Stories by Jack Craver
Thursday, October 11, 2018 by Jack Craver
Elections
One month from election, candidates report fundraising figures
Reports from each candidate for mayor and City Council were due at the Office of the City Clerk on Tuesday. Mayor Steve Adler reported raising nearly $140,000 for the latest time period. His total raised for the current race is…
Thursday, October 11, 2018 by Jack Craver
Transit
Project Connect: Cap Metro insists everything is on the table
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Randy Clarke insists that nothing is set in stone. He has cautioned the community to view the vision document for Project Connect, the long-term plan for high-capacity transit that Capital Metro released last week, as…
Monday, October 8, 2018 by Jack Craver
Housing
Council debates how to convert downtown property into affordable housing
Almost every member of City Council agrees that the city should use two pieces of prime downtown real estate for affordable housing. However, questions and potential disagreements remain about how the land should be used to provide housing.Some Council members…
Thursday, October 4, 2018 by Jack Craver
Preservation
Developer envisions 700-unit student apartment that wraps around historic Kenney House
A developer seeking to build a 700-unit, 17-story apartment building targeting students on West 22nd Street can’t proceed with the project unless City Council agrees to remove historic zoning from part of an adjacent property, known as the Kenney House.Developer…
Monday, October 1, 2018 by Jack Craver
Energy
Austin Energy proposes local solar farm
In spite of the tremendous appetite for renewable energy in Austin, the city doesn’t offer many opportunities to build the kind of large-scale wind and solar farms necessary to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.“It’s an issue of land,” explained Khalil…
Friday, September 28, 2018 by Jack Craver
Transportation
Old Enfield: Another neighborhood divided over speed humps
It’s no wonder that the Transportation Department gets a lot of grief in a city as choked by traffic as Austin.Some of the complaints are unfounded or make demands that city transportation experts will not agree to. However, said Annick…
Thursday, September 27, 2018 by Jack Craver
Housing
Low-income housing project advancing in Northwest Austin
An affordable housing development that has drawn fierce opposition from nearby residents in North Austin is one step closer to realization.The proposed Elysium Grand apartments at 3300 Oak Creek Drive, just west of MoPac Expressway, will include 90 units. Only…
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 by Jack Craver
AISD
Declining enrollment, segregation dominate AISD board meeting
The Austin Independent School Board’s unanimous decision to spend $25 million modernizing Sanchez Elementary School was welcomed by a substantial contingent of those who packed the board’s chambers Monday night, but it hardly assuaged long-term concerns from east side activists…
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 by Jack Craver
Elections
Council candidates offer different ideas on housing policy
The decision by Mayor Steve Adler and City Council last month to abandon CodeNEXT, a proposed rewrite of the Land Development Code, reflected the deep divisions in the community over the prospect of increased residential density in single-family neighborhoods.However, in…
Friday, September 21, 2018 by Jack Craver
Development
City of Austin adds 136 acres south of Onion Creek
On Thursday, City Council voted to have the city of Austin annex the Cascades Municipal Utility District, 136 acres of undeveloped land south of Onion Creek.The landowner, Onion Associates Ltd., entered into an agreement with the city in 2014 to…
Thursday, September 20, 2018 by Jack Craver
Transportation
Figures show Austinites love and hate scooters
Members of Austin City Council have plenty of concerns about the operation of dockless vehicles, particularly electric scooters. But they all appear to agree that the vehicles are here to stay, if for no other reason than they have proved…
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by Jack Craver
Preservation
City estimate: Preserving Montopolis Negro School would cost $5.7M
The city of Austin is beginning the process of using eminent domain to seize the 1-acre plot at 500 Montopolis Ave., home of an 83-year-old building that was once the Montopolis Negro School. The structure is a rare vestige of…
Monday, September 17, 2018 by Jack Craver
Transit
Cap Metro: Key to high-capacity transit is dedicated right of way
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is still a few months away from announcing what modes of transportation it plans to propose for Project Connect, the long-term plan to bring high-capacity public transit to the Austin metropolitan area.Potential solutions include light…
Friday, September 14, 2018 by Jack Craver
Austin
Commission calls on Austin to ban cat declawing
The city Animal Advisory Commission has unanimously recommended that the city ban cat declawing.The commission unanimously approved the resolution on Monday after hearing an hour of testimony from veterinarians and animal rights activists, most of whom described declawing as a…
Thursday, September 13, 2018 by Jack Craver
Budget
City boosts spending on homelessness, but advocates still disappointed
The Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget approved by City Council on Tuesday includes a $3.4 million increase in funding for homelessness services. City staff estimates that the new funds come on top of more than $26 million in annual city spending…
Wednesday, September 12, 2018 by Jack Craver
Budget
With stunning speed, Council approves budget
For the first time in years, City Council spent less than a day deliberating on its fiscal year budget.Council approved a $4.1 billion budget that will raise the effective property tax rate by 5.4 percent. Austin property owners will pay…
Monday, September 10, 2018 by Jack Craver
Parks
City doesn’t want Austin Rowing Club’s special deal to be too sweet
City Council voted in June to grant the Austin Rowing Club the unusual privilege of negotiating a contract renewal with the city without going through the typical bidding process.ARC and Council members argued that the special deal was warranted because…
Friday, September 7, 2018 by Jack Craver
Parks
One part of Camelback PUD isn’t controversial: A big new park
The Parks and Recreation Board couldn’t find anything bad to say about the parkland proposed as part of the Camelback PUD, a proposed mixed-use development on a 145-acre plot of land that fronts Lake Austin just west of Loop 360.Members…
Thursday, September 6, 2018 by Jack Craver
Energy
Austin Energy shifts money away from apartment weatherization program
Every year, Austin Energy pays contractors to make apartment buildings more energy-efficient. They put in place new duct sealant, solar screens and attic insulation, which helps tenants reduce their energy consumption and lower their utility bills.This year, however, the city-owned…
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 by Jack Craver
Bonds & Propositions
Travis County gets slow start to $185M bond program
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt isn’t ready to hit the panic button, but she is expressing concern about the amount of time it’s taking for the county to get going on the $185 million of projects that voters approved in…
