In a Jan. 19 presentation to the city’s downtown commission, Brian Block from the development services department said the effort to improve the situation will require collaboration across multiple stakeholders.
“This was a multi-departmental team, and we worked collaboratively, both with all of our interdepartmental folks but [also] with Sixth Street stakeholders, including property owners, business operators and downtown organizations,” Block said.
His presentation largely focused on two aspects of a Dec. 27 memo from Austin Police Department Chief Joseph Chacon: requiring an annual entertainment permit and allowing businesses greater flexibility to use street space for certain activities.
The new permit will require businesses with operating hours after midnight to develop a safety plan. According to the Dec. 27 memo, that plan would require details on security personnel, door policies, crowd control and underage drinking.
Block added that the permit would also possibly roll into permits required by other city departments.
“For example, their annual permit from the fire department [and] annual permit for sound equipment—our suggestion is that we roll those together with this entertainment permit, and all of those things can happen kind of at the same time,” Block said.
The memo provided details on a pilot to allow businesses in the 200, 500, 600 and 700 blocks of Sixth Street and Sabine Street to expand operations into the sidewalk and parking areas in front of their business. It would be a temporary activation on Thursday, Friday and Saturday when the city closes the stretch to vehicle traffic.
Block said the concept would likely incorporate elements of the “Shop the Block” pilot introduced in response to the pandemic. That program allowed businesses to apply to expand their business operations into private parking lots, public sidewalks, public parking spaces or roads, and alleyways.
The commission also unanimously approved a measure that created a working group to continue to develop a Sixth Street safety plan.
Safety beyond Sixth Street
Some commissioners said the city needs to think about Sixth Street safety as something that is not confined to just Sixth Street itself.
Commissioner Nelly Paulina Ramirez said the city needs to consider safety as people are going to and from the Sixth Street area.
“This may just be me, but an area that has lots of people doesn't feel as unsafe as an area that feels more desolate,” Ramirez said.
Commission Chair August Harris said he agreed with Ramirez’s call for a focus on Sixth Street's effect on the broader area’s public safety.
“The issues transcend Sixth Street itself, and while we can address what happens in and around the bars and the restaurants, there are streets, alleys and parking lots that are beyond the scope of the businesses, and that's where much of this happens,” Harris said.
