BG Note | News - What We're Reading (August 28, 2017)
Commission finds itself at CodeNEXT crossroads (Austin Monitor) LINK TO STORY
Only a few weeks before the scheduled release of CodeNEXT Draft 2.0, the Planning Commission at its Aug. 22 meeting took a step outside of business as usual and considered the alternatives in proceeding with the revamp of the city’s land use code.
After the release of the first CodeNEXT draft, the Planning Commission decided to split into subcommittees: one to analyze the text, one for the map and one for scheduling. Since then, the map subcommittee has taken the lead in coming up with a list of recommendations for the staff and consultants as they continue to revise, although it is still a work in progress.
Lower rainfall totals for Austin area as Harvey heads southeast (Austin American-Statesman) LINK TO STORY
Midnight update: Tropical Storm Harvey’s now more southeasterly track has caused the National Hurricane Center to lower expected rainfall totals for south central Texas over the next few days.
The hurricane center is now reporting that the Austin metro area will likely only see 1 to 3 inches of rain through Wednesday evening, and areas east of Interstate 35 between 3 to 8 inches, down from the previous prediction of 3 to 6 inches and 8 to 12 inches, respectively.
Uber Selects Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to Lead Company (New York Times) LINK TO STORY
Uber Technologies Inc.’s board has voted to appoint Expedia Inc. EXPE -0.45% Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO, capping a tumultuous nine-week search after Travis Kalanick resigned in late June, according to people familiar with the matter.
Uber’s board was deciding on Sunday between Mr. Khosrowshahi and Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. , ultimately electing the lesser-known executive who has been at the helm of Expedia since 2005.
As Apple continues its booming growth in Austin, CEO Tim Cook pays a visit (Austin American-Statesman) LINK TO STORY
As Apple Inc. continues its booming expansion in Austin, CEO Tim Cook is paying a visit on Friday to meet with employees and local entrepreneurs and to announce a new education partnership.
Cook will start the day at tech accelerator Capital Factory in downtown Austin, where he will meet with local developers and check out the apps they have created.
He will then be joined at Capital Factory by Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Austin Community College president and CEO Richard Rhodes to announce a curriculum program with ACC.
Court ruling on districts could reshape Travis County politics (Austin American-Statesman) LINK TO STORY
Travis County could see major political changes after a federal court ordered two congressional districts to be redrawn, saying this month that they were formed by the Republican-controlled Legislature to intentionally discriminate against minority voters. Although the three-judge panel ordered proposed maps to minimize the impact on adjacent districts, a lawyer involved in the case said the court’s findings will require wholesale changes in Travis County — a Democratic stronghold that was split into five congressional districts, four represented by Republicans. “We will be offering plans to reduce the number of splits in Travis County to three or fewer districts,” said Jose Garza, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
Accelerator targets city’s ‘screaming crisis’ of housing affordability (Austin Monitor) LINK TO STORY
A new program from the Impact Hub Austin social improvement accelerator has set its sights on solving the growing affordability crisis facing Austin’s middle- and lower-income communities.
The Affordable Housing Accelerator held its kickoff event last week and brought together local politicos, established private industry leaders and hopeful startup founders looking to devise solutions for the growing cost of housing in the Austin area. Impact Hub’s data shows from 2010 to 2016 the median price of a one-family home in Austin has increased 45.2 percent while the median family income has only grown 5.4 percent.