Affordable Housing

KUT's housing reporter, Audrey McGlinchy, wants your stories. She may reach out to you to learn more.

The City of Austin is buying the former Tokyo Electron campus to build 1,100 units — some of which will be affordable — with access to future public transit.

The tenants union, launched Sunday, is intended to help students handle issues common to many renters in the city, such as escalating rents and delayed repairs. It plans to hold biweekly meetings and advocate for more affordable and accessible housing.

In an analysis of 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data, Harvard University researchers found that roughly 48% of renters in the Austin metro area spent more than they should on housing.

The City of Austin and a nonprofit bought seven apartment complexes with the promise of keeping rents low for tenants. Instead, rents went up. Residents have now received notice that if they submit their income and prove they make less than $65,000 a year, their monthly rent may go down.

Five years into a decade-long plan for housing, an annual report shows developers have not built as much affordable housing as elected officials hoped.

Austin ignored state law when it passed three housing policies, a Travis County district judge ruled Friday. These policies allowed developers to ignore some zoning rules as long as they set aside a portion of what they built for people earning low incomes.

Council members voted Thursday to amend the city's land use rules, allowing developers to build up to three homes where only one or two were previously permitted.

A new Harvard University study found an increase in the number of Texas households headed by people 65 or older spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Advocates say keeping older adults housed will require substantial public investment and reforms.

At each of the apartment buildings, rent went up as much as 25%. While tenants received notice of the increase from the previous owner, it came weeks before the city and its partner finalized the purchase. Raising rents appears to have been a condition of the sale.