At a September meeting of the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees, almost half of the public comments weren’t about academic issues. Instead, they were about housing. Students, parents, teachers and other community members were asking the board to create affordable housing at the former Allan Elementary School on the east side. It wasn’t […]
affordable housing
This general term refers to housing that is affordable to Austinites, with or without subsidy.
Posted inHousing
Rents rise despite new housing keeping pace with growth, study finds
Developers that want to build low-income housing in wealthier neighborhoods should engage more with neighborhood groups to convince them of the merits of affordable housing. That’s one recommendation in a study published today by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. The study assessed the state of low- and middle-income housing in Austin with input […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT 2.0 facilitates affordable housing, but where?
The Halloween deadline for CodeNEXT’s third draft recommendations is closing in for the land use commissions, and the sense of urgency that has driven the review process thus far teetered on full-blown panic at Tuesday’s joint meeting. The new land use code’s promises, like enough affordable housing to meet the Strategic Housing Blueprint’s goals, continue […]
Posted inHousing
A new development is bringing ‘micro-units’ to East Austin
A new development going up in East Austin hopes to provide a more affordable option for home ownership. The Fourth & condos in East Austin feature what are called “micro-units,” efficiency apartments that span just a few hundred square feet. “It is laid out to where you have a living space, you have a bookshelf […]
Posted inHousing
Harvey ‘washed us back home’: Is Austin too expensive for those relocating after Harvey?
Wendy Rivera sat in a metal folding chair outside the shelter for Hurricane Harvey evacuees in Southeast Austin. She shared a 44-ounce convenience store soda with her husband, Ramiro. Ramiro, tall, soft-spoken and tattooed, used his body and a white towel to shade the two from the demanding sun. “We’re pretty wiped out,” said Wendy. […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Housing advocates want a bigger housing bond
With Austin facing an affordable housing crisis, city leaders are hoping that taxpayers will OK tens of millions of dollars to fund the construction of low-cost apartments and houses as well as repairs to homes for Austin’s low-income and working-class population. Right now, the figure proposed is $85 million. That’s what city staff presented to […]
Posted inHousing
Accelerator targets city’s ‘screaming crisis’ of housing affordability
A new program from the Impact Hub Austin social improvement accelerator has set its sights on solving the growing affordability crisis facing Austin’s middle- and lower-income communities. The Affordable Housing Accelerator held its kickoff event last week and brought together local politicos, established private industry leaders and hopeful startup founders looking to devise solutions for […]
Posted inHousing
Council considers new affordable housing app
As Austin faces a dire shortage of housing for its poor and working-class population, City Council is looking for every way to get developers to build units that rent at well below market rate. In many cases, developers offer to provide affordable units in exchange for entitlements that Council would otherwise be reluctant to grant, […]
Posted inPlanning
Council looks to adjust TOD density bonus programs
An extra helping of housing for low-income families could be coming to near East Austin soon thanks to action taken by City Council on Thursday. The body unanimously supported an item sponsored by Council Member Pio Renteria and aimed at allowing Austin Habitat for Humanity to build substantially more units on two adjacent properties than […]
Posted inCourts
Council opts to sue the state over housing discrimination beef
After months of the Texas Legislature seemingly taking shot after shot at the city of Austin, City Council is swinging back. On Thursday, Council gave the go-ahead to Interim City Manager Elaine Hart to sue the state over a 2015 law that preempted city protections against housing discrimination for low-income residents. Senate Bill 267 canceled […]
Posted inHousing
Austin residents are beginning to move back into renovated public housing
Lisa Martinez walks around her newly renovated two-bedroom apartment at Manchaca Village, pointing out her favorite features: the blue accent wall in her living room, a new washer and dryer, and, best of all, a new dishwasher. It has made it much easier to clean up after her four kids. The 33-unit apartment complex in […]
Posted inHousing
Council struggles against displacement and segregation
“I believe that part of our role as a community and as a government is to provide protections against immoral market forces,” said Council Member Greg Casar, describing his efforts to increase affordable housing and fight economic segregation. If Casar sees some market forces as immoral, however, he doesn’t argue that city government’s duty is […]