The Housing Department recently celebrated the opening of Parker Lane Apartments, a new affordable housing community in Southeast Austin’s District 3. The development, managed by the nonprofit organization Foundation Communities, offers 135 units designed to support individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The unit mix includes 25 one-bedroom, 68 two-bedroom and 42 three-bedroom apartments. Of those, 14 units are designated for families with children facing homelessness. Ten units are reserved for households earning at or below 30 percent of the area’s median family income, 58 units are for those at or below 50 percent MFI, and 53 are for those at or below 60 percent MFI. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs contributed $15 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits toward the project, while the city provided approximately $9.7 million using funds from 2022 general obligation bonds and Project Connect’s anti-displacement initiatives. Additional financial support came from Wells Fargo, St. David’s Foundation, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. Located on property from the former Parker Lane United Methodist Church site, the project saw church leaders enter into a 99-year lease agreement with Foundation Communities to bring affordable housing and community services to the neighborhood.

The Zero Waste Advisory Commission voted unanimously to add their own recommendation against a proposed merger with the Resource Management Commission on Feb. 12. The Austin Monitor had previously reported on the RMC’s recommendation against the same merger on Feb. 3. During the meeting, commissioners amended their draft resolution to include language directly copied from the RMC’s resolution that dismissed the notion of significant overlap in purpose between the two commissions. The final resolution also emphasized the ZWAC’s role in advising Austin Resource Recovery, one of the city’s enterprise departments, which run more like businesses. The RMC routinely advises Austin Energy, the enterprise department responsible for managing the city’s power grid.

Workforce Solutions Capital Area is seeking community input on its Hire Local Plan, an initiative aimed at enhancing workforce development in the Austin metro area. The plan focuses on increasing skilled local talent, improving income for residents and expanding payrolls for local businesses. To achieve these objectives, WFSCA has outlined four key strategies: awareness and enrollment, training, placement and advancement. Community members are encouraged to review the strategies and provide feedback to ensure the plan is inclusive and collaborative.

WFSCA is also hosting the Recruiting Source International Job Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. at the Workforce Solutions Capital Area office on North Interstate 35. The event aims to connect experienced IT professionals with hybrid and remote roles in the Austin area. Interested candidates are encouraged to learn more online.

Presidents Day is Monday, Feb. 17, which means city of Austin administrative offices and other municipal facilities will be closed. Libraries will be closed Sunday and Monday, Feb. 16 and 17. However, many city services will continue as usual. You can expect typical operations and schedules for city of Austin utilities payments and Austin Resource Recovery curbside collections, plus city parks, golf courses, cemeteries and year-round pools.

The latest edition of the Texas Metropolitan Blueprint, led by UT Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, outlines a five-year plan addressing urban challenges in Texas, with a strong focus on Austin. The Blueprint highlights the city’s recent policy changes to boost housing affordability, including lot size reforms and the elimination of mandatory parking requirements. These align with recommendations to remove regulatory barriers and increase housing supply. The report said Austin is set to benefit from major infrastructure investments in areas such as public transit improvements. Austin is seen as central to the Blueprint’s call for responsible AI governance and policies balancing innovation with ethical concerns. The report also warns of rising energy demands tied to AI growth, urging policies to ensure efficiency and grid resilience. It was released to coincide with the convening of this year’s Texas Legislature, with authors offering data-driven guidance to sustain Austin’s innovation and economic growth while tackling affordability, infrastructure and workforce development.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce is set to host its annual Infrastructure Summit on April 8 at the Hilton Austin. This event offers business and community leaders opportunities to gain insights into the evolving sectors of transportation, transit, water, energy and more within the Austin region. The just-completed programming schedule includes the following topics:

• I-35 Express, Austin’s Convention Center & Congress Avenue
• Austin Light Rail
• Air Services
• Energy Reliability in Texas: Natural Gas
• Water Infrastructure
• Clean Energy in Solar & Wind
• Texas Electrical Grid
• Regional Transportation

Early-bird tickets are available until March 1, with event details available online.

Pease Park Conservancy has been planning and prepping to replace the netting in the park’s treehouse structure, but because of supply chain issues, the replacement will be delayed until April. The treehouse will be closed until then. In an update about the project, the conservancy noted that “Much of the expense associated with these repairs was unexpected for this year” and asked for donations for operations expenses, which can be given here.

The biannual It’s My Park Day is scheduled for March 1, and volunteer registration is now open for people who want to come together to enhance local parks, trails and greenbelts – while also taking part in fun activities beyond the volunteer work, such as ice cream trucks, Zumba classes and live music, plus special discounts and freebies at local establishments. For a complete list of projects and hours at the 88 parks citywide, check out the Austin Parks Foundation’s website at austinparks.org/impd. Last year, 3,000+ volunteers had a huge impact, removing 34,000 pounds of trash and spreading 713 cubic yards of mulch. This year, the Parks Foundation is introducing the “IMPD Park Picker” system to place volunteers at parks in a more balanced way. This community event was established in 2003 and generates the equivalent of $650,000 in volunteer labor on average each year. “The impact of It’s My Park Day extends well beyond a Saturday morning in the park,” said Austin Parks Foundation CEO Colin Wallis. “This community-led day of service is an integral part of both our city’s collective commitment to public green spaces and our organization’s dedication to supporting parks in every district.

Austin has become a leader in affordable housing construction in Texas, with 2,717 fully affordable housing units currently under construction – the most of any metro in the state and among the highest in the country, according to a new report from real estate technology company Yardi Matrix. The city is also expected to deliver 3,452 affordable units in 2025, ranking first among U.S. metro areas. The report found that despite its strong pace, Austin faces the same challenges as the rest of the country: rising construction costs, labor shortages and declining new project starts. The report notes that fully affordable housing starts in the U.S. fell by nearly 29 percent in 2024, driven by higher interest rates and escalating costs for material and insurance. Texas, which has the third-largest stock of affordable housing units nationwide (138,500), is projected to add 8,751 units by 2027, second only to California. Other major Texas cities like San Antonio and Houston are also expanding their affordable housing efforts but at a slower pace, with San Antonio projected to deliver 5,581 units by 2027.

In celebration of Black History Month, the Black History Bike Ride group will be hosting a day of cycling and film on Saturday, Feb. 22. The guided bike ride will kick off at 1 p.m. at the George Washington Carver Museum. The premiere of Momentum, a short documentary about Black History Bike Ride and free screenings of The Route to Emancipation and A Race in the Sun will follow at 6 p.m. at Antone’s Night Club. Both events are free, with RSVPs available here.

Major Taylor Cycling Club, a group that honors the legacy of Black cyclist Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor, will also be hosting cycling events throughout the month of February. More information on those can be found here.

Even though it’s too chilly for most to consider swim weather, the Aquatic Division of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department is busy. It is now hiring hundreds of lifeguards (ages 15 and older) starting at $21.63 per hour. Training is ongoing, with March 16-22 holding a number of opportunities during spring break. The city points out that “candidates from diverse origins, orientations, identities, and abilities are welcome.” For more info, visit LifeguardAustin.com. Also, Barton Springs Pool’s annual closure for maintenance is scheduled for March 1-14. And lastly, season passes are currently available to buy for the 2025 swim season, valid March 8 through Oct. 31. The passes also include parking at Zilker Park. For more information, visit AustinTexas.gov/Pools.

The city has chosen the Greater Austin YMCA to run an early education center at the Dove Springs Public Health Facility, which opened in November. The new 10,000-square-foot facility, funded by a 2018 bond proposal, will provide affordable child care for working families in Southeast Austin. The YMCA Tomorrow Academy will serve children from six weeks to five years old, offering early literacy, STEM education, creative arts, and nature-based learning. The center aims to address long-standing child care shortages in the area while supporting parents’ workforce participation. The Dove Springs location is part of a larger effort to expand early education access in Austin, with the YMCA planning to serve up to 1,000 children across multiple centers by 2030. The new academy will open in March 2025. The YMCA will operate the center for an initial three-year term, with an option to renew for an additional three years. The facility is located at 5811 Palo Blanco Lane, adjacent to the Dove Springs Public Health Facility, which provides preventive health care and employment services. City officials say the combined resources will help close service gaps for historically underserved residents.