BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 19, 2022)
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[FIRM NEWS]
Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham in late March was invited to join the Urban Land Institute (ULI)-Austin Advisory Board. Meeting quarterly, the Board serves as the local leadership for ULI in Central Texas, and it is made up of leading real estate and land use professionals who volunteer their time to build a strong regional presence for ULI Austin.
And this week, A.J. joins the Blanton Museum of Art National Leadership Board. Meeting bi-annually, the Board is comprised of University of Texas at Austin alumni and friends who are leaders in the arts, business, and philanthropy. The Board is a university priority aimed at helping to position UT and Austin as a center for world-class art and education. The group is instrumental in maintaining the Blanton’s commitment to excellence and in continuing to build the museum’s profile on a national and international level.
[BG PODCAST]
Episode 155: Discussing Austin's Diversity and Ethnic Chamber Alliance w/Tina Cannon, CEO, Austin LGBT Chamber
Today’s episode (155) features Tina Cannon, CEO, Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. She and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discussed the recently formed Diversity and Ethnic Chamber Alliance ("DECA")
Comprised of the Austin LGBT Chamber, Greater Austin Asian Chamber, Greater Austin Black Chamber, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, DECA will facilitate their shared vision to create a Regional Economic Equity Development Plan (“REED Plan”).
The vision of the DECA collaboration is to better the integration of individuals, firms, and communities who have not shared proportionately in the overall rise in local prosperity.
The REED Plan, according to DECA, will reduce barriers and create equity for the small businesses and the workforce communities served by the Chambers.-> EPISODE LINK
TOMORROW: EP. 156 - Managing Growth in the City of Leander with Mayor Christine DeLisle
[HEARINGS]
Tuesday, 4/19
Wednesday, 4/20
Thursday, 4/21
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
Dripping Springs officials launch initiative to plan for future growth (Community Impact)
Dripping Springs officials announced an initiative to update the city’s comprehensive plan, a framework for guiding long-range development in the rapidly growing region, on April 18.
The initiative will identify new land use priorities to be included in the updated plan, including real estate and economic developments, infrastructure projects and zoning guidance.
This process involves designating regions best suited for commercial and residential development, which will guide city officials to make decisions about future development proposals.
An outdated comprehensive plan has previously been cited by Dripping Springs officials as a cause for the city’s ongoing development moratorium.
The city has hired DTJ Design, a design firm with expertise in urban planning, to work with Dripping Springs officials to develop the plan. Officials have also created a city Comprehensive Plan Committee—made up of local citizens and business owners—that will work side by side with the firm throughout the planning process… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Georgetown's State of the City 2022 showcases high growth (Community Impact)
The city of Georgetown held its annual State of the City on April 13. The virtual event was broadcasted via YouTube and Facebook with supporting documents at https://georgetown.org/state-of-the-city-2022/
The video features comments and information from Mayor Josh Schroeder and City Manager David Morgan about 2021 accomplishments and plans for 2022.
In fiscal year 2021, Georgetown saw close to 2,500 new housing developments within city limits, showcasing that more than 5,000 people moved to Georgetown.
In result, the city gained more than 5,200 new water utility customers, further illustrating the need for the expansion of the North Lake water plant, the construction of the new South Lake treatment plant, and the importance of water conservation and wastewater ordinances.
This growth pattern also provided Georgetown with more than $42 million in sales tax revenue, an $8 million increase from 2020… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
9 candidates running for 3 seats on Leander City Council (Austin American-Statesman)
Nine people, including two incumbents, are running for three seats places on the Leander City Council in the May 7 election.
Incumbent Kathryn Pantalion-Parker, a 59-year-old fashion consultant, is running for her second term in Place 1 against Trey Schisser, a 47-year-old director of IT security.
The four Place 3 candidates are Juan Alanis, a 45-year-old Round Rock school district teacher; Steve Hanes, a 57-year-old software engineer; Roslyn Littles, a 62-year-old retired budget/finance manager; and David McDonald, a 53-year-old traffic incident management coordinator and retired Austin police officer.
The three candidates running for Place 5 are incumbent Chris Czernek, who is seeking his second term and is a new home sales counselor for DFH Coventry Homes; Annette Sponseller, a 42-year-old administrator for Girl Scouts of Central Texas and a former council member; and Bill Louden, a 75-year-old custom furniture shop owner. He is also a retired General Electric executive and a retired professor and chairman of international business and logistics at Austin Community College. Council members serve three-year terms… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texts show U.S. Rep. Chip Roy sought evidence of election fraud in 2020, argued against attempts to block certification (Texas Tribune)
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, expressed an early eagerness to contest the 2020 presidential election, while also privately pushing for real evidence to be the basis for any challenge and later urging former President Donald Trump to “call everyone off” the effort to block the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
“If we substitute the will of states through electors with a vote by Congress every 4 years ... we have destroyed the electoral college ... Respectfully,” Roy texted to Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, on Dec. 31, 2020, according to a CNN report.
“Give a statesman speech. End strong,” he added.
CNN obtained and published a series of exchanges between Roy and Meadows ranging from the days after the election to the Jan. 6 insurrection, when a group of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and temporarily blocked Congress from certifying Biden’s electoral victory. The revelations Friday set off an online frenzy around Roy heading into Easter weekend… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Details, renderings released after massive data center project approved for Round Rock (Austin Business Journal)
A Seattle-based company – which is among the oldest and largest privately owned multi-tenant data center operator and developers in the world – has released new details about its project in Round Rock.
Sabey Data Centers Properties LLC said in an April 18 announcement that it plans to break ground on its facility at 1300 Louis Henna Blvd. in June, with a target of opening in the first quarter of 2023.
The two-building, 40-acre data center is designed to provide up to 72 megawatts of power capacity, and will be able to accommodate hyper scale development and support enterprise requirements of all sizes and scales. The company added that the project will be built with sustainability in mind, including shrinking its construction footprint, while also focusing on water conservation and energy efficiency.
Plans for Sabey's foray into the northern Austin metro emerged in February when the company was approved by the Round Rock City Council for $1 million in incentives to build the 300,000-square foot operation that is expected to create at least 20 high-paying jobs… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Dallas Democratic establishment split in race to replace Eddie Bernice Johnson in Congress (Dallas Morning News)
The race to replace Eddie Bernice Johnson in Congress has fractured the Dallas-area political establishment as new leadership emerges in one of the heaviest Democratic districts in the country. Johnson, the trailblazing congresswoman who’s retiring when her term ends next year, has backed state Rep. Jasmine Crockett to replace her. Crockett burst onto the Dallas political scene by mixing activism and politics. In 2020 she beat the Dallas political establishment to win the District 100 seat in the Texas Legislature. The alternative to Crockett in the May 24 runoff is Jane Hope Hamilton, a former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth. Along with Veasey, Hamilton is backed by state Sen. Royce West of Dallas, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and former Mayor and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
For decades Johnson, West, Price and Kirk have been the undisputed titans of local politics. Their clash over District 30 pits Johnson – on her turf – against the rest. A win by Crockett would cement Johnson’s transition plan and provide a blow to establishment Democrats who backed Hamilton. If Hamilton upsets Crockett, it would deal Johnson one of the biggest political defeats of her career. Johnson believes Crockett will succeed. “I didn’t know her very long, but she was the one who moved to the top for me,” Johnson said of Crockett “She has the focus, the legislative experience and the leadership to get things done.” Kirk, a strong ally and Johnson’s longtime friend, counters that Hamilton is best for the district and has Washington experience. But Crockett, 41, enjoys the backing of Democratic state Reps. Jessica González of Dallas, Ana-Maria Ramos of Richardson, Terry Meza of Irving and Ramon Romero of Fort Worth. Many of the 19 state lawmakers supporting Crockett are considered progressives, who during the last legislative session, pushed their leadership to be tougher in resisting the legislative agenda of Gov. Greg Abbott and Republican lawmakers. That included insisting that Democrats break quorum to stall a controversial elections bill, a move that some high-ranking officials in the House Democratic Caucus leadership initially resisted. “She’s committed. She’s got the experience,” said Kirk, who added he doesn’t know Crockett. “I always ask people, ‘why are you running?’ I believe Jane is doing this for the right reason. She has a heart for public service.” Johnson’s backing notwithstanding, the race also reflects Crockett’s status as an anti-establishment outsider who’s not the choice of the majority of the old-guard, or some of her powerful colleagues in the local delegation to the Texas House… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Multiple airlines, Amtrak to drop mask requirements (The Hill)
Multiple airlines along with Amtrak on Monday evening moved to make masks optional on their transit systems following a federal court decision that effectively ended the federal transportation mask mandate.
United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways all announced that masks would be optional for both passengers and employees as well as in airports. Amtrak also announced that it would make masks optional for its guests and train employees.
“Due to a judicial decision in our federal court system, the mask mandate has been overturned, which means our guests and employees have the option to wear a mask while traveling in the U.S. and at work,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement… (LINK TO FULL STORY)