Tag Archives: Downtown Austin Alliance
Wednesday, January 8, 2020 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Downtown Commission hears fundraising plans for 300 new shelter beds
A partnership between the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce has identified 14 sites that could become the location for a new large shelter to serve the city’s homeless population.At last month’s Downtown Commission meeting, representatives from…
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Parks
Parks board tries to negotiate impasse over use of Republic Square
Managers of the weekly farmers market that has taken place at Republic Square since 2003 have expressed frustration that the Downtown Austin Alliance’s use of the space for special events has started to negatively impact some of the more than…
Friday, September 27, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
City Council
Adler, others on Council want staff to lead on homelessness; DAA says city at ‘tipping point’
Mayor Steve Adler and City Council members Jimmy Flannigan and Paige Ellis weighed in Wednesday and Thursday with their views that the city manager, leaders from the Austin Police Department and the city’s new homeless strategy officer should determine how…
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Salvation Army seeks funding on top of city dollars to open shelter for families
The Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation has pledged $100,000 to help open a new shelter for homeless families in East Austin, months after the city agreed to a one-time contribution of $1 million.The funding will help cover some of the $4.9…
Thursday, August 22, 2019 by Andrew Weber
City Council
At homelessness forum, Council members challenge fears and ‘urban myths’ about shelters, revised law
Austin’s mayor and members of City Council tried to allay fears about the city’s revised rules on homelessness and its push to expand shelter space, at a forum hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance.The brunt of Wednesday’s discussion focused on…
Thursday, July 11, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Austin
Camping rules continue to stoke arguments
City Council’s decision to revise ordinances related to where homeless people may camp, sit or lie down continues to cause controversy in the city, with some claiming the changes are making things worse for everyone, particularly law enforcement.Mayor Steve Adler…
Friday, June 7, 2019 by Jo Clifton
City Council
Sparks fly over proposed changes to camping laws
Representatives of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition and the Downtown Austin Alliance continue to stress that they are working together to end homelessness in Austin. But their conflicting messages to City Council on Thursday about proposed changes to ordinances that…
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Austin
DAA launches annual report and new nonprofit
Amidst a multitude of rosy economic statistics on Tuesday, the Downtown Austin Alliance released its first State of Downtown report at the inaugural Future of Downtown event. The report seeks to be “a market snapshot illustrating the central role downtown…
Friday, August 31, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Transportation
Affordable Parking Program expands
Downtown parking may have just gotten a bit easier, thanks to a public-private partnership aimed at downtown service industry workers.The city of Austin and the Downtown Austin Alliance announced yesterday that, after a partnership with Premier Parking, the Affordable Parking…
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Program expansion more than doubles cheap nighttime parking downtown
The city is more than doubling the amount of affordable parking spaces available for evening-hours workers in downtown Austin businesses, building on the success of a pilot program that started in 2016.The expansion of the Affordable Parking Program will see…
Friday, July 6, 2018 by Jo Clifton
Courts
Groups criticize Paxton for suing commissioners
The people who urged Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to file suit to remove eight members of the Austin Planning Commission on Monday have nothing but praise for Paxton; however, other more business-oriented groups are not pleased with the legal…
Tuesday, July 3, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Possible changes to panhandling ordinance draw concern from business leaders
A possible revision of the city’s ordinance regulating panhandling is drawing concern from downtown business leaders who say the proposed changes would allow aggressive requests for money and could create safety issues in areas with heavy foot traffic.The amendments to…
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Austin
Ciclovia on hold while parking proposal creates controversy on Congress Avenue
The dream of shutting down Congress Avenue for a daylong bicycle festival is in a state of suspended animation.City Council made a step toward the idea just over a year ago when it voted on a resolution directing the city…
Thursday, June 7, 2018 by Jack Craver
Austin
Business leaders raise concerns about homelessness
It’s not just advocates for the homeless who have serious concerns about homelessness downtown. Businesses say that the mass of misery on the streets is a threat to downtown commerce and the city’s ability to attract visitors.The effects of the…
Monday, May 21, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Downtown 2039: New vision anticipates growth, mobility changes, cultural preservation
Improved mobility, preservation of at-risk cultural assets and public space, and a dramatic expansion of residential and commercial activity are some of the biggest components of a new 21-year vision created for downtown Austin.The Downtown Austin Alliance has started to…
Monday, October 30, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Transportation
Downtown leaders eye busing changes to manage traffic growth
Downtown Austin leaders are hoping that proposed changes in downtown routes and frequency for Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus service will increase the number of employers in the city’s core willing to offer alternative transportation plans for their employees in…
Thursday, June 22, 2017 by Caleb Pritchard
Transportation
Austin’s next mobility challenge: downtown parking
Exactly what role City Council will play in an ambitious new framework conceived to tackle downtown parking problems remains to be worked out.On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Mobility Committee became the first among their colleagues to be briefed on…
Friday, May 26, 2017 by Sommer Brugal
Parks
Parks board embraces plans for Republic Square
Ten years after Austin first announced its vision for the remodeling of Republic Square, the space is finally set to make its debut in the heart of downtown Austin this fall.Mandi Thomas, the partnership and development director of the Downtown…
Tuesday, April 11, 2017 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin
Parking price jump almost certain as study heads to city officials
Increased pricing for street-front parking is almost a certainty in downtown Austin’s near future.That tactic was one of more than a dozen recommended by a consulting firm tasked with solving the parking crunch that plagues many areas of Austin’s downtown…
