Planning Commission supports request for 400-foot buildings in East Austin

There are not many places in the city where buildings tower 400 feet into the sky. However, there is a chance that the areas of Austin where these skyscrapers are permitted are about to expand. In a 9-0-1 vote, the…

Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Jan 21, 2020

Travis County confronts tricky process in reforming pay for law enforcement

Travis County leaders are determined to reform the pay scale for the county’s 1,450 public safety employees, but they’re not quite sure how to do it. The county has long had separate pay scales for civilian employees and law enforcement…

Budget • By Jack Craver • Jan 17, 2020

City studies higher fines and fees for parking

Around 30 percent of Austin’s downtown traffic congestion can be attributed to drivers circling in search of a parking space. In order to solve that problem, Austin Transportation Department’s Parking Enterprise division has launched an effort to address the specific…

Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 17, 2020

For the first time since 1999, someone in Travis County has rubella

Public health officials on Thursday morning confirmed the first case of rubella in Travis County since 1999. The confirmation comes roughly a month after the first diagnosis of measles, which was last seen in the Austin area in 1999, too.…

Public Health • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jan 17, 2020

BOA denies a new build designed for a new decade

When the first Lake Austin Watershed Ordinance went into effect in 1980, some properties had development rights curtailed overnight. The property at 2803 Edgewater Drive is one of those cases where the ordinance limited the buildable area on the property’s…

Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Jan 17, 2020

Planning Commission recommends Rendon house for historic zoning over owner’s wishes

The Planning Commission took another step Jan. 14 to pave the way for historic zoning for the home of the late Edward Rendon Sr. despite continued opposition from one of Rendon’s 16 heirs. With a vote in favor of historic…

Preservation • By Jessi Devenyns • Jan 16, 2020

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City Council candidates tally their six-week fundraising totals

This November, candidates will compete for City Council seats in Districts 2, 4, 6, 7, and 10. Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza has already announced that she will not be seeking reelection in District 2; instead she is running for…

Elections • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jan 16, 2020

Austin neighborhoods facing gentrification pressures, Dallas Fed finds

Recent analysis on incomes and migration patterns in Texas shows that Austin and three other Texas metro areas – Dallas, Houston and San Antonio – have seen significant patterns of gentrification in recent years. The recently released research by the…

Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 16, 2020

BoA discusses how many postponements are too many

Postponement requests are available to applicants, neighbors and city staff who require extra time to organize their cases for the Board of Adjustment. However, there are certain cases that come before the board where a postponement request is a red…

City Hall • By Jessi Devenyns • Jan 16, 2020

Activists say officers allege retaliation for speaking to investigators in racism probe of APD

Activists and a City Council member say they’ve heard claims of possible obstruction in the investigation into alleged racism and homophobia among the highest ranks of the Austin Police Department. “It seems that people are not able to wholeheartedly and…

Police • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jan 15, 2020

City considers new funding sources for light rail transit investment

On Tuesday, in the fifth of seven planned joint work sessions, City Council and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority discussed the need for innovative funding sources to operate and maintain a regional transit system that may involve the city’s first…

Transit • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 15, 2020

County puts more money into Manor ride-hailing program

In response to higher-than-expected ridership, Travis County is putting more money into a six-month-old ride-hailing program in Manor. The Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to authorize up to $25,000 to help purchase a third bus for the Manor Pickup service, which…

Transit • By Jack Craver • Jan 15, 2020

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