District 9
Council hears plan for another South Congress PUD
A proposed 6.0102-acre planned unit development would mean big changes for the southwest corner of South Congress Avenue and Riverside Drive, including the possibility of a tower more than 500 feet tall. City Council heard details about the plans at…
Development • By Jo Clifton • Mar 20, 2024
A push for more affordable housing falls flat at Planning Commission
A new tower planned for downtown sparked debate about Austin’s density bonus program at the most recent meeting of the city’s Planning Commission. The density bonus program essentially trades increased development entitlements for a number of community benefits, including things…
Housing • By Elizabeth Pagano • Mar 20, 2024
Austin’s giant troll is finally finished. Here’s where you can find her.
Pease Park’s newest art installation is tucked away in the woods, but she’s hard to miss. Malin is an 18-foot-tall troll made of local and repurposed wood. And in her hands is an offering: a basin full of water to…
Parks • By Chelsey Zhu, KUT • Mar 18, 2024
Visit Austin offers look at strategy to support hotels during convention center closure
Staff from Visit Austin plan to aggressively market the city to new and recurring visitors in the coming years as part of a three-part strategy to support the local hotel and convention industry during the four-year closure of the Austin…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 18, 2024
Preservation victory appears short-lived for Travis Heights home
A 114-year-old home in Travis Heights that narrowly escaped demolition last year might be on the chopping block after all, with neighbors taking to the podium at last week’s Historic Landmark Commission meeting warning of a possible demolition by neglect.…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Mar 14, 2024
Council appears headed for pause on HealthSouth redevelopment plans
Members of City Council suggested Tuesday they’re inclined to hold off on selecting any redevelopment plans for the former HealthSouth site, in part because of the current real estate pipeline in the surrounding area and continued high interest rates that…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 28, 2024
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MACC funds not cut, Council member reports
A report to City Council that funding was cut for the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center turned out to be a misunderstanding. Larry Amaro, a member of the MACC board, told Council at Thursday’s meeting that a number…
Austin • By Jo Clifton • Feb 20, 2024
Hotel, multifamily developers sought for convention center reconstruction project
Leaders at the Austin Convention Center have set their sights on building a new hotel or a multifamily residential project as part of the forthcoming reconstruction of the downtown site. The timeline for the solicitation of developers was among the…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 14, 2024
Dirty Martin's would be spared under new concept for light rail
A 98-year-old hamburger restaurant wouldn’t be flipped off the map to make space for Austin’s new light-rail system under conceptual plans revealed by the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), the local government corporation building the 10-mile transit system. But the owner…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Feb 8, 2024
New restaurants to pave the way for Stream Realty's Sixth Street revitalization
The real estate group looking to revitalize the Sixth Street entertainment district just west of Interstate 35 is betting that a wave of new restaurants will be the initial difference-maker in the move to gradually strip the area of its…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 7, 2024
HealthSouth redevelopment scenarios spell out options for affordable housing downtown
The Housing Department has presented City Council with the four scenarios most likely to spur redevelopment of the former HealthSouth site on the eastern edge of downtown. A memo from Housing Director Mandy DeMayo spells out for Council the findings…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 6, 2024
Downtown Commission members suggest city pursue legal action against Union Pacific Railroad
Members of the Downtown Commission showed support for the city possibly using legal action including eminent domain against Union Pacific Railroad to acquire property eyed for improvements near the Seaholm District. This month’s meeting included a presentation on the improvements…
