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Austin Monitor
Project Connect lawsuit likely headed to appeal before trial
The Project Connect lawsuit expected to go to trial Monday appears destined for appeal instead. Assistant Attorney General Alyssa Bixby-Lawson, whose office opposes efforts by the city of Austin and the Austin Transit Partnership to validate voter-approved bonds for constructing Project Connect, has indicated that the attorney general’s office will not move forward with the case on Monday.
Airport Advisory Commission accepts FAA grants for airport expansion
On June 12, the Airport Advisory Commission heard a slew of good news from Austin’s Department of Aviation staff. For one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, a series of improvements are on their way – chief among them, up to $500 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration over the next three years.
Austin airport is getting new runway safety tech that could have prevented near-miss
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will have crucial new runway safety equipment installed by the end of the month. Federal investigators say the technology could have prevented a near-miss between two planes that could have killed 131 people last year. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is wrapping up installation of the equipment...
Planning Department announces update of Imagine Austin, due by late 2026
Austin’s Planning Department has announced its plans to update Imagine Austin, the city’s 30-year strategic plan, over the next two-and-a-half years. The department plans to begin six months of community engagement that will end in December and provide the initial topic areas of most importance for assessing how the city will look 30 years into the future.
Austin Water aims to transform landscape requirements for new homes
Austin Water is planning a landscape transformation initiative for new single-family homes as part of the city’s long-range water conservation strategies, according to a progress report Wednesday to the Water and Wastewater Commission. Kevin Critendon, Austin Water’s assistant director over environmental, planning and development services, noted that while rainfall...
Project Connect lawsuit finally headed to court Monday
Although the matter has been postponed in the past, it seems likely that Monday will be the trial date for the Austin Transit Partnership and the city of Austin lawsuit to validate voter-approved bonds for Project Connect, combined with the Dirty Martin’s lawsuit to prevent issuance of those bonds. The other important player on this field is Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office has opposed issuance of the bonds to fund the rail system, an atypical move for an official who routinely approves bonds for local jurisdictions.
Pursuing better business connections, Economic Development Corporation rebrands as Rally Austin
The Austin Economic Development Corporation has rebranded as Rally Austin, in an attempt to better communicate its goals of helping to create and preserve affordable housing and cultural spaces throughout the city. The change, which was announced Wednesday, comes as the real estate nonprofit organization is poised to help facilitate...
UT Austin, one of the city’s largest employers, is eliminating most remote work
UT Austin will require “almost all” staff members to return to working on-site, full-time ahead of the fall semester. In an email to the campus community Wednesday, UT President Jay Hartzell said leaders of individual colleges and schools will finalize logistics by early July, and the policy will fully take effect by Aug. 19 – the week before fall classes start.
At massive Hill’s Cafe redevelopment, cottage demolition put on hold
Pieces continue to fall into place for a planned mixed-use development at the former site of Hill’s Cafe, though Historic Landmark Commission members put one of those pieces on hold at their most recent meeting in the hopes that a 1940s cottage might find a new home. Commissioners voted...
New climate report shows last summer’s record-high temps might not be a fluke
The results are in from researchers at the University of Texas’ Climate CoLab, and those who hoped last summer’s record-breaking temperatures to be a deviation from the norm might want to adjust their expectations. The new Climate Projections report, which hit city desks last week, runs climate models...
Music Commission recommends fine-tuning city incentives for music venues, creative spaces
Members of the Music Commission want the city to explore more ways for a proposed incentive program for small businesses to address some of the specific real estate realities live music venues face throughout the city. Last week’s meeting included a presentation about a new place-based incentives program the Economic...
City’s historic preservation commission and code enforcement look to get in sync
After several recent cases that illustrated a divide between the city’s code enforcement policies and historic preservation aims, Historic Landmark Commission members are working to make sure things are more aligned and less hopelessly complicated for property owners who find themselves in the gray area between the two departments.
City could revive idled homelessness prevention programs with its next budget
The city will likely look at restarting funding for homelessness prevention programs that were largely shelved in recent years in response to receiving federal funding that prioritized rapid rehousing efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last week, City Council’s Public Health Committee received a presentation from representatives of Best Single Source...
Staff shortages are still a problem at APD
Before a scheduled briefing on the Austin Police Department’s community policing program, members of the City Council Public Safety Committee heard a pitch from Ethan Cheramie of On Scene Services proposing that his company take over the duties of officers who respond to motor vehicle collisions in Austin. Cheramie,...
Condemned homes get a stay of demolition at landmark commission
In an effort to sort out the complicated details, Historic Landmark Commission members have unanimously supported a delay on demolishing two East Austin homes that are both historic and condemned. Both homes, which were built around 1916, are Hofheinz houses, a distinct folk architecture style built in Austin and rented...
A ‘heat dome’ is back over Texas. Here’s what that means (and why it’s the worst).
Last year was a lot. It was the second-hottest summer in Texas. Much of that heat is because, well, Texas is hot as all get-out. Not just some get-out. It’s hot as all get-out. But last year, we thought, was novel: a pressure system, formally known as a heat ridge, crept up from the South and parked a mass of heat and humidity over much of the state. Non-science folks call the stiflingly cruel phenomenon a heat dome.
Environmental Commission looks to make Austin safer for birds
The Environmental Commission voted Wednesday to form a working group to delve into how Austin can live up to its “Bird City” title by creating bird-safe buildings. The near-unanimous vote, with Colin Nickells abstaining, followed a presentation by Heidi Trudell, who researches the prevention of birds colliding with human-made structures and who prepared her report at the request of the Travis Audubon Society. Trudell previously presented her work to the Design Commission and the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board.
Kathie Tovo kicks off mayoral campaign criticizing Kirk Watson
Kathie Tovo, who served on City Council from 2012 to 2023, including four years as mayor pro tem, is running for mayor – and she’s not shy about explaining why she wants to replace Mayor Kirk Watson. At her campaign kickoff party Wednesday night at a crowded El...
Traffic signals to be activated this month at I-35 and Fourth Street
Long-awaited traffic signals have been installed at Interstate 35 and Fourth Street – one of the most popular ways to walk from one side of the highway to the other – and are scheduled to be activated this month. The lights will include buttons for pedestrians to activate...
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