Planning Commission says Council’s compatibility reforms don’t go far enough

The Planning Commission last Tuesday recommended broader changes to compatibility standards than what City Council proposed earlier this year, setting the stage for a Council discussion on Dec. 1 over how much to relax the rule. Compatibility, a rule limiting…

Lawsuit challenging city decision on Fair Campaign money fails

A Travis County judge has denied a temporary restraining order request from two City Council candidates who claim they were wrongly disqualified from receiving public campaign funds. District 3 candidate José Velásquez and District 5 candidate Ryan Alter filed the…

City auditors find airport leases may not reflect fair market value

An analysis of the leasing activities and other operations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has found the city is potentially undercharging for dozens of lease agreements that haven’t been evaluated in years to determine if they’re in line with fair market…

Council weighs options for 2023 Austin Energy rates

With just a month before holiday break, City Council is fighting to resolve significant disagreements among stakeholders, outside counsel and Austin Energy on changes to utility base rates effective 2023. Council began this round of deliberations with the final recommendation…

Planning Commission weighs in on Palm District Plan

The Planning Commission heard a presentation Tuesday on the Palm District Plan, an initiative that aims to guide growth and preserve cultural heritage in a rapidly changing part of downtown.  “The overarching vision of the district,” Stevie Greathouse with the…

Animal services programs missing from city strategic planning

The Animal Advisory Commission is asking the city manager’s office to include animal services programming in its upcoming strategic plan. At its regular meeting Nov. 14, the commission voted to approve a letter asking City Manager Spencer Cronk and Chief…

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City eyes major upgrades, parking garages for Zilker Park

The city has released the draft of its vision plan for the future of Zilker Park, which splits the major enhancements proposed for the park into five regions that include the seven primary activity zones for current public use and…

Eviction rates are skyrocketing in Travis County, says HHS

Eviction rates have shot up more than 250 percent of the average in the Austin area, according to Travis County Health and Human Services. “We have been absolutely inundated with crisis applications,” Kirsten Siegfried, HHS chief deputy, told the Travis County…

Only Silva and Guerrero to get Fair Campaign money

The city’s Law Department has decided that only two runoff candidates – Daniela Silva in District 3 and Linda Guerrero in District 9 – are eligible to receive money from the city’s Fair Campaign Finance Fund. That means each of…

Brodie Oaks PUD gets Planning Commission approval

The Planning Commission recommended a proposal Tuesday to transform the Brodie Oaks Shopping Center at South Lamar and Loop 360 into a huge mixed-use development, paving the way for a City Council vote in the coming weeks. The project would…

Builders talk pros/cons of city's push for environmentally friendly construction

As Austin moves closer toward its net-zero energy goals, the city’s building and development community will play a major role in making new buildings environmentally sound and gradually retrofitting existing buildings to be more energy efficient. How to manage those…

Light-rail tunnel under downtown Austin might not happen after all

Some or all of Austin’s light-rail system could be at street level downtown instead of underground, which was the vision sold to voters when they authorized Project Connect in November 2020. The Austin Transit Partnership, a local government corporation created to build the Orange and Blue…