Austin, TX

Texas' capital city visitors get parking headache under new order

Published

11 months ago

January 7, 2024

Press Room

Texas' capital city visitors get parking headache under new order

Sixth Street in Austin.

Cristela Jones

Finding parking in downtown Austin is not easy. Whether you pay $20+ to park in a garage or get lucky and find a spot on a metered street, this year you may not need to do either. Ride sharing may become visitors and residents’ best bet since Austin is doing away with parking restrictions for new developments in 2024.

The City of Austin has now become the biggest city in the country to eliminate its parking mandates citywide, according to an NPR report. The effort is part of several ways to make neighborhoods more walkable, ease housing costs, and combat congestion in the city.

Council member Zo Qadri, who represents Central Austin, was part of spearheading the initiative, saying,”I was proud to lead the way on eliminating parking mandates citywide here in Austin. It’s a significant step toward a more affordable, climate-friendly, and transit-oriented city.”

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Getting rid of parking requirements for the city means that developers will not have to make parking lots for buildings anymore in certain parts of the city. Before this, Austin required residential and commercial builders to include parking in their developments since the 1950s, but the amount of spots varied depending on what was being built, according to KUT. For example, usually the city required that every one-bedroom apartment be allotted 1.5 parking spots while a building for a three-bedroom home was required to build at least two parking spots.

Since 2013, Austin began to slowly minimize these requirements for new developments downtown and in 2023, the city council voted to remove parking requirements for bars. The city’s rules will still require builders to provide parking spots for those who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Special zoning districts within the city will still be under the city’s former parking minimum rules in neighborhoods like Hyde Park.

Austin is following the trend of dozens of other cities across the nation that have eliminated parking mandates, including Portland, Oregon, San Jose, California, and Richmond, Virginia. Although the move is meant to target parking, advocates of the decision say it may impact the city’s housing troubles as throwing out parking requirements will allow developers to build more housing.

“Downtown Austin hasn’t had parking minimums for ten years and yet developments still provide more parking than is currently needed,” Qadri said.

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In addition to making more room for housing, disgarding parking eliminates the cost of having to build spaces, which can cost a developer anywhere from $5,000 to $60,000 for one parking spot, depending on whether they’re building a surface parking lot or a concrete garage, according to the Austin city department. KUT reported that staff estimate these costs to a developer building apartments can add up to $200 a month to a tenant’s eventual rent.

Tony Jordan, President of the Parking Reform Network, a non-profit organization based in Oregon that educates the public about the impact of parking policy on climate change, equity, housing, and traffic told MySA, “The bottom line is that nothing changes immediately, but over time our cities can actually become better and do a lot better at providing equitable access to people who can’t drive.”

Despite a majority support for the elimination, some Austinites have mixed feelings about it, especially in a city that has been built around cars.

Reddit user, geezer_red, commented in the Austin subreddit about the NPR report, “What will happen is there will be a limited number of parking spots built, much lower than the units and not allocated to specific units. Then people have to separately purchase parking spots or rent from others. It’s how Brooklyn is and it sucks.”

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Another Redditor, Ecstatic-Profit8139, wrote, “we’re not getting rid of parking, we’re removing an unreasonable mandate that forces builders and business owners to provide more parking than anyone needs. there’s a sh**load of parking in this city. it’s always gonna be a chicken and egg situation, but forcing car infrastructure on every development in the city isn’t helping build a better city.”

Census data reveals that 60% of Austin workers drive alone to work, and supporters hope this new initiative will encourage drivers to make more environmentally-friendly transit decisions and if parking is harder, people will choose to take public transportation, bike or walk to their destinations.

“Getting rid of these parking mandates just removes the arbitrary hurdle to having some percentage of our cities be accommodating for people who’d rather not drive which actually is most people [who] say they want a walkable experience,” Jordan said.

Qadri added that he along with council members are working with the Urban Land Institute and local stakeholders to study what more the city can do to better utilize space in developments for uses other than parking.

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Austin, TX

Bread winners: 10 Austin bakeries you'll love

Published

8 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Bread winners: 10 Austin bakeries you'll love

Craving something sweet? Maybe something flaky? Austin may be known for tacos and barbecue, but its bakeries are the unsung heroes of the local food scene. We think it’s time to give them the spotlight they deserve.

Whether you’re looking for pastries by day or celebratory cakes by night, these locally owned bakeries are proof that life is butter with carbs.

Comadre Panadería, 1204 Cedar Ave. | Try something new at this Mexican-American bakery (which is a two-time James Beard semi-finalist) like the highly raved-about concha and pink cake.

La Pâtisserie, multiple locations | A case full of colorful macarons is the main attraction at this French bakery, which also offers pastries, cake, scones, buns, croissants, and wine.

If you’re lucky (like City Editor Morgan was), you may be able to find a frowning gingerbread man at Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery.

Quack’s Bakery, multiple locations | Keeping Austin sweet since 1983, these beloved bakeries make pies, cakes, pastries, and more from scratch with no additives. Be sure to check out seasonal offerings like Pride, Halloween, and Christmas-themed cookies.

Rockman Coffee + Bakeshop, 2400 E. Cesar Chavez St., Ste. #200 | Owned by award-winning pastry chef Amanda Rockman, this newly opened bakeshop is all about caffeine, gluten, butter, sugar, and booze. Grab a rip ‘n’ dip bagel, strawberry cheesecake croissant, or focaccia sandwich.

Sour Duck Market, 1814 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | The neighborhood bakery within this American restaurant + beer garden is not to be missed. Snag a traditional bite like a savory Danish pastry or a creative concoction like the sweet potato-chai bearclaw.

Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop, 1905 S. 1st St. | Desserts are king at this sugary locale that offers classic cupcakes, cookies, lemon + pecan bars, cakes, and mini-pies in-store, with custom offerings available for larger orders.

Texas French Bread, 2900 Rio Grande St. | Currently housed in an Airstream trailer, this small but mighty bakery (serving Austinites since 1981) sells goods on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll have to visit in person to see the full menu of bread, pastries, and sweets available each day.

Upper Crust Bakery, 4508 Burnet Rd. | This family-owned scratch bakery has it all, whether you want a cup of coffee and a pastry, a smoked turkey sandwich for lunch, or a layered cake to take home and enjoy.

Walton’s Fancy & Staple, 609 W. 6th St. | Amid a cluster of bars on West 6th Street, this bakery + deli owned by Sandra Bullock is a beacon of sweetness. Its pastries and sweet treats are made daily, but you can also order custom cakes.

Zucchini Kill Bakery, multiple locations | Calling all vegan, gluten, and soy-free folks with a sweet tooth. This woman-owned bakery is a haven for those with dietary restrictions and incorporates the spirit of punk music into its delicacies.

What’s your favorite bakery in Austin? Let us know and we might add it to this list in the future.

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Austin, TX

Texas Longhorns Release First Injury Report vs. Kentucky Wildcats

Published

15 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Texas Longhorns Release First Injury Report vs. Kentucky Wildcats

AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns and Kentucky Wildcats have released their initial student-athlete availability report ahead of Saturday’s meeting in Austin.

Texas is listing receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. as questionable due to a foot injury while linebacker Morice Blackwell Jr. is questionable after sitting out for the 20-10 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks last week.

“He’s progressing this week,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said of Moore Jr. during Wednesday’s SEC Weekly Teleconference. “We’ll see if he’ll be ready to go here Saturday, but we’re surely a better team when he’s out there.”

Fortunately for Texas, running back Jaydon Blue was not listed on the report after being seen in a sling following the Arkansas game.

Here’s the full report for both teams:

Texas vs. Kentucky injury report / secsports.com

Sarkisian provided an injury update on Moore Jr., Blue and Blackwell Jr. on Monday during his weekly press conference.

“I think Blue’s good,” Sarkisian said. “Like I said, he went with us today and worked this morning. So we’ll see how it goes. … Mo Blackwell was out last week. … I’m hopeful we can get him back this week. We’ll see how it goes. … DeAndre got nicked up during the game with a foot injury. Again, those two guys (Blackwell) are integral parts to our program, not only on offense and defense, but on special teams. They’re critical. So hopefully we get both those guys back.”

No. 3 Texas and Kentucky will kick off from DKR on Saturday at

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Austin, TX

UT Energy Expertise To Guide New Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, Bolster U.S. Energy Supply

Published

23 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

UT Energy Expertise To Guide New Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, Bolster U.S. Energy Supply

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin will partner with industry and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to build and expand a hub for hydrogen energy production along the Texas Gulf Coast that will help increase and diversify the nation’s energy supply. UT serves as founding member and lead academic organization.

The HyVelocity Hub (HyV), a regional energy consortium, aims to become the largest hydrogen hub in the nation. It will leverage the region’s high concentration of existing hydrogen production and end-use assets to develop low-carbon intensity hydrogen that can power trucks, industrial processes, ammonia production, refining and petrochemical production, and marine shipping fuel.

“Texas is the nation’s energy capital, and UT is the energy university, and we are no stranger to playing a leading role in America’s energy innovation,” said UT President Jay Hartzell. “The success of the HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub is critical to our nation’s future energy security. We are excited to work with our industry partners and apply our vast energy, business and policy expertise to develop the hydrogen workforce and accelerate production along the Gulf Coast.”

UT will provide expertise to support community benefits activities and hydrogen workforce development efforts. UT, through the IC2 Institute and the RESET lab in the Cockrell School of Engineering, has a significant track record of working with over 80 communities in Texas and bordering states to understand community needs and connect these to economic development initiatives to improve the lives of all community members. The hydrogen proto-hub demonstration facility at the Center for Electromechanics will serve as a key resource for hands-on workforce training activities. UT researchers will also conduct life-cycle and techno-economic analyses for the projects. For example, they will provide the analyses required for meeting emissions criteria, clean hydrogen standards, and cost benchmarks, and will report these data to the Department of Energy.

“UT Austin’s role in the HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub will be vital to both providing the research and expertise needed to accelerate the global market for hydrogen, and to developing the workforce needed to support the industry’s advancement over the long term in Texas and the Gulf Coast,” said Brian Korgel, the Rashid Engineering Regents Chair Professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and the director of the UT Energy Institute. “We are proud to be part of this important project that will advance secure and sustainable energy in the U.S. and all over the world.”

HyV’s work will be at the forefront of maintaining and expanding Texas as a global leader in hydrogen energy development. With $22 million in the first tranche of funding, HyVelocity is expected to create up to 45,000 well-paying jobs over its lifetime and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 7 million metric tons per year — equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 1.5 million gasoline-powered cars. The Department of Energy is investing $1.2 billion in the project.

As the nation’s premier university for energy innovation and excellence, UT brings an unmatched scale, depth and breadth of expertise and a pragmatic approach to advancing solutions across the full spectrum of energy. Situated in the heart of Texas, UT is in the center of the energy capital of the world. The University boasts numerous top-10 academic programs and a vast community of minds spanning a multitude of energy departments, centers and institutes. UT’s extensive industry partnerships and field research extend from the oil fields of West Texas to the other side of the world, with faculty, students and staff engaged in applied research in hydrogen, carbon capture, wind, solar, batteries and more.

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