Sections

About Us

 
Make a Donation
Local • Independent • Essential News
 

Stories by Chad Swiatecki

Tourism Commission wants more transparency on hotel tax funding decisions for arts groups

Members of the Tourism Commission have signaled they want more transparency from the Economic Development Department regarding how Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars allocated for music, cultural arts and historic preservation programs are used. At its most recent meeting, the commission…

Council pushes for pause on I-35 expansion, citing air quality concerns

Citing concerns over possible environmental and air quality impacts, City Council wants to delay the start of the reconstruction of Interstate 35. By a 7-3 vote, Council approved a resolution Thursday that asked the Texas Department of Transportation and Capital…

Citing construction concerns, city indefinitely extends moratorium on new street events

The city has indefinitely extended a long-standing moratorium on street events in response to the large number of private development and infrastructure projects slated for downtown and beyond in the coming years. A memo released last week by José Roig,…

Council considers timeline, partnerships ahead of vote on $1.2B contracts for convention center

City Council appears ready to move ahead with two major contracts that will officially kick off the process of demolishing and reconstructing the Austin Convention Center. On Thursday, contracts totaling nearly $1.27 billion could confirm LMN/Page as the design and…

Tourism Commission joins staff in push for agreement with short-term rental companies

The Tourism Commission appears ready to push the city to come to an agreement with short-term rental platforms that will allow some regulation of the industry and allow the collection of millions of dollars in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue each…

Hiring headache: $25B in mobility projects will require 10,000 new workers every year through 2040

With $25 billion in infrastructure and mobility projects on tap over the next two decades, the Austin area will have 10,000 new jobs in those sectors per year for the next 17 years. That total is one of the findings…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Commissioners want action, precision on overlays for equitable transit-oriented developments

As planning and zoning strategies for areas around transit corridors are developed over the next year, members of the Urban Transportation Commission want the city to make the density of in-process transit-oriented developments one of the highest priorities. At last…

APD pushed to improve training, engagement with Austin’s disabled community

Disability advocates in Austin want the Austin Police Department to include training and research on the lives of people with disabilities as part of basic academy education, while encouraging department staff to build stronger relationships with the local disabled community.…

Education, community building among ‘start small’ goals for city’s push for music hubs

The push to establish creative and music hubs in the city’s three ethnic cultural centers could begin with small educational and community-building workshops before a possible bond vote in 2026 to raise money for construction and equipment for the facilities.…

Bike parking gets support in Urban Transportation Commission's call to end parking requirements

City Council may add changes to bike parking requirements to a November resolution that will finalize the removal of parking minimums from the Land Development Code. The Urban Transportation Commission recently voted to recommend Council adopt the ordinance changes on…

Live Music Fund grant payments expected this week after month-plus delay

Grant recipients from the city’s Live Music Fund pilot program were expected to receive the initial 50 percent portion of their award by today, more than a month later than they were initially told they would receive the money. The…

Developer of parking-free downtown apartments surrenders building to lender

A parking-free, 30-unit apartment building that gained attention as one of the first attempts to bring “missing middle” housing downtown has been turned over to its lender after failing to generate enough occupancy to operate successfully. Weaver Buildings, the company…

Back to Top