IMAGINE AUSTIN

A New Comprehensive Plan For Austin

Mark WaltersPlanning & Development Review DepartmentCity of Austin

• Austin Over Time

• The Power of Plans to Shape the Future

• What is a Comprehensive Plan

• Questions to Ask When Creating a Comprehensive Plan

• The Comprehensive Planning Process

• What We Have Heard from the Community

Presentation Overview

Vision

5th best city in America for couples (2008)

# 3- Top 10 Cities for Jobs (2008)#4 Pet-Friendly City (2009)

Ranked 2nd on Top 10 cities to buy a home (2008)

#3 City for relocations (2010)

Among Top 5 cities for young singles (2007)

# 1 City for the Next Decade (2010)

#2 City for beating the recession (2010)

5th Best Place to live for Moviemakers (2010)

#5 Earth Friendly City (2010)

2nd Best Place to Live in America for Hispanics (2008)

3rd Smartest City in the country (2006)

Austin Over Time

Austin Residential and

Commercial Growth

Source : TCAD 2009

Congress Avenue - 1913

Guadalupe Street – 1920s

http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-19237

Austin Municipal Airport – 1930s

East Avenue – 1950s

http://sapaustinrelo.com/images/east_avenue_undated_A%201950.jpg

US 183 / Mopac – 1966

http://www.texasfreeway.com/austin/historic/photos/loop1/images/183_balcones_looking_east_11_14_1966.jpg

http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-33282

Ben White Boulevard – 1977

http://www.texasfreeway.com/Austin/historic/photos/360/images/360_const_N_jul_80_lres.jpg

Loop 360 / Lake Austin – 1980

Downtown andUT/West Campus - 2008

Source: Census Data, and Ryan Robinson, City Demographer, City of Austin

How Has Austin Grown?

700, 407

1940

100,000

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

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2000

600,000

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2020

2030

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

1,100,000

1,200,000

1,300,000

1,400,000

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Mid Range

High Range

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How Much Could Austin Grow?

The Power of Plans to Shape the Future

Chicago Plan - 1909

http://www.american-architecture.info/USA/CHICAGO/CHI-GAL1.htm

City of Skyscrapers

Public Space Along the Waterfront

http://3dognightonline.com/uploaded_images/Chicago-Water-Front-736873.jpg

Waller Plan for Austin, 1839

http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/maps/images/map0926d.jpg

http://www.judegalligan.com/images/Downtown_Austin_Historical_Map.jpg

Congress Avenue

Downtown Squares

The Look of 1979The Look of 1979

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Defining Comprehensive Plans

What is the Comprehensive

Plan?• General; not specific

• Establishes common ground and a long-term vision

• Addresses growth and development

• Fosters coordination and internal consistency

What the Comprehensive Plan is Not?

• A neighborhood, corridor or other small area plan

• A change of land use or zoning

Questions to Ask When Creating a

Comprehensive Plan

What do we aspire to be as a community in 10, 20, 25 years and beyond?

How can we preserve and enhance our quality of life as we grow?

How will we locally define and achieve sustainability?

How can farmland and open space be preserved?

How will we get around?

How will our commercial areas look and feel?

Designed for Cars. . .

. . . or designed for people?

Traditional development. . .

. . . or traditional development?

How will our new neighborhoods look and feel?

Typical development. . .

. . . or something else?

More Suburban. . .

. . . or more urban?

What will we do to preserve and enhance established neighborhoods?

The Comprehensive Planning Process

Comprehensive Plan Overarching Themes

Community Engagement

Sustainability

Implementation

The Community Will Provide the Plan’s Direction

2Vision and Plan

Framework

Where are we going?

1Plan Kick Off

Conduct research and develop the planning process

3Comprehensiv

e Plan

How are we going to get there?

Economic Developmen

t Comprehensive

Plan

Health and Human

ServicesDrainage, Water

and Solid Waste

Environment

Parks and Open SpaceHousing

Public Buildings

Future Land Use

Transportation

Austin City Charter

Public Services

What Have We Heard So Far in the

Process?

• Education• Creativity• Civics and Public Engagement• Affordability• Safety• Government

• Transportation• Managing Growth• Green/Environment• Health• Economics• Outdoor Living/ Recreation

12 themes emerged from the public input:

What Have We Heard So Far in the

Process? Broad themed components of a vision statement:The Austin we love is:

• Livable• Prosperous• Natural and Sustainable • Functional and Accessible• Caring and Committed• Stimulating and Creative

What Have We Heard So Far in the Process—CFS #2

Mixed-Use

Transportation

Single-Use Employment

Single-Use Residential

Crescent ScenarioMin. Growth / max. protection of

west• No significant development west of

MOPAC• Water resource protection• Scenic protection

Intensification / compact growth of east• Downtown intensification• Multiple activity centers• Airport employment hub• Neighborhood infill (consistent with

neighborhood plans)

Dispersed ScenarioSpread out development

• Development to the east, west, and at fringes of the entire planning area

• Little differentiation between drinking water protection zone and desired

• Some concentration in centers, but more low-density / residential subdivision development than other scenarios

Preserve existing green space, floodplain• Trail connections

Linear ScenarioIntensification along N-S “spine” through central part of city

• Centers: downtown, Burnett gateway, “green economy” cluster at airport, etc.

• Mixed use corridors

Min. growth to east and west• Water resource protection to west• Conservation development zone east of

130 (floodplain / open space protection, farmland, cluster development)

Centers ScenarioConcentrate most development in mixed-use centers

• Downtown, Decker Lake, Airport, etc.• Significant redevelopment of existing

corridors• Lesser amounts of infill (captured by

centers)

Preserve land for open space / agriculture

Why Should You Get Involved?

• Opportunities like this don’t come around that often

• The plan could affect many aspects of your daily life

• Plan will affect how tax dollars are spent

If you don’t plan your community—somebody will

do it for you!

How Can You Participate?

Through June 30th…• Take the On-Line Survey

http://www.imagineaustin.net/survey.htm

• Meeting-in-a-Box #2

www.ImagineAustin.net

Become a Facebook fan of IMAGINE AUSTIN

Twitter http://twitter.com/ImagineAust

in

Ways to Stay Involved

Questions?