Nov 20, 2024 Downtown Commission

[00:00:06]

[CALL TO ORDER]

UH, GOOD EVENING.

UH, THIS IS THE REGULAR CALLED MEETING FOR THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION FOR NOVEMBER 20TH, 2024.

IT IS 5:36 PM AND WE ARE IN SESSION.

UH, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS TO CALL THE ROLL.

UH, I WILL NOTE THAT WE HAVE TWO NEW COMMISSIONERS JOINING US TONIGHT, PETER BRETON AND CHARLES VETO.

AND AFTER WE DO THE ROLE, I'LL LET THEM EACH BRIEFLY INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.

UH, UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE LOST COMMISSIONER ORTEGA, SO WE NOW HAVE A, WE'RE BACK TO HAVE NEEDING TWO REPLACEMENTS.

UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WILL HAVE A LIAISON FROM THE DESIGN COMMISSION COMING FORWARD, PERHAPS IN THE NEXT MONTH, AND THAT WE ARE STILL WAITING FROM AN APPOINTEE FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.

UH, WITH THAT SAID, CHRISSY, WOULD YOU BE KIND ENOUGH TO CALL? ROLL YES.

CHAIR.

AUGUST HARRIS.

PRESENT, RALPH ISHMAEL JR.

PRESENT PETER BRETON.

PRESENT.

DAVID CARROLL.

PRESENT.

LIZ KOEL.

PRESENT.

MIKE LEVINE.

KIMBERLY LEVINSON.

PRESENT.

CHARLES VETO PRESENT.

SONYA SCHIFFER PRESENT.

JENNIFER FRANKLIN PRESENT.

AMY MOCK PRESENT.

AND CHARLOTTE PATTERSON MAY BE JOINING LATER.

SPENCER SCHUMACHER AND CARL LAROCHE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ALRIGHT.

UM, QUICK INTRODUCTIONS.

PETER, WOULD YOU BEGIN? AH, THERE WE GO.

I DIDN'T SEE THE, THE LIGHT.

UH, NICE TO MEET ALL OF YOU.

I AM THE APPOINTEE FOR COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.

UH, I WORK WITH CAPITAL METRO AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE, A BIKE COMMUTER, AND SO I PASS THROUGH AND WORK IN AND AM ALL AROUND DOWNTOWN VERY OFTEN.

SO EXCITED.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

COMMISSIONER PITO.

UH, THANK YOU.

UM, I'M VERY HONORED TO BE SERVING ON THE COMMISSION.

I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

UM, JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BRIEF BACKGROUND, UM, I'VE BEEN A DOWNTOWN RESIDENT SINCE, UH, NOVEMBER OF , 1981.

SO, UM, LONG TIME.

UM, DOWNTOWN RESIDENT, UH, MY BACKGROUND, HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

I'VE BEEN WITH THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION ALL THESE YEARS AND VERY INVOLVED WITH OTHER, UH, NONPROFITS, UH, THROUGH PRESERVATION AND HISTORY, AND AGAIN, HONORED TO BE SERVING ON THIS COMMISSION.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, WONDERFUL TO HAVE THESE SPACES FILLED BY OBVIOUSLY TWO VERY WELL QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS.

UM, ALRIGHT.

UH, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO, WE DO NOT.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

UH,

[1. Approve the minutes of the Downtown Commission regular meeting on October 16,2024.]

I TRUST EVERYBODY'S HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE MINUTES.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE.

I HAVE A SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

A AYE.

OPPOSED? HEARING NONE.

THE MOTION CARRIES.

[2. Presentation on benchmarking downtown plans in comparable cities by Melissa Barry,Chief Program Officer, Downtown Austin Alliance, and discussion of the update to theDowntown Austin Plan.]

MELISSA, WELCOME THE FLOOR IS YOURS.

ONE MORE TIME.

YEP.

THERE YOU'RE, THERE YOU GO.

OKAY.

UM, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.

MY NAME'S MELISSA BERRY.

I'M THE CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER WITH THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE.

UM, JUST AS A, A REAL QUICK OVERVIEW, I KNOW MANY OF YOU, I SEE MANY FAMILIAR FACES HERE.

MANY OF YOU KNOW WHO THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE ALLIANCES, BUT JUST AS A QUICK OVERVIEW, WE ARE THE DOWNTOWN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.

WE OPERATE UNDER A CONTRACT AND A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DELIVER SERVICES TO THE DOWNTOWN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT THROUGH A, UM, A, A BUDGET THAT IS FUNDED THROUGH THE, THE DOWNTOWN PROPERTY OWNER COMMERCIAL TAX BASE.

UM, AND, UM, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR OVER 30 YEARS.

SO WE ARE NOT NEW TO DOWNTOWN.

AND, UM, IN FACT, I WAS, I'VE BEEN WITH THE ORGANIZATION FOR 15 YEARS, SO I WAS HERE IN THE, THE THROES OF THE LAST DOWNTOWN PLAN.

I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING IT AND IMPLEMENTING IT, AND, UM, WHAT I'M REALLY HERE TO DO TONIGHT IS JUST BEGIN

[00:05:01]

UM, SO ONE REALLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR WORK AT THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE IS THAT WE BRING THE PUBLIC IN THE PRIVATE SECTORS TOGETHER.

UM, AND WE REALLY FEEL LIKE THAT'S THE SWEET SPOT WHERE WE START TO SEE THE ABILITY TO LEVERAGE AND COLLABORATE AND, AND MAKE THINGS REALLY GREAT.

SO, UM, I'M BRINGING THAT LENS TO THIS DISCUSSION.

UM, JUST TO BE, TO BE REALLY TRANSPARENT.

UM, AND OUR ORGANIZATION, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE IS THE ONLY ORGANIZATION LIKE THIS IN AUSTIN.

UM, THERE ARE OTHER PIS, BUT NO OTHER DOWNTOWN PIS.

OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE THE ONLY DOWNTOWN, BUT WE HAVE A NETWORK OF OTHER DOWNTOWNS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS THE WORLD.

SO, THROUGH OUR INTERNATIONAL DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION, WE GET CONNECTED TO OTHER DOWNTOWNS ALL OVER THE PLACE.

AND, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE LIKE TO DO IS, IS TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT'S WORKING AND NOT, NOT WORKING.

SO, UH, AS WE STARTED TO THINK ABOUT AN UPDATE TO THE DOWNTOWN PLAN AND WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE OUR ORGANIZATION REALLY WANTS TO SEE US LEAN IN ON THE DOWNTOWN PLAN THIS TIME AROUND IS IMPLEMENTATION AND SETTING THE PLAN UP FOR SUCCESS WHEN IT COMES TO IMPLEMENTATION.

SO, UM, WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS TALK TO SOME OF OUR PE, SOME OF OUR PEERS IN OTHER DOWNTOWNS TO HEAR WHAT THEY WERE DOING AROUND IMPLEMENTATION, WHAT WAS WORKING AND WHAT WASN'T WORKING, AND WHAT ADVICE THEY'D HAVE FOR US.

SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW I SET THIS UP TODAY.

AND THIS IS REALLY MEANT TO BE THE START OF THE CONVERSATION.

I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM Y'ALL OTHER PLACES OR QUESTIONS YOU WOULD HAVE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THIS DIALOGUE.

UM, BUT WHAT I, I, I WANNA SORT OF WALK YOU THROUGH RIGHT NOW REALLY QUICKLY IS THE DOWNTOWNS WE'VE, WE'VE SPOKEN WITH SO FAR.

UM, SO WE, WE'VE TALKED WITH DALLAS, WE'VE TALKED TO DOWNTOWN ATLANTA.

WE'VE TALKED TO DOWNTOWN CALGARY, DOWNTOWN DENVER, AND WE HAVEN'T SPOKEN WITH SEATTLE YET, BUT WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING SOME TIME UP TO DO THAT.

UM, AGAIN, I AM TALKING WITH MY PEERS IN OTHER DOWNTOWN ORGANIZATIONS, NOT CITY STAFF.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SORT OF, WE'RE HEARING IT MORE FROM THE, THE PRIVATE, UH, PUBLIC SIDE OF THINGS AS, AND, AND I WILL SAY THAT, UH, MANY OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD WERE VERY CANDID AND THEY ASKED ME NOT TO, UM, IDENTIFY WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEIR COMMENTS WERE SPECIFICALLY.

SO YOU WILL SEE THE TAKEAWAYS SORT OF IN A, A HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY RATHER THAN THIS PERSON SAID THAT.

UM, JUST TO RESPECT THEIR REQUEST.

UM, FOR, FOR FOR THE CANDID CONVERSATIONS.

UM, I'M GONNA START WITH THE TAKEAWAYS AND THEN I'LL KIND OF GO BACKWARD A LITTLE.

SO, UH, ONE OF THE, THE, THE, THE, THE REALLY INTERESTING THINGS IS THAT THE DRIVE, WHAT'S DRIVING THE CURRENT UPDATES IN THE CITIES THAT WE'VE SPOKEN WITH, IT'S REALLY ABOUT OFFICE VACANCIES.

AND, UM, IT'S AN ECONOMIC ISSUE FOR MANY OF THEM.

THEY'RE STARTING TO SEE THE DECLINE IN OFFICE VACANCIES.

IT'S STARTING TO REDUCE TAX REVENUES.

AND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT SORT OF SPIRALS OFF INTO ALL THE OTHER IMPACTS THAT WE SEE WITH, WITH A, A LACK OF OFFICE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE SAFETY ISSUES AND LACK OF VIBRANCY, UM, RETAIL VACANCIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO FOR SEVERAL OF THE DOWNTOWNS WE TALKED TO WHO WERE JUST ABOUT TO LAUNCH THEIR PLANS, IT WAS REALLY KIND OF A, A, A CALL TO ACTION AROUND OFFICE VACANCIES.

UM, IN TERMS OF THE LESSONS THAT I WOULD SAY WE HEARD FROM MANY OF THEM, ONE OF THE BIG ONES WAS, IF YOU WANT THIS TO LAST, IF YOU'RE A DOWNTOWN THAT HAS A LOT OF CHANGE AND GROWTH AND YOU WANT THIS TO LAST, KEEP IT HIGH LEVEL.

DON'T TRY TO GET, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE LAYERS DEEP IN THE PLAN.

YOU CAN ALWAYS DO THAT IN OTHER WAYS.

WAS WAS SORT OF THE, THE ADVICE WE HEARD THERE.

UM, WE ALSO, AND I'LL GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS, WE ALSO HEARD, UH, STRONG, UM, SUGGESTIONS AROUND PLANNING AHEAD FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND MAKING SURE THAT IMPLEMENTATION IS BUILT INTO THE PLAN ITSELF.

WE HEARD THE IMPORTANCE OF THINKING BEYOND DOWNTOWN.

A LOT OF OUR PEERS TALKED ABOUT HOW THE EDGES OF DOWNTOWN WERE GROWING.

WE, I THINK YOU ALL HAD A CONVERSATION LIKE THAT NOT TOO LONG AGO.

UM, HERE WE SEE THAT ALREADY WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT AND, AND EAST AUSTIN AND THE I 35 CAP PROJECT, WE SEE THAT THE BOUNDARIES OF DOWNTOWN ARE, ARE, UM, DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE, UH, FIVE YEARS AGO EVEN.

SO, UM, A LOT OF THE FOLKS TALKED ABOUT HOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THOSE EDGES, UM, AND, AND ALSO IN INVOLVE PEOPLE

[00:10:01]

UM, WE HEARD THESE LAST TWO THINGS KIND OF GO TOGETHER, THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR DOWNTOWN AND THE NETWORK OF CHAMPIONS.

WE HEARD A REALLY STRONG CALL FOR, YOU KNOW, SUCCESS IS WHEN YOU CAN HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY THEY CARE ABOUT DOWNTOWN, EVEN IF THEY DON'T LIVE HERE OR, YOU KNOW, HAVE ANY ACTUAL REASON TO COME DOWNTOWN.

IF YOU CAN HELP THEM UNDERSTAND HOW HOW DOWNTOWN HELPS THEM, YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL.

AND IF YOU CAN BRING PEOPLE IN THE REGION WHO ARE LEADERS WHO CARE ABOUT DOWNTOWN INTO THE PROCESS, YOU'LL BE MORE SUCCESSFUL.

UM, SO HIGH LEVEL, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE BIG TAKEAWAYS WE HEARD.

UM, I WILL SAY DOWNTOWN DALLAS, THEIR PLAN WAS DONE AROUND THE SAME TIME AS OUR PLAN.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN, IT WAS COMPLETED IN 2011.

THEY WENT THROUGH A PLAN UPDATE IN 2017.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS REALLY, THE MOST INTERESTING THING I THINK I LEARNED FROM THEM WAS THAT THEY INTENTIONALLY KEPT THE PLAN HIGH LEVEL.

AND THEY HAVE AN IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX.

I THINK I PUT IT IN HERE.

YEAH.

SO I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE THIS, BUT THIS IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX IS WHAT THEY WORK OFF OF ANNUALLY.

THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE SORT OF THE HIGH LEVEL GOALS OF THE PLAN, AND THEN EVERY YEAR THIS IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX CHANGES.

AND THEY USE THIS AS THE WAY TO SORT OF DEVELOP THEIR BUDGET AND IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THEIR PRIORITY PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD EACH YEAR, RATHER THAN HAVING THAT ALL LAID OUT IN A PLAN, WHICH BECOMES REALLY DIFFICULT TO DO IN YEAR ONE.

WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE A 10 YEAR PLAN, DOWNTOWN ATLANTA IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT AND PROBABLY, PROBABLY NOT THE MOST RELEVANT CASE STUDY FOR US.

THEIR, UM, THEIR CITY RESOURCES ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS.

SO THEIR, UM, THEIR CITY STAFF DIDN'T HAVE RESOURCES TO DO THE DOWNTOWN PLAN.

SO THEIR, THEIR, UM, ORGANIZATION LIKE OURS ACTUALLY DOES THE PLAN IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA.

THE REASON THEY DO IT IS BECAUSE IT UNLOCKS IN ATLANTA, THEIR STATE LAW.

IT UNLOCKS A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER FUNDING TOOLS THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO.

UM, SO THEIR PLANNING PROCESS WAS REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TWOFOLD TO, TO, TO IDENTIFY A PLAN THAT WOULD HELP THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY MOVE FORWARD AND TO UNLOCK SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES.

DOWNTOWN CALGARY, UM, I THINK IS, IS A REALLY INTERESTING TEST CASE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST RECENT PLANS THAT WAS COMPLETED.

THEY, UM, THIS IS A CITY LED EFFORT, WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL OF 2021, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE COMMUNITIES WHERE A DOWNTOWN VACANCY WAS DRIVING THE ISSUE FOR THE PLAN.

WHAT'S INTERESTING HERE THAT WE LEARNED FROM THEM IS THAT THEY ADOPTED THIS PLAN WITH A $488 MILLION BUDGET ATTACHED TO IT.

THEY BROUGHT THE PLAN FORWARD TO THEIR COUNCIL WITH A BUDGET LINE ITEM, UM, THAT WAS TO DELIVER ON THE ITEMS THAT THEY WERE PRIORITIZING IN THE PLAN.

IT, THE, UM, IMPLEMENTATION BUDGET HAD A NUMBER OF THINGS IN IT.

A LOT OF THEM WERE AROUND INCENTIVES TO, UM, TO CONVERT OFFICE TO RESIDENTIAL AND, UM, IMPROVE DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY.

THERE WERE SOME CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDINGS, BUT ONE OF THE OTHER INTERESTING THINGS IS THAT THEY, UH, PUT $10 MILLION IN THEIR, THEIR IMPLEMENTATION BUDGET TO CREATE A DEDICATED DOWNTOWN TEAM TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN.

SO THEY, THEY ENDED UP CREATING A WHOLE DOWNTOWN OFFICE.

THEY HAVE, UM, BEEN INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL AT IMPLEMENTING THIS PLAN BECAUSE THEY HAVE DEDICATED RESOURCES, THEY HAVE THE FUNDING AND THEY HAVE THE STAFF TO GET IT DONE.

UM, DOWNTOWN DENVER, UH, LAST ONE ON OUR LIST, THIS, UM, DOWNTOWN DENVER IS, IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF A PLAN UPDATE.

SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT TO SHARE ABOUT THE PROCESS.

IT WAS A LITTLE TOO EARLY IN THE, IN THAT STAGE TO SHARE ANYTHING.

UM, BUT THEY ALSO DID TALK ABOUT HOW THEIR OFFICE VACANCIES WERE REALLY DRIVING THEIR DESIRE TO UPDATE THEIR DOWNTOWN PLAN.

THEY HAD FELT LIKE A LOT OF THE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE PLAN, UM, 2007 HAD, UM, SORT OF BEEN WORKED THROUGH, UM, AREA PLANS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THE DOWNTOWN VACANCIES WERE SOMETHING THAT REALLY, UM, THEY FELT LIKE NEEDED ADDRESSING.

UM, SO, AND I'M SORRY, I'M STILL SUFFERING FROM ALLERGIES AND HAVING A HARD TIME TALKING.

UM, WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO OPEN IT UP TO Y'ALL FOR IS TO ASK, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE WERE CONTINUING TO DO THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR DOWNTOWN PEERS, WHAT ASPECTS OF THIS WOULD BE HELPFUL TO YOU? UM, AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU

[00:15:01]

AND I'LL STOP THERE.

CAN WE TAKE, DO QUESTIONS? YES, IT'S POSTED.

IT'S OKAY.

IT'S POSTED AS A DISCUSSION.

SO YES, YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS AND DISCUSS.

I DON'T WANNA GET IN TROUBLE WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE.

THANK YOU, .

OKAY.

UH, QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR AND ONLINE? WELL, I HAVE SOME COMMENT.

YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN CERTAIN ASPECTS OF PLANNING, UM, THROUGH THE YEARS THAT I'VE LIVED DOWNTOWN.

AND I THINK, UH, DAA HAS DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB OF, UH, CERTAIN STUDIES, UM, UM, DATA THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO GOOD PLANNING, LIKE A PARKING PLAN.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND HAVING, UM, A FULL ANALYSIS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVING, UM, A PLAN IN PLACE, UH, FOR THAT ENHANCEMENT AS YOU BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER DOWNTOWN OF, UM, UM, ALLOWING THEM TO FLOW, YOU KNOW, EFFICIENTLY, YOU KNOW, WAY FINDING.

WE'VE DONE WAY FINDING, UH, ANALYSIS, IT WAS A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT, UH, A LOT OF THE DATA IS, UH, IS THERE IN PLACE AND IT'S A STARTING POINT.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT GOOD PLANNING, UM, BRINGS ALL OF THESE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF A GOOD DOWNTOWN TOGETHER.

AND SO, UM, I THINK ALL OF THAT NEEDS TO BE INCORPORATED.

AND, UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMING, UM, UH, INTERPRETATION, YOU KNOW, UH, OF OUR DOWNTOWN I THINK IS CRUCIAL.

HAVING A GOOD INTERPRETIVE STRATEGY, UM, DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS CRUCIAL AS PART OF A MEANINGFUL OVERALL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

COMMISSIONER SCHIFFER, I THINK I'D LIKE TO KNOW TO DIVE INTO WHAT ARE BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTATION? AND AS YOU CONTINUE THE RESEARCH, HOW CAN WE REALLY MAKE THAT HAPPEN SO IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER PAPERWEIGHT SITTING ON A SHELF SOMEWHERE? GOOD QUESTION, SONYA.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THE RESEARCH TO ANSWER THAT HOLISTICALLY.

I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM THE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE ALREADY SPOKEN WITH, WHAT REALLY RESONATES WITH ME, UM, IS PLANNING FOR IMPLEMENTATION AT THE FRONT AND NOT GETTING THROUGH THE PLAN AND THEN SAYING, OH, WE NEED AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE, UM, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION AS PART OF THE PROCESS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MORE BUY-IN AND, AND, UM, YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TO TWIST THEIR ARMS AT THE END TO GET THEM TO IMPLEMENT THESE THINGS, RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU KIND OF THINK FROM THE END IN MIND BACKWARD AND YOU BUILD A PROCESS THAT, UM, INVOLVES THOSE KEY DECISION MAKERS IN THE PROCESS, YOU'RE ABLE TO BUILD AN IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE SUPPORT FOR.

SO IF I COULD SAY THERE'S ONE BIG PRACTICE OR ONE BIG, UH, LESSON THAT I, I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU ALL TODAY WOULD BE START WITH IMPLEMENTATION AND WORK BACKWARDS AND, AND JUST START WITH IMPLEMENTATION .

SURE.

UM, SO THAT SORT OF WAS A HIGH LEVEL VIEW, BUT I KNOW YOU WERE AROUND FOR THE FIRST GO ROUND MM-HMM.

AND IMPLEMENTING THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN, DESIGNING IT, COMING UP WITH IT, PASSING IT.

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN THAT YOU THINK WORKED AND WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN THAT YOU THINK DIDN'T WORK? GOOD QUESTION.

WHAT, WHAT I WOULD SAY HAS WORKED, UM, FAIRLY WELL ARE THE THINGS THAT ALREADY HAVE SYSTEMS ATTACHED TO THEM.

THERE'S A DEPARTMENT WHO KNOWS HOW TO GET IT DONE, A STREET RECONSTRUCT GREAT STREETS, FOR EXAMPLE, STREET RECONSTRUCTIONS.

UM, WHAT I THINK HAS NOT WORKED QUITE SO WELL ARE THE, THE AREAS WHERE THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE DOWNTOWN, THE, THE CURRENT DOWNTOWN PLAN THAT WE'RE WORKING FROM HAD A RECOMMENDATION TO CREATE A, A SORT OF LIKE A, AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR THE CENTRAL CITY.

AND I, I UNDERSTAND THAT AND I'M VERY AWARE OF OUR, UM, RALLY AUSTIN'S, UM, ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT THERE IS STILL A, A, A CORPORATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ROLE TO PLAY IN THAT PUBLIC PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE SPACE.

SO, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT PROJECT CONNECT

[00:20:01]

YOU KIND OF HAVE THIS SAME SITUATION WHERE, UM, WE, WE HAVE STRUCTURES FOR, UM, CITY DEPARTMENTS TO WORK AND GET THINGS DONE WELL, BUT WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE PLACES FOR THEM TO COLLABORATE WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

UM, SO IF I WERE TO SAY WHERE WE COULD LEAN IN A LITTLE BIT MORE, IT WOULD BE IN THAT AREA.

I WAS, YEAH.

UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M CUTTING ANYBODY OFF IN THE ROOM.

I APOLOGIZE.

I'LL GO AHEAD, PLEASE.

UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND FOR ALL THE GREAT WORK THAT, THAT, UM, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE DOES.

I RUN A SMALL BUSINESS DOWNTOWN.

AND SO SPEAKING OF LIKE A MORE PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP, THAT WAS MY QUESTION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HIGH, UM, ON OCCUPANCY RATES IN OUR, IN OUR BUILDINGS AND OUR TOWERS SPECIFICALLY ARE SUCH A HUGE PROBLEM.

I LEARNED RECENTLY THAT I THINK, UM, THE NEW GOOGLE TOWER IS STILL VACANT, WHICH IS CRAZY.

MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, UM, IS THERE, HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED WORKING WITH, UM, BUSINESS OWNERS, BUSINESS LEADERS DOWNTOWN TO SURVEY EMPLOYEES TO TRY TO SEE HOW WE COULD GET FOLKS BACK DOWNTOWN MAYBE WORKING WITH LIKE DIFFERENT LIKE AGENTS, UH, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS TO SURVEY FOLKS TO SEE, LIKE, WHAT OTHER THINGS DOES DOWNTOWN NEED TO OFFER? BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP BEFORE IS INCENTIVES FOR, UM, MORE DIVERSE SMALL BUSINESSES TOO.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ANYTHING THAT THAT'S IN YOUR ROADMAP.

IT'S NOT IN OUR ROADMAP.

IT'S A GOOD IDEA THOUGH.

THANK YOU, SIR.

THERE WE GO.

GOT THE MICROPHONE ON.

UH, NOT WANTING TO ADD TOO MUCH MORE TO YOUR PLATE OF THINGS TO LOOK AT.

I WOULD CERTAINLY BE INTERESTED TO SEE HOW OUR OTHER PEER CITIES ARE FOCUSING ON THEIR DOWNTOWN EDGES.

MM-HMM.

, I THINK WE'VE ALREADY SEEN SOME INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS, UH, AND FUTURE PROJECTS THAT ARE GONNA CHANGE HOW DOWNTOWN INTERACTS WITH THE EDGE OF DOWNTOWN.

UH, LIKE THE WATERLOO RECORDS ON FIFTH AND LAMAR, THE I 35 STITCHES, IF THE WAY THAT THOSE ARE GOING FORWARD IS STILL GOING FORWARD WITH WHAT NEWS WE HAD YESTERDAY, I BELIEVE, WITH THE MONEY MM-HMM.

, UM, JUST BEING COGNIZANT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN DOWNTOWN, HOW IT'S GONNA AFFECT THOSE EDGES, AND HOW THOSE CITIES PLAN FOR THAT.

THAT'S GREAT.

WE'LL ADD IT TO THE LIST.

THANK YOU.

OTHER COMMISSIONERS? UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS COME TO MIND WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE, THE, THE EXISTING PLAN.

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN ITS COMPLETION AND SUCCESS HAS BEEN, UM, THE PRIORITIES OF INDIVIDUAL CITY DEPARTMENTS.

MM-HMM.

NOT, NOT FOCUSING ON DOWNTOWN BECAUSE THEY HAVE DEMANDS ACROSS THE CITY.

SIMILARLY, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES HAS BEEN ON SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT, UH, THE FUNDING THAT IS NEEDED IS NOT AVAILABLE.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DISTRIBUTE FUNDS EQUITABLY ACROSS THE CITY.

AND SO DOWNTOWN MIGHT NOT GET THE RESOURCES IT NEEDS TO SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVE A PLAN.

HOW WOULD YOU ADDRESS THAT IN A FUTURE PLAN? SO THAT'S NOT AN OBSTACLE.

OH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE GIVING US ALL THE TOUGH QUESTIONS TODAY.

UH, IT'S A QUESTION THAT, IT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION THAT I THINK WE SHOULD FRAME IN THIS DIALOGUE THAT WE'RE HAVING OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.

I, I'D SAY, UM, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO IMPLEMENTATION, IF WE, IF WE ARE ABLE TO BRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND LEADERS INTO THE CONVERSATION EARLY ENOUGH, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEIR PROJECTS BUILD AND LEVERAGE WITH OTHER PROJECTS, THERE MIGHT BE OPPORTUNITIES IN ECONOMIES OF SCALE THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED FROM, UM, DIFFERENT GROUPS PARTNERING WITH ONE ANOTHER TO, UM, SORT OF ACHIEVE SIMILAR OR OVERLAPPING OUTCOMES.

SO THAT, THAT WOULD BE ONE THING I WOULD THINK ABOUT.

UM, I THINK THE OTHER IS THAT WE DON'T, SOMETIMES WE DON'T NECESSARILY, UM, AND, AND I THINK THE CITY'S DOING A GREAT JOB OF THIS LATELY.

SO THIS, THIS IS NOT A, A CURRENT CRITICISM, BUT, UM, I THINK THERE'S MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LEVERAGE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAN WE HAVE.

WE ALWAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, DO, AND I THINK PART OF THAT IS, UM, SORT OF PAINTING THE BIG OPPORTUNITY, THE BIG, YOU KNOW, THE BIG PICTURE.

AND EVEN WITH PHILANTHROPIC TOO, I THINK WE STRUGGLE WITH THAT BECAUSE WE, WE SOMETIMES JUST DON'T HAVE A BIG ENOUGH VISION OR, OR GOAL.

DO

[00:25:01]

UM, DO YOU THINK PERHAPS, AND WE WILL HEAR ANOTHER PRESENTATION ON IT, BUT FOR INSTANCE, UH, THE CONGRESS AVENUE PROJECT IS GONNA BE, I, WE GOT SOME ESTIMATES AT OUR LAST MEETING THAT WERE PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL AND WE'LL BE PRETTY HARD TO COME BY TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST, EVEN IN A 10 YEAR, OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD.

DO YOU THINK THAT WE NEED TO BE MORE MINDFUL IN PUTTING THE PLAN TOGETHER OF THE ECONOMIC REALITIES THAT WE'RE LIVING IN? CERTAINLY THE LEGISLATURE HAS PUT A TAX OR CAP ON WHAT SORT OF TAX RATE WE CAN HAVE.

AND YOU CAN'T GO TO THE, THE VOTERS OF AUSTIN AND SAY, HEY, WE'D LIKE X MORE FORD JUST DOWNTOWN.

IT'S NOT GONNA WORK.

YEAH.

SO DO WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE REALISTIC IN SOME OF THE PROJECTS WE ASPIRE TO BASED ON THE FINANCIAL REALITIES? MAYBE THAT'S FOR A LATER CONVERSATION.

YEAH, IT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN ANSWER THAT.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT MY ANSWER IS THE BE ALL END ALL ANSWER IN THAT QUESTION.

UM, I, I, I DON'T THINK THERE'S, HERE'S WHAT I'LL SAY.

I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY HARM IN IDENTIFYING EVERYTHING WE WANT AND GOING AFTER THE THINGS THAT PRESENT THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES WHEN WE HAVE THEM IN FRONT OF US.

SO, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT DOOR IS GONNA OPEN UP AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT, AND OTHER TIMES WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE REALLY HARD DECISIONS ABOUT WHICH THING WE'RE GONNA FUND, WHICH THINGS WE'RE GONNA PRIORITIZE.

YEAH.

YEAH.

I THINK WE HAVE TO DO BOTH.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE HEARD OVER THE, THE YEARS IS A FRUSTRATION THAT THINGS HAVE NOT, THINGS WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN HAVE NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.

AND IT'S NOT ANYBODY'S PARTICULAR FAULT.

MM-HMM.

.

IT'S THAT THE RESOURCES OF X DEPARTMENT HAVE TO BE ALLOCATED ACROSS THE CITY.

YEAH.

THAT TAX DOLLAR HAS TO BE ALLOCATED ACROSS THE CITY AND HAVE THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO COMPLETE THAT PROJECT.

MAYBE IT'S COMMUNICATING TO CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE INVESTED IN, IN THE PLAN THAT NOT EVERYTHING IS ACHIEVABLE.

UH, OBVIOUSLY IDEALISTIC, BUT NOT NECESSARILY ACHIEVABLE BASED ON FISCAL REALITY.

MAYBE THAT'S A COMMUNI PART OF THE COMMUNICATION.

UM, OH, GO AHEAD.

TO SHIFT, SHIFT AWAY FROM NASTY DOLLAR CONVERSATIONS.

I AM CURIOUS, UH, HOW Y'ALL SELECTED THE PIER CITIES, UM, AND WHO ELSE YOU CONSIDERED THAT YOU DID NOT REACH OUT TO OR HAVE NOT REACHED OUT TO YET? UM, WE, QUITE HONESTLY, WE, WE HAVE THESE MENTAL LISTS OF PEERS IN OUR HEADS.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LIST OF PROBABLY ABOUT 15.

WE CROSSED SOME OF THEM OUT JUST 'CAUSE THEY'RE, THEY HADN'T DONE ANY DOWNTOWN PLAN RECENTLY, YOU KNOW, SO THE, IT'S KIND OF THE, THE LIST THAT WE ENDED UP WITH WAS JUST BASED ON SORT OF COMPARABLE CITIES BASED ON EITHER SIZE OR, UH, MARKETS OR, UM, SIMILAR ISSUES THEY'RE FACING RIGHT NOW.

UM, WHO WE HAVEN'T TALKED TO YET THAT WE STILL WANT TO, OR DOWNTOWN SEATTLE.

MM-HMM.

DOWNTOWN DC UM, DOWNTOWN, THERES ONE OTHER, CHARLOTTE IS THE OTHER ONE.

WE HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO TALK YET WITH.

DO ARE, ARE ANY HAVE ANY OF THOSE NOT DONE DOWNTOWN PLANS? I DON'T THINK ANY OF THEM HAVE NOT DONE THEM.

OKAY.

BUT I DON'T THINK I, I'M NOT AWARE OF A RECENT ONE.

I KNOW THAT FOLKS OFTEN LOOK AT CHARLOTTE AS A PURE CITY.

MM-HMM.

.

AND IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE INTERESTING TO SEE THEM IN THAT MATRIX.

MM-HMM.

.

OKAY.

HONOR, I FORGOT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE LAST TIME, BUT, UM, ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING FROM TALKING TO SEVERAL PEOPLE HAS BEEN THAT ONE OF THE CONCERNS CRITICISMS ABOUT THE BOSTON PLAN IMPLEMENTATION OVER THE LAST, THINK IT'S BEEN 12 YEARS, 13 YEARS, IS THAT THERE WASN'T A CENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP, A CENTRALIZED HUB WHERE DECISIONS WERE MADE AND, UH, DIRECTIONS WERE GIVEN.

AND, UM, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS THAT DO HAVE THEIR OWN AGENDAS AND THEIR OWN BUDGETS, UM, WERE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

AND IN TALKING TO THESE OTHER CITIES, HOW IMPORTANT WAS THAT TO THEM? AND I KNOW YOU SAID THAT CALGARY EVEN, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, BUDGETED $10 MILLION FOR A DEPARTMENT LIKE THAT.

SO, UM, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THAT IS GOING FORWARD? AND HOW WOULD YOU SUGGEST A CITY GO ABOUT CREATING SUCH A DEPARTMENT?

[00:30:02]

UM, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN, REALLY WHEN I LOOK AT THESE PLANS, I THINK DOWNTOWN CALGARY HAD THE MOST, HAS HAD THE MOST SUCCESS, THAT THEIR PLANS ONLY A COUPLE YEARS OLD.

AND THEY HAVE ALREADY, UM, I MEAN, IF YOU, YOU LOOK AT WHAT THEY'VE DONE SO FAR, IT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE.

AND I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE TWO THINGS.

THEY HAVE AN OFFICE DEDICATED TO IT, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE, UM, REGIONAL AND LOCAL LEADERSHIP THAT IS BEHIND IT BECAUSE THEY WERE PART OF IT AND THEY BELIEVED IN IT, AND THEY KNEW IT WAS GONNA CONTRIBUTE.

IT WAS GONNA, IT WAS GONNA BRING EVERYONE UP.

THEY KNEW THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, DOING THESE THINGS IN DOWNTOWN WAS GOING TO BRING THE WHOLE COMMUNITY UP.

UM, SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

I DON'T, I DON'T FEEL LIKE I COULD ANSWER THE QUESTION OF HOW I WOULD SET IT UP.

IT'S, TO ME, THAT'S MORE OF A, A CITY, YOU KNOW, MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP, UM, DECISION.

I, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE IT.

WE'RE EMPOWERING YOU NOW, , .

I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, UM, IF YOU THINK THAT IF, ASSUMING THAT THERE WAS FUNDING AND EVERYTHING FOR SUCH AN OFFICE, UM, WOULD DAA EXPECT TO BE PART OF THAT OFFICE OR RUN IT? OR WOULD YOU RATHER SEE A, LIKE AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT OR SOMETHING BROUGHT IN? OR WOULD YOU RATHER SEE A CITY PERSON? OH, I THINK IT WOULD BE A CITY OFFICE THAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE, I, I WOULD HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OTHER ONES THAT WE HAVE SEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH DOWNTOWN OFFICES, OUR, OUR CITY, UM, STAFF.

AND, UM, WE HAVE SEEN INSTANCES WHERE, UM, 'CAUSE DOWNTOWN HOUSTON HAS A SORT OF A, A STAFF PERSON THAT THEY SHARE WITH THE CITY, THE, THE CITY MANAGEMENT OFFICE IN, IN A WAY TO SORT OF FACILITATE COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSIONS, WHICH I THINK COULD BE VALUABLE BECAUSE I KNEW THAT THEY, YEAH.

AMY'S TRYING TO RAISE HER HAND.

COMMISSIONER MA.

YEAH.

YES.

UM, UM, THANK YOU MS. MELISSA FOR THE PRESENTATION.

AND I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR PEER CITY, AND I WAS INTRIGUED BY DENVERS, UM, THAT THEY HAVE PUT OUT, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT THEMES LIKE WORKABLE, DISTINCTIVE DIVERSITY, AND GREEN.

I THINK THIS IS SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY, I THINK, FOR US, UH, TO CREATE A VILLAGE, SORT OF LIKE A COMMUNITY THAT IS RELEVANT TO ALL THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF OUR CITY THAT PEOPLE WANTED TO COME BECAUSE IT'S A, IT IS A GOOD EXPERIENCE AND A, A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AI, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ALL THIS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY THAT'S SEPARATE, YOU KNOW, US A LOT OF TIME.

UM, SO I THINK IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CONNECT AS A VILLAGE.

SO I WAS WONDERING, UH, I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE LOOKED OUTSIDE OF THE US OF A GO OVERSEAS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT, UH, OTHER CITIES, UM, D IN DIFFERENT COUNTRY AND HOW THEY SET IT UP, THOSE PLAZA AND HOW SORT OF LIKE A VILLAGE CENTER THAT EVERYBODY FEEL CONNECTED TO THAT.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST A SUGGESTION.

AND ONE MORE THING THAT IS ALWAYS BEEN MY PET PIECE IS THE MOBILITY.

I HOPE YOU WILL HAVE THIS CIRCULAR TRANSPORTATION LIKE THE OWS, YOU KNOW, AROUND DOWNTOWN AREA BECAUSE, UH, THE HEAT WILL STOP PEOPLE FROM WALKING AROUND.

AND, UH, AND THEN I, I DON'T KNOW IF THE AREA OF DOWNTOWN WILL BE EXPANDED BECAUSE OF THE CAP, THE 35 CAP, YOU KNOW? SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THAT MOBILITY, YOU KNOW, UM, IS REALLY NECESSARY.

SO JUST A SUGGESTION AND THANK YOU, MS. MELISSA.

THANK YOU.

I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE.

AND WE WILL LOOK INTO, BESIDES, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ONE CITY WE LOOKED AT IN, IN CANADA, WE HAVE NOT LOOKED AT ANY, UH, OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE WORLD, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME PEERS IN AUSTRALIA AND THE UK.

SO WE, WE COULD SEE IF THERE ARE SOME OTHER VILLAGE EXAMPLES LIKE YOU SUGGEST.

OKAY.

UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I, I DON'T THINK THAT THE PUBLIC IS FULLY AWARE OF ALL OF THE HARD WORK DAA DOES AND HAS DONE AND MADE, FRANKLY MADE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN THE PLACE IT IS.

AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL, THE STAFF AND THE BOARD OF DAA FOR ALL OF YOUR TIRELESS WORK

[00:35:01]

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THAT'S VERY NICE.

WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING Y'ALL DO AS WELL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[3. Presentation on the Great Streets Plan by Jill Amezcua, Program Manager II, PlanningDepartment.]

UM, WE'VE HAD GREAT STREETS MENTIONED AND, UH, UH, WE'RE DELIGHTED TO HAVE JILL AND MS. MSA HERE, UM, TO PROGRAM MANAGER WITH PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO SPEAK ON GREAT STREETS, AND I APOLOGIZE IF I AIRED CLOSE ENOUGH.

UM, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS JILL ESCO AND I AM THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR GREAT STREETS IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IN URBAN DESIGN.

AND THIS EVENING I'M GOING TO PRESENTING AN UPDATE ON THE GREAT STREETS PLAN TO YOU ALL.

SO THE AGENDA THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING OVER THIS EVENING INCLUDES AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.

THIS IS A VERY QUICK PRESENTATION.

I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE FROM YOU ALL IN THIS PRESENTATION.

UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING OVER DEMOGRAPHICS AS WELL AS EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS AND WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE LAST YEAR.

I'LL GO OVER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND I'LL FINISH WITH THE GREAT STREETS LIGHT POLE.

ALL RIGHT, SO DEMOGRAPHICS, WHAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT IN DOWNTOWN, UM, COMPARED TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE HAVE SEEN REALLY IN THE LAST 14 YEARS OR SO, OBVIOUSLY THE POPULATION HAS INCREASED.

AND SO SPECIFICALLY IN DOWNTOWN, THE POPULATION HAS INCREASED BY 61% IN THAT TIMEFRAME.

SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY SURPRISING TO ME WAS THAT ONLY LESS THAN 2% OF THE POPULATION OF AUSTIN CURRENTLY LIVES IN DOWNTOWN.

SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THESE VACANT BUILDINGS THAT ARE IN DOWNTOWN, THAT DATA POINT JUST REALLY SPEAKS TO THAT.

ALSO, SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT ON THIS SLIDE WAS THAT THERE ARE FOUR OVER 14,000 HOTEL ROOMS IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.

THAT IS, TO ME, THAT'S JUST A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER.

AND JUST UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND WHO WE'RE DOING THIS GREAT STREETS PLAY AN UPDATE FOR.

THERE'S ALSO 130,000 EMPLOYEES WHO ARE CURRENTLY WORKING IN DOWNTOWN, AND THAT IS IN ALL SECTORS.

AND SO THIS INFORMATION AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL WILL BE USED AS PART OF THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE TO IDENTIFY WHO'S IN DOWNTOWN AND WHO WE'RE DOING THIS PLAN FOR.

ALL RIGHT, SO LET'S GET INTO SOME MORE DETAILED INFORMATION.

SO THE EXISTING CONDITION ANALYSIS WAS COMPLETED OVER THE COURSE OF EIGHT MONTHS.

AND THIS ANALYSIS INCLUDED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER WITH THE GREAT STREETS PROGRAM, WE NOW HAVE A CON COMPLETED INVENTORY OF GREAT STREETS ELEMENTS.

SO FOR ALL OF THE 225 BLOCK FACES IN DOWNTOWN, THERE BEEN DESIGN TEAM DID A DETAILED ON THE GROUND ANALYSIS OF LOOKING AT PER BLOCK FACE, WHAT THE CONDITION OF THAT THESE GREAT STREETS ELEMENTS ARE.

SO LIKE TREES, BIKE RACKS, BENCHES, AND ALSO INCLUDING INVENTORY IN THAT, THAT ANALYSIS AS WELL.

AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THE TOP THREE STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS INCLUDED PLANTERS SIGNS AND SIDEWALK CAFES.

AND THE BOTTOM THREE GREAT STREETS ELEMENTS WERE TRASH RECEPTACLES.

SO THE TRASH CONDITION IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AND WALKING AROUND DOWNTOWN FOR OVER THE COURSE OF EIGHT MONTHS IS VERY CLEAN, BUT THERE WERE SOME CORNERS WHERE TRASH RECEPTACLES WERE BROKEN INTO, THE LOCKS WERE BROKEN AND THERE WAS TRASH ON THE GROUND.

AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW WITH OUR CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT THAT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE UPDATED AS PART OF THIS GRAY STREETS UPDATE, AS WELL AS THE BENCHES.

SO THIS PLAN IS 25 YEARS OLD, AND SOME OF THE BENCHES ARE NOT IN THE BEST CONDITION DUE TO THE HARSH CLIMATE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN CENTRAL TO CENTRAL TEXAS WITH THE SUN, AS WELL AS, UM, JUST THE HEAVY USE OF THESE BENCHES RECEIVE.

AND THE LAST THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT IN THIS SLIDE WAS A TREE AND PAVER GRATES.

SO SOME OF THESE TREES HAVE BEEN PLANTED A LONG TIME AGO, AND THE TREES HAVE GROWN IN SIZE AND NOT BEEN MAINTAINED, AND THE PAVER GRATES AND TREE GRATES ARE GIRDLING THE TREES.

SO WHAT I'VE SEEN AND ALSO DOING MAINTENANCE IN DOWNTOWN IS I HAVE TO CUT DOWN SOME OF THESE TREES BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT MAINTAINED.

THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL LOOK AT AS PART OF THE UPDATE AS WELL.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THE NEXT SLIDE I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH.

SO WITH, UM, THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE, THIS IS A TYPICAL PLANNING PROCESS AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE ENTIRE PLANNING PROCESS.

SO WITH, UM, THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE THAT

[00:40:01]

SO WE WILL HAVE INTERNAL WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AS WELL AS EXTERNAL LIKE ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS WHO WORK ON GREAT STREETS EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND GET WITH THEM AND HEAR FROM THEM WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS PART OF THE UPDATE, AS WELL AS HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC.

SO WE'LL HAVE PUBLIC OPEN HOUSES, WE'LL HAVE AN ONLINE SURVEY, AND WE ALREADY HAVE A WEBSITE THAT HAS BEEN UPDATED AS PART OF GREAT STRAITS AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS TODAY.

AND THAT IS WHERE WE'LL HAVE A LINK TO ALL THIS INFORMATION IN THE FUTURE.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE GREAT STREETS LIGHT POLE.

SO THIS LIGHT POLE WAS DESIGNED, IT TOOK A VERY LONG TIME TO DESIGN, AND THAT LIGHT POLE WAS ACTUALLY NEVER INSTALLED IN DOWNTOWN.

AND SO AS PART OF OUR CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT, WE IDENTIFIED, LIKE IN THIS PHOTO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE LIGHT POLE ITSELF IS PLACED TOO CLOSE TO THE TREES.

WHAT WE SAW A LOT OF WAS A TREE CANOPY WAS CUT IN HALF TO ALLOW FOR THE LIGHT TO PROPERLY LIGHT THE ROADWAY, WHICH IS EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC FROM A A TREE PERSPECTIVE.

AND SO THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO NOT ONLY REDESIGN THE LIGHT POLE ITSELF, BUT THINK ABOUT SPACING TOO.

SO IT'LL BE PART OF THE UPDATE AS WELL.

SOMETHING ELSE ELSE THAT URBAN DESIGN HAS BEEN WORKING ON IS SOME CROSS SECTIONS AND REALLY LOOKING AT THE EXISTING CONDITIONS IN DOWNTOWN AND THE 80 FOOT RIGHT OF WAY.

SO THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING IN THAT SPACE.

UM, NOT ONLY GREAT STREETS, BUT ALSO LIKE THE TRAVEL LANES THEMSELVES, THE, UM, BIKE LANES, AS WELL AS, UM, THE BUILDING FACADE ITSELF AND LOOKING AT HOW ALL THOSE COMPONENTS CAN WORK TOGETHER.

UM, AS PART OF THIS UPDATE IS SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO LOOK AT.

ALL RIGHT, SO THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE PROCESS, THIS IS OUR TYPICAL PLANNING PROCESS.

AND WHAT I HAVE HIGHLIGHTED ON THE SCREEN IS THE VISION PHASE THAT WE'RE GONNA BE KICKING OFF HERE EARLY NEXT YEAR.

AND FROM THERE WE WILL MOVE INTO THE SCOPING PHASE AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THE PLAN ITSELF AND GET THIS PLAN ADOPTED THROUGH COUNCIL.

SO NEXT STEPS INCLUDE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, NEXT YEAR WE'LL KICK THAT PHASE OF THE PLAN OFF AS WELL AS WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THE GRAY STREETS PLAN STANDARDS.

I WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING, AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER? THANK YOU CHAIR.

I HAVE NO PROBLEM.

SORRY, COMMISSIONER CARROLL.

UH, TWO QUESTIONS.

UM, YOU KNOW, YOUR OWN SURVEY, IT TENDS TO SUGGEST THAT MANY OF THE TREES ARE IN POOR CONDITION.

UM, I SUSPECT THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING NATIVE TREES AND PLANTING THEM IN NON-NATIVE CONDITIONS.

SO ARE YOU LOOKING AT REVISING THE TREES THAT ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM IN THIS UPDATE? YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT.

SO WHAT WE SAW IN DOWNTOWN PER THAT MAP THAT WAS INCLUDED AS PART OF THIS PRESENTATION WAS THAT YEAH, THE TREES ARE NOT, NOT DOING WELL, LIKE I MENTIONED WITH THE SPACING AS WELL, LIKE IN LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SHADE TREE THAT HAS MAYBE A DIFFERENT FORM THAT CAN SURVIVE IN THESE CONSTRAINED CONDITIONS.

SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY IS THE ANSWER IS YES, WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER MORE NATIVE TREE SPECIES, AND I'M WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CITY ARBOR TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE TREE SPECIES WILL LOOK LIKE.

OKAY.

UM, AND MY SECOND QUESTION IS, THE, THE BOUNDARY OF GRAY STREETS IS VERY SMALL, IN MY OPINION, ESPECIALLY THE, THE BOUNDARY OF REIMBURSEMENT AREA.

IS THERE TALKS TO INCREASE THAT AREA? SO ONE REALLY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY, THE ANSWER IS YES.

ONE REALLY, UM, KIND OF LOW HANGING FRUIT AREA IS RAINY STREET, AS YOU SAW ON THE MAP THAT'S NOT CURRENTLY PART OF THE GREAT STREETS BOUNDARIES, BUT BECAUSE OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, THERE'S A LOT, YOU'VE SEEN ALL THE TOWERS, THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT STREETS HAPPENING IN THAT DISTRICT.

AND SO THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE ONE AREA AS PART OF THE UPDATE, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT MAYBE OTHER AREAS AS WELL.

BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT GREAT STREETS HAS THAT 80 FOOT RIGHT OF WAY.

AND SO APPLYING THAT TO OTHER AREAS OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN CAN BE A LITTLE TRICKY, BUT IT IS BEING LOOKED AT AS PART OF THE UPDATE.

BUT EVEN, UM, NORTH OF

[00:45:01]

CORRECT.

AND I SUSPECT THAT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE OUTSIDE OF THAT BOUNDARY TO GET ANY REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE CITY.

SO IS THERE ANY PLAN TO PUSH THAT NORTHERN BOUNDARY TO MLK? I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

SO THERE'S, THERE'S REALLY TWO BOUNDARIES HERE, RIGHT? SO ONE IS TO 11TH STREET, THAT IS THE GREAT STREETS DEVELOPER REIMBURSEMENT BOUNDARY, AND THEN THE GREAT STREETS PLAN GOES ALL THE WAY UP TO MLK.

AND SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO MAYBE PUSH THAT BOUNDARY TO THE NORTH.

THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE STILL HAPPENING.

YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC.

IF THAT HAPPEN, I'LL TAKE THAT FEEDBACK BACK TO THE TEAM.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER LEVINSON, I THINK YOU WERE NEXT.

OKAY.

UM, YES, I WAS GONNA ASK IF VERY SIMILARLY TO PUSH THAT NORTHERN BOUNDARY UP BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO DO.

UM, BUT UH, IS THE CITY ALSO GOING TO FINALLY START DOING MORE ENFORCEMENT? BECAUSE IN MANY CASES WE HAVE SEEN THAT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AND IT HAS NOT HAPPENED, AND THAT'S BEEN A DIFFICULTY.

AND BEYOND THAT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

SO I JUST WANT TO PUT ON TWO OF MY OTHER HATS AND TELL YOU THAT I'M THE CHAIR OF THE PAC AND THAT I'M ALSO ON THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION BOARD, AND BOTH GROUPS WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

EXCELLENT.

YEAH, TO ANSWER, THANK YOU FOR THAT FEEDBACK.

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY, UM, ACTUALLY COULD YOU REPEAT YOUR FIRST QUESTION BEFORE WE GO TO, IS THIS CITY GOING TO BE DOING MORE ENFORCEMENT BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN A LACK OF ENFORCEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING DEVELOPERS TO ACTUALLY DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO? CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? WELL, AREAS IN WITHIN THE BOUNDS WHERE THEY'RE SU THEY SAY THEY'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING, THEY APPLY FOR REIMBURSEMENT, AND THEY ONLY DO LIKE HALF OF IT, AND THEY DON'T DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.

AND THE CITY JUST LETS IT SLIDE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

SO AS PART OF THE GREAT STREETS PROGRAM, THERE'S A CLEAR LIST, UM, TO APPLY FOR THE DEVELOPER RE REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM, THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW EVERY SINGLE ITEM ON THAT LIST.

SO IT CAN BE CHALLENGING.

AGAIN, THAT'S ONLY ONE MECHANISM TO CURRENTLY INSTALL GREAT STREETS, AND THAT'S AN OPT-IN PROGRAM.

UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, BUT THERE'S ALSO CIP PROJECTS.

SO THERE'S MULTIPLE AVENUES TO INSTALL GREAT STREETS.

BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT ENFORCEMENT SPECIFICALLY, THERE'S NO OUTSIDE OF MYSELF LITERALLY GOING OUT TO THESE PROJECTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE MEETING GREAT STREETS AND THEY'VE DONE THE THINGS THAT THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO DO.

THAT'S THE ONLY REALLY ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.

DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IT, IT DOES.

OKAY.

AND HAS THEY, HAS THE CITY THOUGHT ABOUT MAKING IT MANDATORY AS OPPOSED TO OPTIONAL? OH, TO OPT, TO NOT OPT IN TO ACTUALLY HAVE A MANDATORY GREAT STREETS? CORRECT.