The city’s Tourism Commission decided at its October 9 meeting not to endorse a proposed equity-based preservation plan that staff hammered out with numerous groups and public input over several years and recommended to the Austin City Council. Commissioners voted 5-4 to recommend the plan, failing to produce a majority of the 11-member body needed for a recommendation to the council.
Commissioners at the meeting raised concerns that it the plan doesn’t make clear the connection between its implementation and its potential economic impact. The city allocates 15 percent of its Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue to historic preservation.
The Austin Planning Department drafted the equity-based plan to replace one that has been in effect since 1981 in an effort to open the way to a more inclusive process than has been in place.
To develop the draft plan, the city Historic Landmark Commission created a working group of preservation professionals, stakeholders from allied fields, and community representatives. The group looked at best practices from across the nation and received feedback from three community focus groups, consulted with city staff from 12 departments, and conducted a community heritage survey in fall 2021. The Urban Land Institute provided recommendations on affordability and displacement prevention through the lens of older housing. More than 300 people contributed to the draft.
In August, the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions awarded the landmark commission its Commission Excellence Award in Best Practices: Public Outreach/Advocacy for its initiation and stewardship of an overhaul of the city's outdated program.
The city is expected to consider the plan in November.
