John Michael Cortez,

I understand you will be speaking at ANC's monthly meeting. I have one question I'd like to ask Project Connect, and I am really hoping you will answer it tonight.

The question is, unfortunately, quite blunt: 

"Why should voters believe the projected 2030 ridership numbers for East Austin Rail?"

Before you think I am just trying to pick a fight, please hear me out. The math should be simple: 1.38 billion dollars for 9.5 miles of rail for 16,000 riders a day by 2030. Except... there seems to be some problems with both these numbers, and the methodology used.

I won't list every blog post and article that has raised questions about Project Connect's data, but I would like to highlight a few.

Susan Pantrell's guest post about the latest data from Project Connect, questioning whether the projected ridership for 2030 is too high:

They estimate 15,580 daily trips using the model, which they round up to 16,000. Then they say that on game or event days, ridership could be 20,000 or higher. So they conclude “the project team believes that the median value of 18,000 is a reasonable preliminary estimate of 2030 ridership.” At the end of the memo they explain that this is not based on their calculations, but on their assumption of a 10-15% increase in ridership based on future development (18,000 is a 15% increase).

Lyndon Henry says that is a reasonable assumption, and it may be, but it is not based on data or adequately documented in this memo.

http://austinrailnow.com/2014/06/20/project-connects-urban-rail-forecasting-methodology-inflating-ridership-with-fudge-factor/

click read more for the rest of this post

More apartments are being built in the city, but apartment locators say don't expect that rent to go down anytime soon. "We have hopes that it would, but because so many of the new apartments are opening up, they're able to open up at high prices and lease at those high prices,” Young said. “It's not really bringing down the lower rents in Austin."

austin.twcnews.com/content/news/303400/experts--high-rents-could-push-business-out-of-austin/

The City, through its Rental Housing Developer Assistance program, has provided $2 million of assistance for the acquisition of the Cross Creek Apartments, a significant investment in the Restore Rundberg Revitalization Area. The funding represents approximately 10 percent of the total project cost. The 200-unit complex will be rehabilitated and leased to low-income residents.
 
 

Tired of sitting in traffic? Over 500 people filled out our online survey on transportation project priorities. Now we invite you to do the same before the survey closes on Friday, July 25th. 
 
The survey aims to gather input from residents, workers, and business owners in Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties. It asks residents to indicate their top priorities in each of the six counties in the region as well as priorities related to transit and transportation alternatives (bicycle, pedestrian, etc.) projects.
 
The input received from the survey will inform the development of the CAMPO 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, the plan that sets the long-range transportation priorities for the region. To date, hundreds of people have shared their opinions through meetings, social media, and via email -- YOU can be one of them.
 
Take the survey today! The survey will be open until July 25 via the CAMPO website and at: 
 
www.surveymonkey.com/s/2040PlanOnline
  
ABOUT THE PLAN

Every five years CAMPO is required to create a regional transportation plan for the next 25 years. The 2040 Plan will help identify current and long-term transportation needs and improvement strategies for Central Texas. The long-range transportation plan is then used to guide short-term plans for more immediate action.
 
For more information on the 2040 Plan, please visit the Web site: www.campotexas.org. To receive periodic updates on the 2040 Plan and related efforts, please email: 2040Plan@campotexas.org and include Updates in the subject line.

The monthly meeting of ANC will be this coming Wednesday, July 23 at 7 PM (Meet and Greet at 6:30 PM), 721 Barton Springs Road, 78704. Our agenda will feature a presentation about Inequities in the Property Tax System by Brigid Shea,  which you will not want to miss! 

Connected to that topic, there will also be a presentation concerning affordability and the preservation efforts concerning Rosewood Courts in East Austin. To keep things rolling along, John-Michael Cortez will make a presentation concerning Urban Rail for Project Connect ,after we present (again) our ANC Platform for the City Council Candidate Forum for all the representatives to review.

Please see our resource page on the bonds - there are many questions that we should be asking John-Michael Cortez:

www.icontact-archive.com/gV8wd5ityKfvqoWQQdiDT6qyUgb1bjGn?w=3

Now, two anticipated restaurants, Dang Bánh Mi and Fork & Vine, are joining the growing dining corridor. 

Read more:

http://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-21-14-anderson-burnet-corridor-restaurant-opening-Dang-Banh-Mi-fork-and-vine/

I-35 North of Rundberg has new sidewalks at-grade, no separation from the access road.  Are there state guidelines detailing safe bike/ped access? Do these meet them? 

The sidewalks that were recently constructed along this section of I-35 are intended to be temporary and were installed to address an immediate need.  Although the sidewalks meet design criteria, TxDOT recognizes that they are less than ideal.  The presence of drainage ditches, steep slopes and subsurface utilities, limited the options for placement of these sidewalks and required, in several instances, for the sidewalks to be located immediately adjacent to the frontage road lanes.  To more effectively delineate the sidewalks in these areas, TxDOT will soon install pavement markings/striping between the sidewalks and the adjacent frontage road lanes.

Read entire article here:

www.kirkwatson.com/candidate-transportation-briefing

Two views on rail - please click read more for entire article

North Austin has needed solutions for our homeless and for issues surrounding the homeless for a long time. In order to find solutions though, we need to have an accurate count of the homless in the area - and that has never happened.

Well, a homeless count is finally happening this month!

Volunteers can still attend the second training:
•          Monday, July 21st 5:30-7:30pm

Volunteers only need to attend one training session, and the final count will be Wednesday, July 23rd, from 5am to 8am. 

Anyone interested in signing up or receiving ongoing updates can email the Volunteer Coordinator, Niki Paul, at nikipaul@austinecho.org

The count will cover a huge area -Mopac to Cameron, and 183 to Parmer -
so volunteers are really, really needed!