The Downtown Austin Alliance Board of Directors approved the organization’s FY24-25 advocacy priorities on June 12. Creating and maintaining a clean, safe environment is our highest priority. In line with our Strategic Plan and annual budget, we will continue to focus on advocating for policies, regulations and funding that provide dense, walkable neighborhoods; preserve and enhance cultural assets; and make downtown safer and easier to get around.
Additionally, this year, one of our major focuses is to increase public funding, as well as public sector oversight of downtown safety initiatives and proactive homelessness outreach programs.
Clean & Safe Advocacy
It is critical to not only create, but also preserve and enhance the vibe, vitality and value of downtown Austin—our community’s cultural and gathering center. We call upon our local leaders to put forth the necessary resources to ensure downtown is safe and clean for everyone who lives, visits or works here.
Police and Law Enforcement needs:
Downtown Austin must increase the visibility of police officers downtown, improve response times and have a transparent and collaborative APD recruitment plan. While there has been a decrease in reported crime across downtown Austin, serious concerns related to drugs and violent crime remain.
A multi-agency or inter-departmental task force should be established to study and implement measurable public safety improvements in the East 6th Street and Red River Cultural District.
Homelessness:
We are advocating for the City of Austin to adopt the innovative and successful HEART program year-round and downtown-wide by incorporating it into the existing Urban Alchemy contract. The Downtown Alliance-led program has successfully built trust between service providers and downtown’s unsheltered residents by providing food, clothing, medical care and housing assistance. Check out CBS Austin’s story here.
Mental Health:
After a successful first year of planning for a Mental Health Diversion Center and Pilot (through the cross-agency partnership of Travis County, City of Austin, Central Health and Integral Care), the momentum must continue. Both funding and collaboration are needed to ensure offenders suffering from mental health issues have alternative corrective options, which have been shown to reduce recidivism when compared to jail-only.
Mobility Advocacy
Infrastructure projects, including Project Connect, I-35 CapEx Central and Our Future 35 Cap & Stitch will not only positively transform downtown but also provide safer, more accessible options for people traveling to and within downtown Austin.
Support from all levels of government is vital to bring these projects to fruition. The Downtown Austin Alliance and our partners will work with leaders at the City, State and federal levels to ensure funding for these projects is secured. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconnect our city from east to west. To do so, we will work to complete and integrate the vision and design of Our Future 35 Cap and Stitch into TxDOT’s CapEx Central highway project procurement.
Built Environment Advocacy
Downtown should be the densest, most walkable, vibrant center of the region. By advocating for supportive City plans and land use policies, we’re working to create a dynamic space that meets the needs of everyone. Preserving cultural landmarks, like our iconic live music venues—especially in the Red River Cultural District—helps keep the unique cultural heritage of Austin alive and thriving.
Moving Forward
The work has already started on many of these priorities. Our VP of Public Affairs, Matt Geske, recently traveled to Washington D.C. for a business delegation meeting with elected leaders and agencies to obtain funding for our transformational infrastructure projects in June.
Our advocacy priorities are targeted to making downtown Austin the best place it can be to live, work and visit. We’re excited to share updates as we roll out these strategies and track our progress on our new advocacy dashboard. Check it out!
