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More than 12,000 homes and apartments, along with millions of square feet in office, retail and industrial space, could be coming to a large undeveloped piece of land just north of the Austin airport. We’ll have the latest on the Dog’s Head development.
Rainbow crosswalks and Black Artists Matter slogans may have been erased from Austin roads, but what are community members thinking of doing to replace them?
Next week, KUT News is launching a reporting project on data centers here in Central Texas. We’ll get a preview.
And it’s Friday, so we’ll check in with KUT Arts Desk Editor Stephanie Federico about what’s going on over the weekend.
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The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Ben Philpott [00:00:08] More than 12,000 homes and apartments, along with millions of square feet in office, retail and industrial space, could all be coming to a large, undeveloped piece of land just north of the Austin Airport. We’ll have the latest on the dog’s head development. And rainbow crosswalks and Black Artists Matter slogans may have been erased from Austin roads, but what are community members thinking of doing to replace them? The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Ben Philpott. Plus, KUT News is launching a reporting project looking into data centers here in Central Texas. We’ll get a preview of all that work. And it’s Friday, so we’ll check in with KUT Arts Desk editor Stephanie Frederico about what’s going on over the weekend. That and more coming up next on Austin Signal. Hello everyone, this is Austin Signal. I’m Ben Philpott. It’s Friday, July 24th. Thanks so much for tuning in. Last night, the Austin City Council approved a financial plan for the Dog’s Head development. The project promises thousands of homes and apartments, millions of square feet in retail, business and industrial sites, and billions in tax revenue. That includes Amazon’s robotics division as a major tenant. But the plan does come with concerns about how fast the city has moved to approve the giant project. KUT’s Luz Moreno-Lazano reports the decision came after hours of pushback and little support from the community.
Community Leaders [00:01:45] Not another nickel, not another dime! Not another Nickel, not a dime! No more money for Amazon’s crime! No more Money for Amazon Crimes!
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:01:54] Community leaders and organizers rallied in front of Austin City Hall Thursday morning to speak out against a proposed 2,600-acre dog’s head development. City officials revealed this week that Amazon’s robotics division would serve as a project’s primary tenant. The property, which sits along the Colorado River, would include more than 6,000 single-family homes, 6,200 multi-family units, and millions of square feet in office, retail, industrial and hospitality space. Nearby residents have raised concerns about the potential environmental impacts. Many have also criticized the city for fast-tracking the deal. Lee Edwards is president of the Southeast Colorado River Neighborhood Association.
Lee Edwards [00:02:34] Been a terrible process and an even worse plan. I’m left with more questions than answers.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:02:42] The rally marked the start of hours of public testimony as the City Council prepared to approve the creation of a tax increment reinvestment zone, or TURRS, for the development. That’s a financing tool that allows the city to direct a portion of property tax dollars back into the area to support infrastructure like roads and utilities. The city used a similar tool to develop the Miller neighborhood, which used to be an airport. Some who spoke in favor of the project highlighted the potential opportunities for jobs, recreation, and affordable housing. Alexis Willis says the development is important for quote, keeping Austin open for business.
Alexis Willis [00:03:15] I commend this council for recognizing the opportunity to negotiate meaningful public benefits that simply wouldn’t exist if this property remained outside the city’s jurisdiction.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:03:24] Councilmember Mike Siegel was critical of how the city arrived at this vote. He says the project could have included more public engagement, better environmental protections, and job opportunities.
Mike Siegel [00:03:33] I do want Austin to be open for business. I agree we can’t send the message that Austin is unready for growth, that we’re unready for innovation or jobs or investment, but what I think city management got wrong is how we responded to this opportunity.
Krista Lane [00:03:47] Councilmember Krista Lane didn’t see it that way. From where I sit, this looks like opportunity. This looks like jobs that can help people own their homes and stay rooted in their community.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:03:59] Approving the TURZ is just one part of making the project a reality. The council is not expected to give it final approval until 2027. I’m Luz Moreno Lozano in Austin.
Ben Philpott [00:04:19] Austin’s artistic crosswalks are being painted over by the city after a directive from Texas transportation officials. But supporters of the art have already started thinking about what they can do next. KUT’s Gabriel Velazquez-Nera reports.
Gabriel Velazquez-Niera [00:04:34] This week about 75 people gathered at the intersection of 4th and Colorado for a vigil. They were saying goodbye to the LGBTQ plus inspired rainbow crosswalks that were once painted on the intersection.
Bridget Bandit [00:04:46] Long before rainbow crosswalks existed, LGBTQIA plus people were creating spaces where none existed.
Gabriel Velazquez-Niera [00:04:53] And they blew off a little steam in the direction of those they blame for its removal.
Bridget Bandit [00:04:58] The reason why we continue to lose our rights in the state of Texas is because of Greg Abbott. Greg Abbot!
Gabriel Velazquez-Niera [00:05:10] Since the community found out the crosswalks would be removed, they have done what they can within the law to represent the community. Banners with the queer flag hang above the street, and a new community mural was painted on one side. Drag performer Bridget Bandit, who helped organize the event, says she would like to see even more representation at the intersection.
Bridget Bandit [00:05:31] Austin doesn’t have a gayborhood the way that other major Texas cities do. And so I do think the city carving out and protecting a space dedicated to the LGBTQ community that can’t be targeted so easily by state attacks like we’ve seen with the crosswalk would really, really matter, especially right now.
Gabriel Velazquez-Niera [00:05:49] A few blocks north, another community in Austin is working on its own what’s next after state leaders removed the block long message Black Artists Matter in the middle of the Austin Black Cultural District. The city knew ahead of time that the art was going to be removed. So last year, it created a public spaces task force to figure out what could replace the painted over street. Daphne McDowell is on the task force and is the CEO of Six Square, an organization that helps preserve. And amplify the stories of East Austin. The projects are still in early development, according to Daphne, but ideas are currently in the works.
Daphne McDowelll [00:06:26] I have a meeting with Cap Metro to help with the bus stops there and like the beautiful mural they put at the bus stop at the ivory, something similar to that.
Gabriel Velazquez-Niera [00:06:36] Banners honoring black artists might also be added above the street. Texas transportation officials notified cities across the state that they would have to remove anything that wasn’t traditional road markings. Down in San Antonio, officials have already started replacing their lost art. The city added sidewalk art, which the state government cannot regulate. While it’s still an option in Austin for East 11th Street, down in Colorado and 4th, it’s much more unlikely, according to Steven Rivas. Rivas is also on the city’s public spaces task force. He says that upcoming construction of a light rail system will affect the sidewalks.
Stephen Rivas [00:07:13] Any kind of major infrastructure changes on that street, it could be affected by construction within 18 to 24.
Gabriel Velazquez-Niera [00:07:20] Riva says the streets around 4th and Colorado might become pedestrian walkways. If that happens, Bridge Abandoned hopes the city will carve out a dedicated space for the OGPTQ community. I’m Gabriel Velázquez-Neda in Austin.
Ben Philpott [00:07:42] The data center industry in Texas is growing, but so is the pushback. Folks in rural areas especially have been dealing with rapid expansion of these facilities. The centers have brought jobs and economic activity, but also noise pollution and strain on resources like water and electricity and even some housing shortages. KUT News has been looking into data center growth and how it’s shaping the communities that they’re being built in. KUT’s Williamson County reporter Kaylee Hunt is part of the team digging into this and she joins me now. Hi, Kaylee. Hey, Ben. So, you know, we’ve been talking about this with the last couple of weeks, for the last couple of week here on Austin Signal with other reporters working on the project. But please, real quickly, just remind us what y’all are focusing on.
Kailey Hunt [00:08:27] Yeah. So this project is titled the data center next door. And, uh, it came about basically when our county reporter team kept realizing that data centers just kept coming up on our beats, right? We needed to, uh. The idea kept coming back. So we knew that we needed to. Uh, we wanted to do some kind of series and with the help of our fabulous editor, Matt Largie.
Matt Largey [00:08:50] Right, right.
Kailey Hunt [00:08:50] We came up with the idea for this five-part series to help people better understand what data centers are, why they’re coming to Central Texas, and what some of those impacts will be on the communities that they’re being built in.
Ben Philpott [00:09:05] So you’re the Williamson County reporter, we’ve got Lee Walden, Hayes County reporter Katie McAfee, our Travis County reporter. The three of you just got back from a trip to Abilene as part of this project. How does that city play into the stories surrounding data centers?
Kailey Hunt [00:09:18] That’s right. Yeah. So one of the things we wanted to explore with the project is the economic impact that data centers have on local communities. And we really thought there’d be no better city to explore this theme in than Abilene. And that’s because they are home to the Stargate project, which is a big project backed by OpenAI and Oracle. And it’s part of this larger 500 billion dollar nationwide build out of AI infrastructure under the Trump administration. So, and this complex is huge, then it’s four million square feet and it’s built over just over a thousand acres of land. Like it’s massive. And so-
Ben Philpott [00:09:59] That’s almost as big as a Bucky’s.
Kailey Hunt [00:10:00] Yeah, no, it’s huge. It’s huge and so what we heard was, you know, developers and city and county officials tout benefits to the local economy, such as increased tax revenue, improvements to local infrastructure, job creations. And so we thought, you know, hey, we’re going to make a little road trip up to Abilene and talk to the folks there and see if they’ve actually started to see some of these benefits.
Ben Philpott [00:10:25] So, real quickly, yes, I do know that’s larger than a bucky’s, but also when you got there, you talked to people, what were they saying?
Kailey Hunt [00:10:31] Yeah, we, we talked to lots of folks, you know, we talk to a lady whose family lives actually right next to the Stargate project. We talked to a construction worker. We talked a nurse who’s running for state representative.
Ben Philpott [00:10:46] On this on this platform against data centers or?
Kailey Hunt [00:10:49] That has become part of her platform. Yes. And you know, there’s one common theme. All of these people said that the city is facing a major housing shortage and affordability crisis. And they say this was caused by the influx of all these thousands of workers that are required to build out the Stargate project. And one of the folks, I want to play a clip here from our trip. His name is Michael Prado and he helps run one of Abilene’s homeless shelters called Hopehaven. And he says he’s used to helping individuals that experience chronic homelessness, but over the last year or so, because of these spikes in rent and the shortages in housing, he’s had to pivot to helping families who are now experiencing homelessness. You can listen to a clip from him here.
Michael Prado [00:11:34] There’s no one bedrooms and if there is they’re like $12.50 to $15.50 a year ago I was able to put to find one bedroom one bath all bills paid $6.99 right now that don’t even exist
Ben Philpott [00:11:51] I think that’s an aspect of it I’ve never really thought about is the idea of home shortages or home prices spiking and what that might do when a data center comes to town. Well, you know, we’ve talked a lot about how you and Lee and Katie are all kind of doing this together. What is it like? You know, the vast majority of stories reporters work on are a solo job. So what’s it like to be able to work with two additional reporters? And how are you all working together on this?
Kailey Hunt [00:12:15] It’s awesome. It’s awesome, especially for a series like this and it’s it’s such a you know It’s such a complex and nuanced topic. And I think anytime, I’m just really grateful that our newsroom has put together this team of the three of us and allowed us to really explore this topic. And we all bring our individual strengths to the team, our individual experiences and knowledge from our geographic areas. And so I’m really excited about the project and I hope it really gives people better understanding of what data centers are.
Ben Philpott [00:12:51] And then first story is on Tuesday, right? So how are you guys gonna kick off this big series?
Kailey Hunt [00:12:57] Yeah, you know, we’re gonna keep it really simple. We’re just gonna start off by saying, trying to answer the question, what is a data center?
Ben Philpott [00:13:04] Well, I think that’s a great way to start it. Start simple, right? All right, well, we’ve been speaking with Kaylee Hunt, KUT’s Williamson County reporter. Thanks so much, Kaylee.
Kailey Hunt [00:13:14] Thanks, Ben.
Ben Philpott [00:13:21] And just a couple of quick headlines for you today. Triple-digit heat across Texas this week pushed electricity demand to record highs twice. That’s according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ORC, ERCOT, which runs the state’s power grid. On Tuesday, demand surpassed 87,000 megawatts. That broke a record set in August. The following day, we went up to 91,000 megawatts, setting a new record again. So please this weekend be careful if you are out in the heat. And of course, stay off Lady Bird Lake. You’ve got the watercraft ban going on until Saturday at five. We’ll be right back.
Nammy Sirur [00:14:02] You’re listening to Austin Signal. I’m Nami Surur, creator of the live storytelling event, Accent Unmuted. Storyteller Glenn Clifton’s first time in Marfa, Texas had him witness a simple gesture that initially puzzled but eventually endured him to American culture.
Glenn Clifton [00:14:23] In 1996, about a year after my wife and I had immigrated to the US, we decided to do a trip out to West Texas, specifically in Marfa, Texas, when it was still very beaten up and run down. So the thing about Big Bend is it’s an amazing part of the country. It really is another world. And actually, not long ago, it wasn’t even part of America. You know, it was part of Mexico. The Apaches lived there. It really… It felt to us like a place otherworldly, totally unusual and unlike we’ve ever experienced in our lives. And we were driving around in a 1987, I believe, Honda Civic packed to the brim with all the equipment that we needed to do this trip. So after about a week of camping and driving around Big Bend and enjoying this otherworldly landscape, we kind of looked a bit wild, I must say. So needless to say, everyone we ran into was very confused by us. We spoke English with this really weird accent. And then… The response of, you’re from Africa? That led to some interesting conversations, especially with the border patrol. Let’s just leave it at that. So after this week and a couple of days in Big Bend, we made our way up to Marfa, Texas. And we’d heard, my wife and I are both in the art and design world. We’d heard there were these amazing arts installations in town. And we decided, what better thing to do in Marfa than find these installations? Pre-smart phones, no street signs. Apparently all the street signs in the town have been taken down or faded, so. However, 1,800 people, how hard could it be? After a couple of hours, we started both noticing something really weird. Every car we passed, everyone casually greeted us from one end on the steering wheel, popping up the index finger as we drove past them slowly. Very cinematic. Almost like we were imagining this, and if we are not, is it some kind of secret code that we, again, don’t know about? Maybe this is something that… And also, you’re never quite sure in these situations if it’s a good or a bad thing. So you’re like, okay, not gonna react, let’s just see how it goes. Keep looking for the art. After a couple of hours, being experimental as I am, design and art-oriented, I’m like, well, let me see what happens if I wave back at these guys. And… Remember, this is everybody old, young, the sheriff. I mean, you name it. Everyone on bicycles. Everyone’s doing the one-finger wave. So I’m like, okay, let’s see what happens if I wave back at them. Actually, nothing changed in the whole situation except in me. It started feeling pretty good. I started making a connection with this community. I really felt like this is a place unlike I’ve ever been in my life. So… We started getting late. We said, okay, we’re gonna find a hotel. Again, very slim pickings. We woke up early. We spoke to the locals to get the intel of exactly where to go to find these art installations. And they were sublime. There were these beautiful sculptures set out on the Marfa Plateau at high altitude, crisp, beautiful light, nobody else around. And it was truly worth a trip all by itself. Absolutely. A couple of days later back to our lives in the big city, a couple of things kept popping up in the back of my mind. The amazing landscape for sure, right? The skies out there, unbelievable, day and night, just the stars just will blow your mind all by themselves. The art, absolutely inspired, but the main thing was this weird wave that we experienced all three Marfa very consistently. It really felt like it connected us to this place in some weird way. Ten years later, we were fortunate enough to actually move there full-time and to every visitor, UPS driver, friend and some aliens, every time we drive past them on our bicycles or our cars the one finger comes up and it’s and it means to us anyway. Hi We see you! And you are welcome. Thank you.
Nammy Sirur [00:19:17] That was Glenn Clifton, telling his story to a live audience at a recent Accent Unmuted in Studio 1A here at KUT. I’m Nami Sirur and this is Austin Signal.
Ben Philpott [00:19:35] Well, that was just lovely, honestly. You look, so, you know, I know it’s been hot. You might want to just sit at home this weekend and pray that your air conditioning continues to work. But as always, there are a lot of fun things to check out over the weekend in our area. KUT’s Art Beat Editor, Stephanie Federico, is here with some suggestions for the Where the Art Is segment. Hello, Stephanie.
Stephanie Federico [00:19:59] Hey, Ben.
Ben Philpott [00:20:00] All right. I just mentioned the heat. So let’s start with something that’s definitely indoors. That’s probably in the dark and it’s cold. Hopefully any fun theater things happening this weekend.
Stephanie Federico [00:20:10] Well, one show that I’m looking at is called Sally and Tom, and this is a play within a play about the relationship between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson.
Ben Philpott [00:20:20] Oh, interesting.
Stephanie Federico [00:20:21] Apparently it’s pretty funny, you wouldn’t necessarily think that, but the story is a theater company is staging this historical drama about them and then rehearsals get a little bit messy. So it goes back and forth between them planning for the play and rehearsing and scenes from the actual play. And this is from.
Ben Philpott [00:20:41] I love that concept.
Stephanie Federico [00:20:41] Yeah, right? Yeah. And this is from a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright. And that’s at Zach Theater now through August 23rd. But I personally, I’m going to go see Austin ISD’s production of Frozen this weekend. You know, I love high school musicals. Of course, who doesn’t? Yeah, as part of the District Summer Theater series and it’s featuring students from across the district. So it should be pretty fun.
Ben Philpott [00:21:06] I’ve actually been to a few of these over the summers, and it’s wonderful. The kids do a great job. And if you haven’t been to the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, it is a wonderful facility as well, so you really will enjoy it.
Stephanie Federico [00:21:17] Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.
Ben Philpott [00:21:19] So we do love our music, speaking of musicals, we do have our music here in Austin. So if someone’s in the mood to groove, what should they be thinking about this weekend? Where would you send them?
Stephanie Federico [00:21:29] Well, among other places, I’m interested in the bee scene party at the Blanton this weekend, or it’s just tonight. It’s a night of electronic music, interactive art, there’ll be some dancing, food and drinks, lots of ought’s nostalgia, apparently there’s a Y2K contest, costume contest, and a scavenger hunt, and yeah, right? So it should be fun. It’s to close out the exhibit, run the code data-driven art exhibit. Oh, interesting. So, yeah.
Ben Philpott [00:22:02] So, I hate to break the illusion for our audience here, but yes, I did actually sneak a peek at some of the things Stephanie was gonna talk about. And I will say that one of the thing you had listed was a real blast from the past for Gen Xers. I hear that Buddy Cole is coming to town.
Stephanie Federico [00:22:17] Yes, we love Buddy Cole. We had this whole conversation yesterday in the newsroom. He is the flamboyant lounge singer from the show Kids in the Hall. And if folks aren’t familiar with Kids in Hall, it was a Canadian comedy back in.
Ben Philpott [00:22:32] Oh, the eighties, early nineties, something like that? Mid nineties? I don’t know.
Stephanie Federico [00:22:35] Yeah, really funny and buddy Cole’s character was played by comedian Scott Thompson. He’s here in town He has two nights at Creek in the cave. I think he’s really funny. It should be a lot of fun
Ben Philpott [00:22:47] Yeah, we spent, I mean, I don’t know, like, way too long yesterday talking about kids in the hall in the newsroom. Okay, Stephanie, I follow you on Instagram, and I know that your art taste runs a little or maybe a lot more eclectic than mine. So what do you have for me? You know, other than Scott Thompson, other then Scott Thompson and kids in the Hall, what would you say, you know, would be something that I would enjoy?
Stephanie Federico [00:23:09] Hey, I did mention Austin ISDs. Well, that’s true. And I’ve been to those before, yes. That is totally you. I know you’ve been. But I also know you might like an early night, right? Oh, yeah, sure. Sure. So Interplanetary Help Desk is hosting a series of concerts and dance parties as part of its Let’s Fund Good Festival that’s going on. It started this week, it’s running through August 29th. All the shows cost $10 and all the proceeds from the shows go to a lot of different nonprofits in the Austin area. On tomorrow night, I know you might like this, there is gonna be a dance party with lots of new wave albums featuring stuff from The Cure, from The Smiths, Depeche Mode, New Order.
Ben Philpott [00:23:52] I’m gonna bring out my eyeliner.
Stephanie Federico [00:23:53] All right, totally our thing, man. And tonight, there’s an Ava cover band called Disco Tech. They’re playing at Chess Club. And the money from that show is going to the Texas Council on Family Violence. So there are a lot of good shows. And our intern, Caroline, or not our intern Caroline, I’m sorry, I’m giving credit to Caroline when it’s not for her, is for Chad. We had a story from our freelancer, Chad Switecki, who did a story about, let’s find. Good festival. We have a story at kut.org and you can see the lineup and all the nonprofits where the shows the shows are benefiting and things like that.
Ben Philpott [00:24:31] Good art for a good reason.
Stephanie Federico [00:24:33] Yeah, totally.
Ben Philpott [00:24:34] That’s Stephanie Federico, editor of KUT’s Art Beat. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Stephanie Federico [00:24:39] Of course, Ben.
Ben Philpott [00:24:40] And you can go to KUT.org to see all of the stories that we’ve done about our wonderful local arts community. And that’s it for us today on Austin Signal. Thanks so much to KET’s Kaylee Hunt, and of course, Stephanie Federico, who was just in here for coming on today’s show. Rayna Sevilla is our technical director. Alexandra Hart is our producer. Kristen Cabrera is our managing producer. Jimmy Moss is the show runner. And for today, anyway, I’m Ben Philpott. Stay out of the heat if you can this weekend, and please have a great weekend.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
