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Most Popular Stories
- Despite safety concerns, Council OKs new buildings above Shoal Creek
- Texas lawmakers finalize bill limiting property owners’ right to protest new homes nearby
- A multi-family rezoning at the rugged edge of Northwest Austin
- As Acacia Cliffs rezoning is approved, Critics say Council has sold out on its affordability commitments
- Austin ISD eliminating jobs at its central office to reduce budget deficit
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After public condemnation, county to rework correctional master plan
A highly anticipated Travis County Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday was more contentious than usual and lasted later into the evening to accommodate hours of public comments criticizing a plan to allocate $80 million to fund a new women’s jail. Though…
Public Safety • By Seth Smalley • Jun 16, 2021
Allow ‘diversity of housing types,' ABoR tells Council
Representatives from the Austin Board of Realtors offered policy recommendations to City Council for ways to slow down the drastic increase in housing prices since the beginning of the pandemic. The latest housing market statistics are “dramatic,” as Jeni Williams, ABoR’s…
Housing • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 16, 2021
ZWAC looks to extend contract for encampment cleanups
Last week, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission voted unanimously to advance a contract extension with Relief Enterprise of Texas Inc., a contractor that has handled homeless encampment trash cleanup for the city around Interstate 35, U.S. Highway 183, Loop 1…
Austin • By Sean Saldaña • Jun 16, 2021
Council gives final approval for dense development on Brackenridge site
After years of planning and negotiations, City Council gave final approval Thursday for Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning for the Central Health property at 15th and Red River streets – the former Brackenridge Hospital site. The vote, which was on…
Development • By Jo Clifton • Jun 16, 2021
Austin police officers clear homeless encampments around City Hall
Austin police officers on Monday cleared encampments around City Hall that were erected by people experiencing homelessness. The city said in a statement that officers were moving people from the corner of Guadalupe and Cesar Chavez streets for construction work. The…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jun 15, 2021
500-unit South Lamar project fails to get Planning Commission support
Since the Planning Commission has opposed Multifamily Residence-Highest Density (MF-6) zoning for a 500-unit apartment project at 2700 S. Lamar Blvd., the rezoning will go before Council next month without the commission’s recommendation. The developer for the project hopes to…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 15, 2021
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Complaint against Harper-Madison ruled out of ethics commission's jurisdiction
Ethics violations against Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison were found to be outside the purview of the city’s Ethics Review Commission last week, marking the second time in two months the commission has failed to move forward with a complaint…
City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 15, 2021
Reformer ponders challenging Shea
Bob Libal, a consultant for criminal justice and immigration reform organizations, announced Monday that he is “considering a run” against Travis County Precinct 2 Commissioner Brigid Shea in next spring’s Democratic primary. The major issue for Libal is Shea’s support…
Local Politics • By Jo Clifton • Jun 15, 2021
Settlement leads to dismissal of Ethics Review case against Save Austin Now
The Ethics Review Commission voted last week to dismiss the complaint pursued for eight months against the Save Austin Now nonprofit, after the initial complainant withdrew his charge as part of a settlement agreement he reached with the group. Political…
Local Politics • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 14, 2021
Council to adopt Project Connect TOD plans by next summer, early code fixes by year's end
City Council on Thursday laid out its land use planning priorities for areas near Project Connect stations, passing a resolution directing city staff to help with the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (eTOD) studies. The studies will lead…
Transit • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 14, 2021
Austin police can start ticketing people for panhandling and camping or sitting in public
The Austin Police Department will begin enforcing a city ban on camping in public that was reinstated by Austin voters last month. Proposition B, the citizen-led effort to reinstate the rules, officially went into effect May 11, but the city adopted a staggered…
Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jun 14, 2021
Austin raises property tax exemption for homeowners to highest rate allowed
As the median price of a home in Austin surpassed half a million dollars this year, City Council members voted Thursday to tax a smaller amount of owners’ home values. City leaders doubled the current general homestead exemption of 10 percent, taking…
