[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6540251,"mediaKeyId","3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f","parentId",3439998,"title","Downtown Commission approves minutes and adjourns April 21 meeting","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",80000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f&start=80&end=80","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f/thumbnail_80000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6540251/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Downtown-Commission-approves-minutes-and-adjourns-April-21-meeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540251-eadf623030eb13749f091a6fca388a08/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174532&Signature=GtybDQ4MwLrFPkc8sQIIdwkszobfmw2AAFa7mqUzhO6jpM~1ta5W~zzNezjgtY9ax9RURRFtTzt1mH9OIDO-6~iHV93hM-fR9vLyniOEb-FvOizZSMnoV7sGjouHADtoGjgquV5Pl09dCL6Hp0EjyvYIepMjd3xQjtqw-49ibj22sx8yrTvF39yBU8TJrZ9UYjawLNoI6F9xjB4iUPWXWQSQYDC30cHWJRDsW1YyT5vQ8bzd1QJo7DMPfmjIsQaQaX5IayDB9pcUZ6TuTiXh4C6yCq4hoR9eE49eTZ-9zyyP~zGN8~qpwL2rCUKenAeWwxepRyXqCRvqxLZ1uPC9pg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-05-21T00:00:00Z","article","At the April 21, 2025 meeting of the Austin Downtown Commission, commissioners voted to approve the prior meeting’s minutes and later moved to adjourn after the evening’s agenda.

Approval of minutes: A motion to accept the minutes was moved and seconded; commissioners answered “Aye” by voice and the chair declared the motion carried. The transcript records multiple “Aye” responses but does not record a roll‑call tally or named individual votes.

Adjournment: At the meeting’s close the commission made a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and approved by voice vote; the chair declared the meeting adjourned.

These routine procedural actions were the only formal motions recorded in the provided transcript for this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Downtown Commission - May 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Austin Downtown Commission approved the previous meeting’s minutes, and the commission adjourned after routine business on April 21, 2025; motions were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. No roll‑call tallies were recorded in the transcript.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6540256,"Red River Cultural District urges support for venues as downtown development, parking and staff shortages loom",2293,3066000,5359000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f&start=3066&end=5359","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f/thumbnail_3066000.jpg","/articles/6540256/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Red-River-Cultural-District-urges-support-for-venues-as-downtown-development-parking-and-staff-shortages-loom","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540256-1aa8de5a422c7903de960396d5c91e0b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174532&Signature=dDLO7JfjzgAqsfmKYDLtH0hssbnQxmlXSSD0ndebLd3SYm-MDOZAMYQH7GAoWaW~7daSAZsQbUi3Ohy-NfL3gZ~zSU9u8w45mAxXdLBD5NGlDv2I0zzhcbLV~ff9d9CjvZrE9k-KL9yGS~EEY2gKEfc-oi~JaPEgywWTV1YE8ViOwcb08z6AbgQBtbH695MuaHrZPTRfhqgOwrr8KGrWzrY~RIASN8PiaDtPuITbVKS7tI-AEafoJuIK5twQdswDCUBAMqTv1KRRDeXt92mh68bSnjdldGHEhquQ5zRssPJbUF6L-jxjqG9WFKnw5zo90jBKTwXLfIxlDRhTRHrLZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nicole Klepadlo, executive director of the Red River Cultural District, briefed the Austin Downtown Commission on April 21, 2025, about the district’s activities, secured funding, festivals, heritage research and concerns about development pressure and parking that may threaten live music venues.

Klepadlo described the Red River Cultural District as spanning roughly Fourth to Fifteenth Streets eastward toward I‑35 and west to Neches and Trinity. The nonprofit, founded after venue closures in 2013, received local cultural‑district designation in 2013 and state designation in 2020. She said the organization has operated for a decade with “a team of one” and a volunteer board.

Klepadlo said the district secured a four‑year contract delivering $150,000 annually in funding sourced through right‑of‑way fees; the contract was issued in December (the transcript indicates a December 2024 issuance). She said the funds are being directed principally to programming and economic development rather than to build internal staffing capacity, though Klepadlo said additional staff would increase the organization’s ability to carry out work.

The district operates two major events: Free Week (a multi‑day free music series held in January) and Hot Summer Nights (a July event). Klepadlo said Free Week can draw close to 15,000 people over three days and that Hot Summer Nights (her seventh year for the event) staged more than 544 paid musicians and performers last year across 14 participating venues. She said the district is expanding daytime programming to diversify revenue and to serve visitors outside of late‑night hours.

Klepadlo described a heritage project (“Cultural Currents”) that is documenting place‑based history for Red River to support future heritage wayfinding and interpretation. She said the district hopes to unlock $275,000 that was earmarked in 2017 for heritage wayfinding work; Klepadlo said research is underway now and that the end goal is interpretive materials and an exhibition to promote tourism and history in the district.

Klepadlo repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of nearby and upcoming large investments — including Stream Realty acquisitions and convention center and Greenway projects — on existing venue tenants, and urged the city to pair major capital projects with targeted investments and incentives to retain live‑music venues. She recommended tools such as gap financing, rebate programs and longer‑term lease commitments for legacy small businesses in the district.

Klepadlo and commissioners discussed practical constraints faced by venues: operating costs and insurance for live‑music venues have risen, parking for musicians, employees and patrons is limited and expensive, and construction and truck routing related to larger projects could disrupt pedestrian activation downtown. She said the district has worked with city staff on the sound assessment and disclosure ordinance and urged more implementation of economic development tools requested in prior resolutions.

Commissioners and Klepadlo discussed staffing: Klepadlo said the organization operates with one staff member and a volunteer board of directors; she said a short‑term contractual fundraising staffer is in place to help development work. She asked the commission to keep the district in mind as downtown planning and redevelopment move forward and welcomed partnerships on parking, incentives and construction‑mitigation planning.

","Nicole Klepadlo, executive director of the Red River Cultural District, told the Downtown Commission the nonprofit received a four‑year contract of $150,000 annually, is documenting district history to support tourism, and is pressing for parking, tenant stability and incentive tools to protect music venues amid downtown redevelopment.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6540261,"Austin Transportation posts updated director's rules for shared micromobility after device reductions; public comment open",1195,1002000,2197000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f&start=1002&end=2197","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f/thumbnail_1002000.jpg","/articles/6540261/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-Transportation-posts-updated-directors-rules-for-shared-micromobility-after-device-reductions-public-comment-open","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540261-4c33088bc59781ae51558b5caa156f31/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174532&Signature=L0mZziQsiBz2hp5aQvn5IUVLx6wc5oObLNZicU2wYoLOWwWXBNS1s1DrnqUw9sTpcHI~x9mh9deq1W6hJmewMTQQLboLrIqY4LqPShkw3mh-uZGw3yQ3jabzjNFpncq9J8LphQ5A~Tf7-Alkz3-nEGlltXQAoHU8CUkcjYiAJC49xzblsMuzWHc4~3T~5BwbkIbtZGFSlL5OY8R0RA7547cvFB-eAD-ekeSCfXRwt7PyAxh7FFJEvKJ68JvohpXQ~wXaJEhCLQbvdX6VpZlGf4AwQlkGQxNh~FmnpvaFNX~zT-gFkqZdO96A3KAfNJRIT0HYZ~88qhQaCs6DxMIrSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Austin Transportation and Public Works staff briefed the Downtown Commission on April 21, 2025, about recent changes to the city’s shared micromobility program, outreach results and a posted update to the department’s director’s rules that will be open for public comment.

Joseph Vohadri (Parking Enterprise Manager) and Michael Kimbro (Program Manager, Shared Mobility Services) said the city imposed a cap on the number of vendors and devices after two vendors left the market in 2023. The cap and device reductions — a roughly 29% citywide cut in devices and a 44% reduction inside the Downtown Austin Project Coordination Zone — have produced a modest decline in overall trips and operational benefits for enforcement and vendors, the presenters said.

Kimbro presented high‑level metrics comparing two 12‑month periods (April 1–March 31 year‑over‑year): total trips citywide fell from about 2,915,000 to about 2,850,000 (a 3% decrease). Downtown trips declined from roughly 2,000,000 to about 1,800,000 (a 9% decrease) despite the much larger decline in downtown devices. Trips per vehicle per day rose: citywide from 1.21 to 1.36 trips per vehicle; downtown from about 1.1 to roughly 1.8 trips per vehicle. Customer service requests from enforcement and citizens also fell markedly after the program changes, staff said.

Staff summarized outreach and survey work. An open house March 24 drew both operators and community input. A follow‑up survey collected responses from just under 700 participants and more than 1,300 comments. Key survey findings reported by staff: 50% of respondents said they do not ride shared devices because of safety concerns; 51% say they use devices primarily to access entertainment; 30% use the devices to commute to work or school; 20% reported having experienced a crash on a shared device (respondents were not independently verified); 61% were concerned about blocked sidewalks; and 54% said it was not clear where to park scooters safely.

To address clutter and parking, staff said the city is auditing existing micromobility parking boxes and plans to expand the number of designated parking areas. Presenters described vendor technology that can “force‑park” scooters in designated boxes during events and other locations; staff said the technology has been used at select event sites (for example, ACL) but not yet citywide. Photo‑verification of end‑of‑trip parking is live for Lime and in testing for Bird; the system requires a rider to take a photo before ending a trip and vendors are piloting third‑party, near‑real‑time image review to prevent parking in ADA ramps and other restricted locations.

Kimbro described the proposed director’s rules posted with the city clerk. Key topics in the draft rules include: definitions and vehicle requirements, equity programs and reporting, permit areas and unit deployment limits, standardized collision and safety reporting, operations and customer service requirements, data reporting and sharing, insurance/performance bond and fee clarifications, an evaluation scorecard for vendor performance, and violations and penalties. The city posted the rules for public comment; staff said the public comment period will close in about a month, that the city will publish a response-to-comments summary by July 10, and that adoption is planned for July 17 if the schedule holds.

On enforcement and quick response: staff advised that 3‑1‑1 reports can be used to create service requests tied to a vendor (for example, identifying Lime in the 3‑1‑1 app will email the vendor) and that enforcement service‑level agreements require vendors to remedy many types of improperly parked devices within set time frames (staff cited a typical two‑hour window when routed through vendor processes). Staff also said new internal case‑tracking (NAC) has improved the city’s ability to differentiate enforcement‑created service requests from citizen reports and to track vendor responsiveness.

Kimbro and Vohadri said the city is also preparing a curbside management study to define curb typologies and to guide future allocation of curb space to deliveries, parking boxes, micro‑mobility corrals and other uses; the study is expected to start within a month and run roughly 10–11 months. Staff urged stakeholders to submit location requests for new micromobility parking boxes by email to sharedmobility@austintexas.gov.

Several commissioners and downtown stakeholders raised concerns in Q&A about sidewalk clutter, ADA access, geofencing accuracy and the pace of deployment for parking boxes and vendor technology; staff responded that GPS accuracy limits some geofencing/speed controls on sidewalks but that forced‑parking and photo verification are being expanded. Staff said they will continue outreach and return to commissions as rules and infrastructure plans mature.

","Transportation & Public Works reported a 29% citywide cut in devices (44% downtown), small declines in trips but higher trips per vehicle, planned director’s rules revisions (safety reporting, equity, parking boxes) posted for public comment with responses due July 10 and anticipated adoption July 17.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6540265,"APD commander updates Downtown Commission on Safer Sixth Street pilot; data review pending",521,115000,636000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f&start=115&end=636","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3439998-4cd26a94a3d2af6ba8ea53868d5dd50f/thumbnail_115000.jpg","/articles/6540265/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/APD-commander-updates-Downtown-Commission-on-Safer-Sixth-Street-pilot-data-review-pending","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540265-bab349be02d7fe239904c97f758119e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174532&Signature=ceAVmXqanzT2r5btDHWCFcvFytkmFI3NDDZMX8ajvt-cM1OiAUBqOsDplNM1g5KhxPehtJML8bNMuaPqvdC09yJF-ocHpIxdSK05S2uOW4CRl7gn1yZAW77mnRfYaOieP2L7YeCce~Ix9c8iLuQOfgWzDgZcBj4eNGDBXeCUN4YmMiJw77LL0yrWipk84gDk4lZKvAOEGpKpOj0ymMZSLeTDWgf-04OSKD5Yq0R~PFIvAwDic8APqbZTkwiX2raoP83O8pe3guIH2iogMjKkS-L05dbPPbE8mv3vNGZPYaIwb3qchOclupg3kTaNAj0e4lt~9JPeAUwH~K2YngaUtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commander Carrie Chaudhwar of the Austin Police Department briefed the Austin Downtown Commission on April 21, 2025, on the department’s Safer Sixth Street initiative, the pilot reopening of Sixth Street to vehicular traffic on weekend nights, recent changes to pedestrian barricades and a pending independent review of crime data.

The Safer Sixth Street initiative, launched in 2022, aims to reduce violent incidents and improve safety on Sixth Street through a mix of short- and long-term strategies involving APD, Austin-Travis County EMS and city planning staff. Chaudhwar said the pilot that reintroduced vehicular traffic on weekend nights started in December 2024 and that APD will keep the road open when safe but close it again if crowding or unsafe conditions occur.

Chaudhwar said temporary metal fencing and flexible posts were initially used to widen sidewalks but proved structurally inadequate after crowd contact and vehicle strikes. In May 2025 the city replaced the temporary fencing with more durable, water-filled orange-and-white plastic barricades. Chaudhwar said preliminary feedback indicates some people feel safer with the new barricades but that occasional behaviors — for example, people sitting on the barricades — require enforcement and engagement by officers.

She said APD is not yet releasing a full dataset because the department is conducting an independent verification of its crime data “so we want to make sure they’re verified and accurate before we present that data.” Chaudhwar provided preliminary, generalized figures: the top three arrest charges downtown are warrant arrests (requests to apprehend), public intoxication and criminal trespass. She said about 48% of arrests by the downtown geographic patrol occur during the weekend (Friday–Sunday), 46% of those arrests occur in the East Sixth Street area (roughly Brazos to I‑35 and East Fifth to Seventh Streets), and more than half occur between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. She also said roughly one‑fifth of arrests are for public intoxication.

Chaudhwar said APD has increased visible patrols in the downtown area — including mounted units, bicycles and ATVs — as part of the pilot to improve officer presence and deterrence. She said officers may close Sixth Street on weekend nights when crowds grow too large for safe pedestrian or vehicle circulation and gave a recent example in which officers closed the street around 12:30 a.m. when vehicle traffic could not cycle and crowds were spilling into the roadway.

When asked whether the new water‑filled barricades are permanent, Chaudhwar said they are temporary and that city departments are working with stakeholders on concepts for a permanent, more attractive solution that would both beautify Sixth Street and preserve safety. She said APD staff are meeting with stakeholders including property owners and commercial interests, and that she has scheduled meetings with Stream Realty and the Red River Cultural District and has already met the Downtown Austin Alliance.

Chaudhwar asked commissioners for patience while she completes an initial orientation in the downtown command; she said she will return with verified data and can provide more detail about resource deployment, costs and staffing for the pilot when that information is available.

The briefing closed with commissioners thanking Chaudhwar for attending and offering the commission’s assistance as she settles into the downtown command.

","Commander Carrie Chaudhwar told the Austin Downtown Commission that the Safer Sixth Street pilot (reopening Sixth Street to vehicle traffic on weekend nights) is ongoing, temporary fencing has been replaced by water-filled barricades in May 2025, and APD is conducting an independent review of crime data before releasing final statistics.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Downtown Commission approves minutes and adjourns April 21 meeting

Red River Cultural District urges support for venues as downtown development, parking and staff shortages loom

Austin Transportation posts updated director's rules for shared micromobility after device reductions; public comment open

APD commander updates Downtown Commission on Safer Sixth Street pilot; data review pending