Latest Headlines for Saturday, August 17
Thursday, August 15, 2019 by Ryan Thornton
Housing
City tightens standards for housing development assistance loans
The Austin Housing Finance Corporation plans to be more selective with loan applications and partnerships for its Rental Housing Development Assistance and Ownership Housing Development Assistance programs in the coming years.The programs offer loans to developers promising housing units for…
Thursday, August 15, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Zoning
Planning commissioners say South Lamar development will make Austin a ‘real city’
To bring more commercial and multifamily space to the South Lamar Corridor, Endeavor Real Estate Group, the owner of a 1.8-acre lot on the corner of South Lamar Boulevard and Bluebonnet Lane, requested a zoning change at the Aug. 13…
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 by Ryan Thornton
Land Development Code
Land Development Code team previews compromise
City Manager Spencer Cronk’s Land Development Code rewrite team claims to have struck a balance between respecting the long-term plans of current homeowners while encouraging new density to meet the city’s housing and transit goals.As part of the overall effort…
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Tourism Commission wants agreement between city, short-term rental companies
The Tourism Commission has asked City Council to change its long-held stance toward short-term rental platforms like Airbnb in favor of an agreement that would earn the city millions of dollars in new Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue each year.At Monday’s…
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 by Jack Craver
Health & Human Services
Despite sparse data, county court moves forward on mental health jail diversion program
The Travis County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to enter into an agreement with Integral Care, the local mental health authority, aimed at getting criminal defendants with serious mental health problems out of jail and into treatment. The agreement will expand…
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Land Development Code
Dock variance fails for a second time at the Board of Adjustment
After the Board of Adjustment denied a variance request to extend the width of a dock into the interior setback of a Lake Austin lot and reduce the interior setback to 0 feet, the homeowners returned in August for a…
