Stories by Chad Swiatecki
Tuesday, June 27, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Road map, conference point to Austin’s future as a smart city
With dozens of projects underway in departments throughout city government, Austin now has an initial road map for how to better use data and technology to become a so-called “smart city.” The Smart City Strategic Roadmap is the first draft…
Tuesday, June 20, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Entertainment & Events
Red River proponents seek policy ‘champion’ following live music report
Streetscape improvements, greater attention to safety and partnerships with nearby community organizations are some of the steps needed to keep the Red River Cultural District a hub of live music, according to a recently completed study on the area. The…
Friday, June 16, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Preservation
Controversy swirls over Montopolis historic school site eyed for development
The city’s Community Development Commission weighed in on the effort to stop a contentious development project proposed for a historic piece of property in East Austin. At Tuesday’s meeting the development commission voted 13-0 to ask the city to halt…
Thursday, June 15, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
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…
Tuesday, June 13, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
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…
Monday, June 12, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Public Safety
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,”…
Friday, June 9, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Entertainment & Events
Hotels to join music venues, residents in revamping ‘agent of change’ proposal
Representatives from Austin’s music venues, neighborhood groups and hotel industry are expected to begin meeting next week to rework the city’s long-gestating “agent of change” policy intended to reduce friction between those three interest groups. That charge was the result…
Monday, June 5, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Economic development sessions to target middle-class jobs, local business growth
A focus on middle-class job growth, workforce development and growing existing businesses are some of the priorities the city’s business boosters will emphasize this week during a series of community meetings intended to shape local economic development policies. The seven…
Friday, June 2, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
‘Middle skill’ workforce plan aims to stabilize area’s poor, vulnerable residents
Austin and Travis County leaders’ focus on growing the region’s middle-class economy was spotlighted Thursday with the announcement of a multiyear effort to train local workers for a growing demand for so-called “middle skill” jobs. The release of the Master…
Thursday, June 1, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Environment
Brownfield grants provide $300,000 to clean up East Austin
Potential brownfield properties in East Austin will be eligible for remediation efforts in the coming years thanks to two grants from the federal Environmental Protection Agency totaling $300,000. The grants, which were announced Wednesday, will be available for use beginning…
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Entertainment & Events
Agent of change revamp to add hotels could delay vote on proposal
Austin’s much-debated policy proposal to address conflicts between music venues and nearby developments appears to be getting a makeover and a possible delay from a planned early June vote by City Council. That was the feeling of venue owners, city…
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Transportation
Updated: City dives into corridor studies with southern region sessions
Austin’s Transportation Department is moving ahead with efforts to determine what should be done with the $482 million in corridor improvements voters approved last fall as part of the $720 million mobility bond. Thus far the department has completed six…
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Entertainment & Events
Entertainment, arts returning to former ‘Chitlin’ Circuit’ hot spot in East Austin
An East Austin recreation center that was once a hot spot on the so-called “Chitlin’ Circuit” for African-American entertainers is expected to return to its roots as a hub of live entertainment and creative arts. Last month Austin’s Parks and Recreation…
Monday, May 15, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
City Hall
Ethics charges dismissed against official in trellis case
A member of the city’s Board of Adjustment will not face a final hearing on charges he involved himself inappropriately in an appeals process involving the neighborhood association of which he is also a founding member. At Wednesday’s meeting of…
Friday, May 12, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
City Hall
Allegations fly in music division ethics case
Wednesday’s ethics hearing for a former city employee charged with improperly obtaining city funds featured a series of allegations and testimony against the recently departed head of the city’s Music and Entertainment Division. The 11-member Ethics Review Commission was reduced…
Tuesday, May 9, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Parks
Parks officials eye hotel tax dollars for underfunded capital projects
With changes expected in how Austin allocates its fast-growing pool of tax money generated from local hotel and motel stays, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has put forward the first version of its wish list for expensive infrastructure projects.…
Friday, May 5, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Entertainment & Events
Music venues may face new rules as city adjusts ‘agent of change’ proposal
Austin officials have made significant changes to a pair of proposed policies affecting the city’s live music economy, and will spend much of May presenting them to local boards and community groups ahead of an expected early June vote by City…
