Texas State Senator Kirk Watson and Austin City CouncilMember Brewster McCracken have led the charge to change how we commute to within Central Austin.

After struggling with congestion from our population growth, Mayor Will Wynn charged various groups, community leaders, transit experts and other residents to come up plans for a final vote in November.

Roma Design Group was hired as a consultant to the city to evaluate the dire situation and make a proposal. Roma’s final solution: place 14 miles of light rail line through Central Austin.

Top concerns for Central Austin light rail were:

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(Note: this was a satirical article reprinted by the Austin Statesman that points. Read comments for further discussion.)

Today’s Spotlight focuses on the proposed condominium project, Towering Towers II, which is being developed by Baulsy Bros Builders LLC, based in Miami. The proposed 100-story towers will become the tallest in the state and include 2,361 units.

Towering Towers II, will include a number of ‘Green’ features, including no-flush” toilets that will pipe residents’ waste products directly into a holding tank below the building which can then be recycled and used as fertilizer by the Austin Parks Department. Each unit will have solar-powered coffee makers and reusable canvas grocery shopping bags inscribed with “Keep Austin Weird.”

As innovative and environmentally friendly as these buildings will be, two concerns arise.

The first is the demolition of our historic State Capital and the second is whether downtown Austin need yet another condominium project.

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By DeeinAustin™

I receive questions each week from real estate agents, small business owners and other professionals about mobile marketing tools and where they can find more information.

Mobile software is used on mobile devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, PDAs, and/or other cell phones and handheld devices. Some are specifically for real estate while others have more general applications.

This article lists the the top mobile real estate or business tools that stand out in today’s marketplace.

Top Mobile Real Estate Tools for Home Buyers

Home buyers typically want to search for listings information from their phone. Besides listing information, some mobile sites and software provides also provide local real estate information and chat. A few top home buyer tools:

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By DeeinAustin™

Quick reminder today about some great news! TexasRealtyBlog will be moving to our new site, Austin Real Estate Today BETA, next week.

The site is currently up for testing, with changes being made each day. BETA will be a soft launch, importing our past 500+ posts.

The longterm vision for Austin Real Estate Today will be realized in subsequent phases. The goal is to work with you and other audience members to create an interactive online community for hot issues, builder alerts, market updates, and discussion around key topics affecting Austin real estate.

We’re Looking for Austin Real Estate Today Sponsors and Partners

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NOTE: This article is part of the forthcoming book, the Gotcha Guide™ to Buying or Investing in Real Estate. by DeeinAustin™

I was elated to see the Home Warranty of America (HWA) announcement of their GreenPlus Program earlier this year.

GreenPlus is an upgrade to HWA’s 13-month contract, which covers appliance and mechanical systems. GreenPlus makes Energy Star exchanges, replaces your water heater with a tankless version, and upgrades your heating system to 90% efficiency upon disrepair.

This is especially useful in Green cities like in Austin, where our mayor is preparing to roll out a Climate Protection Plan, requiring all Austin home owners to make green upgrades before they can sell their home.

The Dark Downside of Home Service Contracts

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By DeeinAustin™

Today’s spotlight is on controversial Park Place Village, a 10-acre gated RV site for 150-175 “chronically homeless” individuals.

The 99-year ground lease for the city-owned land in East Austin was approved by council to help fight homelessness.

Opposing East Austin residents faced an uphill battle at this week’s city council meeting. Reporters said hundreds of homeless Austinites and their supporters packed council chambers to ensure approval for the 3-year project. Park Place Village residents would rent the RVs and cottages for $100 to $375 a month, including electricity, water and TV services.

Three Major Reasons Why East Austin Opposed Park Place Village

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