AUSTIN | Economic Development - Page 103

kingkirbythe.... · #**2041** Posted **Apr 14, 2022, 7:49 PM**

Musk is the snowyest Snowflake that ever flaked.

sammyk · #**2042** Posted **Apr 15, 2022, 2:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

This is all an elaborate scheme to get that Twitter account taken down that tracks Elon’s flights.

Probably. Spends billions so he doesn't have to pay that kid $50k.

kingkirbythe.... · #**2043** Posted **Apr 17, 2022, 11:48 AM**

Austin says it will sell city-owned property to families affected by gentrification

https://www.kut.org/austin/2022-04-1...gentrification

The City of Austin says it will give people from gentrifying neighborhoods priority in the application process for more than two dozen homes it's selling to low-income families.

This is the first time the city plans to use what it calls a "preference policy," which was approved by council members in 2018. Other cities, including Portland, have prioritized affordable housing for low-income people displaced from their neighborhoods. Policies like these are also referred to as "right-to-return."

“This is hugely exciting,” Council Member Paige Ellis, who represents Southwest Austin, said at a council committee meeting Tuesday.

Staff with the city’s Housing and Planning Department originally said they would begin using this preference policy back in 2019. A spokesperson for the department said, however, the pandemic delayed hiring needed to implement it.

To benefit from the program, people first need to be making less than Austin's family median income; for a single-person household that amounts to $69,250 a year.

obemearg · #**2044** Posted **Apr 18, 2022, 5:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul78701

Netflix is not just considered a film industry company. It's also considered a tech company and is based in Silicon Valley. SV is not exactly a film industry mecca.

FWIW, Netflix has a much larger headcount in LA than it does in SV. Even beyond production spaces, their office campus in LA is a lot larger than the one in Los Gatos. A relocation from Los Gatos to Austin might not mean that many of those LA area jobs are moving too.

Rough employee location info:

papertowelroll · #**2045** Posted **Apr 18, 2022, 5:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by obemearg

FWIW, Netflix has a much larger headcount in LA than it does in SV. Even beyond production spaces, their office campus in LA is a lot larger than the one in Los Gatos. A relocation from Los Gatos to Austin might not mean that many of those LA area jobs are moving too.

Rough employee location info:

This is still mostly reflecting Netflix's move from tech company to content creator. The tech component of the company is very much based in Los Gatos. Interesting numbers, though.

Personally I've been and remain skeptical of this HQ rumor, but Netflix opening a major office in Austin has always made sense and it's frankly surprising that they don't already have one. (The only FAANG without)

We vs us · #**2046** Posted **Apr 18, 2022, 7:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by papertowelroll

Personally I've been and remain skeptical of this HQ rumor, but Netflix opening a major office in Austin has always made sense and it's frankly surprising that they don't already have one. (The only FAANG without)

I agree with this. I'm not feeling the HQ relo, but definitely could see a larger satellite office opening here.

freerover · #**2047** Posted **Apr 18, 2022, 7:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by We vs us

I agree with this. I'm not feeling the HQ relo, but definitely could see a larger satellite office opening here.

It's going to be a satellite office that they call their HQ for tax purposes.

H2O · #**2048** Posted **Apr 18, 2022, 9:47 PM**

It is a little surprising that NetFlix does not have a footprint in Austin. I mean, what other City could claim to be as well positioned in the confluence of tech and film/multimedia? Sure, Austin is not Hollywood nor Silicon Valley, but it is among the most active economies in both areas, and specifically how they interrelate.

freerover · #**2049** Posted **Apr 18, 2022, 9:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by H2O

It is a little surprising that NetFlix does not have a footprint in Austin. I mean, what other City could claim to be as well positioned in the confluence of tech and film/multimedia? Sure, Austin is not Hollywood nor Silicon Valley, but it is among the most active economies in both areas, and specifically how they interrelate.

They are growing one. Did y'all watch Ultimatum yet? They clearly utilized a pretty extensive locations person. That also means they are establishing relationships with venues/property owners that are big filming location in the metro.

The ATX · #**2050** Posted **Apr 18, 2022, 10:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by H2O

It is a little surprising that NetFlix does not have a footprint in Austin. I mean, what other City could claim to be as well positioned in the confluence of tech and film/multimedia? Sure, Austin is not Hollywood nor Silicon Valley, but it is among the most active economies in both areas, and specifically how they interrelate.

I think it was posted in this thread a while back, but both Netflix and HBO set up local studios in 2021 to film projects around Central Texas. I think HBO's is in a warehouse in Kyle, and Netflix rented warehouse space in another 'burb.

H2O · #**2051** Posted **Apr 19, 2022, 11:47 AM**

Yes, but I was referring to an office footprint. I should have been more specific.

kingkirbythe.... · #**2052** Posted **Apr 19, 2022, 10:31 PM**

Monster deal: Austin-based American Campus being sold for $13 billion

https://www.statesman.com/story/busi...ne/7366553001/

In one of the biggest acquisitions ever of a Central Texas company, Austin-based student housing company American Campus Communities is being scooped up by New York investment firm Blackstone in a deal valued at nearly $13 billion.

Blackstone, the world's largest alternative asset manager, said Tuesday it will pay $12.8 billion in an all-cash transaction for American Campus.

American Campus says it is the nation’s largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities. It owned 166 student-housing properties with about 111,900 beds as of Dec. 31, including around University of Texas, Arizona State University, Florida State University and the University of California in Berkeley. About a quarter of its buildings are on college campuses.

enragedcamel · #**2053** Posted **Apr 25, 2022, 10:55 PM**

Now that Elon has bought Twitter, I think it is safe to anticipate a larger presence here for the company.

Dariusb · #**2054** Posted **Apr 26, 2022, 11:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

Now that Elon has bought Twitter, I think it is safe to anticipate a larger presence here for the company.

I wouldn't doubt it.

freerover · #**2055** Posted **Apr 26, 2022, 11:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

Now that Elon has bought Twitter, I think it is safe to anticipate a larger presence here for the company.

He still needs to pay the bill.

the Genral · #**2056** Posted **Apr 28, 2022, 2:41 AM**

I just got an appraisal on my house for refinancing purposes.
I owe $115k and it is appraised at $483k. Serious question, should I be happy or not?

H2O · #**2057** Posted **Apr 28, 2022, 11:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Genral

I just got an appraisal on my house for refinancing purposes.
I owe $115k and it is appraised at $483k. Serious question, should I be happy or not?

You should be sad because you should have refinanced a year or two ago when mortgage rates were about 1/2 what they are today.

austlar1 · #**2058** Posted **Apr 28, 2022, 7:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Genral

I just got an appraisal on my house for refinancing purposes.
I owe $115k and it is appraised at $483k. Serious question, should I be happy or not?

Well, if you don't take out any equity now, you'll have that much more later to pay for assisted living! That's kind of how I have been looking at my situation.

ATX2030 · #**2059** Posted **May 11, 2022, 2:14 PM**

NXP considers Austin for more semiconductor manufacturing, up to 800 new jobs
Company seeks tax breaks from Austin school district

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

Will Anderson – Managing Editor, Austin Business Journal
May 11, 2022 Updated May 11, 2022, 8:41am CDT

NXP Semiconductors NV may significantly expand its manufacturing operations in Austin as companies rush to boost chipmaking capacity in the United States.

The Netherlands-based semiconductor producer is considering adding to either of the two large campuses it already has in the Texas capital. According to information presented to Austin Independent School District trustees on May 10, the company could invest $2.6 billion and create 750 to 800 jobs with an average annual salary of more than $100,000.

NXP (Nasdaq: NXPI) is also considering other locales for the project, site selection consultants told the AISD board. A final decision on where it will invest is expected in the fourth quarter of 2022, with construction slated to start in 2024 and operations at the new facility beginning in the fourth quarter of 2026.

enragedcamel · #**2060** Posted **May 18, 2022, 10:39 PM**

Austin drops out of top 10 on U.S. News’ list of best places to live

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/c...laces-to-live/

Quote:

Austin has been knocked out of the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best places to live in the U.S.

The Austin metro area tumbled from No. 5 last year to No. 13 this year. Austin ranked No. 3 in 2020, and No. 1 in 2017, 2018, and 2019. It remains the top-ranked place in Texas, though.

Austin has slipped in the annual U.S. News rankings as housing costs have continued to soar. In March, the median sale price of the home in the metro area jumped 22 percent to $521,100 compared with a year earlier, according to the Austin Board of Realtors. Within the city of Austin, the median sale price climbed 22.4 percent to $624,000.

“According to the Census Bureau’s 2021 population estimates, Austin is experiencing a net growth of 146 people per day. This type of growth places immediate and significant demand on infrastructure, particularly housing,” Lila Valencia, the City of Austin’s demographer, said in an April news release from the Austin Board of Realtors.

For this year’s ranking, U.S. News considered key factors for 150 metro areas such as job availability, housing affordability, quality of life, and desirability. This year, the publication added data about air quality for the first time.

Huntsville, Alabama, grabbed the No. 1 spot from last year’s top-ranked metro, Boulder, Colorado. Huntsville came in third place last year.

“Much of the shakeup we see at the top of this year’s ranking is a result of changing preferences,” Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News, says in a news release. “People moving across the country today are putting more emphasis on affordability and quality of life than on the job market, which in many ways takes a back seat as remote work options have become more standard.”

Elsewhere in the U.S. News rankings:

Dallas-Fort Worth landed at No. 32, up from No. 37 last year.
Houston landed at No. 59, down from No. 39 last year.
San Antonio landed at No. 83, down from No. 75 last year.
Killeen landed at No. 108, up from No. 114 last year.
Beaumont landed at No. 109, up from No. 124 last year.
El Paso landed at No. 124, up from No. 131 last year.
Corpus Christi landed at No. 133, down from No. 129 last year.
Brownsville landed at No. 134, up from No. 140 last year.
McAllen landed at No. 138, up from No. 139 last year.