Hotel room fees, noise ordinance, Texas’s housing needs

New citywide tourism district, funded through hotel room fees, nears industry approval “The aim of the new district would be to better market Austin as a destination for business travel and tourism, particularly during the period when the city is without a convention center. The Austin Convention Center is set to be demolished early next year, but its replacement won’t open until 2029.” (Sean Hemmersmeier, Austin Business Journal)

A change to Austin’s rules could lead to better soundproofing for homes near music venues “The Austin City Council on Thursday approved a change that requires developers to conduct a sound assessment before they build. The move is part of a 2018 resolution that aims to help entertainment venues, housing and businesses exist side-by-side.” (Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT 90.5)

City provides updates on financial, anti-displacement efforts related to HOME initiatives “The city has started to make a series of moves intended to make it easier for middle- and low-income residents to build accessory dwelling units and generate new income from properties that are now able to host more housing.” (Chad Swiatecki, Austin Monitor)

Texas needs 306,000 more homes to meet demand, experts say “Texas’ population growth has outpaced homebuilding since 2020, according to the state comptroller’s office, resulting in a widespread housing shortage. Up For Growth, a national housing policy organization, reported that Texas needs about 306,000 more homes to meet demand.” (Hannah Norton, Community Impact)

South Korean EV supplier Futronic USA aims to tap industry hotbed with Buda location “The company picked Buda as the location for the project following a search centered on Texas, because it needed to be near both Michigan and Mexico to deliver parts to clients, one of which is Detroit-based American Axle & Manufacturing Inc.” (Justin Sayers, Austin Business Journal)

Leander near completion on water tower, now restarting San Gabriel Parkway project “The City of Leander is planning to have the new water tower completed this year, paving the way to restart the San Gabriel Parkway project. When a city is growing over three times faster than expected, keeping up is not easy. ‘We didn’t go through a boom, we went through an explosion,’ said Tony Bettis, the Program Manager for Capital Improvements Program.” (Daranesha Herron, KVUE)

Budget analysts: Ending Texas property taxes would cost over $81B annually “State senators met at the Texas Capitol on Sept. 4 to consider further reducing Texas’ local property taxes. Lawmakers approved $18 billion in property tax cuts last summer.” (Hannah Norton, Community Impact)