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WELL, GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE JOINT MEETING BETWEEN THE GARLAND CITY COUNCIL AND THE GARLAND PLANNING COMMISSION ON SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2024. THIS IS, LIKE I SAY, A JOINT MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO BODIES. WE HAVEN'T MET JOINTLY IN QUITE A FEW YEARS, BUT WE ARE COMING TOGETHER TO WORK ON SOME COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, SO THIS IS SORT OF THE KICKOFF TO THAT, AND WE'LL GET STARTED, COUNCIL COMMISSION UP. I'M GOING TO FOREGO THE INVOCATION AND PLEDG, TYPICALLY AT OUR MORE CASUAL MEETINGS. SO WE WILL GET ON TO OUR AGENDA. FIRST ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS THIS EVENING? I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT. I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT AS A NO, WE DO HAVE A FEW AUDIENCE MEMBERS HERE WITH US. AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WE HAVE SOMEONE FROM SCOUT TROOP 1199 WHO WAS HERE. FULFILLING SOME REQUIREMENTS. AND, I DON'T THINK WE CAN GET A CAMERA SHOT OF HIM BECAUSE HE'S ALL THE WAY IN THE VERY BACK ROW, SITTI IN THE DARK, NO LESS. BUT, WELCOME FOR EVERYONE. WELL. LET'S SEE. NO OH, NO. I SEE YOUR ARM.
THAT'S ABOUT ALL WE GET. THAT'S THAT'S ALL THE CREDITS YOU GET FOR TONIGHT. BUT ANYWAY, MOVING
[a. Presentation & Introduction of the Garland Forward 2050 Comprehensive Plan. The Plan's focus will be communicating the fiscal impacts of development decisions and developing a community-wide effort to develop responsibly. ]
ON TO OUR, PRESENTATION FOR THE EVENING. ITEM ONE, A, PRESENTATION AND INTRODUCTION OF THE GARLAND FORWARD 2050 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. MR. HESTER, I BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE SOME INTRODUCTIONS. YES SIR. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL AND COMMISSIONERS, I AM REALLY, REALLY EXCITED TO INTRODUCE THIS TOPIC. WE ARE, FOR US IN THE GROUP THAT I REPRESENT, THE PLANNERS, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOLKS, THE ENGINEERS, THE ECONOMIC. THIS IS OUR SUPER BOWL, THIS COMP PLAN IS A REALLY BIG DEAL. SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE, WHAT I THINK IS EXCITING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PROCESS IS IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT. A LITTLE DIFFERENT APPROACH. AND I'LL INTRODUCE THE CONSULTANT IN A MOMENT. BUT I THINK THIS UNIQUE APPROACH GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY ADDRESS ALL THE THINGS THAT WE HEAR AND DISCUSS AND, AND TRY TO ENDEAVOR TO, TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE AND, AND WHATNOT. AND REALLY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE HEARING THE RESIDENTS. SO THERE'S SOME PROVISIONS FOR THAT IN THIS PROCESS. IT'S AN 18 MONTH LONG PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH TODAY. THIS MORNING WAS THE KICKOFF WE MET WITH STAFF, AND THEN WE ALSO MET WITH, JUST BEFORE THIS, THE CPAC, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THAT'S YOUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT YOU APPROVED. I CAN TELL YOU WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT GROUP. I THINK IT REPRESENTS A DIVERSE SET OF EXPERIENCES AND BACKGROUNDS, KNOWLEDGE, DESIRES, AND THEY ARE[c. Discussion facilitated by Verdunity aimed at capturing initial thoughts on key topics to be addressed within the Plan]
ALL READY TALKING ABOUT ALL THE RIGHT THINGS. SO WE ARE BEYOND EXCITED. SO WITH THAT, I WILL INTRODUCE KEVIN SHEPHERD. HE IS, WITH VIRGINITY CONSULTING AND THAT IS THE GROUP THAT WE SELECTED TO LEAD US THROUGH THIS, HOPEFULLY GAME CHANGING PLAN FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. ANDY, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL COMMISSIONERS. CHAIR, IT'S GOOD TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU ALL THIS EVENING, AND I ALWAYS WANT TO RESPECT TIME. SO WE'RE GOING TO JUMP STRAIGHT, STRAIGHT INTO THINGS, I'LL INTRODUCE MYSELF AND A COUPLE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS HERE TONIGHT IN JUST A SECOND, THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT. WE'RE GOING TO INTRODUCE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE COMPREHENSIVE. WELL FIRST WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT OUR PHILOSOPHY. THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS. TALK ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN. SO YOU CAN KIND OF ENVISION THE END GOAL OF THIS PROCESS OF WHAT THE DOCUMENT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO FLIP IT TO YOU ALL AND ASK FOR A BRIEF INTRODUCTION AND A COUPLE OF ASK YOU TO DO A COUPLE OF THINGS AS PART OF THAT INTRODUCTION. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO WRAP UP WITH, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, WHAT WE CALL HOW MIGHT WE THAT WE'LL GO THROUGH. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO END THIS WITH TALKING ABOUT ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND SOME OF THE WAYS WE'RE GETTING THIS STARTED TO INVOLVE THE RESIDENTS, SO AS ANDY MENTIONED, MY NAME IS KEVIN SHEPHERD. I'M FOUNDER AND CEO OF VIRGINITY. I AM A CIVIL ENGINEER BY DEGREE. STARTED MY CAREER BACK IN 1994, WORKED FOR A LARGE ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING FIRM DESIGNING MUNICIPAL PAVING, DRAINAGE, WATER, SEWER, INFRASTRUCTURE, STUFF, IN ENGINEERING SCHOOL, WE'RE TAUGHT ABOUT GROWTH. WE'RE TAUGHT ABOUT DEVELOPMENT. WE'RE TAUGHT, YOU KNOW, EXPANSION IS GOOD, WHAT? WE'RE NOT TAUGHT IN ENGINEERING SCHOOL IS HOW ARE WE? OUR CITIES, OUR RESIDENTS, GOING TO PAY TO MAINTAIN THE THINGS THAT GET BUILT, AND SO IN 2009, I HAD[00:05:01]
THE CHANCE TO GO FROM RUNNING MY FORMER FIRM'S MUNICIPAL SERVICES GROUP TO LEADING THE FIRM'S NATIONAL COMMUNITY PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN PRACTICE. AND SO I WENT FROM THE WORLD OF ENGINEERING TO THE WORLD OF URBAN PLANNERS, SUSTAINABILITY SPECIALISTS, ECONOMISTS, AND I WAS TRAVELING AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND WHAT I, WHAT I STARTED TO, TO SEE WAS NO MATTER WHERE I WENT, BIG CITY, SMALL CITY, RURAL URBAN, SUBURBAN, VERY FEW CITIES HAD THE MONEY THAT THEY NEEDED TO MAINTAIN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND I STARTED TO ASK THE QUESTION OF WHY, AND THEN I WOULD COME BACK TO NORTH TEXAS, WHERE I'VE BEEN BASED THE MAJORITY OF MY CAREER AND STARTED ASKING, WHAT ARE WE DOING DIFFERENTLY IN TEXAS AND NORTH TEXAS THAT'S GOING TO KEEP US FROM ENDING UP LIKE A CHICAGO, A MEMPHIS, A SHREVEPOR, FERGUSON, MISSOURI. JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, SOME PLACES THAT YOU ALL I'M SURE HAVE SEEN ON THE NEWS. DETROIT OVER THE YEARS. AND THE ANSWER WAS, REALLY, WE'RE NOT DOING A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENTLY. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS THE SUBURBAN EXPANSION MODEL BIGGER AND FASTER AND HARDER BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DO IN TEXAS, RIGHT? WE'RE WE'RE VERY AGGRESSIVE ON GROWTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT SO I WAS KIND OF BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THESE PLACES. AND I HAD THIS THING GOING ON IN MY HEAD OF LIKE, HOW ARE HOW ARE WE BLESSED TO BE SUCH A PROSPEROUS COUNTRY AND STILL HAVE THESE BASIC CHALLENGES OF HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR THINGS AND KEEP THINGS AFFORDABLE LONG TERM FOR RESIDENTS, ULTIMATELY, THAT LED ME TO LEAVE MY FORMER FIRM START VIRGINITY BACK IN 2011, AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN ON THIS MISSION TO HELP COMMUNITIES BE MORE FISCALLY SUSTAINABLE AND AFFORDABLE AND PROSPEROUS LONG TERM. NOT NOT JUST THE SHORT TERM. BRINGING IN THE DEVEPMENT, BUMPING OUR TAX BASE AND ADDING RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN THE SHORT TERM.BUT HOW DO YOU SUSTAIN IT AFTER THE GROWTH SLOWS DOWN? AND TO PUT THAT IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF TEXAS, NORTH TEXAS, YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE THE FIRST STRING AND THE SECOND RING COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE OF DALLAS AND FORT WORTH, GARLAND BEING ONE OF THOSE. THAT'S STARTING TO BE A LITTLE STRAINED IN TERMS OF HOW DO WE MAINTAIN ALL OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THEN HOW DO WE REDEVELOP AND REVITALIZE VERSUS THE GREENFIELD GROWTH THAT YOU SEE ON THE OUTER RINGS, SO OUR APPROACH TO COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING AND HOW WE GOT INTO COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING IS, YOU KNOW, THE THERE IS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE RATE AND PATTERN OF GROWTH IN A COMMUNITY. HOW FAST YOU GROW, THE PATTERN YOU GROW IN, THE DIFFERENT KIND OF DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU BUILD, THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT YOU BUILD.
THERE'S A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THAT AND YOUR GROWTH PHASE AND THE LONG TERM FISCAL HEALTH AND AFFORDABILITY OF YOUR OF YOUR COMMUNITY, AND SO IN COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, WE MAKE THIS THE CENTRAL TENET OF OUR WORK IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT? HOW ARE WE, THE CITY, GOING TO PAY FOR IT? AND HOW ARE WE THE RESIDENTS, GOING TO PAY FOR IT? AND SO HOW CAN WE USE INFRASTRUCTURE DECISIONS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DECISIONS, DEVELOPMENT, INFILL REDEVELOPMENT, TO ULTIMATELY ALIGN GARLAND'S DEVELOPMENT PATTERN AND SERVICE MODEL AND FEE STRUCTURE, WHETHER THAT'S TAXES OR OTHER FEES WITH WHAT RESIDENTS OF GARLAND CAN ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO PAY FOR. SO YOU CAN BE WILLING TO PAY FOR SOMETHING, BUT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT, OR YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING BUT NOT BE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. AND SO THAT'S A VERY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO A COMP PLAN THAN IF WE WERE JUST TO COME IN AND SAY, LET'S DREAM ABOUT GARLAND, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? AND THE ANALOGY THAT THAT I'LL GIVE IS, IS IF YOU'RE BUYING A CAR, IF I CAME TO ANY OF YOU AND SAID, WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU WANT TO BUY? YOU MIGHT SAY, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER'S IN YOUR HEAD OF LIKE THE IDEAL CAR YOU WANT TO BUY. BUT IF I SAID YOU'RE MARRIED, YOU HAVE TWO KIDS. YOU LIVE 30 MINUTES FROM YOUR JOB, AND YOU MAKE 100,000 A YEAR. NOW, WHAT KIND OF CAR ARE YOU GOING TO BUY? VERY DIFFERENT CONVERSATION. RIGHT? AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE TRY TO DO WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS SAY, WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES THAT YOU YOU KNOW, WHAT'S WHAT DO YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW? WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE AVAILABLE AND WHAT CAN YOU AFFORD? WHAT CAN FUTURE RESIDENTS THAT YOU WANT TO BRING IN, AFFORD AND WE FUNNEL EVERYTHING THROUGH THAT. HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT? HOW'S THE CITY GOING TO PAY FOR IT? AND HOW ARE RESIDENTS, AND SO THINGS LIKE DENSITY, THINGS LIKE TRANSPORTATION DECISIONS, THINGS LIKE, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ALLOCATE THE RIGHT OF WAY BETWEEN TRAVEL LANES OR SIDEWALKS OR LANDSCAPING OR STREETSCAPING ALL OF THESE THINGS HOUSING. WE CAN BRING ALL OF THEM BACK TO CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT'S IT GOING TO DO FOR REVENUE, WHAT'S IT GOING TO DO FOR COSTS, AND THE TAXPAYER RETURN ON INVESTMENT. ARE WE OKAY? SORRY, OUR MONITORS UP HERE GIVING US, INTERMITTENT BLUE SCREENS OF DEATH. SO THAT'S NOT A GOOD WORD, BUT WE CAN SEE THE PRESENTATION UP FRONT, SO. OKAY. YES. YEAH. BLUE SCREEN. THAT'S DAN'S. DAN'S WORKING ON REPAIRING THAT. YES GOOD THING, SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR TEAM. I DO HAVE MATTIE, MATTIE CAPSHAW, WHO IS OUR PROJECT MANAGER. SHE'S A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER TODAY, SO, I'M COVERING THIS ONE TONIGHT, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT MORE
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FROM HER. AND THEN KATHRYN IS ALSO WITH US, THE THREE OF US E THE ONES THAT YOU'LL SEE THE MOST FROM VIRGINITY, YOU'LL ALSO SEE MARSHALL HINES WILL BE IN TOMORROW, TOO. HE'S OUR CREATIVE DIRECTOR. AND THE GUY THAT MAKES ALL OF OUR STUFF LOOK REALLY PRETTY AND COOL AT THE AT THE END. SO HE'S GOING TO BE HERE TORROW TAKING SOME PICTURES AND GETTING AROUND THE COMMUNITY AS WELL, FOR TEAMING PARTNERS, WE'VE GOT CIVIC BRAND ON OUR TEAM, RYAN SHORT AND HIS TEAM, YOU WORKED WITH THEM A LITTLE BIT ON THE DOWNTOWN BRANDING, WE REALLY LIKE THEM BECAUSE THEY THEY UNDERSTAND PLACEMAKING. THEY UNDERSTAND KIND OF THE COMMUNITY. THEY'RE A LITTLE MORE THAN JUST A BRANDING AND ENGAGEMENT FIRM. THEY UNDERSTAND COMMUNITY BUILDING, AND KIND OF OUR PHILOSOPHY. AND THEN HORSE HILL AND ASSOCIATES, THEY'RE BASED IN HOUSTON, THEY'RE KNOWN MOSTLYOR THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH TIFS AND TURSAS AND MUDS AND ALL OF THE ALPHABET SOUP OF SPECIAL DISTRICTS, BUT WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT TONY AND NINA, WHO YOU'LL MEET, TOO, IS THEIR APPROACH TO MARKET RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS. YES, WE'LL DO THE MARKET STUDIES AND LOOK AT THE NUMBERS FOR YOU. WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT NUMBERS SHOW AS FAR AS WHAT YOU CAN BRING TO THIS COMMUNITY, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE A PART OF THEIR APPROACH THAT GETS AT HOW CAN WE CREATE SOME OF THE MARKET THAT YOU WANT THROUGH SMALLER, INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT, ESPECIALLY AS IT COMES TO LIKE REDEVELOPING AND REVITALIZING SOME OF THE AGING STRIP CENTERS, IN OLDER COMMUNITIES AND SOME OF THOSE, LIKE YOU HAVE HERE IN, IN GARLAND. SO EVERYBODY WE ALWAYS TEAM WITH, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE PARTNER WITH LIKE MINDED PEOPLE. BECAUSE WHEN WE START TO PUSH INTO THESE ISSUES IN A COMMUNITY, THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME CONVERSATION FROM ALL SIDES ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE BELIEVE AND DON'T BELIEVE. AND WHAT KIND OF DATA WE CAN SHOW, AND ULTIMATELY WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE MAJORITY OF GARLAND. AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR TEAM TO KIND OF BE THAT CONSISTENT, THAT CONSISTENT, AT LEAST WITHIN OUR TEAM, TO BE AS CONSISTENT AND UNIFIED AS, AS WE CAN. I ALSO WANT TO SAY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US. I LIVE IN ROCKWALL. I'VE LIVED AND WORKED IN THIS AREA FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, VERY FAMILIAR WITH GARLAND, YOU KNOW, 30 YEARS AGO AND GARLAND TODAY. AND SEEING THE EVOLUTION OF IT. BUT, I THINK, I THINK IT'S, IT'S AN IMPORTANT TIME FOR, FOR GARLAND TO THINK ABOUT. DON'T WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU KIND OF GET GET THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS THE BEST VERSION OF GARLAND AND DON'T GET SO CAUGHT UP IN WHAT ARE THE NEIGHBORS AROUND YOU TRYING TO DO AND COMPETE WITH SOME O THEM? THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION IS IT IS IT'S OUR ROLE TO BRING DATA, BRING BEST PRACTICES, BRING LESSONS LEARNED FROM OTHER PLACES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND IN TEXAS. BUT ULTIMATELY, YOU GUYS, THE COMMUNITY, OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE, YOU ALL ARE THE ONES THAT KNOW GARLAND, THE BEST, RIGHT? AND SO WE WANT TO PROVIDE SOME DATA AND INFORMATION, BUT ULTIMATELY IT'S GOING TO BE YOUR DECISION. AND THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S DECISION AND THE COMMUNITY'S DECISION ON WHAT VERSION, OF SOME OF THESE THINGS. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IS THE RIGHT ONE FOR GARLAND, COMMON CONCERNS THAT WE SEE LACK OF ALIGNMENT. IF YOU LOOK AT ANY CITIES, MOST CITIES VISION STRATEGIC PLAN, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, MAYBE PAST COMPREHENSIVE PLANS. YOU YOU WILL SEE SOME VERSION OF WE WANT TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE OR FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE. WE WANT TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY RESILIENT.WE WANT TO BE SOCIALLY INCLUSIVE AND AFFORDABLE, WE WANT TO PROVIDE A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DAILY DECISIONS AND INVESTMENTS THAT ARE MADE, WHETHER THAT'S INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, WHETHER THAT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES, THEY DON'T ALWAYS ALIGN WITH THOSE VALUES AND OUTCOMES THAT COMMUNITIES SAY THAT THEY REALLY WANT. AND WHEN YOU DIG A LITTLE BIT UNDER THAT, IT'S THERE TENDS TO BE A, A LITTLE BIT OF A BIAS TOWARDS THE WINDS TODAY, WHETHER IT'S RIBBON CUTTINGS OR ADDING POPULATION OR SALES TAX OR PROPERTY TAX.
TODAY, WITHOUT THINKING ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE LONG TERM COSTS AND IMPACTS OF WHAT IS THAT DEVELOPMENT GOING TO DO 30 OR 40 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO SUSTAIN IT? AND FOR ANY OF YOU THAT HAVE KIDS, HOW ARE OUR KIDS GOING TO PAY TO SUSTAIN IT? BECAUSE IT'S A BIG GAP, LOCALLY, STATEWIDE, NATIONALLY THAT WE'VE GOT TO CLOSE, THAT GETS ME TO THE SECOND ONETHE FUNDING GAP ALMOST EVERY CITY IN THIS COUNTRY HAS A GAP BETWEEN WHAT THEY NEED, AND WHAT THEY HAVE IN TERMS OF REVENUES, AND WHEN I SAY NEEDS, I'M NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT WANTS OF LIKE, REC CENTERS AND OTHER THINGS. I'M TALKING ABOUT BASIC WATER, SEWER TRANSPORTATION, THERE'S A GAP MOST CITIES ARE SAYING WE NEED. YOU KNOW, WHEN I ASK A MAYOR OR CITY MANAGER, WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE? IT'S LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THIS WITH WITH LIMITED RESOURCES. AND THEN WE'VE GOT THINGS HAPPENING AT THE STATE LEVEL WITH PROPERTY TAX CAP AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE REALLY STARTING TO HANDCUFF MUNICIPALITIES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RESOURCES THAT YOU ALL NEED TO, TO ADDRESS THESE GROWING NEEDS, ESPECIALLY AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THEN THE THIRD THING IS THIS KIND OF GROWING FRUSTRATION WITH RESIDENTS CULTURE OF APATHY. IT COULD BE YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE SKEPTICISM. IT COULD BE ANGER.
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THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF, YOU KN, EXHIBITING KIND OF THEIR, THEIR FRUSTRATION HERE. BUT THERE'S A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE DO COMP PLANS, WE WE'RE ASKING ABOUT LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE. BUT THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT RESIDENTS TELL US IN ALMOST EVERY PLACE IS A LACK OF TRUST IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FRUSTRATION IN THE COMMUNICATION, AND THEN WE TALK WITH COUNCIL AND CITY AND LIKE, WE'RE TRYING SO HARD, WE'RE TRYING TO DO THIS. AND WHY IS THERE THIS GAP, AND SO KIND OF UNDERSTANDING THESE THREE IN GARLAND AND USING THIS OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO TALK WITH YOU ALL IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO HEAR THAT YOU GUYS HAVEN'T HAD A JOINT MEETING TOGETHER IN HOW LONG? VERY, VERY INTERESTING. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS AS ENLIGHTENING AS ENLIGHTENING TO YOU ALL AS IT WAS TO ME, BUT YOU ALL ARE KIND OF COMBINED THE, THE LEADERS OF THE COMMUNITY. AND I WOULD IMAGINE THERE'S SOME MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOME OF THE CROSS, EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE, SO I'D ENCOURAGE MORE JOINT MEETINGS IN THE FUTURE, BUT THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO TALK AT THE TOP OF A CITY.THE DIFFERENT ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS WE'VE ALREADY STARTED TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT HEADS, YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, YOUR BUSINESSES, A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS A GREAT WAY TO INTERACT WITH ALL OF THEM AND HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW DO WE HOW DO WE GET THIS CLARITY OF WHO GARLAND IS, WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO, AND HOW CAN WE DO ITITH THE RESOURCES THAT WE, THAT WE HAVE, AND THE MORE TRANSPARENT WE ARE WITH THIS PROCESS, AND ESPECIALLY WE FOUND WITH THIS LANGUAGE OF HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT IF WE JUST GO TO SOMEONE AND SAY, SHOW UP FOR A COMP PLAN MEETING, THAT'S NOT EXACTLY THE MOST EXCITING THING TO GET SOMEBODY TO SAY, OH YES, I'M GOING TO DROP EVERYTHING ELSE I'M DOING TO SHOW UP AT. BUT IF WE SAY, THIS IS REALLY TALKING ABOUT HOW CAN WE IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND AFFORDABILITY AND VIBRANCY AT A PRICE POINT THAT YOU'RE WILLING AND ABLE TO PAY FOR LONG TERM, YOU'LL GET MORE. IT'S A HOOK THAT WILL GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED, AND THEN WE CAN BRANCH OUT INTO HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER CONVERSATIONS, SO IF WE SAY THERE IS A RESOURCE GAP AND SOMETIMES I'LL SAY A RESOURCE AND AFFORDABILITY GAP, BECAUSE THERE ALSO ARE AFFORDABILITY CHALLENGES WITH WITH HOUSING AS WELL, THERE'S REALLY THIS IS OVERSIMPLIFYING, BUT THERE'S REALLY THREE OPTIONS HERE. NUMBER ONE, WE CAN INCREASE TAXES AND FEES. NOT A BIG, HIGHLY POPULAR, OPPORTUNITY. RIGHT. THERE ARE PLACES THAT IT HAPPENS. IF YOU LOOK AT A LOT OF OLDER, LARGER, MORE MATURE CITIES, THEY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO RAISE THE TAX RATE TO HELP PAY FOR THINGS, WE WANT TO HELP YOU AVOID THAT OUTCOME DOWN THE ROAD. WE DON'T WANT FOLKS SITTING IN YOUR CHAIRS 10 OR 20 YEARS AGO, TEN, TEN, 20 YEARS FROM NOW SAYING, DARN IT, THOSE THOSE GUYS, I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE KEPT THE TAX RATE OR RAISED IT A LITTLE BIT SO THAT WE WEREN'T SO RESOURCE STRAPPED TODAY. BUT THAT'S NOT A POPULAR OPTION. NUMBER TWO REDUCE SERVICES. THIS IS BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY. WHEN YOU HAVE A BUDGET, YOU SAY THIS MUCH MONEY IS COMING IN. AND WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THAT BUDGET AND ANYTHING WE CAN'T AFFORD GETS DEFERRED TO A FUTURE YEAR, RIGHT? CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, BOND PROGRAM. ALL WE HAVE THIS MANY NEEDS, WE HAVE THIS MUCH MONEY AND ANYTHING ELSE IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE DEFERRED TO A FUTURE YEAR. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS WHEN YOU DEFER THINGS LONG ENOUGH, YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS WILL START TO DECLINE, THE SIDEWALKS WILL START TO CRACK. THE YOU KNOW, AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE WEALTH AND THE ABILITY TO DO SO WILL MOVE EITHER SOMEWHERE ELSE IN YOUR CITY OR TO ANOTHER CITY ALTOGETHER. IN THE METROPLEX, I'M OVERSIMPLIFYING, BUT IT WAS FIRST RING. SECOND RING, THIRD RING. OKLAHOMA, RIGHT, SO THIS IS NOT THE BEST OPTION LONG TERM EITHER IN TERMS OF PROVIDING QUALITY OF LIFE, SUSTAINABLE, VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOODS FOR YOUR RESIDENTS LONG TERM. SOME FOLKS HERE WILL WILL PUSH BACK AND SAY, I DON'T REALLY CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO GARLAND THREE YEARS FROM NOW. I'M HERE FOR TWO MORE YEARS. I WANT THE BEST QUALITY OF LIFE AT THE LOWEST TAX RATE, AND THEN I'M OUT OF HERE. I DON'T REALLY HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THOSE KIND OF FOLKS, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS TALK ABOUT HOW DO WE BUILD A LOVABLE PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO STAY, WANT TO REINVEST IN PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES, WANT TO REINVEST IN? WE BUILT FAR TOO MANY PLACES THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PHRASE DISPOSABLE SUBURB, IS GETTING WAY TOO POPULAR AROUND THE COUNTRY. WE BUILT A LOT OF PLACES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT ARE GREAT FOR 20 OR 30 YEARS, AND THEN THEY TANK, AND TEXAS HAS BEEN BLESSED WITH PEOPLE FLEEING THOSE EITHER THEY'RE TOO EXPENSIVE AND THEY'RE COMING HERE, OR THEY'RE FALLING APART AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR GETTING BACK TO WHERE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS TEN YEARS AGO, OR 15 YEARS AGO, SO THAT BRINGS ME TO THE THIRD ONE, WHICH IS IF WE DON'T WANT TO RAISE TAXES, IF WE DON'T WANT TO CUT SERVICES, HOW CAN WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT CAN A CITY DO TO ALIGN YOUR DEVELOPMENT, YOUR SERVICE MODEL, YOUR FEE STRUCTURE WITH WHAT RESENTS
[00:20:03]
ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO PAY FOR LONG TERM, AND THIS IS KIND OF THE THAT I HAD COMING FROM AN ENGINEERING BACKGROUND INTO PLANNING. BLESS YOU, IS THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN MATTERS MATTERS THE RATE YOUR CITY GROWS, THE SERVICE AREREA THAT U TAKE UP AND THE PATTERN THAT YOU BUILD IT IN. HAS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO THE LONG TERM COST OF YOUR COMMUNITY. AND WHAT HOUSE HOUSING PRICES ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE TO COVER THOSE COSTS. I HAVE A MUCH LONGER VERSION, AND STUFF OF THIS THAT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT IN KIND OF THE STRONG TOWNS, 101 SESSION THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. I THINK IN OCTOBER. WE'RE STILL LOOKING FOR A DATE FOR THAT, BUT MID-OCTOBER TO EARLY NOVEMBER, SOMEWHERE IN THERE. BUT THIS SIMPLE, SIMPLE PART OF IT IS YOU HAVE A CORE PART OF A CITY WHERE IT STARTED, THE CORE DOWNTOWN, THE CORE MAIN STREET, JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE CORE OF DOWNTOWN HERE. AND THEN WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS 1950, 1960, THE ADVANTAGE OF AN INVENTION OF THE CAR, THE HOUSING INCENTIVES THAT CAME UP, THE FEDERAL HOUSING, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU SAW THE SUBURBAN MODEL EXPLODE. AND SO CITIES WENT FROM A SMALL AREA THAT WAS BUILT AND DEVELOPED INCREMENTALLY OVER TIME AS WE HAD RESOURCES. AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE CAN GO ACQUIRE THIS LAND, WE CAN BUILD BIG TRACTS OF LAND ALL AT ONCE, AND WE BUILD IT IN THIS ONE SINGLE FAMILY KIND OF DETACHED PATTERN. MORE INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THAT PATTERN. UNLESS YOU'RE AT A VERY HIGH PRICE POINT, AVERAGE HOME VALUE DOES NOT PRODUCE THE WEALTH NEEDED TO SUSTAIN IT FOR SERVICES. AND INFRASTRUCTURE. THAT'S THE DISCONNECT. AND SO WE HAVE THIS CHALLENGE IN TEXAS OF HOW DO WE GO FROM EVERYBODY AT THIS POINT IS KIND OF, STARTED TO UNDERSTAND THIS CERTAIN THE CERTAIN MODEL. AND HOW DO WE GO BACK TO THAT TRADITIONAL MORE MIXED USE, MORE COMPACT, WALKABLE AND BUILD ENOUGH OF IT SO THAT YOUR, YOUR CITY CAN PENCIL OUT SO THAT THAT IS WHAT THIS PROCESS IS ABOUT TO US. AND FOR YOU ALL IS HOW CAN WE LOOK AT, AT INFILL OPPORTUNITIES, REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGIES, HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES TO CLOSE THAT RESOURCE GAP OVER TIME? WHAT IS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BEFORE, A FEW OF YOU ALL OKAY, IT IS A IT'S A POLICY DOCUMENT. I LIKE TO JUST SAY IT'S A ROAD MAP TO GUIDE FUTURE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY, IT IS IT HAS THE WORD COMPREHENSIVE BECAUSE IT IS INTENDED TO BE COMPREHENSIVE OVER ALL OF YOUR DEPARTMENTS AND ALL ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE COMMUNITY. IT'S NOT GOING TO GET INTO SOME OF THE OTHER TANGENTIAL THINGS THAT THAT YOU ALL DEAL WITH AS A COUNCIL, IN TERMS OF YOU KNOW, SOME OF JUST NON DEVELOPMENT RELATED TYPES OF TYPES OF THINGS, BUT WE WANT TO ESTABLISH THIS SHARED VISION FOR THE FUTURE. WE WANT TO WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME KEY DECISION MAKING PRINCIPLES OR GUIDING PRINCIPLES. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I ASKED OF STAFF THIS MORNING IS, ARE THERE 3 TO 5 KIND OF GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT ARE USED CONSISTENTLY IN THE CITY TO INFORM YOUR DECISIONS? IS IT, YOU KNOW, IS IT YOU KNOW, INCREASING THE VALUE PER ACRE? IS IT IMPROVING, THE DIVERSITY OF HOUSING OPTIONS? YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY ARE, BUT IF THEY'RE NOT VERY CLEAR AND CONSISTENT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, THAT ALREADY STARTS TO CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF, LACK OF CLARITY. RIGHT, AND SO WE WANT TO TRY TO BE VERY CLEAR WITH WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT AT THE TOP OF THE CITY, WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS AND HOW CAN WE CONNECT ALMOST EVERY DISCUSSION IN THE CITY, NEW DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, WHAT HAVE YOU BACK TO THOSE PRINCIPLES, AND THEN AS WE DRILL DOWN INTO MOBILITY OR HOUSING OR LAND USE, DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN, WE CAN KIND OF BRANCH OUT FROM THERE A LITTLE BIT MORE, THE, THE MAIN PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP. YOU MIGHT HEAR US SAY, FLUME, AND THEN STRATEGIES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT FOR LAND USE, GROWTH MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CHARACTER. THAT'S KIND OF THE CRITICAL PART, WHAT IS THE CHARACTER AND THE LOOK AND THE FEEL OF, OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY? THE NEXT PART GETS INTO HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES, AND LOOKS OF HOUSING AND CONNECTING THAT TO THIS AFFORDABILITY CHALLENGE OF TRYING TO BUILD A MIX OF TYPES AND PRICE POINTS OF HOUSING, AND, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN, SOME OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE AUTO CENTRIC, SOME OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE MORE WALKABLE, FOCUSED. BUT BUILDING THAT SPECTRUM SO THAT PEOPLE AT DIFFERENT AGES AND STAGES AND MEANS OF LIFE HAVE OPTIONS. GARLAND IS BIG ENOUGH. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO MEET THAT WHOLE SPECTRUM, RIGHT? YOU'RE NOT JUST TRYING TO BE THE BEST PLACE FOR A FAMILY WITH TWO KIDS, AND THAT'S IT. YOU'RE TRYING TO RETAIN A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE AND YOU'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT NEW FOLKS THAT WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. AND THAT'S A HUGE, HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR GARLAND BECAUSE NEWER COMMUNITIES CANNOT BUILD THE AUTHENTIC, GRITTY STUFF THAT GARLAND HAS. AND THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS ACTUALLY WANT THAT[00:25:03]
GRIT. THEY THEY GREW UP IN A SUBURB. THEY DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE SUBURB. MY WIFE'S A COUNSELOR, AND SHE HEARS A LOT OF THAT. I DO THIS BECAUSE I HAVE NO OTHER. I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE. MOBILITY IS ANOTHER PART. LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ARE CONNECTED, WHAT YOU DO WITH, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD BIG BOX DEVELOPMENT, YOU'RE GOING TO DRIVE THE NEED FOR MORE CARS. IF YOU BUILD THINGS MORE COMPACT AND WALKABLE, YOU'RE GOING TO REDUCE THE NEED FOR CARS, AND YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TRANSIT AND WALKABILITY MORE, IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK AND ACTION PLAN. THIS IS A REALLY BIG PART. WE DO NOT WANT THIS TO BE A PLAN THAT GOES ON THE SHELF, SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE GOT SEVERAL FOLKS ON OUR TEAM THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE CITY SIDE THAT HAVE WORKED IN PLANNING DEPARTMENTS, WE WANT TO MAKE IMPLEMENTATION VERY CLEAR. WE DON'T WANT THERE TO BE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE SO MANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. SO WE WANT TO GIVE YOU THAT ONE YEAR PLAN. THE VERY SPECIFIC THINGS TO GET STARTED, AND THEN HAVE THAT PROCESS FOR YOU TO INCREMENTALLY UPDATE YOUR ACTION PLAN AS YOU GO, AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS WHAT COMES BEHIND THIS. THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN GETS AT THE WHY AND THE BIG IDEA AND THE VISION AND TRYING TO GET PEOPLE UNDER THE TENT.BUT YOUR ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS ARE REALLY THE TEETH, RIGHT? YOUR ZONING CODE AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS ARE WHAT YOU HOLD. DEVELOPERS ACCOUNTABLE TO BUILD WHERE AND HOW. PARKING MINIMUMS, SETBACKS, YOU KNOW, STREET WIDTHS, ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND SO WHATEVER COMES OUT OF THIS PROCESS, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT PEOPLE WANT, THERE'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE A COMMITMENT FROM THE CITY SIDE TO COME BEHIND THE PLAN AND MAKE WHATEVER REVISIONS ARE NECESSARY TO YOUR DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS TO ALLOW THE VISION, TO HAPPEN. AND FRANKLY, THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHY A LOT OF REALLY GOOD PLANS END UP ON THE SHELF IS BECAUSE THE CODES AND THE TEETH AND THE TOOLS TO MAKE THE VISION A REALITY DON'T EVER FULLY GET DONE, THE PLAN STRUCTURE I MENTIONED, WE WANT TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT TO LOOK FOR, THE WAY WE STRUCTURE OUR PLANS ARE THREE MAIN SECTIONS. THE FIRST PART IS INTRODUCTION. IT'S GOING TO GO HAVE A BRIEF PART ABOUT THAT. TALKS ABOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS THAT WVE GONE THROUGH, TALKS ABOUT THE PURPOSES OF THE COMP PLAN. THE SECOND PART IS COMMUNITY CONTEXT. SO WE'LL GET INTO SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF WHO YOU KNOW, WHO, WHO GARLAND IS TODAY, WHO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE FUTURE, THE THIRD PART IS ECONOMICS OF LAND USE. AND THIS IS THIS IS EDUCATIONAL CONTENT THAT WE DIDN'T USED TO PUT THIS IN OUR PLANS, BUT WE, WE STARTED TO GET FEEDBACK FROM STAFF THAT WE WANT, WE WANT PEOPLE THAT AREN'T INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.
RIGHT NOW TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH THIS IN THE FUTURE. SO YOU MAY HEAR SOME THINGS ACROSS, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THIS PROCESS THAT A YEAR, A YEAR GOES BY, TWO YEARS GO BY, WE HAVE A NEW COUNCIL MEMBER IN THERE, AND YOU WANT, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO THIS SAME INFORMATION. SO A LOT OF THINGS FROM THE PRESENTATIONS, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PUT IN THE DOCUMENTS. SO IT'S AN EDUCATIONAL, MATERIAL THAT YOU CAN SHARE DOWN THE ROAD. THEN WE GET INTO THE IDENTITY, THE VISION, ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO WITH IDENTITY IS AND THIS IS SOMETHING I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT, BECAUSE THE NEXT TRIP, WE COME BACK, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS MORE. THERE'S THREE PARTS OF AN IDENTITY THAT WE WANT EVERY COMMUNITY TO THINK ABOUT. THE FIRST ONE IS, WHAT ARE THTHINGS THAT YOUR COMMUNITY OR THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS I IN GARLANVALUE, RIGHT. WHAT ARE WHAT ARE THEIR CORE VALUES? IS IT FAMILY? IS IT FAITH? IS IT YOU KNOW, KIDS? IS IT IS IT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY? IT COULD BE A LOT OF THINGS. BUT WHAT ARE WHAT ARE THE VALUES OF FOLKS THAT ARE IN GARLAND AND WANT TO STAY OR BE IN GARLAND? THE SECOND ONE IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT IN MY OPINION. AND THESE ARE WHAT ARE THE ASSETS? THE SPECIFIC ASSETS IN GARLAND THAT YOU WANT TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE. SO WHAT ARE THINGS UNIQUE TO GARLAND THAT MAKE YOU DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PLACES THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO LEAN INTO AND PRESERVE, AND ENHANCE, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT MAKES GARLAND UNIQUE FROM OTHER PLACES IS WE GOT TO KIND OF FLUSH THAT OUT OF WHAT WHAT DO PEOPLE FEEL LIKE IS UNIQUE HERE, AND THEN THE THIRD PART IS ASPIRATIONAL, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DO GET TO DREAM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT GARLAND TO BE IN THE FUTURE, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? THOSE ALL KIND OF COME TOGETHER INTO WHAT WE CALL A VISION STORY, AND THEN THE DECISION MAKING PRINCIPLES, FILTERING THOSE, KIND OF VALIDATING THE ONES THAT YOU HAVE AND SEEING. ARE THOSE STILL THE RIGHT ONES? DO WE NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING SO THAT YOU ALL, AS LEADERS OF THE COMMUNITY, WHEN YOU COME OUT OF THIS, THERE'S GOING TO BE A VERY CLEAR VISION AS IT RELATES TO DEVELOPMENT OF WHERE YOU WANT TO GO AND WHY, AND VERY CLEAR TALKING POINTS THAT HOPEFULLY EVERYONE HAS SO WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEVELOPER, A RESIDENT, A BUSINESS OWNER, YOU CAN BRING EVERYTHING BACK. ULTIMATELY, ULTIMATELY, HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT? HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE GARLAND MORE, MORE FISCALLY SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE? LONG TERM, THAT'S THE INTRODUCTION. INTRODUCTION PART. THE SECOND PART OF THIS, THE SECOND SECTION IS ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENTS. THE BASE ONES THAT WE HAVE IN HERE FOR YOU ALL ARE LAND USE AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT CHARACTER. WE'LL GET
[00:30:01]
IN THERE A LITTLE BIT AS WELL. HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS AND MOBILITY AND CONNECTIVITY. THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN ONES. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PLACEMAKING ARE GOING TO BE THERE. SO INTEGRAL TO EVERYTHING IN GARLAND. THEY'RE GOING TO BE INTEGRATED THROUGH THE WHOLE THING, BUT WHAT THIS STRUCTURE ALLOWS YOU TO DO IS IN THE FUTURE, IF YOU WANTED TO ADD AN ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT FOR FACILITIES OR INFRASTRUCTURE OR PARKS, YOU CAN ADD THOSE COMPONENTS INTO THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AND THEY'LL STILL KIND OF FIT AS OPPOSED TO WHAT YOU ALL HAVE RIGHT NOW IS A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENT PLANS THAT WE'RE HAVING TO GO THROUGH AND PIECE SOME DIFFERENT THINGS TOGETHER. SO TRYING TO GIVE YOU KIND OF THAT GUIDING STRUCTURE AND FRAMEWORK SO THAT YOU HAVE THE WHY AND THE IDENTITY AND WHAT REALLY MATTERS RIGHT UP FRONT. AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THESE COMPONENTS THAT YOU CAN KIND OF PLUG IN OVER TIME AND SWAP OUT THAT FIT WITHIN THAT. AND THEN THE THIRD PART IS, THE, THE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM. SO SPECIFIC STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS, TIMING RESOURCES. AND WE'RE GOING TO ALWAYS COME AT THIS FROM A VERY RESOURCE CONSCIOUS PLACE OF WHAT DOES GARLAND HAVE THE RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S MONEY, STAFF, POLITICAL WILL, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE'S CHALLENGES WITH IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THESE IDEAS, WE WANT TO PUSH IN AND LEAN INTO THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN THIS PROCESS. AND NOT IGNORE THAT. AND THEN THOSE COME UP, YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS STAFF STARTS TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN AND THEN THESE THINGS KIND OF START TO BUBBLE UP OF LIKE, NO, WE CAN'T OR WE WON'T OR OR WHATEVER. SO WE REALLY WANT TO TRY TO PUSH INTO WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE OBJECTIS AND RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE PROGRAM THAT WE GIVE YOU IS REALISTIC, AND IMPLEMENT IMPLEMENTABLE WITH THE RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE. TIMELINE. ANDY MENTIONED THIS 18 MONTH PROCESS, IT'S LONG, BUT IT TAKES A WHILE TO EDUCATE AND INFORM AND BRING PEOPLE ALONG, THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS IS YOU DO A VERY ACCELERATED SCHEDULE AND PEOPLE THE FEEDBACK YOU'LL GET IS PEOPLE FELT LEFT OUT. THEY THEY GOT INVOLVED TOO LATE AND THEY WEREN'T INVOLVED TO ENGAGE. AND THIS ALSO GIVES A LITTLE BIT OF BREATHING ROOM FOR STAFF. AND THIS IS, THIS IS SOMETHING AGAIN THAT WE LEARNED FROM SOME OF OUR STAFF THAT HAVE WORKED ON THE CITY SIDE OF. YOU HAVE A LOT GOING ON IN THIS COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW, AND YOU HAVE A STAFF THAT'S VERY, VERY STRETCHED. THEY'RE AWESOME PEOPLE, BUT THERE'S A LIMIT TO WHAT THEY CAN DO. AND SO WE DON'T WE DON'T WANT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO LIKE PUT TOO MUCH OF A BURDEN ON THEM OR ON YOU ALL, FRANKLY, SO SPREADING THIS OUT, WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT THIS VERY, KIND OF VERY STRUCTURED THAT WE HAVE THE SAME PROCESS THAT, THAT WE'VE USED BEFORE. PHASE ONE IS ASSESS OR DATA COLLECTION, TALKING WITH FOLKS, JUST KIND OF INPUT ABOUT THE COMMUNITY. THAT'LL WRAP UP IN NOVEMBER. PHASE TWO, WE GET INTO WHAT WE CALL EXPLORER, WHICH IS WHERE WE START TO LOOK AT VISION AND VALUES AND KIND OF KEY PRIORITIES. PHASE THREE WE CALL ORGANIZE THAT.HAT WILL RUN FROM APRIL TO JUNE OF NEXT YEAR. WE START TO KIND OF ORGANIZE THE TEXT. WE START TO GET THE BIG IDEAS AND KIND OF PRIORITY ACTION ITEMS AND THE MAPS TOGETHER, PHASE 4TH JULY OF NEXT YEAR TO NOVEMBER IS WHERE WE BASICALLY DRAFT THE PLAN. WE LOOK AT IMPLEMENTATION PRIORITIES, START TO VET THINGS OF WHAT CAN WE REALISTICALLY DO. DRAFT THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE PLAN, THE STAFF REVIEW THE PUBLIC REVIEW, AND THEN THE LAST PHASE, ADOPTION IS THE SHORTEST PHASE OF THE PLAN. THAT'S BASICALLY WHERE WE TAKE ALL OF THE COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT. WE GET THE FINAL REVISIONS, AND THEN WE DO THE PUBLIC MEETINGS, TO GET TO ADOPTION AND ROLL THE PLAN OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. OOH, THAT'S A LOT OF ME TALKING, SO I APPRECIATE THE LISTENING, NOBODY FELL ASLEEP YET. THAT'S GOOD, SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO DO INTRODUCTIONS, AND WE HAVE A BIG GROUP HERE. SO THIS WILL TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, BUT I WANT YOU TO DO THREE THINGS FOR ME.FIRST, JUST YOUR NAME. I CAN READ IT, BUT JUST FOR OUR FOLKS AND NOTES IN THE IN THE RECORD, SAY YOUR NAME. I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW LONG YOU'VE LIVED. OR WORKED IN GARLAND, AND THEN NUMBER THREE IS JUST WHEREVER YOU WANT TO GO WITH THIS. BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE TOP THING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THIS PLAN TO ADDRESS? NO CONSTRAINTS ON THAT. YOU CAN SAY WHATEVER WHATEVER YOU WANT THAT TO BE. SOSO I'M GOING TO AK THE MAYOR TO GO FIRST, AND THEN I'M GOING TO GO RIGHT. SO YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NEXT AND YOU KNOW YOUR LAST MAYOR, YOU'RE UP AND I'LL JUST FOR AS FAR AS EVERYBODY UP HERE, I'LL QUEUE YOUR MICS UP WHEN IT COMES TO YOU. AND THEN WE'LL DEAL WITH THE MICS DOWN ON THE FLOOR. THAT'S GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE MORE COORDINATION FOR MAYOR, I GUESS IF YOU WOULD LIKE, IF YOU WANT TO GO LAST. NO, I CAN GO NOW. I'M GOOD, I'M GOOD. I'M JUST MAKING SURE THAT THE BUTTON PUSHING THAT GOES ON UP HERE, SCOTT LEMAY, MY TIME IN GARLAND, 25 YEARS, AND I THINK THE TOP ITEM THAT THIS PLAN SHOULD ADDRESS IS THE REDEVELOPMENT OF AGING OR AGED OUT, SHOPPING DISTRICTS, RETAIL AREAS, AND CONVERTING THOSE TO. I DON'T
[00:35:02]
KNOW THAT THEY ALL NECESSARILY BE NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO NEW RETAIL, I THINK SOME OF THEM NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO RESIDENTIAL, AND I THINK THAT IS MY TOP PRIORITY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. LET'S SEE HERE. GO AHEAD. MARGARET LOOKED. I'VE BEEN HERE. MY WHOLE LIFE. I ACTUALLY WORK HERE, TOO. I ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT. I'D LOVE TO IMPROVE THE ESTHETICS AROUND OUR AGING SHOPPING CENTERS AND IN NEIGHBORHOODS, AND I WANT TO KEEP RESIDENTS HERE AND DRAW IN RESIDENTS FROM OUTSIDE OF GARLAND SO THAT WE CAN GET MORE SALES TAX. GOT IT. THANK YOU, I'M CARISSA DUTTON, I'VE BEEN HERE 38 YEARS, TOP ITEM PLAN AGAIN, THE THIRD WORLD COUNTRY AREAS OF GARLAND. I WOULD LIKE TO, MAKE THOSE A LITTLE BETTER, ASIDE FROM THAT, YOUTH, A HEAVY FOCUS ON YOUTH AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO ON OUR END TO KEEP THEM ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW AS BEST AS POSSIBLE AND TO KEEP THEM HERE LONG TERM. GOOD STUFF.DYLAN HEDRICK BEEN HERE IN GARLAND SINCE 2015, AND I APPRECIATE AS A FELLOW CIVIL ENGINEER, THE INFRASTRUCTURE PART OF IT, THE COST OF IT WORKING TODAY ON A COST ESTIMATE FOR WATER AND SEWER LINES. I CAN APPRECIATE THE ACTUAL COST, WHAT IT TAKES TO PUT IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOW WE'RE GOING PAY FOR IT. WHERE'D YOU GO TO SCHOOL? RICE OKAY. WERE YOU TAUGHT ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS AFTER WE DESIGN IT? THE ONLY TIME IT WOULD EVER COME UP WAS IN SENIOR DESIGN WHEN WE ACTUALLY HAD TO PAY, YOU KNOW, PUT PRICES TO OUR LIFE CYCLE. COST. EXACTLY. YEAH AND THAT WAS AT THE VERY TAIL END AFTER FOUR YEARS. SO. YEAH.
SO SO YOUR BIG THING IS INFRASTRUCTURE. INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHAT I HEARD FROM YOUR PRESENTATION EARLIER IS THE DENSITY. YOU HAVE TO INCREASE DENSITY TO GET THE REVENUE TO PAY FOR THAT. SO HOW DOES THAT RELATE? YEAH WELL, SOMETHING WE MIGHT TAP INTO WITH YOUR EXPERTISE AND STAFFS TOO IS THIS KIND OF THE TENSION OR THE BALANCE BETWEEN ADDITIONAL DENSITY AND THE ADDITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THAT DENSITY, THAT'S THAT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT COMES UP. SO THAT'S, THAT'S A FUN THING TO DIG INTO. I'D LIKE TO GET INTO IT LATER FOR SURE. YEAH HI, I'M CHRIS AND I'VE BEEN LIVING IN GARLAND SINCE 1984, ONE OF THE TOP THINGS I WANT TO ADDRESS IS, IS, AGING HOUSES. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF HOUSES THAT ARE UNDER 1000FTā S. AND HOW DO E DEAL WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THOSE? OKAY, THAT'S A GOOD ONE, I DON'T GET AN OPINION. HE HE IS OUR. YOU'RE JUST GOING TO TELL US ALL THE THINGS WE CAN'T DO LATER, RIGHT? YES. WE. I ONLY TURN HIS MIC ON IN IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES. IF WE COULD START DOWN HERE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER BASS. THANK YOU, JEFF BASS. I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND FOR 16 YEARS NOW, AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR AGING SOUTHERN CORRIDORS. OKAY? OKAY I'M CHRIS BEARD. I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND ABOUT 34 YEARS. LIVING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S GOT ONE OF THOSE LITTLE SMALL SHOPPING CENTERS THAT USED TO BE THE WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER THAT IS NOW NOT. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THOSE TO COME BACK AS AS PLACES THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAN GO TO GET THEIR SHOPPING NEEDS MET. AND IT BE VIBRANT AND BEAUTIFUL AND WELCOMING AND DID BACK BACK IN THE DAY, DID PEOPLE USED TO WALK TO THAT CENTER FROM THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS, OR WAS IT ALWAYS A DRIVE TO KIND OF PLACE IT WAS BOTH, BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF WALKING, TO IT. I USED TO WALK TO IT ALL THE TIME, THERE WAS A THERE'S STILL A LITTLE GROCERY STORE THERE THAT'S NOT AS WALKABLE AS IT USED TO BE, BUT YEAH, IT IT WAS JUST NOW IT'S THRIFT STORES AND A LITTLE GROCERY STORE AND THAT'S IT. SO WE HAVE SOME IDEAS THAT HAVE WORKED IN OTHER PLACE, I MAY ADD MORE. AND I'VE BEEN HERE FOR I GUESS, 20 YEARS NOW. EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN HERE. I REALLY THOUGHT I WAS A NEWCOMER, BUT I'VE BEEN HERE A WHILE. OKAY BUT FOR ME, I'M THINKING THAT AS WE HAVE BECOME SOMEWHAT LANDLOCKED, I'M LOOKING MORE TO THE FUTURE IN THE WAY OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE UNEXPLORED. AND THAT IS OUR OUR COASTAL LINE AS IT RELATES TO LAKE RAY HUBBARD, THE WATERFRONT. I BELIEVE THAT, WE NEED TO BEGIN TO TAKE A LOOK AT EXPLORING IDEAS BY WHICH WE CAN UTILIZE. BECAUSE IF YOU CAN'T GO OUT INLAND, THEY'RE ONLY
[00:40:06]
FRONTIER LEFT IS THE WATER. AND WE HAVE ABOUT 75, 85% OF OUR OF OUR COASTAL LINE IS LAKE RAY HUBBARD. AND AS WE LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OF THE PENINSULA, THERE, AND ALL THE WORK THAT'S TAKING PLACE OVER IN ROWLETT AND MORALE, I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE JUST SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AND TO BECOME SOMEWHAT OF A DESTINATION LOCATION HERE IN GARLAND. SO THAT'S WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DO SOME EXPLORATION. YEAH, A BALANCE SOME OF THE HOW DO WE TAKE CARE OF THE OLDER PARTS. GOT IT. YES, SIR. BJ WILLIAMS I'VE BEEN AROUND THIS TOWN SINCE 19. I FEEL LIKE WE DID SOME STUFF YEARS AGO THAT WE'VE MET BEFORE IN BOTH OF OUR OTHER LIVES. YOU AND I MET, OKAY? IN IN OUR OTHER LIVES, I'VE BEEN IN THIS TOWN SINCE 1971, TWO THINGS. OUR AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, WHERE CITY AND I'M TALKING ABOUT ABOVE GROUND AND BELOW GROUND, IT'S A REAL HAS BEEN A REAL CHALLENGE FOR OUR CITY. AND SECONDLY, OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THERE'S A HOW CAN I PHRASE THIS? THERE'S A HOUSING DIVIDE IN OUR CITY, QUALITY LEVEL. AND AS IT RELATES TO QUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY. AND AGAIN, THERE'S A PERCEPTION AND I DON'T THINK PERCEPTION IS CORRECT NOR TRUE. BUT THERE'S A PERCEPTION THAT WE HAVE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TALE OF TWO CITIES THAT I USE PERCEPTION OKAY. HOW WE ADDRESS THAT, I'M NOT SURE HOW WE DRESS THAT, BUT PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF HOUSING, MOST OF OUR AGING OLDER HOUSING STOCK IS IN CENTRAL CITY OF THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF THE CITY. HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT? AND THIRDLY, THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, I THINK THAT THE, THE FINAL VERSION OF THIS, THAT IT HAS LIFE AND IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER EXERCISE. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF EXERCISES IN THIS CITY, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, QUOTE, PLAYING IN THIS CITY. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION, BUT I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR MOST OF THE RESIDENTS IN THIS CITY. THEY WANT SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP FACILITATE HELP OUR STAFF, OUR FUTURE COUNCILS. OKAY. THAT CAN ACTUALLY BE EXECUTABLE. THAT'S THE TERM I'M LOOKING FOR. THANK YOU. I HAVE A TON OF RESPECT FOR THAT. AND I, THAT'S OUR GOAL. AND I WOULD JUST. I WOULD CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU. JUST JUST KNOW THAT TO DO THAT, WE'RE GOING TO LEAN INTO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MAYBE ARE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO SAY CONTROVERSIAL, BUT BUT THERE'S THINGS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT OUT THERE WITH DATA AND EXAMPLES FROM OTHER PLACES. AND AGAIN, FIND THAT FIND WHAT'S RIGHT FOR GARLAND. BUT WE DON'T WANT TO. THE FASTEST WAY TO GET A PLAN ON THE SHELF IS TO AVOID THE HARD CONVERSATIONS. AND SO IT'S OUR JOB. WE'LL TAKE THE BULLETS, WE WILL PUT THE STUFF OUT THERE AND FACILITATE IT. AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE SO WE'RE NEVER GOING TO GET CONSENSUS, BUT WHAT WE WANT TO TRY TO GET IS CONSENSUS. WE WANT EVERYBODY TO FEEL HEARD, FEEL LISTENED TO, UNDERSTAND WHY THE DECISIONS WERE MADE SO THAT LATER ON, YOU KNOW, WHEN A DECISION OR A PROJECT OR INVESTMENT, SOMETHING HAPPENS.THEY THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHY THEY DIDN'T GET THEIR WAY. AND WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO HELP EVERYBODY GET, GET SOMETHING OUT OF THIS. BUT TO REALLY START TO PUSH FORWARD THROUGH SOME OF THESE SOMETIMES HARD, YOU KNOW, SOME HARD CHOICES HAVE TO BE MADE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AND TRY TO FACILITATE THAT IN A WAY THAT WE CAN GET TO THOSE THOSE ANSWERS. VERY GOOD. AND WE WILL MOVE NOW TO OUR PLANNING COMMISSION. CHAIRMAN THEN WE'LL START DOWN HERE WITH OUR VICE CHAIRS AND WORK OUR WAY ACROSS. GOT IT. HOWDY. MY NAME IS SCOTT ROBERTSON. JUST SO YOU THESE FOLKS KNOW, I NEVER HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY, LET ME GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND. I'M AN ARCHITECT BY TRADE. STARTED IN-HOUSE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. SO I HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR COST AND EVERYTHING. I'VE LIVED HERE SINCE 1980 AND SINCE ABOUT 1986, 87. I'VE SERVED ON SOME BOARD COMMITTEE COMMISSION, A LOT OF THEM DEALING WITH THE ZONING. I'VE CHAIRED THE PLANNING COMMISSION. I THINK I JUST ELECTED ME FOR MY 18TH TERM. SO I'VE SERVED ON IT LIKE 19 YEARS, 18 YEARS. SO HOPEFULLY I CAN BE A RESOURCE. BUT THEN AGAIN, ALL RESOURCES AREN'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS THE GOOD ONES. BUT IN TERMS OF A GOAL, I'VE DONE A LOT OF HOUSING AND I SEE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND, ESPECIALLY WITH THE COMPLETION OF 635. WE'VE SEEN IT IN DALLAS, THE GENTRIFICATION, THE REBUILDING OF NEIGHBORHOODS, WHETHER IT'S SLOW OR RAPID, WE'VE SEEN IT IN CARROLLTON AND FORT WORTH. AND SO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ON THAT TO WORK ON BRINGING THE HOUSING UP TO DATE
[00:45:05]
AND EVERYTHING. AND ONE THING YOU DO NEED TO KNOW WE ARE GOOD AT ACCEPTING DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT THINGS. WE'VE ZONED IN ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT STYLES OF HOUSING WHERE OTHER CITIES WOULDN'T. YEAH, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT WAS ATTRACTIVE TO OUR TEAM. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WERE ATTRACTIVE TO OUR TEAM. BUT, WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HELP YOU GUYS. WHICH WAY YOU WANT ME TO GO? LET'S GO WITH OUR COMMISSIONER, OUR VICE CHAIR AND THE SECOND VICE CHAIR OF THE PLAN AREE MAKE SURE WE'RE ON AUDIO, GUYS. TWO GLASSES ON.YEAH. THERE WE GO. THERE WE GO. ALL RIGHT. WAYNE DALTON I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND FOR 21 YEARS. I AGREE WITH WHAT THE MAYOR SAID ABOUT AGING INFRASTRUCTURE. AS FAR AS NOT UTILITIES, BUT THE CITY ITSELF. WE'VE GOT AGING NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE BEYOND WHAT IS ATTRACTIVE TO THOSE AROUND. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US BECOME A DESTINATION FOR SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS TO COME HERE INSTEAD OF US GOING THERE FOR ENTERTAINMENT OR FOR A NEW RESTAURANT, OR FOR SOMETHING WHERE SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE EAST, INCLUDING YOUR HOME, ARE DRAWING A LOT OF PEOPLE. WE HAVE SOME PLACES WE COULD BE DRAWING PEOPLE TO AS WELL. BETWEEN INTERSTATE 635 AND 190 AND BRINGING MORE THINGS, MORE EXCITEMENT TO THE CITY. HI. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JULIUS JENKINS. I'M THE FIRST VICE CHAIR. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT A DECADE. MY WIFE HAS BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS, AND I GOT HERE AS SOON AS I COULD. THAT BEING SAID, I'D LIKE TO MIRROR EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID UP HERE. I MEAN, HONESTLY, AFFORDABILITY, VIBRANCY, DESTINATION, LOCATION, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE GREEN SPACES, THOUGH, ARE ALSO SOMETHING THAT I THINK ARE TRULY A GIFT TO THIS CITY. I MEAN, WE HAVE SOME AMAZING TRAILS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPROVED UPON AND REDEVELOPED RECENTLY, AND I'VE GOT FRIENDS THAT LOVE WALKING THOSE TRAILS AND SOME OF THE PARKS. SO YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID. PLUS THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ESTHETIC I'D LIKE TO SEE INCLUDED IN THIS PLAN. SO THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. I'M STEPHANIE PARIS. DISTRICT THREE IS WHERE I RESIDE. AND MUCH LIKE HAS BEEN ALREADY MENTIONED IN TERMS OF THE OPPORTUNITY AREAS IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE, ETC, BUT MY LEAN IN IS THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT TO GARLAND AND SEE GARLAND AS A PLACE THAT I WANT TO GO. VACATION. THEY HAVE AMENITIES. WE HAVE AMENITIES THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO WANT TO SPEND MONEY IN GARLAND AND LEAVE GARLAND AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR VACATION, OR EVEN FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON TO GO AND SURF BECAUSE THERE IS SUCH A PLACE, RIGHT, NOT UP THE STREET. UP THE STREET FROM US. SO I JUST WANT US TO BE MORE ATTRACTIVE TO ESPECIALLY THOSE FAMILIES AND YOUNG ADULTS THAT ARE GROWING. AND THEY WANT PLACES TO GO. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AND MEET THE NEEDS OF EVERYONE, ALL AGES, ALL DEMOGRAPHICS, ETC. BUT WE HAVE TO BE ATTRACTIVE AND WANT PEOPLE TO COME. AND SO I'M LOOKING TO THAT VIBRANCY BACK TO OUR CITY. HOPEFULLY THAT MAKES SENSE. YEAH HELLO, GEORGIE. THERE YOU GO. WE'RE VERY CLOSE. GEORGIE. CORNELIUS AND I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND THREE YEARS AND. WELL, YOU KNOW, I WANT IT TO BE ACTIVE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH, COUNCILMAN WILLIAM WILLIAMS, MY COUNCILMAN, ABOUT THE TALE OR THE PERCEPTION OF THE TALE OF THE TWO CITIES. I FIND MYSELF, MY SON, LIVES IN NORTH GARLAND, AND I FIND MYSELF LIKE, OH, THAT'S NICE. AND I WISH WE HAD THAT IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF GARLAND. I PURPOSELY WANT IT TO BE HERE IN ORDER TO BE ACTIVE AND SEE WHAT COULD HAPPEN, AND WHAT I HAD TO LEND TO THE SOUTHERN SECTOR. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE REVITALIZED ON SO MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS. SO THAT'S MY DEAR. THANK YOU. THEY'RE GOING I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND COUNTY. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? OKAY GOOD. JARED JONES I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND FOR TEN YEARS, AND I AGREE WITH WHAT A LOT OF OTHERS HAVE SAID AS FAR AS, REDEVELOPING AGING SHOPPING CENTERS AND EVERYTHING AND THE ESTHETICS AND ALSO WANT TO SEE US ADDRESS OUTDATED PRACTICES, WE MIGHT NOT BE THINKING ABOUT, LIKE STRAIGHT ZONING AND CAR CENTRIC ROADS. I AM PATRICK ABEL
[00:50:03]
FROM DISTRICT SIX, WEST GARLAND. I'VE BEEN HERE 26 YEARS. I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY SAID. I MOST AM WORRIED ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE, BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW GROUND, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ALL OF THIS NOT ALIENATE OUR OLDER CITIZENS AND CHASE THEM AWAY FROM THE CITY BECAUSE THEY'RE WHAT MADE US WHAT WE ARE. SO YOU KNOW, WE CAN USE THE PAST TO GROW. SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO BRING ALL THIS IN, LET'S REALIZE THAT WE NEED CITIZENS OF ALL AGES. SO I, MY WIFE IS A COUNSELOR SLASH THERAPIST. AND ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS, TOO, ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN IS WHEN YOU TALK TO SOME OF THE YOUTH. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF Y'ALL, BUT BUT WHEN I WHEN I WAS GROWING UP AND LIVING IN SOME DIFFERENT PLACES, I HAVE THIS THIS STORY I'LL TELL. WE USED TO WALK HOME FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND WE CALLED HER MISS LINDA, BUT SHE WAS LIKE 80 SOMETHING. WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW OLD, BUT SHE WAS OUT ON HER FRONT PORCH.SHE ALWAYS HAD LEMONADE AND WE WOULD GO AND GET THE STORIES AND THE. AND THAT TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE THAT THAT I WAS ABLE, ABLE TO HAVE GROWING UP AND BEING ABLE TO GO OUT AND KIND OF EXPERIMENT A LITTLE AS A KID AND TRY TO, YOU KNOW, PROCESS RISK OF, CAN I JUMP ACROSS THIS CREEK OR WHATEVER? WE'VE DESIGNED A LOT OF THAT OUT OF OUR KIDS LIVES, AND SO PART OF IF YOU IF YOU STUDY SOME OF THE URBAN PLANNING, URBAN DESIGN, YOU'LL, YOU'LL HEAR THE NAME JANE JACOBS AND EYES ON THE STREET AND, BRINGING I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO COMMUNITY AND LONG TERM KIND OF, JUST HEALTH OF COMMUNITIES TO BRIDGE THAT GAP, BRING THAT GAP BACK TOGETHER OF GENERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND CONNECTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES. GROWING UP IN ROSWELL. YEAH WELL, I WISH MY KIDS COULD HAVE IT TODAY IN ROCKWALL BECAUSE IT'S A LOT HARDER TO DO, BUT BUT THAT THAT PART IS PART OF IT. THE OTHER PART I WANT TO MENTION IS SOMETIMES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AND SMALL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT A LOT WITH AGING STRIP CENTERS AND HOW TO HOW TO DO SOME OF THAT. SOMETIMES THE BIG BANKS ARE NOT GOING TO INVEST IN THAT SMALLER DEVELOPMENT, BUT AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE IN COMMUNITIES. WE CALL THEM COMMUNITY INVESTORS. BUT THE BOOMERS ARE THE RICHEST GENERATION IN THIS COUNTRY EVER, AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO INTO GARLAND AND ASK THEM, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THEY'RE INVESTING IN STOCK MARKET WHEREVER. BUT ARE THERE PROJECTS AND PLACES FOR ESPECIALLY FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN IN GARLAND FOR SO LONG THAT THEY MIGHT BE WILLING TO INVEST IN THEIR COMMUNITY? AND, YOU KNOW, BRIDGING SOME OF THAT FINANCIAL GAP TO GET STARTED OR SUSTAIN SOME OF THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STUFF. SO I THINK THE OLDER GENERATION, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING REDEVELOPMENT ESPECIALLY, AND BRINGING BACK SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS THAT THAT I THINK ARE KEY TO LONG TERM KIND OF FISCAL HEALTH, YOU KNOW, EMOTIONAL HEALTH, PHYSICAL HEALTH, I THINK CONNECTING THOSE GENERATIONS TOGETHER IS A HUGE PART OF THIS PLAN. AND SOMEONE EARLIER IN THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE CONVERSATION, YOU KNOW, BROUGHT UP, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE INVOLVE THE YOUTH IN THIS AS WELL, BECAUSE WE'RE ULTIMATELY BUILDING GARLAND FOR THE FUTURE RESIDENTS. NOT SO MUCH THOSE THAT ARE HERE TODAY. GOOD STUFF. YES SIR. MIKE ROSE, DISTRICT SEVEN, THERE'S NOT MUCH I COULD ADD TO ALL THAT HAS BEEN SAID. I THINK INFRASTRUCTURE IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE ENTIRE CITY, A SIMPLE THINGS COULD BE DONE, PERHAPS BY INSTALLING NEW STREET LIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, LED LIGHTS. MY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS VERY NICE LED LIGHTS. WHEN I'VE BEEN HERE ABOUT 15, 17 YEARS. ANYWAY, WHEN I MOVED IN, THEY WERE THE OLD FASHIONED KIND OF STREET LIGHTS. AND NOW THE. THEY'RE A BLACK POLE. AND WITH THE LED LIGHTS, AND THEY SURE DO LIGHT UP THE STREETS A WHOLE LOT BETTER, THAT'S A SIMPLE THING. THAT COULD BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE CITY AND PERHAPS MAKE IT A LITTLE SAFER, BECAUSE THEY'RE A WHOLE LOT BRIGHTER THAN THE, THE OTHER KIND OF LIGHTS. BUT I AGREE WITH WHAT EVERYTHING IS SAID, AND I CAN KIND OF EXPAND ON THAT BRIEFLY WHEN WE GET A LITTLE FURTHER INTO THE PLAN.
WE'RE DOING KIND OF BROAD ENGAGEMENT RIGHT NOW, BUT THEN WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSESSMENTS AND A QUESTION WE ALWAYS LIKE TO ASK IS, WHAT IS ONE SMALL THING THAT COULD BE DONE IN YOUR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW THAT WOULD IMPROVE YOUR DAILY QUALITY OF LIFE AND EVERY TIME WE DO THAT, STAFF ARE ALWAYS SURPRISED AT WHAT THEY HEAR AND THEY'RE LIKE, WE COULD HAVE DONE THAT YESTERDAY. IT'S JUST RIPPING OUT A DEAD TREE, PUTTING A TRASH CAN AT THE PARK, FIXING A BROKEN LIGHT BULB. THERE'S ALWAYS LITTLE THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE THAT YOU GUYS IN THE HUBBUB, THE DAILY PART OF CITY, YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT THEM. AND IT'S LITTLE STUFF LIKE THAT THAT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE. SO PART OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS
[00:55:05]
WHAT ARE LITTLE SMALL WINS THAT WE CAN CONNECT, TO GET PEOPLE TO LOVE THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS A LITTLE BIT MORE. NOW, STREET LIGHTS CITY WIDE, THAT'S A THAT'S A DOLLAR AMOUNT UP FROM WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. BUT IT IS THE KIND OF THING THAT, BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT DOES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, BOB DUCKWORTH, AM I ON? YES. OKAY BOB DUCKWORTH, I CALL MYSELF A 43 MODEL, AND YOU CAN FIGURE OUT MY AGE FROM THAT. I WAS BORN AND GREW UP IN THIS COMMUNITY. I'VE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE EXCEPT FOR A FEW YEARS GOING FORTH TO TAKE CARE OF AGING RELATIVES UP AROUND LAKE LAVON, I WENT TO WORK IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY IN 1962 ON THE SQUARE AND SPENT MY ENTIRE LIFE IN THE BANKING BUSINESS IN THIS CITY. AND I CAN I CAN TELL STORIES FOR HOURS ABOUT PEOPLE THAT I LOANED MONEY TO, TO START A BUSINESS TO, TO SAVE A BUSINESS, SO I HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY OF HOW THIS WHERE THIS CITY IS, ABOUT, I GUESS IT'S 20 YEARS AGO. 30, MAYBE. I RAN A FIVE YEAR DOWNTOWN GARLAND, MAIN STREET, GARLAND PROGRAM IS WHAT WE CALLED IT, TO TRY TO PULL OUR CICITY BACK OM FROM TOTAL FAILURE, FROM THE DOWNTOWN AREA.AND ONE OF MY GREATEST DREAMS I'VE SEEN IS WHAT WE'VE DONE NOW. BUT HE'S ALSO TAUGHT ME A LESSON IN OUR. MY HAT'S OFF TO OUR COUNCIL. I WAS ON THE 19 BOND COMMITTEE, AND ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES TO THEM WAS, LET'S GET IT DONE. AND THEY'VE DONE THAT. THEY THEY'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB. AND I THINK THE CITIZENS APPRECIATE THAT. I KNOW, I APPRECIATE IT, BECAUSE THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE MORE IT COSTS, AND IT'S HIGH ENOUGH AS IT IS. SO, AS FAR AS THE PLAN.
OKAY. LONGER YOU WAIT, THE MORE EXPENSIVE IT GETS. YES, SIR, WE SHOULD HAVE DONE A LOT OF THINGS. AND I'LL TELL YOU FROM HISTORICALLY, FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, FROM THE COUNCIL, BOTH WE'VE HAD WE'VE HAD BOARDS IN, IN, IN AND COUNCILS THAT WAITED TOO LONG TO DO THINGS. AND NOW WE'RE PAYING TRIPLE AND QUADRUPLE WHAT IT WOULD HAVE COST TO DO IT. THEN. I THINK ONE OF THE KEY THINGS THAT I WANT TO SEE, AND I'M ON THE BOND COMMITTEE TOO, SO I'VE HAD THREE WEEKS OF FOUR WEEKS OF MY, MY BRAIN KIND OF SLASHING AROUND AND LOOKING AT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, REDEVELOPMENT AND, AND IN THAT, IN THAT PLAN. MY GOAL IS A PART OF THAT GROUP IS TO SEE US DO SOMETHING IN OUR ENTIRE CITY SO THAT WHEN OUR VOTERS GO TO VOTE ON IT, THEY CAN SAY, I'M A PART OF THAT. I DON'T WANT TO SEE US DO IT IN ONE GENERAL AREA. I WANT TO SEE IT FOR EVERYBODY. AND OUR LAST BOND HAD THAT SOMEWHAT. IT IMPROVED OUR ENTIRE CITY. SO I THINK EQUITY EVERY EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY SAID, I THINK WE CAN DO FROM AN EQUITY STANDPOINT, WE CAN PROVIDE SOMETHING FOR EVERY CITIZEN THAT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE. AND YES, I USED TO LIVE WITH THAT STORE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT IS AND I USED TO WALK TO IT TO GET I HEARD WHEN I WAS TO GET GROCERIES, I HEARD SOMEBODY OVER HERE SAY, YEAH, YEAH, THAT WAS ME. YEAH. I LIVE DOWN THE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. MY HOUSE BURNED WHEN I WAS IN THE FIFTH GRADE, AND MY SISTER AND HER HUSBAND LIVED ABOUT THREE BLOCKS FROM THERE. SO IT WAS A EVERY 2 OR 3 DAY FAIR TO GO. BOBBY, GO GET THIS. SO BOBBY WAS MY CHILDHOOD NAME. I GO BY BOB NOW, BUT. AND I THINK WE ALL WE ALL NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A 2050 PLAN. SO WE'VE GOT ANOTHER 25 YEARS TO REACH THE GOAL THAT WE SET FOR. THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT. AM I WRONG? LET ME KNOW.
THAT'S I MEAN THAT'S THE NORTH STAR. BUT WE CERTAINLY START THE YEAR, AS YOU SAID, EVERY EVERY YEAR THAT GOES BY IT'S GOING TO GET MORE EXPENSIVE. SO WE WANT TO KIND OF START THAT MOMENTUM AND BUILD ON IT. ONE OF MY THINGS IN THE BOND, AS FAR AS THE BOND, AND I THINK WE SHOULD BRING INTO THIS TOO, IS I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF EXCESS LAND THAT'S OWNED BY GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES IN OUR CITY THAT SHOULD BE EARNING TAXES AND PAYING FOR ALL OF OUR GENERAL CARE AND WELL BEING. SO THAT'S ONE OF MY GOALS, IS IT WOULD BE TO LOOK AT FROM OUR CITY, FROM A TOTAL CITY BASIS OF WHAT KIND OF WHAT LAND DO WE HAVE THAT REALLY WOULD BE BETTER OFF DOING SOMETHING ELSE THAN GROWING GRASS. SO I THINK I COULD TALK FOR HOURS. OKAY, WELL, GOOD, REALLY GOOD STUFF, REALLY GREAT IDEAS. AND I MEAN, IT'S, THE MIX OF IDEAS FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM MORE JUST THE REALITY STUFF TO SOME OF THE VISIONARY STUFF AND BALANCING ALL THAT TOGETHER, IS ENCOURAGING TO, TO HEAR. SO I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS TO GET THROUGH. WE DO, ALWAYS WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF TIME. SO I'M GOING TO PUSH US THROUGH THESE, QUICKLY. SO THESE ARE A COUPLE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO THE PLAN. AND WE'RE PHRASING THIS INTENTIONALLY AS HOW MIGHT WE.
SO WE CAN GET YOU TO THINK, THINK OPTIMISTIC HERE. THINK ABOUT SOLUTIONS. DON'T DON'T GET IN THE RANT MODE. PLEASE NUMBER NUMBER ONE, HOW MIGHT WE REVITALIZE AGING BUILDINGS AND
[01:00:09]
COMMERCIAL CENTERS? WE READ MINDS. WE KNEW THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE ONE THAT CAME UP, NOW THIS THIS ALWAYS COMES UP IN SOME OF THE OLDER COMMUNITIES, BUT WHAT ARE JUST A FEW? I'M NOT GOING TO GO AROUND AND ASK FOR ANSWERS FROM EVERYBODY, BUT JUST A COUPLE OF YOU ALL, WHAT ARE WHAT ARE SOME SOLUTIONS? WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE SOME IDEAS? MAYBE THINGS YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN TALKING ABOUT, OR SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUT OUT THERE THAT THAT WE, OUR TEAM LEANS INTO A LITTLE BIT THAT CAN ADDRESS THIS CHALLENGE. ALL RIGHT. WE'LL START UP HERE IF YOU WANT, IN THE QUEUE AND THEN WE'LL MOVE DOWN OKAY. SO FIRST UP, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM LOOK REALLY LOVED THAT YOU MENTIONED STRONG TOWNS EARLIER. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF HEARING SOMEONE SPEAK ABOUT THAT AT A HTML CONFERENCE. AND IT REALLY MADE SENSE TO MAKE AN AREA WALKABLE AND INCREASE THAT DENSITY SO THAT PEOPLE WITHIN THE AREA HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED. SO THAT THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO DRIVE CARS AROUND TO GET SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO, DUCK IS A GOOD FRIEND. OH THAT'S. I'M JEALOUS. I DID SEND SOME INFORMATION TO ANDY AND ANGELA ABOUT. THERE'S AN EVENT COMING UP FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. CHUCK'S GOING TO BE HERE. IT'S ACTUALLY OVER IN DALLAS, BUT IT'S FREE, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO GO HEAR HIM, COUNT ME IN. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. COUNCILMEMBER WILLIAMS. THANK YOU. THANK THANK YOU, MAYOR, ON THIS QUESTION, ALL OF OUR AGING BUILDINGS AND COMMERCIAL CENTERS ARE OWNED BY SOMEBODY. HOW CAN WE ENGAGE THOSE FOLK IN THIS VISION OR THIS DREAM? BRING THEM TO THE TABLE SO THAT THEY CAN RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A BENEFIT TO THEIR INVESTMENT? WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS ON MOSTLY IN ISOLATED OR PROJECT BASIS, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN DO IT. BUT CAN WE INVOLVE SOME OF THESE FOLK ON THE FRONT END OF IT? SO THEY SAID NOT JUST AS A I GET THE CHECK EVERY MONTH. YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE THERE MAY BE, THERE MAY BE 12 SMALL BUSINESSES IN THIS COMPLEX. BUT AS LONG AS I GET A CHECK BECAUSE THE ROOF CAN LEAK, IF IT WANTS TO, BUT IF, BUT IF BUT IF BUT IF I BEGIN TO IF I CAN RECOGNIZE I'LL BE CHALLENGED TO BE A PART OF THIS SOLUTION THAT INVESTING IN THAT AGING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT AGING SHOPPING CENTER IS MORE THAN A FINANCIAL BENEFIT TO ME. THAT'S MY SUGGESTION. IT'S A GOOD ONE.WE'RE GOING TO GIVE IT A WE'RE GOING TO GIVE IT A GO, OKAY. COUNCILOR HEDRICK THANK YOU MAYOR. ONE EXAMPLE WE JUST HAD THIS PAST WEEK. WE DID A RIBBON CUTTING FOR OUR NORTH GARLAND BRANCH LIBRARY. AND AS PART OF THAT IS IN A SHOPPING CENTER. IT WAS A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WHERE WE PAIRED WITH THE SHOPPING CENTER OWNER TO REDO THE WHOLE THING. THE CITY HAS A STAKE IN IT. WITH OUR LIBRARY, WE'RE ABLE TO WORK. AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS, ABOUT HOW WE ENGAGE THAT PROPERTY OWNER, I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST ONE WE'VE REALLY DONE IN THE CITY OF GARLAND, AND IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE TOOLS WE CAN USE TO ACHIEVE THIS PERFECT LOVE. LOCAL EXAMPLES, SUCCESSFUL ONES. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD.
CHAIRMAN. YEAH LIFE GOES WITH CARROT AND STICK. YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO OFFER CARROTS, BUT I THINK WE MAY HAVE TO GET THE STICK OUT FROM TIME TO TIME. AND SOME OF THESE CENTERS THAT AREN'T IN COMPLIANCE AND STUFF AND USE EXISTING REGULATIONS TO MAYBE FORCE THE ISSUE BALANCE OF THOSE TWO, VERY GOOD. AND, YOU KNOW, AS W WE DISCUSD DURING DINNER, COUNCILMEMBER WILLIAMS AND I HAVE BEEN AT THIS FOR A LONG TIME, AS WELL AS CHAIRMAN AND COMMISSIONER DALTON, BUT, COUNCILMEMBER WILLIAMS AND I HAVE HAVE AS FAR AS THE, THE, THE OLD SHOPPING CENTER, THE LONG PAST ITS LIFE SHOPPING CENTER, WE HAVE HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS FOR COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF HOURS AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, HE AND I QUOTED ALMOST THE SAME NUMBERS AND DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD DURING DINNER, AND I THINK THAT IS A THAT YOU WERE YOU WERE ASKING ME, YOU KNOW, DURING DINNER, YOU YOU ASKED WHAT WHAT OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE WAS. AND I SAID, DEVELOPMENTALLY, FROM A DEVELOPMENT SIDE, IT'S THESE AGING, THESE OLD OUT OF DATE, SOMETIMES IN TERRIBLE CONDITION SHOPPING AREAS. AND WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE CARROT AND THE STICK SORT OF MODEL OF THAT. BUT YOU ASKED ME, ALSO AT THE END OR AT THE END OF
[01:05:06]
THAT DISCUSSION, YOU ASKED ME WHAT I THOUGHT OUR GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES WERE, AND I HAD TO THINK ABOUT IT FOR A MINUTE. AND REALLY, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THOSE AREAS ARE OUR GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE AS WE DISCUSSED, WE ARE OUT OF LAND. WE ARE ESSENTIALLY OUT OF DIRT HERE, AND THOSE THOSE, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU'VE GOT AN INTERSECTION WHERE YOU'VE GOT A LARGE OLD, OUTDATED SHOPPING AREA AT EVERY CORNER, THAT IS A HUGE CHALLENGE FOR US BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ONE INTERSECTION. IT'S DOZEN, DOZENS. AND MILES, AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, FIGURING OUT A WAY TO ADDRESS THAT AND TO OVERCOME SOME OF THOSE OBSTACLES OF, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY GOING TO THE RENT CHECKS ARE GOING TO COME IN REGARDLESS. AND GETTING PAST SOME OF THAT AND GETTING BEYOYOND, I THK IS A HUGE THING FOR US, I'M GOING TO JUMP OVER TO DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM MORE OR EXCUSE ME, MAYOR PRO TEM MORE. SORRY. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. PERSONALLY, I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING PRESENTLY, WHAT'S TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW IS THE MANNER BY WHICH WE'RE GOING TO REVITALIZE THE AGING BUILDINGS, COMMERCIAL FACILITIES. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THIS I THINK WE JUST HAVE TO BE PURPOSEFUL. I THINK WE GET SO BUSY TOO OFTEN CAUGHT UP IN THE RULAR RUN OF THE MILL KINDS OF THINGS THAT COUNCIL AND THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH. AND IT'S JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE. IT'S LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NEW RONALD JONES BUILDING. WHEN WE BECOME PURPOSEFUL AND WE IDENTIFY THOSE BUILDINGS, WE IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON AND THEN BRINGING AS THIS ALREADY IS BRINGING THE STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER AGAIN, BEING PURPOSEFUL ABOUT IT. THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO GO ABOUT REVITALIZING THEM. IT'S THAT SITUATION, THOUGH, OF IF WE'RE NOT PURPOSEFUL ABOUT IT, IF WE'RE NOT IDENTIFYING IT, THE SQUEAKY WHEEL IS GOING TO GET THE OIL. WE'LL NEVER ADDRESS THE SITUATIONS. SO I THINK THAT WHAT'S TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO REVITALIZE THEM. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. AND COUNCILMEMBER BASS, THANK YOU, MAYOR, YOU KNOW, MY THOUGHTS ON REVITALIZING AGING BUILDINGS AND COMMERCIAL CENTERS IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A DIRECT ANSWER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ONE SIZE FITS ALL. IT'S GOING TO BE LOCATION SPECIFIC. IT'S GOING TO BE WHAT THE NEEDS ARE OF THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD ARE, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, I FEEL THE SOLUTION IS I MEAN, OF COURSE, YOU'VE GOT TO GET THE PROPERTY OWNERS INVOLVED, STAKEHOLDERS, STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED, BUT THERE HAS TO BE A DESTINATION, YOU KNOW, HAVING THE SAME STRIP CENTER DUPLICATED 40 TIMES THROUGHOUT THE CITY DOES NOT CREATE A DESTINATION. YOU KNOW, TAKING TAKING A CORNER OR TWO CORNERS AND CREATING SOMETHING THERE, WHETHER IT BE, YOU OW, IF THERE'S A CREEK RUNNING THROUGH AND YOU, YOU KNOW, CREATE SOMETHING ALONG THE CREEK SIDE SO YOU HAVE SOMETHING THERE, WHETHER IT BE AN ENTERTAINMENT CENTER OF SOME KIND, THERE HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF DESTINATION, TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO COME TO IT. AND THAT'S ALSO HOW, YOU KNOW, WE INCREASE OUR TAX BASE THAT WAY, TOO, BY BRINGING IN THOSE TAX DOLLARS FROM OTHER CITIES, BECAUSE WE HAVE THOSE DESTINATIONS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO VISIT, AND THAT CAN THAT CAN ACTUALLY BE CREATED WITH, WITH RETAIL AS WELL. I MEAN, LOOK AT LEGACY UP IN PLAN, RIGHT, SO THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE NEEDS TO I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS OF FINDING DESTINATIONS FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD, ANY FURTHER COMMENTS UP HERE? WE'LL MOVE DOWN TO THE FLOOR. AND IF ANYBODY HAS SOMETHING I WAS JUST GOING TO ADD AND BUILD ON TO THE DESTINATION PIECE IN TERMS OF I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY OF WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AND WHAT THEY WANT, BECAUSE THAT'S IS OFTENTIMES WHEN WE SEE DESOLATE AREAS, IT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. AND BACK TO, YOU KNOW, WE SPOKE DESTINATION A LOT HERE AND ATTRACTION TO SO WHAT IS GOING TO ATTRACT TO THAT AREA AND THE WAY TO KNOW THAT IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF THAT COMMUNITY. LIKE YOU SAID, LIKE YOU MENTIONED THAT IT IS LIKELY SPECIFIC TO EACH LOCATION, BUT IF YOU'RE MEETING THE NEEDS, THEN THESE AREAS WILL BE OFTEN MORE USED FOR THE PURPOSES BECAUSE IT'S MEETING THE NEEDS OF THAT COMMUNITY AND THE ATTRACTION THAT THEY WOULD HAVE. SO I JUST WANT TO ADD AND TO BUILD ON TO THAT, THAT'S REALLY GOOD STUFF. AND SOME OF SOME OF WHAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT WITH THESE AGING CENTERS AND SOME OF THE STRATEGY IS GOING BACK INTO THESE PLACES FIRST, TALKING AND TRYING TO IDENTIFY AND CONNECT WITH THE OWNERS OF THEM, BUT ALSO ENGAGING WITH THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE RIGHT AROUND THESE AREAS AND ASKING THEM, WHAT? HOW COULD THIS CENTER RIGHT HERE CONTRIBUTE AND IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE? YOU KNOW WHAT'S MISSING AND[01:10:04]
TRYING TO PUT THOSE THINGS IN THAT CENTER AND MAKING SOME OF THESE MORE OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY CENTERS FIRST. AND THEN WHEN WE OVERLAY THAT CITYWIDE WITH SOME OF THE MARKET STUFF, WE'RE GOING TO FIND SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE A LITTLE MORE UNIQUE THINGS TO THEM. THAT CAN BE A LITTLE MORE OF A DRAW, FROM PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CITY AND EVEN OUTSIDE THE CITY AS WELL. BUT DON'T OVERLOOK. AND I'M REALLY GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP, BECAUSE THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT THE LOOK AT THE FOLKS THAT ARE LIVING RIGHT THERE. AND I ASKED YOU THAT QUESTION OF, CAN WE BRING THAT? DID YOU USED TO WALK TO IT? CAN WE BRING IT BACK THAT THAT INTEREST AND DEMAND, WHETHER IT'S OLDER GENERATION, YOUNGER GENERATION FOR COMPLETE NEIGHBORHOODS, MORE THINGS WALKABLE, CLOSER. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE IN A CAR TO GET EVERYWHERE THAT IS GROWING. AND YOU GUYS HAVE THE FRAMEWORK TO PROVIDE A LOT OF THAT. BY LOOKING AT SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THESE CENTERS AND SAYING, HOW CAN WE MAKE THEM A NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER FIRST AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IN BRINGING SOME OF THAT MORE OF THAT RETAIL OF THE LOCAL COFFEE SHOP OR SOME OF THOSE DAILY NEEDS, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. BUT THE DATA WILL TELL US A LITTLE BIT. BUT THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FOLKS THAT LIVE, YOU KNOW, HALF A BLOCK AWAY IS GOING TO TELL US A LOT, A LOT MORE. SO ONE OF THE CHALLENGES, HONESTLY, WITH THIS IS, IS GARLAND IS A BIG PLACE WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS. AND SO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN GET AS DEEP INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS WE CAN COST EFFECTIVELY, AND THEN PASS THE BATON TO THE FOLKS THAT LIVE IN THESE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS OR SCHOOLS OR WHATEVER, AND START TO CAPTUTURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT INPUT, TWO WAYS. SO WE'VE GOT SOME THINGS THAT WE'VE GOT TO WORK ON TO DO THAT, BUT, ONE OF THE STRATEGIES HERE IS DEFINITELY TO ASK THE FOLKS THAT LIVE RIGHT AROUND THESE PLACES, WHAT'S MISSING.OKAY, ANY FURTHER DOWN HERE ON THE FLOOR? MR. MAYOR, I HAVE TO SAY AGAIN, BEING ON THE BOND COMMITTEE HAS ALREADY GOT MY MIND GOING ON THIS, BUT I THINK I THINK THE BOND COMMITTEE IS GOING TO WHAT DID WE COME OUT OF THAT? AND WHAT THE COUNCIL DETERMINES IS GOING TO BE A GREAT SEND OFF TO THIS PROJECT, BECAUSE I CAN I CAN IN MY MIND, I'M ALREADY ENVISIONING THINGS THAT THAT WOULD PROBABLY RECOMMEND TO THE COUNCIL, BEFORE I FORGET, WITH BROTHER SCOTT, I WAS RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN, WELL DISCIPLINED FAMILY, AND I THINK THAT DISCIPLINE IN OUR CITY IS IF WE'RE NOT DOING IT, IT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT BECAUSE WE ONLY GET BETTER WITH DISCIPLINE, AT LEAST THAT WORKED WITH ME. BUT I THINK ANOTHER CATALYST THAT WE CAN LOOK AT, IS THE BAYLOR HOSPITAL AREA AND WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE AND THE REDEVELOPMENT AROUND THAT AND WHAT'S HAPPENING, I THINK AND I HAVE SOME IDEAS FOR SOME DECORATIONS AND STUFF OUT THERE THAT I THINK WOULD, WOULD MAKE THAT A PLACE YOU WOULD WANT TO GO BY TO SEE IT, SO I THINK WE ALREADY HAVE SOME GREAT THINGS GOING, AND I THINK WE IF I'M GOING TO SAY THIS, WE HAVE SOME COMMUNITIES WHERE THE ETHNICITY IS BUILT UP OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE, AND WE GOTTA REMEMBER THAT AND INCLUDE THOSE FOLKS IN THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHY THEY LIVE TOGETHER IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO LIVE TOGETHER IN THOSE COMMUNITIES. AND WE NEED TO WILL EMBRACE THAT AND MAKE THEM A PART OF THIS, THIS ENDEAVOR. AND MANY OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE VERY THEY CAN DO A LOT WHEN THEY COME TOGETHER. YEAH OKAY, MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE THAT WHEN YOU MEET WITH SOME, BUILDING OWNERS, CITY, SOME CITY STAFF, A FEW AND SOME PEOPLE ON THE COUNCIL, A FEW BE AT THE SAME MEETING SO THAT THE BUILDING OWNERS DON'T FEEL THAT THEY'RE JUST WASTING THEIR TIME TALKING TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF. BECAUSE IF SOME CITY STAFF IS THERE AND COUNCIL STAFF IS THERE, THEY MIGHT GET THE IDEA THE OWNERS REALLY SERIOUS, NOT JUST BLOWING SMOKE. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO JUMP OVER HERE T, SECOND VICE CHAIR DALTON. WE CAN ALSO, IF YOU GUYS HAVE ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS, BECAUSE I DO WANT TO KIND OF GET THROUGH ALL OF THESE. BUT THERE'S ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS AND ANSWERS THAT YOU GUYS WANT TO HAVE TO THESE. I WOULD SAY SEND THEM TO ANGELA AND SHE CAN GET THEM TO US AS A FOLLOW UP. ALL RIGHT.
I'VE NOTICED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS SITTING ON COMMISSION, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL MORE THAN 1 OR 2 DEVELOPERS COME TO US WITH A PLAN FOR AN SP, A ZONING CHANGE, WHAT HAVE YOU, AND THEY COME WITH A PRETTY COMPLETE SET OF PLANS OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO. WE APPROVE IT, CITY COUNCIL APPROVE IT, AND IT DIES. WHY? WHAT WHAT STOPPED THIS REDEVELOPMENT OF A PIECE OF LAND OR A DEVELOPMENT? WHAT CAUSED THIS TO STOP? WAS IT SOMETHING WE DID? WAS IT SOMETHING WE COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? WHAT BROUGHT THAT TO DIE ON THE VINE? THAT WOULD BE IF THERE'S
[01:15:02]
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF THAT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO GET FROM STAFF OF WHAT THOSE WERE. SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND LOOK INTO THOSE A LITTLE BIT. THERE WAS A COUPLE OF HOTELS AT FIREWHEEL LIMITED SERVICE HOTELS AT FIREWHEEL, I BELIEVE 2 OR 3 THAT WENT THROUGH THAT NEVER CAME TO FRUITION, SPECIFICALLY THAT RIGHT BEFORE COVID. PARDON? WAS IT RIGHT BEFORE COVID? I WAS THINKING IT MAY HAVE BEEN AFTER COVID. I THINK THERE WAS SOME AFTER COVID AS WELL, BECAUSE WE WERE MEETING IN PERSON AND WE WERE MEETING ON ON ZOOM DURING COVID. AND THEN I THINK WE WERE BACK TO MEETING IN PERSON WHEN A COUPLE OF THESE TOOK PLACE, THE MARKET MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED. YEAH, RIGHT. I THINK A LOT OF IT IS A MARKET MARKET. THINGS ARE MARKET. AND IT WAS A NURSING HOME THAT A REDEVELOPER A DEVELOPER CAME THROUGH WITH A PLAN THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL. HE CAME BACK, HE WORKED HARD TO COME BACK WITH A PLAN. AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORTED HIM. I MEAN, IN FORCE. THEY CAME DOWN HERE AND I DROVE BY THE OTHER DAY AND THERE'S NOTHING HAPPENED THERE. SO IT JUST KIND OF WONDER WHAT TOOK PLACE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER BASS, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO ANOTHER TOPIC. OKAY. JUST REAL QUICK. I WANTED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE BROUGHT UP WALKABILITY, YOU KNOW, AND I'M CONFIDENT YOUUYS TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IT HERE TONIGHT. BUT WALKABILITY AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE ALSO OF COURSE, WORKING WITH OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT BECAUSE JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING, IS A WALKING DISTANCE AWAY DOESN'T MEAN IT'S EVEN PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO WALK THERE. RIGHT? JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE IS A KROGER. WHILE I DRIVE TO THAT KROGER, BECAUSE I'M NOT TAKING MY LIFE INTO MY HANDS AND CROSSING SHILOH ROAD ON FOOT. HUMAN FROGGER. YEAH, YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, WALKABILITY DOESN'T JUST MEAN PROXIMITY. YOU KNOW, WALKABILITY MEANS, PHYSICALLY BEING ABLE TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B AS WELL.AND THAT TAKES THAT COULD TAKE A LOT MORE WORK THAN JUST MAKING SOMETHING NEARBY PROXIMITY WISE.
THERE'S A THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS ALONG THE WAY WITH THIS JOURNEY, EDUCATION WISE, THERE'S THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHARE, BOOKS AND VIDEOS AND STUFF. THERE'S A I THINK IT'S 16 MINUTE, TED TALK THAT JEFF SPECK DID ON FOUR ELEMENTS OF, OF WALKABILITY. AND IT'S, IT HAS TO BE SAFE. IT HAS TO BE COMFORTABLE. IT HAS TO BE USEFUL, AND IT HAS TO BE INTERESTING. AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE ALL FOUR OF THOSE, PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO WALK. SO IT'S THERE'S SOME EDUCATION ON HOW THIS HAS TO HAPPEN. BUT BUT YEA, TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT. ABSOLUTELY. GO TO GO TOGETHER. VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT. WHAT YOU GOT NEXT SIR.
OKAY. NUMBER TWO AND WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT, BUT HOW MIGHT WE PROVIDE QUALITY HOUSING OPTIONS FOR EVERYONE. ALL RIGHT. WHO'S GOING TO JUMP INTO THIS ONE.
JUST A FEW JUST T A FEW IDEAS. YEAH. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SOLVE THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS ALL TONIGHT. BUT COUNCILMEMBER BASS WELL, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WE ALREADY HAVE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAN JUST ABOUT ANYONE ELSE IN THE METROPLEX. WE ARE AN AFFORDABLE CITY, AND SO I, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO LOOK FOR PROBLEMS. I DON'T WANT TO LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS THAT AREN'T THERE. SO ONE THING TO POINT OUT HERE, THIS DOESN'T SAY AFFORDABLE IN IT. RIGHT? RIGHT. IT SAYS QUALITY. OKAY ALL RIGHT. MAYOR PRO TEM MOORE, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. AND I WANT TO ECHO WHAT, COUNCILMEMBER BASS WAS DOING THERE. AND THAT IS I THINK THAT WE ALREADY ARE VERY FOCUSED ON ALWAYS LOOKING AT QUALITY HOUSING OPTIONS. AS HE STATED THAT WE REALLY DO. WE HAVE A VERY LARGE QUANTITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRESENTLY, AND THAT'S NOT BY CHANCE. THAT'S BECAUSE WE LOOK AT THE INVENTORY EVERY YEAR. WE LOOK AT HOUSING ACROSS, ACROSS THE CITY TO ASSURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE ZONING. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I'M GETTING READY TO HAVE A TOWN HALL, A TOWN HALL MEETING WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT ZONING. WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT HOUSING AS IT RELATES TO MULTIFAMILY, AS IT RELATES TO SINGLE FAMILY AND RIGHT NOW THE TREND SEEMS TO BE TOWARD MULTIFAMILY, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR YOUNGER PEOPLE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE NEED TO BE SENSITIVE TO THAT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE MULTIPLE TOO MUCH MULTIFAMILY, THE PROBLEM THEN BECOMES THE TAX BASE. AND WHAT'S MORE, SERVICES THAN MONEY TO PAY FOR IT. AND SO I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO IS EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE PAST. AND THAT IS ALWAYS BEING OBSERVANT EVERY YEAR TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IS OUR STOCK, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE, AND THEN ADHERING TO THE ZONING THAT'S TAKING PLACE UNDER THE ENVISION GARLAND AND THE DIFFERENT PLANS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE THAT'S. YEAH, I THINK THIS IS, JUST TO CLARIFY. YEAH. I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE
[01:20:06]
TALK THE ATTAINABLE HOUSING AFFORDABLE HOUSING SPECTRUM, SOME PLACES ARE REALLY LACKING ON THE AFFORDABLE END OF IT, SOME PLACES, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE MIDDLE ADDRESS BUT DON'T HAVE THE TWO ENDS, I DON'T KNOW HONESTLY, WHERE GARLAND FALLS JUST YET. WE HAVEN'T LOOKED ENOUGH AT THE DATA YET, BUT BUT THERE ARE WHAT I CAN TELL YOU DEMOGRAPHICALLY WISE, OLD, YOUNG, THERE'S. AND WHAT WE NEED MORE OF IN IN TEXAS AND NORTH TEXAS IS IF WE'RE GOING TO KEEP HOUSING AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYONE, WE NEED WAY MORE SUPPLY AND IT CANNOT ALL BE SUBURBAN FAMILY, DETACHED AND MULTI-FAMILY BIG APARTMENT BUILDINGS. THERE'S THIS WHOLE MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT PHRASE, GET GET COMFORTABLE WITH IT. COTTAGE COURTS, DUPLEX TRIPLEX QUADS, LIVE WORK. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS IN THE MIDDLE THAT CAN FIT INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND BRING A GENTLE DENSITY. NOT NOT SO MUCH THAT IT'S GOING TO OVERWHELM PARKING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT BUT THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BOOST YOUR VALUE PER ACRE. AND OH, BY THE WAY, MULTIFAMILY LARGE APARTMENT BUILDINGS ARE ACTUALLY HUGE PROPERTY TAX GENERATORS TO THE CITY, THERE ARE SOME OF IN OUR DATA. WHEN WE'RE DONE, WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT IS FOR, FOR GARLAND. BUT IN MOST CITIES, AS TERMS OF PROPERTY TAX VALUE PER ACRE, THOSE ARE THE BIGGEST GENERATORS IN THE CITY. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT, THERE'S COSTS WITH IT. THERE'S DEMANDS ON THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT COME WITH IT. BUT EVERYTHING LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT AND THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE, WE'RE GOING TO CONNECT IT TO REVENUES AND COSTS. QUESTION QUESTION. ALL RIGHT. SO, ARE YOU SAYING TO AND I'M VERY CONSCIOUS OF THIS, ARE YOU SAYING THATVERY DISTRICT BECAUSE I THINK EVERY DISTRICT IS GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT QUALITY, A DIFFERENT MAKEUP. AND SOMETIMES WHAT I THINK HAPPENS IS WE WANT TO SAY THAT, WELL, EVERY DISTRICT HAS TO HAVE THIS COMPONENT, THIS, THIS QUALITY.AND I JUST DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE THE CASE. I AGREE 1,000%. I THINK AS A COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY, YOU WANT TO PROVIDE CHOICES, PRICE POINTS, WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS, DRIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS. YOU'RE A BIG ENOUGH CITY. YOU SHOULD BE WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE TO EVERYONE TO BE AS VIBRANT LONG TERM AS AS YOU CAN BE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE EVERYTHING TO ALL PEOPLE IN EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT. THAT ALSO KIND OF GOES BACK TO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT INVESTMENTS. I WOULD CAUTION A LITTLE BIT TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF LET'S SPRINKLE IT OUT EQUALLY ACROSS EVERYWHERE, BECAUSE IF YOUR MISSION IS TO CLOSE YOUR RESOURCE GAP AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE, THERE'S GOING TO BE PLACES THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU THAT WE SAY IF YOU ALIGN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING IN THIS AREA, YOU CAN YOU CAN GET A GREATER REVENUE BUMP, YOU KNOW, THAT ULTIMATELY IS GOING TO BENEFIT THE WHOLE CITY. AND COMMUNICATING THAT TRANSPARENTLY OF WHY YOU'RE DOING THINGS YEAR OVER YEAR, AND YOU ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND THAT, WE'VE BEEN IN CITIES THAT, THAT WE CAN TRY, BUT ULTIMATELY WE GET OVERRULED AND SAY WE'RE GOING TO SPRINKLE IT OUT ACROSS OUR DISTRICTS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL DECIDE. AND IF YOU ALL DECIDE THAT WE HAVE TO RESPECT THAT, WE'RE JUST GOING TO SHOW YOU THE OPTIONS OF, OF HOW SOME OF THIS CAN WORK, BUT THERE'S VALUE IN A COMMUNITY LIKE GARLAND, IN HAVING DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT SERVE AND ATTRACT DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT WANT DIFFERENT THINGS AND GIVING THEM ABILITY TO MOVE AROUND THE CITY OVER TIME, AS OPPOSED TO HAVING, IF THEY WANT, MOVE UP HOUSING AT WHATEVER LEVEL THAT MIGHT BE. YOU DON'T EVER WANT THEM TO GET TO THAT POINT THAT SAYS, WE GOT TO LEAVE GARLAND TO GET IT AND MOVE UP HOUSING IN TODAY'S WORLD IS ACTUALLY STARTING TO LOOK LIKE VERY HIGH END, EXPENSIVE TOWNHOMES AND WALKABLE MIXED USE NEIGHBORHOODS. IT'S NOT A ONE ACRE ESTATE OUT IN THE PASTURE. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMEMBER WILLIAMS YEAH, JUST JUST BRIEFLY, WHEN YOU PROVIDE QUALITY HOUSING OPTIONS, YOU'RE RIGHT. THERE ARE CERTAIN TERMINOLOGY TERMINOLOGIES YOU DIDN'T USE IN THIS. AND I THINK AS A COUNCIL, OUR COUNCIL LADY LUCK MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT AS YOU INFORMATION GATHER INVOLVING YOUNGER FAMILIES. AND I DON'T NECESSARILY MEAN MERIT BUT YOUNGER FOLK YOUNGER YOUNGER PEOPLE BECAUSE I THINK IN THIS DEFINITION HERE, ONE OF OUR BIGGEST ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD FOR YEARS IN GARLAND IS REVITALIZATION OF HOUSING. IF YOU DRIVE AROUND THIS CITY, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT WHETHER YOU'VE GOT A TOWNHOUSE OR NEW MULTIFAMILY OR NEW IN THIS CITY, OKAY? THERE'S A GREAT NEEDED CHALLENGE THAT THAT NOT JUST THIS COUNCIL, BUT EVERY COUNCIL HAS DEALTLT WITH. IS REVITALIZATION. AND TO BE ABLE TO HEAR FROM THOSE FOLKS AND TO INCLUDE THEM AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PLAN, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW THE SCOPE OF THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HOW THAT'S VIEWED. BUT I THINK IT'S AS TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION HERE,
[01:25:03]
I THINK THOSE FOLKS ARE THAT POPULATION NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION, AND THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED OF HOUSING REVITALIZATION, I DON'T WANT TO SAY I'M NOT AN ENGINEER, SO I'M NOT GOING TO GET INTO WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO ME, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ANSWERING THIS QUESTION TO INCLUDE THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY WHERE THOSE PEOPLE, MANY OF THOSE ARE OCCUPIED ALREADY AND WITH YOUNGER FAMILIES TO COME. SO AND USING THE WORD REVITALIZATION SOMEWHERE IN THIS DEFINITION, I THINK IS AN IMPORTANT INVESTMENT AND INVESTMENT. WELL, WHAT WHAT'S WHAT'S REQUIRED? WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR? WHAT DO THEY NEED? YOU KNOW, IN THESE IN THESE COMMUNITIES? I'M NOT I'M NOT EXCUSING EXCLUDING NEW DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE'VE GOT AN EXISTING CHALLENGE FOR REVITALIZATION SHOULD BE A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM LUCK. I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS, I WROTE DOWN REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS. WE HAVE A FACADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM THAT IS LIMITED DUE TO FUNDS TO A PARTICULAR, HOUSE APPRAISAL VALUE. SO PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST RIGHT ABOVE THAT DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE THOSE FUNDS TO MAKE THEIR HOMES LOOK BETTER. AND, YOU KNOW, ONCE THOSE PEOPLE MOVE OUT OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, MOVE UP TO A HIGHER QUALITY OF HOME, WHETHER THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THAT OR NOT, IN GARLAND, WE HOPE THAT THEY DO, YOU KNOW, THAT PROVIDES A BETTER PLACE FOR E NEXT PERSON TO MOVE IN AND GET INTO A BETTER HOUSE. SO I'D, I'D LIKE TO FOR YOU ALL TO EXPLORE HOW THAT HAPPENS WITHOUT HAVING TO USE CODE TO, YOU KNOW, ENTICE PEOPLE TO, TO DO BETTER OR, YOU KNOW, JUST WHAT OPPORTUNITIES CAN WE GIVE RESIDENTS TO START THOSE PROGRAMS ON THEIR OWN? THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER DUTTON. AND THEN WE'LL MOVE DOWN TO THE FLOOR. SO I'M A LITTLE SAD THAT, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE EQUATED QUALITY WITH ESTHETICALLY PLEASING, IT KIND OF SHOWS A LITTLE PRIVILEGE GOING ON JUST AS A WHOLE, WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY POOR QUALITY PLACES THAT IT'S MORE THAN THE OUTSIDES UGLY. SO, I, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT KIND OF SOLUTIONS WE'VE GOT TO GET SOME PEOPLE OUT OF, THE SLUMS. YEAH I AND I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALL THE MEETINGS ALREADY TODAY. I'VE MENTIONED MONTY ANDERSON. I'M GOING TO I'M GOING TO MENTION YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GET TO KNOW HIM AND SOME OF HIS PROJECTS, BUT, YOU KNOW, QUALITY IS A REALLY IMPORTANT WORD INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE STRUCTURE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE LEARNED WORKING WITH MONTY, WHO DOES A LOT OF INFILL INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT WITH AND BY AND FOR LOCALS, IS HE HE PAYS A LOT OF ATTENTION INTO THE ESTHETICS INSIDE AND OUT OF JUST BECAUSE IT'S SMALL OR JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY AFFORD SO MUCH, DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU KNOW YOUR DOORKNOB SHOULDN'T WORK. YOUR FAUCET SHOULDN'T. SO. SO SOMETIMES I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT SMALL DOES NOT MEAN POOR QUALITY. THERE'S PEOPLE IN NEW YORK CITY THAT PAY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO LIVE IN A SHOEBOX, RIGHT, SO I THINK THERE'S THIS COMBINATION CONVERSATION OF HOW CAN WE GIVE A QUALITY LIFE TO EVERYONE AT A PRICE THAT THEY CAN AFFORD, AND THE SCALE AND THE SIZE OF LOTS AND BUILDINGS IS IMPORTANT. THE ESTHETICS OF THE PUBLIC REALM AND HOW THE CITY MAINTAINS IT, AND HOW THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD INVEST AND MAINTAIN IT IS CRITICAL, BUT IF SOMEONE DOESN'T GO INSIDE THEIR HOME AND HAVE THAT ATTENTIOAND FOCUS ON QUALITY WITH WHERE THEY'RE, THEY'RE LIVING, THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS GOING TO EXPECT THE QUALITY OF THE, THE REALM OUTSIDE. AND SO THAT CONVERSATION OF HOW WE WORK TOGETHER TO DO THAT AND RESPECTING, YOU'LL FIND OUR TEAM THAT WE WILL RESPECT EVERYONE, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ENDED UP IN SPOTS THAT ARE REALLY TOUGH, THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WITH THEM. AND WE'VE GOT TO BE MORE SENSITIVE TO THAT. AND, A PHRASE YOU'LL HEAR ME SAY A LOT THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS HOW CAN WE FIT? HOW CAN WE CULTIVATE FISCAL HEALTH FOR THE CITY AND LOCAL WEALTH FOR RESIDENTS? SO WE DON'T WANT TO GENTRIFY. WE DON'T WANT TO SCRAPE AND REDEVELOP AND PUSH OUT A NEIGHBORHOOD AND BUILD FOUR STORIES. AND THAT GENERATES THE VALUE PER ACRE AND CREATES A GREAT MIXED USE PLACE. THAT'S A TOUR, THAT'S A DESTINATION AND EVERYBODY COMES TO. BUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE AND HAVE LIVED THERE FOR 20 OR 30 YEARS GET PUSHED OUT. IT'S, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER PHRASE THAT MONTY WILL USE THAT I LOVE[01:30:06]
AND I STOLEN, I'LL USE ALL THE TIME IS GENTRIFICATION, NOT GENTRIFICATION. WE WANT TO INCREMENTALLY BUMP THE VALUE OF THESE PLACES WITH THEM AND WE'RE CREATING A BETTER NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THEM. WE'RE RAISING THEIR WEALTH AND ABILITY TO PAY FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE. AND ULTIMATELY, THEY HAVE THE ABILITY AND CAPACITY TO MOVE TO A DIFFERENT HOME IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, AT A DIFFERENT PLACE THAN SOMEONE ELSE CAN COME IN AND RAISE THE WEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY OVER OVER TIME. THAT'S THAT'S THE PHILOSOPHY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET AT. AND IT'S VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE PHILOSOPHY THAT WE'VE HAD FOR THE LAST 40 OR 50 YEARS IN DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES. ALL RIGHT. TO THE NEXT ONE, IF THERE'S ANYBODY DOWN HERE ON ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANYTHING, MR. DUCKWORTH, I'LL GO BACK TO THE BOND COMMITTEE. BECKY AND I WERE TALKING THE OTHER DAY, AND HOW SIMPLE A SIMPLE THING IN AN IN AN AGING NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I LIVE IN ONE A LONG TIME, BUT HOW HOW A SIMPLE NEW FRONT DOOR OR A NEW GARAGE DOOR CAN CAUSE A CHANGE IN THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO MAYBE WE SHOULD THINK IN OUR PLANS. HOW COULD WHAT COULD WE DO IN AN AGING NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE THAT TO CREATE THAT SIMPLE LITTLE CHANGE THAT OTHER NEIGHBORS FEED OFF OF? AND THAT'S ONE OF THE LAST WEEK WE LOOKED AT ONE OF THE THINGS THEY SHOWED US WAS AROUND THE LAKE THAT SOMEONE TALKED ABOUT OUR SHORELINE AREA HERE, THAT AN ACRE OF PROPERTY IS WORTH TWO AND $300 MILLION IN TAX BASE. THAT BLOWS MY MIND. HOW DO WE GET THAT IN THE INNER PART OF OUR CITY, YOU KNOW, DO WE CREATE A NEW PARK OR SOME NAME A STREET AFTER NEW YORK AND START THAT? ANYWAY, IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO DREAM ABOUT. ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. LET'S MOVE ON. PLEASE HOW MIGHT WE IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY AND WALKING AND CYCLING OPTIONS IN GARLAND? CHAIRMAN, IF I MAY, JUST GONE THROUGH THAT WHOLE PROCESS PAST YEAR TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENTNT, AND THE'S A GOOD, THOROUGH STUDY THAT YOU MAY WANT TO REFERENCE THERE, BUT CONNECTIVITY CONNECTING TO PLAN, CONNECTING TO DALLAS, CONNECTING TO RICHARDSON. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE INTERCONNECTIVITY THAT WILL HELP THE CITY TO. ABSOLUTELY. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM LUCK.CURIOUS WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT SIDEWALKS WHERE THERE ARE NONE? EVERYWHERE SHOULD HAVE THEM, SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO ASK PEOPLE TO WALK PLACES WHEN YOU'RE WALKING ALONG, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'S NO SIDEWALK, SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T EXPECT PEOPLE TO WALK TO A KROGER. THAT'S RIGHT ACROSS THE SIX LANE STRODE, WHICH WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE STRODE TERMINOLOGY LATER, I'M JUST CURIOUS OF WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHERE IS GARLAND IN THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE TEXAS NARRATIVE OF WE'VE BEEN ALL ABOUT CARS AND BIG TRUCKS AND BIG LANES, AND EVERYTHING'S GOT TO BE BIGGER, BUT WHEN YOUR PAVEMENT COSTS 1 TO $1.5 MILLION A MILE TO REPLACE, PROBABLY MORE THAN THAT NOW IT'S GETTING REALLY EXPENSIVE. THE WIDTH OF PAVEMENT THAT YOU ADD HAS A COST, AND, AND SO AND THEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VALUE PRODUCTIVITY, PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX PER ACRE, THE PLACES THAT ARE THE GRID NETWORK, THE WALKABLE PLACES THAT THAT BALANCE DRIVING AND WALKING AND PUBLIC TRANSIT ALWAYS HAVE THE HIGHER VALUE PER ACRE, AND SO WE WANT TO GET MORE OF THAT CONNECTIVITY. WE WANT TO GET MORE OF THAT HIGHER VALUE PER ACRE AND WALKABILITY UP PARTIALLY FOR THE FISCAL REASON, BUT PARTIALLY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT DEMOGRAPHICS ARE HEADING A LITTLE MORE TOWARDS. CONNECTING SIDEWALKS IS LOW HANGING FRUIT IN A LOT OF PLACES, SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE PLACES THAT ARE HARD TO DO, AND THAT STARTS TO GET INTO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, THE ACTUAL PAVEMENT ITSELF, CURB TO CURB. ARE THERE WAYS WE CAN DROP A LANE? CAN WE NARROW LANES SO THAT WE CAN MAKE ROOM FOR A, YOU KNOW, STRATEGIES LIKE THAT? I FEEL LIKE KIND OF TO YOUR POINT, A LOT OF THOSE THINGS ARE ALREADY BEING DISCUSSED HERE, AND THERE'S SOME THOROUGHFARES THAT STILL CARRY A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND STILL NEED TO BE SIX LANES. AND THERE'S SOME THAT CAN BE THERE'S SOME THAT CAN BE REDUCED, AND WE CAN START TO LOOK AT SIDEWALKS AND BIKE LANE CONNECTIVITY. AND THEN THERE'S A FEW LIKE SHILOH HAS COME UP, PAUL WAS MENTIONED EARLIER. THAT'S ONE THAT PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE WIDENED BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC, SO THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO BE CROSSING SIX LANES INSTEAD OF FOUR, BUT SIDEWALKS ARE WHERE IT'S ALL START, AND SOMETHING IF YOU'VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE, TAKE A TAKE A DAY OR A HALF DAY AND JUST TRY TO TRY TO GET AROUND, LIVE A HALF DAY OR A DAY WITHOUT YOUR CAR. JUST TRY TO WALK AROUND AND DO IT, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO, AND IT'S VERY EASY FOR A LOT OF US WHO DON'T HAVE TO, TO, TO NOT THINK ABOUT THAT. AND THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS THAT, THAT ARE EITHER THEY CAN'T OR DON'T WANT TO, AARP IS PUT OUT A LOT OF STUDIES ON WALKABLE COMMUNITIES AND AGING IN PLACE
[01:35:01]
AND PLACES, PEOPLE, AGING FOLKS THAT ARE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY LOVE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT FOR NO, FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY CAN'T DRIVE ANYMORE. AND THERE THEY ARE, STUCK. THEY CANNOT GET GET AROUND. SO LOOKING AT WAYS TO IMPROVE WALKABILITY FOR EVERYONE, AND IT'S THOSE FOUR ELEMENTS. IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT CAN'T JUST BE, OH, WE PUT A SIDEWALK, BUT THERE'S NO SHADE. I MEAN, WHO'S GOING TO WALK IN 110 DEGREE, YOU KNOW, SO THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT IT ALWAYS DOES START WITH SIDEWALKS AND THEN WE CAN GET INTO CYCLING. AND WHERE DOES THAT MAKE SENSE OR NOT. BUT YOU'RE MAKING THE SIMPLE CONNECTIONS FOR PEOPLE THAT JUST WANT TO WALK AROUND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD OR WALK TO THE LOCAL CENTER, THAT'S CLOSE. THAT'S THE LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT WE WANT TO START WITH. LONG WINDED ANSWER. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE USED TO THAT IN HERE. I WAS EXPECTING WAY MORE OF A REACTION TO THAT. LET'S MOVE DOWN TO THE FLOOR. THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANYTHING ON THIS ONE BEFORE WE MOVE ON? COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER ROSE, SIDEWALKS ARE WONDERFUL, IDEAS. BUT HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO USE THE SIDEWALK AS OPPOSED TO THE STREET, WHEN I'M DRIVING AROUND IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, PEOPLE ARE JOGGING IN THE STREETS AS OPPOSED TO THE SIDEWALK. THAT'S THERE. HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY ON THE SIDEWALK? I THINK THERE'S SOME DESIGN THINGS, YOU KNOW, THE WIDTH OF THE STREET, THE WIDTH OF THE SIDEWALK, THE CONDITION OF THE SIDEWALK. ARE THERE GAPS IN THE SIDEWALK? THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THERE TO GE TO GET INTO. BUT I MEAN, IF YOU'RE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, YOU SHOULD BE DRIVING SLOW ENOUGH THAT IT SHOULDN'T MATTER IF SOMEONE'S WALKING OR RIDING IN THE STREET OR I'M I'M JUST SAYING. AND THAT GETS INTO THE WIDTH OF THE STREETS IF YOU'RE ABLE TO DRIVE. SO 30 MILES AN HOUR IS A REALLY CRITICAL NUMBER. IF YOU'RE IF YOU'RE IF YOU'RE A PEDESTRIAN, YOU'RE HIT BY A CAR GOING UNDER 30 MILES AN HOUR, YOUR CHANCES OF SURVIVING ARE LIKE 80%. IF YOU'RE HIT BY A CAR GOING 35 MILES AN HOUR AND UP, YOUR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL ARE LIKE 25% OR AT LEAST FATAL INJURY AVOIDING FATAL INJURIES. OUR RESIDENTIAL STREETS, HOW MANY OF THEM ARE DESIGNED FOR 35 MILES AN HOUR? AND WHAT THAT MEANS? I'M GETTING ENGINEERING TALK HERE, BUT IT'S WIDER AND THEY'RE STRAIGHTER. AND WHAT IF CARS AREN'T PARKED ON THE STREET? WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO WITH THAT? AND IF YOU EVER WANT TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FUN, TRY TO DO IT JUST FOR A SECOND. DO IT. DON'T DO IT LIKE WHEN KIDS ARE GETTING OUT OF SCHOOL, WALKING, BIKING, BUT JUST GO ON YOUR STREET AND JUST DO THIS FOR JUST LIKE, SEE HOW FAR YOU CAN GO. LIKE YOU CAN GO A LONG WAY BEFORE YOU GET ANYWHERE NEAR SOMETHING. I'M NOT. DON'T DO THAT. BUT YEAH, I THINK I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE ON FROM THAT. BUT MY POINT IS THERE IS THE WIDTH IF YOU WANT TO SLOW CARS DOWN. AND WE WERE TALKING, I THINK SOMEONE WAS SAYING IN ONE OF THE POP UPS, DO SOME SPEED BUMPS OR WHATEVER TO SLOW CARS DOWN THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO TO SLOW CARS DOWN IS NARROW THE STREET, AND A LOT OF OUR RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL STREETS ARE BEING WIDENED, SO. RIGHT, YOU KNOW, JUST TO, YOU KNOW, TO END THAT ONE, YOU KNOW, OVER THE GOSH, I DON'T KNOW, LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE ADDED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BIKE, YOU KNOW, TRAILS. I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO NOW IS YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUAL PLACES HAVE THEM.IT'S NOW CONNECTING THOSE PLACES TO EACH OTHER I THINK IS PART OF THE STRUGGLE NOW, BUT NOT JUST TO THE ADJACENT SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, BUT CONNECT YOUR NODES TOGETHER. IT'S INSIDE GARLAND. RIGHT? OKAY. GO AHEAD. OKAY. NUMBER FOUR, HOW MIGHT WE ENHANCE AND INCREASE OUR SUPPLY OF PUBLIC SPACES? YOU HAVE A GEM RIGHT HERE IN DOWNTOWN THAT YOU'VE JUST MADE AN INVESTMENT IN. PURPOSEFUL, CAME OUT THE OTHER SIDE OF IT, AND IT'S AN AMAZING PLACE THAT I THINK IS WAY BETTER, THAN PRE-INVESTMENT. BUT EVERYONE IN YOUR COMMUNITY DESERVES TO HAVE A QUALITY PUBLIC SPACE CLOSE TO THEM, WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE. THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO HOP IN A CAR AND DRIVE FIVE MINUTES TO G TO A QUALITY SPACE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT HAS TO BE A HUGE PARK, IT JUST NEEDS TO BE QUALITY PUBLIC SPACE. SO IT COULD BE PASSIVE, YOU KNOW, JUST A CREEK JUST TO WALK ALONG. IT COULD BE AN ACTIVE RECREATION KIND OF THING. THIS IS ANOTHER AREA I WOULD JUST KIND OF COMPLIMENT YOU ALL A LITTLE BIT WITH THE PREVIOUS PARKS AND RECREATIONS AND TRAILS PLANS THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING ARE LOOKING INTO THESE THINGS. BUT NOW HOW CAN WE HOW CAN WE MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE NEIGHBORHOOD, NEIGHBORHOOD CENTRIC? GET THESE, WHETHER IT'S THE PROGRAMING OR ADDITIONAL SPACES OR JUST THE ACCESS TO THEM, HOW CAN HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THOSE? I THINK, YOU KNOW, OUR OUR BOND PROGRAM, AS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, HAS, HAS MOVED OUR, OUR PARK SYSTEM WELL BEYOND WHERE IT STARTED BEFORE, YOU KNOW, PRE 2019 AND SOME OF THAT
[01:40:01]
WAS AS SIMPLE AS REPLACING 40 PLUS YEAR OLD PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT. SO I THINK WE'RE I THINK WE'RE ALREADY WORKING AT ENHANCING THOSE SPACES AND ADDING TRAILS TO THOSE PARKS.AND, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'VE I THINK WE'VE MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS.
IN, IN DOING THAT, SO THIS ONE'S MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LOWER ON THE, YOU KNOW, AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T NEED TO INCREASE OUR SUPPLY OF PUBLIC SPACES. WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PARK LAND.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE, I DON'T I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO ADD TO THAT AT ALL, BUT WE HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY ON ENHANCING THOSE SPACES, WHETHER IT'S, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE SIMPLE BENCHES, TRASH CANS, THINGS LIKE THAT, JUST REALLY UPDATING THOSE PARKS. SO ALL RIGHT. PUSH THE BUTTON. DO YOU UNMUTE ME, ARE YOU REFERRING TO PARKS ONLY OR LIKE, I MEAN, THERE ARE PLENTY OF INTERSECTIONS THAT DON'T HAVE A BENCH TO SIT ON OR I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THAT COULD USE SOME LANDSCAPING, SO I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOU WHAT YOUR INTENTION IS. I THINK A LOT OF THESE I MEAN, THE WORDS ARE CAREFULLYY CHOSEN, JUT TO KIND OF HELP US DEFINE WHAT IS PUBLIC SPACE MEAN TO YOU ALL. AND IT IS NOT JUST IT IS NOT JUST PARKS. IT'S THE PUBLIC REALM IN GENERAL. OR JUST SPACES. THE THIRD PLACES THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COME TOGETHER THAT THAT COULD ALSO, YOU KNOW, THAT COULD BE COFFEE SHOPS AND BUSINESSES TOO. BUT I MOST PEOPLE ASSOCIATE THIS TO THE PARKS, MAYBE SOME PUBLIC PLAZAS KIND OF THING THAT AREN'T PARKS, BUT MORE OF LIKE YOUR URBAN KIND OF, URBAN NODES. BUT ANANY ANYWHE IN THE I WOULD DEFINE THIS AS ANYWHERE IN THE PUBLIC REALM WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COME TOGETHER TO HANG OUT. OKAY ANYBODY DOWN HERE? I KNOW WE'RE PAST AN HOUR AND A HALF, SO. YEAH WE'RE VERY BRIEFLY AND TO PIGGYBACK ON WHAT, COUNCILMAN LUKE WAS JUST SAYING GREENBELT SPACES AND OUR INTENTIONAL, USE OF THAT OF THAT SPACE. I KNOW THAT CERTAIN, INDUSTRIAL AREAS PREVIOUSLY CONTEMPLATED THE GREENBELT SPACE BECAUSE THOSE SPACES ABSORB OF COURSE, SOME OF THE IMPACTS OF THAT, THAT DEVELOPMENT, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MINDFUL AS WE MOVE FORWARD THAT THAT THOSE SPACES WERE DESIGNED INTENTIONALLY FOR THAT PURPOSE AND NOT DIMINISHING THEIR VALUE.
SO OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GREAT. THANK YOU SIR. CHAIRMAN I BROUGHT UP ANOTHER POINT. WE THINK OF PUBLIC SPACES AND PARKS ONLY FOR THE RESIDENTIAL AREAS. WE HAVE A THRIVING BUSINESS SECTOR, INDUSTRIAL SECTOR. THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES, MAYBE SOME PLACES THERE WHERE PEOPLE DURING LUNCH CAN GO AND CONGREGATE, YOU KNOW, POINTS OF OPPORTUNITY, GRAB THEM. WHEN WE CAN. VERY GOOD.
SIR. ALL RIGHT. WHAT YOU GOT NEXT? LAST ONE. HOW MIGHT WE ATTRACT AND RETAIN BUSINESSES AND THEIR WORKFORCES? BIG IDEAS DON'T GET TOO. DON'T GET TOO. WHAT ARE JUST OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD? WHAT ARE WHAT ARE THINGS THAT YOU THINK THAT YOU ALL THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO RETAIN AND START WITH RETENTION FIRST. WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO RETAIN THE BUSINESSES AND WORKFORCE THAT YOU HAVE? OKAY. COUNCILOR DUTTON, SO I KNOW THIS IS NOT LIKE THE GRAND, BIG PICTURE OF IT, BUT OUR PERMIT DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST COMPLAINTS BUSINESS WISE LIKE THAT. ANYTIME YOU HAVE TO PULL A PERMIT LIKE TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF ANYONE, THAT'S JUST A THING.
AND, YEAH, IT MAKES PEOPLE NOT VERY EXCITED TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT. OKAY COUNCILOR BASS, THANK YOU. WELL, I'LL TELL YOU SOME THINGS. WE DO IS, YOU KNOW, DALLAS COLLEGE AND THE CHAMBER WORK TOGETHER. AND WITH THE DCMA FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WE DO A LOT OF THAT. YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS PERMITTING THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WORKING ON, AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THAT PROCESS. AND WE'VE DONE SOME FRONT END HELP ON THE ON THE PERMITTING PROCESS HERE ON COUNCIL LATELY, TOO. SO, BUT ALSO ATTRACTING AND RETAINING BUSINESSES YOU'RE NOT REALLY ATTRACTING AND RETAINING BUSINESSES. YOU'RE ATTRACTING AND RETAINING PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE WITHIN THOSE BUSINESSES. AND SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE THINGS TO ATTRACT THEM. SO WHAT THEY THEIR NEEDS ARE ONE, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET TO WORK EFFICIENTLY.
SO WE NEED TO WORK WITH TRANSPORTATION TO CUT DOWN ON TRAFFIC, WHETHER THAT BE TIMING OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS, ADJUSTING TRAFFIC PATTERNS, WHATER THAT MAY BE. TWO THEY NEED PLACES
[01:45:05]
NEARBY TO GO GRAB LUNCH AND BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO WORK, AND THEN YOU KNOW, NEARBY AMENITIES NEAR BUSINESS PARKS SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, PARKS OR THINGS FOR PEOPLE TO GO DO, TO TAKE A LITTLE BREAK FROM WORK, WHETHER IT BE ON LUNCH OR WHATEVER. THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, COULD HELP ATTRACT AND RETAIN BUSINESSES. THANK YOU. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM LUCK, I THINK COMMISSIONER JONES HIT ON A REALLY GREAT POINT. AND THE INDUSTRIAL SECTORS, ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT FIVE AND DISTRICT SIX, WE HAVE A REAL FOOD DESERT PROBLEM THERE, WORKERS. THERE'S NOWHERE TO GO TO EAT. REALLY THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF RESTAURANTS AND THEY'RE ALL PRETTY MUCH THE SAME KIND OF CUISINE, THE ANY SPACES IN THOSE DISTRICTS AREN'T AREN'T PLACES THAT PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO GATHER. THERE ARE NO PICNIC TABLES. THERE'S NO SHADED AREAS. THE, I THINK THAT INCENTIVIZING GREEN DEVELOPMENT WOULD REALLY HELP A LOT TO, TO BRING IN THOSE BUSINESSES THAT REALLY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND BY GREEN DEVELOPMENT, I DON'T MEAN NEW INFILL PROJECTS LIKE, I MEAN ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS. AND YEAH, WE HAVE WE HAVE A LOT OF WONDERFUL NATURAL SPACES THAT ARE VERY UNDERUTILIZED. YEAH OKAY. STUFF MAYOR PRO TEM MOORE THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I'M THINKING DEMOGRAPHICS BASED ON ALL THAT WE HAVE STATED SO FAR IN OUR MEETING TONIGHT, IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL IN ACCOMPLISHING MANY OF THOSE OBJECTIVES, THEN I BELIEVE THAT THE DEMOGRAPHICS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BEGIN TO COME TO GARLAND. THAT'S THAT OLD, THAT OLD ADAGE OF ROOFTOPS BRINGING RETAIL. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT STILL SUFFICES OR NOT, BUT I THINK THAT IT DOES HAVE SOME CREDENCE. AND I THINK THIS DEMOGRAPHICS IS WHAT A BUSINESS IS LOOKING FOR. IS DOES IT FIT OUR BUSINESS MODEL, DOES IT FIT OUR BUSINESS PLAN AND SO ON. AND SO FORTH. ONCE A BUSINESS IS HERE, RETAINING THAT HAS A LOT TO DO. THEN WITH THE QUALITY OF LIFE, IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE GREEN SPACES. IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH ALL THE PEOPLE SATISFIED. AND I THINK THEN IT COMES BACK TO THE PEOPLE ARE THE PEOPLE GETTING THAT WHICH THEY NEED IN ORDER TO FEEL THAT THAT CITY, THAT THAT COMMUNITY IS VITAL TO THEIR SUCCESS. YEAH, THERE. SO THE FIRST SURVEY THAT'S OUT RIGHT NOW, IT'S BASED ON THE VIBRANT COMMUNITY SURVEY.IT'S A THERE'S A BOOK CALLED VIBRANT COMMUNITY BLUEPRINT OR BUILDING VIBRANT COMMUNITIES. I THINK IT IS BY QUINT STUDER. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE SAYS IN THERE IS THAT BUSINESSES FOLLOW TALENT AND TALENT FOLLOWS PLACE. SO THIS WHOLE IDEA WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PLACE BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF BUILDING GREAT PLACES, YOU'RE GOING TO ATTRACT THE TALENTNT. AND WHEN E TALENT IS HERE, THE BUSINESSES THAT WANT THAT KIND OF TALENT ARE GOING TO COME TO YOU, THE ROOFTOPS ARE KIND OF A SECONDARY THING. NOW. IT'S IT IS ALL ABOUT PLACE AND EXPERIENTIAL RETAIL, WE HAD ANOTHER COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH WHERE ONE OF THE DEVELOPERS SAID THE SOME OF THE LARGER DEVELOPERS NOW, IT USED TO BE THE OFFICE TOWERS.
AND NOW IN TRYING TO PUT EVERYTHING IN THAT BUILDING AND NOW IT'S PUTTING THOSE BUILDINGS IN THESE COMPLETE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THE EMPLOYEES ARE CLOSER, THEY CAN WALK, YOU KNOW, WALK OR IT'S A QUICK COMMUTE TO THEIR, YOU KNOW, TO THEIR OFFICE SPACE. THEY'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF RESTAURANTS AND THINGS TO DO CLOSE, YOU KNOW, CLOSE TO THEM, THEY DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO DO ALL OF THEIR WORK IN THE BUILDING ITSELF. SO PLACE AND OUTSIDE COVID REALLY JUST PUT THAT ON STEROIDS OF BRINGING THAT KIND OF BACK. BUT THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS, THEY WANT PLACE, THEY WANT THOSE THEY THEY WANT THAT HUMAN CONNECTION. THEY WANT THOSE THINGS TO DO, TRAILS ARE HUGE. OPEN SPACE IS HUGE. ACTIVE LIVING IS HUGE, THEY WENT THROUGH THEIR TEEN YEARS DOING THIS. THEY A LOT OF THEM WILL TELL YOU THEY DON'T WANT TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES FOR A LIVING. THEY WANT TO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND DO THE THINGS THAT MOM AND DAD DIDN'T LET THEM DO, AND THAT KIND OF EQUATES TO THEY'RE OUT AT A SCHOOL. THEY'RE THOSE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ARE GOING TO SPEND MORE MONEY IN YOUR COMMUNITY. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF YOU, BUT RIGHT WHEN I GOT OUT OF COLLEGE, LIKE I SPENT SO MUCH MONEY IN MY CITY BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO COOK, I WAS GOING OUT FOR EVERYTHING, SO THOSE ARE THAT'S A GROUP THAT YOU WANT TO ATTRACT. IF YOU WANT THE BUSINESSES YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK FOR THOSE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND THEY WANT THINGS DIFFERENT THAN MAYBE WHAT THE PAST GENERATIONS WANTED IN TERMS OF THE KIND OF HOUSING AND SOME OF THAT. SO UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT NEEDS OF THE KINDS OF BUSINESSES THAT YOU HAVE AND THE TALENT THAT THEY NEED, AND FOR THAT TALENT THAT THEY NEED, WHAT KIND OF NEIGHBORHOODS DO THEY WANT WHEN YOU PROVIDE THE PLACE IN THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS TO GET THE TALENT, THE BUSINESSES WILL STAY AND THE BUSINESSES WILL WILL COME. I'M, I'M SITTING HERE NOW THINKING
[01:50:06]
ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING O. IT JUST HIT ME THAT, YOU KNOW, FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST CAME ON COUNCIL, I WOULD NOT HAVE SAID A WORD NIGHT. AND I'M SAYING THAT BECAUSE JUST SITTING HERE IN THIS SEAT, THERE IS A TREMENDOUS LEARNING CURVE THAT ALL OF US HAVE TO EXPERIENCE.AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, I FEEL PRETTY GOOD TONIGHT BEING ABLE TO SIT HERE AND DISCUSS WITH YOU AND TO LISTEN TO YOU AND TO UNDERSTAND A LOT OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND TO BE ABLE TO SAY, WELL, THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT. AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT TRULY IS WHAT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS IS ABOUT. IT'S ABOUT LEARNING. IT'S ABOUT BEING OPEN. IT'S AWESOME. I WILL SAY, SOMETIMES WHEN WE'RE GOING AFTER PLANS, THAT WE'LL SAY THAT THE PROCESS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE PLAN ITSELF. YES. AND I TOLD THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE EARLIER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO HEAR AT THE END OF THIS IS I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT BLANK. SO YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FOLKS, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW. AND WE DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING EITHER. BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO SHARE AS MUCH AS WE HAVE AND FIGURE AGAIN, FIGURE OUT WHAT THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR GARLAND IS. SO I APPRECIATE THE ABILITY TO HAVE THIS. WE DON'T ALWAYS GET TO HAVE THESE LONG DIALOGS WITH COUNCIL ESPECIALLY. IT'S USUALLY, HEY, , YOU GOT 15 MINUS TO SAY THREE HOURS WORTH OF STUFF. GOOD LUCK, SO I APPRECIATE THIS, ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOOD TO GO. OR WE. OH, LISTEN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU STAY AS LONG AS Y'ALL WANT, BUT. WELL, BECAUSE HERE'S THE DEAL.
WE GET PAID THE SAME. EITHER WAY, WHETHER THIS MEETING'S 5 MINUTES OR 5 HOURS. ACTUALLY I DON'T EVEN THINK WE GET PAID FOR THIS ONE. DO WE SEE? SO WE'RE WE'RE RUNNING ON CRUISE CONTROL HERE. AND YOU HAVE OPENED THE FLOODGATES. AND DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM LUCK, ACTUALLY, I WANT TO APOLOGIZE. I MEANT TO REFERENCE COMMISSIONER JENKINS. SO EARLIER, BUT I DO. I HAVE A QUESTION, AND I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO THE NEXT THING, HOW ARE YOU ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY, IN THIS PROCESS, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT TALKING TO THE NEIGHBORS. YOU KNOW, CLOSE TO SHOPPING CENTERS. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND HOW ARE YOU ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THAT COMMUNICATION GAP THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, SO AS MUCH AS WE WOULD LIKE TO LIKE, WE WOULD LOVE TO DO A TON OF ENGAGEMENT, BUT THAT'S ALWAYS THE THTHING THATIKE, OKAY, WE GOT X DOLLARS AND YOU KNOW, SO, TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE OF IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL AND JUST CONTENT THAT WE CAN SHARE. AND HOW DO WE TAP INTO AS MANY PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WE CAN TO GET INFORMATION IN AND OUT, YOU KNOW, PROJECT WEBSITE NUMBER ONE, AND THAT'S A GOOD SEGUE INTO THIS. SO LET ME START WITH THIS, AND THEN I'LL EXPAND ON IT. SO THE WEBSITE IS UP. IT'S GARLAND FORWARD.COM. THE COLOR SCHEME JUST TO BUILD ON THIS A LITTLE BIT, THERE'S, THERE'S KIND OF A YOU'LL SEE A BLUE AND A PINK AND YOU'LL SEE SOME STUFF THAT HAS KIND OF THE, IT'S KIND OF ATTRIBUTED TO SOME OF THE DOWNTOWN WITH THE, THE PILLARS OR PRISM DESIGN AND SOME OF THAT. BUT THE BLUE AND PINK, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, SOME OF LIKE THE BLUE BEING COLORED KIND OF THE BLUE COLLAR PART OF GARLAND, THE PINK BEING MORE OF THE CREATIVE, ARTISTIC PART OF GARLAND AND BRINGING THOSE TOGETHER TO SERVE KIND OF THE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS AND NEEDS. BUT THE WEBSITE IS NUMBER ONE. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO GO INTO THIS WEBSITE. WE W WANT ANYBY AT ANY TIME. IF IT'S A NEW RESIDENT, THEY JUST MOVED TO GARLAND. THEY WANTO GET UP TO SPEED. THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GO TO THE WEBSITE AND KIND OF CATCH UP, KEY EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION, IF IT'S COPIES OF ANY OF THE PRESENTATIONS THAT I OR THAT WE DO, OR IF IT'S OTHER RESOURCES LIKE SOME OF THESE BOOKS THAT ARE TED TALKS THAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK, ALL OF THAT STUFF WE WANT TO HAVE UP HERE, WE WANT ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO LEAN IN AND LEARN A LOT. YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE READERS, IF THEY'RE VIDEO WATCHERS. YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO PUT AS MANY RESOURCES OUT THERE BECAUSE THE MORE THE MORE YOUR CIVIC IQ, THE OVERALL KIND OF EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF HOW A COMMUNITY WORKS GROWS. THE MORE YOU'RE GOING TO MOVE, THE MORE YOU'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD. SO A LOT OF THIS TO US IS ABOUT EDUCATING. BEFORE WE START TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE HOW, I MENTIONED THIS, THE VERY FIRST SURVEY, THE VIBRANT COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT. IT'S 14, 14, 14 QUESTIONS. THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10, HOW'S GARLAND DOING IN THIS? IT'S VERY QUICK. IT'S INTENDED TO JUST GET A VERY QUICK BASELINE OF SOME KEY PARTS OF KIND OF TYING BACK TO QUINT STUDER'S BOOK, ELEMENTS OF A VIBRANT COMMUNITY, AND THEN A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT GIVE US AN INITIAL BASELINE. THIS ONE IS UP RIGHT NOW. IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, YOU'LL SEE A VERY, VERY BIG BUTTON THAT SAYS TAKE THE SURVEY, WE'RE PUSHING THAT OUT THROUGH THE PMA. THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE IT WITH STAFF AND WITH THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WITH YOU ALL AS WELL, THIS IS A VERY SAFE, EASY WAY TO GET PEOPLE ENGAGED IN THE IN THE
[01:55:02]
PROCESS. THIS ONE'S GOING TO BE OPEN TILL THE END OF SEPTEMBER. SEPTEMBER 28TH. HERE'S KIND OF THE OVERALL SCHEDULE, IF YOU WILL. WE'VE GOT THE BIG COMMUNITY KICKOFF EVENT TOMORROW NIGHT. PLEASE TRY TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE AS YOU CAN, IT'S GOING TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOR THEM TO HEAR SOME OF THIS SAME STUFF. WHAT IS A COMP PLAN? WHY DOES IT MATTER? HOW CAN YOU ENGAGE, SURVEY. SO WE ALREADY TODAY HAD TWO FOUR POP UPS. WE HAD TWO DIFFERENT TIME SLOTS, BUT T WE HAD FOUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THAT WE WENT TO THAT WE WERE JUST MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY WERE AND ASKING SOME QUESTIONS, SURVEY NUMBER TWO IS GOING TO GET AT THAT WHAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE ASSETS, THE ASSETS, VALUES AND ASPIRATIONS, WE HAVE COMP PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT THAT WAS APPROVED BY YOU ALL VERY GREAT FIRST IMPRESSIONS, VERY GOOD MIX OF FOLKS AND VERY GOOD DIALOG THAT WE'RE GOING TO REALLY ENGAGE AND LEAN ON THEM, TO GIVE US FEEDBACK ON SOME THINGS IN BETWEEN SOME OF THESE SURVEYS AND TRIPS. SURVEY NUMBER THREE IS FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON LOCAL BUSINESS AND LOCAL DEVELOPERS, AND THEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSESSMENTS PART IS GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, IT'S A TOOL THAT CIVIC BRAND HAS PUT TOGETHER. IT'S A MEETING IN A BOX TOOL, BUT IT'LL BE A VERY SHORT GROUP OF QUESTIONS THAT ARE INTENDED TO GET LOCAL FEED, LIKE ON THAT LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WE'LL, IT'LL BE AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, ONLINE ESPECIALLY. BUT WE WANT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO THEY CAN EITHER ANSWER THAT, YOU KNOW, THEMSELVES AND THERE'S A FILTER IN THERE ON THE WEBSITE WHERE THEY CAN SAY WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD THEHEY'RE IN AND TN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS SO WE CAN GET SPECIFIC INPUT ABOUT DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, LIKE THAT. WHAT'S WHAT'S SOMETHING SMALL IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WOULD IMPACT YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE? WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET, YOU KNOW, THAT LEVEL OF INPUT WITH ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH THAT PROCESS, STAFF'S GOING TO WORK WITH US. THE NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY GROUP, WE'RE GOING TO WORK AT GETTING THAT OUT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AS MUCH AS WE CAN. ASK SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS TO MAYBE FACILITATE SMALL GROUPS SO YOU CAN EITHER YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT ASSESSMENTS, EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR YOU CAN FACILITATE A SMALL GROUP AND JUST PUT THE GROUPS SHARED ANSWERS INTO THAT SAME TOOL. WE'LL ALSO HAVE POSTCARDS AND THINGS THAT GO OUT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT DIRECT THEM THERE. AND FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T DO IT ONLINE, WE'LL HAVE A PAPER COPY THAT THEY CAN DO, TRIP. YOU'LL SEE TRIPS TWO, THREE AND FOUR. MOST OF OUR TEAM IS LOCAL HERE, SO THESE AREN'T TRIPS IN THE SENSE OF LIKE OUT OF TOWN STUFF WHERE WE WOULD ALL TRAVEL THERE, BUT THEY'RE KIND OF A COMPRESSED, USUALLY TWO DAY SET OF ACTIVITIES LIKE TODAY. AND TOMORROW WHERE WE'RE DOING A KIND OF AN INTENTIONAL GROUP OF THINGS FOCUSEDN THAT PHASE OF THE, OF THE PROJECT, SO AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, THERE WILL BE POP UPS, THERE WILL BE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS, THERE'LL BE, YOU KNOW, WALKING AROUND DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, DIFFERENT WAYS TO ASK QUESTIONS FOR THAT STAGE OF THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE IN. I WILL SAY, I MEAN, ONE OF THE STRUGGLES WITH OUR FIELD THESE DAYS IS WE CAN TRY REALLY HARD IN ENGAGEMENT, AND WE CAN TRY A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT PEOPLE ARE JUST REALLY BUSY. AND GIVING THEM A REASON TO COME IS, IS ALWAYS HARD. SO TRYING TO PROVIDE WAYS TO DO IT ONLINE, TO DO IT IN PERSON, TO DO IT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, TO DO IT AT CITY HALL, WE TRY TO MIX AS MUCH OF THAT UP AS WE CAN. WE'RE ALSO, I KNOW THE WEBSITE IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE, SO IT'S NOT EVERYBODY, BUT IT'S A LOT, SO TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN. BUT A BIG PART OF ENGAGEMENT IS GIVING PEOPLE THE HOOK, GIVING THEM THE REASON TO SHOW UP, AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK IF WE CAN MAKE IT ABOUT THE, THE MATH AND THE VISION AND THE STORY AND WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU, WHY IT MATTERS TO FUTURE GENERATIONS, IF I'M A RESIDENT, IF THERE'S ONE THING I'M EVER GOING TO GET ENGAGED WITH, AND YOU ALL SHOULD SHARE THIS WITH YOUR RESIDENTS AND YOUR COMMUNITY, IF THERE'S ONE TIME TO ENGAGE IN YOUR COMMUNITY, IT'S NOW. IT'S NOT A SPECIFIC PROJECT THAT COMES IN THAT GETS YOU FIRED UP OR WHATEVER. IT'S THIS IS IF WE DO THIS RIGHT, THIS IS THE BIG VISION THAT'S GOING TO GET, YOU KNOW, GET SOME THINGS ALIGNED WITH PARKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALL AROUND. HOW DO YOU CLOSE THE RESOURCE GAP? OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO GO TO COMMISSIONER PARIS AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK UP THIS WAY.JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY. HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THOSE THAT ARE HOMEBOUND AND MAY THEY MAY NOT GET OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND SO AND TYPICALLY THEY LEAN ON, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THAT PERSON THAT MAY CALL THE CITY AND ASK QUESTIONS WHERE VERSUS GOING TO A WEBSITE OR THINGS LIKE THA THEY MAY NOT BE TECH SAVVY, SO I JUST DON'T WANT TO MISS THE VOICE OF THAT COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO THERE'S ALSO GOING TO BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DIRECT MAILERS THAT GO OUT IN THE MAIL. DOOR HANGERS, THINGS LIKE THAT. THE STAFF, WE'VE ALSO TALKED WITH ABOUT, A, YOU KNOW, AN EMAIL OR A PHONE NUMBER, A PHONE LINE THAT THEY CAN CALL OR THE IF THERE'S INTERNAL CALLS THAT JUST COME TO CITY HALL IN GENERAL, THEY CAN THEY KNOW WHO TO DIRECT THEM TO. SO THANK YOU, YEAH. ALL RIGHT. GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILMEMBER WILLIAMS. YES ON
[02:00:01]
YOUR LAST QUESTION, I'M I'M I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU TO PUT THE SCREEN BACK UP. LET ME ASK YOU SORT OF AN OUT OF THE BOX QUESTION YOU TALKED ABOUT. I THINK THE LAST ONE WAS HOW DO YOU BRING NEW PEOPLE TO THE CITY? ONE OF THE TOPICS THAT I'VE LEARNED OVER THESE YEARS, YOU TALK ABOUT IF YOU YOUR, YOUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS. BUT IF I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT MY KIDS OR MY GRANDKIDS, I'M GOING TO SHOW UP. MY QUESTION TO YOU IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT NEW FOLKS WITH NEW FOLKS LOOK FOR A NEW TOWN, PARTICULARLY YOUNG, YOUNG, YOUNG FOLKS THAT THAT HAVE GROWING FAMILIES. THEY ALWAYS ASK THE QUESTION ABOUT EDUCATION QUALITY. OKAY, SO I'M GOING WITH THIS QUESTION IS WE HAVE PARTNERS IN THE CITY, WE HAVE OUR CHAMBER AND WE'VE GOT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, THIS IS CITY. SO HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS? I'M OKAY. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT ADDRESSING OR INTEGRATING THAT TOTOPIC INTOETTING FEEDBACK TO YOUR TEAM AND COMING UP WITH, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION PIECE NOW. OKAY WHO, THROW IT BACK AT ME. TELL ME I'M OFF THE WALL. SCHOOL DISTRICTS. PARTNER AND WHAT ROLE IN THIS PROCESS IN GETTING NOT. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT OFFICIAL PARTNERS OR 2 OR 3 PARTNERS, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT AN INFORMATION GATHERING AND SHARING WITH COMMUNITIES. WHAT DO YOU WHAT DO YOU SEE THAT PIECE. SO WE THE SCHOOLS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITY DESIGN AND WHERE WE PUT THEM AND HOW WE DESIGN THEM.AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A WHOLE A VERY LONG CONVERSATION EARLIER TODAY ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF CHOICE AND PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO MOVE ALL OVER GARLAND AND HOW MUCH TRAFFIC THAT IS CREATING.
BECAUSE SO AND I WAS LIKE, CAN WE GO THERE? AND I WAS TOLD, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE, BUT YOU TELL HER THAT WAS A TOUGH ONE OR WE COULDN'T GO THERE. BOTH. OKAY OKAY. I'M JUST BOTH. BOTH. BUT TAPPING INTO THEM ENGAGEMENT WISE AND SHARING INFORMATION, THERE'S A LOT THAT HAPPENS AT THE SCHOOLS AND WITH THE KIDS, RIGHT? SO WE CAN'T GET, WE CAN'T GET THE EMAIL LIST FROM THE SCHOOLS. BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS SHARE THE INFORMATION TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE PRINCIPALS AND ASK THEM TO PUT IT INTO THEIR MATERIALS. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT YET, BUT IT'S ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DO TO. THERE'S A LOT OF I KNOW MY WIFE HAS ONE. SHE'LL OPEN ANYTHING THAT COMES FROM THE SCHOOL, THE UTILITY BILL. SHE'S LIKE, HERE, KEVIN, BUT BUT YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S IF WE WANT TO IF WE WANT TO GET THE WORD OUT TO FOLKS GETTING IT THROUGH THE SCHOOLS, THROUGH THE CHURCH COMMUNITY, THROUGH ANY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF NETWORKS. AND I KIND OF GLOSSED OVER THAT EARLIER. BUT THERE ARE KIND OF ESTABLISHED NETWORKS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE NEED TO FIND THOSE LEADERS AND PUSH THIS TO, AND WE'RE STARTING TO FIND OUT WHO THOSE ARE. BUT IT, MY COLLEAGUE AJ AND I TALK ABOUT THIS, AND SOMETIMES IT'S A LEVEL TWO, LIKE, WE WILL GET FROM YOU ALL IN THE CPAC KIND OF WE'LL GET THE FIRST LEVEL OF FOLKS LIKE, YOU NEED TO TALK TO THESE PEOPLE. AND THEN WHEN WE TALK TO THEM, THEY'LL SAY, YOU REALLY NEED TO TALK TO THIS PERSON BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT COMMUNITY OR THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY HOST THIS GROUP EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. SO WHETHER IT'S INDIVIDUALS, WHETHER IT'S ESTABLISHED, YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES AND THE CHAMBER ANAND ORGANITIONS, OR IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT THAT NETWORK AS SOON AS WE CAN AND USE IT TO PUSH THIS INFORMATION OUT. AND THEN TO CAPTURE INFORMATION THAT'S THAT'S THE GENESIS OF MY QUESTION IS PENETRATION OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND I THINK THAT'S A THAT'S A HUGE PIECE OF THIS. AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS WERE AS TO HOW WE COULD INCREASE THAT PENETRATION AT THAT LEVEL, PARTICULARLY SINCE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT YOUNG FAMILIES, KIDS THAT, THAT, THAT'S THAT, THAT'S A, THAT, THAT'S AN AUDIENCE THAT'S ALSO THEY'RE ALSO THE NEIGHBORS. THEY'RE ALSO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO THAT'S IT'S JUST MORE OF A THOUGHT QUESTION. THANK YOU ON THAT. WE TALKED ABOUT THE ADVISORY COUNCIL AND BEING ABLE TO TAP INTO THEM AS WELL. THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER DUTTON. I'M GOING TO BE FAST, WE'VE MADE ONE POST ON CAN YOU. THERE YOU GO. HOW ABOUT NOW? WE'VE MADE ONE POST ON FACEBOOK IN REGARDS TO
[02:05:02]
THIS EVENT TOMORROW. IT HAS 19 REACTIONS AND EIGHT SHARES. SO TAKE THAT INFORMATION FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH. BUT, WE PROBABLY NEED TO OVERHAUL OUR, SOCIAL MEDIA DOINGS, BECAUSE THAT'S HORRID. YEAH. AND I KNOW THEY'RE THEY'RE GETTING STARTED. THEY'RE WORKING ON IT. AND WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT HOW CAN WE GET INTO THE NEXT DOOR GROUPS, AND PUSH SOME OF THIS STUFF OUT. BUT I WOULD ALSO KIND OF CHALLENGE YOU ALL. AND NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE TONIGHT, I MEAN, THINK OF TEN PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN SEND THIS TO THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, SPREAD THEM OUT. I MEAN, DO IT BEFORE YOU LEAVE HERE TONIGHT. SEND IT, SEND A TEXT WHATEVER TO TEN PEOPLE. AND YOU KNOW, ASK THEM TO SHARE IT, ASK THEM TO COME, YOU KNOW, IF WE GET I'LL SAY I MEAN, IF WE GET 100 PEOPLE TOMORROW, THAT'S AWESOME. SO ONE SUGGESTION IS, I THINK THE MAJORITY OF US ARE ALL IN SOME SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM OR ANOTHER. SO YOU GOT ELECTED, SO YOU HAVE TO BE. WELL, YEAH, I SUPPOSE, SO I WOULD DEFINITELY JUST SUGGEST IF YOU CAN'T GET INTO AN NEXTDOOR GROUP REACH OUT TO US. AND FOR THE MOST PART, MOST OF US ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO THROW THINGS OUT, I HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE FACEBOOK GROUP THAT I TRY TO SHARE AS MUCH CITY STUFF AND CITY STUFF IN. SO, DON'T EVER HESITATE TO SEND US SOME, SOME INFO TO SHARE OUT. OKAY OKAY. AND WE'RE GOING TO GO DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM AND WE'RE GOING TO ROUND THIS UP, IF YOU COULD SEND US, LIKE, A PICTURE THAT WE CAN JUST QUICKLY POST ON FACEBOOK NEXT DOOR, THAT WOULD BE GREAT, WE ACTUALLY HAVE NATIONAL NIGHT OUT ON, ON THE 1ST OF OCTOBER, THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL SEE CRIME WATCH GROUPS, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, HOAS COME TOGETHER, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXTEND THE SURVEY TIME TO AT LEAST THE SECOND. SO WE COULD TELL THEM ABOUT IT. THEN, BUT IF NOT, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE ON A TIMELINE, I THINK A FEW DAYS, WOULD I THAT WOULD GIVE US AN. I MEAN, I'LL GO AROUND TO EVERYONE WITH MY PHONE AND A QR CODE AND JUST BE LIKE, HERE, TAKE THIS SURVEY, ALSO, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY OFFICE HAS, THEY HAVE AN EMAIL LIST OF EVERY SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, CRIME WATCH GROUP, HOA. AND THEY COULD EASILY SEND OUT AN EMAIL BLAST TO ALL OF THEM. AND THEN WE ALL USUALLY HAVE TOWN HALLS. SO I'D BE HAPPY TO INVITE YOU TO COME TO ONE OF MINE AND SPEAK THERE.SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO DO, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. YEAH, I AND I DIDN'T MENTION TOO I KNOW WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF THE BIG KIND OF VERTICAL KIND OF PULL UP BANNERS THAT WILL SAY GARLAND FORD AND HAVE THE BIG QR CODE. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE, LIKE WE'RE MOVING THOSE AROUND THE COMMUNITY TO DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE, LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTY VAN THAT YOU ALL HAVE THAT CAN GO TO DIFFERENT. SO PUTTING SOME MATERIALS IN THERE, I THINK RIGHT NOW IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST THIS POSTCARD, THE QR CODE. AND LIKE THE POP UPS, WE'VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT IT. BUT, I THINK, YEAH, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO QUICKLY, TO GET SOME OF THE STUFF IN Y'ALL'S HANDS SO YOU CAN SHARE IT IN SOME OF YOUR GROUPS, THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN KICK OFF RAMP UP MODE. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE DON'T YOU'LL SEE I HOPE, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT BUMP FROM THE RESPONSES IN SURVEY ONE TO SURVEY TWO. SURVEY TWO IS THE REALLY IMPORTANT ONE. THIS FIRST ONE IS JUST GIVING US A BASELINE AND GIVING PEOPLE KIND OF TO GET TO THE WEBSITE AND GET COMFORTABLE. NOT SAYING WE WANT WE DON'T WANT TO VALUE THAT INPUT, WE WANT IT AND NEED IT.
AND I MEAN, EVERY SURVEY WE WANT TO MAXIMIZE, ENGAGEMENT WITH IT. THAT SECOND ONE IS IMPORTANT.O BUT AGAIN, THIS IS HELPFUL TO HEAR ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO AND THAT YOU KNOW, I KNOW STAFF IS STAFF IS WORKING ON GETTING A LOT MORE OF THESE THINGS OUT. BUT, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN'T SHOW UP IF THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT. SO WE GOT TO GET IT OUT. HOWEVER, WE CAN. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE QR CODE AND YOU JUST WANT TO SAY, GO TO FORWARD DALLAS.COM, IT'S GOING TO HAVE THE INFO RIGHT THERE FOR THEM FORWARD. SORRY GARLAND FOR GARLAND FORWARD. COM. WELL YOU JUST ANSWERED MY QUESTION. WHAT IS THE WEB ADDRESS. SO WE CAN GET EVERYBODY TO GARLAND FORWARD.COM. COM OKAY. AND ON NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IF YOUR STAFF SOME OF YOUR STAFF WANT TO JOIN, A LOT OF THESE COUNCIL PEOPLE WILL BE GOING TO 2 OR 3 HOMES. AND D YOU COULHAVE 2 OR 3 QUESTIONS THAT YOU JUST ASK ONE ON ONE WITH FOLKS AND GETTING THAT KIND OF INPUT, FRESH INPUT WOULD REALLY BE GOOD. AND HOPEFULLY YOU'RE GOING TO PUT A COPY OF THIS MEETING. THE VIDEO OF THIS MEETING ON THAT SITE SO THEY CAN GET A GOOD BRIEFING. THAT'S ALL VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT.
[02:10:01]
THIS IS IT. THERE YOU GO. TAKE A PICTURE BEHIND YOU OR ON YOUR SCREEN. WE USED TO DO YARD SIGNS WITH THE QR CODE. AND YARD SIGNS WITH THE QR CODE. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT TOO. ANDY, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE THIS PRESENTATION SENT TO THE COUNCIL TONIGHT? WE'LL JUST SEND YOU THE PRESENTATION. THAT WAY YOU KNOW, WE CAN. WE HAVE THAT TECHNOLOGY. AWESOME THERE ARE CARDS OUT THERE ON THE TABLE. I, YES. OKAY THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU GUYS AND, GOING ON THIS, THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER. AND I'LL SAY THE SAME THING TO YOU. ALL THAT I. SO CPAC, I HOPE AT THE END OF THIS, YOU GUYS LEARN A FEW THINGS AND, WE HELP KIND OF UNIFY THE COMMUNITY AND GIVE YOU SOME OF THAT CLARITY OF VISION AND, HOW TO DRIVE THIS DOWN THROUGH YOUR ORGANIZATION. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL. WELL VERY GOOD. AND, COMMISSIONERS COUNCIL, THANK YOU. FOR A GREAT DISCUSSION HERE. THIS EVENING. AND OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A VERY LONG JOURNEY AND A LOT MORE DISCUSSIONS LIKE THIS. AND SO I HOPE THAT YOU WILL ALL STAY ENGAGED IN THAT PROCESS. AND, KEEP MOVING US FORWARD. HA HA. HO HO HO! HO HO HO! YOU'RE WELCOME. AND WITH THAT, IT IS 841. AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. AND GOOD.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.