Once again a battle is brewing between firms seeking to help property owners lower the appraised value on their property and the Travis Appraisal Review Board. The issue boils down to scheduling of hearings with no regard for the fact that an individual tax consultant can only attend one hearing at a time. On Thursday, […]
Austin Board of Realtors
The Austin Board of Realtors is an 8600-member organization for real estate agents in the city. It maintains the city’s Member Listing Service (MLS) database. ABoR is also a charter member of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation. As such, they have donated CoTMF. CoTMF is the parent organization of the Austin Monitor.
Posted inAISD
To better market its schools, Austin ISD is turning to Realtors
Two dozen Realtors sit in the bleachers of the Burger Athletic Center, eating pastries and sipping on coffee. They’re listening to administrators from the Austin Independent School District preview the day ahead, which is a six-hour tour of schools in South Austin. The point of the tour is to help families already living in Austin […]
Posted inCourts
Groups criticize Paxton for suing commissioners
The people who urged Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to file suit to remove eight members of the Austin Planning Commission on Monday have nothing but praise for Paxton; however, other more business-oriented groups are not pleased with the legal action, expressing the opinion that the attorney general has waded into a local issue. So, […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Abbott takes aim at Austin’s tree protections
Austin leaders who watched with dismay as GOP lawmakers spent much of the recently concluded legislative session undermining city policies on immigration, ride-sharing and short-term rentals could at least take comfort in the fact that the state did not completely take away its ability to protect trees. In fact, city leaders welcomed a tree-regulation bill […]
Posted inAustin
Is Austin’s ‘economic segregation’ here to stay?
“Today you are going to find out that we are really not quite as good as we claim to be.” On that ominous note, Austin Board of Realtors CEO Paul Hilgers opened Tuesday’s luncheon hosted by the Real Estate Council of Austin. Steven Pedigo, who is the director of research for the Creative Class Group, […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Coalition asks to keep CodeNEXT on track
A coalition of eight Austin organizations got together to ask the city to honor a January 2017 deadline for the new land development code draft on Wednesday. Pointing out that four years have passed since the rewrite was laid out in the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan, representatives from AURA, the Austin Apartment Association, the Austin Board of Realtors, […]
Posted inWater
Council approves permanent water restrictions
After an hour-and-a-half debate, City Council voted Thursday to approve an ordinance that will permanently restrict residents from using automatic sprinklers on their lawns more than once a week. “We should be really proud of Austin,” said Jennifer Walker, the water resources coordinator for the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. “I believe that […]
Posted inAustin, City Council
Minus occupancy limits, new STR rules approved
City Council Member Don Zimmerman and Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo have finally found something they can agree on: The city’s current regulations of short-term rentals and their enforcement are, as Zimmerman put it at Thursday’s Council meeting, “a train wreck.” However, Council moved forward Thursday on tightening up those regulations but did not take […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Development, Planning, Preservation, Zoning
Council limits Spicewood Springs project footprint
City Council voted Thursday to approve a zoning change that would allow a new professional office building on Spicewood Springs Road. Council limited the size of the structure to 12,000 square feet, despite protests from the applicants. The vote was 10-0, as Mayor Steve Adler recused himself, saying his law firm had dealings with one […]
Posted inAustin, Housing, Local Politics
Martinez seeks to expand source-of-income regs
On Tuesday, Council Member Mike Martinez told his colleagues at an abbreviated Austin City Council work session that he expects to introduce an amendment that would expand the potential breadth of the city’s pending ban on source-of-income housing discrimination. The item will be considered by council members today. If approved, the city will add “source […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
‘Source of income’ protection looming at Council
Austin City Council members appear to be nearing final debate over a code change that would bar housing discrimination based on a resident’s “source of income.” Indeed, a Sept. 10 memo from city human resources director Mark Washington to Council outlines staff’s suggested language for the potential change. Some herald the new language as a […]
Posted inDevelopment
ZAP backs project on Spicewood Springs Road despite objections
The Zoning and Platting Commission gave its blessing to more commercial zoning on Spicewood Springs Road at its last meeting, despite worries from neighbors that the change would just lead to more problems for residents of the area. The proposed Overlook at Spicewood Springs site is between MoPac Boulevard and Loop 360, at 4920 […]