The Red River Cultural District, the pulsating heart of Austin's live music scene, is clamoring for its slice of the municipal funding pie. Community leaders are rallying residents to pressure city council representatives for an aid package essential for the district's survival amid skyrocketing rents and rapacious development. The area, a constellation of music venues, eateries, and cultural spaces, received the backing of the Austin Music Commission, which recommended financial support, only to have their request seemingly fall on deaf ears at City Hall.
According to KVUE, representatives of the Red River Cultural District argued that, despite hosting successful events like Free Week and Hot Summer Nights, they're getting the cold shoulder from the city when it comes to funding. Ryan Garrett, General Manager of Stubbs BBQ, emphasized the district's irreplaceable role in the city's identity as "Live Music Capital of the World" and the necessity for funds to help keep the fire of diverse live music blazing.
Meanwhile, the Austin Music Commission is pushing for new measures to safeguard the cultural fabric of the Red River Cultural District, mandating developers to allocate space for music and creative endeavors within new multistory developments. This move comes without the sweetening of density bonus incentives typically used to entice developers. The Music Commission is seeking to enforce 30 percent of ground floor frontage and 25 percent of total ground floor area for live music venues or other creative spaces, reported The Austin Monitor. Commissioner Lauryn Gould landed a strike against hefty incentives, stating she would prefer just mandating the developer commitment without fattening corporate wallets any further.
However, Donald Jackson of the Economic Development Department cautioned that aggressively requiring developers to include creative spaces could spark City Council scrutiny. With historical zoning parallels drawn, the implications of such mandated cultural preservation suggest a battle ahead, possibly sprawling out like a sprawling metropolis over the coming months. But the commissioners are persistent, proposing that any fees paid by developers opting out of providing discounted creative space should be channeled directly into preserving the character of the Red River District itself, all in a play to sustain the live music reverberating through the district's streets.
While developers might be eyeing Austin's skyline with dollar signs in their eyes, the city's Music Commission and cultural leaders have other ideas, vying to keep the music playing and the soul of the Red River Cultural District intact. But to make this happen, they need the City to open its purse strings and fund the music keeping Austin weird and wired, Garrett said.
