New rules approved by the Austin City Council require that neighbors be notified of proposed big-box development and that a public hearing be held for the project.
The Austin City Council took steps to allow more public comment into proposed big-box development, but stopped short of preventing the construction of a new local Wal-Mart in the Northcross district.
"Lincoln Property Company wants to redevelop part of Northcross into a 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter. A neighborhood coalition called Responsible Growth for Northcross is fighting the plan, saying it will bring unwanted traffic and hurt property values...More than 100 neighbors protested outside of City Hall midday Thursday, asking the council to void Lincoln's site plan for the mall, which the city approved in August."
"Council members didn't do that Thursday, perhaps to avoid getting sued by the retail giant. Instead, a few council members applied public pressure, urging Lincoln to change its vision into a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly project."
FULL STORY: Austin OKs new rules on big stores

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

‘Minnesota Nice’ Isn’t so Nice When You Can’t Find a Place to Live
The Economic Development and Housing Challenge Program can help address the scourge of homelessness among Indigenous people.

NYC Open Streets Organizers Call for City Support
The number of open streets projects has dropped year after year as volunteer groups struggle to fund and staff them.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.
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