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DANA Congratulates our 2010 Urban Vision Award Winners


Back in September, DANA announced the return of its annual Urban Vision awards and called for nominations in three award categories that exemplified the best (or worst) models for Downtown's Future.  Past winners of these awards included Whole Foods and 360 Condominiums (Urban Light) and the Intel Shell and the Downtown Post Office (Urban Blight).  This year we are also pleased to introduce an award for individual service to DANA and Downtown in honor of the late David Weaver.

Urban Light Award (What aspect of downtown points towards a brighter future?): City Hall

A very difficult decision on the part of our awards committee with so much positive recent development in downtown.  In looking into the near future, though, the largest and most imminent impact on downtown will come from the public sector on every level (The New Federal Courthouse, Capitol Complex Redevelopment, Travis County Central Campus Plan, Austin Central Library, etc…).  City Hall, which turns six this year, stood out as the leading example of urban design – from an aesthetic, functional and sustainability perspective.  With ground level retail, shared underground parking and active programming, City Hall has continued to engage the urban environment and offers a model for other public buildings in downtown's future.

Photo Credit: Chris Bradford

 

Urban Blight Award (What aspect of downtown, a recent project or a long lingering issue is representative of what we hope to avoid in Austin's Urban Center?): Parking Lot at 5th & Colorado

DANA has had a strong and consistent position against the blight of surface parking lots in downtown and, as such, choosing the winner of this year's Urban Blight Award required little deliberation.  5th & Colorado was recently presented as the future location of a "ONE" green hotel.  While offering some suggestions for improvements, ultimately there was much to like about the project, including the assurance that the existing warehouse structure would not be demolished until construction was ready to move forward.  DANA wrote a letter in support of that project and if it had been built, the development team would not be receiving this award.  Instead, and in contrast to some projects that legitimately were caught in the economic cycle, downtown received blight instead of a hotel focused on sustainability.

DANA is deeply disappointed by this 'development' and will be looking in the weeks and months ahead to address the gaps in current public policy that allow or encourage behavior that results in lasting blight downtown.

Photo Credit: Chris Bradford

 

David Weaver Memorial Award for Individual Service (Who is selflessly making a difference for DANA and Downtown?): Madge Whistler

An overwhelming response was received for the nomination of long time Avenue Lofts resident, Madge Whistler.  Since January, Madge has been doing exemplary work, involving other downtown residents, the Austin Police Department and the District Attorney's office, to take back the streets from crime and rampant drug dealing.

Madge has been coordinating an effort with her fellow residents that is helping APD by providing them with photographs and video of the drug dealers.  This helps APD identify and arrest the offenders, and, once they are apprehended, the photos and video are being used to support prosecution.

Thank you so much Madge for all of your work to make Downtown a better place to live, work and play!

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FREE Sunday Food Film Matinee Series at Arthouse at the Jones Center

The newly renovated Arthouse at the Jones Center downtown is kicking off a great new Sunday Matinée Film Series in conjunction with their Jason Middlebrook exhibition, More Art About Buildings and Food.  All centered around the theme of food, the award-winning films stir the imagination and whet the appetite! This series is FREE and open to the public.  Each Sunday matinée begins at 2:00pm in the Community Room (2nd floor).
 
Upcoming films in the series are:
Dec 5               Babette’s Feast
Dec 19             Ratatouille
Jan 9               Tampopo

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When Does DANA Weigh In? The Public Policy Committee Process

by Kristina Witt

The Public Policy Committee (PPC) is a standing committee in DANA dedicated to researching, debating, and recommending policy stances for DANA Board review. The PPC is composed of DANA members with varied interests-development, transportation, maintenance, and safety, to name a few. Although the majority of DANA's Board also serves on the PPC, we encourage additional general members to participate in the PPC to expand our issue coverage and the depth of that coverage.

The PPC takes its cues from varied sources, whether it's issues arising in City Council's conversations or emails from DANA members-as long as it matters to downtown stakeholders, we'll dig in. When an issue comes to the fore, PPC members discuss the relative merits and strive to reach consensus in order to bring a recommendation to the Board with confidence.    

Does this process take time? Yes. But the diversity of our membership and the variety of voices involved in the process assures that DANA won't take stances to garner favor with one stakeholder or group over another.  As an individual member or group, you have the assurance that your organization does not play favorites and will never work against your interests-never.

Is there an issue that you believe matters to downtown Austin stakeholders? Is there a stance you believe DANA should take? Let's get the discussion going. Contact a PPC member or join a meeting at info@downtownaustin.org.

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Get Involved in DANA


Did you have a great time on the Downtown Living Tour and want to stay connected to what's going on in Downtown Austin?

Did you vote "yes" for Prop 1 and want to keep up on what happens next?

Do you want to meet and mingle with a vibrant group of individuals interested in Urban Living?

Become a DANA Member and do it all!

Individual Membership dues begin at just $25 annually. Click here for more information and to sign up for your DANA Membership.

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Early Voting Open Now – DANA endorses Proposition 1


A reminder to DANA members that early voting for a full list of federal, state, county and city elections has begun and will continue through October 29th.  During early voting you can cast your vote at any polling location in the city (Mon-Sat 7am-7pm, Sun 12pm-6pm).  Election day is November 2nd (7am – 7pm) and you will have to vote in your precinct polling location.
 
If you don't know your precinct number or if you're registered at your current address, you can verify it here.  If you live downtown, your precinct is likely 444 or 445: 
 
Precinct 444
Austin City Hall
301 W 2nd Street, 1st floor
 
Precinct 445
Travis County Courthouse
1000 Guadalupe Street, 1st floor
 
As a reminder, DANA has endorsed the 2010 Mobility Bond (Proposition 1) and encourages its members to support this $90M proposal that will bring new street, sidewalk, bikeway and trail projects to downtown and Austin.  For more information on Prop 1, go to: http://www.cityofaustin.org/news/mobility_bond.htm

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