22 Public Comment.pdf — original pdf

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Planning Commission May 10,2022 Item 22 ASMP Update _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Commissioners; I’m Joe Reynolds. I live on West 49th St I want to briefly discuss how defective planning leads to later failed projects. Planning in Austin often focuses only on a desired outcome, not on the costs or problems of implementation. That seems very true for this version of ASMP. The streets have been considered only based on issues seen with a map, weighted by other things like bicycle plans, etc. Many of the streets have ROW specifications that have very low likelihood of being realized. Think Hancock next to the Cemetery and with a State controlled bridge over MoPac. 49th St bordered on both side by State land, and a State parking garage. Barton Creek Rd with a railroad bridge. Other plans have been similar in focus, like the Trail Plan; “Downtown to the Domain”. This defective focus leads to trouble, because during implementation the Plan is taken to be Real; “It’s approved by Council.” So, the builders don’t look for trouble, but then find it. Implementation of the Trail Plan followed the selected route, and contracted for a paved path along Shoal Creek. They didn’t check for well known geologic conditions that made the route infeasible, namely the Del Rio Clay that makes Shoal creek banks very unstable. The resulting collapse now has a cost just under $20 million. ASMP is doing the same thing, choosing routes without listing limitations. Some, like the cemetery along Hancock will be obvious problems, caught during project implementation. Others, will not likely be caught. Barton Springs Rd at Lamar has a long history of hillside collapse. Yet, ASMP calls for wider ROW that would disturb the existing hillside, causing another collapse. ASPM similarly ignores things like pipeline ROW, and like the Trail Plan, ignores geology. ASMP should not be advanced until issues of implementation are identified, recognized, and clearly noted for following teams who are building projects. Plans must be more than just desires and objectives, they must include limitations and logistics. Thank You. Planning Commission May 10,2022 Item 22 ASMP Update _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Hancock and Cemetery State Owns Land Both N&S of 49th and E&W of Sunshine Planning Commission May 10,2022 Item 22 ASMP Update _______________________________________________________________________________________________ GEOLOGY of FAILURE Railroad Bridge Barton Springs Rd has an Obvious Problem and a Known but Invisible Problem Planning Commission May 10,2022 Item 22 ASMP Update _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Trail Collapse