City staff brief Design Commission on bird‑friendly building measures after council resolution

Leslie Lilly, environmental conservation program manager with the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department, told the Design Commission that staff are developing cross‑departmental recommendations in response to a November council resolution on bird‑friendly design.

The briefing described two principal drivers of bird collisions with buildings: daytime collisions caused by glass transparency and reflections, and nighttime disorientation caused by artificial lighting. "Bird collisions are relevant to Austin because we're a city of more than 1,000,000 people with lots of buildings and lots of glass, and we're located in the middle of the Central Flyway," Lilly said, citing migration data staff included in the presentation.

City staff framed the proposed response around three near‑term tasks: a feasibility analysis to estimate material and compliance costs for developers, targeted recommendations for design code or guidance changes, and an educational outreach program for property owners and architects. Staff said they will coordinate with Austin Energy (the Austin Energy Green Building program), Development…