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READY? GREAT, GOOD MORNING.[Proclamation]
IS ALISON ALTER AND I SERVE AS MAYOR PRO TIME AND REPRESENT DISTRICT 10 ON THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.WE'RE GATHERED THIS MORNING TO DECLARE MAY AS WILDFIRE AWARENESS MONTH IN AUSTIN, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TO INVITE EVERYONE TO JOIN US IN OUR WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AND PREVENTION EFFORTS.
I'M JOINED TODAY BY MY COLLEAGUES, MAYOR STEVE ADLER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, ELLIS FRANCIS AND KITCHEN AND REPRESENTATIVES OF AFD LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING CHIEF BAKER AND ASSISTANT CHIEF DELA ROSA, AS WELL AS, UM, THE, THE AFA, UH, ASSOCIATIONS, UH, PRESIDENT BOB NIXED, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE WILDFIRE DIVISION AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR FIREWISE ALLIANCE WILDFIRE IS EVERYONE'S FIGHT.
WE NEED THE WHOLE OF THE COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER TO BE INFORMED AND TO TAKE ACTION, TO MAKE US ALL SAFER.
I BELIEVE THAT IT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THIS YEAR.
IN RECENT MONTHS, WE'VE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL RED FLAG DAYS AND PERIODS OF EXTREME RISK, LOW HUMIDITY, HIGH TEMPERATURES, AND HIGH WINDS ARE ALL CONDITIONS PRIME FOR A WILDFIRE EVENT.
THESE ARE ALSO REMINISCENT OF THE CONDITIONS THAT WE EXPERIENCED DURING THE 2011 WILDFIRE SEASON.
THAT'S SO DEEPLY IMPACTED CENTRAL TEXAS.
I AM SURE THAT I'M NOT ALONE IN TAKING THOSE RED FLAG DAYS AS A WARNING.
WE MUST HEED TO ENSURE THAT WE DO EVERYTHING IN ANYTHING IN OUR POWER TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE AND PREPARED FOR THE NEXT WILDFIRE EVENT.
IT IS A MATTER OF WHEN NOT, IF WE WILL SEE MORE WILDFIRES LIKE THE ONE IN BASTROP OR STEINER RANCH.
MY DISTRICT IN CENTRAL NORTHWEST AUSTIN HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST WILDFIRE RISKS IN AUSTIN, LARGELY BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH OF THE DISTRICT FALLS IN THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE.
HOWEVER, IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE IN AUSTIN TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A HIGH-RISK AREA THAT RINGS AROUND THE CITY AND EMBERS CAN MEAN THAT WILDFIRE CAN GET INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE CITY AS WELL, BECAUSE OF THAT RISK, I'VE WORKED TO BRING WILDFIRE TO THE FOREFRONT OF AUSTIN'S PRIORITIES.
AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, I WORK TO BRING THE RELEVANT PARTIES TOGETHER AND NAVIGATE THE CITY, THE REGION AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO GET FOLKS ON THE SAME PAGE.
NONE OF THIS COULD HAPPEN WITHOUT DEDICATED PARTNERS AT EVERY LEVEL.
AND SO I'M THANKFUL TO HAVE SO MANY AUSTINITES COLLEAGUES AND PROFESSIONALS THAT CARE DEEPLY ABOUT WILDFIRE.
IT IS CRITICAL THAT OUR CITY PRIORITIZES WILDFIRE AT THE LEVEL OF ITS THREAT, THAT MEANS DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MITIGATE OUR LOCAL RISKS THROUGH PROPER LAND MANAGEMENT AND FUELS REDUCTION AND MAKING NECESSARY INVESTMENTS IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND READINESS.
AND WHILE AFDS ROLE IS CRITICAL, THESE EFFORTS DO NOT JUST DEPEND ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW STEPS WE'VE TAKEN AS A CITY AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND IT IS NOT JUST THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S JOB.
WE CONDUCTED AN AUDIT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE THREAT THAT WE FACED AND WE'RE METHODICALLY GOING THROUGH IT AND IMPLEMENTING EACH AND EVERY STEP WE'VE MADE INVESTMENTS IN FUEL MITIGATION TO LESSEN THE AMOUNT OF DEAD AND OVERGROWN VEGETATION.
WE'VE IMPROVED AUSTIN ENERGY'S VEGETATION MANAGEMENT POLICY AND ACCELERATED WORK TO ADDRESS HIGH WILDFIRE RISK, LOW RELIABILITY CIRCUITS.
WE'VE ADOPTED A VERSION OF THE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE CODE FOR NEW BUILDINGS THAT ARE IN THE WILD AND URBAN INTERFACE WITH AUSTIN BEING THE FIRST BIG CITY TO DO SO.
WE FUNDED LAND USE PLANNING IN THE CITY, PARKS AND PRESERVES.
WE'VE ADVOCATED FOR HARDENING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE WOOEY.
WE SECURE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS TO BE TRAINED IN RESPONDING TO THE INTERFACE.
AND WE'VE VERY IMPORTANTLY WORKED WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO EDUCATE EACH AND EVERY PERSON SO THAT THEY CAN PREVENT WILDFIRE AND MITIGATE THEIR RISK.
WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY AND EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR EVACUATION PLANS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED WHEN NEEDED DOING WHAT EACH OF US CAN TO PREVENT MITIGATE OUR WILDFIRE RISK IS REALLY SERIOUS.
LAST YEAR WITH STORM YURI, WE EXPERIENCED A LOW PROBABILITY HIGH RISK DISASTER FOR AUSTIN.
A WILDFIRE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY HIGH RISK EVENT, AND WE NEED TO ACT ACCORDINGLY.
WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS OVER THE PAST YEARS.
IT IS CLEAR TO ME THOUGH THAT THERE IS STILL MUCH TO BE DONE.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND PARTNERS HERE TODAY AND AROUND THE REGION.
AND WE EACH MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY WILL BE SAFE.
I HOPE EACH OF US WILL FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
I WILL NOW OFFER A PROCLAMATION AND YOU'LL HAVE TO BEAR WITH ME CAUSE IT'S REALLY, REALLY TINY BRIT, UM, PROCLAMATION VIETNAM THAT WHEREAS AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING A RESILIENT AND PREPARED COMMUNITY WHEN
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RESPONDING TO NATURAL TECHNOLOGICAL AND OR HUMAN CAUSED EMERGENCIES, INCIDENTS OR DISASTERS.AND WHEREAS NATIONAL WILDFIRE AWARENESS MONTH CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RESIDENTS BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, TO PREPARE THEIR HOMES, ESTABLISHMENT PROPERTIES, AND COMMUNITIES FOR THE UPCOMING WILDFIRE SEASON.
AND WHEREAS INVESTING IN INDIVIDUAL FAMILY BUSINESS, PROPERTY, COMMUNITY WILDFIRE AWARENESS AND MITIGATION CAN REDUCE FATALITIES AND ECONOMIC DEVASTATION CAUSED BY WILD LAND FIRES ACROSS OUR NATION STATE REGION AND CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND WHEREAS WILDFIRE AWARENESS AND MITIGATION IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY RESIDENT AND PROPERTY OWNER, AND ALL ARE ENCOURAGED TO MAKE WILDFIRE AWARENESS AND MITIGATION A PRIORITY.
AND WHEREAS WILDFIRE AWARENESS AND MITIGATION IS A CONTINUING EFFORT OF ALL RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, ALONG WITH OTHER REGIONAL STATE AND NATIONAL PARTNERS SUPPORT THE WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG CAMPAIGN G INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND MITIGATION AND PREPARING FOR WILDFIRE EMERGENCIES AND EDUCATING RESIDENCES BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS, AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR TAKE ACTION DURING AND MITIGATE AGAINST WILDFIRES.
AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN ENCOURAGES ALL RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS TO PARTICIPATE IN WILDFIRE AWARENESS, PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION ACTIVITIES, REVIEW WILDFIRE INFORMATION, AND SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY ALERTS ON THE WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG WEBSITE.
AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN HEREBY DECLARES MAY, 2022 AS WILDFIRE AWARENESS MONTH AND ENCOURAGES ALL RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN WILDFIRE AWARENESS, PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION PLANS GO TO WARREN CENTRAL, TEXAS.ORG TO REGISTER, TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY ALERTS AND WORK AS A WHOLE COMMUNITY TOWARDS THAT END.
NOW, THEREFORE I, ALISON ALTAR MAYOR PRO TEM OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON BEHALF OF STEVE ADLER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS DO HEREBY PROCLAIM MAY, 2022 AS WILDFIRE AWARENESS MONTH.
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO INVITE UP CHIEF
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR ADLER, MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, ALTER CITY COUNCIL'S PAGE KITCHENS AND
IT WAS NOW A THREAT THAT WAS ON OUR DOORSTEP AND OR AS THE PINNACLE FIRE SHOWED INSIDE OUR CITY LIMITS.
SINCE THEN WITH THE SUPPORT OF CITY LEADERS, WE'VE BEEN LEANING FORWARD INTO THIS THREAT.
OUR FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY COORDINATORS HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND FIREWISE ALLIANCES TO EDUCATE AND LEVERAGE RESIDENTS TO BE PART OF THE EFFORT AGAINST THIS THREAT.
OUR FUELS PROGRAM MANAGERS HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH FELLOW CITY DEPARTMENTS, SUCH AS PARD AS AUSTIN ELECTRIC AND AUSTIN WATER TO MAKE OUR GREEN SPACES MORE FIRE RESILIENT.
OUR WILDFIRE DIVISION AND BATTALION ARE WORKING TO BETTER EQUIP AND TRAIN ALL MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE FIREFIGHTING FORCE LIKE FLASH AND RESIDENTIAL FIRES.
WE WILL NEVER BE 100% FREE FROM THE THREAT OF WILDFIRE, BUT WITH DELIBERATE ACTION COLLABORATION AND CONSTANT AWARENESS, WE CAN BE SET FOR SUCCESS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE LEAST POSSIBLE THREAT AND GATES TO LIFE, PROPERTY, AND, UH, LARGE SCALE INCIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT AND SHARE THREE THINGS THAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN DO TO HELP THEM BE INVOLVED WITH THIS EFFORT TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER.
IF YOU GO TO WWW.ATXWILDFIRE.ORG, YOU WILL FIND A HUGE SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON MANY DIFFERENT TOPICS REGARDING WILDFIRE AND THE THREAT HERE IN AUSTIN.
THE WILDFIRE HUB IS A GREAT PLACE TO LOOK FOR THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE CURRENT THREAT LEVEL IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND IN OUR REGION.
IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO FIND OUT WHAT THE GRANULAR
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SPECIFIC THREAT DUE TO TOPOGRAPHY DUE TO THE FUELS AROUND OF YOUR HOME AND ADDRESS.YOU CAN ALSO FIND LINKS ON HOW TO, IF YOUR COMMUNITY'S NOT ALREADY.
SO BECOME A FIREWISE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS A GROUP THAT HAS A TON OF RESOURCES FOR YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS ON HOW TO COME TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE ACROSS BORDERS AND FENCES TO HELP STRENGTHEN HEART IN YOUR HOUSES AND MAKE YOUR COMMUNITY SAFER.
AND FINALLY, YOU CAN REACH OUT AND REQUEST A HOME IGNITION ZONE EVALUATION.
THESE ARE CRITICAL PART TO KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR YOUR OWN HOUSE WITHIN YOUR PHONE FENCES AND ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY.
THESE EVALUATIONS ARE CONDUCTED BY EITHER OUR WILDFIRE DIVISION STAFF OR ALSO BY EDUCATED LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ARBORISTS.
WHO'VE GONE THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM THESE AS CONS, AS MAYOR PRO TEM ALTAR SAID, IT'S NOT, IF IT IS WHEN BUT WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN SET OURSELVES UP TO HAVE THE BEST CHANCES OF SURVIVING A LARGE-SCALE WILDFIRE OR WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE FIRE.
AND OUR LAST SPEAKER WILL BE AFA PRESIDENT BOB NIX.
WHO'S BEEN A WONDERFUL PARTNER IN ADVOCATING FOR WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AND HELP TO INITIATE THE CREATION OF THE WILDFIRE DIVISION AND MANY YEARS AGO.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.
I THINK THE SPEAKERS BEFORE ME LAID OUT REALLY WELL, THIS IS A SUCH A BIG PROBLEM THAT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY HAS TO BE INVOLVED.
IT'S NOT JUST AFD IS NOT JUST, IT'S NOT JUST THAT.
AND SOMEBODY GIVE A QUICK SCORECARD ON IT.
UM, ARE WE BETTER PREPARED THAN WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO WHEN WE STARTED A WILDFIRE, UH, DEPARTMENT? ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, PARADOXICALLY, THE WEATHER'S GETTING WORSE THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO.
SO THE THREAT CONTINUES TO RISE AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE BIG CHALLENGES.
ALL THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT, WE NEED TO TAKE THE NEXT LEVEL.
WE NEED TO DO MORE FUEL MITIGATION.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT CITIZENS ARE AWARE OF THE RISK AND TOGETHER WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT.
WE CAN CONTINUE TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM.
WE, IF WHEN YOU, IN TERMS OF WILDFIRE, IT'S NOT IF, BUT WHEN, BUT THE, WHEN WE CAN DO A LOT OF BOUT WITH PROPER FUEL MITIGATION, WE CAN SLOW THE FIRE.
SO FIGHTING FOR ANY FOREST CAN GET THERE QUICK ENOUGH.
SO IT DOESN'T BECOME A BIG FIRE.
WE CAN MAKE SURE WE HAVE TRAINED, CAPABLE FORCES WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT, THE RIGHT TRAINING TO GET THERE QUICKLY.
WE NEED TO FINISH OUR FIRE STATION PROGRAM.
WE HAVE THREE MORE FIRE STATIONS TO BUILD NEIGHBORHOODS IN THIS TOWN.
AND TWO OF THOSE ARE IN THE HIGH RISK URBAN INTERFACE.
SO THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS AND THE CITIZENS ARE LOWER RISK TODAY THAN THEY WERE 10 YEARS AGO.
THE CHALLENGE IS WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO AND I HOPE TOGETHER WE CAN GET THERE.
AND, UM, WE'LL TAKE A PICTURE IN HERE AND THEN FOR ANYONE WHO CAN MOGO OUTSIDE WHERE IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE ROOM SINCE WE HAVE A LOTTA A LOT OF FOLKS KNOW FINESSE, IF YOU WANT TO COME OVER.
AND WE'LL GO OUTSIDE SO WE CAN BE SURE EVERYONE CAN, I'M NOW GOING TO A CONVENE HERE AT 9:17 AM THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL, UH, REGULAR, UM, A WORK SESSION HERE, UH, TODAY IS, UH, TUESDAY, MAY 17TH, 2022.
WE'RE IN THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION ROOM HERE AT CITY HALL.
ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.
WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, UM, KELLY AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, HARPER, MADISON WITH US, UH, REMOTELY, THE OTHERS, UH, PHYSICALLY PRESENT, UH, HERE COLLEAGUES WE HAVE TODAY, TWO DISCUSSION ITEMS, ONE RELATING TO VMU, ONE RELATING TO, UH, INCREASING HOUSING CAPACITY ON CORRIDORS.
UM, THE, THE THOUGHT FOR THOSE DISCUSSION ITEMS WOULD BE THE, GIVE US A CHANCE TO ELEVATE IDEAS AND THOUGHTS.
THIS IS ALSO ON THE AGENDA FOR THURSDAY, UH, ON THE AGENDA ITEM FOR THURSDAY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S JUST A DISCUSSION ITEM AND THERE WILL BE NO ACTION TAKEN.
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THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS, UM, WITH US, UM, AND THEN, UH, UH, PROBABLY POINTING TO JUNE 9TH, UH, ACTION, UH, DAY, UH, APPRECIATE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAD THE, UH, OPEN MEETING YESTERDAY FOR PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.SO THANK YOU ALL FOR CONVENING THAT I THINK THERE WERE PEOPLE PARTICIPATING FROM ALL OVER THE CITY.
UH, SO THAT WAS, UH, A GOOD THING TO SEE.
IT'S GOTTA BE MY SUGGESTION THAT WE BEGIN WITH THOSE TWO DISCUSSION ITEMS. I'M GOING TO CALL THEM UP TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THEM WHEN WE'RE DONE TALKING ABOUT THOSE.
WE'LL GO TO PULL THE ITEMS. THERE ARE AT THIS 0.2 PULLED ITEMS, UH, ITEMS NUMBER 17 AND ITEM NUMBER, UH, 90, UH, AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, WHICH WE'LL DO, UH, TO CONCLUSION MAYBE AFTER LUNCH, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LUNCH BREAK TODAY FROM LIKE NOON TO ONE, SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, UH, HAVE, UM, UH, AN EVENT THAT THEY NEED TO ATTEND UP AT THE LBJ SCHOOL.
UH, SO THAT'LL BE A RELATIVELY HARD STOP AT NOON WRITING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR.
[Items D1 & D2]
UH, WITH THAT SAID, THAT'S A, THIS IS US AND, UM, UM, DISCUSSION ON THE, UH, TWO DISCUSSION, UH, ITEMS. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM GOOD MORNING, I'M WANNA SPEAK TO SORT OF THE SECOND ITEM, WHICH IS INCREASING DENSITY ON THE CORRIDORS AND THAT CONVERSATION.UM, LAST YEAR AS A COUNCIL, UM, WE COMMITTED TO TRY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ITEMS THAT WERE OF CONSENSUS, UM, IN TERMS OF HOW WE COULD MEET, UM, THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSING, UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR OR SO, WE'VE MOVED FORWARD WITH SEVERAL PROPOSALS, WHICH ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF BEING IMPLEMENTED.
SO THE MAYOR AND I, UH, PUT FORWARD A PROPOSAL, UM, AND FRANKLY, I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THE CO-SPONSORS OF EVERYTHING CAUSE IT'S NICE, CAUSE THEY'RE ALL, ALL MIXED UP BY THE MAYOR.
AND I PUT FORWARD A PROPOSAL, UM, TO ALLOW FOR RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREAS, UM, WITH AN AFFORDABILITY BONUS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO PUT FORWARD A RESOLUTION TO FACILITATE ADDITIONAL AID USE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, HYPER MADISON PUT FORWARD A RESOLUTION, UM, CREATING EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DISTRICTS, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN PUT FORWARD, UM, RESOLUTIONS, UM, RELATED TO BMU.
AND I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHERS.
I KNOW WE'VE HAD A BUNCH OF STUFF UP IN THE DOMAIN THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL HAS LED ON.
UM, AND I'M SURE THERE, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER ITEMS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, FROM THOSE IT'S CLEAR THAT, UM, WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO ADVANCE SOME MEANINGFUL CHANGE.
UM, BACK IN APRIL, UM, WE KIND OF CHALLENGED OURSELVES TO THINK ABOUT THE QUESTION SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY THAN WE HAD BEEN AN ASK OURSELVES, HOW WOULD WE, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT COULD WE DO IF WE WANTED TO INCREASE DENSITY ON THE CORRIDORS, LIMITING OURSELVES TO THE CORRIDORS IN TERMS OF THE GOAL, UM, AND THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE WERE DOING, UM, WHAT WOULD BE THE LEVERS THAT WE HAVE AND HOW WOULD WE GO ABOUT THAT? UM, AND TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION, UM, WE PROPOSED KIND OF TRYING TO TALK WITH FOLKS THAT WE MAYBE HADN'T BEEN TALKING WITH AS REGULARLY AND AS DEEPLY, UM, THROUGH THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE REWRITE, UM, SO THAT WE COULD HEAR SOME DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND THINK THROUGH THREE THROUGH SOME ISSUES AND BETTER SEE WHERE WE ARE.
UM, I GUESS THAT WAS CHIMING IN FOR CONSENSUS.
UM, SO I WORKED WITH A GROUP, UM, THAT HAD, UH, FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT REPRESENTED AUSTINITES NORTH, SOUTH, EAST AND WEST.
UM, AND, UM, THAT IS A GROUP THAT IS, UH, WAS, I'M GONNA DO THE CONVENTION OF BEING IN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS USING FIRST NAMES, UM, STEVE PAGE, LESLIE AND VANESSA AND MYSELF.
UM, AND, UM, WE HAVE SOME IDEAS OR OPTIONS OR PROPOSAL, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO STYLIZE IT.
UM, THAT IS LIMITED TO OUR CORRIDORS, UM, WHERE WE'VE ALL LONG IDENTIFIED THAT WE WANT TO TARGET GROWTH.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE IT ALL FULLY AGREED ON IN TERMS OF A WRITTEN FORM, BUT WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE A WRITTEN VERSION BY THE END OF TODAY, THERE ARE JUST A FEW MORE PIECES THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S ON BOARD WITH BEFORE WE, BEFORE WE PRESENT IT.
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OR TOMORROW TO HAVE SOMETHING IN WRITING.AND I THINK WE ARE, UM, POSTED TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION AGAIN ON THURSDAY.
UM, MY CHIEF OF STAFF, KURT, KADENA, MITCHELL, UH, STEPHANIE TREN, JULIE MONTGOMERY, UM, AND SARAH AND SOPHIA IN THE SARAH, SARAH AND SOPHIA, UM, IN THE OTHER OFFICES, OUR STAFF WORKED REALLY LOUISA.
AND LISA, UM, IN COUNCIL MEMBER, POOL'S OFFICE, OUR STAFF WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD, UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST MONTH AND A HALF TO HELP US HAVE A CONVERSATION THAT FOCUSED ON WHERE WE HAD, UM, CONSENSUS AND I'M WAS ASKED TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THIS GROUP, FOLKS WILL CHIME IN TO ADD PIECES AS WE GO.
UM, WE MAY NOT GET INTO EVERY, EVERY DETAIL CAUSE WE'RE STILL WORKING THINGS OUT.
UM, BUT I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THE WORK OF OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I'M, I'M JUST GOING TO SPEAK TO WHAT, TO WHAT WE'VE COME FORWARD WITH.
BUT A LOT OF THIS IS INFORMED OF OUR MANY CONVERSATIONS OVER MANY YEARS, UM, THAT WE'VE HAD AS A COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I THINK FOLKS WILL SEE A LOT OF ECHOES OF WHAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAD PROPOSED WITH RESPECT TO COMPATIBILITY, THEIR WORKING GROUP, UM, MANY YEARS AGO.
UM, SO THE BASIC IDEA WAS IF YOU WANT TO ADD DENSITY TO CORRIDORS, UM, AND LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE CORRIDORS, THE FIRST STEP IS TO DEFINE WHAT IS A CORRIDOR, UM, AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT MAYBE NOT EVERY CORRIDOR IS EQUATE IS, UM, CREATED EQUALLY.
UM, AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE HAVE TRIED TO CREATE A WAY TO CATEGORIZE OUR CORRIDORS, UM, AND THEN TO RELAX COMPATIBILITY AND PARKING, DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF CORRIDOR WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE, WITH THE MOST IMPACTFUL CHANGES, UM, BEING TIED TO ONSITE AFFORDABILITY.
UM, SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE RECOGNIZING THAT NOT ALL CORRIDORS ARE EQUAL, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD A LOT FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND AMONGST OURSELVES, WE IDENTIFY TWO CATEGORIES.
UM, AND THEY'RE NOT EXACTLY VERY ORIGINAL NAMES, BUT WE CALLED THEM THE LARGER CORRIDORS AND THE MEDIUM CORRIDORS, UM, FOR GROWTH AND IN THE LARGER CORRIDOR GROUP, WE PUT HIGHWAYS.
SO HIGHWAYS LIKE
AND SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR HIGHWAYS AND THEN PROJECT CONNECT, WHERE AS A COMMUNITY WE'VE IDENTIFIED, THIS IS WHERE WE WANT OUR DENSITY, UM, TO BE THEN OUR MEDIUM CORRIDORS.
UM, WE PUT, IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS AND OUR 2016 BOND CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM.
AND SO THE MEDIUM AND LARGER TOGETHER IS SMALLER THAN THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK, UH, APPROACH.
UM, SO IT'S REALLY FOCUSING ON OUR LARGER AND MEDIUM CORRIDORS.
UM, THIS PROPOSAL DOES NOT, UM, OR THE SET OF IDEAS THAT WE WANT FEEDBACK ON DOES NOT PROPOSE CHANGES ANYWHERE OTHER THAN ON THESE TWO TYPES OF CORRIDORS.
UM, AND THIS CHANGE IS LIMITED TO THE PARCEL ON THE CORRIDOR.
UM, IT DOES NOT RELAX COMPATIBILITY FOR ANY PARCEL THAT IS NOT ON THE CORRIDOR ITSELF.
UM, SO ONLY THE CORRIDOR PARCEL ITSELF IS GRANTED THE INCREASE IN ENTITLEMENT OF THESE CORRIDORS.
IT IS ONLY THE, THE LARGER PART OF THE COMPATIBILITY CHANGE IS ONLY FOR RESIDENTIAL AND MIXED USE PROJECTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN CITY OF AUSTIN AFFORDABILITY PROGRAMS, SMART HOUSING FEE WAIVERS WOULD NOT BE AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
SO AGAIN, WE'VE SAID WE HAVE OUR LARGER AND OUR MEDIUM, OUR LARGER ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALL OVER THE MANY YEARS AGREED ON ARE THROUGH, THROUGH, THROUGH VOTES, THROUGH EVERYTHING.
THESE ARE THE PLACES THAT WE ALL AGREE.
THIS IS WHERE WE'LL BE MOST SUPPORTIVE OF OUR TRANSIT.
UM, ON THOSE, IF YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE ONSITE AFFORDABLE PROGRAMS, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO REACH A HEIGHT OF 60 OR 65 AT 100 FEET FROM SINGLE FAMILY ZONING.
SO IN THE HIGHEST DENSITY THAT THE LARGER CORRIDORS, UM, WE WOULD ALLOW FOR ONE TO REACH 60, 65 AT A HUNDRED FEET FROM SINGLE FAMILY FOR THE MEDIUM CORRIDORS, IT WOULD BE 60, 65 FEET OF HEIGHT AT 150 FEET FROM SINGLE FAMILY ZONING.
SO WE ARE ALLOWING THERE TO BE, UM,
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VARIATION ACROSS DIFFERENT TYPES OF CORRIDORS.SO THE CHANGES THAT WOULD BE COMING OR POSSIBLE WOULD VARY, UM, THUS BY CONTEXT.
UM, BUT IN A WAY THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS, THE PROPOSAL WOULD ALSO ALLOW YOU TO ACHIEVE 90 FEET SOONER.
UM, BUT I WANT EVERYONE TO REMEMBER THAT UNDER TODAY'S CODE, MOST ZONING DISTRICTS DO NOT ALLOW FOR MORE THAN 60 FEET OF HEIGHT.
SO BY AND LARGE, THE 90 FEET OF HEIGHT ONLY BECOMES POSSIBLE IF YOU APPLY FOR A ZONING CHANGE.
UM, SO FOR THE LARGER CORRIDORS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 90 FEET OF HEIGHT AT 200 FEET FROM SINGLE FAMILIES ZONING, AND THE SMALLER CORRIDORS WOULD BE, OR THE MEDIUM CORRIDORS WOULD BE 90 FEET OF HEIGHT AT 250 FEET.
AND AGAIN, WE WILL HAVE A PROPOSAL THAT YOU CAN READ AND LOOK AT.
UM, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE YOU SORT OF A SENSE OF THAT, UM, OF WHAT WE WERE OVER, WHAT WE WOULD BE DOING.
UM, AGAIN, RHONDA REPEAT THAT MOST ZONING DISTRICTS TODAY WOULD NOT ALLOW ANYONE, UM, TO ACHIEVE MORE THAN 60 FEET OF HEIGHT REGARDLESS OF COMPATIBILITY.
SO THE FIRST PART IS COMPETITIVE AS COMPATIBILITY, UM, AND TYING THAT TO AFFORDABILITY FOR CHANGES TO WHERE YOU CAN DO 60 OR 65 FEET OR 90 OR 95 FEET.
UM, WE HAVE SOME OTHER TWEAKS TO, UM, COMPATIBILITY THAT WE WOULD SAY ON THESE CORRIDORS, YOU GET AUTOMATICALLY, I'M GONNA WAIT ON INTRODUCING THOSE, UM, EITHER TILL LATER OR WHEN WE HAVE OUR PROPOSAL COME OUT.
THE SECOND AREA WE LOOKED AT WERE PARKING REQUIREMENTS, UM, AND HERE, UM, I THINK WE HAD SLIGHTLY LESS LIKE CLARITY ON WHICH NUMBER, ALTHOUGH WE BROADLY AGREED THAT WE SHOULD BE REDUCING PARKING MORE AND THE LARGER CORRIDORS AND SUBSTANTIALLY, UM, AND ALSO REDUCING IT ON THE MEDIUM CORRIDORS.
UM, AND WE WOULD DO THAT WITH MAINTAINING EXISTING PARKING REQUIREMENTS NEAR OUR SCHOOLS.
UM, AND WE WOULD PROVIDE, UM, DIRECTION TO EXPLORE OPTIONS TO MAIN SAFETY AROUND SCHOOLS WHILE COLLABORATING WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON OPTIONS FOR CAMPUS PARKING ON THE PUBLIC STREET.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSAL AND THERE, THERE ARE THE OTHER PIECES THAT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO GO INTO THOSE OTHER PIECES AS WELL.
UM, I BELIEVE THIS IS A REASONABLE AND RESPONSIBLE APPROACH.
I WILL TALK REALLY BRIEFLY ABOUT SOME OF THE COMPATIBILITY THINGS THAT, UM, WE THOUGHT MIGHT BE THINGS THAT WE COULD CONSENSUS MOVE FORWARD WITH, AGAIN, ONLY ON THE MEDIUM AND LARGER, UM, CORRIDORS.
UM, AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, UM, WE THOUGHT WE COULD DO.
SO FOR INSTANCE, WE, UM, THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD, UH, THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE TRIGGERS FOR PROPERTIES ON CORRIDORS OF WHAT WOULD TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY.
SO WE WOULD ONLY ALLOW PROPERTIES ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE CORRIDOR TO TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY, AS OPPOSED TO ACROSS THE STREET, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CORRIDOR, UM, WE WOULD ONLY ALLOW ZONING AS OPPOSED TO THE USE OF THE PROPERTY TO TRIGGER A COMPATIBILITY.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE ONLY ON THE MEDIUM AND LARGER QUARTERS.
UM, WE WOULD CAP COMPATIBILITY FOR ALL PROPERTIES ON THE MEDIUM AND LARGER CORRIDORS AT 300 FEET DISTANCE.
AND THEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR WAS THIS NOTION OF HOW YOU GET INCREMENTAL DENSITY AND CHANGES THAT WE'VE OBSERVED IN THE HEIGHTS OF FLOORS, UM, SINCE THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE WAS PASSED.
UM, SO WE PROPOSE THAT WE WOULD CHANGE BY FIVE FEET, THE HEIGHT LIMITS FOR RESIDENTIAL AND MIXED USE PROPERTIES ON THE CORRIDORS INCREASING FROM 30 FEET HEIGHT, INCREASING 30 FEET HEIGHT LIMITS TO 35 FEET, INCREASING 40 FEET HEIGHT LIMITS TO 45 FEET AND INCREASING 60 FOOT HEIGHTS TO 65 FEET HEIGHTS.
UM, THEN WE HAVE, UM, WANT TO DISCUSS THE SETBACKS THAT HAPPEN WITHIN THAT 25, LIKE WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE 25 FOOT SETBACK? UM, NOT, WE WOULDN'T WANT DUMPSTERS TO BE PUT THERE, BUT WE WERE WILLING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, UM, WITH PLANNERS ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT DO IN THOSE SETBACKS.
UM, I THINK THAT COVERS PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I WANT TO SORT OF REITERATE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL WAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT LEVERS DO WE HAVE TO INCREASE DENSITY ON THE CORRIDORS, LIMITING IT, YOU KNOW, TO THE CORRIDORS.
UM, AND HOW WOULD WE GO ABOUT THAT IN WAYS THAT WE COULD HAVE A LARGE COMFORT LEVEL ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, ACROSS THE DIOCESE, UM, FOR EXPLORING, UM, IN SETTING
[00:30:01]
UP WHAT WAS LARGER, WHAT WAS MEDIUM WE CHOSE TO USE, UM, EXISTING CATEGORIES THAT ALLOWED US TO DO SOMETHING LESS THAN WHAT WAS PROPOSED WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO USE THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORKS.UM, WE AVOIDED SAYING THIS STREET VERSUS THAT STREET, WE WERE ADVISED BY LEGAL NOT TO SAY WE'RE GOING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, EXCLUDE X STREET OR Y STREET, BUT THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE, UM, CATEGORIES THAT WE COULD PLAN THINGS.
UM, THAT DOES MEAN THAT THERE MAY BE A FEW STREETS THAT WERE STRUGGLING, THAT WE MAY STRUGGLE WITH WHEN, WHEN WE GET THE FULL BREADTH OF EVERYONE'S IDEAS HERE.
AND WE MAY NEED TO THINK ABOUT, UM, IF THERE'S WAYS TO ADDRESS THOSE CONCERNS.
UM, BUT BROADLY WE ARE RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE CORRIDORS WHERE WE WANT TO SEE HIGHER DENSITY, NOT EVERY CORRIDOR IS THE SAME, AND WE TRIED TO DO THIS IN A SIMPLE WAY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE COULD PROVIDE DIRECTION MOVING FORWARD TO OUR STAFF, UM, TO ALLOW FOR THESE CHANGES, UM, WITHOUT IT TAKING, YOU KNOW, YEARS, UM, TO HAPPEN.
UM, SO I THINK I WILL LEAVE IT THERE.
AND AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK OUR STAFF, UM, LOUISA, KURT, STEPHANIE, JULIE, SOPHIA, AND SARAH, UM, WHO WORKED ON IT.
AND MIKE AND LOUIE, I SUDDENLY WAS THE FIRST I SAID, LET ME SEE THE FIRST THING.
UM, AND, UM, THANK THEM ALL FOR, FOR THEIR HARD WORK.
AND, UM, MY COLLEAGUES WHO WERE OPEN TO HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS, UM, I THINK AS A COUNCIL, WHEN WE FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, REALLY ON THE PROBLEM AND ARE ABLE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS, UM, AND HEAR FROM ONE ANOTHER ABOUT WHAT OUR CONCERNS ARE, WHAT THE DYNAMICS ARE IN OUR PARTICULAR DISTRICTS, WHAT WE KNOW FROM MANY, MANY CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD ACROSS THE CITY OVER THE YEARS.
UM, I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN GET TO RESULTS THAT CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE ON THE THINGS THAT WE ALL AGREE ON.
YEAH, ALISON, THAT I APPRECIATE THAT.
I THINK I'M RIGHT BACK TO UPO.
UM, I WANT TO REITERATE THE, THANKS TO THE STAFF CAUSE THEY WORKED REALLY HARD ON THIS.
THIS HAPPENED ALL OF THESE OFFICES, BUT I'M GOING TO ALSO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE BROADLY THAN THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT EVERYBODY SITTING AROUND THIS TABLE WILL RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE ELEMENTS THAT WERE JUST DISCUSSED.
THEY'RE NOT NEW AND THEY'RE NOT THINGS WE HAVEN'T ALREADY TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.
SO I THINK ANY ONE OF US COULD CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER ANY ONE OF MORE OF THESE THINGS.
IT'S MORE OF A COMPILATION OF WHERE IT LOOKED LIKE THERE MIGHT'VE BEEN OVERLAP, BUT THE ALLISON'S POINT WE'VE NEVER REALLY FOCUSED ON HAVING THE CONVERSATION IN REALLY SPECIFIC TERMS ON WHERE A CONSENSUS MIGHT BE.
THAT'S JUST NOT THE PROCESS THAT WE HAD THROUGH THE YEAR.
SO THE THOUGHT OF HAVING A DIFFERENT KIND OF CONVERSATION, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT THIS COUNCILS HAD.
THEY WANTED TO DO GOING BACK TO LIKE LAST NOVEMBER WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT.
AND I'M ENCOURAGED AT THE PROSPECT OF THAT.
I MEAN, I KNOW THAT THAT MEANS THAT THERE'LL BE ADVOCATES IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAVE REALLY GOOD ARGUMENTS FOR DOING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE IN EITHER DIRECTION.
UH, THEN, THEN WHAT IS SET OUT HERE? AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND IN SOME OF THOSE INSTANCES, I AM A BELIEVER OF THAT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE HERE.
WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF CONVERSATION THAT ALSO DOESN'T MAKE THIS ANY EASIER FOR US, UH, BECAUSE THE WAY WE JUST LAID IT OUT BY DEFINITION, WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY AND THERE'LL BE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T HAPPY.
UM, BUT WE HAVE SUCH A HUGE AFFORDABILITY ISSUE ON HOUSING IN THE CITY.
WE HAVE TO BE TRYING TO PULL EVERY LEVER THAT IS AVAILABLE TO US.
THIS WORK BY ITSELF WILL NOT FIX AFFORDABILITY, BUT NO ONE LEVER WILL.
UH, BUT, UH, WE HAVE, I THINK A DUTY AND AN OBLIGATION AND THIS COUNCIL HAS INDICATED A DESIRE TO, TO PULL AS MANY LEVERS AS WE, AS WE CAN.
UM, UM, ALISON, AND IN COMMITTING TO THIS GROUP THAT WE'LL TRY TO HAVE SOMETHING POSTED UP ON THE BOARD, UH, TODAY, MAYBE POSTED IT BACK UP FOR THURSDAY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO SEE FOR THE DISCUSSION WHERE WE THINK HAVING LISTENED AND PARTICIPATED WITH EVERYBODY WHERE THOSE POINTS MIGHT BE FOR US TO, TO PERHAPS BE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER.
UM, I THINK YOU DID A REALLY GOOD JOB OF LAYING IT OUT.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE SOME OF THOSE HOLES AND
[00:35:01]
A LITTLE BIT MORE THAT DEFINITION OR TIGHTER RANGE IN SOME OF THE AREAS TO BE ABLE TO SPARK THE CONVERSATION AND INDICATE WHERE WE THINK THE CONSENSUS MIGHT BE.CAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THE COMMUNITY.
GENERALLY, I'M CONFIDENT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THERE.
AND I KNOW LEGAL HAS TOLD US, DON'T BASE THIS ON ROADS BASED THIS ON CATEGORIES.
AND WHEN YOU TRIED TO DO THAT, I WILL JUST THROW OUT THERE THAT MY READING OF THESE CATEGORIES MEAN THAT A LOT OF THE ROADS THAT, THAT, UH, HISTORICALLY HAVE CAUSED US TO KIND OF GET, I DO NOT READ THESE CATEGORIES TO INCLUDE IN EITHER THE, THE, THE LARGER OR THE MEDIUM ONES STREETS LIKE 45TH AND CANUCK AND SPEEDWAY.
WHEN I LOOK AT THE CATEGORIES, I DON'T SEE THOSE ROADS BEING INCLUDED IN WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY.
UH, AND I, AND I THINK THAT THAT TRYING TO GET TO THAT PLACE WHERE WE ARE, WE'RE NOT GOING BACK AND HAVING THE OLD CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD THAT STOPPED US AS IS THAT A BIG PART OF, UH, OF THIS.
SO I APPRECIATE THE WAY THAT YOU LAID IT OUT.
UH, AND, AND AGAIN, WHILE THERE'S A, A SMALLER GROUP MOVING THIS FORWARD, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ANY, AND ALL OF US, I THINK, BASED ON THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN BEEN HAVING.
SO THANKS PO, AND THEN THANK YOU, MARY.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UM, I MEAN, TO ME, IT I'M GOING TO SUPPORT IT, BUT IT'S NOT WHAT I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING.
I THINK WE SHOULD EVEN EXPAND IT MORE.
UH, I TOLD COUNCIL OF YEARS BACK THAT WE DON'T DO ANYTHING ON CODE NEXT.
YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE MY PAPI WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS AND IT'S WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS.
NOW I HAD A NEIGHBOR THAT JUST SOLD DOWN THE STREET.
AND SO HIS HOUSE FOR $1.2 MILLION.
AND LET ME TELL YOU, WHEN WE BOUGHT INTO THOSE HOUSES, WE WERE PAID 21,000 TO $35,000.
SO Y'ALL MAKING US A LOT OF, A LOT OF MONEY BY NOT DOING ANYTHING.
I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORT THAT EVERYONE IS PUTTING INTO THIS.
UM, UH, IT'S VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, UH, THE CONVERSATIONS THAT THAT PEOPLE ARE HAVING.
UM, IT WILL TAKE ME A BIT TO, YOU KNOW, TO ANALYZE THIS WITH REGARD TO THE CITY, BECAUSE ON, ON FIRST, UM, FIRST BLUSH OF THE, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT IT'S CERTAINLY IN THE BALLPARK AND IT MIGHT BE RIGHT THERE WITH REGARD TO THE DISTANCES.
SO I APPRECIATE Y'ALL, Y'ALL THINKING ABOUT THAT.
IT APPEARS TO BE, UM, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF DETAILS ALSO, BUT IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, IT APPEARS TO BE, UM, COMPATIBLE OR, OR, UM, UH, WITH THE VMU, UM, RESOLUTION THAT I BROUGHT AND THAT I'M GONNA CONTINUE WITH WITH REGARD TO OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASED, INCREASED, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ALONG SOME OF THESE QUARTERS.
SO I'M SO I'M, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
I'LL, I'LL DO SOME MORE ANALYSIS.
WHAT'S GIVEN ME A LITTLE BIT OF PAUSE THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE IS IF I'M HEARING YOU CORRECTLY IS THE QUARTERS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE THESE QUARTERS DON'T ALIGN WITH THE TRANSIT CORRIDORS.
AND SO, UM, IF I HEARD YOU CORRECTLY, UM, THAT MAY BE OKAY.
IT'S JUST DO, I MEAN, YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE, UM, IF I HEARD YOU CORRECTLY, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MEDIUM QUARTERS BEING THE QUARTERS THAT WERE, UM, PART OF OUR QUARTER PROGRAM.
WELL, THAT INCLUDES SLAUGHTER AND WILLIAM CANNON, NEITHER OF WHICH ARE ON A TRANSIT CORRIDOR.
AND SO, UM, AND I, NEITHER OF WHICH HAVE WE TALKED ABOUT, AND NEITHER, YOU KNOW, NEITHER OF WHICH HAVE MUCH IN THE WAY OF EMU.
SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THE IMPACT IS ALONG THOSE THERE'S THERE'S HOMES RIGHT UP TO THE RIGHT UP TO THE, UM, UH, STREET ON THOSE.
IT'S JUST, I'VE NEVER HEARD THOSE TWO TALKED ABOUT WITH REGARD TO THIS BEFORE.
THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT IS I'M NOT SURE IF I HEARD YOU IN REGARD TO THE, UM, IN REGARD TO THE MAIN, THE LARGER ONES.
UM, DID YOU SAY BRT, OR DID YOU SAY EXISTING BRT AND WHAT'S THE THINKING THERE? AND THE REASON I ASK IS I THINK, I THINK THE TRANSIT FOR ME, THE TRANSIT CORRIDORS ARE THE KEY THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE COVER TRANSIT CORRIDORS, BUT THE TRANSIT QUARTERS
[00:40:01]
OF THE PROJECT CONNECT MAP.SO IT MAY BE THAT WE COVER MORE THAN THAT, BUT I WOULD THINK THAT WE AT LEAST NEED TO DO THAT.
SO I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WHAT YOU SAID AND THE PROJECT CONNECT QUARTERS.
WAS IT BRT OR WAS IT METRO RAPID? CAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING SO DIFFERENT, BUT YEAH, BUT YOU WOULD WANT TO DO BRT.
WHY WOULD YOU DO A METRO RAPID AND NOT BRT? CAUSE BRT IS, IS WHAT PROJECT CONNECT IS FOR, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK IT'S A POSSIBILITY TO, TO INCLUDE, WELL, FROM MY, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT MAKES NO SENSE TO NOT INCLUDE OUR PROJECT CONNECT QUARTERS AS OUR MAIN CORRIDORS, PARTICULARLY IF WE'RE GOING TO INCLUDE THE CITY'S CORRIDORS.
SO THAT WOULD MEAN THAT THE NEW BRT LINES SHOULD BE INCLUDED.
I HAVE ASKED FOR OUR STAFF TO GIVE US THE MAPS, THAT SHOW WHERE ALL OF THESE PARTICULAR SPECIFIC CORRIDORS ARE IN EXISTENCE TODAY.
AND THEN WE CAN SEE WHERE THE OVERLAP IS.
WE CAN SEE IF THERE ARE ANY GAPS WE CAN SEE WHAT IS INCLUDED OR NOT AND SHOULD BE, OR SHOULD NOT BE.
AND SO THIS IS THE OPENING PIECE AND YES, WE HAVE TO HAVE, AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE YOU MAY BE HEADED WITH YOUR COMMENTS.
WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT THE MAPS ARE IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COVERING EVERYTHING.
AND I, YOU KNOW, I, UH, UH, EARLIER THIS MORNING WE SENT OUT THE MATERIALS WE DEVELOPED FOR LAST NIGHT, UH, FOR THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE, WHICH YOU ALL ARE WELCOME TO USE SOME GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, BMU AND COMPATIBILITY, BUT IT ALSO HAS THE PROJECT CONNECT MAP IN IT.
SO Y'ALL SHOULD ALL HAVE THAT.
AND SO THAT'S, DID YOU SAY BRTS OR DID YOU SAY SO? SO, UM, I SAID METRO RAPID, BUT I THINK WE MET LIKE THE BUS RAPID TRANSITS THAT ARE BUILT WAS MEANT TO BE THE PROJECT CONNECT THINGS.
I THINK THAT WHEN WE WENT THROUGH LOTS OF ITERATIONS, I THINK SOMEBODY JUST FORGOT THAT METRO RAPID AND BRT WERE NOT THE SAME THING.
AND SO I THINK THE INTENTION WAS FOR IT TO BE BRT ONES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, ARE WITHIN THE PROJECT CONNECT FIRST PHASE BEING BUILT OUT.
SO THAT, AND I JUST WANT TO ADD HERE THAT THIS ISN'T US AND OTHERS, THIS COULD BE A CONVERSATION FOR ALL OF US, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE BRINGING IT HERE TODAY TO GET THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS.
BECAUSE WHEN WE PRESENT THIS AND REQUEST THE INPUT FROM OUR COMMUNITIES, WE NEED TO HAVE A VERY EXPANSIVE LOOK AT HOW WE DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS WE'RE TRYING TO DO AND TAKE IN THE INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO FIND THAT CENTER LANE THAT COMPROMISE AND CONSENSUS FOR ALL OF US ON THE DIOCESE, SO THAT WE HOPEFULLY HAVE AN END PRODUCT THAT WE ALL SUPPORT, UM, AND VOTE FOR.
YEAH, WE'LL START BY JUST, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF DETAILS AND I'M GETTING LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW THIS IMPACTS SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WERE HIGHLY CONTENTIOUS LAST TIME.
COULD YOU PLEASE GO THROUGH THE DESCRIPTION AGAIN OF MEDIUM AND LARGE CORRIDORS AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU WOULD TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE SLOWLY ABOUT WHAT, WHAT YOU WERE PROPOSING BE IN AN OUT.
AND IT WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL IF YOU COULD MAYBE HIT ON SOME OF LIKE STREETS LIKE EXPOSITION AND FEEL DUVALL THE ONES WE HEARD AGAIN.
AND AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHERE, WHETHER THOSE ARE FALLING WITHIN THIS PLAN.
SO, BUT IF YOU COULD JUST LAY OUT AS YOU DID FIRST, BUT MORE SLOWLY, WHICH QUARTERS YOU'RE, YOU'RE ADDRESSING.
AND I THINK AS ANOTHER POINT, THERE'S ALSO BEEN CONFUSION IN THE COMMUNITY AND WAS ARTICULATED LAST NIGHT ABOUT WHETHER THIS CONVERSATION REGARDING COMPATIBILITY IS TALKING ABOUT WITH REGARD TO VMU OR IF THIS IS A MORE GENERAL CONVERSATION.
ARE WE TALKING NOW ABOUT COMPATIBILITY WITH ANY ZONING ON THE CORRIDORS OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT AREAS WHERE IT IS STRICTLY BMU AND WE ARE, AND IT'S PROMPTED BY THE CONVERSATION ABOUT BMU TOO.
SO MAYBE IF WE COULD START WITH THE SECOND QUESTION AND THEN IF YOU COULD DEFINE THE CORRIDORS, OKAY, I'M GOING TO TOUCH WHAT GETS YOU ONE SECOND, LET'S SEE, RESPOND TO THIS QUESTION, THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU.
IF I MADE IT'S DIRECTLY IN RELATION TO THAT QUESTION, I'M TRYING MY BEST TO FOLLOW ALONG, BUT WE'VE HAD AT LEAST FOUR BY COLLEAGUES SPEAK WITHOUT HAVING BEEN RECOGNIZED.
I'M WANTING TO MAKE SURE I FOLLOW ALONG VERY CLOSE.
SO I'D JUST LIKE TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GO THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS AND BE RECOGNIZED BEFORE YOU SPEAK.
SO I CAN KNOW WHO'S SAYING WHAT AND WHEN, UH, KENZIE.
YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY REAL QUICK, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.
I FIND MYSELF TAKING LOTS OF NOTES HERE, BUT WITHOUT A DOCUMENT
[00:45:01]
IN FRONT OF ME, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW.AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DOCUMENT COMING OUT SO THAT WE CAN REVIEW IT AND TALK WITH PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THESE THINGS.
AND I PROMISE, WE'LL GET THE DOCUMENT UP.
WE WANTED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION BEFORE WE PUBLISHED A DOCUMENT IN CASE WE WERE ALREADY SEEING A DIFFERENT CONSENSUS OR QUESTIONS WERE BEING ANSWERED.
SO THEN WE PUBLISHED SOMETHING.
IT WOULDN'T MAKE MISTAKES THAT WE WOULD SEND PEOPLE DOWN RABBIT HOLES WITH, BUT WE WILL GET THAT DOCUMENT PUBLISHED JUST REAL, REAL, REAL QUICKLY.
UH, AND I WANT TO GET BACK TO THE ANSWERS TO CATHERINE.
METOVA HIS QUESTION, BEFORE WE DO THAT, UH, JUDO, JUST A COUPLE OF INITIAL KIND OF QUESTIONS THAT COME TO MIND.
THE FIRST BEING ABOUT THE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN STUFF DID THE ANALYSIS ON A COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS, A PROPOSAL, THEY CAME BACK AND THEY IDENTIFIED THAT THE, THE, THE CHANGE OF THE VMU TO, BECAUSE OF COMPATIBILITY RESTRICTIONS WOULD ONLY AFFECT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 30%, 35% OR SO OF THE PROPERTIES ALONG THE CORRIDORS.
AND, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE NOT JUST ARBITRARILY PICK NUMBERS OUT OF THE AIR, BUT THAT WE UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE, THE MEDIUM SIZED CORRIDORS THAT ARE 200 FOOT COMPATIBILITY, HOW MANY PROPERTIES DOES THAT ACTUALLY OPEN UP? HOW MANY PROPERTIES ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT? I THINK THAT'S A, A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF UNDERSTANDING IT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO PASS SOMETHING.
UH, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, UH, SOME, A SMALL FRACTION, ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE, OF THE PROPERTIES THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE.
SO I THINK WE REALLY NEED, I KNOW I'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER REGARDING THESE, THAT TYPE OF ANALYSIS, BUT, UM, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE WOULD BE, UH, THE, THE, ANOTHER QUESTION THAT JUST COMES TO MIND RIGHT AWAY IS THE TIMELINE.
UH, WE HAVE A PROPOSAL READY TO GO.
WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, HOUSING CRISIS THAT IS JUST, YOU KNOW, FROTHING AND BOILING EVERY DAY.
UH, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE IDEAS, BUT I DO THINK THAT IN THE VERY SHORT TERM, WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION ON COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S PROPOSAL AND MOVE THAT FORWARD.
AND THEN I, I, I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT TO ALSO LOOK AT SOME OF THE, UH, UH, CORRIDORS, SOME OF THE, UH, ADDITIONAL, UH, UH, ITEMS THAT, UH, THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM WAS, UH, WAS JUST, UH, LAYING OUT.
BUT THAT WOULD BE MY OTHER QUESTION.
WHAT'S THE TIMELINE ON, ON, ON THIS KIND OF PROPOSAL, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT KIND OF SENDING IT TO STAFF AND THEN COMING BACK AND THEN, YOU KNOW, OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT, IT'S KIND OF AMENDING IT AMENDING THE VMU, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS, UH, LESLIE.
WELL, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THESE THINGS SEPARATE.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAS, AS WE KNOW HER, VMU TWO PROPOSAL, BUT WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS SPECIFICALLY AN ONLY COMPATIBILITY NOW THAT DOES APPLY IN SOME INSTANCES TO BMU TOO, BUT MORE BROADLY, UH, OR IF YOU MAY, IF I'M A SLICED MORE NARROWLY THINLY, WE ARE ONLY JUST TALKING ABOUT COMPATIBILITY FOR RESIDENTIAL, UM, UH, ON THE CORRIDORS, ON OUR MAJOR CORRIDORS.
AND I'M REMEMBERING BACK A FEW YEARS WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CODE NEXT, IT WAS A DIFFERENT COUNCIL CONFIGURATION, BUT WE HAD SIGNIFICANT AGREEMENT ON, UH, INCREASED DENSITY FOR RESIDENTIAL ALONG OUR MAJOR CORRIDORS.
AND I SEE THIS AS, IN SOME WAYS, A RETURN TO THAT AGREEMENT THAT WE HAD THEN, AND REACHING BACK AND BRINGING THAT FORWARD TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION HERE AND, AND TO, TO START THE WHEELS TURNING, TO MAKE IT HAPPEN AS WITH ALL THINGS, PUBLIC POLICY RELATED, WE VALUE AND LOOK FOR THE COMMUNITY'S INPUT THAT TAKES TIME COUNCIL MEMBER VELA.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EDUCATING FOLKS AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR APPROACHES ARE CRYSTAL CLEAR AND THAT WE UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS AS WELL.
AND THEN WE FASHIONED THAT, THAT CONSENSUS COMPROMISE POSITION, UM, BEFORE WE VOTE ON THINGS.
SO BY ITS VERY DEFINITION I'VE FOUND IN, IN OVER THE YEARS THAT THESE THINGS FOR THEM TO HAVE GOOD OUTCOMES DO TAKE THE TIME.
AND I THINK ALL OF US ARE PATIENT.
WE RECOGNIZE THE URGENCY, BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, WE DON'T WANT TO, UM, WHAT IS IT YOU ACTING HASTE AND REPENT AT YOUR LEISURE.
WE DON'T WANT TO BE IN THAT SORT OF POSTURE.
I THINK THE, YEAH, I THINK THEY AGREE WITH THAT.
AND I THINK THE WAY WE HAD SET THAT UP CHEETO WAS A, WE WOULD BE ACTING ON THE VMU ITEM BECAUSE THAT HAS BEEN ALREADY BEEN INITIATED.
IT'S GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS.
[00:50:01]
IT IS NOW BACK TO US AND WE'RE IN A POSITION TO, TO CONSIDER AND VOTE ON AN ORDINANCE.THE OTHER GOAL WAS THAT IN JUNE, HOPEFULLY ON JUNE 9TH, IF THERE ARE OTHER IDEAS THAT WE THINK ARE WORTHY, WE WOULD THEN INITIATE THOSE ON JUNE 9TH, UH, WITH A GOAL OF HAVING THE STAFF TAKE IT THROUGH THE PROCESS, THROUGH THE PLANNING COMMISSION PROCESS, THE SAME KIND OF WAY, BRING THAT BACK TO US, MAYBE IN SEPTEMBER AFTER IT'S GONE THROUGH THAT PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN, UH, ACT ON THE BROADER, UH, UH, AGENDA AS WELL.
BUT NO, THIS PROUDER WORK WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN THE VMU THAT WOULD STILL CONTINUE BECAUSE THAT'S GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS, BUT JUNE WE MAY INITIATE FURTHER ORDINANCES TO, TO COME BACK TO US, UM, UH, AFTER HAD A CHANCE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
I WANT TO RETURN TO, TO KATHY'S OTHER QUESTIONS, UH, AND, AND ANY ONE OF THE FIVE OF US COULD, COULD SPEAK ON THIS, BUT TO YOU TO, TO THE QUESTION THAT YOU RAISED, UM, I DO NOT READ THE CATEGORIES THAT WE HAVE TO, UM, UH, INCLUDE EXPOSITION OR ENFIELD.
COULD YOU DESCRIBE CATEGORIES FIRST AND THEN, AND THEN HIT, SO THE LARGER CATEGORY WHERE, UH, ASM P LEVEL OF FIVE STREETS, WHICH ARE BASICALLY HIGHWAYS, RIGHT? AND THEN THE PROJECT CONNECT LIKE REP I'M KIND OF LIKE A LARGER CATEGORY IS COULD YOU TURN YOUR MIC ON, SORRY.
I WAS ASKING THE MAYOR IF HE COULD.
AND IF YOU COULD, UM, TALK ABOUT ASM P LEVEL FIVE STREETS, WHICH I UNDERSTAND ARE MOSTLY HIGHWAYS PROJECT CONNECT RAIL LINES, AND THEN A FUTURE CONNECT, UH, UH, EXTENSIONS OF THOSE RAIL LINES, WHICH UNTIL THE RAIL LINE IS IN PLACE IS GOING TO HAVE MUCH MORE FREQUENT TRANSIT SERVICE, UH, AS A, AS TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT AND, AND CHANGING CULTURE AND MOBILITY HABITS, THIRD CATEGORY, WE HAD METRO RAPID ROUTES AND KATHERINE AND OUR KITCHEN.
UH, I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I JUST DIDN'T REMEMBER SEEING BRT LINES ON THE PROJECT CONNECT MAPS, LABELED THAT WAY.
SO WE WERE LOOKING AT WHAT LOOKED TO BE MADE, UH, METRO RAPID ROUTES, WHICH IS HOW I THINK IT WAS LABELED ON THE MAP, BUT THE INTENT WAS TO PICK UP THE BRT LINES.
SO IF WE GOT THAT WRONG, WE JUST GOT THAT WRONG, BUT THAT WAS THE INTENT.
KAYLA, CAN I ASK A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THAT? SO THE, THAT MAKES SENSE AND YOU'RE RIGHT.
UH, I'VE BEEN CALLING THEM BRT, BUT THEY'RE LABELED ON THE MAP HAS AS METRO, UM, RAPID THAT INCLUDES THE GOAL LINE, THE ENHANCED METRO RAPID ROUTES AND THE POTENTIAL FUTURE EXTENSION.
SO THAT INCLUDES PLEASANT VALLEY MENCHACA AND THEN THE ROUTE OUT TO OAK HILL, ARE WE IN THIS ONE, WE HAD THAT IT WOULD BE THE VETRO RAPID THE, THE METRO RAPID ROUTES, BUT WE HAD SAID EXCLUDING FUTURE EXPANSIONS, BECAUSE WE WEREN'T SURE THAT DEADLINE, BUT THAT WE'RE JUST THROWING THAT OUT.
I MEAN, THE, THE, THE, ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THIS IS TO SUPPORT POTENTIALLY.
I MEAN, WE HAVE TO TALK THROUGH THAT.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THE GOAL HERE IS TO SUPPORT AS MUCH OF THE TRANSIT ACTIVITY AS WE CAN IN THIS CITY, WITHOUT RUNNING A FOUL OF, OF ROADS OR STREETS THAT ARE GOING TO, TO GUM US UP IN A WAY THAT STOPS US FROM BEING ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT RIGHT BALANCE POINT.
WELL, THE REASON I'M ASKING IS IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE CITY AND SOME OF THE WEST AREAS ARE COMING OUT LATER.
AND SO I DON'T WANT US TO END UP NOT, UH, FOCUSING ON IF WE ONLY FOCUS ON TODAY AND WE DON'T FOCUS ON THE FULL PICTURE OR PROJECT CONNECT, THEN WE'RE MISSING OUR FUTURE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES AND TRANSIT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT FOR US TO BUILD ALONG.
SO I JUST THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING THAT QUESTION.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M ALSO GOING TO ASK WHAT PARTS OF IT, WHAT PART OF THE CITY ARE WE COVERING, UH, WITH THIS, BUT TODAY I'M JUST GOING TO LOOK AT THIS AND I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID.
WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN GET CONSENSUS ON THAT.
WELL, PARTICULARLY SINCE THE 2016 BOND CORRIDORS ARE NOT TRANSIT CORRIDORS, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY SHOULDN'T BE INCLUDED.
I'M JUST SAYING THAT THAT'S NEW FOR US TO BE TALKING ABOUT THOSE AREAS.
UM, AND SOME OF THE IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS TOO, OR NOT.
[00:55:01]
HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT MAPS AND THINK ABOUT THAT.I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COVERING THE WHOLE CITY AND NOT JUST CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY.
AND IF BEGAN TO CONSENSUS, UM, UM, WITH THE A THOUSAND PERCENT, WELL, I MEAN, I THINK PART OF OUR CONSENSUS NEEDS TO BE THAT WE'RE THINKING OF THE WHOLE CITY.
I, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE CAMERA CAN GET ON THIS WHITEBOARD THAT, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO POINTS THE CAMERA, IF WE CAN EVER MOVE HER, THAT'S A FIXED FRAME, UH, THING, BUT OVER MY LEFT SHOULDER, CAN'T SAY IT RIGHT.
WE'LL BE POSTING IT SOON TODAY AND WE'LL GET IT OUT SO PEOPLE CAN, CAN SEE IT, BUT LET ME FINISH READING THIS AND THEN I'M GOING TO COME TO PAGE.
BUT IN THE LARGER GROUP, WE HAD THE ASAP LEVEL FIVE, THE PROJECT AT NIGHT, LIGHT RAIL LINES AND FUTURE EXPANSES OF THE PROJECT CONNECT, METRO WRAP, UM, UM, EXCLUDING FUTURE EXPANSIONS.
AND THAT WAS INTENDED TO BE BRT, JUST LOOKED LIKE IT WAS LABELED THAT WAY ON THE PROJECT CONNECT MAPS.
UM, AND THEN WE ALL, AND IF I COULD JUST ADD, IT WAS EXCLUDING THE ONES THAT WERE NOT FUNDED IN THE FIRST PHASE.
WELL, THE REASON THAT WE WERE KEEPING RAIL, THAT'S NOT FUNDED IN THE FIRST PHASE, THAT WAS JUST WHERE WE LANDED.
WE CAN HAVE, HAVE A, HAVE A DISCUSSION OVER THAT.
AND THEN, AND THEN WE ALSO HAD EXPLORING, UH, ADDING, UH, T O D DEVELOPMENTS AND REGULATING PLANS, UM, UH, SIMILAR TO LARGER CORRIDORS.
WE'D NEED TO ACTUALLY REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT.
I THINK A LOT OF THE DOD IS ALREADY HAVE SPECIALIZED RULES THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE LESS RESTRICTIVE THAN WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING HERE.
IN WHICH CASE WE WOULDN'T BE TAKING THOSE AND TRYING TO MAKE THEM MORE RESTRICTIVE.
SO WE JUST SAID, HEY, LET'S JUST TAKE A THAT WE, WE MADE A NOTE OR A FLAG.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHAT THAT INTERPLAY MIGHT BE.
AND THEN ON THE MEDIUM-SIZED CORRIDORS, WE HAD IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED AND WE HAD THE 2016 BOND CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM CORRIDORS.
SO WE FOUND THAT IN, IMAGINE AUSTIN UP NORTH, THERE WERE A FEW ROADS THAT WERE IN THE IMAGINE AUSTIN MAP THAT HAD NEVER BEEN CONSTRUCTED.
SO WE WANTED TO EXCLUDE THOSE, THOSE IMAGINARY ROADS, THOSE IMAGINARY IMAGINE AUSTIN ROADS WE WANTED TO EXCLUDE.
UM, AND THEN IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE BOND CORRIDORS WERE ALL IMAGINED AUSTIN CORRIDORS, BUT THERE WAS SOME BLANKS THAT CHANGED IF YOU INCLUDED THE FULL LENGTH OF WHAT WAS COVERED.
UM, THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING.
WE MAY HAVE MISSED SOME ROADS, BUT THAT WAS, THAT WAS WHEN WE, WHEN WE, WHEN WE TRIED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT WAS WHAT WE WERE.
BUT ANYWAY, SO IT LOOKS TO ME, I MEAN, I'M JUST TRYING TO LOOK AT MY MAP ON MY PHONE, WHICH IS NOT VERY HELPFUL.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING THOSE MAPS.
UM, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I'VE SEEN THEM, BUT BASICALLY THE, IMAGINE NOT, WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING IS THE 2016 VAUGHN CORRIDORS AT YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT MOST OF THOSE ARE THE SAME AS THE IMAGINE AUSTIN.
AND SO THAT MOST OF THOSE ARE, ARE BASICALLY EAST OF MOPAC.
THERE ARE, IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS THAT ARE LESS THAN MOBILE, BUT THERE ARE VERY, VERY FEW, JUST 180 3, I THINK.
AND 71, PROBABLY IF WE CAN REACH CONSENSUS AND INCREASE ROADS, EVEN MORE WESTERN MOPAC, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD, I WOULD SUPPORT.
I THINK WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO, IS TO FIND PLACES THAT WILL MATERIALLY MOVE THIS FORWARD IN WAYS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THE CONSENSUS TO, TO ACT PAGE.
I KNOW THE FIVE OF US WHO WERE IN A SUB CORUM HAVE HAD THE ABILITY TO BAT SOME OF THESE AROUND AND WE PURPOSEFULLY BUILT IT WITH FOLKS THAT WE MAY HAVE NOT ALWAYS SEEN EYE TO EYE.
SO WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE THOSE OPEN CONVERSATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY LOOK AT THE MAPS AND FIGURE OUT WHAT'S APPROPRIATE.
I'M COMPLETELY RESPECTIVE AND HAVE BROUGHT UP.
I KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, IN YOUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, YOU KNOW, LAMAR TO ME IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN MEN CHAKA.
AND SO I WANT TO BE SENSITIVE TO, EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY BE A BUS ROUTE THAT SERVICES, BOTH OF THOSE AREAS.
I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, THE ACTUAL BUILD-OUT OF WHAT'S WALKABLE WHAT'S CONNECTED IS DIFFERENT AND YOU AND I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
AND SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME AREAS WE NEED TO LOOK AT VERY SPECIFICALLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE ARE INDEED THE RIGHT ONES.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST STARTED FROM, FROM A PLACE OF WHAT MAKES SENSE IN MY OPINION.
AND I'VE SEEN IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, YOU KNOW, YOUR HOUSING AND YOUR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEES ARE, ARE WORKING.
WE DON'T HAVE TWO SEPARATE COMMITTEES.
LIKE WE HAVE HERE, WE HAVE HOUSING AND PLANNING AND THEN
[01:00:01]
WE HAVE MOBILITY.UM, AND SO I THINK THE TRUE TEST OF A COMMUNITY THAT IS, UM, BUILT TO SUSTAIN, YOU KNOW, AN INCREASE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING MARKET RATE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND ALSO TO SUPPORT THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF TRANSPORTATION AND TO MAKE SURE IT'S GOT RIDERSHIP AND THAT PEOPLE CAN GET OUT OF THEIR CARS, IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT WHERE IS THE HOUSING BEING BUILT? WHERE'S THE TRANSPORTATION BEING BUILT.
AND SO FOR US, IT MADE SENSE TO LOOK AT CORRIDORS IN A PLACE OF WHERE WE HAVE ALREADY COMMITTED OR COMPLETED INVESTMENTS IN MAJOR TRANSPORTATION LINES.
UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME SENSITIVITIES, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD, DISTRICT BY DISTRICT WHERE WE, WE REALIZE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AND COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN HAVING THIS DISCUSSION WITH US TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THEIR COMMUNITY AND TO BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND HAVE THEM ANSWER.
UM, SO THIS IS DEFINITELY A STARTING POINT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS LIKE THE MAYOR PRO TEM SAID, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR TEAMS AND, AND HOPE TO BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH JUST SOME OF THESE DETAILS, KNOWING THAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT IMPACT OF THESE.
AND WE WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF EACH PERSON'S NEED TO, TO RESPOND TO THEIR COMMUNITY CHEETO.
SO IF YOU TURN OUT YOUR LIGHT, THAT'S WHAT I USE TO KIND OF GAUGE WHO WANTS TO SPEAK.
UM, COULD WE THEN GET BACK TO THE, ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS ABOUT, ABOUT THE MEDIUM AND LARGE? OKAY.
WHAT WAS THE, REPEAT THE QUESTION.
SO I'M INTERESTED, I'M STILL UNCLEAR ON HOW THE LARGER AND THE MEDIUM, WELL, NUMBER ONE, THERE WAS ALSO THAT BIGGER QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER WE'RE STRICTLY TALKING ABOUT BMU AREAS OR NOT, OR MORE GENERALLY, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CORRIDOR PROPERTIES AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CORRIDOR PROPERTIES AND THE, THE, UH, RELAXED COMPATIBILITY WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH AFFORDABILITY PROGRAMS. YEAH.
AND I HAD, I HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPECIFICS THERE, BUT JUST, BUT THANK YOU.
THAT'S HELPFUL BECAUSE AGAIN, WE GOT QUESTIONS LAST NIGHT AND ALSO, UM, ALREADY TODAY ABOUT WHAT, WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHAT CON WHAT IS THE CONTEXT FOR THE COMPETITOR COMPATIBILITY? AND SO WE HAD TALKED ABOUT SOME COMPATIBILITY THAT WOULD BE EVEN WITHOUT AN AFFORDABILITY PROGRAM, THEY WOULD STILL BE CORRIDOR TRACKS, BUT THE RELAXATION IN COMPATIBILITY, THERE WAS JUST TO INCREASE BY FIVE FEET, THE FIRST TWO CATEGORIES, SO THAT YOU COULD GET A HIGHER FLOOR PLATE ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
SO GOING FROM 30 TO 35 AND 40 TO 45.
SO WITHIN THE LARGER AND THE MEDIUM, UM, I'D ASKED YOU FOR A COUPLE OF SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, UM, OF, OF ONES THAT I RECALL FROM LAST TIME.
DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHERE, WHETHER EITHER OF THESE CATEGORIES CAPTURES EXPOSITION, DEVAL, AND FIELD, THE KINDS OF PLACES THAT HAD, UM, 15 MINUTE BUSES, BUT, BUT WERE NOT IN, IN MOST OF THE COMMUNITIES MINUS UNDERSTANDING, AS I READ THESE CATEGORIES IS THEY DO NOT INCLUDE THOSE STREETS.
AND WHEN EVEN IF THEY HAVE 15 MINUTE BUS LINES, EVEN IF THEY HAVE, IT'S NOT TPN.
AND WE, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE IT READY TODAY IS THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE A LIST OF STREETS.
AND SO WE HAD SOME OF THE STREETS THAT WE KNEW WHICH SPEEDWAY AND DUVALL ARE NOT INCLUDED, UM, IN THOSE CATEGORIES.
UM, BUT WE WANTED TO TRY TO HAVE A LIST THAT COVERED MORE, MORE OF THE CITY THAN JUST WHAT WE REMEMBERED, WHERE WERE SOME HOT BUTTON STREETS THAT WE WERE NOT, WERE NOT CLEARLY CORRIDORS FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, SUCH AS THE LEVEL OF, OF TRANSIT THAT WAS GOING DOWN THEM.
AND BY WAY OF THE GOAL IN THIS EXERCISE IS TO HAVE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD BEFORE THE GOAL OF THIS EXERCISE WHILE BEING MINDFUL THAT YOU CAN HAVE SO MANY EXCEPTIONS THAT THEY SWALLOW THE RULE, A GOAL OF THIS EXERCISE IS TO NOT GET HUNG UP ON THE SAME HOTLY DEBATED AND CONTESTED PROPERTIES THAT WE GOT HUNG UP BEFORE, SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S THE APPROPRIATE APPROACH FOR THIS, UM, FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND IT FOR ME TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO THERE HAS TO BE A CERTAIN CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE DETAILS AND THE LARGER, JUST SO I CAN START TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE IMPACT IS OF WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING.
YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT CATEGORIES WITHOUT LOOKING AT SOME OF THE STREETS THAT ARE WITHIN THAT, IT'S JUST REALLY CHALLENGING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WORKS.
AND, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT THIS HAS THROWN OUT FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR CONVERSATION.
[01:05:01]
UM, I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT.WHAT CONCERNS ME AND I'LL GIVE IT SOME MORE THOUGHT IS THAT WE'RE NOT FOLLOWING THE CATEGORIES THAT WE SET.
UM, WE'VE WE'VE WE HAVE SOME CATEGORIES AND THEN WE'RE JUST MAKING SOME EXCEPTIONS.
SO WE'LL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND WHAT YOU SAID, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS MIGHT MAKE SENSE, YOU KNOW, AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UH, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ROADS, BUT I, I, YOU KNOW, I FAILED TO SEE FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM A, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST FROM A LOGIC STANDPOINT, WHY WE WERE INCLUDING ALL OF THE 2016 BOND CORRIDORS, BUT WE'RE NOT INCLUDING ALL OF THE, UH, PROJECT CONNECT THINGS.
SO NOW THERE MAY BE REASONS FOR THAT, BUT WHAT YOU HEAR ME REACTING TO IS THE SOUTHERN 2016 BOND QUARTERS, THE SLAUGHTER AND WILLIAM CANNON, THEY DON'T HAVE THIS KIND OF BUS SERVICE, NOR ARE THEY EVER SCHEDULED FOR IT AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHY WE WOULD INCLUDE THEM WHILE WE'RE EXCLUDING THINGS THAT ARE ON THE PROJECT CONNECT LIST FOR THE FUTURE.
SO THERE MAY BE REASONS FOR THAT, THAT WE CAN THINK THROUGH THINK THROUGH, BUT I JUST WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD HERE THAT I AM NOT CERTAIN FROM A, FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, WHY THOSE ARE ON THE LIST THAT WAY, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T MATCH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
SO, UM, SO I NEED TO HAVE SOME MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHY WE WOULD DO THAT.
I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO, TO US ALL COLLECTIVELY TRYING TO HELP ONE ANOTHER COMING UP WITH AS EXHAUSTIVE AND LARGER LIST WE CAN, WITHOUT RUNNING A FOUL OF THE POLITICAL ISSUES THAT WOULD STOP US FROM BEING WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE POLITICAL ISSUES IN SOUTH AUSTIN ALSO, YOU KNOW, AND SO I'M NOT ARGUING WITH YOU, I'M SAYING I WOULD WELCOME THE HELP AND THE ASSISTANCE IN COMING UP WITH SOMETHING THAT, THAT WAS, THAT WAS STILL BROAD, BUT TOOK CARE OF THE POLITICAL ISSUES THAT EXIST IN THIS WELL, AND I'M MOST CONCERNED ABOUT FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, GETTING WHERE WE NEED TO DO GET FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THAT'S WHY I BOUGHT BROUGHT THE VI BECAUSE THAT'S MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS, IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING ALONG TRANSIT QUARTERS.
YOU KNOW, IF THE FEELING IS THAT WE NEED TO GO BEYOND THE TRANSIT QUARTERS, I'M CERTAINLY WILLING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT IT'S JUST NOT LOOKING LOGICAL TO ME AT THE MOMENT.
ANYONE ELSE WANT TO TALK ON THIS TOPIC? YES, ALISON, AND THEN KATHY, THANK YOU.
UM, AND APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, THAT WAS THE 2016 BOND CORRIDORS.
UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AN AREA THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT, UM, MORE, MORE CAREFULLY AND BENEFIT FROM YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT ON THOSE, THOSE AREAS.
UM, THE CHALLENGE WE HAD IS THAT WE KNEW THAT THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK WAS TOO BIG.
UM, AND THEN WE COULDN'T GO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TRIED TO THINK ABOUT HOW DO YOU DO THIS WITH STREET CHARACTERISTICS, IT BECAME REALLY VERY COMPLICATED.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME STREETS, YOU KNOW, AND IF WE COMBINE THE TRANSIT PRIORITY NETWORK AND IMAGINE AUSTIN, THEN WE, THEN WE LOST SOME ROADS, UM, IN WEST AUSTIN WHERE YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEE SOME OF THE GROWTH.
AND SO, SO WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, UH, WE WERE TRYING TO FIND THESE BROADER CHARACTER CATEGORIES THAT WE ALREADY HAD AGREED DEFINITIONS WITH TO, TO MAXIMIZE THE AREAS WHERE WE COULD, UM, AGREE ON THINGS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT HARD TO MODIFY AND TAKE OUT THE 2016 BOND CORRIDORS, IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE DONE.
UM, WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT.
UM, AGAIN, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THEY OVERLAPPED WITH THE IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS, AND THERE ARE, IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS THAT DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF TRANSIT OR DO NOT HAVE FREQUENT TRANSIT THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THERE.
UM, SO, SO THERE, SO THERE WAS THAT, UM, ASPECT TO IT.
SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, AND AGAIN, WE, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE REASON WE DON'T HAVE, UM, THE WRITTEN UP THING IS BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD A MORE THOROUGH LIST OF WHAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THESE IDEAS.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, NOBODY WAS PRESENTING THESE AS IF THERE WERE NOT GOING TO BE OTHER VERY VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS FROM OTHER COLLEAGUES WHO HAD IDEAS FROM OTHER PARTS OF TOWNS OR HAD CONCERNS THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED.
UM, I ALSO, UM, SUPPORT THE NOTION OF THE ILLUSTRATION.
UM, WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CHANGES TO THE COMPATIBILITY HAPPENED ONLY ON PROPERTIES ON THE, THE CHANGES TO WHEN YOU CAN DO 60, 65 FEET OR 90 FEET, UM, ONLY HAPPEN ON PROPERTIES
[01:10:01]
WHERE THEY'RE PARTICIPATING IN THE AFFORDABILITY BONUS, UM, WHICH HELPS US TO GET MORE HOUSING AROUND, UM, THE CITY.UM, THE FIVE FEET BUMP THOUGH, I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF CORRIDORS THAT HAVE ONE STORY BUILDINGS, UM, AND BY ALLOWING US TO GET TO 45 QUICKER AND 35 QUICKER, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET SOME OF THOSE THREE AND FOUR STORY BUILDINGS, WHICH ARE THE STICK CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WE ARE NOT SEEING NOW, BECAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT TO GO FROM ONE STORY TO TWO STORY.
BUT IF YOU CAN GO FROM ONE TO THREE OR ONE TO FOUR, YOU'LL SEE MORE INCENTIVES TO HAVE THE CONSTRUCTION.
THOSE CAN BE LOCAL DEVELOPERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE 90 FOOT CONSTRUCTION TENDS TO HAVE TO BE FOLKS WHO ARE FROM OUTSIDE OF TOWN.
UM, AND SO IT CREATES A LITTLE BIT MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT CONSTRUCTION TO, TO TAKE PLACE.
UM, SO I KNOW THE FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON WHEN WE ALLOW FOR, FOR 60 FEET AND 90 FEET WHEN IT'S ALLOWED UNDER THE ZONING.
UM, BUT THAT FIVE FEET DIFFERENCE IS REALLY JUST, I THINK, IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ADDING THE DENSITY AND CREATING THE INCENTIVES TO HAVE THAT WHERE WE WANT IT.
UM, AND, UM, IT MATCHES CLOSER, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW I THINK IT'S BELOW WHAT A HOUSE CAN DO.
UM, IN SOME OF THOSE AREAS, UM, YOU HAVE, I CALLED ON ME, I THOUGHT YOU HAD SAID I WAS NEXT AFTER HALSTON.
UM, AND SO THAT, THAT BRINGS ME TO THE NEXT AREA THAT I NEEDED CLARIFICATION.
UM, IF YOU COULD PLEASE GO THROUGH ALL OF, ALL OF THE NUMBERS AGAIN, I KNOW YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE FIVE FOOT BUMP, BUT AGAIN, LIKE THE ROLLOUT OF A LOT OF ALL OF THOSE DETAILS, JUST WASN'T SOMETHING I CAPTURED.
SO COULD YOU TALK ABOUT NOW THAT WE HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT THE LARGER AND THE MEDIUM ARE? CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT YOUR PROPOSAL IS WITH REGARD TO COMPATIBILITY FOR EACH OF THOSE? WITH, AS I UNDERSTAND IT ON SITE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT SOME LEVEL, AND THEN THE PROPOSAL FOR A CORRIDOR WITHOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO WE HAD TALKED ABOUT WAS FOR THOSE THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN A BONUS PROGRAM ON A CORRIDOR, UM, THAT THE, UH, YOU WOULD GET TO 65 FOOT OF HEIGHT AT 100 FOOT DISTANCE ON THE LARGE, LARGER CORRIDORS, YOU'D GET TO 65 HEIGHT AT 100 FOOT DISTANCE, AND YOU WOULD REACH 90 FEET HEIGHT AT 200 FOOT DISTANCE.
RECOGNIZING THERE ARE VERY FEW ZONING CATEGORIES THAT ALLOW FOR 200 FEET.
SO IF SOMEONE WANTS TO GET THERE, THEY'RE COMING IN FOR A ZONING CHANGE FOR MEDIUM-SIZED CORRIDORS, YOU WOULD GET TO THE 65 FEET HEIGHT AT 150 FEET, AND YOU WOULD GET TO 90 FEET AT 250 FEET, ONE 50, I THOUGHT YOU HAD SAID AT 100.
I, ON THE LARGER CORRIDORS, 65 FEET AT A HUNDRED, BUT FOR ME, THE AMIT'S 65 FEET AT 150 FEET.
SO IT'S 50 ADDITIONAL FEET DISTANCE AS YOU GO FROM LARGER CORRIDORS TO MEDIUM CORRIDORS.
AND THEN THERE WOULD BE SOME COMPATIBILITY THAT WOULD BE FOR PROPERTIES ON CORRIDORS PERIOD.
AND THAT'S GOING FROM THE 30 TO 35, 40 TO 45 AND 60 TO 65.
SO AS TO ALLOW FOR THE POTENTIALLY THE ADDITIONAL FLOOR, THE LARGER GROUND FLOOR, CEILING HEIGHT, OR COMMERCIAL, SORRY THOUGH.
SO THOSE ARE THE ADDITIONAL FIVE FEET AT EVERY LEVEL IS WITHOUT AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONUS, JUST ON THE CORRECT THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THIS PROPOSAL, ABSENT OF COMPATIBILITY.
THIS IS NOT, THIS IS OUTSIDE OF THE COMPATIBILITY CONVERSATION.
SO I THINK ONE, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, AND THEN THE OTHER TWO THINGS KATHY, THAT, THAT ALISON HAD LAID OUT WAS ACTUALLY, IT'S NOT OUTSIDE OF COMPATIBILITY.
IT IS BECAUSE THEY CAN ONLY BUILD WHAT THEY'RE ALLOWED TO IN THEIR ZONE.
SO IT'S ALLOWING, THEY, THEY, IT BECOMES COMPATIBLE TO DO 35 AT AN EARLIER POINT.
YEAH, I GUESS I MEANT IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE COMPATIBILITY PROPOSAL IN THAT WE'RE NOT STRICTLY TALKING ABOUT COMPATIBILITY OR THE REQUIREMENT TO HAVE ON-SITE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IT'S SEPARATE FROM THE ONSITE, BUT IT DOES HAVE TO DO WITH THE COMPATIBILITY.
IT'S NOT CHANGING THE AMOUNT OF HEIGHT THEY'RE ALLOWED.
[01:15:01]
HOW HIGH THEY CAN, LIKE HOW IT'S CHANGING THEIR COMPATIBILITY LIMITS AS YOU PROGRESS FOR THE DISTANCE BY FIVE EIGHT.BUT THAT'S NOT TIED TO AFFORDABILITY.
SO IF THERE'S NOT AN ON-SITE AFFORDABILITY, THE DISTANCE, THE REGULAR SAME DISTANCE LEVELS STAY THE SAME WITH AN ADDITIONAL FIVE FEET AT EVERY LEVEL.
AND THEN WE HAD TALKED ABOUT HAVING A TRIGGER FOR COMPATIBILITY PAYING PROPERTIES ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE CORRIDOR.
AND WE HAD TALKED ABOUT COMPATIBILITY BEING TRIGGERED BY, UM, UH, ZONING AS OPPOSED TO USE.
I DID GET THOSE THE FIRST TIME THROUGH.
SO DID YOU HAVE ANY CONVERSATIONS IN YOUR REQUIREMENT? I'M NOT SURE THAT THIS IS, I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THIS IS TRUE OF OTHER AREAS IN THE CITY, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY TRUE IN DISTRICT NINE THAT YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE BORDERED BY TWO OF THESE KINDS OF ROADS.
AND SO YOU COULD GET INTO A SITUATION WHERE THERE'S VERY LITTLE COMPATIBILITY LEFT WITHIN, WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD.
DID YOU ALL ADDRESS THAT AT ANY LEVEL? SO THIS ONLY APPLIES TO THE CORRIDOR PROPERTY.
IT DOESN'T APPLY TO ANYTHING INTERNAL TO THE CORRIDOR.
SO THERE'S NO TRANSITION ZONE WHERE THE SUPPLIES, I UNDERSTAND THAT.
BUT IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU HAVE SAY THE AREA IN NORTH LOOP OR HERITAGE WHERE YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE SMALL STRIPS OF NEIGHBORHOODS BORDER BY TWO CORRIDORS, THE DISTANCE FROM THE CORRIDOR COULD VERY WELL ENVELOPE, A GOOD DEAL OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SO THAT YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE MANY OF THE PROPERTIES WITHIN, WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD REALLY WITHIN THAT.
UM, LET ME THINK IT THROUGH AND LOOK AT THEM.
WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD LOOK AT IT.
BUT I THINK BY HAVING IT STILL A HUNDRED, 150, I THINK NORTH LOOP WOULD BE, I DON'T REMEMBER IF NORTH FREAKS AND IMAGINE AUSTIN QUARTER, I THINK IT IS.
UM, AND IT COULD BE 150 FEET IF THEY WERE SO CLOSE TOGETHER, ALL, THEY WOULD ALL BE COVERED BY COMPATIBILITY.
IF YOU GOING TO SAY IT WOULD BE WITHIN A HUNDRED OR 150 REACH OR 200 FOOT REACH OF ONE CORRIDOR OR THE OTHER.
SO IT COULD BE JUST BLANKETED WITH COMPATIBILITY.
AND I MEAN, I THINK PART OF WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THOSE WEIRD CONFIGURATIONS AND SEE HOW THIS WOULD PLAY OUT.
WE DID TRY TO DESIGN IT TO THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE MAY BE LOOKING AT IT WRONG FOR A PARTICULAR, OR DO YOU THINK OUR AREA, IF IT'S A, IT'S AN, IF IT'S A STRANGE CONFIGURATION, OKAY.
WHEN WE WERE DOING THIS, THE FIRST GO ROUND, SOME OF THOSE AREAS WERE TURNED INTO ALL TRANSITION AREA, AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE OBJECTIONS THAT CAME FROM THOSE AREAS.
BUT BY NOT, BY NOT ENGAGING IN THAT, I DON'T THINK WE DEAL WITH THAT CHALLENGE.
PAIGE, THAT CONVERSATION MOSTLY COVERED, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WAS THINKING, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS REALLY CLEAR, YOU KNOW, TO PEOPLE FOLLOWING ALONG THAT THIS DOESN'T CHANGE.
IT'S JUST ABOUT WHEN AND HOW, UM, AND IN WHAT DISTANCES AND HEIGHTS THEY'RE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE EXISTING ZONING.
SO THIS, BY NO WAY WOULD TAKE A LOT, THAT'S NOT ZONED, YOU KNOW, FOR HEIGHT AND LET THEM DO THAT WITHOUT COMING THROUGH THE NORMAL ZONING CHANGE PROCESS AND HAVING COUNCIL DELIBERATE THAT ONE IN A SPECIFIC SITUATION.
MIRA AND I, I WAS LOOKING AT THERE, THE BOARD HERE AND IT SAY IT'S A MEDIUM AND IT'S A 2016 BOND CORRIDOR.
SO LIKE AIRPORT BOULEVARD, THAT WOULD BE ALSO INCLUDED AS A MEDIUM AND, AND MARTIN LUTON KEEN ALSO CONSIDERED YES.
I MEAN, IMAGINE ALL SOME QUARTERS.
AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THE POINT ABOUT THE, UM, THE COMPATIBILITY AND THE HEIGHT WOULD ONLY BE ON THE SIDE OF THE STREET, UM, WHERE THE CHANGE WOULD BE MADE.
IT WOULDN'T REACH BACK AND IT WOULDN'T REACH ACROSS THE STREET EITHER.
UM, SO ONLY SO TRIGGERS FOR ALL PROPERTIES ON THE CORRIDORS WOULD ONLY ALLOW PROPERTIES ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE CORRIDOR, AS OPPOSED TO ACROSS THE STREET, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CORRIDOR TO TRIGGER COMPATIBILITY.
AND IF I COULD JUST CLARIFY, THAT'S A CRY, LIKE IF YOU WERE ON THE SAME SIDE OF A CORRIDOR AND ACROSS THE STREET AND YOU TRIGGERED COMPATIBILITY, IT WOULD STILL TRIGGER THE COMPATIBILITY ACROSS THE CORRIDOR.
SO THERE ARE, THERE ARE SITUATIONS WHERE YOU COULD HAVE A, A PROPERTY ON THE CORNER WITH
[01:20:01]
THE STREET AND THEN THERE'S THE CORRIDOR.AND THERE, THERE COULD BE ACROSS THE STREET, SOMETHING THAT TRIGGERS, BUT JUST NOT ACROSS THE CORRIDOR, RIGHT.
THIS IS ON NOT ACROSS CORNERS.
AND THEN THE OTHER ELEMENT WAS, UM, THAT THE, THE, THE COMPATIBILITY LIMIT WOULD EXTEND TO 300 FEET.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE OUTSIDE RANGE OF COMPATIBILITY RESTRICTION.
SO FROM FIVE 40 TO 300, RIGHT.
AND WE LOOKED AT FIVE 40 JUST TO SEE, WELL, ONE, OUR FIVE 40 APPEARS TO BE A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FEET, SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET, MORE THAN ANY OTHER CITY WE COULD FIND IN THE COUNTRY, EVEN AT 300 FEET, WE'RE STILL AT THE, AT THE FARTHEST LIMIT.
UH, BUT WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE, THE, THE, THE SLOPE LINES IN THE LIKE 300 FEET, UH, FOOTBALL FIELDS LED THE WAY, SEEMED TO BE THE, THE
SO I'M SURE THERE ARE PEOPLE THINK SOME THING TOO FAR IN SOMETHING TOO CLOSE UM, AND THEN, THEN SHE, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, I GUESS, A PAGE I JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT NATASHA HAD HER HAND RAISED.
YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK AS MUCH.
AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, UH, FOR, UH, POINTING THAT OUT.
UM, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
I THINK EVERYBODY HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
I THINK THIS SUBJECT MATTER, THIS CONVERSATION IS INTERESTING AND I REALLY, REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING, UM, THE WRITTEN VERSION OF THIS PROPOSAL.
UM, I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT WE NEED MORE HOUSING.
UM, THAT SAID, I REALLY AM CONCERNED ABOUT TRYING TO MAXIMIZE NEW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THOSE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS ALL THE TIME ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN DISTRICT ONE, UM, ON THOSE LARGE ROADS WHERE AIR QUALITY IS, IS LOWER AND THE RISK OF, UM, TRAFFIC VIOLENCE IS HIGHER.
UM, I APPRECIATE THAT A COUPLE OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAVE SORT OF POINTED OUT ALREADY THAT EVEN IN THIS FIRST PASS, I'M DETECTING SOME PRETTY SEVERE AND INEQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.
UM, I'M ALSO CONCERNED THAT WE ARE LEAVING OUT, UM, THE POSSIBILITY OF NEW HOUSING ALONG CORRIDORS IN SOME OF OUR MORE PRIVILEGED PARTS OF TOWN.
UM, JUST AGAIN AT FIRST PASSED, THAT'S HOW I'M SEEING IT.
I THINK WE ALL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN MY CONCERNS ALREADY, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE BEING HIGHLIGHTED DURING THE COURSE OF THIS, YOU KNOW, DISJOINTED IN MY OPINION CONVERSATION.
UH, I THINK WE'RE DOING THIS BACKWARDS, FRANKLY.
I THINK IF WE HAD A RICH, A WRITTEN VERSION TO START WITH, YOU KNOW, THEN WE WOULD LITERALLY ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO DISCUSSING THIS KIND OF SUBJECT MATTER MOST PARTICULARLY CAUSE, UM, MY COLLEAGUES POINT, NOT ALL OF US WERE AROUND THE DIETS DURING THE COURSE OF THESE CONVERSATIONS AND TO ANOTHER ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES POINTS, YOU KNOW, OFFERING SOME CLARITY FOR THOSE TRYING TO FOLLOW ALONG.
I GOT TO TELL YOU, BUT THAT HASN'T BEEN DOCUMENTED ACTUALLY FOLLOW ALONG.
I THINK WE'RE A LOT OF PEOPLE.
THIS IS NOT AN EASY CONVERSATION TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH, IN WHICH CASE I DON'T NECESSARILY SEE THE UTILITY IN HIGHLIGHTING AND DAYLIGHTING.
THESE QUESTIONS ISSUES WHAT'S BEEN WORKED ON ALREADY WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING A DOCUMENT TO WORK FROM.
UM, I, I, AGAIN, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT, THAT WRITTEN DOCUMENT AND REALLY TRYING TO WRAP MY MIND AROUND ALL THE DIFFERENT MAPS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO NEED TO GO AND STUDY NOW.
UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, UM, LIKE A COUPLE OF MY COLLEAGUES I'M ALREADY CONCERNED AND I'M ALREADY FEELING LIKE, UM, MAYBE THIS CONVERSATION IS HAPPENING PREMATURELY.
WE'LL TRY TO GET SOMETHING PUBLISHED HERE FAST.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE INCLUDED IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDORS AS OUR DEFINITION WAS SO THAT WE COULD LOOP IN SOME STREETS IN WEST AUSTIN, LIKE MEDICAL PARKWAY, LIKE JOLLYVILLE ROAD, LIKE LAKE AUSTIN BOULEVARD.
UM, SO THERE ARE STREETS THAT ARE IN WEST AUSTIN AS WELL.
AND AGAIN, WE ARE, WE WERE, WE, WE AREN'T ABLE TO PICK AND CHOOSE THE STREETS AND WE USED TO USE CATEGORIES AND THE MORE EXPANSIVE CATEGORY OF THE TPN DID NOT WORK FOR MOST DISTRICTS.
[01:25:01]
SO THAT WAS HOW WE LANDED ON IMAGINE AUSTIN QUARTERS, UH, I THINK, OH, DID COUNCIL MEMBER HARBOR MADISON? DID, DID YOU HAVE YOUR HAND RAISED AGAIN? DID COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, BUT, UH, ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT I WAS ENCOURAGING EVERYBODY TO DO EARLIER, I'LL WAIT UNTIL I'M RECOGNIZED BY THE CHAIR.I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME OTHER ASPECTS AND I WANTED TO SAY, I, I SEE, I SEE A LOT OF VERY, VERY POSITIVE IDEAS HERE.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, UM, NOT TRIGGERING COMPATIBILITY, IF YOU'RE OFF THE STREET, I THINK THAT THAT'S, UH, THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO DO.
THAT'S REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT WE ABSOLUTELY MUST DO.
I THINK THE CONSIDERATION FOR, UH, THE, THE, THE DISTANCES MAKE A LOT OF SENSE, UH, TO ME, I THINK THEY BUILD OFF OF WHAT A LOT OF PREVIOUS WORK THAT WAS DONE BY THE WORKING GROUP AND OTHERS UNDER THE PREVIOUS LDC.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S, UM, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
UH, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU WERE SAYING ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, THE ADDITIONAL, UM, HEIGHT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE ADDITIONAL FIVE FEET, I THINK IT WAS, I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL.
UM, SO I THINK, I THINK THERE'S A LOT HERE.
I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN, IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL ARE STILL WORKING ON, BUT, UH, IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE, UM, WHAT ALL WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF, I THINK YOU SAID OTHER THINGS LIKE WHAT COULD BE BUILT IN THE SETBACK IF THAT'S WHAT I'M NOT REMEMBERING ALL THE DETAILS, BUT, BUT BASICALLY THERE'S SOME OTHER DESIGN ISSUES THAT COULD BE USEFUL TO LOOK AT THAT RELATE TO NOISE AND LIGHT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, VEGETATIVE, BUFFERS AND TREES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT I THINK, UM, SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL WERE TALKING THROUGH THAT.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UM, HELPFUL TO CONSIDER ALSO, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT'S, UH, A PART OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
UM, AND THEN I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE CONSIDERED THIS, BUT, UM, UM, BUT I THINK WE'LL ALSO NEED TO, TO LOOK AT, UM, THE THINGS LIKE REAR SETBACKS AND SIDE SETBACKS, ALTHOUGH I'M NOT QUITE SURE, BUT I THINK MAYBE YOU'RE NOT CHANGING THOSE BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME PLACES IN THE CITY WHERE, UH, WHERE YOU HAVE IN SOME OF THIS IS WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO MENTIONED, BUT WHERE YOU HAVE LOTS THAT ARE SORT OF WRAPPED AROUND.
SO, UM, THAT MAY BE NEXT TO THE QUARTER.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THAT.
SO, UM, SO ANYWAY, I DID WANT TO SAY THAT I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE.
UM, I THINK THIS IS GOOD CONVERSATION.
I DO WANT TO SAY, UM, THAT I, I REALLY DO WANT US TO GET TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE VMU.
SO THE MAYOR, THE WAY YOU LAID THAT OUT AS MOVING FORWARD WITH VMU AND THEN, AND THEN, UM, INITIATING OTHER ACTIONS MAY BE THE BEST WAY TO DO IT.
UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING PIECE OF EMU FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW, AND I REALLY AM HOPING THAT WE DON'T SLOW DOWN THAT ASPECT, BUT THE WAY YOU, THE WAY YOU LAID IT OUT WORKED WELL.
SO I DON'T WANT TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME SPEAKING ON THAT.
I'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE I'VE POSTED IT FOR THURSDAYS.
SO YOU ALL KNOW THAT THAT'S THERE.
ONE OF THE KEY THINGS I NEED FEEDBACK ON IS THE LEVELS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING FOR AFFORDABILITY, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN, UH, THAN WHAT STAFF BROUGHT FORWARD.
AND IF, UH, IF WE CAN, I'D BE, I WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT.
SO WE SET PARENTAL, WE SET A MINIMUM OF 15% RESERVED AS AFFORDABLE IF YOU'RE SETTING IT AT 60% MFI.
AND WE ALSO SET A MINIMUM OF 12% IF YOU'RE SETTING IT AT 50% MFI.
SO THOSE ARE THAT THAT'S AN AREA WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT.
AND SO I JUST INVITE PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND HOPEFULLY, AND WOULD LIKE US TO BE AS, YOU KNOW, AS AGGRESSIVE AS WE, AS WE CAN IN TERMS OF GETTING THE AFFORDABILITY.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION.
THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE THAT I THINK RELATES TO V ALSO IS, IS I THINK WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS MENTIONED IN THAT WAS THAT, UM, THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THESE CHANGES, UM, THE CHANGES YOU ALL MENTIONED IN THE, ALSO IS THAT, UM, WE'RE NOT MAKING THE ZONING CHANGES.
SO IF, IF A PROPERTY IS NOT ZONED IN, IN THE WAYS THAT YOU ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT FOR THE HEIGHT THAT YOU ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT, THAT THAT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE ZONING PROCESS.
SO THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME ALSO.
AND I WANTED TO ESPECIALLY THANK FOLKS WHO WERE NOT, UM, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO TALK WITH, UH, IN THE CRAFTING OF THIS DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR POINTING OUT THAT THEIR SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND FAMILIARITY OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS IS REALLY AT PLAY
[01:30:01]
HERE.AND I THINK ALL OF US SHOULD, SHOULD RELY ON OUR COLLEAGUES FOR THAT SPECIFIC, UM, INFORMATION ON, UH, SITUATIONS IN THEIR DISTRICTS.
AND IF WE CAN ALL START AT THAT POINT, THEN WE SHOULD HAVE A GOOD CONNECTION WITH OUR COMMUNITIES AND WE SHOULD HAVE A REALLY GOOD PRODUCT AT THE END.
AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, CUSTOMER KITCHEN, AND YOUR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SLAUGHTER AND MANCHESTER AND WILLIAM CANNON, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S REALLY GOOD INFORMATION.
WE NEED TO BRING THAT BACK TO THE LARGER CONVERSATION.
AND I CAN TALK ABOUT ISSUES IN, UM, IN DISTRICT SEVEN IN SPECIFICS, WE HAVE A LOT OF THE MAJOR CORRIDORS AND, UH, PROJECT CONNECT QUARTERS IN DISTRICT SEVEN AND, UH, TODD, EVEN.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING IN MY DISTRICT THAT I'M ABLE TO, BECAUSE I REPRESENT THAT AREA.
I CAN BRING THAT LEVEL OF FAMILIARITY TO ALL OF YOU ALL AND RELY ON YOU TO BRING BACK WHAT YOU KNOW, BECAUSE REMEMBER ELLIS ABOUT DISTRICT EIGHT, YOU KNOW, AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON ON DISTRICT ONE, AND THAT'S REALLY, THAT WILL INFORM OUR FINAL PRODUCT.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT MAYBE THAT'S WHERE WE ALL START.
AS WE LOOK AT HOME, ESSENTIALLY THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICTS, AND THEN BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK TO THE LARGER, UH, CONVENING SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE KIND OF DOCUMENT THAT WILL BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT THE ENTIRE CITY WILL BE PROUD OF AND SUPPORT.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS OUR GOAL HERE IS TO BRING SOMETHING WHERE, UM, WHERE WE CAN ALL BE SUPPORTIVE AT THIS POINT IN TIME, KNOWING THAT THINGS WILL ALSO OCCUR FIVE, 10 YEARS FROM NOW AND, AND PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE WE COMING BACK AND MAKING SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND AMENDMENTS TO THE WORK THAT WE WILL COMPLETE HERE, HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR.
SO THIS IS A NEVER-ENDING PROJECT, UM, BUT IT WILL HAVE OUR IMPRINT ON IT AT THIS POINT.
AND, UM, I, I WANT TO INVEST MY WORK WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND FAMILIARITY THAT EACH OF YOU HAVE IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS AND SUPPORT THAT WORK.
ANYONE ELSE ON THIS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? YES, JUDAH.
WE HAVEN'T REALLY TALKED ABOUT PARKING AND THAT'S, I THINK AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF, UH, OF PROVIDING ADDITIONAL HOUSING, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, GET RID OF SOME PARKING SPACES AND ALLOW FOR MORE HOUSING.
WHERE IS THIS PROPOSAL IN TERMS OF, UH, PARKING CHANGES? YES.
UH, AND, AND FRANKLY, THE, THE, THE GROUP OF US, UH, HAVE, HAVE KIND OF GOTTEN TO A CLOSER POINT, BUT NOT QUITE TO THE POINT, WE WERE READY TO PUT A NUMBER IN A DOCUMENT, UH, BUT WE WILL HAVE A NUMBER IN A DOCUMENT AND WHAT WE'LL POST HERE QUICKLY, JUST AS A PLACE TO, TO START THAT CONVERSATION.
BUT IT WOULD PROBABLY BE CAST IN TERMS OF A, A, A REDUCTION IN WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE PARKING FOR LOTS ON CORRIDORS FOR BOTH THE LARGER CORRIDOR AND THEN A REDUCTION FOR THE MEDIUM CORRIDOR.
IT WILL ALSO CONTAIN PROVISIONS THAT SAY, UM, UM, UH, EXCEPTIONS NEAR SCHOOLS.
SO AS TO POTENTIALLY PROVIDE FOR THAT, THEY MAY SUGGEST CERTAIN DVM, UH, UH, REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
AND WITH REGARD TO THE SCHOOLS, WHY WOULD WE WANT MORE PARKING, I GUESS, AROUND SCHOOLS, AS OPPOSED TO, IS IT, IS THAT WHAT THE PROPOSAL, IF I UNDERSTAND IT CORRECTLY, THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE PARKING REDUCTIONS AROUND SCHOOLS, OR WHAT IS IT THE OTHER WAY THAT THERE WOULD BE ADDITIONAL PARKING REDUCTIONS AROUND SCHOOLS? IT WOULD BE THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE THE PARKING REDUCTIONS CLOSE TO THE SCHOOLS BECAUSE IT CREATES HAVOC.
UM, FOR OUR OLDER SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY WHO WERE NOT BUILT WITH EXPANSIVE PARKING AND WERE NOT BUILT WITH THE ABILITY TO MANEUVER AROUND THE SCHOOLS.
THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT CAME UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN, UM, WHEN WE WERE DOING KODAKS AND WHEN WE WERE DOING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, UM, THAT THERE WERE SOME SERIOUS POTENTIAL KNOCK ONS TO THE SCHOOL AREAS.
THIS IS ONLY FOR SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS THAT ARE WITHIN A CERTAIN NUMBER OF FEET FROM THE CORRIDOR WOULD TRIGGER THAT.
OKAY, I NEED TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT, AND PART OF THAT FOR ME, CHEETO IS HAVING GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS BEFORE I THINK THAT ARE, THERE ARE DISAGREEMENTS
[01:35:01]
WITH RESPECT TO WHAT IS ACTUALLY SAFER OR NOT SAFER FOR CHILDREN IN TERMS OF STREET PARKING AND THE LIKE, AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION TO HAVE, BUT OUR COMMUNITY IS PRETTY DEEPLY DIVIDED ON THAT.UH, AND, AND WE CAN EITHER TRY TO RESOLVE THAT DEEPLY DIVIDED ISSUE AS PART OF THIS PROCESS, IN WHICH CASE YOU'LL FIND THAT IT WILL BE ALL THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO OR THREE MONTHS, OR WE CAN SAY, WE'RE JUST NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION HERE.
WE'RE GOING TO PASS EVERYTHING WE CAN PASS NOW.
AND THEN THOSE OTHER TOPICS CAN BE ADDRESSED AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE.
BUT THIS EXERCISE IS ABOUT TRYING TO GET AS MUCH DONE AS WE CAN GET DONE TO NOT LET THE PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD THESE THINGS ARE.
I THINK WE AGREE CONCEPTUALLY TO A LOT OF THIS.
IT GETS REALLY HARD WHEN YOU START ACTUALLY WRITING IT DOWN IN SPECIFICS.
WE'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT.
BUT I, FOR ONE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN A PLACE IN SEPTEMBER WHERE WE CAN SAY TO YOU, FUTURE COUNCILS, WE WERE AT LEAST ABLE TO DO THIS, AND THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT, AND WE CAN GET THIS DONE.
DOESN'T HAVE US IN COURT FOR TWO YEARS.
PEOPLE CAN START APPLYING THIS.
NOW LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
AND THEN IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THE FUTURE HARDER CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE MORE DIVISIVE IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT'S A DIFFERENT PROCESS THAN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SET UP HERE.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING ME.
I'M SITTING HERE AND I'M JUST, I'M GETTING FEEDBACK ALREADY FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT AS A WHOLE THEY'RE, THEY'RE, UM, UPSET THAT THEY, THEY DIDN'T GET A HEADS UP ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND AS A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO, WHO REALLY DOESN'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS, I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS THAT IT COULD BE A LITTLE FRUSTRATING FOR ME AND SOME OF THE OTHER COLLEAGUES WHEN WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION IN FRONT OF US.
AND MY BIGGEST CONCERN, I THINK IS JUST LIKE WHAT A COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON HAS SAID ONCE, WHERE SHE SAID HE CAN'T PUT THE TOOTHPASTE BACK INTO THE TWO, ONCE YOU SQUEEZE IT OUT.
AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE'RE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION LAID OUT IN FRONT OF US.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU DO PLAN ON POSTING THIS LATER TODAY.
I THINK IN THE FUTURE OUT OF RESPECT FOR ALL OF US AS A WHOLE, IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO POST IT AHEAD OF THE MEETING SO THAT WE CAN ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE AND HAVE A REALLY PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
BECAUSE THE NOTES THAT I'M TAKING ABOUT WHAT OUR COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND UNKNOWNS, AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I WOULD HAVE FELT A LOT BETTER WALKING INTO THE WORK SESSION TODAY, HAVING THAT INFORMATION AHEAD OF TIME.
AND IT'LL, IT'LL BE ON THE AGENDA FOR US TO BE ABLE TO BE POSTED TODAY.
WE HAVE IT SET ON OUR AGENDA ON THURSDAY TO TALK, AND WE COULD HAVE SAID NOTHING ABOUT IT THAT EVER WE THOUGHT AT THE VERY LEAST WE WOULD, WE WOULD RAISE IT TODAY SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD KNOW THAT IT WAS COMING.
I DIDN'T KNOW WE WOULD BE GOING INTO THIS LEVEL OF EXTENT CONVERSATION, BUT, BUT HAPPY TO HAVE DONE THAT.
UM, AND I WOULD, YOU KNOW, POINT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY GENERALLY THAT I'M NOT SURE OVER THE LAST SIX TO EIGHT YEARS, THERE'S ANY TOPIC WE HAVE DISCUSSED AS MUCH AS THIS TOPIC OVER A SIX TO EIGHT YEAR PERIOD OF TIME, NOTHING REALLY NEW IN ANYTHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY.
WE'VE SEEN REAL SIMILAR PROPOSALS FROM DIFFERENT WORKING GROUPS, UH, FROM DIFFERENT CONSULTANTS, FROM DIFFERENT PLANNING, COMMISSIONS, FROM DIFFERENT, UH, UH, ZAP, UH, DISCUSSIONS.
MAYBE WE WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS UP ONE SIDE AND DOWN THE OTHER FOR A REALLY LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, AND, AND WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT PASSING AN ORDINANCE OTHER THAN VMU, WHICH HAS GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS UNTIL THE FALL.
UM, BUT, UH, TO SET UP A PROCESS TO ENGAGE THE CONGRESS, UH, THE COMMUNITY MORE ON A SPECIFIC KIND OF PROPOSAL, BUT, AND WE'VE TALKED SINCE, AT LEAST NOVEMBER ABOUT GETTING TO THIS POINT, AND WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING KIND OF THAT SCHEDULE THAT WE LAID OUT IN NOVEMBER TO BE ABLE TO AIR THESE ISSUES, BUT TO YOUR POINT, UM, MACKENZIE, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS IT, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO, TO UNDERSTAND AND BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
UH, AND, AND WE'LL POST SOMETHING TO TODAY JUST AS QUICKLY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN TO, TO, TO HELP WITH THAT CONVERSATION.
P O AND SHE LET MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS FOR 16 YEARS.
[01:40:01]
UH, AND COUNTING.SO JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN A LONG, LONG PROCESS.
I REMEMBER MY WIFE BEING ON PROJECT ON IMAGINE AUSTIN AND SERVING FOUR YEARS.
AND I WORKED BEFORE I EVEN GOT ELECTED AND WE HAD OVER 16,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN THAT PROCESS.
SO THIS HAS BEEN STEADY AND THE PEOPLE IN THE COURTS POKED UP THAT WE DIDN'T DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.
SO, UH, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOMETHING TOGETHER.
WE DESPERATELY NEED SOMETHING.
UH, I'M LOSING ALL MY, MY FRIENDS AND THEY'RE ALL HAVING TO MOVE OUT.
UH, IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S NO PLACE IN AUSTIN THAT IS VERY AFFORDABLE.
I MEAN, UH, OUR KIDS ARE HAVING TO MOVE OUT OUT OF THE CITY.
AND SO THAT'S VERY ALARMING TO ME THAT WE CAN PROVIDE AFFORDABLE AND DECENT HOUSING.
SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY ALONE OUR CORRIDORS BECAUSE OF HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS, AN AUSTIN THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE REASONABLE, AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION TO GET BACK AND FORTH.
SO THAT'S, WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE MOVE ON CHEETO AND THEN CATHY, AND, UH, ON THAT, ON THE NOTE FROM A COUNCIL MEMBER RENTERIA, UH, AND KIND OF RESEARCHING AND TALKING TO TWO DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY BUILDERS INCLUDED ABOUT THE VMU TYPE CONSTRUCTION, THAT KIND OF FOUR STORY, FIVE STORY, KIND OF SIX STORY, UH, TYPE OF, UH, CONSTRUCTION THAT WE DO, UH, THAT IS THE, YOU KNOW, DOLLAR PER SQUARE FOOT, THE CHEAPEST HOUSING WE CAN BUILD, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR KIND OF FIRST FLOOR CONCRETE PEDESTAL WITH YOUR, YOU KNOW, FOUR TO FIVE STORIES OF WOOD FRAME, APARTMENT BUILDING ON A DOLLAR PER SQUARE FOOT BASIS FOR CONSTRUCTION, THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE GET CHEAPER THAN OF COURSE, INCLUDING LAND COSTS.
YOU'VE GOT TO FACTOR IN LAND COST.
UH, SO IT'S, IT'S JIMMY JUST CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE FOSTER THAT TYPE OF, UH, CONSTRUCTION AND THAT WE DO IT IN AS BROAD OF A MANNER AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, AGAIN, JUST WITH THE RENTAL, UH, STATISTICS, UH, THERE WAS, UH, UH, A GOOD ARTICLE.
UH, I THINK IT WAS IN THE STATESMAN ON BASICALLY RENTAL FRAUD.
NOW THAT IT'S HAPPENING, WHERE PEOPLE ARE KIND OF TRICKING OTHER, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SO DESPERATE FOR APARTMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PUTTING LIKE A DEPOSIT OR THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING AND THE PERSON IS JUST, IT'S A COMPLETE FRAUD.
IT'S A, IT'S A BAIT AND SWITCH, OR JUST A THEFT, REALLY.
SO IT'S, I, IT, IT, THAT HOUSING ALONG THE CORRIDORS ULTIMATELY, I MEAN, THAT IS WORKING CLASS HOUSING, UH, THAT IS THE CHEAPEST HOUSING THAT WE CAN BUILD IN AUSTIN TODAY.
AND, UH, WE, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO MOVE THAT FORWARD AS SOON AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
KATHY, I HAVE NOW TWO QUICK, TWO QUICK, VERY QUICK QUESTIONS.
I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHO THE PROPOSAL'S COMING FROM.
I CAUGHT YOU MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL MEMBER LS, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, COUNCIL MEMBER APPRENTICE.
AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION IS NOW COUNCIL MEMBER OF ELLA.
I DIDN'T, COULD YOU TELL, I HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT THE RENTAL FRAUD YOU WERE DESCRIBING, BUT I DIDN'T, I COULDN'T COMPLETELY FOLLOW WHAT YOU WERE SAYING.
SO THEY PUT, WOULD YOU TALK, WOULD YOU JUST TAKE A FEW SECONDS AND EXPLAIN THAT? YEAH, I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE SO DESPERATE FOR, TO FIND AN APARTMENT BECAUSE THERE'S WAITING LISTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT THERE'S KIND OF A FRAUD, A SCAM BASICALLY HAS DEVELOPED AROUND WHAT PEOPLE ARE OFFERING AND SIGNING FAKE CONTRACTS, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, DO YOU KNOW, RENT SOMEBODY APARTMENT THAT THEY HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO RENT THAT THEY HAVE.
UH, SO I MEAN, AGAIN, THAT'S JUST AN INDICATION, YOU KNOW, HOW DESPERATE PEOPLE ARE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE WILLING TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GIVE SOMEBODY $2,000 AS THE DEPOSIT.
AND IT'S A, IT'S A COMPLETE FRAUD.
ANYBODY ELSE? GOOD CONVERSATION.
[A. Pre-Selected Agenda Items ]
LET'S GO THEN TO THE PULLED ITEMS WE HAVE TO, UM, KATHY, YOU PULLED ITEM NUMBER 17.ONE IS THAT I, AS I UNDERSTAND THE STAFF ARE UPDATING THE BACKUP INFORMATION WITH NEW TERMS ABOUT THE LEASE AND TO, I THINK I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONFIDENTIAL MEMO THAT WE RECEIVED YESTERDAY.
I THINK ONE, I THINK A LOT OF THE INFORMATION IT WOULD SEEM TO ME CAN BE MADE PUBLIC, BUT REGARDLESS I'D ASKED
[01:45:01]
IF I COULD ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT IT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.AND I THINK THE STAFF HAVE INDICATED THAT THURSDAY'S A BETTER DAY FOR THAT.
SO I DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT ANY FURTHER.
WE'LL PUT THAT ON EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THURSDAY ITEM NUMBER 90 COUNTS.
I PULLED THIS ONE AND I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS.
I WANTED TO DAYLIGHT, NO SPECIFIC STAFF QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING.
UM, THEY, THEY SEEM TO ME TO BE VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH THE WORK THAT, UM, ENVIRONMENT TEXAS HAS BEEN TALKING TO A FEW OF US ABOUT OVER THE, THE PROBABLY PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF, IF I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH THAT ONE, AND THEN JUST WANTED TO DAYLIGHT.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD ENOUGH TIME TO KIND OF CHECK WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO BUILD URBAN TRAILS, UM, AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO CARE PASSIONATELY ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH WE KNOW THERE'S A TON OF LOVELY FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT DO SO.
UM, BUT I JUST HAD, HAD ONLY TAKEN A LOOK AT IT YESTERDAY AND WAS STILL TRYING TO WORK THROUGH WHAT QUESTIONS I HAD AND WHO I NEEDED TO CONNECT WITH TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO DAYLIGHT IT.
I MIGHT BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THAT BY THURSDAY, BUT JUST WAS CURIOUS IF THERE WAS ANY FURTHER BACKGROUND ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE IDEAS CAME FROM.
I KNOW SOME OF THESE HAVE HISTORIC CONVERSATIONS WITH PREVIOUS COUNCILS, SOME OF THEM MIGHT BE NEWER IDEAS.
CAN YOU JUST KIND OF DAYLIGHT WHERE, WHERE THE IDEA CAME FROM? SURE.
UM, YOU MENTIONED ENVIRONMENT, TEXAS.
I KNOW ENVIRONMENT, TEXAS WORKED WITH COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
UM, THEY'VE WORKED WITH MY OFFICE.
I THINK MY OFFICE FIRST REACHED OUT TO THEM BACK IN FEBRUARY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND HAD OUR FIRST CONVERSATION ABOUT SOME OF THE IDEAS IN HERE.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAD DONE A RESOLUTION THAT'S CITED IN HERE ON FUNCTIONAL GREEN.
I THINK YOU CAN TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT THE ELEMENTS OF THAT WERE.
AND SO CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT WAS ONE BASIS FOR THIS WORK TO WHERE THE IDEA IS THAT ENVIRONMENT TEXAS HAVE, HAS RAISED, WHICH I THINK ARE VERY ALIGNED WITH THE WORK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAD DONE.
UM, AND THEN I THINK THE OTHER, THE THIRD SOURCE IS, UH, MY STAFF, MY SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR, AVA PHILLIPS HAS WORKED IN THESE AREAS FOR A LONG TIME.
AND SOME OF THESE COME STRICTLY OUT OF, OUT OF HER BACKGROUND AND HER RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE VETTED THESE WITH CITY STAFF WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION.
THEY'VE PROVIDED US, UM, WE'VE WORKED PRETTY CLOSELY.
MY OFFICE HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH THEM, UM, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, THEY DO HAVE SOME SUGGESTED EDITS.
THAT'LL BE IN THE VERSION THAT WE ADDRESS ON THURSDAY.
AND THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE WATER UTILITY.
I THINK THE WATER UTILITY HAS SOME SUGGESTIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO INCORPORATE FOR THURSDAY AS WELL.
WE OBVIOUSLY APPRECIATE IT SAYS, UH, EXPERIENCE WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION AND THE FOLKS THAT ENVIRONMENT, TEXAS ALWAYS KIND OF HELPING MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING EVERYTHING WE KNEW WE NEED TO ADDRESS FROM THE POLICY STANDPOINT, UM, TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY PROTECTED.
UM, I ALSO COMPLETELY AGREE THAT THERE'S AN IMBALANCE OF HOW WE PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.
AND I ALWAYS WANT TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IS THE WATER LEAVING OUR COMMUNITY JUST AS CLEAN AS THE WATER COMING INTO OUR COMMUNITIES SO THAT, UM, WE CAN BE GOOD NEIGHBORS FOR THE FOLKS DOWNSTREAM WHO MAY BE USING THAT WATER AS THEIR DRINKING WATER SOURCE AS WELL.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS FOR THE SPONSOR, UM, BUT AS FAR AS IMPLEMENTATION, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THE TIMELINE OF, UM, IT SAYS, COME BACK IN SEPTEMBER AND I KNOW BUDGET SEASON WILL BE SOMETHING THAT TAKES A LOT OF OUR ATTENTION, UM, A MONTH PRIOR TO THAT.
UM, BUT HOW WILL THERE BE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT? UM, SO THAT CITY STAFF CAN ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS AND WE CAN HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS JUST WITH THE, WITH THE TIGHTER TURNAROUND FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
YEAH, THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION, BECAUSE THAT REMINDS ME OF ONE OTHER REALLY IMPORTANT SOURCE OF THIS, UM, A GOOD DEAL OF THE CODE AMENDMENTS WERE ACTUALLY IN THE VARIOUS DRAFTS OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE THAT WENT THROUGH THE PLANNING, YOU KNOW, WENT THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, THE PLANNING COMMISSION, AND THEN OF COURSE, COUNCIL UP TO THE SECOND READING.
SO, UM, IT IS, I MEAN, SEPTEMBER IS NOT A LOT OF TIME, BUT THAT'S FOR THE BODY OF AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN FOR THE MOST PART, YOU KNOW, WORKSHOPPED AND HAD LOTS OF FEEDBACK ABOUT, AND, AND I DON'T, I THINK THEY HAD A LOT OF SUPPORT, UM, IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
SO I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDER INPUT BEYOND, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS PART OF THE REGULAR CODE INITIATION PROCESS.
BUT AGAIN, A LOT OF THAT WORK HAS ALREADY HAPPENED AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH STAFF ABOUT THAT DEADLINE AND WHILE IT IS WHILE IT IS SOON, IT IS ALSO TRUE.
I THINK THAT MOST OF THAT STRAPPED IT, IT WOULD BE MY EXPECTATION THAT MOST OF THAT'S DRAFTED AND FOR WHAT IS NOT DRAFTED, YOU KNOW, IF THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TIME, CERTAINLY WE'RE OPEN TO THAT.
AND I'LL JUST CLOSE OUT MY COMMENTS ON, UM, I DO APPRECIATE THE FOCUS ON PICKING UP TOPICS THAT WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED IN SOME FASHION.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT JUST CAME UP WITH COMPATIBILITY IS WE'VE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS AND I DO APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, US BEING ABLE TO WORK QUICKLY ON THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN VETTED.
UM, I WILL TRY TO GET MY CONVERSATIONS TAKEN CARE OF BY THURSDAY, JUST SO I KNOW THAT IF THERE'S ANY IMPACTS TO FOLKS WHO ARE DOING PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN MY DISTRICT, THAT I HAVE A CHANCE TO TOUCH BASE WITH THEM AND, AND MAKE SURE THERE'S NO HICCUPS
[01:50:01]
IN THERE.BUT, UM, I ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE UPDATED VERSION TOO, JUST SO WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, KATHY, I APPRECIATE THIS WORK AND GENERALLY DIRECTIONALLY I'M IN, I'M IN FAVOR OF IT FOR YOUR REASONS AND PAGES, REASONS.
I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT YET, AND I'M NOT SURE I'M GOING TO BE READY TO VOTE ON IT ON THURSDAY BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO GO THROUGH IT.
UH, SO I JUST, I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD, UH, UH, LESLIE, AND THEN, AND THEN, UH, ALISON, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT I WANTED TO, UM, I THINK I'VE TALKED WITH BOTH COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO AND COUNCIL MEMBER FIND TIMES ABOUT ADDING MY NAME TO IN COUNCIL MEMBER QUINTAS, HIS CASE ITEM 88, WHICH IS THE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS RESOLUTION.
APPRECIATE ADDING ANYTHING HERE AND ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA ON YOUR ITEM NINE.
WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS AND WATER QUALITY.
I WANT IT TO BE LISTED AS A CO-SPONSOR IF POSSIBLE.
YOU HAD CONTACTED ME OVER THE WEEKEND AND WE HAD A SLOT, SO WE'VE, WE'VE ALREADY MADE THAT HAPPEN AT THE AGENDA OFFICE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT, UM, THIS RESOLUTION IS SOMETHING THAT I WAS BRINGING FORWARD IN AND COMBINED WITH, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER TOGO'S.
UM, AND SO AS I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE WHAT SHE SAID, UM, THERE ARE PARTS OF THIS THAT, UM, ARE PICKING UP WHAT WE, WHAT WAS OUR WAS PASTORED AND SECOND READING OF THE LDC.
AND SO, UM, MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO POINT OUT WHAT THOSE POINTS ARE, WHAT THOSE PARTS ARE.
THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS THERE'S THERE'S PARTS OF IT THAT ARE BROADER THAN THAT, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOBA IS BROUGHT, BUT PARTS OF IT ARE JUST, UM, FOCUSED IN ON THOSE CHANGES THAT, UH, WERE SOMETHING THAT WERE ALREADY VETTED THROUGH THAT PREVIOUS LVC PROCESS.
SO, UM, I WILL DO MY PART TO HELP POINT OUT WHAT THOSE ARE.
I KNOW I WASN'T HERE FOR CODE NEXT, BUT I WAS HERE FOR THE LDC REWRITES.
SO IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND AND TIMELINES.
IT CAN BE HARD SOMETIMES TO GO FIND THE MEETING WHERE THE INPUT WAS TAKEN.
UM, KIM'S, METOVA COUNCILMEMBER KITCHEN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD.
UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT STEP AND, AND LONG OVERDUE, UM, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES.
I THINK WE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS IN OUR WATER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AS WELL, WHERE WE, WE TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MOVING FORWARD WITH THESE AMENDMENTS.
AND, UM, I TOO WOULD LIKE THE AGENDA OFFICE TO ADD ME, UM, AS A CO-SPONSOR FOR THIS ITEM.
UM, I WANTED TO JUST FLAG, UM, SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING ON, WHICH IS RELATED THIS NOTION OF GOING BACK TO OUR PREVIOUS, UM, DISCUSSIONS AND, AND BRINGING FORWARD, UM, ELEMENTS OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE REWRITE, WHERE THERE WAS STRONG AGREEMENT.
UM, THERE'S SOME, SOME PIECES OF WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE CODE THAT ARE EMBEDDED IN THE CHANGES THAT WERE PROPOSED FOR THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE WITH RESPECT TO, UM, SECONDARY ACCESS, UM, TO BUILDING IN THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE CODE.
THEY'RE ALREADY, YOU KNOW, READY TO GO.
WE'LL BE BRINGING A RESOLUTION, ASKING STAFF TO BRING THOSE FORWARD, UM, IN THE FALL.
UM, THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT STEP, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, WITH MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY THE FIRST BIG CITY TO ADOPT THE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE CODE, BUT TO REALLY DO IT AT A HIGH LEVEL.
UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 300 HOUSES BEING PERMITTED A MONTH IN THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE AREA.
UM, AND SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T REPEAT MISTAKES IN THE PAST WHERE WE DON'T HAVE SECONDARY ACCESS FOR FOLKS WHO FIND THEM SELLS BUILDING IN THAT AREA.
SO IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN JOINING WITH US ON THAT, LET ME KNOW I AM, I CAME AS WELL.
IS THERE, IS THERE A REASON KATHY, THAT THIS HAS TO BE VOTED ON THIS WEEK AS OPPOSED TO THE NINTH SO THAT WE EACH WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO VET WITH PEOPLE? UM, I'M CERTAINLY WILLING TO CONSIDER IT.
I THINK THAT THERE'S A, AN URGENCY HERE WITH SEVERAL MORE INDUSTRIAL SPILLS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN RECENT MONTHS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, AS YOU, AS I THINK SEVERAL OF MY COLLEAGUES TALKED ABOUT, UM, I KNOW, ENVIRONMENT TEXAS AND OTHERS HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN TALKING FOR AWHILE ABOUT, HEY, CAN WE GET THESE MOVING? AND I NEGLECTED TO MENTION PODSHARE, UM, AS ANOTHER GROUP THAT WE WORKED WITH IN DEVELOPING THIS AS WELL.
SO IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD GET THIS MOVING CODE AMENDMENTS TAKE A LONG TIME.
AND I THINK THE SOONER THEY, THE SOONER THEY SAIL OUT AND WE GET STAFF WORKING ON THAT THE BETTER, UM, AGAIN, ESPECIALLY SINCE A GOOD NUMBER OF THEM PASSED ON TO READINGS WITH THE MAJORITY OF THIS COUNCIL VOTING FOR IT.
I KNOW THAT WHEN WE WERE CONSIDERING THOSE THINGS, THEREFORE THERE WAS AN INTERPLAY BETWEEN THAT AND THE AFFORDABILITY ELEMENTS.
SO I NEEDED TO GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT CONSIDERING THOSE AS A STANDALONE.
[01:55:01]
HAD A CHANCE HAVING COME OUT TO BE ABLE TO VET IT WITH THE PEOPLE THAT I WOULD ORDINARILY THAT YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS, AND IT'S A LONG AND INTENSE.UM, AND I WOULD JUST, UM, AS YOU'RE KIND OF THINKING THROUGH THAT, JUST CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE LAST BIT FURTHER RESOLVE, WHICH COUNCIL MEMBER RENTERIA ADDED.
UM, AND THAT IS, WELL, THE FIRST, THE FIRST HALF, I THINK, WAS YOUR LANGUAGE COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND THEN WE ADDED ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE, BUT IT DIRECTS THE MANAGER.
THE MANAGER WOULD ALWAYS DO AN AFFORDABILITY IMPACT ANALYSIS ON A CODE AMENDMENT.
WE'VE JUST KIND OF ARTICULATED THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AS WELL AS, UM, A FISCAL IMPACT ANALYSIS.
SO FOR THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT A CODE AMENDMENT, BUT OUR PROCESS CHANGES, WE'RE ASKING TO KIND OF CALCULATE WHAT THE COSTS, WHAT THE, WHAT ANY INCREASED COSTS WOULD BE FOR THOSE, EVERYBODY, EVERYTHING ELSE.
BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, IT LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF STUFF HERE THIS MORNING, BEFORE WE BREAK FOR LUNCH AT NOON, DOES THAT WORK FOR FOLKS? AND WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BRING SOME PEOPLE IN.
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO DO THAT AGAIN? YOU MIGHT TAKE IT JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
AND THEY ARE, WE'RE NOT DOING
THEN, UH, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL WILL NOW GO UP INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO TAKE OUT THREE ITEMS PURSUANT TO 5, 5, 1 0 7.
WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO LET ME STOP FOR JUST ONE SECOND.
THERE'S ANOTHER ITEM ON OUR AGENDA, UH, THAT RELATES TO, UM, UH, UH, ROTATION LIST AND, AND HIRING, UM, UH, PEOPLE ON THAT.
I THINK WE WENT TO A NUMBER 11.
I WAS LOOKING, I'M SORRY, ITEM 13.
I WAS LOOKING AT THAT LIST, UH, AND, AND IT LOOKS, I WAS LOOKING AT THIS SCALING.
UH, IT LOOKS LIKE IF WE WENT TO 12 OR 13, WE WOULD HAVE MORE CHOICES, UH, HERE LOCALLY AND, UM, UM, MIGHT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO DO SO.
I WOULD LIKE STAFF TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT ON THURSDAY AND TELL US IF WE WANTED TO DO THAT.
WHAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR US TO, TO, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, TO DO THAT.
UM, KATHY YEAH, GOTTEN SOME, SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT, AND I SUPPORT THAT, UM, DIRECTION AS WELL, IF THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED.
AND THEN I ADDED A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT WE'RE EYEING ON THE AGENDA.
I DID WANT TO ASK A QUESTION OF STAFF.
HOPEFULLY I'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THIS INTO THE Q AND A, BUT THERE'S AN ITEM ON OUR COUNCIL AGENDA TO WAIVE THE DISTANCE REQUIREMENTS FROM A SCHOOL AND MAYBE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL HAS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS.
I DID REACH OUT TO MY COMMISSIONER ON THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE, ON INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE FROM HER RESPONSE.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT THEY'VE ADDRESSED.
AND I WONDERED IF STAFF COULD TELL US WHETHER THEY HAVE PROACTIVELY REACHED OUT TO ROSEDALE OR TO AISD TO GET THEIR FEEDBACK.
ROSEDALE IS THE SCHOOL THAT IS TRIGGERING THE NEED FOR A COMP FOR A VARIANCE FOR THE ALCOHOL WAIVER.
UM, THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO JUST NOTE, WE HAVE AN ITEM ON HERE AND I CAN'T QUITE, OH YEAH.
NINE 19 AUTHORIZING TWO OFF TO CONSIDER WHETHER WE SHOULD AUTHORIZE A FEE IN LIEU OF ON-SITE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR AN ITEM FOR A PROJECT IN THE CLOSET.
AND I ASKED A QUESTION IN THE Q AND A ABOUT WHAT IS THE COMPELLING REASON THAT THE DEVELOPERS ARE, ARE REQUESTING THIS WAIVER.
AND FRANKLY, I DID NOT FIND THE RESPONSE WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL FROM STAFF.
AND FROM THAT RESPONSE, I TAKE AWAY THAT THERE REALLY ISN'T A COMPETITOR.
THERE IS NOT A COMPELLING REASON IN MY OPINION, UM, TO WAIVE THE REQUIREMENT FOR ONSITE HOUSING.
AND SO I AM STRONGLY, UM, LEANING AGAINST, UH, SUPPORTING THAT AND, AND JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT SO THAT MY COLLEAGUES CAN THINK ABOUT IT BETWEEN HERE AND THURSDAY AS WELL.
AND THEN, UH, 17, AS WE DISCUSSED THE ESCAPE GAME, I AM GOING TO REVIEW THE NEW TERMS, BUT I GUESS AS I THINK ABOUT THE WAY WE'RE USING OUR ASSETS, ESPECIALLY THOSE CITY ASSETS THAT WERE, THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE ON THE PRIVATE MARKET, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE, THAT WE HAVE PRIVATE TENANTS AND WE'RE NOT, IT'S NOT LIKE THE ARRANGEMENT WE HAVE WITH URBAN ROOTS, WHERE WE HAVE WHERE WE'RE GIVING THEM A REALLY EXTREMELY LOW RENT FOR OUR, FOR THAT OUR TRACT OF LAND OVER BY THE BURKS FROM SPUR SO THAT THEY CAN FARM AND HAVE YOUTH PROGRAMS. YOU KNOW, THAT TO ME IS AN ENORMOUS COMMUNITY BENEFIT AND IT MAKES SENSE, YOU KNOW, TO GIVE THEM A GREAT DEAL ON THAT LAND SO THEY CAN FULFILL THEIR MISSION ON OUR CITY ON TRACKS.
IF WE ARE ENTERING INTO AGREEMENTS WITH, WITH, UM,
[02:00:03]
THE PRIVATE SECTOR, I THINK WE SHOULD BE OPERATING IT LIKE A BUSINESS, AND WE SHOULD BE GETTING AS MUCH VALUE AS MANY DOLLARS IN TO OUR CITY COFFERS AS POSSIBLE.AND SO, UM, I'M REALLY, UM, EAGER TO SEE WHETHER THE ESCAPE ROOM HITS THAT I WILL SAY.
I CONTINUE TO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT, ABOUT WHETHER WE ARE USING THAT DOWNTOWN ASSET AT THE HIGHEST, UM, HIGHEST LEVEL WE SHOULD BE, BECAUSE I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, I LOOK ACROSS AS WE'RE APPROACHING BUDGET AND I LOOK ACROSS OUR PROGRAMS AND I THINK ABOUT THE NEED FOR MORE PARK STAFF AND MORE, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF AND, YOU KNOW, IN SO MANY AREAS, BETTER WAGES FOR SO MANY OF OUR EMPLOYEES, IT'S, I AM REALLY LOOKING CAREFULLY AT ALL, PLACES WHERE WE CAN MAXIMIZE THE REVENUE FOR THE CITY SO THAT WE CAN HELP PAY FOR SOME OF THOSE SERVICES.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND I'D MUCH RATHER CHARGE A FAIR, BUT HIGH RENT FOR ONE OF OUR CITY ASSETS.
UM, THEN I WOULD HAVE TO CUT SERVICES OR, OR NOT REWARD OUR EMPLOYEES.
SO THAT'S JUST MY PERSPECTIVE ON THAT WHEN I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO GET MORE INFORMATION, BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M LEANING ON THAT.
AND I WOULD ALSO SAY, I THINK WE MAY BE SCHEDULED TODAY FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, CANDLEWOOD, IS THAT CORRECT? AND EXECUTIVE SESSION, THE SESSION ON THE ACCOUNT, I SPOKE TO A COUNSELING GROUP ABOUT THAT, BUT WE PROVIDED A MEMO, SORRY, THOSE OF US VIRTUAL CAN'T HEAR.
SO THE QUESTION IS ABOUT CANDLEWOOD AND WE ARE NOT SCHEDULED TO DO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY BECAUSE THERE WAS A MEMO THAT WENT OUT AND IF THERE ARE OTHER LEGAL ISSUES OR REAL ISSUES, I'LL BE HAPPY TO FIGURE THOSE OUT, BUT BETWEEN NOW AND THURSDAY.
I THINK MY QUESTIONS DON'T FALL INTO EITHER OF THOSE CATEGORIES, SO I'LL JUST, UM, I'LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE STAFF ON THEM, BUT I, I AM, AND I KNOW I AM GETTING QUESTIONS ABOUT, I KNOW I SHOULDN'T TALK ABOUT IT THAN IF IT'S NOT AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M GETTING ANYTHING TO GET QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE.
UM, I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY HAD MADE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO BE, WE NEED TO HAVE MORE TRANSPARENCY AROUND THAT ISSUE.
UM, AND, AND MORE INFORMATION IN THE PUBLIC.
SO I APPRECIATED THE INFORMATION THAT WENT OUT FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT I THINK WE STILL NEED A HIGHER LEVEL OF DETAILS THERE.
I'D BE HAPPY TO, I THINK MCKENZIE HAS, OH, I'M SORRY.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, I HAD REQUESTED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON SECURITY AT CANDLEWOOD.
UM, YOU HAD NOT FOLLOWED UP WITH ME ABOUT THAT REQUEST AND THE MEMO DID GO OUT.
SO I'M A LITTLE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
UM, I THINK WE ALL NEED TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN IT COMES TO SECURITY AT OUR CITY OWNED BUILDINGS, AND I'M NOT ENTIRELY CONVINCED THAT THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT SECURITY SITUATION IS.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOU DURING OUR BREAK TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHY, WHY THIS IS HAPPENING THAT WAY.
IF AFTER THAT CONVERSATION, UH, MY KIDS OR YOU THINK WE NEED TO SET IT ON THURSDAY FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, LET ME KNOW.
AND THEN IF I CAN JUST SAY REAL QUICK, UM, I WOULD LOVE FOR ALL OF US TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND I THINK THAT THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION IS REALLY THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT HAPPEN.
UM, SO, UM, I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTER.
SO UNLESS MCKINSEY DECIDES NO, LET'S PUT IT ON EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THURSDAY PULLING THE PULLING 85 FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, LASTLY, YEAH, I WANTED TO RESPOND TO COUNCIL MEMBER.
UM, THAT'S AT A PROPERTY ON BURNET ROAD.
UM, I THINK IT WAS BACK IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY.
I WAS PLEASED TO GO TO THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE NEW LUCY REED SCHOOL FOR, UM, THE POPULATION THAT HAD BEEN AT THE OLD ONE.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, THAT WAS, THAT PROPERTY WAS PART OF THE BOND, UM, UH, UH, ELECTION THAT AISD FLOATED A FEW YEARS AGO.
AND, UM, THOSE STUDENTS WHO HAVE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES, UM, ARE IN A MUCH IN A NEW AND BEAUTIFUL LOCATION.
UM, SO THE ROSEDALE SCHOOL NO LONGER EXISTS AT THE SITE WHERE IT USED TO AND THEY ALL FALL IN TOWN BUILDING.
IT'S NO LONGER ROSEDALE SCHOOL.
IT'S NOW THE ALLENDALE ROSEDALE SCHOOL.
AND IT'S ATTACHED TO LUCY REED ELEMENTARY, WHICH IS UP IN ALLENDALE AROUND RICH CREEK.
AND SO THERE IS NOT NOW A SCHOOL AISD SEAL STILL OWNS THAT PROPERTY.
AND I DON'T THINK THE DISTRICT HAS QUITE DECIDED WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH THAT PROPERTY, MY GUESS IS THAT THEY MAY WANT TO HOLD ONTO
[02:05:01]
IT AND THEN MAYBE BUILD SOME HOUSING BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT IN, UM, IT'S RIGHT OFF OF BURNET ROAD AND IT'S IN, UH, ROSEDALE, WHICH IS ALSO JUST UP THE STREET FROM ME IN ROSEDALE NEIGHBORHOOD.SO THERE IS NO LONGER A SCHOOL THERE.
AND THAT IS WHY, FRANKLY, I AM NOT OPPOSING THAT PARTICULAR, UM, UH, REQUEST AND I WILL BE VOTING IN SUPPORT OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE ALCOHOL, UM, PROVISION ON THAT ITEM.
SO THERE ARE NOT STUDENTS, CERTAINLY.
I MEAN, I KNOW ABOUT THE NEW ROSEDALE CAMPUS, BUT THEY'RE NOT STUDENTS AT THIS POINT IN THE OLD ROSEDALE CAMPUS, THEY'VE MOVED THEM ALL, BUT THEY HAVE NOT, AISD HAS NOT USED, THEY HAVEN'T DECIDED FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND.
AND WE'VE BEEN ASKING, UH, RAILS RESTAURANT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS REALLY INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THAT PROPERTY.
I ACTUALLY WONDERED WHAT HAD HAPPENED THE PROPERTY AND MAYBE THE CITY COULD ACQUIRE IT.
UM, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING AT THIS POINT IS AISD WANTS TO HOLD ONTO IT AND KEEP IT IN ITS INVENTORY AND DO SOMETHING MAYBE TO MONETIZE IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY, BUT THERE ARE NO LONGER ANY STUDENTS THERE.
AND FRANKLY, I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT BECAUSE THAT STRUCTURE REALLY WAS, IT WAS BEYOND AGE AND FALLING DOWN.
AND I WOULD URGE EVERYBODY, IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO GO UP AND SEE THE NEW ALLENDALE ROSEDALE SCHOOL, UM, THAT'S IN THE ALLENDALE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I WOULD NEED TO BE CORRECTED AS WELL.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THAT THE AISD HAS NO OBJECTION TO THE WAIVER AND ROSEDALE DOES NOT.
WELL, IT'S VERY HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE NOT MORE STUDENTS THERE.
K A P O AND KATHY HAD BROUGHT UP THAT SHE HAD A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT ITEM 19.
AND SO DO I, I HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS ON THAT FEEDING LOU, UH, MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S, UH, UH, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT IF WE DON'T PROVIDE THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY MIGHT JUST DECIDE TO GO BACK TO WHAT, WHATEVER THEIR BASE, UH, ENTITLEMENT IS THAT, AND THEY WERE JUST BUILT THAT.
SO I THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY I'M KIND OF HESITANT ALSO JUST LIKE YOU AND THEY CAN'T GO ANY HIGHER BECAUSE THEY WERE IN THE CAPITOL OVERVIEW.
SO THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE RESTRICTION THAT'S GOING ON THERE ALSO.
SO YEAH, I LIKE TO JUST GET WITH YOU AND MAYBE SEE IF WE CAN FIGURE SOMETHING OUT, BUT I, BUT I DO HAVE THAT CONCERN WITH BLUE AND WE NEED MORE HOUSING THERE, BE APPROVED A LOT OF OFFICE AND, AND TALK TO YOU.
SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR MORE HOUSING THERE.
I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT CONVERSATION.
I THINK WE'RE ALIGNED ON THAT.
UM, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT ALSO COUNTED ME WERE THREE ON COUNCIL MEMBER TO-GO SO, UM, I, I KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HOUSING ON SITE
UM, STAFF HAS PUT A MEMO IN BACKUP AND IT'S KIND OF QUIRK OF HOW WE HAVE TO POST THIS, BUT WE ARE POSTING THIS AS A, YOU KNOW, AUTHORIZING THE FEE OF ULU, BUT THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS ACTUALLY TO HAVE, UH, COUNSELED, NOT, UH, AUTHORIZED THAT, UH, FIELD BLUE.
AND SO PLEASE REFER TO THAT MEMO, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM STAFF ON THAT ITEM, JUST TO KIND OF RE SUMMARIZE THAT STAFF ARE RECOMMENDING AGAINST IT.
ANYTHING ELSE? BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, ALL RIGHT.
[E. Executive Session]
COUNCIL, WE'RE NOT GOING TO CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP THREE ITEMS PURSUANT TO 5, 5, 1 0 7.ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE CITY COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO ITEM E ONE LAWSUITS AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT E TO THE MAY, 2022 ELECTION, UH, AND PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 51 0 7 TO THE GOVERNMENT CODE.
WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS REAL ESTATE MATTERS RELATED TO E FOUR, WHICH IS THE HEALTH SOUTH PROPERTY.
UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION COLLEAGUES, IT'S 11, 13 OF MINUTES.
UH, WE'LL BE BACK VIRTUALLY, UH, WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK VIRTUAL SO THAT EVERYBODY JUST PAID THE SAME WAY.
UM, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE REMOTE TODAY.
UH, SO LET'S GO VIRTUAL STARTED IN, IN FIVE MINUTES.
WE'RE OUT OF CLOSED SESSION IN CLOSED SESSION, WE DISCUSSED LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO ITEMS E ONE AND E TWO.
WE DISCUSSED REAL ESTATE ISSUES RELATED TO ITEM E FOUR.
THOSE WERE ALL THE ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA.
SO TODAY'S WORK SESSION ON MAY 17TH, 2022
[02:10:03]
IS ADJOURN.