BG Reads | News You Need to Know (August 24, 2021)
Bingham Group CEO A.J. story time with Mainspring Schools students (Bingham Group 2019)
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
ZAP fails to recommend rezoning for 100 percent affordable apartments (Austin Monitor)
A tie vote at the Zoning and Platting Commission last Tuesday means that the rezoning for Fox Hollow, an affordable housing project, goes to City Council without ZAP’s recommendation.
Half of the commission sided with neighbors who say the site at 2117 Brandt Road in South Austin is not the place for dense development, while half supported the rezoning because of the need for more affordable housing – a split also seen in last week’s Luby’s rezoning case.
The project by LDG Development and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin would create approximately 200 family-sized apartments income-restricted at 60 percent median family income – around $59,000 for a family of four.
The neighbors opposed to the project brought a litany of concerns before the commission, though they were mainly worried about increased traffic along narrow, two-lane Brandt Road and worsened flooding, given the project’s proximity to floodplains. “This is the right cause, but the wrong location,” neighbor Jon Iken said.
Iken argued that the developer would put new and current residents alike at risk of floods and would be responsible for people walking on a dangerous street with no sidewalks. “LDG is playing a dangerous game with people’s lives and homes,” he said.
Five commissioners agreed with the neighbors and voted against the motion for city staffers’ recommendation of Multifamily-Low Density (MF-2) zoning. Though the developer requested Multifamily-Moderate Density (MF-4) zoning, representatives said MF-2 would still work, but the project would have 10 to 20 fewer units.
“This project just makes me queasy,” Commissioner Jolene Kiolbassa said. “I think that affordable housing, like everybody else, deserves … a better location than this.”
“I just don’t want to see families, low-income or not, put in harm’s way,” Commissioner Betsy Greenberg said. “This is a dangerous road and a site that’s basically surrounded by the floodplain on three sides.”
The five commissioners in favor of the rezoning were somewhat sympathetic to neighbors’ concerns, but emphasized the city’s desperate need for affordable housing.
“We’re in a crisis,” Commissioner Timothy Bray said. “Sometimes I even feel like Austin zoning cases are rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic with how bad it is.”
Commissioner Cesar Acosta argued that the case is a simple choice between allowing single-family homes or affordable apartments. “One way or another, this will get developed some way down the road, and I think we should allow it to be something that allows for a greater diversity of folks,” he said.
As with the Luby’s case, some commissioners argued that much of the concern was not pertinent to a zoning case… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Population growth will mean revised state House districts for Austin area (Austin American-Statesman)
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin knows her seat in the Texas House could be in trouble.
The Austin Democrat represents the western reaches of the city and the Hill Country suburbs of Travis County that are known to lean more conservative than the generally liberal urban core.
Population growth in her district is a good thing. It showcases a healthy economy and a prosperous constituency. But it also means her district is likely to see many changes when lawmakers meet later this year to redraw legislative district lines.
Every 10 years, states use new census data to redraw the lines for congressional and legislative voting districts. Texas' lines are decided by the Legislature, where voters have installed a Republican majority.
Some political observers say they expect the Republicans in charge to try to unseat Goodwin.
"I know there is a target on my back," Goodwin told the American-Statesman. Republicans who will lead the effort to redraw the 150 Texas House districts "could potentially move me out of my district or take me out of my district."
Goodwin's District 47 contains Lakeway, Bee Cave and Lago Vista. It grew more than any other Travis County district in the past decade, adding 75,000 people, which made it the eighth-fastest growing district in the state, according to census figures. It is also the second-fastest growing district in the Austin metro area behind District 45, which encompasses Hays and Blanco counties.
The greater Austin area appears set to gain at least two seats in the Texas House through redistricting. Travis County has grown so much that it has too many people to have only six self-contained districts… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Renteria opposes Red River extension into Rainey Street, MACC area (Austin Monitor)
Council Member Pio Renteria has come out against a proposal to create a new roadway through the Rainey Street district that would require using some of the land provided by the city for the creation of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.
An extension of Red River Street south and then east has been the favored choice of the city’s Transportation Department to address concerns about traffic congestion in the fast-growing former residential area that is now thick with hotels and residential towers.
MACC supporters have loudly objected to the extension because of the loss of parking spaces and other property for the center, with advocates accusing the city of having the plan slated to start even though community feedback and input sessions were just beginning.
At an online forum last week organized by the group Save the ESB-MACC, Renteria said he plans to oppose any Council action authorizing the extension plan. He said the city should be focusing on moving ahead with an expansion of the MACC that was funded by voters in a 2018 bond proposal.
“My recommendation to the transportation staff is to back off because I would not give my support for this on Council and would definitely not allow a road to go right through the middle of our MACC,” he said. “It’s frustrating to hear there has been this much time and resource spent on a road when we could be spending that time on the MACC.”
Word spread after the meeting that Renteria had pushed hard enough to cause the Transportation Department to stop actively working on the project. In a pair of responses, a department spokesperson said the feedback process is still moving forward and that the department doesn’t comment on Council actions… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The 'Samsung effect': What a $17B investment would mean for Austin’s semiconductor sector (Austin Business Journal)
South Korea-based Samsung is considering Central Texas, Phoenix and upstate New York for its next fabrication facility, which will create the most advanced computer chips the company has ever made. A decision may be announced in the coming months, which would have a massive impact on Central Texas’ semiconductor sector, from the potential growth for dozens of area companies to the region's standing among other global semi hubs. More talent would flood the area, and the investment could entice other companies to move to Central Texas, experts have said.
Schunk Xycarb is already planning to expand its local footprint based on the demand they’re seeing across the global semiconductor sector. But if Samsung chose to invest locally, that would speed up Schunk Xycarb’s timeline to build another local facility, Lingren said. The company would need to expedite hiring and equipment purchases.
“It's an added benefit for us if they choose Central Texas because we've been providing hands-on service for them every few days for over 20 years," Lingren said. "It would mean more jobs and a bit more of an investment locally."
There are many companies in the Austin area like Schunk Xycarb that stand to see big benefits if Samsung invests another $17 billion in Austin. And if the region loses out on the project, that doesn't mean the end of semiconductor technology in Austin or the end of Samsung's local operations. It just means the industry won't be producing the most cutting-edge technology in Central Texas, which could deter future projects of this magnitude.
“Austin already has a really strong semiconductor community,” said Ed Latson, executive director of the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association. “It's super important to keep us as one of the most advanced semiconductor clusters in the nation and in the world. Samsung’s capabilities give this whole region a lot of credibility to our identity as a high-tech community.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Texas House committee again passes the voting restrictions bill that instigated Democratic quorum break (Texas Tribune)
A Texas House committee on Monday advanced the GOP-backed voting restrictions bill that first prompted Democrats to stall legislative work during a weekslong quorum break.
The 9-5 party-line vote on the revived legislation, Senate Bill 1, is part of a third bid to enact proposals that would outlaw local efforts to make it easier to vote, ratchet up vote-by-mail rules and bolster protections for partisan poll watchers. It comes just days after the House regained enough Democrats to restart business following a nearly six-week exodus over the minority party’s opposition to the voting legislation.
With the second special legislative session past the halfway mark, the House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights and Remedies opted to replace the Senate’s bill with language from its own bill, House Bill 3. That means the House is essentially starting over with the same exact proposals that instigated a stalemate in the chamber following Democrats’ departure to Washington, D.C., in early July… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
San Antonio ISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez is in the running for Chicago Public Schools CEO (San Antonio Express-News)
Pedro Martinez, the superintendent of San Antonio Independent School District, is a candidate to become the next CEO of Chicago Public Schools, the San Antonio district confirmed on Monday afternoon. Martinez has been superintendent here for six years, drawing national attention for working to improve academic success in the large, high-poverty district while attracting a return to its schools of students from more affluent families that had abandoned the district in previous decades. In that time, he also has persuaded voters to approve initiatives that gave the district more resources, including a property tax rate increase and a $1.25 billion bond package, a local record.
During the coronavirus pandemic, he has been among the most outspoken local superintendents against state guidance and rules, resisting a mass return to classrooms last year and announcing a mask mandate and a vaccnation requirement in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning such moves. Chicago is Martinez’s hometown and where he started his career in K-12 education. From 2003 to 2009 he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Chicago Public Schools. Martinez said in a statement he wanted to explore the option of returning to Chicago because it is where he went to school and started his career, but noted that his interest in the CEO position is still an “ongoing process, and I will wait to see how it plays out.” He said his focus continues to be on San Antonio and supporting SAISD students for the year ahead. “It is a compliment that Chicago Public Schools considers me a candidate for CEO, and it speaks well to the great work that is happening here in San Antonio,” Martinez said. “I am very happy in San Antonio ISD and proud of the transformation that is improving our children’s educational equity so that each receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
House Democrats punt key vote on budget to House Democrats punt key vote on budget to Tuesday (The Hill)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team struggled to round up the votes to move forward with a strategy to enact President Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar domestic agenda, ultimately opting to punt a key procedural vote until Tuesday.
After hours of negotiations, Pelosi late on Monday night failed to strike a deal with the leaders of a 10-member bloc of centrists who are demanding a vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill before considering a budget resolution that paves the way for a $3.5 trillion spending plan to expand social support programs and combat climate change.
Democratic leaders left House members in limbo all Monday night as to whether there would be a vote on a procedural rule setting up floor debate parameters to consider the budget resolution, the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a measure to restore part of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013.
It wasn’t until after midnight Tuesday that Democratic leaders announced that consideration of the rule wouldn’t happen until after noon.
Pelosi told Democrats over the weekend that the party would aim to complete work on both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion spending plan to expand social safety net programs by Oct. 1. Surface transportation programs also expire on that day, creating an incentive for lawmakers to send the bipartisan infrastructure bill to Biden’s desk by then… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Kathy Hochul becomes governor of New York, first woman to lead the state (Wall Street Journal)
Kathy Hochul became the 57th governor of New York early Tuesday, making history as the first woman to serve as the state’s chief executive.
Ms. Hochul, a Democrat who has served as lieutenant governor since 2015, was sworn in just after midnight by New York State Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore during a ceremony at the State Capitol.
She succeeds Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in the face of impeachment proceedings and allegations of sexual harassment. Mr. Cuomo has denied he touched anybody inappropriately and said he stepped aside to prevent the government from being distracted.
Ms. Hochul, 62 years old, has said she would need around six weeks to build out an administration, and she has said she would appoint a lieutenant by the end of this week. She was communicating with several New York City politicians about the position, her advisers said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)