Council approves call for better coordination, planning among downtown projects

The city hopes to bring coordination to the many high-profile projects taking over downtown Austin in the coming years, with the city manager charged with determining the budgetary and planning resources needed throughout the district.

On Thursday, City Council approved the Downtown Austin Strategic Initiative, a comprehensive plan aimed at coordinating strategies targeting mobility, infrastructure, arts, culture, economic development, public safety, homelessness and green spaces in the city’s core. The initiative, introduced by Mayor Kirk Watson and Council Member Zo Qadri, calls for a strategy that aligns various downtown projects with existing city plans while ensuring stakeholders remain engaged throughout the process.

The effort seeks to address several key areas, including the development of a management structure to oversee and coordinate major downtown projects. City officials are particularly focused on mobility and infrastructure improvements such as the Interstate 35 cap-and-stitch project, Project Connect, the Austin Convention Center expansion and the Austin Core Transportation Plan. Those initiatives, which include East Sixth Street improvements and Waterloo Greenway expansions, are expected to reshape downtown over the coming years.

The resolution directs the city manager to provide an initial update, including a reporting structure and identification of a lead department, to the Economic Opportunity Committee by March 31, with quarterly status updates to follow. Any necessary funding requests must be submitted during the budget planning process, with progress reports on the initiative at six, 12 and 18 months, followed by annual updates thereafter.

The city is also looking at ways to protect cultural and historical assets, particularly among the music venues and other significant spaces located within the Red River Cultural District. Officials intend to enhance the district’s presence while also supporting similar efforts in the Mexican American Heritage Corridor and at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.

Another major consideration is the redevelopment of key city-owned properties, such as HealthSouth, the Old Municipal Building and the Austin Police Department Headquarters, with a focus on ensuring these spaces contribute to downtown’s long-term economic and cultural vibrancy. With so many infrastructure efforts planned simultaneously, officials stress the importance of a well-structured plan to minimize disruptions and maintain accessibility throughout the downtown area.

Matt Geske, vice president of public affairs at the Downtown Austin Alliance, said the idea for a downtown initiative emerged last summer when the DAA was working with Qadri, Mayor Kirk Watson and other city officials on how to manage the Sixth Street revitalization, larger public safety planning and construction projects such as the Austin Convention Center.

“As we were discussing all of this, we kind of came to the conclusion that downtown is the economic engine of the city of Austin, we have all these great hotels, restaurants, bars and music venues, and how are we going to ensure that not only are people still coming here throughout the years where we’re growing and construction’s happening, but how are we going to make sure that everyone’s on the same page and coordinating?” Geske told the Austin Monitor.

Using the Sixth Street improvements as an example, Geske said it will be helpful to have staff within the city manager’s office who are able to make sure the public safety resources are working in tandem with the Transportation and Public Works Department and any other entities involved in the Austin Core Transportation Plan that will be heavily focused on Fifth through Eighth streets.

“It’s not all by the city, either. Some of it’s going to be on other partners, so DAA is going to be playing a role in making sure that the stakeholders – so the property owners, the venue owners, the small businesses – are not only aware of what is happening and why it’s happening, but are able to convey their concerns or their issues as construction is approaching,” he said.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license. This story has been changed since publication to reflect the fact that Mayor Kirk Watson was a co-sponsor of the plan.

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Posted In: City Council, District 9