East side activist Llanes Pulido running for mayor "Longtime Austin activist Carmen Llanes Pulido announced Tuesday that she would be running for mayor. Llanes Pulido, 39, is the executive director of GAVA (Go Austin/Vamos Austin) and a former member of a variety of city organizations, including the Planning Commission and the inaugural Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, which created Austin’s first district map." (Jo Clifton, Austin Monitor)
Developers will regain a tool for large projects in Travis Co. "Travis County Commissioners plan to reintroduce public improvement districts, or PIDs, at the start of February. PIDs allow counties and cities to levy additional taxes on a site to fund specific project-related improvements. They are used in other counties across the region to help cover some costs to developers." (Mike Christen, Austin Business Journal)
East Austin Apartment Rezoning Might Mark Change for Cherrywood "The rezoning request is being sought by local land use firm Drenner Group for the contiguous tracts at 1230 East 38th ½ Street, 1400 East 38th ½ Street, 1402 East 38th ½ Street, and 1406 East 38th ½ Street. This includes the Alma Cherrywood apartment complex, a warehouse belonging to Westbank Dry Cleaning, Cherrywood Coffeehouse, the Monarch Food Mart, and the GC Cleaners & Laundry." (James Rambin, Towers)
Tesla says its next generation vehicle will be Austin-made "The Austin-based company, which shared its fourth quarter 2023 earnings report Wednesday, teased that it would be making its next vehicle platform in Austin, but gave little detail beyond that." (Kara Carlson, Austin American-Statesman)
Joyful, modern hotel opens doors affordably in downtown Austin "CitizenM Austin stands 17 stories tall at the corner of Seventh and Colorado streets in downtown Austin, right across from Perry’s Steakhouse and a short walk to the Sixth Street entertainment district. The building has been in the works for about two years." (Katey Psencik, CultureMap Austin)
Rainfall temporarily restores flow to Jacob's Well "Flow has been restored to a popular Central Texas swimming hole – at least temporarily.Hays County Parks said Thursday that recent rainfall has temporarily restored flow to Jacob's Well. But the department said it's too soon to know how things will look by summer." (Britny Eubank, KVUE-ABC)
New Wells in Austin to Monitor Oxygen Levels for Endangered Salamanders "Diminished flows in the Edwards Aquifer don’t only affect human permit holders; they cause dissolved oxygen levels in the water to go down, making it harder for the endangered Barton Springs and Austin blind salamanders to breathe." (Lina Fisher, Austin Chronicle)
