Residents along the eastern edge of downtown Austin have had many, many opportunities through the years to share their thoughts about how the city should redevelop two blocks on East 11th Street, with not a lot to show for it. But leaders of the new quasi-governmental body leading the development process now insist change is […]
East Austin
East Austin is the quadrant of Austin that, generally speaking, is east of IH-35.
Posted inDevelopment
City seeks developer to partner on transformation of two historic blocks
Over the next three months, the city’s quasi-governmental development entity will perform the early work that will result in a development plan next year for two long-discussed blocks in East Austin. This week’s Community Development Commission meeting featured a presentation from the Austin Economic Development Corporation on its plan to create a request for proposals […]
Posted inPreservation
Neighbors oppose East Austin demolition case
The Historic Landmark Commission reviewed an application to demolish another East Austin home at its Oct. 25 meeting. The proposed demolition of the home, at 1601 Cedar Ave., garnered a significant amount of interest from the surrounding neighborhood. Citing potential historical and architectural significance, the commission voted to initiate historic zoning of the circa-1915 property, […]
Posted inPreservation
Demolition on San Marcos Street postponed as neighbors resist redevelopment in East Austin
Opinions clashed over the fate of two cottages at 82 San Marcos St. last Monday, as the Historic Landmark Commission evaluated an application for their demolition. The two homes, built in 1941, are located in the Willow-Spence National Register Historic District in East Austin. After a lively round of public testimony, the commission unanimously approved […]
Posted inPreservation
East Austin stadium celebrated by Black community nominated for national historic status
At first glance, Yellow Jacket Stadium feels a bit unassuming. Visitors see a track, a football field, a few sets of bleachers, and a parking lot with room for only a handful of vehicles. Unlike other athletic sites like Burger Stadium or House Park, Yellow Jacket doesn’t sit right off the highway but in the […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin City Council set to undo ban against public drinking in East Austin
City Council members are expected to reverse a decades-long ban against the public consumption of alcohol in several parts of East Austin on Thursday. Since the 1990s, drinking alcohol on public streets, roadways or sidewalks in six designated areas of town has been outlawed. The areas include parts of downtown, South Congress Avenue, UT Austin and […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin lifts ban on public drinking in East Austin
Lee esta historia en español. No matter what side of the street you’re on, you will soon be on the right side of the law when you walk around East Austin with a beer. Austin City Council approved a resolution on Wednesday to lift a prohibition on public drinking that exists in some parts of […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin unveils design for a new bridge on the southern end of Lady Bird Lake
The city of Austin is one step closer to taking down the “last major barrier” on the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake. And according to city street designer Nathan Wilkes, the idea came from the public. The barrier he’s talking about is on the Longhorn Dam, the structure that holds in the […]
Posted inDevelopment
Dallas-based owner of much of East 12th Street teases future plans
Eureka Holdings, the Dallas-based company that has remained mum about plans for the more than two-dozen properties it has purchased on East 12th Street, has unveiled some initial goals for the area. The plans offered by Austin-based consulting firm Lionheart, give a conceptual look at what could come to the historically black, bustling commercial street […]
Posted inAustin
In this East Austin neighborhood, there are now more dogs than children
In one rapidly changing East Austin neighborhood, dogs now outnumber children nearly two to one, according to a new report from the University of Texas’ Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis. Researchers released the findings today in an addendum to a March 2018 report, which explored the effects of gentrification on longtime residents of East […]
Posted inEnergy
Community solar farm and batteries test power of Austin’s electric grid
One of the remarkable things about the La Loma community solar farm is where it’s located. Just east of Airport Boulevard, and a short drive to downtown, it’s the type of place you’d expect to see new homes going up. “There’s a lot of reason why this parcel really couldn’t have been used for something […]
Posted inPreservation
Eastside demo moves quietly forward
East Austin is losing another home to demolition. The demolition moved forward without a fight at the Historic Landmark Commission, where Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky noted he had put the item on the agenda because “I didn’t want to let this one go by without, at least, a discussion.” The home, which was built […]