Community Development Commission Regular Meeting of the Community Development Commission - This regular meeting of the CDC will follow a hybrid format - remote and in-person. Please see agenda for details
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (CDC) MEETING March 11, 2025 – 6:30 PM Austin City Hall, Boards and Commissions – Room 1101 301 West 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701 Some members of the Community Development Commission may be participating by video conference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, call or email the board liaison at 512-974-3108 or edward.blake@austintexas.gov Cynthia Jaso Dove Springs Jose Noe Elias Montopolis Jenny E. Achilles Private Sector Appointee Raul E Longoria Public Sector Appointee South Austin CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Jo Anne Ortiz Public Sector Appointee Julia Woods South Austin Vacant St. John’s Nyeka Arnold North Austin Bertha Delgado East Austin Vacant Rosewood- Zaragosa/Blackland Vacant Public Sector Appointee Vacant Colony Park Tisha-Vonique Hood Public Sector Appointee Vacant Private Sector Appointee Vacant Public Sector Appointee Please visit https://austintexas.gov/cdc for more information about the Community Development Commission. Purpose: The purpose of the board is to advise the Council in the development and implementation of programs designed to serve the poor and the community at large with an emphasis on federally funded programs. AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Approve the February 11, 2025, Community Development Commission meeting minutes. 2. Updates on the voting outcome for Public Sector Appointees for the Community Development Commission (Angel Zambrano, Manager, Neighborhood Services Unit, Austin Public Health). 3. Presentation from the Housing Authority regarding updates for Santa Rita Courts, Rosewood Courts, and Chalmers Courts (Ann Gass, Director of Strategic Housing Initiatives, and Sylvia Calderon Chief Operating Officer, Housing Authority City of Austin). 4. Presentation regarding the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) activities and outcomes (Angel Zambrano, Manager, Neighborhood Services Unit, Austin Public Health). 5. Updates on the potential implications of the proposed federal spending cuts to local programs and services (Mandy DeMayo, Interim Director Housing Department). 6. Discussion of the Nominations Process for the Community Development Commission officers (Vice Chair Elias, …
Housing Authority of the City of Austin Bringing Opportunity Home DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Rosewood Courts & Santa Rita Courts Sylvia Calderon, Chief Operating Officer Ann Gass, Director of Strategic Housing Initiatives March 11, 2025 ROSEWOOD COURTS Status Update 1. NEW CONSTRUCTION 2. RESTORATION 3. HOMEOWNERSHIP ROSEWOOD COURTS Status Update 1. NEW CONSTRUCTION ROSEWOOD COURTS Status Update 2. RESTORATION ROSEWOOD COURTS Status Update 3. HOMEOWNERSHIP ROSEWOOD COURTS Status Update ROSEWOOD COURTS Status Update 1. NEW CONSTRUCTION SANTA RITA COURTS Current State 97 units SANTA RITA COURTS Current State SANTA RITA COURTS Current State SANTA RITA COURTS Status Update Subject to change SANTA RITA COURTS Status Update PHASE 1 96 units Subject to change SANTA RITA COURTS Status Update PHASE 2 ~96 units Subject to change SANTA RITA COURTS Status Update Subject to change SANTA RITA COURTS Status Update Subject to change SANTA RITA COURTS Status Update Subject t change SANTA RITA COURTS Status Update TIMELINE PHASE 1 Late 2025/Early 2026: Resident relocation begins Mid 2026: Construction begins Late 2027: First units available Subject to change
Community Services Block Grant 2024 Contract Programmatic/Financial Report March 11, 2025 The Community Services Block Grant funds the delivery of services to low income Texas residents in all 254 counties. These funds support a variety of direct services in addition to helping maintain the core administrative elements of community action agencies. For the City of Austin, the grant provides funding for the delivery of basic needs, case management, preventive health and employment support services through the City’s seven (7) Neighborhood Centers. Mission: The Neighborhood Services Unit improves the lives and health of people experiencing poverty by providing public health and social services and connecting residents of Austin and Travis County to community resources. ◼ Basic Needs (food, clothing, information and referral, notary services, transportation, car safety education and car seats, tax preparation, fans, Thanksgiving food baskets and other seasonal activities); ◼ Preventive Health (screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar including a1C, and cholesterol; pregnancy testing; health promotion presentations, coordination and participation in health fairs, immunizations, coordination of wellness activities, linkages to medical home providers and diabetes case management); ◼ Case Management (individual/family support counseling, advocacy, self-sufficiency case management, crisis intervention, linkages with employers, educational opportunities and training, and working with individuals on quality of life issues); ◼ Employment Support (intake, assessment and goal setting, job readiness training, job placement assistance, and job retention services) Expenditures Categories 2024 Contract Budget % of Total Personnel Fringe Benefits Other Total $1,140,731.00 Cumulative Expenditures as of 1/31/25 $674,334.52 $347,548.02 $19,550 $1,041,432.54 91% 1 4 4E 5 5B 5D 4C 4I 5A 5JJ 7A 7B 7D 7N Transition Out of Poverty Goal Goal Achieved TOP Individuals who transitioned out of poverty 43 5 Success Rate% 12% Austin Public Health Report on PY24 Community Action Plan MISSION: To prevent disease, promote health, and protect the well-being of our community. TOP 5 NEEDS: Housing; Basic Needs; Employment; Health; Income Report Date January FNPI Outcome Description Target #Enrolled #Achieved Success Rate % Housing Households who avoided eviction Health and Social/Behavioral Development Individuals who demonstrated improved physical health and well being Individuals who improved skills related to the adult role of parents/caregivers 1000 20 50 38 SRV 3O Service Description Tax Preparation Programs Number Served A Year Ago #Enrolled #Achieved Success Rate % 38 0 285 8,108 17,485 38 7 46 133 3 102 222 Rent Payments Utility Payments Immunizations Food Distribution Case Management Eligibility Determinations Transportation Emergency Clothing …
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 202503XX-X Implementation of Anticipated Equity Overlay Recommendations Seconded By: Commissioner Date: March XX, 2025 Subject: FY26 Budget Recommendations Motioned By: Commissioner Recommendation The Austin Community Development Commission received unprecedented testimony from the community supporting the Equity Overlay. An Equity Overlay would allow for vulnerable communities to have a voice in the development process in order to decrease the pressures from gentrification and displacement. Our commission has been updated on the progress of the ongoing Equity Overlay feasibility study and we anticipate a report that includes recommendations that the Austin City Council can move to implement. Therefore, the Community Development Commission recommends that the Austin City Council plan for the budget implications that will come from implementing the recommendations that will come from the study. We recommend that the City Council proactively allocate appropriate funding to properly plan for the anticipated recommendations. Description of Recommendation to Council ● Provide appropriate funding to implement the recommendations from the Equity Overlay Feasibility Study Rationale Since the 1820’s, when white settlers came to the area now known as Austin and displaced the Indigenous population of the area, the most vulnerable communities were targeted by developers and speculators in order to make a profit. In the 20th Century, the 1928 Master Plan displaced our black and brown communities in the name of development and for the gain of developers and speculators. The story continues with the construction of Interstate 35, with Urban Renewal, with designating East Austin a “desirable development zone”, and more recently with SMART Growth and rewriting of the Land development Code to push for more density. The legacy of our city is one of sacrificing our most vulnerable communities in the name of development and for the gain of developers and speculators. East Austin has been drastically transformed and BIPOC residents have been displaced, and neighborhoods like Dove Springs, Montopolis and Rundberg face more and more pressure from developers and speculators. According to the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department, in its impact statement relating to the HOME Initiative, “upzoning historically marginalized neighborhoods leads to displacement,” and “parties with more resources may take advantage of the new regulatory landscape, while those with fewest resources experience an increase in precarity.” As our Eastern Crescent communities, mostly BIPOC and low-income, continue to face these pressures, the community has lifted its voice to call for an Equity Overlay. The Austin …
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20250311-007 Seconded By: Commissioner Ortiz Date: March 11th, 2025 Subject: FY25-26 Budget Recommendation Motioned By: Commissioner Longoria Recommendation The Austin Community Development Commission received unprecedented testimony from the community supporting the Equity Overlay. An Equity Overlay would allow for vulnerable communities to have a voice in the development process in order to decrease the pressures from gentrification and displacement. Our commission has been updated on the progress of the ongoing Equity Overlay feasibility study and we anticipate a report that includes recommendations that the Austin City Council can move to implement. Therefore, the Community Development Commission recommends that the Austin City Council plan for the budget implications that will come from implementing the recommendations that will come from the study. We recommend that the City Council proactively allocate appropriate funding to properly plan for the anticipated recommendations. Description of Recommendation to Council ● Provide appropriate funding to implement the recommendations from the Equity Overlay Feasibility Study Rationale: Since the 1820’s, when white settlers came to the area now known as Austin and displaced the Indigenous population of the area, the most vulnerable communities were targeted by developers and speculators in order to make a profit. In the 20th Century, the 1928 Master Plan displaced our black and brown communities in the name of development and for the gain of developers and speculators. The story continues with the construction of Interstate 35, with Urban Renewal, with designating East Austin a “desirable development zone”, and more recently with SMART Growth and rewriting of the Land development Code to push for more density. The legacy of our city is one of sacrificing our most vulnerable communities in the name of development and for the gain of developers and speculators. East Austin has been drastically transformed and BIPOC residents have been displaced, and neighborhoods like Dove Springs, Montopolis and Rundberg face more and more pressure from developers and speculators. According to the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department, in its impact statement relating to the HOME Initiative, “upzoning historically marginalized neighborhoods leads to displacement,” and “parties with more resources may take advantage of the new regulatory landscape, while those with fewest resources experience an increase in precarity.” As our Eastern Crescent communities, mostly BIPOC and low-income, continue to face these pressures, the 1 of 2 community has lifted its voice to call for an Equity Overlay. The Austin City …
