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Housing

City eyes strategy shifts to address affordable housing shortfalls

City staff members are evaluating the idea of investing more in housing as well as other strategies to address shortfalls in key areas of the Strategic Housing Blueprint, including deeply affordable housing and permanent supportive housing. A memo released this…

Facing displacement, Acacia Cliffs apartment tenants mobilize at City Hall

Plans to redevelop an apartment complex in Northwest Austin are off to a rocky start, drawing a crowd to City Hall last week with demands for more concessions to displaced tenants. Acacia Cliffs residents and their neighbors took to the…

Austin churches answer prayers for affordable housing – by building it themselves

Standing at a pulpit on a Sunday morning in March, the Rev. Daryl Horton of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in East Austin prayed for a swift approval of building permits. An ask that, as anyone familiar with municipal bureaucracy knows,…

Eviction crisis spreads as affordability pressures worsen

A record-breaking 13,210 evictions were filed in Travis County in 2024, according to a memo released last week from BASTA (Building and Strengthening Tenant Action), a project of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. The memo, a snapshot with key evictions-related findings…

SXSW panelists examine causes, effects of the city's lack of Black homeowners

A South by Southwest panel discussion earlier this week didn’t gloss over the challenges Black communities in Austin face if they’re not already owners of highly valuable residential real estate. During the panel Advancing Black Homeownership Through Housing Equity, Habitat…

Icon Homes prepping smaller home printing tech to meet Austin's infill push

Austin-based 3D-printed home manufacturer Icon Homes has plans to use new building technology created specifically to take advantage of the city’s push for smaller infill homes. After speaking at a South by Southwest panel last week focused on the push…

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Housing panelists examine what's worked in Austin, and across Texas

At a South by Southwest panel discussion last week on housing policies in Texas, City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison shared possible new components of the “agrihood” housing-plus-agriculture approach she championed last year. While sharing her views on steps the city…

SXSW panel looks at national housing shortage – and how Austin is responding

Cities across the nation are facing the same housing crunch that Austin has spent recent years trying to correct, with a new report from Realtor.com showing a gap of 3.8 million houses and apartment units across the country. Those findings…

HUD cuts could endanger portion of more than $15M in federal housing funds

The city could see significant disruptions to its affordable housing and homelessness programs as a result of proposed federal budget cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a memo released last week. The memo, issued by…

Planning Commission hears complaints, offers amendments on new STR ordinance in marathon hearing

Over the course of more than three hours, the Planning Commission heard often rancorous public comments on a new ordinance that would regulate short-term rentals, then voted to recommend 11 of their own amendments to the ordinance at its regular…

Council vote could help secure tax credits for seven projects with affordable units

On Thursday, City Council will consider resolutions of support for seven affordable housing developments seeking funding through the state’s 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. If approved, items 16-22 on the agenda will be included in developers’ applications…

City considers new STR rules requiring oversight from platforms

The city’s proposed overhaul of regulations for short-term rental properties could tighten licensing requirements, impose new restrictions on ownership, and shift enforcement responsibilities onto rental platforms. Members of City Council and the Planning Commission got a detailed look at the…

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