REGULAR CALLED MEETING of the DOWNTOWN COMMISSION October 16, 2024, TIME: 5:30 p.m. Austin City Hall, Council Chambers, Room 1001 301 W 2nd Street, Austin, Texas 78701 Some members of the Downtown 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 register, please contact Christi Vitela at Christi.Vitela@austintexas.gov or (512) 974-2792. telephone. To CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: August Harris, Chair Ralph E. Ishmael Jr, Vice Chair VACANT (District 5) David Carroll Liz Coufal Mike Lavigne Kimberly Levinson VACANT (District 6) Tania Ortega Sania Shifferd Peter Breton (District 8) CALL TO ORDER Jennifer Franklin (Parks and Recreation Board) VACANT (Public Safety Commission) Amy Mok (Arts Commission) Anne Charlotte Patterson (Music Commission) Spencer Schumacher (Urban Transportation) Carl Larosche (Historic Landmark Commission) VACANT (Design Commission) AGENDA PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten 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 September 18, 2024. 1. Approve the minutes of the Downtown Commission regular called meeting on 2. Presentation regarding the Austin Core Transportation Plan by Cole Kitten, Division Manager, Austin Transportation and Public Works Department. 3. Approve the Downtown Commission’s 2025 Regular Meeting Schedule. 4. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the Equity Based Preservation Plan. DISCUSSION ITEM DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 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 Christi Vitela at the Office of the City Clerk, at (512) 974-2792 for additional information; TTY users’ route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Downtown Commission, please contact Christi Vitela at christi.vitela@austintexas.gov or (512) 974-2792.
Downtown Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 18, 2024 DOWNTOWN COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, September 18, 2024 The Downtown Commission convened the regular meeting on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 301 W. 2nd Street in hybrid meeting format. COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE August Harris, Chair Ralph E Ishmael Jr., Vice-Chair David Carroll Carl Larosche Kimberly Levinson Sania D. Shifferd COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE REMOTELY Liz Coufal Tania Ortega CALL TO ORDER Chair Harris called the meeting of the Downtown Commission to order at 5:33 pm. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. 1. Approve the minutes of the Downtown Commission regular called meeting on August The minutes from the meeting on 08/21/2024 were approved on Commissioner Levinson’s motion, Vice Chair Ishmael’s second on a 7-0 vote. Commissioner Lavigne was absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 21, 2024. STAFF BRIEFINGS Downtown Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 18, 2024 3. Staff Briefing regarding safety issues and a yearly overview of the Downtown Area Command by Craig Smith, Commander, Austin Police Department and Christopher Juusola, Lieutenant, Austin Police Department. The presentation was made by Craig Smith, Commander, Austin Police Department and Christopher Juusola, Lieutenant, Austin Police Department. 2. Staff briefing regarding the Equity Based Preservation Plan’s path to adoption by Cara Bertron, Program Manager II, Planning Department. The presentation was made by Cara Bertron, Program Manager II, Planning Department. 4. Staff Briefing on the Nightlife and Entertainment Services Program by Brian Block, Nightlife and Entertainment Services Manager, Development Services Department. The presentation was made by Brian Block, Nightlife and Entertainment Services Manager, Development Services Department. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS None. ADJOURNMENT Chair Harris adjourned the meeting at 7:03 pm without any objection.
Downtown Commission 2025 Regular Meeting Schedule 3rd Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm 1. January 15, 2025 2. February 19, 2025 3. March 19, 2025 4. April 16, 2025 5. May 21, 2025 6. June 18, 2025 7. July 16, 2025 8. August 20, 2025 9. September 17, 2025 10. October 15, 2025 11. November 19, 2025 12. December 17, 2025
Austin Core Transportation (ACT) Plan Small Area Mobility Plan of the ASMP: Downtown Austin Downtown Commission - October 16, 2024 Cole Kitten, TPW, Division Manager Agenda • ACT Plan Purpose and Background • Planning Process • ACT Plan Project Recommendations • Implementation Plan • Next Steps 2 ACT Plan Purpose • The ACT Plan is a Small Area Mobility Plan covering Downtown Austin and will be adopted by Council as an attachment to the ASMP. • It is an update to previous transportation focused efforts Downtown – dating back to 2000 • Why are we updating the transportation plan for Downtown? • changes in transit and bicycle planning, • changes in highway improvements serving Downtown, • changes in national best practices on urban street design, and • disruptions to traditional mobility • The ACT Plan will create a unified vision for transportation Downtown and align the many projects and initiatives under one actionable plan to help accomplish the goals in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan. 3 Background • Great Streets Master Plan, 2001 • The goal of the Great Streets program is to pursue the vision of streets for people • Downtown Access and Mobility Plan, 2002 • The emphasis of the access and mobility study was on modeling and simulating intersection traffic operations and determining existing and future levels-of- service and operational needs • Downtown Transportation Framework, 2008 • The Downtown Transportation Framework Plan builds on the Great Streets Master Plan, further developing the system of “priority streets by mode”, and developing more detailed streetscape cross sections of all of the different street types and variations • Downtown Austin Plan, 2011 • Established the vision to develop a multimodal transportation system that improves access to and mobility within Downtown 2001 2002 2008 2011 4 Background • New policy • The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP) aspires to achieve a 50/50 mode share where 50% of commuters use means other than driving alone to get to work in 2039 • Transit planning • The Project Connect Long Term Vision Plan established a High-Capacity Transit System and was adopted as an element of the ASMP – an initial investment was funded in 2020 • Managing demand • Transportation Demand Management programming, parking policy, and curb management are becoming critical strategies to manage congestion • New street design • The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative shows how to reimagine the allocation of …
Downtown Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, October 16, 2024 DOWNTOWN COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, October 16, 2024 The Downtown Commission convened the regular meeting on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 301 W. 2nd Street in hybrid meeting format. COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE August Harris, Chair Ralph E Ishmael Jr., Vice-Chair David Carroll Kimberly Levinson Sania D. Shifferd COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE REMOTELY Liz Coufal Mike Lavigne CALL TO ORDER Chair Harris called the meeting of the Downtown Commission to order at 5:30 pm. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 18, 2024. 1. Approve the minutes of the Downtown Commission regular called meeting on The minutes from the meeting on September 18, 2024, were approved on Commissioner Levinson’s motion, Vice Chair Ishmael’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioner Lavigne was off the dais. Commissioners Breton and Ortega were absent. DISCUSSION ITEM Downtown Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, October 16, 2024 1. Presentation regarding the Austin Core Transportation Plan by Cole Kitten, Division Manager, Austin Transportation and Public Works Department. The presentation was given by Cole Kitten, Division Manager, Austin Transportation and Public Works Department. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Approve the Downtown Commission’s 2025 Regular Meeting Schedule. The motion to approve the Downtown Commission’s 2025 Regular Meeting Schedule was approved on Commissioner Levinson’s motion, Commissioner Shifferd’s second on a 7-0 vote. Commissioners Breton and Ortega were absent. 3. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the Equity Based Preservation Plan. Discussed. No action taken. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Congress Urban Design Initiative (Coufal, Levinson) New/Old 6th Street Initiative (Coufal, Levinson) Austin Light Rail Update from Project Connect (Harris, Levinson) ADJOURNMENT Chair Harris adjourned the meeting at 6:17 pm without any objection. The minutes were approved at the November 20, 2024, meeting on Vice Chair Ishmael’s motion, Commissioner Levinson’s second on an 8-0 vote. Commissioner Lavigne was absent.
