Stories by Ryan Thornton
County to pause construction on some inessential public works projects
Travis County plans to pause construction on some of its public works projects to slow the spread of the coronavirus over the coming weeks. As a general rule, residential and commercial construction has been put on hold since the county’s…
Development • By Ryan Thornton • Apr 1, 2020
Council adopts anti-eviction ordinance: Tenant advocates call it a 'Band-Aid solution'
City Council adopted a 60-day suspension on evictions Thursday that will buy tenants two months before a landlord can seek to evict them for missed rent payments. Many renters and local advocates, however, say the ordinance only kicks the can…
City Council • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 27, 2020
City, county taxes could climb 8 percent under emergency declaration
A provision included in the Texas Legislature’s “property tax transparency” bill could offer jurisdictions across the state, including the city of Austin, the financial flexibility necessary to deal with some of the economic impacts of COVID-19. According to an update…
Budget • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 26, 2020
COVID-19 produces immediate need for workers at Cap Metro
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority system ridership has fallen every day since March 10 as the effects of the coronavirus spread throughout Austin, but the transit agency is increasing its workforce in order to remain reliable and safe for those in…
Transit • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 24, 2020
Lime and Wheels to pause shared mobility services
Lime and Wheels will be the first dockless mobility operators to disable device rentals in Austin in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cities across the country are considering how to manage dockless mobility under rapidly evolving conditions. On Wednesday, the…
Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 20, 2020
Capital Metro responds to COVID-19 with changes to service schedule and operations
At the tail end of a 17-month run of climbing ridership increases, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority system ridership has plummeted due to the coronavirus pandemic. CEO Randy Clarke said the agency does not expect numbers to recover for many weeks,…
Transit • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 18, 2020
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Council postpones airport overlay amendments with related zoning case
The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport plans to double in size over the next two decades, welcoming and sending off about 812 flights per day and serving as many as 30 million passengers a year by 2037. That increase in operations, said…
Zoning • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 13, 2020
Minus a few hiccups, Adler says real estate community can expect great things for Austin
Despite how things may appear in this moment, in the wake of the cancellation of South by Southwest, Mayor Steve Adler believes the future could hardly look brighter for the city of Austin. With the city ready to adopt a…
Austin • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 12, 2020
Austin Transportation pursues 'choice' riders with free transit pass pilot
Austin Transportation is seeking City Council’s permission to buy $700,000 worth of free transit passes as a carrot to lure more “choice” riders out of their private cars and onto buses and trains. Rob Spillar, director of Transportation, said the…
Transit • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 11, 2020
Council lands on long-term payment method for Project Connect
In capital costs alone, the city and its residents can expect to contribute around $5.6 billion for the combined pieces of Project Connect. That money will cover investments for two light rail lines, several bus rapid transit “lite” routes and…
Transit • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 10, 2020
Watershed Protection to begin multiyear study of trash in waterways
With trash and contaminants like dockless scooters rapidly accumulating in city creeks and rivers, Watershed Protection is kicking off a two-year, three-part study to better understand the impact of litter on city waterways. The study begins this month with a…
Environment • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 6, 2020
Howard and Bolton earn spots in runoff for Precinct 3
Ann Howard, the former executive director of Ending Homelessness Community Coalition, won the most votes on Tuesday night, but there is one more hurdle to clear. A runoff election will determine which Democratic candidate will go against Republican Rebecca Bray…
