Keeping Austin One of a Kind — Protecting Small Businesses and Local Character
Neha believes the soul of D3 and Austin lives in our local food, music, art, and cultural history. Chain restaurants and national retailers being imported to fill new mixed-use developments erode the character and appeal of our city.
A local business first requirement added into every city incentive deal so that any development receiving a height bonus, tax abatement, or Chapter 380 agreement must reserve at least 20% of ground-floor retail space for locally owned Austin businesses at below-market rates. Those spaces must be offered to local businesses first before any national or out-of-state chain can sign a lease.
Expand Austin's Place-Based Enhancement Program (PBEP) by lowering the eligibility threshold from 20 years to 7 years. The current bar locks out hundreds of locally owned businesses that are community-rooted but not old enough to qualify for commercial affordability relief.
A right of first refusal for small businesses facing lease displacement. Any landlord receiving city incentives must offer an existing local tenant the right to renew in comparable space at their current rent for at least one additional lease term before a new tenant can move in.