Study Concludes Sixth Street Bloated With Bars

It took an official study paid for by the Downtown Austin Alliance and City of Austin to conclude the obvious: East Sixth Street has an overabundance of bars.

Washington, D.C.-based consultants at ERA/Downtown Works, already working with the city on other downtown retail strategies, recently conducted a survey of the college-friendly span of Sixth Street from Congress Ave to Red River. According to their findings, the five-block-long area has a whopping 57 bars -- most of which are undistinguishable from their neighbors -- but only 14 retail stores. These are numbers which ERA principal Midge McCauley says indicates that Sixth Street "isn't anywhere near where it should be."

Her suggestions for transforming the district into a more "vibrant urban entertainment district" (read: tax cash cow) include bringing in vintage shops, cafes, and an art/movie house, and encouraging more of the existing bars to host live bands. Apart from a small handful of resturants serving lunch, the region all but shuns daytime visitors.

From the Austin Business Journal:

The consultants looked at a number of other successful urban entertainment districts around the country such as San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter and Philadelphia's Old City. McCauley says what makes those areas thrive is their balanced mix of retail, restaurants, clubs and other entertainment options that create a 24/7 type environment.

But East Sixth is facing some significant hurdles to change, most importantly an image problem. The consultants found that hoteliers and others are steering Austin visitors away from Sixth Street in favor of the emerging, yet more tame, Warehouse District.

Photo (unrelated) by 0595 on flickr