Government
BY ELLE BENT & BEN THOMPSON
Austin leaders stress airport safety
Single-family zoning changes draw debate A proposal to allow more housing units on single-family property continues to draw strong opinions ahead of a final City Council vote in December. What happened The first-ever joint council and Planning Commission hearing Oct. 26 drew hundreds of Austinites to weigh in on the land-use concept. Supporters outnumbered opponents about two-to-one and said the “Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment,” or HOME, initiative will help address rising local housing costs and make more housing accessible. Opponents largely pushed back against what they viewed as an overly sweeping pol- icy and changing neighborhood character.
Airport hazards Local and federal officials are raising the alarm about safety at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after several recent incidents. November 2022: Aircraft near-miss February 2023 : Aircraft near-miss April 2023: Airline employee killed; aircraft near- miss June 2023: Aircraft near-miss September 2023: Aircraft near-miss November 2023: City airport employee killed
As passenger activity continues to surge, Austin City Council urged the Federal Aviation Admin- istration to improve safety at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in the wake of multiple aircraft near-misses and employee fatalities. Two-minute impact Council unanimously passed a resolution Nov. 9 asking the airport to provide a new plane navi- gation system, and for the airport to notify city officials when critical incidents or emergencies take place. The resolution also affirmed the city’s support for federal aviation safety legislation, echoing similar calls from U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett. Doggett urged the FAA to address Austin’s low air traffic controller staffing in an Oct. 16 letter, citing it as a safety issue for the airport. “With multiple near-collisions this year endan- gering passenger lives, ABIA’s air traffic controllers
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
are clearly overworked and understaffed,” Doggett said in a statement. Diving in deeper ABIA now has 35 fully certified controllers with an additional eight in training. The tower is authorized to staff 42 controllers, while a 2023 FAA plan set Austin’s tower staffing target at 51.
Convention center expansion project advancing The Austin Convention Center’s expansion is advancing ahead of the downtown facility’s multiyear closure and redevelopment. What happened The new building’s current rentable space will nearly double to more than 720,000 square feet. Other proposals tied to the project include: • Reopening Second and Third streets
Austin Convention Center
• Adding new outdoor and community spaces • Integrating the complex with future light rail • Developing an adjacent high-rise through a potential public-private partnership
On Oct. 19, City Council voted to contract with JE Dunn and Turner for $1.2 billion in construction services, and LMN and Page for $65 million for design and engineering on the project.
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