Archive for the ‘In The News’ Category
Austin #1 of 10 Best Cities For Next Decade
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
We live in challenging times. Unemployment remains high, and the U.S. lead in technology and science is slipping as many foreign countries gain ground. But some U.S. cities, though slowed by the Great Recession, still thrive by lifting good old American innovation to new levels. And that will help put more Americans back to work and keep our international edge.
In Kiplinger’s latest search for top cities, we focused on places that specialize in out-of-the-box thinking. “New ideas generate new businesses,” says Kevin Stolarick, our numbers guru, who this year evaluated U.S. cities for growth and growth potential. Stolarick is research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. “In the places where innovation works, it really works,” he says.
Posted in In The News, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Mortgage Rates At Lifetime Lows
Monday, May 24th, 2010
Here’s some good news for the struggling US housing market: Thanks to the European debt crisis, mortgage rates are at historic lows.
The current average rate for a 30 year fixed loan is 4.87 percent, according to Bankrate.com. That’s the lowest rate for the 30 years since Bankrate started keeping track 25 years ago.
Even jumbo loan rates-loans for more than $417,000-have fallen. The 30-year fixed jumbo loan is at an average rate of 4.5 percent, down from nearly 6 percent at this time last year.
“It’s the best time in our generation to buy,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s. “It may be the best time in any generation. Mortgage rates are so low and with homes prices down and lots of inventory, you couldn’t pick a better time to buy or re-finance.”
Posted in In The News, Mortgage Info | No Comments »
City Car-Share Plan About To Go Public
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
Those ubiquitous white-and-blue Smart cars in the City of Austin’s nascent car-sharing program have spent a lot more time parked than rolling around Central Austin, based on statistics from the first three months of this year.
general public, officials said Tuesday, soon will get a chance to get behind the wheel of the tiny two-seat cars.
The 125 cars in the stable provided for city employee use by car2go, a Daimler AG subsidiary, have been “leased” about 118 times each weekday since Jan. 1, meaning that on average, each car has been taken out once a day. The average time of usage has been about 71 minutes. The city, under a pilot program that began in November, does not actually pay Daimler when its workers use the cars on municipal business, so the statistics do not reflect what usage might be if there were money involved.
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Posted in In The News, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Transit, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Austin’s Long Center – Recycling Builds “Iconic” Venue
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
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Austin Could Land 500 Jobs From Facebook, Chinese Solar Company
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Austin could land a solar panel manufacturing plant and a local office for the Facebook social networking service, projects that together could bring 500 jobs within the next few years, city and state officials said Thursday.
Facebook Inc. plans to create a 200-employee sales and operations center in Austin, and Yingli Green Energy Americas Inc. is considering Austin and Phoenix, Ariz., for a large solar panel manufacturing plant and its North American headquarters.
Tags: facebook, jobs, networking, social, solar, yingli
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Commuter Rail Poised To Open In March
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Capital Metro plans to resume full-speed commuter rail testing next week, in preparation for a March launch of the much-delayed Red Line, an agency official said Monday.
Federal railroad inspectors will be on the scene next week and likely will stay until the line opens to the public.
“These are not showstoppers,” said Elaine Timbes , an executive vice president with the agency and overseer of the rail project. “These are just things they want to observe.”
Tags: commuter, line, rail, red
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27 Units In Sabine Condo Project Set For Auction
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
February 28th, a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based firm will auction 27 units in the Sabine on Fifth, a downtown condominium project whose future until recently had been clouded by a lawsuit and a foreclosure action. The auction is one of several that have taken place in Austin to allow some developers to quickly sell their remaining units in a slower real estate market.
Formerly an office building, the Sabine is a 10-story tower at East Fifth and Sabine streets that CWS Capital Partners converted into condominiums in 2007.
CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON THIS AND OTHER CONDOMINIUM AUCTIONS
Tags: auction, condo, Downtown
Posted in Buyer & Seller Tips, In The News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Improvements Planned For Auditorium Shores
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Although Auditorium Shores is one of Austin’s most popular green spaces, it lacks parking and amenities for the many pedestrians, cyclists and dog owners who converge there daily, city officials say.
To fix that, the city is planning $4.2 million in improvements to Auditorium Shores and nearby Butler Park. They include more parking, new restrooms, a pier over Lady Bird Lake, a children’s play area and a path that splits off of the hike-and-bike trail to ease congestion and redirect joggers, cyclists and walkers away from dog owners and their pets. There are no plans to make the off-leash dog area an on-leash area.
Tags: auditorium shores, dog, Downtown, park
Posted in Development, In The News, Lifestyle, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Most Congested Roadways In Austin
Friday, February 5th, 2010
The Texas Department of Transportation recently published a list of Texas’ 100 most congested roadways. While Austinites may already complain about traffic congestion, now they can see how their commute measures up to friends’ and neighbors’. Fourteen of the roadway segments are in Central Texas. Find out the ranking of roadways along with what, if anything, is planned to improve the roadways and the cost of improvements versus not taking action.
Ranking: 26
This segment has more than 1.36 million annual hours of delay* with an annual congestion cost of delay* of $28.32 million. A trip that takes 20 minutes in free-flow conditions will take approximately 28 minutes during rush hour. If no changes are made to the current transportation system, TxDOT projects that a trip during rush hour would take 45 minutes in 20 years. TxDOT has no plans to update this roadway.
Ranking: 44
This segment has more than 1.08 million annual hours of delay with an annual congestion cost of delay of $22.56 million. A trip that takes 20 minutes in free-flow conditions will take approximately 26 minutes during rush hour. If no changes are made to the current transportation system, TxDOT projects that a trip during rush hour would take 40 minutes in 20 years. TxDOT has plans to add managed lanes to help with congestion.
Ranking: 45
This segment has more than 570,000 annual hours of delay with an annual congestion cost of delay of $11.89 million. A trip that takes 20 minutes in free-flow conditions will take approximately 26 minutes during rush hour.
Tags: Capital of Texas Hwy, commute, Hwy 290, Hwy 71, Loop 1, Mopac, RM 2222, RM 2244, US 183
Posted in In The News, Transit | No Comments »
Condos, Brackenridge Tract, Air Quality
Friday, February 5th, 2010
By Mary Tuma Wednesday, 02 December 2009
AUSTIN — Despite the recession’s effect on the housing market, individuals are still finding the means to move into luxury condos downtown. Many formerly reluctant buyers took advantage of discounts on new units, while others remain cautious about committing to contracts that often favor the sellers.
As downtown continues to grow, developers eye another valuable area nearby, the 350-acre Brackenridge Tract, owned by the University of Texas. Its fate lies in three proposals awaiting a decision from UT regents.
Meanwhile, another issue affecting the city’s future will be determined before the end of the year. Barely passing a federal air quality test this summer, Austin could face stricter ozone standards in the coming years.
Tags: air quality, brackenridge, Development, downtown condos, lions
Posted in Development, In The News, Uncategorized | No Comments »