At this week’s meeting, the Downtown Commission established a working group to help think through and execute the Safer Sixth Street initiative, which has been in the works for about six months. The project, which came about after a mass shooter killed one and injured more than a dozen other people last June, includes a number […]
District 9
Posted inPreservation
Planning Commission rejects historic zoning for San Jacinto warehouse
The Planning Commission Tuesday voted against historic zoning for a former warehouse in downtown Austin, siding with the property owner who wants to demolish the building over preservationists seeking to save it. The case began last year when the Historic Landmark Commission halted a demolition permit for the circa-1912 warehouse at 301 San Jacinto Blvd., […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Chacon highlights priorities for Safer Sixth Street plan
Austin’s police chief has highlighted a handful of action steps as the most important things the police department can do to improve safety in the Sixth Street entertainment district, in the wake of a summer mass shooting that killed an out-of-state tourist. At the end of last month, Police Chief Joseph Chacon released a memo […]
Posted inCity Council
Tovo ‘strongly considering’ a run for mayor in 2022
As Council Member Kathie Tovo enters her last year as District 9 representative, she sat down with the Austin Monitor to discuss what she hopes to accomplish in 2022, including a potential run for mayor and how she responded to the considerable challenges of 2021. While Tovo, who was first elected in 2011, said 2020 […]
Posted inDevelopment
Statesman PUD gets first Planning Commission hearing
As the long-anticipated redevelopment of the Austin American-Statesman site at 305 S. Congress Ave. heads toward a City Council vote next year, the development team presented its vision to the Planning Commission on Dec. 14. Preliminary plans for the nearly 19-acre planned unit development, known informally as the Statesman PUD, include 3.6 million total square […]
Posted inDevelopment
Mixed-use options considered for future of police HQ site downtown
Planners see a variety of possibilities for the eventual redevelopment of the Austin Police Department headquarters site downtown, with office space, affordable housing, retail, an event space and recording studio among the possible uses. Those were some of the ideas discussed during a recent competition organized by Urban Land Institute Austin, which organizes local development […]
Posted inParks
Parks board supports Pease Park Conservancy’s programming plan
Eeyore’s annual birthday party and park closures for private events were among the top concerns from some Parks and Recreation Board members Tuesday when the Pease Park Conservancy presented its 2022 programming plan for Kingsbury Commons at the park. The good news is that the long-held Eeyore’s birthday tradition will continue at Pease – although […]
Posted inAustin
Safer Sixth Street push includes call to rezone portions of entertainment district
City staffers expect to deliver recommendations early next month for a pilot program intended to make the Sixth Street entertainment district safer by gradually changing the mix of business and cultural activities there. A recent news report revealed some details of the pilot, saying it would target the 200 and 500 blocks of East Sixth […]
Posted inCourts
Old City Hall could host new downtown court
As Deputy Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Olivares explained during Tuesday’s City Council work session, city staffers are recommending relocating the Downtown Austin Community Court to the Municipal Building at 124 W. Eighth St. She explained that staff had considered 22 different sites in the Central Austin area before deciding that the old City Hall is […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission resists demolition of San Jacinto warehouse
The Historic Landmark Commission faced a proposal to tear down a historic Austin property this past Monday, reviewing an application to demolish a warehouse at 301 San Jacinto Blvd. The brick building, which was constructed in 1912, has since passed through the hands of several notable Austin grocers. Hoping to collect information to justify preservation, the commission […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Ingredients for safer Sixth Street include daytime activities, alternate land uses
The city hopes a plan to increase daytime non-drinking activity, promote a variety of land uses and coordinate safety plans with bar owners will lead to a safer atmosphere in the Sixth Street entertainment district. Following a recent report to City Council from Chief Joseph Chacon on Austin Police Department’s progress on improving safety in […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Chacon gives progress report on making Sixth Street safer
After decades of discussion about the culture and safety of the Sixth Street entertainment district, a team of city staffers from multiple departments is making headway toward carrying out City Council-directed measures to ensure the public’s safety. Council adopted a series of distinct action items in July for the interdepartmental team to review and implement, […]