1. Celebrate Independence Day
The Austin area is celebrating Fourth of July with parades, picnics and blues. Read up on
safety tips when handling fireworks and find out which
roads will be closed.
2. CodeNEXT’s transect zones may get eliminated in planned organizational overhaul
CodeNEXT—the rewrite of the city’s land development code—may be headed for an organizational overhaul after city staff last week proposed eliminating transect zones in an effort to make the code less confusing.
“It would involve a lot of work [by] the consultants,” said Jerry Rusthoven, assistant director of the Planning and Zoning Department. “The map would have to change, all of the names of the zones would change. It’s an awful lot of work [but] it’s not starting over.”
3. Red River Street closures happening through Wednesday
Crews are working to build the Fairmont Austin canopy walk that will connect the 1,048-room hotel to the Austin Convention Center. As a result, the portion of Red River Street next to the project will be closed through Wednesday.
4. Travis County receives donations after state cuts funding
More than $130,000 was donated to Travis County last week in response to Gov. Greg Abbott cutting funding based on the county's position and policies regarding immigration and Senate Bill 4.
The money, gathered through Austin-area Rep. Eddie Rodriguez's #StrongerTogether nonprofit, will be used to fund the county’s specialty court, victim services, and juvenile justice programs through November.
5. First report of Red River music pilot program released
Sidewinder and Empire Control Room, two Red River Cultural District music venues taking part in the city's pilot sound ordinance program, surpassed the city’s legal decibel level in May and June, a new report shows.