[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6496412,"mediaKeyId","5671847-5894d6370cad55ab2ef6d3fdeb900069","parentId",5671847,"title","City staff presents draft urban design guideline layouts; commissioners give direction on graphics, timeline","audioSeconds",144,"startMs",108000,"endMs",252000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5671847-5894d6370cad55ab2ef6d3fdeb900069&start=108&end=252","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5671847-5894d6370cad55ab2ef6d3fdeb900069/thumbnail_108000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6496412/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/City-staff-presents-draft-urban-design-guideline-layouts-commissioners-give-direction-on-graphics-timeline","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6496412-63ce4e508cfecf0b04e7e5a53c0b2732/orig.mp4?Expires=1770507941&Signature=Y8KnXEGQvZXW5aofB86YeSXLvdPV4upz6-5xH7DhU-x8P3iUAHl2rklQG3NS~MeAjOj9pvEEAJVfdrO0I0o5D0ce4y2ruMFU9CPbdLU6~XpdPILbqiO5ZGDnkMDQWAcL7gG-wKKSnLorKL1Z3W45U9fZLwv60V-EjkQsOTUlWf7UiDfmI2RULZMgSFIWA0ZOytsfea~p7~h4RcSHsSBG3b5hmecpIz54IaTZ2kCTOPgmFsoCwCTKbiID2GYYAQ~5p9jcdqv3nBW7MnZ7RmQVzN6~K2eyNs9k~XRyZyrlTF9U0zLXBjv2VFq~cfy3~8BoiYjnZGpf0t-77DMLMZRdMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-08-25T00:00:00Z","article","City staff presented a preliminary set of visual mockups for the city's urban design guidelines and asked the Urban Design Commission for feedback on layout, graphic style and process for producing a formal draft.

\"What we are bringing before you this evening is a sampling of the next iteration of our attempt to start to put together your draft guidelines into a workable InDesign document,\" Jorge Rosalind, executive liaison to the commission, told commissioners. Rosalind said the materials shown are conceptual mockups, not a final draft, and staff seeks direction before producing a fuller layout.

Steven Cruz, a senior urban planner newly assigned to the project, walked commissioners through several page concepts that staff described as drawing inspiration from Los Angeles and New York City guideline publications. Cruz said the options range from photo-forward presentation to sketch- and diagram-driven pages that place graphics ahead of realistic imagery.

Commissioners generally endorsed a sketch-forward approach that preserves flexibility and avoids overly literal photographic backgrounds. \"I like the sketches and I agree with your comment of not making it look too real,\" Commissioner Carroll said, adding a preference for one guideline per page so each requirement can be read clearly. Commissioner McKinney echoed the need for text and graphics to hold equal weight and cautioned that some graphics in the mockups include elements that the urban design department no longer accepts (for example, certain planter or screening treatments).

Several commissioners pushed for clearer signals in the document on applicability and hierarchy. \"I just did want to make sure that we had some sort of, like, standard, somewhat graphic approach to identifying applicability of the guideline and the tier of the guideline,\" Commissioner Whitstrode said. Commissioner Iyewa suggested the commission consider whether some conditions can be made objective or given enumerated scoring to reduce subjectivity in future reviews.

Staff described the intended process and timeline. Rosalind said the posted layouts are a working draft for commission discussion only and not yet open for public comment. He asked commissioners to submit written feedback through the commission's administrative liaison, Miss Corona, and said staff anticipates a multi-month effort to produce a fuller first draft. \"Realistically... you're looking at at least a few months for us to complete the draft,\" Rosalind said; staff estimated a minimum of three months to incorporate sketches and diagramming into a cohesive InDesign document.

Commissioners also discussed how to use the existing working group. Rosalind told the commission that staff intends to bring the next draft to the full commission so all members can comment publicly; the working group may continue to operate, but any recommendation from that group must come before the full commission. Commissioner Carroll volunteered to act as a point person to gather commission feedback for the working group to integrate into a second draft.

Commissioners gave several concrete design suggestions: prefer sketch/diagram combinations over large background photographs; favor one guideline per page to make requirements easier to read; include a clear graphic treatment to indicate whether a guideline is mandatory, advisory or illustrative; and consider a separate visual layer for examples vs. standards. Commissioners also urged staff to avoid showing design elements in mockups that are unlikely to be approved in actual projects.

Rosalind said staff will proceed with additional layout development based on tonight's comments and any written feedback submitted through Miss Corona. He emphasized the materials shown are an initial visual step and that commissioners will see additional iterations before staff opens the content for public comment.

Ending

Staff requested guidance and returned to the commission for comment; the commission directed staff to continue developing sketch-forward mockups, provide clearer applicability/tier signaling and collect written feedback through the administrative liaison. Staff estimated a minimum three-month timeframe to produce a fuller draft for the commission's review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Design","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented a preliminary set of visual mockups for the urban design guidelines and sought direction on graphic style, text hierarchy and process.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6496404,"Commission approves minutes, appoints members to working group and advisory board, and selects project for next review",3937,67000,4004000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5671847-5894d6370cad55ab2ef6d3fdeb900069&start=67&end=4004","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5671847-5894d6370cad55ab2ef6d3fdeb900069/thumbnail_67000.jpg","/articles/6496404/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Commission-approves-minutes-appoints-members-to-working-group-and-advisory-board-and-selects-project-for-next-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6496404-5f1c86701628050f84f48f12f1d72e87/orig.mp4?Expires=1770507941&Signature=VQKpTRTvwcG7F-oZcmGIfzyTVUMf8O7bZFWq7n~zeg8QLOOkjF74YWnq7jhlQTFVTpq6d2LqMm6rAz0XdHblrt4457WweHZ0JXFlNNxgiUtcxBvRJwCwryneIf9COYDauZMLmECgTJ1JMLxGqyg8aHixqtrLnZE7NZx9j2V6thRzvRQ~dkdUu6rrEwvlAg6bfveRBCKUptpNqIAYw7w2y8cuYSFdAjs9OOR~wCQqIV~j1U~j0HNsqc7-FrHG6E3TJVU57xEmDBm7PhmvCWJihhzjbkVBBg2C-K1s3oNd~saZzIf-tX7k8-MMWSNTehIObWtz-xVUEl0tjlXxwWtbZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the start of the meeting the commission approved the minutes from its prior meeting after a motion and second.

The commission unanimously approved the appointment of Commissioner Gelles to the Urban Design Guidelines Working Group. The motion to appoint Gelles passed without recorded opposition.

The commission also unanimously appointed Commissioner McKinney to serve as the City's representative to the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board; the motion passed without recorded opposition.

Finally, the commission voted unanimously to add 321 West Sixth Street to the list of past projects the commission will review at a future meeting. The commission voted to pair that project with the previously selected Hanover Public Square review and to examine those files at the next meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of prior meeting minutes: approved (motion made and seconded; vote recorded as \"Aye\").
- Appointment: Commissioner Gelles to Urban Design Guidelines Working Group: approved (unanimous).
- Appointment: Commissioner McKinney to South Central Waterfront Advisory Board: approved (unanimous).
- Project selection: Add 321 West Sixth Street to next meeting's retrospective review list: approved (unanimous).

Ending

The motions passed as recorded in the meeting; no recorded \"no\" or abstentions were captured in the transcript for these items.","The Urban Design Commission approved prior meeting minutes, appointed Commissioner Gelles to the Urban Design Guidelines Working Group and Commissioner McKinney to the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board, and voted to review 321 West Sixth Street at the next meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6496408,"Commission reviews downtown density-bonus project at 305 W. Fifth; members flag ground-floor activation, transparency and art",822,2194000,3016000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5671847-5894d6370cad55ab2ef6d3fdeb900069&start=2194&end=3016","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5671847-5894d6370cad55ab2ef6d3fdeb900069/thumbnail_2194000.jpg","/articles/6496408/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Commission-reviews-downtown-density-bonus-project-at-305-W-Fifth-members-flag-ground-floor-activation-transparency-and-art","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6496408-78929cf271ec4c7f7cccc651daf3924b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770507941&Signature=LwpAAjsXaGu4RgLnEuFYHEVMQRpJkrHImeYJJUcPwlpKOhFQNBAjqxoUxP3KCM0gW9cXuUw4TXNnxskZXyVqd--XhM4IsJvjj-KeqSRNbAN-CmNsgUhHUkrt109iseOszMFaNdtjQjaCnHZBVAqDHxgNV26L6Sfz6Tr28g7Mtk3ho0lIDa2YK76zDlNIyy-euKYle~1kYhvM04vM8CnsxrdHODg6oTh-I-PWEz9KgKQgHc0Lxsa3jDDKgGIvg~aYiWyhMSLe9B8dl4as3cMwM5mlbFv0CFp0cVmc8hURdRxHWwfLQo~O3meeoVLFdLWDyu7SwKUux5z7M9Mg5Ph~jA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The commission reviewed the completed Hanover Public Square project at 305 West Fifth as part of a retrospective analysis of density-bonus projects approved over the prior decade.

Vice Chair Meiners and several commissioners said the built project appears to match the materials submitted for review but identified shortcomings in ground-floor activation and public engagement with the street. \"I think most of us are familiar with the Hotel Zaza. It definitely ties in more to kind of what would be a warehouse district. Whereas this building kind of stands out, in contrast,\" Vice Chair Meiners said, noting that the project's podium and ground-floor treatment feel utilitarian and miss opportunities for art and vibrancy.

Commissioner McKinney said the project largely matches the approved plan but called attention to a blank east façade and limited publicly accessible art. \"They do have a little bit of a blank facade on the east side of the building that I think we could have pushed for some more, like, publicly accessible art,\" McKinney said.

Commissioners raised several recurring concerns for future guideline updates: improving requirements or incentives for ground-floor active uses in nightlife districts; requiring clearer transparency standards so that ground-floor spaces engage the sidewalk; adding greenery or planter strategies to mitigate above-grade parking impacts; and discouraging artificially opaque storefront glazing where uses (for example, speakeasies) choose to block transparency.

Commissioner Carroll reminded the commission of the limits of design guidelines on prescribing uses. \"We can only ask for so much in design guidelines,\" Carroll said, noting guidelines can encourage a mix of uses but cannot mandate a particular business type.

Commissioners recommended the working group and staff consider these observations as they refine the urban design guidelines so future projects more consistently deliver street-level activation, public art and greening strategies.

Ending

The commission will carry these observations into the ongoing guidelines update and asked staff and the working group to consider changes that reduce subjectivity in review, strengthen guidance for ground-floor activation and identify techniques to encourage publicly accessible art and greening on project facades.","Commissioners examined the recently completed Hanover Public Square (305 W. Fifth) as part of a review of projects approved under the downtown density bonus program. Comments praised compliance with approved plans but noted missed opportunities for street activation, public art and greener solutions for above-grade parking.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City staff presents draft urban design guideline layouts; commissioners give direction on graphics, timeline

Commission approves minutes, appoints members to working group and advisory board, and selects project for next review

Commission reviews downtown density-bonus project at 305 W. Fifth; members flag ground-floor activation, transparency and art