COMMUNITY MEETING SUMMARY REPORT. Brooks Transit Center Site Selection Process. September 18, 2012

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1 COMMUNITY MEETING SUMMARY REPORT Brooks Transit Center Site Selection Process September 18, 2012 Prepared for: VIA Metropolitan Transit October 12, 2012

2 Table of Contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DATE/TIME/LOCATION PURPOSE FORMAT OUTREACH ATTENDANCE MEETING MATERIALS SUMMARY OF PUBLIC MEETING SUMMARY OF COMMENTS

3 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In an on-going effort to engage the public in VIA s Short Range Capital Program, the meeting provided an opportunity to inform the public about the Brooks Transit Center and receive input on the site selection process. The project definition and candidate sites were presented and commented on from the participants. The meeting was cohosted by District 3 Councilwoman Leticia Ozuna at a well-known community location which fostered good attendance. All attendees were provided an agenda, comment card and the opportunity to speak one-on-one with VIA staff and/or consultants about the project. In general, the comments were favorable to the project, the process and transparency on the planning process. 2. DATE/TIME/LOCATION The VIA Metropolitan Transit (VIA) conducted the community meeting from 6:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. on September 18, 2012 at Mission Branch Library, located at 3134 Roosevelt, San Antonio, Texas. 3. PURPOSE The purpose of the meeting was to: (1) Communicate VIA s Short Range Capital Program (2) Inform the public about the goals of the Brooks Transit Center and the site selection process (3) Solicit feedback, values and perspectives relating to the site selection process and candidate sites (4) To include the public in the development of the project (5) Guage public sentiment about the Brooks Transit Center project (6) Inform the community of the next steps in the process 4. FORMAT The public meeting was conducted using an open house format. A presentation was made to the public. The presentation about the Brooks Transit Center included: 3

4 information about VIA, a description of the creation of the Long Range Comprehensive Transportation Plan and the High Capacity Transit Program, the site selection process, site selection criteria, and future steps related to the program. Prior to and after the presentation attendees were able to view a number of displays during the open house. Attendees were able to ask questions and provide opinions about the proposed project before, during, and after the presentation. Project team members were available to answer questions throughout the open house and comment cards were available for attendees to provide input on the study. 5. OUTREACH Public notices for this meeting were published in English in the San Antonio Express News and in Spanish in La Prensa on September 12, The public was also notified about the meeting through flyers circulated on routes #20, 34, and #550/551, as well as at bus stops. Flyers were distributed to various Brooks City Base tenants including: Mission Trails Baptist Hospital, DPT Laboratories, The Landing Apartments, Texas A&M San Antonio, NuStar Energy, South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. Letters were sent to elected officials to notify them about the public meeting. Recipients included City of San Antonio Councilwoman Leticia Ozuna, Bexar County Commissioners Chico Rodriguez and Tommy Adkisson, and State Representatives Joe Farias and Roland Gutierrez. E-blasts were used to reach to residents of the following neighborhood associations: San Jose, Hot Wells, Pecan Valley, and Harlandale Park. E- blasts were also sent to the Highland Alliance, South Side Chamber of Commerce, Brooks Development Authority, Councilwoman Ozuna, Commissioners Rodriguez and Adkisson, and Representatives Farias and Gutierrez. Copies of the public notices and other communiques can be found in Appendix A. 6. ATTENDANCE A total of 32 individuals (23 private citizens and 9 elected/public officials) registered their attendance at the 6:30 p.m. public meeting on September 18, In addition, one journalist registered his attendance. San Antonio City Councilwoman Leticia Ozuna, one of her staff members, and 13 representatives from VIA and consulting firms also attended the meeting. Copies of the sign-in sheets for the public scoping meetings are found in APPENDIX B. Photographs of several of the attendees can be found in APPENDIX E. 4

5 7. MEETING MATERIALS Brooks Transit Center English and Spanish handouts and comment forms were available at the meetings. The handouts included a newsletter that provided project information. The newsletter also informed the public how to get involved and how to provide comments to VIA. An agenda was also distributed at the meeting. Approximately 33 sets of handouts and comment forms were distributed during the 7 p.m. public meeting held on September 18, A copy of the informational handouts is found in APPENDIX C. The following mounted exhibit boards were available for viewing and may also be found in APPENDIX C: Project Description Need and Purpose Phase Approach VIA s Express Bus Existing and Future Conditions (two boards) Site Selection Process Candidate Site Selection Preferred Site Selection Matrix Preferred Site Selection Study Area Transit Priority Lanes Amenity Examples 8. SUMMARY OF PUBLIC MEETING The public meeting was conducted using an open house format. The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. A sign-in table was set up in the foyer of the Mission Branch Library. As meeting attendees approached the meeting area, they were asked to sign in and were provided project fact sheets and a comment card. Once signed in, meeting attendees were directed toward a dot map where they could place colored dots on general areas where they live, work or play. The color blue was used to indicate the area where they lived. Red was used to indicate where people worked and Yellow was used to indicate where people conducted recreation activities. Attendees then entered the meeting room where they could view the exhibits and ask questions regarding the proposed Brooks Transit Center project and the site selection process. The meeting room was set up with two displays containing information about the project (one of the displays was in Spanish). The displays included exhibit boards including information about the project description, need and purpose, study area, existing and 5

6 future conditions, the site selection process, candidate site selection criteria/results/locations, and examples of transit oriented development. Representatives from VIA and HNTB (VIA s program management consultant) were available near the displays to answer questions the public had of the exhibits. After an open house period, during which attendees were encouraged to walk around, view the displays and ask questions, officials from VIA addressed the attendees and informed them about the purpose of the meeting. A VIA staff member was available offering Spanish language interpretation to anyone requesting the service. City Councilwoman Leticia Ozuna and VIA s Jeff Arndt made some opening statements about the importance of the proposed project. VIA s project manager, Christina Castaño, then delivered a presentation about the Brooks Transit Center project and site selection process. After the presentation, people were encouraged to ask questions of staff and asked to fill out the comment cards. All materials presented at the public meeting (with one station being in Spanish) are shown in APPENDIX C. 9. SUMMARY OF COMMENTS Thirteen individuals provided written comments by completing comment forms/questionnaires at the September 18, 2012 meeting. Of the 33 comment cards distributed, thirteen (or approximately 39%) were received back. Of the thirteen written comments, 38.5 % of people made positive comments in favor of the project. Zero percent of people made negative comments against the project. And, 61.5% of people made comments that were neither positive nor negative but instead were general statements or questions. The comments included a wide variety of topics and questions including, but not limited to: Bike Share opportunities Parking at the facility Existing conditions at current stops Various possible locations for the facility Bus service and route suggestions The need for service to Texas A&M University - San Antonio The need for a park & ride service or ride share Support for a transit facility Protection from the elements while waiting for buses Express service to the Medical Center The need for a transfer facility Express service on Interstate 37 6

7 Refer to APPENDIX D for copies of comment forms. In addition, there were numerous questions and comments that were addressed by VIA staff during the presentation portion of the meeting. Those topics, statements, and questions included, but were not limited to, the following: The number one choice should be in the Brooks City Base area. (multiple comments from the public) Will there be parking? How did you select the sites? How can the public continue to comment? How big will the facility be? Have you considered any Bike Share things at the facility? I think to should be closer to Interstate 37 for buses. There is a need for an additional Elmendorf trip. There is a need for a circulator route near Goliad, South Presa, and Southton roads. Make sure to include the #32 route Is this based on what could happen in the future? It would be great to have Primo in this area. The need for buses from the transit center to Texas A&M University - San Antonio. 7