[00:00:01]
[CALL TO ORDER]
WAS ABLE TO HAVE A RELAXING HOLIDAY.WE ARE GETTING THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE STARTED.
WE DON'T HAVE A COUNCIL MEETING UNTIL THE 30TH, SO WE ARE DOING THIS BEFORE OUR ACTUAL REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING BEGINS.
BUT TODAY IS JANUARY 23RD, 2025.
THE TIME IS 1:04 PM WE ARE MEETING HERE IN AUSTIN CITY HALL.
I'M JOINED BY, I AM THE CHAIR, PAIGE ELLI.
I'M JOINED BY VICE CHAIR ZOE CADRE, COUNCIL MEMBER CHITO VELA.
AND WE HAVE CRYSTAL LANE JOINING US.
SHE'S NOT OFFICIALLY APPOINTED TO THE COMMITTEE YET, BUT HOPES TO JOIN NEXT WEEK.
SO SHE IS JOINING FOR THIS MEETING, AND I BELIEVE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON IS EITHER ON REMOTELY OR WILL BE JOINING SHORTLY.
[Public Communication: General]
COMMUNICATION.RAY, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL OUR SPEAKERS? YES.
UH, THE FIRST SPEAKERS, PHILIP WILEY.
I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS PHILIP WILEY.
I'VE LIVED DOWNTOWN SINCE, UH, MARCH OF 1992.
AND I'M HERE SPEAKING AS AN ADVOCATE FOR, UH, MORE HOUSING DOWNTOWN.
UM, I DO HAVE THREE CHARTS THAT, THAT I SENT.
UM, I'VE, BY TRAINING, I WAS A SUPPLY CHAIN, UH, PLANNING FELLOW.
AND, UM, I HAD AN OBLIGATION TO SPREAD THE WORD AND EDUCATE PEOPLE ON THE FIELD.
AND, UH, I'M ABOUT 30 SOME YEARS LATE GETTING AROUND TO DOING THAT.
SO I UNDERSTAND SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T DO THINGS ON THE SCHEDULE WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO DO.
UM, I'M HERE NOW BECAUSE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IS ALL ABOUT GETTING THE RIGHT THINGS TO THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
IF YOU MISS ANY OF THOSE THREE, THEN YOU DON'T SUCCEED IN, IN WHAT YOU AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE WANTING YOU TO ACCOMPLISH.
UM, PART OF THE REASON I'M HERE IS TO TALK ABOUT MOBILITY ORIENTED DE DEVELOPMENT AND WHY THE TIME IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT FOR EVERYBODY TO BE EXTREMELY FOCUSED ON THAT.
AND IT'S PARTLY BECAUSE THE PROJECT CONNECT STATION PLANS HAVE, UH, UH, BECOME MORE, UH, STABLE.
AND, UH, I, I THINK WE SORT OF HAVE A LICENSE TO DO THINGS WE DIDN'T IN THE PAST BECAUSE OF THAT.
THIS IS, UH, A PHOTO OF A NEW BUILDING THAT, UH, IS THE RIGHT PLACE.
IT'S ONE BLOCK FROM THE NEW RAIL STATION ON 15TH IN GUADALUPE.
IT IT'S REPLACING A SURFACE LEVEL PARKING LOT.
UH, THE, THE PEOPLE BUILDING IT WANTED TO GO MUCH TALLER, UH, UP TO WHAT THEY WOULD'VE BEEN ALLOWED TO DO.
I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD'VE BEEN NEARLY ENOUGH.
BUT THIS IS WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH AND I THINK WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT, WHAT HAPPENED THERE? WHAT CAN WE DO TO AVOID THAT HAPPENING TOO OFTEN? BECAUSE, UH, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AREA.
IF WE WANT PROJECT CONNECT TO SUCCEED, OR IF PROJECT CONNECT NEVER HAPPENS AND WE HAVE BUSES, WE WANT MASS TRANSIT TO SUCCEED.
THIS IS NOT FOR PROJECT CONNECT, IT'S FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM.
UH, THIS IS ANOTHER PERMISSION SLIP.
A LOT OF TIMES WHEN PEOPLE SEE THINGS THAT ARE CONTRACTS, THEY THINK OF ALL THE LIMITATIONS THAT ARE PUT IN.
THIS SHOWS HEIGHT LIMITS FOR BUILDING DOWNTOWN, AND THAT'S HOW PEOPLE NORMALLY THINK OF IT.
UM, THAT ISN'T WHAT NECESSARILY COMES TO MIND FOR ME TO, TO ME IT'S A LICENSE TO BUILD AS TALL AS YOU WANT ANYWHERE ON THE DOWNTOWN GRID THAT DOESN'T HAVE ONE OF THOSE COLOR CODES.
AND I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS RECENTLY BACK IN 1983 WHEN THIS WAS PUT INTO PLACE.
AND, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ALSO EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, WE'D LOVE TO LOOK THROUGH THEM.
AND WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON JOINING REMOTELY NOW.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER.
UH, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KATE HAYNESWORTH, WHO IS HANDING OFF A VERY TINY LITTLE BABY UNINTENDED.
YOU MAY NEED TO PUSH THE, THE RED BUTTON.
UM, MY NAME IS KATE HAYNESWORTH.
UH, AS YOU SAW, I HAVE A SMALL CHILD, SO YOU'LL FORGIVE ME FOR READING THIS TIME.
I WILL BE BACK NEXT TIME WITH PHOTOS.
[00:05:01]
I WILL GO OFF THE CUFF THEN.I'M THE ORGANIZER OF THE SOUTH AUSTIN HEALTHY STREET, WHICH MATT HAS SHOWN YOU IN PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS, AND WHICH IS IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A SHARED STREET.
AND SINCE ITS INSTALLATION ONE YEAR AGO, IT HAS SEEN INCREASED SUPPORT THROUGH TWO TIME EXTENSIONS AND ONE GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION.
I'M SPEAKING TODAY, NOT BECAUSE ANYBODY ASKED ME TO, BUT TO ATTEST TO THE IMPORTANCE AND SUCCESS OF THE LIVING STREETS PROGRAM AND THE TEAM BEHIND IT.
AND TO ASK FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF BOTH.
FIRST, THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE IS LESS TRAFFIC AND IT IS SLOWER.
I'M TRUSTING THE DATA FROM MATT AS THE SOURCE OF TRUTH.
BUT IF YOU GO BY THE PERCEPTION OF THE RESIDENTS, THIS IS UNDENIABLY TRUE.
THIS RESULTS IN HAPPY NEIGHBORS AND MORE NON-CAR USE OF THE STREETS, DOGS, BIKERS, STROLLERS, NEIGHBORS IN WHEELCHAIRS, MORE OF ALL OF THEM, AND OUT MORE OFTEN.
THIS FEELS LIKE A VIRTUOUS CYCLE BEFORE OUR EYES REDUCED TRAFFIC, INCREASED PEDESTRIANS LEADING TO FURTHER REDUCED TRAFFIC.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT? WE HAVE MORE EVENTS WITH MORE PEOPLE JOINING EACH TIME.
EVENTS WE'VE HOSTED WITHIN OUR HEALTHY STREET INCLUDE ICE CREAM TRUCKS IN THE SUMMER, A HALLOWEEN DIA DE LOS MUTOS PARK, BLOCK PARTY, AND PARK VOLUNTEERING.
OUR LAST EVENT, WE HAD MORE THAN 80 VOLUNTEER HOURS CONTRIBUTED, AND AMONG OTHER ACTIVITIES, SPREAD FIVE POUNDS OF WILDFLOWER SEEDS.
UM, TO, UH, A COUPLE RANDOM THINGS TO NOTE A PERSONAL FAVORITE ABOUT THESE EVENTS IS THEY WERE DROP IN UNCOMPLICATED, LOW STRESS WAY TO BUILD COMMUNITY AND CHAT WITH OTHER NEIGHBORS THAT YOU'D OTHERWISE BE HOPING YOU RAN INTO WHEN YOU TOOK YOUR TRASH CAN OUT.
UM, I'VE HAD MY ARM TWISTED INTO STARTING UP AN EMAIL DISTRO BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WANNA BE INCLUDED, WHO AREN'T SPECIFICALLY WITHIN OUR GEOGRAPHY OF THE STREET, CITING SPECIFICALLY THAT THEY LONG FOR MORE COMMUNITY AND WANT TO BE A PART OF OURS.
WE'VE GOT SOME NON-EVENTS THAT HAPPEN, UH, EVERY WEEK, SAME DAY, SAME TIME.
THERE'S A BIKE GANG NOW OF ABOUT 15 KIDS AND A COUPLE OF DADS WHO'VE DUSTED IT OFF THEIR SKATEBOARDS TO RIDE AROUND THE SURROGATE INSIDE THE HEALTHY STREET.
THERE'S NOW A PICNIC TABLE IN MY FRONT YARD WHERE A BUNCH OF US SIT AND HANG OUT AND CHITCHAT.
UM, AND AS OF LAST WEEK, THERE'S A STROLLER GANG TOO WITH ME AND TWO OTHER BABIES AND MOMS WHO WALK THE BLOCKS TO GET FRESH AIR.
UM, THERE'S A BORROWING AND GIFTING ECONOMY ACROSS GENERATIONS AND NEIGHBORS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
IF YOU NEED SOMETHING DELIVERED, YOU LEAVE IT OUT WITH A DOLLAR.
I'LL SEND YOU THE REST OF THIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO SPEAK AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE, YOUR TINY BABY IN HERE.
IT IS VERY NICE TO SEE THE NEXT GENERATION GET THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE AT CITY HALL
I DIDN'T REALIZE, UH, CAN'T SPEAK MINUTE.
UH, LIVING STREETS CAUSES ALL THESE GANGS TO COME UP IN THE CITY.
STROLLER GANG STROLLER, GANGS AND BIKES.
THEY MIGHT DELIVER THINGS TO OTHER NEIGHBORS FOR YOU.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Mobility Committee meeting of November 14, 2024.]
TO OUR FIRST ITEM, WHICH IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE NOVEMBER 14TH MEETING.I HAVE A MOTION MADE BY THE VICE CHAIR, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELA.
ALL IN FAVOR, WHICH IS ALL FOUR OF US IN ATTENDANCE.
KRISTA WILL BE VOTING NEXT TIME, HOPEFULLY.
UM, WE'VE GOT UNANIMOUS APPROVAL FOR THE FOUR OF US IN ATTENDANCE.
[2. Update from the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) regarding actions from the December 3, 2024, meeting.]
IS AN UPDATE FROM THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION CHAIR, WHICH IS SUSAN SUMMERS.DO WE HAVE HER LOGGED INTO THE WEBEX? THERE SHE IS.
GIVE US JUST A SECOND WITH TECHNOLOGY.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
UH, AS WELL TO OUR NEW COUNCIL AND POTENTIAL NEW MOBILITY COMMITTEE MEMBER, WELCOME.
IT'S ALWAYS A DELIGHT TO PRESENT TO YOU EVERY MONTH ABOUT OUR ACTIONS.
UM, WE DID NOT HAVE A JANUARY MEETING FOR UTC, SO I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO REPORT THERE.
WE DID HAVE A DECEMBER MEETING, WHICH HAS BEEN SINCE THE LAST TIME I PRESENTED FOR YOU.
SO TODAY WHAT I'M GONNA SHARE WITH YOU IS THE ACTIONS THAT WERE TAKEN AT OUR DECEMBER 3RD, 2024 MEETING.
SO, UM, WE HAD ACTUALLY A REALLY LONG MEETING, MUCH, MUCH LONGER.
WE'RE LIKE NOW COMPETING WITH PLANNING COMMISSION APPARENTLY ON HOW LONG WE'RE GONNA GO, QUITE A LONG
[00:10:01]
MEETING.UM, AND WE DID, UM, WE RECEIVED PRESENTATIONS ON THE CAP METRO RAPID, UH, PROGRAM THAT'S ROLLING OUT, UM, NEW STOPS AND LINES LATER THIS SPRING, UM, THROUGH PROJECT CONNECT.
UM, WE ALSO HEARD ABOUT THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM UPDATE FROM CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES.
UM, SO THAT'S A VERY, WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION.
I, UM, THINK WE WERE PLEASED TO RECEIVE THAT.
I ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO CHECK THAT OUT AS WELL.
AND I THINK YOU CAN COUNT THAT UTC WILL BE REALLY MONITORING THAT CORRIDOR PROGRAM THROUGHOUT 2025 AND HOPEFULLY HEARING MORE AND MAYBE DOING SOME FEEDBACK ON THAT AS WELL.
UM, WE ALSO HEARD A PRESENTATION FROM, UM, NOT REALLY A PRESENTATION, A PRESENTATION FROM CITY STAFF, I GUESS, ABOUT THE INTERACTIONS THAT STAFF IS HAVING WITH THE, UM, CAMPO 2050 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
AND I DO THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WE DIDN'T PASS A NEW RECOMMENDATION, UM, UH, IN DECEMBER.
BUT WHAT WE DID DECIDE TO DO IS WE ACTUALLY, UM, AS PART OF OUR OFFICIAL COMMENT, UH, FROM THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ON THE CAMPO 2050 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN COMMENTS ENCLOSED IN LIKE MID-DECEMBER, LIKE ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO WEEK AND WEEK TO 10 DAYS AFTER OUR MEETING OF UTC, WE ACTUALLY FORWARDED A RECOMMENDATION OF OUR BODY FROM, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS FROM 2022, MAYBE MAY, 2022.
I'LL FIND THE RECOMMENDATION NUMBER AND SHARE THAT OUT WITH Y'ALL.
AND IT ACTUALLY TALKS A LOT ABOUT FOR THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, WHAT UTC IS HOPING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE MODELING.
WE KNOW THAT THE MODELING THAT CAMPO TENDS TO DO CONSISTENTLY OVER THE YEARS OVERESTIMATES THE POPULATION GROWTH IN THE SUBURBAN REGIONS OF, UM, OF OUR METRO AND UNDERESTIMATES THE GROWTH IN THE URBAN CORE, WHICH CAN HAVE A LOT OF EFFECT ON THE FUNDING THAT AUSTIN CAN RECEIVE FOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS AND VERSUS THAT OF OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
SO, UM, WE HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNCIL AND STAFF THAT WOULD INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ADVOCATING THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE IS DEMAND AND GROWTH THAT'S GONNA BE IN OUR CITY AND WE DON'T WANNA UNDERESTIMATE THAT AS WELL AS FOR CAMBO, UM, AND SOME OF THEIR PRACTICES AS WELL FROM THAT RECOMMENDATION.
AND SO WHEN WE WENT BACK, UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE A DRAFT RECOMMENDATION, BUT WHEN WE WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT THAT OLDER RECOMMENDATION, WE REALIZED IT REALLY SPOKE TO ALL THE POINTS THAT WE HAD ABOUT THIS PROCESS.
SO WE JUST SUBMITTED THAT AS A UTC COMMENT, UM, TO CAMPO.
SO, UM, I'LL SHARE, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT GETS SHARED WITH, UH, THE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL MOBILITY COMMITTEE SO THAT YOU'RE AS WELL.
BUT THAT PERIOD COMMENT NOW FOR THE CAMPO 2050 HAS CLOSED.
UM, AND THEN, UM, WE ALSO HEARD A REP, UH, PRESENTATION ON THE, UM, CONGRESS AVENUE URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY, UM, VERY EXCITING.
AND WE, UM, PASSED A RECOMMENDATION, UM, WITH THAT.
UM, IT'S AVAILABLE ON OUR SITE.
UM, I'LL MAINLY JUST FOCUS ON OUR BE IT RESOLVED 'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS WHERE THE MEAT IS THERE.
BUT LET ME JUST SORT OF OVERVIEW, UH, THIS RECOMMENDATION FOR Y'ALL.
UM, UTC EXPRESSES ITS SUPPORT FOR THE CONGRESS AVENUE URBAN DESIGN VISION PLAN, AND ARE JUST THE CITY MANAGER TO TAKE ALL ACTION NECESSARY TO ENSURE FULL ADOPTION OF THE PLAN, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVE THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, RECOMMEND CITY MANAGER USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO FULLY IMPLEMENT CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS NUMBER 20 17 0 6, 22 DASH 33 AND 2009 1119 DASH OH 70 TO IMPLEMENT A SLO ON CONGRESS AVENUE AS A PILOT FOR THE PLAZA CONFIGURATION ON CONGRESS AVENUE.
SO SUGGESTED IN THE URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT WE RECOMMEND THE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS LIFT THE INDEFINITE MORATORIUM ON NEW DOWNTOWN STREETS EVENTS, WHICH HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE 2014 TO ENSURE A REGULAR SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMMING CAN BE IMPLEMENTED ALONGSIDE THE INTRODUCTION OF PUBLIC PLAZAS ON CONGRESS AVENUE AND ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF COMMERCIAL BUSINESS ON THE CORRIDOR.
THIS IS ACTUALLY, I MEAN, TO ME, THIS IS ACTUALLY A LITTLE SHOCKING THAT WE HAVE A INDEFINITE MORATORIUM ON DOWN NEW DOWNTOWN STREET EVENTS.
UM, DID YOU KNOW, SO, UM, ANYWAY, UH, BECAUSE I JUST EVEN HEARING OUR PUBLIC SPEAKER IN TERMS OF ACTIVATING OUR STREETS, BUILDING COMMUNITY, FIGHTING OUR LONELINESS EPIDEMIC IN THIS COUNTRY, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE IN COMMUNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER, THOSE THINGS ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
I THINK, UH, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED.
UTC RECOMMENDS TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, EVALUATE OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THE SEVENTH THROUGH 11TH STREET DESIGN AND FUTURE PHASES AND DESIGN ITERATIONS, INCLUDING INSTALLATION OF RETRACTABLE BALLS TO WHERE LIMITED AUTO ACCESS IS REQUIRED, DESIGNATED LANES MARKINGS, ALTERNATIVE ROUTES OR PREFERRED MOVEMENTS FOR BICYCLISTS WHILE TRAVELING FOR THE PUBLIC PLAZA.
PREPARING FOR THE EVENTUAL TWO-WAY CONVERSION OF SEVENTH, EIGHTH, NINTH, AND 10TH STREETS TO TWO-WAY STREETS IS ENVISIONED BY THE AUSTIN COURT TRANSPORTATION
[00:15:01]
PLAN.I KNOW MORE TO COME ON THAT AND CONSIDER PRIORITIZATION OF BICYCLE PARKING IN THE PROPOSED AMENITIES ZONES, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED.
WE RECOMMEND TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, EVALUATE OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THE CAESAR CHAVEZ THROUGH SEVENTH STREET DESIGN AND FEATURE PHASES AND DESIGN ITERATIONS, INCLUDING DESIGN DESIGNATING THE OUTER LANES FROM SECOND STREET TO SIXTH STREET AS CURBSIDE DROP OFF AND DELIVERY, INCLUDING BULB OUTS AT EACH INTERSECTION, DOUBLE LOAD AT PSYCH WALKS, FEATURING DESTINATIONS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY WITH BUILDINGS ON ONE SIDE AND STREET VENDORS KIOSKS AND DINING ON THE OTHER SIDE.
RAISED SIDEWALKS FOR BOTH THE SIDEWALK AND BIKEWAY, ENHANCING THE PEDESTRIAN GATEWAY AT CAESAR CHAVEZ, INCLUDING THE ELIMINATION OF THE SLIP LANES AND INSTALLING PEDESTRIAN SCRAMBLES AT CONGRESS AVENUE AND CAESAR CHAVEZ AND CONGRESS AVENUE AND SIXTH STREET.
SO I THINK WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT RECOMMENDATION.
QUITE A LOT OF WORK WENT INTO IT.
WE ALSO DID A LOT OF DILIGENCE TO TRY TO CAPTURE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE REALLY LIKED FROM THE B-A-C-P-A-C FROM CONGRESS, UH, FOR NEW URBANISM, CENTRAL TEXAS FROM SAFE STREETS AUSTIN.
YOU'LL SEE THAT DESIGNATED ON SOME OF THESE ITEMS IN THOSE BULLET POINTS AS WELL.
UM, WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS QUESTIONS.
SORRY, MY MIC DOESN'T WORK, SO I'M GONNA HAVE TO CARRY THIS OVER.
UM, FIRST COMMENT, UH, JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK UTC FOR ALL THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS.
I KNOW A LOT OF THIS STUFF WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM ADVOCATES, UH, I FEEL LIKE EVEN BEFORE I WAS, I WAS ON THIS DAIS, UH, AND A LOT OF THE RECS THAT Y'ALL HAVE MENTIONED, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT SELO.
THAT'S SOMETHING MYSELF AND COUNCIL MEMBER HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT.
UH, AND AS A FORMER DOWNTOWN RESIDENT, YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FIGHTING THE LONELINESS EPIDEMIC PANDEMIC, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE ACTUALLY BUILD COMMUNITY? THAT'S ONE WAY THAT I ALWAYS FELT LIKE IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY MISSING DURING MY TIME LIVING IN DOWNTOWN.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UH, ALSO EXCITED ABOUT THE CHANGES TO THE SIDE STREETS, UH, RELATED TO CONGRESS AVENUE, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKING IT A TWO-WAY CONVERSION.
SO, UH, AND THEN WE, WE REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, AS AN OFFICE AND, AND I THINK AS A DAIS, UH, THE FEEDBACK ON THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CESAR CHAVEZ AND, AND SEVENTH STREET DESIGN.
UH, AND WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE AS WE LOOK AT THIS STREET RECONSTRUCTION, UH, THAT WE GET EVERYTHING RIGHT, UM, AND NOT HAVE TO CON CONTINUE TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING TABLE.
SO THAT'S MY HOPE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF REALIZE THE, THE FULL VISION, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TAKE, YOU KNOW, GET OUR SHOT AT IT AND, AND DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
SO, UH, REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DO.
AND IF I COULD JUST RESPOND, I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
I THINK THE, THE CURRENT SORT OF PHASING AND PLANNING WE'RE GONNA SEE PRETTY DRAMATIC, UM, CHANGES IN INFUSIONS OF HOPEFULLY INFUSIONS OF ACTIVITY IN SOME OF THE AREAS THAT ARE A LITTLE LESS TRAVELED.
THOSE AREAS, WHICH MAY BE, YOU KNOW, LIKE UP IN THE NORTHERN SECTION OF CESAR CHAVEZ HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARDER WITH SOME OF THE MAYBE STREET LEVEL ACTIVITY BUSINESSES.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE REALLY, I REALLY LIKE THE WAY HOW THOUGHTFUL STAFF HAS BEEN IN ABOUT INFUSING AND WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO LIKE REALLY GROW THAT AREA.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, FARTHER SOUTH THERE IS A LOT MORE ACTIVITY, WHICH MEANS THERE'S MORE COMPETITION FOR THAT ACTION.
AND I THINK IT'S ALSO LIKE THE MONEY NEEDED TO GET IT RIGHT.
RIGHT? AND SO I THINK THAT COULD BE AN AREA WHERE A POTENTIAL FUTURE BONDING CYCLES, WE WANNA INFUSE SOME MONEY BECAUSE IT MAY TAKE SOME, SOME MORE DRAMATIC REBUILDS, A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH AS WELL.
SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT, ESPECIALLY AS WE START TALKING ABOUT FUTURE, UH, TRANSPORTATION BOND PLANNING AS WELL.
UH, AND MY MY, MY ONLY OTHER COMMENT WAS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE WORK THAT WE, SORRY, THE, THE WORK THAT WE DO ON ANYTHING, IT'S ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD, UH, TO THE FUTURE, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, MIGHT HAVE NOT BEEN THERE WHEN I WAS A DOWNTOWN RESIDENT, BUT I REALLY HOPE THAT FOLKS WHO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN NOW WHO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN IN FIVE YEARS AND 10 YEARS AND A HUNDRED YEARS, UH, YOU KNOW, PHILIP WHO SPOKE HAD SAID HE'S BEEN THE DOWNTURN HERE SINCE 1992.
UM, YEAH, I WAS TWO YEARS OLD IN 1992.
UM, BUT, UM, YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY, I, I WEAR DIAPERS, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WEAR DIAPERS AS A 2-YEAR-OLD
WELL, MAYBE IF YOU'RE REAL, A REAL ELITE.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE.
UH, AND I, AND I REALLY HOPE WE GET IT RIGHT SO THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, OUR KIDS, KIDS KIDS COULD ENJOY IT.
AND FUTURE COUNCILS ARE LIKE, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT BECAUSE THAT REALLY SMART COUNCIL FROM 2025 DID THAT.
UM, WAY TO MAKE US ALL FEEL OLD THAT YOU WERE BORN IN 1990.
I'M SORRY, BUT LIKE
I APPRECIATE THE, UH, EXPANDING THE CONTEXT OF NOT JUST FOCUSING ON WHAT IS THE RIGHT OF WAY ON ONE STREET OR ANOTHER.
[00:20:01]
ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH OUR NEW A CM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY EDDIE GARCIA EARLIER TODAY AND REALLY TALK ABOUT HOW HE'S THINKING ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN AREA.UM, AND HE'S ALSO EXPANDING THAT CONTEXT OF WHAT PROBLEMS ARE WE TRYING TO SOLVE? WHAT VISION DO WE WANT TO IMPLEMENT FOR THE FUTURE, AND HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IT ALL AT THE SAME TIME? UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FOLKS THINK ABOUT THE, THE CARS THAT GO UP AND DOWN CONGRESS OR THE ONES THAT ARE USING EAST WEST CONNECTOR STREETS, UM, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF STREETS IN DOWNTOWN THAT DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT OF CAR TRAFFIC.
UH, SO IT'S SURPRISING TO ME TO THINK OF, YOU KNOW, THESE, THESE QUIETER ZONES, IF YOU WILL, UM, AND HOW WE CAN BETTER ACTIVATE THOSE AND, AND USE THOSE FOR THE FOLKS THAT WANNA BE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD THINGS TO SEE.
THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD PLACES TO GO.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THIS, UM, THIS PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU'RE BRINGING.
ALRIGHT, I THINK THAT DOES IT FOR THAT ITEM.
[3. Living Streets Program status, key initiatives and next steps update.]
PERFECT SEGUE INTO ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS A LIVING STREETS PROGRAM STATUS UPDATE, KEY INITIATIVES, AND NEXT STEPS.THIS IS AN ITEM THAT WE HAD TRIED TO TAKE UP AT AN EARLIER MEETING AND WE JUST HAD SUCH GREAT CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE OUR SPEAKERS COMING TODAY TO, TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES LIKE THIS.
AND SO NOW WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO TAKE UP THIS ITEM.
WE HAVE, UM, MATT MAGE, UH, SPEAKING ON THEM, THE LIVING STREETS SIDE.
UM, I'M ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE AND I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR A CHEER SUMMERS COMING BETWEEN KATE AND MYSELF, UH, SPEAKING BECAUSE, UH, WE DIDN'T ACTUALLY ARRANGE FOR KATE TO COME IN AND I WAS KIND OF TEARY-EYED WITH HER SPEECH.
UM, IT'S BEEN A YEAR SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, AND AS WE GET THIS KIND OF GOING, WHAT I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT YOU GUYS ACTUALLY HEAR US FROM SOME OF OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT TYPICALLY CAN'T MAKE IT TO ONE OF THESE MEETINGS.
SO I'M NOT SURE THAT I CAN DO THIS, BUT IF ONE OF YOU COULD CLICK ON THAT, I LIKE HEALTHY LIVING STREETS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE IT ALLOWS MORE KIDS TO BE RIDING THEIR BIKES, SKATEBOARDING TO WALK HORSES AND LESS CARS GOING VERY FAST DOWN IT.
I LIKE TO GO WALK MY STREET TO VISIT LARRY AND DONNA SO I CAN GET EGGS FOR MOMMY TO EAT ALREADY WHEN WE GET HOME.
I LIKE THE HEALTHY STREETS BECAUSE IT'S A LOT SAFER FOR US TO CROSS THE STREET.
WE'RE GOING TO FRIEND'S HOUSE AND IF WE'RE BIKING AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING RUN OVER, IT JUST FEELS A LOT SAFER.
I REALLY LIKE LONG CONES BECAUSE THEN COMES AND WE GET TO LIKE, GO TWO HOURS MILES AND THEN THE TREES REALLY SAFE AND THEN WE GET TO BICYCLE IF OUR FRIENDS BACK AND FORTH.
I LIKE MY STREET 'CAUSE IT'S SAFE, SO WHEN OUR FRIENDS ARE OUT OF TOWN, WE CAN WALK TO THEIR HOUSE AND FEED THEIR PETS.
I LIKE THE LIVING STREETS BECAUSE I CAN PLAY WITH MY NEIGHBORS.
I LIKE MY SAFE STREETS BECAUSE I LIKE WALKING MY DOG IN THE SHADE.
I LOVE THE HEALTHY STREETS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT'S GIVEN ME MORE OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO HANG OUT WITH THE LITTLER KIDS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I REALLY LOVED BEING ABLE TO TEACH SOME OF THEM HOW TO BIKE.
AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A LOT OF FUN AND IF WE DIDN'T HAVE IT THEN IT WOULD BE REALLY HARD AND I DON'T THINK THAT WE WOULD BE AS CLOSE AS WE ARE.
IT DOES GO ON FOR ANOTHER FULL MINUTE.
WE DID PROVIDE THE, UH, MP FOUR FILE TO COUNSEL SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN ACTUALLY LISTEN TO IT ON YOUR OWN.
UM, BUT IN THE LAST YEAR WE'VE ACTUALLY MADE A LOT OF STRIDES.
NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A FAN CLUB THAT APPARENTLY FOLLOWS US ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT THEY KNOW US BY OUR FIRST NAMES.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE PROGRAM SUCCESS AND OUR TEAM'S EFFORT TO REACH OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND ACTUALLY MAKE THIS A REALLY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.
SINCE WE LAST MET, UH, WE DID COMBINE ALL THREE ACTIVATIONS, NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTIES, HEALTHY STREETS, AND PLAY STREETS UNDER ONE BANNER, THE LIVING STREETS PROGRAM.
AND THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO ADAPT A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IN THIS PRESENTATION.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO OVER THE CURRENT SCHEDULE OF HOW WE GO ABOUT THIS, WHAT OUR DEMAND AND OUR RESPONSE TO THAT DEMAND HAS BEEN.
UH, A LOOK BACK AT OUR INITIAL ACTIVATIONS AND THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THESE, SOME IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT AND NEXT STEP TRANSITIONS AND STUDIES.
SO A WHILE BACK, WE, UH, WE STARTED OUT WITH JUST ONE INSTALLATION.
THAT'S THAT LIGHT BLUE PIECE ON THE, UH, DIAGRAM THAT YOU'RE SEEING ABOVE.
[00:25:01]
INTO Q1.WE DID A MAJOR MEDIA OUTREACH AND MARKETING PUSH FOR THIS.
WE SPECIFICALLY TARGETED THE ENTIRE CITY AS A WHOLE AND THEN FOCUSED ALSO IN ON EQUITY ZONES WITH ADDITIONAL ADVERTISEMENTS.
AND WE'LL GET TO WHY WE DID THAT IN A SECOND.
BUT ESSENTIALLY THESE THINGS RUN HAND IN HAND, MEANING THAT NOW WE'RE RUNNING EVERY QUARTER, EVERY THREE MONTHS WE ARE LAUNCHING ANOTHER SET OF ACTIVATIONS.
SO WHILE YOU'RE ACTUALLY APPLYING FOR YOUR APPLICATION OR YOUR RENEWAL, WE ARE INSTALLING A SET OF APPLICATIONS AND RENEWAL.
AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT ALLOWS MY TEAM TO FOCUS ON THE EFFORT AT HAND AND ALLOWS THAT HIGH POINT OF HIGH ACTIVITY REALLY FOCUSED CONCENTRATION ON THE RENEWAL OR APPLICATION APPROVAL PROCESS VERSUS THE INSTALLATION PROCESS AND VICE VERSA.
AND THAT CYCLE HAS WORKED OUT VERY WELL FOR US, ALLOWING US TO LAUNCH SEVERAL MORE THAN WE ANTICIPATED.
SO THIS IS A MAKEUP OF OUR CITY, UH, BY DISTRICT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, I KNOW THAT ONE OF YOUR QUESTIONS HAS BEEN, WHY DO I HAVE SO FEW? AND THE REALITY IS YOU DON'T.
UM, BUT YOU ARE ON THE LOWER SIDE.
AND PART OF THAT IS, IS BECAUSE IT IS SPREAD OUT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND WHERE WE ARE SEEING THE NEED FOR THIS MOST IS PLACES THAT DON'T HAVE SIDEWALKS DON'T HAVE THAT CONNECTIVITY.
AND DISTRICT EIGHT DOES HAVE A LOT OF THAT GREAT CONNECTIVITY, WHICH IS WHY THIS PROGRAM IS NEEDED ON A CITYWIDE BASIS.
SO WE LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, OKAY, FOUR, SEVEN AND NINE ARE REALLY, REALLY PIVOTAL DISTRICTS, AND THERE'S A LARGE CONCENTRATION THERE.
HOW AND WHY IS THAT GOING ON? AND WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN? I'LL COME BACK TO THOSE IN A SECOND.
WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT OUR ADVERTISING MARKETING CAMPAIGN DID, OUR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST, EOIS ACTUALLY SHOWS THAT THE ORIGINAL 40 ISH APPLICATIONS THAT WE GOT, OF WHICH WE LAUNCHED 18, WE HAD A ROUGHLY 18% IN THE MEDIUM HIGH AND MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.
NOW WE ARE RUNNING AT THE LEAST AND MEDIUM LOW AT 45% OF OUR APPLICATIONS.
AND THE MEDIUM HIGH AND MOST VULNERABLE AT 37%, WE'RE CLOSING THAT GAP.
AND THAT'S REALLY CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM.
SO PREVIOUSLY WE SAW STUFF IN THE NORTH SOUTH CORRIDOR BETWEEN MOPAC AND 35.
WE ARE NOW BRIDGING OUT ABOVE 180 3 AND EAST OF 35.
WHAT WE DON'T SEE IS A LARGE RESPONSE FROM DISTRICTS TWO AND DISTRICT SIX.
AND IF WE LOOK AT THE CAPACITY AND NEED FOR THOSE AREAS, WE'LL SEE SOME DISTINCTIONS IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
WE DID OUR FIRST ROUND OF APPLICATIONS, WE LAUNCHED 18 OF THOSE.
SO OF THOSE SEVEN HEALTHY STREETS RENEWED FOUR PLAY STREETS RENEWED.
ONE OF THOSE PLAY STREETS DIDN'T RENEW BECAUSE IT BECAME A HEALTHY STREET LATER.
UM, THEY REALLY LIKED THE IDEA OF EXTENDING IT AND CONNECTING THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD MUCH MORE THAN JUST DOING A SINGLE BLOCK.
IN OUR SECOND ROUND OF APPLICATIONS THAT WAS LAUNCHED OCTOBER 4TH OR THE BEGINNING OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE ADDED SIX OF THE 12 HEALTHY STREET APPLICATIONS IN FOUR OF THE 10, BRINGING US UP TO A NICE TOTAL OF, I GOTTA DO THE MATH REAL FAST, THAT'S 11 AND 10 21 APPLICATIONS.
AND YOU'LL SEE NOW WE'RE RUNNING AT 37 STARTING IN FEBRUARY.
WE'VE JUST ENTERED OUR THIRD ROUND OF APPLICATIONS.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE DOING THESE ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.
WE HAVE THE CAPACITY AND WE'VE PROVEN OUR STAFF THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THIS.
AND THIS IS GONNA BE THE RATE THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO RENEW AND APPROVE.
AS LONG AS THE BUDGET STAYS IN PLACE AS WE HAVE IT, WE CAN SUPPORT ALL OF THESE APPLICATIONS.
YOU SEE TWO DEFERRED APPLICATIONS IN HERE, AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE.
THOSE TWO DEFERRED APPLICATIONS ARE UP IN DISTRICT FOUR.
UM, AND IT'S BECAUSE WITHIN A ONE 10TH SQUARE MILE AREA, WE HAD FIVE APPLICATIONS APPLY.
AND FROM A CONNECTIVITY STANDPOINT, THAT'S ACTUALLY DETRIMENTAL TO THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM.
MEANING IF WE CAUSE CONFUSION, HOW DO PEOPLE ACTUALLY NAVIGATE THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD? SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO TWO OUT OF THE FIVE AND ASKED THEM TO DEFER.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO LAUNCH TWO, HOLD TWO, LAUNCH THE TWO HELD, AND THEN HOLD THE OTHER
[00:30:01]
TWO AND VICE VERSA.IRONICALLY, THERE ARE ONLY TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.
SO IT'S KIND OF A PERFECT SYMPA RELATIONSHIP WHERE THE COMMUNITY CAN ACTUALLY MOVE JUST TWO BLOCKS AWAY AND STILL BE ON A PLAY STREET.
AND THAT'S REALLY KIND OF CRITICAL BECAUSE AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THE EXPANSION OF THIS PROGRAM AND AT STEP, WE ARE GONNA HAVE RELATIONSHIPS LIKE THIS AND THEY'RE GONNA GIVE US PATTERNS AND TELL US MORE INFORMATION.
AGAIN, WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, WHICH, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS IN, UH, DISTRICT FOUR? IT'S ALL IN THE BRENTWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEN THE WOOTEN NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE WOOTEN NEIGHBORHOOD.
THAT'S WHAT I, I THOUGHT WE'D HAD DISCUSSION WITH WOOTEN AND THEY'VE THAT WAS WHERE WE LAUNCHED, UH, THE, THE FIRST ONE, CORRECT.
AND, UH, YEAH, THEY, THEY LOVE THEM.
THEY, THEY LOVE THE FIRST ONE AND, AND THEY'VE BEEN, UH, ONE AND MORE.
AND, AND IT'S STATISTICALLY THERE, BUT IT ALSO MIGHT TELL US SOMETHING.
SO WE DID A SURVEY OF THOSE FIRST ACTIVATIONS, BASICALLY A ONE BLOCK RADIUS AROUND EVERY ACTIVATION TO FIND OUT WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS ALL THOUGHT OF THESE ACTIVATIONS.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, THEY'RE FAVORABLE.
UM, 62% IN SUPPORT OF A PLAY STREET AND 69% IN SUPPORT OF A HEALTHY STREET.
WHAT IS DISTINCTLY INTERESTING ABOUT THIS CHART IS ACTUALLY MY NEXT SLIDE, AND I WANT YOU TO FOCUS IN ON THE 62% SUPPORT AND PLAY STREETS.
WE COLLECTED DATA, WE ASKED FOR COMMENTS ON THE HEALTHY STREET SIDE.
IT'S VERY CLEAR, RELAXED, HAPPY, SAFE, HEALTHY, SAFER.
RIGHT? ON THE PLAY STREET SIDE, WE START TO SEE COMMENTS LIKE FRUSTRATED, ANNOYED, UM, INSANELY TERRIBLE, NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO EACH OTHER, BUT THOSE ARE THE LARGER WORDS THAT COME OUT.
AND WHAT WE'RE STARTING TO REALIZE IS THAT WE HAVE THE IDEA, RIGHT, BUT IT MIGHT BE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION.
AND THAT 62% IS A TELLING FACTOR BECAUSE THE FIRST QUESTION WE ASKED, AM I USING THE PLAY STREET? 50% OF OUR RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEY ARE NOT USING THE PLAY STREET, WHICH MEANS WE STILL HAVE A FAVORABLE RATE, RIGHT? 62% ARE IN FAVOR, 50% OF OUR RESPONDENTS AREN'T USING THE PLAY STREET.
AND THAT'S AN INTERESTING TELL FOR US.
IN OTHER WORDS, SOMETHING'S GOING ON HERE THAT REALLY DOES WORK, BUT MAYBE NOT THE WAY WE'RE WORKING IT.
THE WORD COMPLETE STREET CLOSURE IS MISLEADING A LITTLE BIT.
MEANING WHEN WE THINK ABOUT A COMPLETE STREET CLOSURE, IT HAS APPEARANCE OF EXCLUSION RATHER THAN INCLUSION THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THAT STREET HAS PRIORITY OVER OTHER STREETS.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT THE CASE.
UM, THE NEXT PIECE IS THE CONTROL PANS INCLUDE RESIDENT CONTROL POINTS AT BOTH ENDS OF THE STREET.
SO THIS IS CAMBRIDGE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
IT'S ONE OF THE STREETS THAT DIDN'T RENEW.
IT'S A THOUSAND LINEAR FEET JUST SLIGHTLY UNDER A QUARTER MILE FROM END TO END.
WHEN YOU'RE MONITORING THOSE GATES AT THE END OF THE INTERSECTIONS, YOU CANNOT SEE THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE CHILDREN ARE PLAYING, NOR CAN YOU COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR OTHER RESIDENTS.
THERE ARE 27 HOUSES ON THIS 17 APPROVED, BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT FROM A STAFFING STANDPOINT, AND THESE ARE STAFFED BY THE RESIDENTS, THAT'S NINE PEOPLE WORKING THIS THREE DAYS.
THAT IS A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THAT 17 MEANS EVERY OTHER WEEK YOU ARE WORKING THIS SHIFT.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, IT BECOMES REALLY UNTENABLE, MY CHILD'S PLANE, BUT I DON'T EVEN GET TO WATCH OR PARTICIPATE.
UM, AND THAT WAS KIND OF THE SENTIMENT AND FEEDBACK WE WERE GETTING.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ALWAYS GET THIS KIND OF FEEDBACK, WHICH IS ORANGE CONES.
WHY ORANGE CONES? THEY'RE TEMPORARY.
IT HAS A VERY SPECIFIC MEANING IN TEXAS, UH, UNIFORM CODE FOR TRANSPORTATION.
IT MEANS THAT THERE'S CONSTRUCTION OR OTHER ACTIVITY PROHIBITING THE USE OF THE STREET, IN OUR CASE, PEDESTRIANS WALKING IT.
BUT THAT CONSTRUCTION PIECE IS THE FIRST CONNOTATION WE ALL DWELL ON, RIGHT? WHEN IT'S PROPERLY INSTALLED, IT'S NEAT AND ORDERLY.
WHEN PEOPLE DON'T LIKE IT, THEY MOVE IT OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND IT BECOMES DISORGANIZED AND NO ONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT'S GOING ON.
ADDITIONALLY, THE AMOUNT OF EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE TO USE TO MAKE THESE CLOSERS EFFECTIVE IS A LOT.
SO IT DOES CLUTTER UP THE ROAD AND WE NEED TO LOOK FOR FUTURE EXAMPLES OF HOW TO DO THIS BETTER.
AND THE LAST THING IS THE TERM LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IT MEANS THAT IF YOU
[00:35:01]
HAVE BUSINESS ON THE STREET, YOU'RE WELCOME.AMAZON WANTS TO DO A DELIVERY BY ALL MEANS FIRE DEPARTMENTS COMING THROUGH.
BY ALL MEANS YOU'RE VISITING A FRIEND OR A NEIGHBOR THAT LIVES ON THAT STREET, BY ALL MEANS.
BUT IF YOU'RE JUST PASSING THROUGH, WE REQUEST THAT YOU TAKE ANOTHER ROUTE, AND THAT'S FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE USING THE STREET.
SO THESE WERE THE QUICK LESSONS LEARNED ON THAT.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT AREA OF CLUSTER UP IN THE BRENTWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE WOOTEN NEIGHBORHOOD, WHAT WE SEE IS A WHOLE BUNCH OF STREETS THAT ARE ACTING AS CLASS ONE RESIDENTIAL LEVEL STREETS WITHOUT THIS OTHER CONNECTIVITY.
SO EVERYONE'S FIGHTING FOR CAPACITY UP THERE.
AND IT'S BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS BUILT IN THE SIXTIES, RIGHT? SO IT DIDN'T HAVE THE CONCEPT OF A MILLION PERSON CITY.
SO THIS PROGRAM HAS PROVEN ITS SUCCESS BECAUSE IT IS PROVIDING THAT ALTERNATIVE TO CALMING THAT TRAFFIC AND ALLOWING THE RESIDENTS TO GET BACK OUT ON THE STREETS.
UM, THE OTHER PIECE THAT THOSE INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS AND DATA LED US TO WAS MINOR UPDATES ON OUR PRIORITIZATION.
SO FOOD ACCESS BECOMES ITS OWN CATEGORY.
UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY BEING DRIVEN BY, UH, THE FORMER OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FACT THAT FOOD ACCESS IS ONE OF THE CRITICAL PIECES THAT PEOPLE USE TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO.
SO WE DID WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND PUT THAT SEPARATE.
WE ALSO IMPROVED OUR PARK SCORES AND AS ALWAYS, IT'S THE PRIORITIZATION SCORE OF THE ACTIVATION TIMES THE PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS THAT APPROVE IT.
THAT GIVES YOU YOUR APPROVAL RANK.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU MAY HAVE A HIGH PRIORITIZATION SCORE, BUT JUST SQUEAK BY AT THAT 60% AND MAY BE PUSHED OUT BY SOMEONE WHO'S GOT A HUNDRED PERCENT APPROVAL AND A SLIGHTLY LOWER ACTIVATION SCORE.
AND THAT ALLOWS FOR STREETS THAT REALLY ARE DRIVEN ARE RESIDENTIALLY APPROVING THIS TO PUSH THEIR APPLICATION FURTHER.
NEXT ON THE PLAY STREETS, WE RECOGNIZED THAT WE HAD SOME SERIOUS THINGS TO CONSIDER ON PLAY STREETS.
SO STREET LENGTH REALLY BECAME A CRITICAL ISSUE.
AND THEN THE NUMBER OF ACCESS CONTROL POINTS, IT'S MUCH EASIER TO FUNCTION ON A DEAD END OR A CUL-DE-SAC WHERE YOU HAVE ONE CONTROL POINT AND ONE MONITOR FOR THE CHILDREN VERSUS TWO CONTROL POINTS.
AND IF EVERYONE'S IN LINE OF SIGHT WITH EACH OTHER OR CAN VERBALLY COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER, THAT'S EVEN BETTER.
SO WE DID ESTABLISH THAT AS A PRIORITY TO DETERMINE IF THAT WILL MAKE A CHANGE IN THE EFFECTIVENESS AND APPROVAL FROM THE RESIDENTS.
NEXT PIECE THAT UTC HAS ASKED US TO LOOK AT IS HOW DO WE TAKE THIS INTO A MORE PERMANENT STRUCTURE? BY NATURE, A LIVING STREET IS TEMPORARY.
YOU HAVE THE OPTION FOR RENEWAL THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, BUT THOSE THAT DESIRE IT DO REALLY ENJOY IT.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY KATE AND STACY'S STREET.
IT'S SOUTH AUSTIN SHARED A HEALTHY STREET.
UM, IT'S RIGHT OFF OF SIXTH AND OLD TURF.
AND IT'S ACTUALLY TRANSITIONING TO A SHARED STREET.
AND THIS IS THE WAY WE DO THIS.
SO WE LOOK AT THE INSTALLATIONS THAT I HAVE, WE DO THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH THROUGH LIVING STREETS, AND WE REACH OUT TO THE RESIDENTS AND WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THEM TO DEVELOP THEIR SCHEME.
AND WHILE THIS IS DIAGRAMMATIC IN NATURE, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL IN THE PLANNING AND DESIGN PHASE OF THIS, ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS IF WE LOOK AT THIS AREA, HOW CAN WE ACTUALLY USE THE STREET AS THE SIDEWALK AND SHARE IT WITH CARS? AND THE WAY YOU DO THAT IS CREATE CURB EXTENSIONS, PINCH POINTS, TRAFFIC CIRCLES, AND SMALL SIDEWALKS THAT TURN INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD CREATING GATEWAYS.
AND IT'S THIS PROCESS WHERE WE'RE PILOTING ON SOUTH AUSTIN THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE TO OTHER LIVING STREETS AND MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE AMOUNT OF SIDEWALKS THAT WE NEED TO REPLACE WITHIN AUSTIN.
NEXT THING IS, IS SINCE WE LAST TALKED, WE WERE AWARDED, UH, SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL GRANT THROUGH THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION.
AND THAT GRANT ALLOWS US TO FLEX $1.5 MILLION ON DEMONSTRATION TECHNIQUES IN THE RESOLUTION.
IT CALLS FOR EASY, ACCESSIBLE AND AESTHETICALLY PLEASING CLOSURES.
AND I'M GONNA TRY TO PLAY THIS AGAIN FOR YOU.
UM, THESE ARE SKETCHES THAT WE DID EARLY ON TO SUPPORT THE SS FOUR A GRANT THAT WAS SUBMITTED OVER A YEAR AGO.
UM, AND THE CONCEPT HERE IS, IS HOW DO WE CREATE
[00:40:01]
THE BEHAVIOR CHANGE AND LOOK AT DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT, THE PLACEMENT CONFIGURATION OF THAT EQUIPMENT, AND HOW DO WE LOOK AT HOW IT ACTIVATES THIS SPACE? SO THAT TAKES TIME AND EFFORT AND RESEARCH.SO EACH ONE OF THESE TRANSITIONS COULD BE A TRANSITION THAT WE MAKE.
AND THE END GOAL IS TO CREATE THE BEHAVIOR CHANGE OVER TWO AND A HALF YEARS WHERE WE CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT STYLE OF LIVING STREET.
THE EQUIPMENT'S STILL TEMPORARY, STILL MEETS ALL THE TRAFFIC CODES FOR CRASHWORTHINESS AND IMPROVES THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S AESTHETICS.
IT'S GONNA BE THROUGH THIS PROCESS THAT WE REALLY IMPROVE THE PROGRAM AND START TO DEPLOY IT ON A MORE HOLISTIC METHOD.
ADDITIONALLY, THIS WILL ALLOW US TO TEST SCENARIOS THAT CAN THEN BE TURNED INTO A SHARED STREET.
AND SHARED STREETS CAN THEN BE TURNED INTO COMPLETE STREETS.
AND THE TERM DEFINITIONS, THERE ARE LIVING STREETS ARE TEMPORARY SHARED STREETS OR MINIMAL INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT DON'T NECESSARILY INCLUDE SIDEWALKS.
COMPLETE STREETS HAVE DEFINED CROSSWALKS, PINCH POINTS, CONTROLLED PARKING, LIGHTING, TREES, AND OTHER AMENITIES ON IT.
AND THAT'S THE GOAL OF THE A SMP, UH, IS TO GET ALL OF OUR STREETS TO THAT.
WE KNOW THAT PLAY STREETS ARE THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE FOR US.
WE HAVE STARTED TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO APPROACH THIS.
THIS IS A PILOT THAT WE'RE GETTING READY TO LAUNCH ON ONE OF OUR EXISTING PLACE STREETS CALLED AN ACTIVITY ZONE.
IT'S A VERY SPECIFIC ZONE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE A FULL CLOSURE OF THE ROAD.
IT INCLUDES IN A VERY AGGRESSIVE CHICANE FORCING YOU TO SLOW DOWN, STOP, NAVIGATE A 25 FOOT WIDE GAP IN BETWEEN TWO TRAFFIC BARRIERS, AND THEN MOVE THROUGH THE ACTIVITY ZONE SHOWN HERE IN GREEN ONTO YOUR NEXT PIECE.
THAT ALLOWS A RESPONSIBLE PARTY, UH, OLDER, UM, TEENAGER, A YOUNG ADULT, A A PARENT TO KIND OF MONITOR THE TRAFFIC, SAY CAR, ALLOW THE CAR TIME TO STOP, SLOW DOWN, NOT ENOUGH TIME TO ACCELERATE THROUGH THE CLOSURE, AND THEN MOVE THROUGH THE SPACE WITHOUT INHIBITING THEIR, UM, ABILITY TO TRANSVERSE THROUGH THE NETWORK.
UM, IF THIS IS SUCCESSFUL, OUR HOPE AND VISION IS THAT THIS ACTUALLY GETS USED ON ALL OF OUR LIVING STREETS.
IT MAY BECOME A PIECE ON A NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTY.
IT MAY BECOME A PIECE ON A HEALTHY STREET FOR AN ACTIVITY ZONE SO THAT YOU HAVE A MORE DEFINED, HIGHLY ACTIVE AREA AND IT MAY BE PART AND PARCEL OF A PLAY STREET SO THAT YOU HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL SAFETY.
LAST PIECE FOR YOU GUYS IS WE PLAN ON THE CONTINUITY OF THIS PROGRAM.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING ANOTHER OUTREACH AND MARKETING CAMPAIGN.
AGAIN, IT WILL BE TARGETED CITYWIDE.
IT WILL SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON THOSE IN VULNERABLE AREAS.
WE ARE MOVING FORMALLY WITH THE LIVING STREETS TO SHARED STREETS TRANSITION AND LOOKING AT BOND PACKAGE FUNDING TO DO THIS AS WELL AND HOW THAT ACTUALLY MIGHT PLAY OUT.
UM, WE'RE FORMALIZING THAT PROCESS.
AND THE MAIN PART OF THAT IS THIS CONTINUITY AND CONNECTION BACK FROM SHARED STREETS TO THE LIVING STREETS LAB, THE SS FOUR A FUNDING.
AND THAT'S REALLY THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THIS KIT OF PARTS, THIS TEMPLATE, AND THIS BODY OF WORK THAT TRANSITIONS FROM ONE PIECE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE OTHER SO THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THAT'S THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
I'LL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU GUYS.
WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE, BUT I HAVE TO WARN YOU IF YOU'RE GONNA BRING BABIES AND THEN PLAY AUDIO OF CHILDREN AND THEN SHOW PICTURES OF PUPPIES, MAYBE THE NEXT MEETING HAS TO HAVE SOME ADOPTABLE PUPPIES OR SOMETHING SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN DO THAT.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS? I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
I'M JUST EXCITED TO SEE A LOT OF THE, SORRY, I DON'T WANNA KEEP MOVING AWAY FROM THE MIC.
THEY JUST, THEY LIKE TO SIT REALLY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD WANT TO HEAR ME SING
UM, NO, I'M JUST HAPPY TO SEE A LOT OF THE TEMPORARY ACTIVATIONS BECOME PERMANENT.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER BEING, UH, A CANDIDATE FOR OFFICE YEARS, YEARS AGO.
UM, I'M NOT YOUNG ANYMORE, UM, EVEN THOUGH I WAS BORN IN 1990.
UM, BUT UH, I REMEMBER IN HYDE PARK SEEING SOME OF THE, UH, THIS, YOU KNOW, THE ACTIVATIONS THERE.
I THOUGHT IT WAS THE COOLEST THING IN, IN THE WORLD.
AND I THINK THE THING THAT PEOPLE NORMALLY, I GUESS KNOW ABOUT IT AND ARE USED
[00:45:01]
TO AND ATTEND IS THAT 37TH STREET LIGHTS, UM, WHICH IS I THINK THE COOLEST THING.UM, WELL THERE'S A LOT OF COOL THINGS IN DISTRICT NINE, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE COOL THINGS IN DISTRICT NINE.
SO, UH, I, I JUST WANNA APPLAUD, UM, EVERYONE FOR WORKING ON ALL THESE GREAT INITIATIVES IN THE CITY.
AND I WANTED TO ADD A COMMENT.
I KNOW YOU MENTIONED, UM, SOME OF THE DISTRICTS THAT DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY OF THESE, OR EITHER THEY WEREN'T APPLIED FOR OR THEY DIDN'T QUALIFY.
UM, AN INTERESTING BACKGROUND TO HOW SOME OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS BECAME IN THE CITY IS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS GOT BUILT ON THEIR OWN.
AND OFTENTIMES THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, DECIDED TO PUT SIDEWALKS IN.
AND THEN WHEN THEY ANNEXED INTO THE CITY, NOW WE ARE MAINTAINING THE SIDEWALKS AND ALL OF THE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND ALL, ALL OF THOSE OTHER THINGS THAT GO WITH BEING A PART OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND SO IT'S INTERESTING WHEN YOU MENTIONED DISTRICT TWO AND DISTRICT SIX, I'M SURE THEY PROBABLY HAVE SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS, IS THAT SOMEONE BUILT THEM WITH A BIG VISION PLAN.
UM, AND THEN THE CITY'S ON THE HOOK FOR MAINTAINING ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND A REALLY BIG CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IS THE REALLY WIDE STREETS.
THERE WAS AN ERA WHERE THEY THOUGHT A FIRETRUCK COULDN'T POSSIBLY GET THROUGH IF IT WASN'T, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY FOUR LANES WIDE, BUT JUST NOT STRIPED FOR IT.
AND SOME OF THESE STREETS ARE THAT BIG AND BIGGER, BUT THEY'RE REALLY ONLY TWO LANES OF DRIVING AND THEY'RE JUST NOT CONDUCIVE TO A KID LEARNING HOW TO RIDE A BIKE OR TAKING FOOD ACROSS THE STREET TO YOUR NEIGHBOR.
YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ISSUES THAT WE'RE HAVING TO RETROFIT INTO THIS EIGHTIES, NINETIES BUILD IS WHEN I THINK A LOT OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WERE BUILT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THERE'S SOME WINDS ON DIFFERENT STREETS IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE PEOPLE CAN DO THAT OR CUL-DE-SACS.
UM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH FOR A LONG TIME, IS HOW DO WE MAKE THE INCIDENTS OF CRASHES AND PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLIST SAFETY, UM, UM, A HIGHER PRIORITY ON THESE STREETS THAT THE CITY DIDN'T BUILD, BUT WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THEM.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S A VERY INTERESTING CONVERSATION.
AND THEN I WANTED TO ASK VERY QUICKLY ABOUT ITEM 31 ON OUR NEXT AGENDA, TALKS ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, UM, DOING, UM, UH, BARRICADES, LEMME SEE IF I CAN PULL UP THE LANGUAGE.
UM, RUBBER CURVES AND PLANTERS POTENTIALLY IS, IS THAT INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE TODAY? WE CAN ALWAYS PUT IT THROUGH THE MAIN Q AND A ON EXACTLY WHAT IS THAT? IS THIS FOR LIVING STREETS AND HEALTHY STREETS OR IS THIS PART OF A, A BROADER CONVERSATION? I'M GONNA HAVE TO DEFER TO MY COLLEAGUES FROM TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
SO IF WE, WE CAN PUT IT THROUGH THE Q AND A IF.
YEAH, I DON'T WANNA PUT ANYONE ON THE SPOT.
WE'LL, WE'LL DO THE Q AND A AND JUST UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER.
'CAUSE UM, I HAVE SEEN AS I AM ABOUT TOWN, UM, THESE BIG PLANTERS THAT FORKLIFTS HAVE TO MOVE.
AND I'M TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THIS CONVERSATION OF YES, I UNDERSTAND THE, THE ORANGE STRIPED BARRICADES DO LOOK LIKE A CONSTRUCTION ZONE AND THEY DON'T SEEM AS WELCOMING.
THEY SEEM LIKE CAUTIONS STAY AWAY ALERT.
UM, AS OPPOSED TO THE INVITING WAY OF SAYING YOU ARE ON A QUIETER NEIGHBORHOOD STREET NOW.
AND SO I'M INTERESTED TO SEE IF, IF THE DEPARTMENT IS ABLE TO FIND MATERIALS THAT CAN HELP WITH THAT CONVERSATION, UM, OR IF I NEED TO START FINDING SOME NEW, UH, MATERIALS AND TRY TO PROPOSE THEM TO Y'ALL ABOUT, HEY, WHAT CAN WE DO THAT IS IN LINE WITH SAFETY STANDARDS FOR TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, UM, BUT ALSO MENTALLY SIGNALS TO PEOPLE TO GO SLOWER AND IS MORE INVITING VERSUS THE, THE CAUTION ORANGE.
SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE APPLIED FOR THE SS FOUR A MONEY, OKAY.
SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO STUDY THOSE.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT DICHOTOMY BETWEEN SAFETY AND AESTHETICS AND WELCOMING NEIGHBORHOODS AND THAT IT IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN THOSE TWO PIECES.
MM-HMM
AND I RESPECT THAT THE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T NECESSARILY WANT TO PUT THINGS IN THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE TREES OR POLLINATOR GARDENS OR COMMUNITY GARDENS WHERE PEOPLE CAN PLANT FOOD.
UM, IF IT'S NOT A STRUCTURE THAT'S SAFE TO BE IN THE STREET AND HOW, HOW WE CAN BRIDGE THE GAP HERE.
SO I, I WILL KEEP LOOKING AND PUT THAT ON MY, MY TO-DO LIST ABOUT CAN WE OPEN THAT CONVERSATION UP? CAN WE MAKE THINGS PRETTIER AND STILL SAFE FOR EVERYBODY? EXCELLENT.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS INTRODUCTION AS I'M FAIRLY NEW TO THE S HERE AND, AND JUST JOINING THIS COMMITTEE FOR THE MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, I SEE I NOTICED HOW LOW PARTICIPATION HAS BEEN FROM DISTRICT SIX SO FAR.
AND I KNOW FROM MY KNOWLEDGE OF OUR DISTRICT THAT WE IN FACT HAVE A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN.
WE HAVE A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF SENIORS.
UM, WE HAVE A LOW CONCENTRATION OF PLACES
[00:50:01]
FOR THE COMMUNITY TO GATHER THAT ARE NOT PRIVATE IN SOME WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.AND WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF STREETS THAT THE CONFIGURATION WOULD LEND ITSELF TO THIS.
SO I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING MORE SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE, UM, SO THAT I CAN BRING THIS INFORMATION OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND FIND SOME WAYS TO BRING THIS REALLY APPEALING, UH, PROGRAM OUT TO OUR DISTRICT.
ALSO, IT WAS A FANTASTIC PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING US POSTPONE IT FROM THE LAST MEETING.
UM, I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION AND I'M GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE TIME TO, TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
ARE THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS? IT APPEARS NOT SURE.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
AND I ACTUALLY, I TEXTED IT TO YOU 'CAUSE I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE STAFF MEMBER TO A, UH, TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, BUT THERE WAS COMMENTARY EARLIER ABOUT A MORATORIUM OR, UM, COMMUNITY EVENTS.
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF SOMEBODY IN THE ROOM COULD EXPAND ON THAT MORATORIUM.
AND, UM, IF WE COULD, UM, ADD THAT AS AN ITEM IN THAT Q AND A THAT YOU'RE GONNA SUBMIT.
IF WE COULD ADD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY THERE, 'CAUSE I'M NOT FAMILIAR.
I THINK IT WAS OUR URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR.
UH, THE UTC HAD PASSED A RECOMMENDATION THAT INCLUDED INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
IF YOU KNOW THAT ANSWER OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD.
THE ANSWER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD IS WE USED TO EVALUATE THAT MORATORIUM OF, UH, ADDITIONAL LARGE EVENTS IN THE DOWNTOWN SPACE ANNUALLY.
AND, UM, BECAUSE OF ALL THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WAS GOING ON, TRYING TO MAINTAIN A REASONABLE, UH, FLOW OF, OF, UH, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC SAFELY.
AND A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST CAME INTO THE FORMER AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, IT WAS RECOMMENDED TO ME THAT WE JUST REEVALUATE THAT INTERNALLY ON A YEAR, YEAR BASIS AND MAKE IT INDEFINITE.
SO I'LL BE VISITING BACK WITH MY, UH, TRANSPORTATION TEAM AND WE'LL REEVALUATE THAT.
IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE WE LOOKED AT IT AND I CAN GET BACK TO THE MOBILITY.
THANK, THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO, TO GET THAT INFORMATION BACK TO US.
ALRIGHT, I THINK THAT'S THE END OF OUR QUESTIONS.
[4. 2016 Bond Corridor Construction Program update.]
THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS GOING TO BE ITEM FOUR, THE 2016 BOND CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM UPDATE.GREAT TO BE WITH YOU ALL HERE TODAY.
I'M THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES.
JUST GONNA PULL UP MY NOTES HERE REAL QUICK AND WE'LL GET GOING.
UM, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S TIME TODAY, UM, COMMITTEE CHAIR MEMBERS, UM, THANK YOU FOR, FOR HAVING US TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE, THE CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECTS IN THE 2016 MOBILITY BOND HAS BEEN A, A LONG PROCESS.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, WHEN THE BOND WAS APPROVED, THE PLANS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE CORRIDORS WERE IN A, A CONCEPT LEVEL PLAN AND NOT FULLY DEVELOPED.
AND AS THOSE PROJECTS MOVED THROUGH THE PLANNING AND DESIGN PROCESS, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE FUNDING AVAILABLE IN THE BOND WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO MEET THE NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED DURING THE DESIGN.
THE PROJECT TEAMS WERE OPTIMISTIC THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING COULD BE IDENTIFIED, BUT ULTIMATELY THE PROGRAM NEEDED TO MOVE INTO CONSTRUCTION.
SO WE'RE DELIVERING PROJECTS ALONG THOSE CORRIDORS.
FOR SOME OF THE CORRIDORS, THERE WERE MAJOR COMPLICATIONS RELATED TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, ADDING IMPERVIOUS COVER, UH, ALONG THE CORRIDORS, INCLUDING NEW SIDEWALKS AND BIKE PATHS, WHICH IN TURN REQUIRED STORM GRADE UPGRADES, WHICH LED TO, UH, SITUATIONS WHERE A RELATIVELY MINOR FIVE TO $10 MILLION TRANSPORTATION PROJECT TURNED INTO A 15 TO $20 MILLION STORM BRAIN PROJECT WITH SOME TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENTS ON, ON TOP OF THAT, WHICH WAS CLEARLY NOT THE INTENT OF THE 2016 MOBILITY BOND.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH, WE AT CDS HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH, UH, THOSE DETAILS WITH OUR PARTNERS IN TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS, AS WELL AS WATERSHED PROTECTION AND AUSTIN WATER RELATED TO PERMITTING AND SCOPING.
AND NOW WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE THE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION EFFORT BEGINS.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE GRAPHIC ABOVE, ONE OF THE TENANTS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LIFE OF THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, IN TERMS OF NOT ONLY DETAILING THE PLANS FOR WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING, GETTING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND INPUT ON THOSE PLANS, BUT NOW AS WE'RE MOVING INTO CONSTRUCTION, MAKING SURE EVERYONE ON THE CORRIDORS IS AWARE OF THOSE IMPACTS AND WE'RE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE FOLKS, UH, AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
[00:55:01]
UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS OF PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD IN THE NEAR FUTURE INCLUDE THE EXTENSION OF THE SHARED USE PATH ON THE WEST SIDE OF AIRPORT BOULEVARD FROM 55TH STREET TO 45TH STREET CONSTRUCTION OF THE WILLIAM CANNON DRIVE PROJECT FROM MORNING RUNNING WATER TO MCKINNEY FALLS, WHICH IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IS AIDED BY A CAMPO GRANT.THERE'S ONGOING BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS ON ALL CORRIDORS.
WE'RE CURRENTLY ADVERTISING FOR BID, THE SLAUGHTER LANE PROJECT, WHICH GOES FROM BRODY TO MOPAC, AS WELL AS A NEW IDIQ CONTRACT TO DELIVER SHARED USE PATHS ALONG BURNETT AND AIRPORT ROAD.
AND THAT IDIQ CONTRACT IS SCHEDULED TO ADVERTISE HERE IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.
UPCOMING BIDS, UM, TO BE ADVERTISED IN THE NEXT 60 DAYS, UH, ARE FOR THE BURNETT ROAD PROJECT, ALL THE WAY FROM 180 3 TO MOPAC.
THAT'S GONNA BE DIVIDED INTO TWO SECTIONS.
AND THE LATER THIS SPRING, EARLY SUMMER, WE'RE GONNA BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE SOUTH LAMAR BOULEVARD PROJECT FROM BARTON SPRINGS TO IH 71.
THAT IS PROBABLY THE LARGEST PROJECT THAT'S IN THE ENTIRE PACKAGE.
UM, THAT'S BEEN, THAT'S MOVING FORWARD TO CONSTRUCTION AS A PART OF THIS PROGRAM.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE, UM, ADDITIONALLY IN, IN CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, WHEN THE, WHEN THE CORRIDOR PRO, UH, PROGRAM CAME TO US WAS CONSOLIDATING 27 EXISTING WEBPAGES INTO NINE ACTIVE PAGES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THE LINKS YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE THERE.
UH, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT THOSE WEBPAGES ARE ALL MONITORED.
SO FOR WHEN QUESTIONS ARE ASKED BY THE PUBLIC, WE'RE ABLE TO RAPIDLY RESPOND AS WELL AS INCLUDING SCHEMATIC PLANS AND PROJECT PLANS SO FOLKS CAN HAVE THOSE RESOURCES AT THEIR FINGERTIPS TO BE ABLE TO TELL WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, ALONG THE CORRIDORS.
YEAH, I THINK WE'VE GOT A QUICK QUESTION.
COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, IDIQ NEW, SORRY.
THAT'S SORRY FOR USING JARGON THERE.
I WAS GONNA EXPLAIN THAT LATER, BUT WE'LL LET THE EXPERT.
SO THAT'S INDEFINITE DELIVERY, INDEFINITE QUANTITY.
THAT'S WHERE WE GO OUT FOR BID WITH A CONTRACTOR WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A FULLY BAKED SET