Case Study: Project Connect

Austin, TX

Proposition A, November 3, 2020

Austin, TX is currently the 11th largest city in the country and is adding more than 1,100 residents and 155 cars every week. To tackle the city's legendary traffic concerns, civic leaders in Austin developed Project Connect, a multi-modal transportation improvement plan intended to address congestion through massive expansion and development of bus and rail routes and nine new park and ride facilities, reduce emissions by converting to an all-electric bus fleet, address pedestrian safety through the development of dedicated pathways and bike lanes, all while creating thousands of jobs and improving access to essential services, education and healthcare for all of Austin’s residents.

Project Connect also ensures that Austin’s 18,000 affordable housing units stay affordable by dedicating $300 million toward Anti-Displacement Funding and Equitable Transit-Oriented Development.

Through Austin Mayor Steve Adler and his office, Accelerator engaged with the Project Connect coalition on the ground in Austin on long-term planning and strategy and participated in weekly video meetings with the leadership team during the 'Yes on Proposition A' campaign as it headed toward a 58.25 percent victory on the November 3, 2020 ballot. Proposition A increases property taxes in the City of Austin to generate $7.1 billion in funding over the next 13 years.

This Prop A vote was decades in the making. I’m just proud to live in this city that’s looking to its future so emphatically, saying that the status quo is not good enough. Austin is going to continue to push to be a more sustainable and equitable and affordable city. And this was a big part of that and I’m excited to see that passed with such a large margin.

The opposition was passing the untruth that property taxes would rise in double-digit percentages, and that simply was not true. And the public saw around that,. It’s just under a 4% increase. And for that, we get so much. I think on balance, it’s going to be really good for affordability.
— Former Austin Mayor Steve Adler

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