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CodeNEXT activists sign on with opposing petitions

Whoever “Austin Neighbor” is, they’re not happy about the city’s plans to increase housing density under CodeNEXT. In a quirk of 21st-century digital advocacy, the change.org online petition website features a pair of somewhat oppositional petitions related to efforts to…

Talk starts for 2018 city bond election

City Council got a first look during its work session on Tuesday at an initial list of staff bond proposals that could go to voters in November of 2018. That list included a total of $640 million in bonds, with…

Study could shed more light on housing discrimination in Central Texas

The federal Fair Housing Act aims to protect people from discrimination when renting, buying or financing a home. Despite those protections, the reality is that housing discrimination persists in many cities, and today City Council will consider a review of…

Casar: End curfew law that targets minorities

Seventy-six percent of teenagers accused of juvenile curfew violations from 2014 through 2016 were minorities, with Hispanics making up the majority of those cited by the Austin Police Department, according to the department’s own records. The law prohibits persons under…

What businesses are coming to your neighborhood under CodeNEXT?

Mayor Steve Adler continues to assure the public that City Council still has ample time to “calibrate” CodeNEXT. The reassurance is in response to myriad concerns about how the proposed overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code will impact neighborhoods.…

Tree protection programs may not have the impact on property owners many believe

When lawmakers meet in Austin later this summer for a special legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott wants them to curb Texas towns’ ability to protect local trees. He’s framed his directive as part of a larger effort to end “micro-managing”…

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West Austin Triplex bid stalls at BoA

Time and money did not prove to be a sufficient hardship at the Board of Adjustment, where an Old West Austin homeowner hoping to build a triplex on a multifamily lot learned the price of 600 feet this week. William…

City code enforcement suit may eliminate affordable units

For weeks, tenants at Orchard Plaza apartments in Windsor Park have been evacuating the premises following a contempt order against the owners for substandard housing conditions. Meanwhile, the question of whether the property will continue to provide affordable housing is…

front of City Hall

Task force dives into city manager search

The task force in charge of helping to write the job description for Austin’s next city manager hopes to stay involved in the process of picking the eventual hire, even though, as of now, the group is set to dissolve…

Special event parking near Zilker might not be that bad

City officials involved in crafting a new special event parking permit program are urging people to relax. A proposal to limit parking in neighborhoods near Zilker Park during major events, notably Austin City Limits Festival, ABC Kite Festival and the…

Introducing CodeNEXT HUB

For years, we’ve done our best to make CodeNEXT easier for Austinites to understand. And now we have a lot of help. Keeping track of what’s going on with the city’s Land Development Code rewrite is a daunting task, to…

Rundberg residents search for resources to continue restoration

Residents of Rundberg Lane in North Austin saw many benefits during the three years the area received a stepped up police presence thanks to a $1 million federal grant that concluded last year. Crime, especially in a handful of “hotspots,”…