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I LIKE AUSTIN, BUT I LOVE SANTO DANCING DOWN DOWN THE ROAD.
SO I LIKE, BUT I LOVE SANTON AND WE'RE PLACE TO GO.
WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL B SESSION.
THE TIME IS 2:16 PM ON JUNE 15TH, 2022.
WE'LL CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER.
MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO FIRST.
COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO FIFTH COUNCIL MEMBER CAVEO HDA.
COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, LAST AT 10.
ALL RIGHT, WELL WELCOME EVERYONE.
UM, NOW THAT WE HAVE THAT OUT OF OUR SYSTEMS, WE'RE GONNA
[ ITEMS ]
GET BACK TO OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS ITEM NUMBER ONE.UH, ERIC, LET ME JUST TURN IT TO YOU.
UM, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
THE FIRST ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA IS A BRIEFING ON ALL THE, UH, VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING ON WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
THIS WAS A, UH, A BRIEFING REQUEST THAT COUNCILMAN PERRY ACTUALLY BROUGHT UP A NUMBER OF, UH, WEEKS AGO, UM, AS WE, AS YOU CONSIDERED THE HEMISPHERE BRIEFING BACK IN APRIL.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION GOING ON DOWNTOWN RIGHT NOW, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT.
AND, UH, WE ALL EXPERIENCE IT DRIVING IN AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN OR GETTING AROUND.
SO, UH, LORI HOUSTON WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECTS, AND SHE'S GOT THE PRESENTATION BROKEN DOWN BY PLACES OF DOWNTOWN.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO LORI.
UH, MY PRESENTATION DOES FOCUS ON DOWNTOWN AND IT WILL COVER SEVERAL PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
BEFORE I START, I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE A COUPLE PEOPLE HERE WHO HELP MAKE THIS PRESENTATION AND PUT IT ALL TOGETHER.
I WANNA THANK MY C C D O TEAM, JOHN JACKS AND JOHN STEVENS, ALSO MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING TEAM, VERONICA GARCIA AND ERICA RAGSDALE.
UM, MY OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION TEAM, COREY EDWARDS IS HERE, AND THEN ROSIE AND DAVID MACBETH FROM PUBLIC WORKS.
AND THEN SOMEONE WHO NEVER GETS LOVE IS IT.
I REALLY WANNA THANK KEVIN HOLMES AND CRAIG HOPKINS.
THEY MADE SOME OF THE COOLEST MAPS EVER FOR DOWNTOWN, SO I NEED TO GIVE THEM A SHOUT OUT.
AND THEN WE HAVE SEVERAL OTHER OF OUR PARTNERS HERE TODAY, SO THEY'LL BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
I HAVE ANDRES UNDERHAR WITH H PARK.
I HAVE EDDIE ROMERO, WHO'S WITH CENTRO.
AND THEN I HAVE CARLOS MARTINEZ, ALBERT CARLAS, AND JOSHUA KIN WITH U T S A.
UM, THEY'RE ALL HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING THEIR SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
SO I'M GONNA JUMP RIGHT INTO IT.
FIRST, I'M GONNA GO OVER A FIVE YEAR FORECAST, WHAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? WHAT DO YOU SEE? WHAT ARE THE CRANES IN THE AIR GOING ON? WHAT ARE THEY FOR? AND THEN WHAT'S HAPPENING OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? AND THEN I'M GOING TO FOCUS ON TWO AREAS OF CONCENTRATION, THE ALAMO HEMISPHERE AREA, AND THEN Z CULTURAL SAN PEDRO CREEK AREA.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR COORDINATION AND STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH FOR EACH OF THOSE HAIR AREAS.
HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT DISRUPTING BUSINESSES? WHO ARE OUR PARTNERS? WHO ARE OUR CONVENERS AND WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES WE'RE USING? SO FIRST, THE STATE OF DOWNTOWN.
WE HAVE GROWN OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS.
WE HAVE 9,000 HOUSING UNITS THAT ARE, THAT ARE OPEN TODAY.
UM, MOST OF THEM WERE OCCUPIED, BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU A COMPARISON, IN 2011, WE HAD 3,300 HOUSING UNITS.
THAT WAS ABOUT 56,000 ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO.
AND THEN WE HAVE 14,000 HOTEL ROOMS. SO WE'VE GROWN
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BY ABOUT 2000 HOTEL ROOMS SINCE, UM, OUR 2011 COUNT.AND THEN WHAT DO WE HAVE? WHAT'S HAPPENING, WHAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION NOW? AND WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? SO THIS SLIDE GOES OVER OUR DOWNTOWN AREA.
SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT DOWNTOWN AREA, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CORE OF DOWNTOWN PLUS THE AREA AROUND THE PEARL BREWERY, THE AREA AROUND THE NEAR EAST SIDE, WHICH IS ST.
PAUL'S SQUARE, AND THEN THE AREA AROUND THE NEAR WEST SIDE, WHICH IS U T S A.
AND THEN I GO DOWN TO LONE STAR.
WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, WE HAVE 58 PROJECTS THAT TOTAL $3.3 BILLION.
OF THOSE PROJECTS, 25 ARE HOUSING PROJECTS.
THEY REPRESENT ABOUT $1.8 BILLION, AND THEY HAVE 6,400 NEW HOUSING UNITS AND 328 REHAB UNITS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE FIVE HOTEL PROJECTS, AND THAT TOTAL IS 302 MILLION WITH 692 NEW, NEW UNITS AND 641 REHAB UNITS.
AND THESE ARE THE HOTELS THAT WE FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE, THAT ARE ANNOUNCING, THEY'VE BEEN, THEY'VE BEEN MADE NOT ANNOUNCED IN THE PAPER.
WE KNOW THAT THEY'VE GONE THROUGH H G R C.
THERE ARE OTHER HOTELS YOU MIGHT BE HEARING ABOUT, BUT THEY HAVEN'T HIT THE H G R C AGENDA OR HAVE COME TO OUR OFFICE FOR ASSISTANCE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE 11 CULTURAL AMENITIES.
THESE INCLUDE PROJECT LIKE LATA, SAN PEDRO CREEK.
UM, WE HAVE MARKET SQUARE, WE ALSO HAVE THE DOWNTOWN U T S A CAMPUS IN THIS CATEGORY.
AND THEN 17 STREET PROJECTS AT TOTAL, $290 MILLION.
AND SO ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE I SHOWED YOU THAT WE HAD 9,000 HOUSING UNITS.
THOSE ARE OPEN, UM, IF THEY'RE NOT OCCUPIED, YOU CAN LEASE THEM.
WE HAVE ANOTHER 7,000 UNITS COMING ONLINE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
SO WE'LL HAVE A TOTAL OF 16,000 HOUSING UNITS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA WHEN ALL THOSE PROJECTS ARE DONE.
NOW I WANNA FOCUS A LITTLE BIT MORE ON OUR PLACE-BASED INITIATIVE.
SO IN 2017, WE ORGANIZED OUR DOWNTOWN PROJECTS AROUND TWO AREAS, THE Z OF CULTURAL AREA AND THE HEMISPHERE ALAMO AREA.
SO I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH EACH OF THESE AREAS AND GO THROUGH EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES.
HOW MANY HOUSING PROJECTS, HOW MANY CULTURAL AMENITIES IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS, AND SHOW YOU WHAT OUR PLACE-BASED INITIATIVES HAVE PRODUCED.
SO THE FIRST IS ZONA CULTURAL SAN PEDRO CREEK.
UM, WE HAVE FOUR CULTURAL AMENITIES.
SO ON THIS MAP, THE FOUR CULTURAL AMENITIES ARE THE THREE PINK DOTS, PLUS THAT SAME PEDRO CREEK DARK BLUE LINE.
THEN WE HAVE SEVEN STREET PROJECTS.
THIS IS THE ONLY OFFICE TOWER THAT I'M HIGHLIGHTING TODAY BECAUSE THE OFFICE MARKET HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY SINCE COVID.
YOU HAVE A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS OR OFFICES THAT HAVE DOWNSIZED.
UM, PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED THE WAY THEY'RE WORKING, AND SO THEY'RE NO LONGER NEEDING A PHYSICAL PRESENCE.
AND SO THE ONLY OFFICE TOWER UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW IS A CITY TOWER.
AND THEN WE HAVE 1400 HOUSING UNITS THAT REPRESENT SEVEN PROJECTS AND THEN 607 HOTEL ROOMS. SO SAN PEDRO CREEK, IT'S ABOUT $300 MILLION INVESTMENT, PRIMARILY FROM THE BEXAR COUNTY AND THE FEDS.
PHASE ONE, UM, WILL BE COMPLETE OCTOBER, 2022.
IT'LL BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE IN AUGUST.
PHASE TWO AND THREE ARE JUNE 20, 23 AND PHASE 4.1, EL PASO TO GUADALUPE IS JUNE 20, 23 AND PHASE 4.2, WHICH IS CAESAR CHAVEZ TO EL PASO.
WE'RE STILL TRYING TO ACQUIRE SOME PROPERTY IN THAT AREA.
SO WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF THE DATES FOR THAT PHASE, UM, IN THE FUTURE.
THE NEXT PROJECT WE WANNA TALK ABOUT IS THE U T S A EXTENSION OF THEIR DOWNTOWN CAMPUS ON DELAROSA.
THEY'RE INVESTING $230 MILLION IN THESE THREE PROPERTIES.
THE FIRST PROPERTY IS THE SCHOOL OF DATA SCIENCE NATIONAL SECURITY COLLABORATION CENTER.
THAT'S THE PROJECT THAT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW.
THEY WILL BE COMPLETE IN OCTOBER OF 2022.
AND THEN FACULTY STAFF MOVE IN DECEMBER OF 2022, AND THEY WILL HAVE CLASSES STARTING IN JANUARY OF 2023.
THE NEXT PROJECT IS A 6 20 26 22 OSA SITE.
THIS IS THE I E C BUILDING INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CAREERS, WHICH IS THEIR COLLEGE OF BUSINESS.
UM, THEY WILL BE COMPLETE, UM, IN FALL OF 2026.
THEY ARE CURRENTLY ABOUT TO START DESIGN AND THAT DESIGN EFFORT WILL BE IN FALL OF 2022 TO SUMMER OF 20 23, 7 0 2 DELAROSA.
THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING SITE PLANNING ON THAT IN 2023.
AND THAT'S THE PROPERTY THAT'S CURRENTLY A SERVICE PARKING LOT RIGHT OFF OF SANTA ROSA AND DELAROSA.
UH, MARKET SQUARE HAS ABOUT $10.2 MILLION OF IMPROVEMENTS SCHEDULED.
OF THAT 10.26 AND A HALF MILLION ARE PROPOSED FROM THE WEST SIDE TOURS.
UM, THEY HAVE NOT TAKEN ACTION
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ON THIS MONEY YET.WE HOPE TO GET A MEETING SOON.
BUT IF ALL THAT $10.2 MILLION COMES TOGETHER AND WE'LL BE ABLE DO EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS, FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS, UPGRADES, THE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, MOLD REMEDIATION, HVAC REPAIRS, AND SHADE IMPROVEMENTS, AND THEY'LL BE COMPLETE IN FALL OF 2024.
WE ALSO HAVE THE ALAMEDA THEATER THAT'S ALSO UNDER CONSTRUCTION, UM, $40.2 MILLION.
UM, IT'S A COMPLETE RENOVATION OF HISTORIC ALAMEDA THEATER THAT WAS OPEN IN 1949.
IT'S 43,000 SQUARE FEET AND IT'S GOING TO BE DOWNSIZED TO ABOUT A THOUSAND SEATS.
UM, BE MORE FLEXIBLE IN A USER FRIENDLY SPACE.
IT CAN BE USED FOR PERFORMING ARTS OR AS AN EVENT VENUE, AND IT'LL BE LATINO FOCUSED PROGRAMMING.
AND THERE WILL BE SPANISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING AS WELL.
THIS IS THE PROJECT THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
WE ALREADY HAVE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE MOVED IN.
IT'LL BE COMPLETE IN FEBRUARY OF 2023.
THE LAST APARTMENT THAT'S TO MOVE IN AS METRO HEALTH.
WE'LL HAVE 23 DEPARTMENTS ON 13 FLOORS.
WE'LL BE RENTING OUT SEVEN OTHER FLOORS AND FOR A TOTAL OF 1400 EMPLOYEES.
UM, IT DOES HAVE A FITNESS CENTER.
THE FITNESS CENTER IS OPEN, AND UM, I'VE SEEN SEVERAL OF YOU ALL THERE.
UM, SEVERAL REQUESTS FOR, UM, MORE WEIGHTS WITH MORE WEIGHT ON IT HAVE COME THROUGH AND WE'LL BE ORDERING THOSE SOON.
AND SEVERAL OTHER THINGS LIKE, UM, GETTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF EQUIPMENT LIKE A GYM BALL, MATS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IF YOU GO GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK, UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE MONTHS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, STREET PROJECTS, WE HAVE SEVEN PROJECTS IN THE ZONE OF CULTURAL AREA.
THEY TOTAL ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
UM, THOSE RED LINES REPRESENT THE STREETS.
YOU HAVE SAN SABA, SANTA ROSA, AND COMMERCE STREET.
THOSE ARE ALL UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WE HEAR THEM ON THURSDAY, SOMETIMES IN THE MORNING.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE MAIN STREET THAT'LL BE COMPLETE IN OCTOBER OF 23, CAMERON STREET, SEPTEMBER OF 2022.
AND DELAROSA AND FLORES, THOSE ARE STREETS THAT WERE MOVED OFF OF THE BOND PROGRAM AND TO BE FUNDED OUTTA THE HOUSTON STREET TOUR.
SO THOSE ARE IN THE DESIGN PHASE, AND I'LL SHARE WITH YOU THE ACTUAL SCHEDULE AND WE GET THAT.
WE HAVE SEVEN PROJECTS REPRESENTING ABOUT 1400 UNITS.
UM, TOTAL IS ABOUT 400 MILLION.
UM, THIS IS A, A, A RENDERING OF THE CONTINENTAL HOTEL, WHICH FOR WAS A CITY OWNED OFFICE BUILDING ON COMMERCE STREET.
UM, AND IT'S RIGHT ON COMMERCE STREET, WHICH IS A PROJECT THAT, UM, IS BEING DONE BY PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, IT'LL BE MIXED INCOME AND MIXED USE.
UM, WE HAVE A HIGH RISE BUILDING THAT'S BROKE GROUND A COUPLE MONTHS AGO AT 300 MAINE, UM, MUNICIPAL PLAZA, THE BUILDING ON RIGHT NOW.
AS SOON AS WE MOVE EVERYBODY INTO THE FROST TOWER OR THE OLD FROST TOWER, WHICH IS A CITY TOWER, WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONVEY THE UPPER FLOORS TO WESTERN URBAN SO THEY CAN CONVERT THIS INTO A RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY PROJECT.
AND THEN HOTEL DEVELOPMENT, THERE'S TWO HOTELS, UM, IN THE AREA.
WE HAVE THE WYNDHAM, WHICH IS A REHAB, A 390 ROOMS THAT'LL BE COMPLETE AND FALL OF 2023.
AND THE DREAM HOTEL, WHICH WILL BE COMPLETE IN SPRING OF 2024.
SO OUR COORDINATION EFFORTS, WE HAVE A LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS, CONVENERS, AND THEN WE HAVE STRATEGIES.
I'LL GO OVER OUR STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE MEET WITH MONTHLY, SOMETIMES WEEKLY, AND SOME OF 'EM DAILY INCLUDE U T S A, OUR MARKET SQUARE TENANTS, SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL, MAINE PLAZA CONSERVANCY, LA FAMILIA CORTEZ.
I'M THE DEVELOPERS OF ALL THE PROJECTS, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COORDINATING THEIR TIMELINES AND SHARING THE INFORMATION WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS.
WE HAVE OUR AREA RESIDENTS AND AREA BUSINESSES, CHRISTA SANTA ROSA, THE CONSERVATION SOCIETY, THE T H C AND VISIT SAN ANTONIO.
THESE ARE STAKEHOLDERS WE MEET WITH REGULARLY AND WE HAVE SOME CONVENERS THAT HELP US QUITE A BIT.
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE HELP WE RECEIVE FROM THE COUNCIL OFFICES.
SO I KNOW THAT WE RECEIVE QUITE A BIT OF HELP FROM D FIVE D ONE.
UM, IN THIS AREA WE GIVE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CENTRO.
UM, THEY PULL TOGETHER THE STAKEHOLDERS QUITE A BIT AND HELP US ADDRESS, UM, SPECIFIC ISSUES TO THEIR BUSINESS.
UM, THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY IN BEXAR COUNTY HELP US WITH SAN PEDRO CREEK.
AND THE STRATEGIES, OF COURSE, ARE REGULAR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.
WE HAVE TWO-WAY COMMUNICATIONS.
WE HAVE AN EMPLOYEE BY THE NAME OF JOEY DOCTOR AND PUBLIC WORKS.
THE ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS OF THESE PROJECTS HAVE HIS CELL PHONE NUMBER, THEY CALL HIM WHEN THEY HAVE SPECIFIC ISSUES.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A WEBSITE THAT, UM, TALKS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THESE PROJECTS.
AND IT'S RIGHT NOW ON OUR PUBLIC WORKS WEBSITE FOR THE BOND PROGRAM.
HOWEVER, CENTRO'S WORKING ON A MORE INTERACTIVE LIVE WEBSITE THAT'LL BE AVAILABLE AND MORE USER FRIENDLY TO OUR BUSINESSES, AND THAT'LL COME ONLINE IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
WE'VE ALSO DONE SOME GRANTS AND ABATEMENTS FOR THOSE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED DISRUPTION, SPECIFICALLY MARKET SQUARE.
THEY'LL GET RENTAL ABATEMENTS IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN THEIR BUSINESS OR IF WE'RE GONNA BE MAKING TOO MUCH NOISE AND THEY CAN'T OPERATE.
UM, WE HAVE EMAIL BLASTS BY SEVERAL OF OUR PARTNERS, WHETHER IT'S CENTRO, WHETHER IT'S THE CITY OF SAN
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ANTONIO.AND THEN WE DO HAVE SPECIFIC MEETINGS THAT ARE ORGANIZED BY OUR CONVENING GROUPS TO HELP WITH INGRESS AND EGRESS ISSUES AND SIGNAGE ISSUES FOR OUR BUSINESSES.
THE NEXT AREA IS THE HEMISPHERE AND ALAMO AREA.
WE HAVE 20 PROJECTS IN THAT AREA, ABOUT $930 MILLION.
SIX CULTURAL AMENITY PROJECTS, FIVE STREET PROJECTS, 1300 HOUSING UNITS AND SIX PROJECTS.
AND THEN 726 HOTEL ROOMS, WHICH ARE AMONG THREE HOTELS.
UM, HEMISPHERE, WE DID AN OVERVIEW OF THIS IN APRIL, BUT AS A REMINDER, HEMISPHERE IS A SERIES OF THREE PARKS THAT ARE GONNA BE ACTIVATED BY RESIDENTIAL, RETAIL AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
SO YOU HAVE YA IGUANA, YOU HAVE CIVIC PARK, AND YOU HAVE THE TOWER PARK.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT YANA GUANA, YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY HAVE THE PIA DOUGH PIZZERIA, THE 68 APARTMENTS, UM, OR, UH, REROUTED WINERY.
SO THERE'S SEVERAL SMALL BUSINESSES AND HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE POPPED UP ABOUT AROUND THERE.
AND THEN WHEN WE DO THE CIVIC PARK, WHICH IS SET TO OPEN IN SPRING 2024, THERE'LL BE MORE PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT.
BUT THE CIVIC PARK WILL INCLUDE A GREAT LAWN, A PROMENADE, THE SOURCE PLAZA GARDEN SHALLOWS.
UNLIKE Y IGUANA, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, CATERED TOWARDS CHILDREN, UM, CIVIC PARK'S GONNA BE CATERED TOWARDS FAMILIES, ADULTS, UM, IT'S KIND OF DIFFERENT AREAS THAT HAVE A DIFFERENT SENSE OF PLACE.
UM, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE OUR LARGE EVENTS, YOU KNOW, 10,000 PLUS PEOPLE.
AND THIS WILL BE THE LOCATION OF THE FINAL FOUR IN SPRING OF 2025.
AND THE CIVIC PARK WILL BE SURROUNDED BY PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WE REFER TO AS THE NORTHWEST QUADRANT.
SO PARCELS A AND B, THAT IS 50,000 SQUARE FEET OF RETAIL, 350 APARTMENTS AND 800 SPACE PARKING GARAGE.
PARCEL C IS THE 200 ROOM HILTON CURIO HOTEL.
AND THEN PARCEL D IS 175, APARTMENTS HALF ARE AFFORDABLE.
300 SPACE PARKING GARAGE, 15,000 SQUARE FOOT RETAIL RESTAURANT.
THIS WILL BE COMPLETE IN MARCH OF 2025.
AND THE FINAL FOUR, I BELIEVE IS IN EARLY MAY, 2025.
BUT THE PARK ITSELF WILL BE COMPLETE IN LATE 2024.
AND THAT'S OUR COMMITMENT TO THE FINAL FOUR.
UM, THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES.
UM, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT JUST WRAPPED UP WITH U T S A STAFF.
WE'RE WORKING WITH A STEERING COMMITTEE TO REALLY IDENTIFY WHAT WE WANTED THE I T C OR WHAT WE WANT ITS FUTURE TO BE.
UM, THE STEERING COMMITTEE JUST RELEASED ITS REPORT AND IT'S GOING THROUGH PUBLIC COMMENT.
IT'LL BE AVAILABLE JUNE 14TH TO JULY 12TH.
WE'LL BE SENDING YOU ALL THE LINK SO YOU CAN SHARE THAT WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I SERVED ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHERS, WITH SEVERAL OTHER STAFF MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
BUT A COUPLE THINGS THAT'LL BE COMING OUT OF THAT REPORT THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN RELEASED.
ONE, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I T C REMAINS ACCREDITED.
TWO, THAT IT NEEDS TO HAVE A SUSTAINABLE OPERATING PLAN, AND THREE SPEAKS TO THE LOCATION.
SO WHERE SHOULD THE I T C BE RELOCATED? THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT MAKING SURE WE KEPT THE DISCUSSIONS FOCUSED ON THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES AND NOT ON THE TEXAS PAVILION.
THE TEXAS PAVILION IS A BUILDING.
THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES IS THE ACTUAL MUSEUM.
BUT WHAT WE DISCUSSED WAS YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS.
YOU CAN RELOCATE IT OUTSIDE OF HEMISPHERE, YOU CAN RELOCATE IT WITHIN HEMISPHERE OR IT CAN STAY IN THE TEXAS CIVILIAN.
THERE ARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THOSE, AND THAT WOULD BE THE NEXT PHASE.
BUT U T S A REALLY WANTS TO GET PUBLIC COMMENT ON THESE ISSUES BEFORE THEY GO TO PHASE TWO.
THERE'S $15 MILLION FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TOWER OF AMERICAS.
10 MILLION WAS IN THE 2022 BOND PROGRAM.
5 MILLION IS IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET.
IT'LL BE MODERNIZING BUILDING SYSTEMS, JUST GENERAL FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN A MAJOR UPGRADE TO THIS FACILITY IN IN YEARS.
UM, AND WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH, UM, LANDRYS ON HOW TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE OR HOW WE CAN MINIMIZE ANY DISRUPTION TO THEIR BUSINESS.
WE HAVE ABOUT NINE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS INVESTED IN THESE SPACES.
UM, WE'LL DO UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS, RESTROOM, UM, UPGRADES, SIGNAGE, UM, SPECIALTY FENCING AND LIGHTING ENHANCEMENTS, IMPROVEMENTS TO THE HARNESS AAN THEATER.
UM, THREE NEW RESTAURANT CONCEPTS ARE PROPOSED FROM MAVERICK PLAZA.
UM, THIS WAS PART OF OUR CITY OF GASTRONOMY STRATEGIC PLAN.
IF YOU RECALL, WE ARE A CITY OF GASTRONOMY BY DE AS DESIGNATED BY UNESCO.
UM, AND THIS WILL PROVIDE FOR MORE PROGRAMMING OPPORTUNITIES.
AND THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE THE ALAMO, WHICH IS A $250 MILLION INVESTMENT BY THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE ALAMO TRUST.
YOU HAVE THREE PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THIS AREA.
UM, YOU HAVE THE ACTUAL COLLECTIONS BUILDING, WHICH IS THAT PROPERTY THAT'S, UM, AGAINST BONUM STREET.
UM, AND THAT WILL BE OPEN IN FALL OF 2022.
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION.UM, THE WORK ON ALAMO PLAZA HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
UM, THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE RESTORATION OF THE CTA.
AS A REMINDER, THE CTA IS NOT MOVING.
WE WILL BE DOING REPAIRS AND RESTORATION OF IT, AND THAT'LL START IN AUGUST.
AND THE ENTIRE PLAZA WILL BE COMPLETE IN AP, UM, IN 2026.
AND THEN THE MUSEUM, WHICH IS A RESTORATION OF THE CROCKETT AND WOOLWORTH BUILDINGS, UM, THEY ARE GONNA BE PRESERVING THOSE FACADES AND KEEPING THOSE BUILDINGS INTACT.
AND, UM, THAT'LL BE DONE IN EARLY 2026 AS WELL.
THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS AREA INCLUDE FIVE PROJECTS TOTAL OF $55 MILLION.
UM, ALA PLAZA, HOUSTON STREET AND BONHAM ARE PART OF THE ALAMO PROJECT.
UM, ALAMO PLAZA WILL SERVE AS THAT PROMENADE.
IT'LL BE, IT'S ALREADY CLOSED TO THE, UM, TO TRAFFIC, BUT IT'LL ALLOW PEOPLE A MORE WELCOMING, PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY WAY TO GET FROM COMMERCE TO THE ALAMO.
AND YOU ALSO HAVE HOUSTON STREET AND BONHAM STREET AND THEN HEMISPHERE BOULEVARD AS A 20, AS A 2022 BOND PROGRAM.
UM, THAT'LL BE COMPLETE IN MAY OF 2023.
AND THEN THE SOUTH ALAMO STREET PROJECT WILL BE COMPLETE IN APRIL, 2025.
AND THAT IS BEING COORDINATED CLOSELY WITH ZACHARY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR HOTEL.
AND THEN THE HOUSING PROJECTS ON ALAMO STREET.
UM, WE HAVE SIX HOUSING PROJECTS IN THIS AREA, TOTAL 1300 UNITS, $350 MILLION.
UM, THIS ONE I BELIEVE IS THE DURANGO THAT'LL OPEN IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024.
AND THAT IS ON THE CORNER OF PRESA AND CAESAR CHAVEZ, YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE TWO HEMISPHERE PROJECTS.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE VICTORIA PLAZA AND 100 LABOR.
JOHN'S, WHICH IS ALSO ON SOUTH PRESA.
AND THEN THE HOTEL DEVELOPMENTS.
WE HAVE THREE PROJECTS IN THIS AREA.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE HILTON COURIER, WHICH IS ON HEMISPHERE PROPERTY.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE MARRIOTT PLAZA RENOVATION, WHICH IS THE RENOVATION OF THE EXISTING MARRIOTT ON SOUTH ALAMO AND CAESAR CHAVEZ.
AND THEN THEY'RE BUILDING A NEW MARRIOTT THAT'S ON THEIR PARKING LOT.
UM, AND THOSE PROJECTS WILL START CONSTRUCTION OVER THE NEXT, IN THE NEXT YEAR, 726 ROOMS, UM, OF WHICH ABOUT 400 ARE NEW ROOMS AND THE REST ARE RENOVATION.
AND THEN OUR COORDINATION, IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU SAW ON OUR ARIZONA EFFORTS.
SO WE COORDINATE WITH LAVATA LAG GROUP, LA GLORIA HEMISPHERE, TENANTS AREA RESIDENTS, AREA BUSINESSES, OUR DEVELOPERS, THE CONSERVATION SOCIETY, AND I WANNA MENTION OSAS WHILE T H C VISITS SAN ANTONIO, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE CONVENTION CENTER.
UM, THESE ARE STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE MEET WITH REGULARLY.
AND THEN OUR CONVENERS OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, CENTRO H PARK.
AND THEN THE U T S A I T C EFFORT.
THEY'VE HELPED CONVENE GROUPS TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
AND THE STRATEGIES ARE SIMILAR.
WE HAVE THE TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION.
UM, THE AREA BUSINESSES DO HAVE THE CELL PHONE NUMBER OF THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS.
WE DO EMAIL BLASTS, WE HAVE WEBSITES, AND THAT'LL BE IMPROVED WITH CENTRO DOING IMPROVEMENTS TO A MORE INTERACTIVE WEBSITE.
AND THEN WE HAVE GRANTS AND ABATEMENTS.
WE'VE DONE SOME FOR LATA AS WELL AS THE BUSINESSES AROUND THE ALAMO.
AND THAT WAS FUNDED THROUGH THE HOUSTON STREET TOURS.
AND THEN WE WORK WITH THEM ON THEIR SPECIFIC INGRESS, EGRESS AND SIGNAGE NEEDS.
AND SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
I WENT OVER 41 PROJECTS IN THOSE TWO AREAS.
I'M GONNA ASK EMILY TO PASS OUT A MAP THAT GIVES YOU THE SPREADSHEETS THAT SHOWS YOU EACH OF THESE PROJECTS.
UM, THIS IS JUST FOR YOUR REFERENCE, BUT I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ALONG WITH ANY OF OUR PARTNERS AND CITY STAFF.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I THINK, UM, MIGHT SURPRISE A FEW FOLKS THAT THERE'S SO MUCH ACTION HAPPENING DOWNTOWN.
UM, I DO REMEMBER UNFORTUNATELY WHEN, UH, THE DECLARATION WAS MADE ABOUT THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN, WHICH WAS CATCHY, BUT PERHAPS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE IT SORT OF ASSUMED THAT THE DECADE WOULD COME TO A CLOSE AND THAT WE WOULD MOVE ON.
UH, BUT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT'S ONLY BEEN PROVEN OUT THAT THE FOUNDATION OF OUR ECONOMY IS DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO.
AND THAT IN ORDER FOR US TO HAVE A VIBRANT, STRONG QUALITY PLACE TO LIVE AS LOCALS, AS BUSINESS, UH, OWNERS, OR AS YOU KNOW, VISITORS, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM THAT HAS BEEN GAINED OVER THE LAST DECADE IN DOWNTOWN.
AND ALL THE PROJECTS THAT YOU JUST JUST DESCRIBED ARE CLEAR DEMONSTRATIONS OF THAT MOMENTUM.
ONE OF THE PIECES OF INFORMATION I THINK WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO UNDERSTAND HOW TRANSFORMATIVE, UH, THESE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN, WOULD BE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW IT'S CHANGING THE WAY PEOPLE MOVE AROUND.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME TRAFFIC STUDIES DONE, UH, AROUND DOWNTOWN, UH, IN DIFFERENT CORRIDORS.
AND LAST ONE I SAW, UH, SUGGESTED THAT DESPITE ALL OF THE RESIDENTIAL GROWTH,
[00:25:01]
UM, REALLY THE TRAFFIC COUNTS HAVEN'T MOVED AT ALL.UM, PEOPLE AREN'T, THERE AREN'T MORE CARS IN THE AREA AS A RESULT OF MORE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS ACTIVITY HERE.
UH, IN FACT, PEOPLE ARE FINDING THEIR WAY AROUND BECAUSE BY INTENTION, WE WERE TRYING TO CREATE LIVE WORK PLAY OPPORTUNITIES.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR, IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S WHY MORE PEOPLE ARE FLOCKING HERE BECAUSE THAT'S THE KIND OF, UM, EXPERIENCE THEY WANT.
AND IT'S THE SAME KIND OF EXPERIENCE THAT WE'RE SEEING IN MO IN NODES IN OTHER PLACES OF THE CITY AS WELL.
HAVE WE DONE AN UPDATED TRAFFIC STUDY, UH, OF DOWNTOWN SINCE WE, YOU KNOW, HAD ALL THESE HOUSING UNITS COME ON ONTO THE MARKET AND BECOME OCCUPIED? GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
I'M REGIO DIRECTOR OF CITY ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
OUR FIRST MAJOR, VERY DETAILED TRAFFIC STUDY IN DOWNTOWN WAS IN 2021.
AND THAT CREATE NUMBER OF PROJECT FOR US INCLUDE PART OF 2020 2012 BOND PROGRAM.
SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE DONE SOME SMALL TRAFFIC IN TA TRAFFIC STUDY IN DOWNTOWN.
WHEN WE ARE ADVERTISING PROJECT, ESPECIALLY NUMBER OF THE PROJECT IN DOWNTOWN, WE DO TRAFFIC STUDY TO MAKE SURE WE ARE NOT GOING TO CREATE TRAFFIC JAM IN DOWNTOWN AREA.
THEY PROVIDE US SOME DIFFERENT ROUTE, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE HAVE NOT DONE MAJOR TRAFFIC STUDY IN DOWNTOWN.
I THINK I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO GET SOME TRAFFIC COUNTS, UM, AND COMPARE THEM TO WHAT WE EXPERIENCED MAYBE 10 YEARS AGO, UH, JUST TO AGAIN, MAYBE PROVE OR DISPROVE THE HYPOTHESIS THAT WE NEED TO CREATE LIVE, WORK, PLAY.
AND THAT IF WE DO HAVE THOSE KINDS OF PLACES THAT PEOPLE WOULD COME HERE.
UH, I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.
THAT'S WHAT I EXPERIENCE WHEN I GO OUT THERE.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE LIMITED DATA I'VE SEEN WOULD SUGGEST AS WELL.
SO IF WE COULD, IF WE COULD MAYBE PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA AND, AND SHARE IT WITH THE COUNCIL, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SO MANY PARTS OF THIS, UM, ACTIVITY THAT WE COULD PICK APART AND TALK ABOUT.
UH, I WILL SAY THAT AS IT RELATES TO TRAFFIC, UH, WE STILL NEED TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CHANGE WHAT WAS A VEHICLE FIRST, UH, ENVIRONMENT INTO MORE OF A MULTIMODAL ENVIRONMENT.
AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, CHANGING SOME OF THE ONE WAYS TO TWO WAY STREETS, ENHANCING PEDESTRIAN ACCESS AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.
UH, MAYBE EVEN SHUTTING SOME ROADS DOWN THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IN THE PAST.
I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF THAT, IF IT MAKES SENSE.
AND EVEN MAYBE NOT, UM, UH, SHUTTING STREETS DOWN 24 HOURS A DAY, BUT DURING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE DAY MIGHT MAKE SENSE.
UH, ERIC, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT IN, IN A COUPLE OF AREAS, SO I I WOULD STILL WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO EXPLORE MORE OF THOSE.
UM, AND ALSO THE RE-IMAGINING OF PIECES OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA INTO BETTER UTILITY FOR THE COMMUNITY.
I KNOW THAT, UH, THE I T C DEVELOPMENT, UH, OR THE I T C MISSION HAS BEEN EXAMINED AND I WILL BE THE FIRST TO, TO SUPPORT THE FACT THAT THE I T C IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT INSTITUTION AND NEEDS TO REMAIN.
UH, BUT IN SOME WAYS IT HAS BEEN AN UNDERAPPRECIATED INSTITUTION BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT IT'S AN UN IN AN UNDERUTILIZED PIECE OF DOWNTOWN.
UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THAT.
BUT THE ADVANTAGE THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS IN TRYING TO CONTROL ITS DESTINY WITH MAJOR TRANSFORMATIVE OPPORTUNITIES, LIKE WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH U T S A, UH, THE ALAMO REDEVELOPMENT, ET CETERA, IS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE STILL THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO CONTROL OUR DESTINY ON MAJOR PIECES OF OUR LANDSCAPE, INCLUDING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, AND I HOPE THAT'S CONSIDERED AS A COMMUNITY, NOT JUST BY THE CITY GOVERNMENT OR BY WHOEVER THE PRIVATE SECTOR ENTITY OR PUBLIC SECTOR ENTITY IS THAT CONTROLS THAT PROPERTY, BUT THAT WE CAN HAVE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT WE WANT THIS PLACE TO LOOK LIKE, UH, IN THE COMING YEARS.
AND, AND I WOULD, I WOULD PUT SOME OF THAT U T S A PROPERTY, INCLUDING I T C INTO THAT DISCUSSION.
UM, I'M ENCOURAGED BY THEIR, BY THE FACT THAT THEY'RE OPENING THEIR, THE BREADTH OF THAT DISCUSSION TO INCLUDE THOSE, UM, POTENTIAL OUTCOMES.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'M ANXIOUS TO HEAR FROM MY COLLEAGUES AND I KNOW WE DO HAVE A SECOND DISCUSSION ITEM AS WELL.
SO WE'LL START THE DISCUSSION.
OH, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
UM, I'LL START OFF WITH CITY TOWER.
UM, I RECENTLY WENT TO CITY TOWER, SAW THE GYM AND WHATNOT.
I, YOU KNOW, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO INSTRUCT A ZUMBA CLASS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES THERE.
[00:30:01]
SO KEEP ME IN MIND.UM, I WISH I HADN'T QUEUED IN SO EARLY.
'CAUSE I THINK, SO MY TEAM AND I REVIEWED THIS POWERPOINT AND THE PRESENTATION, AND WE SAW THE NUMBERS.
AND I THINK JUST NOW WHILE YOU WERE SPEAKING, IT REALLY DAWNED ON ME, THIS IS BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INVESTMENT.
AND AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ARPA AND AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT FEDERAL MONIES THAT ARE COMING IN AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, SOMETIMES IT'S, UM, YOU BECOME A LITTLE BIT NUMB OR NUMB TO THESE LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, BUT IT'S SIGNIFICANT.
AND, UM, ON ONE HAND I WANT TO EXPRESS EXCITEMENT AND I WANT IT TO BE VERY CLEAR.
LIKE, WE WANT A VERY BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN.
WE WANT A DOWNTOWN THAT'S INVESTED IN, AND WE WANT A DOWNTOWN THAT'S COMPARABLE TO ANY OTHER MAJOR CITY, NOT JUST IN TEXAS, BUT IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND SO IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THIS LEVEL OF INVESTMENT, BUT ON THE OTHER END, I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE INVESTMENT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND IN MY COMMUNITY AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THEM.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M REPRESENTING WORKING CLASS EVERYDAY PEOPLE IN, UM, IN THE EAST SIDE AND IN THE NORTHEAST SIDE.
AND SO WHEN I THINK OF DOWNTOWN, I SEE IT AS A PLACE, OR I THINK OF IT AS A PLACE IT SHOULD BE, UM, WHERE RESIDENTS FROM ALL SIDES OF TOWN CAN COME TOGETHER.
SAN ANTONIO IS A WORKING CLASS TOWN, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE INVEST IN THE FUTURE AND THAT WE ENSURE THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR LOCAL FAMILIES TO ENJOY ALL OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS, THESE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
AND SO FAMILIES IN MY DISTRICT WOULD ASK, WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME? OR WHAT DO I GET OUT OF ALL OF THIS INVESTMENT? AND SO IF YOU WERE TO ASK A LOCAL EAST SIDER OR NORTHEAST SIDER WHEN IT WAS THE LAST TIME THEY WENT DOWNTOWN, HISTORICALLY WORKING CLASS FOLKS WOULD COME DOWNTOWN BECAUSE THEY WORK HERE, THEY SHOP HERE, GO TO THEY PARK, THEY GO TO THE PARK, OR THEY ENJOY A FEW, UH, SITES, BUT THAT'S NOT HAPPENING AS MUCH ANYMORE.
AND SO, AGAIN, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE INVESTMENTS WE MAKE HAVE AN EYE FOR ATTRACTING LOCAL FAMILIES.
AND WHEN I DRIVE FROM HERE, FROM CITY HALL TO MY FIELD OFFICE AT CLAUDE BLACK ON THE EAST SIDE, I'M DRIVING THROUGH A SIDE OF TOWN THAT HAS NOT SEEN AN INVESTMENT.
I'M DRIVING BY THE FREDERICK, BY THE FREDERICK, I'M DRIVING THROUGH SOME VERY ROUGH STREETS THAT NEED REPAVING.
AND EVEN JUST THAT CONNECTOR BETWEEN DOWNTOWN TO THE EAST SIDE IS ROUGH.
AND SO I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE CONNECTING EAST SIDE FAMILIES TO DOWNTOWN AND HOW CAN WE DO BETTER? AND IS THERE A PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING BETTER? WE, WE DO HAVE NUMBERS ON HOW THE EAST SIDE IS ACTUALLY ATTENDING SOME OF OUR DOWNTOWN EVENTS AND SPECIFICALLY HEMISPHERE AND HOW THEY, THEY DO USE THE PLAYGROUND.
THERE ARE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS, UM, THAT, UM, ARE UNDERWAY TO HELP CONNECT, UM, THE EAST SIDE TO THE HEMISPHERE AREA.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF ART IMPROVEMENTS UNDERNEATH THE INTERSTATE.
UM, THERE ARE SOME STREET PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY.
WE CAN SHOW YOU LIKE A PLACEMAKING MAP SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID FOR HEMISPHERE AND ZONA ABOUT ALL THE PROJECTS AND HOW THEY WILL CONNECT TO DOWNTOWN.
AND WE CAN GENERATE THAT FOR YOU.
I'D VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT.
AND ALONG THE SAME NOTE IS THAT EAST SIDE FAMILIES WERE SEPARATED FROM DOWNTOWN BY THE HIGHWAY.
AND SO A BIT OF WHAT YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT IS HOW WE CAN CREATE A MORE WALKABLE ROUTE INTO DOWNTOWN FOR FAMILIES COMING IN FROM EAST COMMERCE OR FROM THE HAY STREET BRIDGE.
UM, I'M WONDERING, ARE WE, I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MULTIMODAL TRANSIT, BUT FOLKS STILL USE THEIR CARS AND SOME FOLKS WILL STILL NEED TO USE THEIR CARS JUST BECAUSE OF ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS SOMEWHAT SCARCE.
UM, HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT FOLKS CAN PARK AND THEN ENJOY DOWNTOWN? THERE ARE PARKING OPPORTUNITIES, UM, THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN.
I MEAN, THERE ARE MORE SURFACE LOTS THAN WE NEED IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, AND WE STILL HAVE FREE PARKING ON TUESDAY NIGHTS IN THE HEMISPHERE AREA.
UM, YOU DO HAVE THE PARKING GARAGE IN THE 68.
WE ALSO HAVE THE PARKING ON THE S THE FORMER S E I S D SITE.
IT'S OFFICE CAESAR CHAVEZ, AND THERE'S ANOTHER SURFACE PARKING LOT.
SO, UM, WE DO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PARKING OPPORTUNITIES, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR DISCOUNTED PARKING RATES AND OUR DOWNTOWN TUESDAY EVENTS.
I DO WANT TO, UM, FLAG A LITTLE BIT IS THAT SOMETIMES THE, THE CONSENSUS IN MY COMMUNITY IS THAT IF OUR PUBLIC DOLLARS ARE GOING TOWARDS A PROJECT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY TO PARK.
WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW, I, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S BUDGETS AND THERE'S A LEVEL OF FEASIBILITY THAT HAS TO BE DETERMINED FOR FREE PARKING TO BE ESTABLISHED.
BUT THE PEARL IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE THERE WAS FREE PARKING AND WIDELY AVAILABLE FREE PARKING.
AND THEN FOLK ARE NOW TOLD, OH, YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE WHAT USED TO BE FREE.
AND THAT'S A CONCERN FOR FOLK.
AND I DON'T WANNA, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE INVESTMENTS OR WHEN WE PLAN FOR FUTURE INVESTMENTS, THAT WE DO PLAN
[00:35:01]
FOR PARKING TO BE AVAILABLE, UM, SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, PUBLIC TAX DOLLARS.ANOTHER THING THAT I BELIEVE IS IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS, AND I JUST TALKED ABOUT HOW THE EAST SIDE WAS SEPARATED BY THE HIGHWAY, AND I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORY BRIDGE AND ALL OF THIS ALLUDES TO A HISTORY OF SEGREGATION FOR BLACK RESIDENTS AND NON-BLACK RESIDENTS.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS THE CULTURAL HISTORY WITHIN THE IMPROVEMENTS OF DOWNTOWN.
SO SAY CAMM, THE SAN ANTONIO, AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY ARCHIVE AND MUSEUM IS ONE OF THE ENTITIES THAT I THINK OF, UM, DOWNTOWN, AND THEY HAVE AN EXHIBIT SPACE AT LATA.
I'M WONDERING HOW WE CAN WORK WITH SAY, CAM OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THAT TO CREATE INFRASTRUCTURE OR HISTORICAL MARKERS OR ACTIVITIES THAT HIGHLIGHT BLACK HISTORY DOWNTOWN.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO AND WE DO, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UM, T PROJECTS THAT HAVE HELPED FUND THAT TYPE OF ACTIVITY.
WE CAN WORK DIRECTLY WITH O H P ON SPECIFIC AREAS, BUT YES, THANK YOU.
I GUESS I WANNA BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR IS THAT FOR FUTURE INVESTMENTS, THESE ARE THINGS THAT I WANT US TO PROACTIVELY BE SEEKING OUT.
I KNOW WE GET REQUESTS FOR FROM FOLK TO SAY LIKE, OH, WE WANT TO DO, WE WOULD LOVE A HISTORICAL MARKER FOR THIS.
I WANT US TO BE ON THE PROACTIVE END OF THAT.
UM, I WANT TO GET INTO THE HOUSING.
I KNOW I SAID THAT THERE WERE ABOUT 9,000 HOUSING UNITS.
I'M WONDERING, DO YOU HAVE AVAILABLE THE AFFORDABILITY BREAKDOWN? I DON'T ON THE EXISTING ONE, BUT ON THE ONES THAT WE PROPOSED, 25% OF THEM ARE AFFORDABLE OR WORKFORCE.
AND I CAN GET YOU THE BREAKDOWN OF THOSE.
WHAT WOULD THAT BE? SO THE 25% IS 25% OF THE 7,000 THAT ARE FORECASTED TO COME ONLINE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS THAT WOULD BE WORKFORCE OR AFFORDABLE.
AND I CAN GET YOU THE BREAKDOWN OF HOW MANY OR 80%, 60% AND 30%.
AND WHEN WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO GET THOSE? I CAN GET 'EM TO YOU THIS WEEK.
UM, I GUESS, AND WITH THAT, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AND MAYBE WITH THAT INFORMATION, WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO ADD TO IT IS DOWNTOWN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS GENERAL AREA AND MAYBE A LITTLE BIT BEYOND WHAT DOES IT COST TO LIVE DOWNTOWN MM-HMM.
AND WOULD I, WOULD I BE ABLE TO LIVE DOWNTOWN? AND I DON'T THINK THE ANSWER IS, I THINK THE ANSWER IS NO.
AND I WANNA KNOW HOW AFFORDABLE IS IT TO BE THERE? AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO BRING THEM, TO BRING THEM IN AND MAKE THIS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANNA LIVE, IT'S A VERY CERTAIN TYPE OF PERSON THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN AND ASKING AND INVITING THEM TO LIVE HERE.
IT'S NOT THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY LIVE HERE.
AND SO WHEN I'M ASKING YOU THIS QUESTION, I'M, AND WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR THE ANSWER, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THERE'S AN ACTION THAT I HOPE THERE'S AN ACTION THAT I WANT US TO LOOK FOR.
HOW DO WE MAKE THIS A PLACE THAT'S AFFORDABLE? HOW DO WE MAKE THIS, UM, AN INVESTMENT THAT IS FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE? BECAUSE THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IN MY COMMUNITY IS THAT THE CITY WILL MAKE ALL THESE INVESTMENTS.
AND THOSE INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FOR US.
THEY'RE NOT FOR REGULAR WORKING CLASS PEOPLE.
THEY ARE FOR THE FOLK FROM AUSTIN.
THEY'RE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING IN AND PUSHING US OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND A LOT OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING ON THE EAST SIDE AND THE GENTRIFICATION THAT IS HAPPENING IS IN PART DUE TO THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN AND THIS INVESTMENT DOWNTOWN, AND PEOPLE WANTING TO BUILD HOUSING THAT'S IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITHOUT NECESSARILY BEING DOWNTOWN, BUT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MY COMMUNITY HAS A REALLY BIG PROBLEM WITH.
SO I, I KNOW THAT THAT PROBABLY WASN'T THE, THIS CONVERSATION PROBABLY WASN'T THE INTENTION OF WHOEVER REQUESTED THIS B SESSION, BUT I DID WANNA USE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LAY OUT THESE CONCERNS.
COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY.
LORI AND ERIC, THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR PULLING THIS TOGETHER.
AND, AND THE REASON I WAS REQUESTING THIS IS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE'VE HAD A REALLY GOOD PICTURE OF THE WHOLE DOWNTOWN AND HOW MASSIVE THIS PROGRAM IS.
I MEAN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE SAYING A TOTAL OF, UH, $3.3 BILLION OVER THE NEXT, NEXT, UH, FIVE YEARS.
NOW, DOES THAT INCLUDE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY COMPLETED DOWN, UH, IN THE AREA? NO.
THIS ONLY INCLUDES PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR IN THE PIPELINE TO START CONSTRUCTION IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
I, I'D REALLY LIKE TO PEEL THAT ONION BACK A LITTLE BIT AND SAY, OKAY, OVER THE LAST FIVE OR 10 YEARS, HOW MUCH HAVE WE ALREADY INVESTED DOWNTOWN AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO INVEST IN DOWNTOWN OVER THE NEXT, NEXT FIVE YEARS.
UM, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH, UH, WE'VE ALREADY INVESTED IN DOWNTOWN.
I DON'T, I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY CLUE AS TO WHAT THAT IS.
UH, SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS AS WELL.
UH, ON SLIDE THREE, UM, YOU HAVE THOSE 9,000, 65,000, 14,000.
[00:40:01]
I MEAN, I, I, I REMEMBER THERE WERE GOALS OUT THERE AT ONE POINT IN TIME.I, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE STILL GOING BY.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS IN EACH ONE OF THOSE CATEGORIES? SO OUR GOALS FOR DOWNTOWN WERE 10, 10,000 HOUSING UNITS BY 2020, AND THE DEFINITION WAS 10,000 THAT ARE ONLINE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN THE PIPELINE.
SO WE, WE MET THAT GOAL IN 2020, AND THEN WE RELAXED, WE, WE MOVED AWAY FROM DOING DOWNTOWN GOAL SPECIFIC AND FOCUSED MORE ON OUR HOUSING GOAL AND SPECIFICALLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO WE HAVE A GOAL OF 26,000 HOUSING UNITS THAT HAVE SOME LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY, UM, OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS WHERE THEY'RE LOCATED.
THE, THE PLAN DOES NOT SPEAK TO THAT.
WE, WE PLAN TO LOCATE THOSE OR HOPEFULLY LOCATE THEM AROUND OUR REGIONAL CENTERS WHERE THERE IS WORKFORCE, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE A GOAL FOR DOWNTOWN HOUSING.
WILL WE EVER HAVE A GOAL OR ARE WE JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO ADD WHATEVER, WHATEVER GETS CONSTRUCTED? OUR FOCUS IS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON BUILDING OR REHABBING 26,000 UNITS.
UM, I, I'D REALLY LIKE TO DIG INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
ALSO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN JUST AFFORDABILITY.
WE'RE BUILDING MARKET RATE HERE ALSO MM-HMM.
AND, AND I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE, THE TOTAL SCOPE OF THIS AND SAY, OKAY, THIS IS HOW, KIND OF WHAT MY COLLEAGUE WAS SAYING, THIS IS HOW MUCH IS AFFORDABLE, BUT HERE'S A MARKET RATE OUT HERE ALSO.
SO I, I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN, IN THE OVERALL FIGURES.
AND I WANNA STRESS, LIKE IT'S, WE ARE NOT SAYING NO MORE MARKET RATE CITYWIDE, WE'RE JUST FOCUSING OUR RESOURCES ON AFFORDABILITY.
THAT IS WHAT THE COUNCIL HAS SAID.
THEY'VE SAID THEY WANTED NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE PLANNING OUR RESOURCES.
MARKET RATES GOING TO OCCUR, AND IF IT DOES NEED ASSISTANCE, WE'RE AVAILABLE TO HELP, BUT WE ARE FOCUSING OUR RESOURCES ON AFFORDABILITY.
YEAH, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU ON THAT.
I'D, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE BIG PICTURE IS, THE TOTAL PICTURE ON, ON HOUSING DOWNTOWN, UM, ON SLIDE NUMBER, UH, FOUR.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE SAYING 58 PROJECTS AT 3.8, $3.3 BILLION.
AGAIN, HUGE PROGRAM, BUT, UM, CAN WE GET A BREAKOUT OF WHAT FUNDING SOURCES THOSE ARE? THE, THE $3.3 BILLION, IS THAT ALL CITY FUNDS AND BONDS OR FEDERAL OR STATE OR WHAT OF THAT 3.3 BILLION? ONLY ABOUT 800 MILLION IS CITY FUNDING.
AND THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS BOND PROJECTS.
UM, AND THEN, UM, BOND PROJECTS IN OUR CULTURAL AMENITY PROJECTS, WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION IN OUR HOUSING PROJECTS, AND HALF OF THAT IS TAX ABATEMENT.
SO THE MAJORITY OF THIS IS PRIVATE INVESTMENT.
YEAH, IT'S, AND I CAN GIVE YOU THAT BREAKDOWN.
YEAH, I, I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE THAT BREAKDOWN.
BUT AS A REMINDER, WE DON'T INCENT HOTELS.
WE, UM, WE FUND OUR, OUR STREET PROJECTS, THE BOND OR SOME OTHER CAPITAL PROJECT AND OUR CULTURAL AMENITIES.
BUT THE HOUSING INVESTMENT ABOUT 1.7 BILLION IS PRIVATE DOLLARS.
UM, ARE COUNTY FUNDS INCLUDED IN THIS, THIS FIGURE? THE, THE COUNTY FUNDS FOR, UM, YES.
WELL, THE, THE COUNTY PROJECT, WHICH IS SAN PEDRO CREEK IS IN THIS FIGURE.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, AGAIN, THE BIG PICTURE.
IT'S NOT JUST THE CITY, BUT WE GOT THE COUNTY.
WE, HECK, WE'VE GOT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OUT THERE ALSO, SARAH.
WE HAVE THE COUNTY AND THE ALAMO TRUST AND THE RIVER AUTHORITY.
ALL OF THEIR, UM, INVESTMENTS ARE IN THIS.
ON MARKET SQUARE, UH, YOU TALKED, UM, ABOUT THE TOTAL PROGRAM THERE IS ABOUT 10.2 MILLION MM-HMM.
DON'T WE GET REVENUE FROM MARKET SQUARE ALSO? WHAT'S THE OFFSET ON THAT MARKET? WELL, MARKET SQUARE IS A ENTERPRISE FUND, AND SO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY FROM THE LEASES IN THE PARKING GARAGE GO INTO A FUND THAT HELP FUND OTHER PROJECTS.
AND SO OF THAT 10.2 MILLION, THERE'S, UM, DEBT THAT'S SUPPORTED BY THAT ENTERPRISE FUND IN THERE.
UM, BUT SIX AND A HALF MILLION, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, IS PROPOSED TO COME FROM THE WEST SIDE TOURS.
BUT MARKET SQUARE IS TO HELP FUND, ITS, ITS IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT CANNOT FUND ALL OF ITS NEEDS.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING TO THE TOURS, IF YOU RECALL, WE CAME, WE HAD IT ON THE BOND PROGRAM.
UM, BUT WE PRESENTED A LIST OF PROJECTS AND, UM, COUNCIL DIRECTED US TO GO AND TAKE THOSE PROJECTS AND TAKE THEM TOTS FOR AN ALTERNATIVE
[00:45:01]
FUNDING SOURCE SO WE'D HAVE MORE CAPACITY FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECTS IN THE BOND.UM, YOU MENTIONED COORDINATION AND, AND THAT PIQUED MY INTEREST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LAVATO OVER THERE.
OUR IMPROVEMENTS WERE PLANNED AROUND SOME OF THEIR NEEDS SO THEY CAN BETTER, UM, EQUIP AND FACILITATE AND PROGRAM FOR OUR, UM, OSA.
AND SO WE'RE DOING A LOT OF ELECTRICAL UPGRADES, LIGHTING UPGRADES BASED ON THEIR INPUT.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THAT ROUND BUILDING OVER THERE THAT'S CPS IS, UH, WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THAT BUILDING? I DON'T HAVE AN UPDATE ON THAT.
AND WE CAN ASK C P S FOR AN UPDATE AND GET BACK TO YOU.
YEAH, I, I THINK THAT'S AN INTEGRAL PART OF LOBBY TO THERE AND FOR SSA AND I THINK WE NEED TO BE UPDATED ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT FACILITY BECAUSE THAT WILL BE A BIG IMPACT TO, UH, THAT AREA AS WELL.
UH, SO YEAH, IF YOU CAN FIND OUT ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, THAT'D BE GREAT.
UH, LET'S TALK ABOUT HEMISPHERE HERE.
YANA, GUANA CIVIC PARK AND TOWER PARK.
UM, WE'VE FUNDED YA IGUANA MM-HMM.
AND HOW MUCH IS THOSE TWO PUT TOGETHER? UM, 70 MILLION.
AND THEN, AND THEN WE HAVE THE STREET IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL WITH HEMISPHERE BOULEVARD.
SO WE, WE FUNDED ABOUT $85 MILLION IN ABOUT $85 MILLION.
AND TOWER PARK SAYS T B D, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO, UM, TOWER PARK IS GOING TO REQUIRE FUTURE BOND MONEY, SO POTENTIALLY 2027 BOND FUNDS.
UM, AND IF THEY CAN START THE DESIGN EARLIER, THEY'LL DO THAT.
BUT, UM, IT IS NOT, THERE'S NO CONSTRUCTION PLANS RIGHT NOW UNTIL WE KNOW IT'S FUNDED.
DO WE HAVE A, A SCOPE OR A ESTIMATED COST AT THIS POINT? NO.
SO, BUT WE'RE UP TO $85 MILLION ALREADY? YES, FOR THE ONE PART.
UM, THE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, UH, THIS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES, I KNOW IT'S NOT BEING USED AS MUCH AND I APPRECIATE THAT SURVEY THAT'S GOING OUT.
AND YES, PLEASE SEND US THAT LINK SO WE COULD SEND THAT OUT TO THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY.
UM, DO WE, DO WE HAVE ANY PREFERENCES HERE AT CITY STAFF ABOUT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS OR SEE THAT WE WOULD LIKE THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES TO REMAIN? I MEAN, OF COURSE WE WANT IT TO CONTINUE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TEXAS CIVILIAN.
THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE WORK, THEY NEED TO DO ESTIMATES TO REALLY INFORM THE LEADERSHIP AT U T SS A OF WHAT CAN BE DONE AND PUBLIC INPUT IS A PART OF THAT PROCESS.
UM, ON THE, UH, SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS YOU HAVE, UH, SHOWS A HEMISPHERE AND YOU HAVE SOME RED LINES ON THAT, THAT SLIDE, AND THEN ACROSS IS LAVATA.
AND THEN, UH, THE CONNECTION TO THE ALAMO.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SLIDE IT IS, IT'S NOT LISTED ON MY, MY SHEETS HERE, BUT, UM, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL OF THOSE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE ALAMO AND HEMISPHERE AND LAVA ETA, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THAT GONNA BE CONNECTED AND HOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA TRAVEL BETWEEN ONE OR ANOTHER.
IS THERE A RIVER CONNECTION? MM-HMM.
UM, BUT YEAH, I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE SOME MORE DETAIL ON THAT.
THANK YOU, LORI, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THE 9,000 UNITS THAT ARE LOCATED RIGHT NOW IN THE, UM, IN THE, IN THE PROPOSED PLAN, THERE'S ANOTHER 5,000 UNDERWAY.
DO WE HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF HOW MANY OF THE INCENTIVIZED USE, UH, OR THESE INCENTIVIZED UNITS ARE CONSIDERED AFFORDABLE? UM, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS 25% OF THE 6,800 ARE AT 80%, UM, OR WORKFORCE OR BELOW 60%.
AND I CAN EITHER BREAK DOWN BASED ON 80%, 60%, AND 30%.
UM, I KNOW THAT THE SHIP HAS A CERTAIN, UH, PERCENTAGE, RIGHT? AND SO DO YOU THINK THAT WE'RE ON TRACK TO MEET THAT GOAL? I THINK 25% IS GREAT AND IF WE COULD GET 25% IN ALL HOUSING PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY BE AFFORDABLE, WE'D EASILY MEET YOUR, MEET OUR GOAL.
[00:50:01]
AND THEN REGARDING THE SHIFT IN OFFICE VERSUS REMOTE WORKERS, HAS THERE BEEN BEEN ANY, UM, ADAPTIVE REUSE DISCUSSION FOR MAYBE SOME OF THE OFFICE SPACES THAT WILL NOT BE FILLED? UM, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION.HOW ARE WE GOING TO PREPARE FOR THAT? WE ARE HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH CENTRO AND UM, HOPEFULLY WE CAN BRING THOSE, UM, TO OUR LEADERSHIP TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSION AND POTENTIALLY AT A COUNCIL COMMITTEE.
AND THEN, UM, ON THE ARTISAN IMPROVEMENTS, DO YOU KNOW IF THAT INCLUDES LIGHTING FOR THE STAGE? UM, I CAN GET BACK TO YOU.
SO THERE, I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KIND OF HEARD FROM, FROM SOME OF THE ARTISTS.
AND THEN ESPECIALLY I KNOW THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, GO NATIONAL WITH THE, THE A LOS MUTOS.
AND SO IF, IF ANY OF THE MAJOR TV STATIONS PICKS UP, I THINK THAT WAS GONNA BE CRITICAL.
BUT, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS PART OF THE, UM, IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, I THINK THAT IF, IF WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS MORE ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT.
I APPRECIATE WHAT THE LATA PROJECT IS DOING.
I THINK THEY'RE, SO WE JUST CAME BACK FROM I PW IN ORLANDO AND THERE'S JUST CHAIN RESTAURANTS EVERYWHERE MM-HMM.
AND SO I THINK THAT THAT GIVES SAN ANTONIO THE, THE UNIQUE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OVER OTHER CITIES.
SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO TO CONTINUE ENCOURAGING THAT.
UM, NOT SAYING THAT WE DON'T NEED MM-HMM.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER VIE GR THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN, I I'M YOUNG.
I'M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN NOBODY WENT TO HEMISPHERE, UH, AND NOBODY REALLY CAME DOWNTOWN UNLESS THEY HAD TO TAKE SOMEBODY TO THE ALAMO.
UM, BUT WE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF BECOMING A DESTINATION FOR VISITORS.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THIS, THIS PROJECT AND SHOWING US WHERE THE GROWTH IS COMING FOR.
I THINK IT'S A VERY WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT AND I'M THANKFUL THAT Y'ALL ARE BEING THOUGHTFUL WITH THE HOUSING AND WHATEVER OUR PARTNERS, ESPECIALLY THAT AT THE HOUSING TRUST CAN DO TO HELP WITH THIS SITUATION DOWNTOWN.
UH, FEEL FREE TO MAKE SURE WE, WE COMMUNICATE THAT WITH THEM.
BUT AGAIN, MY QUESTION IS, THESE OLDER BUILDINGS, AND I LOVE THE HEMISPHERE BUILD, THERE'S A LOT OF BUILDINGS ON HEMISPHERE THAT I APPRECIATE AND VALUE.
AND THEN THERE ARE SOME THAT JUST ARE, ARE, ARE, NEED A LOT OF WORK AND MAY NOT BE WORTH THE INVESTMENT.
UH, SO DO WE HAVE ANY SORT OF SYSTEM WHERE WE GO IN AND KIND OF GRADE AND SEE WHAT THE, UM, AND THIS IS NOT JUST FOR HEMISPHERE, BUT FOR ALL OUR HISTORIC BUILDINGS.
WHAT WOULD BE THE COST TO MODERNI MODERNIZE IT OR MAKE IT ULTRA ACCESSIBLE? JUST ON A, IN ANY VACANT HISTORIC BUILDING IN ANY, LIKE THE MAGIC, THE BEETHOVEN HALL, THE UM, UH, THE TEXAS PAVILION, WE, WE DON'T HAVE COSTS ON THAT.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WHEN WE HAVE DEVELOPERS, UM, OR OUR PARTNERS COME IN AND THEY DO HAVE HISTORIC BUILDINGS, WE DO BRING TOGETHER OUR TEAM, WHETHER IT'S FROM C C D O, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, TALK ABOUT CERTAIN INCENTIVES THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE.
WE TALK ABOUT THE STATE HISTORIC TAX CREDIT, THE FEDERAL TAX CREDIT.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR OWN, UM, HISTORIC TAX EXEMPTION.
AND THEN OUR SAWS AND CITY FEE WAIVERS PRIORITIZE HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
AND THEN WE MIGHT HAVE GRANTS.
AND SO WE DO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO HAVE A TOOLKIT TO HELP WITH THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS.
AND IF IT'S AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, PROJECT, THEN WE HAVE MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE THAT AVAILABLE WHEN WE MEET WITH THEM REGULARLY ON THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS.
AND I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP OUR UTILITIES SAWS AND C P S BECAUSE AGAIN, AS I STATED LAST WEEK OR THE WEEK BEFORE, I CAN'T REMEMBER, UM, IS SAWS AND C P SS NORMALLY DON'T MAKE IMPROVEMENTS UNLESS THERE'S A PROBLEM.
UH, WHAT WE SAW IN DOWNTOWN IS THERE'S A LOT OF OLD STRUCTURE THERE.
SO RAZZY MY QUESTION, I GUESS THIS QUESTION IS FOR YOU IS DO WE AT PUBLIC WORKS HAVE AN IDEA WHEN WE START A STREET PROJECT AND WHEN WE START, UM, SOME OF OUR PROJECTS, WHAT'S ACTUALLY DOWN THERE WITH OUR UTILITIES COUNCILMAN, WE HAVE VERY DETAILED MEETING WITH ALL OF THE UTILITY COMPANY, NOT JUST OUR CPAS, AT AND T AND OTHER UNDERGROUND UTILITY.
WE PROVIDE THEM A SCOPE OF OUR PROJECT AND LIMIT OF OUR PROJECT AND A SCHEDULE, AND WE ASK THEM TO GET BACK TO US IF THEY WANT TO REPLACE THEIR UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE.
[00:55:02]
AND IF THE ANSWER IS YES, ARE THEY WILLING TO JOIN DESIGN AND JOIN BID WITH US? WHICH MOST OF THE TIME WE ENCOURAGE THAT.IF NOT, WE GIVE THEM THE SCHEDULE.
THEY MUST BE DESIGN AND BUILD PRIOR OUR PROJECT, NOT DELAY, NOT AFTER OUR PROJECT.
MOST OF THE TIME THEY DO JOIN BID WITH US, WE DESIGN AND WE BUILD ON THEIR BEHALF.
OF COURSE THEY PAY THE COST OF IT.
I JUST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE.
'CAUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, WE SOMETIMES START A STREET PROJECT AND OOPS, WE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WAS THERE IN THE STREET.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING THAT COMMUNICATION AND GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME IN AND KIND OF MAKE THINGS RIGHT BY, BY UH, KIND OF REFURBISHING THEIR UNDERGROUND FOR US.
AND, UH, I WANT TO THANK COUNCILMAN CLAYTON PERRY FOR REQUESTING THIS BRIEFING AND GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY LOOK AT THE TRAJECTORY OF DOWNTOWN AND CELEBRATE, UH, WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
UM, I ALSO, UH, AGREE WITH THE MAYOR THAT IT MIGHT BE TIME TO DO AN UPDATE OF A TRAFFIC STUDY FOR ALL OF DOWNTOWN.
I'M, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN SEEING THAT.
UH, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HEAR THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, CONVERTING ONE-WAY MULTI-LANE STREETS TO TWO-WAY STREETS AND EXPLORING SHUTTING DOWN SOME STREETS.
UM, EVEN IF WE JUST DO THAT, YOU KNOW, TO START OFF WITH FOR LIKE ONE WEEKEND A MONTH OR SOMETHING AND JUST TRY THAT OUT.
UH, I OFTEN HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO'VE LIVED IN OTHER CITIES AROUND THE WORLD, UM, ABOUT WHAT GREAT SPACES, UH, THEY'VE CREATED BY DOING THAT.
AND I'D LIKE FOR US TO EXPLORE MORE OF THAT DOWNTOWN.
UM, LORI WANT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS ON A LOT OF THESE SLIDES AND ONE THING THAT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A FUTURE PRESENTATION IS IF THERE WAS SOME WAY TO VISUALLY DISPLAY ALL THE TAX REVENUE THAT'S GENERATED BY DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY.
UH, SO MAYBE THAT WOULD BE LIKE A HEAT MAP OR MAYBE SOME PIE CHARTS WHERE WE COULD SEE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE CITY AND WHAT THEY'RE CONTRIBUTING TO OUR OVERALL CITY BUDGET.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT COULD BE LIKE TODAY AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S PROJECTED IN THE FUTURE.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT.
AND THEN ALSO SEE LIKE FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE, THAT WE INVEST IN A CERTAIN PART OF TOWN, HOW MUCH DO WE GET BACK IN, UM, IN TAX REVENUE GENERATED? I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO BE ABLE TO TELL THE STORY OF DOWNTOWN, UH, COUNCILMAN MC RODRIGUEZ, UH, TALKED ABOUT, UH, SECTIONS OF OUR CITY BEING DIVIDED BY HIGHWAYS.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'D BE REALLY INTERESTED IN HEARING OR OR SEEING US DO IS WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT $18 MILLION IN BOND DOLLARS FOR ART, AND I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO USE THOSE UNDERPASSES OF THE HIGHWAYS.
UM, AND WE, WE'VE ALREADY DONE THIS SOME IN OUR CITY, BUT TO DO MORE ART PROJECTS TO HELP MAKE THOSE SPACES, UM, JUST MORE INVITING AND, UM, MAKE, MAKE THEM FEEL SAFER FOR PEOPLE TO, TO WALK OR RIDE THEIR BIKES BACK AND FORTH AND CONNECT, UH, ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO SEE AS A, A PRIORITY FOR SOME OF THAT, THAT PUBLIC ART FUNDING.
UM, AND THEN, LORI, YOU SAID 65,000 EMPLOYEE.
YOU, YOUR, YOUR CHART SHOWED 65,000 EMPLOYEES DOWNTOWN.
AND I'M WONDERING HOW HAS THAT NUMBER CHANGED PRE C O VERSUS THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW? IF YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION, WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
WE'LL SEE WHAT WE, HOW WE CAN EXTRACT THAT.
YEAH, BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, I DO HEAR FROM, UH, A LOT OF, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE DOWNTOWN THAT THEY'RE, THAT, THAT THEIR, UH, OFFICE SPACES AREN'T FILLING UP MM-HMM.
AND SO THERE IS SOME CONCERN THERE.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, I GUESS I'D LOVE TO BE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION TO BE UPDATED ON THAT.
THANK YOU, YOU, LORI, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I'M ALSO SUPPORTIVE OF US, UH, LOOKING AT TRAFFIC STUDIES.
AND I'D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER DISTRICT FIVE'S, LONE STAR AREA.
WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF GROWTH, UH, WITHIN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THOSE CORRIDORS.
UM, I REALLY, UH, AM SUPPORTIVE OF GETTING FOLKS OUT OF CARS AND ON FOOT, ON BUS, ON BIKE.
UM, AND I THINK WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY NOT ONLY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REASONS, UM, BUT RIGHT, ENSURING THAT DOWNTOWN CONTINUES TO STAY ACCESSIBLE FOR DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS.
UM, DOWNTOWN IS OUR BACKYARD, RIGHT? MANY OF US WORK HERE IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY, THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, UM, AND
[01:00:01]
WE ARE DOWN HERE, RIGHT? SO IT IS ACCESSIBLE.UM, BUT I DO SHARE THE SAME CONCERN ABOUT THE HOUSING THAT WE'RE CONSTRUCTING AND SHIFTING AWAY AND INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF WORKFORCE HOUSING, UH, WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT AND ENSURING THAT WE'RE STICKING TO THE STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN MOVING FORWARD.
UM, WITH THAT, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR US TO RECEIVE A BREAKDOWN OF HOW MUCH HOUSING HAS BEEN, UH, INCENTIVIZED DOWNTOWN? UH, I APPRECIATE THIS LIST THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED WITH DEVELOPMENT NAMES.
UM, BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE HOW MANY OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS HAVE RECEIVED PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS, AND WHAT IS THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THOSE TAX ABATEMENTS? I THINK THAT'D BE HELPFUL.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN GET? NO, I CAN GET THAT TOO THIS WEEK, AND I'LL TELL YOU THAT LIST THAT YOU HAVE, UM, OF THE 1.8 BILLION, THAT'S ABOUT $40 MILLION IN INCENTIVES FROM C D B G HOME FUND, UM, INNER CITY INCENTIVE FUNDS, UM, AND THEN ANOTHER $40 MILLION IN TAX EXEMPTIONS.
BUT WE CAN GET YOU THAT BREAKDOWN.
AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO SEE, SIMILAR TO COUNCILMAN PERRY'S REQUEST, UM, THE BREAKDOWN OF THE TOTAL DOWNTOWN INVESTMENT.
UH, HOW MUCH OF IT WAS PUBLIC INVESTMENT THROUGH THE CITY, THE COUNTY, AND HOW MUCH PRIVATE AND ALL THOSE DIFFERENT SOURCES OF FUNDING TO, UM, BUILD UP DOWNTOWN.
UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE COMMENT THAT DR.
ROCHA MADE ABOUT ADAPTIVE REUSE, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
UH, I'M ALSO IN FAVOR AND HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS ABOUT USING ART TO INCREASE WALKABILITY MM-HMM.
UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I HAVE RESIDENTS AT THE FAR WEST SIDE OF THE DISTRICT WHO HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR PUBLIC ART.
SO I THINK, UM, AND THIS IS A LARGER CONVERSATION OUTSIDE OF THIS BRIEFING, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
UM, BUT BY KEEPING THAT BALANCE AS WELL, WHERE WE ARE INCREASING WALKABILITY, UM, FROM OUR, FROM MY WEST SIDE AND SOUTH SIDE.
ANOTHER COMMENT WOULD BE, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE MARKET SQUARE, UM, I'D APPRECIATE MOVING FORWARD THAT, UM, WE BRIEFED THE BOARD PRIOR TO COMMITTING DOLLARS BECAUSE I KNOW CITY COUNCIL WAS BRIEFED, UH MM-HMM.
BUT I BELIEVE WHEN WE COMMIT DOLLARS WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE BOARD PROCESS, IT REMOVES THE AUTONOMY AND THE PURPOSE OF A BOARD.
UM, SO MO MOVING FORWARD, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE WERE BRIEFED, RIGHT? BUT I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE, THE CONVERSATION SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH THE BOARD RATHER THAN IT BEING SENT TO THE WEST SIDE TSS MM-HMM.
UM, BUT THAT'S JUST MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I, I DON'T RECALL CITY COUNCIL GIVING THE DIRECTION TO LOOK AT T MM-HMM.
I DO RECALL CITY COUNCIL GIVING DIRECTION TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES, BUT NOT SPECIFICALLY T BOARDS.
UM, BUT YEAH, THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS.
COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
I'VE REALLY GOT TWO, UH, ITEMS I, I WANTED TO DISCUSS.
UH, AND THE FIRST ONE IS, UH, U T S A AND THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES.
I WAS PLEASED TO HEAR, LORI, YOU SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY WANTS TO SEE THE INSTITUTE OF TEX CULTURES, UH, CONTINUE TO THRIVE.
AND, UH, I THINK THE LOCATION IT'S AT RIGHT NOW IS THE BEST PLACE FOR IT TO BE.
I THINK THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT IT IS, THE INSTITUTE IS REALLY CUT OFF FROM HEMISPHERE PARK MM-HMM.
ALSO, UH, IT'S BEEN NEGLECTED, YOU KNOW, UH, THE SCHOOL HAS NOT PUT THE KIND OF MONEY IN TO PROMOTE IT.
IT HASN'T, WHEN DO YOU SEE THINGS THAT TALK ABOUT COME TO THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES? YOU JUST DON'T.
AND SO I HOPE THAT WHAT WE'LL DO IS, AS A CITY GET MORE INVOLVED IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ABOUT TRYING TO SUPPORT THE I T C STAYING WHERE IT IS, AND ENHANCING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC WHO, WHO IS REALLY ENJOYING THE GROWTH IN THE PARK TO ENJOY THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES FOR WHAT IT OFFERS AND WHAT IT CAN OFFER GOING FORWARD.
AND THAT, UH, U T S A WILL BE MORE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
AND CAN I CLARIFY SOMETHING? SURE.
WHAT I SAID WAS, I, I SUPPORT, UM, THE I T C CONTINUING, RIGHT.
THE I T C IS SEPARATE FROM THE TEXAS PAVILION.
SO WHERE THE I T C IS LOCATED, UM, THERE ARE THREE OPTIONS AND THAT IS STAY IN THE TEXAS PAVILION AND THERE ARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT RELOCATE WITHIN HEMISPHERE.
[01:05:01]
BUILDING OR A NEW BUILDING OR RELOCATE SOMEWHERE ELSE.THOSE ARE THE THREE RECOMMENDATIONS OR THE OPTIONS THE STEERING COMMITTEE HAS SHARED WITH DR.
AMY, AND THEY'RE GETTING PUBLIC INPUT ON THOSE.
SO ABSOLUTELY, THE STEERING COMMITTEE THINKS I T C SHOULD CONTINUE.
IT NEEDS TO BE ACCREDITED AND NEEDS TO BE A SUSTAINABLE OPERATING MODEL.
WHERE IT'S LOCATED, THERE'S THREE OPTIONS THAT WE'RE GETTING PUBLIC INPUT ON, AND I HAVE NO DISAGREEMENT WITH THE OPTIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE, BUT I STRONGLY URGE, AND PART OF THE PROBLEM THAT THEY WANNA TAKE IT AWAY IS BECAUSE IT'S OUT THERE BY ITSELF AND PUBLIC HASN'T ACCESSED IT, AND THEY HAVEN'T GENERATED REVENUE VERY WELL TO GO AHEAD AND DO MORE FOR IT.
AND I THINK THE CITY SHOULD STEP FORWARD AND SAY, LET US BE A PARTNER IN CONTINUING IT THERE, HELPING YOU GENERATE MORE MONEY SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THAT INSTEAD OF SPENDING HOWEVER MUCH MONEY IT'LL BE TO MOVE IT AND TO SET IT UP SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO ANYWAY, THAT'S, THAT'S MY COMMENT ON THAT.
AND I'LL SHARE THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING ESTIMATES AND FEASIBILITY STUDIES.
IT MAY VERY WELL BE MORE EXPENSIVE TO KEEP IT WHERE IT IS THAN BUILDING A NEW FACILITY.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE NEXT STEPS WE'LL BE GOING THROUGH AFTER THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE ADVOCATING IN OPPOSED TO WHAT I'M SAYING, AND I DON'T APPRECIATE THAT.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, AS A STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER, WE HAD INTENSE DISCUSSIONS AND THERE WAS A LOT OF, A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH ON THIS AND WITH, UM, THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE CONCERNS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT THAT'S WHY THEY'RE DOING THE PUBLIC INPUT.
'CAUSE THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC TO SEE IF THAT SAME SENTIMENT IS THERE.
AND I HOPE THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM THEIR COUNCILMEN WHO IS A TEACHER FOR YEARS AND TOOK THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS THERE, OR AT LEAST HUNDREDS THAT IT SHOULD STAY.
NOW THE OTHER, UH, ONE I WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING MM-HMM.
AND YOU WERE ALSO SAYING THAT ABOUT 25% OF THE HOUSING THAT'S GONNA BE BUILT, UH, SHOULD MEET THAT AFFORDABILITY NUMBER.
I WAS SAYING 25% OF THOSE HOUSING UNITS ARE BELOW 80%, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND A LOT OF THEM ARE 60%, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL OR 30%.
AND, AND, AND WE DEFINE, WE CALL 80% WORKFORCE, AND THEN 60% IS AFFORDABLE.
WELL, UH, I, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, THOSE COSTS, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALIZE 80% OF THE A M I IS ABOUT $64,000 A YEAR, UH, BASED ON ALMOST $80,000 A M I IN OUR REGION NOW.
AND FOR SOMEONE EARNING $64,000 A YEAR, UH, IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT 30% MAXIMUM TO PAY RENT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT $1,900 A MONTH RENT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WORKFORCE THAT IS, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE WAY IT'S DESCRIBED.
ON THE OTHER HAND, 60% IS STILL GONNA COST SOMEBODY $1,300 A MONTH MM-HMM.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE AFFORDABILITY, UH, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 25% OF THAT HOUSING, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ABOUT 1600 UNITS.
AND IF THE MAJORITY OF THOSE ARE GONNA BE AT 80%, THAT MEANS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE PAYING MORE THAN 19 OR AROUND 18, $1,900 A MONTH.
TO ME, THAT DOES NOT MEET THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENT THAT WE HAVE FOR TRULY AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, AND IF WE'RE SAYING, WELL, 60% IS PART OF THAT, THEN PEOPLE ARE PAYING $1,300 A MONTH.
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE PEOPLE RIGHT NOW WHO HAVE TO PAY 800, 900, A THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH, AND THOSE NUMBERS ARE GROWING.
SO AS WE LOOK AT NEW HOUSING THAT COMES FORWARD, LET'S NOT SAY 80% IS OF VALUE TO THIS COMMUNITY ANYMORE.
UH, WHAT REALLY IS OF VALUE IS 60% OR LESS.
AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE ONE OUT OF EIGHT OF THESE UNITS.
I'D LIKE TO SEE IT BE MORE THAN TWO OR THREE OUT OF EIGHT OF THESE UNITS.
AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION STRONGLY ENOUGH, OR EMPHASIZING THAT STRONGLY ENOUGH WITH FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.
SO, UH, I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT DO THE NUMBERS WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT.
UM, JUST A FEW MORE, UH, COMMENTS HERE, UH,
[01:10:01]
ON EACH ONE OF THESE, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT SPREADSHEET THAT GOES, UH, PROJECT BY PROJECT.I'D LIKE TO SEE ONE MORE COLUMN ADDED ONTO THAT IS WHAT THE CURRENT COST IS, BECAUSE WE'RE RUNNING INTO THIS ALREADY ON, UH, COST OF PROJECTS WITH INFLATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE GOING IN.
I, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT, WHAT THE CURRENT COST IS FOR EACH ONE OF THESE PROJECTS, WHAT'S, WHAT WAS APPROVED AND WHAT THE CURRENT COST IS, AND SEE WHAT THAT DELTA IS FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS GOING FORWARD.
UM, ON, THERE WAS SOME COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, REVENUE GROWTH.
UM, I, I, I TOO WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS FOR WHAT WE HAVE PUT IN DOWNTOWN, THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, OF HOW MANY HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WE PUT IN HERE, AND WHAT IS THE GROWTH OVER THAT TIME AND REVENUE ALSO TO THE CITY, WHETHER IT'S SALES TAX OR PROPERTY TAX OR WHATEVER.
WHAT IS, WHAT IS THAT DELTA? ARE WE GETTING A TWO TO ONE RETURN OR A 10 TO ONE RETURN? I DON'T KNOW.
AND, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO MEASURE HERE ALSO, IS, IS THIS PROGRAM, HAS THIS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN DOWNTOWN MM-HMM.
SO IF WE COULD PUT THAT TOGETHER, THAT THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO SHOW HOW SUCCESSFUL WE HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
UM, THE, UM, MENTION WAS, UH, ABOUT THE PARKING, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS SEVERAL TIMES.
SHOULD WE ADD ANOTHER DAY OF FREE PARKING DOWNTOWN? MM-HMM.
AND WHERE ARE WE ON THAT? UH, WE'VE, I KNOW WE HAVE ONE DAY ON TUESDAYS, I THINK IT IS, BUT WE'VE ALWAYS KIND OF TOYED AROUND WITH THE IDEA, SHOULD WE ADD ANOTHER DAY TO ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO COME DOWNTOWN FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY? BECAUSE I HEAR THIS ALL THE TIME.
I DON'T GO DOWNTOWN BECAUSE IT COSTS ME 20 BUCKS JUST TO PARK MY CAR THERE MM-HMM.
AND BY THE TIME I GO DO SOMETHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A BIG, BIG PRICE TO COME DOWNTOWN AND PAY, UH, TO ENJOY DOWNTOWN.
SO, HAVE WE TALKED ABOUT THAT ANYMORE? WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PLANS TO PROVIDE ANY MORE FREE PARKING DAYS.
WE DO HAVE DISCOUNTED PARKING, WORKING WITH THE AREA BUSINESSES, UM, FOR CERTAIN, UM, AND THEN EVENTS, WE DO DISCOUNTED PARKING, WORKING WITH THE PROMOTER.
UM, SO, AND THEN WE WORK WITH THE ACTUAL BUSINESS OWNERS.
STILL LIKE TO CARRY THAT FURTHER.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT WHEN WE GET INTO THE BUDGET, BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S AN ENTERPRISE FUND ON PARKING.
UM, THE, UM, UH, I'M GONNA PUSH BACK A LITTLE BIT ON, ON SOME COMMENTS EARLIER ABOUT THE QUALITY OF, OF LIFE DOWNTOWN.
YOU SEE THAT WE'VE INVESTED BILLIONS DOWNTOWN, AND WE'RE GOING TO INVEST BILLIONS DOWNTOWN.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE AROUND THIS CITY THAT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE AS WELL.
AND I'M TALKING ABOUT BETTER STREETS, BETTER DRAINAGE, BETTER PARKS, THAT KIND OF THING ALL AROUND THE CITY.
SO, UM, I, I JUST WANNA PUT A PLUG IN FOR THAT, THAT EVERYTHING DOESN'T HAPPEN DOWNTOWN HERE.
THERE'S OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY THAT ARE JUST AS DESERVING TO HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE THAN DOWNTOWN.
AND, UH, I'LL CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR THAT IN OTHER DISTRICTS OUTSIDE THIS DOWNTOWN AREA, BECAUSE WE HAVE PUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DOWNTOWN, BUT WE HAVE NOT DONE THAT TYPE OF INVESTMENT IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY.
SO IT'S A BALANCING ACT, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.
UM, BUT I, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, THAT WE CONTINUE TO, UM, REALLY, REALLY PUT FORTH THAT EFFORT HERE VERSUS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PAYING TAXES TOO, AND, UH, THEY EXPECT A RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN THEIR AREAS AS WELL.
SO, JUST WANTED TO PUSH BACK A LITTLE BIT ON THAT.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, MAN, THIS IS GREAT.
THIS IS SHOWING THE, THE, UM, THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
BUT LET'S PEEL IT BACK A LITTLE BIT.
I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS HERE ALSO, UM, AS FAR AS TOTAL PROJECTS.
AND I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW.
JUST, I'M SORRY, I KEEP FORGETTING COUNT.
[01:15:01]
IF YOU DON'T MIND.AND I'LL, I'LL CALL YOU AGAIN.
THAT'S THE STORY OF MY LIFE, Y'ALL.
UH, MAYOR, I, I APPRECIATE IT.
ALL THE COMMENTS, UM, ARE, ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
I, I, UM, I'VE AGREED WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, UM, ON ONE THIRD OR ANOTHER ON THIS TOPIC.
THIS IS VERY COMPLICATED, LORI.
I CAN'T THINK OF ANY BETTER, ANYBODY BETTER ON THE TEAM THAN, THAN YOU TO BE ABLE TO TACKLE SUCH A MULTIFACETED, UM, ASSET AND ALL OF THE PLUSES AND, AND MINUSES THAT THAT ASSET HAS.
UH, AND I THINK YOU'RE DOING A, I THINK YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB, AND I THINK THIS PROJECT IS, IS FANTASTIC.
THIS, UH, THIS STUDY OF THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED A LONG, LONG TIME AGO.
I THINK OUR FRIEND TAYLOR AMY, INHERITED A PROBLEM THAT, QUITE HONESTLY, HIS PREDECESSORS SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED.
UM, THAT FACILITY IS NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER, IT'S NOT GETTING ANY CHEAPER TO MAINTAIN.
IT'S CERTAINLY NOT GETTING ANY CHEAPER TO REPAIR.
UM, AND I'LL, I'LL REMIND EVERYBODY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE IT CERTAINLY DOES HAVE A, A, THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS IN SAN ANTONIO HAVE REALLY, REALLY GOOD MEMORIES OF WALKING THROUGH THERE.
UM, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S ENOUGH OF A REASON TO SAY IT MUST STAY THERE FOREVER, UH, AND EVER AND EVER.
UH, IN FACT, I'LL REMIND YOU ALL, UM, THE MUSEUM WAS A PLACE WHERE THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN TOURED, UM, MY CHILDREN INCLUDED.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ALL DECIDED THAT THAT MUSEUM NEEDED TO BE, UH, SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE IT COULD BE, BE BIGGER, I'M SORRY, BIGGER AND BETTER.
UM, ALSO REMIND YOU ALL THAT, UM, SAMAT, UH, DOWN AT THE PORT, UM, IS A JEWEL OF A MUSEUM FEATURING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION.
BUT, UM, THEY'VE DECIDED THAT IT TOO, UM, NEEDS TO, NEEDS TO MOVE.
AND I THINK YESTERDAY, COUNCILWOMAN RICHARD GARCIA, RICHARD GARCIA, AND I HEARD THAT, UM, 80,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN THROUGH THAT SAMAT FACILITY, UM, DOWN AT THE PORT, AND WE'RE MOVING IT.
AND SO I DON'T THINK, UM, JUST BECAUSE IT'S EXISTED FOR A LONG TIME, THAT IT HAS BECOME A SUICIDE PACT FOR THE CITY TO, YOU KNOW, UM, JUST CONTINUE THROWING MONEY AT IT.
AND ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A PROBLEM FOR U T S A AND, UM, THEY'RE TAKING THE LEAD ON SOLVING THIS PROBLEM.
AND I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC SAYS BEFORE I MAKE MY MIND UP ON IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF I HAD TO VOTE ON IT TODAY, I'D VOTE TO, TO MOVE IT OUTTA THERE AND BUILD THEM A MUCH BETTER FACILITY THAN THEY'VE EVER HAD BEFORE.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK SAN ANTONIO DESERVES THE BEST I T C IT COULD POSSIBLY GET, I'M NOT SURE IT'S GONNA GET THE BEST I T C EVER AT THE LOCATION.
BUT I MEAN THAT, THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME TO DEBATE THAT LATER.
AND, UM, I, I DO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR YOU, BUT I'LL, I'LL TAKE THOSE OFFLINE, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT SMALLER, UM, AND I DON'T WANNA WASTE ANYBODY'S TIME WITH 'EM.
UH, I WANTED TO BRIEFLY CHIME IN TO SAY, UM, EVERYTHING COUNCILMAN, UH, COURAGE SAID TIMES A HUNDRED.
UH, AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE FOR US TO ENCOURAGE ADDING, UH, AN INITIAL DAY OF FREE PARKING DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT IT BE A THURSDAY, RIGHT? 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T ALSO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, BUT I DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT, UH, THE IMPACT AND HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST.
BUT I THINK IF WE ARE ALSO, UH, WE ALSO HAVE THE SAME GOAL AND VISION OF, UH, HAVING A MORE PARTICIPATORY PROCESS, UM, IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO HAVE, UM, A FREE DAY OF PARKING ON A A AND B SESSION DAY.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S THE BALANCE OF OUR DISCUSSION.
I, I JUST, AGAIN, APPRECIATE THIS BEING AGENDIZED.
UH, THIS ISN'T ONE SINGLE PROGRAM, BY THE WAY.
THIS IS A LOT OF MOVING PARTS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR AND NONPROFITS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
SO, UH, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS STARTED TO HELP US REALIZE THE POSSIBILITIES OF A TRANSFORMED DOWNTOWN.
AND AS WE GET TO SOME OF THESE OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE STILL, UH, YET TO BE DETERMINED, I WOULD ENCOURAGE US AS A COMMUNITY TO ALSO MAINTAIN THAT MINDSET.
WHAT IS POSSIBLE, UH, IN OUR DOWNTOWN, ON ANY PARTICULAR PIECE OF PROPERTY OR, OR ON ANY PARTICULAR STREET.
UH, THE SKY TRULY IS THE LIMIT.
AND IF WE MAINTAIN OUR VALUES THAT WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE, WHAT IS UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT ABOUT THE CULTURE AND FABRIC OF OUR HISTORY AND HERITAGE IN, IN SAN ANTONIO, AND THE FACT THAT LOCALS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THAT NEW PROSPERITY, I THINK THIS CAN BE, UH, AND WILL BE A CITY THAT ALMOST ANYONE IN THE WORLD WOULD CHOOSE, UH, TO INVEST IN, TO VISIT,
[01:20:01]
TO RAISE A FAMILY.AND SO, UH, I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT AND LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION.
ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, ERIC.
UH, THE SECOND ITEM, UM, ON THE AGENDA TODAY IS A, UM, BRIEFING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY'S RESILIENCY STRATEGY.
UM, AND MARIA WILL INCLUDE BOTH THE PROCESS AND THE TIMELINE WE EXPECT.
UM, AS YOU'LL RECALL, IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, WE SET ASIDE ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, THE MAJORITY OF THAT MONEY, UH, GOING TO REPLACE CRITICAL BILLING SYSTEMS AT OUR KEY PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES.
UM, AND INCLUDED THE PURCHASE OF, OF BACKUP GENERATORS.
WE ALSO HAD, UM, A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THIS RESILIENCY STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS, UM, COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND, AND EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.
UM, ON NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA, YOU'LL SEE A GRANT APPLICATION TO FEMA FOR ADDITIONAL GENERATORS.
WE'RE GONNA LEVERAGE, UM, IF WE GET THE MONEY, IF WE GET THE GRANT, WE'LL LEVERAGE SOME OF THE EXISTING DOLLARS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, UH, TO, UH, TRY TO, UM, INCREASE, UH, UP TO $5 MILLION MORE IN GENERATORS FOR OUR KEY FACILITIES AND OUR RESILIENCY HUBS.
SO MARIA WILL WALK THROUGH THAT.
UM, AND, AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, ULTIMATELY WE'LL BE, WE WILL BE DEVELOPING AN R F P THAT WILL COME TO COUNCIL, UM, IN THE, UH, LATE SUMMER, EARLY FALL, SO THAT WE CAN GO OUT.
YOU'LL SEE, UM, PART OF THE PRESENTATION TODAY IS HOW OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE DEFINED RESILIENCY.
RESILIENCY CAN MEAN CERTAINLY THE, THE HOW WE REACT AND RESPOND TO NATURAL DISASTERS, BUT IT'S ALSO QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND, UM, MANY OF THE ISSUES THAT THE COUNCIL'S TALKED ABOUT, LIKE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND, UH, WE WANNA GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM YOU TODAY AS WE DEVELOP THAT R F P.
SO, MARIA, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
SO, UH, TODAY'S PRESENTATION, WE ARE GONNA FOCUS ON PROVIDING YOU WITH AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING FOR THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO RESILIENCY STRATEGY.
UH, YOU'LL SEE FROM OTHER CITIES THAT WE HAVE RESEARCHED THAT THE STRATEGIES ARE DEFINED UNIQUELY FOR THAT CITY.
SO IT IS CRITICAL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO PROVIDE POLICY DIRECTION ON THOSE, UH, GOALS OR PRIORITIES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE INCLUDED.
SO TODAY, WHAT WE ARE GONNA FOCUS ON IS GIVING YOU JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS, BEGIN THAT POLICY DISCUSSION WITH YOU.
BUT WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU NECESSARILY FOR YOUR FINAL PRIORITIES, BUT IT'S JUST TO START THAT, THAT DIALOGUE WITH YOU.
WE'LL COME BACK, UH, AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, WE, WE PROPOSE TO DO A COMPETITIVE PROCESS BY WHICH WE CAN HIRE A PROFESSIONAL TO HELP US WITH THE PROCESS.
AND THEN ONCE WE, WE HAVE THAT IN PLACE, WE'LL COME BACK AND ASK YOU FOR THOSE, UH, FINAL PRIORITIES OF YOURS BEFORE WE START THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS.
SO THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF, OF TODAY'S SESSION.
NOW, WHAT IS COMMUNITY RESILIENCY IN? AND THIS DEFINITION IS WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN OTHER CITIES.
UH, SPECIFICALLY, THERE WAS A, A, THERE'S 100, UM, THERE'S A HUNDRED RESILIENCY NETWORK AT A HUNDRED CITIES THAT HAVE DEVELOPED RESILIENCY STRATEGIES.
AND THEY, THEY DEFINE, UH, RESILIENCY AS THE CAPACITY OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, INDIVIDUALS, NEIGHBORHOODS, INSTITUTIONS, BUSINESSES, AND SYSTEMS. NOT TO ONLY SURVIVE A, AN EVENT, A CRISIS, BUT THRIVE IN THE FACE OF BOTH SHOCKS AND CHRONIC STRESSES.
UH, AND I'LL DEFINE WHAT THOSE ARE IN THE NEXT SLIDE.
RESILIENCY IS ALSO MAKING A CD BETTER IN GO IN BOTH THE GOOD TIMES AND THE, THE, THE CRITICAL TIMES, THE CRISIS, UH, FOR THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, WHAT ARE THOSE CHRONIC STRESSES AND SHOCKS? AND THIS IS CRITICAL AS YOU START THINKING ABOUT THOSE PRIORITIES THAT YOU WANNA SEE INCLUDED IN OUR CITY OF SAN ANTONIO RESILIENCY STRATEGY.
SO, EXAMPLES OF CHRONIC STRESSES ARE QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES.
FOR EXAMPLE, LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, POVERTY INEQUITY, POOR AIR QUALITY, HOMELESSNESS, CRIME AND VIOLENCE, TO NAME A FEW.
THE SHOCKS ARE WEATHER AND HUMAN MADE EVENTS, UH, THAT TYPICALLY, UM, OUR OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WOULD, WOULD, UH, LEAD WHEN WE HAVE A RESPONSE TO ANY OF THOSE EVENTS OR THE PLANNING OF THOSE EVENTS, FLOODING A WINTER STORM, UH, HEAT WAVES, UH, TERRORISM, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A RESILIENCY STRATEGY? SO THE PURPOSE IS TO HAVE A TOOL THAT IS GOING TO HELP THE CITY UNDERSTAND DRIVERS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING RESILIENCY IN OUR COMMUNITY WILL BE A LENS THAT WE CAN
[01:25:01]
IDENTIFY GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES.UH, IT WILL ALSO HELP US, UH, TO HAVE A COMMUNITY-WIDE PLAN THAT IS DRIVEN BY THE POLICY DIRECTION OF THE COUNCIL, THAT IS DRIVEN BY THE INPUT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR STAKEHOLDERS.
AND IT CAN HELP US IN PRIORITIZING FUTURE INVESTMENTS INITIATIVES AND TACKLE DEEP STRUCTURAL ISSUES THAT ARE PRIORITY TO THE COUNCIL.
NOW, WHY A RESILIENCY STRATEGY? SO WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UH, AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS.
AND, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AC ACTUALLY, COUNCILMAN ELAS HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT, UM, SINCE HE'S BEEN IN, IN THE COUNCIL, IS HAVING THIS RESILIENCY, UM, STRATEGY FOR THE CITY.
I THINK 2021, UH, WE DEALT WITH UNPRECEDENTED CASCADING EVENTS, BOTH WE WERE, UM, DEALING WITH C OVID 19 AND THEN STORM URI.
SO IN RESPONSE, WE HAVE ADAPTED, UH, AND IMPROVE OUR PRACTICES AND OUR SYSTEMS. UH, THIS RES RESILIENCY STRATEGY WILL BUILD UPON THE STRONG FOUNDATION TO BETTER PREPARE OUR COMMUNITY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THIS, UM, UH, STRESSES THAT WE EXPERIENCE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND FINALLY, AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, OUR BUDGET INCLUDES RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP THIS STRATEGY.
SO IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THIS, UH, COMMUNITY-WIDE RESILIENCY PLAN, FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED YOUR DIRECTION, UH, THE MA, THE MAYOR, AND, AND THE CITY COUNCIL.
UH, WE WOULD HAVE THEN A VERY EXTENSIVE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBORHOODS, BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, OUR FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY, AND OTHER STA STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
UH, THE CITY MANAGER WILL APPOINT AN INTERNAL CROSS DEVELOPMENTAL TEAM, UH, THAT WILL BE LED BY THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO MANAGE THIS, THIS PROJECT, UH, AGAIN, WE ARE RECOMMENDING A PROFESSIONAL EXPERT TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST US WITH, WITH THIS PROCESS.
AND FROM WHAT WE HAVE SEEN FROM OTHER CITIES, THIS EFFORTS TAKE, COULD BE 12 TO 24 MONTHS, DEPENDING ON THE EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ALSO THE, THE DIFFERENT GOALS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MAY, MAY PROVIDE US.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, RESILIENCY STRATEGIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM CITY TO CITY.
UH, THEY'RE UNIQUE TO THAT SPECIFIC COMMUNITY.
JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME OF OUR PEERS HERE IN TEXAS DOLLARS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, IN THEIR PRIORITIES, THEY HAVE EQUITY IN CITY GOVERNMENT.
THEY HAVE ECONOMIC MOBILITY, UH, WELCOMING, UH, TO IMMIGRANTS, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT EL PASO, THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN THE TWO CITIES, YOU SEE TRANSPORTATION AND HUMAN HEALTH.
BUT EL PASO HAS OTHER PRIORITIES THAT THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED, LIKE POVERTY, UH, ENERGY, AFFORDABILITY, AND SPECIFIC, UM, WEATHER EVENTS LIKE HEAT FLASH, UH, FLOODING AND, AND DROUGHT WORKFORCES AND OTHER OF THEIR PRIORITIES.
HOUSTON, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS, UH, SOME SIMILAR PRIORITIES TO DALLAS AND TEXAS, UH, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE, UM, FOR INSTANCE, INNOVATION IN AN INTEGRATED, UH, REGION.
SO THIS IS JUST TO GIVE YOU A FEW EXAMPLES.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER STRATEGIES OUT THERE.
NOW, WE ALREADY HAVE AND HAVE ADDRESSED SOME OF THESE, UH, PRIORITIES THAT OTHER CITIES HAVE, UM, LISTED AS THEIR PRIORITIES WITH THE WORK THAT THAT, THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED AS, UH, POLICY DIRECTION WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
UH, OUR ESSAY FOUR, METRO HEALTH PLAN TO ADDRESS PUBLIC HEALTH, THE STATUS OF POVERTY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, OUR CLIMATE, UM, READY, AND THE CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN, THE STATUS OF WOMEN, THE HOMELESS STRATEGIC PLAN, OR SENIOR STRATEGIC PLAN, THE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN.
WE HAVE MANY OF THESE, UH, PLANS AND STRATEGIES THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN PRIORITIES OF THE COUNCIL.
SO AS WE TALK ABOUT THIS, UH, RESILIENCY STRATEGY, WE'RE NOT STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
WE HAVE A VERY STRONG FOUNDATION.
THE RESILIENCY STRATEGY WILL HELP US TO PRIORITIZE THOSE, UH, AREAS THAT ARE CRITICAL TO, TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY.
SO IN TERMS OF THE TIMELINE, UH, TODAY IS JUST TO PROVIDE YOU WITH, WITH, UH, AN OVERVIEW, UH, TO START GETTING SOME PRELIMINARY FEEDBACK.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU FOR YOUR FINAL PRIORITIES TODAY.
THIS IS JUST TO START, UH, THE PROCESS.
UH, WE WOULD, UH, GO FOR AN R F P AND ENGAGE A PROFESSIONAL THAT WILL BRING BACK FOR CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION TO APPROVE THAT CONTRACT PROBABLY IN OCTOBER AFTER WE GO THROUGH THE COMPETITIVE PROCESS.
AND THEN WHAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING AT THIS TIME IS TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL, UH, PROBABLY OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, TO HAVE THAT FORMAL DISCUSSION ON WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE INCLUDED.
ONCE WE DO THAT, WE'LL BEGIN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
[01:30:01]
UM, ONCE WE RETAIN THAT CONSULTANT, WE WOULD HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF A TIMELINE, UH, AND ALSO ONCE WE HAVE YOUR, YOUR PRIORITIES AS WELL.SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, AND, UH, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, WHEN THIS DISCUSSION FIRST STARTED, UH, THE BREADTH OF WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BECAME PRETTY CLEAR THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AND, AND REALLY NARROW DOWN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH REGARD TO RESILIENCE.
SO I'M, I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE HAVING IT, AND I'LL JUST BE VERY BRIEF IN MY COMMENTS.
I'VE ALWAYS VIEWED, UH, OUR HUMAN RESILIENCE TO BE BASED ON REALLY TWO PILLARS.
THE FIRST ONE BEING ACCESS TO SAFE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND THEN TWO, UH, ECONOMIC MOBILITY.
UH, YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO EDUCATION, A GOOD JOB AND INCOME.
UH, BOTH OF THOSE PILLARS, IN MY VIEW, ENCOMPASS A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS, INCLUDING POVERTY.
UM, THE ONE OTHER, OR, EXCUSE ME, TWO OTHER AREAS THAT I WOULD ADD TO THAT THOUGH, IN TERMS OF, UM, OUR RESILIENCE STRATEGY, NUMBER ONE, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH.
I THINK THERE'S NOT A, A BETTER SET OF METRICS TO JUDGE OUR SUCCESS AS A PUBLIC ENTITY THAN WHETHER OR NOT OUR PUBLIC HEALTH METRICS ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OR NOT.
UM, AND THEN THE SECOND ONE BEING CLIMATE RESILIENCE.
UM, EQUITABLE CLIMATE RESILIENCE.
ALL OF THE IMPACTS THAT WE'RE SEEING WITH REGARD TO CHANGING CLIMATE ARE, UH, WHETHER EMERGENCIES, UH, EVENTS, UH, ENSURING THAT WE HAVE, UH, MITIGATED AGAINST THREATS, UH, AND FORTIFIED AGAINST EMERGENCIES TO ME ARE, ARE THE THINGS I WOULD BE FOCUSED ON.
SO, I'M ANXIOUS TO HEAR MY COLLEAGUES' COMMENTS AS WELL.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND START THAT DISCUSSION.
UM, AND LET ME START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER KEO.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
MARIA, AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH, UM, RESILIENCY PLANS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW PROTECTING THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY SHOULD BE OUR STANDARD.
OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT RESILIENT UNTIL THE MOST VULNERABLE OF US IS RESILIENT, AND IT'S NOT INFORMED UNTIL THE MOST VULNERABLE OF US ARE INFORMED.
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT AS WE, UM, TELL YOU WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE, THAT WE CONSIDER OUR SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY, OF COURSE, AND TRANSPORTATION TO, UM, YOU KNOW, PLACES LIKE THE RESILIENCY HUBS AND MAKING SURE THAT, UH, OUR ELDERLY ARE, UM, AND, AND ALL THOSE THAT THAT RELY ON BUS TRANSPORTATION HAVE ACCESS.
SO IS THERE ANY, UM, CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THOSE ENTITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT THOSE GROUPS ARE PART OF THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS? UH, YES.
COUNCILWOMAN, UH, THAT'S OUR INTENT TO, TO BE AS, UH, INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE.
AND SO I KNOW WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, HAVING MAYBE PARTNERING WITH VIA TO PROVIDE, UM, TRANSPORTATION TO, FOR OUR SENIORS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS AND, UM, THOSE THAT MAYBE USE VIA TRANS.
IS THAT, HAVE WE STARTED THOSE DISCUSSIONS, OR, UH, YES.
COUNCILMAN VIA IS ONE OF THE PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE.
UH, E EVERY TIME THERE'S AN EMERGENCY OR A SPECIAL EVENT, WE KNOW THAT WE CAN RELY ON THEM TO PROVIDE US WITH THAT TRANSPORTATION.
AND I KNOW DURING THE WINTER STORM, BUT EVEN BEFORE THAT, AND SINCE THEN, WE HAD, UM, IT BECAME VERY APPARENT OUR FOOD INSECURITY ISSUES IN OUR, IN OUR COMMUNITY.
HAVE WE TALKED ABOUT FOOD ACCESSIBILITY? IS THAT PART OF THE, THE PLANNING OR, UM, OR THE PROCESS? IT'LL BE A PART OF THE PROCESS, AS YOU SAID, THOSE PRIORITIES.
UH, AND, AND IF THAT IS ONE OF THOSE PRIORITIES THAT WE WILL ADDRESS NOW FOR PURPOSES OF WHEN WE HAVE EMERGENCIES, THE FOOD BANK IS, IS TYPICALLY THE PARTNER THAT WE SPEAK TO, AND THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, UM, READY TO PROVIDE US WITH ASSISTANCE DURING EMERGENCIES.
I RECALL DOING TOO, IN THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, THEY WERE HAVING SOME TROUBLE, AND WE, UM, I THINK MANY OF US HERE EVEN GAVE OF OUR OWN, UM, C C P F MONIES TO HELP FUND THE, THE FOOD BANK.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, IS THERE A, I MEAN, DO WE HAVE SOME KIND OF RESERVE FUND JUST IN CASE FOOD BANK NEEDS THAT SUPPORT? TYPICALLY, COUNCILMAN DURING AN EMERGENCY, IF IT'S DECLARED BY THE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WE GET FEMA FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO REIMBURSE FOR SERVICES.
UH, SO THAT IS WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO.
IF THAT IS NOT THE CASE, THEN THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER WILL BRING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNCIL.
AND THEN, UH, OF COURSE, EVEN BEFORE THERE'S AN EMERGENCY, UM, HELPING C P S AND SAWS TO GET OUT AND, AND OUR OWN CITY PROGRAMS TO GET WORD OUT ABOUT, UH, HOW PEOPLE CAN, UH, REINFORCE OR, UM, RENOVATE REALLY THEIR HOMES, MAKING SURE THAT THEIR, THEIR WEATHER RESISTANT AND, UM, ALL THE, THE, UM, RESILIENCY OF, OF A HOME THAT'S NEEDED, THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN'T ALWAYS AFFORD.
SO IF THERE'S, UH, ANY OPPORTUNITY DURING THIS PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING INFORMATION OUT TO THE, THE COMMUNITY AS WELL ON THOSE PROGRAMS, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
[01:35:01]
YOU, MAYOR.COUNCIL MEMBER KIO, HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA.
THANK YOU, MARIA, FOR, UM, THE, THE PREPARATION THAT, THAT YOU'VE, UH, PRESENTED IN, IN WANTING TO HAVE A STUDY.
WHEN WE DID THE YURI, WHEN THE MAYOR FORMED THE YURI COMMITTEE, THE ORIGINAL ONE I HAD MENTIONED, UM, THAT THE DENVER, UH, RESILIENCY PLAN IS REALLY GOOD.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THAT ONE, BUT I THINK I RESEARCHED SEVERAL FROM DIFFERENT CITIES, AND I THINK THAT DENVER, I'M PRETTY SURE IT WAS DENVER.
UM, I'D LOVE TO SEE WHO THEIR CONSULTANT WAS AND, AND, AND SEE IF THEY'RE STILL IN THE BUSINESS.
UM, BUT, AND IF I'M WRONG, AND I'LL GO BACK AND I'LL LOOK AT MY NOTES, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE IT WAS DENVER.
SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO REMIND YOU ALL OF THAT, BECAUSE IT WAS, IT WAS ALMOST, UH, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
SO THANK YOU THAT, THAT'S MY ONLY COMMENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER BURRO TO GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY.
AND MARIA, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION HERE.
THIS SOUNDS EXCITING ABOUT EMBARKING ON ANOTHER PLAN HERE, BUT JUST LOOKING AT OUR OTHER PLANS, WE GOT A LOT OF PLANS, UH, ON SITTING ON THE SHELF RIGHT NOW, NOT SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT USING 'EM, WHICH, WHICH I THINK WE'RE IMPROVING THAT, THAT PROCESS, AND IT REALLY, UH, PUTTING THESE TOGETHER AND ACTUALLY USING 'EM IN THE FUTURE.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS ONE TO SEE HOW THIS IS ALL PULLED TOGETHER.
BUT, UM, ARE WE GONNA INCLUDE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS PROCESS, LIKE THE CHAMBERS, THE MILITARY, OUR ANCHOR, LARGE BUSINESSES HERE IN TOWN, ALL ALL PART OF THIS RESILIENCY PLAN AS WELL? WE ARE COUNCIL, AND WE COME BACK WITH THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE, THE, THE EXPERT TO ASSIST US WITH THAT PROCESS.
WE'LL BRING A LIST OF THOSE STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE THAT IF, IF WE'RE MISSING ANYBODY THAT YOU CAN, YOU CAN LET US KNOW.
BUT YEAH, OUR GOAL IS TO INCLUDE ALL THE DIFFERENT, UM, INDUSTRIES WITHIN THE CITY, BUSINESSES, THE COMMUNITY OR NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, ALL STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
UM, UH, I, I LIKE THE LIST THAT Y'ALL ARE KIND OF STARTING ON ALREADY.
I, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ON THAT ALSO.
I, I THINK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO THAT LIST AS WELL.
UH, BECAUSE IF WE'RE NOT ADDING TO OUR BUSINESS BASE HERE, WE'RE NOT IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, YEAH, WE CAN KEEP THROWING TAX DOLLARS AND TAX DOLLARS AT EVERYTHING, BUT WE, WE NEED BUSINESSES, AND NOT ONLY SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT LARGE BUSINESSES HERE IN TOWN TO MAKE THAT FLYWHEEL GO A LITTLE BIT EASIER, UH, IN BRINGING THOSE TYPES OF BUSINESSES TO HIGHER PEOPLE AT A HIGHER RATE, UH, PAY RATE, THAT KIND OF THING ACROSS THE CITY.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT ADDED IN THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ENERGY, WE, WE TALK ABOUT ENERGY ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, IN REGARDS TO THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET ENERGY AFFORDABILITY AND, UH, WHAT THAT MEANS AS PART, AS, AS PART OF OUR RESILIENCY PLAN.
BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE ENERGY IN THE WORLD, BUT IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT, YOU CAN'T TURN IT ON, RIGHT? SO I, I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER PART, IMPORTANT PART TO PUT IN THIS, TO BE, UH, RECOGNIZED OR DEAL WITH ALSO IN THIS PLAN.
UM, I, I, I THINK THAT THAT COVERS MOST OF IT.
UM, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
YOU KNOW, I, I TALK ABOUT THAT EVERY YEAR WHEN IT COMES TO BUDGET TIME AND IN THE, IN THE BOND PACKAGES, YOU KNOW, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
HOW, HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT? THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE EXPECT.
THAT'S THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES.
ALL THAT OTHER STUFF COMES INTO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS ACROSS THE CITY.
WE GOT A LOT OF 'EM, DON'T WE? SO, UH, THAT ALWAYS NEEDS TO COME INTO PLAY FOR OUR RESILIENCY PLAN.
ALSO, UM, SAFE COMMUNITIES, UM, UH, FOOD ACCESS, WE TALK ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
UH, THE FOOD BANK IS A HUGE PARTNER OF OURS WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, UH, A RESILIENCY PLAN.
AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE THEM IN, IN THIS, UH, OR RECOGNIZE THEM IN THIS PLAN AS WELL.
SO, UM, THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF MY GENERAL COMMENTS AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO Y'ALL COMING AROUND AND HAVING FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON WHAT THIS PLAN REALLY SHOULD REFLECT, WHAT IT, HOW ARE WE GONNA USE IT.
YOU KNOW, I, IT'S ISN'T THE PLAN JUST TO STICK ON A SHELF AND THEN YOU DON'T, DON'T EVER REVIEW IT.
IT'S A PLAN THAT SHOULD BE A LIVING DOCUMENT, AND YOU REVISE AND UPDATE AS TIME GOES ON, AND YOU'RE ABLE TO USE IT WHEN, WHEN THE TIME COMES.
SO, YEAH, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
[01:40:06]
THANK YOU, MAYOR.UM, ONE OF THE THING, OR A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE FOR US TO ADDRESS, UM, IN THIS PLAN WOULD BE, UM, INCREASED FOOD ACCESS.
OF COURSE, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN, UH, TALKED ABOUT QUITE A BIT.
UM, I THINK THERE'S A CLEAR NEED TO STABILIZE HOUSING FOR RENTERS AND OWNERS.
AND THIS PAST YEAR, ESPECIALLY WITH THE PROPERTY TAX, THIS PROPERTY TAX SEASON, UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FEAR AND A LOT OF FRUSTRATION AND SADNESS AND JUST FEAR.
I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO SAY IT.
UM, I WOULD LIKE US TO IDENTIFY STRATEGIES TO DRAMATICALLY REDUCE POVERTY AND IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES.
AND I THINK THOSE TWO ARE HAND IN HAND, UM, AS WELL SUPPORTING RELIABLE MULTIMODAL TRANSIT.
AND I THINK A PART OF THAT IS GONNA COME DOWN TO ALSO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
PEOPLE CAN'T RIDE BIKES IN MANY OF MY
AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, SOMETHING TO LOOK AT.
AND I THINK, UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE IS WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF THIS PLAN? AND I'LL GIVE YOU, UM, AN EXAMPLE IS FOR EACH OF THE THINGS THAT WE IDENTIFY AS PRIORITIES, WILL WE SET GOALS AND TIMELINES THAT ARE TANGIBLE? AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS, WE JUST RECEIVED A PRESENTATION NOT TOO LONG AGO, UM, FROM PUBLIC WORKS THAT OUTLINED A FUNDING STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE EQUITABLE P C I OUT P C I OUTCOMES, UM, WHERE EVERYONE WAS, WAS WITHIN LIKE AN 80 TO 85% P C I SCORE RANGE BY 2030.
UM, I KNOW FOR PARKS, THE GOAL IS FOR EVERY RESIDENT TO BE WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF A PARK.
I DON'T QUITE KNOW WHEN OR HOW, BUT CAN WE EXPECT THESE KIND OF DETAILED, UM, STRATEGY, THESE KIND OF, UM, DETAILED GOALS AND STRATEGIES AND OUTCOMES TO BE OUTLINED? YES, THAT IS A PLAN COUNCILMAN.
AND TO WHAT COUNCILMAN PERRY MENTIONED, OUR INTENT IS FOR THIS DOCUMENT TO BE A LIVING DOCUMENT, THAT WE CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNCIL ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AND BE ABLE TO TWEAK IT IF, IF THINGS CHANGE AND EVOLVE.
UM, SO, SO YES, WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU WITH A FINAL PRODUCT AFTER THE, THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING IT, WE'LL HAVE, WE'LL HAVE SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT PLAN.
THE WHAT I REALLY WANT AND WHAT MY COMMUNITY WANTS AND NEEDS FOR ME.
AND MIND YOU, I'M, I REPRESENT DISTRICT TWO AND DISTRICT TWO DOES NOT GIVE SECOND CHANCES.
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT IT'S, IT'S, WELL, IT'S NOT VERY LIKELY, BUT IT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT I'M NOT HERE IN TWO YEARS AND WE HAVE ANOTHER COUNCIL PERSON, SO THEY EXPECT SOME SORT OF STABILITY IN A GOAL.
SO ARE WE, WE'RE GOING TO ACHIEVE THIS LEVEL OF, UM, WE'RE GONNA REDUCE POVERTY BY THE, THIS MUCH BY THIS DATE NEED.
WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT SO THAT EVERYBODY IS WITHIN THIS MUCH DISTANCE OR TIME FROM HEALTHY, AFFORDABLE, PRO LIKE QUALITY, AFFORDABLE PRODUCE BY THIS DATE.
AND SO I, IF THAT WASN'T ALREADY A PART OF THE SCOPE OF WORK, I REALLY WANT THAT TO BE A PART OF IT AS WELL.
I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF BARRIERS THAT MAYBE WE DON'T GET TO TALK ABOUT UP HERE VERY OFTEN.
BUT I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU A STRUGGLE I'VE BEEN HAVING LATELY.
UM, AND IT'S WITH THE, UM, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT THAT IS BEING PROPOSED AT GARDEN, UM, ON THE EAST SIDE.
AND I'VE BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I FEEL IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE'S RESOURCES THAT DON'T EXIST AND WE NEED TO INCREASE RESOURCES LIKE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, BUT I'M HAVING A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME SELLING MY COMMUNITY ON IT.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS IS THAT IT FEELS AS THOUGH WHEN IT COMES TO INNOVATIVE COOL THINGS, DISTRICT TWO IS NOT THE FIRST PLACE TO GET THEM THINGS WILL, WILL SAY, OH, WE'RE GONNA PLACE THIS REALLY COOL, INNOVATIVE, UH, HUMAN PERFORMANCE CAMPUS ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE.
WE'RE GONNA GO DO THIS REALLY COOL THING ALL THE WAY ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
WE'RE GONNA GO DO THIS AGAIN ON THE NORTH SIDE, BUT WE WANT TO TEST OUT A SOLUTION TO HOMELESSNESS ON THE EAST SIDE.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING FROM MY CONSTITUENTS.
AND SO UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO PROVE TO MY CONSTITUENTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET THEM BASIC THINGS LIKE A MOVIE, THEATER, SHOPPING CENTERS, MORE JOBS, FANCY RESTAURANT, LIKE THINGS THAT THEY CAN ENJOY AND DO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME SELLING MY CONSTITUENTS ON SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF OUR MOST PRESSING NEEDS.
AND SO I, AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO BE A PARTNER IN THIS.
I KNOW ME AND UH, UH, ERIC HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN HAVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH SOME OF THE CORPORATIONS AND WHATNOT TO BRING SOME THINGS TO THE EAST SIDE, BUT I WANTED TO BE KNOWN THAT DISTRICT TWO IS, HAS MADE IT CLEAR TO ME THAT WE ARE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO.
AND I, I CAN SEE QUITE A FEW PROBLEM PROBLEM AREAS.
[01:45:01]
WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BE THE TESTING BED OF SOLUTIONS UNTIL WE GET THE BASIC THINGS.THANK YOU CA COUNCILMAN, UM, EXCUSE ME, MAYOR.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING YOU'RE BRINGING UP IS, IS CRITICALLY NEEDED.
BUT, BUT I ALSO DON'T, I MEAN, GO, GO LOOK AT THE RESILIENCY STUDIES IN OTHER CITIES, UH, THE STUDIES IN OTHER CITIES.
UM, THERE, THERE MAY BE ELEMENTS OF THE RESILIENCY WHERE WE DO HAVE A GOAL, RIGHT? AND IT'S ALREADY STATED AND IT'S BUILT INTO AN EXISTING PLAN THAT THE COUNCIL'S ALREADY ADOPTED.
THERE MAY BE SOME RESILIENCE SUBJECTS OR TOPICS WHERE THE CONSULTANT'S GONNA COME BACK AND SAY, CITY, IF, IF X IS THAT IMPORTANT FOR YOU, WHAT'S YOUR GOAL? AND WE MAY HAVE TO GO BACK AND DEVELOP IT.
AND SO THE, THE RESILIENCY STUDY WON'T NECESSARILY SET THOSE TARGETS FOR US.
AND I'LL USE, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE REDUCTION OF POVERTY, LIKE YOU SAID, RIGHT? WE, WE DON'T, WE, WE, IF, IF, IF THAT IS AN ELEMENT OF, OF THE RESILIENCY STUDY THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE, 'CAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT OR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASPECT THAT COUNCILMAN PERRY TALKED ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, WE MAY NEED TO SET A GOAL.
SO THE RESILIENCY, UM, THE REASON WHY IT'S A, A LIVING DOCUMENT IS BECAUSE LIKELY, POTENTIALLY, DEPENDING ON WHAT WE INCLUDE IN THERE AND WHAT WE DON'T INCLUDE, WE MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE TARGETS.
BUT WHAT IT'LL TELL US IS IF THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US AND WE DON'T HAVE A TARGET, WE NEED TO GET A TARGET AND THEN WE'RE GONNA NEED TO WORK THAT.
UM, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, IT, IT IS, IT IS, IT IS REALLY A BOILED DOWN VERSION OF, UM, OF A MASTER PLAN FOR OUR ORGANIZATION BECAUSE IT'S GONNA INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, HOW WE DEAL WITH NATURAL DISASTERS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY HOW WE DEAL WITH, UH, FOOD SCARCITY OR ECONOMIC MOBILITY OR, OR THOSE ELEMENTS THAT IMPACT THE COMMUNITY.
AND, AND I'M NOT, AND AND I, I, I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME ON, ON DEVELOPING SOME OF THOSE GOALS DEPENDING ON WHAT WE END UP WITH AT THE END OF THE DAY WITH THE R F P.
BUT, BUT I CAN'T, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A TIED GOAL TO.
'CAUSE FRANKLY, THAT HELPS US AS YOU GUYS DEVELOP OR DISCUSS, UH, POLICY ISSUES THAT COME UP DURING THE YEAR OR AS WE'RE SET IN FRAMEWORK FOR BUDGET PRIORITIES.
ALL THOSE THINGS IN AN IDEAL WORLD, SHOULD ALL FALL INTO THE SAME CATEGORIES AND BE CONSISTENT.
AND WE, AND, AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL.
I GUESS A QUESTION I HAVE THEN IS WE HAVE OUR HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN, WHICH IS THAT BIG BOOK.
WHAT MAKES, WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE THIS UNIQUE TO UNIQUE FROM THAT? WELL, IT, IT, AS MARIA'S GOING THE MICROPHONE, I WOULD SAY WE DON'T NEED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THAT.
I MEAN, THAT, THAT ELEMENT OF, OF OF, THERE'S $664 MILLION IN DRAINAGE AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
UM, WE DID $200 MILLION IN STORM WATER AND GEO BONDS THAT THE PUBLIC APPROVED.
WE GOT ANOTHER $460 MILLION WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT, OTHER THAN, UH, IDENTIFYING IT AS A, AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED OR IS, OR ADDRESSED, I'M NOT SURE WE NEED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME.
IT'S THOSE THINGS WHERE, WHERE, WHERE WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT, TO YOUR POINT, WHAT IS, WHAT IS A PRIORITY FROM A RESILIENCY STANDPOINT FOR THIS COUNCIL? AND THEN WHAT IS THE GOAL FOR IT? I AM STRUGGLING, I'M STILL, I'M SORRY, I'M STRUGGLING STILL JUST A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE VERY DIFFERENT COMMENTS AND PRIORITIES RIGHT NOW RELATING TO RESILIENCY THAN WE MIGHT HAVE A FEW YEARS AGO PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.
SO WHO'S TO SAY THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE DEDICATE THIS TIME RIGHT NOW AND THEN IN A COUPLE YEARS, IT'S NOT AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SET OF PRIORITIES.
I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S A LIVING DOCUMENT.
I THINK IT'S GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE CONDITIONS THAT YOU ALL ARE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW THAT, UM, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF YOU, AS YOU'RE SITTING HERE ON THIS DAIS, THERE MAY BE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS TWO YEARS FROM NOW OR FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.
AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO UPDATE IT.
AND SO, UM, I, I THINK IT HAS TO BE A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT THAT'S UPDATED AT LEAST EVERY OTHER YEAR FOR THE CONDITIONS.
I MEAN, THREE YEARS AGO, I'M NOT SURE, PUBLIC HEALTH AND, UM, UM, OR FOUR YEARS AGO, 'CAUSE IT WAS A PRIORITY THREE YEARS AGO BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, FOUR YEARS AGO, I'M NOT SURE AN ESSAY FORWARD LIKE PLAN WOULD'VE BEEN IN THE TOP CUT.
SO, BUT THINGS CHANGE, SO WE HAVE TO KEEP UPDATING THEM.
UM, I WOULD, I, I APPRECIATE THIS CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE HAD, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TO SAY.
AND, UM, MAYBE WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, MAYBE I'LL CHIME IN.
AND REMEMBER WE'RE GONNA COME BACK, BUT THIS IS LIKE THE INITIAL, WE'RE GONNA COME BACK LATER ON WITH THE R F P.
SO, SO, UM, AND, AND WE'LL PROBABLY MAKE, WE'LL MAKE A STOP AT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE SO THERE'S MORE CONVERSATION.
I'LL CLOSE WITH THIS COMMENT IS THAT, UM, WE ARE PUTTING OUT AN R F P.
THIS DOES FEEL LIKE, I KNOW WE'VE HAD A CONVERSATION
[01:50:01]
ABOUT STUDIES, AND THIS DOES FEEL LIKE ONE OF THOSE INSTANCES WHERE I FEEL LIKE WE'VE TALKED QUITE A BIT ABOUT WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE AS IT RELATES TO RESILIENCY.AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST TO OUR COMMUNITIES.
ARE WE SPENDING MONEY TO, COULD WE JUST TACKLE THE ISSUES NOW THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S WHERE MY QUESTION, MY LINE OF QUESTIONING IS INTENDING TO GO.
COUNCIL MEMBER MAKI RODRIGUEZ.
AND LET, LET ME JUST INTERJECT.
AND, AND THAT IS BECAUSE IT WAS THROUGH THE LENS OF THIS PANDEMIC THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD, NOT JUST IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THAT WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH RESILIENCE.
UM, THE REASON WHY SO MANY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES, UH, OVER THOSE COURSE OF THE WEEKS WERE LINED UP IN OUR, IN OUR FOOD BANK LINES, BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE WERE ON THE BRINK OF ONE EVENT CREATING A CRISIS.
AND THAT'S NOT JUST A SAN ANTONIO STORY.
THAT'S A, THAT'S AN AMERICAN STORY.
THE REASON WHY I THINK OUR CITY IS IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION TO ACT ON RESILIENCE IS BECAUSE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND I I WOULD SAY THE LAST FIVE YEARS WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING STRUCTURE, POLICY STRUCTURE IN PLACE TO ADDRESS THOSE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS.
I MEAN, THAT, AND THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHY MY LIST STILL REVOLVES AROUND THOSE ISSUES OF HOUSING, WHICH WE HAVE A VERY WELL DEVELOPED STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO ADDRESS ECONOMIC MOBILITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING FROM PRE-K THROUGH K THROUGH 12 ONTO ALAMO PROMISE AND ADULT EDUCATION.
THE LACK OF GOOD PAYING JOBS THAT WOULD AFFORD A FAMILY, A LIVING WAGE WITHOUT HAVING TO LEAVE, YOU KNOW, THEIR CHILDREN BEHIND IS NOW HA, HAS BECOME A POLICY PRIORITY.
AND WE'RE PUTTING REAL RESOURCES BEHIND THAT.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD, I WOULD ARGUE THAT NOWHERE, UM, PERHAPS WE DID MAYBE BETTER THAN MOST UNDERSTAND THAT PUBLIC HEALTH WAS INDEED A CRISIS THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED BECAUSE WE STRUGGLED WITH ISSUES LIKE DIABETES AND OBESITY AND HAD A VERY CLEAR, CLEARLY DEFINED MERIDIAN, WHICH IS RIGHT AROUND HILDEBRAND, IN WHICH LIFE EXPECTANCY DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY FOR FAMILIES.
BUT I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY IT WASN'T UNTIL THE PANDEMIC THAT AMERICA REALIZED THAT PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS TO BE INVESTED IN.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE WE'RE WORKING ON THOSE ISSUES.
I, YOU KNOW, FOOD INSECURITY, ET CETERA.
WE, WE, WE WERE BEGINNING THE DISCUSSIONS OF POLICY IN PLACE BECAUSE OF WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE THROUGH THE POVERTY REPORT, ET CETERA.
TO ME, I DON'T THINK THE ISSUES HAVE CHANGED TOO MUCH.
OUR SENSE OF URGENCY DEFINITELY HAS.
AND SO AS WE EXAMINE THIS RESILIENCY PLAN, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE PROPERLY RESOURCING THOSE AREAS THAT ARE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS THAT WILL BUILD RESILIENCE WITHIN FAMILIES.
BUT ALSO THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE AREAS THAT ARE, ARE THERE BLIND SPOTS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY? I'VE HEARD A COUPLE OF 'EM UP HERE ALREADY, UM, THAT MAYBE WEREN'T PRIORITIES, BUT THE BASICS, THE, THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF CREATING RESILIENCY IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE LONG RUN, I THINK WE WERE BEGINNING TO GRAPPLE WITH, UM, AND I WOULD EVEN GO BACK TO, I THINK IT WAS SEPTEMBER OF, OR AUGUST OF 2017 WHEN WE DECIDED WE WERE GONNA HAVE A PUBLIC FACING CONVERSATION ABOUT REDLINING TO ADVANCE, UH, TO, TO START THE PROCESS OF BUILDING AN F Y 2018 BUDGET.
ALL THAT STUFF, I THINK IS AT THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR LACK OF RESILIENCE AS A COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD ON.
BUT I LOVE THIS, THIS CONVERSATION, IT REINFORCES THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT SPACE FOR US TO BE WORKING IN.
I THINK THE ONE THING I'D LIKE TO SEE ON THE LIST THAT WE HAVE, UH, ON SLIDE FOUR IS THE, THAT FIRST TO MIND IS THE STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT AND, UH, WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THERE ABOUT WOMEN, THEIR HEALTH CRISIS, UM, THEIR PAY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, WHAT IS GOING, WHAT SITS WITH, WITH ME CONSTANTLY IS WHENEVER WE LOOK AT THESE CHRONIC STRESSES AND QUALITY OF LIFE, THAT 20% OF THAT IS SAN ANTONIO CITY CITIZENS LIVING IN POVERTY.
AND OF THAT 25, 20%, 55% OF THAT IS WOMEN.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA MOVE THE NEEDLE, IT NEEDS TO BE WITH THE WOMEN HEAD OF HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE CURRENTLY LIVING IN POVERTY BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES LIVING WITH THIS, UH, CHRONIC STRESS QUALITY OF LIFE.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO US TO ADDRESS, UM, THE SENIORS AND THE WIDOWS BECAUSE THEY'RE, OR HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION WITH, UM, TWO OF THE ELDERLY AFFAIRS COMMISSIONS.
AND NOBODY TALKS ABOUT WIDOWHOOD.
NOBODY TALKS ABOUT HOW TO MANAGE THE STRESS OF THAT AND THE STRESS,
[01:55:01]
THE CHRONIC STRESS THAT THEY HAVE TO LIVE WITH.AND UNFORTUNATELY, SOME WOMEN ARE LOSING THEIR HUSBANDS AT YOUNGER AGES.
THE STRESS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH BEING AHEAD OF HOUSEHOLD AFTER THAT.
SO I THINK THAT'S KIND OF A CHRONIC STRESS, BUT ALSO A SHOCK WHEN WE'RE LOSING LIFE.
THE OTHER IS, UH, THAT I THINK HAS COME AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC THAT I DON'T SEE ON THIS LIST, BUT WE NEED TO ADDRESS IS MENTAL HEALTH IN GENERAL AND MENTAL HEALTH SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR YOUTH.
UM, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T LOOK AT THAT AS PART OF OUR CHRONIC STRESSES AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR YOUTH, WE ARE GONNA GET A, A MANMADE SHOCK IN, IN A TERRORISTIC ATTACK LIKE OUR NEIGHBORS IN U VALDI, UM, EXPERIENCE.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.
AND WE ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS COUNTRY IS AN AGING POPULATION.
WE ARE JUST LIVING LONGER, AND THAT IS GOING TO, UM, IMPACT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND WHERE DOES THAT FIT INTO OUR LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, HOMELESSNESS, CRIME AND VIOLENCE, BECAUSE I THINK IT HAS TO BE BIGGER PICTURE.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT WE NEED AS A CITY, AND I HOPE THAT, THAT THESE, WHOEVER THE R F P GOES OUT TO IS UNDERSTAND WE LIVE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WHICH MEANS THAT GUNS ARE SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY HAS HERE, THAT OUR STATE HAS, OUR STATE LEADERSHIP HAS A CERTAIN AGENDA, AND HOW DOES THAT WORK WITH A RESILIENCY PLAN? BECAUSE I DON'T WANT US TO SEE AND CREATE A RESILIENCY PLAN WITH, WITH PROGRAMS THAT WE CAN'T GET FUNDING FROM THE STATE AT BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE IT'S AN AFFRONT TO THEM.
SO JUST ALL THESE THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND AS, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING MORE UPDATES AND HEARING THIS IN THE COMMITTEE.
I THINK THIS IS A GREAT START.
I REALLY LIKE MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES', UM, SUGGESTIONS OF LOOKING AT DIFFERENT PLANS THAT KIND OF REFLECT.
IF WE DON'T HAVE TO RE REINVENT THE WHEEL, LET'S NOT.
BUT LET'S BE MINDFUL THAT WE DO LIVE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UM, FIVE YEARS AGO IN JUNE WHEN I GOT ELECTED, I GOT TO SIT DOWN, ERIC WITH, UH, ONE OF YOUR TEAM MEMBERS WAS NO LONGER WITH US, BUT, UM, I, I HAD TOLD, I TOLD THIS PERSON THAT, YOU KNOW, MY, MY PRINCIPAL GOAL FOR MY TENURE ON COUNCIL, HOWEVER LONG IT WOULD BE, WOULD BE TO GET THE CITY TO START TALKING IN TERMS OF RESILIENCE.
'CAUSE WE'D REALLY NEVER USED THAT WORD.
UM, AND THIS PERSON SAID, WELL, WAIT A SECOND.
WE, WE SAY SUSTAINABILITY ALL THE TIME.
WE HAVE AN OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY.
AND, AND I REMINDED THEM THAT SUSTAINABILITY IS ONE THING, RESILIENCE IS ANOTHER.
AND THE QUESTION I GOT WAS, WELL, WHAT IS THIS RESILIENCE LIKE? I NEVER HEARD OF IT.
AND SO I DEFINED IT THE WAY THAT MARIA DEFINED IT TODAY FOR US, BIG R ACUTE SHOCKS AND THEN LITTLE R CHRONIC STRESSORS.
AND, UM, THE ANSWER I I GAVE WAS, I, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THE BEGINNING PROCESS FOR THIS IS TO DO A, A TOP TO BOTTOM RESILIENCY STUDY.
THE WAY EL PASO HAD DONE AND THE WAY DALLAS HAD RECENTLY DONE.
THEY'D BROUGHT IN EXPERTS BACK THEN, UH, TO, UH, DO A TOP TO BOTTOM RESILIENCY ANALYSIS ON THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THESE CITIES WHO WERE EXPERIENCING THEIR OWN VERY BIG PROBLEMS LEARNED A LOT FROM THAT STUDY THAT THEY QUITE, THAT HONESTLY, THEY JUST DIDN'T KNOW.
UM, THEY THOUGHT THEY KNEW WHAT THEIR RESILIENCY STRUGGLES WERE, UH, AND FOR THE MOST PART THEY WERE RIGHT, BUT THEY FOUND OUT SOME NEW, YOU KNOW, SOME NEW AREAS THAT, THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED.
IN FACT, THEY WENT SO FAR IN ADDRESSING THOSE THAT THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION DECLARED BOTH OF THOSE CITIES AFTER THE WORK THEY'D DONE.
UM, RC 100 CITIES, WHICH IS, UH, ROCKEFELLER, UH, RESILIENCY CITIES, THE TOP 100 ON THE PLANET, UM, AS FAR AS THEY'RE WANTING TO, YOU KNOW, BEGIN THIS WORK ON RESILIENCY.
AND NOW AFTER FIVE YEARS, EVERY CITY IN THE UNITED STATES AND EVEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, YOU CAN'T GO THROUGH A MEETING ANYMORE WITHOUT HEARING THE WORD RESILIENCY.
AND EVERYBODY'S SORT OF COME TO REALIZE, REALIZE THAT, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPENING 20, 30, 40, 50 YEARS AGO, BUT THAT WE'VE NEVER REALLY INTENTIONALLY LOOKED AT IT FROM THAT BIG R LITTLE R PERSPECTIVE.
UH, AND SO THERE'S LOTS OF FIRMS OUT THERE NOW, BIG ONES THAT ARE CONSULTING WITH NATION, STATES, COUNTIES, STATES, CITIES ALL OVER THE PLANET, UM, ON HOW TO DO RESILIENCY BETTER.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH TAKING
[02:00:01]
A META-ANALYSIS AND DOING THAT.WE JUST MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING, UM, THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE.
UH, AND SO I'M, UH, I'M IN FAVOR OF THIS.
THANK YOU, ERIC, FOR TAKING THIS VERY SERIOUSLY.
I'M, I'M REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE, UH, OF, UM, MY, MY COLLEAGUES WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN BEATEN THIS DRUM AS WELL OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS TO GET, TO GET US WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
I WISH WE'D DONE THIS FIVE YEARS, BUT I'M, I'M DELIGHTED THAT WE'RE DOING IT, AND, UH, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.
UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT YOU GUYS, UH, COME UP WITH AND, UH, I KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA LEARN SOMETHING, UH, ABOUT OURSELVES THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW, AND, UM, USE THAT INFORMATION TO HELP OUT PEOPLE ALL OVER SAN ANTONIO.
UH, SOME COMPONENTS THAT I HOPE TO SEE EXPLORED IN THE CITY'S RESILIENCY PLAN IS, OF COURSE, DRAINAGE, FLOODING, AND HOUSING.
RIGHT? UH, NO DOUBT, THE PASSAGE OF THE RECENT BOND AND THE DRAINAGE PROPOSITION, HAVING THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION OF SUPPORT, I THINK IS TELLING OF THE APPETITE FROM SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS OF ADDRESSING, UM, HOW WE CAN BECOME A CITY OF RESILIENCY WHEN IT COMES TO FLOOD MITIGATION AND ADDRESSING THOSE DRAINAGE CONCERNS.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE OVER A $3 BILLION INFRASTRUCTURE NEED, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH IS DRAINAGE PROJECTS.
UM, AND WE KNOW THAT THOSE ARE SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT WE NEED TO TACKLE.
UM, AND I KNOW WITH, UM, THE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN, RIGHT, IT ALSO EMPHASIZES FLOODING.
UM, SO THERE, THERE DEFINITELY IS OVERLAP THERE.
UM, AS EXPRESSED BY OTHER FOLKS, UH, HOUSING IS, UH, PIVOTAL, RIGHT? FOR ENSURING THAT WE CREATE A RESILIENT CITY.
AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, RIGHT, IS INVESTING IN THE PROGRAMS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE, BUT ARE SEVERELY UNDERFUNDED.
WE KNOW THERE IS NOT A SILVER BULLET, UH, TO MITIGATE, UH, DISPLACEMENT, GENTRIFICATION, BUT WE DO HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN MINOR REHAB UNDER ONE ROOF, SO ON SO FORTH.
AND AS WELL AS THE DEMOLITION, THE OPERATION REBUILD, UM, WHO BY THE WAY, WE MET THE FIRST FAMILY WHO'S GOING THROUGH THAT PROGRAM, AND IT WAS JUST VERY EMOTIONAL
BUT, UH, LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THAT, THAT HOME IN THE FAMILY, UM, AND JUST THE, THE COST AND THE STRESS THAT CAME WITH, UH, NEEDING TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS, RIGHT? SO EXPLORING, UM, HOME REHABILITATION, DEMOLITION AND, AND OF COURSE, RIGHT, WE KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE TO BUILD, UM, HOUSING AS WELL, BUT ENSURING THAT IT IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THOSE STUDIES THAT WE'VE CONDUCTED, RIGHT? AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF 'EM, THEY ARE REFERENCED IN THIS PLAN.
UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO TREASURES IN THE WALLS CONDUCTED BY THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION THAT HAS SOME REALLY GOOD, UH, INFORMATION, UH, ON THE INTERSECTION OF NOT JUST HOUSING, BUT ENVIRONMENTALISM AS WELL.
UM, AND I THINK THOSE ARE KEY PIECES THAT WE, UH, NEED TO CONTINUE TO RELY ON AT THE SAME TIME, RIGHT? NOT REINVENTING THE WHEEL AND RECOGNIZING THAT CASE STUDIES DO EXIST AND WE DON'T HAVE TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO STUDY THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN STUDIED AND HAS PRODUCED SOLUTIONS ON HOW TO TACKLE MANY OF THESE ISSUES, UH, AT THE SAME TIME AND UNDER HOUSING, RIGHT? UH, HOUSELESSNESS AND HARM REDUCTION, ENSURING THAT WE ARE MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT.
AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS CONTINUING TO SUPPORT AND PARTNER WITH THE COUNTY FOR SAFETY NEEDLE EXCHANGES.
RIGHT? UM, I WAS AT A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING YESTERDAY AND OF, OF COURSE, AS ALWAYS, OUR SAFE OFFICER WAS, UH, TRYING TO SOLVE HOUSING
AND, UM, RIGHT, THERE WAS CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, NEEDLES IN RESTROOMS. UM, AND WHEN SEARCHING INDIVIDUALS AND FOLKS HAVING NEEDLES ON THEM, RIGHT, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE AND CLEAN NEEDLES, RIGHT? IT PROTECTS OFFICERS, IT PROTECTS THE FOLKS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL.
UM, SO EXPLORING HOW WE CAN BE RESILIENT IN THAT WAY AS WELL.
UM, SO MOVING FORWARD, UH, WHAT I HOPE TO SEE, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY A MATRIX THAT HAS NOT, NOT ONLY EVERY STUDY THAT WE'VE, UM, COMMISSIONED, BUT THE PIECES THAT WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED.
IS THAT SOMETHING WE CAN DO? OR IS IT A DOCUMENT WE ALREADY HAVE? UH, WE STARTED DEVELOPING THE LIST OF ALL THE PLANS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
UM, WE CAN DEFINITELY START WORKING ON WHERE WE ARE, THE STATUS OF EACH OF THOSE.
UM, I COULDN'T GIVE YOU A TIMELINE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU COUNCILWOMAN, BUT WE DEFINITELY STARTED, STARTED THE LIST, THE LIST OF, UH, PLANS FOR PURPOSES OF THIS PRESENTATION.
AND I, I THINK WHAT WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL, RIGHT, IS WHAT DOES STATE AND COUNTY COORDINATION LOOK LIKE? I KNOW WITH THE ARPA CONVERSATION, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, EVERYONE WAS ASKING LIKE, WHAT, WHO'S HITTING UP THE COUNTY AND WHAT IS COUNTY GIVING? I THINK IT'D BE HELPFUL TO SEE HOW WE CAN COORDINATE, UH, THESE RESILIENCY EFFORTS WITH THE WORK OF THE COUNTY AS WELL AS, UH, THE STATE, UM, TO COUNCILWOMAN VIA GRANDS POINT.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENTALISM, ENSURING THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING AN URBAN CANOPY, WE JUST HAD THIS GREAT BRIEFING ABOUT DOWNTOWN, UM, BUT WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT BURPING MORE INTENTIONAL, PLANTING MORE TREES TO MITIGATE THE HEAT ISLAND
[02:05:01]
EFFECT.AND THERE'S PROGRAMMING IN LA WHERE THEY FOUND THAT PLANTING TREES ABSORBS A LOT OF THE FLOODING OF THE WATER WHERE IT'S, UH, NOT FEASIBLE TO, NOT FEASIBLE, OR THERE'S NOT THE RESOURCES READILY AVAILABLE FOR A FULL ON DRAINAGE PROJECT THAT PLANTING TREES HELPS ABSORB A LOT OF THAT RAIN RUNOFF.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR PRIORITIES, UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS ONGOING CONVERSATION.
UM, ONE OF THE FIRST TOPICS I WANT TO HIT ON IS POVERTY.
AND IF WE'RE ABLE TO LIFT PEOPLE OUTTA POVERTY, THEN PEOPLE ARE BETTER ABLE TO HELP THEMSELVES IN MOMENTS OF CRISES.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S A BIG PRIORITY.
UH, IT HAS, AND ALSO IT'S A, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WHEN WE ADDRESS THERE'S STACKED BENEFITS THERE.
IT IMPROVES OUR COMMUNITY IN SO MANY WAYS.
UM, I AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, UH, ABOUT ADDRESSING HE URBAN HEAT ISLAND, YOU KNOW, THROUGH PLANTING MORE TREES BY, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF HEAT STRESSORS.
UM, AND SO THAT'S GONNA, THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT, THAT, UM, COULD BE ACUTE OR THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S CHRONIC.
UM, I AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN CLAYTON PERRY ABOUT ENERGY AFFORDABILITY.
UH, BUT ENERGY AFFORDABILITY IS NOT JUST ABOUT CHEAP ENERGY.
ENERGY AFFORDABILITY IS ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY TOO.
I DRIVE A HONDA CIVIC, UH, IT'S A, HAS A SMALL, THE SMALLEST FOUR CYLINDER ENGINE YOU CAN GET IN A HONDA CIVIC.
AND I JUST FILLED UP MY GAS, IT WAS 58 BUCKS TO FILL UP FOR THE, I MEAN, I, THAT WAS LIKE STICKER SHOCK FOR ME.
USUALLY, USUALLY I DON'T CARE WHAT GAS PRICES ARE.
AND I WAS LIKE, WOW, 58 BUCKS.
I KNOW FOR A LOT OF YOU ALL, IT'S OVER A HUNDRED RIGHT NOW, DEPENDING ON WHAT KIND OF CAR YOU DRIVE.
AND THE THING IS THAT IF YOUR CAR GETS BETTER GAS MILEAGE OR IF YOUR HOUSE IS MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT, YOU DON'T GET AS MUCH OF A STICKER SHOCK WHEN, AND WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER GASOLINE PRICES.
WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER NATURAL GAS PRICES, OVER COAL PRICES, WHATEVER IT IS.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT, BUT WE DO HAVE CONTROL OVER HOW ENERGY EFFICIENT THE BUILDINGS ARE THAT WE BUILD.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE CONTROL OVER, UH, WHAT KIND OF ENERGY CODES THAT WE WRITE WHEN IT COMES TO, YOU KNOW, U D C AMENDMENTS.
UM, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER THAT'S GONNA HELP MAKE US MORE RESILIENT.
UM, I CAN, I AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO ABOUT DRAINAGE NEEDS.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF HEAT.
AND SO SOME PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING FASTER THAN WE EXPECTED, AND WE'RE GETTING THESE LONG HEAT WAVES.
BUT THE OTHER THING THAT COULD COME IS BIGGER FLOODS AND MORE FREQUENT FLOODS.
AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE SO MUCH DRAINAGE NEEDS IS BECAUSE PREVIOUS COUNCILS PRIOR TO ANY OF US GETTING ON INTO OFFICE, DIDN'T HAVE GOOD POLICIES IN PLACE.
AND, YOU KNOW, ALLOWED DEVELOPERS TO WRITE A LOT OF OUR POLICIES.
SO THAT, AND, AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNSTREAM ARE PAYING THE PRICE WITH THEIR, YOU KNOW, WITH THEIR FLOOD CHALLENGES AND WITH THEIR, UH, ADDITIONAL DRAINAGE NEEDS.
AND SO I DO THINK WE NEED TO INVEST MORE IN, UH, THOSE DRAINAGE NEEDS, BUT WE CAN ALSO LOOK AT HOW CAN WE HAVE BETTER POLICIES GOING FORWARD SO THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS OURSELVES.
UM, ON CIVIL UNREST, I LOOK AT THIS, UM, THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE ISSUES, UH, LISTED HERE AS, UH, A POSSIBLE MANMADE CHALLENGE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT SOMETIMES.
AND I WONDER, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT KIND OF CIVIL ARREST UNREST COULD OCCUR BASED ON FALSE INFORMATION BEING SPREAD? AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I WANT US TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT KIND OF, UH, RAPID RESPONSE THE CITY CAN HAVE TO, UM, GET INFORMATION OUT OR HELP GET WORK WITH THE MEDIA TO GET INFORMATION OUT TO TRY AND PREVENT SOME OF THAT.
AND THEN I'M, I'M GONNA BORROW SOME FROM, UH, DALLAS AND EL PASO OVER HERE.
I THINK DALLAS SAYS THAT, UH, ONE OF THEIR, UH, ONE OF THEIR GOALS OR PRIORITIES IS BEING WELCOME TO IMMIGRANTS.
UH, EL PASO, IT'S CHALLENGES OF A BORDER METROPLEX.
I THINK WE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT EXACTLY A BORDER TOWN, BUT WE DO HAVE, WE SHARE SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES BECAUSE SAN ANTONIO ENDS UP BEING A HUB WHERE A LOT OF IMMIGRANTS COME THROUGH HERE.
UM, AND SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON AS WELL.
WELL, THIS HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD START TO THE CONVERSATION.
MARIA, ERIC, UH, YOU GOT THE FEEDBACK YOU NEEDED.
[02:10:01]
THIS 15TH DAY OF JUNE, 2022.UH, WE DO NOT HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY.
WE DO HAVE A HEARING, UH, AT FIVE O'CLOCK IN ADDITION TO OUR, UM, CITIZENS TO BE HEARD SHORT SHORTLY AFTER THAT PUBLIC COMMENT.