The nonprofit group Affordable Central Texas is looking to raise $125,000 to assist residents in the three apartment complexes owned by the Austin Housing Conservancy Fund, which was created to preserve workforce housing in the Austin area. The ACT Together Fund will be available to approximately 750 of the 1,200 residents in those three complexes […]
affordable housing
This general term refers to housing that is affordable to Austinites, with or without subsidy.
Posted inHousing
Fannie Mae award will bring services to Montopolis affordable housing project
The federal housing lender Fannie Mae has awarded $555,000 to a local affordable housing nonprofit to help add health care and educational services to a project that will bring 90 new housing units to the Montopolis neighborhood. The Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation received the award as part of Fannie Mae’s Sustainable Communities Innovation Challenge, which […]
Posted inCourts
Council looks at legal options after appeals court throws out housing voucher challenge
Members of City Council have criticized a recent decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to throw out the city’s lawsuit against state Attorney General Ken Paxton over a state law passed in 2015 that prevents cities from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers. The law was passed in response to a […]
Posted inHousing
Workforce housing conservancy lands first bank investor, with $500,000 pledged
A $500,000 investment from Texas Capital Bank, announced last week, marks the first money from a large financial institution put into a fund created to preserve workforce housing units around Austin. In addressing the investment in the Austin Housing Conservancy Fund managed by the Affordable Central Texas nonprofit, Mayor Steve Adler said he and other […]
Posted inHousing
Affordability committee moves forward as Realtor group sounds home price alarm
Members of the Regional Affordability Committee are continuing their work updating the group’s strategic plan for improving housing options, while another group tied to the Austin housing market has called for decisive action to keep housing prices from growing at an unsustainable rate. Last month the affordability committee, which is made up of three City […]
Posted inHousing
ULI sees progress on affordability, with drawbacks, in latest LDC draft
Urban Land Institute Austin has weighed in on the draft Land Development Code, with a white paper that asserts the city’s proposed changes in housing types, design standards and affordable housing programs won’t go far enough to add enough new housing to make the city more affordable. The paper, which was released earlier this month, […]
Posted inHousing
Anti-displacement advocates seek $2 billion from tech giants to fund housing
A new consortium of community activists has challenged Austin’s biggest technology employers to step forward with $2 billion to fund programs and nonprofits committed to fighting displacement of working-class residents. The Development Without Displacement Coalition held its first press conference Wednesday morning at City Hall, announcing its intent to open dialogue with representatives from Apple, […]
Posted inHousing
Apartment owners, managers learn about options for voucher users in housing crunch
Owners and managers of rental properties throughout Austin recently met with representatives from local housing organizations to learn about the options for making housing units available for those at risk of becoming homeless. An Oct. 31 panel organized by the Austin Apartment Association featured representatives from the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, Caritas […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Planning Commission links impervious cover to affordable housing
The Land Development Code draft relies heavily on expanded affordable housing bonus opportunities to reach its nearly 400,000-unit capacity. Altogether, the bonuses would net just under 180,000 units, with about 9,000 of those income-restricted. But site regulations like impervious cover maximums could keep developers from opting into those programs. The Planning Commission passed two recommendations […]
Posted inHousing
Council OKs tax credits for affordable housing
Council gave its blessing Thursday to an application for low-income housing tax credits issued through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, for the redevelopment of a 62-unit affordable housing project to be known as the Oaks on North Plaza. Such approvals are generally routine and members of the public rarely show up for […]
Posted inHousing
Affordable housing takes a few steps forward
Housing prices continue to climb in Austin as more people move to the music and tech mecca of Texas. According to Zillow, the median home value in Austin is $372,200, while the median list price is $399,000. In adopting its Strategic Housing Blueprint, City Council set a goal of adding 135,000 new housing units to […]
Posted inBudget
$7.7 million added to housing trust fund
Council agreed during Tuesday’s budget meeting to more than double the funds in the city’s housing trust fund, by adding $5 million for rental housing development assistance and $2.7 million for a new home repair program. The trust fund now totals $14.4 million. The home repair program has yet to be designed, but Rosie Truelove, […]