* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:05] ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA GET THIS, UH, MEETING STARTED. THE TIME IS, UH, 6 0 2. UH, WE'RE GONNA START WITH, UH, ROLL CALL. UH, VICE CHAIR MINORS PRESENT. UH, COMMISSIONER ARULA PRESENT. UH, COMMISSIONER CARROLL PRESENT. COMMISSIONER GALES PRESENT. UH, COMMISSIONER HOWARD HERE. UH, COMMISSIONER CONN? HERE. UH, COMMISSIONER LADNER? PRESENT. UH, COMMISSIONER MCKINNEY. AND COMMISSIONER MEKI. AND COMMISSIONER WIRA. UM, ALRIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION FOR THIS MEETING? NICOLE CHAIR. NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. ALRIGHT, WE'LL GO [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. HAS EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE, UH, THE MINUTES FROM OUR SPECIAL CALLED MEETING FROM FEBRUARY 2ND? UM, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE OR I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. ALRIGHT. COMMISSIONER EDWARD ULA MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE I SECOND THAT MOTION. UH, I'LL IN FAVOR OF APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING. AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OBJECTIONS? DID YOU VOTE OR NO? VOTE. OKAY. ABSTAINED. ALRIGHT. COMMISSIONER HOWARD ABSTAINED. SO THE, OUR ITEM NUMBER THREE HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. SO [2. Discussion of the Design Commission’s strategy prioritizing urban design in Density Bonus Program projects in the City of Austin. Sponsors: Commissioners Howard and Wittstruck. (Part 1 of 2)] THE ONLY ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS JUST A DISCUSSION ITEM. AND COMMISSIONER HOWARD, UM, WOULD I KNOW COMMISSIONER RA'S NOT HERE, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO, UM, LEAD THAT DISCUSSION? SURE. ALRIGHT. SO IT'S THE DISCUSSION OF THE DESIGN COMMISSION STRATEGY, PRIORITIZING THE URBAN DESIGN AND THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM PROJECTS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. SO THE FLOOR IS YOURS. COMMISSIONER HOWARD. THANKS. UM, YEAH, THIS, I MEAN, THIS ITEM IS REALLY TO KIND OF, UH, SERVE AS A CULMINATION OF OUR, UM, WORK ANALYZING THE PAST PROJECTS. YEAH. UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS DISCUSSION IS REALLY TO, UM, TO POSE THE QUESTION TO THE, TO THE COMMISSION TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT INFORMATION? UM, YOU KNOW, HOW SHOULD THIS INFORM THE DESIGN GUIDELINES MOVING FORWARD? UM, AND, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE LIGHT OF EVERYTHING, HOW SHOULD THIS INFORM WHATEVER IS TO COME UP THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS MOVING FORWARD? UM, AND SO, UH, YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK THAT, UM, YEAH, I'LL JUST, JUST, I'LL POSE THAT QUESTION AND OPEN UP THE FLOOR AND THEN, UM, WE CAN, I CAN HOP IN WITH MY OWN COMMENTS LATER. ALRIGHT. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THAT INFORMATION AND HOW WE SHOULD UTILIZE IT? UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN, THIS IS BASED ON THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT FROM PROJECTS PAST, UM, AND HOW WE COULD SHAPE THOSE COMMENTS TO INFORM THE REWRITE OR THE UPDATE TO THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES. IS THERE ANY QUESTION OR ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ANYONE FROM THE COMMISSION? COMMISSIONER? I DIDN'T GET THAT. COULD YOU TRY AGAIN? SORRY. UH, COMMISSIONER GILLI. THANKS, CHAIR. UH, I WILL SAY, UH, ONE AREA THAT I THINK WE'VE SEEN, UM, COME UP THROUGH OUR REVIEW OF PAST PROJECTS, UH, AT LEAST THAT I'VE FOCUSED IN ON AND I'VE TENDED TO ADDRESS AND, AND PAY ATTENTION TO ACROSS OUR, UH, SURVEY HAS BEEN THE SCALE OF THE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL SPACES. AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THROUGH THE REWRITE, PERHAPS MORE, UH, ILLUSTRATION FORWARD OR ILLUSTRATION LED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDRESSING APPROPRIATE SCALES OF RETAIL SPACES AT THE GROUND LEVEL, GROUND FLOOR LEVEL THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO AN ACTIVATED PUB PUBLIC REALM. 'CAUSE I THINK WHAT WE'VE SEEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN IS THE, UM, INCLUSION OF A RETAIL OR LARGE RESTAURANT TENANT SPACE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'VE REVISITED [00:05:01] THESE PROJECTS ARE STILL SITTING EMPTY AND HAVE NOT BEEN LEASED. AND THAT CAN BE LOOKED AT AS A COMBINATION OF MARKET FORCES, BUT ALTERNATIVE, THEY COULD ALTERNATIVELY, THEY CAN BE LOOKED AT AS JUST AN INAPPROPRIATE SCALE FOR THE NATURE OF OUR DOWNTOWN. AND PERHAPS IT'S CHALLENGING TO FIND TENANTS WHO A, CAN AFFORD SUCH A LARGE RETAIL FOOTPRINT, OR B YOU KNOW, THESE TENANTS ARE NOT FINDING THE PRE-READ INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THEY NEED GREASE TRAPS FOR RESTAURANTS, ET CETERA, WHICH THEN MAKE IT CHALLENGING TO MAKE A RESTAURANT WORK. AND SO, IF, IF WE COULD ADDRESS SCALE OF THE GROUND LEVEL UNITS WITHIN THE, THE REWRITE, UH, I THINK WE COULD WORK TOWARDS WHAT WE ARE ALREADY SEEING ON SECOND STREET AS BEING A, A LOT, LOT MORE COMMONPLACE, WHICH IS SMALLER SCALE STOREFRONTS THAT ALLOW FOR, UH, TENANTS TO BE SUSTAINED AND, AND LEAD TO ACTIVATION OF THE STOREFRONT OF THE STREET FRONTAGE. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER, VICE CHAIR MINORS. YES, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPOUND ON WHAT COMMISSIONER GALLIS SAID. 'CAUSE I DO THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT THE STREET ACTIVATION THAT COMES WITH RETAIL OR JUST SPACES DEDICATED TO THE COMMUNITY. I THINK, UM, MORE IMPORTANTLY PERHAPS THAN JUST LOOKING AT RETAIL SPACES, I'M LOOKING AT KIND OF WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN A PLACE OF RETAIL . UM, SO WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF LOBBIES, YOU KNOW, FOR BOTH, UH, RESIDENTIAL AND OFFICE PROJECTS. AND, UH, WE'VE SEEN THAT THIS, THE SCALE OF THE LOBBY IN MANY CASES, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, THE SIZE OF SOME OF THOSE RETAIL SPACES, OBVIOUSLY, BUT ALSO JUST ACTIVATION IN GENERAL. UM, AND SO I DO THINK THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IN LOOKING AT THAT GROUND FLOOR, NOT ONLY SHOULD WE BE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE MARKET CONDITIONS ARE, UH, POTENTIALLY FOR RETAIL AND HOW TO IMPROVE THAT, BUT ALSO, UM, HOW CAN WE, UH, REDUCE THE SIZE OF SOME OF THESE LOBBIES OR BE MORE CREATIVE WITH LOBBIES. UM, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THEM ON THE SECOND FLOOR IN SOME CASES OR RECOMMENDING THAT THEY BE ON THE SECOND FLOOR, UM, I THINK IS IMPORTANT AS WELL. UM, THE OTHER THING TOO THAT I THINK THAT WE WERE UNAWARE OF WHEN WE CREATED THE GUIDELINES WAS, UM, HOW IMPACTFUL SOME OF THESE PARKING PODIUMS WOULD BE. UM, AND OBVIOUSLY WE, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF ART, UH, WITHIN THE PROJECT. UM, BUT I THINK THAT, UM, A LOT OF THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT WE'VE SEEN HAVE MISSED SOME GLARING OPPORTUNITIES TO INCORPORATE ART, UH, POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE ARE PARKING PODIUMS, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, JUST IN GENERAL. UM, SO NOT THAT I THINK WE SHOULD BE PRESCRIPTIVE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS OBVIOUSLY LIKE IN A LOT OF THESE SITUATIONS, WE DON'T WANNA BE PRESCRIPTIVE AND THEN FORCE, UH, DEVELOPERS AND LANDOWNERS INTO SOMETHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ISN'T FEASIBLE. UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEGREE AND GRADE OF EXECUTION, AT THE VERY LEAST, UM, THESE CONVERSATIONS HAVE SERVED AS, UH, JUST KIND OF A MEANS FOR US TO, TO SET A STANDARD FOR, UM, HAVING A HIGHER, UH, GRADE OF EXECUTION. SO, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK THAT THAT'S PART OF THE, THE CHALLENGE TOO IS LIKE IN, IN A LOT OF THESE CASES, UM, YES, WE ARE LOOKING AT WHETHER OR NOT AN APPLICANT MET THE DESIGN GUIDELINES, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S THE END ALL BE ALL OF OUR ADVOCACY. I THINK IF WE SEE OPPORTUNITY WITH A PARTICULAR PROJECT, YOU KNOW, IT HELPS US TO ALIGN ON THE TOPICS THAT WE CAN DISCUSS THAT, UH, TOUCH ON THE DEGREE OR GRADE OF EXECUTION THAT GO OUTSIDE OF THE DESIGN GUIDELINES. UM, SO I DUNNO IF THAT WAS USEFUL, UH, FOR WHAT COMMISSIONER HOWARD, UH, WAS LOOKING FOR. BUT, UM, THAT'S KINDA MY 2 CENTS IS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, UM, SEEN THE RAMIFICATIONS SPECIFICALLY WITH, UH, LOBBIES AND PARKING PODIUMS AND I'LL YIELD WITH THAT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND COMMISSIONER HOWARD? OR HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON? UH, YEAH, NO, I THINK THOSE ARE REALLY GOOD POINTS. I THINK THAT SOME OF THE GUIDELINES TOUCH ON A BIT OF THAT. UM, AND WE, THERE ARE DEFINITELY, AS IT RELATES TO THE LOBBY, I THINK THAT'S SUCH A, UM, SPECIFIC POINT THAT WE KIND OF SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN THE SCALE OF THESE, UH, AND, AND THE USE OF THE GROUND FLOOR. WHILE IT MAY BE, UM, YOU KNOW, GLAZED AND HAVE DOORS, UM, THERE ARE DOORS NO ONE WANTS TO WALK IN OR LOOK INTO, UM, UH, FOR THE MOST PART. UM, AND SO HOW MUCH ACTIVATION IS THAT PROVIDING? I THINK THAT WE COULD PROBABLY, UH, DRILL INTO DETAIL A LITTLE BIT FURTHER ON THAT IN THE DESIGN GUIDELINES AND MAKE SURE THAT, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE SORT OF OUTCOMES THAT, UM, OR WE'RE, WE'RE PROMOTING THE, THE SORT OF OUTCOMES THAT [00:10:01] WE REALLY FEEL LIKE WOULD MAKE THE STREET LINE MORE VIBRANT. UM, AND, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT YOU GUYS SPOKE BOTH KIND OF SPOKE ON THE, THE SCALE AND THE ACTIVATION OF THE GROUND FLOOR. AND I THINK THAT THAT REALLY IN, IN THE END, THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF THE CORE, UH, THE CORE OF URBAN DESIGN, RIGHT? IT'S WHERE THE BUILDING MEETS THE STREET. IS IT, IS IT BREATHING LIFE INTO THE CITY? UM, AND SO I THINK THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE, AND I THINK WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD KIND OF, UH, AS, AS WE LOOK AT THE TIERS AND PRIORITIZATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT SHOULD DEFINITELY STAY IN MIND THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE JUST WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY ANYTHING ELSE, AND THEN NEED TO BE REALLY, UH, BE GIVEN MORE WEIGHT. UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I, I SAW, UH, IN OUR SORT OF, UM, REVIEW OF PAST PROJECTS THAT KEPT COMING UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN, UM, WERE, UH, RELATED TO ART, UM, AND KIND OF IMPLEMENTATION OF ART BEING VERY CHALLENGING, UM, TO ENFORCE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER AND THE FIRST SORT OF THING THAT GETS VALUE ENGINEERED OUT AND KIND OF SEEING CHALLENGES IN, IN, UM, THE SITE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS WITH, WITH, UH, REVISIONS AND, AND NOT HAVING KIND OF A, A CATCH, UH, UH, TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THE THINGS THAT THAT ALLOWED A PROJECT TO GET THROUGH, UM, UH, THE, THE, UM, UH, ALLOW THE PROJECT TO BE SEEN AS, UH, UM, IN, UH, IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES. IF THOSE THINGS GET ELIMINATED BEFORE IT'S BUILT, THEN IS IT STILL, UM, MEETING THE INTENT OF, OF THIS PROCESS AND, AND KIND OF THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES, UM, AND THEIR ROLE. UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT SHOWS UP TIME AND TIME. AND AGAIN, I THINK ART IS ALWAYS HARD THAT WAY. UM, UH, THE OTHER PIECES THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE NOTICED THAT, THAT HAVE HUGE IMPACTS ARE WHERE THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES, UM, OR JUST URBAN DE DESIGN, DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN GENERAL RUN UP IN CONFLICT TO, UM, SOME OF OUR UTILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, OP, UM, STANDARD PROCEDURES AND STANDARD APPROACHES. UM, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY AS WE SEE THE LARGE SITES DOWNTOWN ARE ELIMINATED AND WE SEE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALLER AND SMALLER SITES, THE IMPACT OF SOME OF OUR STANDARD APPROACH TO, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE BECOMES MORE, UH, BURDENSOME AND MORE DEADENING. UM, IT KILLS THE GROUND FLOOR OF OUR PROJECTS AND A LOT OF, A LOT OF TIMES, UH, OR IT, IT CREATES, YOU KNOW, LARGE EXPANSES OF BLANK WALL, UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE REALLY ARE NEEDING THE MOST ACTIVATION. UM, SO I WOULD, I WOULD CALL OUT, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, VAULTS, UM, ON THE GROUND FLOOR. THIS IS NOT STANDARD PRACTICE IN A LOT OF CITIES. UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PLACES THAT PRIORITIZE URBAN DESIGN, UH, HAVE UNDERGROUND VAULTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE DENSEST, UM, THE DENSEST AND MOST, UH, PEDESTRIAN ACTIVATED LOCATIONS OF THEIR CITY. UM, TRANSIT, TRANSIT, UH, YOU KNOW, HIGH TRANSIT FREQUENCY AREAS, UM, DOWNTOWNS BIG, UH, REGIONAL NODES. UM, THOSE AREAS ARE PRIORITIZED FOR, UM, FOR UNDERGROUND VAULTS, UM, AND UNDERGROUND SYSTEMS IN GENERAL. UM, UNDERGROUND POWER, WE, WE ARE SEEING THAT IN, UH, WITH GREAT STREETS, WHICH IS GREAT. UM, SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE KEEP A FOCUS ON. BUT THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER PIECES THAT WITHOUT THE DESIGN GUIDELINES, THE DESIGN COMMISSION CONTINUING TO IDENTIFY THE CONFLICT, THIS SORT OF THING, UH, WILL JUST GO ON UNCHECKED. UM, AND WE'LL JUST, AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, UM, WE ALL LOSE OUT, UH, BECAUSE NO ONE IS, NO ONE'S REALLY LOOKING AT THESE, THESE CHALLENGES. THEY JUST SAY, HEY, THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE. YOU KNOW, THIS IS HOW ENERGY VAULTS GET DONE IN, IN AUSTIN AND, AND MAYBE IN TEXAS, AND THAT'S, WE JUST HAVE TO ACCEPT IT. UM, BUT THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, GREATER AND GREATER PERCENTAGES OF THE GROUND FLOOR BEING USED UP FOR THESE, UH, THESE PURPOSES, UH, RATHER THAN, UH, PURPOSES THAT TO ACTIVATE THE PUBLIC REALM. UM, AND IT ALSO MEANS LONGER AND LONGER EXPANSES OF BLANK WALL, LESS EYES ON THE STREET, UM, LESS, UH, PLACEMAKING LE YOU KNOW, MORE, UM, LESS HUMAN SCALE, A LOT OF OTHER THINGS. SO, SO THE, THE VAULTS ARE KIND, UH, A CLEAR ONE. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S, THERE'S, UH, TO A LITTLE BIT LESSER EXTENT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, PUMP ROOMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, METER, METER ROOMS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN DONE POORLY. BUT I, I THINK THAT'S NOT SOMETHING, A PATTERN THAT WE, THAT WE NOTICED IN OUR, IN OUR REVIEW. I WOULD SAY THE, THE SECOND BIGGEST ONE IS DRIVEWAYS AND ALLEYWAYS. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, UH, ONCE UPON A TIME, ALLEYWAYS WERE MEANT TO SERVICE OUR PROPERTIES. UM, AND THAT'S YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR PARKING WAS ACCESSED OFF OF ALLEYS. UH, TRASH PICKUP WAS ACCESSED OFF OF ALLEYS, DELIVERIES WERE OFF, WERE OFF OF ALLEYS BECAUSE THE STREET WAS SEEN AS A PLACE THAT, THAT NEEDED TO BE THE FRONT OF HOUSE, NOT THE BACK OF HOUSE. RIGHT. UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, IN A SIMILAR MANNER, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE NEEDS, UM, JUST LIKE, JUST LIKE [00:15:01] WITH POWER VAULT, UM, UH, TRANSFORMER VAULTS THE NEEDS OF OUR UTILITIES GROW, THE NEEDS OF OUR AUTO SERVICE GROW, OUR CARS GET BIGGER, THE SPEEDS GET FASTER. AND, UH, OUR DRIVEWAYS ARE NOW, UM, ARE NOW DUPLICATING ALLEYWAYS. AND A LOT OF TIMES WE HAVE ALLEY ACCESS. UH, BUT THAT ALLEY ACCESS IS NOT USED FOR AUTO, AUTO SERVICE. AND I THINK THAT TRANSPORTATION PREFERS IT THAT WAY. THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THE, THE ALLEYWAY IS BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE TRAFFIC LOADS. UM, YOU KNOW, BUT AUSTIN'S ALSO AT A TURNING POINT, UM, AROUND HOW WE DEAL WITH, UM, MOBILITY AND WHAT OUR, UH, POLICIES AROUND MOBILITY IS. AND IT REFLECTS SOMETHING THAT'S LESS AUTO ORIENTED. UH, YOU KNOW, I, I'M, I'M LEARNING THAT EVEN THE NEWEST TOWERS ARE STILL PARKING AT ONE, ONE PARKING SPACE PER UNIT, UH, EVEN IN, IN, IN DOWNTOWN TODAY. SO WE'VE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO THERE. UM, AND, AND WE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T FORCE FOLKS WITH URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES, THAT'S FOR SURE. UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT STARTING TO SORT, STARTING TO, UH, PUSH BACK ON SOME OF THOSE THINGS, UH, IN THE GUIDELINES AND, AND NOT EVEN NECESSARILY JUST THE GUIDELINES, BUT IN OUR CONVERSATIONS, UH, ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS TO START KIND OF ELEVATING THESE SUBJECT, THE SUBJECT MATTER AND, AND TALKING ABOUT THE CONFLICTS, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THOSE ARE, UM, ARE BEING BROUGHT TO FOLKS' ATTENTION. I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE THAT DEAL WITH THIS ARE PEOPLE IN THE SITE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO GET A YES. THE REVIEWERS ARE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET WHAT THEY WANT. THERE'S NOBODY THAT IS LOOKING AT THE WHOLE THING AND SAYING, HEY, THIS DOESN'T, THIS ACTUALLY ISN'T WORKING FOR, FOR PEDESTRIAN, YOU KNOW, FOR WALKABILITY AND BIKEABILITY AND, AND, UM, UM, MORE VIBRANT PUBLIC LIFE. UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF I EXACTLY SAID THE THING ABOUT THE DRIVEWAYS, BUT THE DRIVEWAYS ARE, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING LOTS OF DRIVEWAYS, UH, ON OUR STREETS, EVEN WHEN THERE'S ALLEYS. UM, THEIR DRIVEWAYS ARE WIDE. THEY'RE, UM, THEY'RE DESIGNED FOR AUTOMOBILES. THEY'RE, THEY ARE DESIGNED, UM, UH, TO, THEY'RE DESIGNED TO APPEAR, UH, AND FUNCTION AS AUTOMOBILE DOMINATED SPACES, EVEN THOUGH WHEN THEY'RE CROSSING THE, THE STREETSCAPE, UH, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE, UH, AND THEY ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO YIELD TO THE PEDESTRIAN. SO I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, DESIGN COMMUNICATES A LOT IN OUR, IN OUR WORLD. AND I THINK THAT URBAN DESIGN IS THE, IS THE, UM, THE FIELD THAT HAS LOOKED, LOOKS AT WHAT IT'S TELLING US, AND, UM, AND THE KIND OF BEHAVIORS AND, UM, RISKS THAT IT, THAT IT BRINGS TO US. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO ELEVATE THOSE TWO SPECIFIC THINGS WITH KIND OF GENERAL STATEMENTS AS WELL. UM, AND I WOULD JUST KIND OF, UM, MY, MY THIRD AND KIND OF LAST POINT WOULD WOULD BE THE, THE PARKING PODIUMS. UM, YOU KNOW, UM, PERHAPS WITH SB EIGHT 40, UM, NOT REGULATING FAR ANYMORE, REGULATING HEIGHT, UH, THERE WILL BE A NATURAL SORT OF PUSH TO REDUCE, UM, THE HEIGHT OF PARKING PODIUMS. 'CAUSE YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY NOW HAVING TO TRADE PARKING PODIUM LEVELS FOR, UH, LEASEABLE, RENTABLE, INHABITABLE SPACE. AND SO MAYBE THE MARKET WILL NATURALLY PUSH ON THAT A LITTLE BIT. IT'S ALSO LIKELY TO GIVE US, UH, SHORTER SQUATTIER TOWERS. UM, UH, BUT I WOULD SAY, UM, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S STILL A, UH, A VERY PREDOMINANT TREND IN MOST OF THE MID, MID AND HIGH, MOSTLY HIGH RISES, BUT ALSO SOMETIMES MID RISES IN AUSTIN WHERE WE'RE GETTING, UM, WE'RE GETTING, UH, WE'RE GETTING PARKING PODIUMS THAT GO ANYWHERE FROM, YOU KNOW, FOUR TO EIGHT STORIES. UM, AND SOMETIMES THE GROUND FLOOR, MOST OF THE, MOST OF THE TIME THE GROUND FLOOR IS ACTIVATED. BUT, UM, REALLY THAT'S, THAT'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF ACTIVATION WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, UM, THE EYES THAT WE NEED ON THE STREET DOWNTOWN. RIGHT. UM, AND SO, UH, THE, THOSE, THOSE SAME STORIES, IF YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, GEL OR, UM, JANE JACOBS, IT'S LIKE THE FIRST SIX STORIES ARE, ARE WHERE FOLKS HAVE EYES ON THE STREET. THEY'RE WATCHING OVER THEIR NEIGHBORS, THEY'RE WE'RE LOOKING AFTER EACH OTHER. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. ARE, ARE, UH, OUR, OUR, UH, STREETS WILL, WILL ONLY GROW MORE AND MORE, UH, ANONYMOUS AND MORE DANGEROUS. UM, I, IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT PASS, THAT PASSIVE SORT OF LIKE NEIGHBORLY SURVEILLANCE. UM, AND, UH, AND SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S INCREMENTAL THINGS THAT WE CAN DO. I, YOU KNOW, I WROTE STANDARDS FOR DOWNTOWN LA AND FOR ALL OF LA BUT THERE HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED DOWNTOWN ABOUT HOW TO TREAT PARKING GARAGES AND, AND HOW TO PRIORITIZE CERTAIN STREETS WITH, WITH EYES ON THE STREET AND, AND WRAPPED WRAPPING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF GARAGES. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT, LET'S GET JUST ACTIVATION OF THE FIRST TWO STORIES. YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE A LOT, A LOT BETTER. UM, BUT ONE STORY IS REALLY NOT MUCH. IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A PARKING GARAGE, UM, ON THE STREET WITH A, WITH SOME LINER USES, UM, UH, INSTEAD OF ACTIVE USES THAT ACTIVATE THE CITY WHERE YOU EXPERIENCE THE CITY. SORRY, THAT WAS SO LONG. [00:20:01] IT WAS GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, BUT I, I FEEL LIKE, YEAH, IN LOOKING AT THE DRAFT VERSION OF, OF WHAT THE WORKING GROUP HAD CREATED, THAT A LOT OF THESE ELEMENTS ARE, ARE BEING ADDRESSED, UM, YOU KNOW, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. UM, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THAT DRAFT THAT IS, YOU KNOW, MISSING FROM THE COMMENTS THAT YOU JUST MISSED MENTIONED? UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT IN THE DRAFT. YEAH. UM, AND I THINK THAT IT'S EASY TO MISS CERTAIN PIECES. YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT A, THERE'S NOT, THERE IS A HIERARCHY IN THERE, BUT IT'S NOT VERY STRONG. YOU KNOW, GUIDELINES ARE INEVITABLY GOING TO BE A LITTLE LOOSE WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. UM, AND SO IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST IMPORTANT THAT, THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE THE THINGS THAT ARE THE MOST, THE MOST CRITICAL. RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOWN, FOR THE DOWN DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS OR OTHER BONUS PROGRAMS ACROSS THE CITY. AND SO I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO BE COGNIZANT OF WHAT OUR, WHAT THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES FOR URBAN DESIGN PERSPECTIVE ARE, UM, AS WE MOVE INTO THIS NEW, UH, THIS NEW WORLD WHERE, UM, UH, DENSITY BONUS PROJECTS DON'T COME TO THE COMMISSION. RIGHT. UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE WORLD WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW. UM, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE AFTER, AFTER, UM, MAY. RIGHT. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY COMMENTS THEY WANT TO ADD TO THE CONVERSATION? I KNOW I WAS, I VOLUNTEERED MYSELF TO, UH, SUMMARIZE OUR REVIEWS OF THOSE PROJECTS FOR THE LAST PROBABLY A YEAR OR SO, AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE, IF WE WERE GONNA VISIT ANYMORE BEFORE I GOT STARTED, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE I NEED TO GO AHEAD AND DO THAT AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, PUT SOMETHING ON EITHER THE, PROBABLY NOT THE NEXT MEETING, BUT THE ONE AFTER THAT, SO WE CAN, UH, INCORPORATE IT AND GET IT, GIVE IT TO THE WORKING GROUP, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW EVERYTHING'S UP IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW. UM, COMMISSIONER LADNER. HEY. THANK YOU. UM, I THINK YOUR NOTE AT THE END THERE WHERE YOU SAID EVERYTHING IS UP IN THE AIR, I DID READ THE NOTES. I MISSED THE LAST MEETING, AND THERE HAD BEEN SOME DIALOGUE, UM, BUT WE WERE WRITING A LETTER, OR WE DID WRITE A LETTER AND WE SUBMITTED IT TO RECOGNIZE THE DESIGN COMMISSION AS AN OFFICIAL STAKEHOLDER IN THE DENSITY BRO. UH, BONUS PROGRAM. IS THERE, BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE A FEW OF THE NOTES AND I DIDN'T WATCH A VIDEO, CAN YOU, CAN WE CLARIFY LIKE, WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT OR WHAT THAT MEANS? UM, AND IT, I APOLOGIES IF THIS WAS ALREADY, YOU KNOW, THOROUGHLY CLARIFIED, BUT WHAT'S THE PROCESS LOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW? ARE WE IN LIMBO? YES AND NO. UM, DOES ANYBODY WANNA TAKE, TAKE THIS ON COMMISSIONER HOWARD? I CAN SPEAK TO IT A LITTLE BIT. UM, YEAH, SO I, I ALSO WASN'T HERE, UH, THE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, UM, BUT I DID WATCH THE VIDEO. I'M KIND OF, I'M CLEAR I'M FOLLOWING IT. UH, SO, UM, THE, THE, THE RECOMMENDATION WAS PASSED BY THE DESIGN COMMISSION OF THIS BODY, AND IT IS A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL. SO COUNSEL HAS SEEN THE RECOMMENDATION, UM, AND NOW, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN CONSIDER IT. THEY CAN CONSIDER MAKING THEIR OWN, UM, THEIR OWN, UH, THEY, THEY CAN TAKE IT, THEY CAN ALTERNATE, THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WITH IT AT THIS POINT. AND SO, UM, WE DON'T KNOW. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THAT THAT RECOMMENDATION JUST GOES BEFORE COUNCIL AND THEY PASS IT. UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY GONNA BE, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE NUANCED THAN THAT. UM, AND I, I'VE SPOKEN WITH SOME COUNCIL OFFICES AND THEY'RE, THEY ARE INTERESTED IN THIS. THEY, THEY THINK THAT THIS, THAT THE DESIGN COMMISSION IS A REALLY IMPORTANT RESOURCE, UM, FOR UNDERSTANDING THESE ISSUES. UM, AND THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE ARE CONSIDERED A STAKEHOLDER. UM, BUT THEY ALSO, THEY ALSO, UH, SUGGESTED THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS PROJECT'S MOVING REALLY FAST. THEY ARE UNDER, UH, STAFF AND, AND COUNCIL REALLY ARE UNDER A TIME PRESSURE TO GET SOMETHING PASSED BY MAY, I THINK. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE SORT OF THING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, IT, WE, WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE A CLEAR SENSE OF WHAT THE, WHAT THE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS ARE GONNA LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD. RIGHT. WE HAVE THIS, THIS DRAFT, UH, SET OF URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT IS IN A STATE, UM, WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, UH, WE HAVE A, WE RECEIVED A ROUND OF COMMENTS ON THEM. WE'VE MADE ADJUSTMENTS AND WE, WE WERE READY TO GO PUBLIC. WE HEARD THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME INFORMAL, UH, COMMENTS, UH, FROM, FROM, UH, LAW AND STAFF, UM, THAT, UH, THAT THEY HAVE SOME CONCERNS AS WELL. I, UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE STILL HAVEN'T SEEN THAT. GREAT. UM, AND, UH, WE ALSO, UH, ARE ON, CURRENTLY ON A TEMPORARY HOLD FOR, FROM, UH, THE, FROM [00:25:01] JORGE AND HIS TEAM'S STAFF WORKING ON THIS AS THEY ARE WORKING TOWARD THAT MAY DEADLINE OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, UH, DOWNTOWN. UM, AND THEY SAY DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM. EITHER WAY, THE DOWN THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, UM, PROJECT, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS TO, UM, ARE MOVING QUICKLY TOWARD THAT, THAT TARGET AND THE URBAN DESIGN GROUP IS, IS WORKING ON THAT WITH THEM. UM, AND SO THEY, THEY ARE TEMPORARILY PAUSED ON WORK ON DEVELOPING ANY FURTHER. SO DESIGN GUIDELINES ARE PAUSED. GREAT STREETS IS, UH, IN A VERY EARLY STAGE STILL, I WOULD SAY, UM, WITH ITS REVISIONS. UM, AND SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW MUCH. WE JUST KNOW THAT THINGS ARE MOVING QUICKLY. UM, AND, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD GUESS, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED ON WORKING ON PROJECTS LIKE THIS, THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY BEEN QUITE A BIT MORE ARCHITECTING, UH, THAN WE'RE AWARE OF. AND THAT WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD ASK THEM TO COME BACK, UM, TO TALK TO US ABOUT IT AND, AND MAYBE EVEN HAVE SMALLER, INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE WORKING GROUP. COMMISSIONER LADNER, I DON'T, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF YOU WERE AT THE DECEMBER MEETING OR NOT, UH, WHERE THIS CAME UP, UH, WITH JORGE ABOUT KIND OF WHAT THE STATUS IS OF THE UPDATES TO THE GUIDELINES AND WHAT THEY'VE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO DO ON THEIR END FOR, UM, REWRITING THEIR DENSITY BONUS PART. AND THEN WHAT, WHERE THAT LEFT US WITH THE REVISIONS AND THE UPDATES TO THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES. WERE YOU, WERE YOU PART OF THAT CONVERSATION? I CAN'T REMEMBER. I THINK I WAS, AND YEAH, I'M JUST, I'M TRYING TO STILL GRASP, FRANKLY, THIS COMMISSION'S ROLE GOING FORWARD, AND MAYBE WE'VE, MAYBE YOU GUYS HAVE ALREADY CLARIFIED THAT. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CRYSTAL CLEAR AND IS THE PROCESS, YOU KNOW, HOW IT'S CHANGING OR DO WE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MEET AND I THINK I JUST NEED A LITTLE CLARITY. YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MEET UNTIL THEY, YOU KNOW, TELL US THAT WE, WE ARE NOT MEETING. UM, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL KIND OF CONCERNED ABOUT THAT FUTURE OF WHERE WE GONNA BE AS A COMMISSION, AND WHAT KIND OF INPUT ARE WE GONNA HAVE INTO THIS PROCESS OF THAT QUICK UPDATE THAT THEY NEED TO HIT, UH, FOR THIS, UH, SPRING. UM, AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE LETTER, UM, THAT YOU READ, UH, YOU KNOW, PLAYS A, A ROLE IN US ADVOCATING FOR OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THAT PROCESS. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HOWARD. UH, AND I'LL JUST, I'LL ADD TO THAT, AND THIS IS BASED ON MY UNDERSTANDING, NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE FORMALLY BEEN TOLD, BUT, UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WHEN THEY IMPLEMENTED THE 350 FOOT, UM, UH, BASE, UH, BY RIGHT HEIGHT IN THE CBD DISTRICT, UM, THEY ALSO, IN, IN ORDER TO, UM, RESPOND TO SBA 40, THEY ALSO REMOVED THE PROCESS OF, UH, D DOWNTOWN TENNESSEE BONUS PROJECTS COMING TO THE DESIGN COMMISSION, AND THEY NOW JUST GO STRAIGHT TO COUNCIL. UM, AND SO, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WE NO LONGER HAVE A ROLE IN THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM. UM, AND, UH, THAT MAY BE NOT COMPLETELY RIGHT. I'M SEEING JORGE, UH, DOESN'T, DOESN'T SEEM TO AGREE WITH THAT. AND I'D LOVE, I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE 'CAUSE I DON'T, YOU KNOW, UM, I'D LIKE THAT NOT TO BE TRUE. UH, AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO GET SOME CLARITY AROUND THAT. YOU KNOW, UM, WHEN IT WAS PRESENTED AT THE LAST, UH, MEETING, UH, ALAN SHOWED THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE, THERE WERE THREE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS STILL. UM, HE DIDN'T SAY THEY WERE MAINTAINING THEM. UH, PEOPLE NOTICED THAT A LOT OF THEM ARE IN FLUX. UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT. THE, THE, THE, THE IMPACTS OF THOSE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS ARE REALLY KIND OF THE, THE PRIMARY INTEREST OF THE DESIGN COMMISSION. UM, AND SO, YEAH, I GUESS WE, I, I AM UNCLEAR AS OUR TO, AS TO OUR, WHAT THE DESIGN COMMISSION'S ROLE IS CURRENTLY ON DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PRO, UH, PROGRAM PROJECTS. AND, UM, AND CERTAINLY I THINK WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE, UM, UH, VERY, UM, WE SHOULD KEEP OURSELVES VERY INFORMED ON OUR ROLE MOVING FORWARD. AND, AND I'M, AND NOT TO ARGUE THAT, UH, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD MAINTAIN THE SAME ROLE. JUST TO BE CLEAR, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE DE THE DESIGN COMMISSION, UH, YOU KNOW, INFORM THAT, THAT PROCESS MOVING FORWARD. YEAH. JORGE, HELLO. IT'S ON. IT'S ON. YEP. THANK YOU. IF I MAY CHAIR. YES, PLEASE. UH, JUST TO CLARIFY, THERE HAVE BEEN NO CHANGES [00:30:01] TO THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM UNDER 25 2 5 8 6 AT THIS TIME. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE WITH THE UPDATES TO THE CBD HEIGHTS, THE CHANGES WERE TO INCLUDE FAR AND HEIGHT AS A WAY TO MODIFY, UM, THE PROCESS IN, IN A DENSITY BONUS PROJECT. BUT THE GATEKEEPER ELEMENTS WERE NOT CHANGED. SO ANY DENSITY PROJECT DENSITY BONUS PROJECT CURRENTLY AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE UNTIL COUNCIL CHANGES THE CODE SPECIFIC TO THE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS STILL INCLUDES DESIGN COMMISSION REVIEW FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES. OKAY. UNTIL Y'ALL ARE DONE WITH THIS PROCESS, THEN WE'LL, WE'LL KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE'LL KNOW AHEAD OF TIME SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, BE PART OF THAT PROCESS. THAT'S CORRECT. IF I MAY CHAIR, SURE. I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT MY COLLEAGUE ALAN WAS OFFERING, THAT THIS COMMISSION AMONG OTHERS WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND PROPOSAL THAT WILL MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, EVEN WHEN THAT'S COMPLETED. THAT'S NOT THE ULTIMATE LANGUAGE THAT MAY MAKE IT INTO THE CODE. THE COUNCIL RETAINS ALL AUTHORITY TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, MODIFY AS NEEDED, AND THEN THOSE WOULD BE THE OFFICIAL CHANGES ONCE IT'S ENACTED THROUGH A LEGISLATIVE ACTION OF THE COUNCIL THROUGH AN ORDINANCE. COMMISSIONER HOWARD, UM, CAN I GET A LITTLE CLARIFICATION ON, ON HOW THE, UM, IN THE CBD DISTRICT, HOW THE DENSITY BONUS IS, UM, IS ENTITLED, ESSENTIALLY, IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING IN THAT PRESENTATION WE HAD IN OCTOBER OR WHATEVER IT WAS WHERE, UM, ALAN PRESENTED AFTER, AFTER THE CHANGES HAD, UH, BEEN ADOPTED, THAT IN ORDER TO SECURE THE DOWNTOWN BEN DENSITY BONUS, UM, UH, HEIGHT IN THIS CASE, UM, THAT THEY, THAT PROJECTS WOULD JUST, WOULD GO THROUGH COUNCIL. UM, AND THEREFORE, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS IT WOULD BE RE IT WOULD HA IT HA HAS ALL THE SAME THINGS ON PAPER, BUT, UH, BECAUSE IT'S NO LONGER AN ADMINISTRATIVE, UH, UH, IT'S NOT AN ADMINISTRATIVE BONUS PROGRAM ANYMORE, UM, THAT, THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN WHAT THE IMPACTS OF THAT WERE ON, ON, UH, REVIEWING FOR URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES AND THIS BODY, IF I MAY CHAIR YES, PLEASE. THANK YOU. SO WHAT WAS MODIFIED WAS THE, THERE WAS A MAXIMUM HEIGHT APPLIED TO CBD DISTRICT BEFORE WE DID NOT HAVE A MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT. WE HAD AN FAR FLOOR AREA RATIO LIMIT OF EIGHT TO ONE MAXIMUM WITH THE INFUSION OF A 350 FOOT MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT THAT GOES ALONG WITH THE FAR FOR BASE ENTITLEMENTS. SO THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM STARTS AT 350 FEET AND ABOVE. SO MOST PROJECTS TYPICALLY SEEK HEIGHTS MUCH HIGHER THAN 350 FEET. THEREFORE, THOSE PROJECTS WOULD, UH, NEED TO ELECT TO PARTICIPATE VOLUNTARILY IN THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM TO ACHIEVE NOT ONLY ADDITIONAL FAR, BUT MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT AS WELL, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. THE EMERGING RECOMMENDATIONS WILL MORE THAN LIKELY, AS WAS EXPLAINED BY MY COLLEAGUE, HAVE DIFFERENT HEIGHT LIMITATIONS, AND THOSE ARE BEING DEVELOPED. I DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THOSE YET. THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION DOES NOT COME OUT ON THAT. BUT THERE IS THE, UH, POTENTIAL THAT CERTAIN PROJECTS FALLING UNDER THE 350 FOOT THRESHOLD DO NOT NEED A DENSITY BONUS AND CAN DEVELOP TO THOSE MAXIMUM ENTITLEMENTS UNDER THE BASE ZONING DISTRICT SHOULD THEY BE ZONED CBD. BUT CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE, THE PROCESS, I MEAN, IS IS IT TRUE THAT, UM, THESE PROJECTS NOW WILL GET ADDITIONAL HEIGHT FROM COUNCIL RATHER THAN A STAFF APPROVING ADDITIONAL HEIGHT? UH, THE WAY IT WAS PRESENTED BY MY COLLEAGUE, THERE WOULD NO LONGER, POTENTIALLY NO LONGER BE A DISCRETIONARY PROCESS. THAT'S WHAT THE STATE, UH, LEGISLATIVE ACTION ESSENTIALLY TOOK AWAY FROM CITIES. AND SO YOU'LL BE SEEING A PREDICTABLE PATHWAY, UH, OF A COMBINING DISTRICT, MUCH LIKE A ZONING CHANGE. IT'S ESSENTIALLY A REZONING INTO A DENSITY BONUS DISTRICT THAT HASN'T BEEN DEVELOPED AS OF YET. THAT'S WHAT'S BEING DEVELOPED AT THIS TIME. UM, SO, SO I'M, I'M MISTAKEN THAT THERE, THAT, UM, THERE IS A, THERE'S A, A ROLE FOR COUNSEL TO APPROVE THESE THINGS. IF, IF YOU, IF YOU CURRENTLY IN THE CURRENT TEMPORARY MODEL, UM, PROJECTS WILL STILL COME TO THE DESIGN COMMISSION STAFF, YOUR TEAM WILL, UM, DETERMINE [00:35:01] WHETHER THEY MEET THE, THE, UM, GATEWAY REQUIREMENTS, UH, OR GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS OF THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM. AND YOU APPROVE AFTER A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE DESIGN COMMISSION. YEAH. AND, AND, BUT, AND YOU ARE, YOU APPROVE THEM TO THEIR, THE, THE BONUS HEIGHT? WELL, UNDER THE ADMINISTRATIVE PART. SO IF THEY EXCEED THOSE, THAT'S WHEN THEY GO TO COUNCIL WITH THE NEW PROGRAM. THAT MAY CHANGE BECAUSE BASED ON WHATEVER THE NEW PROCESS IS THAT WILL COME TO YOU AND OTHER COMMISSIONS, MOST PROJECTS COULD BYPASS, THERE WOULDN'T BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF PROCESS. IT WOULD BE A REZONING, ESSENTIALLY, INTO A COMBINING DISTRICT THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THOSE DIFFERENT TIERS OF HEIGHTS. SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE A PROCESS BY WHICH THERE'S AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAM, IT'S A LEGISLATIVE ACTION OF THE COUNCIL TO REZONE THE PROPERTY INTO A DENSITY BONUS COMBINING DISTRICT. THAT'S WHAT WAS EXPLAINED BY MY COLLEAGUE, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY. IN, IN THE CURRENT MODEL, THERE IS, UH, WHAT IS THE, WHAT'S THE ADMINISTRATIVELY APPROVABLE MAX HEIGHT FOR WITHIN THE BONUS PROGRAM? THE FAR AND MAXIMUM HEIGHT AS DESCRIBED IN FIGURE TWO OF 25 2 5 86. OKAY. IS IT'S THE SAME SUB KIND OF SUBSECTION BI BELIEVE IT'S THE CORRECT SECTION. IS IT BASED ON THE KIND OF SUBDISTRICTS THAT WE, THAT WERE THERE BEFORE? IT'S UNCHANGED. CORRECT. OKAY. THE BOUNDARIES, I DON'T BELIEVE HAVE CHANGED THE, SOME OF THE, THE NUMBERS OKAY. TO REFLECT THE NEW MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHTS UNDER CBD HAVE BEEN UPDATED. OKAY. OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL. THANK YOU. THAT'S POSTED ONLINE AS WELL. GREAT. THANK YOU CHAIR. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO ADD TO THE DISCUSSION? DO I THINK, UM, YEAH, I THINK WE COULD ALL USE A LITTLE BIT OF CLARITY. I THINK IT'S PRETTY, PRETTY MURKY. COMMISSIONER HOWARD, IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE BEFORE WE END THIS END? THE DISCUSSION? NO, THAT'S IT FOR ME. WELL, THANK YOU. WELL, WE DON'T HAVE MUCH ON THE AGENDA TODAY, EXCEPT FOR THIS DISCUSSION. UM, OUR ITEM NUMBER THREE HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. UM, AND SO THE ONLY REMAINING ITEM [4. Update from representative of the Downtown Commission regarding the meeting on February 18, 2026.] IS OUR COMMITTEE UPDATES AND AN UPDATE FROM, UH, THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION. UH, COMMISSIONER GALLES, IF YOU HAD, IF YOU WERE ABLE TO GET TO THAT MEETING ON FEBRUARY 18TH. I WAS. THANK YOU CHAIR. CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES. GREAT. UH, SO REPORTING FROM THE FEBRUARY 18TH DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING, WE HAD A REPORT FROM THE SIXTH STREET ENGINEERING, UH, IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS TEAM. AND, UM, I THINK THIS IS TIMELY AND INTERESTING BECAUSE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION RECENTLY, UM, SUBMITTED A LETTER TO THE CITY COUNCIL RECOMMENDING, UH, TWO WAY STREETS BE ENACTED IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA WITH SIXTH STREET BEING ONE OF THE PRIMARY FOCUS AREAS. UM, THAT LETTER WAS SENT SIMILARLY TO OURS, AND COUNCIL CONSIDERED IT. HOWEVER, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF IS TO HAVE A, UH, THREE LANE, ONE WAY STREET ALONG SIXTH STREET AND NOT A TWO WAY STREET, UH, ADOPTING GREAT STREET STANDARDS AND INCORPORATING A BIKE, DEDICATED BIKE LANE AND DEDICATED LOADING LANE. AND SO THAT'LL BE, UH, FOUR LANES IN TOTAL HEADING WESTBOUND ALONG SIXTH STREET CURRENTLY, ALL ONE WAY. THE, UM, FOLLOWING REPORT WE RECEIVED WAS, UH, ON THE ACT PLAN, AND THE ADOPTION OF THAT FINAL DRAFT WILL BE, UM, READY FOR PUBLIC CONSIDERATION ON, ON MARCH 26TH, I BELIEVE. AND AS PART OF THAT ACT PLAN, IT WAS, UH, RECOMMENDED TO TURN SEVENTH, NINTH, 10TH, AND BRAZOS INTO TWO-WAY CONVERSIONS. UH, WHAT WAS PRESENTED WAS TRAFFIC MODELING FOLLOWING THE SEATTLE PRECEDENT, [00:40:01] IN PARTICULAR, THE PIKE AND PINE SECOND AVENUE CORRIDOR. AS PRECEDENT FOR THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION, WE THEN HAD A PRESENTATION FROM THE DOWNTOWN HOST ALLIANCE, AS WELL AS THE HIDEOUT THEATER. UH, THE FINAL ITEM ON THE AGENDA WAS, UM, DOWNTOWN COMMISSION'S, UH, MOTION TO AMEND THEIR BYLAWS TO MAKE THE CENTRAL DISTRICT PLAN BOUNDARY CONTIGUOUS WITH DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN BOUNDARY, UH, THUS EXTENDING THE PURVIEW OF THE DOWNTOWN, THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION TO COVER THE AREA, UH, CURRENTLY OUTLINED BY THE CENTRAL DISTRICT PLAN BOUNDARY. THOSE ARE ALL THE NOTES FROM THE MEETING. CHECK. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GILLIS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR COMMISSIONER GILLIS? I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO ITEM [2. Discussion of the Design Commission’s strategy prioritizing urban design in Density Bonus Program projects in the City of Austin. Sponsors: Commissioners Howard and Wittstruck. (Part 2 of 2)] NUMBER TWO, 'CAUSE I DO, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR NEXT STEP IS, AND JUST WANT TO TAKE A MINUTE TO JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT OUR NEXT STEP IS AS A COMMISSION AND KIND OF WHAT SHOULD WE BE WORKING ON, UH, WHILE WE HAVE THIS TIME. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, WE ALREADY DID A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL THAT WAS SENT OUT IN OUR SPECIAL MEETING. UM, BUT ANY THOUGHTS ON HOW WE CAN JUST KEEP THE BALL MOVING FORWARD FOR OUR OWN ADVOCACY, UM, AND WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS SHOULD BE AS A COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, WORKING OUTSIDE OF THIS, IN THIS ROOM OR OUTSIDE OF THIS ROOM? ANYBODY HAVE ANY THOUGHTS COM COMMISSIONER HOWARD, JUST FOR CLARITY, ARE YOU SAID ITEM NUMBER TWO, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT R ITEM NUMBER TWO OR THE, THE DOWNTOWN, LIKE TWO-WAY CONVERSION ITEM NUMBER TWO? NO, I'M SORRY. I'M TALKING ABOUT R ITEM NUMBER TWO. GOING BACK TO THE DISCUSSION OF, OF OUR, OUR ROLE IN THE, IN THE WHOLE, UM, URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINE UPDATES. I, I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT. OKAY. UM, I THINK THAT I'D LIKE TO, UM, PUT A COUPLE AGENDA ITEMS ON FOR NEXT MONTH. OKAY. UM, IF I CAN GET CO-SPONSORS, ONE WOULD BE TO ASK ALAN TO COME BACK, UM, AND, UH, SPECIFICALLY TO TALK TO THE, UM, DESIGN COMMISSION ABOUT, UM, THE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS AND WHAT THOSE ARE LIKELY TO LOOK LIKE, UM, KIND OF, AND THE KIND OF STRUCTURE AND ARCHITECTING OF WHAT, WHAT REGULATES WHAT, AND, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY'RE SEEING THAT FUNCTION MOVING FORWARD. SO, UM, FOR EASY WRITING TO, YOU KNOW, OF THE, THE ITEM YOU COULD SAY TO, UM, TALK TO US ABOUT THE GATEKEEPER REQUIREMENTS AND HOW THEY, UM, INTERACT AND, AND THE SORT OF THINGS THAT THEY'LL INCLUDE. UM, SO THAT'D BE THE FIRST ONE IS TO HAVE ALAN COME BACK. UM, AND I, I GUESS I'LL STOP THERE FOR CO FOR CO-SPONSOR OR JUST, YEAH. WOULD ANYBODY LIKE TO CO-SPONSOR THAT? I'LL DO IT. IS THAT VICE CHAIR MINORS? YES. ALL RIGHT. SO VICE CHAIR MEYERS IS CO-SPONSORING THAT. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GOOD. WHAT IS YOUR, UM, [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] OKAY. AND, UH, DO WE WANT TO VOTE ON, DO WE VOTE ON THAT? NO, WE DON'T VOTE. I DON'T, YEAH, WE DON'T VOTE ON IT. THE, THE SECOND ONE, I THINK IT WOULD JUST BE, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THIS, UH, IS SENSITIVE AS IT RELATES TO TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST PUT A REOCCURRING AGENDA ITEM TO DISCUSS AND, AND POSSIBLY ACT ON, UM, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, UM, THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS SO THAT AT THE NEXT FEW MEETINGS WE CAN HAVE A PLACEHOLDER, UM, TO, TO HOLD THAT DISCUSSION. UM, AND, AND HOPEFULLY, UH, IN THE MEANTIME WE'LL HAVE, UM, A WORKING GROUP MEETING WITH ALAN, UM, TO, TO KIND OF WORK TOWARD SORT OF WHAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS, IS SUGGESTING, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, SUPPOSING THAT COUNSEL GIVES THAT DIRECTION. PARDON ME. COMMISSIONER HOWARD, WHEN YOU SAY RECOMMENDATIONS ON DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM PROJECTS, WHAT ARE YOU REFERENCING SPECIFICALLY? UM, I GUESS, OR WHAT IS THE INTENT? MOSTLY IT'S THE, IT, I WANT AN AGENDA ITEM SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION. SO, UM, THE POSSIBLE ACTION WOULD BE POSSIBLY MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, AS TO WHAT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE, UM, BECAUSE IT DEPENDS ON THE, THE DISCUSSION. SO CHAIR, IF I MAY, [00:45:01] YES, PLEASE. WE'RE UNABLE TO POST AN ITEM THAT'S BROUGHT THAT WILL GET PULLED BY THE CLERK'S OFFICE. WE NEED TO SPECIFICALLY ARTICULATE WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUBLIC NOTICE IN ORDER TO MEET THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. WHAT, YOU CAN'T HAVE A STANDING ITEM THAT JUST SAYS RECOMMENDATIONS AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE. OKAY. I CAN, I CAN PROVIDE SOME MORE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE. UM, UH, SO I GUESS FOR DISCUSSION ON THE FUTURE OF THE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS AND, UH, POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTEGRATING URBAN DESIGN, UH, GUIDELINES, PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS INTO THAT PROCESS. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER HOWARD, DO WE HAVE A SECOND ON THAT? COMMISSIONER CARROLL. ALRIGHT. WE'LL GET THAT ON THE AGENDA FOR OUR NEXT MEETING. UH, CHAIR IF I MAY? YES, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER GILLES. UM, I, I HAVE A GENERAL, I HAVE A QUESTION, UH, POSSIBLY TO, UH, OUR FELLOW COMMISSIONER. BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATION TO ADD AN AGENDA ITEM, WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU SAY THE INTENTION OF THE DISCUSSION WOULD COVER, I GUESS I'M GONNA REPHRASE MY QUESTION AND RECOMMEND AN ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEM FOR THIS GROUP TO DISCUSS. AND I'M HOPING IT'LL BE SPECIFIC ENOUGH, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR THIS GROUP TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CBD TO MATCH THE CENTRAL CITY DISTRICT PLAN AND HOW THAT WILL IMPACT OUR SCOPE AS WELL AS THE REWRITE THE, UH, DESIGN GUIDELINES. SO THE ITEM IS TO DISCUSS IMPLICATIONS OF THE CBD, IS THAT CORRECT ON AND HOW IT WILL IMPACT THE REWRITE OF THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES? CORRECT. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE EXPANDING BOUNDARIES OF THE CBD. OKAY. CHAIR, CAN I OFFER A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO THAT? SURE. UM, COULD WE CLARIFY THE LANGUAGE TO BE THE CENTRAL CITY PLAN AND DOWNTOWN RATHER THAN CBD? 'CAUSE WE JUST HAVE THE ZONING DISTRICT THAT'S CBD THAT'S KIND OF CONFUSING. SO, UM, THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT WOULD BE, UM, THE IMPLICATIONS OF AMENDING THE, THE DOWNTOWN BOUNDARY TO REFLECT THE CENTRAL CITY BOUNDARY OR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT. ANOTHER FRIENDLY, I WOULD, UH, YEAH, I WOULD DEFINITELY, UH, TAKE YOUR FRIENDLY AMENDMENT YES. AND, AND REVISE THE AGENDA ITEM TO, UM, DISCUSSION OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE EXPANDING, UH, DOWNTOWN BOUNDARY, UH, TO THE CENTRAL CITY DISTRICT PLAN BOUNDARY, WHICH I THINK IS THE OFFICIAL NAME. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE THAT, NICOLE? YES. AND I CAN REFER TO THE VIDEO. UM, DID Y'ALL GET A A CO-SPONSOR YET, OR NO? WOULD YOU LIKE TO CO-SPONSOR YET? YEAH, SURE. I'LL CO-SPONSOR. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WHICH, WHICH GOES RIGHT INTO OUR NEXT ITEM OF THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. SO WE'VE JUST GOT A FEW HERE. SO IS, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE ANY OTHER, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS ON ANY FUTURE ADDEND OR AGENDA ITEMS? ALL RIGHT, WELL, IT'S GONNA BE A SHORT MEETING, SO, UH, IF YOU GUYS HAVE NO OBJECTION, I'M GOING TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING AT, UH, 6 51. THANKS EVERYONE. I. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.