onesourcemetro.com

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is no stranger to recognition. Over the past several years, the airport has consistently ranked among the top in terms of customer satisfaction. The same holds true for 2009, as the airport has earned top marks from two separate studies.

In one study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, the Austin Bergstrom International Airport was rated as the fifth best airport within a list of the 25 top small airports in the country. With a small airport being defined as one that sees less than 10 million passengers per year, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was still in good company.

In order to conduct the study, J.D. Powers and Associates surveyed more than 12,100 passengers who had flown sometime in 2009. Despite giving high ratings to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, many of those who were surveyed expressed an overall level of dissatisfaction regarding the airline industry. Poor baggage delivery, difficulty with navigating through the airport and failure to consistently meet comfort needs were among the biggest complaints.

The concerns of passengers that were brought up in the J.D. Powers and Associates survey is consistent with those found by another survey conducted by the Airport Council International. According to its Airport Service Quality passenger survey, which questioned 275,000 passengers from 118 different airports around the world, those airports that received high marks were those that best met the basic needs of their passengers.

Some of the qualities that passengers listed as being the most desirable included the general ambience of the airport, the courtesy of the staff and the cleanliness of the airport. Travelers also placed the most emphasis on airports where good shopping facilities were readily available, where the waiting areas were comfortable and where washrooms were clean and readily available. Of course, having a courteous staff was also of high importance to those who were surveyed.

In the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality passenger survey, 30 different areas of service were assessed. In the end, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport came in the second place position among airports that service between 5 and 15 million passengers per year. Having served 8.2 million passengers in 2009, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport falls right in the middle of that range.

In addition to earning a second place ranking in the Airport Service Quality passenger survey, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is also one of only three airports to receive the Airport Service Quality Assured Certification, which is awarded to those airports that meet certain benchmarks in terms of airport services and their management approach.

The city of Austin is looking at making some major changes that will make it one of the greenest cities in the country. Although the changes will result in an estimated 20% increase in energy bills over the next decade, city leaders maintain that the change will payoff in the long run as the use of traditional power sources such as coal continues to rise.

The new plan isn’t something that the city is entering into lightly. In fact, the proposed plan has been developed over the past two years with the help of online surveys and numerous public meetings. At the heart of the plan, the city will be taking steps to wean itself off of the use of coal. Despite the fact that coal is relatively cheap and the city is part owner of a coal plant in Fayette County, many scientists maintain that the carbon gases created while burning coal are a major contributor to global warming. As such, the city wants to significantly reduce the amount of electricity it obtains from the plant over the next ten years. The city would also like to either close the Fayette plant or sell its share of the plant.

Although the new plan still calls for obtaining electricity from coal during the day, the city wants to switch to wind power during the nighttime while also adding on some wood-waste and solar energy as well as energy derived from other renewable sources. Currently, renewable sources provide about 11% of the city’s energy, but the city’s goal is to increase that number to 35% by 2020.

“We think this plan strikes the right balance between affordability, reliability and environmental stewardship,” said Roger Duncan, Austin Energy’s general manager.

According to Austin Energy, the switchover will likely result in a 20% increase in household energy bills over the next ten years. As such, those who are paying $100 per month on their electric bills can expect to start paying around $120 per month by 2020. Austin officials feel strongly that the change will put the city ahead of the curve, however, as they anticipate that the federal government will put caps on coal emissions by 2020 that will either increase the costs significantly or require cities to make some significant changes in the way they create energy.

“My usual response when people ask what’s affordable is, ‘affordable when?’” Duncan said. “What’s affordable now may not be in 2020, and what’s affordable then may not be in 2030. What we’re recommending raises prices a little in the short term but we think better prepares us for the long term.”

For those who live in Austin, it is no secret that the city and its surrounding suburbs is a great place to live and to work. According to a recent article in Fortune magazine, even those who don’t live in the Austin area are recognizing just how much the city has to offer. Inn fact, two Austin-based companies were ranked by Fortune magazine as being among the top 100 places to work in the country.

The two companies, Whole Foods Markets Inc. and National Instruments were among 13 Texas cities to be included on the list. With 13 companies being recognized by Fortune magazine, the state of Texas actually ranked as the state with the second most top 100 companies. With 16 companies included on the list, California came in at the top position. Other Texas companies to make the list included:

· Houston’s Camden Property Trust (ranked 10th)
· Houston’s Methodist Hospital System (ranked 17th)
· Coppell’s NuStar Energy (ranked 21st)
· Coppell’s Shared Technologies (ranked 33rd)
· New Braunfels’s Scooter Store (ranked 38th)
· Dallas’s TD Industries (ranked 39th)
· San Antonio’s USAA (ranked 45th)
· Houston’s EOG Resources (ranked 67th)
· Houston’s Men’s Wearhouse (ranked 68th)
· Dallas’s Balfour Beatty Construction (ranked 76th)

Meanwhile, Whole Foods Market Inc. came in at the 18th position while National Instruments finished in the 87th position. Whole Foods Market Inc., which sells natural and organic products, identifies one of its “core values” as “supporting team member happiness and excellence.” This core value supports the company’s self-reported purpose of “helping support the health, well-being, and healing o both people – customers, team members, and business organizations in general – and the planet.” In order to do this, the company offers free medical coverage to employees who have worked 800 hours as well as a company-funded personal wellness account, dental and vision coverage a 401k retirement savings program, gainsharing and more.

It is also easy to see why National Instruments, which develops graphical programming software and modular hardware, is also included on the list. According to the company’s Website, it “values its employees as its most important asset” and the company strives to provide a “relaxed work environment that fosters creativity and entrepreneurism.” In addition to offering a company-matched 401k retirement plan, 10 paid holidays and vacation time, the company also offers benefits such as tuition reimbursement and even an on-site fitness center.

Of course, these are just a couple examples of the employers that call Austin home. A number of high-tech companies, including Cirrus Logic, 3M, Google and Hewlett-Packard are also major employers in the area.

The Austin Planning Commission is considering making some significant changes in an effort to move forward with its plans for downtown Austin. One of the changes that is garnering a great deal of attention lately is the committee’s desire to wait another four months before it adopts a new density bonus program, which is intended to more effectively govern how much money developers are required to pay the city when builing tall structures in the downtown area.

Currently, the “density bonus” program requires developers who wish to build structures that are taller than the city’s code to create affordable housing units or to pay into community benefits funds, such as those used to pay for housing and parks projects, in order to be granted permission to build the structure. Several consultants, however, are concerned that forcing builders of nonresidential structures to abide by these regulations will prevent them from initiating development projects.

In addition to potentially changing these regulations, the Austin Planning Commission committee is also asking the commissioners to support the creation of a citizen advisory task force. This task force “would be charged to examine a range of issues and to make sure the right questions are asked and answered before adopting a plan.” Starting this task force would help to address growing concerns surrounding transparency in government actions while also making it easier to obtain much needed community input.

“I am concerned that people who work downtown have had a chance to get their voice heard,” said mayor Lee Leffingwell. “This [plan] is one of the largest things that does not have a citizen’s advisory board.”

Charlie Betts, who is the Executive Director of the Downtown Austin Alliance, doesn’t necessarily agree with the mayor. Rather, he feels the staff and consultants have done a good job seeking input and he is pleased with the process that has been made so far.

“We felt like we have always been heard,” said Betts. “How many community meetings do you need?”

Over the past two years, Erica Leak of the Austin Neighborhood Planning and Zoning Department claims their have been 50 meetings held, with hundreds of people giving their input.

“There are parties interested in a lot of different issues, and getting those parties to agree will be quite a challenge,” said Leak. “At some point you have to say, ‘We have heard input from a wide variety of people and interests,’ and at some point you do have to decide.”

Nonetheless, Betts agrees that a delay is not necessarily a bad ting, so long as the time is used to help attract more developers to the area so the downtown Austin area can continue to grow.

Austin residents have long enjoyed the many benefits that the city has to offer. From easy access to numerous cultural and recreational activities to ample employment opportunities and beautiful homes to select from, the capital city is simply a beautiful place to live. According to a recent article in Men’s Health magazine, however, the city is also among the healthiest places for men to live.

In the January/February issue of Men’s Health, which was just released last week, Austin was listed as the tenth healthiest city for men to live in within the United States. In order to determine its rankings, the magazine considered 35 different criteria, ranging from employment rates to air quality, from commute times to life expectancy from death rates related to several different health conditions to weight problems and even the ration of single men to single women.

In the end, Austin came in tenth place, with a ranking of 16 for health, a rank of 20 for life and a ranking of 6 for fitness. By contrast, Seattle, Washington, which came in the first place position on the list, had a ranking of 1 for health, 44 for life and a 9 for fitness. The full top 20 list of the healthiest cities for men in the United States is as follows:

· Seattle, Washington
· Madison, Wisconsin
· San Jose, California
· Fargo, North Dakota
· Burlington, Vermont
· Manchester, New Hampshire
· Minneapolis, Minnesota
· Salt Lake City, Utah
· Lincoln, Nebraska
· Austin, Texas
· Aurora, Colorado
· Anchorage, Alaska
· Yonkers, New York
· Colorado Springs, Colorado
· Virginia Beach, Virginia
· Anaheim, California
· St. Paul, Minnesota
· Rochester, New York
· San Diego, California

Given the variety of recreational activities that are available to Austin residents and the lovely weather throughout the city and the surrounding area, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the city’s residents are able to remain active and healthy.

According to a Foreclosure Listing Service Inc., foreclosures in the Austin area have reached 14,000 for the year. This figure represents a 57% increase when compared to last year and, according to the president of Foreclosure Listing Service, George Roddy, Sr., these numbers represent the highest number of foreclosures in Austin since the company started keeping track in 2001. To make matters worse, over 1,200 properties are currently listed to go to foreclosure auction in December, making it the 11th consecutive month with more than 1,000 homes going up for foreclosure.

Despite the unfortunate foreclosure news, the Austin-Round Rock area was recently listed as the best performing city according to the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index. Factors considered when creating the index included employment rate, technology output, salary growth and job sustainability. The Austin area also came in second on Texas A&M University’s fifth annual Aggie 100 list in terms of the number of Austin companies to make the list. Companies were included in the list according to the amount of growth they experienced during the period spanning from 2006 through 2008. Austin businesses included on the list were:

· River Place Golf Group – 21st place
· Catapult Systems Inc. – 22nd place
· Salvaggio, Teal & Associates – 26th place
· Vanguard Fire Systems LP – 45th place
· The Payton Co. – 54th place
· Corkran Energy LP – 66th place
· MOSAK Advertising & Insights – 72nd place
· Mechanical Reps Inc. – 80th place
· Native Land Design – 84th place

It is due to its strong employment opportunities that the state of Texas is expected to rebound from the recession than most of the country. Yet, despite the positive outlook for the state of Texas, a survey recently conducted by Citigroup Inc. has found that Texans are still tightening up on their finances. In fact, the survey found that approximately 57% of Texans have decided to postpone making major purchases. Furthermore, 38% have found themselves needing to take money out of savings in order to help pay for their regular expenses. Approximately one-third of the respondents also stated that they were working longer hours in order to keep their heads above water.

Despite the belt tightening measures that many Texans are taking, they are also optimistic about the future of the state’s economy. For example, approximately 67% of respondents felt that local business conditions would improve over the next year and 72% felt their personal financial situation would improve during this same timeframe.

Located in the heart of the Second Street District, construction of the W Austin Hotel and Residences has started to move forward once again. Considered to be one of the anchors in the development of the downtown area, the $300 million project has been plagued with financial issues that have slowed down its construction. According to reports, however, the project has finally obtained the funding it needs to move forward.

“Our ability to secure a construction loan in the current economic climate reflects the strength and quality of this project and of the relative strength of the local Austin real estate market,” said Beau Armstrong, who is the CEO of Stratus Properties. “Unlike many markets, downtown Austin has a small supply of upper end condominiums – just over 400 units – and is not likely to have any additional new supply in the next five years.”

The W Austin Hotel and Residence project has been much anticipated for numerous reasons. Currently the home of the Austin City Limits studio, the building will ultimately house a hotel and condo as well as numerous retail and entertainment establishments.

Thanks to a new deal struck by Strutus Properties, which is currently the developer of the project, and Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds, the project is on track once again. In fact, it is currently scheduled to open in December of 2010 and its condos are scheduled to be delivered to their buyers through May of 2011.

Upon completion, the W Austin Hotel and Residences will house 159 residential units as well as 252 hotel rooms and suites. It will also offer 37,000 square feet of office space as well as 18,000 square feet of restaurants and retail space. The project also includes the state-of-the-art live music venue, which is operated by Live Nation and is home to the Austin City Limits.

On floors 18 through 37, the complex also offers excellent views of Hill Country, Lady Bird Lake and the downtown skyline. Other amenities available to residents and guests of the W Austin Hotel and Residence include an 8,000 square foot fitness center and spa, a concierge service, a private pool and preferred access to music venues and restaurants included on the property. With so much to offer, it is easy to understand why so many people are glad to see that construction is underway once more!

There are continued signs the housing market is starting to thaw. Condo sales are helping to heat things up, but thousands of prospective homeowners still fail to realize there are huge savings to be had thanks to the federal government.

Buyers can take advantage of an FHA mortgage to buy a condominium. The FHA has helped millions of people achieve their dream of home ownership in the last 70 years, providing financial flexibility and access to great rates.

But the FHA has a specific program for condo buyers. It’s almost a best-kept secret. Buyers can obtain 30-year loans on qualified units, many of which meet the FHA’s requirements. To determine whether a condo meets the agency’s approval, visit their database at https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condo1.cfm.

There are thousands of applicable condominium complexes across the country, including more than 1,200 in Texas alone. The FHA has other criteria and restrictions concerning the types of building and structures allowed, as well as financial restrictions. It’s best to check directly with the agency or an approved lender.

Thousands of homeowners have reaped the benefits of FHA loans in the last few decades. Chief among them are great rates and savings opportunities. FHA loans require only a 3.5 percent down payment. First-time buyers can even put the government’s new $8,000 tax credit toward covering those up-front costs.

To find out how much you might qualify for, try this FHA Loan Calculator and visit HUD’s list of FHA-approved condos.

More than 3,000 people have landed in Austin’s temporary shelters as they try to escape the devastation that Hurricane Ike has caused further south in Texas. An additional unknown number of evacuees are staying in Austin hotels for the same reason. Although these people will eventually be returning to their own homes, the city of Austin has welcomed them with open arms during their time of need.

The city of Austin has erected more than twenty different temporary shelters for people to live in while they are waiting to be able to return home to cities like Houston and Galveston. Some of these people are already starting to head out of the shelters this weekend but many others plan to remain in Austin a little bit longer while the devastation at home gets sorted out.

During the time that these evacuees are staying in Austin, they are being assisted in a variety of different ways. In addition to the shelter that they are receiving, they are able to get food in the shelter as the result of donations collected by the Capital Area Food Bank. Donations have come in from Austin residents living all throughout the city and the surrounding area. Evacuees are also able to get around the city for free using Austin’s bus system which won’t charge fares to anyone wearing a shelter wristband.

This is a testimony to the fact that although Austin has a tight-knit community of its own, the city is always willing to extend that sense of home to others coming to them from throughout the rest of the state (and other parts of the nation as well). This is one of the things that residents love about Austin and one of the things that is getting strengthened every day as the Austin community continues to come together.