09.12.2011 CNA Meeting Minutes

Traffic Calming
Peter Marsh came to talk about the status of the neighborhood traffic calming effort. Half the neighborhood has been marked, and the other half should be marked by early next week. Markers will be in place for 1-6 weeks. At about 1 month, they will put in the medians. Curb extensions on Morrow near the railroad tracks and near the fire station on Madison will have rain gardens. Sara had programs to partner with neighbors to care for medians. There is an application process. Sara will leave literature and people can contact her with questions. The traffic circle on Yates may become a round-about instead of a traffic circle. A tentative detail meeting will be 1 week from Friday at 6pm. Deanna will post to the listserv once details are finalized. Landscape architects and engineers will be there.

Metro-Trails
John Michael Cortez, Cap. Metro’s community involvement team manager came to talk about the metro trails feasibility study. Most federal grant money went to fixing bridges from enhancements. They received $2 million in stimulus money to put a rail-side trail from Highland Station, through the TOD, to Morrow. The Optimists were for the rails with trails, as they felt it would reduce the vagrant population along the tracks, and they would lease the land to Cap Metro. The TOD developer was willing to give 10 ft of their property along the tracks for the trail, but they said the city required some of that land for drainage (need a total of 15 feet). Cap Metro was afraid that if they didn’t spend the money soon, they would lose it, and it would take too long to get the land through the TOD developed. So, they will instead put the trail along Justin, across Lamar, and down Airport to Highland Station. They are still working with the Optimists and Trammel-Crow to eventually do a section through the TOD. They are 60% through the design and they plan to have it built by this time next year. Cap Metro will irrigate the trees along the trail for 1 year, and then the City takes over. A large chunk of their money went to surveying the entire 32-mile stretch of the rail. The metro rail gates across Lamar work as designed, but Cap Metro wants to work with the City to so that they don’t stay down while the train is stopped at the station.

TOD Access to Morrow
DR Horton came to tell the neighborhood about changes to the TOD. The original site plan had 500 residential units to be places in Stage II. A market study drove them to change the types of buildings from multi-story and town houses to 2/3 town houses and 1/3 single-family detached (more like Mueller), and reduce the number of units to 310. They plan for the units to be available in late spring to early summer of next year. The PDA says that there must be no more that 1000 additional trips per day along Morrow due to the TOD site. They propose to put in a right-in/right-out vehicular access from the TOD onto Morrow. They say that this will not add more than 750 trips/day to Morrow, based upon the reduced number of units. The CNA remembers the original agreement of no vehicular access from the site onto Morrow (except for emergency response vehicles). DR Horton is under contract with the current owner, but has not yet purchased. There is apparently no language in the ordinance to prohibit vehicular access from the TOD onto Morrow. Limited access was taken to mean pedestrian/bicycle, but is now seen to mean right-in/right-out.

Neighborhood Watch
April Mitchel just received a map of the neighborhood from the City to help with assigning blocks for block captains. Only 5 people have volunteered so far. The CNA can put a link on the web site, if helpful. April is working with Allandale for guidance, and they have 1000 volunteers.

Executive Committee Meeting
Deanna will organize a sub-committee to plan strategy on Morrow access from the TOD.

There is an Airport planning meeting on the 13th. Jonathan, Chip, Deanna, and Don are planning to go.

There is a Burnet Rd. planning meeting on September 22nd.

The CNPCT will vote on October 17th on whether or not to support the VMU overlay rezoning request by the Dallas Nightclub developers. The CNCPT will pass out fliers to inform neighbors of the voting meeting. CNA voted to approve funding the printing of fliers (estimated at $250).

Planning Commission discussing residential garage sales, and tours for residential art production on 6pm, September 13th. Deanna will send a link out on the listserv with pointers to details (if she can get the web site to come up).

Membership renewals need to be mailed out. Tonia indicated that she is unable to do it. Tim said that he can do it. Otherwise, we need to have an annual group mail out (which seems to negate the purpose of eliminating the set date for membership expiration).

Emily will form a committee on beautification to meet with the City on medians landscaping.

October – executive committee meeting with no activity planned for general meeting. Plan to discuss the funding policy.

November - ANC wants to come to Crestview to talk about the Comprehensive Plan and how it overrides the neighborhood plans. Rosemary Lemberg, candidate for DA, wants to talk about her community outreach.

Don will contact the Brentwood NA about how they did their PayPal account for membership renewals.

Treasurer’s Report:
$12,739.90+$60.00 (memberships)+$729 (newsletter ads)-$412.92 (printing costs) =
$13,145.98