FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friends of Austin Neighborhoods Supports Multi-Modal Transportation
AUSTIN, TEXAS (2020-06-18) - In a letter to city officials, Friends of Austin Neighborhoods (FAN) called for two measures to enhance multi-modal transportation: (1) implementation of Project Connect and high-quality transit, and (2) changes to the city’s proposed street impact fee.
FAN enthusiastically supports the Project Connect system plan for high-quality transit in Austin. Members approved a resolution calling for dedicated pathways, rail on Austin’s proven, highest-ridership corridors (especially the Orange Line on Guadalupe-Lamar), quality experiences for a full diversity of passengers, and capacity that meets future ridership demand.
FAN also urges the city to change its proposed street impact fee. A member resolution recommends that the city base the fees for individual projects on the amount of parking instead of notoriously-unreliable ITE trip counts, residential unit counts, or commercial square footage.
“A 300-unit apartment complex with no parking generates fewer automobile trips and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) than the same project with 300 parking spaces,” explained FAN’s treasurer, Roger L. Cauvin. “Yet under the city’s current proposal, the fee for the two developments would be the same unless the developer negotiated special reductions. The amount of parking is the best single indicator of a project’s impacts on nearby streets’ automobile infrastructure.”
The full language of each resolution and the member vote breakdowns are available on the Votes page of the FAN website.
FAN represents about 3,000 neighbors (homeowners, renters, and small business owners) among its 19 member neighborhood associations and individual members living in 203 other neighborhoods throughout the city. A complete list of member neighborhood associations and individual members is on the FAN website.
Friends of Austin Neighborhoods (FAN) is a coalition of neighborhood associations and residents reclaiming the word “neighborhood” to include the full diversity of voices, moving beyond neighborhood protectionism.
Media Contact: info@atxfriends.org | (512) 766-3266
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