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Community Advisory Committee

The City of Austin, CapMetro and the Austin Transit Partnership have created an advisory committee to advise all 3 partners on topics related to equity and Project Connect, including efforts to curb displacement along the Project Connect system.


Upcoming Meetings of CAC

  • Thursday, December 14, 2023 | Agenda | 5:00PM | ATP Office | 203 Colorado Street, Austin, TX, 78701

Join the CAC!

Thank you for your interest in joining the CAC! The application period closed on Friday, November 17 at 11:59 p.m. Please check back for other ways to stay involved with Project Connect.

Upcoming meetings:

  • Thursday, December 14, 2023 | Agenda | 5:00PM | ATP Office | 203 Colorado Street, Austin, TX 78701


To provide feedback to the committee, please email input@atptx.org.


Previous Meetings

Agenda packetsMeeting Minutes/DocsMedia
December 8, 2022-AgendaBackup Materials | Minutes Video
November 10, 2022-AgendaBackup Materials | ATX Transit Report | MinutesVideo
October 13, 2022-AgendaBackup Materials | MinutesVideo
September 8, 2022MEETING CANCELLED 
August 11, 2022-AgendaBackup MaterialsVideo
July 14, 2022- AgendaBackup Materials | MinutesVideo
June 9, 2022 - AgendaBackup Materials | MinutesVideo
May 12, 2022 - CANCELLEDMeeting cancelled due to lack of quorum 
March 23, 2022 - AgendaAnti-Displacement Presentation | DRAFT Anti-Displacement WG Reco | MinutesVideo
March 10, 2022 - Meeting AgendaStaff Updates | Sustainability Vision Plan | Budget Outline | ETOD | MinutesVideo
February 23, 2022 - Meeting AgendaBackup Materials | MinutesVideo
January 26, 2022 - Meeting AgendaBackup Materials | MinutesVideo

Project Connect Community Advisory Committee members:

Community Appointments:

  • Awais Azhar | Email
  • João Paulo Connolly | Email
  • Jeremy Hendricks | Email
  • Gretchen Flatau | Email
  • Renee Lopez | Email
  • Ex Officio Member: Alex Karner | Email

Existing Commission & Committee Appointments

  • COA Urban Transportation Commission – Susan Somers | Email
  • COA Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities – Kathryn Broadwater | Email 
  • CapMetro ACCESS Advisory Committee – Mike Gorse | Email
  • Community Development Commission - Noe Elias | Email
  • CapMetro Customer Service Advisory Committee - Ephraim Taylor | Email

To provide feedback during committee meetings or, if you are interested in joining a Working Group Committee, please email input@atptx.org

Anti-Displacement PlanningCommunity EngagementProject Design and Equitable Transit Oriented DevelopmentEquitable and Sustainable PlanningGovernance
A. Azhar (WG Chair)S. SomersK. BroadwaterS. SomersA. Azhar (WG Chair)
G. Flatau
G. FlatauA. Karner (ex officio)J. Hendricks
J. Conolly R. Lopez
J. Conolly
  J. Conolly  
  A. Karner (ex officio)  

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are examples of the topics the committee may advise on:

  • What transit-supportive anti-displacement tools and strategies the city should deploy
  • Community involvement and communications during the Project Connect environmental process
  • Design features of the system, particularly those that are intended to serve people with disabilities or people who need to use the system in different ways (such as parents traveling with strollers)
  • Creation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to equity

The Nominating Committee will consist of:

  • Chairs, or a Committee Member designee of the Chair
  • City Council Housing and Planning Committee
  • City Council Mobility Committee
  • City Council Audit and Finance Committee
  • CapMetro Finance, Audit and Administration Committee
  • CapMetro Operations, Planning and Safety Committee.
  • 6 community members appointed by a nominating committee (see details below for how to apply); and,
  • 5 members appointed from within the following 5 existing advisory groups (1 member each):
    • City of Austin Urban Transportation Commission
    • City of Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities
    • City of Austin Community Development Commission
    • CapMetro’s Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee
    • CapMetro’s Access Advisory Committee

Staff anticipates hosting a monthly meeting of the committee. Some meetings will be shorter (about an hour) and others longer (a few hours), depending on the topics on the agenda and the discussion among the committee. 

Each members’ term is 2 years. 

While not a required time commitment, staff is hopeful that members of the committee will also uplift the community understanding of Project Connect outside of formal committee meetings. This may mean sharing information with personal networks, attending community engagement meetings, etc. This is “extracurricular” and not a requirement to serve on the committee. 

The advisory committee is anticipated to meet monthly. Once the committee members are identified, staff will work with them to identify an appropriate meeting schedule.

The meeting location will be virtual during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Once in-person gatherings are safe, an in-person/physical location for future meetings will be identified.

Yes! The Project Connect program includes many projects over the course of a 13-year timeline. There will be plenty of opportunities for all members of the Austin community to participate.