About Our Work: Policy Areas

The Central Austin Community Development Corporation works to preserve and enhance the character of place and to improve the lives of all people who live, work, play, and study here. We advocate for quality of life issues such as public safety and crime prevention, community beautification, parks and green space. We support the work of government, area non-profits, and community-based organizations through partnerships, education on matters of public interest, and by building bridges of communication between diverse groups.

Transportation has been a key focus. Over the last 4 years, we have assisted the community in developing two light rail proposals, and in organizing a coalition of communities, advocates, and transit professionals to respond to the Project Connect process.

For the built environment, we analyze permitting and land use cases in real time, informing and activating interested parties. This fosters a dialogue between community members, building officials and developers, a collaborative process that brings new solutions to the table.

Equity and diversity are essential to any complete community. Education about the rights and responsibilities of ownership and tenancy, the rights of protected classes, and the need for fair and affordable housing on a nondiscriminatory basis are areas in which much work remains to be done.

Our Board

The Central Austin CDC is a 501c3 Texas non-profit corporation that was formed on May 31, 2012. It is managed by a board of directors with a lot of help and input from the community it serves.

Scott Morris is the founding director of the Central Austin CDC, and an avid community organizer, social entrepreneur, and web developer with a background in design, communication, and localization. He has formed several organizations such as 501c3’s, planning teams, associations, and advocacy groups. Scott led the effort to found the member-managed Community Garden Initiative of Central Texas empowering 300 members to operate a four acre community garden site after 25 years of fiscal sponsorship. He organized a community response to the Project Connect Central Corridor study and assisted in developing a citizen-sourced, data-supported alternative light rail plan in the Guadalupe-Lamar corridor. Scott founded and managed the Our Rail Political Action Committee, a pro-transit coalition that defeated Austin Proposition 1 ballot measure in 2014 on the belief that a phase one investment must serve the needs of the current population first. He has been a resident of Central Austin for over 25 years and lives, gardens, and takes long walks with his family in and around the North University community.

Andrew Clements is a Senior Architect at CTA Architects Engineers, and founder of RailNOW! and Better Austin Mobility. Andrew has taken civic involvement to the next level, developing policy in regional planning, urban design, and advocating for passenger rail options combined with smart land use policy. Andrew has worked for several campaigns and civic organizations such as the Austin Urban Transportation Commission, Downtown Austin Alliance, Envision Central Texas, AIA Livable Communities Committee, Leadership Austin, and the Alliance for Public Transportation. He lives in Mueller with his family where he serves as the neighborhood transportation committee chair working to improve transit utilization and multimodal options for that emerging community.

Steven Knapp is a Business Development Manager and part of the startup team at the communications firm Better Voice. His policy interests are land use, transportation, civil and human rights, and social services with a focus on children, applying his deep knowledge of social media applications to advance social action projects. Steven has created and launched several successful campaigns and collaborations including the ATXRail platform. He is very involved with his church and resides in the Crestview community with his family where he is the Vice President of his neighborhood association and co-founder of MidtownATX, collaboration of residents and businesses in the transit oriented districts along Central Austin’s North Lamar Corridor.

Felix Layne is the Vice President of Program Management Office & Change Management for DentaQuest, a Boston-based 501c3 dental benefits administrator serving over 23 million members across the US, including Texas. He is a Certified Management Accountant and a member of several organizations, including the Wharton Alumni Club where he organizes alum interviews for over 100 University of Pennsylvania applicants. He has lived with his family in North Andover, Massachusetts for over 21 years. Felix and his family volunteer with a local substance abuse shelter and the Mission of Mercy in Wise, Virginia to provide basic oral health services for the under served in southwest Virginia.

Metrics and Program Activities

Summary of Activities by Program Area
June 1, 2014 to July 18, 2015

Land Use, Historic Preservation, and Code Compliance

• Reviewed 289 City of Austin notices for land use cases and permitting in the CACDC service area, analyzing for code and zoning conformity where indicated.
• Filed as interested party on several site plan applications.
• Analyzed and tracked proposed state legislation on comprehensive planning during past session.
• Analysis of redevelopment of historically zoned property in service area.
• Monitored and referred City of Austin land use cases to community groups.

Transportation

• Established need and assisted in program design for a citywide citizens commission on transit.
• Identification of unencumbered bond authorization, and state and federal grant opportunities for corridor improvements for District 4 council office.
• Analysis of Parking and Transportation Management District (PTMD) ordinance, issuing formal recommendation.
• Monitoring and participating as a stakeholder in the Guadalupe Corridor Improvement Program
• Analysis of encroachment of Moody Pedestrian Bridge with review of site plan
• Critical analysis of Net Zero Community Climate Plan
• Worked with officials in the Federal Transit Administration Region 6 office on MAP 21 process compliance
• Worked with Blackland Community Development Corporation and the Austin Neighborhoods Council to provide data on transportation resolution concerning FTA funded projects
• Analysis of Central Austin mass transit components in process that adopted CAMPO 2040 Plan
• Identification of in unallocated $114M 2012 Mobility bond
• Analysis of land use at San Antonio/Nueces/24th St, recommendation to agency heads
• Research and document TxDOT Approvals for Downtown Gateway Station Funding
• Analysis of impacts to Seaholm rail connectivity via Austin Energy site and proposed courthouse site
• Recommendation to agency heads to utilize the urban core legal definition found in Subchapter E of the Land Development Code for future transit planning including the Capital Metro’s Central Corridor Comprehensive Transit Analysis
• Facilitated and supported working group of transit advocates providing meeting space and communications.

Beautification and Greenspace

• Installation and maintenance of 2 vegetable gardens at the University of Texas Child Development Center (UTCDC) providing 165 preschool age children hands on gardening experience.
• Direct support through analysis of urban agriculture legislation and state agency planning for the Community Garden Initiative of Central Texas, Inc. (CGICT) a non-profit corporation.
• Monitor implementation of revised Memorandum of Understanding between Parks and Recreation Department and Austin Energy for Sparky Park.

Public Safety and Crime Prevention

• Compiled data and citizen reports on 3 Waller Creek flooding events and cross posted this information to affected communities and their policymakers.
• Serve as community communications liaison between Austin Police Department and 10,514 resident subscribers of area listserves and 725 followers of the @crimeatx Twitter feed.
• Conduct monthly analysis of GIS crime data furnished by Austin Police Department, and narrative reports from the University of Texas Police Department.
• Monitor news, feeds, and area listserves to identify actionable crime information and share this with 10,000 area residents.

Community Organizations

• Created and co-sponsored My Guadalupe with students from the UT School of Architecture and staff from the architecture firm Black+Vernooy. Co-wrote its mission statement, Drag petition, established community registry, extended mail services, website, and supported with research services.
• Operated listserve for North University neighborhood.
• Worked with UT Student Government to create opportunity for 52,000 students have a more active role in municipal processes
• Maintained @UTVotes platform to increase voter participation in the student community.
• Analyzed and reported on capacity issues at polling places near campus.
• Maintained CommunityFinder, an app using the Google Maps API to help people connect to their neighborhood’s listserves
• Supported neighborhood groups with best practices.

Fair and Affordable Housing and the Rights and Responsibilities of Ownership and Tenancy

• Since 2012, the CACDC's has conducted a public awareness campaign of the West Campus food desert and encouraged the development community to solve this problem. On May 9, 2015, Fresh Plus opened a store on the first floor of a new University Neighborhood Overlay VMU building, in the exact footprint of the area's last grocery store which closed over 20 years ago.
• Intervened for resolution when Austin Resource Recovery and Code Enforcement issued students citations in breach of Public Assembly Code Enforcement (PACE) agreement to collect bulk trash in West Campus during move outs. 

Strengthening Community by Building Bridges Between Diverse Groups

• Provide direct assistance to member of UT Student Government's City Relations Task Force on collection of data and analysis of a UT Regents-directed project.
• Campaign to rename Robert E Lee Elementary
• Research and publish data on history of UT's involvement in urban renewal
• Research and publish data on Wheeler's Grove, freedmen's colony
• Maintained communications bridge between 10,514 users of 15 listserves and 6,329 Twitter accounts.

Communications - Websites

The CACDC maintains two websites, centralaustincdc.org and atxrail.org.

Statistics
Sessions June 1, 2014 through May 31, 2015
centralaustincdc.org 11,942
atxrail.org 3,481

Google page rank for centralaustincdc.org July 19, 2015
[Austin community development] 3
[Austin urban rail] 3
[Austin light rail] 7

Communications - Traditional Media

• Press Release: Urban Rail-Groups Serving Over 100,000 Austinites Offer Alternative to Project Connect's Urban Rail Plan 6/5/14
• Press Release: Urban Rail: Guadalupe St. Merchants Association UAP Says "Bring It On!" 6/16/14
• Press Release: Project Connect Rescinds FTA Process, Voids Public Comment, Leaves "LPA" a Do-Over 8/5/14

Communications - Social Media

Twitter has been the primary channel for communications on social media. With the implementation of district-based geographic representation at city council, CACDC saw a new way to serve the city, to build social and policy cohesion within each district through the creation of district feeds @D3ATX, @D4ATX, @D6ATX, and @D7ATX. Combined with continuing D9 and citywide coverage on @CDCATX and @CRIMEATX, this provides the public with a civic engagement tool while aiding in the aggregation and dissemination of district-specific information.

Twitter reach by account.

	Tweets 5/30/14-7/16/15	Cumulative Tweets	Followers as of 7/16/15	Initiated
cdcatx	2024	4946	2699	12/4/12
crimeatx	389	1388	725	1/12/12
d3atx	335	368	564	5/26/14
d4atx	170	170	469	4/7/15
d7atx*	288	288	465	11/12/14
myguadalupeatx*	127	127	161	2/2/15
voteut	221	239	147	5/28/14
atxrail*	130	144	1061	5/10/14
d6atx*	51	51	38	1/22/15
TOTAL	3735	7721	6329
*under shared contributor license

Twitter content statistics for all accounts by CACDC purpose category from May 30, 2014 through July 16, 2015.*

2013-14	%	2014-15	%
44	1.63%	96	2.58%	Beautification and Greenspace
133	4.92%	353	9.50%	Community Organizations
483	17.86%	453	12.19%	Crime and Public Safety
222	8.21%	160	4.31%	Fair and Affordable Housing
267	9.87%	385	10.36%	Land Use, Historic Preservation, and Code Compliance
67	2.48%	64	1.72%	Responsibilities of Ownership and Tenancy
133	4.92%	513	13.81%	Strengthening Community
1356	50.13%	1701	45.79%	Transportation
	2705	3715		Total

                                   
*ATXRail, Crime and public safety actual. Topic areas projected from sample of 100 randomly chosen from 3207. 

E-Mail Listserves

The CACDC manages the North University and About ATX Rail listserves, performing moderation and providing content. Combined with internal listserves, CACDC monitors and posts to external listserves that reach 10,514 e-mail accounts in Central Austin for news, civic policy information and other topics that cross community lines. 

Internal Listserves
North University
About ATX Rail

External Listserves
NextDoor for 11 neighborhoods in the CACDC service area
Brentwood
Crestview-neighbors
Eastwoods
Hancock
Highland
HydePark
Northfield
Oakmont
Ridgetop
Rosedale
Shoalcrest
Skyview
Wooten