The Austin Code Department has started its annual tradition of stepped-up monitoring and enforcement of regulations covering short-term rental businesses, the official policy name for homeowners who rent out extra rooms to tourists visiting for the South by Southwest festival. The lucrative practice, which is aided by websites such as Airbnb and the Austin-based HomeAway, […]
SXSW
Organizers of the massive annual festival that takes over the City of Austin each March. SXSW has donated to the Capital of Texas Media Foundation.
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Of departures (people, codes and forts)
ZAP! Pow! Bang!… People paying attention to the membership of the Zoning and Platting Commission (if you are out there, you are probably reading this) may have noticed change has come/is on the horizon. As we reported, now-former Chair Thomas Weber has left the commission, with former Austin Neighborhoods Council President David King taking over […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
SXSW touts $325M economic impact for Austin
According to Mayor Steve Adler, South by Southwest is more than just a cash cow. In an evocative metaphor at yesterday’s annual reveal of the festival’s economic contribution to the city, he likened the festival instead to “a herd that comes to our city” every year. This year, like the year before it and the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics complaints over free SXSW tickets dismissed
Complaints against two city officials alleging that they used their positions to acquire free tickets to the South by Southwest Interactive Festival were dismissed quickly by the City Council Ethics Review Commission on June 22. The commission determined that although the high cost of the tickets — over $1,000 each — raised some eyebrows, neither official […]
Posted inCity Hall
Reporter’s Notebook: Passes and postponements
Official solicited, got free SXSW passes… Rondella Hawkins, who oversees the city’s Office of Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs, requested and received three complimentary badges for 2016’s SXSWi, the interactive portion of the famous festival that Austin hosts, from festival director Hugh Forrest. Pinaki Ghosh, a former member of the city’s volunteer Community Technology and Telecommunications […]
Posted inPolice
Officials reflect on safety at SXSW 2016
This year’s South by Southwest festival was one of the safest yet, say SXSW and public safety officials, thanks to overtime funding that allowed Austin Police Department officers to fill festival staffing spots internally. Overall, the number of festival-related arrests was lower than in recent years. “It went really, really well,” Brad Spies, SXSW’s special […]
Posted inCity Council
Kitchen: Spirit of innovation still alive in Austin
This year’s South by Southwest Interactive conference kicked off with a cloud of doubt hanging over the city of Austin’s relationship with the tech sector that has helped spur the regional economy for lo these many years. Recent efforts by City Council to take a less than laissez-faire approach to ride-hailing services and short-term rentals […]
Posted inCity Council
Is Austin still tech-friendly?
“Austin has spent decades building a reputation as an innovative city, but our new City Council’s confusion about (the) issue is destroying our reputation and driving away investment capital,” according to Capital Factory Executive Director Joshua Baer. In the Medium post, Baer is reacting to recent actions by Council placing occupancy limits on short-term rentals, […]
Posted inAustin
At SXSW, Adler discusses public engagement
Mayor Steve Adler took advantage of South by Southwest on Saturday to spotlight opportunities to enhance public engagement through partnerships with tech sector entrepreneurs. The mayor was one of three speakers on a panel called “Crowdsourcing Policy: Constituents to Changemakers” and hosted by KUT reporter and Austin Monitor contributor Audrey McGlinchy. Appearing with Adler were Francisco […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Petitions, among other things
Pilot Knob, revisited… Over the weekend, City Council’s recent Pilot Knob deal got a lot more ink. As you might remember, the Austin Monitor first wrote about the deal, which will bring affordable housing to the planned unit development, at a cost of millions to Austin’s water utility. Since then, plenty of other places have […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City to host “Music Venue Summit” ahead of spring
In preparation for South by Southwest and other spring events, the city’s Music and Entertainment Division will host a two-hour “Music Venue Summit” on Jan. 25 at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The event will include city staff presentations about how venue owners and managers can best navigate the city’s regulatory landscape […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Adler to propose fee waivers for SXSW
Mayor Steve Adler will sponsor an item on next week’s City Council agenda authorizing fee waivers and payments by the city in connection with the 2016 South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival for up to $309,310, according to Jim Wick, the mayor’s director of community engagement. Brad Spies, special projects manager for SXSW, […]