According to the Texas Comptroller, Texas is more than 300,000 housing units short of meeting the growth in population the state has been experiencing over the last decade. There are ways for the state government to intervene on behalf of the people to remove overburdensome regulations that have contributed to an artificial scarcity of homes. The purpose of SB 840 is to allow by right mixed-use residential and commercial zoning, which would make converting empty office spaces into housing units much easier. Converting offices into housing has a lower construction impact than new development because the structure and much of the infrastructure (e.g., electricity, plumbing, HVAC) are already in place. This, combined with other measures, would add to the housing supply and aid in bringing prices down to a more affordable range for consumers.
Local Government
Lawful Graft on Manor Road
Austin’s NGO machine isn’t breaking any rules. That’s the problem. Since October 2023, the City of Austin has paid $1.58 million to a progressive nonprofit with deep ties to Democratic socialism: the Workers Defense Project (WDP). Curiously, three councilmembers who oversee that spending—Vanessa Fuentes, José Velásquez, and Mike Siegel—won their seats with support from a political committee run by WDP’s own affiliate. Curiouser still, the organization’s lobbyists have worked city hall continuously...
September 3, 2026