| Dear Neighbors,
On October 17th, Council considered several proposed revisions to the camping and obstruction ordinances that were changed in June. I continue to believe that Austin can provide compassionate care, services, and housing opportunities for all residents, including those experiencing homelessness, and also be responsive to our residents expressing their desire to ensure public health and order. I also am confident most Austinites agree that these two things need not be mutually exclusive.
At the Council meeting, Council Members Kitchen, Tovo, Pool and I proposed revisions to the camping and obstruction ordinances. Our draft ordinance offered clarity that had been requested by our chief law enforcement officer and the public since June. Camping, sitting, and lying would not be allowed on sidewalks and camping would be prohibited on medians and underpass slopes, in and near creeks, in high fire risk areas, and other areas. Our proposal relied heavily on the use of non-criminal enforcement and provided clear statements in law guiding where it was unsafe or dangerous to camp.
The proposed ordinance was substituted and amended on the dais throughout the course of a thoughtful discussion. However, the final language, from my perspective, did not provide the level of clarity sought by the community, and it did not give law enforcement the tools they requested to restore public health and order. The final ordinance includes some very important pieces, like no camping on sidewalks, and I was successful in adding in a couple of amendments, including a ban on camping in high wildfire risk areas. In the end, the amended version of the ordinance fell short of the changes I heard the community and law enforcement ask of us, so I could not support it.
For a quick overview of what was included or not included in the final version, please see the table below. |
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| I am deeply appreciative of the hours of work put into these revisions by my colleagues and staff and the perspectives shared by the many Austinites who have connected with my office. These ordinance changes are only part of Austin’s approach to solving homelessness. We must strategically invest resources and provide services to prevent and end homelessness. As a council member and an Austinite, I believe it is my duty to continue our efforts to help our neighbors experiencing homelessness. I am committed to helping our community move forward together, and I invite everyone to join in these efforts.
Regards,
Alison Alter
Council Member, District 10
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Table of Contents - Land Development Code Update
- District 10 Land Development Code Office Hours – Oct. 25
- TreeFolks Urban Forest Hero Award
- Exposition On-Demand Circulator
- People's Gallery Deadline for Submissions – Oct. 27
- November Election: Early Voting and New Polling Machines
- It's My Park Day – Nov. 2
- District 10 Opening: Historic Landmark Commission
- Kingsbury Commons Groundbreaking at Pease Park
- Junior League of Austin Community Impact Center Opening
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| | | Land Development Code Update
Thank you to everyone who attended our District 10 Town Hall on the Land Development Code on Monday. We are fortunate to have such an engaged constituency; an estimated 250 people gathered to learn and ask questions about the new draft code and maps.
I share many of the concerns that I am hearing from community members and my office is continuing to dig into the proposals and track down answers.
The draft code and map released on October 4 closely followed council direction provided back in May. As you know, I did not support the direction guiding the revision process. If you would like to learn more, I encourage you to revisit the newsletter I sent before the May 2nd vote, as well as the update I sent detailing why I voted against the document.
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| | | At our town hall on Monday, we received over a hundred questions that we are trying to respond to individually. If you do not receive a response from my office after a week, it may be that you did not include contact information on your question card, or that we misinterpreted the handwritten information. In the event that you do not receive a response, or if you have new questions, please reach out to Kurt.Cadena-Mitchell@austintexas.gov.
If you were unable to join us on Monday, please know that there are still several opportunities to provide input and ask questions about the draft revisions, which are detailed below.
Ways to Take Action Please take note of the proposed staff timeline, as this process is moving quickly and we don't want you to miss opportunities to engage. |
| | | District 10 Land Development Code Office Hours – Oct. 25
District 10 staff will be available on October 25th to listen to your comments and help answer questions regarding the Land Development Code. These will be walk-in office hours operating on a first come, first served during the hours detailed below.
Friday, October 25 9-11 a.m. Biderman's Deli 3742 Far West Blvd.
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| | | TreeFolks Urban Forest Hero Award
Last week I was honored by TreeFolks with The Urban Forest Hero Award for being a stalwart champion for Austin’s urban forest. I am committed to keeping Austin green and Treefolks is an amazing partner. We have worked together to expand and nourish our tree canopy, repair and replace trees so elderly residents can age in place, water trees in our parks, and accelerate our efforts to combat climate change and improve our climate resilience. Thank you for speaking for the trees, Treefolks!
Photo Credit: Ben Porter Photography |
| | | Exposition On-Demand Circulator
Capital Metro has rolled out an on-demand ride service to the Exposition area. The service, called Pickup, will take users from their front doors to any location within its service zone. You will be able to request a ride directly from your phone, either through the app or by calling the CapMetro Pickup Service Center at 512-369-6200.
With the Pickup app, you will be able to arrange on-demand transit service between the hours of 7 a.m.-7 p.m. from your home to a doctor's appointment, a shopping trip or anywhere within its service zone. For your reference, please click the map of the Exposition service zone above or view it online here.
Vehicles used for the Pickup service are ADA-accessible, so please help spread the word to neighbors who might benefit from the increased accessibility, including seniors. |
| | | | People's Gallery Deadline for Submissions – Oct. 27
The City of Austin seeks two and three-dimensional artworks in any medium from Austin-area visual artists, galleries, or visual arts organizations for the upcoming 2020 People’s Gallery Exhibition, which will be on view from February 2020-January 2021. Spanning the first three floors of Austin City Hall, the gallery is designed to showcase the work of local and regional artists, and to encourage public dialogue, understanding, and enjoyment of visual art. The program’s goal is to present a series of exhibitions that reflect the artistic excellence and cultural diversity of Austin, and to promote the City’s cultural and economic initiatives.
This year, in addition to the standard application, we are pleased to announce the return of our additional call, “Install at City Hall”. For this application, artists may propose site-specific installations for the Mayor’s second floor stairwell in City Hall. The total project budget is $3,000 and must include insurance, materials, installation and de-installation.
The deadline for submissions is October 27th, 2019, at 5 p.m. Visit the People's Gallery website to find program guidelines, eligibility requirements, application information and more. If you have questions, please email peoplesgallery@austintexas.gov, or call (512) 974-6456. |
| | | November Election: Early Voting and New Polling Machines
Early voting has begun in Texas! Now through November 1st, registered Travis County voters can cast ballots at any early voting site in the county. You’ll notice new voting systems in Travis County. These new machines are designed to be secure and user-friendly, pairing an electronic interface with the security of a paper ballot backup. Watch the County Clerk's video on YouTube to learn more.
Election Day is November 5, 2019. Ballot items vary by county, but all Texas voters will be asked to weigh in on 10 amendments to the Texas Constitution. Check out the League of Women Voters' 2019 Guide for information on every ballot item for each jurisdiction in Central Texas.
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| | | It's My Park Day – Nov. 2
The Austin Parks Foundation is holding its semi-annual It's My Park Day on Saturday, November 2 at project sites across the city. Originally held once per year, It's My Park Day has become Austin's largest city-wide volunteer event and now encompasses both a spring and fall date.
In Spring 2018, over 3,000 volunteers worked on nearly 100 projects across town, and in Fall 2018 over 2,000 people volunteered on nearly 85 projects. As It's My Park Day continues to grow, the Austin Parks Foundation is partnering with restaurants and businesses across the city so you get more when you give. Wear your Fall 2019 IMPD t-shirt to any of the partner locations and receive great discounts and giveaways!
You can find a list of projects, register to participate, see FAQs, and more at austinparks.org.
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| | | District 10 Opening: Historic Landmark Commission
The District 10 office is seeking a new representative to serve on the Historic Landmark Commission. The duties of the Historic Landmark Commission are to:
- Promote historic preservation activities in Austin
- Review applications for heritage grant monies
- Review applications for historic zoning cases
- Review certificates of appropriateness and tax exemption applications for city landmarks
- Review sign and building permits in historic districts
If you are interested in volunteering for this commission, please send your resume and a short memo with the following information to my office at district10@austintexas.gov:
- What is your assessment of the top three policy questions your commission will be dealing with over the next four years?
- A statement of the expertise and experience that you bring to these issues.
- A statement of what issues you anticipate emphasizing in your work supporting your commission.
Feel free to also share this opportunity with your friends and neighbors. We look forward to hearing from you!
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| | | Kingsbury Commons Groundbreaking at Pease Park
Among my favorite experiences as a council member is to help inaugurate the start of critical parks transformations. Last week, I joined the Pease Park Conservancy, my colleagues Kathie Tovo and Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Senator Kirk Watson, and the community to break ground on a revitalized Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park. This is an exciting development for our parks system, and I want to thank Richard Craig and the Pease Park Conservancy board and leadership and thoughtful donors including the Moody Foundation, Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge and Dale and Libby Linebarger for helping us make this wonderful investment.
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| | | Junior League of Austin Community Impact Center Opening
It was my honor to speak at the opening of the Junior League of Austin Community Impact Center and to present a proclamation declaring October 17th, 2019, Junior League of Austin Community Impact Center Day. Austin is home to the fifth largest Junior League in the world, and this building will serve as their headquarters and as a venue for events hosted by the community—allowing the Junior League of Austin to extend their impact even further. As I said in my remarks, this event brought together three of my favorite things: women, philanthropy, and my district. I look forward to seeing what the Junior League of Austin does next!
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