District 1 - Alexandria Anderson
What is your favorite historic building or legacy business in your district, and why?
For me it's the Victory Grill. The Victory Grill is one of my favorite historic spaces in District 1 because it is more than a historic building. It is a living part of our community.
What I love most is the way the space continues to bring people together. The thoughtful curation of events creates opportunities for residents to experience the history of the Victory Grill while also making new memories there. It has a great energy and vibe that makes people want to come in, connect, and stay awhile.
The Victory Grill is a true staple of the community because it shows what preservation can look like when history remains active and accessible. We should not simply preserve the walls of historic places; we should support the people, culture, businesses, artists, and events that keep those places alive.
For me, the Victory Grill represents what I want to see across District 1: honoring where we come from while creating spaces where our community can gather, celebrate, and build what comes next.
In 2024, Austin City Council adopted the Equity-Based Historic Preservation Plan to replace Austin’s 1981 historic preservation plan with a more inclusive, community-oriented vision for the City’s preservation program. Its proposed policies, programs, and tools aim to protect Austin’s unique heritage and shape an equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and economically vital future for all. The plan's future success will rely on buy-in from Council to execute its recommendations.
If elected, would you support the plan’s recommended policy changes, and the budget allocations needed to support them, to ensure that the future of preservation in Austin is proactive, collaborative, and accessible to all? Please explain.
Yes. I support the Equity-Based Historic Preservation Plan and the investments necessary to move it from a plan into meaningful action. Preservation should not be about freezing Austin in time; it should be about honoring the people, places, stories, and cultural traditions that have shaped our city while making sure the communities connected to that history can remain here.
For too long, Austin’s preservation efforts have not fully reflected the diversity of our history. The Equity-Based Historic Preservation Plan provides an opportunity to correct that by identifying and protecting historically significant places and stories that have been overlooked, particularly those connected to Black, Latino, Indigenous, immigrant, working-class, and other historically underrepresented communities.
If elected, I would support funding the staffing, community engagement, research, education, and preservation tools necessary to implement the plan. I would also advocate for a proactive approach identifying vulnerable cultural resources before they are lost rather than waiting until a building or neighborhood is already threatened.
Preservation must also be collaborative. I want residents, neighborhood organizations, historians, cultural organizations, property owners, small businesses, and developers at the table early in the process. Community knowledge is expertise, and residents should have meaningful opportunities to help determine what is worthy of preservation and how preservation can coexist with responsible growth.
Most importantly, preservation and housing stability should not be treated as competing goals. We need tools that preserve cultural identity while allowing communities to grow and remain economically viable
Historic places play a significant role in Austin’s economy. South Congress, the Paramount Theatre, and Barton Springs are beloved to locals and tourists alike, as are legacy businesses like Broken Spoke, Cisco’s, and the Continental Club. These places support local jobs and local dollars in addition to embodying our local heritage. They define our identity and make Austin a destination in so many ways.
If elected, how would you leverage historic places to generate economic benefits for Austin?
Yes. I believe Austin’s historic places are not only part of our cultural identity—they are also economic assets that create jobs, attract visitors, support small businesses, and keep local dollars circulating in our communities.
As Austin continues to grow, we should treat historic preservation as an economic development strategy. Places like South Congress, the Paramount Theatre, Barton Springs, and legacy businesses such as Broken Spoke, Cisco’s, and the Continental Club help create the character and authenticity that make Austin distinctive. We should leverage that character while making sure the communities and businesses that created it can continue to benefit from it.
First, I would support strengthening Austin’s historic and cultural tourism efforts. We can create better connections between historic sites, cultural districts, legacy businesses, public art, music venues, and neighborhood destinations through coordinated walking tours, wayfinding, digital storytelling, and marketing. This can encourage visitors to explore beyond the most heavily trafficked areas and direct tourism dollars toward locally owned businesses and historically significant neighborhoods.
Second, I would support programs that help legacy businesses remain open and financially sustainable. Recognition and designation are important, but they should be paired with practical resources such as grants, technical assistance, façade improvements, marketing support, and partnerships that help businesses navigate rising costs and changing market conditions.
Third, I would look for opportunities to connect preservation with small-business and workforce development. Historic places can serve as anchors for local commercial districts, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, hospitality workers, and other local businesses. We should explore partnerships that help emerging businesses locate near historic and cultural destinations and benefit from the foot traffic those places generate.
I would also prioritize preserving and promoting the history of communities that have not always benefited equally from Austin’s economic growth. Supporting places that tell Black, Latino, immigrant, and working-class histories can create economic opportunities while ensuring that cultural tourism does not erase the communities it is meant to celebrate.
Finally, we need to measure the economic impact of these investments. I would support tracking visitor activity, local business growth, jobs, and other economic indicators so the City can understand what is working and direct resources where they have the greatest community benefit.
In 2023, City Council officially proclaimed October as Legacy Business Month in honor of Preservation Austin’s inaugural Legacy Business Month passport program, which encourages Austinites to support participating businesses and broadly promotes their heritage. The city’s explosive growth has made protections and financial support for legacy businesses more important than ever. City governments in San Francisco and San Antonio have adopted ground-breaking legacy business programs to protect and support their cities’ legacy businesses through designation, education, and directly supporting businesses with financial resources.
If elected, would you support creating a similar program for the City of Austin? Why or why not?
Yes. I would support creating a City of Austin Legacy Business Program because our small businesses are an important part of our city’s history, culture, and identity.
Austin’s growth should not come at the expense of the businesses and entrepreneurs who helped build the communities we know today. Legacy businesses are more than places where people shop, eat, or gather. They are community anchors that carry stories, traditions, jobs, and cultural identity from one generation to the next.
I would support a program that builds on the work already being done by organizations like Preservation Austin and creates a formal City framework for identifying, designating, and supporting legacy businesses. Designation could help recognize businesses that have demonstrated a longstanding connection to their community, while also creating opportunities for technical assistance, marketing, educational resources, and access to financial support.
Financial assistance would be particularly important. Rising commercial rents, property taxes, operating costs, and redevelopment pressures can make it increasingly difficult for longtime businesses to remain in the neighborhoods they helped establish. A City program could explore grants, small-business assistance, façade improvement support, technical assistance, and partnerships with local organizations to help legacy businesses remain viable. I would also want the program to intentionally recognize the diversity of Austin’s history, including Black-owned, Latino-owned, immigrant-owned, women-owned, and other businesses that have contributed to the cultural fabric of our city.
Preservation Austin, Austin Infill Coalition, and AIA Austin partnered on a Preservation Bonus that City Council adopted as part of HOME Phase 1 in 2023. The bonus exchanges increased development entitlements for preserving single-family homes built before 1961 to preserve more naturally affordable, historic-aged homes while supporting density. Since the adoption of this tool, however, fewer than 10 residential infill projects have used the Preservation Bonus. Research conducted by Cedar shows that expanding entitlements for Preservation Bonus projects, such as increased impervious cover and allowing four units per lot, could generate 10x as many housing units as the current bonus allows, and save more historic-aged houses from demolition (see report HERE).
If elected, would you support increasing entitlements for Preservation Bonus projects to preserve existing housing and support Austin’s affordability goals? Why or why not?
I support the goal behind the Preservation Bonus: preserving existing, naturally affordable homes while creating opportunities for additional housing. However, I would want more information before committing to increasing the entitlements to allow greater impervious cover or a fourth unit.
The Preservation Bonus is still a relatively new tool, and the City has already made changes to it since its initial adoption. In April 2025, City Council increased the allowable floor area for projects that preserve an existing home, from 0.55 FAR or 3,200 square feet to 0.65 FAR or 4,350 square feet. Those changes were intended to make preservation more feasible, but they did not increase impervious cover or add a fourth unit.
I also think we need to look carefully at how the program is performing in practice. The City’s latest data, updated September 8, 2026, shows that eight projects have used the Preservation Bonus. That gives us an opportunity to evaluate what is working, what barriers property owners and developers are encountering, how many homes have actually been preserved, how many additional housing units have been created, and whether the program is achieving its affordability and anti-displacement goals.
I have reviewed the Cedar research referenced in this question, including its projection that additional entitlements could significantly increase the number of housing units generated through the Preservation Bonus. However, the report itself makes clear that its outputs are not professional advice, official documentation, or a guarantee of the feasibility or viability of future housing development. Because of that, I would want City staff and independent experts to further evaluate the proposal before making a commitment.
In particular, I would want to understand the potential impacts of increased impervious cover on drainage, trees, water quality, and neighborhood infrastructure, as well as whether allowing a fourth unit would actually result in more preservation and housing affordability in practice. My position is not “no.” It is let’s make sure we have the evidence before making another major change to the land development code. I am open to expanding the Preservation Bonus if the data demonstrates that doing so will meaningfully preserve existing homes, create additional housing, and advance affordability without creating unacceptable environmental or infrastructure impacts.
Historic resource surveys inventory historic neighborhoods and make recommendations on buildings and districts eligible for historic designation. Accurate and up-to-date surveys enable City staff, elected officials, and citizens alike to make decisions about which properties and neighborhoods ought to be protected. For example, in 2020, the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross neighborhood successfully became Austin's first local historic district dedicated exclusively to Black heritage. This effort relied on data gathered in the 2016 East Austin Historic Resource Survey to define the district's boundaries and identify contributing structures. Without this survey, this historic district may not have been possible.
If elected, will you support annual funding for historic surveys and the City’s preservation office? Please explain your answer.
Yes. I would support annual funding for historic resource surveys and the City’s Historic Preservation Office because we cannot protect what we have not identified, documented, and understood. Historic resource surveys provide the foundation for informed preservation decisions. They help City staff, elected officials, property owners, and residents understand the historic and cultural significance of buildings, neighborhoods, and community spaces and identify areas that may warrant protection. They also give communities the information they need to advocate for preservation before important places are lost.
The Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Historic District is a powerful example of why this investment matters. The neighborhood became Austin’s first local historic district dedicated exclusively to Black heritage, and the 2016 East Austin Historic Resource Survey helped establish the district’s boundaries and identify contributing structures. Without the survey work, this important piece of Austin’s history may not have received the recognition and protection it deserved.
I would also support ensuring that our surveys reflect the full history of Austin. Preservation should not focus only on the most prominent or architecturally significant buildings. We need to document the churches, businesses, homes, gathering places, cultural institutions, and neighborhoods that tell the stories of Black, Latino, immigrant, working-class, and other communities that have shaped Austin.
Annual funding also allows the City to be proactive rather than reactive. Austin is growing rapidly, and once a historic resource is demolished or a neighborhood’s cultural identity is displaced, we cannot recreate what was lost. Regularly updated surveys give the City and communities the information needed to identify priorities early and have meaningful conversations about preservation, development, and neighborhood change.
I would pair that investment with adequate staffing and resources for the Historic Preservation Office so residents and property owners have access to clear information, technical assistance, and guidance throughout the preservation process.
Local historic districts, established by City Council through historic zoning overlays, are one of the most important preservation tools available to protect Austin’s historic and cultural resources. The City of Austin’s existing historic resource surveys include recommendations for designating dozens of new local historic districts across our city. Proactive zoning efforts for historic districts are the most effective way to protect heritage in a city changing as rapidly as ours. Before 2021, a simple majority of City Council votes was required to establish a local historic district as long as 51 percent of all property owners within a proposed district’s boundary approved. Since 2021, however, state law requires a supermajority vote by Council to designate a local historic district if just one property owner within the proposed boundaries objects. Austin currently has only 8 local historic districts and has not designated a district since state law changed.
If elected, would you support the proactive designation of local historic districts that the City’s historic resource surveys identify as priorities? Would you do so even if a minority of property owners object? Why or why not?
I would support the proactive designation of local historic districts identified as priorities through the City’s historic resource surveys, while making community engagement and property-owner education a central part of the process. Austin currently has eight local historic districts, and the City describes local designation as providing the strongest protection for distinctive older neighborhoods. I also believe we have to recognize the reality of Austin’s growth. Once a historic building, neighborhood, or cultural landscape is lost, we cannot recreate the history and community memory it carried. Historic resource surveys give us an important starting point because they document historic places through fieldwork, archival research, and community input and identify areas that may be eligible for future designation. When it comes to opposition from a minority of property owners, I would not believe that one objection should automatically prevent a district from being considered or designated. At the same time, I would not support ignoring property owners or treating their concerns as unimportant. Historic designation can affect how exterior changes and new construction are reviewed, so residents deserve a clear understanding of what designation means, what protections it provides, and what incentives or resources are available. The City currently provides incentives, including a rehabilitation tax abatement for qualifying contributing properties. I would approach these designations through meaningful engagement before a proposal reaches Council. That means listening to residents, property owners, historians, neighborhood organizations, preservation advocates, and the communities whose history is being preserved. I would also look at whether the proposed boundaries make sense and whether additional resources are needed to help property owners maintain and rehabilitate their homes.
Most importantly, I believe preservation has to be equitable. Austin's historic resources include the stories of Black, Latino, immigrant, working-class, and other communities whose contributions have not always received the recognition they deserve. The Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Historic District is a powerful example: the City identifies it as an important representation of Austin’s African American history and an underrepresented story of the city’s development.
As a member of Austin City Council, what is one policy or initiative you would enact to ensure the preservation of our city’s historic and cultural heritage?
As a member of Austin City Council, I would support the expansion of Six Square’s African American Cultural Heritage District to ensure that more of East Austin’s history, culture, and community legacy is preserved and celebrated. Our history is not just found in buildings. It lives in our churches, businesses, music, art, neighborhoods, and the stories of the families who built this city. Six Square has already created an important foundation for preserving and sharing that history, and I believe the City should continue investing in that work. Expansion should include identifying and documenting historically significant sites, supporting preservation and rehabilitation of cultural landmarks, improving wayfinding and public art, and creating opportunities for heritage tourism and local businesses. The City has already identified these types of strategies as tools for strengthening the African American Cultural Heritage District. Preservation should also mean making sure longtime residents and small businesses can remain part of the communities they helped build. As Austin grows, we have a responsibility to protect the stories, places, and people that make our city unique not simply preserve history in a museum, but keep it alive in the neighborhoods where it was created.