ABOR report highlights striking disparities in housing affordability

A new report from one of the city’s leading real estate groups is bringing fresh, detailed data that shows how unaffordable housing has become for most local residents. Austin Board of Realtors’ “The Truth About Austin’s Missing Housing” uses industry…

children at day care

Council approves property tax relief for child care centers as federal funding dries up

Following the success of Proposition 2 at the state ballot box, City Council has sprung to action enacting property tax relief for child care facilities across the city. The proposition, which saw 76 percent approval among Travis County voters, amends…

Cap Metro study to identify constraints and opportunities in completing remaining segments of Red Line Trail

At its State of the Parkway event on Monday, the nonprofit Red Line Parkway Initiative met with regional leaders and grassroots organizers to discuss continued work on the 32-mile trail along the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Red Line. The Red…

City loses second suit over development rules

A group of citizens who sued the city over four ordinances designed to make it easier to develop new housing projects have apparently prevailed on three of the four laws. That means the city will have to go back to…

Idle lands: Austin joins cities looking to put real estate assets to best use

By next spring, the city is expected to have a detailed plan for how to turn its underutilized real estate assets into money-producers, in an attempt to add General Fund revenue and counteract state limits on property tax increases. Austin…

Austin near-miss incident subject of discussion at U.S. Senate hearing on nationwide airport safety “crisis”

February’s near-miss incident at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was the subject of discussion at a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing last week on nationwide airport safety concerns. Aviation industry executives and government officials testified on how to improve safety at the…

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Travis County bush

At the county, mentoring and advocacy service comes back to life

After a rocky start, two local nonprofits reunited this year to create a program that supports Black and Latina girls. Nonprofit groups Measure and Hearts2Heal first met with the Travis County Commissioners Court in July 2021. They proposed using American…

Reclaimed water rule postponed till April

On Thursday, City Council voted to postpone adoption of a long-planned ordinance requiring certain large developments to hook up to the city’s reclaimed water system. Bill Bunch, executive director of the Save Our Springs Alliance, asked Council not to agree…

Council approves $15M purchase of the Salvation Army shelter property

The former Salvation Army Downtown Shelter will continue to serve people without homes for years to come, following City Council’s decision to purchase the property for $15 million. The purchase includes the 130-bed shelter on Eighth Street and a retail…

County funds ambulance alternatives as call volumes remain high

With 911 call volumes still near pandemic records and EMS staff shortages limiting ambulance availability, the Travis County Commissioners Court agreed to spend more for ambulance alternatives. Commissioners voted Tuesday to increase the county’s share in the 2024 interlocal agreement…

New law means parkland funds will drop drastically

The amount of parkland dedication fees City Council can collect starting on Jan. 1 will be severely limited, two principal planners for the Parks and Recreation Department told Council at Tuesday’s work session. Robynne Heymans and Scott Grantham explained that…

City prepares to spend first $15M to design caps for I-35 expansion

City Council has given early direction to staff to begin working on the financial planning and models for constructing a series of caps over portions of a reconstructed and lowered Interstate 35. At Tuesday’s work session, Council members heard a…