BG Reads | News - June 13, 2022
[HEARINGS]
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[AUSTIN METRO]
'Victim of our own success:' Austin home prices rising far faster than local incomes (Austin American-Statesman)
The reasons for the affordability declines aren't hard to understand — the region's median home price has nearly tripled since 2011, according to the research, rising 189%. Median family income, meanwhile, is up 47%, from $74,900 in 2011 to $110,300 in 2022.
For potential first-time homebuyers in the Austin metropolitan area, which includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties, the figures are even starker.
At a 3.5% interest rate, only 19% earned enough money to enable them to qualify for mortgages on a $420,000 home in the first quarter this year, which was the highest price in the bottom quartile of sales in the region — a figure that falls to only 13.6% affordability at a 5.5% interest rate. In the first quarter of 2011, 52.7% of potential first-time buyers made enough to qualify for the highest-priced home in the bottom quartile — $129,000 at the time — at an interest rate of 3.5%, and 46.6% did so at a 5.5% interest rate… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Council approves new mixed-use development rules and launches separate corridor proposal (Austin Monitor)
In response to Austin’s housing crisis, City Council passed two policies Thursday to allow more housing along major streets.
“I think it’s more critical now than it has ever been to increase density and housing on these corridors,” Mayor Steve Adler said. “And I think that’s our existential challenge.”
Though housing advocates have urged more drastic changes, Council has remained committed to passing consensus policies following a court ruling on the right of property owners to protest rezonings.
The first set of changes applies to Vertical Mixed-Use zoning, a density bonus program that relaxes some development constraints in exchange for affordable units. Now, developers can build even taller – up to 90 feet – if they provide more affordable housing.
The ordinance, which goes into effect immediately, splits VMU into two tiers. The first, VMU1, does not grant additional height but requires slightly more affordable housing – 10 percent of rental units must be affordable to those making 60 percent of the area median family income. The next tier, VMU2, grants an additional 30 feet of height if developers set aside either 12 percent of units at 60 percent MFI or 10 percent of units at 50 percent MFI.
The affordability requirements proved contentious. Council Member Ann Kitchen, who sponsored the VMU changes, had pushed to require more affordable units in VMU2, bumping the percentages to 15 and 12 percent instead of the staff recommendation of 10 and 12 percent. “I personally think that we’re not pushing the envelope enough,” Kitchen said.
But others had concerns. “When we miscalibrate these numbers, we end up not getting any projects built at all,” Council Member Paige Ellis said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
'I'm not going to be bullied': Williamson County commissioners clash with sheriff's office (Austin American-Statesman)
Tensions are rising between some Williamson County commissioners and the sheriff's office, including a disagreement about how 911 dispatchers should be managed. Other issues involve an internal affairs investigation of a member of the sheriff's command staff over his behavior at a meeting and staffing levels at the jail. Tempers began to flare last week when the commissioners approved putting together an agreement that the county constables would manage the county's 911 emergency dispatchers. The commissioners had asked Sheriff Mike Gleason to manage the dispatchers but he said he only wanted to do it under an agreement he wrote. His plan would include managing and training the 911 dispatchers who handle law enforcement calls but not the dispatchers who only handle fire and emergency medical calls. Gleason said it is a safety issue, as a dispatcher recently put out a call that a theft was taking place but it turned out to be an aggravated robbery.
"If someone comes in with a gun who's going to shoot you," he said, "that's a very different call." The county currently has 52 emergency dispatchers who are managed by the county's emergency services department, which is not a law enforcement agency. "Let me do this," Gleason said angrily at the Commissioners Court on May 31. "I was elected to do this. The law said I'm supposed to do this." The Texas Department of Public Safety requires a law enforcement agency to manage non-law enforcement employees, including 911 dispatchers, who have access to criminal background information. An audit done by the DPS in 2021 showed Williamson County was not complying with that requirement, said Michele Frei, the terminal agency coordinator for the sheriff's office. The county has been out of compliance since 2016, she said. DPS officials did not respond to questions about the county not being in compliance, or whether it would approve the agreement the commissioners are working on with constables. Gleason said after the May 31 meeting that he did not like the agreement the commissioners crafted for him because it involved dispatchers reporting to a committee involving non-law enforcement officials. He said that could give those officials the unfair ability to ask a dispatcher to check on someone's criminal record. Commissioner Russ Boles defended the Commissioners Court, saying "this is the way we've done it for 30 years."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Historic trestle bridge on Third Street could get a new life (Austin Monitor)
Hidden among the glimmering towers in Austin’s downtown district is a quaint trestle bridge that serves as a window into a bygone era. The bridge, located on Third Street, rests 35 feet above Shoal Creek and was constructed nearly a century ago by the International-Great Northern Railroad.
The trestle facilitated the transportation of goods in and out of Austin’s downtown area for decades of the 20th century before eventually becoming obsolete and left to deteriorate, albeit quite gracefully.
But Austin entities have worked hard to ensure this remnant of the past is not forgotten. On Friday, Shoal Creek Conservancy and the Austin Downtown Alliance held an event in front of Shoal Creek Bridge to celebrate its recent listing on the National Registry of Historic Places. They also discussed plans to revitalize the bridge so it can be used for transportation once again.
“(The plan) calls for the restoration of the trestle as a public plaza and a scenic overlook offering a leisurely route for pedestrians to traverse Shoal Creek or be able to sit amongst the beautiful backdrop,” said Ivey Kaiser, the executive director of Shoal Creek Conservancy.
If their plan is adopted, the bridge would become a public pedestrian space akin to the Pfluger Street Bridge over Lady Bird Lake. The plan also includes a proposal to construct another wider bridge, replacing one already there, next to the trestle for cyclists and faster traffic to use.
“The proposal shows the potential of historic preservation to create a bridge, no pun intended, between the past and the future,” Kaiser said.
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The next steps involve finding an appropriate city department to purchase the trestle bridge from Union Pacific, its current owner. Advocacy to transfer ownership to the city is happening now, Kaiser said.
Then the interested parties will start the fundraising process so they can begin construction.
The restoration of the historic bridge is one of the many concepts in the Cypress & Shoal Creek Public Space Strategy project. Among other plans, they hope to revitalize parts of the existing Shoal Creek Trail and create public plazas on Third Street near the creek. If adopted, the plazas will create more space for pedestrians, limit the number of cars and add more greenery… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
After Uvalde school shooting, Texas police wonder how much training is enough — and will it matter? (Texas Tribune)
In the weeks since officers in Uvalde waited more than an hour to confront a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school, police departments across the state have asked themselves a crucial question: If they faced a similar situation, would they be able to quickly stop the gunman?
The images of parents and students pleading with officers to take action at Robb Elementary School on May 24 before a tactical team of federal agents finally breached a classroom and fatally shot the 18-year-old gunman deeply disturbed Marfa police Chief Estevan Marquez.
“I keep telling my officers, ‘I don't want to ever have to go through that,’” Marquez said. “‘I don't want you guys to ever just be standing around when innocent children are being shot in the school, in the classroom.”
Police departments across Texas now find themselves trying to reassure communities that their officers are prepared to handle mass shooters — and reminding officers of their training. Since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado left 12 students and a teacher dead, active-shooter training instructs officers to immediately confront shooters, even if an officer is alone at the scene.
Active-shooter training is a part of the state’s core curriculum for officers when they receive basic training. The state also requires police officers stationed at schools to receive active-shooter training — a mandate that’s been in place only since 2019. But there’s no agreed-upon standard or state requirement for how regularly an officer should train for an active shooter.
Police officials and law enforcement experts also admit a stark reality: No matter how much training they have, there’s no guarantee that officers will follow their training and confront a shooter at the crucial moment… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Council members face tough decision on Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s fate (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas City Council members face a tough decision next week when they consider the future of City Manager T.C. Broadnax. Here’s what some of them are thinking: Jaime Resendez, who represents Pleasant Grove in southeast Dallas, said he sees no reason to make a change with the Dallas city manager job: “We can let him know our thoughts on the things he needs to work on and improve, but overall I’ve been satisfied with his work. I think he’s been easy to work with and has been helpful with things that have impacted southeast Dallas and the city as a whole.” “Even if we go looking for a new city manager, I would be looking for a city manager like T.C. Broadnax. Someone who focuses on equity and isn’t afraid of whatever backlash may come with those types of efforts. I think that should be foundational in any city manager that I would be supportive of.”
Jaynie Schultz, who represents North Dallas, said the call for the special meeting caught her by surprise. “I think that he was absolutely and completely deserving of a well facilitated, open and honest evaluation conversation with him and with the council. I think he has been an outstanding city manager and nothing but supportive of the work that I’ve been trying to do for District 11 and the city. And if there are areas to improve, I think he deserves the opportunity to have a procedure in place that would allow him to grow and improve and be measured upon those needed improvements.” Omar Narvaez, who represents West Dallas, was one of a few council members who said Broadnax’s annual review was due to be discussed at the end of June. “I support our city manager and I just wish this hadn’t circumvented the process.” Tennell Atkins, Far South Dallas, said he was one of three council members who met with Broadnax on Wednesday to discuss his future with the city, but declined to give specifics. “We just had a discussion. We always have a discussion with the city manager when it comes time to do an evaluation.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas environmental regulators — and their lack of trust — are up for formal Sunset review (Houston Chronicle)
The way state environmental regulators invite public input at permit meetings is contributing to a “concerning” amount of public distrust in their work, according to a formal review of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. This finding was highlighted in the Sunset Advisory Commission’s recent staff report. The 12-person commission typically reviews state agencies every 12 years and gives legislators recommendations to improve or eliminate them. Commission staff released the 101-page document ahead of a hearing scheduled for June 22, when busloads of Houstonians plan to travel to Austin to add feedback. The staff report, in their view, made suggestions that fall short of needed, large-scale reform. “There are significant issues identified and then proposals that don’t go far enough,” said Adrian Shelley, the Texas director for Public Citizen who has met regularly with a coalition of advocates to discuss this process.
State environmental regulators are charged with protecting public health and natural resources, and balancing that with economic development. The agency clears permits from industrial facilities that plan to release chemicals into the air, monitors regional air quality for compliance with federal rules and regulates waste disposal, among other tasks. But many advocates have little faith in the agency to do what is needed to protect people — especially in lower-income communities of color that face more problems than most. Their perspectives add to a “concerning degree of general public distrust” that the report acknowledges. “Some community stakeholders and environmental advocates see TCEQ as a mere extension of industry, rubber stamping new and expanded facilities, seeming to ignore potential health impacts or public concerns,” the report says. Frustration around the permitting process emerged in the findings as a top issue, along with problems with how the agency regulates water and shortcomings in how it regulates industrial sites. The agency doesn’t invite public participation early enough when reviewing a permit, the report said. Residents typically give feedback at community meetings after draft permits have been released — by which point regulators have already worked to be sure it meets requirements… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
As Houston vies to host a World Cup game, the city's diverse soccer culture enters the spotlight (Houston Chronicle)
Houston soccer fans driving in front of PNC Stadium or along I-45 north of downtown lately may have noticed familiar faces staring down at them. Billboards have sprung up around town featuring Paraguayan national team forward Sebastián Ferreira and Mexican national team forward María Sánchez, who are in their first seasons with the Dynamo and Dash, respectively. The billboards proclaim the same message in English and Spanish: “Houston is the city of soccer” and “Houston es la ciudad de fútbol.” Next week, the city has a chance to prove just that. On June 16, FIFA will announce its host cities for the 2026 Men’s World Cup to be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. If Houston is one of the 16 locations chosen for the 48-team tournament, the city’s robust international soccer culture will serve as a prominent backdrop.
The Houston metro area is more racially and ethnically diverse than the United States as a whole, and is notably home to the nation’s fourth-largest Hispanic population. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, Harris County’s Hispanic population grew by 363,000 from 2010 to 2020, the largest increase of any county in the United States. Houston’s global culture is reflected in its two professional soccer teams. The Dynamo’s roster includes players from 13 countries, including eight in Latin America. Seven countries are represented on the Dash, including Mexico and Argentina. The World Cup represents a golden opportunity to elevate not just Houston, but its local teams. Attend a match at PNC Stadium or drop by an EaDo bar on game day, and you’ll see jerseys representing Mexico, Argentina and a slew of other countries besides Dynamo or Dash gear. On a recent summer evening at Texas Tailgate, a sports bar near PNC Stadium, a vibrant group of fans gathered to watch the Dynamo play an away game in the U.S. Open Cup. English and Spanish mingled as people talked excitedly over drinks. A man who was visiting Houston from London even wandered in and was quickly embraced by the crowd, given a Dynamo jersey and flag. Jeff Bonilla, vice president of supporter group The Surge, leaned against a table draped in an orange scarf and gestured around the room… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
New AFL-CIO leader eyeing tech sector for organizing (The Hill)
Liz Shuler, the new leader of the nation’s largest federation of labor unions, the AFL-CIO, said in an interview published Sunday that she is eyeing the tech sector for organizing efforts amid shifts in the U.S. workforce. Shuler spoke to Axios along with Fred Redmond, AFL-CIO’s first Black secretary-treasurer, ahead of her confirmation as president at the group’s constitutional convention. She has been running the organization since longtime leader Richard Trumka’s death last summer. The two mentioned the recent union votes at Amazon and Starbucks, but declined to say which tech companies were in their sights.
“It’s our moment to write the next chapter of the labor movement,” she added. “We are looking to seize on this moment to show that the labor movement is wide open — that we are open to transformational change.” Both leaders said targeting workers in the tech field was part of broader efforts to build more diversity within the labor movement. “The emerging workforce is people of color, is young people, is women, particularly women of color,” Shuler told Axios. “This is not your granddaddy’s labor movement.” The labor movement has seen a resurgence as the economy recovers from the pandemic, with workers emboldened by a tight labor market. President Biden has also promised to be “the most pro-union president in American history.” Responding to polls last year showing that Americans’ opinion of labor unions is at a 60-year high, Schuler said the data “should send a clear message to Congress that union jobs are vital as we re-emerge from this pandemic with a stronger economy that is built upon the principles of fairness and equality.” The AFL-CIO has been a leading voice in the push for the PRO Act, a pro-labor package that would strengthen the ability for unions to organize and collectively bargain. However, despite support from Biden and many Democrats, the bill has made little progress in the Senate… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Should Biden run in 2024? Democratic whispers of ‘no’ start to rise. (New York Times)
Midway through the 2022 primary season, many Democratic lawmakers and party officials are venting their frustrations with President Biden’s struggle to advance the bulk of his agenda, doubting his ability to rescue the party from a predicted midterm trouncing and increasingly viewing him as an anchor that should be cut loose in 2024. As the challenges facing the nation mount and fatigued base voters show low enthusiasm, Democrats in union meetings, the back rooms of Capitol Hill and party gatherings from coast to coast are quietly worrying about Mr. Biden’s leadership, his age and his capability to take the fight to former President Donald J. Trump a second time. Interviews with nearly 50 Democratic officials, from county leaders to members of Congress, as well as with disappointed voters who backed Mr. Biden in 2020, reveal a party alarmed about Republicans’ rising strength and extraordinarily pessimistic about an immediate path forward.
“To say our country was on the right track would flagrantly depart from reality,” said Steve Simeonidis, a Democratic National Committee member from Miami. Mr. Biden, he said, “should announce his intent not to seek re-election in ’24 right after the midterms.” Democrats’ concerns come as the opening hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol made clear the stakes of a 2024 presidential election in which Mr. Trump, whose lies fueled a riot that disrupted the peaceful transfer of power, may well seek to return to the White House. For Mr. Biden and his party, the hearings’ vivid reminder of the Trump-inspired mob violence represents perhaps the last, best chance before the midterms to break through with persuadable swing voters who have been more focused on inflation and gas prices. If the party cannot, it may miss its final opportunity to hold Mr. Trump accountable as Mr. Biden faces a tumultuous two years of a Republican-led House obstructing and investigating him. Most top elected Democrats were reluctant to speak on the record about Mr. Biden’s future, and no one interviewed expressed any ill will toward Mr. Biden, to whom they are universally grateful for ousting Mr. Trump from office… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[BG PODCAST]
Today’s episode (159) features Ari Rastegar, Founder and CEO of Austin-based Rastegar Property Company. He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss real estate development in Austin, as well as Ari's entrepreneurial path.
Rastegar Property has a portfolio spanning more 13 states and over 3.5 million square feet. It recently announced its 809 Skyline office development project in Austin, as well as a 318-acre planned community in Kyle, TX. -> EPISODE LINK