Dec 17, 2025 Downtown Commission

SO TEMPORARY SPACE, BUT NOT FOR, YEAH.

UM, THEY ARE NEW SPACE, WHICH I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN IT.

IT'S PRETTY, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S PRETTY COOL, BUT WE'RE GONNA DO CLASSES OUT OF THERE MOST LIKELY, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR A WHOLE THEATER CLASSES, COFFEE.

WE, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE ALL THREE, BUT UNDERSTOOD.

HONESTLY.

YEAH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON HAVING STOREFRONT SPACE FILLED, SO MAYBE KEEP TALKING TO THEM BECAUSE THAT'S BIG, BIG ISSUE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE.

HI, UM, I'M REBECCA BERNHARDT.

I'M VERY NEW TO THE COMMISSION.

UM, HAVE YOU REACHED OUT TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE, HIS STAFF FOR DOWNTOWN, UH, ZOE QUADRI? UH, WE HAVE NOT, I DON'T BELIEVE REACHED OUT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER.

[00:05:01]

I MEAN, IT'S NOT ALWAYS TRUE, BUT, UM, THE STAFF OF COUNCIL MEMBERS FREQUENTLY CAN PROVIDE SORT OF CONSTITUENT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE IN THEIR DISTRICT.

AND TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU NEED SORT OF NAVIGATION TO LIKE, WHO COULD HELP YOU WITH THE CITY, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT A STAFF PERSON COULD FIGURE OUT.

UM, WE HAVE TALKED WITH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, NOT THE ONE FOR DOWNTOWN.

AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY KIND.

UM, THEY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER OF VASQUEZ CAME OUT AND DID A, UM, IMPROV SHOW FOR CHILDREN.

HE WAS SANTA, IT WAS VERY CUTE.

UM, SO WE, UH, WE HAVE REACHED OUT A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE HAVEN'T REACHED DOWN TO THE, UM, IS IT COUNCIL ONE? IS THAT C ONE? WE HAVEN'T REACHED OUT TO THAT ONE.

AND JUST REAL QUICK, I KNOW WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GET HUNG UP ON PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, BUT, UM, FOR CONTEXT, JESSICA, UH, HOW LONG HAS THE HAIDA BEEN IN OPERATION IN THAT SAME LOCATION SINCE 1999.

THAT'S A LONG TIME.

UM, AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE BOAST THAT WE HAVE SOME OF THE SAME STAFF.

UH, WE TOOK OVER RUNNING IT IN 2009, AND WE'RE THE SAME THREE OWNERS.

WE'VE HAD THE SAME CAFE MANAGER, WE'VE HAD THE SAME PERSON IN CHARGE OF OUR ADULT EDUCATION.

WE HAVE A BRAND NEW PERSON WHO CAME ON IN 2015.

SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE VERY, UH, I DON'T KNOW, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE LIKE A, A STICKER BUR WE JUST STAY .

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND IF WE CAN THINK OF SOMETHING TO HELP YOU, WE'LL DEFINITELY REACH OUT AND DO SO.

AND WE LOOK FORWARD IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT, UM, MONTH WHEN WE COME BACK, UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP YOU OUT.

WE'RE AT THE HIDEOUT THEATER, HIDEOUT THEATER.COM.

GREAT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ALRIGHT, NOW WE ARE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE MINUTES.

OKAY, BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE MINUTES, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE TWO NEW COMMISSIONERS HERE.

WE HAVE BECKY BURNBAUM, WHO'S A NEW COMMISSIONER.

SAY HELLO TO EVERYBODY, BECKY.

AND WE ALSO HAVE JOE SILVA ONLINE.

JOE, SAY HELLO TO EVERYBODY.

HE'S FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION.

[1. Approve the minutes of the Downtown Commission Regular Called meeting on November 19, 2025.]

I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY READ THE MINUTES.

I DIDN'T SEE ANY MAJOR CORRECTIONS, BUT IF ANYBODY HAS ANY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

I SECOND.

NOW WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE STAFF BRIEFINGS.

WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM NATE AND A SECOND FROM CHARLES.

AND, UH, ALL IN FAVOR, AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? FABULOUS.

MOTION APPROVED.

[2. Presentation regarding the Great Streets Update by Jill Amezcua, Planner Principal, Austin Planning.]

AND, UH, WE HAVE THE, UM, BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN HERE.

UM, LESLIE LILY, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S LAST MONTH'S, SORRY, LOOKING AT LAST MONTH'S MINUTES NOW, BECAUSE RIGHT.

AND LET'S SEE.

SO WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION OF GREAT STREETS BY JILL.

WELCOME, JILL, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL AS WELL.

GOOD EVENING.

MY NAME IS JILL AMES QUO AND I'M THE PRINCIPAL PLANNER AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN THE URBAN DESIGN DIVISION IN THE AUSTIN PLANNING.

SO THIS EVENING I'M GOING TO BE GOING OVER AN UPDATE TO THE GREAT STREETS PROGRAM AND STANDARDS.

AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS IS A 25-YEAR-OLD PLAN THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY UPDATING, AND I'M EXCITED TO GO OVER WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS WITH Y'ALL.

THERE'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO MODERNIZE THE STANDARDS.

GOT IT.

ALRIGHT.

SO OUR AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING INCLUDES AN UPDATE ON THE GOALS AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OVERVIEW, WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

I'LL ALSO GO OVER AN UPDATE ON THE SCHEDULE AND INCLUDE NEXT STEPS AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THESE CURRENTLY ARE GOALS FOR THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE.

THESE ARE TENTATIVE, THESE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

SO THE FIRST GOAL INCLUDES ALIGNING THE PROGRAM WITH OTHER MAJOR INITIATIVES IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.

THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING, AS YOU ALL KNOW, RIGHT NOW IN DOWNTOWN, WE HAVE THE AUSTIN CORE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

WE HAVE THE CAP AND STITCH PROJECT.

THERE'S, UM, PROJECT CONNECT, THE CONVENTION CENTER, ALL THE TOWERS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN DOWNTOWN.

THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S OTHER PROJECTS THAT I, I HAVE MISSED I'M SURE, BUT THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING IN DOWNTOWN AND MAKING SURE THAT GREAT STREETS IS ALIGNED WITH THOSE PROGRAMS. WE ALSO WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A HOLISTIC CONVER CONVERSATION AROUND EVERYTHING IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.

SO THAT INCLUDES NOT ONLY THE BACK OF CURBS, OF THE BUILDING BETWEEN THE CURB, BUT ALSO WHAT'S HAPPENING ADJACENT INSIDE THAT BUILDING, WHAT'S HAPPENING BETWEEN THE CURBS AND THE STREET, AND HOW GREAT STREETS RELATES TO THOSE AREAS.

WE ALSO NEED TO FOCUS ON THE ENTIRETY OF THE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE.

SO IN THIS PHOTO ON YOUR SCREEN, THAT'S SHOWING SECOND STREET RIGHT OUTSIDE, UM, JUST OUTSIDE HERE.

AND SO WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO WALK DOWN SECOND STREET? WHAT IS THAT EXPERIENCE FOR THE PEDESTRIAN?

[00:10:01]

IN THE LAST 25 YEARS, THERE'S BEEN NEW STREET FURNISHINGS THAT HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE.

THERE'S NEW COLORS, THERE'S NEW FINISHES.

SO THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO POTENTIALLY LOOK AT UPDATING EACH OF THOSE STREET FURNISHINGS.

WE ALSO NEED TO CREATE CHAMPIONS FOR THE PROGRAM.

SO NOT ONLY INTERNALLY AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AUSTIN WATER, AUSTIN ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, BUT ALSO EXTERNALLY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FOR THOSE THAT INSTALL GREAT STREETS EACH DAY.

FOR THOSE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, DEVELOPERS, ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS THAT ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE GREAT STREET STANDARDS, WE ALSO NEED TO WORK IN FLEXIBILITY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION INTO THE STANDARDS.

SO WHAT URBAN DESIGN, UM, IN THE LAST THREE YEARS HAS DONE IS WE FOCUS ON CONTEXT SENSITIVE DESIGN AND MAKING SURE THAT GREAT STREETS IS SUPPLIED CONSISTENTLY AND PREDICTABLY IN DOWNTOWN.

AND LASTLY, WE NEED TO CONTINUE AND HAVE CONSISTENT FUNDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR GREAT STREETS.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

WE KICKED OFF OUR ENGAGEMENT IN JULY, 2025.

SO REALLY THE LAST HALF OF THIS YEAR IS FOCUSED ON ENGAGEMENT FOR THE GREAT STREETS.

UPDATE WITH THAT, WE HAVE HAD AN ONLINE SURVEY, THOUGH THERE ARE OVER 300 PARTICIPANTS.

WE ALSO HAD A SUCCESSFUL OPEN HOUSE WITH 75 ATTENDEES.

WE'VE HAD STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.

WE MET WITH, UM, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE YESTERDAY AND HEARD THAT THERE'S A, A DESIRE FOR ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY FROM THE GREAT STREET STANDARDS.

WE MET WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DID A WALKING TOUR, WHICH IS SHOWN HERE IN THIS PHOTO.

MET WITH DEVELOPERS, UM, AS WELL AS PROPERTY OWNERS IN DOWNTOWN, AND HEARD ABOUT THE MAINTENANCE ISSUES THAT DEAL WITH EVERY SINGLE DAY.

WE ALSO, UH, PARTICIPATED IN AN IMAGINE AUSTIN SPEAKER SERIES EVENT, UM, AND JUST GOT THE WORD OUT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE UPDATING THE GREAT STREETS PLAN SO FAR WITH ENGAGEMENT.

TO DATE, WE'VE HAD OVER A THOUSAND COMMENTS FROM ALL, UH, ENGAGEMENT PARTICIPANTS.

SO WITH THESE COMMENTS, WE'RE GOING TO FORMULATE RECOMMENDATIONS AS A SUMMARY OF WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY THUS FAR.

WE'RE GONNA TAKE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND INFUSE THOSE INTO THE PLAN AS FAR AS WHAT WE'RE WE'RE GOING TO PROPOSE FOR THIS UPDATE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE ASKED THE COMMUNITY WAS WHO WE HEARD FROM.

WE ASKED, UM, HOW OFTEN DO YOU VISIT DOWNTOWN? MOST, UH, SURVEY PARTICIPANTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS VISIT DOWNTOWN DAILY.

SO THEY'RE FREQUENTING DOWNTOWN, MAYBE LIVING DOWNTOWN OR VISITING DOWNTOWN FOR WORK OR JUST, UM, SPENDING TIME IN DOWNTOWN AT A LOCAL COFFEE SHOP, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM WHERE YOU JUST HEARD FROM.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO WHAT WE HEARD ON THE SURVEY WERE, UH, THREE THINGS THAT I WANNA FOCUS ON IN THIS SLIDE.

SO THE FIRST THING IS LACK OF SHADE OR GREENERY.

WHEN WE ASKED WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING DOWNTOWN, SO THAT'S STREET TREES.

WE ALSO HEARD SAFETY.

SO THAT'S ONE ISSUE THAT, UM, WE HEARD TIME AND TIME AGAIN OF PEOPLE FEELING THAT PERCEPTION OF BEING SAFE IN DOWNTOWN.

AND THAT GOES IN, IT REALLY IS TWOFOLD FOR CONSTRUCTION THAT'S HAPPENING.

IT'S A LOT OF, UM, POTENTIALLY UNSAFE SITUATIONS TO TRY TO NAVIGATE AND WALK DOWNTOWN CAN BE CHALLENGING AS WELL AS CONFLICTS WITH VEHICLES, PEDESTRIAN.

AND, UM, VEHICLE CONFLICTS IS DEFINITELY A CONCERN IN DOWNTOWN TO SURVEY PARTICIPANTS.

UM, LAST THING I WANTED TO FOCUS ON THIS SLIDE IS 66% OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS WOULD LIKE TO SEE SHADE IN TREES AND LANDSCAPING IN DOWNTOWN.

SO THAT'S A MAIN FOCUS AND TAKEAWAY FROM THE SURVEY.

FROM POINT A TO POINT B AND WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE FEELS LIKE.

SO WHAT WE'VE HEARD, UM, FORM FROM THE COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY ON THE SURVEY, THE EMERGING THEMES.

SO THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 600 OPEN-ENDED SURVEY COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVED.

WE ANALYZED EACH OF THOSE COMMENTS, AND I'LL SHOW YOU HERE IN A LATER SLIDE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

WE TOOK THOSE 600 OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS AND DETERMINED 20 THEMES AND DOING THAT ANALYSIS AND DETERMINED SIX CORE VALUES.

SO THE FIRST CORE VALUE IS PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST.

SO THIS IS A PEDESTRIAN PLAN AND FOCUSING ON THE PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE IN DOWNTOWN IS KEY AND ALSO HAVING A VIBRANT PUBLIC LIFE.

SO WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO HAVE DOWNTOWN ACTIVATED AND WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO SIT ON A BENCH IN DOWNTOWN, FOR EXAMPLE? ALSO, AS I MENTIONED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, HAVING SHADE AND COMFORT.

SO WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO, NOT TODAY, BUT OTHER DAYS, A TYPICAL DAY IN AUSTIN IS QUITE HOT.

AND SO HAVING THAT SAFETY, HAVING A SAFE EXPERIENCE TO WALK DOWNTOWN IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

I KEEP SAYING THE WORD SAFETY, SAFE SAFETY AND INCLUSIVE DESIGN, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE FOCUS ON WITH THE GREAT STREETS PLAN AS WELL.

WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY IN THE SURVEY, AND THAT IS FROM, UM, FOCUSING ON GREAT STREETS FOR EVERYONE.

SO THIS PLAN IS ANYONE CAN SIT ON A BENCH IN DOWNTOWN, ANYONE CAN WALK IN DOWNTOWN, AND THAT IS WHO THIS PLAN IS FOR.

ALSO HAVING SEAMLESS CONNECTIVITY, SO NOT ONLY SPENDING TIME IN DOWNTOWN, BUT ALSO GETTING

[00:15:01]

AND THE LAST IS MAINTENANCE.

THAT IS IF WE CAN DO ALL THIS GREAT STREETS, UM, INSTALL THIS GREAT INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN, UM, GREAT STREETS TO A HIGH STANDARD TO CONTINUE TO, UM, HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY IN DOWNTOWN.

SO THIS SLIDE IS SHOWING OUR ANALYSIS ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SLIDE.

YOU'RE NOT INTENDED TO BE ABLE TO READ EACH OF THOSE COMMENTS, BUT THOSE ARE THE 600 OPEN-ENDED SURVEY COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE SURVEY.

AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE IN THE, THE PINK, UH, THE SAFETY, UM, ITEM, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT COMMENT CAN BE TRACED BACK TO WHAT WE HEARD, UM, DIRECTLY FROM THE SURVEY.

BUT THAT'S OUR OVERALL, UM, SIX CORE VALUES ARE SHOWN IN THIS SLIDE, AND WE'RE JUST BASICALLY SHOWING OUR WORK FROM OUR SURVEY COMMON ANALYSIS.

SO WITH THE UPDATE OUR SCHEDULE, SO THIS IS THE TYPICAL PLANNING PROCESS AND WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW IS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WHICH IS HIGHLIGHTED ON YOUR SCREEN.

THE TIMEFRAMES THAT ARE SHOWN ON HERE MAY CHANGE.

THESE ARE TENTATIVE.

UM, AS FAR AS THE ADOPTION DATE, POTENTIAL ADOPTION DATE TO COUNCIL, WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW, LIKE I SAID, IS IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE ON HERE IS THERE WILL BE ONE MORE ADDITIONAL OPEN HOUSE THAT WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT YEAR TO ROLL OUT OUR PROPOSED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE UPDATE.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN 2026, AND WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO COMPILE THAT FEEDBACK AND INFUSE THAT FEEDBACK INTO THE PLAN AND HAVE A DRAFT PLAN WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.

WE'LL ALSO CONTINUE TO GO TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS NEXT YEAR AND NEXT YEAR WE WILL ALSO GO TO POTENTIAL APPROVAL FOR COUNCIL FOR THIS PLAN.

SO OUR NEXT STEPS INCLUDE A COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP MEETING.

OUR SECOND COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE, UM, EARLY IN 2026.

WE ALSO FORMULATE A TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP.

SO WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, UM, EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS.

THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP IS INTERNAL TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, SO IT INCLUDES, UM, MEMBERS FROM COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS, AUSTIN WATER AND AUSTIN ENERGY.

WE ALSO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE PLAN DOCUMENT AS WE CAPTURE THIS FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT WILL BE INFUSED DIRECTLY INTO THE PLAN ITSELF.

AND THERE'S ALSO BEEN A REQUEST FOR URBAN DESIGN TO GO TO THE TRANSPORTATION URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

SO I'LL BE PRESENTING TO THEM AS WELL.

THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE FOR YOU ALL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, DO ANY OF OUR MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS? CHARLES, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UM, COUPLE OF THINGS YOU, YOU TOUCHED ON, UM, COLLABORATION WITH, UM, OTHER, UH, PLANNING EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING ON.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S KEY BECAUSE WE SEEM TO CONTINUE HAVING SEPARATE POCKETS OF PLANNING AND LITTLE COORDINATION AND, UH, COLLABORATION.

AND SO IT'S, IT'S KEY THAT, UH, PROJECT CONNECT.

ALL THE OTHER PLANNING EFFORTS ARE ALL COORDINATED.

AND, AND YOU ALSO TOUCHED ON, UH, SUSTAINABILITY, YOU KNOW, UM, CREATING A MEANINGFUL, UM, DESIGN AND OUTLAY, UM, UH, UH, IMPLEMENTATION.

UM, SOMETHING THAT'S, UH, CAN BE MAINTAINED.

YOU KNOW, HAVING THE FUNDING, YOU KNOW, UM, I'VE LIVED DOWNTOWN 45 YEARS AND SO I'VE EXPERIENCED A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UH, PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS.

AND OFTEN THERE'S LITTLE, UM, MAINTENANCE, YOU KNOW, A CONTINUOUS MAINTENANCE OF WHAT YOU IMPLEMENT.

AND, AND I THINK THAT'S KEY, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, CONNECTING THE DOTS WAYFINDING IS, IS CRUCIAL, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THESE OTHER, UH, EFFORTS THAT YOU'LL BE COORDINATING.

UH, I, I THINK, AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH THESE PLANNINGS, AUSTIN, LIKE I SAID, I'VE BEEN HERE 45 YEARS.

WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN AS A CITY OF PLANS AND MANY OF THOSE PLANS GO NOWHERE.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED, UH, WITH WAYFINDING PLAN, IT WAS A TWO YEAR MULTIMILLION DOLLAR EXPENDITURE.

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF THE DATA, UH, THAT YOU'LL BE USING, YOU KNOW, PULLING SOME OF THESE PLANS OUT AND CAPTURING THAT DATA INSTEAD OF, UH, REPLICATING IT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WOULD BE KEY.

UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR, UH, FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING BECAUSE AS A DOWNTOWN RESIDENT, IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT, UM, WE FLOW AS A NEIGHBORHOOD.

I MEAN, WE HAVE ALMOST 15,000 RESIDENTS LIVING DOWNTOWN AND, YOU KNOW, COMBINED WITH ALL THE COMMERCIAL, UM, IN FLOW IN AND OUT TO VISITORS, THE GOVERNMENT, UH, I MEAN, WE HAVE A LOT OF MOVING PIECES DOWNTOWN AND WE ALL HAVE TO FLOW TOGETHER, SO THANK YOU.

FURTHER COMMENTS, DAVID.

AND I, AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THREE YEARS NOW MM-HMM .

I'VE GOT TWO QUESTIONS.

UH, ONE IS, WHAT HAS BEEN THE DELAY IN THIS PLAN? AND,

[00:20:01]

AND WE'RE STILL NOT THERE.

SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHAT, WHAT'S CAUSING THE DELAYS ON THIS? YEAH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, LIKE TO SPEAK TO SOME OF THE STAFF CHANGES THAT WE'VE HAD IN URBAN DESIGN.

AND BECAUSE THIS IS AN INTERNAL PLAN THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND URBAN DESIGN DIVISION, UM, THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE HAVE FOCUSED ON REALLY IN THE LAST YEAR.

SO THE TIMELINE WILL BE ACCELERATED IN 2026 NOW THAT WE'VE GOT OUR MOST OF OUR KEY STAFF IN PLACE.

THAT'S THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.

AND MY SECOND QUESTION IS, UM, OR, OR MAYBE IT'S JUST A COMMENT THAT I DON'T SEE ON THE STATED GOALS INCREASING THE BOUNDARY OF GREAT STREETS, AND I THINK IT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT GIVEN COUNCIL'S DESIRE TO INCREASE THE BOUNDARIES OF DOWNTOWN.

UH, HAVE Y'ALL BEEN TALKING INTERNALLY ABOUT INCREASING THE CURRENT BOUNDARIES? YEAH, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED AND OUT OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS INCREASING THE BOUNDARIES.

SO AS Y'ALL KNOW, THE TOWERS ON RAINY STREET, SOME OF THOSE ARE GREAT STREETS PROJECTS, BUT THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THE CURRENT BOUNDARIES OF THE EXISTING GREAT STREETS PLAN.

SO THAT IS ONE AREA THAT IS REALLY A LOW HANGING FRUIT POTENTIALLY, TO HAVE THE GREAT STREETS PLAN BOUNDARIES BE EXPANDED TO THAT AREA.

SO YES, THERE HAS BEEN TALK AND CONVERSATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PHASE ABOUT EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES.

YEAH, I WOULD THINK AT A MINIMUM IT WOULD BE TO AT LEAST MATCH THE BOUNDARIES OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM SINCE THAT REQUIRES GRADE STREETS AND YOU GET MANY OF THOSE PROJECTS NORTH OF 11TH STREET AND IT'LL JUST BE FOREVER BE A PATCHWORK IF, IF IT'S NOT REQUIRED.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU PHILLIP.

UH, THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TODAY.

UM, I'M A, I'M A, I'M A BIG WALKER, SO I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR WORK ON THE SIDEWALKS.

UM, AND I'M ALSO A BIG FAN OF THE CENTRAL CITY KIND OF PLANNING CONCEPT AND, UH, AND I EXPERIENCE VERY DIFFERENT WALKING ENVIRONMENTS IN THE WEST CAMPUS AREA IN SOME PARTS OF DOWNTOWN, WHICH SOME PEOPLE CALL DOWNTOWN.

BUT I HAVE A BROADER VIEW OF DOWNTOWN, WHICH IS THE BORDERS THAT, UM, THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION HAS.

UH, AND THAT CAN SOMETIMES BE CONFUSING.

AND THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.

SO IS THERE ANY EFFORT TO KINDA RATIONALIZE AND RETHINK THOSE AND HOW THEY VARY AND MAYBE WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT ONE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, JUST AS PART OF THIS EXERCISE, IS THAT SHIFTED AT ALL MIDSTREAM OR, OR IS THIS STRICTLY KIND OF LOOKING AT ONE, ONE PIECE AND THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE ALL COMFORTABLE THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER AREAS? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ADJACENT AREAS OF DOWNTOWN? I, I'M JUST, IT IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS, THIS GREAT STREETS IS PART OF CBD.

IT'S MOSTLY CBD.

CORRECT.

INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.

AND, UM, AND, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF SIDEWALKS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF DOWNTOWN THAT ARE NOT GREAT STREETS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE.

UM, AND OF COURSE, WEST CAMPUS IS DIFFERENT AND, AND THEY'RE UNDERGOING AN UPDATE AND THEIR PLAN RIGHT NOW TOO.

UM, AND, AND THE GREAT STREETS DOWNTOWN ARE HONESTLY MUCH NICER FOR THE MOST PART THAN WEST CAMPUS.

UM, SO I'M JUST WONDERING, IS THERE ANY THOUGHT OF RE-LOOKING AT THIS ALL TOGETHER AS LIKE A CENTRAL CITY KIND OF SIDEWALK VISION? OR ARE WE GONNA JUST LOOK AT IT AS LIKE KIND OF A PIECEMEAL TYPE OF THING? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

SO HOW GREAT STREETS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS IS THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM.

SO SOME OF THOSE TOWERS THAT YOU SEE IN DOWNTOWN, IT IS UNFORTUNATELY A REALLY A PIECEMEAL BASIS JUST BECAUSE THE ADJACENT STREET STREET FRONTAGE RIGHT OUTSIDE EACH OF THOSE BUILDINGS IS WHERE GREAT STREETS IS REQUIRED TO BE INSTALLED BECAUSE THOSE DEVELOPERS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM.

SO ADJACENT PROPERTY THAT'S NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM WOULD NOT HAVE GREAT STREETS ON IT.

SO THE VISION AND THE GOAL, I HOPE, WOULD BE TO INSTALL GREAT STREETS LIKE ON A CIP BASIS WHERE YOU HAVE LIKE SECOND STREET FOR EXAMPLE, OR BEST EXAMPLE OF GREAT STREETS WHERE IT IS MORE CONSISTENT.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'D LOVE TO DISCUSS FURTHER AS PART OF THE UPDATE TO REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN WHAT IS INSTALLED WITH GREAT STREETS CURRENTLY AND THOSE ADJACENT PROPERTIES AND HOW THOSE TWO REALLY STREETSCAPE FRONTAGES

[00:25:01]

'CAUSE RIGHT NOW IT IS REALLY CHALLENGING TO NOT ONLY MAINTAIN AND INSTALL EACH OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT ALSO JUST NAVIGATE AS, AS A PEDESTRIAN.

AND I, I THINK PART OF THE REASON THE QUESTION COMES UP IS WE'RE WE'RE GONNA BE SPENDING SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS ON A LIGHT RAIL PROJECT THAT WE'RE ALL REALLY EXCITED ABOUT AND WE'RE PUTTING IN SIDEWALKS IN THE WALK SHED THERE THAT ARE PRETTY NARROW AND NOT REALLY BUILT FOR VOLUME.

UM, JILL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

IT WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING.

I HAD A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS.

I THINK YOU SAID, UH, THERE WERE LIKE 328 ISH SURVEYS THAT WERE TAKEN ONLINE.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY WERE SENT OUT TOTAL AS FAR AS LIKE HOW MANY SURVEYS, LIKE WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, 400 WERE SENT OUT AND 328 PEOPLE TOOK 'EM OR THERE WERE A THOUSAND THAT WERE SENT OUT AND 328 TOOK 'EM? OR HOW MANY? SO SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF.

GO AHEAD.

NO, I WAS JUST CURIOUS.

SO THERE, THERE WAS AN ONLINE LINK THAT WAS AVAILABLE.

THERE WERE NO SURVEYS THAT WERE LIKE MAILED OUT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

SO IT JUST LIKE, NO EMAIL OUT OR SOCIAL MEDIA OR STUFF LIKE THAT.

THERE WAS SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, THERE'S PART OF THE OPEN HOUSE MM-HMM .

INDIVIDUALS THAT PARTICIPATED AT THE OPEN HOUSE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY DURING THAT EVENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SURVEY.

SO THERE'S NO PERCENTAGE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU HAVE A MAILING LIST OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN THAT YOU SENT IT TO AND THEN YOU GOT A PERCENTAGE.

SO IT WAS LIKE A, I HAVE TO SEE IT SIGN INTO IT, WANT TO TAKE IT TYPE THING.

CORRECT.

THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD, AND, AND FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE HERE, BUT LAST MONTH WE HAD SOMEONE COME SPEAK TO US FOR, UM, SAFE STREETS AUSTIN.

AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TWO-WAY TRAFFIC ON SIXTH STREET AND KIND OF MAKING BASICALLY EVERY STREET, UH, TWO-WAY DOWNTOWN.

AND I WAS CURIOUS, LIKE, DO Y'ALL COLLABORATE WITH THEM AT ALL? IS THERE ANY, UM, NOTION BEHIND WHAT THE GREATER STREET GREAT STREETS PROGRAM IS TRYING TO DO IN TERMS OF TRAFFIC FLOW? I KNOW THAT'S NOT LIKE THE CORE FOCUS, BUT UM, HE HAD SOME REALLY COMPELLING RESEARCH AND, AND INFORMATION THAT HE BROUGHT TO US AS FAR AS LIKE SECOND STREET WAS AN EXAMPLE THAT HE ACTUALLY CITED AS WELL.

UM, SO I'M NOT SURE IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO THAT.

YEAH, SO SAFE STREETS IS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP FOR THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE AS FAR AS TWO-WAY TRAFFIC AND THOSE LANE CONVERSIONS THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF THE GREAT STREETS UPDATE.

SO AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE TRICKY 'CAUSE IT, IT AFFECTS GREAT STREETS, BUT HAVING THOSE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE IS GONNA BE KEY.

ANYONE ELSE? GO AHEAD.

COMMISSIONER BOOK AGAIN, THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, UH, YEAH, I'VE JUST UNDERLINED, UH, COMMISSIONER VETO'S, UM, COMMENT HERE.

UM, YOU KNOW, I I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT.

WE'VE SEEN SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND CITY, UH, DEPARTMENTS COME BEFORE US THE LAST FEW MONTHS WITH VERY ADJACENT SORT OF MISSIONS, VERY SIMILAR.

UM, AND, AND SO I KNOW IT'S VERY IMPORTANT OBVIOUSLY FOR THOSE DEPARTMENTS TO COMMUNICATE.

UM, I SAW A VERY SIMILAR EFFORT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WITH THE, UH, TRAFFIC, OR EXCUSE ME, THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY ACTUALLY DID PULL THE MUSIC COMMUNITY TO GET FEEDBACK ON, UH, STREET DEVELOPMENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND I WONDER IF YOU GUYS ARE WORKING WITH THEM AND KIND OF TAKING ALL OF THAT INTO ACCOUNT AND, AND THEN JUST TO COMPLIMENT THAT AS WELL.

AND I KNOW I SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD GUYS, BUT, UM, UH, DID YOU GUYS, LIKE WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THAT 300 AND, AND HOWEVER MANY, UH, WERE MUSICIANS, VENUE OWNERS, THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, UH, CERTAINLY THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT CONCERN LOADING AND UNLOADING ZONES AND THINGS THAT AFFECT OUR, UH, CREATIVE AND CULTURAL ECONOMY DOWNTOWN.

SO I DON'T HAVE THAT SPECIFIC BREAKDOWN, BUT LAST SEMESTER IN THE SPRING SEMESTER OF 2026, THE URBAN DESIGN DIVISION WORKED WITH THE HUMAN DIMENSIONS ORGANIZATION STUDENTS AT UT AND THOSE STUDENTS HELPED US TO TAKE SURVEY, UM, DATA FROM THOSE THAT WORK IN DOWNTOWN.

AND PART OF THEIR CONCERN, THE STUDENTS' CONCERN WAS MUSICIANS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEIR VOICES WERE HEARD AS PART OF THIS INITIATIVE.

AND SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO ANALYZE THAT DATA AND THEIR, UH, CAPSTONE PRESENTATION THAT THEY PRESENTED TO THE URBAN DESIGN DIVISION.

AND SO, UM, THAT IS HOW, UM, AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL IS HOW WE INCORPORATED THE FEEDBACK FROM MUSICIANS AS PART OF THAT SURVEY.

THAT'S THE ANSWER I WANTED TO HEAR.

ALRIGHT, NOW WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT FISCAL YEAR PRIORITIES, BUDGETS, POTENTIAL BUDGET WORKING GROUPS, UM,

SURE.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS HERE? ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE THIS.

I DON'T SEE ANY QUESTIONS ONLINE EITHER, SO WE'LL LET YOU GO GET BACK TO YOUR LIFE AND HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENING.

THANK YOU ALL.

[3. Discussion of Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget to provide feedback on priorities and proposals that may result in budget savings or operational efficiency.]

[00:30:01]

BECAUSE THIS IS THE TIME THAT WE NEED TO GET STARTED ON THAT SORT OF THING, THE CITY WILL BE ADOPTING ITS BUDGET IN MARCH AND IF WE HAVE ANYTHING THAT WE WANT INCLUDED IN THEIR LIST OF PRIORITIES, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, GET THAT NAILED DOWN AND OUT IN A RESOLUTION TO THEM PRETTY FAIR PRETTY QUICKLY BY FEBRUARY AT THE LATEST.

SO ED, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO BE INVOLVED WITH THIS ONE PARTICULARLY.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO BE, UH, PART OF A WORKING GROUP ON THIS.

THERE'S ONE.

PAT CHARLES? YEAH, I PHILIP MY, JUST CAN I MAKE A COMMENT? SURE.

PHILIP, PLEASE.

UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CITY WANTS US TO ALSO LOOK AT AREAS TO REDUCE SPENDING.

ME, VICE CHAIR, HAVE YOU MOVED ON TO ITEM FOUR FOR THE FORMATION OF THE WORKING GROUP? OKAY, WELL THIS IS, YEAH, THIS IS THE FOUR WE'VE DISCUSSED SETTING THIS UP NOW, SO, OKAY, GREAT.

WE'LL LOOK AT THE WHOLE, WHOLE LIST OF PRIORITIES.

SO YEAH, IT'S PRIORITIZATION.

IT'S WHAT WHAT DO WE THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WHAT CAN WE DO WITHOUT LIKE, MAKE SURE ALL OF OUR GOOD IDEAS WE, THEY WANNA MAKE SURE ALL OUR GOOD IDEAS ARE FUNDED.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

SO, OKAY, SO THAT IS FOUR AND THAT'S PERFECT.

SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE, UH, PHILIP AND PAT AND CHARLES AND SONYA ON THE WORKING GROUP AND ED IF HE WANTS TO, I AM NOT GOING TO DO THIS ONE .

UM, AND I WILL HOPE WE WILL AWAIT LISTENING TO YOU, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT YOU GET BACK TO US WITH YOUR LISTENING PRIORITIES.

UM, EXCUSE

[4. Approve the formation of a Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget Working Group.]

IF YOU WANNA JUST TAKE A MOTION TO FORM AND A SECOND AND THEN THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.

UM, DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS? SO WILL MOVE AND EIGHT SECONDS.

UH, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? THERE WE GO.

AND JUST TO CLARIFY, IT WAS COMMISSIONERS, BTA, VETO, WILEY AND SCHIFFER WHO WERE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP? THAT'S CORRECT.

NOW WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE, UH, BIG ITEM ON THE LIST TONIGHT, WHICH WAS A, THE RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION AS A STAKEHOLDER, UH, COMMISSIONER.

GREAT.

[5. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the inclusion of the Downtown Commission as a stakeholder in the Central City Plan process.]

WELL CHAIR ISHMAEL AND I ACTUALLY HAD A CONVERSATION WITH, UM, THE STAFF WITH ISHA AND HER, UH, CHRIS, UH, CHRIS RYAN, I BELIEVE IS HIS LAST NAME.

I CAN'T RYERSON, RYERSON AND AUSTIN PLANNING THINK FROM AUSTIN PLANNING.

UM, THAT WAS AFTER I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH, UM, COUNSELOR RE'S OFFICE.

MELISSA, ER, AND I HAD HAD A CONVERSATION.

AND SO THEN ISHA REACHED OUT TO US AND DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE.

AND THE UPSHOT WAS THAT THEY, SINCE THEY ALREADY HAVE TWO OF OUR MEMBERS ON THE ADVISORY GROUPS AND THEY DON'T WANT THEIR ADVISORY GROUPS FULL OF, UH, OUR MEMBERS, THEY DON'T WANT US TO DO THAT.

BUT THEY'VE ALSO NOW UNDERSTAND SINCE WE PUSHED VERY FIRMLY TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT WE, UM, WANT MORE INPUT THAN JUST SOMETHING BEING PRESENTED TO US, THAT WE NEED MORE INPUT THAN THAT AND THEREFORE THEY HAVE AGREED THAT WE CAN FORM A WORKING GROUP.

AND THAT WHAT THIS WILL DO IS THAT THERE WILL BE A, WE'LL HAVE TO RESTRICT IT TO FIVE OR FEWER BECAUSE WE CAN'T HAVE QUORUM.

UM, AND PHILIP, YOU AND CHARLES WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR IT BY STAFF REQUEST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALREADY ON THE ADVISORY GROUPS.

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

BUT, UM, THEY WILL, WE WILL HAVE AN, YEAH, THIS ONE.

SURE.

THIS ONE OR VICE CHAIR, THIS ONE I WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN.

AND IT WASN'T THAT THEY ALLOWED US TO DO A WORKING GROUP BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO DO THAT ANYWAY.

I BELIEVE WE WERE, WE WERE GONNA DO THAT ANYWAY, BUT THEY'VE AGREED THAT THEY WILL MEET WITH US MONTHLY.

SO I THINK THE, WHAT WE CAME UP WITH, UM, WAS THAT THROUGH THE WORKING GROUP, UH, WE WOULD MEET WITH THEM TWO MONTHS AND THEN THE THIRD MONTH THEY WOULD DO A PRESENTATION TO THE FULL DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

AND THAT, THAT WOULD BE SORT OF THE SCHEDULE FOR THEM UPDATING US.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WHEN REPORTS ARE FINISHED, THEY WOULD PROVIDE THOSE TO US, UM, AND KEEP US, UH, MORE INFORMED THAN JUST WHAT THEY SUGGESTED AS A EVERY TWO MONTHS.

UM, IN PERSON UPDATE.

THEY EXPECT THAT IT WILL RUN THROUGHOUT NEXT YEAR.

THIS PARTICULAR FORMAT SAY MEETING IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY AND THEN THEN PRESENTING TO THE COMMISSION ON IN MARCH, THEN APRIL,

[00:35:01]

MAY, JUNE.

AND OF COURSE THOSE OF US WHO ARE ON THE WORKING GROUP WOULD, UH, KEEP THE COMMISSION INFORMED IN BETWEEN THROUGH CITY EMAIL AND SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

AND UM, AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD COMPROMISE BETWEEN HAVING US ON THE ADVISORY GROUPS AND IT'S REALLY MAYBE BETTER BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY AT A HIGHER LEVEL.

SO I THINK THAT THAT MAKES MORE SENSE.

SO I KNOW ED, THAT UM, ONE, GO AHEAD.

ONE MORE THING.

PRIOR, PRIOR TO EVERY MEETING, WHETHER IT IS, WELL CERTAINLY WITH THE WORKING GROUPS RIGHT, THEY WILL BE PRESENTING AN AGENDA, A SUGGESTED AGENDA THAT WE CAN THEN RESPOND TO.

UM, SO AS WE WERE TALKING, WE SORT OF REALIZED IT CAN SORT OF BE A CHICKEN AND EGG THING.

UM, SOMETIMES WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DON'T KNOW, SO WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT WE WANT TO HAVE ON AN AGENDA.

UM, AND THEN SOMETIMES THERE ARE THINGS WE WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO AN AGENDA THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF OR THEY DIDN'T PRIORITIZE.

SO, UM, PRIOR TO EACH OF THESE MEETINGS, WE WILL BE HAVING AN AGENDA THAT SETS FORTH SOME STRUCTURE TO THESE, TO THESE MEETINGS.

CAN I ASK HIM? YEAH, GO AHEAD NATE.

POINT OF ORDER CLARIFICATION HERE IS IN TERMS OF THE AGENDA, DO WE NEED TO ADJUST THE AGENDA AS IT READS TODAY? DO WE NEED TO STRIKE NUMBER FIVE OR, OR MAKE AN AMENDMENT? WE WILL TABLE IT.

I BELIEVE WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE A MOTION TABLE IT TABLE AND THEN ADD A DISCUSSION ITEM.

IS THAT HOW THAT WOULD WORK? WELL, THE DISCUSSION ITEM IS ON THERE THAT WE, UM, TO APPROVE THE FORMATION TO THE, UH, WE CAN'T FORM THE WORKING GROUP TONIGHT.

IT WILL HAVE TO BE ON NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA, BUT WE COULD DISCUSS IT TONIGHT, WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND TAKE, WE CAN TABLE THIS.

SO, OKAY.

BUT THAT'S AS FAR AS WE CAN GO TONIGHT.

SO EVERYBODY THINK ABOUT IT, UH, WHETHER THEY WANT YET ANOTHER SET OF MEETINGS.

YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE A MONTH TO THINK ABOUT IT.

, IT'S GREAT NEWS THAT WE'RE INVOLVED IN IT.

THEY LISTEN.

ANY, ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS ONE? SO I WOULD MOVE THAT WE TABLE ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

I'LL SECOND THAT ONE.

UH, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? HEARING? NO OPPOSITION.

THAT IS DONE.

NOW FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, THAT WILL BE OUR NEW AGENDA ITEM.

[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]

WE WILL FORM A WORK, WE WILL DISCUSS AND FORM A WORKING GROUP AT OUR NEXT MEETING.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA? WELL, I, I KNOW THAT THE FOLKS FROM THE HIDEOUT, THE HIDEOUT WILL BE ON.

WE WOULD LIKE TO, OH, BRIAN, THAT'S IT.

I THINK THEY'RE COMING, RIGHT? YEAH.

YES, I HAVE THE HIDEOUT.

I ALSO HAVE AN ARTS COMMISSION UPDATE.

UM, AND AGAIN, IF THERE ARE ANY NON-VOTING MEMBERS WHO WANT TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE TO THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE OR YOU CAN BRING IT UP NOW.

UM, AND THEN I ALSO HAVE A DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE PRESENTATION.

A TWO-WAY STREET RECOMMENDATION AND ALSO A SIXTH STREET ENGINEERING REPORT FOR, IT'S GONNA BE A VERY BUSY, IT'S GONNA BE A VERY BUSY MEETING, SO ENJOY THE FACT THAT THIS MEETING IS SHORT NEXT MONTH.

WE'RE GONNA BE HERE FOR A WHILE.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? UM, YEAH, YEAH, JUST AS I, AS I THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION WE NEED OR WOULD BE HELPFUL AS WE ENTER THIS KIND OF A PLANNING EXERCISE AND, AND I TRY TO ENVISION WHAT THIS FORMAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.

UM, I MEAN WE, WE, THERE ARE 11 OF US HERE THAT COULD ALL BENEFIT FROM INFORMATION COMING IN, UM, AND THE CONSULTANTS ARE BEING GIVEN A BASE SET OF DOCUMENTS MM-HMM .

TO REVIEW THAT WILL ESSENTIALLY BE USED TO DESCRIBE, UH, THE CURRENT CONDITION, IF YOU WILL.

THAT'S CORRECT.

UM, I THINK NO MATTER HOW WE ORGANIZE THAT, IF, IF WE WANT THIS GROUP TO BE MORE THAN REVIEWERS, BUT ACTUALLY BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN, THAT WE PROBABLY ALL NEED TO SEE THE SAME INFORMATION, WHICH DOESN'T MEAN WE ALL HAVE TO BE IN THE SAME WORKING GROUP, BUT I GUESS IT'S A PROCEDURAL THING.

UM, PEOPLE CAN SEND DOCUMENTS TO EVERYBODY ON A COMMISSION IS THERE.

SO IF YOU NEED DOCUMENTS DISTRIBUTED, YOU SHOULD SEND THEM TO ME, THE STAFF LIAISON WHO WILL SEND THEM OUT BLIND.

TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION TO THE ENTIRE COMMISSION.

BCC'D.

UM, AND THEN THE IDEA IS THAT THE WORKING GROUP WOULD, UM, COME BACK POTENTIALLY WITH INFORMATION AND BRIEF THE COMMISSION IN ADDITION TO AUSTIN PLANNING COMING BACK.

UM, THAT'S CORRECT.

ON A QUARTERLY BASIS

[00:40:01]

UM, WELL I'M, I'M THINKING AS FAR AS INFORMATION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT THE EARLY PART OF A PLANNING EXERCISE, UM, THIS PROBABLY HASN'T BEEN MENTIONED HERE, BUT IT, IT PROBABLY WILL BE PART OF THE INPUT TO, UM, TO THE CONSULTS.

I THINK WE, WE REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE, UH, THE MODELS THAT ARE BEING USED, UM, TO ASSESS TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE DENSITY FOR PROJECT CONNECT, AND LIKEWISE THE, UM, RESIDENTIAL DENSITY THAT'S REQUIRED TO SUPPORT 50 50 MODE SHARE BY 2039.

I, I, I KNOW THOSE ARE BOTH TWO THINGS THAT HAVE HAD, UH, MODELING DONE TO, TO ASSESS WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND, AND WITH WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY HAVING PLANNED, UH, WHAT THAT, UM, THAT'S RIGHT PUT PUTS US IN A POSITION TO ACHIEVE.

UM, AND I I THINK THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING THERE WOULD BE, UM, THE, THE MODELING OF RESIDENTIAL THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD CALL IT THE HIT RATE, BUT THERE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A GAP BETWEEN CAPACITY WHEN WE DO A ZONING, UM, MAP, THERE'S, THERE'S A THEORETICAL CAPACITY THAT GOES WITH THAT AND THEN THERE'S AN EXPECTED YIELD SO THAT WE CAN START TO LOOK AT THAT AND UNDERSTAND HOW ALL THESE MODELS ARE GONNA INTERACT.

AND I HAVE TO ASSUME THAT, UH, THAT THE, UH, RESIDENTIAL DENSITY TO, TO SUPPORT, UH, OUR TRANSITS IS SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF ALL THIS.

DOES THAT, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR EVERYBODY TO SEE EARLY ON INDEPENDENT YES.

OF HOW WE ORGANIZE AND, AND THEN GO FROM THERE AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE WORK WITH THAT DATA.

I GUESS GOOD POINTS.

SO IT'S A QUESTION OF GETTING THAT INFORMATION.

YEP.

I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE A STAFF PRESENTATION TO GO THROUGH WHAT, WHAT THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE USING.

THEY, THEY MUST HAVE SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING TO THE CONSULTANTS.

THEY YEAH.

IF THE GOING INTO THE PLAN, BUT TO ME THAT'S KIND OF FOUNDATIONAL.

THEY DEFINITELY HAVE TO HAVE MODELING FOR THE CONSULTANTS, SO THERE'S NO QUESTION.

AND I THINK WE'RE ENTITLED TO SEE THAT AND GET A GOOD LOOK AT IT.

CHARLES, I HAVE A, A QUESTION, YOU KNOW, ALL PRESENTATIONS, UM, IT, IT'S KIND OF A REQUEST.

IS IT, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET AN OVERVIEW OF EVERY PRESENTATION SO WE HAVE, UH, INFORMATION TO STUDY TO POSSIBLY FORMULATE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS BEFORE THE MEETING AND AS THE MEETING PROGRESSES? OH, SO YOU MEAN LIKE IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETINGS, IN THE ADVANCE OF, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE KEY PLAYERS IN THE PRESENTATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, CONTACT AND ALL THAT? UM, YES, THOSE ARE TYPICALLY POSTED TO BACKUP IF THEY'RE PROVIDED TO ME.

AND THOSE ARE FOUND ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION WEBSITE.

ALONG WITH THE AGENDA AND THE MEETING.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

YEP.

SO I, I HAVE A QUESTION ON THAT.

AS FAR AS ALL THESE DOCUMENTS THAT ARE GONNA BE COMING IN THAT THE WORKING GROUP IS GONNA SIT DOWN AND AND TALK ABOUT TOGETHER, IS THERE, IS THERE ANY REASON WHEN THOSE COME INTO YOU AS THE STAFF LIAISON THAT THAT CAN'T BE JUST AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO EVERYBODY ON THE BOARD OR ON ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION? I DON'T KNOW.

I CAN'T SPEAK FOR AUSTIN PLANNING AS TO WHAT DOCUMENTS THEY'LL BE SHARING, SO I'M NOT SURE.

IT'S HARD TO SAY UNTIL WE SEE WHAT THEY ACTUALLY SHARE.

I GUESS , UH, YEAH, I I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS THEY ARE GOING TO BE GIVING DOCUMENTS TO THE CONSULTANTS.

WELL WHAT IS THE PROCESS TO GET THEM TO SHARE WITH US? THAT'S THE, THAT'S, YEAH, THAT'S WHAT, WELL THAT'S FIRST WE HAVE TO FORM A WORKING GROUP, UM, WHICH WE WILL DO AT OUR NEXT MEETING.

BUT WHEN IN THE MEANTIME WE ARE ALSO GONNA TRY TO NAIL DOWN, UH, THE MEETING WITH THEM TO TAKE PLACE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER OUR WORKING GROUP.

UM, SO, UH, WE WILL DEFINITELY EMAIL THEM AND ASK THEM ABOUT THESE THINGS LIKE MODELING AND DOCUMENTATION AND UM, HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE SOME INFORMATION FROM THEM TO DISCUSS AT OUR NEXT MEETING.

SO WE, WE JUST DON'T HAVE HAVE VICE CHAIR.

GO AHEAD.

VICE CHAIR.

UM, SINCE, UH, COMMISSIONER WILEY IS NOT GOING TO BE ON THE WORKING GROUP.

STRONG IDEAS AND A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE, SO I WOULD FIND IT HELPFUL TO GET A LIST OF WHAT HE CONSIDERS TO BE THE IMPORTANT, UM, INFORMATION.

UM, THEN I THINK WHAT I WOULD FIND IT HELPFUL IF HE WOULD ACTUALLY, UH, PROVIDE A LIST.

UM, HE SORT OF SPOKE EXTEMPORANEOUSLY TONIGHT.

I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT WAS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, BECAUSE HE CERTAINLY SEEMS TO HAVE

[00:45:01]

AND I KNOW THAT HE DOES NOT, AND NONE OF US QUITE YET KNOW WHAT THE DOCUMENTS ARE THAT ARE GONNA BE PROVIDED, BUT UM, IT SEEMS LIKE HE HAS A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT SHOULD BE PROVIDED SO HE DOES.

SO PHILLIP, WE WILL EXPECT YOU TO EMAIL US ALL THAT INFORMATION.

YEAH, I, I I THINK SOME OF IT'S ALREADY BEEN PROVIDED TO THE CONSULTANTS.

YES.

AND SO IT DEPENDS ON WHAT WE WANT OUR ROLE, BUT WE, WE WANT YOU TO MAKE A LIST OF WHAT WE SHOULD BE ASKING THE CONSULTANTS.

DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS THIS EVENING? WELL, IF WE DO NOT THEN I'M GOING TO CALL FOR ADJOURNMENT AT SIX 16 AND WISH EVERYBODY A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON AND WE'LL SEE YOU ALL NEXT MONTH.