Impact Austin


Comprehensive Plan

In July of 2024, Mower County and the City of Austin embarked on a new comprehensive planning process. This collaborative effort between city and county provides an incredible opportunity for a cohesive approach in planning for the future of the area. Impact Austin will be working with SEH + The Velocity Group on the community engagement efforts for this planning process. 


Want to get involved in planning for the future of Austin and Mower County? Let us know!

Quality of Life Initiatives

Part of our role at Impact Austin, is strive to make the City of Austin a more vibrant place to live, work, and play. From creating vibrant streets and public spaces, improving accessibility and quality of housing and transit systems, and supporting and growing opportunities for community members and businesses alike to thrive in the City, Impact Austin continues to strive for a better city of Austin today and into the future. 

Education and Enhancement

Another facet of the work of Impact Austin is an emphasis on having a highly engaged community, and being well informed is a key facet of that involvement. Impact Austin works with local stakeholders to assist in providing platforms for the community to learn more about what is happening in their city, as well as opportunities to ask questions, and provide feedback on big ideas and projects that will enhance our day to day lives. From listening sessions and town hall meetings, to popping up a booth and a local festival or event, we can be there to help.

Telling Austin's Story

There are so many people, places, and things to do that make Austin a truly unique place to live and visit. Impact Austin will be a community voice, sharing the stories and increasing the visibility of our local businesses, food, and events, in the city and abroad.

Resource Assistance

Have a new program, project, or idea and find yourself getting stuck, or unsure of where to even begin? Let us know! Through communities of practice, or our network of individuals, businesses, and organizations, Impact Austin can help get you keep your idea moving forward.

.



Impact Austin Staff

Nick Novotny - Director of Community Engagement and Enhancement - Nick@AustinDCA.org

Impact Austin Steering Committee Co-Chairs

Craig Clark - City Administrator - City of Austin

Natosha Walsh - Vice President of Marketing - Convenience Meals & Protein - Hormel Foods

Impact Austin Steering Committee Members

Bonnie Rietz - Acting Chair - The Hormel Foundation

Kristin Johnson - Vice Chair Administration - Mayo Clinic Health Systems - SE MN, Albert Lea and Austin

Jim Snee - Chairman of the Board, President & CEO - Hormel Foods

Dr. Joey Page -  Superintendent - Austin Public Schools

John Garry - President & CEO - The Development Corporation of Austin

Dr. Kathleen Linaker - President - Riverland Community College

Molly Lanke - Executive Director - United Way of Mower County

Trish Harren - County Administrator - Mower County

Steve King - Mayor - City of Austin




City of Austin + Mower County Comprehensive Plan

The City of Austin and Mower County have partnered to develop Comprehensive Plans jointly. This partnership will ensure a unified vision for the City and County into the year 2045. Impact Austin is thrilled to partner with the City and County this planning for the future of our community.

Both Comprehensive Plans will include a community-supported vision with strategic goals, plans, policies and action steps that guide growth and development, and deliver important community services.

The new Comprehensive Plans will utilize community input, demographic and market research together with community planning best practices to identify critical needs, goals, policies and action steps for guiding the types of future growth, redevelopment and enhancements embodied in the community-supported vision.

The new Plans will build upon the successes of the existing plans, adopted in 2016 for the City of Austin and 2002 for Mower County. The new plans will capture community values and aspirations for the future.


For more information, and to get involved, visit www.compplan2045.com


Follow us on Social Media to stay up to date on all things Impact Austin!


Impact Austin at 4th Ave Fest 2024

Impact Austin was a proud sponsor of 4th Ave Fest 2024! This community summer kick off was a fantastic event boasting fun for the entire family! Live music and dance performances, food trucks, vendors, and so many fun activities for the community here in Austin. 


Photography by Christine Brown - Old Barn Photography


The Impact Austin 2023 Speaker Series is a virtual community learning resource as strategic planning gets underway to address future growth, housing, economic development, immigrant support, food access and equity, parks and open space, connectivity and transportation, education, arts and culture, brand/story and tourism, city infrastructure, and public policy and planning. We hope this resource offers inspiration by showcasing practical models, working projects and ideas from across the county and within the city that inform innovative solutions to the challenges and opportunities within Austin, Minnesota. We also hope these discussions stimulate real-time conversations within the community, providing talking points for alignment and collaborations with all the various individuals and entities working on a stronger Austin.

 

 

Communities of Practice: The Power of Collaboration and Alignment in Land Use Policy and Development

Wes Craiglow, Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute Northwest Arkansas and Holly Wallace, Planning & Zoning Administrator for Austin, Minnesota discuss models for collaboration called Communities of Practice around challenging issues like housing, community growth strategies, quality development and city codes and zoning issues. Holly also outlines the role of her department in Austin and discusses several city planning initiatives currently underway.

 

Growing An Equitable, Accessible and Dynamic Regional Food System

With the emergence of Austin’s Food City Initiative, defining strategies and investments that unify efforts in growing, processing, transporting, selling, consuming, and promoting food and culinary experiences is crucial to the success of the initiative. Karin Endy, a national food systems expert, has been working with the Walton Family Foundation to design a national model for supporting the development of a robust and equitable food system. In this session, she discusses strategy development, the various elements to consider in the process and some of the catalytic projects that have played a significant role in advancing the strategies.

She was joined by Molly Lanke, Executive Director of the United Way of Mower County, who shared the work on the local Hometown Food Security Project.

 

 

Cultivating Planning and Development Alignment Between Cities and Counties

In this session, we were joined by Brad Lonberger and Ivan Gonzalez from Place Strategies as they highlighted models of collaborative public policy between cities and counties, as well as outlined the purpose and positive impact of aligned comprehensive land use planning, with specific focus on downtown master plans. 

They were joined by Trish Harren, County Administrator for Mower County, Minnesota and Craig Clark, City Administrator for Austin, Minnesota who highlighted current collaborations and future joint projects.

 

Stepping Over a Dollar to Get a Dime: The Impact of Land Use and Community Development Decisions on City Resources

An urban planner imagining new ways to think about and visualize land use, urban design and economics, Joe Minicozzi, AICP of Urban3 discussed the reality of market dynamics created by tax and land use policies and the short and long-term impacts on community resources. He was joined by John Garry, President, and CEO of the Development Corporation of Austin who outlined the economic development strategies driving growth and opportunity in Austin, Minnesota.

 

Investing in the Community Story: The Power of Brand and Experience Design

Impactful tourism strategies rely on the art of increasing awareness, appreciation and support of the community is which it is promoting. Bill Geist, chief instigator of DMOProz and author of Destination Leadership shared how investment in the story of a community while cultivating the unique sense of place offers profound returns to a region’s economy. He was joined by Kalene Griffith, CEO of Visit Bentonville, who has helped lead Bentonville, Arkansas in becoming a world class destination in culinary, biking, art, and hospitality. She shared the tools, process and economic structure of the organization and its activities. 

This presentation also included Nancy Schnable, Executive Director of Discover Austin and Savile Lord, Manager of the SPAM™ Museum as they shared their plans for growing the impact and importance of the tourism industry in Austin.

 

Housing Solutions for Everyone: Strategies for a Comprehensive Approach to Housing Challenges

Any city seeking to raise housing quality without adding to the burdens of developers and property owners trying to meet real and growing housing challenges, needs a sound strategy that incorporates multiple elements for success. Matthew Petty and Matt Hoffman founded Pattern Zones Co. to help cities and towns directly address their housing challenges. Pattern zoning is a novel technique that combines pre-approved architectural designs and expedited permitting for incremental infill projects that meet higher design standards, making it convenient to build housing at scales appropriate to existing neighborhoods. Their work in Bryan, Texas was awarded honors by the Congress for the New Urbanism and their follow-up implementation in Claremore, Oklahoma has helped reduce infill permitting times to five days or less. They are now working to implement this technique across the United States using the lessons learned from these early projects. 

They were joined by Taggert Medgaarden, Executive Director of the Austin Housing & Redevelopment Authority and Craig Clark, City Administrator for the City of Austin who shared recommendations from the recent City's Housing Study and future projects to address Austin's housing needs.

 

Designing Public Places That Welcome and Engage an Entire Community

As Principal at CIVITAS, one of the foremost landscape design and urban planning firms in the US, Scott Jordan shared their approach for engaging the public throughout the design process and furthering positive relationships between people and place. He showcased numerous projects that reinvented a community’s relationship with waterfronts, incorporated food access and equity, improved outdoor recreation and wellness initiatives and unlocked the nascent value of adjacent neighborhoods. He was joined by Dave Merrill, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry and Craig Clark, City Administrator for Austin, Minnesota, who shared the recently completed Austin Parks and Trails Master Plan.