Downtown Austin leaders call light rail key to advancing affordability, growth

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Later this year, the Austin Transit Partnership will unveil its draft environmental impact statement, a detailed look at all the potential environmental, social and economic impacts of Austin's upcoming light rail system.

The draft EIS is a requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act, applied to any projects that receive federal funding. ATP announced in May phase one of its light rail implementation program had entered into the Federal Transit Administration's project development phase, opening up future federal funding opportunities.

Matt Geske, vice president of public affairs with the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), told KXAN he sees the addition of light rail as a critical focal point in addressing Austin's affordability crisis. With downtown a hub for political, office and service industry workers, he said minimizing the need for a vehicle -- and the costs associated with owning and maintaining them -- could ultimately aid in connecting people to jobs.

"Without a robust light rail -- there are bus routes that go downtown, but having a light rail system that would be able to feed in from some of these neighborhood nodes or transit-oriented developments, that provides people an option to get downtown that is cheaper than owning a car," he said.

There are approximately $25 billion worth of transportation infrastructure projects in development in Austin, from Project Connect to Interstate 35's expansion and the overhaul of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Addressing all transit needs is important, Geske said, but diversifying transit sources can also make Austin more competitive with other major cities nationally and beyond.

"There's an old saying that homes are where jobs go to sleep at night," he said. "When companies are looking at Austin and then most of their workforce say we want trains, we want light rail, that's a huge factor in their decision to locate here or not. And so that's key for us."

The DAA's State of Downtown 2024 report cited CapMetro's annualized data that detailed rail ridership has increased 170% in Austin since 2020. Currently, there are 86 bus stops downtown, but only one station in the city core.

Geske said the impending phase one of light rail's travel path through downtown -- the plan runs from 38th Street to Oltorf Street and Yellow Jacket Lane -- could not only aid commuters heading to and from work but bolster access for tourists or residents seeking dining, entertainment and recreation experiences downtown.

"Having light rail come downtown at the same time and being able to put our sort of Austin flair on it and how it interacts with our built environment is absolutely huge and exciting for us," he said. "Especially in the next 10 years, we will be able to have people come down and enjoy many of the amenities and events and just enjoy downtown."

The city's planned light rail program hasn't come without speed bumps. Leadership beyond Project Connect -- namely the City of Austin and Austin Transit Partnership -- are currently in litigation with a group of business owners and residents over the altered scope of the plan, as well as legal battles with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the legality of the funding structure behind it.

Geske declined to comment on the legal issues, citing pending litigation. However, he did add the DAA continues to support light rail and its potential impacts to downtown Austin.

"We're very excited for light rail to be coming to Austin and believe that it's something that is needed, but also will be helpful in so many different ways."

Over at the Austin Transit Partnership, work continues on light rail development amid the ongoing legal suits. The transit organization's board of directors held its monthly board meeting on Wednesday and confirmed Austin Transit Partnership continues to advance design and engineering work as well as the federal funding process.