Stories by Harrison Young
Thursday, March 18, 2021 by Harrison Young
Housing
Austin Transit Partnership OKs anti-displacement funding
The Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors unanimously approved a grant agreement Wednesday to finance anti-displacement efforts using money from Project Connect’s tax revenue. The funds, totaling $300 million, will be dispersed over Project Connect’s 13-year timeline, according to ATP’s…
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transportation
CAMPO proceeds with traffic management plan
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board has unanimously voted to allow its executive director, Ashby Johnson, to begin negotiations with a firm to implement the Transportation Demand Management program. The TDM program is a bundle of strategies aimed…
Monday, March 8, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transportation
Guerrero Park bridge delayed again
The long-awaited Guerrero Park bridge is now expected to be finished in 2024, according to the Watershed Protection Department. Watershed anticipates construction to begin next year and to take two years to complete, according to project engineer Janna Renfro. The…
Friday, March 5, 2021 by Harrison Young
Roads
Updated: Reversible lanes may be coming to South First
The Austin Transportation Department’s plans to install reversible travel lanes on South First Street, in order to decrease travel delays on one of Austin’s busiest commuter thoroughfares, are being studied. The project area surrounds a new development at the former…
Monday, March 1, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transportation
Construction imminent for Longhorn Dam bridge
The Austin Transportation Department has decided on Longhorn Dam’s new bike and pedestrian bridge, which is designed to increase safety on Pleasant Valley Road and connect trails and parks in the area. The bridge’s design is “wishbone style” and will…
Wednesday, February 17, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transportation
Mobility Authority moves forward with 183 North
Last week, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority unanimously endorsed a contract for construction of the 183 North Mobility Project, which proposes extra lanes to Highway 183 in addition to pedestrian lanes on the service road. The plan includes one…
Friday, February 12, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transit
Capital Metro backs Smart Trips extension
On Wednesday, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors unanimously recommended approval of a third renewal of Smart Trips, an outreach program designed to educate Austinites about the city’s expanding transit options. A collaboration between Capital Metro and the…
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transportation
CAMPO approves process to refund transit projects
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board voted unanimously Monday to approve a prioritization process to refund deferred projects using Surface Transportation Block Grant funds, also known as Category 7. Some plans were postponed in June so that…
Friday, February 5, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transit
East Riverside to get bus priority lanes in April
Construction on interim transit bus lanes on East Riverside Drive will begin in late February and are expected to open in April, according to the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Austin Transportation Department. One of Austin’s major corridors, the…
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 by Harrison Young
Zoning
Planning Commission urges more housing in Montopolis
Last week the Planning Commission voted 8-4 to recommend rezoning 1013-1017 Montopolis Drive to accommodate higher-density residences, paving the way for multi-story residences like apartments and condos. Thrower Design applied to rezone the undeveloped 3.12-acre lot from single-family (SF-3) to…
Friday, January 29, 2021 by Harrison Young
Development
Planning Commission endorses Rainey high-rise
The Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend construction of a skyscraper on Rainey Street that would be one of Austin’s tallest buildings. 90-92 Rainey St., currently occupied by Container Bar, would become a residential high-rise with about 450 residential…
Thursday, January 21, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transportation
Mobility Committee to receive annual update on bond fund plan
At today’s meeting, the City Council Mobility Committee will discuss the Mobility Annual Plan, a document that explains how mobility bond funds are used citywide. The meeting is part of a larger annual effort to incorporate public feedback into the…
Friday, January 15, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transit
CAMPO authorizes federal transit funding for seniors, individuals with disabilities
On Monday, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board unanimously approved new transportation funding criteria for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities using funds from the Federal Transit Administration, amid growing competition. FTA Section 5310 is a federal…
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 by Harrison Young
Transportation
CAMPO approves TxDOT’s Unified Transportation Program
On Monday, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board unanimously approved the resubmission of some previously deferred projects into the Texas Department of Transportation’s Unified Transportation Program. Several projects were added back to the list after TxDOT delayed…
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 by Harrison Young
Transportation
Project Connect moves ahead
Yesterday, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority provided updates on Project Connect, Austin’s expanded transit plan approved by the voters in November as Proposition A. Following the completion of Task I, which comprised a number of preliminary steps such as the approval of…
Thursday, December 10, 2020 by Harrison Young
Health & Human Services
Council removes limits on food insecurity funding
City Council at its last meeting voted to remove limitations on using Community Development Block Grant funds to fight food insecurity in low-income areas. The ordinance, sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and co-sponsored by Council members Greg Casar,…
