07 Additional Public Correspondence.pdf — original pdf

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From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Attachments: zcjsph@aol.com Rivera, Andrew King, David - BC; Kiolbassa, Jolene - BC; Denkler, Ann - BC 10/18 ZAP Public Comment; Against Item 7 (Project Connect) - Remote Speaker Registration Tuesday, October 18, 2022 1:36:07 PM Samsung-Apple (Fund North MetroRapid Lines_To-Nathan Jones_Cc-CMs Flanigan_Pool_11Dec2020- 804am_12Dec2020-155am)_To-ZAP Commission_Title VI_ 18Oct2022-135pm_zcj.pdf *** External Email - Exercise Caution *** To: Andrew Rivera Staff Liaison, City of Austin Zoning and Platting Commission Name: Zenobia C. Joseph Phone: 210 area code Public Communication: Homeless Black/African-Americans; inequitable Northeast Austin minority transit (e.g., June 3, 2018 Cap Remap eliminated northeast-west connectivity north of US 183); absence of a bus on the billion-dollar FM 734 corridor (Samsung to Apple), compounded by Capital Metro/Austin City Council's 2020 elimination of $4.7M MetroRapid- Parmer. Project Connect, thus, will segregate Austin for centuries! See attached December 12, 2020 Memorandum for then-Council Member Jimmy Flannigan's Policy Advisor Nathan Jones, noting Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization MetroRapid costs and scores (p. 2). Three Northeast MetroRapid lines scored higher than South/West Austin but were eliminated. Action Item: 07 Backup - 07 C20-2021-014 Project Connect.pdf (2.7MB) Backup - 07 ZAP Recommendation Submitted by Commissioner King.pdf (100KB) Title VI Opposition to Item 7. "Code Amendment: C20-2021-014 - Project Connect Request: Consider an ordinance regarding amendments to Title 25 to create a foundational ordinance for Transit System Projects to facilitate the construction of critical transportation infrastructure. Staff Rec.: Recommended Staff: Donna Galati, (512) 974-2733, Donna.Galati@austintexas.gov Project Connect Office[.]" Thanks.~zcj CAUTION: This email was received at the City of Austin, from an EXTERNAL source. Please use caution when clicking links or opening attachments. If you believe this to be a malicious and/or phishing email, please forward this email to cybersecurity@austintexas.gov. December 12, 2020 Zenobia C. Joseph To: Nathan Jones, Policy Advisor, District 6 | Council Member Jimmy Flannigan (Thu, Dec 10, 2020 3:41 pm Samsung email) 1. Gratitude: Thanks for the email and for listening to my testimony. It proves challenging speaking on several items at once. Texas Legislature restricts testimony to one bill at a time. HB 2840 (public testimony) at the local level should require the same. I thank you, however, for seeking to understand the Samsung issue and, more broadly, FM 734/Parmer Lane east-west transit void. 2. FM 734/Parmer Cases: There is no FM 734 transit (Samsung to Apple) on what I call “the billion-dollar corridor.” My testimony December 10, 2020 aimed to highlight the need for Austin City Council (“Council”) to address this far Northeast-west Austin void. The three cases (Samsung Items 70, 71; District 6 Item 72: 7700 Parmer) requested maximum entitlements. Item 72 noted: “ln addition, this amendment will allow the PDA to exceed the current maximum allowable square footage of 1,755,000 square feet with the inclusion of 80,000 square feet of a retail shopping center including restaurant uses, 340 rooms hotel rooms, and 1,800 multifamily residential units” (C14-2020-0006 Staff Report, p. 1). There is no bus, so transit-dependent taxpayers cannot access 7700 Parmer or 3 HEBs in Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (“Capital Metro”) service area, including the proposed “1,800 multifamily residential units” and jobs (e.g., restaurant, hotel). From 2009 to 2019, Travis County rebated Samsung $65M in property taxes, KUT reported.1 Requesting the private sector fund transit or Uber/Lyft passes may be a reasonable tradeoff. In 2021, Samsung plans to return to Council to request relocation of Samsung Blvd—a chance to raise transit needs, again. 3. Problem: Project Connect eliminated Parmer MetroRapid though the 2014 Project Connect North Corridor Locally-Preferred Alternative Study showed job growth in the area by 2035 (below). Cap Remap frequent network undergirds Project Connect with South/West and Central Austin frequent buses (6-12 minutes; 15 minutes) compared to Blacks (60 minutes); minorities north of US 183 (45 minutes plus 30-minute transfer due to unilateral northeast-west eliminations by Short-Range Planning Manager Roberto Gonzalez June 3, 2018); and 383-Lakeline (30 minutes, less runtime despite same ridership as 333-William Canon). Lack of transparency regarding the elimination of $633M in roadway and transit projects to fund I-35 Capital Express Central is still problematic. South/West MetroRapids will serve white choice riders in low-density Convict Hill and Oak Hill neighborhoods. April 6, 2020 Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (“CAMPO”) criteria and “MPO score” showed North ranked higher and cost $22.8M less than 3 funded Southwest MetroRapids. Texas Department of Transportation (“TxDOT”) Oak Hill Parkway project aligns with those Project Connect Lines. This appeared to trump the objective scores used for the CAMPO 2045 Regional Transportation Plan. Despite North Austin job growth and countless Council resolutions on equity, buses run South/West to $425K-$1M homes. Mayor Adler, Commissioner Shea and others questioned the opaque process. (CM Flannigan did, too.) a. Anecdote: Future Parmer cases will face the same scrutiny. Developers seek maximum entitlements, but transit-dependent taxpayers can’t access the site. I met a Black man (Mr. Huff) who walks from Cedar Park to Route 383-Lakeline; rides the bus to North Lamar Transit Center (“NLTC”), transfers to 801/1 to 392-Braker/North Lamar then walks 3 miles off Dessau to Samsung. I met Mr. Huff at the 392 stop by Mi Casa; got on the bus; highlighted a map and showed him that 214-Northwest Feeder stops at Austin Community College-Cypress Creek. He shared plans of working a later shift in months, noting #214 would save walking miles. I promised I’d try to get a Samsung bus and later walked on FM 734. With no pedestrian facilities, Mr. Huff risks his life walking in the road with cars traveling 60 mph. I crossed over and walked toward the cars—still unsafe. Without an appointment, I could not get past the guard. Mr. Huff’s boss noticed he was tired, so he revealed the miles he walks to work—still, no bus! b. Title VI Solution: Capital Metro/Council should fund 3 MetroRapid Lines (Applied Materials, Samsung to Apple, 3 HEBs); Tech Ridge/Howard-Dessau to Downtown; and Decker to Downtown; reanalyze Cap Remap to create equitable fixed routes; and restore northeast-west connectivity or risk Project Connect and current Federal funding. Another option may be to ask Samsung, Apple, and developers to fund MetroRapid Lines in Capital Metro’s service area in exchange for entitlements much like the street impact fee, perhaps. Shuttles and Pickup service are not “the least discriminatory alternative” (FTA C 4702.1B, 2012, Ch. IV-16). CM Kitchen proposed “Innovative Pickup Zones” in 2016, but none run in her district. It takes twice as long to wait for Pickup to go to a bus stop to wait again. This segregates riders in their neighborhood and only runs 7AM-7PM Monday-Friday (10-block St. David’s walk). On-demand is pretextual and increases minorities/essential workers’ risk of being fired, especially north of US 183. 1 Bernier, N. (2019, July 31). [KUT]. Travis County stops tax break incentive program for companies. https://www.kut.org/business/2019-07-31/travis-county- temporarily-stops-tax-break-incentive-program-for-companies December 12, 2020 2 Re: Thu, Dec 10, 2020 3:41 pm Samsung email [Nathan Jones, Policy Advisor, District 6 | Council Member Jimmy Flannigan] 4. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: “prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally-funded programs or activities.”2 Based on minority population, why were 3 North/East MetroRapid Lines ($18.4M) eliminated and Burnet/Oak Hill Lines ($41.2M) funded instead? See July 27, 2020 Joint Capital Metro/Council Project Connect Meeting (p. 11). Red Eliminated November 3, 2020 Project Connect Proposition A MetroRapids Inequitable Funding South of FM 969 West of US 183 Northeast Southeast Southwest Southwest May 4, 2020 My CAMPO Testimony. Item 2 (Clip 6:31): Title VI Ladders of Opportunity, Northeast-west eliminations) - https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/61676 #4-13 (29:55 - Bill Bunch, atty: CAMPO 2045 critique. 33:17 I testified against MetroRapid-Slaughter; noted North Corridor 2014 Study: Samsung to Apple; Movability) 2 DOJ (2017, January). Civil Rights Division highlights (2009-2017): Fulfilling America’s promise [p. 49]. https://www.justice.gov/crt/page/file/923096/download December 12, 2020 3 Re: Thu, Dec 10, 2020 3:41 pm Samsung email [Nathan Jones, Policy Advisor, District 6 | Council Member Jimmy Flannigan] April 6, 2020 Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization “Constrained Candidates” list described MetroRapid Lines, but the July 27, 2020 Project Connect slide consolidated Menchaca/Oak Hill. Three Southwest white MetroRapid Lines totaled $41.2M. Title VI: North/East MetroRapids scored higher (88, 87)/cost $22.8M less but Southwest (85, 82) was funded November 3, 2020! November 7, 2016 Capital Metro Work Session: Empty 40-foot bus (333) runs on Convict Hill. 2020 MetroRapid overlay. Why? Consultant Russ Chisholm did not recommend Convict Hill routes. #315 was created below Service Guidelines and Standards. December 12, 2020 4 Re: Thu, Dec 10, 2020 3:41 pm Samsung email [Nathan Jones, Policy Advisor, District 6 | Council Member Jimmy Flannigan] 5. Southwest white privilege vs. Northwest (minorities, low-income riders): November 5, 2016 Project Manager Lawrence Deeter said “southwest Austin does not meet the transit agency’s density requirements for service.” Yet fixed routes and Flyers improved. In 2018, Southwest got “New” Flyer 105-South 5th. In 2019 (no discourse), restored Flyer 103-Menchaca/San Jacinto. In 2020, voters approved Menchaca/Oak Hill (Convict Hill) MetroRapids. Flyer 111-S. MoPac runs. 171-Oak Hill: 9-14 minutes (only $2.50). Sole Flyer 142-Metric (2018 proposed elimination)—inequitable to Kitchen’s 4 Flyers; 5 east-west routes ($9.9M)! October 23, 2017: 9 months after I collected 574 petition signatures in 10 days, planner Roberto Gonzalez uncoupled 383/392 then reduced 383 runtime, denying 2nd Shift work; and creating 30-min 392 west transfer. December 12, 2020 5 Re: Thu, Dec 10, 2020 3:41 pm Samsung email [Nathan Jones, Policy Advisor, District 6 | Council Member Jimmy Flannigan] “We begin with the local bus service. This is the fundamental glue to the entire system.” ~Meg Merritt (Nygaard Consulting) ~October 30, 2019 Joint Project Connect Meeting Cap Remap is the discriminatory foundation for Project Connect, 15-minute bus network for white choice riders to enjoy light rail! If “Black Lives Matter,” create equitable bus routes to major North Austin employers (Parmer east-west; Dessau to Downtown). References: ZAP Commission 2018 testimony (78 pages). Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 prohibits using public funds for propaganda! May 21, 2018 Capital Metro (My Title VI Testimony: 33:50): “And since you guys have not listened to me, I have in fact filed a complaint with the FCC, and they may fine the [KAZI] radio station if they don’t pull the ad. It is not frequent service to the minorities. Your data has said it. You have said it as well. And I’m asking you to pull that ad because it’s false advertisement.” https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/45325 June 5, 2018 ZAP Commission Item E2: Long-Range Capital Improvement Program Strategic Plan Discussion … 2017 Long Range CIP Strategic Plan. *Title VI Testimony (20 min). ETJ Correction (extraterritorial jurisdiction). Video: https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/48426 October 16, 2018 Regular Meeting of the Zoning and Platting Commission *383 is the only Northwest bus; midnight would allow 2nd Shift jobs! http://austintexas.gov/content/zoning-and-platting-commission-2018-meetings-page-1 [#333 same ridership runs 15 minutes; ends at 11:56PM] Backup - Item D-01 (King - Aguirre - Draft Recommendation Cap Metro ILA).pdf (543KB): In part, “the concurrent elimination of Route 21 Exposition which was replaced with free RideAustin options to serve West Austin, and the elimination of Minority Route 240 Rutland with no service alternatives, causing transit-dependent riders to walk 0.7 miles to the nearest service, which is a violation of Title VI.” Co-sponsor bias: Appointed by CM Garza, Aguirre excluded Dove Springs: Hispanics benefit at the expense of Northeast Blacks and minorities north of US 183. May 4, 2020 CAMPO Testimony: I noted #240 exceeded Service Standards (20.3 riders/hour) and still request Capital Metro and Council use CARES Act funding to restore St. David’s-North and HEB-Parmer/Loop 1 during the pandemic. August 16, 2020: #466-Domain (7 riders/hour) improved 15 minutes Peak for white commuters 1 mile from St. David’s and could serve the hospital but for class segregation by Capital Metro. 6. December 18, 2020 Joint Meeting: Request CM Flannigan cite pretextual CAMPO scores to justify $18.4M for 3 eliminated MetroRapid Lines (prioritize Parmer east-west: $4.7M); restore 240; improve 383: 15 min Peak; end 383 NLTC at 12AM.~Thanks! Very respectfully, Backstory: 9 months after collecting 574 petitions in 10 days, I saved 383-Anderson Mill/ Millwright to Lakeline and 392-Dessau to Tech Ridge (Juana, Hispanic lady, helped collect about 100 Spanish-speaker signatures). St. David’s and 2 of 3 Parmer HEBs (I-35, Loop 1) are in CM Pool’s District 7. Housing Authority of the City of Austin approved affordable housing Nov2020 behind HEB-McNeil District 6. I urge CMs Flannigan/Pool to fight for Parmer MetroRapid, now!  Zenobia C. Joseph