Another reason why Austin can’t have nice things 
Your ANC and CNC dollars at work.
i don’t see either of those entities listed in the lawsuit.
The attorney behind this, Bill Aleshire, has been at the head of many high profile cases on their behalf and his interests and allegiances are well known.
Here is a nice thank you note from ANC doing his bidding.
From this article below
we have
Lewis and others working with him, including attorneys Bill Aleshire and Bill Bunch, have sought to change the makeup of the Planning Commission to eliminate some members with connections to the development community.
Far looser connections were stated as fact when the Zilker plan was being fought. He used far looser connection to attack PARD board members. So at this point, I think it is a very fair connection. CNC and ANC are out to kill the train. Why you may ask? Well, the train combined with density on the corridors, combined with Affordability unlocked, combined with SF-3 zoning would allow for the type of density to unlock Billions of dollars in federal funds, and once the money is unleashed, old Austin dies.
You can see his history here.
If you want to see some public sentiment on this, the comment section here is a good time.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/17pid0i/austins_7_billion_transit_project_faces_legal_tax/
People reap what they sow…
i’ve worked on the zpvp issue for since it’s inception and haven’t come across his name. most anyone i’ve talked to supports non vehicular transit options including the people who opposed the zpvp. i personally think the zpvp stunk but support project connect. lumping everyone, including the anc, into this lawsuit might not be accurate.
Convenient for accuracy to all of a sudden matter.
Bill Aleshire is who he is and comes with the associations he comes with. His reputation for the work he does and who he does it for is well known. He was likely chosen for this case because of his reputation. Lorraine Atherton forwarded the message from him which originated from the “anctalk” because ANC was eager to talk about it I presume.
I’m not exactly grabbing at straws here and claiming that C3 is paying for the train to destroy a burger joint or some such bullshit that was plentiful during the Zilker discussion. Just stating facts and drawing reasonable conclusions.
It’s always the same actors standing in the way of any progress.
https://groups.io/g/zilkerneighbors/topic/anctalk_lawsuit_filed_about/102451992
My favorite reddit comment:
“Environmentalists” fighting against public transportation, supporting cars and sprawl. What a pathetic end for these losers.
“progress” is a pretty subjective term. people see value in various things and are free to question major expenditures. i personally support project connect and believe the majority of the blame for austin not having more transit options on the state legislature. they are openly hostile to anything except highways and concrete. i was very sad when light rail failed in 2000 and when the lonestar rail dissolved. this all should have been completed by now and connected so people can travel at a reasonable price and in a timely manner around austin and to the other major cities of texas. today i voted against the country transportation bond because i’m sick of the carrot of improved bike/ped infrastructure that is always tied to more and more roads. i talked to the commissioner standing in front of zilker and she was really nice but when she started talking about how these rural suburban communities needed wider roads… i made up my mind that i didn’t want to support incentivizing and subsidizing the expansion of the burbs. if you choose to move out there… then suffer the consequences of limited infrastructure. i told her that bike/ped improvements should be a seperate bond.
but as for who is behind what… anc represents tons of people all across austin. unless there is a public statement by anc that they oppose something then it’s hard to say they officially do. maybe bill offered to do it for free? maybe the lawsuit has merit that you would support if it were another issue?
i mean… do any of you consider yourselves environmentalists? b/c some of your positions don’t seem to suggest you are.
Absolutely. What position do you think doesn’t indicate that? I’ll take the piss from the start and say that many aspects of the Zilker Vision plan were more environmentally friendly than what is currently happening.
I do not consider myself primarily an environmentalist that puts trees above the needs of people. Does that make me somehow not worthy of being taken seriously? I kind of believe you can advocate for ideas that represent reasonable compromises between competing interests.
As to the people the ANC represents, it is primarily homeowners.
The ANC explicitly chose to exclude DANA which represents owners who live downtown from membership.
The ANC does not represent the university area.
Austin has been a majority renter city since 2018.
It is pretty easy to mathematically prove that the ANC represents the wealthiest members of our city and explicitly excludes the majority.
The ANC and CNC have made a reputation for themselves that they are proud of. Why are you so eager to say it isn’t so? I have seen them consistently be against anything that actually creates housing, but I have never seen them propose an actual alternative. If I am wrong, show me. I often post links from reputable sources. Can you do the same?
but… that is comparing doing something to doing nothing when everyone agrees there are needs both in zilker as well as the entire park system. pard doesn’t need a zpvp to install more bike racks at the south gate of the pool.
I’ll say one thing about the machinations and then put it aside: it has been claimed that rapacious developers like rail because it creates real estate opportunities around stations, as opposed to much less expensive buses (mentioned in the lawsuit in San Antonio).
To me, the construct of Project Connect was always an obvious boondoggle, which this lawsuit reveals, despite its shortcomings. Are Austin homeowners who support Project Connect happy to pay for it through ever increasing property taxes forever? I believe the business case could be made and paid for elsewhere, but as we’ve seen with most other transport projects in this town, there is a distinct lack of imagination and competent implementation, yet no end of money and wishful thinking.
Adrian
| ggggarret
November 8 |
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“progress” is a pretty subjective term. people see value in various things and are free to question major expenditures. i personally support project connect and believe the majority of the blame for austin not having more transit options on the state legislature. they are openly hostile to anything except highways and concrete. i was very sad when light rail failed in 2000 and when the lonestar rail dissolved. this all should have been completed by now and connected so people can travel at a reasonable price and in a timely manner around austin and to the other major cities of texas. today i voted against the country transportation bond because i’m sick of the carrot of improved bike/ped infrastructure that is always tied to more and more roads. i talked to the commissioner standing in front of zilker and she was really nice but when she started talking about how these rural suburban communities needed wider roads… i made up my mind that i didn’t want to support incentivizing and subsidizing the expansion of the burbs. if you choose to move out there… then suffer the consequences of limited infrastructure. i told her that bike/ped improvements should be a seperate bond.
but as for who is behind what… anc represents tons of people all across austin. unless there is a public statement by anc that they oppose something then it’s hard to say they officially do. maybe bill offered to do it for free? maybe the lawsuit has merit that you would support if it were another issue?
i mean… do any of you consider yourselves environmentalists? b/c some of your positions don’t seem to suggest you are.
The spin machine at work. I know Bill Aleshire’s family members and have spoken with him several times. They are longtime Zilker residents and also very progressive and well thought out. I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. He has always had very good reasons for things he does so as not to let COA / Travis county run wild. I would call him and ask him directly his reasoning. Not anything like a Jeff Jack, Loraine, or Bill Bunch. Seems like he is getting lumped in with those types. BTW he was also the Travis county tax assessor.
A bit more info in that article… I echo Zo’s comments.
Council Member Zo Qadri told the Austin Monitor, “It’s unfortunate that anyone would want to waste time and resources trying to overturn the loud and clear voice of our voters, but I’m confident progress will prevail. Project Connect remains a vital investment in better mobility, safety, affordability, and sustainability for generations to come, and Austin’s progressive majority is united in seeing it through to the finish line.”
Boondoggle is such a favorite word, but it takes two to boondoggle as one might say.
How is the law suit not valid?
You propose a tax raise and tell us what its for- we vote for it and give you that money in good faith (meanwhile we dont fund police)… and then you turn around and change what the money is used for and its very material?
Its called being accountable. COA is just so damn liberal they cant get out of their own way- this is the DNC way all the way through all the time. Im not party affiliated- I dislike the choices we have - and how polarizing/binary they have become but this is truly as liberal as it gets.
Give me money and Ill do this… oops, nope, I cant do that and should have never promised it but dont worry, give me some more money and Ill do this instead (maybe).
Utter nonsense.
Dr. Nicholas Vaughan
It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation mixed in with a lot of bureaucracy. Let’s say I brought my dog in for surgery. And I said, now look you need to tell me exactly what you’re going to find when you cut him open and if it is any different than what you told me, I’m pulling funding.
There is no conceivable way on infrastructure projects of this size to know all the details of how they are going to play out. And lawsuits like this only serve to prevent it from happening or downsize it because the money is now just going to lawyers.
At some point you have to approve light rail and accept that the landscape is going to change as a project is scoped and funded over many many years.
All infrastructure is going to be imperfect to some extent, but it’s a start. And along side it will come economic and private sector growth. Which may be what certain people are against.
You come with so many ideas and solutions. Why don’t you join the relevant city commission that controls ATD and help them figure out how to actually get us a train on budget. I am sure your expertise will be the gamechanger.
He constantly sues to stop city efforts leading to delays and additional costs. He never offers solutions. How is he different? Let’s say that he is right on this lawsuit, and this goes to another vote, will we get a better system for it? Will the system cost less? Will environmental goals have been served? I mean seriously, what is he actually accomplishing besides getting in the news, delaying the project, potentially killing it, and wasting our tax money.
The big part of the reason everything runs over budget and schedule in this city is in large part because of these assholes, and yes they are all the same.
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Awesome analogy…i like what ya did there but thats not true.
We definitely outline way better and only exceed estimates with permission and we typically work through all permutations to stay within 10% of our estimate.
The city has more than an “xray” to predetermine pitfalls…they have an an anology…unlimited MRIs they can use without radiation in real time and constant (if they want too). I fee they choose to be lazy- bc no accountability!! No one on CC gets fined, loses a license of potentially goes to court.
They need to try harder or just not get into civic service. Civic duty (since cable TV) has morphed into political theatre and everyday its looking for a new star- meanwhile- nothing gets done bc our real alliance and reason for living is money.
Will tale a cultural shift/evolution but in order to do that- we have to be blunt w out assessment and hold them accountable. Law suits are messy/wasteful so I have to assume these dudes are smart enormously to know that and have a reason to explore if there is bad intent or just really really poor forethought.
Dr. Nicholas Vaughan
Im confused isaac. Did i direct that to you?
Who gets the money? Me or you?
Whose expertise?
Dr. Nicholas Vaughan
Issac,
I hope you get involved in things on the ground level and not just bitch about them through email chains. I also hope you can remove your personal feelings and take an objective approach to the best solution for all knowing you will never please everyone. Not just at surface level calling people assholes. Maybe call Bill and see if he is the Asshole you think he is? Maybe you can report back what you find and the reasoning for the suit. This is what it takes to be involved. You can do it.
I am all about mass transit and it is sorely needed in this town. What we don’t need are buses with 2 people on them clogging traffic as they wait at a stop for no one else to show. Or a light rail with the same outcome. (i am not against light rail so don’t go off and call me an asshole) If that happens we won’t see a viable solution for a long time because it will be further used against votes in the future. I would be fine with spending 10x the money on any solution if it works.
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