The Historic Landmark Commission put off a decision on 83 Rainey Street for an additional 30 days in order to see what, if anything, could be salvaged from the sagging Victorian cottage, built in 1893. At the heart of the…

The big surprise when mayoral candidates turned in their campaign finance reports on Thursday was that the Carole Keeton Strayhorn fundraising juggernaut failed to materialize, and that with $80,000 cash on hand she lagged behind both Lee Leffingwell—who leads in…

Former Planning Commission member Chris Riley kicked off his campaign for Place 1 on the Austin City Council Friday night in front of a large crowd of supporters. Riley indicated he plans to put his focus on the economy, the…

A wide variety of supporters, more than 100 strong, braved the cold temperatures last night to show support for the re-election of Place 6 Council Member Sheryl Cole.   Cole told the crowd gathered at Primizie Osteria on East 11th…

Emerald City Press on Lamar Boulevard almost won its off-site parking variance from the Board of Adjustment this week, but was one vote short and will have to return to the BOA next month. In the meantime, the owners made some…

The Historic Landmark Commission on Monday cleared the way for the demolition of one property in the Rainey Street Neighborhood to make way for the new 21c Museum Hotel and gave the property owner two weeks to work on plans…

The Design Commission said goodbye to four – and possibly five – commissioners at this week’s meeting due to the implementation of new board and commission rules. Those commissioners represented a collective 48 years of service in the Austin boards and commission…

The Design Commission will recommend broadening the city’s downtown commercial design guidelines to give the standards more teeth and apply them beyond downtown to all areas of the city where density is desired.  The commission – faced with the departure…

New revised – and even bigger – plans for a mixed-use development on the block that includes Congress at Fifth Street were presented last night at the Design Commission meeting. Developer Tom Stacy announced his plans, back in 2004, to…

The Design Commission, minus Chair Girard Kinney who recused himself, approved a letter last night that outlined the commission’s concerns regarding changes to the ordinance governing billboards.   The first question from commissioners  — and more than one commissioner –…

Despite the gloomy news coming from other parts of the country about entire blocks of empty condominium projects, there is high demand in the downtown condominium market, according to a study commissioned by the Downtown Austin Alliance.   Charles Heimsath…

A split Downtown Commission approved the interim affordable housing incentives that will go to Council today, with some members expressing reservations about whether the proposed $10 per-square-foot fee would discourage downtown development. The Affordable Housing Task Force and the Density…

Austin City Council Member Lee Leffingwell launched his re-election campaign Tuesday night in front of a crowd of more than 100 supporters at Nuevo Leon. Leffingwell also got a boost from fellow Council Member Mike Martinez, who urged the crowd…

The race is on, and local entrepreneur Randi Shade, who is challenging Council Member Jennifer Kim in Place 3, is slightly ahead of the incumbent in the fundraising department. She has also managed to spend very little of what she…

The Zoning and Platting Commission has given its approval for the owner of a vacant tract on Harris Ridge Boulevard in Northeast Austin to go ahead with plans to develop 167 condos on part of the site. The land is…

No apparent opposition has surfaced for $567 million package With no organized opposition, the political action groups backing all or parts of the city’s $567 million bond package on the Nov. 7 ballot have put together a healthy—but not spectacular—war…

When the Austin City Council meets in special session on Wednesday, they will be able to look at the various Congressional proposed maps filed last week with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. That court is…

If a federal three-judge panel stays true to form, the Texas redistricting case would be returned to the Texas Legislature for a special session within the next 30 to 60 days. The alternatives are for the appellate judges to redraw…

Some Design Commissioners rebuke planners The University of Texas gave the city’s Design Commission a sneak peek at the architectural plans for its new Executive Education and Conference Center last night. However, some commission members responded by lecturing the UT…

The SOS Alliance made contributions totaling $93,547.82 to the Clean Water Clean Government Political Action Committee (CWCG PAC), according to the contribution and expenditure report filed with City Clerk Shirley Gentry this week. The report includes an affidavit from SOS…