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Austin Monitor
Get ready for downtown street closures
Richard Mendoza, interim director of the Transportation and Public Works Department, notified City Council via memo of some major street closures that are likely to affect anyone traveling through downtown for the next month. It’s another reminder in the busy district of how Austin continues to add residents, regardless of what is happening in other parts of the country.
Austin Energy will give you credits in exchange for a little control over your thermostat
Austin Energy is offering residential customers financial incentives for letting the department tweak the temperature on their smart thermostats on high energy use days – like over the next week, when daily highs are expected to cross 100 degrees. Customers who sign up for the Power Partner program will...
City advised not to assist flood victims from April 20 storm
The head of the Watershed Protection Department has advised the city against offering direct assistance to homeowners flooded during an April 20 storm, due to concerns that action could set a precedent for future natural disasters. In a memo dated June 1, Jorge L. Morales, director of the watershed department,...
Changes proposed for huge tower project on West Avenue
City Council last week postponed hearing a controversial zoning case for a property on the shores of Shoal Creek, at the request of neighbors. Developer Manifold Real Estate is requesting a zoning change for 506 and 508 West Avenue, from Downtown Mixed Use (DMU) to Central Business District (CBD). The change would allow construction of a 47-story residential tower with 359 residential units, structured parking and accompanying drainage facilities.
Austin Police Department developing five-year strategic plan
The Austin Police Department is hosting community input sessions this month as part of its process of developing a new strategic plan. That plan is intended to serve as the department’s road map for the future and provide direction and priorities for the next five years. The first two...
Fire chief says more firefighters and bigger budget needed
In a memo dated June 12, Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker gave Mayor Kirk Watson and City Council his proposed road map for reducing overtime expenditures in the department, and it involves a bigger budget and more firefighters. Baker was responding to an audit of the department’s overtime expenditures released...
APD training academy continues to resist outside recommendations for reform
Despite several interventions and some progress, the Austin Police Department training academy continues to struggle with long-standing issues, including sworn staff resistance to civilian staff and outside instructors, the curriculum review process, a high cadet attrition rate and a lack of transparency. These are among the preliminary findings from an...
Jobs development roundup: A split at Austin Chamber; Huston-Tillotson and Skillpoint Alliance fill gaps
The Austin Chamber of Commerce has parted ways with Opportunity Austin, the job creation and economic development arm of the organization since 2004. The now-separate groups announced the split Tuesday while naming new leaders and explaining the move will allow each to focus on its core mission. Jeremy Martin, currently...
‘Dogs coming out of our ears’: Pandemic, no-kill policy worsen overcrowding at Austin Animal Center
The Austin Animal Center doesn’t want its halls lined with crates, but they are. It doesn’t want to keep three puppies in a kennel meant for cats, but it does. And it doesn’t want to keep crates of large dogs in its loading dock in the middle of the Texas summer, but it has to do so.
Council seeks bigger Downtown Austin Community Court budget
City Council last week endorsed adding funds to the budget of the Downtown Austin Community Court and expanding the area served by the court. The court concentrates on providing justice diversion and community services to the city’s homeless population. It currently adjudicates a variety of class C misdemeanors committed in three areas: downtown, the area west of the University of Texas campus and parts of East Austin.
Chicago creative hub to help shape plans for three Austin cultural facilities
By the end of the year, the city will have rough estimates for the capital expenses and operational costs for opening three music and art hubs at three cultural centers, with a Chicago group likely playing a large role in shaping the offerings and programs included in those facilities. The...
Borden Dairy plant rezoning approved on second reading despite objections
The massive Borden Dairy plant redevelopment moved one step closer to approval on Thursday, when City Council passed a rezoning associated with the project on second reading. The project would bring 1,400 residential units, a 220-room hotel, 411,500 square feet of offices, 66,000 square feet of restaurant space and 40,000 square feet of retail to the 21-acre site at 71 Strandtman Cove.
Council proposes allowing more homes in single-family zoning
City Council on Thursday voted to create a program that would allow more homes on single-family lots, as long as some homes are priced affordably. “What we are trying to accomplish here, from a high level, is to create an ownership density bonus program that allows for affordable units to be built without subsidy,” said Council Member Ryan Alter, who sponsored the proposal.
In blistering motion, state seeks limited gag order in Taylor murder trial
In a blistering motion filed last week, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office requested a limited gag order in the trial of Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor. Taylor is charged with murder in the 2020 shooting of Mike Ramos. “The state respectfully requests that the court grant the state’s...
Water panelists examine how to supply Austin as growth continues
“Water is nonpartisan. But, oh, my God, it is totally political.”. Those words, from Central Texas Water Coalition President Jo Karr Tedder, summarized much of the fraught and frank discussion about the future of water resources in Central Texas during a luncheon panel last week in front of local development and real estate leaders.
Fire code amendment process aims to protect pets at boarding facilities
City Council voted this week to start the process of increasing minimum fire safety standards at pet boarding facilities. Item 42 on Thursday’s agenda initiates a set of amendments to the Land Development Code to “provide minimum fire safety standards for facilities housing or holding animals on a 24-hour basis,” the resolution reads.
Cops can keep license plate information for 7 days under new agreement
City Council voted 9-1 on Thursday to move forward with funding for an automated license plate reader contract, specifically authorizing the Austin Police Department to hold on to data for just seven days. The police department had argued in favor of 30 days. There was insufficient support on Council for...
Despite its name, the Live Music Fund is not just for live music
The 650-plus applications for grants from the city’s inaugural Live Music Fund are in the early stages of evaluation and scoring, with the awards of $5,000 and $10,000 slated for initial distribution beginning in September. The Music Commission received a briefing Monday on next steps in the $3.5 million...
Council takes a step toward ending compatibility standards
City Council members on Thursday took their first major step toward making key changes to rules limiting the height of buildings near single-family homes on a citywide basis. Austin’s compatibility rules, which are among the strictest in the country, have been blamed consistently for the city’s failure to produce reasonably priced housing. Last fall, the Planning Commission criticized the city for failing to take the necessary steps to reduce such effects of compatibility standards. State lawmakers proposed legislation that would have reduced or changed setback rules, but those bills did not pass.
Taylor murder trial reset for October
The murder trial of Christopher Taylor, the Austin police officer who fatally shot Mike Ramos in 2020, has been reset for October. Travis County District Judge Dayna Blazey announced at a Wednesday hearing that the new date for the trial is Oct. 16. The court’s first attempt at a trial...
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