October 2023

Meeting Agenda and Announcements

Author

Eric Pace
October 17, 2023

Hello Neighbors,

Please join us for the ECC NPCT general meeting on Wednesday, October 18, in a HYBRID format:

The meeting agenda is available online here, which includes continued discussion around Outdoor Music Venue Permits, Saltillo Plaza, and the hybrid parking initiative.

Announcements

Crime & Safety Update

On October 16, one of our ECC neighbors facilitated and hosted a meeting with Council Member Jose Valasquez and Charles Loosen, Austin Public Health, to discuss concerns with unpoliced criminal activity and unsafe conditions caused by hundreds of individuals that migrate into the ECC neighborhood for services at the Austin Baptist Chapel Angel House Soup Kitchen.

As a result of the discussion, commitments were made to:

  • Work collaboratively to attempt a conversation with Austin Baptist Chapel/Angel House Soup Kitchen to identify opportunities to reduce the unintended impacts of their humanitarian services.

  • Arrange an introductory meeting with Austin Police Department leadership and Austin Public Health staff responsible for various aspects of homelessness response and public space management in our community.

  • Refer any building use concerns to Austin Code for investigation.

  • Elevate concerns to the Assistant City Manager responsible for public safety.

Our team will continue to track progress and share updates with the community as they are available.

Hybrid Parking Initiative Update

The ECC Team is working with the City to develop a “hybrid” parking zone to help alleviate parking challenges for several blocks of the ECC neighborhood. Although we will submit a single application, we’d like to identify a point of contact for each block included in the application to help communicate the perspectives of local neighbors. If you want to represent your block's interests (for or against) the hybrid parking initiative, please let us know by filling out this form. For more details on the initiative, please see the presentation here.

Palm Park Community Conversations

Waterloo Greenway and Austin Parks and Recreation Department are launching the next round of community engagement meetings for Palm Park and invite you to join!

Palm Park is an essential part of ECC’s history. The Waterloo Greenway Conservancy in partnership with the City is working to restore Palm Park as part of the creation of the larger 1.5-mile Waterloo Greenway park system.

In August, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy held a series of community conversations to gather feedback on the park's future. This month, they'll be hosting a series of small group conversations to dive deeper into the design of Palm Park.

Want to get involved? Here's a list of the upcoming small group conversations:

  • Tuesday, October 17th, 6:00-7:30pm at Palm Elementary School

  • Thursday, October 19th, 6:00-7:30pm at Palm Elementary School

  • Saturday, October 21st from 10:30am to noon at Chalmers East Community Room

  • Wednesday, October 25th, 6:00-7:30pm at Rodolfo “Rudy” Mendez Recreation Center

Unavailable to make it to the small group conversations? No worries! You can also share your feedback by completing the online survey. Click here to submit yours today! (Haga clic aquí para español)

The Trail Conservancy Updates
Trail-or-Treat

Enjoy fun, free, family-friendly Halloween event next Saturday, October 28th, from 3:30 - 6:30 PM at the Seaholm Waterfront Building. Trick-or-Treat from local vendors with Games, Music, Candy, and More, and a costume and pet costume contest.

On-Trail Signage

The project for on-trail signage is back for a second round of community engagement with in-person pop-ups at Johnson Creek Trailhead and Festival Beach on November 4th from 9 - 11 AM. The feedback, opinions, and Trail expertise we heard have shaped these next recommendations and examples for an improved on-trail signage system. In addition to the two on-Trail Pop-Ups, an online survey will be open from November 4th - December 6th.

As always, thanks for participating in our community, and I look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday! -ep


Eric Pace, Chair
ECCNA/NPCT

2023-2024 ECC Neighborhood General Meeting Dates

September 20 (Canceled)

October 18

November 15

December (TBD)

January 17

February 21

March 20