August Shoal Creek Clean-Up 🎟️ August Shoal Creek Clean-Up
Volunteers will meet Saturday, August 8, 2026 outside The Independent (301 West Ave.) at 8:45 am, with the clean-up commencing at 9 am. The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (DANA) partners with APD, the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), the Downtown Austin Community Court, Shoal Creek Conservancy, and Austin Resource Recovery in this important initiative. The Y Redevelopment The Greater Austin YMCA recently submitted plans to redevelop its Town Lake campus into a mixed-use community. In addition to a new 110,000 square foot YMCA, the planned unit development (PUD) application to the city proposes three towers up to 425 feet tall with 750 market-rate homes, childcare, expanded wellness services, and 90 affordable housing units (with Foundation Communities as a partner). Developers say the project will include sustainability upgrades and restore nearby habitat along Lady Bird Lake. The project could generate more than $1 billion in taxable value and create hundreds of jobs. The proposed project will go through the city’s review and approval process and may undergo some modifications, if approved. July Shoal Creek Clean-Up 🎟️ July Shoal Creek Clean-Up
Volunteers will meet Saturday, July 11, 2026 outside The Independent (301 West Ave.) at 8:45 am, with the clean-up commencing at 9 am. The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (DANA) partners with APD, the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), the Downtown Austin Community Court, Shoal Creek Conservancy, and Austin Resource Recovery in this important initiative. June Shoal Creek Clean-Up 🎟️ June Shoal Creek Clean-Up
Volunteers will meet Saturday, June 13, 2026 outside The Independent (301 West Ave.) at 8:45 am, with the clean-up commencing at 9 am. While the efforts of the growing group of volunteers is paying off, trash tends to accumulate unless we stay vigilant! The monthly collaboration continues with APD, the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), and the Downtown Austin Community Court to assist with this important initiative. DANA Letter – C20-2024-018 DDBP Updates (2026-05-14)May 14, 2026 Honorable City Council, Commissioners, and Staff: The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (DANA) recommends several improvements to the C20-2024-018 phase 1 Downtown Density Bonus Program (DDBP) updates. We have previously highlighted fundamental flaws in the DDBP, called for granting unlimited height and floor area ratio (FAR) by right, and for dedicating the resulting extra property tax revenue to affordable housing and other community benefits. We believe housing is itself a community benefit. Setting base entitlements below what the market demands, while “taxing” density beyond those base entitlements, constrains housing production and leads to a chronic housing shortage. However, recognizing that you are likely to move forward with more modest updates to the DDBP, we recommend:
We urge you to consider these recommendations to improve the proposed phase 1 DDBP updates. At the same time, we reiterate our call for restructuring the program to address its fundamental flaws. Sincerely, Board of Directors  |
