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The group says the alternative is cheaper and can hold more people.
AUSTIN, Texas — A group that’s trying to stop the City of Austin from using one hotel as housing for the homeless announced the Hilton Austin Airport hotel as an alternative option. The announcement comes as Austin City Council members are moving toward purchasing the Candlewood Suites hotel.
The Hilton Austin Airport hotel is located at 9515 Hotel Drive, right next to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The Candlewood Suites hotel is within the Austin city limits, but it also lies in Williamson County.
The pending purchase of Candlewood Suites has been upsetting residents, business owners and leaders in the county. “Stop Candlewood” – a coalition of families, businesses and community members – announced at 11 a.m. Wednesday that the Hilton Austin Airport hotel could serve as a different location for the City of Austin to use.
The coalition said the Hilton Austin Airport hotel is cheaper and coalition member Rupal Chaudhari said it “could serve three to four times as many people as the Candlewood Suites.”
Chaudhari said the Hilton Austin Airport hotel has 262 rooms, more than Candlewood Suites’ 83. Chaudhari said the hotel has over 79,000 square feet of meeting space, which she pointed out could house Integral Care’s treatment facility. And Chaudhari said that the Hilton Austin Airport hotel is in Travis County, as opposed to Candlewood Suites’ location in Williamson County, and is not close to schools, residences and businesses.
PHOTOS: Hilton Austin Airport
The Hilton Austin Airport hotel, however, sits on the airport property in the AO-1 zone that prohibits all residential.
As a part of establishing the airport at its current location, the City submitted plans to the federal government for approval that would limit exposure to sound. Hotels, and other temporary uses, are less restricted than full-time residential housing, and the restrictions adjust based on proximity to the airport. Those rules were established under the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979.
Meanwhile, the Austin City Council won’t discuss the possibility of designated homeless campsites until a work session on Thursday. To read that resolution, click here.
Austin’s homeless strategy officer has asked for more guidance on where those who are experiencing homelessness can legally go in the city. That’s because, starting Sunday, police officers can start giving written warnings to those who are violating the new camping ordinance.
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