Residents of Austin attended a Jan. 21 meeting where they provided input on what the future development at Bull Creek Road, spanning from 39th Street to 45th Street, should include.[/caption]
UPDATE: The results of the community surveys will be presented during a meeting Feb. 11.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Smith Auditorium at Temple Beth Israel, 3901 Shoal Creek Blvd.
MileStone Community Builders hosted its first visioning workshop Jan. 21 at Westminster retirement communityto receive input from neighbors of the Bull Creek Road property. About 250 people attended the meeting, which included stops at six different stations. Each station addressed different development amenities, such as park features, open spaces and residential areas. Attendees were also allowed to label areas on a map they deem valuable to the surrounding area or features they want to prevent from happening. Milestone CEO Garrett Martin said after the meeting he is optimistic about moving the project forward. "It was great to get out there and talk with everybody," Martin said."Everyone has an opinion and there's no shortage of vision for the tract. It will be fun for us weaving all those visions together in what we hope will be an incredible project over the next six months or so." There was no question-and-answer session during the meeting, but attendees were invited to speak directly with Martin and other members of the project. Martin said he talked to about 50 to 75 people during the meeting. "I heard a few concerns from a select number of people, probably no more than 10 ... [about] traffic and open space," Martin said. "From the substantial majority of the rest of people that I spoke with, I heard people talking about things they were excited about." Carl Hehmsoth this month became the new president of Bull Creek Road Coalition, an organization meant to bring together neighborhood groups that surround the development. He called the Jan. 21 meeting a good start and said he appreciated the developers seeking out public input. The survey his group conducted last year showed most neighbors were concerned about access to trails and expansions of existing trails, Hehmsoth said. Neighbors also expressed concern about how the development could impact or increase area traffic congestion. His coalition has not yet taken a stand on what development should be placed in the 75-acre property. The survey issued during the Jan. 21 and upcoming Jan. 28 public meetingsalso scheduled to be hosted at Westminsteris now available online. Responses will be tallied in anticipation of an open meeting with neighbors, during which time different visions for the development will be vetted to create a rough draft of the development, Martin said. A location and time for that meeting has not yet been established, he said.
