Austin’s first carless community breaks ground

City officials broke ground Saturday on affordable housing units that will make up Austin’s first carless community, designed with 100 percent electric needs produced with on-site solar. The Ivory, at 1309 Chicon St., is a mix of commercial space and 53 residential condos, with 40 units available to households earning at or below 70 percent of the median family income level. The remaining 13 units are available at market rate. It’s constructed so that car ownership is a choice for residents, rather than a necessity: There are plans for each resident to receive an electric bicycle to keep when they close on their condo, they can use two e-vehicles that will be on-site, and four B-cycles will be installed. The passing of the “Affordability Unlocked” ordinance in 2019 allowed the nonprofit developer Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation to build the Ivory with no parking and more density. More details on funding for the project are here. The Ivory is named after East Austin advocate and leader Scottie Ivory, a longtime advocate for equality and justice in East Austin who came from a long history of family members who also championed equal opportunities in Austin.