The Downtown Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously to recommend City Council adopt a $509,000 contract to install 65 new barriers bordering the Sixth Street Historic District as part of a broader effort to improve safety. Similar to safety interventions undertaken during South by Southwest, the Austin Police Department would install the barriers between Thursdays and […]
Sixth Street
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission pushes for ‘partnership’ on Sixth Street redevelopment
Despite trepidation from developers, the Historic Landmark Commission has recommended a heftier review process for Sixth Street properties slated to be redeveloped under proposed regulations. The code amendments, which were initiated by City Council in June 2022, could raise height limits to 140 feet for buildings on Sixth Street between Neches and Sabine streets. Council’s […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Firearms, unsafe drivers still seen as greatest safety threats for Sixth Street
The presence of firearms and the possibility of a vehicle breaking through barricades and entering crowds are the two greatest threats to Austin’s popular Sixth Street nightlife district, according to police and emergency leaders. The Downtown Commission received updates last week about work being done to improve safety on East Sixth Street, which has seen […]
Posted inPreservation
Preservation leaders show concern over delay in Sixth Street historic district
The push to designate the East Sixth Street entertainment district as a city historic district has been postponed, with Council Member Kathie Tovo opting to wait for proposed new designed guidelines for properties that could be reconstructed as part of an ambitious redevelopment effort. Tovo pulled a resolution at the Sept. 1 City Council meeting […]
Posted inDevelopment
Stream offers more details on Sixth Street renovation plans
Stream Realty Partners offered up more information this week on its plans to remake a section of the Sixth Street entertainment district, emphasizing daytime business and a move away from the high-volume shot bars and nightclubs that have dominated the area for decades. At this week’s Arts Commission meeting, Stream senior vice president Caitlyn Ryan […]
Posted inPlanning
City considers accreditation program for Sixth Street bars to improve security
City staff is considering an accreditation program for bars and nightlife businesses operating in the Sixth Street entertainment district downtown, pushing for more cooperation and standards for safety planning as part of the evolving plan to address safety concerns in the area. Other strategies under consideration include preventing crowds from gathering in the middle of […]
Posted inPlanning
Stream reveals details of six possible new Sixth Street music venues
Stream Realty Partners is eyeing the possibility of turning at least six of its properties on East Sixth Street into music venues, including a plan to convert the former Buffalo Billiards space into a daytime food hall with music in the evenings. The partial reveals came Friday at a special meeting of the Music Commission where Caitlyn […]
Posted inPreservation
Council holds Sixth Street historic district until after summer break
The city will wait until July to consider creating a local historic district along a section of East Sixth Street that has been identified by a Dallas developer as prime for redevelopment. City Council had planned to discuss and take action at its June 16 meeting on a resolution led by Council Member Kathie Tovo […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Sixth Street reboot gets first Council OK to raise building heights
In one of the most significant moves to remake the city’s downtown entertainment district along East Sixth Street, a Dallas developer has received the first OK aimed at raising mixed-use buildings up to 140 feet high to the area. Last week City Council voted 9-0 to move forward with a proposed amendment to the city’s […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Safer Sixth Street memo pushes new cameras, advises against gun buyback
The city is moving ahead with several new components of last year’s Safer Sixth Street initiative, with police, fire and emergency services staff already using a new staging area on Neches Street intended to improve response times for medical needs and “no-notice” events. In a memo released last week, Joe Chacon, chief of the Austin […]
Posted inPlanning
Sixth Street plans could create cushion for new incubator music venues
While new mega-capacity venues such as the Moody Center (capacity 15,000) or the Moody Amphitheater (5,000) attract high-ticket tours from established performers, the smaller clubs that can hold 300 people or less are often the most threatened by the city’s hot real estate market as rising rents clash with profit margins that typically top out […]
Posted inPlanning
Stream Realty reveals plans for reinventing ‘dirty Sixth’
If the downtown Sixth Street entertainment district is going to achieve a successful transformation in the coming years, the first real glimpse of its future will come from the improvements planned for the north side of the two blocks between Neches and Sabine streets. Dallas-based Stream Realty Partners owns an uninterrupted stretch of properties there […]