Austin is known for a lot of things, but its walkability isn’t one of them—in fact, it’s a middling 33rd most walkable in the country, by at least one metric, which gives it a walk score of 40 out of 100. It does a little worse on its transit score (34) and much better on being bicycle-friendly (54).

Obviously, though, some neighborhoods are more pedestrian- and bike-friendly than others. With restaurants, shops, housing, and museums clustered together, often on the same block, Downtown Austin is great for walkers. The winding, often sidewalk-free streets of Northwest Hills? Not so much.

To get a sense of which neighborhoods in Austin offer the best car-free experience, we rounded up the ones with the highest ratings on Walk Score, a site that

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As progress continues on The Backyard development in Bee Cave, residents could see the establishment of the first public improvements district within city limits.

The PID, according to city information, would permit Bee Cave to levy an assessment against properties within a selected area to pay for desired public improvements that would primarily serve that area. Bee Cave would then issue bonds to fund those capital projects and pay them off by levying an annual installment on those within the PID.

Bee Cave City Council unanimously passed a resolution during an Oct. 13 meeting to establish a PID following a presentation from Robert Rivera, a representative of FMS Bonds Inc. and the city’s acting PID underwriter.

In this case, the PID will pertain to the

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Privately situated at the end of the cul-de-sac, this incredible home features an oversized lot with breathtaking panoramic views of the hill country. Enjoy spectacular sunsets by the pristine pool from one of the many outdoor entertaining areas. With approximately 4,200 square feet, this home has a space for every purpose and has been recently updated with fresh paint and carpet. The main level boasts a spacious formal dining, executive office, powder room, gourmet kitchen that opens to an oversized sun room with incredible views, a formal living room and the Owner’s retreat. The upper level features views of the hill country from almost every room - four spacious bedrooms, two full bathrooms, an additional study and a large media room. Ample…

The national and local economies are in recession, and unemployment rates are double what they were last year, but the housing market has been unscathed by the COVID-19 pandemic—especially in Austin, where demand for housing has soared in recent months.

“It’s one of the few industries that really is going strong when you look at the U.S. economy, the tate economy and the Austin economy,” said Jim Gaines, chief economist at the Texas A&M University Real Estate Center.

In the Austin metro, data from the Austin Board of Realtors shows home sales to date in 2020 are higher than in 2019 despite a dip in early spring when, Gaines said, buyers were reluctant to put their homes on the market and risk exposure to COVID-19. In Central Austin, the median price is up

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Though Austin’s residential real estate market traditionally experiences a lag heading into the fall, the region saw double-digit growth in sales this September.

This is according to the Austin Board of Realtors' September market analysis which attributed the growth to decreased market activity during coronavirus shutdowns in the spring.

Residential home sales increased 31.5% year over year across the five-county Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area, per the analysis.

Additionally, sales dollar volume rose to $1.77 billion, reflecting a 51.7% surge from the previous year. Median home prices and pending sales also experienced double-digit growth in September.

However, active listings dropped by nearly 50%, and inventory remains low, at 1.2 months,

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There's no way around it: Austin's suburbs are all the buzz, with Leander landing a massive entertainment hub and Round Rock earning a top spot among the fastest-growing cities. Now, Cedar Park is shining as one of America's best small cities for 2020.

The list comes from personal finance website WalletHub, which looked at 1,200 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 for the study. Rankings in five individual categories — affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety — were rolled up into an overall score, then assigned a percentage.

"Given the large sample of cities ranked in this study, we grouped cities by percentile. The 99th percentile represents the top 1 percent of small cities in

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StoryBuilt is preparing to kick off its latest single-family community as the Austin area is seeing a record-low supply of housing on the market in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pre-sales on the 12-home community — dubbed Clementine — in South Austin will begin Aug. 18. The modern farmhouses will be constructed on roughly two acres at 5107 Menchaca Road, south of U.S. Route 290. The houses will be nestled under Heritage oak trees and built along a singular drive. Clementine will have a shared community pool.

“Clementine is all about living where you love, so not only in a house but in a thriving urban environment,” said Hank Parker, a StoryBuilt architect and development manager for Clementine.

StoryBuilt went under contract to

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Construction on The Village at Spanish Oaks—an 80-acre, multiuse development that will complete the Spanish Oaks subdivision in Bee Cave south of Hwy. 71—is scheduled to begin this fall, according to city Planning Director Megan Will.

“The next step is commencing sitewide infrastructure construction (roads, utilities, regional stormwater),” Will told Community Impact Newspaper in an email.

Developers Greenbrier Southwest, in partnership with CCNG Development, first submitted plans for The Village at Spanish Oaks in 2018 that included room for shops, restaurants, office buildings, a swim club, an upscale inn and a spa as well as a range of residences.

On Aug. 17, developer submitted a final plat, which specifically breaks down how a parcel will be developed.

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An iconic Lakeway treasure, The Sand Dollar House was completed in 1979 by John Covert Watson who studied architecture under the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright at the time he was building the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Organic modern architecture, the house is made of steel and gunite with sleek white curved walls throughout. It was designed for the artist Eugenia Hunt as a second home and has been admired for decades by all who pass by it on the lake and look up in wonder. Every room boasts commanding views of the lake through custom windows and sliding doors leading to balconies and patios that trail to the water's edge. In the Living room, a floating wood bench comes off of a curved wall and a fireplace that mimics a kiva provides a cozy…

Though sales in the residential real estate market throughout Greater Austin took a hit as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold in March, developers in western Travis County have said they are now seeing an uptick in interest from builders and buyers.

Whether it is because the market is starting to correct on its own or because a growing interest in relocating away from dense urban areas is taking hold, sales of new homes in the Lake Travis area are rising.

The sales numbers reported by local developers and Realtors come as Texas is facing historic shortages in the real estate market.

A July 14 report from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University states that Texas’ months of inventory, or the amount of time it would take sell all

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