New updates for Austin’s Light Rail are coming soon! Learn more about our upcoming open house on March 21 and what’s next for Project Connect: Learn more
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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, October 12, 2023 |5:00PM | ATP Office | 203 Colorado Street, Austin, TX, 78701| Register to attend the meeting on Zoom

    October 14 Notice of Potential Quorum-Community Initiated Solutions Celebration

    April 18 Notice of Potential Quorum-Community Meeting

    April 15 Community Update Potential Quorum

    April 10 Workshop Potential Quorum

    Open House Potential Quorum


    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.