For the first time in over a decade, Austin has slipped out of the top 10 in the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) forthcoming annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate® 2025 report. The report, which examines nationwide real estate prospects, ranked Austin fifth in 2024, fourth in both 2022 and 2023, and first in 2020. This year, Dallas-Fort Worth claimed the top spot, with Houston third and San Antonio 13th. Austin remains in the elite “Super Sun Belt” category, though ULI noted a moderation in the city’s once-strong migration patterns, rising housing prices and office vacancies. Despite these challenges, Austin’s economic diversity and employment strength keep it firmly positioned as a Sun Belt staple.

Starting today, applications are being accepted for the City of Austin Housing Department’s I Belong In Austin rental assistance program. If you or anyone you know is struggling to pay rent or is at risk of eviction, you can check your eligibility and apply at www.austintexas.gov/rent. The program will be administered by El Buen Samaritano, which will prioritize applicants 50 percent or below AMI and provide financial assistance with rent, moving, storage and relocation costs for tenants at risk of eviction. As part of the 2024-2025 budget, City Council approved $3.6 million in funding for the IBIA program. “Rent assistance for low-income households is one of the first tools that cities can use to prevent displacement and homelessness,” stated Nefertitti Jackmon, the City’s Community Displacement Prevention Office. El Buen will work closely with the City, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC) and Volunteer Legal Services (VLS) to provide eviction prevention support and emergency rental dollars to communities in need. Last year, the rental assistance program served approximately 1,700 households at an average of $5,265 per household, with $11.6 million allocated for the public launch of the IBIA program. As with past programs, recipients will be chosen using a lottery system to ensure equity in access. Residents who have applied for assistance in the past will need to resubmit an application – either online; in person at El Buen Samaritano at 7000 Woodhue Drive, Austin, TX, 78745; or by phone at 737-214-7406.

Creek Show, the site-specific luminescent art installation that has cropped up at Waller Creek for the past 10 years, is back for its annual spectacle, aiming to raise awareness and public support for the creek’s transformation into a series of restored urban parks and trails. This year, the work of Austin-based architects, landscape architects, artists and designers will include theme nights with highlights like a market for local vendors, Verde Night presented by Austin FC, yoga for veterans and a guided nature-centered tour emphasizing design principles and sustainability. The full lineup of events is available at creekshow.com. Creek Show will require an online reservation to attend and offers a variety of free and low-cost admission options. All proceeds from Creek Show benefit Waterloo Greenway, whose mission is to create and maintain a new 35-acre urban park system in partnership with the city.

Carrying the celebration of Dia de los Muertos through most of November, four fiberglass skulls painted by four Austin-based artists Ruben Esquivel, NIZ, Carmen Rangel and Ryan Runice will be on view for free Nov. 9-24 at Republic Square Park, 422 Guadalupe St. The art installation “Las Calaveras de Republic Square” came about via a partnership between Mexic-Arte Museum and the Mexico City-based Colectivo Última Hora. “These artists have created imagery relating to Republic Square’s history, a central point for the city’s diverse communities. … Through Las Calaveras de Republic Square, we acknowledge and highlight the Mexican, Mexican American, and Black communities, as well as the Tonkawa tribe,” reads a statement from the museum. For more details on the artists’ work on the calaveras, click here.

Due to weather, the dates of this exhibition have changed. This whisper has been updated accordingly.

While some endorsements clearly make a difference in political races, it is unclear how many Austin voters really care whether Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed Mike Siegel or Gary Bledsoe in the City Council District 7 race. He endorsed Siegel. However, Our Revolution, the progressive grassroots organization started by Sanders, endorsed Bledsoe. Bledsoe’s campaign flyer features a picture of Bledsoe and Sanders together. The Siegel campaign criticized Bledsoe’s campaign on Tuesday, putting out a press release reiterating Sanders’ endorsement of Siegel and calling on Bledsoe to clarify that he had not been endorsed by Sanders. “There is no place in Austin politics for this kind of misleading communication. I call on Gary Bledsoe to clarify that he has not been endorsed by my friend, Senator Sanders,” he wrote.

Bledsoe campaign manager Mykle Tomlinson emailed the following statement to the Austin Monitor: “We said we are endorsed by Our Revolution and had a picture of Gary and Bernie from the rally. What it shows is that we are in line with Bernie’s Revolution. It’s a stretch for Mike to say we are claiming Bernie endorsed Gary. If that were the case under endorsements, we would have listed Bernie’s name.” Those endorsements include the Austin American-Statesman, Travis County commissioners Brigid Shea and Jeff Travillion, along with Central Austin Democrats, Black Austin Democrats and Austin Tejano Democrats. The Sierra Club endorsed both candidates.

Tomlinson added, “I think what we are seeing is a candidate in Siegel who thought he would be able to walk away with an Austin city council seat, now realizing that he has some real competition and is grasping at straws to figure out how to respond to a true Austin Progressive who has been working in the community for 40+ years.”

Siegel has a lengthy list of endorsements, including The Austin Chronicle, AFSCME Local 1624, a variety of unions, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar and Council members Zo Qadri and José Chito Vela, among others.

A proposed redevelopment for at least two high-rise towers planned for the 4 acres located at 200 E. Riverside Drive, a key location in Austin’s South Central Waterfront area, is expected to return to the City Council agenda for possible rezoning approval on Nov. 7. The project from Garwald Company Inc. was originally slated for last week’s Council meeting but was delayed in part due to the extensive public comment on the city’s new labor contract with Austin Police Association. The mixed-use development would replace an existing unused office building and could reach a height of 500 feet, with residential and commercial spaces stated as the most likely uses during a September meeting of the Planning Commission where the property’s rezoning received a vote of support.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is inviting Texans to participate in an online survey to help shape two comprehensive transit plans for the state’s future: the Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan (SMTP) and the Statewide Active Transportation Plan (SATP). The plans will outline a unified vision for transit and active transportation through 2050, helping to guide a range of mobility options from buses and trains to walking, cycling and e-scooters. TxDOT aims to address challenges and strategies that support increased connectivity and diverse transportation choices statewide. The survey is available online and will remain active through Nov. 4.

TxDOT will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its I-35 Capital Express Central Project on Wednesday, Oct. 30, and those opposed to the road’s expansion through Austin’s downtown will be on hand to protest its official launch. Rethink35 has filed a lawsuit with 14 community partners against the project, saying it violates the National Environmental Policy Act and expects to see it play out in court in the coming months. The group has also filed a civil rights complaint against TxDOT. “TxDOT’s proposed I-35 expansion will waste billions of dollars to commit grievous harm to our city and region,” says Rethink35 Board Member Miriam Schoenfield in a statement to the press. “Despite overwhelming opposition from residents, elected leaders, and candidates for local office (81% of which oppose the expansion), TxDOT intends to steamroll over our community for a project that will destroy homes, businesses, and parks and worsen congestion, pollution, safety, and quality of life for generations to come.” The protest will begin at 1:30 p.m., with the groundbreaking scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

Starting in January, Austinites will have access to on-demand collection of bulk, brush and hazardous trash. Starting in 2025, collection will move from biannual schedules for brush and bulk trash to an on-demand service, and household hazardous waste, which was previously disposed of on-site, will follow suit. Residents will be notified by mail when they can start making appointments via the city’s Austin Resource Recovery app or by calling 311. “We’re excited about offering on-demand collection of bulk, brush and household hazardous waste to all of our residential customers,” said ARR Director Richard McHale in a statement to the press. ”Our customers will be able to schedule their collections when they want them. By making these services more convenient, we anticipate that we’ll keep more material out of the landfill and continue moving Austin closer to zero waste.” The switch comes after a test of three pilot programs and means that ARR customers no longer have to wait six months between bulk and brush collection.

Austin Community College District (ACC) will host the Positive Women’s Coalition’s Women’s Health, Motivation & Empowerment Conference this Saturday. The annual conference is in its 14th year, and is designed to support women looking to change their professional and personal lives for the better. The event, which is free and open to women of all ages, will run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the ACC Eastview campus and will feature sessions on health and wellness, motivation and empowerment, as well as a fashion show. Interested attendees can RSVP here. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The Austin Housing Finance Corporation allocated $10.9 million in Project Connect anti-displacement funding last week. The money will be divided among eight organizations, which were all existing Project Connect Community Initiated Solutions partners and will work to expand tenant stabilization, homeownership and anti-displacement measures near the planned rail route with the money. “Austin has a very unique opportunity. With public support and Project Connect Anti-Displacement funding, we are able to provide services to build the resiliency of Austin families in advance of the future transit investment. In the past, cities have responded after they have seen the devastating displacement impacts to vulnerable households. Yes, we are starting early, but it is essential if we want to protect Austin households,” said Nefertitti Jackmon, community displacement prevention officer, in a statement to the press.

Additional Community Initiated Solutions Funding  

The Salvation Army’s Women’s Auxiliary will hold its Festival of Trees “Home for the Holidays” event on Friday, Nov. 10. The festival features an auction of trees decorated by the group, board members and volunteers, with all proceeds going to families in need during the holiday season. In addition, the festival showcases carols, treats and the opportunity to donate. Online bidding on the trees begins on Nov. 8, and the event will take place on Nov. 10 from 3 to 6 pm at Area Command (4700 Manor Road).