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Austin Monitor
Your ultimate guide to the I-35 expansion through Central Austin
Austin’s Interstate 35 – the spine of the region’s roadway grid – is about to undergo the largest expansion since the highway opened in 1962. Brace yourself: Construction could last a decade. This time it’s for real. The money – at least $4.5 billion – has...
City breaks ground on the Barton Springs bathhouse
Many years in the making, rehabilitation of the Barton Springs bathhouse is scheduled for a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. today. While the majority of attendees will surely cheer for the improvements the city promises under the Barton Springs Pool Master Plan, which City Council approved in 2009, there will be a few swimmers protesting the changes planned for the women’s bathhouse.
Austin-area school board president abruptly resigns and leaves meeting
Del Valle ISD’s board meeting kicked off with a major announcement on Tuesday: Board President Rebecca Birch said she was resigning, effective immediately. She had served on the board for nearly 12 years and spent more than half of that tenure as president. Birch’s decision came the same night...
Tourism Commission considers how to grow hotel taxes beyond convention business
The Tourism Commission has turned its attention to how tourist attractions throughout the city could work collectively to increase the average hotel stay, which would gradually lead to substantial increases in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues. At last week’s meeting, the commission heard a presentation from Matt Patton, director of research...
Committee hears about need for more rental assistance money
Members of the City Council Housing and Planning Committee heard about the dire straits that many renters face, not just in Austin but across the country. Community displacement prevention officer Nefertitti Jackmon told the committee on Tuesday that the program she administers, which provides rental assistance to people facing eviction, will run out of money in May.
St. David’s snags Planning Commission approval to expand South Austin presence
St. David’s HealthCare is one step closer to redeveloping a medical office building near its South Austin hospital, nearly quadrupling the square footage. The Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning request on Feb. 13 that would allow St. David’s to redevelop an existing medical office complex at 4007 James Casey St. The medical office currently sits on a 6.3-acre site and leases space to several health care specialists, including the Southwest Regional Cancer Center and Texas Heart and Vascular.
Austin area has dangerously high levels of air pollution, according to new EPA standards
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced long-awaited updates to air quality standards for fine particulate matter, also known as “soot,” pollution. The new, tighter limits mean some places that previously had acceptable levels of pollution are no longer meeting health standards. Austin and its surroundings are among those...
MACC funds not cut, Council member reports
A report to City Council that funding was cut for the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center turned out to be a misunderstanding. Larry Amaro, a member of the MACC board, told Council at Thursday’s meeting that a number of planned events this spring would have to be canceled because of a reduction in funding. Amaro said members of the board were told that this year’s budget had been cut by more than $300,000.
Council votes to aid Blues on the Green, explore more event sponsorships
The city has stepped forward to revive the Blues on the Green concert series held annually in Zilker Park and will look at how to support or possibly co-sponsor other music festivals or cultural events throughout the city in the future. At last week’s meeting, City Council voted 10-0, with...
Council approves climate funding and telework policies
Austin’s environmental activists don’t always agree with one another on local policy issues, but they spoke with one voice Thursday in support of a resolution to beef up funding for the city’s many ambitious climate plans. As expected, City Council passed the resolution, which sponsoring Council Member...
Landmark commissioners seek recourse for TxDOT’s threat to Edward Rendon Sr. Park
As Austinites brace themselves for nearly a decade of construction on Interstate 35, the Historic Landmark Commission is joining forces with activists resisting demolition of a historic pecan grove in East Austin’s Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach. The pecan grove, which dates back to 1964, sits within...
Tourism Commission proposes easier licensing among short-term rental solutions
The Tourism Commission has given City Council a list of 10 recommendations regarding the growing short-term rental economy. It stops short of pushing for formal agreements with vacation rental websites such as Airbnb and Vrbo. The recommendations, which were created by an STR working group and adopted at Wednesday’s commission...
Lacking a sense of cultural belonging, many Black Austinites are relocating
Lack of community bonds, cultural offerings and business opportunities play a large part in the continuing decline in Austin’s Black population, based on analysis and anecdotes shared by a number of local leaders at a recent discussion on the demographic trend. Wednesday’s breakfast panel for Urban Land Institute Austin...
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 2.15.24
City Council will, once again, meet for a regular meeting today. And we, once again, have gathered some highlights from today’s agenda to get you excited for the bonanza of public policy that will soon be upon us. For even more information, the entire agenda is posted online here.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar files bill to connect Texas grid to rest of the country
Of the numerous vulnerabilities exposed by the deadly 2021 Texas blackouts, one caught people’s attention more than the rest: Texas exists as an energy island. Unlike any other power grid in the continental U.S., the energy system that serves 90 percent of Texans cannot share much electricity with neighboring grids. That means when the Electric Reliability Council of Texas cannot meet demand, there is no way to import enough power to make up the difference. That leaves the grid operator with no option but to cut electricity to homes and businesses to balance the system.
Council to weigh how the city will fund climate projects
Over the last decade, City Council has put forth several ambitious climate-related plans, building on the work of previous councils. But without a clear road map for financing and prioritizing projects to reduce carbon emissions and safeguard the city against natural disasters, Austin lags behind other cities that have funding mechanisms in place.
Questions abound over pilot program for mental health diversion
As City Council is set to consider authorizing negotiations on a contract that would include allocating $2 million for a mental health diversion pilot program, a lot of questions remain unanswered. On Tuesday, Mayor Kirk Watson started the work session discussion by asking Robert Kingham, administrator of the Downtown Austin Community Court, about how much the city’s partners – Travis County, Central Health and Integral Care’s Psychiatric Emergency Services program – would contribute to the program.
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