01.Draft Meeting Minutes February 2, 2026 — original pdf

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DESIGN COMMISSION MINUTES SPECIAL CALLED MEETING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2026 The Design Commission convened in a Special Called meeting on Monday, February 2, 2026, at the Permitting and Development Center, Room 1407, located at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive in Austin, Texas. Chair Salinas called the Design Commission meeting to order at 6:13 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Jon Salinas, Chair Ramachandra “Rao” Aradhyula David Carroll Nkiru Gelles Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Marissa McKinney Evgenia “Jenny” Murkes Brendan Wittstruck PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Philip Wiley, Imagine Austin. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Design Commission regular meeting on December 15, 2025. The minutes from the Design Commission regular meeting on December 15, 2025, were approved on Commissioner Wittstruck’s motion, Commissioner Carroll’s second on a 7-0 vote. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing regarding the update to the Downtown Density Bonus Program. Presentation by Alan Pani, Austin Planning. Sponsors: Commissioners Howard, Murkes, and Wittstruck. The presentation was made by Alan Pani, Austin Planning. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1 3. Discussion of the Design Commission’s strategy prioritizing urban design in Density Bonus Program projects in the City of Austin. Sponsors: Commissioners Howard and Wittstruck. The motion to postpone this item to February 23, 2026, was approved on Commissioner Wittstruck’s motion, Chair Salinas’ second, on a 7-0 vote. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. 5. 6. Discussion and action to recommend to City Council two-way conversions downtown. Presented by Adam Greenfield, Safe Streets. Sponsors: Commissioners Carroll and Howard. The motion to approve the recommendation to City Council to support two-way street conversions downtown was approved on Commissioner Aradhyula’s motion, Commissioner Carroll’s second, on a 7-0 vote. Discussion and action to recommend to City Council whether the project W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & Nueces Street, located at 601, 607, 611, 619 West Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, 1809 Rio Grande Street, 1806 Nueces Street, 1801 Rio Grande Street, 604 West 18th Street and 1800 Nueces Street, complies with the Urban Design Guidelines for the City of Austin in accordance with Land Development Code § 25-2-586 (C)(1)(a)(ii). Presented by Leah Bojo, Drenner Group, PC, Justin Short, STG Design, and Chris Jackson, Fable Landscape Architecture. The motion to approve the recommendation to City Council that the project W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & Nueces Street, located at 601, 607, 611, 619 West Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, 1809 Rio Grande Street, 1806 Nueces Street, 1801 Rio Grande Street, 604 West 18th Street and 1800 Nueces Street, complies with the Urban Design Guidelines for the City of Austin was approved on Chair Salinas’ motion, Commissioner Carroll’s second, on a 7-0 vote. Approve a recommendation to City Council to recognize the Design Commission as an official stakeholder in the Density Bonus Program update process and recommend that the Design Commission and Staff advance council-requested updates to the Urban Design Guidelines. Sponsors: Commissioners Aradhyula and Wittstruck. The motion to approve the recommendation to City Council to recognize Design Commission as an official stakeholder in the Density Bonus Program update process and recommend that the Design Commission and Staff advance council-requested updates to the Urban Design Guidelines was approved on Commissioner Wittstruck’s motion, Commissioner Carroll’s second, on a 7-0 vote. COMMITTEE UPDATES 7. 8. Update from the representative of the Downtown Commission regarding the meeting on December 17, 2025. No update was provided. Update from the representative of the Joint Sustainability Committee regarding the meeting on January 28, 2026. 2 No update was provided. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS None. ADJOURNMENT Chair Salinas adjourned the meeting at 8:29 p.m. without objection. 3