ABOUT HAVING, BRO. WE'RE GOING TO ROLL OUT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISEMENT ABOUT THE NEW THE
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NEW GAME.ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO I'M GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER OF THE JOINT WORK SESSION OF THE EDINBURG CITY COUNCIL.
IT'S APRIL 24TH, AND BY MY WATCH IT IS 601.
I DO SEE VISIBLY WE HAVE A QUORUM.
WE HAVE ALL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF COUNCIL MEMBER DE LEON.
HE'LL JOIN US HERE IN A LITTLE BIT.
AND BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO OUR PRAYER THIS IS A JOINT WORK SESSION, A MEETING WITH OTHER BOARDS THAT ARE HERE.
SO I THINK I'M GOING TO RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR EACH OF THE CHAIRS OF THE COMMITTEES, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND COMING TO THE PODIUM JUST SO THAT YOUR YOU COULD BE HEARD FOR THE RECORD, OPENING UP THOSE MEETINGS.
AND I'LL START WITH PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION.
IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND STEPPING UP AND JUST OPENING YOUR MEETING, BECAUSE THIS IS A JOINT AND I APOLOGIZE FOR WE NEED A BIGGER COUNCIL CHAMBER CHAMBERS SO WE CAN FIT EVERYBODY.
BUT THIS IS HOW WE'RE SET UP RIGHT NOW.
BUT IF YOU COULD JUST OPEN UP THE MEETING FOR PLANNING AND ZONING.
ABSOLUTELY. I'D LIKE TO CALL THAT MEETING TO ORDER AS WELL.
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WE WE HAVE A QUORUM AS WELL.MR. CHAIRMAN, BUT I'M THE VICE CHAIR.
GREAT. ELIAS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
AND NEXT BY NO PARTICULAR ORDER, WE HAVE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS, AND I THINK THE CHAIR IS HERE ALSO, MR. MORAN, IF Y'ALL COULD JUST BEAR WITH US.
I DON'T RECALL EVER DOING THIS LIKE THIS, BUT THIS IS GREAT.
I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE.
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR CITY.
MARK MORAN CHAIR FOR ZONING, BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT.
EVERYBODY'S HERE. WE HAVE QUORUM. QUORUM.
GREAT. WE'D LIKE TO OPEN THE MEETING. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT. AND THEN NEXT WE HAVE THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT STEERING COMMITTEE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A NEW COMMITTEE.
DO THEY HAVE A PRESIDING OFFICER? ALL RIGHT, NICK THANK YOU.
WE JUST FORMALITY. WE GET EVERYTHING OPENED UP.
ABSOLUTELY. NICK CANTU REPRESENTING THE DOWNTOWN COMMITTEE.
AND I DO SEE THE MAJORITY OF OUR PEOPLE HERE.
GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NICK, I APPRECIATE IT.
AND THEN NEXT WE HAVE 20, 20, 24 CITY OF EDINBURGH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. AND I WILL JUST OPEN THAT ONE UP BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT IS ALL THE CHAIRS. IS THAT CORRECT? OF THE EDINBURGH 2040 COMMITTEES AND I, I DO SEE SOME OF THE CHAIRS HERE.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
IF YOU'RE ON THE 2040 COMMITTEE.
SO WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO PROCEED WITH OUR AGENDA.
PROMISE TO JUST KEEP YOU ALL HERE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. AND WE HAVE A PRESENTATION.
BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT WE HAVE A PRAYER THAT WE'RE GOING TO START.
WE ALWAYS DO. SO IF YOU COULD PLEASE RISE.
OUR MAYOR PRO TEM DANDY IS GOING TO LEAD US IN PRAYER.
THANK YOU. LET US PRAY BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THIS EVENING, LET US TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THE LORD GOD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE, WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD THE COMMON GOAL OF ENRICHING OUR CITY AND ALL WHO LIVE AND WORK HERE. LORD, WE PRAISE YOU AND ASK YOU TO GUIDE US IN THIS MEETING, THAT WE MAY BE UNITED IN SPIRIT OF MUTUAL RESPECT AND IN THE HEALTHY EXCHANGE OF OUR IDEAS. HELP US WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AMEN. PLEASE JOIN US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO.
YES, SIR. MAYOR. THE MEETINGS WERE POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT ON APRIL 19TH, 2024 AT 6:35 P.M..
SIR. THANK YOU. AND MOVE ON TO ITEM THREE.
YES, SIR. UNDER STATE LAW, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS IF A MEMBER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTEREST IN AN AGENDA ITEM. IF THERE IS A CONFLICT, THE MEMBER CAN'T PARTICIPATE OR VOTE ON THE ITEM. ARE THERE ANY CONFLICTS TO DISCLOSE, EITHER BY THE CITY COUNCIL OR ANY OF THE OTHER BOARDS IN THE ROOM? NO, SIR. NO, SIR. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM FOUR.
PUBLIC COMMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? PUBLIC COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT.
VERY WELL. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE RIGHT INTO THE PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE A PRESENTATION THIS EVENING BY GARY MITCHELL AND KEN DICKEY'S COLLABORATIVE ON OUR CITY OF EDINBURGH'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HERE TONIGHT. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ALL OF OUR VISITORS.
THIS IS AWESOME. AND A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM WE'VE SPOKEN WITH IN RECENT MONTHS.
SO GLAD TO REPORT BACK TO THEM.
WE'RE AT THE POINT IN OUR PROCESS WHERE WE'RE ABOUT SATURATED.
IT'S WE'VE BEEN GETTING THE FIRE HOSE OF INFORMATION AND LEARNING ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY. AND SO IT'S TIME TO REPORT BACK TO YOU ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED TO THIS POINT AND WHERE WE'RE GOING FROM HERE WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE.
SO ONCE AGAIN, MYSELF AND JENNIFER MACK IS IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM.
JENNIFER IS ALSO SPOKEN WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING TO FOCUS ON TONIGHT.
WE'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON SOME OF OUR BACKGROUND WORK, OUR DATA WORK ABOUT WHERE EDINBURG IS TODAY, FACTS AND FIGURES THAT WAS IN THE PACKET, BUT ALSO SIX THEMES THAT WE'VE ARRIVED AT BASED ON THAT INFORMATION AND EVERYTHING WE'VE HEARD TO THIS POINT IN THE PROCESS.
SO WHAT WE RECOMMEND THAT THE PLAN FOCUS ON GOING FORWARD AND THEN NEXT STEPS IN OUR PROCESS TO WRAP UP. SO I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE 2005 PLAN.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A QUOTE FROM THE INTRODUCTION.
AT THAT TIME EDINBURG WAS IN THE 50,000 60,000 POPULATION RANGE.
YOU'VE BEEN ON A GROWTH SURGE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, SO SOME THINGS DON'T CHANGE.
BUT THAT WAS THE FOCUS ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO.
BASIC SERVICES INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO THIS IS ANOTHER POINT IN TIME OF REVISITING KEY ISSUES THAT WILL SHAPE YOUR FUTURE AS A COMMUNITY.
AND THESE WERE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE HIGHLIGHTED AS PRIORITIES IN THE 2005 PLAN.
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THERE SHOULD BE A LOT OF FAMILIAR WORDS THERE.AGAIN, FROM OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR VARIOUS BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, YOUR COMMITTEES, THE 2040 COMMITTEES YOU HAVE DONE SO MUCH ON THESE ITEMS, BUT THEY'RE THEY'RE ONGOING THINGS FOR ANY COMMUNITY.
YOU'RE ALWAYS CHIPPING AWAY AND TAKING NEXT STEPS TO IMPROVE.
SO I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO FLIP THE SCRIPT A LITTLE BIT AND PUT THE SIX THEMES OUT THERE FIRST. SO THE FIRST ONE THAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT IS TO LEVERAGE YOUR MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE. WE ARE TELLING THIS TO CITIES ACROSS THE STATE THAT WE WORK WITH, ESPECIALLY AS THE LEGISLATURE LIMITED ANNEXATION CAPABILITIES IN RECENT YEARS AND SOME HOME RULE AUTHORITIES.
YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER.
ONE OF THE KEY THINGS, CERTAINLY FROM A GROWTH MANAGEMENT STANDPOINT, HOW YOU GROW IN THE FUTURE AND BUT ALSO CERTAINLY FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT. SO WE PUT THAT FRONT AND CENTER.
AND AS WE GO THROUGH THESE THIS YOU SHOULD SEE A LOT OF CONNECTIONS AND OUR 2040 COMMITTEES TO THE THINGS THEY'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON.
AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS EVEN HIGHER LEVEL BROADER BIG PICTURE OF WHERE YOU'RE HEADED THE NEXT SEVERAL DECADES.
THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2040 COMMITTEES HAVE LITERALLY BEEN GETTING DOWN TO VERY SPECIFIC ACTIONS AND ACTIONS THAT THIS COUNCIL FUNDED IN SOME CASES ALREADY.
SO THIS WILL KIND OF CREATE AN UMBRELLA OVER THAT PLAN AND ALL THE OTHER SPECIALIZED PLANS. THE CITY DOES UTILITY PLANNING, PARKS AND RECREATION, ALL THOSE MORE SPECIALIZED PLANS.
SO THAT'S THE FIRST ONE TO PUT OUT THERE.
SECOND ONE, WE'VE HEARD THIS IN A LOT OF WAYS, AND I'LL PREFACE THIS AND LET ME STATE IT.
IT'S EMBRACE THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A UNIVERSITY AND THE DESIRE TO BE MORE OF A UNIVERSITY TOWN. WE'VE GOT THE PHOTO OF THE HAVING DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL COMING UP SOON.
THAT'S CERTAINLY PART OF IT. SO THE POINTS UP THERE WAS PARTLY THAT IN ANY UNIVERSITY TOWN WE WORK IN, JUST TO NOT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED.
AND WHEN IT IS SOMEWHAT MAYBE A COMMUTER SCHOOL, NOT FULLY FULL TIME STUDENTS THAT CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSITY AND JUST THE SPIRIT THAT BEING A UNIVERSITY TOWN CAN BRING I USE THE WORD THE TERM RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION, BUT IN GENERAL, JUST THE ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES.
WHEN YOU HAVE A MAJOR UNIVERSITY IN YOUR CITY AND WHAT CAN SPIN OFF FROM WORK THAT'S DONE ON CAMPUS. ALSO, HAVING A UNIVERSITY IN YOUR COMMUNITY, JUST ALL THE OUTREACH AS PART OF A STATE UNIVERSITY MISSION SERVICES AND THINGS THAT THEY DO AGAIN, THAT TIE INTO THE 2040 PRIORITIES PARTIES AND COMMITTEES.
AND CERTAINLY WE'VE HEARD, AS WE DO IN SO MANY PLACES, WANTING TO RETAIN NOT ONLY YOUR YOUTH, BUT PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME HERE FOR SCHOOL OR THAT STAYED HERE TO GO INTO COLLEGE.
HOW TO KEEP THAT TALENT HERE LONG TERM AND BUILD THAT INTO YOUR ECONOMY.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, AND WE HEARD THIS, AS I SAY IN A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS, JUST REALLY DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT ASSET THAT'S LITERALLY RIGHT DOWN THE STREET HERE FROM US.
NUMBER THREE OF THE SIX GO ALL IN ON ASSET PRESERVATION AND MAINTENANCE.
AND MAYOR, I'VE GOT TO SAY, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT WAS YOU IN OUR FIRST WORKSHOP WHO SAID IT MENTIONED PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TRACKING YOUR ROAD LIFE CYCLES AND MAINTENANCE.
THAT'S USUALLY A STAFF CONVERSATION.
BUT WHEN WE'VE WORKED WITH RAPIDLY GROWING CITIES.
WHAT WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT IS WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, FACILITIES, ROADS AT THE SAME TIME, THEY'RE GOING TO COME DUE AT THE SAME TIME IN SEVERAL DECADES. SO ALWAYS HAVING THAT MAINTENANCE MINDSET AND TRACKING YOUR ASSETS, YOUR PHYSICAL PLANT AS A CITY.
BUT THEN AS THESE POINTS SHOW SO MANY OTHER ASSETS AS A COMMUNITY, YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS, THAT WAS CERTAINLY A THEME OF THE 2005 PLAN, ALL THE DISCUSSION ABOUT DOWNTOWN ENHANCEMENT AND TO THE POINT OF FORMING THE NEW COMMITTEE. AND I MENTIONED THERE IN OUR CONVERSATIONS, IT WAS ALSO THE DISCUSSION OF THE EAST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN AND KIND OF COMING FROM THE FREEWAY AND THAT ENTRY INTO THE CITY, AND THEN CERTAINLY ALL ASPECTS OF AS, AGAIN, I SAY YOUR PHYSICAL PLANT, BUT YOUR PARKS, YOUR TRAILS, ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING THAT ARE NEW INVESTMENTS.
AND I HAVE TO MENTION TO COUNCIL AND MAYOR THAT IMAGE THAT DECIDED TO PUT ON THIS SLIDE.
I WAS ASKED TO REPEAT SOMETHING I SAID IN A STAFF GROUP TODAY.
WHEN I FIRST SAW STAFF TODAY, I SAID THIS CITY, THE MORE WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT EDINBURG AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOU'RE KILLING IT. THIS CITY IS DOING SOME AMAZING THINGS, EVEN AMID THIS GROWTH SURGE.
AND THAT IMAGE RIGHT THERE, BECAUSE WE TELL SO MANY OF OUR CITIES WHEN THERE'S KIND OF A FEELING MAYBE FROM CITIZENS OF WHAT IS THE CITY DOING,
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WANTING TO SEE MORE COMMUNICATION.YOU GUYS DO THAT? I TELL OUR CITIES I'D HAVE A GROUNDBREAKING EVERY DAY OF RIBBON CUTTING, CONSTANTLY BE HIGHLIGHTING THE THINGS THAT THE CITY IS DOING.
SO, SO VERY GOOD TO SEE ALL THE NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
SO THE THEME THERE BEING WE'RE MAKING THESE NEW INVESTMENTS, MAINTENANCE, LONG TERM AND TRACKING AS WE GO.
ONE THING THAT STRUCK US AS WE CERTAINLY ABSORBED AND INTERACTED WITH THE 2040 COMMITTEES, THIS IS WHAT STRUCK ME, IS THE COMMON THEME OF EVERYTHING WAS IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE, WHETHER IT'S THEIR ECONOMIC SITUATION, HEALTH AND WELLNESS, SAFETY, WALKING, BIKING, CERTAINLY. PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
THE EQUITY THEME TRANSPARENCY, BUT JUST A GOOD LIFE.
AND JUST I'VE MENTIONED IN OUR FIRST WORKSHOP JUST HOW IMPRESSED WE ARE BY THE EVENTS THAT YOU DO THROUGH YOUR LIBRARY PROGRAM.
THAT'S I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT IN ANOTHER CITY.
SO SO THIS IS ONE OF OUR SIX THEMES ALSO IS WHATEVER WE END UP FOCUSING ON IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. IT NEEDS TO BE ABOUT PEOPLE AND ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE THAT FEEDS INTO QUALITY OF LIFE. THIS ONE NEEDS A LITTLE MORE EXPLANATION.
PURSUE OPPORTUNITY IN SCARCITY ON THE ONE HAND, AND ABUNDANCE. AND THIS ACTUALLY SPUN PARTLY FROM A CONVERSATION I HAD IN OUR MEETING A FEW WEEKS AGO. MAYOR WITH ONE OF THE PROFESSORS FROM UTRGV WHO SPENDS A LOT OF HIS RESEARCH TIME ON THESE TOPICS.
BUT ON THE ONE HAND, SCARCITY IS OUR OBVIOUS WATER SITUATION BEYOND, YOU KNOW, OUR INTERACTION WITH MEXICO, THE REGIONAL ASPECT OF THAT.
IN OUR EXPERIENCE IN TEXAS, ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY, CERTAINLY AROUND THE WORLD, PLACES THAT HAVE SCARCE WATER ARE HUBS OF INNOVATION ON HOW TO STRETCH THAT LIMITED SUPPLY, HOW TO ADOPT NEW TECHNOLOGY.
SO WE'VE HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS AGAIN IN OUR EARLY INTERACTIONS TO THIS POINT.
SO ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A KEY REGIONAL LANDFILL AND THE AMOUNT OF WASTE STREAM THAT IS COMING HERE AGAIN, THE OPPORTUNITIES SEEN ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD OF REUSING, RECYCLING, THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OF WASTE AND COUNTRIES THAT DON'T GENERATE A LOT OF WASTE, THEY, THEY MAKE USE OF THEIR RESOURCES.
SO AND WE HIGHLIGHTED CERTAINLY THE THINGS YOU'RE ALREADY DOING AT THE LANDFILL AND MAKING ECONOMIC USE OF THAT FACILITY WITH THE BTU PROJECT.
SO SO AGAIN, THAT THAT WAS PARTLY FROM THAT UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CONVERSATION.
BUT THERE'S ALSO THE FINAL POINT THERE ABOUT BEING A LEADER IN WHAT'S AHEAD, APPARENTLY WITH TRENDS IN CLIMATE.
AND SO CERTAINLY HAD THAT DISCUSSION IN OUR ECON DEVELOPMENT 2040 COMMITTEE GROUP.
SO. NUMBER SIX OF THE SIX AND I KNOW THIS IS DEAR TO THE MAYOR, SOMETHING HE'S PROMOTED IN THE CENTER OF THAT PHOTO AS A LEADER OF THIS, BUT PROMOTING REGIONALISM. AND THE LIST IS THERE.
IT COULD GO ON BEYOND THAT, BUT CERTAINLY FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT.
BUT ALL THESE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE ENTIRE VALLEY HAS THAT REGIONAL APPROACH YOU HAVE SO MANY PARTNERS, NOT JUST CITY TO CITY, BUT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, YOUR NONPROFIT SECTORS THAT WE'VE INTERACTED WITH TO THIS POINT. SO MAYOR, I KNOW YOU HAD TO LEAVE EARLY WHEN WE HAD OUR MEETING WITH THE 2040 GROUP A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
BUT AT THE END OF THAT MEETING, I HAD SOME CARDS FOR EVERYONE.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THEY'VE HAD THESE DEEP DISCUSSIONS BUT ASKED THEM, EVEN AT THIS POINT, SEVERAL A YEAR OR TWO LATER, WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER ONE HOPE AS YOU THINK ABOUT EDINBURG 20 YEARS FROM NOW? WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN? AND EVERYBODY WROTE SOME THINGS SOME, YOU KNOW, EXPECTED THINGS, CONCERNS ABOUT TRAFFIC, THINGS LIKE THAT, AND HAD MIXED OPINIONS ON THEIR YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT HOUSING NEEDS, THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT SO HERE'S A COUPLE OF QUOTES THAT STRUCK ME AGAIN, COULD QUOTE A NUMBER OF THEM, BUT SO HERE'S A COUPLE OF THE HOPE ITEMS. THAT FIRST ONE CAPTURES A LOT.
AND AGAIN, KIND OF A CROSS SECTION OF WHAT SO MANY OF THE 2040 COMMITTEES ARE WORKING ON.
AND THERE'S THAT DOWNTOWN FOCUS DOWNTOWN AND THAT DESIRE TO AGAIN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE UT RGV CONNECTION ON THE CONCERN SIDE.
THE ONE AT THE BOTTOM, CERTAINLY.
THAT'S WE KNOW AS YOU'RE A RAPIDLY GROWING CITY, IT'S THAT NEED TO KEEP UP FROM A SERVICE STANDPOINT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SERVICES.
THE ONE ON THE LEFT. INTERESTING THAT DON'T DON'T THINK TOO SMALL CONTINUE TO REACH FOR THE NEXT BIG THINGS AND DON'T MAKE EXCUSES.
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AND SO, AS I SAID EARLIER, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THE 2040 PROCESS, THE CITY HAS ALREADY MADE SOME FUNDING COMMITMENTS THROUGH ITS BUDGETING.SO SO THOSE WERE SOME ITEMS THAT KIND OF CAPTURED AS WELL, SOME OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT. SO HERE ARE THE SIX ITEMS WE BASICALLY CAN SPIN OFF IN A NUMBER OF DIRECTIONS IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FROM THESE THEMES.
WHAT I WAS HOPING TONIGHT IS THAT THESE RESONATE WITH YOU AND THAT WE CAN PROCEED BASED ON THESE. WE CAN TIE LAND USE TO THIS TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
CERTAINLY PARKS AND RECREATION, ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. SO I'LL PUT THAT OUT THERE AND ACTUALLY CAN PAUSE HERE, BECAUSE FROM HERE I WAS GOING TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE DATA ITEMS FROM THE TODAY REPORT.
GREAT. WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IF IT'S OKAY WITH EVERYONE, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT RESPECT FOR EVERYBODY'S TIME. BUT AT THE SAME TIME THAT THAT WE GET FEEDBACK YOU KNOW, FROM EVERYONE THAT IS HERE AND TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY.
SO AGAIN, NO PARTICULAR ORDER.
I'LL JUST CALL THE COMMITTEES, THE CHAIR OR ANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEES.
I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE THE DETAILED INFORMATION BASED ON WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED.
THIS IS, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THIS IS GOING TO BE USED TO THEN DIVE IN DEEPER TO FINALIZE THE PLAN.
AND I JUST WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE THE COMMITTEES OR RESIDENTS THAT ARE HERE.
ARE WE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? DO WE. ARE WE MISSING SOMETHING? I KNOW PART OF WHAT? I KNOW AS A COUNCIL, WHEN WE AGREED TO PURSUE THIS, IT WAS TO TO MAKE SURE WE GOT EVERYBODY'S FEEDBACK.
SO AS WE'RE GROWING, WE KEEP IN MIND CERTAIN THINGS.
YOU KNOW, ONE IS, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP AT OUR EVERY ONE OF OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS, YOU KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF REZONINGS, A LOT OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS.
AND I THINK THIS IS A WAY FOR US TO AT LEAST HAVE A WAY TO, TO FOLLOW SOMETHING AS A GUIDE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE FUTURE.
SO I JUST AT THIS TIME WANT TO OPEN IT UP TO ALL THE COMMITTEES, YOU KNOW, AND KIND OF GET EVERYBODY'S FEEDBACK REAL QUICKLY ON, ON SOME OF THESE THINGS. DO WE NEED TO ADD SOMETHING? ARE WE MISSING SOMETHING BEFORE WE PURSUE TO THE NEXT LEVEL? SO, AND TO YOUR QUESTION, MAYOR, THIS WOULD DRIVE GOALS.
YEAH. ULTIMATELY ACTIONS THAT END UP IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
RIGHT. SO WITHOUT PUTTING ANYBODY ON THE SPOT PLANNING AND ZONING, IS THERE ANYTHING? I KNOW WE'VE BEEN LOOKING TO HAVE A JOINT MEETING SOON BECAUSE Y'ALL GET Y'ALL ARE OUR FRONTLINE IN TERMS OF YOU KNOW, REQUESTS, RIGHT, FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.
RIGHT. HAVING TO DO WITH, WITH DEVELOPMENTS.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE THINGS HERE THAT, THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE THEM IN THE PLAN.
BECAUSE JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, I MEAN, ALL OF US UP HERE IN THE COUNCIL WE'RE HERE RIGHT NOW. WE'RE TERM LIMITED.
WE MAY RUN AGAIN. WE MAY NOT RUN AGAIN.
MY POINT IS, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO STAY HERE, WHETHER ANY OF US ARE HERE OR NOT.
SO THAT AS A COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO GROW IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE. SO THAT'S THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS.
THANK YOU. MAYOR, ON THE AS FAR AS PLANNING ZONING GOES, I THINK IT'S IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK THE ITEMS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT OR HAVE BEEN TOUCHED ON TONIGHT ARE ALL KEY.
I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE I REMEMBER FROM THE OTHER MEETING WERE SAFETY AND HEALTH WHICH IS SUPER IMPORTANT IF YOU'RE GOING TO BRING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE TO THIS COMMUNITY.
IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HAVE TO OFFER AS A, AS A CITY TO, TO ANYONE THAT'S WANTING TO RELOCATE.
I REMEMBER MENTIONING THE THAT WE'RE WE'RE WANTING TO DO MORE, MORE HIKE AND BIKE TRAILS, MORE THINGS FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN THE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT I DIDN'T COME UP.
BUT AT THAT TIME I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THE BICYCLISTS THAT DON'T FEEL SAFE ON THE HIGHWAY. I'M A CYCLIST.
AND IT'S IT'S A DIFFICULT THING TO TO RIDE BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A SAFE, PASSING ORDINANCE.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO MAKE, MAKE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE AWARE OF.
BUT I THINK WE'RE TOUCHING ALL ON ALL THE RIGHT SPOTS AND ALL THE RIGHT THINGS.
I THINK WE JUST NEED TO, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OF THE, THE JEWELS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, THE COURTHOUSE, THE UNIVERSITY.
AND I THINK THAT THAT THOSE THINGS ARE ALL VERY OBVIOUS.
BUT BUT THERE ARE LITTLE THINGS THAT WE STILL NEED TO LOOK AT.
AND THE AND THE FUTURE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OF OUR CORRIDOR, WHICH WOULD BE THE EXPRESSWAY.
AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO PLAN ON, HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. SO JUST AS A BRIEF THANK YOU.
ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS, DO WE IS THERE ANY ANYBODY WANTS TO ADD ANYTHING TO WHAT'S BEING SAID? I THINK WE'RE COVERING OUR BASES. I KNOW YOU ALL MEET ON PARTICULAR ISSUES THAT COME BEFORE YOU THAT DO NOT MEET OUR CODE.
RIGHT. AND SO YOU'RE HAVING TO MAKE DECISIONS ON YOU KNOW, WHETHER TO GRANT THOSE VARIANCES OR NOT.
SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD, PLEASE FEEL FREE. AND IF IF YOU DON'T, A LITTLE BIT SHY, DON'T WANT TO SHARE TONIGHT. THIS IS A PROCESS.
[00:25:01]
EVERYONE OKAY. SO WE'LL PROVIDE EVERYBODY'S CONTACT INFO.THIS IS GOING TO BE AN ONGOING PROCESS. BUT WE JUST THOUGHT TONIGHT WAS IMPORTANT.
SO WE CAN KIND OF PAUSE A LITTLE BIT.
AND BASED ON WHAT THEY'VE COME UP WITH MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THAT FEEDBACK.
SO IF THEY'RE NOT I'LL MOVE ON.
WE HAVE THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT.
NICK, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ANY COMMENTS AT THIS TIME.
YES, PLEASE. LIKE I SAID, I ECHO A LOT OF THE MAJOR POINTS ARE BEING TOUCHED ON. ONE THING I JUST WANT TO PUT ON OUR RADAR IS A RETENTION.
RIGHT? THAT VERBIAGE OF RETENTION.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A UNIQUE DEMOGRAPHIC THAT COMES INTO THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
BEING THE LEGAL COMMUNITY YOU KNOW, WHAT ITEMS ARE WE PUTTING OUT TO RETAIN SOME OF THAT MONEYS AND INVESTMENT IN THE AREA? ALONG WITH THE UNIVERSITY, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES CAN WE PUT OUT TO RETAIN THAT TALENT? SO RETENTION IS JUST THE ONLY THING I DIDN'T SEE ON THAT LIST THAT I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO KIND OF KEEP ON THE RADAR BECAUSE IT IS UNIQUE VERSUS OTHER CITIES.
AND I THINK IT'S RETENTION WOULD GO ALSO OUR ASSETS THAT WE HAVE HERE.
RIGHT? WE HAVE A GREAT ASSETS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME CROWN JEWELS, LIKE I THINK ELIAS IS MENTIONING.
BUT YES, THANK YOU. I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.
SO AND THEN WE HAVE THE A LOT OF 20, 40 COMMITTEES HERE.
I SEE BYRON, I SEE OTHERS IF YOU GUYS ARE I KNOW YOU'VE MET WITH THE CONSULTANT AND EVERYTHING, BUT AT THIS POINT, BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON SOME OF OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES I WELCOME Y'ALL'S FEEDBACK AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU CARE TO ADD ANYTHING TO THIS, THERE'S A LOT MORE WORK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. YOU KNOW, AFTER THIS, FOR THIS PLAN.
YES, MA'AM. YOU COULD COME UP, PLEASE.
I'M SORRY. JUST SO WE CAN GET ALL THIS ON THE RECORD.
SO. YES. DIANE TEETER, I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT YOU'VE INCLUDED THE UNIVERSITY TOWN ADVANTAGE, BUT I SEE ALL THESE ROOFS AND HAPPENING, AND THE BUILDINGS. ARE WE ACTUALLY COORDINATING AND COLLABORATING WITH OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS? AS FAR AS WHERE THE SUBDIVISIONS ARE GOING? IS THAT WHERE THE SCHOOLS ARE OR EVEN DOWNTOWN WHEN WE'RE ADDING APARTMENTS WHERE THEY USED TO BE SINGLE FAMILY.
THAT'S GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CROWD SCHOOLS.
SO I THINK THERE SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS THE UNIVERSITIES.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD COMMENT. YEAH, WE DO HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT IS THAT CORRECT SCHOOL SYSTEMS? HERE IN OUR CITY ECISD VANGUARD IDEA AND SOUTH TEXAS ISD AND YES.
THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE WISH TO COMMENT AT THIS TIME? WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE, BUT YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME UP ANYTIME AND PROVIDE US ANY FEEDBACK.
THIS IS A PLAN THAT'S GOING TO HELP THE CITY GUIDE US HERE FOR THE FUTURE.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THAT WE DO THIS.
AND THE LAST THING WE DID WAS IN OH FIVE.
I SEE RUDY RAMIREZ HERE NOT TO PUT ANYBODY ON THE SPOT, BUT ANYTHING ON HOUSING, I KNOW I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING HERE. YOU WANT TO CARE? ANYTHING? COMMENT ON THAT.
YEAH. RUDY RAMIREZ. I'M PART OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD.
BUT, YEAH, I WOULD THINK AS WE MEET AS A COMMITTEE TO ADVISE Y'ALL HOUSING, ESPECIALLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THERE'S A BIG DEMAND.
AND WITH INTEREST RATES GOING UP AND JUST SEE AFFORDABILITY.
PEOPLE ARE TENDING TO RENT MORE.
OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE SEEN A HUGE GROWTH IN MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENTS.
AND AGAIN, IT'S ALWAYS ON THE AFFORDABILITY SIDE.
AND AND AS A LEADER IN PUBLIC HOUSING THERE'S A GAP, RIGHT. WHAT ARE WE DOING? I THINK YOU GUYS ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK AS FAR AS ADDRESSING THESE THINGS AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL SYSTEMS. ET CETERA. BUT THE AVERAGE PERSON THAT LIVES IN PUBLIC HOUSING RIGHT NOW EARNS ABOUT 20,000. OUR AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME FOR HIDALGO COUNTY IS AT 57.
AND I'M PART OF AFFORDABLE HOMES OF SOUTH TEXAS, WHICH IS ANOTHER HUGE NONPROFIT THAT DOES PROVIDE KEYS AND THAT HOMEOWNERSHIP PROCESS.
BUT FOR YOU TO QUALIFY FOR THAT, YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE AT LEAST 40,000.
SO SO I'M ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THE GAP AND HOW DO WE CLOSE IT.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST FOUNDATIONS IN MY OPINION, AND WE'RE HERE WITH THE UNIVERSITY IS IS EDUCATION, RIGHT. INCLUDING SOUTH TEXAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, EDINBURG CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ALL THESE OTHER CHARTER SCHOOLS.
RIGHT. SO, SO A LOT, OF LOT, LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN EDINBURG.
[00:30:04]
AND I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT THAT WE CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE AND WORK AS A REGION.AND THEN OBVIOUSLY FROM BEING ON THESE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES WITH DIFFERENT CITIES.
THE TAKEAWAY MAY BE AT THE END AND WE HAVE AN EXPERT COVERING.
THIS IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE ADDRESSING DRAINAGE, RIGHT. SO SO YEAH, IT'S IT'S WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU RICK. GO AHEAD SIR.
MAYOR, IF ALL THE COMMITTEES ARE DONE, A COUPLE A COUPLE COMMENTS I HAVE.
MR. MITCHELL. MISS TEETER KIND OF TRIGGERED A LITTLE MEMORY I HAD WITH ALL OUR GROWTH, OUR EXPLOSIVENESS EVERY TIME I HAVE A CHANCE AND I SEE A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, I ASK THEM WHO IS IN TOUCH WITH THE CITY, KNOWING HOW MANY ROOFTOPS WE GOT GOING ON, WHAT OUR POPULATION INCREASES ARE LOOKING LIKE, WHAT THE FAMILY SITUATION IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
ARE YOU GUYS READY WITH SCHOOLS? I ALWAYS ASK THAT I DON'T SEE ANYTHING KIND OF REFERRING TO THAT GROWTH VERSUS LIKE MISS TEETER SAID PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND, AND NUMBER OF SCHOOLS NEEDED FOR THE FOR THE THE NUMBERS. THAT'S SOMETHING BIG FOR ME.
THE OTHER I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, MR. MITCHELL, THE QUESTION I POSED TO YOU, AND YOU SAID NO ONE'S EVER ASKED ME THAT QUESTION BEFORE. BUT I SEE TROOPER JOHNNY IN THE BACK. HE'S PART OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
EVERY PART OF OUR CITY IS IS IS THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF POLICE OFFICERS FOR POPULATION, FOR SAFETY.
THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF GREEN SPACES TO HAVE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY.
AND THE QUESTION THAT I POSED AND THE TERM I WANT TO USE IS RESPONSIBLE GROWTH.
HOW DO WE ASSURE RESPONSIBLE GROWTH? BY THAT I MEAN I SPECIFICALLY NOT TO PICK ON ANY BUSINESSES, BUT I SPECIFICALLY REFER TO CAR WASHES AND COFFEE SHOPS.
RIGHT. HOW MANY SHOULD WE HAVE IN A CERTAIN AREA BASED ON ROOFTOPS, POPULATIONS? THERE'S A CERTAIN THERE'S GOT TO BE A NUMBER WHERE IT'S TOO MANY FOR THAT AREA. AND I REMEMBER YOU SAYING, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT.
AND ALL THE MEETINGS I'VE HAD, I'VE LEARNED THAT OTHER CITIES KIND OF CURB WHATEVER IT IS, WHETHER IT'S TOO MANY APARTMENTS IN AN AREA OR TOO MANY CAR WASHES.
THEY STARTED DOING IMPACT FEES, WHICH KIND OF SLOW DOWN.
BUT RECENTLY THERE WAS AN ARTICLE THAT I THINK THAT WAS I THINK THE MAYOR SHARED IT WITH ME, THAT I THINK IT WAS EITHER UNCONSTITUTIONAL OR SOMETHING.
THEY FROWNED UPON ANY SORT OF IMPACT FEES.
BUT IN YOUR WORKINGS AND IN DEALING WITH THE CITY, HAVE YOU FOUND ANY SORT OF FORMULA ON HOW TO RESPONSIBLY GROW IN AN AREA AND NOT INUNDATE AN AREA WITH TOO MANY OF ANYTHING? YES. I MEAN CERTAINLY FROM A ZONING STANDPOINT, THERE ARE CITIES THAT HAVE DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS BETWEEN CERTAIN USES, INCLUDING MULTIFAMILY IN ANOTHER CITY WE'RE WORKING WITH, SO THEY DON'T PROLIFERATE TO A CERTAIN POINT YOU KNOW, LIMITING HOW MANY IN A DISTRICT, A ZONING DISTRICT THERE CAN BE DIFFERENT WAYS TO TACKLE THAT. SINCE YOU BROUGHT UP THE CAR WASH ISSUE IN OUR FIRST MEETING.
STILL DON'T HAVE ANY NUMBERS ON THAT, BUT THERE WAS AN INTERESTING ARTICLE THAT I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT THAT'S AN INVESTMENT SECTOR.
THAT IS CORRECT. CORRECT. QUICK RETURN.
AND EVERY TIME THE DISCUSSION COMES UP, SAY, HEY DAN, YOU CAN'T BE AGAINST GROWTH.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, I'M NOT I'M NOT AGAINST GROWTH, BUT I'M FOR RESPONSIBLE GROWTH SO THAT WE CAN IF THEY NEED RESTAURANTS IN A CERTAIN AREA, WE CAN INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO MOVE THAT WAY.
LIKE WE KNOW DOWNTOWN, EAST SIDE OF TOWN.
WE WANT TO INCENTIVIZE GROWTH AND MOVEMENT THAT WAY, NOT JUST KEEP IT CENTRALIZED IN ONE ONE AREA.
I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT INCLUDED IN OUR PLAN.
UNDERSTOOD. ANY COMMENTS? QUESTIONS ON THAT? PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CHIME IN, EVERYONE. I SEE A COUPLE OF ENGINEERS IN THE IN THE HOUSE.
ANY COMMENTS COME ON. COME ON.
IT'S BEST YOU COME UP HERE AND WE'RE NOT TRYING TO PUT ANYBODY IN THE SPOT, BUT.
PLEASE. NO. IT'S A PUBLIC MEETING.
WE HAVE TO. WE DO MINUTES OF THE MEETING AND.
OLIVARES. YEAH. HE STRUCK A NERVE WITH ME.
I'M. I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE METRICS AND WHERE ARE YOU HEADED? WHAT ARE THE GOALS? WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS? I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF IT'S IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE OR WHAT IS IT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO BETTER FOCUS ON WHAT ARE THE GOALS WE'RE TRYING TO REACH IN WHAT AREAS. AND YOU, YOU BROUGHT UP YOU KNOW, DISTANCING DISTANCES BETWEEN SIMILAR BUSINESSES. AND IT'S KIND OF ALONG THOSE LINES, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE METRICS? MAYBE PUT A MAP OUT THERE THAT SHOWS, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE RED AREAS OR, YOU KNOW,
[00:35:01]
WHY DO I GO TO MCALLEN? BECAUSE OF RESTAURANTS.SO WHAT IS IT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? MORE RESIDENTS. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I'M JUST KIND OF BRAINSTORMING HERE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE NUMBERS.
BECAUSE WITHOUT THE NUMBERS, YOU REALLY.
SO WITH THAT IN MIND, YOU KNOW, WE WE WANT TO SEE HOW MUCH VOLUME OF WATER DO WE NEED. SO OBVIOUSLY YOU'VE ALREADY ANALYZED THAT, BUT THINGS LIKE THAT. WE WANT TO LOOK AT WHAT KIND OF BUSINESSES? NOT JUST BUSINESSES, BUT WHAT KIND OF BUSINESSES DO WE WANT, IN WHAT AREAS, ETC., WHAT MAKES SENSE? AND WE'VE GOT A BUNCH OF FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS HERE ON 107.
WE KNOW WHY, BUT I'M JUST THINKING, AS A RESIDENT PRACTICAL.
WHAT IS IT WE WANT? I MEAN, I HAVE MY OWN IDEAS, BUT THEY'RE JUST SCATTERED.
BUT WITHOUT NUMBERS, WITHOUT METRICS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE WANT MORE WE WANT TO INCREASE OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
WHAT IS THAT? WE NEED, WE NEED WE NEED SOME MORE TAXES.
WELL, WHAT IS IT THAT WE NEED TO GET THAT MAYBE MORE COMMERCIAL PLAZAS? MAYBE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT THAT'S MY COMMENT.
IF WE CAN SEE SOME METRICS MAYBE THAT WOULD HELP US STEER US IN IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I'M THINKING. YEAH. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
RENEE. REAL QUICK, REAL FAST, MR. MITCHELL. AND TO KIND OF GO OFF OF MR. OLIVARES JUST SAID, RIGHT NOW I'D LIKE TO SEE, LIKE WHAT HE'S SAYING. WHAT IS GROWTH? WE HAVE? I THINK I'M MISTAKEN.
LIKE 4500 NEW ROOFTOPS GOING UP AS FAR AS RESIDENTIAL RIGHT NOW.
WE WANT TO KEEP THAT SALES TAX REVENUE IN EDINBURG BECAUSE LIKE HE SAID, WHAT DO WE DO? MOST PEOPLE GO TO MCALLEN TO GO SHOP, TO EAT AND TO ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES.
AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE UNIVERSITY COMING WITH DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL, WE HAVE TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT SALES TAX AND THAT ECONOMIC IMPACT.
WHAT IS IT WE'RE DOING TO MAXIMIZE THAT? BECAUSE IT'S VERY SIMPLE FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN, WATCH A GAME, BUT WE WANT THEM TO SAY BEFORE A GAME AND AFTER THE GAME, BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO JUMP ON THAT HIGHWAY AND GO SOUTH. AND I LIKE TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO DO THAT. WHAT IS IT WE'RE DOING TO DO THAT? YES, SIR. SO I SHOULD MENTION, AS WE SAY, THIS IS OUR POINT WHERE WE'RE TURNING FROM WHERE YOU ARE TODAY TO WHERE YOU'RE HEADED.
THAT'S OUR NEXT STEP. WHAT ARE OUR BIG GOALS? HOW CAN WE PUT NUMBERS TO THAT TARGETS.
WE'LL BE DOING POPULATION PROJECTIONS, WORKING IN COORDINATION WITH PROJECTIONS THAT ARE ALREADY DONE FOR YOUR UTILITY PLANNING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED NEXT.
IN THE PACKET WAS OUR MORE THE FACTS AND FIGURES REPORT.
THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS I WAS GOING TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT. BUT JUST TO RESPOND TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CAME UP, APPRECIATE THE, THE POINTS THE COMMENT ABOUT HISTORY, IF IT WASN'T ON THE SLIDE, I COULD REMEMBER DEFINITELY UNDER THAT ASSET PRESERVATION THEME. THAT IS CERTAINLY PART OF IT.
APPRECIATE THE RETENTION THEME.
WE TALKED ABOUT YOUTH, BUT BUSINESSES ANY ASPECT OF RETAINING ASSETS IN YOUR COMMUNITY. THE COMMENT ABOUT THE SCHOOLS AND THE UNIVERSITY.
WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS IN THESE PLANS ON PARTNERSHIPS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THESE PLANS ARE ADOPTED BY A CITY COUNCIL, A CITY. BUT IT'S MEANT TO BE A PLAN FOR THE COMMUNITY.
THERE'S ALWAYS SO MANY THINGS CITIES CAN DO ON THEIR OWN, WHETHER IT'S FUNDING OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, OTHER PARTNERS. WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON THAT.
SO DEFINITELY WILL BE REACHING OUT TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
HOW THEY PLAN, THEY DO THEIR DEMOGRAPHIC STUDIES AND LOOK AT THEIR LOCATION POSSIBILITIES FOR FUTURE SCHOOLS.
DEFINITELY THE DRAINAGE ITEM THAT WAS MENTIONED.
YEAH, WE DIDN'T CALL OUT HOUSING SPECIFICALLY, BUT THAT IS UNDER THAT UPLIFT PEOPLE THEME.
IT'S UNDER SOME OF THE OTHER THEMES. SO HOUSING DEFINITELY THERE.
SO APPRECIATE ALL THOSE GOOD COMMENTS.
IF WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PART. AND I THINK WE NEED TO TECHNOLOGY BOOST FOR A SECOND. THERE YOU GO.
SO IN THE PACKET ON THE CITY WEBSITE IS THE FULL REPORT THAT WE PREPARED.
SIMILAR TO THIS, I WANTED TO PULL OUT SOME THINGS THAT STRUCK US AGAIN, BASED ON THESE THEMES, OUR DISCUSSIONS.
BUT THE REPORT, AS I SAY, HAS A LOT OF FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT THE CITY AS IT IS TODAY. SO FIVE TAKEAWAYS THAT STRUCK US.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN OUR FIRST WORKSHOP.
THE CHART THAT'S ON THE SCREEN, THE MORE SOLID BARS, THE HEAVIER BARS THAT ARE IN THE MIDDLE, THAT'S THE NATION.
THAT'S THE DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
MALE ON THE LEFT, FEMALE ON THE RIGHT.
BUT ALL THE DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FAIRLY BALANCED.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED DOING THIS TYPE OF WORK 30 SOMETHING YEARS AGO,
[00:40:04]
THE US POPULATION WAS MORE.IT WAS MORE OF A BULGE IN THE MIDDLE.
THE BABY BOOM GENERATION, OF COURSE, HAS BEEN MOVING THROUGH, BUT THE BARS THAT ARE THE LIGHTER THAT EXTEND OUTWARD, ESPECIALLY AT THE BOTTOM, THAT'S THE EDINBURGH POPULATION DISTRIBUTION.
SO ALL THE WAY UP TO THE MID 40 RANGE.
IN MOST OF THOSE CATEGORIES YOU HAVE MORE POPULATION THAN THE NATION IN YOUR DISTRIBUTION. AND IT'S NOT THAT YOU HAVE FEWER SENIORS JUST PERCENTAGE WISE.
SO MUCH POPULATION IN THOSE YOUNG AGES, YOUNG MEDIAN AGE COMPARED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES IN THE AREA.
AND OF COURSE THERE'S THAT RETENTION THEME.
AND PEOPLE THAT GREW UP HERE, PEOPLE THAT COME HERE AT A YOUNG AGE FOR SCHOOL FOR OTHER REASONS.
BUT ALL THESE GROUPS THAT THERE'S A CHANCE TO ENGAGE AND TO MAYBE IT CUTS ACROSS PUBLIC SERVICES, FROM PARKS AND RECREATION TO HOUSING NEEDS, AS WAS MENTIONED. SO CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT STOOD OUT TO US.
AND THERE'S THE AGE ISSUE IS LOOKED AT SEVERAL WAYS IN THE DATA IN THE REPORT.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY THIS WAS THE CASE 20 YEARS AGO IN 2005, EDINBURGH ALSO HAD A RELATIVELY YOUNG POPULATION IN THE VALLEY.
AND THIS IS A TERM OF A COMMON TERM IN OUR PLANNING WORLD NOWADAYS.
BUT MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING, THE IDEA THAT WE HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOMES IN MANY OF OUR CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND THEN WE HAVE APARTMENT COMPLEXES IN MANY PLACES.
THE CHART OF THE TOP. THE TOP, THE BLUE BAR IS SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED HOMES.
THE GREEN IS MULTI-UNIT HOUSING APARTMENTS.
THE PART IN THE MIDDLE, THE RED BAR, IS SINGLE UNIT ATTACHED, TYPICALLY TOWNHOMES, PATIO HOMES, OWNERSHIP TYPICALLY.
SO THAT'S WHAT'S LOW, NOT ONLY IN EDINBURGH BUT IN OTHER COMMUNITIES AND IN A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO THAT'S BEEN A BIG FOCUS AS WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY.
I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE USED THE LINE HERE, BUT IN SO MANY PLACES WHERE WE USED TO RECOMMEND SMALLER, LOTS, SMALLER FORMAT HOUSING, IT WAS IN YEARS PAST TO ACCOMMODATE SENIORS, TO HELP THEM TO STAY IN A COMMUNITY, TO AFFORD THEIR TAXES.
MOST PLACES WHERE SMALLER FORMAT HOUSING IS BUILT NOWADAYS, YOUNG PEOPLE GRAB IT. IT'S AN ENTRY LEVEL HOUSE.
WHATEVER THE LIFESTYLE CHOICES ARE THERE.
THE CHART AT THE BOTTOM, ALSO FROM THE REPORT, IS JUST A VERY RUDIMENTARY TAKE MEDIAN, HOUSEHOLD OR MEDIAN HOME VALUE IN AN AREA.
DIVIDE BY MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME.
ALSO IN 2005, AS TODAY EDINBURGH IS ON THE LOWER PART OF THAT SPECTRUM IN THE COMPARISONS MEANING MORE AFFORDABLE THAN OTHER CITIES.
WHAT IS AFFORDABLE MEAN ANYMORE? WE'RE ALL DEALING WITH INTEREST RATES AND RISING HOME COSTS, BUT STILL, IN RELATIVE TERMS, EDINBURGH IS A MORE AFFORDABLE PLACE IN GENERAL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS, JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
YES SIR. YES SIR. BUT ARE WE ABOUT RIGHT ON TRACK? IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE LIKE 60% MORE OR LESS SINGLE FAMILY.
AND THEN WE HAD ABOUT 40% MULTIFAMILY.
THE 40% IS A BIT HIGHER THAN SOME COMMUNITIES.
WE HAVE YOU KNOW, WE HAVE CITIES THAT ARE 80%, 90% SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED, JUST THE WAY THEY'VE DEVELOPED OVER TIME.
SO IT VARIES ACROSS COMMUNITIES.
BUT TWO THIRDS OF YOUR HOUSING IN SINGLE FAMILY IS COMMON ACROSS A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES. SO YOU'RE RIGHT THERE.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE FOCUSING ON THAT MIDDLE PART, WHICH IS A FOCUS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
NOW IS IS OTHER FORMS OF HOUSING THAT ARE OWNERSHIP.
SO WE DON'T JUST HAVE LARGE APARTMENT COMPLEXES, SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, BUT THE THE MIDDLE SIDE MIGHT BE THE FACT THAT WE'RE KIND OF LAND RICH TOO. SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT CONFINEMENT LIKE THE BIGGER CITIES WITH, WITH TRYING TO SQUEEZE EVERYTHING INTO. THERE'S ONLY A COUPLE AREAS IN EDINBURGH THAT I KNOW OF THAT ACTUALLY ARE DUPLEXES.
IT'S VERY SMALL. IT'S A VERY SMALL AREA, OBVIOUSLY.
SCHOLZ BUT THAT'S PART OF WHAT THE ISSUE IS.
YES, SIR. YES, SIR. THE AVAILABILITY OF LAND AND I'VE STAFF KNOWS THAT WAS ONE OF MY FIRST OBSERVATIONS, IS KNEW THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDINBURGH, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE LAND OUT THERE FOR THE FUTURE.
FOR THOSE IN THE ROOM THAT WERE AT OUR APRIL 8TH MEETING WITH THE 2040 REPRESENTATIVES.
I ASKED THE GROUP ABOUT CONCERN OF MORE DENSE HOUSING.
THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING COMING INTO THE CITY KIND OF TIED IT TO THE WATER ISSUE IN A LOT OF PLACES. ABSOLUTELY.
[00:45:01]
WE HEAR A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT TOO MUCH RENTAL, TOO MUCH MULTIFAMILY, TOO MUCH TOO MANY APARTMENTS.THE GROUP THAT WE HAD THAT EVENING, IT WAS MORE OF FEEDBACK OF LET'S BE A MORE COMPACT, LET'S NOT SPRAWL OUT OUR CITY.
SO WE'RE STRETCHING OUR SERVICES.
DENSE HOUSING CAN BE MORE ECONOMICAL FOR PUBLIC SERVICES IN THAT WAY.
SO HEARD SOME OBSERVATIONS THAT I DON'T HEAR IN OTHER PLACES.
SO BUT WE KNOW THAT THAT IS A CHALLENGE OF RECENT YEARS.
IT'S JUST THE SERVICE IN EDINBURGH, TOO, BECAUSE WE WERE REALLY COMING ON STRONG WITH FOURPLEXES, PROBABLY FROM 22,005, 005 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, JUST TO REALLY GOING UP NOW WHERE YOU GET THE MULTI-FAMILIES THAT ARE STACKED APARTMENTS WITH MULTI FLOOR, THAT'S SOMETHING NEW, PROBABLY IN THE LAST 5 OR 6 YEARS, WE REALLY STARTED SEEING THE GROWTH OTHER THAN WHAT'S AROUND THE UNIVERSITY, BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST PURE CATERING TO THE TO THE STUDENT, THE MULTIFAMILY. YEAH, I THINK IT MADE SENSE AT FIRST BECAUSE OF THE COLLEGE. RIGHT. BUT IT'S JUST REALLY FOR THOSE IN THE BUSINESS, THE REALTORS, THE MARKET, THE MARKET MAKES IT HARDER TO OWN.
SO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SEEING THE INTEREST RATES GOING UP, THE INVESTORS, THEY KNOW MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO RENT.
SO THEY'RE BUILDING MORE AND MORE RENTAL UNITS GOING UP RATHER THAN, RIGHT, PUTTING 100 UNITS IN A LOT LESS THAN A MORE DENSE AREA THAN WE WERE WITH A BUNCH OF FOURPLEXES. OKAY. THANK YOU.
YEP. SO THE THEME THERE IS JUST OPPORTUNITY IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
YOU'RE YOU'RE ALREADY GETTING SOME VARIETY THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES WISH THEY HAD, BUT THE CHANCE TO ON THE AFFORDABILITY THEME, WHAT'S GOING TO WORK FROM AN OWNERSHIP STANDPOINT? WE KNOW WE'RE IN AN INTERESTING PERIOD THESE RECENT YEARS AND HOPEFULLY TURNING THE CORNER ON INTEREST RATES, THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT MR. MITCHELL, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. THIS MULTIFAMILY DISCUSSION SPARKED ANOTHER ANOTHER THING. HOW DO CITIES ADDRESS WHENEVER A LARGE COMPLEX COMES INTO TOWN? AND THAT LARGE COMPLEX ACTUALLY PUTS A STRAIN ON CITY RESOURCES? FOR EXAMPLE, A VERY, VERY LARGE MULTIFAMILY APARTMENT COMPLEX MIGHT TAKE ONE BIG TRASH TRUCK THAT PICKS UP THE TRASH AROUND A NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT MIGHT TAKE IT OUT OF SERVICE TO SERVICE THAT ONE COMPLEX FOR 3 OR 4 DAYS, OR EVEN UP TO A WEEK, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE.
WHAT DO CITIES DO TO ADDRESS THAT? YEAH, I MEAN, THERE'S CITIES THAT HAVE ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITIES, STANDARDS, ORDINANCES IN SOME CASE THAT THAT'S AT THE EDGE, AT THE MARGIN AS NEW DEVELOPMENT IS HAPPENING, MAKING THAT ANALYSIS. CAN WE SERVE A LARGE INCREMENT OF NEW DEVELOPMENT.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD WE MENTIONED IMPACT FEES ARE IN THE NEWS RIGHT NOW.
BUT THAT'S BEEN A TOOL OVER THE YEARS THAT MAY GO UP OR DOWN AS YOU'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, MANAGE THE PACE OF GROWTH OR HELP PAY FOR THE SERVICES THAT GO WITH THAT GROWTH. YEAH. WHEN WE CAME INTO OFFICE HERE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE WERE VERY EXCITED BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO GET ANOTHER TRUCK TO PICK UP BRUSH.
RIGHT. SO WE'VE GOT A BETTER SCHEDULE PICKING UP QUICKER IN TIME, AND WE ACTUALLY PUT OUT NOTICES AND SIGNS.
I'M SURE YOU ALL SEEN THE SIGNS BRUSH GOING TO BE PICKED UP MONDAY.
SO THERE'S A LITTLE MORE COORDINATION.
BUT AS THE CITY GROWS AND MORE MULTIFAMILY, THAT TRUCK IS HAVING TO BE SPREAD OUT MORE AND MORE. SAME THING FOR WITH TRASH.
SO EVENTUALLY IT'S GOING TO AFFECT THE SCHEDULE IF WE DON'T INCREASE THE FLEET.
THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I WAS ASKING THAT. YEAH. AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER YOU KNOW, A CITY THAT'S MORE IN THE 60 70,000 RANGE THAT WE WORK WITH DID A DISTANCING REQUIREMENT ON MULTIFAMILY WITH THE DEFINITE PURPOSE OF LIMITING THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF MULTIFAMILY IN THE CITY. THANK YOU. LET THE RECORD REFLECT.
COUNCILMEMBER DELEON HAS JOINED US FOR THE MEETING. THANK YOU. SO NUMBER TWO, THAT NUMBER THREE, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THIS IS THE EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION CHART THAT'S IN THE REPORT. AND THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE HERE IS IF YOU GO BACK TO THE 2005 TIME FRAME AND CENSUS 2000 WAS THE MOST RECENT CENSUS.
THE THE PERCENTAGE IS ALMOST THE SAME.
ROUGHLY A THIRD OF THE EMPLOYMENT OF YOUR RESIDENTS IS IN EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, SOCIAL SERVICES, CERTAINLY.
AGAIN REFLECTING THE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL UNIVERSITY.
AND EVEN MORE SO THE GROWTH IN MEDICAL IN THE AREA IN RECENT YEARS.
BUT IT'S HELD STEADY AT ABOUT THAT.
ON THIS CHART IS 34%, 35% 20 YEARS AGO.
BUT WHAT WHAT STRUCK ME ABOUT THIS CHART IS BEYOND THAT.
RETAIL IS 10% OF THE EMPLOYMENT, AND THEN THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT'S DOUBLE DIGITS IN PERCENTAGE SHARE OF EMPLOYMENT.
WE WORK IN SO MANY PLACES WHERE THERE'S 2 OR 3 KEY SECTORS THAT YOU'RE DEPENDENT ON,
[00:50:01]
AND THAT DRIVE A LOT OF YOUR EMPLOYMENT.THAT'S AN ENVIABLE CHART TO HAVE A STRONG BASE.
AND THAT'S THE POINT OF THE STRENGTH. PLUS DIVERSITY IS YOU'VE GOT A STRONG BASE THAT HELPS TO DRIVE THE ECONOMY HERE AND ATTRACT PEOPLE, HOPEFULLY TO HAVE LUNCH AND SPEND SOME OTHER DOLLARS WHILE THEY'RE HERE FOR SERVICES.
BUT IN OUR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES HERE CERTAINLY THE CHANCE TO GROW SOME OF THESE OTHER SECTORS, WHETHER IT'S TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE AIRPORT ASSET, THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UNIVERSITY, ETCETERA.
ALL RIGHT. NUMBER FOUR, THIS GOES BACK TO OUR LIFTING UP PEOPLE THEME. JUST A REALITY OF JUST RELATIVE TO THE STATE AND NATION.
HIGHER INCIDENCE OF POVERTY IN THE VALLEY.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CONTINUE TO TO WORK ON.
AND MEDIAN INCOME WAS MENTIONED EARLIER.
DIFFERENT FIGURES GENERALLY IN THE 50S RANGE FOR THE CITY.
BUT THAT TIES TO EVERYTHING WE'RE TRYING TO DO AT THE EDC SIDE OF THINGS AND JUST TRYING TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITY, RAISE INCOMES IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES.
SO IT'S THERE'S THE COMPARISON AGAIN.
WE WERE ASKED TO KIND OF MAKE THE COMPARISON TO MCALLEN, AS IN PREVIOUS PLANS, AND THEN CERTAINLY COUNTY, STATE AND NATION ON SOME OF THESE CHARTS.
THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT STOOD OUT. NUMBER FIVE OF THE FIVE TAKEAWAYS.
I ALSO ASKED THE GROUP IN OUR 2040 MEETING A FEW WEEKS AGO, A CONCERN ABOUT INCREASING TRAFFIC IN THE CITY.
IN A LOT OF PLACES, COMMUNITIES WE WORK WITH, THAT'S A FIRST SIGNAL INDICATOR THAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT GROWTH WHEN THEY'RE HAVING TO WAIT AT INTERSECTIONS OR JUST MORE TRAFFIC.
AGAIN, KIND OF GOT MIXED MIXED FEELINGS ON THAT.
BUT THIS MAP IS IN THE REPORT.
THIS IS DATA FROM TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
JUST SHOWS WITH THE REDS WHERE THE MOST CRASH INCIDENTS ARE.
THIS IS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND NOT, YOU KNOW, NOT UNUSUAL PATTERN ON YOUR MAJOR ROADWAYS.
SO THE SAFETY THEME WAS MENTIONED EARLIER.
WHAT WE FIND IS YOU HAVE A GOOD MAJOR ROAD SYSTEM, PLENTY OF CAPACITY THERE.
OVER TIME, IT'S GOING TO BE YOUR INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE CRITICAL.
AND AND THAT TENDS TO BE ALSO WHERE THE SAFETY CONCERNS ARE FOR BIKE AND PED.
AND ALSO ALONG SOME OF THE ROADWAYS WHERE IT'S THE OPEN CONTINUOUS CENTER TURN LANE IN THE MIDDLE. MORE DEVELOPMENT, MORE PLACES TO GO.
I'M NOT THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER, BUT THAT'S THE THE PATTERN OF WHERE YOUR SAFETY ISSUES TEND TO COME UP.
SO WE THOUGHT THAT WAS AN ENLIGHTENING MAP.
AND SOME OF THE PARTICULAR LOCATIONS, CERTAINLY UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD OR UNIVERSITY DRIVE IS ONE OF THE KEY ONES THERE.
SO SO AGAIN, BUILDING ON THOSE THEMES THAT ARE IN THE 2040 RESULTS IN THEIR REPORTS, THINGS THEY'RE WORKING ON BUT THE GREAT INVESTMENTS THAT YOU'VE MADE ALONG MAJOR ROADWAYS TO WIDEN SIDEWALKS, DO WINDING TRAILS, WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO TO WALK AND BIKE SAFELY WHERE YOU'RE STILL MOVING TRAFFIC.
SO THAT IS ANOTHER PART OF THE ASSET PRESERVATION THEME.
AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, JUST TAKING CARE OF THAT IS BETWEEN YOU, THE STATE AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT IS INVOLVED WITH ROADWAYS.
THERE'S A LOT OF INVESTMENT THERE AND ROADWAY CAPACITY NEED TO PROTECT THAT INVESTMENT OVER TIME. KEEP TRAFFIC FLOWING.
IMPROVE SAFETY WE THINK IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SO MAYOR, WHERE WE GO FROM HERE AS I MENTIONED, IS REALLY WANTED TO, AS PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED, SET A VERY BROAD PICTURE OF WHAT THE POTENTIAL THEMES ARE GOING FORWARD.
NOW TAKE IT DOWN TO NEXT LEVELS OF MORE SPECIFIC GOALS, CERTAINLY DOWN TO ACTION ITEMS FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SO WE ARE AT THAT THIRD OF OUR FIVE PHASES OF REPORTING BACK TO YOU OVER THE SUMMER.
WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING WITH OUR OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, THE 2040 CHAIRS, AND BRINGING THEM MATERIAL AS WE START TO PUT THE FUTURE PORTION OF THE PLAN TOGETHER AND CONTINUE THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
WE'RE AIMING FOR THE EARLY FALL TIMEFRAME TO COME BACK TO YOU WITH A DRAFT PLAN.
AND WE TYPICALLY DO OPEN HOUSE TYPE INFORMAL MEETINGS AT THAT POINT SO WE CAN TALK TO RESIDENTS AND OTHERS AND BEFORE WE GET TO FORMAL PUBLIC HEARINGS.
SO SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED IN THE MONTHS AHEAD.
SAID. AND WITH THAT, AGAIN, WE CAN OPEN UP FOR IF PEOPLE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE REPORT, SOME OF THOSE DETAILS.
BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M STOPPING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK OUR STAFF WHERE CAN THE PUBLIC FIND THIS PRESENTATION ON ON THE ON OUR WEBSITE.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS ABLE TO ACCESS IT.
[00:55:02]
AND SO WE CAN GET ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK.IS IT IN OUR CITY FRONT PAGE OR WHAT? WE WERE JUST GIVEN THE PRESENTATION TODAY, MAYOR, SO WE COULD DEFINITELY UPLOAD IT. THE REPORT. OKAY, WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND IT? CAN WE PUT A LINK, MAYBE IN THE FRONT PAGE OF OUR CITY SITE? OKAY. WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND WITH THE IT DIRECTOR SO WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN? YEAH.
AND I'M ONLY STATING THAT SO THAT EVERYBODY GETS A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT.
I KNOW IT'S HARD TO SEE ON THE SCREEN.
I URGE EVERYBODY TO SEE THE SCHEDULE HERE.
WE'RE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS.
PLEASE LOOK AT IT. GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK.
I MEAN, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT IN A COMMITTEE, IF YOU'RE JUST HERE AS A RESIDENT.
WANT TO MAKE SURE WE INCLUDE EVERYTHING WE NEED TO TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY.
AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET EVERYBODY'S INPUT.
THE ONLY THING, THE ONLY COMMENT I HAVE ON THE ON THE TIMELINE IS WHEN IS BUDGET DUE? I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
I'M KIND OF HOPING THAT MAYBE WE CAN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET PRIOR TO THE SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. I KNOW BY THEN COUNCIL CONSIDERS THE APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET.
WE TYPICALLY BEGIN THE PROCESS IN MAY.
AND SO THAT'S WHEN WE KIND OF START THE PROCESS.
BUT I THINK WE DEFINITELY NEED TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CONSULTANT TO SEE WHAT'S KIND OF COMING UP THE PIPELINE AND WHAT IS KIND OF WHAT IS IT BEING STEERED TOWARDS. SO THAT THAT WAY WE CAN TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN WE'RE PREPARING THE OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, RIGHT, FOR PLANNING FOR YEARS AHEAD.
BUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT PRIOR TO OUR BUDGET, MR. MITCHELL, I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT IN MIND.
AND JUST ALSO TO BE CLEAR, THIS PLAN WILL INCLUDE A LAND USE MAP, RIGHT. I SEE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE UPDATING PLAN MAPS, RIGHT? YES. SO IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR MAYBE PLANNING AND ZONING THEN TO GET MAYBE SOME OF THOSE DRAFT PLANS TO Y'ALL COULD SEE BECAUSE YOU ALL GET THE ZONING REQUEST FIRST AND THEY GO TO US.
I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE UPDATING THE LAND USE MAP.
OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE NOT AWARE WHAT THAT IS, THAT'S ACTUALLY A MAP OF OUR CITY THAT SHOWS WHAT EVERY PIECE OF PROPERTY IS ZONED AS.
RIGHT. SO IF YOU EVER WONDER WHY IS THIS BUSINESS HERE NEXT TO THIS RESIDENCE, YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT THAT HAS TO DO WITH IF SOMEBODY TRIES TO DEVELOP A PROPERTY, THEY'VE GOT TO CHECK AND SEE WHAT IT'S ZONED. AND DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO.
AND SO WHAT WE'LL ADOPT HERE AS PART OF THIS PLAN THAT'S ACTUALLY KEY TO THIS PLAN IS THAT LAND USE MAP. THAT'S WHAT WE AS A CITY ARE GOING TO USE TO THEN DETERMINE WHETHER IT MEETS OUR PLAN OR IT DOESN'T.
SO I'M USING THAT AS AN EXAMPLE SO EVERYBODY CAN GIVE US YOUR INPUT, YOU KNOW, ON ON FOR EXAMPLE ON THAT.
YOU KNOW, PARTICULAR CASE. BUT THIS PLAN IS THAT'S WHAT IT'S FOR.
WE'RE LITERALLY GOING TO BE USING IT EVERY TIME WE MEET AS A CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR CITY.
AND AS MENTIONED IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS, THAT'S REALLY ONE OF THE DIFFERENCES FROM THE STRATEGIC PLAN WORK. THE 2040 WORK IS THE LAND USE COMPONENT, WHICH COMPREHENSIVE PLANS FOCUS ON.
I JUST WANT TO MENTION ONE THING, MAYOR.
WHEN WHEN YOU GO TO THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP, IT'S THE OUTLOOK FOR LAND USE IN THE FUTURE, ZONING BEING THE MORE ORDINANCE LEVEL OF WHAT'S REQUIRED.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S SOMEBODY THAT'S LOOKING TO INVEST IN OUR CITY, THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS OUR PLANS, RIGHT, OF OUR CITY. AND AND I'M LOOKING AT NICK BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT DOWNTOWN COMMITTEE.
I MEAN, WE MAY EVEN WANT TO PUT IN ANOTHER LAYER OF, FOR EXAMPLE, IN OUR DOWNTOWN OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE.
RIGHT. AS AN EXAMPLE, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT LIMITED TO ON THAT FUTURE LAND USE PLAN, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE CAN ACTUALLY MAYBE CATEGORIZE IT BASED ON, YOU KNOW, AREAS OF INTEREST, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE DOWNTOWN. SO ANYWAY, SO WE GET THAT FEEDBACK BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE CAN MAKE PART OF OUR PLAN.
THERE'S PEOPLE THAT WON'T EVEN CALL THE CITY OR EVEN CALL ANYONE. THEY'RE JUST GOING TO GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND FIGURE OUT, ALL RIGHT, WHAT'S THE CITY'S FUTURE LAND USE.
AND THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THAT BEFORE THEY EVEN CALL US. SO I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE IT UPDATED.
YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE FOUR MINUTES, I PROMISE, AT 7:00 WE'D END. SO IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ANY COMMENTS YOU KNOW, PLEASE STEP FORWARD. IF NOT, YOU CAN REACH ANY OF US, ANYBODY IN CITY STAFF AT ANY TIME.
IS THERE SOMEWHERE ONLINE THAT PEOPLE CAN ACCESS TO TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK, OR HOW IS IT THAT SOMEBODY CAN PROVIDE FEEDBACK? SO WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN DEFINITELY GET WITH PLANNING AND ZONING.
AND LIKE MR. ACEVEDO MENTIONED, WE'LL GET WITH IT.
AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT THAT ALSO TO SEE IF MAYBE THERE'S SOME TYPE OF JOT FORM WHERE PEOPLE CAN PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF FEEDBACK WHEN WE UPLOAD THE, THE INFORMATION. SO WE'LL GET TOGETHER WITH IT AND WE'LL PROVIDE THAT TO THE,
[01:00:01]
TO THE RESIDENTS. GREAT.OR YOU CAN CALL THE MAYOR AT I THINK EVERYBODY HAS MY NUMBER.
SO YEAH FEEL FREE TO JUST CALL AND I'LL DIRECT YOU TO DAVID WHITE COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE. PEDRO SALAZAR EDINBURG 2040 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE POINT OF SCARCITY AND ABUNDANCE.
AND ONE THING THAT I FIND MIND BOGGLING IS THAT 100% OF OUR WATER COMES FROM SURFACE WATER FROM THE RIVER. AND MY QUESTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN, WHAT HAPPENS IF, FOR WHATEVER REASON, WE CAN'T ACCESS THE WATER, RIGHT? SO I THINK THE FUTURE IS GOING TO BE DEFINED BY, YOU KNOW, THE ABSENCE OF OF THE THINGS THAT WE KIND OF TAKE FOR GRANTED.
AND I THINK WE GOT TO START THINKING IN THOSE TERMS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PREPARE FOR THAT SCARCITY? RIGHT. WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'S NO WATER IN THE RIVER OR WE JUST CAN'T ACCESS IT, RIGHT? SO JUST A JUST A GOOD POINT.
EVERYONE'S FAMILIAR WITH LAKE TRAVIS IN AUSTIN.
BEAUTIFUL VENUE. WHEN WHEN WE WERE GETTING READY FOR DEBATE, ONE OF OUR CAMPAIGNS, THERE WAS DISCUSSION ON ON WATER SCARCITY.
IT WAS MADE TO, TO IT WAS A SOLUTION FOR TWO AREAS FLOODING AND WATER SCARCITY.
WE HAVE THOSE TWO ISSUES HERE.
SO IF THERE WAS SOMETHING I COULD DO, YOU KNOW, AT A SNAP OF A FINGER, IT WOULD BE HAVE A LAKE TRAVIS TYPE VENUE NORTH OF EDINBURGH SOMEWHERE WHERE WE COULD COLLECT THE WATER. THEY ALSO CREATED A DAM FOR ENERGY AND KIND OF DIRECT ALL THE FLOODWATERS THAT WAY AND HAVE A WATER SUPPLY.
SO IF ANYBODY HAS THE POWER TO DO THAT, LET US KNOW WHERE WE CAN FIND THE FUNDING.
BUT THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, AND ONE OTHER POINT, MAYBE MORE FOR CITY STAFF.
LET'S PLEASE INCLUDE ANY OF THE THINGS.
I THINK THIS IS A GOOD POINT. MR.. BRINGING UP ABOUT WATER ALTERNATIVE SOURCES.
LET'S INCLUDE THEM IN THE PLAN, BECAUSE IF WE'RE APPLYING FOR FUNDING, WELL, GUESS WHAT? WE HAVE TO SHOW THEM THAT IT'S PART OF OUR PLAN. RIGHT? SO YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT. I THINK IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. AND JUST FOR EVERYONE IN THE ROOM, IF CITY STAFF COULD RAISE YOUR HAND, PLEASE EVERYONE IN THE ROOM, THAT CITY STAFF, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, PLEASE GO UP TO ANY.
THEY'RE TOO SHY TO RAISE CITY STAFF.
ALL STAFF STAND UP SO THAT ANYONE IN THE ROOM THAT HAS QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, PLEASE REFER TO ANYONE AT STAFF AND THEY WILL MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE GET IT OR CITY MANAGEMENT GETS IT. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. WELL, WITH THAT THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR COMING THIS EVENING. STAY TUNED TO OUR WEBSITE AND NOTICES ON THE NEXT PART OF THIS PROCESS. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. AND I'M GOING TO ASK FOR JEREMY.
WE DO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING RIGHT AFTER THIS. YOU'RE WELCOME TO STAY. BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. SECOND. MOTION AND SECOND.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU EVERYONE.
I'M SORRY, MAYOR, IF WE COULD BRIEFLY ALSO HAVE THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ADJOURNED.
I'M JUST GOING TO ASK THE CHAIRS TO CLOSE YOUR MEETING, TOO. SO GO AHEAD.
MEETING ADJOURNED FOR PLANNING AND ZONING. ALL RIGHT. SORRY.
YEAH. WE HAVE TO ADJOURN ALL THE COMMITTEE MEETING DOWNTOWN STEERING COMMITTEE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
LIBRARY BOARD. ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT.
MEETING ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. AND FOR THE RECORD, THE 2040 COMMITTEE ALSO.
WE STAND ADJOURNED. SO THANK YOU.
APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.