Austin planners present Great Streets update, cite shade, safety and coordination needs

Jill Amezcwa, principal planner in the City of Austin Urban Design Division, presented an update to the Great Streets program and standards at the Downtown Commission meeting. She said the update is a modernization of a 25-year-old plan and is being aligned with other downtown initiatives including the Austin Core Transportation Plan, the Cap and Stitch project, Project Connect and work at the Convention Center.

"This is a 25 year old plan that we're currently updating," Amezcwa said, and outlined goals to take a right-of-way–wide approach, modernize streetscape furnishings and build predictable but flexible standards. She said staff are also emphasizing consistent maintenance and funding for installed streetscape features.

Amezcwa summarized community engagement to date: the update launched engagement in July 2025, an online survey drew "over 300" participants, an open house had about 75 attendees, and staff have collected "over 1,000 comments" that will be synthesized into recommendations for the draft plan. She said analysis of roughly 600 open-ended survey comments produced 20 themes and six core values, led by a people-first pedestrian focus.

On specific findings, Amezcwa said lack of shade and greenery and concerns about safety were repeated themes. "Sixty-six percent of survey participants would like to see shade and trees and landscaping in Downtown," she said. Staff also identified maintenance and pedestrian–vehicle conflicts as recurring concerns.

Commissioners pressed staff on schedule and scope. Commissioner David Carroll asked about delays; Amezcwa attributed schedule slippage to staff turnover and said the timeline will be accelerated in 2026 as key staff positions are filled. Commissioners also asked whether Great Streets boundaries could be extended; Amezcwa said expanding the plan boundaries — for example to cover areas around Rainey Street towers — has been discussed during community engagement.

Amezcwa described coordination plans with internal city partners: the project’s Technical Advisory Group includes Economic Development, Transportation & Public Works, Austin Water and Austin Energy. She said Safe Streets Austin participates in the community advisory group but noted that lane-conversion decisions are outside the Great Streets update and require Transportation & Public Works involvement.

Next steps include another open house early next year to present proposed recommendations, continued briefings to boards and commissions (including the Urban Transportation Commission), and development of a draft plan for potential council consideration in a future adoption phase. Vice Chair Kimberly Levinson thanked staff for the presentation; commissioners asked that planning-model documents and consultant inputs be shared promptly so the full commission can review them before subsequent meetings.