The much-discussed shake-up and reinvestment of the city’s Sixth Street entertainment district has grown and changed its complexion since this summer when Dallas-based Stream Realty Partners revealed its plans for the segment of downtown commonly referred to as “Dirty Sixth.” Austin Business Journal reports that Stream’s holdings now total more than 40 parcels – up from just over 30 this summer – and that the company is considering adding multifamily residential units to some of the reconstruction sites. In meetings with assorted city commissions throughout the summer and fall, Stream representatives said they were only planning on building a boutique hotel and office building in parcels concentrated on the north side of the street where it crosses Red River Street. The possibility of adding residential uses to the district would hedge the $500 million to $750 million project somewhat against a substantial downturn in the market for office space in recent months. The Historic Landmark Commission is the next city entity needed to give approval for some of the reconstruction to move forward, though a date for that request and vote has not been finalized.

With City Council’s authority, the Austin Transportation Department is hoping for $12 million in state funding (and a local match of $3 million) to expand the MetroBike bike-share program. A memo from interim Director Richard Mendoza explains that, with the money, improvements could include fully electrifying the fleet and tripling the network of docking stations from 80 to 240. The money would come from TxDOT’s Transportation Alternatives 2023 Call for Projects, and if a grant is awarded to the city, the project is expected to be on the ground in Fiscal Year 2024. Approval for moving forward with the grant will be on the Dec. 8 City Council agenda.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce has named Kerry Hall as its interim president and CEO, following the recent announcement that Laura Huffman is stepping down as the organization’s top executive at the end of the year. Hall, a board member of Susser Bank and Opportunity Austin, and a longtime player in local economic development matters, will begin her term Jan. 3. The chamber plans to conduct a national search for a permanent president and CEO. Huffman, who took over the group’s leadership in 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, hasn’t announced her next business pursuit, but she was recently named as a board member for Water Finance Exchange. WFX is a nonprofit group that advocates with national and regional political and business leaders to bring better water infrastructure to communities facing water issues across the U.S.

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center has issued an invitation to all community members to attend a celebration marking the start of construction of the second phase of the facility’s expansion and renovation. Community leaders, public officials and members of the project team will be at the cultural center’s groundbreaking ceremony. As District 9 City Council Member Kathie Tovo noted in a news release, “The ESB-MACC serves as a cultural cornerstone for our community, and I’m excited to see us begin this long-awaited expansion. These improvements will allow the ESB-MACC to offer more arts programs and classes and to host more cultural events. With this expansion, the ESB-MACC will be able to reach and serve even more Austinites from across the city.” In addition to more performance spaces, classrooms, galleries, office/support space, dedicated storage space and culinary space, the renovation includes enhanced safety features, better natural light, permanent public art displays and improved wayfinding. ESB-MACC, 600 River St., Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m.

Austin’s quality-of-life commissions want to hear from you; specifically, what you like about living in Austin, what you don’t like, and what’s needed “to prioritize, to uplift and improve the quality of life for all Austinites.” That’s a tall order. That’s why the commissions are hosting three town halls, to allow people space to share their thoughts, both in person and virtually via Zoom. There will be catered food, activities for the kiddos and language interpretation in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and ASL. (To request a language interpreter, call 311 at least five days before the meeting you plan to attend.)

• East Austin town hall: Montopolis Rec Center, Dec. 15, noon
• South Austin town hall: Southeast Branch Library, Jan. 11, 6:30 p.m.
• North Austin town hall: Asian American Resource Center, Jan. 14, 10:30 a.m.

Register here for the event of your choice.

Austin Central Library would like to see proposals from “artists, collectives, curators and beyond” to exhibit their work in the library’s gallery from January 2024 to September 2024. The gallery’s mission, according to the announcement, is “to support local artists and art communities, raise awareness of contemporary and diverse forms of art, and to provide exhibitions in which a wide variety of identities and interests are represented.” The artwork will be juried by “local artists, curators, educators, and community leaders through a jury-scoring process” and the selected candidates will be announced in early March. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Artists must be Texas residents. Find a few more details about the open call here and apply here.

The city of Austin and the Ethics Review Commission are hosting a live runoff candidate forum tonight, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. The forum encompasses all of the City Council races that are yet undecided: mayor, District 3, District 5 and District 9, and will be moderated by the League of Women Voters Austin Area. Here’s the schedule from the city:

• District 3: 6 p.m., José Velásquez and Daniela Silva
• District 5: 6:45 p.m., Ryan Alter and Stephanie Bazan
• District 9: 7:30 p.m., Zohaib “Zo” Qadri and Linda Guerrero
• Mayor: 8:15 p.m., Celia Israel and Kirk Watson

All of the forums may be viewed in person in City Hall Council Chambers or live at ATXN.TV, cable TV channel 6 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99, and on streaming apps. The forum can also be heard live on KAZI FM 88.7 and by telephone (dial 1-855-756-7520, ext. 83464, according to a press release from the city that also included five-minute candidate statements. Email questions for the forums to forum@lwvaustin.org or call (512) 451-6710. Early voting for the Dec. 9 runoff election starts Thursday, Dec. 1. Find more information about early voting and election day voting here.

On Dec. 13, the Housing & Planning Department will begin a 15-day public comment period to receive comments on its draft Fiscal Year 2021-22 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, or CAPER. According to the announcement, HPD “receives the following grant entitlement funds annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for affordable housing, community development, economic development and public services: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA).” Cities that participate must develop a CAPER each year to monitor the city’s progress and the effectiveness of its performance. During the comment period, community members may view the draft FY 2021-22 CAPER on HPD’s website and follow the instructions on how to submit comments.

OK, so it’s not the much hyped Georgia Senate race, but the Dec. 13 runoff is important to our city’s future. Will Celia Israel or Kirk Watson be our next mayor? If you live in City Council district 3, 5 or 9 you will get to vote on who will represent you for the next four years. Austin voters may cast their ballots early starting this Thursday through Dec. 9. Election day is Tuesday, Dec. 13. For a complete list of polling locations for early voting and election day, check the Travis County clerk’s website. If you wish to vote by mail, this Friday is the last day to ask for a mail ballot. That can also be accomplished at the Travis County clerk’s website.

Sure, it’s balmy outside now, but colder, harsher weather is on the way. Just remember these three little words: Winter Storm Uri. No one wants to relive that nightmare, especially Austin Energy, Austin Water and the city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The three departments are helping Austinites prepare for the coming winter by handing out emergency supplies like meter keys, hose bib covers, hand-crank flashlights, preparedness kits and winter tip sheets. The items can be picked up – while supplies last – at Utilities Customer Service Centers from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following dates:

• North UCSC, 8716 Research Blvd., Ste. 115, Tuesday, Nov. 29, and Tuesday, Jan. 10
• East UCSC, Rosewood-Zaragosa Center, 2800 Webberville Road, Wednesday, Nov. 30, and Wednesday, Jan. 11
• South UCSC, 1901 W. William Cannon Drive, Ste. 100, Thursday, Dec. 1, and Thursday, Jan. 12

Find more weather preparedness tips from the city here.

It may not seem like it, but composting is an important topic. It’s relatively simple for individuals to do, but rather complicated for the city to manage. That’s why Austin Resource Recovery is hoping to collect as much feedback as possible from residents who live in multifamily complexes like apartments and condos. Surely you have some thoughts and feelings about composting? If so, complete the composting survey by Nov. 30.

The parks department is helping Austinites introduce a little history into their holiday traditions, via free gingerbread ornaments that can be decorated as figures from Texas history. As part of the third annual Gingerbread History Heroes program, Brush Square Museums will be distributing salt dough “gingerbread cookie” ornaments and decorating supplies to participating sites, including the Elisabet Ney Museum, Asian American Resource Center, Carver Museum, French Legation State Historic Site, Old Bakery & Emporium and the Park Ranger Station at the Zilker Caretaker Cottage. Community members may pick up the ornaments from Dec. 2-31.