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Austin Monitor
East Austin organizers push for equity/anti-displacement overlay to address affordability
A coalition of community groups representing East Austin is pushing City Council to require new infill residences built on smaller lots in the Eastern Crescent be made affordable for longtime residents at risk of being displaced due to the rising cost of living. Prior to Council’s recent passage of the...
Memo outlines the high cost of planning for Austin’s environmental future
With the city already facing a budget deficit exceeding $13 million in the 2025 budget year, a recent staff memo with cost estimates for funding an array of environmental initiatives may be causing sticker shock in some circles. Yet proponents of financing the city’s climate goals view the projected costs as an investment that could yield substantial long-term savings.
SOS sues city to stop Statesman PUD
The Save Our Springs Alliance has sued the city in an attempt to stop construction of the Statesman Planned Unit Development that Council approved in December 2022. Specifically, the environmental organization seeks to stop any “permit approvals, city fee waivers, and ‘other development subsidies’ contained in the final ordinance.”
Travis County has seen a surge of fentanyl overdoses. A new report shows it’s not slowing down.
Fentanyl-related overdoses continue to be the leading cause of accidental overdose deaths in Travis County, according to a new report from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office. In 2023, 279 people died from a fentanyl-related overdose – up from 245 the year before. That’s about a 14 percent increase....
Watson eyes city grants for child care providers in tandem with proposed county tax vote
Mayor Kirk Watson voiced support Thursday for a proposed grant program for home-based child care providers throughout the city, as one piece of a countywide effort to address one of the most persistent affordability issues in Austin. Speaking at a summit examining the causes and possible solution for the city’s...
Council members are looking into need for increased funds for parks maintenance
Austin’s parkland acreage is growing along with the population – however, staffing for maintenance of those parks has not kept pace, according to a report discussed Wednesday among City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee. After comparing the number of parks maintenance workers in 2014 to the current number, analysts at the Parks and Recreation Department and budget and finance concluded that PARD “was providing a higher level of service frequency in FY 2014 than in FY 2023.”
Wheatsville to close Guadalupe Street store that opened in 1981
Wheatsville Food Co-op – a local, member-owned natural food store operating in Austin since 1976 – plans to close its location on Guadalupe Street and focus on building smaller stores. In a special edition of Wheatsville’s newsletter, General Manager Bill Bickford acknowledged the store was facing financial struggles...
Council tailors ETOD zoning, affordability requirements to maximize transit use
Included in last week’s slate of land use changes approved by City Council were adjustments to the density bonus incentives and other guidelines covering equitable transit-oriented developments intended to maximize usage of transit corridors throughout the city. Following the prior day’s marathon public comment session, Council reconvened on May...
Audit points out deficiencies in city’s criminal background checks
Although the city has improved its processes for conducting criminal background checks on prospective employees being considered for sensitive positions, a report from the city auditor’s office shows some gaps in the Human Resources Department’s process that could result in “legal, financial, and reputational risk for the City.”
Transit, housing initiatives highlight accessibility concerns for disabled community
Advocates for disabled people in Austin want to ensure upcoming major changes to the local transportation network and housing market don’t exclude those with physical, visual or hearing impairments. A discussion on Tuesday at the Austin office of the advocacy group ADAPT of Texas brought together leaders attached to...
Water quality plan draws opposition from Reed Park neighbors
A water quality improvement project slated for a West Austin neighborhood park has sparked controversy among Tarrytown neighbors opposed to the prospect of losing an informal ball field to a biofiltration pond for stormwater runoff. Reed Neighborhood Park, given to the city in the 1950s by the late Roberta Crenshaw,...
Affordable housing complex competes for space with a church in Payton Gin zoning change
Planning Commission members have embraced an affordable housing project in North Austin despite concerns from the church it will replace. Developers plan to build a 100 percent affordable, six-story, 192-unit apartment complex at 1706 Payton Gin Road using the city’s Affordability Unlocked program. In return for the development incentives offered through the program, the project promises 27 one-bedroom units, 88 two-bedroom units and 77 three-bedroom units. In terms of affordability, at least 20 percent of those units will rent to households at or below 50 percent of the median family income (MFI) and at least half will be offered at or below 60 percent MFI for at least 40 years. In order to do that, they are seeking a zoning change from Neighborhood Commercial (LR) to Community Commercial (GR).
Following HOME 2 passage, advocates seek Council action on short-term rentals
Members of the Tourism Commission are pushing City Council to move forward with an agreement with short-term rental platforms that could make it possible for the city to more easily regulate the thousands of unlicensed homes operating as lodging businesses across Austin. Earlier this month, Bishop Chappell – a commissioner...
Developing a former summer camp proves to be more than a seasonal project
Efforts to redevelop a former ranch and summer camp in Northwest Austin have hit another snag with the city’s Historic Landmark Commission, which has voted for a second time to postpone the convoluted case. The house at 7304 Knox Lane first appeared as a demolition case last spring, when...
Travis County will turn family’s ranch into 1,500 acres of public parkland
Travis County commissioners plan to add about 1,500 acres to the county’s wilderness parklands, protecting the pristine land from development and setting it up as a future destination for hikers and bicyclists. The $90 million deal to purchase a privately owned ranch in southwest Travis County was made possible...
Auditor’s report points out difficulties with 911 call taking
As a result of complaints citizens made about problems they had connecting with the city’s 911 service during emergencies, City Council members Alison Alter and Vanessa Fuentes requested that the Office of the City Auditor look into how the Austin Police Department’s 911 service operates. Alter chairs the Audit and Finance Committee, and Fuentes is a member. A report on the results of their inquiry is on Wednesday’s committee agenda.
Vacant downtown storefronts eyed for arts, music activations to reverse downturn
Seeking to bring more foot traffic to an area with an increasing number of vacant storefronts, the Downtown Austin Alliance is working to partner local artists and musicians with property owners interested in exposing their spaces to new potential businesses. So far, two spaces have been named as participants in...
Council adopts ordinance for electric vehicle charging stations
After adopting ordinances that promise to provide more housing on smaller pieces of land and changing compatibility requirements to allow taller buildings to be built closer to single-family housing, City Council quickly adopted changes to the city Land Development Code to allow some properties to be used for electric vehicle charging stations.
Austin Energy dialing in to climate protection plan
After pausing to rethink its approach, Austin Energy is revisiting its update to the 2030 Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan with a series of workshops set to begin next month. The first of four workshops, scheduled for June 7 at the utility’s Mueller headquarters, will focus on the fundamentals,...
Austin cuts minimum lot size by more than a third, requiring less land to build a home
This was the pitch made by Austin City Council members Friday when, for the first time in 80 years, they voted to lower the amount of land needed to build one house. The change allows property owners to build a home on as little as 1,800 square feet of land. This is a far cry from Austin’s long-held minimum lot size, which required at least 5,750 square feet of land per single-family house.
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