Late last year, the City of Austin established a Bond Election Advisory Task Force to review a sizable $1.5B list of projects pulled together from each individual city department as a part of their needs assessment process.  Now that those projects have been published, DANA also, is looking to provide feedback to our city leaders on what projects are a key priority to downtown.

The full list of projects is listed in this report and in this summary presentation of the non-transit considerations.

*O/M = Ongoing Operations & Maintenance, FTE = Full Time Equivalent Employees

The task force and a separate Transit Working Group will be making recommendations to the city council regarding investments in Transportation, Facilities & Infrastructure, Parks & Open Spaces and Affordable Housing.  These investments are aimed to improve Austin’s mobility, affordability, sustainability and cost-effectiveness in operating.  City Council has asked the group to prioritize projects and recommend a package of $385M which does not require a tax increase as well as at levels that would require a 1 cent or more increase in taxes.

If you have suggestions on what downtown projects need prioritization, please contact DANA.  We intend to provide input to the task force and city council on this important issue.

For upcoming meetings of the task force, please check here.

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When: March 3rd, 9am – 12pm

Where: 900 W. 9th Street, Austin, TX 78703

It’s My Park Day is an annual event put on by the Austin Parks Foundation that enables citizens to volunteer and contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of their local parks.  DANA has sponsored numerous volunteer events over the years and this year we will be focusing on Duncan Park.  Our fellow neighborhood association, OANA will likewise be leading an effort to clean up Shoal Creek.

Please RSVP here on the Austin Parks Foundation website for the DANA event or here for the OANA one.  Both are great ways to be good stewards of our neighborhood green spaces.

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When: Thursday, February 16th, 6pm
Where: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Bishop’s Hall, 203 E 10th St  Austin, Texas 78701
(Bike parking available or plan you trip using public transportation here)

DANA invites its membership to come out for a special presentation by the CEO of Foundation Communities and a discussion on development proposed for 11th & Trinity Street that would be the first affordable housing project proposed Downtown in over 45 years and which will include Permanent Supportive Housing.  DANA board members will be looking for feedback on the design and operational proposals.

For a more detailed look at what affordable housing is and what it isn’t, Foundation Communities is also opening up tours of their Skyline Terrace building on February 15th at 6:30pm.  Contact Elliot McFadden by the day before the tour at 512-610-4009 or Elliot.McFadden@foundcom.org

For more information on the project click here.  For news coverage of the project, click here or here.

For more on what DANA has done to review the project, check out this month’s newsletter.  Board members were first approached in November regarding the first affordable housing proposed for downtown in over 45 years.  In the process of doing due diligence on this proposal, Board Members reviewed city plans, attended seminars and consulted with experts to better understand general issues surrounding Affordable Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing in particular.  In addition, board members did multiple site visits, met with neighbors of existing projects, interviewed a property manager on operations and had focused design sessions with both architects and city officials.  The proposal improved significantly over the past few months and Foundation Communities has incorporated many suggestions from DANA including a focus on downtown workers and artists and musicians.

A first preview of the project took place at the DANA annual meeting on Sunday, January 29th.  The February 16th meeting is intended to be a focused session to answer any questions the community may have.

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It’s our Annual Meeting and Board Election! The event will feature a review of the past year in downtown and a preview of the year ahead. We will hold the election of our board of directors and hand out our annual ‘Urban Vision Awards’.

Complimentary food and beverages will be provided during the reception.

Map | Transit

RSVP HERE!

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Big thanks to all of you for coming out on a rainy November evening for DANA’s Spotlight on Safety at Ballet Austin. There was a lot to see and hear at this event.  (view all the photos taken by photographer Jerome Huaulme here)

From medals awarded by Chief Acevedo to two super star downtown bike patrol officers…

APD Medal Recipients:
Ofc. Michael Schultheis, Meritorious Service
Ofc. Duane Williams, Superior Service

…to a ticker tape celebration of community, police and prosecution heroes

5th St Community 2011 Sheepdog Award Recipients:
George and Suzanne Armstrong, 5th St Community Watch
Cpl Eric Cleveland, Austin Police Dept
Jason English, Assistant District Attorney for the Downtown Community
Bill Brice, Downtown Austin Alliance Security and Maintenance Director

…to a panel of city leaders listening and responding to downtown resident and business concerns

Panel Members:
Mike Levy, Public Safety Commissioner
Mike Martinez, City Council Member
Chief Acevedo, Austin Police Department
Rosemary Lehmberg, Travis District Attorney
Jamie Lagarde, Panel Moderator

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of our tremendous downtown sponsors who we can’t thank enough!

Sponsors:
Ballet Austin
Downtown Austin Alliance
Austin City Living
Luke’s Locker
Centurion Property Management
El Sol y La Luna
P.F. Changs
Thistle Cafe

Media Coverage of the event can be replayed at the following links:
Fox   Downtown Safety Discussed at Meeting
KXAN   Downtown Meeting Focused on Safety

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