REGULAR MEETING of the DESIGN COMMISSION MONDAY, MAY 13, 2024, 6:00 PM PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 1405 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Design Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via 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 by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Nicole Corona, at 512-974-3146 or nicole.corona@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Jon Salinas, Chair Josue Meiners, Vice Chair David Carroll Nkiru Gelles Kevin Howard Conners Ladner AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Chi Lee Ben Luckens Marissa McKinney Brita Wallace Brendan Wittstruck The first five 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 Approve the minutes of the Design Commission regular meeting on April 22, 2024. 1. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Select a representative to serve on the Downtown Commission per City Code § 2-1-140. 2. WORKING GROUP/COMMITTEE UPDATES 3. 4. Update from the Urban Design Guidelines Working Group regarding the meeting on May 10, 2024. Update from the representative of the Joint Sustainability Committee regarding the meeting on April 24, 2024 and April 30, 2024. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Note: City Code requires two board members sponsor an item to be included on an agenda. This section of the agenda provides members an opportunity to request items for future agendas. Staff should assume that if there is no objection from other members expressed at the meeting, the members’ silence indicates approval for staff to include on the next agenda. ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call or email Nicole Corona at the Planning Department, at 512-974-3146 or nicole.corona@austintexas.gov for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the …
1. DESIGN COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2024 The Design Commission convened a regular meeting on Monday, April 22, 2024, at the Permitting and Development Center, Room 1405, located at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive in Austin, Texas. Chair Salinas called the Design Commission meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Jon Salinas, Chair Josue Meiners, Vice Chair Kevin Howard Nkiru Gelles Chi Lee Marissa McKinney Brita Wallace Brendan Wittstruck Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: None PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Design Commission meeting on March 25, 2024. The minutes from the meeting of 03/25/2024 were approved on Vice Chair Meiner’s motion, Commissioner McKinney’s second on a 7-0-1 vote. Commissioner Howard abstained. Commissioner Carroll, Commissioner Ladner, and Commissioner Luckens were absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 8. Presentation by Lily Rerecich and Heidi Trudell, Travis Audubon Society, regarding bird- safe buildings. The presentation was made by Lily Rerecich and Heidi Trudell. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Discussion and action to recommend to City Council the Sound Assessment and Disclosure Requirements Proposal. Presented by Brian Block, Development Services Department. The motion to not recommend the Sound Assessment and Disclosure Requirements Proposal to City Council was approved on Commissioner Wallace’s motion, Commissioner McKinney’s second on a 7-0-1 vote. Commissioner Lee abstained. Commissioner Carroll, Commissioner Ladner, and Commissioner Luckens were absent. Discussion and action to recommend to City Council whether the project Mexic-Arte Museum Renovation, located at 419 Congress Avenue, complies with the City Design and Sustainability Standards. Presented by Matt Catterall, Levy Dykema, and Sylvia Orozco, Mexic-Arte Museum. The motion that the project Mexic-Arte Museum Renovation, located at 419 Congress Avenue, complies with the City Design and Sustainability Standards was approved on Vice Chair Meiner’s motion, Commissioner Wittstruck’s second on a 7-0-1 vote. Commissioner Howard recused himself from this item due to a conflict of interest and left the dais. Commissioner Carroll, Commissioner Ladner, and Commissioner Luckens were absent. Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair. The motion to nominate Jon Salinas as Chair was approved on Vice Chair Meiner’s motion, Commissioner Whittstruck’s second on an 8-0 vote. Commissioner Carroll, Commissioner Ladner, and Commissioner Luckens were absent. The motion to nominate Josue Meiners as Vice Chair was approved on Chair Salinas’s motion, Commissioner Whittstruck’s second on an 8-0 vote. Commissioner Carroll, Commissioner Ladner, and Commissioner Luckens were …
Urban Design Guidelines Table of Contents (Draft with Notes) CORE PRINCIPLES CP-A: Protect pedestrians and bicyclists from the elements: Compared to those in motor vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists are more vulnerable to wind, precipitation, and sun. To make walking and biking more safe, convenient, and enjoyable, projects should be designed to protect people from inclement conditions. As climate change escalates, days of extreme heat and other extreme weather events will increase. Protection from these elements will become even more critical to life-safety and livability in the coming years. GUIDELINE A1: Protect pedestrians and bicyclists from wind. GUIDELINE A2: Protect pedestrians from precipitation. ○ Provide suspended paving or structural soil for street trees. GUIDELINE A3: Protect pedestrians and bicyclists from the sun and heat. GUIDELINE A4: Design to mitigate heat island effect. (Zoomed out, not microclimate around ped bike environment but reducing region urban impact). ○ Utilize high-albedo materials on roofs and walking surfaces. ○ Include green roof(s) or vertical green. CP-B: Protect pedestrians and bicyclists from motor vehicles: Motor vehicles pose a physical threat to the health and safety of pedestrians and cyclists. The design of the public realm has the ability and responsibility to promote safe driver behavior and provide the appropriate barriers to protect pedestrians and cyclists from the perceived or real risk of physical harm. GUIDELINE B1: Locate curb cuts to minimize their impact on the streetscape and curb lane. GUIDELINE B2: Provide driveway and intersection designs that clearly indicate that bicycles and pedestrians have the right of way. ○ conditions include - Loading zones and drop-off areas should not conflict or encroach. ○ Service areas, loading docks, and garage entries. GUIDELINE B3: Minimize crossing distances. GUIDELINE B4: Provide self-enforcing physical barriers between motor vehicles and bikes and peds. ○ conditions include - Loading zones and drop-off areas should not conflict or encroach. GUIDELINE B5: Slow motor vehicles to safe speeds using environmental design. GUIDELINE B6: Provide lighting with high uniformity around intersections, curb cuts and areas of modal conflict. CP-C: Activate and engage the sidewalk, and publicly accessible open spaces: To make Austin more walkable, there must be functional reasons to be on the sidewalk, and sidewalks must be visually interesting and social- with high visual and physical connectivity from the sidewalk to active ground floor uses. This is about the public realm engaging the public realm GUIDELINE C1: Do Not Provide Drive-Thrus or auto-oriented uses. …
DESIGN COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MONDAY, MAY 13, 2024 The Design Commission convened in a regular meeting on Monday, May 13, 2024, at the Permitting and Development Center, Room 1405, located at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco in Austin, Texas. Chair Salinas called the Design Commission meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Jon Salinas, Chair David Carroll Nkiru Gelles Conners Ladner Ben Luckens Marissa McKinney Brita Wallace Brendan Wittstruck Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: None PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 1 1. Approve the minutes of the Design Commission regular meeting on April 22, 2024. The minutes from the meeting of 04/22/2024 were approved on Commissioner McKinney’s motion, Commissioner Wallace’s second on a 7-0-1 vote. Commissioner Carroll abstained. Vice Chair Meiners, Commissioner Howard, and Commissioner Lee were absent. 2. 4. Select a representative to serve on the Downtown Commission per City Code § 2-1-140. No action was taken. WORKING GROUP/COMMITTEE UPDATES 3. Update from the Urban Design Guidelines Working Group regarding the meeting on May 10, 2024. Update was given by Commissioner Carroll. Update from the representative of the Joint Sustainability Committee regarding the meeting on April 24, 2024 and April 30, 2024. Update was given by Chair Salinas. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Update membership of the Urban Design Guidelines Working Group Sponsor: Cosponsor: Chair Salinas adjourned the meeting at 7:06 p.m. without objection. The minutes were approved at the 06/24/2024 meeting on Commissioner Salinas’s motion, Commissioner Howard’s second one a 7-0 vote. Commissioners Ladner, Lee, McKinney, and Wittstruck were absent. 2
