It’s budget time, and although City Manager Spencer Cronk’s team has put together its proposed budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, each City Council member will be presenting their ideas for making the city a better place in the form of budget amendments or riders. Council Member Ann Kitchen has presented the first budget rider […]
Council Member Ann Kitchen
Posted inAustin
City’s efforts to educate seniors about reducing property tax delayed
The city of Austin has been working on finding ways to educate seniors about opportunities to reduce their property tax. The city is also developing a volunteer program that would allow seniors to offset a portion of the tax. But the pandemic and the severe winter weather in mid-February slowed down the effort. A 2019 City […]
Posted inDevelopment
Neighbors, developer reach deal on apartments
Neighbors living close to 10801 Wayne Riddell Loop, which is slated for a 750-unit apartment complex, were dismayed to learn of the developer’s original plans. They worried that the complex would bring an untenable number of cars into the area and add to flooding problems for the Slaughter and Onion Creek neighborhoods. But after developer […]
Posted inCity Hall
Report lays out possible structure for new economic development corporation
A consultant’s report recommends the city move to create an economic development corporation modeled after existing bodies in New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta to allow for fast and flexible development deals around the city. The report from QBL Partners presents possible next steps for the EDC effort, which has been brewing behind the scenes […]
Posted inCity Council
Kitchen optimistic about work begun in 2019 but committed to finding real solutions
From where Ann Kitchen sits, 2019 was a productive year at City Hall. After years of stagnation on major issues from homelessness and transportation to our clunky land use code, the Council member says the city buckled down this year to solve some of its messiest problems. “I think we tackled a lot of big […]
Posted inUncategorized
Kitchen backs reopening Butler Park golf course contract
City staff has been directed to examine options to reopen the bid process for management of the Butler Park Pitch and Putt golf course so the longtime owner of the course can be considered for a contract extension. City Council Member Ann Kitchen, whose South Austin district includes the parkland property off South Lamar Boulevard […]
Posted inCity Council
Ann Kitchen focused on ‘fixing people’s problems’
City Council Member Ann Kitchen is the first member of the 10-1 Council to win re-election unopposed. “I was surprised,” Kitchen said of her lack of opponent in this year’s election. “But I was certainly happy about that. I’m pleased that the folks in the district trusted me enough to continue in a second term.” […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City exploring solutions for creative spaces crisis
The city is looking at a variety of strategies for assisting creative businesses and nonprofit organizations that are increasingly being priced out of theaters and other spaces due to Austin’s fast-rising cost of living. At its Thursday meeting, City Council unanimously passed a resolution that directs city staff to research five economic development and policy […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Kitchen to take up city efforts to preserve music, arts venues
Council Member Ann Kitchen has started work on a resolution that will direct city staff to examine ways for the city to step up and help prevent music venues, small community theaters and other creative spaces from being priced out of their long-standing locations. Kitchen said the effort is still in the very preliminary stages […]
Posted inZoning
Council rejects dense project on narrow street
For developer Ross Wilson at PSW Real Estate and lobbyist Glen Coleman, downzoning the junkyard at 2413 Thornton Road from commercial services to Multifamily-4 seemed like a no-brainer. But because of the narrow neighborhood street and the increased traffic a 70-unit multifamily project would generate, staff recommended MF-2, with construction of fewer than 55 units, […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin Monitor Radio: Transportation BBB
This is the recording of our April 5 transportation discussion with State Senator Kirk Watson and Austin City Council Member Ann Kitchen. Post is embedded below. The evening was sponsored by the Downtown Austin Alliance. Austin Monitor Radio is brought to you by Austin Water. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/260635507″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]