* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:04] GOOD. IT IS SIX O'CLOCK. IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE KORUM, SO THAT'S EXCELLENT. UH, WELCOME TO THE, UH, REGULAR MEETING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2025, UH, AT THE PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER EVENT CENTER. ROOM 1405. IT'S 6 3 1 0 WILLAMINA DELCO DRIVE. UH, LET'S GO AROUND AND WE'LL TAKE ROLL AND WE'LL START OVER HERE WITH YOU. COMMISSIONER BRIER, IF Y'ALL JUST WANNA SAY YOUR NAME AND THAT YOU'RE HERE. RICH BRIER. I'M HERE. DAVE SULLIVAN. HERE. ANNIE FIRO. HERE. MARIANA KRUGER. HERE. JUSTIN FLAY HERE. AND I'M CHAIR BRISTOL. AND I'M HERE. ALL RIGHT. UM, DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THE MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING? OH, [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL] I THINK WE HAVE ONE. UM, SOME PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. AH, OKAY. WE START WITH THAT. YES. OKAY. YEAH. GREAT. WHO'S FIRST? YEAH. UM, FIRST UP WE HAVE CRAIG NASER WITH THE SIERRA CLUB. COULD YOU TURN ON YOUR MICROPHONE PLEASE? AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. CRAIG NASER, CONSERVATION CHAIR, LONE STAR CHAPTER SIERRA CLUB. THIS ITEM CONCERNS THE NORTH STAR GREEN BELT RIPARIAN RESTORATION IN THE GRACIE WOODS NEIGHBORHOOD. I AND SOME NEIGHBORS CONTACTED THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT ABOUT CHANGING THE PART MOWING PATTERNS IN A NORTH STAR GREEN BELT ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO. THIS IS A CREEK WITH A SPRING AND AT LEAST TWO SEEPS IN IT THAT FLOWS THROUGH GRACIE WOODS'S NORTH INTO WALNUT CREEK METROPOLITAN PARK. WE WERE TOLD ABOUT THE EMERGING RIPARIAN RESTORATION IDEAS BY THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, AND WE WORKED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AND THE GRACIE WOODS NEIGHBOR ASSOCIATION TO GET THE PROJECT GOING. WE HAD MANY MEETINGS WITH NEIGHBORS AND ESTABLISHED 90% BUY-IN. WE NEGOTIATED MOWING LINES AND THE DEPARTMENT ERECTED SIGNS. WE HAD VOLUNTEER PLANNING DAYS WHERE MANY VOLUNTEERS PLANTED HUNDREDS OF SAPLINGS AND SEEDLINGS IN THE RESTORATION AREA. MANY HUNDREDS OF HOURS HAVE BEEN SPENT BY MYSELF AND OUR NEIGHBORS TO MAKE THIS PROJECT A SUCCESS. THE RESULT IS MOSTLY MAGNIFICENT. BUY IN BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS EXCELLENT, AND, UH, THERE CONTINUES TO BE ONE SIGNIFICANT, BUT THERE CONTINUES TO BE ONE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM THAT HAPPENS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. VIOLATION OF THE NO MOW AREA, BY WHOM I BELIEVE TO BE PARD MOWING CREWS, EVEN THOUGH PARD DENIES THIS. ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, THE FOLLOWING PICTURE SHOW THE EGREGIOUS DAMAGE DONE THIS TIME IN SOME PLACES, 15 YEARS OF GROW ZONE DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN SET BACK TO TIME ZERO. SLIDE ONE. HERE IS A PATH WALKING INTO THE GREEN BELT. THE GROW ZONE IS ON THE LEFT, AND THERE SHOULD BE LIKE ABOUT A 10 FOOT PATH BETWEEN THERE, AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE TREES HAVE BEEN PLANTED. NEXT SLIDE. NOW THE, YOU CAN SEE TO THE RIGHT WHERE THE MOWER HAS GONE IN THE LEFT IS WHERE THERE'S TOO MUCH UNDERGROWTH. THEY COULDN'T GET THE MOWER IN, BUT TO THE RIGHT, YOU SEE WHERE THE MOWER WENT IN. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE BACK THERE. THAT'S THE CREEK YOU SEE IN THE BACK. IT'S BEEN COMPLETELY SLICED DOWN TO THE DIRT. NEXT SLIDE. HERE'S A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN. YOU CAN SEE ANOTHER PLACE WHERE THERE ARE TOO MANY TREES FOR THE MOWER TO BE ABLE TO DAMAGE. BUT LOOK AT THIS SPOT ON THE RIGHT. NEXT SLIDE. HERE'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE BACK THERE. CREEKS ON THE RIGHT. NEXT SLIDE. SEE THAT LITTLE SIGN THERE? THAT'S THE NOMO SIGN. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS EVEN WORSE. YOU SEE THE NO MO SIGN THERE BY THE TREE TO THE RIGHT. LOOK AT THE AREA BEHIND THAT. IT SAYS NO MO. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS WHAT, ONE OF THE PARTS THAT'S LOOKING FANTASTIC. THIS IS WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTS. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS WHAT WE GET. OKAY. UH, YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY TELL I'M PRETTY ANGRY ABOUT THIS. OKAY. THIS NOVEMBER, THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, LET'S SEE. THE CITY COUNCIL IS ASKING US TO VOTE FOR A $900 PER YEAR TAX INCREASE IN PART FOR PARK MAINTENANCE. IN THIS CASE, WE ACTUALLY ARE ASKING FOR LESS PART MAINTENANCE. THE QUESTION I HAVE IS THIS, WHY SHOULD WE PAY MORE MONEY FOR MORE OF THIS KIND OF PARK DAMAGE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT UP WE HAVE CORBIN GRAHAM. [00:05:02] HELLO. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. UM, I GAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT IN JULY ON THE ISSUES AT THE TRAVIS COUNTY LANDFILL, AND I'M BACK TO REQUEST THAT IT BE ADDED TO THE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION WITH SOME PRIORITY. UM, TRAVIS COUNTY AND, UH, TCEQ HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS LANDFILL FOR 52 YEARS, AND THEY HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO GET IT INTO COMPLIANCE WITH STATE REQUIREMENTS. THE ISSUE, UH, IS THAT THERE, UM, WELL, IT CONTINUES TO SEEP, UH, UH, POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF LEACHATE WITH TOXIC CHEMICALS THAT WERE VERIFIED INTO THE WALNUT CREEK WATERSHED, WHICH FLOWS THROUGH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S BIG WALNUT CREEK NATURE PRESERVE. AND THROUGH SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN EAST AUSTIN AND EVENTUALLY TO THE COLORADO RIVER. UH, UPON INSPECTION, UH, WE FOUND THAT THE RECORD KEEPING MONITORING AND, UM, APPROPRIATELY LICENSED PERSONNEL WERE WOEFULLY DEFICIENT, UH, WITH STATE, UH, REQUIREMENTS. AND, UH, THAT IN MANY CASES, UM, ALONG THE 52 YEARS OF THIS BEING, UH, CONSISTENTLY IN AND OUT OF VIOLATIONS, UH, THERE WERE MANY CASES, MANY WHERE, UM, ACTIONS WERE COMMITTED TO BUDGETED AND NEVER FIXED. UM, INDICATING THAT THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE VALIDATION, THAT LITTLE, UH, COMING BACK TO CHECK ON THINGS. UM, AND, AND HENCE THE RECORD KEEPING AND MONITORING, WHICH, UM, I'M ASKING THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO TAKE SOME, UM, SOME ACTION HERE. AND, UH, THEY WERE ACTUALLY THE ORIGINAL CITING AUTHORITY, UM, IN 1973. UM, AND IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, I THINK, FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO TAKE THIS UP IN OPEN FORUM. I RECOMMEND THAT THE COMMISSION TAKE SOME ACTION HERE. UM, BY PROVIDING AN OPEN FORUM TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE AND THE REQUIREMENTS LIKE APPROPRIATE REMEDIATION, ACTION, TIMEFRAMES, REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, AND VALIDATION. ALL THESE ITEMS HAVE BEEN PROBLEMATIC. I RESPECTFULLY ASK THIS COMMISSION TO TAKE UP THIS MATTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UM, BY ACTING NOW, WE CAN PRESERVE THE OPTION TO USE A TAX INCREMENT FINANCING TOOL THAT WOULD CLEARLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF A BUT FOR ANALYSIS AND ALLOW THE CLEANUP TO BE FUNDED WITHOUT BURDENING THE TAXPAYER AND ENSURING THAT A BUDGET IS SUFFICIENT TO FIX THE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NO MORE. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTERS AT THIS TIME. [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] OKAY. LET'S MOVE ON THEN TO, UH, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING. DOES SOMEBODY WOULD MAKE A MOTION FOR THAT? MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? SECOND. GREAT. SO APPROVED. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? GREAT. UNANIMOUS. UM, I'LL LET ELIZABETH CATCH UP OVER THERE. [2. Thank Commissioner Cofer for her service to the Environmental Commission – Liz Johnston, Environmental Officer, Watershed Protection] ALL RIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON TO DISCUSSION ITEM. DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER ONE. IT'S KIND OF A SAD ONE. UM, WE ARE THANKING COMMISSIONER FER FOR HER SERVICE, AND I BELIEVE LIZ JOHNSON, YOU WILL LEAD US IN THIS. YES. AND APOLOGIES FOR, UH, NOT BEING ABLE TO BE THERE IN PERSON FOR THIS. I'M RECOVERING FROM COVID, BUT, UM, I DO WANT TO EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO COMMISSIONER HANNAH FER FOR HER DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION. HANNAH JOINED THE COMMISSION IN 2023 AND QUICKLY MOVED INTO A LEADERSHIP ROLE AS VICE CHAIR IN MAY, 2024. SHE HAS SERVED AS SECRETARY AND IS A MEMBER OF THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE SINCE MARCH, 2025. THIS SPRING, SHE VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE ON THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE, AND WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE ANNA'S COMMITMENT, THOUGHTFULNESS, AND THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE SHE BRINGS TO EVERY DISCUSSION. HER CON CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE MADE A LASTING IMPACT, AND, UM, JUST WE WILL, WE WILL MISS YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION COMMISSIONER FER, [00:10:02] AND ELIZABETH HAS A WALKING STICK. , MR. FER, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME STAND FOR A PICTURE WITH THE WALKING STICK. I THINK . YAY. YAY. AM I ON? YEAH. UM, OBVIOUSLY HUMBLED AND VERY SAD THAT I DON'T GET TO CONTINUE WITH YOU GUYS. I FEEL LIKE I WAS JUST GETTING THE HANG OF THIS THING, UM, . SO, I'M SORRY MY TENURE WAS BRIEF AND I COULDN'T CONTINUE WITH Y'ALL. UM, BUT IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE ALONGSIDE OF YOU. UM, I JUST EARLIER THIS WEEK WAS RANDOMLY SENT AN ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE OF ME WITH MY FAMILY AT SCHULTZ'S BEER GARDEN. NOT BECAUSE YOU BRING TODDLERS TO A BALL, UH, BAR, BUT, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SOS ALL NIGHT HEARINGS, AND IT, JUST, LOOKING AROUND THAT ROOM, UM, IN THAT VIDEO REMINDED ME OF SO MANY PEOPLE THAT CAME BEFORE US, MANY OF WHOM ACTUALLY ARE IN THIS ROOM. UM, SO I JUST, I'M GRATEFUL TO THEM, AND I'M GRATEFUL Y'ALL TO KEEPING YOUR MINDS OPEN AND THINKING ABOUT INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS. SO EXPECT ME IN YOUR INBOX AS I HEAR ABOUT MORE OF THOSE COMING UP. UM, AND I HOPE THAT Y'ALL WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP, UM, A MIND FOR BALANCE BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS AND ACCESS TO PEOPLE, UH, TO HAVE CONNECTION WITH NATURE, BECAUSE WE DON'T, IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT, WE DON'T HAVE ACTIVISTS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ADVOCATES LIKE Y'ALL. SO, UH, THANK YOU. AND IT'S BEEN AN HONOR. CHEERS. THANK YOU. AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET OUTTA HERE THAT FAST, SO, UM, DOES ANYBODY WANNA SAY ANY KIND WORDS? I DO, . YEAH, EXACTLY. THEY BETTER BE KIND. YEAH. YEAH. I'M, I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE HERE. UM, YOU SAY THAT IT'S BEEN SHORT, BUT I DON'T, I MEAN, IF I DON'T KNOW, YOUR PRESENCE HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN THE SHORT TIME THAT YOU'VE BEEN HERE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE ABOUT YOU IS THAT EVERY MEETING YOU CAME SO THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED AND YOU WOULD ADD A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE WITH YOUR QUESTIONS THAT I JUST DIDN'T HEAR FROM ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE ROOM. AND I THINK THAT'S BEEN SO VALUABLE TO US. UM, AND YOU'RE ALSO JUST CLEARLY VERY SERVICE DRIVEN AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN. UM, YOU, YOU DON'T LEAD WITH EGO OR, YOU KNOW, ANY PARTICULAR AGENDA OTHER THAN JUST WANTING TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND MAKE AN IMPACT. AND I THINK THAT WAS JUST SO CLEAR AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID, AND IT WAS REALLY FUN WORKING WITH YOU FOR, AS, AS BRIEFLY AS WE DID ON THE, YOU KNOW, OFFICER COMMITTEE. AND I'LL MISS YOUR PRESENCE THERE TOO, AND JUST WISH YOU ALL THE BEST THINGS MOVING FORWARD. I KNOW THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, INTERACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS. SO THANK YOU. I'LL, I'LL SAY ONE THING TOO, THAT, UM, MANY OF US ARE INVOLVED IN MORE THAN ONE ASPECT WITHIN THE CITY HERE. AND I THINK HANNAH HAS THIS IN COMMON WITH ME, THAT WE'RE BOTH BIG MUSIC FANS. UM, I REMEMBER WHEN I SENT MY, UH, MY, UH, RES TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR APPOINTMENT. I WAS KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED, AND I MIGHT GET ON THE MUSIC COMMISSION, BUT BECAUSE MY DAY JOB IS ENVIRONMENTAL STUFF, I ENDED UP HERE. AND I THINK HANNAH COULD BE IN THE SAME BUCKET AS ME ABOUT THAT. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND I KNOW YOU'RE, YOU'LL BE CARRYING ON WITH THE HOUSING, OUR HOUSING, OUR MATURE ENTERTAINERS IN THE FUTURE. I'M GLAD YOU REMEMBER THE ACRONYM. I WAS STRUGGLING WITH IT THE OTHER DAY. I GOT ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH. IT'S LONG, BUT IT'S GOOD. IT'S GOOD. WELL, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY A HEARTFELT THANKS, YOU KNOW, TO EVERYTHING, UM, THAT YOU'VE CONTRIBUTED AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SOME OF THOSE, UH, LATE NIGHT TEXTS WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT, UM, AND, UM, AND PREPARE FOR THE MEETINGS. UH, I ECHO EVERYTHING THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER SAID, AND WE ARE SUPER GONNA MISS YOU. UM, BUT I HAVE YOUR NUMBER, AND SO I'M SURE THAT I'LL BE CALLING IT MANY, MANY TIMES. SO AGAIN, JUST THANK YOU. AND, UM, I THINK THE, I THINK THE WALKING STICK LOOKS GOOD FOR YOU. DO I GET TO SAY SOMETHING? YOU CAN, YEAH. HAVE YOU CLOSED OFF, UH, PUBLIC DEBATE ON THIS PART? NOT AT ALL. . I'VE REALLY ENJOYED, UH, WORKING WITH COMMISSIONER FER. UH, I'VE LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT HER AND SOME OF THE, UH, THINGS THAT ARE RUNNING AROUND TOWN THROUGH HER PARTICIPATION IN OTHER, UH, ACTIVITIES THAT ARE EXTERNAL TO THIS SPECIFIC COMMISSION TYPE THING. AND IT'S REALLY GIVEN ME A, UH, BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SOME OF THE ACT, SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF THAT IS INVOLVED WITH ALL THIS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I, UH, OCCASIONALLY WE'VE DISAGREED ON SOME [00:15:01] THINGS, BUT I ALWAYS LIKE TO HAVE HER INPUT AND TO HELP ME FORMULATE WHATEVER MY INDECISION IS ON WHATEVER THE ITEM HAPPENS TO BE. SO I APPRECIATE HER, UH, WILLINGNESS TO SHARE HER THOUGHTS, UH, EXTERNAL TO THIS AND ET CETERA. BUT ANYWAY, THANKS A LOT. APPRECIATE IT. AND, UH, HAVE AN EXCITING TIME WITH US OLD FOLKS. ANY ANYONE ELSE? I JUST WANTED TO ADD, COULD THIS BE LIKE A FLAT STANLEY WHERE IT'S LIKE THE STORIES OF THE WALKING STICK AND THEN YOU COME BACK AND TELL, TELL US ALL THE PLACES YOU'VE GONE WITH IT, ALL THE PLACES YOU'VE WALKED. OKAY. , MAYBE JUST AROUND TOWN. DIFFERENT TRAILS AROUND TOWN. . THANK YOU. THANK YOU, HANNAH. I, I GUESS I CAN'T CALL YOU COMMISSIONER HANNAH ANYMORE, LIKE COMMISSIONER COVER. IT'S KIND OF WEIRD. UM, [3. Presentation of Development Assessment Report for 1404 East Riverside Drive, located at 1400 ½ and 1404 East Riverside Drive, CD-2025-0002 (District 3). Applicant: Amanda Swor, Drenner Group. Staff: Marcelle Boudreaux, Planning Department, and Leslie Lilly, Environmental Program Manager, Watershed Protection Department] ALRIGHT. NEXT DISCUSSION ITEM, UH, PRESENTATION OF DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR 1404 RIVERSIDE DRIVE. SORRY, I SAW A SUB SCREEN. WE DON'T NEED THE PRESENTATION JUST YET, BUT THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I'M MARCEL BOUDREAUX WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WITH A BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT OR PROJECT ASSESSMENT APPLICATION FOR 1404 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE, PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, OR P CASE CD DASH 2025 DASH 0 0 0 2. AS A BRIEF REMINDER, THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT IS THE FIRST STEP AN APPLICANT IS REQUIRED TO TAKE PRIOR TO FILING A PUT APPLICATION. THIS IS A PRELIMINARY REVIEW THAT PROVIDES FEEDBACK FROM THE CITY TO THE APPLICANT. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 1400 AND HALF AND 1404 EAST RIVERSIDE DRIVE IN COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE. THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION IS CURRENTLY UNDEVELOPED AND ZONED E-R-C-C-M-U. IT IS LOCATED WITHIN THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY COMBINING DISTRICT AND ITS EAST RIVERSIDE SUBDISTRICT. IT'S ALSO LOCATED WITHIN THE LADY BUR LADY BIRD LAKE WATERSHED AND IS IN AN AREA THAT INCLUDES 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN AND CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE. THE APPLICANT HAS SUBMITTED A DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT FOR AN APPROXIMATELY 2.62 ACRE PROJECT OF APPROXIMATELY 381 RESIDENTIAL UNITS. THEY ARE SEEKING A BASE ZONING DISTRICT OF CS OR GENERAL COMMERCIAL SERVICES AND MODIFICATIONS TO ALLOW MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF 180 FEET. THE WILL SEEK 12 MODIFICATIONS FROM CODE THE APPLICANT HAS DEMONSTRATED IN THE SUBMITTAL MATERIALS THAT THE PROJECT PLANS TO MEET ALL APPLICABLE TIER ONE PUD DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, TIER ONE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS, AND OFFER ELEMENTS OF SUPERIORITY IN EIGHT TIER TWO CATEGORIES AND BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT BONUS SUBSECTION OF THE CODE. THIS IS THE END OF MY BRIEF POINTS. UM, I'LL NOW HAND IT OVER TO THE APPLICANT FOR A MORE DETAILED PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. I THINK I'M GREEN. CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? AWESOME. UH, GOOD EVENING CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME'S AMANDA SWORE WITH RENER GROUP HERE TONIGHT. I'M REPRESENTING THE PROPERTY OWNERS ON THIS, UH, DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT. DOES THIS CLICKER? WHAT AM I GONNA BE ABLE TO CLICK? YES. THANK YOU. UM, AWESOME. SO AS STAFF MENTIONED THIS PROPERTY, TOO MANY. THERE IT GOES. UM, IT'S LOCATED AT 1404 EAST RIVERSIDE. UM, SO TO THE NORTH IS THE LAKE, UH, JUST, I'M SORRY. YEAH, JUST NORTH OF RIVERSIDE WITH, UM, LADYBIRD LAKE TO THE NORTH, JUST EAST OF I 35. THIS IS A 2.6 ACRE SITE THAT IS THE HOME, HOME OF THE OLD ACTON SCHOOL. UM, THE PROPERTY, IT ALL, EVERYTHING SAYS IT'S CURRENTLY UNDEVELOPED 'CAUSE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED. UM, THERE'S STILL, UM, SLABS ET CETERA THERE, BUT THERE'S NO HABITABLE BUILDINGS ON THE STRUCTURE OR STRUCTURES ON THE PROPERTY. PROBABLY A BETTER WAY TO SAY THAT, UH, I THINK I COVERED ALL THIS, OR STAFFED. SO THE PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY, UM, WITHIN THE EAST RIVERSIDE, UH, CORRIDOR WITHIN THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY. WE, UM, ONE THING THAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS PROPERTY IS THAT THERE IS AN EXISTING APPROVED, UM, ACTIVE SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. UM, THAT STARTED IN 2001, TOOK SEVERAL YEARS TO GET APPROVED. UM, IT, IT IS STILL ACTIVE. IT IS FOR A RESIDENTIAL PROJECT WITH THIS PUD. UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, WHEN WE'RE DONE, WE DO ANTICIPATE DOING A SITE PLAN AMENDMENT TO THEN INCORPORATE THE PROPOSED CHANGES INTO THE SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. SO SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I SAY IT'S ALREADY APPROVED, UM, IT IS APPROVED WITH THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT THAT IS ON THE PROPERTY. [00:20:01] I'M NOT JUST MAKING IT UP. UH, THIS, THIS REALLY WALKS THROUGH WHERE WE ARE. SO AGAIN, WE'RE ZONED ERC EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR TODAY. WE ARE SEEKING THE APPROVAL OF A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT. UH, WE WILL SUBMIT THAT FORMAL APPLICATION WHEN WE ARE DONE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT PRO PROCESS, WHICH IS A REQUIREMENT OF CODE. UH, WITH THAT, ONCE WE, UM, COMPLETE THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT PROCESS, WE WILL ALSO BE WORKING TO RECEIVE A CODE AMENDMENT TO REMOVE THIS PROPERTY FROM THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR. IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DO A P. THIS IS, UH, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST PROJECT TO GO DOWN THAT PROCESS. IT'S WITH THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE IN THE TOOLBOX. IT'S JUST THE WAY THAT WE HAVE TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B. THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS A RESIDENTIAL PROJECT. IT IS ANTICIPATING INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 381 UNITS. THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT THAT SITS ON THE PROPERTY TODAY IS APPROVED FOR 222 UNITS. THERE ARE 15 ONSITE AFFORDABLE UNITS WITH THE EXISTING PROJECT. WE ANTICIPATE, UH, IN LEAVING THOSE AS PART OF THE PROJECT. ALL OF THE PARKING FOR THIS SITE WILL BE, AND I'LL COVER SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, SUPERIOR ITEMS. THESE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF THE HIGH LEVEL ONES I CAN TALK EVEN IF I DON'T HAVE A SCREEN. UM, SO , OH, THANK YOU. UH, ALL OF THE PARKING IS STRUCTURED PARKING ON THIS PROJECT. WE WILL, UH, TAKE 25% OF THE PARKING AND WIRE IT FOR FUTURE CONVERSION TO, UH, EV CHARGING STATIONS. UH, 10%, UM, WILL BE MOVE IN READY AT THE TIME THAT THE PROJECT OPENS. UH, WE HAVE ALSO GIVEN THE LOCATION OF THIS REALLY WORKING TO EXCEED THE BICYCLE PARKING, WE ANTICIPATE THIS BEING A REALLY MULTI MULTIMODAL, UM, LOCATION WITH WHAT IS, UH, ALONG RIVERSIDE. THERE IS, UH, 1.7 ACRES OF PARKLAND THAT IS, UM, DEDICATED TO THE CITY WITH THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. I'LL SHOW YOU WHERE THAT IS. UM, ALSO LOOKING TO INCORPORATE SOME OF THE OTHER PIECES, UM, YOU KNOW, WATER BOTTLE FILLING, PUBLIC ART PIECES, ET CETERA. THE DEDICATED PARKLAND REALLY RUNS ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THIS PROJECT, BUT DOES CONNECT ALL THE WAY OUT TO, UM, THERE'S A ROAD CALLED MANLOVE THAT MOST OF YOU PROBABLY SEE ON THE SOUTH SIDE THAT EXISTS. BUT MANLOVE IS ACTUALLY PUBLICLY DEDICATED RIGHT AWAY THAT CROSSES RIVERSIDE TO THE NORTH. SO WHERE THERE'S THAT SLOT THAT NOTCH IN, ON THE BOTTOM LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN, THAT IS THE PUBLIC RIGHT AWAY OF MANLOVE. IT'S ALSO THE DRIVEWAY. UH, IT'LL BE THE DRIVEWAY FOR OUR PROPERTY AS WELL AS THE DRIVEWAY FOR, UM, THE PROPERTY TO OUR WEST SO THAT PUBLIC PARKLAND COMES ALL THE WAY OUT TO PUBLIC. UM, RIGHT OF WAY. WE WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DURING THE FIRST SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT OR THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AND PROPOSED TO LEAVE EVERYTHING, UH, THAT IS, WAS DONE AND IS DONE WITH THE PARK AS IS. AND THAT WAS, UM, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT'S COMMENTS TO US AS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT. THERE ARE, UM, FOUR PROPOSED ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS IN OUR CODE MODIFICATION PROCESS. UH, THE THREE OF THEM ARE, I'M SORRY, NOT THROUGH, THAT'S NOT TRUE. I WAS GONNA SAY THREE OF 'EM ARE TREE RELATED, BUT THERE'S ONLY TWO. SO, UM, STARTING WITH THE TOP, THERE ARE A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES ON THIS PROPERTY, ALL ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PROPERTY THAT HAS BEEN DEDICATED AS PARKLAND. SO WE WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH, UH, AND THE ENGINEERS CAN TELL YOU A LOT MORE OF THIS IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, BUT WITH WETLANDS, WITH WATERSHED, WITH EVERYBODY IN BETWEEN, THERE IS, UM, AN EXTENSIVE WETLAND MITIGATION PLAN THAT WAS PUT INTO PLACE. UM, WE WERE ASKED AS PART OF OUR DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT TO NOT TOUCH IT . UM, AND SO THAT IS OUR PLAN. IT THERE'S, UM, A, THERE'S A SEEP RIGHT ON THE VERY NORTH SIDE OF THE PROPERTY. THERE'S ALSO CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, WATER QUALITY TRANSITION ZONE, AS WELL AS PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SETBACKS OF THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY. ALL OF THAT, UM, HAS REALLY BEEN MAINTAINED IN THAT, UM, PARKLAND AREA IN ON THE SITE. THE SECOND PROPOSAL, AND I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT TREES, BUT I'LL SHOW YOU AN EXHIBIT THAT THAT SHOWS WHERE THEY ARE. UM, BUT WE DO HAVE A 26 INCH AMERICAN ELM THAT WE DID RECEIVE PERMISSION TO REMOVE AND MITIGATE AS PART OF THE EXISTING SITE PLAN. UM, SO THAT WILL CARRY THROUGH FROM AN IMPERVIOUS COVER PERSPECTIVE. WE ARE ASKING TO INCREASE THE IMPERVIOUS COVER FOR THE AREA IN THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY OUTSIDE OF THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SETBACK, UM, TO 65%. THAT STILL LEAVES OUR OVERALL IMPERVIOUS COVER ON THE SITE AT UNDER 43%. SO WHILE THAT NUMBER SOUNDS HIGHER, THE IMPERVIOUS COVER IS ACTUALLY, UM, 43% ON THE ENTIRETY OF THE SITE. AND THEN WE ARE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE A MODIFICATION TO, UM, REMOVE TWO ADDITIONAL TREES ON THE SITE, A 37 INCH LIVE OAK AND A 32 INCH LIVE OAK. UM, ONE WHICH HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS DDI AND THE OTHER THAT IS IN, UM, DECLINING HEALTH. [00:25:01] AND OUR ARBORISTS HAVE SAID THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A LONG LIFESPAN LEFT IN THEM. THE TREES ON THE SITE. SO THE TREE IN THE TOP LEFT IS AN EXISTING HERITAGE TREE THAT IS IN PARKLAND. IT IS STAYING, IT'S GONNA LIVE A NICE HAPPY LIFE. THE OTHER BIG GREEN TREE ON THE SITE IS A 54 INCH TREE THAT IS GOING TO BE RELOCATED INTO THE PARKLAND. UM, AS PART OF OUR PROPOSAL, THE TREE ON THE FAR RIGHT IS THE, UH, TREE THAT HAS BEEN ALREADY APPROVED WITH THE EXISTING SITE PLAN FOR REMOVAL. UM, IT'S THE TWO TREES THAT ARE ALONG THE FRONTAGE OF RIVERSIDE THAT WE ARE, UM, AS PART OF THIS PROCESS REQUESTING TO BE REMOVED, THE SUPERIORITY ITEMS, I'M GONNA KIND OF RUN THROUGH THESE AND ANTICIPATE THAT THERE'S GONNA BE QUESTIONS AND I CAN PROVIDE MORE DETAIL. UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF SUPERIORITY ITEMS THAT WE HAVE WORKED TO INCORPORATE INTO THIS PROJECT. SO WE ARE COMMITTING TO ACHIEVING A MINIMUM OF AN A EGB THREE STAR RATING. WE ARE COMMITTING THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR REQUIRED, UH, SITE STORM WATER WILL BE TREATED USING WATER QUALITY METHODS ON SITE TODAY. THERE IS A SAND POND. UM, WE ARE COMING UP TO FULL COMPLIANCE WITH CURRENT CODE, UM, FROM A WATER QUALITY AND DETENTION PERSPECTIVE. WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANY MODIFICATIONS ON SITE. UH, ON ONSITE STORM WATER, UH, WILL BE CAPTURED AND TREATED. WE'RE ABLE TO TREAT 7,000 SQUARE FEET OF MANLOVE STREET THAT IS CURRENTLY UNTREATED, UM, USING INNOVATIVE WATER QUALITY CONTROLS. ALL OF OUR TREE PLANTINGS, UH, WILL BE NATIVE, NATIVE TREE SPECIES SELECTED FROM APPENDIX FA HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE NON TURF PLANT MATERIALS, UM, WILL BE SELECTED FROM THE GROW GREEN GUIDE. ALL OF OUR ROOF AREA VEGETATION, UM, WILL BE NATIVE TO THE EDWARDS PLATEAU AND THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE ECO REGIONS. UH, WE HAVE INCORPORATED, YOU KNOW, ALL THE FUNCTIONAL GREEN WAS NEVER FULLY ADOPTED INTO CODE. WE HAVE WORKED, UM, BASED ON OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE'VE SEEN GO THROUGH TO INCORPORATE THOSE ITEMS WITH NOTES INTO THE, THAT WE CAN THE, UM, A MINIMUM OF 30% OF THE REQUIRED LANDSCAPE AREA. I DON'T THINK THAT'S A FULL SENTENCE, BUT I'LL COME BACK TO THAT IN A SECOND. . UM, AND THEN, UH, WE ARE PROPOSING TO, UH, CAPTURE AC CONDENSATE AND, UM, USE THAT AS IRRIGATION WITHIN THE PROJECT. UH, I MENTIONED THE TREE THAT WE ARE RELOCATING THE 50, UH, FOUR INCH LIVE OAK THAT WILL BE RELOCATED INTO PARKLAND. UM, WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE LEAD BIRD, UM, THE BIRD DETERRENCE COMPLIANCE, UM, WITH THE LEAD PILOT PROGRAM. THE GROUND LEVEL SHADE TREES WILL BE, EXCUSE ME, THAT ARE, UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF UTILITY LINES ALONG RIVERSIDE . IT'S REALLY NOT A, A SUPER EXCITING PLACE TO BE RIGHT NOW THE WAY THAT IT IS. THEREFORE, A LOT OF THE TREES THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PUT IN END UP BEING UTILITY COMPLIANT TREES, UM, ALL OF THE NON-UTILITY COMPLIANT TREES WE ARE COMMITTING THAT WILL HAVE A MINIMUM OF FOUR CALIPER INCHES. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE WERE ASKED DURING THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT IS, CAN YOU MAKE EVERYTHING FOUR INCHES? UM, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE UTILITY COMPATIBLE TREES ARE NOT READILY AVAILABLE AT FOUR INCHES. SO IF WE MADE THAT COMMITMENT, IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WE WERE CERTAIN THAT THAT'S A PUT ITEM, BUT I WANNA MENTION IT 'CAUSE I THINK IT'LL PROBABLY COME UP. UM, SO E EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT UTILITY COMPLIANT WILL BE A MINIMUM OF FOUR CALIPER INCHES. UH, BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE UNDERSTORY TREES. SO MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE UNDERSERVED TREES WILL BE PLANTED ABOVE THE 25, UM, PER PERCENT THRESHOLD. AND THAT DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS OUR, UH, MITIGATION. WE HA HAVE MADE SURE THAT THERE'S DIVERSITY ON THE SITE BY MAKING SURE THAT A SINGLE SPECIES CAN'T TAKE UP MORE THAN 50 PER 15% OF THE TOTAL MITIGATION. UM, UTILIZING THE NA NATIVE PLANTS AND LANDSCAPING. AGAIN, A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE PARKING, UM, WILL BE STRUCTURED. I DID TALK ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL SPACES AS WELL AS THE BICYCLE SPACES. I GOT ONE MORE SLIDE. OH, THAT'S IT. COMIC RELIEF TO TAKE A QUICK DEEP BREATH. UH, AS I MENTIONED, 1.17 ACRES OF THE PROPERTY HAS BEEN DEDICATED. THIS IS A 2.6 ACRE SITE, SO, UH, IT'S ABOUT 40% OF THE PROPERTY HAS BEEN, UH, DEDICATED WITHIN THAT PARKLAND AREA. UH, WE HAVE MADE THE COMMITMENT THAT A MINIMUM OF 60% OF THE FLAT WORK, UM, WILL BE POROUS PAVEMENT A MINIMUM. AS I MENTIONED, THE, THE FRONT AREA ALONG RIVERSIDE ISN'T SUPER PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY RIGHT NOW. THERE'S SOME, UH, INTERESTING PIECES WE HAVE WORKED TO PUT IN. WE'RE WORKING TO PUT IN A 6,000 SQUARE FOOT PLAZA TYPE AREA ALONG RIVERSIDE TO HELP WITH THAT PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE THAT IS THERE, AS WELL AS A MINIMUM OF 13,000 SQUARE FEET OF PRIVATE COMMON OPEN SPACE. SWITCH THOSE, SORRY, IN MY BRAIN. UM, AND THEN WE ARE, UH, COMMITTED TO A PUBLIC [00:30:01] WATER BOTTLE BOTTLE, WATER BOTTLE FILLING STATION. THERE. THERE IS ALREADY AN IPM IN PLACE AND THE PROJECT WILL BE DARK SKY COMPLIANT. THAT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION. I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS. WE HAVE A FULL TEAM HERE TONIGHT. UM, WE'VE GOT ARCHITECTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, UH, CIVIL AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE OWNERSHIP TEAM. SO WITH THAT I WILL PAUSE AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. AND, UM, I DO WANNA REMIND OUR COMMISSIONERS TOO, UM, THAT THIS IS A DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT CASE. SO THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL, UM, FLOOD. UH, SO JUST KIND OF PUTTING THAT, UM, OUT THERE. I THINK. DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ONE? OKAY. UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND DID STAFF HAVE ANYTHING? NOTHING. OKAY, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN AND WE'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER BRIMER. I DEFER TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS TO GO FIRST. THAT'S OKAY. COMMISSIONER SOLOMON. OKAY. SO WITH REGARD TO THE, THIS SECTION OF RIVERSIDE DRIVE, IS THERE A CAPITAL METRO STOP NEARBY? YES. OKAY. SORRY, I NEEDED TO TAKE THAT DRINK OF WATER. MY APOLOGIES. UM, YES, THERE'S ACTUALLY QUITE A BIT OF TRANSIT NEARBY. THE CLOSEST BUS STOP IS QUARTER MILE, ABOUT A QUARTER MILE MM-HMM . FROM THE PROPERTY. UM, IT'S ALSO ABOUT A QUARTER MILE IN EACH DIRECTION, UH, TO GET TO THE HIKE, TO GET TO, UM, ACCESS TO THE TRAIL. MM-HMM . UH, BUT YES, THERE IS, WE'VE ALSO COORDINATED WITH THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS FIT WITHIN OUR SITE, UM, WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT IS DEDICATED THERE. ALL OF THE PROPOSED RIVERSIDE IMPROVEMENTS ARE THEY FIT RIGHT. BUT ALSO WILL THE, WILL THE LAY BIRD LAKE TRAIL RUN THROUGH YOUR PROPERTY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PROPERTY? YEAH. NO SIR, IT WILL NOT BECAUSE OF TOPOGRAPHY AND GRADE. SO IT IS CURRENTLY ON THE LAKE AND WITH THE GRADE, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GET IT ONTO OUR SITE. SO WHERE WOULD IT GO UP ONTO THE SIDEWALK AND THEN SOMEPLACE ELSE ONTO THE TRAIL? THE ACCESS POINT? I WONDER IF I CAN GET MAYBE THE AERIAL CAN I, IF I CAN GET THE PRESENTATION BACK, I CAN GET TO IT. THE TRAIL WILL STAY AS IT EXISTS TODAY. SO THE, THE, LET ME SEE IF I CAN SHOW IT TO YOU. I MEAN, I HAVEN'T BEEN DOWN THERE IN A WHILE, SO I VERY FAIR. LET'S SEE IF THIS AERIAL'S. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE TRAIL AT THAT THIS POINT IS, IS THE BRIDGE ON THE LAKE. MM-HMM . SO THE ACCESS POINT, UM, REALLY THE ACCESS POINT THAT YOU'LL PROBABLY USE THE MOST IS JUST COMING TO I 35. THERE'S A FULLY A DA ACCESS POINT RIGHT THERE. IT'S, I MEAN, I THINK 0.1 MILES FROM OUR SITE, WE MEASURED IT. UM, IT WAS LESS, YOU KNOW, SUPER CLOSE. SO YOU'LL, YOU WOULD COME OUT THERE. IT'S FULLY A DA ACCESSIBLE, SO YOU CAN BIKE, SCOOTER, WALK, HOWEVER TO GET TO THE TRAIL TO GO EAST AND WEST FROM THERE. OR YOU CAN CROSS ALL THE WAY OVER. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WELL I'M GOOD. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER FIRO, I WOULD SAY COME BACK TO ME AFTER THE COMMISSIONER LUKI REALLY HATE MOVING REALLY LARGE TREES. THAT'S THE ONE PROBLEM I HAVE HERE. UM, STAFF. WHAT'S THE SUCCESS OF MOVING TREES THIS SIZE? ANYBODY KNOW? UM, LIZ JOHNSTON, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS WILL BE REVIEWED BY OUR ARBORIST STAFF AND ASSESSED, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CONSULTANTS ARBORIST AND OUR CITY ARBORIST TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S APPROPRIATE TO MOVE. I DO THINK IN GENERAL, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF IF WITH ENOUGH APPROPRIATE TREAT CARE AND, UM, INSPECTIONS THAT THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD SUCCESS RATE. SO IF IF OUR ARBORIST AGREES THAT IT'S SHOULD BE MOVED, THEN I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT IT WILL SURVIVE. BUT, UM, YEAH, AND I WOULD JUST, BUT THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD STILL NEED TO HAPPEN. SO THE, THE TREE RELOCATION WAS ACTUALLY PART OF THE EXISTING APPROVED SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. SO THE CITY'S ARBORIST DID LOOK AT THE CONDITION AND THE CARE OF THE TREE. AND BECAUSE WE'RE KEEPING IT ON SITE, IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE TO, IT'S, IT'S EASIER TO MOVE WHEN THEY STAY ON SITE. IT'S WHEN YOU TAKE 'EM OFF SITE AND YOU HAVE TO DO ALL OF THOSE PIECES THAT IT BECOMES, YOUR SUCCESS RATE BECOMES A LOT LOWER. AT LEAST THAT HAS BEEN MY, YOU KNOW, FROM BEHIND THE SCENES EXPERIENCE . UM, BUT THIS WAS REVIEWED AS PART OF THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AND TYPICALLY THERE'S SOME SORT OF, UM, CAVEAT THAT IF THE TREE DOESN'T SURVIVE YEAH. UM, WITHIN A, A YEAR OR TWO, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY. UM, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD'VE TO MAKE THE CITY WHOLE BY PAYING INTO THE FUND. BUT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE WOULD WANT THE TREE TO SURVIVE, HOPEFULLY. UM, [00:35:01] APOLOGIZE TO THE TREE AS WELL. UM, I, THAT'S ALL THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER FLORE. UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UM, I DID NOT SEE IT IN THE, UH, UPLOADED DOCUMENTS ON THE WEBSITE, SO IT'S NOT THERE. THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. UM, I DID NOTICE THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF VARIANCES COMING OUR WAY. I ASSUME WITH THE, UH, REQUESTS THERE OR THEY END UP GETTING PUT INTO THE POD, THEY END UP INTO THE POD. SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS, SO THERE'S THE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL VARIANCES THAT YOU SAW. THOSE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT ARE PART OF THIS WITH A DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT. SO WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE HEAR FEEDBACK FROM EVERYBODY, AND THEN WE'LL PUT IN PLACE AN ACTUAL, UH, PUD, WE'LL START THAT APPLICATION PROCESS. A PUD GOES THROUGH A LOT MORE HEARINGS THAN A REGULAR ZONING CASE DOES. SO IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU FOR AN ACTUAL VOTE. UM, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN THE PUT IS APPROVED, THAT'S HOW THE CODE MODIFICATIONS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE ORDINANCE. SO YOU WILL SEE EVERYTHING AGAIN WITH ACTUAL REAL LIFE NUMBERS AND ALL OF THAT STUFF AS WE GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE ZONING PROCESS. YES. UH, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE ALL WRAPPED UP IN THE APPROVAL OF A P AND IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, THE ONE THAT'S COME UP IS THE 10 ACRE REQUIREMENT. THIS IS CLEARLY SMALL WHEN YOU LOOK AT RIVERSIDE, IT MAKES SENSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NEIGHBORS, WHAT IS BEING BUILT, UH, BUT STANDS OUT AS THAT'S CLEARLY UNDER WHAT IS RECOMMENDED, UH, 2.6 ACRES. UM, JUST ONE TO POINT THAT OUT AGAIN, ONE OF THE, IN ONE OF THE ACTUAL SPECIFICATIONS IN CODE THAT ALLOWS FOR YOU TO HAVE A PUT THAT IS UNDER 10 ACRES IS IF YOU HAVE SEVERE TO TOPOGRAPHY ON THE SITE. YEAH. UM, THIS SITE HAS A MASSIVE TOPOGRAPHY CHANGE BETWEEN THE LAKE AND RIVERSIDE. UM, SO IT ACTUALLY DOES MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF OKAY. BEING UNDER 10 ACRES BECAUSE OF THE SITE SITE CONSTRAINTS. UM, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS, THINKING ABOUT NOISE POLLUTION, NOT THAT YOU'RE, THIS PROJECT IS NECESSARILY THE ISSUE, BUT SEEING, KNOWING RIVERSIDE IS LOUD, AN I 35 PROJECT IS GONNA BE EXPANDING. UM, UH, IS IT GONNA BE QUIETER, UH, AT THIS PLACE? IS IT, HOW DO Y'ALL THINK ABOUT NOISE POLLUTION AND IT'S SURROUNDING FOR THE TENANTS, FOR THE PEOPLE PASSING BY? YEAH. TECHNOLOGY HAS COME A REALLY LONG WAY AS FAR AS THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY MITIGATE, UM, FOR THE TENANTS THAT LIVE HERE. YOU KNOW, THE, THE CONSTRUCTION MECHANISMS, THE GLASS RATINGS, ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM A CONSTRUCTIVE CONSTRUCTIVELY OF I 35. RIGHT? YEAH. WHAT WE'RE GONNA ALL BE, UM, LIVING THROUGH FOR A LONG TIME. AND REALLY WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO DO IS CREATE A BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PEDESTRIAN ALONG RIVERSIDE RIGHT HERE, WHAT'S THEIR IS IS PRETTY OLD AND NOT SUPER FUNCTIONAL. UM, IS THAT THE SAME EDGE THAT YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE LEAVING THE SAME THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR A WHILE? UH, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU CALLED OUT, IT WAS LIKE A PUBLIC ACCESS RIGHT AWAY OR MAYBE I MISSED IT IN THE MAP. OKAY. IT'S ALL GONNA BE UPDATED. OKAY. SO THE MAN LOVE THAT EXISTS TODAY IS THE DRIVEWAY TO THE, UH, CAN I SEE THAT, UM, PRESENTATION ONE MORE TIME PLEASE? I WONDER IF THIS AERIALS ZOOMED IN IN ENOUGH TO SHOW IT A LITTLE BIT. SO YOU SEE THE LITTLE CUTOUT NOTCH. YEAH, NO, I SEE IT. YEAH. IF SO, THAT'S WHERE MAN LOVE IS STAY IT'S DEDICATED RIGHT AWAY, BUT THAT'S ALL GOING TO BE UPGRADED. UM, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE, AS YOU AS A PEDESTRIAN CROSSES THROUGH THERE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE MARKINGS THAT SHOW THAT YOU'RE COMING UP TO A DRIVEWAY THAT DON'T EXIST TODAY. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, AN AREA OF RESPITE AS YOU GO THROUGH THAT WATER FILLING STATION. SO JUST KIND OF A, A LOT OF THIS AREA OF RIVERSIDE HASN'T SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE IN A WHILE. YEAH. SO THIS WILL BE KIND OF THE START TO, UM, REALLY ENHANCING THAT AREA ALONG RIVERSIDE. UH, YEAH, JUST AS GENERAL MY EXPERIENCE IS IT'S CHAOTIC ON THAT CORNER AREA. UM, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. UH, VICE CHAIR. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, LEMME JUST PULL UP MY NOTES REALLY FAST. UM, I ALSO WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE I 35 EXPANSION AND THEN ALSO PROJECT CONNECT AND HOW THOSE INTERSECT WITH YOUR PLANS. SO WE, THE I 35 EXPANSION DOESN'T REALLY IMPACT US RIGHT. OTHER THAN KNOWING THAT IT'S GONNA HAPPEN AND RESIDENTS ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE ABLE TO INTERACT WITH THAT COMPONENT OF IT. WHAT WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON IS MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH THE CITY ON WHAT IS, WHAT WE KNOW IS COMING AND WHAT COULD BE COMING ALONG RIVERSIDE SO THAT WE DON'T TAKE ANY ACTIONS TO IMPEDE WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO ENVISION AND IMPLEMENT THROUGH THAT DIRECTION. WE HAVEN'T, UNLESS SOMEONE ELSE HAS, WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE I 35 EXPANSION PIECE OF IT AT ALL. AND THEN PROJECT CONNECT, YOU SAID THAT YOU'RE COORDINATING WITH THE CITY ON ANTICIPATED PLANS THERE? YES, MA'AM. SO WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM ON THEIR, UM, FULL DESIGN AND THERE IS, UH, ENOUGH RIGHT OF WAY WITHIN THE PROPERTY THERE. WE GOT ONE COMMENT ON ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL A DE DEDICATION AND WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW WITH THE SURVEYING THAT THAT AREA HAS ALREADY BEEN DEDICATED. [00:40:01] SO EVERYTHING IS, THEY'RE ABLE TO INCORPORATE THEIR FULL DESIGN WITH OUR PROJECT AS ANTICIPATED. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, I'LL ECHO I THINK IT WAS COMMISSIONER LUKI. UM, MY HEART REALLY BREAKS HEARING ABOUT THOSE TREES. UM, THAT'S A, THAT'S A REALLY BIG HERITAGE TREE TO BE MOVING. I'M GLAD THAT THERE ARE PLANS TO RELOCATE IT ON SITE. I ALSO AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE TWO OTHER TREES THAT WERE 26 CALIBER INCHES OR ABOVE. UM, AND YEAH, JUST WANNA EXPRESS MY CONCERN AROUND THAT. AND THEN ALSO THE 150% MITIGATION RATE WITH WHAT WE DO KNOW AROUND SURVIVABILITY. UM, I'D PERSONALLY WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT INCREASE. UM, AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN TALK TO US ABOUT THE PROPOSED LOCATION OF THE NEW TREE PLANTINGS ON SITE. I CAN DO MY BEST. OKAY. LET ME, LET ME MAYBE START AT THE BEGINNING. SO THE 150% MITIGATION IS FOR THE TREE THAT WAS ALREADY PROPOSED WITH THE EXISTING SITE PLAN WITH THE, UH, NEW TREES. I THINK WE'RE PROPOSING 400% MITIGATION, UM, FOR THOSE, I'M LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY TO KICK ME IF I'M WRONG. COME UP HERE . AND THEN, OKAY. SO YOU ASKED ME THOSE, THE TWO, THE 2 26 INCH TREES THAT ARE LONG RIVERSIDE. SO WE DID HAVE AN ART ARBOR MOUNTAIN DEW, YOU KNOW, TO, SO WHERE THEY DO THE SONOGRAM ON THE TREE, BASICALLY THE, THE TEMA, WHAT IS THAT CALLED? SONOGRAM, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT? RIGHT. SO, UM, MY APOLOGIES FOR MY BRAIN NOT WORKING RIGHT THIS MINUTE, BUT THEY DIDN'T, THEY DIDN'T COME BACK THAT THESE TREES ARE SUPER HEALTHY. LIKE THEY CALLED THEM FAIR TREES AND THAT THEIR LIFE WASN'T VERY LONG. UM, THEY ANTICIPATED, I THINK THAT IT WAS ABOUT THREE YEARS LEFT IN THEIR, UM, CURRENT WITH LIKE THE, WHAT THEY'VE HAD, THEY'VE HAD SO MUCH PRUNING ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. WHEN WE COME BACK, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE SOME UPDATED PICTURES AND ALL OF THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU TO SHOW IT. AGAIN, WE'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PED PROCESS AND SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AMENDMENT. BUT I, I ABSOLUTELY HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. AND THEN YOU ASKED ABOUT PROPOSED PLANTINGS AND I'M GONNA LET INTRODUCE YOURSELF PLEASE. YEAH, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I'M CLIFF WITH KW LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS. UM, SO TO TOUCH ON A COUPLE OF THE EXISTING TREES ON SITE, THE 26 INCH AMERICAN ELM HAS HAD A MINOR SIGNS OF DISEASE THAT IS PRETTY MUCH, UH, GOING TO LEAD IT TO BE DE BEING DDI IN THE FUTURE. THE CITY ARBORIST AGREED WITH THAT. THAT'S WHY WE GOT THAT MITIGATION CUT IN HALF. THAT TREE IS NOT GONNA BE LIVING LONG. SO, UM, THAT'S THAT TREE. UH, THE, THE OTHER TREE IS DDI. AND THEN, UM, THE OTHER TREE, LIKE YOU HAD MENTIONED, HAS JUST BEEN PRUNED AND, AND THE CANOPY HAS BEEN IN DECLINE AND THE TREE IS NOT, NOT VERY HEALTHY FOR THE PROPOSED PLANTING ON SITE. UM, IT WAS MENTIONED, UH, THAT ANYWHERE WHERE POSSIBLE WE'LL BE UPSIZING THE TREES TO FOUR INCH CALIPER, UM, THAT IS TWICE AS MUCH AS A CITY REQUIREMENT. SO WE ARE TRYING TO PLANT BACK ON THE SITE EVEN THOUGH IT IS EXTREMELY TIGHT. UM, DURING THE FIRST, UH, SDP APPROVAL, WE WORKED REALLY CLOSELY WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWER, UH, AND PLANTING SOME TREES BACK INTO THE, UH, CEF AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO HELP THAT, UH, ESTABLISH AND KEEP EROSION CONTROL AT A MINIMUM. AND SO, UH, WE'RE REALLY PLANNING ON DENSELY PACKING IN THE SITE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. UM, AND AS MENTIONED, THERE'S MANY UTILITY CONSTRAINTS, BUT WE WILL BE PLANTING, UM, UTILITY COMPATIBLE TREES ANYWHERE WHERE WE CAN'T FIT IN THE FOUR INCH C TREES. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. YEAH, I'M THINKING IF THOSE TREES ARE ALONG RIVERSIDE. I'M THINKING ABOUT PEDESTRIANS AND JUST THE IMPORTANCE OF SHADE WHEN WALKING. AND SO I KNOW IT'S A TIGHT SITE, SO YEAH, I, UM, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE WERE ANY TREES PROPOSED FOR PLANTING RIGHT ALONG WHERE PEDESTRIANS WOULD BE? YES. THAT, THAT IS WHERE MOST OF THE FOUR INCH CALIBER TREES WILL BE ABLE TO BE PLACED. MM-HMM . UM, THEY'LL BE PLACED BETWEEN, UH, THE IMPROVED WALKWAY AND THE BUILDING AND PROVIDING SHADE TOWARDS THAT. IF YOU GO OUT THERE NOW, UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE TREES ARE IN MAJOR DECLINE AND THE SHADES NOT REALLY THERE, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S HERITAGE TREES THERE. UM, SO I THINK WE WILL, AT THE END OF THE DAY BE PROVIDING A BETTER BENEFIT TO THE PEDESTRIANS. OKAY. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A LANDSCAPER HERE 'CAUSE I FEEL LIKE LANDSCAPE QUESTIONS COME UP SO OFTEN WITH THESE DEVELOPMENTS AND WE NEVER HAVE ONE, YOU KNOW, A LANDSCAPER HERE. SO, UM, I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND ALSO WANNA TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK YOU WHAT YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS ON GUILD PLANTING OR COMPANION PLANTING WHEN IT COMES TO TREES AND THE OTHER NATIVES, UH, AND HOW DO YOU INCORPORATE IT OR NOT INTO YOUR LANDSCAPE PLAN? YEAH, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL WORK WITH, UH, CITY STAFF ON, BUT WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM TO GET THE FIRST SDP APPROVAL AND WE WENT THROUGH ALL THE PLANTS, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST THE ONES INSIDE THE, [00:45:01] THE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE. WE'VE LOOKED AT THE OVERALL SITE TO MAKE SURE THAT PLANTING IS PRETTY MUCH MAXED OUT AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MOST BENEFICIAL PRODUCT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE PEDESTRIANS WHO WILL BE USING IT. MM-HMM . OKAY. YEAH, I WANT JUST TO ENCOURAGE THAT. AND I'M CURIOUS TO THINK ABOUT IT FROM A P POLICY PERSPECTIVE DOWN THE LINE, BUT GUILD PLANTING CAN GREATLY INCREASE THE SURVIVABILITY OF A TREE AND JUST THE WHOLE AREA AND THE BIODIVERSITY. AND I THINK WHAT WE SEE SO OFTEN IN DEVELOPMENTS, BECAUSE IT'S BECOME OUR STANDARD FOR WHAT IS PERCEIVED AS CLEAN OR NEAT OR TIDY, IS YOU'LL SEE ONE TREE AND THEN A LONG, FLAT, LONG, AND THEN ONE TREE, AND THEN MAYBE A SINGLE BUSH THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PRUNED MM-HMM . UM, WHICH JUST IS NOT, YOU KNOW, THE MOST ECO-FRIENDLY, TO SAY THE LEAST. IT'S NOT THE BEST FOR THE POLLINATORS FOR HUMANS, ULTIMATELY FOR ALL OF US. UM, SO I THINK THERE'S A WAY, YOU KNOW, WE SEE IT IN NATURE ALL THE TIME. LIKE, UH, JUST THE GREAT BIODIVERSITY THAT HAPPENS NATURALLY WITH THE NATURAL GUILDS THAT OCCUR WITH, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LAYERS, THE SHRUB LAYERS, THE, YOU KNOW, THE UNDERSTORY LAYER, ALL OF THAT. UM, AND SO I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT INCORPORATED INTO THE PROPERTY AS PART OF THE MENTALITY. YEAH, DEFINITELY. WE, WE AGREE AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY WE UPPED THE STREET YARDS, UH, LANDSCAPING PERCENTAGE UP 50% OF THE REQUIREMENT. AND THAT'S JUST TO ADD IN MORE BIODIVERSITY, POLLINATOR FRIENDLY PLANTS, UM, JUST TO REALLY ENCOURAGE THAT ECOSYSTEM DENSE PLANTING PLEASE. EXACTLY. , NOT LIKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF MULCH AND THEN A SINGLE PLANT, A WHOLE BUNCH OF MULCH. THAT'S WHAT I'M SEEING EVERYWHERE. THANK YOU. THAT'S REALLY ENCOURAGING TO HEAR THAT WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE. UM, AWESOME. WOULD YOU MIND DESCRIBING IN MORE DETAIL THE WETLAND MITIGATION PLAN? I'M GOING TO LET OUR CIVIL ENGINEER HANDLE THAT QUESTION. . HI, I AM SAM PFEIFFER, AN ENGINEER WITH KIMLEY HORN. UM, LET'S SEE. SO THIS PROJECT, UH, DISCOVERED WETLANDS EARLY ON IN THE ORIGINAL PERMITTING PROCESS. UM, WE WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH THE WETLANDS BIOLOGIST REVIEWER TO ESSENTIALLY CONSOLIDATE ALL OF THE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE SETBACKS INTO THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, WHICH IS ALSO NOT TOUCHED WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT. SO THE WETLAND MITIGATION IS ESSENTIALLY ALL ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SITE, AND AS CLIFF NOTED, IS ESSENTIALLY AS DENSELY PLANTED AS WE POSSIBLY CAN, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE TOPOGRAPHY. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. SO A RAIN GARDEN IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT I MIGHT'VE LOST FOCUS FOR A SECOND. UH, CAN YOU YEAH. SO DENSE PLANTING? SURE. UH, YEAH. PART OF THE WETLAND MITIGATION PLAN ALSO RELATED TO THE GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED MM-HMM . SO THE MAJORITY OF THE, THE BUILDING ROOF WOULD BE TREATED VIA BIOFILTRATION POND AND THERE IS ANOTHER SMALL AREA OF THE SITE WHICH IS, UH, IT'S A DEAD END FIRE ACCESS LANE ONLY THAT'LL BE TREATED BY A RAIN GARDEN ALSO ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SITE. PERFECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN, I'M SORRY, Y'ALL ARE ALL UP HERE. I DON'T KNOW WHO THIS QUESTION IS GONNA BE FOR, UM, THE NATIVE PLANTING ON THE ROOFTOP NUMBER ONE. INCREDIBLE. THAT SOUNDS SO EXCITING. I WISH EVERY PROJECT THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT NATIVE PLANTING, UM, ON THE ROOFTOP. CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR PLANS FOR THAT? WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE? YEAH, SO, UM, EVERY PLANT THAT WE'RE GOING TO SELECT FOR THIS OVERALL PROJECT WILL BE SELECTED FROM THE GROW GREEN GUIDE. UM, WE SPECIFICALLY WANT TO TARGET POLLINATOR FRIENDLY PLANTS. UM, THAT BEING SAID, WE UNDERSTAND THE CONSTRAINTS. UH, KW ITSELF SPECIALIZES IN NON-STRUCTURED JOBS AND SO WE'VE, WE KNOW WHICH PLANTS DO WELL HERE AND LIMITED SOIL SPACE. UM, AND SO WE WILL BE COMPLYING WITH, I BELIEVE IT IS THE SIX TO 12 INCH, UM, SOIL DEPTH THAT WAS OUTLINED IN THE FUNCTIONAL GREEN MM-HMM . UM, THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES TO UPSIZE AND GO ABOVE 12 INCHES FOR CERTAIN PLANTINGS, BUT ALL WILL MEET THAT SIX TO 12 INCH CRITERIA. OKAY, GREAT. AND I LOVE GREEN ROOFTOPS. WHAT ABOUT GREEN WALLS, LIKE AROUND THE PARKING GARAGE OR ARE THERE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO INCORPORATE MORE PLANTING? WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT WHERE EVERYTHING LANDS. UM, AT THIS POINT WE KNOW WE CAN COMMIT TO THE ROOFTOPS. WE'RE NOT CERTAIN IF WE CAN COMMIT TO ANYTHING ALONG THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING AT THIS POINT. OKAY. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT, BUT YEAH. POINT NOTED. WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AND SEE. THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN THE 60% POROUS CONCRETE, AGAIN, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE SEE EVERY DAY AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. WHAT IS THAT MADE OUT OF? SO CURRENTLY THE APPROVED SDP AND PARKLAND IS USING, UH, PERMEABLE PAVERS. SO IT'LL BE A PERMEABLE [00:50:01] PAVER SYSTEM ON AN AGGREGATE SUB BASE MM-HMM . AND IS THERE A REASON FOR 60% VERSUS A HUNDRED PERCENT? WE KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT WE CAN HIT 60% . MM-HMM . UM, IS, IS THE REAL ANSWER. WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE HOW HIGH WE CAN GO, BUT WITH A DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT WE DIDN'T WANT TO OVERPROMISE. GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, JUST WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, UH, THE CONDENSATE CAPTURE. CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THAT SYSTEM AND YOUR PLANS FOR IT? DEFINITELY, UH, WE'VE HAD LONG TALKS WITH THE ARCHITECTURE TEAM, MEP TEAM. UM, WE KNOW THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO CAPTURE SOME CONDENSATE, BUT UNTIL, YOU KNOW, WE FIGURE OUT HOW MANY UNITS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, WE'RE NOT GONNA KNOW THE VOLUME OF WATER THAT THAT WILL PROVIDE. SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO OVER PROMISE THERE AS WELL, BUT WE WILL BE CAPTURING CONDENSATE TO USED FOR IRRIGATION. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND I GUESS I'M CURIOUS FROM CITY STAFF, I COULDN'T FIND READILY ONLINE, UM, OUR PURPLE PIPE MAP IN AUSTIN, UM, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE EXISTING PURPLE PIPE IN THAT AREA, BUT DO YOU KNOW FUTURE PLANS FOR EXTENSIONS IN THAT AREA? AND IS THAT SOMETHING DURING THE PLANNING PHASE THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER MIGHT BE COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE? PUN INTENDED, , THERE IS NOT PURPLE PIPE IN THIS AREA. UH, AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE IT'S NOT ANYTIME SOON ON IN THIS AREA. GOT IT. SO YEAH, AND OUR AUSTIN WATER FOLKS WHO, UM, ARE, ARE PART OF THE, THE PUD REVIEW PROCESS. AND SO IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, THEN THEY WOULD MAKE THAT COMMENT AND YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE SORT OF INCORPORATED INTO OUR RECOMMENDATION. BUT IT'S, UM, YEAH, BUT THEY, THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT THAT DURING THE PUD REVIEW. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, I GUESS I'LL JUST END ON, YOU KNOW, THIS REALLY IS A PRIME PIECE OF REAL ESTATE IN AUSTIN. UM, AND I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. JOHN RUSKIN SAID, WHEN WE BUILD LETTUCE SYNC THAT WE BUILD FOREVER, UM, AND I'M ADDING FOR EVERY ONE. SO OF COURSE THIS IS, YOU KNOW, GONNA BE A HIGH RISE, IT'S GONNA CATER TOWARDS A WEALTHIER CLIENTELE, BUT IT IS ALONG A PUBLIC WATERWAY AND A PUBLIC UM, TRAIL. AND SO I'D LOVE TO JUST SEE THAT KIND OF THOUGHTFULNESS IN, IN THE DESIGN. I APPRECIATE THAT THERE'S ALREADY A PARKLAND DEDICATION. WE JUST WANNA ADD THAT INFLUENCE WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS. UM, THIS IS A SPECIAL PROPERTY, SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE HIGH STANDARDS HERE FOR WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE FOR IT. THANK YOU. WE'VE HAD COMMISSIONER HARRIS, UH, JOIN US ONLINE. UM, COMMISSIONER KSI, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. I'M NOT SURE IF YOU GOT TO SEE THE WHOLE PRESENTATION. YEAH. UM, I CAUGHT MOST OF IT. SORRY Y'ALL FOR BEING LATE, BUT I FIGURED I'D BE CRAZY IF I CAN SHOW UP. SO HERE I AM REMOTE. UM, YEAH, J CHARLES TAKING THE TIME TO DO THIS PRESENTATION. UM, I WAS CURIOUS HOW TALL EXACTLY IS THIS BUILDING SORT OF, YOU KNOW, I SAW THAT THEY'RE LIKE 3 50, 3 80 SOMETHING RESIDENCES AND I ASSUME IF IT'S A POD PROBABLY GROUND FLOOR RETAIL AS WELL. SO I WAS WONDERING IF Y'ALL HAD LIKE A BALLPARK ESTIMATE AND MAYBE I JUST WASN'T THERE FOR THAT PART OF THE PRESENTATION. SO IF, SO MY APOLOGIES, I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW THAT I MENTIONED IT. UM, WE WERE ANTICIPATING A MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF 180 FEET, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR PLAN. AND SO THAT WOULD BE LIKE WHAT, LIKE 15 STORIES MAYBE? SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I DON'T KNOW. JUST, I'M JUST HOLDING, UM, SIX, I'M BEING TOLD 16. 16. OKAY. WELL, HEY, I WAS, I WAS GOOD ON THAT. YOU, YOU WERE GOOD , GOLD STAR. GOLD STAR. I SHOW UP TO ENOUGH OF THESE MEETINGS AND NOW THIS BURDEN TO MY BRAIN. UM, YEAH. AND THEN SORT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, ECHOING WHAT COMMISSIONER KRUEGER SAID, ARE Y'ALL ANTICIPATING SORT OF LIKE IN THE TRAIL SLASH PARKLAND HAVING ANY CONNECTIVITY WITH THE SURROUNDING PROPERTIES? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, THERE ARE LIKE APARTMENTS SORT OF ON BOTH SIDES. UM, I FORGET KIND OF WHAT'S ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF RIVERSIDE. UH, AND OBVIOUSLY PARKLAND I GUESS WOULDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH THAT, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, IF THERE COULD BE ANY SORT OF CONNECTIVITY WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE TO WALK ON LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE THE HOT SUMMER PAVEMENT OF, UH, OF RIVERSIDE, BUT INSTEAD GET TO GO ON SOME COOL SHADED TRAILS TO CHECK OUT THE, THE WHATEVER IS ON THE GROUND, GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I THINK THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE AREA. UM, AND THEN I BELIEVE THE CLOSEST PROJECT CONNECT STOPS WOULD BE LAKE SHORE DRIVE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. THE, THE CLOSEST PROJECT CONNECT STOP OR LAKE SHORE BOULEVARD. I MEAN, NOT LAKE SHORE DRIVE, THAT'S CHICAGO. THAT'S ACCURATE. . YEAH. UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, I THINK CERTAINLY WITH ALL THESE, UH, APARTMENTS THAT ARE AROUND THERE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU COULD TRY TO HARASS THE CITY TO, UH, HAVE A STOP THAT'S SORT OF BETWEEN THE LAKESHORE, UH, STOP, STOP AND THE, THE WATERFRONT STOP. BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY ABOVE MY PAY GRADE, SO I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO YOU. UM, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION WAS, UH, ABOUT [00:55:01] THE ROAD THAT, UH, IS HERE. I THINK, UH, WHAT'S IT CALLED? UH, MANLOVE A GREAT NAME FOR A STREET, BY THE WAY. . UH, YEAH, LIKE WHAT ARE, WHERE ARE THE PLANS SURROUNDING THAT? UH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK I SAW THAT THERE'S NOT LIKE A TIA THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING, BUT, UH, I WOULD IMAGINE WITH ALL THESE DEPARTMENTS, LIKE USING IT IN SOME WAY WOULD PROBABLY BE BENEFICIAL FOR Y'ALL. SO ANY SORT OF THOUGHTS THERE? I'M GONNA ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS BACKWARDS, SO I'M GONNA START WITH MAN, LOVE THE, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S A VERY, IT'S A DEAD END RIGHT AWAY THAT COMES STRAIGHT INTO OUR PROJECT. AND THE WAY IT SITS TODAY IS IT IS THE FULL ACCESS TO, FOR THE PROJECT THAT'S TO OUR WEST, IT WILL BE THE FULL ACCESS TO OUR PROJECT AS WELL. SO IT WILL, IT WILL BE ABLE TO SERVE AS THE ACCESS POINT. IT'LL BE WHERE EVERYTHING HAPPENS ON OUR PROPERTY TO GET IT OFF OF RIVERSIDE. SO IT'S WHERE OUR TRASH IS, IT'S WHERE OUR LOADING IS, OUR UNLOADING OUR, UM, ENTRANCE TO THE PARKING GARAGE. EVERYTHING WILL COME OFF OF MANLOVE. AS I MENTIONED. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH STAFF TO TRY TO CREATE THAT BETTER PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE ACROSS MANLOVE. RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST A DRIVEWAY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY. UM, BUT BEING ABLE TO CREATE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WHEN A PEDESTRIAN'S WALKING BY THAT THEY SEE A, A, YOU KNOW, A CHANGE IN PAVEMENT TO KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING. UM, YOU ASKED ABOUT THE CONNECTIVITY OF THE PARKLAND. UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT PARKS, PARKS IS TRYING TO CREATE SOMETHING, WHICH IS WHY THEY ASKED US FOR OUR LAND. UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ONLY, WE'RE THE FIRST STEP IN WHAT THEY HOPE TO CREATE, UM, ALONG THAT SHORELINE IN THE FUTURE. UM, BUT IT WILL BE PARKS PROPERTY AND THEY WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO PUT ANY TYPES OF TRAILS THAT CONNECT, UM, AS THEY WANT TO. UM, AT THIS POINT THERE, THERE ISN'T ANYTHING ON EITHER SIDE, BUT I WOULD ANTICIPATE AND HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE IN THE FUTURE. AND I THINK THAT THOSE WERE YOUR QUESTIONS. IF I MISSED SOMETHING, PLEASE LEMME KNOW. APPRECIATE, NO, I THINK THAT SHOULD BE IT. THANKS. AWESOME. CHAIR. I, I, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE EXPLICIT ABOUT THIS EARLIER. SO THE TRAIL IS, GOES OFFSHORE AT THIS LOCATION? YES, SIR. SO THERE IS A TRAIL YES, ALONG LADY BIRD LAKE, BUT IT GOES OFFSHORE ON A BOARDWALK. THAT'S, AND THERE'S ACCESS AT IH 35 TO THE BRIDGE THAT GOES OVER. UM, SO THERE IS CONNECTIVITY THERE FOR TRAIL ACCESS, UH, GOING EAST, WEST, AND NORTH SOUTH. THAT'S ACCURATE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER FIRO? I THINK I'M GOOD. NO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER PRIMER. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE. UH, AND UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, IF YOU LOOK, WELL, I MEAN YOU HAD THE, UH, AERIAL VIEW GOOGLE MAPS OR WHOEVER DID THAT. UM, MY QUESTION IS, HAVE YOU ENGAGED ANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY? I KNOW RIGHT, IMMEDIATELY WHERE YOU ARE. UH, IT'S ALL APARTMENTS, BUT ACROSS RIVERSIDE DRIVE, I BELIEVE THERE'S SOME, UH, SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. I DON'T KNOW THE NAME OF THE COMMUNITY RIGHT THERE, BUT ARE THEY, HAVE THEY BEEN, YOU'VE BEEN IN DISCUSSION WITH THEM ABOUT THAT? WE WILL BE AS WE CONTINUE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS. UM, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT, WE TEND TO KINDA HEAR THE FIRST FEEDBACK FROM THE CITY SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT STEPS. UM, I DID HAVE A BRIEF CONVERSATION, UM, WITH, UH, WITH SOS THIS WEEK, JUST KIND OF AS A HEADS UP THAT THIS WAS COMING AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR LARGER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS WE WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS. OKAY. DO YOU KNOW THE NAMES OF THE, UH, COMMUNITIES THAT ARE OVER THERE? 'CAUSE SOS KIND OF A, OH, THEY'RE LARGER, BUT I KNOW THEY LIKE TO COME. YEAH, I KNOW ENVIRONMENTAL, THEY LIKE TO HAVE A LOT OF FUN ALL THE TIME. BUT I'M, I'M ASKING, DO YOU, ARE YOU OH, YES SIR. I'VE WORKED ON MANY PROJECTS WITH, UM, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE THERE. I WILL NEED TO LOOK. UM, THIS IS KIND OF AN OVERLAPPING AREA RIGHT HERE. UM, YOU HAVE A MIX BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THE EAST RIVERSIDE AND UM, ERCC AS WELL AS, UH, SOME OF THE AREAS. I'M DRAWING A TOTAL BLANK. KATE CAN HELP ME. THAT'S ACROSS I 35 SRCC KIND OF COMES OVER HERE TOO. THE BOUNDARIES KIND OF MEANDER A LITTLE BIT. I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY ACTUALLY, UM, STILL IN LIKE ANITA IN THEIR AREAS, BUT IT'S LIKE I SAID WE'LL DO A BUNCH OF REACH OUT AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS. OKAY. YEAH, I, I WAS AT A, UH, COMMUNITY MEETING FOR, UH, LAST NIGHT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT, UH, I DUNNO WHAT IT'S CALLED NOW, THE, UH, PROPERTY 3M PROPERTY. OH, YEAH. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE WORKED, UH, EXTENSIVELY WITH THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY THAT'S UP THERE. UH, OF COURSE IT'S A MUCH LARGER PROPERTY AND WHOLE LOT MORE FUN, A LOT OF SINGLE . BUT, UH, REGARDLESS, UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT YES, SIR, IS IMPORTANT. I KNOW THAT PERHAPS THE, UH, APARTMENT DWELLERS MAY, MAY NOT BE ALL THAT EXCITED ABOUT IT. UM, YOU ARE REQUESTING A VARIANCE ON, YOU KNOW, PROXIMITY TO CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE. IS THAT CORRECT? DID I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG HERE, WE'RE NOT REQUESTING A VARIANCE THAT THERE WAS A MODIFICATION IN THE, UM, BUFFERS WITH THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. [01:00:05] SO, THE CRITICAL WA CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE IS ESTABLISHED OFF THE SITE. IT'S ESSENTIALLY, UH, A HORIZONTAL OFFSET FROM AN ELEVATION ALONG THE, THE RIVER. RIGHT. UM, THAT LINE HAS NEVER BEEN CHANGED, MODIFIED, OR BEEN REQUESTED TO BE CHANGED. UH, THE ONLY IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE LOCATED WITHIN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE ARE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS NECESSARY TO SERVE THE DEVELOPMENT. OKAY. AND NOW, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'RE GONNA TRY TO KEEP THE, UH, TOTAL PROPERTY IMPERVIOUS COVER DOWN TO 42% OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT YOU, THERE'S A SECTION OF IT. YOU WANT TO, UH, DO 65%. THERE'S A CODE, SO UNDER THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY, THE IMPERVIOUS COVER OUTSIDE OF THE PRIMARY SETBACK, AND THE SECONDARY SETBACK IS 50%. SO THAT WOULD BE FOR THE SOUTH SIDE OF OUR PROPERTY, WE'RE ASKING TO INCREASE THE ALLOWABLE IMPERVIOUS COVER, UH, UNDER THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY OUTSIDE OF THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TO 65%. THAT STILL KEEPS OUR TOTAL IMPERVIOUS COVER AT, UH, UNDER 43%. THE ZONING IMPERVIOUS COVER IS 90% FOR WHAT? FOR WHAT THAT'S WORTH IN THE AREA. RIGHT. BUT YOU ARE GONNA ASK FOR VARIANCE? YES, SIR. OKAY. THAT'S IN OUR, IT'S IN OUR PROCESS WHY TO ALLOW FOR THE, FOR THE PROJECT. SO THE CHANGE IN THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT TO WHAT IS THERE, IT ESSENTIALLY TOOK WHAT WAS THE GROUND LEVEL COURTYARDS AND, UM, ELEVATED THEM. SO THAT'S THE, THE BUILDING IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME TO WHAT IS APPROVED TODAY. IT JUST TAKES THE WHAT WAS ON THE GROUND LEVEL AND PUTS IT ON THE ROOFTOP ROOFTOPS. AND THAT'S THE CHANGE IN THE IMPERVIOUS COVER NUMBERS. OKAY. UH, DID YOU DO A TRAFFIC STUDY ON THIS? AGAIN, I, I, I HAD LOTS OF FUN WITH THE PEOPLE OUT ON 22, 22 LAST NIGHT. AND, UH, THEY WERE VERY PROUD OF THEIR TRAFFIC STUDIES AND THAT SORT OF THING. I TOLD MY TRAFFIC ENGINEERS THEY COULD HAVE A NIGHT OFF. THEY'RE, AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO GIVE THEM A HARD TIME COMING WRONG DECISION ON YOUR PART. UH, BECAUSE, UH, WHAT THEY'RE DOING OUT ON 2222 IS THEY'RE, UH, THROWING IN A POT OF MONEY TO REDO, UH, INTERSECTIONS ALONG, UH, YOU KNOW, 22, 22, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE LARGER ONES, THEY'RE NOT FIXING ALL OF THEM. THEY'RE JUST THROWING IN A POT OF MONEY THAT WILL GO TO THE CITY'S UPGRADING MANY OF THE, UH, TRAFFIC LIGHTS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, WHATEVER'S GOING ON OUT THERE. BUT AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING, UM, PRETTY EXTENSIVELY WITH THE CITY TO SEE WHAT THEY NEED AND WHAT THEY DON'T NEED IN THIS AREA. WE DO HAVE ENGAGED TRAFFIC ENGINEERS AS PART OF THIS PROCESS, AND THEY WILL CONTINUE, UM, TO WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS ON WHAT IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE NEED TO DO IN OUR PROPERTY, AS WELL AS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE GENERAL AREA. SO, DOES WHAT YOU JUST SAY IMPLY THAT YOU'RE GONNA THROW MONEY AT THE CITY TO IMPROVE THE STREETS IF IT'S, UH, NECESSARY TO ADDRESS, UH, TRAFFIC, UH, ISSUES? WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE STREET IMPACT FEES, BUT ULTIMATELY WHAT, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND AS WE DO A SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AMENDMENT, THE CITY WILL DETERMINE IF THEY WANT TO HAVE US STEW ONSITE IMPROVEMENTS OR IF THEY WOULD RATHER HAVE THE STREET IMPACT FEES TO ADDRESS THEIR SPECIFIC, UM, FLAGGED CONCERNS. THAT'S RIGHT, CAMERON. OH, OKAY. UH, AND WE, WHEN, UH, COMMISSIONER QURESHI WAS TALKING ABOUT HEIGHTS, YOU'RE NOT ASKING FOR A, UH, VARIANCE ON THE HEIGHT OF WE ARE ALLOW, WE ARE ASKING FOR A MODIFICATION TO THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY THAT WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT THAT'S ALLOWED IN THE EAST RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR, WHICH IS THE 180 FEET. IT'S VERY CONSISTENT WITH, UM, MANY PROPERTIES THAT ARE IN THIS AREA. AND WHAT'S THE REGULATION NOW FOR THE HEIGHT? AND YOU WERE GONNA ASK ME THAT, AND I'M DRAWING A BLANK. IS IT, IS IT KATE, IF YOU GIVE ME ONE SECOND, I CAN GET YOU THAT ANSWER. OKAY. I, I WANNA SAY IT'S 60, BUT I WANNA VERIFY THAT THAT'S ACCURATE. SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING, IT IS 60. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, NOW YOU'RE THE, I I HEARD YOU MENTION THAT THE PARKLAND OR THE, WHAT YOU CALL PARK LINE IS GONNA BE DEEDED OVER TO THE CITY? YES, SIR. OKAY. ARE YOU IT HAS, IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. OH, OKAY. UH, ARE YOU GONNA CONSTRUCT ANY AMENITIES ON THE PARKLAND? UH, UH, YES, SIR. UH, THE PARKLAND WAS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED, UH, INCLUDED FOREST PAVEMENT THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, THE, UH, IMPERVIOUS PA OR THE PREVIOUS PAVER. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE ADDING IN A DOG PARK IN THAT SECTION AS WELL WITH, UM, SOME DOG PLAY EQUIPMENT THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BY BARD. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, [01:05:02] ARE THERE GONNA BE ANY, UH, PRIVATE AMENITIES ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPMENT? AND BY PRIVATE, I MEAN, UH, RESTRICTED TO ACCESS ONLY BY THE, UH, PEOPLE WHO INHABIT THE BUILDING? ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, THERE WILL BE, THERE'LL BE, THEY'LL HAVE A POOL AND, YOU KNOW, THE TYPICAL AMENITIES THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY THAT ARE, UH, AVAILABLE TO THE RESIDENTS OF THAT PROPERTY. WELL, IT, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT PART, I GUESS, UH, THIS COMES OUT OF A, A P WE, UH, DISCUSSED A FEW WEEKS AGO WHERE, UH, THE APPLICANT WAS, UH, REQUESTING, BUILDING A, UH, I BELIEVE WAS A PRIVATE DOCK OUT INTO THE LAKE. NO. SO NOTHING LIKE THAT. EVERYTHING THAT'S ON THE GROUND FLOOR ON THE PROPERTY IS COMPLETELY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THE ONLY THINGS THAT WOULD BE ONLY FOR THE RESIDENTS OR, OR, YOU KNOW, LIKE A GYM IN A POOL. YEAH. THAT WOULD, THERE, THAT THAT'S OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE NOT, THERE'S NO DOCKS PROPOSED AT ALL. THERE'S NO CRUISE SHIP LANDINGS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT TODAY. NO, NO, SIR. THERE'S, THERE'S NO, I TAKE THINGS LIKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY. SO WHEN YOU SAY NOT TODAY, NO, I, I, I'M JOKING THAT THERE'S NO CRUISE SHIPS ON THE LAKE TODAY, BUT NO, SIR, THERE ARE NO PROPOSED DOCKS WITH THIS PROJECT. THERE'S NO PROPOSED, PROPOSED GROUND FLOOR OR OTHER, WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED AMENITIES? UH, THAT WOULD BE FOR THE PUBLIC, EVERYTHING THAT WOULD BE WITHIN THE BUILDING THAT WOULD BE PRIVATE. OKAY. UM, IT'S IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE LAKE, RIGHT? YES, SIR. SO IT'S PROBABLY IN A FLOODPLAIN. YES, SIR. 25 YEAR. IT HAS A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD PLATE ON THE PROPERTY. YEAH. SO, UH, HOW FAR BACK TOWARDS RIVERSIDE DRIVE DOES THE FLOOD PLAIN GO? IT EXTENDS, GIVEN THE HIGH ELEVATION ON A, A, EXCUSE ME. SO GIVEN THE SITE'S ELEVATION, THE SITE ACTUALLY SITS ON A CLIFF ALONG THE LAKE. SO THE, THE SITE IS PROBABLY 60 FEET HIGHER THAN THE LAKE IN THAT AREA, BUT IT ISN'T A FLOODPLAIN. YEAH. SO THE FLOODPLAIN, THE FLOOD PLAIN ONLY EXTENDS ABOUT 10 FEET INTO THE NORTHERN PROPERTY LINE, GIVEN THE SITE'S ELEVATION. OKAY. AND HAVE YOU MADE ANY, UH, GIVEN ANY CONSIDERATION TO ADDRESSING FLOOD RISK? AND, AND THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN. WELL, IT IS, BUT IT'S NOT THE QUESTION I'M TRYING TO ASK. IF THERE IS A FLOOD THAT IS GOING TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU'RE CONSTRUCTING, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED METHODS OF ALARM ALERTING THE, UH, INHABITANTS, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTS AND THE BUSINESS OWNERS, AND PROVIDED, ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROVIDE AN EXIT, EXIT, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL EXIT PASS FROM THE PROPERTY SO THAT IF ONE IS BLOCKED, THAT THERE'S AN ALTERNATIVE, UH, EXIT PATH OUT OF THERE? AND I'M ASKING THIS BECAUSE THIS HAS, UH, BEEN SOMEWHAT IN THE NEWS LATELY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. GREAT. A GREAT QUESTION. UH, AS THE PROJECT CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS EMERGENCY PLANS PUT IN PLACE THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY THAT IS THERE, THAT SHOWS MULTIPLE POINTS OF EGRESS FOR THE PROJECT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A SAFE PATH. OKAY. AND ARE YOU ASKING FOR ANY ZONING CHANGES? WELL, SO THE, THE, MAYBE IS THERE A SPECIFIC PIECE OF THIS? SO WE WILL BE DOING A ZONING CHANGE FROM ERC TO PUT, WELL, IT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT RECENTLY THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF PUDS GOING INTO, UH, UH, SOUTH SOUTH CONGRESS, UH, 600 EAST RIVERSIDE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THIS PROPERTY AND I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M A LITTLE SORE ON THE TRIGGER, BUT SOMETIMES I SEE A TREND, AND ONE OF THE TRENDS I SEE IS THAT, UH, A EXTENSIVE LIST OF ZONING REQUIREMENTS IN THERE, UH, OR ZONING CHANGES IN THERE. UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RETAIL AND, UH, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTIAL. AND THAT LEAVES, YOU KNOW, ME IN MIND OF, OKAY, SO YOU HAVE A, A STARBUCKS AND YOU KNOW, MAYBE A SEVEN 11 TYPE THING. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTS THERE. BUT THESE OTHER PUDS HAVE BEEN REQUESTING THINGS LIKE ZONING VARIATIONS FOR AUTO DEALERSHIPS AND LIGHT MANUFACTURING, AND A LIST OF THINGS THAT IS REALLY INCONGRUENT WITH THE CONCEPT OF A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY WITH RETAIL IN IT. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME SITTING HERE TO KNOW THE SPECIFICS WHY THESE HAVE BEEN REQUESTED BY OTHERS. UH, YOU, THE OTHER APPLICANTS, I'M CURIOUS THOUGH, IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE PLANNING ON DOING AS WELL. NO, SIR. SO I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. WE HAVE A VERY LONG LIST WITH OUR REZONING TWO POD. WE DO HAVE TO CHOOSE A BASE DISTRICT. UM, CS IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE, THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE EXISTING SITE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS [01:10:01] THAT WE HAVE. WE HAVE, I THINK THAT SAYS 30 I TOO SMALL FOR ME TO READ. UM, PROPOSED PROHIBITED USES THAT ARE ALONG THE LINES OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD NOT SEE. WE HAVE TOLD STAFF IF THERE ARE OTHER ITEMS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE US TO PROHIBIT THAT WE ARE FINE DOING. SO, UM, THIS IS A RESIDENTIAL PROJECT, SO, OKAY. I, I GUESS WE'VE PROHIBITED, WE'VE PROHIBITED ALL OF THE STUFF THAT WE COULD THINK OF. AND, UH, I THINK IN OUR DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT STAFF GAVE US A COUPLE OF OTHERS THAT THEY WANTED TO SEE PROHIBITED, WHICH WE AGREED TO. SO WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR CAR DEALERSHIPS OR LIKE MANUFACTURING ON OUR SITE. YEAH. WELL, OKAY. PROHIBITED. YEAH. YES. OKAY. WELL, AND I GUESS THIS GETS TO, TO, YOU KNOW, IN MY, YOU KNOW, PUDS HAVE TO HAVE AN EXEMPLARY, YOU KNOW, ABOVE AVERAGE THING, AND IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE ALL THE PUDS WE'RE LOOKING AT ARE EXCESSIVELY AVERAGE, UH, IN THAT THEY ALL LOOK LIKE COOKIE CUTTER THINGS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, TO ME, WHEN SOMEONE PRESENTS THEM CELLS AS A, THAT IS ABOVE AVERAGE, YOU KNOW, EXCEPTIONAL. UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE TYPE OF THING I'M KINDA LOOKING TO SEE OR I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON A PERSONAL BASIS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, PUTTING IN ALL THESE LITTLE ZONING CHANGES THAT ALLOW NON-RESIDENTIAL AND NON-RETAIL THINGS MAKES IT PRETTY MUCH, YOU KNOW, NO LONGER EXCEPTIONAL. IT'S VERY STANDARD AND ORDINARY AND LOOKS LIKE EVERY OTHER BUD WE'VE APPROVED SOUTH THE RIVER. UH, SO ANYWAY, THAT'S, THAT'S MY THOUGHT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE GOT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, FOLKS. I DO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND THE INFORMATION. THANK YOU. AND I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR ELIZABETH. THEY HAD A LOT OF PRETTY PICTURES THAT I DON'T THINK WERE IN OUR, UH, I DIDN'T SEE IN THE, THE MATERIALS BEFOREHAND. COULD YOU GET A COPY OF THE PRE PICTURES AND SEND 'EM OUT? YES. ELIZABETH VK WATERSHED, TYPICALLY APPLICANT PRESENTATIONS ARE NOT UPLOADED TO THE WEBSITE, BUT IF IT IS GOOD WITH Y'ALL, YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO, WE'LL SEND A PDF, UM, OVER TONIGHT OR TOMORROW ABSOLUTELY. OF THE PRESENT. YEAH. PRE IT GIVES US A LITTLE, AND, AND AGAIN, ANOTHER THING IS, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED TO DO THAT, BUT, UH, YOU DO HAVE ALL OUR EMAIL ADDRESSES. IT, IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON PRIOR TO, AND I KNOW THIS IS JUST A PRELIMINARY MEETING AND YADA, YADA, YADA, BUT YEAH. AND IT GIVES US A BETTER INSIGHT. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I'M, I'M JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS A, A, A DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT, I DON'T THINK WE'RE NECESSARILY REQUIRED TO HAVE 'EM ON THERE. I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST IF WE, IF YOU COULD EMAIL THOSE OUT, I DON'T THINK NECESSARILY WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE OUT YET, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA CONFUSE PEOPLE THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY THE PUT, SO I'M JUST GONNA SAY THAT. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BRIMER. UM, I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. SO, UM, YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE GREEN ROOF, AND DOES THAT MEAN THAT THERE'S GONNA BE LIKE TERRACING AND THERE'LL BE GREEN SPACES WITHIN THE TERRACE ON THE BUILDING? EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT TO ME. UH, YEAH. WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN FORMALLY INTO DESIGN OF IT RIGHT NOW, BUT WHAT IS CURRENTLY PLANNED IS THAT, UM, THERE WILL BE A DECK, AN AMENITY DECK SPACE FOR THE RESIDENTS, UM, THAT WILL INCORPORATE GREEN MEDIA PLANT MATERIAL. UM, THAT WILL MOST LIKELY BE A MIX OF PLANTINGS THAT IS AT LEVEL WITH WHERE YOU'RE WALKING, AND THEN IN RAISED PLANTERS AS WELL. UM, SO IT WILL BE A MIX. OKAY, GREAT. I JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE MENTIONED BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN AND I COMMEND YOU, YOU KNOW, FOR, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, INCORPORATING THAT INTO THE BUILDING. JUST ONE OF THOSE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN, UM, COMPONENTS IS IF YOU DO HAVE GREEN SPACES THAT ARE WITHIN THE TERRACING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT GLASS, EVEN IF IT IS ABOVE THE A HUNDRED FOOT LEVEL, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS ALSO, UM, HAS BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN, UH, ELEMENTS AROUND IT SO THAT THE BIRDS AREN'T STRIKING THE GRASS AT THAT POINT. HELLO, MY NAME IS AXEL . I'M WITH SIGLER COOPER ARCHITECT. WE'RE THE ARCHITECT FOR THE BUILDING. AND, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN. SO WE'RE PLANNING TO FOLLOW THE, A LEAD PILOT FOR BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN AND, UM, APPLY IT TO THE FIR FIRST 40 FEET OF THE BUILDING. AND WE'RE ALSO PLANNING TO USE VERY, UM, UH, LOW REFLECTIVITY GLAZING. AND, UM, THERE'S SOME, UH, NEW GLAZING OUT THERE CALLED, UH, BIRD SMART FROM FROM VITRO. IT'S A VERY, UH, NICE PRODUCT. IT JUST CAME ON THE MARKET. SO THAT WILL ADDRESS THE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN ASPECT. GREAT. AND I HOPE YOU'LL STAY FOR THE NEXT PRESENTATION TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE WE ARE REALLY EXCITED. I KNOW, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO DO THAT. I WAS LIKE, OH, FUN, . UM, I DO WANNA TALK ABOUT, UM, THE, THE TREE, UH, REPLANT. YES. UH, I ALSO HAVE CONCERNS, UM, ON THAT. UM, AND I THINK, I THINK PART OF MY, UM, [01:15:02] UH, CONCERN ON THAT, UM, WITH THIS LARGE OF A TREE, MOVING, MOVING IT DOWN, AND THEN DOING THE CONSTRUCTION, A LOT OF TIMES I SEE A TREE MOVED, AND THEN CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES TO SORT OF CREEP CLOSER AND CLOSER AND CLOSER. AND SO THEN YOU'RE NOT GIVING IT THE BEST, UM, POSSIBLE CHANCE TO SURVIVE. UM, SO WHEREVER THAT TREE IS PLANTED, UM, I REALLY WANNA SEE, MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL ARE GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND TO PROTECT THAT DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE AS WELL. YES, MA'AM. UM, THAT, AND ALSO THEN THE CRITICAL, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES AS WELL TO HAVE, MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE REALLY PROTECTED DURING CONSTRUCTION. AGAIN, SINCE THIS IS RIGHT ON THE LAKE TOO. UM, I, I COMMEND Y'ALL FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY, UM, YOU'VE, YOU'VE REALLY ADDED A LOT, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, UH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERIORITY FOR THIS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU, UM, FOR, FOR THAT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE'LL PROBABLY SEE Y'ALL IN ABOUT 18 MONTHS, , HOPEFULLY FASTER THAN THAT. . YEAH. YEAH. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND THE FEEDBACK. UM, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. WE WILL WORK TO INCORPORATE, UM, AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND REACH OUT IF WE'VE GOT SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AS WE GO ALONG THE WAY. UM, COOL. THANK YOU STAFF AS WELL. HOPE YOU, YOU HAVE A GREAT EVENING. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. AND I, I DO HOPE STAY FOR THE NEXT PRESENTATION SO YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING, UH, WITH BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN. [4. Presentation and possible recommendation on Staff’s response to Council Resolution 20241121-073, related to Bird-Friendly design – Leslie Lilly, Environmental Conservation Program Manager, Watershed Protection Department.] SO LESLIE, TAKE IT AWAY. OH, WE DO HAVE, UM, SOME PUBLIC COMMENT. OH. OH, BUT WE DO, THAT'S RIGHT. STAFF FIRST, AND THEN PUBLIC COMMENT. YEAH, MY BAD. SORRY. WE'LL GET IT DOWN. OKAY, GREAT. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. I'M LESLIE LILLY, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM MANAGER WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION, AND TONIGHT I WILL BE PRESENTING THE STAFF REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN. UM, ONCE THAT COMES UP, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE COLLABORATED ON THIS EFFORT. SO IT HAS NOT ONLY BEEN, YOU KNOW, WATERSHED PROTECTION THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF, UH, DEVELOPING THE REPORT AND THE RECOMMENDATION, BUT WE'VE WORKED WITH A LOT OF OTHER STAFF IN AUSTIN ENERGY ON THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING TEAM AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND BUILDING SERVICES AND ANIMAL SERVICES. AND IN PLANNING, BECAUSE THIS PARTICULAR, UH, ITEM REALLY TOUCHES A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROCESSES AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE CONSIDER IN TERMS OF HOW WE WOULD INTEGRATE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN IN THE THINGS WE DO AND THE WAY THAT WE PLAN OUR CITY. UM, SO IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, IT ALL GOT STARTED WITH THIS RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED LAST NOVEMBER. AND OUT OF THAT, UH, RESOLUTION CAME DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL FOR STAFF TO WORK ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, INCLUDING UPDATING, UH, THE LIGHTS OUT OR RECOMMENDATIONS ON UPDATING THE LIGHTS OUT, UH, INITIATIVE, EXPLORING THE INTEGRATION OF BIRD FRIENDLY BUILDING TECHNIQUES, CONDUCTING A FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS, WHICH WAS A VERY INTERESTING COMPONENT OF THIS WORK. UM, AND THEN SEEKING A LOT OF INPUT FOR, FROM STAKEHOLDERS, WHICH HAS BEEN, UH, A REALLY WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, BRINGING SOME, THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, THEIR, THEIR SUPPORT AND THEIR, AND THEIR, UM, THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. SO, WHY, YOU KNOW, IS THIS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IN AUSTIN? WELL, AUSTIN IS, YOU KNOW, A DESIGNATED BIRD CITY IN 2023. SO THIS CITY IS VERY, IS A BIG ADVOCATE FOR BIRDS. AND WHY WOULD THAT BE? WELL, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CENTRAL FLYWAY IN AUSTIN, AND WITHIN 60 MILES OF AUSTIN, YOU CAN SEE OVER 400 SPECIES OF BIRDS, WHICH IS A HUGE DIVERSITY OF BIRDS. I MEAN, IT'S QUITE AMAZING TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT LEVEL OF DIVERSITY. UM, WE'VE GOT TWO AMAZING DIFFERENT KINDS OF HABITATS. THESE TWO, UM, ECOTYPES THAT KIND OF COME TOGETHER TO FORM ITS ECOTONE, THE EDWARDS PLATEAU, AND THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIES THAT, YOU KNOW, BOTH HAVE, UH, DISTINCT HABITAT FOR BIRD SPECIES AND THEN ALSO IN THEIR INTERSECTION PROVIDE UNIQUE HABITAT AS WELL. SO THAT MAKES US A REALLY PREMIER DESTINATION FOR BIRDERS FOR PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE YEAR. WE HAVE MIGRATORY BIRDS AND RESIDENT BIRDS THAT, YOU KNOW, DRAW IN, UH, BIRD WATCHERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND ALL OVER THE WORLD. AND AMAZINGLY, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE CARE ABOUT MONEY AND BIRDING GENERATES A LOT OF MONEY. YOU KNOW, OVER 30% OF AMERICANS ARE BIRDERS AND BIRDING GENERATES OVER $279 BILLION NATIONWIDE EVERY YEAR. AND THAT COMES DOWN TO ABOUT 5 BILLION IN ANNUAL ECOTOURISM, [01:20:01] AND ALSO LIKE LOCAL, UM, YOU KNOW, BIRDING ACTIVITIES, UH, FOR THE REVENUE IN TEXAS. AND THAT, THAT'S A, THAT'S A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE. SO IT'S REALLY BRINGING IN A LOT OF MONEY AND HAS A HUGE ECONOMIC IMPACT. SO THE PROBLEM REALLY IS, IS THAT THE PHYSIOLOGY OF BIRDS IS SUCH THAT THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO PERCEIVE GLASS SURFACES OR TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE REFLECTIONS OF GLASS ARE NOT NAVIGABLE AREAS. SO DURING THE DAY, BIRDS WILL ENCOUNTER REFLECTIVE OR TRANSLUCENT SURFACES, AND THEY MIGHT RUN INTO THEM CAUSING, UH, YOU KNOW, DEADLY COLLISIONS. THE PROBLEM AT NIGHT, UH, EXACERBATES THAT ISSUE WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER ARTIFICIAL SOURCES OF LIGHT, LIGHT POLLUTION, WHICH CAN FURTHER DISORIENT THEM AND MAKE THEM EVEN MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO HAVING THESE, UH, DEADLY ENCOUNTERS WITH BUILDINGS. AND SO ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, LEADS TO A VERY, YOU KNOW, BIG IMPACT ON BOTH RESIDENT AND MIGRATORY BIRD POPULATIONS. UM, SO I'M GONNA TRY AND PLAY, OH, YEAH, JACKSON, YOU COULD PLAY THE, THE LITTLE VIDEO. THIS IS A REALLY GREAT RESOURCE BIRD CAST. UM, IT SHOWS RADAR, UH, DATA OF BIRDS MIGRATING, UM, ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. AND THIS IS ON ONE NIGHT WHERE THERE'S OVER 300 MILLION BIRDS IN FLIGHT ON ONE NIGHT. AND YOU CAN SEE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF AUSTIN, TEXAS IS A BRIGHT, BRIGHT, BRIGHT ALL NIGHT LONG. SO WE HAVE MILLIONS OF BIRDS THAT ARE TRAVELING OVER TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, DURING OUR PEAK MIGRATION. SO THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR BOTH THE IMPACT OF LIGHT POLLUTION AND BIRD COLLISIONS WITH THE BUILDINGS IN OUR URBAN LANDSCAPE. AND IT IS ESTIMATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 1 BILLION BIRDS DIE EVERY YEAR DUE TO, UM, COLLISIONS WITH BUILDINGS. OKAY. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PROBLEM, BUT WE DO HAVE SOLUTIONS. AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SOLUTIONS IS, UH, DEVELOPING AND, AND INSTALLING GLASS THAT ALLOWS FOR BIRDS TO PERCEIVE THAT GLASS. AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS ITS PATTERNS ON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE GLASS THAT CAN BE ADDED TO THE GLASS STEERING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, WHETHER IT'S ACID ETCHED, UM, ACID ETCHED PATTERNS, OR, UH, CERAMIC FRIT THAT CAN BE BAKED INTO THE GLASS, ACTUALLY MAKING THE GLASS MUCH STRONGER. UM, THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF AFTERMARKET, UH, PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE A PATTERN SO THAT BIRDS CAN PERCEIVE THE GLASS. THERE'S ALSO A UV COATING THAT IS MUCH MORE TRANSPARENT THAT CAN ALSO BE ADDED TO THE GLASS. AND FOR LIKE RESIDENCES, THERE'S THINGS THAT PEOPLE CAN DO IN THEIR OWN HOME TO ADD THESE PATTERNS TO THE GLASS TO REDUCE BIRD COLLISIONS AT YOUR OWN HOME. SO IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO CONSIDER WHAT THE SIZE IS OF THESE PATTERNS. AND THERE IS A STANDARD TWO BY TWO RULE THAT'S IN INCHES, AND THAT RELATES TO OUR SMALLEST AND VERY IMPORTANT POLLINATOR SPECIES HUMMING, POLLINATOR SPECIES HUMMINGBIRDS. SO HUMMINGBIRDS ARE THE ONES ARE, ARE ACTUALLY, UM, OVERWHELMINGLY AFFECTED BY, UH, COLLISIONS WITH BUILDINGS. AND SO THIS PATTERN, THIS TWO INCH BY TWO INCH PATTERN HELPS PROTECT THEM AND HELPS THEM, AS WELL AS EVERY OTHER BIRD BIGGER THAN A HUMMINGBIRD PERCEIVE THE GLASS. IN ADDITION TO GLASS. THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF REALLY COOL DESIGN STRATEGIES, AS MANY OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY BEEN TO THE CENTRAL LIBRARY. THERE ARE SO MANY COOL DESIGN ELEMENTS THAT CAN, UM, YOU KNOW, SHADE OR, YOU KNOW, BE SERVE AS BARRIERS TO GLASS SO THAT BIRDS PERCEIVE A SURFACE INSTEAD OF A TRANSLUCENT OR REFLECTED SURFACE THAT THEY THINK THAT THEY CAN FLY INTO. UM, AWNINGS, UH, YOU KNOW, EXTERIOR SCREENS, FACADES, LIKE DIFFERENT KIND OF FACADE STRUCTURES THAT ALLOW FOR BIRDS TO PERCEIVE THE SURFACE ARE WONDERFUL ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE DESIGN OF A BUILDING. SO THOSE ARE THE FACADE THINGS FOR CONSIDERATION, BUT WE WANNA ALSO TALK ABOUT LIGHTING. SO THERE IS EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR LIGHTING THAT WE WANT TO CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, DARK SKY LIGHTING, UH, OUR STANDARDS THAT REDUCE LIGHT POLLUTION AND THAT REDUCTION IN LIGHT POLLUTION IS ALSO GOOD FOR WILDLIFE, ESPECIALLY FOR BIRDS. SO THAT'S, THE IDEAS AROUND THAT IS, YOU KNOW, ELIMINATING UPLIGHTING SHIELDING FIXTURES SO THAT YOU DON'T PERCEIVE THE, LIKE, UNSHIELDED BULB. UH, AND THEN HAVING LIGHTING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS THAT AUTOMATICALLY TURN LIGHTS OFF, ESPECIALLY DURING PEAK MIGRATION AT NIGHT. AND THEN USING WARMER LIGHT BULBS OR LIGHT BULBS THAT ARE 3000 KELVIN OR LESS. SO THAT RED COLOR, THAT YELLOW, UH, THAT THOSE WARMER COLORS, UM, THEY ARE THOUGHT TO DISORIENT BIRDS LESS. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, INTERIOR LIGHTING, YOU KNOW, HAVING, ALSO HAVING LIGHTERS OR OCCUPANCY [01:25:01] SENSORS, UM, AND OTHER WINDOW TREATMENTS THAT WOULD PREVENT THE TRESPASS OF LIGHT INTO THE EXTERIOR SPACE SO THAT IT DOES NOT CREATE LIGHT POLLUTION THAT DISORIENTS BIRDS. UM, SO THESE ARE TWO REALLY IMPORTANT BIG SOLUTIONS, AND THOSE SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY SEVERAL DIFFERENT CITIES. WE, UH, THE, THE GROUP THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTED IN THAT SECOND SLIDE, UM, DID A LOT OF WORK ON DEVELOPING A BENCHMARKING REPORT, WHICH IS IN THE VERY LENGTHY REPORT THAT WE PUT TOGETHER THAT IS IN BACKUP. AND WE HIGHLIGHTED IN THAT REPORT SIX, UH, PARTICULAR CITIES AND TWO HERE WE THOUGHT WERE IMPORTANT. NEW YORK CITY PASSING A VERY PROGRESSIVE, UH, ORDINANCE IN 2021. WERE 90% OF, UH, SO FOR A HUNDRED PERCENT OF NEW CONSTRUCTION, UH, UP TO 75 FEET OF EVERY NEW BUILDING, 90% OF THAT FACADE IS REQUIRED TO HAVE BIRD FRIENDLY MATERIALS. UM, A LOT OF OTHER CITIES HAVE SIMILAR KIND OF, YOU KNOW, UH, DIFFERENT NUMBERS THAT THEY USE THAT THEIR COMMUNITIES HAVE COME TO. AND WE ALSO, IN OUR RECOMMENDATION HAVE VERY SPECIFIC NUMBERS THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING. AND NEW YORK, THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO USE THAT, LIKE THAT, UH, PERFORMANCE MEASURE FOR BIRD FRIENDLY MATERIALS AS A 25 THREAT FACTOR. SO A THREAT FACTOR IS A NUMBER THAT IS USED TO DEFINE THE THREAT THAT A BIRD IS GONNA COLLIDE WITH THE BUILDING. UM, IN ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA, THEY HAVE, UH, INSTEAD OF A REQUIREMENT, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, A VOLUNTARY DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM THAT IS WRAPPED UP IN A LOT OF THEIR GREEN BUILDING ELEMENTS, THEIR GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM. SO IN EXCHANGE FOR DENSITY, UH, BUILDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH A NUMBER OF, UH, GREEN BUILDING REQUIREMENTS, SIMILAR TO THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR OWN GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM. AND ONE OF THEM IS BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN. UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, IT EVALUATES FACADE BETWEEN EIGHT AND 36 FEET. WHY IS IT AT EIGHT? WELL, THEY HAVE OTHER KINDS OF ZONING REQUIREMENTS FOR LIKE GROUND LEVEL RETAIL, UM, BUT THEY HAVE A MINIMUM THREAT FACTOR OF 15. UH, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF EXCEPTIONS THAT EVERY CITY DOES. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THE BACKUP THAT DESCRIBES ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH CITIES HAVE REGULATED, UH, THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE FOR THE, FOR NEW BUILDINGS. SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW? WE DON'T HAVE BIRD SAFE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS, BUT WE DO HAVE THINGS BAKED IN TO OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AND INTO OUR GREEN BUILDING, UH, PROGRAM THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FIRST STEPS IN ACTUALLY PROTECTING BIRDS. AND THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO NECESSARILY PROTECT BIRDS EXCEPT FOR THE CRITERIA THAT IS IN OUR AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM. SO WITHIN THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM, THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT, UM, MEASURES THAT PEOPLE CAN COMPLY WITH TO GET THE POINTS THAT THEY NEED TO GET THEIR RATINGS. AND ONE IS A BIRD COLLISION DETERRENCE CRITERIA, WHICH WE REGULARLY REFERENCE IN A LOT OF THE ZONING CASES THAT WE DISCUSS, THE PUD CASES THAT WE ASK APPLICANTS TO CONSIDER IN THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERIORITY. SO BIRD COLLISION DETERRENCE, AND THEN ALSO LIGHT POLLUTION REDUCTION. AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN A LOT OF THE P ORDINANCES THAT HAVE RECENTLY PASSED IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, UH, AREA. AND THOSE EXIST AND THAT THOSE CRITERIA ALREADY EXIST AND CAN BE REVIEWED BY AUSTIN ENERGY AND THEIR GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS STAFF, WHO ARE ALSO HERE TONIGHT TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. UM, AND WE ALSO HAVE A LIGHTS OUT INITIATIVE. SO THIS IS A CITYWIDE INITIATIVE THAT'S SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON BUILDINGS MANAGED BY THE CITY OF BOSTON, BY OUR BUILDING SERVICES DEPARTMENT. AND THOSE, UH, THIS INITIATIVE REQUIRES THAT THOSE BUILDINGS CONSIDER LIGHT POLLUTION DURING MIGRATION. SO TURNING OFF EXTERIOR LIGHTS, TURNING OFF INTERIOR LIGHTS DURING MIGRATION, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, HAVING LIGHT FIXTURES AIMED DOWNWARD. AND THERE'S SEVERAL OTHER THINGS THAT THEY COMPLY WITH. SO OUR BUILDING SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS THIS INITIATIVE THAT THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR, BUT IT IS ONLY FOR CITY BUILDINGS. IT'S NOT FOR THE GREATER, UM, CITY OF AUSTIN. WE ALSO HAVE SITE SPECIFIC REGULATIONS I JUST MENTIONED, UH, POD DEVELOPMENTS. SO PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS, A LOT OF THEM HAVE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE ORDINANCE AS A PART OF THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERIORITY. UH, AND THEN THERE'S OTHER REGULATORY MECHANISMS THAT HAVE ALSO ADOPTED BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN IN INCLUDING A RECENTLY APPROVED INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH HAYES ISD FOR THEIR HIGH SCHOOL. SO THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL [01:30:01] IN SOUTH AUSTIN IS BEING DESIGNED WITH BIRD FRIENDLY, UH, BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN CRITERIA, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT AND A GREAT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE STUDENTS WITHIN OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE. THERE IS ALSO PLENTY OF GLASS AND LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS. SO THERE IS REQUIREMENTS FOR SITE DEVELOPMENT, STANDARDS FOR EXTERIOR LIGHTING. THERE'S REQUIREMENTS FOR, UM, GLAZING AND FACADE RELIEF REQUIREMENTS. THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THE HILL COUNTRY ROADWAY OVERLAY, THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY, AND THE TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT THAT ALL RELATE TO LIKE REFLECTIVITY AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS. UM, SO WITH ALL OF THAT, THERE IS ALREADY, YOU KNOW, A REVIEW MECHANISM IN PLACE TO CONSIDER THESE KINDS OF ELEMENTS FOR BUILDINGS. SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR A FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS? WELL, WE LOOKED AT A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT, WHAT THE OTHER CITIES HAVE FOR THEIR FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS. I'M NOT GONNA LIE, IT'S KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE. IN MADISON, WISCONSIN. THEY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GAVE A, UH, THEY GAVE AN ESTIMATE THAT IT WOULD INCREASE THE COST OF PROJECTS BY TWO TO 3%, BUT IT WAS JUST A REALLY OFF THE CUFF ESTIMATE IN NEW YORK, THEY SAID THEY ESTIMATED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO IMPACT ON REVENUES RESULTING FROM THE ENACTMENT OF THEIR THIS ORDINANCE, AND THAT THERE WOULD BE NO IMPACT ON EXPENDITURES IN BERKELEY. THEY PRETTY MUCH SAID IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL. AND I WILL SAY THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN DESIGN A BUILDING, ESPECIALLY HIGH RISES, WHERE YOU HAVE SEVERAL, SEVERAL STORIES THAT ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BUILDING THAT ARE LIKE PARKING GARAGES. ALL OF THAT IS GONNA BE BIRD FRIENDLY 'CAUSE IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE GLASS. SO IT IS REALLY HIGHLY, UH, VARIABLE. BUT WE DID DO SOME DIGGING INTO UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE ACTUAL COST PER SQUARE FOOT OF THESE MATERIALS WOULD BE. UM, SO LOOKING AT COMMERCIAL GLASS, THE TYPICAL COST PER SQUARE FOOT OF GLASS, WE HAVE THE STANDARD CUSTOM GLASS AT A 12 TO $15 PER SQUARE FOOT COST FOR FRITTED GLASS, WE HAVE A 15 TO 25% COST PER SQUARE FOOT. FOR ETCHED GLASS, WE HAVE 25 TO 35%. AND FOR THE ULTRAVIOLET COATING, WE'VE GOT 32 TO 45%. WE ASKED THE MANUFACTURERS AND ARCHITECTS THAT HAVE BEEN INCORPORATING THIS INTO THEIR BUILDINGS. SO WE HAVE LOTS OF DIFFERENT SOURCES KIND OF CONTRIBUTING TO THESE NUMBERS. OF COURSE, THIS IS ALL, UM, YOU KNOW, WOULD ALL CHANGE OR HAVE AN IMPACT IF THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, D IF THE, THE LANDSCAPE OF MATERIALS WAS DIFFERENT AS THERE WAS MORE, UH, INCREASE FOR DEMAND. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE DIFFERENT CITIES AND STATES WHERE THEY HAVE ADOPTED ORDINANCES. THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES IN THE COST OF THE MATERIALS BECAUSE OF THE DE THE INCREASE IN DEMAND. SO THE RETROFITTING THE COST FOR RETROFITTING, UM, GLASS IS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY VARIABLE AND IT'S NOT QUITE AS LONG LASTING. UM, BUT WE DID FIND THAT A RANGE OF 12 TO $14 PER SQUARE FOOT FOR BOTH PRODUCT AND INSTALLATION. SO WE'RE TALKING, THAT'S ADDITIONAL COST, RIGHT? THE GLASS IS ALREADY INSTALLED. WHAT DOES IT COST TO RETROFIT YOUR BUILDING? THAT'S A, AN APPROXIMATE, UM, SQUARE FOOT COST AND THINGS TO CONSIDER, LIKE I SAID, IT'S NOT SO EASY TO UNDERSTAND, BUT GLASS IS SOLD IN BULK, SO YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY GONNA TREAT EVERY SQUARE FOOT OF GLASS, YOU'RE GONNA TREAT THE GLASS THAT YOU NEED. ALSO, WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING, UM, YOU KNOW, YOUR FACADE, EVERY SINGLE GLASS OR EVERY SINGLE WINDOW UNIT IS NOT GONNA HAVE NECESSARILY ONE PANE OF GLASS. IT MIGHT HAVE TWO, IT MIGHT HAVE THREE. SO YOU WOULD ONLY NEED TO TREAT ONE SURFACE OF ONE PANE OF GLASS. SO THAT WOULD ALSO CHANGE THE COST AND WOULDN'T NECESSARILY EQUATE TO EVERY SINGLE PANE OF GLASS THAT YOU WOULD PUT IN THE BUILDING. SO THE COST ANALYSIS IS KIND OF DIFFICULT TO ASSESS FOR EVERY SINGLE TYPE OF BUILDING, BUT THERE IS A SCENARIO IN WHICH YOU HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, BIRD FRIENDLY GLASS THAT COSTS AS MUCH AS STANDARD GLASS AS YOU CAN SEE THAT THE FRITTED GLASS HAS A $15 PER SQUARE FOOT COST. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN MAYBE START TO GET THERE, UM, FOR JUST THE, THE EXTERIOR PANE OF GLASS THAT YOU NEED TO TREAT. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A SCENARIO IN WHICH IT MIGHT NOT COST THAT MUCH MORE TO ACTUALLY INCORPORATE THIS REQUIREMENT INTO YOUR BUILDING. UM, FOR RESIDENTIAL GLASS, RIGHT NOW, THERE'S JUST NOT ANY COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PRODUCTS. SO ANY KIND OF RESIDENTIAL, UM, APPLICATIONS OR, YOU KNOW, RETROFIT, YOU CAN PUT CUSTOM GLASS IN YOUR HOME, BUT THOSE ARE LIKE HIGHER END HOMES. SO, YOU KNOW, DIY SOLUTIONS CAN, YOU KNOW, RANGE FROM 50 CENTS TO $7 PER SQUARE FOOT. AND THERE IS ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET THAT YOU CAN FIND. UM, BUT THERE'S NOT ANY COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PRODUCTS WHEN IT COMES TO LIGHTING. THERE IS TONS OF DARK [01:35:01] SKY LIGHTING OPTIONS AVAILABLE, AND IT REALLY DOES COME DOWN TO INFORMED DECISION MAKING BECAUSE ALL OF THE LIGHTING PLANS THAT WE CAN MAKE, THEY CAN BE DARK SKY. IT JUST COMES DOWN TO INFORMED DECISION MAKING. YOU KNOW, THE AUTOMATIC LIGHTING CONTROLS, IF YOU TURN YOUR LIGHTS OFF, YOU SAVE MONEY. SO THERE IS A SCENARIO IN WHICH YOUR DARK SKY LIGHTING IS ACTUALLY SAVING YOU MONEY. UM, SO LIGHTING IS GREAT. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT FEASIBILITY, WE, YOU KNOW, COORDINATED A LOT WITH OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO INCORPORATE THIS KIND OF REVIEW INTO OUR BUILDING PLANS REVIEW AND TALKING TO THE BUILDING PLANS EXAMINERS AS IT STANDS, COMMERCIAL PLANS REVIEW, UH, THE FACADE, THE GLAZING FOR BUILDINGS THAT ARE OVER 10,000 SQUARE FEET COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS OVER 10,000 SQUARE FEET. THIS IS A MINIMUM THAT A LOT OF CITIES ACTUALLY CUT THEIR, UM, REQUIREMENTS OFF AT THE 10,000 SQUARE FEET, UH, FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IS A PRETTY CONSISTENT, UM, CUTOFF THAT BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN REQUIREMENTS WERE REQUIRED FOR BUILDINGS IN EXCESS OF 10,000 SQUARE FEET. UM, ALSO THERE'S AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING STAFF THAT ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE REVIEW CRITERIA. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST TO PUT IT OUT THERE, WE ASKED ALL THESE DIFFERENT CITIES, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH COMPLIANCE? AND THEY'RE LIKE, IT'S ALL COMPLAINT BASED. EVERY SINGLE CITY WAS LIKE, WE'RE NOT INSPECTING EVERY NIGHT. WE'RE NOT GOING OUT AND CHECKING THE LIGHTS, BUT EVERYTHING IS COMPLAINT BASED, WHICH WAS REALLY, IT'S INTERESTING. OKAY, THAT'S HOW IT GOES. OKAY. SO IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST BIRD FRIENDLY, UM, BENEFITS THAT GLASS AND LIGHTING PROVIDES, BUT AS I MENTIONED, AND I'M NOT ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT LIGHTING HERE, BUT THERE IS TONS OF IMPROVEMENT IN ENERGY EFFICIENT EFFICIENCY RELATED TO BIRD FRIENDLY, UM, FACADES. SO THIS IS A STUDY THAT WAS DONE BY CANADA DESIGN FIRM IN NEW YORK. IT'S LIKE A SINGLE BOX STUDY WHERE EACH BOX HAD A DIFFERENT FACADE AND THEY MEASURED THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF THOSE BOXES. SO IT DOESN'T EXACTLY, IT'S NOT A BUILDING EXACTLY, BUT IT DOES KIND OF SHOW THAT THERE IS SOME ENERGY EFFICIENT BENEFITS. SO AT THE VERY TOP, YOU HAVE THE MTF, WHICH IS THE MATERIAL THREAT FACTOR FOR EACH ONE OF THESE. THE ONE ALL THE WAY, UM, ON THE LEFT IS A, YOU KNOW, OPEN LIKE JUST GLASS, SO IT'S NOT TREATED GLASS. AND THAT HAS A THREAT FACTOR OF 100. WHEN YOU GO TO FRITTED GLASS WITH A THREAT FACTOR OF 25 OR UV COATED GLASS WITH A THREAT FACTOR OF 20 OR THESE, UM, HORIZONTAL VERTICAL SLATS THAT PRODUCE A THREAT FACTOR OF FIVE OR JUST STRAIGHT OPAQUE SURFACES WITH A THREAT FACTOR OF ZERO, YOU GET AN INCREASING IMPROVEMENT IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS STUDY. UH, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, QUITE IMPRESSIVE TO SEE THAT THERE IS THIS ENERGY EFFICIENCY THAT IS CONFERRED TO THE BUILDINGS THAT INCORPORATE THIS. AND THERE'S ALSO THIS REALLY GREAT, UM, ARTICLE OUT BY LEAD THAT HAS THESE EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS THAT ARE ALSO SAVING ENERGY, UH, COSTS ALL THESE LIKE REAL WORLD PROJECTS THAT HAVE REDUCED THEIR ENERGY COSTS BY 10 OF PERCENTAGE POINTS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, REALLY QUITE IMPRESSIVE. SO ALSO LIGHTING DOES THAT, AS I MENTIONED, YOU TURN THE LIGHTS OFF, YOU'RE NOT PAYING FOR THE COST OF LIGHTING. UM, THERE'S SAFETY CO-BENEFITS THAT ARE, UM, REALLY IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER. SO FOR ONE, UH, THE THINGS THAT BIRDS PERCEIVE IN UNTREATED GLASS OR EVEN INTREATED GLASS IS LANDSCAPING OR LIKE HABITAT IN THE GLASS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT LANDSCAPING QUITE SO CLOSE, UM, THEN IT'S NOT REFLECTED ON THE GLASS. AND THEN YOU DON'T HAVE BIRD COLLISIONS. WELL, THAT ALSO HAPPENS TO COINCIDE WITH WOOEY CODE, WHERE YOU HAVE DEFENSIBLE SPACES AROUND YOUR BUILDINGS SUCH THAT YOU DON'T HAVE VEGETATION THAT WOULD BE REFLECTING ONTO THE GLASS. UH, IT'S NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR THE EXACT GUIDELINES THAT YOU WOULD USE TO DEFINE LANDSCAPING WITH UNTREATED GLASS, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND HOW LANDSCAPING FITS IN WITH THE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER OR REQUIRE FOR BIRD FRIENDLY FACADES. ALSO RELATED TO THE LIGHTING, WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS KIND OF A WELL KNOWN EXAMPLE OF THE BLINDING EFFECT OF UNSHIELDED LIGHT. SO ON THE RIGHT YOU HAVE THIS TOP PICTURE OF UNSHIELDED LIGHT, AND IT APPEARS IN THE BACKGROUND TO BE COMPLETELY DARK, BUT IN THE BOTTOM PICTURE, ONCE YOU SHIELD THE LIGHT, YOU PREVENT THAT KIND OF CONTRAST THAT OCCURS IN YOUR EYE WHERE YOU'RE BLINDED BY THIS VERY BRIGHT LIGHT. AND SO EVERYTHING BEHIND IT SEEMS DARK AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU CAN SEE THE FIGURE IN THE BACK. THERE'S LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF HOW THIS BLINDING EFFECT, ACTUALLY, THIS, IT'S BRIGHTER DOES NOT MEAN SAFER BECAUSE IT CAUSES THIS BLINDING, UM, DELL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL HAS DARK SKY LIGHTING ON THEIR CAMPUS AND WHAT OTHER BUILDING COULD POSSIBLY, COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT TO BE SAFER. AND THEIR DARK SKY LIGHTING IS NOT SUPER BRIGHT, AND IT IS VERY EASY TO SEE AND, YOU KNOW, NAVIGATE AROUND, [01:40:01] UH, AROUND THEIR CAMPUS. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER GREAT CO-BENEFITS. THERE'S THE CONSERVATION IMPACTS, THERE'S THE IMPACTS TO BIODIVERSITY, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT HAPPENS AROUND ACTUALLY HAVING BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN INCORPORATED INTO THE BUILDINGS. THE INQUIRIES THAT COME UP WHEN SOMEONE'S LIKE, WHY ARE, ARE THERE ALL THESE DOTS ON A WINDOW? OH, IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE SAVING BIRDS. BIRDS DON'T WANNA HIT THE GLASS. WE LIKE BIRDS, LET'S GO BIRDING. AND THAT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, A PART OF JUST TALKING WITH YOUR COMMUNITY ABOUT LIKE, WHAT, WHY WOULD THERE BE TREATMENT TO WINDOWS? UH, AND THEN ECOTOURISM, YOU KNOW, IF WE ARE SAVING THE BIRDS, THERE'S MORE BIRDS TO GO BIRDING AND WATCH, WHICH I CARE ABOUT. OKAY, SO BEST PRACTICES AND STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS. THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY IS KIND OF THIS LEADING ORGANIZATION THAT HAS DEFINED LOTS OF RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE HAVE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, USED A LOT OF SOURCES. US FISH AND WILDLIFE HAS A TOOLKIT THAT PROVIDES A LOT OF INFORMATION ON BEST PRACTICES FOR INCORPORATING INTO, AS THE RESOLUTION REQUESTED, LOW, MID, AND HIGH-RISE BUILDING. SO AUSTIN IS DOMINATED BY LOW-RISE BUILDINGS. WE HAVE SOMETHING LIKE 800,000 LOW-RISE BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, 18,000 MID-RISE, AND THEN LIKE A COUPLE OF HUNDRED HIGHRISE BUILDINGS. UH, SO THE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF IMPORTANT INTERACTION THAT BIRDS HAVE WITH OUR LOW-RISE, UM, COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY STRUCTURES. AND WE PUT TOGETHER THIS GENERAL, UM, BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR THESE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION. SO LOW-RISE BEING THE, OUR ONE TO THREE FLOOR BUILDINGS, MOSTLY RESIDENTIAL, BUT LOTS OF SMALLER, UH, COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES. UM, MID-RISE BUILDINGS ARE FOUR TO 12 FLOORS AND HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS ARE MORE THAN 12 FLOORS. SO WHAT IS THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY RECOMMEND THAT WE HAVE, UH, SHOWN HERE IS IT'S CALLED THE A HUNDRED A HUNDRED A HUNDRED RULE RULE. SO A HUNDRED PERCENT OF STRUCTURES UP TO A HUNDRED FEET HAVE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THAT FACADE WITH A BIRD, UH, WITH A THREAT FACTOR OF 30 OR BELOW. SO THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE REPRESENTED HERE UNDER THE GLASS TREATMENTS AND FACADES AS GENERAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES SINCE THAT'S SO WIDELY ADOPTED. UM, THERE'S LIGHTING SOLUTIONS ALSO THAT JUST DESCRIBE THE DARK SKY, UM, LIGHTINGS THAT YOU, THE DARK SKY LIGHTING STRATEGIES THAT YOU WOULD INCORPORATE FOR THE PURPOSE OF BIRD FRIENDLY. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE SOME BEHAVIORAL PRACTICES SHOWN FOR LIKE BUILDING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, UH, LIGHTING ON TIMERS. SO THESE ARE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES DEFINED BY OTHERS, BUT WE HAVE A REALLY IMPORTANT DIFFERENT TAKE ON OUR RECOMMENDATION. AND SO WHAT DOES OUR RECOMMENDATION LOOK LIKE? OUR STAFF RECOMMENDATION, AFTER, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSING WITH LOTS, ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND KIND OF TALKING TO LOTS OF THE, THE DEVELOPERS AND ARCHITECTS AND WHATEVER, WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT THE, UH, CITY, THAT CITY COUNCIL, UM, INITIATE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENT, SUCH THAT COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS EXCEEDING 10,000 SQUARE FEET WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MEET BIRD SAFE DESIGN PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AS MEASURED BY A MATERIAL THREAT FACTOR RATING OF 20 OR LESS FOR ALL BUILDING SURFACES UP TO A HUNDREDS FEET. SO WHY ARE WE GOING WITH 2020 IS THE THREAT FACTOR THAT CAPTURES THE SPACING REQUIRED FOR THAT TWO BY TWO RULE. AND THAT TWO BY TWO RULE IS WHAT SAVES HUMMINGBIRDS AND HUMMINGBIRDS BEING SUCH AN IMPORTANT POLLINATOR SPECIES. WE WANTED TO TARGET THE 20, UH, THREAT FACTOR, UH, BECAUSE WE CARE A LOT ABOUT THE POLLINATOR SPECIES, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THE OTHER PART OF THE CODE AMENDMENT WOULD BE, UM, AN IMPLEMENTATION OF DARK SKY LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS FOR THESE SAME BUILDINGS. AND THEN UNDERSTANDING THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY CARE A LOT ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THAT WE COULD DEVELOP SOME KIND OF WAIVER OPTION FOR DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS, UM, TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS ANOTHER PRIORITY THAT OUR COMMUNITY CARES ABOUT. UM, ADDITIONALLY, UH, WITHIN OUR AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM, OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH COLLABORATE, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS COLLABORATE WITH AUSTIN AND ENERGY AND THEIR UPDATED 2030 PLANNED, UM, UPDATE FOR THEIR WHOLE PROGRAM TO CONSIDER BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN AS A CORE MEASURE. THERE'S DIFFERENT KINDS OF MEASURES, AND THE CORE MEASURE IS KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, RAISING THIS REQUIREMENT AND THAT THERE WOULD BE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO CONSIDER AN UPDATE TO THE GREEN BUILDING POLICY, WHICH RELATES TO THE GREEN BUILDING REQUIREMENTS FOR CITY OWNED BUILDINGS. AND THEN LASTLY, AND IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR, UM, ANIMAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WE, UH, RECOMMEND A RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION CAMPAIGN [01:45:01] FOR, UM, TO BE LIKE SPREAD ACROSS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT HOAS AND NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE BACKUP WE'VE PROVIDED AND ALREADY CREATED SOME, UH, HANDOUTS AND HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR ANIMAL PROTECTION OFFICER TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN LIKE DISTRIBUTE THIS INFORMATION TO THE RESIDENCES OF AUSTIN SO THAT THEY CAN START INCORPORATING IT INTO THEIR OWN HOMES. SO WITH THAT SAID, WE ARE GOING THROUGH A TIMELINE OF DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ON OUR WAY TO PROVIDING THIS RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL. AND THIS IS OUR FIRST STOP ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2025. AND WE'RE GOING TO THE DESIGN COMMISSION NEXT WEEK, ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, DOWNTOWN COMMISSION AND JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE OH, AND PLANNING COMMISSION IN OCTOBER. SO LOTS OF MEETINGS, UM, AND TBD BECAUSE THIS IS OUR FIRST STEP, AND IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE, YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW OR YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH OUT TO ME. AND I ALSO PUT SOME INFORMATION, A LINK TO THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY, AND THERE ARE TONS OF LINKS IN THE REPORT, THE BACKUP TO ALL THE ORDINANCES FROM THE OTHER CITIES, UM, TO ALL THE DIFFERENT DOCUMENTATION THAT WE HAVE IN LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE. AND, UM, YEAH, ALL OF THE, THERE'S LOTS OF LINKS. OKAY. AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN. OH, ALSO, UM, WE DID BRING A SAMPLE OF GLASS, UM, THAT WE HAVE AROUND THIS IS WHAT, UM, JUST TO ELIZABETH BUNK BEST PRACTICE. SO FOLKS AT HOME COULD HEAR WE'RE PASSING AROUND, UH, A SAMPLE OF GLASS THAT HAS A THREAT FACTOR. I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY OF 1919, BUT 19, BUT IT'S ACID ETCHED IN A ETCHED. YEAH. GREAT. THANK YOU CHAIR. DO YOU THINK IT'S OKAY TO GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT NEXT? ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE CRAIG NASER THREE MINUTES. CRAIG NASSER, LONE STAR CHAPTER SIERRA CLUB, AND I WAS ON THE WORKING GROUP FOR THIS, AND I THINK IT'S FANTASTIC. UH, IJ AND SOMETHING THAT SHE DIDN'T MENTION, BUT WE GOTTA KEEP IN MIND IS BIRDS ARE A PART OF CYCLING CARBON THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENT, YOU KNOW, AND THEY, THEY, THE WAY THEY EAT A LOT OF INSECTS, A LOT OF BIRDS LEAD INSECTS AND CYCLING AND THEN POOPING, AND THEN HELPING TREES GROW. I MEAN, IT, THEY, THEY'RE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF KEEPING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHY. AND WHAT THAT DOES IS THAT KEEPS CARBON BOUND UP IN THE SYSTEM AND NOT IN THE ATMOSPHERE. SO I THINK THIS IS JUST A GREAT THING AND I SUPPORT IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE ROY WHALEY. HOW DO Y'ALL, ROY WHALEY CONSERVATION CHAIR FOR THE LOCAL SIERRA CLUB. AND, UH, I COULD HAVE GONE TO THE SIERRA CLUB MEETING TONIGHT INSTEAD, BECAUSE THIS IS ALL FANTASTIC. EVERYTHING'S BEEN SAID. ONCE AGAIN, MS. LILY HAS KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK, AND WE APPRECIATE ALL OF THAT WORK AND MORE. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR MR. NAZER AND, AND HIS COMMENTS. WHAT, THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO SAY EXCEPT FOR THANK YOU. AND I'M GONNA GO SIT DOWN NOW. ALL RIGHT, THANKS SEAN. I DO WANNA, UH, SAY, UH, THANK YOU TO, UM, UH, MR. NASER AS WELL, WHO IS PART OF OUR, OUR WORKING, UH, GROUP, UM, THAT, UM, CAME TOGETHER LAST YEAR TO GET THE RESOLUTION PASSED. SO THANK YOU, UH, FOR BEING PART OF THAT. ALRIGHT, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN AND I THINK WE'LL START ONLINE FOR QUESTIONS WITH, UM, COMMISSIONER RESI. HEY, Y'ALL APPRECIATE THE, UH, PRESENTATION. UH, NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FLURY , UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS TO LEARN MORE FROM YOUR, UH, EXPERIENCE. UH, IT, SO, SO AUSTIN'S A BIRD CITY, THAT MEANS WE'RE DOING WELL. UM, UH, IS THE RETROFIT A HUGE PROBLEM? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MAKES SENSE, BUT JUST CURIOUS WHAT THE, THE EFFORT NEEDED IS TO BECOME A BIRD DESIGN FRIENDLY CITY [01:50:01] , UH, LESLIE LILY WATERSHED PROTECTION. SO, UM, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY RETROFIT. IT CAN, IT CAN BE, UM, EXPENSIVE AND NOT AS LONG OF WARRANTY. SO THERE, THE, UH, TOP OF THE LINE PRODUCT HAS ABOUT A 15 YEAR WARRANTY FOR RETROFITS. UM, ALSO THERE'S NOT EXACTLY THE SAME KIND OF MECHANISM TO REVIEW, UM, RETROFIT BUILDINGS AS THERE ARE NEW CONSTRUCTION. UH, WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF IT. IT'S JUST THERE'S NOT, IN TERMS OF FEASIBILITY, IT'S JUST A KIND OF DIFFERENT CALCULUS. UM, DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING? OH, HI, UH, GARRETT, JAMES AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING. UM, SO YEAH, JUST ELABORATE ON THAT A LITTLE BIT. UM, MOST OF THE, UH, RETROFIT OPTIONS ARE GOING TO BE A STICKER BASED SOLUTION, WHICH YOU WOULD APPLY TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE ONE ON A PIECE OF GLAZING. UM, THEY CAN BE REALLY, UH, EASY FOR LIKE A D IY OR AT A, UH, AT A SINGLE FAMILY HOME, REALLY, REALLY GOOD SOLUTION. UM, BUT FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, YOU REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON MAKING SURE THAT THEY'VE GOT THE RIGHT IMPLEMENTATION FROM THE START, UH, AND NOT HAVE TO COME BACK AFTER THE FACT AND DEAL WITH INSTALLING ANY DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF GLAZING. 'CAUSE GLASS GENERALLY LASTS, LIKE, IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE LIFETIME OF THE BUILDING. UH, THOUGH WE HAVEN'T HAD A FEW, UH, CASES HERE WHERE WE'VE DONE A FULL F SIDE REPLACEMENT. I DUNNO IF WELL, I'M NOT GONNA ELABORATE ON THAT. UM, I GUESS, YEAH, UH, HELPFUL TO HEAR. I THINK, UM, MY REPHRASE MY QUESTION, JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND. IT WOULD SEEM THAT RETROFITTING IS REALLY THE, UH, BEAST WE NEED TO TACKLE TO GET THE CITY TO BE FRIENDLY VERSUS NEW BUILDING DESIGN THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? TO, UM, SO YEAH, RETROFITTING, LIKE, AS LESLIE WAS POINTING OUT IN THE PRESENTATION, LIKE A LOT OF OUR CONSTRUCTION IN TOWN IS LOW RISE RESIDENTIAL AND, UH, SMALL COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION. SO I THINK EDUCATION IS GOING TO BE THE LARGEST, ONE OF THE LARGER COMPONENTS OF THIS EFFORT. YEAH. 'CAUSE UH, IT'S, IT'S, IT GETS A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO INFLUENCE, UH, RETROFITTING THE, THE WAY IT WORKS IN CODE AND EVERYTHING, BUT THE, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF NEW CONSTRUCTION, SO IMP IMPLEMENTING IT ON, UH, NEW, NEW BUILDINGS IS GONNA BE REALLY HELPFUL. BUT GETTING THE WORD OUT AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE IMPLEMENT THESE KIND OF SOLUTIONS ON THEIR OWN, UH, HOMES ESPECIALLY, UH, THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF THESE ARE. THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN MAKE A LARGE IMPACT. UH, UH, LIKE I THINK IT'S, I WAS READING SOMETHING EARLIER THAT, UH, UH, TWO BIRDS A YEAR ARE COLLIDING ON AVERAGE WITH EVERY HOME. UM, SO IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE TO HAVE THOSE KIND OF RETROFIT SOLUTIONS IN PLACE. YEAH. WELL THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR THAT YOU SEE THAT AS THE BIGGEST PART, THAT EDUCATION CAMPAIGN. 'CAUSE I'M EXCITED FOR FOLKS TO SEE THAT AND THEN TAKE THAT OUT INTO THE LARGER LANDSCAPE. I DO, I WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A SNARKY QUESTION, BUT WONDER YOU, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE THE BUILDING, IT'S SO FOCUSED ON THE BUILDING AND, AND LIGHTING I GUESS GOING INTO THE LANDSCAPE, BUT, UH, WONDER ABOUT PARKING LOT DESIGN. I THINK OF THE LOUD SCREAMING, UH, GRACKLE PARKING LOTS AND IS THAT A GOOD BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN, BUT UH, JUST HOW IT BLENDS INTO PARKING LOTS. UH, UM, LIKE TO SAY, I LOVE TO HEAR THEM SING, BUT MAYBE NOT LIKE THAT. SORRY. I THINK THAT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT ASPECT OF BIRD FRIENDLY TO SAY I LIKE IT. FRIENDLY TO THE, THE PEOPLE . YEAH. YEAH. THIS IS BIRD FRIENDLY TO THE BIRDS. YEAH. , I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. COMMISSIONER LUKI. THANK YOU. YES. UM, YOU'RE RIGHT. COMMISSIONER FLUER, THAT REALLY WAS SNARKY. I, UM, WAS INTERESTED IN THE RESIDENTIAL ASPECT. UM, UH, CONSIDERING THERE'S 800,000 BUILDINGS IN THIS TOWN THAT ARE SHORT AND THAT SEEMS LIKE THE, THE REAL THREAT, ALTHOUGH I NEVER LOOKED AT MY HOUSE AS A THREAT TO BIRDS, BUT THEN AGAIN, I'M NOT FLYING. SO I GUESS REALLY, UH, I HADN'T LOOKED AT IT THE RIGHT WAY YET. I HAVE HELPED CLIENTS BEFORE, UM, BIRD PROOF THEIR WINDOWS AND, UM, IT WAS A STICKER THAT LOOKED LIKE A BIRD, BASICALLY, FOR Y'ALL WHO DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE NEVER DONE THIS. AND SO IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY SIMPLE. UM, I WOULD SAY THAT IT PROBABLY LASTS ABOUT 15 YEARS. I THINK THAT'S ABOUT RIGHT. AND IT'S REALLY CHEAP, SO IT'S A VERY, VERY SIMPLE THING TO DO. UM, I THINK YOUR RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION CAMPAIGN, UH, SHOULD, UH, GO TO ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, UH, AND, AND, UM, MAYBE EVEN MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT THE AUSTIN, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, UH, AS, AS A STARTING POINT BECAUSE THAT'S REPRESENTS 80 NEIGHBORHOODS ALL IN ONE MEETING. IF I CAN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION THERE TO DO THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD GET THE BULK OF THE CITY, UH, TO AT LEAST START THINKING ABOUT THIS. 'CAUSE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH IS [01:55:01] PROBABLY THE HARDEST THING WE DO. UH, I'M SITTING HERE THINKING ABOUT THE, UM, RAINED RIVER PEOPLE WHO CAME HERE A COUPLE OF MEETINGS AGO AND THAT WAS THEIR MAIN THING WAS OUTREACH. AND, UH, SO EVERY TIME I SEE ONE OF THESE INITIATIVES GO BY, I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT I'M INVITING THESE PEOPLE TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS EVERY TIME I GET A CHANCE. BUT I FEEL LIKE I'M THE ONLY ONE. I DON'T KNOW IF I AM, BUT, UH, UM, IF YOU'RE GONNA REACH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GONNA DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, THAT'S THE FIRST PLACE I'D GO 'CAUSE IT'S FREE. UH, I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. CHEERS, COMMISSIONER FIRO. NO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN. WELL, THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS LIKE THE PRACTICALITY OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON TONIGHT. LIKE, ARE WE GONNA HAVE ONE, SOMEBODY GONNA MAKE A MOTION ON THE REPORT THAT WAS PRODUCED THAT WE GOT IN OUR BACKUP AND TO SEND THAT TO THE CITY COUNCIL? OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I WANNA DO. , I LIKE YOUR IDEA. KHER BRIER. YEAH. UM, WITH REGARD TO CONTACTING, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION THING, WE, THE GENTLEMAN UP THERE IS YOU'RE FROM AUSTIN ENERGY, IS THAT RIGHT? UH, WELL, I THINK THAT THE, UH, AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNTS AS AN OUTSTANDING METHOD TO, UH, DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION. I THINK AN EVEN MORE OUTSTANDING METHOD IS SLIP A FLYER IN THE ELECTRIC BILL BECAUSE EVERYONE THAT YOU SERVE, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN AND MAYBE NOT EVEN OF TRAVIS COUNTY, BUT EVERYONE GETS AN ELECTRIC BILL. AND BY GOING THROUGH THE, YOU KNOW, THE AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, YOU'RE RELYING ON THEM TO THINK ABOUT IT, THEN THINK ABOUT IT AND SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT. EH, THAT'S WONDERFUL AND THAT SHOULD BE DONE. HOWEVER, IF YOU PUT IT IN AN ELECTRIC BILL, EVERYONE GETS IT. YOU CAN'T RUN FROM YOUR ELECTRIC BILL. SO THAT'S MY, YOU KNOW, SUGGESTION IF YOU WANT TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT OR THE WATER BILL. BUT THERE'S NO ONE FROM THE WATER DEPARTMENT HERE. VICE CHAIR KRIEGER. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THIS. THIS FEELS LIKE A REAL TRIUMPH AND WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH BAD NEWS HAPPENING EVERY DAY, THIS JUST FEELS LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD THAT I THINK COULD MARK A REAL TURNING POINT FOR OUR CITY. SO I REALLY WANNA COMMEND OUR CHAIR, UH, BRISTOL FOR, YOU KNOW, INITIATING THIS. AND I THINK THIS IS A DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT THIS COMMISSION CAN ACHIEVE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND POWER BEHIND IT. UM, I'M SO GLAD THAT HER MOTHER, FORMER TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER VALERIE BRISTOL IS HERE, UM, ANOTHER AVID BIRDER TO, YOU KNOW, MARK THIS OCCASION. UM, SHE'S LEFT HER OWN LEGACY HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY, AND I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF THIS ETCHED GLASS IN THE CITY. AND I'M GONNA THINK ABOUT YOU EVERY TIME , I SEE IT. AND I JUST THINK THAT'S, THAT'S SO SPECIAL. AND I KNOW WE'RE NOT TO THE POINT YET WHERE IT'S, YOU KNOW, BEEN APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL, BUT I'M FEELING HOPEFUL. UM, IT JUST, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE RIGHT THING TO DO ALL THE WAY AROUND. SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORT THAT YOU WENT INTO, INTO THE, YOU KNOW, FEASIBILITY OF IT. AND I REALLY HOPE THAT THIS JUST HAS UNANIMOUS ADOPTION AND AGAIN, IS A REAL TURNING POINT FOR OUR CITY. SO I'M GRATEFUL AND EXCITED AND, UM, YEAH, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS IMPLEMENTED. AND THEN JUST ONE COMMENT I HAVE AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE EXISTING BUILDINGS. 'CAUSE THAT WAS A, A QUESTION THAT I HAVE TO, OF COURSE, EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN I THINK WILL HELP WITH CULTURAL SHIFTS. UM, AND JUST SEEING IT POPPING UP IN NEW BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT ALSO BE, OH, ALL THE NEW BUILDINGS ARE HAVING THIS FANCY GLASS, WHY DON'T I DO THAT TO MY HOUSE? UM, I'M ALSO WONDERING ABOUT INCENTIVE PROGRAMS, UM, MAYBE THROUGH AUSTIN ENERGY, GIVEN THAT IT DOES HAVE THESE ENERGY BENEFITS SIMILAR TO LIKE AUSTIN WATERS WATERWISE LANDSCAPE PROGRAM OR THE CITY SOLAR PROGRAM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU'LL HAVE EXPLORED EITHER AN INCENTIVE OR A REBATE PROGRAM FOR BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN? YES. SO INDIRECTLY, AUSTIN ENERGY DOES HAVE A REBATE PROGRAM FOR, UH, SOLAR SCREENS. UM, AND SOLAR SCREENS ARE A VERY EFFECTIVE METHOD OF, UH, KEEPING A BIRD FROM COLLIDING INTO A WINDOW. SO IT'S, IT'S GIVING YOU, UH, ENERGY SAVINGS AND, UH, BIRD COLLISION DETERRENCE METHOD. GREAT. SO I THINK WE COULD DO THAT IN LIKE THE IMMEDIATE EDUCATION CAMPAIGN. THIS ALREADY EXISTS, BUT ALSO CAN WE LOOK AT EXPANDING BEYOND JUST SOLAR SCREENS BEYOND, BUT ALL OF THESE OTHER OPTIONS? UH, DEFINITELY. YEAH. GREAT. YEAH, THANK YOU. THAT'S, [02:00:01] THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD WAY TO KIND OF INCORPORATE, UM, MORE OF THE 800,000 LOW LYING EXISTING BUILDINGS THAT WE HAVE. UM, YEAH, I DON'T THINK I'VE, I, OH, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD. SORRY. I WAS GONNA JUST ADD ONE OTHER THING ABOUT ENERGY SAVINGS THERE. SO, UH, THROUGH AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING, IF YOU UTILIZE ANY OTHER METHODS THAT WOULD SAVE ENERGY, SO SUCH AS, UH, EXTERNAL SHADE ON, UH, GLAZING OR FINFIN SURFACES, UM, THAT HELP WITH HEAT TRANSFER. UM, THOSE CAN ALSO BE REWARDED THROUGH, UH, THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM THROUGH ADDITIONAL ENERGY SAVINGS AND, UH, POINTS TOWARDS YOUR REQUIRED, IF YOU HAVE A REQUIREMENT, UH, TOWARDS YOUR GREEN BUILDING RATING. SO ANOTHER WAY THAT IT CAN PROVIDE ANOTHER CO BENEFIT. GREAT. UM, YEAH, THANK YOU AGAIN. NO OTHER COMMENTS. OKAY. WELL, UM, I JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, WANNA SAY THANKS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, TO COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, WHO ALSO SERVED ON THE WORKING COMMITTEE, UM, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE WE HAD SET SORT OF A, A LONG, UM, TIMELINE FOR THAT WORKING GROUP, UM, TO COME UP WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, PLAN AND STUFF. AND THEN IN JULY OF THAT YEAR, WE WERE LIKE, NO, IT'S, WE NEED TO TAKE THIS TO COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER. AND WE REALLY HUSTLED AND WE GOT OURSELVES TOGETHER. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST SO EXCITED THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, LESLIE AND LIZ AND ELIZABETH, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL HAVE CHAMPION THIS AND, AND FIGURED OUT THE BEST, UM, YOU KNOW, PRACTICES AND, AND REALLY JUST DOVE IN, YOU KNOW, FEET FIRST. UM, I THINK I WILL JUST, I WANNA POINT OUT, AND I, YOU KNOW, SAY IT ON RECORD THAT THE FEASIBILITY STUDIES THAT YOU DID, UM, ARE SOME OF THE BEST THAT I'VE SEEN. UM, AND I'VE, I'VE LOOKED AT A LOT TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT, LIKE, HOW DO I EXPLAIN THIS TO PEOPLE? I THINK Y'ALL DID AN EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT JOB OF THAT, UM, OF, OF COMING UP WITH THAT, AND THEN ALSO THOSE CO-BENEFITS. UM, I THINK THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY, REALLY EXCELLENT, UM, THAT Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, TO, TO REALLY HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT JUST A, A ONE SIZE FITS ALL, BUT IT'S ALSO, HERE'S ALL THESE OTHER THINGS, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, IT CAN, CAN, UM, BA BENEFIT TO THAT BUILDING AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WITHIN IT, UM, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOTTER SUMMERS. UM, AND YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE THAT HEAT BUILDING UP WITHIN, UM, EACH OF THE BUILDINGS. SO, REALLY EXCELLENT JOB. THE, THE LONGER REPORT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, I'VE, I'VE READ IT FROM WORD TO WORD AND IT'S REALLY EXCELLENT. UM, AND I AGAIN, COMMEND YOU ON, ON ALL OF THIS, UM, AND FOR GETTING IT DONE SO QUICKLY. I KNOW THAT WE HAD SET A JUNE TIMELINE, UM, THAT REALLY BECAME UNREALISTIC BY ABOUT FEBRUARY TO MEET THAT. AND I THINK WE'RE REALLY, REALLY ON TRACK WITH BEING ABLE TO GIVE THIS THE ATTENTION THAT IT NEEDS AND GET TO THE PART, UM, THE, THE PLACE THAT WE NEED TO. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, JUST THANK Y'ALL. UH, WE DO HAVE, UM, A MOTION. OH, I'LL READ IT. OH, OKAY. YEAH, I WROTE IT. UM, AND THEN YOU CAN SECOND. OKAY. . ALRIGHT. ALL RIGHT. SO, UM, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, I DON'T THINK THERE ARE. UH, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2025, UH, SUBJECT BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN. UM, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND THE BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN WORKING GROUP SUPPORT SUPPORTED RESOLUTION NUMBER 2 0 2 4 1 1 2 1 DASH SEVEN THREE, THAT WAS ADOPTED BY COUNCIL ON NOVEMBER 21ST, 2024. AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONING RECOGNIZES THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS NAMED A BIRD, UM, BIRD CITY IN FEBRUARY, 2023. AND WHEREAS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THAT OVER 400 SPECIES OF BIRDS RESIDE OR MIGRATE THROUGH TRAVIS COUNTY EVERY SPRING AND FALL WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES AND SPECIES OF CONCERN, UTILIZING THE CENTRAL FLYWAY AND GEOLOGICAL WAYFINDERS OF THE BALCONES ESCARPMENT, COLORADO RIVER AND BLACKLINE PRAIRIE DURING MIGRATION, AS WELL AS DURING NESTING AND WINTERING SEASON. AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE CITY OF AUSTIN BENEFITS FROM AN ANNUAL 5.5 BILLION GENERATED AND BIRDWATCHING AND BIRD TOURISM IN TEXAS. AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES CITY STAFF HAS MET WITH STAKEHOLDERS, REVIEWED THE POLICY AND CODES IMPLEMENTED IN OTHER CITIES, AND STUDIED HOW BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN STANDARDS CAN BEST FIT WITHIN THE CITY'S CODE. AND THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS COUNCIL INITIATE THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF STAFF AS LISTED WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITION. AND WE DO HAVE ONE ADDITION. UM, IN ADDITION TO COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS ALL CITY BUILDINGS BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES [02:05:01] AND SET AN EXAMPLE FOR NON-PUBLIC BUILDINGS. SECOND DISCUSSION? ANY? ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR AS READ RED, RIGHT? UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. THANKS, Y'ALL. [5. Staff briefing on Austin Water’s Wildlands – Sherri Kuhl, Environmental Resource Officer, and Justin Bates, Environmental Conservation Division Manager, Austin Water] ALL RIGHT, LET'S KEEP TALKING ABOUT BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS. UM, . SO, UH, THIS IS, UM, A STAFF BRIEFING ON, UH, AUSTIN WATERS WILDLANDS. GO AHEAD. OH, WOULD YOU MIND TURNING ON YOUR MICROPHONE, PLEASE? OH, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES. YES. DON'T MIND TECH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ANYWAY, UM, I HAVE, JUSTIN BATES IS HERE, THE DIVISION MANAGER FOR OUR WELLEN CONSERVATION DIVISION, AND WE ARE IN AUSTIN WATER, AND WE'VE GOT MORE GOOD NEWS TO TALK ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS IN AUSTIN WATER. UM, I CAN DO THE SLIDE MYSELF. IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WAS JUST GONNA KIND OF ORIENT YOU ON WHERE THE WILDLAND CONSERVATION DIVISION SITS. UM, IT IS WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE OFFICE, WHICH IS THE GROUP THAT I MANAGE FOR AUSTIN WATER. THERE ARE TWO, ALL THE LANDS THAT WE MANAGE ARE MANAGED UNDER THE GOALS OF TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS, AND THE B CANYON LANDS PRESERVE. AND JUSTIN'S GONNA TALK MORE ABOUT BOTH OF THOSE. UM, WE ALSO HAVE THE, UM, BALCONES CANYON LANDS CONSERVATION PLAN OFFICER, WHICH IS KIMBERLY HARVEY, AND SOME OF YOU WERE HERE. WE CAME, UM, AND SPOKE BEFORE ABOUT SOME OF THE SPECIES THAT WE PROTECT ON THE BA CANYON LANDS PRESERVE. UM, I THINK JENNIFER, YOU, UH, WEREN'T HERE THAT NIGHT, BUT WE HAD SOME VIDEOS OF CAVE INVERTEBRATES AND THINGS THAT SOME PEOPLE LOVED, AND SOME PEOPLE, NOT SO MUCH , BUT WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE SPECIES THAT WE PROTECT. WE ALSO HAVE THE CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AT HORNSBY BEND, UM, WHICH IS OUR BIOSOLID, UM, RECYCLING FACILITY. ALSO A VERY POPULAR BIRDING SITE IN AUSTIN. UM, I THINK OVER 300 AND SOMETHING OF THOSE 400 SPECIES HAVE BEEN CITED AT HORNSBY BEND. UM, WE HAVE JUST ONE STAFF MEMBER, DR. KEVIN ANDERSON, WHO RUNS THAT CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND HELPS, UH, THE AUSTIN WATER TEAM THAT MANAGES HORNS. WE BEND, JUST SORT OF MANAGE THE PUBLIC ACCESS THERE. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF LONG-TERM RESEARCH PROJECTS GOING ON WITH UT AND A AND M AND OTHER UNIVERSITIES. AND THEN A LOT OF JUST PUBLIC ACCESS FOR BIRDING FROM SUNUP TO SUNDOWN. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO ARE, UH, HAVE STAFF THAT WORK ON OUR CLIMATE, UH, CHANGE WORK. SO TRYING TO PREPARE. WE HAVE A CLIMATE READY AUSTIN WATER PLAN TO TRY TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE. A LOT OF OUR FOLKS WHO WORK ON CLIMATE CHANGE ARE ALSO IN OUR SYSTEM PLANNING, UM, TEAM THAT WORK ON WATER FORWARD. SO WE DO A LOT OF PROJECTS IN COLLABORATION WITH THEM. SO I THINK SOMETIMES THE WILDLANDS SPEAK BEST FOR THEMSELVES. UM, WE, UH, AS JUSTIN HAS SAID, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COME HERE FOR THE MUSIC AND THE BARBECUE, BUT ALSO FOR OUR BEAUTIFUL GREEN SPACES. AND WE PROTECT SOME OF OUR ICONIC SPOTS AROUND AUSTIN. A LOT OF OUR CREEKS, UH, AND RIVERS. UH, SOME OF OUR BEAUTIFUL VISTAS, UH, IF YOU'RE FLYING OVER AUSTIN AND LOOK DOWN A LOT OF THE GREEN SPACE THAT YOU SEE ARE THE LANDS THAT WE MANAGE. UH, ALSO THE ASH, JUNIPER, WOODLAND, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT HABITAT FOR THE GOLDEN. SHE GOBLER THE ENDANGERED GOLDEN SHE GOBLER AND OTHER SPECIES. WE HAVE A WHOLE CAVE SYSTEM UNDERGROUND THAT PEOPLE ARE SOMETIMES NOT AWARE OF, UH, THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ENDANGERED SPECIES THERE TOO, JUST FROM BEING ISOLATED IN THOSE SYSTEMS. BUT IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT FOR PROTECTING OUR GROUNDWATER QUALITY TO PROTECT, UH, THAT ECOSYSTEM. OUR BEAUTIFUL WILDFLOWERS IN THE SPRING. AND THEN, UM, UH, MOST CRITICALLY, I THINK, ARE WATER SUPPLY AND WATER SOURCES. SO AUSTIN SITS IN A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT THAT LESLIE ALREADY MENTIONED. UM, WE'RE RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE EDWARDS PLATEAU [02:10:01] AND THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE. A LOT OF THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE LAND, OF COURSE, BECAME AGRICULTURAL LAND 'CAUSE THEY HAD GOOD DEEP, UH, SOILS FOR AGRICULTURE TO OUR EAST. UM, AND NOW WE'RE TRYING TO ALSO PRESERVE SOME OF THOSE FARMLANDS, UH, AT THE CITY. AND THAT ALL THOSE ECOSYSTEMS HAVE A LOT OF, UM, BIODIVERSITY AND A LOT OF RARE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES. WE ALSO ARE VERY POPULAR WITH HUMANS, . UM, I'VE LIVED IN AUSTIN SINCE 1970 OFF AND ON, AND HAVE SEEN THAT THE GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT OUR POPULATION HAS DOUBLED EVERY 20 TO 25 YEARS. SO IT'S BECOME MORE CHALLENGING AND EVEN MORE CRITICAL, I THINK, TO PROTECT, UH, THESE WILD SPACES. SO BACK IN THE LATE EIGHTIES TO LATE NINETIES, IT WAS REALLY A DECADE OF TIME. UM, THERE WAS A BIG CONFLICT IN AUSTIN BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. AND PART OF THAT CONFLICT WAS RELATED TO THOSE SPECIES THAT WERE LISTED, UH, THE BLACK CAT BURIAL FIRST, THE CAVE INVERTEBRATES, AND THEN THE GOLDEN CHEEK WARBLER. AND AT THE TIME, THERE WAS A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT WAS JUST HALTED, UM, EVERYTHING. IF YOU HAD TO GO TO US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AND GET A PERMIT FOR YOUR PROJECT, IT TOOK YEARS AND A LOT OF MONEY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS. SO OUR LOCAL LEADERS, INCLUDING FORMER TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER VALERIE BRISTOL, UM, CAME UP WITH A LOCAL SOLUTION, WHICH WAS A COUNTYWIDE HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN. AND JUSTIN WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. WE'RE AT THE END, A 30 YEAR PERMIT, UM, IN 2026. AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS NOW OF RENEWING THAT, UH, PERMIT. THE OTHER BIG CONFLICT, IF YOU WERE HERE THEN, UM, WAS FOR TRYING TO PROTECT BARTON SPRINGS. UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT DEVELOPMENT. THERE WAS A BIG COUPLE OF BIG THINGS GOING IN. BARTON CREEK MALL WAS ONE OF 'EM, UH, BARTON CREEK ESTATES. AND PEOPLE WERE WORRIED ABOUT BARTON SPRINGS BEING POLLUTED AND NOT BEING ABLE TO ENJOY THAT, UM, ICONIC SPOT IN AUSTIN ANYMORE. AND SO, AGAIN, OUR, UM, LOCAL LEADERS, INCLUDING OUR MAYOR AT THE TIME, WHICH WAS KIRK WATSON , UM, DEVELOPED A PROGRAM TO CONSERVE THAT RESOURCE THROUGH LAND CONSERVATION, WHICH IS REALLY THE BEST WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'VE GOT, UM, GOOD WATER COMING OFF THE LAND. AND SO THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS PROGRAM WAS STARTED IN 1998. A LOT OF OTHER LOCAL LEADERS, LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS LIKE CRAIG, LOCAL DEVELOPMENT LEADERS, UM, CAME TOGETHER, NON-PROFITS. SO IT WAS REALLY A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORTS, UH, THAT CREATED BOTH OF THESE PROGRAMS. SO IT REALLY HAS BEEN A GIFT TO THE AUSTIN AREA TO HAVE THIS MUCH GREEN SPACE. UM, WE STARTED AS KIND OF RURAL PRESERVES IN THE EIGHTIES. UH, WE COULD DRIVE OUT ON SIX 20. WE DID WORK WITH BLACK CAP BURS OUT THERE, AND PRETTY MUCH SMOKEY JAY'S WAS THERE. AND THEN, UH, ROSIE'S TAMALE'S HOUSE, BUT, AND LAKEWAY WAS IN THE MIDDLE, BUT NOTHING, UH, MUCH ELSE WAS OUT THERE. SO IT WAS A MUCH DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT AT THE TIME. NOW, A LOT OF OUR PRESERVES ARE PRETTY MUCH SURROUNDED BY, UM, HUMANS, BUT IT'S BEEN A 30 YEAR EFFORT, WE THINK, UM, THAT IT'S GOING GREAT. AND WE HOPE TO CONTINUE THIS EFFORT. WE'VE SPENT OVER $250 MILLION IN MOSTLY CITIZEN APPROVED GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND FUNDING. UM, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE SOME ITEMS FOR THESE TWO PROGRAMS IN THE 2026 BOND EFFORT THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. UM, THAT MAP, IF YOU, JUSTIN'S GONNA HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL MAPS, BUT IF YOU CAN SEE THAT MAP, UM, UP CLOSE, THE DARK GREEN AREAS ARE THE BA CANYON LANDS PRESERVE, INCLUDING THE LANDS THAT ARE PARTNERS, UH, WITH TRAVIS COUNTY AND OTHER PARTNERS MANAGE. UH, TRAVIS COUNTY HOLDS THE BA CANYON LANDS CONSERVATION PLAN, UH, PERMIT WITH US. UM, AND THEN THERE'S LANDS THAT ARE, WELL, NO, I GUESS THE DARK GREEN ARE CITY OF AUSTIN LANDS, THE ONES THAT ARE MANAGED BY TRAVIS COUNTY ARE OUTLINED IN DARK GREEN. AND THEN THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS DOWN TO THE SOUTH AND WEST ARE THE DARKER GREEN. AND THEN WE HAVE A NUMBER OF LANDS THAT ARE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS WHERE THE CITY JUST PURCHASED THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT, , AND THERE IT GOES. THE SLIDES, UM, THE, IT'S, UH, A LOT OF THE LANDS WE TRY TO GET, UM, CONNECTIVITY. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE GOLDEN CHEEK WAR TO HAVE LARGE AREAS OF WOODLAND WITHOUT A LOT OF EDGE. SO A LOT OF IT, YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE TRIED TO KIND OF PIECE IT ALL TOGETHER. UH, WE HAD A PLAN BACK THEN IN THE EIGHTIES FOR A PRESERVED DESIGN THAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE THE MOST BENEFICIAL. UM, WE'VE GOT ABOUT 49,000 ACRES [02:15:01] NOW WITH THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT, SO WE'RE PUSHING FOR 50. THAT'S JUSTIN AND MY GOAL TO GET TO THAT 50,000. UM, AND THESE LANDS BACK IN EARLY 2000, WERE DELIBERATELY PLACED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AUSTIN WATER TO BE A STEWARD, UM, OF ALL THESE LANDS INTO THE FUTURE. SO NOW I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO JUSTIN. HEY, EVERYONE. JUSTIN BATES, I'M THE DIVISION MANAGER FOR THE WILDLAND CONSERVATION DIVISION WITH AUSTIN WATER. AND, YOU KNOW, 49,000 ACRES OF PROTECTED LAND. WHAT A GIFT TO THE CITY. WHAT A GIFT TO THE FUTURE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, AND WHAT A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE. SO OUR TEAM WITH THE WILDLAND CONSERVATION DIVISION ARE THOSE STEWARDS THAT ARE OUT THERE EVERY DAY ON THESE LANDS, TAKING CARE OF THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE HEALTHY AND RESILIENT INTO THE FUTURE. AS SHERRY SAID, THE, UH, OUR, THE LANDS THAT WE MANAGE ARE PROTECTED UNDER TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, EACH OF THEM WITH DIFFERENT LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS. SO NORTH AND WEST OF THE CITY THINK THOSE BEAUTIFUL WOODED HILLSIDES OF BULL CREEK, BARTON CREEK, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE AREAS WITH OUR ASH, JUNIPER, WOODLANDS, THOSE ARE LANDS ARE ALL PART OF THE BELCON CANYON LANDS PRESERVED. AND AGAIN, THIS IS PART OF THAT MULTI-SPECIES, MULTI-AGENCY HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN, WHERE, IN EFFECT, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY SAT DOWN, WORKED WITH US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AND SAID, IN EXCHANGE FOR PROTECTING ALL OF THIS LAND, WE CAN HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE STREAMLINED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT COMPLIANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT. SO BY SETTING ASIDE LAND, WE COULD HELP OUR COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO GROW. AND SO TODAY, UH, THE LANDS THAT WE MANAGE AS PART OF THE BCP, WE'RE MANAGING FOR GOLDEN CHEEK WARBLERS, BLACK LAB, VERIOS, OTHER SPECIES OF CONCERN, KARSTEN VERTEBRATES, UH, AND IT INCLUDES, LIKE I SAID, SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PARTS OF AUSTIN. UH, ANOTHER ADDED BENEFIT, UH, SPEAKING FROM AUSTIN WATER, IS THAT THOSE LANDS THAT ARE PART OF THE BELCON CANYON LANDS PRESERVED, BOTH MANAGED BY THE CITY, THE COUNTY, AND OTHER PARTNERS ARE IN OUR WATER SUPPLY WATERSHED. SO THEY'RE ACTUALLY HELPING TO KEEP OUR DRINKING WATER CLEAN AND CLEAR, UH, IN ADDITION TO PROTECTING THESE REALLY SENSITIVE AND UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS, 33,000 ACRES IN TOTAL, UM, BETWEEN US AND OUR PARTNERS. AND AS SHERRY SAID, THAT HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN THAT SET UP THE BCP SET TARGETS FOR THE SIZE AND CONFIGURATION OF THE LAND THAT WE WERE TRYING TO BUY. AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT HIGH QUALITY HABITAT FOR THESE ENDANGERED SPECIES AND SPECIES OF CONCERN, REALLY, YOU WANNA HAVE, UH, THESE LARGE CONNECTED TRACKS WITHOUT A LOT OF EDGES, BECAUSE THE EDGES ARE WHERE THOSE THREATS LIKE INVASIVE SPECIES, UM, YOU KNOW, PREDATORS, OTHER THINGS ARE COMING INTO THE PRESERVE AND DEGRADING THAT HABITAT QUALITY PART OF THE BCP AS WELL. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IS PROTECT, UH, THE GOAL IN THE BCCP WAS THE PROTECTION OF 62 NAMED CAVES. AND SO TODAY WE OWN SOME OF THOSE CAVES. WE HAVE AGREEMENTS ON SOME OF THOSE CAVES, AND WE'VE PROTECTED SOME OF THOSE CAVES THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES AND THAT SORT OF THING. AND WE STILL HAVE A FEW MORE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PROTECT, UH, REALLY THE BCCP, THE BELCON CANYON LANDS CONSERVATION PLAN IS SET UP, LIKE I SAID, TO, UH, FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT. AND THE AREAS THAT YOU SEE IN PURPLE HERE ARE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO USE THAT STREAMLINED ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT COMPLIANCE. SO 400 PLUS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, OVER 1500 LANDOWNER AND DEVELOPER PROJECTS. THIS HAS HAD A HUGE BENEFIT TO OUR GROWING COMMUNITY, WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROTECT THESE SPECIAL PLACES, BUT ALSO TO FACILITATE THAT CONTINUED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. THINK LOOKING SOUTH AND WEST OF TOWN, UH, OUR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS, AS SHERRY SAID, ARE SET UP TO PROTECT THE RECHARGE AND CONTRIBUTING ZONE FOR BURTON SPRINGS, THE BURTON SPRINGS SEG SEGMENT OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER. AND HERE WE'RE MANAGING THOSE LANDS TO PROTECT AND RESTORE NATIVE GRASSLAND SAVANNAS AND CREEKS THAT PROVIDE THAT MAIN SOURCE OF WATER TO BURTON SPRINGS. TODAY, WE ACTIVELY OWN AND MANAGE LAND OVER A QUARTER OF THAT RECHARGE ZONE, WHICH IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE. AND JUST A TESTAMENT TO THE COMMITMENT THAT THE CITY HAS MADE OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. AND AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO MANAGE THOSE FOR GRASSLAND AND SAVANNAH ECOSYSTEMS BECAUSE THE SCIENCE TELLS US THAT THAT, [02:20:01] UM, IS THE, THE SYSTEM AND THE KIND OF NATURAL DISTURBANCE REGIME THAT LEADS TO THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF GROUNDWATER RECHARGING INTO THE AQUIFER. SO WHEN THAT PROGRAM WAS STARTED, THERE WAS A GOAL OF PROTECTING A HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRES, UM, OVER THAT BURTON SPRING ZONE, THE RECHARGE IN CONTRIBUTING ZONE. TODAY, WE HAVE OVER 12,000 ACRES THAT WE OWN OUTRIGHT. THAT'S THE LANDS THAT YOU SEE THERE IN DARKER GREEN. AND THEN WE HAVE OVER 22,000 ACRES IN CONSERVATION EASEMENT. SO WE HAVE, THE CITY HAS PURCHASED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS, UH, FROM PRIVATE LANDOWNERS, AND WE MONITOR THOSE EASEMENTS ANNUALLY. SO, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, UH, YOU HAVE 49,000 ACRES, BOTH ACREAGE THAT WE OWN AND ACREAGE WHERE WE HAVE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS. IT TAKES, UH, A REAL TEAM EFFORT TO MANAGE THAT AND KEEP IT HEALTHY AND RESILIENT AND PROTECTED INTO THE FUTURE. SO I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, JUST SO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AT THE WILDLAND CONSERVATION DIVISION. AND OF COURSE, IN MANAGING THESE LANDS, THE FIRST THING THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE, HOW IT'S DOING, HOW WE CAN, UH, CONTINUE TO HELP IT BE HEALTHY AND RESILIENT, AND HOW WE CAN ADAPT OUR PRACTICES TO ADAPT TO CHANGING CONDITIONS. SO THIS LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS BECAUSE WE'RE CHARGED WITH PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITAT. WE DO A LOT OF WORK MONITORING THOSE ENDANGERED SPECIES. SO THIS YEAR WE MONITORED, UH, OURSELVES AND, UH, OUR PARTNERS AT THE COUNTY, OVER 130 GOLDEN CHEEK WARBLER THAT YOU SEE HERE, UH, NESTS TO MONITOR BREEDING SUCCESS. AND THOSE POPULATIONS OF THESE NATIVE TEXANS GOLDEN CHEEK WARBLERS. UH, WE MONITOR 33 BLACK HAT VERIO NESTS, UH, ACROSS OUR PROPERTIES. AND WE DID, WE WENT INTO SOME OF THOSE, UH, PROTECTED CAVES AND ACTUALLY DID FUNNEL SURVEYS. THE, SOME OF OUR ENDANGERED SPECIES HERE ARE CAVE INVERTEBRATES. AND SO, UH, WE HAVE BIOLOGISTS WHO ARE GOING INTO THOSE CAVES AND MONITORING THOSE POPULATIONS TO UNDERSTAND, AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE VERY SENSITIVE SYSTEMS AND WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE HEALTH OF WHAT'S ON THAT SURFACE, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE QUALITY OF OUR GROUNDWATER AS WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO HOW THESE SPECIES ARE DOING AS INDICATORS OF THE BROADER HEALTH OF THE ECOSYSTEM. WE'VE GOT, UH, SOME INCREDIBLE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS. UH, WE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH UT AUSTIN AND A RESEARCHER LOOKING AT TAWNY CRAZY ANTS AND INVASIVE ANT SPECIES. AND IT'S BEEN A REALLY FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIP. THESE TAWNY CRAZY ANTS, UH, CAN HAVE DEVASTATING IMPACTS ON OUR SENSITIVE CAVE ECOSYSTEMS. BUT WORKING WITH RESEARCHERS AT UT, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE, UH, THE, THESE UT RESEARCHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED A WAY TO INOCULATE THESE COLONIES OF TAWNY CRAZY ANTS, WHICH ACTUALLY LEADS THEM TO COLLAPSE THEIR POPULATION TO COLLAPSE. UH, AND SO WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY BEEN MONITORING AND IMPLEMENTING THIS IN DIFFERENT PLACES, UH, WHICH HAS REALLY HELPED ERADICATE THAT, UH, ISSUE IN SOME PLACES. AND WE, THROUGH THIS PARTNERSHIP, THEY ARE ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW RESEARCHING, UH, A SIMILAR MECHANISM THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE FOR RED IMPORTED FIRE ANTS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME, UH, YOU'VE BEEN BITTEN BY A FIRE AMP MOUND, WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE IMPACT IT CAN HAVE ON PEOPLE AND ON OUR NATURAL COMMUNITIES. SO SOME REALLY FRUITFUL PART RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS TO TRY AND BOTH UNDERSTAND THESE SYSTEMS AND, UH, UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN HELP PROTECT THEM. ONE OTHER RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP, I'LL, I'LL MENTION, AND I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WILDFIRE LATER, BUT WE RIGHT NOW HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE US FOREST SERVICE, WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO STUDY, UH, UM, KIND OF WILDLAND FIRE FUELS ON OUR BELCON CANYON LANDS PRESERVE. AND TO TRY AND BETTER UNDERSTAND AND QUANTIFY HOW WINTER STORMS AND DROUGHTS HAVE IMPACTED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE KIND OF FUEL LOADINGS AND CHARACTERISTICS ON, IN THESE NATURAL SPACES, 49,000 ACRES. UH, ON THOSE 49,000 ACRES OF THE LANDS THAT WE MANAGE, WE HAVE ABOUT 170 MILES OF BOUNDARIES. UH, SO OUR RANGER, UH, TEAM AT THE WILDLANDS GOES AND WALKS THOSE BOUNDARIES MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR. IT'S LIKE WALKING TO THE ASTRODOME AND BACK, UM, BUT A LOT MORE TOPOGRAPHY. AND, UH, SO WE DO A LOT OF WORK, YOU KNOW, ALONG THOSE EDGES ARE WHERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST THREATS TO THESE NATURAL SYSTEMS CAN ORIGINATE FROM. UH, YOU SEE HERE, PULLING PRI IN LONG CANYON, [02:25:01] UH, YOU KNOW, INVASIVE SPECIES IS A BIG THING THAT WE HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAP AND MONITOR AND ERADICATE SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT CAN REALLY DEGRADE THESE NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS. WE'RE ALSO, WE DO A LOT OF WORK, UH, BUILDING FENCES AND MAINTAINING FENCES BECAUSE AGAIN, WITH 170 MILES OF BOUNDARY, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, UH, AND EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PROTECT THESE NATURAL SYSTEMS. SO, UH, A LOT OF OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IS FOCUSED ON, UM, GAME FENCING AROUND OUR PROPERTIES. UH, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WILDFIRE LATER. AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, FOR THOSE PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE, CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, WE ARE GOING OUT ANNUALLY AND MONITORING DEVELOPMENT ON THOSE PRIVATE PROPERTIES WHERE WE HOLD CONSERVATION EASEMENTS. MOST OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY INDICATE HOW MUCH IMPERVIOUS COVER THEY CAN HAVE. IF THEY WANT TO BUILD AN ADDITION ON THEIR HOUSE OR ANOTHER BUILDING ON THEIR PROPERTY, THEY COME TO US FIRST TO GET APPROVAL FOR THAT. WE'LL INSPECT IT, APPROVE IT, THAT SORT OF THING. OF COURSE, UH, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THESE LANDS LOOK PRISTINE, AS YOU LOOK OUT THERE AND, AND SEE THOSE BEAUTIFUL VISTAS, UH, ALL OF OUR LANDS HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY PEOPLE. THEY'RE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE. UH, THEY'RE SURROUNDED BY CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT THAT, THAT YOU ALL, AS A BODY WILL SEE IN SOME OF THESE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS. AND SO, UM, PART OF OUR ROLE ON THE WILD LAND CONSERVATION DIVISION IS TO DO OUR BEST TO, UH, AID AND SUPPORT THESE NATURAL SYSTEMS, RESTORE THEM AND ENHANCE THEM SO THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST CHANCE MOVING FORWARD TO PROTECT. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S SO UNIQUE, UM, ABOUT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT HERE IN AUSTIN? AND SO THAT, UH, LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF THINGS. WE HAVE SOME INCREDIBLE PROJECTS RESTORING REALLY DEGRADED LANDS ON THE BOTH CONEYS CANYON LANDS PRESERVE AND TRYING TO SLOW AND SINK, UH, STORM WATER RUNOFF, UH, AND RESTORE KIND OF GROUND COVER AND PLANT COVER SO THAT THOSE EVENTUALLY CAN FILL BACK IN, INTO GOLDEN CHEEK WARBLER HABITAT OR, YOU KNOW, HABITAT FOR SOME OF OUR OTHER NATIVE SPECIES ON THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS. LAST YEAR WE DID 1300 ACRES OF TREATMENT WITH PRESCRIBED FIRE. SO WE HAVE AN ACTIVE PRESCRIBED FIRE PROGRAM THAT WE PARTNER WITH A FD TRAVIS COUNTY, THE WILDFLOWER CENTER, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, AND MANY OTHER PARTNERS TO REINTRODUCE GOOD NATURAL FIRE REGIMES BACK TO SOME OF THESE LANDSCAPES, UH, WHICH HAS ALLOWED US PAIRED WITH SEED COLLECTION AND SEED KIND OF REDISTRIBUTION, RESEEDING TO RESTORE SOME REALLY INCREDIBLE GRASS AND FOR BIODIVERSITY BACK TO WHAT WERE VERY HEAVILY DEGRADED LANDS. WE ALSO, UH, DO SOME INCREDIBLE WORK RESTORING CAVE FEATURES THAT HAVE BEEN FILLED IN EITHER BY, UH, YOU KNOW, TIME OR BY HUMAN IMPACTS. AND THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, DIGGING OUT SOME OF THOSE CAVE FEATURES, SINKHOLE, EXTENDING CAVE PACK PASSAGES HAS ALLOWED US TO, UH, REALLY INCREASE THE BIODIVERSITY OF SOME OF THOSE UNDERGROUND SYSTEMS BY OPENING UP, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT CONNECTION TO THE SURFACE, WE ALLOW NUTRIENTS TO GET UNDERGROUND THAT THEN SUPPORTS THIS REALLY INCREDIBLE UNDERGROUND ECOSYSTEM THAT'S FOUND NOWHERE ELSE OTHER THAN, THAN AUSTIN. UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE CHARGED WITH MANAGING CONSERVATION LANDS. AND I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT BUILDING FENCES, WHICH, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T FEEL PARTICULARLY NEIGHBORLY AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE'RE KEEPING PEOPLE OUT. BUT WE DO SO MUCH WORK AS A DIVISION TO BRING THE COMMUNITY IN TO THESE SPACES. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A, A BUNCH OF MILES OF TRAILS ON OUR PROPERTIES. I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT 12 MILES OF TRAIL ON OUR PROPERTY THAT WE MANAGE DIRECTLY, AND ANOTHER 20 TO 30 ON, UH, PROPERTIES THAT WE CO-MANAGE WITH PARKS AND RECREATION. UH, JUST THIS LAST YEAR IN, YOU KNOW, A 365 DAY LONG YEAR, WE HAD ABOUT 365 PUBLIC EVENTS, UM, OVER 250 VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS, UH, OVER 50 GUIDED HIKES, UH, AND MANY OTHER ACTIVITIES WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO BRING PEOPLE IN SO THAT THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT AND APPRECIATE, UH, THESE INCREDIBLE NATURAL LANDSCAPES THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS PROTECTED OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. UH, AND IN, IN ADDITION, WE CANNOT DO OUR WORK WITHOUT PARTNERSHIPS. SO WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH ALL OF THE OTHER LAND MANAGERS, BOTH WITHIN THE CITY AND WITHIN, YOU KNOW, THE AUSTIN AREA. WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS [02:30:01] WITH OUR EMERGENCY, YOU KNOW, FIRST RESPONDERS WITH, UM, OUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS, UH, WITH OUR LOCAL GAME WARDENS AND MANY OTHERS THAT ALLOW US TO, UM, YOU KNOW, DO THIS INCREDIBLE WORK. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE DAY-TO-DAY LOOKS LIKE AT THE WILDLANDS. AND I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE SEE GOING FORWARD. UM, I'D BE REMISS, UH, GETTING IN FRONT OF A, UH, A BODY LIKE THIS AND NOT TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WILDFIRE BECAUSE ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A NICE WET SUMMER THIS YEAR, BUT IT'S STARTING TO DRY OUT OUT THERE. THE GRASS IS LOOKING A LITTLE BROWN AND PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, RIGHTFULLY SO. LOOK, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK OUT YOUR WINDOW, YOU SEE THOSE WOODED HILLSIDES, UH, YOU SEE THOSE, YOU KNOW, BEAUTIFUL GRASSLANDS AND THINK, I, YOU KNOW, I SAW, SAW WILDFIRES IN THE NEWS. COULD THAT HAPPEN HERE? UH, AND THE GOOD NEWS AS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE, IS THAT AUSTIN IS NOT CALIFORNIA. IT MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE IT WHEN YOU'RE WALKING DOWN SOUTH CONGRESS, BUT AUSTIN CLIMATICALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, VEGETATION ECOLOGICALLY IS NOT CALIFORNIA. WE ARE LUCKY IN THAT HERE WE HAVE WETTER WEATHER, WE HAVE LESS WIND, AND WE HAVE VEGETATION THAT IS NATURALLY MORE RESISTANT TO FIRE, UM, THAN YOU SEE IN KIND OF THE CHAPARRAL SYSTEMS OR, YOU KNOW, PINE FORESTS OUT WEST THAT SAID, CONDITIONS ARE CHANGING. YOU KNOW, THE WINTER STORMS, WE HAD DEFINITELY, UM, HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS IN SOME OF OUR WOODLANDS, OUR ONGOING DROUGHT CYCLES, OUR STRESSING VEGETATION AND LEADING TO MORTALITY. UH, AND WE CAN EXPECT THAT THAT WILL CONTINUE SOME PROJECTIONS, SAY BY 2060. AUSTIN'S CLIMATE WILL LOOK A LOT LIKE LAREDO IS TODAY. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT AS LAND MANAGERS, AS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY THINK HOW DOES THAT TRANSITION HAPPEN AND WHAT ARE THE, SOME OF THE RISKS THAT COME WITH THAT? SO WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO AND AS IT RELATES TO WILDFIRE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW THOSE RISKS FOR WILDFIRE ON OUR NATURAL SPACES ARE CHANGING AND MITIGATE THOSE RISKS WHERE FEASIBLE. UM, WE DO A LOT OF WORK WITH, UH, FUEL REDUCTION PROJECTS, PARTICULARLY ALONG BOUNDARIES IN THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE. BUT WE'RE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT HOW, UH, YOU KNOW, WE SHIFT THOSE STRATEGIES TO LOOK AT THINGS LIKE IGNITION, POTENTIAL IGNITION CORRIDORS, ROADWAYS, POWER LINES, THINGS LIKE THAT, AND FOCUS SOME OF OUR RESOURCES WHERE THOSE FIRES ARE MOST LIKELY TO START. UM, AND THEN YOU'RE REALLY JUST CONTINUING TO UNDERSTAND THOSE STRESSORS AND FIGURE OUT WHAT INTERVENTIONS WE CAN TAKE AS LAND MANAGERS TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE SYSTEMS ARE RESILIENT MOVING FORWARD. WE, UH, SHERRY TALKED ABOUT OUR, UM, BICONES CANYON LANDS CONSERVATION PLAN PERMIT. THIS IS OUR FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT IT, UH, 30 YEAR PERMIT. AND HERE WE ARE A YEAR AWAY, UH, UH, 2026 THAT PERMIT EXPIRES. UH, AND WE ARE ON THE WAY TO, UH, WORKING TO RENEW THAT PERMIT FOR AN ADDITIONAL PERIOD. UH, WE'VE JUST FINALIZED AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE COUNTY FOR, UM, SOME, UH, CONSULTANT ASSISTANCE WITH OUR PERMIT RENEWAL PROCESS. UH, WE HAVE ASSURANCE FROM THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE THAT OUR ABILITY TO ISSUE TAKE AUTHORIZATION WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT AS WE GO THROUGH THE RENEWAL PROCESS. UH, AND WE, YOU KNOW, THE PERMIT RENEWAL PROCESS REALLY JUST GIVES US A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BRING OUR 30-YEAR-OLD VERY SUCCESSFUL HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN, UH, INTO THE MODERN ERA TO KIND OF BRING IT UP TO, UH, CURRENT FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE REGULATIONS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO MAKE SOME TWEAKS AND ADJUSTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE MEETING THOSE GOALS INTO THE FUTURE AND CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THAT MECHANISM TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT WHILE PROTECTING, UM, THESE SPECIAL NATURAL SYSTEMS AS YOU, YOU KNOW, 49,000 ACRES. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE, UM, LEGACY THAT WE HAVE, UH, FROM OUR COMMUNITY. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE WORK REALLY IS NOT COMPLETE YET. LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE 10 OF OUR 62 CAVES THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT AS PART OF THE BCP, UH, THAT ARE YET TO BE PROTECTED. WE HAVE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES AND NEEDS TO EXPAND OUR HOLDINGS IN SOME PLACES TO MEET THOSE GOALS FOR THE CONFIGURATION, UH, AND ACREAGE TARGETS OF EACH OF THOSE DIFFERENT MACRO SITES IN THE BCP AND ON THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION [02:35:01] LANDS, WE HAD A GOAL OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRES PROTECTED, AND, AND WE'RE ABOUT A THIRD OF THE WAY THERE. UM, UM, AND CERTAINLY AS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES HAVE SOMETIMES REDUCED SOME OF THOSE REGULATORY PROTECTIONS FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, THE RECHARGE, THE BARTON SPRING ZONE. UH, SO, AND, AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, THINGS ARE GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE IN AUSTIN AND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACQUIRE SOME OF THESE LARGE LANDSCAPES THAT WE'VE ASSEMBLED OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, UM, SIMILAR OPPORTUNITIES ARE, ARE STARTING TO DWINDLE, UH, AND IT'S GETTING, GETS MORE EXPENSIVE EVERY DAY. AS WE SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, THE BEST TIME TO PROTECT THAT LAND WAS A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. SECOND BEST TIME IS TODAY. UH, AND LASTLY, I'LL JUST INVITE YOU ALL OUT TO THE WILDLANDS. UM, IF YOU GO TO THIS WEBSITE HERE, OR AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/WILDLAND EVENTS, UH, YOU CAN SEE JUST THIS COMING WEEKEND, WE'VE GOT A HIKE ON GUIDED HIKES ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. UM, SO A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO GET OUT, GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY, SEE SOME OF THESE SPECIAL PLACES, UH, AND CELEBRATE THIS INCREDIBLE GIFT THAT WE HAVE HERE IN AUSTIN WITH AUSTIN WATERS WILDLANDS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS, Y'ALL. UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU THINK YOU, YOU, YOU CAN'T KNOW MORE ABOUT SOMETHING AND THEN YOU LEARN 10, 15 DIFFERENT THINGS. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, WE DON'T HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ONE. NO. OKAY. UM, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN FOR SOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. AND, UM, COMMISSIONER PRIMER, I'M GONNA START WITH YOU TODAY. YEAH, I, UH, DO YOU PROTECT, UH, SOME PROPERTY OVER BY, UH, 360 IN SPICEWOOD SPRINGS ROAD? YES, THE DENNIS TRACT THAT FALLS UNDER YOUR, YOUR PURVIEW NOW? YES. I'VE GONE THROUGH SOME OF THE TCAD FILES AND THERE'S A LONG STRIP OF PROPERTY THAT RUNS, I GUESS, UP ON THE CLIFF ON THE SOUTH SIDE, OR I GUESS IT'S A CLIFF, I DUNNO, CAN'T TELL FROM THE MAP. AND I HAVEN'T GONE OUT THERE TO LOOK PERSONALLY, BUT THERE'S A LONG NUMBER OF, UH, PROPERTIES THAT ARE ALONG THAT SOUTH SIDE OF, UH, OR YEAH, SOUTH SIDE OF BULL CREEK. DO YOU GUYS OWN ALL THAT STUFF, ALL THAT PROPERTY OR MOST OF THAT PROPERTY, OR SOME OF THAT PROPERTY, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? UM, WE DO HAVE A PRETTY EXTENSIVE PRESERVE THERE IN THE BULL CREEK AREA. THAT'S MOSTLY THE B CANYON LANDS PRESERVE. STENNIS WAS KIND OF UNIQUE 'CAUSE IT WAS PURCHASED ACTUALLY WITH WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND FUNDS. UM, BUT IT'S RIGHT THERE EMBEDDED IN THE BCP. AND WE'VE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT MANAGING IT MORE AS PART OF THE BCP. UH, THE CITY'S PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT ALSO HAS A NUMBER OF TRUCKS ALONG THERE. THEY MANAGE THE BULL CREEK GREENBELT, UM, THE AREA THAT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DOWN ALONG BULL CREEK. AND THEN WE HAVE A TRAIL THAT GOES FROM BULL CREEK UP INTO, UH, JESTER, THE JESTER ESTATES AREA. BUT WE DO, UM, ON THE LANDS THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ALL THE TIME, WE'RE NOT STAFFED AT THE LEVEL OF PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENTS. SO THEY MANAGE THOSE LANDS AND THEN WE JUST HELP WITH THE HABITAT MANAGEMENT. OKAY. YEAH, I WAS A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS, AND WHEN I'VE GONE THROUGH THEM BEFORE, I'VE HAD THE, WHAT DO THEY CALL THEM, THE LOT NUMBERS OR I, WHAT DO THEY CALL 'EM IN PCA? AND YOU GUYS PROBABLY YEAH. PREPARED TO ANSWER A QUESTION ABOUT ONE OF THEM YOU CAN LOOK AT RIGHT NOW. BUT, UH, THERE'S AN ADDRESS. I MEAN, YOU CAN PULL UP THE THING AND THERE'S AN ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, CONTACT ADDRESS, AND SOMETIMES THERE'S A PERSON WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT PROPERTY. YEAH. YOU CAN LOOK AT TCA AND IT'LL SHOW YOU THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN OWNS IT IF THE CITY OWNS IT. AND THEN PROBABLY OUR REAL ESTATE SERVICES DEPARTMENT IS SOMETIMES THE BEST SOURCE TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHO MANAGES THAT PARTICULAR SITE. SO I COULD ASK THEM WHO MANAGES A PARTICULAR LOT. NOW, I ALSO INTERLEAVED IN THERE SOME TRAVIS COUNTY PROPERTIES. YES. THERE'S A LOT OF TRAVIS COUNTY PRESERVE BCP PRESERVE AROUND THERE AS WELL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UH, AND NOW THE BCP IS NON-PUBLIC PROPERTY AS FAR AS, UH, RECREATIONAL USE GOES. CORRECT. IT'S ALL PUBLIC LAND OWNED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND IT MAKES IT PUBLIC LAND, BUT IT'S NOT OPEN FOR JUST OPEN ACCESS. WE LIKE TO SAY IT'S, YOU KNOW, GUIDED ACCESS. WE DO HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS. WE HAVE A LOT OF GUIDED HIKES, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES, BUT WE CAN'T JUST LET PEOPLE COME AND GO AS THEY PLEASE ON MOST OF IT, JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO MANAGE THAT. YEAH. I'VE NOTICED THAT YOU HAVE GUIDED TOURS OF, UH, SECTIONS OF IT. UH, YEAH. OFF AND ON. I CAN COME UP HERE, I CAN GO OVER THERE. [02:40:01] YEAH. AND I WAS, UH, JUST GONNA ADD THAT THERE ARE, I JUST LOOKED AT MY NOTES. THERE ARE 30 MILES OF TRAILS ON BCP PROPERTIES THAT ARE, THAT WE CO-MANAGE WITH PARD. SO M ALONG, FOR EXAMPLE, IS PART OF THE BCP WITH PUBLIC TRAILS. UM, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A FOREST RIDGE TRAIL THAT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. UH, SO IT'S, YEAH, I THINK ABOUT 30 MILES OF TRAILS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. NOW, IF YOU INCORPORATE THE STENNER TRACT INTO THE BCP LANDS RIGHT NOW, STENNIS IS USED, UH, AS GENERALLY FREE PUBLIC ACCESS. I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S TRAILS BACK IN THERE. THERE'S SOME, UH, ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES THAT ARE NOT LABELED FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. BUT, UH, NEVERTHELESS, UH, WOULD, IF YOU INCORPORATED THAT INTO BCP, WOULD THAT THEN BECOME NO LONGER PUBLIC ACCESS? OR HOW WOULD YOU MANAGE THAT? TYPICALLY, WHEN WE ACQUIRE TRACKS, WE'LL MAINTAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ACCESS THAT IT, THAT'S ON THEM. AND THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING IF WE MAKE THAT SWITCH, WE'D, WE'D EVALUATE. UM, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHERE HISTORICALLY WHEN WE'VE HAD PUBLIC ACCESS AND WE'VE ACQUIRED A TRAIL AND MA TRACKED TO MANAGE IT, WE KEEP THAT LEVEL OF PUBLIC ACCESS. THERE'S A, UH, I HESITATE TO USE A TERM PARKING LOT 'CAUSE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT EXPANSIVE TERM FOR THE, UH, GRAVEL LOT THAT'S THERE. BUT IS THAT, UH, IS THAT ON STATE PROPERTY THERE? OR IF YOU, I'M ASSUMING YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. YES. AND I, DO YOU REMEMBER, IS IT WHERE THE PROPERTY BOUNDARY SITS THERE? I THINK SOME OF IT IS IN TEXDOT, UM, RIGHT OF WAY AND THAT, BUT, UH, STENNIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE JUST FOR THE GOOD OF THE GROUP. UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AUSTIN WATER, WE'RE NOT THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. UH, WE DON'T HAVE A RECREATION MANAGEMENT STAFF, AS I THINK SHERRY SAID. UH, WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN OUR DIVISION AT AUSTIN WATER IS, UH, PARTNER WITH ORGANIZATIONS TO ALLOW FOR PUBLIC ACCESS. SO AT STENNIS TRACT, WE PARTNER WITH BULL CREEK FOUNDATION, WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH BULL CREEK FOUNDATION. THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR STEWARDING THOSE RECREATIONAL AMENITIES. WE HAVE SIMILAR AGREEMENTS AT, UH, SAY OUR MAXWELL TRACKED IN, IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN, UM, OFF 1826, UH, WHERE THE MAXWELL TRAIL IS. AND SO THAT HAS BEEN A WAY THAT WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, TRIED TO, TO ALLOW FOR MORE PUBLIC ACCESS, BUT HAVE THE MANAGEMENT RESOURCES NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THOSE CONSERVATION VALUES, UH, FOR THESE PROPERTIES. NOW, 360 IS BEING WIDENED TO 500 LANES EACH DIRECTION. UH, IF TECH SIDE HAS THEIR WAY, WILL THAT ENCROACH ON THEIN PROPERTY? ALL MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT PRETTY MUCH THAT PARKING LOT WE DISCUSSED IS MOSTLY IN STATE OF RIGHT OF WAY. AND THAT WILL BE GONE, UH, AS PARKING. AND EVEN IN THE BEST OF DAYS, UH, THAT'S THE ONLY PARKING IN THAT AREA TO SERVICE NORTH, YOU KNOW, BULL CREEK PARK NORTH, BECAUSE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, NO REAL PARKING TO SPEAK OF. BUT THERE'LL BE MORE THAT'LL DISAPPEAR, OBVIOUSLY. BUT THAT NOT BEING MY REAL QUESTION. MY REAL QUESTION IS, UH, IS ANY OF THE, UH, STENT TRACK GONNA BE CONSUMED BY, UH, THE STATE'S REBUILDING OF, UH, 360 AROUND THERE? I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA IMPACT THE TRACK ITSELF, BUT IT MAY IMPACT THE PARKING. AND THEY HAVE TALKED TO US ABOUT THAT AND ALSO TO PARK PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. SO I THINK WE WOULD TRY TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT WITH TXDOT. OKAY. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN. OKAY, SO WITH THE FENCED AREAS, I WASN'T AWARE OF THE FENCING. UM, BUT WHAT ABOUT SMALL MAMMALS THAT MIGHT WANT TO CROSS BOUNDARIES THERE? FOXES AND SQUIRRELS AND CHIPMUNKS AND WE, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, UH, NATURE FINDS A WAY, UH, IN, UH, A LOT OF THE TIMES 'CAUSE UH, YOU KNOW, AS WE'LL GO OUT THERE, WE'LL SEE PLACES WHERE THEY'VE GONE UNDER THE FENCE. UH, YOU KNOW, WITH WINTER STORM DAMAGE, WE HAVE LOTS OF PLACES WHERE A TREE HAS TOPPLED AND, AND PUSHED THAT FABRIC DOWN. AND SO EVEN WHERE WE HAVE FENCES, IT CAN SOMETIMES BE A MORE POROUS BOUNDARY THAN YOU WOULD EXPECT. WELL, I JUST WONDERED IF IT'S IMPORTANT OR NOT, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE MOST OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT BIRDS AND CAVE AND BIRD INVERTEBRATES, BUT THERE'S OTHER CRITTERS. SO AB ABSOLUTELY. AND SO THINKING ABOUT THAT, AGAIN, THESE ARE, THESE ARE LARGE LANDSCAPES THAT WE'RE MANAGING MM-HMM . AND SO WE'RE REALLY, UH, THINKING MORE AND MORE ABOUT HOW WE PRESERVE THAT CONNECTIVITY AND AT, AT [02:45:01] EVERY SCALE, RIGHT. YOU KNOW, FOR A LARGE MAMMAL, YOU KNOW, COYOTES, DEER, YOU KNOW, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. BUT ALSO, LIKE YOU SAID, FOR THOSE SMALL MAMMALS. AND SO EVEN THINKING ABOUT HOW, UH, YOU KNOW, IN PLACES, MAYBE WE CAN CUT OUT SOME OF THAT FENCE FABRIC JUST SO THAT THERE'S A, A WINDOW THERE THAT A FOX OR A RACCOON OR POSSUM COULD EASILY GET THROUGH. UM, YOU KNOW, SOLUTIONS LIKE THAT. THINKING ABOUT PLACES WHERE WE, A LOT OF THE TIMES WHERE WE SEE A LOT OF THAT ACTIVITY IS IN, UH, DRAINAGES AND CREEK BEDS, WHERE WE'VE GOT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FENCE CONSTRUCTED IN A WAY THAT IT CAN SWING WHEN WATER GOES THROUGH. AND SO CRITTERS WILL BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TRAVEL AROUND ALONG THOSE AREAS. BUT IT'S, UM, YEAH, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. 'CAUSE IT'S VERY MUCH SOMETHING THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ON THAT KIND OF HOLISTIC ECOSYSTEM, HEALTH LEVEL. MM-HMM . WELL, GREAT. AND I JUST GOTTA SAY THAT HEARING ALL OF THIS TALK, UM, I JUST GOTTA SAY TIME FLIES. I MEAN, I WAS INVOLVED IN A LOT OF THIS STUFF BACK IN THE NINETIES AND I DIDN'T, IT'S, YOU KNOW, TIME FLIES, . YES, IT DOES. COMMISSIONER FIRO. YEAH. THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS, Y'ALL MENTIONED A BUNCH OF LIKE, EDUCATIONAL, UH, TRAININGS AND ALSO THE GUIDED HIKES. AND SINCE PART OF MY DAY, DAY-TO-DAY WORK IS JUST DOOR KNOCKING AND JUST INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE ON THE GROUND, I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF LIKE, DIVERSITY IN LANGUAGES IN AUSTIN AS WELL. SO I WAS WONDERING, ARE THESE OPPORTUNITIES JUST GEARED TOWARDS, UH, NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS OR ENGLISH SPEAKERS IN GENERAL, OR ARE THERE ALSO THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE HISPANIC POPULATION, ET CETERA? YEAH, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ALL THE TIME AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT THE AUDIENCES THAT WE'RE REACHING ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. UM, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK, SO WE, WE HAVE MATERIALS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. WE'VE HAD SOME SPECIFIC, UH, YOU KNOW, PARTNERSHIPS AND EVENTS TO TRY AND TARGET DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. I THINK FOR US, OUR LANDS ARE ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN. UM, AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, YOU KNOW, SOCIOECONOMICALLY, DEMOGRAPHICALLY WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT, WE REALLY TRY AND PARTNER AND TO PARTICIPATE IN OTHER EVENTS AROUND TOWN SO THAT WE CAN BRING THE WILDLANDS TO FOLKS WHO MIGHT NOT REALIZE THAT WE HAVE THIS INCREDIBLE NATIONAL CALIBER NETWORK OF LANDS RIGHT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. IT'S SOMETHING WHERE THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND A PLACE THAT WE REALLY WANT TO KEEP FOCUSING ON. GREAT. THANK YOU. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. THANKS COMMISSIONER LUKI. UH, I'M REALLY GLAD TO KNOW THAT Y'ALL EXIST AND, UH, AGAIN, IN THIS COMMISSION, UM, I'M LEARNING A WHOLE LOT. UH, AND I'M NOTICING THAT ALL OF YOUR, UM, GUIDED HIKES ARE, I GUESS, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WALKING, I'M A MOUNTAIN BIKER MYSELF, SO I HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW OF TRAILS. UH, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY BIKE TRAILS THAT CAN BE USED BY BIKES OR IS IT ALL JUST HIKING? UH, SO THERE ARE TRAILS THAT M ALONG AND OF COURSE BARTON CREEK CREEK. THAT'S NOT JUST A TRAIL , THAT IS THE BICYCLE BREAKING THING THERE, . YEAH, IT'S TRUE. AND I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE HAVING BROKEN A BICYCLE ON THAT TRAIL. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. UM, SO, UH, OUR MAXWELL TRAIL IS, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY I THINK A, A GREAT SUCCESS STORY IN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT USER GROUPS COMING TOGETHER. UH, SO WHEN THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS WERE ESTABLISHED AND THEY WERE LOOKING AT RECREATION, THERE WAS A WHOLE PROCESS TO SAY, WHAT CAN WE DO? WHERE AND, AND HOW DOES THAT ALL WORK TOGETHER? UH, AND AT THAT TRAIL, ALL OF THOSE USER GROUPS CAME TOGETHER TO SAY, HOW CAN WE FACILITATE HIKERS, BIKERS, AND EQUESTRIANS ALL ON A SINGLE TRAIL? UH, AND SO IT'S BEEN A GREAT PARTNERSHIP. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH BRIDGE RIDERS. THEY'RE THE STEWARD OF THAT TRAIL THERE. UH, AND YOU KNOW, SO NOW THAT TRAIL SET UP SO THAT BIKERS, YOU KNOW, GO ONE WAY, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, HIKERS GO THE OTHER WAY. SO WE CAN MINIMIZE THOSE CONFLICTS, UH, YOU KNOW, GREAT PARTNERSHIPS IN TERMS OF MAINTAINING THOSE TRAILS. UH, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, UH, YEAH, BURTON CREEK, GREENBELT, OTHER PLACES WHERE THERE ARE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO GET OUT ON TWO WHEELS OR TWO FEET. UM, SO DO Y'ALL HAVE A, A, A MAP WHERE YOU HAVE YOUR TRAILS LISTED? YES. UM, AND I, IF YOU GO TO THE, THE WEBSITE THAT WAS IN THE PRESENTATION THERE, AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/WILDLANDS, UH, IT WE HAVE ON THERE, UH, LINKS TO MAPS [02:50:01] THAT SHOW, UM, SOME OF THOSE PUBLIC RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. OKAY. YEAH, I'M ON THAT RIGHT NOW. UM, AND YOU SAID MAXWELL TRAIL? MAXWELL TRAIL, SO THAT, IS THAT A NEW ONE THAT'S IN UH, NO, IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR, GOSH, YEAH, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT. WE NAMED THAT, UM, MANAGEMENT UNIT FOR MARY GAY MAXWELL. UM, AND WE CALLED THAT TRAIL THE SLAUGHTER CREEK TRAIL FOR YEARS AND YEARS. BUT THERE'S A SLAUGHTER CREEK TRAIL ON, IN, UH, CIRCLE C METRO PARK, AND THEN ALSO PART OF THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL. NOW THEY CALL THE SLAUGHTER CREEK TRAIL THAT'S OVER BY SLAUGHTER CREEK. SO WE RECENTLY RENAMED THE TRAIL AS WELL TO THE MAXWELL TRAIL. SO IT'S, IT'S THE MARY GAME MAX SOUTH AUSTIN TRAIL NETWORK. UH, YEAH, THERE'S A BUNCH OF TRAILS ALL CONNECTED TOGETHER THERE THAT GOES ON AND ON. YEAH. YEAH. AND THERE'S A SEPARATE WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN GO AND SEE IF IT'S CLOSED, IF IT'S RAINING OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND WE HAVE SOME INCREDIBLE VOLUNTEERS THAT MANAGE THAT FOR US. YEAH, BECAUSE THAT'S, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE SET UP TO STEWARD THESE FOR THEIR CONSERVATION VALUES, UM, AND REALLY TRYING TO ALLOW FOR THAT PUBLIC ACCESS, BUT ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S SECONDARY TO THOSE CONSERVATION VALUES. SO LIKE THE MAXWELL TRAIL, BECAUSE IT IS PART OF THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS, IT CLOSES WHEN IT'S WET, UM, SO THAT WE REDUCE THE EROSION, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, PROTECT, PROTECT THAT SYSTEM. UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T ALLOW DOGS THERE WHERE THEY'RE ALLOWED ON OTHER TRAILS AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, TO TRY AND PROMOTE THOSE CONSERVATION VALUES. YEAH. THERE'S A RULE IN MOUNTAIN BIKING. YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T RIDE WHEN IT'S RAINING BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO LEAVE A MARK. AND, UH, IF IT'S WET OUT THERE, YOU WILL DEFINITELY LEAVE A MARK. SO, UM, WE ALL BELIEVE IN THAT AND THE RIDGE RIDERS ARE THE BEST AT, UH, AT, UH, AT DOING TRAILS. UM, I, I'M GLAD TO LEARN OF A NEW TRAIL TODAY, YET AGAIN. EXCELLENT. CHEERS. GOOD. COMMISSIONER FLO? YEAH. UH, THANK YOU FOR PRESENTATION TONIGHT. I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOUR FUNDING SOURCES ARE FOR ACQUISITION AND HOW YOU'LL HIT THAT 50,000 ACRE GOAL. SO, UH, WE'VE BENEFITED FROM A NUMBER OF PAST, UM, UH, GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS. SO MOST OF OUR RECENT ACQUISITIONS, WE JUST CLOSE OUT, UM, A BUNCH OF AC ACQUISITIONS OF THE 2018 BOND. WE HAD 72 MILLION IN THAT AND HAVE ALMOST COMPLETELY EXPENDED THAT GOT A LITTLE BIT LEFT FOR MAYBE ONE, ONE OR TWO MORE FINAL THINGS. UM, BUT WE ARE LOOKING, AS SHERRY SAID, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE 2026 BOND AS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO, TO, UM, LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL ACQUISITION DOLLARS. AND, AND WE DO HAVE A TEAM, UM, SORRY, EXCUSE ME BACK. WE HAVE A LAND ACQUISITION TEAM THAT INCLUDES STAFF FROM WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT AND OUR REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT AND OUR WILDLAND STAFF. AND WE LOOK AT ALL THE PARCELS, WE GO OUT AND, YOU KNOW, AND WE ALSO HIRE, UM, OUTSIDE REAL ESTATE PEOPLE. JUNIE PLUMMER IS STILL DOING WORK FOR US WHO'S PURCHASED THE MAJORITY OF THE BUCK EAST CANYON LANDS PRESERVE, UM, AND THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, BEING THE REAL ESTATE PERSON THAT NEGOTIATED IT. BUT SO WE'RE, WE'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING ALL THE TIME, AND AS JUSTIN SAID, THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE JUST GETTING LESS AND LESS. SO WE'RE USUALLY LOOKING FOR AT LEAST A HUNDRED ACRES OR LARGER TRACKS, AND THERE'S JUST NOT AS MANY AS THERE USED TO BE. UM, AND THEN IT LOOKS LIKE Y'ALL ARE, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S JUST CONSERVATION EASEMENTS OR ACQUIRING LAND OUTSIDE OF CITY LIMITS, UM, EVEN IN HAYES COUNTY, UM, IF I, YEP. YEAH. SO MOST OF OUR, UH, OUR, YOU KNOW, HALF OF OUR, UH, WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND ARE STRETCH INTO HAYES COUNTY. YEAH. AND I WAS EXCITED TO SEE THAT. 'CAUSE WHEN YOU FIRST GLANCE AT A MAP, YOU'RE LIKE, MAN, THIS IS ALL WEST OF 35. I'M, YOU KNOW, DISTRICT TWO, HOW DOES THIS PROGRAM RELATE TO ME? BUT SEEING, YOU KNOW, UH, THE CONNECTIVITY TO ONION CREEK AND BUTTA AND SOME OF THE LANDS AROUND THERE, BRING BRINGS IT IN. BUT I AM CURIOUS HOW Y'ALL RESPOND TO, TO FOLKS WHO ARE, ARE LIKE, HOW IS THIS PROGRAM FOR ME ON, ON, ON, ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE? YEAH. WELL, YOU KNOW, I REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE AS A DIVISION, WE AS, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, FOLKS AFFILIATED WITH THE WILDLANDS, THESE LANDS ARE FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. UM, YOU KNOW, THE BCP WAS SET ASIDE TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT. AND YOU SAW THAT SLIDE UP THERE THAT SHOWED, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, 1500 INDIVIDUAL LANDOWNER DEVELOPER PROJECTS, 400 INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, ALL OF THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, COST SAVINGS TO THE COMMUNITY AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO OUR CITY COFFERS. UM, SO THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THOSE ECONOMIC BENEFITS. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS, LIKE I SAID, THE BCP SITS OVER, [02:55:01] UH, THE WATERSHEDS THAT FLOW INTO LAKE TRAVIS IN LAKE AUSTIN, AND THAT IS, UM, CLEANER AND CLEARER WATER THAT NEEDS TO BE TREATED LESS. UM, SO IF YOU TURN ON YOUR TAP HERE IN AUSTIN, AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAY AT AUSTIN WATER IS, YOU KNOW, THAT DRINKING, YOU KNOW, HAVING CLEAN, SAFE DRINKING WATER, UM, IF THAT GOES AWAY, THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS LOW INCOME AND MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES FIRST. THOSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, SO HAVING RELIABLE, CLEAN, CLEAR, HIGH QUALITY WATER, UH, IS, IS A HUGE BENEFIT TO OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY. UM, I, YOU KNOW, AIR QUALITY, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST GENERAL, YOU KNOW, THE BENEFITS OF THESE OPEN SPACES, UH, IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU THINK EVEN ABOUT JUST AVOIDED DEVELOPMENT. UM, IF THESE, THESE PLACES HAD DEVELOPED THE MONEY THAT, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD HAVE TO GO INTO ROADS AND THAT SORT OF THING THAT, UM, OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE HAS BENEFITED FROM. UH, YOU LOOK AT THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS. AND, UM, I DON'T THINK, UH, I'VE MET A PERSON WHO, YOU KNOW, DIDN'T HAVE BARTON SPRINGS AS A, AS A, YOU KNOW, KEY PART OF THEIR AUSTIN EXPERIENCE, UH, OPEN TO ALL, UH, A REAL COMMUNITY GEM. AND THE WATER THERE AT BARTON SPRINGS BUBBLES UP CLEAN AND CLEAR BECAUSE OF THE LAND THAT WE'VE ACQUIRED AND THAT WE MANAGE IN HAYES COUNTY. UM, WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE DOWN IN HAYES COUNTY, WE, WE TELL THOSE FOLKS THAT HAYES COUNTY DRINKS THAT WATER BEFORE WE SWIM IN IT AT BARTON SPRINGS. AND SO THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT RELY ON THE BARTON SPRINGS SEGMENT OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER FOR THEIR WATER. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S LOOKING AT RURAL HAYES COUNTY, UM, THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, MIGHT NOT LOOK THE SAME DEMOGRAPHICALLY AS SAY, LIKE BULL CREEK AREA, JE OR, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE SORTS OF PLACES. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS. WE'VE TALKED WITH OUR PARTNERS AT, AT WATERSHED PROTECTION ABOUT HOW WE TAKE THIS MODEL AND LOOK AT OUR WHOLE CITY, LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, AREAS ON THE EAST SIDE, RIPARIAN AREAS, YOU KNOW, FORMER OF BLACKLAND PRAIRIE AREAS TO PROTECT THE WHOLE DIVERSITY OF AUSTIN AND HOW WE BUILD A REALLY ROBUST AND CONNECTED NETWORK OF NATURAL LANDS THAT, UM, PROVIDE BENEFITS TO ALL OF US. YEAH. UH, THANK YOU. I'VE SEEN AUSTIN WATER OUT A LOT AT DOVE SPRINGS PARK. UM, JUST FIRST TIME KIND OF LEARNING HOW BIG THE WILDLANDS PROGRAM IS, SO YEAH, I'M EXCITED. THANK YOU. THANKS, CHUCK. KRUGER, THANK YOU FOR STAYING LATE FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. UM, I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN GO TO THE SECOND SLIDE FROM THE PRESENTATION, THE ONE THAT WAS JUST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INTRO. UM, 'CAUSE THE CURIOSITY THAT I'VE HAD IS I STILL DON'T HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HIERARCHY BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS INVOLVED. TRAVIS COUNTY IS INVOLVED, MAYBE PARKS AND WILDLIFE IS INVOLVED. LIKE, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SO MANY ENTITIES THAT COME TOGETHER. AND THEN, I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S THE LCRA, THERE'S THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, THERE'S TRAVIS AUDUBON. AND SO, UM, YEAH, I JUST DON'T HAVE A SENSE IN TERMS OF FUNDING, IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS, HOW ALL OF THESE THINGS FIT TOGETHER. UM, AND ON THE SECOND SLIDE, YOU LISTED OUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE OFFICE, UH, YOU KNOW, AND IT HAD SOME NAMES, BUT IT, IT WASN'T IN SORT OF LIKE A ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FORMAT. SO I'M CURIOUS YEAH, IF YOU CAN, YEAH, . UM, THAT'S OKAY. WELL, THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE OFFICE IS JUST A, A ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE, IF YOU WILL, WITHIN AUSTIN WATER WHERE THE WILDLAND CONSERVATION DIVISION SITS. UM, THE BA CANYON LANDS PRESERVE REALLY IS A PARTNERSHIP PRIMARILY. UM, THE CITY AND TRAVIS COUNTY ARE THE ONES THAT HOLD THAT PERMIT TO MANAGE THE BA CANYON LANDS CONSERVATION PLAN AND, AND PERMIT. AND THEN WE HAVE PARTNERS LIKE THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, TRAVIS AUDUBON, UM, THE WILD BASIN, WHICH IS, HAS A CONNECTION WITH ST. EDWARDS AND ALSO WITH TRAVIS COUNTY. SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PARTNERS THAT MANAGE LAND WITHIN THAT SYSTEM. TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE WAS AT THE TABLE BACK IN THE DAY WHEN IT WAS THE AUSTIN HABITAT CONSERVATION, REGIONAL HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN. UM, WE PARTNER WITH THEM ON PRESCRIBED BURNING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THEY'RE NOT ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN MANAGING THE LANDS THAT WE MANAGE. AND THAT TRAVIS COUNTY MANAGES. THERE IS A FEDERAL REFUGE, UM, THEES CANYON LAND'S NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. MM-HMM . AND THAT WAS ALSO NEGOTIATED BACK IN THE DAY WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE, LOCAL FOLKS WERE LIKE, WELL, WHERE'S THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT [03:00:01] IN THIS? MM-HMM . HOW ARE THEY GONNA CONTRIBUTE? AND JAKE PICKLE WAS VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING FUNDING FOR THAT LAND. SO THAT'S ANOTHER BIG, UM, CONSERVATION LAND AREA KIND OF NORTH OF OUR LANDS. MM-HMM . BUT THIS DOESN'T REALLY DESCRIBE THE STRUCTURE WITHIN THE BAS CANYON LANDS PRESERVE SO MUCH MM-HMM . UM, BUT WE COULD GET YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT, ABOUT THE PARTNERS. THERE'S MORE INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE, I THINK ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT BCP PARTNERS. THIS IS JUST MY TEAM IN AUSTIN WATER, BASICALLY. THANK YOU. I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT IF THERE IS A PUBLIC FACING DOCUMENT OR JUST A DOCUMENT YOU'D BE WILLING TO SHARE WITH ME JUST TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE AND HOW IT ALL CONNECTS. UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW LIKE, OH, IT'S ALL GENERALLY RELATED, BUT THEN THE NUANCES I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND. SO EVEN, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THIS 2026 BOND ISSUE, WERE WE TO SECURE FUNDING, WHERE WOULD THAT GO? EXACTLY. AND THEN WHAT WOULD IT SERVE IN THIS BROADER CONTEXT? UM, WELL, I'LL JUST SAY WE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL STILL UNDER DISCUSSION WITH THE BOND ADVISORY TASK FORCE AND WITH STAFF. BUT OUR RECOMMENDATION IN AUSTIN WATER WAS TO PUT IN, UM, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS AND $50 MILLION FOR THE BAIS CANYON LANDS PRESERVE. SO HOW THOSE BONDS WERE, UM, WORDED IN THE PAST, THEY WERE PRETTY SPECIFIC AS KIND OF A LONG STORY ON THE BCP BONDS. OUR BONDS PASSED BACK IN THE EIGHTIES AND THE CITY WAS ABLE TO BUY, OR EARLY NINETIES, ABLE TO BUY A BUNCH OF LAND IN 92, I THINK IS WHEN THOSE PASSED, THE TRAVIS COUNTY BOND ELECTION DIDN'T PASS. AND SO THEY WERE KIND OF PLAYING CATCH UP, BUYING MORE LAND, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE ANOTHER FUNDING SOURCE TO BUY LAND. UM, ANYWAY, OUR, OUR, WE HAVEN'T HAD A LOT OF RECENT BONDS FOR BCP 'CAUSE TRAVIS COUNTY HAS HAD ANOTHER FUNDING SOURCE TO BUY THAT. BUT WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO PITCH IN ON SOME OF THESE LAST PIECES. SO WE WANT TO HAVE SOME MONEY FOR THAT. AND THEN THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND BONDS ARE USUALLY PRETTY SPECIFIC. THEY SAY, YOU KNOW, FOR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION IN THE BARTON SPRINGS SEGMENT OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER MM-HMM . UM, I THINK WAS THE LANGUAGE IN THE 2018 BOND. AND WE, UH, WERE ABLE TO, UM, THE VOTERS APPROVED $72 MILLION FOR THAT PROGRAM. THERE'S ALSO USUALLY BOND MONEY FOR PARK ACQUISITION AND THEN FOR PARK MAINTENANCE. AND SO THE BOND ADVISORY TASK FORCE IS TRYING TO TAKE ALL THAT INFORMATION AND THEY'LL MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO, COUNCIL STAFF'S GONNA MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL. AND I THINK THE BOND IS NOT GONNA BE HUGE, IS WHAT I'M HEARING. AND SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THOSE, UM, NUMBERS ARE GONNA FALL OUT AT THE END. MM-HMM . GOT IT. THANK YOU. AND DID I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, JUSTIN, THAT 50% OF THE BCP LAND IS IN HAYES COUNTY? UH, THAT'S THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND PROGRAM, THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND. SO AGAIN, OKAY. WHAT OUR LANDS, AND I CAN'T CLICK THROUGH, BUT IF YOU CAN NAVIGATE TO THE MAP, UH, WHICH IS A FEW SLIDES DOWN MM-HMM . UM, OUR LAND, THE BCP IS REALLY NORTH AND WEST OF, OF DOWNTOWN. MM-HMM . NORTH AND WEST OF HERE. AND THEN THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS STRETCH SOUTH AND WEST. MM-HMM . UM, SO INTO HAYES COUNTY, UM, REALLY, YOU KNOW, FROM ONION CREEK UP, UM, ALL THE WAY, UH, TO BURTON SPRINGS. GOT IT. OKAY. I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S A SMALL PORTION OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT'S IN HAYES COUNTY, BUT IT'S, IT'S VERY SMALL. SO IT'S JUST INTERESTING FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN OWNING. YEAH. SO SOME OF OUR LANDS ARE, ARE WITHIN THE ETJ AND SOME OF OUR LANDS ARE IN, UH, HAYES COUNTY. RIGHT. THAT'S INTERESTING. OKAY. THE MAJORITY OF THE BCP LANDS ARE IN TRAVIS COUNTY. THERE WERE A COUPLE, COUPLE NAMED CAVES THAT WERE OUTSIDE THE COUNTY. A COUPLE IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY, UM, COUPLE UP BY THE REFUGE. ONE IN HAYES COUNTY, FLINT RIDGE CAVE, WHICH IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. OR IS IT HAYES, OR MAYBE IT'S TRAVIS, BUT IT'S SOUTHWEST. YEP. UM, BUT THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS A LOT OF THAT. THE REASON WHY THOSE LANDS ARE IN HAYES COUNTY IS BECAUSE THE SCIENCE SHOWED US THAT ONION CREEK WAS VERY SIGNIFICANT TO THE RECHARGE OF BARTON SPRINGS. OVER 30% OF THE RECHARGE TO BARTON SPRINGS COMES FROM THE ONION CREEK WATERSHED. AND WE GET, OH, I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. THAT'S WHY THE CITY STARTED PURCHASING LAND DOWN THERE. MM-HMM . NO, I'M GLAD THEY DID. DO WE GET ANY FINANCIAL OR OPERATIONAL SUPPORT FROM HAYES COUNTY? WE HAVE ONE CONSERVATION, MAYBE TWO CONSERVATION EASEMENTS THAT PARTNER WITH HAYES COUNTY. ONE OF THEM WAS RECENT. ANOTHER ONE IS SEVERAL PARTNERS, INCLUDING HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY. MM-HMM . UM, SOMETIMES WE CAN PUT MONEY INTO A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AND THEN HAVE ANOTHER ENTITY MANAGE THAT EASEMENT, WHICH IS EVEN A MORE EFFICIENT USE OF [03:05:01] OUR FUNDING. 'CAUSE THEN WE DON'T REALLY HAVE TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT THAT INITIAL FUNDING. UM, BUT YEAH, WE HAVE A COUPLE WITH HAYES HAYES COUNTY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FIRST WENT DOWN THERE AND STARTED PURCHASING LAND, I THINK IT WAS NOT VERY POPULAR. YEAH. WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE DOWN THERE, BUT NOW THEY LOVE IT. MM-HMM . MOST OF THE PEOPLE. AND THERE'S BEEN A SHIFT KIND OF IN THE, UM, LEADERSHIP AS WELL, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF THE CITIZENS REALLY LIKE HAVING THAT OPEN SPACE. MM-HMM . RIGHT. I THINK IT'S ALSO AN EXAMPLE OF HOW AUSTIN'S LED THE WAY IN THAT OUR, UH, ACQUISITIONS AND PROTECTIONS OF LAND IN HAYES COUNTY. NOW HAYES COUNTY IS PUTTING MONEY TOWARDS LAND PROTECTION AND ACQUISITION. SO I THINK WE REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, CAN KIND OF SET THE EXAMPLE AND, UH, IT'S ALLOWED, YOU KNOW, THAT BROADER LAND PROTECTION COMMUNITY AND ETHOS TO THRIVE. MM-HMM . THAT'S COOL. THANK YOU. UM, IN THINKING ABOUT THE DESIRE FOR CONTINUITY ACROSS ALL THESE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAYES COUNTY, WHAT ABOUT BURNETT COUNTY? ARE WE LOOKING OVER THERE? BURNING LAND ACQUISITION? UM, THERE IS SOME OF THE REFUGES IN BURNET COUNTY, BUT DO YOU WANNA MENTION THE WATER FORWARD AND THE COLORADO? YEAH. SO IN, UH, WATER FORWARD 24, OUR A HUNDRED YEAR INTEGRATED WATER PLAN, WE DO HAVE A, A KIND OF WATER QUALITY PROTECTION STRATEGY WHERE WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE USE THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR AUSTIN WATER WILDLANDS AND THINK ABOUT LAND PROTECTION IN THE LOWER COLORADO WATERSHED, FURTHER UPSTREAM MM-HMM . UH, AND SO WE ARE JUST BEGINNING A PROCESS TO, UH, YOU KNOW, START TALKING WITH PARTNERS IN THAT AREA AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LAND PROTECTION LANDSCAPE LOOKS LIKE AND WHERE THERE MIGHT BE OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP SUPPORT EFFORTS TO PROTECT THOSE AREAS THAT, THAT ULTIMATELY FEED INTO THE WATER THAT COMES OUT OF OUR TAPS. MM-HMM . OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, LAST QUESTION. I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON SOMETHING THAT COMMISSIONER FIERRO BROUGHT UP, UM, WHICH IS BILINGUAL LANGUAGE ACCESS. AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A NEW VISITOR CENTER THAT'S BEING BUILT BY THE COUNTY, WHICH I UNDERSTAND YOU ALL ARE NOT HERE REPRESENTING THE COUNTY, BUT I'M SURE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM. UM, AND AS FAR AS I'M AWARE, IN TERMS OF INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS WITHIN THE COUNTY, THERE ARE NO SOLIDIFIED PLANS RIGHT NOW TO OFFER THAT VISITOR CENTER, UM, AS BILINGUAL. THERE MIGHT BE SOME, UM, PORTIONS OF PANELS THAT ARE BILINGUAL, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EQUAL ACCESS FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE OR OTHER LANGUAGE LEARNERS. SO I JUST WANTED TO ASK THOSE OF YOU IN THIS ROOM WHO HAVE ACCESS, YOU KNOW, TO THOSE PEOPLE, TO THE COMMISSIONERS TO PLEASE, UH, YOU KNOW, LOBBY ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE HAVING ACCESS TO THIS INCREDIBLE RESOURCE. UM, 'CAUSE OF, AS OF RIGHT NOW, IT'S ONLY PLANNED FOR ENGLISH. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE CAN CARRY THAT MESSAGE BACK. I DID INVITE JEREMY HALL, THE, UH, COES CANYONLANDS PROGRAM MANAGER FOR TRAVIS COUNTY, BUT HE WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT THIS EVENING, BUT I'LL GIVE HIM THAT MESSAGE. UM, WELL, THANK Y'ALL. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK PART OF THE REASON THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE, UM, Y'ALL COME AND, AND PRESENT ON THIS IS TO REALLY HELP THE COMMISSION UNDERSTAND, UM, WHAT THAT COMMUNITY INVESTMENT HAS BEEN OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS. AND, UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT, IT'S MIND BLOWING. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF INVESTMENT FOR US TO HAVE THESE CONSERVATION LANDS FOR US TO INVEST IN OUR, OUR WATER, OUR WILDLIFE, YOU KNOW, UM, AND THAT'S NOT INSIGNIFICANT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO ACCOMPLISH SOME OF THESE ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS THAT WE HAVE, UM, AS A BODY WHEN WE'RE WORKING ON THOSE. SO, SO I JUST WANT TO KIND OF SAY THAT OUT LOUD ALSO, JUST I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY THANKS TO MY MOM, UH, AND ALL OF HER WORK, UH, AS COUNTY COMMISSIONER ON THIS. IT'S, IT'S VERY COMPLICATED. ALL OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ASK. UM, YOU KNOW, EARLIER, UM, WERE WERE THERE WITH, WITH SCREAMING, UM, AUDIENCES, AND, UH, AND PASSIONATE, UM, PLEASE, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GET TO THESE. AND, UM, IT, IT REALLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK SHERRY SAID EARLIER, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A REALLY COMMUNITY DRIVEN SOLUTION TO A REALLY GIANT PROBLEM. UM, WHICH WAS HOW DO YOU HAVE A COUNTY AND A CITY IN SUCH A HIGH GROWTH AREA THAT HAS EIGHT ENDANGERED SPECIES LISTED ALL AT THE SAME TIME? UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT, IT JUST, IT TOOK EVERYBODY TO COME TO THE TABLE. IT IS ABOUT COMPROMISE. NOBODY GOT EVERYTHING THAT THEY WANTED. AND THAT'S ALSO, TO ME, A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE, UM, WRESTLING WITH AS A CITY AS WELL. UM, THAT, [03:10:01] YOU KNOW, COMPROMISE GETS US THE BIG WIN. YOU KNOW, HAVING, HAVING THOSE SOLUTIONS AND COMING TOGETHER AND, AND WORKING THROUGH EACH OF THOSE PROBLEMS. UM, I, I'VE MADE SO MANY NOTES HERE. I JUST WANNA, UM, GET BACK TO ONE QUESTION THAT I THINK I HAD HERE. HMM. UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE OAK WILT MONITORING, UM, PROGRAM. AND ON THESE LANDS, DO YOU SEE OAK WILT AS BECOMING MORE AND MORE OF AN ISSUE? YOU KNOW, I, I JUST HAD A CONVERSATION THE OTHER DAY THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE THIS YEAR IN PARTICULAR WAS A REALLY BAD OAK WILT YEAR, AND WE ARE SEEING MORE SPREAD. UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT CERTAINLY HAS BEEN, HAS BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE. WE, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE PARTNERED WITH A PD AND, AND GOTTEN UP IN THEIR HELICOPTER AND BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY CENTERS. UM, WE PUT OUR RESOURCES INTO TRENCHING AROUND SOME OF THOSE CENTERS TO SLOW AND STOP THAT SPREAD. UH, AND IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO MONITOR BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THESE ASH, JUNIPER WOODLANDS, BUT REALLY IT'S ASH, JUNIPER, OAK WOODLANDS, AND THAT DIVERSITY IS SO CRITICAL, UM, TO OUR NATIVE SPECIES. SO, UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, YOU KNOW, I THINK I, I HAVE HEARD THAT IT'S A LITTLE BIT WORSE THIS YEAR AND WITH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE KIND OF CLIMATIC FACTORS AND OTHER THINGS GOING ON, WE'RE TRYING TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT ON AT SCALE. GREAT. YEAH. YEAH. NO, IT, IT DOES. I MEAN, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT, IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY, IT DOES SEEM LIKE IT IS, UM, MORE AND MORE PREVALENT. I, I, I DO SAY HATS OFF TO LAKEWAY. I THINK THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB WITH PUTTING, YOU KNOW, UM, INFORMATION OUT. THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, SIGNS THAT SAY, DON'T CUT DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, UM, OR HEY, IT'S TIME TO CUT, YOU KNOW, UH, GET OUT THERE AND TRIM YOUR TREES IF YOU NEED TO. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE VERY, VERY PROACTIVE ABOUT IT, AND I REALLY, UM, COMMEND THAT COMMUNITY FOR, FOR DOING THAT. UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL OF, UM, THE, UM, THE COMMENTS THAT I HAVE EXCEPT FOR AUSTIN DOESN'T WANNA BE LAREDO . I'M JUST SAYING THAT , LET'S NOT GET THERE, CHAIR. LETS NOT GET THERE. CAN I, CAN I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION? YES. UM, HAVE YOU GUYS WORKED WITH THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT? YES, WE, WE'VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THEM AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THEM ABOUT TRAILS. 'CAUSE OF COURSE THEIR TRAIL PLAN, UH, CONNECTS TO THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL. THAT'S THE POINT I WAS, WAS GONNA MAKE, THAT THEY ARE, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A TRAIL THAT RUNS FROM, UM, THE NORTH SOUTH BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO AND AUSTIN, BUT ALSO GO OVER TO MCKINNEY FALLS. SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT NORTH SOUTH, IT'S ALSO GONNA GO EAST. YEAH. AND, UH, THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL, THE PLAN THERE IS FOR THAT TO EXTEND. WE ARE ACTUALLY A HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY, UH, AND THEIR CONTRACTORS ARE WORKING ON THE FIRST SEGMENT THAT WILL BE ON THE WILDLANDS ON OUR J 17 TRACT, UH, WHICH IS RIGHT AT MOPAC MOPAC AND, UM, SH 45. AND THEN THEY'LL CONNECT, THEY'LL GO ACROSS SH 45 AND HEAD ALL THE WAY SOUTH TO OUR ONION CREEK MANAGEMENT UNIT, UH, ANOTHER 13, 14, 15 MILES MM-HMM . UH, ALL TOLD ON THE WILDLAND. SO, UH, PRETTY SOON IN THE COMING YEARS, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HIKE FROM BURTON SPRINGS ALL THE WAY OUT TO WHERE THE WATER HITS THE GROUND AND GOES UNDERGROUND. THANKS. UM, THE, I THINK THE LAST COMMENT THAT I WANTED TO MAKE, UM, WHEN WE, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UM, THOSE LANDS THAT ARE PURCHASED OR HAVE A CONSERVATION EASEMENT THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF, UM, THE CITY OR EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY, OR EVEN WITHIN IT, UM, WHEN RAIN FALLS IN TEXAS, 95% OF IT LANDS ON PUB, ON PRIVATE LAND. AND SO THOSE PRIVATE LANDS ARE SO CRITICAL TO HELPING US MANAGE FOR WATER, FOR WILDLIFE, FOR EVERYTHING. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BIG THANKS TO ALL THE PARTNERS THAT DO THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, IN THINKING ABOUT, WE'VE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON THESE, YOU KNOW, THESE BIG, BIG LANDOWNERS, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S TIME TO ALSO START THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE CONNECT WITH THOSE SMALLER LANDOWNERS SO THAT THEY'RE ALSO MANAGING THEIR PROPERTY, UH, IN A WAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IS, IS GOOD FOR THE WATER, GOOD FOR THE WILDLIFE AS WELL, AS WELL AS FOR US. SO, LAST COMMENT ON THAT, APPRECIATE Y'ALL, AND THANKS FOR STAYING LATE. THANK YOU. LET'S, UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. I, ONE MORE GET ON IN THERE, BRIER. I, HEY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA STOP. [03:15:01] UH, THE, UH, I WANNA PILE ON WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER KRUGER AND, UH, FIRO REGARDING THE, UH, BILINGUAL SIGNS UP BY THEIN TRACK. UH, THERE IS, YOU KNOW, EXTREMELY LARGE POPULATION OF HISPANIC HERITAGE OVER THERE. YOU KNOW, A LOT LARGER THAN YOU MIGHT ANTICIPATE BECAUSE OF THE EASY ACCESS TO THE CREEK AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THE FLOWING WATERS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. SO THE NEED FOR, UH, BILINGUAL SIGNAGE IS IMPORTANT. I KNOW THE EXACT JURISDICTIONAL PROPERTY LINES WHEN PARD AND YOU GUYS ARE UP FOR DEBATE, BUT AT LEAST FOR ME ANYWAY. BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING YOU GUYS NEED TO, IN THAT AREA OF, UH, DISTRICT 10 NEED TO PAY, YOU KNOW, ATTENTION TO. 'CAUSE THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE PROBABLY COULD BENEFIT, YOU KNOW, FROM YEAH. SIGNS IN SPANISH. EXCELLENT. YEAH, WE APPRECIATE THE COMMENT AND WE'LL, WE'LL KEEP WORKING ON IT. OKAY. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. THANKS Y'ALL. ALRIGHT. WE HAVE [6. Staff briefing on a change to the Austin Parks and Recreation Concessions Policy to create Legacy Concessions – Idella Wilson, Contract Management Specialist IV, Austin Parks and Recreation – Idella Wilson, Contract Management Specialist IV, Austin Parks and Recreation] ONE MORE STAFF BRIEFING. ARE Y'ALL AWAKE AND READY? . ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. COME ON UP. UH, LET'S TALK ABOUT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, CONCESSIONS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. I, YEAH, THAT'S A CLICK. WELL, GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU ALL FOR STAYING AWAKE FOR US. I'M IDELLA WILSON. I'M A CONTRACT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST FOR WITH THE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. AND WITH ME IS DR. SUZANNE PIPER. SHE IS OUR CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. AND AS WAS UH, MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT CONCESSIONS IN THE CITY PARK SYSTEM. AND I APOLOGIZE THAT I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT BIRD FRIENDLY DESIGN OR WILDLIFE, BECAUSE I REALLY, I FOUND THOSE PRESENTATIONS VERY, VERY INFORMATIONAL AND INTERESTING. AND HERE I AM NOW AND IT'S LIKE, YOU SHOULDN'T FOLLOW THOSE TYPES OF PRESENTATIONS. BUT, UM, LEMME SEE IF I, AGAIN, THIS IS ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL, UH, VISITOR SERVICES POLICY FOR CONCESSIONS AND CITY PARKS. THIS PARTICULAR POLICY WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN OUT IN 1993. IT WAS LAST REVISED IN 1998, WHICH INTERESTINGLY I LEARNED WAS WHEN KURT WATSON WAS FIRST MAYOR. SO WE'VE COME FULL CIRCLE. WE'RE NOW KIND OF DOING A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE WHEN HE'S MAYOR AGAIN. UH, THE PURPOSE OF THESE POLICIES IS TO MAINTAIN THE AESTHETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF THE PARK SYSTEM, PROVIDE POSITIVE EX UH, RECREATIONAL EXPERIENCES TO PARK VISITORS AND ENSURE A FINANCIAL RETURN TO THE CITY. UH, CITY CODE TITLE EIGHT, WHICH IS UNDER WHICH THE CODE AREA THAT THE PARKS AND RECREATION FALLS UNDER GIVES THE DIRECTOR THE AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO EXECUTE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CONCESSIONS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UH, AND AGAIN, THIS PARTICULAR POLICY HERE IS NOW SUPERSEDING WHAT WAS LAST WRITTEN IN 1998. MOST OF THESE POLICIES THAT WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH, THEY'RE THINGS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. THE LAW DEPARTMENT WAS DIRECTED BY THE CITY MANAGER AND THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER TO UPDATE THIS AND INCLUDE THIS NEW LEGACY CONCESSION POLICY THAT THEY WANNA I IMPLEMENT. AND, UH, THEY'VE ALSO TOOK A TIME TO SORT OF UPDATE THE FORMAT. SO NOW WE HAVE A DEFINITION SECTION AND MOST OF THESE DEFINITIONS, I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH THEM WITH YOU. I WOULD LIKE TO JUST KIND OF HAVE YOU FOCUS ON FAMILY MEMBER AND LEGACY CONCESSION. 'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT ONES IN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANNA HOPE TO IMPLEMENT. LEGACY CONCESSION MEANS AN EXISTING PERMANENT CONCESSION. THAT MEANS AN EXISTING CONCESSION THAT HAS AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY FOR OVER SIX MONTHS. ANYTHING UNDER SIX MONTHS IS A TEMPORARY PERMIT. AND IT'S BEEN CONTINUOUSLY OWNED AND OPERATED IN THE SAME PARK LOCATION BY THE SAME PERSON OR FAMILY MEMBER. AND THERE YOU HAVE THE FAMILY MEMBER DEFINITION. IT INCLUDES BOTH BLOOD AND AFFINITY RELATIONS. AND THE SAME PARK LOCATION BY THE SAME PERSON OR FAMILY MEMBER FOR AT LEAST 30 YEARS, HAS OPERATED UNDER THE SAME NAME OR SIMILAR NAME FOR THE ENTIRETY OF ITS EXISTENCE. CONTRIBUTES TO THE CITY'S HISTORY AND CULTURE AS DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION, AND HAS MAINTAINED THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE CONCESSION IN GOOD CONDITION. SO THIS IS REALLY THE NEWEST PART OF WHAT WE'RE ADDING. AND THEN WE HAVE THE OTHER DEFINITIONS HERE. PERMANENT CONCESSION PMA. AGAIN, IT'S A PARKS MAIN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND A NONPROFIT TEMPORARY CONCESSION. IT'S A CONCESSION OPERATING [03:20:01] PURSUANT TO A PERMIT ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT FROM A TERM ONE DAY TO SIX MONTHS. AND THEN HERE ARE THE POLICY GOALS, WHICH AGAIN, I THINK ARE NOT ANYTHING NEW THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTING FOR ALL OF THESE YEARS. IT'S TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN CONCESSION FACILITIES AND SERVICES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH EXPERIENCES FOR PARK VISITORS. ENSURE APPROPRIATE LIMITS OF COMMERCIAL USE WITHIN THE PARK SYSTEM, ENSURES THAT THE CONCESSIONS MAINTAIN THE AESTHETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF THE PARK SYSTEM, PROVIDE A FINANCIAL RETURN TO THE CITY, AND PROVIDE A PUBLIC BENEFIT TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN. SEEK NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE, ENHANCE AND EXPAND SERVICES, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES FOR PARK VISITORS. PRESERVE THE CULTURAL RECREATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE PARK SYSTEM BY MAINTAINING A HIGHER PROPORTION, PROPORTION OF NON-COMMERCIAL USES THAN COMMERCIAL USES. ENCOURAGE USERS OF THE PARK SYSTEM THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH VISION PLANS WHEN WE HAVE THEM. AND TO PERMIT NO MORE THAN 25% OF THE TOTAL AREA OF ANY PARK OR PARK FACILITY TO BE USED FOR CONCESSIONS EXCEPT WHEN THE CONCESSION INVOLVES THE ENTIRE PARK OR THE PARK FACILITY. THESE NEXT SLIDE DEAL WITH THE PROCEDURES THAT ARE IMPLEMENTED FOR THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONCESSION. THIS FIRST SLIDE HERE DEALS WITH NEW PERMANENT CONCESSIONS, AND THAT KIND OF IS THE LENGTHIER PROCESS. UM, AND THE DIRECTOR'S ONE THAT CONSIDERS WHETHER IT'S APPLICABLE. YOU LOOK AT THE LAWS, WHETHER IT'S LEGAL, WHETHER IT'S SAFE, IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT COULD IMPACT THE PARK, UH, ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY COMPONENTS THAT IT PROVIDES, ANY CONSERVATION THAT IT PROVIDES. THESE ARE KIND OF THE GENERAL CATEGORIES THAT THE DIRECTOR LOOKS AT WHEN HE'S CONSIDERING A NEW OR EXPANDING AN EXISTING, UH, PERMANENT CONCESSION. AND AGAIN, THE PERMANENT CONCESSION IS MORE THAN SIX MONTHS. UH, IT'S PERMANENT CONCESSIONS ARE MANAGED EITHER BY THE DEPARTMENT OR BY A POMO WITH ITS NONPROFIT PARTNER. THAT'S THE PARK OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT. UH, BEFORE AUTHORIZING A NEW PERMANENT CONCESSION, THE PROPOSED CONCESSION ERRORS WILL PROVIDE AN ANALYSIS, UH, DEMONSTRATING THAT THEY HAD THE FINANCIAL AND MARKET CAPABILITIES TO ENSURE THAT THE, UH, CONCESSION IS GONNA BE VIABLE. THERE ARE TWO KIND OF ROUTES FOR PERMANENT CONCESSIONS. UH, ONE IS IF IT IS NOT A BOAT AND WATERCRAFT CONCESSION ACTIVITY IN LADY BIRD LAKE METROPOLITAN PARK AND THE COLORADO RIVER. THE SOLICITATION AND PROCESS FOLLOWS THE CITY PROCUREMENT POLICIES AND THEN IS APPROVED BY THE DIRECTOR IF IT IS A BOAT AND WATERCRAFT RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY IN LADY BIRD LAKE METROPOLITAN PARK, AND THE COLORADO RIVER. IT FOLLOWS THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT POLICIES, BUT ALSO IT HAS TO FOLLOW THE SPECIFICATIONS THAT ARE OUTLINED IN THE CITY CODE SECTION EIGHT DASH ONE DASH 71, WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO WATERCRAFT CONCESSIONS ON LADY BIRD LAKE. THERE ARE CERTAIN SPECIFIC ITEMS, AND THOSE HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR A WHILE NOW. AND THEN THERE'S HOW CONCESSION PAYMENTS ARE DETERMINED. AGAIN, THESE VARY AND IT'S A CASE BY CASE DETERMINATION THAT THE DIRECTOR LOOKS AT. AND THEN THE STAFF DOES REVIEW THE CONCESSION AGREEMENTS GENERALLY EVERY FIVE YEARS OR SOONER, DEPENDING ON IF THEY FEEL THAT THE REVENUE FEES NEED TO BE ADJUSTED. THE NEXT SLIDE, OOPS, SORRY. UH, AND HERE WE HAVE THE NEW ONE THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON, THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO CREATE ABOUT LEGACY CONCESSION. AND THE DIRECTOR IS THE ONE WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO EVALUATE A PROPOSED LEGACY CONCESSION. AND AGAIN, THE CONCESSION HAS TO MEET THE CRITERIA THAT WE DISCUSSED 30 YEARS, BEEN THE SAME FAMILY OR FAMILY MEMBER, UH, AND IN THE SAME LOCATION MEETS, UH, THE CULTURAL HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE. UH, AND HE DECIDES IF THEY MEET THESE CRITERIA. AND SO THAT WOULD THEN TRIGGER THE LEGACY CONCESSION POLICY. THEN WE HAVE OUR CONCESSION PILOTS. THAT WOULD BE A PILOT THAT'S GOING TO EXPLORE NEW OR IN INVENT INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL CONCESSION TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT COULD BE A FUTURE PERMANENT CONCESSION. AND AGAIN, THE DIRECTOR DETERMINES IF IT'S VIABLE OR NOT. FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE HAD, UM, PEOPLE THAT HAVE WANTED TO PUT LIKE WATER SLIDES AND STUFF ON LADY BIRD LAKE AS A PILOT. THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE, UM, INNOVATIVE IDEAS THAT WE, WE GET TO LOOK AT. EXISTING CONCESSION, EXISTING CONCESSIONS WILL OFTEN HAVE A RENEWAL OPTION. AND WE THEN DETERMINE IF WE DO WANNA RENEW THE OPTION OR NOT. TEMPORARY CONCESSIONS, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THOSE ARE FROM A DAY TO SIX MONTHS. THEY SUBMIT AN APPLICATION AND THEY PAY A FEE. AND THE FEE IS A FEE THAT'S DETERMINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, [03:25:01] AND IT IS REALLY DEPENDENT UPON THE LOCATION OF WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE TO ESTABLISH THEIR PARTICULAR CONCESSION. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE PERFORMING ARTISTS IN THE PARK, AND THOSE ALSO FALL UNDER THE TEMPORARY PERMIT. AND THESE, THIS IS THE CRITERIA THAT IS LOOKED AT FOR THESE FOLKS. AND ARTISTS HAVE SPECIFIC, UH, LIMITATIONS ON WHAT THEY CAN DO ABOUT THE SOUND, ET CETERA. AND IT'S ALL WRITTEN OUT RIGHT HERE. I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH IT FOR YOU ALL BECAUSE IT'S LATE, AND I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE ALREADY LOOKED AT THAT BEFORE. AND THEN DONATIONS. AND AGAIN, THE CITY, THE DEPARTMENT CAN'T SOLICIT OR ACCEPT DONATIONS. AGAIN, IT'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND THE PERCEPTION OF IMPROPRIETY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT DONATIONS. POLICY REVIEW, THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE REVIEWED BY THE DEPARTMENTS BY THE DEPARTMENT EVERY FIVE YEARS. AND CHANGES ARE REVIEWED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD, AND THEN APPROVED BY COUNCIL. COUNCIL APPROVED THE ORIGINAL 1993 AND THE 1998 POLICIES. SO THIS WILL GO BEFORE COUNCIL. WE HAVE ALREADY PRESENTED TO THE CONTRACTS AND CONCESSION COMMITTEE OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ON AUGUST 22ND, AND IT WAS PRESENTED TO THE PARKS BOARD ON AUGUST 25TH. AND WE'RE HERE NOW PRESENTING TO YOU. SO THANK YOU QUESTIONS. NO, IT'S LATE. I UNDERSTAND . THANK YOU. WE DO HAVE, UH, ONE PERSON HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT WHO'S BEEN DILIGENTLY WAITING. SO, UM, CHRIS FLORES, IF YOU COULD COME UP. MY LEGS GOT STIFF. UH, GOOD EVENING. UM, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION. MY NAME IS CHRIS FLORES. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT 10, AND I'M A PARK AND TRAIL USER. I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT TO OPPOSE ITEM SIX ON PRINCIPLE. I THINK IT SHOULD BE APPROVED ONLY WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION THAT YOUR COMMISSION CAN MAKE. UM, PARK SLOT IN THE SLIDE PRESENTATION. UH, SLIDE NUMBER THREE, POLICY GOALS. UH, ON THE SECOND BULLET, IT STATES ENSURE CONCESSIONS, MAINTAIN THE AESTHETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF THE PARK SYSTEM, PROVIDE FINANCIAL RETURN TO THE CITY, AND A PUBLIC BENEFIT TO THE CITIZENS. UH, I WAS AT THE PARKS BOARD MEETING WHEN THIS ITEM WAS PRESENTED, AND THE PARKS BOARD WAS PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH THE FINANCIAL RETURN TO THE CITY. THERE WERE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT. SO I'M FOLLOWING THIS ITEM TO YOU TONIGHT 'CAUSE THAT'S, THIS IS WHERE YOU DWELL. UM, MY QUESTION IS, UH, AND I'M ASKING YOU GUYS AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, HOW DOES THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ENFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY? UM, THE CLAIM, IT IS PART OF THE FOCUS, BUT I SEE NO ENFORCEMENT WHATSOEVER. WE WERE HERE EARLIER THIS YEAR FOLLOWING THE CONCESSION ANNUAL CONCESSION REPORT THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT MADE. UH, DIRECTOR AGUIRE IN THAT ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETING SAID NONE OF THE, UH, CONCESSION CONTRACTS HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL CLAUSES, BUT THEY COULD IN THE FUTURE. SO WE KNOW THERE'S NO CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION FOR THESE, UM, PADDLE BOARD CONCESSIONS. I WANT YOU TO VISUALIZE 1000 PADDLE BOARDS ON LOU NEFF POINT WITH LIQUOR AND ALL KINDS OF, UM, DISC JOCKEYS, ALL KINDS OF STUFF GOING ON OUT THERE. AND NO ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, ENFORCEMENT WHATSOEVER. UM, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DOES NOT TEST THE WATER. THEY DON'T VIDEOTAPE WHAT GOES ON UNDER THE WATER DURING THESE PADDLE BOARD PARTIES. SO THERE'S NO ONE SPEAKING FOR THE RIVER WHEN IT COMES TO THESE CONCESSIONS. SO NOW THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WANTS TO MAKE THEM PERMANENT. I'M ASKING YOU, PLEASE, IF YOU WANT, IF YOU AGREE THAT THERE SHOULD BE, UH, LONG-TERM, UH, PERMANENT CONCESSIONS, CAN YOU PLEASE REQUIRE CONTRACTUAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS FOR THE LAND AND THE WATER? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY I WAS YAWNING . NOT BECAUSE I'M PART JUST 'CAUSE OF THE, THE, THE HOUR. UM, THANK YOU. LET'S GET STARTED WITH SOME QUESTIONS. AND COMMISSIONER, JUST SO YOU KNOW, I HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT FROM SOMEBODY WHO HAD TO LEAVE, SO I'M JUST GONNA PASS IT AROUND, SO JUST SO YOU KNOW. GREAT. UM, COMMISSIONER FLORY, WE'LL START WITH YOU. UM, I GUESS KIND OF A QUESTION INSPIRED FROM THE, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT JUST NOW IS, IS THERE SOME SORT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT FEE THAT THEN [03:30:01] THE CONCESSIONAIRES PAY OR, UH, SOME SORT OF, UH, FUNDING MECHANISM THAT DOES GO BACK TO, UM, PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT? NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE. THE, UM, REVENUE COLLECTED BY AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION FROM THEIR CONCESSIONS GOES BACK INTO THE, IS IT ON, UH, IT GOES BACK INTO THE GENERAL BUDGET. SO POSSIBLY THERE IT COULD BE, BUT THERE'S NOTHING THAT, UM, DIRECTS, UH, THOSE FUNDS TO BE USED. OKAY. UM, IS THAT SOMETHING Y'ALL HAVE TALKED ABOUT, UM, UH, IN THE PAST, ANY SORT OF IMPACT FEE ON CONCESSIONS? I, I'M NOT AWARE. I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT HASN'T BEEN, BUT I WAS NOT AT THE PARKS BOARD, UH, WHERE MS. FLORES WAS. SO I, I REALLY CAN'T COMMENT TO, UH, ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THE NATIONAL PARKS CONFERENCE IN ORLANDO RIGHT NOW, AND AGAIN, I'M LIKE THE LAST MAN STANDING, WHICH IS WHY YOU HAVE ME HERE, . YEAH. UM, I GUESS, NO, I MAY HAVE, UH, ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, BUT NOTHING ELSE AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER LOKEY. I'M TRYING TO THINK OF A QUESTION REGARDING CONCESSIONS. I'VE BEEN READING THESE LETTERS THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SENDING IN ABOUT, ABOUT IT, BUT THEY'RE MOSTLY TALKING ABOUT SELLING ALCOHOL, AND I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYBODY SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. ARE WE EVEN LOOKING AT THAT RIGHT NOW? IS THAT SOMETHING IN OUR PURVIEW? OUR WATERCRAFT, UH, AND RECREATIONAL CONCESSIONS DO NOT SELL ALCOHOL. UM, I THINK THAT YOU ARE PERHAPS THINKING ABOUT, UH, ZILKER CAFE. THERE HAS BEEN SOME, UH, INTEREST BY, UH, SOME, I BELIEVE PARK BOARD MEMBERS AND ALSO CITY COUNCIL ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF ALLOWING ALCOHOL, WINE, WINE AND BEER TO BE SOLD AT ZILKER CAFE. UH, BUT THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS, IS UNDER DISCUSSION. I DON'T THINK ANY DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE REGARDING THAT BECAUSE THE SOLICITATION THAT WAS, UH, ISSUED REGARDING ZILKER CAFE DID NOT PROVIDE FOR THE SALE OF, UH, WINE OR BEER. AND NOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE THINKING, OH, MAYBE WE SHOULD. SO THAT THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, NOT RELATED TO, WE, WE DO NOT, UM, INCLUDE THAT FOR OUR WATERCRAFT CONCESSIONS. OKAY. RIGHT. TERRIBLE IDEA. AND I JUST, I DO WANNA SAY, UM, AND ELIZABETH, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, WE DO HAVE ANOTHER CONCESSION REPORT COMING UP IN A, IN A COUPLE MEETINGS YES, MA'AM. THAT WOULD ADDRESS THAT. YES. UHHUH . OKAY. SO KIND OF PUT THAT, I'LL PUT THAT BACK DOWN THE ROAD. YEAH. DOWN THE ROAD. OKAY. YEAH. I, I, I COMMEND THE, UH, COMMENT, UH, OF, OF, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ACTUALLY LOOKING AT, UH, WHAT ENVIRONMENTALLY WE CAN, WE CAN, UH, TALK ABOUT REGARDING CONCESSIONS, BECAUSE I HAD NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT BEFORE. UH, AND I WAS WONDERING IF Y'ALL HAD THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. UM, I THINK THAT THE PARKS, UH, AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION HAS, UH, WORKED WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. AND I KNOW THAT WE DO PRESENT TO Y'ALL EVERY YEAR THE ANNUAL CONCESSION REPORTS. SO I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN CONCERNS AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN, UH, TAKEN BACK TO THE PARKS BOARD. AND THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I, I REALLY CAN, UH, COMMENT ON BECAUSE I'M NOT AWARE. THERE COULD BE SOME STUFF, BUT I'M JUST NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO DEFINITIVELY SAY SOMETHING. BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU WILL BE GETTING INFORMATION. AND THAT REPORT WILL CONSIST OF NUMBERS OF PADDLE BOARDS AND, UH, WATERCRAFT ON THE LAKE. IS THERE ONLY ONE COMPANY THAT'S DOING ALL OF THE CONCESSIONS? NO, SIR. OKAY. NO. THERE'S D VARIOUS ENTITIES DOING THE DIFFERENT THINGS. THERE WAS, UM, IF WE CAN GET THE, OKAY. I WAS TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. THERE ARE DIFFERENT ONES. OKAY. ALL AROUND THE WATERCRAFT CONCESSIONS AROUND LADY BIRD LAKE ON BOTH SIDES. GOTCHA. ALRIGHT. I I, I HAVE NO MORE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMM SHAPIRO. NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, BUT THANK YOU FOR GIVING US A PRESENTATION, . THANK YOU, MS. FIRO. UM, WE RECEIVED A, UH, AN EMAIL FROM AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY, UM, [03:35:01] CERTAIN ENTITIES HAVE AMASSED FROM USING CITY FACILITIES. UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S A, AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN OR NOT, BUT DO YOU GUYS LOOK AT HOW MUCH MONEY IS MADE BY USING CITY FACILITIES? WELL, EACH, UH, IN WHAT, IN WHAT THEY DO WITH THE MONEY , EACH CONCESSION AGREEMENT HAS ITS OWN SPECIFIC, UH, CONCESSION PAYMENT REVENUE SHARE THAT THEY HAVE. AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO, UH, OLDER AGREEMENTS HAVE, UH, LESS OF A REVENUE SHARE BECAUSE THEY WERE DONE EARLIER. AND, AND, UH, THE NEWER ONES, UH, HAVE MORE. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, UNIFORM, MAKE MORE UNIFORM THE EXPENDITURES. NOW, WHAT THE CONCESSIONAIRES DO WITH THEIR MONEY, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE, WE ACTUALLY MONITOR OR HAVE ANY JURISDICTION TO MONITOR THAT. BUT THERE ARE, UH, PROVISIONS IN MANY OF THE AGREEMENTS WHERE THE CONCESSIONAIRE DOES HAVE TO PROVIDE A CERTAIN PUBLIC SERVICE. THEY PROVIDE, UH, PERHAPS ROWING LESSONS AT A DISCOUNT OR FREE TO SENIORS OR THE GIRL SCOUTS OR THE BOY SCOUTS, AND THEY DO PROVIDE A REPORT OF THEIR PUBLIC BENEFIT ACTIVITIES. HMM. WELL, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO PROBABLY IS SHARE THIS EMAIL WITH YOU, UH, TO GET YOUR, BECAUSE I, I THINK IT WAS ONLY SENT TO US, DO YOU GET COMPLAINTS FROM CITIZENS ABOUT, UM, ABOUT EVERYTHING? YEAH. NO, I'M NOT SURPRISED. . RIGHT. BUT PLEASE IF, FEEL FREE TO, TO SEND THAT TO US AND WE WILL THEN SHARE IT WITH THE DIRECTOR. ALRIGHT, I'LL DO THAT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER RAMER. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I'VE GOT A MANY QUESTIONS. UH, WHAT CONS, UH, WHAT CONCESSIONS OUT AT ZILKER ARE, YOU KNOW, HERITAGE CONCESSIONS OR, YOU KNOW, HERITAGE PHONES TO THAT, INTO THAT LEGACY CONCESSION? YEAH, LEGACY CONCESSION THINGS ARE THERE? YEAH, RIGHT NOW IT, THERE'S JUST ONE. IT'S A ZILKER BOAT RENTALS. OKAY. THEY HAVE BEEN IN OPERATION FOR, I, I BELIEVE, CLOSE TO 50 YEARS. UH, THE FIRST FORMAL AGREEMENT TO MY UNDERSTANDING WAS IN 2006, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN OPERATING AT THE SAME LOCATION WITH THE SAME FAMILY FOR 50 YEARS. OKAY. UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER, NOW THIS TALKS ABOUT CONCESSIONS WITHIN THE PARKS AND, AND FREQUENTLY WHEN WE, THIS STUFF LIKE THIS COMES UP, WE ZERO IN ON ZILKER BECAUSE IT'S THE PREMIER PARK IN TOWN. ARE THERE ANY OTHER CONCESSIONS THAT OPERATE IN ANY OTHER PARKS ON A REGULAR BASIS? ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT WELL, CONCESSIONS IN GENERAL OR, OR CONCESSIONS IN GENERAL, OR WATER CRAFTS, WATERCRAFT, YOU KNOW, LIKE CITY PARK, YOU KNOW, RERO. OH, OH. UM, WE HAVE AT THE GOLF COURSES, THEY'RE FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONCESSIONS. BUT DOES THAT, DOES THAT FALL UNDER YOUR PURVIEW? WELL, GOLF GOLFS ARE CONSIDERED PARKS AND, AND YES, THE, UH, FOOD AND BEVERAGES CONCESSION AT, UH, THE GOLF COURSES DO FALL UNDER, UNDER OUR PURVIEW. BUT REGARDING CONCESSIONS AT OTHER BIG PARKS, NO. WE, WE DON'T HAVE, UH, UH, CONCESSIONS. UH, YEAH, WELL, THEY HAVE THE TEMPORARY, RIGHT, THE TEMPORARY ONES THAT, THAT CAN BE THERE FOR A DAY TO SIX MONTHS. BUT NO PERMANENT CONCESSIONS AT THE RIGHT, AT THE OTHERS, CORRECT. UH, VOTING CONCESSIONS, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, THERE'S A COMPANY, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED AUSTIN PADDLE. YES, SIR. IT IS THAT A, AN OFFICIAL CONCESSIONAIRE. UM, WE CAN ONLY HAVE CONCESSIONS. WE CAN ONLY DO AGREEMENTS WITH CONCESSIONS FOR PARK PARKLAND. THERE ARE CONCESSIONS THAT ARE PRIVATE CONCESSIONS THAT OPERATE OUTSIDE OF PARKLAND, AND WE DO NOT HAVE ANY JURISDICTION OVER THOSE GUYS. SO, AND, AND I MAY BE WRONG HERE, SO BECAUSE I HEAR A LOT OF STUFF AND HALF OF IT'S RIGHT, I JUST DUNNO WHICH HALF, UH, YOU KNOW, SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS, THIS COMPANY, ORGANIZATION, WHATEVER IT IS, UH, GATHERS PEOPLE FOR, YOU KNOW, WATER ACTIVITIES ON THE LAKE AND THEN TRANSPORTS THEM DOWN TO THE LAKE SO THEY DON'T HAVE PHYSICAL PRESENCE THE WAY MANY OF THE OTHER CONCESSIONAIRE DO. [03:40:03] HOW IS, FIRST OF ALL, IS THIS TRUE? AND SECONDLY, IF IT IS TRUE, HOW IS THIS BEING MANAGED IN THE CONTEXT OF SURE. LIKE, UM, MS. WILSON WAS SAYING THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL, UM, CONCESSIONS, WATERCRAFT OR OTHERWISE THAT ARE NOT, UM, UM, MANAGED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. THEY MAY HAVE ACCESS TO THE WATER. AND IF THERE'S ACTUALLY ANY ILLEGAL VENDING, WHAT WE CAN DO WITHIN OUR, OUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES IS TO, TO, UH, ISSUE A CEASE AND DESIST OR NOTIFY THEM THEY'RE OPERATING WITHOUT A PERMIT. UM, WE GET SOME OF THOSE COMPLAINTS, UM, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS. BUT WHEN WE HAVE, UH, THE NAME AND THE, UM, ADDRESS THAT WE CAN SUBMIT THESE, UM, UH, THIS INFORMATION TO ABOUT HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY BECOME A VENDOR, UM, OPERATE ON PARKLAND, WE DO SO, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS DURING THE DAY OR TIMES THAT WE CAN, UM, MONITOR OR, UM, CATCH THEM. SO WE DO RELY A LOT ON INFORMATION BEING PASSED TO US. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THIS PARTICULAR COMPANY? I AM NOT. OKAY. LIKE I SAID, I JUST, JUST ASKED, UH, WITH ALL THESE, UH, BOAT ACTIVITIES, AND THEN EVEN ASSUMING THE ONE THAT I JUST MENTIONED IS ACTUALLY A REAL THING, UH, HOW ARE YOU MANAGING CONGESTION OVER THE LAKE IN THE LONG HAUL? ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, WE HAD A PRESENTATION FROM HOUSTON TILLSON UNIVERSITY CONSIDERING, UH, OR CONCERNING LAKE CONGESTION AND HOW SOME PARTS WERE BUSIER THAN OTHERS, AND, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON THE HOLIDAYS, RIGHT? BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. SO HOW ARE YOU MANAGING THE, UH, CONGESTION ON THE LAKE? WELL, IT'S, IT'S NOT A INDEPENDENT, UM, MANAGEMENT , UM, OF JUST THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. WE ALSO PARTNER WITH, UM, THE A PD LAKE PATROL. UM, LCRA HAS SOME, UM, SOME MANAGEMENT, UM, OF THOSE OPERATIONS AS WELL. SO, UM, OUR CONTRACTS DEPARTMENT, OUR TEAM HERE. UM, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY OUT THERE PATROLLING INDIVIDUALS, BUT WE DO RELY ON, UM, OUR PARTNERS AT A-P-D-L-C-R-A AND, UH, LAKE PATROL AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO YOU'RE NOT REQUIRING THE, UH, THE BOATING CONCESSIONAIRES TO MANAGE WELL, YEAH. THE CONCESSIONAIRES, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S ONE THING. BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIONS FOR PRIVATE BOAT OWNERS TO GET ON THE LAKE WITHOUT OUR, NECESSARILY, WHEN THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT CHECKING IN OR GIVING US LICENSES OR WE DON'T HAVE A CLICKER TO MANAGE WHAT THEY DO. RIGHT. AND I, I CAN A KAYAK OUT THERE TOMORROW AND, AND, AND DO MY THING. BUT WITH REGARD TO CONCESSIONAIRES, IS THERE, YOU KNOW, DO YOU ALL, UH, THEY DO PROVIDE US REPORTS WITH THE NUMBER OF, OF, UH, WATERCRAFT THAT THEY HAVE. AND, AND WE DO. AND THAT'S INFORMATION THAT IS PROVIDED TO YOU ALL. UH, AND WE HAVE NOT CREATED ANY NEW CONCESSIONS ON LADY BIRD LAKE EXCEPT FOR, UH, WHAT HAS BEEN DIRECTED TO, UH, TO THE DEPARTMENT BY CITY COUNCIL. OKAY. UH, ALRIGHT. UH, UH, YOU SAID THAT THESE, UH, CONCESSIONS COME UNDER THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT POLICIES. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON WHAT THAT THAT MEANS? UH, WHAT I MEANT BY THAT IS THAT WHEN WE, WHEN WE HAVE, WHEN THE DIRECTOR HAS DETERMINED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A CONCESSION OR A CURRENT CONCESSIONS CONTRACT EXPIRES, AND THEY WANT TO CONTINUE A CONCESSION AT THAT LOCATION, UH, A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL IS ISSUED BY THE CITY'S, UH, FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION, BY ITS CENTRAL PROCUREMENT, UH, TO THE VENDORS, TO ALL VENDORS SO THAT EVERYBODY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, UH, BID ON HAVING A CONCESSION AT THAT PARTICULAR LOCATION. THAT'S WHAT I MEANT BY THE, UM, THE PURCHASING, UH, POLICIES, IS THAT WE FOLLOW THE CITY, UH, THE CITY, CITY LAW AND STATE LAW AND THE CENTRAL PROCUREMENT, UH, IN, UM, GUIDELINES TO, UH, SOLICIT AND THEN AWARD A VENDOR. SO FOLLOWING ALL OF THOSE PROCESSES, SO THIS IS, SO IF A, UH, CONCESSION, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY PARTICULAR ONE IN MIND, BUT IF A CONCESSION'S CONTRACT IS EXPIRING, SAY AT THIS THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR, IT WOULD BE PUT OUT FOR COMPETITIVE BID, UH, THROUGH THE COMPETITIVE BID PROCESS THE CITY MAINTAINS SO THAT ANYONE WHO HAS ACCESS TO THAT 'CAUSE THEY'VE REGISTERED THROUGH THE CITY, CAN BID TO TAKE OVER THAT, THAT CONCESSION IN LIEU OF WHOEVER'S RUNNING AT THAT TIME. IF THE, IF, IF THE DIRECTOR DETERMINED THAT, THAT HE WANTED TO CONTINUE HAVING A CONCESSION IN THAT LOCATION, THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT SERVED THE AREA AND THE PARK USERS. [03:45:01] AND IF, UH, THE, SOMETIMES THESE AGREEMENTS HAVE, UH, EXTENSION PERIODS, AND SOMETIMES THOSE EXTENSION PERIODS ARE EITHER AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE CITY OR THEY'RE MUTUAL. SO IF THE PARTICULAR CONTRACT DID NOT HAVE ANY EXTENSION PERIODS AND IT WAS EXPIRING, WE WOULD HAVE STARTED THE PROCESS ALMOST A YEAR BEFORE IT THAT THAT PARTICULAR CONTRACT EXPIRED, BECAUSE IT TAKES BETWEEN NINE TO 12 MONTHS TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PURCHASING PROCESS. BUT EVEN IF THE CITY, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE EXTENSION OF A CONTRACT IS BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT, FOR EXAMPLE. SO MUTUAL AGREEMENT, THE CITY COULD SAY, WELL, PART OF THE MUTUAL AGREEMENT IS WE'RE GONNA PUT THIS OUT FOR BID. YOU MAY BID ON THIS IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE TO CORRECT. AND, AND TO SERVICE THAT. OR THE CITY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE DIRECTOR CAN SAY, NO, WE'RE JUST GONNA ROLL THIS OVER FOR THE NEXT YEAH, THE FIVE YEARS OR WHATEVER THE STORY, THE AGREEMENT WOULD'VE HAD TO, WHEN IT WAS FIRST EXECUTED, WOULD'VE HAD TO HAVE INCLUDED THAT THERE WERE OPTIONS TO RENEW OR EXTEND THE CONTRACT. UH, SOMETIMES WE DO HAVE, UH, CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE WE HAVE TO DO HOLDOVERS, BUT, UM, GENERALLY SPEAKING, A CONTRACT WHEN IT'S EXECUTED WILL DELINEATE THE INITIAL PERIOD AND IF THERE ARE ANY POTENTIAL EXTENSION PERIODS. OKAY. UH, LET ME MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. UH, COMM COMMISSIONER, UH, ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS, I FORGET WHO IT WAS MENTIONED, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL STUFF WITH, YOU KNOW, ALONG THE CONTRACTS. UH, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DO. NOW. MOST OF THE, I'VE READ ALL THE CONTRACTS THAT PART HAS OUT WITH THE CONCESSIONS, THE CITY VOTING AND NON-VOTING. SO I'M PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH THEM. ALL OF THEM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE, THE, THE, THE CONTRACTS THAT I'VE READ HAVE, UH, MENTIONED ON THE PART THAT THE, UH, CONCESSIONAIRES WILL DO THINGS, YOU KNOW, ROUTINE ACTIVITIES LIKE PICK UP TRASH AND PLANT ROSES OR, YOU KNOW, LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT NONE OF THEM REALLY ADDRESS CON OR, YOU KNOW, THE ENVIRONMENT IN A MORE EXPANSIVE, YOU KNOW, PERSPECTIVE. SO I WOULD, YOU KNOW, SUGGEST THAT WE NEED TO BE MORE INVOLVED AS A COMMISSION TO ENSURE THOSE CONTRACTS DO HAVE THAT COMPONENT IN THERE. 'CAUSE TRASH FROM THESE CONCESSIONS DO WIND UP IN THE LAKE. AND SOME OF IT'S NOT EASILY RECOVERABLE BY THE CONCESSION AREA 'CAUSE IT WINDS UP SOMEWHERE ELSE OTHER THAN OUTSIDE THEIR DOOR. UM, SO THERE'S THAT. NOW I, THE, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED READING THE CONTRACT IS, UH, I KNOW SOME OF THEM DATE BACK MANY YEARS, BUT I FIND THEM EXTREMELY INCONSISTENT. UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THEY DON'T READ THE SAME, THEY'RE NOT, THEY WEREN'T WRITTEN BY THE SAME PERSON. THEY WEREN'T, THERE'S NOTHING CONSISTENT ABOUT IT EXCEPT FOR IT SAYS CITY OF AUSTIN AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. AND AFTER THAT IT'S A WILD WEST ANALYSIS OF THE THING. AND WE, YEAH, WE'RE TRYING TO REMEDY THAT. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THEM MUCH MORE UNIFORM IN HAVING ALL THE PROVISIONS. AND WE'VE GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT BETTER AT IT. BUT YOU'RE CORRECT THAT THE OLDER ONES, WHEN YOU COMPARE THEM TO THE MORE RECENT ONES, THEY, THERE, THERE'S, UH, GREAT DIFFERENCES. SOMETIMES SOME OF THEM CIRCUMVENT CITY CODE AS FAR AS PAYING THE EMPLOYEES AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. MY FINAL QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE POEMS. UH, ARE THESE CONCESSIONS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S REFERENCE TO MADE THESE CONCESSIONS PROVIDING MONEY TO THE CITY, BUT SOME OF THESE, UH, CONCESSIONS ARE, IF I UNDERSTAND, SOME OF THE POMAS ARE GONNA ROLL OVER UNDER THE OPERATION OF THE POMAS AND THE MONEY WILL NO LONGER GO TO THE CITY AND THE CONTRACTS WILL BE WRITTEN DIFFERENTLY. IS THAT CORRECT? AND BECAUSE THE MONEY WON'T ROLL TO THE CITY, AND I MEAN, I SEE, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS GONNA WORK AS VARIOUS CONCESSIONS, THESE VOTING CONCESSIONS RELEVANT UNDER THE POMAS WHERE THEY OWN THE CONTRACT AND NOT THE CURRENT CONCESSIONAIRE. I MEAN, THIS IS MY PERCEPTION OF READING THE POEMS. WELL, WE CAN ONLY SPEAK LIMITEDLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE POEMS, BUT AS IT RELATES TO, UM, ANY CONCESSION AGREEMENTS RELATED TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND ESPECIALLY LEGACY CONCESSIONS, THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THEY STILL ARE TO FOLLOW THE REQUIREMENTS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS WRITTEN BY CITY CODE. SO, SO THE POEM'S GONNA BE UPDATED TO REFERENCE CITY CODE BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE, TO ME, WHEN I READ THE POEMS, THEY DON'T REFERENCE CERTAIN SECTIONS OF CITY CODE THAT ALLOW THEM ESSENTIALLY TO CIRCUMVENT CITY CODE AGAIN, WITH, WITH REGARD TO, UH, PAYMENT OF, UH, MINIMUM WAGE, UH, CONTRACTING TO MINORITIES, YOU KNOW, OR OPENING THE CONTACT CONTRACT BIDDING PROCESS. SO THAT, THAT'S MY CONCERN, IS THAT THESE CONTRACTS BE FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF CITY CODE AND INCLUDE ALL REFERENCES THAT ARE APPROPRIATE. AND BECAUSE JENNIFER WANTS TO GO HOME EARLY, [03:50:01] I WILL CALL IT INTO THE, UH, I QUESTION YOUR DEFINITION OF EARLY, BUT YES, . BUT ANYWAY, I, I DO HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GONNA DEFER TO, AND WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER TIME TO ASK, YOU KNOW, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'RE ALSO OPEN TO TAKING THEM VIA THE LIAISON AND WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION BACK TO YOU. WELL, I, I THINK I'VE MET WITH YOU BEFORE. YEAH. OVER AT PARKS, MAYBE NOT ABOUT OMAS, BUT YES, DEFINITELY ABOUT PARKS. YES. THANK YOU JU JUST ONE, ONE CLARIFICATION ABOUT THE, THE CONCESSIONS THAT, UH, ARE NOW BEING, THAT WILL GO TO A OMA AGREEMENT. THE CONTRACT STAYS AS IT IS AND THE PMA MANAGES THAT CONTRACT. THE CONTRACT DOES NOT CHANGE. AND IF THAT CONTRACT WITH THE CONCESSIONAIRE HAS THAT THEY HAVE TO PAY LIVING WAGE AND ALL OF THESE, THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW CERTAIN SOLICITATION PROCESSES. IF THEY'RE GETTING A SUBCONTRACTOR THAT STAYS IN PLACE, BUT THEY'RE NOT IN THE CON, THE REQUIREMENT TO DO THOSE THINGS ARE NOT IN THE CONTRACTS NOW. SO BASICALLY WHAT I'M HOPING IS THAT AS YOU REWRITE THESE CONTRACTS, THEY BECOME CONSISTENT WITH CITY CODE. 'CAUSE SOME OF THEM WERE WRITTEN PROBABLY BEFORE THESE CODE ITEMS WERE IN THERE. AND I'M HOPING PEOPLE ARE BEING CARRIED A LIVING WAGE AND THAT MINORITY ORGANIZATIONS ARE GETTING A SHOT AT SOME OF THESE CONTRACTS THAT THEY'RE NOT CONTRACTUALLY REQUIRED TO ALLOW OR DO OR WHATEVER BEFORE. SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THE REST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER, ER, UH, COMMISSIONER HARRIS. I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER KREI. UH, YEAH, NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. APPRECIATE IT. GREAT. VICE CHAIR, KRUEGER, YOU HAVE SEVEN MINUTES, . THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR STAYING SO LATE. UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, DO I HAVE QUESTIONS? UM, YEAH, UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T KNOW THAT MY BRAIN IS WORKING AT FULL CAPACITY. I DO APPRECIATE, UM, THE PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, THE EMAILS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE QUESTIONS AROUND, UM, FUNDING AND, AND WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO? AND JUST IN GENERAL AS A CITY THINKING ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PUBLIC LAND AND, UH, FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES IS, YOU KNOW, A, A GOOD CONVERSATION TO HAVE. UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE, SO THE CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING, IS IT REALLY IN AN EFFORT TO KIND OF STREAMLINE SOME OF THE PROCESSES IF WE DESIGNATE CERTAIN CONCESSIONAIRES AS LEGACY, UM, CONCESSIONAIRES OR ADD MORE THAT THAT BASICALLY STREAMLINES CERTAIN THINGS, REMOVE SOME BUREAUCRACY? IS THAT YES, THE MAIN THRUST OF IT AND THEN UPDATING DEFINITIONS FOR FAMILY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IT STREAMLINES AND HONORS SOME OF OUR CONNECTIONS TO OUR, THE HISTORY OF, OF AUSTIN, OUR PARTNERS AND OUR LEGACY. SO IT DEFINITELY DOES A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, AND THEN IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO AUTHORIZE, IT SAYS THE DIRECTOR WILL CONSIDER, UM, ADOPTING APPROPRIATE ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION, RESOURCE REDUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS. UM, SO YOU'RE THE DIRECTOR THEN, WHO WOULD DECIDE IF THE CONCESSIONAIRE IS MEETING WATER CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS, ET CETERA. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S THE INTENT. OKAY. . UM, GREAT. YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE TIME TONIGHT, BUT MORE SPELLING OUT OF WHAT ARE THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS, I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND, AND WE WOULD ALSO LOVE TO INVITE YOUR INPUT IF YOU KNOW, IF NOT AT THIS MEETING, PERHAPS AT OUR, UM, ANNUAL REPORT MEETING. AND IF THERE'S ANY SPECIFIC LANGUAGE WE LOOK TO YOU ALL AS, YOU KNOW, ADVISORY GROUPS. SO PLEASE, WE WELCOME THOSE COMMENTS AND THOSE INPUT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT. 'CAUSE I DO KNOW WE HAVE THE ANNUAL CONCESSIONAIRES REPORT, BUT AS I RECALL FROM LAST YEAR, I THINK THE GENERAL CONSENSUS WAS THAT IT WAS A LITTLE BIT BARE BONES IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED DATA THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE. SO I'D LOVE TO HAVE YEAH, AN OPEN CONVERSATION AROUND HOW WE COULD MAYBE UPDATE THAT WHILE WE'RE UPDATING THINGS. UM, AND I WILL END THERE. THANK YOU. WELL DONE. UM, UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPORT. AND, YOU KNOW, YEAH, A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THAT, UM, ADOPTION OF ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION. UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE, ESPECIALLY AROUND WHERE THE PADDLE BOARDS ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOIL COMPACTION, UM, IS IMPORTANT. SHORELINE PROTECTION, UM, IS IMPORTANT. UM, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT, UM, UM, BOTH WHAT'S HAPPENING WHEN THE, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE RENTING, THE RENTERS ARE GETTING INTO THE WATER AND THEN ALSO BACK OUT SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT BRINGING THINGS IN AND OUT, UH, OF, OF THAT. AND THEN ALSO CAUSING EROSION, UM, ALONG THOSE, THOSE EMBANKMENTS. UM, SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THAT I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THERE AND, AND THOUGHT ABOUT. [03:55:01] UM, IT ALSO THAT SOIL COMPACTION AND THEN ALSO RESPECTING OF THE PLANT COMMUNITIES, UM, THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, UH, WITHIN, UM, NEAR AND, AND CLOSE TO THOSE, UM, CONCESSIONS. SO, AND I JUST, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT I'M JUST THRILLED THAT PEOPLE CANNOT JUGGLE, UH, POTENTIALLY HAZARD THEIR JUST MATERIALS OR DANGEROUS ITEMS SUCH AS KNIVES OR FIRE. GOOD. THANK YOU. UM, , ACTUALLY, THAT'S THE PART I HAD A PROBLEM WITH, WAS I WAS GONNA PUT A CONCESSION FOR THAT. I, I HOPE YOU DO, AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT IN ANOTHER PART. UM, THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. UM, I, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I FEEL LIKE, I FEEL LIKE LAST TIME Y'ALL CAME, Y'ALL HAD TO STAY SUPER LATE TOO, SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, HEARING, UH, MORE IN THE FUTURE, UM, AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE FOUR [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] MINUTES. UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. CHAIR. YEAH. WE HEARD FROM MR. CORBIN GRAHAM AT THE BEGINNING HERE ABOUT, UH, CONCERNS ABOUT LEAKAGE FROM A LANDFILL. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT ON A FUTURE AGENDA. UM, HE REFERRED TO IT AS A TRAVIS COUNTY LANDFILL, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S THE, UM, WASTE MANAGEMENT LANDFILL, UM, OVER ON GILES ROAD. UH, 'CAUSE THAT'S CLOSE TO WALNUT CREEK, AND HE WAS CITING DRAINAGE AND CONTAMINATION OF WALNUT CREEK. UM, BUT I'LL BE MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT IT, BUT IF WE COULD PUT LANDFILL LEAKAGE ON A FUTURE AGENDA, THEN I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT. AND IF SOMEBODY WOULD SECOND IT, I'LL SECOND. YEAH. THEN BRIER SECONDS IT. GREAT. I THINK THAT'S A GOOD ONE. ANYONE ELSE GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE. ALL RIGHT. SO ONE OTHER THING BEFORE YOU SAY WE HAVE SOME CASUALTIES ON THE, UH, ON, ON THE MICROPHONE. MM-HMM . I THOUGHT I SHOUT IT LOUD ENOUGH. UH, OKAY. WE HAD SOME CASUALTIES ON THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE. UH, IT'D BE BEST IF YOU VOLUNTEER, OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE KIDNAPPED . SO GIVE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION TO HOW YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR FUTURE. AGREED. AND AS WE HAVE NEW COMMISSIONERS COME ON, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UM, UM, KIDNAP THIS. YES. I WAS GONNA USE A DIFFERENT TERM AND THEN I CAUSED MYSELF TO PAUSE. UM, SO THANKS Y'ALL. AND LOOK AT THIS. WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GONNA CLOSE OUT AT 9 57. WOW. HEY, THANKS Y'ALL. I WOULD'VE ASKED MORE QUESTIONS. I KNOW. I. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.