Council inches closer to action on Grove at Shoal Creek PUD

For several months now, City Council’s decision about whether to approve the zoning for the Grove at Shoal Creek, a proposed 75-acre mixed-use development, has driven hours of debate and faced numerous delays. Why is it taking so long? When…

The leap of faith inherent in voting for the $720 million bond

Traversing parts of North Lamar Boulevard as a bicyclist or pedestrian – or, even as a driver – can be alarming. The speed limit is high, and substantial barriers exist neither between pedestrians and cars nor between cars going north…

Dark money law keeps PACs busy

Move Austin Forward, the political action committee supporting the city’s $720 million bond proposition on the Nov. 8 ballot, has raised about $680,000, according to Jim Wick, manager of the pro-bond campaign. He said the campaign has spent about half…

Council votes down attempt to revisit McMansion exemption

An amendment that some hoped would lead to more clarity in the McMansion Ordinance only seemed to lead to greater confusion at a City Council meeting on Oct. 6. The McMansion Ordinance was passed in order to prevent developers from…

Beneath the bond debate, planners begin exhaustive assessment of Austin's transportation future

As Austin voters wrangle with a mobility bond on the November ballot, city planners are gearing up to draft a new transportation policy road map to guide decisions for decades to come. Work on the Strategic Mobility Plan soft-launched earlier…

Poll: Austin divided on mobility bond

According to an Austin Monitor poll, the fate of the mobility bond is anyone’s guess. The poll was sponsored by Perry Lorenz and conducted by Public Policy Polling. On Oct. 5 and 6, Public Policy Polling surveyed 585 Austin voters…

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Report details more accusations at Neighborhood Housing and Community Development

A report on 15 separate allegations involving current and former management-level employees of the city’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department shows that Betsy Spencer, the department’s former director, made numerous decisions in an apparent attempt to shield one employee,…

New section of Guadalupe named activity corridor, despite neighborhood concerns

City Council designated a new section of Guadalupe Street as an activity corridor despite some neighborhood concerns, making its higher concentration of businesses, people and services official. The change came as part of a package of amendments to the Imagine…

Reporter's Notebook: Campaigns, opinions, etc.

Locals vs. State Legislators… In case you missed it, The Texas Tribune has posted audio from most of its 2016 Texas Tribune Festival panels. Mayor Steve Adler managed to score a seat on one of the panels, “Rideshare’s Road Forward,” talking…

Austin Monitor Radio: Council Member Leslie Pool

Austin City Council Member Leslie Pool joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to chat about her bid for reelection.

Union talk makes arts funding approval rancorous

After more than two hours of often angry and conflicting testimony about the state of labor relations at the ZACH Theatre, City Council on Thursday approved the cultural arts services contract for the upcoming year with a number of controversial…

Curfew relief in sight for Red River music venues

A handful of music venues along Red River Street between Sixth and 10th streets could soon have a later sound curfew for outdoor music. On Monday, the Music Commission unanimously passed an item that venue owners and other music boosters…