Austin, Monitored: Density bonus do-overs and transportation tidbits

Council looks to change the ‘unhappy experience’ of DB90

From Chad Swiatecki:

Watson acknowledged last week that DB90 has not worked as intended, describing it in a recent message board post as “an unhappy experience.” He said the program has become difficult to use as intended and is increasingly divisive, particularly in cases where existing affordable housing is at risk of being demolished in exchange for new development with limited affordability set-asides.

The forthcoming resolution calls for the creation of a range of new density bonus districts with varying entitlements and affordability requirements, giving staff the flexibility to rethink how the city balances height, affordability and development incentives.

Over the past week, Capitol Metro and Austin Transit Partnership, the public-private corporation tasked with delivering an expanded light rail system for the city, both held public board meetings. Miles Wall has the highlights, with context.

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CapMetro talks safety in vote on internal strategy plan

Capitol Metro’s board meeting from May 19 started somberly, with a statement on a homicide onboard a bus that made the news a few weeks back. A follow-up segment by Fox’s local affiliate Channel 7 quoted several bus drivers who said they feared for their safety while driving, citing various violent incidents. For her part, board Secretary Becky Ross said that the board “understands the concern this tragedy might cause,” but also described it as an isolated incident, albeit a “horrific” one.

A number of bus operators subsequently weighed in during the public comment section of the meeting to express their concerns about safety and passenger conduct on board. KEYE covered those comments, and a plan to increase the presence of transit police officers onboard, which has been somewhat slow-going since the agency’s transit police department was created in 2023.

The main action item for the meeting was the adoption of the agency’s 2030 Strategic Plan, which deputy CEO Kerri Butcher made a point to distinguish from the 2035 Transit Plan during a presentation to the board. Butcher noted that while the transit plan addresses the nitty-gritty of transit service, the strategic plan deals more with the organizational working of the agency. 

“We’re an ambitious agency, so we decided to undertake two major planning processes at the same time,” Butcher said. “But what it has meant is that there’s some confusion about the language.”

Safety is identified as a major priority in the strategic plan, which lists some specific actions including the transit police staffing push, updates to the code of conduct and a “short-term security action plan” to eventually morph into a “security strategy.”

“It’s the hardest issue in front of us,” Butcher said. “If it were an easy issue, it would have been solved by now.”

The board voted to adopt the strategic plan unanimously.

— Miles Wall

Austin Transit Partnership on how those trains are coming along

Later in the week, at Austin Transit Partnership’s board meeting on May 21, staff updated board members on the progress of the light rail project with a special focus on the procurement process. While still a long way off from breaking ground, the project is moving along and will soon enter another phase of planning that could be a game-changer if you happen to be in the business of designing and building light rail systems for municipal agencies.

The biggest change in status is with respect to the physical infrastructure of the system, like station buildings and tracks, where the agency is about to move into a “Request for Qualifications” stage. In project management terms, that means vetting potential contractors and vendors who the agency might want to partner with to do the work of planning and building. This follows a “Request for Information” phase where the agency solicited information and feedback from those potential partners, as well as other transit agencies, to get a sense of what actually needs to be done. The next stage after those will be a Request for Proposals, where the agency puts out a description of what they want done and those contractors and vendors make bids to do it (in return for a lot of money).

“It’s been a really great process of learning and innovating and finding ways to do things new and unique and better, while still keeping practices that have been hard-learned by the industry and our sister agencies, to hone in our approach to this project,” said Brad Cummings, a senior vice president with Austin Transit Partnership.

The agency is expecting to move into the information stage on procurement of the trains themselves, with proposals anticipated for the fall. They’re expecting to need “up to 30” cars, according to the presentation, leased on six-year terms.

They are also hosting a “Connect-and-Build” event on May 29 for businesses interested in helping plan and construct a central operations and maintenance facility. 

That’s all for now! Readers interested in transit in Austin should check out the ATXN calendar, which lists upcoming public meetings, and the city department of Transportation and Public Work’s official newsletter.

— Miles Wall

From City Council:

Westenfield Park renamed in honor of baseball great Don Baylor

Westenfield Neighborhood Park has been renamed Don Baylor Park in honor of the late Major League Baseball player who broke racial barriers in Austin during his youth.

Baylor grew up in the Clarksville neighborhood during the segregated Jim Crow era and, though he lived just four blocks from the West Austin park, was prohibited from participating in recreational activities there because he was Black.

According to the ordinance brought forward by Council Member Mark Duchen, Baylor was one of three African Americans to integrate O. Henry Junior High School during the 1961-62 school year. He went on to become the first Black baseball player at Austin High in 1965, advancing to team captain while lettering in basketball and football. Although he was recruited by several colleges, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles out of high school and spent 19 years as an MLB player, later becoming a Major League coach and manager. Baylor died in 2017 and is buried in the Texas State Cemetery.

The Rev. Steve Manning of Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church told the City Council that Baylor and his wife, Becky, were largely responsible for him becoming the pastor of the church. The Baylor family was and continues to be active members of the historic Clarksville church. Baylor’s son, Don Baylor Jr., thanked the Council for its support of renaming the park in his father’s honor.

In addition to his athletic prowess, Baylor was also known for his philanthropic contributions. As a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation ambassador and fundraiser, Baylor hosted an annual golf tournament for nearly 40 years to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis.

— Amy Smith

Elsewhere in the News

Last week, City Council approved a resolution that could clear the way for more solar power on more city-owned buildings. Here’s Public Citizen’s take on it.

The Austin Chronicle reports on the future of the much-maligned STAAR tests.

Despite their struggles with the building over the years, Travis County is preparing to honor its Heman Marion Sweatt Courthouse with a historic designation, as Community Impact reports.

And, in the waning days of this session of the Texas Legislature, things are moving fast and furious. Over at the Texas Tribune, they have the latest on a proposed THC ban, another approval for an estimated $300- $500 million in film incentives, and the reappearance of a bill that pushes smaller lots statewide.

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