Newsletter Signup
-
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- Facing overwhelmingly negative feedback, city drafts refinements to residential permit parking program
- New Data Center Planned for Lockhart in 2028
- Two Years after the Austin Police Oversight Act passed, Community Police Review Commission finally meets
- Changes on the way for Austin’s scooters
- Plans for parks over I-35 collide with Austin’s cash crunch
-
-
-
Discover News By District
-
Tag Archives: Economic Development Department
Virtual reality expected to help city attract billions in foreign investment
Through the use of virtual reality, the city of Austin is turning to the thriving local video game industry to help attract overseas investors and billions of dollars in new economic development money. The hope is that local developers can…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 28, 2016
Character, retention of businesses fuel expansion of Soul-y Austin
Though he works on the very same block, Josh Blaine had never been inside East Austin’s Vortex theater prior to attending a meeting of what is now the Manor Road Merchants Association. But as manager of the In.gredients neighborhood grocery…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Nov 10, 2016
City lands $10 million "minibond" agreement to save endangered music venues
The city of Austin will team up with private investors to save some of the city’s most iconic — and increasingly economically distressed — music venues through a new program announced prior to Thursday’s City Council meeting. Mayor Steve Adler announced…
Music & Entertainment • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 23, 2016
Adler: Business incentives shouldn't be 'bad word'
In a booming city with an unemployment rate south of 3 percent, it’s not surprising that people might be skeptical of spending taxpayer dollars to lure more jobs into town. In a recent survey of Austinites about city spending priorities,…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Aug 11, 2016
Music Commission to tackle licensing issues
Although the city’s Music and Entertainment Division is billed as “an economic development accelerator and centralized resource center for Austin’s music industry,” program manager Don Pitts says he spends about 70 percent of his time on permitting issues. Aiming to…
Music & Entertainment • By Tyler Whitson • Jan 11, 2016
Tovo finds an apparently painless $2 million cut
After its second day of budget deliberations and numerous additions for quality-of-life programs, City Council still needed to find or trim an additional $1.2 million to $1.3 million in order to balance the budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16. A city…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Sep 10, 2015
Subscribe to our newsletter
City seeks to "empower" Red River district
With news spreading about the struggles of several music venues in Austin’s Red River Cultural District, many have raised concerns about the future of the area’s identity. Meanwhile, the city is rolling out a new plan that could help give…
Austin • By Tyler Whitson • Jul 15, 2015
Chapter 380 won't stop firms from tax protests
City Council Member Kathie Tovo’s attempt to prevent companies that enter into Chapter 380 economic development agreements with the city from appealing their property tax appraisals ended with something considerably less than that Thursday, after Council members heard from a…
Austin • By Jo Clifton • Dec 12, 2014
Council OKs 'local' loan for planned hotel franchise
Questions from City Council Member Katie Tovo about a proposed Family Business Loan led to an illuminating discussion at Thursday’s Council meeting about what the word “local” really means. Tovo said she was surprised to find out that the program…
