The Daily Hustle: 11/15/10

With only three regular meetings left for the year, City Council's plainly entered the “Oh shit – let's speed this up!” phase of the governing calendar.

A glimpse at this Thursday's controversial, crammed agenda indicates as such, but also the logjam of official presentations council's scheduled to receive.

So much so they've actually scheduled an additional, special called meeting for this Wednesday. The culprit, it appears, is Lee Leffingwell's meeting-slimming edict there be no more than two presentations per meeting, and the one scheduled for Wednesday is a real doozy: a “briefing by staff and consultants on the proposed final 'Downtown Austin Plan.'” Wow, what's it's been – like almost three years? We can expect lots of talk about different “districts” (see map), density bonuses, maybe a smattering about live music, and more.

That leaves two more presentation for Thursday, including one big Downtown component: a briefing on the new central library. It appears the design team of Lake | Flato Architects and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott are taking their show on the road, with an encore presentation scheduled Monday, November 22, 7pm,.at the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe. The e-mail announcing the event has a little more background on the process:

The Design Phase will begin in January 2011 and is scheduled to be complete by the summer of 2012. The new Central Library Groundbreaking Ceremony is expected to take place in the late fall of 2012 with the Grand Opening Ceremony anticipated by the late spring/early summer of 2015.

Lastly, Thursday's second briefing comes from the African-American Resource Advisory Commission, so get ready. And if that doesn't satiate your planning jones, council's also scheduled to adopt the Parks and Recreation Department's "Long Range Plan for Land, Facilities, and Programs," which was cryptically punted from their last meeting's agenda. Sifting through their 419 page plan here should be enough for anyone.

What the hell else is happening?

On the city calendar: The Urban Renewal Board meets at the Street-Jones Building, 1000 East 11th, Room 400A, 6pm.

The Joint Committee of the Environmental Board and the Parks Board meets at the Parks and Recreation Department, 200 S. Lamar, Board Room, 6:15pm

The Historic Landmark Commission meets in City Hall's Council Chambers, 301 W. Second, 7:30pm.

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