When lawmakers meet in Austin later this summer for a special legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott wants them to curb Texas towns’ ability to protect local trees. He’s framed his directive as part of a larger effort to end “micro-managing” from liberal Texas cities like Austin, but lost in that rhetoric is the relative popularity […]
Top Stories
Posted inHousing
City code enforcement suit may eliminate affordable units
For weeks, tenants at Orchard Plaza apartments in Windsor Park have been evacuating the premises following a contempt order against the owners for substandard housing conditions. Meanwhile, the question of whether the property will continue to provide affordable housing is still up in the air. Owners Walter Olenick and Rae Nadler-Olenick declined to comment, but […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Consultants dodge questions on ideology behind CodeNEXT
Making a rare appearance, an elephant was spotted waltzing through the Boards and Commissions Room at City Hall during the May 30 land use joint commission meeting. Supposedly, the large creature has always been in the room during CodeNEXT work sessions, but nobody wants to acknowledge it – profit. Everyone knows developers make a killing […]
Posted inHousing
Council to consider tool that would bring permanently affordable housing to East Austin
Today, City Council is set to consider implementing a tool that would bring more affordable housing units to the east side. It’s called a community land trust, and it could create homes that remain affordable for decades to come. If approved, the measure would designate two local nonprofits, the Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation and the […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Local leaders slam Abbott’s special session call
The Austin area’s top two elected leaders reacted quickly and harshly to Gov. Greg Abbott’s unusual call for a special session of the 85th Texas Legislature on Tuesday afternoon. “I admit to being a little dumbfounded when I hear what sounded to me almost like a call for a war against cities and against individual […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Council to weigh move to limit events in major urban parks
Special events in the city’s three core parks will eventually be scaled back in coming years if City Council approves Thursday the first slate of measures aimed at preserving local parkland. The ordinance up for consideration would alter current rules for hours of park use, parking policies and sound limits. But the component with the […]
Posted inPlanning
Report finds most traffic on Rainey Street stems from surrounding roadways
Traffic congestion has long been a concern for people who live and work along Rainey Street. Last year, neighbors struck a deal with a developer looking to build new condos in the area. They agreed to conduct a comprehensive traffic study to identify transportation needs and guide future development. The Austin-based Sutton Company is expected […]
Posted inPublic Health
Central Health board chair lays out case against nominee
The chair of the Central Health Board of Managers is ramping up the pressure on City Council to reject an applicant to the board due to the applicant’s position with a major hospital. In a lengthy letter sent Friday to Council Member Ora Houston, who chairs the Council Health and Human Services Committee, board Chair […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Don’t knock it, or try it
Delay Red River… When the Austin Monitor published a sneak peek in April of the findings of a close-to-complete draft of Urban Land Institute’s examination of the precarious state of the Red River Cultural District, one of the key findings was that the entertainment district was in its “11th hour” and in danger of being […]
Posted inAustin
Task force endorses plan to expand convention center
After nearly six months of toil, a visibly exhausted Visitor Impact Task Force granted its imprimatur to a proposal to fund the expansion of the Austin Convention Center, albeit with a number of attached recommendations. Tuesday’s vote came at the end of a nearly five-hour meeting held on the 17th floor of the Hyatt Regency […]
Posted inParks
For many Austinites, city parks remain out of reach
From the hike and bike trail on Lady Bird Lake to Mount Bonnell, Austin is proud of its parks. But a new study ranking city parks around the country suggests that pride might not be fully justified. Austin ranked just 46 out of the 100 largest U.S. cities. Why? Jenny Hernandez can tell you. For […]
Posted inCourts
Bunch sues Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau
Austin activist Bill Bunch filed suit after hours Monday against the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau (which on April 28 filed an assumed name certificate allowing it to operate under the name Visit Austin) for refusing to disclose the salaries of its 50 highest-paid employees, its contract with the ACVB president and a report commissioned by the […]