Austin staff outline bird‑friendly design recommendation, commissioners press for cost data and affordability protections

Leslie Lilly, environmental conservation program manager with Austin Watershed Protection, presented staff's response to a city council resolution directing an analysis of bird‑friendly design measures and a feasibility study. Lilly told the Downtown Commission the work grew from a year‑long, cross‑departmental effort that considered lighting, façade treatments and monitoring approaches and drew on precedents in other cities.

"Austin sits in the middle of the Central Flyway," Lilly said, explaining the city funnels "hundreds of thousands of birds through Central Texas every year" and noting the local diversity: "within 60 miles of our city limits, you can see over 400 species of birds." She described a technical approach the American Bird Conservancy uses — threat‑factor testing in wind tunnels — and highlighted two models…