The Downtown Austin Alliance has released its annual “State of Downtown” report for 2024. The report tracks growth and development of the downtown area and addresses the challenges that come with it. Despite a recent ‘downturn of development activity’, the DAA says Austin is better positioned to weather such phases.
Some key highlights…
- 11 projects totaling 3.85 million square feet were delivered in 2023.
- Downtown has 16 projects totaling 7.1 million square feet under construction.
- The vast majority of office leases were for under 20,000 square feet of space. Having a larger number of smaller tenants from diverse industries can increase downtown’s resilience.
- 88% of available Downtown Austin storefronts were occupied by operating businesses (down from 90% in 2022).
- Approximately 54% of all downtown retail establishments are drinks and entertainment businesses, restaurants, or food trucks.
Eight Texas counties have landed on the top ten list of fastest-growing counties in the United States. (Austin American-Statesman vis MSN)
The city of Austin celebrated the groundbreaking of its first carless community Saturday morning, an affordable condominium in East Austin that will be powered completely by solar energy. (KEYE-TV)
President Joe Biden will be in Austin tomorrow in one of his first public appearances since announcing he is not running for reelection. Biden will speak at the LBJ Library to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The event was originally scheduled for July 15 but that was postponed in the wake of the assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Needless to say, an enormous amount of effort and thought is going into security. It’s an effort that involves Secret Service, local police, and many other organizations that have a hand in making these important decisions about how to secure this facility, how to secure Austin in some ways for this visit. And I must say — I’m completely impressed by the professionalism of everyone involved in this effort, and I’m confident that things will come off in exactly the way that we hope they will on Monday.”
— Mark Lawrence, director of the LBJ Presidential Library
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is due to return to Texas next week…
Texas officials are vowing to continue busing and flying migrants to other US cities. Officials in Chicago are bracing for an influx of up to 25,000 migrants during the Democratic National Convention next month. (The Independent via MSN)
One person is seriously injured after a two-vehicle rollover collision in South Austin on Saturday. (KEYE-TV)
Multiple vehicles caught on fire at a salvage yard in North Austin on Saturday afternoon. (Fox7 Austin)
A man is in police custody after a SWAT incident early Saturday morning in East Austin. (KVUE-TV)
One person was airlifted to the hospital in serious condition after cliff jumping near the Lakeway Marina Saturday afternoon. (KEYE-TV)
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice acknowledges that tuberculosis has broken out in one of its largest prisons. (Austin Chronicle)
A Hays County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of San Marcos in response to a proposition decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. (KUT 90.5)
How the $4.5 billion I-35 expansion project is pushing out longtime Texas businesses. (MySanAntonio)
Q&A: What to know about Texas public school funding challenges. (Community Impact)
CBS-Telemundo Austin gave away over 4,000 backpacks to Texas students yesterday. (KEYE-TV)
Pflugerville ISD’s Hope Pfest offered back-to-school assistance to over 1000 students yesterday. (Fox7 Austin)
Dozens of volunteers helped fish discarded shopping carts out of Shoal Creek yesterday. (KXAN-TV)
Spotted in Central Texas: “toxic” hammerhead flatworms…
You might notice more hazy skies the next few days as Saharan dust returns to the region. (WFAA-TV)
Why are there thousands of earthquakes in Texas each year now? (KHOU-TV via MSN)
A 75-year-old Texas grandfather was killed by a swarm of bees while he was working on his ranch in Grimes County. (New York Post via MSN)
Casey’s General Stores announced that it was expanding into Texas by converting 22 Lone Star Food Stores locations. (MSN)
The U.S. Department of Labor announced an award of more than $1 million to Texas to provide employment and training services for people affected by Tesla layoffs in Austin. (Houston Chronicle vis MSN)
It’s been a tough weekend in Toronto for the Texas Rangers.
Michael Lorenzen didn’t last one inning, giving up five hits and four runs, in a 7-3 loss Saturday. (Yahoo! Sports)
Where does the Rangers pitching rotation stand after Michael Lorenzen’s meltdown against the Blue Jays? (Dallas Morning News via MSN)
In Houston, the Astros won in dramatic fashion: a walk-off home run by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Yahoo! Sports)
Texas Longhorns offensive tackle Kelvin Banks is a potential top 15 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Where to watch the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in Austin. (KXAN-TV)
Beat the heat…in the buff.
Hippie Hollow is Austin’s clothing-optional swimming/hiking park. Let’s take a look.
(Hey! Eyes up here, pal!)
