[00:00:01]
[CALL TO ORDER]
GONNA CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.UH, WE'LL START WITH OUR ROLL CALL.
UH, VICE CHAIR, MINORS PRESENT.
UH, COMMISSIONER LUKINS AND COMMISSIONER MCKINNEY.
UH, AND WE HAVE A NEW COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER MEKI, AND SHE IS NOT HERE.
UH, AND COMMISSIONER WALLACE AND COMMISSIONER TRO PRESENT.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION TODAY? UH, NO, WE DO NOT.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
UM, WE MOVE TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING ON FEBRUARY 24TH.WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE? I'LL SECOND THAT.
OUR MEETING MINUTES ARE APPROVED.
[2. Discussion and action to recommend to City Council whether the project AUS West Garage, located at 2921 1/2 Presidential Boulevard, complies with the City Design and Sustainability Standards. Presented by Mari Boren, Capital Delivery Services, Cris Ruebush, PGAL, and Shelby Horton, Dunaway.]
ALL RIGHT, OUR DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY.UH, WE HAVE A DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEM TO RECOMMEND THE CITY COUNCIL, WHETHER THE PROJECT, UH, A US WEST GARAGE LOCATED AT 29 21 AND A HALF PRESIDENTIAL BOULEVARD COMPLIES WITH THE CITY DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
UH, THIS IS GONNA BE PRESENTED BY, UM, MARTY BORIN, UH, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICE, AND CHRIS RUBUSH WITH PGAL, UH, AND SHELBY HORTON WITH DUNAWAY CHAIR.
IF I MAY, I'M RECUSING MYSELF FROM THIS ITEM.
WITH THE CURRENT ATTENDANCE, WE WON'T HAVE THE VOTES FOR THIS ITEM.
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO, 'CAUSE WE HAVE THE SAME THING WITH OUR SECOND ONE.
UM, DO WE HAVE HERE THIS, WE DO HAVE A NEW COMMISSIONERS, THOUGH.
I'M WONDERING IF THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY.
WELCOME TO THE DESIGN COMMISSION.
UM, WE'RE STARTING ON OUR FIRST, UH, DE, UH, DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS, WHICH IS THE, UH, THE GARAGE, UM, SORRY, LOCATED AT 29 21 AND A HALF PRESIDENTIAL BOULEVARD, UH, TO BE PRESENTED BY MARTY BORDEN, UH, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, AND CHRIS RUBUSH, PGAL, AND SHELBY HORTON WITH DUNAWAY.
UM, WHOEVER'S PRESENTING, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
I AM THE PROJECT MANAGER WITH CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES FOR THE WEST GARAGE PROJECT.
AND WITH ME TODAY ARE CHRIS OSH WITH PGAL ARCHITECTS AND SHELBY HORTON FROM DONAWAY.
A QUICK INTRODUCTION FROM THE PROJECT.
UH, THE WEST GARAGE IS PART OF THE A DP AIRPORT EXPANSION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND SERVE AS AN ENABLING PROJECT FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AT THE AIRPORT.
UM, THE WEST GARAGE WILL REPLACE EXISTING RED GARAGE.
UH, THE GRAY GARAGE MUST BE REMOVED TO MAKE WAY FOR THE NORTHERN EXPANSION OF THE BARBARA JORDAN TERMINAL.
UH, THE GARAGE IS EXPECTED TO OPEN IN IN TWO PHASES.
UH, THE FIRST 3000 SPACES SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY MID, UH, 2026.
UM, AND THE ENTIRE PROJECTS HOPEFULLY WILL BE FINISHED BY THE, BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR.
UM, IF YOU WOULD, UM, ADVANCE THE PRESENTATION, PLEASE.
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AGENDA, UH, FOR OUR PRESENTATION.UM, I GUESS I'LL GIVE YOU ALREADY AN INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT.
UM, HERE'S A QUICK, UH, RECAP OF EVENTS, UH, FOR THE PROJECT.
UH, WE STARTED OUR FAIR FIRST A OC BACK IN JULY, 2024.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UH, WITH DSD ON SITE DEVELOPMENT, UM, BUILDING PERMIT.
UM, WE RECEIVED OUR SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT, UM, LAST WEEK.
UH, WE, THE DESIGN TEAM IS WORKING TO, UH, TO SECURE THE BUILDING PERMIT, UM, BY THE END OF, WELL BY MID-MAY.
UM, WE DID HAVE A GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY ON SITE AT THE END OF FEBRUARY.
AND, UM, YEAH, IT'S A VERY, UM, UH, A VERY EXPEDITED SCHEDULE.
NEXT, PLEASE, MARIO, SWING IN.
HEY, THIS IS CHRIS RUBUSH WITH PGL.
REAL QUICK, CAN I ADVANCE SLIDE OR DO I JUST, UH, TELL YOU TO ADVANCE? YOU COULD JUST TELL US WHEN YOU NEED TO ADVANCE THE SLIDE.
ALRIGHT, SO A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.
UH, UH, ARIEL OF THE, UM, AIRPORT CAMPUS, UH, THE HIGHLIGHTED RED IS HIGHLIGHTING THE SITE.
IT'S THE CURRENT SURFACE LOT B, WHICH IS DIRECTLY NORTH OF THE BLUE GARAGE.
THAT WAS COMPLETED IN 2019 OR EARLY 2020.
AND THIS NEW GARAGE WILL TAKE UP ITS ENTIRE, UH, SERVICE LOT FOOTPRINT.
A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM.
UM, IT WILL BE SEVEN FLOORS OF CAST IN PLACE, CONCRETE, UM, AND WILL YIELD 7,037 SPACES.
THE RAMPING SYSTEM WILL BE A, UH, SPEED RAMP ASSEMBLY, ONE SPEED RAMP ASSEMBLY DEDICATED TO UP AND ANOTHER STACKED RIGHT ON TOP OF IT, DEDICATED TO GO DOWN DUE TO THE 2021 IBC CODE CHANGE.
UM, THIS GARAGE WILL BE FULLY SPRINKLED.
UH, THERE'LL BE EV CHARGERS ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
UH, THE PROJECT WILL SEEK PARK SMART CERTIFICATION, WHICH WE'LL TOUCH ON LATER IN THE PRESENTATION.
UH, ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT, WHICH I'LL SHOW MORE OF AS WELL, THERE'LL BE A NEW PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE THAT WILL LINK THIS NEW GARAGE TO THE EXISTING BLUE GARAGE TO HELP PASSENGERS GET TO THE TERMINAL.
AND THERE'LL BE A LITTLE BIT OF ROADWAY WORK THAT WILL HOPEFULLY HELP IMPROVE, UH, PARKER'S KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE TO GO TO PARK IN THE VARIOUS PARKING PRODUCTS.
A LITTLE BIT OF A SITE DIAGRAM THAT WAS DONE VERY EARLY IN THE PROJECT, REALLY TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE NORTH SOUTH DIMENSION WAS SORT OF THE PICKLE FITTING IN THE SIX PARKING BAYS AND SPEED RUB ASSEMBLY WITH THE NORTH SIDE OF LOT B BEING, UM, A IT AND ELECTRICAL DUCT BANK RUNNING RIGHT ALONG THE SEAM BETWEEN LOT B AND D.
AND ON THE SOUTH SIDE, THE BLUE GARAGES EXIT FLYOVER RAMP AND THE EXISTING ROADWAYS.
AND SO A LOT OF UTILITIES TO WORK AROUND REALLY KIND OF DROVE THE SHAPE OF THIS GARAGE AS IT TRIES TO MAXIMIZE ITS FOOTPRINT ON THAT SERVICE.
THIS IN THE FOREGROUND OF THIS PHOTO, BOTTOM LEFT IS SURFACE LOT B.
AND THEN IN THE CENTER OF THE PHOTO IS THE BLUE GARAGE THAT COMPLETED IN 2019.
AND ONE, THIS NEW GARAGE IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY SIMILAR IN ITS FOOTPRINT AND ITS RAMPING STRATEGY.
UH, SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THE BLUE GARAGE.
THIS NEW GARAGE WILL BE ONE STORY HIGHER, ONE PARKING BAY LONGER.
UH, BUT THE RAMPING SYSTEM THAT YOU SEE IN THE FOREGROUND OF THE BLUE GARAGE WOULD BE VERY SIMILAR.
THIS STACK SPEED OR AMP ASSEMBLY.
UH, NEXT IMAGE, THIS IS THE IMAGE FROM THE SOUTH, UM, AND THE BLUE GARAGE GOT TREATED IN TWO WAYS ON ITS EXTERIOR, A METAL PANEL ON THE WEST AND THE SOUTH AND THE BLUE PANELS ON THE NORTH AND THE WEST.
THE BOTTOM OF THIS DIAGRAM WAS THE DIAGRAM FOR THE BLUE GARAGE WHERE WE TREATED THE WEST AND THE SOUTH IN ONE FASHION AND THE NORTH AND THE EAST IN ANOTHER FASHION.
AND SO AS WE WORKED ON THE DESIGN OF THIS NEW GARAGE, HOW WE WERE GONNA TREAT ITS FACADES IN RELATION TO THE BLUE GARAGE AND THE AIRPORT CAMPUS.
AND SO THE WEST EDGE, UH, IS REALLY SORT OF A CONTINUATION OF THE, UH, BLUE GARAGE'S IDENTITY FACE THAT WE CALLED IT.
AND THEN THE NORTH FACE, WHICH YOU SEE LABELED HERE, IS CALLED ORDER.
[00:10:01]
EXTREMELY PROMINENT ELEVATION FOR A LONG TIME, RIGHT? THE NEXT GARAGE AFTER THIS ONE WOULD LIKELY BE TO THE EAST IN WHAT IS NOW LOT C.SO LOT D WILL BE A SERVICE LOT FOR THE VERY FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
AND SO THAT NORTH FACADE IS IMPORTANT AND WE TREAT IT IN A A CERTAIN WAY AND THEN I'LL SHOW MORE.
BUT THERE IS A PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION AS THIS PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE AND HOW IT GETS TREATED AND CONNECTS INTO THE BLUE GARAGE IS ANOTHER ARCHITECTURAL ASPECT.
ALRIGHT, HERE'S SOME IMAGE THAT WE SHOWED EARLY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS REALLY WITH THE IDEA THAT RIGHT, THIS GARAGE IS INHERENTLY A BIG RECTANGLE.
UM, BUT IN AVIATION THERE ARE A LOT OF SLOPES AND CURVES AND ANGLES AND, AND HOW WE MIGHT FACTOR THAT IN A BIT TO THE GARAGE DESIGN, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID IN SOME OF THE ANGLES AND UH, DETAILS OF THE BLUE GARAGE.
SO THIS WAS THE ARCHITECTURAL PROGRESSION FROM TOP LEFT, THE SORT OF RECTANGULAR MASS INHERENT TO A PARKING GARAGE AND THEN MIGRATING IT ACROSS THESE IDEAS.
AND SO A FIRST MOVE THE WEST FACADE TAKES THE ELECTRICAL IT ROOM AND KICKS THEM OUT AT AN ANGLE SIMILAR OR EXACTLY LIKE ACTUALLY THE ADMIN BUILDING OF THE BLUE GARAGE.
AND THEN ON THE NORTH FACADE, THAT ORDER FACADE BASICALLY CREATING SORT OF PORTAL PIECES THAT RESPOND IN A VERY ORDERLY AND RHYTHMIC FASHION CORRESPONDING TO THE EGRESS STAIRS.
AND THEN THE FINAL BOTTOM RIGHT IS BASICALLY TAKING SOME OF THE AVIATION LANGUAGE AND INTRODUCING SOME CURVES AND ANGLES AND CHAS TO SORT OF WRAP THIS RECTANGLE IN A BIT OF A FLOWING FASHION.
UH, 3D ACTS, THOSE BLACK AND WHITE OF THE, UH, CURRENT MODEL AND DESIGN THE TOP IMAGE PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT IMAGE.
THE STACK SPEED RAMP ASSEMBLY, UH, WHERE THE BOTTOM RAMP WILL BE, THE UP SEQUENCE AND THE TOP RAMP, THE DOWN SEQUENCE, WHICH WILL BE VERY MUCH LIKE THE CURRENT BLUE GARAGE.
AND THEN THE BOTTOM, UH, YOU CAN SEE THOSE SORT OF FIVE PORTALS, UM, ALONG THAT NORTH FACADE.
ALRIGHT, RENDERING UP, LOOKING FROM THE NORTHWEST, UH, THOSE FIVE PORTALS, UH, WILL SORT OF BE, UH, HAVE A VERTICAL FIN PRODUCT TO CREATE SORT OF A YELLOW APPEARANCE.
THE GARAGE WILL BE CALLED THE YELLOW GARAGE.
UH, THE WEST FACADE, THAT PROTRUSION OF THE ELECTRICAL AND IT ROOM WILL GET WRAPPED IN AN INSULATED METAL PANEL JUST LIKE THE ADMIN BUILDING, WHICH IS RIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS RENDERING.
AND THEN THE UPPER BAND IS A VERTICAL SUNSHADE PRODUCT, UH, THAT WILL CLIP TO THE SIDE OF THE GARAGE AND CREATE KIND OF THAT VERTICAL UH, RHYTHM UP AT THE TOP.
UH, NEXT IMAGE IS JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE WEST, UM, AS YOU CIRCULATE TOWARDS THE SPEED RAMP ASSEMBLY ON THAT BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE GARAGE.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE FLASHING OVER TO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER AND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS RENDERING IS THE PRIMARY VERTICAL CIRCULATION CORE.
SO IT'S GOT THE ELEVATORS AND A STAIR AND ALL PARKING CUSTOMERS AFTER THEY'VE ARRIVED TO THEIR SPOT OFF THAT SPEED RAMP ASSEMBLY WILL BE WAY FINDED TO THE SOUTHEAST WHERE THEY CAN ACCESS THIS ELEVATOR AND STAIR AND BASICALLY BE, UH, WAY FOUND TO GET TO THE THIRD FLOOR WHERE THERE'LL BE A NEW PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE DOCKING INTO THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE BLUE GARAGE.
AND SORT OF RIGHT BEFORE THE ELEVATOR CORD, THERE'S GONNA BE A LARGE PEDESTRIAN CUT IN WHERE ANY SURFACE PARKERS THAT ARE CIRCULATING DOWN THE SPINE OR UM, TO THE EAST OF OUR GARAGE CAN GET INTO THIS ELEVATOR CORE AND ALSO GET TO THE THIRD FLOOR AND GET TO THE BLUE GARAGE.
SO, BIG PICTURE FOR DENOTE THAT IF YOU GET INTO THE BLUE GARAGES EAST SIDE, THE AD HALL PROJECT WILL BE DOING A BRIDGE THAT WILL DOCK INTO THIS LEVEL OF THE BLUE GARAGE.
AND SO A PEDESTRIAN WILL BE ABLE TO GET FROM THE YELLOW GARAGE OR THE BLUE GARAGE INTO THE AD HALL WITH NO LONGER HAVING ANY ROADWAY CONFLICTS.
ALSO, THE LIGHT RAIL, IF AND WHEN IT COMES, WILL, IS PLANNED TO COME DOWN THIS CENTER AND PEOPLE FROM THE LIGHT RAIL COULD ALSO DOCK INTO AND ACCESS THIS BRIDGE TO FLOW STRAIGHT INTO THE AD HALL.
ANOTHER VIEW OF THAT PEDESTRIAN
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BRIDGE AND THAT ELEVATOR AND STAIR CORE IN THIS SOUTHEAST CORNER.OKAY, I WON'T SPEND MUCH TIME HERE, BUT THIS IS A BUSY DRAWING BASICALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THERE WILL BE ROADWAY WORK AND SOME NEW WAY FINDING WORK WITH THE OVERALL THESIS THAT THE IDEA IS TO GET PARKER'S READY, WILLING, ABLE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE OF GETTING OVER TO THE LEFT SOONER ALONG THE NORTH EDGE PRESIDENTIAL THAN THEY DO TODAY AND GET INTO TWO DEDICATED LANES THAT WILL GET YOU TO PARKING PRODUCTS.
THERE'LL BE TWO LANES DEDICATED TO ANYBODY WITH GOING TO A PARKING PRODUCT OR RETURNING THEIR RENTAL CAR.
THE FIRST PRODUCT YOU WILL EXIT OFF OF IS THE SURFACE PARKING TOLL PLAZA, WHICH IS WILL REMAIN SORT OF AS IT OPERATES TODAY.
AND THEN YOU'LL SORT TO A NEW DEDICATED PLAZA THAT WILL GET YOU INTO THE NEW WEST OR YELLOW GARAGE.
THE BLUE GARAGE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ITS OWN DEDICATED PLAZA, UH, AND THE OVERALL THESIS IS GET PARKER'S OFF PRESIDENTIAL SOONER THAN THEY DO TODAY AND HELP WITH CLARITY AND THEN ALSO HELP WITH THE PASSENGERS JUST GOING DIRECTLY TO THE TERMINAL.
UM, I'M GONNA PRESENT THE LANDSCAPE IMAGES AND THEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS SHALL BE, CAN SWING IN.
BUT UH, WITH THE NEW AD HALL, WE'LL TAKE THE FOOTPRINT OF THE RED GARAGE EXISTING TODAY IS GOING TO MAKE THAT AD HALL A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO PEDESTRIANS WHEN IT'S DONE.
AND SO, UM, THE, THE REALITY IS THE LANDSCAPE SPINE TODAY THAT RUNS RIGHT DOWN THE CENTER IS A PEDESTRIAN ACCESS WAY.
AND THIS IS TRYING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT COULD STILL BE USED, UH, BY PEDESTRIANS OR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO WALK FROM A SERVICE LOT INSTEAD OF TAKING THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM.
THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THERE IS A CURRENT BIKE TRAIL, UH, THAT CAN GET YOU TO THE LANDSCAPE, SPINE AND AND TO THE TERMINAL.
AND THEN THIS SLIDE IS BASICALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THAT LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM COULD END UP ENDING ALONG THE EAST FACADE OF THIS NEW GARAGE AND HOW IT COULD USE ITS PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TO HELP GET TO THE TERMINAL.
THE TOP RIGHT IMAGE IS THE LANDSCAPE SPINE BETWEEN THE BLUE GARAGE AND THE CONRAD.
AND THE, THE ART AND THE CENTER WAS THE A IPP PROJECT DONE WITH THE BLUE GARAGE.
AND THEN THE OTHER IMAGES ARE OF SOME OF THE CURRENT SIDEWALKS AND PATHWAYS, UM, THERE IN THE LANDSCAPE.
ALRIGHT, SO HERE IN COLOR BASICALLY SORT OF REPRESENTS WHAT WAS SORT OF THE LANDSCAPE SCOPE THAT WAS DONE WITH THE BLUE GARAGE.
SO THE BLUE GARAGE REDID THE SPINE AND EXTENDED INTO THE FIRST SORT OF ISLAND, JUST NORTH OF THE BLUE GARAGE AND THE CON RACK.
AND THEN HERE AS THIS COLOR IS ADDED, BASICALLY THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO EXTEND THE SIDEWALK LANGUAGE A BIT MORE TO THE NORTH BY WIDENING AND SORT OF REHABBING SOME EXISTING SIDEWALKS, ADDING A SIDEWALK THAT WILL HELP GET FROM LOT SEA TO THE SIDEWALK NETWORK.
UM, SO IT'S JUST A BIT OF AN EXTENSION OF A LITTLE BIT MORE GRACIOUS AND, UH, CLEAR AND SAFE PATH THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE.
AND THEN ON THE EAST EDGE OF THE NEW GARAGE AND THE NORTH EDGE OF THE NEW GARAGE ARE REALLY THE LANDSCAPE OPPORTUNITIES.
THE NORTH EDGE WILL HAVE ITS OWN DEDICATED SIDEWALK, UM, WITH LANDSCAPE WHERE A, UH, ANYBODY COMING FROM A SURFACE LOT OR EVEN FROM THE NORTH EDGE OF THE GARAGE ON THE GROUND LEVEL COULD HEAD EAST GET INTO THE, UH, SIDEWALK SYSTEM AND THEN HOPEFULLY IN THE END, ACCESS OUR NEW PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, UH, THAT'S ELEVATED ABOVE THE ROADWAYS.
THIS JUST HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE FEATURES OF THIS WORK.
UM, YOU SEE IN BLUE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT, ACKNOWLEDGING SORT OF THE WIDENING OF THE SIDEWALKS, UM, AND SOME OF THE CROSSWALKS THAT WILL STITCH OUR EAST SIDE OF THE GARAGE TO THE PEDESTRIAN SPINE, UH, WITH THE ABILITY TO GET TO OUR NEW ELEVATED BRIDGE.
SO LEAD DOES NOT CERTIFY GARAGES AND NO, IT'S BEEN A WHILE, BUT IT,
[00:20:01]
A GROUP CREATED THEIR OWN SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM FOR GARAGES CALLED PARKS SMARTT, AND IN THE END, U-S-G-B-C PURCHASED THAT PROGRAM.AND SO THE CERT THE SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATION FOR GARAGES IS THE PARKS SMART PROGRAM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA SEEK CERTIFICATION WITH.
AND WE'LL LOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE AT THAT IN A SECOND.
BUT ONE THING THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S LOOKED A LOT AT AND THROUGH OUR STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, WALTER P. MOORE AND SIN HAVE WORKED WITH THE CITY IN RECENT TIMES TO DEFINE CONCRETE MIXES THAT ARE GOING TO LOWER EMBODIED CARBON IN THE CONCRETE MIX.
AND SO IN OUR SPECIFICATIONS, OUR PROTOCOLS FOR LOWERING CARBON AND HOW A CONCRETE VENDOR WILL HAVE TO PROVE BY ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS THAT THEY ARE COMPLYING WITH MIXES THAT LOWER EMBODIED CARBON, UH, THERE WILL BE EV CHARGERS ON THE GROUND LEVEL AND THE PROJECT WILL BE READY TO ACCEPT SOLAR PANELS.
UH, I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY HARD TO SEE AT THIS SCALE, BUT TOP LEFT PICTURE IS A DRONE PHOTO OF THE BLUE GARAGE AND IT IS, UH, HAS SOLAR PAN CAN PANELS AS CANOPIES OVER THE PARKING SPACES ACROSS ITS ENTIRE ROOF SURFACE.
AND IT WAS THE BLUE GARAGE PROJECT PROVIDED THE STEEL CANOPY AND THEN AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, PROCURED A VENDOR TO DO THE SOLAR PANELS.
AND SO WHILE WE'RE NOT DOING THAT SOLAR ARRAY DAY ONE IN THIS NEW YELLOW GARAGE, THE BOTTOM LEFT IMAGE WITH THAT YELLOW FILL BASICALLY IS ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THAT AN ENTIRE SURFACE COULD BE A SOLAR ARRAY.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS PROVIDING STUB COLUMNS THAT WOULD MAKE AN EASY DOCKING FOR CANOPY STRUCTURE TO DOCK TO.
AND THEN OUR ELECTRICAL ROOM, WHICH I KNOW IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE HERE, BUT ALL THE STACK OF ELECTRICAL ROOM AND IT ROOMS THAT ARE DOWN THE CENTER OF THE GARAGE WILL GIVE VERTICAL PATHWAYS FOR CONDUIT TO TRAVEL DOWN FROM THE ROOF LEVEL AND FEED INTO THE MAIN ELECTRICAL ROOMS AND THEREFORE FEED, UM, THE AUSTIN AIRPORT GRID.
AND SO THE AIRPORT IS GOING TO OVER TIME START PROVIDING THEIR OWN POWER.
AND WHEN THEY DO A SOLAR ARRAY, THAT SOLAR ARRAY WOULD GO FEED THE AIRPORT'S POWER ITSELF.
AND THEN THE TOP RIGHT IMAGE, UM, IS AN IDEA OF THAT A, THERE ARE TURNKEY VENDORS THAT WILL GO INSTALL STEEL STRUCTURE AND CANOPIES AND WE'RE JUST GIVING THEM THE ABILITY TO PRETTY EASILY DO THAT.
SO THIS IS, I KNOW IMPOSSIBLE TO READ, BUT THE BIG MATRIX OF PARK SMARTT, UH, IT IS A TRICKY PROGRAM.
UH, A LOT OF THE CREDITS COME FROM THE WAY THAT A OWNER WILL OPERATE THE GARAGE RELATED TO CLEANING PRACTICES, PARKING PRODUCT PRACTICES.
UM, AND SO AS WE'VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE AIRPORT SUSTAINABILITY STAFF, UM, AND THIS IS AN IDEA OF THE SORT OF SCORING MATRIX WE'RE LIVING IN THE PARK SMARTT BRONZE LEVEL RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AND HEADED.
UM, AND SO THAT REALLY IS THE OVERALL PRESENTATION AND UH, WE CAN MOVE TO QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU CHRIS.
UM, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION? OH, YEAH, YEAH.
WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, MAKE A MOTION AND THEN WE'LL GET A MOTION ON THE TABLE AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO DISCUSSION.
SO IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION, UH, THAT THIS PROJECT WOULD COMPLIES WITH SUSTAINABILITY WITH THE CITY DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS, I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT IT COMPLIES WITH THE CITY SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
YEAH, IT WAS, SO WE GOT A SECOND, SO WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION.
I'M JUST CURIOUS IF WE CAN LOOK AGAIN, I THINK IT WAS SLIDE THREE THAT SHOWED THE AERIAL.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO PULL THAT UP? UH, NO, KEEP GOING.
PROBABLY RIGHT NEAR THE FRONT.
YEAH, IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST SLIDES.
SORRY, I'M LOOKING AT THE BACKUP AND I DON'T SEE IT.
THE FOURTH SLIDE IS THE GOOGLE EARTH WITH THE LOT HIGHLIGHTED IN RED.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT THIS, THE FIRST THING THAT STANDS OUT TO ME IS THE EXISTING
[00:25:01]
IMPERVIOUS COVER.AND I REALIZE THAT ADDING A PARKING GARAGE, UM, IS GOING TO OBVIOUSLY BE BENEFICIAL FOR HAVING MORE PARKING.
UM, SO A FEW QUESTIONS HERE IS THE LONG RANGE PLAN TO ULTIMATELY REPLACE ALL OF THESE SURFACE PARKING LOTS WITH PARKING GARAGES? I, UH, JUST FOR WHAT I, IN OUR DISCUSSIONS OF THIS GARAGE, WHAT I'VE OVERHEARD OR THOUGHT ABOUT AND TALKED ABOUT SOME IS THAT THE NEXT PARKING GARAGE WOULD BE DIRECTLY TO THE EAST OF THE RED RECTANGLE AND WOULD BE IN WHAT IS NOW SURFACE LOT C SURFACE LOT C.
AND I DON'T, MARI I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T THINK ANYTHING IN THE MASTER PLAN OF THE 2040 HAS ANY MAYBE GARAGE PAST THAT, BUT MY SUSPICION IS IT WOULD BE LOT C FIRST AND THEN LOT D, WHICH IS DIRECTLY NORTH OF THE RED RECTANGLE WOULD BE AFTER THAT.
I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY FURTHER, UM, I GUESS DEVELOPMENTS OF, OF FUTURE LIKE CHANGING ALL THE SURFACE LAWS FOR GARAGES AT THIS POINT.
AND THEN DO YOU HAVE STATISTICS ON CAPACITY OF THE EXISTING GARAGES? UM, I'M CURIOUS PARTICULARLY ABOUT THE TOP FLOOR, UM, OF THE EXISTING PARKING GARAGE WITH THE SOLAR ARRAYS.
SO, WHICH, LET'S REAL QUICK, SO THE RED GARAGE IS THE ONE ON THE SOUTH EDGE OF THIS AERIAL, RIGHT? AND THAT ONE'S THE ONE THAT'LL BE DEMOED.
THAT ONE IS AROUND 3000 CARS, 3000 CARS.
AND THEN DO YOU HAVE, UH, PER LEVEL CAPACITY DATA OR IS IT JUST FOR THE FULL GARAGE? I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A THOUSAND PER FLOOR, ROUGHLY.
AND, AND WOULD, AND THEN THE BLUE GARAGE, WHICH IS DIRECTLY SOUTH OF THE RED RECTANGLE IS 5,800 CARS OVER SIX LEVELS.
SO IT'S NEARLY A THOUSAND PER LEVEL AS WELL.
AND THEN THIS ONE WILL BE A THOUSAND PER LEVEL.
SO EVERY, AND YOU CAN LOOK, THOSE RECTANGLES ARE ALL PRETTY SIMILAR
I THINK WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS IS I APPRECIATE THE INCLUSION OF SOLAR PANELS, SOLAR ARRAYS, UH, AND THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE THEM IN THE FUTURE.
I THINK WHERE I'M CONCERNED IS THAT IN OUR DESIGN GUIDELINES, WHICH I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS AND THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CROSSOVER, UM, WE DO CALL FOR, UH, OUR PRIVATE SECTOR, UM, TO TRY TO INCORPORATE GREEN ROOFS IN THEIR PROJECTS.
UM, I HAVE YET TO SEE A GREEN ROOF ON THE CITY PROJECT, UM, IN MY TENURE.
UM, AND I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UH, REDUCE THE, UM, HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, ESPECIALLY GIVEN ALL OF THAT, UH, CONCRETE WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S PRETTY MINIMAL SHADE AND, UH, TREE UH, COVERAGE, UM, IN, IN THE EXISTING, UH, AERIAL.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT I DO APPRECIATE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT WE'RE GETTING SOME OF THESE SUSTAINABILITY REQUIREMENTS MET, UM, WITH SOLAR, UM, I THINK IF NOT IN THIS GARAGE, I THINK IN FUTURE GARAGES, UM, IT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT, UH, THE FEASIBILITY OF GREEN ROOFS.
UM, I THINK FROM, YOU KNOW, THE PERSPECTIVE OF LEAVING YOUR CAR SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, UM, IN THE TEXAS HEAT ON TOP OF A PARKING GARAGE ROOF, UM, I CAN ANECDOTALLY TELL YOU THAT THEY'RE KIND OF THE LAST FLOOR TO BE FILLED, I THINK FOR THAT VERY SPECIFIC REASON.
I, I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON, UH, THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INCLUSION OF A GREEN ROOF ON, UM, THIS PHASE OR UPCOMING PHASES? AND ARE THERE ANY CONSTRAINTS? SO THE TOP LEVEL, RIGHT, THE SEVENTH FLOOR IS PARKING SPACES, RIGHT? AND OBVIOUSLY THAT'S AN IMPORTANT FINANCIAL THING FOR THE AIRPORT TO HAVE ANOTHER THOUSAND SPACES TO PARK UP THERE WITH THIS HUGE SURFACE WHERE, RIGHT, IT IS A BIG AREA FOR SOLAR PANELS.
AND I THINK THAT IS REALLY THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, RIGHT, BECAUSE ANY GREEN ROOF IS GONNA SUBTRACT FROM A PARKING SPACE, RIGHT? BUT IF YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT SURFACE TO PARK, THEN GO PUT A CANOPY, YOU'VE GOTTEN SOME SHADE AND YOU'RE YIELDING YOURSELF POWER.
SO I THINK, I GUESS MY THOUGHT IS THAT SOLAR IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS BIG CANVAS MORE SO THAN GREEN ROOF.
UM, YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE MATH ON THAT SEEMS REALLY SIMPLE.
YES, YOU ARE ADDING MORE SPACES, BUT WHAT IS THE ACTUAL UTILIZATION OF THOSE SPACES ALREADY BY ADDING A GARAGE, YOU'RE INCREASING CAPACITY, SO YOU'RE ALREADY, UM, INCREASING, UH, YOUR REVENUE, UM, JUST WITH THE SIMPLE ADDITION.
UM, I MEAN, CLEARLY THERE IS AN EXPENSE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, BUT I, I THINK THAT ULTIMATELY, UM, IF YOU WERE TO DO SOME ANALYSIS ON THE UTILIZATION OF THOSE, UH, TOP SPACES, UM, I THINK IN THE FUTURE, UM, IT WOULD LIKELY BE BENEFICIAL, UM, FOR THE CITY TO PRACTICE WHAT IT PREACHES WHEN IT COMES TO GREEN ROOFS AND
[00:30:01]
ACTUALLY DEMONSTRATE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN OUR PUBLIC PROJECTS.WITH THAT, UM, I THINK I YIELD COMMISSIONER MARCUS.
I THINK THAT MY QUESTION IS ACTUALLY, UH, BUILDS ON AND, UH, WHAT, UH, WAS JUST DISCUSSED.
NOW, I, I'M THINKING ABOUT VERTICAL SURFACES, NOT NECESSARILY THE TOP, BUT I'M WONDERING IF THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY INCLUDE, UM, PLANTS AND ANY KIND OF GREENERY ON THE VERTICAL SURFACES, WHETHER IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, ESTIMATED, UM, AND REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT, UM, I'VE NOTICED, NOTICED ALL THE ELEVATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TODAY, UM, THEY DO NOT SHOW ANY GREENERY ON THE VERTICAL SURFACES THERE.
YEAH, THAT IS JUST, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE HAVE DISCUSSED IN THE DESIGN PROCESS OR IN, OR IN SHELBY.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT.
YEAH, I THINK, UH, JUST FROM A MAINTENANCE STANDPOINT, UM, THAT IT, IT BECOMES A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING.
UM, BUT UM, YEAH, THAT'S DEFINITELY, WE FOCUS ON THE CONNECTING SPACES, JUST KIND OF ON THE HORIZONTAL PLANES, UH, IS KIND OF WHERE THE LANDSCAPE FOR INPUT HAS BEEN.
UM, YOU KNOW, FOCUSED ON LIKE THE, THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE JUST, UH, GETTING, UH, MOVING PEOPLE SAFELY WITH, UH, GREEN SPACES.
UH, SO THAT'S DEFINITELY WHERE THE FOCUS HAS BEEN.
UM, FIRST I JUST WANNA SAY I APPRECIATE, UH, THE EFFORT THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS TO, TO ELEVATE THE DESIGN BEYOND JUST A CONCRETE BOX.
UM, SO JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, BUT, UM, I'M HOPING I'M CONFUSED ON THE SECOND ITEM.
IT APPEARS YOU'RE BUILDING 6,000 PARKING SPACES, IS THAT CORRECT? 7,007.
AND YOUR PRESENTATION SAYS YOU'LL HAVE 16 EV CHARGERS.
SO THAT SEEMS INCREDIBLY DEFICIENT TO ME AND SO MUCH SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S ABOUT TO PASS A NEW ENERGY CODE IN A FEW WEEKS AND THIS WON'T EVEN COMPLY.
SO BY THE TIME IT'S BUILT, IT'LL ALREADY BE OUTDATED.
WHY AREN'T WE ADDING MORE EV CHARGERS? THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION OVER THE EV CHARGER COUNT.
THE 16 IS WHAT HAS BEEN DIRECTED BY THE EXECUTIVE TEAM FOR CHARGERS DAY ONE.
A COUPLE THINGS THERE WE HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, RIGHT, THE NEW ENERGY CODE COMING THIS SUMMER AND THE, UH, MAYBE A PROJECT'S CAPACITY TO PROVIDE UP TO 20 10% CHARGERS.
AND SO, UH, WE'VE TALKED A LOT TO DO, SO WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE MORE AMPERAGE IN THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
AND SO, UH, THE ELECTRICAL DESIGN IS GOT A WAY TO ADD A FUTURE TRANSFORMER AND FEED INTO THE ELECTRICAL ROOMS TO THEN FEED MORE CHARGERS.
THE OTHER BIG DISCUSSION POINT IS FROM THE FIRE MARSHAL SIDE OF THE EQUATION OF OVERALL CONCERN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CHARGERS IN BUILDINGS.
AND TO THAT POINT, THE EV CHARGER LAYOUT HAS BEEN SORT OF WHEREVER WE'VE, WHEN WE'VE LAID THEM OUT, THEY ARE ALL WITHIN A HUNDRED FOOT OF A STAIR.
AND THE, AND THE 16 CLUSTER WOULD BE, AND OF COURSE IN THIS CASE, THEY'RE ALL ON THE GROUND FLOOR IN PRE ITERATIONS WHERE WE'VE HAD MORE THAN THE 16.
THEY WERE ALL FROM THE THIRD FLOOR DOWN, UM, ALL CLUSTERED AROUND STAIRS.
AND SO THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CHARGER COUNT AND THIS CURRENT 16 IS REALLY BEING DRIVEN BY THE AIRPORTS EXECUTIVE TEAM.
YEAH, I JUST THINK THAT'S A HUGE MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
I MEAN, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I DESIGNED MULTIFAMILY PROJECTS AND WE DO WAY MORE THAN 16 ON, ON THOSE UNITS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE S THERE TO PROVIDE IT AND, AND, AND YOU'RE DOING AN ENTIRE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SURFACE AREA OF THAT ROOF IS, BUT ALL THAT SOLAR SEEMS LIKE YOU'VE GOT PLENTY OF ENERGY FOR, UH, FOR GARAGE.
THERE'S ALSO, IF I CAN ADD, THERE'S A, UH, EV UH, MASTER PLAN FOR THE AIRPORT THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER, UM, DEVELOPMENT.
SO I THINK THE APPROACH FOR THE AIRPORT IS NOT TO LOOK AT BUILDINGS SPECIFICALLY
[00:35:01]
LIKE ISOLATED ISLANDS.THEY'RE LOOKING MORE LIKE A CAMPUS WIDE, UM, MASTER PLAN.
AND THAT GOES FOR EV UH, VEHICLES, FOR, UH, TREES, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CREATING LIKE A, A, UM, A PARK BASICALLY JUST FOR, UH, ALL THESE PROJECTS THAT ALL THE TREES WILL BE.
SO I THINK IT'S A MORE, IT HAS TO BE MORE HAVING A CAMPUS APPROACH THAN A BUILDING SPECIFIC APPROACH.
AND FOR THE CHALLENGES THAT CHRIS HAS EXPLAINED, UH, WITH THE FIRE MARSHAL AND, AND, AND OUR, UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, OUR ELECTRICAL CHALLENGES WITH THIS SPECIFIC BUILDING AT THIS POINT, I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE FOCUS HAS BEEN MORE.
WELL, I, I WOULD STILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE AND PUT SOME INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE IN THIS GARAGE FOR MANY MORE SPACES, EVEN IF YOU DON'T PROVIDE THE CHARGERS DAY ONE, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE TO TRY TO RETROFIT IT LATER.
UH, COMMISSIONER MCKINNEY, I WANNA TAG ON A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT DAVID SAID BECAUSE I HAVE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE, AND SO IF I COME HERE TO PARK, I DRIVE IN ONTO THE THIRD FLOOR.
IS THAT CORRECT? NO, YOU DRIVE IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
YEAH, YOU, SO WE, YOU DON'T RAMP UP, YOU WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GET TO THE NORTH, OH, SORRY, SOUTHWEST CORNER, YOU'LL EITHER TURN LEFT INTO THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE GARAGE OR HIT THE RAMP TO GO TO 2, 3, 4 AND UP.
SO, UH, YOUR FIRST OPPORTUNITY IS TO, IF THERE'S SPACES ON THE GROUND FLOOR, YOU WOULD TURN LEFT INTO THE GARAGE.
'CAUSE I'M THINKING IF I DRIVE AN ELECTRIC CAR AND THEN I HAVE TO GO UP TO THE THIRD, I ENTER ON THE THIRD FLOOR, THEN I HAVE TO GO DOWN TWO FLOORS, AND THEN I HAVE THE ELEVATOR BACK UP TWO FLOORS.
I'VE NEGATED ANY ENERGY SAVINGS FROM TAKING MY ELECTRIC CAR THERE.
SO IF I ENTER, IF IT, I'M SURE THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF SIGNAGE OR WAY FINDING THAT SAYS THAT THE EV SPACES ARE LOCATED ON THAT FLOOR, WHICH IS FINE.
UM, SO WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN THE YELLOW GARAGE AND THE BLUE GARAGE, BECAUSE THERE, THERE REALLY HASN'T BEEN MANY VIEWS OF THAT SPACE.
THE, THE GAP BETWEEN THE NORTH FACADE OF THE BLUE GARAGE AND THE SOUTH FACADE OF THE YELLOW GARAGE WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN ESSENCE ROADWAY THAT IT IS TODAY, WHICH IS THE RENTAL CAR RETURNS TRAVEL THAT ROAD CURRENTLY, AND THIS IS A SLIGHT ASTERISK, THE TRAFFIC NETWORK COMPANIES USE THAT ROADWAY TO GET TO THE GROUND LEVEL OF CON RACK TO PICK UP PASSENGERS.
THAT WILL CHANGE WITH THE AD HALL PROJECT, AND ACTUALLY IT'S GONNA CHANGE FAIRLY SOON, BUT THE, THE TRAFFIC NETWORK COMPANIES TRAVELING DOWN THAT ROADWAY IS GONNA GET MOVED OUT, WHICH WILL HELP PEDESTRIAN CROSSING.
AND THEN IT ALSO, THEN THERE'S THE BLUE GARAGE, IT'S EXIT LANE WHERE THEY COME DOWN THE FLYOVER RAMP AND HAVE THEIR ROADWAY TO THEN TURN LEFT TO GET TO THE EXIT TOW PLAZA.
SO THAT ROADWAY REALLY WILL SORT OF STILL BE, UH, WHAT IT DOES, YOU KNOW, VEHICLE OR CIRCULATION.
AND WHERE WILL THERE WILL BE OR THERE WON'T BE A PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION FROM THE GROUND FLOOR FROM THE YELLOW GARAGE TO IF YOU, IF WE COULD GO TO, I HAVE A RENDERING OF THE ELEVATOR CORE LOOKING AT IT KIND OF FROM THE SOUTHEAST IF, IF THAT CAN BE BROUGHT BACK UP.
BUT THERE WILL BE A CROSSWALK, RIGHT, FOR A PEDESTRIAN TO CROSS THAT.
CURRENTLY THEY DO THE, TODAY IT'S GOING TO GET A LITTLE LESS TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC NETWORK COMPANIES ARE GONNA LEAVE THAT ROADWAY.
SO IT'S GONNA BE A BIT EASIER CROSSING.
UM, BUT IN THE BIG PICTURE, WHEN PEDESTRIANS LEARN THAT THEY CAN GET INTO THIS SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE YELLOW GARAGE, GET TO LEVEL THREE, GET TO THAT PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD THEM TO BE CAR CONFLICT FREE INTO THE 80 HALL, THAT WOULD BE THE SORT OF IDEAL.
AND THEN WHAT, BECAUSE WE EVALUATE THIS OF, AS PART OF THE SUSTAINABILITY, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S SUSTAINABILITY GOALS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS IN LIKE JUST HIGH LEVEL HIGHLIGHTS IN PARK SMARTT THAT MAKE THIS SUSTAINABLE? OKAY, LET'S SEE HERE.
YOU'VE GOT SORT OF LIKE LEAD, RIGHT? YOU'VE GOT YOUR SORT OF CONSTRUCTION TYPE STUFF, CONSTRUCTION
[00:40:01]
WASTE, REGIONAL MATERIALS, BUILDING, COMMISSIONING.WE HAVE A FULL SORT OF, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONING AGENT, UM, WORKING ON THE PROJECT.
SO REGIONAL LABOR, REGIONAL MATERIALS, UH, WASTE MANAGEMENT, UH, USE OF, UH, RECYCLE, REPURPOSE MATERIALS.
UM, IT'LL BE A LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT PORTION RELATED, SORT OF THE BIG CAST IN PLACE.
THERE'S CREDITS FOR, UM, THE WAY FINDING AND WE WILL HAVE SPACE BY SPACE DETECTION SYSTEM THAT'LL BE PART OF THAT.
SO THERE'LL BE POINTS IN SORT OF THE DYNAMIC SIGNAGE AND WAY FINDING IN THE GARAGE.
UM, THERE ARE SOME, THERE ARE POINTS IN THE EV CHARGER WORLD.
UM, AND, UM, WHAT ELSE? LIGHTING CONTROLS, THE WAY THE LED LIGHTS WORK, DAYLIGHT SENSORS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, LOW EMITTING MATERIALS, UH, FUEL EFFICIENT VEHICLES, UM, UH, TRAFFIC FLOW PLAN TIED TO THE WAY FINDING AS WELL.
AND THEN I THINK, WELL, I MENTIONED IN THERE LIKE, AND IT'S NOT SORT OF IN THE LIFECYCLE ANALYSIS, BUT A BIG COMPONENT UNDERLYING THIS IS THE SORT OF CONCRETE MIX THAT, UH, HAS BEEN A LOT OF WORK BY THE CITY, UM, IN PREVIOUS, IN THE PAST YEARS OR INTO THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER WORLD OF DOING CONCRETE MIXES THAT ARE GONNA REDUCE CARBON, UH, EMBODIED CARBON IN CONCRETE.
AND THEN ONE FINAL QUESTION, THIS IS MORE FOR YOU MARI.
UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT THE CITY IS LOOKING CAMPUS WIDE AT, UM, THE, THEIR EV YOU KNOW, THEIR STANCE ON EV PARKING.
AND THEN YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT A PARK, UM, AND KIND OF LOCATING ALL OF THE LANDSCAPE.
I MEAN, I'M SURE THAT AS PART OF THIS PROJECT, THERE'S A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF TREE REMOVAL THAT'S HAPPENING.
SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND TREES AND AIRPORTS CONFLICT, BUT ONE THING THAT THE CITY IS LOOKING AT, AND REALLY THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS, INCLUDING THE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR, IS LOOKING HEAVILY AT WATER.
AND SO WHEN YOU ARE PUTTING UP THESE GIANT CONCRETE STRUCTURES, THIS IS A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO COLLECT, COLLECT AND REUSE SOME OF THAT WATER FOR THIS FUTURE PARK.
UM, I THINK THEY HAVE RECLAIMED AT THE AIRPORT, RECLAIM THE WATER AT THE AIRPORT.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST TAKING ALL THAT WATER AND SHOVING IT FURTHER DOWNSTREAM.
UM, AND SO THAT MAY BE SOMETHING TO LOOK INTO AS PART OF WHAT, WHAT'S THE WATER PLAN FOR THE AIRPORT IN THE FUTURE.
AND I THINK THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GILLI.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, UH, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
I I WANT TO REITERATE SOME OF THE POINTS THAT WERE MENTIONED EARLIER.
UM, FIRSTLY AROUND THE GREENING, UM, I AM TALKING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, UM, WHAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, PASSENGER EXPERIENCE, UM, TRYING TO AMPLIFY AND, UM, UH, MAKE SURE WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS DESIGN EXCELLENCE IN THAT AREA.
AND, UM, I, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE GREENING ALONG THE SPINE THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED.
UM, I, I, I THINK THE IMAGES OF THE LANDSCAPE THERE ARE VERY INTERESTING AND LOOK BEAUTIFUL.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR THAT SPACE.
UM, BUT THEN I THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE CONNECTION TO THE TRAIN, AND I SEE THE IMAGE OF THE TRAIN COMING ALONG THE TOP AND REALIZE A LOT OF THAT'S GOING TO BE IN SHADE IN THE FUTURE AND POTENTIALLY NOT GETTING AS MUCH SUNLIGHT AS THOSE PLANTS MIGHT NEED OR WANT.
AND THE ENJOYMENT OF THAT SPACE IS DIMINISHED.
AND WHILE I'M HAPPY THAT THE TRAIN MAY BE CONNECTED TO THE AIRPORT IN THE FUTURE, UH, I DO QUESTION THE SORT OF CONFLICT THERE BETWEEN THIS GREEN SPINE AND THE TRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE COMING OVER IT.
AND THAT, UM, POINTS MORE TO, UH, FELLOW COMMISSIONERS COMMENT OF PERHAPS LOOKING AT THE VERTICAL SURFACES FOR PLANTING WHERE THEY WILL GET ADEQUATE LIGHT AND UM, CAN STILL HELP WITH THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT.
UM, AND SO IN, IN THE SAME LINE WITH THAT, I THINK THE PEDESTRIAN, UM, CONNECTION AND PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE TO AND FROM THE PARKING GARAGE AS IT, UM, CONNECTS TO THE TRAIN IS SOMETHING I'VE BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT.
I DON'T SEE A, A USE CASE FOR ARRIVAL AND THEN PARKING AND THEN GETTING ON THE TRAIN.
UM, SIMILARLY IF YOU'RE GETTING OFF THE TRAIN, YOU'RE NOT REALLY GOING TO THE PARKING GARAGE.
AND SO THE CONNECTION THERE TO ME SEEMS UNUSUAL.
UM, BUT THEN I, I WANNA SHIFT A LITTLE TO THE BUS AND THE THE SHUTTLE BUS.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE FUTURE, UM, SHUTTLE BUS
[00:45:01]
DROP OFF LOCATION, AND IS THERE, IS THERE AN EFFORT TO CONNECT THIS PARKING GARAGE WHERE THE SHUTTLE BUS FOR, UM, ELDERLY PASSENGERS AND UH, WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THE SORT OF WALKING DISTANCE FROM THE GARAGE TO THE TERMINAL? WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY DISCUSSIONS OF SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM THE NEW GARAGE TO THE TERMINAL.RIGHT? THE, ALL THE SHUTTLES CURRENTLY OPERATE IN AND OUT OF THE SURFACE LOTS.
UH, THE BLUE GARAGE, LET'S SAY IS AN EXAMPLE, RIGHT, IS, UH, JUST PEDESTRIAN, YOU KNOW, FROM IT, UM, ACROSS, UH, BUT AS THAT AD HALL GETS DONE, RIGHT, I DON'T KNOW THE DISTANCE, BUT THE ARRIVAL POINT OF WHERE YOU ENTER INTO THE AD HALL IS GOING TO GET MUCH CLOSER TO THE BLUE GARAGE AND THE YELLOW GARAGE OVER TIME.
UH, WE DID HAVE KIND OF A DIAGRAM OF SORT OF A FIVE MINUTE WALK CIRCLE FROM THAT SORT OF NEW AD HALL.
UM, BUT, UH, WE HAVE NOT, I HAVEN'T HAD HEARD THE AIRPORT HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM, AND THEN YOU, THE NEW GARAGE TO THE AD HALL.
THAT'S A TRICKY THING, RIGHT? IT'S MORE SHUTTLES ON THE ROADWAY AND THEIR EMISSIONS, UM, AND HOW THOSE VEHICLES GET LOOPED AROUND THE WHOLE PRESIDENTIAL LOOP.
UH, SO IT'S A BIT OF A CATCH 22 THERE.
I, I WOULD ENCOURAGE, UH, THE TEAM TO PERHAPS IT LOOKING TO, YOU KNOW, 25, HOWEVER MANY YEARS DOWN THE ROAD FOR THIS, UH, FACILITY, UM, TO CONSIDER HOW THE ELDERLY USERS WOULD BENEFIT.
UH, PERHAPS IT'S LOOKING MORE AT, UM, PROVIDING, UH, ADDED MOBILITY TO THAT PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE.
UH, IF THERE'S ANY OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR MOVING WALKWAY OR, I KNOW THAT'S ALWAYS A BIG INFRASTRUCTURAL ELEMENT, BUT SOMETHING TO, UM, ASSIST WITH, UM, THOSE WHO CAN'T NECESSARILY WALK THE, THE, THE LENGTH FROM THE WEST GARAGE, UH, SORRY, FROM THAT GARAGE TO THE TERMINAL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? I HAVE, UH, I HAVE A, JUST A QUESTION CLARIFICATION ON THE, ON THE PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION THAT'S THE SPINE THAT'S RUNNING THROUGH THERE.
UH, WHAT ARE YOUR RENDERINGS? I BELIEVE THE RENDERING THAT I'M THINKING OF, UM, THE ONE THAT SHOWS THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING THE STREET, UM, IT'S ON, UH, PAGE, PAGE 15, PAGE 16.
IS, IS THAT A, THERE'S A LOT OF JERSEY BARRIERS SHOWN IN THIS RENDERING, AND I'M WONDERING IS IF I'M LOOKING AT THE SAME SPOT WHERE THE, THAT VEHICULAR MOVEMENT IS GOING BETWEEN THESE GREEN AREAS, THE EAST CORE EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE.
SO LEMME THINK I'M, I PULLED IT UP SEPARATELY ON THE, SO A PEDESTRIAN WILL STILL BE ABLE TO, WELL, THAT THIS, LET ME GIVE THE ASTERISK THAT, THAT THE OLD, THE PICKLE OF THIS IS A PGL ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, OUT SORT OF THE LANDSCAPE FULLY RESOLVED IN THAT WAY.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA CHANGE THE, WHERE THAT PEDESTRIAN IS MIDWAY THROUGH THE JOURNEY WHERE THEY LEAVE THE CURB, WHERE THAT PEDESTRIAN WOULD'VE JUMPED OFF THE CURB, WE'RE GONNA CH CHANGE THE RADIUS OF THE EXISTING ROADWAY TO BE MUCH TIGHTER, AND THEREFORE IT'S GOING TO DECREASE THE TRAVEL DISTANCE OF THIS SIDEWALK.
UH, SO THAT'S GONNA BE A HELP WHERE THAT PEDESTRIAN IS STANDING, WHERE SHE'S SORT OF GOTTEN PAST THE JERSEY BARRIER WOULD BE WALKING INTO WHAT WOULD BE, WHERE THE TRAFFIC NETWORK COMPANIES, KINDA WHAT MARISSA WAS MENTIONING EARLIER IN THE ROADWAY WORLD, THAT WOULD BE THE ROADWAY.
THE TRAFFIC NETWORK COMPANIES CURRENTLY COME DOWN, AND THAT CAN BE A VERY BUSY ROAD.
UM, THEY'RE GONNA LEAVE THAT AND THAT'S GOING TO HELP.
AND SO ALSO THE RENTAL CAR RETURN CUSTOMERS HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THEIR FLYOVER RAMP, SO THE NUMBER OF CARS TRAVELING DOWN THIS ROADWAY IS GOING TO DECREASE SUBSTANTIALLY, WHICH WILL BE GOOD FOR THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSER.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT WAS ANSWERING THE QUESTION, BUT ONE ONE, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS WAS IN THAT SAME VICINITY WHERE THE SPINE IS.
SO THERE, THE SPINE IS ON EACH SIDE OF THIS INTERSECTION.
AND SO IN THE, THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS IMAGE IS THE SPINE ON, ON THE GROUND LEVEL? YES.
AND THEN WHERE IT CROSSES IS THAT, IS THAT AREA BETWEEN THE BLUE GARAGE AND THE CONRAD GARAGE, IS THERE ANY PLAN FOR ANY TYPE OF, UH, SAFETY MEASURES BESIDES THESE JERSEY BARRIERS OR SOMETHING? SOME TYPE OF, THERE HAS BEEN SOME TALK ABOUT WHERE THAT APPROXIMATELY WHERE THE LADY IS CROSSING THE ROAD DOING SOME IN-GROUND
[00:50:01]
LIGHTS AND BUTTONS TO STOP THE TRAFFIC THAT'S COMING DOWN THE ROADWAY.UM, AND SOME OF THAT TALK WAS SPECIFIC TO THE TRAFFIC NETWORK COMPANY STILL USED USING THAT ROAD BEFORE THEY GET FLIPPED AWAY, SO THAT THEY HAVE TO KIND OF COME TO A FULL STOP AS THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSES.
UH, IT HASN'T FULLY BEEN SORT OF FIGURED OUT WHO'S DOING IT WHEN IT'S HAPPENING, BUT THERE HAS BEEN SOME TALK OF THAT.
I MEAN, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'S SUCH A BUSY INTERSECTION AND THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON AS TYPICALLY YOU, WE ALWAYS, WE ALREADY SEE WHEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE AIRPORT.
UM, AND BOTH OBVIOUSLY PEDESTRIANS, UH, HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY, BUT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S, YOU CAN'T COMPETE REGARDLESS IF YOU, IF YOU GO ONE RENDERING BEFORE THE ONE WITH THE, I'LL JUST POINT OUT AGAIN THAT WE'D LIKE TO OVER TIME GET THESE PEDESTRIANS TO LEARN THAT IF THEY CROSS FROM THE SPINE OVER TO THE EAST EDGE OF THE NEW YELLOW GARAGE, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A PRETTY GENEROUS OPENING TO GET TO THE ELEVATOR CORES WHERE THEY CAN GET FROM THE GROUND LEVEL ELEVATOR BANK UP TO THE THIRD FLOOR.
AND IF THEY DO THAT, AND WHEN THE AD HALL'S DONE WITH THIS BRIDGE, THEY WILL NO, THEY'LL HAVE NO MORE CONFLICT WITH VEHICLES ON THAT PATH.
BUT THAT'S ON THE THIRD FLOOR, RIGHT? THIRD FLOOR, YEAH.
SO IF YOU PARK ON THE FIRST FLOOR, YOU GOTTA GO UP TWO FLOORS AND THEN OPEN, CORRECT.
YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK, UH, IT'S, WE GOTTA MEET THE PEDESTRIANS WHERE THEY'RE AT AND SO, UH, YEAH, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ENCOURAGE, UH, JUST A SAFER PATHWAY FOR PEDESTRIANS, UH, AS THE ONES THAT DON'T GO UP THERE.
'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO FORCE THEM UP THERE.
UM, YEAH, FOUR, AND I THINK I'LL JUST, THE BIG CHANGE IS COMING SOON WHERE THE TRAFFIC NETWORK COMPANIES ARE NO LONGER GONNA USE THAT ROADWAY.
AND THAT IS TRULY THE, THE CONFLICT WITH PEDESTRIANS TODAY IS THE, THE UBERS AND LYFTS TAKING THAT ROADWAY AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE FLIPPED AWAY FROM THAT ROAD FAIRLY SOON.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
THERE'S A MOTION ON THE TABLE.
I JUST HAD ONE MORE QUESTION ALONG THAT LINE OF THINKING.
IF YOU'RE TAKING THAT PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, IT CONNECTS TO THE BLUE GARAGE, THEN YOU HAVE TO WALK THROUGH THE BLUE GARAGE BEFORE YOU WOULD GET TO THE FUTURE AD, CORRECT? IS THAT CORRECT? SO CORRECT.
SO THE, THE PEDESTRIAN IS THEN HAVING TO INTERACT WITH VEHICLES AGAIN IN THE BLUE GARAGE? YEAH.
REAL QUICK, JUST SO ON THE LEFT EDGE, THE EAST EDGE OF THE BLUE GARAGE, TWO THINGS.
NUMBER ONE, IT HAS A 10 FOOT WIDE CAR FREE ZONE KIND OF POKING OUT THE EAST ELEVATION THAT'S THERE TODAY.
IF YOU IN THE BLUE GARAGE AND YOU FIGURED IT OUT, YOU CAN HIT ALL THE WAY TO THE EAST, HIT THAT 10 FOOT PATH, AND THEN BE CAR FREE.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS IN THE BLUE GARAGE, THE EAST PARKING BAY, RIGHT, THE, THE HEAD IN SPACES ALONG THE EAST EDGE, WE ARE GONNA LOSE SOME, AS THAT PEDESTRIAN GETS INTO THE BLUE GARAGE, WILL THEN BE ABLE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO THE SOUTHEAST CORE AND GET TO THIS NEW BRIDGE WHEN IT COMES.
AND THERE WILL BE NO INTERACTION WITH CARS, THAT WHOLE PATHWAY.
CAN I MAKE AN ALTERNATIVE MOTION, UH, SUBSTITUTE MOTION? MM-HMM
SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT, UH, THE PROJECT MEETS THE CITY'S SUSTAINABILITY GUIDELINES MM-HMM
UM, WITH, UH, THE INCLUSION OF SOLAR ARRAY, UM, EXPLORING WATER RETENTION IN INCREASING EV CAPACITY, UH, INCREASING VEGETATION, UM, WHETHER, UH, VERTICALLY OR HORIZONTALLY TO MITIGATE THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND ENCOURAGING SAFER INTUITIVE PATHS FOR PEDESTRIANS.
SO THESE, THIS IS, THIS IS MORE OF AN AMENDMENT, BUT WE, WELL, IT COULD BE AN AMENDMENT, BUT AS A MOTION THAT THAT STANDS TO.
UM, WELL DO WE HAVE A SECOND ON THAT MOTION THEN? A SECOND.
COMMISSIONER GILES IS A SECOND.
UH, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR, UM, ANYONE? COMMISSIONER MARCUS? UM, CHAIR, I DO HAVE QUESTIONS.
SO WE HAD, UM, A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS HERE MM-HMM
AND IT SEEMS LIKE NONE OF THEM, UH, NOT ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED.
SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH THEM NOW? IT'S MY FIRST TIME.
I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT'S THE PROCEDURE? SO IF THERE IS A, SO WE'LL DO IT, WE'LL,
[00:55:01]
SOMEBODY WILL MAKE A MOTION AND THEN WE'LL GET A SECOND ON THAT MOTION AND THEN WE GO INTO OUR DISCUSSION.AND SO IN, IN THAT DISCUSSION, IF YOU FIND THAT, THAT THEY COMPLY WITH THE CITY DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS, WE COULD ADD AMENDMENTS TO THAT.
AND SO IT JUST LIKE THE LIST THAT, UH, VICE CHAIR MINORS LISTED.
SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO THAT LIST IT, YOU, YOU'RE FREE TO DO THAT AND THEN WE COULD GET IT ACCEPTED BY THE PROPOSERS OF THE MOTION.
SO IF THERE'S SOMETHING PARTICULAR, I THINK YOU SUMMARIZED IT PRETTY WELL.
SO DO YOU HAVE THAT TYPED OUT THAT WE COULD REREAD? YEAH.
VICE CHAIRMAN, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, UM, REREADING YOUR MOTION YES.
UM, WHAT'S ENTITLED THE PARKING GARAGE, THE WEST PARKING GARAGE.
THE, YEAH, THE A US WEST GARAGE THAT THE A US WEST GARAGE COMPLIES COMPLIES WITH THE CITY'S SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS WITH THE INCLUSION OF SOLAR ARRAY, UM, EXPLORING WATER RETENTION, INCREASED EV CAPACITY, UH, INCREASED VEGETATION EITHER VERTICALLY OR HORIZONTALLY TO MITIGATE HEAT ISLAND IMPACT TO ENCOURAGE SAFER AND, AND TO ENCOURAGE SAFER INTUITIVE PATHS FOR PEDESTRIANS.
THIS HAS BEEN READ BY VICE CHAIR MINORS.
AND THAT'S UNANIMOUS MINUS OUR FOLKS THAT HAS BEEN RECUSED AND CHAIR SALINAS.
UM, I, I THINK THE MOTION READ CITY THAT IT COMPLIES WITH CITY SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
WOULD YOU, UH, BE AMENABLE TO INCLUDING CITY DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY? OH, YEAH.
DESIGN AND, UH, SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
WELL THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
WE'LL GET THE RECOMMENDATION POSTED AND SENT OVER TO YOU.
SO BEFORE WE START OUR, OUR NEXT, OUR ACTION ITEM, UH, I JUST WANNA WELCOME COM UH, COMMISSIONER MEKI TO THE GROUP.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA TAKE A MINUTE AND JUST INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
UM, I'VE BEEN, UH, THIS IS MY 10TH YEAR LIVING IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND, UM, UH, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME WORKING, UH, WHILE SERVING, UH, THE CITY.
I AM EXCITED, UH, FOR THIS YEAR AND NOW SEE WHAT THE YEAR WILL BRING.
[3. Discussion and action to recommend to City Council whether the project Austin Convention Center Redevelopment, located at 500 East 3rd Street, complies with the City Design and Sustainability Standards. Presented by Riley Triggs, Capital Delivery Services, and Larry Speck and Josh Coleman, LMN/Page.]
ITEM FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION IS TO RECOMMEND THE CITY COUNCIL WHERE THE PROJECT AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER REDEVELOPMENT, UH, LOCATED AT 500 EAST THIRD STREET, COMPLIES WITH THE CITY DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS, UH, PRESENTED BY RILEY TRIGG, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AND LARRY SPECK AND JOSH COLEMAN ELEMENT PAGE AND CHAIR TO NOTE, I AM ACCUSING MYSELF FROM THIS ITEM.COMMISSIONER MCKINNEY IS CUS INTERCEPT PUSH RED LIGHT.
GOOD EVENING CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT.
UM, OUR CURRENT PLANS FOR THE DESIGN OF THE NEW AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, UM, IS THIS REALLY WHERE WE'RE STARTING
UM, FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE'VE GOT CHAD LOU ALLEN, WHO'S ONE OF OUR PROJECT MANAGERS FROM LMN PAGE JOINT VENTURE, UH, LMN FROM SEATTLE, WHO'S A CONVENTION CENTER EXPERT.
AND PAIGE, UH, WHO IS A, UH, LOCAL ARCHITECT AND EXPERT IN ALL THINGS AUSTIN.
WE HAVE LARRY SPECK, UH, AND JOSH COLEMAN AND JENNY CHILTON.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ROW, UH, WITH CHRISTIE 10, IKE, UH, ANN COLEMAN AND CATHERINE O'CONNOR.
[01:00:01]
SO THIS PROJECT, UH, BEGAN ALMOST A DECADE AGO, UH, LOOKING AT, UH, THE POSSIBILITY OF A NEW CONVENTION CENTER, OR ACTUALLY FOR AN EXPANDED CONVENTION CENTER HERE IN AUSTIN.UH, DUE TO, UH, REAL ESTATE SITUATIONS DOWNTOWN, UM, IT BECAME NECESSARY TO LOOK AT, UM, REDEVELOPING THE ENTIRE SITE INSTEAD OF JUST EXPANDING.
UM, AND SO OUR PROJECT, UH, TODAY IS ABOUT, UH, DEMOING THE EXISTING SIX BLOCK CONVENTION CENTER, UH, AND REDEVELOPING IT, UH, INTO A, A BRAND NEW LARGER CONVENTION CENTER.
SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROJECT, UH, BEFORE WE GET THE ARCHITECTS UP HERE TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROJECT.
UM, OUR TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST FOR THIS PROJECT IS $1.26 BILLION.
UH, THE RENTABLE SPACE AREAS IN THE EXISTING CONVENTION CENTER ARE 365,000 SQUARE FEET, AND WE'RE GONNA BE ABOUT DOUBLING THAT, UM, BETWEEN THE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR, UH, EVENT SPACES, UH, THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO OFFER WITH THE NEW DESIGN.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO MAKING PROVISION FOR FUTURE EXPANSION OF ABOUT 140,000, UH, SQUARE FEET.
CURRENTLY, THE, UH, CONVENTION CENTER, I BELIEVE IS SOMETHING LIKE THE 64TH, UH, LARGEST CONVENTION CENTER IN THE UNITED STATES.
UH, WE'RE LIKE THE 11TH LARGEST CITY, UH, WITH THIS EXPANSION.
WE'LL MOVE UP TO ABOUT, UH, 32ND, UH, IN THE LIST.
UM, UH, SO THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH, UH, OTHER CITIES OF, UH, OUR SIZE AND, AND CONVENTION CENTERS OF OUR SIZE.
UM, I THINK WITH THIS PROJECT, OH, WE GOT LARRY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE ARE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS PROJECT, UH, AMONG A LOT OF THINGS IS TO SATISFY THE CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION.
UM, THIS WAS PASSED IN 2021, UH, AT THE END OF, UH, EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, UH, LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVES FOR THE SITE.
UM, AND THE RESOLUTION EMPHASIZES THE FACT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR A WORLD CLASS DESIGN, UH, AND A LANDMARK OF GREAT DISTINCTION, UM, AND THAT THIS IS BE GOING TO BECOME A VITAL PUBLIC SPACE FOR NOT ONLY VISITORS AND, UH, CONVENTION GOERS, UH, BUT FOR AUSTINITES, UH, THE REST OF THE YEAR WHEN CONVENTIONS ARE NOT HAPPENING THERE.
AND SO THIS IS VERY MUCH SHAPING, UH, THE DESIGN OF THIS PROJECT.
UM, AND YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF INSTANCES OF THIS AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.
AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO LARRY.
UM, AND I'LL JUST SAY THAT ONE OF THE REALLY IMPORTANT PARTS OF THIS PROJECT IS THAT IT IS A UNIQUELY AUSTIN, UH, STRUCTURE AND PERFORMS AS A UNIQUELY AUSTIN PLACE.
AND OUR DESIGN TEAM HAS TAKEN GREAT CARE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, UH, FOR OUR NEW CONVENTION CENTER.
SO WE BEGAN THE WHOLE PROCESS, UH, WITH KIND OF A DEEP DIVE IN WHAT MAKES AUSTIN, AUSTIN, UH, AND WE'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME.
WE THOUGHT ABOUT IT A WHOLE LOT, BUT WE TRIED TO GET EXPLICIT ABOUT IT.
SO WE DID THIS, WHICH WE CALL THE AUSTIN MATRIX, THESE NINE THINGS THAT WE THINK MAKE US A KIND OF UNIQUE AND SPECIAL CITY.
I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL OF 'EM, BUT TWO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT.
ONE IS, AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU LIVE HERE, YOU AREN'T AS CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A KIND OF UNIQUE PUBLIC LIFE IN AUSTIN.
I ACTUALLY WAS SHOWING A VISITOR AROUND DOWNTOWN JUST A FEW HOURS AGO, AND HE REMARKED HE'S FROM BOSTON, AND HE SAID, OH MY GOD, THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE OUT HERE.
WHY? WHAT'S GOING ON? IS THERE A FESTIVAL? IS NO, THIS IS JUST EVERYDAY LIFE IN AUSTIN.
AND THEN WE WENT ON THE TRAIL AND IT WAS LIKE, OH MY GOD, THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT HERE AND, AND WE DO HAVE A REALLY WONDERFUL PUBLIC LIFE ON OUR TRAILS, IN OUR PARKS, ON OUR DOWNTOWN STREETS, PEDESTRIAN LIFE, UH, EATING OUTDOORS, UH, AND THIS CONVENTION CENTER NEEDS TO TALK TO THAT AND BE VERY MUCH A PART OF THAT.
ANOTHER ONE, THIS CONFLUENCE OF NATURE AND URBAN.
UH, THERE ARE VERY FEW CITIES IN THE WORLD THAT HAVE A DENSE, DENSE DOWNTOWN.
LIKE WE HAVE, UH, UH, MIXED USE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL DOWNTOWN.
VERY, VERY HIGH DENSITY RIGHT NEXT TO THE SOFTEST, GREENEST, SWEETEST URBAN PARKS WITH BUNNY RABBITS AND TURTLES AND, UH, HERONS.
AND, UH, BUT THERE IS THIS REAL KIND OF JUXTAPOSITION OF NATURE AND HIGH DENSITY URBAN LIFE.
ALL OF THESE THINGS MAKE US A VERY, VERY SPECIAL AND UNIQUE CITY.
AND WE WANT THE BUILDING VERY MUCH TO EXPRESS THAT.
UH, CERTAINLY AS REGARDS TO PROGRAM FOR A CONVENTION CENTER, WE NEED TO BE VERY EXPRESSIVE.
OUR ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT,
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THAT'S WHAT OUR VISITORS COME FOR, THAT THAT'S OUR CALLING CARD, AND THAT'S GONNA BE VERY MUCH A PART OF THE DESIGN.UH, ALSO WE HAVE BECOME A KIND OF FESTIVAL CITY WHERE WE'RE A PARTY CITY.
WE, WE, PEOPLE COME HERE BECAUSE WE'RE FUN AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A LIVELY, INTERESTING, VITAL, UH, FESTIVAL KIND OF PLACE.
UH, WE ALSO ARE A CITY THAT IS, UH, DOMINATED ECONOMICALLY BY TECHNOLOGY.
AND MANY OF THE CONVENTIONS THAT COME HERE WILL BE TECH CONVENTIONS BY TECH CONVENTIONS, UH, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, AI, THOSE KIND OF CONVENTIONS WILL BE ATTRACTED HERE AND WE HAVE TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THAT BEING VERY MUCH A PART OF THE, UH, ETHOS OF WHAT HAPPENS HERE.
UM, SO, UH, WE WANT TO JUST GO OVER THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES A BIT AND I'M GONNA LET JOSH COLEMAN TAKE CARE OF THAT.
UH, AS PART OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION, UH, THIS EVENING'S PRESENTATION, WE WILL, UH, SHOW YOU, UH, IN, IN LADDER SLIDES, UH, HOW WE ARE, UH, PROVIDING SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE WITH THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES.
BUT WE WANTED TO AT LEAST SHOW YOU THAT WE'RE HITTING ALL THE POINTS, UH, HERE IN, IN A QUICK KIND OF SUMMARY.
UH, GREEN INDICATES POINTS THAT WE BELIEVE WE ARE SUBSTANTIALLY IN, IN COMPLIANCE WITH, AND I'LL MAYBE HIGHLIGHT ONE OR TWO ALONG THE WAY.
UH, NUMBER ONE HERE IN THE AREA WIDE GUIDELINES, YOU'LL SEE THAT YES, WE'RE NOT RECYCLING THE EXISTING CONVENTION CENTER.
UH, AS RILEY KIND OF SPOKE, UH, IT IS, UH, A BUILDING THAT NEEDS TO EVOLVE, UH, TO MEET THE, THE CURRENT NEEDS OF THE CONVENTION CENTER.
BUT WE HAVE EMBARKED IN A VERY, VERY ROBUST EFFORT TO REUSE, UH, STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS AND OTHER EXTERIOR, UH, AND INTERIOR MATERIALS FROM THAT BUILDING.
UH, LARRY WILL TALK ABOUT THAT IN MORE DETAIL, UH, LATER IN THE SLIDE, UH, SHOW AS WELL.
AND YEAH, I'M NOT GETTING IT TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND THEN ALSO PUBLIC STREET SCAPE, AS YOU'LL SEE AGAIN LATER IN THE SLIDE DECK, WE BELIEVE WE'RE SUBSTANTIALLY IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE MAJORITY OF THESE ISSUES.
AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING TWO-WAY STREETS AND, UM, THE, UH, INSTALLATION OF STREET TREES.
UH, DUE TO THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT, YOU'LL SEE THAT BOTH OF THOSE ARE GONNA BE, UH, SUBSTANTIAL COMPONENTS OF OUR DESIGN.
UH, NAMELY ADDING THE TWO-WAY STREET OF THIRD STREET BETWEEN TRINITY AND RED RIVER AS PART OF OUR PROJECT.
AND THEN INTO THE PLAZA AND OPEN SPACE, UH, GUIDELINES.
UM, IT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER THAT NOT TOO MANY CITY PROJECTS HAVE INSTALLED, UH, GREEN ROOFS.
AND AS YOU'LL SEE SHORTLY, THIS PROJECT WILL PROBABLY MAKE UP FOR A LOT OF LOST GROUND.
UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE ONE OF THE LARGEST GREEN ROOFS BY THE VERY NATURE OF THE PROJECT THAT HAS A SUBSTANTIAL BELOW GRADE COMPONENT, YET A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF OUTDOOR, UH, OPEN SPACE ON TOP OF THAT, UH, BELOW GRADE PROGRAM.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT THAT.
UH, IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING TOO, THAT YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF OPEN SPACE, UH, AND THOSE WILL BE AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY WHEN NOT, UH, IN USE BY, UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER FOR THEIR CLIENTS AND THEIR, UH, CUSTOMERS, UH, AND EVENTS.
UH, WE'LL SHOW YOU MORE ABOUT HOW THAT WILL WORK.
AND THEN LAST IN THE BUILDING GUIDELINES.
UH, WE JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT WE ARE BUILDING TO THE STREET, UH, SUBSTANTIALLY.
THIS IS AN URBAN, UH, PROJECT AND A CONSIDERABLE, UM, UH, AMOUNT OF SCOPE FOR IN THE URBAN, UH, FABRIC.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE TAKEN GREAT CARE TO ACCENTUATE PRIMARY ENTRANCES, UH, AND ALSO, UH, EMBRACING AND ENCOURAGING, UH, THE INCLUSION OF LOCAL CHARACTER THROUGH THE MATERIALS AND SOME OF THE SCALE AND RHYTHM OF OUR FACADES THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN MORE DETAIL.
SO, UH, LET'S TALK EXPLICITLY ABOUT SOME OF OUR SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES.
UH, WE ARE GOING FOR THREE STAR, A EGB, UH, RATING.
UH, AND WE ARE GOING FOR LEAD GOLD.
WE'RE VERY HIGH LEAD GOLD RIGHT NOW.
WE HOPE WE CAN GET TO LEAD PLATINUM ON THIS.
BUT THE THING THAT PROBABLY IS MOST DISTINCTIVE, UH, IN THIS BUILDING IS THAT WE'RE REALLY TAKING CARBON VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY.
WE'RE REDUCING THE EMBODIED CARBON SUBSTANTIALLY, AND WE'RE GOING FOR NET ZERO OPERATIONAL CARBON, UH, IN THE BUILDING.
THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR, UH, A CONVENTION CENTER THAT MAKES A WHOLE LOT OF MEALS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, OPERATES, UH, AT A, AT A VERY DEMANDING LEVEL, UH, TO ACTUALLY MAKE THEIR OPERATIONAL, UH, CARBON NET ZERO.
UH, WE ARE COMPLYING WITH ILFI ZERO CARBON, UH, STANDARDS, SO WE CAN GET THEIR CERTIFICATION.
THEY ARE THE GOLD STANDARD OF CARBON CERTIFICATION.
AND, UH, WE WOULD BE THE FIRST, UH, ZERO CARBON CERTIFIED CONVENTION CENTER IN THE WORLD.
[01:10:01]
UH, WE ARE ALREADY WORKING VERY, UM, CLOSELY WITH THE INTERNATIONAL, UH, LIVING FUTURES INSTITUTE, THAT CERTIFICATION AGENCY.THEY MAKE LEAD LOOK LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK, UH, AND, AND THEY'RE VERY, VERY, UH, KEEN ON COMPLIANCE AND, UH, TRACKING, UH, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE OPERATION OF THE CENTER.
SO WE WOULD BE THE VERY FIRST, UH, ZERO NET CARBON CERTIFIED CONVENTION CENTER IN THE WORLD.
WE ARE HAVING A HARD TIME MAKING THIS THING.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE TO POINT IT.
UH, SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING A LOT OF, AND THIS IS PART OF OUR CARBON REDUCTION, UH, IS THAT WE'RE DOING A LOT OF SALVAGE AND REUSE AS, UH, AS JOSH MENTIONED, UH, ON THE LE LEFT.
YOU CAN'T READ ALL THAT, BUT THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT ITEMS. WE'VE GONE WITH A FINE TOOTH, COME THROUGH THE WHOLE BUILDING, THE EXISTING BUILDING, AND, UH, FOUND WHICH THINGS WE CAN REUSE AND WHICH THINGS WILL HELP US REDUCE OUR CARBON IN THE NEW BUILDING SUBSTANTIALLY.
WE'RE USING, FOR EXAMPLE, A A WHOLE LOT OF 60 FOOT TRUSSES, UH, THAT ARE IN THE EXISTING BUILDING.
UH, WE'RE USING, I THINK, 17,000 SQUARE FEET OF ALUMINUM METAL PANELS THAT ARE IN REALLY GREAT CONDITION AND, UH, WILL BE REUSED IN THE PROJECT.
UH, MANY, MANY ELEMENTS WITHIN THE EXISTING BUILDING, BOTH INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR ELEMENTS.
ANOTHER HUGE CONCRETE THING IS, UH, IN THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION, TALKED ABOUT THE CONCRETE MIX.
UH, BUT WE'RE REALLY DOING A DEEP DIVE ON THAT CONCRETE MIX.
WE HAVE CONSULTANT A 10 IN CALIFORNIA THAT'S HELPING US WITH OUR CONCRETE MIX AND, UH, AND REALLY TRYING TO GET THE ENTIRE READY MIX COMMUNITY IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
'CAUSE IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT OF THEM, UH, TO, UH, BE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH THIS, UH, VERY NOT STANDARD CONCRETE MIX.
UH, AND THEN THE STEEL WILL PRETTY MUCH ALL BE RECYCLED, BUT, AND, AND CONCRETE AND STEEL ACCOUNT FOR 75% OF THE EMBODIED CARBON, UH, IN THE PROJECT.
SO THAT REALLY IS A BIG, BIG THING WE'RE DOING.
SO IT'S REALLY A BIG CARBON STORY ON, UH, SUSTAINABILITY.
ANOTHER HUGE ASPECT OF THE BUILDING IS THIS, UH, RECONNECTING OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
UM, THE EXISTING CONVENTION CENTER, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE SORT OF BROWN THERE, IN THE CENTER OF THE SLIDE, IS SIX BLOCKS BETWEEN CESAR CHAVEZ AND FOURTH STREET AND BETWEEN TRINITY AND RED RIVER.
UH, AND, UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO OPEN THAT UP, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING VERY MUCH FOR THIS PROJECT TO CONNECT A LOT OF THESE DIFFERENT, UH, REDEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN THIS SIDE OF DOWNTOWN.
UH, IF YOU'VE BEEN OVER THERE LATELY, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF CONSTRUCTION GOING ON, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE'S MORE TO COME
UM, SO WE'RE MAKING A VERY, WE'VE HAD MANY, MANY, MANY MEETINGS WITH ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, DEVELOPERS AND, UH, TRANSIT, AND EVERYBODY THAT'S WORKING ON THE EAST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN.
UH, WE WILL BE CONNECTING TO WATERLOO GREENWAY OR, YOU KNOW, REALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THEM VERY STRONGLY ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE SITE.
UH, AND THAT NEW PALM PARK DEVELOPMENT IMMEDIATELY TO THE EAST THERE.
UH, THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG CONNECTION POINT FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING VERY, UH, MUCH TO THE NORTH AND THIS REDEVELOPMENT OF SIXTH STREET, CHANGING FROM DIRTY SIXTH TO OLD SIXTH AND, UH, 32 PROPERTIES THAT STREAM REALTY HAS, UH, DEVELOPED OR IS DEVELOPING OF THE CORNER OF RED RIVER AND SIXTH STREET.
WE WANT TO INTERFACE WITH THAT VERY CLOSELY.
UH, WE WANNA CONNECT VERY MUCH TO THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, STUBBS AND GOOD TIME, CHARLIE'S AND ALL OF THE, THE MUSIC SCENE, A LOT OF OUR VISITORS WILL WANT TO GO UP THERE.
AND RED RIVER BECOMES A MAJOR CONNECTOR THERE.
AND THEN RED RIVER, ALSO A MAJOR CONNECTOR DOWN TO RAINY STREET AND ALL THE ACTIVITY GOING ON THERE.
ALL OF THOSE HIGH RISE BUILDINGS HAVE TONS OF CAFES AND RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND IN THE GROUND FLOOR OF THEM.
AND OUR VISITORS WILL WANT VERY MUCH TO PARTICIPATE IN RAINY STREET.
SO LINKING RAINY STREET UP THROUGH RED RIVER ALL THE WAY TO THE, UH, RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.
WE'RE LOOKING TO TERMINATE SECOND STREET AND TURN IT INTO A PEDESTRIAN STREET THAT WILL GO THROUGH THE SITE, INDOOR OUTDOOR PEDESTRIAN STREET THAT WILL CONNECT BETWEEN TRINITY AND RED RIVER.
UH, BUT THAT WILL CONTINUE, AS YOU'LL SEE IN SOME OF THE SLIDES.
UH, THE CHARACTER OF SECOND STREET, THIS KIND OF LIVELY RETAIL ENVIRONMENT OF SECOND STREET.
UH, WE'RE CONNECTING VERY MUCH TO THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL TRAIL THAT'S GOING ON FIFTH STREET AND THE EXPANSION OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER, UH, NEARBY OUR SITE, WHICH WILL BE GOOD TOURIST DESTINATIONS FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE CONVENTION CENTER.
UH, WE HAVE THE RED LINE COMING IN ON THE NORTH SIDE
[01:15:01]
OF THE SITE, SO WE HAVE A TRANSIT CONNECTION THERE.AND WE WILL HAVE THE NEW, UH, PROJECT CONNECT LIGHT RAIL COMING ON OUR SOUTHWEST CORNER.
AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING VERY MUCH WITH A TP ON.
THEY WILL HAVE A STATION RIGHT THERE.
THEIR FIRST STATION NORTH OF THE RIVER WILL BE RIGHT THERE ADJACENT TO THE CONVENTION CENTER.
SO WE'VE MADE SOME ACCOMMODATIONS IN OUR SETBACKS AND SO ON TO GIVE THEM A LITTLE MORE RIGHT OF WAY SO THAT ALL OF THAT CAN HAPPEN.
SO, UH, ALSO WE'RE LOOKING AT CAP AND STITCH AND, AND HOW WE CAN, UH, RELATE TO THAT.
UH, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE VERY MUCH SHAPING, UH, THE CHARACTER OF THE BUILDING.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING IS RE REESTABLISHING THE WALLER GRID.
UH, THIRD STREET, AS JOSH MENTIONED, WILL BE A STREET, A TWO-WAY, UH, STREET THAT GOES, UH, THROUGH THE SITE.
UH, SECOND STREET, AS I MENTIONED, WILL BE AN INDOOR OUTDOOR PEDESTRIAN STREET THAT WILL GO, UH, FROM TRINITY TO RED RIVER AND CONNECT FROM SECOND STREET RETAIL DISTRICT RIGHT STRAIGHT THROUGH TO WATERLOO GREENWAY PALM PARK ON THE EAST SIDE.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO TAKING NATURES NORTH SOUTH, WHICH HAS NEVER REALLY BEEN A THROUGH STREET THROUGH THIS SITE, BUT WAS A PART OF THE WALLER GRID.
AND IT WILL ALSO BE A NORTH, SOUTH INDOOR OUTDOOR PEDESTRIAN STREET THAT GOES THROUGH THE SITE.
SO THAT KIND OF BREAKS THE SITE UP INTO FOUR BLOCKS.
AND EACH OF THOSE FOUR BLOCKS, UH, HAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PROGRAMMATIC COMPONENT.
IT NOW BREAKS A BIG MONOLITH OF A CONVENTION CENTER DOWN INTO BITE SIZE CHUNKS THAT ARE, UH, A BIT MORE OF THE SCALE OF DOWNTOWN.
AS YOU CAN SEE IN GREEN, THERE WILL BE OUTDOOR SPACES, UH, FOR THE BUILDING.
AND THEN EACH OF THOSE BLOCKS WILL HAVE CHARACTER THAT RELATES TO OTHER PORTIONS OF DOWNTOWN.
SO PART OF IT WILL BE MASONRY LIKE SIXTH STREET, AND HAVE THE KIND OF RHYTHM AND SCALE AND CHARACTER, UH, SIMILAR TO WHAT SIXTH STREET IS.
PART OF IT WILL BE OPEN SPACE, MORE LIKE, UH, YOU SEE ON RAINY STREET, ESPECIALLY OLD RAINY STREET WHERE THERE ARE BIG OUTDOOR FESTIVAL AND, UH, ENTERTAINMENT SPACES OUT THERE.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY TAKING FROM THE CONTEXT AROUND TO VERY BIG AUSTIN.
THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO INCORPORATE INTO THIS ARE THIS REALLY, UH, THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN URBAN AND LANDSCAPE, AND THE TRANSITION FROM VERY DENSE URBAN ENVIRONMENT ON ONE SIDE OF THE SITE, AS YOU CAN SEE, TO THE NORTH AND TO THE WEST, TO LANDSCAPE ON THE OTHER TWO SIDES OF THE SITE TO THE SOUTH AND TO THE EAST.
UH, THE URBAN RELATING TO THE VERY DENSE, UH, DOWNTOWN URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
AND THEN THE LANDSCAPE ORIENTING TO ONE OF THE GREENWAY PALM PARK.
UH, ALL OF THAT, UH, NEW REG GREENING THAT'S GOING ON, UH, UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW.
ANOTHER BIG THING THAT WE HAVE IN AUSTIN ON SPADES IS THIS INDOOR OUTDOOR RELATIONSHIP.
ACTUALLY, I WAS, UH, WITH A CLIMATE EXPERT TODAY WHO WAS, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT'S JUST REALLY AMAZING IN AUSTIN HOW MUCH YOU GUYS, EVEN WHEN IT'S FREAKING HOT, YOU GUYS ARE OUTDOORS.
UH, AND THAT, THAT WASN'T TRUE 20 YEARS AGO.
I'VE BEEN HERE A REALLY LONG TIME, AND WE USED TO JUST FLOCK INTO THAT AIR CONDITIONING, BUT RECENTLY WE'VE LEARNED TO LIVE OUTDOORS MORE.
AND, UH, SO WE WANTED TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE'S A HUGE SUSTAINABILITY FEATURE.
THERE'S, THERE'S NO GREATER, UH, ENERGY SAVING THAN, UH, LIVING OUTDOORS INSTEAD OF HAVING TO BUILD AN AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT FOR ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING YOU DO.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF CONVENTIONS THAT, THAT WILL BE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACES, AS WELL AS INDOOR EVENT SPACES.
UH, AND SO THAT IS GONNA TAKE THE FORM AS YOU, AS I MENTIONED, THESE TWO GREEN BLOCKS TO THE NORTH, UH, WEST AND TO THE SOUTHEAST.
AND THEN THIS NICHES CONNECTOR THAT KIND OF LINKS THOSE TWO OUTDOOR SPACES, UH, AND WITH A LOT OF EVENTS THAT HAPPEN IN THOSE AREAS.
AND THEN THE BLUE, UH, IS, IS WHAT WE CALL THE EO, WHICH IS THIS EAST WEST CONNECTOR ALONG, UH, THE SECOND STREET RIGHT OF WAY INTO OUR OUTDOOR, UH, PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION THAT GOES THERE.
ALL OF THOSE KIND OF EMPHASIZING HOW MUCH OF THE, UH, ACTIVITY OF THE CONVENTION CENTER CAN HAPPEN OUTDOORS.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING IN THE CITY ALONGSIDE OF CHAVEZ.
THERE, WE HAVE TWO MAJOR LANDMARK BUILDINGS, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTRIBUTE A THIRD.
SO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IS WHERE SHOAL CREEK COMES INTO LADYBIRD LAKE, AND THERE'S AN OUTDOOR SPACE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PAVILION BUILDING.
UH, THEN THERE'S CITY HALL, WHICH HAS ITS PLAZA AS AN OUTDOOR SPACE THAT LINKS INTO, UH, THE LAKE AND THE LAKE ENVIRONMENT, UH, AS A PAVILION.
AND THEN WE WILL TAKE A PORTION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, THE BALLROOM, AND MAKE A SIMILAR SCALED, UH, VOLUME OF BUILDING RELATED TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE THERE
[01:20:01]
ON WALLER CREEK, UH, ON C CHAVEZ.SO, AS YOU GO ALONG THERE, THERE'LL BE THESE THREE LANDMARK BUILDINGS THAT ARE ALL CIVIC SPACE.
ANOTHER HUGE ELEMENT WE'RE DOING HERE IS ARCHITECTURALLY INTEGRATED ART.
UH, WE HAVE A $17.7 MILLION TOTAL INVESTMENT.
THIS WILL BE AUSTIN'S LARGEST SINGLE INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC ART TO DATE.
UH, AND WE'VE CHOSEN TO USE THIS IN A VERY, VERY UNUSUAL WAY.
AND THANKS TO RILEY TRIGGS HERE, UH, WE HAVE ACTUALLY GOT THE CITY AND ART AND PUBLIC PLACE ON BOARD, AND THEY'RE ENTHUSIASTIC.
AND ALL OF THIS IS WORKING REALLY WELL.
WE HAVE SELECTED 10 ARTISTS, ALL OF THEM LOCAL ARTISTS, AND THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE ARCHITECTURE TEAM.
STARTED IN THE MIDDLE OF SCHEMATIC DESIGN, AND WE'RE WORKING TO MAKE THIS ART COMPLETELY INTEGRATED WITH THE ARCHITECTURE.
AND WE GOT 10 VERY EXCITED ARTISTS AS WELL AS WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE WHAT'S GONNA COME OUT OF THAT.
EVERYTHING FROM DEBRA ROBERTS, WHO IS A WORLD RENOWNED ARTIST, UH, HAS ALWAYS BEEN HERE IN AUSTIN.
AUSTIN, UH, HAS WORK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN DU THAT'S, UH, UH, IN MAJOR COLLECTIONS IN, UH, LIKE COUNTY MUSEUM IN THE WHITNEY, UH, VERY RENOWNED ARTIST, BUT HAS NO PUBLIC WORK IN AUSTIN.
THIS WILL BE HER FIRST, UH, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO SOME VERY EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS LIKE DIEGO, MIRO RIVERA, AND HENA GOOD, UH, WHO ARE JUST STARTING EXCITING CAREERS, UH, AS, UH, AS BRAND NEW ARTIST.
SO IT'S A REALLY, REALLY GREAT, UH, GROUP OF ARTISTS WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH.
AND THOSE PIECES WILL BE ALL OVER THE SITE.
UH, THERE ARE EIGHT OUTDOOR PIECES, TWO INDOOR PIECES.
UH, THEY'VE ALREADY ALL KIND OF FOUND THEIR, THEIR GROUND.
AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ON, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ART PIECES ALONG WITH THE ARCHITECTURE.
SO, UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE YOU THROUGH FLOOR, BY FLOOR, BY FLOOR, UH, ALL THE FUNCTIONAL WORKINGS OF THE BUILDING.
UH, THE, THE BIG TAKEAWAY HERE IS ALL OF THE EXHIBIT HALL, 350,000 SQUARE FEET OF EXHIBIT HALL, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES MOST CONVENTION CENTERS JUST CITY KILLERS, BECAUSE THEY'RE BIG AND THEY'RE BLANK.
UH, ALL OF THIS IS UNDERGROUND, SO OURS WILL BE COMPLETELY UNDERGROUND.
ALSO, ALL OF THE LOADING DOCKS, ALL OF THE SORT OF BACK OF HOUSE, UH, SERVICING, UH, OF THAT EXHIBIT HALL, ALL OF THAT WILL BE UNDERGROUND, UH, THAT WILL ENABLE US TO TAKE THE GROUND PLANE AND MAKE IT A GOOD CIVIC URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
UH, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE, WHAT WILL BE ON THE GROUND PLANE, ALL OF THAT GOLD IS PUBLIC SPACE OF VARIOUS SORTS.
SOME OF ITS REGISTRATION HALL, SOME OF IT'S PRE-FUNCTION SPACE, SOME OF IT'S OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE.
UH, SOME OF IT'S RESTAURANTS, UH, BUT ALL OF THAT IS PUBLIC SPACE.
AND THEN ON THE GROUND FLOOR, THERE WILL BE THE BALLROOM, WHICH WILL BE A BIG PARTY SPACE, UH, AND THEN, UH, MEETING ROOMS OF VARIOUS SORTS ON THAT GROUND FLOOR AS WELL.
SOME OF THEM VERY MUCH DESIGNED TO BE COMMUNITY ROOMS WHEN THEY'RE NOT BEING USED, UH, BY CONVENTIONS, UH, IN TOWN.
UH, AND THEN, UH, THERE YOU SEE A KIND OF STACKING OF THAT DARK BLUE.
AT THE BOTTOM IS THIS MASSIVE UNDERGROUND, UH, AREA THAT IS TAKING ALL THE LOADING DOCKS AND ALL OF THE EXHIBIT HALL, AND THEN THE GROUND FLOOR.
AND THEN WE HAVE A SECOND AND THIRD FLOOR.
AND THESE ARE REALLY MUCH TALLER THAN A NORMAL FLOOR.
SO THEY'RE MORE LIKE THE HEIGHT OF TWO OR EVEN THREE FLOORS.
UH, AND THERE WILL BE MEETING ROOMS ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
AND THEN ON THE TOP FLOOR THERE WILL BE IN THAT LIGHT BLUE, A BIG FLEX HALL.
AND, UH, THAT'S KIND OF HALFWAY BETWEEN A BALLROOM AND AN EXHIBIT HALL, THAT THAT WILL BE FOR MAJOR CONVOCATION SPACE.
UM, AND MANY OF THOSE SPACES HAVE OUTDOOR SPACES ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE PROVISION FOR FUTURE EXPANSION, UH, SHOULD THAT HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
I'M GONNA HAND IT BACK OVER TO JOSH.
UH, SO THIS IS OUR OVERALL SITE PLAN, THE ILLUSTRATIVE SITE PLAN.
UH, WE WILL GO BLOCK BY BLOCK INTO MORE DETAIL, SO I'M NOT GONNA DWELL ON THAT HERE, BUT IF YOU COUNT THEM, YES, THERE ARE 12 ACTIVE STREET FRONTAGES ON OUR PROJECT.
UH, SO QUITE A FEW COMPARED TO, UH, NORMAL.
UM, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT, THOUGH, AS LARRY MENTIONED, THE MAJOR ENTRY POINTS OF THE SITE, UH, ARE AT THE INTERSECTION OF, UH, SOME OF THE STREETS, UH, SPECIFICALLY NECHES AND THIRD STREET, UH, TRINITY AND SECOND STREET, UM, RED RIVER AND SECOND STREET,
[01:25:01]
AND EVEN NEZZ AT CAESAR CHAVEZ.AND KIND OF SEE WHERE THOSE INTERNAL GRIDS SORT OF MEET.
UH, THOSE ARE PRIMARY, UH, SIGNIFICANT ENTRY POINTS INTO THE SITE, UH, SOMETIMES DIRECTLY INTO THE BUILDING.
AND WE'LL SHOW YOU HOW THOSE WORK, UH, IN A LITTLE BIT.
UH, BUT FIRST WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MICRO MOBILITY, UH, WITH ALL THE SCOOTERS AND, UH, VARIOUS, UM, UM, MICRO MOBILITY COMPONENTS AROUND THE CITY.
UH, WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO DEFINITELY PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THOSE AND LOCATIONS FOR THEM.
UH, BUT WE WANTED TO PUT THEM AT THE PERIPHERY, UH, A LITTLE BIT FURTHER AWAY FROM THE BUILDING, UH, ENTRY SO THAT WHEN THEY DO ENTER THE SITE, THERE'S A PLACE FOR THEM TO BE STOWED AND TO BE PARKED, UH, RIGHT AWAY, UH, AND THEN WALK AND, AND, YOU KNOW, BECOME A PEDESTRIAN, UH, TO COMPLETE YOUR JOURNEY TO THE ENTRY, UH, OF THE PROJECT.
UH, SO YOU CAN SEE HERE WHERE WE'RE SHOWING WHERE EXISTING E-BIKE RACKS ARE LOCATED, UH, AND THEN WHERE WE'RE GONNA PROPOSE THEM TO BE RELOCATED, UH, AS WELL AS SOME SCOOTER PARKING ZONES, UH, LOCATED AROUND THE PROJECT, UH, AS, AS WELL.
UH, THERE ARE ALSO BIKE RACKS THAT ARE, UH, EXISTING, UH, THAT ARE VERY INDICATIVE OF AUSTIN'S CHARACTER AND CULTURE.
THESE ARE THE BIKE, UH, RACKS THAT ARE SORT OF SHAPED LIKE BATS.
UH, SOME ARE SHAPED LIKE MUSICAL NOTES.
UH, SO THESE ARE DEFINITELY PAINT HOMAGE TO THE EXISTING BUILDING AND WILL BE RELA RELOCATING THOSE ON SITE.
AND THE LOCATIONS THAT YOU SEE HERE, UH, DISTRIBUTED FAIRLY, UH, EVENLY ON THE NORTH SIDE.
IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT WE SEE THIRD STREET AS THE PRIMARY, UH, ROADWAY.
AND THE MAIN ENTRANCE WILL BE LOCATED OFF OF THIRD STREET.
UH, AS LARRY MENTIONED, IT'S A MULTIMODAL STREET.
UH, SO WE HAVE AGGREGATED, UH, QUITE A FEW, UH, BIKE RACKS IN, IN ITS VICINITY, UH, ALONG TRINITY AND RED RIVER.
UH, ADDITIONALLY, THE TEXAS WALK OF STARS THAT ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED ON TRINITY, UH, WILL REDISTRIBUTE THOSE TO THE NORTH AND TO THE SOUTH, UH, IN ANTICIPATION OF THE CONTINUING TO, TO GROW TOWARDS THE INTERIOR, UH, OF THE SITE TOWARDS SECOND STREET AND, AND THIRD STREET.
AND THIS, UH, TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TRINITY LIGHT RAIL, UH, PROJECT THAT, THAT LARRY, UH, MADE REFERENCE TO, UH, TO SORT OF ACKNOWLEDGING THAT AS THAT PROJECT PROGRESSES, UH, WE'RE DEFINITELY COORDINATING AND TRACKING IT ALONGSIDE A TP, BUT ALSO BEING PREPARED FOR WHAT A DAY ONE MIGHT LOOK LIKE, UH, IF THAT, UH, TRANSIT STATION HASN'T BEGUN.
CONSTRUCTION, UH, OUR PROJECT IS COMMITTED TO HAVING A FINISHED CONDITION, UH, ON DAY ONE.
UH, THAT SUBSCRIBES TO GREAT STREETS AND INSTALLS STREET TREES, UH, AS YOU SEE HERE WITH THE IMAGE ON THE LEFT AND AS THE A TP, UH, WORK PROGRESSES, AS LARRY MENTIONED.
ALSO, WE'RE COORDINATING OUR BUILDING SETBACKS SO THAT, UH, THERE IS AMPLE ROOM FOR PEDESTRIANS AND MOVEMENT, UH, ALONG THAT ZONE OF, UH, TRINITY STREET.
AND ALSO LOOKING AT HOW THE CROSSINGS TAKE PLACE AT SECOND STREET, UH, AND THEN EVEN WITH AN A TP PHASE TWO AND AN EXTENSION OF THEIR PLATFORM, UH, HOW MIGHT THAT LOOK? AND IT'S WORTH NOTING, THESE ARE DEFINITELY STILL UNDER COORDINATION AND REVIEW WITH A TP, UH, BUT WE JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT THIS COORDINATION IS ONGOING, AND WE'RE DEFINITELY COORDINATING IT WITH, UH, THE BUILDING, UH, IN OUR, OUR SITE WORK.
OKAY, THE OUTDOOR EVENT AND THE WAREHOUSE, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT A, A LARGE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE, UH, ON THE WEST SIDE.
UH, AND YOU ALSO FIND THAT IT'S, UH, ANCHORED BY A STAIR, AN EGRESS STAIR, UH, UM, COMPONENT THAT'S COMING UP OUT OF THE SITE ON THE, THE WEST SIDE.
UM, WE'RE ALSO INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT ADDING ADDITIONAL RESTAURANT SPACE ON THAT WEST SIDE.
UH, ALONG TRINITY, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE IT THERE IN THE, THE RED AND THE ARROWS, UH, REFERENCING BACK TO TRINITY.
UM, ALSO ON THE EAST SIDE, UH, IS THE WAREHOUSE THAT LARRY MENTIONED THAT WILL SERVE, UH, THE RAMPS FOR THE LOADING DOCK.
UH, BELOW WILL HOUSE, ALL OF THAT, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER BUILDING SUPPORT SPACES.
UH, AND THEN THIRD STREET AND ITS CREATION IS A FESTIVAL AND DROP OFF STREET, AND THEN ALSO PUNCTUATED BY THE NEZZ PROMENADE.
UH, THAT BREAKS, UH, THAT SITE INTO, UH, TWO SEPARATE, UH, BLOCKS.
AND THE SITE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR FUTURE EXPANSION, UH, FOR PHASE TWO DOWN THE ROAD.
AND HERE'S THE, THE, THE SITE PLAN.
YOU CAN SEE THIS IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL OF HOW THE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE IS BUFFERED ON THE NORTH WITH, UH, PLANTINGS AND, AND A BURNED, UH, RAISED AREA, AS WELL AS ON THE SOUTH TOWARDS, UH, THIRD STREET.
UH, THAT EGRESS STAIR COMPONENT SHOWN IN WHITE.
THAT'S THE BAR THAT RUNS NORTH, SOUTH ON THE, THE WEST SIDE, UH, WHERE WE'RE STUDYING, UH, ADDING ADDITIONAL RESTAURANTS.
AND THEN, UH, THE WAREHOUSE DOES HAVE AN OUTDOOR COMPONENT TO IT.
THAT'S THE LIGHTER GRAY, UH, BOX THAT YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT.
AND THEN THE WHITE COMPONENT IS THE INDOOR ENCLOSED SPACE.
UH, AND AGAIN, THAT OUTDOOR COMPONENT IS COMPLETELY SCREENED FROM THE STREET.
AND WE'LL SHOW YOU A RENDERING OF THAT HERE IN A MOMENT.
UH, BUT THE WAREHOUSE IS ALSO SCREENED,
[01:30:01]
UH, AND BUFFERED WITH, UH, LANDSCAPE PLANTING AREAS TO THE WEST AND TO THE SOUTH.UM, BUT WE'RE DEF DEFINITELY DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE LANCE ARMSTRONG BIKEWAY ON THE NORTH, UH, AT, AT THE WAREHOUSE.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE HOW THE NCHE PROMENADE, UH, WILL COME THROUGH ON THE SOUTH AND, UH, CREATE THAT PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE THAT, THAT LARRY, UH, REFERENCED, UH, UH, EARLIER.
I'M GONNA TAKE US THROUGH A QUICK SECTION HERE ON THE FOURTH STREET SIDE.
UH, THERE IS A BIT OF A GRADE CHANGE AS WE GO FROM OUR OUTDOOR PLAZA, WHICH SITS RIGHT OVER TOP THAT EXHIBIT HALL.
THAT'S THE WHITE, UH, AREA YOU SEE BELOW, UH, THE, UH, THE FINISHED, UH, GRADE LEVEL.
YOU CAN ALSO SEE A HIGHLIGHT THERE FOR THE FOUNDATION WALL.
SO AGAIN, EVERYTHING BELOW THIS PLAZA IS THE EXHIBIT HALL.
THERE'LL BE TRUSSES, UH, RIGHT BELOW, BUT WE'RE BURNING UP TO FOURTH STREET.
AND THAT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL PLANTINGS, UH, OVER TOP THIS, UH, BELOW GRADE ROOF, UH, AND THEN CONNECTING INTO THE FOURTH STREET PLAZA AND, AND CONTINUING ITS PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY, UH, AND ALLOWING THE LANCE ARMSTRONG BIKE AWAY TO CONTINUE INTERRUPTED.
AND THIS IS A, A, A RENDERING OF THAT FOURTH STREET NORTH FACADE WITH THE, UH, THE ONE STORY, UH, SUPPORT SPACE ENCLOSURE ON THE LEFT.
UH, THIS OUTDOOR EVENT PLAZA ON THE RIGHT, THE NEZZ PROMENADE IN THE MIDDLE.
UH, THE ONE STORY ENCLOSURE, AS LARRY MENTIONED, WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT COMPONENT OF ARCHITECTURALLY INTEGRATED ART.
AND WE'RE PLANNING A LARGE MURAL AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER.
UH, IT HASN'T BEEN DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY YET, SO THIS IS JUST A DEPICTION OF WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
UH, WE'RE ALSO GONNA REUSE SOME OF THE SALVAGE PANELS FROM THE EXISTING CONVENTION CENTER, UH, ON THE FACADE.
AND THEN THREE FACES OF THE WAREHOUSE WILL BE VEGETATIVE SCREENING OR PLANTINGS THAT WILL GROW UP AND, UH, PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, LANDSCAPE ON THE VERTICAL FACES OF, UH, THIS, UH, LOWER STRUCTURE, UH, TO BETTER INTEGRATE IT INTO THE, THE SITE.
AND WE'RE STUDYING THE POSSIBILITY OF A LARGE SHADE STRUCTURE THAT WOULD, UM, COVER THE NEZ PROMENADE THAT YOU SEE HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS RENDERING.
AND WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER VIEW OF THE BUILDING, UH, LATER IN THE DECK.
UH, OKAY, NOW WE'VE HOPPED OVER TO RED RIVER ON THE EAST SIDE.
THIS IS A SECTION SHOWING, UH, AT THE, THE LOWER ONE-STORY ENCLOSURE, HOW THAT VERTICAL PLANTING MAY BEGIN TO WORK, UH, ADJACENT TO THE SIDEWALK.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE, WE'LL HAVE AN INGRADE PLANTER JUST OUTSIDE OF OUR FOUNDATION THAT WILL GROW UP THE, THE FACE OF THE, THE WAREHOUSE, STILL HELP IT WITH, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF A VANDAL RESISTANCE.
THAT'LL ALSO SOFTEN THE ARCHITECTURAL APPEARANCE AND INGRADE IT MORE INTO THE LANDSCAPE.
BUT WE'RE STILL PROVIDING A VERY, UH, GENEROUS SIDEWALK.
AND ALSO, UH, INTEGRATING STREET TREES ADJACENT TO, UH, ADDITIONAL PARKING AND DROP OFF, UH, HERE ALONG RED RIVER.
AND HERE'S A RENDERING OF WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
UH, AGAIN, SHOWING THE ART, UH, ABOVE THESE VERTICAL VEGETATIVE SCREENING ZONES.
UH, THE PARKING, UH, ADJACENT TO THE CURBSIDE ZONE.
AND SO WITH THE, UH, THE PEDESTRIAN, UH, SIDEWALK ZONE.
OKAY, NOW WE'RE JUMPING BACK OVER TO THE WEST ON TRINITY.
AND, UH, STILL CUTTING A SECTION THROUGH THAT OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE.
UH, BUT AS YOU CAN BEGIN TO SEE HERE, THERE'S ALSO ANOTHER GRADE CHANGE WHEN WE GET TO TRINITY.
UH, TRINITY, UM, GRADUALLY RISES FROM SOUTH TO NORTH.
UH, SO WE'RE ALSO KIND OF STEPPING UP AND BI UP ONTO TRINITY.
UM, WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING ADDITIONAL DROP OFF IN PARKING SPACE, UH, ADJACENT TO THE STREET TREES WITH THE ONE DISTINCTION HERE THAT TO COORDINATE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, BELOW GRADE UTILITY WORK, THE STREET TREES ARE SLID OVER A NUMBER OF FEET.
UH, BUT WE STILL HAVE A GENEROUS SIDEWALK ADJACENT TO THAT.
UH, THIS IS PART OF THE ONGOING COORDINATION OF OUR FOUNDATION WALL WITH U UTILITIES.
UH, IT'S QUITE A BIT OF AN EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT, UH, ALL THOSE ARE COORDINATED PROPERLY AND WE STILL ACHIEVE WHAT WE WANT TO IN THE LANDSCAPE.
UM, SO NOW I'M GONNA WALK US THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF THE HUB WEST AND EAST.
UH, THIS IS THE MIDDLE OF THE SITE.
THIS IS WHERE LARRY SHOWED THAT DIAGRAM OF THE VERTICAL STACK.
UH, THIS IS WHERE WE'VE GOT THE MOST PROGRAM, UH, ABOVE GRADE, UH, ON THE PROJECT, STARTING WITH THE REGISTRATION HALL IN THE MIDDLE, SOME MEETING ROOMS, AND THE FLEX HALL ABOVE.
AND IT'S ALSO WHERE WE'RE REALLY INTENSIFYING THIS TRANSITION FROM THE URBAN SIDE ON THE WEST SIDE IN THE CBD TO THE LANDSCAPE SIDE AND PALM PARK AND WATERLOO GREENWAY.
UM, THE, UH, LET'S SEE, LOST MYSELF HERE.
AND WE'RE ALSO, UM, INTERNALLY, THIS BECOMES A REALLY STRONG VERTICAL CONNECTOR FROM THE EXHIBIT HALL DOWN BELOW,
[01:35:01]
UH, TO THE FLEX HALL UP ABOVE.SO THIS, UH, SPACE IN THE MIDDLE THAT'S ALONG THE NECHES ALIGNMENT'S GONNA BE A VERY DYNAMIC, UH, KIND OF MIXING CHAMBER, UH, FOR THE, THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND REALLY ESTABLISHES NECHES IS THIS INDOOR OUTDOOR PROMENADE, UH, THAT RUNS FROM, UH, NORTH TO SOUTH, AND HELPS ALSO TO BETTER, UH, DISTINGUISH THE BLOCKS FROM EAST TO WEST AND PROVIDES THAT KIND OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER THAT, THAT LARRY, UH, MENTIONED, UH, A MOMENT AGO.
AND THEN THE EO IS ALONG THE SECOND STREET ALIGNMENT THAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO, AND IT'S NOT ADVANCING.
THIS IS A DIAGRAM SHOWING THE PASS.
THIS IS ALSO GONNA BE AN INDOOR OUTDOOR PEDESTRIAN, UH, CONNECTION ALONG THE SECOND STREET ALIGNMENT.
UM, WHAT IS GONNA BE, UH, A BIG HALLMARK OF THIS SPACE IS ON THE THIRD FLOOR.
IT'S GONNA FEATURE 180 DEGREE VIEWS, UH, OF THE CITY, PROVIDING A REALLY STRONG VISUAL CONNECTION, UH, OF THE CITY TO THE VISITORS OF THE COMMISSION CENTER, AND VICE VERSA.
SORRY, I'M GOTTA GO BACK A LITTLE BIT.
AND HERE'S THE SITE PLAN OF THE HUB, WEST AND EAST.
UH, ALONG WITH THE, BE, UH, AGAIN, THEY'RE KIND OF THESE MAJOR ENTRANCES AT SECOND STREET AND TRINITY, UH, WE'VE RECESSED THAT ENTRANCE BACK A LITTLE BIT TO PROVIDE, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF A COVERED AREA.
YOU'LL SEE THE, THE ROOF OVERHANG IN THAT ZONE HERE IN A MINUTE.
UH, ALONG WITH THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE PROJECT AT THIRD STREET AND NCHE, UH, ALONG.
AND THEN KIND OF MOVING AROUND, THERE'S AN OUTDOOR MEETING TERRACE ALONG RED RIVER ON THE EAST SIDE, AND THEN THE OUTDOOR COMPONENT OF THE SECOND STREET PASS.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THERE ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THIS PARTICULAR PART OF THE PROJECT.
THEN THERE'S GONNA BE AN ENLARGED SITE PLAN OF THE THIRD STREET, UH, MULTIMODAL STREET THAT WE'VE KIND OF MENTIONED, UH, A MINUTE AGO.
UH, AGAIN, UM, THIS STREET, UH, COULD BE CLOSED FOR EVENTS BY THE CONVENTION CENTER.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT PAVING PATTERNS AND PAVING MATERIALS THAT ALLOW SORT OF A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FROM, UH, THE SIDEWALK TO VEHICULAR, UM, ZONES, UH, THAT ARE CURBLESS IN, IN, IN ESSENCE.
SO LOOKING AT STRIPING PAVING PATTERNS, UH, LOCATIONS OF BOLLARDS TO ALLOW THAT, UH, THAT CON CONNECTIVITY, UH, ACROSS THE, THE ENTIRE SITE THAT COULD LINK THE CONVENTION CENTER TO THE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE.
AND ALSO, IN TURN, ALLOW THEM TO USE, UH, THIRD STREET AS, UH, ANOTHER OUTDOOR, UH, EVENT SPACE AS WELL.
UM, THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL PAVING PATTERN AT THE NEZ PROMENADE, UH, WHERE IT CROSSES THIRD STREET AND LAST ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET, UH, YOU'LL SEE THE STREET TREES BEGIN TO, UM, SORT OF DROP OUT A LITTLE BIT AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE MAIN ENTRANCE.
UH, THAT'S BECAUSE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET IS WHERE WE'RE INTENDING THE BUS DROP OFF ZONE TO BE.
SO THERE'LL BE AN INTENSITY OF PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT.
AND BECAUSE OF THE EXHIBIT HALL BELOW, THESE ARE IN RAISED PLANTERS.
UH, SO THEY DO PROVIDE OR PRESENT A LITTLE BIT, UH, MORE OF A CHALLENGE FOR PEDESTRIANS TO NAVIGATE AROUND.
SO WE'RE OPENING UP THAT ZONE AROUND THE MAIN ENTRANCE, UH, WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, AREA FOR PEDESTRIANS TO NAVIGATE IN AND OUT OF THE BUSES, KNOWING THAT THIS IS THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING.
AND IT PROVIDES, UH, QUITE A BIT OF SHADE, UH, THROUGHOUT, UH, MOST OF THE YEAR.
AND I'VE GOT A SECTION THROUGH THAT, AND YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT'S BEGINNING TO WORK.
THERE'S A SECTION ON THE WEST SIDE.
UH, THE BUILDING IS ALSO SET BACK A LITTLE BIT TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE SIDEWALK, UH, SOUTH OF WHERE THOSE, UH, RAISED PLANTERS ARE FOR THE STREET TREES.
AND THERE'S ALSO THE LOADING ZONE NEXT TO THE BUS DROP OFF.
UH, THAT ZONE BETWEEN THE, THE LOADING AND THE SIDEWALK IS PROTECTED WITH THE RAISED PLANTERS AND A LINE OF BOLLARDS.
UH, THEN YOU'VE GOT THE FIRE LANE IN THE MIDDLE, THEN ADDITIONAL DROP OFF ZONE ON THE NORTH, UH, SIDEWALK.
AND THEN ANOTHER RAISED PLANTER AS WE TRANSITION, UH, INTO THE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE.
AND THESE RAISED PLANTERS ALLOW US A LITTLE BIT MORE DIVERSITY IN WHAT WE, UH, ARE PLANTING ON TOP OF OUR, UH, EXHIBIT HALL AND IN THE GREEN ROOF, UH, ASSEMBLY.
THEN ON THE EAST SIDE, AND MORE ADJACENT TO THE WAREHOUSE, UH, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU JUST SAW ON THE WEST, WITH THE ONLY MAIN DIFFERENCE BEING THE BIRMINGHAM IS A LITTLE BIT MORE INTENSE, UH, TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF A VISUAL SCREEN BETWEEN,
[01:40:01]
UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THIS, UH, ONE STORY ENCLOSURE.UH, WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING A VERTICAL GREEN, UH, TERRA, UH, TRELLIS.
UH, THAT ALSO HELPS, UH, SCREEN, UH, SOME OF THE VIEWS BACK TO THAT FACADE, ALTHOUGH THAT FACADE WILL PROVIDE GLAZING AND OTHER ENTRANCES FOR, UH, STAFF AND VENDORS, UH, FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER.
OKAY, HERE'S A RENDER ALONG THIRD STREET, UH, FROM TRINITY LOOKING, UH, TOWARDS, UH, RED RIVER.
IT'S GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A SENSE OF HOW THOSE PLANTERS, THE BOLLARDS, UH, THE, THE LAYERING OF THE DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS, UH, ARE TAKING PLACE, UH, ALONG THIS PART OF THE PROJECT.
TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE FACADE ELEMENTS, UH, IN ANOTHER DRAWING.
THIS IS THE NORTH FACADE ON THE WEST HALF.
UH, THE COLORFUL ELEMENTS THAT YOU SEE UP HIGH ARE, UH, ATTACHED TO A, A, A SCREEN THAT EFFECTIVELY SHROUDS, UH, WHAT IS A LARGE COOLING TOWER ARRAY.
UH, THIS IS PART OF OUR COORDINATION WITH THE AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL, UH, DISTRICT COOLING PLANT.
UH, SO THAT FACADE, UH, WILL BE USED TO HOUSE BANNERS, UH, PROJECTION.
WE'VE BEEN TO THE, THE AUSTIN, UH, WATER WORK, UH, ART INSTALLATION RECENTLY AT SEA HOME.
AND WE'RE ENVISIONING SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT, WHERE THESE, UH, LARGE SURFACE COULD BE, UH, PROJECTION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UH, THEY'RE DEFINITELY GONNA BE ARCHITECTURALLY INTERESTING AS WELL.
UH, WE'RE INTERESTED IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SURFACES AND HOW TO PROVIDE COLOR AND VISUAL INTEREST WHEN THERE ISN'T A BANNER THERE OR A PROJECTION.
UH, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THAT'S GONNA DO AND HOW THAT'S GONNA ANCHOR, UH, THE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE AS WELL, AND PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO RE-ENVISION HOW THAT SPACE IS USED.
UH, THEN AT LEVEL ONE AND LEVEL TWO, AS LARRY MENTIONED, THAT THERE ARE QUITE, UH, UM, UH, QUITE A LARGE AMOUNT OF, UH, PRE-FUNCTION IN PUBLIC CIRCULATION ZONES.
AND THAT'S WHAT, UH, YOU SEE HERE, UH, WITH, UH, BEHIND THE, THE GLAZE AREAS ON LEVEL ONE AND LEVEL TWO, UH, FACING THIRD STREET, UH, ALONG WITH, UH, A BALCONY ON LEVEL TWO THAT WOULD OVERLOOK, UH, ADJACENT TO THE NEZ UH, PROMENADE.
AND THIS IS THE NORTH FACADE ON THE EASTERN SIDE.
AGAIN, ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS IMAGE, YOU'VE GOT THE NEZ ALIGNMENT AND A LARGE CANOPY.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT MASS TIMBER TO FRAME THAT CANOPY.
UH, THAT'LL BE A HALLMARK OF SOME OF THE MOTHER, UH, SOME OF THE OTHER MAJOR, UH, PRIMARY ENTRANCES.
UH, AND THIS FACADE IS ALSO, UH, BEGINNING TO RELATE MORE TO THE LANDSCAPE SIDE.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT USING MORE NATURAL MATERIALS, UH, SUCH AS POTENTIALLY WEATHERING STEEL, UH, A PIE.
UH, WE'RE ALSO PICKING UP ON A 30 FOOT, UH, COLUMN GRID TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF SCALE AND RHYTHM, UH, THAT RELATE TO OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY.
AND AGAIN, WE ALSO HAVE PRE-FUNCTION AT LEVEL ONE AND LEVEL TWO.
SO WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UH, GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF GLAZING, UH, IN THOSE ZONES.
AND THEN LAST, ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE IMAGE ALONG RED RIVER, THERE'S AN OUTDOOR MEETING TERRACE ON LEVEL TWO, UH, THAT REALLY CREATES THAT INDOOR OUTDOOR CONNECTION THAT LARRY WAS MENTIONING A MINUTE AGO.
AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW THAT LOOKS IN MORE DETAIL, UH, SHORTLY.
THERE'S A PERSPECTIVE FROM THAT FLEXIBLE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE AND, AND HOW THOSE COOLING TOWER, UH, BANNERS AND PROJECTIONS MIGHT BEGIN TO WORK TO ANCHOR THAT SPACE.
UH, AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT RESTAURANTS THAT, THAT MAY HAPPEN ON THE TRINITY SIDE, UM, AND A CONTINUED TO EXPAND HOW THAT OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE MAY BE USED.
UH, OKAY, NOW I'M GONNA JUMP US A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH AND OVER TO RED RIVER.
UH, SO WE'RE ON THE EAST SIDE NOW.
UH, THE BUILDING IS ON YOUR LEFT IN THIS SECTION.
UH, THIS IS THAT OUTDOOR MEETING TERRACE THAT I MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO, BUT THIS ONE IS AT LEVEL ONE.
UH, IT'S ALSO, UH, FRAMED BY A LARGE OUTDOOR, UH, PLANTED TRELLIS.
UH, AND YOU CAN SEE HERE THE, THE BUILDING IS RAISED UP A LITTLE BIT FROM THE STREET.
UH, THIS IS, UH, ONE OF THE GRAY CHANGES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MITIGATE, UH, ALONG THE PROJECT.
BUT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INTRODUCE GLAZING AND WINDOWS INTO THE PROGRAM SPACES, UH, BEYOND.
UH, SO THAT, UH, PHASE STILL, UH, PROVIDES SOME OF THE, THE PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE ABLE TO GROW PLANTS DOWN THE TRELLIS, UH, FROM THAT, THAT RAISED TERRACE, AND THEN UP FROM THE STREET AS WELL, UH, KIND OF COMPLETING, UH, THIS IDEA OF THE RED RIVER SIDE BEING MORE OF THE LANDSCAPE SIDE.
AND THEN INTRODUCING STREET TREES AS WELL ALONG THE RIDESHARE DROP OFF IN THIS BLOCK OF RED RIVER, UM, BETWEEN SECOND STREET AND THIRD STREET.
UM, I THINK THE DRAWING HERE SAYS TREE GRATES, BUT IT'S JUST WANTING, I WANTED TO NOTE THAT, UH, THE PROJECT IS NOW MOVING TOWARDS, UH, USING SOIL CELLS.
UH, SO MOST OF THE TREE GRATES THAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE DRAWINGS ARE, UH,
[01:45:01]
ACTIVELY BEING RECONSIDERED, AND WE BELIEVE, UH, WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE PAVING, UH, RIGHT UP TO THE, UH, THE TREE TRUNKS.SO THAT'LL CREATE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, ADDITIONAL PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE ANY EXAMPLES OF THAT, BUT WE CAN, UH, TALK THROUGH THAT IN MORE DETAIL, UH, TOWARDS THE END, IF NEED BE.
BUT THIS IS A RENDERING SHOWING YOU HOW THAT, THAT KIND OF RHYTHM OF THE TRELLIS AND THE, THE WINDOWS ALONG THIS, UH, ELEVATED WALL WOULD BEGIN TO LOOK ALONG RED RIVER, UH, WITH THE RIDESHARE DROP OFF, UH, ON THE LEFT, UH, BUT ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, UH, STILL, UH, MAINTAINING THE RHYTHM OF STREET TREES.
UH, AND THIS IS THE LARGER RED RIVER FAC, UH, EAST FACADE.
THE LARGER VOLUME THAT YOU SEE, UH, IN THE MIDDLE IS THAT ELEVATED FLEX HALL THAT LARRY MENTIONED.
UH, THE PEO THE, THE SECOND STREET, UH, CONNECTOR IS ON THE, THE LEFT.
UH, AND AGAIN, YOU SEE AT LEVEL TWO, THAT OUTDOOR MEETING TERRACE.
AND THEN LEVEL ONE, UH, IS ALL MEETING ROOMS THAT FACE, UH, AN OUTDOOR MEETING TERRACE ON LEVEL ONE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE WINDOWS ALONG RED RIVER AND THE STREET TREES.
UH, ALL KIND OF CULMINATING TO THIS IDEA OF REALLY BEGINNING TO INTEGRATE, UH, THIS EDGE OF THE PROJECT IN WITH THE LANDSCAPE AND WATERLOO GREENWAY, UH, AND, AND TRYING TO RE, UH, RE ENCOURAGE THAT SORT OF INDOOR OUTDOOR, UH, ACTIVITY THAT, THAT LARRY MENTIONED.
OKAY, I'M TRYING TO GO A LITTLE QUICKER HERE AS A PERSPECTIVE, UH, FROM THAT EO PROMENADE AT SECOND STREET AND RED RIVER, UH, SHOWING THE, THE ENTRY, UH, OF THE PROJECT INTO THE ELEVATED, UH, PLAZA THAT, THAT IS, UH, AT THE EO ON, ON THE EAST SIDE, YOU CAN NOW BEGIN TO SEE HOW THAT PASS IS REALLY BEGINNING TO REGISTER ARCHITECTURALLY, UH, WITH THE MASS TIMBER ROOF, UH, AND OUTDOOR TERRACE AS WELL ON LEVEL THREE.
AND THEN THE, THE FLEX HALL VOLUME, UH, PROTRUDING OUT.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT USING SOME OF THE SALVAGE AND REUSED MATERIALS, SOME OF THE BLUE GLASS, UH, IN THIS AREA.
AGAIN, THE, THE OUTDOOR MEETING SPACE, THE, THE, THE TRELLIS, AND KIND OF, THERE'S A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF ALL THESE ELEMENTS KIND OF COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE, UH, A REALLY, UH, INTERESTING GATEWAY INTO THE PROJECT ON, UH, RED RIVER.
WE CAN BEGIN TO SEE THE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS OF THE MEETING ROOMS, UH, THE OUTDOOR, UH, MEETING TERRACE ON LEVEL TWO, HOW THAT LANDSCAPE WOULD BEGIN TO, UH, UH, INTEGRATE IN WITH, UH, THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES.
UH, A VIEW FROM LEVEL TWO, LOOKING BACK OUT, UH, AGAIN, CREATING, YOU KNOW, UPPER LEVEL ACTIVITY, UH, THAT WE'RE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO CREATE, UH, IN, IN DOWNTOWN, UH, SO THAT, UH, PEDESTRIANS CAN ALSO SEE THE ACTIVITY HAPPENING WITHIN THE CONVENTION CENTER, UH, AND VICE VERSA.
OKAY, SO THAT'S, UM, RED RIVER, UH, BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD.
NOW WE'RE GONNA JUMP OVER TO TRINITY STREET BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD.
UH, THIS IS THE DAY ONE CONDITION, UH, BASICALLY WITHOUT A, A TRANSIT PLATFORM.
UH, SO YOU SEE THE, THE STREET TREE ALIGNMENT THAT IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THAT SHIFT THAT I MENTIONED, UH, BETWEEN THIRD AND FOURTH, UH, ALONG TRINITY.
AND THEN, AS LARRY MENTIONED, WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN EXTRA SETBACK TO THE BUILDING, UH, TO PROVIDE A MORE GENEROUS SIDEWALK ON THIS WEST SIDE, UH, UP AND DOWN, UH, TRINITY, UH, KNOWING THAT WHEN THE PLATFORM IS CONSTRUCTED, IT'LL GO UP TO THE PROPERTY LINE, UH, AND WE'LL HAVE A SLIGHTLY, UH, NARROWER SIDEWALK AND THAT CONDITION.
SOMETIMES I THINK I KNOW WHAT MAKES IT WORK SOMETIMES.
UH, OKAY, SO WE'RE, NOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE WEST FACADE ON TRINITY BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD.
YOU CAN SEE THE SECOND STREET EO ON THE RIGHT.
UH, THIS FACADE, UH, IS AN AMALGAMATION OF MEETING ROOMS AND, UH, EGRESS, UH, STAIRS COMING UP FROM THE X HALL, UH, BUILDING SUPPORT SPACES, UM, CLEAR STORY LIGHTING THAT ACTUALLY, UH, HELPS PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF DAYLIGHT TO MEETING ROOMS, UH, BEHIND.
UH, AND SO THIS FACADE REALLY HAS TO ACHIEVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROGRAM TYPES.
UH, BUT WE'VE SORT OF EMBRACED THIS IDEA OF A GRID, UH, AND USING VERTICAL MASONRY PEERS, UH, TO HELP US FIND WAYS TO DO THAT IN, IN A COHESIVE WAY.
UH, THIS IS ALSO WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF LOCAL MATERIAL AND CHARACTER, UH, USING THE CLAY BRICK.
IT'S A LOCALLY SOURCED, UH, MATERIAL.
UH, YOU SEE A LOT IN AUSTIN, VARIOUS PROJECTS.
UH, IT HAS A REALLY GOOD FEEL FOR PEDESTRIANS.
WE'RE ALSO ON THE WEST SIDE, SO ANY GLAZING NEEDS TO BE, UH, SUN SHADED.
WE ALSO APPRECIATE THE HIGH THERMAL MASS THAT THE BRICK, UH, CAN PROVIDE ON THIS EXPOSURE.
[01:50:01]
UM, SO THIS ALSO, UH, IS WHERE WE'RE LOOKING TO, UM, REFERENCE SOME OF THE SCALE OF THE RHYTHM AND THE PROPORTION OF SIXTH STREET AND THIS 30 FOOT GRID, AND REALLY TAKING WHAT IS OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW, LARGE BUILDING AND BREAKING UP NOT ONLY BLOCK BY BLOCK, BUT THEN BAY BY BAY, UH, SO THAT THE SCALE OF THE PEDESTRIAN IS REALLY REINFORCED IN THE, IN THE ARCHITECTURE, UH, BUT ALSO ACCENTUATING THESE PRIMARY ENTRIES LIKE YOU SEE HERE IN, UH, IN SECOND STREET, UH, WITH A LARGE ROOF OVERHANG AND THE MASS TIMBER.YOU CAN REALLY SEE HOW THAT'S BEGINNING TO COME TOGETHER.
UH, ONE OF THE HALLMARK, UH, ARCHITECTURALLY INTEGRATED ART PIECES IS THIS, UH, PEO SOFFIT, UH, THAT'LL LITERALLY SPAN FROM, UH, TRINITY ALL THE WAY TO RED RIVER.
AND IT'LL TURN UP EVER SO SLIGHTLY HERE, UH, AT TRINITY STREET.
SO, REALLY READ THAT LARGE GRAND URBAN GESTURE, UH, FROM, UH, OUTSIDE ALL THE WAY TO INSIDE AND, AND THROUGH THE PROJECT, UH, ALL SHELTERED BY A LARGE, UH, MASS TIMBER, UH, ROOF, AND THEN CANOPY AT THIS, UH, ENTRANCE ALONG, UH, ALONG TRINITY.
UM, YOU CAN ALSO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT, UH, CLAY BRICK, UH, BEING USED TO CLOUD SOME OF THE OTHER VOLUMES, UH, BUT ALL THE WHILE BEING FLANKED BY TWO, UH, RETAIL LOCATIONS, UH, POTENTIALLY RESTAURANTS HERE ON EITHER SIDE, UH, OF THE EO ON, ON ON SECOND STREET.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THOSE BOTH AT THE, THE GROUND LEVEL.
AND THEN WE'RE BEGINNING TO INTRODUCE THE, UH, THE, UH, THE LIGHT RAIL PLATFORM ON THE RIGHT.
AND AS LARRY KIND OF MENTIONED, AS PART OF THIS TRIO OF, OF LANDMARK BUILDINGS, UH, IN THE CITY, UH, WE LOCATED THE BALLROOM, UH, IN THIS, UH, SITE AT GRADE.
UH, SO THIS IS SORT OF A, A LOWER SCALE SIGNATURE PAVILION, UH, MASSING, UH, THAT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS, UH, ESPECIALLY ALONG CAESAR CHAVEZ, AND AS IT FUNCTIONS AS SUCH A STRONG GATEWAY INTO THE PROJECT.
AND THEN THERE'S AN OUTDOOR, UH, PORCH COMPONENT THAT'S ALIGNED WITH THE NEZZ ALIGNMENT.
UH, THAT'S ALSO THE PRE-FUNCTION FOR THE BALLROOM.
AND SO THAT BALLROOM IS REALLY ORIENTED, UH, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT INDOOR OUTDOOR, UH, CONNECTION, UH, TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE ON THE WEST SIDE BEFORE YOU GET TO WATERLOO GREENWAY.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT HERE IN THE SITE PLAN.
SO, AGAIN, STREET TREES ALONG TRINITY.
UH, THESE WILL BE IN SOIL CELLS, UH, STREET TREES ALONG CESAR CHAVEZ.
THESE WILL BE IN BIOSWALES, UH, HERE.
A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN, UH, THE OTHER STREET TREES IN THE PROJECT, UH, IS A REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, ENTRY AND CONNECTOR INTO THE SITE AT THE NEZZ ALIGNMENT IN CESAR CHAVEZ.
UH, IN FACT, WHAT'S REALLY GONNA BE IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS CONNECTION IS THAT, UM, TPW, I BELIEVE IS UNDER, UH, CONSIDERATION OF A MIDBLOCK CROSSING ALONG CESAR CHAVEZ AND THE NEZZ ALIGNMENT.
THIS WOULD CONNECT TO THE WATERLINE, UH, PROJECT TO THE SOUTH.
SO IT OBVIOUSLY, UH, REINFORCE A CONNECTION TO OUR PROJECT TO THE NORTH, UH, AND ALSO TO THE TRANSIT STATION ALONG TRINITY.
UH, SO THAT ALIGNMENT'S, UH, BEEN IMPORTANT FOR OUR PROJECT TO UNDERSTAND AND INTEGRATE INTO.
UH, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE HOW, UH, THE SAME SORT OF, UH, CONNECTION NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE, UH, AT RED RIVER AND SECOND STREET ON THE EAST SIDE, THERE'S A BIT OF A GRADE CHANGE THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN BOTH CAESAR CHAVEZ UP INTO OUR ELEVATED PLAZA AND AT RED RIVER.
SO YOU'LL SEE THERE ARE A SERIES OF STEPS THAT TAKE YOU UP INTO THAT ELEVATED PLAZA FROM BOTH ENTRANCES, AS WELL AS A SERIES OF RAMPS.
AND THE RAMPS, UH, ARE CAREFULLY, UH, CHOREOGRAPHED AND TAKE YOU THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE IN A WAY THAT'S SLIGHTLY, UM, MORE NUANCED THAN THE STEPS.
SO I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT, UH, EXPERIENCE, UH, ENGAGING WITH THE LANDSCAPE BETWEEN THOSE TWO.
UH, AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, THE FAIRMONT BRIDGE WILL CONNECT TO OUR SITE, AND IT WILL BE ABLE TO CONNECT, UH, EITHER TO CONVENTION CENTER EVENTS WHEN THAT'S, UH, DEEMED APPROPRIATE, OR IT'LL ALWAYS BE ABLE TO CONNECT TO THE RIGHT OF WAY IF THERE IS A CONVENTION CENTER EVENT GOING ON.
UH, THAT, UH, NEEDS TO HAVE A MORE PROTECTED, UM, PERIMETER.
OH, THE, ACTUALLY, THE LAST THING I WANNA ADD HERE TOO IS THAT THE, THE CHARACTER OF THE WATERLOO GREENWAY LANDSCAPE, UM, THE INTENT IS TO BRING THAT INTO OUR PROJECT, UH, AND SLOWLY TRANSITION IT INTO THIS MORE URBAN PLAZA THAT YOU SEE, UH, ADJACENT TO OUR BUILDING.
SO WE'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN A SEAMLESS CONNECTION, UH, BETWEEN THE WATERLOO GREENWAY WORK AND OUR OUTDOOR SPACES HERE.
THEY CAN ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS AND SPEAK EVER SO MORE ELOQUENTLY ABOUT THEIR DESIGN.
[01:55:01]
WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY WORKING SEAMLESSLY WITH WATERLOO GREENWAY ON HOW THAT COMES TOGETHER.AND, AND THAT'S BEEN A REALLY ENGAGING CONVERSATION.
UH, THIS IS THE FACADE ALONG TRINITY, UH, BETWEEN SECOND STREET AND CAESAR CHAVEZ.
UH, AGAIN, LOOKING AT, UH, MASONRY AND HOW TO HELP, UH, ANCHOR SOME OF THE LARGER VOLUMES, UH, WITH THE CLAY BRICK ON THE, UM, ON THE NORTH SIDE.
THEN ON THE RIGHT, UH, AT THE CORNER OF CAESAR CHAVEZ AND TRINITY, WE'RE INTRODUCING LIMESTONE, UH, AT THAT CORNER TO REALLY ANCHOR THAT CORNER AND PROVIDE, UH, THAT KIND OF MATERIAL AND, AND VISUAL CONNECTION TO THOSE LANDMARK BUILDINGS THAT LARRY MENTIONED.
AND THEN AT GRADE, UH, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF EGRESS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE FROM THE X HALL BELOW.
UH, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO INTRODUCE A LITTLE BIT OF GLAZING, UH, NEXT TO THOSE DOORS, UH, ALONGSIDE, UH, ANOTHER IDEA OF VERTICAL VEGETATIVE SCREENING AND TO SOFTEN UP THE, UH, PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE, UH, WHERE OTHERWISE IS, UH, EGRESS AND BUILDING, UH, SUPPORT SPACES.
AND, OKAY, FLIPPING BACK OVER TO CAESAR CHAVEZ OR DOWN, THIS IS THE, UH, SECTION AT THE SOUTH.
UH, THE BALLROOM ITSELF, CANTILEVERS A LITTLE BIT OUT FROM THE WALL BELOW, UH, EVEN A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN WHAT YOU SEE HERE.
WE'RE STILL CALIBRATING THAT WITH STRUCTURAL.
UH, BUT BELOW THAT WOULD BE A SERIES OF RIVER ROCKS AND, AND PLANTINGS THAT WOULD HELP SOFTEN THAT EDGE, UH, ALL THE WHILE PROVIDING A VERY GENEROUS SIDEWALK ALONG CAESAR CHAVEZ, UH, BUFFERED, UH, FROM THE, THE, THE VEHICLE TRAFFIC BY THE, THE, THE TREES IN A, IN A BIOSWALE, AND ALSO WITH A, A SMALL CURB ADJACENT TO THAT TO HELP, UH, CHANNEL THE WATER AND ENSURE PEDESTRIANS, UH, KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE THAT ZONE.
AND I'M ALMOST, ALMOST THERE IF I GET THIS TO KEEP GOING.
UH, SO RENDERING, UH, AT CAESAR CHAVEZ, LOOKING WEST, UH, SHOWING HOW SOME OF THAT MAY BEGIN TO WORK, HOW THE BIOSWALES, WE'RE GONNA INTRODUCE A LOT MORE GREENERY IN THAT ZONE BETWEEN THE STREET, UH, AND THE SIDEWALK.
AND AGAIN, THE REINTRODUCTION OF THAT WATERLOO GREENWAY KIND OF RIPARIAN LANDSCAPE, UH, INTO THE SITE.
UH, THE SOUTH FACADE ALONG CAESAR CHAVEZ, AGAIN, YOU SEE THAT LANDSCAPE VOLUME ON, UH, THE LIMESTONE VOLUME ON THE LEFT SIDE, UH, WITH SOME GLAZING FOR A GREEN ROOM AND AN OUTDOOR TERRACE, AND THEN A SPECIALTY METAL PANEL, UH, THAT WILL PROVIDE THE HALLMARK MATERIAL FOR THE BALLROOM VOLUME ITSELF AND GLAZING FOR THE PRE-FUNCTION SPACE.
AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER STONE VOLUME ADJACENT TO IT IN THAT, UM, ENTRY CONNECTION THAT I MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO WITH THE STEPS, UH, THAT STONE VOLUME'S ALSO GOING TO BE ONE OF OUR ARCHITECTURALLY INTEGRATED ART LOCATIONS, UH, THAT WE'LL USE, UH, DIGITALLY FABRICATED STONE.
AND HERE YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE BALLROOM, THAT PORCH, UH, AND HOW THOSE AREAS BEGIN TO REALLY, UH, INTEGRATE SEAMLESSLY IN WITH, UH, THE OUTDOOR SPACES, UH, ADJACENT TO WATERLOO GREENWAY, UH, HOW THAT FOLDS DOWN INTO CAESAR CHAVEZ, UH, AND ALL THE DIFFERENT CONNECTIONS.
AND THEN LAST, YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, THIRD FLOOR FLEX HALL PRE-FUNCTION SPACE, THAT LARGE, UH, CONNECTOR THAT'LL PROVIDE VIEWS, YOU KNOW, OUT TO THE CITY AND VICE VERSA, VIEWS FROM THE CITY, UH, INTO THE CONVENTION CENTER.
UH, REALLY HELP YOU MAKE TRANSPARENT, UH, THE ACTIVITY OF THE, OF THE PROJECT.
AND THEN LARRY'S GONNA WRAP THIS UP WITH A HANDFUL OF THE RENDERINGS.
I'M SORRY WE'RE SO LONG THAT, LIKE JOSH SAID, 12 DIFFERENT STREET FACES THAT WE NEEDED TO TALK ABOUT.
UH, SO IT REALLY GOES FROM THE NORTH, THIS VERY LIVELY EVENT SPACE THAT COULD, COULD BE TINTED, UH, AND HAVE GOOD BIG DINING HALL THERE.
YOU COULD HAVE A, A STAGE AND A SINGLE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE.
YOU COULD HAVE MULTIPLE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.
AND SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST IS GONNA BE THEIR SIGNATURE AMAZING PARTY SPACE FOR THE WHOLE EVENT.
UH, AND THEN THIS OTHER LANDMARK MOMENT WHERE SECOND STREET RUNS INTO THE PROJECT AND, UH, RESTAURANTS ON EITHER SIDE, THIS AMAZING MURAL THAT RUNS ALL THE WAY THROUGH TWO BLOCKS, UH, DONE BY THREE DIFFERENT ARTISTS, UH, COORDINATED TOGETHER.
UH, AND REALLY TALKING, I THINK SIGNIFICANTLY ABOUT CULTURAL AND DIVERSITY IN AUSTIN AS THEMES IN THAT MURAL.
THEN HERE FROM RED RIVER, UH, INTEGRATION OF THE WATERLOO GREENWAY UP INTO THE PROJECT THAT EO THAT SECOND STREET AXIS THAT NOW AT THE OTHER END OF IT GOES INTO WATERLOO, GREENWAY AND PALM PARK.
UH, AND THIS KIND OF MORE VEGETATED SIDE OF THE BUILDING, MY FAVORITE VIEW, UH, ON THAT POEO, LOOKING RIGHT STRAIGHT THROUGH TO THE WEST TO, UH, SECOND STREET.
[02:00:01]
DOWN ON THE LEFT, WE HAVE A SUNKEN, UH, EVENT SPACE, UH, NESTLED INTO THOSE TREES ALONG WATERLOO GREENWAY, UH, THOSE PORCHES OF THE BALLROOM TO THE LEFT THERE, UH, EXTENDING OUT INTO THAT SPACE.UH, AND THEN THE WHOLE THING KIND OF PULLED TOGETHER AROUND SOFTNESS AND GREENNESS ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE URBAN INTERFACE WITH A CITY ON THE NORTH AND THE WEST SIDE.
UH, I THINK WITH THAT, WE'LL, UH, OPEN NOTE TO COMMENTS, AND I'M GONNA ADD ONE MORE MINUTE ON SUSTAINABILITY, SINCE THAT IS PART OF WHAT YOU GUYS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DOING FOR CITY PROJECTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, TONIGHT WE'RE HERE LOOKING FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE, UH, OUR SITE PLAN COMING UP.
UM, SO THE DESIGN GUIDELINES WERE, UM, TALKED ABOUT, UH, IN THIS PRESENTATION, SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS, UH, WERE TALKED ABOUT.
BUT I WANNA POINT OUT SOME THINGS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO MAKE THIS BUILDING A VERY SIGNIFICANT BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY WISE.
SO THIS IS GONNA BE THE FIRST ZERO CARBON CERTIFIED CONVENTION CENTER IN THE WORLD.
UH, ALSO MAKES IT THE FIRST ZERO CERTIFIED, UH, CARBON, UH, BUILDING FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, THIS IS PART OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WHICH HAS A, AN IMPERATIVE FOR CITY BUILDINGS TO BE, UH, CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2030.
AND THIS WILL BE THE FIRST PROJECT TO DO THAT.
UH, WE'LL BE COMPLETE IN 2029.
UH, THIS IS THE FIRST CITY OF AUSTIN PROJECT TO USE LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT AND LIFECYCLE COST ASSESSMENT, UH, IN THE, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, UH, PROCESS.
THIS IS ALSO THE FIRST PROJECT THAT'S USING THE 360 LIFECYCLE PRO, UH, PROCESS THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED IN ORDER TO INTEGRATE, UH, SUSTAINABILITY INTO CIP PROJECTS.
UH, OF COURSE WE USE CARBON FREE AUSTIN ENERGY, GREEN CHOICE FOR ALL CITY BUILDINGS, AND WE WILL HERE AS WELL.
WE'RE ALSO THE FIRST TO USE HEAT RECOVERY CHILLERS AND SHIELD WATER LOOP FOR HEATING OF THE CONVENTION CENTER.
UH, THAT'S BEING, UH, DONE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, DISTRICT CHILLING PLANT THAT WE'RE BUILDING FOR THEM AS PART OF THIS PROJECT.
UH, THIS IS ALSO AN ALL ELECTRIC BUILDING.
UH, THIS IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT FOR A KITCHEN THAT IS KNOWN FOR DOING BARBECUE.
UH, AS PART OF THE, UH, NET ZERO CARBON CERTIFICATION, WE'VE GOTTEN A CULTURAL ACCOMMODATION IN ORDER TO ALLOW US TO HAVE A BARBECUE PIT, UH, THAT USES, UH, REAL WOOD, UH, FOR, UH, FOR BARBECUE EVENTS.
UH, THIS BUILDING WILL ALSO BE DUAL PIPED, UH, AND WE'RE PLANNING ON USING RECLAIMED WATER FROM AUSTIN ENERGY WHEN THEY BRING THE, UH, RECLAIMED WATER PIPE DOWNTOWN, UH, PROBABLY AROUND FIFTH OR SIXTH STREET WHERE WE'LL TIE IN.
UH, WE'RE ALSO WANTING TO USE THAT ON THE AUSTIN ENERGY COOLING TOWERS, UH, WHICH IS VERY SIGNIFICANT FOR THEIR DISTRICT CHILLING PLANT.
WE'RE SALVAGING AND REUSING, UH, SOME STEEL TRUSSES AND OTHER MATERIALS ON THE, ON THE NEW BUILDING.
UH, THIS IS ENOUGH CARBON TO DRIVE A GAS POWERED F-150 FORD PICKUP TRUCK FROM THE OFFICES OF PAGE IN AUSTIN TO THE OFFICES OF LMN IN SEATTLE, 433 ROUND TRIPS.
UH, THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN CARBON, AND WE'VE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT THANKS TO LARRY, UH, INTO RECLAIMING SOME OF THE MATERIALS FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER IN ORDER TO MAKE THINGS LIKE THAT POSSIBLE.
THIS IS ALSO THE FIRST CITY OF AUSTIN PROJECT TO USE LOW CARBON STEEL.
UH, IT'S ALSO THE FIRST CITY OF AUSTIN BUILDING TO USE MASS TIMBER IN ITS CONSTRUCTION, UH, THAT'S IN THE BALLROOM AND THAT PASS ROOF THAT YOU SAW.
AND ALSO ENTRANCE ON THIRD STREET.
SO THIS IS ALSO THE FIRST ARCHITECTURAL, UH, LOW CARBON CONCRETE PROJECT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, USING THE NEW SPECS CREATED, UM, BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN ENGINEER.
UM, THIS IS HUGE BECAUSE IT IS, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE TESTING MIXES AND WE'RE MAKING THESE MIXES OF AVAILABLE TO, UH, PRIVATE, UH, DEVELOPERS AS WELL AFTER THIS PROJECT IS DONE.
SO IT HAS THE IMPACT, UH, CONTINUING ON PAST THE BUILDING, UH, INTO THE COMMUNITY AND HOW SUSTAINABILITY WORKS THERE.
AND NOW, AFTER ALL OF THAT, DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, THIS IS A VERY EXCITING PROJECT.
UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORT THAT'S GONE INTO NOT ONLY THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DID ON THE DESIGN, BUT ALSO ON THE PRESENTATION.
UM, SO THIS PROJECT IS UP FOR, UM, THE CITY DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
UM, IS THERE A MOTION ON THE TABLE, UH, THAT THIS PROJECT COMPLIES WITH THE CITY DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS? I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT THE PROJECT COMPLIES WITH THE CITY SUSTAINABILITY, WHAT IS IT? CITY DESIGN AND CITY SUSTAINABILITY, STANDARD SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON, ON THE PROJECT AS IT WAS PRESENTED?
[02:05:03]
COMMISSIONER CARROLL, UM, FIRST OF ALL, THE BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL BUILDING, AND THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT PRESENTATION.UM, I, I, I, I ACTUALLY SAW THE PRESENTATION LAST WEEK YOU DID AT DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
AND, UH, I LEARNED SO MUCH MORE TONIGHT 'CAUSE IT WAS SO MUCH MORE IN DEPTH AND, AND DESIGN ORIENTED.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
ONE IS, I MAY HAVE MISSED IT, IT WAS A BIT UNCLEAR.
UH, ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PLAZA ON FOURTH STREET, IS FOURTH STREET REMAINING CAR FREE? IT IS, YEAH.
FOURTH STREET WILL REMAIN AS IT IS, UM, AT THE END OF THE CAPTAIN METRO RED LINE STATION.
AND THEN, UM, YOU BRIEFLY TOUCHED ON THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN THIRD STREET AND THE PROMENADE.
YOU MENTIONED MAYBE DIFFERENT COLORED PAVING OR SOMETHING.
UH, HAVE YOU EXPLORED MORE AGGRESSIVE, UH, ALTERNATIVES, EVEN LIKE RAISED CROSSWALKS AND DIFFERENT THINGS TO TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICES IN THAT AREA? 'CAUSE I, I SEE THERE COULD BE A LOT OF PEDESTRIANS TRYING TO CROSS THAT STREET.
YEAH, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF MOVEMENT, UH, FOR SURE.
UH, WELL, ONE OF THE GOALS IS TO MAKE IT ALL LEVEL, RIGHT? SO HAVING A RAISED, UH, KIND OF SPEED TABLE, UH, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT.
THEN WE REALIZED THAT THAT WOULD MEAN A CURB FOR THE, THE, THE REST OF IT.
UH, SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET, BUT THE, THE CONCERN IS, IS DEFINITELY APPRECIATED.
UM, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO FIND A SAFE WAY TO CROSS THIRD STREET, UH, BUT STILL MAINTAIN A FAIRLY, UH, FLUSH, UH, CONDITION.
UM, I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY THROUGH TEXTURE, COULD BE THROUGH PAVING THROUGH COLORS.
UM, IT COULD BE THROUGH OTHER VISUAL CUES, RIGHT? THAT IT'S A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, UH, WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING A, A GRADE CHANGE.
UH, SO THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE NEXT LEVEL OF DETAIL, RIGHT? THAT'S, THERE'S AN INTENT THERE AND HOW WE GO ABOUT SOLVING IT, WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET.
AND WE WILL DEFINITELY INVESTIGATE ALL THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, MEASURES OF, OF HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THAT IN A, IN A, YOU KNOW, INCREDIBLY SAFE WAY OBVIOUSLY.
SO I THINK ANOTHER THING THAT MAKES THIS PROJECT, UH, UNIQUE IS THAT, UH, WHEN THEY HAVE INTENSE TIMES, THEY WILL HAVE MANAGEMENT OF THAT INTERSECTION.
SO, UM, AS OPPOSED TO JUST A NORMAL CITY STREET.
UH, THEY ARE ACCUSTOMED TO MANAGING CROWDS, AND THEY HAVE STAFF AND THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO THAT.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN WE CLOSE OFF THIRD STREET, IT'S GONNA BE DONE BY PEOPLE, NOT JUST BY BARRIERS.
UH, AND IN MOST CASES, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT LUXURY.
BUT IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE TRAINED PEOPLE WHO WILL BE MANAGING THOSE EXTREME SITUATIONS, WHICH ALLOWS US TO MAKE THE NORMATIVE SITUATION A LITTLE MORE NORMAL AND NOT HAVING TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXTREME SITUATION AT ALL TIMES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COMMISSIONER? UM, DO YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS? UM, REALLY APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THIS MAY NOT BE PART OF THE, YOUR ASSIGNMENT OR THE SCOPE, BUT WHAT ABOUT PARKING? UM, WE TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, AND I ASSUME THERE ARE TWO, UM, UH, ELEMENTS OF, UH, TRANSPORTATION THAT WILL BE CONNECTED TO THE BUILDING.
WHAT ABOUT CARS? SO PARKING IS ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF BY EXISTING SECOND STREET AND FIFTH STREET GARAGES THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER OWNS AND OPERATES.
UM, AND SO WE'RE BEING VERY SUSTAINABLE BY NOT ADDING MORE PARKING AND ENCOURAGING MORE, UH, DRIVING DOWNTOWN.
AND SO HOW WOULD THAT ACCOMMODATE THE CROWDS THAT ARE COMING IN GIVEN THIS EXPENSIVE, UM, THE EXPANSION THAT IS, UM, DRIVEN BY THE NEW BUILDING? UM, I THINK THEY WERE, THEY WERE SIZED FOR, UH, A LARGER CONVENTION CENTER TO BEGIN WITH.
UM, BUT I CAN GO BACK AND CHECK ON THAT IF YOU'RE REALLY INTERESTED.
AND THEN COULD I JUMP IN WITH THE SECOND QUESTION? SURE.
UM, THE SECOND QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH HOTEL SPACE.
UH, WE JUMPING 30 POINTS IN THE, IN THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING, RIGHT.
UM, GOING FROM THE 64TH PLACE TO THE 32ND PLACE, UM, WAS THERE A CALCULATION IN THE HOTEL SPACE AVAILABILITY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO ACCOMMODATE THAT? UM, I DON'T REMEMBER HOW MANY.
AND IS THIS AS PART OF THE SCOPE? SO WE DID, WE DID A VERY, UH, DEEP DIVE ON ASSESSING ALL OF THE HOTELS IN THE DISTRICT AND HOW MANY ROOMS THEY HAD.
AND SO ALL OF THAT WAS VERY MUCH TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
THERE WILL BE MORE HOTELS ADDED.
BUT FOR INSTANCE, THERE WAS A CONSIDERATION IN THIS PROJECT OF ADDING A HOTEL MAYBE ON TOP.
[02:10:01]
FACT WAS THE MARKET REALLY, EVEN WITH THE BUILDING, WAS NOT GONNA SUSTAIN ANOTHER LARGE HOTEL.WE HAVE 16 HOTELS WITHIN THREE BLOCKS OF THE SITE.
UH, AND WE, YOU JUST KIND OF THINK ABOUT IT.
ALL OUR HOTELS ARE RIGHT DOWN THERE AND THEY'RE BIG, YOU KNOW, THE JW MARRIOTT, THE, UH, FAIRMONT, THE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE MASSIVE HOTELS AND, UH, SO WE ALREADY DID THE HOTEL THING.
NOW WE JUST NEED A CONVENTION CENTER THAT'LL LIVE UP THE HOTELS.
UM, I JUST WANNA REITERATE GREAT PRESENTATION.
I'M VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, ALL THIS INCREDIBLE WORK, HARD WORK THAT YOU PUT IN INTO IT, AND THE THOUGHTFULNESS OF THE INTEGRATION, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE URBAN REALM AND THE PUBLIC, UH, PEDESTRIAN SCALE.
I, I PERSONALLY VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT.
I THINK HISTORICALLY CONVENTION CENTERS HAVE BEEN THESE SORT OF OPAQUE MONOLITHS AND HAVING THIS SORT OF POROSITY AT THE STREET LEVEL IS, IS FANTASTIC.
AND I THINK VERY VISIONARY FOR PROJECT OF THIS NATURE.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, DESIGN EXCELLENCE.
I DO WANT TO REITERATE, UH, WHAT, UM, COMMISSIONER CARROLL HAD MENTIONED, UH, REGARDING THE PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY AT THAT SQUARE ON THE, UH, NORTHWEST CORNER.
I THINK IT'S AN EXQUISITE OPPORTUNITY FOR A CIVIC SPACE, UNLIKE AUSTIN HAS SEEN.
I, I SEE THE RENDERINGS AND IT REMINDS ME OF, YOU KNOW, THE OUTSIDE OF THE TURBINE HOY HALL IN, UM, IN LONDON, YOU KNOW, ALONG THE, THE, THE THAMES THERE AND HOW THAT CONNECTS ACROSS TO THE SOUTH BANK AND ALL OF THE CULTURAL BUILDINGS THAT ARE, ARE ALONG THERE.
AND YOU MENTIONED SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, THE ACTIVATION OF THAT HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL.
BUT THEN YOU COUPLE THAT WITH, UH, THIRD STREET BEING A PRIMARY AXI FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED, ALL OF THE TRAFFIC THAT'S ALREADY ON THERE.
IT'S A, A MULTIMODAL STREET I KNOW.
BUT DEFINITELY URGING, UM, CONSIDERATION FOR HOW THAT CAN BE, UH, DIRECTLY CONNECTED ACROSS THE SQUARE, UH, FROM PEDESTRIAN, FROM THE PEDESTRIAN REALM, UM, ALONG THAT NORTHWEST CORNER DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET, UH, AS COMMISSIONER CARROLL ALREADY MENTIONED.
'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA MAKE IT, THAT'S GONNA BE THE THING, THE KEY THING.
UM, SO AS YOU CAN HEAR, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT POTENTIAL.
UM, ALONG THAT SAME, SAME AXES, HOWEVER, UM, ON TRINITY STREET, UH, I THINK THE, UM, MARRIOTT WAS MENTIONED, IT STRIKES ME AS THOUGH THE CORNER OF, UM, TRINITY AND, AND SECOND, AS YOU HEAD DOWN TO CAESAR CHAVEZ, WILL ALSO BE A REALLY STRONG PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION AS FOLKS COME OFF THE TRAIN AND HEAD AROUND THE CORNER TO THE TRAIL AND CONNECT TO THE, THE GREENWAY THERE.
UM, THE GREEN SPACE THAT YOU'RE MAKING AT THE CORNER.
HOWEVER, UM, THE, AND, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WAY THE FACADE IS RESPECTING AND RESPONDING TO THE PEDESTRIAN SCALE, UH, ON THE, THE NORTHERN PART OF THE FACADE AT TRINITY.
BUT AS YOU REACH CESAR CHAVEZ AROUND THE BALLROOM, IT SEEMS THAT STREET SCALE SCALE ACTIVATION SORT OF FALLS OFF.
AND IT'S SURPRISING BECAUSE IT IS FACING THE FAIRMONT AND IT IS FACING SORT OF A, A BUSY CORNER OF THE HOTEL.
AND SO THAT STRIKES ME AS A GREAT SPOT FOR ART AND, YOU KNOW, AN ACTIVATION ON THAT FACADE TO ADDRESS THE HOTEL.
MAYBE THERE'S A REASON YOU TELL ME, BUT I'M CURIOUS.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE JUST RIGHT.
UH, SO THERE IS AN ARTIST, UH, DAVE MCCLINTON, WHO IS WORKING ON A PIECE IN THAT AREA.
AND WE SHOWED MOCKUPS OF SOME OF THE ART PIECES.
THOSE ARE NOT THE ARTIST, UH, PIECES.
FOR INSTANCE, THE THREE ARTISTS THAT ARE DOING THE SOFFIT ON, UH, THE EO, UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SHOW YET.
UH, DAVE MCCLINTON IS WORKING ON THAT CORNER OF TRINITY AND CESAR CHAVEZ, AND HE'S AN AMAZING, AMAZING ARTIST.
HE'S, UH, PART BLACK AND PART HISPANIC, AND HE'S GONNA WORK ON A REAL MULTICULTURAL PIECE, AND IT'S GONNA BE A MASSIVE BIG PIECE.
'CAUSE I JUST, WE, WE CAN'T DEPICT IT, UH, IN, IN A KIND OF DIAGRAMMATIC WAY.
UH, BUT I ASSURE YOU THIS IS GONNA BE AN INCREDIBLE PIECE OF ART.
UH, THAT'S IN THAT, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE ALONG TRINITY, UH, SAYS CHAVEZ, BUT, UH, WE, WE LIKEWISE IDENTIFIED THAT AS A VERY IMPORTANT PLACE FOR ART AND DAVE'S WORKING ON IT.
UM, I DON'T WANNA DISTRACT OR TAKE AWAY FROM, FROM THAT.
I JUST WANT TO BRING UP, UM, SOME OF THE RECENT, UM, I GUESS DISAPPOINTMENT AROUND THE DECOMMISSIONING OF THE ARTWORK AT THE EXISTING CONVENTION CENTER.
AND I'M SURE YOU'RE WORKING WITH ART IN PUBLIC PLACES TO HOPEFULLY PUT IN PLACE A FUTURE LOOKING DECOMMISSIONING PROCESS FOR, I MEAN, I KNOW WE WANT THIS CONVENTION CENTER TO LAST FOR, YOU KNOW, 50 YEARS.
BUT, UM, THAT ARTWORK, AS I UNDERSTAND IT COULD NOT BE SALVAGED.
[02:15:01]
ART PROJECTS THAT WERE PUT PUT INTO THE EXISTING CONVENTION CENTER ARE TO BE DEMOLISHED OR, UH, HOPEFULLY NOT.I SEE YOU SHAKING YOUR HEAD, BUT IT'S SORT OF, UM, UH, A LOOPHOLE OR SORT OF A MISSING PART OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PACES PROCESS TO DEAL WITH HOW YOU REMOVE THIS ARTWORK IN THE FUTURE.
HOW YOU TRACK THE VALUE OF THIS ARTWORK AS THE CONVENTION CENTER, UM, AGES.
UM, AND THEN JUST LASTLY TO YOUR, UH, COMMENTS ON SOME OF THE SUSTAINABILITY ELEMENTS, IT SEEMS THAT EVEN IN THAT ASPECT, THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN VERY THOUGHTFUL, UM, AND CONSIDERATE.
I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE DAYLIGHTING, YOU MENTIONED TO THE BALLROOMS ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE.
YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE SOME HIGH LEVEL WINDOWS AND SOME, UM, SOME, UH, OPPORTUNITIES TO CAPTURE DAYLIGHT, LIKE DEEP INTO THE, THE MEETING ROOM SPACES, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IT'S UNUSUAL FOR A CONVENTION CENTER OF THIS SCALE TO BE USING NATURAL LIGHT AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, ARTIFICIAL.
BUT I'M, I'M CURIOUS HOW FAR YOU'RE ABLE TO TAKE THAT AND PERHAPS WE'RE NOT THERE YET WITH THE DESIGN, BUT SO WE'RE, UM, THERE WILL BE AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF DAYLIGHT IN THIS CONVENTION CENTER, EVEN THE EXHIBIT HALL.
UH, THERE IS THAT SUNKEN EVENT SPACE STEPPING DOWN TOWARD WALLER CREEK, THAT THEN ALLOWS US TO DAYLIGHT THAT LOWER LEVEL, WHICH IS VERY, VERY UNUSUAL, BUT WILL WILL BE A, A GREAT AMENITY THERE.
SO THERE WILL BE A GROUND LEVEL THAT'S A LITTLE LOWER AND CAN LET SOME DAYLIGHT INTO EVEN THE EXHIBIT HALL.
BUT ALSO THE MEETING ROOMS, UH, MANY OF THE MEETING ROOMS DO OPEN OUT, I MEAN, SOME OF 'EM ACTUALLY OPEN OUTDOORS, WHICH IS REALLY UNUSUAL
BUT, UH, THE, THE PRE-FUNCTION SPACE IS AN OUTDOOR SPACE.
AND SO THE, THE MEETING ROOM HAS GLASSED RIGHT OUT TO THE OUTDOORS.
WE'VE GOT CLEAR STORY WINDOWS TO THE OUTSIDE.
UH, IN OTHERS OF THEM, THEY GET BORROWED LIGHT FROM, UH, A LOT OF GLASS IN THE PRE-FUNCTION SPACE, AND THEN SOME GLASS ON THE DOORS AND SIDE LIGHTS, UH, GOING INTO THE MEETING ROOM.
SO WE ARE GETTING AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF DAYLIGHT THAT, THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
AND I KNOW IT'S A CHALLENGE TO BALANCE, YOU KNOW, HEAT GAIN WHEN YOU HAVE SO MUCH GLASS, AND I'M APPRECIATING PERHAPS A LOT OF THOSE WILL BE ON THE NORTH FACE FOR THAT REASON.
BUT I THINK THAT HOPEFULLY GOES A LONG WAY TO ENERGY SAVING WITH, YOU KNOW, BRINGING ALL THAT IN.
BUT WE'LL OBVIOUSLY AMPLIFY THE EXPERIENCE AS WELL.
THE MORE DAYLIGHT, THE BETTER.
SO THAT, THAT SOUNDS FANTASTIC.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS JUST IN SORT OF RAPID FASHION THAT HOPEFULLY EASY TO ANSWER, UM, BEFORE HAVING SOME COMMENTS.
UH, THE NECHES, THE RAVINE AND THE SECOND STREET EO, ARE THOSE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT ALL HOURS? UH, AND ARE THEY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DURING CONVENTION CENTER EVENTS? UM, THEY'LL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WHEN THERE ARE NOT CONVENTION CENTER EVENTS THAT REQUIRE THEM TO BE CLOSED.
BUT THERE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR HAVING THE COMMISSION CENTER, UH, HAVE EVENTS AND HAVE THOSE, UH, PASSAGEWAYS OPEN.
IT JUST KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHAT THE EVENT IS AND HOW THE SPACE IS BEING USED.
DO WE HAVE ANY DATA YET ON KIND OF HOW MANY DAYS OF THE YEAR THAT IS? NO, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL DESIGNING THE BUILDING, SO WE'RE, WE'RE EARLY IN INTO ALL OF THAT.
UM, BUT I WILL SAY THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER IS LOOKING AT, UM, BEING VERY AGGRESSIVE WITH THEIR COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING, UH, AND DEVELOPING NEW SYSTEMS, UH, THAT THEY DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, IN ORDER TO MAKE, UM, UH, THOSE THINGS MUCH MORE POSSIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND LEAD INTO NEXT QUESTION, ARE THERE ANY NON-CONVENTIONAL CENTER GROUND FLOOR USES CONSIDERED IN THE PLAN, EITHER FACING THE STREET OR INTERNAL TO THOSE CORRIDORS? UH, YES.
SO THERE ARE RETAIL SPACES THAT YOU SAW ALONG TRINITY, UM, THAT ARE GONNA BE OUTFITTED VERY FLEXIBLY.
UH, SO THEY COULD BE RESTAURANTS OR STOREFRONTS OR, UM, ART GALLERIES OR WHATEVER THEY WANT TO BE.
UM, AS WELL AS SOME, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY MEETING SPACE INSIDE.
UH, AND THEN THE POEO THAT YOU SAW THAT RUNS, UM, BETWEEN TRINITY AND RED RIVER, THE INDOOR PORTION CAN ALSO BE USED FOR, UH, COMMUNITY EVENTS AS WELL.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO, DO WE HAVE A SLIDE THAT WE COULD LOOK AT FOR THE TRINITY USES? I, I THOUGHT I SAW SOME KIND OF CAFE USES IN ONE OF THE RENDERINGS, BUT I WAS HONESTLY HAVING A HARD TIME DETERMINING WHAT THE GROUND FLOOR PLAN WAS.
UH, MAYBE THAT'S IN THE SITE PLAN DOCUMENT.
CAN WE GET THE SLIDES BACK UP? UH, I GO BACK TO THAT AROUND 40, BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE HARD.
[02:20:01]
NORMALLY BACK UP ONE, JUST A FEW LIKE THAT.SO ACTUALLY RIGHT THERE, IF YOU SEE THEM WHERE THOSE GREENER ROLLS ARE, THOSE ARE SHOULD, UH, RETAIL SPOTS.
AND THAT, THAT CONSTITUTES THE, THE, THE, THAT'S ALL THE, NO, THERE ARE SOME, THERE'S RESTAURANT DOWN THE THIRD STREET ON CORNER, SO DOWN THERE, JOSH MENTIONED ON THE OPEN SPACE.
UH, WE HOPE WE CAN GET SUPPRESS ONCE, UH, THAT WE ACTIVATING THAT OPEN SPACE ALL THE TIME.
BUT THAT CURRENTLY IS, UH, IT'S STILL NOT ASSURANCE ON, ON THE OPEN SPACE, THE, THE WAREHOUSE.
AND APOLOGIES IF I MISSED THAT.
WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF THAT? SO COME TO THE MICROPHONE INSIDE LARRY.
THERE, HE, LARRY, COME TO THE MICROPHONE.
PEOPLE, UH, INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE, THERE'S JUST A DOOR THAT OPENS AND THEN THERE'S A HELICAL RAMP THAT TAKES THE TRUCKS DOWN TO THE LOADING DOCK.
SO, AND THAT'S MOST OF WHAT'S THERE.
THERE ALSO IS AN ENTRANCE FOR EMPLOYEES THAT'S THERE AND FOR VENDORS.
UM, AND ON THOSE DO, DO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS AT LEAST LOOKING THERE AT ONE POINT, A DEVELOPER OPPORTUNITY BEING LOOKED AT FOR THOSE SITES FOR ONE OR TWO OF THOSE PARCELS.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT THAT'S ANTICIPATED FOR THE STRUCTURAL, UM, OF, OF THOSE, OR HAVE THAT BEEN LOOKED AT YET? I'M, I'M NOT ASKING THAT QUESTION VERY MU VERY WELL, JUST STRUCTURALLY SPEAKING, FOR THE TWO NORTH BLOCKS, WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM POTENTIAL BUILDING HEIGHT OF FUTURE EXPANSION THERE? IT, IT WOULD BE THE SAME AS IN THE MIDDLE TWO BLOCKS.
SO THAT, THE ANTICIPATION IS THAT THE EXPANSION IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME SCALE AS WHAT'S IN THE MIDDLE TWO BLOCKS.
AND YOU MENTIONED EARLIER LOOKING AT THE HOTELS AS A POSSIBILITY.
I KNOW WE'RE PAST THAT, BUT ARE THE, THE, THE SOUTH FOUR BLOCKS, CAN THEY, CAN THEY GO VERTICAL BEYOND WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED IN FUTURE PHASES? OR ARE THEY PRETTY MUCH SAME? WE ARE NOT MAKING A PROVISION FOR THAT.
IT WAS STUDIED EXTENSIVELY, BUT UH, IT WAS DEEMED NOT TO BE PRACTICAL.
UM, THIS, THIS BODY IS NOT THE, UH, ADJUDICATOR OF, OF GREAT STREETS, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE A LOT OF OVERLAP WITH IT.
IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE THE PLANTING ZONES IN THIS UNIFORMLY ARE, ARE AT SIX FEET RATHER THAN THE EIGHT FEET RECOMMENDED.
UM, SPOKE TO THE SYL, YOU KNOW, THE, THE STRUCTURAL CELL OR THE, THE CELLS.
UM, I THINK THAT WOULD GET AROUND, THAT WOULD CERTAINLY SATISFY ANY CONCERNS I HAD ABOUT THAT.
UM, IS THAT, UH, WAS THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION? WAS THERE A DELIBERATE REASON WHY THIS, THE PLANTING ZONE IS REDUCED? UH, I KNOW IT IS A BALANCING ACT, RIGHT BETWEEN THE PLANTING ZONES AND THE PEDESTRIAN ZONES.
UH, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AROUND, UH, THE FACILITY.
UM, THE CHANGE TO THE SOIL CELLS, AS YOU NOTED, SHOULD DEFINITELY HELP, UH, WITH THAT.
UM, BUT HONESTLY, THIS IS KIND OF WHERE I'M A LITTLE BIT OF OUT OF MY, UH, EXPERTISE HERE.
OUR, OUR, OUR LANDSCAPE TEAM IS HERE.
I'M SURE THERE'D BE MORE THAN WILLING TO DISCUSS, YOU KNOW, THE VIABILITY OR THE COMPARISON BETWEEN SIX FEET AND, AND EIGHT FEET.
UM, I'VE, I'VE FULL FAITH THAT WITH THE SIX FEET, THEY, THEY FIRMLY BELIEVE WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, IN GOOD SHAPE AND ARE GONNA PROVIDE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE STREET TREES CAN GROW AND, AND, AND THRIVE.
AND, AND WE DON'T NEED TO BRING THEM UP.
'CAUSE I'LL, I'LL, I'LL STIPULATE TO THAT AS WELL.
IT IS JUST, IT KIND OF THE MESSAGE IT SENDS WHEN, WHEN, WHEN WE WERE HOLDING PRIVATE, UH, SECTORS, UH, PRIVATE SECTOR ACCOUNTABLE TO THE GREAT STREETS PLAN FOR THE CITY TO FOLLOW IT, YOU KNOW, TO THE LETTER OR AT LEAST BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE, I THINK THAT THAT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT.
SOUNDS LIKE WE STILL HAVE TIME TO DO THAT.
UM, CHAIR, IF I MAY, I'M GONNA JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH A COUPLE COMMENTS.
I DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A RESPONSE TO ALL THIS, BUT YOU GUYS ARE HERE TO, TO GET FEEDBACK AND I'M GONNA PROVIDE MINE, UM, UH, WE'LL DO THE COMPLIMENT SANDWICH, THE GOOD STUFF.
UM, I ECHO A LOT OF WHAT MY, UH, FELLOW COMMISSIONERS HAVE SAID.
THIS IS A GORGEOUS BUILDING, UH, THIS BUILDING MASSES SO WELL COMPARED TO EVERY, ANY CONVENTION CENTER I'VE EVER SEEN.
UM, THAT, THAT THE, THE MASSING, THE FENESTRATION, THE WAY YOU'VE MADE, MANAGED TO TAKE A LARGE BUILDING, BREAK IT UP, PUTTING THE HALLS UNDERGROUND ABOVE GROUND.
THERE'S SOME REALLY, REALLY CLEVER INGENIOUS STUFF THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY WHAT JUMPS OUT OFF THE PAGE ON THIS PROJECT.
SO I WANNA COMMEND YOU GUYS ON THAT.
THE, THE MATERIALS, THE FOCUS ON MATERIALS,
[02:25:01]
THE, THE CRITICAL REGIONALISM THAT HAS GONE INTO, UH, THIS PROJECT.UM, THE LEVEL OF PLANTING IS VERY STRONG.
UM, VERY EXCITED TO SEE, UM, THIS LEVEL OF STREET TREES AND, AND JUST GENERAL PLANTING AND SOFTENING OF THE EDGES AND COMMEND YOUR LANDSCAPE TEAM.
UM, WANNA ALSO, UM, PUT SOME ATTENTION TO THE, THE MULTIMODALITY THAT Y'ALL TALKED ABOUT.
SPENT SOME TIME LOOKING AT, UH, NOT JUST WHAT YOU KNOW, TODAY'S NEEDS ARE, BUT WHAT TOMORROW'S NEEDS MIGHT BE.
AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE, ALL THESE KIND OF ADVANCES IN MICRO MOBILITY THAT WE CAN'T NECESSARILY PREDICT.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE SAID, NO PARKING, THAT'S AWESOME WITH, IF, IF EVERY PROJECT CAME TO US WITH WITHOUT A PARKING PLINTH, WE'D BE A HAPPY COMMISSION.
UM, AND, AND LASTLY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS ON THE WORKING GROUP THAT, UM, MET WITH THIS TEAM AHEAD OF TIME AND REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
IT WAS A LONG PRESENTATION, BUT THIS IS A PRESENTATION THAT HEARD OUR FEEDBACK ON HOW TO PRESENT TO US, UM, AND REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL TAKING THE TIME TO DO THAT.
UM, THE CHALLENGE FOR ME IS THAT THIS PROJECT IS SO BIG, UM, THAT I FEEL OBLIGATED TO HOLD IT TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD FOR URBAN DESIGN.
UM, AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE POSITION THAT I, I WOULD TAKE, UM, AND I I THINK THE SENSE OF THE ROOM IS PROBABLY THAT WE, WE SUPPORT THIS, BUT, UH, IN MY OPINION, THIS PROJECT, UH, DOES NOT COMPLY, UH, WITH THE CITY'S, DOES NOT SUB, UH, DOES NOT SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLY WITH THE CITY'S URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES.
IN MY OPINION, THIS PROJECT COMPLETELY COMPLIES WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY GUIDELINES.
YOU'RE KNOCKING THAT OUT OF THE PARK.
UM, BUT WITH, YOU KNOW, SIX BLOCKS AND 12 FACES AND WHAT HAVE YOU, I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO DO MORE.
UM, SO TO JUMP INTO THAT, I, I THINK WE'RE OVERSELLING THE GRID CONNECTIVITY A LITTLE BIT.
UM, AND THE, THE INTERNAL STREETS BEING MODERATED, UM, FOR EVENTS AND, YOU KNOW, FOR HOURS OF THE DAY.
AND IF, UH, IS AN UNHOUSED PERSON WALKING THROUGH, UH, THE RAVINE GOING TO BE ACCOSTED BY SECURITY, THAT'S NOT REALLY A PUBLIC STREET.
SO WE'VE KIND OF, WE'VE OPENED UP THE CONNECTIVITY IN THE SENSE OF THE MASSING, BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY OPENED UP THE CONNECTIVITY IN A MEANINGFUL WAY THAT ADDRESSES THE PUBLIC REALM.
UH, THE PUBLIC IS NOT GONNA FEEL FULLY WELCOME USING THE INTERIOR OF THIS BUILDING AS A STREET IF THEY'RE NOT, UH, YOU KNOW, A, A ATTENDEE OF A CONVENTION.
UM, SO I, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, I I'M CONCERNED THAT WE'RE OVERSELLING HOW MUCH WE'VE WE'VE DONE THERE.
I, YOU KNOW, I, I CELEBRATE, UM, HOLDING THE CORNER AT A THIRD IN TRINITY, I THINK FOR A RETAIL SPACE.
I CELEBRATE THAT WE'VE STARTED TO ADD IN SOME RETAIL SPACES ALONG TRINITY FACING THE LIGHT RAIL.
I MEAN, NOBODY ON THIS COMMISSION THINKS THAT THE CURRENT CONVENTION CENTER IS DOING THIS, THE URBAN REALM ANY FAVORS.
UM, IT IS SIX MASSIVE DEAD BLOCKS.
UM, IT'S ALSO, IT'S CONCERNING GIVEN, YOU KNOW, THE HOTEL, WHICH I SHALL NOT NAME TO THE EAST OF THIS.
UH, AND HAVING, YOU KNOW, JUST FAMOUSLY ONE OF THE WORST FACADES FOR PEDESTRIANS THAT THIS, THIS COMMISSION IS SEEN IN, IN CONTEMPORARY REVIEWS TO NOT HAVE MORE, UH, OPENNESS IN TERMS OF PEDESTRIAN USE.
UH, I COMMEND THE LANDSCAPE, BUT THE, THE PEDESTRIAN USE ALONG CESAR CHAVEZ FRONTING THE RAINY DISTRICT, UM, RED RIVER ON THE KIND OF EDGE OF THE CULTURAL DISTRICT, GETTING THAT, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGING GRADE UNDERSTOOD.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, A 12 FOOT DIFFERENTIAL, UH, IN, IN THAT PLINTH AND THE STREETSCAPE, UH, TO SAY THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF GREAT, UH, OF DIFFERENCE, I THINK IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
I MEAN, THAT'S, WE'VE CUT, WE'VE CUT THIS BUILDING OFF FROM RED RIVER ENTIRELY.
SO I THINK THERE'S STILL WORK TO BE DONE, UH, ON THAT.
UM, IN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RELATIONSHIP WITH RED RIVER AND, AND CESAR CHAVEZ IN, IN PARTICULAR, UM, THE PROJECT, UH, DID NOT MENTION BRUSH SQUARE, UH, ONE OF FOUR ORIGINAL SQUARES.
WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE A SPECIFIC URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINE, UM, THAT, THAT REFERENCES THOSE.
SO I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE TEAM FEELS LIKE THAT'S BEEN BEING MET.
I DON'T SEE IT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, IF I'M BEING PERFECTLY CANDID, THAT BLOCK DOES NOT FEEL DESIGNED AT ALL COMPARED TO THE LEVEL OF DESIGN THAT HAS HAPPENED AROUND THE REST OF THE PROJECT.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE TEAM TO LOOK AT HOW THIS PROJECT CAN INTERFACE WITH, UH, WITH BRUSH SQUARE, WITH THE FUTURE PLANS FOR BRUSH SQUARE.
WITH THAT, WE KNOW WITH THE, THE PASSE THAT ALREADY THE CONVENTION CENTER HAS, HAS OWNER, YOU KNOW, HAS THE USAGE RIGHTS OVER, UM, AT FIFTH STREET.
AND FINALLY, MY LAST, MY LAST, UH, CONCERN ABOUT THIS IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH WALLER CREEK FEELS VERY ENDEMIC.
AND I RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS BOTH A GRADE CHALLENGE AND A HYDROLOGICAL CHALLENGE AND AN AGENCY CHALLENGE.
UM, YOU'RE COORDINATING WITH A WALLER CREEK PLAN THAT WAS DONE YEARS BEFORE, ANTICIPATED THIS.
IT PROBABLY HAS MADE LITTLE TO NO EFFORT TO REACH OUT TO YOU.
[02:30:01]
DON'T SEE THESE PROJECTS CONNECTING.I SEE THEM LOOKING AT EACH OTHER, UM, LIKE A ZOO EXHIBIT, BUT I DON'T ACTUALLY SEE THAT CONNECTION TO NATURE.
UM, BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY, SOME OF OUR OTHER PUBLIC SPACES THAT START TO TEAR US DOWN AND OPEN UP TO THAT.
I JUST, I CAN'T LET IT GO UNSAID.
WHAT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY THAT IS FOR CREATING SOMETHING REALLY MAGICAL AT THE CORNER OF THIS PROJECT.
UH, SO I SAID IT WOULD BE A COMPLIMENT SANDWICH GOING BACK TO, UM, THE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN.
I MEAN, THIS IS A STERLING PRESENTATION.
THIS IS, UH, I REMEMBER WHEN THE AUSTIN CITY HALL WAS BUILT, AND THAT WAS LIKE LEAD GOAL, LEAD GOLD OR LEAD PLATINUM, LIKE THE, THAT WAS THE, THE CALLING CARD OF AUSTIN.
WE'VE, WE KIND OF TOOK OUR EYES OFF THE BALL FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND TO HAVE THIS PUBLIC BUILDING BE COMING IN AND REALLY BEING THIS FOCUSED, THIS LASER FOCUSED ON MATERIAL REUSE ON SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN.
UM, REALLY LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, USING THIS PROJECT TO MAKE AUSTIN A NATIONAL LEADER AGAIN.
AND, AND I THINK WE'VE BEEN COASTING ON OUR REPUTATION FOR A LONG TIME, AND THAT PART OF THIS PROJECT IS REALLY EXCITING.
UM, SO YOU HAVE MY FULL SUPPORT, UH, WITH THAT REGARD.
I THINK THERE'S WORK LEFT TO BE DONE.
I THINK WE ARE SELLING AN URBANISM THAT WE HAVE NOT YET CREATED.
UH, I THINK WE'RE SELLING A CONNECTION TO NATURE THAT WE HAVE NOT YET CREATED.
UM, AND, AND CHERYL CLOSE, I THINK IN THE INTEREST OF SUPPORTING STAFF HERE, UH, MY PARTICULAR CONCERNS, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES FALL UNDER PS ONE, PROTECT PEDESTRIANS.
UH, I SEE AWNINGS, UH, GENERALLY, GENERALLY COVERINGS AT PRIMARY ENTRIES, BUT GIVEN THE SIZE OF THIS PROJECT, WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION AROUND THE EDGES OF THE BUILDING.
UH, PS 12, UH, RELATING THE STREETSCAPE WINDOWS AND, AND CONNECTION.
I THINK I ALREADY SPOKE TO THAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THESE RED RIVER AND SOME OF THESE SORT OF DEAD WALLS AND, AND THE, THE GRADE CHALLENGES OF THE WAREHOUSE AND OTHER SPOTS NOT, UM, CREATING A, A CONDUCIVE PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT, UH, PZ ONE, RESPECTING THE FOUR SQUARES I REFERENCED PZ TWO AND PZ THREE, UH, CONNECTING TO THE OPEN SPACE NETWORK AND THE CONNECTION TO PARKS, I THINK ARE BOTH RELATED TO, UM, TO THE RELATIONSHIP WITH WALLER CREEK.
UM, I KNOW I, UM, LARRY, I APPRECIATE THE, THE REFERENCE TO THE CAP AND STITCH AND PALM PARK AND SOME OF THOSE STUFF.
I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE THAT UNDER CONTROL.
SO SPECIFICALLY, MY, MY CONCERN IS WITH REGARD TO WALLER CREEK, UH, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, BUILDING TWO PEDESTRIAN ORIENTED USES AT STREET LEVEL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE SOME GOOD STUFF.
THIS IS BETTER THAN WE SEE OUTTA MOST APPLICANTS.
UM, BUT I, I SEE NO REASON TO NOT TRY AND WRAP THIS ENTIRE BUILDING IN VIBRANT USES.
AND JUST, UH, IF, IF I WERE WALKING DOWN THIS STREET AND NEVER EVEN KNEW THERE WAS A CONVENTION CENTER THERE, THAT WOULD BE THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS.
UM, A LOT OF WORK LEFT TO BE DONE.
I KNOW SOME OF THESE ARE, ARE FAIRLY CRITICAL COMMENTS AND I CAN'T GET AROUND TO SUPPORTING THE, THE URBAN DESIGN ASPECTS OF THIS YET.
UM, BUT I DON'T WANT IT TO GO ONSET HOW IMPRESSED I AM WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY AND THE WORK OF THIS TEAM.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? VICE CHAIR MINORS? OKAY.
I'M NOT GONNA BE AS ARTICULATE AS COMMISSIONER WHIT STRUCK, BUT I HAD ALMOST THE SAME EXACT TALKING POINTS.
UM, SO I WON'T BELABOR YOU, UH, BUT I DO, I'M SOMEONE WHO SPENDS A LOT OF TIME, UH, AROUND THE AREA.
UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, CONTRASTING THE EXPERIENCE AS A PEDESTRIAN, UM, WHO IS IN THAT AREA, YOU KNOW, TRAVERSING TO EITHER THE RAINY STREET DISTRICT OR, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, FOREST STREET TOWARDS THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, UM, IT, IT CLEARLY IS A DEAD ZONE RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WE'RE ALL AWARE OF THAT.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, UM, I CONTRAST THAT WITH THE EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE DURING SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST.
UM, SO DURING SOUTH BY, UH, WALKING ON THE, UM, I GUESS WHAT YOU WOULD CALL A PLAZA, THE CONCRETE, UH, BETWEEN THE CONVENTION CENTER AND BRUSHY, UH, SQUARE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ACTIVATED WITH FOOD TRUCKS.
AND I THINK WE GIVE THIS SENSE TO VISITORS THAT THIS IS WHAT AUSTIN IS ALWAYS LIKE.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WERE TO COME TWO WEEKS LATER, THEY'D BE SORELY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THAT, SEE THAT THERE AREN'T ANY FOOD TRUCKS THERE.
SO I THINK IN GENERAL, UM, WHEN I SAW THIS PRESENTATION TODAY, UM, YES, I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THE WAY THAT IT LOOKS AESTHETICALLY.
UM, BUT I THINK I WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUNCTIONAL, UH, UTILITY.
UM, I WAS REALLY HOPEFUL THAT RED RIVER WOULD BE MORE ACTIVATED.
I WAS HOPEFUL THAT CAESAR CHAVEZ WOULD BE MORE ACTIVATED.
UM, SO I'M JUST NOT SEEING THAT.
I THINK AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN I AM LOOKING HOLISTICALLY AT CAESAR CHAVEZ, UM, YOU KNOW, THE HOTEL THAT SHELBY NOT NAMED TO THE RIGHT, UM, IF YOU ADD THAT IN TO, YOU KNOW, THIS PROJECT, IF THERE'S NO PROMISE OF ACTIVATION ON THAT SOUTHEAST CORNER OF, UH, WHERE
[02:35:01]
IT MEETS WALLER CREEK OR WHERE IT INTEGRATES WITH WALLER CREEK, THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY ACTIVATION AT ALL.SO I THINK THAT SEEING SOMETHING THAT'S, UM, BUILT IN, UH, YOU KNOW, PROGRAMMATICALLY, UM, PUBLIC USE A STAGE, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN BE ACCESSED, UM, OUTSIDE OF, UH, JUST A FESTIVAL OR A CONVENTION, I THINK IS CRITICAL.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, AGAIN, I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THE, THE CONNECTION OF SECOND STREET.
UH, YOU KNOW, AND I WAS REALLY HOPEFUL THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WAS EXTENDING SECOND STREET'S RETAIL AND RESTAURANT, UH, CAPABILITIES, UH, FURTHER, UH, TO THE EAST.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, UM, IF THERE'S NOT A CONVENTION, THAT AREA IS PRETTY DEAD.
AND SO I THINK NOT ONLY DO WE WANT TO, UH, PROVIDE THIS SHOW PIECE, UM, OF A CONVENTION CENTER, BUT WE ALSO WANT PROMOTE LOCAL BUSINESS.
AND I THINK PART OF THAT IS, IS INCORPORATING LOCAL BUSINESS.
YOU KNOW, I, I SEE IN YOUR, ONE OF YOUR SLIDES, YOU HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT THERE WON'T BE A STARBUCKS.
UM, BUT WHAT WILL THERE BE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF, OF LOCAL, UH, RETAIL OPPORTUNITY.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US RIGHT NOW, UH, SINCE WE PUSHED OUT SO MANY OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES TO REALLY INCUBATE THEM.
AND I WILL NOTE THERE IS A STARBUCKS, UM, AT THE HILTON, UH, WHICH IS A CITY, UM, SUBSIDIZED HOTEL, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
UM, SO THAT BEING SAID, I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF WINS.
THERE ARE MOSTLY WINS ON THIS PROJECT, BUT WHEN LOOKING AT, UH, A LOT OF THE, UH, GUIDELINES THAT WERE, UH, OUTLINED BY, UH, COMMISSIONER WHIR, UM, THERE ARE SOME PRETTY BIG MISSES.
SO ALL IN ALL, UM, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.
I WOULD ALSO ADD, TOO, THAT THERE, YOU KNOW, JUST MY SENSE OF, UH, THE COMMUNITIES INPUT, UM, FROM READING BLOGS AND WHATEVER ELSE, IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CYNICISM IN AUSTIN WHENEVER IT COMES TO PROJECTS WHERE WE'RE JUST NOT BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THE AIRPORT, UM, WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, IT ALMOST MAXING OUT OF CAPACITY, UM, AFTER BEING BUILT, UH, IS, UH, REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LEARN SOME LESSONS.
UM, SO I THINK WHEN IT DOES COME TO, UM, EXPANSION, THE CAPABILITY TO EXPAND, AND I UNDERSTAND RIGHT NOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN BUILT, IT WILL, UH, KIND OF ALIGN WITH OUR CITY'S SIZE AND POPULATION.
UM, BUT FOR HOW LONG WILL THAT LAST, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW SUSTAINABLE IS THAT REALLY? UM, SO, UM, WITH THAT, UH, I, I ECHO SOME OF THE OTHER POINTS THAT, UH, MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS MADE AS WELL.
UM, BUT, UM, ALL IN ALL, IT'S AN EXCITING PROJECT AND, UM, I REALLY HOPE THAT, UH, YOU ALL, UH, PAY A LITTLE BIT MORE ATTENTION TO SOME OF THOSE DETAILS THAT WE BROUGHT UP.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CARROLL.
I, I JUST HAD ONE LAST QUESTION.
IS THERE A WAY, UM, IF YOU'RE IN THAT SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE SITE, CAN YOU GET TO THE WATERLOO GREENWAY BOARDWALK FROM THE, FROM THE PROPERTY? SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WATER, WE, WE'VE COORDINATED VERY THOROUGHLY WITH WATERLOO GREENWAY FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
UH, HOWEVER, THEY'RE WAY AHEAD OF US.
THEY'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND, UM, THEY DON'T HAVE AN ACCESS POINT ONTO THE, THE BOARDWALK THROUGH THIS AREA IS OVER THE WATER, RIGHT? UH, SO IT'S COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM, UH, THE GROUND ON EITHER SIDE, AND IT DAYLIGHTS UP AT FOURTH STREET.
SO THE WAY THAT YOU'D GET ON THE BOARDWALK WOULD BE AT FOURTH STREET, FOURTH STREET, OR YOU COULD GO ACROSS THE NEW PEDESTRIAN CROSSING OVER CESAR CHAVEZ AND THEN OVER A BRIDGE, AND YOU COULD GET IT SOUTH OF CESAR CHAVEZ.
UH, BUT THERE WAS NOT A POSSIBILITY OF CONNECTING TO WATERLOO GREENWAY IN BETWEEN.
ALRIGHT, ANY MORE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UM, MY ONLY COMMENTS ARE I DO SHARE THE SAME CONCERNS ABOUT ACTIVATION AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WHEN THERE IS NOT AN EVENT THERE, THERE'S NOT, UM, SOME SORT OF SHOW HOW IS THIS GONNA REALLY, UH, REACT TO THE COMMUNITY AS FAR AS, UH, BEING ENGAGING.
AND SO I DO SHARE THE SAME CONCERNS OF THE LACK OF ACTIVATION ON THESE FRONT FRONTAGES.
UM, BUT, AND ALSO WITH THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, UH, ON THIRD STREET, UH, I KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE CONTROLLED, BUT, YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIAN, A PEDESTRIAN WORKING THAT INTERSECTION IS, IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A BARRIER.
UM, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, A LARGE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE CROSSING OVER THAT.
UM, SO I, I THINK THAT INTERSECTION DOES NEED SOME CONSIDERATION.
I MEAN, I WOULD UNDERSTAND IF, YOU KNOW, THIRD WAS MOSTLY CLOSED OFF ALL THE TIME AND IT WAS MOSTLY USED FOR THE PEDESTRIANS
[02:40:01]
VERSUS MOSTLY OPEN ALL THE TIME AND ONLY CLOSED FOR EVENTS.UM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE DO HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE AND A SECOND.
UM, SO IF ANYBODY HAS ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE.
YEAH, I JUST HAVE ONE LAST COMMENT.
AND THIS IS MORE FROM AN ARCHITECTURAL STANDPOINT.
YOU, YOU CALLED OUT THE, UM, CITY HALL AND THE LIBRARY, AND THEN THESE BUILDINGS AS BEING SORT OF THE JEWELS IN, IN THE DOWNTOWNS CAP, SO TO SPEAK.
AND I SEE THE, THE GREAT HALL AND, AND THEN THE SORT OF MEETING HALL WING AS BEING HIGHLY ARTICULATED.
I JUST WANT TO SHARE SOME CONCERN FOR THE WAREHOUSE.
I KNOW IT'S A SORT OF SPIRAL RAMP FOR CARS, AND IT'S SORT OF BEING DRESSED WITH ART, BUT IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO SORT OF LOOK AT THE ARTICULATION OF THAT FACADE.
IT'S BEEN MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, ALL AROUND THE RED RIVER, UH, FACE, BUT ALSO AS IT FACES THIS NEW CIVIC SQUARE, UM, IT'S NOT CURRENTLY SORT OF BEING DRAWN IN TO THE BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE OF THE OTHER PARTS.
AND PERHAPS IT'S A BUDGET THING, BUT IF, IF THERE'S A CHANCE TO REVISIT REWORK, IF IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO INTRODUCE PERHAPS SOME OF THESE ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED INTO THAT FORM, I THINK IT'S A GREAT EXPERIMENT FOR HYBRIDIZATION.
I'M NOT SURE HOW THE CAR RAMP CAN BECOME A BAR OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE, BUT OPPORTUNITY, UM, COULD PROVIDE SOMETHING EXCITING.
I JUST DON'T WANT IT TO BE LEFT AND JUST END UP BEING A BOX THAT IS SORT OF IGNORED IN THAT NORTH CORNER.
UM, THAT'S MY ONLY COMMENT, NOT A QUESTION, JUST A GENERAL COMMENT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOING ALL IN FAVOR OF THE SUPPORTING, UH, THAT THE, THIS, THAT THE, UM, CONVENTION CENTER REDEVELOPMENT LOCATED AT 500 EAST THIRD STREET, COMPLIES WITH THE CITY DESIGN OF SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS.
UM, ALL IN FAVOR? SAY RAISE YOUR HAND.
CAN I OPPOSE IT IF I BROUGHT IT UP?
SO ONE OPPOSED, AND COMMISSIONER, WHICH STRIKE? CHAIR ABSTAIN.
SO WE DIDN'T, UH, GET TODAY WE NEEDED SIX VOTES.
UH, AND UNFORTUNATELY, YEAH, WE'RE UNABLE TO MAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION.
UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
[4. Select a representative and alternate representative to serve on the Joint Sustainability Committee per City Code § 2-1-206.]
ITEM, UM, IS THAT WE NEED TO SELECT A REPRESENTATIVE AND ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE TO SERVE ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.UM, CURRENTLY COMMISSIONER LUKINS IS THE, UM, IS THE LEAD ON THAT, BUT HIS TENURES RUN UP AND HE IS STILL ON THE COMMISSION, BUT HE'S UNABLE TO SERVE ON THIS 'CAUSE HE COULD BE REPLACED AT ANY MOMENT.
UM, SO IS ANYONE INTERESTED OR HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE? AND I BELIEVE WE WOULD NEED AN ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE TOO.
UM, FOR THAT I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND SOMEONE WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE ME FOR THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.
I'LL JUMP ON THAT COMMITTEE AGAIN.
CAN I GET A SECOND? DO I NEED A SECOND? SECOND.
ALL IN FAVOR OF JOHN SALINAS JOINING THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AS A REPRESENTATIVE.
ANYBODY WANT TO BE THE BACKUP?
SO, UM, THE, SO WHAT THEY DISCUSS IS THE CLIMATE EQUITY ACTION PLAN.
AND SO WHAT IT IS, IS A COMMITTEE MADE UP OF JOINT MEMBERS FROM VARIOUS OTHER BOARDS OF COMMISSION.
UM, SO LIKE I SAID, THEY MEET ONCE A MONTH AND THEY DISCUSS VARIOUS ITEMS AS THEY RELATE TO AUSTIN MOVING CLOSER TO MEET THESE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS.
UM, THE ALTERNATE PERSON IS ONLY
[02:45:01]
REQUIRED TO GO IF THE MAIN PERSON CAN'T GO.UM, AND THE, THE TOPICS ARE SO WIDE RANGING, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT LOW CARBON CONCRETE, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, EVERYTHING FROM GEOTHERMAL TO BUILDING SCIENCES, AND, UM, SO IT IS USUALLY A PACKED MEETING, BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING.
UM, AND IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT GROUP.
SO THIS IS A TOPIC I'M INTERESTED IN.
WELL, I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE YOU FOR, AS A BACKUP ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.
SORRY, WHAT WAS THE, UH, WHO SECONDED THE, THE MOTION FOR YOU TO BE THE REPRESENTATIVE? OKAY.
WHO MADE THE MOTION? WHO SECOND IT? OKAY.
[5. Discussion and action to select Downtown Density Bonus Program projects from the past ten years to conduct analysis on outcomes. Sponsors: Chair Salinas and Vice Chair Meiners.]
LAST ITEM IS, UH, FOR ACTION ITEMS IS A DISCUSSION AND ACTION.UH, TO SELECT A DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM PROJECT FROM, OR PROJECTS FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS TO CONDUCT ANALYSIS ON OUTCOMES.
UH, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS IN OUR MEETING AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO GO AHEAD AND JUST SELECT A FEW, BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY IN THERE THAT WE WANT TO JUST LOOK BACK ON WHETHER WE KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT 'EM NOW, WE COULD JUST SELECT THEM AND THEN DO A LITTLE DIG INTO IT.
UM, SO IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO, IF Y'ALL STILL HAVE ACCESS, AND THESE ARE WHAT THESE ARE, THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT HAVE ALREADY GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
THEY'VE BEEN GIVEN COMMENTS, AND THEN THEY WERE, THEY'VE GONE THROUGH PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THEN THEY'VE BEEN BUILT.
AND WE WANNA SEE WHAT THOSE COMMENTS WERE COMPARED TO HOW THINGS WERE BEING BUILT.
COMMISSIONER CARROLL, I'VE GOT ONE.
I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE ONE CHAIR.
COMMISSIONER GILLIS FIFTH AND WEST.
ANY ADDITIONAL PROJECTS? I THINK THIS WOULD BE AN ONGOING PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, WE'LL LOOK AT THESE, HOWEVER MANY WE SELECT.
AND THEN WE'LL, NEXT MEETING, MAYBE WE'LL PICK A FEW MORE, OR IN TWO MEETINGS.
AND I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THIS, SO, BUT WE'LL GET YOU ACCESS AFTER TODAY.
EVERYBODY STILL LOOKING? OR YOU'RE DONE? YEAH.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD PLACE TO START WITH TWO.
AND THEN KIND OF GO FROM THERE.
UM, I, I GUESS, UH, AS FAR AS NEEDS FROM STAFF, UM, UH, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT, UH, YOU WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE INCLUDE IN THE BACKUP? OR, SORRY, THIS WAS, DO YOU MIND EXPANDING ON THE QUESTION? YEAH.
JUST GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE KNOW THAT, UH, 4 0 5 COLORADO AND, UM, FIFTH AND WEST, UH, ARE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT, UM, IS THERE, LIKE WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST THAT WE PUT IN THE BACKUP SO THAT WE CAN REVIEW KIND OF WHAT WAS PROPOSED VERSUS REALITY? YEAH, WE, SO WE SHARED A LOT OF INFORMATION.
THIS WAS A COUPLE MEETINGS AGO THAT IT CAME UP AND WE ENDED UP SHARING IT VIA EMAIL.
NICOLE SHARED IT, AND THERE'S A LINK TO, UM, A FOLDER WITH ALL THE INFORMATION PER PROJECT.
SO THAT INFORMATION IS GONNA SHOW WHAT, UM, WHAT WAS PRESENTED AT DESIGN COMMISSION, AS WELL AS THE PROJECT APPLICATION, UM, BOTH FOR DESIGN COMMISSION AND THE REQUEST FORM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROJECT.
SO THAT SHOWS YOU KIND OF THAT BEGINNING PHASE.
AND THEN YOU'LL ALSO SEE THE SITE PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED.
[02:50:01]
I THINK WE SENT SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO SEE MORE IF, IF, IF THERE IS SOME MISSING INFORMATION.A LOT OF THIS IS, IS ALL PUBLICLY AVAILABLE THROUGH PROPERTY PROFILE.
UM, A LOT OF THAT MEANS LOOKING AT THE SITE PLAN.
AND SO IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, LIKE PARTICULARLY RENDERINGS, THOSE ARE, YOU GET THOSE REALLY THROUGH THE DESIGN COMMISSION BACKUP, WHICH AGAIN, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE.
BUT I WOULD START WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE SHARED, UM, WHICH YOU'LL FIND IN YOUR EMAIL.
SO FIND THAT, THAT SHAREPOINT LINK, AND IT'LL BE LISTED BY PROJECT, SO HOPEFULLY IT'LL BE EASY TO NAVIGATE.
CAN WE RESURFACE THAT, UH, BACKUP CONTENT? I KNOW YOU EMAILED IT, BUT JUST FOR THE PURPOSE OF LIKE HAVING IT AVAILABLE ON DISPLAY FOR THE MEETING, LIKE JUST TO HAVE IT QUEUED UP WITH AUDIO VISUAL IF, IF WE, UH, IF STAFF PROVIDES THAT AS BACKUP FOR THE NEXT MEETING YEAH.
FOR THESE PARTICULAR PROJECTS.
ALRIGHT, SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT, UNLESS ANYBODY HAS ANY MORE COMMENTS ON THOSE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT, UH, WORK WORKING GROUP AND COMMITTEE UPDATES.
UH, UPDATE FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES WORKING GROUP.
UM, THIS ITEM WAS FOR DISCUSSION AND ACTION.
UM, SO I KNOW Y'ALL MENTIONED TWO PROJECTS.
IF, IF SOMEONE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR THAT, I, I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE, UH, LOOK AT 45 COLORADO, OR 54 COLORADO 45.
4 0 5 COLORADO, AND FIFTH AND WEST SECOND.
[6. Update from the representative of Urban Design Guidelines Working Group regarding the meeting on February 28, 2025.]
THE WORKING GROUP COMMITTEE UPDATES.SO AN UPDATE FROM THE URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES WORKING GROUP REGARDING THE MEETING ON FEBRUARY 28TH, COMMISSIONER CARROLL.
UM, WE, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO PICK UP COMMENTS FROM CITY STAFF AND WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY COMPLETED THAT TASK.
OR THERE'S A FEW INTERNAL COMMENTS THAT, UH, HOPEFULLY MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS ON THE, UH, WORKING GROUP, UH, WE'RE ALL GONNA WRAP UP THIS WEEK.
UM, AND HOPE TO GET IT TO CITY STAFF NEXT WEEK TO START THEIR TASK OF MAKING IT PRESENTABLE
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE, UH, UPDATE FROM REPRESENTATIVE OF THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, UM, REGARDING THE FEBRUARY 26TH.
UM, THAT WAS PROBABLY, UH, COMMISSIONER LUKINS, HE'S NOT HERE TODAY.
AND AN UPDATE FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.
WE STILL HAVE THAT STILL GOING ON.
AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S COMMISSIONER, UH, LADNER.
HE'S NOT, HE'S NOT HERE AS WELL.
[9. Update from the representative of the Downtown Commission regarding the meeting on March 19, 2025.]
THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION REGARDING THE MEETING ON MARCH 19TH, 2025.UM, WHAT WAS DISCUSSED, UH, WAS A PRESENTATION REGARDING THE CONVENTION CENTER.
I WOULD SAY, UM, MAINLY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, UM, PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE TO PREPARE FOR CONSTRUCTION.
UH, SO, UH, THE DISCUSSION AROUND THE TRAFFIC CONTROL PLAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, WORKING CLOSELY WITH, UM, PUBLIC WORKS TO COORDINATE ROAD CLOSURES AND IMPACT ON THE TRAFFIC AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT PROJECT, WHICH, UM, AS WAS MENTIONED, IS SLATED TO OPEN IN 2029.
SO THAT'S A VERY CONSIDERABLE LENGTH OF TIME, UM, WHERE THAT AREA OF DOWNTOWN WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH CONSTRUCTION.
UH, IT IS A, UM, JE DUNN TURNER JOINT VENTURE.
UM, ALSO DISCUSSED WAS THE DOWNTOWN HISTORIC SURVEY THAT IS UNDERWAY, UM, TO IDENTIFY HISTORIC PROPERTIES IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
IT'S, UH, INFORMATION GATHERING PROCESS, UM, FOR POTENTIAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS IN THE DISTRICT.
UM, THE SURVEY IS GOING TO BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE, UM, AT PUBLIC INPUT AT DOWNTOWN PUBLIC SURVEY.
[02:55:01]
THEN THERE WAS AN UPDATE FROM THE LAY LIAISONS FROM THE OTHER COMMITTEES, UH, THE PARK AND RECREATION BOARD, UM, AN OVERVIEW OF THE PARKS, BUDGETING PROCESS, LAND MANAGEMENT, AND WILDFIRE MITIGATION.UM, PRESENTATION WAS GIVEN BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD REPORT.
UM, THE DISCUSSION OF CONSIDERATION OF AN ON DEMAND CITYWIDE TRANSIT SERVICE IS ALSO BEING DISCUSSED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD.
UH, FOLLOWING THAT WAS AN UPDATE FROM THE LIAISON FROM THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE AUSTIN CORE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
UM, THERE ARE ALSO DISCUSSIONS TO LOOK AT THE RED RIVER BIKE LANES AND A PLAN TO FIX A GAP, UH, WITHIN THE BIKE LANE.
UM, CONVERSATIONS AROUND SOLUTIONS, QUICK, QUICK BUILD SOLUTIONS SUCH AS FLEX POSTS, ET CETERA.
UM, FURTHER LOOKING AT STREET TREES AND SHADE STRUCTURES ALONG THE RED RIVER BIKE LANE.
UM, AND THE TIMING OF THAT WAS DISCUSSED.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT TO, OR WE NEED TO THROW OUT THERE? GET A SECOND ON THAT.ANYONE CAN THINK OF? I COULD ALWAYS GO VIA EMAIL.
UM, I'M GONNA ADJOURN TODAY'S MEETING AT 8 58.