CITY OF AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING PROCESS
Overview of Neighborhood Planning
What Is Neighborhood Planning?
Neighborhood planning is an opportunity for citizens to help shape the neighborhoods where they live and work. The neighborhood planning process focuses on land use, and also addresses transportation, infrastructure, and urban design issues. The goal of neighborhood planning is for diverse interests to come together and develop a shared vision for their community.
Some of the issues a neighborhood plans address are:
Citywide Needs a Neighborhood Plan Must Address:
Benefits of an adopted Neighborhood Plan:
Who Should Be Involved:
Background
In 1997, the City of Austin initiated a Pilot Neighborhood Planning Program. During the pilot program neighborhood plans were developed for four urban core neighborhoods. In 1999, the City Council directed staff to develop neighborhood plans for the entire urban core area (Mopac, 183, Braker, Stassney).
Planning Areas for 2002-2003
For the 2002-2003 fiscal year we have selected seven neighborhood-planning areas that will be collaborating with the City of Austin to develop neighborhood plans. In order to allow each plan to have a more broad and comprehensive focus, and to make the most efficient use of staff resources we have combined areas for planning purposes. The combined planning areas are:
One of the reasons that these seven areas were chosen is because they are all adjacent to the proposed Transit Corridor along Guadalupe and Lamar. The Rapid Transit Project (RTP) has been initiated as a joint project of the City of Austin and Capital Metro. RTP has studied and held workshops on the alignment for a future rail line and the types of rapid transit cars that would be used in the system. The proposed initial segment, the Central Rail Line, is a proposed light rail line that would travel along Guadalupe and Lamar. The RTP is currently studying potential station stops and alignments for this initial segment. During the planning process, there will be two workshops to examine the proposed station locations and the areas around these stations in more detail. Regardless of whether light rail is implemented or not, the City of Austin feels that this is one of the most important transit corridors in the City, and that a revitalization project is appropriate for the corridor.