6ixth Street Austin Community Forum

August 19, 3:00 PM

Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz (320 E. 6th Street)

You are invited to attend the 6ixth Street Austin Community Forum where 6th Street area business owners, property owners and residents will meet once a quarter to discuss and face the issues facing our district. Complimentary sodas, water, coffee, snacks and beer courtesy of 6ixth Street Austin

Neighborhood Watch

First on the agenda for this first quarterly 6ixth Street Austin Community Forum is an outreach to the community to start a neighborhood watch program. According to the stats, violent crime is declining in the downtown sector, the crime rate is much higher than we would like, and there is a growing perception of increased crime in the Sixth Street area. 6ixth Street Austin wants to spearhead and organize a formal neighborhood watch program for the district. Let's discuss the basics of forming such a program and would like to sign up volunteers from the residential and business community to start scheduled walks of the district to assist APD in reporting crime and following up in court on citations. Assistant APD Chief Patti Robinson and APD Commanders Noble and Romoser will be in attendance.

Responsible Hospitality
For the past 8 months a large and diverse group of stakeholders have been meeting to develop specific strategies for improving the 6th district. These meetings were coordinated using the Responsible Hospitality Institute, a consulting group that specializes in developing strategies for improving nighttime economy districts.

We have formalized our goals in three categories: Cleanliness, Safety and Systems of Order, and are now ready to present our recommendations for action to City Council. Recommendations a district-wide facade cleanup, tightening of enforcement of panhandling, long-term solutions to the chronic homeless population, adoption of a great-streets model with pedestrian-friendly and cleanable sidewalks and many more.

At this first 6th Street Community Forum, RHI coordinator Allison Harnden will present the recommendations of the RHI and discuss the plan for improvement to 6th Street in the near and long-term future. The RHI process was sponsored in part by the 6ixth Street Austin Association and supported by City Staff with leadership from Council Member Sheryl Cole.

We hope that you can all join us at 3:00 PM on August 19 to meet up with the 6th Street community, get involved in the 6ixth Street Austin Association committees (RHI Task Forces) and Neighborhood Watch.