Nov 19, 2024 Design

[00:00:03]

UH, 6 0 3.

[CALL TO ORDER]

COMMISSIONER CARROLL PRESENT.

COMMISSIONER GALLES.

COMMISSIONER HOWARD.

PRESENT.

UH, COMMISSIONER LADNER.

HERE.

COMMISSIONER LUKINS.

UH, COMMISSIONER MCKINNEY.

COMMISSIONER WALLACE PRESENT, UH, COMMISSIONER WI TRUCK.

AND WE HAVE A VACANCY AT DISTRICT SIX.

UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO ONE IS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

ALL RIGHT.

ABOUT, IS

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

ALL RIGHT.

I'LL SECOND.

ALL RIGHT.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOOD.

ALL RIGHT.

OUR FIRST

[2. Presentation by John Rigdon, Waterloo Greenway, regarding an update on the Palm Park design process.]

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

I FEEL LIKE WE'RE VERY SPREAD OUT, BUT I'LL, UH, DO MY BEST TO ENGAGE EVERYONE.

UH, I'M JOINED UP HERE BY MY COLLEAGUES, RA VELES AND MELISSA AYLA, AND THEY'RE HERE TO HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS.

THEY'VE BEEN INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THE PALM PARK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DESIGN PROCESS AS WELL.

AND FRAY IS THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR PALM PARK DESIGN.

UH, SO WE ARE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DEVELOP WATERLOO GREENWAY, WHICH IS A 35 ACRE PARKS AND OPEN SPACE PROJECT ALONG THE LOWER REACH OF WALLER CREEK, ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF OF THE CREEK ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF DOWNTOWN.

UH, IN 2021, WE OPENED PHASE ONE, WHICH WAS WATERLOO PARK AND HAVE BEEN OPERATING AND PROGRAMMING THAT SINCE WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION ON PART OF PHASE TWO, WHICH IS WE CALL THE CONFLUENCE, WHICH IS FROM FOURTH STREET DOWN TO THE LAKE, UM, TRAILS AND CREEK RESTORATION THERE.

AND WE ANTICIPATE OPENING THAT IN 2026.

SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY IS OUR ONGOING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DESIGN PROCESS FOR THE, THE SECOND HALF OF PHASE TWO, UH, WHICH IS THE HISTORIC PALM PARK, UH, WHICH IS BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD STREET ALONG THE I 35 FRONTAGE ROAD.

UH, WE ARE, UH, WORKING, AS I SAID, WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

UH, IN PARTICULAR THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT IS PARTNERING WITH US ON, UH, FUNDING AND MANAGING THE SCOPE OF WORK.

SO, AS I MENTIONED, HERE'S CONTEXT FOR WATERLOO GREENWAY NORTH IS TO THE RIGHT, JUST TO, TO BETTER FIT OUR SCREENS THERE.

UH, PALM PARK IS AGAIN, BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD STREET ALONG THE FRONTAGE ROAD, UH, CALLED OUT THERE IN ORANGE.

UH, IT IS PART OF PHASE TWO, AS I MENTIONED, AND WE'LL STITCH TOGETHER WITH THE CONFLUENCE ONCE COMPLETE.

WE'RE TARGETING, UH, MOVING INTO CONSTRUCTION AS SOON AS WE'RE DONE WITH THE CONFLUENCE, HOPEFULLY IN 2026, UH, WITH A CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE TO BE DETERMINED ONCE WE HAVE A CONTRACTOR ON BOARD.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

SO WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY IS ABOUT ALMOST A YEAR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK WE DID, UH, TO INFORM A CONCEPT DESIGN THAT I'LL SHARE WITH Y'ALL THAT WE'VE SINCE BEEN MOVING, UH, INTO A SCHEMATIC DESIGN, UM, THAT WE'RE DEVELOPING NOW.

AND LOOKS LIKE THE SLIDE, I LOST THE SLIDES THERE FOR A SECOND.

UH, ALSO WHILE THAT'S GETTING PULLED BACK UP, I'LL MENTION THAT WE WORK CLOSELY WITH CORTEZ CONSULTING ON OUR COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT.

AND LAURA CORTEZ AND HER TEAM WERE REALLY INSTRUMENTAL TO HELPING US, UH, WORK ON THIS PROCESS, UH, ONLINE.

AND WE CAN SHARE THIS WITH THE LIAISON SO Y'ALL CAN SEE IT AS WELL.

UH, WE HAVE A FULL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REPORT.

I'M GONNA GO OVER A SUMMARY OF THAT WORK, BUT THERE'S A HUNDRED PLUS PAGE REPORT THAT SHOWS ALL THE BACKUP DOCUMENTATION FROM THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.

IT'S AVAILABLE THERE@WILEYGREENWAY.ORG SLASH FUTURE.

AND WE CAN ALSO SHARE THAT AS A PDF, UH, WITH YOU ALL AS WELL IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

WE REALLY SEQUENCE THIS WORK IN THREE PHASES, UH, INTENDING TO REALLY BUILD TOWARDS A SPECIFIC CONCEPT DESIGN.

UM, THIS OUTLINES WHAT THOSE PHASES WERE BROADLY, UM, STARTING WITH KIND OF GROUNDING EXERCISES, BUILDING ON WHAT WE'VE DISCUSSED WITH THE COMMUNITY IN THE PAST, WHAT WE'VE RESEARCHED AND OUR HISTORY REPORTS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD.

AND THEN MOVING TOWARDS SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS, UH, AS WELL AS GENERAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH, WRAPPING UP WITH ENGAGEMENT REPORTS, A CONCEPT DESIGN, AND GETTING SOME FEEDBACK ON HOW WE DID WITH THAT WORK.

TO MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE CAN SEE AN OVERALL TIMELINE OF HOW THAT WORK WENT.

UH, REALLY THIS STRETCHED OUT TO, UH, ABOUT 10 MONTHS OF WORK, UH, STRADDLING BETWEEN SUMMER OF 2023 AND MOVING INTO SPRING OF 2024, UH, WITH SOME OF THOSE HIGHLIGHTS CALLED OUT THERE ON THAT TIMELINE.

[00:05:01]

OUR ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES BROADLY ARE OUTLINED HERE.

UH, THEY RANGED FROM INDIVIDUAL ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS, UH, PARTNER PROMOTION, EMAIL CAMPAIGNS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND EVEN BLOCK WALKING AND, AND DOOR HANGING, UH, WITH FLYERS SO THAT WE COULD ENGAGE, UH, DIFFERENT GROUPS OF THE COMMUNITY DURING THAT 10 MONTH TIME PERIOD.

NEXT SLIDE.

IN TOTAL, WE ENGAGED OVER 2000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS DURING THIS PROCESS.

UM, HERE ARE SOME BREAKDOWN OF THOSE NUMBERS.

UH, WE HAD IMPORTANT TO US, WE REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON PARTICULAR GROUPS WITH HISTORY WITH PALM PARK AND WITH THE PALM SCHOOL, WHICH IS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT.

SO YOU CAN SEE THERE IN OUR SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS, SURVEYS, UH, AND TARGETED DESIGN CONVERSATIONS.

WE ENGAGED, UH, OVER 20 PALM SCHOOL ALUM.

UH, SO PALM SCHOOL CLOSED IN 1976.

SO WE WERE REALLY PROUD OF BEING ABLE TO MEET SOME OF THOSE FOLKS WHERE THEY ARE AND INVITE THEM TO COME JOIN US FOR THOSE CONVERSATIONS SO WE COULD REALLY TIE THIS PROCESS MEANINGFULLY TO THE HISTORY OF PALM SCHOOL AND PALM PARK.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

IMPORTANTLY, WE ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, TRACKED ALL OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC AND LOCATION DATA FROM OUR ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.

UH, OBVIOUSLY WE REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON THE AREAS IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING WALOO, GREENWAY AND, AND PALM SCHOOL AND PALM OR IN PALM PARK, UH, BUT ALSO, UH, AS WE LOOK TO ENGAGE, UH, FAMILIES THAT USE THE PARK IN THE PAST AND PALM SCHOOL ALUM, YOU CAN SEE OUR ENGAGEMENT STRETCHED OUT TO OTHER AREAS FURTHER OUT FROM KIND OF DOWNTOWN THE CITY CENTER, UH, PARTICULARLY 7, 8, 7, 4, 4, UH, WHERE THE NEW PALM SCHOOL IS, AND ACTUALLY WHERE A LOT OF FOLKS, UH, WHO ATTENDED THE OLD PALM SCHOOL AND USED PALM PARK, UH, THEIR FAMILIES HAVE RELOCATED AND ARE, SOME OF THEM HAVE, UH, GRANDCHILDREN WHO ARE ATTENDEES OF THE NEW PALM SCHOOL.

SO WE HAD SOME REALLY EXCITING CONVERSATIONS AROUND THAT, AND YOU CAN SEE A GENERAL BREAK BREAKDOWN OF, OF THOSE ZIP CODES.

THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SOME KEY THEMES.

I WON'T READ ALL OF THIS, BUT, UH, THEMES EMERGED THAT REALLY ALIGNED WITH PAST CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD ABOUT PALM PARK DATING BACK TO THE DESIGN COMPETITION, UH, IN 2012, UM, AND KIND OF EARLIER CONVERSATIONS WE HAD IN 2016 THAT LED US TO PAUSE THIS WORK AND REENGAGE IN 2023.

UH, SOME OF THOSE THEMES, PEOPLE REALLY WANTED THE SPACE TO FEEL WELCOMING, SAFE, HONOR, THE HISTORY OF THE PARK, AND IMPORTANTLY, ONE OF THE THEMES WE HEARD, AGAIN AND AGAIN, WAS A FAMILY FRIENDLY FOCUS FOR PALM PARK.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

BUILDING FURTHER ON THAT, UM, WE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT REFLECTING HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THE PARK.

HAD SOME GREAT FEEDBACK ABOUT HONORING THE HISTORY OF KEY PHYSICAL ASSETS IN THE PARK, LIKE THE, UH, HISTORIC AND, AND NO LONGER PRESENT SWIMMING POOL.

UH, THE BEAUTIFUL SHELTER HOUSE, BUT ALSO PARTNERING WITH LOCAL ARTISAN ARTISANS, UH, FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DESIGN ASPECTS OF THE NEW PARK.

UM, THE WAY PEOPLE REALLY WANTED TO USE THE PARK.

UH, THEY SAW IT AS AN IMPORTANT BRIDGE BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND DOWNTOWN.

UH, AGAIN, FAMILY FRIENDLY SPACES IN DOWNTOWN ARE AT A PREMIUM.

UH, THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH OF THEM RIGHT NOW.

SO BRINGING THAT BACK IN AND REALLY, UH, TYING THE SPACE TOGETHER WITH THE HISTORY AND CULTURE, UH, THAT WE DISCUSSED AND, AND HAD RESEARCHED.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, AGAIN, KIND OF A BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THOSE ENGAGEMENT EXERCISES WE DID.

WE WENT ALL OVER Y ALLALL, WE DID, UM, BOO THE FLU.

WE WENT TO SCHOOL SHOWCASES AND WE MET PEOPLE WHERE THEY WERE.

WE HOSTED SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS, TARGETED ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS WITH IMPORTANT COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

UH, AND ALSO AT OUR CREEK SHOW EVENT LAST YEAR, WE HAD A REALLY COOL DOT DEMOCRACY POPUP EXERCISE WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE OVER A THOUSAND ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND BRIEF CONVERSATIONS, BUT REALLY IMPACTFUL TO BUILDING ON THE WORK WE'VE DONE IN THOSE SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

HERE'S JUST SOME IMAGERY FROM SOME OF THOSE SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS.

UM, YOU CAN SEE WE DID SOME REALLY INTERACTIVE EXERCISES, UM, AND, UH, YOU CAN ALSO SEE WE, WE WORKED WITH SOME KIDS WHO, UH, WERE THERE WITH THEIR PARENTS, BUT ALSO BECAME AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.

AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT WHEN I GET TO THE END OF THE PRESENTATION AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR CONCEPT DESIGN IDEAS.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

SO WITH THAT, UM, I'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CONCEPT DESIGN THAT WAS INFORMED BY THOSE CONVERSATIONS.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

SO AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.

YOU CAN SEE, SEE THE IMPORTANT CON UH, ADJACENCY TO PALM SCHOOL.

OBVIOUSLY I 35 BEING OUR IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOR, UM, CHANGES WITH THAT.

THE, THE POTENTIAL CAPS OF THIS LOCATION COULD BE REALLY IMPACTFUL.

AND THEN THE CONNECTION TO WATERLOO GREENWAY, WHICH YOU CAN SEE JUST, YOU KNOW, PAGE UP THERE OR IMMEDIATELY TO THE WEST.

UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF ADDITIONAL CONTEXT.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SOME ADDED CONTEXT JUST TO HIGHLIGHT WHERE WE STARTED WAS WHAT THE PHYSICAL ASSETS AND KIND OF ADJACENCIES WERE.

SO, UH, WE REALLY WANTED TO BE SURE WE RESPECT

[00:10:01]

WITH THE FOCUS ON PLAY, WE WANTED TO CREATE APPROPRIATE PLAY ROOMS THAT WERE SCALED THE RIGHT SIZE AND GEARED TOWARDS DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS.

UM, INCORPORATE, OBVIOUSLY THE EXISTING TREES.

I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.

CONNECTIONS TO THE SURROUNDING AREA THAT ARE SAFE AND MANAGED ARE REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, AND A, A A FOCUS AND A CONSIDERATION ON ITS LOCATION.

THIS IS IN DOWNTOWN.

IT IS BUSY.

WE ARE BRINGING FAMILIES AND CHILDREN BACK HERE, SO WE HAVE TO DESIGN ACCORDINGLY.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THEN OUR DESIGN TEAM, AND I SHOULD MENTION, WE WE'RE WORKING WITH MICHAEL VANVALKENBERG AND ASSOCIATES OUT OF NEW YORK, WHO ARE THE LEAD DESIGNERS ON THIS, AND A TREMENDOUS TEAM OF LOCAL EXPERTS WHO ARE SUPPORTING THAT TEAM.

WITH ALL THE DATA THAT WE GATHERED DURING THIS PROCESS, WENT THROUGH ALL THE, YOU KNOW, NEARLY A THOUSAND INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN COMMENTS AND CLUSTERED THEM, UH, BASED ON THEMES.

AND SO WHAT EMERGED FROM THAT PROCESS IS THESE FIVE KEY THEMES THAT YOU SEE HERE, AND YOU'LL SEE HOW THOSE SHAPED OUR CONCEPT DESIGN.

AND WE'VE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THAT AND DEVELOP IT INTO SPECIFICS DURING SCHEMATIC DESIGN.

UH, SO THOSE THEMES WERE PARK TREES AND SHADE, UH, FAMILY AND PLAY GATHERING SPACES, PLACES OF MEMORY AND COMMUNITY IDENTITY.

AND I'LL WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE KIND OF PHYSICAL EXPRESSIONS OF EACH OF THESE IN THE CONCEPT DESIGN.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO YOU CAN SEE HERE JUST A SNAPSHOT OF, UH, HOW ALL THOSE COMMENTS WERE CLUSTERED TOGETHER.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE LITERALLY GROUPED THEM ALL, LOOKED AT THEM ALL, AND OFTEN EVEN PUT THEM UP ON THE WALL TO HELP CLUSTER THEM.

AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REPORT IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE WE ARE COVERING ALL THE GREAT FEEDBACK WE GOT.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO FIRST, UM, LOOKING AT TREES IN THE PARK, UH, THE PARK HAS SOME WONDERFUL HISTORIC TREES.

IT ACTUALLY HAS A STATE CHAMPION DURAND OAK.

I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU BECOME A STATE CHAMPION TREE, BUT IT IS A BEAUTIFUL TREE, UH, AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF OTHER SIGNIFICANT HERITAGE LIVE OAKS.

UH, SO WE WANT TO PRESERVE AND UTILIZE THE SHADE THAT THOSE TREES CREATE, BUT ALSO, UH, PLANT FOR THE FUTURE.

SO SURROUNDING THOSE PLAY AREAS, THOSE GATHERING SPACES, MAKING SURE WE'RE PLANTING TREES, UH, TO BE SUCCESSFUL FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

SO THAT MEANS INVESTING IN THE SOILS AND THE RIGHT PLANTING APPROACHES TO MAKE SURE THOSE TREES ARE HEALTHY AND SURVIVE LONG TERM.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

AND SHADE WAS ONE OF THOSE REALLY IMPORTANT THEMES UNIVERSALLY.

IN ADDITION TO THE, THE BENEFITS OF PRESERVING THE TREES THEMSELVES.

ALSO ACROSS THE BOARD, WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, UH, CREATING A SPACE FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN IN DOWNTOWN AND BACK IN THIS PARK, UH, HONORING THAT HISTORY AS A FAMILY GATHERING SPACE.

SO OUR TEAM LOOKED REALLY CLOSELY AT, AT, AT HOW WE COULD FIT THE DIFFERENT APPROPRIATE SIZED PLAY ROOMS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, SO THAT, UH, CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT AGES, UH, AND ABILITIES COULD HAVE PLACES TO PLAY, BUT ALSO CLUSTERING THOSE SO GUARDIANS COULD SIT IN STRATEGIC LOCATIONS WITHOUT HAVING TO MOVE FROM SPOT TO SPOT TO SPOT, UH, IF THEY HAD KIDS OF DIFFERENT AGES.

SO, UH, YOU CAN SEE HERE A LITTLE KIND OF SCHEMATIC OF HOW THAT WOULD ALL WORK TOGETHER.

I'LL ALSO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MAJOR FOCUSES OF THIS WORK, UH, ACROSS OUR WHOLE, THE WHOLE GREENWAY AND THROUGHOUT THESE CONVERSATIONS WAS MAKING SURE WE HAVE A FOCUS ON NATURE-BASED PLAY AND THE MATERIALITY, BUT ALSO SOME SPECIFIC NATURE PLAY ELEMENTS THAT WILL COME THROUGH, UH, IN THE PARK AND THROUGHOUT THE GREENWAY.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO, I, I, I SAID I'D COME BACK TO THIS, UH, AND HERE WE ARE.

ONE OF THE REALLY COOL, UH, ASPECTS OF THIS PROJECT IS THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONVERSATIONS AND THE, AND THE GREAT WORK THAT OUR, UH, ENGAGEMENT WITH LOCAL CHILDREN, UH, WERE DOING DURING THAT PROCESS.

UH, AND WORKING WITH PLAYSCAPE DESIGNERS WHO ARE ON OUR TEAM FROM A COMPANY CALLED STROM IN DENMARK THAT MAKES CUSTOM, UH, PLAY STRUCTURES.

WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME WORKSHOPS, TWO HALF DAY WORKSHOPS WITH MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER SUMMER CAMPS, UH, WHERE WE GAVE KIDS THE THEME OF THE PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF CENTRAL TEXAS AND ASKED THEM TO DESIGN US THEIR OWN PLAY SCAPES USING, UH, THREE DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS LIKE CLAY AND PIPE CLEANERS AND POPSICLE STICKS.

ALSO DRAWING WITH A RANGE OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS.

YOU CAN SEE THERE, WE HAD TONS OF INSPIRATION IMAGERY, AND SOME OF OUR STAFF AS WELL AS OUR DESIGN TEAM FACILITATED, UH, THESE MEETINGS AND OUR PLAYSCAPE DESIGNERS ARE COLLECTING, COLLECTED ALL THE MATERIALS.

AND WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BUILD SOME OF THESE UNIQUE CENTRAL TEXAS CREATURES THAT ARE, UH, WONDERFUL WORKSHOP, UH, VOLUNTEERS PUT TOGETHER.

SO Y'ALL CAN ANTICIPATE SEEING SOME ONE OF A KIND UNIQUE, MAYBE CENTRAL TEXAS HYBRID CREATURES THAT WILL EXIST IN THIS PARK.

AND I THINK BE, UH, YOU KNOW, A NICE REMINDER OF THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, BUT ALSO HOPEFULLY SOME ICONIC STRUCTURES THAT REALLY SYMBOLIZE TO FAMILIES AND CHILDREN THAT THIS IS A PLACE FOR YOU IN DOWNTOWN.

AND YOU CAN SEE SOME, SOME FUN IMAGES THERE OF, OF THOSE WORKSHOPS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, GOING A LITTLE FURTHER, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE OTHER MAJOR THEMES WE HEARD WAS THE NEED FOR GATHERING SPACES OF DIFFERENT SIZES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES.

[00:15:01]

AT A LARGER SCALE, THIS WILL BE A MUCH SMALLER SCALE.

IT'LL BE MORE CASUAL GATHERINGS AND GET TOGETHERS, PLACES WHERE YOU CAN HAVE A BIRTHDAY PARTY OR COME HAVE LUNCH WHEN YOU USE THE PLAYGROUNDS.

AND SO WE LOOKED AT A RANGE OF DIFFERENT SPACES THROUGHOUT THE PARK, AND YOU CAN SEE KIND OF THAT SPECTRUM THERE IN THE IMAGERY ON THE LEFT, UH, FROM OPEN LAWN AREAS TO MORE FORMAL STONE SEATING AND FLEXIBLE TABLES IN BETWEEN.

SO THAT'S SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT THE PARK THERE IN THOSE ORANGE AREAS THAT YOU CAN SEE, AGAIN, FOCUSED ON THE SHADED AREAS UNDER THE TREES.

NEXT SLIDE SWING.

UM, IMPORTANT AS WELL WAS LOOKING TO THE PAST AND HONORING THAT, BUT ALSO BRINGING IT FORWARD, UH, TO THE PRESENT.

UH, SO THOSE AMENITIES IN THE PARK CAN BE RESTORED AND ENHANCED AND SERVE NEW GENERATIONS OF PARK USERS.

SO ONE OF THOSE KEY ELEMENTS IS THIS BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC SHELTER HOUSE WE HAVE IN THE PARK.

UH, THIS IS A 1930S SHELTER HOUSE.

UH, THERE ARE ABOUT A DOZEN OF THESE AROUND AUSTIN.

THERE'S SOME OF THE FIRST PARKS BUILDINGS WE HAD, UH, AS A COMMUNITY.

THEY HAD RESTROOM FACILITIES, STORAGE SERVED AS THE BACKDROP FOR MOVIE NIGHTS AND PLAYS, AND WE'RE KIND OF A CENTRAL COMMUNITY SPACE WITHIN THE PARKS.

PALM PARKS IS NO DIFFERENT.

IT WAS THE HUB FOR A LOT OF COMMUNITY EVENINGS, CHILDREN'S PLAY.

ALSO A LOT OF, UH, OUTDOOR TIME FOR THE SCHOOL.

SO LOOKING TO THAT, WE WANT TO RESTORE, UH, THE EXISTING SHELTER HOUSE.

AND THEN WE'VE COME UP WITH SOME CONCEPTS OF PUTTING A NEW, UH, SORT OF FLOATING ROOF OVER TOP OF THAT, UH, SO THAT WE CAN PRESERVE THE EXISTING STRUCTURE AS IS, PROVIDE A BIT MORE SHADE AND BREATHABILITY FOR THE FACILITY AND EXPAND, UH, THE SHADE AND FOOTPRINT OF THAT OVERALL.

AND THEN WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME REALLY INTERESTING WAYS TO BRING BACK SOME OF THE FOND MEMORIES FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UH, PARTICULARLY CENTERED AROUND FOURSQUARE AND OTHER ACTIVITIES, UH, ON THE CONCRETE PADS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THAT.

SO WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER SOME FUN IDEAS FOR IT THAT WILL HONOR THAT.

UH, MOVING FORWARD TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

ANOTHER KEY, UH, MEMORY FOR THE COMMUNITY WAS THE PALM PARK POOL.

UH, AS PART OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT'S AQUATICS MASTER PLAN, THIS POOL WAS DECOMMISSIONED IN 2009 AND SINCE HAS BEEN, UH, DEMOLISHED, HOWEVER, THE MEMORY OF THE POOL REMAINS AND IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY.

UH, GIVEN ITS LOCATION AND THE WORK OF THE AQUATICS MASTER PLAN, THIS IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR A POOL NOW, HOWEVER, THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T FIND MEANINGFUL WAYS TO HONOR THAT.

SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING IS A WAY TO CREATE A SHADE STRUCTURE, UM, THAT MIMICS SOME OF THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A SWIMMING POOL.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BRINGS BACK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE, THOSE MEMORIES OF USING THE POOL, SO COOLING IN THE SUMMER AREAS FOR FAMILIES TO GATHER IN SMALL GROUPS, UM, AND KIND OF JUST A, A PLACE FOR THE MANY DIFFERENT EVENTS, UH, THAT PEOPLE HAVE IN THEIR LIVES, WHETHER THAT BE BIRTHDAY PARTIES OR FAMILY REUNIONS.

SO WE THINK WE CAN HONOR THAT WITH A COOL STRUCTURE AS WELL AS HAVE SOME INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE, UH, THAT REFLECTS THAT PAST AS A SWIMMING POOL.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

UH, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY IDENTITY.

SO WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT WAYS TO ENGAGE THE LOCAL ARTS COMMUNITY AND ARTISANS.

AND ONE OF THE IDEAS WE'VE BEEN EXPLORING IS, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE CONTROLLED ACCESS IN CERTAIN WAYS TO A LARGE PLAYGROUND LIKE THIS, PARTICULARLY SINCE IT'S LOCATED IN SUCH A, A DENSE URBAN AREA WITH LOTS OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.

SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE GATES OR PORTALS AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, AS WELL AS A FENCE LINE TO HELP MANAGE, UH, THE FLOW OF, OF CHILDREN, UH, NOT LEAVING THE, THE PARK WITHOUT, UH, SUPERVISION.

SO WE LOOKED AT WAYS OF KIND OF BRINGING THAT TRADITION THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS OF THESE REALLY INTERESTING, UH, GATES AND ARCHWAYS AROUND, PARTICULARLY THE EAST SIDE, BUT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, AND HOPEFULLY PARTNERING WITH SOME LOCAL ARTISANS TO PUT SOME UNIQUE AND INTERESTING PORTALS INTO THE PARK.

AND HERE ARE SOME OF THOSE LOCATIONS AND IDEAS THAT WE'RE FURTHER DEVELOPING NOW.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE HERE HOW ALL THOSE LAYERS COME TOGETHER.

AGAIN, THIS IS A CONCEPT, UH, LEVEL, UH, KIND OF PLAN.

WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING FURTHER A SCHEMATIC DESIGN PLAN THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TOGETHER EARLY NEXT YEAR THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THESE THEMES THAT YOU SEE HERE AND THE LOCATIONS WE'VE IDENTIFIED.

AND WE GOT A LOT OF GREAT FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY WHEN WE BROUGHT THESE STRATEGIES BACK TO THEM AS PART OF THAT ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO WITH THAT, UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS Y'ALL HAVE AND, AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME PRESENT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UH, DOES ANY COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? WELL, I AM, FOR ONE, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THIS MOVE FORWARD INTO THE NEXT PHASE.

WHAT ARE THE TIMELINES AGAIN, TO, TO START CONSTRUCTION AND, YEAH.

SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THAT WILL BE FUNDING DEPENDENT.

WE'RE, WE'RE FUNDRAISING RIGHT NOW FOR THIS PHASE OF WORK.

UM, THE SOONEST THAT THIS COULD START GETTING BUILT IS, UH, PROBABLY MID 2026.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE USING

[00:20:01]

AND IDEALLY, WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE FINISHED DESIGN FUNDRAISING AND HAVE EVERYTHING READY TO GO TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON PALM PARK ONCE THE CONFLUENCE IS COMPLETE.

AND THEN THE TIMELINE FOR COMPLETING THAT WILL DEPEND ON THE CONTRACTOR, BUT I WOULD ESTIMATE ABOUT TWO YEARS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF PALM PARK.

OKAY.

YEAH, IT'S A REALLY EXCITING PROJECT.

UM, JUST CURIOUS ABOUT ANY OF THE PROTECTION MECHANISMS, UH, ALONG THAT FRONTAGE ROAD.

UM, WHAT DO Y'ALL HAVE PLANNED FOR THAT? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION.

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A, A COMMENT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE WITNESSED AND ALSO SOMETHING WE HEARD A LOT, UH, FROM THE COMMUNITY.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE EXPLORING IS SIMILAR TO MANY OTHER KIND OF CITY PLAYGROUNDS, LOOKING AT ENCLOSING THE PLAYGROUND FULLY, UH, WITH A FENCE LINE, UM, SO THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MANAGE ACCESS AND, AND NOT HAVE THOSE HAZARDS OF FOLKS RUNNING INTO THE FRONTAGE ROAD, AS WELL AS, UH, DENSE PLANTINGS, KIND OF TO SCREEN THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

THE OTHER THING THAT WILL BE HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIMELINE IS THE BEARING UNDERGROUND AND EXPANSION OF THE HIGHWAY AND THE POTENTIAL CAPS.

THERE WILL NOT BE A CAP ALL ALONG THAT EASTERN EDGE, HOWEVER, THE HIGHWAY KIND OF GEOMETRY WILL CHANGE AND THE FRONTAGE ROAD WILL GO DOWN.

SO WE WON'T HAVE THAT IMMEDIATE VEHICULAR CONFLICT RIGHT THERE.

WE WILL HAVE TO MANAGE THE FACT THAT THERE'S KIND OF A, A DEPRESSED FRONTAGE ROAD THAT COMES UP.

SO THAT'S FURTHER WHY WE'RE EXPLORING SOME OF THESE FENCE LINE, UH, FENCE CONCEPTS TO HELP BETTER MANAGE, UH, THAT POTENTIAL HAZARD.

OKAY.

UM, YEAH, I'M EXCITED TO SEE IT.

I DRIVE PAST IT ALL THE TIME AND, AND BEEN SEEING THE STAGING AND ALL THAT DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING THERE.

BUT YEAH, JUST EXCITED TO SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO SOMETHING THAT'S FOR FAMILIES AND WHATNOT.

SO EXCITED.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? WELL, WE APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.

OH, COMMISSIONER HOWARD.

ALL RIGHT.

UM, SO I, I NOTICED YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A PRETTY THOUGHTFUL JOB OF, UH, THINKING ABOUT SHADING FOR GATHERING PLACES.

HOW HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN THINKING ABOUT, UM, THE WAY THAT THIS PARK DEVELOPMENT INTERACTS WITH THE MAIN TRAIL AND ALSO THE STREET FRONTAGES? UM, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THIS DOESN'T HAVE A BUNCH OF, IT'S NOT, DOESN'T HAVE A BIG PARKING LOT PLANNED.

YEAH.

SO PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE GETTING HERE SOMEHOW.

UM, AND HAVE YOU GUYS THOUGHT ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE AND AND DESIGNED FOR IT? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION.

SO I THINK THIS ALSO RELATES TO PART OF WHY WE'VE BEEN EXPLORING THAT KIND OF ENCLOSED PLAY AREA CONCEPT.

SO THE AREAS THAT ARE HEAVILY FOCUSED ON PLAY AND, AND CHILDREN WILL HAVE THAT SURROUNDING FENCE.

AND THEN THERE IS KIND OF A, AN EXCESS PATH DOWN TO THE MAIN BUSIER TRAIL THAT MOVES THROUGH THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE PARK.

UM, SO THAT WILL BE BUSIER AND MORE OPEN.

UH, THE OTHER THING THAT WE ARE EXPLORING IS, SO ULTIMATELY WHEN, UH, THE HIGHWAY IS DEPRESSED AND THE, THE CAPS ARE COMPLETE, THE CURRENT PLAN SHOWS THIRD STREET, WHICH IS IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTH OF PALM PARK BEING CLOSED TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC EAST WEST.

SO THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THAT GIVES US IS, IS THE STREET WOULD THEN BECOME A DEAD END, WHICH WOULD EFFECTIVELY TURN INTO A DROP OFF ZONE AND A TURNAROUND.

SO WHAT WE'VE EXPLORED WITH THE DESIGN IS CREATING A DROP OFF ZONE JUST NORTH OF THE PARK, UH, WHERE THERE WOULD BE THAT DEAD END THIRD STREET THAT KIND OF TURNS AROUND.

SO HAVING THAT BE KIND OF THE DROP OFF ZONE WHERE PEOPLE CAN DROP OFF KIDS, DROP OFF SNACKS, MAYBE EVEN HAVE, UH, SOME FOOD TRUCKS SET UP THERE, AND THEN WE WOULD LOOK TO SURROUNDING PARKING, LIKE THE CONVENTION CENTER GARAGES TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO PARK THERE AFTER UTILIZING THAT DROP OFF ZONE.

SO THAT'S ONE THING WE'VE EXPLORED.

AND THE OTHER OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL BE, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL KIND OF REACHING TOWARDS AS A COMMUNITY.

UM, THIS HAS A DIRECT ACCESSIBLE CONNECTION TO THE FOUR STREET RAIL STATION, UH, ON THE CONFLUENCE.

SO THE LANCE ARMSTRONG BIKEWAY AND THE FOURTH STREET RAIL STATION COULD DIRECTLY CONNECT TO THE PARK WITHOUT CROSSING A STREET.

SO THAT ACCESSIBILITY WILL BE IMPROVED.

AND THEN ULTIMATELY WHEN THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DONE THE WHOLE WAY UP TO WATERLOO PARK AND UT AND DOWN TO THE LAKE IS FULLY OFF STREET AS A TRAIL NETWORK.

SO WE HOPE THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, MAKE THINGS FEEL A LITTLE CLOSER AND OPEN UP MORE PARKING OPTIONS OR TRANSIT OPTIONS THAT RIGHT NOW FEEL PRETTY FAR AND SCARY TO ACCESS THIS AREA.

SO KIND OF A SHORT TERM MIDTERM AND LONGER TERM STRATEGY THAT I, I HOPE, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSES SOME OF THOSE PARKING CONCERNS.

AND, AND HOW HAVE YOU GUYS, UM, THOUGHT ABOUT SHADE ON THOSE, THOSE WALKING ROUTES? YEAH, SO THE BIGGEST STRATEGY FOR THE WALKING ROUTES FOR SHADE IS TREES.

UM, JUST FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE CONFLUENCE BETWEEN FOURTH STREET AND THE LAKE, WE'RE PLANTING 1600 TREES.

UM, AND IN WATERLOO WE PLANTED 500.

SO, YOU KNOW, ON A BLOCK BY BLOCK BASIS, THAT'S GONNA BE THOUSANDS MORE TREES.

WE BRING IN OBVIOUSLY DAY ONE SHADE.

[00:25:01]

ALSO, ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE ACCIDENTAL BENEFITS OF THE INTENSE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AROUND HERE IS WE GET A LOT OF SHADE FROM THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS, UH, EXCEPT WHEN THE SUN'S DIRECTLY OVERHEAD.

SO THE TRAIL ITSELF IS ACTUALLY QUITE SHADED AND BREEZY MOST OF THE DAY, EVEN NOW, AND WILL BE EVEN MORE SO ONCE THOSE TREES ARE IN CHAIR, IF I MAY.

YEP.

COMMISSIONER GALLES.

UM, JUST A COMMENT TO SAY, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND IT'S VERY ENCOURAGING AND, UM, EXCITING.

WHAT, WHAT WE CAN SEE HERE AND THE, UH, PHASE THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE AT LEAVES, UM, YOU KNOW, LEAVES US IN A POSITION WHERE WE CAN OFFER, UM, STILL OFFER, YOU KNOW, OUR THOUGHTS AND INPUT.

AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE BRINGING IT TO US AT THIS CONCEPT STAGE AND ALSO APPRECIATE ALL OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORT.

UM, SO I APPLAUD, APPLAUD YOU FOR THAT.

I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY FANTASTIC.

UH, ONE, ONE, UH, COMMENT, UH, THAT I'D LIKE TO MAKE MORE THAN A QUESTION IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT ON THE SORT OF MORE UTILITY SIDE.

I THINK THE DESIGN SEEMS BRILLIANT, YOU KNOW, UM, THE NEW YORK FIRM THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH ARE AMAZING AND HAVE DONE FANTASTIC WORK.

UM, THE UTILITY ASPECT, UH, THAT I'M SEEING SORT OF IS, IS MISSING SOMEWHAT, IS JUST SORT OF A, A MAINTENANCE BUILDING.

I KNOW YOU HAVE THIS EXISTING SHELTER HOUSE THAT'S GONNA BE REUSED FOR RESTROOMS, UM, BASED ON, YOU KNOW, NEW PARKS THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, FIND SOME ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL AT OTHERS AT PROVIDING THAT SPACE FOR UTILITY.

AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S VARIOUS FORMS. YOU, YOU FIND OVERFLOWING TRASH CANS, YOU KNOW, JUST THE NUMBER OF THEM IS A UTILITY THAT'S REQUIRED.

UH, IF THERE CAN BE A UTILITY FOR, UM, PEOPLE TO REPAIR BIKES, I'VE SEEN THAT IN, IN OTHER PARKS.

LIKE A BIKE REPAIR STATION IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL IN HANDY.

AND THEN YOU MENTIONED CAREGIVERS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE RESTROOMS, BUT SOME CHANGING, CHANGING STATIONS FOR YOUNGER KIDS AND TODDLERS CAN BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL SEPARATE FROM JUST A, A RESTROOM, BUT, YOU KNOW, AN ACTUAL SORT OF FAMILY ROOM, UM, WHERE YOU CAN GO INSIDE RATHER THAN HAVE TO SORT OF CHANGE ON A BENCH OR SOMETHING.

UM, AND ALL OF THAT THAT I'M MENTIONING DOESN'T REALLY SEEM PRESENT HERE ON THIS PLAN.

AND I'M SURE IT'S GONNA COME AND THE SPACE IS GONNA BE ALLOCATED FOR THAT.

UM, BUT DEFINITELY I, I PERSONALLY SEE THAT AS A HIGH PRIORITY, UM, PROVISION IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, THE AMAZING PLAYSCAPE THAT I'M SURE THE, THE DANISH ARE GONNA PROVIDE WITH, WITH THEIR INCREDIBLE DESIGN.

UM, AND THEN THE OTHER ASPECT MOVING FORWARD IS JUST, UM, THE MATERIAL LONGEVITY.

YEAH, I THINK, AGAIN, IN SOME OF THE RECENTLY COMPLETED AUSTIN PARKS, THERE'S A BIG DISPARITY.

SOME HAVE, UH, ACHIEVED IT INCREDIBLY WELL.

I THINK WATERLOO PARK, YOU KNOW, FURTHER UP, UM, THE CREEK HAS SOME INCREDIBLY DURABLE MATERIALS, AND I THINK THERE WAS A HIGH, YOU KNOW, HIGH BUDGET ALLOCATED TO THAT.

AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, OTHERS, BUTLER AND ELSEWHERE, YOU CAN ALREADY SEE MATERIALS THAT ARE JUST, YOU KNOW, CRUMBLING AND, AND FALLING APART.

AND SO I THINK, UM, THE INVESTMENT THAT IS GOING INTO THIS DEFINITELY WANTS TO BE, UM, CONSIDERING WHAT HAS WORKED AND, AND I'M SURE THE DESIGN TEAM ARE GONNA DO THAT EXTREMELY WELL.

UM, BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE ALSO LITTLE, AND I KNOW THE ROAD SAFETY AND, AND ARCHWAY, UH, SECURITY IS, HAS BEEN DISCUSSED.

BUT, UM, OVERSIGHT FOR, UH, THE USER I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT I'M ALSO WANTING TO HAVE AN INCREASED PRIORITY FOR THIS PROJECT.

AGAIN, I THINK WATERLOO PARK DOES AN INCREDIBLE JOB GIVEN THE TOPOGRAPHY THAT IT'S THERE OF LAYERING SO THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LOOK DOWN ON A GROUP OF PEOPLE, THERE'S SORT OF THAT IDEA THAT SOMEONE MIGHT BE WATCHING YOU, YOU KNOW, FROM DIFFERENT LEVELS.

AND SO THERE'S A NATURAL SECURITY TO THAT LAYERING.

UM, AND, AND WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THAT NATURAL TOPOGRAPHY AND VEGETATION IS GONNA, YOU KNOW, GROW, UM, IT, IT'S EASY TO SORT OF HAVE NOOKS AND CRANNIES FOR PEOPLE TO GET, GET LOST IN.

AND SO IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE HEIGHT WITHIN THIS THAT GIVES YOU THAT INTER INTEGRAL SECURITY OR FEELING OF SECURITY, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT TO, UM, ENCOURAGE SOME OF THAT BEING BROUGHT IN AS WELL.

UM, VEGETATION PLANTING, YOU KNOW, THAT HASN'T BEEN DISCUSSED, BUT, UM, I'M SURE IT'S GONNA BE AN ASSET TO, TO THIS AREA OF DOWNTOWN.

SO THANK YOU.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

AND I APPRECIATE, AND I AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS, AND I ALSO, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU TALKED TO OUR DIRECTOR OF PARK OPERATIONS WHO SHARED MANY OF YOUR COMMENTS.

UM, SO YES, WE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE, WE'RE DEVELOPING IS MORE STORAGE SPACE, MORE MAINTENANCE SPACE.

UM, WE ALSO WILL EXTEND THE SAME, YOU KNOW, MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WE HAVE IN WATERLOO PARK DOWN HERE, SO DAILY STAFFING THROUGHOUT THE PARK.

UM, AND WE HAVE A WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AND THEIR AMBASSADOR PROGRAM,

[00:30:01]

UM, AND THEN TO YOUR POINT ABOUT CHANGING STATIONS, WE'RE GONNA REPLICATE A SIMILAR THING TO, TO WHAT WE DID IN WATERLOO PARK WITH THE SHELTER HOUSE, WHICH IS THREE, UH, UNISEX FAMILY ACCESSIBLE RESTROOMS WITH CHANGING STATIONS, UH, TO INCREASE, UH, THE ABILITY TO HAVE MORE FOLKS USE THOSE.

AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN EXPLORING WAYS TO PULL THE SINKS OUT OF THE BATHROOMS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID IN WATERLOO, SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, OPEN UP THAT USE A LITTLE BIT MORE, HAVE MORE HAND WASHING.

SO TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU, AND WE'RE EXPLORING A LOT OF THOSE STRATEGIES YOU MENTIONED AS WE FURTHER DEVELOP THE DESIGN.

YEAH.

THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UH, REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THIS KIND OF PROGRESS FURTHER AND FURTHER.

GREAT.

WELL, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE TIME.

Y'ALL.

PARDON ME, CHAIR SALINAS? YES.

UM, I JUST WANTED TO NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT COMMISSIONER LUKINS JOINED THE MEETING.

ALL RIGHT.

NOTED.

[3. Select a representative to serve on the Downtown Commission per City Code § 2-1-140.]

OUR NEXT ITEM, UH, IS TO SELECT A REPRESENTATIVE TO SERVE ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

UM, THIS HAS BEEN, THIS HAS BEEN ANYONE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION CHAIR.

I THINK I, I MAY TAKE YOU UP ON THE OFFER OF JOINING THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

YES.

I FORMALLY, EXCEPT ALL AFTER ALL THE WEEKS .

NOPE.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

UM, WELL THAT'S GREAT.

ALRIGHT, SO I GUESS THAT'S THE, UH, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO NOMINATE COMMISSIONER GILLES TO DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

I CAN GET A SECOND.

I'LL SECOND.

ALRIGHT.

UH, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

ANY AGAINST? LOOKS LIKE, NOPE.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU.

CONGRATS.

ALL RIGHT.

AND SO AN UPDATE

[4. Update from the representative of the South-Central Waterfront Advisory Board regarding the meeting on November 18, 2024.]

SURE.

UH, NO UPDATE.

THE MEETING WAS CANCELED.

I THINK IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO BE CANCELED, BUT ALL RIGHT.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

ALL RIGHT.

AND THEN, UH, FUTURE

[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]

YES.

I THINK THAT WILL PROBABLY BE GIVEN BY JORGE.

OKAY.

AND, UH, AND THIS IS TO DO WITH THE, UH, KEVIN'S, UH, COMMENT LAST WEEKEND OR IDEA LAST WEEKEND TO PROVIDE A PRESENTATION SHOWING HISTORICAL, UH, PROJECTS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, DONE WHAT WAS MENTIONED IN THE COMMISSION AND WHAT WAS MISSED.

SO.

ALL RIGHT.

ANY OTHER ITEMS? COMMISSIONER CARROLL, THIS LAST MEETING WE HAD REQUESTED, UH, THE CORRIDOR PLANS, THE, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY DOING THE PLANNING.

UM, YES, SO I DID REACH OUT TO THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.

UM, I GOT IN CONTACT WITH SOMEONE AND THEY SAID THEY CAN GIVE A PRESENTATION IN FEBRUARY, .

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, COMMISSIONER HOWARD ON THE, UM, ON THE AGENDA ITEM RELATED TO IMPLEMENTATION OF, UH, URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES.

MM-HMM.

, UM, I WAS JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY IS THAT, UH, CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT THAT AGENDA, UM, ITEM HAS THE, UM, OPTION FOR POSSIBLE ACTION AS WELL? OKAY.

THANK YOU.

DO YOU WANT TO ELABORATE ON WHAT POSSIBLE ACTION YOU WOULD WANT TO SEEK? I, I WOULD THINK THAT FROM, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN ALL LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS AND KIND OF THE, THE GAPS AND CHALLENGES THAT WE SEE TODAY.

AND, UM, I, I PERSONALLY ANTICIPATE SOME SORT OF ADDITIONAL STUDY, UH, THAT WE'LL WANT TO DO OR SOME SORT OF ACTION IN ORDER TO PREPARE OURSELVES AS WE'RE, UM, AS WE'RE BRINGING OUT THE NEXT DRAFT, UH, THE DRAFT PROVISIONS OF THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS BASICALLY, 'CAUSE I DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION YET, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S, UH, AVAILABLE TO US AT THAT MEETING IF POSSIBLE.

OKAY.

YEAH, SO THAT WOULD BE, INSTEAD OF A STAFF BRIEFING, IT WOULD BE DISCUSSION IN ACTION.

AND I KNOW THIS

[00:35:01]

AND AS FAR AS THE LANGUAGE, WE DON'T HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT RIGHT NOW.

WE CAN BE IN COMMUNICATION VIA EMAIL, BUT YEAH.

OKAY.

SO WE'LL, WE'LL FINE TUNE THAT LANGUAGE VIA EMAIL.

AND THERE WAS ONE MORE ITEM THAT WE HAD DISCUSSED ABOUT BILLBOARDS AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO REACH OUT TO, IS IT JEFF? JASON? UM, I DID REACH OUT TO JASON YESTERDAY, UM, AND I HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM HIM YET.

OKAY.

UM, THE GENTLEMAN THAT HAD EMAILED ME THAT KIND OF KICKED THIS WHOLE THING OFF, HE HAD, I JUST MENTIONED TO HIM THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS WAS GOING TO PLAN COMMISSION ON THE 10TH AND THAT, UM, HE SAID IF, IF WE NEEDED ANY HELP REACHING OUT TO SCENIC TEXAS, THAT, UM, HE'S GOT HIS CONTACTS OVER THERE, SO.

OH, OKAY.

I CAN, UM, EMAIL YOU AND GET THE CONTACT FROM YOU LATER.

YEAH, WE CAN DO IT THAT WAY.

ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER ITEMS, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UM, COMMISSIONER HOWARD, THIS IS SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THAT AGENDA ITEM, BUT, UM, I, I THINK IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME AND, AND I'M, I'M CURIOUS TO, UM, TO KNOW IF IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR OTHER, UH, COMMISSIONERS, BUT WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAVE A FEEDBACK LOOP SO WE COULD MAYBE TRACK A PROJECT THROUGH THE PROCESS IN ADDITION TO KIND OF GETTING A REPORT BACK FROM JORGE? UM, IT MAY BE, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE, THE, UM, HOTEL THAT WE SAW ON MLK WOULD BE A REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE.

UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO SEE LIKE, HOW, HOW DOES OUR FEEDBACK GET TAKEN INTO THE PROCESS? WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE APPLICANTS SUBMITTING? LIKE, HOW CAN WE ACTUALLY ENGAGE IN THAT PROCESS A LITTLE BETTER? SEEING AS IT'S COMING INTO THE SYSTEM AT A PLACE THAT IS SO FAR FROM WHAT WE SEE AS COM COMPLIANT OR EVEN SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLIANT WITH URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES.

IT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR ME TO SEE THAT PROCESS KIND OF IN ACTION.

UM, YOU KNOW, SUPPOSE IT, UH, SO LONG AS IT DOESN'T TAKE, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE YEARS TO GET THROUGH THE, THE SYSTEM.

YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

AND YOU MIGHT WANT TO REPEAT THAT QUESTION, UH, WHEN THAT PRESENTATION COMES.

I WAS DOING URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES REVIEW, AND I'M NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE.

JORGE IS, AND SO THAT'S REALLY GONNA BE A QUESTION FOR HIM AND HOW HE WANTS TO RUN THAT PROCESS.

YEAH.

COMMISSIONER CARROLL, YOU AND I WOULD SAY TO COMMISSIONER HOWARD'S POINT, UM, AFTER WE GIVE A RECOMMENDATION, WE'RE NEVER NOTIFIED BY STAFF ON WHAT THEIR FINAL DECISION IS.

AND SO I THINK AT THE VERY LEAST, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THE PROJECT IS FOR THE DESIGN COMMISSION, ESPECIALLY IF ITS DECISION IS, DOESN'T ALIGN WITH THE DESIGN COMMISSION, WHICH HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST.

ALL RIGHT.

COMMISSIONER HOWARD , I DON'T HAVE A PARTICULAR THOUGHT.

I'M, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT OTHER COMMISSIONERS, HOW, LIKE WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO YOURSELVES IN ENGAGING IN THIS PROCESS? YOU KNOW, AS I'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, AS, AS OUR TEAM, OUR WORKING GROUP HAS BEEN WORKING ON, UH, REVISIONS TO THE DESIGN GUIDELINES, I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M COMING FROM A, A CODE WRITING BACKGROUND, SYSTEMS BUILDING, YOU KNOW, WRITING, UH, THE DOCUMENTATION THAT BACKS UP A SYSTEM WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM FULLY AND UNDERSTANDING HOW, LIKE WHERE THE, WHERE THE ISSUES ARE TODAY VERSUS, UH, IN, IN, IN BOTH JUST BASIC ADMINISTRATION, BUT AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VISION THAT THAT, AND LIKE THE, THE POLICY THAT WAS ADOPTED BY COUNSEL, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THOSE PIECES BEFORE YOU CUSTOM BUILD A DOCUMENT TO SUPPORT THAT SYSTEM.

AND SO ANYBODY HAS ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT LIKE HOW YOU WOULD LIKE, LIKE WHAT, WHAT PIECES ARE MISSING FROM YOUR GUYS'? MM-HMM.

, UM, MENTAL FRAMEWORK OF THE SYSTEM THAT WE MIGHT NEED TO FILL IN? COMMISSIONER GILLES.

THANK YOU.

UM, A FEW PIECES.

UH, I THINK I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO HEAR, UH, THOUGHTS ON THE WORKING GROUP PROCESS.

FIRSTLY, IT SEEMS TO ME, AND, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IT SEEMS THAT

[00:40:01]

AND, UM, IT'S, IT'S OCCURRED, YOU KNOW, A FEW TIMES, NOT NOT EVERY TIME, BUT A FEW TIMES, UM, HERE AT THE DESIGN COMMISSION MEETING WHERE I'VE HEARD MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP SAY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DISCUSSED THIS DURING THE WORKING GROUP.

I DON'T REALLY SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE REALLY, UM, COME TO A SATISFACTORY SOLUTION.

AND SO I WONDER WITHIN THIS PROCESS, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE, UM, A RETURN TO THE WORKING GROUP PRIOR TO COMING IN FRONT OF THE DESIGN COMMISSION AT A MEETING TO, IF THERE ARE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF REQUESTS IN THAT WORKING GROUP, PERHAPS A SECOND FOLLOW UP SESSION SHOULD BE REQUIRED BEFORE COMING BEFORE THE, THE ENTIRE COMMISSION, UH, TO, TO BE SURE THAT THE COMMENTS ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

I FEEL AS THOUGH, UM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I FEEL AS THOUGH THERE, UH, OFTEN IS A RUSH.

IT, IT FEELS AS THOUGH THESE DESIGN TEAMS ARE VERY, YOU KNOW, MOVING VERY QUICKLY TO TAKE ON THE COMMENTS FROM THE WORKING GROUP WITHOUT REALLY GIVING THEM THE CONSIDERATION THAT I THINK IS WARRANTED.

THE HOTEL THAT YOU MENTIONED, UM, JUST NOW CASE IN POINT, UM, I THINK FELT AS THOUGH THEY COULD VISIT THE WORKING GROUP AND THEN I THINK IT WAS A WEEK LATER TURN, YOU KNOW, BE AT THE DESIGN COMMISSION MEETING AND THEN RECEIVE AN APPROVAL.

AND THAT DIDN'T, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

UM, NOW THAT THEY HAVE GONE AWAY, UH, WITHOUT HAVING RECEIVED THE RECOMMENDATION, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF WE NEVER HEAR ANYTHING FROM THAT PROJECT AGAIN.

UM, JUST GIVEN, AGAIN, MY EXPERIENCE ON THIS COMMISSION BECAUSE IT SORT OF HAS GONE THAT WAY ALREADY.

PROJECTS COME THROUGH AND WE GIVE OUR RECOMMENDATION.

AND THEN AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED, WE DON'T HEAR, UM, ANYTHING FURTHER.

IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE WORKING GROUP IS AN AVENUE, UH, TO RECONNECT WITH THAT DESIGN TEAM EVEN AFTER A DESIGN COMMISSION MEETING.

UM, JUST BECAUSE IT, IT IS ALREADY AN EXISTING POINT OF CONTACT OUTSIDE OF THE FRAMEWORK AND FORMALITY OF THIS, UM, THIS VENUE.

AND SO PERHAPS IF THERE IS A, UM, UH, PRESENTATION AND THAT GROUP DOES NOT RECEIVE THE RECOMMENDATION, PERHAPS IT IS A REQUIREMENT THAT THEY RETURN TO THE WORKING GROUP, UM, IF THAT ALREADY IS A REQUIREMENT, I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT.

UM, BUT I SEE THE WORKING GROUP AS PERHAPS AN AVENUE, UH, TO HAVE THIS CONTINUED FEEDBACK AS, AS YOU'VE DESCRIBED IT, JUST BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S ALREADY PART OF THIS SORT OF MECHANISM HERE.

PARDON ME, CHAIR.

YES.

I JUST WANT FRIENDLY REMINDER WE'RE TO DISCUSS, UM, ITEMS POSTED ON THE AGENDA.

I UNDERSTAND WE'RE GETTING INTO A DISCUSS, KIND OF BRIEFLY TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE ITEM TO COME UP, BUT, UM, JUST WANTED TO LET YOU JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT WE CAN'T HAVE THE DISCUSSION THAT WE MAYBE HAVE TO SAY IF WE ARE GONNA HAVE A FUTURE DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS ON THE NEXT.

OKAY.

UM, WELL, Y'ALL ARE GONNA BE PRESENTING, SO I THINK, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW IT UP THEN, ESPECIALLY IF WE'VE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ACTION ON IT.

SO, UH, COMMISSIONER CARROLL, I WAS JUST GONNA PROVIDE A LITTLE BACKGROUND.

UM, SINCE JORGE'S NOT HERE, THE, THE WORKING GROUP MEETING IS NOT A REQUIREMENT.