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Downtown Crime: the solution is not more light

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Krimelabb.com
Krimelabb.com

KVUE and FOX 7 news are reporting that the Public Safety Task Force is proposing to cut down on Downtown crime by… get ready for it… adding more light. 🙁

This is a misguided effort to thwart a much bigger problem.

There is a BIG elephant in the room, and it’s called the ARCH.  Drug dealers come from all over the city and prey on those with addiction and/or have mental illness.

According to the article, “Austin police call the area bordered by 8th, 6th, Red River and Trinity, a hotspot for crime.  Forty-two percent of all drug arrests in downtown happen here.” Adding more street lamps is only going to disperse the problem, and will make the understaffed police force’s job more difficult!

As I’ve said before, the ARCH doesn’t belong across from a major liquor store and a block from Austin’s biggest party – Sixth Street.    The way to cut down on crime in Downtown Austin is to: 1) expand the day-time uses of the historic Sixth street buildings, east of Neches St. 2) move the ARCH and its support services away from Sixth Street – though, NOT out of Downtown 3) Revitalize Waller Creek, because right now drug dealing and drug use is hidden from view below the banks of the creek.

Yes, the ARCH should remain Downtown.  Doing so relegates to ‘bunk’ status the argument which demands the ARCH remain centrally located, and the NIMBY-ism arguments against moving the ARCH at all.   Downtown Austin is a big place with plenty of under-utilized land and buildings.

Blight

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Downtown Austin - Parking Garage Nirvana
Downtown Austin - Parking Garage Nirvana

Blight: Something that impairs growth, withers hopes and ambitions, or impedes progress and prosperity.

In Downtown Austin nothing kills hopes, dreams, ambitions, old ladies and little children like under-developed land.  According to DANA board member Roger Cauvin, in economic terms, blight can be considered an “externality,” which “are the indirect costs imposed on society by an economic activity. Pollution is an example of an externality.  If economic agents (e.g. developers) aren’t made to pay for the externalities, we are effectively subsidizing harmful behavior.”

In Downtown Austin, blight manifests itself in the primary forms of:
1) parking lots (or razed lots)
2) parking garages
3) chain link fence
4) perpetual disrepair

The Northeast quadrant of Downtown Austin takes the cake for parking garages.  The area is desolate and completely void of human interaction. Unimproved parking lots are scattered throughout Downtown.  It could easily be argued that Downtown Austin blight reaches it’s zenith on 6th Street.  (slideshow)  Broken doors, windows, tattered chain link fence, destroyed ATMs, it’s all there.

As I see it, the problem of blight is rooted with the owner of the property that is creating or hosting the blight.  The economic behavior of hoarding undeveloped property in the CBD is contrary to the density goals of Downtown Austin stake holders.  It is also contrary to the city’s and county’s goals of collecting ad valorem taxes.  Perhaps more importantly, razing your lot and wrapping it in chain link fence is contrary to the sense of community.

Over the past couple of months you’ve seen related topics discussed at Austin Contrarian.  According to Chris Bradford, “We badly need a mechanism for discouraging property owners from warehousing vacant lots downtown.  The solution is not to shut out all redevelopment to eliminate the risk of this kind of behavior.  What we need is a vacant-lot surcharge or something like it.  A surcharge calibrated to compensate the other downtown property owners, businesses and visitors for the very real cost of blighting a block.  This might encourage property owners/developers to leave existing buildings in place or  to fill in currently vacant lots, even if the structures are inexpensive and small.”

Well said.

-Jude

Tattered chain link fence along Waller Creek
Tattered chain link fence along Waller Creek

21c Museum Hotel Residences… a new opportunity?

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Now that the AMOA museum tower and the bazillion room Marriott are on indefinite hold, an unexpected opportunity has opened up for Downtown Austin’s proposed 21c museum/hotel/residences to consider pushing forward.  21c is making the mass-media rounds as of late.  Last week 21c was featured on NPR.  This morning 21c was featured on the Today show.

21c’s Cesar Chavez & Red River location is prime for participation (financial and design) in the Waller Creek Revitalization.

21c gets glowing review by NPR

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by jude galligan

21c museum residences
21c museum residences

Austin’s 21c museum residences and hotel may be on hold for now, but this morning NPR gave a glowing review of the original concept in Louisville, Kentucky. The NPR story incorrectly states that the Austin 21c is under construction; however, Marriott’s decision to not build 1,000 hotel rooms should reflect favorably on 21c’s pro-formas. 21c was originally planned for development at the Whitley paper building on 3rd and San Jacinto, however, plans changed to locate the building(s) at Red River and Cesar Chavez, along Waller Creek.

link to article
link to NPR audio

Downtown Austin's Entertainment District: Observations part 3 of 3

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Downtown Austin Entertainment District Still Has Room For Improvement – Part 1 of 3
Night time observations on the Entertainment District: Part 2 of 3

The effort to revitalize the Entertainment District is about recognizing problems and offering solutions.  It is about a higher and better use of Austin’s historic landmarks.  It’s about preventing decay.  It’s about offering an array of services to the people who use the Entertainment District everyday.  Adding more day time services is not a slippery slope to J Crews and Baby Gaps!  This is about making the Entertainment District safe for everyone.  This is about visitors leaving Austin with a more positive experience.

Flickr slideshow of day time photos

one of Austins historic landmarked buildings with a plywood sign (???)
one of Austin's landmarked buildings adorned with a plywood sign (???)

Day time tour
Saturday, November 22nd (11am-1pm)

  1. Where is everybody?
  2. Narrow sidewalks, empty parking
  3. “No, I don’t have a cigarette you can bum”
  4. “No, I’m not giving you change”
  5. A sandwich on the sidewalk
  6. Broken glass
  7. An empty Austin Visitors Bureau with a broken neon sign
  8. Landmarked buildings that look abused and neglected
  9. “Couldn’t they at least paint those doors?”
  10. Landmark plaques next to broken windows
  11. An ATM that someone had tried to rob
  12. Jail-style bars on doors and windows
  13. Awnings torn, tattered, and covered in dirt
  14. Too much chain link fence
  15. ATMs are everywhere
  16. A pay phone booth without a pay phone
  17. Waller Creek is shamefully littered
  18. There is 17,000 square feet of unused retail space at 5th & Sabine.

Towards the end of Saturday’s day time tour, Marshall Jones (President of DANA) and I were standing on the northeast corner of 6th and Brazos sharing observations.  We see a guy across the street.  He’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt, picking up litter on the street, and putting it in the trash.  Turns out this was John Erwin, owner of B.D. Rileys Pub.  John had no idea that Marshall and I were watching him do this.  We caught up with him and chatted for a few minutes.  What I like about John, and people like John, is that he is proactive and doing right by our community.  Kudos, John!