The event space at 800 Congress Ave. was transformed Wednesday into a miniature version of the downtown Austin grid.[/caption]
The ground-floor event space of 800 Congress Ave. was transformed Wednesday into a miniature version of Congress Avenue for the launch of an initiative designed to revitalize the corridor.
Meeting attendees stepped into the downtown grid—outlined on the floor in yellow tape from Riverside Drive to the Capitol and from Colorado to Brazos streets—and answered questions about what they would like Congress to look like.
The urban design initiative, called Our Congress Avenue, is a partnership between the city of Austin and the Downtown Austin Alliance, a nonprofit organization that represents business owners and other stakeholders in the downtown area.
Wednesday's workshop, which sought to gather input on history, culture, social justice, environment, mobility and economics in the corridor, was the first of five community meetings scheduled throughout the year to gather feedback.
Feedback is also being taken through a
survey, which will close in late May.
Funding for the planning of Our Congress Avenue came from the 2012 mobility bond. David Taylor, one of the project managers and a staffer in the city's public works department, said funding for implementation of the project will likely come from another bond.
"It's a very complex plan," he said about the Congress urban design initiative.
Changes to the streetscape, sidewalks and bike lanes are being considered as part of the initiative, Taylor said.
The last time the city revitalized the corridor was in the 1980s, he said. Since then, there have been more than 20 studies in revitalization efforts that Congress was a part of.
Following the stakeholder focus groups, Sasaki Associates—the design firm behind the project—will develop initial concept ideas. In early 2018, a project report will be drafted, and by spring 2018, a final project report will be presented.
The next community feedback meeting will be in May, although a date has not yet been scheduled.
The city and the Downtown Austin Alliance plan to have a finished project report by this time next year.[/caption]
The event space at 800 Congress Ave. was transformed Wednesday into a miniature version of the downtown Austin grid.[/caption]
The ground-floor event space of 800 Congress Ave. was transformed Wednesday into a miniature version of Congress Avenue for the launch of an initiative designed to revitalize the corridor.
Meeting attendees stepped into the downtown grid—outlined on the floor in yellow tape from Riverside Drive to the Capitol and from Colorado to Brazos streets—and answered questions about what they would like Congress to look like.
The urban design initiative, called Our Congress Avenue, is a partnership between the city of Austin and the Downtown Austin Alliance, a nonprofit organization that represents business owners and other stakeholders in the downtown area.
Wednesday's workshop, which sought to gather input on history, culture, social justice, environment, mobility and economics in the corridor, was the first of five community meetings scheduled throughout the year to gather feedback.
Feedback is also being taken through a survey, which will close in late May.
Funding for the planning of Our Congress Avenue came from the 2012 mobility bond. David Taylor, one of the project managers and a staffer in the city's public works department, said funding for implementation of the project will likely come from another bond.
"It's a very complex plan," he said about the Congress urban design initiative.
Changes to the streetscape, sidewalks and bike lanes are being considered as part of the initiative, Taylor said.
The last time the city revitalized the corridor was in the 1980s, he said. Since then, there have been more than 20 studies in revitalization efforts that Congress was a part of.
Following the stakeholder focus groups, Sasaki Associates—the design firm behind the project—will develop initial concept ideas. In early 2018, a project report will be drafted, and by spring 2018, a final project report will be presented.
The next community feedback meeting will be in May, although a date has not yet been scheduled.
