At Wednesday’s Urban Land Institute Austin breakfast discussion, interim University of Texas President Jim Davis offered a candid assessment of the university’s evolving role in Austin’s booming development scene. Once regarded as one of the city’s largest builders and employers, Davis said UT now finds itself competing for attention alongside tech giants and multibillion-dollar infrastructure […]
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Posted inHousing
Austin churches answer prayers for affordable housing – by building it themselves
Standing at a pulpit on a Sunday morning in March, the Rev. Daryl Horton of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in East Austin prayed for a swift approval of building permits. An ask that, as anyone familiar with municipal bureaucracy knows, requires nothing short of a God-given miracle. “Y’all keep praying for the city as those […]
Posted inHousing
Council sets its sights on affordable student housing
City Council newcomer Ryan Alter is making headway, kicking off his tenure with a call for more robust housing in the increasingly unaffordable neighborhoods around Austin’s college campuses. Alter’s resolution, which passed unanimously, directs city staff to explore partnerships and policy solutions to ramp up affordable unit production for students at UT, ACC, Huston-Tillotson, and […]
Posted inPlanning
Dirty Martin’s among a cluster of businesses slated to be forced out by light-rail line
When Austin voters approved the largest expansion of public transit in the city’s history, they signed up for higher property taxes to help pay for it. But now another cost of Project Connect is coming into focus: the loss of local businesses in the path of a light-rail line. One of the most eye-popping transformations […]
Posted inDevelopment
Landmark Commission approves demolition of former West Campus grocery store
A two-story brick building at 601 W. 26th St. that has been around since 1890 may soon be replaced by high-rise student housing. Since the original building was altered in the 1950s in a way that has compromised its historical integrity, the Historic Landmark Commission determined it did not meet the criteria for designation as […]
Posted inAustin
City to boost lighting for West Campus
In response to concerns about student safety, the city plans to increase spending to repair and upgrade street lights in the West Campus neighborhood. In a memo released last week, City Manager Spencer Cronk outlined short-term, mid-term and long-term plans to increase lighting in the neighborhood, which has experienced major population growth in recent years, […]
Posted inPlanning
To light or not to light, that is the question
While no one wants to light West Campus up like the Las Vegas Strip, with such density comes a need for signage that can be seen both night and day. “We think that (not having signage) may be a safety concern if people are too busy looking at their phone to see where they’re going,” […]
Posted inPlanning
A new neighborhood group hopes to speak for student renters in West Campus
While many University of Texas students were busy studying for final exams, senior Allie Runas was thinking about cracks in the sidewalk. After years of stepping over cracks in West Campus, she decided to do something and founded the West Campus Neighborhood Association. “One of the things that I’m hoping (to do) with this is […]