2019's Big Stories Shaping Austin's Path Into a New Decade

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Nov. 5: Austin Voters Reject Effort to Block Convention Center Expansion

Photo by Jana Birchum

Although we can be certain that the arguments over whether to again expand the Neal Kocurek Memorial Austin Convention Center have only just begun – Austin politics are nothing if not cyclical – November's outcome provides a demarcation between the lengthy introductory phase and the brass-tacks planning phase. The Convention Center proposal – which emerged a couple of years ago as the central piece of Mayor Steve Adler's "Downtown Puzzle" and in May received unanimous City Council assent for further exploration – still has plenty of obstacles to overcome before it becomes a reality. In theory, the dramatic "revisioning" and expansion of the center will invite larger events; enable a more mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly version of southeast Downtown; and liberate hotel tax and public improvement district funding to address a laundry list of public needs, from homelessness to sustaining the city's cultural arts. Adler proclaimed his 2018 reelection as a mandate for Austin to pursue "big things," and this project could be the center-piece that delivers on that ambition. The November rejection of the Proposition B citizen initiative (55% to 45%) – which would have blocked the expansion (or at least moved the argument into the courts) – capped a bitter campaign that saw a court battle over the ballot language and each side accusing the other of dishonesty (even Trump-ism). Now, city staff is charged with returning to Council with an actual plan (and funding details) that can be realized on a budget and timeline satisfactory to Council and the public. That vexing process might even become a Top 10 story for 2020. – M.K.