July 19, 2012 5:00 am by: Matt Largey

Republic Square Park, on Guadalupe near the downtown library, is changing along with its neighborhood. Photo by Matt Largey/KUT News
Republic Square Park is in line for a makeover as new development is changing the face of that part of downtown....
» read more
|
Austin’s plans for an urban rail line were set back recently when Mayor Lee Leffingwell announced he opposed putting it before voters this fall.
KUT’s Wells Dunbar met with Mayor Leffingwell in his office for this weeks’ edition of Changing Austin. He explained why he doesn’t think the time is right for urban rail yet.
Mayor Leffingwell:
What’s really important to realize here is we have a plan, where deferring the election for the general-obligation bonds would not ultimately delay the actual ready-time for the rail line itself. We would still target our original completion date of sometime 2019 to 2021. We would just have the bond election at a later date. But our planning is going to go ahead just as if everything else was in place.... » read more
|
On Friday, Austin residents have a chance to get involved with the drafting of a citywide water protection ordinance that will affect creeks, streams and development in East Travis County.
City staff and stakeholders are working on fine-tuning details of the new ordinance that would implement...
» read more
The City of Austin is putting together what it calls “good neighbor guidelines” for affordable housing developers. A lack of communication can cause discontent among neighbors, developers and others involved. Ideally, these guidelines will serve to encourage open discourse between all...
» read more
Parts of Shoal Creek are getting a makeover.
Soil erosion and poor water quality have plagued the creek for years, said Morgan Byars, who's leading a $5 million restoration project currently in the design stages. Construction is expected to get underway in 2013.
“Our main focus here is...
» read more
The city of Austin is developing a plan to deal with invasive species on city-managed land, with a public input meeting plan tomorrow night. In this week’s edition of Changing Austin, Matt Largey with KUT News talks with Angela Hanson, a forester with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department,...
» read more
Just how should the city of Austin go about banning plastic checkout bags, and should it ban them at all?
Over the summer, the city council voted to develop a plan to at least reduce the flow of plastic shopping bags into landfills. The public is invited to0 weigh in next week on a potential...
» read more
The City of Austin has been developing a plan to significantly reduce the amount of waste Austinites produce. To achieve this by 2040, the city has been working on strategies that will accomplish that.
In this week's "Changing Austin" segment, KUT’s Matt Largey talks trash with Bob Gedert,...
» read more
Earlier this year, the Austin City Council approved a measure to keep parking meters downtown in effect until midnight. Dueling proposals on next week’s city council agenda could change the plan.
KUT’s Matt Largey spoke with Councilmember Mike Martinez at his office about his proposal, which...
» read more
The City of Austin’s new website launched last week. It’s still in beta, which means it’s still in the finals stages of development.
Web content manager Chris Florence spoke with KUT’s Matt Largey about the changes made on this edition of Changing Austin.
Chris Florence:
The...
» read more
Austin voters may be asked to vote on a bond package in a November referendum. If approved, these funds would go toward making improvements to the city’s libraries, parks, sidewalks and roadways, as well as creating an urban rail system.
Molly Scarbrough, program consultant for the city’s...
» read more
What data do you want from the City of Austin?
The city is looking for input on what public data sets it should publish on its website. It's part of a project to make city data more accessible.
The city will release the data sets voted to be the top priority by citizens. They'll publish a few...
» read more
The city of Austin wants feedback on new regulations for the East Riverside Corridor. The East Riverside Corridor master plan is aimed at guiding development in the area.
KUT’s Matt Largey talked about the plan with Erica Leak of the city’s Planning and Development Review Department.
We...
» read more
The Barton Springs salamander is an endangered species unique to Austin. Every 15 years, the city must reapply for federal permits to manage the salamanders’ habitat. The current plan expires in 2013 and city officials are taking the opportunity to ask for input from the public.
KUT’s Matt...
» read more
The City of Austin wants your stories and photos as part of its comprehensive planning efforts.
The city is launching a program it’s calling “Imagine Austin Show and Tell”. It’s part of the multi-year comprehensive planning process that will produce a 30-thousand foot road map for the...
» read more
In March, the Austin City Council approved a measure to keep downtown parking meters in effect until midnight. Now, dueling proposals on next week’s city council agenda could change the plan.
KUT’s Matt Largey spoke with Councilmember Laura Morrison about her proposal to postpone the...
» read more