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IT'S NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON MAY 6TH, 2025, AND I WILL CALL TO ORDER THIS WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
UH, WE ARE MEETING IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET, UH, AT CITY HALL.
UH, WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL PRESENT, UH, MEMBERS.
I, I'M GONNA ASK A QUICK, HERE'S THE WAY I, I, I, I THINK WE'LL PROCEED.
UH, FIRST WE WILL HEAR FROM SPEAKERS ON BOTH OF THE ITEMS. UH, NEXT WE WILL GO TO ITEM B TWO.
WE'LL TAKE UP ITEM B TWO FIRST, THEN WE WILL GO TO ITEM B ONE.
AND THEN AT, UH, AT THE END OF ALL THE PRESENTATIONS, WE WILL, UH, GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS A LEGAL MATTER.
UM, I, NOW THAT WE'VE CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AND WE'RE GETTING READY TO START WITH THE SPEAKERS, UH, I APOLOGIZE MEMBERS, BUT I NEED TO RUN UP TO THE CAPITOL REAL QUICK.
UM, BECAUSE THE MAYOR PRO TEM IS VIRTUAL AND UNDER THE RULES AND LAW, UH, SHE CANNOT PRESIDE VIRTUALLY.
WE ARE GOING TO GO IN THE LINE OF YOU CAN'T VOLUNTEER COUNCIL MEMBER.
CAN'T, CAN'T, CAN'T VOLUNTEER.
UM, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE GOING DO, UH, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE'RE GONNA GO IN, IN, I GUESS, OUR LINE OF SUCCESSION, AND I'M GOING TO, UH, V VIRTUALLY PASS THE GAVEL TO COUNCIL MEMBER VALA, AND I'LL BE BACK JUST AS SOON AS I CAN GET BACK.
SO, COUNCILMAN VELA, UM, I'M, I'M PITCHING YOU THE GAVEL.
UH, UNDER THE THANK YOU PINK DOME THERE.
AND LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THE SPEAKERS.
UH, UH, UH, WILL WE DO THE SPEAKERS FOR ITEM TWO FIRST? OKAY.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THE SPEAKERS IN FOR THE SECOND ITEM, PLEASE.
WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER FOR B TWO.
AND IS THAT THE, THE ONLY SPEAKER FOR ITEM TWO? ALRIGHT, THEN.
WE'LL, YES, I GUESS LET'S GO AHEAD AND JUMP ON INTO THE STAFF PRESENTATION.
AND IF MR. WILSON SHOWS UP, UH, DURING THE WORK SESSION, UH, WE WILL BRING HIM FORWARD AND, AND LET HIM, UH, TESTIFY.
[B2. North Lamar and South Congress Transit Center Station Area Vision Plans. [Ana Villarreal, Planner Principal - Planning].]
PLANNING STAFF GO AHEAD AND GET READY TO GO.AND SO, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, OUR BRIEFING TODAY IS A LITTLE OUTTA ORDER, BUT, UH, IT'S RELATED TO THE NORTH LAMAR AND SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATION AREA VISION PLANS IN 2022, COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CAP METRO TO DEVELOP STATION AREA VISION PLANS FOR NORTH LAMAR AND SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATIONS.
THIS WORK SUPPORTS THE EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT POLICY PLAN THAT WAS ACCEPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE SPRING OF 2023, AND REFLECTS MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF ROBUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
THE PLAN AND SEVERAL RELATED ACTIONS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE CONSIDERED AT PUBLIC HEARINGS ON MAY 22ND CITY COUNCIL AGENDA, AND OUR STAFF IS EXCITED TO PROVIDE A BRIEFING TODAY AND ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S PROJECT MANAGER AND ANNA AL, UH, WILL BE PROVIDING THIS MORNING'S BRIEFING.
MY NAME IS ANNA AL, AND I SERVE AS PRINCIPAL PLANNER IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
I'M HERE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A BRIEFING ON TWO STATIONARY PLANS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD TOWARD COUNCIL ADOPTION CONSIDERATION ON MAY 22ND.
THESE PLANS ARE PART OF OUR LARGER EQUITABLE TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING WORK PROGRAM.
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SO WHAT IS EQUITABLE TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT CALLED ETOD FOR SHORT? THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS EFFORT IS TO BUILD A CITY THAT ALLOWS COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BETTER ACCESS HOUSING, JOBS, SERVICES, AND RETAIL NEAR TRANSIT WHILE PREVENTING DISPLACEMENT AND PRIORITIZING THOSE HISTORICALLY LEFT OUT OF PAST PLANNING EFFORTS.TRADITIONALLY, TOD EFFORTS HAVE ENCOURAGED MARKET SUPPORTIVE DEVELOPMENT ALONG TRANSIT CORRIDORS.
EQUITABLE TOD GOES BEYOND THINKING ABOUT PLACES TO THINKING ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE IN THOSE PLACES AND WORKING TO CREATE NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS OF ALL INCOME LEVELS.
FOLLOWING VOTER APPROVAL OF PROJECT CONNECT IN 2020, THE CITY PARTNER WITH CAP METRO AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THIS FRAMEWORK CALLED ETOD POLICY PLAN IN THE SPRING OF 2023.
THE ETOD POLICY PLAN IS INTENDED TO GUIDE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE FULL PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM.
THE PLAN INCLUDES GOALS, A STATIONARY TYPOLOGY, A POLICY TOOLKIT, AND ALSO IDENTIFIES PRIORITIES FOR MORE SPECIFIC PLANNING.
AS WE WERE DEVELOPING THE ETOD POLICY PLAN, THE CITY AND CAP METRO ALSO PARTNERED TO WORK ON TWO PILOT STATIONARY PLANS.
ONE PLAN FOCUSES ON THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, LOCATED AT US 180 3 AND NORTH LAMAR.
THE OTHER ONE FOCUSES ON SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER, LOCATED AT BEN WHITE AND SOUTH CONGRESS.
BOTH STATIONS CURRENTLY SERVE AS MAJOR INTERMODAL HUBS SERVED BY RAPID BUS AND PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR POSITIVE FUTURE TRANSFORMATION.
STATIONARY PLANNING IS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN APPROACH TO CRAFTING A VISION FOR THE AREA SURROUNDING THE TRANSIT STATION.
THESE PLANS WILL GUIDE FUTURE LAND USE DECISION MAKING, BUT DO NOT ON THEIR OWN CHANGE ZONING.
THESE PLANS WERE FORMALLY INITIATED BY CITY COUNCIL AT THE END OF 2022, AND THE CITY PARTNERED WITH CAB METRO AND THEIR CONSULTANT TEAM TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN 2023.
BEFORE DRAFT PLANS WERE HANDED OFF TO THE CITY IN 2024, WE PRESENTED DRAFT PLANS FOR PUBLIC REVIEW IN THE FALL 2024, AND ARE NOW BRINGING PLANS AND RELATED ACTIONS THROUGH THE ADOPTION PROCESS.
ON APRIL 22ND, THE PLANNING COMMISSION VOTED TO APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH WILL MOVE ON TO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION ON MAY 22ND.
OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS, WE HAVE CONDUCTED MULTIPLE ROBUST ROUNDS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THAT INCLUDED TABLING EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, OPEN HOUSES, SURVEYS, AND MANY BRIEFINGS TO GATHER FEEDBACK FROM RESIDENTS NEAR BOTH TRANSIT CENTERS.
AFTER THESE WERE POSTPONED, ADD THE MARCH 25TH PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING STAFF REACH OUT TO NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS AND PARTICIPATED IN FOCUSED MEETINGS ON THESE PROPOSALS, A DETAILED SUMMARY OF THIS ENGAGEMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR BACKUP.
THE INPUT RECEIVED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS SHAPED THE DRAFT NOR LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AND SAW CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATIONARY VISION PLANS RELEASED FOR PUBLIC REVIEW LAST OCTOBER.
THE PLANS INCLUDE AN EXISTING CONDITION ANALYSIS, PROPOSED CHARACTER MAPS, RECOMMENDATIONS, CONCEPTUAL IMAGES, AND AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
BOTH THE NOR LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER STATIONARY VISION PLAN AND THE SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATION AREA VISION PLAN WERE DEVELOPED THROUGH AN ITERATIVE PROCESS THAT STARTED WITH THE RICH KNOWLEDGE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT THESE VERY DISTINCT PLACES.
DURING THE FIRST ROUND OF ENGAGEMENT, THE PROJECT TEAM WORKED THROUGH A SERIES OF FORUMS, FOCUS GROUPS AND SURVEYS TO IDENTIFY EXISTING STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT.
BASED ON THESE VISIONING EXERCISES, THE PROJECT TEAM DEVELOPED POTENTIAL STRATEGIES THAT WERE REVIEWED BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ROUND TWO BEFORE FINALIZING DRAFT PLANS THAT REFLECTED WHAT WAS HEARD DURING THE ROUND TWO OF THE PROCESS IN THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER STATION AREA.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING SAFER CONDITIONS AND CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND THE TRANSIT CENTER.
AND WE'RE INTERESTED IN SEEING NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE STATION AREAS.
THE PLAN INCLUDES CONNECTIVITY AND LAND USE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WOULD SUPPORT BOTH OF THESE COMMUNITY GOALS.
UM, SORRY, IN THE SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATION AREA, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE VERY INTERESTED IN OR CO INCORPORATING ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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FOR HIGHER DENSITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT THE TRANSIT CENTER WHILE CONNECTING TO THE PLANNED BERGSTROM SPUR TRAIL.AND ALSO CONTINUING TO SEE SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES IN MAKER SPACES THRIVE.
AND THE PLAN INCLUDES RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WOULD SUPPORT ALSO THESE COMMUNITY GOALS IN BOTH AREAS.
WE HEARD AND CONTINUE TO HEAR CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE RESIDENTIAL DISPLACEMENT PRESSURES AND THE PROPOSED FUTURE LAND USE MAPS ARE CAREFUL TO FOCUS ON THE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE TRANSIT SITES.
WE ALSO WORK WITH TECHNICAL ADVISORS FROM MANY OF OUR SISTER DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS BEING PROPOSED ARE ALL ACTIONABLE AND TO MINIMIZE ANY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTERS, IT SHOULD BE DONE, I THINK I DID RIGHT.
THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER STATIONARY VISION PLAN IS FOCUSED ON THE HALF A MILE AREA AROUND THE NORTHERN LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF US 180 3 AND NORTH LAMAR.
THE TRANSIT CENTER IS A KEY BUS TRANSFER HUB FOR THE AREA.
CHALLENGES VARY BUT INCLUDE CAR DEPENDENT INFRASTRUCTURE, LACK OF PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE MOBILITY, OLDER HOUSING STOCK AND LIMITED OPEN SPACE.
THE PLAN AND VISIONS THE TRANSIT CENTER TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT TRANSIT OPERATIONS WHILE ADDING AMENITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY, SUCH AS MIXED INCOME HOUSING DEVELOPMENT WITH STOREFRONT RETAIL, LOCAL BUSINESSES, A PUBLIC PARK, AND A SHADED TRANSIT PLAZA.
ANOTHER KEY COMPONENT OF THIS PLANT IS THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP.
THIS PARCEL LEVEL MAP ILLUSTRATES THE AREA WHERE GROWTH IS ENCOURAGED IN AREAS WHERE OUR PRIORITY SHOULD BE PRESERVATION AS THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE.
THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP IS NOT ZONING, UM, BUT WILL GUIDE FUTURE CITY DECISIONS ABOUT ZONING.
WE HAVE THREE BROAD CHARACTER DISTRICTS ON THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP THAT INCLUDE TOD MIXED TOD MIXED USE IN BROWN, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY, IDEALLY WITH A MIX OF GROUND FLOOR COMMERCIAL OR OTHER ACTIVE USES WITH RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND OR OFFICE USES ON THE UPPER FLOORS.
WE ALSO HAVE THE MIXED USED INDUSTRIAL IN PURPLE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE LOW IMPACT INDUSTRIAL USES WITH ADDED OPTIONS FOR RETAIL OFFICE AND ATTACH MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.
LASTLY, WE HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSITION IN ORANGE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A VARIETY OF MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL USES OR SMALL SCALE OFFICES AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.
THE PURPOSE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSITION DISTRICT IS TO ENABLE AN AREA TO BLEND MORE SEAMLESSLY BETWEEN A PRIMARILY RESIDENTIAL AREA AND MORE ACTIVE COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE USE AREAS.
THE SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATIONARY VISION PLAN IS FOCUSED ON THE HALF A MILE AREA AROUND THE SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER, WHICH IS SITUATED OFF OF SOUTH CONGRESS AND REDHAM LANE.
THIS AREA FACES CHALLENGES INCLUDING A CAR DOMINANT INFRASTRUCTURE, US TWO 90, ACTING AS A MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE BARRIER AND RAPID REDEVELOPMENT INCREASING DISPLACEMENT PRESSURES.
THE PLAN ENVISIONS A TRANSIT CENTER TO CONTINUE SUPPORT TRANSIT OPERATIONS WHILE ADDING AMENITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY, SUCH AS THE FUTURE BERGSTROM SPUR TRAIL MIXED INCOME HOUSING, ACTIVE STOREFRONTS, SMALL BUSINESSES AND WORKFORCE TRAINING SPACES, CAP METRO AMENITIES CENTER, AND ACCESS TO FIRST AND LAST MILE MICRO MOBILITY CONNECTIONS.
THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP PROPOSES HIGH DENSITY TOD MIXED USES ALONG SOUTH CONGRESS AND RAT LANE.
CURRENT INDUSTRIAL AREAS ARE MOSTLY DE DESIGNATED AS MIXED USE INDUSTRIAL AND NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSITION PROPERTIES ARE THOSE CLOSEST TO LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL.
BECAUSE BOTH STATION AREAS OVERLAP WITH EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS, IT IS NECESSARY TO AMEND UNDERLYING NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN FEATURE LAND USE MAPS IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY FUTURE CONFLICTS.
AS COMPANION ITEMS TO THE ADOPTION OF THE STATIONARY PLANS, WE ARE RECOMMENDING NINE RELATED AMENDMENTS TO NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, FUTURE LAND USE MAPS.
WE HAVE MAILED OUT REQUIRED PUBLIC NOTICES TO IMPACTED PROPERTIES AND NEIGHBOR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND ALSO HOSTED VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS ON THOSE AMENDMENTS ON MARCH 4TH AND FIFTH.
INCLUDED IN YOUR BACKUP, YOU WILL FIND A DOCUMENT THAT INCLUDES THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS, AND ALSO THE GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE PROVIDED TO US ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ON MARCH 22ND.
WE ARE NOW BRINGING FORWARD A TOTAL OF 12 RELATED
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ITEMS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION, INCLUDING THE NORTHERN MARCH TRANSIT CENTER AND CELL CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATIONARY VISION PLANS, ALSO NINE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENTS AND ONE CODE AMENDMENT.THE CODE AMENDMENT WILL ESTABLISH THE REGULATIONS AND AMENDMENT PROCESS FOR THE STATIONARY PLANS SHOULD THEY GET ADOPTED.
THIS CODE AMENDMENT WILL ENSURE THAT THE PROCESS FOR AMENDING THIS NEW TYPE OF PLAN IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN AMENDMENT PROCESS AND THAT THE PUBLIC RECEIVES ADEQUATE PUBLIC NOTICE AND CAN PARTICIPATE IN A COMMUNITY MEETING FOR FUTURE CHANGES TO THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP.
THE NOR LAMAR AND SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER STATIONARY VISION PLANS WILL BECOME PART OF THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN AND WILL GUIDE FUTURE REGULATIONS, INVESTMENTS, AND PROGRAMS IN THESE AREAS.
ONCE THESE PLANS ARE ADOPTED, PROPERTY OWNERS WILL BE ABLE TO REQUEST PROPERTY SPECIFIC REZONINGS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE NEW LUMS. IN ADDITION, CAP METRO WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON DESIGN AND REDEVELOPMENT OF THEIR TRANSIT CENTER SITES WITH THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AS THE STARTING PLACE IN THE SHORT TERM CITY STAFF WILL ALSO WORK TO PROCESS AN AMENDMENT TO THE A-A-S-M-P TO INCLUDE THE NEW CONNECTIVITY RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND WE ANTICIPATE BRINGING BACK CITY INITIATED REZONINGS ONCE WE ARE DONE CREATING NEW ZONING TOOLS, INCLUDING PHASE TWO OF THE ETOD OVERLAY.
LAYERED ONTO THESE CHANGES WILL BE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMATIC INVESTMENTS AND INVESTMENTS IN SUBSIDIZED AFFORDABLE HOUSING BEING COORDINATED BY OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLANS AND PLANNING PROCESS CAN BE FOUND ON THE CITY SPEAKUP WEBSITE.
THE PROPOSED ITEMS ARE THE RESULT OF WIDE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS AND CAP METRO AND REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARDS CREATING MORE EQUITABLE, CONNECTED AND VIBRANT COMMUNITIES AROUND THE TRANSIT STATIONS.
WE BELIEVE THAT THESE PLANS OFFER A CLEAR PATH FORWARD TO HELP US REALIZE THE FULL POTENTIAL OVER TRANSIT INVESTMENTS AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND LOOK, WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUE, UM, THIS CONVERSATION AND YOUR FEEDBACK AS THESE PLANS MOVE TOWARDS ADOPTION.
AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME OR I'M OR MEMBERS, UH, QUESTIONS ON THE, EITHER THE SOUTH CONGRESS OR NORTH LAMARR COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL.
THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA AND THANKS FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS MAINLY RE REGARDING THE NORTH LAMARR TRANSIT CENTER.
UM, AND I FIRST OF ALL WANNA THANK COUNCIL MEMBER VELAS TEAM FOR, FOR LEADING ON THIS.
THIS IS PRIMARILY IMPACTING DISTRICT FOUR, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, PARTS OF DISTRICT SEVEN ON THE CRESTVIEW SIDE, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE GOOD ACCESS TO THIS, THIS, UH, GROWING CENTER.
AND SO, UM, IF YOU COULD SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE PLANS FOR CONNECTIVITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THERE SEEM TO BE GOALS BASED ON THE WORKING GROUP AMENDMENTS TO IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY.
AND IN PARTICULAR, I'M THINKING ABOUT IF, UM, SOMEONE'S AT THE CRESTVIEW RAIL STATION, FOR EXAMPLE, AND WANTS TO GET UP TO THE TRANSIT CENTER, UM, HOW ARE WE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE GOING UNDER 180 3, UH, WHERE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF GOOD PEDESTRIAN ACCESS, BIKE ACCESS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, UH, TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS PLAN TO MAKE THAT A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR, FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSIT USERS? YEAH.
UH, THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE HEARD OVER AND OVER THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
UM, AND IT IS ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS OF THIS PLAN TO ENSURE THAT, UH, TRANSIT RIDERS AND EVERYONE THAT LIVES AROUND THE AREA ARE ABLE TO ACCESS BOTH TRANSIT CENTERS, UH, OR BOTH, UH, CAB METRO STATIONS.
UM, WE HAVE INCLUDED RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE PLAN THAT TALK ABOUT SAFETY AND CONNECTIVITY.
WE HAVE A CONNECTIVITY MAP, UH, THAT ADDRESSES, UH, SOME OF THESE ISSUES.
UM, UH, IN TERMS OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN PART OF US, 180 3 TO THE NORTHERN END WITH THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER IS LOCATED, WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THE POWER LANE EXTENSION, UM, CROSSES, CROSSES, UM, 180 3 AND CONNECTS TO ANDERSON LANE IN A SAFE WAY.
SO WE HAVE BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS BOTH IN OUR PLAN AND THAT IT'S ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED IN THEIR FUTURE WORK.
UM, AND IS STREET LIGHTING ALSO PART OF WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT? UM, YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS LIKE WALKED THIS ROUTE MYSELF, IT'S UH, IT CAN BE A LITTLE SKETCHY AT NIGHT AND I KNOW RESIDENTS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT STREET SAFETY, UH, BOTH DURING THE DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME.
SO IS THAT PART OF THE PLAN AS FAR AS YOU KNOW? UM, WE HAVE INCLUDED RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, UH, THAT CALL OUT FOR SAFETY, UH, MEASURES.
UM, SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THE NOR LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, UH, CAB METRO WILL BE NEGOTIATING DIFFERENT AMENITIES WITHIN
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THE TRANSIT CENTER TO MAKE SURE THAT IT, UM, THAT IT PROVIDES A SAFE PLACE FOR ALL TRANSIT RIDERS, UH, THAT ARE TRAVELING TO THE, THE SITE.AND DO YOU KNOW IF THAT'S PART OF THE PLAN? LIKE IF WE'RE THINKING ABOUT A, A PEDESTRIAN THAT'S COMING FROM THE TRAIN STATION AND WALKING UP TO THE BUS STATION, DO YOU KNOW IF IF LIGHTING IS ALSO A PART OF OUR, OUR PLAN THERE? I BELIEVE THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD STAY WITHIN, UM, THEIR PROPERTY, THE PROPERTY THAT THEY OWN AND OPERATE.
UM, BUT I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF SOME OF THE FUTURE ZONING TOOLS, WE ARE THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENT CONCESSIONS, UH, THAT COULD BE, UM, INCORPORATED.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN EXCHANGE FOR DENSITY THERE COULD BE POTENTIALLY, UH, SOME INVESTMENTS THAT COULD ADD SAFETY TO THE STREET.
SO THAT IS, UM, POTENTIALLY SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS IN THE WORKS AND TO BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE SOME OF THOSE, UM, STREETS, UM, UH, ENHANCEMENTS.
AND THAT KIND OF GETS TO MY LAST QUESTION, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, I GUESS THE RESPONSIBILITY OR THE DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN CAP METRO AND THE CITY, BECAUSE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY THEIR SITE.
I GUESS THEY'RE THE, THE LEAD DEVELOPERS, SO TO SPEAK.
WHO DOES BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACCESS AND MOBILITY ULTIMATELY? IS THAT JUST AN ONGOING NEGOTIATION WITHIN THE CAP METRO SITE? UH, AND WELL ALSO CONNECTIVITY TO THE SITE.
UM, WELL, THERE'S LIKE A TWO PART IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WHEN IT COMES TO THIS NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER STATION AREA.
WE HAVE THE PARCEL THAT IS ON AND OPERATED BY CAB METRO AND THEY WILL BE, UM, WORKING WITH A CONSULTANT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT AGAIN, THEY PROVIDE, UM, AMENITIES FOR THE PUBLIC THAT INCREASE SAFETY.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE TRANSIT CENTER, THAT WILL BE, UM, A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN, UH, THE CITY TRYING TO PUT SOME OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS, UM, BUT ALSO PROPERTY OWNERS, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THEY FOLLOW SOME OF THE GUIDELINES.
THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID RECOMMEND THAT WE, UM, LOOK AT THE URBAN GUIDELINES TO ENSURE THAT, UM, SOME OF THESE, UM, THAT THE URBAN FORM IS SOMETHING THAT IS SAFE AND COMFORTABLE FOR PEDESTRIANS.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, BUT IT WOULD BE PROPERTY OWNERS, THE CITY THROUGH DIFFERENT INVESTMENTS AND PROGRAMS. UM, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE CAD METRO SIDE, IT WILL BE CAD METRO.
SO I, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, WHAT'S KIND OF THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO, YOU KNOW, IMPACT THIS PROCESS TO, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT THE PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE, THE BICYCLE EXPERIENCE, UH, GETTING TO THE TRANSIT CENTER? UM, I THINK, UH, WE, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF VERY GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE PLAN THAT TALK ABOUT, UH, THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE MOST NEEDED.
SO I DO THINK THAT, UH, WE HAVE COMPILED SOME OF THOSE, UM, CONCERNS THAT THE PUBLIC HAS WHEN TRAVELING THROUGH THE SITE.
UM, SO I, I WOULD DEFINITELY START WITH, UH, THE, THAT LIST OF, UH, RECOMMENDED, UM, INITIATIVES AND THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE DISCUSSED AT THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE OR, OR WHEN WOULD, WHEN WILL THIS GET HASHED OUT, IS WHAT I'M SAYING? YEAH.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, SIEGEL, UH, ANY, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, MY QUESTIONS ARE JUST REALLY BASIC QUESTIONS.
I THINK ABOUT THE, SOME TERMS IN THE PRESENTATION I WAS NOT CLEAR ON.
UM, AND TO START WITH, I'M CURIOUS, THERE'S, THIS IS RELATED TO ONE OF THE AMENDMENTS.
WHAT IS A AUTO ORIENTED USE? I THINK WITH, WHEN PLANNING COMMISSION, UM, RECOMMENDED THAT WE ADDED THAT LANGUAGE, UM, WHAT THEY WERE THINKING IS, UM, UH, AUTO REPAIR SHOPS, AUTO SALES, THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE USES THAT ARE MORE SUPPORTIVE OF TRANSIT.
SO WHILE THE PLAN DOES NOT CONTROL ZONING, AND WE CANNOT, UM, PROHIBIT ANY USES, WE DID INCLUDE LANGUAGE THAT, UH, IS IN RESPONSE TO PLANNING COMMISSIONS' CONCERN, SAYING THAT WE DO NOT, UM, LIKE CONSIDER RECONSIDER REZONING TO ANYTHING THAT'S NOT TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE.
UH, SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, THAT'S, UM, THAT'S A LIMITATION, THE ZONING FOR THE KIND OF USE CASES YOU'D HAVE THAT COULD BE SUPPORTING AUTOMOTIVE RELATED BUSINESSES.
STEVIE GREATHOUSE, DIVISION MANAGER PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
SO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UM, MODIFICATION, PARTICULARLY RELATED TO AUTO ORIENTED USES SPECIFIED THE LIST OF USES THAT IS IN THE CURRENT EOD OVERLAY.
UM, THAT IS IN THE CODE THAT HAS A SPECIFIC LIST OF PROHIBITED AUTO ORIENTED USES.
UM, AND PLANNING COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION, UM, WAS REALLY A, THE, THE PLAN ITSELF IS A LAND USE GUIDE.
IT'S NOT A REGULATORY DOCUMENT IN THAT SENSE.
UM, SO STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION FOR HOW TO ADDRESS THAT USE IS TO PLACE A, A NOTE ON THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP INDICATING THAT AUTO
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PROHIBITION OF AUTO ORIENTED USES, INCLUDING THE LIST OF USES THAT WERE PROHIBITED BY THE E TODD OVERLAY PHASE ONE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED, UM, AS FOLKS REZONE INTO DIFFERENT ZONING UNDER THAT FUTURE LAND USE MAP.SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED THROUGH THE REZONING PROCESS, NOT SOMETHING THAT THIS PLAN WOULD BE APPLYING AS A PROHIBITION.
THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
I'M JUST CURIOUS, ANY SIMILAR PROJECTS WE CAN LOOK AT TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF THE MIX OF WHAT THE MIXED INCOME HOUSING IS GONNA LOOK LIKE? UM, I THINK WE, WE HAVE, UM, SEVERAL EXAMPLES WHEN IT COMES TO TOD SITES.
UM, LIKE THE PLAZA SALTILLO, UM, WE, WE INCLUDED SOME RENDERINGS OF WHAT THE SITE COULD LOOK LIKE, THE CAB METRO SITE COULD LOOK LIKE WHEN REDEVELOPED.
UM, BUT CAB METRO WILL BE CONDUCTING ITS OWN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DESIGN PROCESS BASED ON THESE ELEMENTS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS EXPRESSED THEY WOULD WANNA SEE.
UH, BUT IN TERMS OF THE MAKEUP BETWEEN, UH, I'M REALLY FOCUSED ON SORT OF THE MAKEUP BETWEEN SAY, MARKET RATE UNITS THAT ARE MAYBE ALIGNED TO THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD OR GEOGRAPHY OR CENSUS TRACT OR WHATEVER YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE BASING OFF OF VERSUS, UM, YOU KNOW, SUBSIDIZED UNITS.
IS THERE ANY COMPARABLE, COMPARABLE PLACE I COULD LOOK AT? WOULD THAT BE PLAZA SALTILLO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? THE GREATHOUSE, AGAIN, I THINK THERE THE INTENTION IS TO DO BETTER THAN PLAZA SALTILLO PLAZA SALTILLO HAS OFTEN BEEN PRESENTED AS, UM, A FANTASTIC PROJECT, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO BETTER IN TERMS OF THE LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY ON THE SITE.
UM, SO I THINK THE, THE GOAL IS TO DO, TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT'S BEEN PROVIDED AT PLAZA SALTILLO FOR THE CAT METRO SITE SPECIFICALLY.
UM, THEY HAVE NOT GOTTEN FAR ENOUGH INTO THE MARKET ANALYSIS AND DESIGNED TO BE ABLE TO COMMIT TO A SPECIFIC NUMBER, OTHERWISE WE WOULD'VE ACTUALLY INDICATED A NUMBER IN THE PLAN WAS THE, THE GOAL.
UM, BUT WE'LL BE SORT OF REPORTING, WE'LL BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK ON IMPLEMENTATION WHEN THEY GET TO THE PLACE WHERE THEY CAN COMMIT TO THAT NUMBER.
ANY SENSE OF THE TIMELINE ON THAT? UM, THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF KIND OF SOLICITING THE CONSULTANT TEAM TO START PROVIDING THEM WITH GUIDANCE ON HOW TO DO THESE DEALS.
UM, I THINK ACTUALLY GETTING TO A PLACE WHERE WE'VE GOT A, A TEAM ON BOARD AT CAP METRO THAT'S HELPING THEM REDESIGN THE SITE, UM, WE'VE GOT IT'S A WAYS OUT.
THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
UH, AND THE LAST QUESTION I'VE GOT IS, I SAW THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE PLACES HERE ON SOME OF THE AMENDMENTS WHERE STAFF DID NOT SUPPORT, UM, THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT CAME TO NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSITIONS.
UH, CAN YOU EXPAND ON WHAT THAT WAS ABOUT? SURE.
THE PLANNING COMMISSION INCLUDED SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS WHERE THEY THOUGHT THAT OUR PROPOSED FUTURE LAND USE MAP SHOULD HAVE GONE A LITTLE FARTHER GEOGRAPHICALLY.
UM, WE DEVELOPED A MAP THAT IS VERY FOCUSED ON KIND OF THE EXISTING GRAYFIELD DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE TRANSIT CENTER, UM, INCLUDING EXISTING COMMERCIAL, UM, PROPERTIES PRIMARILY AND PLANNING COMMISSION AND SOME STAKEHOLDERS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS REALLY FELT THAT WE SHOULD BE MORE AMBITIOUS, UM, AND THAT WE SHOULD EXPAND KIND OF THE BOUNDARIES OUT TO THE FULL HALF MILE OR EVEN SLIGHTLY BEHIND BEYOND IT IN SOME CASES.
UM, AND STAFF, UH, DREW THOSE BOUNDARIES FAIRLY DELIBERATELY AND DON'T RECOMMEND, UH, EXPANSION AS PART OF THIS PROCESS.
SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE RENO, IT'S ABOUT ACTUALLY THE GEOGRAPHY OF WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THERE.
IT WOULD, IT WOULD A, IT WOULD REQUIRE RENO, UM, CERTAINLY COUNCIL, UM, IF IT'S THE WILL, THE COUNCIL COULD DIRECT THAT RENO AND DIRECT THAT PROCESS TO HAPPEN AND WE WOULD, UM, MAKE IT HAPPEN.
BUT FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE, BASED ON THE EXPERTISE THAT WENT INTO DEVELOPING THE PLAN, THE FOCUS WAS ON THE KIND OF GRAY FIELD DEVELOPMENT WITH LARGER SITES THAT ARE LIKELY TO REDEVELOP.
UM, RATHER THAN TRYING TO EXPAND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP, UM, FAR INTO AN AREA THAT HAS FAIRLY SMALL, DIFFICULT TO ASSEMBLE LOTS.
UH, AND I THINK MY LAST QUESTION WAS, WE SAID THAT THERE WAS, UM, UH, LEMME GO BACK TO THE MAP HERE IN THE, IN THE MIXED USED AREAS, UH, AROUND BOTH OF THE STATIONS.
I THINK YOU SAID THAT THE, UM, THAT AREA WAS, THERE WERE CONCERNS AROUND RESIDENTIAL DISPLACEMENT PRESSURES, AND THIS WOULD BE MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL.
UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, UH, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT, UH, LIKE FIVE TO 16 UNITS OR HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT MIXED RESIDENTIAL MEANS IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE AND HOW THAT TRANSITIONS OVER INTO WHAT PRESUMABLY OUR SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE BOUNDARIES THAT I ASSUME YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT YOU, UM, CONSTRAINED
[00:30:01]
BASED ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS? YEAH, SO THERE'S, IN TERMS OF WHICH ZONES ARE CONSISTENT WITH WHICH FESTER LAND USE MAP DESIGNATIONS IN THE PLANS THEMSELVES, UM, THERE IS A TABLE THAT LISTS SPECIFIC ZONES THAT ARE CONSISTENT.AND THE TRANSITION ZONE, UM, INCLUDES, UH, SORT OF LOAD HIGHER INTENSITY MULTIFAMILY ZONES.
SO ALL OF THE MF ZONE, WHICH ITS AT MF FOUR, IT STOPS AT MF FOUR AND ABOVE.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT AFFORDABILITY REQUIREMENTS.
I, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW SOME OF THOSE HAD NOT BEEN SET YET, BUT WOULD IT INDEED BE REQUIRED TO BE ON SITE OR IS THERE A CONVERSATION AROUND FEE AND LIE? AND I'M ASKING THIS BECAUSE OF THE MENTION OF THE TIO PROJECT, UM, AND I KNOW THAT THAT WAS BUILT OUT BEFORE I TOOK THE DAIS.
AND SO WE ENDED UP WITH A COUPLE OF MOMENTS WHERE PEOPLE CAME TO CITY COUNCIL AND SAID, WE'RE ACTUALLY NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BUILD THE AFFORDABLE UNITS ON SITE.
CAN WE GET THE WAIVER FROM COUNCIL TO DO FEE IN LIE? CAN YOU TALK THROUGH SOME OF THAT PROCESS WITH ME? YEAH, SO IT'S TWO FAIRLY DISTINCT THINGS.
ONE IS THE CAP METRO OWNED SITE WHERE CAP METRO ACTUALLY WILL HAVE LEVERAGE IN THE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR LAND TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS ON THAT SITE.
AND THAT WAS WHAT I WAS, UM, SPEAKING OF WHEN I SAID WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY UNITS BECAUSE THAT DEPENDS ON THE, THE REAL ESTATE DEAL THAT CAP METRO IS GONNA BE ABLE TO STRIKE TO MAKE FUTURE USE OF THAT SITE AND MAKE IT MAKE SENSE FINANCIALLY.
UM, BUT THE OTHER PIECE IS THE REGULATORY PIECE AND THE PRIVATE OWNED PROPERTY IN THE, IN THE AREAS.
UM, SO THE RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD DO A CITY INITIATED REZONING TO APPLY THE EAD PHASE TWO OVERLAY, IF THAT ENDS UP BEING CREATED AS A TOOL THAT MAKES SENSE.
UM, AND THAT TOOL WOULD HAVE SET SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO ONSITE AFFORDABILITY IF FOLKS OPT INTO THAT BONUS.
UM, THAT TOOL HAS NOT BEEN CREATED YET.
THIS BODY WILL BE, UM, HELPING US TO CREATE THAT TOOL AND SET WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE.
UM, PHASE ONE OF THE EO OVERLAY ALONG THE LIGHT RAIL LINE, UM, DOES HAVE A REQUIREMENT.
UM, IT'S SET AT SORT OF 60% MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME.
THE PERCENTAGES VARY DEPENDING ON THE BUILDING HEIGHT.
UM, AND THE, THE RENTAL UNITS ARE REQUIRED TO BE, UM, ON SITE AFFORDABILITY WITH THE OWNERSHIP UNITS BEING ABLE TO BE PAID FEE IN LIEU, UM, AS LONG AS IT'S REINVESTED ALONG THE TRANSIT LINE.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW E PHASE ONE WORKS.
UM, THIS BODY WILL REALLY HELP US DETERMINE WHETHER THAT'S ALSO GONNA BE HOW E TODD PHASE TWO DENSITY BONUS WORKS, AND THAT WOULD BE THE PRIMARY TOOL THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE USED IN THESE AREAS.
THAT'S, THAT'S HELPFUL CONTEXT THERE.
AND THEN I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT WALKABLE FIRST OR SECOND FLOOR.
UM, AS WE TALK THROUGH SOME OF THESE, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR TRANSIT LINES IN PARTICULAR HAVE THAT WALKABLE FIRST FLOOR.
UM, BUT AS OUR CITY CONTINUES TO GROW, I THINK THERE'S A BENEFIT TO TRYING TO ALSO MAKE THE SECOND FLOOR SOMEWHAT WALKABLE, LIKE DOCTOR'S OFFICES, GYMS, THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE PEOPLE KNOW WHERE TO FIND THEM, BUT TRYING TO CREATE THESE COHESIVE, YOU KNOW, LAND USE MAPS THAT ACTUALLY GIVE PEOPLE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT THEY MIGHT NEED.
UM, IS THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WILL HAPPEN LATER AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME? IT HASN'T SPECIFICALLY BEEN PART OF THIS CONVERSATION.
I WILL SAY THE CONVERSATION AROUND USE PROHIBITION WOULD DEFINITELY, UM, IF IF WE HAD A USE PROHIBITION THAT APPLIED TO A LOT, IT POTENTIALLY COULD PROHIBIT SOME OF THE USES THAT WOULD BE OF CONCERN TO NOT BEING PEDESTRIAN ORIENTED USES.
UM, THE, THE REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO THE, THE SORT OF RETAIL FRONTAGE IS A 75% FRONTAGE REQUIREMENT, UM, FOR ACTIVE USES.
THAT IS JUST A FIRST FLOOR REQUIREMENT AND NOT A SECOND FLOOR REQUIREMENT.
BUT I, IF I'M HEARING YOU CORRECT, COUNCIL MEMBER, WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO IS REALLY KIND OF THE USES AND PEOPLE COMING AND GOING TO GET TO THE SECOND FLOOR OR THE DESIGN, LIKE, I GUESS THAT'S THE, I GUESS IT'S A BIT OF DESIGN BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T SIT HERE AND SAY THIS HAS TO BE A DOCTOR'S OFFICE, FOR INSTANCE.
UM, BUT MAKING SURE THERE'S A LOT OF RETAIL SPACES, I THINK ALL OVER TOWN THAT ARE ACTUALLY UTILIZING THE FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR.
SO I THINK MAKING THOSE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE IS HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY WHERE WE GET ADDITIONAL HEIGHT IN THOSE BUILDINGS.
WHEN I SEE THINGS THAT ARE ON TRANSIT AND THEY'RE 10 STORIES OR HIGHER, IT SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, AT THAT POINT THEY'RE USING STEEL INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BUILDING AND HOW DO, HOW DO WE KIND OF INCENTIVIZE MORE WALKABILITY BY LEVERAGING THAT SECOND FLOOR AS WELL? YEAH, AND I WOULD SAY THERE'S PROBABLY SOME OPPORTUNITY WITHIN THIS PLAN TO LOOK AT THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SEE IF THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO ADD TO SORT OF CONTINUE TO CON CONSIDER THAT, UM, SINCE THE PLAN IS A VISION PLAN AND
[00:35:01]
NOT REGULATORY, THE PLACE THAT THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE IMPLEMENTED WOULD BE THROUGH REGULATIONS THAT WOULD COME LATER, UM, IN KIND, IN TERMS OF PROBABLY HOW WE DEFINE THE E TODD OVERLAY PHASE TWO.UM, BUT THAT SEEMS LIKE A TOPIC THAT COULD CERTAINLY BE A SUGGESTED AMENDMENT TO THE PLAN DOCUMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT IT.
'CAUSE I KNOW SOME OF THIS IS WHAT AUTHORITY DO WE HAVE IN OUR REGULATORY SPACE VERSUS WHAT DOES THE BUILDER ACTUALLY WANT TO BUILD AND WHAT IS THEIR VISION FOR THAT PLAN? BUT I'M TRYING TO LOOK FOR ANY TOOLS ALONG THE WAY TO HELP US GET TO THAT MAXIMUM, UM, THAT MAXIMUM WALKABILITY.
AND THE MORE I RESEARCH CONVERSATIONS AROUND FOLKS THAT DAISY CHAIN THEIR TRIPS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PICKING ONE KID UP FROM SCHOOL, ANOTHER FROM DAYCARE, TRYING TO GET A FEW GROCERY ITEMS ON THEIR WAY HOME.
HOW DO WE REALLY MAKE ALL OF THOSE POSSIBLE, UM, OR AT THE VERY LEAST NOT HINDER, UM, THAT FOLKS HAVE THAT NEED AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR, OUR TRANSIT STATIONS ARE CONDUCIVE TO THAT TYPE OF USE.
UM, MY LAST QUESTION WILL BE ABOUT THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS.
ARE THERE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS? IT SEEMS LIKE THERE WERE PROBABLY ABOUT 10, UH, THAT WERE PRESENTED TO US.
IS THAT THE COMPREHENSIVE LIST? IT IS.
IT MEANS THERE'S GOOD INFORMATION BEING PRESENTED AND THAT WHEN THEY GET, WHEN IT GETS TO PLANNING COMMISSION, THERE'S, THERE'S FEW ADJUSTMENTS AND, AND ASKS THAT CAN BE ADDED INTO THAT LIST.
SO I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MILLER, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
UM, I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND NOW I DON'T
UM, BUT WE SUBSEQUENTLY HAD AN EXCHANGE THAT LEFT ME NEAR THE TRANSIT CENTER.
SO I CAN SAY AS A NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER USER, I WAS EMANCIPATED AT 15.
I LIVED AT THAT TRANSIT CENTER.
I MEAN, EVERYWHERE I HAD TO GO, STARTED AT NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, EVERYTHING THAT'S ACCESSIBLE FROM A, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER.
SIEGEL TOUCHED ON THE LIGHTING, EVERYTHING THAT'S ACCESSIBLE FROM THE PROJECTS ON LAMAR TO THE LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER.
NO, LIKE ZERO, LIKE THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S USER FRIENDLY.
BUT THEN IF YOU LOOK AT IT FROM THE OTHER ANGLE GOING NORTHBOUND ON 83 FROM THE LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, WE HAVE ALL THOSE BUSINESSES.
AND IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME WHEN COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL WAS ASKING THE QUESTION ABOUT LIGHTING AND AS OPPOSED TO HAVING CAP METRO OR THE CITY OR ANYBODY ELSE INSTALL INFRASTRUCTURE, IT OCCURRED TO ME, ARE WE WORKING WITH THOSE WHEN THAT UBER, I SWEAR TO GOD, I JUST CRACKED A JOKE.
I SAID, I HOPE THIS RIDE IS FREE WHEN I HELP YOU LOCK.
HE LEFT ME THERE ON THE, UM, THE TIRE SHOP THAT HE LEFT ME AT.
NO LIGHTS, THE TACO, NO LIGHTS, THE NO LIGHTS, NO LIGHTS, NO LIGHTS.
AND THEN EVERYTHING UNDER THE BRIDGE FROM A HOMELESS SERVICES PERSPECTIVE, HUGE ENCAMPMENT THERE FROM
AND THERE SHOULD BE, AS ANA MENTIONED, THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE PLAN THAT RELATE TO SORT OF PUBLIC SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS OF THE AREA, INCLUDING LIGHTING.
UM, THOSE, THE LIGHTING WOULD DEFINITELY OCCUR AS PART OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT OCCUR.
UM, THE TXDOT FACILITY AS YOU ME AS YOU MENTIONED THIS TEXT, SORRY, I JUST, I I, THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE, I, I MIGHT HAVE MADE THAT TOO BROAD WHEN I ARTICULATED THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE WAS, WOULD IT BENEFIT FOR US AS
AND, AND STATE MORE THAN A QUESTION, I'LL LEAVE IT.
UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS REALLY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, AND SO I DON'T HAVE PRETTY MUCH MORE IN REGARDS.
UM, IN WHICH CASE LAST, IT WAS ABOUT A QUARTER, I THINK IT WAS COUNCIL MEMBER THAT
[00:40:01]
TALKED ABOUT HOUSING AND STEVIE, YOU SAID WE COULD DO BETTER.AND THAT WAS A LITTLE AMBIGUOUS TO ME, IN WHICH CASE, IF WE CAN DO BETTER, THAT MEANS WE, THIS BODY, UM, CAN DO BETTER.
AND I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT IT IS THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE IT BETTER.
AND WHEN I WAS, SORRY, WHEN I USED THE, WE, I MEANT THIS COMMUNITY AND NOT NECESSARILY THIS BODY OR ME OR EVEN THE CITY.
UM, THAT WAS RELATED TO THE SALTILLO PROJECT AND THE WORK THAT CAP METRO DID WITH PUBLICLY OWNED LAND.
AND THAT PROJECT WAS SPECIFICALLY WHAT THAT COMMENT WAS DIRECTED.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THIS BODY CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE, BUT WE AND OUR PARTNERS AT CAP METRO AS PART OF THAT, WE RECOGNIZE, UM, THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO BETTER ON THESE TRANSIT CENTER SITES.
I APPRECIATE, AND I THINK YOU DID LIKE SORT OF BOOKEND IT WITH COMMENTARY ABOUT THE E TODD OVERLAY AND, AND HOW THAT'S APPLICABLE.
UM, AND SO THEN LASTLY, UM, I JUST KNOW LIKE WHAT ARE Y'ALL SEEING POSITIVES? LIKE WHAT IS SHOWING UP AS LIKE A REAL HOLY MOLY, WE GOT IT RIGHT? LIKE, WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS? I MEAN, WE WOULD NOT BE HERE RECOMMENDING THESE PLANS IF WE DIDN'T FIND THE ENTIRE PLANS POSITIVE.
I THINK FOR ME PERSONALLY, IT IS THE IDEA OF LEVERAGING METRO'S INVESTMENTS IN THEIR SITE IN CONCERT WITH REGULATIONS AND IN CONCERT WITH CITY INVESTMENTS AND HAVING ALL OF THOSE THINGS PUSHING IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
UM, AND THAT'S BIG AND THAT'S WHAT PLANNING'S ABOUT.
SORRY, I MEANT TO COUGH BEFORE I TURNED ON THE MIC.
UM, FIRST I, I REALLY WANNA COME IN THIS WORK.
UH, IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE A THOUGHTFUL PLANNING PROCESS AND ENSURE CONNECTIVITY AND THE VEIN THAT COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED AND THAT YOU ARE ALREADY WORKING ON, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UM, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A MAP THAT WILL SHOW THE STOPS ON THE TOTAL CON PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM.
AND YOU KNOW, THIS, THE EO IS FOCUSING ON CONNECTIVITY TO THAT TOTAL SYSTEM.
UM, I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN DIRECT ME TO A MAP THAT SHOWS EITHER NOW OR AS FOLLOW UP THE STOPS ON THE TOTAL CONNECT SYSTEM AND THEN ALSO THE CURRENT STOPS PLUS PROPOSED LIKE TWO DIFFERENT VISUALIZATIONS.
I HAVE AN EASIER ANSWER FOR THE FIRST THAN THE SECOND.
UM, SO THE TYPOLOGY MAP THAT, UM, YOU'LL FIND ON THE EAD WEBSITE IS THE, THE SORT OF CURRENT CONCEPTUAL LOCATION FOR STATIONS ON ALL OF THE PROJECT CONNECT INITIAL INVESTMENT.
AND SO THAT INCLUDES THE POTENTIAL LIGHT RAIL LINES AS WELL AS THE RAPID BUS.
SO I'M ON THE, ON THE WEBSITE, I BELIEVE, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT.
I GUESS I CAN SEARCH FOR TYPOLOGY MAP.
OR WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH A LINK FOR YOUR OFFICE ALSO.
UM, I'LL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND ASK THE OTHER QUESTIONS AS WELL AND THEN, UH, TRY LOOKING FOR THAT.
SO, UM, IT'S SO IMPORTANT, IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN EASY TO FOLLOW CONVERSATION WITH RESIDENTS ALL OVER THE CITY ABOUT HOW THEY CAN CONNECT TO THE PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM BECAUSE CITY AND CAP METRO FOCUS BEING VERY MUCH ON THAT SYSTEM.
UM, I REPRESENT THE NORTHERN SUBURBS AND THE NORTHWESTERN SUBURBS OF AUSTIN.
OUR NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS FARTHER FROM THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER THAN NORTH LAMAR IS FROM DOWNTOWN.
THE WESTERN BOUNDARY ALONG SIX 20 IS ALSO FARTHER FROM THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER THAN THE TRANSIT CENTER IS FROM DOWNTOWN IN MANY AREAS, INCLUDING SIGNIFICANTLY LOW INCOME AREAS, UM, AREAS WITH TARGET POPULATIONS LIKE SENIORS, YOUTH WHO ARE TRYING TO GET TO EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, THE A CC STUDENTS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS.
AS THINGS HAVE GOTTEN MORE EXPENSIVE, AS PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN DISPLACED OUT OF CENTRAL AUSTIN, THEY HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED AND ARE LIVING IN THESE OUTLYING AREAS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN EFFECTIVE CONVERSATION WITH RESIDENTS AND EVEN TO UNDER UNDERSTAND MYSELF, WHERE ARE THE EXISTING STOPS THAT CAN CONNECT INTO THAT PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM, WHAT IS PROPOSED THAT HAS A STOP, NOT JUST PASSES THROUGH FROM ANOTHER JURISDICTION OUTSIDE OF THE CITY AUSTIN, BUT WHERE THERE'S A STOP.
AND THAT WOULD FACILITATE NOT ONLY HELPING MY CONSTITUENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE AS, AS TRANSIT GOES AND HOW TO CONNECT IT WOULD ALSO FACILITATE CONVERSATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE IN PLACES LIKE THE CAMPO BOARD WITH, WITH CTMA,
[00:45:01]
ALL THE PLACES I GO IN MY TRAVELS TO TRY TO BUILD COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS.UM, AND SO I DEFINITELY WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT.
AND I, I SEE THAT EADS WERE ADOPTED AND THIS RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED IN 2023, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY RECENT.
UM, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE REDLINE STATIONS.
WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE THAT HAS SIGNIFICANT TRACKS OF LAND THAT ARE UNDER SINGLE OWNERSHIP, SERVING LOWER INCOME PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO CARS IN MANY CASES, AND LOTS OF CHALLENGES BY THE DISTANCE THAT AND TIME IT TAKES TO TRAVEL THROUGH ALL THESE AREAS.
UM, AND I I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO HAVE AN EFFECTIVE CONVERSATION WITH VISUALIZATION ABOUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY COMING AND PLANNED OR NOT TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO CONNECT EFFECTIVELY WITH THE EXISTING STOPS THAT WE HAVE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
AND I WILL SAY ON THE REDLINE STATION, UM, IT'S WORTH ALSO NOTING THAT THE REDLINE STATIONS ARE ABSOLUTELY PART OF THE TODD POLICY PLAN.
UM, AND PART OF THE THING THAT STAFF WILL BE DOING AS WE WRAP UP, WORK ON THESE TWO PLANNING EFFORTS AND MOVE INTO AN EAST RIVERSIDE UPDATE THAT'S KIND OF NEXT COMING IS FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR NEXT SLATE OF PROJECTS ARE BASED ON THE PRIORITIES LIKE PLANNING PROJECTS.
AND AS, SO THERE'S A POSSIBILITY TO PRIORITIZE THAT, THAT RED LINE STATION FOR PLANNING SERVICES.
AND AS I CAME INTO OFFICE FOUR MONTHS AGO, AT THAT POINT IN TIME, THERE WERE STILL SOME EXPRESS BUS ROUTES THAT WERE GOING TO BE COMING ONLINE IN RELATION TO PROJECT CONNECT AND THAT WORK, AND I BELIEVE THEY'RE ALREADY ONLINE.
UM, MOST THE CONNECTIONS FOR THESE OUTLYING AREAS TO THE STATIONS ARE, I HAVEN'T YET SEEN THAT AS PART OF THE EXPRESS BUS PLAN.
UM, AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON THAT I'M ALSO ASKING IS JUST TO HAVE CLARITY ON WHAT'S COMING, ESPECIALLY IN A TIME OF SUCH FISCAL CONSTRAINTS.
WHAT IS IT THAT'S, THAT IS PROJECT CONNECT.
UM, SO I THANK YOU FOR, UH, HELPING ME WITH THAT.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE QUESTION THAT YOU FIRST ASKED ABOUT THE TYPOLOGY MAP.
IT'S ACTUALLY IN OUR PRESENTATION TODAY AS WELL.
IS IT THIS MAP? THAT'S THE ONE.
IT'S A LITTLE, LITTLE SMALL, BUT THAT, THAT HAS ALL OF THE STATION PAIRS OKAY.
THAT ARE PART OF THE EXISTING PROJECT CONNECT INITIAL INVESTMENT SYSTEM.
SO I'LL KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT AND I'LL BE ABLE TO FIND, OKAY.
SO IT'S CURRENT AND IT INCLUDES EXPRESS BUS ROUTES THAT ARE PART OF THE PROJECT CONNECT PLANNING, BUT NOT PROPOSED.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THAT MAP IS NOT GONNA INCLUDE THE EXPRESS BUS ROUTES.
IT IS BECAUSE THE WORK THAT COUNCIL FOCUSES ON WITH APPROVAL OF THE UTAH POLICY PLAN IN 2023 IS METRO RAPID METRO RAIL, UM, AND URBAN RAIL, OR NOT URBAN RAIL, WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR? LIGHT RAIL
SO METRO RAPID BUS LINES ARE BUS LINES.
YEAH, WHATEVER BUS LINES ARE PART OF BUS, BUT NOT BUS, EX EXPRESS BUS ARE THE COMMUTER LINES THAT TYPICALLY JUST HAVE ONE STOP AT A COMMUTER STATION AND OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN.
THIS EFFORT IS FOCUSED ON THE, THE METRO RAPID LINES THAT HAVE MULTIPLE STOPS UP AND DOWN THE LINE.
SO THE METRO RAPID LINES ARE ON THIS MAP? THAT IS CORRECT.
THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING ME WITH THAT AND FOR ALSO THE FOLLOW UP.
UH, JUST FIND THIS TYPE OF, I REALLY DO HIGHLY VALUE THE EFFORT TO PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT HISTORICALLY BEEN PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS.
AND I AM SIMPLY CONCERNED THAT THE CITY GROWS SO FAST AND OUR PLANNING PROCESS DOESN'T ALWAYS CAPTURE WHERE THESE PEOPLE ARE NOW LIVING AND HAVE BEEN FOR SOME TIME AND, AND THEIR NEED FOR ACCESS RIGHT NOW.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT BRINGING THAT EFFORT TO OUR OUTLYING AREAS WILL BOOST THE GOALS OF PROJECT CONNECT TO INCREASED RIDERSHIP, BECAUSE AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, THE TRAFFIC OVER THAT DISTANCE THAT'S FARTHER FROM NORTH LAMAR FARTHER TO GET TO NORTH LAMAR IS MUCH WORSE.
ONCE YOU HIT THOSE AREAS, IT STARTS TO IMPROVE.
AND SO THE CONVERSION OF CARS IS MORE CHALLENGING AS PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THAT.
UM, THE 180 3 HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN KIND OF THE, THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN KIND OF URBAN AND SUBURBAN.
I THINK OUR, OUR URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES, UH, STOPPED THERE.
I BELIEVE THAT THE PARK, UH, FEES ALSO THAT'S, UH, SEEMS TO BE THE, THE MAJOR KIND OF TRANSITION POINT.
UH, IS THERE ANY THOUGHT OR WAS THAT, WAS THAT PART OF KIND OF THE, THE, THE THINKING AND, AND, AND LET ME, UH, KIND OF TRY TO CLARIFY THAT, THAT THAT QUESTION A LITTLE BIT.
UM, UH, WHILE I WOULD AGREE AS A GENERAL MATTER THAT 180 3 IS PROBABLY A GOOD SUBURBAN URBAN, UH, DISTINCTION THAT NORTH LAMAR IN PARTICULAR AND KIND OF THE AREA
[00:50:01]
SURROUNDING NORTH LAMAR ARE REALLY MORE URBAN IN KIND OF FORM AND FEEL THAN OTHER AREAS, UH, WITHIN THE, THE, THE AREA WITHIN THE, THE NORTH LAMAR, UH, UH, TRANSIT CENTER, KIND OF A PLANNING AREA.I DON'T KNOW, I WAS JUST CURIOUS, WAS THAT, UH, UH, DISCUSSED OR WAS THAT PART OF THE, THE, THE, THE, UH, UH, THE, THE, THE PH FLU CHANGE? I THINK IN GENERAL, NO, THIS, THIS WORK IS REALLY TAKING IT FROM A LENS OF HIGHER INTENSITY USES AND DEVELOPMENT THAT'S MORE URBAN IN NATURE ALONG OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM.
UM, AND I THINK THAT THE SORT OF GENERAL SPLIT BETWEEN URBAN AND SUBURBAN, UH, PARADIGM ON 180 3 STILL HOLDS TRUE FOR MORE CONVENTIONAL AREAS THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO RICH TRANSIT SERVICE.
BUT EVEN PLACES LIKE THE DOMAIN HAVE ALREADY KIND OF BLOWN THROUGH THAT A LITTLE BIT.
LIKE, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S NOT A WALL IN QUITE THE SAME SENSE THAT I, I COMPLETELY DESCRIBE IT AS THAT, THAT THAT KIND OF, THE, THE, WE DON'T HAVE AN NEAT LITTLE BOUNDARY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY THAT'S URBAN.
AND THEN THERE'S REALLY VERY PATCHES THAT ARE MUCH MORE URBAN INFORMED OUTSIDE OF KIND OF THE, THE, THE CENTRAL CORE OF, UH, OF THE CITY.
UH, AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL ASKED ABOUT IT, BUT I, I THINK IN, IN THE PROCESS, AND I KNOW I WAS AT ONE OF THE, UH, THE, THE, UH, UH, NORTH AUSTIN CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETINGS THAT Y'ALL PRESENTED AT A VERY WELL RECEIVED A, A PRESENTATION.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR OUTREACH, BUT YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, THE BIG, UH, CONCERNS, UH, IS THE, UM, UH, ACCESSIBILITY MOBILITY, THE, THE STREETS REALLY DO NOT, THERE'S A HUGE AREA, UH, I MEAN, HONESTLY, IF, IF YOU SEE THAT CIRCLE ON THE MAP, IT IS EXTREMELY DISCONNECTED.
UH, VERY DIFFICULT TO, UH, TRAVERSE IF, IF YOU'RE A PEDESTRIAN OR A BICYCLIST, EVEN IF YOU'RE IN A VEHICLE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING PROBABLY A MILE OUT OF YOUR WAY.
YOU KNOW, SOMETHING MIGHT BE A HALF MILE AWAY FROM YOU, BUT YOU, YOU END UP DRIVING A, A ONE AND A HALF MILES TO, UH, GET TO UH, UH, THE LOCATION.
HOW IS THIS, AND, AND I SAW ON SOME OF THAT WHERE Y'ALL WERE KIND OF DRAWING, UH, UH, UH, CONNECTIONS, YOU KNOW, STREET AND OTHER CONNECTIONS.
IS THAT PART OF, OF, OF THE, THE PLUM CHANGE, THE, THE KIND OF PROPOSED, UH, STREETS OR, OR IS THAT, YOU KNOW, A SMP STUFF THAT, THAT IS SEPARATE AND APART? IT'S BOTH.
SO THOSE PROPOSED STREET CONNECTIONS WOULD BE, ARE PART OF THE PLAN, WHICH WILL BE PART OF IMAGINE AUSTIN.
AND THEN AS AN INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION STEP, UM, WE WILL ALSO BE RECOMMENDING AMENDMENTS TO THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN BECAUSE THAT IS SORT OF THE COVERING GUT BODY THAT FOLKS LOOK TO FOR SUBDIVISION AND STREET CONNECTIVITY WORK FOR THE CITY.
SO THE, THE STREET, UH, EXTENSIONS ESSENTIALLY, I MEAN, I THINK ABOUT O GUADALUPE IN PARTICULAR IN THE NORTH SOUTH, UH, UH, AREA WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT STREET TO CONNECT TO 180 3 AND REALLY BEYOND 180 3.
UH, THOSE ARE, UH, DISCUSSED IN THE PLUM, BUT THE A SMP, THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN STILL NEEDS TO BE AMENDED TO REFLECT THOSE CORRECT.
SO THAT THEY MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING INCORPORATED INTO ALL OF THE PROCESSES THE CITY USES TO GET STRAIGHTS.
AND THEN LAST, UH, QUESTION AND, AND I, AGAIN, THIS MAY HAVE BEEN MENTIONED AT THE, AT THE NAKA MEETING THAT, THAT Y'ALL, UH, WERE AT, I, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT, UH, IN A GOOD CHUNK OF THAT AREA, THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AREA, I BELIEVE THAT THE LAST NEW MULTIFAMILY, OR THE LAST MULTIFAMILY CONSTRUCTION IN THAT AREA WAS LIKE IN 84, OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE, IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S REALLY BEEN NO NEW HOUSING STOCK.
IT, IT CAN, CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT OR DID I REMEMBER, DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY? THAT IS CORRECT.
I DON'T WANNA SAY THAT I KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, BUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO WHEN OUR CONSULTANT, OR WHEN CAP METROS CONSULTANT TEAM HAD DONE THE WORK, UM, THEY HAD PULLED THE RESEARCH TOGETHER AND THE, THE LAST MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT THAT HAD HAPPENED IN THE NORTH LAMARR HALF MILE CIRCLE WAS IN THE MID EIGHTIES.
YEAH, I MEAN, IT, IT'S, IT'S REALLY JUST THIS, IS THERE ANOTHER PART OF AUSTIN THAT YOU COULD SAY THAT, UH, FOR, I, I'M, I'M NOT SURE THERE IS.
UH, IT JUST GOES TO THE, I THINK TO THE AFFORDABILITY QUESTION AND TO THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOUSING, UH, IN THAT AREA.
UH, IT, IT, IT'S, UH, IT, IT'S A VERY, UM, IT A WORKING CLASS AREA THAT, THAT HAS A, A, A LONG AND, AND, AND, AND PROUD, UH, HISTORY.
UH, WE ULTIMATELY THOUGH WE DO NEED TO INCREASE THE AVAILABLE, UH, HOUSING STOCK IN, IN THAT AREA.
AGAIN, WITH AFFORDABILITY ABSOLUTELY IN MIND.
UH, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, AGING, UH, APARTMENTS.
I KNOW HAKA HAS SOME PROPERTIES AROUND THERE.
UM, AND SORRY, ONE MORE QUESTION.
JAMESTOWN PARK AND ANY FUTURE, UH, UH, AGAIN WITH, IS THAT OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF THE FLAME? I KNOW THAT'S GETTING INTO MORE KIND OF GRANULAR DETAIL THAT THE FLU DOESN'T REALLY GO INTO, BUT DO YOU KNOW THAT'S SPECIFIC ONE THAT IS OUTSIDE, THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE, THE, THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THE FLUB.
WELL, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT JAMESTOWN, AND THAT'S ANOTHER, ANOTHER CONCERN IN THE NORTHMORE TRANSIT, UH, CENTER AREA IS, UH, PARKS, IT'S A PARK DEFICIENT AREA.
[00:55:01]
A PLOT OF LAND THAT THE CITY OWNS.IT'S JUST AN, A VACANT, UH, FIELD RIGHT NOW.
BUT LOOK FORWARD TO DEVELOPING THAT, DEVELOPING THAT INTO A PARK, UH, AS SOON AS, UH, AS POSSIBLE.
ANYBODY ELSE? YEAH, COUNCILLOR SIEGEL.
AND, UH, JUST A BRIEF FOLLOW UP.
MY STAFF REMINDED ME I MISSED A QUESTION.
UM, UH, SO REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE CONTEXT AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER VELA FOR FLESHING SOME OF THAT OUT.
UM, SO WHAT'S NEXT? YOU KNOW, ASSUMING WE APPROVE THIS, UM, IF YOU COULD JUST GIVE A SENSE OF THE TIMELINE, YOU KNOW, FOR US TO WANNA WORK ON THESE MOBILITY THINGS, THE HOUSING ASPECTS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU COULD LAY OUT, YOU KNOW, THE TIMELINE MOVING FORWARD TO, UH, IMPLEMENT ALL THIS.
UH, WELL, LIKE WE MENTIONED, THERE'S MULTIPLE STEPS TO COMPLETING IMPLEMENTATION WITHIN THE TWO TRANSIT CENTERS.
UM, CAP METRO IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING THEIR POLICY PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY LOOK AT CONCESSION GUIDELINES AND THEY'RE, UM, ANALYZING DIFFERENT, UM, UH, SITES TO SEE WHICH TWO THEY WILL, UH, MOVE FORWARD WITH REDEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT IS WITHIN THE CAB METRO SITE.
THEN OUTSIDE OF THAT, THAT WILL BE, UH, PRIVATE PROPERTIES, UH, THAT WE HOPE, UH, GET INCENTIVIZED TO REDEVELOP IN THE WAY THAT THE, UH, TRANSIT CENTER IS CALLING FOR.
LIKE STEVIE MENTIONED, THERE'S DIFFERENT TOOLS THAT ARE, THAT ARE IN THE WORK, SUCH AS THE ETOD PHASE TWO OVERLAY.
UM, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT AS, UH, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WORKS WITH YOU THAT WE START TO, UH, UH, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CONCERNS ARE ADDRESSED SO THAT WE CAN BRING IT FORWARD AND THAT CAN INCENTIVIZE SOME OF THE REDEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA.
I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT THE THINGS THAT THIS DIOCESE WILL PROBABLY SEE MOST SHORT TERM WILL BE THE AMENDMENT TO THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN.
CONTINUED WORK TO DEVELOP PHASE TWO OF THE EQUITABLE TOD OVERLAY TOOL.
AND THEN ONCE THIS PLAN IS ON THE BOOKS, YOU COULD START TO SEE INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY OWNERS BRING IN REZONING REQUESTS UNDER THE NEW FUTURE LANDUS MAP.
WELL, IT DIDN'T TAKE YOU LONG TO START LOOKING THE OTHER DIRECTION.
THIS, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, THE WORK THAT YOU'RE FOCUSING IN ON HERE, UM, AND THE LESSONS THAT ARE BEING LEARNED, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN, THOSE LESSONS CAN BE APPLIED OTHER PLACES AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
DID WANNA LET YOU KNOW, I HAVE SEARCHED ON TYPOLOGY MAP AND SEARCHED ALL THROUGH THAT SECTION.
I DON'T SEE ANY MAPS THAT LOOK LIKE THIS ONE.
UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT THERE IS A PUBLIC VIEW OF THAT ON THE WEBSITE.
UM, AND THE ONE THAT'S IN THE PRESENTATION STOPS AT PARMER AND WHERE IT CUTS ACROSS 35 AND MOPAC JUST WOULD LOVE TO SEE IN FUTURE PRESENTATIONS AT LEAST ONE, UM, CENTERING MAP THAT INCLUDES ALL OF AUSTIN OR THE ABILITY TO SEE THE PARTS IF IT'S A SYSTEM-WIDE CONNECTIONS ISSUE.
AND WE WILL FOLLOW UP AFTER TODAY'S MEETING, MAKE SURE YOUR OFFICE HAS A LINK TO THE MAP AND WHERE IT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE.
AND AS WE COME BACK FOR FUTURE PRESENTATIONS, WE'LL KEEP IN MIND TO HAVE AN UNCROPPED VERSION OF THE MAP.
OKAY, FOLKS, THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH, UH, APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE AND, AND THE PRESENTATION.
THANKS COUNCIL MEMBER VELA FOR, UM, COVERING WHILE I WAS OFF THE DI MEMBERS.
THAT CONCLUDES ITEM B TWO, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING ANYBODY WANTS TO SAY OR DO.
ANYTHING ELSE? MAYOR, WE DID NEED TO TRY TO TAKE THAT FIRST SPEAKER AGAIN FOR B TWO.
THEN IF WE'VE GOT, LET'S, LET'S DO IT.
HI, UH, IAN WILSON, DISTRICT THREE.
UH, I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT OUT TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EVENTS FOR THIS, AND I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING IT ONLINE AND THERE'S, IT'S ALWAYS INSPIRING TO SEE HOW HARD STAFF WORKS.
THEY'RE REALLY WONDERFUL TO INTERACT WITH, UH, AND JUST INSPIRES CONFIDENCE AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, SOME ELEMENTS OF THIS ARE REALLY, REALLY HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF, UM, AND UNDERSTAND AND CONVEY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE, WHO'VE ASKED YOU WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON OR WHAT, WHAT DO YOU GO TO TONIGHT? AND SO, LIKE IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION, THERE IS AN IMAGE OF A TRAIN ON THE COVER SLIDE.
THE TRAIN WILL NOT, THE, THE LIGHT RAIL IN THE FUTURE TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WILL NOT BE GOING TO THESE LOCATIONS, OR IT'S NOT ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
SO IT'S JUST, IT'S HARD TO CONVEY TO PEOPLE WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
SOME OF IT'S THE NAMING, SOME OF IT'S HOW THE CITY CHOOSES TO USE GRAPHICS.
UM, SO IT JUST WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU ALL WOULD KIND OF HELP US IN THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, WHAT, WHAT THIS IS DOING AND HOW TO CONVEY TO OTHER PEOPLE WHAT IT WILL BE GOING ON.
UM, AND THEN SECOND ITEM IS, IT'S REALLY HARD ALSO TO TRY AND KEEP UP WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT EADS, UM, AND WHAT IT WILL MEAN FOR THE DIFFERENT
[01:00:02]
PATH OR THE KIND OF THE DEVELOPMENT PATH FORWARD WITH THE CITY.UM, I KNOW THAT
AND I, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS ALL VERY COMPLICATED IN THE WEED STUFF, BUT IT'S JUST NOT EASY FOR, I THINK A LOT OF THE GENERAL COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS, HOW THIS IS PROGRESS AND HOW THEY SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
SO ANYTHING YOU ALL CAN DO TO HELP CONVEY THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE GETTING EXCITED AND SUPPORT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND THEN THE LAST THING IS DURING THE MEETINGS, UM, UH, AND YOU GUYS DISCUSSED THIS A BIT ALREADY, BUT ANY ACTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THE STATION AREA? THANK YOU, MR. WILSON.
I THINK REALLY, REALLY NEEDS TO BE SUPPORTIVE.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL B TWO SPEAKERS.
[B1. I-35 Cap and Stitch design and bond capacity update. [Kimberly Olivares, Director - Financial Services, Jim Dale, Assistant Director, Michelle Marx, Transportation Officer - Transportation and Public Works].]
WE'RE GONNA GO TO ITEM B ONE AND I'LL TURN TO THE MANAGER.UH, THIS PRESENTATION ON I 35, CAPTAIN STITCH, UH, IS AN UPDATE.
UM, THIS NEXT PRESENTATION IS AIMED TO PREPARE THE CITY COUNCIL FOR A FUNDING DECISION, UH, AND POINTS LATER.
UH, TWO EFFORTS, UH, FOR US TO CONSOLIDATE, UH, AND RECOMMEND AND SHARE OUR THOUGHTS ON THE FUNDING.
STAFF WILL PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE CITY'S FINANCIAL FITNESS, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON HOW THIS DECISION COULD AFFECT THE CAPACITY, UH, OF THE 2026 BOND PROGRAM AND A STAFF RECOMMENDATION BASED ON, UH, THESE DEBT CAPACITY ISSUES.
THIS BRIEFING WILL BE PROVIDED BY KIM OLIVARES, THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND MICHELLE MARKS, UH, AND THE TRANSPORTATION OFFICE, UH, AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC WORKS STAFF.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S MICHELLE.
SO KIM, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
KIMMEL LAVAR, DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL SERVICES.
UH, TODAY WE ARE HERE TO, UH, WELL, IN A PRIOR WORK SESSION, WE HAD COMMITTED TO COMING BACK TO Y'ALL WITH, UM, BETTER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR, OUR DEBT CAPACITY, UM, FOR THE ORGANIZATION.
BUT ALSO AT THAT PRIOR WORK SESSION, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO ROI, UM, AND REQUESTS MADE.
UH, SO WE DID A, UH, SOME SCRAMBLING TO, TO BE ABLE TO PULL THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER, UM, BETWEEN THEN AND NOW.
SO, UH, THE MAIN ROI, UH, REQUESTS WERE JUST TO DO, TO LOOK AT THE LAND VALUES VERSUS CONSTRUCTION COSTS.
ALSO LOOK AT REVENUE POTENTIAL, BOTH ON AND OFF CAP.
UM, THERE WAS ALSO A REQUEST FOR US TO DO A COMPARISON OF THE CAPITAL STACKS FOR OTHER HIGHWAY CAPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UM, THERE WAS ALSO A REQUEST FOR US TO LOOK AT HOW DALLAS HAD UTILIZED, UM, TAX EQUIPMENT, REINVESTMENT ZONES, AND PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS VALUE CAPTURE, UM, FOR THEIR CAPS VERSUS THE AU POTENTIAL.
UM, AND WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE OPPORTUNITY COST BECAUSE THERE WAS CONVERSATION ABOUT TRADE-OFFS.
UM, SO TO DO THAT WORK, WE ACTUALLY, WE CONTRACTED WITH HYATT BROWN, UH, TO COMPLETE THAT RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS.
SO I HAVE MARK GILBERT WITH ME TODAY TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THE RESULTS OF THAT, THAT RESEARCH, UM, AND ANALYSIS.
AND THEN WHEN HE FINISHES UP IS WHEN I WILL GO INTO WHERE THINGS STAND FROM A DEBT CAPACITY PERSPECTIVE.
SO I WILL HAND IT OVER TO MARK.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
UH, AS KIMBERLY MENTIONED, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GO OVER KIND OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF A RETURN ON INVESTMENT ANALYSIS AND ANSWERING SOME OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS WE RECEIVED FROM YOU ALL, UH, RELATED TO THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGHWAY CAPS IN AUSTIN.
SO, REALLY QUICKLY WANNA GO OVER THE METHODOLOGY OF THIS TYPE OF A RETURN ON INVESTMENT ANALYSIS.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE ESTIMATES OF POTENTIAL REVENUE TO THE CITY, TO THE CITY, SPECIFICALLY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO THOSE ESTIMATES ARE OF THE POTENTIAL REVENUE FROM INCREASED LAND VALUES AROUND THE CAPS.
THEY'RE FROM REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AROUND THE CAPS, AND THEN THEY'RE FROM POTENTIAL REVENUE SOURCES ON CAPS.
ONCE FUTURE, UH, BUILD OUT IS COMPLETE, UH, IT DOES CONSIDER THE CITY'S LIKELY CAPITAL COSTS, OPERATING COSTS AND FINANCING, UH, COSTS TO MAKE SURE IT'S THE FULL PICTURE.
BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT IT IS A, A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF ALL ECONOMIC IMPACTS.
IT DOES NOT ESTIMATE, UH, TAX BENEFITS TO OTHER TAXING ENTITIES OTHER THAN THE CITY.
UM, WE DON'T SPECULATE ON THE INDIRECT AND INDUCED EFFECTS FROM CAPS THAT CAN BE VERY COMPLICATED IN A, IN A BUSY URBAN DOWNTOWN.
AND WE, AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T ASSESS THE MANY, MANY QUA QUALITATIVE BENEFITS OF CAPS TO THE COMMUNITY THAT, UH, MANY ADVOCATES WOULD HAPPY HAPPILY DISCUSS FURTHER, FROM CONNECTIVITY TO RECREATIONAL SPACE, LOCAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, CONSTRUCTION JOBS, PUBLIC ART, MUSICAL AND PERFORMANCE VENUE OPPORTUNITIES, AND THEN OF COURSE SUPPORTING OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY.
SOME OF OUR KEY FINDINGS THAT WE'LL GO OVER IN THE, IN THE SUBSEQUENT SLIDES INCLUDE THAT LAND VALUES ARE NEGATIVE FOR ALL CAPS.
AND THIS IS, THIS IS OBVIOUS BECAUSE THE CONSTRUCTION
[01:05:01]
CAP, THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR CREATING LAND OVER THE HIGHWAY ARE GREATER THAN COMPARABLE LAND VALUES IN THE, ON THE SURROUNDING ADJACENT PARCELS.UM, CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR CAPS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN PURCHASING LAND ELSEWHERE ON TERRA FIRMA FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES.
UH, STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE COSTS, THESE ARE THE COSTS ANTICIPATED TO BE DELIVERED TO TDOT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, UM, ARE QUITE LARGE.
UM, AND AS SUCH, THEY EXCEED PROJECTED REVENUE TO THE CITY.
THEN WE DID LOOK AT ON CAP REVENUE POTENTIAL THROUGH COVE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
WE'LL GO THROUGH THAT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IT DOESN'T OFFSET THE COSTS.
THAT'S THE SAME TO BE SAID ABOUT OFF CAP REVENUE POTENTIAL.
UM, THERE ARE INCREASES TO LAND VALUES BASED ON RESEARCH THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO, UM, SUPPOSE, BUT THOSE DO NOT OFFSET CAP, UH, COSTS.
AND THEN IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE DOWNTOWN CAPS DO FARE BETTER FINANCIALLY THAN THE NORTHERN CAPS.
AS KIMBERLY MENTIONED, WE WERE GONNA GO THROUGH THE HIGHWAY CAP CAPITAL STACK, UH, DIFFERENCES, WE BELIEVE THESE SIX COMPLETED PROJECTS AS WELL AS SOUTHERN GATEWAY, WHICH IS NOT COMPLETE, BUT FIVE COMPLETED PROJECTS IN SOUTHERN GATEWAY REPRESENTED THE BEST EXAMPLES AND BENCHMARKS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S OPPORTUNITIES.
AND I THINK IT'S VERY NOTEWORTHY IN THIS BAR GRAPH THAT PRIVATE AND PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS ARE GENERALLY, UM, A, A GIANT PORTION OF THE CAPITAL STACK.
UM, STATE FUNDING HAS LARGELY BEEN, UM, A MAJOR SOURCE AS WELL IN BOTH COLORADO AND TEXAS.
UH, WE'VE GOT A COMPLETELY PRIVATELY DEBT SUPPORTED ONE IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND THEN OF COURSE, CITY AND COUNTY FUNDS.
THERE ARE CONTRIBUTIONS UP TO 25% OF TOTAL COSTS, BUT NEVER IN EXCESS THEREOF.
THIS IS THE, UH, A CHART OF HIGHWAY CAP COSTS THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO NOTE IN THE COLUMN.
CONSTRUCTION COSTS INCLUDE ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THROUGHOUT THEM, BUT WHAT'S NOTEWORTHY IS JUST THE COST PER SQUARE FOOT IN NET PRESENT VALUE.
UM, WE'RE NOT AN OUTLIER, BUT WE ARE OF COURSE, ON THE HIGH END, UH, WHICH SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISING GIVEN, GIVEN, UM, INFLATION AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS.
SO THE NEXT QUICK SECTION GOES OVER JUST THE CAP REVENUE POTENTIAL.
SO HOW CAN YOU MAKE MONEY ON THE CAP FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN? UH, WE HAD TO MAKE SOME CERTAIN KEY ASSUMPTIONS FOR THIS.
ONE WAS THAT THE CITY WOULD BE FUNDING THE, THE BASE INFRASTRUCTURE OF ONE, UH, PHASE ONE, TWO, AND THREE.
THAT WAS, UH, BASED ON SOME PARKS AND REC PRECEDENTS FOR PARK, UM, PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS, AS WELL AS, UH, THE NAE GRANT EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CAESAR CHAVE TO FOURTH CAP.
AND WE ASSUMED THAT THE CITY WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE ON THE HOOK FOR THAT STRUCTURAL O AND M COST, GIVEN ITS, UH, LEGAL AGREEMENT WITH TXDOT THAT FOLLOWS THE PRECEDENT WITH CLYDE WARREN PARK AS WELL.
UH, WE ASSUMED A CONSERVANCY WOULD SPRING INTO EXISTENCE TO, UH, FUND AND BUILD THE OUTDOOR AMENITIES IN WHAT'S CALLED PHASE FOUR AND THE BUILDINGS IN PHASE FIVES, UH, PHASE FIVE, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, FUNDRAISE AND SOLICIT FUNDS TO DO THAT.
UM, USE NAMING RIGHTS AND THINGS THAT WERE PROVIDED TO THE FOUNDATION TO SOLICIT FUNDS, AS WELL AS GENERATE ENOUGH ANNUAL REVENUE TO COVER THE ONGOING, UH, O AND M COSTS ON TOP OF THE CAP FOR WHATEVER AMENITIES THEY ULTIMATELY BUILT.
AND FINALLY, WE HAD A, A THIRD ASSUMPTION THAT DEVELOPERS, UM, WOULD BE WILLING TO, UH, ENTER INTO GROUND LEASES WITH THE CITY TO CONSTRUCT BUILDINGS FOR THE PURPOSES OF RETAIL, UM, AND THAT THOSE, THOSE FUNDS WOULD, WOULD MAKE THE BUILDINGS OCCUR AND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN O AND M ON THOSE BUILDINGS.
SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT WITH YOU ALL ARE THE CAP DEVELOPMENT LIMITATIONS.
I THINK ALL OF YOU ARE AWARE OF THEM, BUT JUST TO MAKE IT VERY EXPLICIT, UM, WE KNOW THE ROADWAY INFRASTRUCTURE TXDOT IS BUILDING WILL LIMIT US TO ESSENTIALLY TWO STORY BUILDINGS IN HEIGHT.
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY REASON TO, TO SEE THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS GOING AWAY RIGHT AWAY RELATED TO THE HIGHWAY, BUT AS WELL AS SOME IN EAST AUSTIN AND SOUTH AUSTIN, WHICH DO HAVE IMPACTS TO POTENTIAL, UH, SITE DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN THERE'S OUR PRECEDENCE REGARDING LEASE RESTRICTIONS.
UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT AIR RIGHTS AGREEMENTS BETWEEN TXDOT AND CAPS IN DALLAS, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO WE WOULD BE ANTICIPATING LIMITATIONS ON THAT AS WELL.
A FIF PERHAPS A 50 YEAR LEASE WITH SOME, UH, SOME EXTENSION OPTIONS.
UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU HAVE TO DECIDE IF, IF THAT, THAT WOULD BE CONVEYED OR DEMOLISHED AT THE END OF THE LEASE PERIOD.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING Y'ALL NEED TO CONSIDER.
AND THEN THE FUNDING IMPLICATIONS, THE SOURCE OF FUNDING THAT IS ULTIMATELY PROVIDED TO BUILD AND OR MAINTAIN THESE CAPS COULD LIMIT PRIVATE REVENUE GENERATION OPPORTUNITIES
[01:10:02]
TO ESTIMATE THE ON CAP VALUE, UH, REVENUE POTENTIAL.WE BUILT OUT ALMOST LIKE USING LEGOS, THE VISION PLANS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAD SUPPORTED TO COME UP WITH DIFFERENT, UM, FUNCTIONS AND SIZES OF THOSE FUNCTIONS.
COMMERCIAL SPACE, CULTURAL CENTERS, UH, A LOT OF OUTDOOR SPACES, RENTAL SPACES.
AND WE USED THIS TO GENERATE A POTENTIAL, UM, REVENUE SCENARIO.
AND SO THIS, THIS IS KIND OF A, A LEFT TO RIGHT READ OF EACH OF THE FIVE, UH, MAJOR CAP OPPORTUNITIES.
THE FIRST COLUMN OF CAPITAL COST, INCLUDING ALL THE COSTS WE'VE RECEIVED THUS FAR FROM TXDOT RELATED TO PHASE ONE TO THREE CONSTRUCTION, UH, FINANCING, IS WHAT WE'VE MADE SOME, UH, ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HOW THE COST OF, OF, OF BORROWING AND THEN THE COMMERCIAL REVENUE IS LARGELY, UH, MA MADE ON THE COMMERCIAL USES FROM THE VISION PLAN.
SO WE, WE DID A NET OPERATING INCOME ASSUMPTIONS TO COME UP WITH A RESIDUAL LAND VALUE THAT A DEVELOPER MIGHT BE WILLING TO PAY FOR A RETAIL STRUCTURE OF ONE TO TWO STORIES.
AND THEN WE ADDED THAT GROUND LEASE, UM, THE, THE NET PRESENT VALUE OF THAT GROUND LEASE PAYMENT WITH, UH, PROJECTED POTENTIAL SALES AND MIXED BEVERAGE TAXES TO COME UP WITH THE NUMBERS YOU SEE IN COLUMN THREE.
COLUMN FOUR ARE THOSE ONGOING CITY EXPENSES, WHICH ARE THOSE PAYMENTS TO TEXT DOT JUST FOR ANNUAL STRUCTURAL ONM.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE COME UP WITH THE NEGATIVE, UH, NUMBER IN THE NET CAP REVENUE COLUMN AT THE END HERE.
SO THE TAKEAWAY IS THAT, UH, AS IT RELATES TO TRYING TO MAKE FUNDING, UH, REVENUE FROM ON CAP DEVELOPMENT PAY FOR SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, IT FALLS SHORT.
WE WILL ADD TO THAT IN ASSESSMENT OF THE OFF CAP REVENUE POTENTIAL.
SO WE'LL START BY LOOKING AT, UH, IMPACTS TO LAND VALUES IN THE AREA.
THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED THE PARK PREMIUM EFFECT.
PEOPLE LIKE TO LIVE AND OPERATE BUSINESSES NEAR PARKS.
IT WILL HAVE A PREMIUM ON WHAT THEY'RE WILLING TO RENT OR, OR PAY TO BUY FEE.
UH, BASED ON A LOT OF RESEARCH, WE'VE COME UP WITH, UM, THE, UH, A 750 FOOT RADIUS AROUND EACH OF THE PARKS, UH, WHERE THERE WOULD BE A 10% INCREASE IN VALUATION, UM, AND THEN AT FROM 750 FEET OUT TO A QUARTER MILE RADIUS, UH, A SUBSEQUENT REDUCTION, BUT STILL AN INCREASE OF 5%.
WE DID NOT TREAT THE WEST SIDE OF I 35 THE SAME WAY BECAUSE WALLER CREEK IS ESSENTIALLY HAVING THAT PARK IMPACT ALREADY AT IN IT DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHAIN OF PARKS.
SO 50% OF THE INCREASE ON THE WEST SIDE WAS ALLOCATED TO THE POTENTIAL FOR THE CAPS, WHILE THE OTHER 50 IS ASSUMED TO STAY WITH WATERLOO GREENWAY.
THESE ARE THE ESTIMATED PARK PREMIUMS BY CAP.
SO THERE'S A PUSHED OUT TO THE YEAR 2032.
THERE'S THESE IN INCREASES OF, UH, 100 TO 300 MILLION IN POTENTIAL ASSESSED VALUE, UH, IF IT CAN BE IN FACT RECAPTURED.
UH, IF, IF THAT IS THE CASE IN NET PRESENT VALUE, THE TAX INCREMENT TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN ARE THESE NUMBERS, UH, RANGING FROM THE LOW END OF 3 MILLION AT THE 41ST TO RED LINE CAP TO 13 MILLION ON THE HIGH END FOR THE CESAR CHAVEZ TO FOURTH CAP.
THE SECOND OFF CAP REVENUE POTENTIAL HAS TO DO WITH NEARBY REDEVELOPMENT.
THESE ARE SITES WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF THE HIGHWAY CAP OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD OR ARE LIKELY TO BE REDEVELOPED ALONGSIDE OR AS A RESULT OF CAP DEVELOPMENT.
MANY OF THE SITES OR CITY PROPERTIES.
UH, IN OUR ANALYSIS, WE, WE, WE CONSIDERED THE CITY PROPERTIES SUBJECT TO NUMEROUS CITY COUNCIL RES RESOLUTIONS THAT ARE PRIORITIZING A LOT OF OTHER COMMUNITY NEEDS.
THOSE INCLUDE, OF COURSE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, CHILDCARE, COMMUNITY SERVICES, OTHER EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES EXPLORED WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE VISION PLANNING PROCESS.
SO THAT WOULD LIMIT FUTURE, UH, TAX EXEMPTION, UH, LIMIT TAXABLE REVENUE ON THOSE SITES THROUGH REDEVELOPMENT.
SO WE FOCUSED INSTEAD ON A LOT OF THE PRIVATE, UH, SITE OPPORTUNITIES.
NONETHELESS, WE DID FIND SEVERAL MAJOR SITES THAT COULD BE REDEVELOPED AS PART OF THE, THE CAP INVESTMENT.
AND, UM, THE VALUE INCREMENT OF THOSE REDEVELOPMENTS WAS, UH, ESTIMATED BETWEEN 3.8 AND 5 MILLION AS THE CITY'S TAX INCREMENT.
AGAIN, LOOKING AT THIS 20 YEAR DEVELOPMENT PERIOD FROM 2026 TO 2046 AND GIVING IT A NET PRESENT VALUE.
SO THAT TAKES US TO OUR SUMMARY RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
THE, WE, WE FOUND THAT CAPS WILL NOT PRODUCE SUFFICIENT REVENUE TO FUND THEIR CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT, OF COURSE, CONSTRUCTING THESE CAPS WILL HAVE UNQUANTIFIABLE SOCIAL BENEFITS.
UM, THE FIRST COLUMN HERE GOES THROUGH WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITH ON CAP REVENUE.
[01:15:01]
NUMBER.WE'VE GONE AHEAD AND ADDED THE PARK PREMIUM TAX INCREMENT AND NEARBY REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY INCREMENTS.
UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT DOES THE OFFSITE CAP REVENUE POTENTIAL HELPS, BUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE IT, UM, A RETURN ON INVESTMENT TO THE CITY IN THE 20 YEAR, UH, PLANNING HORIZON.
AND THEN WE DO JUST WANNA, YOU KNOW, FINISH UP BY TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER SURROUNDING FACTORS KIM MENTIONED.
JUST FIRST WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE VALUE CAPTURE LIMITATIONS, BUT THEN OPPORTUNITY COSTS.
WHEN IT COMES TO VALUE CAPTURE, UM, A LOT OF THE DOWNTOWN ONES ARE, ARE ENCUMBERED BY EXISTING VALUE CA CAPTURE MECHANISMS. WE HAVE THE DOWNTOWN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT THAT IS MANAGED BY THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE.
UH, WE HAVE THE WALLER CREEK TOURS TOUR NUMBER 17.
THAT TAKES UP PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRETY OF THE WEST SIDE OF THE DOWNTOWN CAPS.
AND THEN WE HAVE HOMESTEAD PRESERVATION REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS, UH, ESSENTIALLY ALL OF 7 8, 7 0 2.
UH, AS SUCH, THOSE FUNDS ARE SIPHONED TO DIFFERENT DEGREES, UH, UP TO A HUNDRED PERCENT IN THE CASE OF THE WALLER CREEK TOURS THROUGH THE YEAR 2041.
BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT DOES, UM, IT DOES MEAN THAT A LOT OF THAT INCREMENT CAPTURED IS, IS GOING TO BE USED FOR THEIR PURPOSES.
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SHARE VISUALS OF YOU, OF CLYDE WARREN PARK SINCE IT'S SUCH A COMP FOR, FOR THIS ANALYSIS.
THIS IS THE CONDITION OVERHEAD IN THE YEAR 2011.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE IN THE AREA BOUNDED IN GREEN, THE ONGOING CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING OF CLYDE WARREN PARK IN 2011.
BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS HIGHLIGHT IN RED ALL THE VACANT AND PREDOMINANTLY VACANT SITES, UM, LOTS OF PARKING LOTS.
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A DIFFERENT CONTEXT IN DOWNTOWN AND UPTOWN DALLAS, UH, FROM WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IN 2025 IN AUSTIN, MUCH OF DOWNTOWN AND UPTOWN DALLAS HAD ALREADY BEEN PLACED IN THEIR VALUE CAPTURE DISTRICTS.
THEY HAD A TOURS IN 1996 AND A SUBSEQUENT EDITION IN 2005, UH, THAT REALLY LAID THE GROUNDWORK TO CAPTURE THE VALUE FROM THIS INVESTMENT.
SO WHEN WE SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN TO 2025, WE'VE SEEN A FULL URBAN RENAISSANCE IN DALLAS THAT ANYONE THAT'S BEEN THERE CAN, CAN, UH, CAN SEE.
UM, BUT THE TIMING OF THAT CAP DEVELOPMENT PRIOR TO THE LARGE SCALE REDEVELOPMENT IS WHAT ALLOWED IT TO REALIZE THE SIGNIFICANT VALUE TO CAPTURE A LOT OF THESE, UH, THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND THE VALUE THEY'VE BROUGHT.
AND FINALLY, JUST TO LEAVE YOU WITH, UH, OPPORTUNITY COST ASSESSMENT, JUST BECAUSE I BELIEVE WE RECEIVED THAT AS QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL.
UM, THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THESE HIGHWAY CONDITIONS WOULD LOOK LIKE WITHOUT CAPS.
WE JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE SOME PHOTOS FROM TDOT OF THE CONDITIONS AT A COUPLE LOCATIONS, UH, AT 11TH STREET AND EAST MLK, KIND OF SHOWING THE ENHANCED CROSSINGS WITHOUT CAPS, UM, AND THAT THE FACT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE, UM, NEW FRONT, UH, NEW FRONTAGE ROAD BOULEVARD DOWNTOWN IS NOT DEPENDENT ON, ON A CAP INVESTMENT, UH, THE NEW EAST WEST CROSSINGS AT THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH, THAT'S THE SAME.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, TXDOT DID MAKE MAJOR INVESTMENTS INTO CORRIDOR DRAINAGE AND WILL BE PROVIDING A SHARED USE TRAIL THAT, UH, THAT WILL BE CONTINUOUS, UH, IN, IN ANY SCENARIO.
UM, YOU KNOW, ON AVERAGE THE FIVE CAPS ARE COSTING 34 MILLION PER ACRE FOR THE DECKS ONLY, AND 43 MILLION PER ACRE.
IF ADDING THOSE PHASE THREE MINIMUM AMENITIES DISCUSSED, UM, AGAIN, A GREAT BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY.
BUT IF LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITY COSTS FOR OTHER PUBLIC AMENITIES, UM, THOSE, THOSE PER ACRE COSTS TRANSLATE TO ABOUT 53 TIMES AS MUCH URBAN PARKLAND.
UM, 43 TIMES AS MUCH LAND FOR PUBLIC FACILITIES AS, UM, AS ESTIMATED BY RECENT PURCHASES BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, 11 TIMES AS MUCH LAND IN CENTRAL AUSTIN, IN THOSE HANCOCK AND CHERRYWOOD NEIGHBORHOODS SURROUNDING THE NORTHERN CAPS AND UP TO THREE TIMES AS MUCH LAND IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
UM, PARTICULARLY ASSUMING, UH, SOME OF THE, THE HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS ON, ON THE CAPS THAT LIMIT THEM TO TWO STORIES.
AND, UH, NOW WE'LL GO INTO THE DEBT CAPACITY ANALYSIS COMPONENT.
UH, SO CURRENTLY OUR DEBT PER CAPITA, THAT IS ONE OF THE, THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT METRICS.
UH, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR OVERALL CREDIT RATING.
OUR CURRENT DE PER CAPITA IS JUST OVER $1,600.
UH, IF WITH TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF OUR AUTHORIZED, BUT UN ISSSUED, UH, GENERAL OB GENERAL OBLIGATION BACKED BONDS, UH, WE, WE LOOKED AT THAT AND THEN LAYERED ON TOP OF IT
[01:20:01]
MULTIPLE SCENARIOS TO SEE AT WHAT POINT COULD IT TRIGGER A DOWNGRADE.UH, SO WE DID A 500, 7 50 500 MILLION, 750 MILLION, 1000000001.2 BILLION AS WE HAD TAUGHT.
WE HAD DONE SOME PRIOR ANALYSIS AROUND 1.2 BILLION BETWEEN, UM, CAP WORK AND, UM, 2026 BOND, UH, WITH A $500 MILLION BOND ELECTION.
UM, AND BY BOND ELECTION, IT, IT'S FOR ANY USE, WHETHER IT'S FOR OTHER CITY PROJECTS OR A CAP AND STITCH PLUS OUR ABUS.
UM, IT WOULD TAKE US UP TO NEARLY $3,400 PER CAPITA.
UM, AND RANGING TO 1.2 BILLION WOULD TAKE US TO OVER 3,600 PER CAPITA.
THE DEBT METRICS WITH THE STANDARD AND POOR RATINGS CARD RATING SCORE, UM, SCORECARD IS 20% OF YOUR OVERALL CREDIT RATING.
UM, SO PFM, WHICH IS THE CITY'S FINANCIAL ADVISOR, AND THEY ARE HERE AS WELL TODAY TO ANSWER ANY, UM, ANY DETAILED QUESTIONS REGARDING OUR CREDIT RATINGS AMONG MANY OTHER THINGS.
UM, BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF WHAT THE BOND SALE SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE AND HOW THAT IMPACTS OUR DEBT PER CAPITA, UH, WE WOULD BE AT RISK OF A DOWNGRADE AS EARLY AS 2027 UNDER S AND P SCORECARD.
AND, UM, 2031, UM, BY MOODY'S AND FITCH.
CURRENTLY WE ARE AA WITH MOODY'S AND FITCH.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING, UH, QUITE A BIT OF WORK IN RECENT YEARS RELATIVE TO OUR PENSION SYSTEMS TO HELP, UM, BOOST OUR, HOW, HOW WE APPEAR TO THE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES.
UM, AND, BUT ASSUMING NO CHANGE IN STATE LAW, UM, THE, THE HIGHEST THAT WE COULD RECOMMEND FOR CAP ANDIT 2026 BOND ELECTION OR ANYTHING OF ADDITIONAL GENERAL OBLIGATION BACKED DEBT WOULD BE 750 MILLION.
UM, ONCE YOU GO PAST THAT NUMBER, UH, WE, WE START GETTING HIGH ENOUGH IN THAT, UM, CATEGORY FIVE FOR THE DEBT METRICS THAT, UM, IT WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY AT THAT RISK OF, OF A A DOWNGRADE.
UM, NOW THAT OF COURSE INCLUDES ALL OF OUR AUTHORIZED BUTTON ISSUED.
I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN CONVERSATION AUDIT FINANCE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DEAUTHORIZATION THAT COULD PROVIDE SOME RELIEF IF THE COUNCIL WERE TO CHOOSE TO GO THAT PATH.
UM, THERE ARE VER ALSO A VARIETY OF OTHER COMPONENTS TO THE SO WORK CARD, BUT WE WERE FOCUSING ON OUR, OUR DEBT AND PENSION OBLIGATIONS FOR THIS ANALYSIS.
UM, THE OTHER COMPONENT I WOULD NOTE IS RELATED TO THAT, ASSUMING NO CHANGE IN STATE LAW, UM, WE HAVE MENTIONED IN PRIOR CONVERSATIONS THAT THERE IS A BILL PENDING, UH, IN THE HOUSE, UM, THAT WOULD, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT, UH, HOW ANY, ANY ISSUER ACROSS THE CITY OF TEXAS, UM, COULD HANDLE VOTER APPROVED AND NON-VOTER APPROVED DEBT.
UH, SO THAT IF, IF THAT BILL PROCEEDS AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS, WE HAVE A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT SITUATION, UM, FOR OUR, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR DEBT PER CAPITA AND JUST OUR DEBT PROFILE OVERALL, UM, THAT WE CAN DISCUSS AT A, AT ANOTHER TIME.
I, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND US DIVING INTO THAT, UM, TODAY.
UH, SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE ON THE ROI ANALYSIS AND RESPONSE TO PRIOR COUNSEL REQUESTS.
THAT'S WHERE WE ARE ON THE DEBT METRICS ANALYSIS.
UM, TPW HAS, UM, HAS UPDATED STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS WE CAN MAKE.
I, I DO WANNA ASK IF THERE'S A DESIRE FOR PAUSE ON QUESTIONS BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE NEXT PORTION OR, OR NOT ANYBODY, BUT I WOULD SUGGEST IS LET'S GET THIS, THEN LET'S HAVE SPEAKERS, AND THEN WE CAN HAVE THE FULL QUESTION AND DISCUSSION AND THAT WAY JUST GO FROM THERE.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
MICHELLE MARKS TRANSPORTATION OFFICER, TPW.
UM, AS KIM INDICATED, WE, UM, WE ARE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT AN UPDATED STAFF RECOMMENDATION BASED ON, UM, THIS DEBT CAPACITY ANALYSIS.
UM, GO AHEAD AND PROGRESS THE SLIDES HERE.
SO JUST A COUPLE OF, UM, KINDA REMINDER SLIDES.
THIS IS THE SAME MATERIAL WE SHARED WITH YOU, UM, AT WORK SESSION LAST MONTH.
UM, BUT LOOKING AT THE KIND OF FUNDING AND PHASING TIMELINE IN FRONT OF US, UM, THIS IS, THIS MONTH IS OUR, UM, REQUIRED, UH, COMMITMENT TIMELINE TO DETERMINE WHICH ROADWAY ELEMENTS, UM, THIS, THE CITY IS GONNA BE COMMITTING TO FUNDING, UM, TO, TO INTEGRATE INTO TDOT'S, UH, CONSTRUCTION BID PACKAGE, UH, THAT GOES OUT NEXT YEAR.
UM, THERE IS, UM, ALSO, THIS IS THE MOMENT TO, UH, MAKE A DECISION, UM, REGARDING ANY HORIZONTAL DECK AND TUNNEL ELEMENTS, UM, BEYOND THOSE ROADWAY ELEMENTS THAT THE CITY WOULD
[01:25:01]
ALSO LIKE TO COMMIT TO, AGAIN, TO BE PART OF THAT 2026 BID PACKAGE.UM, HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE MOVING FORWARD, UM, BETWEEN 2026 AND 2033, UM, A GOOD CHUNK OF TIME TO, UH, PUT TOGETHER FUNDING STACKS, UM, AND SUBMIT CHANGE ORDERS TO ADD THOSE HORIZONTAL DECK AND TUNNEL ELEMENTS INTO THE TECH.CONSTRUCTION PACKAGE.
UM, AND THEN UPON COMPLETION IN 2033, UM, WHEN, UM, TECH DOT, UH, WRAPS UP THEIR WORK, UM, OUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY TO FUND THOSE CAP ELEMENTS WOULD BE 10 YEARS, UM, LATER AFTER THAT 10 YEAR MORATORIUM STARTING IN 2043.
UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, THE SAME CONTENT WE SHARED WITH YOU AT WORK SESSION LAST MONTH, JUST LOOKING AT KIND OF THE INDIVIDUAL COSTS BY CAP FOR THE PHASE ONE ROADWAY ELEMENTS, THOSE PHASE TWO DECK AND TUNNEL ELEMENTS.
UM, AND THEN LOOKING FURTHER OUT TO THE ON CAP AMENITY COSTS IN PHASES THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE, UM, AS WELL AS PROJECTED ESTIMATES FOR ANNUAL OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE, UM, COSTS FOR THE STRUCTURES THEMSELVES, AS WELL AS THE AMENITIES ON TOP.
UM, NOW HERE'S WHERE WE HAVE SOME SLIGHTLY NEW INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH YOU.
UM, THIS IS THE SAME FORMATTED, UM, GROUP OF SCENARIOS THAT WE SHARED WITH YOU LAST MONTH.
UM, WITH, UM, THE SMALL CHANGE OF, WE HAVE GONE AHEAD AND PULLED OUT, UH, THE $105 MILLION NAE GRANT FOR, UH, THE CESAR CHAVEZ CAP HERE, UM, THAT THOSE GRANT DOLLARS ARE WRAPPED UP RIGHT NOW, UM, IN THE BUDGET RECONCILIATION PROCESS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
UM, SO WE HAVE GONE AHEAD AND PULLED THAT OUT.
UM, WE, UM, WITH THE GRANT WOULD'VE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMITTING, UM, THE CITY'S, UH, MATCH FOR THAT GRANT, AS WELL AS ANY FUNDING GAP, UM, DURING OUR, UH, PHASE ONE COMMITMENT THIS MONTH.
UM, BUT YOU'LL SEE HERE NOW WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT ROADWAY ELEMENTS ONLY FOR THAT PHASE ONE TOP LINE ITEM COMMITMENT, UM, ALONG WITH DESIGN COSTS, UM, AND DEFER AND LOOKING AT, UM, ALL THE DECKS INCLUDING THE CESAR CHAVEZ DECK IN THAT SECOND LINE, PHASE TWO, UM, COMMITMENT THAT CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME BETWEEN NOW AND 2033 AND, AND ONWARD WORD.
UM, YOU'LL RECALL THAT, UM, IN NOVEMBER, UH, 2024, UM, THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION AT THAT TIME, UH, WAS SCENARIO THREE.
UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR SCREEN HERE.
THAT INCLUDED, UM, 800 FOOT CAPS, UH, BOTH, UH, DOWNTOWN, UM, BETWEEN CESAR CHAVEZ AND FOURTH, ANOTHER 800 FOOT CAP BETWEEN FOURTH AND SEVENTH.
UM, A FULL CAP AT 11TH AND 12TH, WHICH IS ALREADY UNDER THAT 800 FOOT THRESHOLD.
AND THEN IT ALSO INCLUDED ONE NORTHERN CAP, UM, AT 800 FEET.
AND YOU'LL RECALL THAT THAT 800 FOOT, UH, THRESHOLD, UM, IS THE POINT AT WHICH, UM, WE, WE'VE BEEN INFORMED BY TEXDOT THAT WE WOULD NOT NEED VENTILATION AND FIRE LIFE SAFETY TREATMENTS, UH, FOR THE, THE, THE TUNNEL SPACE BENEATH THOSE DECKS.
SO THERE WOULD BE SOME, UM, CAPITAL AS WELL AS O AND M COST SAVINGS FOR, FOR THAT SCENARIO THREE.
AND AGAIN, JUST, UM, A REMINDER SLIDE, UM, AT THE STAFF ANALYSIS, LOOKING AT KIND OF THE COST BENEFIT, UM, OF, UH, EACH OF THESE CAPS INDIVIDUALLY.
WE DID HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AT WORK SESSION LAST MONTH REGARDING SOME OF THE KIND OF BEHIND THE CURTAIN, UM, KIND OF TECHNICAL ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND THIS ANALYSIS.
UM, WE DID PROVIDE THAT IN THE BACKUP MATERIALS, UM, FOR YOU, UM, FOR, FOR THIS, THIS WORK SESSION TODAY.
UM, SO CERTAINLY INVITE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ON THAT.
BUT, UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT IT IS KIND OF THE CAPS IN THE CORE DOWNTOWN AREA BETWEEN CESAR CHAVEZ UP THROUGH THE 11TH AND 12TH CAP INCLUSIVE OF FOUR THROUGH SEVENTH, THAT, UM, PER THE STAFF ANALYSIS, UM, ARE KIND OF RANKING THE HIGHEST IN TERMS OF, OF ACCESSIBILITY, UH, MULTIMODAL EQUITY, UM, AND KIND OF REDEVELOPMENT BENEFITS.
SO THE UPDATED STAFF RECOMMENDATION, UM, WE HAVE FOR YOU TODAY IS, IS REALLY INTENDED TO BE CALIBRATED TO THAT KIND OF DEBT CAPACITY AND, UH, FINANCIAL OUTLOOK THAT, UM, KIM AND MARK JUST SHARED WITH US.
UM, AND THAT IS SCENARIO ONE, AND THIS IS, UM, KIND OF AT THE, WELL, IT IS AT THE LOW END OF THE, UM, VARIOUS PACKAGING
[01:30:01]
OPTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER FOR YOU.UM, SCENARIO ONE INCLUDES, UH, FUNDING THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS FOR THE FULL CAP LENGTH BETWEEN CESAR CHAVEZ AND FOURTH STREET, UM, AS WELL AS THE CAP BETWEEN 11TH AND 12TH STREET.
UM, NOTABLY IT DOESN'T INCLUDE, UM, ANY CAP OR ROADWAY ELEMENTS BETWEEN FOURTH AND SEVENTH, NOR ANY OF THE, UM, ROADWAY ELEMENTS OR CAP DECKS, UM, IN THE NORTHERN SEGMENT, UM, OF THE CORRIDOR BETWEEN 38TH AND AIRPORT BOULEVARD.
UM, YOU'LL SEE HERE THAT WHAT, WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING FOR FUNDING COMMITMENT THIS MONTH, UM, ARE THE PHASE ONE ROADWAY ELEMENTS.
UM, SO THAT IS, UH, $49 MILLION IN FUNDING COMMITMENT, UM, PLUS A $6 MILLION COMMITMENT TO, UH, PURSUE THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND DESIGN WORK FOR THE CAPEX.
UM, CONSIDERING THE EXISTING, UM, STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK LOAN, UM, THAT WE HAVE SECURED A FOUR $41 MILLION, THAT LEAVES A, UH, REMAINING FUNDING NEED OF $14 MILLION FOR THOSE ROADWAY ELEMENTS AND COMPLETION OF DESIGN WORK, UM, FOUR, PHASE TWO, THREE AND BEYOND.
SO THAT INCLUDES THE HORIZONTAL DECKS, THE, THE RELATED TUNNEL ELEMENTS, AND THE AMENITIES ON TOP.
UM, YOU'LL SEE OUR STAFF RECOMMENDATION, UM, IS REALLY TO, UM, KICK INTO GEAR, OUR, UM, EFFORT TO COORDINATE WITH PRIVATE AND PHILANTHROPIC, UM, THIRD PARTIES AND START TO FUNDRAISE, UM, FOR THOSE REMAINING ELEMENTS.
UM, SO THE INTENT HERE IS THAT, UH, THE CITY'S CAPITAL COMMITMENT, UM, IS PHASE ONE.
AND, UM, IT WOULD REALLY BE, UH, KIND OF, UH, THE BEGINNING MOVE WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, TO START TO HELP US PULL TOGETHER THE FUNDING STACKS FOR PHASES TWO AND BEYOND TO KEEP THIS PROJECT MOVING FORWARD.
AND JUST A VISUAL, UM, OF THOSE TWO CAP DECKS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THAT STAFF GRAPHIC RECOMMENDATION, UM, BETWEEN CESAR CHAVEZ AND FOURTH STREET, UM, AND 11TH AND 12TH.
AND WITH THAT, UM, JUST A QUICK LOOK TO, UH, THE TIMING OF THE CONVERSATION THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE MONTH.
UH, WE ARE SCHEDULED TO COME, UH, BACK TO YOU ON MAY 22ND, UH, TO, UH, SEEK THAT, UH, FORMAL COMMITMENT TO FUND, UH, FOR TXDOT REGARDING THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS, UH, THOSE FINAL 100%, UM, CAP DESIGN COSTS I REFERRED TO.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, WE DO HAVE, AS I MENTIONED, THAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE ANY OTHER, UH, FEATURES INTO THE TXDOT LIGHTING PACKAGE AT THIS POINT IN TIME AS WELL, INCLUDING ANY, UH, HORIZONTAL DECK ELEMENTS THAT THAT COUNCIL WOULD DESIRE.
UM, SO WITH THAT, UM, I'M HAPPY TO TURN IT OVER TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
WHAT I, WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS LET'S GO TO THE SPEAKERS AND THEN WE WILL INVITE OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF BACK UP AND WE CAN HAVE OUR DISCUSSION.
SO I'LL TURN TO THE CITY CLERK, WE'LL START WITH, UM, REMOTE B ONE, IAN WILSON.
UM, I, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE GONNA BE A LOT OF VOICES SUPER STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF, OF DOING EVERYTHING THAT IS POSSIBLE TO GET ALL OF THESE CO THE CAPS BUILT.
I AM REALLY CONSCIOUS OF WHAT STAFF HAS HIGHLIGHTED IN TERMS OF BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, AND I, I KNOW I WOULD LOVE ALL THE CAPS IN THE WORLD, BUT I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE STAFF'S FOCUS ON KEEPING THIS SUSTAINABLE FOR THE LONG TERM.
AND SO I WOULD, UM, MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THERE'S AT LEAST ONE VOICE, UH, URGING AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT OF CAUTION.
BUT YEAH, I MEAN, IN THE DREAM WORLD, ALL THE CAPS IN THE WORLD WOULD BE AMAZING.
I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS SINCE NOVEMBER, AND I WANTED TO START BY THANKING COUNSEL FOR ALL THE THOUGHT YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS, ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU PUT UP LAST TIME.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT EVERYONE IS GIVING THIS THE CONSIDERATION THAT IT DESERVES.
WE JUST HEARD A 20 YEAR FINANCIAL PICTURE.
THIS IS A 60 YEAR PROJECT, AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE YOU TO CITY COUNCIL 2050.
THIS IS A PLAY I HAVE WITH TWO INDIVIDUALS ON CITY COUNCIL AND 2050 TALKING ABOUT THE PLAN.
WE'VE GOT 40 ACRES OVER AND AROUND I 35.
THE O FIESTA SITE, HANCOCK CENTER READY FOR TRANSFORMATION.
THE HEB PAVILION IN THE PARK IS FULLY DESIGNED.
THERE'S A 600 UNIT AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT TEED UP NEXT TO THE NEW HANCOCK STATION ON THE RED LINE, NOT
[01:35:01]
TO MENTION MICHAEL DELL JR'S $50 MILLION GRANT FOR THE CULTURAL CENTER AND PUBLIC PLAZA, AND WE CAN'T BUILD IT.STRUCTURAL ROADWAY ELEMENTS WEREN'T BUILT FOR THE CAPS IN 2025.
WHY NOT? WELL, THE NORTHERN CAPS COST $120 MILLION.
COUNCIL BACK THEN THOUGHT IT WAS TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH.
WE'LL MAKE THAT BACK IN 10 YEARS IN NEW REVENUE.
DIDN'T THEY KNOW CLYDE WARREN PARK AND DALLAS PAID FOR ITSELF IN JUST 10 YEARS? INCREASED TAX REVENUE FROM THE INCREASE IN THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY VALUE.
AND DIDN'T THEY THINK AUSTIN HAD TO FIT THE WHOLE, PUT THE WHOLE BILL IF WE HAD JUST LAID THE FOUNDATION, PUT PHILANTHROPIC AND PUBLIC DOLLARS WOULD'VE FOLLOWED LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO WHEN A CITY LEADS BOLDLY.
SO WHAT STOPPED THEM? WELL, TRUMP HAD JUST COME BACK IN POWER.
EVERYONE GOT NERVOUS ABOUT FUTURE FEDERAL FUNDING.
SAFE, SAFE IS INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE AND NOT CLOSING THE DOOR TO OPPORTUNITY.
SAFE IS UNLOCKING BILLIONS IN PRIVATE INVESTMENT BY BUILDING THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE FIRST.
OUR KIDS WILL THANK US FOR 50 YEARS DOWN THE LINE, NOT WONDER WHY WE DIDN'T DREAM BIGGER.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE BREE BROWN.
UM, I WANTED TO ADVOCATE FOR FUNDING ALL OF THE CAPS, UH, SPECIFICALLY THE NORTHERN CAP, THE PREVIOUS SPOKE SPEAKER MENTIONS THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF ECONOMIC PROFIT TO BE HAD IF THOSE CAPS ARE ALREADY, OR ARE AT LEAST THE STRUCTURE IS FUNDED FOR THOSE CAPS.
AS WE KNOW, I'M, I'M IN, UM, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, AND AS WE KNOW ON THAT SIDE, RENTS TEND TO INCREASE WHENEVER YOU HAVE SOCIAL WALKABILITY AREAS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO GATHER AND HAVE A WORKPLACE DEVELOPMENT WHERE PEOPLE CAN, UM, BOTH ENJOY, YOU KNOW, LIVING NEARBY AND ALSO WORKING NEARBY, AND HAVING THAT WALKABILITY, HAVING SOMETHING TO GO TO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORKDAY, I THINK THAT'S GONNA BENEFIT THE NEWER DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S GONNA BENEFIT THE HANCOCK CENTER.
I THINK AS A RESULT, WE'LL SEE, YOU KNOW, A, A INCREASE IN COMMERCIAL PROFITABILITY BECAUSE OF THAT, UM, IN, IN THE WAY OF PROPERTY TAXES AND OPERATING EXPENSES, WHICH WILL THEN HELP, UH, FUND THE CITY PROJECTS AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN AS A THIRD GENERATION EAST AUSTIN, I, I THINK THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO AT LEAST GET THE FOUNDATION LAID TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT OUR CITY HAS EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST A HUNDRED YEARS OR SO BETWEEN THE, UH, THE DIVISION BETWEEN THE EAST AND WEST SIDE OF I 35.
AND I THINK THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GO AHEAD AND JUST PUT THE FOUNDATION IN PLACE FOR US TO START DEALING WITH THAT, NOT JUST IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT UP ALONG I 35 AND AREAS WHERE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE, A LOT OF FAMILIES ARE STARTING TO DEVELOP AROUND THE NORTHERN I 35 AREA AS WELL.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE A CRUCIAL ELEMENT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME SOCIAL CONNECTION.
UM, AGAIN, NOT OUTSIDE OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT NORTH AS WELL.
SO I ADVOCATE FOR FUNDING ALL OF THE CAP.
UM, I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR THAT.
AND I DO THINK THERE WILL BE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AS A RESULT OF THAT.
UM, I THINK THERE'S A, A CONNECTION POINT WITH MUELLER THAT SHOULD DEFINITELY BE RECOGNIZED.
UM, CAPELLAS BUILT OVER, YOU KNOW, UH, SEVERAL MILLION SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE OVER THERE.
AND I THINK THAT TREND CAN CONTINUE, CAN CONTINUE.
SO WE HAVE MORE, UM, COMPANIES ALSO THAT ARE LOOKING TO THE AUSTIN MARKET AND WANTING TO BRING THEIR COMPANIES HERE FROM OTHER STATES.
I THINK WHENEVER THEY LOOK AT AUSTIN, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE LIVE WORK PLAY DEVELOPMENT, THEY LOOK AT THE LIFESTYLE THAT WE CREATE HERE.
SAY OFTEN POINT TO PARTS OF AUSTIN WHERE THEY'RE LIKE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YOUR TIME'S EXPIRED.
I LIVE IN THE CHERRYWOOD WILSHIRE WOODS AREA AND HAS BEEN, UH, A RESIDENT THERE SINCE 1997.
I'M ASKING YOU TO FUND ALL THE CAPS, INCLUDING THE NORTHERN CAP, RUNNING THE SPAN OF 38TH AND A HALF TO AIRPORT, UM, ON GROUNDS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION, UH, TO CORRECT THE HISTORICAL INEQUITY.
UM, WE'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT, UH, THE FINANCIAL GAINS OR LOSSES.
I'D ASK YOU TO VALUE THIS PROJECT AND VOTE WITH THE PUBLIC GOOD IN MIND.
WE, UM, AS A COMMUNITY AND AS A CITY SPEND A LOT FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD.
UH, AND SOMETIMES THAT DOES TAKE US INTO, UH, BOLD AREAS IN TERMS OF SPENDING.
THIS IS AN INVE INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE THAT I ASK YOU TO MAKE ON MY BEHALF, ON BEHALF OF, OF MY CHILDREN, ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MOVING TO THE AREA.
UM, I WANNA POINT OUT SOMETHING THAT HASN'T BEEN MENTIONED YET, WHICH IS, UH, IN LINE WITH THE SCHOOLING OPPORTUNITIES.
MY CHILDREN ATTEND RIDGETOP, WHICH IS THE DUAL LANGUAGE PUBLIC SCHOOL, UH, JUST WEST OF AIRPORT AND I 35, GETTING ACCESSIBILITY TO
[01:40:01]
RIDGETOP FROM EAST SIDE OF I 35 HAS MADE, GOING THERE, HAVING KIDS THERE, A JOY AND AN EASY OPTION TO MAKE A FULL SCHOOL DUAL LANGUAGE POSSIBILITY.UM, AN OPTION FOR US, KEEP THAT ALIVE FOR THE KIDS AND COMMUNITIES THAT ARE EVER GROWING ON THE EAST SIDE OF I 35 AND HAVING A CAP AT THE NORTHERN POINT IS CRITICAL TO THAT, UH, THAT CONNECTION.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN, DON'T FORGET THE NORTHERN CAPS.
HI, MY NAME IS PARK GREG, AND I'M A 26 YEAR HOMEOWNER IN THE CHERRYWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN EXTREMELY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY.
EACH CLASS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO IMPACT THE CITY IN POSITIVE WAYS.
HOWEVER, THE DECISION TO SUPPORT CAPS OVER INTERSTATE 35 IS ARGUABLY THE BIGGEST DECISION WITH THE MOST IMPACT ANY COUNCIL HAS HAD IN RECENT HISTORY.
SUPPORT OF THE INTERSTATE CAPS FOR THE ENTIRE AREA FROM THE LAKE ALL THE WAY TO THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE TO THE NORTH WILL IMPACT AUSTIN SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS, THIS OPPORTUNITY CANNOT BE MISSED.
NOT ONLY IS IT HELPING CORRECT PAST WRONGS OF DIVIDING THE CITY THAT WILL REDEFINE THE LIVABILITY OF OUR CITY FOR US, FOR OUR CHILDREN, OUR GRANDCHILDREN, OUR GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, AND OUR GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN.
I BEG YOU TO LOOK LONG TERM, THINK BIG, AND SUPPORT THE INTERSTATE CAPS THAT WILL BENEFIT BUSINESS AND RESIDENTIAL CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
FOR MANY GENERATIONS, SUPPORTING THE CAPS WILL BE A DECISION YOU'LL BE PROUD OF AND A STORY THAT YOU CAN TELL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND I APPRECIATE THIS TIME.
NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREW CLEMENTS.
UM, THANK YOU MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR CONSIDERING THIS ISSUE TODAY.
I, I WOULD PROBABLY VOICE ALL THE SUPPORT YOU'VE HEARD, SO I'M GONNA TAKE A BIT OF A DIFFERENT TAX AS AN ARCHITECTED EARNED PLANNER WITH AROUND 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
HAVE TO SOMEWHAT WEIGH IN ON STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION AND PRESENTATION.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THE WALLS THAT THEY'RE SHOWING AT THE FAR NORTHERN CAPS, UM, AS A NEGATIVE.
UM, I WOULD SAY THAT'S A GREAT PLACE FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES.
IT'S, UM, A GREAT PLACE FOR THAT IF THAT TRULY COMES TO PASS.
UM, I THINK ANYTIME THEY SHOW AN IMAGE LIKE THAT'S SHOWING WHAT THEY CONSIDER NEGATIVE, THEY ALSO SHOULD HAVE TO SHOW AN IMAGE OF WHAT IT SHOWS, WHAT THE HIGHWAY'S GONNA BE LIKE WITHOUT THE CALF, THE NORTHERN CALF SHOW, THE CANYON OF A HIGHWAY THAT'S MUCH WORSE THAN EVEN THE IMAGE THEY'RE SHOWING, WHICH I QUESTION.
I THINK THE CROSS SECTION NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED BECAUSE AT ONE TIME, TXDOT WANTED STORAGE SPACE UNDER ONE OF THE CAT NORTHERN CAPS THAT ADDS 10, AT LEAST 10 FEET TO THE HEIGHT.
AND THE CROSS SECTIONS NOW ARE REALLY DIFFICULT TO FIND.
SO IF THAT STORAGE AREA IS STILL THERE, THAT NEEDS TO BE QUESTIONED IN THE NEXT TWO OR OR THREE WEEKS.
UM, THE SCARY IMAGE OF PEOPLE WALKING NEXT TO A CANYON OF ENTRANCE RAMPS IS ALSO NEEDS TO BE QUESTIONED BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, WILL THEY BE ALLOWED A FOOT OF THE 20 FOOT DROP INTO AN ENTRANCE EXIT RAMP THAT TXDOT REQUIRES? FIRST OF ALL, UM, IS THAT TRULY EVER GONNA COME TO PASS? AND AGAIN, THAT THE WALL THAT YOU SEE IS MUCH PER PREFERRED TO A HIGHWAY CANYON.
SO QUESTION, EVERYTHING THAT'S BEING PRESENTED, I'M SORRY, BUT I KNOW I TEND TO EMPHASIZE THE RESULT I WANT AS A, AS A DESIGNER.
UM, AND THAT, THANK YOU MR. CONSIDER A LEGACY.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO IN PERSON, AND WE HAVE TOM WALD WITH LIBBY CHENNEL AND JIM WALKER ON DECK.
IF YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED, PLEASE COME FORWARD SO WE'LL KNOW YOU'RE HERE AND YOU'RE READY TO TESTIFY.
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I'M SPEAKING FROM THE REDLINE PARKWAY INITIATIVE ON TOM WALD WITH THE, WITH THE ORGANIZATION.
AND OUR PARTICULAR INTEREST FOR US ARE TWO OF THE CAPS.
ONE IS THE CAESAR SHOP IS THE FOURTH STREET CAP, AND OTHER ONE IS THE 41ST TO, TO THE
[01:45:01]
REDLINE CAP.THE REDLINE PARKWAY CROSS CROSSES THE HIGHWAY TWICE.
UM, I DO WANT TO THANK THE FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO DID POST A FINANCING PLAN TO THE COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD.
AND I WANNA SAY WE, THAT WE GENERALLY SUPPORT THE VISION FOR THE CAP FOR THIS CAP'S FUNDING DECISION AS A, A GOOD PLACE FOR COUNCIL TO START FROM.
I DO WANNA FOCUS THOUGH, PARTICULARLY ON, IN NORTHERN CAP BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THAT ONE'S ONE OF THE ONES THAT'S MOST IN JEOPARDY.
UM, WE COULD, WE COULD TOTALLY SAY IT'S, IT'S NOT A PRIORITY IMMEDIATELY, AND I, I DON'T THINK IT'S WRONG TO SAY THAT.
UM, MAYBE A DECADE FROM NOW, MAYBE 15 YEARS FROM NOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS CAP WILL BECOME MUCH MORE APPARENT.
SO HOW, HOW DO WE CREATE, YOU KNOW, WITH REDLINE PARKWAY, WE'RE LOOKING TO CREATE A WELCOMING CORRIDOR FOR WALKING, BIKING, AND FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSIT.
HOW DO WE CREATE A QUARTER THAT WELCOMES FIVE TO 10,000 PEOPLE PER DAY? THEY'VE DONE IT IN OTHER CITIES, ATLANTA, MINNEAPOLIS, I COULD GO ON.
BUT IT, IT TAKES A LOT OF ELEMENTS THAT ARE PUT TOGETHER.
IT TAKES FORWARD THINKING, IT TAKES SOME PLANNING AHEAD AND THEN CONSIDER THE OPPOSITE OF THAT.
CONSIDER IF WE DON'T HAVE THE CAP THERE, WE'RE CREATING A CHASM.
IT'S ALMOST A, IT'S ALMOST A QUARTER OF A MILE ACROSS.
THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE ARE GONNA SAY, NOPE, I'M NOT GONNA GO ANY FURTHER.
I DON'T FEEL SAFE, I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE.
THIS ISN'T THE FIRST THING I WANNA WAKE UP TO IN THE MORNING IS, IS CROSSING OVER THESE 20 LANES OF HIGHWAY PEOPLE WILL ABSOLUTELY TURN AROUND.
AND WE CAN SEE EXAMPLES LIKE THIS ALL ACROSS THE CITY.
PEOPLE DON'T CROSS BEND WHITE, FOR EXAMPLE.
LET ME, LEMME MAKE THAT CLEAR.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
TRAILS ARE CONSISTENTLY ONE OF THE TOP SUPPORTED ITEMS FROM IN PARK SURVEYS, BOTH IN OUR CITY AND CITIES AROUND THE, THE METRO.
AND WE ARE ALSO CREATING ENHANCEMENT THAT CREATES THE EAST AVENUE TRAIL, WHICH WILL BE JUST OUT OF WHOLE NEW CLOTH, A WHOLE NEW URBAN TRAIL THAT WASN'T EVEN CONCEIVED OF 10 YEARS AGO, ASIDE FROM STICKERS.
THANK YOU, MR. TWO MINUTES TODAY.
NEXT IS LIBBY CHANEL WITH JIM WALKER AND HAYNES MANDELA DECK.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I'M A MOM TO THREE YOUNG BOYS, AGES TWO, FOUR, AND SEVEN.
UM, THEY'VE LIVED HERE THEIR WHOLE LIVES AND I HOPE THEY NEVER LEAVE.
UM, BUT I WORRY ABOUT WHAT THEIR FUTURE LOOKS LIKE AS WE BUILD, UM, THE, THEIR, THEIR FUTURE WORLD.
THEY SEEK CLIMATE REFUGE AND MORE SOCIALLY PROGRESSIVE AREAS.
AND I WONDER IN 20 YEARS, WILL MY BOYS FEEL AT HOME HERE.
IN FACT, UM, IT COULD FEEL UP TO SEVEN DEGREES WARMER FROM THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT IN ADDITION TO 10 DEGREES WARMER THAT WE'RE PROJECTING BY THE END OF THE CENTURY.
THAT MAKES LIFE A LOT MORE DIFFICULT, UM, WITHOUT ACCESS TO SHADE IN GREEN SPACE.
UM, I READ ABOUT PLANS FOR COOLING SHELTERS AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE EFFORT, BUT IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE TREATING A SYMPTOM AND, AND NOT THE CAUSE.
UM, AND THEN I SEE RENDERINGS OF A PEDESTRIAN, A MOM AND A CHILD CROSSING 20 LANES OF TRAFFIC, WHICH SOME PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED, AND I THINK IS THIS, ARE MY BOYS GOING TO WANNA BE THIS FAMILY LIVING HERE? UM, WHEN I MOVED HERE 11 YEARS AGO FROM SEATTLE, PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED BY HOW GREEN AUSTIN IS AND HOW FRIENDLY PEOPLE ARE.
UM, BUT I 35 DIVIDES US PHYSICALLY, SOCIALLY, ECONOMICALLY.
AND NOW WE HAVE A ONCE IN A GENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT THAT.
UM, THE I 35 CAPS AREN'T JUST INFRASTRUCTURE.
THEY'RE A STATEMENT ABOUT WHO WE WANT TO BE.
THEY CAN STITCH OUR NEIGHBORHOODS BACK TOGETHER.
THEY CAN OFFER RELIEF FROM THIS RISING HEAT.
THEY CAN TRANSFORM CONCRETE CORRIDORS INTO COMMUNITY ASSETS, PARKS, PLAYGROUNDS, ALL OF THAT.
UM, THAT REFLECTS AUSTIN'S VALUES.
IS IT COSTLY? YES, WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THAT.
AND AS A PARENT OF BOYS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, I REALLY UNDERSTAND THE VITAL DEMANDS THAT WE HAVE ON OUR BUDGET, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT AUSTIN IS A CITY THAT MAKES THINGS HAPPEN.
I'M WITH THE CHERRYWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
UH, I SIGN UP AGAINST ON THE ITEM, BUT I REALLY EXAMINE IN FAVOR OF THE NORTHERN CAPS BEING PART OF THE PACKAGE YOU ARE LOOKING AT.
I WANT TO PUT A PIN IN THAT THE FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE OFFERED BY STAFF IS, IS GOT A LOT IN IT, BUT IT'S ONE PERSPECTIVE OF THE FINANCIALS AND ESPECIALLY THE ROIS, THE QUALITATIVE BENEFITS, THE, UH, INDUCED EFFECTS, THE OFF CAP OPPORTUNITIES.
THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO REALLY LOOK AT.
THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY IS ALL THAT, THAT OTHER, UH, STUFF THAT HAPPENS OFF THE CAP, UM, I THINK YOU NEED TO HAVE MORE TIME TO LOOK AT THE FUNDING STACK, DIVERSIFY IT.
THE MEMO THAT CAME OUT YESTERDAY WITH A LOT OF IDEAS IN IT ON THE COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD IS A GREAT PLACE TO START.
UM, AND THE, IT'S A 50 60 YEAR HORIZON.
SEVERAL SPEAKERS HAVE SAID THAT, BUT THAT REALLY DOES NEED TO BE THE PLANNING HORIZON.
[01:50:01]
SOME WAYS IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO WHEN BERGSTROM AIR FORCE BASE FELL TO THE CITY IN THE EARLY NINETIES AND IN 1993, CITI PUT OUT A $400 MILLION BOND TO GET STARTED ON THAT, TO ASK VOTERS TO ACTUALLY INVEST IN THAT.THAT WAS A LONG TERM VISION, UH, MOMENT.
AND, AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE AT RIGHT NOW.
REAL QUICK ON THE DESIGN, WE ARE, I THINK THE PRIORITIZATION MATRIX REALLY UNDERVALUES THE NORTHERN CAPS AND THE POTENTIAL THERE.
I KNOW THREE OF YOU ARE ON THE CAPITAL METRO BOARD.
WE KNOW CAP METRO STAFF HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THAT IDEA OF SOMEWHERE IN THAT AREA, REDLINE STATION.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO KIND OF SPEAK TO CAP METRO STAFF ABOUT THAT.
UH, SO IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS THAT YOU HAVE UP UNTIL MAY 22ND, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP LOOKING AT DIFFERENT AND DIVERSE FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVES ON THIS TO THINK ABOUT THE 50, 60 YEAR MOMENT THAT YOU HAVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
AND TO BET ON AUSTINITE TO LEVERAGE THE DOWN PAYMENT THAT YOU WOULD BE MAKING TO LEVERAGE THAT INTO SOME GREAT PLACES AROUND THESE CAPS.
UH, PLACE A BET ON AUSTINITES.
OUR LAST TWO SPEAKERS ARE HAYNES MANDEL AND BRIAN MCG.
I SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE HANCOCK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION'S MOBILITY COMMITTEE.
TODAY, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK NOT SO MUCH, UM, AS A NEIGHBORHOOD, NEIGHBORHOOD RE REPRESENTATIVE, OR EVEN AS A RESIDENT OF HANCO HANCOCK, BUT AS A RESIDENT OF AUSTIN, AND I PROBABLY DON'T NEED TO SAY MUCH BECAUSE Y'ALL OF COURSE KNOW AUSTIN AS WELL AS ANYONE.
YOU KNOW WHAT AUSTIN WANTS TO BE GREEN, OUTDOORS, SUSTAINABLE, HEALTHY, WALKABLE, BIKEABLE, EQUITABLE, AFFORDABLE, DENSE, COOL, CONNECTED NEIGHBORLY AND SOCIAL, AND HOPEFULLY NICE AND SHADED.
WE ARE CRAVING A MODERN, EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT TRULY CONNECTS US IN, INTEGRATES OUR MANY COMMUNITIES, ALL THAT WE COULD HAVE OR AT LEAST COULD HAVE.
TRANSFORMATIVELY GAME CHANGING MORE OF ALONG THE I 35 CORRIDOR.
THAT 43 BLOCKS LONG STRETCH, UH, OF THE HIGHWAY CAN EITHER BE INHUMAN OR URBAN WASTELAND WITH A FEW BANDAIDS ACROSS, OR EVENTUALLY A VIBRANT URBAN CORRIDOR OF 24 BLOCK, OR ACTUALLY 48 BLOCKS ON BOTH SIDES.
UH, ALONG BLOCKS, ALONG CAPS WITH INTER, WITH WHICH INTERCONNECT, DENSE, EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENTS.
THE RED LINE, THE GOLD LINE, AND THE CAP METRO PROJECT CONNECT NETWORK AT LARGE, THE RED LINE PARKWAY AND THE EAST AVENUE TRAIL, THE HANCOCK CENTER, THE DELWOOD CENTER, MULTIPLE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS, ST.
DAVID'S HOSPITAL, UT WATERLOO PARK, DOWNTOWN, CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN, LADY BIRD LAKE, AND POTENTIALLY THE FUTURE HOV LANES ON I 35.
AMONG OTHER THINGS ON THE TOPIC OF CONNECTIVITY, I WANT TO END BY ADDRESSING ONE KEY, ONE OF THE KEY OBJECTIONS RAISED IN CITY STAFF'S.
MOST RECENT ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION TO BE DISCUSSED TODAY.
UH, NAMELY SUPPOSED LACK OF ACCESS POINTS, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE NORTHERN CAPS.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT THIS METRIC IS OF LIMITED VALUE.
IN MANY CASES, SUCH ACCESS POINTS ARE REDUNDANT AND UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, SAY HIGH SURROUNDING URBAN DENSITY AS AS FEW AS TWO OR THREE CAN BE ENTIRELY SUFFICIENT.
I'D BE SURPRISED IF PEACE PARK OR THE WALNUT CREEK GREENBELT FOR THAT MATTER, HAVE NEARLY AS MANY ACCESS POINTS PER LINEAR FEED OF PERIMETER AND THE PROPOSED NORTHERN CAPS.
LASTLY, AND RELATEDLY, YES, THE NEWEST STRAND RINGS OF THE CAPS AS SEEN FROM THE, FROM ACROSS THE FRONTAGE ROAD.
THANK YOU SPEAKER, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND YOUR INPUT.
LAST SPEAKER BRIAN MCGIVEN, COUNSEL.
MY NAME'S BRIAN MCGIVEN, AND ON MAY THE 22ND, YOU SHOULD VOTE AGAINST THIS PLAN.
WE, AS YOU'VE HEARD, AND AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN A PERIOD OF AUSTERITY.
THIS PLAN, ALTHOUGH BEAUTIFUL, IS EXTRAVAGANT AND I CAN'T SHAKE THE FEELING THAT THIS IS A GREAT GATSBY PLAN AND A GREAT DEPRESSION ERA.
EVEN IF WE WERE IN A PERIOD OF A MOMENT OF ABUNDANCE, THOUGH I WOULD BE VERY CAUTIOUS ABOUT ANY PLAN THAT WON'T BEAR ANY FRUIT UNTIL YOU SPEND AT LEAST ONE AND A HALF BILLION DOLLARS AT LEAST, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE SO MANY COMPETING PRIORITIES.
ONE OF THE CALLERS MENTIONED 2050 AT THE COUNCIL IN 2050, AND THAT WAS A YEAR THAT I HAD ON MY MIND TOO.
2050 IS THE YEAR WHEN WE ARE PROJECTED TO BE REALLY EXPERIENCING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
25 YEARS FROM NOW, I DON'T HAVE CHILDREN, BUT RESPECTFULLY, IF I DID, THAT PROMISE OF THE FUTURE WOULD TERRIFY ME.
AND I THINK THAT A FUTURE COUNCIL IN 2025 WOULD LOOK BACK WITH GRATITUDE ON A COUNCIL THAT DECIDED TO SPEND ITS LIMITED BOND CAPACITY ON PROJECTS LIKE EXPANDING DRAINAGE TO DEAL WITH 100 YEAR FLOOD EVENTS ON PROJECTS LIKE BUILDING UNDERGROUND AQUIFERS TO HEDGE AGAINST FUTURE INEVITABLE DROUGHT.
A COUNCIL THAT DEVOTED MONEY TO SOME SORT OF MEANINGFUL PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT HALF OF OUR CITY DOESN'T BURN TO A CRISP ZONING.
[01:55:01]
CHANGES ARE GREAT, BUT I SUSPECT WE NEED TO DO A WHOLE LOT MORE AND THAT IT WILL BE EXPENSIVE.UM, BEAUTIFUL THINGS ARE NICE, SAVING LIVES WHEN YOU KNOW THAT THE TRAIN IS COMING, THAT THE STORM IS COMING, THAT IS A PROFOUND LEGACY.
DON'T BE LIKE THE MAYOR FROM JAWS VOTE AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL.
THAT CONCLUDES ALL SPEAKERS FOR THE DAY.
OKAY, MEMBERS, UM, WE'VE HAD THE PRESENTATION AND WE'VE HEARD FROM ALL THE SPEAKERS, SO I'LL OPEN IT UP.
UM, I WANT TO THANK ALL THE SPEAKERS I SPOKE TODAY.
UH, HEARD FROM A LOT OF VOICES FROM DISTRICT NINE, FROM THE, THE HANCOCK NEIGHBORHOOD, CHERRYWOOD, UH, AND MILLER, AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT.
YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ONE OF THE SPEAKERS TALKED ABOUT WAS, UH, WHEN SHE MOVED TO AUSTIN, SHE NOTICED HOW FRIENDLY THE CITY WAS.
UH, THAT'S WHAT I NOTICED TOO WHEN I MOVED TO AUSTIN.
UH, BUT WHAT I ALSO NOTICED, THE, THE UGLINESS OF AUSTIN WAS I 35 AND HOW IT REALLY DID DIVIDE US, UH, AS A CITY.
UH, AND, AND I THINK WE REALLY DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO, YOU KNOW, SOME GOOD, UM, YOU KNOW, AS IT RELATES TO I 35 AND MAKING SURE THAT IN, IN 2050 WHEN, UH, UH, BIRDIE WATSON IS, IS MAYOR, UM,
UM, BUT YOU, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON A QUESTION ABOUT PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, UH, THAT I HAD ASKED DURING THE, THE APRIL WORK SESSION.
UH, A FEW OF US BACK IN DECEMBER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO BOSTON.
UH, AND WE, WE HAD TALKED WITH THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL.
WE HAD TALKED TO SOME DEVELOPERS IN THE AREA.
UH, AND WHAT WE SAW IN BOSTON WAS THAT IN, IN HIGHLY LAND CONSTRAINED AREAS, DEVELOPERS, YOU KNOW, SAW THE VALUE IN INVESTING IN A DECK OVER A HIGHWAY.
IF IT GIVES THEM MORE BUILD BUILDABLE AREA OR AN AREA WHERE THEY CAN PLACE IN OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS OR AMENITIES LIKE A PLAZA, LIKE A PARK OR, OR RETAIL, UH, WE WOULDN'T EXPECT THEM TO BE ABLE TO INVEST IN THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS.
BUT WE TALKED TO DEVELOPERS IN BOSTON WHO HAVE FUNDED IN CONSTRUCTED STITCHES OR THE, OR THE EQUIVALENT OF DECK CAPS, UM, AND, UH, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN PHASE TWO OVER CAP CONSTRUCTION HERE IN AUSTIN.
UH, AND I SAW IN THE COUNCIL Q AND A, UH, THAT STAFF WAS WORKING WITH, UH, OR HAVING DISCUSSIONS WITH OPPORTUNITY AUSTIN TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.
SO MY FIRST QUESTION BASED OFF OF THAT IS HOW ARE THOSE DISCUSSIONS GOING? AND I DON'T KNOW WHO WOULD ANSWER THAT, BUT IF ANYONE WANTS TO COME ON UP, UH, THANK YOU COUNSEL.
MICHAEL ROGERS, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
THOSE, THOSE CONVERSATIONS RIGHT NOW, MAY 16TH IS WHEN WE'RE GATHERING ALL OF THOSE GROUPS.
WE HAD AN INITIAL MEETING AND, AND THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST FROM NOT ONLY OPPORTUNITY AUSTIN, NOT ONLY, UH, DOWNTOWN, UH, ALLIANCE, BUT ALSO, UH, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
SO MAY 16TH IS WHEN WE, WE REALLY START TO GET INTO A LOT MORE OF THE, THE DETAILS, BUT THERE IS INTEREST FROM THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
MY, MY SECOND QUESTION WAS GONNA BE WHAT OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WERE TALKING TO? AND YOU MENTIONED THE DAA AND THE CHAMBER.
UM, SO I GUESS MY LAST QUESTION, SINCE THAT QUESTION WAS TAKEN, UH, WOULD STAFF BE OPEN TO ASSISTING US IN DEVELOPING SOME OF THAT CROSS CITY CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN DEVELOPERS AND INVESTORS IN OTHER CITIES SO WE CAN LEARN FROM OTHER CITIES AND SEE HOW THEY, HOW, HOW A PARTNERSHIP WOULD LOOK LIKE HERE IN AUSTIN? ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE OPEN TO ALL OPPORTUNITIES AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT.
SO WE WANT TO, WE ALSO WANNA BENCHMARK WHAT THOSE OTHER CITIES WERE DOING.
EVEN THOUGH THIS PROCESS A LITTLE BACKWARDS, A LOT OF THESE DISCUSSIONS STARTED BEFORE THE CITIES GOT INVOLVED, BUT WE WANT TO LOOK AT WHATEVER BEST PRACTICES ARE AND BRING ALL THE PARTNERS OR POTENTIAL PARTNERS TO THE TABLE, UH, AS WE START THESE DIS UH, DISCUSSIONS.
UM, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY IT'S A, IT'S A ONCE IN A GENERATION INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY, UH, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE GET IT RIGHT.
SO, AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, VELA, COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, AND KOMPA COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ, UH, ON, ON SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN OUR LITTLE QUORUM.
COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL AND COUNCIL MEMBER VELA.
UM, LAST TIME, I THINK WE WERE HERE FOR A SIMILAR BRIEFING.
I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UH, SPECIFICALLY WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM WE WERE TRYING TO SOLVE WITH THIS PROJECT.
WAS IT CLIMATE? WAS IT AIR QUALITY? WAS IT PEDESTRIAN TRANSIT, UH, OR EQUITY OR MOVING PEOPLE AROUND, UH, OR INCREASING THE CITY'S TAX BASE OR PARKLAND.
AND I WISH I WAS, I WISH I STILL HAD MORE CLARITY ON IT, UH, WEEKS LATER.
SO I'VE GOT A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS TRYING TO GET ME SOME CLARITY ON THAT.
MY FIRST QUESTION IS FOR THE FINANCE FOLKS FOR, UM, HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE TERMS OF THE SMALL, UH, SORRY.
[02:00:01]
LOAN.UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THIS IS A $41 MILLION LOAN, UH, THAT IS OVER 20 YEARS AND ABOUT A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT INTEREST RATE.
UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND.
IN PRACTICE THIS IS MORE LIKE A DEFERRED PAYMENT RATHER THAN A GRANT THAT ACTUALLY GIVES US MONEY TOWARDS THE PROJECT.
IS THAT AN ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OR IS IT A DIFFERENT WAY TO CHARACTERIZE THIS, CORRECT.
IT, IT IS A, A LOAN, IT'S NOT A GRANT.
UM, WE, WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE PAYMENTS, UM, OVER A 20 YEAR PERIOD.
UH, THE ANTICIPATED TOTAL COST OF, UH, PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST IS LOADING RIGHT NOW REALLY QUICKLY, UH, IS WITH THAT 3.5% INTEREST RATE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $57.9 MILLION.
UM, SO 41 MILLION PRINCIPAL AND 16.9 INTEREST.
SO IT'S REALLY DESIGNED TO HELP US JUMPSTART THE INITIAL PAYMENT OF THE PROCESS OR PROJECT.
UH, EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT IT'S ULTIMATELY GONNA BE MORE EXPENSIVE DOWN THE LINE TO PAY OFF THE LOAN, IT'S, IT'S ON PAR WITH, LIKE, WITH THE DEBT THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY ISSUE.
IT'S ON PAR ACTUALLY WITH, UH, THOSE, THE INTEREST RATE IS INCREDIBLY COMPETITIVE.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S SIMILAR TO HOW OUR, OUR TYPICAL GEO DEBT, UM, IT IS PAID BACK, UM, WITH A 20 YEAR PAYBACK PERIOD.
AND THEN THE INTEREST RATE VARIES DEPENDING ON MARKET CONDITIONS WHEN WE SOLD IT AND, AND WHATNOT, EXCEPT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY IMPACTING OUR OWN DEBT CAPACITY.
SO THIS, BECAUSE THIS WOULD BE PAID FOR, THE SIB LOAN WILL BE PAID BACK, UM, UTILIZING THE DEBT SERVICE PORTION OF OUR TAX RATE, UM, THAT IS ALLOWABLE USE.
SO IT DOES, IT IS INCORPORATED INTO OUR DEBT CAPACITY ANALYSIS.
UH, NEXT QUESTION IS ABOUT THE HOLLY STITCH.
I KNOW THAT WHEN I TALKED TO STAFF LAST WEEK, I UNDERSTAND THIS WAS ORIGINALLY DROPPED FROM THE PROPOSAL BETWEEN LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR.
ALTHOUGH I WAS SURPRISED IN THE PRESENTATION THAT WHEN THERE ARE, I'M TRYING TO FIND THE PAGE HERE IF YOU GIMME A MOMENT.
UM, BUT IT RATES THE STITCH PRETTY HIGHLY.
AS FAR AS OTHER BENEFITS, AND MAYBE SOMEBODY CAN FIND ME THE SLIDE, UH, IT USES A, I THINK A SYSTEM CALLED BCR.
AM I IN THE RIGHT PRESENTATION? CAN YOU EXPAND ON WHAT THAT BCR IS THAT YOU ALL CALCULATED? YEAH.
SO, UM, THE FEDERAL BCA COMPETITIVE N SCORE IS A BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS THAT U-S-D-O-T USES TO ANALYZE THE, UH, GRANT CRITERIA FOR PURSUING FEDERAL GRANTS.
IT'S, THEY HAVE A, UM, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE, UM, PROCESS OF HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO ANALYZE A, B, CA.
AND, UH, WE HAVE IN THE PAST HAD CONSULTANTS HELP US PURSUE FEDERAL GRANTS THAT HELP US CONSTRUCT THESE BCA RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW WE CAN BECOME A COMPETITIVE SCORE FOR THESE FEDERAL GRANTS THAT WE HAVE PURSUED IN THE PAST.
I HAVE ON THE SLIDE HERE THAT THE HOLLY STITCH DID RECEIVE A HIGH SCORE FOR THE FEDERAL BCA.
IT CONSIDERS A LOT OF FACTORS INCLUDING, UM, ADJACENT REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UM, LIVE SAVED FOR, UH, TRANSIT AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, AND A LOT OF THINGS, IT HAS A LOT OF INDICATORS.
UM, IT'S A VERY COMPLEX ANALYSIS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE HOLLY STITCH AND A LOT OF THE CONSTRAINTS THAT IT PRESENTED THROUGH THE TECH DOTS, UH, HIGHWAY DESIGN, AND ONCE WE STARTED UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT PUT ON TOP OF THE CAP IN TERMS OF AMENITIES AND HOW WE'D BE ABLE TO GET UTILITIES TO THE CAP TO SERVICE THOSE AMENITIES, ULTIMATELY SOME OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES REALLY STARTED DIMINISHING THE OVERALL SCORE HERE, WHICH YOU CAN SEE RECEIVE A SCORE OF 22.
AND FOR REFERENCE, I'M REFERRING TO ANYBODY LOOKING PAGE 16 OF THE OUR FUTURE 35 PRESENTATION.
UH, AND SO THE THING THAT I'M STRUGGLING WITH HERE IS, SO WE RATE THE HOLLY STITCH K UH, STITCH HIGHEST ON THERE, SECOND HIGHEST IS FOURTH THROUGH SEVEN.
EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMS TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW THAT, AND THERE'S A THIRD TIER BELOW THAT.
UH, AND THIS IS AN ANALYSIS THAT SEEMS TO BE TRYING TO QUANTIFY SOME OF THOSE, UM, THINGS THAT WE AS A CITY STRUGGLE TO QUANTIFY IN THE OTHER PRESENTATION.
UM, SO I'M, AND THEN WE HAD A SEPARATE SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT DIDN'T INCLUDE SOME OF THESE, UH, CAPS AND THEN HAD OTHER CAPS HELP ME RECONCILE HOW THIS ANALYSIS ARRIVED AT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND OUR CITY ANALYSIS CAME TO A DIFFERENT SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
[02:05:01]
I MEAN, THIS, UH, PRIORITIZATION ME METRICS DID IN FACT INFLUENCE, UH, THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION.ORIGINALLY, BEFORE THE DECK POLICY, UH, CAPACITY ANALYSIS WAS COMPLETED.
FIRST THIS, AND THEN SECOND THE DEBT CAPACITY ANALYSIS.
AND I CAN PROVIDE, UM, FILL IN THE BLANKS ON A LITTLE BIT OF THE KIND OF PROCESS HISTORY HERE.
UM, THE TABLE THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO ON SLIDE 16, WE, UH, SHARED THIS, UH, WITH COUNSEL LAST, UH, YEAR, I BELIEVE IN, UH, THE NOVEMBER WORK SESSION OF 2024, UM, TO PROVIDE SOME KIND OF PRELIMINARY STAFF INPUT FOR COUNCIL'S DISCUSSION, UM, REGARDING, YOU KNOW, WHICH CAP STITCH OPPORTUNITIES, UH, SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE OUR PRIORITY.
UM, DURING THOSE 2024 CONVER CONVERSATIONS, UM, THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED KIND OF HEARING SOME CONVERSATION FROM THE DIA THAT, UM, THESE SMALLER KIND OF 300 FOOT, WHAT WE'D CALL STITCHES, UH, MAYBE DON'T PROVIDE THE SAME KIND OF KIND OF MITIGATION BENEFIT FOR THE HIGHWAY THAT THE LONGER KIND OF 800,000 PLUS FOOT CAPPING OPPORTUNITIES DUE.
UM, AND THAT'S THE POINT AT WHICH, UM, THE HOLLY STITCH, THE KIND OF STITCH, UH, SOUTH OF CESAR CHAVEZ, UH, STITCHES IN THE, THE NORTHERN SEGMENT OF THE CORRIDOR, UM, STARTED TO KIND OF FALL OFF, UM, THE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS JUST BASED ON THAT INPUT THAT WE WERE HEARING FROM CITY COUNCIL.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO MEASURE FOR THE BCA OR BCR, HOW WERE WE ABLE TO MEASURE SIMILAR THINGS ON THE HALE BROWN PRESENTATION? I'M REFERRING TO A SLIDE FOUR THERE, OR I THINK PAGE FOUR THERE, WHICH TALKS ABOUT CONNECTIVITY AND RECREATION SPACE AND CONSTRUCTION JOBS, PUBLIC ART, STUFF LIKE THAT.
UH, WERE WE ABLE TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE, UH, SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO FOR, FOR THE BCR? THAT'S CORRECT.
THE HYATT BROWN PRESENTATION AND THEIR ROI STUDY DID NOT EVALUATE THOSE MORE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS THAT WOULD BE MORE SECONDARY, UH, BENEFITS, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE PUBLIC COMMITMENT OF FUNDING.
UM, AND YES, THE FEDERAL BCA DOES EVALUATE SOME OF THEM, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM.
SO IT IS NOT AS A ROBUST AS A ROI STUDY THAT CAPTURES ALL OF THE SOCIAL BENEFITS AS IDENTIFIED IN THE HYATT BROWN SLIDES.
THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
UH, SO NEXT QUESTION I'VE GOT THEN IS ABOUT THE, GOING BACK TO HOLLY AND THE STITCHES, I UNDERSTAND THE STITCHES WERE, AS YOU SAID, UH, MICHELLE LAST YEAR DROPPED BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT FACTORS, EVEN THOUGH THEY DO RATE HIGHLY ON THE BCR STUDY.
UH, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET SOME, AND AS WE THINK ABOUT OUR FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET OR REINTRODUCE SOME STITCH ANALYSIS OR STITCH COSTING THAT WOULD BE SUB 300 FEET, UH, TO GIVE US SOME ADDITIONAL OPTIONS BEYOND WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE TO CONSIDER? WE DO HAVE THOSE COST ESTIMATES.
UH, WE HAVE COST ESTIMATES FOR ALL OF THE OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED IN THESE PRESENTATIONS, AND WE ABSOLUTELY, UH, THEY'RE, UH, PROVIDED IN ALL BACKUP MATERIALS, BUT WE'D BE HAPPY TO SEND THEM BACK TO YOU.
AND I'LL JUST ADD, UM, YES, THE 300 FOOT OPTIONS AREN'T PART OF THOSE, UM, SCENARIOS THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, BUT, UM, WE, UM, CERTAINLY HAVE THE, THE STAFF CAPACITY TO CREATE, UM, SOME OF, IF, IF COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME 300 FOOT OPTIONS IN THOSE SCENARIOS, WE CAN DO THAT ANALYSIS FOR YOU.
AND IF IT'S POSSIBLE, IS A WAY TO LINK THE FIRST PART OF MY QUESTION, WHICH IS CAN YOU GET, IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING THOSE LESS QUANTIFIABLE THINGS THAT APPARENTLY HAD BEEN DONE FOR THE BCR PORTION? CAN YOU LOOK AT THAT BETWEEN A CAP AND A STITCH? YES.
I THINK THAT MIGHT BE VALUABLE TO HELPING ME UNDERSTAND WHETHER THERE'S UTILITY IN SORT OF DOWNSIZING CERTAIN AREAS IF COSTS A FACTOR, BUT OTHER QUANTIFIABLE THINGS CAN BE MEASURED TO SAY THERE IS A BENEFIT THERE, EVEN IF IT IS, EVEN IF WE'VE REDUCED THE SCOPE, OF COURSE WE CAN, WE CAN COMPILE THAT INFORMATION.
I, I'M ALSO, MAYBE KIM CAN HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR INCREASING THE DEBT PER CAPITA FOR AUSTINITES? I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN OTHER PRESENTATIONS THROUGH, UH, AUTO FINANCE.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ESSENTIALLY ON PAR ON PACE TO DOUBLE THAT, UM, THAT BURDEN.
SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND FROM A, FROM AN AUSTINITE OR A BOND OR A CITY PERSPECTIVE, WHAT THE IMPLICATION OF THAT DOUBLING WILL BE? SURE.
SO WITH THE, WHEN WE LOOKED AT JUST OUR ABUS, UM, AND WHAT THE
[02:10:01]
POTENTIAL IMPACT OUR TAX RATE WOULD BE, UM, THE DEBT SERVICE PORTION OF THE PROPERTY TAX BILL WAS, UH, GOING TO RISE BY ANOTHER $500, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY.UM, BUT SO THERE, THAT WAS JUST WITH THE EXISTING ABUS, THAT'S NOT WITH THE, ANY ADDITIONAL DEBT THAT IS, THAT MIGHT BE ADDED, UM, BACK BY OUR GEO RATING.
I'M ACTUALLY GONNA ASK BLAKE ROBERTS FROM, UH, PFM, OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR TO COME UP TO SPEAK TO THE, UH, THE BOND, UM, COMPONENTS TO IT AS WELL.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
BLAKE ROBERTS OF PFM FINANCIAL ADVISORS.
I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CITY FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AS THE FINANCIAL ADVISOR PREVIOUSLY SAT AT OUR RATING AGENCY, UH, COVERING THE CITY'S BOND RATINGS.
SO HAVE A UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH WORLDS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT.
THE DEBT PER CAPITA REALLY IS AN ARBITRARY METRIC, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU ABOUT HOW RATING AGENCIES VIEW AND ASSESS HOW CITIES CAN AFFORD DEBT.
IT IS, HOWEVER, ONE OF THE MORE EASILY IDENTIFIABLE METRICS.
UM, AND IN LOOKING AT KIM'S PRESENTATION, THE WAY THAT THE, THE, THE NUMBER WAS ARRIVED AT SEVEN 50, UM, THAT S AND P METRIC OF 4,500 PER CAPITA REALLY IS THE, THE HIGHEST THRESHOLD WHERE THE, THE DEBT RATING FOR THE CITY WOULD BE PRESSURED BY POTENTIALLY MORE THAN ONE NOTCH DOWNGRADE.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS YOU COULD POTENTIALLY MOVE FROM A TRIPLE A TO AA PLUS AND A DOUBLE A PLUS TO A DOUBLE A.
THAT COMES WITH, THAT DOES COME WITH A COST OVER TIME.
SO ON A, ON A BILLION DOLLAR BORROWING, UM, AN ADDITIONAL 10 TO 15 BASIS POINTS, UH, IS HOW WE MEASURE INTEREST RATE AND MOVEMENT.
UH, THAT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL $20 MILLION OR SO IN TOTAL DEBT SERVICE.
SO IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IT ISN'T A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT IN TERMS OF AN INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYER, BUT IT DOES BEGIN TO BUILD OVER TIME AS YOU THINK ABOUT SORT OF HOW MUCH A CITY MAY BE, MAY BE BORROWING OVER THE NEXT FEW YEAR, FEW YEARS.
SO IT, IT IS A, AN AN ARBITRARY METRIC, UH, EASY TO IDENTIFY.
UH, MOST OF YOUR PEERS IN TEXAS ARE IN THAT THOUSAND TO 1700 PER CAPITA, UH, RATIO CURRENTLY.
SO TO GO TO ABOUT $3,000 IS ON A HIGHER END THRESHOLD OF WHERE OTHER CITIES WOULD BE.
UH, DOESN'T MAKE IT GOOD OR BAD, IT JUST MOVES YOU INTO A DIFFERENT RATING CATEGORY WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THEY'LL VIEW YOUR DEBT.
IN TERMS OF, OF, OF THE CRITERIA, CRITERIA FOR YOUR RATING, AND WHEN WE'RE MOVED INTO THAT DIFFERENT RATE OF CRITERIA, HOW DOES THAT ACTUALLY IMPACT, UH, OUR ABILITY TO PAY FOR NEW PROJECTS? THE COST OF BORROWING HIGHER, THE, THE COST OF BORROWING IS HIGHER.
THERE IS POTENTIALLY MORE CROWDING OUT IN TERMS OF CHOICES FOR CAPITAL PROGRAMS DOWN THE ROAD.
UH, IT, IT, IT, IT RATE DEBT IS ONE COMPONENT OF YOUR RATING.
UH, SO IF YOUR DEBT LOAD BECOMES VERY, VERY HIGH IN THEIR VIEW, IT BECOMES ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT TO MAIN THINGS LIKE MAINTAIN THINGS LIKE VERY STRONG RESERVES.
UH, BUDGET DEFICITS BECOME VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO, UH, BEGIN TO EXPLAIN, UH, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE THOSE POSITIVE RATING FACTORS THAT COUNTERACT KIND OF THE HIGHER DEBT LOAD.
SO, UH, YOU'RE SORT OF MARGIN FOR ERROR ON OTHER FACTORS, FINANCIAL RESERVES, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, BUDGETS, UH, ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE BECOMES A LITTLE BIT LESS FLEXIBLE BECAUSE OF THE HIGHER DEBT LOAD.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP UNDERSTANDING THAT.
UH, NEXT QUESTION IS JUST ABOUT THE VIEW CORRIDOR.
I WAS JUST CONFUSED BY THE MAP ON THAT SLIDE.
I KNOW WE SAID AT THE BEGINNING WE TALK ABOUT HOW THE LIMIT IS TWO STORIES, BUT IN THAT ACCOMPANYING MAP, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE IDENTIFIED SECTIONS THAT HAVE SEVEN OR EIGHT STORIES.
THAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, THE, THE, THE LIMITATION RELATED TO TWO STORIES IS A LOADING FACTOR LIMITATION.
SO THE STRUCTURE CAN PHYSICALLY HOLD A TWO STORY PERHAPS SLIGHTLY MORE, AS FOR IS WHAT I HEARD, BUT PROBABLY TWO STORIES.
UM, THE IMAGE YOU'RE, YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDOR LIMITATIONS, WHICH ALSO, UM, HAVE THEIR OWN LIMITATIONS AT DIFFERENT PARTS.
SO IN, IN SOME, IN ALMOST EVERY CASE, THOSE LIMITS ARE HIGHER THAN THE TWO STORY, UH, STRUCTURAL LIMITATION.
BUT YOU WILL SEE, LIKE AS AN EXAMPLE AT CAESAR CHAVEZ, UM, YOU MAY ONLY BE ABLE TO GO ONE STORY IN ON ONE HALF OF, OF THAT CAP.
BUT JUST TO CONFIRM, THE STRUCTURAL LIMITATION IS GONNA BE OVERRIDING ANY OF LIMITATION FOR SAFETY REASONS.
THE STRUCTURAL LIMITATIONS CANNOT BE OVERRIDED.
THEY'RE GONNA BE THE DETERMINANT.
UH, NEXT QUESTION IS ABOUT ANOTHER SLIDE WHICH DEALS WITH THE POTENTIAL CONSERVANCY, TALKS ABOUT MEMBERSHIP AND RENTALS AND SPONSORSHIPS, SPECIAL EVENTS, CONCESSION FEES AND SO ON.
WAS ANY OF THAT ABLE TO BE ACTUALLY ESTIMATED OR, UH, HAVE WE LOOKED AT ANOTHER CITY THAT'S DONE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT,
[02:15:01]
WHAT THAT POTENTIAL BENEFIT WOULD BE? IS THERE ADVERTISING REVENUE? IS THERE, WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THAT SPACE AS FAR AS YOU FOUND COMPARABLY IN OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE, UH, SEVERAL PROJECTS? AB ABSOLUTELY.UM, WE LOOKED AT A LOT OF THE OPERATIONS AND, AND, UM, A LOT OF THE ANNUAL REPORTS FOR CONSERVANCIES AND, AND, AND HONESTLY, THEY, NONE OF THEM HAD A MAJORITY OF EARNED REVENUE.
THEY STILL RELIED HEAVILY ON CONTRIBUTIONS AND GRANTS, WHETHER THOSE WERE FROM A PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT THAT THEY WERE A PART OF OR OTHER, UM, PHILANTHROPIC ASSOCIATIONS.
UM, BUT EARNED REVENUE WAS LARGEST, UM, FROM RENTAL FEES.
UH, LOTS OF PEOPLE LIKE TO HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS, UM, CONCESSIONS.
UH, SO WE WERE GENEROUS IN ASSUMING THAT THEY WOULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO DESIGN THE AMENITIES IN SUCH A WAY TO RECOUP THEIR EXPENSES.
BUT EVEN THAT IS HONESTLY QUITE GENEROUS COMPARED TO COMPAR COMPARABLE PARKS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
IS THAT REFLECTED IN ANY OF THE DATA THAT ON THE SLIDES THAT ARE PART OF YOUR PART OF THE PRESENTATION? NOT IN THIS FINAL PRESENTATION, BUT WE DO HAVE THOSE SLIDES.
IT MIGHT BE USEFUL TO, UM, JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND KIND OF THE, UH, THE SCOPE OF HOW MUCH THAT EXISTS TO OFFSET THE COST OF THE PROJECT OR O AND M.
UH, UH, AND THEN WE ALSO HEARD COMMENTS, I THINK AT THE LAST BRIEFING ABOUT CLYDE WARREN SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC BENEFITS.
I KNOW WHEN I TRIED TO LOOK INTO IT, IT LOOKED LIKE THAT WAS DRIVEN LARGELY BY PROPERTY TAX INCREASES IN THE AREAS.
AND THAT'S, I ASSUME WHY YOU FOCUSED ON THOSE MAP SLIDES AS PART OF THE PRESENTATION.
UM, WE, WE DID, AND OTHER, OTHER CITIES TEND TO BE, UM, LOOKING IN A, A VERY LARGE RADIUS.
AND WE FELT THAT THAT IS, THERE ISN'T, UM, THERE ISN'T A CLEAR NEXUS BETWEEN A CAP INVESTMENT AND AN INCREASE IN A LAND VALUE OF HALF A MILE AWAY.
SO IS OUR SITUATION COMPARABLE TO DALLAS WHERE THEY WERE GOING THROUGH WHAT THEY, WHAT YOU CHARACTERIZE AS SORT OF AN URBAN RENEWAL GOING BACK TO 2011? OR ARE WE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEARBY PROPERTIES FROM OUR PROPOSED CAPS BASED ON THE REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY SITES WE LOOKED AT, I WOULD SAY DALLAS WAS IN A SIGNIFICANTLY EARLIER PHASE OF URBAN RENAISSANCE THAN WE ARE TODAY IN AUSTIN.
UH, I MEAN, I COUNT ABOUT, UH, IF I'M LOOKING AT YOUR SLIDE CORRECTLY, I THINK IT'S, UH, I THINK IT'S THE SLIDE ON 17 THAT TALKS ABOUT THE VALUE INCREMENT WITH REDEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE DIFFERENT CAP SECTIONS.
AND I TOTAL THAT TO ABOUT $4.7 BILLION IN WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE DALLAS WOULD BE CONSIDERING TO BE ECONOMIC IMPACT.
UH, BUT IN REALITY, FROM YOUR DATA, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S ONLY ABOUT $23 MILLION OF TAX INCREMENT IMPACT TO THE CITY.
IS THAT CORRECT? 'CAUSE THAT'S ABOUT, THAT'S ABOUT HALF OF A PERCENTAGE.
YOU, YOU HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED A VERY LARGE DIFFERENCE AND YOU ARE CORRECT.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE SEEING IT ALL AS ECONOMIC IMPACT AND ECONOMIC VALUE CREATION.
BUT I'M, UH, AS AN ADVISOR TO THE CITY, LOOKING AT THE CITY AS A PRIMARY INVESTOR AND HOW IT'S GOING TO IMPACT YOU AND YOUR COFFERS.
SO IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT IF WE HAD THE SAME FUNDING, UM, MAKEUP THAT DALLAS HAD WHERE LARGELY STATE, FEDERAL PHIL, PHILANTHROPY, PHILANTHROPY.
BUT BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING AT BEING THE PRIMARY FUNDER, AT LEAST AT THIS MOMENT, THAT'S HOW YOU ARRIVED AT YOUR ANALYSIS OR I'M SEEING ABOUT POINT HALF OF A PERCENTAGE POINT OF ECONOMIC IMPACT.
ANY, ANY OUTSIDE FUNDS THAT CAN ASSIST WITH THE CAPITAL COSTS WOULD POSITIVELY IMPACT THE RESULTS OF THIS RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
AND IF YOU GUYS, UH, UH, I NOTICED THAT IN NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR WHEN THIS CAME UP, THAT COSTS HAD ESCALATED ABOUT 61% FROM 868 MILLION TO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 1.4 BILLION.
I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT CAN WE ANTICIPATE ADDITIONAL COSTS? AND THAT WAS, I THINK, BASED ON INFLATION AND SOME OTHER FACTORS, CAN WE EXPECT OTHER INCREASES GOING FORWARD? DO WE HAVE CONFIRMATION FROM TECH OUT ITSELF THAT THERE'S GONNA BE ANY KIND OF ASSURANCE THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH THIS MIGHT INCREASE? UM, YES.
THE COST ESTIMATE CHANGE, UH, THAT WE SHARED LAST NOVEMBER, UM, ACCOUNTED FOR, UH, GOING FROM WHAT WERE SCHEMATIC LEVEL COST ESTIMATES TO 30% DESIGN COMPLETION LEVEL COST ESTIMATES.
SO, UM, THERE WAS JUST MUCH MORE INFORMATION THAT WE WERE ABLE TO COST OUT AT THAT POINT.
UM, THE COST ESTIMATES WE'RE WORKING WITH TODAY THAT ARE IN FRONT OF YOU DO HAVE A 20% CONTINGENCY, UH, TO HELP TO KIND OF ABSORB ANY OF THOSE, UH, POTENTIAL CHANGES WE MIGHT ENCOUNTER IN
[02:20:01]
FUTURE COST ESCALATION.UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, WE HAVE, UH, COMMUNICATED WITH YOU ALL IN THE, IN THE PAST AND, YOU KNOW, I WOULD UNDERSCORE NOW THAT, UM, ANY OF THESE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, INCLUDING CAPEX AND TUNNEL ELEMENTS THAT WE, UM, SUBMIT AS A FUTURE CHANGE ORDER, RATHER THAN INCORPORATING INTO THE INITIAL 2026 CONSTRUCTION BID, WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY ANTICIPATE, YOU KNOW, 30 TO 40% COST, UM, ESCALATION ON, ON THAT THAN THAN THE NUMBERS YOU'RE SEEING TODAY.
AND THAT'S FOR CHANGE ORDERS? CORRECT.
UH, BUT IN TERMS OF THE WHATEVER ECONOMIC INSTABILITY WE MIGHT HAVE, TARIFFS AND TRADE WARS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, IS THAT, UH, WAS THAT A FACTOR IN COMING UP WITH YOUR 20% CONTINGENCY? OR WOULD COULD THERE BE A CASE BE MADE THAT IT'S ACTUALLY OUGHT TO BE POTENTIALLY LARGER BASED ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN AND THE CHANGE THAT HAVE HAPPENED, AT LEAST BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER LAST YEAR? YEAH, YEAH.
COUNCIL MEMBER 20%, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST KIND OF THE, A A STANDARD PRACTICE BEST GUESS AT THIS LEVEL OF DESIGN.
UM, BUT YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT MISTAKEN THAT, YOU KNOW, YOUR COST INCREASES COULD EXCEED THAT.
UM, AND IF THAT DOES HAPPEN, THEN THE CITY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE, THOSE COST INCREASES.
CA COUNCIL MEMBER, HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO FINISHING? 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WANT TO SPEAK.
DO YOU WANNA WRAP UP? WELL, I WANT YOU TO WRAP UP
UH, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT, BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANNA SPEAK AND, AND, AND ASK QUESTIONS.
SO I, I HATE TO, I HATE TO DISRUPT, BUT PLEASE GO AHEAD AND FINISH YOUR LAST TWO QUESTIONS.
ONE LAST, WELL I'LL, I'LL TRY AND WRAP IT UP HERE REAL QUICK, WHICH IS, UH, I ALSO READ THAT THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT OF THE TDOT NUMBERS.
IS THAT CORRECT? AT LEAST THAT WAS ACCURATE, I THINK OF LAST NOVEMBER.
HAVE WE STILL NOT DONE THAT? ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WE DID HAVE OUR, UM, OUR, UH, STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS TAKE A, A CLOSE LOOK AT THAT OF THOSE TECH STOCK COST ESTIMATES.
UM, AND BASED ON THEIR ANALYSIS, UM, THEY WERE, THE ESTIMATES WERE WITHIN KIND OF AN EXPECTED ORDER OF MAGNITUDE.
COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL FOLLOWED BY VELA AND THEN ALTER, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU TO STAFF.
UH, I'M GONNA START WITH SOME FINANCE QUESTIONS THEN COME BACK TO, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, IF THAT'S OKAY.
AND, UH, AS MS. VARDAS IS COMING UP, UM, I'M GONNA TRY TO RECITE MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE WE'RE AT HERE.
AND THE KIND OF TOP LINE IS THAT EVERY DOLLAR WE COMMIT TO CAPS THIS MONTH IS A DOLLAR THAT COUNTS TOWARDS OUR CREDIT RATING IN THIS KIND OF DEBT CEILING THAT WE'RE CONFRONTING AS A CITY.
AND THAT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ABOUT SEVEN $50 MILLION IN ROOM.
UM, AND IF WE EXCEED THAT THRESHOLD, OUR CREDIT RATING IS LIKELY TO FALL.
UH, WHICH WOULD HAVE A MAJOR DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON OUR FINANCES AS A CITY.
AND UM, ALSO THERE'S A TRADE OFF THAT EVERY DOLLAR WE SPEND ON THIS IS A DOLLAR WE CAN'T SPEND ON OTHER CAPITAL NEEDS.
UM, AND THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR DEBT, THAT INCLUDES GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, IT INCLUDES REVENUE BACKED BONDS, IT INCLUDES CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION AND IT INCLUDES THIS LOAN FROM THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK.
IS THAT CORRECT? SO IT INCLUDES, UH, THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK LOAN, UH, AND IT ALSO INCLUDES OUR GENERAL OBLIGATION CREDIT BACKED, UM, DEBT, WHETHER THAT'S PUBLIC APPROVE BONDS, COS OF THE SORT REVENUE BACKED BONDS THAT THOSE ARE TYPICALLY UNDER A SEPARATE RATING.
SO AUSTIN ENERGY, AUSTIN WATER CONVENTION CENTER, UM, AIRPORT, THEY HAVE A SEPARATE CREDIT RATING PROCESS.
UM, AND SO THAT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THE GO.
HOWEVER, UM, AS THE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES, HA AND BLAKE HIT ME, HIT ME IF I'M, IF I GO OFF, UM, KILTER HERE, THE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES ARE, EVEN WHEN WE ARE GOING TO THEM FOR A GEO CREDIT RATING UPDATE, UM, THEY ARE OFTEN LOOKING AT OUR ENTIRE PORTFOLIO REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE FUNDING SOURCE IS TO SUPPORT THE DEBT SERVICE.
SO, UM, ALL OF THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE AIRPORT EXPANSION, THE CONVENTION CENTER REBUILD AND SO ON, THAT THEY, THEY ARE LOOKING AT THAT, UH, IN ADDITION TO OUR GEO BACKED, UM, DEBT, UH, PLANS.
AND HE'S, HE'S NODDING HIS HEAD BEHIND YOU.
SO I THINK YOU'RE ON TRACK HERE,
UH, I, I GUESS, UH, THE FINAL QUESTION ON THIS TOPIC IS LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF, UM, SEVERAL OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBER PEERS HERE SUGGESTED USING THESE, UH, RENTAL CAR REVENUE OR RENTAL CAR FEE BACKED REVENUE BONDS.
UM, WOULD THAT BE IN THE SAME CATEGORY OF, UH, KIND OF BONDS THAT GO TOWARDS OUR, OUR CREDIT LIMIT? YEAH, SO THE, THE, WE GET A LITTLE BIT ANALYSIS AROUND THAT.
IT'S A, IT'S A REALLY GOOD THOUGHT AND IDEA.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAME UP WITH ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION RANGE, COULD BE A HUNDRED TO 150 DEPENDING ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE, THE STRUCTURE.
UM, BUT IT IS A FINITE REVENUE SOURCE WHERE YOU HAVE TO PLEDGE WHAT'S CALLED A DEBT
[02:25:01]
SERVICE COVERAGE TO IT.SO YOU CAN'T LEVER $13 MILLION OF REVENUE.
YOU CAN'T HAVE $13 MILLION OF DEBT SERVICE HAS TO BE SOMETHING LESS THAN THAT, LET'S CALL 8 MILLION.
SO IT WOULD, UNDER OUR CONSTRUCT, BE A STANDALONE REVENUE BOND CREDIT PLEDGED OR BACKED ONLY BY THE RENTAL CARRAL REVENUES ITSELF ISOLATED FROM THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE PLEDGE OF THE CITY WRIT LARGE.
UM, SO THAT'S ONE, ONE SMALLER PIECE.
UM, BUT IT WOULD BE A LITTLE, SORRY TO INTERRUPT, SIR.
UM, WOULD THAT DISPLACE OTHER CAPITAL PROGRAMS OR NOT? I, IF SUCH CAPITAL PROGRAMS WERE FUNDED BY THAT RENTAL CAR REVENUE.
SO IT'S KIND OF OPERATES IN ISOLATION IN THAT WAY.
UM, AND I GUESS I WANTED TO GO BACK TO MS. VAL TIS, IF THAT'S OKAY.
UM, WE RECEIVED A MEMO, UH, ATTORNEY-CLIENT MEMO, BUT, UM, IT INVOLVED, UH, TEXAS HB 19, WHICH IS PENDING IN THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IF IT WAS ADOPTED, IT WOULD PREVENT THE CITY FROM ISSUING CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION TO PAY FOR THE CAP PROJECT.
IS THAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING? IT? THE, THE CURRENT COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE, UH, IN IT ALLOWS FOR ISSUANCE OF CEOS FOR TRANSPORTATION RELATED FUNCTIONS.
SO YOU COULD UTILIZE IT FOR THE, UH, ROADWAY ELEMENTS.
UM, IT DOES BASED ESSENTIALLY GUT COS FOR MOST EVERYTHING ELSE THOUGH.
UM, SO TRANSPORTATION, UH, LANDFILLS, UTILITIES, UH, THOSE ARE THE MAIN THINGS THAT ARE COMING TO MIND THAT IT WOULD STILL AND DRAINAGE THAT IT WOULD STILL ALLOW FOR.
AND THEN, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF MS. ALVAEZ, IF YOU'RE THE RIGHT PERSON TO TALK TO ABOUT PRIVATE FINANCING OR IF THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER AREA, BUT, UM, I GUESS I JUST WANNA NOTE THAT THE, UH, FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS THAT YOUR OFFICE HIRED, UH, WHEN THEY WERE LOOKING AT HOW TO FUND THIS PROJECT, THEY WERE NOT CONSIDERING THAT PRIVATE FUNDING OR PHILANTHROPIC FUNDING WOULD COVER PHASES TWO AND THREE.
AND SO ARE YOU AWARE, UH, AT WHAT POINT IN TIME THAT STAFF STARTED TO BELIEVE THAT PRIVATE OR OR PHILANTHROPICS FUNDING COULD COVER PHASES TWO AND THREE? UH, THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UH, PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDS HAVE BEEN UNDER IN DISCUSSION FOR QUITE SOME TIME, UM, BUT IT'S HARD TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HOW MUCH, UM, CAN OR, OR, OR WOULD BE COLLECT OR, UH, UM, RECEIVED, UH, FOR THE THIS PURPOSES.
SO, UM, LIKE MR. GILBERT NOTED, HE AS THE ADVISOR TO US ON THIS, HE WAS HAVING TO LOOK AT IT JUST FROM A, HOW IT'S BEEN CONSIDERED HISTORICALLY OF, OF CITY FUNDING THESE COMPONENTS.
UM, BUT IF HE, DO YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING TO YEAH, YEAH.
YEAH, J JUST TO GIVE SOME MORE CONTEXT TO THOSE ASSUMPTIONS ARE THAT THERE'S A TIME, THERE'S A TIME REQUIREMENT WITH THE RELEASE OF FUNDS TO TDOT FOR AT LEAST PHASES ONE AND TWO.
I WOULD SAY PHASE THREE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ASSUMED AS A CITY OBLIGATION.
ANYTHING THAT CAN TAKE ITS TIME AS NECESSARY IS ASSUMED TO BE A BETTER COMPONENT FOR PRIVATE AND PHILANTHROPIC BECAUSE IT'S, THE KIND OF IDEA IS ONCE YOU HAVE THE THRESHOLD OF FUNDS TO, UM, PROVIDE PHASE THREE, PHASE FOUR, PHASE FIVE AMENITIES, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND DO SO.
AND, UM, I'M GONNA HAVE MAKE A COUPLE COMMENTS.
I'M NOT SURE WHICH FROM STAFF, UH, SHOULD RESPOND.
UM, BUT BASICALLY MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CITY SINCE 2019 HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROPOSED CAP AND STITCH PROJECT.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FOR LAST SIX YEARS.
UM, AND LAST MONTH ON THE Q AND A WEBSITE FOR THE CAP ANDIT PROJECT, UH, THE CITY SAID, WE'VE CONSIDERED ALL VIABLE SOURCES OF OUTSIDE FUNDING AND QUOTE, NO PRIVATE OR PHILANTHROPIC FUNDING SOURCES HAVE YET BEEN IDENTIFIED OR COMMITTED FOR CAP AND STITCH, PARTICULARLY FOR ROADWAY ELEMENTS AND DECK STRUCTURES.
AND, UM, NOW THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT WE COULD LOOK FOR BETWEEN 250,000,003 $60 MILLION IN PRIVATE DOLLARS FOR PHASE TWO OF THE PROJECT THAT JUST GETS US THE DECKS.
AND THAT ALSO THAT, THAT THOSE SAME DOLLARS WOULD BE USED FOR THE BASIC AMENITIES.
AND, UM, I'M JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE IS WILLING TO COME UP AND SAY THAT THIS IS REALISTIC.
AND, AND TO BE CLEAR, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO DECKS OR FIVE, I MEAN, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, AT THE MOST MINIMAL ASK FROM STAFF, WE'RE ASKING TO COMMIT $55 BILLION IN COS AND STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK LOANS THAT WOULD DISPLACE OTHER FUNDING CAPACITY.
AND MY CONCERN IS THAT WE'RE GONNA PUT THIS MONEY DOWN AND, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS LATER, NO MONEY'S GONNA COME FORWARD AND THAT'S JUST GONNA BE A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER CITY NEEDS.
AND SO, UH, CAN ANYONE COME UP AND TALK ABOUT WHETHER IT'S REALISTIC AND HOW REALISTIC IT IS THAT WE COULD IDENTIFY BETWEEN 350 MILLION AND OR 250,000,300 60 MILLION IN PRIVATE DOLLARS JUST TO FUND THE DECKS? UH, TO JUST, JUST SPEAK TO THE FINANCIAL LANDSCAPE IN GENERAL.
UM, HISTORICALLY THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WHEN
[02:30:01]
IT COMES TO MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS LIKE THIS, WE HAVE LARGELY PROVIDED ALL THE FUNDING, UM, TO, TO MAKE THEM A REALITY.UM, AS, AS COUNCIL HAS HEARD IN, IN THE VARIOUS BUDGET CONVERSATIONS, UM, THE UPCOMING BRIEFING FOR IN THE AUDIT FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, UM, THE FINANCIAL LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY FOR US, UM, WITH CHANGES IN STATE LAW, UH, AND THE SORT.
SO WE'RE REALLY AT A POINT NOW WHERE THE, THE APPROACH THAT THE CITY COVERS THE ENTIRE TAB IS JUST NOT FEASIBLE LONG TERM ANY LONGER.
SO THIS IS WHERE WE, WE HAVE TO MAKE THE ASK TO PHILANTHROPIC FOLKS, CORPORATIONS, WHOMEVER, TO STEP UP AND, AND JOIN US IN, IN HELPING MAKE THIS, THIS, THIS KIND OF INVESTMENT A REALITY.
SO, AND I'M, I'M OPEN TO BEING PERSUADED AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS, UH, THE A CM COMES UP, YOU KNOW, UM, BUT I'LL JUST SAY I MET WITH THE WATERLOO GREENWAY FOLKS JUST YESTERDAY.
UH, AND THAT'S A PROJECT THAT'S MUCH FURTHER ALONG AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR 30 MILLION PLUS TO, TO MEET THEIR PROJECT NEEDS.
AND THEY'RE SAYING HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE CORPORATIONS ARE GIVING LESS.
UH, AND ALSO ALL THESE FEDERAL CUTS, I MEAN, JUST YESTERDAY THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE ABOUT CUTS TO ARTS FUNDING AND THERE'S CUTS TO RESETTLEMENT DOLLARS, THERE'S CUTS TO, UH, CLIMATE DOLLARS AND PHILANTHROPY IS, IS LIKELY TO BE TRYING TO COVER SOME OF THOSE GAPS AS WELL.
UM, AND SO, YEAH, MR. ROGERS, LIKE, UM, IS THERE ANY LIKELIHOOD, ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT A PERCENTAGE LIKELIHOOD DOWN, LIKE HOW LIKE IT IS WE CAN FILL THIS DELTA WITH PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS? UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UM, I CAN'T PUT A PERCENTAGE DOWN HOWEVER I CAN LOOK AT HISTORY.
AND IN ONE OF THE SLIDES ACTUALLY SHOWED WITH EACH OF THE OTHER TYPES OF CAP PROJECTS, THERE WAS ROUGHLY FOR THOSE WHO HAD, UH, MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT, ABOUT 20% INVESTMENT WAS DONE FROM THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS.
THE REST, THE WHOLE REST WAS DONE THROUGH OTHER MEANS.
AND SO I BELIEVE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US.
I CAN'T SAY WE, WE, WE WILL GET THERE OR NOT, BUT WE, ONCE WE SHOW OUR INVESTMENT AS AS THE STACK, THIS IS WHERE ALL THE OTHER PROJECTS HAVE BEEN.
NOW THIS IS THE, THIS IS REALLY THE, THE DOG WAGON, THE, THE, THE TAIL.
BECAUSE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS STARTED WITH ALREADY HAVING THE PHILANTHROPIC AND THEN COMING TO THE CITY.
SO WE ARE, WE ARE AT A, A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT POINT, BUT WE MUST GO OUT TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
I WISH WE HAD MORE TIME THAN THE END OF THIS MONTH.
BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE THE PHILANTHROPIC OR THE, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, UM, REALLY A PART OF THIS PROJECT TO, TO MAKE IT WORK.
AND THAT'S WHERE THESE MEETINGS, UM, THERE IS INTEREST WITH OUR, OUR PRIVATE SEC, NOT OUR PRIVATE OUR, SUCH AS THE, THE, THE OPPORTUNITY AUSTINS THE CHAMBERS AND OTHERS WHO, WHO BELIEVE THAT YES, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US TO, TO REALLY START WORKING TOWARDS THAT GOAL.
AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, AND IT'S NOT JUST THE CITY.
I MEAN, WE HAVE OUR FINANCE PEOPLE, WE HAVE OUR ENGINEERING FOLKS THAT ARE, THAT HAVE BEEN KIND OF CHAMPIONING THIS PROJECT AT THIS STAGE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOLKS THAT ARE REALLY LOOKING AT THAT NEXT STAGE AND, AND, UH, ACQUIRING THAT TYPE OF, UH, UH, SUPPORT.
SO, CAN I PUT A GUARANTEE ON IT? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
HOWEVER, I CAN SAY PAST PRACTICES, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER PROJECTS, IT'S BEEN ABOUT THIS SAME PERCENTAGE WHEN THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE, HAVE, HAVE FUNDED A PROJECT.
AND, AND YOU WERE OBVIOUSLY IN DALLAS AND YOU GOT TO AUSTIN ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS I GOT INTO COUNCIL.
AND, UH, SO WE CAN'T BLAME, YOU KNOW, YOU OBVIOUSLY FOR, FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS OF NOT FINDING PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT, BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT IN DALLAS, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, PHILANTHROPY COVERED ABOUT 50 MILLION, BUT THEY GOT THE THING STARTED.
AND HERE IT'S A MUCH DIFFERENT FUNDING LANDSCAPE.
APPARENTLY AUSTIN'S PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY IS NOT NEARLY AS STRONG AS DALLAS.
THERE'S A LOT OF HEADWINDS THAT ARE DIFFERENT HERE THAN, THAN THE MODEL PROJECT IN DALLAS.
THEN THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE.
HOWEVER, I I I, I LIKE THE ENERGIES THAT I'VE SEEN FROM THE AGENCIES THAT ARE HERE THAT ARE WILLING TO STEP UP AND, AND REALLY START TO DO THAT, THAT SELL OF, OF THESE CAPS.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT.
A CM AND IF YOU COULD ACTUALLY STAY, 'CAUSE I WANNA TRANSITION TO THE PUBLIC WORKS SIDE OF THE CONVERSATION, UH, WITH THE TRADE-OFFS.
UM, UH, ASSISTANT MANAGER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN STAY UP FOR A MINUTE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE LAST TIME WE DISCUSSED CAP STITCH, UM, I DID ASK STAFF TO PRESENT TO US AN OVERVIEW OF THE CITY'S CAPITAL NEEDS.
AND I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT, UM, THAT'S
[02:35:01]
IN BACKUP TODAY, BUT I DO KNOW THERE'S BEEN ONGOING MEETINGS OF THE BOND, UH, ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE WHERE A NUMBER OF THE DEPARTMENTS UNDER, UM, YOUR PURVIEW HAVE PRESENTED ABOUT THE CITY'S CAPITAL NEEDS.AND I JUST WANNA, UM, GO THROUGH A FEW OF THESE JUST TO KIND OF MAKE THE RECORD THAT I WAS HOPING Y'ALL WOULD HELP ME CREATE.
UM, BUT IN FEBRUARY, THE OFFICE OF CLIMATE AND RESILIENCE PRESENTED, UH, WHAT COULD BE INCLUDED IN A CLIMATE BOND TO THE B-E-A-T-F.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CL CLIMATE RESILIENCE OFFICE IDENTIFIED OVER $12 BILLION IN PROJECTS THAT COULD FULFILL OUR CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, INCLUDING, UH, 7.7 BILLION IN PROJECTS THAT COULD FOCUS ON CLI UH, CARBON EMISSION NEEDS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS.
AND THOSE INCLUDE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, SOLAR PANELS, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, RECYCLING, UM, THEY ALSO INCLUDE WATER QUALITY, WATER, WATER QUANTITY, LAND ACQUISITION, FLOODING PREVENTION.
SO ALL OF THESE CLIMATE PROJECTS.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, NOWHERE INCLUDED IS CAP AND STITCH, RIGHT? LIKE THE CLIMATE OFFICE IS NOT CONSIDERING CAP ANDIT A CLIMATE PROJECT.
IS THAT CORRECT? I, I'D HAVE TO ASK.
I DON'T BELIEVE, IS IT, I'M NOT SURE.
I MEAN, UH, I I I COULD SHARE THE, I DON'T WANNA PUT A POWERPOINT UP RIGHT NOW, BUT IT'S NOWHERE IN, IN WHAT THEY'VE REQUESTED FROM THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
UM, AND, AND SO, AND THEN ALSO WE JUST HAD A, A REPORT FROM THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION THAT'S PASSED A RESOLUTION SAYING THAT CAP STITCH WON'T ADVANCE THE, THE GOALS OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN AND WOULD INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT TRADE-OFFS.
UM, SO THAT'S, I MEAN, ONE OF MY CONCERNS IS, IS THIS ISN'T HELPING US MEET OUR CLIMATE NEEDS.
WE ALSO HAD A PRESENTATION AT THE TASK FORCE FROM THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.
THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW, UM, IN 22 WE HAD A THREE $50 MILLION HOUSING BOND, WHICH WE'VE PRETTY MUCH ALLOCATED AND TO CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON OUR HOUSING GOALS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, YOU KNOW, BUILDING, YOU KNOW, DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT WE NEED ANOTHER SIMILAR INVESTMENT IN OUR NEXT BOND CYCLE.
AND SO, UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT WE DON'T NEED A HOUSING BOND AS A CITY? NO, I, I, I BELIEVE WE DO.
I BELIEVE THERE'S A LOT OF NEEDS WITHIN OUR CITY.
AND THEN THIS IS LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PACKAGE AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE THAT SEVEN, WHERE THAT 750 MILLION CAME, THAT'S WHY CITY STAFF MADE A, A, A, AN ADJUSTMENT TO WHAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS.
BUT EVEN IF WE WENT FORWARD WITH TWO CAPS, YOU KNOW, PAYING FOR THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS 55 MILLION, THERE'S STILL HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS MORE THAT WOULD BE, WE WOULD NEED TO FIND.
AND THOSE COME WITH ALL SORTS OF COST ESCALATORS, TXDOT IS KNOWN FOR NOT, YOU KNOW, CONTROLLING THE PERCENTAGE OF, OF COST INCREASES.
SO WE COULD BE TALKING ABOUT $400 MILLION JUST TO GET OUTTA STAGE TWO THAN WE GOT A STAGE THREE, PHASE FOUR, AND SO FORTH.
UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERN THAT WE WOULD COMMIT $50 MILLION OR MORE TO THIS AND THAT IT WOULD GO TOWARDS NO PRODUCTIVE PURPOSE OTHER THAN STRENGTHENING THE FOUNDATION OF THE FREEWAY? WELL, I, I HAVE SEEN THE BENEFITS OF CAPS BEING, UH, THAT I'VE SPENT TIME IN DALLAS.
SO I SEE THAT THE BENEFITS OF THAT, BUT IT HA ALL HAS TO BE WEIGHED WITH OUR, IN, IN, IN MY OPINION, WITH OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.
AND SO WHAT WE TRIED TO COME UP WITH IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT THAT BALANCES, THAT, THAT GIVES THE COUNCIL ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO MEET MANY OF THE OTHER NEEDS THAT DO EXIST AS THIS CITY HAS SO MANY NEEDS.
UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, I MEAN, IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE TO GET THERE, BUT HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT? AND THAT'S WHAT WE, WE FELT THAT, UM, BY MAKING THIS RECOMMENDATION, IT STILL CAN, CAN GET US TO HAVING CAPS AND, AND LOOKING AT THE, THE, THE BENEFITS THAT A CAP CAN HAVE, EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY MEET WITH THE ROI, THERE'S OTHER BENEFITS, BUT STILL THEN ALLOWING THE COUNCIL TO MAKE THOSE, THOSE DECISIONS AS WELL ABOUT ALL OF THE OTHER NEEDS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, UM, MR. MAYOR, IF YOU ALLOW ME TWO MORE MINUTES, JUST MAKE A BRIEF COMMENT AND THEN I'LL, I'LL PASS THE MIC.
AND, UH, MR. ROGERS, IF, IF YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE A SEAT, I'M DONE INTERROGATING YOU.
UM, BUT YEAH, I, I MEAN, MY FOCUS HERE, YOU KNOW, IS ON RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY AS A CITY.
AND I THINK THIS DECISION IS A HUGE TURNING POINT.
UH, WORKING PEOPLE IN AUSTIN ARE STRUGGLING.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOOD, UH, IN PARTS OF TOWN.
THEY DON'T HAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION.
AND I THINK AS A COUNCIL, WE NEED TO CONSIDER THE WHOLE CITY'S NEEDS, NOT JUST, UH, DOWNTOWN OR FOLKS BORDERING THE FREEWAY.
AND TO ME, IF WE WANNA BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IF WE WANNA TAKE CLIMATE ACTION, IF WE WANT TO ADDRESS INEQUITY IN PARKS AND POOLS AND LIBRARIES AND CITY AND SENIOR CENTERS AROUND THE CITY, WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE THOSE PROJECTS AND NOT SOMETHING THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BEAR FRUIT IN 20 OR 30 YEARS.
[02:40:01]
I THINK WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COMPLETION IS IN DOUBT.EVEN IF WE VOTE, WHETHER IT'S THE MORE EXPANSIVE FIVE CAP PROPOSAL OR, OR TWO CAPS, THERE'S A HUGE RISK, MAYBE A MOST LIKELY, UH, OUTCOME THAT NOTHING WILL COME OF OUR INVESTMENT THAT WE'LL PUT DOWN MONEY NOW THAT COULD BE USED TO BUILD HOUSING, THAT COULD BE USED TO BUILD DRAINAGE AND NOTHING WILL COME OF IT OTHER THAN A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
AND TO ME, YOU KNOW, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING A ROOF ON TOP OF A FREEWAY, BUT I THINK WHAT THAT SAME MONEY, WE COULD PUT ROOFS OVER THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE'S HEADS.
UH, WE COULD BUILD A PARK ON THE FREEWAY, OR WE COULD BUILD DOZENS OF PARKS AROUND THE CITY.
WE COULD MITIGATE THE HARMS OF THE FREEWAY EXPANSION, OR WE COULD INVEST IN TRUE CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR THE WHOLE CITY.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M VERY SKEPTICAL OF THIS PROPOSAL.
COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, THEN COUNCIL MEMBER VELAZQUEZ, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, I SAW YOU WITH YOUR HAND UP AND YOU'LL FOLLOW COUNCIL MEMBER VELAZQUEZ.
MR. MAYOR, IF I MAY JUST REAL QUICK, WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY, HAD VERY MUCH TO DO WITH WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL WAS SAYING ABOUT PRIVATE DOLLARS.
THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO INTERJECT.
SO I'LL CALL, I STILL COULD DO MY COMMENTARY, BUT IT WAS DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO WHAT YOU UNDERSTANDING.
WELL, I, BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS, IS AS YOU KNOW, GO IN IN SOME FORM OF ORDER.
COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, FOLLOWED BY COUNCILMAN VOLTER, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER VEKA.
I WANTED TO, UH, CLARIFY ABOUT THE, 'CAUSE THERE'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF, UH, RETROFITTING, UH, UH, THAT IN OTHER WORDS, NOT MAKE THE DECISION RIGHT NOW, BUT MAYBE AGAIN, THAT COUNCIL OF 20 40, 20 50, UH, COULD, UH, MAKE A DIFFERENT DECISION DOWN THE ROAD.
AND SPECIFICALLY, I GUESS MY, MY QUESTION TO, TO STAFF WOULD BE, IF WE DON'T BUILD THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS IN A PARTICULAR, UH, AREA, WILL WE EVER BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND RETROFIT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, LET'S SAY THAT, THAT LIKE, THAT, THAT, UH, PLAY OR THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, LITTLE, UH, THE SPEAKER WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE COUNCIL IN 2050, WOULD THE COUNCIL OF 2050 BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND RETROFIT THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS TO THEN, UH, CAP IT IF THE ECONOMICS AND JUST THE SITUATION OF THE CITY WARRANTED THAT IN 2050? COUNCIL MEMBER? THE MESSAGING WE'VE RECEIVED FROM TXDOT IS THAT, UM, KEEPING OPTIONS OPEN FOR THE FUTURE REQUIRES INVESTING IN THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS FOR THAT LOCATION TODAY.
AND THAT, UM, THAT, UH, FUNDING THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS IS WHAT ALLOWS US TO GO BACK AND ADD THE DECKS LATER.
IF WE DO NOT FUND THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS IN A CERTAIN LOCATION, WE CANNOT COME BACK LATER AND ADD THEM.
SO IF WE DON'T, AGAIN, LET'S SAY NOT FUND A SPECIFIC CAP, WE'RE DONE THERE, THERE WILL NEVER BE A CAP ON THAT AREA.
NOW, IN THIS QUESTION IS WHAT PROPORTION, I KNOW THAT THE DOWNTOWN AREA PAYS A, A DISPROPORTIONATE, PROVIDES A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE THAT THE, THAT THE CITY, UH, RECEIVES THAT AGAIN, THEN GOES TO, UH, PARKS AND HOUSING AND SO MANY OF THE OTHER AREAS.
DO WE KNOW WHAT THOSE NUMBERS, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE? MORE OR LESS? LIKE WHAT PROPORTION OF THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUES DOES THE CITY OF AUSTIN GET FROM THE DOWNTOWN AREA? AND AGAIN, I, I DON'T EVEN KNOW REALLY HOW TO DEFINE THAT, BUT I I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO STAFF.
SO, UH, WE'VE, UH, I, I REACHED OUT TO FELLOW COLLEAGUES TO, UH, SEE IF WE HAD THE LATEST AND GREATEST ON THAT INFORMATION.
WE DON'T, UM, IT DOES, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF THE PIE, ANECDOTALLY, WE KNOW THAT.
BUT WE ALSO ARE SEEING, BASED ON THE CURRENT TAX ROLL PROJECTIONS, UM, THEY WERE TELLING ME THAT THE, THE VALUES IN DOWNTOWN IN PARTICULAR ARE, HAVE DROPPED, UM, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN YOU'RE SEEING ON LIKE, WITH OUR RESIDENTIAL.
SO, UM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO, TO HUNT TO SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME ACTUAL NUMBERS.
WE WOULD HAVE TO GET A, A REPORT FROM TCAD WITH, WITH THAT.
SO, UM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS ON HAND JUST YET.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I, I UNDERSTAND THE COMMERCIAL VACANCIES DOWNTOWN ARE GONNA, ARE GONNA CAUSE SOME OF THOSE, UH, OFFICE TOWER EVALUATIONS TO, UH, TO, TO DROP A BIT.
OBVIOUSLY THAT'S KIND OF CYCLICAL.
UH, BUT, UH, BUT, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT AND I THINK MY LARGER POINT WOULD BE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, DOWNTOWN IS, UH, THE GOOSE THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN EGG, UH, AND, UH, WE GOTTA, YOU KNOW, TAKE CARE OF THAT GOOSE AND, UH, MAKE SURE THAT SHE KEEPS, UH, LAYING THOSE, UH, THOSE GOLDEN EGGS.
UH, AND WITH REGARD TO PARKLAND, IS THERE ANY, 'CAUSE I, I REMEMBER THAT WE ACQUIRED THAT LITTLE, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 0.25 ACRES, 0.5 ACRE LITTLE CHUNK OF, UH, SHOAL CREEK, UH, WITH, UH, OUR, I BELIEVE OUR PARKLAND DEDICATION FEE.
THIS WAS A FEW YEARS, UH, BACK, UH, IS THERE ANY OTHER PARKLAND AVAILABLE IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN IN TERMS OF, AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, OH, WELL WE COULD ACQUIRE, YOU KNOW, THESE MANY ACRES OR
[02:45:01]
WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.IS THERE ANY ACREAGE AVAILABLE TO BE ACQUIRED? THERE'S NO JUST VACANT GREENLAND, GREEN OR GREEN SPACE, RATHER, UH, IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
SO YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE ACQUIRING A PROPERTY WITH THE INTENT OF ADAPTING IT, UM, DEMOLISHING WHATEVER MIGHT BE ON THAT PROPERTY TO AND CONVERT IT TO PARKLAND.
AND, AND AGAIN, AND, AND PLEASE, I KNOW WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT REPUBLIC SQUARE, UH, WE'VE GOT A, A BRUSH SQUARE WITH THE FOUR KIND OF PRINCIPLE SQUARES THAT WERE PLANNED OUT BY WALLER WAY BACK IN THE DAY.
AM I MISSING ANY KIND OF DOWNTOWN PARKLAND THAT, THAT, I MEAN, AGAIN, WE HAVE OUR LINEAR PARKS, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, THE, THE CREEKS IN WHICH ARE BEAUTIFUL, NOT REALLY PUBLIC GATHERING AREA, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, LARGE PARCEL.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE AS I KIND OF WENT THROUGH IT IN MY HEAD THAT I'M NOT MISSING ANY OBVIOUS KIND OF DOWNTOWN PARKLAND, RIGHT? YEAH.
THE, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP THE, THE LINEAR PARKS WITH FOR WATERLOO, BECAUSE THAT, THAT DEFINITELY IS PARKLAND AND AMENITIES THAT ARE BEING CREATED, UM, IN THAT AREA.
BUT, UM, YEAH, THE, THE EXISTING WATERLOO PARK AND IT, AND THEN THE SQUARES ARE LARGELY THOSE DOWNTOWN, UM, PARKLAND AND, AND THE, THE THREE DOWNTOWN, UH, THE CAPS, UH, UH, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THAT WOULD BE 15 ACRES, UH, TOTAL OF, UH, OF, OF CAP SIZE.
IF WE WERE TO BUILD THE THREE DOWNTOWN, UH, UH, CAPS, ONE MOMENT WE'RE, WE'RE FROWNING A FRIEND HERE,
AND IF I COULD JUST REALLY QUICKLY, I WANTED TO, UH, CORRECT A STATEMENT I MADE TO YOU.
UM, UH, THE QUESTION WAS, WOULD WE EVER BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND BUILD ROADWAY ELEMENTS? UM, THE, UH, I WANNA KIND OF PROVIDE SOME NUANCE THERE, UM, AS THE, THE MORATORIUM OR ON THAT WOULD BE FOR THE LIFE OF TX DOT'S PROJECT, SO IT, IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, UM, BUT JUST IT WOULD PROBABLY BE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GENERATIONS, JUST THINKING BACK TO THE LAST TIME THEY CAME BACK AND RECONSTRUCTED I 35.
SO, UH, JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT.
SO A HUNDRED YEARS OR SO, AGAIN, IF WE, THIS IS A DECISION THAT WE'RE GONNA LIVE WITH FOR THE NEXT A HUNDRED YEARS OR SO.
UH, AND THEN, UH, WE, THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS, UH, THERE ARE, UH, AND, AND IF WE COULD PUT THAT ON THE SCREEN, THAT WOULD BE REALLY, UH, HELPFUL.
IT IS, OH GOD, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT I'LL LET THEM WORK ON THAT WHILE I MAKE MY GENERAL, THERE ARE, UH, TWO CAPITOL VIEW CORRIDORS COMING OFF OF, UH, I 35 GOING NORTH TOWARD THE CAPITOL, AROUND THAT KIND OF FOURTH STREET, FIFTH STREET, SIXTH STREET AREA.
UH, THOSE, UH, ORIGINATE FROM THE HIGHWAY, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
OH, IT'S NOT, SORRY, JUST, JUST TO CLARIFY, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS CORRIDORS? NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN CORRIDORS THAT'LL AFFECT OUR PROPERTY.
THERE ARE, YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.
THERE'S THREE THAT, THAT EMANATE FROM THE SOUTH OR NORTH, THE NORTHBOUND LANES OF I 35.
THERE'S THREE OF COMING NORTH, IN OTHER WORDS, LET'S SAY BELOW LIKE 12TH STREET THAT ARE ORIGINATING FROM THERE.
THAT'S THE, THE, THE SCREEN THAT I WANTED TO SEE.
UH, NOW, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, UH, CHARLIE GARRIN, CHAIRMAN GARRIN HAS A BILL.
UH, 'CAUSE THERE ARE ALSO A CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS COMING OFF OF THE UPPER DECK THAT CROSS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
AND, UH, HB 31 14 WOULD ESSENTIALLY END THOSE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS FROM THE UPPER DECK.
AND AGAIN, THE THE REASON BEING THAT THERE'S NOT GONNA BE AN UPPER DECK AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BASIS OF THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS WAS THAT SOMEONE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY COULD THEN, YOU KNOW, SEE THE, THE CAPITAL FROM THAT VIEW CORRIDOR.
BUT NOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE DRIVING ESSENTIALLY BELOW THE SURFACE, UH, HB 31 14 WOULD, UH, ELIMINATE THOSE, UH, CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS, UH, UH, THAT CROSS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, UH, UH, UH, CAMPUS.
UM, ANY INFORMATION ON, ON THE STATUS OF THE, OF THE CITY'S VIEW QUARTERS? 'CAUSE AGAIN, THE LOGIC THAT THAT, UH, CHAIRMAN GARRIN IS, IS, IS APPLYING TO, TO THAT BILL, I THINK APPLIES EXACTLY TO, UH, THE, UH, CAPITAL VIEW QUARTERS FOR THE HIGHWAY GOING, UH, NORTH THE, THE BILL THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING, UH, WAS SPEARHEADED BY THE UNIVERSITY AND IS IN SUPPORT OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SO IT, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY, UM, ANY COURT CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS ON FROM THE SOUTHERN END THAT, UM, DIRECTLY IMPACT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
UH, SO I, I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT BILL STANDS.
I WOULD HAVE TO, I, I'LL, I CAN GO PULL IT UP REAL QUICK TO SEE WHERE IT STANDS FOR IN COMMITTEE OR WHATNOT, BUT IT DOESN'T INCLUDE ANYTHING, ANY OF OUR CORRIDORS.
YEAH, IT, IT PASSED THE HOUSE AND IT'S IN THE SENATE.
[02:50:01]
WHERE THAT GOES.BUT AGAIN, I'M JUST TRYING TO KIND OF, I, I APPRECIATE, UH, UH, CHAIRMAN GARETH'S BILL.
I, I THINK IT MAKES A WORLD OF SENSE.
I THINK IT WOULD MAKE A WORLD OF SENSE TO ALSO ADD ANY OTHER CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS THAT E AND A FROM I 35 THAT ARE NOT GOING TO EXIST ANYMORE.
I MEAN, THE VIEW IS NOT GOING TO EXIST BECAUSE THE HIGHWAY IS NOT GONNA EXIST ABOVE GRADE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT IN TERMS OF THE, UH, THE, WHAT I'LL CALL THE SIXTH STREET CAP.
I KNOW IT'S A FOURTH THROUGH SEVENTH, BUT SIXTH STREET IS, IS, UH, OBVIOUSLY HAS A WORLD RENOWNED, UH, AUSTIN, UH, SIXTH STREET.
UH, HOW DOES THAT CHANGE, ASSUMING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, AGAIN, SOME AT SOME POINT DOWN THE ROAD, UH, ELIMINATE THE, UH, UH, CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS THAT ARE, UH, EMANATING FROM THAT, HOW WOULD THAT CHANGE THE DEVELOPMENT ASSUMPTIONS AND THE VALUE OF THE LAND? UH, THAT IS RIGHT THERE NEXT TO THE, TO THE CAP? UH, IT WOULD, IT WOULD IMPACT, UH, THOSE PROPERTIES SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE ACTUALLY OWN THE, THE A PD HEADQUARTERS, UM, OLD MEDIA COURT SITE IS IMPACTED BY THE CAPITOL VIEW CORRIDOR, UM, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER CITY OWNED PROPERTIES.
UH, SO IT WOULD GREATLY IMPACT THEIR DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL.
UM, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO JUST NOT KNOWING IF THOSE CAPS GO AWAY, LIKE, UH, WE COULD RUN SOME NUMBERS OF WHAT, UM, WE COULD FEASIBLY DO THERE.
UM, BUT IT WOULD JUST, IT WOULD BE AN ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY BASED ON, UH, MARKET CONDITIONS.
UM, SO UNDERSTANDING CBD HAS THE, UH, UNLIMITED FR BUT LIKE, SO WE'D JUST, WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT IT FROM A MARKET PERSPECTIVE.
UM, WE ARE IN THE VERY, VERY EARLY STAGES OF PULLING TOGETHER, UM, UH, AN APPROACH TO DO THAT.
UM, SO IT'S UN UNFORTUNATELY, I JUST DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU RIGHT NOW.
YEAH, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE SPECULATING HERE, BUT I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE VALUE, NOT LOOK AT THE CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT LOOK TO THE FUTURE AS TO WHAT WE WANT THIS LAND TO BE.
YOU KNOW, THE CITY OWNS THAT LAND BETWEEN, ESSENTIALLY BETWEEN WHAT SEVENTH AND NINTH STREET, RIGHT THERE, WHERE THE, THE POLICE, UH, HEADQUARTERS IS AND THE, THE MUNICIPAL COURT, AND I KNOW THEY ARE CURRENTLY CONSTRAINED BY SOME CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS, BUT WHEN, UH, IF THE CAPITAL VIEW CORRIDORS GO AWAY, AND IF A CAP IS BUILT, UM, ON SIXTH STREET, YOU KNOW, RIGHT THERE, UH, THAT REALLY BECOMES POTENTIALLY ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF LAND IN, IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
UH, I MEAN, JUST RIGHT THERE IN THE HEART OF THE HEART, UH, WITH ACCESS TO EVERYTHING RIGHT NEXT TO HISTORIC SIXTH STREET, EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, JUST, UH, AND SO AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT THE VALUE GENERATED BY THAT, THAT'S NOT A SITUATION WHERE OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T PAY PROPERTY TAXES ON OUR OWN LAND, BUT I THINK THE VALUE OF A POTENTIAL PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, UH, ON THE, UH, OLD, UH, WELL, IT'S NOT THE OLD POLICE HEADQUARTERS, THEY'RE STILL THERE RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY'RE MOVING SOON, UH, UH, THAT IT BECOMES REALLY TREMENDOUS.
AND THAT MONEY IS NOT GONNA BE CAPTURED BY ANY, UH, TOURS.
UH, IT, IT'S GONNA GO, UH, IT'S GONNA BE A CHECK THAT'S WRITTEN STRAIGHT TO THE CITY AND GOES INTO OUR GENERAL FUND.
SO AGAIN, I KNOW THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY PART OF THE, UH, ANALYSIS.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE SPECULATING AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK ABOUT THE BROADER POSSIBILITIES AND AGAIN, LOOK AT THE LONG-TERM POSSIBILITIES IN WHAT THE VALUE OF THAT CITY OWNED LAND.
WE'VE GOT A BIG CHUNK OF, UH, CITY OWNED LAND, UH, RIGHT THERE AROUND, UH, SIXTH STREET, JUST NORTH OF SIXTH, SIXTH STREET MOSTLY.
UM, WITH THAT ON THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION, WHY 11TH AND 12TH AND NOT THE SIXTH STREET CAB, UM, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, 11TH AND 12TH, UM, WAS WAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST SCORING IN OUR STAFF ANALYSIS.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT ALSO SPEAKS, UM, IN LARGE PART TO THE INTENT OF THIS PROJECT TO, UH, RECONNECT, COMMUNICATE COMMUNITIES TO, TO MITIGATE PAST HARMS CREATED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF I 35, UM, TO THE RESIDENTS OF EAST AUSTIN, PARTICULARLY, UM, THE, OUR NON-WHITE RESIDENTS WHO MOST KEENLY FELT THE IMPACTS OF, OF THE PHYSICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DIVIDE THAT THAT CREATED.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S IN LARGE PART, UM, WHY THOSE TWO CAPS AT BOTH AT CESAR CHAVEZ AND AT 11TH AND 12TH ARE IN THE STAFF BASELINE SCENARIO.
AND DOES, BECAUSE I'M LOOKING AT THE, AT THE, THE SCORING MATRIX THAT WE PUT TOGETHER AND THE FOURTH THROUGH SEVENTH STREET CAP SCORES HIGHER THAN 11TH THROUGH 12, 37 VERSUS 34, AND I'M LOOKING AT THE FEDERAL, UH, COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, AND THE FOURTH THROUGH SEVENTH STREET CAP IS A 2.1, UH, WHEREAS 11TH THROUGH 12TH, THE 1.35.
SO, I MEAN, JUST LOOKING AT THE METRICS, UH, IT SURE LOOKS LIKE IF WE'RE GOING TO MAXIMIZE ECONOMIC VALUE, WHICH I THINK WE DO, UH, THE SIXTH STREET CAP JUMPS OUT AT ME AS THE MOST
[02:55:02]
VALUABLE CAP IN TERMS OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF CITY PROPERTY THAT WE OWN AROUND THAT AREA.UH, DO WE OWN ANY PROPERTY IN THE 11TH AND 12TH STREET AREA? WE DO.
THERE'S, UH, WALL CREEK CENTER IS, UH, RIGHT AT LIKE A 10TH, UM, AUSTIN WATER, HUH? YES.
UM, AND THEN, UM, THE UT UH, I, I BELIEVE THE REGION'S RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE GOING TO, UH, FUND THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS OF THE, UH, OF A CAP FOR, FOR, FOR THEIR AREA, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, THEY ARE COMMITTING TO ROADWAY ELEMENTS, UM, FOR THE, THEIR CAP BETWEEN, UH, 15TH AND MLK AND THEN FOR 800 FEET NORTH OF MLK.
AND THEY ARE, AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, PHILANTHROPY AND, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS LIKE THAT.
OBVIOUSLY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HAS THE ABILITY TO GO OUT AND GET SOME, UH, DONATIONS.
UH, BUT THEY ARE NOT, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THERE'S NO CAP CONSTRUCTION PLAN OR THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE JUST PRESERVING THEIR ABILITY TO, UH, CAP THAT IN THE FUTURE.
UH, AND, AND, UH, IF I'M CORRECT, THEY'RE ALSO, THEY GONNA BUILD THE CAPS TO WHERE, UH, MULTI-STORY BUILDINGS, ESSENTIALLY THEY WANT TO BUILD LIKE HUGE BUILDINGS ON TOP OF THEIR CAPS.
IS THAT THE SITUATION? UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY'RE STILL GOING THROUGH, UH, THEIR ANALYSIS REGARDING WHAT, UH, YOU KNOW, ROUTE THEY WANNA TAKE FOR, UH, WHAT AMENITIES AND BUILDINGS THEY PROVIDE ON CAP.
BUT YOUR FIRST STATEMENT IS CORRECT.
UM, IN, IN THAT THUS FAR, THE, THE ONLY FUNDING, THE COMMITMENT THAT THEY HAVE MADE IS FOR THOSE ROADWAY ELEMENTS, UM, AND NOT YET FOR, UH, THE HORIZONTAL DECKS.
SO AS FAR AS WE KNOW, AND, AND, AND THIS MAY BE, UH, REALLY A BETTER QUESTION FOR TEXTILE, BUT THEY'RE NOT PLANNING TO INCLUDE A CAP BID AS PART OF THE, UH, THE, THE, THE PROPOSAL OF, OF, I'M SORRY, WITHIN THE TEXT SOLICITATION FOR THE, FOR THE, THE 35.
UM, IF, IF THEY ARE CONSIDERING THAT THEY HAVEN'T MADE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT YET.
BUT I'M TOLD THERE IS ANOTHER BOARD OF REGENTS MEETING THIS MAY, SO.
ALRIGHT, WELL WE'LL WATCH THAT, UH, CAREFULLY AND, UH, SEE WHAT THEY'RE THINKING.
I, I AND I'LL, I'LL END MY, MY QUESTIONS THERE, BUT JUST A, A, A, A FEW COMMENTS.
YOU KNOW, WE WENT THROUGH AN ERA.
WE, THE UNITED STATES, THE COUNTRY WENT THROUGH AN ERA IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES WHERE WE, UH, NOW LOOKING BACK, QUITE UNFORTUNATELY, UH, PUNCHED FREEWAYS THROUGH THE HEART OF CITIES, UH, OFTENTIMES THROUGH THE HEART OF, UH, BROWN AND BLACK PORTIONS OF CITY WORKING CLASS AREAS OF THE CITIES.
UH, NOW WE LOOK BACK ON THAT AND WE, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT.
THAT REALLY HURT, UH, THE FABRIC OF OUR CITIES.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING TODAY THIS SHIFT WHERE WE REALIZE THE VALUE OF URBAN PLACES, THEIR ECONOMIC POTENTIAL, THEIR RECREATIONAL POTENTIAL, THEIR ATTRACTIVENESS TO, TO, TO PEOPLE.
UH, AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIX WHAT WE, UH, BROKE, UH, YOU KNOW, 50, 60 YEARS AGO, UH, THE BIG DIG IN BOSTON BEING KIND OF THE, THE, THE FIRST ONE OUT THE GATE, THE ONE THAT EVERYBODY KIND OF KNOWS AND LOVES, AND THE BIG DIG WAS JUST VILIFIED.
UH, BUT NOW I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY IN BOSTON, UH, WOULD BE AGAINST THE BIG DIG.
I, I KNOW THAT THEY WERE FOR A LONG TIME AS THEY WERE SUFFERING THROUGH THE, UH, THE, THE CONSTRUCTION AND WHATNOT.
BUT IT'S, IT'S REALLY JUST REMARKABLE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO BOSTON WITH THEIR, UH, THE, THE BEARING OF, OF, UH, OF THEIR FREEWAYS.
AND, AND AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS SHIFT.
I APPRECIATE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND THEIR FOCUS ON THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES' MONEY.
UH, WE OBVIOUSLY GOT THAT $105 MILLION GRANT, WHICH IS NOW IN QUESTION.
UH, BUT YOU KNOW, PHILADELPHIA, UH, HAS, AS THEY CALL IT, THE CHINATOWN STITCH THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON.
ATLANTA HAS, UH, ANOTHER REALLY INTERESTING PROJECT WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO BURY AND CAP, UH, FREEWAYS.
I WOULD JUST REALLY HATE FOR AUSTIN TO MISS OUT ON THIS STRATEGIC KIND OF SHIFT AND TREND WHERE THERE'S FEDERAL MONEY AVAILABLE FOR BEARING AND CAPPING HIGHWAYS.
UH, OBVIOUSLY THE STATE IS NOT THERE TODAY, BUT WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN 10 YEARS, WHO KNOWS WHAT THE STATE WILL BE THINKING IN 10 YEARS.
EL PASO, IT WANTS TO, TO BURY AND CAP, UH, I 10, UH, DALLAS IS, IS LOOKING AT ANOTHER PROJECT.
HOUSTON HAS THAT, UH, A HIGHWAY THAT RUNS RIGHT BY THE STADIUMS THERE.
AND, AND, AND THERE'S BEEN CONVERSATION, UH, UH, OF THAT.
[03:00:01]
DON'T BUILD THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS NOW, WE WILL NEVER, EVER GET THE FEDERAL MONEY.WE WILL NEVER GET THE PHILANTHROPIC DONATIONS.
I WOULD JUST HATE TO SEE US MISS OUT ON HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AGAIN, LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE OF MONEY, BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO PLAN AHEAD AND BUILD THOSE, UH, ROADWAY ELEMENTS INTO THE PLAN.
I, I, I'VE HEARD THIS HAVING COME UP WITH THE FUTURE PROOFING.
I, I, I, THAT'S A, THAT'S A REALLY, UH, A GOOD POINT.
AND I, AND ON ONE LAST NOTE, YOU KNOW, WE, UM, RECENTLY STAFF HAS DONE A, A REALLY GOOD JOB, REALLY ENJOY WORKING WITH TRANSPORTATION.
BUT, UH, AS PART OF THE, THE FEDERAL VISION ZERO GRANT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE THE FIRST CITY IN TEXAS.
AUSTIN WAS THE FIRST CITY IN TEXAS TO HAVE A VISION ZERO PLAN.
UH, AND THEN I BELIEVE IN THE 2018 AND 2016, I'M NOT SURE WHICH BONDS, BUT WE ALLOCATED A LITTLE BIT OF, OF THAT BOND MONEY TOWARD OUR VISION ZERO PROJECTS, AND THEN COME, I THINK IT WAS IN 2022, HERE COMES THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, UH, OFFERING VISION ZERO GRANTS.
UH, CITIES ALL OVER THE STATE APPLIED, BUT SINCE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A VISION ZERO PLAN, ALL THEY GOT WERE PLANNING GRANTS SO THAT THEY COULD PUT TOGETHER A VISION ZERO PLAN.
WE HAD A VISION ZERO PLAN, WE HAD THE MATCHING FUNDS, AND WE GOT THE MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT, WHICH I THINK WAS IN THE 22 MILLION, $25 MILLION RANGE.
UH, I, I, I, I MENTIONED THAT EXAMPLE BECAUSE ON A LARGER SCALE, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
DO WE WANT TO BE IN A POSITION TO DRAW DOWN FEDERAL MONEY IN THE FUTURE TO MAYBE PARTNER WITH A TDOT THAT IS INTERESTED IN CAPPING FREEWAYS IN THE FUTURE? UH, IF WE SAY NO, NOW, WE MAY REALLY, REALLY REGRET IT, YOU KNOW, 20, 30 YEARS FROM NOW.
AND THAT'S WHY I, IT'S JUST SO IMPORTANT FOR ME TO FUND THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS.
COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS, AND I'M, I'M SORRY, BLAKE, I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR LAST NAME, BUT FROM BLAKE FOR PFM.
I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD HELP US UNDERSTAND THIS SCORECARD, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO S AND P.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE CATEGORIES ONE THROUGH SIX, WHEN, AND AND THIS IS 20% OF OUR SCORE, AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE IS ANOTHER 80% WHEN A, AN, AN ENTITY IS BEING ANALYZED FOR ITS CREDIT RATING.
IS IT AS SIMPLE AS THEY HAVE THE MATRIX AND THEY SAY, OKAY, YOU GET FIVE POINTS FOR BEING IN CATEGORY ONE, FOUR POINTS, CATEGORY TWO, SO ON AND SO FORTH, THROUGHOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS.
AND THEN IF YOUR SCORE IS, YOU KNOW, OVER 20, YOU'RE AAA.
IF YOU'RE 19, YOU'RE AA, HOW, HOW DID THOSE CATEGORIES WORK FROM A SCORING RATINGS PERSPECTIVE? YEAH, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND, AND NO, IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE, UNFORTUNATELY.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, EACH RATING AGENCY HAS THEIR OWN SCORECARD COMING OUT OF THE DODD-FRANK ACT.
TRANSPARENCY WAS DEEMED TO BE KEY.
SO EACH HAS A DIFFERENT WAY OF APPROACHING HOW THEY RATE YOUR BONDS.
MOODY'S IS AT A SCORECARD FOR FOREVER.
AND FOR EXAMPLE, THEIR INDICATIVE SCORECARD RATING FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR YEARS HAS BEEN AA THREE OR AA MINUS, BUT THEY NOT YOU UP WITH HUMANS HAVING A COMMITTEE CONVERSATION TO A HIGHER AA ONE RATING.
SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE THOSE SCORECARD SAYS YOU SHOULD BE SOMETHING LOWER THAN WHAT YOU ARE.
AND THE REASON THEY DO THAT IS BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE EXCEPTIONAL THINGS ABOUT AUSTIN.
SO MANAGEMENT'S POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, CITY COUNCIL'S, DECISIONS AROUND USE OF FUND BALANCE AND BUDGETING.
UM, THE ECONOMIC STORY HERE, UM, UH, AND THEN AS WELL AS A LOT OF WORK AROUND PENSIONS.
SO ALL OF THAT IS FROM OF THE, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE FACTORED INTO A SCORECARD, BUT MAYBE MORE HEAVILY WEIGHTED IN A COMMITTEE.
SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WITH ANY SORT OF DEGREE OF CERTAINTY THAT IF YOU WERE TO HIT $3,100 PER CAPITA, THAT YOU'RE GONNA GO FROM A DOUBLE A PLUS TO A DOUBLE A, UM, BECAUSE WHAT I WILL TELL YOU IS YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN A HIGHER RATING AT THAT HIGHER DEBT PER CAPITA LEVEL IF YOUR RESERVES ARE AT 30% OR HIGHER, OR IF YOUR ECONOMIC, UH, TRAJECTORY IS YEAR OVER YEAR TAX BASE GROWTH, WHICH, WHICH IT HAS BEEN.
ALTERNATIVELY, IF THAT DEBT PER CAPITAL LEVEL AT ABOVE $3,000 OR SO IS, IS VERY HIGH.
AND THAT'S COUPLED WITH A FEW YEARS OF A DRAW DOWN ON FUND BALANCE FOR INITIATIVES OR, OR DEFICIT PURPOSES, OR YOUR ECONOMIC TRAJECTORY BEGINS TO CHANGE A LITTLE BIT, THERE'S TAX-BASED CONTRACTION AND OR YOUR PENSIONS
[03:05:01]
BEGIN TO WORSEN, WHICH THAT ISN'T THE PLAN.I KNOW ED'S DONE A LOT OF WORK THERE, BUT IF THOSE LEVERS CHANGE OR THOSE, THOSE FACTORS CHANGE, THAT ALL MAY, MAY CHANGE HOW S AND P VIEWS YOUR RATING.
SO EVEN IN THAT SORT OF SCORE OF A FOUR OR A FIVE, BETWEEN 2500, 30, 30 $500 PER CAPITA, YOU MAY BE ON THE LOWER END, BUT OTHER FACTORS ARE BAD THAT MAY BE, UH, THE SAME OUTCOME AS IF YOU'RE ON THE HIGHER END OF THAT DEBT PER CAPITA WITH BETTER VARIABLES.
AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT.
LIKE IF YOU'RE, I'M LOOKING THE CUTOFF BETWEEN FOUR AND FIVE IS THAT $3,500 NUMBER.
SO IF YOU'RE 34 99 VERSUS 35 0 1, HOW DOES THAT PRACTICALLY IMPACT YOUR RATING? UH, AND I KNOW IT'S JUST A PIECE OF THE OVERALL, BUT IS, IS THAT A BINARY, LIKE YOU'RE, YOU'RE EITHER IN THIS CATEGORY OR IN THAT CATEGORY FOR AT LEAST THE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT? YEAH, I MEAN, THE SCORECARD IS, IS BINARY IN HOW THEY'LL INPUT IT INTO THEIR SYSTEM.
UM, BUT IS THERE A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 35 0 9 AND 34 75? I DON'T THINK SO.
I MEAN, I THINK THEY'LL LOOK AT THAT AND GO, WE'RE VERY CLOSE HERE.
I THINK OUR THOUGHT WAS THERE IS A CUTOFF THAT IS PUBLISHED.
IT IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT IS PUBLISHED.
SO MOODY'S AND FITCH HAVE MUCH MORE COMPLICATED DEBT CRITERIA.
UH, S AND P HAS REINTRODUCED AN OLDIE, BUT A GOODIE I CALL IT, WHICH IS DEBT PER CAPITA.
FOR A WHILE, THAT WASN'T A FACTOR.
SO I LIKE IT BECAUSE IT'S EASY, EASY TO IDENTIFY.
UM, BUT IT IS HARD TO SAY WITH CERTAINTY, IF YOU WERE TO GO FROM 34 75 TO 35 0 9, THAT MAGICALLY MOVES YOUR RATING FROM AA TO AA MINUS.
AND SO THEN LOOKING AT THE PROJECTIONS OF THE SEVEN 50, THAT WOULD TAKE US TO 35 20, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT RANGE IN RANGE FIVE IS 3,500 TO 4,500.
SO THAT'S, UH, PRETTY MUCH AS LOW IN THAT CATEGORY AS YOU GET.
THAT TO ME, STILL SEEMS PRETTY LOW IN THAT CATEGORY FIVE.
YOU KNOW, WE, YOU'RE, YOU GO ALL THE WAY TO 4,500.
RIGHT? SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE 10% INTO THAT CATEGORY.
UH, I'M CURIOUS HOW YOU, YOUR EXPERIENCE ARE THOSE THAT YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 34 75 AND 35 0 9.
HOW MEANINGFUL IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 35 20 AND 36 48? IS THAT, ARE THOSE BOTH STILL KIND OF ON THE LOW END OR AT THAT POINT YOU'RE ON THE LOWER END OF, OF ONE OF THE WORST DEBT SCORES TO BE? RIGHT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEBT PER CAPITA AT THOSE LEVELS, UM, WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT AN S AND P RATING, THIS MOVE FROM AAA TO NOT JUST AA PLUS, BUT PROBABLY THE DOUBLE A DOUBLE A RATING AT THAT POINT.
SO THAT'S TWO NOTCH DIFFERENTIAL.
UM, BUT IF YOU'RE, IN YOUR MIND, DO YOU SEE A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE IN IF YOU'RE 35, 20 OR 36, 48, YOU'RE PROBABLY STILL IN THAT DOUBLE A, LIKE, IS IS, IS ONE OF THOSE GOING TO BE HIGHER RATED? AND I KNOW THIS TOTALITY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT ARE THOSE MEANINGFULLY DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF A RATING? I, I DON'T THINK SO.
UM, MY OTHER QUESTION, YOU TALKED ABOUT DEBT PER CAPITA.
WE DON'T PAY DEBT PER CAPITA THOUGH, RIGHT? WE PAY DEBT ON A VALUATION BASIS.
AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD SPEAK JUST REALLY BRIEFLY ABOUT AUSTIN'S VALUE BASE AND HOW THAT COMPARES TO OTHERS.
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE'VE MAINTAINED A PRETTY HIGH RATING.
I MEAN, THE, THE, THE TAX BASE GROWTH YOU'VE EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST DECADE HAS BEEN ENVIABLE, UH, WITH HIS COUNCIL MEMBER, VA VILA MENTIONED, UH, SORT OF THE OFFICE, UH, DOWNTOWN BEING THE GOLDEN GOOSE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE BRACING FOR SOME NORMALIZATION, UH, WITH POTENTIAL VALUE, UH, OF WEAKENING AND, AND DECLINES OVER THE NEXT YEAR AT LEAST.
UM, BUT, BUT I DO THINK THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR IN, IN, FOR SUSTAINING YOUR BOND RATING GOING FORWARD, UH, IS TO SEE THAT CONTINUED TAX-BASED GROWTH TO SUPPORT THE DEBT COMING ONLINE.
BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU DON'T PLAN A DEBT PER CAPITA BASIS.
THE OTHER METRIC THEY CARE ABOUT IS, IS HOW YOU PAY OUT OF YOUR, YOUR TOTAL BUDGET.
SO DEBT SERVICE, WHAT THEY CALL FIXED COST, DEBT SERVICE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST PLUS PENSION COSTS PLUS HEALTHCARE RETIREE BENEFITS.
HOW, HOW MUCH DOES THAT ACCOUNT FOR IN TERMS YOUR OVERALL GENERAL GOVERNMENT SPEND? UM, AND IS THAT INCREASE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'RE ALSO FOCUSED ON FROM A RATING STANDPOINT? UH, BUT, BUT THAT IS HOW IT IS PAID FOR AND HOW THEY CARE ABOUT IT.
UH, AND AGAIN, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WITH THESE HIGHER DEBT LOADS COMING ONLINE, THE TAX BASED GROWTH WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT, UH, AND SOMETHING YOU'LL WANT TO CAREFULLY MONITOR.
WELL, I KNOW ED IS GONNA FIX OUR PENSION AND OPEP ISSUES, SO WE'RE GONNA
[03:10:01]
BE, UH, GOOD ON THOSE FRONTS.I JUST HAVE TWO MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
YOU MENTIONED, UM, AN ESTIMATE OF $20 MILLION IF YOU WERE TO BE DOWNGRADED ONE STEP, UH, OVER ON A BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF DEBT, IS THAT OVER 20 YEARS OR 30 YEARS? I ASSUMED OVER 20 YEARS.
AND THEN, IF WE WERE TO ISSUE NO MORE NEW DEBT, IF WE WERE JUST TO ISSUE THE DEBT THAT'S ALREADY AUTHORIZED, BUT OUTSTANDING, BASED ON WHERE THAT TAKES US, UM, WITHIN THAT DEBT PER CAPITA, DO YOU FORESEE US BEING DOWNGRADED AT SOME POINT BETWEEN NOW AND LET'S SAY 2030, JUST BASED ON THE OUTSTANDING DEBT, LET ALONE ANY NEW DEBT? YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK WE HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT S AND P FRANKLY FOR YEARS.
UH, THEY'VE BEEN A LOAN AAA HOLDOUT FOR YOU GUYS, WHICH HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS.
UH, AND EVERY YEAR THEY CONTINUE TO SORT OF TALK ABOUT YOUR DEBT AS BEING THE, THE WEAK FOR PART OF YOUR FACT, UH, YOUR, YOUR OVERALL ASSESSMENT.
UM, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD SAY A DOWNGRADE IS IMMINENT FROM ANY OF THE AGENCIES.
IF YOU WERE TO SAY, WE'RE DONE ISSUING DEBT, WE'RE GONNA ISSUE ONLY WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY AUTHORIZED.
THE REASON IS THEY DO SORT OF BAKE INTO THEIR FORWARD LOOKING RATINGS, WHAT YOU HAVE ON THE BOOKS, PLUS WHAT YOU HAVE COMING.
SO IT ISN'T JUST A POINT IN TIME WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE.
THEY'VE, THEY, THEY'RE AWARE THAT YOU HAVE A BILLION DOLLARS OF AUTHORIZED, BUT UNISSUED BONDING AUTHORITY.
UM, SO I, I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD EXPECT TO DOWNGRADE, BUT UM, AGAIN, IF THE ECONOMIC ECONOMY ORDER TO CONTRACT OR RESERVE FOR THE WEEKEND, THEN IT'S POSSIBLE.
OKAY, WELL, MANAGER, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP SENDING THEM THAT FRUIT BASKET EVERY CHRISTMAS.
UM, I, IF I COULD JUST COLLEAGUES, UM, I WANTED TO TAKE JUST A COUPLE MINUTES TO GO OVER WHAT THE FUNDING OPTIONS THAT WE PUT FORWARD.
I'M, I'M, YOU CAN SIT, YOU DON'T, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS COUNCILOR SIEGEL WAS TALKING ABOUT, WE HAVE THIS LIMITED AMOUNT OF CAPACITY FOR DEBT AS IDENTIFIED BY STAFF, BUT THAT'S GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT.
UH, SO I WONDER IF THEY COULD PULL UP THE SLIDES THAT WE SENT.
UM, BUT THERE ARE OPTIONS TO FUND POTENTIALLY ALL OF THIS.
UH, AND WHEN I SAY THIS, I SHOULD BE CLEAR THAT'S THE, ALL THE ROADWAY ELEMENTS AS WELL AS CAPPING CAESAR CHAVEZ TO SEVENTH STREET THROUGH INSTRUMENTS THAT DO NOT IMPACT OUR GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT CAPACITY.
SO WE WOULD STILL HAVE THAT SAME AMOUNT AVAILABLE, UM, IF WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THESE.
AND, AND, UH, WHILE THEY HIGHLIGHT, I'LL, I HANDED THIS OUT, I JUST WANNA BE REAL CLEAR, THESE ARE POSSIBILITIES, IDEAS.
WE'RE STILL FLUSHING SOME OF THIS OUT, BUT WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST THING TO DO TO SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT.
UH, WE WILL TRY TO, TO FIRM THESE UP BETTER.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE MIGHT COME OFF THE BOARD, SOME OF THESE NUMBERS MIGHT CHANGE, BUT WE WANT TO PUT THAT OUT THERE SO Y'ALL KNOW WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT.
UM, AND IT'S ALL ABOUT PRIORITIZATION.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE ARE MOVING MONEY FROM ONE SPOT TO ANOTHER, SAYING THAT THIS IS A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN THAT.
AND SO, UM, LET YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
KIND OF THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT WE, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED 433.5 MILLION IN NON GEO DEBT OPTIONS, WHICH MORE THAN COVERS THE $410 MILLION COST TO CAP CAESAR CHAVEZ TO SEVEN PLUS DO THE ADDITIONAL ROADWAY ELEMENTS.
THE FIRST ONE OF THOSE, WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE IS THE STREET IMPACT FEES.
WE COLLECT STREET IMPACT FEES FROM, UH, ALL DIFFERENT AREAS ACROSS THE CITY.
THOSE FEES CAN BE USED, UH, FOR PORTIONS OF THE CAP PROJECT, BUT THAT IT CAN ONLY BE FOR AREAS THAT ARE TOUCHING THIS AREA.
SO WE COULDN'T TAKE STREET IMPACT FEES, LET'S SAY FROM, UH, DISTRICT SIX AREA.
SO THESE THREE AREAS, THE DOWNTOWN I AND J, IF WE WERE TO PRIORITIZE THE NEXT $10 MILLION, THAT'S A, WE PICKED, THAT'S ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS WORTH OF, UH, FUNDING THAT COULD GO TO THIS PROJECT.
AND THEN WHATEVER PROJECTS ARE IDENTIFIED WOULD JUST BE DELAYED TWO OR THREE YEARS FROM THE EXISTING PLAN.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, THE TEMPORARY USE OF RIGHT OF WAY FEES, WE CHARGE A FEE TO PEOPLE WHO USE OUR RIGHT OF WAY WHEN THEY'RE DOING CONSTRUCTION.
UH, RIGHT NOW, THERE IS ROOM TO INCREASE THAT IF WE WANTED TO.
SO IF WE INCREASE THAT BY 25%, SEVEN YEARS WORTH OF THAT INCREASE, ESTIMATED ABOUT 24 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
SO OVER THE LIFE OF THIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, THAT'S WHAT IT COULD YIELD.
UM, AND THAT, THAT WOULD BE AN INCREMENT ON TOP OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO IT WOULDN'T HAVE AN IMPACT ON ANY EXISTING PROJECTS.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, THE CAR RENTAL TAX COUNCIL MEMBER, SIEGEL MENTIONED THIS ONE A LITTLE BIT.
SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A CAR RENTAL TAX THAT SUPPORTS AMONGST THE OTHER THINGS, BONDS AT THE PALMER EVENT CENTER AND THE, UM, THE GARAGE THERE.
[03:15:01]
UH, IT ALSO PAYS FOR SOME OF THE OPERATIONS OF THAT CENTER.AND AS, UM, BLAKE MENTIONED, THEY DID ANALYSIS OF HOW MUCH COULD THAT POTENTIALLY YIELD FROM ISSUING BONDS, JUST SIMILAR TO THOSE BONDS THAT WERE, UH, ISSUED FOR THE GARAGE THERE, OR THE PALMER, UH, YOU COULD ISSUE BONDS FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, IT WOULD REQUIRE AN ELECTION.
SO INDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE TO SUPPORT THIS.
UM, THAT ELECTION COULD OCCUR PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE DEBT IN 2029.
UM, BUT THAT IS AN OPTION THERE.
NEXT, I'LL GO TO THE, THE RED BUD TRAIL BRIDGE.
RIGHT NOW, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE 2018 BOND.
UH, AT THE TIME, THE ESTIMATE OF THE COST WAS $50 MILLION.
THAT COST HAS BALLOONED TO AROUND OR OVER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
SO THEY CANNOT BUILD THIS BRIDGE WITH THE MONEY WE HAVE.
AND SO THE IDEA IS TO TAKE THIS MONEY AND REDIRECT IT TO THIS, TO THE CAP PROJECT, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT IF THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO BE BUILT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE VOTERS ANYWAY.
SO MIGHT AS WELL PUT THE WHOLE BRIDGE, UH, TO THE VOTERS AND LET THEM DECIDE IF THEY WANT TO FUND THAT.
UM, CURRENTLY THERE IS THIS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BRIDGE IS, IS OLDER.
UH, I'VE NOT SEEN ANY ENGINEERING REPORT THAT IT'S ABOUT TO FALL APART.
UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, THAT ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF NEEDING TO REPLACE IT WAS DURING A HIGH WATER EVENT, THE BRIDGE COULD POTENTIALLY BE UNUSABLE.
UH, I WILL NOTE THOUGH, THAT THAT DOESN'T STRAND THE RESIDENTS OR, OR ONE OF THE IMPORTANT AREAS THAT THE SERVICE THERE IS THE ULRICH WATER PLANT.
YOU CAN STILL GET THERE THROUGH AN ALTERNATE ROUTE IN WESTLAKE, WE JUST TYPICALLY DON'T DO THAT BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIKE IT.
THIS BRIDGE IS A BETTER OPTION, BUT THERE IS ANOTHER WAY FOR RESIDENTS TO GET IN AND OUT AND HAVE THAT CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SERVED IN A HIGH WATER SITUATION.
NEXT, UH, LOOKING AT OUR CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION PROJECT AND RECOGNIZING THAT THIS CAP, OR THE CAESAR CHAVEZ TO FOURTH STREET CAP REALLY ENHANCES THE USE AND APPEAL OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, UH, THAT ATTENDEES, UH, WOULD LIKELY USE THAT SPACE.
AND THAT SPACE COULD EVEN POTENTIALLY BE PROGRAMMED, YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, IF THEY HAD SOME CONCERTS ON THE CAESAR CHAVEZ TO FOURTH CAP, THAT COULD BE A REALLY COOL, UH, ADDITION TO WHAT THE CONVENTION CENTER IS DOING.
AND SO LOOKING AT THAT ABILITY BOTH, UM, FROM A DEBT STRUCTURE PERSPECTIVE OF, OF BEING ABLE TO DO THAT, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE, UM, LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, WE'RE JUST STILL WORKING THROUGH ON THAT ONE.
UH, NEXT I'D JUST GO TO THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER ENTERPRISE.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE DEBT THAT WE'RE PAYING BONDS ON THROUGH 2034.
THOSE BONDS WILL BE THEN RETIRED, AND WE WILL HAVE ABOUT $20 MILLION PER YEAR WE COULD SPEND ON WHATEVER.
IF YOU TOOK A PORTION OF THAT, YOU KNOW, A QUARTER OR LESS AND DEDICATED THAT TO THIS PROJECT, YOU COULD ONCE AGAIN HAVE SOMEWHERE AROUND $50 MILLION, UH, TO USE.
LAST, BUT NOT LEAKS, WHICH HAS BEEN DISCUSSED HERE, IS THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK LOAN, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY SECURED 41 MILLION.
SO THIS IS THE EASIEST ONE OF EVERYTHING.
UH, BUT IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND JUST KIND OF SEE A SUMMARY OF HERE ARE OUR SOURCES OF FUNDS AND THEN THEIR POTENTIAL USES.
AND I WANT TO JUST FINISH WITH SOME OF THE DISCUSSION THAT, UH, A CM ROGERS MENTIONED.
YOU KNOW, AND, AND I, I FULLY HEAR AND, AND EVEN SHARE SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL MENTIONED ABOUT, ARE WE GOING SO THIN WITH THE PROPOSAL THAT'S ON THE TABLE FROM THE STAFF SIDE, THAT WE'RE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO COME FORWARD WITH HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO GET THIS DONE.
AND I THINK THAT IS, UM, THAT'S CONCERNING FOR THE LIMITED FOOTPRINT WE'RE ASKING FOR, UH, IN THIS PARTICULAR SCENARIO THAT WE'VE LAID OUT, IF THIS WOULD BUILD, LET'S SAY TAKE THE CAESAR CHAVEZ TO FOURTH STREET CAP, THIS WOULD BUILD THE KIND OF THE INFRAS, THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, THE CAP ITSELF, LEAVING $101 MILLION WORTH OF AMENITY FUNDING, SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS MUCH MORE NATURAL FOR A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN, AND WOULD RESULT IN A BALANCE OF 63% PUBLIC FUNDED, 37% PRIVATE FUNDED OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT.
SIMILAR STORY FOR FOURTH THROUGH SEVENTH STREET, THERE'S 77 MILLION IN AMENITIES, FUNDING RELATED, UH, SPENDING AFTER YOU BUILD THE CAP.
SO THAT WOULD BRING THE BALANCE, UH, TO 54% PUBLIC FUNDED VERSUS 46% PRIVATE FUNDED.
AND WHEN YOU COMPARE THAT TO CLYDE WARREN, FOR INSTANCE, CLYDE WARREN WAS FUNDED
[03:20:01]
53% WITH PUBLIC DOLLARS, 47% PRIVATE.SO TOTAL CAESAR CHAVEZ TO SEVENTH STREET, 59 41.
THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE TO HOW, UH, AND THAT'S THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, HOW THAT PROJECT WAS FUNDED AND LOOKING AT JUST THE TOTALITY FROM ROADWAY ELEMENTS TO FULL AMENITIES.
I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF LAY THAT OUT THERE FOR EVERYBODY.
AND, UH, WE WILL CERTAINLY, LIKE I SAID, KEEP YOU UPDATED AS THOSE, UH, DEVELOP.
BUT I CERTAINLY JUST WANNA ECHO, UH, MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE.
I THINK THIS, YOU KNOW, IS A, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY THAT IF THERE IS A PATH TO DO IT THAT DOESN'T IMPACT SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS WE WANNA DO, UH, I THINK WE SHOULD TRY.
COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ, FOLLOWED BY HARPER MADISON, AND COUNCIL MEMBER ELAINE.
UH, MAYOR, MY, MY PRESENTATION IS ONLY 30 SLIDES, SO I'LL BE QUICK ABOUT IT.
EVERYBODY LOCK IN? NO, I HAD A QUICK, AND LET ME JUST SAY FOR THE, FOR THE RECORD, AS, AS I'M, I'M TRYING TO JUST KEEP US ON A SCHEDULE.
UM, I'M GIVING 15 MINUTES AND, UH, ACTUALLY A LITTLE MORE EVERY TIME, JUST, AND THAT, AND THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M DOING THAT AND WE CAN ALWAYS GO BACK IF SOMEONE WANTS TO TALK, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS WANTING TO SPEAK, AND FRANKLY, THIS IS REALLY GOOD WORK BY THE COUNCIL TO HAVE THIS KIND OF DISCUSSION, BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS.
SO, SO, BUT IN ORDER TO GET THROUGH EVERYBODY, UH, IN, IN, IN SOME, UH, SOME ORDER, WHAT I'M, I'M TRYING TO DO IS SIGNAL TO YOU AT 15 MINUTES OR SO, AND THEN, UH, IF YOU WANNA SPEAK, WE'RE NOT DONE.
WHEN WE GET THROUGH THE WHOLE DEAL, WE CAN ALWAYS GO BACK.
OH, WELL, THE, THE MAYOR PROTON TEXTED ME.
UM, ALRIGHT, START TALKING, MAN.
I WANTED TO ASK AND JUST, UH, REITERATE FOR THE PEOPLE WATCHING AT HOME THAT THERE IS STILL GOING TO BE A CROSSING THERE.
AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT FOLKS KNOW THAT, UM, IT WON'T BE AN ENTIRE STITCH, BUT I, I BELIEVE WE'RE, WE'RE DOWN, UH, ABOUT, IS IT OVER 120 FEET FOR THE CROSSING VERSUS A STITCH? AND I, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THOSE NUMBERS BECAUSE I JUST CAME UP WITH THOSE IN MY HEAD.
SO YES, UH, YOU ARE, YOU ARE CORRECT.
UM, WHEREVER TXDOT PROVIDES A BRIDGE CROSSING, THEY WILL BE PROVIDING A 30 FOOT BACK OF CURB AMENITY ZONE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A SHARED USE PATH, UM, ENHANCEMENT ACROSS EACH OF THOSE BRIDGE CROSSINGS.
SO IN TOTALITY, THAT'S ABOUT 60 FEET FOR THE HOLLY CROSSING STREET CROSSING.
SO IT WILL INCLUDE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE ON EITHER SIDE.
AND, AND WITH THAT, I JUST HAD A, I JUST HAD A COUPLE STATEMENTS, UH, COLLEAGUES.
UM, FIRST I JUST WANT TO THANK THE, THE, WITH, UH, WITH IMMENSE GRATITUDE CITY STAFF AND TTPW, UH, AND FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS.
WE KNOW THAT THIS HAS NOT BEEN EASY AND IT'S NOT MOVED THE WAY WE'VE WANTED IT TO, BUT YOU, YOU, YOU KEPT MOVING WITH IT AND WE APPRECIATE THAT.
THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ALTER AVELA AND RI AND THEIR TEAMS. THEY'RE BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT TEAMS, UH, FOR REALLY GETTING INTO THE DETAILS ABOUT THIS WITH US.
UM, THESE CABS CAN BRING SO MUCH VALUE TO AUSTIN, AND WE HAVE, WE WILL NOT GET ANOTHER CHANCE IN OUR LIFETIMES TO DO THIS.
AND I JUST, I, I CAN'T HAMMER THAT DOWN ENOUGH.
WE WILL NOT GET ANOTHER CHANCE IN OUR LIFETIMES TO DO THIS.
I'M PLANNING TO LIVE TO 150, SO SOME OF Y'ALL WON'T BE HERE WHEN JOSE III IS UP ON THE DIE MAKING THESE DECISIONS.
UM, BUT FOR ME, THIS IS ABOUT HEALING A SCAR THAT I'VE LIVED THROUGH THAT RIPPED THROUGH OUR CITY ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS AGO BY WAY OF THE 1928 MASTER PLAN, A DIVISION THAT WAS LITERALLY CEMENTED WHEN I 35 CAME THROUGH, ALSO KNOWN AS SOME IN EAST AUSTIN ABOUT THE GREAT, SOME IN EAST SIDE AS THE GREAT WALL OF AUSTIN.
THIS IS ABOUT MAKING RIGHT, A DIVISION THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE EXISTED.
THIS IS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY, IT'S ABOUT EQUITY, AND THIS IS A STATEMENT OF OUR VALUES AND FIDELITY TO THE, TO THIS DIOCESE CLAIM THAT WE ARE IN AUSTIN FOR ALL.
AND I THINK THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BRING EAST AND WEST TOGETHER AND, UH, AND, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO TO, TO WORKING ON IT.
COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER LANE.
COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, ARE YOU AVAILABLE? ALL RIGHT, WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER LANE AND WE'LL COME BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
I'M SORRY, I'M JUST HAVING SOME TECH DIFFICULTY, BUT I AM HERE.
UM, CAN YOU GUYS SEE ME NOW? WE CANNOT SEE YOU, BUT WE CAN HEAR YOU.
SO I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND START TALKING.
UM, OKAY THEN NOW WE CAN SEE YOU.
UH, SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, I'D JUST LIKE TO FOLLOW MY COLLEAGUE AND HIS RECOGNITION AND THANKS TO
[03:25:01]
OUR STAFF.UM, I HAD A REALLY THOROUGH DEBRIEF YESTERDAY, AND OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEARS, I'VE HAD NOTHING BUT REALLY INTERACTIVE, THOROUGH BRIEFS, DEBRIEFS, AND SOME OF THAT INFORMATION.
UM, I, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MUCH FOR ME, UM, AS MUCH AS OUR CONSTITUENTS, A LOT OF THIS LIKE TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE DISCUSSION IS EXTRAORDINARILY TECHNICAL.
AND SO HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT, UM, MOST ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TO MICHAEL PA'S POINT, YOU KNOW, THE BLIGHT OF I 35, THE SUBSEQUENT, UH, MANIFESTATIONS OF ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AS THE DIRECT RESULT OF DIVIDING OUR CITY AND CITY SANCTIONED SEGREGATION.
SO WHEN I TALK TO FOLKS AND WHEN THEY'RE TALKING TO ME ABOUT THESE THINGS, THIS THING, MOST ESPECIALLY A LOT OF IT IS EMOTIVE.
UM, BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE FEELINGS.
AND SO I APPRECIATE HAVING HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REMOVE ALL THE EMOTIONS AND HAVE A, A REAL TECHNICAL CONVERSATION WITH OUR STAFF, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THEM BRINGING US ALONG AS NONE OF US ARE TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERS ON THIS DAY.
SO THEM BRINGING US ALONG AND HAVING THE CONVERSATION SO THAT WE CAN MAKE, UM, REALLY SOUND DECISIONS.
SO I, I AM GONNA TAKE CLOSE TO MY FULL 15 MINUTES 'CAUSE I FEEL A LOT OF THINGS.
UM, SO I'LL START WITH, I'M GONNA THROW SOME THINGS ON THE MESSAGE BOARD FOR Y'ALL'S REVIEW.
UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEARS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MY OFFICE DID WAS WE INITIATED, UH, A POSSESSION STUDY.
UM, IF YOU WATCH THE RESOLUTION TRACKER, UM, THERE'S ONLY A FEW ELEMENTS LEFT, BUT ESSENTIALLY THE INITIAL, UM, FINDING WAS THAT WE CAN NEVER PAY BACK THE COST OF CITY SANCTION SEGREGATION, RACISM, THE GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT, THE 1928 MASTER PLAN I 35 AND EVERYTHING SUBSEQUENT TO IT.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF OTHER ELEMENTS OF OUR CITY THAT ARE THE DIRECT PRODUCT OF CITY SANCTION SEGREGATION, UH, ELEMENTS AND THINGS THAT PEOPLE FIGHT FOR WANNA KEEP, THEY WANNA KEEP THEM VESTIGES AND RACISM.
SO I WOULD JUST LIKE VERY MUCH TO SAY, I'M GONNA PUT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD SOME OF WHAT IT IS THAT I WANNA SAY, INCLUDING THE FINDINGS OF THIS, UH, POSSESSION STUDY.
AND THIS IS THE CITY OF AUSTIN WHO PRODUCED THIS DATA FOR US DIRECTLY.
SO I'M GONNA, UM, RESIST THE URGE TO SOUND LIKE A TV LIAR AND, YOU KNOW, COME UP WITH SLOGANS.
BUT LIKE, WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH, WE MUST GET ROUGH
YOU KNOW, LIKE, I'M FEELING LIKE I, I ABSOLUTELY APPRECIATE ANY CONCERNS AND CONSIDERATIONS AROUND THE APPROPRIATE ALLOCATION OF OUR DOLLARS.
UM, THE THING THAT I WAS WANTING TO SAY EARLIER, UM, I DIDN'T WANT TO INTERRUPT, BUT I WANTED TO INTERJECT WHEN COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL WAS SPEAKING.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH STAFFERS YESTERDAY, AND IT WAS TO MY SURPRISE THAT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD THIS.
WE'VE BEEN OFFERED PRIVATE DOLLARS ON WAY MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, AND I'VE SHARED THAT INFORMATION WITH STAFF.
AND SO THE FACT THAT OUR STAFF DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PRIVATE DOLLARS WE'VE BEEN OFFERED, UM, IS PROBLEMATIC TO ME.
AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, JUST SO YOU KNOW, WHILE I CAN APPRECIATE THAT THE DATA SAYS THERE'S NO PRIVATE DOLLARS, I CAN SAY UNEQUIVOCALLY, THAT'S NOT TRUE.
WE'VE BEEN OFFERED PRIVATE DOLLARS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE, SINCE WE'VE BEEN ON THIS MEETING WHO ARE LIKE, WAIT, WE SAID WE WOULD GIVE Y'ALL MONEY TOWARDS THIS.
I'M LIKE, WELL GO UP THERE AND TALK ON THE PODIUM.
THERE ARE PRIVATE DOLLARS THAT ARE BEING OFFERED, UH, A LOT OF PRIVATE DOLLARS THAT ARE BEING OFFERED.
SO I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE COST.
AND I SAY THAT TO MAKE SURE TO RECOGNIZE THAT I DO REALIZE THAT OUR RESOURCES ARE FINITE.
I'M THE MAIN ONE OUT HERE TELLING EVERYBODY.
I AM JUST SHOCKED AND AMAZED THAT I GO TO EVENTS NOW WHERE WE'RE STILL DOING THE ORDER OF THE MEETING AS PLANNED.
BECAUSE THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS EVERYTHING'S TOPSY-TURVY LAND.
WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING ANYTHING AS PLANNED AT THIS POINT.
EVERYTHING SHOULD BE LIKE CRISIS MANAGEMENT MODE, PERIOD.
INCLUDING HOW WE MANAGE DEVELOPMENT, FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CITY AND OUR INVESTMENTS.
AND THERE'S JUST SO MUCH THAT I, I DON'T EVEN NEED TO SAY BECAUSE Y'ALL KNOW IT.
YOUR MATURE, THOUGHTFUL, PROGRESSIVE ADULT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
Y'ALL KNOW WHERE WE CAME FROM AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
AND I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THOSE THINGS, BUT I WILL SAY BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT, THE RECONNECTION OF OUR CITY RECONNECTION, THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WAS AN INTENTIONAL DELIBERATE DIVISION.
WHAT'S THE COST OF THAT? I TALKED TO A CONSTITUENT JUST THIS MORNING WHO WENT THROUGH $12,000 OF INCOME TAX REFUND MONEY IN LESS THAN A MONTH BECAUSE THERE
[03:30:01]
WAS THAT MUCH DEBT, THERE WAS THAT MUCH NEED.WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO COUNCIL MEMBER SEGEL, SHE AIN'T LOOKING FOR A PARK, SHE GOT HOUSING.
SHE'S LOOKING FOR THE ABILITY TO GET ACROSS THAT FREAKING HIGHWAY AND GET TO WORK IN A WAY THAT'S SAFE AND MANAGEABLE.
SHE'S LOOKING FOR WORK THAT'S CLOSER TO HER HOUSE.
THAT CAP, THOSE CAPS OFFER WAY MORE THAN WE CAN EVEN QUANTIFY IN TERMS OF VALUE.
THE RECONNECTION OF OUR CITY ACKNOWLEDGES WE DISCONNECTED OUR CITY ON PURPOSE.
AND IF NOBODY SITTING UP HERE TODAY BELIEVES IN WHAT OUR FOREFATHERS WHO SAT ON A DAY SIMILAR TO THIS ONE AND MADE DECISIONS FOR OUR CITY, IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY BELIEVE, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ONE BLACK REPRESENTATIVE.
TURNS OUT THERE'S STILL ONLY ONE BLACK REPRESENTATIVE.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ONE LATINO.
TURNS OUT WE GOT THREE PROGRESS.
I SUPPOSE THAT TO SAY IN OUR CITY MAKING ITS PROGRESS, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER DENY ARE REAL AND TRUE.
AND THE COST OF IT, IT'S IMMEASURABLE.
IT SAYS IT RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY'S VERY OWN STUDY.
WE CAN NEVER QUANTIFY THE COST OF CITY SANCTIONED SEGREGATION, RACISM, WHITE SUPREMACY.
WE CAN NEVER QUANTIFY THE COST OR THE OUTCOMES.
ONE PERSON SPENT $12,000 IN ONE MONTH JUST TO TRY TO BE ALL RIGHT.
SHE'S NOT LOOKING FOR MORE PARKS, SHE'S JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE.
I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S CONTRIBUTION TO THIS DISCUSSION.
I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S CONSIDERATE, THOUGHTFUL, DELIBERATE THOUGHT PROCESSES THROUGH THIS.
I WILL SAY I'M DUG IN AND I WILL NOT LET UP AND I WILL CALL ON EVERY MEMBER OF MY COMMUNITY, MY SKIN FOLK AND OTHERWISE TO STAND UP.
WE GOT PUSHED INTO A HIGHWAY EXPANSION, WHICH I DIDN'T WANT.
I SAID FROM JUNK DAY ONE, NO WIDER, NO HIGHER.
I STILL BELIEVE THAT, BUT I'M JUST ONE LITTLE BLACK GIRL IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANY POWER THERE.
WHERE I DO HAVE SOME POWER IS WHAT MY CITY DOES.
THE MUNICIPALITY THAT I LIVE IN AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE ONE BY WAY OF THE AGREEMENT, I GET TO BE THE ONE REGARDLESS OF WHERE BLACK PEOPLE LIVE.
SINE LANO, PARKER HEIGHTS, GUESS WHO THEY CALL? NOT Y'ALL.
BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVE CONNECTIONS TO THE CITY.
THEY STILL WANT THE CITY TO BE CONNECTED.
THEY STILL REMEMBER, EVEN IF THEIR DEPARTURE WAS VOLUNTARY MIGRATION, THEY HAD TO LEAVE.
WE WILL NEVER FIX WHAT WE BROKE.
AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER VELA FOR ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE AS A LAW.
WE TOOK NOW WHAT WE OWE, WE GOT TALKED INTO AND FORCED TO GET A BIGGER, WIDER, HIGHER HIGHWAY IF WE'RE GONNA GET SOMETHING THAT FRANKLY, AGAIN, I DON'T THINK WAS TO THE BEST INTEREST OF MY CONSTITUENTS AND DIDN'T WANT, IF WE HAVE TO HAVE IT, THE ONLY WAY I WAS GONNA PUT MY NAME ON IT WITH ANY DEGREE OF INTEGRITY WOULD BE IF THERE WAS SOME SAVING GRACE.
THE SAVING GRACE IS THE RECONNECTION OF OUR CITY.
IT'S OBVIOUS TO ANYBODY LISTENING THAT MY PRIMARY CONCERNS ARE 11TH AND 12TH STREET CAPS.
BUT FOR A LARGER, MORE EXPANDED CONSIDERATION, AS MUCH ACCESS AS WE CAN GET, AS MUCH AS WE COULD RECONNECT OUR CITY, WE SHOULD FIGHT FOR IT.
I DON'T EVEN THINK WE SHOULD BE SITTING HERE DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT IT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD DO MOVE FORWARD ON.
I GOT PEOPLE CALLING ME RIGHT NOW.
ARE WE GONNA NOT GET SIX VOTES FOR CAP? I, I DON'T KNOW.
I'M NOT ALLOWED TO TALK TO Y'ALL.
THERE'S A SUB QUORUM THAT I'M NOT A PART OF.
AND SO NOW THAT I DO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO Y'ALL DIRECTLY, I'D LIKE VERY MUCH TO BE A PART OF A QUORUM, A SUB QUORUM, A SOME WHERE WE TALK ABOUT, UH, THIS IS NOT EVEN A, AN OPTION.
I DON'T SAY A WHOLE LOT AND I DON'T PUSH THAT HARD.
BUT WHEN I DO, IT'S BECAUSE I'M DOING THE RIGHT THING AND I'M FIGHTING FOR PEOPLE.
WE WILL GET TO SIX ON CAPS BECAUSE WE HAVE TO.
WHEN WE RAISED OUR HANDS AND SAID I AND THE
[03:35:01]
CITY OF AUSTIN AND IN MY CAPACITY WE SAID WE WERE GONNA DO THE RIGHT THING, Y'ALL, I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE SOME SHORTAGES.I WATCHED THAT SAME FINANCIAL FORECAST YOU DID.
BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, SOME OF Y'ALL THAT ARE SITTING THERE NOW WEREN'T HERE WHEN I WAS THERE WHEN I SAID, OH, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, THERE'S NO SURPLUS.
AND SO WHEN WE GOT THE REAL DATA THAT SHOWS WE'RE IN A DEFICIT, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO BE IN A DEFICIT.
WE WON'T STOP BEING IN A DEFICIT BOTH BY WAY OF HOW WE MANAGE OUR MONEY.
YEP, THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT.
BUT THEN ALSO MOVING FORWARD, OUR INVESTMENTS, MOST ESPECIALLY IF WE CONTINUE, ESPECIALLY IN THE WILD UNMANAGEABLE TERRAIN THAT IS TODAY, POLITICS, THERE IS NO OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO NOT DO WHAT'S RIGHT BASED ON CONCERNS ABOUT OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL FORECAST.
WHEN TIMES ARE TIGHT, GET RIGHT, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THIS RIGHT.
AND IF WE DON'T, WE MESSED IT UP.
I'M LOOKING AT SOME OF THE PAST DECISIONS, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT SHE TRIED TO RESCIND THE VOTE, BUT ONE OF MY, A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO REPRESENTED DISTRICT ONE GAVE AWAY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SIDEWALK FUNDING.
AND SHE TRIED TO PULL IT BACK, SHE TRIED TO RESCIND IT, BUT WE'LL NEVER GET THOSE DOLLARS BACK.
I WANT Y'ALL TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
I WANT YOU TO CAST VOTES THAT AGE.
WELL, I'M GONNA THROW A COUPLE THINGS THAT ARE JUST DATA DRIVEN, UM, AND NOT SO MUCH HOW I'M FEELING.
SO THE DATA SHOWS THAT ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO, MR. MAYOR, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO RUN A, AN EFFICIENT MEETING.
I'M GONNA PUT IT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD 'CAUSE THAT'S PUBLIC FACING FOR MY COLLEAGUES, FOR YOU, FOR THE MANAGER, AND FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
I'M GONNA MAKE A VERY LONG MESSAGE BOARD POST TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER LANE, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
VERY HARD TO FOLLOW THAT I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE, UM, ALL THE COMMENTS THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE MADE, ALL THE THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS.
UM, THEY WILL ALLOW ME TO USE FAR LESS THAN 15 MINUTES BECAUSE YOU HAVE SHARED A LOT OF WHAT WAS ON MY MIND AND ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS.
I ABSOLUTELY WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE HARD WORK CITY STAFF HAS DONE TO TRY TO FIND A PATH FORWARD.
THERE HAS BEEN SO MANY DEPARTMENTS, SO MANY HOURS OF STAFF TIME BY AT WHICH WE, WHICH WE PAY FOR AND WE DIRECT AND IN ALL WAYS, I SEE YOU STRIVING TO FIND A PATH FORWARD.
HEARING THE IMPASSIONED SPEECHES OF OUR COUNCIL AND OUR RESIDENTS.
I, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS TEN ONE STRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE NOW AND THE ABILITY IT GIVES EACH OF US TO SEE THINGS FROM A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND HEAR EACH OTHER.
AND, AND I SPEAK IN THAT FROM THAT PLACE.
I FIRST ECHO SO MANY OF COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL'S WELL STATED CONCERNS AND OVERALL SKEPTICISM ABOUT THE FEASIBILITY OF AUSTIN FOOTING.
SO MUCH OF THE BILL ILL, UM, PARTICULARLY WITH ALL THE CHANGES IN OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION AND THE FINANCIAL RISKS THAT ARE THE REALITY FOR BOTH AUSTIN AND ITS RESIDENTS.
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ONE THAT'S DIRECTLY WITH THIS PROJECT IS THE LOSS OF THE LARGE FEDERAL GRANT THAT GAVE US SOME OF THE DIVERSITY OF REVENUE SOURCES THAT WE ONCE HAD, BUT ALSO THE CANCELLATION OF SO MANY AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH GRANTS.
AND WE COULD GO ON, BUT I WON'T.
UM, I WILL SIMPLY EMPHASIZE THAT I'M REALLY GLAD TO HAVE HEARD THE PRESENTATION AND THE IDEAS OF WHERE TO FIND MONEY, THAT THERE IS AN ABILITY TO FIND SOME MONEY, BUT OUR RISKS ARE SO GREAT AND THE CHALLENGES TO OUR COMMUNITIES ARE SO SIGNIFICANT AND THE GAPS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO FILL ARE GO SO FAR BEYOND THE MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE.
AND THE COST OF ALL OF THESE TRADE-OFFS IS A, A VERY REAL COST TO THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN WHO MANY OF WHOM ARE SIMPLY TRYING TO LIVE WITH A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS, EAT, FEED THEIR CHILDREN, AND FIND A FEW MOMENTS OF JOY THAT ARE STILL AFFORDABLE TOGETHER WITH THEIR LOVED ONES AND TOGETHER WITH A COMMUNITY THAT IS STABLE AND STRONG.
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT MATTER THE MOST TO ME WHEN I SAY THAT I WILL STAND UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEOPLE.
[03:40:01]
PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE NOW, SO MANY OF WHOM HAVE ALREADY BEEN THIS DISPLACED TO PARTS OF THE CITY THAT CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THINGS LIKE A SAFE WAY TO GET TO WORK IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.ACCESS TO FOOD, FOOD
THESE THINGS ARE REAL AND THEY WILL PROBABLY INCREASE IN THE PERIOD OF AUSTERITY THAT WE ARE MOVING INTO.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE STAFF FOR PROVIDING ON PAGE 26, THE INFORMATION ABOUT TRADE-OFFS.
SO MITCH, OF WHICH WAS QUITE STARK, UM, BUT ALL OF WHICH WAS PUT IN TERMS OF THE COST OF LAND AND ACQUIRING PROPERTIES.
AND I JUST WANNA SPEAK TO A FEW OTHER TRADE OFFS TO CONSIDER.
WE HAVE LARGE SWATHS OF VACANT LAND DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE MAJOR TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE WE HAVE ALREADY INVESTED IN THAT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT PUTTING TO USE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGH A BOND OR, OR EXPANDING CITY SERVICES IN THAT AREA OR GIVING AFFORDABLE SHELTER TO OUR SENIORS THAT IS NEAR WHERE THEIR FAMILIES LIVE.
OR SUPPORTING OUR MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILIES.
IF WE SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY ON THINGS THAT ARE VERY NARROW IN THEIR SCOPE OF WHERE THEY IMPROVE THINGS AND COST SO MUCH.
UM, I, SORRY, I'VE LOST MY PLACE.
UM, YES, I WANTED TO COMMENT ON ON ATTENTION THAT IS VERY REAL WITH THESE CAPS.
SO IN ORDER TO TRY TO FIND A PATH FORWARD THAT'S FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, EVEN IF IT IS, IF IT IS CARRYING FOOTING, SO MUCH OF A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF THE BILL THAN, THAN IS THEN IS BEEN NOTED IN THE PIER CITIES.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS THAT WE COULD MAKE MORE, GENERATE MORE REVENUE FOR US.
THE THINGS THAT MAKE US GEN THAT HELP US GENERATE MORE REVENUE ARE EXACTLY THE THINGS THAT MAKE THIS AREA MORE EXPENSIVE.
AND TAKING THOSE STEPS THAT ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO OUR CITY.
ALSO REDUCE OUR ABILITY TO INVEST IN THINGS LIKE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR PUT OUR CITY OWNED PROPERTY THAT'S NEAR THERE TO A USE THAT SUPPORTS ACCESS RATHER THAN PUTTING IT INTO THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
THERE IS AN INHERENT TENSION THERE.
UM, SO I WANNA POINT THAT OUT AND THEN, AND THEN I WANT TO HARKEN BACK TO, I, I PERSONALLY WILL NOT BE MAKING MY MIND UP UNTIL RIGHT BEFORE WE VOTE.
I WILL CONTINUE TO REVIEW THE INFORMATION THAT COMES TO US.
IF THESE CHOICES, IF THE LOSS OF THAT FEDERAL GRANT ALLOWS PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY TO STEP FORWARD OR STAFF TO CON NEW STAFF TO CONNECT WITH, UH, PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS, I'M HAPPY TO CONSIDER THAT AND LOOK AT WHAT IS, WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT THAT IT COMES, COMES TO US.
HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO HARKEN BACK TO A COUPLE OF COMMENTS THAT, UM, OUR STAFF SHARED WITH US WHILE THEY WERE PRESENTING.
ONE OF WHICH WAS HISTORICALLY AUSTIN HAS PROVIDED ALL MAJOR FUNDING FOR BIG PROJECTS LIKE THIS.
IT IS SIMPLY NO LONGER FEASIBLE FOR AUSTIN TO DO IT ON ITS OWN.
IT IS A VERY CLEAR STATEMENT FROM OUR STAFF AND WE HAVE ABOUT A MONTH TO FIGURE OUT IF WE ARE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING THAT HISTORICALLY AUSTIN HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO.
IF WE DON'T SEE COMMITMENTS THAT BRING US INTO THE RANGE OF PEER CITIES, THEN WE ARE SAYING THAT WE THINK IN A MUCH TOUGHER CLIMATE THAN WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED.
WE WILL BE ABLE TO DO MORE THAN WE HAVE EVER DONE.
AND THEN OTHER PEER CITIES HAVE DONE IT IS THE INFORMATION'S BEFORE US.
AND FOR ME PERSONALLY, I REALLY, REALLY WANT OUR CITY TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE LIVING IN IT, WORKING IN IT.
OUR STAKEHOLDERS WHO I KNOW ARE GOING TO BE SUFFERING MANY OF THEM IN THE COMING YEARS.
I'VE ALREADY HAD MY QUESTIONS PRIMARILY ANSWERED.
WELL SHOOT, I GOT TO BE THE CABOOSE BEFORE, BEFORE MAYBE.
UM, LET ME, LET ME TELL MEMBERS IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK AGAIN, FEEL FREE TO UH, PUNCH THE BUTTON AND I'LL, I'LL, UM, CALL ON YOU AGAIN AND I APPRECIATE THE WAY EVERYBODY'S HANDLING THIS SO THAT WE CAN COVER SUCH A BIG ISSUE AND, AND GIVE EVERYBODY LOTS OF TIME.
SO COUNCILMAN ELLIS, I RECOGNIZE YOU.
I KNOW WE'RE GOING ON A, A COUPLE HOURS HERE AND THERE'S PROBABLY SOME LUNCH IN THE BACK, SO I KNOW, UH, MY BLOOD SUGAR IS DEFINITELY TELLING ME IT'S GONNA, WE STILL HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO GO AND, UM,
[03:45:01]
SO WELL I'M GLAD UH, PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO BE SO COLLABORATIVE ON THIS.I KNOW THIS IS A REALLY HUGE ISSUE.
UM, IT HAS VERY HIGH STAKES AND SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GONNA BE SOME, UM, SOME PASSIONATE OPINIONS AROUND WHERE WE GO FROM HERE AND WHAT WE ULTIMATELY DECIDE TO DO WITH, WITH THE ISSUE AHEAD OF US.
UM, I'LL KEEP MY COMMENTS SHORT RELATIVELY AS WELL BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SUCH A GOOD LINE OF QUESTIONING AND A NUMBER OF GOOD OPINIONS ALONG THE WAY.
UM, I DO WANNA JUST JUMP IN AND SAY I HAVE A, A HUGE CONCERN WITH REALLOCATING DOLLARS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROMISED TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, IT IS TOUGH ENOUGH AS IT IS TO GO TO THE VOTERS AND ASK THEM TO APPROVE BONDS.
AND WHEN WE SEE TIME AND TIME AGAIN THAT THINGS GET TIGHT AND COSTS GO UP AS THE YEARS GO BY THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN THESE PROJECTS ARE GOING TO BE YANKED AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC.
UM, REDBUD BRIDGE IS ANOTHER PROJECT I KEEP, I CAN'T BELIEVE TWO WEEKS LATER I'M STILL UP HERE TALKING ABOUT THESE BRIDGES.
10 YEARS AGO THE PRE-BID MEETING WAS FOR BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE AND BRIDGE 10 YEARS AGO.
THIS IS WHERE ULRICH WATER TREATMENT PLANT IS.
A LOT OF THE TRAFFIC THAT GOES ACROSS THIS BRIDGE IS OUR WATER UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE.
THESE ARE OUR TRUCKS TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE CLEAN WATER TO DRINK.
THERE'S UTILITIES THAT RUN THROUGH THIS BRIDGE.
UM, THERE'S HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR NOT ONLY REALLOCATING DOLLARS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROMISED TO THE PUBLIC BUT NOT MAINTAINING THE OWN IN OUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THE CITY OWNS.
THIS IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE MAKE THAT COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE AND THEY SAY, YES, I WANT YOU TO BUILD A PROJECT THAT WE DON'T SIT HERE YEARS, YEARS LATER AND SAY, WELL LET'S JUST TANK THE WHOLE PROJECT.
LET'S PUT THE DOLLARS SOMEWHERE ELSE AND MAYBE WE'LL COME BACK LATER AND AND ASK PEOPLE AGAIN TO CHECK YOKE, TO CHECK YES AT THE POLLING LOCATIONS TO SAY WE BELIEVE IN OUR CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE WAY OUR DOLLARS ARE BEING ALLOCATED.
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER THE PROJECTS THAT PEOPLE DO.
I'VE GOT OTHER BOND PROGRAMS IN MY DISTRICT THAT ARE NOT, THAT ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD UNTIL WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW ELSE TO COME UP WITH THAT MONEY.
UM, I THINK ANYBODY THAT REPRESENTS A DISTRICT THAT CONTINUALLY HAS THEIR PROJECTS NOT DELIVERED WOULD FEEL THE STRESS AND PRESSURE THAT I FEEL THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT AND I DON'T WANT US TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE BECAUSE WE HAVE CONTINUED TO, TO MOVE RESOURCES AWAY FROM PLACES WHERE I THINK THEY'RE REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, BUT I'M GONNA START, YOU'RE GONNA START SEEING ME GET REAL SASSY UP HERE WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT DISTRICT DATE BOND DOLLARS THAT THE VOTERS HAVE APPROVED AND THAT WE'RE NOT SPENDING THEM AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BUILD THOSE PROJECTS.
SO I'M GONNA LEAVE THAT THERE FOR TODAY.
UM, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR STAFF ABOUT THE STREET IMPACT FEES.
WHO WANTS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT STREET IMPACT FEES? EVERYBODY DOES.
'CAUSE NOW WHO, WHO GETS TO ANSWER THAT? THERE'S, THERE'S ONLY THREE MICROPHONES,
UM, IT'S BEEN ABOUT FIVE YEARS.
CAN YOU TELL US IF THERE'S ANY, UM, FIVE YEAR ASSESSMENTS OR ANY LOOKING FORWARD TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAS BEEN WORKING AND, AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WOULD WE CHANGE IN THE FUTURE? THANK YOU.
UH, JIM DALE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
WE ARE DOING A, A REEVALUATION OF THE S PROGRAM AT THIS TIME.
UM, AND WE ARE SEEING, UH, AN UNDER COLLECTION IN WHAT THOSE ESTIMATES WERE PREVIOUSLY AND WITH THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT AND, AND LOOKING FORWARD, UM, THOSE COLLECTION RATES, UM, ARE QUESTIONABLE.
AND, AND SO THAT'S WHAT, UM, WE'RE TAKING A, A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PROGRAM TO SEE ALSO ABOUT, UM, POTENTIALLY COMBINING DISTRICTS.
WE HAVE SOME CONSTRAINTS ON HOW MUCH WE CAN, UM, THE SIZE OF THE DISTRICTS, THE SERVICE AREAS, YES, WHERE THAT ARE IN THAT MAP WHERE WE YES, WHERE WE HAVE OUR PROJECTS LISTED FOR A CERTAIN AREA.
THERE MAY BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO COMBINE THERE TO WHERE WE CAN DELIVER MORE OF THESE PROJECTS AND JUST NOT HAVE PARTIAL FUNDING, UM, FOR PROJECTS.
UM, SO I WAS LOOKING UP THE STREET IMPACT FEE WEBSITE THAT THE CITY HAS, IF I CAN FIND THAT TAB.
UM, HERE IT IS, IT TALKS ABOUT THE ROADWAY CAPACITY PLAN, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY THE CITY'S MAP FOR HOW AND WHEN STREET IMPACT FEE DOLLARS WOULD BE SPENT IS THE MAP THAT'S ONLINE RIGHT NOW, UH, PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED OR PROJECTS THAT ARE PLANNED TO BE COMPLETED IN THE FUTURE.
I'D HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAP TO, TO SEE.
UM, I WOULD, UM, YES, I I NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT TOO.
BUT WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH A LIST OF THE, ANY PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED OR THOSE THAT ARE, ARE PLANNED FOR
[03:50:01]
CONSTRUCTION.AND I THINK INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN SPENT PREVIOUSLY AND WHAT IS ANTICIPATED TO BE SPENT FOR THOSE PROJECTS, UM, WOULD BE SUPER HELPFUL.
I'M NOT SURE IF THEY'RE ALL IN THE SAME MAP ONLINE.
UM, SO IF Y'ALL COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND LET ME KNOW, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
I DO SEE SOME, UM, SOME OF THE SERVICE AREA ALLOCATIONS AND WHAT'S BEEN COLLECTED, WHAT'S IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, YOU KNOW, AND KIND OF WHERE THAT BALANCE IS.
SO I APPRECIATE GETTING TO SEE THOSE DOLLARS.
BUT I REMEMBER WHEN WE BUILT THIS, THE ENTIRE CONCEPT AROUND STREET IMPACT FEES WAS THAT YOU ARE CHARGING NEW DEVELOPMENT TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE ROADWAYS THAT ALREADY EXIST.
SO IT'S SUPPOSED TO HELP SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE FEELING THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS OF NEW DEVELOPMENT.
IS THAT ACCURATE? THAT THAT IS CORRECT.
THE SIFT FUNDS ARE FOR ROADWAY CAPACITY IMPROVEMENTS.
BECAUSE I, I THINK AS A CONCEPT TO USE STREET IMPACT FEES FOR SOMETHING LIKE CAPPING THE HIGHWAYS COULD, COULD BE USED.
BUT WHEN I LOOK AT HOW MANY OTHER AREAS IN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES DO NEED THE USE OF STREET IMPACT FEE DOLLARS, I FEEL LIKE I'D ONLY BE COMFORTABLE USING THEM IF THERE WASN'T A PRE-PLANNED PROJECT ALREADY HAPPENING.
I SEE A LOT OF CROSSWALKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, SIDEWALKS THAT NEED TO GET BUILT, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, UH, ROAD CONNECTIONS.
I CAN'T TELL ON THE MAP IF THEY'RE UM, CAR CONNECTIONS OR PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS, BUT I THINK I'D ONLY BE COMFORTABLE USING THOSE DOLLARS IF THERE'S NOT ALREADY NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL VISION ZERO SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS HAPPENING.
I WOULD HAVE A VERY HARD TIME TAKING DOLLARS AWAY FROM THOSE PLANNED NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS AND REALLOCATING THEM SOMEWHERE FURTHER AWAY.
SO I KNOW THOSE SERVICE AREAS IS VERY TIGHT WHERE THE DOLLARS ARE COLLECTED, THEY HAVE TO BE ALLOCATED.
UM, BUT I THINK IF, IF I WERE LOOKING AT MY DISTRICT AND TRYING TO ALLOCATE THEM INTO ONE PARTICULAR SECTION OF THAT SERVICE AREA, THAT I'D PROBABLY HEAR SOME, UM, SOME COMMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM THE FOLKS THAT WOULD NO LONGER BE GETTING THAT KIND OF, UM, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS FOR, FOR THOSE AREAS.
UM, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT THE UH, FIVE YEAR, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A FIVE YEAR UPDATE OR FIVE YEAR FORECAST TO UNDERSTAND.
UM, I THINK THIS IS ABOUT THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A QUICK PLUG.
I REALLY APPRECIATED COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON'S THOUGHTS.
UM, I HAD HAD MENTIONED THIS THE LAST TIME THAT WE HAD BROUGHT THIS CONVERSATION UP.
UM, I STILL THINK WE SHOULD DO THE CAESAR CHAVEZ TO FOURTH STREET CAPS.
I THINK WE SHOULD DO ROAD ELEMENTS FOR FOURTH THROUGH SEVENTH BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE IT MIGHT BE EASIER FOR US TO GET SOME PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS TO BE ABLE TO CAP THOSE.
BUT I THINK 11TH AND 12TH STREET IS, IS A HIGH PRIORITY FOR ME.
AND SO MAYBE AS COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON IS MAKING HER MESSAGE BOARD POSTS THAT SHE SAID SHE WAS WORKING ON THAT I, I KIND OF UNDERSTAND, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE 11TH AND 12TH STREET AND CESAR CHAVEZ TO FOURTH AS MY HIGHEST PRIORITIES.
UM, AND I'LL JUST SEE WHERE OTHER PEOPLE END UP ON THAT CONVERSATION.
UM, AND I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT FOLKS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THIS SECTION, YOU KNOW, UP NEAR 41ST STREET AND THE RED LINE CROSSING WOULD WANT TO SEE SOMETHING.
I JUST HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME PLANNING ROADWAY SUPPORT, UM, STRUCTURES FOR WHAT IS GOING TO END UP BEING 15 ACRES IF SOMEONE DECIDES TO CAP IT LATER.
I THINK THAT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF ACREAGE.
IT WOULD BE FANTASTIC IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD A COMMITMENT THAT SOMEBODY WAS GONNA STEP UP AND DO.
UM, BUT I WOULD ALSO LOVE, AND I'LL ASK STAFF OFFLINE WHAT THOSE NUMBERS WOULD LOOK LIKE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING SMALLER LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST ONE OF THE 800 FOOT SECTIONS OR A 300 FOOT SECTION, UM, TO BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THAT AREA.
'CAUSE I DO THINK THERE COULD BE SOME REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THE FIESTA MART AND HEB AND UM, AND THE PARK THAT'S RIGHT NEARBY TO HELP BRIDGE THOSE COMMUNITIES TOGETHER.
SO I'LL ASK FOR SOME SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT THE DOLLAR ALLOCATIONS THAT, THAT MIGHT BE REQUIRED IF WE CHOSE TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT WE SEE ON THE MAP RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND I THINK I HAD A THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT ONE OF THE OTHER SPEAKERS SAID, BUT IT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE FALLING OUTTA MY HEAD NOW.
UM, SORRY, IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW AND I'LL, I'LL LEAVE THOSE COMMENTS AND GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU OFFLINE ABOUT, UH, THE POTENTIAL FOR A NORTHERN STITCH.
BUT I, I DEFINITELY HAVE A HARD TIME STOMACHING THE IDEA OF REALLOCATING RESOURCES OR, YOU KNOW, LINING UP DEBT WHEN WE HAVE DEBT TO PAY OFF.
UM, I THINK THOSE ARE HARD CONVERSATIONS FOR US TO HAVE AS A COUNCIL BECAUSE I THINK FUTURE COUNCILS ARE, THEY'RE ALL GONNA CHOOSE SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE HAVE AHEAD OF US RIGHT NOW.
THEY'RE GONNA BE DEALING WITH A DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCE, A DIFFERENT CLIMATE, UM, TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THOSE.
AND SO I JUST, I'VE A HARD TIME KIND OF SADDLING THOSE FUTURE COUNCILS WITH, YOU KNOW, PRE ALLOCATED DEBT BEFORE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK THROUGH SOME OF THE, THE PROJECTS AND THE PAYOFFS THAT, THAT I THINK THAT WE NEED TO SEE RIGHT NOW.
[03:55:01]
MEMBER VELA.JUST WANT TO, UH, A FINAL COMMENT.
I WANNA PUSH BACK A LITTLE BIT ON THE, UH, THE, THE AUSTIN PHILANTHROPISTS NOT STEPPING UP.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, THE JOE AND TERESA LONG AND THE LONG CENTER.
THEY CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIAL, UH, AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO BUILD A, A REALLY, A WORLD CLASS VENUE THERE.
I BELIEVE WATERLOO GREENWAY WAS A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OF, I, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE, THE NUMBER, BUT IT WAS ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OF, UH, PRIVATE, UH, DONATION RAISED TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS THERE ALONG, UH, WATER WALLER CREEK.
UH, SO WE REALLY, I THINK, HAVE A VERY GENEROUS COMMUNITY.
WE DO NOT HAVE THE GENERATIONAL WEALTH THAT DALLAS AND HOUSTON DO.
UH, I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE THE OIL WEALTH, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE, THE FINANCIAL AND THE BANKING WEALTH.
WE WERE A SMALL TOWN OF, OF STATE EMPLOYEES AND COLLEGE PROFESSORS FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, AND THOSE DON'T PAY A LOT OF MONEY.
UM, WHERE, WHERE THAT'S CHANGED AND HOPEFULLY THIS COMING GENERATION THAT DOES HAVE THAT TECH WEALTH WILL BE STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE AND GETTING US TO THAT KIND OF NEXT LEVEL OF A PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE IN PUBLIC AMENITIES THAT WE SEE IN MAJOR CITIES, UH, ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A LITTLE PAT ON THE BACK TO THE AUSTIN PHILANTHROPISTS AND, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE THEIR GENEROUS DONATIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBERS, ANYBODY ELSE WISH TO BE RECOGNIZED ON, ON THIS ITEM? B ONE? OKAY.
UM, LET ME ECHO AND SAY TO COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.
UH, LIKE I SAID, I'M GONNA, UM, GO TO THE MESSAGE BOARD.
I ACTUALLY WANTED TO OFFER YOU SOMETHING IN THE WAY OF THANKS FOR HOW YOU'RE RUNNING THIS MEETING.
I, UM, I JUST SHARED WITH ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT I WAS IN MY FEELINGS AND I DIDN'T SPEAK AS ELOQUENTLY AS I WANTED TO BECAUSE I WAS FEELING, AND I DON'T ALWAYS TRANSCEND MY FEELINGS.
UM, BUT I JUST, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE OFFERING EVERYBODY REALLY THE OPPORTUNITY.
I KNOW YOU RUNNING AN EFFICIENT MEETING.
YOU AIN'T MESSING AROUND KIRK WATSON.
I AIN'T BEEN IN THAT BUILDING SINCE PAST 10 O'CLOCK SINCE YOU GOT HERE.
AND SO I KNOW YOU DON'T MESS AROUND.
BUT I ALSO THINK YOU'RE OFFERING US BY WAY OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ALL DO HAVE EMOTIONS AROUND THIS TOPIC.
AND I JUST, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WAY YOU'RE RUNNING THE MEETING.
IT FEELS LIKE COLLABORATIVE, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THANK YOU VERY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SAYING THAT.
I'LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER 15 MINUTES.
WELL, I'LL LEAVE IT WITH THIS.
THE OTHER THING I WAS GONNA SAY IS I HATE THAT I
THAT WAS A JOKE I HEARD, AND I GOT IT.
VERY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE NICE COMMENTS.
AND ADDITIONALLY, THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO SAY WAS TO MY COLLEAGUES, THIS WAS NOT A CALL OUT.
I, I HEARD MYSELF IN MY HEAD AFTERWARDS.
I WASN'T CHALLENGING ANYBODY OR YOUR MORALS.
UM, I WAS JUST IN MY FIELDS AND I DIDN'T SPEAK AS ELOQUENTLY AS I'D LIKE, AND I REALLY DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M SPEAKING ELOQUENTLY ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
I, IT WAS NOT A CALL OUT, IT WAS A CALL IN, A CALL IN TO GET OUR CITY, RIGHT? I MEAN, WHEN I TRAVELED, SO I WAS IN HOUSTON FOR THE PURPOSE BUILT COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE AND TALKING TO PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY REALIZING LIKE, YO, I THINK WE HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL HERE, HERE IN THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYORS AND PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HOW THEIR DAY IS FUNCTIONS, WHAT, UH, YOU KNOW, SORT OF VIBE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR AND EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE.
I REALLY THINK WE HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THAT WE RESPECT ONE ANOTHER AND WE'RE LOOKING TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY.
SO I DON'T THINK THERE'S A CHALLENGE THAT COULD GET TOSSED IN OUR DIRECTION THAT WE AS A BODY CAN'T OVERCOME.
AND THAT ACTUALLY FEELS REALLY OPTIMISTIC.
YEAH, I'LL, I'LL MAKE MY COMMENTS REALLY QUICK.
IT'S ALWAYS REALLY HARD TO GO AFTER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, AND ALSO REALLY HARD GOING AFTER THE MAYOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, NOT, YOU KNOW, NOT TO FULLY PUSH BACK, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE THEME THAT I WAS KIND OF HEARD ON THE DIOCESE WAS, ARE WE HELPING PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE? ARE WE HELPING PEOPLE NOW? AND I THINK IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS, THIS PROJECT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO BOTH.
UH, EVERYONE IN THIS DAIS WHO WAS, WHO, WHO, WHO'S ON THE DAIS, WHO WAS ELECTED, UH, WE WEREN'T ELECTED BY, YOU KNOW, FOLKS FROM THE FUTURE.
WE WERE, WE WERE ELECTED BY FOLKS WHO CURRENTLY LIVE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND I THINK WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS, RIGHT? WE'RE ABLE TO HELP THE UN, OUR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY, WE'RE ABLE TO HELP THOSE FOLKS.
YOU KNOW, I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I WASN'T HERE IN, IN, IN 1928, RIGHT? I I WASN'T HERE 50 YEARS AGO.
UH, BUT THERE'S SO MANY VOICES BOTH IN THE BLACK AND AND, AND BROWN COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN THAT, THAT HAVE, HAVE FELT THAT HURT ALL THE WAY BACK, YOU KNOW, UM, ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS NOW.
UH, AND I THINK THIS IS A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO DO RIGHT, BY, BY, BY THE PRESENT.
BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD BE REMISS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, ONE OF THE SPEAKERS MENTIONED IT TOO.
UM, I, I HOPE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, KIDS
[04:00:01]
IN THE FUTURE.I HOPE THEY HAVE KIDS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, AND THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I I'M ALSO NOT GONNA BE LIKE JOSE, WHERE I'M GONNA LIVE TO BE 150.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, I WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT FUTURE GENERATIONS IN AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR EXPERIENCE IN AUSTIN.
UH, BUT THE LAST THING I WANNA DO IS, IS SET UP PEOPLE FOR FAILURE.
AND I REALLY THINK IF WE DO THIS RIGHT, WE CAN HELP THE PEOPLE, UH, THAT CURRENTLY CALL AUSTIN HOME, BUT WE COULD ALSO HELP THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE WHEN, WHEN JOSE VELASQUEZ II IS MAYOR.
SO, THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY.
ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, FOLKS, IT IS ONE O'CLOCK.
AND, UM, SO I WANNA ANNOUNCE FOR THOSE THAT MIGHT BE TUNING IN, UH, THAT THE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO START AT ONE O'CLOCK IS NOW POSTPONED UNTIL 2:00 PM TODAY.
THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 2:00 PM TODAY.
UH, SO ANYBODY THAT'S HERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT, OR ANYBODY THAT'S TUNING IN, UH, TO WATCH THAT, UH,
[E. Executive Session]
MEMBERS, THAT LEAVES US ONE OTHER AGENDA ITEM ON OUR WORK SESSION, AND THAT IS TO GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR A LEGAL DISCUSSION.SO THE COUNCIL WILL NOW GO INTO A CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP ONE ITEM PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0 7, 1 OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE.
THE CITY COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO ITEM E ONE, SAM KERRS VERSUS CITY OF AUSTIN, ED AL, NUMBER ONE 20 CV 0 1 1 1 3 RP IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, AUSTIN DIVISION.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE ITEM ANNOUNCED? HEARING NONE, THE COUNCIL WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 1:01 PM THANKS EVERYBODY.
AND, AND I WAS GOING TO SAY IT, BUT I, I FORGOT TO SAY IT.
THANK YOU TO OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK, UH, INCLUDING THE ANSWERING ON THE MESSAGE, UH, NOT THE MESSAGE BOARD ON THE Q AND A.
UM, YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB AND WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE IT.