Good Afternoon:
 
This is an update on the City of Austin Downtown Bicycle Boulevard Project. Please note that the City Council Briefing on the Downtown Bicycle Boulevard Staff Recommendation will be on June 10th, 2010, and NOT MAY 13, 2010 as originally planned.  Also, please note that the City Council does not allow speakers on Briefings.
 
The last Boards and Commissions briefing will be May 11th, 2010, at the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC), 6 pm at City Hall.  It is likely that the UTC will take action on the item at this meeting; they will allow speakers on this item at this meeting.
 
To date the Downtown Commission, Planning Commission, Design Commission, and the Downtown Austin Alliance Mobility and Streetscapes Subcommittee have unanimously supported the Downtown Bicycle Boulevard Staff Recommendation.
 
The Downtown Bicycle Boulevard staff recommendation, 3-d rendering of the recommendation, and other information can be found here:
 
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/publicworks/bicycle-public-input.htm

Annick C. Beaudet, AICP
Program Consultant – Planning
Neighborhood Connectivity Division
Department of Public Works
City of Austin
 

(more…)

Courtesy of Bill McCann

Consultants for the Travis County Commissioners Court will host two listening sessions to gather public input on the Facilities Master Plan for the County's downtown campus. The listening sessions will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 8, 2010 and at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday May, 13, 2010. Both sessions will be held at 314 W. 11th Street.

While Travis County has facilities in south Austin, Del Valle, and on Airport Boulevard, the majority of the County's facilities are located in downtown Austin. There are currently 33 County offices and departments housed in buildings that are at capacity. A Strategic Needs Assessment has been completed and the consultant team has launched the planning process for the Facilities Master Plan. Public input is being sought since voters will likely be asked to approve a bond program to fund new facilities.

According to the consultant team, the comprehensive Facilities Master Plan will:

  – Ensure that any new buildings, as well as existing buildings, are the right size, form, quality, image, and location for the proposed functions and that the tenant mix will work well.

  – Achieve consensus among officials on shared goals and objectives through a cohesive plan.

  – Create a phasing plan to spread costs out responsibly over many years based on estimates which are accurate and understandable.

  – Prepare a major bond program through a planning process that includes public input.

(more…)

Performance Schedule:
11:00-11:30 DJ Redmon
11:30-11:50 Johnny Degollado y Su Conjunto
12:00-12:30 Presentation of Colors-TCSO Honor Guard
12:30-12:45 Ballet Folklorico-McCallum High School
12:45 – 1:15 Mariachi Relampago
 1:15 – 2:00 Johnny Degollado y Su Conjunto

Co-Sponsored by Travis County and City of Austin.

(more…)

Facebook Inc. plans to begin moving into its new Austin home at 300 West Sixth Street on Monday, May 3.  The company expects to employ 200 people in the downtown location within the next four years.

“We’re incredibly excited to be opening this office in the heart of the city on 6th Street,” said Sarah Smith, head of Austin online
operations for Facebook, Inc. “This vibrant downtown location will allow us to attract great talent, create an open and innovative work environment, and give us room to grow over the coming years.”

The California-based social media will initially occupy 21,000 square feet of the 23-story building, said Smith. The building, owned and managed by Thomas Properties Group, was completed in 2002.

TPG Managing Director Andy Smith said, “We are extremely excited to have a company like Facebook as a new tenant at 300 West 6th.  This is another example of the kind of progressive, fast-growing company that Thomas Properties and downtown is looking to attract.  We believe this is just the beginning for our portfolio and the CBD to meet the cultural needs of this generation.”

The move is Facebook’s first major U.S. expansion outside California and considered a boon to Austin’s reputation as a technology hotbed, especially in the social media sector, said the Austin Business Journal.

Facebook, which employs about 1,200 workers, expects to invest about $3.1 million to set up local operations, state officials have said. (more…)

April 29, 2010
Contact: Andy Moore, Office of Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Martinez, (512) 974-2264

Council approves funding for I-35 Makeover Project between E. 8th and E. 6th.

The IH-35 Makeover Project will reconstruct the parking areas under the highway to enhance the safety, comfort, and aesthetics of the area and create an attractive gateway reconnecting downtown to East Austin.

This project is a result of a grassroots effort which started in 2004 by The Makeover Coalition made up of a diverse group of citizens, businesses, and neighborhood leaders formed to help transform this area into a public asset.

City Council approved two funding sources for this project. They first approved a resolution in March, 2005 explicitly supporting the use of parking revenue from the City-managed IH-35 parking lots for the IH-35 Makeover Project. In March of 2007, City Council passed a resolution setting aside $1.5 million to be provided by the future issuance of non-tax supported certificates of obligation.

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez said, “I am excited to see this project get underway. I can’t say enough about the efforts of The Makeover Coalition to drive this effort. It’s another example of the dedication of our citizens coming up with ways to improve our city.”

“The interstate has divided our city for too long. The work of the IH 35 Makeover is to start bridging east and west Austin and begin unifying our community,” said CM Cole. “I am proud to see this effort finally under construction.”

““A big thanks goes out to everyone involved in this process. Our community group, Council, Cotera+Reed Architects, TXDoT and City Staff all worked together to transform and activate this space” said Larry Warshaw, Chair of the I35 Makeover Coalition that has been advocating for the project.”

The Makeover Coalition provided the support necessary to improve this connection between downtown and the east of Austin. The coalition obtained a grant of $250,000 from Keep Austin Beautiful (KAB) to help fund the landscape portion.

The lighting project will be done through the City’s Art in Public Places Program and will be programmed LED lights in arches over the parking lots.  A computer-generated illumination will create a show as well as create safe lighting.

This area was a broad boulevard called Eastside Drive until postwar era, when IH-35 was built over it in a series of elevated and buried sections.

The project is expected to start in June and take approximately seven months, at which time TXDot will begin the landscape improvements funded through the KAB grant. (more…)