Groups ask for Better Builder Standards on Statesman PUD

Though the case may be postponed at the meeting, City Council is scheduled for a Thursday vote on the massive development planned for the former Austin American-Statesman site. Regardless, a group of Austinites have another ask for the developers – the inclusion of Better Builder Standards, which are designed to protect construction workers. The standards establish living wages, safety training, employment goals, worker compensation and on-site monitoring. Representatives from local unions and the Workers Defense Action Fund will hold a press conference tomorrow morning at City Hall to talk more about affordability and what they would like to see included in construction standards for the project. Council approved the project on first reading with a number of amendments to the development plan. The next two votes will likely be a process of balancing affordability and community benefits with the rising costs of its construction.