators of business activity. That analysis…

Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 13, 2024

Council gives first reading OK to major development on tiny slice of land

On a vote of 8-3, City Council last week approved on first reading a major change for a small sliver of property at 1209 W. Fifth St. The change would allow the developer to build up to 120 feet, a…

Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Nov 13, 2024

Downtown Commission questions scope, cost of core transportation plan

The city has identified improvements to several east-west streets through downtown as priority projects in a new plan to address mobility in the area. Last month, the Downtown Commission got the first look at portions of the Austin Core Transportation…

City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 7, 2024

New zoning would allow huge building on South Congress

At the last meeting before the Nov. 5 election, City Council spent more than 11 hours in chambers, with most of their time being devoted to the contract with the Austin Police Association, which they approved. But with a barely…

Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Oct 29, 2024

New scenarios for HealthSouth site could revive redevelopment push from Council

A pair of new scenarios for redeveloping the former HealthSouth properties downtown could revive the city’s efforts to use the sites to provide hundreds of units of affordable housing. A memo released last week from Mandy DeMayo, interim director of…

Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 25, 2024

Ambitious proposal for Congress Avenue includes pedestrian plazas, bike lanes

At its meeting last week, City Council’s Mobility Committee learned the details of a proposed ambitious redesign and reconstruction plan for Congress Avenue, which would convert the avenue into a more pedestrian-focused area over a number of possible phases. The…

Roads • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 22, 2024