DESIGN COMMISSION MINUTES REGULAR MEETING Monday, September 28,2026 The Design Commission convened in a Regular meeting on Monday, September 28, 2026, at the Permitting and Development Center, Room 1405, located at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive in Austin, Texas. Chair Marissa McKinney called the Design Commission meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Marissa McKinney, Chair Kevin Howard, Vice Chair Ramachandra “Rao” Aradhyula Nkiru Gelles Jon Salinas Brendan Wittstruck Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Saira Khan Jousue Meiners Jenny Murkes PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None Present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Design Commission Regular Meeting on August 24, 2026. The minutes from the Design Commission regular meeting on August 24, 2026, were approved on Vice Chair Howard’s motion, Commissioner Wittstruck second on a vote of 7-0 with 2 abstaining. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing on phase two of the DDBP and its stakeholder engagement plan. Presented by Warner Cook, Austin Planning. Sponsors: Vice Chair Howard and Commissioner Wittstruck. Item was discussed. 1 DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Discussion on items within the annual internal review, such as changes to the Design Commission bylaws and policies not currently covered by the Commission, as well as discussion of the board’s goals and objectives for the new calendar year. Sponsors: Chair McKinney and Vice Chair Howard. Item was discussed. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. Discussion and possible action on clarifying the future role of the Design Commission. Sponsors: Chair McKinney and Vice Chair Howard. Item was discussed and no action was taken. COMMITTEE UPDATES 5. Update from the representative of the Downtown Commission regarding the meeting on September 16, 2026. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Working group updates from the Urban Design Guidelines working group. Discussion and possible action on sending recommendations to the city council regarding Design Commission Bylaws, revisions, and the future role of the Design Commission. Sponsors: Commissioner Wittstruck and Vice Chair Howard. ADJOURNMENT Chair Marissa McKinney adjourned the meeting at 8:05 p.m. without objection. 2
2027 DESIGN COMMISSION MEETING DATES AND DEADLINES Permitting and Development Center 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, Austin, Texas 78752 Room 1405 | 6:00 PM Meeting Date 4th Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. (Unless otherwise noted) January 25th February 22rd March 22rd April 26th May 24th June 28nd July – No Meeting August 23th September 27th October 25th 1November 15th 2December 13th Materials Deadline 10 days prior to the Meeting by close of business (5:00 p.m.) (No Exceptions) January 15th February 12th March 12th April 16th May 14th June 18th Not Applicable August 13th September 17th October 15th November 5th December 3th 1 Meeting moved from 4th Monday to 3rd Monday due to Thanksgiving Holiday 2 Meeting moved from 4th Monday to 2nd Monday due to Christmas Holiday
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Design Commission Recommendation 01: Revision to City Code Description of Recommendation to Council: Date of Approval: X/X/2026 The Design Commission recommends that Austin City Council rename and redesignate the Design Commission as the Urban Design Commission. ● Amend The Code of the City of Austin Title 2, Chapter 2.1 - City boards, Article Recommendation Number: 20261026-00X: Future Role for the City of Austin Design Commission and Commitment to Quality Urban Design in the City of Austin DRAFT 2-1-130 to revise all instances of “Design Commission” to “Urban Design Commission”; Amend bylaws to revise all instances of “Design Commission” to “Urban Design Commission” 2. Simplify and clarify purview by shifting from discretionary to mandatory The Design Commission recommends the following revisions to the bylaws governing the Commission; Recommendations include: 1. Rename the Commission to the “Urban Design Commission”; Recommendation 02: Revision to Commission Bylaws review; Bylaw amendments would require applicable projects to come before the Urban Design Commission before their respective Planning or Zoning and Platting Commission hearings and require projects be presented to City Council and Land Use Commissions with Urban Design Commission recommendation attached. Existing code and criteria manual language would be updated to reflect name change and remove any existing language related to the current Design Commission’s review of Downtown Density Bonus Program projects for compliance with the Urban Design Guidelines; We recommend that Council revise the Design Commission bylaws as follows: Article 1- NAME. The name of the board is Design Commission Urban Design Commission. 3. Clarify purpose and duties of the Commission, define mandatory referral items; Bylaws would state that the Urban Design Commission is the City’s advisory body of record on urban design outcomes citywide and define projects having specific issues of urban design as as mandatory referral items, generally including: major investments on city-owned land, major efforts impacting street design, land development code amendments in geographies with a multi-modal focus, and customized regulatory tools for special areas, as defined in the bylaws redline below. Rational: Support clarity and broader understanding of the Commission’s role and duties. Shed the Commission's association with project-level 'design review board' functions. This association is no longer appropriate following (1) the replacement of substantial-compliance review under the Urban Design Guidelines with compliance under the Downtown Density Bonus Program Urban Design Standards, and (2) the elimination of the Commission's role in reviewing individual Downtown Density Bonus Program projects. …
REGULAR MEETING OF THE DESIGN COMMISSION MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2026, 6:00 P.M. PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 1405 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE 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 Stephen Crews at 512- 978-1399 or Stephen.crews@austintexas.gov . CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Marissa McKinney, Chair Kevin Howard, Vice Chair Ramachandra “Rao” Aradhyula David Carroll Nkiru Gelles Saira Khan CALL TO ORDER AGENDA Conners Ladner Josue Meiners Evgenia “Jenny” Murkes Jon Salinas Brendan Wittstruck PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL 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 1. Approve the minutes of the Design Commission regular meeting on September 28th, 2026. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. 3. Discussion and possible action on approving a recommendation to Council regarding the future roles, name, and mission of the Design Commission. Sponsors: Commissioner Wittstruck and Vice Chair Howard. Discussion and possible action to approve the Design Commission annual schedule for 2027. 4. Discussion and possible action to approve a recommendation to the Austin City Council regarding the Green Infrastructure Initiative. Sponsors: Commissioner Carroll and Commissioner Wittstruck. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 5. Update from Urban Design Guidelines Working group regarding the future of the Design Commission. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS City Code requires at least 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 Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than …
Recommendation to the Austin City Council Regarding the Green Infrastructure Initiative WHEREAS, the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan outlines a vision for a complete community where development occurs in connected and pedestrian friendly patterns supporting transit and identifying green infrastructure as a key strategy to achieve these goals; and WHEREAS, the Austin Climate Equity Plan and the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan call for a 50/50 mode share whereby 50 percent of commutes are made in ways other than driving alone and envision completing the Bicycle, Sidewalk, and Urban Trails Plans by 2039; and WHEREAS, in 2013, Council approved Resolution No. 20131212-080 that directed the City Manager to create and implement the Complete Streets Policy which encouraged city streets to integrate nature and green practices into our city including trees, landscaping, and rain gardens, also known as Green Infrastructure; and WHEREAS, street trees are critical infrastructure, providing shade, mitigating urban heat, managing stormwater, improving air quality, and enhancing the safety, comfort, and quality of the public realm; and WHEREAS, on March 21, 2024, the Austin City Council adopted Resolution No. 20240321-039, directing the City Manager to resolve existing barriers to implementing street trees and advance their integration into public rights-of-way; and WHEREAS, the Austin Roadmap for Advancing Green Infrastructure in the Right-of-Way identifies regulatory, technical, procedural, and institutional barriers and recommends actions to prioritize street trees in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of Austin's streets; and WHEREAS, tax payers are making substantial, once-in-a-generation investments to make our streets safe, comfortable, and support sustainable mobility options including, Project Connect, East Avenue Trail and I-35 cap and stitch parks, Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative, Corridor Mobility Bond projects, to which tree-lined streets are essential to the function, return on public investment, and long-term legacy of these projects; and WHEREAS, Incorporating tree-lined streets into these improvements relies on the implementation of the Austin Roadmap for Advancing Green Infrastructure in the Right-of-Way, making timely and effective resolution imperative; and WHEREAS, implementing these recommendations in Austin’s constrained rights-of-way requires reconciling legitimate and sometimes competing infrastructure objectives, including preserving sufficient planting sites between the sidewalk and the roadbed to provide a continuous canopy of street trees, providing enough soil volume to support tree health, minimizing the risk that tree root growth will damage utilities, and ensuring fast and cost-effective utility serviceability in the event of emergencies; and WHEREAS, successful implementation requires sustained City leadership, clearly defined responsibilities, …
