Austin City Council will meet Thursday, June 28 for the last time before its July recess and the day’s 130-item agenda is packed with several decisions to watch. From a crucial vote in the quest to bring a professional soccer team to Austin, to a zoning change for a major redevelopment project in North Austin, here are some things to look out for on Thursday.

Negotiate a soccer stadium deal or solicit alternative projects? (Items 60, 64, 117 and 130)

Discussions to relocate the Columbus Crew to Austin began in September 2017 but have gained momentum in recent weeks. On Thursday, City Council will decide whether to initiate negotiations with the team's operating group, Precourt Sports Ventures, to offer the city-owned lot at 10414 McKalla Place as the soccer stadium site. The resolution also includes guidance to staff to begin soliciting plans for affordable housing projects on other city-owned tracts. Another resolution on Thursday’s agenda, Item 60, asks staff to solicit alternate project plans for the same site. District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool, the resolution’s sponsor, has stressed the necessity of seeking other options for the site to accurately determine whether a soccer stadium is the best offer the city can get. During Tuesday’s work session, council members said although both resolutions contradict one another, they could both pass. Staff from the city’s housing department said in that event, they do not know how they would proceed.

City Council’s 2018 bond discussions may start at $816 million (Item 27)

City Council will vote in August whether to ask voters in November to support the city taking out a large 30-year loan, funded by taxpayer dollars, to pay for several city projects—known as a general obligation bond package. The city manager has recommended an $816 million package, which City Council will vote on Thursday as a starting point to the conversations. The package as recommended would result in taxpayers carrying a roughly two-cent tax rate increase for the next 30 years in exchange for high-impact capital improvement projects. The manager recommends the bond money be spent as follows:

• $161 million for affordable housing
• $176 million for transportation infrastructure
• $142 million for parks and recreation
• $184 for stormwater and open space improvements
• $99 million for libraries and cultural centers
• $38 million for public safety
• $16 million for health and human services.

Taxis want flexible fare to compete with Uber and Lyft (Items 54, 55)

City staff say taxicab companies have suffered since ridesharing giants Uber and Lyft returned to Austin last year. Regulated by city code, taxicab fares are flat and determined by the Austin Transportation Department. To compete with the ridesharing companies, Austin’s cab companies are requesting autonomy with their fares, with a minimums and maximums set by the city. They also want more relaxed regulations on the number of vehicles permitted, vehicle type and appearance, and the ability to employ digital fare meters.

Changes coming to parking at Zilker? (Item 72)

District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen wants city staff to do a traffic and parking analysis to explore alternative measures for parking and transportation methods around Zilker Park. For large crowds, the city has typically opened parking at the Polo Fields and land along Stratford Drive; however, the Polo Fields are a recharge zone for Barton Springs and the Stratford Drive land is a landfill cap that is eroding due to heavy wear and tear from parking. Staff will come back with a report by March 1, 2019.

The centerpiece to Austin’s “second downtown” looks to receive proper zoning (Item 88)

The proposed high-intensity, mixed-use redevelopment of the 66-acre IBM Broadmoor Campus at 11501 Burnet Rd., received an initial thumbs up from City Council in April. After a few postponements, the project is scheduled for a final vote on Thursday. Developer Brandywine LLC’s plans for the campus include a mixed-use development with a relocated Capital Metro Rail Station, at least 2,000 housing units and building heights of up to 360 feet. Many say the project, which will be phased in over a 20-year period, is a central project to Austin’s “second downtown.”