bicycles, trails and parks (East of Airport)

I need your support as explained below to get the hike and bike trail done (the drawing is attached) - if we don't ask for it we won't get it but we pay for the bond through our taxes (just to let everybody know our CIP requests were turned down because we were few days late in submission) - you can read the same thing in this blog and comment

the following thing are in the table for funding and analysis purposes

1. Hike and bike trail in the map attached (not part of it but complete)

2. Little walnut-creek park funding and development

3. Redbluff nature reserve

4. Schools that are in the trail for connectivity purposes

5. Creation of equity through connectivity (I need to understand a quantitative value for this)

Strategy:

1. We have to present it in the city council (I am doing that on Thursday 26th but others need to )

2. Have Mueller association beside us - because they have to decide if they want more bicycles or more cars through Mueller

3. Bring the folks in golf course to the table and make them understand that this is a social thing to do (my tax dollars pay for it)

4. We have to communicate with our council members (Houston, Rentaria, Tovo and Cesar primarily)

5. Communicate it with Adler

6. Get buy in from all neighborhoods

7. Have a good plan

Goal: its very simple for me but we will add more

1. No person (even a 5 year old kid) should have a crash when they are in these trails which force them to end up in a hospital - so its a safe connectivity between the neigborhoods

2. .......

The following people are in this email 

YBP - you are the voice and reason representing the everybody who ride bikes

Bike Austin -  we need your guidance support and guidance

Bike Texas - we need your guidance support and guidance

Neighborhood associations - support/buy in and contact with council members and Adler (this is our bond money)

Chris, James and Mercedes - please consider this as building our equity

Joel Bell - YBP 

Paul Wuersig - YBP

Pete Wall - YBP

Rob Greenfield YBP

Ali Ronder - Hog Pen NA

Miller Nuttle - Bike Austin

Pete Rivera - SANA

Maria Alonso _ SANA

Ben Hirsch - ATXEJ

Lynn Hass - Bike Texas

Leslie Luciano - Bike Texas

Tyson Brown - PSSNA, EMLK CT

Andrea Harrington PSSNA

Clara Mcbrayer - Hog Pen NA

Andrew Bucknall - EMLK NA

Charlie Duncan - Hog Pen NA

Christopher Hutchins - CM Houston's office

HEather Cox - she has shown interest

James Norty - Mueller NA 

thanks

Pinaki

EMLK Combined Neighborhood Plan Goals

Here is the contact team Goals

bicycles, trails and parks (January 16th)

The following people were in the meeting today. Thanks to everybody for your time.

Joel Bell - YBP

Paul Wuersig - YBP

Ben Hirsch - ATXEJ (could not read his email)

Ali Ronder - Hog Pen NA

Miller Nuttle - Bike Austin

Pete Rivera - SANA

Rob Greenfield YBP

Lynn Hass - Bike Texas

Tyson Brown - PSSNA, EMLK CT

Andrea Harrington PSSNA

Clara Mcbrayer

Problem Statement: 

There is about 100 million dollar money on the table for Bikes, Trails in Austin and we do not have a cohesive plan in East of Airport Blvd. We are the people who need this connectivity most.

Goal for next 30 days

Come with a plan for 4 robust plans in East of Airport working with Lynn and Miller to move forward with bond money. To work with Lynn and Miller to push the Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects in east of Airport.

Action Plans:

1. Hog Pen NA to provide some Bike and Hike route to Lynn and Miller. We need to see how we can add them to the tier 1 plans. This also needs to have a connectivity story to rest the area like Mueller etc. (Ali and Clara)

2. SANA to provide some bike and hike routes to Lynn and Miller. This will include the routes through Redbluff and other routes which create broader connections for SANA - again there must be a cohesive story. - (Pete to provide info to Lynn and Miller)

3. Morris Williams Trail - This is the gateway to Mueller for all other neighborhoods south of Mueller. This can be used by all other neighborhoods in their future projects. (Mueller is a food source and many other amenities so we should all have the option to go there easily) - Tyson to provide info to Lynn and Miller

4. Park in PSSNA - this is a 206 acre area and we need to develop some trails through it - the park will be developed over next few years. Tyson to provide details to Lynn and Miller - this may already be in Tier 2.

We are requesting Lynn to provide us a cohesive plan for bike and hike trail including these 4 items and more. 

Again all the projects we push through must have a cohesive story and not just a 1 mike bike route to nowhere - that story will be that of connectivity.

Agenda for Jan 10th, 2017 meeting (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

Agenda for Jan 10th, 2017 meeting (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

January 10, 2017, Meeting time: 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm

Meeting Location:

St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville Road

Location: 1941 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX 78721

Phone: (512) 926-6339

Agenda

Codenext: Elizabeth Mueller member of CAG team from District 1 (CAG - Codenext Advisory Group)

Basics of Codenext

What is Codenext and What it is not?

How it will impact our life as citizens?

How will Codenext impact east and west Austin differently based on land-characteristics and infrastructure?

How will land plan and subdivision plan change based on code next?

What is the time line for Codenext?

What is our action item from Contact Team and Neighborhood association perspective

Bike Austin and Yellow Bike project - Mercedes Feris, Miller Nuttle

About Bike Austin's advocacy campaigns 

Review of City Transportation Plans as they pertain to Central East Austin

 - Bike Master Plan

 - Urban Trails Master Plan 

 - EastLink Plan 

What's in the bond for Active Transportation 

How to get your local projects prioritized

Consider Request from 3401 Oaksprings Rd.

We are requesting to be placed on the Agenda for January’s meeting

The request is to see if the group would consider making a decision out of cycle.  

Typically the address of the property would cause for the decision to be made in July.  This is a decision to be considered for out of cycle only and not on the actual zoning change.  If you agree for us to be allowed  to present out of cycle for a decision,  at the following agenda we would present the request for the property at 3401 Oak Springs Rd, to be changed from a SF-3 to a LO- with possible MU or MU-CO.0000000000000000

Email to Council member Ora Houston about subdivision

Email to Council member Ora Houston about subdivision

Hello Mrs. Houston,

The landgrab experiment in east side has reached an abnormal level. I am studying the land laws of the state and city ordinances including annexation documents. 

Many of the development are happening in subdivisions which were outside the city limits and COA annexed them at a latter date. So the plat maps here were done under the jurisdiction of the county (even though city planning approved it if it was in ETJ). Any land is a joint custody of the city and the county (that is why you pay tax to the county). The subdivision rights are not expunged when city annexes a subdivision and the home rule laws also never alludes to anything like that.  People often buy a property knowing the subdivision and land sizes etc. so state provides the idea of plat vacation if you have to change subdivisions. This is a safe-guard and not a nuisance.

City has decided to ignore the subdivision laws altogether. Builders are building roads and ROWs which clearly conflicts with the subdivision plat maps.  This is very convenient for city because they do not have to go through "eminent domain" or "condemnation process" in building a road and they get the roads after 12 months. The real challenge is that these subdivisions are destroying adjoining houses because there are no water mitigation laws within existing subdivisions. This is great for builders because now they can buy the next door house too. The subdivisions were built with a purpose and ignoring those purposes destroys the subdivision.

City is treating builders and citizens very differently because the ROW (right of way) rules are completely different. A builder can convert a SF3 (single family lot) to a ROW with no problem while a normal citizen cannot take water and sewer line under the driveway. This also creates a fundamental issue of our rights to property.  The county has very well defined "vacation" laws which I believe trumps the city ordinance. 

here are some details of my case as an example (but there are many cases like this)

1. Ebony acres was formed in 1952 - as shown in platmap.

2. It was in Austin ETJ (the notes show it as Government outlots adjoining City of Austin)

3. Austin Planning commission approved the plat and it has clear easements in the platmap.

4. The subdivision was annexed (full purpose) in 1970s.

5. The utilities were brought in 1960s and 70s and citizens had to pay for it (I have all details)

A developer is trying to put lot 6,7 and 10 in another new subdivision (where part of the new subdivision is in another subdivision). Lot 7 will be used for a ROW (city road) through our subdivision as per their proposal to connect the 2 subdivisions. So our subdivision will be effectively re-platted. City is refusing to go through plat vacation.

There is an AG opinion around a very similar case where the AG has mentioned that Plat vacation" will be required to create new subdivision - I have attached the opinion. I need your help to get another AG opinion and we would like to craft the question for the AG (somebody like Jeff Jack). This mad rush for landgrab is destroying your constituents so I hope you will take action.

regards

AG opinion

Agenda for Dec 13th, 2016 meeting and Outcome (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

Agenda for Dec 13th, 2016 meeting and Outcome (7 pm top 8.30 pm)

Meeting Location:

St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville Road

Location: 1941 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX 78721

Phone: (512) 926-6339

Dec 13th, 2016

Introduction - Pinaki (5 min)

What is contact Team?

Goals of EMLK Combined Contact Team

CIP and Non-CIP projects (15 mins + 10 min question)

1. What's your planning area - what does that mean - what can you expect?
2. How does planning area help city - and what is the process
3. What are Capital Improvement Projects and What are non-Capital Improvement Projects
4. How get Capital Improvement projects done in your area

Bikes and Bond - what's in future for biking in east side (20 mins + 10 mins questions)

1. The future of bike in east side (like bike paths etc)
2. How we can make it safer
3. How will bond money be spent in our area for bikes
4. What are the show stoppers
5. How contact team can help millenniums to make Austin Bike Friendly
6. If there is any CIP allocation that may be needed

The Creeks and storm water in EMLK neighborhood (20 mins + 10 mins questions)

1. We have  creeks in the EMLK combined region - current status
2. Some future scenarios - what happens as the landscape changes
3. How much impervious coverage can we afford.
4. How can we make our creeks clean and kid friendly

Agenda for Nov 15th, 2016 meeting and Outcome

Agenda for Nov 15th, 2016 meeting and Outcome

Agenda 1. Introduction - 7.00 pm to 7.05 pm - Pinaki Ghosh 2. 1907 Webberville Residential Infill Development  - 7.05 pm to 7.25 pm - Victor Wang 3. ThinkEast _ new Development at Shady Lane - Richard deVarga - 7.25 pm to 7.45 pmThe owner mr. deVarga will talk about the project details 4.  The Salvation Army Women's and Children's Shelter at Tennehill Ln. 7.45 pm to 8.05 pm - Major Kelly will talk about the details of the project. 

The entire meeting had about 30 attendees and it was very well received.

We raised $48 for the church which they said will be donated to Salvation Army. I will post the presentations soon