North - Northwest Austin Edition | April 2024

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North Northwest Austin Edition VOLUME 18, ISSUE 3 APRIL 30MAY 28, 2024

U.S. House Rep. Michael McCaul was one of many speakers at the April 15 announcement.

GRANT CRAWFORDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Samsung ups investment to $45B after federal subsidy

envisioning the changes for Central Texas will be monumental. “Inviting Samsung to call Williamson County home has eclipsed all of our expectations,” William- son County Judge Bill Gravell said.

Texas is the birthplace of the semiconductor chip, a product that revolutionized modern technology, per the Oce of the Texas Governor. Accordingly, Texas has led the nation in semiconductor exports for the last decade. With this latest investment, county leaders are

BY GRACE DICKENS & HALEY MCLEOD

Hundreds of guests gathered April 15 to bear witness to a historic announcement for Texas, and possibly the nation: a $6.4 billion federal investment alongside a total commitment of $45 billion from Samsung for the local semiconductor market.

CONTINUED ON 23

Also in this issue

Impacts: Burberry now open in The Domain (Page 6)

Education: Districts face special education funding issues (Page 15)

Transportation: Texas to see more driverless semitrucks (Page 19)

Dining: Restaurant oers vegetarian Mexican food (Page 26)

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Impacts

• Opened March 6 • 11501 Century Oaks Terrace, Ste. K109, Austin • www.simon.com/mall/the-domain 5 Sip Munch Cafe Owner Nhi Nguyen opened the cafe specializing in Vietnamese-style drinks like milk teas, fruit teas, sugarcane juices and coffees, as well as a range of croffles, a croissant-waffle hybrid. • Opened March 10 • 1701 W. Parmer Lane, Apt. 105, Austin • Instagram: sipmunchcafe 6 PostalNook Husband-and-wife team Umair Suleman and Nashmea “Nash” Ayaz opened the personal and business mail service store, offering shipping with USPS, DHL, UPS and FedEx alongside mailboxes, passport photos, copying services and more. • Opened April 15 • 12856 Research Blvd., Ste. B, Austin • www.postalnook.com 7 Sage Blossom Massage Local business owner Juliann Gorman opened her third Sage Blossom Massage spot, offering a range of massage services such as cupping, stretch therapy, gua sha and reiki. Couples packages, deep tissue, infrared sauna services and more are also available. • Opened March 31 • 9707 Anderson Mill Road, Ste. 330, Austin • www.sageblossommassage.com 8 Beard Papa’s The Japanese dessert chain sells a variety of cream puffs with shell flavors such as chocolate, green tea, strawberry, Oreo and dulce de leche, plus seasonal custard filling flavors. • Opened March 30 • 11301 Lakeline Blvd., Austin • www.beardpapas.com 9 Emancipet Dental and Surgical Center The nonprofit veterinary care provider opened its first low-cost clinic designed to accommodate a large number of dentistry and surgical procedures.

45 TOLL

PECAN PARK BLVD.

8 14

620

MOPAC

LAKE CREEK PKWY.

CENTURY OAKS TERRACE

POND SPRINGS RD.

MERRILLTOWN DR.

183

WELLS BRANCH PKWY.

SPICEWOOD SPRINGS RD.

JOLLYVILLE RD.

MOPAC

WALNUT CREEK PARK

GREAT HILLS TRL.

BOWLING GREEN DR.

183

360

MAP NOT TO SCALE

2222

• Opened April 26 • 141101 Century Oaks Terrace, Bldg. H, Unit 113, Austin • www.psychobunny.com 3 New Fortune 2 The Chinese restaurant serves a variety of dim sums, plus meat and seafood dishes, noodles, rice and more. • Opened March 21

Now open

1 The Fika Table Austin resident Laura Galos opened a Nordic-inspired bakery inside Malone Specialty Coffee, offering goods like honey-lavender buns, salted chocolate-toffee

cookies and more. • Opened March 30 • 14735 Bratton Lane, Ste. 210, Austin • www.thefikatable.com

• 12300 RM 620 N., Austin • www.newfortune2.com

4 Burberry The British luxury clothing brand sells coats, men’s and women’s clothing, scarves, accessories, and children’s clothing.

2 Psycho Bunny The New York-born clothing brand makes a variety of collections for men and boys as well as accessories.

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• Opened April 19 • 1030 Norwood Park Blvd., Ste. 316, Austin • www.emancipet.org 10 Breitling The luxury watch store sells men’s and women’s watches and straps with more standard varieties alongside watches for aviation, diving and more. • Opened April 4 • 11700 Rock Rose Ave., Ste. 150, Austin • www.breitling.com 11 Gatsby Glass Local Rob Humble opened the glass specialty shop offering a variety of services ranging from smart-glass installations to glass railings, custom windows and more, for commercial and home renovations. • Opened April 22 • 13581 Pond Springs Road, Ste. 104, Austin • www.gatsbyglass.com/northwest-austin-tx 12 BHV Austin Too Owned by Vanessa Calabria, the luxury dog daycare and overnight boarding facility features private suites for each dog, along with misters, pools, shaded tents and more in the outdoor play area. • Opened March 8 • 8613 Burnet Road, Austin • www.bhvaustin.com 13 Idea Lab Kids Idea Lab Kids offers science-, technology-, engineering-, arts- and math-based programming for students primarily in kindergarten through fifth grade through a variety of after-school programs and day camps. • Opened March 30 • 13642 Research Blvd., Austin • www.idealabkids.com/location/austin

fruit, red beans, syrup and condensed milk. • Opens this fall • 11301 Lakeline Blvd., Ste. 113A, Austin

In the news

15 Freebird The specialty boot store will open at The Domain with handmade boots using a method called Goodyear welting, which involves hammering stacked leather together before stitching it. • Opens in 2024 • 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, Austin • www.freebirdstores.com 16 Dolce Vita The New York City-founded size-inclusive shoe brand offers styles such as sandals, heels, sneakers, boots and more. Sizes range from 5-13 in both standard and wide fits. • Opens in late May • 11624 Rock Rose Ave., Ste. 106, Austin • www.dolcevita.com 17 Mexican Sugar Cocina The restaurant will offer Mexican comfort food at The Domain such as tacos, fajitas and enchiladas, plus a full bar that will include a curated selection of tequilas, mezcals, cocktails and more. • Opens in 2026 • 11506 Century Oaks Terrace, Austin • www.mexicansugarcocina.com 18 Just Food For Dogs The dog food brand will open a pantry offering fresh- frozen and pantry-fresh wet and dry dog food, treats, and supplements, and will offer custom diet plans and veterinarian-prescribed meals. • Opening in late May • 11521 N. RM 620, Ste. 400, Austin • www.justfoodfordogs.com

20 Dancers Workshop Dawn Weiss and her team will celebrate the dance studio’s 50th anniversary on May 27-28 with two dances at the spring recitals comprised of alumni. The studio offers lessons for dancers age 2 and older with styles from ballet to jazz, tap, adaptive dancing and more.

• 11150 Research Blvd., Ste. 107, Austin • www.dancersworkshopaustin.com

new location in the fall, per a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. • 10000 Research Blvd., Austin • www.uglydumpling.us

Closings

21 Uptown Tennis Owner Nikole Gann closed the Anderson Arbor-area tennis retail store in late January after three years of business. Uptown Tennis offered women’s and men’s tennis clothing, shoes, rackets, equipment and accessories. • Closed Jan. 27 • 13359 Hwy. 183 N., Ste. 414, Austin

Coming soon

In the news

14 Wicked Snow Owner Woo Lee will open the South Korean-style dessert shop specializing in bingsu—a South Korean milk-based dessert made of shaved ice topped with

19 Ugly Dumpling Express The New Jersey-based eatery, which offers made- to-order Shanghai street-style food, will open a

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Government

BY BEN THOMPSON

T.C. Broadnax will be Austin’s new city manager, eective May 6.

BEN THOMPSONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Broadnax leaves Dallas for Austin city manager role

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T.C. Broadnax will begin serving as Austin’s next permanent city manager, eective May 6. “I am deeply honored and grate- ful for the trust placed in me by the City Council. Austin is a vibrant city with immense potential, and I am committed to working tirelessly alongside our dedicated team to ensure its continued growth and prosperity,” he said in a statement. A closer look City Council appointed Broad- nax on April 4 with a salary of $470,017.60, plus other benets. Broadnax comes to Austin after seven years in Dallas and will take over for interim City Manager Jesús Garza, who’s been in the position since February 2023. The approach Before his selection, Broadnax met with Austinites during a town hall March 25 and spoke about his experiences in a media appearance March 26. Once in Austin, Broadnax said several initial priorities to tackle include: • Hiring a permanent police chief

through a public process • Solidifying a labor agree- ment with the Austin Police Association • Deciding on an appropriate scope for an analysis of the city’s “homeless ecosystem” • Shoring up civic emergency preparedness eorts • Planning the scal year 2024-25 budget, and moving to two-year forecasting He also said he’d focus on maintaining a transparent and accessible oce, spending time out in the Austin community, closely tracking progress on city initiatives and keeping strong ties with City Council—especially after Dallas leaders reportedly asked him to resign. “I think when you just look around at all the great things that have happened here, all the challenges that still exist, I think Austin is very much where Dallas may have been in 2017 as it relates to what type of manager they are looking for to lead them over the next many, many years. I think I’m that person,” Broadnax said.

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NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

Government

Third-party oversight of APD training reforms ends Continuing reforms at the Austin Police Depart- ment’s cadet academy will be left up to police leadership, after the APD was reportedly slow to adopt or resisted such changes during extended third-party supervision. The specifics Academy outcomes Quit, failed testing or kicked out Graduated/currently enrolled 22

TravCo OKs tax cuts for child care centers Qualified child care centers in Travis County can now apply for a 100% property tax exemption this tax year. The context County officials hope to lower expenses for both child care facilities and families. The new policy follows the passage of Proposition 2 in November, allowing local tax breaks for child care centers. The move also comes as the federal relief funding given to child care centers during the pandemic is expected to expire by the end of this year, according to a news release. “Today marks a historic milestone in providing relief for working families as Travis County faces the highest child care costs in the state of Texas,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said.

10 39

Training reforms were enacted following a city- launched review into APD’s culture, pausing all cadet classes in late 2019 and early 2020. Seven cadet classes have graduated under a rebooted model since the academy reopened in 2021, although analysts and some community members said more work is needed to cement the process forward due to internal pushback. City leaders have contracted with advisory firm Kroll Associates, Inc. to review several aspects of APD operations, particularly cadet training. In March, the Kroll team wrote that the depart- ment overall was “appearing to do just enough to suggest progress without completely embracing

9 25

May 2023

summer 2024*

Sept. 2023

Jan. 2024

April 2024

GRADUATION DATES

*IN PROGRESS

SOURCE: AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT

and accepting the hard work of change.” The APD remains short hundreds of budgeted officer positions despite focus from the police department on recruitment.

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BY HANNAH NORTON, BEN THOMPSON & KATY MCAFEE

Development code changes near finish line A slate of land development code amendments including “HOME” Phase 2 are nearing approval. What’s happening Code changes are being considered in response to city officials’ stated desire to promote acces- sible housing options and make Austin more transit-friendly: • Cutting residential minimum lot sizes to 2,000 square feet, following on a 2023 change allow- ing more residential housing per lot • Reducing the reach of compatibility, which limits new building size near existing homes • Creating new zoning overlays along the future Project Connect rail line to encourage denser development and housing near transit Council is scheduled to vote on the items on May 16 at City Hall.

Voters could decide on charter rules This fall, Austinites may have the chance to weigh in on a handful of changes to local election procedures and Austin’s governing document, known as the City Charter. Austin’s 2024 Charter Review Commission presented nine possible adjustments to the resident petition process to City Council on April 16. Residents can petition the city to enact policy changes, remove officials and more. Some of the proposed changes could require council approval of certain city staff appointments, change rules surrounding petitions and shift when charter changes are voted on. In early May, council will likely discuss which proposals should be placed on the ballot. City Council has until Aug. 19 to order that items be added to the November ballot.

HOME Phase 2 would reduce the amount of land needed to build one unit of housing in Austin’s most common single-family areas. Last year’s Phase 1 allowed for more units on a single lot. SF-1: Single-family residence large lot; low density for homes SF-3: Family residence; moderate density for homes or duplexes SF-2: Single-family residence standard lot; moderate density for homes

Lot size for one residential unit

Current

SF-1: 10,000 square feet minimum SF-2 and -3: 5,750 square feet minimum

Proposed

SF-1, -2 and -3: 2,000 square feet minimum

SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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NORTH - NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

Real estate

Home sales increased 40% in the 78759 ZIP code in March compared to the previous year, according to Austin Board of Realtors data. Residential market data

Homes sold

March 2023

March 2024

+35%

+17.65%

+30%

+40%

-20%

45 TOLL

78727

78729

78750

78758

78759

78729

620

MOPAC

183

Median home sales price

78727

78750

78759

March

2023

2024

78758

360

$453,000 $502,200 $572,500 $400,000 $625,000

$520,000 $475,000 $652,000 $442,375 $620,000

78727

2222

78729

78750

78758

MARKET DATA PROVIDED BY AUSTIN BOARD OF REALTORS AND UNLOCK MLS 512-454-7636 WWW.ABOR.COM

78759

Average days on market

North-Northwest Austin

March 2023

March 2024

-10.71%

+14.29%

-19.23%

-49.35%

-9.1%

March

2023

2024

216 210

New listings

115

124

Closed sales

78727

78729

78750

78758

78759

Homes under contract

142

143

Homes sold by price point in March

Months of inventory

1.9

2.4

78727

78729

78750

78758

78759

5 5 6 2 2

- -

6 7

$900,000+

Median home price

$700,000-$899,999

$527K $522.5K

5 9

$500,000-$699,999

8 7

7 4

$300,000-$499,999

Active listings

250 290

<$299,999

Education

BY BRITTANY ANDERSON

PfISD K-5 reading fluency is up through AI reading program

Kindergarten through fifth grade students in Pflugerville ISD have logged over 3,000 hours of reading practice on Amira Learning, an artificial intelligence reading program that has led to higher reading comprehension levels since its inception in the district in 2022. About the program According to PfISD Elementary Language Arts Coordinator Jenny Olsen, Amira Learning is a first- of-its-kind artificial intelligence reading program. Amira provides reading passages in English or Span- ish to kindergarten through fifth grade students, listens to them read, and provides in-the-moment intervention if they make a mistake. “[Amira] helps the students fill all the gaps and deficits they have in their foundational skills—basi- cally what everyone calls phonics instruction,” Olsen said. “The pandemic has really amplified all of these gaps and deficits they have. Unfortunately, when we went virtual, a lot of our students in

Reading fluency in Pflugerville ISD During the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten through fifth grade students in PfISD have higher reading levels compared to national averages.

National average

Pflugerville ISD (using Amira Learning)

Kindergarten

1st grade

2nd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

5th grade

SOURCE: PFLUGERVILLE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

through a Dell grant. Another 6,000 licenses were purchased in February with board approval after several campuses expressed interest. What’s next The first 2,000 licenses are set to expire this Octo- ber, so Olsen said she is looking at getting another grant or using the ELA budget to purchase more.

Pflugerville, as well as nationally, were not reading.” Students are recommended to use the program for 10 minutes a day, three times a week. How we got here The program was first implemented during the 2022-23 school year. The first 2,000 licenses—or individual Amira Learning accounts—were acquired

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BY ELLE BENT & CHLOE YOUNG

Texas school districts received unwelcome news Dec. 15—they would lose about $300 million in Medicaid reimbursements for special education students through the state’s School Health and Related Services, or SHARS, program. SHARS allows school districts to be reimbursed for providing Medicaid health- related services to special education students. The reduction comes as the Texas Health and Human Services Commission lost an appeal to the ndings of a federal audit in October. The audit found the agency owed the federal government about $16 million it received for non-medical services. HHSC plans to repay the $16 million by recovering funds from districts and has made cuts to districts’ reimbursements. Districts lose $300M from special ed funds

The impact

nancially, with Austin ISD close behind, accord- ing to data provided by the HHSC. With a current budget decit of $52 million for FY 2023-24, AISD will see a loss of $7.8 million promised in reimbursements, impacting over 10,000 special education students in the district, according to AISD documents.

The loss comes after districts have already budgeted for FY 2023-24 and are facing a $2 billion special education shortfall statewide, said Sylvia Wood, spokesperson for the Texas Association of School Boards. Northside ISD, Dallas ISD and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD are anticipating some of the largest setbacks

Diving in deeper

Estimated losses in school Medicaid funding

Some Central Texas school districts told Com- munity Impact they are seeing cuts beyond what HHSC has reported as a result of the audit. Lake Travis ISD will see a total reduction of $285,236 despite HHSC notifying the district of a $72,568 cut due to recoding some services, said Pam Sanchez, LTISD assistant superintendent for business services. Liberty Hill ISD will have to realign funds to cover some special education services as the district will receive $247,403 in reimbursements when it expected $1.1 million, Chief Financial Ocer Rosanna Guerrero said. “The notications that HHSC sent in December were not full [and] were not complete of all the reductions they were making,” Guerrero said. Pete Pape, Leander ISD Chief Financial Ocer, said the district was notied it owed HHSC $183,000 when it expected to receive $7 million—a decision the district has appealed. The district is now anticipating a $3.8 million decit for the 2023-24 scal year mainly due to the funding loss.

The following reductions are HHSC estimates from Dec. 15. Many local districts anticipate larger losses.

Original 2022 estimates

Updated 2022 funding

Funding loss

Austin

$6,751,701

Dripping Springs

$123,738

$448,236

Eanes

"It is never a good time to lose money, but this is really the worst possible time

$1,148,727

Hutto

to lose money and to lose money for services for special needs students." PETE PAPE, LEANDER ISD CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

$72,568

Lake Travis

Leander

$936,596

Round Rock

0 $1M $2M $3M $4M

SOURCE: TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT THIS LIST IS NONCOMPREHENSIVE.

Special education students This shows the number of students who received special education services in area districts in 2022-23.

What’s next

“My hope is that we reduce the amount of loss,” Blanco said. “I think the longevity of [SHARS] is incredibly important to education and school nance in Texas.” Wood said TASB will continue to seek solutions, including legislative assistance, to improve the SHARS program so “school districts can spend more time serving [the] most vulnerable students and less time ... [navigating the] reimbursement system.”

Texas districts had until Jan. 31 to appeal the nal amounts they were notied of in December. HHSC expects to nish reviewing districts’ appeals by May, spokesperson Tiany Young said. Third-party billing company MSB School Services assisted almost all of the 460 districts it represents in submitting an appeal to HHSC, Chief Strategy Ocer Emily Blanco said.

Austin ISD: 10,179

Georgetown ISD: 2,035

Leander ISD: 5,960

Pugerville ISD: 3,197

Round Rock ISD: 5,608

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

Education

BY ELLE BENT, HANNAH NORTON & BROOKE SJOBERG

Austin ISD rolls out new police motorcycle unit As Texas school districts work to comply with House Bill 3—the requirement that all schools have at least one armed ocer on campus—Aus- tin ISD ocials are doing so “their way” with a new motorcycle unit for the district police department. What’s happening? The district is actively recruiting, with the goal of 70 ocers in the motorcycle eet, AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said. The ocers will be tasked with trac enforcement, patrolling and more. Superintendent Matias Segura said the new unit will help attract recruits to the AISD police department and be competitive in the region. How we got here Passed during the 88th legislative session,

RRISD employees to receive 1% pay raise

66-plus UT sta laid o under DEI ban At least 66 sta members who previously worked in diversity, equity and inclusion-re- lated roles received termination notices from The University of Texas on April 2, UT engineering professor Brian Evans said. The details The layos spanned 15 of the university’s 19 colleges and schools, including the now-shuttered Division of Campus and Community Engagement, Evans said. Forty sta members from the DCCE lost their jobs. The changes comply with Texas Senate Bill 17, a law passed in 2023 banning DEI initiatives at public colleges and universities. In an April 11 open letter, around 350 UT students and alumni said the university “betrayed” them by laying o sta and closing “vital university divisions.”

RRISD enrollment projected to increase A new demographic report for Round Rock ISD shows the district could once again reach an enrollment exceeding 48,000 students by the 2033-34 school year, in a best-case scenario. What you need to know In a quarterly report to the district, Bob Templeton of demographics rm Zonda Education said the district could see enroll- ment rise again over the next 10 years after a period of decline. These conclusions are based on housing market data, including the number of bed- rooms per home, and whether or not homes are intended for single- or multifamily, he said. In a lower growth scenario, the district would see its enrollment level o at 44,100 students in ve years.

Pay adjustments A 1% pay increase would play out dierently across dierent job models, per the district’s proposal and adjustments requested by the board. Increase starting salary to $56,000 , eligible employees receive a $625 general pay increase Teachers and librarians Adjust pay structure per Texas Association of School Boards recommendation, eligible employees receive a $2 hourly increase Transportation Adjust pay structure per TASB recommendation, eligible employees receive a 1% raise based on the midpoint salary for position Support, technology, police Eligible employees receive a one-time payment of $500 if enrollment exceeds 47,000 students before the last Friday in October, additional $500 if spring enrollment exceeds 47,500 Retention incentive

District employees at Round Rock ISD will receive a 1% pay raise for the 2024-25 budget year and could receive a bonus tied to the district’s student enroll- ment after trustees approved a compensation plan to be included in the budgetary process April 18. What you need to know Despite a projected budgetary shortfall of $30 million, district administrators said this will not preclude them from including a small pay bump for employees in proposals for the budget. If implemented, the 1% raises would cost the dis- trict about $3.8 million, with the retention incentive coming out to $3.3 million. What’s next? Budgetary discussions will continue as the board approaches its June meeting, when trustees will vote on its nancial framework for next scal year.

Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed demonstrates the lights and sirens on a BMW motorcycle for the new eet.

ELLE BENTCOMMUNITY IMPACT

school district ocials are required to decide on changes to comply with HB 3, which went into eect Sept. 1. In August, the AISD board of trustees voted to place one ocer at each campus. In order to do so, ocials need to hire 89 additional ocers and support sta. The 70 motorcycle ocers will contribute to that total of 89 the district is working toward, Segura said. Since January, about 25 ocers have joined the AISD Police Department.

SOURCE: ROUND ROCK ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

HYMEADOW 12611 Hymeadow (512) 506-8401

NORTH 620 10601 N FM 620 (512) 506-8316

ARBORETUM 10515 North Mopac Expressway (512) 342-6893

Development

BY ZARA FLORES

Long-time staple Frank Erwin Center coming down bit by bit

Demolition of the Frank Erwin Center has begun and commuters on I-35 are seeing the concrete walls come down, some even asking to keep a piece of the building and its near 50-year history for themselves. The details Nearly $100 million was poured into the center over the years with an initial $34 million for its construction and an additional $55 million spent in the early 2000s for renovations that included new lighting, seating and sound systems. The 500,000-square-foot center spanned upwards to six stories that hosted the University of Texas basketball games, high school and college commencement ceremonies, concerts and other large-scale events. However, the Moody Center’s completion in April 2022 essentially replaced the Erwin Center which held its nal events the following month. In August 2023, the UT board of regents announced that the center would be torn down to make way for the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center and an MD Anderson Cancer Center. The adjacent Denton A. Cooley Pavilion, which served as the basketball training facility since 2003, is also part of the demolition. What’s happening Costs for the demolition were anticipated to be around $25 million but Dan Cook, UT’s executive director of Planning, Design and Construction, said that the project is proceeding under budget. Demolition began in September and, due to the size and shape of the facility, the SpawGlass general contractor team is working to tear the site down piece by piece and have opted not to blow it up.

The concrete walls of the Frank Erwin Center are being torn down, exposing the interior.

Crews will tear down the steel beams after all the concrete walls are removed.

PHOTOS BY ZARA FLORESCOMMUNITY IMPACT

is at and safe, SpawGlass Project Executive Ryan Syring said. Cook and Syring both said the process is very methodical and doing so, rather than blowing it up, also allows for up to 80% of the building to be recycled. “Everything’s proceeding on schedule and under budget,” Cook said. “It’s all happening at the right speed to support what we need to happen.” The project is slated for completion this fall.

“There is a signicant amount of design eort that’s required to take it apart ... to make sure you’re not taking out a structural component,” Cook said. There are around 70-100 workers demolishing the center, and almost all of the concrete walls have now come down. Crews are also working on abatement, which is the removal of hazardous materials, including asbestos and lead paint. Once the concrete panels are all removed, crews will begin removing the steel frames and beams before leveling the site completely and ensuring it

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Transportation

BY KATY MCAFEE

By the end of 2024, Texas drivers could look over to see a semitruck traveling down the highway with no one in the driver’s seat. Leading the charge in the Austin area is autonomous truck company Kodiak Robotics, which is already hauling IKEA furniture and Tyson Foods chicken daily on Texas roads. Currently, Kodiak trucks have a “safety driver” monitoring the truck as it carries freight for hundreds of miles. By the end of the year, Kodiak will send trucks out unmanned. Kodiak joins the likes of other autonomous vehicle companies in Austin, including Waymo which debuted on March 6. Cruise was also operational in Austin but ceased its taxi operations in October. Driverless semis take on Texas

The breakdown

Dan Go, head of policy at Kodiak, said autono- mous trucks dier from cars as they have more pre- dictable driving patterns and fewer obstacles, such as pedestrians, cyclists and stop lights, compared to taxis. Cruise and Waymo also have larger eets than autonomous truck companies do. “The Kodiak system doesn’t get tired, it doesn’t get distracted, it doesn’t check its phone, it doesn’t have a bad day and take it out on the road,” he said.

Autonomous vehicle companies are required to self-report any crash incidents to the National Highway Trac Safety Administration. Waymo and Cruise take the lead in collisions among 39 companies with 240 and 151 crashes respectively, according to data collected from July 2021 to Feb. 15 by the NHTSA. Third in line is Gen- eral Motors, which owns Cruise, with 144 crashes, according to NHTSA.

Autonomous vehicle crashes

Waymo

240

Cruise

151

Car

Semitruck

General Motors

144

From July 2021 to Feb. 15, Waymo, Cruise and General Motors self-reported the most crash incidents among the autonomous vehicle companies that self reported nationwide.

Kodiak 3 5 Aurora

100

150

200

250

SOURCE: NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

The why

What's next?

Go said Texas’ roads have been an ideal place to launch autonomous truck technology as the state covers some of the most lucrative freight routes in the nation. November data from the American Trucking Associations revealed trucks will haul 3 billion more tons of freight annually by 2034, securing trucking as the dominant mover of goods in the nation. Despite those projections, Go said the grow- ing industry faces a “signicant” labor shortage that autonomous vehicles could remedy. Go said autonomous vehicle companies have also been well received by Texas legislators. Texas’ supportive regulatory culture sprouted from Senate Bill 2205, a law passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017 that prohibits cities from regulating autonomous vehicles due to their economic potential. We face real challenges around trucking, around people not wanting to drive trucks and there being a shortage of truck drivers. ... If you can automate those 1,000-mile stretches, it will have a real impact on our economy.” DAN GOFF, HEAD OF POLICY AT KODIAK

Gatik, which specializes in medium-length trips from single digits to 150 miles long, will also begin going “freight only” in Texas by the end of the year. The company already transports goods for Walmart, Tyson, Kroger and others without a driver in Ontario and Arkansas. Autonomous truck company Aurora will chart a similar path by year’s end, removing drivers. The company currently has routes in Houston, Fort Worth and El Paso with plans to expand to Central Texas. To accommodate the inux of driverless semis in the Austin-area, the Texas Department of Transportation has a plan to establish a "smart corridor" on SH 130 from Georgetown through Del Valle. The stretch will be equipped with sensors and cameras to help the vehicles navigate road conditions and hazards, according to road technology company Cavnue. “SH 130 is one of many advanced toll roads in Texas with several technologies already like ber, cellular, cameras and tolling facilities,” said Darran Anderson, TxDOT’s director of strategy and innovation. Details on when the smart corridor will ocially launch have not been announced.

Georgetown

183

Hutto

Round Rock

45 TOLL

Smart Corridor Technology along SH 130 will assist navigation of autonomous trucks.

130 TOLL

290

Manor

MOPAC

183

Austin

Del Valle

Buda

45 TOLL

SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CAVNUE COMMUNITY IMPACT

NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

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From the cover

Samsung ups investment to $45B after federal subsidy

BY GRACE DICKENS & HALEY MCLEOD

Industry leaders Texas and California have the two largest semiconductor industries in the nation, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. For 2022:

Some context

Two-minute impact

Samsung rst arrived in Austin in 1996 with the Samsung Austin Semiconductor, a 600-acre campus in North Austin. Samsung’s initial invest- ment in Williamson County came in 2021 when the tech giant announced it would build a $17 billion fabrication plant in Taylor, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The company’s latest Economic Impact Report estimated both facilities contributed $26.8 billion to the local economy in 2023. The federal funding—from the CHIPS and Science Act signed into eect in 2022—will help expand Samsung’s footprint in Taylor to include an advanced packaging facility, a research and development center, and a second fabrication plant. The project will also invest funds into growing the Austin campus. The federal legislation was created to strengthen manufacturing and supply chains in America, with the goal to produce 20% of the world’s leading-edge logic chips by 2030, according to a news release.

Samsung Electronics signed a preliminary agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce on April 15, receiving $6.4 billion in government subsidies in exchange for an estimated $45 billion total investment within the region surrounding the Taylor manufacturing plant and existing North Austin facility. The proposed investment will support over 20,000 jobs, with nearly 4,500 manufacturing jobs and 17,000 construction jobs created over the next ve years, according to a news release. “This announcement dedicates $40 million in workforce funding to developing future generations of industry-leading technologists, technicians and engineers,” said Lael Brainard, White House national economic advisor. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo remarked that the jobs created would be “well-paying, family-supporting jobs.”

Texas

California

Number of workers Amount in exports

43,800

63,300

$22 billion

$11.3 billion

SOURCE: SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

“Williamson County has become a world leader in developing an ecosystem for the

semiconductor industry. Its impact will be felt for generations to come.” BILL GRAVELL, WILLIAMSON COUNTY JUDGE

Investing in tech

Put in perspective

in government subsidies awarded

to Samsung $6.4B

semiconductor industry, including a master’s degree program oering a major in semiconductor science and engineering, and a new partnership with ACC and the Texas Institute for Electronics to create a semiconductor training center. Over a quarter of existing positions in Texas require a graduate degree and one-third of the work- force is expected to retire within the next decade, according to a 2023 report from the Semiconductor Industry Association.

To support the largest semiconductor industry in the U.S., the recent federal and Samsung invest- ments will also help build a local workforce with educational programs. “It will build on Samsung’s proven record of workforce engagement in Texas, including robust partnerships with local education institutions like Austin Community College,” Brainard said. Similarly, The University of Texas announced in March and April programs to support the growing

total Samsung investment in

Taylor and Central Texas $45B

jobs created in construction and manufacturing over ve years 20K

facilities to be added in Taylor under new investment

SOURCES: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, WILLIAMSON COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Looking forward

What’s next?

CHIPS Act signed into law

2022

Construction on Production Facility 1 begins July: Production Facility 1 to become operational Production Facility 1 to be available for full-scale production Production Facility 2 with research center and packaging facility operational

“All of this, of course, is more important than where we started because all articial intelligence is run on and trained on by chips,” Raimondo said. Raimondo highlighted the impressive scale of the initial fabrication facility under construction in Taylor, which spans an area equivalent to 11 full-size football elds. With the addition of CHIPS funding, the Taylor site will have two facilities of this size.

The paired investments from the U.S. Department of Commerce and Samsung indicate plans to build a cluster of semiconductor factories in Central Texas, facilities which will provide vital components for the ever-evolving technology industry. Over two dozen suppliers have already committed to coming to the region to support the cluster, according to White House senior administration ocials.

2024

2026

2027

2028

Austin Samsung facility expansion to begin

SOURCE: U.S. WHITE HOUSECOMMUNITY IMPACT

NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

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