austin news

City Council passes mandatory "energy audits" for home sellers

Jude Galligan | November 7, 2008 |

The idea is to encourage home owners to make “green” decisions whenever possible. But, at a time when home owners are already facing a slow down, this feels more like a tax on the home owner. When it comes time to sell a house, the seller will be required to pay Austin Energy $200-300 for a report that gives buyers a snapshot of how energy efficient the property is.

“Any upgrades would be voluntary, although officials are hoping that the
disclosures would prompt either buyers or sellers to gradually make
improvements that will cut energy use in the city.”

[more]

Proposition 2 Fails

AG | November 6, 2008 |

From the City of Austin web site:

Voters did not pass Proposition 2, which would have prohibited the City from entering into future agreements to provide financial incentives in connection with the development or redevelopment of property that includes one or more retail uses, and to stop the City from providing financial incentives under certain existing agreements in connection with the development or redevelopment of property that includes one or more retail uses. The unofficial vote tally on this proposition was 126,064 “for” and 136,609 “against.”

Urban Exploration – abandoned buildings

Jude Galligan | November 5, 2008 |

I wish Austin had more interesting derelict buildings like this. There is something creepy but inviting about these old buildings. You can imagine these used to be active facilities that [some] operated for centuries. [more]

I Heart the Dillo, and You Should, Too.

AG | September 2, 2008 |

Free ‘Dillo service (the trolley-like buses downtown) is getting a make-over. With a lot of work by the city and cap metro and with heavy input from your representatives at DANA (the Downtown Austin neighborhood Association), the ‘Dillo map has been simplified into an easy to remember North/South, East/West route with a greater frequency of buses (every 5 minutes during the week) that is expected to make the service more convenient for every day riders and casual users trying to get around town.

If you want this phenomenal service to continue, I recommend using it and using it often.

BTW – my favorite route? It’s the one that goes from 5th and Red River to Whole Foods back to 5th and Red River. HOW COOL IS THAT?

You can download or print the new map here:
http://www.capmetro.org/riding/current_schedules/maps/new%20dillo%20m…

If you were a regular user of the service and want to know how your commute
has been impacted, Cap Metro has posted additional information here:
http://capmetroblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/if-you-loved-red-dillo.html

It's called LoCo, and it's getting a redo

Jude Galligan | February 27, 2008 |

“LoCo is still in its infancy as a label and is mostly undefined. In the real-estate world, LoCo can be anywhere from Interstate 35 west to Manchaca Road and from Ben White Boulevard south to Stassney Lane. This includes the neighborhoods of Battle Bend and Southwood.

As with any new nickname, time will be the arbiter of its acceptance and boundaries. But whether the dozen subdivisions just south of Ben White Boulevard are lumped together by a common name or not, they share certain traits by virtue of location that real estate developers and agents are getting excited about. ”

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