[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:03]
I'M GOING TO CALL TO ORDER THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS FEBRUARY 21ST.
WE'RE HERE AT 63 10 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE.
WE'LL GO AROUND THE HORN, UH, MAYBE STARTING REMOTELY IF YOU GUYS WOULDN'T, JUST, WOULDN'T MIND.
UH, TURN OFF YOUR MUTE AND, AND, UH, ROLL CALL PLEASE.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
ONE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, I BELIEVE, FROM ADAM, UH, SADLOWSKI.YEAH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, HIT THE, HIT THE BUTTON.
UH, AND THE RED LIGHT SHOULD TURN ON UP BY THE, BY THE TOP OF THE MIC.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND THANKS FOR HAVING US.
I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AT THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL.
I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO START WITH A BRIEF MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR DR.
OUR RECENT MEDICAL DIRECTOR, DR.
AKRE, LEFT US TRAGICALLY TOO SOON.
LAST WEEKEND, HE WAS A BELOVED FRIEND, BROTHER, SON, MENTOR, AND BRILLIANT HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL, HELPING THE ENTIRETY OF THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY AND THE ENTIRE WORLD.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US HONOR HIM AT THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL.
WE STRIVE EVERY DAY TO BRING THE BEST OF OURSELVES TO THE WORK THAT WE DO, DEDICATED TO SAFETY, OUTDOORS, AND EDUCATION.
AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PHOTOS BEHIND US, THESE ARE JUST SOME OF OUR BEST MOMENTS.
OVER THE LAST YEARS, KIM DUDA, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, ATTENDED THE MEETING IN JANUARY AND GAVE A LOOK INTO WHAT THAT YEAR ENTAILED FOR US.
IN 2023, THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL SERVED OVER 870 INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, INDIVIDUALS WITH WHO ARE DEAF OR HEARING IMPAIRED, AND INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED.
WE CLEANED OVER 14,000 POUNDS OF TRASH, WHICH IS AROUND SIX AND A HALF TONS, AND ONE TON OF RECYCLING FROM THE SHORELINE AND THE, THE WATER OF THE COLORADO RIVER.
WE CONSISTENTLY TESTED THE WATER QUALITY EACH MONTH.
WE LED SEVERAL TRANSFORMATIONAL OUTDOOR PROGRAMS IN COLLABORATION WITH A ISD, SEVERAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR GROUPS.
WE LED CON CONSERVATION PROGRAMS FOCUS TO INSPIRE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND WE HELPED, HELPED RAISE OVER TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE ADAPTIVE SPORTS CENTER IN CRESTED BUTTE, WHO SPECIALIZE IN PROVIDING FREE AND OR AFFORDABLE OUTDOOR PROGRAMS FOR THE ADAPTIVE COMMUNITY WORLDWIDE.
WE WERE VOTED THE TOP TRAINING PROVIDER FOR THE SEVENTH YEAR IN A ROW BY THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FOR OUR COURSES IN WILDERNESS FIRST AID LIFEGUARDING, BASIC WATER RESCUE.
AND WE PROVIDED EMPLOYMENT TO SEVERAL YOUTH AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM THE ADAPTIVE POPULATION AS OUTDOOR GUIDES AND EDUCATORS.
IN OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH GLOBAL NGOS, WE PUT WORLD LEADERS ON THE WATER FOR THE FIRST TIME WHO WERE STUDYING AND OR INTERNING IN AUSTIN WHO CAME FROM THE ENTIRE GLOBE.
WE TAUGHT SEVERAL FIRST TIME PADDLERS HOW TO STAY SAFE ON THE WATER.
AFTER ALL, SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT WITH THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL.
WE'RE PROUD TO REPORT THAT WE REMAIN TO HAVE A PERFECT SAFETY RECORD IN ALL PROGRAMS. AND THE GOOD CONTINUES.
UM, ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE AT THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL, WE HAVE OUR WEEKLY ADAPTIVE PADDLE TOMORROW AT ONE 15, AND WE'D LOVE TO INVITE EVERYONE HERE AND IN THE AUDIENCE AS WELL TO COME AND PADDLE WITH US.
UM, AND AS THEY ARE VERY LIKELY TO DO, OUR ADAPTIVE PADDLERS ARE GONNA HAND YOU GUYS TRASH BAGS AND TRASH GRABBERS BECAUSE A, THEY'VE BEEN CHOMPING AT THE BIT TO CLEAN UP AS MUCH FROM THE COLORADO RIVER AS THEY CAN LATELY, ESPECIALLY POST ALL THE RECENT RAINS.
SO WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE TOMORROW, ONE 15 AT THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL.
THANKS FOR COMING DOWN AND IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND PROVIDE
[00:05:01]
THOSE SLIDES TO, UH, ELIZABETH.[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
WE'VE GOT, UM, ELIZABETH HAS SENT AROUND THE MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING.HAS ANYONE, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THOSE MINUTES OR DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE.
SECOND, WE GOT A MOTION FROM EINHORN SECOND FROM BEDFORD.
UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES AS WRITTEN? RAISE YOUR HAND PLEASE.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED, ALL THOSE ABSTAINING, RIGHT? I GOT YOU.
ONE ABSTENTION AND, AND BRIERS ABSTAINING AS WELL.
ALRIGHT, UM, DISCUSSION ITEMS. AGENDA ITEM
[2. Presentation of Development Assessment Report for 500 South Congress, located at 500 South Congress Avenue, CD-2023-0001 (District 9). Applicant: Richard T. Suttle, Armbrust & Brown, PLLC. Staff: Sherri Sirwaitis, Planning Department, and Leslie Lilly, Environmental Program Manager, Watershed Protection Department ]
NUMBER TWO, WE'RE GONNA HEAR A PRESENTATION FROM A DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR 500 SOUTH CONGRESS LOCATED AT 500 SOUTH CONGRESS.IRONICALLY, UM, CD 2 0 2 3 DASH 0 0 1, DISTRICT NINE.
UM, AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE APPLICANT AND STAFF.
IS THAT CORRECT? STAFF? YOU? SORRY, STAFF, YOU GONNA GO FIRST? ALRIGHT.
PLEASE, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, STATE YOUR NAME AND, UH, GET, GET ROLLING.
I'M SHERRY TIS WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, AND I'M HERE TO GIVE YOU A BRIEFING ON THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT FOR 500 SOUTH CONGRESS PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT.
THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 500 AND 510 SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE, 1 0 5 WEST RIVERSIDE DRIVE, AND 4 0 7 AND A HALF HAYWOOD AVENUE.
THE APPLICANT HAS SUBMITTED DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT FOR A PROPOSED 6.01 ACRE MIXED USE PROJECT LOCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF WEST RIVERSIDE DRIVE AND SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE.
FOR REFERENCE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ONE TEXAS CENTER BUILDING IS LOCATED DIRECTLY TO THE WEST, AND THE TEXAS STATE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF IS TO THE SOUTH OF THIS SITE.
THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPED WITH A TWO STORY OFFICE STRUCTURE, A MULTIFAMILY USE, A RESTAURANT, AND A FIVE STORY OFFICE BUILDING THAT ARE ZONED CS ONE MP AND CS ONE VNP.
IT IS DESIGNATED AS MIXED USE ON THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP IN THE BOLD CREEK NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN.
THE PROPOSED PUD CONSISTS OF A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT OF APPROXIMATELY 800 RESIDENTIAL UNITS, 225 KEY HOTEL, 200,000 SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE, 90,000 SQUARE FEET OF RETAIL USE, 30,000 SQUARE FEET OF RESTAURANT USE, AND A 25,000 SQUARE FOOT GROCERY STORE.
THE MAJORITY OF THE PARKING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH BELOW GRADE PARKING STRUCTURES IN THEIR SUBMITTAL LETTER.
THE APPLICANT STATES THAT THEY'RE SEEKING CS ONE ZONING AS THE BASELINE DISTRICT FOR THE PUD.
THE APPLICANT HAS LISTED THE PROPOSED SITE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND PERMITTED AND CONDITIONAL USES FOR THE SITE ON THE LAND USE PLAN THAT IS ATTACHED IN YOUR BACKUP OF NOTE, THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT OF 575 FEET AND A MAXIMUM FLORIDA AREA RATIO OF 6.11 TO ONE.
THE PUD PROPOSES ZERO SET FOOT, ZERO FOOT SETBACKS ALONG ALL PROPERTY LINES.
IN ADDITION, THE PUD PROPOSES TO MAINTAIN AN AVERAGE OF A 70 FOOT PRIMARY SETBACK PARALLEL TO THE CENTER LINE OF EAST GIN CREEK.
AND TO REMOVE THE SECONDARY SETBACK LINE, THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED WITHIN THE LADY BIRD LAKE AND EAST GOLDEN CREEK WATERSHEDS, WHICH ARE CLASSIFIED AS URBAN WATERSHEDS AND IS PART OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT DISTRICT.
THE PROPOSED PUD IS IN AN AREA THAT INCLUDES A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD PLAIN AND CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.
THE PUD WILL SEEK 25 MODIFICATIONS FROM CODE REQUIREMENTS.
THE APPLICANT HAS DEMONSTRATED IN THE SUBMITTAL MATERIALS THAT THE PROJECT WILL MEET ALL OF THE APPLICABLE TIER ONE SUPERIOR, UH, PUD STANDARDS AND TIER TIER ONE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND OFFER ELEMENTS OF SUPERIORITY IN 11 TIER TWO CATEGORIES.
THE APPLICANT STATES THE PROS.
PUDA WILL IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY ALONG THE PROPERTY BY PROVIDING ELEVATED BOARDWALK AND TRAILS ALONG EAST BE CREEK TO CREATE CONNECTION BETWEEN SOUTH FIRST AVENUE AND SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE AS OF VISIONED IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT VISION FRAMEWORK PLAN, THEREFORE, THE PUD PROPOSES TO REMOVE EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVERING AND IMPROVEMENTS FROM THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE AND FLOOD PLAIN AND INCORPORATE SEVERAL ENVIRONMENTAL ECOLOGICAL AND ENHANCEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE PROPERTY.
SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE PUD.
OF COURSE, THERE'S MORE INFORMATION IN YOUR BACKUP ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING, UM, FOR MODIFICATIONS AND FOR BENEFITS IN THE PUD.
BUT I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
UM, APPLICANT, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANYTHING TO PRESENT OR, UH, DO YOU WANT US JUST TO GET INTO QUESTIONS? UH, YEAH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, JUST STATE YOUR NAME WHEN YOU GET UP TO THE PODIUM AND IF IT'S NOT
[00:10:01]
STILL ON, HIT THE BUTTON UNTIL IT TURNS GREEN.HOW'S THAT WORK? ALL RIGHT, PERFECT.
SO, UM, MY NAME IS, UH, MIKE IONE.
UH, I'M AN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT WITH, UH, THE RELATED COMPANIES.
AND, UH, I LIVE HERE IN AUSTIN WITH MY WIFE, UH, MY FOUR BOYS AND, UH, MY DOG ROSIE.
UM, SO WHEN, WHEN, WHEN WE REALLY STARTED ORIGINALLY THINKING ABOUT THIS PROJECT, UM, I THINK WE HAD A A FEW GOALS IN MIND, RIGHT? UM, NUMBER ONE IS TO CREATE A GREAT PLACE FOR PEOPLE, RIGHT? AND TO CREATE KIND OF THE NEW CENTRAL HEART OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT DISTRICT.
AND SO AS WE STARTED KIND OF THINKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT MAKES GREAT PLACES FOR PEOPLE, WE STARTED LOOKING AROUND THE WORLD AND TO CITIES THAT I THINK MAYBE SOME OF THE FOLKS IN THIS ROOM HAVE, HAVE BEEN TO.
AND YOU START THINKING ABOUT THESE PLACES AND YOU START REALIZING THAT A LOT OF THE PLACES THAT WERE, THAT WHEN YOU'RE INHERENTLY THERE AND YOU'RE SITTING THERE AND FEEL GREAT, A LOT OF THESE PLACES ARE ACTUALLY BUILT BEFORE THE ADVENT OF THE MOTOR VEHICLE.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT SURPRISING BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE PLACES WERE DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE AROUND PEOPLE PRIOR TO KIND OF THE CAR CAME INTO EXISTENCE.
AND SO WE STARTED TAKING SOME CUES FROM A LOT OF THESE PLACES, WHETHER THEY'RE IN EUROPE.
UM, ONE OF THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ACTUALLY REALLY KIND OF RESONATED WITH US ACTUALLY WAS IN SHANGHAI OF ALL PLACES.
AND IT WAS AN OLD RETAIL MART, UH, CALLED CHDI THAT GRADUALLY OVER TIME TURNED INTO THIS LIKE VIBRANT MIXED USE DESTINATION.
AND WHAT WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT AND NOTICING ABOUT THOSE SPACES IS THEY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INTIMATE THAN THE SPACES THAT ARE TYP TYPICALLY DEVELOPED IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THAT'S WHY WHEN YOU'RE WALKING AROUND THE STREET AND LIKE THE LEFT BANK OF PARIS, YOU KIND OF LOOK AROUND AND YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T INHERENTLY UNDERSTAND WHY IT FEELS SO GOOD.
BUT THAT INTIMACY OF SPACE IS REALLY WHAT KIND OF CHANGES A PERSON'S VIEW ABOUT THE, THE SURROUNDINGS THAT THEY'RE IN.
SO I THINK THE, THE, THE OTHER KIND OF MAIN PRINCIPLE THAT WE, THAT WE HAD WAS HOW DO WE MAYBE TURN THE, WE CAN, I CAN SING ALONG TO THE MUSIC, UM,
UM, THIS IS JUST A KIND OF A SHORT VIDEO THAT KIND OF SHOWS, YOU KNOW, THOSE SPACES.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WAS IMPORTANT IS THE CONNECTIVITY ALONG THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'LL SEE FROM THESE SPACES IS WE'RE NOT BUILDING A, A WALLED GARDEN HERE, RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT OF POROSITY TO BOTH THE CREEK TO, UH, SOUTH CONGRESS, TO RIVERSIDE, AND TO HAYWOOD.
UM, AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S ALL PURPOSEFUL BECAUSE I THINK WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU GO TO, I THINK A LOT OF PLACES THAT ARE POORLY PLANNED IS EVERYBODY'S BUILDING THESE WALLED GARDENS.
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT CREATES A KIND OF A WALKABLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PLACE.
AND I THINK, UM, WHAT WE'VE MANAGED TO ACHIEVE HERE, ALONG WITH, UH, KPF AND, AND LAKE PLATO IS REALLY, UH, A DEVELOPMENT THAT I THINK WE ACHIEVES, UH, THE GOALS THAT WE SET OUT IN MAKING A GREAT PLACE OF PEOPLE AND MAKING A GREAT PLACE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, SO WHAT, AFTER WE KIND OF, WE CAN WATCH THIS FOR A LITTLE BIT LONGER, JUST TO GIVE YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
UM, DAWOOD, UH, WHO WORKS, UH, AT RELATED ALONGSIDE, UM, IS GONNA KIND OF WALK US THROUGH, UM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, YOU KNOW, CHARACTERISTICS THAT WE'VE APPLIED TO THE SITE.
WE ALWAYS FIND IT'S HELPFUL TO ACTUALLY SEE SOME THINGS IN 3D IN, IN, IN REAL LIFE TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF WHAT EXACTLY WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.
A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENTS, THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL TEXTUAL AND IT'S SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO KIND OF IMAGINE THE VISION THAT PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.
I THINK WE CAN FAST FORWARD JUST TO THE END AND JUST KIND OF HIGHLIGHT KIND OF THE, THE, THE CREEK AREA.
[00:15:01]
I THINK ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO US IS WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL OF THE DEAF I TO CREATE SOME CONNECTIVITY WITH THEIR SITE.I MEAN, I, I THINK MOST PEOPLE IN THE ROOM ARE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THE SCHOOL, BUT THEY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 600 BOARDING STUDENTS, AND IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND, UH, INTERNSHIPS, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF THE TRANSPORTATION.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT IS CREATING A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TO CONNECT THE TWO SITES SO THEIR STUDENTS CAN COME AND, UM, GET SOME WORK EXPERIENCE FROM ALL OF THE, THE BUSINESSES, UM, IN, IN, IN THE, UH, 500 SOUTH CONGRESS DEVELOPMENT.
SO I'LL BRING UP DAWOOD AND HE CAN KIND OF WALK US THROUGH A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE HERE FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE.
UH, DOWD RUBIN, I WORK WITH MIKE AT RELATED.
UM, WE ARE A GLOBAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY, UM, SPECIALIZING IN DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE DO HAVE, UH, OTHER BUSINESSES AS WELL.
WE'RE OBVIOUSLY BASED OUTTA NEW YORK, AND WE'VE COME HERE TO AUSTIN TO, UH, 'CAUSE WE BELIEVE IN AUSTIN.
WE BELIEVE IN THE MARKET, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'D LOVE TO TRANSFORM AUSTIN, BUT CERTAINLY KEEP ITS SOLE AND CHARACTER INTACT.
UM, SO WE ARE A WORLD CLASS OPERATOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, WITH OVER 60 BILLION IN OUR REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO, WE'VE GOT 67,500 RESIDENTIAL UNITS, UH, OF WHICH FIVE, UH, 50,000 OUR, UH, AFFORDABLE UNITS AND, UH, WORKFORCE DEPARTMENTS.
AND WE'VE NEVER TAKEN A SINGLE, UH, AFFORDABLE UNIT OUT OF OUR, UH, PORTFOLIO TO DATE.
WE'RE ALSO A MAJOR DEVELOPER, UH, MAJOR URBAN DEVELOPER.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE, IF ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN TO NEW YORK RECENTLY, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF HUDSON, ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT CERTAINLY HAS, UH, CEMENTED OUR, OUR PLACE AS ONE OF THE FOREMOST, UH, DEVELOPERS, UH, IN THE, IN THE COUNTRY.
UM, SO OUR FOCUS IS REALLY, UH, ACTUALLY PREDOMINANTLY IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
UM, WE REALLY BELIEVE IN THE EXTENSION OF THE DOWNTOWN, UH, AND THE CONNECTION TO, TO MUSIC LANE AND TO SOKO DOWN TO THE SOUTH, UH, IN SORT OF PRESERVING, BUT ALSO, UH, COMBINING AND STITCHING AUSTIN'S CHARACTER, UH, AND CREATING A, UM, YOU KNOW, A, A SUM THAT'S, OR YEAH, LIKE A WHOLE, A WHOLE, YEAH, A HOLE THAT'S GREATER THAN SOME OF ITS PARTS, I GUESS.
UM, AND, AND WE'D LOVE TO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WORK WITH YOU GUYS TO HELP CREATE AUSTIN'S NEXT GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, SO IN DOING SO, WE'VE REALLY KIND OF THOUGHT VERY SYSTEMATICALLY AND CAREFULLY ABOUT THE EXISTING CONDITIONS ON THE SITE.
UM, AND IF ANY OF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH, YOU KNOW, 500 SOUTH CONGRESS, IT'S OBVIOUSLY, UH, GOT EGOS ON IT, RIGHT? WHICH WILL MOST LIKELY BE THE ONLY THING, UH, THAT REMAINS AND, AND GETS, UH, RELOCATED SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WE THINK IS, UM, A MAINSTAY OF AND, AND STAPLE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, HOWEVER, THE, THE REST OF THE DEVELOPMENT ACTUALLY IN ITS CURRENT STATE HA UH, LEAVES LITTLE TO BE DESIRED, RIGHT? YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE, UM, ACCESSIBLE AND PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY FRONTAGES, UH, TO THE NORTH OR TO THE EAST, UH, ALONG SOUTH CONGRESS AND, AND WEST RIVERSIDE.
UM, THE CENTER OF THE SITE IS BASICALLY, UH, YOU KNOW,
AND THEN TO THE SOUTH, YOU'VE ACTUALLY GOT THE CREEK WHERE, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE RE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IS ACTUALLY RIGHT UP ON IT, UH, ANYWHERE BETWEEN 20 AND 40 FEET.
UH, THERE'S ALSO A STEEP CONCRETE EMBANKMENT THAT'S ACTUALLY CREATING EROSION ON THE OTHER SIDE.
UM, AND, UH, ALSO ADDING TO SOME OF THE, THE FLOOD ISSUES AND THE FLOOD RESILIENCY ISSUES AS WELL AS THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.
UM, BUT, BUT WE FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, UH, THERE'S CERTAINLY OTHER SOCIAL ISSUES THAT ALSO WORK IN TANDEM WITH THESE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
SO BY PLACING SOME OF THE RESIDENTIAL PRODUCTS BACK IMMEDIATELY TO THE CREEK, YOU'RE ACTUALLY IGNORING IT IN A SENSE, RIGHT? AND YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY CELEBRATING, UH, NATURE.
UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE PUTTING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT RIGHT THERE ON TOP OF IT, UM, AND ALMOST DISRESPECTING IT.
UH, THESE ARE SOME OF THE SHOTS, UM, OF THE SITE.
YOU COULD SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF CONCRETE, A LOT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER, UM, BUT THERE'S NOT A
[00:20:01]
LOT OF ACTIVATION.AND THAT ALSO MAKES FOR A LACK OF PERIMETER ENGAGEMENT AND A LACK OF SAFETY.
UH, CERTAINLY IT'S NOT A VERY DEFENSIBLE SPACE.
UM, AND SO WE'RE HERE TO, TO BRING BACK SOME OF THAT DEFENSIBILITY, UM, BUT ALSO CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S A LOT MORE ENGAGING AND IN LINE WITH THE SOUL AND CHARACTER OF AUSTIN AND IN PARTICULAR, SOUTH AUSTIN.
UH, SWATHS OF PARKING LOT, RIGHT? I THINK THE FUTURE ISN'T GOING IN THIS DIRECTION.
UM, I KNOW IT'S TEXAS, I KNOW EVERYBODY DRIVES THE CAR, UH, BUT CERTAINLY IN SOUTH AUSTIN, UH, AND IN PARTICULAR IN THIS DISTRICT, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, WHICH IS GREAT.
AND WE'VE ALSO SEEN ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, UM, THAT HAVE CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTED TO ITS VIBRANCY.
AND, AND, AND THIS REALLY GETS TO, UH, THE CRUX OF THE MATTER HERE, WHICH IS THE DISREGARD FOR NATURE, UM, AND CERTAINLY, UH, YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIAN AND PUBLIC SAFETY.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD AS THE CURRENT OWNER, IF, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, UH, SPEAKING TO THE MIC.
SO THE REMOTE, THE REMOTE COMMISSIONERS CAN HEAR THIS FINE.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD AS, UH, AN OWNER OF THIS PROPERTY FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF IS PUBLIC SAFETY IN, IN THE CREEK.
UM, THE CREEK IS CONSISTENTLY LITTERED WITH TRASH.
AND ONE OF OUR, AND WHAT'S ACTUALLY INTERESTING IS EVERY TIME IT RAINS, WE ALWAYS GO OUT TO OUR OFFICE IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, BUT WE ALWAYS GO OUT AND WE KIND OF ASSESS AND MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF WATER VOLUME THAT ACTUALLY GOES INTO THAT LITTLE CULVERT THERE.
UM, AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS JUST THE EXISTING CONDITIONS ARE SO BAD FROM A FLOOD RESILIENCY PERSPECTIVE AND FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE, THAT WE'VE CHALLENGED ALL OF OUR CONSULTANTS TO FIGURE OUT, WELL, HOW DO WE TAKE WHAT EXISTS TODAY, RIGHT? AND ACTUALLY DO IT RIGHT? FORGET ABOUT WHATEVER THE RULES ARE TODAY, TELL US WHAT IS RIGHT.
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE ALL OF THE GOALS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, WHICH IS BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, APPRECIATING THE CREEK EGGS.
HOW DO WE GET INCREDIBLE FLOOD RESILIENCE, AND HOW DO WE ACTUALLY RETURN THAT SPACE TO A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY ENJOY AND FEEL SAFE, FEEL SAFE AROUND? SO, AND I THINK IF YOU TAKE KIND OF THOSE THREE GOALS, THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.
UH, YOU COULD SKIP THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO, UH, TO REITERATE WHAT MIKE SAID, IT COMES WITH BALANCING CONSIDERATIONS.
OBVIOUSLY, THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, UM, VISION FRAMEWORK PLAN THAT WAS LAST ISSUED, UH, NOT MOST RECENTLY, BUT BEFORE THAT, UH, HAD A LOT OF THESE CONSIDERATIONS IN MIND, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, IMPROVING TRAILS AND CREATING RESPECTABLE, UH, SORT OF TRAIL DISTANCES, BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UM, AS WELL AS ALLEVIATING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT FROM THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND CREATING SOME KIND OF SYNTHESIS BETWEEN THE TWO, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH GREEN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, SO WE'VE TAKEN A LOOK AT THE FLOODPLAIN AND OBVIOUSLY HOW IT ACTUALLY AFFECTS OUR SITE.
AND BECAUSE OF THE CULVERT THAT'S ACTUALLY THERE, RIGHT UP AGAINST SOUTH CONGRESS, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS YOU ACTUALLY GET A LOT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WATER THAT'S ACTUALLY BACKING UP ONTO THE IMPERVIOUS COVER THAT IS, UH, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, ABOVE GRADE PARKING LOT RIGHT NOW.
SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS TO DO SOMETHING, UH, AKIN TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE WHERE WE ACTUALLY, UH, CREATE AN INCREASE IN THE CAPACITY, UH, OR THE VOLUMETRIC CAPACITY OF THE CREEK, THEREBY DECREASING THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE ON OUR SITE.
SO THAT MEANS LESS POLLUTANTS IN THE WATER, LESS POLLUTANTS IN THE CREEK, UM, AND CERTAINLY BETTER WATER QUALITY OVERALL FOR THE CREEK AND CREEK HEALTH, AS WELL AS, UM, YOU KNOW, REMOVING OF THE CONCRETE EMBANKMENT, WHICH WOULD MINIMIZE EROSION ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CREEK.
UM, AND THEREBY ALSO ALLEVIATE, UM, SOME OF THE, UH, THE SORT OF LIKE BACKFLOW, UH, INTO OUR SITE AND INTO THE CREEK WITH WHATEVER POLLUTANTS ARE, ARE BELOW THE CULVERT THERE.
UM, BUT AGAIN, OUR, OUR, YOU KNOW, WE ARE BUILDING A, A, A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT THAT DOES IN SOME WAYS PRIORITIZE PEOPLE.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO PRIORITIZE PEOPLE IS, IS IN FACT TO PRIORITIZE NATURE AS WELL.
UM, AND SO ANOTHER STRATEGY THAT WE'RE EMPLOYING HERE IS, YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIANIZE GRADE AND THEN PUTTING ALL OF THE PARKING BELOW GRADE.
UM, AND IN DOING SO, WHAT WE ACTUALLY ARE NOW ABLE TO DO IS ACTUALLY PULL THE CREEK EDGE CLOSER TO THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND DO SO RESPECTFULLY.
[00:25:01]
UM, AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE WANT TO KIND OF GO BACK TO A SETBACK THAT'S CLOSER TO 60 FEET IS BECAUSE WE FEEL THAT 60 FEET IS ABOUT THE RIGHT DIMENSION, BOTH FROM A VOLUMETRIC CAPACITY STANDPOINT, AS I'VE JUST MENTIONED, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IF YOU WANT TO ILLUMINATE THE CREEK AND CREATE A DEFENSIBLE SPACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY WALK EAST, WEST AT NIGHT AND FEEL SAFE AND HAVE A CLEAR VISIBLE LINES OF SIGHT TO WHERE IT IS THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO GROW ACROSS THE SITE, AND MULTIPLE MODES OF EVASION OR INGRESS AND EGRESS, DEPENDING ON THAT, UH, WHAT WORD YOU WANT TO USE, UM, THEN WE BELIEVE THAT 60 FEET IS PROBABLY THE RIGHT DIMENSION TO DO SO.UM, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, YOU KNOW, ADVANTAGES OF DOING THIS ALSO INCLUDE THE FACT THAT IF WE WANT TO TRA TRAVERSE ALONG THE EDGE OF THE CREEK, YOU'RE GIVING PEOPLE OPTIONALITY.
IT, IT COULD BE BIKE, RIGHT? IT COULD BE PET, UM, IT COULD BE SCOOTER, UM, BUT YOU'RE STILL CREATING A LOT OF PROTECTION FOR THE CREEK.
UM, AND IN DOING SO, AND IN REPATRIATING ITS EDGE, UM, GETTING RID OF THE CONCRETE EMBANKMENT AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, AND RID OF THE INVASIVE SPECIES THAT ARE THERE, I THINK WHAT WE WILL ASPIRE TO DO IS ACTUALLY BEAUTIFY THE CREEK BEYOND A LOT OF THE CREEKS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, PRESENTLY IN AUSTIN, UH, IN, IN THE SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ACTUALLY DON'T WANT TO NEGLECT IT AND GIVE IT OUR BACK.
UH, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL INTERVENTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO HERE, UH, CERTAINLY THE REMOVAL OF 5% IMPERVIOUS COVER FROM THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, 10,000 SQUARE FEET OF IMPERVIOUS COVER BEING REMOVED BETWEEN, BETWEEN THAT A HUNDRED FOOT, UH, SETBACK, UH, WATER QUALITY SETBACK, UM, PROTECTING AND PRESERVING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE HERITAGE TREES.
CERTAINLY, UH, 75% OF CALIPER INCHES ASSOCIATED WITH NATIVE AND PROTECTIVE TREES.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO, YOU KNOW, RAINWATER HARVEST, UH, AND USE THAT IN MOST OF OUR IRRIGATION, ABOUT 50% OF OUR LANDSCAPE AREAS, UH, WITH SOME STORM WATER, ALSO BEING ABLE TO DIRECT TO THESE, UH, YOU KNOW, LANDSCAPE INTERVENTIONS.
UH, AND THEN, UH, WE'VE ALREADY MENTIONED BELOW GRADE PARKING.
WE'RE LOOKING AT EV CHARGE, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FIVE AND 10% OF EV CHARGING, UH, YOU KNOW, IN OUR PARKING INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT NEW AND EXPANDED ACCESS TO EAST BOLD CREEK, UH, AND MONETIZING IT TO PROVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, A NATURAL PUBLIC PROMENADE, A CONNECTION TO THE TEXAS SCHOOL OF THE DEAF, A BOARDWALK, UH, POTENTIALLY ALONG, UH, SOUTH CONGRESS, UM, AND, UM, TO INCREASE, UH, BASICALLY THE NATURAL AND LOCAL WILDLIFE.
UM, RIPARIAN RESTORATION IS ACTUALLY AT THE, AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS, RIGHT? UM, WE'RE DEFINITELY LOOKING TO MAKE THAT EDGE LOOK AS NATURAL AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS BEAUTIFUL AS POSSIBLE.
UM, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY IS, IS GONNA GO THERE AND ACTUALLY, UH, RESPECT, RIGHT? UM, YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO TAKE PRIDE, UH, IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
UM, I THINK THE MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE SPECIES, BANK, STABILIZATIONS, WE'VE ALL MENTIONED, BUT SOIL ENHANCEMENT IS ANOTHER, UH, THING THAT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO DO.
THE SOIL DOWN THERE ISN'T VERY GREAT AT THE MOMENT.
UM, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF TREES AND, AND THAT ARE DYING, AND THERE'S A LOT OF WEEDS IN THERE.
UM, AND WE ALSO BELIEVE IN, UM, YOU KNOW, CREATING A HABITAT FOR LOCAL BEES AND POLLINATORS, UM, USING NATIVE PLANTS.
UM, ON SITE WE WILL CREATE AMPLE TERRACE AND ROOFTOP AMENITY SPACE FOR TENANTS, UH, SOME OF WHICH WILL BE, UH, NATURALIZED TO A DEGREE, UM, BUT WILL ALSO REQUIRE MINIMAL, UM, IRRIGATION.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE ASPIRE TO INCORPORATE, UH, SOME REALLY INTERESTING, UM, SORT OF PUBLIC INTERVENTIONS AS WELL, SUCH AS URBAN GARDENS, VERTICAL GREEN WALLS, UP TO A HUNDRED FEET OF TRAIL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO ATTEMPT AN ENTRANCE TO DEVELOPMENT, UH, ON SOUTH CONGRESS TO THE CREEK, ABOUT 5,000 SQUARE FEET OF LANDSCAPING AT GRADE, ANYWHERE FROM 200 TO 300 LINEAR FEET OF BIKE PATHS ON SITE, 2000 SQUARE FEET OF RECREATIONAL COURTS AND PLACE SPACES, WHICH WE THINK IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL, UH, FOR THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, DARK SKIES, COMPLIANT LIGHTING, UM, JUST SO THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, CREATING A LOT OF NOISE POLLUTION.
UH, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE ARE AMBITIOUS, UH, AND TECHNICALLY AMBITIOUS AT THAT.
SO HAVING A LEAD SILVER RATING FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTIAL, UH, PRODUCT AND A GOLD, UH, RATING FOR ALL OF OUR COMMERCIAL OFFICE PRODUCT, UH, IS IMPORTANT TO US.
AND WE ASPIRE TO BE THE FIRST PROJECT IN THE US TO PURSUE A SUSTAINABLE SITES PRE-CERTIFICATION, UH, TARGETING A MINIMUM SILVER
[00:30:01]
RATING.UM, IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, UM, PROVIDING THOSE SLIDES, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO US.
UM, JUST IF, IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE EMAILING TO ELIZABETH AND SHE CAN SEND 'EM OUT TO THE COMMISSION, NO PROBLEM.
UM, I GUESS MAY, AND MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT OR, OR THE STAFF, BUT IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND JUST KIND OF FRAME UP WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS SO WE ALL GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF KIND OF WHAT, WHAT'S, WHAT'S, WHERE WE ARE IMMEDIATELY, WHAT'S TO COME.
UM, I, AND I UNDERSTAND THIS ISN'T THE, THE LAST TIME YOU'LL BE POTENTIALLY TALKING TO US, SO I WANTED TO GIVE EVERYBODY FRAMEWORK FOR THEIR QUESTIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT IS BASICALLY LIKE A LOOK SEAT AT WHAT THE APPLICANT WILL BE PROPOSING WHEN THEY FILE FOR A ZONING CASE FOR THE ACTUAL PUD ZONING.
SO THIS IS JUST KIND OF PRELIMINARY VIEW OF WHAT THE APPLICANT IS PROPOSING TO DO ON THE SITE, AND WE BRING IT TO YOU AND TO CITY COUNCIL FOR A BRIEFING TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY COMMENTARY FROM YOU OF THINGS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, SO THAT THEY WILL KNOW HOW TO BETTER PREPARE THEIR ZONING APPLICATION WHEN THEY FILE FOR THE PUD.
UH, COMMISSIONERS, UM, LET'S START REMOTE, UM, IF Y'ALL DON'T MIND, BUT, UH, ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT OR STAFF ABOUT, UH, THIS FIRST LOOKE THAT WE'VE GOT? IF SO, JUST RAISE YOUR HAND AND WE CAN GO FROM THERE.
UM, I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS IF YOU COULD, IF YOU KNEW WHAT KIND OF INVASIVE SPECIES THAT YOU HAVE FOR PLANTS.
I MEAN, IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN THAT CREEK TODAY, I, I, I THINK IT WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO, FOR ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM OR REALLY, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY ANY ONE OF MY CHILDREN TO ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT AND SAY, THIS IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
UM, IT IS KIND OF A MESS OF A DEGRADING CONCRETE EMBANKMENT, BUNCH OF DEAD TREES, AND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF GARBAGE, WHICH WE, ON A REGULAR BASIS GO OUT AND TRY TO CLEAN UP AND REALLY NEVER GET THROUGH IT.
UM, BUT WE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, A FULL SURVEY OF EVERYTHING THAT'S OUT THERE.
AND, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, CHRIS JACKSON, I THINK IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS, AND HE WILL ADVISE US AS TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S SHOULDN'T BE THERE, WHAT SHOULD BE THERE, AND WHAT YOU NEED MORE OF.
UM, WE'RE STILL CATALOGING ALL OF THAT NOW.
UH, AND WE'VE GOT SIGLO GROUP, TBG, AND TERRACON, UH, DOING MULTIPLE SURVEYS, UH, OF THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, CREEK BED.
AND ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD, I WAS CURIOUS, UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED, UM, POSSIBLE INTERNSHIPS FOR THE STUDENTS AT THE TECH SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, AND SO I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS, UM, IF THOSE WERE LIKE, ONCE THEY REACHED A CERTAIN, IF IT WAS LIKE WHEN THEY'RE GETTING READY TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND THAT'S WHEN THE INTERNSHIPS WERE, OR IF IT WAS KIND OF AS THEY'RE ATTENDING HIGHS ATTENDING THE SCHOOL, AND, UM, IF THOSE, IF THERE, LIKE, WOULD THEY BE ENVIRONMENTAL INTERNSHIPS OR WOULD IT JUST KIND OF BE WHAT DEPENDS ON WHAT BUSINESSES ARE IN THAT AREA? SO, SO THIS IDEA REALLY KIND OF CAME OUT OF A MEETING THAT WE HAD.
IT WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE FIRST MEETINGS THAT WE HAD WITH THE SCHOOL OF DEAF WHERE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT KIND OF, WE BOTH OBVIOUSLY WERE, WE'RE NEW NEIGHBORS AND WE WERE INTRODUCING OURSELVES, AND WE STARTED ASKING THEM ABOUT KIND OF WHAT THEY WOULD WANT AND WHAT THEY WOULD WANT KIND OF OUT OF A DEVELOPMENT, UH, IN, IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA OF THE CITY.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT KIND OF CAME OUT OF THAT MEETING.
AND I THINK THE THOUGHT IS THERE WOULD BE CERTAINLY OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH, UH, KIDS WHO ARE CURRENTLY AT THE SCHOOL AND THEN KIND OF, YOU KNOW, POSTGRADUATE YEARS TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF, UM, YOU KNOW, GET SOME EXPERIENCE IN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WORKING WORLD.
AND I THINK, UM, THE PROXIMITY IS REALLY INTERESTING.
AND I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT, UM, THE, THE SCHOOL OF THE DEAF AND, AND, AND CERTAINLY ALL OF THE, THE FACULTY AT THE SCHOOL I THINK APPRECIATE IS, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY TODAY, WHILE YOU CAN GO BY, UM, YOU KNOW, A PAIR OF LIKE LULULEMON PANTS ON SOUTH CONGRESS, WHAT YOU CAN'T DO IS EAT LUNCH, RIGHT? YOU CAN'T GET A SANDWICH, RIGHT?
[00:35:01]
UM, AND THE IDEA OF OUR, UM, OF OUR DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY CREATE A PLACE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY CAN GATHER AND KIND OF, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE KIND OF BASIC NEEDS THAT ARE MISSING FROM THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, IF YOU WANT, AGAIN, YOU CAN GET A PAIR OF LULULEMON PANTS, YOU CANNOT GET A HEAD OF LETTUCE, RIGHT? YOU CANNOT GET ANY OF YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED.
THERE'S NO LOCAL COFFEE SHOP, RIGHT? ALL OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE COMMUNITY DON'T EXIST THERE TODAY.
AND THAT'S REALLY THE GOAL OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, UM, AT THE 500 SOUTH CONGRESS PROJECT.
ANYBODY ELSE REMOTE? GOT QUESTIONS? YEAH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UH, THE VISUALS WERE REALLY HELPFUL.
I PROBABLY COULD HAVE WATCHED THE WHOLE VIDEO.
IT WAS VERY ENGAGING, SO THANK YOU TO WHOMEVER, UH, PUT THAT TOGETHER.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE IN TERMS OF WHAT TO EXPECT.
I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN SPEAK MORE ABOUT THE VERTICAL GREEN WALLS THAT ARE PLANNED AND WHERE YOU'RE ENVISIONING THOSE WILL BE AND WHAT THOSE WILL LOOK LIKE, ET CETERA.
SO, UM, AGAIN, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TRAVEL, YOU GET, UM, INSPIRED BY, UH, WHAT OTHER FOLKS DO REALLY WELL.
AND ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS IS I WAS IN, UH, SCOTTSDALE OF ALL PLACES, AND THERE WAS A DEVELOPER, UH, I BELIEVE THEIR NAME IS OPTIMA, AND THEY CREATED THESE BUILDINGS WHERE, UM, THEY HAVE THESE PLANTERS ON THEIR TERRACES AND THESE GREEN WALL SYSTEMS THAT WERE INCREDIBLY VIBRANT AND SOME OF THE BEST THAT I HAD EVER SEEN.
AND YOU, YOU KNOW, AS A, CERTAINLY AS A DEVELOPER AND ANYBODY IN DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION, YOU KIND OF LEARN THE MOST FROM YOUR FAILURES.
AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRIED GREEN WALLS IN CHICAGO, WE'VE TRIED GREEN WALLS IN NEW YORK, AND IN CERTAIN CASES WE WERE SUCCESSFUL.
AND, UH, THESE FOLKS HAVE ACTUALLY CRACKED THE CODE, IN MY OPINION.
UM, AND THERE'S, UH, THERE WAS A PROFESSOR AT ARIZONA STATE WHO ACTUALLY DESIGNED, UM, THESE PLANTERS AND GREEN WALLS FOR THEM.
AND, UH, THEY CREATED A REALLY CLEVER, UM, IRRIGATION SYSTEM WHERE, UM, THEY WERE TAKING OUT OF THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM AND THEN REASONING THEM IN THE PLANTERS.
UM, AND THEN THEY, IT CONNECTED, UH, SOME DRAINAGE AND THEY HAD A NUTRIENT PROGRAM, AND THEY'VE GOT A PLANTING PROGRAM.
AND ACTUALLY WHEN FOLKS MOVE IN, THEY CAN CHOOSE THEIR OWN PLANTS AND THEY KIND OF CREATE THEIR OWN LITTLE GARDEN OUT IN THEIR TERRACE.
UM, AND I THINK THE SAME WALL, SAME THING IS DONE WITH THE GREEN WALL.
SO WE'VE BEEN REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ON THIS, UH, AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WOULD WORK HERE.
I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT THE EXACT SAME SPECIES OF PLANTS THAT WORK IN ARIZONA WILL WORK IN, UH, IN AUSTIN, BUT MY GUESS IS IT'S PROBABLY RELATIVELY SIMILAR.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WE'RE IN TERMS OF THE, LIKE, WHERE THE GREEN WALLS WOULD ACTUALLY BE, UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'RE FAR ENOUGH ALONG WITH THE ACTUAL DESIGN TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT.
UM, BUT CERTAINLY ALL OF THESE, YOU KNOW, GREEN INTERVENTIONS WILL BE IN PLACES THAT HAVE KIND OF A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF IMPACT BECAUSE WE DO THINK IT'S A, IT'S AN INCREDIBLY, UM, POWERFUL KIND OF ARCHITECTURAL TOOL TO REALLY CREATE A GREAT ENVIRONMENT.
UM, I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU IN, IN THINKING ABOUT, UM, YOUR PLANNING AND MAXIMIZING, UH, GREEN SPACE PERHAPS FOR THE, THE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, IF THERE COULD BE PLACES FOR, UH, A COMMUNITY GARDEN ON THE ROOFTOP, UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE AN INCREDIBLE ADDITION.
I THINK I SAW IN THE PLANS THAT THERE ARE ROOFTOP PATIOS.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA PUT IN MY 2 CENTS THERE.
UM, I'M ALSO CURIOUS IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT CONTROLS THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THE BRIEFING SUMMARY SHEET.
IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, WHAT YOU ALL ARE ANTICIPATING WITH THAT.
UH, SO HONESTLY, IT'S STILL EARLY DAYS.
UM, WE'RE STILL KIND OF PUTTING TOGETHER OUR OWN, UH, RESEARCH AND BRIEF AT THE MOMENT WITH, UM, THE SIGLO GROUP IN PARTICULAR.
[00:40:01]
WE WILL HAVE MORE ON THAT, HOPEFULLY FOR OUR FIRST FORMAL PUD SUBMISSION THAT IS OUR TARGET.UM, BUT UNTIL THEN, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF LIKE GATHERING ALL THE INFORMATION.
SO, UM, WE FOCUS PREDOMINANTLY ON, UH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, KEY PROBLEMS AND PARAMETERS AT THE MOMENT, WHICH ARE, UM, MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SPATIAL ALLOCATIONS ARE CORRECT AND WE'VE GOT ENOUGH, UM, RESIDUAL SPACE, UH, RESIDUAL OPEN SPACE, CERTAINLY, UH, TO, TO PROGRAM AND, AND, UH, EXERCISE SOME OF THESE, UH, GREEN INTERVENTIONS.
UH, BUT UNTIL WE GET TO A POINT IN OUR RESEARCH WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY LIKE COMFORTABLE, UM, GETTING CREATIVE WITH THAT, UH, I THINK WE'D RATHER HOLD OFF ON, YOU KNOW, PUTTING ANY OF THAT INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.
I APPRECIATE YOU USING THE WORD CREATIVE.
UM, I WOULD HOPE, AND THE WORD, YOU KNOW, THE TERM GREEN INTERVENTION, I THINK I'M HOPEFUL THAT YOU CAN FIND A CREATIVE GREEN INTERVENTION FOR PEST MANAGEMENT BECAUSE, UM, WHILE I HAVEN'T LIVED IN NEW YORK CITY, I HAVE LIVED IN BOSTON, AND YOU ALL MIGHT BE FAMILIAR THAT THEY UNVEILED A, UH, A POISONOUS RODENTICIDE, UM, PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE BOSTON AREA THAT HAS REALLY HAD, OF COURSE, A CASCADING EFFECT TO OTHER CREATURES WHO THEN, INCLUDING DOMESTIC DOGS WHO COME AND, YOU KNOW, TRY AND EAT THE DEAD RATS THAT HAVE ALL THIS POISON.
SO, UM, I I JUST ASK THAT YOU USE AN ENVIRONMENTAL LENS WHEN THINKING ABOUT THE PEST MANAGEMENT.
UM, I WANNA GIVE TIME FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, UH, OR ASK QUESTIONS.
MY LAST ONE WILL BE, UM, THE RECREATIONAL SPACES THAT YOU MENTIONED.
ARE THOSE ANTICIPATED TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC OR ONLY FOR RES? WE, WE LIKELY WILL HAVE A, A A MIX OF BOTH.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, IS INTERESTING AS YOU START THINKING ABOUT, UM, PUBLIC OPEN SPACE AND, UM, AND GREEN SPACE IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, HAPPENS IN URBAN PLANNING IS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY, ALL RIGHT, WELL, THERE, THERE'S AN ARBITRARY THING.
LET'S SAY IT'S 50% OPEN SPACE OR WHATEVER THE KIND OF THE PERCENTAGES THAT SOMEBODY COMES UP WITH.
AND THEN WHAT YOU END UP WITH IS YOU END UP WITH THESE DEVELOPMENT TYPOLOGIES WHERE YOU'VE GOT THIS SQUARE GREEN LAWN WHERE THE LANDSCAPE DESIGNER GOES CRAZY.
UM, AND, AND THEN YOU HAVE THESE TOWERS.
SO YOU HAVE LIKE A TOWERS IN THE PARK, TYPOLOGY AND TOWERS IN THE PARK.
TYPOLOGIES FOR US, ARE KIND OF THE WORST TYPE OF TYPOLOGY BECAUSE WHEN YOU GO INTO THAT CENTER LAWN, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE INHERENTLY SUPPOSED TO DO THERE.
SO MY KIDS, FOR EXAMPLE, FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE THROWING A FOOTBALL IN THE MIDDLE OF, YOU KNOW, FOUR TOWERS ON A NICELY MANICUR MANICURED LAWN.
AND AN ADULT ALSO FEELS KIND OF UNCOMFORTABLE LYING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT FEELS KIND OF LIKE A PUBLIC PARK.
AND YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE EATING LUNCH THERE.
YOU DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THERE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO GREEN SPACE AND, AND OUR, AND ONE OF OUR BIGGEST GOALS IS, IS HOW DO WE MAKE PLACES THAT PEOPLE INHERENTLY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN THEY GET THERE? SO, FOR EXAMPLE, A PLAYGROUND IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A SPACE WHERE YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO EAT LUNCH THERE, OR YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO PLAY FOOTBALL THERE.
WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IS PLAY IN THE PLAYGROUND, RIGHT? OR THERE'S AREAS THAT ARE MORE MEANT FOR DINING.
THERE'S AREAS THAT ARE MORE MEANT FOR SITTING WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND HAVING A CONVERSATION.
SO I THINK ALL OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS CREATE PLACES WHERE THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE CAN GATHER IN, IN, IN PLACES THAT THEY INHERENTLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
AND WE THINK THAT THOSE TYPES OF PUBLIC PLACES ARE KIND OF THE BEST TYPES OF PUBLIC SPACES IN THE CITY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S, THERE'S AREAS LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, ZILKER PARK WHERE THEY'RE JUST WIDE OPEN FIELDS, AND IT'S KIND OF, YOU CAN, YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT YOU CAN DO THERE.
YOU CAN GO PLAY SOCCER, RIGHT? THERE'S ALL THESE PICKUP GAMES, THERE'S CONCERTS, THERE'S MUSICAL EVENTS, IT'S GREAT.
AND, BUT WHEN YOU GET INTO THAT MORE URBAN BUILT ENVIRONMENT, I THINK YOU HAVE TO BE MUCH MORE PURPOSEFUL WITH THE SPACES SO PEOPLE CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THERE.
THAT'S KIND OF HOW WE VIEW THOSE.
AND RECREATION MEANS SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND AGE GROUPS, AND THAT'S
[00:45:01]
SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO BE VERY, VERY CONSIDERATE ABOUT, BECAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS, DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS PLAY AND ENJOY SPACE ENTIRELY DIFFERENTLY.UM, SOME PEOPLE WANT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING A LITTLE SLOWER OR A LITTLE SLOWER PACED, AND SOME PEOPLE REALLY WANT KIND OF LIKE AN INTENSE, UH, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING IN ENGROSSING ENVIRONMENT.
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE, I MEAN, I PLAY SOCCER, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA BE KICKING A BALL AND MAKING PASSERS BY ON THEIR BIKES OR WHATNOT, OR LADIES PLAYING MAHJONG, FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I DON'T WANT CHILDREN RUNNING IN TO THE SPACE BETWEEN ME AND THE OTHER PLAYER AND GETTING INJURED.
AND I THINK IT'S THE SAME FOR EACH DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOW IT IS THAT THEY ACTUALLY USE SPACE.
IT MEANS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
SO RECREATION TO ME, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE FAST PACED UNTIL YOU LIKE, TEAR YOUR MENISCUS AND
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AS INCLUSIVE, UM, AS POSSIBLE.
I THINK MY SALIENT CURIOSITY IS REALLY AROUND, IS THIS GOING TO BE A RECREATIONAL AREA REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT'S A PLAYGROUND OR MAHJONG OR WHATEVER THAT'S OPENED THAT'S OPEN FOR THE PUBLIC, OR WILL IT ONLY BE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE DEVELOPMENT? NO, I MEAN, THE, LIKE, THE, THE ENTIRE GROUND FLOOR SPACE IS ALL, IS ALL PUBLICLY ACCESS ACCESSIBLE.
UM, AS YOU GO UP IN THE BUILDINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, A TERRACE ON THE 45TH FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IS MOST LIKELY GONNA BE PRIVATE.
OUR GOAL IS TO ACTUALLY HAVE SOME SECOND FLOOR AND THIRD FLOOR PUBLIC SPACES, BECAUSE WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT ALL PARKS NEED TO BE AT GROUND PLANE.
AND WE THINK IN A LOT OF CASES, YOU KNOW, HAVING A LITTLE THREE DIMENSIONALITY TO THE PUBLIC REALM IS A LOT MORE INTERESTING THAN HAVING A ONE DIMENSIONAL PUBLIC REALM.
I'LL LET, I'LL PASS THE BATON ON TO SOMEONE ELSE WHO HAS QUESTIONS.
NO, I, I CAN'T MAKE MY COMPUTER WORK.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION.
I GUESS RATHER THAN GO INTO THINGS ON A KIND OF A CASE BY CASE BASIS AS, UH, MARIANA MENTIONED AND ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE TO HAVE THEIR TIME.
UH, BROADLY SPEAKING, UH, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH EXHIBITS F AND G AND WITH REGARD TO F THERE'S A LONG LIST OF ITEMS ON HERE THAT FALL IN THE CATEGORY OF, UH, PERMITTED USES UNDER ZONING.
AND, UH, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE REQUESTING IS THE PUD BE PRIMARILY A RESIDENTIAL AREA WITH SOME OFFICE SPACE, AND THE OFFICE SPACE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, GENERAL PURPOSE TYPE OF ACTIVITIES, PLUS SOME RESTAURANTS AND SOME OTHER TYPES OF THINGS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO THROUGH THIS LIST OF PERMITTED USES, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THINGS LIKE URBAN FARMS AND, UH, AUTOMOBILE SALES AND THINGS LIKE THIS.
AND SO MY CONCERNS, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, I'M JUST SPEAKING MY CONCERNS, MY CONCERNS AS I GO THROUGH THIS, THIS EXTREMELY LONG LIST OF THINGS LIKE AUTOMOTIVE RENTAL, AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SERVICES.
IF, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR PURPOSE OF THIS POD IS TO DO CERTAIN SPECIFIC THINGS, IS THERE REALLY A NECESSITY TO HAVE THESE OTHER ITEMS ON HERE? UH, BECAUSE THEY SEEM TO BE KIND OF EXTRANEOUS THINGS LIKE, UH, UH, INDOOR SPORTS RECREATION, UH, OUTDOOR, YOU KNOW, SPORTS STUFF, LIGHT MANUFACTURING.
THESE THINGS SEEM TO BE, UH, LIKE OUTSIDE THE REALM OF WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING.
NOW IF YOU GO TO EXHIBIT G, WHICH IS THE COMMENTS FROM, UH, CITY STAFF AS THEY REVIEWED IT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT STUFF, UH, BY THE ARBORIST REVIEW AND THEY MENTIONED THINGS THAT, UH, AND IT MAY BE THE PROBLEM I HAVE MAY BE THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO PROPERLY CROSS REFERENCE SOME OF THIS STUFF, BUT THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S IN ALL OF THIS STUFF.
AND SO IT MAY BE THAT YOU'VE ADEQUATELY ANSWERED IT SOMEWHERE IN HERE, AND I'VE JUST MENTIONED MISSED IT, AND THAT'S OKAY TOO.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE, UH, ARBORIST REVIEW SEEMS TO QUESTION THE, UH, ABILITY OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU PLAN TO MEET TIER ONE AND TIER TWO REQUIREMENTS.
[00:50:01]
A MENTION ABOUT THE FLOODPLAIN IN HERE, AND I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THAT AS WELL.YOU'RE BUILDING WITHIN A HUNDRED YEAR FLOODPLAIN.
AND MY CONCERN IS, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST BROADLY SPEAKING IS FLOODPLAINS.
YEAH, IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A REALLY GOOD IDEA, UH, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF FLOODS THAT WE HAVE HERE AND THEIR INCREASING FREQUENCY.
UH, YOU KNOW, LESLIE LILLY, WHO THE ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICE MENTIONED A NUMBER OF ITEMS HERE, UH, AS WELL.
UH, THE HYDROGEOLOGIST MENTIONED SOME STUFF REGARDING THE SETBACK AND, UH, YOU KNOW, FORMAL, UH, SUBMITTALS, YOU KNOW, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, GOING ON AND ON AND ON.
THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS IN HERE THAT I DON'T SEE THAT HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED IN THE SUBMISSION.
UM, NOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS INTERESTING, THE SLIGHT PLAN REVIEW MENTIONED THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDOR.
AND, UH, IT HAD, IT ASKED ABOUT, UH, THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDINGS.
AND I KNOW I'M, I'M ONLY SLIGHTLY FAMILIAR WITH THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDOR REQUIREMENTS, BUT MY VAGUE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS IS IT LIMITS THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDINGS IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE CAPITAL OF VIEW OF, OF THE CAPITAL, UH, FROM VARIOUS ANGLES.
BUT YOU'RE, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, UH, QUESTIONS THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDINGS, UH, RELATIVE TO THE CAPITAL VIEW.
SO I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
UH, I'LL TAKE THIS ONE AND THIS ONE.
SO, I MEAN, I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO, TO ADDRESS EVERY RESPONSE.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS WHEN YOU COME BACK FOR A FORMAL REVIEW, MY EXPECTATION IS THAT THESE ITEMS WILL BE ADDRESSED POINT BY POINT.
UH, YOU KNOW, SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF MY, MY TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
I MEAN, UH, SHERRY, UH, HAS UH, MENTIONED A NUMBER OF ITEMS IN HERE ABOUT THE HEIGHT OF THE, UH, BUILDINGS AS WELL.
SO I'M JUST LOOKING FOR, AT SOME POINT WHEN YOU COME BACK FOR A FORMAL REVIEW, ALL THESE ITEMS THEN BROUGHT UP BY CITY STAFF AS WELL AS THE, UH, ZONING ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IN, IN, UH, WHAT IS IT EXHIBIT F, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR IN THERE.
SO CAN WE PAIR THESE BACK TO SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE REALITY BASED UPON WHAT YOU'VE DESCRIBED IN THE VIDEO, UM, THAT YOU'VE SHOWN? 'CAUSE I DON'T, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, THERE'S NO AUTO REPAIR SERVICES AS PART OF YOUR VIDEO THERE.
AND THAT BEING THE CASE, DO WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE THAT AS A PERMITTED USE ON THAT, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE PUD, UH, OR CAN WE, YOU KNOW, LIKE DROP THAT BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AGAIN, I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO ADDRESS EVERY ONE OF THEM RIGHT NOW.
MY EXPECTATION IS WHEN YOU COME BACK FOR APPROVAL THAT UH, YOU'VE ADDRESSED ALL THIS STUFF.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS LONG LIST OF, YOU KNOW, PERMITTED USES PAIRED BACK LIKE 70% BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT GONNA PUT AN URBAN FARM ON THAT PLACE.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE INDOOR URBAN CROP PRODUCTION, UH, CUSTOM MANUFACTURING AND VEHICLE STORAGE THERE.
SO I'M PRETTY SURE YOU CAN PROBABLY DROP THOSE WITHOUT GIVING IT A LOT OF THOUGHT.
AND IF YOU CAN'T DROP 'EM, THEN YOU'RE REALLY KINDA NOT PRESENTING THE ENTIRE PROPOSAL CORRECTLY.
MAYBE JUST TAKE A, A FEW SECONDS TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ANSWER A FEW OF THE ONES THAT I THINK THAT WE CAN.
UM, SO ON THE USES, UM, WHEN YOU, WHEN I, I THINK WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A LOT OF THESE USES AS WE'RE USED TO THINKING ABOUT THEM, RIGHT? SO YOU THINK OF A CAR DEALER, RIGHT? YOU THINK OF COVERT WITH LIKE 18,000 F THINK ABOUT THE RIVIAN DEALERSHIP THAT'S ON SOUTH CONGRESS, WHICH IS KIND OF A SHOWROOM FOR THE NEW ELECTRIC CARS.
AND WE ARE FINDING THAT A LOT OF THE ELECTRIC CAR MANUFACTURERS ARE ACTUALLY TAKING RETAIL SPACE IN A LOT OF DEVELOPMENTS.
SO AS WE START THINKING ABOUT IT, WE SAID, YEAH, ARE WE GONNA BUILD, YOU KNOW, COVERTS F-150 DEALERSHIP ON THIS SITE? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
[00:55:01]
BUT AS WE READ THROUGH AND WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, AN URBAN FARM, I THINK IT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER THAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, KIND OF URBAN FARMING AND ROOFTOP GARDENS.AND THAT KIND OF FELT TO US LIKE AN URBAN FARM.
SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO GET RID OF IT.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES AND WE THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE NEW COMPANIES THAT ARE OUT THERE, WE THINK ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, A CHILDREN'S STORE WHERE THEY 3D PRINT TOYS.
THAT'S TECHNICALLY URBAN MANUFACTURING.
DO I THINK, RIGHT? DO I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO MANUFACTURE, YOU KNOW, LIKE BOATS ON THE SITE? NO, BUT THERE ARE I THINK A LOT OF NEW VERSIONS OF WHAT I THINK COULD BE CATEGORIZED WITHIN SOME OF THESE OLD CATEGORIES THAT WE WANTED TO KEEP OPEN THAT I DON'T THINK ARE PARTICULARLY OBJECTIONABLE.
UM, WELL, LET ME TELL YOU THIS.
UH, AND I CLEARLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND NOT ANYONE ELSE.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME BACK WITH A DIFFERENT IDEA THAN THAT BECAUSE JUST WANT TO KEEP IT OPEN SO YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU RIGHT NOW YOU SAY, OH, WELL I'M GONNA HAVE A RIVIAN DE DEALERSHIP THERE.
I'M AT TWO RIVIAN PARKED THERE.
THAT ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE A COVERT BUICK DEALERSHIP THERE TOO.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T CARE WHICH ONE, PICK ONE, YOU KNOW, EITHER YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A CAR DEALERSHIP THERE OR YOU'RE NOT.
EITHER IT'S GOING TO BE A OFFICE COMPLEX WITH SOME HOUSING THERE, OR IT'S GONNA BE A CAR DEALERSHIP AND YOU GET TO PICK ONE.
AND THIS IS MY, NOW I'M GIVING MY PERSONAL FEEDBACK.
I DO NOT SPEAK FOR ANYONE ELSE, BUT I'M KIND OF EVALUATING THIS BASED UPON WHAT I SEE HERE.
AND WHEN I SEE URBAN FARMING AND INDOOR FARMING AND AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SERVICES AND ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF, I KINDA HAVE TO THINK REALLY WHAT THE POINT, IF THIS IS THE, IF YOU KNOW, THE, THE VIDEO THAT YOU, YOU SHOWED WAS VERY COMPELLING.
IT WAS VERY, VERY SALESY AS TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LIST OF, UH, PERMITTED SERVICES, UH, IT DIDN'T HAVE A CAR DEALERSHIP, IT DIDN'T HAVE LIGHT MANUFACTURING, IT DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF THIS OTHER STUFF THERE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, OKAY, ALRIGHT, WELL WE, WE, WE WILL, WE WILL COME, WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU WITH, UM, SOME REVISIONS TO THE LIST THAT WE THINK WORK.
AND AGAIN, THE OTHER THING WAS THE OTHER EXHIBIT G, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CITY STAFF FEEDBACK WAS VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT THEY PERCEIVED.
THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED AND IT MAY BE ADDRESSED IN SOME OF THE MATERIALS THAT YOU PROVIDED IN HERE.
THAT MAY BE AN OVERSIGHT ON MY PART 'CAUSE I WASN'T DILIGENT ENOUGH IN READING THROUGH IT ALL.
BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE ALL THESE THINGS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE ADDRESSED IN HERE BY MEMBERS OF THE STAFF, UH, ADDRESSED HOWEVER YOU PERCEIVE THEY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.
IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS TO THESE THINGS, BUT I NEED TO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE 'EM ADDRESSED IN SOME MANNER.
WE, WE LOOK, WE APP WE APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK AND WE WILL, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL CERTAINLY TAKE IT INTO ACCOUNT AS WE KIND OF MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS.
NICHOLS, YOU GOT ANYTHING? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
NO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN HERE.
KESH, YOU'RE UP IF YOU GOT ANYTHING? YEAH.
UM, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE BIG CITY VACATION, EVEN THOUGH THAT'S NOT A WORD, I'M GONNA USE IT AS A PHRASE OF THE OH FOUR CONTINUES, ALTHOUGH FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, THIS SITE IS KIND OF CURRENTLY A, A CONCRETE HELL HOLE, SO MAKING IT A LITTLE BIT GREENER IS PROBABLY AN IMPROVEMENT.
YOU KNOW, UH, SOUTH CONGRESS COULD NOT STAY A HOME TO, UH, HOOTERS AND CHICKEN FRIED STEAK SHACKS FOR OUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS, UM, YOU KNOW, MY PERSONAL QUESTION, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY RIGHT NOW PEOPLE MOSTLY JUST GO FOR EGOS.
UNLESS YOU LIVE THERE OR WORK IN ONE OF THE OFFICES FROM THE VIDEO, IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO TURN IT INTO LIKE A, BASICALLY LIKE A MUSIC LANE DOMAIN TYPE OF THING.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE, THE VALUE PROPOSITION FOR SOUTH AUSTIN HAS KIND OF BEEN ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, SORT OF LIKE A, A MORE COUNTRY SOUL THAN MAYBE LIKE THE NORTH SIDE, RIGHT? UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, HAVING SPECIAL ATTENTION PAID TO, UH, TO GREEN SPACES IS, IS DEFINITELY SUPER COOL AS FAR AS LIKE THE CREEK AND, YOU KNOW, THE BIKE TRAILS THAT ARE PROPOSED.
[01:00:01]
UM, ARE THE BIKE TRAILS GONNA BE ALONG THE CREEK? ARE THEY GOING TO BE SORT OF LIKE IN THE DEVELOPMENT ITSELF, UH, LIKE AROUND THE, THE PARKS OR RECREATION SPACES? UM, WHAT DO Y'ALL SORT OF FORESEE FOR THAT? SO I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE NOTICED IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT KIND OF THE BIKE AND PED INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THE CITY, THERE ARE AREAS WHERE LIKE, WE'VE GOT IT RIGHT, RIGHT? WHERE YOU CAN DRIVE LIKE THE, LIKE THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG BARTON SPRINGS ROAD AS YOU'RE GOING DOWN PAST SILK OR PARK AND THEN THE NEW, UM, UH, SIDEWALKS THAT THEY BUILT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, UM, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY THE BRIDGE.I MEAN THAT'S SOME WHAT WE THINK IS LIKE INCREDIBLE BIKE AND PET INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE THINK THAT WAS A GREAT CHANGE.
I KNOW PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT TWO LANES GOING TO ONE, BUT FRANKLY I DRIVE BACK AND FORTH THERE EVERY SINGLE DAY AND IT'S FANTASTIC, RIGHT? IT'S IN A MUCH SAFER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE, THE BIKERS AND THE WALKERS.
THERE ARE OTHER AREAS WHERE YOU MAKE A RIGHT ON WHERE IS THAT? IT'S LIKE, UH, I THINK IT'S, YOU'RE MAKING A RIGHT ON BARTON SPRINGS OFF OF, I TAKE, I TAKE A RIGHT ON HAYWOOD OFF OF BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.
BECAUSE THERE'S ONE INTERSECTION RIGHT THERE WHERE THE TURN LANE ACTUALLY DRIVES DIRECTLY THROUGH THE BIKE LANE, RIGHT? WHICH IS PROBABLY THE MOST DANGEROUS BIKE INTERSECTION I THINK THAT CERTAINLY I'VE SEEN IN THE CITY.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UM, WITH BOTH THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES AND WITH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY IS HOW CAN WE EFFECTIVELY CONNECT SOUTH FIRST STREET SOUTH CONGRESS AND THEN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, UM, WHERE THE STATE'S BEEN IN SITE IS AND THEN ALL THE WAY ACROSS, UM, THE, THE LAKE TO ACROSS THE TRINITY, THE, OR WHAT WILL BE THE NEW TRINITY BRIDGE, RIGHT? AND THEN OVER BY TO THE CONVENTION CENTER.
AND THE GOAL IS TO CREATE A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE WHERE SOMEBODY CAN RIDE THEIR BIKE, WHETHER IT'S FROM SOUTH AUSTIN OR SOUTH FIRST STREET, RIGHT SOUTH CONGRESS OR SOUTH FIRST STREET, AND KIND OF WEAVE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE NEW SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT AND GET ALL THE WAY DOWNTOWN WITHOUT ENCOUNTERING LIKE THESE REALLY DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS.
SO OUR GUESS IS TODAY, I THINK IT COULD BE IN ONE OF TWO PLACES.
IT COULD BE ALONG THE CREEK EDGE AND IT COULD BE ALONG THE ONE WAY ROAD THAT WOULD BE FROM SOUTH CONGRESS OVER TO HAYWOOD.
I KNOW THE VIDEO MAKES IT LOOK LIKE WE'VE KIND OF FIGURED EVERYTHING OUT, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS REALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT THE BEST PATH OF TRAVEL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE A SEAMLESS AND SAFE EXPERIENCE.
OBVIOUSLY WE'RE, WE'RE IMPROVING WEST RIVERSIDE AND UM, AND SOUTH CONGRESS ON THE ON THE ROAD FRONTAGES.
UM, BUT REALLY IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WEAVE IT THROUGH THE SITE.
AND THOSE ARE, I THINK, THE TWO OPTIONS.
AS SOMEONE THAT TAKES THE, UH, THE HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL THROUGH THAT PART OF THE CITY.
I DO AGREE, YOU KNOW, THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE CITY MADE FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, BICYCLING AND, AND MULTIMODAL TRANSIT DURING THE PANDEMIC WAS DEFINITELY A SUPER GOOD IMPROVEMENT.
UM, I NEVER FIND THAT THERE'S A REASON TO GO SOUTH ON RIVERSIDE WHEN I'M ON THERE, SO HOPEFULLY Y'ALL'S DEVELOPMENT GIVES A REASON TO 'CAUSE EGOS IS NOT OPEN DURING THE DAY, AS FAR AS I'M AWARE.
UM, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S, UH, OH, AND, UH, I HAD A QUESTION TO, UM, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL MENTIONED SORT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, EV CHARGING THAT Y'ALL WANT TO IMPLEMENT.
UM, WHAT ABOUT SOLAR? YOU KNOW, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY PLANS FOR THAT? I MEAN, WE'RE DEFINITELY LOOKING INTO IT AND WITH EV CHARGING, I, I THINK THAT THE BIGGEST THING IS THE TRYING TO, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT EV CHARGING AND PEOPLE, YOU GO INTO PEOPLE'S OFFICE BUILDINGS, THEY SAY, WELL, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT EV CHARGING.
AND THEN YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE SERVICE THAT COMES INTO THEIR SITE AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO CHARGE FOUR MORE CARS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, SO A LOT OF IT IS ABOUT, UM, WHEN WE'RE PLANNING INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, WE DO HAVE TO PLAN FOR A DIFFERENT WORLD.
THE WORLD WILL NOT BE THE SAME IN 20 YEARS WHEN THIS IS LIKELY BUILT OUT THAT IT IS TODAY.
SO WE, WHEN WE START THINKING ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF CITIES AND WE SEE IT, I THINK WE HAVE A, A, A UNIQUE LENS BECAUSE WE'RE DEVELOPING IN, YOU KNOW, CITIES THAT ARE PROBABLY MUCH FURTHER ALONG IN THE PROGRESSION.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO DEVELOPING AND REALLY DEVELOPING CITIES AND FOLKS IN REALLY DEVELOPING CITIES SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, NO ONE'S EVER GONNA TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
AND THEN THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION COMES AND ULTIMATELY EVERYBODY TAKES IT.
AND SO I THINK A LOT OF IT'S JUST BEING THOUGHTFUL WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE, MAKING SURE THAT WE ADD ENOUGH POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT AS THE NEED FOR ELECTRIC CHARGING EXPANDS, THAT WE ALSO EXPAND WITH IT.
I THINK THE OTHER THING IS, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT LOADING ON THE DECKS,
[01:05:01]
A LOT OF THE OLD PARKING GARAGES WEREN'T DESIGNED FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE HEAVY AS ELECTRIC VEHICLES.SO IF PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY'RE GONNA FILL UP, UM, YOU KNOW, A 1984 PARKING GARAGE WITH A BUNCH OF TESLA CYBER TRUCKS, RIGHT? YOU'RE GONNA HAVE FOUR IN THERE BEFORE THE THING COLLAPSES.
SO I THINK A LOT OF IT IS JUST, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING BUILDINGS WITH AN EYE TOWARDS THE FUTURE AND A FUTURE ADAPTABILITY.
SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IT.
AND THEN I GOT JUST ONE MORE COMMENT.
YOU KNOW, UH, I DO LIKE, SORT OF, I REMEMBER THERE WAS LIKE, UH, SOME COMMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA RECENTLY WHERE PEOPLE WERE ASKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA OF THIRD SPACES, RIGHT? SOMETHING THAT'S NOT HOME OR WORK ON SOUTH CONGRESS.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, YOU CAN WALK UP AND DOWN SOUTH CONGRESS, RIGHT? AND THEY'RE LIKE A LOT OF BUSINESSES, BUT OTHER THAN MAYBE LIKE THE SOUTH CONGRESS HOTEL, WHENEVER THEY GOT THEIR LITTLE, YOU KNOW, UH, FREE MONTHLY EVENTS, THERE'S REALLY NOT LIKE A PLA AND I GUESS, YOU KNOW, NOW WITH MUSIC LANE, WHERE IS IT? HOTEL MAGDALENA, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THERE'S REALLY NOT THAT MANY PLACES ON SOUTH CONGRESS WHERE YOU CAN GO AND THEN ESSENTIALLY JUST CHILL, RIGHT? 'CAUSE IF YOU'RE GONNA DO THAT, YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST GO TO
UM, SO HAVING SOMETHING I THINK, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY KIND OF SOUTH OF RIVERSIDE THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO, UH, TO DO AND USE PUBLICLY, DEFINITELY BE OF, UH, BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY.
I DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
I DO APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
AND THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY TO GIVE A, TO GIVE A COUNTERPOINT IS I, I WOULDN'T, I WOULDN'T REFINE DOWN THAT LIST TOO MUCH.
I, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP THE CREATIVITY OF THIS OPEN.
I MEAN, THE ONLY QUESTIONS I REALLY HAVE ARE AROUND AFFORDABILITY IN THE CENTRAL CITY, WHICH IS AN ONGOING QUESTION.
BUT THIS IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, SO THAT'S NOT, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR THAT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
YOU MENTIONED THE AMOUNT OF GARBAGE ALONG THE SHORELINE.
HAVE YOU ALREADY, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPED ANY IDEAS OR HAVE PLANS FOR A PROFESSIONAL REVIEW TO DETERMINE BEST PRACTICES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RECYCLING, UM, TO KIND OF ENCOURAGE THE BEST PRACTICE OF, OF THOSE BOTH, UH, BY THE, YOU KNOW, THE VISITORS OF THE PROPERTY AND, UM, WHETHER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, TO THE RESTAURANTS OR PLAYGROUNDS OR NEAR THE SHORELINE, OR, UH, ALSO TO THE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AND TO THEIR RESIDENTS AS WELL.
SO I THINK, UM, M MUCH OF THE GARBAGE, UM, THAT'S IN THE CREEK AND THE ENVIRONMENT TODAY IS KIND OF THE RESULT OF, I, I, I THINK THAT THE ENVIRONMENT THAT EXISTS ON SOUTH CONGRESS TODAY, AS OPPOSED TO A REFLECTION OF WHAT THE FUTURE WILL LOOK LIKE.
SO I THINK THE BEST EXAMPLE OF OF THAT IS, UM, IS ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF, AND, AND, AND BY THE WAY, I THINK IT, IT, THIS PROBABLY, THIS PROBABLY GOES INTO YOUR OWN HOME AS WELL, RIGHT? IF YOU KEEP A CLEAN AND TIDY ENVIRONMENT, ESPECIALLY ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE, WHEN EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER AND EVERYTHING IS CLEAN, EVERYBODY WHO'S AROUND AND A PART OF THAT ENVIRONMENT KIND OF, KIND OF GETS WITH THE PROGRAM AND UNDERSTANDS THAT THE, THE, THE KIND OF PLACE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO CREATE.
AND IT DOES CERTAINLY CREATE, UH, SOME ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN KIND OF THE, THE UNIVERSE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE THERE.
UM, TODAY WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THIS SPACE THAT EXISTS.
SO THERE ARE, AT ANY ONE TIME, PROBABLY THREE OR FOUR PEOPLE LIVING IN THE CREEK, UM, WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE FIRES, UM, WHICH WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE POLICE AND TRIED TO GET THEM OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
'CAUSE WE WOULDN'T WANNA START AN EVEN BIGGER ISSUE.
UM, SO TODAY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SITE, IT'S IN A STATE OF DISREPAIR.
AND I THINK GENERALLY STATES OF DISREPAIR KIND OF ENCOURAGE MORE DISREPAIR.
UM, AND I THINK THAT IF WE CAN CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT I THINK DOGWOOD'S WORD OF ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, AND HAVE SIGNIFICANT KIND OF PEDESTRIAN ENGAGEMENT ON THE CREEK, I THINK THAT YOU'RE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO SEE THE ACTIVITIES THAT YOU SEE TODAY.
I THINK IT MIGHT BE REALLY EASY FOR SOMEBODY TO, YOU KNOW, WHO DIDN'T REALLY CARE TO THROW A PIECE OF TRASH OUTTA THEIR CAR WHEN NOBODY'S LOOKING, BUT WHEN THERE'S 15 PEOPLE STANDING THERE WATCHING THEM,
[01:10:01]
I THINK IT WOULD BE HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SOMEBODY WOULD JUST TAKE A CUP OUTTA THEIR POCKET AND THROW IT IN THE ROAD, RIGHT? SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S HOW WE THINK ABOUT IT.I MEAN, WE, WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE IN, IN BUILDING KIND OF LARGE SCALE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD.
UM, AND WE REALLY CARE ABOUT WHAT THESE PLACES LOOK LIKE.
SO WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IS CLEAN, RIGHT? IF WE SEE A PIECE OF TRASH, AND I THINK EVERYBODY THAT WORKS OUT RELATED, IF YOU'RE WALKING AROUND IN ONE OF YOUR BUILDINGS AND YOU SEE A PIECE OF TRASH ON THE FLOOR, YOU PICK IT UP.
IF YOU'RE WALKING AROUND ON THE PLAZA AND YOU SEE A PR PIECE OF TRASH, YOU PICK IT UP.
UM, AND THAT'S SORT OF THE CULTURE.
AND I THINK THAT THAT KIND OF CULTURE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, RUBS OFF WHEN EVERYBODY AROUND IT.
SO, YEAH, I THINK THAT'D BE MY BIGGEST ANSWER.
I JUST AM THINKING IT, IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THIS PROPERTY WITH SO MANY RESTAURANTS, UM, IN SO MANY LIKELY VISITORS VISITING THE SITE EVERY DAY, UH, TO PUT THEIR TRASH IN A NEARBY RECEPTACLE, AND ESPECIALLY RECYCLING AS WELL.
I THINK THE AUSTIN OVERALL DOES A REALLY GREAT JOB OF PROVIDING THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTINITES.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TO A LOT OF PLACES WHERE I'M LOOKING FOR SOME, UH, A RECEPTACLE TO RECYCLE, LIKE EVEN IN CALIFORNIA, SURPRISINGLY.
UM, AND IT'S JUST NOT PROVIDED.
SO JUST DEFINITELY ENCOURAGING YOU TO PROVIDE THOSE RECEPTACLES AND, AND, UH, CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT, UM, HELPS THE, THE BUSINESSES AND THE RESIDENTS RECYCLE ABSOLUTELY.
THAT, BY THE WAY, THAT, THAT IS A PET PEEVE OF MINE WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE WALKING AROUND WITH THEIR TRASH AFTER THEY FINISH LUNCH, AND THEY CAN'T FIND A PLACE TO PUT IT YEAH.
AND THEY WANNA DO THE RIGHT THING, BUT YOU'RE MAKING IT REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THEM.
UH, I'M CURIOUS IF YOU ENVISION THIS, THIS P TO, UH, TARGET FAMILIES, AND IF SO, LIKE FOR, FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES, AND IF SO, UM, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHARACTERISTICS OF IT, UM, WOULD HELP? UH, IT MAKE IT FAMILY FRIENDLY? SO I, I THINK THAT THERE'S, I A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UM, I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT IS IT DEPENDS, RIGHT? I THINK THAT THERE ARE CITIES IN AMERICA, NOT ALL THAT MANY OF THEM WHERE, UM, FAMILIES LIVE IN HIGH RISE APARTMENTS, AND CERTAINLY NEW YORK CITY IS ONE OF THEM.
UM, I THINK SAN FRANCISCO TO A LESSER EXTENT, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT IN BOSTON, BUT MOST OF THE FAMILIES KIND OF TEND TO, UM, KIND OF GO MORE TOWARDS THE, THE LOW-RISE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, FOR THEIR ACTUAL, THEIR ACTUAL PRIMARY RESIDENCE.
THAT BEING SAID, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PUBLIC SPACE, I THINK IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT, I THINK IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT TOPIC, BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PUBLIC SPACE, UM, REAL MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT RIGHT? CAPTURES A REALLY BROAD SWATH OF THE POPULATION, AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT VIBRANT.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND LIKE, YOU KNOW, PLAYGROUNDS GET USED DURING THE DAY, BUT THEY DON'T GET USED AT NIGHT, RIGHT? OFFICES IN A LOT OF CASES GET USED DURING THE DAY, BUT THEY DON'T GET USED AT NIGHT, RIGHT? RESIDENTIAL, IT'S KIND OF THE OPPOSITE.
THEY, MOST PEOPLE ARE AT WORK DURING THE WEEK, UM, SO THEY DON'T GET USED DURING THE DAY, BUT AT NIGHT THEY GET A LOT OF USE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, MY MOTHER-IN-LAW PLAYS MAHJONG AT, UM, CENTRAL MARKET, AND SHE'S TYPICALLY OUT DURING KIND OF THE DAY AND THE AFTERNOON, AND, YOU KNOW, SHE DOESN'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME OUT OF HER HOUSE AT 11:00 PM RIGHT? BUT THE 23-YEAR-OLD CROWD DOES.
SO I THINK THE MAGIC IN THESE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS IS FINDING OUT HOW YOU CAN KIND OF CAPTURE AND CAPTURE THE ATTENTION OF ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM KIND OF ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS AND GIVE THEM THEIR PLACE WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY.
SO WHAT YOU DON'T END UP WITH IS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SUBURBAN OFFICE PARK WHERE THERE'S PEOPLE THERE DURING THE DAY AND AT NIGHT, IT'S A GHOST TOWN, OR KIND OF THE SLEEPY TOWN WHERE EVERYBODY'S THERE AT NIGHT, BUT NOBODY'S THERE DURING THE DAY.
SO IF YOU REALLY WANNA CREATE ENVIRONMENT, A VIBRANT ENVIRONMENT, YOU'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY TO CAPTURE ALL THOSE FOLKS.
[01:15:01]
SO I WOULD SAY FROM PUBLIC SPACE, I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES.I THINK THERE WILL BE A LOT OF FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES FROM THE RESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE.
I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF FAMILIES LIVING IN HIGH-RISE APARTMENTS IN AUSTIN.
YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE SOME, UM, BUT I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY 20 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD FOR AUSTIN AS OPPOSED TO 20 DAYS.
WELL, THAT'S THE SECOND TIME I'VE SEEN THAT FLY THROUGH.
UM, DLE, I'M ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD REPRESENTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
SO DID IT GET BETTER THE SECOND TIME, OR, UH, WELL, NO, I, I THOUGHT THAT WHEN, WHEN, WHEN THERE WAS NO, WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE AN A TIME LIMIT, BASICALLY
SO WHY ONLY A HUNDRED FEET OF TRAIL ALONG EAST BOLDING CREEK? THE, THE, THE ANSWER IS, IT WILL LIKELY BE MORE, BUT WE JUST, WE'RE, WE'RE WE, WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ALL THESE TRAILS GO, RIGHT? AND SO WE KNOW IT'S NOT GONNA BE LESS THAN A HUNDRED FEET.
OKAY? BUT, YOU KNOW, AND IT VERY LIKELY WILL BE MORE, BUT I MEAN, WHEN, WHEN I KNOW SOMETHING, I'LL TELL YOU THAT WE KNOW THE ANSWER.
AND WHEN I DON'T, I'LL SAY WE JUST HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT YET.
WELL, WE DID TALK EARLIER BEFORE THE MEETING ABOUT HOW, UM, I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO RIDES THEIR BIKE OR SCOOTS THROUGH THIS AREA AND AVOIDS THE INTERSECTION OF, UM, RIVERSIDE AND, UM, CONGRESS AVENUE BECAUSE IT'S A TERRIBLE INTERSECTION.
AND SO I'M VERY HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT POROUS NATURE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, USING MICRO MOBILITY TO TRAVEL THROUGH THIS AREA.
THERE, THERE MIGHT BE SOME, AND I DON'T MIND GETTING OFF MY BIKE AND WALKING THROUGH IF THERE'S A CROWD.
IT'S JUST, I, I THINK, I THINK THERE'S AN, YOU KNOW, AN ADVANTAGE OF KIND OF KEEPING IT FLEXIBLE IS THAT IT MIGHT NOT BE DIRECTLY ON THE EDGE.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO OCCASIONALLY, FOR WHATEVER REASON, JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, TO CREATE INTEREST OR TO, TO KIND OF CREATE A DIFFERENT, UH, YOU KNOW, OR A VARIED EXPERIENCE ALONG THAT EDGE, YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY WANT TO BRING THE BIKE LANE IN, RIGHT? OR THE TRAIL IN A LITTLE BIT.
AND SO I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING IS, IS LIKE PEOPLE ON BIKES TEND TO HAVE A DIFFERENT SPEED AND A DIFFERENT CADENCE MM-HMM.
SO I, I THINK THERE'S, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO BE AS INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE AND, AND THINK HOLISTICALLY ABOUT THE TRUE NATURE OF THESE ISSUES THAT I MIGHT NOT FACE.
BUT JUST BECAUSE I DON'T FACE THOSE ISSUES DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE'S SOMEBODY OUT THERE WHO'S BEING FORGOTTEN ABOUT, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T FORGET ABOUT, ABOUT ANYBODY, RIGHT? AND IT'S NOT JUST YOU GUYS, BUT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, I'M TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S EASY FOR PEOPLE TO JOG, RUN, WALK, BIKE, SCOOT, ET CETERA.
AND I DO APPRECIATE YOU THINKING ABOUT IN THOSE LINE ALONG THOSE LINES, INSTEAD OF JUST WHERE ARE PEOPLE GOING TO PARK.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
YEAH, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE.
I, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS AT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DEALING WITH A LOT OF THESE ISSUES TOO.
I HAVE 14 QUESTIONS WRITTEN DOWN, BUT I PROMISE YOU I WON'T ASK YOU ALL 14
WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL GET TO THESE.
SO, UM, I, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE HEIGHT.
UM, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN MENTIONED, UM, THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
UM, IS THIS WITHIN THE HEIGHT, UM, KIND OF, UM, WHAT DO I WANNA SAY, GUIDELINES, UM, FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT? IT SEEMS LIKE THERE WAS A TOWER IN THERE THAT SEEMS PARTICULARLY TALL.
SO, UM, SO THE ANSWER IS YES, IT IS WITHIN THE
[01:20:01]
GUIDELINES.UM, I ACTUALLY DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT HAS A HEIGHT RESTRICTION CURRENTLY.
UM, IT WAS, AND, AND I, WHAT'S INTERESTING IS WHEN WE, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HEIGHT, I THINK YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT KIND OF, YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT HOLISTICALLY, RIGHT? AND SO THERE WAS A COMMON EARLIER ABOUT, UM, THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDOR.
I THINK EVERYBODY'S FAMILIAR WITH CAPITAL VIEW QUARTER.
BASICALLY THE LASER BEAMS THAT TELL YOU WHERE YOU CAN'T BUILD, WELL, THE LASER BEAM ESSENTIALLY GOES DIRECTLY UP SOUTH CONGRESS.
SO, UM, THAT CAPITAL VIEW QUARTER DOES NOT AFFECT, UM, THIS SITE AT ALL.
SO WHEN I WAS ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED A LOT AND WE, WE MET WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS A LOT.
AND, AND I KNOW THAT THEY'RE GONNA GIVE YOU SOME PUSHBACK ON, ON THAT HEIGHT BEING SO CLOSE TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS, BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE COMING UP AT A SLANT, UM, THAT THE BUILDINGS LOWER AND STAGGER HIGHER, MORE TOWARDS THE INTERIOR OF IT.
SO ANYWAY, YOU KNOW, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME UP OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SO, SO THAT'S, THAT'S ACTUALLY HOW WE DID PLAN THE SITE.
THE LOWEST IS ON THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE SITE, UH, BY THE CREEK, AND IT BUILDS UP TO MORE OF THE FRONT OF THE SITE.
AND I THINK WHEN YOU START THINKING ABOUT, UM, MASSING AND BUILDINGS, SOME OF THE MOST IMPOSING AND MASSIVE BUILDINGS ACTUALLY AREN'T PARTICULARLY TALL, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT FAR, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT FAR IN THE CONTEXT OF A BUILDING THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS AND IS THIS TALL, AND SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE TALLER AND A LITTLE SKINNIER.
AND I THINK ADDING HEIGHT TO CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE SITE ALLOWS THE BASES TO BE SLENDER, WHICH ALLOWS MORE ACTIVITY FOR PEDESTRIANS AT THE BASE.
SO, AS WE THINK ABOUT MASSING AND HOW DEVELOPMENTS WORK, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO, TO REALLY KIND OF PUSH AND PULL BETWEEN HEIGHT AND WIDTH.
BECAUSE IN A LOT OF CASES, IF YOU BUILD A BUILDING THAT'S THE OLD SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT HEIGHT THAT IT WAS 200 FEET, IF YOU BUILD A BUILDING THAT'S, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE CATHERINE, RIGHT? A BUILDING THAT'S 200 FEET HIGH AND 300 FEET LONG, RIGHT? THAT HAS A MUCH HARSHER EFFECT ON THE PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT BELOW THAN TWO BUILDINGS THAT MIGHT BE 400 FEET, BUT MIGHT ONLY HAVE A BASE THAT'S 50 BY 50.
SO I THINK THAT THERE'S A PUSH AND PULL THERE.
I JUST WANT YOU TO BE READY FOR THAT.
'CAUSE THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S, I, I ALSO WANTED TO ADD THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO GET LIGHT AND AIR, AMPLE LIGHT AND AIR, UM, BUT ALSO SUFFICIENT SHADE, UH, INTO THE SITE, UM, WHERE NECESSARY, IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO KIND OF KEEP, UH, THE BUILDINGS TOWARDS THE CREEK, WHICH IS THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE SITE, PRETTY LOW IN RESPECTING, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE TEXAS SCHOOL OF THE DEAF.
UM, BUT IN DOING SO, YOU, YOU ALLOW THE, THE SUNLIGHT TO KIND OF ENTER THE MAIN FORAY, BUT YOU ALSO CREATE AREAS OF SHADE IN, IN THE SHADOWS OF, YOU KNOW, THOSE LOW LOWER RISE BUILDINGS.
AND I THINK THAT IN DOING SO, YOU ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT TO ACTUALLY LAYER ITSELF IN TERMS OF YOUR VISUAL ENGAGEMENT.
SO THE, THE FIRST 50 FEET THAT YOU EXPERIENCE IS ACTUALLY LOW RISE, AND IT'S IN, ITS QUITE MEANDERING IN ITS NATURE, UH, BASED ON THE PRESENTATION.
AND SO THE TOWERS ARE ACTUALLY MUCH FARTHER IN THE BACKDROP VISUALLY WHEN A PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCES IT.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE A VERTICAL SHEAR WALL IS HITTING YOU AT GRADE FROM 400 FEET AND MAKING YOU FEEL INCREDIBLY ALIEN, WHICH IS, UH, THE CASE IN, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE HOUSTON'S DOWNTOWN.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, REALLY CONSIDERED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE THE, THE PEDESTRIANS FEEL LIKE, UH, THEY WERE ACTUALLY BEING, YOU KNOW, UM, OFFENDED RIGHT BY THE MASS AND THE HEIGHT OF THESE BUILDINGS.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER ON THAT.
SO, UM, I, YOU KNOW, YOU EXPLAINED HOW THE WATER'S, YOU'RE GOING TO EXPAND BASICALLY THE, UM, THE CREEK, UM, HOW IT COMES INTO THE CREEK.
BUT I'M CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE PARKING BELOW GRADE, WHERE DOES ALL THE OTHER WATER GO? I MEAN, IS IT GONNA GO OFF INTO THE STREET LEVEL? DOES IT GO STRAIGHT TO THE RIVER, UM, ON THAT SIDE? DOES IT COME STRAIGHT INTO THE CREEK? TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
SO, I MEAN, WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO A POINT WHERE WE'VE ENGINEERED ALL OF THE SYSTEMS. UM, I
[01:25:01]
THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, CREATING A LARGER CREEK BED SECTION VOLUMETRICALLY, WHICH DOES NOT EXIST TODAY, UM, THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE REMOVAL OF THE CONCRETE EMBANKMENT, ADDING MORE, YOU KNOW, UH, PERVIOUS MATERIAL THERE AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, UH, ADDING A LOT MORE VEGETATION WILL CREATE A NATURAL TIME LAG, UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE WATER INFILTRATING, UH, BOTH THE CREEK BED, YOU KNOW, TURNING INTO GROUNDWATER AND OR TRANSITIONING LATERALLY THROUGH THE CREEK, UH, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS THE WATERFRONT.I THINK THAT, UM, YOU MAKE A GOOD POINT ABOUT, YES, THE SITE WILL HAVE OBVIOUSLY, IMPERVIOUS COVER THERE WITH, UH, WITHIN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
AND, UM, HOW DO WE CREATE THAT TIMELINE? WELL, ACTUALLY BY, UM, AND THIS GOES BACK TO THE HEIGHT QUESTION, BY INCREASING, UH, MINIMIZING THE MASS OF THE BUILDINGS AND INCREASING THE ROOFTOP, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SURFACE AREA, YOU CAN ACTUALLY CREATE, UM, A NATURAL TIME OR A, SORRY, A SYNTHETIC TIME LAG, UH, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, DISPLACE THE WATER BACK TO STORM OR BACK TO SEWER, UH, IN A MUCH MORE KIND OF LIKE MITIGATED FASHION.
SO AS OPPOSED TO HAVING ALL OF THE WATER HIT THE SITE RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS KINDA WHAT'S GOING ON, UM, AND THEN SIT ATOP OF, UH, THE PARKING LOT, UH, YOU KNOW, ALMOST LIKE IN A SHEET, RIGHT? AND THEN TURNING INTO LIKE A FLASH FLOOD, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN ON THE CORNER OF, UH, CONGRESS AND ON WEST RIVERSIDE IN PARTICULAR.
UM, WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY DOING IS YOU'RE KIND OF LIKE SLOWING DOWN THAT EFFECT.
YOU'RE CREATING THESE INTERMEDIATE CANOPIES, UM, THAT IN CONJUNCTION WITH, UH, ENGINEERED SYSTEMS WILL ALLOW YOU TO DO SO.
NOW, WE HAVEN'T EVALUATED THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ENG WHAT THOSE ENGINEERED SYSTEMS WILL BE.
UM, BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY, UH, ALLOCATING, UH, SPACE AND VOLUME, UH, IN ORDER TO, TO COORDINATE THAT, UH, THAT DESIGN.
UM, SO THE PARKING GARAGE, LET'S, UM, GO TO THAT ONE NEXT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE, THIS HAS COME WORSE BEFORE WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER, UM, DEVELOPMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WANNA PUT IT UNDERGROUND AND THEY'RE SO CLOSE, OR THEY'RE IN THE FLOOD PLAIN, OR A PORTION OF IT'S IN THE FLOOD PLAIN.
UM, THAT'S VERY CONCERNING, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN, UM, YOU THINK ABOUT PUTTING SOME EV CHARGING STATIONS DOWN THERE.
UH, I DON'T MEAN TO LAUGH WHEN I SAY THAT, BUT, UM, I, I DO.
UM, AND SO KIND OF HELP ME UNDERSTAND, LIKE, HOW DEEP DOWN WILL THAT GO, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE YOU KIND OF THINKING WITH THAT? BECAUSE IT, IT SEEMS, IT SEEMS, UM, SOMEWHAT PROBLEMATIC JUST IN THE FACT THAT I'VE LIVED HERE, YOU KNOW, SINCE 1973, I'VE WATCHED THAT INTERSECTION FLOOD TIME AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
UM, I JUST HAVE CONCERN FOR YOUR FUTURE, UH, RESIDENTS THAT LIVE THERE.
YEAH, SO I, I MEAN, I, I, I THINK THE, I THINK THE, THE, I THINK THERE'S A, A, A FEW DIFFERENT ANSWERS TO THAT QUESTION.
UM, NUMBER ONE, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, THE FLOODPLAIN AS IT EXISTS TODAY, A LOT OF THE REASON THAT IT EXISTS THE WAY IT DOES TODAY IS BECAUSE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT THAT IS THERE TODAY.
SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU HAVE TODAY IS YOU HAVE A GIANT PARKING LOT THAT IS HORRIFICALLY DRAINED AND A CREEK EMBANKMENT THAT IS PROBABLY A LITTLE LOWER THAN IT SHOULD BE.
AND THE COMBINATION OF THOSE FACTORS, WHEN YOU JUST HAVE RAIN POURING DOWN ON A PARKING LOT THAT REALLY HAS NO DRAINAGE, AND THERE'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY ALL IMPERVIOUS.
WHAT YOU GET IS YOU GET THE CORNER OF CONGRESS AND RIVERSIDE, RIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO THE PARKING GARAGE, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT NO ONE WANTS TO BUILD LESS PARKING THAN THE TWO OF US STANDING BEHIND THIS MICROPHONE.
SO WE ARE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY DO TO REMOVE AS MUCH PARKING FROM THIS DEVELOPMENT AND STILL MAKE IT A GREAT PLACE TO BE, AND A PLACE THAT'S ACCESSIBLE, BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO GETTING RID OF AS MUCH PARKING AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT FROM A PARKING GARAGE PERSPECTIVE IS WHETHER WE DO IT IN ONE, TWO, OR THREE SECTIONS, THE VAST MAJORITY, IF NOT ALL OF THE PARKING WILL BE UNDERGROUND.
UM, IT WILL LIKELY BE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR STORIES UNDERGROUND.
UM, THERE'S, WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGES, ESPECIALLY NEAR CREEKS, NEAR THE HUDSON RIVER
[01:30:01]
IN NEW YORK, NEAR THE RIVER IN BOSTON, NEAR WHEREVER YOU'RE BUILDING THE RIVER IN AUSTINUM, AND THAT IS A CONSTRUCTION METHODOLOGY THAT, THAT TRIES TO KEEP AS MUCH WATER OUT OF A FOUNDATION AS POSSIBLE.
A LOT OF THAT WATER, YOU WILL COLLECT SOME GROUNDWATER.
UM, THESE SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO ACTUALLY DRAIN AS WELL.
SO IF YOU DO GET GROUNDWATER IN, THERE'S TYPICALLY DRAINAGE AROUND THE PERIMETER AND THAT, THAT, UM, THAT WATER CAN BE COLLECTED AND RAISED ON SITE, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, SENT BACK.
UM, OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEND IT BACK DIRECTLY INTO THE CREEK OR INTO THE LAKE.
YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT GONNA DO THAT.
BUT, UM, I THINK A COMBINATION OF, YOU KNOW, CHANGING THE WAY THAT THE FLOODPLAIN WORKS TODAY, UM, THROUGH THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THIS SITE, I THINK WE'LL ADDRESS A LOT OF THE CONCERNS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
AND I THINK WE'LL HAVE, UM, BETWEEN TBG AND A BUNCH OF OUR OTHER CONSULTANTS, UM, WE WILL HAVE THE TECHNICAL DATA TO KIND OF BACK UP THAT ASSERTION.
YES, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE EEB CHARGING IN A SWIMMING POOL.
UM, YEAH, AND, AND I ALSO DON'T WANNA SEE THAT WATER GO DIRECTLY INTO THE CREEK, SO THE, OR THE, UM, OF COURSE, RIVER.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS CONCERNING.
UM, SO YOU, I, I MEAN, I'M SURE IT'S IN HERE AND I'VE, I'VE PROBABLY READ IT, BUT LIKE ROUGHLY YOU SAY, OKAY, SO 800 RESIDENTIAL UNITS AND THEN 225 HOTEL UNITS.
IS THAT CORRECT? UH, THAT'S APPROXIMATELY CORRECT.
UM, I MEAN, THAT'S A LOT OF RESIDENTIAL AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A THOUSAND PEOPLE COMING RIGHT THERE, AND THEN YOU ADD IN, YOU KNOW, OFFICES AND RESTAURANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT, THAT'S QUITE A BIT OF TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IN THERE.
UM, ONE OF THE OTHER TRANSPORTATION NEEDS THAT I WAS, UM, THINKING ABOUT, AND, UH, COMMISSIONER SHIRA SEEMED TO ASK THE QUESTION WAS, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES, AND I AGREE WITH YOU, UM, THAT FAMILIES DON'T TYPICALLY LIKE TO, UM, LIVE IN HIGH RISE BUILDINGS, BUT WE ARE PUSHING MORE AND MORE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, UM, IN, UM, IN AUSTIN AND, UM, SURROUNDING AREAS.
UM, BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THINGS ARE REALLY NECESSARILY DESIGNED FOR THAT.
FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THE SCHOOL BUS COME IN THERE? HOW DOES, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THAT TRANSPORTATION NEED? UM, FOR EXAMPLE, MET, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT GONNA WALK OUT TO, UH, CONGRESS OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, TO CATCH THE SCHOOL BUS.
THEY'LL CATCH A, YOU KNOW, CITY BUS, UH, MAYBE, BUT JUST KIND OF THINKING ABOUT HOW DO, HOW DO FAMILIES, UM, FIT INTO THIS? AND THEN THINKING ABOUT HOW DO FAMILIES ALSO, UM, HOW ARE THEY ACCOMMODATED FOR WHEN THEY ARE COMING AND VISITING THE RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES.
UM, I SEE A LOT OF TIMES, UM, PLAY AREAS PUTTING IN, YOU KNOW, HOT METAL, UM, STRUCTURES AND HOT PLASTIC STRUCTURES.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE ALONG THE NATURAL PLAY AREA, UM, ELEMENTS.
UM, FOR THAT, THERE IS, UM, A PARK IN, UM, IN HOUSTON, IT'S FOUR ACRES.
IT'S SURROUNDED BY, UM, HIGH-RISE, UH, LIVING, UM, ALL AROUND IT.
UH, HIGHLY RE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU LOOKING AT THAT AS SOME OF THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE THERE.
UM, AND THEN ALSO CONFLUENCE PARK IN SAN ANTONIO.
UH, AGAIN, JUST SOME OF THOSE ELEMENTS AND HOW THEY, HOW THEY PULL ALL THOSE, UM, TOGETHER TO REALLY CREATE HABITATS FOR, FOR FAMILIES THAT ARE VISITING.
ON THAT I WILL ANSWER, UM, YOUR INVASIVE PLANT QUESTION, WHICH IS, IT IS AUM FOREST
ONE COMMENT THAT I WOULD MAKE, AND, AND CHRIS JACKSON HAD ACTUALLY SENT ME THIS REALLY COOL PODCAST.
I'M HAPPY TO SEND IT TO ANYBODY ELSE WHO WANTS TO SEE IT.
BUT, UM, IT WAS BASICALLY ANALYZING WHY, UH, THE VAST MAJORITY OF JAPANESE SCHOOL CHILDREN CAN WALK TO SCHOOL.
AND THE FUNNY ANSWER TO IT IS THEY BUILD SCHOOLS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE.
AND SO YOU DON'T NEED THE BUSES.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, I WOULD HOPE WOULD BE A GOAL FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT IS AS WE START THINKING ABOUT THIS DISTRICT MORE BROADLY, IF WE DO WANT FAMILIES, AND I HAVE FOUR LITTLE BOYS, SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH, UH, PLAYGROUNDS AS WELL.
AND SOMETIMES YOU GO TO THESE PLACES AND YOU'RE LIKE, WHO DESIGNED THIS? THEY DEFINITELY DON'T HAVE CHILDREN.
UM, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IS IF WE REALLY DO WANT FAMILIES, FAMILIES WANT THINGS THAT ARE EASY FOR THEM TO LIVE THEIR LIFE, RIGHT? AND TODAY, YOU KNOW, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT EASY FOR A FAMILY
[01:35:01]
TO LIVE ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, NUMBER ONE BECAUSE THERE'S NOT REALLY MANY APARTMENTS.AND NUMBER TWO, THERE CERTAINLY IS NOTHING THAT A FAMILY NEEDS.
THERE'S NO GROCERY STORES, THERE'S NO PLAYGROUNDS, THERE'S, THERE'S NO SCHOOL.
SO, UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD KIND OF URGE ALL OF US AS A COMMUNITY TO THINK ABOUT, IS IF WE REALLY WANT TO DO, CREATE THAT KIND OF A COMMUNITY, WE REALLY GOTTA THINK AHEAD AND, AND, AND INTEGRATE IT INTO THE PLANS OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
AND I KNOW THAT I'VE SAID THIS MANY TIMES, YOU KNOW, I LOVE THE DOMAIN.
UM, IT, IT KIND OF FORGOT TO PLAN FOR FAMILIES AND THERE'S NO SCHOOL.
THE SCHOOLS THAT WERE THERE, THEY CLOSED THEM.
SO, YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE, UM, HARD TO PLAN FOR FAMILIES WHEN, UH, WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE SCHOOLS.
I THINK I ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION, SO I DON'T KNOW, 14.
UM, AND THAT IS MORE OF A GENERAL QUESTION, BUT WHAT, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE OF, OF WHEN YOU GUYS ARE, I KNOW WE'VE GOT SOME, SOME PUD SUBMITTALS TO COME, BUT LIKE, WHEN, WHEN WILL WE BE, UH, PLAYING ON THIS NATURALIZED PLAYGROUND IN THE COURTYARD WHILE SULLIVAN'S SCOOTING BY ON HIS, UH, MICRO MOBILITY
I MEAN, IS THIS, IS THIS FIVE YEARS? IS THIS 10 YEARS? SO, SO I, I THINK IDEALLY, UM, THE IDEA, MY GUESS IS SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD TAKE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR YEARS TO BUILD OUT IN TOTALITY.
UM, SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT KIND OF APPROVAL TIMEFRAMES AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT, I MEAN, WOULD WE LOVE TO START A PROJECT LIKE THIS IN 2026? ABSOLUTELY.
CAN WE GET THERE? I DON'T KNOW.
I GUESS WE GOTTA ASK EVERYONE
I MEAN, I, I, WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS GIVE THE CONTEXT OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT AND KIND OF THESE DIFFERENT NODES THAT ARE GETTING BUILT UP.
YOU GUYS MIGHT BE EARLY IN THAT PROCESS.
I THINK WE WILL BE EARLY IN THE PROCESS.
OUR FIRST PROJECT, WHICH IS, UH, ONE LADY BIRD LAKE.
UM, WE'RE HOPING TO START THAT, UH, IN THE SUMMER OF THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THEN WE'D LIKE TO FOLLOW THAT UP WITH, WITH 500 SOUTH CONGRESS, BECAUSE WE REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS, THIS CAN BE THE HEART OF THE DISTRICT.
AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT KIND OF CENTRAL PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY KIND OF KNOWS AND GATHERS, WE THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR KIND OF A LONG TERM, YOU KNOW, BUILD OUT OF, OF THE DISTRICT.
AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF TO THE, TO MY QUESTION WAS IF THIS IS GONNA BE KIND OF, UH, AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THE SOUTH, UH, THE WATERFRONT'S BEING BUILT UP, MAYBE ONE LADY BIRD LAKE IS A, IS A BETTER EXAMPLE THAT I THINK EARLY THE, THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF IT.
I THINK WHEN YOU COME BACK, IF YOU HAVE EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN THAT, IN THAT PROJECT THAT YOU WOULD BE INCORPORATING INTO THIS, AND IT WOULD HELP US VISUALIZE SOME OF THOSE ELEMENTS A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
I MEAN, CERTAINLY FROM A RESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ARE BUILT TO KIND OF THE HIGHEST AND BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AS A COMPANY FOR, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN AT THE COMPANY FOR, UH, 16 YEARS NOW, AND WE'VE BEEN DOING IT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, UM, FOR CERTAINLY AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN AT THE COMPANY AND, AND, AND, AND CERTAINLY LONGER THAN THAT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO, TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS.
WE'RE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU SOME OTHER BUILDINGS THAT WE'VE DONE, UM, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY THAT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE KIND OF A PLAYBOOK OF THINGS THAT WE KNOW WORK, UM, AND THAT WE KNOW ARE EFFECTIVE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE START THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BUILDING IN, IN AUSTIN AND CERTAINLY BUILDING IN THE CLIMATE THAT AUSTIN IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE KIND OF MOVED DOWN THE ROAD, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SAW THERE WAS A GREAT DEVELOPMENT IN THAILAND AND WHAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT IT IS THEY CREATED THESE KIND OF REALLY INTERESTING, UM, SUN SHADED MASSES AND VOIDS WITHIN THE BUILDINGS, UM, THAT WERE REALLY EFFECTIVE PUBLIC GATHERING PLACES.
UM, WHICH IS A TYPOLOGY THAT, THAT YOU JUST DON'T SEE IN THE UNITED STATES.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO KIND OF PUT THE FRONT DOOR IN THE STREET AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU WALK INTO THE AIR CONDITIONING'S BLASTING AND IT'S EITHER YOU'RE INSIDE OR YOU'RE OUTSIDE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE KIND OF BEEN STUDYING SOME OF THESE PLACES WHERE, YOU KNOW, WOW, LIKE PEOPLE EXISTED BEFORE AIR CONDITIONING EXISTED IN SUPER HOT AND HUMID CLIMATES.
AND, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO, TO DO THINGS.
AND WE'VE TRIED TO SEE WHERE PEOPLE HAVE DONE THINGS RIGHT AND, AND, AND TRIED TO INCORPORATE THOSE INTO THE NEW PROJECTS THAT WE DO.
'CAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEBODY OUT THERE WHO'S DOING SOMETHING COOL THAT YOU JUST GOTTA
[01:40:01]
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN.YEAH, I WOULD, UH, YEAH, I WOULD, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP LOOKING FOR SOME OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT, SIR? CHAIRMAN? YEAH.
I'M RICHARD SU, I'M, I'M HELPING MIKE AND DOGWOOD ON THIS.
Y'ALL ARE GONNA SEE A WAVE OF ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA.
AND IT, THIS IS COMES TO YOUR TIMING QUESTION.
YOU'VE GOT RELATED PUD APPLICATION COMING BECAUSE WE'RE NOT CERTAIN WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT PLAN.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THE TRAIN COMING.
IT'S DEPENDENT ON PEOPLE LIKE RELATED AND THE OTHERS IN, IN THE DISTRICT.
THEY ONLY WORK IF THEY ALL KIND OF KEEP GOING AT THE SAME PACE.
AND YOU, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR THEIR PRESENTATION AND WE, WE HAVE A DEFINITE OPINION ON HOW THEY OUGHT TO DESIGN THAT TRAIN AND IT OUGHT NOT BE AT GRADE BECAUSE THIS PROJECT IS GONNA BE CAR DEPENDENT FOR A WHILE AND TRAFFIC HAS TO MOVE THROUGH RIVERSIDE AND CONGRESS THAT THAT TRAIN NEEDS TO BE AN EXTENSION OF THE BRIDGE OVER THE TOP.
IT CAN'T BE A GRADE OR HIS DEAL GETS REDESIGNED TO SOME EXTENT, AS DOES EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL.
AND THEN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PLAN DOESN'T WORK.
SO WHAT Y'ALL ARE GONNA SEE IS A RACE FOR SOUTH CENTRAL PLAN, PUDS AND TRAINS, AND YOU'RE GONNA BE RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF HOW TO, HOW TO KEEP IT ALL GOING AT THE SAME TIME AND MAKE THIS AREA THRIVE LIKE YOU WANT TO.
I, I JUST HAVE TO SAY THAT, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO GET THE REGULATING PLAN DONE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PUD PROCESS.
SO PLEASE WEIGH IN ON THE REGULATING PLAN, 'CAUSE THAT THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR LIVES EASIER AND OURS.
BUT THE POINT IS, IF, IF WE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO PENCIL OUT AND CREATE GOOD PLANNING AND GOOD, UH, YOU KNOW, WATER, GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, AND, UH, PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO HANG OUT, ET CETERA, THEN THAT SHOULD GO INTO A PLAN INSTEAD OF HAVING INDIVIDUAL PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS.
AND WE HAVE BEEN, WE'VE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS INCLUDED US.
WE HAVE A COALITION OF LANDOWNERS THAT HAVE ACTUALLY, FOR ONE, FOR THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN IT FOREVER.
A BUNCH OF DEVELOPERS ALL AGREE AND OUR COOPERATING AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO LISTEN AND THEY'RE LIKE, WE GOT THIS.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALK ABOUT, THEY'LL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AND OTHER THINGS.
THEY GO, NO, IT'S, WE, WE LEARNED IT IN PLANNING SCHOOL.
SO YOU'LL SEE US VERY, VERY ACTIVE AND YOU'LL SEE US VERY ACTIVE IN THE TRAIN CONVERSATION AS WELL, BECAUSE WITHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT, WITHOUT CENTRAL SOUTH CENTRAL PLAN, THE TRAIN DOESN'T WORK.
ALRIGHT, WELL WE DO HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT AND I WILL BRING YOUR OPINION UP 'CAUSE I DO APPRECIATE IT.
I DON'T THINK I'LL BE THERE, BUT, UH,
UM, YEAH, UH, I, I HAD SIMILAR QUESTIONS AND YOU DON'T NEED TO EXPLAIN THEM NOW, BUT INTRIGUED ON THE FLOODPLAIN MODIFICATION OF HOW THE BIG PARKING LOT KIND OF, UH, DRAIN GETS DRAINED.
UM, AND WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU COME BACK, SOME, SOME DETAILED EXPLANATION OF KIND OF THE ENGINEERING OF THAT, BUT ALSO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT SPECIFICALLY ALONG THE CREEK, UM, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, THEN I'D ENCOURAGE YOU, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE AVAILABILITY OF PURPLE PIPE IS IN THIS AREA, BUT TO BE READY FOR PURPLE PIPE AND OR AC CONDENSATE FOR, FOR ONSITE USE.
UM, I THINK YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT, UH, IT WAS ANOTHER USE THAT YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT IN FOR, FOR, FOR, MAYBE IT WAS THE SCOTTSDALE, UH, EXAMPLE YOU WERE GIVING, BUT TO, TO LOOK TO FOR, FOR SOME OF THE, THE GREEN SPACE AND THE, UH, THE WATER USE THAT YOU'RE GONNA NEED, UM, TO TRY NOT TO USE THE, THE TREATED DRINKING WATER FOR THAT IS, IS IT, I I, I THINK I'M IN THE PERFECT ROOM TO ASK THIS QUESTION.
UM, I'VE HEARD CONTRADICTORY THOUGHTS ABOUT WHETHER YOU CAN IRRIGATE WITH PURPLE PIPE WATER IN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.
IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A VIEW ON THAT ONE MORE TIME? THERE IT IS.
LESLIE LILY WATERSHED PROTECTION, UM, UH, RECLAIMED WATER IS NOT ALLOWABLE TO BE USED FOR IRRIGATION IN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, BUT I, THERE'S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ONSITE REUSE, UM, AND DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WATER FORWARD INITIATIVE THAT IS GONNA GO INTO AN, INTO EFFECT IN APRIL WILL INCORPORATE WAYS THAT, UH, ONSITE WATER REUSE WILL, UM,
[01:45:01]
APPLY TO, YOU KNOW, ALL SORTS OF DEVELOPMENTS, UM, BOTH ON A MANDATORY AND VOLUNTARY BASIS IN AUSTIN.SO JUST HIGH LEVEL, BUT DON'T PUT RECLAIMED WATER IN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.
UH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOU COMING STAFF, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATIONS AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU AGAIN SOON.
YEAH, WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S TIME.
ALRIGHT, UM, CRANK IT FORWARD, UH, ONTO THE NEXT ITEM,
[3. Presentation on the status of Austin Light Rail. Presenters: Jen Pyne, Executive Vice President Planning, Community & Federal Programs, Lisa Storer, Sustainable Design Program Manager, and Yannis Banks, Public Involvement Manager (Austin Transit Partnership)]
WHICH IS NUMBER THREE, A PRESENTATION ON THE STATUS OF THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL PROJECT.UM, AND YOU GUYS ARE READY? COME ON UP.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PATIENTLY WAITING AS WELL.
IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, JUST STATE YOUR NAME, UM, THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION.
UH, GOOD EVENING, CHAIR COMMISSIONERS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE TONIGHT.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY ARE A FEW OF US WHO ARE SPEAKING, SO WE CAN, WHERE WHEREVER YOU WANT IS FINE, AS LONG AS, UH, YOU'RE IN FRONT OF A MIC SO THE REMOTE COMMISSIONERS CAN HEAR YOU.
WELL FIRST, WE'LL INTRODUCE OURSELVES.
I'M WITH AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, ALVIN LIVINGSTONE, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, LISA STOR, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, JOCELYN VOGUES PUB PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT WITH A TP.
WE ALSO HAVE, WE ALSO HAVE LEANNE CONTI HERE, UH, AS PART OF THE PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT PERTAIN TO THE CITY.
CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? UM, SO I'LL START, UM, BY JUST GIVING AN UPDATE ON THE DIFFERENT WORK STREAMS THAT, THAT ARE ONGOING, UH, AT A TP.
UM, AND I'LL START BY MENTIONING LAST JUNE, UH, IN 2023, YOU MAY RECALL THE CITY COUNCIL, THE A TP BOARD AND THE CAT METRO BOARD, UH, APPROVED THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN THAT DEFINED A A FIRST PHASE OF LIGHT RAIL.
UM, AND SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE BEEN ADVANCING THE WORK.
UM, ENGINEERING AND DESIGN HAS BEEN ONGOING, UM, WITH A GOAL OF BRINGING ALL THE DESIGN TO A PLACE THAT WILL ENABLE US TO DO THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW THAT WE NEED TO CONDUCT, UH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT.
UH, SINCE WE'RE PURSUING FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING, UH, FOR THIS PROJECT, UH, NEPA IS ONE OF MANY FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS THAT WE WILL MEET.
UM, SO NEPA IS PROBABLY OUR, OUR BIGGEST TASK OVER THE NEXT 18 MONTHS OR SO.
UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE SCOPING PERIOD, UM, NEAR TO THE BEGINNING.
UM, WE'RE INITIATING ALL THE STUDIES, UM, THAT WILL SUPPORT THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS.
UH, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SERIES OF PUBLIC MEETINGS RIGHT NOW, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE MORE IN A SECOND.
UM, AND, UH, OUR GOAL IN, UH, WITH THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS RIGHT NOW IS TO FIRST OF ALL LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THIS PROCESS IS AND HOW THEY CAN ENGAGE IN IT.
UH, AND ALSO COMMUNICATE, UH, THE PROPOSED PROJECT THAT WE'RE EVALUATING.
AND IT WOULD BE TIMELY TO RECEIVE INPUT ON, UH, THE ISSUES, QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, TOPICS OF IMPORTANCE, UH, BECAUSE WE CAN INCORPORATE THOSE INTO THE ANALYSES THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
SO IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, WE ARE DOING A SERIES OF SIX MEETINGS.
UM, WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH ACTUALLY.
OUR VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE IS TOMORROW.
UH, AND THEN WE'RE AT TWIN OAKS LIBRARY NEXT WEEK.
UH, ALL THIS INFORMATION IS ON THE A TP WEBSITE AS WELL.
UH, SO FAR THE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN VERY WELL ATTENDED AND WE'VE RECEIVED QUITE A BIT OF WRITTEN FEEDBACK, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
UM, CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? SO I'LL TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT ITSELF.
UM, SO THIS MAP MAY LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM LAST JUNE, BUT THE PROJECT IS THE SAME.
IT'S ABOUT 10 MILES OF LIGHT RAIL.
IT WOULD BE STREET RUNNING, GENERALLY RUNNING IN THE CENTER OF THE STREET.
UM, AND IT WOULD BE, UH, I ALWAYS POINT OUT IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE RED LINE THAT OPERATES RIGHT NOW.
UH, THIS LIGHT RAIL WOULD BE RUNNING ON, UH, RAIL EMBEDDED IN THE STREET.
UM, UH, SO IT WOULD BE WITHIN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY.
UH, WE DID IDENTIFY PRIORITY EXTENSIONS AS PART OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN LAST JUNE.
UH, THERE'S ONE THAT WOULD RUN NORTH, UH, UP TO CRESTVIEW AND THEN ON THE EAST SIDE OUT TO THE AIRPORT.
SO WE ARE NOT EVALUATING THOSE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS AS PART OF NEPA RIGHT NOW.
WE ARE LOOKING AT THE FUNDED PART OF THE PROJECT.
UM, AND IF ADDITIONAL FUNDING DOES BECOME AVAILABLE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO ACCELERATE THOSE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS, WE WOULD DO SO.
AND, UH, JUST DEPENDING ON WHERE WE ARE, WE WOULD PIVOT TO INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT.
UH, SO AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING SINCE LAST JUNE, UM, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S HAPPENED IS WE'VE IDENTIFIED A SET OF DESIGN OPTIONS, UH, WITHIN THIS PROPOSED PROJECT.
AND IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THESE DESIGN OPTIONS CAME OUT OF PUBLIC INPUT THAT WE RECEIVED LAST SPRING, UM, AS WELL AS THE TECHNICAL WORK THAT'S BEEN OCCURRING SINCE.
UH, SO WE'RE GOING TO STEP THROUGH THE PROPOSED PROJECT,
[01:50:01]
UM, INCLUDING TO REFERENCE, UH, THESE DESIGN OPTIONS.UH, AND TO DO THAT I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO ALVIN.
SO I'M ACTUALLY GONNA COVER, COVER A FEW OF THEM.
UM, SO IF WE WANT TO GO ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, BUT BEFORE WE EVEN DO THAT, SO ON THIS ONE YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE GREEN CIRCLE, UM, NOT EVEN CIRCLE, BUT A OVAL ON THE LOWER RIGHT SIDE OF THE MAP.
THAT'S A LOCATION FOR THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY, JUST FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE WONDERING WHAT THAT IS.
UM, THAT'S WHERE THE TRAINS GO TO GET MAINTAINED EVERY NIGHT ONCE WE'RE, ONCE WE'RE ALL SET AND DONE.
UM, SO LET'S GO ON THE NEXT SLIDE AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
THIS IS WHAT WE CALL OUR NORTH SEGMENT OR NORTH NORTH SECTION THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
THERE, THERE ARE THREE STATIONS IN THIS LOCATION.
IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER, YOU'RE GONNA SEE A P, UM, THAT'S FOR A PARK AND RIDE.
UM, WE, WE HAVE THREE OF THOSE BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE ENDLINE STATIONS.
SO IN SOME OF THE OTHER SEGMENTS YOU'LL ALSO SEE P AND THOSE ARE SITES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO EVALUATE SO WE CAN PLACE A PARK AND RIDE NEAR THOSE LOCATION.
UM, AS YOU GET FURTHER SOUTH, UM, TO FROM 38TH STREET, THERE'S, UM, THE STATION AT 27TH.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S A, THERE'S A UT STATION DOWN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
NOW, ONE THING I WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE KIND OF UNDERSTAND IS THAT THERE'S A STRETCH, UM, BETWEEN 22ND AND 29TH, WHERE TRAFFIC, UM, WELL VEHICULAR TRAFFIC IS GONNA BE, UM, REROUTED OFF OF, UM, OFF OF GUAD, MEANING THAT THERE'S ONLY GONNA BE BUS BIKES, UM, PETS AND, UH, AND LIGHT RAIL IN THAT STRETCH.
LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE IN THE DOWNTOWN SECTION.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE THREE STATIONS THERE.
UM, OUT OF SOME OF THE MEETINGS THAT WE HAD EARLIER, UM, THE, THERE WAS A CONCERN ABOUT THE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN STATIONS.
UH, WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A STATION BETWEEN THE ONE YOU SEE AT COLORADO, UM, JUST, THEY CALL IT THE CONGRESS STATION, BUT IT'S REALLY LIKE IN FRONT OF OUR OFFICE, UM, ON THIRD BETWEEN COLORADO AND CONGRESS.
SO WE LOOKED AT A LOCATION WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY PUT A STATION AND THEN IT WOULD WORK.
THE, THAT LOCATION WAS ACTUALLY NEAR WOOLRIDGE SQUARE.
UM, AND FOR THOSE YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH, WITH, UM, WITH GUAD AS YOU GET ON FOURTH.
SO IF YOU COME THIRD, YOU GO TO FOURTH, IT KIND OF CLIMBS A STEEP HILL.
AND OUR STATIONS NEED TO BE RELATIVELY AT GRADE.
WE WANT TO KEEP IT AT ONE TO ONE POINT A HALF PERCENT GRADE IF WE CAN.
UM, SO THAT'S THE LOCATION WE FOUND ROUGHLY BETWEEN NINTH AND 11TH, WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY PLACE A STATION AND MAKE IT FIT.
AGAIN, WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY SUGGESTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS ON OPTIONS.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO IDENTIFY LOCATIONS WHERE, WHERE, UM, WHERE STATIONS COULD BE IN THIS PARTICULAR, UM, SEGMENT.
THE OTHER THING TOO, I WANT TO, AS YOU GO FURTHER DOWN, UM, ON THE LOWER RIGHT SIDE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE, UH, TWO STATIONS.
THERE'S ACTUALLY THE, UM, CESAR CHAVEZ STATION, WHICH IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER JUST NORTH OF, JUST NORTH OF CESAR CHAVEZ.
UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE COORDINATING RIGHT NOW WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER TO, TO MAKE THAT DESIGN WORK FOR THEM.
UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO AN OPTION THERE WHERE THERE'S A POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY WITH, YOU KNOW, UM, WITH THE DEVELOPER THERE WHERE THE STATION CAN GO DIAGONAL.
UM, SO AS YOU COME UP TRINITY, UM, YOU CAN, THERE'S A, YOU'LL GO DIAGONAL TO THE, UM, I'M GONNA SAY TO THE WEST AND THEN EVENTUALLY TURN ONTO THIRD STREET.
SO THAT'S LISTED AS AN OPTION AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE CAN KIND OF WORK THROUGH THAT.
BUT RIGHT NOW, UM, THOSE ARE THE TWO THAT WE HAVE.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO, TO LISA TO COVER THE OTHER TWO SEGMENT SEGMENTS.
TAKING OFF FROM WHERE ALVIN LEFT OFF, UM, NORTH OF THE RIVER, I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, ACKNOWLEDGE THE PREVIOUS, UH, PRESENTATION, BUT WE WILL BE BUILDING A NEW BRIDGE FOR LIGHT RAIL AND MULTIMODAL PET AND BIKES ACROSS LADY BIRD LAKE ALIGNED WITH TRINITY STREET.
UM, AND WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF OPTIONS IN THIS SECTION.
ONE OF THEM IS ABOUT THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS STATION AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT FIRST AND THEN I'LL TALK ABOUT THE ELEVATED OPTION, UM, AT TRAVIS HEIGHTS BECAUSE WE ARE DEALING WITH A NUMBER OF CULTURAL AND HISTORIC RESOURCES.
SO EAST RIVERSIDE IN THAT SECTION RUNS RIGHT THROUGH THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICT, AS WELL AS RIGHT ADJACENT TO NORWOOD PARK AND SOME TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY ISSUES.
UM, THAT STRETCH IS ALSO QUITE CURVY AND QUITE HILLY, AND STATIONS REALLY WANNA BE FLAT AND STRAIGHT
SO WE ARE INVESTIGATING AN OPTION BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT THAT STATION AND ARE LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK ON THAT.
UM, THE OTHER OPTION IN THIS AREA HAS TO DO WITH HOW
[01:55:01]
EXACTLY WE LAND THAT BRIDGE ON THE SOUTH SHORE.AND IF YOU CAN, YOU CAN SEE IN THIS SLIDE ALL OF THE PARTS THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THAT RED, OUTSIDE OF THE GOLD, UM, IS REALLY THE AREA THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE ARE LOOKING AT KIND OF TWO OPTIONS.
IF YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT CROSSING IS KIND OF SITTING IN A BOWL, SO THERE'S SORT OF A HILL ON EITHER SIDE OF, OF LADY BIRD LAKE AND IT, IT DOESN'T QUITE COME UP UNTIL QUITE QUITE FURTHER SOUTH.
UM, SO OUR, OUR BASE DESIGN IS REALLY TO LAND THE BRIDGE AND COME BACK TO STREET LEVEL SO THAT THE NEW STATION THERE, WHICH IS CALLED, CALLED WATERFRONT STATION, WOULD BE AT STREET LEVEL, LIKE MOST OF THE OTHER STATIONS WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
AND THE DESIGN OPTION IS TO RATHER EXTEND THE BRIDGE AND MAINTAIN THAT HEIGHT AS THE TWO LINES CAN JOIN AND AT WATERFRONT STATION ITSELF.
SO IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, THIS STATION IS ALREADY, UM, UNIQUE IN THE SYSTEM.
IT'S A MOMENT WHERE BOTH LEGS OR OR BRANCHES COME TOGETHER.
UM, SO IT'S A TRANSFER STATION, IT'S QUITE IMPORTANT.
UH, AND SO IT'S REALLY AN OPTION THAT WE'RE INVESTIGATING AND DOCUMENTING BOTH WITHIN THIS PROCESS.
NEXT, MOVING TO THE EAST SECTION.
SO THIS IS SHOWING THE ALIGNMENT ALONG EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE, PRETTY MUCH EAST OF I 35.
AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF STATIONS IN THIS AREA STRETCHING FROM LAKESHORE ALL THE WAY TO THE TERMINATION OR THE END OF LINE AT THE MOMENT.
AT YELLOW JACKET, WHICH IS JUST WEST OF 71, WE'VE GOT A STATION OPTION AND THEN A MULTIMODAL INTEGRATION OPTION HERE.
THE STATION OPTION IS RELATED TO SOME COMMUNITY FEEDBACK WE HEARD IN TRYING TO INTEGRATE A MORE SEAMLESS BUS CONNECTION WITH THE LIGHT RAIL AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE'S SOME KEY DESTINATIONS INCLUDING A CC RIVERSIDE ALONG GROVE BOULEVARD.
SO THE PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE AND WHAT WE'RE DOCUMENTING IS LOOKING AT, UM, COMBINING THEM ON TOPLESS AND FARROW STATION INTO ONE STATION IN BETWEEN THEM AT GROVE BOULEVARD.
THE OTHER ONE SIMILAR TO THAT, UH, SORT OF COATING OF RED ALONG THE GOLD ALIGNMENT IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE FACILITY INTEGRATION INTO THE SYSTEM THAT WOULD APPLY TO THIS ENTIRE STRETCH.
AND IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
YOU CAN SEE HERE AT THE TOP IS A STREET SECTION THAT BASICALLY, UM, DESCRIBES OUR GENERAL RUNNING SECTION.
UM, IT HAS THE TRAINS IN THE CENTER VEHICLE LANES ON THE OUTSIDE OF THAT, THEN A BIKE LANE PLANTING ZONE AND SIDEWALK CONFORMS TO TTCM.
WE'RE ALSO DOCUMENTING AND LOOKING AT THIS DESIGN OPTION IN THIS LOCATION BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A WIDE ENOUGH RIGHT OF WAY TO INVESTIGATE THIS IDEA, UM, OF REALLY COMBINING THE BICYCLES AND PEDESTRIAN MODES NEARBY THAT TRAIN IN THE CENTER OF THE STREET.
UH, IDEALLY PROVIDING MORE SHADED ROUTES AND DIRECT PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS TO SOME OF THOSE STATIONS AS WE GO.
UH, WE WOULD CONNECT TO THE LAKE AT LAKE SHORE DRIVE TO BASICALLY TO THE BUTLER TRAIL, UM, AND TRY TO ESSENTIALLY MAKE THIS MORE OF A URBAN TRAIL.
THIS IS JUST, UH, SOME PRECEDENT PHOTOS SHOWING THAT PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE INTEGRATION INTO LIGHT RAIL SYSTEMS. WE'VE GOT ONE IN PARIS, IN VIENNA, AND IN SEATTLE.
AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO JEN TO WRAP THIS UP.
SO COULD WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE? UH, SO WE ARE IN THE NEPA PROCESS AND SO, UH, THE NEXT BIG MILESTONE THERE WILL BE THE ISSUANCE OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
UM, SO IN EIS I'M, I'M SURE IT PROBABLY MOST OF THE FOLKS IN THIS COMMISSION ARE FAMILIAR, BUT WE, IT'S FAIRLY COMPREHENSIVE.
WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON THE PHYSICAL, NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, BUT ALSO ON THE HUMAN AND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE'LL BE DOING NOISE STUDIES, WE'RE LOOKING AT HISTORIC PROPERTIES, UM, REALLY COMPREHENSIVELY THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE FROM, UH, CONSTRUCTING AND OPERATING THIS PROJECT IN THIS ENVIRONMENT.
UH, AND TYPICALLY IN EIS IS STRUCTURED WHERE YOU COMPARE, UH, NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE WITH THE PROPOSED PROJECT, UM, TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE AND, AND REALLY TRY TO SUSS OUT WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL CHANGES THAT ARE THE RESULT OF THIS PROJECT AS OPPOSED TO OTHER TRENDS OR, OR OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT ARE ONGOING.
SO THAT'S THE ANALYSIS THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO REVIEW, UH, LATER IN THE YEAR.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE IS OUR LAST ONE, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN
[02:00:01]
IDEA OF TIMELINE AND WHAT'S COMING UP.SO WE ARE, UM, IN OUR PUBLIC MEETING SCOPING PHASE RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND WE'LL BE CONCLUDING WORKING ON THAT THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY.
UM, WE'RE GONNA BE HUNKERED DOWN A LITTLE BIT, UM, WORKING ON THE EIS AND THAT WILL BE ISSUED LATER IN THE YEAR.
UM, THERE WILL BE A ROBUST PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT PERIOD ASSOCIATED WITH THAT DRAFT.
EIS ALL THE COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVE AT THAT TIME WILL BE RESPONDED TO AND, UH, INCORPORATED INTO A FINAL EIS DOCUMENT.
WERE, UM, EXPECTING THE FINAL EIS AND A RECORD OF DECISION, WHICH, UH, ESSENTIALLY CONCLUDES THE NEVA PROCESS TO OCCUR IN 2025.
SO THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION SLIDES WE HAVE, BUT OF COURSE YOU'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I'M GONNA PIVOT A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I BELIEVE WE'VE MISSED A COMMENTER, IS THAT CORRECT? IT WAS FOR THIS ITEM.
I'VE GOT AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO FOR THE GO AHEAD ELIZABETH.
WE DO HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENTER FOR THIS ITEM.
THEN I DID THIS PERFECTLY RIGHT.
UM, ALRIGHT, UH, XENOBI, JOSEPH, DO YOU HAVE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS BEFORE WE GO AROUND AND HAVE QUESTIONS? IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, JUST INTRODUCE YOURSELF AGAIN.
YOU'VE GOT THREE MINUTES MA'AM.
UM, ZIA JOSEPH, MY COMMENTS ARE IN THE CONTEXT OF TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN.
I ACTUALLY WOULD, UH, SUPPORT THE NO BUILD PROPOSITION SPECIFICALLY.
I WOULD JUST SAY TO YOU THAT I KNOW THAT ON APRIL 5TH ON OR ABOUT WHEN YOU HAD THIS PRESENTATION, BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY TOOK A POSITIVE, UH, STANCE.
AND I WOULD JUST ASK THIS COMMISSION TO BE NEUTRAL.
I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE INFORMATION ON THE SLIDE, IT TALKS ABOUT EMPLOYMENT.
THESE ARE THE FOUR ITEMS THAT ARE LISTED IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER, WHICH CLOSES IN 12 DAYS.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU PUT YOUR COMMENTS THERE AND SPECIFICALLY THE NORTH CORRIDOR 20 20, 20 14 STUDY MENTIONED 58% OF THE JOBS WOULD BE IN THE NORTH CORRIDOR IN TWO OF THE MOST POPULOUS COUNTIES, TRAVIS AND WILLIAMSON IN 2014.
AND SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT HYDE PARK WAS DEVELOPED EXCLUSIVELY FOR WHITE PEOPLE BETWEEN 1889 AND 1924 BY COLONEL MONROE SHI.
AND SPECIFICALLY, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THE PROJECT CONNECT LO, THAT THE COMMITTEE ACTUALLY HAD A PRESENTATION ON THE RACIAL ZONING.
AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED.
AND I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE AS WELL THAT ON MARCH 12TH, 2020 COUNCIL ACTUALLY KILLED AFFORDABLE HOUSING 0.3 MILES FROM THE TERMINUS.
IT WOULD'VE BEEN AT THE BAKER SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY, THEY ACTUALLY ALLOCATED $3.76 MILLION FOR A ONE ACRE DETENTION POND.
I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE RACISM CONTINUES TODAY.
IF YOU LOOK, YOU'LL SEE THAT HYDE PARK ON 30TH STREET ACTUALLY HAS SHELTERS IN PLACE.
AND THAT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE STUDENTS IS JUST UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE BOTTOM, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S A BLACK MAN STANDING WITH HIS BICYCLE, AND YOU CAN HARDLY SEE HIM BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE LIGHTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON ROUTE 3 92.
THAT'S THE ROUTE THAT ACTUALLY SERVES AUSTIN FC.
THE SOCCER STADIUM WILL OPEN IN ON THE 24TH OF THIS MONTH, BUT WE DON'T EVEN HAVE SHELTERS.
IF YOU SEE THE CIRCLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THAT'S COPPERFIELD ELEMENTARY.
AND SO ALL WE GET IS BASIC BENCHES WITH NO BACKS.
THIS IS THE NORTH CORRIDOR STUDY FROM 2014.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THAT'S WHERE THE 58% OF THE JOB GROWTH WOULD BE BETWEEN SAMSUNG AND APPLE.
ON JULY 27TH, 2020, COUNCIL AND CAPITAL METRO UNILATERALLY ELIMINATED THE METRO RAPIDS THAT WOULD'VE ACTUALLY SERVED THREE MINORITY POPULATION AREAS, SPECIFICALLY SAMSUNG TO APPLE DECK TO DOWNTOWN, AND ALSO DESSA, IRONICALLY, TO AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, RIGHT WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
THE DEFINITION OF HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT IS ACTUALLY IN THE IMAGINE AUSTIN, UM, DOCUMENTATION FROM 2012.
IT SPECIFICALLY TELLS YOU THAT HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE LOCAL BUS.
AND THEN THE LAST SLIDE, IT IS ACTUALLY THE LANGUAGE FROM THE PROPOSITION A AND I JUST WANTED YOU TO RECOGNIZE SPECIFICALLY THAT, UM, THAT WAS CONFLATING RIDERSHIP AND COVERAGE RIDERSHIP SPECIFICALLY IS THE RAIL AND THE LOCAL BUS IS YOUR ESSENTIAL SERVICES.
AND THAT IS WHAT VOTERS THOUGHT THEY WERE VOTING FOR, BUT IT WAS NOT.
AND SO I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO MAKE MY COMMENTS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GO TO ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
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WAS A QUOTE FROM MAYOR ADLER AT THE TIME THAT SAID, THE PEOPLE VOTED FOR THIS, UH, BASED ON THE REPRESENTATION THAT WAS GIVEN AND THAT IT COULD GO TO COURT.AND THAT IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, UH, PROVIDING THOSE SLIDES TO ELIZABETH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
SO IF YOU CAN SEND, SEND THEM OUT TO THE COMMISSION, CERTAINLY.
AND ETXN HAS IT READY FOR YOU.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, UM, WE'VE GOT A PRESENTATION IN THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, I THINK THE, THE INTENT OF THIS IS TO, TO HEAR SOME COMMENTS FROM US DURING SCOPING, DURING THE NEPA PROCESS.
UM, BUT IF WE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS, THIS IS A, A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO, TO RAISE 'EM, UH, REMOTE COMMISSIONERS, UH, ANYBODY OUT, ANYBODY OUT.
UM, GOT COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
I JUST WANNA THANK THE PRESENTERS FOR, UM, SHARING THIS INFORMATION WITH US.
I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, I AM EAGER TO SEE THIS VISION BECOME A REALITY.
AND THAT BEING SAID, AS YOU KNOW, WE HEARD FROM THIS PUBLIC COMMENTER, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO NAVIGATE, UM, THOUGHTFULLY.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE NEPA PROCESS MIGHT BE GOING THROUGH 2025.
AND I'M CURIOUS WHEN, UH, THE BASE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETE, WHICH I'M SURE IS A QUESTION EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW, WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO GET ON AND RIDE THIS THING? DO WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE? SO IT, TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF WHEN WOULD LIGHT RAIL BE OPERATING AND BE ABLE TO RIDE IT, UM, WE ARE EXPECTING, UH, EARLY 2030S.
UM, THE NEPA PROCESS WILL TAKE, YOU KNOW, INTO 2025.
UH, THEN AFTER THAT TIME, UM, THE FINAL ENGINEERING AND DESIGN NEEDS TO BE CONDUCTED.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE CONSTRUCTION.
ANYBODY ELSE? REMOTE BEDFORD? UH, BRAMMER? YEAH, PERRY, PLEASE.
UM, I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS WHAT THE REASONING FOR COMBINING THE, THE PHARAOH AND THE ULU STATIONS TO INFORM A GROVE STATION.
LIKE WHAT WAS THE THOUGHT PROCESS IN THAT OR THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK? RIGHT.
UH, SO, AND, AND PERHAPS I'LL START BY SAYING THAT WITH ALL OF THOSE SIX DESIGN OPTIONS, UM, WE HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED A RECOMMENDATION OR PREFERENCE.
UM, BUT THE REASON WHY FOR THAT, UM, TO COMBINE THE PHARAOH AND MONTOPOLIS STATIONS, UM, WERE TWO PRIMARY REASONS.
AND ONE, LISA REALLY SPOKE TO ABOUT TO EXPLORE WHETHER THAT WOULD BE A BETTER CONNECTION TO THE LOCAL BUS SYSTEM, UM, AND PARTICULARLY, UH, NOTING A CC RIVERSIDE, UH, TO IMPROVE THAT CONNECTION.
THE OTHER REASON FOR CONSIDERING IT IS, UH, THE, THE CITY IS, UM, PURSUING A FAIRLY LARGE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT RIGHT AT GROVE.
AND SO THAT WOULD BE, UH, MORE DIRECTLY SERVE THAT DEVELOPMENT.
SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE, THESE AND OTHER THINGS ARE WHAT ARE BEING EVALUATED AT THIS TIME.
AND I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION OUTTA CURIOSITY.
IS THERE AN ESTIMATE ABOUT, UH, HOW MANY SCHOOLS THAT THESE PROPOSED STATIONS WOULD BE NEAR? LIKE COULD IT BE A VIABLE, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO PROVIDE THESE MOSTLY? OR IS IT, OR HAS THAT NOT REALLY BEEN LOOKED AT? WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, ALONG THE CORRIDOR AND STUDENTS, WHETHER THEY BE UT OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, OR SOMETHING ELSE ARE, UM, OFTEN A GOOD, UM, YOU KNOW, RIDERSHIP BASE.
UM, SO WE LOOK AT WHERE SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED AND VIEW THAT AS, UH, ONE OF THOSE, UH, ACTIVITIES THAT IS IMPORTANT TO CONNECT TO AS BEST WE CAN.
UM, NO MORE QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.
YOU GOT ANYTHING? OR WE CAN GO AROUND HERE.
YOU GOT ANYTHING? WE'LL JUST GO AROUND THE HORN.
HEY, Y'ALL APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
APPRECIATE ZENOBIA FOR SHOWING UP AND, AND CONTRIBUTING AS WELL.
UM, YEAH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, AS SHE POINTED OUT, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, ORIGINALLY PEOPLE THOUGHT
[02:10:01]
THAT THE ORANGE LINE WOULD GO UP TO THE TECH RIDGE PARK AND RIDE, WHICH CERTAINLY, UH, WOULD SERVE AS A MORE, WE'LL SAY, DIVERSE POPULATION THAN, UH, THAN HYDE PARK.UM, SO HOPEFULLY THAT, UH, THAT STILL GETS COMPLETED.
GOD KNOWS WHEN, UM, YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE, UH, THE DRAWING OF THE, UH, THE BRIDGE ON THE ORANGE LINE, RIGHT? AND THERE WAS ONE THAT WAS GOING GRADE AND THEN COMES UP AND THEN THERE'S ONE THAT KIND OF IS ELEVATED RIGHT? AND GOES ACROSS.
AND SO WOULD THIS BE LIKE A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE? 'CAUSE I THINK IT WAS A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, RIGHT? IF WE'RE THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, JUST SERVING ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE WITH ALL TYPES OF, YOU KNOW, UH, MOBILITY NEEDS, I THINK HAVING IT BE LIKE STRAIGHT WOULD PROBABLY BE BETTER RIGHT? THAN HAVING TO GO UP A GIANT HILL, BUT I'M JUST THE AVERAGE LAY PERSON.
SO THAT IS JUST MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS UPON JUST SEEING AT THE DIAGRAM.
UM, I WAS WONDERING IF Y'ALL COULD CHIME IN ON THAT.
UH, MAYBE I CAN START JUST BY SAYING YES.
SO AS PART OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT, AS YOU POINT OUT, UH, IT WOULD INCLUDE A NEW BRIDGE OVER LADY BIRD LAKE THERE AND THAT WOULD BE FOR TRANSIT BIKES AND PEDESTRIANS.
UM, AND LET ME ASK, ALVIN IS ACTUALLY THE HEAD OF OUR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN, SO I'LL SEE IF YOU WANNA ADD OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT.
YOU YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD IN TERMS OF WHAT IT IS COVERING.
UM, AND WE ARE LOOKING AT TRYING TO CONNECT TO, I GUESS, A PATH FROM THERE, UM, THROUGH DOWN TO, UM, TO SOUTH CONGRESS AS WELL ON THE ELEVATED PORTION OF IT.
SO IT'S ALL A MATTER OF JUST TRYING TO COORDINATE WITH THE, THE TEAM MEMBERS, UM, THAT WE HAVE.
'CAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENT TEAMS THAT ARE INVOLVED.
UM, WE HAVE AN ARCHITECTURAL TEAM THAT'S HELPING WITH US TO DO THE LAYOUT FOR THAT.
AND SO, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE STILL TRYING TO REFINE THAT, BUT, BUT ULTIMATELY THE INTENT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN SERVE ALL MODES, UM, WITH THAT BRIDGE.
UM, I ALSO HAD, UH, YOU KNOW, A COMMENT ON SORT OF THE, THE POSSIBILITY OF, YOU KNOW, THE FARRO GROVE MONTOPOLIS STATIONS AND SORT OF WHAT WE DO WITH THAT.
OBVIOUSLY MONTOPOLIS IS A, A SUPER HISTORIC, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOOD AND UH, AND DISTRICT AG AUSTIN.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE COOL FOR, AND THAT'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, A VERY RARE SORT OF SINGLE FAMILY HOME ZONED PART OF, UH, OF EAST RIVERSIDE.
AND OBVIOUSLY THE DEEPER INTO EAST RIVERSIDE YOU GO, THE MORE, UM, HOW I SAY THIS NON-SOUTH SHORE, IT TENDS TO LOOK RIGHT.
UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, SERVING THAT POPULATION IS DEFINITELY SUPER IMPORTANT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, I THINK I'VE, I'VE STATED PREVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS LIKE THE AIRPORT EXTENSION, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STUFF LIKE DIVERSITY AND, AND GIVING OPPORTUNITY TO PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN FOOD DESERTS, RIGHT? UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN DELL VALLEY AND CARSON CREEK OR WHATEVER, THE ABILITY TO GO INTO A, A TRAIN STATION, YOU KNOW, THAT IS USABLE FOR THE PUBLIC, I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
SO IF THE AIRPORT STATION'S ABLE TO DO THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
IF WE CAN HAVE A STOP YOU JUST WHAT, I GUESS NORTH OF THE AIRPORT ON CARSON CREEK THAT SERVES THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
I KNOW THE, UH, THE HOPE GALLERY'S SUPPOSED TO BE MOVING THERE.
UM, SO THAT I ASSUME WOULD BE LIKE A BIG TOURIST ATTRACTION.
UM, MAYBE THAT CAN BE WORKED INTO.
UM, AND I ALSO HAD A THOUGHT THAT I'D BEEN, YOU KNOW, MULLING OVER, WELL, ACTUALLY TO, TO GET BACK TO THE EAST RIVERSIDE THING.
UM, I THINK ME PERSONALLY, RIGHT? I HAVE A LOT OF MEMORIES BEING ON GROVE BOULEVARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE A CC RIVERSIDE, I USED TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME THERE, UH, SHOOTING HOOPS IN THE BACK OF THAT, UH, A CC CAMPUS 'CAUSE NOBODY EVER USED IT.
UH, AS OPPOSED TO MABEL DAVIS, WHICH WAS ALWAYS SUPER CROWDED.
THEY'LL BE ABLE, THEY'LL POSSIBLY U LOSE MY, UH, LONELY HOOP SHOOTING SPOT.
BUT I THINK IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, MORE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, THAT'S DEFINITELY A GOOD THING.
I HAVE A LOT OF FOND MEMORIES OF THE, UH, LIBRARY ON GROVE BOULEVARD TOO, THAT'S, UH, RIGHT THERE ON RIVERSIDE.
USED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME THERE TELLING MY FOLKS I HAD A JOB AND REALLY I WAS JUST SPENDING TIME AT THE LIBRARY.
SO THAT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, HAVE THAT MORE UTILIZED BY THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
UM, FARROW, I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT'S ON FARROW, BUT I THINK CERTAINLY GROVE IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
MONTOPOLIS I THINK IS SUPER IMPORTANT TOO, BUT AGAIN, THOSE STATIONS ARE KIND OF CLOSE TO EACH OTHER, SO SOME DECISIONS ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE MADE THERE.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT THIS, UH, THIS REALLY CONTROVERSIAL THING CALLED THE ZILKER PARK VISION PLAN.
UM, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT LIKE PARKING GARAGES ON RIVERSIDE, WHICH NOBODY REALLY WANTS TO SEE, BUT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET PEOPLE THERE.
[02:15:01]
WHY IS THERE NOT TALK OF LIKE A POSSIBLE EXTENSION TO ZILKER PARK ON THE ORANGE LINE THAT'S LIKE WESTWARD BOUND? IS THERE JUST LIKE A REASON THAT THAT CAN'T HAPPEN? 'CAUSE IT'S A VERY HIGH PROFILE DESTINATION THAT WOULD HAVE A LOT OF FOOT TRAFFIC AND WOULD JUSTIFY THE COST, ESPECIALLY WHEN THINKING ABOUT ACL TRAIL OF LIGHTS AND OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS.SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHY THAT REALLY HASN'T BEEN TALKED ABOUT AS A POSSIBLE EXTENSION.
IF YOU WANT, I CAN START AND YOU PROBABLY CAN, UM, DO THAT.
WELL, SO, SO WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL IS, IS JUST A 9.8 MILES.
BUT YOU REMEMBER THE INITIAL SYSTEM THAT WAS VOTED FOR ON A PROJECT CONNECT.
SO TO ME, I THINK THE PRIORITY IS ULTIMATELY TO BUILD THAT OUT.
UM, AND COMING FROM A DIFFERENT SYSTEM, UM, I'VE SEEN IT WHERE WE END UP GOING OFF ALIGNMENT, IT HAS TO GO INTO LONG RANGE PLANNING AND THEN YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, DO A LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE, DETERMINE IF THERE'S RIDERSHIP THERE, AND THEN YOU, THEN YOU MAKE THAT, UM, YOU MAKE THE PLAN TO BE ABLE TO PUT LIGHT RAIL THERE IF THAT'S THE BEST MODE TO SERVE THAT AREA.
I'M JUST THINKING AS FAR AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, HIGH PROFILE, HIGH FOOT TRAFFIC DESTINATIONS, RIGHT? YOU'VE GOT THE AIRPORT, YOU'VE GOT UT AND YOU'VE GOT ZILKER PARK, RIGHT? TO ME, THOSE ARE LIKE THE THREE THINGS ALONG THIS ORANGE LINE AND BLUE LINE THAT'S JUST LIKE, OKAY, LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE COMING THROUGH HERE IF WE CAN ELIMINATE CARS OFF THE ROAD, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, KNOW BOOST RIDERSHIP, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE MOST POSITIVE THING, NOT ONLY FOR THE CITY, BUT ALSO FOR THE TRAIN, RIGHT? WE LOOK AT STUFF LIKE THE Q2 STADIUM BEING ON THE RED LINE, RIGHT? WHILE THERE WAS A LOT OF CONTROVERSY ABOUT THAT AREA BEING SELECTED FOR THE SOCCER STADIUM, WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT IT ACTUALLY BOOSTED THE HELL OUT OF THE RED LINE RIDERSHIP BECAUSE I RODE THAT THING A LOT, LIKE JUST FOR SOUTH BY AND LIKE, 'CAUSE MY LITTLE BROTHER'S HOUSE IS OFF EAST, MLK JUST, UH, EAST OF AIRPORT.
SO IT'S LIKE KIND OF WALKING DISTANCE FROM THE TRAIN LINE.
THE THING'S BASICALLY A, A GHOST TOWN HALF THE TIME IF IT'S NOT NINE OR LIKE EIGHT AND IF IT'S NOT FIVE 30, RIGHT? BUT FOR THE AUSTIN FC GAMES, IT'S, IT'S BASICALLY A ZOO, RIGHT? WHICH I MEAN, FROM A PUBLIC TRANSIT PERSPECTIVE IS KIND OF A GOOD THING, RIGHT? 'CAUSE IT MEANS THAT IT'S BEING USED.
SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE ORANGE LINE WILL BE USED, UH, OR THE BLUE LINE OR WHATNOT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THE BEST WAY FOR FAMILIES OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN TO GO TO ZILKER PARK, RIGHT? UM, I DO KIND OF THINK THAT HAVING A TRAIN STOP THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO ZILKER PARK AS OPPOSED TO HAVING FAMILIES HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, MARCH ESSENTIALLY.
ALTHOUGH MARCH IS LIKE A HARSH WAY TO PUT IT, BUT WHEN IT'S LIKE 110 DEGREES OUTSIDE, IT'S GONNA FEEL LIKE A MARCH.
YOU KNOW? UH, SO YEAH, THOSE ARE BASICALLY MY THOUGHTS.
SO MY QUESTIONS KIND OF FOCUS ON THE SOUTH SECTION, THE SECTIONALS WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BRIDGE, THE NEW TRINITY BRIDGE.
HOW IS THAT GONNA INTERACT WITH AND HOW ARE YOU ENGINEERING AROUND BOTH THE ROWING CENTER AND THE, THE WALLER CREEK INTAKE? SO, SO THE ROWING CENTER, UM, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE AUSTIN ROW CLUB? YEAH, WE, THAT, THAT DESIGN HADN'T, HASN'T REALLY CHANGED.
UM, THAT THAT BUILDING, UM, WILL BE THE, THE, THE BRIDGE IS ESSENTIALLY GOING THROUGH THAT.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S THE ANSWER ON THAT ONE.
AS FAR AS THE, AS FAR AS THE, UM, I FORGOT WHAT YOU CALL IT.
WE, WE'VE, OUR DESIGN ACTUALLY GOES AROUND THAT.
UM, AND, AND WE'VE HAD, WE HAVE PROVISIONS TO TIE THE TRAILING TRAIL IN UNDERNEATH AND AROUND AS WELL, UM, TO ACCOMMODATE BIKES AND PETS AND SO ON.
AND, AND EVEN AVOID SOME OF THE CRITICAL TREES OVER THERE TOO AS WELL.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA NOTE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH PARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT NORTH SHORE LANDING IS, UM, TIES INTO ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT USES THAT OCCUR OVER ON THAT, ON A, ON THAT SHORE, AS WELL AS, UM, DOCUMENTING THE BOATHOUSE IMPACTS AND, AND FIGURING OUT THAT PROCESS VIA SIX F.
AND THEN MY, MY OTHER QUESTION FOCUSES ON THE, THE EAST SECTION WHERE HAVE, WHERE YOU PROVIDE THE CROSS SECTIONS, WHICH HAVE EITHER THE PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE VERSUS ON ON THE SIDES.
AND YOU, YOU PROVIDED SOME, SOME PHOTOS OF, OF OTHER CITIES.
AND WHILE I LOVE PARIS AND VIENNA, PEOPLE IN THOSE CITIES KNOW HOW TO INTERACT WITH TRANSIT IN A WAY THAT MANY IN AMERICAN CITIES, UNLESS YOU LIVE IN CHICAGO OR CITIES LIKE THAT, JUST DON'T KNOW.
SO I WAS WONDERING ABOUT SORT OF THE, THE SAFETY TRADE OFFS OF, OF THOSE TWO APPROACHES.
SO IN TERMS OF, UM, I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, LIKE SOME THERE IS AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS, UM, WHEN YOU INTRODUCE SOMETHING NEW, I CAN GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT I DID IN THE PREVIOUS PROJECT.
WE, WE INTRODUCED A ROUNDABOUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A, IN,
[02:20:01]
IN THE MIDDLE OF LIGHT RAIL AND FOLKS DIDN'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO DO THAT.BUT OVER TIME IT TAKES A CAMPAIGN, YOU KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT THE INTERACTION IS LIKE, YOU LET 'EM KNOW THAT IT'S COMING.
AND, UM, AND ONCE YOU DO THAT AND YOU DO PROPER SIGNAGE AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, YOU CAN HELP, UM, GET THEM THERE SO THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO, HOW TO NAVIGATE THAT.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE A SIMILAR APPROACH THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE HERE AS WELL IN AUSTIN.
AND THE INTERSECTION DESIGNS AND TRAFFIC MODELING ARE ALL PARTS OF THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH AT THE MOMENT FOR BOTH OF THOSE OPTIONS, FOR BOTH THE BASE AND FOR THAT, UH, ALTERNATIVE, UH, PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE MOBILITY.
SHERRY, YOU GOT ANYTHING? THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE.
I THINK, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE ALL DEFINITELY VERY EXCITED.
UM, I, I THINK YOU, YOU POINTED OUT THAT THE RAIL SYSTEM IS MOSTLY AT GRADE AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO HEAR THAT PEOPLE ARE COMING AND, AND ASKING, YOU KNOW, FOR SPECIFIC, UM, AT GRADE VERSUS ABOVE GRADE CURRENTLY.
UM, SO I, I'M CURIOUS WHERE YOU'RE AT IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING THOSE DECISIONS AND, UM, WHEN, AT WHAT POINT THAT THAT WILL BE FINAL.
UM, SO OF THE DESIGN OPTIONS THAT ARE BEING EVALUATED RIGHT NOW, UH, THE INTENTION IS THAT, UM, ESSENTIALLY A STAFF RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE IDENTIFIED, UM, AND SHARED, UM, AS PART OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
SO PEOPLE CAN COMMENT ON THAT AND WE CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE THAT GOES.
UM, WHEN THE FINAL EIS, UM, IS PUBLISHED IN 2025, IN THE CASE OF WHERE THERE ARE DESIGN OPTIONS, WHAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE ADVANCED.
DOES THAT ANSWER THE QUESTION? YEAH, IT DOES.
I'M TRYING TO THINK IF I HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S HELPFUL.
I THINK FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I JUST WANTED TO GET A CONFIRMATION TOO THAT THE GOAL IS TO KEEP THE, THE RAIL AT GRADE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT YOU EXTEND THE, THE FULL LINE THAT WE HAVE PLANNED RIGHT NOW FROM HYDE PARK TO, TO 71, BASICALLY THAT, THAT WE, WE NEED TO KEEP IT AT GRADE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO FUND THE WHOLE PROJECT.
THAT'S A, THAT'S TRUE IN THAT, UM, THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS GENERALLY AT GRADE, UM, FOR ABOUT THE 10 MILES.
UM, THE DESIGN OPTION AT WATERFRONT IS ONE OF THOSE PLACES WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT A DIFFERENT OPTION, UH, JUST TO FIT THE CONDITIONS BETTER POTENTIALLY.
UM, SO THAT'S UNDERST STUDY RIGHT NOW, BUT IN GENERAL IT WOULD BE AT GRADE STREET RUNNING.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHAIR.
THAT KIND OF DOVETAILS INTO MIND.
'CAUSE
UM, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE FOR, FOR FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND CONNECTIVITY, FRANKLY, TO TRAIL, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE THE EXTENDED BRIDGE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO.
BUT OF COURSE WE WOULDN'T WANNA DO THAT IF IT WERE TO MAKE IT MORE EXPENSIVE AND FOR US TO, YOU KNOW, UM, SUFFER ELSEWHERE FOR THAT THING.
BUT I'M CURIOUS, WITHOUT HAVING THE EIS IN FRONT OF ME, AND I KNOW THAT I CAN'T MAKE YOU GUYS SPECULATE, BUT I'M GOING TO TRY, UM, IF YOU KIND OF HAVE ANY THOUGHTS AS FAR AS WHAT YOU EXPECT WHITE COME UP IN THE EIS AND IN REGARDS TO SORT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THAT DECISION.
WELL, YOU'RE RIGHT, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF IT.
SO
UM, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE LINE COMING IN FROM RIVERSIDE, THE ONE FROM SOUTH CONGRESS, AND THEY SORT OF COMBINE AND CONTINUE NORTH.
SO IF EACH LINE IS OPERATING 10 MINUTE SERVICE, WHEN THEY COME TOGETHER, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A TRAIN EVERY FIVE MINUTES.
UM, AND THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, WITH THE TRAFFIC INTERSECTION THERE, ONE ADVANTAGE OF THE ELEVATED IS IT, YOU KNOW, IT SEPARATES THE MODES THERE A LITTLE BIT.
[02:25:01]
UM, THAT WE'VE TALKED WITH FOLKS ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING SO FAR IS THE BIKE AND PED CONNECTIVITY, YOU KNOW, FROM THE BRIDGE COMING OVER AND HOW IT CONNECTS.UM, AND THAT'S OUT OF, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC AS WELL.
UM, THERE IS THE COST CONSIDERATION AND WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT THAT.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT TOPIC AS WELL, UH, TO BE SURE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WE'RE LOOKING AT ARE KIND OF THE VISUAL IMPACT, UM, OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, AND, UM, BUT PERHAPS THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES, IF IT IS ELEVATED, THERE'S SPACE BELOW, UM, THAT WOULD BE PUBLIC SPACE, UM, THAT'S AVAILABLE.
UM, SO THERE, IT REALLY IS GOING TO BE A TRADE OFF OF SOME OF THE, UM, YOU KNOW, PROS AND CONS AND WE'RE STILL KIND OF SORTING THROUGH AND ASSESSING EACH OF THOSE FACTORS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL WOULD ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THAT.
I JUST, I WOULD HOPE THAT, UM, A CONSIDERATION OF THIS AS IF THERE'S A TRAIN RUNNING THROUGH THERE EVERY FIVE MINUTES, THAT, UH, THE TRAFFIC THAT THAT WOULD CREATE INSTALLED CARS, UM, WOULD BE UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WHEN IT COMES DOWN ON THE SOUTH SHORE OF THE LAKE.
I KNOW EVENTUALLY THERE'S LIKELY TO BE SOME PARKLAND DEDICATION, UM, ALONG THAT SHORE.
IS IT MEANT TO TIE INTO THE PARKLAND OR FURTHER INTO THAT DEVELOPMENT IF IT WERE TO GO DOWN TOO? GREAT.
YEAH, WHEN IT, WHEN IT COMES DOWN, I THINK THERE'S A, THERE'S A ROADWAY EASEMENT, UM, THAT'S OVER THERE.
SO WE WOULD BE COMING DOWN THAT AREA THERE.
UM, THERE WOULD BE SOME ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY THAT MAY BE REQUIRED.
UM, BUT THE PARKLAND, THAT WHOLE CONNECTION, UM, WE ARE ALSO COORDINATING, UM, WITH, UM, WITH PART AS WELL ON THAT ONE AS WELL.
SO, BUT YEAH, WE ARE COMING DOWN, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT AREA, I THINK IT SAYS LITTLE RIVERSIDE IS A STREET THAT ACTUALLY THAT, THAT WE, WE WOULD BE RUNNING DOWN, UM, ONCE WE COME DOWN.
UM, I'M NOT GONNA BOTHER YOU TOO MANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
I JUST, I'M, I'M A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS ABOUT THE TRAVIS HIGH STATION, TRAVIS HEIGHTS STATION, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SURPRISED ACTUALLY THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT I'VE TALKED TO ARE NOT IN FAVOR OF THAT I WOULD'VE WANTED A STATION IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD
UM, YEAH, I MEAN, SO MAYBE, I SWEAR I'M CURIOUS, IS THAT, UM, LOOKED AT ON THE NORTH OR SOUTH SIDE OF RIVERSIDE OF WHERE Y'ALL ARE OR IS IT JUST ON, IT'S IT'S THE STREET.
ITS IN THE CENTER OF RIVERSIDE CENTER, A PLATFORM STATION.
SO AS SOON AS YOU GET, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW, UM, RIVERSIDE IS, ONCE YOU, YOU ALMOST WINDS AND THEN IT GETS UP ON A CREST.
UM, TRAVIS HEIGHTS IS THERE, THE STATION WOULD BE RIGHT THERE IN THAT AREA.
SO, BUT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, AND I'M SURE YOU GUYS HAVE STUDIED RIDERSHIP NUMBERS, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THAT ONE TO BE VERSUS SOME OF THE OTHERS THAT ARE NEARBY? SO, I CANNOT REMEMBER THE NUMBERS, BUT THEY ARE ON OUR WEBSITE ACTUALLY, IF YOU GO TO@PTX.ORG THERE, UM, THERE'S ACTUALLY A WHOLE SET OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, DOCUMENTS, AND ONE OF THEM IS ON RIDERSHIP AND IT'S IN THERE.
UM, SO, SO YOU CAN FIND THE NUMBERS THERE.
UH, TRAVIS HEIGHTS IS, WAS NOT ONE OF THE HIGHER RIDERSHIP STATIONS, MOST ROBUST RIDERSHIP AREAS WERE AROUND UT UH, PROBABLY KIND OF ALTOGETHER IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UM, AND ALSO AT PLEASANT VALLEY IN RIVERSIDE I WOULD POINT OUT.
I'LL HOLD THE REST OF MY QUESTIONS UNTIL THERE'S AN EIS IN OUR HANDS.
WELL, UM, I'LL JUST OUT MYSELF AGAIN BY SAYING THAT I ALSO SERVE ON THE A TP FINANCE AND RISK COMMITTEE.
UM, SO I'VE ALREADY, THERE'S NO MEETING TOMORROW, IS THERE? HUH? THERE'S NO MEETING TOMORROW? NO.
UM, IT'S PRETTY LIGHT LIFT THOUGH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LONG RANGE DAILY, BUT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LIKE TO STRESS IS THE FACT THAT THIS IS PHASE ONE, AND WE'RE GONNA BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT NOT PUTTING ANY BARRIERS TO CONNECT FARTHER NORTH TO THE TECH CENTER FARTHER SOUTH, TO SOUTH PARK MEADOWS AND ALL THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT.
AND I CAN ALREADY PREDICT THAT MANY OF YOUR COMMENTS THAT IN THESE HEARINGS IS ABOUT WHY AREN'T WE RUNNING TO THE AIRPORT? I KEEP, AND I'M FIGHTING THIS BATTLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I'M KIND OF DISAPPOINTED THAT I'M DOING IT AND I'M NOT SEEING SOMEBODY FROM AT P DOING IT.
UH, 'CAUSE IT'S ON ATP'S, UH, BUT FACEBOOK PAGE.
BUT THE POINT IS, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, THAT TRAVEL TO THE AIRPORT, PAY PALES BETWEEN, UH, TRIPS TO WORK TRIPS TO SCHOOL TRIPS FOR SHOPPING.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, WHY AREN'T WE RUNNING TO THE AIRPORT? 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT NEARLY AS IMPORTANT AS RUNNING TO WORK OR TO SCHOOL OR OTHER ERRANDS.
UM, AND, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE THAT.
[02:30:01]
THINK IT'S 'CAUSE WHEN THEY TRAVEL TO A FOREIGN CITY AND THEY GET ON A TRAIN, THEY THINK, OH, THIS IS GREAT.I'VE GOTTEN ON THE TRAIN IN CHICAGO, SAN FRANCISCO IN EUROPE, BUT STILL THAT'S A SMALL AMOUNT OF THE TRAVEL COMPARED TO GOING TO WORK, GOING TO SCHOOL, ET CETERA.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CONCENTRATING ON IN THIS FIRST PHASE.
BUT EVENTUALLY WE'LL RUN OUT THERE, BUT WE'LL HAVE A SHUTTLE RUNNING FROM, UH, YELLOW JACKET AT THE END OF THE, UM, RIVERSIDE TO THE AIRPORT, SO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET THERE USING THE TRAIN.
AM I, AM I ANY, DID I SAY ANYTHING WRONG? YEAH,
ONE, ONE IS THAT WE'RE CLOSELY WORKING WITH CAT METRO ON, UM, KINDA WHAT THE FUTURE BUS NETWORK LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE WHEN LIGHT RAIL DOES BEGIN OPERATING THERE, THERE PROBABLY ARE GONNA BE CHANGES IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S OPTIMIZED, EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE.
SO THAT'S ONGOING COORDINATION FOR SURE.
UM, AND I, I WOULD ADD TOO, YOU KNOW, LAST SPRING, WHICH WAS WHEN ALL THE PUBLIC DIALOGUE WAS HAPPENING, THAT KIND OF RESULTED IN THAT JUNE DECISION FOR THIS 10 MILE PROJECT.
THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AIRPORT, A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AIRPORT, AND, UM, A REALLY, A PRETTY DIVERSE SET OF PERSPECTIVES ON THAT FOR SURE.
UM, CERTAINLY PEOPLE WHO REALLY SUPPORTED IT, UM, AND COULD PROBABLY PICTURE THEMSELVES TAKING IT TO THE AIRPORT.
UH, ALSO THE AIRPORT IS A HUGE EMPLOYMENT HUB.
THERE ARE SEVEN, 7,000 EMPLOYEES THERE NOW, AND THAT'S EXPECTED TO DOUBLE AS WE GO THROUGH THE EXPANSION PLANS.
UM, BUT WE ALSO HEARD QUITE A BIT ABOUT, I THINK KIND OF WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, WHICH IS, UM, TRYING TO MAXIMIZE ACCESS IN NEIGHBORHOODS IN AS MANY PARTS OF AUSTIN AS WE COULD.
UM, AND SO THE 10 MILE PROJECT THAT WE ARE ADVANCING KIND OF ON THE BALANCE WAS TRYING TO MAXIMIZE ACCESS AS BEST WE WE COULD.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO NOT ONLY IMPLEMENTING THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS, BUT YOU KNOW, BUILDING OUT MORE, RIGHT? AND IT IS THE CASE THAT THE, THE VOTER APPROVED PROPERTY TAX INCREASE DOES CONTINUE INTO THE FUTURE.
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED IN THE EARLY 2030S THAT WE'D BE, UM, GOING IT, I'VE, I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT IT WOULD ONLY TAKE ABOUT SIX YEARS FROM START TO FINISH TO BUILD ALL OF THE TRACKS UNDER THE 10 MILE ROADS.
IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT? UM, SIX YEARS.
WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT, ALVIN? YEAH.
SO I MEAN, IT'S GONNA HAPPEN FASTER THAN IH 35, UH, CATASTROPHE THAT WE'RE GONNA FACING BE, BE FACING.
AGAIN, GOING TO THE AIRPORT, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE CAN'T DO THAT RIGHT AWAY IS IMAGINE THE COST OF GETTING PAST US 180 3 AND STATE HIGHWAY 71.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO LEAVE THAT FOR MORE ENGINEERING AND, UH, FIGURING THANKS.
UM, AND I WILL ANSWER THAT WITH SAYING YES, I CAN IMAGINE THAT COST.
UM, BECAUSE, UH, I, I, I DO THINK EVENTUALLY WE WILL, YOU KNOW, HAVE TO GO THERE AND, AND FIGURE THAT OUT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT BUILDING, UH, UH, BETTER, UH, HABITATS FOR HUMANS AND NOT GREAT HABITATS FOR CARS.
WE BUILT A FANTASTIC HABITAT FOR CARS ALL AROUND THAT BUILDING THAT AREA.
SO, UM, SO ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE PLACES TO GO.
UM, SO, UM, I WANNA COME BACK, SINCE WE WERE TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE, THAT SORT OF, UM, CORRIDOR THERE AND THE SITTER, YOU KNOW, ON THE SOUTH SHORE, UM, I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF THAT BEING RAISED AND, AND OFF THE GROUND.
UM, AND, AND ANYWHERE WE CAN, I KNOW THAT THAT, UM, IS AN EXTRA COST, BUT, UM, I THINK AS WE LOOK AT THINGS FOR, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW MANY THINGS DO WE WANT RUNNING ON THE GROUND, UM, FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE, UM, ANYWHERE THAT WE CAN LIFT SOMETHING OFF MAKES ROOM FOR SOMETHING UNDERNEATH THAT AND HAVING IT STACKED.
SO FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THAT'S, WE'RE DOUBLING DOWN ON THAT, WHERE IT'S ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, A A PEDESTRIAN MULTI-USE CORRIDOR, UM, GOING BACK AND FORTH TO THE RIVER, UM, WOULD BE FANTASTIC.
UM,
[02:35:01]
I'M NOT IN THE TRAIN.I COULD BE IN THE TRAIN, JUST, YOU KNOW, GLEEFULLY GOING BY.
UH, BUT IF I WASN'T IN THE TRAIN, UM, I WOULD BE SITTING THERE AND I WOULD FEEL AWFUL THAT MY CAR WAS POLLUTING, UM, THAT MUCH AS I SAT THERE.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST, AS MUCH AS I WANT US TO BE OUT OF THE CARS AND, AND SOMEDAY WE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THAT NOT QUITE THERE YET.
AND I DON'T THINK WE'LL BE THERE BY 2030 EITHER.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA SAY I'M, I'M IN FAVOR OF THAT EXTENDED BRIDGE, UM, ESPECIALLY IN THAT AREA AND ANYWHERE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, SLOT THAT IN, UM, AS WELL.
UM, I, UH, I MEAN, I EVEN WROTE, WROTE DOWN HERE, I SAID, LET'S DO IT ABOVE GRADE
UM, IN THE, UM, COMING ACROSS THE RIVER AND GOING ALONG THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, THAT IS ALL REMIND ME ON THAT IS ALL JUST GOING RIGHT DOWN GUADALUPE, AND, AND IT'S NOT GONNA BE WIDENED AT ALL, OR WILL THAT BE WIDENED HELP, HELP ME REMEMBER THAT.
YEAH, IT'S, IT'S ALL, IT'S ALL CENTER RUNNING.
UM, THERE MIGHT BE SOME LOCATIONS WHERE THERE'S WIDENED TYPICALLY AT THE, TYPICALLY AT THE, UM, AT THE STATION LOCATIONS.
BUT IN SOME PLACES WHERE WE HAVE, UM, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, NEAR 15TH WHERE A STATION IS, UM, WHERE A TYPICAL STATION WOULD BE TOO, WOULD, WOULD IMPACT THE RIGHT OF WAY TOO MUCH.
WE WOULD DO LIKE A, A SPLIT PLATFORM, UM, CENTER, A PLATFORM THAT'LL, IT IS A LITTLE LESS WIDTH AND WE CAN MAKE IT WORK, BUT WE TRY TO BE VERY MINDFUL OF RIGHT AWAY WHERE WE'RE NOT IMPACTING BUILDINGS, UM, IN THAT CORRIDOR.
UM, SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE TRYING TO DO IT RIGHT NOW.
UH, I WAS JUST DOWN IN, UH, MACALLAN IN BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, AND THEY HAD SOME REALLY, REALLY NEAT SHADE STRUCTURES AT THEIR DIFFERENT, UM, UH, TRANSPORTATION STOPS THAT.
UM, I JUST WANNA, WANNA HIGHLIGHT AS WE THINK ABOUT THOSE AND THINK ABOUT SHADE AND, AND, UH, MAKING IT COMFORTABLE FOR PEOPLE, UH, WAITING FOR, FOR THOSE, UH, SERVICES.
ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
YOU KNOW, I, I, I AM A HUGE, I EVER SINCE A KID, I'VE LOVED RIDING THE TRAIN, UH, YOU KNOW, RIDING THE, UM, SUBWAY IN WASHINGTON DC AND IN NEW YORK.
IT WAS JUST LIKE THE COOLEST THING EVER.
AND I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT, WHY DON'T WE HAVE THAT IN OUR GREAT CITY? SO, UM, COMMEND YOU FOR, FOR TAKING THIS VERY, VERY COMPLICATED ISSUE ON, THANK YOU.
YEAH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, I, I GUESS MY FIRST QUESTION IS KIND OF LOGISTICS.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE HEARING OUR COMMENTS, UM, BUT DURING THIS SCOPING PROCESS, HOW DOES THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT I'M SURE IS CURRENTLY WATCHING THIS AMAZING FOOTAGE AND OR WATCHING THE REPLAY, HOW DO THEY COMMENT, UM, AND WHEN IS THAT, WHEN IS THAT OPEN? WHEN IS THAT CLOSED? ALL THOSE THINGS.
UM, SO, UM, PEOPLE CAN OF COURSE ATTEND THE OPEN HOUSES.
WE HAVE A VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE TOMORROW, BUT THERE'S ALSO A VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE ESSENTIALLY THAT YOU CAN VISIT ANYTIME ON THE WEBSITE.
AND SO PEOPLE CAN PROVIDE COMMENTS THROUGH THE WEBSITE, UM, BY COMING TO THE MEETINGS.
UM, YOU KNOW, BY, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A PHONE NUMBER TOO, YOU CAN CALL.
UM, WE ARE, WE, WE TAKE COMMENTS ANYTIME, UM, BUT WE WILL BE PREPARING A, A SUMMARY REPORT OF WHAT WE'VE HEARD DURING THIS PERIOD, AND WE'LL BE DOING THAT IN MARCH.
SO WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO, UM, PROVIDE COMMENTS BY MARCH 5TH IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT REPORT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HEAR COMMENTS ALL THE TIME.
UM, AND I'M SORRY, I THINK THERE WAS ANOTHER PART OF YOUR QUESTION THAT I'M NOT SURE I ANSWERED.
WELL, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA LEAD THE WITNESS HERE A LITTLE BIT, BUT, UM, ON Y'ALL'S WEBSITE, IT'S THE EMAIL INPUT@ATPTX.ORG.
IS THAT WHERE PEOPLE SHOULD EMAIL THEIR COMMENTS TO? YES.
THERE'S ALSO A, THERE'S ALSO A, SORRY, THERE'S ALSO LITERALLY LIKE A, A FORM TO FILL IN ON THE VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE OKAY.
THAT HAS ALL OF THE SAME SLIDES YOU SAW TONIGHT AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT EACH PARTICULAR DESIGN OPTION FOR FEEDBACK.
EITHER OF THOSE OPTIONS IS GREAT.
I COULDN'T FIND THAT YET, BUT, UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN'T, UM, NO.
I, I DIDN'T, I, I GUESS THE ONLY FOLLOW UP QUESTION I'D HAVE, UM, MAYBE THIS IS FOR YOU, ALVIN, IS YOU REFERENCED AT UT PROBABLY AT THE BIG CATTLE CROSSING THAT THAT THAT'S GONNA BE CLOSED TO CARS? OR CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND AND THE PUBLIC CAN UNDERSTAND AND, AND MAYBE WHAT PARTS OF THAT ARE RELATED TO, UM, THE LIGHT RAIL AND WHAT PARTS OF IT ARE RELATED TO, TO OTHER? UM,
[02:40:01]
I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE CORRIDORS THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S IMPROVING ALSO, RIGHT? SO, SO AS YOU, IF YOU COME UP, GO OUT, UM, FROM THE SOUTH AND YOU GET TO 22ND STREET AT 22ND STREET, UM, ALL VEHICULAR TRAFFIC WOULD BE DIVERTED OFF OF, UM, OFF OF GU, LIKE IN TERMS OF, I SHOULDN'T SAY ALL, BUT ALL, LIKE REGULAR CARS WOULD BE DIVERTED OFF OF THAT.IT WOULD JUST BE MORE, UM, TRAINS, BUSES, UM, BIKES, PETS THAT ARE ALLOWED IN THAT, IN THAT PARTICULAR, PARTICULAR STRETCH BETWEEN 27TH AND 29TH.
THAT'S MY FAVORITE NUMBER, BUT YEAH, 2020 SECOND IS CORRECT.
SO MORE OR LESS THAT WEST CAMPUS OR THE DRAG STRETCH.
UM, YEAH, NO, I, UH, THAT'S, THOSE ARE THE ONLY QUESTIONS I HAD.
I JUST WANTED TO, TO, UH, RESPOND TO COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN'S POINTS ABOUT THE AIRPORT WHILE I, I RECOGNIZE IT IS A LOW RIDERSHIP NUMBER.
WE ARE IN A MOMENT OF PLANNING SYNERGY BECAUSE WE'RE OBVIOUSLY PLANNING FOR THAT, THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE AIRPORT.
AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE PLANNING BECAUSE, AND IT'S A, I RECOGNIZE THAT WE CAN'T AFFORD IT.
I'M FOR ALL THE REASONS IN THE PLAN THAT YOU SPECIFY, BUT WE ARE MISSING, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MISSING THE BIRD ON THE GROUND, RIGHT? WE WILL GO THERE EVENTUALLY.
IT, IT'S JUST IN THE, WHAT WE CAN DO RIGHT NOW BY GOING THERE.
EVENTUALLY WE WE'RE GONNA TEAR UP THE AIRPORT AGAIN.
I MEAN, THE AIRPORT IS A HOT MESS.
ANYONE WHO'S BEEN THERE RECENTLY KNOWS THAT OUR AIRPORT IS A HOT MESS.
WE LOVE TO BRAG ABOUT THE CITY DOUBLES IN POPULATION EVERY 20 YEARS.
AND, BUT OUR AIRPORT IS VERY CLEARLY TOO SMALL FOR A CITY HALF THE SIZE.
RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY.
AND WHEN WE GO BACK TO RETROFIT, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO TEAR IT UP AGAIN.
SO WE WILL GO TO THE AIRPORT EVENTUALLY.
IT'S JUST THAT RIGHT NOW WITH THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE AND THE FEDERAL GRANT THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET, WE HAVE TO MAKE CHOICES.
I KNOW, I BELIEVE WE HAVE A MEDIATOR ON THE, ON THE FLOOR
OBVIOUSLY I DO NOT WORK FOR THE AIRPORT.
UM, THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY, UM, IN THE PROCESS OF AN AIR MAJOR AIRPORT EXPANSION, THE AIRPORT HAS, UH, GREATLY SURPASSED EVEN THEIR OWN FORECAST FOR, I KNOW FOR PASSENGER, YOU KNOW, UM, TRAVEL THERE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS GREAT.
UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO, UM, KEPT KEEP UP WITH THAT GROWTH.
I DO WANNA ASSURE YOU THAT WE ARE VERY HIGHLY COORDINATED WITH THE AIRPORT, EVEN THOUGH WE WILL NOT BE GOING THERE IN PHASE ONE, THE PRIORITY EXTENSION, THEY'RE HIGHLY AWARE OF.
WE ARE COORDINATING ON THE DESIGN.
WE DON'T ANTICIPATE HAVING TO, UH, REDESIGN THE NEWLY EXPANDED AIRPORT TO ACCOMMODATE A FUTURE LIGHT RAIL CONNECTION THAT'S BEING PLANNED FOR, UM, PLAN FOR NOW 22 MILLION PASSENGERS IN 2023.
AND, AND, AND THEN TO THE POINT ABOUT GRADE SEPARATION.
'CAUSE I THINK BOTH COMMISSIONER COFER AND COMMISSIONER BRISTOL TALKED ABOUT THIS.
I ALSO KNOW THAT THEY, IT, IT DRIVES THE COST OUT OF THE RANGE OF WHAT WE CAN AFFORD.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT TRA RAIL LINES THAT ARE HIGH FUNCTIONING, THEY DON'T INTERACT WITH CARS.
THAT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE RAIL LINE, IT'S 'CAUSE OF THE DAM CARS, YOU KNOW, AND HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK AT HOW THE RED LINE INTERACTS WITH THE ROADS ALONG AIRPORT BOULEVARD COMING OUT OF HYDE PARK.
THOSE ROADS ARE ESSENTIALLY NON-USABLE BECAUSE CARS CANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO INTERACT WITH A TRAIN.
SO, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE WE CAN DO GRADE SEPARATION, WE SHOULD BE DOING GREAT SEPARATION.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT'D BE AWESOME IF WE COULD DO IT EVERYWHERE.
ALL THE, ALL THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT
NO, I'M EAGER TO GET OUT OF HERE TOO.
SO I TOTALLY HATE THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, I, MY CURIOSITY CAN CANNOT BE STATED.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, CHAIR BERG MENTIONED, UH, SORT OF THE ORANGE LINE AND SORT OF THE PEDESTRIAN ACCESS.
I'VE BEEN READING A LOT OF, UH, NEWS ARTICLES SAYING THAT A CERTAIN HAMBURGER PLACE THAT WILL GO NAMELESS 'CAUSE I'M TIRED OF THEM GETTING FREE PUBLICITY OFF THIS DAMN TRAIN, UH, IS APPARENTLY GOING TO NOT BE TORN DOWN.
SO, CAN Y'ALL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CHANGES THAT Y'ALL MADE TO, I GUESS THE, THE GUADALUPE PLAN TO, UH, PREVENT, YOU KNOW, THIS CERTAIN PIECES OF REAL ESTATE FROM, UH, NOT BEING DEVELOPED OR TORN DOWN? YEAH, SO I WOULDN'T SAY WE, WE, WE MAY CHANGE SPECIFICALLY TO SAVE THE HAMBURGER PLACE.
UM, OUR MAIN PRIORITY IS TO TRY TO MINIMIZE, UM, ANY IMPACTS TO ANY PROPERTY AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
UM, SO, SO ULTIMATELY WHAT WE ENDED UP DOING IN THAT PARTICULAR STRETCH IS, UM,
[02:45:01]
IS WE REROUTED TRAFFIC, UM, I THINK THAT'S BETWEEN 25TH, 20? YES, IT IS AT 20, YEAH.27TH, 28TH IS TEE IT TEES INTO THE LIGHT RAIL STATION.
SO, SO TRAFFIC BETWEEN BETWEEN 27TH AND 29TH WAS REROUTED.
SO PRETTY MUCH IT'S A STATION, UM, LIGHT RAIL, IT'S A PLAZA, UM, WHERE, WHERE WE CAN BE ABLE TO MINIMIZE THE RIGHT OF WAY TAKE WITHIN THAT AREA.
AND THAT'S HOW WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.
'CAUSE I THINK FROM READING THE NEWS ARTICLES, IT KIND OF MADE IT SOUND LIKE THEY WERE NOT GOING TO BE PEDESTRIAN ONLY, BUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'RE JUST CHANGING THE POINT FROM WHERE YOU REDIRECT THE TRAFFIC, I GUESS.
AND THEN, UH, MY OTHER QUESTION SLASH COMMENT, YOU KNOW, UH, WE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE AIRPORT EXTENSION, RIGHT? IT'S ALWAYS A HOT TOPIC, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LIKE A MEME ONLINE WHERE IT IS LIKE A TOPIC AND IT HAS LIKE TWO WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT IT.
ONE IS LIKE WOKE AND ONE IS BROKE, RIGHT? I FEEL LIKE THE BROKE WAY TO THINK ABOUT THIS IS BY THINKING ABOUT IT AS THE AIRPORT STOP THE WOKE WAYS, IS TO THINK ABOUT IT AS THE DELL VALLEY STOP, RIGHT? WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT LACK OF TRANSPORTATION, LACK OF FOOD, DESERT, RIGHT? AGAIN, DELL VALLEY, CARSON CREEK, THIS TYPE OF THING, RIGHT? LIKE, UH, MY FOLKS ACTUALLY OWN A DUPLEX IN CARSON CREEK AND I'M A, A SICK INDIVIDUAL.
SO I LOOKED UP HOW TO GET FROM THEIR DUPLEX TO THE AIRPORT BECAUSE TECHNICALLY YOU SHOULD JUST BE ABLE TO CROSS THE STREET AND THEN GO, RIGHT? UM, IT TAKES LIKE AN HOUR BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GO AROUND THE 73 1 8 3 INTERSECTION AND COME BACK.
SO IT TAKES AN HOUR TO GET FROM CARSON CREEK TO THE AIRPORT.
NOW, LET'S SAY YOU WANNA TAKE MASS TRANSIT CAP METRO, THE 20 ROUTE IS GREAT, RIGHT? TURNS OUT, AGAIN, YOU CANNOT CROSS THE FREEWAY HERE.
SO WHAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO IS TAKE THE 20 ROUTE WEST, GET TO ESSENTIALLY JUST EAST MONTOPOLIS, AND THEN CROSS THE STREET AND THEN TAKE THE 20 ROUTE BACK TO GET TO THE AIRPORT.
SO THAT'S ABOUT A 35 MINUTE MASS TRANSIT, UH, WHAT'S THE WORD? UM, COMMUTE, RIGHT? FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD REALLY BE QUITE SIMPLE, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, THIS IS KIND OF THE REASON WHY I'VE BEEN STRESSING LIKE A CARSON CREEK STOP, IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY DO WE GIVE THESE PEOPLE MORE MOBILITY, WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING IS CREATING MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PEOPLE IN THAT AREA AS WELL.
UM, AND AGAIN, LIKE DELL VALLEY, DOES DELL VALLEY EVEN HAVE CAP METRO, RIGHT? SO IF WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THESE PEOPLE ACCESS TO MASS TRANSIT, THAT'S ACTUALLY, UH, CONVENIENT.
UH, IT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT.
WELL WORTH, WELL WORTH NOTING.
ALRIGHT, WITH THAT, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND FIELDING THE QUESTIONS.
WE'LL KEEP CRANKING ALONG HERE, GUYS.
UM, WORKING GROUPS, COMMITTEE UPDATES, UH, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY UPDATES? NO.
OR ANY OTHER COMMITTEES THEY'RE ON THAT THEY WANT ANNOUNCE THEIR, UH, PARTICIPATION IN? OKAY.
WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT 500 SOUTH CONGRESS TOMORROW.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
ANYONE? UH, YEAH.SO FOR THE JSC, UM, THEY RECENTLY, UM, CIRCULATED A DRAFT OF A PLAN THAT, UM, OR LIKE A RECOMMENDATION RATHER, UH, THAT WE'LL PASS TO TRY ACCELERATE EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS FROM USING LOW AND EMBODIED CARBON CONCRETE.
SO ONCE THAT PASSES THE JSC, I'LL PROBABLY TRY TO BRING IT UP HERE.
SEEING NOTHING OR HANDS WAVING REMOTELY? IT'S 8 52.