Raleigh Austin outlines 2026 bond priorities, potential uses for historic City Hall and other downtown sites

David Colligan, chief operating officer of Raleigh Austin, told the Austin Downtown Commission on Aug. 20 that Raleigh Austin is positioning itself to support downtown redevelopment through a multipurpose local government corporation model and a proposed ask in the city’s 2026 bond program.

Colligan said Raleigh Austin — formerly the Austin Economic Development Corporation and organized as a 501(c)(3) — is focused on three “rallies”: arts, music and cultural space; complete communities; and catalytic development. He said the agency currently manages about $160,000,000 of real estate and development projects under its work with the City of Austin and has assembled a cultural-trust program that the presentation described as a $27,000,000 initiative to preserve local creative venues.

Why it matters: Raleigh Austin is seeking new financing tools and city direction to accelerate projects the city has not been able to pursue directly. Colligan framed the bond proposal and Raleigh Austin’s role as ways to bring private leverage and flexible financing to preserve cultural venues and support affordable and workforce housing downtown.

Key points from the presentation

- Organization and mission: Colligan described Raleigh Austin as “the first multipurpose local government corporation requested by the community and created by the Austin City Council in 2020,” and said the structure gives…