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A ban on Delta-8 products takes effect tomorrow and Austin police say possessing certain products could now be a felony. We’ll explain why the law is changing, what it means for consumers and how local businesses are preparing.
One new affordable housing development in East Austin is moving forward with just one parking space. It’s possible because of the city’s Affordability Unlocked program, which allows developers to bypass certain building requirements.
Plus, KUTX Artist of the Month, Quentin, joins us to talk about her musical journey, the inspiration behind her new album “TOMGIRL,” her favorite songs and what’s next for her career.
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The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Miles Bloxson [00:00:07] A ban on Delta-8 products takes effect tomorrow, and Austin police say possession will be a felony. We’ll explain why the law is changing, what it means for consumers, and how local businesses are preparing. Then, one new affordable housing development in East Austin is moving forward with just one parking space. It’s possible because of the city’s Affordability Unlocked program, which allows developers to bypass certain building requirements. That’s all coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:38] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Miles Bloxson.
Miles Bloxson [00:00:43] Plus, KUTX Artist of the Month, Quentin, joins us to talk about her musical journey, the inspiration behind the new album, Tom Girl, her favorite songs, and what’s next for her career. That’s all coming up right here on Austin Signal. Thank you. It’s Thursday, July 30th, 2026. I am your host Myles Bloxson and this is Austin Signal. Thanks so much for joining us today. A new condo building is bringing more affordable housing to East Austin, but there’s a twist. It was purposely built without parking spaces. KUT’s Luz Moreno-Lazano tells us why.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:01:29] From the outside, the Ivory, located at the intersection of Chacon and East 14th streets, looks like an ordinary residential building. Windows and balconies look out onto the street below, with unoccupied commercial space making up the bottom floor. But with the exception of one handicap spot, the building does not have on-site parking. When the Ivary opened in June, it became Austin’s first carless condominium complex. It’s the second phase of the Chaconne, a mixed-use development in East Austin. The first phase includes two buildings with 28 condos, 21 of which are considered affordable. Sean Gerritsen is president of the non-profit Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation, the developer on the project.
Sean Gerritsen [00:02:10] Originally this building was going to be just like those other two, three stories, 20 units max, lots of parking. And then a Ford building unlocked was created and so we put the brakes on and said, hey, let’s examine this.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:02:25] Affordability Unlocked is a development bonus program the city of Austin created in 2019. It allows developers to bypass certain building rules in exchange for providing more affordable housing. And then in 2023, the city nicks parking requirements.
Sean Gerritsen [00:02:39] And so we’re now in a five-story, 53-unit, mixed-use building with no parking. So we almost tripled the number of affordable units, and we are building, and we developed, because it’s now open for sale, the first carless condominium project in all of Austin.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:02:57] 40 of the units in this building are reserved for people earning up to 70% of the median family income. That’s about $75,000 a year for a two-person family. Gerritsen says the carless community could help residents save thousands of dollars each year on gas, car insurance, and maintenance costs. Instead, the property has easy access to e-bikes, two shared-e vehicles, and a covered CapMetro bus stop.
Sean Gerritsen [00:03:20] That’s all the things that I think we’ve done to try and mitigate the people who might have a little bit of concern about parking.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:03:27] But Gerritsen still expects at least some residents to have a car, and street parking will be an option for those who do. David Carroll, with the Chestnut Neighborhood Planning Contact Team, says residents in the area are used to navigating parking challenges.
David Carroll [00:03:40] Our neighborhood is also a little different, that it was developed in the first half of the 20th century. And a consequence of that, and it being not an affluent area of town at that time, that many of the homes in our neighborhood were developed without driveways and without garages.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:04:04] But as time goes on, Carol and Gerritsen expect residents of the condo building will adapt and eventually ditch their cars. The Ivory isn’t the first project of its kind in the country, and Tempe, Arizona developers opened Cold Sack Tempe a 17 acre car free community in 2023. Here’s a clip from a promotional video for the project.
Promotional Video [00:04:23] It really changes the type of space that you have and the feel that you have in the space and the way that it brings community together.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:04:30] Today the development is home to almost 400 residents and more than 20 businesses. A representative of the company says they hope to inspire other cities and developers to build with less parking and more connection in mind. I’m Luz Moreno-Luzano in Austin.
Miles Bloxson [00:04:51] Tomorrow the ban of Delta 8 will officially go into effect. What does that mean and how did we get here? For more, we’re speaking with Amanda Taylor, who argued for Delta 8 in front of the Texas Supreme Court. Amanda, thanks so much for joining us on Austin Signal. Thank you so much for having me, it’s a pleasure. Can you explain a little bit about the case that has resulted in Delta 8 being banned starting tomorrow?
Amanda Tayler [00:05:16] Yes, I can probably give you more detail than your listeners want. We’re here for it. So this case started back in 2020 when the commissioner for the Department of State Health Services issued a modified schedule that amended two definitions of Schedule 1 controlled substances. Those are the definitions of THC and marijuana extract in a manner that sought to ban essentially all THC other than Delta 9 up to 0.3%. We ultimately filed a lawsuit and obtained an injunction to prevent that schedule from being effective. And there were procedural reasons that we advanced and also substantive reasons. But ultimately, the Texas Supreme Court held that the commissioner was allowed to enact that schedule, and now the Commissioner is quote, reinstating. Those modifications, which the agency calls clarifications, but they are modifications, those are being reinstated effective tomorrow, Friday the 31st.
Miles Bloxson [00:06:24] Wow. And what is the difference between Delta 8 and Delta 9? Because I hear Delta 8 a lot, but I’ve seen Delta 9 as well. Right. Delta 8.
Amanda Tayler [00:06:31] Delta 9 are both forms of THC. Delta 9 is a higher level of psychoactive impact and Delta 8 is milder. But they’re both forms THC under the 2019 farm bill Delta 9 up to 0.3% is expressly protected cannot that’s not a controlled substance. The federal government and the Texas Legislature were very clear that you can have Delta 9 THC up to 0.3. They did not define other THCs, which includes delta-8, also delta-10 or delta-6. Those are not defined by the farm bill. So the fight became what level of delta- 8 THC is permissible in a final consumable hemp product. We said it’s undefined, and that’s what the manufacturers had relied on and could have higher levels of concentration. The Texas Supreme Court said no. You can’t have anything more than a naturally occurring trace amount of Delta 8 THC. That is what is allowing for the commissioner to put the schedule in place and now ban it. So the difference between them is that Delta 8 on its own is not a psychoactive cannabinoid and Delta 9 is. Legally, the difference now is you can have Delta 9 up to 0.3%. You can only have delta 8 in a trace amount. Which is not defined and we don’t yet know what that means. I think this is going to be a regulatory nightmare for the agency
Miles Bloxson [00:08:05] That’s what it sounds like there’s a lot of numbers involved. I’m it’s hard for me to even keep up with what what can you have? And what can’t you have
Amanda Tayler [00:08:11] Exactly, it’s going to have to play out in the legal system, and that’s unfortunate because consumers and businesses alike need certainty. That’s what Texas, as a business-friendly state, should provide, is certainty in the law. And we have the opposite. We have a law that keeps changing, rugs that are being pulled out from business owners’ feet, and consumers left completely confused. In this particular case, I respectfully disagree with their ultimate conclusion, but that doesn’t mean I disrespect the court or the justices on the court in any way. It’s just a very personally disappointing result because of the impacts on small businesses in Texas, veterans in Texas and Texas consumers who suffer from anxiety, chronic pain and sleeplessness. I take this very seriously because of who it impacts. I’m a native Texan and a proud Texan. This result is unfortunate for both our economy and our population.
Miles Bloxson [00:09:12] I know you said you were disappointed and you disagree, but what was your initial reaction? How did you feel in the moment?
Amanda Tayler [00:09:18] Honestly, I was surprised because I saw this case as a straightforward question of statutory interpretation that we take the plain language of the words that our legislature enacted, and we give them a plain meaning. When the legislature said in 2019 that THC and THC in hemp is not a controlled substance, I took them at their word. And so did small businesses across the state who invested their life savings in this industry, which had a fantastic result for the state of Texas. It made sense why the legislature would enact the farm bill, why Sid Miller, our agriculture commissioner, would be so in favor of it, because he knew, and the legislature knew, what a huge economic boon this would be, how much this would help farmers in this state, our agriculture industry, to have this crop. That could be economically beneficial when so many others are suffering. This is a crop that grows very well here. So it has implications that are much broader than just one particular consumer.
Miles Bloxson [00:10:29] You just brought up how some people might have invested their life savings into opening up like a smoke shop or something of that nature. How is this ruling affecting local businesses who thrive in the department of selling edibles or gummies?
Amanda Tayler [00:10:43] Right. It is having a devastating impact on them, and it’s not just what you might call a smoke shop. Think about all the wellness shops, especially related to Delta-8, which are a milder impact and really used for people, especially people in midlife, people struggling with sleep and some anxiety. They are using these products for wellness, and the businesses that have been designed around that are being put out of business. I mean, They are having to default on loans, they are having to walk away from real estate leases, and so the ripple effects economically are huge.
Miles Bloxson [00:11:20] And I know that I mentioned earlier edibles and gummies and things of that nature, but Delta-8 could be in anything, it can be smokable as well, right?
Amanda Tayler [00:11:28] A smokable product could have Delta-8, but the issue with the smokable products is more the THCA, which is a precursor to Delta-9.
Miles Bloxson [00:11:38] Okay, so that mostly affects.
Amanda Tayler [00:11:40] It mostly affects gummies and tinctures and oils and things like that. Motions and things like that, okay. Exactly.
Miles Bloxson [00:11:47] What about the folks who now have Delta 8 products in their possession? What happens to them?
Amanda Tayler [00:11:53] Well, there’s a difference between an individual consumer and whether they’re concerned about criminal enforcement versus a business with this on their shelves concerned about civil enforcement. So the criminal enforcement of an individual consumer, that’s handled by law enforcement agencies, not the Department of State Health Services. I’m not a criminal lawyer, so I can’t give criminal advice. But, as of Friday, when Delta-8 is other than the trace amounts, when it is a Schedule I controlled substance, it is possible that there could be criminal enforcement. We don’t know yet what extent of enforcement there might be. It could vary by locale, budget. It just remains to be determined.
Miles Bloxson [00:12:40] And we also don’t know because we don’t know what that trace amount that they’ll accept is, right?
Amanda Tayler [00:12:43] That is a great point. We don’t know that. And that is going to be a big quagmire. So what is next for Delta 8?
Miles Bloxson [00:12:51] In Texas, or is this pretty much?
Amanda Tayler [00:12:54] The agency announced yesterday that it will be undergoing rulemaking related to Delta 8 under this newly enacted schedule or reinstated schedule. So if you are interested in this, you need to be signing up for the agency’s website alerts and knowing and paying attention to when the rulemaking is happening. People will be able to submit public comments. They will be able to participate in a hearing. This is the time to let the agency know and your legislators know how you feel.
Miles Bloxson [00:13:29] We’ve been speaking with Amanda Taylor, one of the lawyers who argued for Delta 8 in front of the Texas Supreme Court back in January. Amanda, thanks so much for talking with us today on Austin Signal. Thank you for having me. This is Austin Signal. We’ll be right back. This is Austin Signal and I’m your host, Myles Bloxson. The KETX Artist of the Month for July is Quinton. The native Texan has appeared at ACL Fest and South by Southwest and has earned quite the reputation for her live performances and songwriting. Quinton’s new project, Tom Girl, is out now and she’s joining us in studio to tell us all about it. Thanks for being here, Quinton!
Quentin [00:14:22] Thank you, thank you.
Miles Bloxson [00:14:23] Of course. So you’re a Texan. You’re from Corpus Christi. What was it like growing up there? You know, I think people
Quentin [00:14:33] have mixed reviews about Corpus for sure. But for me, I loved growing up in Corpus. I also grew up in a very musical environment all the time. And so, you know, my family owned a recording studio growing up. And it was just kind of like, to me, it was just a great place for me to grow musically and learn about myself. But it wasn’t like the crazy pressures of growing up in New York or LA where it’s just so much competition and intenseness. It was like I got to kind of take time to learn myself and music. And so I was just doing something that not a lot of people were doing. So I kind of got to be in my own lane for a while, which was really nice. So I love Corpus. I think it’s a great place to like learn your craft.
Miles Bloxson [00:15:48] So you said that you grew up around music. So how old were you when you really started getting into it? Or you’re like, OK, I kind of like this.
Quentin [00:15:57] I found footage the other day where I was like one and a half and I was already like fully singing, like full vocal, matching a note, which I don’t know how that’s possible, but my mom confirmed I was one and half, maybe going on two, and I already just had a microphone and I just was ready to go. So you push me away, I know you want it to stay Hello tonight
Quentin [00:16:42] You know, I did also musical theater for 10 years of my life. And so it was just kind of like everywhere that I went, like I said, my uncle owned Hacienda Records in Corpus Christi. And so like at nine years old, I was already making demos and just figuring things out and playing around in studios. So it was always there.
Miles Bloxson [00:17:05] Fully immersed in music since day one, essentially. You’ve been compared to Prince, someone who is unapologetically, like has embraced his individuality and the whole nine. How do you feel about that comparison and do you have a favorite Prince song?
Quentin [00:17:21] Really glad you asked me this question, because all the shade I’m going to get. Oh, I look, I’m gonna start with saying I love Prince. OK. But you we for the people who know Prince Prince, people know that Prince was a diva and like Prince would understand the statement I’m about to say, because I’ve studied him after getting acknowledged so much. Let’s keep something straight. Prince was a cis man who would go on stage and perform effeminately. It was a performance, it was a persona, as many people would say. But it wasn’t kind of like the baseline core. And then also he spent the latter half of his life kind of renouncing that kind of era of himself. But to me, my femininity is not a performance. I’m not like this just dude, masculine guy all the time that then is going on stage And twirling and whirling. It is a very innate thing within myself. If anything, when I was in my band The Past Lives, I would do the opposite. I created a male persona. Being masculine is actually quite difficult for me sometimes. And so I love Prince. I think he’s incredible. But I discovered him way later in my life. I would say within the last two to three years, because everyone kind of. Brought him to me and I was just like, I don’t understand this. But I will say I did watch Purple Rain recently, like literally this year. I watched the movie for the first time and I thought it was the most incredible film I’ve ever seen. And I was like, OK, totally. I’m honored ultimately, but I just don’t want to be kind of like amalgamized into this section of like Bowie’s and like I love all of them. I think they’re all incredible. But it’s like. I’d like to believe I’m kind of doing something new and doing my own lane that’s very different than all of that. And to answer your question, 1999.
Miles Bloxson [00:19:23] Okay. I love it. Okay. We could talk about that for.
Quentin [00:19:29] I know, my Leo rising was coming out, I’m sorry everybody.
Miles Bloxson [00:19:30] I’m sorry. Okay, it’s okay. Okay. I have to know how long have you been in Austin ended music bring you here
Quentin [00:19:37] I’ve been in Austin for ten years, on and off.
Miles Bloxson [00:19:40] Okay.
Quentin [00:19:41] Yeah, and did music bring me here? Hope Gal or Graffiti Park brought me here.
Miles Bloxson [00:19:47] The one that’s not here anymore?
Quentin [00:19:48] Yes, and Andy Scholl, shout out to Andy Schole, who created it, is now a longtime mentor of mine, which is kind of the most beautiful thing. Shout out Hope Gallery, the new thing that they have now. But yeah, I just got so inspired and we were just looking out across the city and I remember just being like, I’m gonna move here in a week. And then I did and I was 18 and then did not work out and then came back in 2019 and then officially, you know, moved. Oh the truth of it, you think you’re above it And I know, I know I know And I got a feeling that you’re thinking of her And I Know, I Know I Know
Quentin [00:20:42] But I was still coming back and forth during that time. I would perform at Kick Butt. That place kept me fed. They would give me coffee and food as long as I sang. That’s all you need. That’s what I needed. And I slept on a couch on Airport near Tyson’s Tacos.
Miles Bloxson [00:20:57] So your new album, Tom Girl, is coming out. How long have you been working on this project?
Quentin [00:21:03] Two years.
Miles Bloxson [00:21:04] Two years and some of the material was created during a songwriting retreat in west texas sonic ranch tell me more
Quentin [00:21:10] Yeah, Sonic Ranch, it was incredible. It was an incredible experience to get to, go to the place where, you know, Fiona Apples made, Fiona Apple, not Apples, made Fetch the Bolt Cutters and Yeah, Yeah, Yes did the Blitz album there. And so it was very inspiring and it kind of helped induce this album and shout out to my producer, Kinder, who went with me and we just kind of lost our minds. We found it. We found her.
Miles Bloxson [00:21:41] I was gonna say, did you find her again? I love that. You’ve said Tom Girl is about rejecting the idea that you have to fit into this box and embracing both your divine feminine energy and your masculine energy. Can you expand on that?
Quentin [00:21:55] Well, I think everybody has a lot more fluidity than they’d like to give themselves credit for. I think we always connect it to these social concepts like, you know, sexuality or, you know, and it’s really not that. You know, some women in my life are some of the most masculine people I’ve ever met, you now, and there’s a lot of men that I’ve met that are just inherently feminine and some people would find that to be a negative thing, but it’s not. It’s, it, We- we both come from- divine feminine, divine masculinity. So to denounce some aspect of ourselves is quite confusing to me. But you know, it is what it is. But to me, Tom Girl, ultimately, I like to broaden it a little bit and just say that to me it’s anything that can feel like a contradiction. So almost like an oxymoron. Like instead of saying that, it’s like Tom Girl. Like a studio that’s in a house, you know? That’s a Tom Girl me, a Tom girl, you know, like, it doesn’t only have to be connected to sexuality or orientation, it can just be two things that don’t seem like they should make sense, but they do. So I change my name, fix everything What if I die without you? If I could rewind, I wouldn’t change a thing I just fall in love again
Miles Bloxson [00:23:27] And what do you feel like listeners, or what do you hope that listeners can take away from this?
Quentin [00:23:32] I hope that they can take away that it’s a lot easier to just fall
Quentin [00:23:39] than it is to constantly try to keep yourself up when you’re just when you just need to kind of sometimes you need to surrender to your circumstance and and be okay with the fact that something’s over and that something needs to move on and you can go back and forth on it you can grieve however way you need but at the end of the day like if it’s done it’s done and even if you keep trying to make it work the universe is going to continue bringing you back to the matter of the fact, which is that it’s done. Yeah. So you can play whatever game you want. We have free will. But at the end of the day, if it’s done, it’s
Miles Bloxson [00:24:20] It’s done. No, I’ve had the universe tell me several times or in things for me before I was ready and I was like I should have just listened to the universe in the first place. So I understand that. So what’s next for you and where can people catch you performing during the rest of 2026?
Quentin [00:24:37] I’m going to be performing Meadowfest August 29th at Radio East and there’s a lot of other kind of surprise things that are coming. Okay, can’t tell us all of it on the signal. I’m gonna be doing a vinyl release at Waterloo on August 7th. I love Waterloo. You with Waterloo, it’s going to be amazing. Oh, I love me some Waterloo. That was like, I’ve never held a project of mine in my hands before. And so I’m very excited for that moment. We have not received the vinyl yet. But yes, so there’s lots of things coming. More videos, more content, and maybe more music.
Miles Bloxson [00:25:21] Okay. We’ve been speaking with Quentin, the KETX Artist of the Month for July. We’ll have a link to her Studio 1A performance in today’s show notes. Thank you so much, Quentin. Thank you. This was amazing. Well, that’s it for us today on Austin Signal. I hope you enjoyed the show. Rayna Sevilla is our technical director. Alexandra Hart is our producer. Christian Cabrera is our managing producer. And I am your host, Miles Bloxman, filling in for my friend and Jerry Quijano. I hope you have a beautiful day!
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
