BG Reads | News You Need to Know (September 9, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
*NEW* BG Blog: Austin Council to Consider City's 2021 State Legislative Program (BLOG LINK)
BG Podcast Episode 106: 2020 Summer Closeout with Associate Intern Josh (SHOW LINK)
Note: Shows also available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Sound Cloud, and Stitcher
[AUSTIN METRO]
Thousands of potential units in projects certified so far under Affordability Unlocked program (Austin Monitor)
A city bonus program to spur more affordable housing has already played a role in several income-restricted projects across Austin.
Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department staff and affordable housing developers provided an update on the Affordability Unlocked program to City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee on Tuesday morning.
Affordability Unlocked offers waivers or easements on height, density, parking, compatibility and other development regulations in exchange for high percentages of affordable units.
“It was meant to enable housing providers to build more units in their developments … and to better leverage public funds, in particular in light of the 2018 affordable housing bond,” said Alex Radtke with NHCD.
Council approved the Affordability Unlocked ordinance in May 2019 and the application portal went online last November.
After an application process, project owners or developers can execute an agreement with NHCD to participate in the program. Staffers issue a certification letter, which accompanies a project as it moves through the development review process.
As of Sept. 3, 26 applications have been certified out of 46 total applications. Most of the certified projects – 69 percent – are rental developments. Radtke said the department has certified a total of 2,721 units in projects under the program, of which 2,337 are affordable units.
Building permits have been issued or are under review for three projects: A Civilitude project at 12500 Lamppost Lane, a Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corp. project at 1103 Clermont Ave. and a JESE Real Estate project at 300 E. Croslin St.
Three other developments have a site plan under review: Agave East Apartments by Herman & Kittle Properties and the Matador and the Henderson, both by LDG Development.
Rachel Stone, the assistant director with the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corp., said a senior housing development at 809 E. Ninth St. can go from 24 units to 34 units through the program, with six deeply affordable units.
“It was a very tough project before and we’re able to serve significantly more seniors at this site, so that’s been really helpful,” Stone said.
The Lamppost Lane project, which features 17 multi-bedroom townhome-style units available to households at 80 percent of the median family income or below, was the first to break ground in July. Civilitude’s Fayez Kazi said waivers on parking and setback requirements allowed the project to go up from its initial unit count of seven.
Southeast Austin’s District 3 had the most certified projects with six. East Austin’s District 1 and North Central Austin’s District 4 both had five certified projects.
Districts 6 and 8 in Southwest and Northwest Austin have no certified projects yet.
“I look forward to seeing where people are able to expand this in the future,” said Council Member Paige Ellis, representing District 8.
Tweaks to the program are a possibility. Council Member Alison Alter said the city could find itself “potentially stuck” if a developer pursues an upzoning and doesn’t follow through with pledges to participate in Affordability Unlocked.
“It’s problematic if we’re giving zoning based on an expectation of additional affordable housing but then there’s no mechanism to ensure that that happens,” she said.
Council Member Greg Casar, who championed Affordability Unlocked early last year, said they should work to improve the program so zoning changes aren’t necessary for developers.
“Generally, there’s not as many zoning changes, which is partly the point,” Casar said. “If somebody is already going to participate in that level of affordability, they don’t have to go through the rezoning process.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin hits goal in lowering COVID-19 positivity rate (CBS Austin)
Austin just hit a major goal in the battle to slow the spread of coronavirus. The positivity rate finally fell below 5%. In addition, the Hispanic community is seeing COVID-19 hospitalizations drop.
Austin's rain or shine approach to distributing face masks and hand sanitizer appears to be paying off. Austin Public Health says free distributions of personal protection equipment (PPE) helped achieve a long-time goal of lowering the positivity rate to below 5%. After hovering around 6% for two weeks, the latest numbers show a significant drop to 4.6%.
“It’s slightly under that 5% mark we were aiming for before the opening of schools and I’m happy to say that we are there,” said Dr. Mark Escott, Interim Health Authority with Austin Public Health.
The 1.4% drop in positive test results had some Travis County Commissioners asking for an explanation.
“How can we explain such a marked difference in such a small period of time?” asked Travis County Commissioner Jeffrey Travillion.
“Folks have been masking and social distancing and doing the things they need to do to push this down before the start of school,” said Dr. Escott… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Thousands of Austin-area students return to campuses for first time since March (Austin American-Statesman)
Parents walked their children to the front door or waved from the sidewalk as a line of cars snaked down the driveway leading up to Rough Hollow Elementary School in the Lake Travis district.
In many ways, it was a first day of school like any other, as parents took photos and young students clung to their parents’ legs. But intermixed with the familiarity were notable differences. Signs around the campus reminded students to maintain social distancing and wear a mask, with a few places away from classrooms where masks can be taken off. Even prekindergarteners wore masks as they entered school.
The Eanes, Lake Travis and Leander school districts welcomed students back to campuses Tuesday for the first time since the pandemic shuttered schools in March, making them the largest districts to launch in-person learning in the Austin area. The districts started classes online last month. About 8,200 students are in Eanes, 11,100 students are enrolled in Lake Travis schools and about 42,000 in Leander schools.
Round Rock and Pflugerville, which also started school virtually last month, plan to reopen campuses to some students in the coming days. The Austin school district started the school year Tuesday with remote-only learning. And the Hays school district also started classes Tuesday with most students connecting online from home, though about 10% of students whose parents did not have child care or home supervision attended in person Tuesday.
Since the coronavirus abruptly closed schools last spring, educators and administrators across the country have grappled with how to safely reopen campuses. Most Austin-area districts launched virtually, planning to bring students back onto campuses gradually. Small districts, like Thrall and Wimberley, reopened their schools for in-person learning starting on day one last month… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
'He's decided he's the king': Gov. Greg Abbott's COVID response leaves lawmakers on sidelines (Houston Chronicle)
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is one of just three governors nationwide who have had unilateral control over their state’s coronavirus response while lawmakers sit on the sidelines. Legislatures in three states, including Texas, haven’t met since the pandemic began in March — or at all in 2020. And there is little chance that Abbott will call lawmakers back to Austin now, with about 20 weeks left before the next Texas legislative session is scheduled to begin in January. The duration of Abbott’s coronavirus-related orders — the first was issued March 13 — is unprecedented and raises questions about the strength of that legal justification, which is already the subject of a number of lawsuits filed by business and political interests in recent months.
Abbott has used those emergency powers to make decisions regulating virtually every facet of life during the pandemic — whether to open or shut down businesses, how many Texans can gather in groups outdoors or indoors and whether Texans need to wear face coverings in public are just a few of them. Abbott, who did not respond to a request for comment, has defended his use of emergency authority. “Every decision that I’ve made has been a decision that is in the best interest of the health and safety of the people in the state of Texas as well as trying to do that maintaining businesses being as open as possible,” Abbott said at a news conference in August, pointing to the statewide mask mandate and bar closures. “The proof is in the pudding,” he added. “Because the proof is that in the aftermath of those requirements on my part, we have seen a reduction in the number of people testing positive and a reduction in hospitalizations and an improvement in the state of Texas and its response to COVID-19.” Despite requests from Democrats and pressure from the right — including from the chairman of the Texas Republican Party — he has repeatedly declined to give the Texas House and Texas Senate a chance to play any direct role in the state’s response by calling a special session… (LINK TO STORY)
Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall resigns following criticisms of protest response (Texas Tribune)
Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall resigned her post Tuesday but will remain the city's top cop through the end of the year, according to a statement from Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax. Hall was heavily criticized by six City Council members after anti-police brutality protests in Dallas in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Hall's resignation letter didn’t reference such criticisms.
Instead, her resignation says she has received “a number of inquiries about future career opportunities.” Hall said that, for now, she would keep her next step “confidential.”
“These past three years have been saturated with a series of unimaginable events that individually and collectively have never happened in the City of Dallas,” Hall wrote. “I am proud that this department has not only coped with an unthinkable series of events, but we also managed to implement critical reforms.”
The Dallas Police Department was criticized for its use of force during protests at the end of May and start of June. An investigation from The Dallas Morning News reported that police officers used pepper-ball launchers against peaceful protestors. A federal judge later temporarily banned the city of Dallas from using tear gas and other so-called less-lethal weapons against peaceful crowds… (LINK TO STORY)
Big 12 embraces social justice movement with initiatives (Austin American-Statesman)
The Big 12 will introduce an anti-racism, anti-hate campaign this week through its sports teams, starting with a social justice message on the front left side of football jerseys and a unity patch on the back of helmets. Schools will have the latitude to accommodate protests as part of the social justice movement, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said during a teleconference Monday.
“We have the expectation that there will be the representation of the feelings of student-athletes in a variety of ways,” Bowlsby said. “We want to make sure that student-athletes can find their voice and use their voice, and yet we also have to manage it so there are not significant disruptions of the contest as well.” Professional athletes have knelt during the national anthem, but college football players usually are in the locker room when the anthem is played. Last Saturday, Stephen F. Austin players knelt on the field with fists raised before kicking off after a touchdown in the first quarter against UTEP. The Lumberjacks were assessed a delay of game penalty. Bowlsby said the Big 12 would support a voter registration initiative and an internship program for people of color… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Drug companies seek to reassure public amid Trump vaccine push (The Hill)
Drug companies are seeking to reassure the public that coronavirus vaccine approval will be based on science, not politics, as the push for a vaccine intensifies and President Trump floats the idea of pre-Election Day approval.
The rare statement issued Tuesday by nine pharmaceutical companies working on potential coronavirus vaccines, pledging to “stand with science,” illustrated the fears about politicization of the vaccine approval process with the election approaching.
“The existence of the statement is an acknowledgement that there are real concerns over the politicization of the FDA’s approval process,” said Rachel Sachs, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expert at Washington University in St. Louis.
During a news conference Monday, Trump raised the idea of a “very big surprise coming up” on a vaccine, while also saying it will be “very safe and very effective.”
“We’re going to have a vaccine very soon. Maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I’m talking about,” he said.
Trump has previously put pressure on the FDA. He tweeted last month that the “deep state” at the agency was slowing down work on vaccines and treatments until after the election.
Tuesday’s statement by vaccine manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca was therefore welcomed by experts as an added safeguard against potential political influence.
The companies vowed they would “only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA.”… (LINK TO STORY)
McConnell proposes pandemic relief bill, Democrats quickly dismiss it as ‘emaciated’ (NPR)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rolled out a new proposal for a smaller version of a pandemic relief aid bill, but it's unclear how much support the measure could garner even in his own party. And top Democrats opposed the plan, arguing it was "emaciated" even before it was officially released.
The measure includes more money for a small business loan program, a scaled back version of an expanded unemployment payment program, funding for schools and the U.S. Postal Service. The plan is slated to get an initial vote as early as this week, but is unlikely to advance without any significant Democratic support.
McConnell, R-Ky. said the proposal illustrates Republicans' efforts to keep trying to push through a new wave of stimulus for the economy despite Democratic opposition. Both parties have been at a standstill to reach a deal on new coronavirus funding for several months.
"We want to agree where a bipartisan agreement is possible, get more help out the door and keep arguing over the rest later, that's how you legislate, that's how you make law," McConnell argued from the Senate floor on Monday following the plan's introduction… (LINK TO STORY)