Downtown Development Initiatives

Summary

Status

Block 4: see Block 4 Development Initiative.

Waller Creek: On January 15 the City Council approved a resolution directing the City Manager to facilitate the holding of a design charrette involving all of the stakeholders to provide a broad based vision and design concepts for the creation of the master plan. The tentative date for the charrette is the weekend of April 4. (see also Waller Creek Flood-Management and Water Quality Improvements).

Design Guidelines: see Downtown Design Guidelines.

Downtown Development Advisory Group: The Downtown Development Advisory Group meets on a weekly basis and forwards their recommendations to Council. They have reviewed the proposed letters of intent for the Block 4 and Pole Yard Development Initiatives and financing improvements to the Waller Creek corridor, and have discussed guidelines for the lease of City-owned land and affordable housing.

Heritage Austin: Heritage Austin is a program of the Heritage Society of Austin. The team, comprising five local architects, meets weekly to develop a community values based vision for downtown, as well as fourteen issue papers. Heritage Austin will soon be opening a Storefront Community Design Center at 807 Congress Avenue.

Description

• directing the City Manager to initiate a study to determine the feasibility of developing the Electric Utility "Pole Yard" property for residential uses, and developing a public-private cooperative venture;
• directing the City Manager to develop a letter of intent outlining a public-private joint venture for redeveloping the City's Block 4 and the privately held Block 20 into a mixed-use residential project;
• directing the City Manager to initiate discussions with public institutions and private interests to develop a public-private cooperative effort for proposed improvements to Waller Creek;
• directing the Design Commission to prepare draft design guidelines for the city's downtown region, building on previous Council actions, planning studies and community consensus building exercises;
• creating a Downtown Development Advisory Group to advise the Council on specific projects as well as long term policy decisions regarding City-owned assets in the downtown area, and;
• endorsing the Heritage Austin public input process, and resolving that Heritage Austin serve as an independent planning resource and advisory body to the City Council for downtown Austin, working parallel and in conjunction with the downtown development advisory group.

Basic Data

• Project Contact: Michael Knox, Senior Planner, 499-6418