“Keep Austin Weird” might still apply after dark, but a developer charged with filling a number of Sixth Street’s vacant storefronts wants to change the hotspot’s tune during the day.
Stream Realty Partners is on a mission to shake the “Dirty Sixth” reputation of East Sixth Street, one coffee shop and restaurant at a time, the Austin Business Journal reported.
The firm owns more than 30 properties along the historic downtown stretch between Interstate 35 and Congress Avenue. The best way to reintroduce the district is through quality food and drink, Stream’s Paul Bodenman said.
Stream is in talks with potential tenants, aiming to introduce businesses that can help transform the corridor into an 18-hour destination, starting with restaurants, and eventually adding other retail.
The firm, which began heavily acquiring properties on East Sixth in 2020, said leasing would open in January last year. A year later, its tenant selection process is ongoing.
The company wants “high-quality operators,” but not necessarily upscale dining, Bodenman said. A mix of local and national brands is expected, leveraging Austin’s growing national profile.
This effort is a deliberate play for revitalization. The area was hurt by pandemic-era downturns and a mass shooting in 2021.
Recent operational shifts show some early progress. The city reopened East Sixth to vehicle traffic from Thursday to Sunday evenings for the first time in decades. Preliminary police data shows a 21 percent drop in crimes against persons and an 11 percent decrease in arrests on weekend nights since the change.
Still, trade-offs exist: the Pecan Street Festival, typically held on East Sixth, will move to Bee Cave this year due to the traffic change.
Stream has floated rebranding the area as “Old Sixth,” suggesting a desire to lean into the district’s historic architecture and past status as a more rounded neighborhood destination.
— Judah Duke
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