The Soul City Corridor on Chicago Avenue is one of two key focal projects that has actively contributed to economic revitalization in Austin by Austin.

The massive body of work that is Austin Forward. Together. (AFT) has made significant progress over the past five years. Though a lot happened for each of its seven issue areas, below is one highlight for each:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

This issue area’s goal is to create economic revitalization in Austin and by Austin, as well as support new and existing local businesses, entrepreneurs, and the workforce; improve our commercial corridors; and attract new investment to build a stronger, more dynamic local economy.

  • AUSTIN COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS (SOUL CITY / CENTRAL)
    • Two key focal projects, the Soul City and Central Avenue commercial corridors, continue to make prominent strides. The Soul City Corridor along Chicago Avenue has made improvements to pedestrian infrastructure and has added community assets including the POPCourt! Community Plaza. The Central Avenue Corridor, which will become a “unifying” vein running through Austin, has gained traction as it continues its community-based engagements and plan reporting. The intersection of Madison and Central is home to one of the most prominent development projects in the community: The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, which will repurpose the former Emmet Elementary School into an anchor for commercial revitalization and a destination for top-notch workforce training. The Center continues to make significant progress. A groundbreaking ceremony happened in 2023 and construction commenced shortly thereafter. These two projects have been pivotal for AFT’s Economic Development issue area, and have actively contributed to economic revitalization in Austin by Austin.

COMMUNITY NARRATIVE

This issue area’s goal is to revitalize the image and spirit of Austin

by promoting assets such as our historic housing, creating a healthy community and building a more robust environment for local arts and culture.

  • AUSTIN EATS
    • Since its creation, the initiative has aimed to change the food landscape and rewrite the narrative around food in Austin by focusing on emergency food access, grocery access, culinary entrepreneurship, food education, gardens & farms, and marketing. Highlights of the initiative include the presence of fresh food farmers markets for community residents, educational food and film experiences, community-owned gardens, an increased presence and coordination among emergency food providers, and progress in bringing a full-service grocery store to Austin.

HOUSING

This issue area’s goal is to create a stabilized housing market in Austin, with support for local homeowners and a wide array of affordable housing options.

  • PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR LARAMIE STATE BANK
    • Planning for the former Laramie Bank building and approximately 20,000 square feet of adjacent land continues. The proposed $51 million project will renovate the landmark structure with commercial uses that include a bank branch, café, and business incubator. The adjacent land will be redeveloped with a mixed-income, multi-story rental building that includes a green roof, public plaza, social spaces, and outdoor art. It will have 51 units of affordable housing and 27 units of market-rate housing. The project is expected to generate up to 150 construction jobs and 22 full-time positions.

EDUCATION

This issue area’s goal is for local educational systems and partners to provide the services, opportunities and support to help all our students stay on track, enrich their education and serve their needs, from early childhood through high school to job and career readiness.

  • CHILDCARE TO KINDERGARTEN (C2K) INITIATIVE
    • In partnership with the Austin Childcare Providers Network (ACPN), the Childcare 2 Kindergarten (C2K) initiative provides year-long coaching to early education professionals so that children have a smoother transition into kindergarten. ACPN creates and facilitates strategies to engage community members and families of students. By using a cohort model, they train about ten early childhood educators each year. This program continues to grow and reach more education providers.

PUBLIC SAFETY

This issue area’s goal is for Austin to have healthier and more engaged youth who are able to reach their full potential.

  • AUSTIN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE ACTION TEAM
    • The creation of the Austin Restorative Justice Action Team has been instrumental in advancing the goals of increasing public safety. They aim to increase the presence of restorative justice (RJ) activities in the Austin community. Additionally, they build relationships between RJ practitioners and facilitate an ever-growing number of RJ circles and trainings held in the community. The recent opening of the BUILD Peace and Justice Center has catalyzed these increased RJ activities.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

This issue area’s goal is for Austin to have healthier and more engaged youth who are able to reach their full potential.

  • YOUTH SUMMER JOB FAIR
    • The presence of Youth Job Fairs allows Austin youth to get exposed to professionals they have common ground with. The youth are given useful tips for resumes, cover letters, applications and get to meet directly with employers.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

This issue area’s goal is to sustain collaborative community involvement—from community campaigns to engaging elected officials—so we can bring voices and power to the efforts to improve Austin.

  • VOTER ENGAGEMENT AND REGISTRATION

AFT’s Civic Engagement task force has provided a wealth of information and educational resources for Austin residents regarding voter registration, voter turnout, political forums with active candidates, and ward redistricting.