For those wondering why building affordable housing in Austin is going so slowly, the Elysium Park development has been a case study of many of the tensions City Council is facing in its attempts to keep low-income people from fleeing the city. On Thursday, Council unanimously approved a rezoning for the hard-fought development on first […]
affordable housing
This general term refers to housing that is affordable to Austinites, with or without subsidy.
Posted inHousing
How do demolitions affect Austin’s affordable housing stock?
As Austin grapples with its affordability crisis, much of the focus has been on how city leaders can incentivize developers to build new housing that includes units reserved for residents at certain income levels. Some city leaders, however, suggest that the city may be neglecting, or even encouraging the destruction of, the largest existing source […]
Posted inPlanning
Planning Commission approves Plaza Saltillo project, affordability level disputed
After what Chair Stephen Olivier called “officially our longest case ever,” the Planning Commission approved three rezoning items associated with the six tracts of the Plaza Saltillo project at its Jan. 10 meeting. The properties, owned by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, span 11 acres along East Fifth Street and the rail line. In 2013, […]
Posted inHousing
Council OKs more funds for east side housing
Acting as the board of the Austin Housing Finance Corporation, City Council on Thursday approved an additional $992,000 to a loan for the Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation to help the company build affordable housing at 1212, 1301 and 1309 Chicon St. The project, called the Chicon, will be redeveloped into a mixed-use, mixed-income development with […]
Posted inDevelopment
Pilot Knob zoning approved without fee waivers
With the threat of litigation hanging over their heads, City Council members on Thursday gave final approval to zoning for the Southeast Travis County Pilot Knob/Easton Park development. The vote was 9-1-1, with Council Member Don Zimmerman voting no and Council Member Ellen Troxclair abstaining. The planned unit development agreement did not include waiver of […]
Posted inCity Council
Pilot Knob could face yet another lawsuit
City Council is poised to move forward once again Thursday on the Pilot Knob/Easton Park planned unit development and affordable housing agreement that Judge Stephen Yelenosky voided in October. But Council members should know that the same civic activist who recently won a suit over the city’s failure to comply with the Texas Open Meetings […]
Posted inHousing
Austin teams up with Travis County and AISD on affordable housing
The city of Austin, Travis County and the Austin Independent School District are poised to enter a three-party partnership aimed at using publicly owned lands to address the shortage of affordable housing in the area. City Council did its part Thursday, when it approved a resolution (on its consent agenda) directing the city manager “to […]
Posted inThe Code
Council approves Tenant Relocation Ordinance
Affordable housing, and the question of how to get it, has dominated the conversation at City Hall these past few years. This year, City Council has also wrestled with the issue of how to protect residents currently in some of the city’s most affordable housing from being suddenly displaced. As of last night, Austin has […]
Posted inHousing
Elysium Park angst: From City Hall to Israel
Last Thursday, many of those watching the City Council meeting were left befuddled by an exchange that took place late in the meeting over a proposed affordable housing project at 3300 Oak Creek Drive. Both the developer and the neighborhood supported the indefinite postponement ultimately approved by City Council. Such agreement is a rarity for […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Resignations and resignation
“Sent using OWA for iPhone”… On Friday, the Austin Monitor reported that Neighborhood Housing and Community Development department executive Steve Ritchie had quit, following the sudden retirement of Director Betsy Spencer over the public release of allegations of harassment and retaliation. Ritchie’s resignation letter, sent on Wednesday, Aug. 3, read, “I tender my resignation effective […]
Posted inHousing
Affordable housing development facing delays at City Hall
The Elysium Park apartment complex, a new affordable housing development planned for North Austin, is facing delays at City Hall. City Council has decided to postpone a zoning decision for the project. The proposed development would include about 90 units, a majority of which would be priced at below-market rates – in other words, affordable […]
Posted inCity Council
Suit: Pilot Knob vote violated state, federal law
Civic activist Brian Rodgers has amended the lawsuit he initially filed in February against the city of Austin, challenging the city’s entire scheme for financing water and wastewater improvements at the controversial Pilot Knob development in Southeast Travis County. Rodgers’ lawsuit, filed by attorneys Bill Aleshire and Roger Borgelt, claims that City Council violated both […]