Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Austin Traffic: SH 45 SW – Environmental Impact Study Open House

Austin Traffic: SH 45 SW – Environmental Impact Study Open House
As Realtors and residents of Southwest Austin, we have a vested interest in the divisive debate unfolding about whether to build SH 45 SW or Keep Mopac Local.  After all, this impacts property values, commute time, quality of life…all major factors in our line of work.  In October 2013, we attended the Open House that was hosted atBaileyMiddle School in Shady Hollow by the SH 45 SW Environmental Study group.
The event was an open forum, with no speaker and no agenda.  If we hadn’t been studying this issue for quite some time already, we don’t know that the meeting’s information would have made a lot of sense.  For all intents and purposes it resembled a science fair, with representatives from different organizations standing awkwardly in front of large Powerpoint slides blown up to poster board size.
Keep Austin WEird Homes Keep Austin Weird HOmes
Although in our experience, students displaying their science projects take their presentations more seriously than many of the adults employed by our public organizations did today (“Dan” from CAMPO and the guy you were joshing around with whose nametag we didn’t see – we’re talking about you…for starters).  There certainly wasn’t any information about an Environmental Impact Study, which seemed like the primary topic based on the title.
At any rate, you can view all the displays and handouts that were available at the meeting here. I took the time to read the complete Draft Project Coordination Plan and noted that on page 33 it stated that the team is obligated to present viable alternatives to extending SH 45 SW, including a “no-build” alternative.  Let’s hold our public officials accountable to these alternatives and not allow a freeway to be steamrolled through the Southwest Austin neighborhoods and over our aquifer.
Please, please take the time to submit your online comments and the proposed extension of SH 45 SW and the concerns you have about how this will impact our environment, our neighborhoods, and our community inSouthwest Austin.  The deadline for this phase of comments is October 18, 2013. 
Keep Austin Weird Homes
Theresa Bastian and Rodney Campbell run an Austin, TXreal estate brokerage established with the intention of doing good business with good people.  As Austinreal estate specialists, Theresa and Rodney can help you buyselllease or invest in real estate in and aroundAustin,TX.

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