Development
BY KAMERYN GRIESSER, HALEY MCLEOD & BEN THOMPSON
Elon Musk’s Neuralink to expand office space As Elon Musk’s Austin-area empire continues to grow, a new office expansion is on the horizon for his brain-chip company Neuralink. On July 15, construction began on a new, $14.7 million building in the East Austin suburb Del Valle, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The 112,000-square-foot facility design sits on 37 acres of land owned by Neuralink Corp., near Tesla’s Giga Texas headquarters. The building will include three stories with offices, a machine shop and man- ufacturing areas, according to the filing. Founded by Musk in 2016, Neuralink aims to create implantable brain-computer interfaces.
TravCo permitting costs to more than double Starting Sept. 1, the cost of development review fees—paid throughout the development permitting process—will increase 141%, affecting homeowners, business owners and developers. The last time fees were increased was in 2016. Both small- and large-scale projects are subject to these fees, ranging from home renovations to subdivisions. The fee increase comes as staff members from the Travis County Department of Development Services have revamped the county’s website and examined the department’s existing systems and performance. This includes a dashboard, visible to the public, detailing status and queues being reviewed by staff. Full public access is anticipated in six months. Additionally, recent years’ economic climate made it difficult for the development department to hire engineers. Even with the county’s mid-year
“I know that it has been a difficult and rocky road, but I think that
what has been produced will ultimately not only benefit internal staff but will benefit our constituents as well.” JEFF TRAVILLION, TRAVIS COUNTY PRECINCT 1 COMMISSIONER
funding approval for new full-time employees, the department cannot compete with private sector salaries and outsourcing is costly. Staff identified 32 instances where significant routine work was being performed without any associated fees, including an expedited third- party fee. The increase in fees will help recover an estimated 85% of these costs. The department will also start evaluating fees annually during the budget process to ensure they remain appropriate.
New apartments coming under affordable program Sunset Ridge, a proposed 444-unit apartment complex, is moving closer to construction after securing civic building approvals. However, locals concerned about issues like traffic and impacts on the area’s ecology are contesting the project. lower-income tenants. Developer Manifold RE would make half of the apartments affordable based on the local median family income, which is now $126,000 for a family
Sunset Ridge 8413 Southwest Parkway
222 units available at market rents
101 units for tenants earning up to 50% median family income, or MFI
of four. Sunset Ridge would be one of the few affordable projects in Austin west of MoPac. Formal resident appeals to the project’s July site plan approval will be considered by City Council in late August, after press time.
The eight-building residential project is planned on a 20-acre site off Southwest Parkway under Aus- tin’s Affordability Unlocked. The program relaxes some development rules if housing is reserved for
77 units at 60% MFI
44 units at 80% MFI
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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