Austinites reject Proposition A over APD staffing requirement "Austin voters rejected Proposition A and its mandated increase to the Austin Police Department's force in the Nov. 2 election.Election night results out of Travis, Williamson and Hays counties show the proposition failing 31.82% to 68.18%. The proposition would have set a new APD staffing requirement of two officers per 1,000 city residents at an estimated cost of tens of millions of dollars annually." Ben Thompson, Community Impact)
Approval of Prop B allows for potential land swap between city, Oracle "Voters strongly approved a ballot proposal Tuesday that allows the city to begin the process of trading a small piece of parkland for a much larger parcel, along with receiving other significant financial commitments from technology company Oracle, which recently relocated its headquarters to Austin." (Chad Swiatecki, Austin Monitor)
East MLK Office Project Breaks Ground Near Ferdinand Street "The neighborhood saw the official groundbreaking of a three-story, 30,021-square-foot office building by real estate giants JLL on behalf of local investors CB Capital at 2105 East MLK Jr. Boulevard, replacing the 0.76-acre vacant former site of the Medical Plaza retail center." (James Rambin, Towers)
Austin airport expansion plans take off as region continues growing "In July, ABIA reported it had its fifth-busiest month in history with more than 1.5 million passengers. As traffic increased in July, ABIA made another splash, announcing a massive expansion plan called the Airport Expansion and Development Program as part of its rollout of the 2019 master plan. ... Airport officials view the recently announced expansion program as an initial phase in attaining the goals laid out in its 2040 master plan. The plan forecasts the airport will reach 31 million passengers and need 64 gates by 2037, nearly double the record-breaking 17 million passengers in 2019 and current 34 gates plus the three South Terminal gates." (Ben Thompson, Community Impact)
Amazon buys Robinson Ranch land, reveals timeline for new warehouse "Amazon.com Inc. has purchased the piece of Robinson Ranch that the company hopes to turn into a large warehouse and distribution center in Round Rock. ... Many of the specific details regarding the actual facility remain unknown, but representatives from Amazon revealed some information during a Nov. 1 meeting with neighbors from the adjacent Greater Round West Neighborhood Association. Representatives of the company indicated that it's looking to build the facility in three to five years, according to KXAN. They added that it would represent at least $250 million in capital improvements, according to Community Impact. The specific size of the facility remains unclear." (Justin Sayers, Austin Business Journal)
Austin, Travis County release reports following Winter Storm Uri, recommend heightened preparations for future events "The city of Austin and Travis County on Nov. 4 released reports analyzing their preparation and response to February's winter storms along with recommendations for how the area can better prepare for future severe weather situations. ... According to the reports, the storms caused $195 billion in damages across Texas with 2,449 calls to Austin Fire Department reporting broken pipes, 1,500 emergency water shutoffs for city water customers and 739 traffic crashed responded to the AFD. The city's Utility Customer Care Center received more than 100,000 calls regarding power outages while the state's electric grid struggled to meet electric demand, and a boil-water notice persisted for seven days as Austin Water's distribution system lost pressure." (Olivia Aldridge, Community Impact)
Austin will keep running Fayette coal power plant, missing key climate goal "Austin Energy will not retire its stake in the Fayette coal power plant next year, the publicly owned electric utility announced Monday. Shutting down its portion of the plant by 2022 had been a key part of the city’s climate goals. Austin Energy said it was unable to reach an agreement on the closure with the Lower Colorado River Authority, which co-owns the plant." (Mose Buchele, KUT)
Austin Council Member Greg Casar will run for Congress, vacating his council seat midterm "Greg Casar, who has served on the Austin City Council since 2015, will run for U.S. Congress, he announced Thursday. ... 'I believe that working families from Bexar to Comal to Hays to Travis County deserve a progressive leader who will fight for and deliver on reproductive rights, Medicare for all, good jobs and a better Texas,' he told KUT. Casar, 32, will vie to represent Texas’s 35th congressional district, which stretches from East Austin and down I-35 to San Antonio." (Audrey McGlinchy, KUT)
Justice Department sues Texas to block portions of new voting law "The U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas in federal court Thursday to block several portions of the state's sweeping voting and elections law known as Senate Bill 1. The challenged provisions — setting identification requirements for mail-in voting and limiting polling-place help for voters with disabilities or those with limited English proficiency — 'will disenfranchise eligible Texas citizens who seek to exercise their right to vote,' the lawsuit argued." (Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman)
