Stories by Kali Bramble
Unpermitted demolition stokes existential crisis at Historic Landmark Commission
Frustration was palpable at last week’s meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission, with yet another unpermitted demolition garnering little fanfare outside the Historic Preservation Office. The vacant lot at 4008 N. Lamar, once home to a 1926 residence converted for…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Oct 13, 2022
Landmark commission makes no exceptions for sign standards on Congress Avenue
Austin-based health care provider Curative will have to rethink its storefront design thanks to the Historic Landmark Commission, which unanimously voted last week to reject signage for the startup’s flagship clinic on Congress Avenue. The rejected proposal would have rendered…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Oct 11, 2022
Fairmont Hotel financiers take a second shot at historic home relocation
After six years of thwarted negotiations, Manchester Financial Group is still eyeing 606 and 608 E. Third St., a site just blocks from the Austin Convention Center and dead center of downtown’s burgeoning Palm District. But first, the Fairmont Hotel…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Oct 7, 2022
Six weeks out from controversial base rate review hearings, Austin Energy proposes yet another rate hike
Despite the welcome relief of cooler temperatures, there appears to be no end in sight for Austin Energy’s woes, as the utility tackles yet another unpopular rate change. As the base rate review case approaches City Hall, Austin Energy has…
Energy • By Kali Bramble • Oct 4, 2022
Workers demand labor protections at Austin Energy base rate rally
It was an unusually lively morning outside Austin Energy Headquarters last Saturday, as a coalition of workers, environmentalists and community leaders gathered to air their grievances with the publicly owned utility. With a potential increase to residential rates on the…
Energy • By Kali Bramble • Sep 27, 2022
Impartial examiner report backs up Austin Energy base rate proposal, but critics aren't giving up
As the November deadline to update utility rates approaches, the pressure is on for Austin Energy and its stakeholders to make their final arguments before city policymakers. Following the release of the impartial hearing examiner’s report earlier this month, participants…
Energy • By Kali Bramble • Sep 19, 2022
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Preservation office gets new design standards and equity plan
Big changes for Austin’s Historic Preservation Office are on the horizon, with new historic design standards and an equity-based preservation plan on course to bring major updates to the city’s preservation program. Cara Bertron, senior housing and planning officer, stopped…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Sep 13, 2022
Demolition case reveals shortcomings in city's historic preservation policies
A monthslong debate over an East Austin bungalow has ended in a victory for the property owner, with City Council voting to reject historic zoning last Thursday. The home, located at 1403 E. Cesar Chavez St., initially came to the…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Sep 8, 2022
Council to debate controversial rate increase for Austin Energy customers this fall
With stakeholders awaiting the conclusion of the hearing review process, City Council’s Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee heard updates Tuesday from the electric utility on what to expect as the 2022 base rate review case approaches the homestretch. Following a…
Energy • By Kali Bramble • Sep 2, 2022
City looks to move away from leased facilities
The city is moving forward on its goal to transition from leased to owned facilities for staff by 2026, according to an update the strategic facilities governance team gave to City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee last Wednesday. Aiming to…
City Hall • By Kali Bramble • Aug 29, 2022
Landmark commission gives green light to five-story makeover for West Sixth
After hurtling successfully through the Historic Landmark Commission earlier this month, investment firm Riverside Resources is one step closer to carrying out a project that would transform 2 acres of restaurant and retail space on West Sixth Street into a…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Aug 18, 2022
No end in sight for decadelong Sneed House debacle
The perennial saga over a cluster of ruins in the Dove Springs neighborhood of Southeast Austin continues, as the all-too-familiar Sneed House case resurfaced at the Historic Landmark Commission last Wednesday. The remains of the Civil War-era estate have been…
