Forbes: Austin remains a bargain

From Austin Business Journal, May 15, 2009...

Austin's relative affordability and number of job opportunities has helped it rank first on Forbes.com's list of the nation's best bargain cities.

To determine which U.S. cities are the best bargains, Forbes.com looked at the country's 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Researchers assigned cities points across four data sets: average salary for workers with a bachelor's degree or higher; annual unemployment statistics; cost of living; and the Housing Opportunity Index that measures the amount of homes sold in a given area that would be affordable to a family earning the local median income.

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Could Austin's Waller Creek Become The Next San Antonio Riverwalk?

From KEYE, May 13, 2009...

Many Central Texans have been to San Antonio's Riverwalk, but imagine a development like that in Downtown Austin. It’s one possibility being considered for development of the Waller Creek District. A public workshop will be held on Wednesday to give Austinites a chance to share their ideas. 

Waller Creek starts near Highland Mall in North Austin, flows south toward downtown Austin and eventually empties into Lady Bird Lake. Normally it doesn't present a problem for development, but when the city gets heavy rains, the area around the creek gets drenched with problems. 

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Austin's Capital MetroRail Enters Final Phase

From KEYE, May 13, 2009...

Capital Metro says it is committed to opening the new MetroRail when it is ready, though there is no set date as to when it will be released.

The Capital MetroRail has been making progress in the last two months according to their spokesperson. 

Executive President and Chief of Development for Capital Metro Doug Allen says “We are able to start the final phase of the process, which is the training and certification of the operators.”

The original release date was March 30, but due to incidents in February where two Veolia rail supervisors operating MetroRail trains entered a section of track without prior authorization during system testing, the date was postponed. 

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Texas Hill Country Ranch Restoring Native, Natural Beauty

From KEYE, May 14, 2009...

About an hour from Austin, there's a hidden jewel that's doing its part to restore overgrazed ranch land.

Not only can you go hiking on nature trails and see dinosaur tracks, you can see the efforts being made to protect wildlife and endangered species like the black-capped vireo and golden-cheeked warbler which nest there. 

Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, right outside Johnson City, is the Bamberger Ranch -- 5,500 acres of land now considered one of the largest habitat restoration projects in the state.

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Tough Economy Halts Austin Tradition

From KEYE, May 15, 2009...

On Monday organizers made the tough and, “painful” decision to cancel a huge Austin tradition for the next two years. The director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo said there’s just not enough money anymore. 

This Expo's been around for 17 years and more than 35,000 people usually attend. But organizers say the recession made too many of their sponsors pull out this year. The free event cost about $400,000.

“The expo is like the state fair of the outdoors,” said Director Ernie Gammage. “you can do everything there.”

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Feral Hogs Beware: Texas Lawmakers Are Gunning For You From The Air

From KEYE, May 15, 2009...

The Texas House tentatively approved a bill encouraging hunters to take on wild pigs from the air.

Landowners can get a permit to control feral hog populations from a helicopter.

Republican Rep. Sid Miller, of Stephenville, said the measure would allow landowners to sell seats on the helicopter to some hunters

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Austin's Secrets For Economic Success

From Forbes, May 12, 2009...

Few places have received more accolades in recent years than Austin, the city that ranked first on our list of the best big cities for jobs. Understanding what makes this attractive, fast-growing city tick can tell us much about what urban growth will look like in the coming decades.

Austin's success is not surprising since, in many ways, it starts on third base. Two of its greatest assets result from the luck of the draw; it's both a state capital and home to a major research university.

Our ranking of the best cities for job growth includes many college towns--from Fargo, N.D., (home to North Dakota State) to Athens, Ga., (University of Georgia), Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C., (Duke and University of North Carolina) and College Station, Texas (Texas A&M).

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Tomorrow's Transportation

From Impact News, May 8, 2009...

Austin ranks highest in traffic congestion of all medium-sized population groups, or cities with fewer than one million people, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s biannual Urban Mobility Report. And the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce’s 2007 Take on Traffic campaign reports 70 cars are being added to Central Texas’ roadways each day.

“Austin grows a lot faster than most cities our size ... so if we continue to grow without building more capacity, congestion will only get worse,” said Sheryl Cole, Austin city councilwoman and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board member.

The City of Austin is looking at several ways to reduce traffic congestion:

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Amendment Would Change Transportation Commission

From KEYE, May 8, 2009...

The House has adopted an amendment that would change oversight of the Texas Department of Transportation from a five-member appointed board to one statewide elected commissioner.

The sweeping TxDOT overhaul would also call for the election of 14 regional commissioners and would ban any future red light camera systems from being implemented.

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Lady Bird Lake Paddling Trail opens

From News 8 Austin, May 6, 2009...

It's 11 miles of designated waterway with maps, signs and trail information for water enthusiasts of all levels to enjoy.

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Swine flu fears alter local events

From KXAN, May 1, 2009...

Swine flu fears are affecting everything from school field trips to local festivals and many events have been postponed or canceled altogether.

This year's Pecan Street Festival will go on as scheduled this weekend in Downtown Austin, but organizers have teamed up with an Austin company to provide portable toilets that include handwashing stations.

There were also be 10 sanitizing stations lining Sixth Street along with the crowds and booths.

"There will be water and soap and towels at those hand washing stations and we'll make sure that never runs out," said Debbie Russell, an organizer for the festival.

Fears over swine flu have postponed the Round Rock ISD annual Hispanic Heritage celebration.

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Mandatory Residential Outdoor Watering Restrictions Begin Friday in Austin

From Austin City News, April 29, 2009...

The Austin Water Utility (AWU) will implement its mandatory watering schedule beginning Friday, May 1. Residential customers with addresses ending in an odd number may water only on Wednesdays and Saturdays; residential customers with addresses ending in an even number may water only on Thursdays and Sundays. Residential customers may water their lawns anytime on these days except between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

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Austin to pump $69M into roadwork projects, create jobs

From News 8 Austin, April 29, 2009...

The City of Austin is fast-tracking the awarding of contracts for roadwork and other projects approved under a 2006 bond election.

The program, Accelerate Austin, aims to move on more than $69.1 million in improvements within the next 18 months. The city held an orientation for businesses interested in the stimulus program Tuesday.

The city said the projects will help boose the local economy, creating about 300 area jobs. They also said the negative impact of the recession on the construction industry means the city could save some money.

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Austin gets mixed grades for air quality

From Austin Business Journal, April 29, 2009...

Austin is among the nation's cleanest cities when it comes to particle pollution, according to findings in the latest study from the American Lung Association. But the findings aren't all positive.

Despite the high marks in the particle arena, the city and Travis County received an "F" for ozone pollution.

“Our failing grades for ozone mean that the health and lives of individuals in Austin are at risk," said Sara Dreiling, CEO for the American Lung Association of the Central States. "Now is the time to step up our response.”

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Local Derby Days benefits horse therapy center

From News 8 Austin, April 27, 2009...

A uniquely Austin event ties together the upcoming Kentucky Derby and a local therapeutic horse riding center.

It’s Derby Days, but it’s not just for the ladies.

The Charitable Ladies organization pairs with the Ride On Center for Kids (ROCK) to put on the event, featuring food, drinks, raffles and a miniature horse named “Peggy Sue.”

Heather Newby, of the Charitable Ladies, said those interested should come wearing their finest attire, including big hats for the ladies and ascots for the men.

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Sprouts plans another store in Austin region

From Austin Business Journal, April 23, 2009...

Sprouts Farmers Market is forging ahead with a third Austin-area location.

The Phoenix-based natural grocery chain has inked a lease for 25,700 square feet in the Great Hills Station on Research Boulevard.

Sprouts announced plans earlier this year to open two stores in fall 2009 in Rollingwood and Round Rock. The Great Hills location should also open in the fourth quarter, said Andrew Scroggie, vice president of the Austin Commercial Retail Division of The Weitzman Group.

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Home sales falter in Austin area

From statesman, April 21, 2009...

Sales of existing homes in Central Texas fell 22 percent in March — a six-year low for that month, according to the Austin Board of Realtors. The median price dipped 4 percent, to $180,000, though it was off just 1 percent for the first three months of the year.

March marked the 22nd consecutive month of sales declines, as the Austin market continues to feel the effects of the recession, housing slowdown and slower local job growth. But the year-over-year percentage decline was smaller than in January and February.

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Austin Traffic Now On iPhone

From Austin Startup, April 17, 2009...

Round Rock-based Kerlmax has released the latest version of their Austin Traffic iPhone application. Google Maps has a map-based indicator of traffic, but this app has traffic cameras on the major highways in Austin, plus a list of exactly where incidents are happening. You just don’t get that kind of pinpoint accuracy any other way.

The data comes from the city and the Texas Department of Transportion, so if there are data glitches you’ll have to blame them. It would be cool to see some sort of crowdsourced traffic reporting for the iPhone. Perhaps they’re saving that for version 3.0!

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March hail storm results in dealership damages, deals

From News 8 Austin, April 17, 2009...

March's hail storm pounded homes and cars, with North Austin as one of the hardest hit areas. Car dealerships were included in the damage and now hundreds of hail-damaged cars fill lots.
Chuck Jett, of BMW of Austin, said when the storm him, employees were trying to cover as many cars as possible, moving many inside and even cramming them side-by-side in the showroom and repair shop.

Since the storm came with little advance notice, the cars faced the assault and lost.

Now buyers reap the rewards from the damage. BMW of Austin and other dealers hit by the storm offer some great incentives.

"Most of them were lowering their prices for about $8,000 to $12,000, so that's a very good deal," car shopper Nancy Acosta said.

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Austin fighting back; jobless rate drops for 2nd month

From Austin Business Journal, April 17, 2009...

For the second consecutive month, Austin's unemployment rate has decreased as the region tries to regain the losses it's sustained in the recession.

Austin added 5,100 jobs in the month of March, helping drop the metro area's unemployment rate from 6.3 percent in February to 6.2 percent, according to the latest figures from the Texas Workforce Commission.

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