By LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News
Karlin Real Estate is redeveloping the 156-acre former 3M site in Four Points.
Weeks after Karlin unveiled ideas for its multi-phase site plan in September,
community leaders initiated a survey to gauge feedback from people who live in
and around Four Points.
“People want things that help with traffic and want places to see their kids play,”
said Daniel Kulick, a Four Points resident with data analysis expertise. He
developed the questionnaire with Linda Bailey, president of Lake Austin
Collective, as well as other leaders in the Four Points community.
Summarizing the survey results, Kulick found: People are most concerned about
traffic, and the potential for insufficient infrastructure and rezoning to exacerbate
traffic. Also, there is a desire for a through-road particularly for school commuters,
as well as a desire for the development to have a public park with areas for kids to
play and have it be larger than Karlin’s initial park proposition.
Kulick compiled the data and presented the results of the survey to the 2222
Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, Lake Austin Collective, and again to
leaders at Karlin Real Estate.
The survey was first drafted and circulated to 2222 CONA members for edits and
polishing. Then it was circulated through public channels and received 915
responses over 10 days.
All Four Points communities responded and the larger the community, the more
responses. For example, Steiner Ranch is the largest Four Points community with
over 4,000 homes and almost 200 people from Steiner responded.
“The reach into each community is similar when comparing the number of
responses to the size of the community,” Kulick said.
He shared that the questions were intended to allow open-ended responses and
used objective language that fairly represents both potential demands and the
developer’s desires.
Summary of Concerns
“Traffic (ranked #1) nearly 43% of the time, much higher than the other options,”
Kulick said. “Traffic is by far the foremost concern for respondents.” Changing zoning from single-owner Research & Development to multi-use had the 2nd highest ranking and insufficient infrastructure the 3rd.
“To add a little nuance to the rankings, (the results) likely also imply concerns for safety, where more traffic could translate to more accidents. In particular, the development is close to two schools (Vandegrift High School and Four Points Middle School), and so a lot of inexperienced drivers would be impacted by a traffic increase, potentially having a compounding effect on traffic and accidents,” Kulick shared.
He added that traffic increases also carry negative environmental impacts, such as
emissions from an increase in idling time and sound pollution to communities like
The Preserve.
Summary of Benefits
Respondents broadly indicated interest for a through-road on the campus to
connect the schools to River Place Boulevard, and traffic mitigation, which go
hand in hand in practice.
“A through-road to alleviate some of the traffic on 2222 was important,” Kulick
said. “A through-road is an application of traffic mitigation.”
A park is desired by respondents with significant interest in wanting one that is
larger than 9 acres that also includes areas for play and activities, Kulick shared.
Summary of Density
Respondents are supportive of office and retail, with a secondary preference for a
campus-style development like 3M was for three decades.
“There is not a resistance to building, there’s concern that it will impact traffic infrastructure in a negative way,” Linda said.
“Most respondents are simply concerned about what Karlin will be building and
how it will impact the community, with only a handful of people on the extreme
(end) of not having anything built,” Kulick shared
Survey Q1: Rank Top 3 Concerns:
- Traffic accumulation
- Environmental disruption
- Insufficient infrastructure
- Changing zoning from single-owner R&D to Multi-use
- QOL impact
- Other
Survey Q2: Rank Top 3 Desired Community Benefits:
- Proposed 9 acre park with trails and lake
- Larger park with sports and rec facilities
- Through road
- Facilities for civic use
- Traffic mitigation study
- 60-80% MFI-restricted affordable housing
Survey Q3: Choose a Desired Density Preference:
- Multi-use with less height/density
- Offices and retail with no residential
- Campus-style (3M, Concordia)
- Other
- Survey participation well represented
- The number of highest survey responders came from the following neighborhoods:
- Steiner Ranch
- River Place
- Long Canyon
- Glenlake
- Jester
- Canyon Creek
- Westminster Glen
- Grandview Hills
- Shepherd Mountain
- Greenshores HOA
- The Preserve at Four Points
- North West Hills Area
- Hudson Bend
- Monte Vista
- Colina Vista
- Anderson Mill
- Courtyard HOA
- Westcliff HOA
Public comments from Former 3M Site Redevelopment survey
This is a summary of comments taken during 10 days in October and closing on the 24th.
Comment keywords were identified and counted and some general comments are listed here.
CONCERNS
Traffic: 119 Count
- 2222 is already a mess of traffic and unsafe driving. High School is already completely full. Congestion and overcrowding of schools. Road safety. No public transport options.
- 620 and 2222 are already a nightmare to negotiate early morning and late afternoon. Adding a high volume of cars can only make that situation worse. I am also concerned about water availability as climate change creates more drought situations.
- Having lived here since 2008 we have driven 2222 and watched the traffic grow. It has affected us all. Our travel times have increased and so has the danger of being on this road. I do not want to see it go from bad to worse and I’m certain these already difficult traffic concerns will be even greater with the addition of more apartments and development of this vast property.
- Car accidents are a big problem on 2222. This will add to the problem.
- A project this large would affect traffic at all times a day. If you drive 2222 during the day especially in the morning and late afternoon the traffic is overwhelming. The traffic from the high school especially at the end of the school day is horrendous. Has a traffic study been completed to see how this would impact our daily commutes? Having so much more traffic for not only the residential portion but also the office and retail will bring consistent traffic. It will impact the quality of life for all of us who travel and live along RM 2222. Please reconsider changing the zoning to something more comparable with the neighborhoods that are close to this area.
- None of these are acceptable trade offs for approval of this project. These proposals do not in any way compensate for their massive project. NO to cut through from McNeil. If you have been or have kids at that school you would understand. This will only make traffic worse. It was just recently improved after years of construction so the students, teachers, and buses could get in and out of school grounds in a timely manner. This would just have it go back to former nightmare of traffic. Living in Jester for years and having family living in Riverplace and on Riverplace Blvd and Four Points I have been through all the traffic nightmares. We don’t need to add to them. There is currently a traffic project from Riverplace to 620 and it is already just horrible.
School: 47
- 4-Points already has a traffic problem; the proposed project will make it much worse unless additional infrastructure is added included a second route in/our of Vandegrift/4-Points Middle School
- Beyond the traffic concern with close proximity to the schools, I am most concerned about the safety in and around the schools with this much possible development. We chose to live here in no small part due to the schools and surrounding area. This development would be a huge burden with the already limited access to the schools.
Infrastructure: 33
- Not sure that road infrastructure will support the plan. Against conurbation of Hill Country, need to keep open spaces for respite. No local residents are asking for this. Environment loss, traffic, noise, light pollution, lack of infrastructure to support this, so further development will be needed to support these plans. More schools? Believe zoning change is tip of iceberg.
Housing: 16
- 1,400 apartments are just too much for the traffic and surrounding environment.
Green: 18
- Any development over the recharge zones needs restrictions