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Austin Monitor
Council pushes for music census every five years, with data to publish on city portal
Data from the most recent census of the Austin music ecosystem will be posted on the city’s open data portal, along with data from the applicant pool for the first-ever cohort of the new Live Music Fund. Last week, City Council passed a resolution accepting the study from Sound...
Traffic fatalities surpass pre-pandemic levels in continued ‘public health crisis’
The number of people seriously injured or killed on Austin roadways over the past two years is higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to an update released late last month by the city’s Vision Zero program. The report says that 1,287 people were seriously injured or killed on Austin roadways...
Council gives initial approval to redevelopment of East Austin dairy plant
A huge mixed-use development on the site of a Borden Dairy plant in East Austin’s Govalle neighborhood is nearing approval. City Council on Thursday voted on first reading in favor of a rezoning that would allow the project to advance. Developer Endeavor Real Estate plans to build 1,400 residential...
Board of Adjustment struggling with vacancies
Vacancies on the Board of Adjustment, coupled with a strict requirement for a supermajority vote in order to approve variances, are causing consternation among the members who have tried to address the problem. But one fix proposed by longtime Board Member Michael Von Ohlen conflicted with other city regulations. Austinites...
Council OKs getting rid of some occupancy limits
As expected, City Council on Thursday moved forward with a resolution from District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri directing city management to eliminate occupancy limits related to familial status within the city’s Land Development Code. The final vote was 9-1, with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting no and Council...
Austin pays $88 million to settle legal fight over ABIA’s South Terminal demolition
The city of Austin will shell out $88 million to Lonestar Airport Holdings, the company running the South Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The move paves the way for the terminal’s demolition and construction of a new concourse capable of accommodating 10 to 40 gates. The South Terminal, while...
Firearms, unsafe drivers still seen as greatest safety threats for Sixth Street
The presence of firearms and the possibility of a vehicle breaking through barricades and entering crowds are the two greatest threats to Austin’s popular Sixth Street nightlife district, according to police and emergency leaders. The Downtown Commission received updates last week about work being done to improve safety on...
Travis County considers own ‘Marshall Plan’
Travis County is mulling its very own “Marshall Plan” – an all-encompassing system for revamping social programs in East Travis County, modeled after the post-World War II plan to rebuild Europe’s economy and infrastructure. On Thursday, Economic Development & Strategic Investments Director Christy Moffett and Commissioner...
Council debates data-retention period for license plate reader pilot program
City Council is negotiating how long the Austin Police Department should retain data from dashboard camera license plate readers – weighing civil liberty protections against potential crime-solving benefits – in preparation for a pilot program using the technology. Council defunded APD’s license plate reader program following mass protests...
Proposal to change Council meeting rules draws opposition
City Clerk Myrna Rios has proposed changes, some of them controversial, to rules for the conduct at City Council meetings. Council is scheduled to take up the new rules at today’s meeting. During Tuesday’s work session, Rios defended her proposals, including a ban on allowing a member of the...
1,200 housing units planned near Lakeline, pending zoning change
The Planning Commission on May 23 recommended allowing up to 1,200 housing units on the last 30 acres of undeveloped land in the 446-acre Leander Rehabilitation planned unit development, instead of office and commercial space as had previously been planned. The request would increase the total number of housing units...
TipSheet: Austin City Council, 6.1.23
City Council will once again convene for a meeting today. We’ve done our best to predict what might be of interest, based on the posted agenda. However, our best can vary, so anyone looking for the whole of possibility offered by today’s meeting might want to check out the agenda in full online.
Austin’s light-rail plans set to advance after narrowly dodging Texas-sized wrecking ball
Austin’s light-rail ambitions are barreling ahead after narrowly escaping the clutches of Texas lawmakers determined to rein in the multibillion-dollar transit expansion. But the voter-approved plan, known as Project Connect, must still navigate a tricky track laden with potential legal and political hazards. “For now, we are going to...
Austin music venues could receive $100K liquor tax rebates from new state incubator
Live music venues in Austin could receive up to $100,000 annually in state liquor tax rebates from a new program created to provide relief for the state’s live music industry. The Texas Music Incubator Rebate Program was passed by the state Legislature last week and signed into law this...
Christopher Taylor murder trial to be rescheduled after mistrial
The trial of the Austin police officer accused of murder in the 2020 shooting of Mike Ramos ended in a mistrial on Friday. Travis County Judge Dana Blazey is working with prosecutors and the defense team to determine the date for a new trial, which is expected to be announced this week.
Good news, bad news from Legislature for Austin
For the city of Austin, the just-ended 88th regular legislative session offered both good news and disappointments, as outlined in a lengthy memo from Brie Franco, the city’s intergovernmental relations officer. On Tuesday, as her team was getting ready to monitor the special session Gov. Greg Abbott called to deal with property taxes and border security, Franco noted six pieces of legislation that will likely have a negative impact on the city. Among those are:
‘There is no cure’: Austin urges people to keep dogs away from possibly toxic blue-green algae
Blue-green algae is back in Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin, according to Austin’s Watershed Protection Department. The department says test results will be posted next month revealing whether the algae is toxic. In the meantime, the city recommends avoiding algae on waterways whenever possible. Ingesting toxic blue-green algae...
City set to prioritize Colony Park planned unit development application
The Colony Park Sustainable Community planned unit development application process is underway. On Tuesday, City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee unanimously recommended the full Council initiate a streamlined application and rezoning process. “Colony Park represents one of our greatest opportunities to leverage public land to develop affordable housing and...
Panelists eye affordability pains in music, EMS, hospitality sectors
Leaders from two of Austin’s most prominent economic sectors – housing and hospitality – see passage of a new Land Development Code and eliminating the tipped minimum wage for restaurant staff as two long-needed steps to address increasing affordability concerns across the city. Last week, the LBJ...
City to ban unsafe fence designs
The city will soon prohibit unsafe fence designs, like those with spiked or widely spaced pickets, to reduce the risk of serious injury and death in humans and animals. On Tuesday, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended City Council approve the new rules. This comes a year and a half after Council passed a resolution to initiate a process to put the rules into city code.
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