Proposed partnership with ECHO would convert more motels to temporarily house Austin's homeless

ECHO, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, says the addition of 200-300 short-term motel units would substantially impact the community of Austinites living without shelter. In a memo sent Tuesday to the mayor and City Council, city staff said they agree.…

City charts progress, 90-day plans for Red River streetscape improvements

The Planning and Zoning Department has allocated $1.3 million in funding from its Great Streets program that will be used for a series of long-desired improvements to the streetscape of downtown’s Red River Cultural District. A memo released last week…

Garza says code needs 'equity overlay' to address historic development patterns

Reading through the draft Land Development Code over the last several weeks, Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza noted that, for all its pages and nuance, the draft has a blind spot around housing equity. Realizing there was no single tool…

Hill Country landowners say Kinder Morgan is lowballing them. Special courts are agreeing.

Kay Pence owns a ranch in the Hill Country town of Fredericksburg. About a year ago, she got a call from the pipeline company Kinder Morgan. The caller told her the company planned to run a section of its 430-mile…

Land Development Code: Density and impervious cover

With the first reading of the new Land Development Code draft expected by Council in two short weeks, the Watershed Protection Department is working to finalize its recommendations. Despite the tight timeline, Environmental Officer Chris Herrington told the Environmental Commission…

Austin Monitor Radio: ABIA

Lyn Estabrook, who is with the Planning & Engineering Department at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, sits down with Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns to answer all of your questions about Austin’s airport. Listen in below to hear about how the…

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City on pace for goal of 330 electrified vehicles by close of 2020

The city is on pace to have 330 electric vehicles in its fleet by the end of 2020, meeting a 2016 goal set by City Council that will make nearly 5 percent of the city’s 6,700 vehicle fleet composed of…

BoA contemplates basements in Clarksville

There is an exception in city code that exempts homes with habitable basements from including the underground space in their overall square footage calculation. In order to claim that exception, however, a house must meet strict guidelines: The first story…

Austin reopens Red Bud Isle after dog-killing toxins from algae subside

Red Bud Isle has reopened after being closed for months because of toxins that attached to blue-green algae, city officials say. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said at noon Friday it reopened the area on Lady Bird Lake, which…

Reporter's Notebook: Code warrior

Nineteenth-century home discovered in Northeast Austin… Homes dating prior to the 20th century are rare in Texas. Therefore, discovering one is a momentous event. Historic Landmark commissioners expressed excitement at the announcement from Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky that the…

Austin Monitor Radio: Brian Kelsey, CoTMF

This week, a member of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation family joins us to talk about the latest branch of our nonprofit parent company. Brian Kelsey sits down to talk about his new research organization, how it’s related to…

Austin Monitor Radio: Jolt Texas

Jolt Texas is working to build a statewide movement of politically engaged and active Latinos. Maria Renee Morales, who is the Austin organizer at Jolt Texas, sits down with Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns and editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk…