Transportation
Development
BY HALEY MCLEOD
BY HALEY MCLEOD & BEN THOMPSON
New Capital Metro routes coming soon
Waymo robotaxis to debut next year Austinites may soon hail an Uber, hop in the back seat, and notice there isn’t a driver. Driverless car company Waymo announced a partnership with the ride-hail- ing service Sept. 13, by which Waymo will offer its driverless robotaxi services via the Uber app in early 2025. The big picture Uber will oversee and deploy a fleet of Waymo’s fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, which will gradually expand to include hundreds of cars, accord- ing to a news release. The two companies are expected to slowly scale services with a focus on safety, reliability and convenience.
TravCo backs affordable housing projects Travis County commissioners supported hun- dreds of new affordable housing units with tens of millions of dollars this fall. The details The new developments tie into county and city efforts to address housing insecurity. Recent fund- ing came from the county’s $110 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars, which has gone toward nearly a dozen projects since 2021. In September, nonprofit Foundation Communi- ties received $15 million for the 79,500-square-foot Burleson Studios in Southeast Austin. It’ll include 104 units for homeless adults, located within a new master-planned Community First Village property for those leaving chronic homelessness. Another $13 million was awarded to youth advo- cate group LifeWorks for The Works III project in East Austin. The development will reserve 120 units
Waterfront zoning plans remain on hold Regulations for new development south of Lady Bird Lake downtown are on hold. The details The South Central Waterfront covers more than 100 acres along the lakeshore. Com- munity members and city leaders have eyed the district’s potential for years given its proximity to downtown, and the presence of many properties that could be redeveloped and bring new public benefits like parkland and affordable housing. Approval of district-wide zoning plans for new projects there was delayed again in late summer, likely until next year. Officials said the extra time would allow for more collaboration between district stakeholders. Meanwhile, some individual project plans in the area are advancing.
Route 837 Route 800 New MetroRapid routes
Travis County housing updates The following developments will bring affordable housing units to Travis County.
183
Delco Center Park & Ride
1 The Works III
4 2824 Real St. 5 801 Tillery St.
MOPAC
290
2 Community First Village 3 6400 FM 969
Capital Metro announced the creation of two new MetroRapid bus routes Sept. 11, including two park and rides in east Austin with services expected to begin in spring 2025. The project will also feature a new pickup zone in the Decker and Colony Park area. What’s new Claimed to be “the most significant service changes CapMetro has completed in several years,” by the agency, the two routes are a part of CapMet- ro’s Project Connect contributions to expand the city’s transit network. The new bus routes are funded by $65.6 million in federal and $35.6 million in Project Connect funding.
DECKER LAKE RD.
3
969
4
183 TOLL
35
AIRPORT BLVD.
4TH ST.
Decker Lane Expo Center Park & Ride
183
REAL ST.
183
2
71
5
35
DISTRIBUTION RD.
S. PLEASANT VALLEY RD.
1
N
183
E. WILLIAM CANNON DR.
SLAUGHTER LN.
for supportive housing for tenants experiencing homelessness and those aging out of foster care. In October, commissioners also approved $35.8 million for another four low-income residences, bringing about 260 affordable units to east Austin.
Goodnight Ranch Park & Ride
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
HIGHLAND 5775 Airport Blvd (512) 366-8300 ARBORETUM 10515 North Mopac Expressway (512) 342-6893
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