Experiment in car-free housing pays off for East Austin project

Can car-free housing work in Austin? If a proposed project in East Austin is any indication, the answer is yes.  Those willing to ditch their cars have lined up to buy a unit in the Ivory, a mostly income-restricted project…

Transit partnership moves on $17 million contract for consultant

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors met Monday to discuss several important updates to the Austin Transit Partnership (whose board convened last Wednesday), including a multimillion-dollar service contract with the consultancy Ernst and Young. Board Member Eric Stratton…

MACC expansion plans headed for review

City leaders are getting an up-close look this week at the project details for the long-planned expansion of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The Design and the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory commissions are slated to…

Negotiations begin anew as public safety contracts expire this year

With contracts between the city and Austin’s three public safety associations set to expire in September, the Public Safety Commission heard presentations and perspectives from each of the groups and the Austin Justice Coalition on Monday. The Austin EMS Association,…

Cap Metro tries to keep Leander in transit system by offering infrastructure funding

In an attempt to keep Leander from holding an election on whether to cut ties with Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the regional transit agency’s board of directors voted unanimously Monday to sweeten its deal with the suburban community. Under the new…

Austin Water outlines actions for dealing with the next crisis

Since last February’s winter storm, Austin Water has taken numerous steps, both big and small, to prepare for the impact of another such emergency. Director Greg Meszaros told City Council’s Austin Water Oversight Committee last week that, with the help…

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Capital Metro updates city on federally funded transit study

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority shared how it plans to spend the first $900,000 in federal money granted to Project Connect this past Thursday in a briefing with the city’s Environmental Commission. The grant, awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital…

Six months in, Safer Sixth Street initiative continues

At this week’s meeting, the Downtown Commission established a working group to help think through and execute the Safer Sixth Street initiative, which has been in the works for about six months. The project, which came about after a mass shooter…

First phase of South Lamar bike lanes delayed nearly two years

Work on a major face-lift to South Lamar Boulevard between Riverside Drive and Barton Springs Road was supposed to have been well underway by now, but as those who frequent the stretch know, not much has changed. That’s because the…

County puts millions toward increasing wages for election workers

The Travis County Commissioners Court is investing big in election infrastructure, putting $1.3 million toward a voting system upgrade, including $700,000 to raise wages for all election workers in the county. “The agenda includes significant investments in our electoral system…

Southwest HEB location promises environmental stewardship of Hill Country

A new HEB is on the horizon for Southwest Austin. The store will open its doors sometime this year to the stretch of Hill Country bordered by Oak Hill to the east and Dripping Springs to the west – but…

Leander City Council will decide tonight whether to hold an election on leaving Capital Metro

The Leander City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to hold an election on severing ties with Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority – a move that could end commuter rail service to the suburban community and allow Leander to…