Burnet and N Lamar are the public face of our North Central Austin neighborhoods. They have their gritty charm, but for the most part they are ugly and unsafe for pedestrians and children. They encourage policymakers and developers to make the kinds of comments we heard during the VMU process: "Anything is better than what you have now." That's not true. We have to fight that kind of thinking by taking better care of our streets.
The Sustainable Neighborhoods meeting on Tuesday July 20, will look at concrete steps we can take to make both Burnet Rd and N Lamar Blvd more attractive. An obvious place to start is with street trees - to complement the sidewalks that are part of the proposed Mobility Bond Package. Where might trees be planted, what species would be appropriate, how would they be maintained?
Please, if you love trees and care about the future of our neighborhoods, attend this meeting and learn what you can do to help. 6:30 to 8:00 PM, at the Village Christian Apartments Activity Room, 7925 Rockwood Ln. http://sites.google.com/a/snaustin.org/snaustin-external-site/meeting-directions
Tree Planting at Burnet-2222 this October - On Track With Community SupportSustainable Neighborhoods has submitted an application for a Keep Austin Beautiful (KAB) matching grant to plant trees at the northwest corner of Burnet Rd at 2222, on the campus of Lamar Middle School. The trees will buffer students from traffic at the intersection, and shade students crossing the intersection to and from school. It will beautify a prominent public face of our neighborhood.
Since announcing the project over the July 4th weekend, we received over $500 in pledges. Also, 10 people have offered to volunteer on the project. This greatly strengthened our KAB grant request. It's also enough to conclude that we can move ahead with the full plan. Thank you so much to the people who have offered their assistance.
We still need to raise a bit more money. Watering is the key. Trees need to be watered weekly for the first two or three years, especially during the warm months. This week we learned that the closest water near the football field is only available when the field irrigation system is active, but there is an older water line that may be suitable for extension to the tree site. With luck, this can be done affordably.
Please contact info@snaustin.org if you would be interested in donating volunteer time or funds for the tree project.
SN-Requested Mobility Projects ReprioritizedThe City Transportation Department has reranked two "mobility gap" projects proposed by Sustainable Neighborhoods as part of the Strategic Mobility Plan, giving both a score that puts them in the "A-list" for future funding.
The first project, with a new score of 77, would fund acquisition of easements at planned MetroRapid stations so that shelters are farther from the street. An obvious example would be the station planned for the southwest corner of Burnet and 2222, by the HEB parking lot. Any rapid bus station shelter here would be right on the street, blocking sidewalk access, making it unpleasant, and unsafe for small children. Even a modest amount of space, equivalent to six or seven parking spaces, would make the station much more appealing, thereby increasing ridership.
The other project is the Anderson Urban Trail, with a new score of 72. The project would provide a hike and bike path along a creek between Anderson Ln and Ashdale. The path would create a continuous safe connection from Ashdale to Anderson, and from there down Northcross Blvd and Foster to Shoal Creek Blvd. Hundreds of households would be able to walk or ride safely to area destinations, instead of adding traffic to a congested area.
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