1993-2013 YEAR ANNIVERSARY DOWNTOWNAUSTIN ALLIANCE Annual Report 2013 1993-2013 CelebratingOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARYANNIVERSARY 1993 2013 20 YRS Table of CONTENTS 2 WELCOME 2 Letter from Board Chair Larry Graham 3 Letter from Executive Director Charles Betts 5 About the Downtown Austin Alliance 6 DOWNTOWN BY THE NUMBERS 6 Downtown Office Market 7 Public Improvement District 9 Downtown Residential and Hotel Markets 10 Downtown Retail Market STRATEGIC PLAN 12 14 IMPACT AREAS 15 Congress Avenue 16 Mobility and Infrastructure 18 Northeast Quadrant 20 ONGOING INITIATIVES 20 Economic Development 23 Arts and Entertainment 25 Parks and Open Spaces 26 Retail 28 Public Safety and Cleanliness 30 Advocacy and Policy 31 Communications 33 Education FINANCIAL REPORTS 34 36 DAA TEAM 36 Board and Advisory Board 39 Staff 20 YRS Letter from the BOARD CHAIR At the Downtown Austin Alliance, few of our projects are short- term. Increasing downtown Austin’s value and vitality involves plan- ning not just for the next year, but for the next 20 years and beyond. And it requires working day in, day out with our leaders, members and community partners to turn far-reaching plans into reality. Because each DAA initiative has its own winners of Waller Creek Conservancy’s long-term cycle, some years have more international design competition. Addi- tangible outcomes — things the public tionally, The University of Texas System can see and experience — than others. Board of Regents approved the master Annual Report This was definitely a year of concrete plan for the medical district, which will outcomes. Congress Avenue is now lined bring the Dell Medical School and a new with nearly 500 beautiful native plants, teaching hospital to this long-underuti- 2012-2013 2012-2013 and at night its 136 trees are filled with lized area of downtown. The DAA looks 2 lights. Wooldridge Square reopened after forward to the fulfillment of Mayor Leff- a dramatic makeover to its grass, trees ingwell’s vision to create an Innovation and bandstand, as well as the addition of District in this part of downtown. a new irrigation system to keep it looking As we celebrated these new “wins” great. Republic Square also saw increased for downtown, we continued tackling activity and potential as the “front lawn” big issues like shaping the Project of our brand new federal courthouse. Connect regional transportation plan Many other projects we’ve long and proposals for urban rail, advocating championed and helped plan with our for more police resources downtown, partners are also on the cusp of public and finding new permanent supportive DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AUSTIN DOWNTOWN debut. Downtown will soon be the hub of housing solutions for our chronically our city’s first Bike Share program, with homeless population. 10 initial stations debuting at the end of On behalf of the DAA and its board 2013. Capital Metro will begin high-fre- of directors, I want to thank you all for quency, high-capacity MetroRapid bus helping us continuously move projects service through downtown next year. forward, and for working every day toward And the Central Texas Regional Mobility an even brighter future for our urban core. Authority is about to break ground on new managed toll lanes on MoPac. Sincerely, In downtown’s northeast quadrant, construction on the Waller Creek Tunnel is near completion and will set the foun- LARRY GRAHAM dation for new parks, retail and other 2012-2013 Board Chair components of the vision outlined by the Downtown Austin Alliance 20 YRS Letter from the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR When I reflect upon the last 20 years of downtown Austin’s phe- nomenal growth, I of course think of the dramatic changes to our skyline. Frost Bank Tower, the Austonian, the Hilton, Computer Sciences Corporation, Whole Foods Market and dozens of other developments have transformed our landscape from college town to cosmopolitan city. city’s prime recreational destination. valuation. This tax revenue is the And emerging development around DAA’s main source of funding. Waller Creek, Seaholm Power Plant, We are grateful to our volunteers Annual Report Green Water Treatment Plant and the and to the property owners who Medical District assures a future of recognized the importance of creating dynamic growth. the DAA as an organization dedicated Most of all, when I think of down- to building the value and vitality of 2012-2013 I also think about what these buildings town’s success, I think of the people downtown Austin. We are grateful to 3 represent. New corporate headquarters who helped make it happen. Down- the members, volunteer leaders and now occupy office towers that, in 1993, town is a neighborhood made up of partner organizations that continue were vacant or repossessed after Aus- bright, creative individuals, and we’ve working with us every day to achieve tin’s late 1980s real estate recession. been lucky to have 135 of them serve this mission. Lastly, I am grateful to my More than 10,000 people live down- on the Downtown Austin Alliance hard-working DAA team — from early town, compared to 4,000 in 1993. board since our inception in 1993. morning street cleanings to late-night Growth in our overall population, as These volunteer leaders have includ- City Council meetings, I appreciate well as the rising success of events like ed former mayors, entrepreneurs, your every action to build our down- developers, architects and artists, all town into a treasure for Austin and an South by Southwest Conferences and ALLIANCE AUSTIN DOWNTOWN Festivals, Austin City Limits Music working to advance our collective example to the world. Festival and Formula One, has boosted vision of downtown. the number of downtown hotel rooms It all started with a group of Sincerely, from 3,000 to 6,400. volunteers who, following the lead- Retail and entertainment areas like ership of the City of Austin, Greater the Second Street District, the Ware- Austin of Chamber of Commerce and CHARLIE BETTS house District, Congress Avenue and the Austin chapter of the American Executive Director the West End have taken downtown Institute of Architects, created the Downtown Austin Alliance streets from being largely dormant to Downtown Austin Public Improve- bustling around the clock. Improve- ment District and the DAA. Creating ments to the Trail at Lady Bird Lake a PID required them to get a majority and our parks, along with program- of downtown property owners to sign ming like the Farmers’ Market Down- a petition agreeing to a mandatory tax town, have cemented our status as the assessment based on their property 94 96 09 10 “In its early years, the DAA quickly established itself as a credible organization with the public, businesses and governments, and was perceived as an effective business entity that deliv- ered needed services to successfully recruit invest- ment dollars to downtown.” DAVID BODENMAN Highland Resources, Inc. Annual Report DAA Board Chair, 1994- 1995, 1995-1996, 2009-2010 2012-2013 2012-2013 4 DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AUSTIN DOWNTOWN 20 ABOUT THE DAA YRS !eserving and enhancing our value and vitality. OUR MISSION The Downtown Austin Alliance’s mission is to preserve and enhance the value and vitality of downtown Austin. WHO WE ARE • Arts and Entertainment Committee Formed in 1993, the DAA is a non- • Parks Committee profit organization that works with • Security and Maintenance property owners, residents, business Committee owners, community organizations • Mobility and Streetscapes and government officials to advance Committee our collective vision for the future of downtown Austin. Downtown prop- Annual Report erty owners with property valued WHAT WE DO over $500,000 are automatically The DAA is engaged in dozens of assessed members of the DAA, and projects and issues that increase 2012-2013 2012-2013 any other Austin organizations or the appeal of downtown Austin to 5 individuals are welcomed to join. residents, employees and visitors. As a We also develop downtown leader- full-time advocate for downtown, the ship by connecting these stakeholders DAA is actively involved in plan- with opportunities to shape the area’s ning decisions that impact the area. future. Over the past 20 years, hun- We also advance downtown’s vision dreds of talented Austinites have vol- through direct services supporting unteered to serve on the DAA board safety and cleanliness. and advisory board. Additionally, any Additionally, we develop effective DAA member can join one of our four relationships with key stakeholders committees, which meet monthly. in the public and private sectors, ALLIANCE AUSTIN DOWNTOWN creating partnerships that support the DAA’s mission and projects. Examples include: DAA • Austin Parks Foundation MEMBERSHIP 102 public/private park management partnerships 488 Associate & Voluntary • Caritas/Community Court 590 Members (Dues-paying) Partnership Housing Program • Movability Austin Assessed Members • Project Connect (Property owners) • Waller Creek Conservancy Total Members 20 YRS DEFINING DOWNTOWN Downtown by the numbers. IN 1993, the City Council approved a Public Improvement District (PID) to address the unique needs of Downtown Austin. The DAA’s primary source of funding comes from a special tax assessment on privately owned, large properties within the PID. The PID assesses properties at 10 cents per $100 after the first $500,000 in value. 2013 The PID is currently authorized through 2023. Office 1998 Rental Annual Report (Per Square Foot) CBD 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 $20.79 $22.48 $31.81 $27.53 $23.35 $21.33