Planning Dept. analysis finds historic tax exemptions came largely west of I-35

More than 90 percent of the city’s historic tax exemptions in 2023 went to property owners west of Interstate 35, with a significant portion concentrated in downtown commercial areas, according to a recent analysis conducted by the city’s Planning Department.…

Preservation • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 20, 2024

Commission fails to reach recommendation on historic zoning for East Austin house

After a series of votes, the Planning Commission failed to reach a decision on recommending historic zoning for an East Austin house, leaving the issue to be decided by City Council without their input.  The property at 900 Spence St.…

Preservation • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Nov 20, 2024

Red River music proponents see city funding as sign of support, progress

Businesses and supporters in the Red River Cultural District see the city’s recent commitment of annual funding as a milestone to provide stability for the area’s cluster of live music venues, with the hope that more policy changes are coming…

Music & Entertainment • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 19, 2024

Cap Metro to shelve 46 new electric buses for a year after manufacturer bankruptcy

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority will put 46 brand-new electric buses in storage for at least a year, the latest fallout from an electrification goal the transit agency now admits was overly ambitious. The main problem, Capital Metro’s leadership says, has…

Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Nov 19, 2024

Austin Energy looking forward to using geothermal energy

While some environmentalists continue to argue against a new gas plant that would serve Austin Energy’s customers when the prices of electricity are at their peak, Mike Enger, the utility’s vice president for energy markets and resource planning, is looking…

Energy • By Jo Clifton • Nov 19, 2024

Winding, narrow Thornton Road to get more housing

After two unsuccessful attempts to update the zoning on some commercial property on a narrow South Austin street, the owners succeeded in getting City Council approval to rezone the property at 2313, 2315, 2401 and 2413 Thornton Road at the…

Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Nov 19, 2024

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Ethics complaint against Watson campaign still unsettled after hearing

The question of whether Mayor Kirk Watson’s reelection campaign violated the city’s campaign finance rules remained unsettled last week following a hearing before the Ethics Review Commission. The commission recessed shortly after 10 p.m. after deadlocking on one motion to…

Elections • By Amy Smith • Nov 18, 2024

Mobility Committee hears public concern regarding expansion of MoPac

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has proposed multiple plans to alleviate traffic along the 8-mile stretch of MoPac Expressway South from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane. This decadelong project is nearing the end of the development process…

Roads • By Hunter Simmons • Nov 18, 2024

Equity overlay study prompts request for Council to further delay HOME2 implementation

The Community Development Commission wants City Council to further delay implementation of the second round of HOME initiative changes to the land use code, out of concern that more time is needed to properly design an equity overlay to address…

Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 18, 2024

Kirk Watson avoids runoff, secures new term as Austin mayor

Kirk Watson has officially won a new term as Austin’s next mayor. Watson led his four challengers on Nov. 5, but did not have enough votes to claim victory outright. He had to win a majority of the vote, or…

Elections • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Nov 15, 2024

Travis County voters supported a tax rate increase to expand access to affordable child care. What happens now?

Last week, approximately 60 percent of Travis County voters approved Proposition A – a property tax increase that will expand access to affordable child care and after-school/summer programs for lower-income families. The tax increase ($0.025 per $100 valuation for a…

Bonds & Propositions • By Mina Shekarchi • Nov 15, 2024

On second try, Tourism Commission votes in favor of equity-based preservation plan

The Tourism Commission has changed its stance from last month and approved a recommendation that City Council adopt the Planning Department’s Equity-Based Preservation Plan, which intended to guide the city’s use of hotel taxes dedicated toward historic preservation. Last month,…

Preservation • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 15, 2024

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