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Austin Monitor
Public, private measures seen as key to increasing resilience against extreme weather, natural disasters
Local developers and planning leaders learned recently about the impacts that increasingly severe weather and natural disasters will have on their projects, and how public and private efforts can work together to reduce the damage. Among the areas of focus at the October panel discussion from Urban Land Institute Austin...
Tourism Commission wants more transparency on hotel tax funding decisions for arts groups
Members of the Tourism Commission have signaled they want more transparency from the Economic Development Department regarding how Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars allocated for music, cultural arts and historic preservation programs are used. At its most recent meeting, the commission pushed EDD staff to provide an annual report of how...
A campaign is underway to rename Austin’s airport after LBJ
Could Austin’s gateway to the world be renamed after a Texas political titan?. Yes, if the LBJ Foundation has anything to say about it. The Austin organization has quietly begun a campaign to rename Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after President Lyndon Baines Johnson – a shrewd politician from the Hill Country whose mixed legacy includes helping pass landmark civil rights legislation while driving the United States deeper into the Vietnam War.
Landmark commission delays demolition of North Campus bungalow
The Historic Landmark Commission could soon be going to bat for historic designation of a North Campus bungalow, following the last meeting’s turnout to oppose its demolition. The home, which sits at 701 Sparks Ave. across from Eastwood Park, was built in 1925 in a Spanish Revival style popularized...
Council pushes for pause on I-35 expansion, citing air quality concerns
Citing concerns over possible environmental and air quality impacts, City Council wants to delay the start of the reconstruction of Interstate 35. By a 7-3 vote, Council approved a resolution Thursday that asked the Texas Department of Transportation and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to hold off on any funding for the $4.5 billion project until a pair of environmental studies – CAMPO’s Regional Mobile Emission Reduction Plan and the Austin MSA Climate Plan – are completed. Mayor Kirk Watson and Council members Leslie Pool and Mackenzie Kelly voted against the resolution, and Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison is away on medical leave.
Travis County voters to consider bond package aimed at road, park improvements
Early voting in the Travis County bond election begins on Monday, Oct. 23, and runs through Nov. 3. Election day is Nov. 7. The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved adding the bond to the November election on Aug. 15. The package includes two propositions that direct more than $500 million to roads and parks. The projects were selected based on a report from the 2023 Travis County Citizens Bond Advisory Committee.
Council approves convention center expansion contracts
On Thursday, City Council voted to award the contract for construction and pre-construction of a refurbished and enlarged Austin Convention Center to two firms, JE Dunn Construction and Turner Construction, for up to $1.2 billion. They also directed staff to negotiate a $65 million contract with architects LMN and Page Southerland Page, called LMN/Page, for design and engineering services for the center.
Whip In won’t be torn down for I-35 expansion, reversing earlier plans
The expansion of Interstate 35 will push out homes and businesses in Central Austin. But some places previously slated for demolition will get to stay. Among them: the South Austin bar and convenience store Whip In. Early plans called for demolishing Whip In and Travis Heights Wine and Spirits, a...
APD Training Academy audit shows improvement – but not enough to curb attrition
An external audit of the Austin Police Department’s 148th cadet class, which graduated in September, shows progress in “reimagining public safety,” but attrition remains a constant challenge. Under internal audit protocols developed by Kroll Associates in March 2022, APD is required to report to City Council the...
Citing construction concerns, city indefinitely extends moratorium on new street events
The city has indefinitely extended a long-standing moratorium on street events in response to the large number of private development and infrastructure projects slated for downtown and beyond in the coming years. A memo released last week by José Roig, director of the Development Services Department, and Richard Mendoza, interim...
Council to consider pilot program to extend zoning deadlines
The city’s Planning Department staff have been pushed to move a record number of zoning applications through the process in time to beat current deadlines at the city’s land use commissions and City Council. At the same time, the department is dealing with numerous vacancies, increasing the workload for each member of the zoning staff.
With I-35 expansion, Austin gem Nature’s Treasures is being forced to move
Located on the Interstate 35 frontage road just south of Airport Boulevard, Nature’s Treasures has become an iconic destination for fans of minerals and the metaphysical. homes and businesses about to be forced out by the expansion of I-35. The 14,000-square-foot Nature’s Treasures property includes a retail showroom, a space for community events, an outdoor rock yard and an ancillary business selling unpolished crystals in bulk.
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 10.19.23
Today, City Council will convene for a regular Thursday meeting, and we’ve gone through the agenda in an attempt to compile what might be the most interesting bits from the meeting. If this triggers your trust issues, you can read through the whole agenda here. The biggest item on...
Council considers timeline, partnerships ahead of vote on $1.2B contracts for convention center
City Council appears ready to move ahead with two major contracts that will officially kick off the process of demolishing and reconstructing the Austin Convention Center. On Thursday, contracts totaling nearly $1.27 billion could confirm LMN/Page as the design and engineering firms for the project, while JE Dunn/Turner would be the construction managers for the four-year span beginning in 2025.
Doggett urges action to address string of near misses between aircraft at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett this week urged the Federal Aviation Administration to respond to a string of near misses at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with increased air traffic controller staffing levels. In a letter to acting FAA Administrator Polly Trottenberg, Doggett expressed his concern regarding “continued air traffic control safety...
Austin Chronicle’s historic headquarters to be paved over for I-35
After years of skewering the state’s political elite, The Austin Chronicle is slated to be swallowed whole by the jaws of a state-sponsored highway project. Wheels are in motion to expand Interstate 35 from Ben White Boulevard to U.S. Highway 290 East. Work is scheduled to start next summer to add four lanes, rebuild bridges, lower the main lanes from downtown to Airport Boulevard and tear down the upper decks.
Council to consider city manager search firm this week
Following a national search, City Council is poised to choose Mosaic Public Partners, LLC to help recruit a new city manager. Former City Manager Spencer Cronk was fired on Feb. 15, and Council immediately appointed former City Manager Jesús Garza as interim city manager. Mayor Kirk Watson, who sat...
I-35 expansion will force out Spanish-immersion day care, scrambling plans for 200 kids
Child care in Austin is expensive and hard to find. Parents sign up on day care waiting lists long before their kids are even born. And the shortage is getting worse. Escuelita del Alma offers something even harder to find: a chance for children to learn a second language. “We’re...
Tourism Commission joins staff in push for agreement with short-term rental companies
The Tourism Commission appears ready to push the city to come to an agreement with short-term rental platforms that will allow some regulation of the industry and allow the collection of millions of dollars in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue each year. Last week, the commission voted to form a working...
City Council to consider facility management and labor services contract for airport’s South Terminal
On Thursday, City Council will consider a $9 million contract with ClearedDirect LLC for facility management and labor services for the South Terminal at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The contract, if approved, will run from Nov. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2025. The contract is needed as the city’s aviation...
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Five days a week, we bring you the news from Austin City Hall, Travis County Commissioners Court, and multiple other civic entities that make key decisions for central Texas. We stick to the facts. We aim to be fair. When we err, we correct it fast.
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