Austin’s City Council is currently on summer break, but when its members return next week for the meeting scheduled on July 20, they’re taking on a fairly significant land use resolution with the potential to shape the future of housing across the city. You’d think Agenda Item 126 might have dropped with a little more fanfare, considering its…
housing
Solving Austin’s Housing Affordability Crisis in 3 Easy Steps
If you recall, the City of Austin’s attempt last year to rewrite its land development code, which dates back to the mid-1980s, fell apart with the demise of what was then known as CodeNEXT. It’s complicated and we won’t explain it all here, but what’s important is, we’re trying again! Last week, our beloved City Council…
CodeNEXT Is Dead, Long Live CodeNEXT!
CodeNEXT, Austin’s long-awaited rejiggering of the land development code, is dead. Mayor Steve Adler was the first politician to acknowledge the reality that “something has gone horribly wrong” and the project had been “poisoned” by “misinformation, hyperbole, fearmongering, and divisive rhetoric.” The news cycle moved from breaking news to roundups and roundups of takes, and now we’re at the part…
Uneasy Neighbors: Zilker Residents Want to Keep Downtown “Downtown”
South Austin managed to get through the 20th century without much fuss, so obsessed were the city fathers with their favorite children—all the neighborhoods north of the Colorado River. “South Austin was seen as sort of a stepchild,” said Jeff Jack, president of the Zilker Neighborhood Association and local architect. Residents south of the river thrived in this sort of anonymity, managing…