At Tuesday’s work session, City Council members praised a proposed final agreement with Aspen Heights Partners for a large development at 1215 Red River St. and 606 East 12th St., formerly known as HealthSouth. They were particularly appreciative of the fact that the development will include 921 new apartments as well as other amenities, such […]
Economic Development Department
This city department heads up business recruitment, urban regeneration, small business development, arts, and music for the city.
Posted inResources
City moving ahead with five-year food security plan
The Office of Sustainability will soon begin recruiting community members interested in helping to create the city’s first comprehensive food plan, which is intended to address food scarcity and build up the community’s resilience to withstand natural disasters. The plan is one of the objectives in a June 2021 resolution passed by City Council in […]
Posted inPreservation
Law Department predicts challenges ahead for equity-based preservation programs
The Historic Landmark Commission was in an unusually gloomy mood last Wednesday, as the meeting kicked off with an ominous briefing from the city’s legal department. At the request of Commissioner Blake Tollett, Assistant City Attorney Neal Falgoust dropped by to discuss the shifting federal court landscape and its implications for city policy. In light […]
Posted inDevelopment
City formulates $98 million financing plan to cover Colony Park gap
The city is asking Travis County to contribute $30 million to the development costs of the Colony Park planned unit development in Northeast Austin, part of a proposed financing package of $98.8 million needed to complete the project. A city memo released Tuesday outlines several details related to the ongoing development that is being led […]
Posted inCity Hall
Music Commission wants Council to ‘expedite’ Live Music Fund activation
The Music Commission plans to push City Council and staff to speed up the deployment of the Live Music Fund, which was approved by City Council in fall 2019 but is not scheduled to be distributed until next July. At last week’s special meeting, commission Chair Anne-Charlotte Patterson said local musicians have been waiting years […]
Posted inPlanning
City outlines plans for improvements to corridors along 11th and 12th streets
The city has shared some of its initial plans for improving the African American Cultural Heritage District along 11th and 12th streets with place-making, entertainment options and development proposals expected in the coming months. In a memo released last week, Economic Development Department Director Sylnovia Holt-Rabb shared three possible strategies to address some City Council […]
Posted inCity Hall
Staffing issues cause slow rollout of arts, historic preservation programs
The Economic Development Department plans to wait until fall to begin spinning up three programs for music, arts and historic preservation that are funded by proceeds from the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax. Portions of those programs aren’t slated to become active until mid-to-late 2023, with some contracts not expected to begin until the 2024 fiscal […]
Posted inAustin
City staffing shortages to delay Live Music Fund deployment until mid-2023
Musicians, promoters and other creatives will have to wait another year to enter into a contract of $5,000-$10,000 from the city’s Live Music Fund. The delay is due to a staffing shortage in the city, including 20 positions in the Economic Development Department, with the management of the fund headed for a third-party contractor. During a […]
Posted inCity Hall
Audit finds city slow to move on workforce development recommendations
An updated audit has found the city has yet to implement most of the recommendations made five years ago related to improving workforce development programs within the Economic Development Department and Austin Public Health. The 2022 audit, which was discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee, found that only two of […]
Posted inAustin
Audit praises city’s Covid assistance efforts, with rental payment results mixed
An audit found mixed results in the execution of some of the city’s programs created with federal money to provide assistance with the many impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. A report last week from the Office of the City Auditor found that four programs administered by the Economic Development Department performed well according to city […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music Commission’s oversight could further delay emergency funds for musicians
The Music Commission has asked city staff for more input and involvement in how a pair of financial assistance programs for Austin musicians will be carried out, with an emergency aid fund tied to Covid-19 possibly delayed three weeks as a result. The commission heard presentations Monday on two programs: the Live Music Fund Event Program […]
Posted inDevelopment
Shoal Creek/Third Street redesign aims to create greener, safer spaces downtown
The Urban Transportation Commission’s hefty meeting agenda on Sept. 7 included a proposal to significantly redesign the heavily trafficked area of downtown surrounding the intersection of Third Street and Shoal Creek Trail. The Cypress and Shoal Creek Public Space Strategy, a joint effort between the Downtown Austin Alliance, Shoal Creek Conservancy and the city of […]