Aug 22, 2024 Mobility Committee

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:05]

ALL RIGHT.

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY.

WELCOME TO THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE.

I AM COUNCIL MEMBER PAIGE ELLI, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE, AND I AM JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CHITO VELA.

AND COUNCIL MEMBER NATASHA HARPER MADISON HERE.

SO THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.

THE TIME IS NOW 1:05 PM AND WE ARE MEETING HERE IN CHAMBERS AT AUSTIN CITY HALL.

THIS IS AUGUST 22ND, 2024.

I BELIEVE

[Public Communication: General]

WOULD YOU LIKE TO CALL THE SPEAKER IF THEY'RE AVAILABLE? YES.

THE, THE SPEAKER IS HAYDEN BLACK WALKER.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO UNMUTE.

SORRY.

MY FIRST ATTEMPTED UNMUTE DIDN'T WORK.

CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME NOW? YES, WE CAN GO AHEAD.

THANK YOU.

UM, THIS IS HAYDEN BLACK WALKER.

I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT, UM, THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE CONGRESSMAN, NEW URBANISM IS HOSTING WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING.

UM, WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING, IS NOW A, A NATIONAL EVENT, UM, COORDINATED THROUGH AMERICA WALK.

AND, UM, IT'S, UH, THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER.

SO WE'VE GOT SOME TIME AND WE'LL START PUBLICIZING IT SOON.

UM, BUT I JUST, I, YOU GUYS ARE GREAT.

UM, YOU KNOW, CHAMPIONS OF , UH, MULTIPLE WAYS OF GETTING AROUND THE CITY.

AND SO I WANTED TO INVITE EACH OF YOU TO, UM, SIGN UP IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO.

UM, THE WEBSITE IS WEAK.

WITHOUT DRIVING.ORG, YOU CAN SIGN UP AS AN INDIVIDUAL, AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, UM, AS AN ORGANIZATION.

UM, CNU IS KIND OF LEADING THE CHARGE, BUT WE HAVE 10 OTHER SPONSOR ORGANIZATIONS AND WE'LL BE PUBLICIZING IT AND GETTING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE TO SIGN UP.

SO THE CONCEPT IS, IS THAT IN A TYPICAL CITY, ABOUT 30% OF THE POPULATION DOESN'T DRIVE.

MAYBE THEY CAN'T AFFORD A CAR OR THEY HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION, OR THEY HAVE AGED OUT OF DRIVING, OR THEY'RE A CHILD AND THEY CAN'T DRIVE YET.

UM, AND THE IDEA IS JUST TO HIGHLIGHT HOW THOSE PEOPLE GET AROUND THE CITY.

SO, UM, ANYWAY, WE'LL SEND OUT MORE INFORMATION.

JUST WANTED TO GIVE EVERYBODY HEADS UP AND INVITE YOU TO, UM, PARTICIPATE.

WE'D LOVE TO HAVE SOME KEY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, SIGNED UP BEFORE WE DO OUR BIG ROLLOUT, THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER.

SO THANKS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT COMMENT.

AND IF YOU WOULD MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE SENT IT TO ALL OF US OR THAT YOU WILL SEND IT, WE WOULD LOVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND SEE HOW MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN SIGN UP FOR, UH, A WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING.

THAT MAKES US GREAT.

THANK YOU.

COUNCIL MEMBER.

THANK YOU.

[1. Approve the minutes of the Mobility Committee meeting of May 23, 2024]

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM MAY 20? MAY 23RD? 2024.

SO MOVED.

MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER NATASHA HARPER.

MADISON, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

THAT IS UNANIMOUS.

WITH THE THREE OF US PRESENT, THAT MOVES US INTO OUR

[2. Update from the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) regarding actions from the June 4, 2024, July 9, 2024, and August 6, 2024 meetings.]

THE FIRST ONE WE WILL HEAR IN JUST A MOMENT FROM THE CHAIR OF OUR URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

AND THEN WE WILL MOVE INTO STREET IMPACT FEE PROGRAM UPDATE.

AFTER THAT, WE'LL BE ELECTRIFICATION OF FLEET UPDATE FROM CITY OF AUSTIN, FLEET MOBILITY SERVICES, AS WELL AS CAT METRO.

SO WE'RE EXCITED.

WE HAVE SOME CAT METRO FOLKS JOINING US TODAY.

AND THEN AT THE END, IT WILL BE THE CITY OF AUSTIN MOBILITY REPORT, WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE THERE WILL BE A PRESENTATION ON, BUT JUST SO FOLKS CAN REFERENCE THAT IN THE BACKUP.

IT'S A, A GREAT SUMMARY OF THE WORK THAT OUR MOBILITY DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING OVER THE PAST MONTH OR SO.

I KNOW WE'RE COMING IN OFF OF SUMMER BREAK, AND SO THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION TO REFERENCE THERE ABOUT THE GOOD WORK OF OUR DEPARTMENTS.

SO THAT BRINGS US TO BRIEFING ITEM NUMBER TWO, UPDATE FROM URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

AND WE HAVE CHAIR SUMMERS WITH US.

WELCOME.

HI, I AM SUSAN SUMMERS.

I'M THE CHAIR OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

THANK YOU SO MUCH AS ALWAYS, COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT OUR MEETINGS.

SO, UH, I THINK I WAS LAST HERE IN MAY.

SO WE'VE HAD THREE MEETINGS.

UM, IT WAS A FAIRLY LIGHT SUMMER.

WE DIDN'T TAKE, WE DIDN'T HAVE, WE MET THREE TIMES, BUT WE HAD A FAIRLY LIGHT MEETING, UH, UH, SLATE.

UM, IN JUNE, WE HEARD A, UH, PRESENTATION UPDATE ABOUT URBAN TRAILS AND SIDEWALK PROGRAM, WHICH WAS, UH, REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING.

IF YOU WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE UNIQUE OBSTACLES, PARTICULARLY WITH URBAN TRAILS, UM, IN JULY, THAT LED US, THAT WAS WHERE WE HAD SOME ACTION ITEMS. SO, UM, WE DID HEAR, UH, ABOUT THE MID ABILITY, UH, ANNUAL PLAN, WHICH WAS JUST A BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.

BUT WE HAD, UM, THREE ACTION ITEMS. THESE ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU IN YOUR BACKUP.

[00:05:01]

IT WAS A SIMPLE UP DOWN VOTE.

UM, THE HAYES COMMONS MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT, AS YOU MAY KNOW, UM, THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION IS ONE OF THOSE COMMISSIONS THAT IS ASKED TO, UH, PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION ON A PROPOSED MUD, SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSING THE TRANSPORTATION RELATED ASPECTS OF THOSE PROPOSED MUDS.

SO WE DID RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THAT MUD.

UM, THEN WE, UM, HAVE, UH, THREE SUBSTANTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS.

SO ONE IS OUR ANNUAL REPORT.

I WON'T GET INTO THAT EXTENSIVELY.

IT'S OBVIOUSLY A SUMMARY OF OUR ACTIONS AND BRIEFINGS THAT WE DID RECEIVE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST, UH, FISCAL YEAR.

SO YOU CAN REVIEW THAT AT YOUR LEISURE.

UM, AND THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION.

UM, WE ALSO RECOMMENDED, UM, A BRIDGE INVESTMENT IN SIDEWALKS AND BIKEWAYS.

I, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALL VERY, VERY WELL FAMILIAR WITH THE VARIOUS PROPOSALS FOR TRANSPORTATION OR CLIMATE INFRASTRUCTURE BOND IN THE CITY.

AND, UM, THOSE HAVE GONE VARIOUS PLACES AND HAD VARIOUS DISCUSSIONS.

WE PUT FORWARD A PROPOSAL FOR, UH, UM, A MORE LIMITED BOND THAT WOULD PROVIDE, UH, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSIT, TRANSIT, SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, PARTICULARLY WITH A, LIKE TO NOT SLOWING DOWN OUR MOBILITY, UH, ANNUAL PLANS AND BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR CONSTRUCTION OF SIDEWALKS.

AS YOU MAY KNOW, UM, WE, UH, ARE DOING A REALLY, REALLY GREAT JOB, UH, WITH OUR COMMITMENTS TO THE COMMUNITY IN BUILDING SIDEWALKS IN OUR CITY.

UM, THEY REALLY HAVE AN AMAZING OPERATION IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO ROLL OUT AND THE SYSTEMS THAT THEY'VE PUT IN PLACE TO, UM, TO BUILD SIDEWALKS IN OUR CITY.

AND WE REALLY DON'T WANT THAT TO SLOW DOWN.

AND OUR CONCERN IS THAT IF WE DON'T HAVE SOME BOND, UH, FUNDING SOON, THAT ACTUALLY OUR SIDEWALK PROGRAM IS SO EFFICIENT AND AMAZING THAT THEY MAY ACTUALLY SPEND DOWN ALL OF THEIR MONEY.

SO WE DON'T WANT ANY PROGRESS TO BE LOST THERE.

SO THAT WAS THE, THE THRUST OF THAT RECOMMENDATION IS MAKING SURE OUR, UH, TRAILS BIKEWAYS AND, UH, PARTICULARLY OUR BIKEWAYS AND, UH, SIDEWALK PLANS ARE NOT, UH, LEFT IN THE COLD THERE AS THEY BEGIN TO REALLY SPEND DOWN SOME OF THE PRIOR BOND MONEY THAT OUR, UH, CITY HAS GRACIOUSLY, UH, VOTED FOR.

SO YOU CAN REVIEW THAT THERE.

UM, WE ALSO, UM, HAD A, UH, RECOMMENDATION, UM, LEADING OUT OF THE PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD IN JUNE REGARDING URBAN TRAILS.

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A GREAT SEGUE BECAUSE, UM, WE ARE DOING A REALLY, REALLY GREAT JOB AT BUILDING, UH, PARTICULARLY SIDEWALKS, BUT ALSO BIKEWAYS AND BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY.

HOWEVER, OUR URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM HAS SOME UNIQUE OBSTACLES.

FIRST OF ALL, THE URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM HAS A, UH, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE 2023 URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM, IT IS, UH, IT'S MUCH MORE EXTENDED TIMELINE THAN OUR OTHER PLANS.

IT'S A VERY LONG DELIVERY TIMELINE FOR OUR CURRENT URBAN TRAILS PLAN.

AND ALSO, UM, WE ARE NOT MAKING THE SAME LEVEL OF PROGRESS TOWARD THAT PLAN, UM, AND SPENDING DOWN SOME OF THE MONEY ALLOCATED TO IT AS WE ARE WITH SIDEWALKS.

AND THAT'S IN LARGE PART DUE TO MANY OF THE VERY UNIQUE, UM, ASPECTS WITH URBAN TRAILS IN TERMS OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, IN TERMS OF IT BEING A NEW TYPE OF PROGRAM THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH, UM, IN SOME CASES, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS A WHILE.

SO WE MADE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS TO ACCELERATE, UM, THE DELIVERY OF THE URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM TO, OF COURSE, MAKE SURE THAT WE MEET THE TIMELINE THAT'S CONTEMPLATED IN THE URBAN TRAILS PLAN, BUT ALSO TO POTENTIALLY ACCELERATE THE PLAN.

AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT ACCELERATING WITH INFLATION, WE GET MORE FOR OUR MONEY IF WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD THINGS QUICKER.

SO, UM, OUR BE IT RESOLVES IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THOSE, WE SUGGESTED A CROSS DEPARTMENTAL TASK FORCE TO, UH, EXAMINE STAFF CAPACITY AND MAKE SURE WE ARE, DO HAVE THE RIGHT LEVELS OF CAPACITY TO SUSTAIN OUR PLAN.

UM, THAT WE STRENGTHEN STAFF'S ABILITY TO SECURE EASEMENTS ALONG, UH, THE TRAIL EASEMENTS DURING THE SITE PLAN, REVIEW PROCESS, UM, REVIEW CURRENT BUILDING CODES TO VERIFY IF TRAIL FRIENDLY RETROFITS ARE ALLOWED ON EXISTING BUILDINGS AND EVALUATE WAYS TO MINIMIZE BARRIERS TO TRAIL FACING DEVELOPMENT.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMISSION, AND I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IT IN PARTICULAR.

UM, WE HAVE, UM, MOMENTS WHERE BUILDINGS, BASICALLY THE BACK OF A BUILDING OR THE LOADING DOCK OF A BUILDING FACES THE URBAN TRAIL, URBAN TRAIL THAT'S PROPOSED.

AND WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE OPPORTUNITIES TO TURN THE BACK OF THE BUILDING INTO ANOTHER FRONT OF THE BUILDING WITH A CAFE OR, UH, SIDEWALKS OR ACCESS POINTS.

UM, THIS IS, UH, THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB OF THIS IN ATLANTA, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH, I THINK IT'S CALLED THE BELT LINE THERE.

UM, SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN REALLY LEARN FROM BEST PRACTICES IN OUR CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, THAT WE'RE CAPITALIZING ON THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, AND THAT OUR BUILDING CODE ISN'T, UM, WORKING AGAINST US THERE.

THAT WE CAN PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR LAND USE THAT ENHANCE TRAIL ACCESS AND ADJACENT AMENITIES, INCLUDING, UH, REDUCED SETBACKS, MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS, SECURING TRAIL ACCESS FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES,

[00:10:01]

URBAN TRAILS ARE REALLY INTERESTING, RIGHT? AND THAT THEY'RE THE SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE, THEY HAVE A RECREATION AND HEALTH EX ASPECT, AND THEN THEY ALSO HAVE PEOPLE USE THEM TO COMMUTE PEOPLE USE THEM AS TRANSPORTATION AS WELL.

SO THEY'RE SORT OF A REALLY UNIQUE, UH, SPACE IN OUR CITY, I THINK.

AND THEN, UM, CONDUCT ROBUST ENGAGEMENT ABOUT AMENITIES THAT, UH, UH, RESIDENTS WOULD LIKE NEAR URBAN TRAILS OR SEGMENTS OF TRAILS.

AND, UM, ALSO BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE PARK CONTEXT, BUT AS WELL AS, UM, A SAFETY MEASURES THAT GO ALONG THE TRAILS.

UM, SO SOME THINGS LIKE LIGHTING, SIGNAGE, EMERGENCY CALL STATIONS, AND A COMMUNITY OUTREACH PLAN ABOUT URBAN TRAILS.

SO, UM, WE RECOMMENDED A GOAL TO COMPLETE THE TIER ONE URBAN TRAILS.

UH, UH, SO RIGHT NOW IT, THE ORIGINAL GOAL IN THE PLAN IS TO COMPLETE THE TIER ONE URBAN TRAILS BY 2043, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS QUITE AN EXTENDED TIMELINE.

AND WE SUGGESTED A 65% BUILD OUT BY 2032 AND 100% BUILD OUT BY 2038.

SO TRYING TO ACCELERATE THE DELIVERY OF THOSE TIER ONE TRAILS IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE DRIVING AT.

AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE, TO GET THERE, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO OUR THIRD BE IT RESOLVED OR IS IDENTIFY FUNDING SOURCES, FEDERAL, STATE, OR PRIVATE GRANTS, PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, DEDICATING MORE BUDGET, UM, TO OF THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS OPERATING BUDGET, WE SAID 2% TO, UH, TO URBAN TRAILS.

AND THEN, UM, ENSURE THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE FOUR-TIME EMPLOYEES WITHIN THE SIDEWALKS PROGRAM WHO ARE FOCUSED SOLELY ON URBAN TRAILS.

AND THAT IS IN LIGHT OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING FROM STAFF OF THE PARTICULAR NEED, UH, UH, TO BUILD OUR CAPACITY TO DELIVER THESE TRAILS QUICKLY.

UM, AND WE ALSO ASKED FOR TRANSPORTATION AS A PUBLIC WORK STAFF TO REPORT BACK TO UTC SEMI-ANNUALLY ON THE PROGRESS OF THE URBAN TRAILS INITIATIVE.

SO THAT'S DEFINITELY OUR BIGGEST THING THAT I HAD TO PRESENT ON TODAY WAS THAT RECOMMENDATION.

UM, I ALREADY MENTIONED OUR ANNUAL REPORT AND THEN, UM, OUR AUGUST MEETING, UM, WE HAD SOME DISCUSSION OF A RECOMMENDATION.

WE DID NOT END UP PASSING A RECOMMENDATION THERE, SO I WON'T GET INTO THAT.

WE DID HEAR THE STREET IMPACT FEE, UH, UPDATE PRESENTATION, WHICH I THINK YOU'RE ALSO GETTING TODAY.

SO THAT IS OUR SUMMER, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION.

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE IN THESE CONVERSATIONS EVERY DAY, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL GOING THROUGH ALL THIS, ESPECIALLY AS A LOT OF PEOPLE I KNOW WERE, UM, TRAVELING WITH THEIR KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO WE KNOW IT'S A BIG COMMITMENT.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR THE CHAIR? UH, I DO.

UH, UH, THANK YOU, UH, UH, SUSAN, UH, UH, REALLY, UH, APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR TIME AND ALL OF THE, UH, URBAN, UH, UTCS, UH, COMMISSIONER'S TIME WITH REGARD TO THE URBAN TRAILS.

MY UNDERSTANDING, AND I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF ABOUT IT, HONESTLY, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO EVEN HEAR THE STAFF'S PERSPECTIVE AS WELL, BUT WHEN WE'RE DOING A BIKE LANE ON THE STREET THAT JUST DOESN'T HAVE THE WATERSHED AND THE, THE KIND OF, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S EASIER, ESSENTIALLY, IT'S NOT THE CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL KIND OF, UH, NA COMPLEX NATURE THAT SOME OF THE URBAN TRAILS.

AND SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT SINCE WE'RE GONNA BE ADDING, FOR EXAMPLE, CONCRETE TO A WATERSHED AREA, WE HAVE TO MITIGATE FOR THAT.

UH, WE CAN HAVE, UH, UH, VERY DELICATE AREAS.

UH, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO REMEDIATE, UH, IN OTHER WORDS, SOMETHING RELATIVELY, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT AN ENGINEER OR A BUILDER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT SOMETHING RELATIVELY SIMPLE BECOMES VERY COMPLICATED BECAUSE OF THE KIND OF CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL NATURE OF THE CONSTRUCTION.

I, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF THAT? WHERE ARE WE WITH THAT? WHAT'S GOING ON? IS THAT, IS THAT WHERE A LOT OF THE DELAYS ARE? YEAH, I, I MEAN, THAT IS PART OF IT.

SO THE STAFF PRESENTATION IN JUNE DEFINITELY ADDRESS THAT QUITE A BIT.

CERTAINLY THAT'S PART OF IT.

AND KEEP IN MIND THAT MANY OF OUR URBAN TRAILS, CERTAINLY NOT ALL, BUT MANY ACTUALLY ARE ADJACENT TO CREEKS.

SO THAT, OF COURSE, IS A VERY INSENSITIVE ENVIRONMENT WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING A TRAIL, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NEXT TO A CREEK, UM, AND SOMETHING WE WANNA BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT.

SO, YES, AND I MEAN, I CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA SAY THAT WATERSHED NEVER COMES INTO A PLAY WITH BIKE LANES OR SIDEWALKS.

WE CERTAINLY HAVE SEEN THAT WITHIN THE CORRIDOR PLAN THAT WATERSHED MITIGATION ISSUES HAVE GREATLY AFFECTED THE DELIVERY OF SOME OF THE CORRIDOR PLAN ELEMENTS.

SO THAT CAN HAVE AN EFFECT, UM, AND RAISE COSTS REGARDLESS.

I THINK IT'S A MIX, UH, IN THE URBAN TRAILS, BOTH OF THINGS LIKE THE EASEMENTS, THE, UH, LEGAL RIGHTS, LAND ACQUISITION IN SOME CASES, UM, THAT IS MORE LEGALLY COMPLICATED THAN ON A SIDEWALK OR BIKE LANE WHERE USUALLY THE CITY ALREADY HAS THE ROW.

IN SOME CASE, WE MAY NOT FOR SOME OF THESE URBAN TRAILS.

SO THAT CAN BE, UH, COMPLICATED.

UM, YOU'RE ALSO COMING THROUGH, UM, LAND THAT SORT OF, A LOT OF PEOPLE SORT OF CONSIDERED THEIR, NOT, MAYBE

[00:15:01]

SO THERE'S SOME ENGAGEMENT ISSUES THAT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLEX THAN IN A SIDEWALK SITUATION.

THAT'S PART OF IT.

AND THEN CERTAINLY THOSE WATERSHED ISSUES, UM, AND MITIGATION OF SOME OF THAT WITH THE SLOPES WITH, UH, BEING NEAR TO CREEKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND THEN EVEN SOMETHING JUST LIKE GETTING A GATE TO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX, LIKE WHERE UTC IS VERY FOCUSED ON THAT, IF YOU'RE GOING BEHIND A COMPLEX, A APARTMENT COMPLEX, WELL, BY GOLLY, YOU KNOW, THOSE RESIDENTS SHOULD HAVE A, A WAY TO SAFELY ACCESS THAT TRAIL THROUGH A GATE SO THAT THEY CAN GET OUT AND, UM, EXPERIENCE THAT AMENITY THAT THE CITY IS PROVIDING.

BUT EVEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN, UM, BECOME SORT OF A NEGOTIATION WITH A LANDLORD OR APARTMENT MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS I THINK STAFF, UM, WHAT WE HEARD FROM THEM IS THAT THEY ARE VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT TAKING SOME OF THE LESSONS THEY'VE LEARNED ABOUT EFFICIENCY.

I MEAN, THEY'RE SO EFFICIENT WITH SIDEWALKS.

THEY HAVE THESE TEAMS AND THE WAY THAT THEY, UH, DO, DO THEIR, UH, PROCUREMENT AND THEIR PLANNING.

THEY JUST LIKE PICK UP THE TEAMS AND THEY MOVE THEM OVER TO THE NEXT PLACE.

YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY'RE REALLY HAVE BECOME A VERY EFFICIENT MACHINE.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SEEING SUCH A GREAT SPEND THROUGH ON THE SIDEWALK MONEY.

MM-HMM, , UM, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TRANSLATE ALL OF THAT SIMPLISTICALLY TO URBAN TRAILS, BUT I THINK THEY'RE VERY HOPEFUL WITH, UH, BEING WITH THE SIDEWALK PROGRAM THAT THE LESSONS THEY'VE LEARNED FROM THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THEY CAN TRY TO TRANSLATE THAT TO URBAN TRAILS.

BUT WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE AS OUR URBAN TRAIL PLAN MATURES SOME OF THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES THAT URBAN TRAILS HAVE THAT MAY, UH, YOU KNOW, MAY ARGUE TOWARDS US DEDICATING MORE RESOURCES TO THEM SO THAT WE CAN WORK THROUGH SOME OF THOSE ISSUES AND, UM, LEARN FASTER AND DELIVER THIS PLAN A LITTLE BIT FASTER FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

GREAT.

WELL, I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND I, I AM REALLY, I THINK, UH, TRANSPORTATION HAS DONE A GREAT JOB, ESPECIALLY ON THE, ON THE SIDEWALK, UH, ASPECTS OF THINGS.

UH, AND, UH, AND, AND HAPPY TO SEE THAT.

I KNOW, I, I BELIEVE, UH, JOHN EASTMAN IS, IS, IS, UH, OVER THAT, AND I, I THINK THEY'RE REALLY KNOCKING IT OUT.

IT'S GREAT TO SEE SIDEWALKS GOING UP ALL OVER DISTRICT FOUR, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, AND LOOK FORWARD TO, TO SEEING THE URBAN, UH, TRAIL ASPECT OF THE, THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK ALSO HOPEFULLY PICK UP SPEED, UH, IN, IN THE, IN THE COMING YEARS.

ABSOLUTELY.

I WOULD HOPE SO.

YEAH.

I KNOW IT'S NICE TO HAVE SOME BOND FUNDING TO DO IT, BUT WE KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE FUTURE BONDS TO BE ABLE TO GET US ACROSS THAT FINISH LINE.

UM, I'M REMINDED OF A TIME A COUPLE YEARS BACK WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAD TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY BUTTIGIEG HERE, UH, AT CITY HALL.

IT WAS GREAT TO GET TO TALK WITH HIM.

I KNOW THERE WERE A NUMBER OF OTHER CITY OFFICIALS THAT WERE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH HIM, AND I HAD BROUGHT UP ONE OF THE CONCEPTS THAT WE DON'T JUST HAVE OUR BIKEWAYS AND TRAILS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

MM-HMM.

.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT MAKES AUSTIN VERY SPECIAL.

IT, IT'S WHAT MAKES, MAKES COMMUTES SAFER IN THE LONG RUN.

UM, THAT WE HAVE THIS WAY OF PLANNING OUR PARKS AND OUR TRAILS AND OUR COMMUTES DIFFERENTLY THAN I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DO, WHICH IS GENERALLY BUILD THE CAR LANES FIRST AND THEN JUST CARVE OUT A LITTLE SPACE ON THE SIDE AND HOPE THAT PEOPLE MIGHT CHOOSE TO TRY TO RIDE A BIKE TO WORK FOR A COMMUTE OR TO RUN AN ERRAND.

UM, BUT WHERE YOU SEE PEOPLE IN PARK SPACES ON THOSE URBAN TRAILS IS WHERE WE ACTUALLY SEE PEOPLE TRYING MODE SHIFT TO GOALS, TRYING TO TRY A NEW WAY TO GET AROUND TOWN.

AND SO WE KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, OUR COMMUNITY HAS DONE REALLY WELL, AND WE THINK STAFF ARE WORKING SO DILIGENTLY ON THAT.

UM, NATASHA, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I THOUGHT I SAW YOUR HAND UP, BUT JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T MISS YOU, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU JUST BUSTED ME IN A PIECE OF PEPPER .

OKAY, WELL, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL MOVE OFF OF YOU THEN FOR A SECOND.

UM, BUT DEFINITELY CALL OUT IF YOU NEED MY ATTENTION FOR ANYTHING.

I'M TRYING TO KEEP MY EYES UP.

UM, UH, I'M WONDERING ABOUT THE TIMELINE FOR THE, THE TRAILS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

IS, IS THERE ANY UPDATE OR ANYTHING STAFF WANTS TO SPEAK ABOUT AT THIS POINT ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS CAUSING THAT LONGER TIMELINE? I KNOW THAT, UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME CONVERSATION AROUND HOW ATLAS 14 HAS CHANGED THE WAY THAT WE DEAL WITH DRAINAGE, SO I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S PLAYING IN OR IF THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE WE NEED TO BE, UM, THINKING OF AS A COUNCIL RIGHT NOW.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

RICHARD MENDOZA, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK AND THE SUPPORT OF THE, UH, URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

MANY OF THE, UH, UH, THE CHALLENGES, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SPOT ON.

JUST BY THE NATURE OF AN URBAN TRAIL, BUILDING A 12 FOOT WIDE TRAIL THROUGH AN ALREADY BUILT URBAN ENVIRONMENT, UH, IS CHALLENGING ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS.

I DO WANNA REMIND THE COMMITTEE, UH, THAT, UH, I THINK IN 21 BY RESOLUTION, WE DID STAND UP AN URBAN TRAIL STAKEHOLDER GROUP.

AND THIS IS A GROUP THAT CONSISTS OF, UH, MY PEER DEPARTMENT HEADS FROM WATERSHED, AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, AUSTIN WATER, UH, AS WELL AS SOME STAKEHOLDER LEADERS, UH, LIKE SHOAL CREEK, UH, CONSERVANCY AND THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY.

UH, WE MET, WE MEET, UH, QUARTERLY TO DISCUSS

[00:20:01]

UM, SOME OF THE, THE WINS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH OUR PARTNERS IN WATERSHEDS HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE, UH, IS SOME ALLOWANCES ON CUT AND FILL REQUIREMENTS, UH, SOME ALLOWANCES ON WHAT THEY WOULD CONSIDER IMPERVIOUS COVER.

AND, UH, AND THOSE HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY HELPFUL.

UM, BUT IN TERMS OF THE TIMELINE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE AIMING FOR SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION BY 26.

THERE MAY BE SOME TRAILS THAT GO BEYOND THAT DUE TO RIGHT OF WAY ISSUES.

WE'RE DEALING WITH, UH, THE RAIL LINE, LIKE ON BURRS AND SPUR, UH, TRYING TO GET THOSE EASEMENTS REC, UH, UH, AVAILABLE FOR US.

AND WE'VE MADE OTHER IMPROVEMENTS, UH, SUCH AS DURING DEVELOPMENT REVIEW.

I'VE GOT MY REVIEWERS NOW AT THE PDC LOOKING AT PLANS WHERE THEY COME IN FOR PLANNING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, THEY'RE RESERVING THOSE EASEMENTS FOR URBAN TRAILS IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR A SMP.

THERE'S BEEN A COUPLE IN INSTANCES WHERE WE'VE MISSED THAT AND WE'VE HAD TO ENGAGE WITH DEVELOPERS AND NEGOTIATE, UH, SOME ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS.

BUT WE'RE AGGRESSIVELY, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2018, UH, NO 2020 AND 2016 URBAN TRAIL PROGRAM.

AND TO THE EXTENT THAT I CAN THAT, UH, THE SIDEWALKS AND THEY HAVE BEEN A GREAT SUCCESS STORY.

UH, I'VE BEEN PUSHING THEM HARD SINCE I FIRST CAME HERE, UH, TO AUSTIN, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY FREE UP SOME CAPACITY, THEY'LL BE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT NOT JUST THE URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM, UH, BUT ALSO THE SAFE ROUTES OF SCHOOL MOBILITY PROGRAM.

THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR.

AND I KNOW WHEN WE BUILT THE 2020 BOND, WE BUILT IN A BUFFER AT THE BEGINNING KNOWING THAT IT WAS GOING TO TAKE STAFF SOME TIME TO KIND OF CREATE THAT PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN AND UNDERSTAND HOW ALL OF THESE WERE GONNA DOVETAIL TOGETHER.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY SEEN HOW OUR FLOODPLAINS CHANGING HAVE IMPACTED PROJECTS.

YES.

UM, SO I'M CURIOUS TO SEE WHERE WE CAN TAKE IT FROM HERE AND, AND HOW, HOW WE CAN BETTER COLLABORATE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT'S INTERDEPARTMENTAL OR JUST UNDERSTANDING KIND OF WHAT REGULATIONS ARE, ARE PLAYING IN HERE.

I KNOW WHEN WE BUILT THE URBAN TRAIL STAKEHOLDER GROUP, ONE OF THE ISSUES WAS KIND OF WAY FINDING SIGNAGE AND A DA RAMPS.

THERE WAS A LITTLE CONVERSATION AROUND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU PUT THESE PERMANENT STRUCTURES IN FLOODPLAINS IN WAYS THAT HADN'T REALLY BEEN THOUGHT OF BEFORE? AND SO I'M GLAD THAT THAT STAKEHOLDER GROUP IS STILL ACTIVELY WORKING TOGETHER AND, AND LOOKING THROUGH SOME OF THOSE CODE VARIANCES.

BUT, UM, APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON ON THOSE.

THANK YOU.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ON THESE? ALL

[3. Street Impact Fee Program update.]

I THINK THAT WILL MOVE US TO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS GOING TO BE AN UPDATE ON THE STREET IMPACT FEE PROGRAM FROM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR UPAL BARA.

WELCOME.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, ALL THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

UH, MY NAME IS POL BARA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

UH, THIS AFTERNOON I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT OUR STREET IMPACT FEE PROGRAM.

SO THIS IS THE, UH, LAYOUT OF MY PRESENTATION.

I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE STREET IMPACT FEE, LIKE WHAT IT IS, WHY WE APPLY THE IMPACT FEE, THE IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE, THE APPLICABILITY OF THE IMPACT FEE, AND ALSO HOW MUCH WE INVOICED SO FAR UNDER THE PROGRAM, AND HOW MUCH WE, UH, COLLECTED THUS FAR.

AND ALSO SOME OF THE MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS WE CONSTRUCTED OUT OF THE IMPACT FEE FUND.

AND ANY QUESTIONS YOU, YOU ALL HAVE FOR, FOR ME.

SO AGAIN, THE BROADER QUESTION, WHAT IS THE STREET IMPACT FEE? STREET IMPACT FEE IS A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS, UH, DEVELOPMENTS TO PAY FOR THEMSELVES.

AS NEW DEVELOPMENTS COME IN, THEY TRIGGER THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE, AND IMPACT FEE PROGRAM IS A WAY TO, UH, CONSTRUCT NEW INFRASTRUCTURE JUST SO THAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE NEW DENSITY AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS UNDER THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, EACH AND EVERY DEVELOPMENT HAS TO PAY FOR THEIR FAIR AND EQUITABLE SHARE TOWARDS MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE.

UNDER THIS PROGRAM, UH, APPLICANTS HAS TO PAY FOR, UH, THE IMPACT FEE BASED ON THEIR LOCATION, INTENSITY AND THE TYPE OF DEVELOPMENTS.

AND ONE OF THE PRIMARY BENEFITS OF THE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM IS THAT IT PROVIDES THE PREDICTABILITY, CERTAINTY, AND TRANSPARENCY TO THE APPLICANTS, AND THE APPLICANTS CAN CALCULATE THEIR OBLIGATION TOWARDS MOBILITY AT THE INCEPTION OF THE PROJECT.

SO WHEN DO APPLICANTS HAVE TO PAY FOR THE IMPACT FEE? AS APPLICANTS GO THROUGH THE ZONING PROCESS, SUBDIVISION PROCESS, SITE PLAN, AND BILLING PERMIT, THEY

[00:25:01]

AND AS WE COLLECT THE FUNDING, WE SAVE THE FUNDING IN THE IMPACT FEE FUND, AND WE SPEND THEM TOWARDS THE MOBILITY PROJECTS, UH, TOWARDS OUR CAPACITY IMPROVEMENTS, ROADWAY PROJECTS, JUST SO THAT WE CAN MANAGE CONGESTION AND ENHANCE OUR EFFICIENCY ON THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

THIS IS A TENTATIVE TIMELINE OF OUR IMPACT FEE PROGRAM.

UH, THE IMPACT FEE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2020.

UH, THEN THERE WAS A GRACE PERIOD FOR 18 MONTHS.

UH, AND IN THAT 18 MONTHS, APPLICANTS WERE ABLE TO PROCESS THEIR APPLICATIONS THAT THEY SUBMITTED BEFORE THE IMPACT FEE ORDINANCE, JUST SO THAT THEY'RE NOT CAUGHT, UH, IN BETWEEN THE ADOPTION AND AFTER, UH, THE 18 MONTHS OF THE GRACE PERIOD.

WE ALSO, UH, ESTABLISHED A PUBLIC FACING DASHBOARD JUST SO THAT WE CAN SEE HOW MUCH IMPACT FEE WE HAVE COLLECTED IN EACH OF THE 17 SERVICE AREAS, HOW MUCH WE HAVE SPENT, WHAT ARE THE MOBILITY PROJECTS WE CONSTRUCTED OUT OF THE IMPACT FEE FUND.

AND MOVING FORWARD, UH, BEYOND DECEMBER OF 2023, ALL THE PROJECTS ARE GOING TO BE, UH, SUBJECT TO THE IMPACT FEE IF THE IMPACT FEE IS TRIGGERED .

SO WHEN IS IMPACT FEE TRIGGERED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS? NOT ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS TRIGGERED THE IMPACT FEE.

IT DEPENDS ON THE SIZE AND INTENSITY OF THE DEVELOPMENT.

AND TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, IMPACT FEE IS TRIGGERED WHEN A PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT, UH, GENERATES ABOUT 10 AFTERNOON PICKOUT TRIPS.

BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO IT MEANS, UH, THAT 10 AFTERNOON PICKOUT TRIPS, IT EQUALS TO ABOUT 10 TO 11 SINGLE FAMILY UNITS.

IF YOU THINK ABOUT, UH, A MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT, IT'S GONNA BE ABOUT 23, UM, MULTI-FAMILY UNITS.

UH, IF IT'S A MID-RISE APARTMENT COMPLEX, IF IT'S HIGH-RISE, THAT NUMBER IS, UH, 28 DWELLING UNITS FOR OFFICES, IT'S ABOUT 9,000 SQUARE FEET.

SO WHEN A PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT, UH, MEETS THESE THRESHOLDS, THE IMPACT FEE IS TRIGGERED.

SO UNDER THE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM, THE ENTIRE SERIES DIVIDED INTO 17 SERVICE AREAS.

AND THESE 17 SERVICE AREAS WERE, UH, CREATED BASED ON THE LAND USE, UH, ALL OVER THE CITY, PLUS THE, UH, THE TRIP LENGTH FOR EACH OF THE SERVICE AREAS.

WE HAD ESTABLISHED THE MODEL, UH, BACK IN 2020 DURING THE ADOPTION PROCESS.

AND EACH OF THE SERVICE AREAS, THEY HAVE, UH, A DIFFERENT COLLECTION RATE.

AND ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF THE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM IS THAT WHEN WE COLLECT THE IMPACT FEE IN EACH OF THE SERVICE AREAS, THE IMPACT FEE HAS TO BE SPENT WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR SERVICE AREA.

IT CANNOT CROSS THE BOUNDARY AND GO INTO ANOTHER SERVICE AREA.

UH, THERE ARE CERTAIN, UH, REDUCTIONS IN OFFSETS WE OFFER TO THE APPLICANTS WHEN THEY WORK ON THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.

AND IF THE APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS, THEY CONSTRUCT MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY, THEY GET AN OFFSET TOWARDS THE IMPACT FEE.

AND WE REALLY HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THE APPLICANTS TO, TO TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY AND CONSTRUCT MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY.

SO AS WE COLLECT THE IMPACT FEE AND PUT THEM IN THE FUND, UH, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS FUND? WHAT IS THE INTENT OF THE FUND? WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS CAN WE BUILD OUT OF THE IMPACT FEE? UH, SO DURING THE IMPACT FEE ADOPTION PROCESS BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2020, WE ESTABLISHED A 10 YEAR ROAD CAPACITY PLAN THAT INCLUDED OVER 1100 MOBILITY PROJECTS.

UH, THERE ARE DIFFERENT VARIETY OF PROJECTS IN THAT PARTICULAR, UH, ROAD CAPACITY PLAN.

IT RANGES FROM, UH, CONSTRUCTING A NEW INDUSTRY, UH, PROVIDING A NEW CONNECTION IN OUR STREET NETWORK, UH, UPGRADING STANDARD STREETS TO FULL CROSS SECTION TO PROVIDE ALL THE, UH, ELEMENTS OF THE CROSS SECTION, UH, CONVERTING ONE WAY TO TWO WAY OR VICE VERSA, PROVIDING ACCESS MANAGEMENT TO OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, IMPROVING AN INTERSECTION, ADDING ADDITIONAL LANE TO THE INTERSECTION, OR CONSTRUCTING A NEW SIGNAL OR A ROUNDABOUT.

ALL OF THESE ARE INCLUDED IN THAT 10 YEAR ROADWAY CAPACITY PLAN.

SO WHEN WE HAVE A PROJECT AND IF THE PROJECT IS, UH, FALLING WITHIN

[00:30:01]

WE ESTABLISH THE, UH, WORKSHEET HOUSE JUST SO THAT APPLICANTS CAN VERY EASILY CALCULATE THEIR OBLIGATION TOWARDS MOBILITY.

AND WE ALSO, UH, PUBLISHED A GUIDELINE FOR THE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM JUST SO THAT APPLICANTS CAN EASILY FOLLOW THROUGH THE STEPS DURING THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS.

UH, THERE ARE CERTAIN REDUCTIONS WE OFFER TO THE APPLICANTS BASED ON THE ORDINANCE, AND SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS ARE BASED ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, PROVIDED WHEN AN APPLICANT IS PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

IF IT'S, UH, 60% MFI FOR RENTAL UNITS OR 80% MFI OR HIGHER FOR, UH, OWNERSHIP UNITS, THEY GET A PARTICULAR REDUCTION IN THEIR IMPACT FEE.

IF AN APPLICANT IS, UH, DEVELOPING A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL RETAIL PLUS OFFICE ALTOGETHER, THEY ARE ABLE TO CAPTURE THE TRIPS WITHIN THE SITE.

THERE IS LESS IMPACT ON THE OVERALL STREET NETWORK.

SO THAT GIVES THE APPLICANTS A PARTICULAR REDUCTION TOWARDS IMPACT FEE.

IF AN APPLICANT IS PROPOSING A DEVELOPMENT CLOSER TO TRANSIT LINE, THAT REALLY, UH, INCENTIVIZES, UH, TRANSIT RIDERSHIP AND ALSO LESSENS THE IMPACT ON THE STREET NETWORK.

SO FOR THAT, THE APPLICANTS GET A REDUCTION TO OUR IMPACT FEE.

UH, IF THE APPLICANTS ARE PROPOSING, UH, PARKING SUPPLY LESS THAN A PARTICULAR THRESHOLD, AGAIN, THERE ARE DISCOURAGING SINGLE OCCUPANT VEHICLES ON THE STREET, SO THEY GET, UH, A REDUCTION FOR THAT AS WELL.

SO THESE ARE, UH, SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS AVAILABLE TO, UH, THE APPLICANTS JUST SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY DURING THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.

SO THIS SLIDE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW, HOW MUCH WE COLLECTED SO FAR, AND HOW MUCH WE HAVE GOTTEN CONSTRUCTED, UH, FOR MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY, AND HOW MUCH REDUCTIONS WE PROVIDED THUS FAR.

UM, SO BETWEEN JUNE OF 2022, UH, TILL JUNE OF THIS YEAR, WE HAVE COLLECTED ABOUT $10 MILLION IN OUR IMPACT FUND ACROSS THE 17 SERVICE AREAS.

AND ON TOP OF THIS $10 MILLION, WE HAVE ALSO GOTTEN ABOUT $6 MILLION WORTH MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN OUR RIGHT OF WAY.

AND IN THIS TIME WE ALSO HAD GIVEN ABOUT $2.2 MILLION, UH, AFFORDABLE REDUCTIONS TO THE APPLICANTS.

THIS IS A REPRESENTATION OF HOW MUCH WE, UH, INVOICED SO FAR AND HOW MUCH WE COLLECTED ACROSS THE 17TH SERVICE AREAS.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, TO DATE, WE HAVE COLLECTED ABOUT 20, OR WE HAVE INVOICED ABOUT $20 MILLION, BUT WE COLLECTED $10 MILLION.

SO THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN HOW MUCH WE INVOICED AND HOW MUCH WE COLLECTED.

AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REASONS FOR THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS.

GENERALLY SPEAKING, APPLICANTS LIKE TO WAIT UNTIL THE, UH, VERY END, UH, BEFORE THIS MAKE THE PAYMENT FOR THE IMPACT FEE AT THE TIME OF BUILDING PERMIT.

AND ALSO IN THE PAST, SAY, UM, 12 TO 18 MONTHS IN THE CURRENT ENROLLMENT OF HIGH INTEREST RATE, MANY APPLICANTS ARE WAITING TO SEE IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR THEM TO PULL THE BUILDING PERMIT OR WAIT FOR A DROP IN THE INTEREST RATE, UH, JUST SO THAT THEIR PROJECT BECOMES MORE FEASIBLE FOR THEM.

SO BECAUSE OF THAT REASON, THERE'S A LAG BETWEEN, UH, WHEN WE INVOICE AND WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO COLLECT THE IMPACT FEE.

THIS IS, AGAIN, A DISTRIBUTION OF THE MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS.

WE HAVE GOTTEN CONSTRUCTED WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY ACROSS THE 17 SERVICE AREAS.

AND IT'S REALLY AN OPTION TO THE APPLICANTS.

WE ALWAYS ENCOURAGE THE APPLICANTS TO BUILD THE MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY AS THEY DEVELOP THEIR SITE.

SOME DEVELOPERS, THEY DECIDE TO GO FOR IT, SOME DEVELOPERS DECIDE TO WRITE US A CHECK JUST SO THAT THEY CAN MOVE ON WITH THEIR DEVELOPMENTS.

SO IT'S REALLY AN OPTION FOR DEVELOPERS EITHER TO CONSTRUCT THE IMPROVEMENTS AND GET AN OFFSET TOWARDS THE IMPACT FEE OR WRITE US A FULL CHECK.

SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE HOW THE IMPACT FEE ALLOWS THE DEVELOPMENTS TO PAY FOR THEMSELVES.

AND

[00:35:01]

SO THAT'S WHY WE ALWAYS ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPERS TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THEMSELVES.

SO THIS IS AN AREA IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF LAMAR AND PALMER INTERSECTION IN, UH, DISTRICT, UH, SEVEN.

AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE DEVELOPMENTS THAT CAME INTO DEVELOP THE SITE.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE, UH, DISCONNECTIONS IN OUR STREET NETWORK.

IT IS NOT CONNECTED, IT'S NOT COMPACT, AND IT'S NOT REALLY PROVIDING A GOOD, UH, CONNECTIVITY TO THE COMMUNITY.

SO AS THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS CAME IN, UH, WE WORKED WITH THEM AND AS YOU CAN SEE, ONE APPLICANT CAME IN AND THEY STARTED BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, ON THE NORTHERN SIDE.

AND THEY ARE PROVIDING, UH, CONNECTIONS AND COMPLETING THE STREET NETWORK.

AND ANOTHER APPLICANT CAME IN.

THEY'RE CONSTRUCTING THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE NETWORK AND CONSTRUCTING STREET INFRASTRUCTURE AND REALLY PROVIDING THE CONNECTIVITY THAT WE NEED FOR THE NEW PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS THE EXISTING DEVELOPMENTS WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO, SO THAT'S HOW THE IMPACT FEE WORKS.

IT REALLY ALLOWS THE APPLICANTS TO CONSTRUCT SOME OF THE CONNECTIVITIES IN OUR STREET NETWORK.

AND THAT'S HOW WE CAN INCENTIVIZE DENSITY AND, UH, CONNECTIVITY AS WELL AS NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR YOU ALL TODAY.

OF COURSE, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HERE TO ANSWER.

THAT'S GREAT.

DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS? COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

IT, IT'S A GREAT WAY TO FUND THE VERY NEEDED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.

AND I, I REALLY JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT DEVELOPMENT FEES, THE STREET IMPACT FEES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT STAY WITHIN THE LOCATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT.

AND SO WHEN FOLKS ARE SEEING NEW APARTMENTS OR NEW CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE ARE MONIES HIGHLY LIKELY THAT THERE ARE MON UH, THERE'S, THERE ARE MONIES FLOWING TOWARD TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS WITHIN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL DUE TO THAT CONSTRUCTION.

I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT LINK THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO CONVEY TO OUR, UH, COMMUNITY.

UM, ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE THE STREET IMPACT FEES? LIKE IN OTHER WORDS, IS THAT MONEY JUST IN ITS OWN BUCKET OR CAN WE COMBINE THAT WITH, UH, BOND MONEY, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT MONEY, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY MEET, MAY BE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO JUST HAVE IT SITTING IN THE BANK, BUT WE CAN ACTUALLY PUT IT TO, TO USE ON THE STREETS.

UH, GREAT QUESTIONS COUNCIL MEMBER.

YES, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEVERAGE THE IMPACT WE FUND WITH ANY OTHER FUNDING SOURCES LIKE BOND OR ANY CIP FUND THAT WE HAVE.

AND WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT, HOW WE CAN JUST LEVERAGE THAT FUNDING AND NOT WAIT FOR THE BUCKET TO BUILD UP JUST SO THAT WE CAN BUILD BIGGER PROJECTS.

YES.

SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON AND THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.

'CAUSE I, IF THERE IS, AND I THINK, AGAIN, I THINK PEOPLE REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE, THE CONCEPT OF THE STREET IMPACT FEES.

THAT MY ONLY, UH, WHAT I HEAR FROM CONSTITUENTS OR CONCERN IS THAT THIS BUILDING WENT UP AND NOTHING'S HAPPENED.

YOU KNOW, LIKE WHERE IS THAT MONEY? WHY HAVEN'T WE SEEN THOSE IMPROVEMENTS? SO ANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE TO LEVERAGE OTHER MONIES AND ADVANCE THOSE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS DEFINITELY WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

MM-HMM, , I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND I'M SORRY IF I AM SETTING US BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE WE'VE COME FROM AND WHERE WE'RE HEADING ON THIS.

I KNOW WHEN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN WAS CHAIRING THIS COMMITTEE MANY YEARS AGO, THIS IS WHEN WE TOOK UP STREET IMPACT FEE AND REALLY MEETING OVER MEETING, OVER MEETING, WENT THROUGH SOME OF THE DETAILS OF HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE STRUCTURED.

STAFF DID AN AMAZING JOB ASSESSING HOW EXACTLY THESE WERE GOING TO BE APPLIED AND USED.

UM, SO MY QUESTION IS A BIT ABOUT OTH OTHER IMPROVEMENTS AND IF STREET IMPACT FEE IS APPLICABLE FOR THOSE.

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF ROADWAY CAPACITY DISCUSSION, BUT I'M CURIOUS 'CAUSE I HAVE A COUPLE OF LOCATIONS IN MY DISTRICT THAT ARE CAP METRO ROUTES, AND I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S WAYS THE CITY CAN HELP ASSIST WITH THE OTHER MODES.

I KNOW IT'S NOT GONNA BE BUILDING BUS SLIPS AND ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT COULD IT HELP PEOPLE WITH CROSSWALKS, UM, OR BEACONS TO GET TO AND FROM THESE, AS WE TRY TO LOOK AT OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN USAGE, ARE THERE WAYS TO KIND OF ENHANCE SIDEWALKS OR SHARED USE PATHS IN THIS CONVERSATION? OR IS IT MORE FOCUSED ON JUST CAR ROADWAY CAPACITY? UH, THANK YOU CHAIR.

I THINK IT'S, IT'S, UH, YES AND NO.

UH, SO YES, BECAUSE IF THERE ARE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE PART OF THE BIGGER, UH, ROADWAY, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE CONSTRUCT A NEW PROJECT OR UPGRADE A PROJECT OR SAY A SUBSTANDARD STREET, WE ARE NOT ONLY ADDING ROTARY CAPACITY, WE ARE ADDING, UH, SIDEWALK BICYCLE

[00:40:01]

SO THAT IS ALLOWED UNDER THE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM.

WHERE THE LIMITATION COMES IN IS WHEN WE ARE, UH, CONSTRUCTING OFFSET IMPROVEMENTS AWAY FROM THE SITE AND SOLELY TARGETED TOWARDS, SAY, BIKE LANE OR, OR SIDEWALK FOR THAT MATTER.

UH, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS.

IF THERE ARE MISSING LINKS IN THE PERIPHERY OF THE DEVELOPMENT BY CODE, THEY NEED TO, THEY HAVE TO CONSTRUCT SIDEWALK, BIKE LANES, WHATEVER IS IN THERE.

MM-HMM.

.

UM, BUT YEAH, SO THE LIMITATION IS POSED BY THE STATE LAW.

IT HAS TO BE PART OF THE ROTARY CAPACITY PLAN.

BUT AGAIN, IF THERE ARE PHASES THAT WE CAN CONSTRUCT, UH, IT COULD BE SAY ADDING, UH, SIDEWALK PART OF THE BIGGER ROAD PROJECT OR ADDING BACKLINE AS PART OF THE BIGGER ROAD PROJECT, THEN THAT IS ALLOWED UNDER THE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM.

BUT IT HAS TO BE A PHASE OF THE BIGGER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.

OKAY.

AND SO LET MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY.

LET'S SAY THERE IS A NEW FACILITY THAT GOES IN ON A ROAD AND THERE'S STREET IMPACT FEE USED TO EXPAND AND ENHANCE THAT ROAD.

THE MONEY MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE USED FOR AN ADJOINING PROPERTY THAT'S ALREADY CONSTRUCTED THAT MAYBE JUST DIDN'T HAVE AN A DA RAMP FOR, FOR A BUS STOP, UM, OR GETTING TO A BUS STOP ON THE SAME ROAD IF THAT PROPERTY JUST NEVER BUILT IT, 'CAUSE IT, YOU KNOW, PREDATED ORDINANCES THAT MAKE YOU BUILD A DA ACCESSIBILITY, UM, WOULD THOSE FEES BE ABLE TO BE USED TO HELP PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THAT STREET THAT WANNA USE THESE OTHER MODES? I THINK IF THAT IS TARGETED IMPROVEMENTS FOR OTHER MODES AWAY FROM THE SITE, I THINK THAT IS THE LIMITATION THAT THE STATE LAW PUTS IN, UM, ON THE IMPACT FEE UNDER THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, UH, 3 95.

OKAY.

BUT IF IT'S MAYBE ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE STREET AND COULD BE USEFUL, YOUR ASSESSMENT IS THAT MAYBE IT WOULD QUALIFY, CORRECT.

YEAH.

IF IT'S ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE STREET CLOSER TO OUR ADJACENT TO THE SITE PARK CODE, THEY NEED TO IMPROVE THAT.

AN OLDER ONE MIGHT BENEFIT FROM AN IMPROVEMENT THAT IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE NEWER DEVELOPMENT BUT STILL SERVES THE OLDER ONE IF PEOPLE ARE GETTING THERE ON THE SAME PATHWAY.

CORRECT.

YEAH, I THINK THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN, UH, REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE STATE LAW AND WE ARE TRYING TO BE AS FLEXIBLE.

WE CAN BUT ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COMPLYING WITH THE STATE LAW UNDER THE IMPACT FEE.

OKAY.

NO, I APPRECIATE THAT.

'CAUSE I REMEMBER GOING THROUGH THIS IN GREAT DETAIL MANY YEARS AGO AND I USED TO JOKE THAT WE HAD TO PUT ON OUR STREET IMPACT FEE HAT AND SAY, CLEAR THE TABLE.

WE'VE GOTTA REALLY DIG INTO WHAT THIS IS, WHAT IT DOES, HOW IT FUNCTIONS, AND WHAT OUR LIMITATIONS ARE.

AND SO IT'S JUST BEEN A COUPLE YEARS SINCE WE WENT THROUGH THAT.

BUT, UM, APPRECIATE THAT.

AND I WILL SAY, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER DIFFERENT, UH, WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE SIDEWALK BIKES AND PUBLIC TRANSIT CONNECTIVITY.

UM, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE KNOW THE LIMITATIONS OF STREET IMPACT FEE IN PARTICULAR.

THANK YOU, JIM.

THAT'S GREAT.

THANK YOU.

I THINK THAT COVERS IT FOR THIS ITEM.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OUR NEXT ITEM

[4. Electrification of Fleet update from the City of Austin Fleet Mobility Services and CapMetro.]

SO WE APPRECIATE HAVING BOTH HERE TODAY.

UM, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA AND I BOTH ARE FORTUNATE TO SERVE ON THE BOARD OF CAT METRO AND SO WE KNOW WE'VE SEEN SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT MAY BE PRESENTED HERE IN A MINUTE IN THAT CAPACITY, BUT ALWAYS LOVE TO CROSS POLLINATE THE INFORMATION THAT'S COMING SO EVERYBODY CAN BE ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT, UM, WHERE THESE UPDATES ARE.