Photo by debaird on flickr Austin City Council met today; they passed the LCRA water deal and unanimously approved the red-light camera contract. Councilmember Leffingwell wants to lighten the SOS ordinance to allow for redevelopment of older buildings. Two women are dead after a church van drove off IH35 in Round Rock this morning. Travis County sheriffs are keeping an eye out for shoulder-passers on Loop 360. Round Rock cops pepper-sprayed a student for taking......

Image from Brackenridge Field Laboratory Development StudyMembers of the Integrative Biology section of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas have come forward with their own plan (large pdf) for the portion of the Brackenridge Tract currently containing the Brackenridge Field Laboratory. UT's Brackenridge Tract Tack Force recently recommended that the University hire an outside master planner to propose redevelopment for the entire tract, including the field laboratory. The biologists' plan contemplates......

Now that the summer rains are finally over, progress on the new Mueller Redevelopment is proceeding at a swift pace. With the credit crunch from the sub-prime market slowing new home construction in many parts of the country and foreclosures rising rapidly, it remains to be seen whether Austin really is as immune as some analysts predict, or is merely a bubble looking for a pin. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above,......

On Thursday night, City Council preliminarily approved the first phase of a plan to create a ‘second downtown’ in the area around the Domain. The North Burnet/Gateway Master Plan aims to transform 2,330 acres north of US 183 into a pedestrian and public transportation friendly mixed-use neighborhood. The plan envisions a redesigned Burnet Road as a ‘multi-use transit boulevard carrying Austin, bicycle and future transit service throughout the area.’ It will encourage the addition of......

Yesterday, city council approved a $750,000 loan to Las Manitas by a 5 to 2 vote, with a slight amendment to the terms of the loan. The solution to Las Manitas' problems has proven almost as controversial as the cause, and issues such as loan forgiveness, favoritism and elitism provided fodder for many opinionated individuals in the council chambers and the blogoshpere. One gentleman at yesterday’s meeting was particularly concerned with unfair competition in the......

City Council will vote Thursday on whether to offer to Las Manitas a "forgivable loan" for up to $750,000 under the new Business Retention and Enhancement Program. Las Manitas will need to put $94,000 towards the building renovation, and continue to operate and make interest payments for five years. At that point, the city would forgive the remainder of the loan. The loan will fund a move down the street to 227 Congress Ave, a......

Katherine Gregor does a nice job in this week's Developing Stories chronicling the negotiations surrounding the redevelopment of the former location of Concordia University. The setup is a familiar one - developers propose crappy project, neighbors get upset and protest. Here's the twist: the New Urbanist gurus at ROMA step in to mediate and they work out a project that everyone is happy with (at least the developers and the heads of the neighborhood......

Our favorite posts this week: Kristin posts on her SxSW so far. Norbizness gives his SxSW Music recommendations. Sort of related, we hear that one drunk woman offered someone $5 to sneak her in to see Donovan. Steve at Austin Real Estate Blog assures a SxSW visitor that it is faster to walk to 6th street from 15th and Guadalupe than to try to hitch a ride from someone. La Dilettante says, "Whistling is......

Catellus Development Group has disclosed the identities of the six home-builders that will be included in the Mueller redevelopment project: David Weekley Homes, Meritage Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, The Muskin Co., Saldaña Homes and Streetman Homes. Of these, Streetman, Saldana, and Muskin are from Austin. David Weekly is based in Houston, Meritage is based in Arizona, and Standard Pacific is based in California. They primarily build single family houses on the periphery of Austin......

Seaholm Power, LLC has released new renderings of the proposed Seaholm Power Plant redevelopment, which it will present to City Council tonight. The site plan includes an extension of the city street grid, filling the gap in Third Street, connecting West Avenue to Cesar Chavez and adding a new street, Seaholm Drive, between Third Street and Cesar Chavez. Both new streets get pedestrian/bicycle crossings at their intersections with Cesar Chavez, to help integrate this......

In case you missed the meeting last night, the urban warriors at Responsible Growth For NorthCross have posted pics of their plan for redevelopment of the lot currently hosting NorthCross Mall. Their site plan is a groovy, vertical-mixed-use, green-urban layout, with tree lined streets and tucked-away parking garages. It even manages to engage Anderson and Burnet to the extent possible. As you may remember, the plan put forth by the developer does none of......

All about the hills the hosts of Wal*Mart raged. The Captains of the Neighborhood Associations were foundering in a gathering sea. The sun gleamed red, and under the wings of the Developers the shadows of death fell dark upon the earth. In the darkness, a few brave souls planned a gathering, tomorrow night at seven, at the Grace Church of the Nazarene, to develop a plan to fight for quality redevelopment and neighborhood input......

The Grand Old Party nearly swept the statewide race yesterday, led by Governor Rick Perry, who after beating Democratic nominee Chris Bell and independent candidates Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn may very well become the longest-serving Governor in Texas. In a press conference this morning, Perry was vague when addressing rumors of a possible vice presidential bid, merely saying it was "up to the good Lord." Bell, who posted yesterday in his blog......

So we come to the end of our series. Remember you can vote early through Friday, or of course you can wait to vote until Election Day next Tuesday. Proposition Seven in ballot lingo:“The issuance of $58,100,000 in tax supported General Obligation Bonds and Notes for constructing, renovating, improving, and equipping public safety facilities, including, without limitation, a public safety training facility, police stations, emergency medical services buildings and facilities, a municipal courthouse, an......

If you've been to your library branch in the past couple of months, you've probably been handed a yellow flyer about this proposition. We've got a couple of them crumpled in between library books sitting on our shelf. Proposition Six, in ballot language:“The issuance of $90,000,000 in tax supported General Obligation Bonds and Notes for constructing and equipping a new Central Library facility and acquiring land and interests in land and property necessary to......

It's a definite sign of the times. Today alone, we told you of two Austin art institutions—Gallery Lombardi and Iron Gate Studios—closing their doors. Now, add to that another local organization: The Yellow Bike Project. For the uninitiated, YBP is a non-profit, volunteer run, community supported bicycle shop on East 51st Street. They act as a local bicycle advocacy group, teach bicycle maintanence, operate a pro bono bicycle shop for the community, and place......

Our own Austin Energy will snip the ribbon to their newest, most greenest power plant on Tuesday. Christened the Mueller Energy Center, part of the gigantic Mueller redevelopment project, the design and function of the building sports some pretty radical new fuel-saving developments. Utilizing the best technology available, the capabilities of this project point down exciting new avenues in energy conservation. Then again, this is what people have come to expect from Austin. This......

Simmons Vedder, the developers who brought us the Triangle, will develop the first rental apartments at the Mueller redevelopment. The plan is for a four-story, 422 apartment complex on Aldrich Street at Airport Boulevard. It was announced last week that Bed Bath and Beyond, Best Buy and Marshalls would open stores in the Mueller retail center fronting I-35 between 51st Street and Airport Boulevard. So, Mueller, despite its incredibly awesome plan, is starting to......

We have been entertained and/or educated by these Austin blog posts this week: New Urban Prospect posts on the planned redevelopment for the old airport area. We drive through it often enough to know that the hospital is coming along . . . and that's about it so far. Metroblogging Austin has collected useful links regarding the 40th anniversary of the Tower shootings. There is a note to the most recent Curra's Grill on......

Median household yearly income in Austin: $48,267 [link] Equivalent purchasing power, adjusted for cost of living here: $53,275 [link] Money Magazine's average: $43,961 [link] National average yearly salary of an "Associate Store Team Leader" at Austin-based Whole Foods: $73,061 [link] Amount Texas collected in sales tax revenue in June of 2006: $1.49 billion [link] Percentage increase from last year: 15.6 [link] Cost of new Lakeline Station project -- including up to 3,000 homes and......

In the north part of Austin's so-called Urban Core lies the intersection of Metric Boulevard, US-183, and MoPac. Now known collectively as the North Burnet/Gateway Planning Area, the roughly 2,300-acre section of land has grown considerably in the past few decades, from its origins as an industrial district and home of the UT Balcones Research Center (now J.J. Pickle Research Campus), built on a WWII-era magnesium plant, to the construction of various collosal highways......

Over at Northcross Mall, outrage has begun to boil over implications that a new Wal-Mart location could take root on this newly-desirable patch of retail property just west of Burnet Road along Anderson Lane......

We have to admit, we were a little skeptical when we first heard about the 2nd Street Shopping District redevelopment a few years ago. It sounded great, but we envisioned another vacuous, conspicuous consumption festival like Dallas' Mockingbird Station which, even with the West Village, light rail, and a preponderance of lofts, still doesn't do much to help make Dallas a real city. Boy, were we wrong! We started our evening at Jo's Coffee......

We’ve always thought that right-wing allodoxaphobes Republicans’ lust for cash trumped their disdain for minorities the gay community women progressives the poor sick children cute little puppies those of us with souls, and the organizations/events that appeal to or involve said demographic. As it turns out, we were wrong. Last week we brought you breaking news that Howard Wolf, citizen advisor of the Sunset Advisory Commission (the body that periodically reviews Texas state agencies)......

Hey. hipster. Do you often find yourself sitting around your apartment thinking, "Christ! If only someone would let me have a say in how funds were distributed to local arts organizations, I could really make a difference in this town!" (And, really, don't we all?) Well focus up, daydreamer, because here's your shot. The City of Austin is currently seeking review panelists for Cultural Arts Funding Programs. These are the people that decide which......

It's my Park! day is April 22. Volunteer now to clean up, rebuild and revitalize your favorite Austin-Area park! Keep up with all the redevelopment and construction going on Downtown. The city has a great website detailing most of the projects in Austin. UT is well-endowed. Miss Texas, Morgan Matlock, didn't win the Miss America Beauty Pagent, but she shure is purty. We are disgusted. The Islamic Center in North Austin was vandalized this......

Austinist has been alerted to the fact that between now and January 31 you can help the City of Austin with "the analysis of Austin's cultural environment and identification of key policy issues needing community dialogue" by filling out a survey. Coming out of The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division of Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office (say that three times fast), the goal of the survey is to gather input for the......