SORRY ABOUT THAT, COMMISSIONER,
[00:00:01]
PUT ALL THAT ON YOU.THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THAT HAPPEN.
[CALL TO ORDER]
WE'RE ON, WE'RE IN QUORUM NOW.UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE TIME NOW IS SIX FIFTY FOUR AND I CALL THE JULY C D C, UM, MEETING INTO, UM, ACTION.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'M TURNING OFF MY PHONE.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
AND, UH, WE ARE READY TO BEGIN.
N WE HAVE NOW BEEN CALLED TO ORDER AT 6 54, OUR COMMISSION AND OUR PURPOSE, THE PURPOSE OF THE BOARD IS TO ADVISE THE COUNCIL IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO SERVE THE POOR AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAMS. TODAY IS JULY 11TH, AND WE WILL BEGIN.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
PUBLIC COMMUNICATION IN GENERAL IS THE FIRST 10 SPEAKERS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP, AND WE DO HAVE ONE.MS. ANOVIA JOSEPH IS HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF HERSELF REGARDING THE LIGHT RAIL.
MS. JOSEPH, WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE A SEAT? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE'RE GLAD THAT YOU'RE HERE, MADAM CHAIR.
AND GO AHEAD AND HIT THAT LITTLE BUTTON THAT SAYS PUSH AND YOU LET YOUR RED LIGHT SHINE.
THERE YOU ARE, AND WE ARE READY FOR YOU.
MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS, I'M ZENOBIA JOSEPH.
MY COMMENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN AS IT RELATES TO THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
I JUST WANT TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT THEIR ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION PROHIBIT USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PROPAGANDA AND ANYTHING ELSE.
AND WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT MAYOR KIRK WATSON, A FORMER SENATOR ASHLEY LOBBIED TO GET HOUSE BILL 3 8 99, UH, ELIMINATED.
SO THERE WAS A TECHNICALITY ON THE FLOOR AND THE BILL FILLED.
AND SO WE, THE TAXPAYERS ARE STILL HAVING TO FUND THIS LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.
WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WHEN YOU GET YOUR BRIEFING ON ITEM FOUR SPECIFICALLY, THE LIGHT RAIL WILL START AT 38TH STREET.
38TH STREET IS HYDE PARK, WHICH WAS DEVELOPED EXCLUSIVELY FOR WHITE PEOPLE, 1889 TO 1924 BY COLONEL MONROE SHI.
AND THERE IS ACTUALLY AN 1891 HARSON BUGGY CART THAT ACTUALLY SHOWS WHEN THE CITY WAS NORTH.
SO THAT AREA WAS NORTH OF THE CITY BACK IN 1891.
IT IS NOT SERVING NORTH OF US 180 3.
AND I WANT YOU TO ACTUALLY RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ARE THE POOR PEOPLE'S COMMISSION, AND SPECIFICALLY NORTH OF US 180 3, THE BUS ROUTES WERE ELIMINATED NORTHEAST WEST CONNECTIVITY ON JUNE 3RD, 2018 WHEN CAPITAL METRO IMPLEMENTED CAP REMAP THE 52 BUS ROUTES.
AND SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND, THIS IS MY LIVED EXPERIENCE JUST THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
I ACTUALLY WAS AT BREAKER IN VERNON.
THAT PARTICULAR BUS JUST CONTINUED.
AND THEN BECAUSE I'M HEALTHY, I RAN TO SEE WHICH DRIVER WAS SO AUDACIOUS TO ACTUALLY LEAVE THE PEOPLE AS OPPOSED TO PICKING THEM UP.
HE APOLOGIZED PROFUSELY AND GAVE ME A BUS PASS, BUT THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE ASKED AT NAUSEUM FOR THE BUS TO BE CONTINUED 3 92 BACK TO THE ARBORETUM.
AND SPECIFICALLY I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT ON FM 9 69, A GENTLEMAN WAS KILLED IN HIS WHEELCHAIR ON JUNE 26TH, 2023.
AND IN 2019, I ACTUALLY DID A RECON THERE AND TOOK A PICTURE OF A GENTLEMAN BECAUSE THERE'S NO CONTINUOUS SIDEWALK.
AND SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THIS SYSTEM IS INEQUITABLE.
IT ACTUALLY WILL SEGREGATE AUSTIN FOR CENTURIES.
AND I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE LASTLY THAT AS IT RELATES TO THE BLUE LINE OR THE RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR, WHATEVER THEY'RE CALLING IT NOW, SPECIFICALLY ON OCTOBER 17TH, 2019, COUNCIL ACTUALLY ELIMINATED APPROXIMATELY 1,304 AFFORDABLE UNITS.
AND THEN IT WAS IN 2020 THAT THEY ACTUALLY GOT THE VOTERS TO APPROVE ROUTES FOR OAK HILL.
AND THEY ELIMINATED THREE NORTHEAST WEST, UH, ROUTES THAT WOULD'VE SERVED SAMSUNG TO APPLE DESA TO A C C HIGHLAND AND ALSO DECORATOR DOWNTOWN.
AND THEN THE VOTERS APPROVED THE WHITE CHOICE RIDER ROUTES.
AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND, THE SYSTEM IS INEQUITABLE AS IT RELATES TO THE ELECTRIC BUSES.
THOSE ARE USUALLY ON THE 8 0 3.
SO THE LINE OF DEMARCATION IS US 180 3 AND ALSO BURNETT ROAD.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE RIGHT QUADRANT, THAT IS WHERE THE BUSES RUN INFREQUENTLY, AND THEY WILL TRY TO TELL YOU THAT THE PICKUP SERVICE IS WHAT'S BENEFICIAL AND IN FACT IT IS NOT.
UM, AND SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
BUT AS A TECHNICALITY, WE JUST ASK YOU TO ACTUALLY MENTION
[00:05:01]
ON YOUR, UH, ACTUAL SIGN-IN SHEETS THAT YOU WILL ONLY GIVE THE SPEAKERS THREE MINUTES FOR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA AND NOT ON THE AGENDA, BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT GIVES THE APPEARANCE THAT WE HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR NON-AG AGENDA ITEMS AND THREE MINUTES FOR ITEMS THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA.IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
MS. JOSEPH, THAT WAS FABULOUS.
UM, I'M GONNA RELY ON THE, UM, RECORDING.
YOU DID SUCH AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF ARTICULATING YOUR SITUATION, UM, THAT MY NOTE TAKING WASN'T ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH YOU.
UM, AND I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT, SO THIS NEWS TO ME, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, COMMISSIONERS, DO ANY OF YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. JOSEPH? I'M STILL PROCESSING, YOUR HONOR.
THANK THANK YOU MS. JOSEPH FOR BEING PRESENT HERE.
AND THAT WAS, UM, VERY WELL, UH, LAID OUT.
UM, IS THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS, UH, DO, IF I CAN MAKE A REQUEST THAT, UH, IF THERE ISN'T ANY OTHER SPEAKERS, MAYBE YOU CAN HAVE, UH, THREE MORE MINUTES TO ELABORATE TO KIND OF EXPLAIN MAYBE SOME OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
ARE YOU SAYING YOU THINK THAT THE ROUTE SHOULD BE EXTENDED MORE IN EAST OR WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU, UH, RECOMMEND? UH, WE RECOMMEND, AND BEFORE YOU ANSWER THAT, I AGREE WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER BROWN.
CAN WE ASK FOR HER TO HAVE, UM, EXTENDED TIME? WE HAVE TO DO THE BUREAUCRACY THING, GUYS, I'M SO SORRY.
I UNDERSTAND UHHUH, I JUST WANT TO MM-HMM.
UH, COMMISSIONER BROWN, WOULD YOU RESTATE YOUR QUESTION? UM, SO THAT, UM, MS. UH, JOSEPH CAN, UM, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
UH, JUST COULD YOU ELABORATE MORE LIKE WHAT WOULD YOUR RECOMMENDATION BE FOR US TO RECOMMEND, UH, AND, AND I WANT TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE, THE LIGHT RAIL SITUATION AND, AND, AND UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED THAT THERE ISN'T ENOUGH, UH, TRANSPORTATION EAST OR EAST OR WEST, UH, BUT I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND, AND COULD YOU MAKE A, A RECOMMENDATION FOR US TO, UH, UH, TO RECOMMEND TO COUNSEL? AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BROWN.
AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT I WILL CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION IS THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY AN ARTICLE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR YOU.
IT'S IN THE AUSTIN, UH, CHRONICLE.
AND IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS, CAP METRO HANGS HOPES ON CONNECTIONS.
AND IN THAT PARTICULAR ARTICLE, YOU WILL SEE WHERE, UH, J CROSSLEY, WHO USED TO BE THE CAP C T R M A, UH, REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE COUNTY, ACTUALLY DID AN ARA STUDY.
AND IT SPECIFIES THAT NORTH AND NORTHEAST AUSTIN WOULD LOSE SERVICE, BUT IT WAS PROMOTED AS MORE FREQUENT, MORE RELIABLE AND BETTER CONNECTED SERVICE.
BUT I'M, EXCUSE ME, POINTING YOU TO THAT ARTICLE, BECAUSE THERE'S ACTUALLY A MAP THAT IS EASY TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE.
YOU WILL ONLY SEE A BLUE LINE LIKE AN L, WHICH SHOWS ROUTE 3 25, AND ALL OF THE PINK LINES ARE SOUTH OF US, 180 3.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT THE MAPS, USE THE OBJECTIVE DATA, AND THEN TO ASK THE QUESTIONS, UH, UH, AS IT RELATES TO SAFETY.
SO I WOULD SAY THAT YOU COULD USE VISION ZERO.
UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT NORTH LAMAR, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE CORRIDOR, UM, IS ACTUALLY LUKE 2 75, WHICH IS THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
UM, RIGHT AWAY, THE CITY DOESN'T OWN THAT.
SO THERE ARE MID-BLOCK STOPS THERE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO AS A COMMISSION IS REQUEST THAT THOSE STOPS BE RELOCATED AND CLOSED.
THERE'S A 2009 NORTH LAMAR CORRIDOR STUDY THAT WAS DONE BY TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CAPITAL METRO AND T O, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR 20 MONTHS.
AND IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT, YOU KNOW THAT IT WAS TERRIBLE FOR PEDESTRIANS TODAY, 8 0 1 CHINATOWN, WHICH IS A SOUTHBOUND STOP, STOP ID 5 8 57.
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSIT FOCUSED AND NEED TO KNOW THAT INFORMATION, IT ACTUALLY IS VERY DANGEROUS.
THERE'S NO PLACE FOR THE PEDESTRIAN, THERE'S NO MEDIAN THERE, IT'S JUST CONCRETE.
AND THE PEDESTRIAN, I'VE ASKED REPEATEDLY TO HAVE THAT PARTICULAR BUS STOP MOVED TO CVS PHARMACY, WHICH IS AT BREAKER IN NORTH LAMAR.
AND TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT JUST
[00:10:01]
APPROVED ANOTHER PROJECT NEAR THAT INTERSECTION.SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW IS THAT, SO PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN HIT THERE, IT'S BECAUSE IT'S LIKE THE BALL THAT GROWS OUT INTO THE STREET, LIKE A KID KNOWS, DON'T LOOK BOTH WAYS, BUT DON'T CROSS.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO GET TO WORK AND THE SYSTEM IS DISCONNECTED, THAT BUS BECOMES YOUR BALL.
AND SO PEOPLE STAND AT THE LIGHT AND THEN THEY RUN TO THE MID BLOCK STOP.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN AND WHAT IS A GOOD RECOMMENDATION IS FOR THAT STOP TO MOVE.
THERE'S A NUMBER ONE RIGHT THERE AT C V S PHARMACY.
THE DRIVER WOULD SEE ROUTE 3 92, THE PEOPLE STANDING THERE APPROACHING, AND THEN THE DRIVER COULD JUST WAIT AND THEY WOULD CROSS THE FIVE LANES ONLY ONE TIME, AS OPPOSED TO CROSSING IT TWICE, AT LEAST TWICE, UM, WITH NO, UH, REFUGE ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE.
IF YOU GO FURTHER NORTH NEAR PARMER, UM, THERE'S A METROPOLITAN PARK THERE, AND THERE'S ALSO ACROSS THE STREET FROM METROPOLITAN PARK AND A HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROPERTY THAT MIDBLOCK STOP, THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN IN HIS WHEELCHAIR NAMED MR. NORTON IN THAT VICINITY, SOMEWHERE AROUND NOT YOUR ORDINARY SCHOOL.
HE WAS HIT IN HIS CAR IN 2016 IN A CAR, HIT HIM IN 2016.
HIS SERVICE ANIMAL LIVED, BUT HE DIED.
AND SO THAT IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE STOPS THAT THERE IS NO CONTINUOUS SIDEWALK TO GET TO THAT BUS STOP IF YOU'RE TRAVELING ON THE SOUTHBOUND SIDE.
AND IF YOU LIVE ON THE ACROSS THE STREET, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN'T CROSS SAFELY BECAUSE IT'S VERY WIDE.
IT'S MUCH WIDER THAN, UH, BURNETT ROAD.
I WOULD JUST TELL YOU THAT IN 2012, THERE WAS A BOND, AND IT WAS FOR BURNETT ROAD AND NORTH LAMAR, AND A COURSE NORTH LAMAR DIDN'T GET THE FUNDING.
AND THEN THERE IS ALSO A CA VIEW STUDY THAT THEY DID IN ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO.
AND 75 PEOPLE WERE HIT IN A THREE MILE STRETCH BETWEEN NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AND PEYTON GEN, A GENTLEMAN NAMED DAVID JOHN MADANO, WAS CROSSING MIDBLOCK IN 2019.
ABOUT TWO MONTHS AFTER, UH, THEN COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR, AND THEN RANDY CLARK, THE CEO, OPENED THE MIDBLOCK STOP.
SO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THESE STOPS NEED TO CLOSE.
THEY EVENTUALLY, ABOUT A YEAR LATER, DID PUT THE LIGHT, UH, AT FAIRFIELD STATION.
BUT NOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THEY TREAT THE PEOPLE NORTH OF US, 180 3, LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS, AND NOW THERE'S NO SHELTER.
SO WITH ALL THIS HEAT, THE THE THREE DIGITS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, THERE'S NO SHELTER AT FAIRFIELD STATION.
THERE'S NO SHELTER AT OLIN 3 24.
AND SO THE OTHER RECOMMENDATION I WOULD ASK FOR YOU TO DO IS TO ACTUALLY REQUEST THE SERVICE BE RESTORED TO WHAT IT WAS BEFORE CAP REMAP.
IN OTHER WORDS, NORTHEAST WEST CONNECTIVITY NEEDS TO BE RESTORED SO THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RELYING ON THE BUS CAN ACTUALLY GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B WITH EASE.
WHAT CAPITAL METRO DID ON JANUARY, 2023, THE 2023 SERVICE CHANGES, IS IMPROVE THE SERVICE FOR WHITE CHOICE RIDERS.
SO 19 BULL CREEK AND 30 WALSH CARLTON BECAME A NEW 30.
SO YOU CAN GET ON THE BUS AND YOU CAN ESTIMATE WHEN YOU'RE GONNA GET OFF, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, NOT VERY MANY WHITE PEOPLE ARE GETTING ON THAT BUS.
AND IT'S LESS THAN $5 A RIDER FOR THE MINORITIES THAT RIDE THE BUS.
AND AS IT RELATES TO RAIL, IT'S APPROXIMATELY $214 ONE WAY FROM LEANDER TO AUSTIN.
SO THE ROUND TRIP IS ABOUT OVER $400 PER RAIL RIDER.
SO THE RAIL, THE STREAM COMES FROM THE MINORITIES.
SO THEY DOUBLE AND TRIPLE COUNT US AS WE GET OFF.
AND ON THE BUS IT LOOKS LIKE MORE RIDERSHIP.
AND SO IT IS VERY DISINGENUOUS AND IT'S VERY DANGEROUS.
AND AGAIN, A MOTHER WHEELCHAIR, WALKERS AND CANES.
THE LAST THING I WILL TELL YOU, AS CHINATOWN, AGAIN, THERE IS A NARROW LITTLE WALKWAY GRAVEL, BUT IF YOU'RE IN A WHEELCHAIR WALKER, A CANE, A MOTHER WITH A BABY STROLLER, YOU CAN'T CROSS THAT AREA.
SO YOU HAVE TO THEN CROSS THAT FIVE LANES THAT I TOLD YOU ABOUT AT LEAST TWICE, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT ROLL YOUR BABY STROLLER ON THESE BIG ROCKS DOWN THIS LITTLE RAIL.
UM, AND I'LL JUST KIND OF TELL YOU THAT I DID GET THE SIDEWALK BACK IN 2017, UH, WHEN I WENT BEFORE CAMPO CAPITAL AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, BUT THAT WAS ONLY ON ONE SIDE.
AND THEN WHEN YOU FAST FORWARD TO THE SOCCER STADIUM, IT'S SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, YOU'LL SEE THIS HUGE SLAB OF CONCRETE.
THEY LITERALLY ROLLED OUT THE GREEN CARPET FOR THE AUSTIN FC SOCCER GAME.
AND IT'S JUST AN, AN EQUITABLE SYSTEM.
IT'S PARKED AND RIDE ON SOCCER GAME NIGHTS.
IT'S 15 MINUTE HEADWAY ON 3 83 LAKELINE, 20 MINUTES ON 3 92, BUT IT WAS 80 MINUTES FOR ME TO WAIT WITH THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS AT THE
[00:15:01]
FAR END OF 3 83 LAKELINE ON A SOCCER GAME NIGHT, BECAUSE THE SHUTTLE ONLY GOES TO THE PAVILION AND NOT FOR THE TRANSIT DEPENDENT RIDER.SO THE SYSTEM IS INEQUITABLE, BUT THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU WILL GET WILL SAY THAT IT'S EQUITABLE BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GET THE FEDERAL DOLLARS, YOU CAN'T DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THE MINORITIES.
AND YES, THERE ARE MINORITIES THAT BENEFIT THE PEOPLE IN DOVE SPRINGS, SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL AUSTIN, BUT BUSES RUN EMPTY IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN.
AND I WOULD JUST CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, OUR MAYOR PROTI, UM, PAGE ELLIS ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGED AT THEIR LAST, UH, MEETING THAT THERE'S NOT VERY MANY, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS IN THAT AREA.
BUT THE BUS RUNS NORTHEAST, SOUTH, EAST, WEST RATHER.
AND ON 3 33, UH, WILLIAM CANNON BUS GOES TO CONVICT HILL, AND THERE ARE ONLY 2.9 BOARDINGS AN HOUR BECAUSE IT'S WATERSHED RESTRICTED.
AND SO IT'S NOT GONNA EVER GROW RIDERSHIP.
AND THERE'S A 2016 ARTICLE THAT SAYS IT FROM CAPITAL METRO ITSELF.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, THAT BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR THAT RECOMMENDATION.
AND I HAVE SENT IN THE PAST, AND YOU MAY BE, I KNOW YOU'RE NEW TO THE COMMISSION, I CAN GO BACK TO THE ARCHIVES AND RESEND IT THE PREVIOUS BOARD CHAIR AND SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF MEMBER DELGADO AND I HAVE COMMUNICATED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, SO I CAN SEND YOU WHAT I ALREADY PRESENTED.
UM, BUT IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED AND A GENTLEMAN DIED ON FM 9 69 IN HIS WHEELCHAIR JUNE 26TH, 2023.
I, I WILL JUST LASTLY TELL YOU, BEING BLACK
BUT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN COLONY PARK, CRAIG WOOD, 2 37 BUS THAT GOES TO COMMUNITY FIRST VILLAGE, THEY CAN'T GO.
I MEAN, AND IF THEY DO, THEY HAVE TO UBER OR LYFT AT HOME, BECAUSE THE BUS STOPS ABOUT 10 O'CLOCK AND IT ONLY STOPS AT 10 BECAUSE I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION A WHILE BACK, AND THEN THEY EXTENDED IT FROM 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM TO ADD ABOUT TWO MORE HOURS TO THE ROUTE.
BUT IF YOU LIVE NORTH, SOUTH, SOUTHWESTERN, OR CENTRAL, THE BUSES, UH, STOP RUNNING NEAR MIDNIGHT.
SO YOU CAN ENJOY THE AMENITIES AND YOU CAN ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF DOWNTOWN.
BUT IF YOU'RE NORTHEAST, YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE IS DIMINISHED.
AND IT MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE SAMSUNG TO APPLE, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHY WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS THERE.
THERE ARE OVER 2000 UNITS, LITERALLY WITHIN TWO MILES OF SAMSUNG 1700 UNITS OVER ON, UH, TECH RIDGE BOULEVARD AND GER LANE, NO SHELTER, NOTHING.
BUT COUNCIL KEEPS PUTTING THE DENSITY THERE.
AND SO I HAVE RECOMMENDED, AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO RECOMMEND AS WELL, THAT THEY USE ONE OF THE LITTLE PICKUP SERVICE BUSES.
THOSE ARE CUTAWAY BUSES THAT COULD LITERALLY GO FROM MAINOR ALL THE WAY TO LEANDER, BECAUSE LEAN ANDER'S MAIL MAYOR HAS ACTUALLY TESTIFIED THAT THEY CAN'T GET TO APPLE EITHER.
IT'S A REGIONALLY SIGNIFICANT CORRIDOR, UM, WHICH WAS STATED BY CAMPO.
THERE'S A 425 ACRE DEVELOPMENT EAST VILLAGE, WHICH WILL BE BUILT ACROSS FROM SAMSUNG.
AND SO FOR ALL THE DENSITY TALK THAT YOU HEAR, YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF, WHY THEN IS THERE NO BUS, NO TRANSIT FOR ALL OF THAT DENSITY THERE WHEN THE CONSULTANT TOLD THEM, UH, RUSH CHISHOLM IN 2016, THAT SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST AUSTIN WAS NOT READY FOR THE TRANSIT.
BUT THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE NOW, AND THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.
I WANT TO, UM, COMMISSIONER, UM, BROWN, I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU FINISH WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
AGAIN, I WILL SAY THIS, UM, YOUR BREADTH OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE IS IMPRESSIVE.
UM, I WILL LOOK INTO WHAT OUR PROCESS IS TO PERHAPS GET YOU BACK.
I DO WANT YOU TO, IF YOU COULD RESEND WHAT YOU DID, COMMISSIONER DELGADO IS NOT HERE TODAY, AND I KNOW SHE IS A TRUE ADVOCATE YES.
AND, UH, SHE'S GONNA BE VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT SHE WASN'T HERE TO, UH, CO-SIGN ON WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE ARE SOMEWHAT OF A NEW COMMISSION.
AND, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AGAIN.
AND THEN ALSO I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH LEADERSHIP, UM, WITH MR. BLAKE TO FIND OUT HOW WE GO ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING INTO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING BECAUSE THAT IS SIGNIFICANT.
UH, COMMISSIONER HAHN GARCIA TOLIVER, WHAT? SAY YOU, YEAH, YOU WERE ON A SECOND AGO, THEN YOU TURNED YOURSELF OFF.
[00:20:01]
ON.FIRST, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING.
UM, I'M THE COMMISSIONER FOR THE NORTH AUSTIN AREA, AND I KNOW VERY WELL WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UH, ALL THE STREETS ARE REALLY HARD TO WALK ON THAT AREA.
THE PAYTON JUNE, ALL THROUGH ALL THE NORTH LAMAR TO ROMBERG TO THE BREAKER IS, UH, IS A TRAVESTY TO TO TO WALK ALL THE, ALL THE PLACES THERE.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO GET MORE INFORMATION.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN TALK WITH SOMEONE FROM CAPITAL CITY.
UH, THEY REMOVED SOME OF THE ROUTES.
UH, AND I I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE CHANGES, UH, THEY MADE IN THE LAST YEARS.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, UH, THE 2019, UH, SOME CHANGES THEY DID, UH, ON THAT YEAR.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF WE CAN GET SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHANGES AND YEAH, AS YOU SAY, WE NEED THE ROUTES.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THE BUSES IN THAT AREA.
UH, I SEE SOME BUSES HERE IN THE, IN THE DOWNTOWN.
THEY ARE M EMPTY, BUT I SEE SOME PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE BUS BECAUSE THEY FINISHED TO WORK.
UH, THE RESTAURANTS AT 10:00 PM 11, AND WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH ROUTES TO BRING US HOME.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I NEED, I THINK WE NEED TO PUT ATTENTION ON.
AND I, I WILL LOVE IF YOU CAN SEND ME THAT INFORMATION.
I DON'T RECALL SEEING, I'VE SEEN THAT INFORMATION BEFORE.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION AND WORK WITH YOU VERY CLOSELY, BECAUSE THAT'S MY AREA AND I, I, I REALLY WANT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO HELP THE COMMUNITY IN THAT AREA.
I WILL JUST POINT YOU TO, UH, THE GEORGIAN ACRES AREA.
THERE WAS ACTUALLY A MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION FOR THE TRANSIT DESERT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN.
SO THAT'S A SPECIFIC DEFINITIVE PLACE THAT YOU CAN LOOK TO SAY THAT IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT YOU MADE UP OR ANYBODY MADE UP IN ORDER FOR THEM TO GET THE GRANT MONIES, THEY ACTUALLY RECEIVED THOSE FUNDS ABOUT THE AFTER CAPITAL METRO, AND THE CITY GOT PROJECT CONNECT PASSED ON THE BALLOT.
BUT I WOULD JUST TELL YOU THAT MAYOR ADLER DID ADMIT THAT, UM, THAT THE BALLOT LANGUAGE COULD GO BEFORE, UM, THE COURTS, BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE SOMEBODY WHO WOULD SAY, HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, UH, OR WAIT A SECOND, I ONLY VOTED FOR THIS BASED ON THE REPRESENTATION THAT YOU GAVE TO ME.
AND SO HE WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE FACT THAT, UM, IF YOU LOOKED AT THE BALLOT LANGUAGE, IT SPECIFIED THAT IT WAS TO HELP THE UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES.
UM, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GET YOU TO WORK AND TO CHURCH AND, AND TO THOSE PLACES LIKE THAT.
BUT WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT LANGUAGE ON THE BALLOT WAS CONFLATED.
RIDERSHIP MEANS YOU'RE THINKING LIKE A BUSINESS AND YOU CHOOSE THE TARGET AUDIENCE YOU WANT TO SERVE.
AND COVERAGE IS LIFELINE ACCESS AND CAPITAL METRO RECEIVED A BRIEFING IN JULY 25TH, 2016 FROM JARED WALKER, WHO ACTUALLY DID THE SYSTEM RE-IMAGINING IN HOUSTON.
AND HE TOLD THEM THAT YOU DO NOT COMPARE THOSE TWO.
AND THEY ALSO GOT A BRIEFING FEBRUARY 10TH, 2016 FROM HOUSTON METRO.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TO TRICKING THE VOTERS INTO APPROVING PROJECT CONNECT, THEY THEN CONFLATED THE TWO.
SO WHEN YOU WENT TO THE BALLOT AND SAW THAT YOU WERE HELPING PEOPLE TO GET TO WORK AND TO SCHOOL AND CHURCH, THEN YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE DOING A GOOD THING WHEN IN FACT, UM, I WOULD JUST TELL YOU RESPECTFULLY, THE EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, IT LOOPS IN A NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, BUT I MENTIONED BEFORE, THAT'S T DOTS RIGHT AWAY.
THE CITY HAS NO CONTROL OVER THAT.
SO LOOPING IN NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER COOKS THE BOOKS IN A SENSE, BECAUSE THEN YOU CAN USE THE RIDERSHIP FROM THAT AREA WHEN THE BENEFIT IS NOT THERE.
SO THAT THE BUSES, YOU DON'T SEE THEM AT NORTHMORE TRANSIT CENTER ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY MOVED A MILE DOWN THE ROAD TO CRESTVIEW STATION.
BUT CRESTVIEW STATION, THE WHITE CHOICE RIDERS COMPLAINED, AND THEY DIDN'T WANT THE BUSES THERE, BUT CAPITOL METRO INSISTED ON LEAVING THE BUSES THERE.
AND SO IT INCONVENIENCES, UH, THE, THE TRANSIT DEPENDENT RIDERS TO CROSS IN THESE 20,000, 30,000 VEHICLES PER DAY IN THIS MASSIVE, UH, TRAFFIC.
AND THE LAST THING I'LL TELL YOU IS THERE'S A PILOT IN THE GEORGIAN ACRES AREA, UM, THAT ALSO WORKS SOMEWHAT LIKE PICKUP, BUT THE CONSULTANT RUSH CHISHOLM TOLD HIM, ANYTIME THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT AND TRANSFER, YOU HAVE TO BUILD IN MORE WAIT TIME, MORE TRAVEL TIME, AS OPPOSED TO A ONE SEAT RIDE.
UM, AND SO THAT'S THE THREE REALITY OF WHAT WE LIVE WITH.
AND SO OFTENTIMES, UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S GASLIGHTING, UH, WHERE OUR LIVED EXPERIENCES AREN'T ACTUALLY RECOGNIZED.
AND I WILL JUST TELL YOU THAT ANTHONY FOX, WHEN HE WAS A TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY, HE ACTUALLY CALLED IT DAD DECIDE ADVOCATE, DEFEND.
AND IT'S A MAXIM THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR DECADES.
AND SO THOSE CAME FROM THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION.
[00:25:01]
UM, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PLANNERS DO BEHIND THE SCENES, AND THEN THEY GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, COLLECT THE DATA, AND THEN SUBMIT IT TO THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION.SO IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE COMMISSION ACTUALLY ASK THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION TO DO A FIELD VISIT AS A RESULT, BECAUSE UNTIL THEY DO THAT, THEN IT'S EASY TO JUST SEND IN THE DOCUMENTATION.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE F Y 22 BUDGET, I THINK IT'S PAGE ONE 90 OR SO, ACTUALLY HAS CAP REMAP MADE ROUTES MORE FREQUENT, MORE RELIABLE AND BETTER CONNECTED.
SO THAT INFORMATION IS DOCUMENTED AS THOUGH THE SYSTEM WORKS WELL HERE WHEN IN FACT, IT DOES NOT WORK WELL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN NORTHEAST.
AND I WALKED WITH A LADY WHO ACTUALLY WALKED A MILE YESTERDAY, AND WE'VE WALKED THAT JOURNEY IN THE RAIN AS WELL.
UM, COMMISSIONER GARCIA, I'M GOING TO, UM, TRULY ENCOURAGE YOU, IF YOU COULD TAKE LEADERSHIP WITH FOLLOWING UP WITH THIS.
UM, IT IMPACTS YOUR GROUP SPECIFICALLY, IT IMPACTS ALL OF OUR FAMILIES, UM, THAT ARE IN NEED OF THIS ASSISTANCE.
BUT SINCE THAT IS YOUR AREA, UM, AND YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY, UM, I'M GONNA BE LEANING ON YOU A LITTLE BIT TO, UH, REALLY, WE, WE NEED TO LOOK INTO THIS.
COMMISSIONER HAHN, COMMISSIONER HAN'S FINE.
COMMISSIONER TOLLER FINE FROM THE, UH, S ON THE ON SCREEN.
COMMISSIONER LONGORIA? YEAH, YOU'RE GOOD.
UM, HOW ABOUT YOU, COMMISSIONER? I DO, YEAH, I WAS JUST, I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE MM-HMM.
I CANNOT COMMENT ON CAP METRO BECAUSE, UH, AS AN EMPLOYEE, UM, I DON'T WANNA BE BIASED.
I WANNA KEEP, UH, REMAIN OPEN.
UM, BUT I KNOW SOME OF THE AREA THAT, UH, MS. JOSEPH HAS TALKED ABOUT, UM, ALSO AFFECTS, UM, THE REGIONAL PLAN.
AND SO IF YOU COULD ADD TO YOUR SCOPE, THE, THE REGIONAL, UM, SCOPE THAT HAVE ON THE, OUR COUNTY HAS ON THE TRANSPORTATION, AS WELL AS THE SAFETY AND THE SIDEWALKS, UM, THAT MS. JOSEPH SPOKE ABOUT.
I THINK THAT'S, UH, UM, ALSO A HUGE PART THAT IF WE COULD HAVE, UH, MORE DISCUSSION AND MORE RESEARCH ON, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT AS WELL.
UM, SO, AND THANK YOU MS. JOSEPH FOR SHARING YOUR, UM, LIVED EXPERIENCE WITH US.
UH, AND TO YOUR REGIONAL POINT, I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A POINT OF REFERENCE.
UH, IN 2014, THERE'S A PROJECT CONNECT, UH, NORTH CORRIDOR STUDY, AND IT ACTUALLY TELLS YOU ABOUT THE GROWTH AND THAT THE GROWTH WOULD BE IN THE NORTH CORRIDOR, UH, AT LEAST 58% OF THE JOBS BY 2035.
AND SO WHEN YOU SEE ALL OF THAT GROWTH, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE DENSITY THAT'S ACTUALLY COMING TO FRUITION NOW, IT JUST JUSTIFIES WHY THERE NEEDS TO BE TRANSPORTATION AS OPPOSED TO SIMPLY TRYING TO SERVE WHITE CHOICE RIDERS IN WEST AUSTIN THAT ARE NOT GETTING OUT OF THEIR CARS TO RIDE THE BUS.
UM, I KNEW THAT YOU, UH, DO HAVE, UM, A A BROAD RANGE OF KNOWLEDGE IN THIS AREA, UM, AND DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU IN A CONFLICT OF INTEREST TYPE SITUATION, BUT, UH, I REALLY WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO WORK WITH COMMISSIONER GARCIA, UM, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING WORKS, FOR THE MOST PART FOR EVERYONE.
AND I'M NOT LOOKING TO CUT OFF ANY, ANYBODY TO, FOR ANYTHING.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF WE ARE NOT SERVING THOSE WHO WE ARE DESIGNED TO SERVE, THAT'S OUR PRIORITY.
WE REALLY HAVE TO DO WHAT OUR, IS OUR MANDATE, AND THAT'S OUR PRIORITY.
AND SO WE DO NEED TO LOOK INTO IT.
SO I'M, UM, ASKING IF COMMISSIONER ORTIZ AND COMMISSIONER GARCIA CAN WORK TOGETHER IN SOME WAY.
I WILL TALK TO STAFF TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO IF WE NEED TO COM CREATE OUR OWN LITTLE COMMISSION.
I MEAN, A LITTLE COMMITTEE, UH, REGARDING THAT.
BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I DO WANT TO LOOK INTO MS. JOSEPH.
AGAIN, I AM MAKING NO PROMISES.
THE ONLY PROMISE I WILL MAKE IS THAT WE WILL LOOK INTO IT.
IT, AND THE ONE THING I DO WANNA SAY TO YOU IS, THANK YOU FOR COMING.
I UNDERSTAND IT TAKES A WHILE.
I TESTIFIED IN 2014, ONCE 2015, IT TOOK THREE YEARS TO GET A LIGHT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD NEXT TO THE NATURE TRAIL.
SO I'M IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL BECAUSE I THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY WHO'VE
[00:30:01]
BEEN HIT.AND I WILL LASTLY JUST TELL YOU THAT HISTORY.COM, UH, THE HISTORY CHANNEL HAS SOME ARTICLES THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT, AND I WILL SEND YOU THOSE LINKS AS WELL.
THOSE ARE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE 1956 EISENHOWER PLAN AS IT RELATED TO, UM, BUILDING OUR, IN OUR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, AND HOW THEY CAN EITHER CONNECT OR THEY CAN SERVE AS CONCRETE BARRIERS, AND THEY CAN BE, YOU KNOW, CIRCULAR WHERE THEY ACTUALLY EXCLUDE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S WHAT US 180 3 DOES NOW WITH COLONY PARK, CRAIG WOOD, AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE AT, UH, COMMUNITY FIRST VILLAGE, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE, UH, SUPPOSED TO SERVE.
BUT I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE SO EXTENSIVE.
AND PLEASE DO NOT BE A STRANGER, UM, TO THE COMMISSION BECAUSE, UM, UH, I'M IMPRESSED WITH YOUR KNOWLEDGE FROM THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD.
AND, UH, I'M AN EDUCATOR AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, I WAS IMPRESSED.
IT'S LIKE, DAMN, I CAN'T EVEN KEEP UP.
UH, I GUESS I SHOULD SAY DARN.
THAT BEING SAID, LET ME LET YOU GO CUZ I'M ABOUT TO, UH, UH, CROSS OVER INTO TOO MUCH, SO THAT, THAT'S OKAY.
THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU, UM, MISS, UH, JOSEPH FOR BEING HERE.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, COMING, UM, AND OPENING OUR EYES.
AND I'LL FOLLOW UP AND GLAD TO WORK WITH YOU, PLEASE.
THAT IS, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER PUBLIC, UM, COMMUNICATION? UM, I ONLY HAD MS. JOSEPH ON RECORD.
DO I HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, MR. BLAKE? THAT WAS IT.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
AND GOING DOWN OUR AGENDA, THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE JUNE MEETING.UM, THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN LOOKING AT IT.
COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE JUNE MEETING MINUTES? COMMISSIONER SSOS FIRST NAME IS MISSPELLED.
OTHER THAN THAT, THEY LOOK OKAY.
WE DO HAVE, UM, UH, MISSPELLING ON CYNTHIA.
AND THANK YOU FOR CATCHING THAT COMMISSIONER HARM.
ANY OTHER CORRECTIONS? I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REALLY LOOK AT IT.
ANY OTHER CORRECTIONS COMMISSIONERS? ALL RIGHT.
DO I HEAR A MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT THE MINUTES WITH THE CORRECTION OF, UM, COMMISSIONER JOSE'S, UM, FIRST NAME TYPO.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER CORRECTIONS? DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT OR TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOTION TO ACCEPT.
COMMISSIONER HAHN HAS MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
I SECOND AND COMMISSIONER BROWN HAS SECONDED THE MOTION.
RAISE YOUR HAND SO I CAN SEE IT.
THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED WITH THE ADJUSTMENTS.
WE HAVE BRIEFINGS, UM, FIRST BRIEFING.
WE WILL HAVE ALL OF OUR BRIEFINGS TODAY, JUST SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS ARE IN FACT, BRIEFINGS.
WE DO HAVE AN INDICATION THAT ONE OF THEM, UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE, MIGHT HAVE A DISCUSSION THAT IS NOT CORRECT.
AND SO JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT ALL OF OUR, UH, ITEMS TODAY ARE IN FACT BRIEFINGS.
UM, MR. BLAKE, DID YOU WANT TO, UM, SHARE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THAT? AND YOU COVERED IT.
[2. Presentation on the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) (Angel Zambrano, Neighborhood Services Unit, Austin Public Health)]
UM, THE PRESENTATION OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT.WHERE IS ANGEL? IS ANGEL HERE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES? HE'S SUCH THERE HE IS.
I WAS ACTUALLY EYEBALLING THE SCREEN.
I WAS LIKE, WHERE IS HE? PERFECT.
WELL, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
ANO FROM THE NEIGHBOR SERVICES UNIT HERE TO DO MY MONTHLY BRIEFING.
THAT WAS A GREAT START TO THE MEETING, SO I'M GLAD I WAS HERE TO HEAR THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO LET START FOR THE NEW COMMISSIONERS.
WE'RE THE NEWISH COMMISSIONERS.
I'LL KIND OF GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL.
UH, TODAY, UM, THE COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT FUNDS THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME TEXANS IN ALL 254 COUNTIES.
UH, WE ARE ONE OF THOSE COMMISSIONS HERE.
UM, ONE OF THOSE SERVICE PROVIDERS HERE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN UNDER AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
OUR MISSION IS, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES UNIT IMPROVES THE LICENSE HEALTH OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING POVERTY
[00:35:01]
BY PROVIDING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES, AND CONNECTING RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES.WE DO THAT THROUGH PROVIDING BASIC NEEDS, PREVENTIVE HEALTH CASE MANAGEMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT SUPPORT SERVICES THROUGH A VARIETY OF, UM, EVENTS.
IF YOU GO TO THE BOTTOM OF PAGE ONE, YOU'LL SEE OUR, UH, EXPENDITURES TO DATE FOR THIS 2023 CONTRACT.
UH, WE JUST GOT NEWS FROM T D H C A, THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, WHICH, UH, PROVIDES THIS, UH, MONIES TO US, UH, THAT OUR FULL CONTRACT WILL BE $1,129,404.
SO THAT'S, UM, WHAT WE USUALLY GET IN A YEAR, AND WE KIND OF LEVERAGE THAT WITH THE CITY TO PROVIDE EVEN MORE SERVICES TO, UH, OUR COMMUNITY.
CAN HE DO IT FOR ME? IT'S NOT, NOPE.
PAGE TWO, A LITTLE BIT MORE OF, UH, THE DATA.
UM, WE HAVE SO FAR THIS YEAR, ASSISTED 234 HOUSEHOLDS AVOID EVICTION WITH SOME OF THESE, UH, FUNDS AND STAFF.
UH, WANTED TO POINT OUT, UH, THE OUTCOME.
FIVE D WE DO CAR SEAT EVENTS AS WELL IN COLLABORATION WITH SAFE KIDS, UM, TO PROVIDE CAR SEATS TO FAMILIES THAT CANNOT AFFORD THEM.
UM, OUR FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS ARE VERY POPULAR ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY.
TO DATE, WE'VE, UH, SERVED OVER 30,000 FOLKS, UH, WITH THAT, UH, NEED.
WE PARTNER WITH THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK FOR THAT.
WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH FARM SHARE AS WELL NOW, UH, TO PROVIDE ORGANIC AND LOW COST, UM, VEGETABLES AND FRUITS TO FOLKS.
EVERY OTHER PROGRAM WE HAVE IS FREE OF CHARGE.
UM, POST COVID, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS COMING BACK, SO I'D LIKE TO POINT THAT OUT TO 693 HOURS OF VOLUNTEERS, UH, THAT REALLY HELPS US PROVIDE SERVICES EFFICIENTLY AND, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE HEAT, WE'D LIKE TO GET PEOPLE IN AND OUT AND KEEP THEM SAFE.
THE BOTTOM OF PAGE TWO HAS OUR KIND OF GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WE DO.
AGAIN, WE PROVIDE BASIC NEEDS SERVICES, FOOD HELP, EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE IN COLLABORATION WITH CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF CENTRAL TEXAS, UH, UTILITY ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE PLUS ONE PROGRAM.
SELF-SUFFICIENCY, CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES THROUGH OUR SOCIAL WORKERS AT EACH OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS.
UH, BUS PASSES, HEALTH SCREENINGS, INFORMATION AND REFERRALS, AND SOME SEASONAL SERVICES LIKE TAX HELP.
VERY POPULAR SERVICE RIGHT NOW IN COLLABORATION WITH FAMILY ELDER CARE.
SOME MORE PROGRAMMATIC ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES.
I'LL JUST FOCUS ON A COUPLE TODAY.
NUMBER THREE, THEY'RE SINGLE AUDITS.
AS THE CHAIR SAID, WE ARE A BUREAUCRACY.
SO WE DO HAVE THE SINGLE AUDIT COME EVERY YEAR AND, UH, RANDOMLY SELECT FILES AND KIND OF LOOK THROUGH THEM, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.
WE CAN KIND OF SHOW OFF THAT WE DO THE WORK THAT WE DO AND THE WAY THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DONE.
UM, DELOITTE AUDITED OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE NSU RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
25 CLIENT FILES WERE, UH, AUDITED FOR THAT.
NUMBER FOUR, OUR HOME DELIVERY PROGRAM CONTINUES TO GO STRONG.
THAT'S A REALLY INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION WITH, UM, THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK AND AMAZON.
SO FOR THE NEWER COMMISSIONERS, UH, WE STARTED THAT PROGRAM JUNE OF 22.
AND WE'VE GONE FROM LIKE, JUST DOING MAYBE 50 DELIVERIES A WEEK TO, AS YOU CAN TELL HERE, IN, UM, MAY, 2000 319 HOUSEHOLDS.
AT THE TOTAL, ALMOST 7,000 INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED FREE THE BOXES DELIVERED FREE OF CHARGE TO THEIR HOME.
AND THAT PROGRAM IS OUT OF THE, UH, ROSE ROSA NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER ON WEAVERVILLE.
AND THEN NUMBER SEVEN, LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT OUR PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING SERVICES, AGAIN, FOR THE NEWER COMMISSION.
JUST REMINDING THEM THAT AT C JUST HAPPENED VERY RECENTLY.
OUR NURSES WERE, UH, REASSIGNED FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS, UH, TO THE COVID RESPONSE.
SO THEY WERE REALLY INVOLVED WITH THE VACCINATION EFFORTS, EDUCATION, ALL OF THAT CRAZINESS BACK IN 2020 TO 2023.
THEY'RE BACK NOW AND THEY'VE KIND OF STARTED THEIR PROGRAMMING AGAIN.
UM, SO AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, UH, THEY PROVIDED 1,114 SERVICES AND QUARTER THREE OF THIS FISCAL YEAR AT OUTREACH EVENTS.
THOSE INCLUDE, UH, BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS, BLOOD SUGAR SCREENINGS, CHOLESTEROL HEALTH EDUCATION, A1C SCREENINGS, UH, PREGNANCY TESTS, AND JUST GENERAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES.
THEY TRY TO REALLY EMPOWER OUR CLIENTS TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR OWN HEALTH AND THEIR OWN LIVES THROUGH EDUCATION AND THESE BASIC SCREENINGS.
[00:40:01]
REFER THEM OR HOOK THEM UP TO A MEDICAL HOME IF THEY NEED IT, OR BACK TO THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER.ALL OF THESE SERVICES ARE FREE OF CHARGE AS WELL.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO INCORPORATE SOME SUCCESS STORIES MOVING FORWARD, CUZ WE DO HAVE THOSE, IT'LL GIVE YOU MORE OF A PERSONALIZED, YOU KNOW, VIEW OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE DO.
IF YOU HEAR ABOUT THE ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM WHAT WE DO, WHETHER IT'S AVOIDING EVICTION, GETTING THEIR DIABETES UNDER CONTROL, UM, GETTING A JOB AND BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT EMPLOYMENT AND, UH, HOPEFULLY, UH, MOVE OUT OF POVERTY.
AND THAT, THAT'S MY BRIEF BRIEFING TODAY.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL TAKE THEM.
THANK YOU MR. ANGEL SAMRAN, UM, COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANGEL? YEAH, JUST REAL QUICK, UM, WHERE DO COMMUNITY MEMBERS FIND THIS INFORMATION OR GET ACCESS TO THESE RESOURCES? IT ON THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WEBSITE? UH, YES SIR.
UH, IT'S ON THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WEBSITE.
OR YOU CAN GO TO CITY OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES UNIT.
WE HAVE OUR OWN WEBPAGE THAT HAS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THESE SERVICES, PHONE NUMBERS, UH, SOME OF OUR FLYERS.
I CAN ALSO SEND THEM TO YOU ALL AS WELL THROUGH THE DC EMAIL.
UH, MAYBE OUR MAIN FLYER AND SOME OF OUR OTHER, UH, SEASONAL SERVICES THAT WE'RE DOING NOW, OR FOOD EVENTS.
SO I'LL DO THAT AFTER THIS MEETING.
DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS YOU ARE PROVIDING? THE, THE SERVICE? YES.
I CAN SEND THAT TO YOU AS WELL.
YEAH, WE HAVE THE SOUTH AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER, ROSA OSA NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER, ST.
BRAND NEW COLLABORATION WITH PAR.
SO WE'RE IN THE SAME BUILDING OVER ON, ON TOPS.
AND, UM, AM I MISSING ONE? BLACKLAND NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER? MM-HMM.
SO, UH, AND THERE'LL BE A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF AT DOVE SPRINGS.
SO COMMISSIONERS ON THE ONLINE DESK.
UM, BEFORE WE LET ANGEL GO, MR. BLAKE, UM, BOOKMARK, UH, LIKE A, A FOLDER, I WOULD, I'M THINKING, I'M, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO HAVE A, A, A COMMUNITY DEVELOP A CDC FOLDER THAT HAS THIS VARIOUS INFORMATION SO THAT WHEN WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR NEIGHBORS AND CONSTITUENTS, WE CAN IMMEDIATELY GO TO ONE SOURCE THAT HAS SOME OF OUR REGULAR INFORMATION.
WE'LL LOOK MORE INTO THAT GOING FORWARD, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH ON HILL.
[3. Briefing and discussion on HACA’S redevelopment progress at Chalmers West and Rosewood, and share plans for redevelopment at Santa Rita from the Housing Authority City of Austin (Sylvia Blanco Housing Authority City of Austin)]
WE HAVE A BRIEFING FROM A HAKA, OUR REDEVELOPMENT, UM, WITH THE CHARM CHARMS, CHAR CHARLES MERS.THANK YOU, UH, WEST AND THE ROSEWOOD.
YOU'RE GONNA SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
I'M THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION, UH, TO PROVIDE YOU, UH, A SHORT BRIEFING THIS EVENING ON A COUPLE OF OUR REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
AND, UM, WE'VE, I'VE GOT A BRIEF SLIDE DECK FOR YOU TO KIND OF RUN YOU THROUGH A FEW.
UM, SO JUST A QUICK BACKGROUND ABOUT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
WE WERE ESTABLISHED BACK IN 1937 UNDER THE US HOUSING ACT OF 1937.
AND, UM, WE, WE LIKE TO SHARE BRAGGING RIGHTS THAT, UH, WE WERE THE FIRST TO BE FORMED.
UM, AND THIS WAS CHAMPIONED BY THEN CONGRESSMAN LYNDON JOHNSON.
AND, UH, HE MADE SURE THAT IT WAS READ IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, SO THAT AUSTIN WAS NAMED FIRST BEFORE NEW YORK AND, AND, UH, NEW ORLEANS.
AND, AND SO WE, WE DO HAVE A, A LONG HISTORY AND LEGACY HERE IN, IN, UM, THE AUSTIN AREA.
UH, BUT WANTED TO TOUCH ON, UM, PRIMARILY THE, THE THREE OLDEST PROPERTIES THAT, THAT WE, UH, DEVELOPED BACK IN, IN THE LATE 1930S.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, UH, THESE PROPERTIES WERE, UH, DEFINITELY OVERDUE FOR, FOR IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, THESE WERE PROPERTIES THAT WERE BUILT WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING.
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE, ESPECIALLY IN, IN, UH, TODAY'S HEAT
[00:45:01]
THAT IS JUST A, A DIRE NEED, A DIRE NEED.AND, AND SO, UH, WE, WE KNEW IT WAS, UM, OVERDUE TO MAKE SOME, SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS.
AND SO, UH, IF YOU CAN MAYBE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND THIS GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A SNAPSHOT OF, OF OUR HISTORY HERE.
UH, THIS HAS THE, THE THREE HISTORIC PROPERTIES AT THE TOP THERE, SANITA COURTS, AND IN THE MIDDLE ROSEWOOD COURTS AND CHALMERS COURTS.
UH, THESE WERE ALL BUILT AROUND THE SAME TIME, BUT ACTUALLY SANITA HAS THE, UH, DISTINCTION OF HAVING THE FIRST FAMILIES MOVE INTO, UH, PUBLIC HOUSING UNDER THE US HOUSING ACT.
AND SO, UM, WE HAVE A RICH LEGACY, A WONDERFUL, UH, HISTORY THAT, THAT WE WANT TO PRESERVE AND, AND TELL THE STORIES ABOUT, UH, THE FAMILIES WHO, WHO HAVE CALLED, UH, THESE, THESE PROPERTIES HOME.
AND SO, AS PART OF THAT EFFORT, WE HAVE, UH, MADE SOME, SOME WAYS TO, TO PRESERVE THAT HISTORY.
AND, AND THE FIRST ONE THAT WE, UH, EMBARKED ON WAS CHALMERS COURTS.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE HERE, UH, WELL, OF COURSE THIS GIVES YOU A SNAPSHOT OF THESE PROPERTIES TODAY.
SO AT THE TOP SANTA RITA COURTS, UH, AND THEN IN THE MIDDLE ROSEWOOD COURTS, WHICH IS ACTUALLY ACTIVELY, UH, UNDER, UNDER REDEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN CHALMERS COURTS, WHICH, UH, HAS GONE THROUGH A A THREE PHASE, UM, REDEVELOPMENT EFFORT.
AND, UH, WE'RE VERY EXCITED THAT WE ARE FINALLY FINISHING UP THAT, THAT THIRD AND FINAL PHASE.
UH, WE HAVE, WE HAD 156 UNITS AT CHALMERS COURTS, AND EXCITED TO, TO SHARE THAT.
WE HAVE ALMOST DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF UNITS AT CHALMERS, UH, THROUGH THOSE THREE PHASES.
AND IF YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, YOU CAN SEE THOSE THREE SORT OF, UM, EN ENTAILED HERE.
WE STARTED AT, UH, CHALMERS SOUTH, WHICH CREATED 86 UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, AT THE UPPER RIGHT THAT'S, UH, CHALMERS COURTS EAST, WHERE WE HAVE 156, UM, AFFORDABLE UNITS.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE HAVE CHALMERS WEST ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, WHICH, UH, WE ARE HOPEFULLY GOING TO BE, UH, OPENING TO THE PUBLIC, UM, BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR FOR SURE.
AND THIS HAS A RICH ARRAY OF, OF SERVICES AND PROGRAMS FOR, FOR THE FAMILIES THAT WE SERVE.
UH, WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS.
WE HAVE AN ONSITE CLUB THERE FOR, FOR OUR FAMILIES.
UH, WE PARTNER WITH COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE AFTERSCHOOL TUTORING.
AND WE ALSO PARTNER WITH, UH, GOOD GOODWILL AND, UH, THE AUSTIN AREA URBAN LEAGUE TO PROVIDE, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. WE HAVE ONSITE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS WHO HELP CONNECT OUR FAMILIES TO A MEDICAL HOME.
AND, UH, AN EXCITING ASPECT OF THAT.
AND I BELIEVE YOU CAN PROBABLY SEE THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE HERE.
UM, SO THIS GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A SNAPSHOT OF EACH OF THESE PHASES.
AND SO ON THE, UM, THE, THE UPPER LEFT HAND, LEFT HAND CORNER, THAT'S CHALMERS COURT SOUTH, WHICH WAS THE FIRST PHASE, AND THEN THE UPPER RIGHT, THAT IS CHALMERS COURTS EAST.
AND THEN ON THE, UH, LOWER LEFT, THAT IS THE UPCOMING CHALMERS COURTS WEST THAT, UH, WE WILL BE OPENING UP VERY, VERY SOON LATER THIS YEAR.
ANOTHER 156 UNITS COMING ONLINE.
AND THEN ON THAT BOTTOM RIGHT, THAT'S A RENDERING THERE OF A BRAND NEW COMMUNITY CARE CLINIC THAT ACTUALLY IS HOUSED IN TWO OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDINGS AT CHALMERS COURT.
SO THEY, WE HAVE, UH, HAD THEM REPURPOSED AS A MEDICAL AND DENTAL CLINIC THAT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, AND WE WILL BE, ACTUALLY, THERE'S A GRANT OPENING THAT IS TAKING PLACE, UH, I BELIEVE APRIL 11TH.
SO, UH, MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND BE HAP I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE AN INVITATION WITH ALL OF YOU.
AND THAT IS GOING TO BE, AGAIN, UM, THAT'S A, A PARTNERSHIP THROUGH COMMUNITY CARE AND CENTRAL HEALTH, AND LITERALLY A STONE'S THROW FROM, FROM OUR, OUR FAMILY'S APARTMENTS.
AND SO THIS IS LITERALLY AT, AT THEIR BACK, AT THEIR BACK, UH, DOOR.
SO THEY WILL HAVE A MEDICAL HOME RIGHT THERE ON SITE FOR, FOR MEDICAL CARE, UH, PREVENTIVE CARE, YOU KNOW, WELL CHECKS AS WELL AS, AS DENTAL CARE.
UH, SO NOT ONLY, OF COURSE AVAILABLE FOR OUR CHALMERS FAMILIES, BUT ALSO FOR THE SURROUNDING, FOR THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO A GREAT ASSET TO HAVE RIGHT THERE, UM, ONSITE FOR OUR FAMILIES.
[00:50:01]
MAYBE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.SO, PATHWAYS AT ROSEWOOD COURTS.
AND THIS, THIS PROPERTY IS LOCATED, UM, ON THE CORNER OF CHICO AND ROSEWOOD AVENUE.
AGAIN, ANOTHER ONE OF OUR, OUR HISTORIC PROPERTIES BUILT BACK IN 1939.
SAME ISSUES WITH, UH, ANTIQUATED BUILDING SYSTEMS, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, NO AC.
AND, AND SO AGAIN, IT, IT WAS, IT WAS TIME, IT WAS OVERDUE FOR, FOR A COMPLETE, UM, OVERHAUL.
AND SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE, UH, SHOWS THE, THE, UH, SITE PLAN OF ALL OF THE, THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF, OF THE NEW ROSEWOOD COURTS.
AND IF ANYONE HAS DRIVEN BY, YOU CAN SEE THAT ONE IS AN ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION SITE.
UM, AND IT ALSO HAS A VERY ROBUST HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMPONENT BECAUSE AGAIN, WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT WE TOLD THE STORY OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ROSEVILLE COURTS AND THE LEGACY OF, UH, EMANCIPATION PARK.
IT HAS THE ORIGINAL EMANCIPATION PARK, UM, THAT WAS OWNED BY, BY, UH, FREED AFRICAN-AMERICAN SLAVES OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO THAT LAND WAS TAKEN BY EMINENT DOMAIN DOMAIN BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO BUILD ROSEWOOD COURTS BACK IN 1939.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S NO STORYTELLING THERE.
THERE'S NO, UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORIC MARKERS.
THERE'S NO KIOSK, THERE'S NOTHING THAT REALLY TELLS THAT SIGN SIGNIFICANT STORY.
AND IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO CAP, EXCUSE ME, TO CAPTURE THAT, THAT INFORMATION IN A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY.
AND SO WHAT WE ARE, UH, GOING TO BE DOING IS, UM, ALONG THE, THE LEFT HAND SIDE, THERE ARE EIGHT BUILDINGS, EIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDINGS OF ROSEWOOD COURTS THAT WE ARE FULLY RESTORING.
AND SO FROM THE OUTSIDE, IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE RESTORED TO 1939 ERA, UH, CONSTRUCTION.
SO WE'RE REMOVING THE, THE PITCH ROOFS THAT HAD BEEN ADDED OVER THE YEARS.
UH, WE ALSO HOPE TO REMOVE THE LAYERS OF PAINT THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED OVER THE YEARS, UM, ADDING, UH, THE CASEMENT STYLE WINDOWS THAT HARKEN BACK TO THE 1939 CONSTRUCTION, BUT FROM THE INSIDE, THEY'RE GOING TO BE FULLY MODERNIZED.
AND SO WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THE INSIDE OF THE UNITS WERE GOING TO BE WITH ALL NEW KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, SPACES, UM, LIVING, UH, SPACES.
THE, THE EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE, UM, MUCH MORE ACCESSIBLE AND, AND VISIBLE.
AND SO ALL OF THE FEATURES THAT ARE GOING TO BE IN THE PRESERVED UNITS WILL BE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN THE NEW CONSTRUCTION.
AND SO WE ARE GOING FROM 124 UNITS THAT WERE THERE, UH, PREVIOUSLY, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ADDING, UM, SOME DENSITY AND GOING UP TO 184 UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND SO WE ARE AGAIN, VERY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO ADD MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, UH, THERE'S A DIRE NEED FOR, FOR DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND SO, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE, UH, WITH THE PRESERVATION BUILDINGS, WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE BUILDING, UM, THREE, THREE MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS, UH, IN, IN, IN THE BLUE BLOCKS THAT YOU SEE THERE UP AT THE TOP AND, AND TOWARDS THE CENTER OF, OF THE SITE PLAN.
YOU SEE, UM, THOSE ARE GOING, GOING TO BE THE, UM, THREE MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS THAT'LL, THAT WILL HAVE, AGAIN, FULLY ACCESSIBLE FEATURES.
THERE, THERE WILL BE ELEVATORS IN, IN THE UNITS TO ENSURE THAT, UH, PERSONS WITH MOBILITY ISSUES HAVE, HAVE ACCESS TO, TO THOSE UNITS MUCH MORE SPACIOUS CENTRAL AIR.
AND, AND THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING DEFINITELY CENTRAL AIR, CENTRAL HEAT'S, IT'S GOING TO HAVE ESSENTIALLY THOSE MODERN AMENITIES THAT MOST OF US TAKE FOR GRANTED.
I MEAN A DISHWASHER, MICROWAVE, UM, WASHER DRYER CONNECTIONS, CEILING FANS.
SO A LOT OF THOSE AMENITIES THAT JUST WERE NOT AROUND BACK IN 1939.
THE OTHER EXCITING COMPONENT, AND IT'S AT THE, THE UPPER LEFT PORTION OF THE SITE PLAN IS GOING TO BE SOME DEDICATED GREEN SPACE THAT WILL BE ESSENTIALLY COMMEMORATIVE SPACE, UM, IN HONOR OF THE ORIGINAL EMANCIPATION PARK THAT THAT WAS LOCATED ON THE SITE.
AND JUST TO THE RIGHT, YOU SEE THOSE BRIGHT ORANGE, UH, BLOCKS THERE, THAT IS GOING TO BE THE AMENITY SPACE.
SO IT'S, IT'LL HAVE A FITNESS CENTER, IT WILL HAVE, UH, COMPUTER LABS, UH, CLASSROOMS FOR, FOR THE RESIDENTS AND, AND WILL ALSO HAVE DEDICATED SPACE, A WELCOME CENTER THAT WILL HELP TO ALSO ELEVATE THE STORY OF, OF, UM, EAST
[00:55:01]
AUSTIN, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY OF, OF THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND ALSO BE ACTIVATED BY A NONPROFIT PARTNER, E FOUR YOUTH.YOU, YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THEM.
UM, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM AND ORGANIZATION THAT IS, UH, FOUNDED BY CARL SETTLES, AND HE WORKS WITH, WITH YOUTH IN, IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, AND THROUGH, THROUGH COLLEGE, UH, TO CONNECT THEM WITH, UM, DIGITAL LITERACY AND, AND MULTIMEDIA TYPE OF EDUCATION.
THEY, THEY DO A LOT OF STORYTELLING THROUGH DIGITAL TOOLS.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT PARTNERSHIP AND, AND HAVING THAT ORGANIZATION ACTIVATE THAT SPACE FOR US TOWARDS THE, UH, RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THAT, OF THAT SITE PLAN.
YOU SEE SOME, UM, ORANGE BLOCKS.
AND THAT REPRESENTS, UM, AN ANOTHER, UH, REALLY EXCITING COMPONENT OF THIS PLAN, AND THAT IS AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP.
AND SO WE ARE PARTNERING WITH AUSTIN HABITAT FOR HUMANITY TO CREATE 12, UH, SINGLE FAMILY TOWNHOMES.
AND THESE ARE GOING TO BE PRIORITIZED, UH, FOR OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY FAMILIES WHO ARE READY FOR THAT NEXT STEP OF HOME OWNERSHIP.
AND, UM, AND SO THEY ARE GOING TO BE AFFORDABLE.
UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THREE BEDROOM, TWO BATH AND, AND FOUR BEDROOM FOR UNDER $200,000 BRAND NEW.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BRINGING THAT COMPONENT TO OUR FAMILIES.
UM, AND LET'S SEE, AGAIN, 184 UNITS OF, OF DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOME, UH, MULTIFAMILY PLUS THE 12, UH, HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS FOR, FOR, UH, THE FAMILIES OF, OF, OF EAST AUSTIN.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE PARKING RIGHT NOW.
UM, PREVIOUSLY THERE WERE, THERE WERE ONLY 26 PARKING SPOTS FOR 124 FAMILIES, SO YOU CAN IMAGINE IT WAS, IT WAS QUITE, QUITE CHALLENGING.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, UM, A BIT MORE PARKING FOR, FOR THEM TO, TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY PARK ON, ON SITE.
AND THIS IS ALSO GOING TO BE, UM, A, A VERY WALKABLE AND, AND, AND VISIBLE SITE.
IT'S GOT SOME GREAT PUBLIC TRANSIT, RIGHT, RIGHT ALONG ROSEWOOD AVENUE AND, AND CHICON STREET.
AND WE'RE ALSO PARTNERING WITH, UH, PARKS AND RECS TO, UM, HAVE SOME MORE WALKING TRAILS, UH, WITHIN, WITHIN THE SITE THAT'S GOING TO CONNECT WITH THE, UM, POQUITO TRAILS.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND THIS GIVES YOU SOME, UM, IDEA THROUGH THE RENDERINGS OF WHAT THE, UM, THE, THE NEW BUILDINGS AND THE RENOVATED BUILDINGS WILL LOOK LIKE.
UH, SO YOU SEE HOW THE TOP LEFT THAT SHOWS THE, UH, VANTAGE POINT FROM THE, THAT WELCOME CENTER AND THE GREEN SPACE THAT, THAT I MENTIONED, UM, ON THE UPPER RIGHT HAND SIDE THAT SHOWS, UM, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE RESTORED BUILDINGS RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO ONE OF THE, UM, NEW CONSTRUCTION BUILDINGS.
AND, AND SO THAT SHOWS, IT, IT WAS, WE WERE VERY INTENTIONAL TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE NEW CONSTRUCTION DIDN'T COMPETE WITH THE, THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE, UM, THE COLOR OF THE BRICK IS, IS COMPLIMENTING THE, UH, THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS.
AND, AND SO THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
A LOT OF, UM, HERITAGE TREES THAT WE, WE ARE PRESERVING AND, UH, ALSO MAKING THE, THE SITE MUCH EASIER TO, TO TRAVERSE.
UM, IF ANYONE'S BEEN TO ROSEWOOD COURTS, THERE IS ABOUT A 40 FOOT INCLINE DIFFERENCE FROM ONE SIDE OF THE PROPERTY TO THE OTHER.
AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS MUCH MORE WALKABLE.
AND, UH, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN ON THE BOTTOM, YOU SEE A RENDERING OF THE UPCOMING HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS.
UM, AND THAT WILL BE A COMMUNITY BY THE NAME OF PROSPECT HEIGHTS.
OH, YOU SAID THIS WAS WORKING, BUT, SO, UH, WELL, I BELIEVE YOU DO HAVE THE HANDOUTS.
BEFORE YOU, SO I BELIEVE THE NEXT SLIDE IS ON THE, UH, SANTA RITA COURTS.
RIGHT? SO SANTA RITA COURTS IS THE THIRD OF OUR HISTORIC PROPERTIES, AND WE ARE IN ACTIVE, UM, PLANNING TO REDEVELOP SANTA RITA COURTS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE 97 UNITS OF, UH, MULTIFAMILY.
AND THAT RANGES FROM, YOU KNOW, ONE TO FOUR BEDROOMS. AND AGAIN,
[01:00:01]
SAME, SAME SORT OF, UM, OBSOLETE BUILDING SYSTEMS, NO CENTRAL AIR.THERE ARE WINDOW UNITS, UH, FOR THE FAMILIES AT, AT SANTA RITA COURTS.
BUT AS, AS I'M SURE IF ANYONE HAS EVER OWNED A WINDOW UNIT, THEY'RE NOT THE MOST EFFICIENT.
UH, THEY TEND TO COST A LITTLE BIT MORE TO, TO OP, YOU KNOW, OPERATE AND, AND, AND PAY FOR ELECTRICITY.
SO IT'S, IT'S TIME THAT WE ALSO MAKE THESE, UM, IMPROVEMENTS FOR, FOR SANTA RITA FAMILIES.
AND SO, UH, AS, AS, AND YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU SEE THE, THE LAUNDRY LIST THERE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OUTDATED BUILDING SYSTEMS. THERE'S NO INSULATION AND NO CENTRAL AIR, VERY SMALL LIVING SPACES.
SO WE, WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH OUR FAMILIES TO, UM, DETERMINE WHAT THEIR DESIRES ARE, WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN TERMS OF AMENITIES AND ALSO IN TERMS OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES AND SO ON.
UH, THE, THE NEXT, THE NEXT SLIDE YOU SEE SORT OF THE, YOU KNOW, UM, BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF, OF THE SITE YOU, YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, THE ORANGE BUILDINGS, THOSE WERE THE ORIGINAL THAT WERE BUILT BACK IN 1939.
THERE'S 11 OF THOSE BUILDINGS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE BUNGALOWS KIND, SINGLE STORY.
AND THEN ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE WAS THE SECOND PHASE.
ON THE SECOND ON ON, SORRY, ON THE, ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, THOSE ARE THE BLUE.
THOSE ARE THE TWO STORY, UH, BUILDINGS THAT ARE, THAT MAKE UP THE REST OF THE SITE.
AND THEN IN THE YELLOW, RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE IS THE, UH, THE MANAGEMENT BUILDING.
AND IT'S GOT SOME COMMUNITY SPACE IN THERE FOR SOME AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS. UM, SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO HERE IS ESSENTIALLY GET FEEDBACK FROM OUR RESIDENTS, FROM, FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM FROM STAKEHOLDERS, OTHERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN WEIGHING IN ON WHAT YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT, AT THIS PROPERTY.
UM, AND YOU SEE ON, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OUR FAMILIES VERY CLOSELY.
THIS WAS SORT OF A SNAPSHOT OF BACK IN 2017 AND, UM, KIND OF SURVEYING WHAT, WHAT KIND OF IMPROVEMENTS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT THE PROPERTY.
UH, NO SURPRISE IN BIG, YOU KNOW, 41% OF THE PIE WAS, UM, H V A C, UM, CENTRAL AIR.
SO, UM, NO, NO BIG SURPRISES THERE.
AND AGAIN, ALSO THE BATHROOMS, BECAUSE THESE WERE, THESE ARE REALLY, REALLY SMALL SPACES.
THEY CANNOT ACCOMMODATE, FOR EXAMPLE, A, UM, AN ELONGATED TOILET.
THE, THE DOOR WON'T SHUT BECAUSE THE, THE SPACES ARE SO TINY.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE CONSTRUCTION, THEY, THEY ARE BUILT BY, UH, THE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MADE OF CINDER BLOCK.
AND SO IT'S NOT A MATTER OF JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKING OUT A WALL HERE AND THERE BECAUSE IT'S LITERALLY CONCRETE AND, AND, AND CINDER BLOCK CONSTRUCTION.
UH, SO IT'S, IT'S VERY COSTLY TO RENOVATE VERSUS BUILD, BUILD NEW.
AND, AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU, YOU CAN SEE HERE, UM, TOWARDS, TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THIS SURVEY, REMOVE BRICK WALLS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING MAYBE, UM, THAT THE FOLKS SOMETIMES TAKE FOR GRANTED, BEING ABLE TO, UM, PUT A FAMILY PORTRAIT ON, ON THEIR, ON THEIR WALL, ON THEIR LIVING ROOM WALL.
AND IT'S JUST HARD TO DO THAT WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO, UM, PUT A NAIL UP THROUGH BRICK OR THROUGH CINDER BLOCK.
AND SO IT'S JUST THOSE LITTLE THINGS THAT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT HOME THAT ARE JUST A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING BECAUSE OF THE, THE AGE OF THE PROPERTY.
AND, AND SO IT'S TIME, IT, IT, IT'S TIME TO DO BETTER.
AND ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU JUST SEE A QUICK TIMELINE OF, OF, UM, WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH IN TERMS OF PLANNING.
SO FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE CONTINUING TO GATHER INFORMATION FROM NOT ONLY OUR FAMILIES WHO, WHO, UM, CALL SANTA RITA HOME, BUT THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.
YOU ALL, FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD, WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IN TERMS OF ANY, ANY FEEDBACK, ANY IDEAS ON, ON MAYBE PROGRAMMING AND AMENITIES.
UM, FOR, FOR THE SITE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT THE FAMILIES WHO CALL SANTA RITA HOME TODAY, IT'S GOING TO BE HERE FOR GENERATIONS.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE PLAN FOR THE NEEDS OF, OF FAMILIES OF THE FUTURE AS WELL.
IN 2024, EARLY 2024 IS WHEN WE INTEND TO, UH, SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR, UH, WHAT'S FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDITS THAT
[01:05:01]
WILL HELP TO, YOU KNOW, UH, PROVIDE THE FINANCING TO PAY FOR A PRETTY LARGE SCALE, UH, PROJECT HERE.AND OF COURSE, WE ALSO WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE FIND A WAY TO NOT ONLY REBUILD THE 97 UNITS THAT, THAT ARE THERE TODAY, BUT ALSO INCREASE DENSITY, ADD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, WHILE WE'RE, WHILE WE'RE AT IT.
AND THEN, UM, IF ALL GOES WELL, AND WE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THE FINANCING, WE SHOULD HOPEFULLY KNOW BY JULY OF 2024.
UM, THEN IT'S OFF TO THE RACES AND WE, WE GET STARTED ON, ON CONSTRUCTION.
AND THEN ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, 18 MONTHS LATER, WE BRING OUR FAMILIES BACK.
AND SO, UM, THOSE, THAT'S JUST IN A, IN A SNAPSHOT WHAT, UM, WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON, HOW YOU CAN HELP, AGAIN, PROVIDE FEEDBACK, PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT EFFORT, AND, UH, PROVIDE ANY, UH, COMMENTS.
WE HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS THAT'S IN YOUR PACKET, SO WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ON ANY IDEAS OR COMMENTS OR, OR QUESTIONS, UH, THAT YOU MAY HAVE OR, OR, OR YOUR CONSTITUENTS AS WELL.
AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE, UH, FOR ME, FOR ME NOW AS WELL.
UM, GREAT BRIEFING THERE, MS. SYLVIA.
UM, I, I'M, I'M EXCITED, UM, ABOUT THIS ONE.
DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE GRAND OPENING.
I KNOW YOU WILL, BUT, UH, ABSOLUTELY.
JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT THAT WAS ONE OF MY NOTES.
YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S SOME HISTORIC, UM, AREA, UM, REFERENCING THE ROSEWOOD, UM, COURTS NOW AND MM-HMM.
WE ARE ACTUALLY THE RECIPIENTS OF A HERITAGE GRANT THROUGH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND WITH THAT FUNDING, WE ARE GOING TO BE, UH, CREATING HISTORIC KIOSKS, OKAY.
THAT WILL BE LOCATED ALONG THE GREEN SPACE AND THROUGHOUT THE, THE PROPERTY.
AND SO THOSE KIOSKS AND HISTORIC MARKERS ARE GOING TO HELP THE GENERAL PUBLIC TOURISTS AND RESIDENTS AND, AND OTHER FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE, THE HISTORY OF ROSEWOOD COURTS AND EMANCIPATION PARK.
UH, WE INTEND TO HAVE A WEBSITE AND, UH, PRO PROVIDE ACCESS THROUGH QR CODES AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO LET MORE FOLKS KNOW ABOUT, ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT STORY.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE ALSO PARTNERING WITH, UH, AS I MENTIONED, E FOUR YOUTH MM-HMM.
THEY DO, UH, AUGMENTED REALITY, UH, VIRTUAL REALITY TYPE OF, UM, OF, OF PROGRAMS WHERE FOLKS CAN COME TO THE SITE AND THEY CAN, UM, DO VIRTUAL REALITY THAT KIND OF PUTS THEM IN MAYBE A, A HISTORIC UNIT.
AND THERE WILL ALSO BE TRAILS ALONG THE, UH, THE, THE PROPERTY THAT, THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY.
UH, THE COMMEMORATIVE GREEN SPACE IS GOING TO BE OPEN TO, TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO IT'S NOT ONLY FOR RESIDENT USE, BUT ALSO FOR, FOR, FOR THE GREATER, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD TO ENJOY.
UM, YOU ADDRESS THE HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS.
UM, AND I HAVE A QUESTION, MR. BLAKE.
IT'S OKAY FOR ME TO ASK QUESTIONS, OR DO I NEED TO YES.
THE COMMISSIONER'S GONNA ASK QUESTIONS.
WANNA, WANNA STAY ON PROTOCOL? UM, HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS? I, AND, AND, AND I'M NOT GONNA SAY FOR YOU TO BE BRIEF ONLY BECAUSE I HAVE A FEW, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY ELSE IN IN TIME IS LIMITED, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE KIND OF QUICK HOME OWNERSHIP.
I MEAN, THERE'S ONLY 12 UNITS, I WOULD PRESUME THERE'S GONNA BE MORE THAN 12 INDIVIDUALS THAT, OR 12 FAMILIES THAT ARE INTERESTED.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU ARE IN THIS HOME, I PRESUME YOU'RE IN THIS HOME FOR LIFE.
WHAT'S, HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO YEAH, IDEALLY WE WOULD HAVE FIVE TIMES THE, THE, THE NUMBER OF UNITS.
BUT, UM, UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S, THAT'S THE PARCEL OF, OF LAND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SET ASIDE FOR, FOR THE HOME OWNERSHIP.
AND SO THE, THE WAY THE, THE PROCESS IS WORKING, AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE PRIORITIZING OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY RESIDENTS WHO ARE, HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST
[01:10:01]
IN, IN BEING HOME HOMEOWNERS, AND ARE READY FOR THAT NEXT STEP OF, OF HOME OWNERSHIP.AND SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM ON FINANCIAL LITERACY, YOU KNOW, CREDIT COUNSELING AND BUDGETING, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE MAKING GOOD DECISIONS, UH, TO GET THEM, GET THEIR CREDIT SCORE READY, AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THEY'RE MAINTAINING THEIR EMPLOYMENT SO THAT THEY ARE READY FOR, FOR THAT MORTGAGE.
AND ONCE WE HAVE WORKED WITH THEM, WE THEN REFER THEM ONTO OUR PARTNERS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, WHICH HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS WORKSHOPS AND, AND OTHER, UM, SORT OF SERVICES TO GET THEM PREPARED FOR, FOR THAT NEXT STEP OF GETTING PRE-QUALIFIED.
SO, UH, RIGHT NOW, WE DO HAVE A PIPELINE OF FAMILIES THAT, THAT, UH, WE ARE WORKING WITH INTERNALLY TO, TO GET THEM TO THAT NEXT STEP.
IF FOR SOME REASON, UH, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO FILL ALL OF THE 12, UH, HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS THROUGH HOUSING AUTHORITY FAMILIES, THEN WE WANT TO WORK WITH, UM, MS. NEFERTITI JACKMAN WITH THE, WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND ALSO WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, SINCE OF COURSE THEY, THEY ALSO HAVE A WAITING LIST OF FAMILIES, AND WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE, UH, FAMILIES WHO HAVE TIES TO EAST AUSTIN.
AND SO THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A, A PRIORITY AND A COMMITMENT THAT THESE HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS ARE GOING TO BE FOR OUR HAKA FAMILIES AND ALSO FOR FAMILIES WITH TIES TO EAST AUSTIN.
AND SO THE, THAT'S ESSENTIALLY THE CRITERIA THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH.
WE'RE WORKING WITH PROBABLY, UH, UH, UH, A GROUP OF ABOUT 15, 15 FAMILIES.
UH, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.
UH, BUT THAT IS AGAIN, SORT OF A, A WORK IN PROGRESS MM-HMM.
SO IT IS PART OF OUR LAND TRUST.
SO THAT MEANS IT'S, IT'S SOLD AT A VERY AFFORDABLE PRICE POINT BECAUSE THE FAMILY IS PURCHASING THE IMPROVEMENTS, WHEREAS THE LAND REMAINS IN THE LAND TRUST.
AND SO AS A FAMILY MAYBE DECIDES TO SELL IN THE FUTURE, IT WILL BE SOLD AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE IN PERPETUITY.
AND SO, BUT THERE'S NO, UH, REQUIREMENT THAT A FAMILY HAS TO SELL THEIR HOME.
IT COULD, IT COULD REMAIN IN THE FAMILY IF, IF THEY WISH TO.
BUT THE, THE CRUX OF IT, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE, THE, UM, THE, THE CONCEPT IS THAT IT'S, IT'S SORT OF A, A STARTER HOME MM-HMM.
AND THE, BUT THE BEAUTY OF IT IS BECAUSE IT IS PART OF THE LAND TRUST, IT WILL REMAIN, AND IT'S IN THE, UM, IT, IT, IT'S IN THE, THE DEED RESTRICTIONS THAT IT WILL REMAIN AN AFFORDABLE HOME IN PERPETUITY.
UM, I WOULD BE INTERESTED GOING FORWARD, NOT, NOT TONIGHT OF COURSE, BUT JUST GOING FORWARD TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS OWNERSHIP PROCESS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND FOR THOSE WHO, UM, IF WE HAVE MORE INDIVIDUALS WHO DO QUALIFY AND DO MAKE IT, AND WE ONLY HAVE 12, IS THERE A LOTTERY SYSTEM? I'M NOT ASKING, THOSE ARE RHETORICAL QUESTIONS RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT, BUT I AM INTERESTED IN THAT.
AND THEN YOU MENTIONED THAT THE DEEDS, UM, REFERENCE THE AFFORDABILITY.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE DEED ALSO REFERENCES A, UM, CONNECTION WITH EAST AUSTIN.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S IN PLACE RIGHT NOW.
AGAIN, THOSE ARE JUST THOUGHTS THAT I'M BOUNCING OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD AT THIS MOMENT THAT, UH, WOULD BE, UM, THERE, I'LL BE REAL BRIEF.
SO I CAN SHARE THE, UM, QUESTIONS.
UM, WHERE ARE THESE FAMILIES RIGHT NOW? THE ROSEWOOD COURTS FAMILIES, OR WHICH, UM, SANTA, THE SANTA MARIA SAN THE SANTA RITA HOME, UH, FAMILIES ARE, ARE STILL IN, IN THE APARTMENTS.
THEY'RE IN THE, SO WHEN THEY GET READY TO, WE START DOING THE CONSTRUCTION, WHERE, WHERE ARE WE GONNA MOVE THEM? SO AT THAT POINT, WE WILL HAVE A RELOCATION TEAM WORK WITH EVERY FAMILY.
UM, AND, AND DETERMINE WHAT THEIR, THEIR NEEDS ARE.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THEIR RELOCATION NEEDS.
SO WE WILL PAY FOR ALL RELOCATION COSTS, ALL MOVING COSTS MM-HMM.
UTILITY HOOKUPS, AND WE HELP THEM FIND A, UM, A TEMPORARY HOME.
AND THEN ONCE THE CONSTRUCTION IS, IS
[01:15:01]
COMPLETE, WE PAY FOR THEM TO COME, COME BACK.I'LL BE ASKING MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, THE YEARS TO COME.
I REMEMBER, SYLVIA, YOU SAID, UH, THAT ABOUT THE, UM, PREVIOUS VISITS ABOUT THE CHALMERS AND THE ROSEWOOD, UH, YOU WERE GONNA DO THE SAME WITH THE, WITH THE FAMILIES AND, AND THOSE COMMUNITIES.
UM, I AM VERY EXCITED TO SHARE THAT FOR CHALMERS COURTS BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE JUST ABOUT DONE.
THAT'S, YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T HEAR THAT VERY OFTEN AT ALL.
USUALLY IT'S LIKE MAYBE 10% IF YOU'RE LUCKY.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE VERY EXCITED AND VERY PLEASED THAT, THAT OVER 89% OF THE FAMILIES CHOSE TO RETURN TO CHALMERS COURTS, UH, ONCE WE REOPENED.
AND OF COURSE, ROSEWOOD COURTS IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND SO WE ARE KEEPING TABS WITH ALL OF OUR FAMILIES THERE.
AND, UH, WE'RE GOING TO AIM FOR THE SAME FOR AS, AS MANY, UM, AS, AS OUR FAMILIES WOULD LIKE TO RETURN, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO, AND THEY WILL BE THE FIRST, THEY WILL HAVE THE FIRST RIGHT TO RETURN BEFORE ANY NEW FAMILIES ARE, UM, ARE MOVED IN.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS.
UM, SO WHEN IS THE CONSTRUCTION ONE, WHEN IS THE CONSTRUCTION, UH, SET TO BE COMPLETE FOR ROSEWOOD COURTS? AND SECONDLY, UM, I GUESS THE SAME, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE PATHWAY BACK FOR THOSE FAMILIES TO GET BACK TO ROSEWOOD AND FOR THE HOME OWNERSHIP? YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THAT WE WERE, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO PRIORITIZE FAMILIES WITH TIES TO EAST AUSTIN.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF CONCERNS FROM THE COMMUNITY IN EAST AUSTIN.
I GREW UP ON NINTH STREET, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE, UH, THAT I STAY IN CONTACT WITH ARE CONCERNED THAT THOSE, UM, UNITS ARE GONNA BE MIXED USED.
A LOT OF, A LOT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WON'T REALLY, UM, BE THERE.
SO ONE, ARE Y'ALL DOING OUTREACH TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW THAT, THAT THIS IS, UM, UH, A A WAY TO COME BACK, A RIGHT TO RETURN AS A, UM, YOU KNOW, PER, PER SE, A RIGHT TO RETURN? UM, JUST KIND OF TELL ME WHAT THE PLAN IS TO GET THOSE FAMILIES BACK THERE.
SO TO YOUR FIRST QUESTION, WITH REGARD TO ROSEWOOD COURTS, UH, WE ANTICIPATE, UH, COMPLETING CONSTRUCTION BY LATE 2024, EARLY 2025.
UM, AND THERE'S BEEN SOME, SOME DELAYS, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WITH, WITH CONSTRUCTION
UH, BUT WE, WE DO HOPE TO NO LATER THAN EARLY 2025, UH, HAVE OUR, OUR FIRST FAMILIES RETURNING.
WE'LL PROBABLY PHASE IT IN SINCE IT'S IN, IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THREE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS WE'LL BE ABLE TO KIND OF PHASE IN THEIR RETURN.
AND IN TERMS OF, UM, THE ROSEWOOD FAMILIES, AS, AS I MENTIONED, UH, WE HAVE A RELOCATION TEAM THAT'S DEDICATED 100% TO, UM, PROVIDING ASSISTANCE WITH RELOCATION AND ALSO WITH MOVING THEM BACK ONCE THE PROPERTY REOPENS.
AND SO ALL OF OUR ROSEWOOD FAMILIES, UH, WE'RE KEEPING TABS WITH THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND, UH, WE, WE MEET WITH THEM AND KEEP THEM KEEP, KEEP THEM UP TO DATE ON, ON THE PROGRESS WITH, WITH CONSTRUCTION.
AND SO ONCE WE ARE READY TO REOPEN, DO THE GRAND REOPENING, OUR ROSEWOOD FAMILIES WILL HAVE THE FIRST RIGHT TO RETURN.
WE WILL COVER ALL OF THE, UH, MOVING EXPENSES TO, TO BRING THEM BACK.
AND SO, UM, WE WANT, OF COURSE, 100% OF OUR FAMILIES TO, TO COME BACK.
THE THING IS, THEY HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE OPTIONS THAN THEY PROBABLY EVER HAD.
UH, SO THEY MAY CHOOSE TO STAY WHERE, WHERE THEY HAVE RELOCATED, UM, BECAUSE IT, IT MAY BE CLOSER TO FAMILY, IT MAY BE CLOSER TO, YOU KNOW, UH, SCHOOLS OR EMPLOYERS.
WHEREAS WHEN THEY FIRST, UH, MOVED INTO ROSEWOOD, THEY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE THAT, THAT OPTION.
UH, IT WAS THE FIRST AVAILABLE UNIT THAT THAT WAS OFFERED TO THEM.
SO NOW THEY HAVE MORE CHOICES THAN, THAN THEY DID BEFORE.
UH, BUT WHILE WE, OF COURSE, WE WANNA RESPECT THE OPTIONS AND THE CHOICES THAT THEY HAVE, WE REALLY, REALLY WANNA ENCOURAGE OUR FAMILIES TO RETURN.
UH, AND THEN JUST A FOLLOW UP, UM, WOULD THOSE, IF IF FAMILIES DON'T RETURN AND THERE IS A, A SHORTAGE, UH, SINCE, SINCE THESE ARE FEDERAL UNITS, OR
[01:20:01]
DO THEY HAVE TO BE ON HOUSING, OR WILL OTHER FAMILIES, UM, THAT HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH, UM, ROSEWOOD OR WITH EAST AUSTIN THAT MAYBE HAVE MOVED OUT, UH, OR HAVE BEEN MAYBE IN, IN OTHER PARTS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, HU OR OTHER AREAS, WILL THEY HAVE SOME SORT OF, UM, PATHWAY TO MAYBE GET TO GET TO THOSE UNITS? OR IS THIS GOING THROUGH A PROGRAM THAT THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, COMMISSIONER.SO IN TERMS OF THE RENTAL HOUSING, UH, WHICH AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO BE CREATING 184 APARTMENTS AT, AT ROSEWOOD.
SO AS, AS MENTIONED, WE'RE GOING TO PRIORITIZE OUR, OUR EXISTING FAMILIES, RIGHT.
WHO, WHO CALLED ROSEWOOD HOME, UH, BEFORE WE STARTED CONSTRUCTION.
BUT IF THERE ARE OF, OF COURSE, OTHER FAMILIES, AND WE WILL, BECAUSE WE'RE ACTUALLY CREATING MORE UNITS, UH, THAN WERE THERE BEFORE.
SO WE ARE GOING TO BE OPENING UP, UM, YOU KNOW, AN AN APPLICATION PROCESS FOR ANY FAMILIES WHO WOULD LIKE TO, TO MAKE, UM, WITH THEIR HOME IN TERMS OF PRIORITIZING, UM, CERTAIN FAMILIES THAT MAYBE HAD TIES TO EAST AUSTIN.
UNFORTUNATELY, UM, BECAUSE OF FAIR HOUSING RULES, WE, WE CANNOT DO THAT.
UM, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY ADVERTISE AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE, WE SHARE WITH, WITH COMMISSIONERS SUCH AS YOURSELVES TO GET THE WORD OUT RIGHT.
A ABOUT THESE, UH, UNITS COMING BACK ONLINE AND ANY OTHER WAYS THAT, UH, YOU WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT THE FAMILIES THAT MAYBE WANT TO RETURN KNOW ABOUT, UH, THESE APARTMENTS COMING AVAILABLE.
SO I, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, IF YOU HAVE ANY, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO GET THE WORD OUT SUFFICIENTLY.
IN TERMS OF THE, THE HOME OWNERSHIP, AGAIN, RIGHT NOW WE ARE AGAIN, PRIORITIZING OUR, OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY FAMILIES WHO ARE, ARE READY FOR HOME OWNERSHIP.
SO WE'RE NOT DOING LIKE A FULL SCALE SORT OF OUTREACH BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO, WE DON'T WANNA GIVE FALSE HOPE ABOUT THE HOME OWNERSHIP COMPONENT BECAUSE AGAIN, WE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, WE'RE GIVING PRIOR PRIORITY TO OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY FAMILIES.
NOW, IF IT GETS TO THE POINT WHERE, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT GONNA FILL ALL 12 OF THE HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS WITH, UM, OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY FAMILIES, THEN WE WILL BE PARTNERING WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.
UM, AND ALSO WITH, UM, COMMISSIONS SUCH AS, SUCH AS YOURS TO SEE HOW WE CAN TAP INTO SOME OF THOSE, UM, FAMILIES WHO MAY, UH, BE INTERESTED IN A HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY.
UH, WE ALSO WANT TO WORK WITH, AS I MENTIONED, UH, MS. NEFERTITI JACKMAN, WHO, UM, HEADS UP THE, UH, THE ANTIS DISPLACEMENT OFFICE AND ALSO WORKING ON, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT TYPE OF PROGRAM WHERE, WHERE WE FIND WAYS TO PROVIDE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR FAMILIES WHO HAVE THAT HERITAGE THAT, THAT, UH, TIE TO EAST AUSTIN AND HAVE BEEN PUSHED OUT.
AND SO WE WOULD LOVE TO FIND A WAY, IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE SOME, SOME OPPORTUNITY TO FAMILIES SUCH AS THOSE.
I KNOW THE EXISTING UNITS WERE KIND OF PRIMARILY INTENDED, UH, FOR FAMILY USE WITH THE ADD-ON OF THE ADDITIONAL UNITS.
ARE ANY OF THOSE, UM, SET ASIDE FOR, UH, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OR SENIORS? WHAT'S LIKE KIND OF THE MIX OF THE EXPECTATIONS, UM, FOR THOSE? ABSOLUTELY.
SO WITH THE NEW CONSTRUCTION, UH, WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WE ARE ACTUALLY EXCEEDING WHAT IS REQUIRED BY, BY THE STATE AND, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UH, TYPICALLY IT'S ONLY, IT'S ABOUT 5% OF, OF THE UNITS ARE, ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ACCESSIBLE, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, MOBILITY ISSUES, MAYBE, UM, FOR HEARING IMPAIRMENTS AND, AND, AND OF THAT NATURE.
WE, WE DO 10% OF OUR UNITS, OUR, OUR ACCESSIBLE UNITS.
AND SO, UH, WHAT WE DO IS, UH, WHEN A FAMILY WITH ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS APPLIES FOR, FOR HOUSING, THEY, THEY LET US KNOW, THEY INFORM US THAT THEY ARE IN NEED OF THOSE ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES.
AND SO THEY DO GET PRIORITY, UM, TO BE PLACED IN A UNIT THAT HAS THOSE ACCESSIBLE FEATURES.
COMMISSIONERS ON THE, UM, REMOTE COMMISSIONERS ON THE ONLINE.
UM, I WILL END WITH KIND OF A LITTLE PERPLEXING THING, NOT LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER, BUT IF WE'RE ABLE TO PRIORITIZE
[01:25:01]
INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE CONNECTIONS TO EAST AUSTIN, THEN I'M FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT COMMISSIONER BROWN SAID, WHICH IS, AND AGAIN, THIS IS RHETORICAL AT THE MOMENT, BUT I AM, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DISCUSSION AS TO WHY WE COULD NOT, I UNDERSTAND THE FAIR HOUSING, BUT WHY WE COULD NOT PRIORITIZE, UM, THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED PREVIOUSLY.AND AGAIN, I'M NOT LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER NOW, BUT I, THAT, THAT IS JUST SOMETHING IN THE BACK OF MY MIND.
UM, AND LIKE I SAID, YOU DON'T NEED TO ANSWER NOW UNLESS YOU WANT TO.
WELL, I CAN ACTUALLY ANSWER IT.
YES, I CAN ANSWER IT RIGHT HERE.
SO, UH, ONE, ONE COMPONENT WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS, IS THE, UH, RENTAL HOUSING, RIGHT? UM, AND, AND THAT IS, UM, SUBSIDIZED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE 184 APARTMENTS THAT I'M, I'M REFERRING TO, WHICH WE, WE DO HAVE, UM, FAIR HOUSING REGULATIONS OF COURSE, THAT, THAT, THAT WE MUST COMPLY WITH.
AND THAT'S WHERE, UM, WE CANNOT SORT OF, UM, PROVIDE THAT TYPE OF SORT OF PRIORITY FOR, FOR ONE CLASS OF, OF, YOU KNOW, UH, FAMILIES, IF YOU WILL.
AND, AND THAT'S SORT OF A GEOGRAPHICAL TYPE OF, OF PRIORITY THAT, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, IT IS GEOGRAPHIC IN TERMS OF EAST AUSTIN, WHEREAS THE OTHER COMPONENT IS THE, UH, HOME OWNERSHIP, WHICH IS NOT SUBSIDIZED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
IT'S, UH, GOING TO BE A, A MORTGAGE JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER, YOU KNOW, FAMILY WOULD, WOULD QUALIFY FOR.
AND SO THERE'S NO SUBSIDY ON THOSE 12 HOME OWNERSHIP TOWN HOMES.
AND THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MADE THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS, HAS MADE IT A, A, A PRIORITY.
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THOSE FAMILIES, AGAIN, ARE, THOSE UNITS ARE PRIORITIZED TO OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY FAMILIES WHO ARE READY FOR, FOR THAT NEXT STEP OF HOME OWNERSHIP.
AND WE ALSO WANT TO, UM, ENSURE THAT WE MAKE A COMMITMENT TO ALSO PRIORITIZE, IF NOT ALL 12 ARE ARE PURCHASED BY A HOUSING AUTHORITY FAMILY.
THAT, THAT WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ANY REMAINING HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS ARE SOLD TO FAMILIES THAT, THAT HAVE TIES TO, TO EAST AUSTIN.
I'M GONNA FOLLOW UP AND THEN I WILL LET YOU GO.
MY ONLY THING WITH THAT IS I CAN JUST PROJECT FORWARD 20 YEARS AND IT WILL NOT LOOK LIKE THIS, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE IN THOSE, IN, ON THOSE PROPERTIES 20 YEARS AGO.
AND SO, BECAUSE THERE WERE, I I, I AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, THE FAIR HOUSING, I, I DO, I SWEAR I DO.
IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T, I'M, I'M IGNORANT ON THAT, BUT I'M JUST THINKING IF IT'S JUST OPEN TO INDIVIDUALS WHO QUALIFY FOR THE UNITS, WHAT'S TO PREVENT IT FROM LOOKING VERY, VERY DIFFERENT IN 15 YEARS? RHETORICAL QUESTION.
I WANT YOU TO GO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UM, BUT I DO, I WILL, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY CONCERN, UM, WITH THAT.
AND I, I, I, WE, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO WORK WITHIN THE BOUNDARY, BUT WITH A FOCUS AND A PURPOSE TO, TO SERVE THOSE WHO, WHO RIGHTLY DESERVE TO BE SERVED IN THE GENERATIONS THAT GREW UP FROM THAT, THOSE, THOSE, THOSE UH, UNITS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. SYLVIA.
OH, DO YOU MIND IF I ASK, JUST ASK ONE QUICK QUESTION, USE YOUR ANSWER, AND THEN YOU CAN CLOSE IT OUT.
LAST, LAST QUESTION, I'M SORRY.
AND THEN, UM, I JUST WANNA KNOW, HAVE IN, IN WITH YOUR RELOCATION TEAM, UM, IS, HAVE Y'ALL DONE A SURVEY OF, OF THE FAMILIES THAT DO INTEND TO RETURN? UH, UH, IS THERE A NUMBER OF, OF FOLKS THAT HAVE EXPRESSED THEIR DESIRE TO RETURN, UH, TO ROSEWOOD? ARE THOSE ORIGINAL FAMILIES THAT WERE THERE? YES, WE DID CONDUCT A SURVEY IN ADVANCE OF THEM, UH, RELOCATING TO THEIR, TO THEIR CURRENT UNIT WHILE, WHILE THE PROPERTY IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
AND WHAT'S GREAT IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR FAMILIES HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THEY DO WANT TO RETURN.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO, TO HAVE SEEN THAT.
AND WE'RE GOING TO REMIND THEM, REMEMBER, WE WANT YOU TO COME BACK AND, AND, UH, YOU EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO COME BACK.
AND, AND SO, UM, YES, BY KEEPING TABS WITH THEM VERY FREQUENTLY, UH, WE, WE, WE HEAR THEY'RE, THEY'RE EXCITED AND, AND THEY CAN'T
[01:30:01]
WAIT.AND I, I, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE GOT MORE, MORE BRIEFINGS TO DO.
I, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT.
WE WANTED TO, WE WANNA MAKE SURE, WHILE THAT, WHILE WE WANT TO, TO ENSURE THAT THESE, UM, THESE, THESE APARTMENTS AND, AND THESE COMMUNITIES DO REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF, OF, OF EAST AUSTIN, WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT, UM, SEGREGATING, YOU KNOW, AND, AND JUST MAKING, MAKING THOSE SORT OF PERPETUATING SEGREGATION THAT HAPPENED DEC DECADES AGO.
BECAUSE AGAIN, WHEN ROSEWOOD SANTA RITA AND CHALMERS WERE FIRST BUILT IN 1939, THEY WERE SEGREGATED.
AND SO WE DON'T, WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T PERPETUATE THAT TYPE OF SEGREGATION AND, AND ISOLATION, UM, FOR, FOR FUTURE FAMILIES.
BUT IT'S DISTURBING THAT AS TIME HAS GONE ON AND AS THE VALUE OF THOSE PROPERTIES HAVE COME, WE ARE REALLY CONCERNED WITH DIVERSITY NOW.
AND I'M JUST, I, I, THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING.
AND I, I, BUT I WILL RECKON WITH IT MYSELF, UH, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE IT MAY BE A PERSONAL PROBLEM FOR ME, AND I WILL DEAL WITH THAT, UH, IN MY OWN QUIET TIME IN MY OWN CLOSET.
I DO APPRECIATE YOU MS. BLANCA.
UM, COMMISSIONERS, I KNOW THE HOUR IS MOVING ON, BUT WE'RE GONNA, THE, THE LAST, UH, WELL, WE HOPE THE NEXT ONES WILL BE, SHOULD BE GETTING OUT SOON, I APOLOGIZE.
UM, BUT THESE HAVE BEEN, UM, UH, INTERESTING THAT WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF.
[4. Briefing and presentation on Austin Light Rail and Next Seps, by Courtney Chavez and Jen Pyne of Austin Transit Partership (ATP)]
ARE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL AND NEXT STEPS WITH COURTNEY, UH, CHAVEZ AND JEAN PINE WITH THE A P T, UM, A T P.AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO DO A BRIEFING AND GET ON AND GET OUT ANYWAY, AND DIDN'T WANT A WHOLE LOT OF QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE GONNA GET YOUR WISH, UM, BECAUSE THE HOUR IS, UH, LATE.
SO, UM, PLEASE THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US, UH, THIS EVENING.
SO MY NAME'S JENNIFER PINE, ALL THREE OF US ARE FROM AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
I DUNNO IF Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE, I CAN TURN THIS ON.
HI, I'M COURTNEY CHAVEZ, UM, EQUITY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
I'M THE SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM MANAGER.
AND, AND WE DO HAVE A, A BRIEF PRESENTATION.
UM, SO, BUT MAYBE I'LL START WITH JUST A, A MINUTE ON BACKGROUND.
UM, SO IN NOVEMBER, 2020, UH, THE VOTERS IN AUSTIN APPROVED, UH, PROPERTY TAX-BASED FUNDING, UH, TO IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT CONNECT PROGRAM.
SO PROJECT CONNECT, UM, IS A MULTI-MODAL TRANSIT, UM, PLAN FOR SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS.
IT INCLUDES A NEW LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM FOR AUSTIN.
IT ALSO INCLUDES, UH, NEW METRO RAPID BUS SERVICES.
IT INCLUDES, UM, SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EXISTING RED LINE COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE, UH, AND A FEW OTHER THINGS.
UH, SO HERE TONIGHT WE'RE, WE'RE FOCUSED ON TALKING ABOUT THE LIGHT RAIL COMPONENT OF THE PROGRAM AND, UH, GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON, ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT.
UH, SO ONE THING ABOUT THAT 2020 VOTE, IT DID PROVIDE FUNDING, IT ALSO CREATED THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
SO WE'RE, UM, A, A NEWER ORGANIZATION, AND WE WERE HAND IN HAND WITH CAP METRO AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DELIVER THESE TRANSIT, UM, PROGRAM PROJECTS.
SO I'M GOING TO, I'M GONNA KIND OF GO TO WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, A LITTLE BIT, TALK ABOUT THAT, AND THEN A LITTLE BACK ON HOW WE GOT HERE AND, AND THEN WHAT'S NEXT.
UM, SO EARLIER IN JUNE, UH, THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR ATP AND ALSO FOR CAT METRO APPROVED, UM, AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR LIGHT RAIL.
UM, MEANING THAT THIS IS THE FIRST LIGHT RAIL PROJECT, UM, THAT WOULD BE BUILT.
SO THIS FOLLOWS ACTUALLY YEARS OF WORK, UM, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND SO LEMME JUST KIND OF START AGAIN WITH WHAT WAS APPROVED IN JUNE.
UM, SO THIS IS REALLY A, A CONCEPT FOR WHAT THE PROJECT WOULD BE.
UM, FROM HERE ON, WE'RE GOING TO ADVANCE ENGINEERING AND SOME OF THE OTHER WORK THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MINUTE.
UM, BUT THE PROPOSAL FOR THE FIRST PROJECT, UM, WOULD BE, UH, A BRANCH SYSTEM.
SO THERE, IT'S, THERE'S THREE LEGS, AND IT WOULD, UM, RUN FROM ABOUT 38TH STREET DOWN GUADALUPE TO DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, UM, THROUGH, UH, IN DOWNTOWN.
[01:35:01]
ON THIRD STREET AND THEN GO SOUTH ON TRINITY ACROSS THE LAKE.AND THEN FROM THERE, UM, GO TO THE EAST ON EAST RIVERSIDE.
ON THE EAST SIDE THERE IT WOULD TERMINATE, UM, AT ABOUT YELLOW JACKET, WHICH IS JUST BEFORE 71.
UM, AT THAT LOCATION TOO, THERE WOULD BE A MAINTENANCE FACILITY, UM, TO SUPPORT THE LIGHT RAIL.
NOW THEN IF YOU GO BACK TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA, THE BRANCH THAT GOES TO THE SOUTH, UM, WOULD ESSENTIALLY GO SOUTH ON SOUTH CONGRESS, UM, UM, ENDING AT UL TURF.
SO THE LIGHT RAIL, AND THIS WOULD ALL BE AT STREET LEVEL.
GENERALLY IT WOULD BE RUNNING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET WITH TRAFFIC LANES ON EITHER DIRECTION.
UM, THERE ARE 15 STATIONS, UM, AS PART OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
UM, AND GENERALLY THERE'S SPACED, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE A MILE.
IN SOME PLACES IT'S A LITTLE LESS.
IN SOME CASES IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UH, AS PART OF THE, UM, IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WE IDENTIFIED THIS ABOUT 10 MILES OR SO OF LIGHT RAIL THAT WOULD BE BUILT FIRST.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THIS IS THAT IT IS EXPANDABLE, UH, TO ULTIMATELY BUILD OUT MORE.
AND IT'S PART OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
TWO DIFFERENT PRIORITY CORRIDORS WERE IDENTIFIED, UM, FOR IF ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS IDENTIFIED THAT THESE WOULD BE ADVANCED.
SO THERE'S ONE TO THE NORTH, UM, THAT WOULD GO FROM 38TH STREET TO ABOUT CRESTVIEW AND THEN OVER TO THE EAST, UH, FROM YELLOW JACKET OVER TO THE AIRPORT.
UM, SO WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS SYSTEM WOULD PROBABLY SERVE OVER 28,000 RIDERS ON A TYPICAL WEEKDAY.
UM, AND, UM, THE, THE COST OF THIS SYSTEM WOULD BE KIND OF ON THE ORDER OF ABOUT 5 BILLION AND, AND CAPITAL COSTS THAT WOULD BE FUNDED BY THE, THE TAX FUNDING, UH, THAT WAS APPROVED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
BUT ALSO ABOUT 50% OF THE COSTS WOULD BE, UH, FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING.
SO A LITTLE BIT ON HOW DID WE GET TO THAT PLACE, UM, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN REALLY YEARS IN THE MAKING, UM, EV SINCE THE VOTE WAS PASSED IN 2020, THERE'S BEEN WORK TO ADVANCE, UH, THE LIGHT RAIL PART OF THE PROGRAM.
UH, SO, UH, THERE WAS WORK ADVANCED ON THE ENGINEERING, AND THEN ABOUT A YEAR AGO, UM, WE KIND TOOK STOCK OF WHERE WE WERE.
AND THE INFORMATION THAT WAS COMING IN ON THE COSTS AT THAT TIME, UH, IT WAS COMING IN HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED.
YOU KNOW, INITIALLY THE INTENTION WAS TO BUILD ABOUT 20 MILES OF LIGHT RAIL AS PART OF THE FIRST PROJECT.
UM, BUT AS THE COSTS WERE COMING IN, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE AFFECTING THAT WERE, UH, IN THINGS THAT ARE AFFECTING EVERYTHING LIKE INFLATION, UM, AND SOME OF THE COSTS OF CONSTRUCTION, THAT THOSE TYPES OF INCREASES ARE BEING SEEN, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UH, BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME THINGS SPECIFICALLY IN AUSTIN, UM, WITH REAL ESTATE COSTS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING UP.
UH, AND ALSO JUST SOME OF THE CHANGES IN THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT THAT HAD OCCURRED OVER THE COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO ABOUT A YEAR AGO, UM, WE SORT OF PAUSED, UM, AND, UH, WENT TO OUR BOARD AND, UH, RECOMMENDED THAT WE TAKE A HARDER LOOK AT THE PROJECT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER WE PROPOSE TO BUILD, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT.
UM, BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO GO THROUGH A PROCESS THAT WOULD ENSURE NOT ONLY THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S WITHIN OUR BUDGET, BUT ALSO IT STILL MEETS THE COMMUNITY VALUES AND THE PRIORITIES THAT WERE LAID OUT AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL PROJECT CONNECT PROGRAM.
SO, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WE STARTED THAT WORK DOING SOME ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING ANALYSIS, UM, AND, AND PROBABLY FAIR TO SAY, STARTING WITH MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, UM, SORT OF QUESTIONING ALL OF OUR ASSUMPTIONS, UM, AND, AND REALLY EVALUATING, UM, HOW WE COULD GET THE MOST COVERAGE, YOU KNOW, OUT OF THE, THE FUNDS THAT ARE, THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO US.
UM, SO IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, UM, WE HAD NARROWED TO ABOUT FIVE OPTIONS FOR WHAT THE FIRST PROJECT COULD LOOK LIKE, AND, AND LAUNCHED, UM, A REALLY ROBUST, UH, OUTREACH PROGRAM TO TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT THOSE OPTIONS WERE.
UM, AND, UM, AND WHAT SHOULD BE THE PRIORITIES IN EVALUATING HOW TO PROCEED.
UH, SO, AND WE HAVE A FEW MORE SLIDES TO TALK ABOUT THAT PROCESS AND WHAT WE HEARD IN, IN A MINUTE HERE.
UM, BUT ULTIMATELY, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION WAS MADE FOR THE PROJECT DEFINITION THAT YOU JUST SAW ON THE SCREEN.
UM, AND THAT WAS ADOPTED BY, UM, THE VARIOUS BOARDS TO PROCEED WITH.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO PROCEED WITH IT? UM, WE ARE AT A VERY EARLY STAGE OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN.
AND SO PROBABLY THE FIRST ORDER ORDER OF BUSINESS WOULD BE TO CONTINUE TO ADVANCE THE ENGINEERING.
UM, AND THEN WE WOULD BE CONDUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS, UM, ON THAT TO ASSESS WHAT THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS MIGHT BE FROM CONSTRUCTING AND OPERATING THE SYSTEM, UM, AND DEVELOP MITIGATION
[01:40:01]
STRATEGIES FOR THOSE, UM, ALL WHILE CONTINUING TO ADVANCE THE ENGINEERING.SO THERE'LL BE CONTINUING PUBLIC PROCESS THROUGHOUT ALL OF THOSE FUTURE STEPS.
UM, WE EXPECT, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE ENGINEERING AND PRELIM, THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEPS TO TAKE MAYBE ON THE ORDER OF ABOUT ANOTHER TWO YEARS.
UM, AND SO, UM, THIS IS, WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY AT THE BEGINNING OF, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF A MARATHON, UH, IN PRODUCING, UH, LIGHT RAIL.
SO I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO COURTNEY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY PROCESS.
AND SO, UH, JEN SET IT UP THAT ONCE WE HAD THE FIVE OPTIONS THAT WE WERE PUT PUTTING OUT TO COMMUNITY TO, TO DISCUSS, CAUSE WE DIDN'T, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE THE DECISION WITHOUT REALLY GETTING PREFERENCES AND UNDERSTANDING HOW COMMUNITY WAS VIEWING THESE FIVE OPTIONS.
UM, OUR PROCESS STARTED ON MARCH 21ST WITH AN OPEN HOUSE AT THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND CONTINUED ON FOR A FULL SIX WEEKS.
THE WAY THAT WE CONDUCTED OUR ENGAGEMENT, WE SHIFTED OUR GENERAL PROCESS TO WHERE RATHER THAN HAVING COMMUNITY COME TO US OVER THAT SIX WEEKS PROCESS, WE WENT TO THEM, WE WENT OUT INTO COMMUNITY, WE PARTNERED WITH ORGANIZATIONS, WE MADE EFFORTS TO BUILD NEW RELATIONSHIPS, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WHERE, UM, WE'D IDENTIFIED GAPS IN OUR PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENT, WHICH IS PRIMARILY, UH, IN, UH, IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, BIPO COMMUNITIES, UM, LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES.
AND SO REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS ON THOSE AREAS AND PRIORITY POPULATIONS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE GAINING ACCESS AND HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
WE ALSO FOCUSED ON OUR TRANSIT RIDER.
SO WE DID A LOT OF WORK AT, AT WHAT WE CALL AT STOP OUTREACH.
SO BUS STOP OUTREACH AT, UM, HIGH RIDERSHIP LOCATIONS AROUND THE CURRENT CAT METRO ALIGNMENT.
UM, WE WENT A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH THAN WHAT THE PHASE SAYS HERE, AND WE WENT A LITTLE BIT FARTHER SOUTH TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE CAPTURING MORE PEOPLE AND MORE OPINIONS AS WE KEPT GOING.
UH, AS A WHOLE, WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, INTERACT WITH AND ENGAGE WITH A LITTLE OVER 8,000 PEOPLE.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ACTUAL CONVERSATION, DISCUSSION SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE, UM, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO SIT, ASK QUESTIONS OR HAVE PEOPLE ASK QUESTIONS OF US, ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO IF THERE WAS A COMMUNITY, UM, CONVERSATION SOMEWHERE AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO FULLY, UM, RESPOND IN THE SPACE, WE WOULD MAKE TIME TO COME BACK AND DO OUR BEST TO ANSWER AS WE KEPT GOING.
AS A WHOLE, WE HAD 91 ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, WHICH INCLUDES THOSE MEETINGS.
IT INCLUDES OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS WHERE WE WOULD ATTEND BLOCK PARTIES OR OTHER FESTIVALS TO BE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD MORE ACCESS AND REACH.
SO ADDITIONALLY, WE WERE AT 45 DIFFERENT UNIQUE BUS STOP LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE ALIGNMENT.
UM, AS A WHOLE, WE HAD A LITTLE OVER 5,600 COMMENTS.
SO THAT INCLUDES INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE VIEWING OUR WEBSITE AND GOING TO OUR VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE AND SUBMITTING ONLINE COMMENTS OR SUBMITTING EMAIL COMMENTS.
BUT WE'RE ALSO COLLECTING INFORMATION FROM MEETINGS DIRECTLY.
SO IF AN INDIVIDUAL WAS NOT GOING TO THE WEBSITE TO SUBMIT A COMMENT, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE STILL CAPTURING THEIR INFORMATION, WE'RE STILL PROVIDING COMMENT CARDS AT THOSE MEETINGS SO THAT WE COULD COLLECT, UM, THOUGHTS DIRECTLY AND ENSURE THAT THEY'RE BUILT INTO OUR ANALYSIS.
UM, AT THE END OF THE SIX WEEK PERIOD, WE WENT THROUGH AN, UH, REVIEW PROCESS TO UNDERSTAND AND EVALUATE WHAT WE HEARD, WHAT WERE THE PREFERENCES, UM, FROM EACH OF THOSE OPTIONS.
AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT OUR COMMUNITY REALLY WANTED TO PRIORITIZE MOBILITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE.
SO THAT MEANS THEY'RE ASKING US TO GO AS FAR AS WE CAN, REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN AND MOVE PEOPLE EFFICIENTLY, NOT ONLY SO THAT IT WORKS FOR THE CURRENT RIDERS, BUT ALSO TO BE ABLE TO ATTRACT NEW RIDERS WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM THE SYSTEM.
UM, THE ASK WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CONNECTIVITY WAS, UH, THERE, WHICH MEANING, MEANING THAT THE INTEGRATION THAT THE BUS TO TRAIN INTEGRATION WAS SEAMLESS.
ALSO WITH BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS, THEY'RE ASKING US TO MANAGE TRAFFIC TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE'RE BUILDING, WE'RE BUILDING IT EFFECTIVELY FOR THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
UM, AND ALSO ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES.
SO REALLY MAKING SURE THAT WHAT WE'RE BUILDING IS CONNECTING PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY LIVE, TO THEIR WORK, BUT ALSO OTHER KEY DESTINATION POINTS.
UM, EDUCATION CENTERS, UH, JOB CENTERS, UH, MEDICAL CENTERS, UH, AND OTHER KNOWN LOCATIONS AROUND AUSTIN.
AS YOU SEE HERE, WE HAVE SOME EXAMPLES AND CALL OUTS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT WE WORKED WITH OVER THE SIX WEEK PERIOD WHO, UM, CHOSE TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN RECOMMENDATION.
SOME OF THEM DID THEIR OWN ANALYSIS EVEN OF THOSE OPTIONS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE US IN INPUT AND FEEDBACK ON WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE US TO, WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE US TO BUILD.
AND WE SAW THIS, UM, ALIGNMENT ESSENTIALLY AROUND, UH, THE ON-STREET OPTIONS AND TOWARDS THE, UH, I CALL IT THE Y I'M, I'M, I APOLOGIZE, I I SHOULDN'T CALL IT THE Y BUT THE THREE LEGG OPTION THAT YOU SEE HERE TODAY.
SO I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF SLIDES TO, TO TALK ABOUT HOW
[01:45:01]
THIS INPUT, HOW IS IT FACTORED INTO SOME OF THE ANALYSIS AND WHAT WENT INTO THE RECOMMENDATION? UM, SO A LOT OF THE INPUT THAT WE HEARD, UM, WE WANTED THE, THE THINGS THAT REALLY CAME OUT OF THAT AND WERE, UH, CAME OUT STRONGLY TO BE AMPLIFIED IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.SO ONE EXAMPLE OF, OF WHAT COURTNEY WAS SAYING WITH THIS, THE CONCEPT OF ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, ONE THING WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR IS, UM, THAT THIS KIND OF INVESTMENT SHOULD REALLY CONSIDER, UM, CONNECTING TO EXISTING TRANSIT RIDERS, BUT ALSO PEOPLE WHO WOULD REALLY USE AND, AND BENEFIT FROM HAVING, UM, EITHER MORE FREQUENT TRANSIT OR BETTER ACCESS TO TRANSIT AND TO CONNECT THOSE COMMUNITIES TO JOBS, EDUCATION, UH, AND OTHER DESTINATIONS THROUGHOUT AUSTIN.
SO, UM, WE DID A LOT OF DATA ANALYSIS OF LIKE, WHERE ARE BIPO COMMUNITIES LOCATED? WHERE ARE AFFORDABLE HOUSING? UM, WHERE IS THAT LOCATED CURRENTLY LOOKING AT DIFFERENT INCOME TO, UM, AREAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE THINKING NOT JUST ABOUT RIDERSHIP, BUT JUST WHAT THE COMPOSITION OF THAT RIDERSHIP MIGHT BE AND WHO WE WERE SERVING AND WHERE WE WERE CONNECTING THEM TO.
UM, SO THERE WAS AN EMPHASIS ON CONSIDERING, UM, WHERE THERE ARE HISTORICALLY UNDER INVESTED, UM, AREAS IN TOWN AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE, UM, LOOKING AT THOSE AREAS AND HOW TO BEST CONNECT THEM INTO SOME OF THESE KEY DESTINATIONS.
SO ALSO JUST IN GENERAL, UH, OBJECTIVE WE HAVE WITH THIS PROJECT IS JUST CONNECTING PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY NEED AND WANT TO GO, UM, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.
UM, AND SO GENERALLY LOOKING AT POPULATION DENSITY AND EMPLOYMENT DENSITY, UM, WAS ANOTHER FACTOR HERE.
AND WE, WE LOOKED AT THESE METRICS, NOT JUST FOR WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT POPULATION AND, AND WHERE JOBS ARE TODAY, BUT ALSO INTO THE FUTURE.
UM, LOOK, UH, SPECIFICALLY USING SOME OF THE DATA DEVELOPED BY CAMPO FOR 2040 AND 2045, UM, THAT PROJECT WHERE CHANGES IN LAND USE WOULD OCCUR.
UH, AND FINALLY IS THE CONCEPT OF CREATE THAT THIS LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM WOULD BE PART OF AN OVERALL, UM, REGIONAL TRANSIT NETWORK WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE.
AND TO THINK ABOUT CREATING SEAMLESS CONNECTIONS WITH, UM, THE BUS SYSTEM, UM, THAT IS HERE NOW.
THE COMMUTER RAIL SYSTEM, WHICH IS, UM, CONSIDERED WILL, WILL BE, UM, EXPANDED AS PART OF PROJECT CONNECT AS WELL.
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW ALL THESE DIFFERENT MODES WORK TOGETHER.
UM, THIS IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT PART OF HOW WE CAN, UM, REALLY KINDA ACTIVATE MODE SHIFT.
UM, MEANING GETTING PEOPLE OUT OF CARS, UM, AND ONTO TRANSIT AND HAVING THAT BE A REAL EFFECTIVE, UM, MOBILITY TOOL FOR PEOPLE.
BECAUSE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THAT WE CAN MAKE ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS, ALL THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE NETWORK WORK TOGETHER IS GOING TO, UM, HELP US COVER MORE AREAS, UM, AND JUST MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE.
LIKE IF YOU CAN, IF LIKE, IF YOU'RE NOT ON THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM, YOU CAN TRANSFER FROM A, A FREQUENT BUS TO THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM, UM, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S PART OF THE PLANNING.
SO MOVING FORWARD, UM, UH, WE ALREADY TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MORE ENGINEERING AND SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW, BUT ALSO WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE GRANT PROCESS BECAUSE THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE FOR US.
UM, WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT FOR THE, THE CAPITAL COST OF LIGHT RAIL ON THE ORDER OF ABOUT 50% OF THOSE CAPITAL COSTS WOULD BE PAID THROUGH A FEDERAL GRANT.
UM, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY TYPICAL FOR TRANSIT PROJECTS LIKE THIS.
UM, THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, UM, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A GRANTS PROGRAM CALLED NEW STARTS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD BE PURSUING THESE FUNDS THROUGH.
SO SINCE IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE 50% IS ON THE ORDER OF A COUPLE BILLION DOLLARS, THAT'S A SIZEABLE GRANT, OF COURSE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS A MULTI-YEAR PROCESS WORKING WITH THE FTA, UM, THE NEPA WORK AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW IS AN IMPORTANT EARLY STEP.
UM, BUT WE'LL BE WELL COORDINATED WITH FTA, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO LISA.
TALK ABOUT A DIFFERENT COMPONENT OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
UM, SO CONCURRENT WITH THE ENGINEERING DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL THAT'S GOING ON IN COLLABORATING WITH THAT, WE'VE RETAINED A TEAM TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT, UH, STATION DESIGN AND WHAT WE CALL SYSTEM-WIDE ELEMENTS.
SO THE PUBLIC FACING AND, AND PIECES THAT THE PUBLIC INTERACT WITH OF THE LIGHT LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.
SO THEY ARE A PARTNERSHIP OF HKS UN STUDIO AND GALE, WHICH MAKES UP THE HUG.
THEY'RE ARCHITECTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, URBAN DESIGNERS AND PLANNERS.
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A PEOPLE-CENTERED APPROACH.SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? UM, ESSENTIALLY IT'S DESIGNING FOR HUMAN BEHAVIOR, WHICH ISN'T ALWAYS WHAT DESIGNERS THINK ABOUT.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THIS PERSON SITTING ON THE STOOP INSTEAD OF THE BENCH RIGHT THERE.
OR FOR EXAMPLE, BRINGING UP MS. JOSEPH'S EXAMPLE, UM, UP NEAR THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, THERE'S SIDEWALKS INSTALLED AND SAFE CROSSINGS AT, AT CERTAIN CROSSWALKS.
HOWEVER, WITH TIME DELAYS AND TRANSFERS BETWEEN SYSTEMS AND WEATHER, YOU CAN SEE THE DESIRE PATHS THAT ARE FORMED IN THE MEDIAN AND WITNESSED, YOU KNOW, THE HUG TEAM WITNESSED IN SOME OF THEIR OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES, PEOPLE PERFORMING UNSAFE CROSSINGS OF THAT HIGHWAY.
SO THE HUG TEAM HAS, UH, BEEN SO FAR EMBARKING ON A RESEARCH AND VISION TASK.
SO WHERE THEY EXPAND THEIR FOCUS FROM THE ELEMENTS THAT WE TYPICALLY THINK OF AS STATION DESIGN.
SO STATION PLATFORMS, BENCHES, ET CETERA, AMENITIES TO THE ENTIRE PASSENGER JOURNEY FROM PLANNING YOUR TRIP, GETTING TO THE STATION, THE ENTIRE TRAVEL, UM, YOUR, WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT AS YOU'RE GOING THERE, WHAT YOU'RE EXPERIENCING AND YOUR ARRIVAL.
UM, AND THE INTENTION HERE IS TO REALLY CREATE A CULTURE OF TRANSIT IN AUSTIN, WHICH WILL, YOU KNOW, WHICH WILL MAKE UTILIZING THE LIGHT RAIL AND IN GENERAL THE, THE TRANSIT SYSTEM.
UM, AS OR MORE SEAMLESS THAN USING A CAR.
THE TEAM'S USED A VARIETY OF RESEARCH METHODS SO FAR, INCLUDING SOME ROBUST STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS, UM, CRAFTING USER PERSONAS AND, AND TESTING THOSE WITH, WITH HERE.
UM, AND THEN, UH, WITH THEIR PERSONAL JOURNEYS.
AND THEN, UH, ALSO DOING DESKTOP STUDIES ON CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY LANDSCAPE AND LOCAL CONSTRUCTION TRADES AND OTHER CULTURE IN AUSTIN.
THEY'VE ALSO DONE DETAILED STATION AREA OBSERVATIONS, UM, IN BOTH TEMPERATE AND HOT WEATHER, UH, TO OBSERVE AND MAP HOW PEOPLE UTILIZE THE PUBLIC SPACES IN AUSTIN.
UM, WHETHER THAT'S ON FOOT ON WHEELS, UM, YOU KNOW, BICYCLE SCOOTERS, EVERYTHING ELSE, VEHICLES.
UM, AND THEN ALSO MAPPED, UH, TIMES OF DAY AND, AND SORT OF ACCESS TO THOSE STATIONS.
UM, THE TEAM ALSO OBSERVED TOTAL VOLUMES OF PEOPLE AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE URBAN FORM IN THOSE LOCATIONS.
SO NOTING WHERE THERE ARE COMPLETE OR INCOMPLETE SIDEWALK NETWORKS, UH, COMPLETE FACADES OR DESTINATIONS THAT MAY DRIVE USER BEHAVIOR IN THOSE AREAS.
UM, AND THEY'VE ALREADY COME UP WITH SOME INTERESTING, UH, FINDINGS LIKE THE TWO ON THE RIGHT HERE.
SO AT THE TOP, NOTING THAT, YOU KNOW, ALMOST ONLY A THIRD OF THE PEOPLE EVEN SIT CLOSE TO THE BUS PLATFORM WHEN THERE'S ALTERNATE SHADE AVAILABLE.
AND SO THE AREA OF IMPACT OF LIKE A BUS STOP PER SE, THIS IS, UM, I THINK THIS IS ON PLEASANT VALLEY, UH, IS LIKE PLEASANT VALLEY, RIGHT AT RIVERSIDE IS MUCH MORE LARGE THAT STOP SORT OF FEEL THAN THE ACTUAL STOP LOCATION.
AND THEN AT THE BOTTOM SORT OF CHARTING THE VOLUMES OF, OF PEOPLE MOVING IN AUSTIN AGAINST LOTS OF OTHER OBSERVATIONAL DA DATA THAT THE TEAM HAS FOR OTHER CITIES.
SO HOW DO WE COMPARE? WHAT ARE OUR PEAKS AND FLOWS? HOW DOES THAT LOOK DEPENDING ON WHERE THE STATION IS LOCATED? UM, AND THEN THAT'S KIND OF IT FOR NOW.
IT'S JUST A LITTLE TASTER OF WHAT THE HUG TEAM HAS STARTED.
AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO COURTNEY.
AND REALLY IN CONCLUSION, IT'S MAKING SURE THAT YOU DO HAVE OUR CONTACT INFORMATION.
THIS IS THE EMAIL ADDRESS THAT WE'RE USING, IF ANYONE HAS ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK OR INPUT FOR US, BUT ALSO SETTING UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE DISCUSSIONS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, PROJECT CONNECT, WHAT DO YOU SAY? IT'S A PROGRAM OF PROJECTS AND IT INCLUDES A LOT MORE THAN JUST THE LIGHT RAIL AND IT EVEN INCLUDES A LOT MORE THAN, UM, THE TRANSIT NETWORK.
IT ALSO INCLUDES, UH, DISPLACEMENT, ANTI DISPLACEMENT EFFORTS.
SO, UH, WE WORK DIRECTLY WITH NETWORK TV, JACKMAN, IN THE DISPLACEMENT OFFICE TO SEE HOW WE CAN BUILD AND SUPPORT THE WORK THAT THEY DO WHILE WE'RE BUILDING THIS TOOL OF TRANSIT.
UM, ALONG THOSE LINES, ALSO, WE'RE BUILDING OUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. AND SO, UM, TALKING ABOUT HOW WE CREATE CONSTRUCTION CAREERS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT HERE, BUT REALLY LOOKING BEYOND THAT AND BIGGER TO SAY, WHAT IS A COMMUNITY BENEFIT FROM A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT OF REALLY BUILDING GENERATIONAL WEALTH? UM, HOW ARE WE DOING THAT EFFECTIVELY AND COLLECTIVELY, UH, ACROSS THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? HOW ARE WE LEVERAGING NOT JUST WHAT CURRENTLY EXISTS, BUT IDENTIFYING GAPS
[01:55:01]
AND, UH, BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES TO FILL THOSE GAPS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE, WHEN IT COMES TO WRAPAROUND SERVICES OR SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT ONLY GAINING ACCESS TO THOSE JOBS, BUT STAYING IN THOSE JOBS.AND SO THAT'S WORK THAT'S BEING DONE RIGHT NOW.
RESEARCH SHOULD BE DONE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE AND WHAT IS CURRENTLY, UM, IN USE, NOT ONLY IN ALL THE DIFFERENT AREAS, CAUSE A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROVIDERS ARE HERE, BUT HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE PROVIDERS ARE PR ARE GIVING, UM, HOW DO WE IMPROVE UPON IT? AND THEN HOW DO WE LEVERAGE IT MORE EFFECTIVELY TO ENSURE A BROADER BENEFIT AND SCALABLE SCALABILITY ACROSS THE, NOT JUST AUSTIN AREA, BUT ALSO PROBABLY REGIONALLY CUZ WE SEE OUR, OUR COMMUNITIES MOVING.
UM, WE WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK AND HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT, COME BACK AND HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE STATION PLANS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE, AND HAVE THIS BE AN ONGOING DISCUSSION AS WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, FUTURE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU.
WE'RE GONNA DIGEST SOME OF THE STUFF THAT YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, WE'RE GONNA JUST OPPOSE THAT AGAINST SOME OF THE STUFF THAT MS. JOSEPH BROUGHT TO THE TABLE.
UM, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND COMMISSIONER ORTIZ WILL BE KIND OF, SORT OF, UM, LOOKING INTO IT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT IN OUR ZEAL TO SERVES, YOU KNOW, SOME THAT WE INADVERTENTLY OR, YOU KNOW, OVERLOOK WHAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.
SO WE HAVE TO STOP EVERYTHING.
UM, COMMISSIONER TOVER LEFT, SO, OKAY.
UM, I CAN AT LEAST SAY THANK YOU TO THE YES.
WE'LL SAY THANK YOU TO YOU ALL.
UH, YOU ALL CAN GO ON AND BE DISMISSED FROM THE, THE DIOCESE SO THAT, UM, I CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION RIGHT QUICK WITH MR. BLAKE.
SO MR. BLAKE, WE HAD, UM, THE GOOD NEWS IS ALL OF THOSE THAT WERE COMING, AM I EVEN ALLOWED TO HAVE THIS WRAP UP OR DO WE STOP COLE DE MAYO? MM-HMM.
AND UNFORTUNATELY BECAUSE WE LOST QUORUM, WE DO, WE STOPPED.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THE ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS, WHICH I BELIEVE WERE REALLY STAFFED.
AND I, I, I WANTED TO, UM, MAKE SURE, AND WE MAY BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE VIA EMAIL.
CITY CLERK SENT AN EMAIL SAYING HAD TO BE ON AGENDA, BUT WE'LL COVER 'EM NEXT.
WE'LL ROLL HIM OVER TO NEXT AT AUGUST MEETING.
AND, UM, PERHAPS WE'LL PUT THOSE PIECES, WE'LL, WE'LL TALK