Nate Paul pleads guilty to federal financial crime "Austin real estate investor Nate Paul on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a charge of making false statements to a financial institution as part of a deal with prosecutors, ending a six-year legal saga. All other counts against Paul will be dropped under terms of the agreement.” (Tony Plohetski, Austin American-Statesman)
Iconic diner Star Seeds Cafe still looking for new location "Ideally, the diner will have a permanent new home near downtown by this summer. If downtown lease negotiations don't work out, however, it may move elsewhere in the city. The Stars Cafe diner was forced to close in November to make way for the expansion of I-35.” (Sean Hemmersmeier, Austin Business Journal)
Austin proposes new rules for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals "Austin is proposing changes in hopes of making STRs fit within the nature of a neighborhood and stopping them from contributing to a shortage of affordable long-term housing." (Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT 90.5)
Report sees strong growth for life sciences jobs and real estate throughout Austin "Austin’s bio and health ecosystem is emerging as a significant driver of economic development, with new projects and public policy efforts shaping the future of the sector, according to the 2024 Austin Bio & Health Report authored by industry analysts Jason Scharf and Jani Tuomi.” (Austin Monitor, Chad Swiatecki)
Liberty Hill approves retail site plan for Target "The roughly 35.5-acre development will sit at 351 US 183. Target is set to serve as the anchor of the development. (Sam Schaffer, Community Impact)
Major landlords with Austin ties being investigated for illegal rent hikes "The Justice Department (DOJ) is suing six of the country's largest landlords, along with RealPage, alleging they took part in a pricing scheme that harmed renters. … The antitrust lawsuit claims six property management companies — Cushman & Wakefield, LivCor, Cortland, Greystar, Dallas-based Willow Bridge, and Houston-based Camden, which have numerous locations in the Austin area — are using software like RealPage.” (KVUE-ABC via CultureMap Austin)
