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At Chamber function, Adler looks past bond election to next big fight

Thursday, September 22, 2016 by Caleb Pritchard

The Austin Chamber of Commerce formally embraced the doctrine of density on Wednesday with the official release of its 2016 Mobility Report. The chamber celebrated with a packed luncheon at the JW Marriott that was attended by City Council members Delia Garza, Leslie Pool and Pio Renteria as well as representatives of Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. Mayor Steve Adler spoke to the hall at the beginning of the program, largely using the familiar remarks he has used time and again to sell his $720 million mobility bond proposal. However, in a nod to the new report’s emphasis on reforming the Land Development Code to allow more dense mixed-use development along the city’s corridors and in its activity centers (as identified in the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 2040 long-range planning document), Adler also began setting the stage for 2017’s first major political battle: the adoption of CodeNEXT, the long-gestating rewrite of the Land Development Code. Adler warned that opponents of CodeNEXT will try to paint the political battle lines between neighborhoods and real estate interests. “And I reject that,” the mayor said. “Because I think that we have a unique opportunity to work for and together as a single community in a way that gives us the supply and density that we need along the corridors but still protects our neighborhoods.” The CodeNEXT draft is expected to drop in January. In the meantime, you can thumb through the chamber’s mobility report here.

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