By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

A petition entitled “Tell Travis County ‘no’ to route F as permanent road in Steiner” has gained momentum this week with nearly 650 signatures by late Friday morning.

It was launched on Sunday, Feb. 10 and had more than 500 signatures in less than 48 hours showing feedback against route F as a permanent road. The goal of the petition, located at www.change.org, is 1,000 signatures, according to the petitioner, who does not want to be identified.  

Route F

Travis County has proposed route F as an option for an evacuation route, which is the only route among several that the county considers making into a permanent road. Travis County got the approval to create a Steiner Ranch evacuation route several years ago, stemming from demand after the wildfires of 2011 that destroyed 23 homes in the community.

The proposed $7.1 million road measures three fourths of a mile and would connect RM 620 to Flat Top Ranch Road beginning near to Westridge Park.

Concerns

The petition lists a number of concerns including child safety, negative effects on home values, destroying a green belt, adding traffic, and future development along road.  

Child safety is at issue since children play at Westridge Park along the proposed route F. Additionally, children and adults actively walk, run and bike along Flat Top Ranch Road throughout the day.

Elementary students in the area are inside of the two-mile rule for bus transportation by the Leander ISD, so many bike to school from the area.

Added traffic in a relatively quiet part of Steiner is another concern. Numbers are not tallied or released yet from the county’s traffic study but it was earlier estimated that thousands of vehicles would use a permanent road at that location. Also a new traffic signal would likely have to be added on Flat Top.

According to many, this route intersecting at RM 620 is also an issue because RM 620 is already crowded, some would say over capacity at peak times.

Route F cuts through the greenbelt with many trails that are used by many.

“It (route F) brings more problems than it solves,” the petitioner said.

“The people in the back (of Steiner) still feel slighted, there’s no exit for them,” she said. “If this road gets built, there probably won’t be another option offered that would benefit the people in back part of Steiner. The county will consider their job done.”

Environmental concerns?

The petitioner also has emails into the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP), which was created to assist Travis County landowners in complying with the Endangered Species Act.

It appears route F goes through golden-cheeked warbler habitat, according to a map that shows where endangered species have habitats. Apparently developers got the approval to build Steiner Ranch in the late 1980s before the bird was listed.

“How is the county proposing to do this (route F) when they’ve not even attempted an environmental study,” the petitioner said. She compares this route to the proposed secondary access to Vandegrift. It has not gotten clearance yet and has been held up for five years or so because it involves preserve lands which are golden-cheeked warbler habitats, she said.

Route F would cut straight through warbler habitat, not like the VHS road which would run next to the preserve, she added.

Petition results

The petitioner wants the results to go to the decision makers at Travis County so the results of this petition are emailed to Travis County Commissioner Precinct 2 Brigid Shea, who has approved an evacuation route through Steiner and has voiced support for route F. Results are also going to the Travis County officials working on the proposed route project including engineer Kathy Hardin.

Numerous people have given Travis County feedback about the proposed evacuation route F. Those in charge have replied to dozens of residents at this point but it is a time consuming process. Sometimes replies take several weeks, according to Hardin.

Why a petition?

The petitioner said she did not want to leave it to the HOA board (Steiner Ranch Master Association) or the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association to represent all of the voice of Steiner Ranch residents.

“SRNA or SRMA does not speak for all of Steiner,” she said.

The Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association or SRNA is an organization that collaborates with multiple HOAs in the Four Points area and advocates elected officials for such things as better roads.

“I don’t believe the SRMA (Steiner Ranch Master Association) is elected to speak on these kinds of issues for the neighborhood. They are to govern finances and HOA codes, potentially put new amenities in, and run the HOA office,” the petitioner said. “Those seven people don’t get to decide if Steiner does or does not want to have this road.”

Responses are coming in from all over Steiner, according to the petitioner who has access to the addresses of those who sign. The majority of those who have signed live in the areas that would be directly affected by the proposed route F but there are homeowners from all over Steiner including the University of Texas Golf Club, Summer Vista, Valley at East Ridge, Santaluz, etc.

“I wanted everybody to know that residents not just up Flat Top think it’s a bad idea,” the petitioner said.