The city will not open the Austin Convention Center to Hurricane Harvey evacuees, pivoting instead to a 160,000-square-foot space in southeast Austin. During a special-called emergency meeting Thursday, Austin City Council voted unanimously to direct city staff to negotiate a 30-day lease, with seven potential 30-day extensions for the space at 7000 Metropolis Drive. The deal will cost the city up to $1 million. Although the convention center was set to be a “mega-shelter,” city staff said they moved away from the option because the number of expected evacuees, although still uncertain, was dwindling. Issues with available parking, the effect on the community and length of the evacuees’ stay were also cited as determining factors in the site change. City Manager Elaine Hart said the city had to be simultaneously responsive in running the city’s convention center business and sheltering Hurricane Harvey evacuees. The convention center, according to Hart, is booked with events over the next few months, and the city was not prepared to predict which events should be canceled and did not want to move some of the longer-stay evacuees again after moving them into convention center.