Austin Auditor: Demolition process needs revamp
AUSTIN - All across Austin, there are structures being torn down and replaced with new buildings. In the fiscal years 2015 and 2016 the city approved approximately 1 ,700 demolition permits, compared to about 600 in 2008. "My walk to work used to be just like little old buildings and now there's like, on Chicon, they're like building all those apartments and stuff," said Lindsay Scheckelhoff who moved to East Austin two years ago. Her neighborhood is filled with homes being renovated or demolished and rebuilt. "It just kind of happens and you're like 'oh that was there yesterday and now it's gone,'" Scheckelhoff said. Neighbors aren't the only ones who aren't in the loop about demolition projects. "It's up to the property owner to notify, whether it's Austin Energy or Austin Water that that demolition is going to happen," explained City Auditor Corrie Stokes . "And then also to call the city for an inspection ...