Downtown

April 1999

• 200 Block Congress Avenue
  Construction and utility delays have extended the completion date to May 29, 1999.

• Austin Downtown Rangers
  The Rangers have adjusted their hours to further help impact the minor crimes in the Public Improvement District. The new hours are from 6:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. The Rangers also received new bicycles in April 1999.

• Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH)
  The City's recent agreement with the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) requires that the resource center be relocated. City staff have identified several alternative sites for this program and expect to have the program relocated by mid-July 1999.

• Block 4 Residential Development
  Preliminary redesign work is being done for the new location on Block 22.

• Downtown Design Guidelines
  The Design Commission has completed the final draft of the guidelines, and will be forwarding them to the City Council in May.

• Downtown Litter Removal
  On May 1, 1999, the Downtown Austin Alliance contracted with the Easter Seals to perform litter removal from sidewalks, curb, gutters in the Downtown Austin Public Improvement District, including Waller Creek.

• Downtown Development Initiatives
  
  • Downtown Development Advisory Group: The Downtown Development Advisory Group expects to have their final report ready to forward to the City Council by the end of May. Included in the report will be a recommendation for a downtown planning and development corporation.

• Downtown Parking Study
  A Request for Qualifications was issued February 26, 1999. Seven responses were received and reviewed. A recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council in May.

• Downtown Tuesday Noontime Concerts
  The Spring 1999 season of this Downtown Austin Alliance program began April 6 and will run every Tuesday, 12 noon-1:00 p.m. until June 29. The schedule is:
  • April 6 - Memphis Train (Popular Austin 10-piece Show Band and LOTS of Fun!)
  • April 13 - Mr. Fabulous (The KING of LOUNGE)
  • April 20 - Time Travellers (Swingin' and Singin' to the Great Music of the 1940s, '50s, '60s & '70s)
  • April 27 - Corky Robinson & the Keynotes (Big Band Sounds & New Orleans Jazz)
  • May 4 - Bobby D & The Rockhouse Band (Good Ol' Rock 'n Roll!)
  • May 11 - Champ Hood & the Threadgill's Troubadours (Texas Folk, Singers/Songwriters)
  • May 18 - Jimmy Lee Jones & the Hill Country Band (Now These Folks are Texans!)
  • May 25 - Majestics (It's Reggae, Mon!)
  • June 1 - Texana Dames (A Mom, Her Daughters, Their Friends–Austin Favorites!!!)
  • June 8 - Jazz Pharaohs (Hey! Jazz Rules!)
  • June 15 - BoxcarS (Austin Chanteuse Christine Albert & Mr. Gage...and Why Do They Spell It with a Big 'S'?)
  • June 22 - Thad Beckman (Singer/Songwriter with a Blues Twist!)
  • June 29 - Ponty Bone & the Squeezetones (Squeezin' Out Loooosiana Accordion Tones)

• Driskill Hotel (E. 6th Street & Brazos Street)
  The project is about 95% complete. The work continues on the Brazos side of the Driskill Hotel. All areas are almost complete. All areas still need the trees and shrubs.

• Great Streets Program
  
  1. Congress Avenue's 200 block is receiving streetscaping to match the rest of the "Main Street of Texas." Construction on the west side is finished. The east side is scheduled to be finished by the end of May.
  2. The Driskill corner construction will be completed in May 1999.
  3. The Downtown Austin Alliance has contracted with Donna Carter, Carter Design Associates, to develop a standard streetscape design for Downtown, to be used as the minimum standard.

• Lamar Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Facility
  The City Council authorized HDR Engineering to provide design phase services in January 1999. The design phase is in progress.

• One Stop Labor Center
  The number of laborers utilizing the One Stop Labor Center has increased. As a result, the program is now focusing on increasing employer participation. Further improvements are to the program are continuing, as follows:
  1. Relocation: City staff is negotiating an agreement to secure a new site for the One Stop Labor Center. Staff is also meeting with residents from neighborhoods near the potential site to address their concerns.
  2. Outreach: Outreach workers employed under contract with El Buen Samaritano have been working for several months to increase the number of day laborers using the program. Outreach workers are also working to increase ownership of the program among laborers by establishing a workers advisory board. This advisory board will share responsibility in program design and decision making.
  3. Structural Changes: Since the role of the One Stop Labor Center is to help people secure employment, efforts are being made to increase the involvement of the Capital Area Workforce Development Board. For a short time, the Texas Workforce Commission had staff assigned to work at the site. Staff was later removed due to logistical problems, however, efforts are being made to re-assign Workforce Commission staff to the new location.

• Poleyard Residential Development
  Details of the ground lease are being finalized. Construction is expected to begin in August.

• Scattered Cooperative Infill Housing Program (SCIP II)
  The Anderson Community Development Corporation (ACDC), the sponsoring non-profit, anticipates commencing construction on the south side of East 12th Street of townhome units. The units, currently slated as rental, will provide an additional 16 units in the SCIP II project. Construction is anticipated to commence within 60 - 90 days. Planning and design activities to reroute drainage lines in the SCIP II and East 11th and 12th Street Redevelopment Plan areas continue with construction expected to commence during mid-year 1999, subject to sale of the Bonds approved in the November 1998 elections.

• Town Lake Park Master Plan
  The consultants have held a series of public workshops in February, March and April. The next workshops are tentatively scheduled for June 14 and 15. The completed master plan is expected to be presented to the City Council in late June or early July.

• Waller Creek Flood-Management and Water Quality Improvements
  The engineering services contract will be presented to the City Council on May 20, 1999 for approval. The preliminary engineering will begin in June 1999.

• Waller Creek Trail and Park Improvements
  
  • Town Lake and Waller Creek site: Project completed except for kiosk and benches.
  • Cesar Chavez site: No construction yet
  • Trask House site: Project complete except for kiosk & benches
  • Palm Park: Project complete
  • Sixth Street Gate: Project complete
  • Seventh Street Bridge Lighting: No construction yet
  • Ninth Street Ramp: Project complete
  • Doyle House Ramp: Project complete
  • Symphony Square: No construction yet
  • Waterloo Park: Demolition complete, beginning to pour concrete for new walks
  In addition to the site construction, we are in the process of bidding out materials, such as the pedestrian bridge, benches and other site furnishings, signage, etc.