PROGRAM IS SOLD OUT

Mayor Watson - Increasing Density, and the McKinsey Report

Austin is thriving and is now the 10^th largest city in the US. In turn, construction activity has been booming in Austin, and that has led to longer wait times in the permitting process.

Mayor Watson and City Council are addressing these growing pains by focusing on ways to improve the permit review process with the goal of making it easier to build real estate projects and provide essential housing and infrastructure.

Join SMPS Austin and Mayor Kirk Watson as the Mayor discusses the recent findings of an analysis of the city’s development review process conducted by McKinsey & Company, a world-renowned consulting firm focusing on improving the local economy for its clients to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth.

The Mayor will also address other zoning and regulatory issues, such as density, compatibility, parking requirements, lot sizes and more. 

Mayor Kirk Watson

For three decades, Kirk Watson has been immersed in public policy, spanning local and state government in Texas. He served in the Texas Senate for over 13 years, leading on a wide range of issues and serving as a member and vice-chair of multiple standing and special committees and the Sunset Advisory Commission. His peers elected him President Pro Tempore of the Senate in 2019.

He was first elected Austin mayor in 1997, where he won praise for bringing different political sides together around transformative environmental and economic development initiatives. In 2012, serving in the Texas Senate, he led the effort to build a new medical school at The University of Texas at Austin. 

He is a recipient of the prestigious President’s Citation from The University of Texas at Austin and the Pro Texana Medal of Service from Baylor University. The Baylor Line Foundation (formerly the Baylor Alumni Association) named him a Distinguished Alumnus. Austin Community College awarded him an honorary degree. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas gave him its Open Government Lawmaker of the Year award, and the Texas Press Association named him a Friend of the First Amendment. The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce also has named him Austinite of the Year.

Thank you to our Title Sponsor

Thank you to our Sapphire Sponsors