At last week’s annual address to the Real Estate Council of Austin, Mayor Kirk Watson stressed a number of “budget asteroids” the city could face as a result of upcoming state and federal policy decisions. Along with the potential impact of tariffs on international goods, Watson explained to the room filled with developers and other […]
Real Estate Council of Austin
501(c)6 for “more than 1,700 commercial real estate professionals representing the top leaders in the Central Texas business community.” RECA is a donor to the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent of the Austin Monitor.
Posted inDevelopment
Uproar over update of plumbing, mechanical codes
Every four years, the city’s Development Services and Austin Code departments go through a process of updating their technical codes related to plumbing, heating and air-conditioning design, installation and inspection. And with those updates comes a renewal of the battle between proponents of two different codes in each area – the International Plumbing Code vs. […]
Posted inCity Hall
City moves on plan to create AEDC, commissions consider board appointments
The city continues to move forward with plans to create the Austin Economic Development Corporation and expects its 21-member governing board will be decided by late January. At their Dec. 7 meeting, members of the Music Commission discussed a Nov. 2 presentation about the AEDC by David Colligan, the interim chief operating officer of the […]
Posted inAustin
Minus a few hiccups, Adler says real estate community can expect great things for Austin
Despite how things may appear in this moment, in the wake of the cancellation of South by Southwest, Mayor Steve Adler believes the future could hardly look brighter for the city of Austin. With the city ready to adopt a new Land Development Code as well as the best transit proposal ever to make it […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Real Estate Council warns of potential land use code pitfalls
Members of the Real Estate Council of Austin believe their input was largely ignored when the city made its last major attempt at a Land Development Code revision under CodeNEXT. At a Land Development Code luncheon Wednesday, Geoffrey Tahuahua, the organization’s vice president of policy and government affairs, said that’s a big reason CodeNEXT ultimately […]
Posted inDevelopment
For projects green or gray, developers and conservancies seek common ground
While discussing the often overlooked role of local conservancies and green infrastructure nonprofits, Hill Country Conservancy CEO George Cofer told a room full of local developers that they need to cooperate and look up from their balance sheets to ensure the best parts of Austin don’t get paved out of existence. To illustrate his point, […]
Posted inAustin
RECA members talk transit, land use and homelessness with other city leaders
Members of the city’s real estate community got a look Thursday at what is and isn’t working in similar cities across the country on three of the biggest issues facing Austin: land use, transportation and homelessness. The panel, titled “What Can Austin Learn From Other Cities?” was part of the Real Estate Council of Austin’s […]
Posted inAustin
Mayor talks taxes, mobility at RECA lunch
Mayor Steve Adler faced a friendly crowd at Wednesday’s Real Estate Council of Austin meeting. He spoke about his hopes for the future, outlined challenges the city faces in the areas of mobility, affordability and property taxes and answered questions from RECA board Chair Patrick Rose. Right now, Adler said, Austin is the coolest place […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Better session ahead, legislators say
Senator Kirk Watson told those gathered at the Real Estate Council of Austin luncheon on Wednesday that he is “more optimistic than I have been in the past by quite a bit” about the possibility of resolving numerous problems related to public school finance during the 2019 legislative session. “As we go into this session […]
Posted inAustin
Innovators, Austin lifestyle, UT brought Army here
Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski, who serves as director of combat systems for Austin’s brand-new Army Futures Command, said Tuesday that Austin was chosen as the site of the first new Army command since 1973 because Austin has the talent, the educated workforce, the entrepreneurial spirit and the lifestyle the Army was looking for in choosing […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT testing: What to look for
Depending on who you ask, the testing of CodeNEXT, the rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code, is either an important exercise in moving the city toward more efficient construction or just an obscure game being played at City Hall. Members of the development community, represented by the Real Estate Council of Austin, and members […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Adler to developers: CodeNEXT must provide more housing
Mayor Steve Adler told members of Austin’s real estate industry Tuesday that the city is making it easier to build and that he hopes the potential overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code will allow for much greater density on the city’s transportation corridors. At a luncheon hosted by the Real Estate Council of Austin […]