The Chamber has signed a joint letter to Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and Austin Mayor Steve Adler, requesting both residential and commercial construction are made exempt from shelter-in-place orders.

The letter reads in part:

"As an industry, we were surprised and disappointed that Austin intentionally chose to prohibit commercial and residential construction through April 13, with very limited exceptions. Cities across Texas, notably Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and their respective counties have all recognized commercial and residential construction as essential services at this time....

"The lack of clarity in the City and County Orders has thrown our building industry into complete confusion....

"We understand that the entire economy is taking a hit right now. However, the long-lasting fallout from completely stopping all projects in the middle of construction will be hard, if not impossible, to bounce back from. We are fully committed to taking every safety precaution to protect both our workers and our community and feel confident we can do this while continuing to work....

"It is important to understand that construction job sites are not densely populated work areas. Construction sites are a unique workplace with their own levels of social distancing built in. Many workers are isolated completely or separated by large distances. In addition, access to the job sites is strictly controlled which enables potential points for screening and increased safety....

"We urge you to immediately amend your respective Stay at Home – Work Safe Orders and explicitly allow both commercial and residential construction to continue. Again, this is the very reasonable approach adopted by Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas to balance public health with the economic reality."

Read the entire letter