20191216-5E: Update to the Urban Design Guidelines — original pdf

Recommendation

DESIGN COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20191216-05E December 20, 2019 Re: Update to the Urban Design Guidelines for Austin Honorable Mayor Adler and City Council Members, The Design Commission prides itself in assisting the development of public policy and promoting excellence in the design of the urban environment in Austin. Thanks to our collective expertise, ranging from urban and landscape design, public policy, and architecture, the Design Commission helps shape the future of downtown through our shared vision found in the Urban Design Guidelines. That being said, since the Urban Design Guidelines were adopted by City Council in 2009 Austin has experienced tremendous growth and rapid change. During this time, Council has adopted many new policies that have influenced the vision of our urban core and the now ten-year-old Urban Design Guidelines no longer reflect Austin’s current values. Consequently, the Design Commission respectfully requests that City Council direct staff to initiate a revision process to the Urban Design Guidelines to better align them with Austin’s adopted policies; including, but not limited to: The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, the Downtown Austin Plan, the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, the Austin Core Transportation Plan, Vision Zero, and the Austin Community Climate Plan. Further, the Design Commission requests to be an integral part of this revision process. We offer our expertise to work alongside staff crafting these revisions and it is our hope that by updating the Urban Design Guidelines to reflect Austin’s current policy goals we will have a better tool to influence the design of our urban core. We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to supporting Urban Design Guidelines that promote Austin’s vision of a world class urban environment. Sincerely, David Carroll, AIA Chair, City of Austin Design Commission