Happy New Year Contact Team Representative!
Below are 5 important messages for you to share and discuss with your fellow contact team members. I look forward to great things from your teams in 2012.
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Code Revision for Neighborhood Plan Amendments
Staff is proposing changes to the Neighborhood Plan Amendment section of the City's Code (25-1-801). The most substantial change is removing the February and July neighborhood plan amendment application window—allowing submittals year round. Staff presented this proposal to contact teams with a survey in April 2011. Other proposed changes are minor clarifications. Staff will be presenting the complete list of changes to the Planning Commission’s Codes & Ordinances subcommittee on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 6pm City Hall, Staff Bull Pen Contact teams are welcome to attend the meeting; however it is not a public hearing with dedicated time for public comments.
For more information on the proposed revisions and public hearing process, please contact the case manager, Kathleen Fox at Kathleen.fox@austintexas.gov or 974-7877.
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Bicycle 'First Mile/Last Mile' Connection Survey
Survey closes January 31, 2012
Capital Metro wants to encourage more people to use bicycles to connect to the MetroBus and MetroRail. They would like to know more about how bicyclists currently connect to transit, and what barriers prevent potential bicyclists from choosing to 'bike-and-ride'.
Please take the brief survey to tell Cap Metro how they can provide better bike access to their services.
Please take the brief survey to tell Cap Metro how they can provide better bike access to their services.
Questions? Contact: Alissa Schram, Community Involvement Coordinator, Tel: 512.369.7759
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Next Quarterly Contact Team Training:
Tuesday February 21
One Texas Center (Barton Springs & South 1st)
3rd Floor Training Room
6:00 – 7:30
Topic: Local Area Traffic Management
At this training you will learn about the new traffic management program called Local Area Traffic Management (LATM). Initially this new program will provide a process for mitigating excessive speeding on neighborhood streets. Eventually the program will include methodologies for dealing with cut-through traffic and the removal of existing traffic control devices.
Program guidelines and procedures can be found at: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/
Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP not required but please arrive promptly as we will begin and end at the scheduled time.
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Council Passes a Sidewalk Fee In Lieu Notification Resolution
Council Member Chris Riley spearheaded a resolution requiring notification to contact teams when an application for fee in lieu is approved as part of a new subdivision, site plan, or building permit.
“Neighborhoods play an important role in planning our city’s sidewalks. The city looks to neighborhood plans for guidance on sidewalk networks; as development occurs, we need to make sure that neighbors are informed about decisions that affect our progress toward those networks.” Councilmember Riley.
The resolution states:
“The City Manager is directed to notify a Neighborhood Plan Contact Team by electronic communication if a recommended sidewalk project listed in its Neighborhood Plan is approved for the payment of a fee instead of sidewalk installation so that the team understands how its neighborhood sidewalk network is developing and so that the team is able to reprioritize the Neighborhood Plan priority recommendations. This communication should include the amount of the fee paid, the address of the property, and language describing the timeframe and area where the fee will be spent.” http://www.cityofaustin.org/
Contact teams are being notified of this approval so that they are aware of funds that may be available to their neighborhood for sidewalk construction. The funds must be spent within ten years within the neighborhood planning area from which they are collected.
If you have any questions or require additional information regarding the sidewalk fee in lieu application process, please do not hesitate to call Amber Mitchell at 974-3428.
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APD District Representatives
The District Representatives’ purpose is to designate an officer assigned to an area as a liaison between the community and the police department to assist the community in solving neighborhood problems.
The District Representatives are called upon to do a myriad of activities which include, but are not limited to: enhancing patrol efforts, attending neighborhood association meetings to provide input or answers, attending school functions to educate children about safety and crime prevention, assisting the community in solving non-emergency problems and helping the community become self-reliant.
Learn more about your District Representative including your region and Commanders Forum dates for 2012 at the following website: http://www.austintexas.gov/
Margaret E. Valenti
Senior Neighborhood Planner
Contact Team and Education Coordinator
City of Austin
Planning & Development Review Department
505 Barton Springs Road, Austin Texas 78704
Please note: E-mail correspondence to and from the City of Austin is subject to open records requests
