A new traveling information series from the city hopes to keep Austinites apprised of the some $10 billion in infrastructure projects supporting the city’s continued growth. “Building Austin” will shine a spotlight on various projects, like the construction of new fire stations, parks, libraries, trails and roads. The first session will be held on Thursday, Aug. 15, at the City of Austin Permitting and Development Center (6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive) and virtually. It will, according to a press release from the city, “feature five key projects in proximity of the Airport Boulevard Corridor and E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor, including the Asian American Resource Center Phase 2 Improvements, E. Braker Lane Extension, and Little Walnut Creek Flood Risk Reduction.” Anyone interested in attending – either virtually or in person – can RSVP here.

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.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax was expected to announce his choice for Austin’s next permanent police chief on Friday. Instead, he announced that he was still reviewing feedback from the public, stakeholders and City Council and would not be calling a City Council meeting Tuesday to confirm an appointment. “We worked diligently to find the best candidates possible and to provide our community members with the opportunity to tell us what qualities they wanted to see in a Chief of Police and provide their feedback as we narrowed the field. I’m currently reviewing that feedback, as well as input from our stakeholder interview panels and City Council,” Broadnax wrote. “This position is too critical to our Police Department, the City organization as a whole, and this community to rush. Therefore, I’m going to take additional time to consider our two very qualified candidates before making a final decision.”

Seven new outdoor banners celebrating the history of Republic Square – which has hosted key events in Texas history, city celebrations and daily life – will be unveiled during a free, all-ages event from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 3 at Fifth and Guadalupe streets. One of the city’s four original public squares, Republic Square has been a significant site in Austin since 1839, particularly for the city’s Mexican and Mexican American community. Mexic-Arte and the Downtown Austin Alliance are hosting a ribbon-cutting and family activity day with performances by Mariachi Chavez y Amigos and the Ballet Folklorico of Austin, plus complimentary refreshments from Austin Aguas Frescas and Ross Cake’s Bakes & Sweets, coloring books with images of the new banners and screen-printed tote bags. Claudia Aparicio Gamund created the artwork featured on the banners, and the project was funded by a heritage grant awarded by the Austin Economic Development Department.

From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 27-31, university students moving out of campus-area apartments can drop off furniture, household items, small appliances, clothing, cleaning supplies, unopened food and more at seven donation stations throughout North and West Campus:

• Camino Flats, 2810 Salado St. (near 28th Street)
• Croix Condos, 706 W 25th St. (parking lot across from The Block on 25th Street)
• Escala Condos, 1000 W 26th St. (near 26th and San Gabriel streets)
• Lenox Condos, 915 W 23rd St. (near 23rd and San Gabriel streets)
• Texas Tri Delta, 503 W 27th St. (parking lot on Nueces near 27th Street)
• Pearl Street Co-op, 2000 Pearl St. (near 21st Street)
• UT Whitaker Courts Parking Lot, 287 W 51st St. (near the tennis courts)

“MoveOutATX is an easy way for students to give back to the community while moving out,” said Austin Resource Recovery Director Richard McHale. “Students can get rid of their gently used items in a convenient way while keeping reusable items out of the landfill. This program is helping us reach our zero waste goals while supporting the local economy.” Those donations feed into the Free Furniture Market, open 6:30–8 p.m. July 27-31 and 8-10 a.m. Aug. 1. Austin Area Urban League, Austin Creative Reuse, Goodwill Central Texas, Salvation Army Family Stores, UT Outpost and Arms of Hope will transfer donated furniture pieces from the donation stations to the market at the UT Austin Whitaker Courts Parking Lot, 287 W 51st St. Items will be made available to Austinites on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of two pieces of furniture per person. Participants must be able to load and transport items themselves and must sign a liability waiver. Volunteers – who’ll receive cold drinks, snacks, cool-it towels and discounts to local businesses – are needed to staff the Free Furniture Market and can sign up for 2.5-hour shifts at MoveOutATX.org.

This year’s Art From the Streets show will be at The Gallery at Austin Central Library, starting Saturday. The show, which will run from July 27 until Sept. 29, will feature 40 artists from Austin’s unhoused community and, as organizers explain, “gives a voice to these artists in a professional gallery setting and educates the public about the benefits of art to those unhoused in Austin.” Admission to the show is free and open to the public, as is the artist reception, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8. More information about the show and gallery hours can be found here.

The Texas Department of Transportation is updating its 10-year transportation plan, and the period for commenting on it will be open through 4 p.m. Aug. 4. The plan, known as the Unified Transportation Program, or UTP, serves as a road map that defines and prioritizes funding for transportation projects statewide over a decade. The UTP authorizes TxDOT and local agencies to prepare projects for construction based on potential funding, but does not guarantee that funding (or that projects will be built), instead solidifying the transportation authority’s long-term visions. The most recent visions, and the ability to comment on them, can be found here.

A three-member city commission is seeking applicants to volunteer. A three-year term on the City of Austin Firefighters’, Police Officers’, and Emergency Medical Services Personnel Civil Service Commission would begin Nov. 1 and end Oct. 31, and would require one to three hours of business time per month. The commission is meant to ensure general compliance with applicable provisions of Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code; local Civil Service rules established by the Commission; and any current agreements between the city and associations representing firefighters, police officers and emergency medical service personnel. It also regulates promotions, suspensions and terminations of personnel in those departments. Qualified applicants must be U.S. citizens who have resided in the city for more than three years, are older than 25 and have not have held office within the preceding three years. Experience or knowledge of the administration of human resources or labor relations and employment law is preferred. Apply online here and include a resume and cover letter. For more information, contact the Office of the City Clerk at bc@austintexas.gov.

Anyone curious about the city’s most recent effort to redraw City Council district maps is instead likely to get a hard sell for the many wonders of the online casino and gaming industry, aimed specifically at Japanese gamblers. While looking for a Council district map recently, this reporter clicked on a link to the redistrictatx.org website, which at one time was a resource connected to the work of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, which met throughout 2021 to draw a new map of all 10 districts based on new census data. What came up instead was a site that offered a series of tutorials for newcomers to the world of online casinos, with calls to action (after a run through Google Translate) like “Slot machines: the best strategies and options to win” and “The magic of blackjack: exploring strategy and fun.” Some preliminary sleuthing on WhoIs.com shows the site was most recently registered by GMO Internet Group last April and is valid through April 2025. No telling how any of this plays into the charter amendment related to redistricting that City Council voted to put on the November ballot, but anyone with an eye toward the next redistricting process should note that redistrictatx.net or redistrictatx.com are available at very affordable prices.

The Village at Western Oaks is getting 21 Little Free Libraries thanks, in part, to the city’s Neighborhood Partnering Program. The program, which teams up with neighborhoods to help with community-driven projects like park improvements, public art, gardens and trails, accepted a proposal from the neighborhood’s HOA to share costs on the installation of the libraries, which are small, book-sharing boxes that can be used by anyone. Similarly, anyone can reach out to the NPP, either about starting their own little library project or any other enhancement. More information, including proposal guidelines, can be found on the city’s website.

The city’s online development portal will be offline from 8 a.m. Aug. 8 through 7 a.m. Aug. 12 in order to launch a redesigned Austin Build and Connect Portal. While customers will log in to the new system the same way as before, they are encouraged to “complete any necessary activities” before the system is temporarily unavailable. According to a press release from the city, “all user profiles, contact information, records and billing information will be preserved” and additional information about support and access will be on the AB+C Portal closer to the scheduled maintenance. More detailed information about application submissions, payments and inspections can be acquired by contacting the appropriate city department directly. The new portal will have an updated interface in addition to increased security and reliability.