In first year, Qadri touts progress on housing, collaboration and I-35 caps and stitches

Zo Qadri knew he’d have plenty to learn and adapt to as a new member of City Council after being sworn in last January. But the learning curve became an almost vertical climb as he and the staff in his newly assembled office worked to help residents dealing with power outages and other hardships caused by the severe winter storm that struck less than a month after taking his Council seat.

Qadri describes the “baptism by fire” he and other Council newcomers faced as the city tried to stitch together essential services and coordinate repairs to power lines and other infrastructure.

He and his chief of staff started doing house calls: “I think we were out each day for like 12 hours-plus … for like three, four days making house calls,” he said.

“Just being out in the community was rewarding and making sure we did right by folks, and we were reaching out to them and visiting them if there was a serious situation, kind of like flagging it for folks in the city, but also making sure that we were doing everything that we possibly can.”

Qadri said that work emphasized the importance of addressing emergency preparedness going forward to make sure the city can withstand and adjust to the strain caused by severe cold and heat as weather patterns become more extreme.

Like most of the current Council, making progress on housing was one of Qadri’s biggest priorities coming into 2023. He said moves like the elimination of parking mandates, relaxing of occupancy rules and encouraging density on existing lots are some of the most impactful accomplishments from a dais that largely agrees on the preferred path forward.

“Some folks might have a different idea of how to get from point A to point B, but I don’t think anyone on the dais disagrees that affordability is a crisis here in Austin,” he said.

“That’s what just drives us and I think we all want to do right by the city. It’s just really important making sure that middle-class and working-class people can afford to live here because losing people who make the city so special, I think we lose a bit of ourselves and we lose a bit of our soul.”

More housing policy changes as well as work on transit and mobility are among Qadri’s main priorities for 2024, along with addressing labor issues for EMS and other public safety workers, plus taking steps to prevent artists and creative organizations from being priced out of the city.

Also important: working with community groups to shape the expansion of Interstate 35 as much as possible, even though Qadri has pushed against the multibillion-dollar project. The most substantial role for the city to play appears to be moving forward with plans for a series of plaza-like caps and east-west “stitch” roadway crossings, with Council needing to select a funding mechanism for the $500 million-plus project cost.

“Where we stand as an office is that we aren’t a fan of highway expansion, so it is unfortunate that (the Texas Department of Transportation) is moving forward with this plan to expand I-35,” he said. “At the same time, we’re encouraged by the community’s efforts to collaborate with the department to ensure we end up with a project that will be a net benefit to Austin.

“The caps and stitches present an opportunity to reconnect parts of the city that were cut apart by the physical manifestation of unfortunate segregationist policies of the past,” Qadri said.

Another area of focus for Qadri is expanding his dialogue with leaders from Travis County and assorted state agencies who he said have felt uninvolved in matters facing the city in recent years.

“I don’t want to say there was a lack of collaboration, but there were certain conversation silos that we have,” he said. “Even if it’s not someplace where we can come together, we can have meaningful discussions. We worked with Commissioner Ann Howard and (County) Judge Andy Brown on the mental health divergence center … and on things like I-35 or the legislative session that happened where Austin was often being attacked. It wasn’t necessarily collaboration with the state reps where we could work on bills, but it’s kind of getting a temperature check from them on what’s happening, where can we be helpful.”

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Posted In: City Hall, District 9