Stories by Ryan Thornton
Planning Commission offers solutions to missing-middle housing problem
Transition zones continue to divide the city’s elected and appointed officials in discussions over the Land Development Code. Several City Council members have already taken issue with the way the zones – meant to promote missing-middle housing types in Imagine…
Land Development Code • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 22, 2019
Commission supports energy rebate program change, calls for more information
Austin Energy has long struggled to find enough customers to take part in its multifamily energy efficiency rebate program. The trend continued last fiscal year when more than half of its rebate funds, which don’t carry over into subsequent years,…
Energy • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 21, 2019
Council codifies no-kill practices in controversial ordinance
City Council approved a set of controversial amendments to city code Thursday, giving legal weight to certain no-kill practices that many community advocates consider harmful to people and pets alike. Ellen Jefferson, executive director of Austin Pets Alive!, defended the…
Austin • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 18, 2019
Council finds little common ground on camping ordinance
Still divided over the best way to manage camping in public spaces, City Council will consider an ordinance Thursday that aims to create structure around its policy without reverting to a blanket ban on camping in public. “We’d rather have…
City Council • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 16, 2019
More walkable Congress Avenue vision gaining traction
An innovative framework meant to help reinvigorate Congress Avenue downtown has earned the favor of the Urban Transportation Commission. The framework was developed by the Pedestrian Advisory Council in May as a way to allow experimentation with pedestrian-friendly policies through…
Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 11, 2019
Council responds to code housing capacity and mapping
The city’s Land Development Code draft promises a major increase in housing capacity across the city, falling just shy of City Council’s housing capacity goals in the 2017 Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint. In its current form, the code would push…
Land Development Code • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 9, 2019
Subscribe to our newsletter
Chamber pushes 'all of the above' regional mobility solution
The Austin Chamber of Commerce pushed three desired outcomes at this year’s mobility summit: resolving traffic congestion on Interstate 35; passing the city’s first high-capacity transit bond; and clarifying the positions and goals of regional elected officials. To fix I-35,…
Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 8, 2019
Council advances controversial rezoning, annexation deal
A cul-de-sac property at the western edge of the city’s limited purpose jurisdiction continues to fuel debate over appropriate levels of sprawl in Austin’s Hill Country. Sitting at the end of Milky Way Drive, which is the site’s only access…
Zoning • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 7, 2019
City reaches milestone for cave site restoration plan
City staff members have completed a draft land management plan to protect the city’s natural resources at the William H. Russell Karst Preserve, the 191-acre Southwest Austin site previously known as the Blowing Sink Research Management Area. The natural features…
Environment • By Ryan Thornton • Oct 3, 2019
Code rewrite team says development can help city water problems
The Land Development Code rewrite team has again struck a balance on city priorities. At Thursday’s update with City Council – the last before the draft document goes public Friday – the team outlined its strategy to leverage growth and…
Land Development Code • By Ryan Thornton • Sep 30, 2019
Ford to launch local commercial autonomous vehicle service in 2021
Confirming rumors, Ford Motor Company announced plans Wednesday to begin tests and preparations in Austin for deployment of a commercial autonomous vehicle service in 2021. Sherif Marakby, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, told the Austin Monitor ahead of the…
Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Sep 25, 2019
Capital Metro board approves 2020 budget
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority may still be playing catch-up with some basic comforts like benches, shelters and waste bins at bus stops, but the agency promises to accelerate those smaller efforts while preparing for a high-capacity transit future in…
