Item 2.a.: Staff Transition to Economic Development Department — original pdf

Backup

To: The South Central Waterfront Advisory Board From: Rosie Truelove, Director, Housing and Planning Department Date: August 11, 2021 South Central Waterfront Staff Transition to Economic Development Department Re: ____________________________________________________________________________ The City Council adopted the South Central Waterfront Vision Framework Plan (SCW Plan) in 2016. To realize the Physical Framework envisioned in the SCW Plan, the SCW Plan recommends a series of interdependent implementation measures including development of opt- in zoning regulations (such as a Regulating Plan), adoption of financial tools (such as a Tax Increment Finance Zone, or TIF), fostering public-private partnerships, leveraging the single city property at One Texas Center for affordable housing, and strategic capital investments in infrastructure. The 14-point implementation strategy in the SCW Plan identifies coordination of City departments to effectively implement the plan as critical to the Plan’s success. The SCW Plan recommends that “the City Manager should identify a lead city department and staff to implement the SCW Plan, and key City departments should assign point individuals to an interdepartmental work group with a central oversight role for plan implementation.” To that end, implementation of the SCW Plan is being transitioned from the Housing and Planning Department (HPD) to the Economic Development Department (EDD), which includes moving the Principal Planner position from HPD to EDD. This position will join EDD’s Redevelopment Division, which provides significant social and economic value to Austin through real estate redevelopment and place-based initiatives that further community goals. For more information, please visit the EDD Redevelopment Division website. This position will work closely with staff of the Austin Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) as City Council included the South Central Waterfront project in AEDC’s scope of work. The transition is contingent upon City of Austin 2022 Fiscal Year Budget approval, which takes effect on October 1, 2021. EDD will begin providing staff support of the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board beginning in October of 2021. cc: Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, Acting Director, Economic Development Department