[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER]
THE TIME IS 5:30 PM THIS IS REGULAR CALLED MEETING OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.UM, IF YOU WOULD BE KIND ENOUGH, CHRISTIE TO CALL.
TANYA ORTEGA WILL NOT BE HERE.
PETER BRETON WILL ALSO NOT BE HERE.
IF YOU'RE HERE, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND JUST TURNING ON YOUR CAMERA.
IF YOU COULD JUST TURN THE CAMERA ON TO COUNT YOUR PRESENCE AND THEN YOU CAN TURN IT BACK OFF.
SPENCER SCHUMACHER MAY JOIN LATER.
UH, FIRST ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO, WE DO NOT.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Downtown Commission regular called meeting on September 18, 2024. ]
OF BUSINESS IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION'S REGULAR CALL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2024.HAS EVERYBODY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE MINUTES? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, CORRECTIONS, COMMENTS? I MOVE.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? I HAVE A SECOND.
UH, FOR THE RECORD, SP COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER HAS, UH, JOINED US.
COMMISSIONER LEVINE LOOKS TO BE ON LINE TOO.
COMMISSIONER LEVINE, COULD YOU JUST SEND ME OVER YOUR CONFLICT STATEMENT OR FILL OUT THE ATTACHED CONFLICT ATTENDANCE SHEET SO WE CAN COUNT YOU AS HERE? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
SHOULD I PAUSE TO WAIT, WAIT, WE'VE GOT COURT MOVING FORWARD.
[2. Presentation regarding the Austin Core Transportation Plan by Cole Kitten, Division Manager, Austin Transportation and Public Works Department. ]
TO ITEM, UH, THE DISCUSSION ITEM FOR THIS EVENING.IT IS THE PRESENTATION REGARDING THE AUSTIN COURT TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
UH, COLE KITTEN DIVISION MANAGER, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
YOU'RE WELCOME TO APPROACH THE DAIS.
SO AS I CATCH MY BREATH, UM, YEAH, THANKS.
THIS IS, UH, FIRST PRESENTATION OF OUR SERIES OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, PRESENTATIONS ON THE AUSTIN CORE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME IN THE COMING IN THE MAKING OVER MANY YEARS.
I THINK WE CAME TO DOWNTOWN COMMISSION IN 2019 AND 2020 BEFORE WE TO PUT EVERYTHING ON HOLD.
SO IT FEELS GOOD TO BE, UM, HERE PRESENTING AND GIVING Y'ALL AN UPDATE.
AND KIND OF A PREVIEW ON, UM, WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING, I MEAN, WHAT WE'RE PUBLISHING, WHICH IS THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE ACT PLAN, UM, BY NEXT WEEK.
SO, UM, MY NAME IS COLE KITTEN, DIVISION MANAGER IN IN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, AND I OVERSEE OUR, OUR LONG RANGE PLANNING, UH, THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN.
SO THIS PRESENTATION INCLUDES, UH, A BACKGROUND, UM, ON THE ACT PLAN, THE PLANNING PROCESS THAT WE WENT THROUGH, UH, AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACT PLAN, PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEN, UH, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, HOW WE PLAN ON IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN AND THEN GO INTO NEXT STEPS.
UM, BUT WHAT THIS PRESENTATION DOESN'T INCLUDE IS THE, THE LEVEL OF DETAIL ON THE PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS THEMSELVES.
AND WE'RE HOPING THAT THROUGH THESE SERIES OF BOARDS AND COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS, WE'LL BE BRINGING AWARENESS TO THE PLAN PUBLICATION SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GO AND READ IT, PROVIDE COMMENTS, UM, ONLINE AS WE TAKE IT, UM, TO COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION.
SO, UM, THE PURPOSE OF THE ACT PLAN IS TO BE ADOPTED AS AN ATTACHMENT TO THE A SMP.
UM, IT'S A, A FIRST OF ITS KIND AFTER, UM, THE, THE CITYWIDE TRANSPORTATION PLAN WAS ADOPTED IN 2019.
THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A SMALL AREA MOBILITY PLAN COVERING DOWNTOWN AND ATTACHED TO THE A SMP.
UM, MUCH LIKE OUR BICYCLE PLAN, URBAN TRAILS PLAN, SIDEWALK PLAN IS AN ATTACHMENT TO THE A SMP.
[00:05:01]
IT'S INTENDED TO BE AN UPDATE ON OUR TRANSPORTATION PLAN, UM, FOCUS FOR DOWNTOWN, WHICH, WHICH DATES BACK TO 2000, UM, WITH THOSE KIND OF FOUNDING PLANNING, UM, DOCUMENTS.BUT THE REASON WE'RE UPDATING THE PLAN IS BECAUSE A LOT'S HAPPENED SINCE THEN.
UH, WE HAVE ADVANCES IN, IN TRANSIT PLANNING, BICYCLE PLANNING.
WE HAVE CHANGES, UM, THAT HAVE HAPPENED AND ARE ABOUT TO HAPPEN WITH OUR HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS SERVING DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND A LOT, UH, HAS EVOLVED OVER TIME WITH NATIONAL BEST PRACTICE ON URBAN STREET DESIGN, UM, FROM WHAT WAS, UH, ORIGINALLY ENVISIONED JUST 20 YEARS AGO.
UM, AND WE'VE SEEN, UM, DISRUPTIONS IN TRADITIONAL MOBILITY.
UM, SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO ACCOMMODATE, UM, THOSE NEW MOATS.
UH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE ACT PLAN WILL, WILL CREATE A UNIFIED VISION FOR TRANSPORTATION DOWNTOWN AND ALIGN THE MANY PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES UNDER ONE, ONE UMBRELLA, UM, THAT HELPS ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS IN THE A SMP.
SO, THOSE DOCUMENTS, THOSE FOUNDING, UM, DOCUMENTS ARE, ARE OUR STARTING POINT.
YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO THE GREAT STREETS MASTER PLAN, UM, UH, THE DOWNTOWN TRANSPORTATION FRAMEWORK THAT WENT INTO THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN.
THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT PLACES TO START, UM, TO TRY TO CARRY THOSE VALUES FORWARD.
BUT WE'RE BUILDING OFF OF THEM, UM, BASED ON NEW POLICY.
UM, SOME FOUNDATIONAL NEW POLICY WITH A SMP, UH, THE 50 50 MODE SHARE GOAL, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE PEOPLE, UM, OUTSIDE OF SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLES IN ORDER TO, TO BE SUSTAINABLE, IN ORDER TO SUSTAIN GROWTH INTO THE FUTURE, WE HAVE TO SHIFT MODES, UM, INTO TRANSIT, WALKING, BIKING, TELEWORKING, CARPOOLING.
UM, WE'VE ALSO HAD, UH, HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT, UH, PROJECT CONNECT, LONG-TERM VISION PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE A SMP, UM, AND ADOPTED INTO THE A SMP, WHICH DIDN'T EXIST UNTIL THEN.
UM, AND WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE TO MANAGE DEMAND IN ORDER TO MANAGE CONGESTION, WHICH IS A, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT, UM, PART OF HOW THE SYSTEM, THE NETWORK WORKS DOWNTOWN.
SO, LOOKING AT THE ACT PLAN PROCESS, UM, WE STARTED BACK IN 2018 AS A DATA COLLECTION EFFORT, AND THE INTENT WAS TO LAUNCH INTO, UM, DEVELOPING THE PLAN IN 2019.
AND THAT'S WHEN WE, WE STARTED DOING SOME INITIAL, UM, MEETINGS WITH BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND TRYING TO GATHER, UM, WHO THOSE STAKEHOLDERS WERE.
AND THEN WE, WE WENT ON HOLD, UM, MID 2020 WITH THE PANDEMIC.
UM, AND, UH, IT WAS, I THINK, FORTUITOUS THAT WE ALSO WENT ON HOLD BECAUSE THERE WERE STILL A LOT OF MOVING PARTS AND VARIABLES THAT HADN'T BEEN DETERMINED THAT WE DIDN'T WANNA HAVE TO PLAN AROUND, UM, A MOVING TARGET.
SO WE RESTARTED IN EARLY 2022, AND THAT'S REALLY WHEN WE EXECUTED OUR, OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLAN, OUR, OUR, OUR PLANNING PROCESS.
SO WE HELD TWO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PHASES WHILE WE DID OUR PROJECT DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN OVER THE LAST YEAR, WE'VE JUST BEEN IN, UH, PLAN DEVELOPMENT MODE, UM, COMBINING ALL OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HEARD AND ITERATING ON THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASE.
AND SO NOW WE'RE IN THE, THE NEXT TWO MONTHS OF PRESENTATIONS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UM, AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL MOBILITY COMMITTEE IN NOVEMBER.
AND THEN WE HOPE TO TAKE IT TO, UM, CITY COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION EARLY NEXT YEAR.
SO A SUMMARY, LOOKING BACK AT THE, THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, UH, WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE.
UM, THEY HELPED US CONVENE A WORKING GROUP THAT, UH, MET, UH, AT MULTIPLE TOUCH POINTS THROUGHOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS.
UH, THEY WERE A GOOD BODY, UM, TO ENGAGE WITH, UM, TO, TO GET KIND OF, UM, KIND OF LIKE A FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK ON, ON THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN.
BUT WE ALSO IDENTIFIED, UM, A, A GLOBAL LARGER, UM, STAKEHOLDER LIST WITH, UH, THE INTENT OF HAVING VARYING DEGREES OF ENGAGEMENT.
SO MORE THAN 80 DOWNTOWN STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, TO ENGAGE AND INVITE, UM, TO HAVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, TO HAVE POPUPS, UM, PUBLIC EVENTS.
BUT WE ALSO HELD ONLINE SURVEYS, UM, TO ENGAGE THE GENERAL PUBLIC, UM, NOT JUST DOWNTOWN, BUT, UM, THOSE THAT LIVE OUTSIDE
[00:10:01]
OF DOWNTOWN.AND SO OUR EVENTS INCLUDED, UM, DIFFERENT AREAS OF DOWNTOWN, BUT ALSO DIFFERENT AREAS OF AUSTIN FOR PEOPLE THAT, THAT WORK DOWNTOWN.
AND THEN, UM, WHAT WE, WHAT WE LIKE TO DO PER OUR, AS SMP POLICIES IS, IS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE RECEIVING A DIVERSE, UM, UH, FEEDBACK.
SO ALL OF THE FEEDBACK WAS REVIEWED OVER, UM, 20 DIFFERENT FOCUS POPULATIONS.
SO THIS IS RACE, ETHNICITY, INCOME, UM, DIFFERENT, UH, UH, WORKING, UH, INDUSTRY TYPES, WHETHER IT'S HOTEL STAFF OR STATE EMPLOYEES, UM, ET CETERA.
SO THAT INITIAL PHASE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT INCLUDED, UM, A PREFERENCE SURVEY.
SO THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, THE COMMUNITY TO, TO, TO INDICATE WHAT IS THEIR HIGHEST PRIORITY WITHIN THE STREET, UM, ENVIRONMENT, WHETHER THAT'S THE SIDEWALK SPACE, THE BICYCLE SPACE, UM, THE CURB SPACE FOR PARKING OR PARKLETS, UH, THE, A TRANSIT TRAVEL LANE, OR, UH, GENERAL PURPOSE TRAVEL LANE.
ONE OTHER NOTE, UM, ON THE SIDE THERE, WITHIN THIS FIRST PHASE OF, OF, OF THE SURVEY, WE, WE RECEIVED, UM, MORE THAN 2000 RESPONDENTS, WHICH, WHICH IS RELATIVELY A GOOD, UH, PARTICIPATION RATE COMPARED TO OUR CITYWIDE, UM, ENGAGEMENT.
SO, SO THEN IN THE PHASE TWO SURVEY, WE BUILT OFF OF THOSE STATED PREFERENCES IN THE PHASE ONE SURVEY.
BUT WHAT WE WANTED TO START SEEING WERE, UM, POTENTIAL TRADE-OFFS IN SPACE, UH, BASED ON, UH, VARIOUS OPTIONS OR SCENARIOS PRESENTED SO PEOPLE COULD EXPRESS, UM, WHAT TYPE OF STREET THEY WOULD PREFER TO SEE DOWNTOWN.
WHETHER IT WAS, UH, UH, WIDER SIDEWALK SPACE, UH, INCLUSIVE OF BICYCLE FACILITIES IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, OR ONLY ON ONE SIDE, HOW MANY TRAVEL LANES, WHETHER THERE'S A TRANSIT ONLY LANE.
AND SO THESE, THESE STREET, UM, UH, OPTIONS OR CONFIGURATIONS, UH, PEOPLE WERE, WERE ALLOWED TO WEIGH IN AND RANK WHICH ONES THEY, THEY, UH, WOULD PREFER SEEING.
AND, UM, A NOTE ABOUT THE, THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED, THE INTENT ISN'T TO APPLY THOSE, THOSE PREFERRED CROSS SECTIONS JUST, UM, BLANKLY ACROSS EVERY STREET DOWNTOWN.
BUT IT, IT'S A GOOD FEEDBACK TO UNDERSTAND AS A STARTING POINT, WHAT, WHAT, UM, TYPE OF STREETS PEOPLE PREFER.
SO TAKING ALL OF THE PUBLIC FEEDBACK, UM, AND, AND, AND THE NEEDS ANALYSIS, UH, WE'VE DEVELOPED, UM, WHAT WE CALL THE ACT PLAN PROJECTS.
THESE ARE OUR, OUR PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STREETS DOWNTOWN THAT HAVEN'T HAD ANY PLANNING DONE ON THEM, OR THEY'RE NOT PART OF ANOTHER, UM, IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISM LIKE PROJECT CONNECT.
AND SO THESE, THESE ROADWAYS ARE WHAT WE'VE PLANNED FOR AND HOW THEY INTEGRATE WITH ALL OF THE OTHER ACTIVE PROJECTS LIKE I 35 AND, AND PROJECT CONNECT AND CONGRESS AVENUE.
UM, BUT THESE, THESE PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INTENDED TO ADDRESS, ADDRESS THE AS SMP GOALS, AS WAYS AS, AS WELL AS THE MAJOR OUTCOMES THAT WE WANNA SEE FOR DOWNTOWN.
SO HOW DO THEY MANAGE GROWTH? HOW DO THEY COORDINATE WITH THOSE MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? HOW DO THEY SUPPORT THESE EMERGING TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS? BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO PRIORITIZE SAFETY CLIMATE AND OUR MODE SHARE GOALS? SO THESE PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS WERE, WERE BASED ON AN ANALYSIS OF ALL OF THE INDIVIDUAL MODAL NETWORK NEEDS.
SO FROM A BICYCLE SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE, HOW DO THESE STREETS WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A SYSTEM FOR BICYCLES AS WELL AS MICRO MOBILITY USERS? UM, HOW DO THESE STREETS WORK TOGETHER TO PRIORITIZE TRANSIT FROM ONE STREET TO THE NEXT? UM, BUT IT ALSO STARTED WITH AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT ARE OUR VEHICLE CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS INTO AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN, AND HOW DO WE PRESERVE THAT CAPACITY WHILE ALSO, UM, INCORPORATING THESE, THESE MULTIMODAL IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MAP ARE FOUR PRIORITY PROJECTS WITH FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH.
[00:15:01]
A, A, A HANDFUL OF SUPPORTING PROJECTS THAT ARE INTENDED TO FILL THE, UM, UM, REST OF THE NETWORK TO CREATE A, A SYSTEM.AND THEN WE HAVE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS AND STRATEGIES, WHICH ARE OUR, UM, BICYCLE IMPROVEMENTS, OUR TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS, UM, THE TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE DONE OUTSIDE OF THE ACT PLAN, PRO PROCESS.
SO WHERE WE'VE BEEN BETWEEN THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT IS KIND OF IN THIS, UM, THIS FLOW CHART.
BUT, UM, IT ALL STARTS WITH DOING THAT NEEDS AND, UH, NEEDS ASSESSMENT, LOOKING AT OUR MODAL NETWORK NEEDS, WHAT OUR CONSTRAINTS ARE.
AND THEN AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WE'VE BEEN IN THAT MIDDLE LOOP OF ITERATING ON WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE OUR, UM, DIFFERENT OPTIONS, UH, TO, TO EVALUATE AND CONSIDER.
AND THEN WE'VE ARRIVED AT THIS POINT WHERE WE'VE COME UP WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMPILED IT INTO A FINAL PLAN.
SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE PUBLISHED PLAN ARE THOSE FOUR PRIORITY PROJECTS.
AND WHAT THEY INCLUDE IS A SUMMARY OF THE, THE CHANGES, UM, WHAT THOSE BENEFITS ARE INTENDED TO BE, AS WELL AS A LIST OF KEY CONSIDERATIONS.
UM, IT'LL INCLUDES A MAP OF THE UNIQUE, UM, SEGMENTS WITHIN THE CORRIDOR WITH THEIR ASSOCIATED TYPICAL CROSS SECTIONS.
AND THEN EACH OF THOSE UNIQUE SEGMENTS HAVE A CONCEPTUAL, UM, SCHEMATIC LAYOUT TO SHOW THE CONFIGURATION OF THE STREET, HOW IT INTERACTS WITH THE OTHER PLANNED PROJECTS WITHIN DOWNTOWN.
UM, SOME PRIORITY PROJECTS, UH, SEGMENTS WILL INCLUDE A RENDERING TO SEE, UM, WHAT THAT VISION IN INCLUDES.
AND THEN OUR SUPPORTING PROJECTS INCLUDE THE TYPICAL SECTION AND WHERE, WHERE IT'S INTENDED TO BE APPLIED ON EACH OF THE PROJECT, UH, LIMITS.
THE SECTION ON SYSTEM STRATEGIES INCLUDES A MAP SHOWING WHERE THOSE ADDITIONAL SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS OR OR IMPROVEMENTS ARE LOCATED, UM, TO CREATE, UM, TO, TO SHOW HOW THEY FIT, UM, A, UH, AMONG THE FULL ACT PLAN PROJECTS.
THE SYSTEM AND SYSTEM STRATEGIES ALSO INCLUDE, UM, UNMAPPED IMPROVEMENTS, UM, SUCH AS MOBILITY HUBS, OR, UM, A DISCUSSION ON HOW WE CAN MANAGE OUR CURB DYNAMICALLY, UM, FOR, FOR DIFFERENT USES.
SO MOVING INTO, UM, THE IMPLEMENTATION ELEMENT, UM, THE ACT PLAN PROJECTS THEMSELVES ARE INTENDED TO BE FEASIBLE DESIGN SOLUTIONS THAT HAVE A BROAD COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
UM, THE, THE PLAN INCLUDES A RANGE OF PROJECT COSTS FOR EACH OF THOSE PROJECTS, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES, UM, UH, LIST OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES AS WELL AS RISKS AND, AND, AND BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, BECAUSE THE IDEA HERE IS THAT WHILE THIS IS A VISION PLAN DOCUMENT, WE WANT TO PUSH IT FORWARD TO, TO BE IMPLEMENTABLE.
UM, SO A LOT OF THAT REQUIRES COORDINATION WITH PROJECT CONNECT AND I 35 TO SEE WHERE THERE'S OVERLAP AND, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO LEVERAGE THOSE, UM, PROJECTS.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS A LONG-TERM VISION, UM, WITH LARGE SCALE PROJECTS.
SO THEY ARE LIKE CONGRESS AVENUE URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE.
THEY'RE INTENDED TO BE, UM, IDENTIFIED FOR, FOR LARGE SCALE INVESTMENTS AND, UM, LONGER PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, UM, EFFORTS.
SO WE NEED TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR QUICK WINS, POTENTIALLY, UM, NEAR TERM IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES THAT ARE LOWER COST, UM, TO, TO MAKE PROGRESS ON, ON IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN.
ANOTHER ELEMENT IS ENSURING THAT, UM, THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE INTEGRATES THE ACT PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS SO THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, UM, CREATING ONE PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN.
SO WHAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN IS, UM, A TABLE OF HYPOTHETICAL IMPLEMENTATION SCENARIOS.
AND IT, UH, ALLOWS US TO ESTIMATE COSTS SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TODAY TO IMPLEMENT ALL OF THESE PROJECTS,
[00:20:01]
BUT WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTATION OVER A LONGER TIMELINE OR AS A PACKAGE OF PROJECTS.SO, UM, THIS GIVES US AN IDEA AND UNDERSTANDING THAT IF WE WERE TO, UM, FUND THESE PROJECTS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET FUNDED ACCORDING TO THEIR IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE.
AND, UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, UH, UH, INCORPORATING THESE PROJECTS INTO A POTENTIAL 2026 BOND PACKAGE.
SO AS FAR AS NEXT STEPS, THIS WAS THE FIRST PRESENTATION TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WE'LL BE PUBLISHING, UM, NEXT WEEK.
WE WERE UNABLE TO MAKE A PUBLICATION THIS MONDAY, UM, UH, AS, AS SHOWN THERE.
UM, BUT NEXT WEEK WE'LL BE, UH, AT PLANNING COMMISSION DOING A BRIEFING, AND THEN, UH, GOING INTO NOVEMBER WITH ADDITIONAL, UM, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND COUNCIL IN, IN LATE JANUARY.
UM, WE'LL BE PUBLISHING THE, THE PLAN TO SPEAK UP AUSTIN, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'LL BE SOLICITING COMMENTS ONLINE THAT PEOPLE CAN, UM, HAVE A KIND OF A RUNNING DIALOGUE OF COMMENTS, BUT ALSO ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS CAN BE SENT TO THE ACT PLAN@AUSTINTEXASDOT.GOV, UH, EMAIL ACCOUNT.
I'M DELIGHTED THAT WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST TO, TO SEE THIS AS THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
UH, OPEN THE FLOOR TO QUESTIONS.
I CAN, I KNOW COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER IS GOING TO HAVE ONE, UH, AND, UH, BUT, UH, YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP.
UM, I WAS NOTICING TODAY THAT, UH, OUR MAYOR IS WANTING TO PUSH TO ADD THE TRAIN TO THE AIRPORT BACK INTO PROJECT CONNECT.
SO, UM, IF HE GETS THE MONEY FOR THAT AND PUSHES A TP FOR THAT, ARE YOU PREPARED TO INCORPORATE THAT INTO THESE PLANS? SO THE WAY THAT WE'RE INCORPORATING THE PLANNED PROJECTS IS, UM, BY REFERENCE.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND LEVERAGE IS, IS WHAT ALL, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING TO SERVE DOWNTOWN.
SO CERTAINLY THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD WANNA RE UH, REFLECT AS AN UPDATE.
RIGHT NOW IT JUST SHOWS THE, UH, PHASE ONE, UH, INVESTMENT MAP FOR PROJECT CONNECT.
BUT, BUT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO UPDATE THAT.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND I'M, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
I THINK IT'S, I'VE BEEN TALKING SINCE I GOT ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION ABOUT HOW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ALL THE PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING DOWNTOWN IS SO IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTATION.
I KNOW THIS IS JUST THE, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF MANY SMALL AREA PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT WEST CAMPUS COULD USE A, A SMALL AREA AS S AND P LIKE THIS AS WELL.
UM, I, I DID WANNA ASK YOU ABOUT THE COST ESTIMATES THOUGH.
'CAUSE I MEAN, THEY DID JUMP OUT AT ME AS, AS PRETTY STEEP WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 150 MILLION, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR ONE STREET AND ONE SEGMENT OF A STREET IN DOWNTOWN.
UH, YOU KNOW, I JUST THINKING TOWARDS THE 2026 BOND, I MEAN, IT'S THE COST OF ADDING IN ALL OF THE PROTECTED BIKE LANES AND NEIGHBORHOOD BIKEWAYS IN THE ALL AGES IN THE BUILDING PLAN IS ABOUT 350, 370 5 MILLION, I THINK.
SO 150 MILLION ON A STREET, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S SOMETHING LIKE CONGRESS, I CAN UNDERSTAND, BUT HOW ARE WE JUSTIFYING 150 MILLION FOR, YOU KNOW, NINTH STREET? AND ARE, ARE THERE WAYS YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME QUICK BUILD, I'M GONNA GUESS THIS IS ALL EXPENSIVE 'CAUSE IT'S A FULL BUILD.
WILL THE PLAN HAVE SOME MECHANISMS FOR, ALRIGHT, IF WE DON'T WANNA GO FULL, FULL BUILD IN 2026 ON A NINTH STREET, HERE ARE QUICK BUILD SOLUTIONS TO GET IN A BIKE LANE IN A TRANS LANE.
RIGHT? THE ACT PLAN DOESN'T PRESCRIBE HOW WE GET THERE.
SO IF WE WANT TO DO INTERIM INVESTMENT STRATEGIES THAT ARE LOWER COST THAT DON'T REQUIRE FULL, UM, STREET RECONSTRUCTION, THEN WE CAN DO THAT.
BUT WHAT THE ACT PLAN IS INTENDED TO DO IS TO LAY OUT THAT, UM, CONCEPTUAL STREET SCAPE FROM A FULL STREET RECONSTRUCTION PERSPECTIVE.
SO THOSE COSTS ARE ALL INCLUSIVE OF, UM, BUILDING THE, THE, THE RIGHT OF WAY LINE TO RIGHT OF WAY LINE, UM, WITH THE UPDATED STANDARDS.
SO I GUESS ALSO IN RELATIVE THE COMPARISON, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR SIXTH STREET IT'S FROM LAMAR TO I 35, SO IT'S THE FULL LENGTH OF DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND, AND SO THAT, THAT PLAYS INTO THE ADDITIONAL COSTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, SIMILARLY, I THINK
[00:25:01]
THE CONGRESS AVENUE URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE, TOTAL COST IS 130 MILLION MM-HMM,SO THERE, THERE ARE SOME RELATIVE COMPARISONS THAT WE CAN, WE CAN DRAW TO, BUT ULTIMATELY THE, THE VI THE PLAN IS INTENDED TO BE THE LONG-TERM VISION.
AND SO WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY THOSE, UM, QUICK WINS AND WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AND HOW MUCH DOES THAT COST? I, I MAY HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION OR TWO, BUT I'LL LET OTHER PEOPLE GO FIRST.
UH, COMMISSIONER MOCK AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU, COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER.
UH, MR. KIDDEN, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS, SO I'M GOING TO, JUST GOING TO GIVE IT TO YOU AND LET YOU ANSWER IT ACCORDINGLY.
FIRST OF ALL, I HEARD YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT RESTRICT DEMAND.
SO DOES IT MEAN THAT YOU ARE GOING TO RESTRICT BUSINESS, UH, ESTABLISHMENT? THAT'S JUST ONE QUESTION.
AND THE SECOND QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE LENGTH FROM LAMAR ALL THE WAY TO IH 35.
SO WHEN YOU WERE WORKING ON THIS PLAN, HAVE YOU, UH, CONSIDER OR WERE YOU THERE WHEN THE, THEY, THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THE IH 35 EXPANSION WITH ALL THE STITCHES AND ALL THE, ALL THE CAPS? UH, SO THE DOWNTOWN, UH, IS JUST TALKING ABOUT THE WEST SIDE OR YOU, UH, EXTEND ALL THE WAY TO THE EAST SIDE? THAT IS SECOND QUESTION.
AND THE THIRD QUESTION IS, UH, WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT DIVERSITY, DO YOU CONSIDER THE AGING POPULATION IN MIND? BECAUSE IT'S A LONG DISTANCE FOR ANY SENIORS TO WALK EVEN A COUPLE OF BLOCKS UNDER THREE DIGITS HEAT.
SO, UH, AND, AND THEY, THEY MAY NOT BE CONDUCIVE TO RIDE A BIKE.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT YOU WILL CONSIDER BRINGING BACK THE DI SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE THIS, UM, THIS, UH, HIGHER DENSITY, UH, VEHICLE.
YOU KNOW, BUT I'M LOOKING AT YOUR BUDGET.
YOU PUT IN $10 MILLION FOR BUS STATION.
SO I DON'T KNOW, HOW BIG ARE THOSE BUSES, ARE YOU THINKING? BECAUSE I REALLY THINK THAT, UH, IT'S JUST FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
UH, SMALLER VEHICLES, SMALLER, HIGHER DENSITY VEHICLE, LIKE THE DILO WILL BE MUCH BETTER THAN THE 40 SEATERS, YOU KNOW, BIG UP, YOU KNOW, BUSES.
SO THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
YEAH, THANKS FOR THAT FEEDBACK.
UM, I'LL, I'LL START BACKWARDS.
UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE, THE PRIORITY PROJECTS ARE INCLUSIVE OF, OF TRANSIT PRIORITY TREATMENTS.
SO THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THOSE, UM, THOSE COSTS COME FROM THAT ARE RELATED TO TRANSIT.
UM, REGARDING THE, THE DIVERSITY, UH, AGE IS ONE OF THOSE COHORTS THAT WE'VE INCLUDED, UM, TO EVALUATE THE FEEDBACK ON.
SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT ALL OF THE FOCUS POPULATIONS, WE WANTED TO SEE HOW THEY WERE DIFFERENT, WHERE THEY ALIGNED.
AND WHAT WE FOUND, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO INCLUDE THIS, UM, 'CAUSE IT IS HARD TO FOLLOW, BUT ALL OF OUR COHORTS WERE, WERE EXPRESSING, UM, THE SAME THING ON WHAT THEIR PREFERENCES WERE.
SO THAT WAS OUR FIRST INDICATOR OF BEING ON THE RIGHT PATH FROM WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DESIGN FOR.
BUT AT THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT LEVEL, WHICH HAPPENS AFTER THE ACT PLAN, THOSE SPECIFIC STREET BY STREET DESIGN DECISIONS ARE DONE, UM, WITH, WITH, UH, ADDITIONAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
SO THOSE, THOSE THAT THERE, THERE'LL DEFINITELY BE AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO GET MORE FEEDBACK.
UM, REMIND ME WHAT YOUR SECOND QUESTION WAS.
WHAT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY, UH, RESTRICT DEMAND? YEAH, SO THE, THE, THE CONCEPT IS CALLED MANAGING DEMAND.
IT'S TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
SO IT, IT'S ALWAYS, UM, MORE EFFICIENT TO MANAGE YOUR DEMAND FOR A TRIP, UM, BY ENCOURAGING SOMEONE TO USE A MORE EFFICIENT MODE.
SO IF EVERYONE WERE TO DRIVE IN A CAR BY THEMSELVES, WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO, UH, FACILITATE THAT DEMAND.
SO MANAGING DEMAND IS ABOUT DEVELOPING WAYS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TAKE TRANSIT, TO RIDE BIKES, TO BE ABLE TO, UM, LIVE IN PROXIMITY, TO BE ABLE TO WALK,
[00:30:01]
UM, AS WELL AS, UM, NON-TRAVEL OPTIONS LIKE TELEWORKING.UM, BUT WE ALSO WANNA ENCOURAGE CARPOOLING, VAN POOLING, UM, THAT, THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY MANAGING DEMAND.
SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT AT THE CITYWIDE LEVEL FOR THE A SMP, WE UNDERSTOOD THAT TODAY OR IN 20 19, 70 4% OF AUSTINITES DROVE ALONE.
SO, UM, IN ORDER TO SUSTAIN GROWTH IN THE FUTURE AND KEEP THE NUMBER OF CARS THE SAME ON THE ROAD, WE NEEDED TO SHIFT FROM 74% TO 50% BY 2039.
AND THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD BASICALLY MAINTAIN THE SAME NUMBER OF CARS ON THE ROAD.
SO WE WILL, WE, WE WILL ALLOW OR SUSTAIN THAT GROWTH BY SHIFTING OR MANAGING THE DEMAND ON TWO OTHER MODES.
BUT I, I WANTED TO PLAN A SEAT ON THE DILO TRANSPORTATION.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE DILO AND I THINK THE, THE BUSINESS IN DOWNTOWN AREA MIGHT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT BECAUSE IT WILL BE GOOD FOR THEIR BUSINESS SO THAT THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE TO FLIP THE BILL.
SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO PLAN IN YOUR FUTURE PLANNING.
SO I HAVE TWO, AND I'LL TRY TO MAKE THEM QUICK.
SO ONE, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY KIND OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE A CT AND THE A SMP.
SO ARE, ARE THESE PROJECTS, RIGHT? SO THE, AS SMP HAS THE STREET NETWORK, YOU KNOW, IT SAYS THIS IS A LEVEL ONE STREET, THIS IS A LEVEL TWO STREET, A LEVEL TWO STREET SHOULD HAVE SEPARATED PROTECTED BIKE LANES AND THIS MANY ROAD LANES, YOU KNOW, THIS SHOULD HAVE A SHARED USE PATH.
SO IS IT MEANT TO JUST BE LIKE THAT FOR JUST DOWNTOWN IN SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE COME UP ON STREET PAVING FOR NINTH STREET, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THEORETICALLY WHAT WE SHOULD DO WHEN WE HAVE THE MONEY, WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE, OR IS THIS MORE, YOU KNOW, HANDING CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITIZENS BOND ADVISORY TASK FORCE, A LIST OF SHOVEL-READY PROJECTS THAT CAN BE FUNDED NOW? OR IS IT SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THERE? YEAH, SO THE, THE A SMP STREET NETWORK IS INTENDED TO BE A CITYWIDE, UM, UH, STREET NETWORK PLAN.
HOWEVER, FOR DOWNTOWN IT REQUIRES, UM, CUSTOM OR SPECIFIC DESIGN STANDARDS SPECIFIC TO DOWNTOWN.
SO IN THE PAST, OUR STARTING POINT HAS BEEN THE GREAT STREETS STANDARD.
UM, AND THIS EFFORT IS INTENDED TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE SPECIFIC NEEDS ARE FROM STREET TO STREET DOWNTOWN SO THAT WE CAN ADJUST OUR PROJECTS AND MAKE THEM, UM, CUSTOMIZED TO THE SPECIFIC STREET, UH, SO THAT THEY ARE A LARGE SCALE CAPITAL PROJECT.
UM, JUST LIKE MANY OF THE ONES THAT WE SEE DOWNTOWN WERE 20 YEARS AGO, WHETHER THAT'S SECOND STREET, UM, COLORADO, BRAZOS, UM, EVEN THIRD STREET COMMISSIONER CHUMA HERE.
YOU SAID SOMETHING IN THE PRESENTATION ABOUT, UM, THE REPORT WILL IDENTIFY POSSIBLE FUNDING SOURCES.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE 2026 BOND.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, ANY CHARGES OUT THERE, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT COULD HELP SUPPLEMENT THOSE FUNDS? SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, IS UNDERSTANDING WHAT OUR, OUR EXISTING REVENUE STREAMS ARE.
UM, WE DO HAVE A STREET IMPACT FEE PROGRAM WHERE THERE'S, UM, FUNDING THAT'S ELIGIBLE FOR CERTAIN, UH, VEHICLE CAPACITY RELATED IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT CAN BE ALL INCLUSIVE OF THE IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE STREET.
WE ALSO WANNA UNDERSTAND HOW OUR PARKING REVENUE IS ALLOCATED TOWARDS OUR GREAT STREETS PROGRAM.
UM, BUT BEYOND THAT, WE WE'RE INTERESTED IN, UM, WHAT FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES EXIST.
SOME OF THESE PROJECTS MAY HAVE CERTAIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES THAT, UM, ARE A PRIORITY ON A FEDERAL LEVEL.
SO IT'S, IT, IT WILL REQUIRE A MULTITUDE OF, OF FUNDING SOURCES TO COME UP WITH THAT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY.
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS.
COMMISSIONER CARROLL, GO AHEAD.
COMMISSIONER GOGO, I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM, IS THE, THE STREET SCAPES THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING, IS THAT WORKING WITHIN THE EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY OR DOES IT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY? SO OUR,
[00:35:01]
OUR BASE ASSUMPTION IS THAT WE ARE WORKING WITHIN THE EXISTING 80 FOOT, UM, RIGHT OF WAY LINES.COMMISSIONER FEL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND THE POSSIBILITY HERE AS SOMEBODY WHO WHO WORKS DOWNTOWN.
MY QUESTION IS AROUND IF YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT CALCULATING THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT AND IMPACT, BECAUSE I, I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER THAT, THAT THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST AT FIRST GLANCE, LIKE THERE'S CERTAINLY HIGH PRICES AND IF IT'S PUT INTO THE BOND PACKAGE, I THINK VOTERS ARE GONNA WANNA KNOW, WELL, WHAT, WHAT'S THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC GROWTH THAT THIS ALLOWS FOR? I'M NOT SURE IF YOU GUYS HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT AT ALL.
YEAH, THAT'S ONE OF THOSE, UM, ELEMENTS THAT WE DIDN'T INCLUDE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
UM, I KNOW THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE CONGRESS AVENUE URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE, WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY JOBS COULD THIS MAKE, UM, ET CETERA.
UM, FROM A GLOBAL KIND OF A, A LARGER STREET NETWORK SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE, UM, IT, THAT'S A MUCH LARGER UNDERTAKING, BUT IT CERTAINLY CAN BE DONE IF WE, IF WE WANTED TO LOOK AT IT PROJECT BY PROJECT AND, AND TO UNDERSTAND THE SCALE OF THE IMPACT.
DO YOU HAVE FOLLOW UP, COMMISSIONER KOFA? NO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS.
I WAS AROUND WHEN YOU CAME BACK, OR YOU CAME JUST SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE
UH, AND SO I'M GLAD TO SEE IT'S COME BACK AND, AND AGAIN, YOUR TEAM'S DONE A, A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK TO GET IT THIS FAR.
UH, IT'S OBVIOUSLY A VERY COMPLEX PROPOSAL WITH A LOT OF VARIABLES, SO WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHERE IT GOES FROM HERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND WE, YOU, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BACK.
[3. Approve the Downtown Commission’s 2025 Regular Meeting Schedule. ]
IS A DISCUSSION ITEM TO APPROVE THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSIONS 2025 MEETING SCHEDULE, UH, FOLKS ONLINE, IF YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW IT.UH, AND FOLKS HERE IN PERSON, UH, ONE THING THAT CHRISTIE ASKED THAT I'VE MENTIONED TO, TO Y'ALL IS THAT MARCH 20, OUR MARCH 19TH MEETING WOULD OCCUR DURING SPRING BREAK.
UH, COMMISSIONER KOVAL, YOU CAN'T GO ON SPRING BREAK YET, IT'LL BE ANOTHER FEW YEARS.
UH, BUT, UH, THAT WOULD BE, UH, ONE CONFLICT.
OF COURSE, Y'ALL CAN AMEND THE SCHEDULE AS YOU NEED TO GOING FORWARD.
THIS JUST SETS A FRAMEWORK UP FOR 2025.
UH, AND SO, UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THE ITEM? IT LOOKS WHAT I FIGURED IT WAS GONNA BE.
CAN I TAKE THAT AS A MOTION? I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE IT? DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.
I WON'T BE HERE FOR MOST OF THEM.
SO YOU'VE GOT YOUR WORK IN FRONT OF YOU.
[4. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the Equity Based Preservation Plan. ]
THE NEXT ITEM IS, UH, ONE THAT, UH, WE HAD, UM, KARA BARTON FROM, UH, THIS PRESERVATION OFFICE PRESENTED TO US, UH, LAST MONTH.IT'S TO APPROVAL, A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL REGARDING THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN.
UM, WE WEREN'T IN A POSITION TO TAKE ACTION ON IT, AND THEY PLAN TO GO TO COUNSEL IN NOVEMBER WITH THIS MM-HMM,
UM, SO I WILL INVITE A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE FLOOR IF THERE'S ONE, UH, I'M SORRY.
COMMISSIONER LAROCHE IS NOT HERE AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HLC TO PRESENT ON THIS, OR AT LEAST COMMENT ON IT.
I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE HEARD, UH, THE THOUGHTS THAT HAD COME FROM HLC, UM, HAS EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW.
IT'S A VERY COMPLEX, AGAIN, ANOTHER COMPLEX DOCUMENT THAT ADDRESSES, UH, HISTORIC INEQUITIES AND, AND, UH, SOME OF OUR PRESERVATION EFFORTS.
UH, AND IT DOES POINT OUT THAT THE, UM, CITY OF AUSTIN'S HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE IS DRAMATICALLY UNDER-RESOURCED, UNDERFUNDED, UM, AND THAT, THAT PRESENTS A CONSTANT CHALLENGE.
THIS ATTEMPTS TO AT LEAST BRING THAT TO LIGHT.
IF NOT, UH, I HAD, I THOUGHT SOME PARTS OF IT WERE REALLY GOOD.
I THOUGHT SOME PARTS OF IT I HAD PROBLEMS WITH.
AND SO LIKE WE DON'T HAVE A RECOMMENDATION IN FRONT OF US AND IT WOULD TAKE ME A WHILE TO GO THROUGH AND PICK BIT BY BIT THROUGH IT.
AND THAT'S THE ISSUE I'M HAVING WITH IT.
UM, I'VE, I'VE BEEN IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN AUSTIN
[00:40:01]
A VERY LONG TIME AND, UM, I'VE, I WAS VICE CHAIR OF IT TAKES HISTORICAL COMMISSION, SO I'M FAMILIAR WITH ALL OF THE INS AND OUTS, RIGHT.I HELPED WRITE SOME OF THE CURRENT POLICY, UH, AND, UM, HAVE BEEN A, A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR A LONG TIME.
AND THERE WERE A LOT OF HITS AND MISSES IN THE DOCUMENT, AND I THINK STAFF DID A GOOD JOB OF TRYING TO GET AS INCLUSIVE A DOCUMENT AS THEY POSSIBLY COULD.
I AGREE TO MAKE SURE THAT AS MANY VOICES AS POSSIBLE WERE HEARD.
UM, I THINK THERE'S, Y'ALL HAVE HEARD ME SAY THIS BEFORE, I THINK HAVING AN ARCHEOLOGIST ON STAFF IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL AND PROBABLY 40 YEARS OVERDUE.
50 YEARS MAYBE, MAYBE MORE THAN THAT.
UM, I WILL SAY TOO THAT UM, WHEN THE CITY PASSED ITS HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE, MUCH WAS ALREADY LOST.
AND WE, THAT'S TALKING ABOUT THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
THERE WAS OF COURSE A LOT OF, UH, OF OUR CIVIC HERITAGE THAT WAS LOST AT THE SAME TIME.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE, THE BUILDINGS ARE MORE TANGIBLE.
I THINK PUTTING TOGETHER, IT, IT LEANS IN ON, UH, LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THAT.
I'VE WATCHED THOSE BATTLES BEFORE.
AND THEY ARE HARD TO GET PASSED.
AND I THINK SOMETHING LIKE THIS, PARTICULARLY WITH A DEMAND FOR REAL ESTATE IN AUSTIN, IT'S GONNA BE HARD PRESSED THE HISPANIC HERITAGE TRAIL THROUGH DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
THERE'S, THERE'S NOT MUCH LEFT.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO TELL THAT STORY, BUT IT IS A REAL CHALLENGE TO FIND THOSE TOUCHSTONES, THOSE POINTS THAT RESONATE FOR FOLKS AS THEY TRY TO EXPLORE THAT PART OF OUR, OUR HERITAGE AND CULTURE.
UM, AGAIN, I WANT TO COMMEND STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK.
I KNOW THIS WAS AN A, A LONG AND ONGOING PROCESS.
I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED.
I'M, I'M NOT HEARING A GRAND SWELL FOR A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMISSION.
IT'S TOO HARD TO DO FROM THE FLOOR.
WE'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH IT AND MAKE A, IT, IT'S TOO COMPREHENSIVE TO TO, OKAY.
SO, UH, AT THIS TIME, UH, PERHAPS WE CAN BRING IT BACK.
UH, OBVIOUSLY WE'LL HAVE GONE TO, TO COUNSEL.
UH, BUT IF WE HAVE A, A RESOLUTION OR RECOMMENDATION THAT SOMEBODY WANTS TO WORK ON IN THE INTERIM, UH, CERTAINLY WELCOME TO DO IT.
UH, AND SO WITH THAT SAID, UM, WE'LL MOVE ON TO
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. UM, OH, I'M SORRY.OH, I JUST HAD A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM, BUT YOU CAN FINISH.
COMMISSIONER KOVAL, THAT'S WHERE WE WERE.
I'M INTERESTED IN HEARING AN UPDATE, UM, ON THE CONGRESS URBANIZATION INITIATIVE.
CONGRESS URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE.
AND THEN THE SECOND AGENDA ITEM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO HEAR AN UPDATE ON THE NEW OLD SIXTH STREET INITIATIVE AND WHAT, WHAT'S TAKING PLACE AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT AS A COMMISSION, WHAT THEIR PLANS ARE.
MAYBE AN UPDATE FROM STREAM REALTY I THINK WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
I'M WORKING ON A RECOMMENDATION FOR BOTH THE UTC AND THE BAC.
SO IF THERE'S INTEREST IN A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, I'M SURE I HAVE, YOU KNOW, A ROUGH OUTLINE THAT CAN BE USED FOR.
THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC IF YOU WOULD BE KIND ENOUGH TO FORWARD THAT TO CHRISTIE AND SHE'LL GET IT OUT TO US.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WHILE I'VE GOT, UM, ON THE UDI, THERE'S OPEN HOUSE NEXT TUESDAY THE 22ND, AND THERE'S ALSO ONE ON NEXT SATURDAY THE 26TH.
AND I BELIEVE ALL THE DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEW ONLINE AS WELL.
DID EVERYBODY CATCH THAT? OKAY.
UM, FOR, UM, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UM, I WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONERS MOCK PATTERSON AND SCHUMACHER FOR BEING HERE.
AND I DO WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY ONCE AGAIN, AND I'LL RELAY THIS TO COMMISSIONERS FRANKLIN AND LAROCHE.
UM, WE REALLY DO WANT TO HEAR REPORTS FROM ACTIVITY FROM YOUR VARIOUS, UH, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
UM, YOU'RE AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS, UH, THIS COMMISSION AND YOU'RE, EVERYTHING YOU SAY IS VALUABLE AND HAS GREAT MEANING AND IMPACT ON
[00:45:01]
AUSTIN.SO PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE, UM, UH, REACH OUT TO ME AND TO CHRISTIE AND, AND LET US KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A FABULOUS REPORT FOR OUR NOVEMBER MEETING.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UM, THERE WAS SOMEONE FROM THE PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE THAT REACHED OUT AND WOULD LIKE TO UPDATE THE COMMISSION IN JANUARY ON AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL.
AND THAT EMAIL JUST CAME THROUGH.
SO I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO AHEAD AND GET SPONSORSHIP IF THAT WAS SOMETHING.
COMMISSIONER LEN, HAPPY TO SPONSOR THAT.
AND, UM, JUST TO CIRCLE BACK TO COMMISSIONER KOWELL'S REQUEST FOR THE NEW OLD SIXTH STREET INITIATIVE.
UH, YES, IF YOU WANNA REACH OUT TO STREAM REALTY, UH, CITY STAFF CAN COORDINATE WITH CITY STAFF, BUT OUTSIDE SOURCES WOULD NEED TO BE ARRANGED BY COMMISSIONERS.
COMMISSIONER KOFA, YOU AND I CAN WORK ON THAT.
ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER, UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? WE HAD A FAIRLY LIGHT AGENDA, BUT I THINK WE DID REASONABLY GOOD WORK TODAY.
UH, THANK YOU ALL AS ALWAYS FOR BEING HERE.
UH, IT'S WONDERFUL TO INTRODUCE A TRUE FALL DAY INTO AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND, UH, SWEATER WEATHER IS TOMORROW HOT COFFEE IN THE MORNING? OH, WOO.
I THINK IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE 47.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY COOL OVERNIGHT.
SO, UH, AND FOR THOSE GOING ANYWHERE NEAR THE CAMPUS OVER THE WEEKEND, HOOK 'EM HORNS.
OH, I'M GONNA BE, I'M GONNA BE GOING TO F1 THIS WEEKEND, SO.
IT'S GONNA BE HOT, BUT IT'LL, IT, IT WON'T BE NEARLY AS HOT AS IT WOULD'VE BEEN.
IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE, IT'S GOING TO BE AN EXCITING WEEKEND FOR DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, UH, FOR ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS.
WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY NOT, WE PROUDLY SAY TO THE TV WORLD HOOK, WE ARE ACTUALLY NOT GOING TO THE, UH, TRACK ON, UM, SATURDAY SO THAT WE CAN WATCH THE GAME.
SO WE'RE GOING FRIDAY AND SUNDAY BECAUSE COME ON.
WE CAN'T MISS THE GEORGIA GAME.
UH, THERE BEING NO FURTHER, UH, BUSINESS BEFORE THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
IT IS 6:17 PM AND WE STAND ADJOURNED.
DAYS OF SPEED AND SLOW MONDAY VISIT DOWN WITH RAIN ON A BORING WEDNESDAY, WATCHING THE NEWS AND NOT EATING A, A CRAZY COLD BLACK AND ON THE WALL, WAKING UP AT 6:00 AM.