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Housing
Builder: Without new affordability bonds, projects would be 'few and far between'
The new round of bonds providing $350 million to fund affordable projects couldn’t have come at a better time for developers of affordable housing in Austin. The combination of fierce land costs locally, inflation increasing construction costs on all housing…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 15, 2022
Homes in Austin’s white neighborhoods are valued much higher than ones in communities of color
People of color in Austin can expect their homes to be worth nearly three times less than homes owned by white residents, according to a new report. Researchers with Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Illinois-Chicago found that,…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 4, 2022
ASPIRE project to bring affordable housing, business training to North Austin
BiGAUSTIN, the Black-led nonprofit group that has provided microlending, business training and workforce assistance for nearly 30 years, has announced plans to construct a massive new community resource center and affordable housing community in a partnership with Banc of America…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 3, 2022
Council approves ordinances to strengthen renters’ rights
City Council approved two ordinances Thursday enshrining the right of tenants to organize and to remedy lease violations prior to eviction. As rents in Austin continue to rise, tenant advocates say the ordinances are increasingly necessary to help prevent eviction…
Housing • By Jonathan Lee • Oct 28, 2022
Council to close tenant relocation ordinance loophole
City Council approved a resolution requesting that staff review the tenant relocation ordinance and propose changes ensuring the protections apply to tenants at mobile home parks. The tenant relocation ordinance, which Council passed in 2016, requires that landlords provide notice…
City Council • By Nina Hernandez • Oct 28, 2022
Study finds middle-income housing fund outperforms high-dollar real estate
An Austin investment fund created to support and stabilize middle-income rental housing has been verified as an attractive and viable investment by researchers from two Texas universities. Affordable Central Texas, which began acquiring middle-income rental communities in late 2018, has…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 21, 2022
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$1,700, $2,900, $3,200 a month? What’s the real cost of rent in Austin?
The rent in Austin is too damn high. But how high? Recently, Axios published data showing the median rent in Austin is a whopping $2,930 per month. (That includes rental homes of all sizes.) Another report from Bloomberg published in July,…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Oct 10, 2022
Capital A working to finalize two affordable housing projects
Just a little over two years ago, Conor Kenny and Fayez Kazi, chair and vice chair, respectively, of the city’s Planning Commission, stepped down from their posts and began working on an ambitious plan to help the city out of…
Housing • By Jo Clifton • Oct 6, 2022
County gets scoop on supportive housing construction plans
Last week, Health and Human Services updated the Commissioners Court on the Travis County Supportive Housing Initiative, a $110 million, American Rescue Plan Act-funded project to bring housing to very low-income residents. Much of the commissioners’ discussion centered on making…
Housing • By Seth Smalley • Sep 28, 2022
City falls further behind on affordable housing goals
The city continues to fall behind on its affordable housing goals, according to a report from nonprofit HousingWorks Austin. In 2021, nine out of 10 Council districts failed to achieve district-based affordable housing production goals, and seven out of 10…
Housing • By Jonathan Lee • Sep 22, 2022
Austin ISD is considering turning two properties into teacher and staff housing
Austin ISD is considering turning two of its properties into housing that teachers and other staff could afford as rising housing costs make it harder to retain and recruit employees. District officials have been holding public meetings on proposals for…
Housing • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Sep 21, 2022
Supportive housing institute to push 550 new units toward city goal of 1,300
The city’s goal to build its way out of its homelessness crisis will get a boost next year from six local organizations going through training from one of the national leaders in creating supportive housing for the homeless. Last week,…
