Efforts to revitalize a section of Austin’s East Sixth Street is set to begin this month, according to representatives with real estate firm Stream Realty and architecture firm Clayton Korte.

Stream and Clayton Korte officials announced in a December news release that they would begin restoring the facades of buildings along the 500-700 blocks of East Sixth Street that have “fallen into disrepair,” as well as beginning the leasing process with 30 parcels available.Stream owns multiple vacant buildings along the 200, 500, 600 and 700 blocks of the street, situated between Congress and I-35.Stream Senior Vice President Paul Bodenman said the goal is to “bring back Sixth Street” by improving the existing buildings and adding more restaurants, retail and neighborhood spaces to create a “neighborhood experience downtown.”

Bodenman added that the goal is to have construction completed and tenants operating within the next two to three years... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

City tries again on North Austin zoning change after court smackdown (Austin Business Journal)

City Council is taking another crack at enacting a North Austin zoning change in the wake of a court ruling that the city failed to provide adequate public notice the first time.

In response to the ruling, the city is moving to provide additional notification for the proposed rezoning that would allow developers to increase building height and density in the quickly developing North Burnet/Gateway area, which is adjacent to The Domain.

The proposed change is intended to encourage more high-density residential development near bus and train routes in the area and near major employers, such as the J.J. Pickle research campus, the budding Uptown ATX business hub, the Charles Schwab complex and businesses in The Domain. It's an effort that comes as the city wrestles with a crisis in housing affordability.

The zoning change and the additional notice were recommended unanimously by the Austin Planning Commission during its Jan. 9 meeting, following a request by city staff and the council in response to the December court ruling in Travis County District Court. That ruling shook local land development circles and marked another major blow to efforts to revise Austin's three-decade-old land development codes through a series of piecemeal moves.

The proposed zoning change now is set to be taken up by Council during its Jan. 18 meeting… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Short-term rentals come under Tourism Commission scrutiny, with Council action expected this year (Austin Monitor)

Members of the Tourism Commission signaled this week that they intend to ask City Council to pursue new policies covering the short-term rental industry and the proliferation across the city of residences acting as de facto hotels.

At Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners heard from residents, including Stephanie Ashworth, co-founder of the Austin-based Texas Neighborhood Coalition, who spoke about the ongoing disturbances caused by STR properties operating in residential areas. Ashworth said the lack of action by Council in recent years on STR regulations – caused in part by a series of court cases favoring STRs and the online platforms that enable them – has led to more than 13,000 unlicensed STRs around the city.

On top of disrupting the quality of life for neighbors, Ashworth and others noted the city is missing out on potentially more than $20 million per year in Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues that go unpaid by unlicensed sites… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

(Click above for meeting times and agendas of this week’s Austin public meetings)

[TEXAS NEWS]

Gov. Abbott: Texas hasn't shot migrants on the border because Biden will 'charge us with murder' (Texas Public Radio)

Backlash is mounting against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over recent comments he made suggesting the state has decided to not shoot migrants crossing the border unauthorized “because of course the Biden administration will charge us with murder.”

The Republican made the remarks last week during an interview with far-right talk show host Dana Loesch. Abbott’s comments gained wider attention Thursday, when a clip from the conversation was recirculated on social media by WCPT 820 AM, a Chicago-based progressive radio station.

In the interview, which originally aired Friday on Loesch’s nationally syndicated radio program, Abbott said the state has deployed “all the tools and strategies” to curtail illegal migration, including placing barriers in the Rio Grande River, and signing a law making it illegal to enter Texas from another country without authorization.

Abbott then added, “The only thing we are not doing is, we are not shooting people who cross the border because of course the Biden administration will charge us with murder.”

Abbott’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment asking for clarification… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

New George Soros-backed, Democratic PAC aims to turn Texas blue (Texas Tribune)

Gov. Greg Abbott raised a record $19 million over the last six months — money he intends to use toward his crusade to oust anti-school voucher Texas House Republicans in the primary season.

Abbott’s campaign announced the sum Wednesday, adding that he also has $38 million cash on hand across two political accounts.

“With the primary elections just around the corner, Governor Abbott has the resources needed to back strong conservative candidates who support his bold agenda to keep Texas the greatest state in the nation, including expanding school choice for all Texas families and students,” Abbott campaign manager Kim Snyder said in a statement… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Walmart will drone deliver to 1.8m Dallas-Fort Worth households (Governing)

Walmart says drone deliveries are no longer a futuristic idea: Let the baby wipes and forgotten birthday candles fall from the sky.Walmart will have the ability to make drone deliveries with its partners Wing and Zipline to 75 percent of Dallas-Fort Worth by the end of this year, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Tuesday.Walmart’s service area will cover 1.8 million households with deliveries made within a 30-minute window. Of the 120,000 items in a Supercenter, 75 percent meet the size and weight requirements for drone delivery.

This will mark the first time a U.S. retailer has offered drone delivery to this many households. Wing and Zipline are both approved by the Federal Aviation Administration and have already been operating here... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[US/WORLD NEWS]

NCAA takes step toward determining if new tier of Division I where athletes can be paid is possible (Associated Press)

The NCAA on Thursday took the first step toward determining whether President Charlie Baker’s idea to create a new subdivision in which schools directly pay athletes can become a reality.

The Division I Board of Directors asked policy makers to evaluate a proposal Baker made last month in a letter to members.

Baker said he wants the association to create a new tier of Division I sports for highly resourced schools that would require them to offer at least half their athletes a payment of at least $30,000 per year through a trust fund. The first-year president also proposed allowing all Division I schools to offer unlimited educational benefits to athletes and to enter into name, image and likeness licensing deals with athletes…(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Bitcoin ETFs get off to a monster start, despite resistance on Wall Street (The Wall Street Journal)

The new bitcoin ETFs had a roaring debut in their first day of trading, but Vanguard refused to join the party.

The asset-management giant said Thursday it won’t offer the new spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds on its brokerage platform, highlighting concerns about the digital currency’s suitability for many individual investors.

“Our perspective is that these products do not align with our offer focused on asset classes such as equities, bonds, and cash, which Vanguard views as the building blocks of a well-balanced, long-term investment portfolio,” the company said in a statement.

The first U.S. ETFs that hold bitcoin were cleared Wednesday by the Securities and Exchange Commission. They were hailed by the crypto industry as a game changer that would allow mainstream investors to buy and sell bitcoin as easily as stocks and mutual funds… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[2024 Austin City Council Race Watch]

Next fall will see elections for the following Council positions, District 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, and Mayor. Candidates can’t file for a place on the ballot until July 22, 2024.

Declared candidates so far are:

District 2