Austin moves to slow displacement, preserve thousands of affordable units with new fund
Public dollars could be matched with private and philanthropic dollars in a new effort to preserve existing, less expensive housing units for lower-income earners across Austin.
The details: Council members voted Sept. 11 to broaden the city's efforts to maintain naturally occurring affordable housing, or units that are available at cheaper rates without any government subsidy. That housing is often older and in need of repair, making it a target for redevelopment that can bring more costly and luxury-oriented units to the market while pushing out original residents.
Modeled after similar programs that have seen success in Dallas and other major cities, Austin's new housing preservation fund could offer financial support to property owners in exchange for a commitment to keep housing costs low. The fund will also be opened to investments from outside entities to quickly expand on an initial city investment, likely totaling several million dollars.
Flood recovery costs hit Travis County homeowners' pockets
Travis County homeowners will see an average $200 increase in property taxes this year after commissioners approved a one-year 9.12% tax hike to fund flood recovery efforts. The increase is allowed without voter approval due to state and federal disaster declarations following July’s severe flooding.
The breakdown: The higher tax rate—roughly 3 cents more per $100 of property value—is expected to raise about $42 million for a special reserve dedicated to flood repairs and road recovery. County officials have already spent over $21 million from emergency funds, covering debris removal, temporary road fixes and personnel costs. An additional $1.8 million is proposed for ongoing projects, including Cow Creek, Sandy Creek Bridge and a community resource liaison role.
The outlook: Commissioners emphasized the need to repair substandard roads, with roughly 100 miles still in need of upgrades, while ensuring transparency in emergency spending. Residents like Robert Ruggiero expressed concern about the impact on those on fixed incomes, worrying the law enabling the tax hike could lead to “government abuse.”
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Austin area.
A new location of Mendocino Farms is opening soon in Sunset Valley.
The menu at Mendocino Farms offers fresh sandwiches, salads, soups and sides. The “chef’s specials” menu features sandwiches and salads made with seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as the sweet peach and goat cheese salad, summer heirloom BLT and watermelon ‘poke’ salad.
To drink, the restaurant serves housemade beverages, including a passion fruit black tea and pomegranate mint lemonade.
TC4 & Co plans to construct the new restaurants at 1411 S. I-35 frontage road, Georgetown, on property it owns, according to a representative with Pennington Public Relations.
The League Kitchen & Tavern serves burgers, chicken pot pie, weekend brunch and a variety of drinks at four locations in the Austin area.
Tony C’s Pizza & Beer Garden currently has five locations in the Austin area, including offerings at the Moody Center and Dell Diamond. Menu items include mozzarella sticks, lasagna, pizzas, sandwiches, and a selection of beer and wine.
Demolition of Austin Convention Center nearly complete; new building to open in 2029
Demolition of the former Austin Convention Center is nearly complete, project leaders told Community Impact on Sept. 12.
The overview: The center closed in April and construction crews began demolishing the 365,000-square-foot building in May. They are scheduled to finish tearing down the existing building in late October and construct a 620,000-square-foot convention center in its place, which is expected to open in early 2029.
After crews finish tearing down the existing center in late October, they will begin excavating the site, digging 55 feet into the ground before placing foundations for the new building early next year.
The outlook: The new convention center is designed to bring larger events to Austin while increasing walkability downtown and making the center more welcoming for residents, ACC Acting Deputy Director Katy Zamesnik told reporters.
“This is the beginning of delivering on a promise that we've made to the community. … We want this to be a building that locals love just as much as our visitors do,” Zamesnik said Sept. 12.
Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz brings La La Land to life in Austin
Mark your calendars—theater lovers and romantics alike can look forward to a special screening and live performance of the 2016 Academy Award-winning film La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
The details: The movie follows the story of a promising pianist and aspiring actress who cross paths and fall in love.
The performance will bring the film’s soundtrack to life with a full orchestra and jazz band, conducted by Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz. Audiences can experience the movie on the big screen while hearing its iconic musical moments—including dynamic piano solos—performed live.
Hurwitz, both composer and screenwriter, is recognized for his longtime collaboration with director Damien Chazelle. He has composed the scores for many of Chazelle’s films, including Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Whiplash, La La Land, First Man and Babylon.
Tickets are currently on sale for a Valentine’s Day showing, Feb. 14, 2026, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Bass Concert Hall.
