[00:00:06]
UM, COMMISSIONER NICHOLS, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND TURNING ON YOUR CAMERA, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME.
UM, SIX OH THREE, UH, LET'S CALL TO ORDER THE REGULAR MEETING
[CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL]
OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.IT'S AUGUST 16TH, ONCE AGAIN, 6 0 3.
UM, WE'RE UP AT 63 10 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE.
WE'LL GO AROUND THE HORN AND DO ATTENDANCE.
UH, UM, NICHOLS HERE AND JUST EINHORN PRESENT.
AND WE'VE GOT ONE MORE REMOTE, I BELIEVE.
UM, WE HAVE SOME PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS, CORRECT?
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
WE'VE GOT ONE.AND YOU'VE GOT THREE MINUTES, SIR.
ONCE YOU GET, ONCE YOU GET ORGANIZED AND ROLLING.
YEAH, JUST THE GREEN LIGHT NEEDS TO BE ON.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.
I'M RESEARCH ANALYST AT COMMUNITY ADVANCEMENT NETWORK.
AND TODAY I'M GONNA BE TALKING TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WORK OUR ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE PAST YEAR.
UM, BEFORE I START, I WANT TO GO WITH, UH, WITH CANS MISSIONS.
IT'S A PARTNERSHIP OF GOVERNMENT, NONPROFIT, PRIVATE, AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH LEVERAGE MUTUAL RESOURCES TO COLLECTIVELY IMPROVE THE SOCIAL HEALTH EDUCATIONAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S A MOUTHFUL, BUT WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT WE'RE INVOLVED IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES, UH, HEALTH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
AND TOGETHER WE PROMOTE AND SUPPORT THE POWER OF COLLABORATION FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.
WE IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO COORDINATE AND ALIGN SERVICES AMONG CANNED PARTNERS AND OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICE PROVIDERS.
SUPPORT EFFORTS TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY CHALLENGES THROUGH COLLECTIVE ACTION, CREATING CIVIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CIVIC DIALOGUE AND CIVIC ACTION, AND ENSURE THE RIGHT STAKEHOLDERS ARE PART OF ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OUR COMMUNITY FACES.
UM, AND TOGETHER WE INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF EMERGING ISSUES AND TRENDS AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROACTIVE STRATEGIES THAT MAY BE PURSUED.
UM, AND HOW DO WE DO THAT? WELL, WE DEVELOP TOOLS TO INFORM, SUCH AS THE CAN COMMUNITY DASHBOARD.
AND I INCLUDED SOME DATA FROM OUR DASHBOARD TOGETHER WITH THE FLYER THAT I'M PRESENTING TODAY.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY MY MAIN WORK THERE.
AS THE RESEARCH ANALYST IS UPDATING THE INDICATORS ON THE DASHBOARD IN THE FOUR DIFFERENT ISSUE AREAS, INCLUDING THE AIR QUALITY INDICATOR AND MENTAL HEALTH INDICATOR, WHICH ARE LINKED TO ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, INCIDENTS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR RACE EQUITY ACTION FRAMEWORK, WHICH IS UPDATED EVERY YEAR.
AND IT SAYS IT ASSESSES LOCAL NEEDS AND HELPS PEOPLE ENGAGE IN EQUITY WORK.
AND IN THE P D F COPY OF THIS FLYER, EACH OF THESE HAVE LINKS THAT YOU CAN CLICK ON SO YOU CAN LEARN MORE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE, LIKE THE WEEKEND A T X, THAT WEBSITE, WHICH WAS UPDATED WITH THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDES, UM,
THAT INCLUDES, UH, INFORMATION FOR, UH, PEOPLE, UH, TO KNOW THEIR RIGHTS, NAVIGATE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, MANAGE THEIR MONEY, UH, FOOD HEALTH AND STAYING SAFE IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND WE ALSO MAKE STRATEGIC COLLECT CONNECTIONS LIKE THAT LANGUAGE ACCESS WORK GROUP, WHICH INVOLVES PEOPLE FROM ALL ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR EXPANDING OPPORTUNITY FORUMS. AND, UM, ANOTHER IMPORTANT COLLABORATION THAT I PERSONALLY TOOK PART IN WAS WITH, UH, ROBERT KENT FROM THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND ON THE HEALTHY PARKS PLAN OF 2018 AND 2019, WHERE WE HELPED DEVELOP A DECISION SUPPORT TOOL.
AND I MADE SURE THAT THERE WERE EQUITABLE, UM, DATA IN THAT TOOL.
SO IF YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT AND I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER.
I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTER THAT'S, THAT'S WATCHED HIS OWN TIME, SO THANK YOU.
UM, THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION.
AND YEAH, ELIZABETH COMMISSIONERS, ELIZABETH'S EMAILED THIS OUT TO EVERYBODY, SO IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS YOU CAN FOLLOW UP WITH, UM, WITH HIM AT YOUR CONVENIENCE.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
GO TO, WE'VE GOT TWO SETS OF MINUTES TO REVIEW AND APPROVE.[00:05:02]
UH, DID ANYONE HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON ELIZABETH'S DRAFTS THAT SHE SENT OUT OF THE REGULAR MEETING, WHICH WAS AUGUST 2ND, OR THE, UM, RETREAT SPECIAL CALL MEETING ON THE NINTH? MOTION TO APPROVE BOTH SETS OF MINUTES? I SECOND.ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING BOTH MINUTES, UM, RAISE YOUR HAND.
ALRIGHT, WE GOT ONE ABSTENTION.
[2. Presentation on Climate Ambassadors Overview, Projects, and Lessons Learned – Presented by Sydnee Landry, Office of Sustainability, and requested by Environmental Commissioners Richard Brimer and Haris Qureshi]
ON PAGE TWO, UM, SECOND ITEM STAFF BRIEFING A PRESENTATION ON CLIMATE AMBASSADORS, OVERVIEW PROJECTS AND LESSONS LEARNED.AND THE, THE, IF THE BUTTON'S NOT, IF IT'S NOT GREEN LIT UP, THEN YOU HAVE TO HIT THAT BUTTON TO, IT IS IN FACT GREEN.
UH, I DID HAVE A PRESENTATION TO GO WITH THIS AND THERE IT IS.
UH, SO YEAH, MY NAME'S SYDNEY LANDRY.
UM, I ACTUALLY JUST STARTED WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE THIS WEEK, SO I'M NO LONGER WITH THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY.
BUT, UH, WHILE WITH THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, I WAS THE CLIMATE EQUITY ENGAGEMENT ASSOCIATE OVERSEEING OUR CLIMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM FROM JANUARY.
UM, WELL I STARTED IN JANUARY, 2022 AND THE PROGRAM STARTED IN LIKE AUGUST, 2022 AND RAN UNTIL, UM, MAY, 2023.
SO WHAT IS THE CLIMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM? UH, WELL IT WAS ORIGINALLY STARTED, UH, IN 2019, BASICALLY BECAUSE THE, UH, OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY WAS WORKING ON UPDATING THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, UH, WHICH IS LIKE THE CITY'S PLAN FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE INCORPORATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO OPERATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS A COMMUNITY FOCUS, UH, WITHIN THE PLAN BECAUSE ALSO AROUND THIS TIME, UM, THERE WAS A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS NATIONAL UNREST AROUND RACE.
THERE WERE, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF JUST POLITICAL UNREST.
A LOT OF THINGS WERE HAPPENING.
AND IT BECAME VERY APPARENT THAT IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE TRYING TO AUTHENTICALLY MAKE A PLAN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE IN AUSTIN THAT LIKE ACCURATELY REPRESENTS, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN AUSTIN TODAY, WE NEED TO DO SOME MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO TRY TO REACH, UM, GROUPS IN AUSTIN THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED FROM CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS.
AND SO THAT WAS KIND OF WHERE THE CLIMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM ORIGINALLY CAME IN.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GROUP WAS TO HAVE THESE AMBASSADORS, UM, AND THEY WOULD BE PAID FOR THEIR WORK TO TRY TO HONOR THE FACT THAT LIKE
UM, SO THEY WERE PAID TO BASICALLY GO OUT AND GET INPUT AND, UM, FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES TO TRY TO GET AN IDEA OF LIKE WHAT PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE AND A CLIMATE PLAN.
AND SO THIS SLIDE IS ACTUALLY FACTUALLY INCORRECT,
AND, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, BASICALLY THERE'S THIS BEGINNING SECTION WHERE THEY COVER WHAT THE CLIMATE AMBASSADORS WORKED ON AND LIKE THE SPECIFIC POINTS THAT COMMUNITY CALLED OUT THAT THEY WANTED TO SEE IN THE PLAN.
AND THEN AS YOU GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE PLAN, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THOSE POINTS CALLED OUT.
UM, BECAUSE EACH OF THE, UH, THINGS THAT THE AMBASSADORS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION WERE KIND OF INCLUDED WITHIN ONE OF THESE, UH, EQUITY ICONS THAT YOU SEE.
UH, AND THEY FELL WITHIN THESE CERTAIN ISSUE AREAS AS LIKE HEALTH, AFFORDABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY, UH, JUST TRANSITION, WHICH RELATED TO LIKE THE TRANSITION OF JOBS, UM, FROM A MORE FOSSIL FUEL INTENSIVE ECONOMY TO A LESS FOSSIL FUEL INTENSIVE ECONOMY.
AND THEN CULTURAL PRESERVATION, COMMUNITY CAPACITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND THEY DID ALL THAT AWESOME WORK AND YAY, IN 2021, UM, THE PLAN WAS PASSED BY, UH, IT WAS PASSED AND FORMALLY ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL, WHICH IS AMAZING.
IT WAS LIKE, WE HAVE THIS GREAT AMAZING COMMUNITY PLAN WITH ALL THIS FEEDBACK AND ALL THESE IDEAS FOR HOW THE AUSTIN IS GONNA GO FORWARD AND BE THIS LIKE SUPER SUSTAINABLE CITY.
UM, BUT PLANNING A THING AND ACTUALLY DOING A THING ARE VERY DIFFERENT
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AND SO WHEN I WAS BROUGHT ON IN 2022, THEY WERE LIKE, OH, SO WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THIS PLAN NOW, BUT THAT'S THIS MAJOR TASK.WE'RE KIND OF BEING PULLED IN ALL THESE DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
UH, THERE WERE A LOT OF PRIORITIES KIND OF FLOATING AROUND AND THEY'RE LIKE, WE JUST KNOW THAT WE HAVE THIS CLIMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM AND WE WANNA CONTINUE IT.
BUT THE SCOPE WAS KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE.
UM, AND SO YEAH, I WAS, UH, BROUGHT ON TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT, HEY, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH THIS CLIMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM NOW THAT THE PLAN IS ACTUALLY DONE AND WE NO LONGER NEED LIKE, COMMUNITY INPUT IN THIS SAME WAY OR IN THE SAME FORMAT THAT WE ORIGINALLY DID IT IN.
UM, AND SO I SPENT A LOT OF TIME LIKE TRYING TO DO RESEARCH, UM, AND I TALKED TO FOLKS FROM THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.
I ALSO TALKED TO SOME, UH, FORMER ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEMBERS I TALKED TO.
THERE WERE DIFFERENT ADVISORY GROUPS THAT HAD BEEN CREATED TO ASSIST WITH THE, UM, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN OR THAT PLANNING PROCESS.
AND SO I TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE FOR THAT.
I TALKED TO FORMER AMBASSADORS.
I TALKED TO DIFFERENT, LIKE JUST COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS THROUGHOUT AUSTIN, UM, TO TRY TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF LIKE, OKAY, WHAT IS THE ACTUAL PICTURE OF LIKE COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS IN AUSTIN AND LIKE, WHO ARE THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT WOULD WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAM? AND LIKE, HOW CAN WE BEST UTILIZE THOSE PEOPLE? NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
AND SO BASICALLY WHAT I KIND OF CAME DOWN TO AFTER ALL OF THAT RESEARCH, UM, WAS THAT OKAY, IF I WANT TO, IF, IF WE WANNA DO A SECOND SUCCESSFUL ITERATION OF THIS PROGRAM THAT LOOKS DIFFERENT, BUT THAT STILL, UM, MEETS OUR GOALS OF BEING INCLUSIVE OF HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED GROUPS AND FOCUSING ON COMMUNITY, THEN IT'S GONNA NEED TO HAVE THESE FIVE, FIVE THINGS WHICH WAS, UM, OR IT'S GOING TO I GUESS MEET THESE FIVE NEEDS, WHICH WAS, WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROGRAM, UH, FOCUSED ON BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY.
'CAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME UP A LOT, UH, WHEN I TALKED TO ORGANIZERS IS THAT IT'S LIKE WE'RE JUST REALLY TAPPED OUT
LIKE WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON, WE WANT TO TAKE ON ALL THESE PROJECTS, BUT, UM, IT'S DIFFICULT AND WE WISH WE HAD MORE TRAINING ON HOW TO NAVIGATE CITY PROCESSES SO THAT WE COULD WORK WITH THE CITY ON DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, THEY ALSO BROUGHT UP NOT WANTING TO A PROGRAM THAT WAS JUST ABOUT EXTRACTING INFORMATION WITHOUT ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING WITH THE INFORMATION.
LIKE, HOW CAN WE MAKE A PROGRAM THAT, UM, REALLY SHOWS TO PEOPLE THAT IT'S LIKE, WE VALUE THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE GIVING TO US.
WE'RE NOT JUST TAKING IT AND LIKE LEAVING IT SOMEWHERE.
AND THEN ALSO, WE HAD JUST WRITTEN THIS PLAN, RIGHT? AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, THAT WE, UM, MAXIMIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM, LIKE INVOLVED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLIMATE PLAN IN SOME CAPACITY.
AND THEN WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, ON THAT NOTE, THAT IT WAS LIKE WE, THERE ARE A LOT OF COMMUNITY FOCUSED STRATEGIES WITHIN THE PLAN ITSELF.
SO IT WAS LIKE EVEN BETTER IF WE CAN KIND OF HIT ONE OF THE COMMUNITY FOCUSED STRATEGIES SPECIFICALLY.
AND THEN ALSO I, UM, PERSONALLY WAS JUST KIND OF LIKE, OH, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO KIND OF REIMAGINE HOW THE CITY DOES, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT JUST BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I HAD NOTICED KIND OF AS I WAS TALKING TO PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IS THAT IT WAS LIKE, OH, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING WITH HOW TO, UM, DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT THE CITY AND THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM, THERE JUST WASN'T REALLY SOMETHING THAT WAS, UH, SIMILAR TO IT WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN PRIOR TO THE FIRST COHORT.
AND SO I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS, UM, BEING COGNIZANT OF THAT WHEN I THOUGHT OF LIKE, OKAY, WHAT IS IT GONNA LOOK LIKE NEXT, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND SO BASICALLY WHAT I DECIDED TO DO IS TAKE THE ELEMENTS OF THE ORIGINAL COMPONENT, WHICH WERE, THERE WAS A TRAINING AND EDUCATION ON, UH, EQUITY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST COHORT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WERE LIKE KIND OF ALL ON THE SAME PAGE BEFORE THEY WENT OUT AND DID THEIR ENGAGEMENT.
AND THEN THERE WAS THE ENGAGEMENT ITSELF OF GOING OUT AND DOING THE INTERVIEW REPORTS.
AND ALSO AS THEY WERE DOING THOSE INTERVIEW REPORTS, THERE WAS THIS EXPECTATION OF LIKE, ONGOING PARTICIPATION WITH THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY TO LIKE GIVE UPDATES ABOUT KIND OF HOW THEIR REPORTS ARE GOING.
AND SO I REALLY WANTED TO KEEP THAT TRAINING AND EDUCATION ELEMENT.
SO I DID, THEY, UM, THE SECOND COHORT WAS ALSO TASKED WITH DOING AN EQUITY WORKSHOP.
UM, BUT THE KIND OF ADDITIONAL COMPONENT I ADDED TO IT WAS A CIVIC WORKSHOP TOO, BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE, UM, FORMER AMBASSADORS FROM THE COHORT HAD MENTIONED WAS THAT IT WAS LIKE, OH, EVEN WITH LIKE HELP FROM CITY STAFF, IT WAS STILL A LOT TO TRY TO, UH, UNDERSTAND HOW CITY GOVERNMENT WORKED AND WHERE MY PLACE WAS IN IT.
SO I WAS LIKE, GREAT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND ADD SOMETHING TO ADDRESS THAT NEED.
[00:15:01]
I REALLY WANTED TO BUILD ON THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING BETWEEN OUR OFFICE AND, UM, THE AMBASSADORS BECAUSE THAT WAS ALSO SOMETHING THE FORMER ONES HAD ME MENTIONED WAS THAT IT WAS LIKE, IT WAS HELPFUL GETTING TO KNOW CITY STAFF, BUT LIKE ALSO TO BE FAIR, AN ENTIRE PANDEMIC HAPPENED.SO THAT, BUT
SO I ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I KIND OF BULKED THAT UP.
SO I MADE SURE TO, UM, PUT IN SPECIFIC TIME TO GET THEM IN FRONT OF, UH, NOT ONLY OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY STAFF, BUT ALSO STAFF FROM DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE, UH, IN FOCUS AREAS THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN.
AND THEN LASTLY, I DID MOVE AWAY FROM THE INTERVIEW REPORTS, UM, AND INSTEAD WAS LIKE, OKAY, HOW ABOUT INSTEAD OF GETTING INPUT, WE KIND OF FOCUS ON TRYING TO INFUSE BENEFIT, UM, AND FOCUS ON HAVING THE AMBASSADORS KIND OF PROVIDE AN OUTPUT THAT THEY CREATED AND DESIGNED AND THAT THEY FEEL FITS WITH THEIR COMMUNITY AND THAT THEY COULD REALLY STAND BEHIND.
SO THAT WAS A COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECT COMPONENT THAT I ADDED, AND THAT WAS KIND OF THE MAIN FOCAL POINT OF THIS SECOND COHORT NEXT SLIDE.
UM, AND YEAH, SO WHEN I WAS, UH, TRYING TO, UH, SCOUT, I GUESS SCOUT PEOPLE FOR THE PROGRAM OR FIGURE OUT, UH, RECRUIT, THAT'S THE WORD I WAS LOOKING FOR WHEN WE WERE THINKING ABOUT RECRUITMENT, SINCE WE WERE ADDING IN THIS ADDITIONAL PROJECT ELEMENT, I DID WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S LIKE, OKAY, DOING A PROJECT IN COMMUNITY IS LIKE A WHOLE THING
SO WE SHOULD PROBABLY MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO ARE DOING THESE PROJECTS ARE FOLKS WHO HAVE THESE FOUR QUALITIES, WHICH ARE, THAT THEY SHOW A NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, INEQUITY.
AND WE WERE REALLY LIKE, UH, THE QUESTIONS ON THE APPLICATION WERE REALLY OPEN-ENDED TO WHERE LIKE, THERE WERE A LOT OF WAYS THAT YOU COULD SHOW THAT YOU HAD A NUANCED UNDERSTANDING.
AND LIKE, IT WASN'T EVERY SINGLE PERSON WROTE LIKE, YOU KNOW, A TWO, A 200 PAGE, UH, ESSAY OR ANYTHING.
LIKE, PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO SHOW THEIR UNDERSTANDING IN LIKE VERY, UH, SUCCINCT WAYS.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD SOME TYPE OF EXPERIENCE WORKING, VOLUNTEERING, OR ORGANIZING WITH MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND I ALSO, YOU KNOW, WANT TO BE FLEXIBLE ABOUT THAT.
LIKE, NOT, IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE JUST AN OFFICIAL JOB, BUT LIKE SOMETHING THAT SHOWED THAT THEY, UH, HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD AN INTEREST IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND LIKE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT THAT AND TRIED TO GET INVOLVED.
ALSO, IF POSSIBLE, WE WERE LOOKING FOR FOLKS THAT REPRESENTED MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN A MEANINGFUL WAY, LIKE HAVING BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR A LONG TIME, UM, OR HAVING FAMILY FROM AUSTIN, THAT TYPE OF THING.
AND THEN ALSO HAVING A CONNECTION TO OR ESTABLISHED METHOD OUTREACH TO COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN BECAUSE, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE KIND OF NOTICED AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH APPLICATIONS IS, IS THAT IT'S LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE BUT JUST HAVEN'T ACTUALLY GOTTEN TO THAT PLACE OF BEING ABLE TO, UM, GET THEIR VOICE TO OTHER PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY, WHICH WAS LIKE KIND OF WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
AND SO WITH ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, UM, ALL THAT IN MIND, WE ENDED UP GETTING, UH, AROUND 50 APPLICATIONS, I BELIEVE, FOR THE CLIMATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM AND ENDED UP GOING WITH THESE NINE FOLKS.
AND I HAVE LIKE A LITTLE, UH, WORD COLLAGE THAT JUST KIND OF SHOWS SOME OF THE DIFFERENT GROUPS OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE AMBASSADORS, UM, REPRESENT OR WERE A PART OF.
UM, I REALLY WANTED TO GET FOLKS FROM ALL KINDS OF BACKGROUNDS.
AND SO SOME OF THE PEOPLE HAD LIKE REALLY EXTENSIVE ARTS AND WRITING BACKGROUNDS, AND THEY WERE PEOPLE WHO, UH, LIKE ONE OF THEM, UH, OVERSAW A YOUTH LIKE ARTS PROGRAM TYPE OF THING.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, OH, I REALLY WANNA DO LIKE AN ART PROJECT THAT IS FOCUSED ON YOUTH FEELINGS AROUND CLIMATE.
UM, AND ALSO I HAD, UH, SOMEONE OR ONE OF THE AMBASSADORS WAS FROM, OOH, IT'S REALLY SMALL ON THERE, BUT, UH, BASTA BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING TENANT ACTION IN AUSTIN.
THEY'RE AN ORGANIZATION HERE WHO DOES REALLY GREAT WORK AROUND TENANT ORGANIZING.
AND LIKE THAT PARTICULAR AMBASSADOR SPOKE REALLY WELL TO WANTING TO, UM, HIGHLIGHT HOW RENTERS IN PARTICULAR CAN BE IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE PROPERTY DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND LIKE, UM, IF YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER THAT'S INSURED, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE CERTAIN OPTIONS TO RESPOND TO CLIMATE CHANGE, BUT IF YOU'RE A RENTER, THE OPTIONS LOOK REALLY DIFFERENT FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY IN TEXAS.
UM, BUT YEAH, SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE JUST DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THE AMBASSADORS, UM, CAME INTO THE PROGRAM ALREADY HAVING EXPERIENCE WITH OR GROUPS THAT THEY WERE ALREADY A PART OF.
AND YEAH, SO THE FOUR MINING GOT A LITTLE, GOT A LITTLE QUESTIONABLE
BUT IN ANY CASE, OVER THE ACTUAL EIGHT MONTHS OF THE PROGRAM, HERE'S WHAT THE AMBASSADOR AMBASSADORS ACTUALLY DID.
UM, LIKE I SAID, THEY WENT THROUGH THE
[00:20:01]
EQUITY WORKSHOP AND THEY ALSO WENT THROUGH THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP.THEY ENDED UP MEETING CITY STAFF FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, HOUSING PLANNING, UH, RESILIENCE OFFICE, HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION, CAP METRO, THE EQUITY OFFICE.
I REALLY TRIED TO GET THEM IN FRONT OF, YOU KNOW, AS MANY DIFFERENT UM, DEPARTMENTS AS I COULD.
AND THEY ALSO ENDED UP, LIKE, AFTER HAVING ALL THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND KIND OF LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT THE CITY DOES, THEY THEN, UM, SELECTED STRATEGIES FROM THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN TO KIND OF, UM, GUIDE WHAT THEIR PROJECTS WERE.
'CAUSE THEY HAD IDEAS WHEN THEY CAME IN OF WHAT THEIR PROJECTS WERE.
BUT ALSO, UH, THE FIRST FEW MONTHS FOR THAT PROCESS OF ME WORKING WITH THEM TO FIGURE OUT LIKE, OKAY, WHAT'S ACTUALLY REALISTIC? WHAT THE CITY'S RESOURCES AND, UM, WITH WHAT YOU'RE ABLE TO OFFER IN YOUR CAPACITY.
UM, AND ALSO, UH, ONE THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS THAT A LOT OF THERA UH, A LOT OF THE AMBASSADORS ENDED UP PICKING STRATEGIES FROM THE TRANSPORTATION AND, AND LAND USE SECTION, UM, BECAUSE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND THE ACCESS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ON A LOT OF THEIR MINDS.
AND IT CAME UP IN A LOT OF OUR CONVERSATIONS.
AND SO I'M GONNA TRY TO, UH, ACTUALLY GO THROUGH ALL OF THE PROJECTS NOW.
UH, LIKE I SAID, THERE WERE NINE AMBASSADORS.
SOME OF THEM WORKED TOGETHER ON PROJECTS.
AND SO THIS FIRST PROJECT HERE IS A ZINE THAT TWO OF THE AMBASSADORS MADE ABOUT CLIMATE JUSTICE AND KIND OF IMAGINING SUSTAINABLE FUTURES, FUTURES THAT, UM, THAT HIGHLIGHT THE VOICES OF BLACK AND INDIGENOUS YOUTH, UM, OF COLOR.
AND SO THE ZINE WAS LIKE WRITTEN WITH ONE OF THE AMBASSADORS.
THEY CRAFTED THE OVERALL NARRATIVE OF THE ZINE AND TALKED ABOUT LIKE HIGHLIGHTING AUSTIN'S PARTICULAR, UM, STRUGGLES WITH TRANSPORTATION POLICY IN AUSTIN, AND LIKE HOW AS A PERSON OF COLOR THOSE POLICIES MIGHT NEGATIVELY AFFECT YOU.
AND THEN KIND OF PEPPERED THROUGHOUT, THEY HAD SUBMISSIONS FROM YOUTH, THEY TRIED TO GET, UH, FOLKS OR THEY DEFINED YOUTH AS ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 25, BASICALLY.
AND SO IN THE PICTURE, I HAVE ONE AS THE SUBMISSIONS THAT THEY GOT, WHICH IS, UM, A RELIEF CARVING, WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS, BUT I THINK IT'S LIKE YOU CARVE IN WOOD AND THEN PAINT ON TOP OF IT.
UM, AND UH, THERE'S A LITTLE, UH, DESCRIPTION OF KIND OF THE ARTIST'S STATE OF MIND AND WHAT THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT WHEN THEY WERE WORKING ON THE PIECE.
UM, AND SO THAT'S ONE PROJECT.
AND THEN ANOTHER SET OF AMBASSADORS ALSO, UM, WANTED TO WORK WITH YOUTH AND WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT KIND OF THE PARTICULAR STRUGGLES WITH CLIMATE ANXIETY THAT YOUTH OF COLOR IN AUSTIN MAY EXPERIENCE.
AND SO THEY DID AN ART SHOWCASE WHERE ALL OF THE PIECES WERE, UM, CREATED BY, UH, YOUTH OF COLOR IN AUSTIN ABOUT THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF CLIMATE JUSTICE OF, OF CLIMATE JUSTICE.
AND SO IT WAS LIKE, UM, THEY HAD GOTTEN THE SUBMISSIONS OF ART FROM YOUTH AND THEN ALSO THE EVENT ITSELF WAS CATERED TO YOUTH.
AND THEY HAD LIKE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
UM, THEY GOT, I CANNOT REMEMBER THE SPECIFIC, LIKE, NON-PROFIT ANYMORE, BUT THEY GOT, UM, SOME TYPE OF LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, LIKE YOUTH NON-PROFIT EDUCATION CONNECTION TYPE ORGANIZATION TO COME AND LIKE ALSO TABLE AT THE EVENT SO THAT THE, UH, KIDS COULD BE PROVIDED WITH RESOURCES.
THEY HAD THESE LIKE STICKY NOTES FOR PEOPLE TO KIND OF, UM, NOTE THEIR FEELINGS WITHIN THE EVENT AS WELL.
UM, AND SO THAT ONE, I WAS HONESTLY LIKE SO BLOWN AWAY WHEN I WALKED INTO THE EVENT 'CAUSE I WAS LIKE, WOW, I'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE TO TRY TO GET LIKE THE 10 OF Y'ALL IN ONE ROOM AND HERE YOU'VE LIKE, DONE THIS WHOLE EVENT WITH LIKE 50, UH, 50 PEOPLE TURNING OUT.
AND I WAS SUPER IMPRESSED WITH THAT.
AND THEN ALSO ANOTHER AMBASSADOR ES HE, UH, REALLY WANTED TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT AND PARTNER WITH THE, THE BLACK MEN'S HEALTH CLINIC, WHICH IS A HEALTH CLINIC IN AUSTIN THAT PRIMARILY SERVES BLACK MEN.
UH, AND HE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT CLINIC WAS ON OUR RADAR BECAUSE HE WANTED TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN HEALTH OUTCOMES WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND THINGS AGAIN, UH, LIKE TRANSPORTATION POLICY, HOUSING, UM, AND AFFORDABILITY AND HOW THOSE IMPACT NOT JUST THE PHYSICAL HEALTH, BUT ALSO THE MENTAL HEALTH OF BLACK MEN.
UM, BECAUSE THE CLINIC DOESN'T JUST DO LIKE MEDICAL SERVICES, BUT THEY ALSO OFFER, ALSO OFFER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
AND SO HE USED, OR LIKE HE SPENT HIS PROJECT KIND OF, UH, BASICALLY JUST WORKING WITH THE CLINIC TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS FOR THEM.
AND HE REALLY HELPED WITH GETTING TOGETHER THEIR FOUNDER'S DAY EVENT, WHICH IS WHAT THE PICTURES ARE FROM.
UM, AND THAT WAS KIND OF THEIR BIG EVENT WHERE THEY, UH, TALKED ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT THE CLINIC HAS BEEN ABLE
[00:25:01]
TO HAVE OVER ITS PAST YEAR OF, UH, HAVING BEEN ESTABLISHED.AND THEN ALSO, SAHA, SAHA AND ANDRESS WERE ANOTHER PAIR OF AMBASSADORS WHO THEY WERE BOTH REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT, UM, THE CITY'S ABILITY TO OFFER BILINGUAL RESOURCES AND TO OFFER RESOURCES TO THE SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITY.
UM, BECAUSE AT THE TIME, UM, THE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND ALSO THE RESILIENCE OFFICE, THEY WERE, UM, GETTING STARTED THESE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS POPUPS THAT, UH, THE IDEA WAS THAT THERE WOULD BE A DIFFERENT ONE EVERY MONTH IN LIKE A DIFFERENT CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
AND IT'S JUST LIKE THIS FAIR WHERE THEY GO OUT INTO THE COUNCIL DISTRICT AND GIVE PEOPLE, UH, RESOURCES ABOUT HOW TO BE PREPARED IN THE EVENT OF AN EXTREME, UH, DISASTER OR WEATHER OR ACTUALLY THERE, IT DOESN'T EVEN JUST COVER WEATHER.
THERE'S LIKE A LOT OF STUFF THAT'S, UH, WITHIN THE PREPAREDNESS GUIDE.
BUT THE TWO AMBASSADORS ASSISTED WITH, UM, DOING SOME OF THE LIKE LITERAL TRANSLATIONS AS THEY WERE WORKING ON THE GUIDE.
AND THEN THEY ALSO HELPED WITH DOING THE, LIKE AT THE EVENTS THEMSELVES, THEY WERE ABLE TO, UH, OFFER, UH, ABLE TO INTERACT WITH FOLKS BOTH IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
AND THEY ALSO, UM, HELP THE FOLKS IN THE RESILIENCE OFFICE KIND OF FURTHER DEVELOP, UM, THIS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING THAT THEY'RE HOPING, UH, OR IT'S LIKE THEY HAVE THIS PROGRAM FOR RESIDENTS TO LEARN HOW TO WALK SOMEONE THROUGH THIS PREPAREDNESS GUIDE BASICALLY.
AND SO THEY WERE ALSO KIND OF BETA TESTING THE SPANISH VERSION OF THIS TRAINING.
SO THE AMBASSADORS HELPED WITH THAT AS WELL.
AND ONTO OUR LAST PAIR OF AMBASSADORS, OR, WELL, THEY DIDN'T WORK IN A PAIR, BUT I JUST PUT THEM ON THE SAME SLIDE TOGETHER, UM, BECAUSE THEY BOTH ENDED UP ON THE, AN EPISODE OF THE AUSTIN COMMONS PODCAST.
UH, BUT SO KEISHA, UH, WAS THE AMBASSADOR I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER WHEN I SAID SOMEONE WAS FROM, UH, BASTA.
AND SO SHE'S THE AMBASSADOR THAT WAS REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT TENANTS RIGHTS IN AUSTIN.
AND SO FOR HER PROJECT, UH, SHE WORKED WITH A T X N TO FILM AN AN INTERVIEW SLASH INFORMATIONAL VIDEO ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND IN TENANTS RIGHTS IN AUSTIN.
AND IN THE VIDEO SHE TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UM, SOME OF THE RIGHTS THAT WERE RECENTLY, UH, OR I GUESS ORDINANCES THAT WERE PASSED BY COUNSEL RELATING TO TENANT'S RIGHTS WITHIN AUSTIN, RELATIVELY REC RECENTLY.
UM, AND SHE TALKED ABOUT KIND OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO ORGANIZE AROUND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THEN ALSO FINALLY, I HAD AN AMBASSADOR DYLAN, WHO, UH, FOR HIS PROJECT, HE WAS CONDUCTING RESEARCH ABOUT AUSTIN'S PLANS FOR, UH, FUNDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND FOR, AND FOR ITS KIND OF ITS LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE BECAUSE HE WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN COOPERATIVE LIVING AND LIKE HOW THAT COULD BE EXPLORED, UM, KIND OF ON A LARGER SCALE OR, OR AT THE CITY LEVEL, UM, AS WE'RE TRYING TO THINK OF CREATIVE WAYS TO FUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN AUSTIN AND LIKE WAYS TO DO THAT SUSTAINABLY BECAUSE, UM, HE WAS A SUSTAINABILITY STUDY STUDENT AT UT AND WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN LIKE THE SUSTAINABILITY COMPONENT OF COOPERATIVE LIVING AS WELL.
AND SO, YEAH, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN EITHER OF THOSE PROJECTS, BOTH OF THEM ARE ON AN EPISODE OF AUSTIN COMMONS, UH, RADIO HOUR PODCAST WHERE THEY BOTH JUST, UM, SPEND SOME TIME TALKING ABOUT THEIR PROJECTS AND KIND OF WHAT THEY LEARNED AND WHAT THEY HOPE TO SEE IN AUSTIN, UH, AS A RESULT.
AND THEN FINALLY EVERYTHING KIND OF CULMINATED IN THIS FINAL SHOWCASE EVENT THAT I ORGANIZED AT THE DOVE SPRINGS REC CENTER TO JUST KIND OF, UM, I WANTED TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE AMBASSADORS WHO HAD LIKE CREATED A PHYSICAL PRODUCT TO JUST GO OUT IN COMMUNITY AND LIKE HAVE A CHANCE TO DISTRIBUTE IT AND TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR PROJECTS.
UM, OR EVEN THE ONES WHO DIDN'T HAVE THINGS TO LIKE NECESSARILY PHYSICALLY SHOW, THEY DID HAVE THINGS TO TALK ABOUT.
UM, AND SO I JUST HAD THE AMBASSADOR SITTING AT TABLES, UH, OUT IN FRONT OF THE REC CENTER AND INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE WHO JUST CAME UP AND IT HAPPENED TO BE LIKE, I THINK SCHOOL PICTURE DAY OR SOMETHING THAT DAY.
SO IT ACTUALLY WORKED OUT REALLY WELL BECAUSE THERE WERE A TON OF PEOPLE THERE AND WE WERE LIKE, HA HA, YOU CAME FOR ONE THING, BUT WE'RE HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.
THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE PROGRAM AND LIKE ALL THE, I MEAN, NOT REALLY, THERE WAS SO MUCH BEHIND THE SCENES STUFF THAT I CAN CONVEY ALL IN THIS ONE PRESENTATION, BUT THE LESSONS LEARNED KIND OF BROADLY WHERE THAT, UH, I HAVE IT ORGANIZED SO THAT GREEN IS KIND OF THE POSITIVES, AND THEN THIS LIKE ORANGEY BURNT ORANGE COLOR IS LIKE, EH, MAYBE THEY'RE NOT SO GREATS, BUT POSITIVES.
UM, THIS REALLY WAS A GREAT WAY TO KIND OF CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY, I THINK IN A WAY THAT FOR ME FELT A LOT MORE AUTHENTIC AS A PERSON THAT WAS KIND OF DEALING WITH THEM
[00:30:01]
DIRECTLY.I FEEL LIKE, UM, I THINK THAT WE CAN KIND OF GET AN IMPRESSION OF WHAT COMMUNITY IS THINKING WHEN, UM, WE ONLY HAVE LIKE THESE VERY SPECIFIC AVENUES BY WHICH COMMUNITY CAN ENGAGE WITH US.
UM, BECAUSE THE TYPES OF PERSON WHO, OR THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO'S LIKE GOING TO USE THAT METHOD, UM, IS MAYBE NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENTATIVE OF LIKE ALL OF AUSTIN.
AND SO WE TEND TO KIND OF GET THE SAME TYPE OF FEEDBACK BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY GOT THIS ONE WAY TO LET PEOPLE INTERACT WITH US.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS PROGRAM WAS A NEW WAY FOR, UH, PEOPLE TO DO THAT.
AND I THINK IT PROVIDED, OR IT WAS, UM, IT PROVIDED A MORE AUTHENTIC OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH COMMUNITY.
AND ALSO, UH, LIKE YOU SAW, THE AMBASSADORS DID GET PLUGGED INTO LIKE, NUMEROUS EFFORTS THAT WERE ACROSS ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
UM, THEY ENDED UP DOING STUFF THAT I HADN'T EVEN THOUGHT OF, LIKE ALSO THE AMBASSADORS THAT WERE WORKING ON EMER EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS STUFF, THEY LIKE COMPLETELY INDEPENDENTLY OF ME ORGANIZED, UM, AN INTERVIEW ON A SPANISH RADIO, UH, RADIO CHANNEL.
IS THAT WHAT THEY'RE
LIKE THEY GOT HIM TO COME ONTO THE RADIO AND LIKE DO AN INTERVIEW IN SPANISH TO LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE POPUPS THAT WERE COMING UP.
AND LIKE, I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT.
THEY JUST LIKE, WERE LIKE, OH YEAH, I KNOW SOMEONE AT THIS RADIO, UM, STATION.
ALSO, UH, YEAH, THE AMBASSADORS, LIKE THE JUST PHYSICAL PRODUCTS THAT THEY CREATED, I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED BY.
UM, SO SOME OF THE CONS THOUGH WERE THAT YEAH,
UH, THEY WERE VERY CLEAR WITH ME ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, SOMETHING THAT KIND OF CAME UP, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE WERE AT THE PLACE WHERE WE WERE TRYING TO CONNECT THEIR PROJECTS TO THE CLIMATE PLAN, UM, WAS THAT IT'S JUST LIKE, IT IS SO DIFFICULT FOR A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY'RE GOING TO PLUG IN TO, UM, WHAT THE CITY IS DOING.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT THEY KIND OF CAN'T DO WITHOUT THE CITY, UM, OR THEY CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT GETTING PLUGGED IN IN SOME WAY.
AND SO, UM, THAT WAS KIND OF A STRUGGLE AS WELL WAS THAT IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, YOU'RE A CLIMATE AMBASSADOR FOR THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, BUT LIKE YOUR AREA OF INTEREST IS RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION.
SO LIKE, KIND OF WE NEED PEOPLE FROM TRANSPORTATION TO PLAY BALL HERE.
AND LIKE SOME OF THEM ARE TOTALLY WILLING TO DO THAT, BUT LIKE ALSO SOME OF THEM ARE LIKE, YOU ARE NOT, LIKE, WHAT IS THIS KIND OF, UM, SO THAT CAME UP A LITTLE BIT DURING THE PROGRAM AND THEN ALSO FINALLY ALIGNING COMMUNITY GOALS WITH CITY TIMELINES IS DIFFICULT AS WELL.
UM, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I NOTICED JUST KIND OF IN THE ACTUAL REALITY OF MANAGING THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM IS THAT IT'S LIKE, OKAY, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE PAYING THEM, THIS IS LIKE NOT THEIR JOB AND IT'S NOT, UM, LIKE
THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE LIKE HELPING US OUT WITH, AND THEN WE'RE ESSENTIALLY OFFERING YOU LIKE A STIPEND.
UM, AND SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT I KIND OF SAW.
I WAS LIKE, I, I CAN FORESEE THIS BEING AN ISSUE IN THE FUTURE IF IT'S LIKE WE TRY TO DO IT TO WHERE IT'S LIKE, OKAY, EVERY TIME WE'RE GONNA DO THIS, LIKE SUPER SHORT AND TIGHT LIKE SIX MONTH PROGRAM AND THEY'RE GONNA DO LIKE A HUNDRED HOURS OF ENGAGEMENT AND BLAH, BLAH BLAH AND ALL THESE THINGS.
AND THEN LIKE, WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING IT, THEY'RE LIKE, NO, I AM
IT'S MUCH MORE REALISTIC FOR ME TO, YOU KNOW, DO THAT AMOUNT OF WORK OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR RATHER THAN SIX MONTHS.
AND LIKE, YOU'LL GET THAT TYPE OF FEEDBACK.
UM, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER IF THIS IS MY LAST SLIDE OR NOT.
SO THE NEXT STEPS, UM, SO I'M NOT GONNA LIE, I WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE THIS PRESENTATION TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION LIKE TWO MONTHS AGO.
UH, AND SO I ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN FEED LIKE PROGRAM FEEDBACK FROM THE AMBASSADORS AND, UH, HAVE BEEN WORKING ON KIND OF A FINAL REPORT THAT I, UM, WILL BE SLASH HAVE ALREADY HANDED OFF TO THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, UH, THAT INCORPORATED BASICALLY SOME OF, YEAH, LIKE, OR NOT SOME, ALL OF THE FEEDBACK THAT THE AMBASSADORS GAVE ME ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE OF RUNNING THE PROGRAM.
AND THEN I ALSO INCLUDED MY EXPERIENCE OF RUNNING THE PROGRAM, UM, JUST 'CAUSE AGAIN, IT'S LIKE, I THINK THAT OUR OFFICE WAS DOING SOMETHING
[00:35:01]
NEW, SO THERE JUST REALLY WASN'T LIKE A, THERE WASN'T A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW'S THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS? AND SO THIS WAS A VERY BIG LEARNING EXPERIENCE.AND SO THERE WAS A LOT THAT I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I CAPTURED FROM BOTH MYSELF AND THE AMBASSADORS.
UM, UH, YEAH, I DON'T THINK Y'ALL NEED ANYTHING ELSE FROM THIS SLIDE, SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO ME.
I DON'T KNOW, DO, DO I TAKE QUESTIONS OR? YEAH.
I WILL IF YOU, IF YOU'LL ENTERTAIN 'EM.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THANK YOU FOR COMING AGAIN, BY THE WAY.
UH, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS ISN'T EVEN YOUR JOB ANYMORE, SO THANKS FOR, THANKS FOR, THANKS FOR COMING.
UM, EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE SWITCHED OFFICES.
UM, LET'S, LET'S START REMOTE.
UM, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR, UM, FOR THE, FROM THE PRESENTATION? I DON'T.
I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
ALRIGHT, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN HERE THEN.
EINHORN, YOU'RE UP IF YOU'VE GOT ANYTHING.
WHO'S DOING IT NOW THAT YOU'VE MOVED TO THE EQUITY OFFICE? UM, THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION.
SO I THINK RIGHT NOW THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY IS TRYING TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH THE FEEDBACK THAT WE DID GET, UM, AND CONSIDERING THE OPTIONS MOVING FORWARD.
UH, 'CAUSE LIKE I SAID, LIKE, UH, WE DID GET THAT FEEDBACK THAT DOING THE PROJECTS WAS KIND OF A LOT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL.
AND SO SOMETHING WE'RE KIND OF CONSIDERING IS, UH, LIKE MAYBE DO WE MOVE TOWARDS LIKE A MINI GRANT MODEL AGAIN SO THAT PEOPLE CAN KIND OF COME IN ALREADY WITH THAT PROJECT IDEA THAT LIKE FITS THEIR CAPACITY VERSUS US, UM, BEING INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS OF LIKE FIGURING OUT THE PROJECT WITH THEM.
OR DO WE WANNA MOVE, UM, BACK TOWARDS SOMETHING MORE LIKE THE ORIGINAL MODEL.
SO WE'RE STILL KIND OF FIGURING THINGS OUT.
UM, SO A SECOND COHORT IS AT LEAST ENVISIONED, UH, YES.
AND THEN I BELIEVE ACCORDING TO THE BUDGET, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S OFFICIAL, UM, BUT ALLEGEDLY, APPARENTLY ACCORDING TO THE BUDGET, UM, THERE WILL BE A POSITION OF, UH, LIKE A FULL-TIME POSITION FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WHICH I WAS A TEMP POSITION DOING THIS.
UM, SO THE VISION IS FOR THE FULL-TIME, UH, COMMUNITY PERSON TO THEN BE OVERSEEING THE PROGRAM GOING FORWARD.
UH, JUST TO CHIME IN ON THAT, KATIE COHEN ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER, I'M TOLD THAT THE, UH, F Y 24 BUDGET PASSED TODAY.
SO UNLESS IT WAS REMOVED, UH, AND IF IT WAS PROPOSED, AS SHE'S SAYING, I GOT AN EMAIL THAT IT PASSED, SO IT SHOULD BE IN THERE UNLESS IT WAS REMOVED.
I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT HARD WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND RALLYING THE COMMUNITY TO, TO DO ALL OF THAT WORK, SUPPORTING THEM.
I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S REALLY GREAT.
I IT DOES SOUND LIKE THE MINI GRANT IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO KEEP IT GOING AND KEEP A YEAH.
KEEP, KEEP A GROUP FOCUSED ON, ON DOING IT.
UM, I AM WONDERING IF I STARTED TO LOSE MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT, UM, IF THAT OH YEAH.
IF THE COMMUNITY PERSON ORGANIZER WHO'S PAID FOR THE CITY WOULD CONTINUE TO DO ALL THE TRAINING WITH THE, WITH, IN REGARD TO EQUITY AND SO FORTH BEFORE THE GRANT WOULD BE, UH, GIVEN.
UM, SO I, WELL, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I WILL SAY, UM, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, OUR OFFICE DOES ALREADY HAVE LIKE A, OR, WELL, THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY DOES ALREADY HAVE A FOOD JUSTICE MINI GRANT, AND I BELIEVE, ACTUALLY DON'T, DON'T QUOTE ME, I, I DUNNO.
I FEEL LIKE THERE'S A CHANCE MAYBE THEY DO MAKE, UM, PARTICIPANTS IN THE GRANT GO THROUGH AN EQUITY PROCESS IN SOME WAY, BUT DEFINITELY DON'T QUOTE ME
UH, I WOULD REACH OUT TO, UH, FOLKS ON THE FOOD TEAM OF THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY TO GET A BETTER ANSWER THAN THE ONE I GAVE.
UM, WELL, YEAH, I WAS GONNA ASK A QUESTION ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT COMMISSIONER EINHORN ASKED ABOUT WAS JUST A, IT IS JUST A ONE-OFF, UH, EFFORT OR IS IT GOING TO BE CONTINUING IN THE FUTURE MM-HMM.
SO IT DOES SOUND LIKE IT WILL BE CONTINUING IN SOME FORM IN THE FUTURE.
THE IDEA WITH THE PROGRAM WAS THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A CONTINUAL THING.
UM, SO ARE THE AMBASSADORS GENERALLY LIKE YOUNG COLLEGE AGED PEOPLE OR DO THEY, DO THEY REPRESENT A CONTINUUM OF AGES OR, UM, I'D SAY IT WAS A CONTINUUM OF AGES.
[00:40:01]
DIDN'T ASK FOR EXACT AGES, BUT, UH, I DID HAVE FOLKS GO WITHIN THE RANGE ALL THE WAY UP FROM, OR I THINK IT LIKE STARTED AT 18 AND WE WENT ALL THE WAY UP TO EITHER 55 OR 65.ANYWAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
AND I'LL BE, UH, IN WILL YOUR FINAL REPORT BE ONLINE? UM, I DON'T KNOW.
I KNOW FOR SURE THAT THE OFFICE SUSTAINABILITY EITHER ALREADY HAS OR WILL SOON BE POSTING LIKE A BLOG POST THAT KIND OF CHRONICLES UH, AND SUMMARIZES THE WORK THAT THE AMBASSADORS DID.
THE FINAL REPORT THAT I'M WORKING ON MIGHT BE FOR INTERNAL USE, UM, BUT THERE ARE SOME RESOURCES THAT ONLINE ABOUT THE, ABOUT THIS PROGRAM? YES.
AND LIKE LINKS TO THE, UM, LIKE THE VIDEOS THAT THE AMBASSADORS DID AND LIKE THE PODCAST EPISODES AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE DEFINITELY ON THERE.
I THINK THE REPORT IS, WAS MEANT MORE SO TO BE, UH, NOT LIKE A PUBLIC FACING, LIKE THIS IS WHAT WE DID, BUT LIKE A SERIOUS INTERNAL REVIEW OF LIKE, OKAY, WHERE ARE THE STEPS MOVING FORWARD? OKAY.
UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER IS NOW ON MINE THOUGH.
BRIMER, YOU GOT ANYTHING? NO, I'M FINE.
I HAD GONE OUT TO, UH, THE, UH, SITE WHERE THIS WAS BEING HELD IN A PUBLIC SETTING AND I FOUND IT VERY INFORMATIVE.
SO I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION, UH, TODAY AND I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT BY THE AMBASSADORS, UH, YOU KNOW, GOING OUT AND DOING THEIR THING TO GATHER INFORMATION, THAT SORT OF THING.
UM, I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS, UM, IN RES IN REGARDS TO THE RE UH, EQUITABLE RESPONSE TO CLIMATE, UM, EMERGENCIES MM-HMM.
UM, I DON'T THINK THEY REALLY CAPTURED LIKE A BROAD VIEW OR LIKE THEY WERE, THEY, THE POPUPS OCCURRED OVER THE SPAN OF A YEAR, UM, BUT THE AMBASSADORS KIND OF WERE MOSTLY HELPING OUT DURING THE SUMMER AND SO I DON'T THINK THEY WERE REALLY ENGAGING LONG ENOUGH TO LIKE, HAVE GOTTEN A, UM, LONGER TERM IDEA OF HOW PEOPLE'S PERCEPTIONS HAD CHANGED.
SO WE THREW YOU A CURVE BALL WITH MORE QUESTIONS THAT, SORRY.
UM, YEAH, ELIZABETH, THIS IS ACTUALLY FOR YOU, BUT IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND FIND THE LINKS OR THE INFORMATION TO THOSE VIDEOS AND THE PODCASTS AND STUFF, I'M NOT, I'M NOT GONNA ASK, UH, ASK YOU TO DO ANY MORE HOMEWORK OTHER THAN COMING LATE AFTER YOUR CLASS IS OVER.
AND THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR HAVING ME.
UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME AT THE EQUITY OFFICE.
UM, I, MY EMAIL SITUATION IS KIND OF IN FLUXX RIGHT NOW, BUT PROBABLY, EVENTUALLY MAYBE ELIZABETH, I GUESS.
WE HAVE AN ELIZABETH WHO CAN FIND YOU.
[3. Discussion and action regarding appointments to the Urban Forestry Committee (two vacancies) and the Joint Committee of the Environmental Commission and Parks and Recreation Board (two vacancies)]
ALRIGHT, NEXT UP WE'VE GOT, UH, DISCUSSION ACTION ITEMS, UH, DISCUSS AND ACTION REGARDING THE APPOINTMENT OF THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE.THERE ARE TWO VACANCIES AND THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL C COMMISSION AND PARKS AND REC BOARD.
THERE ARE TWO VACANCIES, SO WE JUST NEED TO DISCUSS IF ANYBODY WANTS TO JUMP ON THESE AND, UM, GO FROM THERE.
SO LET'S START WITH, UH, URBAN FORESTRY.
UM, RIGHT NOW, UM, IT'S BRIMER NICHOLS AND SHERA.
YOU GUYS STILL WANT TO STAY ON WHAT? YES, YES.
UH, IF I MAY, UH, CHAIR, UH, YES, GO FOR IT.
THE ISSUE REALLY IS THAT, UH, IN ORDER TO HAVE, UM, A QUORUM ON THIS, WE HAVE TO HAVE, I BELIEVE, THREE PEOPLE.
SO IF ONE PERSON IS ABSENT, THAT MEANS THE MEETING IS CANCELED AND NOT VALID.
SO WE NEED TO HAVE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE JUST IN CASE ONE PERSON IS UNAVAILABLE AT THE TIME THE MEETING IS SCHEDULED.
UH, WE CAN GO AHEAD WITH THE MEETING.
SO IT'S REALLY KIND OF A PROCEDURAL ISSUE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
BUT I THINK ALSO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A CROSS SECTION
[00:45:01]
THAT'S REPRESENTATIVE OF, OF THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE, UH, TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ADEQUATE INPUT AND FEEDBACK FROM EVERYONE ON THE COMMISSION TO REPRESENT, YOU KNOW, A CROSS SECTION OF THE COMMISSION ON THIS PARTICULAR MATTER.SO REALLY THERE'S TWO ISSUES INVOLVED IS ONE IS KIND OF A PROCEDURAL PERSPECTIVE AS IS CAN WE HOLD A MEETING ON A REGULAR BASIS WITHOUT CANCELING IT AND INCONVENIENCING, UH, CITY STAFF, UH, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, UH, THE ORGANIZATION AND PARTICIPATION.
AND THE SECOND ITEM BEING, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE WE HAVE A ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION CROSS SECTION WISE OF PEOPLE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
SO THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS THAT ARE INVOLVED.
NOW WE'RE GONNA MEET ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, AND AS SOON AS WE CAN GET, UH, PEOPLE FROM URBAN FORESTRY, UH, ON WATERSHED PROTECTION INVOLVED, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A, I'M GONNA HAVE A PRELIMINARY MEETING WITH THEM TO KIND OF SET A AGENDA TO MOVE FORWARD WITH.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA MEET, UH, ON A QUARTERLY BASIS TO DO THAT.
SO HOPEFULLY, UH, IT'S NOT GONNA BE TOO INVASIVE INTO PEOPLE'S TIME.
HOWEVER, UH, I WAS ADVISED BY, UH, ELIZABETH THAT THESE MEETINGS ARE TYPICALLY HELD DURING THE DAYTIME AS OPPOSED TO THE EVENING.
LIKE THIS IS, UH, FORTUNATELY I'M RETIRED, SO I MY TIME IS A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBLE THAN PERHAPS OTHER PEOPLE'S ARE.
SO PEOPLE WHO ARE VOLUNTEERING FOR THIS NEED TO KEEP THAT SORT OF THING IN MIND.
SO WE CAN HAVE UP TO TWO MORE, ELIZABETH WITHOUT HAVING QUORUM ISSUES.
UM, WELL WITH, UH, YOU GUYS, NOT SAYING YOU WON'T CONTINUE, UM, UH, DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO JOIN THESE THREE, UM, ON THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE? I'M THE DO GUYS, I'M JUST GONNA ASK WHAT'S THE CHARGE OF THIS COMMITTEE? WHAT'S THE, WHAT, WHAT IS THE DELIVERABLE? MY, MY TIME DURING THE DAY IS PRETTY LIMITED, BUT IT'S A VALID QUESTION.
I FIGURED I'D ASK, UM, YOU, ELIZABETH, WHY DON'T YOU, UH, TAKE A RUN AT THAT AND THEN, UM, BRIER, IF YOU WANNA FOCUS IN ON ANYTHING KIND OF ON YOUR IDEAS FOR THE, FOR THIS NEXT YEAR, THAT'D BE GREAT.
YEAH, ELIZABETH FUNK WATERSHED.
UH, THE URBAN FORESTRY USED TO BE A BOARD AND NOW IT IS A COMMITTEE THAT WAS BEEN KIND OF ABSORBED INTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
THEY WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY TREE FOLKS AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
UM, AND THEIR PURVIEW IS ESSENTIALLY ALL THINGS TREES.
SO TYPICALLY TO DO WITH HOW THAT COINCIDES WITH DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND PLANTINGS.
UM, SO CITY INITIATIVES INVOLVING OUR ORGAN URBAN FOREST.
UM, SO THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR THE FIRST AGENDA IS SOME GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ON TREE CANOPY.
WHAT ARE THE CODES AND RESTRICTIONS? UM, AND THEN YEAH,
UM, AND JUST ANOTHER THING TO TUG ONTO WHAT BRIMER SAID, HE AND I WILL HAVE TO BE IN PERSON AS THE CH HE'S THE CHAIR.
UM, BUT WE REALLY DO IN ORDER TO HAVE MEETINGS, WHICH IS SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO, WE REALLY DO NEED TWO MORE PEOPLE ON THE, UM, COMMITTEE.
'CAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S REALLY, UM, HARD FOR STAFF
ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS IS THAT, UH, ONE THING THAT HAS BEEN RUNNING AROUND, UH, THE FORESTRY FOLKS IN CITY STAFF IS AN UPDATE TO THE HERITAGE TREE ORDINANCE.
UH, ALTHOUGH THE EXISTING HERITAGE TREE ORDINANCE IS PRETTY GOOD, THERE'S BEEN SOME RUMBLINGS THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME IMPROVEMENTS.
AND SO IN MY DISCUSSIONS WITH PEOPLE IN, UH, THE FORESTRY GROUP WITHIN, UH, THE CITY INDICATES THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN IT.
AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS AMONG 500 OTHER RANDOM ITEMS THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO ADDRESS IS WHAT WE FEEL IS MIGHT BE THE AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE HERITAGE TREE ORDINANCE.
AND SO WE WOULD NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT CITY STAFF IS PROPOSING ARE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS AND WHETHER WE NEED TO GET BEHIND THOSE, UH, ALL OF THEM, PART OF THEM, NONE OF THEM, WHATEVER, WHATEVER IT IS.
[00:50:01]
IT FROM SAY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, BUT IT MAY HAVE CHANGED IN THE INTERIM.AND SO WE NEED TO GET UPDATED ON WHATEVER THAT MAY HAPPEN TO BE.
AND AS A GROUP, AS A COMMITTEE, WE NEED TO CIRCLE THE WAGON WAGONS AROUND THAT SORT OF THING AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AS TO HOW WE SHOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO THE COUNCIL, CITY COUNCIL AS TO HOW DO WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD NOW.
UM, I FORGET WHO IT WAS, UH, AT THE LAST MEETING WHO HAD QUESTIONS REGARDING THE CURRENT CANOPY COVER.
UH, I HAD REQUESTED ELIZABETH SEND OUT A EMAIL, UH, A DAY OR TWO AGO CONCERNING THE CURRENT CANOPY COVER WITHIN THE CITY.
AND I BELIEVE WITHOUT PULLING UP THAT EMAIL, IT WAS LIKE 40 OR 44%.
THIS IS SOMETHING FROM THE OFFICER MONITOR.
NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT, BUT THE GOAL FOR THIS FOR LIKE 2030 OR 2040 IS 50%.
SO THAT IS ONE THING WE NEED TO ADDRESS, UH, YOU KNOW, AS AN EXAMPLE.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WOULD BE ONGOING TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION GOING FORWARD AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN INFLUENCE AS A COMMITTEE THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION BY RA, MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WOULD FLOW THROUGH THE, TO THE COUNCIL THAT COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON HOW WE GO FORWARD AS A CITY IN IMPACTING, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY TREES, WHERE THEY ARE, HOW THEY'RE ADDRESSED, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
SO THAT'S THE TYPE OF IMPACT WE COULD POSSIBLY HAVE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I, THIS SOUNDS REALLY INTERESTING.
I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN THE PARKS AND REC BOARD, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT I COULD DO BOTH.
SO I'M CURIOUS IF PEOPLE ARE OPEN TO, UM, HEARING A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OR EXPLANATION OF THE PARKS AND REC BOARD AS WELL.
SO I CAN THROW MY NAME IN THE RING FOR AT LEAST ONE OF THEM.
AND ARE YOU REFERRING TO THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND PARKS AND REC BOARD? IS THAT THE ONE? YES, NUMBER NINE.
UH, ELIZABETH MONK WATERSHED, UH, THE, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT LAST WEEK.
UM, THE, IT'S A VERY NARROW, PURE PURVIEW AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ON BARTON SPRINGS BATHHOUSE.
UM, THEY HAVE NOT MET SINCE 2020, THE JOINT.
THIS IS THE JOINT PARKS AND REC AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION BOARD.
UM, THEY ARE WORKING ON MEETING UP A LITTLE BIT MORE REGULARLY.
THAT IS ONE, BECAUSE IT'S JOINT COMMITTEE IS A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO MAKE QUORUM.
UM, YEAH, SO IT, THEY, THEY WILL RECEIVE UPDATES FOR THE BARTON SPRINGS BATHHOUSE, BUT AGAIN, RIGHT NOW THEY'RE, BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A NARROW PURVIEW, THEY HAVEN'T MET IN A LONG TIME.
UM, AND IT IS PART WHO WILL ORGANIZE THAT COMMITTEE.
I ORGANIZE, I WORK WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR URBAN FORESTRY AND THE PARKS AND REC BOARD LIAISON ORGANIZES THE JOINT.
DO YOU KNOW HOW OFTEN THAT ONE MEETS? UH, AGAIN, THEY HAVEN'T MET SINCE 2020, SO PRESUMABLY I DO KNOW I HAVE AN EMAIL THAT SAYS THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON STARTING IT UP, BUT EVEN THEN IT'S ONLY WHEN IT IS THERE'S RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR THE BARTON SPRINGS BATHHOUSE.
SO I WOULD EXPECT THERE TO BE SOME SORT OF BRIEFING AS CONSTRUCTION BEGINS, BUT I DON'T KNOW, DON'T HAVE ANY INSIGHT IN THAT
SO JOINT, UH, NO, SORRY, UH, URBAN FORESTRY.
UM, ANYBODY ELSE WANNA JOIN THAT ONE? I, I GUESS I'LL, BEFORE I, BEFORE I REALLY START HOT BOXING EVERYBODY, UM, UH, YEARS BACK, WE ALSO WOULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A DEEP DIVE INTO SOME OF THE HERITAGE TREE MATTERS THAT WERE GONNA COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION.
SO KIND OF GET AN EARLY REVIEW OF THINGS, SOMETIMES MEET WITH, WITH, WITH STAFF ABOUT THAT AND COME TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND IDEAS.
SO THAT MIGHT BE ANOTHER ELEMENT THAT GETS PICKED UP A LITTLE BIT, UM, IN THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE.
BUT, UM, ASSUMING ALL THOSE MEMBERS WILL WANT TO CONTINUE UNLESS THEY SEE OTHERWISE.
ANY TAKERS, AND THEN WE CAN MAKE A MOTION.
[00:55:01]
THE CURRENT ACTING THREE MEMBERS, SORRY, UM, OF BRIMER NICHOLS AND SHERA, AND THAT WE ADD KRUGER A SECOND, SECOND BY SULLIVAN.ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
ALL RIGHT, WE GOT ONE ABSTENTION.
UM, AND DO WE NEED, DO I, DO WE NEED TO NOMINATE A CHAIR OR DO THEY NOMINATE THEIR OWN CHAIR, OR DOES PRIMER STAY THE CHAIR? I HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS KIND OF VOLUNTEERED INTO THE CHAIR BY THE PREVIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UH, CHAIR LINDA GUERRERO.
BUT I HAVE NO PARTICULAR OWNERSHIP AT ALL TO THE POSITION.
IF SOMEONE ELSE WANTS TO ASSUME THE POSITION, UH, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PERFECTLY FINE WITH ME.
SOUNDS LIKE HE'S RUNNING UNOPPOSED AT THIS MOMENT.
UM, DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO BE CHAIR QUITE YET?
UM, I THINK IT'S STILL, I THINK IT'S STILL YOU, BREMMER.
I THINK YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
AND YOUR ENTHUSIASM IS, IS IS VERY ENCOURAGING.
UM, ALL DO WE NEED TO HAVE A MOTION FOR THAT, ELIZABETH, OR IS HE JUST ALL RIGHT, FANTASTIC.
WHAT'S THE OTHER ONE? YEAH, YEAH, SORRY.
THE JOINT COMMITTEE OF ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER AND PARKS AND REC BOARD.
WE HAVE TWO VACANCIES THERE, SO, UM, ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO JOIN THAT ONE? YOU IN PERRY? I'M IN.
ALL RIGHT, BEDFORD AND KRUGER, DO YOU WANT TO, IS IT, DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THAT TOO? ALL RIGHT.
BUT I WILL SAY THAT FER MENTIONED IT VERY QUICKLY IN OUR LAST MEETING, AND I, I DON'T THINK EVERYONE HEARD, AND SO WE SHOULD ASK HER, UH, AT THE NEXT MEETING.
I SAY WE JUST PUT HER ON IT AND THEN SHE CAN TAKE HERSELF OFF IF SHE DOESN'T WANT TO.
DOES ANYBODY OB IS ANY, WHEN I WAS ON THE ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION, IF YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP TO A MEETING, IT WAS A SUREFIRE WAY TO GET PUT ON A SUBCOMMITTEE.
IT IS NOT AN UNETHICAL, UH, IT IS VERY GOOD FOR YOU TO BE HERE.
I WILL SAY THAT I DID HEAR FER SAY SHE WANTED ON THAT ONE TODAY.
I DID NOT HEAR HER SAY SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE ON IT.
SO I MOVE TO, UH, KEEP, I GUESS ME, UM, QURESHI ME, UH, FER AND KRUGER.
UH, WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER THIS JUST JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T VOLUNTEER SOMEONE, UH, WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE COFER, UH, VERBALLY OR VIA EMAIL OR SOME IN A AFFIRMATIVE MANNER, STATE THAT SHE WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE.
I, I HAVE NO OBJECTION TO HER BEING ON IT.
UH, I JUST DON'T WANT TO DRAFT SOMEONE WITHOUT THEIR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS.
WHAT WERE YOU GONNA SAY, ELIZABETH? UM, I'M HAPPY TO GIVE HER A CALL TOMORROW TO AND TOUCH BASE.
UM, SO EITHER WE CAN DO IT NOW AND THEN REMOVE HER IF SHE CHANGED HER MIND OR PUT IT ON THE NEXT AGENDA, KIND OF WHICHEVER Y'ALL WOULD PREFER.
I, I SAY WE PUT IT ON KIND OF WITH THE ADDITIONAL IN THE MOTION THAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, CONFIRMING HER CONSENT TO BE ON THE, TO BE ON THE BOARD, TO BE ON THE COMMITTEE.
UM, AND IF SHE DOESN'T WANNA DO IT, SHE CAN, SHE CAN SAY NO.
I JUST, I, I, I HATE DRAFTING PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE NOT PRESENT BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY HAVE OTHER ISSUES THAT PREVENT THEM FROM FULLY PARTICIPATING.
AND I WOULD HATE TO COMMIT SOMEONE TO SOMETHING THEY ARE UNABLE TO COMMIT, YOU KNOW, SPEND THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME ON.
SO, UH, MOTION WITH, UH, ASSUMING OR, UH, INCLUDING ER'S CONSENT, UM, IS THERE ANYONE TO SECOND THAT MOTION? I'LL SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
[4. Name: Case No. C814-2008-0136.02 (North Austin Medical Center PUD Amendment #2)]
NOW ON TO THE PUBLIC HEARINGS.UH, NEXT ITEM IS NUMBER FOUR, CASE NUMBER C 804 DASH 2008 DASH 0 1 3 6 0 2.
THE NORTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER, HUD AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO, APPLICANT'S MICHAEL WHALEN, ARMED BRUCETON BROWN AND IS
[01:00:01]
LOCATED AT 1 2 2 2 1 NORTH MOPAC EXPRESSWAY SERVICE ROAD, NORTHBOUND, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 5 8.SO GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
UM, I'M LESLIE LILLY, AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM COORDINATOR WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION.
AND AS I WAIT FOR MY PRESENTATION TO COME UP, UH, THERE WE GO.
UH, THIS EVENING WE WILL BE DISCUSSING AND LOOKING AT, UM, AN AMENDMENT TO THE NORTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT.
UH, THIS IS THE SECOND AMENDMENT, UH, THE FIRST SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT TO THIS PUD.
SO, JUST TO, UH, CLARIFY, THE, UH, PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT IS A TYPE OF SITE DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATORY PROCESS THAT IS ESTABLISHED BY A CITY ORDINANCE FOR ATTRACTIVE LAND.
UH, THIS PARTICULAR PUD WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN 2008 AND CONSISTS OF A 63.69 ACRE SITE SEPARATED BY TWO TRACKS.
THE NORTHERN TRACT HAS ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED INTO A HOSPITAL PER THE EXISTING, UH, PUD ORDINANCE.
AND SO THE, UH, CURRENT PUD AMENDMENT ADDRESSES THE SITE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS AS THEY RELATE TO THE SOUTHERN TRACT.
AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, AN AMENDMENT AND REVISION TO THE LAND USE PLAN AND THE ZONING AND THE ZONING ORDINANCE TO UPDATE THE WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICALLY SO THAT THEY BETTER ALIGN WITH THE CITY'S WATER FORWARD PLAN AND ALLOW FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN 80 BED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL.
SO ABOUT THIS LOCATION, UM, IF YOU'RE NOT PERFECTLY FAMILIAR WITH, UH, THE EXACT ADDRESS, UH, THE NORTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER, UH, PUD IS ON NORTH MOPAC.
YOU CAN SEE IT HERE CIRCLED IN RED.
IT IS IN THE FULL PURPOSE SONY JURISDICTION.
IT IS OUTSIDE OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE AND CONTRIBUTING ZONE.
SO, UH, WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IN THE FIGURE ON THE RIGHT IS THE BOUNDARIES OF THE NORTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER, PUD.
THE NORTHERN TRACT, UM, YOU CAN SEE IS FULLY DEVELOPED INTO THE HOSPITAL, UH, WITH MEDICAL OFFICES.
THAT TRACT IS 37.74 ACRES AND A, UH, ROAD PARK BEND DRIVE SEPARATES THAT NORTHERN TRACT FROM THE SOUTHERN TRACT, WHICH IS 25.95 ACRES.
THE TRACT IS MOSTLY UNDEVELOPED, BUT THERE IS A PARKING, A TELECOM TOWER, AND A WATER QUALITY POND ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARKING THAT ALREADY EXISTS ON THAT, ON THAT SITE.
SO THERE ARE SOME, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND FEATURES, UH, IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AND ON THE SOUTHERN TRACT, UH, WHICH INCLUDES, UH, A LARGE SECTION OR A MAJOR, UH, CLASSIFIED WATERWAY SECTION OF THE WALL OF WALNUT CREEK.
UH, THE ENTIRE POD IS IN THE WALNUT CREEK WATERSHED AND THE SOUTHERN TRACK SITS ALONG, UH, THE NORTHERN SHORE OF THE CREEK.
THE PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY WITHIN THE SUBURBAN WATERSHED.
UM, AS I MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, IT IS NOT IN THE EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE OR CONTRIBUTING ZONE, HOWEVER, THERE IS A CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE SETBACK.
UM, THERE IS A VERY, VERY SMALL PORTION OF, UH, FULLY DEVELOPED FLOODPLAIN THAT EXISTS ON LIKE A VERY TINY SLIVER OF THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE TRACT.
AND, UM, THERE IS SEVERAL, UH, LARGE PROTECTED CLASS SIZE TREES, UH, ON THE TRACT.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S, IT'S QUITE, UH, VEGETATED RIGHT NOW AND HAS A LARGE CANOPY.
SO, UH, THE WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS AMENDMENT HAVE TO DO WITH THE STIPULATION THAT WAS ORIGINALLY APPROVED IN 2008 REGARDING A LARGE WET POND.
AND THAT WET POND, UH, IS DESCRIBED IN THE EXISTING PUT ORDINANCE TO BE, UH, A WET POND THAT TREATS THE WATER QUALITY VOLUME FROM A DRAINAGE AREA THAT'S 21.55 ACRES, UH, WOULD HAVE A PERMANENT POOL OF 42,637 SQUARE FEET, AND THEN THERE WOULD BE 4.5 ACRES OF VEGETATED FILTER STRIPS.
THE FIGURE THAT I HAVE UP HERE SHOWS YOU WHAT, UH, 21.55 ACRES LOOKS LIKE AS REPRESENTED OF THE AREA ABOVE THAT RED LINE KIND OF BISECTING.
THIS, UH, THIS POLYGON, THE AREA BELOW THAT RED LINE IS THE, IS 4.5
[01:05:01]
ACRES.AND THE REASON I HAVE IT ILLUSTRATED OVER HERE ON TOP OF THESE COLORED, LIKE THESE COLOR BLOCKS IS THE COLOR YELLOW AND BLUE REPRESENT WHAT IS PROPOSED AS ACTUAL DEVELOPED AREA, WHICH IS WELL UNDER THE 21.5 ACRES.
SO THE WET POND REQUIRED BY THE EXISTING ORDINANCE IS OVERSIZED FROM WHAT IS PROPOSED TO BE DEVELOPED ON THE SITE.
ADDITIONALLY, THAT WET POND, THE FOOTPRINT OF IT IS QUITE LARGE AND, UH, EXCEEDS, UH, THE SITE, THE, THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO TREAT THE WATER QUALITY FOR THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT.
AND CURRENTLY WET PONDS, UH, ARE NOT CONSIDERED GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO THIS, UH, PROPERTY AND THE INSTALLATION OF A WET POND TO TREAT THE WATER QUALITY VOLUME WOULD NOT BE COMPLIANT WITH CURRENT CODE ASSOCIATED WITH WATER QUA WITH WATER QUALITY TREATMENT.
THE, THE PERMANENT POOL, UH, AND THE SURFACE AREA FOR THAT, THAT PERMANENT WATER IS, UH, USUALLY FED BY MAKEUP WATER, WHICH IS POTABLE WATER FROM THE CITY'S WATER RESOURCES.
AND THAT IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT IS NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CITY'S WATER FORWARD PLAN.
UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE PROPOSED AREAS MEANT TO STAY GREEN OR UNDEVELOPED WILL BE INCREASING FROM THE 4.5 REQUIRED VEGETATED FILTER STRIPS TO, UM, WELL OVER EIGHT ACRES.
BUT, UH, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE TO TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT IS PROPOSED.
SO, UM, THIS, UH, THIS FIGURE IS A SHEET FROM THE SITE PLAN THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING CONSIDERED.
AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THIS YELLOW UH, AREA AND THE BLUE AREA.
THE BLUE AREA REPRESENTS THE ALREADY CONSTRUCTED PARKING LOT, AND IT HAS AN EXISTING WATER QUALITY POND THAT TREATS THAT APPROXIMATE FOUR ACRES OF DEVELOPMENT.
AND THE YELLOW AREA IS THE PROPOSED, UH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL THAT IS NOT CONSTRUCTED, BUT WOULD BE TREATED BY A WATER QUALITY POND SHOWN AT THE, UH, BOTTOM OF THIS FIGURE, UM, WHICH WOULD ONLY BE TREATING 10 ACRES AND IS PROPOSED TO BE IN COMPLIANT WITH CURRENT WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS.
SO IT'S A GREEN STORM WATER IN, UH, GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE BIOFILTRATION POND.
THE LITTLE CIRCLES REPRESENT THE TREES THAT ARE PROPOSED TO BE PRESERVED.
AND UNDERNEATH IT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE SYMBOLIZED WHAT WOULD REPRESENT THE WET POND THAT WOULD BE SIZED TO TREAT 21 ACRES.
SO YOU WOULD HAVE A QUITE LARGE FOOTPRINT TO MEET THE CURRENT WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS AS THEY EXIST TODAY.
SO THE, UH, WE, UM, SO THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE GREEN AREA, WHICH SERVES AS THE VEGETATED FILTER STRIPS.
SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
WHAT, WHAT IT MEANS, LIKE WHAT WE'RE, UH, WHAT THE PLAN IS PROPOSING TO REQUIRE IN TERMS OF WATER QUALITY IS TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT FOR A WET POND, REPLACING IT WITH A BIOFILTRATION WATER QUALITY POND, WHICH IS A MUCH SMALLER FOOTPRINT.
THIS IN EFFECT PRESERVES APPROXIMATELY, UH, A HUNDRED TREES, ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND, UH, ABOUT 20 PROTECTED SIZE TREES.
SO THAT IS TREE, UH, IN EXCESS OF 19 INCHES DIAMETER AT BREAST HEIGHT.
AND THEN THERE'S AN INCREASE OF 4.5 ACRES OF VEGETATED FILTER STRIPS UP TO APPROXIMATELY EIGHT ACRES.
UM, THIS TREE PRESERVATION EXHIBIT, UH, KIND OF GOES INTO LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT ALL OF THE TREES THAT, UM, WOULD BE REMOVED IN THE CURRENT REQUIRED, UH, WATER QUALITY TREATMENT REQUIREMENTS WITH THE LARGE, UH, WET POND.
AND THEN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE GREEN TREES SYMBOLIZE THE TREES THAT WOULD BE PRESERVED UNDER THESE NEW WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS.
SO THERE ARE ARE A NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERIOR, UM, ELEMENTS THAT ARE ALSO BEING INCLUDED IN THIS AMENDMENT.
AND THAT INCLUDES AN INCREASE IN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE SETBACK FROM 200 FEET TO 300 FEET.
THE REASON THAT THAT SETBACK IS INCREASING IS BECAUSE THE CURRENT REQUIRED SETBACK IS, UH, WAS APPROVED IN IN 28, UH, 2008 BEFORE THE WATERSHED PROTECTION ORDINANCE WAS IN PLACE.
AND SO THIS PRETTY MUCH JUST BRINGS IT INTO COMPLIANCE WITH CURRENT CODE INCREASING THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE UP TO 300
[01:10:01]
FEET.UH, ADDITIONALLY, THE PROPERTY IN THIS SOUTHERN TRACT IS, UH, COMMITTING TO COMPLY WITH THE DARK SKY CRITERIA LAID OUT IN AUSTIN'S GREEN ENERGY BUILDING CRITERIA.
ALSO TO GO ALONG WITH BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN.
THE PROJECT IS COMMITTING TO REDUCE, UH, GLASS REFLECTIVITY TO 15% OR LESS TO REDUCE THE INCIDENT OF BIRD STRIKE.
AND AS AN ADDITIONAL MEASURE TO ALIGN THE PROJECT WITH AUSTIN'S WATER FORWARD PLAN, THE PROJECT AND THE ROOF OF THE PROPOSED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, UH, HOSPITAL WILL COLLECT RAIN WATER TO THEN, UH, SERVICE THE, UH, IRRIGATION DEMANDS OF THE PROPERTY.
UM, SO THE ENTIRE SURFACE, THE ENTIRE ROOF SURFACE OF THE PROPOSED HOSPITAL WILL COLLECT RAINWATER IN A CISTERN THAT WILL BE ABOUT 40,000 GALLONS TO SERVICE THE, THE, UH, IRRIGATION DEMANDS OF THE, OF THE PROPOSED PROPERTY.
SO WITH THAT, UH, STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THIS POT AMENDMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS.
THAT ONE, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE WATER QUALITY CONTROLS TO TREAT ALL EXISTING AND NEW DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED FOR THE SOUTH TRACT, INCLUDING A NEW BIOFILTRATION POND TO TREAT 10.8 ACRES OF THE AREA.
THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT WILL ELIMINATE THE REMOVAL OF 111 TREES AND 20 PROTECTED SIZE CLASS TREES.
THE PROJECT WILL USE ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES TO MEET IRRIGATION DEMANDS.
THE PROJECT WILL COLLECT RAINWATER WITH A VOLUME EQUAL TO ONE INCH TIMES THE ROOF AREA IN A 40,000 GALLON CISTERN.
THE DEVELOPMENT WILL COMPLY WITH CURRENT CITY CODE REGARDING THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE SETBACK FOR THE SOUTHERN TRACT.
THE PROJECT WILL COMPLY WITH AUSTIN ENERGY BUILDING LIGHT POLLUTION REDUCTION CRITERIA FOR THE SOUTHERN TRACT.
AND SEVEN, THE DEVELOPMENT WILL USE A BUILDING DESIGN WITH A GLASS REFLECTIVITY INDEX OF 15% OR LESS TO REDUCE THE, TO REDUCE THE INCIDENT OF BUR STRIKE.
AND WITH THAT LAST SLIDE, PLEASE, UM, I AM AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
I KNOW THAT THE APPLICANT IS HERE TO PROVIDE A LITTLE ADDITIONAL CONTEXT AND HAS A SLIDE OR TWO.
AND YEAH, I WILL PROVIDE, UH, ANY ANSWERS THAT YOU GUYS NEED.
YEAH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND HEAR FROM THE APPLICANT IF YOU GUYS DON'T MIND.
AND THEN WE WILL, WE WILL GO AROUND AND SEE WHO CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS EITHER THE APPLICANT OR STAFF.
UH, MY NAME IS APRIL ROMERO BROWN.
UH, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
THANK YOU, LESLIE, AND TO THE REST OF THE STAFF FOR ALL YOUR WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ON THIS CASE.
UM, WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE ON THE PHONE TONIGHT INCLUDING MICHAEL WAYLAN, UH, AND WE ALSO HAVE SOME PEOPLE HERE IN PERSON TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONTEXT IF NEEDED.
BUT AS YOU JUST HEARD, THE STAFF PRESENTATION WAS THOROUGH AND IT REALLY LAYS OUT OUR REQUEST AND THE REASONING, UH, BEHIND THIS PUT AMENDMENT.
AND SO I DON'T HAVE MUCH THAT'S SUBSTANTIVE TO ADD.
UM, IF WE CAN CLICK TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
ALL I DID WAS JUST SUMMARIZE THE REQUEST.
UM, SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE ASKING TO DO IS TO MODERNIZE THE SITE AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS HERE SO WE CAN HARMONIZE THE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENTS OF ST.
DAVID'S, UH, WITH OUR COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY, UH, CREATING THE ABILITY TO CREATE, UH, A, A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, UH, HOSPITAL.
AS LESLIE LILY SAID, UM, GRANTING THE UPDATE BEFORE YOU TODAY WILL PRESERVE TREES.
IT WILL BRING THE SITE INTO COMPLIANCE WITH CURRENT CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, UH, REQUIREMENTS.
IT WILL INCORPORATE APPROPRIATE REFLECTIVITY TO REDUCE BIRD STRIKE AND IMPLEMENT DARK SKY STANDARDS, UH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM TO STAR PROGRAM, AS WELL AS OTHER, UH, WATER FORWARD STANDARDS.
SO APPROVAL OF THIS PUT AMENDMENT WILL ALLOW US TO CREATE APPROXIMATELY 80 BEDS, UH, THAT WILL SERVE THE GROWING MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS IN IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE LAST TIME, UH, WAS THAT WE BUILT A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FACILITY, BUT I DO BELIEVE IT'S BEEN QUITE SOME TIME.
AND AS WE ARE ALL VERY AWARE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS BECOMING, UM, MORE AND MORE NEEDED, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU, LESLIE, FOR MAKING MY JOB VERY EASY.
AND WE ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT.
WE HAVE SOME SPEAKERS, WELL, WE DO HAVE A SPEAKER, UM, UH, MICHAEL WHEELAN.
UM, SO LET'S GO AROUND AND SEE IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS.
WE'LL START, WE'LL START REMOTE FIRST.
UM, MUTED MATT ON THE WEBEX TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
[01:15:01]
THANK YOU.UM, ALL RIGHT, UH, REMOTE COMMISSIONERS.
UH, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR EITHER STAFF OR THE APPLICANT? I DON'T THINK SO.
YEAH, THANK YOU TO THE STAFF FOR ANTICIPATING A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I THINK WE ASK ON A REGULAR BASIS IN MEETINGS.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT EXTRA RESEARCH AND EFFORT.
ALRIGHT, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN HERE THEN.
YEAH, I, I THINK THAT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS REALLY ARE FOLLOWING A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO.
I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THE NATIVE LANDSCAPING REQUIRED.
I DIDN'T SEE THAT INCLUDED, UH, LESLIE LILY WATERSHED PROTECTION.
UM, THAT IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT STAFF AL ALWAYS SUGGESTS AS A POSSIBLE, UM, ADDITIONAL CONDITION THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED.
UM, SO THAT WAS NOT A PART OF THE CONDITION THAT WE AGREED UPON FOR, UH, RECOMMENDING THE SUPPORT OF THE POT AMENDMENT.
PERHAPS THE APPLICANT CAN ADDRESS THE QUESTION.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY, UH, COMMENTS? IS MICHAEL WAYLAN? YEAH, GO FOR IT.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO LOOK AT THAT.
WE HAVE NOT, UM, YET INCORPORATED THAT.
NOBODY'S MENTIONED THAT TO US IN ADVANCE TO EXAMINE IT.
UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN LOOK AT IT PRIOR TO PLANNING COMMISSION AND COUNSEL.
UM, AS YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN, UM, LESLIE LILLY'S DONE A AND HER STAFF AND THE ENTIRE STAFF HAS DONE A, A PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS.
AND, UM, WE'VE DONE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, UH, POSSIBLE WITHOUT LOSING ANY BEDS.
AND THIS OBVIOUSLY IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT.
UH, I JUST NOT PREPARED TO ANSWER YES OR NO TODAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE THAT AS A RECOMMENDATION TO USE NATIVE LANDSCAPING AND, AND GRASSES TOO, IF THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE PLAN.
UM, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY MENTION ABOUT THE WALNUT CREEK TRAIL.
UM, WELL THAT'S A VERY NICE, UH, SEGMENT THAT RUNS ALONG WALNUT CREEK JUST SOUTH OF THIS PROPERTY.
AND I ASSUME THAT EXTENDING THE SETBACK, UH, TO 300 FEET IS GONNA PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION TO THE TRAIL IN TERMS OF THE AESTHETICS ALONG IT.
YEAH, ACTUALLY, UH, DO YOU WANT, YEAH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, JUST VOICE CARRIES HERE.
I FORGET, MY VOICE CARRIES IN THE ROOM, BUT NOT ON A T X N.
UM, YEAH, THAT IS SOMETHING, I BELIEVE THAT THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE PUD WAS RELATED TO THE WALNUT CREEK TRAIL.
WE AMENDED THE PUD THE FIRST TIME TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE TRAILHEAD THAT I DO BELIEVE, AS YOU SAID, RUNS THROUGH THERE.
UM, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN BUILT INTO THE SITE AND IS, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY AN AMENITY THAT'S GONNA BE USED THERE.
UH, I'M TYPING IN THINKING AT THE SAME TIME, SO IT'S PRETTY AWKWARD.
UM, UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS.
UM, ONE LAST TIME, REMOTE OR HERE.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT OR STAFF? I JUST ALSO WANT TO REITERATE THAT I THINK NATIVE PLANTING IS VERY IMPORTANT WITH OUR CURRENT WATER RESTRICTIONS AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS, CLIMATE CHANGE, ET CETERA.
SO I ADVOCATE FOR THAT AS WELL.
I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, MENTION THAT SOMETHING THAT WE FREQUENTLY REQUEST PEOPLE TO, UH, ADDRESS IS, UH, THINGS LIKE BUTTERFLY GARDENS AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO, UH, IMPROVE THAT SORT OF, UH, THING.
SO THAT'S NOT AN UN, YOU KNOW, A REQUEST THAT IS UNCOMMON THAT WE MAKE AS PART OF THE LANDSCAPING STRATEGY FOR, UH, PUDS IN A BROAD SENSE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS PART OF THEIR, NOW I HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT, UH, WILL THERE BE ADDITIONAL PARKING AS PART OF THIS PLAN? IT IS GONNA TAKE A SECOND.
HE'S, HE'S COMING UP MICHAEL WAYLAN.
YEAH, SO WE, MICHAEL WAYLAN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT, WE'VE, UH, PROVIDED THE AMOUNT OF PARKING THAT WOULD BE NEEDED GIVEN THE NUMBER OF HOSPITAL BEDS.
[01:20:01]
80 BEDS IN THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY.SO, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE ASKING WHETHER WE'RE PROVIDING MORE THAN WE NEED OR LESS THAN WE NEED, WE'RE PROVIDING, THERE IS A MINIMUM REQUIRED AMOUNT AS YOU WELL KNOW IN THE CODE, AND WE ARE CERTAINLY MEETING CODE.
I GUESS THE, THE QUESTION, THE REASON I ASK THE QUESTION IS, UH, IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR US TO REQUEST, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPENDING THE AMOUNT OF PARKING SPACE IN A PARTICULAR AREA TO ADD, SAY, 10% OF THE SPOT THE, UH, ELECTRONIC VEHICLE READY SO THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PRE-WIRED AND THEY HAVE CHARGING STATIONS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
AND SO THAT'D BE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE WOULD PERCEIVE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS HISTORICALLY SOMETHING THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION HAS, UH, RECOMMENDED.
UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF, UH, VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS ARE COMMITTED TO MOVING TO TOTAL, UH, OR NEAR TOTAL E EV VEHICLES BY SAY, 2035 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BENEFICIAL IF THERE'S SOME, UH, WIRING FOR THAT IN, UH, NEW PARKING SPACES IN, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU'RE ADDING IN THAT AREA.
THIS IS MATTHEW WITH PACHECO COOK WESTWOOD, UM, MICHAEL, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I CAN JUST TAKE OVER THAT QUESTION.
WE'RE THE CIVIL ENGINEER ON THIS PROJECT.
AND WE'RE ALSO THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT COORDINATING WITH THAT.
SO I'M CO I'M SPEAKING WITH OUR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT RIGHT NOW, AND HE SAYS THAT WE ARE MATCHING THE AUSTIN'S RECOMMENDED LIST FOR NATIVE PLANTING, UM, IS WHAT I'M, I'M BEING TOLD.
AND AS FAR AS THE PARKING, WE ARE COORDINATING WITH CITY STAFF TO PROVIDE ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING SPACES AND, UM, HOPEFULLY THAT, UH, I, I, I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THAT.
WE'RE CURRENTLY OUR PLAN, OUR SITE PLAN'S CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW, BUT WE ARE INCORPORATING ELECTRICAL VEHICLE PARKING.
UH, YEAH, BUT THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT I SAID.
UH, I'M STATING THAT, UH, WE SHOULD HAVE A SPECIFIC AMOUNT PUT IN THERE RATHER THAN A RATHER VAGUE COMMITMENT, UH, LIKE YOU'RE ADDRESSING RIGHT THERE.
UH, WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IS A HARD COMMITMENT TO INCORPORATE A MINIMUM OF, SAY, 10% OF YOUR SPOTS.
SO IF YOU'RE GONNA ADD SAY, 80 JUST AS AN ARBITRARY NUMBER, UH, IT WOULDN'T BE UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT THAT EIGHT OF THOSE HAVE, UH, CHARTING STATIONS WHEN YOU OPEN UP THE AREA FOR USE FOR THE PUBLIC IN AS MUCH AS WE'RE MOVING INCREASINGLY TO ELECTRONIC VEHICLES OR YOU ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
UH, SO I'M LOOKING FOR A HARD NUMBER RATHER THAN A SOFT COMMITMENT.
UM, YEAH, WE'RE HAPPY TO LOOK AT THAT AS THIS IS A NEW REQUEST.
SO I DON'T HAVE THE SITE PLAN DETAILS IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHERE THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY PROPOSED.
I WOULD DON'T HAVE THAT EXACT NUMBER WHAT'S ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT BETWEEN NOW AND PLANNING COMMISSION.
BUT WE ARE IN FRONT OF US NOW, NOT THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
SO MICHAEL WAYLAN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
UM, I I, I CAN BE MORE SPECIFIC.
WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA DO WHATEVER'S REQUIRED IN THE CODE, OF COURSE, TO, UH, AND AS YOU KNOW, THOSE PARTICULAR EV CHARGING STATIONS ARE QUITE EXPENSIVE AND RE AND DISTRACT FROM, UH, DISTRACT DOLLARS FROM WHAT MIGHT GO TOWARDS HOSPITAL BEDS.
SO I WOULD SIMPLY SAY WE'RE GONNA COMPLY WITH CODE.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A WHOLE NEW MOVEMENT AS YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER FOR EV HUBS AND EV STATIONS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE CITY, HAVE SEVERAL CLIENTS ACTUALLY LOOKING AT THAT.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THE NEED THAT YOU'RE EXPRESSING AT PARTICULAR LOCATIONS OR PARTICULAR UH, USES IS GOING TO BE AS GREAT AS YOU'RE ANTICIPATING.
SO WE CERTAINLY ARE GONNA MEET CODE.
WE'VE ALREADY INDICATED WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, AN EV STATION, UH, AT LEAST ONE ON THE SITE.
I DON'T THINK MORE SHOULD BE ASKED AT THIS POINT OF THIS PARTICULAR, UH, COMMUNITY ASSET.
IF THAT'S THE WAY YOU FEEL, THAT'S FINE.
ANY OTHER, MORE, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE STAFF OR APPLICANT?
[01:25:03]
I HAVE A PRETTY SPECIFIC ONE.UM, I'M NOT SEEING SORT OF A, A DETAILED PLAN HERE OF WHAT THE PROPERTY WILL LOOK LIKE.
I IMAGINE THERE MIGHT BE WALKWAYS, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS, UM, THAT YOU'RE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT, INCLUDING FOR SHADE COVER FOR WALKWAYS.
UM, IF, LIKE ME, YOU'VE BEEN TRYING TO WALK ON SIDEWALKS IN AUSTIN THIS SUMMER, IT'S JUST SO UNBEARABLY HOT, BUT THEN WHEN YOU GET UNDER A TREE, IT'S JUST SO NICE AND SHADED.
SO THAT IS A RATHER SPECIFIC REQUEST.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL YET FROM THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD BESEECH YOU TO CONSIDER.
YEAH, MY MAY I, MY, MAY I, YOUR, UH, CHAIR.
UH, MICHAEL WAYLON ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
UM, ESPECIALLY, UH, GIVEN WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING NOW AND WE'LL BE EXPERIENCING IN THE FUTURE, AND AS YOU ALL WELL KNOW, SUB-CHAPTER E REQUIRES, UH, CERTAIN PATHWAYS EVEN THROUGH YOUR PARKING WITH APPROPRIATE SHADE.
AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE WILL BE COMPLYING WITH OR BE PROVIDING SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE WITH.
I WAS GONNA FOLLOW UP ON COMMISSIONER BREMER'S QUESTIONS.
I THINK HE WAS ASKING FOR PRE-WIRING FOR THE EV STATIONS.
UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO, TO MAYBE RESPOND TO THAT AS OPPOSED TO, UM, ACTUALLY INSTALLING A, A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF THOSE SPOTS WITH ACTUAL CHARGING STATIONS.
UH, MICHAEL WAYLEN ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER WE HAVE ANY PLANS TO PRE-WIRE BEYOND WHAT IS REQUIRED.
UM, CERTAINLY, UH, WE HAVE THE ARCHITECT ONLINE WHO'S LISTENING AND OBVIOUSLY THE CIVIL ENGINEER IS THERE, UH, IN ATTENDANCE, AND WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT NEW FEEDBACK AND, UH, SEE WHAT THE EXPENSES AND HOW THAT MIGHT BE INCORPORATED.
YEAH, I, I MEAN, AND, AND I'M SURE YOU'VE, YOU'VE BEEN TO THESE ENOUGH OF THESE MEETINGS WITH US, UM, OVER TIME, BUT I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE KIND OF TRYING TO FIND, FIND A MIDDLE GROUND ON, IS IF THERE'S, UH, NOT NECESSARILY PUTTING IN THE STATIONS, BUT, BUT IF YOU'RE POURING THE CONCRETE TO HAVE THE CONDUITS THERE, UM, LESLIE LOWLY WATERSHED PROTECTION.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD NO, YEAH, YEAH.
AND PUTTING THE CONDUIT IN ONLY THAT IS THE PLASTIC TUBING, UH, MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT IS CERTAINLY FEASIBLE AT THIS POINT AND AT THIS STAGE AND, AND FOR GOOD REASON, AS YOU JUST NOTED.
UM, LESLIE LILY WATERSHED PROTECTION.
I JUST WANNA CLARIFY ONE THING THAT IN THE P REQUIREMENTS REQUIRES MINIMUM, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING RATING.
AND IN THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO GET TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING COMPLIANCE.
UM, AND THEY'RE ALL DEEMED ACCEPTABLE BY AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING RATING.
SO THERE IS A MINIMUM REQUIREMENT THAT THE PROJECT DOES HAVE TO COMPLY WITH FOR BOTH THIS AND SEVERAL OTHER, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO BRING ATTENTION TO THAT SINCE, UM, THE AUSTIN GREEN ENERGY BUILDING RATINGS HAVE A PRETTY HIGH HIGH BAR FOR SEVERAL THINGS THAT ARE NOT MINIMALLY REQUIRED BY CITY CODE
AND TO KIND OF FOLLOW UP ON THAT, LESLIE, DO YOU KNOW IF, I MEAN THAT IS, THAT THEY CAN GET, YOU CAN GET POINTS UNDER THE RATING SYSTEM FOR HAVING EV CHARGERS ON SITE, I MEAN, TO, TO, TO PUT IN THE, THE CHARGERS AS OPPOSED TO PRE-WIRING OR CONDUIT.
I THINK I WOULD HAVE TO, UH, DEFER TO MY AUSTIN ENERGY COLLEAGUES THAT ARE NOT ON THE CALL TONIGHT, BUT I WILL CERTAINLY FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT LEVEL OF CREDIT A PRE-WIRING STATION WOULD PROVIDE, UH, CREDIT FOR THAT MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR A GREEN BUILDING RATING.
I MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING, RAISE YOUR HAND.
UM, ANY DISCUSSION AMONGST OURSELVES, UH, BEFORE I HAVE A, A MOTION HERE, UM, TO, TO READ OUT ANY DISCUSSION BEFORE WE DO THAT?
[01:30:04]
ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO.UM, DATE AUGUST 16TH, 2020 23.
UM, CASE NUMBER C 8 1 4 DASH 2008 DASH 0 1 3 6 DASH OR OH TWO NORTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER, PUD AMENDMENT TWO.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE APPLICANT REQUESTS AN AMENDMENT TO AN EXISTING PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT PUD, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE SITE IS WITHIN THE WALNUT CREEK WATERSHED, A SUBURBAN, A SUBURBAN WATERSHED, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THAT STAFF RECOMMENDS THE REQUESTED PUTT AMENDMENT WITH STAFF CONDITIONS.
THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THE PUTT AMENDMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS.
AND THERE'S SEVERAL, UH, STAFF CONDITIONS THAT I'LL READ IN HERE.
UH, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE WATER QUALITY CONTROLS TO TREAT ALL EXISTING AND NEW DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED FOR THE SOUTH TRACT, 14.94 ACRES TOTAL, INCLUDING A NEW BIOFILTRATION BOND TO TREAT 10.8 ACRES OF THAT AREA.
TWO, THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT WILL ELIMINATE THE REMOVAL OF 111 TREES, 20 PROTECTED PROTECTED SIZE CLASS TREES.
NUMBER THREE, THE PROJECT WILL USE ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES TO MEET IRRIGATION DEMANDS.
NUMBER FOUR, THE PROJECT WILL COLLECT RAINWATER WITH THE VOLUME EQUAL TO ONE INCH TIMES THE ROOF AREA IN A 40,000 GALLON CISTERN.
NUMBER FIVE, THE DEVELOPMENT WILL COMPLY WITH CURRENT CITY CODE REGARDING CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE SETBACKS AND THE FOR THE SOUTHERN TRACT.
NUMBER SIX, THE PROJECT WILL COMPLY WITH AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING LIGHT POLLUTION REDUCTION CRITERIA FOR THE SOUTHERN TRACT.
AND NUMBER SEVEN, THE DEVELOPMENT WILL USE A BUILDING DESIGN WITH GLASS RELE REFLECTIVITY INDEX OF 15% OR LESS TO REDUCE THE INCIDENT OF BIRD STRIKES.
IN ADDITION, ONE, UH, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION CONDITION, THE APPLICANT WILL WORK WITH CITY STAFF TO INCORPORATE NATIVE PLANTINGS AND POLLINATOR GARDENS INTO THE SITE PLAN DESIGN.
ALL RIGHT, WE'VE GOT THAT MOTION OUT ON THE TABLE.
ANY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
HAVING HEARD NONE, LET'S MOVE FORWARD.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE GOT ONE AGAINST, UH, ELIZABETH, YOU SEE THAT? UH, UM, AND NONE.
THE MOTION PASSES WITH ONE, UH, ONE AGAINST.
[5. Name: 2428 W Ben White Mixed Use Development, SP-2021-0278C]
ITEM NUMBER 5 2 4 2 8 WEST BEN WHITE, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT S P 2020 1 0 2 7 8 C, UM, LOCATED AT 42 15 SOUTH LAMAR NORTHBOUND 42 28 WEST, WEST BEND, WHITE BOULEVARD.YOU, YOU CAN FIX THAT IF I MESS THAT UP.
UM, CAN Y'ALL BRING UP, UH, THE, UH, POWERPOINT FOR ITEM NUMBER FIVE, PLEASE? THANK YOU.
SO, UH, MY NAME IS MIKE MCDOUGALL, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY PROGRAM MANAGER, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, AND THIS IS THE REDEVELOPMENT SECTION IN THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE PROJECT.
THE ADDRESS IS 2 4 2 8 WEST BEND WHITE.
UH, THE NAME OF THE PROJECT, 2 4 2 8 WEST BEND WHITE, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT S P 20 21 0 2 7 8 C.
SO FIRST I JUST WANT I, I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE, UH, THE SITE AND THEN SECOND THE CODE, AND THEN THIRD, THE PROJECT ITSELF.
SO THIS SITE, AS I MENTIONED, 2 4 2 8 WEST BEND WHITE BOULEVARD.
IT WAS FORMERLY STRAIGHT MUSIC FROM ABOUT 2000 TO RECENT.
AND BEFORE THAT, UH, SOME IN A LONG TIME, AUSTIN RESIDENTS MIGHT RECALL IT WAS THE LAKE HILLS MOVIE THEATER FROM 1978 TO 1999.
AND SO IT'S IN SOUTH AUSTIN, UM, OFF OF BEN WHITE, JUST A LITTLE BIT EAST OF, UM, LAMAR.
AND SO IT'S, UH, IT'S THE PROPERTY THAT'S JUST, UH, A LITTLE BIT SOUTHWEST OF THE TARGET ON BEN WHITE.
AND IT'S THE PROPERTIES IN THE BARTON CREEK WATERSHED CLASSIFICATION AND THE SUBURBAN WATERSHED CLASSIFICATION.
THE WATERSHEDS ARE THE BARTON CREEK WATERSHED AND THE WILLIAMSON CREEK WATERSHED.
IT'S IN THE FULL PURPOSE JURISDICTION COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE.
AND SO HOW CAN IT BE IN TWO WATERSHEDS AT ONCE? HERE'S HOW, UH, THERE'S A WATERSHED DIVIDE GOING THROUGH THE PROPERTY.
SO PART OF THE PROPERTY IS THE BARTON SPRING ZONE CLASSIFICATION, BARTON CREEK WATERSHED, AND PART OF THE PROPERTY IS THE SUBURBAN WATERSHED, WILLIAMSON CREEK WATERSHED.
SO THE APPLICANT IS SEEKING TO USE THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION
[01:35:01]
AND THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE CODE HAVE DIFFERENT, UH, REGULATIONS BASED ON THE WATERSHED CLASSIFICATION.
SO PART OF THE PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO THE SUBURBAN REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION, AND PART OF THE PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO THE BARTON SPRINGS ON REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
SO L D C 25 8 25 DESCRIBES THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION REQUIREMENTS IN THE SUBURBAN WATERSHED PORTION OF THE PROPERTY.
AND 25 8 26 DESCRIBES THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION REQUIREMENTS IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE PORTION OF THE PROPERTY.
AND SO WHY ARE WE HERE FOR THIS PROJECT SPECIFICALLY? SO 25 8 26 PER 25 8 26 COUNCIL APPROVAL, UH, SORRY, I SHOULD SAY OF THE REDEVELOPMENTS, UM, SORRY.
PER 25 8 26 COUNCIL APPROVAL IS REQUIRED IF THE REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSES MORE THAN 25 DWELLING UNITS, THE PROJECT PROPOSES 309 MULTIFAMILY UNITS WITH 10 ADMINISTRATIVE SLASH BUSINESS SUITES ON THE PRIMARY GROUND FLOOR FRONTAGE.
SO BASICALLY, IF, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO USE THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE, AND THEY HAVE MORE THAN 25 UNITS, COUNCIL APPROVAL IS REQUIRED.
THEY'RE PROPOSING 309 UNITS, SO A LITTLE MORE THAN 25, THEREFORE, COUNCIL APPROVAL IS REQUIRED OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
AND SO WHAT IS THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION? WHAT DOES THIS ACTUALLY MEAN? SO IN THE BRIEFEST SUMMARY, THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION REPLACES MANY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS IN 25 H SUB CHAPTER A, FOR EXAMPLE, GRADING LIMITS ARE TYPICALLY APPLICABLE TO PROJECTS, BUT THEY'RE DELETED BY THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
CONSTRUCTION AND SLOPES LIMITS ARE TYPICALLY APPLICABLE TO PROJECTS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO DELETED BY THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
AND THE IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMIT, UH, FOR A PROPOSED PROJECT IS RESET TO EQUAL WHATEVER IMPERVIOUS COVER EXISTS ON THE SITE CURRENTLY.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, IN THE SUBURBAN WATERSHED, THE IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMIT MIGHT BE 80%, BUT THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION WIPES A LOT OF THE CODE AWAY AND REPLACES THE CODE WITH ITSELF.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS IT BASICALLY SAYS IS THE PREVIOUS COVER YOU HAVE ON SITE NOW IS WHAT THE PREVIOUS COVER ELEMENT WILL BE MOVING FORWARD.
SO WHEN APPLICANTS ASK ME ABOUT THE REDEVELOPMENT INCEPTION, I USUALLY START OFF WITH THE MOST BASIC DESCRIPTION IS KEEP WHAT YOU'VE GOT.
THAT IS THE APPLICANT MAY DEMOLISH WHATEVER IS THERE AND BUILD A NEW PROJECT OF EQUAL SIZE.
AND SO THIS IS A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION, AND IT DOES SUMMARIZE THE COMPLICATED DETAILS.
AND THERE ARE MORE DETAILED REQUIREMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS, SUCH AS WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PART SPRING ZONE OF PUBLIC APPROVAL PROCESS.
AND THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF MY PRESENTATION AND THE REDEVELOP REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION AND THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE REQUIRES APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE EV COMMISSION.
AND SO, WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION? SO 25 8 26 E LAYS OUT NINE CONDITIONS.
FIRST OF ALL, WE MAY NOT INCREASE THE IMPERVIOUS COVER.
BASICALLY, WHATEVER IMPERVIOUS COVER IS THERE NOW, THAT'S THE LIMIT MOVING FORWARD FOR THE APPLICANT.
MAY NOT INCREASE NON-COMPLIANCE WITH, WITH CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE REQUIREMENTS, WATER QUALITY TRANSITION REQUIREMENTS OR C E F REQUIREMENTS.
UH, THERE ARE NONE, UH, THERE ARE NO CRITICALS, UH, WATER QUALITY TRANSITION ZONES OR CEFS ON THE PROPERTY.
UH, MUST COMPLY WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY, EROSION CONTROL AND FISCAL REQUIREMENTS.
UH, THE WATER QUALITY CONTROLS ON THE REDEVELOPMENT SITE MUST PROVIDE A LEVEL OF WATER QUALITY TREATMENT THAT IS EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THAT, THAN THAT WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED.
SO THE APPLICANT MUST PROVIDE WATER QUALITY CONTROLS.
THEY'RE DOING THAT, THEY MUST OBTAIN A BARTON SPRING ZONE OPERATING PERMIT FOR THEIR PONDS.
THEY'RE DOING THAT AS PART OF THE APPLICATION.
AND THIS GETS A LITTLE BIT TRICKY.
UH, ITEM SIX, A SITE WITH MORE THAN 40% NET SET AREA IMPERVIOUS COVER MUST HAVE STANDARD PONDS FOR THE ENTIRE SITE, OR O S PONDS FOR A PORTION OF THE SITE AND STANDARD PONDS FOR A REMAINDER OF THE READOUT READOUT SITE.
SO THEY HAVE TO HAVE STANDARD PONDS OR A COMBINATION OF STANDARD AND S O S PONDS FOR MORE THAN 40% NET SET AREA IMPERVIOUS COVER.
THE PROPERTY IS ABOUT 56% OF PREVIOUS COVERS.
THE APPLICANT WILL HAVE TO PROVIDE AT LEAST STANDARD PONDS FOR THE SITE.
UM, I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE'S ANY WATER QUALITY ON THE SITE TODAY.
SO THE BENEFIT OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION WOULD BE THAT THE IMP PREVIOUS COVER WOULD BE REMOVED AND REPLACED AND WE'D GET WATER QUALITY WHERE THERE, I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE'S A WATER QUALITY TODAY ON THE SITE.
WE WOULD AT LEAST GET MODERN WATER QUALITY PONDS.
AND THEN NUMBER SEVEN, A SITE WITH 40% OR LESS NET SET AREA MUST HAVE O S PONDS FOR THE ENTIRE SITE.
BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE THAN 40% NET SET AREA, THE APPLICANT MUST MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT IF APPLICABLE PER E C M APPENDIX Q FOUR.
YES, IT'S APPLICABLE, AND I'LL SPEAK TO THAT MORE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.
AND THE PROJECT MAY NOT BE LOCATED IN THE EROSION HAZARD ZONE.
THERE IS NO EROSION HAZARD ZONE.
SO FUNDAMENTALLY, THE APPLICANT HAS DEMONSTRATED COMPLIANCE WITH THE NINE CONDITIONS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
AND SO, STAFF'S DETERMINED THAT THIS PROJECT COMPLIES WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT SECTION IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE AND THE SUBURBAN CLASSIFICATION PER LDC 25 8, 25 AND 26.
AND SO, AGAIN, WHY ARE WE HERE? THE SMALLER QUESTION, NOT THE LARGE
[01:40:01]
PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION.25 8 26 F REQUIRES CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL IF THE PROJECT PROPOSES MORE THAN 25 DWELLING UNITS.
AND BEFORE PRESENTING THIS TO CITY COUNCIL, A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE EV COMMISSION IS NECESSARY.
AND SO, CODE GIVES RECOMMENDATION CONSIDERATIONS 25 8 26 G STATES THAT CITY COUNCIL SHALL CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING FACTORS IN DETERMINING WHETHER TO APPROVE A PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT.
NUMBER ONE, BENEFITS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
NUMBER TWO, WHETHER THE PROS PROPOSED MITIGATION OR MANNER OF DEVELOPMENT OFFSETS THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE REDEVELOPMENT.
NUMBER THREE, THE EFFECTS OF OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE, REQUIREMENTS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT.
AND NUMBER FOUR, WITH THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
AND SO I'VE GOT RESPONSES TO ALL THOSE QUEUED UP ON THE NEXT SLIDE SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO MEMORIZE THIS SLIDE.
SO THE PROJECT, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
EXISTING CONDITIONS, THE SITE IS APPROXIMATELY 3.8 ACRES, THE IMMEDIATE PRIOR USE OF RETAIL FURTHER BACK IN TIME, THE USE WAS IN MOVIE THEATER.
AND THE PROJECT WILL CONSIST OF 309 MULTI-FAMILY UNITS WITH 10 ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS SUITES ON THE PRIMARY GROUND FLOOR FRONTAGE.
SO WHAT CODE ASSET? THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, AGAIN, COUNCIL APPROVAL IS REQUIRED.
COUNCIL REQUESTS A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE EV COMMISSION.
UH, THIS RECOMMENDATION IS ONLY A VOTE FOR OR AGAINST THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION ON THIS PROPERTY.
AND SO TYPICALLY WHEN I PRESENT, UM, UM, TOPICS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, IT'S FOR A VARIANCE.
AND WE TALK ABOUT CONDITIONS, STAFF ADS, CONDITIONS, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ADS CONDITIONS.
THIS IS NOT A VARIANCE REQUEST.
THE CODE DOES NOT HAVE A PROCESS TO ATTACH CONDITIONS TO THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
AND SO HERE'S WHAT THE CODE DIRECTS COUNSEL TO CONSIDER.
AND SO THESE ARE THE FOUR ITEMS WITH THE ANSWERS.
SO NUMBER ONE, BENEFITS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO THE PROPOSED BENEFITS INCLUDE 309 MULTI-FAMILY UNITS WITH THE 10 ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS UNITS, BUSINESS SUITES ON THE GROUND FLOOR FRONTAGE, 10% OF THE MULTI-FAMILY UNITS ARE AFFORDABLE AT 60%.
M F I, UH, THEY'RE PROVIDING WATER QUALITY MS SITE THAT CURRENTLY HAS NONE.
SO THERE THEY, WHEN I SAID BEFORE I WASN'T SURE, I'M NOW SURE THERE IS NO WATER QUALITY ON THE SITE.
THEY WILL BE PROVIDING WATER QUALITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
AND THEY'RE REDUCING THE TOTAL IMPERVIOUS COVER BELOW WHAT IS, UH, PRESENTLY THERE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS.
IT'S ABOUT 56.1%, AND I THINK THE PROPOSED IMPERVIOUS COVER WOULD BE 56.04.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A SLIGHT REDUCTION.
UM, THEY ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE ALL THE WAY UP TO 56.1% BASED ON THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
SO, SO THERE IS, IT'S TRUE THEY'RE REDUCING THE IMPERVIOUS COVER TO BELOW WHAT IS THERE PRESENTLY.
SO THEN, WHETHER THE PROPOSED MITIGATION OR MANNER DEVELOPMENT OFFSETS THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, SO THERE WILL BE A PAYMENT INTO THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE MITIGATION FUND IN THE AMOUNT OF $99,325 AND 14 CENTS.
THE EXISTING SITE CONTAINS NO WATER QUALITY MEASURES, AND PROPOSED SITE INCLUDES FULL TREATMENT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER TO CURRENT CODE STANDARDS.
THE EFFECTS OF THE OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN OFFSITE WASTEWATER CAPACITY PER THE SERVICE EXTENSION REQUEST 49 68, WHICH INCLUDES 375 LINEAR FEET OF NEW 12 INCH WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN RIGHT AWAY ALONG ROUNDUP TRAIL BETWEEN PONTY PATHWAY AND MIN CHAKA ROAD.
SO, UH, THERE WILL BE, THERE WOULD BE SOME, UM, OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS WITH THIS SITE.
AND THEN THERE WILL BE CONSTRUCTION OF AN OFFSITE PEDESTRIAN REFUGE ISLAND, A D A COMPLIANT CURB, RAMPS AND CROSSWALK STRIPING AT VICTORY DRIVE AND WEST BEND WHITE FRONTAGE, UH, PER IDENTIFIED A T D IMPROVEMENTS.
THERE'D BE 1500 LINEAR FEET OF 10 FOOT SHARED USE PATH CONSTRUCTED ACCORDING TO C P O CORRIDOR PLANNING OFFICE AND A T D IDENTIFIED OFFSITE IMPROVEMENTS FOR LAMAR BOULEVARD.
AND THEN NUMBER FOUR, COMPATIBILITY WITH THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SO THIS PROJECT IS ON AN IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR AND AN IMAGINE AUSTIN CENTER ON A CORE TRANSIT CORRIDOR ON A CAP METRO, METRO RAPID LINE, AND ON A PROJECT CONNECT ENHANCED METRO RAPID ROUTE.
AND THEN, SO IT DOES MEET THE FOLLOWING, IMAGINE AUSTIN GOALS AND ENCOURAGES INFILL AND REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT PLACE RESIDENTIAL WORK IN RETAIL LAND USES AND PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER AND MAXIMIZE WALKING, BUSING AND TRANSIT OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, DIRECTS HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT TO GROWTH, UH, SORRY, DIRECTS HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH TO ACTIVITY CENTERS AND CORRIDORS, PRESERVING AND INTEGRATING EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING WHERE POSSIBLE AND PROTECTS AND IMPROVES THE WATER QUALITY OF THE CITY'S CREEKS, LAKES, AND AQUIFERS FOR USE IN SUPPORT OF AQUATIC LIFE.
AND THAT IS BASED ON THE PROPOSED WATER QUALITY WHERE THERE IS NONE CURRENTLY.
AND THEN, SO WITH THAT, I OFFER, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR THE APPLICANT PRESENTATION, OR I CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, APPLICANT DID PROVIDE, UH, MANY MORE, UH, DETAILS ABOUT THE, UH, BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT, BUT I, I, I SUMMARIZED THAT.
SO, UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT MORE DETAILS, I'M SURE, I'M SURE WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE AS WELL.
BUT THAT, THAT'S THE, THE, THE SUMMARY VERSION OF THE BENEFITS.
YEAH, LET'S, LET'S HEAR FROM THE APPLICANT
[01:45:01]
AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.COULD SOMEBODY PULL UP THE SLIDE DECK THAT I HAVE, PLEASE? GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING, UH, THE APPLICANT ON THIS PROJECT, AND I'M GONNA, THERE WE GO.
SO, UH, WE CALL THIS PROJECT SOUTH OF OUR MULTIFAMILY, BUT IT IS A REQUEST FOR, UH, REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION IN THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE SITE PLAN 20 21 0 2 7 8 C.
UH, I WANNA START OFF BY THANKING THE STAFF, UM, FOR A LOT OF WORK ON THIS PROJECT.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS IN, UH, MAKING THIS HOUSING PROJECT COME TO FRUITION IN A PART OF TOWN THAT'S THAT WHERE IT'S REALLY NEEDED.
AND WE FEEL LIKE FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE, UM, WE'RE NOT ONLY MEETING THE INTENT AND THE SPECIF THE SPECIFICITY OF THE CODE, BUT WE'RE EXCEEDING THAT.
AND I'LL GET INTO, UM, SO SITE SUMMARY.
2.8 ACRES OF THAT IS IN BARTON CREEK.
ONE ACRE APPROXIMATELY IS IN WILLIAMSON CREEK, CURRENTLY AT 56 POINT SOMETHING, 56, 50 7%.
I THINK THE POINT IS, UH, FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IS LESS THAN THAT, WHICH ALLOWS US TO MEET THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
CURRENTLY, THERE'S NO WATER QUALITY TREATMENT FACILITIES ON THE SITE.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN THERE, IF YOU'VE BEEN SHOPPING AT THE TARGET, IF YOU HAVE PLUGGED YOUR CAR INTO THE TESLA SUPERCHARGER STATIONS THERE, UH, IF YOU'VE BEEN TO DINNER AT AZU TEQUILA, UH, YOU WILL KNOW THAT THIS IS A PRETTY RUNDOWN SITE.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY ROUGH.
UM, THE SITE IS ON AN IMAGINE AUSTIN CORRIDOR AND IN AN IMAGINE AUSTIN CENTER, IT'S ON A CORE TRANSIT CORRIDOR.
IT'S ON THE CAP METRO 8 0 3 RAPID, UH, METRO RAPID LINE.
UM, IT WILL BE ON A PROJECT CONNECT ENHANCED METRO RAPID ROUTE, AND IT'S LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE FROM THE WESTGATE TRANSIT CENTER.
SO FROM A HOUSING PERSPECTIVE, FROM A COMMUNITY BENEFITS PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS A, A VERY, VERY APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR MULTIFAMILY.
EXISTING CONDITIONS, UM, YOU CAN READ THAT FOR YOURSELF, BUT IT UNDERSCORES, AND IT'S VERY SIMILAR FIGURE TO WHAT MIKE SHOWED PREVIOUSLY THAT WE'RE, WE'RE IN DUAL WATERSHED SITUATIONS WITH CURRENTLY 56 50 7% OF IMPERVIOUS COVER.
PROPOSED PROJECT 319 MULTIFAMILY, UH, UNITS.
UH, 10% OF THOSE UNITS ARE AFFORDABLE AT 60%.
UH, THIS WAS A ZONING CHANGE THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
UH, WERE, WERE REDUCING IMPERVIOUS COVER FROM A WATER QUALITY PERSPECTIVE.
I WANT TO DIG INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT.
ON, UH, WITHIN THE BARTON SPRINGS WATERSHED, WE ARE, UM, PROVIDING S O S COMPLIANT NONDEGRADATION WATER QUALITY FACILITIES.
THERE ARE ZERO WATER QUALITY FACILITIES TODAY.
WE'RE GOING ALL THE WAY TO DO S O S NON NONDEGRADATION STANDARDS.
THEY'RE SLIGHTLY OVERSIZED, SLIGHTLY, UM, BUT THEY ARE CODE COMPLIANT ON THE WILLIAMSON CREEK SIDE.
WE ARE ALSO DOING WATER QUALITY TRADITIONAL SEDIMENTATION FILTRATION WHERE THERE IS NO WATER QUALITY QUALITY TODAY, THOSE ARE OVERSIZED BY 30%, UH, WHICH REMOVES COUPLE HUNDRED POUNDS OF ADDITIONAL POLLUTANTS PER YEAR PER THE CITY'S SLAT TOOL.
IN ADDITION, THE PROJECT, UH, WILL PAY INTO THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE MITIGATION FUND.
THIS IS A CODE REQUIREMENT TO, TO, UH, THIS IS A REQUIREMENT TO MEET CODE, UH, FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
UH, I'LL, I'LL ALSO POINT OUT, UM, THAT THE JOINT USE PATH YOU'LL SEE TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE BUILDING, TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE BUILDING, UH, A LITTLE BIT OFF THE SCREEN IS WHERE THE S O S COMPLIANT WATER QUALITY FEATURES WILL BE LOCATED.
SEDIMENTATION FILTRATION FEATURES WILL BE LOCATED UNDER THE PARKING STRUCTURE ON THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE SITE.
UH, WE ARE CLOSING, GUYS, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WE'RE CLOSING ONE CURB CUT.
UH, AND EVERY TIME, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN KNOWS THIS, ESPECIALLY EVERY TIME YOU CAN CLOSE A CURB CUT, MAKES IT, UH, MUCH SAFER FROM PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PERSPECTIVE.
UH, THERE ARE NO PROTECTED OR HERITAGE TREES, UH, THAT WILL BE REMOVED ON THE SITE.
A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE MITIGATION FOR THE, FOR THE TREES THAT
[01:50:01]
ARE REMOVED ARE GOING TO BE REPLACED ON SITE.THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY A COMMON THING IN AUSTIN FROM THE PROJECTS THAT I'VE WORKED ON OVER THE YEARS.
SO THAT'S A, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S A BIG DEAL.
UH, FROM THE LANDSCAPE STANDARDS, WE'RE EXCEEDING BUFFERING REQUIREMENTS WITH SHRUB PLANNINGS BY 30%.
WE'RE EXCEEDING INNOVATIVE WATER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS BY ALMOST 20%.
WE'RE EXCEEDING STREET YARD LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS BY 29%.
WE'RE EXCEEDING OPEN SPACE REQUIREMENTS BY 35%.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO OFFSITE UTILITIES, UH, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT, UH, WE ARE IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE FROM A WASTEWATER PERSPECTIVE, AND THAT WE'RE NOT REROUTING THAT WASTEWATER INTO THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO, TO ROUTE THAT WASTEWATER OUTSIDE OF THE BARTON SPRING ZONE AND AWAY FROM THAT, FROM THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
UH, MIKE DID A GREAT JOB OF TALKING ON PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT THIS IS, UH, THIS SHARED USE PATH ESPECIALLY, AND EVEN THE CROSSWALKS IN THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION ARE INCREDIBLY VALUABLE, UH, AND NEEDED.
THIS IS THE TECHNICAL VERSION.
UH, I'M AN ENGINEER, SO, UH, I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS, BUT YOU'LL SEE IN PURPLE OR PINK, UH, TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE SITE, THE S O S UH, COMPLIANT WATER QUALITY PONDS.
UH, THIS GETS AT WHAT, UH, MIKE LISTED THE NINE CONDITIONS.
ONE OF THEM IS NOT APPLIC APPLICABLE.
UH, ITEM NINE I THINK IS APPLICABLE.
MIKE SAID IT WASN'T, BUT ANYWAY, WE'RE NOT CONSTRUCTING ANYTHING IN, IN THE EROSION HAZARD ZONES.
SO, UH, WE ARE IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH STAFF ON THAT.
UH, AND THEN I'LL PAIR IT WHAT MIKE SAID WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, THE BENEFITS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
THESE ARE THE ITEMS THAT COUNCIL WILL LOOK AT THIS PROJECT AND COMPARE IT TO.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY? I DON'T THINK, UM, I'M STEPPING OUTTA LINE IN, IN SAYING THAT HOUSING, WE HAVE A HOUSING CRISIS.
YOU ALL KNOW THAT COMMISSIONERS, UM, THIS GOES A SMALL PORTION OF THE WAY IN ADDRESSING THAT, PROVIDING MARKET RATE.
AND 10% OF THE UNITS AT 60% M F I, THAT, UH, NUMBER WAS AGREED TO, UH, BY COUNSEL AND WAS THE SITE WAS ZONED ACCORDINGLY.
UH, WE'RE REDUCING IMPERVIOUS COVER.
WE'RE PROVIDING WATER QUALITY WHERE THERE ISN'T ANY.
WE'RE OVERSIZING WATER QUALITY.
UH, WHERE WE CAN, ESPECIALLY IN THE WEAM AND CREEK WATERSHED, WE'RE NOT REMOVING ANY PROTECTED OR HERITAGE TREES.
100% OF THE MITIGATION OF THOSE TREES IS REMAINING ON SITE.
WE'RE EXCEEDING LANDSCAPE BUFFERING, INNOVATIVE WATER MANAGEMENT, OPEN SPACE AND STREET YARD LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS.
UH, AND WE'RE OFFERING PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE FRIENDLY AMENITIES.
SO IT'S A PRETTY ROBUST OFFERING FROM A COMMUNITY BENEFITS PERSPECTIVE.
WHETHER THE PROPOSED MITIGATION OR MANNER OF DEVELOPMENT OFFSETS POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE DEVELOPMENT, WE'RE PROVIDING WATER QUALITY WHERE THERE ISN'T, AND A GOOD PORTION OF THAT WATER QUALITY IS NONDEGRADATION STANDARD, THE HIGHEST STANDARD THAT THE CITY HAS.
WE'RE ALSO OVERSIZING, UH, THOSE WATER QUALITY PONDS, UH, WE'RE PAYING INTO THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE MITIGATION FUND.
AND, UH, I WON'T REHASH THOSE OTHER ITEMS, BUT THEY ARE JUST AS APPLICABLE TO COMMUNITY BENEFITS AS THEY ARE TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT, THAT WE'RE ROUTING, UH, ADDITIONAL WASTEWATER CREATED FROM THIS HOUSING PROJECT AWAY FROM THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
AND THEN, UH, COMPATIBILITY WITH THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
MIKE COVERED THAT VERY WELL, AND I MENTIONED IT EARLIER.
SO WE FEEL, WELL, WE KNOW THAT WE ARE COMPLIANT WITH THE, WITH THE TERMS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION PER CODE.
AND WITH THAT, UM, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR SERVICE, UH, AS A FORMER COMMISSIONER.
SO, UM, AND I'M OPEN, OPEN FOR QUESTIONS.
WE'LL, WE'LL GIVE THE REMOTE PEOPLE, UH, UH, ARE A LITTLE RESPITE.
ANY QUESTIONS, UH, FROM AROUND HERE.
YEAH, WE'LL START OVER THERE, SULLIVAN.
WELL, I'LL JUST OUT, UH, COMMISSIONER ANDERSON BY MENTIONING THAT HE AND I SERVED ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR A FEW YEARS TOGETHER.
UM, YOU HAVEN'T MENTIONED THE WHEATSVILLE FOOD CO-OP.
I MEAN, THAT'S A THEN WALKING DISTANCE OF THIS.
I CAN TELL YOU FROM MY EXPERIENCE ON THE HOUSING INVESTMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE, THAT THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT, UH, HAVING,
[01:55:01]
UM, GOOD FOOD, UM, GRO UH, GROCERY STORES NEAR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.SO THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT FOR THIS, I BELIEVE.
I THINK THAT'S A, THIS A GREAT POINT.
UH, WE'RE ACROSS LAMAR FROM THE BARTON, UH, UH, FROM THE BRODY OAKS PUD MM-HMM.
UM, AND SO I, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT FROM A, FROM A HOUSING PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS A FANTASTIC LOCATION FROM ACCESS.
FROM ACCESS FROM, FOR PEDESTRIANS, FOR BIKE, FOR BUS, AND EVEN TO THE GREENBELT.
AND EVEN IF YOU'RE IN YOUR CAR, I MEAN, YOU'RE ON THE HIGHWAY, RIGHT.
SO THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO POINT OUT THOUGH.
THANK YOU FOR THE, THE GREAT PRESENTATION.
THIS IS A GREAT, UM, ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY AND IN A GREAT PLACE.
UM, AS FAR AS IN THE IMAGINE AUSTIN GROWTH CENTER, UM, I KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS OFFICIALLY, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, I WAS ALSO LOOKING UP, YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO FOOD, ACCESS TO PARKS, UM, REALLY IMPORTANT IN OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, TO BE ABLE TO LIVE AND WORK AND PLAY, UH, WHERE WE LIVE.
UM, SO JUST WANTING TO REALLY ENCOURAGE AS MUCH, UH, TREE CANOPY ON THE PROPERTY.
ANY, ANY, UM, YOU KNOW, PLAYGROUND ASSETS THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO, TO ADD TO THE SITE.
UM, NATIVE LANDSCAPING AND GRASSES AND THE, UM, YEAH.
ANY OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GREEN STAR RATING? YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND, AND, UH, I'LL TAKE THIS BACK TO THE OWNER AND THE CIVIL WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT, AND WE WILL DISCUSS THIS BEFORE WE GO TO COUNCIL.
BUT I, I THINK THAT, UH, TO THE DEGREE THAT WE CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THESE THINGS, PLAYGROUND ASSETS, NATIVE LANDSCAPING TREE CANOPY, WE, WE WILL DEFINITELY DO THAT.
I, I GUESS I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH TO ADD.
I, I WOULD ECHO WHAT COMMISSIONER SHERA SAID, BUT I'D ALSO SAY, YOU KNOW, LIVING NEAR THIS AND BEING AN AVID RUNNER WHO RUNS BY THIS, THIS I WILL ECHO, THIS IS A DEGRADED SITE, SO, YOU KNOW, I, I, YEAH, I THINK ANY IMPROVEMENT IS NEEDED.
AND WELCOME REMOTE COMMISSIONERS.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UH, SURE.
SO I GUESS I'D JUST LIKE TO REITERATE PRETTY MUCH WHAT EVERY, EVERY OTHER COMMISSIONER HAS ALREADY SAID AT THIS POINT.
I'VE DRIVEN BY THE SITE HUNDREDS OF TIMES, AND IT IS DEFINITELY, UM, A, A DEGRADED EYESORE OF A SITE.
SO IT'S VERY, VERY ENCOURAGING TO SEE SOMETHING THAT'S BENEFICIAL FOR THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE GOING ON THERE, ESPECIALLY WHEN ALSO CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT IMPERVIOUS COVER BEING REDUCED TREE CANOPIES BEING ADDED.
SO IT'S JUST A GREAT, GREAT PROJECT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
NOT TO BE REDUNDANT, UM, YEAH, THANK YOU FOR A VERY COMPELLING PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ON THAT.
I'M EXCITED TO SEE A NEW MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S SO CLOSE TO AN AREA THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION THAT'S ESPECIALLY EXCITING, REDUCED IMPERVIOUS COVER.
UM, THE WATER QUALITY FEATURES SOUND GREAT.
UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THIS IS AN UP DOWN VOTE AND NOT A VARIANCE REQUEST.
I AM CURIOUS ABOUT THE A HUNDRED PERCENT MITIGATION OF THE EXISTING, UM, QUOTE UNQUOTE POOR TREE CANOPY.
UM, AND I'M CURIOUS IF YOU'D CONSIDER GOING ABOVE A HUNDRED PERCENT.
I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE ALREADY, YOU KNOW, EXCEEDING REQUIREMENTS IN MANY OF THE AREAS, BUT I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD SPEAK MORE TO THE TREE CANOPY PIECE.
I THINK WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS IS TINKERING WITH THE, UH, THE FINAL DESIGN, UH, COMPONENTS.
AND I THINK, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE COULD COMMIT TO THAT TONIGHT.
UM, BUT UH, I'LL TAKE IT BACK.
I'LL TAKE IT BACK TO THE GROUP.
I THINK, UH, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PROVIDE A MIX OF, UH, SMALLER DIAMETER AND LARGER DIAMETER TREES, UM, TO TRY TO GET THE, YOU KNOW, GET, I WAS GONNA SAY A CANOPY REESTABLISHED, BUT THERE'S NOT REALLY A CANOPY THERE RIGHT NOW.
IT'S JUST A PARKING LOT, RIGHT.
SO, UM, WE'VE GOTTA BALANCE THAT WITH THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE 10% OF THE UNITS AT 60% M F I.
UH, BUT I, UH, I THINK IT WOULD BENEFIT THE CLIENT,
[02:00:01]
THE RESIDENTS, THE CITY, IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT.WE JUST HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT OF, OF THE COST OF PROVIDING, UH, 60% M F I UNITS.
UM, LASTLY, I JUST WANTED TO ECHO WHAT COMMISSIONER SHIRA, UM, WAS REQUESTING, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHERE POSSIBLE TO, AND AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND THIS ISN'T AN OFFICIAL REQUEST, BUT AN UNOFFICIAL REQUEST, AS LONG AS I HAVE YOU HERE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO PLANT NATIVE GRASSES AND POLLINATOR GARDENS, AND I'M NOT SURE HOW ACCURATE THE OR DETAILED THE DRAWING THAT YOU SHOWED US WAS, BUT I DID NOTICE ONE LINE OF TREES AND WHAT LOOKED LIKE A BIG FIELD OF GRASS.
AND MY CONCERN WILL, IS THAT IT'S LIKE A NON-NATIVE GRASS THAT GETS MOWED ALL THE TIME, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, CREATES MORE HEAT, UM, AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
SO AGAIN, UNOFFICIALLY WHERE POSSIBLE PLANTING NATIVES THAT, THAT DON'T REQUIRE MOWING, UM, WOULD BE, WOULD BE GREAT.
BUT THANK YOU FOR, FOR WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GREAT PROJECT.
I'M EXCITED FOR MORE HOUSING IN THE CITY.
I'LL, I'LL SAY ON THE BIG GREEN SWATH THAT YOU SAW, THAT IS RE WE ARE RECLAIMING T DOT RIGHT OF WAY.
AND SO I THINK WHAT WILL BE THERE WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN WHAT'S THERE TODAY, BUT WILL MACHE WITH THE ENGINEER CAN, CAN SPEAK VERY BRIEFLY TO THAT.
UH, WILL HAN WITH LIQUIDITY ENGINEERING, THE CIVIL ENGINEER, UM, WE ARE DEDICATING, UH, A 15 FOOT, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY EASEMENT ALONG, UH, THAT CORNER.
AND AUSTIN ENERGY IS INSTALLING A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN THAT AREA TO SUPPORT NOT ONLY TE THE TESLA CHARGER NEXT TO US, BUT UH, THE BRODY OAKS DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING ACROSS THE STREET.
SO, UM, IT'S PRETTY CONSTRAINED WITH RESPECT TO, UM, THE EASEMENTS WE'RE PROVIDING AUSTIN ENERGY.
UM, I GREW UP LIKE PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT AREA, SO LIKE IT'S KIND OF, UM, NOSTALGIC AND SPECIAL TO ME.
SO I WAS KIND OF, UH, I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THE 10% AFFORDABILITY, LIKE IF THERE'S KIND OF LIKE AN ESTIMATE OF MAYBE WHAT THAT PRICE RANGE IS OUTTA CURIOSITY.
ALRIGHT, SO THE EXPECTATION IS THAT YOU SPEND NO MORE THAN 30% OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD INCOME.
UH, MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT $100,000.
SO 60% WOULD BE $60,000, SO YOU WOULD EXPECT ON YOUR HOUSING RENT OR YOUR MORTGAGE.
AND THEN THAT'S JUST GUARANTEED FOR 10% OF THE UNITS, CORRECT? CORRECT.
I'D, I'D ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE THAT NUMBER HIGHER, BUT I KNOW THAT'S, THAT'S NOT UNDER OUR PLAN.
THE, THE TY THE TYPICAL NUMBER THAT IN MOST CASES IS 80% M F I.
AND SO THIS GOES BEYOND WHAT IS VERY OFTEN THE COMMON, UH, REQUIREMENT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND ALSO I WAS, UH, CURIOUS ABOUT, UM, LIKE PUBLIC USAGE BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S STILL KIND OF GONNA BE IN THE SHOPPING CENTER AND I WAS WONDERING ABOUT LIKE PUBLIC PARKING, UH, ON THE SIDE AT ALL, OR IS IT JUST LIKE ONLY PEOPLE THAT LIVE AT THAT COMMUNITY HAVE ACCESS TO ITS AMENITIES? SO, SO THE PARKING IS FOCUSED ON THE RESIDENCE.
IF YOU'LL RECALL, THERE'S A LOT OF UNUSED SURFACE PARKING FOR THAT, FOR THAT SHOPPING CENTER.
PARKING SOUTH OF SOUTH OF TARGET, RIGHT ALONG THE FRONTAGE ROAD.
THOSE, THE SPOTS ARE NEVER FULL.
UH, AND, AND SO IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST HOUSING POSSIBLE, THE PARKING IS FOCUSED ON THE RESIDENTS BECAUSE WE HAVE EFFECTIVELY OVERFLOW PARKING ADJACENT TO US.
THE, THE ONLY TOPIC THAT WE USUALLY HIT THAT, THAT WASN'T ADDRESSED YET WAS DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE PRE-WIRING ANY OF THE PARKING GARAGE FOR ELECTRIC? I KNOW YOU HAVE THE SUPERCHARGER RIGHT NEXT TO Y'ALL, BUT IS THAT SOMETHING CONSIDERED OR IS THAT SOMETHING Y'ALL WOULD CONSIDER? WE'VE ALREADY CONSIDERED IT AND IT'S ALREADY IN THE PLANS.
WE HAVE TWO STATIONS ON EACH FLOOR OF THE GARAGE.
WE HAVE, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT RUN DOWN THERE, OR THOSE OF YOU THAT GREW UP NEAR THERE, I DON'T KNOW, ARE THERE 15 TESLA SUPERCHARGING
[02:05:01]
STATIONS RIGHT THERE? SO WE'VE GOT TWO ON EACH FLOOR, 15 ADJACENT TO THE SITE.LITERALLY, I DON'T KNOW, A HUNDRED YARDS.
AND WE'RE PRE-WIRING THE ENTIRE GARAGE.
SO AS WE NEED TO EXPAND, WE CAN.
ANY, UH, LAST QUESTIONS BEFORE WE CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING, GUYS? NO.
I MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING, RAISE YOUR HAND.
UM, ANY DISCUSSION AMONG US, UH, AS WE'VE HEARD IT'S, UH, AN UP DOWN VOTE, UM, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING WE WANNA TALK ABOUT BEFORE I READ THE MOTION? ALL RIGHT.
UM, AUGUST 16TH, 2023 ON THE SUBJECT OF 24 28 WEST BEND WHITE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT SP 2021 DASH OH 2 7 8 C.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE APPLICANT REQUESTS A REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE PER 25 8 26, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE SITE IS WITHIN THE WILLIAMSON CREEK WATERSHED, SUBURBAN DESIRE DEVELOPMENT ZONE, AND THE BARTON CREEK WATERSHED, BARTON SPRING ZONE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES ITS STAFF, RECOMMENDS THE REQUESTED REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPT EXCEPTION.
THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
UM, ANY DISCUSSION CAN ADD ANY AMENDMENTS?
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
[COMMITTEE REPORTS]
COMMITTEE REPORTS FOR ALL YOU NEW MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES.UM, UH, I THINK BRIMER, YOU KIND OF HIT WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR URBAN FORESTRY, UM, BUT YOU'RE WELCOME TO CHIME IN WITH MORE.
BUT IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE TO REPORT ON FOR COMMITTEE? YEP.
WE'RE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM, UH, SOME FOLKS IN THE, UH, FORESTRY DEPARTMENT.
I SENT OUT AN EMAIL THAT I COPIED, UH, SOME FOLKS ON ABOUT THAT, AND AS SOON AS WE, UH, GET THEM TO SPEAK UP, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD, UH, PROMPTLY ON THAT.
ANY OTHER COMMITTEES TO REPORT ON? NO.
WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER MEETING OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD NEXT WEEK, BUT WE'RE WORKING ON THE REGULATORY PLAN, WHICH IS LIKE THE FORM OF ZONING FOR IT.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
ALL RIGHT.ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? ALL RIGHT.