The Austin-Round Rock metro area is the ninth fastest growing in the country, according to 2017 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The total population in 2017 was 2.1 million. The area did see a slight decline in its rate of population growth compared to the year before. Molly Cromwell, a demographer with the […]
Syeda Hasan
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Council to hash out staff recommendations for proposed 2018 bond package
City Council is set to vote tomorrow on adopting the city manager’s recommendation for a 2018 bond package. Voters would decide on whether to approve the $816 million referendum this November. The proposal includes funding for transportation infrastructure, stormwater and open space, public safety, parks, libraries and cultural centers, health and human services, and affordable […]
Posted inAustin
In this East Austin neighborhood, there are now more dogs than children
In one rapidly changing East Austin neighborhood, dogs now outnumber children nearly two to one, according to a new report from the University of Texas’ Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis. Researchers released the findings today in an addendum to a March 2018 report, which explored the effects of gentrification on longtime residents of East […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro launches outreach campaign ahead of its June 3 redesign
In just over two weeks, more than half of all the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s bus routes will be altered – and some will be eliminated altogether – when the transit agency rolls out its Cap Remap plan. Ahead of that launch, Capital Metro is launching a major outreach effort to get the word out […]
Posted inHousing
Advocates say HUD proposal to raise rents could hurt struggling families in Austin
Watchdog groups in Austin say a plan to raise rents for millions of people who get federal housing assistance would hurt the area’s most vulnerable residents. “What this will do is increase housing costs, force more families to choose between food and the rent, medical care and the rent, utilities and the rent,” Maddie Sloan, […]
Posted inHousing
Austin renters facing eviction could get help through a new counseling service
David Jones has been renting his apartment in North Austin for four years. He’s grown an impressive herb garden on his front porch: Rows of parsley, oregano and thyme line one side. He’s a veteran on a fixed income, and his housing story hasn’t been an easy one. “In 1999, I was renting a house […]
Posted inUncategorized
Council members push for $300M bond to meet Austin’s affordable housing needs
City leaders are weighing the possibility of putting an affordable housing bond on the ballot this November. A city task force is recommending a $161 million bond, but some Austin City Council members want to almost double that amount. Council Members Pio Renteria, Delia Garza and Greg Casar are promoting what they call the Housing […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council weighs how to boost affordable housing program under CodeNEXT
City Council is trying to figure out how the latest draft of the proposed Land Development Code, known as CodeNEXT, could shape the future of affordable housing. At a meeting of the Housing and Planning Committee Tuesday, Council members drilled down into proposed changes to the density bonus program, one of the city’s most effective […]
Posted inPlanning
Austin could change the way it issues demolition permits
As the number of demolitions soars in Austin, the city is considering changing the way it issues permits to make sure teardowns are done safely and people affected are properly notified. Since 2010, the number of demolition permits issued in Austin has gone up an average of 13 percent each year. In the midst of […]
Posted inPreservation
Rosewood Courts renovation gets initial approval from landmark commission
The Historic Landmark Commission is paving the way for a major renovation of Rosewood Courts. The public housing project in East Austin was the first in the country built for black residents. The commission previously recommended zoning the entire site as historic. On Monday, the commission changed that recommendation to apply to just eight buildings, […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Neighborhood density dialed back in new CodeNEXT draft
The city of Austin has released its third draft of CodeNEXT, the ongoing overhaul of the rules governing what can be built where. At City Hall Monday evening, staff held an open house on the proposed Land Development Code, inviting residents to view the new zoning maps and ask questions. Draft 2 of CodeNEXT was […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Days away from new draft, city commissions give their last word on CodeNEXT (for now)
Less than a week out from the release of the latest version of CodeNEXT, city commissions are weighing in on what they’d like to see in this latest draft of Austin’s Land Development Code. The Zoning and Platting Commission laid out its plan Tuesday for gathering public feedback on the new rules, which would regulate […]