Project Connect and the I-35 expansion are forcing billboards to move. But where will they go? The city is now deciding whether to loosen the code that governs how close these signs can be to residential homes.
Sam Stark
Sam Stark is Austin Current's government reporter. He has been reporting in Austin for several years, most recently as a broadcast reporter at KXAN.
Posted inGrowth & Development
‘We’re weathering the storm’: Downtown businesses feel the void as convention center disappears
Revenue from the city’s hotel occupancy tax helps fund arts and cultural programs, meaning the effects could ripple beyond downtown.
Posted inGrowth & Development
Could a European-inspired public housing model stabilize Austin’s volatile housing market?
The Austin City Council will vote on a social housing model supporters say could lead to more affordable, climate-friendly homes built in the city.
Posted inGrowth & Development
Saving sacred ground: The battle to protect Austin’s first Black cemetery
In rapidly-developing East Austin, advocates are pushing to protect Bethany Cemetery, the city’s first all-Black burial ground, through historic zoning.
Posted inGovernment
Months after voters rejected Prop Q, Austin prepares bond that would raise taxes
The Austin City Council will soon decide whether to send a bond proposal to voters later this year. This comes as City Hall works to restore public confidence after Proposition Q’s failure.
Posted inGovernment
As ICE activities ramp up, activists demand less APD cooperation
Hundreds turned out Tuesday to protest at City Hall following a recent ICE detention in Southwest Austin
Posted inGovernment
Critics have long wanted an audit of City Hall. Now Austin’s mayor does too
With a tight budget, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson wants audits, spending limits and new bond guidelines. Critics say the reforms lack independence and restraint.
Posted inGovernment
Austin homicides fell sharply in five years — experts don’t think it is a coincidence
Following a pandemic shutdowns surge, Austin’s falling homicide numbers have renewed debate over what drives violent crime and what reduces it.