[00:00:02] GOOD MORNING. I WANT TO LET THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE STANDING IN THE BACK KNOW THAT. [Special Called Transportation and Infrastructure on May 19, 2026.] YOU CAN ALSO WATCH THE PROCEEDINGS THIS MORNING IN THE FLAG ROOM. IT'S BEING TELEVISED THERE AT THIS POINT. I WILL CONVENE THE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING ON MAY 19TH AT 9:00. OUR FIRST ITEM IS ITEM A, THE PROPOSED JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON VIADUCT REALIGNMENTS AND CONSTRUCTION INTERACTION WITH THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON CONVENTION CENTER, DALLAS MASTER PLAN. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER DEBORAH DODGE. THE MICROPHONE IS YOURS. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, CHAIR RIDLEY. MEMBERS OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS ON THIS RAINY MORNING. I'M DEBORAH STOKEY. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, JOINED BY DOCTOR GUS HARLEY, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS. ROSA FLEMING, DIRECTOR OF CONVENTION CENTER AND EVENT SERVICES. OUR CONSULTING PARTNERS FROM INSPIRE, DALLAS, HNTB AND HALF THE CITY TEAM, ALONGSIDE OUR CONSULTING PARTNERS, HAVE WORKED CLOSELY TO ENSURE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIVITY IS MAINTAINED AND GETS BETTER OVER TIME. THE PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE IS CONNECTIVITY. THE SOLUTIONS ARE TECHNICALLY SOUND, FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT WHILE MAINTAINING THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON SCHEDULE. NEXT SLIDE. THIS PRESENTATION WILL WALK THROUGH SIX KEY AREAS. WE BEGIN WITH THE PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND, FOLLOWED BY GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPOSED CONNECTIVITY SCENARIOS. WE THEN REVIEW TRAFFIC DATA, OUTLINE THE REQUIRED THOROUGHFARE PLAN, AMENDMENT PROCESS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STEPS, AND CONCLUDE WITH COST INFORMATION AND NEXT STEPS. DETAILED SUPPORTING INFORMATION IS PROVIDED IN THE APPENDICES, INCLUDING PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED JEFFERSON STUDY VIADUCT OPTIONS IN APPENDIX A, THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON MASTER PLAN, MOBILITY HUB, AND APPENDIX B OAK FARM STUDY OVERVIEW AND APPENDIX C AND LINKS TO SOME PRIOR MASTER PLAN BRIEFING PRESENTATIONS IN APPENDIX D. NEXT SLIDE. OUR PURPOSE TODAY IS TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FROM THE MARCH 2026 TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING. REVIEW EXISTING AND CONDITIONS OF THE JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON VIADUCTS, INCLUDING STRUCTURAL CONFIGURATIONS, TRAFFIC OPERATIONS, MULTI-MODAL CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN DOWNTOWN OAK CLIFF AND SOUTH AND SOUTHERN DALLAS. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO DISCUSS THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT CLOSURE AND DEMOLITION NORTH OF THE RAILROAD TO KEEP THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON CONVENTION PLANNED PROJECT ON SCHEDULE. NEXT SLIDE. SO FIRST, WE WANT TO BEGIN WITH SOME BACKGROUND. CITY LEADERSHIP FULLY UNDERSTANDS HOW CRITICAL THESE VIADUCTS ARE FOR CONNECTING OAK CLIFF, WEST DALLAS AND THE SOUTHERN SECTOR TO DOWNTOWN. SINCE JULY 2025, TRANSPORTATION AND. AND PUBLIC WORKS AND THE CONVENTION AND EVENT SERVICES HAVE COORDINATED CLOSELY TO. WITH CONSULTANTS TO EXPLORE SOLUTIONS THAT MAINTAIN CONNECTIVITY WHILE RECOGNIZING THE INTERACTION OF SEVERAL OVERLAPPING PROJECTS. AND THESE INCLUDE THE OAK FARMS AREA TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR STUDY THAT WAS COMPLETED IN 2025. THE PLANNED REHABILITATION OF THE VIADUCTS THAT IS GOING TO BE DONE BY TXDOT IN THE 2030, 20, 31 TIME FRAME. AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, COMPLETION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER WITH ITS TARGETED, TARGETED COMPLETION IN 2029. NEXT SLIDE ON SLIDE FIVE. AS WE CONTINUE DISCUSSING THE BACKGROUND IN OCTOBER 2025, THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON CONVENTION CENTER CONSULTANTS PROVIDE CONCEPTS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION AND DISPLACEMENT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION WOULD BEGIN IN 2026. THE TEAM DEVELOPED INTERIM SOLUTIONS FOR TRAFFIC AND BEGAN OUTLINING CONCEPTS FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. BOTH INTERIM AND POST-CONSTRUCTION OF THOSE OPTIONS, WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN THE APPENDIX, TWO OPTIONS PROVIDED [00:05:07] POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER STUDY, AND THOSE WERE THE TWO SCENARIOS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO THIS COMMITTEE IN 2026. NEXT SLIDE. AT THE MARCH 2026 COMMITTEE MEETING, YOU ASKED US TO REIMAGINE A PHASED APPROACH, CONFIRM THAT NO OPTIONS CONFLICT WITH THE OAK FARM STUDY, DEVELOP TRAFFIC DATA, PROVIDE PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED CONCEPTS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN APPENDIX A, AND THE COMMITTEE ALSO REQUESTED SOME CONTEXT REGARDING THE CONVENTION CENTER COSTS AND A COMPARISON OF THE RIGHT ROADWAY SOLUTION COSTS. AND WE'VE PRESENTED THIS PRESENTATION TO. ADDRESS THESE REQUESTS. NEXT SLIDE. SO NOW WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIOS BEGINNING WITH EXISTING CONDITIONS PROGRESSING THROUGH CONSTRUCTION. THE OPENING KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON TIME FRAME AND FUTURE CONNECTIVITY. AND SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THE NEXT SECTIONS ARE DIVIDED IN THAT WAY. SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH EXISTING CONDITIONS. AND I KNOW THAT THESE SLIDES MAY BE DIFFICULT TO TO SEE. AND SO I'M GOING TO ASK ONE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS TO, TO SORT OF POINT TO THINGS AS I GO THROUGH THEM. SO I'M GOING TO BEGIN WITH THIS SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE EXISTING CONDITIONS OF THE HOUSTON JEFFERSON VIADUCT ON AN AERIAL VIEW. HOUSTON STREET IS THE ONE AT THE NORTH AND HIGHLIGHTED IN RED IS THE STREET CAR. THEN WE HAVE TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC THAT ARE THAT ARE IDENTIFIED IN BLUE. THIS IS TRAFFIC THAT COMES FROM DOWNTOWN AND GOES SOUTH AND WEST. AND THEN WE HAVE THE PEDESTRIAN PATHWAY ON HOUSTON, WHICH IS IN THAT, THAT LIGHTER BLUE COLOR SHIFTING OVER TO JEFFERSON. WHAT YOU SEE ON JEFFERSON IS A GREEN LINE, WHICH DEPICTS A, A BIKE LANE THAT IS A TWO WAY BIKE LANE AND THREE LANES OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. AND THIS IS ALL COMING FROM WEST AND SOUTH DALLAS AND OAK CLIFF INTO DOWNTOWN. A COUPLE OF OTHER FEATURES ON THIS SLIDE THAT I WANT TO POINT OUT IS YOU'LL SEE AN AREA MARKED SOUTH CONNECTOR AND NORTH CONNECTOR. THESE ARE CONNECTIONS THAT CONNECT BOTH OF THESE VIADUCTS ALONG OUR EXISTING PARKING GARAGE. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS CROSS SECTION SHOWS EACH OF THESE ROADWAYS. AND THESE IMAGES ARE TAKEN FROM THE OAK PARK STUDY. SO AGAIN, JUST TALKING ABOUT HOUSTON, WE HAVE PEDESTRIAN, WE HAVE THE STREETCAR AND WE HAVE TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC. AND THEN SHIFTING OVER TO JEFFERSON, YOU SEE THE TWO WAY BIKE LANES AND AGAIN, THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC. AND THIS IS THE TRAFFIC THAT IS COMING INTO DOWNTOWN. NEXT SLIDE. SO NOW WE WANT TO GO THROUGH WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN DURING THE CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION. SO THAT'S WHAT THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES ARE. THESE ARE WHAT WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN IN THE NEAR TERM. SO NOW WHAT YOU SEE IS AN AREA HIGHLIGHTED THAT SAYS REMOVED SECTION. THAT IS THE SECTION THAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE FOR TRAFFIC TO TRAVEL THROUGH AN ACTIVE ROADWAY CONSTRUCTION ZONE. SO THAT THAT IS THE FIRST THING THAT THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND SO IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE TRAFFIC, WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS AN OVERVIEW OF HOW WE WILL BE SHIFTING TRAFFIC DURING THIS CONSTRUCTION TIME PERIOD TO MOVE FROM JEFFERSON OVER TO HOUSTON. AND SO I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU THIS OVER THE NEXT FEW SLIDES. IN, IN SECTION VIEW. SO LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO NOW WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING WHAT HAPPENS ON HOUSTON. SO SECTION A IS ESSENTIALLY AT HOUSTON. AND YEAH. [00:10:01] SO WHAT YOU SEE IS THE PEDESTRIAN, THE STREETCAR, YOU SEE ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC GOING OUT AND YOU SEE TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC COMING IN, ONE GOES STRAIGHT AND ONE IS A RIGHT HAND TURN LANE. THEN AS YOU CONTINUE UP ON SECTION B, AGAIN, YOU HAVE PEDESTRIAN STREETCAR AND YOU HAVE TWO WAY TRAFFIC. MOVING TO THE NEXT SLIDE. YOU'RE NOW CONTINUING ON JEFFERSON IN SECTION C, AND YOU'RE STILL GOING IN TWO DIRECTIONS. AS YOU APPROACH THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. SECTION D IS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. SO AFTER THE SOUTH CONNECTOR, WE NOW HAVE TWO WAY TRAFFIC, EXCUSE ME, ONE WAY TRAFFIC GOING FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR WEST AND SOUTH. AND SO THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR IS AN IMPORTANT DIVIDING POINT IN IN THIS SCENARIO WHERE TRAFFIC IS COMING FROM JEFFERSON, AS I'LL SHOW YOU IN THE NEXT FEW SLIDES AND THEN MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN AND TURNING ON TO HOUSTON. NEXT SLIDE. SO NOW WE'RE SHIFTING OVER TO JEFFERSON. AND AS YOU SEE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE, JEFFERSON COMES IN THREE LANES. AND THEN AS YOU APPROACH THE SOUTH CONNECTOR, WE'RE REDUCING LANES TO 2 TO 1. AND THEN YOU REACH THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. AND THAT SECTION E SHOWS THAT THE ONLY TRAFFIC SOUTH COMING INTO DOWNTOWN AFTER THE SOUTH CONNECTOR IS BIKE TRAFFIC. THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT IS ON THAT IS ON ON JEFFERSON AT THAT SECTION. SO SECTION F IS WHERE YOU'RE REDUCING DOWN TO ONE LANE AND YOU CAN MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS A A BLOW UP OF OF THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT YOU HAVE ONLY ONE LEFT TURN LANE ONTO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR, YOU HAVE ONE LANE. AND THIS IS AGAIN THE PLACE WHERE DURING CONSTRUCTION, WE'RE CREATING A TWO WAY SCENARIO ON HOUSTON FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR TO YOUNG. NEXT SLIDE. SO NOW WE'RE WE'RE MOVING INTO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER IS IS OPEN. NEXT SLIDE. SO BY OPENING TIME FRAME, WHAT WE'RE INTRODUCING HERE IS A NEW ROADWAY ELEMENT, A NEW RAMP CONNECTION SHOWN IN PINK FROM THE VIADUCT DIRECTLY TO HOTEL STREET AND THE FUTURE MOBILITY HUB. SO WE'RE GOING TO I'M GOING TO WALK THROUGH THIS. SIMILAR TO THE LAST SCENARIO WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH EACH OF THE SECTIONS. I'M NOT GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH SECTIONS WHERE WE'RE NOT MAKING CHANGES. SO REMEMBER WE STILL HAVE THE SELF CONNECTION HERE, THE SOUTH CONNECTOR WHERE YOU CAN MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN, GO ACROSS THE SOUTH CONNECTOR, TURN RIGHT AND GO DIRECTLY ONTO YOUNG. BUT WE NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN ONTO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR WITH TWO LANES GOING DOWN TO HOTEL. AND THAT RAMP HAS ONE LANE COMING UP. SO LET'S WALK THROUGH THAT IN THE CROSS SECTIONS. NEXT SLIDE. SO AGAIN WE HAVE THREE LANES GOING DOWN TO TWO LANES. AND NOW AT THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR, INSTEAD OF GOING DOWN TO ONE LANE YOU HAVE TWO LANES. NOW YOU CAN EITHER MAKE A RIGHT OR YOU CAN MAKE A LEFT. SO YOU MAKE A RIGHT. YOU GO DOWN TO DOWN THE RAMP, YOU MAKE A LEFT, YOU GO ACROSS THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. NEXT SLIDE. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS RAMP, WHAT THE RAMP CONFIGURATION DOES. SO YOU CAN YOU CAN SEE THESE SECTIONS. I'M GOING TO START WITH I. SO YOU'VE MADE THAT RIGHT HAND TURN. AND YOU NOW HAVE TWO LANES THAT YOU CAN TAKE DOWN TO HOTEL. [00:15:02] THE BIKES ARE ALSO ABLE TO TO TO COME DOWN THIS RAMP. THIS IS A A SEPARATED BIKE LANE AGAIN, TWO WAY. AND THEN THE RAMP ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO COME UP FROM HOTEL ONTO THE RAMP, GO ACROSS THE CONNECTOR AND GO LEFT TO HOUSTON. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS A A ELEVATION VIEW OF THE RAMP. YOU CAN SEE THE THAT IT'S COMING DOWN WHILE MAINTAINING THE ELEVATED STRUCTURE OF JEFFERSON. YOU CAN SEE JEFFERSON IN THAT IN THE BACKGROUND. AND AGAIN IN THE BOTTOM VIEW, YOU CAN SEE THE THE TWO LANES, THE TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC GOING DOWN ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC COMING UP. NEXT SLIDE. AND NOW THIS IS ALSO ANOTHER BLOW UP OF THE RAMP. YOU CAN YOU SEE THE TWO LANES AT JEFFERSON. OR YOU CAN MAKE A RIGHT OR A LEFT HAND TURN AND YOU HAVE A TRAFFIC LIGHT THERE. AND SO TRAFFIC COMING UP FROM THE RAMP CAN CROSS OVER THE CONNECTOR ALSO AND THEN MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN TO CONTINUE ON IF THEY WANTED TO GO BACK AND GET TO YOUNG, WHERE THEY CAN MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN ON HOUSTON AND AND HEAD WEST AND SOUTH. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS THE LAST SCENARIO THAT I WILL GO THROUGH. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO NOTE AT THIS POINT THAT WE'VE SHOWN YOU EXISTING CONDITIONS. WE'VE SHOWN YOU WHAT HAPPENS DURING CONSTRUCTION. WE'RE SHOWING YOU THE PROPOSED NEW RAMP ELEMENT THAT WE WOULD BE ADDING TO IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY INTO, INTO DOWNTOWN AND TO THE MOBILITY HUB. AND SO THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL ROADWAY ELEMENT THAT WE'RE INTRODUCING. SO LET'S, LET'S GET INTO THESE SLIDES. NEXT SLIDE. SO HIGHLIGHTED IN PINK IS A NEW ROADWAY ELEMENT THAT THAT IS A BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS THE NORTH CONNECTOR AREA, THE NORTH CONNECTOR AND JEFFERSON OVER TO HOUSTON. IT IS IT IS A BRIDGE OVER THE UP RAILROAD THAT WOULD ADD THAT DIRECT CONNECTIVITY. YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS VISUAL, WE'LL GO THROUGH IT IN MORE DETAIL THAT NOW WE'VE REDUCED THE TRAFFIC ON HOUSTON FROM THE NORTH CONNECTOR TO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. AND WE'VE SHIFTED TRAFFIC OVER TO JEFFERSON. AND THIS IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE OAK FARM STUDY. SO LET'S WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE DETAILED SECTIONS SO YOU CAN GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT HOW THIS WORKS. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS A BLOW UP OF THAT BRIDGE SECTION. AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE VISUAL SCREEN BACK THAT YOU'RE GOING OVER THE RAILROAD AND IT'S A TWO WAY TWO WAY TRAFFIC. SO AGAIN, WE'RE BRINGING TRAFFIC UP AT HOUSTON AND YOUNG AND WE'RE BRINGING TRAFFIC DOWN AT THAT SAME LOCATION, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT THE TRAFFIC WOULD LOOK LIKE WOULD BE TWO WAY IS WHAT WE'VE CONTEMPLATED. NEXT SLIDE. SO THE RAMP THAT WE TALKED ABOUT STILL EXISTS. IT'S A PERMANENT STRUCTURE. AND NOW YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING FROM THAT SECTION FROM THE NORTH CONNECTOR TO THE RAMP. WE NOW OPEN UP TO FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC ON THIS SECTION OF JEFFERSON. AND THEN WE CONTINUE ON. LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO NOW YOU CAN SEE WHEN YOU GET THIS IS WHAT THE SOUTH CONNECTOR LOOKS LIKE IN THIS CONFIGURATION. THERE'S ONLY ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC ONE WAY ON HOUSTON. AND THIS WAS INTENDED TO TO CREATE A LEVEL OF CIRCULATION AROUND THE PARKING GARAGE. NEXT SLIDE. SO WALKING THROUGH EACH OF THE VIADUCTS AGAIN, SO THIS IS HOUSTON. NOW YOU STILL HAVE THE SAME CONFIGURATION TO, YOU KNOW, ONE LANE GOING OUT, ONE LANE GOING, [00:20:08] GOING IN, AND THEN A RIGHT HAND TURN. THEN AS YOU MOVE UP TO SECTION C AGAIN, THIS IS ON HOUSTON. NOW YOU HAVE PEDESTRIAN, YOU HAVE THE STREETCAR, AND YOU HAVE ONLY ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC ON HOUSTON. AND THEN AS YOU GO FURTHER UP PAST THE SOUTH CONNECTOR, YOU'RE. YOU NOW HAVE WHAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE GREENWAY OR THE GREENBELT. YOU HAVE PEDESTRIAN, STREET CAR AND BIKE UP TO THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR LOCATION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OKAY, SHIFTING OVER TO JEFFERSON. AND THIS IS WHERE YOU START TO SEE THAT SHIFT OVER TO, TO JEFFERSON BEING TWO WAY TRAFFIC. AND SO AGAIN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SECTIONS, SECTION A LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME AS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS IS SORT OF HOUSTON JEFFERSON. AT YOUNG. AND THEN AS YOU CONTINUE UP THROUGH SECTION E, YOU NOW HAVE ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC COMING IN, TWO LANES GOING OUT. AND THEN AS YOU CONTINUE FURTHER AGAIN PAST THE SOUTH CONNECTOR, YOU NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT AT THAT CONNECTION, OR YOU CAN GO RIGHT THROUGH BECAUSE THAT'S THE LOCATION WHERE YOU HAVE A CHOICE. YOU CAN EITHER GO STRAIGHT, GO DOWN THE RAMP OR GO LEFT. NEXT SLIDE. AND THEN IN THIS FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIO, WE'VE ALSO MADE FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RAMP. WE'VE ADDED AN ADDITIONAL LANE COMING OUT. SO THAT IS THAT IS THE ADDITIONAL FEATURE FOR THIS FUTURE CONNECTIVITY PIECE. SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. I KNOW THAT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION. AND SO I JUST WANT TO TRY TO SUMMARIZE THIS APPROACH THAT WE HAVE. SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE IS EXISTING CONDITIONS WHERE WE'VE GOT THREE LANES NORTHBOUND ON JEFFERSON COMING IN AND TWO LANES SOUTHBOUND ON HOUSTON. SO THAT IS THE EXISTING CONDITION. DURING CONSTRUCTION. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE SHIFTING TRAFFIC OVER TO HOUSTON. AND YOU HAVE ONE LANE NORTHBOUND AND ONE LANE SOUTHBOUND. THIS IS DURING THE CONSTRUCTION CONDITIONS ONLY. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS CHANGE IS FROM THE SOUTH ACTOR TWO YOUNG STREET. THAT IS THE SEGMENT THAT IS GOING TO BE IMPACTED. AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE OPENING TIME FRAME, WE'RE NOW INTRODUCING A NEW ROADWAY ELEMENT, THE RAMP. THE RAMP FROM JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL. AND SO NOW WE NOW HAVE THREE LANES NORTHBOUND COMING IN FROM THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR. AND YOU NOW HAVE TWO LANES THAT YOU CAN USE GOING OUT AS A SOUTHBOUND CONNECTION. AND THEN IN THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIO, USING ALL OF THESE ROADWAY ELEMENTS WOULD ESSENTIALLY HAVE THREE LANES COMING IN AND THREE LANES GOING OUT. THE OTHER THING I THINK IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE WITH ALL OF THESE SCENARIOS IS THE PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE CONNECTIVITY. AND THE STREETCAR IS MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THESE PROPOSED ELEMENTS ARE ALL PROJECTS THAT, THAT THE RAMP IS ALL WITHIN THE CITY RIGHT OF WAY. ALL OF THESE ARE USING EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY. WE OBVIOUSLY WILL HAVE TO WORK WITH P ON ON THE BRIDGE OVER UP THAT THOSE ARE THE, THE ELEMENTS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING, WE'RE GOING FROM CONSTRUCTION SCENARIO INTO A SHORT TERM OR SHORTER TERM INTERIM SOLUTION WITH THE RAMP AROUND THE 2029 TIMEFRAME. AND THEN AFTER THAT WOULD BE WORKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIOS. SO NOW I KNOW WHAT MANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT IS WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TRAFFIC? [00:25:04] AND SO I'M GOING TO PASS THE PRESENTATION TO JAMES FRY WITH HTV TO DISCUSS THE TRAFFIC DATA. GOOD MORNING. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU THIS MORNING. I'M JAMES FREY WITH HNTB, AND I'LL BE WALKING YOU THROUGH A COUPLE OF TRAFFIC SLIDES. HNTB IS LEADING THE TRAFFIC DATA GATHERING THE MODELING AND ANALYSIS, AND WE ARE DEVELOPING A TRAFFIC EVENTUALLY A TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY THAT WILL SET YOU UP FOR THE THOROUGHFARE PLAN AMENDMENT PROCESS. I'LL START WITH THE, THE EXISTING CONDITIONS, THIS FIRST SLIDE AND I'LL TRY TO WALK YOU THROUGH THIS. I APOLOGIZE, I DON'T HAVE A LASER POINTER, BUT IF WE JUST BEGIN WITH THE RED, THE RED TABS WE HAVE THOSE LABELED ONE, TWO AND THREE. THEY'RE IN THE LEGEND. ALSO ON THE LEFT. I'LL START WITH NUMBER ONE. NUMBER ONE IS SOUTH HOUSTON STREET AT YOUNG. NUMBER TWO IS MARKET AT YOUNG ESSENTIALLY WHERE JEFFERSON COMES OUT TODAY. AND THEN NUMBER THREE IS ACROSS THE FLOODWAY IN OAK CLIFF AT COLORADO AND JEFFERSON. SO THOSE ARE THE LOCATIONS. AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS LOOK AT TIMES FROM EACH OF THOSE LOCATIONS. SO IN THE LEFT HAND SIDE, IF YOU SEE THAT BLACK AND WHITE TABLE STARTING AT THE TOP LOCATION THREE TO LOCATION TWO, WHICH IS COLORADO AT JEFFERSON TO MARKET AND YOUNG THAT TIME IS ROUGHLY THREE MINUTES. I WANT TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THIS DATA WAS COLLECTED BY US BACK IN EARLY APRIL. IT WAS COLLECTED ON A WEDNESDAY BECAUSE TYPICALLY MONDAY AND FRIDAY ARE KIND OF SLOW DAYS. SO IT WAS A TYPICAL AVERAGE WEEKDAY WITH HIGHER TRAFFIC VOLUMES. WE DID GO BACK AND COMPARE WHAT WE, WHAT WE COLLECTED TO DATA THAT HAD BEEN GATHERED BY THE CONVENTION CENTER TEAM. OUR JEFFERSON WORK IS INDEPENDENT TO THE CONVENTION CENTER TEAM WORK, BUT WE WANT TO COMPARE THAT BECAUSE THEY HAD IT AND SEE IF IF IT ALL LOOKED LIKE IT WAS SIMILAR. SO WE DID DO THAT. THE NEXT. IF WE GO BACK TO THAT TABLE ON THE LEFT I'LL START TO TO KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH THAT BLACK AND WHITE TABLE. BEGINNING AT THE TOP, WE HAVE THE A M PEAK HOUR, WHICH IS 730 TO 830. SO THOSE ARE THE HIGHEST TRAFFIC VOLUME HOUR. THAT WAS THE HIGHEST TRAFFIC VOLUME HOUR IN THE MORNING A M P SO FROM THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE THREE MINUTES IS FROM 730 TO 830. I ALSO WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. IF YOU KEEP GOING DOWN, WE HAVE A PMP 12 TO 1. WE WANTED TO LOOK AT A TIME THAT WAS NOT A M THAT WAS NOT AN AM OR PM PEAK HOUR, BASICALLY OUTSIDE OF RUSH HOUR. I WILL SAY THAT THE 12 TO 1 TIME IS HIGHER THAN NORMAL. SO MOST OF THE TIME IT'S GOING TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THE TIME, THE TIME IT TAKES TO GET FROM THESE LOCATIONS. I HOPE THAT ALL MAKES SENSE. SO FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION TWO AT THE PMP IS ROUGHLY TWO MINUTES FROM LOCATION 1 TO 3, GOING SOUTH. IT'S 3.5 MINUTES, GIVE OR TAKE ONE. AND THEN IF YOU CONTINUE DOWN IN THAT TABLE, YOU'LL SEE THE PMP FROM 5 TO 6 P.M., 1 TO 3. SO FROM YOUNG AT HOUSTON, BACK TO JEFFERSON AND COLORADO AT LOCATION THREE IS ROUGHLY FIVE. WE DO HAVE ONE TYPO. I DO WANT TO POINT THAT OUT. WE DO HAVE ONE TYPO. THE TOTAL 7200 PER DAY SHOULD BE 7800 PER DAY. TRAFFIC VOLUME FOR JEFFERSON. JEFFERSON IS ON THE RIGHT. HOUSTON IS ON THE LEFT. WE DO HAVE NORTH IN THE MAP. I SHOULD HAVE EXPLAINED THAT. NEXT SLIDE. OKAY, SO USING THAT AS A BASELINE EXISTING CONDITION ON THE LEFT, IF WE NOW MOVE THROUGH THE THREE PHASES THAT I'VE JUST WALKED YOU THROUGH. SO WE HAVE THE DURING CONSTRUCTION, OPENING TIME FRAME AND FUTURE CONNECTIVITY. IF WE GO FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. SO BEGINNING WITH DURING CONSTRUCTION. LET ME JUST SAY THAT IT'S, IT'S STANDARD PRACTICE, PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DURING CONSTRUCTION, PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE DIFFERENT ROUTES BECAUSE IT'S A, IT'S A MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT'S NORMAL. SO WE DID REDUCE 25% OF THE TRAFFIC OUT OF THE, DURING CONSTRUCTION, ASSUMING THOSE PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE DIFFERENT ROUTES BECAUSE OF THE CONGESTION AND THE CHANGE CHANGES THERE. IT IS A TEMPORARY CONDITION, BUT I WANTED YOU ALL TO BE AWARE OF THAT. IF WE GO TO THAT SECOND MAP, THAT SECOND BOX DOWN BELOW IT'S A TEMPORARY REROUTING VIA THE HOUSTON VIADUCT. I'VE WALKED YOU THROUGH THAT. BUT AS YOU TRAVEL NORTH ON JEFFERSON, YOU HAVE THE SOUTH CONNECTOR AND THEN HOUSTON UP TO YOUNG THE A M P IF YOU LOOK AT THAT BLACK AND WHITE TABLE UNDERNEATH A M P MIDDAY AND PMP SO JUST LIKE EXISTING UNDER THAT WE HAVE NORTHBOUND PAP. [00:30:04] WE'RE ADDING TEN MINUTES TO THAT A M P TIME. SO THAT'S THAT 730 TO 830 TIME. WE'RE ADDING TWO MINUTES TO THE MIDDAY AND 4.5 MINUTES TO THE PM NORTHBOUND SOUTHBOUND. IT'S LESS THAN 10S ADDED TO THE TIME. AT A AND B SOUTHBOUND MIDDAY LESS THAN 10S AND THEN P AND P SOUTHBOUND PLUS 45 SECONDS. AND CONTINUING ON TO THE RIGHT OPENING TIME FRAME AROUND THE OPENING OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND THIS IS WHERE WE INTRODUCED THE RAMP THE BRIDGE, THE CONNECTOR FROM JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL THAT THEY HAVE DESCRIBED THE A M P NORTHBOUND PLUS 6.5 MINUTES MIDDAY PLUS ONE AND A HALF M P PLUS THREE MINUTES AND THEN DOWN SOUTHBOUND UNDER THAT LESS THAN 10S ADDED A AND B MIDDAY. LESS THAN 10S IN THE PMP PLUS 45 SECONDS. I WILL SAY TO. THESE NUMBERS ARE CONSERVATIVE. WE DID THAT 6.5 MINUTES. NORTHBOUND IS JEFFERSON TO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR AND HOUSTON UP. IF IF A MOTORIST CHOSE TO GO DOWN THE BRIDGE, DOWN THE NEW CONNECTOR TO HOTEL AND OVER, YOU COULD SHAVE PROBABLY THREE MINUTES OFF THAT TRIP. SO WE'RE ADDING CAPACITY WITH THAT AS WELL AS CONNECTIVITY. THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY ON THE FAR RIGHT HAND SIDE NEW, THE NEW CONNECTION FROM JEFFERSON TO HOUSTON THAT I'VE DESCRIBED OVER THE RAILROAD CORRIDOR, OVER THE GARDEN, UP RAIL CORRIDOR, MAKES IT GEOMETRICALLY STRAIGHTER SHOT. AND THEN WE OPEN UP JEFFERSON. SO THE NORTHBOUND A P IS PLUS TWO MINUTES MIDDAY, PLUS 25 SECONDS PMP PLUS 45 SECONDS SOUTHBOUND. AGAIN, LESS THAN TEN. SECOND INCREASE MIDDAY LESS THAN TEN. SECOND INCREASE IN PMP PLUS 40S SOUTHBOUND. SO WITH THIS LAST ALTERNATIVE FUTURE ALTERNATIVE, WE'RE GETTING PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT WE HAVE IN THE EXISTING CONDITION. AND WE ARE USING THE SAME NUMBER THROUGHOUT. SO IT'S AN APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON. THANK YOU. NEXT SLIDE. GOOD MORNING JUSTIN. THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS. THIS PORTION TALKS ABOUT THE THOROUGHFARE PLAN AMENDMENT. SO THE CHANGES IN THE OPERATION AND OR ALIGNMENT OF ANY ROADWAY IS GOVERNED BY THE THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF DALLAS. AND IT IS UNDER DIVISION 51, A DASH 9.100, THE THOROUGHFARE PLAN AMENDMENT. IT DETERMINES THE REQUIRED RIGHT OF WAY AND THE DESIGNATION AND OR THE OPERATION OF EXISTING ROADWAY AND THE PLAN AND ITS STANDARDS MUST BE USED AND BE ADHERED TO BASICALLY FOR THE EXISTING AND NEW ROADWAY. ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I TRY TO PROVIDE LIKE A SHORT SUMMARY OF WHAT IS IN THAT CITY ORDINANCE. NUMBER ONE IS THE COMPLETION OF THE APPLICATION AND ALL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION, INCLUDING THE TRAFFIC STUDIES AND THE PAYMENT OF THE REQUIRED FEES FOR THE TO DO THE PROCESS, THE AMENDMENT TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS WILL COORDINATE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION TO THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION'S THOROUGHFARE COMMITTEE FOR REVIEW. AND THEN THE AFTER THAT, THE RECOMMENDATION IS FORWARDED TO THE CPC, AND THE CPC WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING TO ALLOW PUBLIC INPUT. AND BEFORE HOLDING THE PUBLIC HEARING, THERE MUST BE A FORMAL NOTICE FOR THE TO PUBLISH THE FORMAL NOTICE AT LEAST TEN DAYS BEFORE THE HEARING. THEN AFTER THE HEARING AND THE EVALUATION, CPC WILL MAKE ITS RECOMMENDATION, AND WE'LL FORWARD IT TO CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY COUNCIL WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING AND WILL CONSIDER CPC'S RECOMMENDATION AND THE DECISION ON APPROVING OR NOT APPROVING OR WHATEVER ACTION THAT CITY COUNCIL MAY CHOOSE TO TAKE WILL REQUIRE THE FAVORABLE VOTE OF THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL WHO ARE PRESENT. SO NEXT SLIDE SHOWS BASICALLY THE THE PROCESS IN A FLOW. THE FLOW OF THE PROCESS. AND IT'S KIND OF WE ESTIMATE GENERALLY BASED ON HISTORICAL DATA, IT TAKES ABOUT 4 TO 6 MONTHS PROCESS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE APPLICATION, [00:35:01] THROUGH THE SCHEDULING OF THE INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS, THEN THE, THE, THE SCHEDULING, THE THOROUGHFARE COMMITTEE REVIEW. THEN AFTER THAT, GOING THROUGH THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION ALONG WITH THE NOTIFICATION OF THE PUBLIC HEARING, AND THEN AFTER THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION COMPLETES ITS WORK AND SENDS THE RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL, THEN THERE WILL BE A DATE SCHEDULED FOR THE CITY COUNCIL ACTION, ALONG WITH THE REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARING THAT GOES WITH IT. SO THAT IS, IN BRIEF, THE THOROUGHFARE PLAN PROCESS. AND NOW I'LL TURN IT TO ROSA FOR THE COMPARISON OF THE STANDARDS. OKAY. HI. GOOD MORNING, ROSA FLEMING, DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND SO ON THIS PAGE WE WERE ASKED TO PROVIDE A COMPARISON OF THE ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS AND WITH CONTINGENCIES COMPARED TO WHAT IT WOULD COST TO REDESIGN AND REALIGN THE CONVENTION CENTER TO ALLOW FOR TRAFFIC TO GO UNDER. AND SO WE'VE PROVIDED THAT HERE. THOSE ESTIMATES AT THE TOP, BOTH THE DOWN RAMP TO HOTEL STREET AND THE JEFFERSON BRIDGE OVER THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD WERE PREPARED BY CONVENTION CENTER CMAA, THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK, AND THEN CONFIRMED BY OUR DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION'S TEAM. SO THAT THEY COULD MAKE SURE THAT THE NUMBERS WERE CONSISTENT. THE NUMBERS PREPARED BY THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK WERE ABOUT ABOUT $10 MILLION LOWER THAN WHAT TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS CAME BACK WITH. THERE WERE SOME ADDITIVES FOR STRIPING, SOME ENHANCEMENTS TO COST THAT I CAN ACTUALLY ASK DOCTOR CARLY TO ACTUALLY WALK THROUGH. AND THEN ON THE CONVENTION CENTER SIDE, WHAT WE LOOKED AT WAS WHAT HAD GONE INTO REDUCING THE COST IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND SO THOSE WERE HAVING TO GO BACK AND REDESIGN SOME OF THE MEP, WHICH IS YOUR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, PLUMBING, ETC., CIRCULATION PATTERNS WITHIN THE BUILDING WHERE THE ESCALATORS, ELEVATORS, ETC., WERE INITIALLY DESIGNED TO BE, AND THEN LOOKING AT HOW THAT IMPACTED ANY OF THE SELLABLE SQUARE FOOTAGE. AND SO AS WE WALKED THROUGH THIS CONVENTION CENTER PROJECT, WE HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT THIS IS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE. AND SO IN BEING ABLE TO DO THE EXPANSION TO THE CENTER AND THE REDESIGN OF IT, THE GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO MAKE IT A TWO PISTON ENGINE, BEING ABLE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF DAYS AND THE PATTERN IN WHICH PEOPLE COME INTO THE BUILDING TO SET UP FOR EVENTS, AND THE NUMBER OF DAYS IT TAKES TO TAKE THEM DOWN. AND SO THAT IS WHAT FEEDS INTO THE REVENUE GENERATION, OUR ABILITY TO BOOK TWO LARGE CLIENTS, AND MAYBE A SMALL ONE AT THE SAME TIME, IS IMPORTANT TO THE VIABILITY OF THE BUILDING. IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE VIABILITY OF REVENUE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE FORECASTED FOR YOU, WHICH, AS YOU KNOW, WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PROJECT FINANCING ZONE AND BREMER HAVE BEEN LESS THAN THAT CONSERVATIVE SIDE AND MORE IN OUR ASPIRATIONAL SIDE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE BRINGING IN. WE'D LIKE TO MAINTAIN THAT WHEN THE CENTER OPENS. AND SO ALL OF THIS FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM NOT JUST THE COMMUNITY AS WE WENT THROUGH OUR 300, YOU KNOW, MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS, BUT ALSO OUR CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE CUSTOMERS WHO WILL ACTUALLY BE USING THE BUILDING SAID A LOT OF WHAT THAT PROGRAM LOOKS LIKE IN THE BUILDING. AND SO TO TAKE THAT BACKWARDS WOULD NOT ONLY INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO CONSTRUCT THE BUILDING, BUT ADD REDESIGN TIME AND REALIGNMENT TIME THAT WILL END UP COSTING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE. AND SO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO COMPONENTS, BETWEEN DOING THE ROADWAY ENHANCEMENTS OR BRINGING THE CONVENTION CENTER UP IS IT'S A LARGE NUMBER. THE DIFFERENCE IS 499, ALMOST $500 MILLION. AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU TO DEATH. ALL RIGHT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ONE MORE. SO AS WE CONCLUDE THIS PRESENTATION, WE JUST WANTED TO SHARE THE THE MAJOR NEXT ACTIONS MOVING FORWARD. WE WILL BEGIN PROCESSING THE THOROUGHFARE PLAN AMENDMENTS FOR THE INTERIM OPENING DAY AND LONG TERM CONDITIONS. COMPLETE TRAFFIC CONTROL PLANS FOR BOTH VIADUCTS. INITIATE CLOSURE AND DEMOLITION OF THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT SEGMENT NORTH OF THE RAILROAD, SO THE CONVENTION CENTER CAN REMAIN ON SCHEDULE. [00:40:11] ONGOING AND EXPANDED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC OUTREACH THROUGH THE AMENDMENT PROCESS AND DURING CONSTRUCTION. AND THEN ALSO, WE WANT TO WORK CLOSELY WITH TXDOT ON THEIR PLAN 2030 AND 2031 VIADUCT REHABILITATION TO ENSURE THE SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY PLAN, THAT ADDITIONAL BRIDGE BETWEEN JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON. IN ADDITION, THE CITIES WILL BEGIN STAKEHOLDER DISCUSSIONS AROUND FUNDING AND TIMELINES FOR THE LONG RANGE CONNECTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS. STAFF WILL ALSO ESTABLISH A REGULAR REPORTING CADENCE TO FOR LEADERSHIP AND COUNCIL TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE VISIBILITY AS DESIGN, ENGAGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSES. THIS CONCLUDES OUR FORMAL PRESENTATION. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FEEDBACK AS WE DELIVER IMPROVED MOBILITY AND THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION ON TIME. WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS NOW. THANK YOU. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. AND I RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS PRESENTATION AND PLANNING THESE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS. AT THIS POINT, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS FROM THE COMMITTEE. STARTING WITH COUNCIL MEMBER MENDELSOHN. WELL, THANK YOU FOR CALLING ON ME FIRST, BUT IF I COULD CAN SKIP IT AND COME BACK, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I FOUND IT QUITE ENLIGHTENING. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE REDESIGN AND RECONFIGURATION OF THESE VIADUCTS, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT IS THE START TIME? THE TIMELINE START FROM FINISH. AND I WOULD LIKE IT IN TRANSPORTATION AND CONVENTION CENTER AND HOW THEY WILL ALIGN WITH EACH OTHER. OKAY. SO I'LL I'LL START WITH THE. CURRENT CONDITION OR THE CONDITION, THE CONSTRUCTION CONDITION AS WELL AS THE RAMPING DOWN CONDITION. SO THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE CONDITION BASICALLY IS MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER IS ON SCHEDULE FOR PLANNING FOR A JUNE JULY ISH TIME FRAME DEMOLITION OF THAT SECTION OF JEFFERSON. SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING THESE PLANS. AND LET ME EMPHASIZE THE POINT HERE IS THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT OPTIONS THE COUNCIL CHOOSES TO GO WITH, WHETHER THEY GO BACK TO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER WE ELEVATE THE BUILDING OR WE GO WITH WHAT THE WHAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED, THIS PHASE OF THE PROJECT HAS TO MOVE FORWARD. WE HAVE TO DEMOLISH THAT SECTION OF THE ROADWAY TO ALLOW THE BUILDING THE MIGRATION, IF YOU WILL, AND PREPARATION OF THE SITE THAT WAS PURCHASED FOR THAT PURPOSE. SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS CLEAR. SO WE HAVE TO PROCEED REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE COUNCIL DECISION IS. THE SECOND PHASE WHICH IS THE DOWN RAMP, THIS IS A WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR UTMOST BEST TO ACCELERATE THE DESIGN AND EMPLOY ACCELERATED CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT DOWN RAMP IS CONCERNED SO THAT THE DOWN RAMP WILL BE AVAILABLE AND IN PLACE BY THE TIME THE CONVENTION CENTER IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS. THANK YOU. AND SO IN TERMS OF THE TIMELINE FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER, WE ARE ON TRACK IN TERMS OF DEMOLITION AND STILL TRACKING FOR A 2029 COMPLETION AT THIS POINT. NOW, POST COMPLETION, THERE ARE SOME ROADWAY REHABILITATION PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDER THE PURVIEW OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TXDOT AND WITH THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS. AND I THINK THAT DOCTOR KING HAS A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON THAT THAN I DO. RIGHT. SO SO OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SOME ROADWAY NETWORK THAT HAS TO BE COMPLETED AS PART OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, SUCH AS CEREMONIAL ROAD EXTENSION AND SO ON. SO WE'VE GOT THOSE ITEMS AS PART OF THE THE TIMELINE, [00:45:04] IF YOU WILL, THAT CORRESPONDS CLOSELY WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER, THE TXDOT REHABILITATION OF THE PROJECTS. IF YOU RECALL, COUNCIL APPROVED THESE AGREEMENTS BACK IN NOVEMBER 2025 ABOUT FOR $30 MILLION, $50 MILLION EACH FOR THE FOR JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON. AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH THEM TO BEGIN THE ASSESSMENT ON THESE CONDITIONS OF THESE BRIDGES. AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE POTENTIALLY COULD START OR STOP. COULD START THE SOME OF THE REHAB WORK ON HOUSTON IN THE 2030, 20, 31 TIME FRAME, FOLLOWED BY THE REMAINDER SECTION OF JEFFERSON. RIGHT AFTER THEY COMPLETE THE REHAB OF HOUSTON. SO LET ME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND. WE'RE GOING TO. YOU'RE PROPOSING THAT WE START THE DEMOLITION IN JUNE OR JULY OR JULY OF THIS YEAR WITHOUT A TRUE COMPLETION THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS UNTIL 2030, 2031. IS THAT CORRECT? SO THAT IS I WOULD SAY PARTIALLY CORRECT IN THE SENSE THAT THE INTENT IS TO HAVE THE DOWN RAMP IN PLACE BY THE TIME THE CONVENTION CENTER IS OPEN FOR FOR WE'RE OPERATING IN THIS, AS I MENTIONED, IS THAT SHE ANTICIPATES THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER WILL BE OPEN BY 2029. SO THE INTENT OF HAVING THAT RAMP IN PLACE BY THAT SAME TIME FRAME. WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO YEARS AND WE ARE LOOKING AT TWO YEARS OF, OF LACK OF ACCESS ON I-30. AND IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THROUGH 2029 THROUGH 2031, ACCESS FROM THE SOUTHERN AREA OF THE CITY IS WILL HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO THE TO DOWNTOWN INTO 2031. WHY NOW? WHY ARE WE DOING ALL OF THIS RIGHT NOW? WHERE WHEN I-30 IS ALSO LOOKING AT A 2030 SOME TIME FRAME OF A COMPLETION OF THE DEMOLITION THAT THEY HAVE DONE. SO IN TERMS OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. OUR TIME FRAME HAS HAS NOT EBBED SINCE WE STARTED THE PROJECT AND PLANNING AND INTERSECTION WITH HOW WE WERE GOING TO BUILD THE CENTER. WHAT CHANGED IN THE INTERIM WAS SOME OF OUR WAS THE PUSHBACK OF THE CONVENTION CENTER IN 2023 BECAUSE OF SOME OF OUR INTERACTION WITH OUR STAKEHOLDER WITH, WITH TXDOT WHO NEEDED SOME LAYDOWN AREA ET-CETERA. AND SO THAT PUSHED THE CONVENTION CENTER BACK A BIT. REGARDLESS, THERE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A SAFETY COMPONENT TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, JUST AS WE HAVE ASKED FOR THE COCOONING AND THE STOP OF RIDE SHARE AT THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THE USE OF DART, AND ASKED THEM TO STOP AT UNION STATION AND WORK THROUGH THAT INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT WE BROUGHT TO COUNCIL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. IT'S THE SAME SAFETY SCENARIO THERE WITH ANY OF THE LARGE CRANES, ETC., THAT ARE GOING TO BE CONSTRUCTING THE CONVENTION CENTER. THERE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A NEED TO INTERRUPT TRAFFIC ALONG THAT SECTOR AS WE DID THE CONSTRUCTION. IT'S PRIMARILY A SAFETY CONCERN. INITIALLY THERE IS THE INTERSECTION OF THE BUILDING AS WELL. ONCE WE GET TO THAT POINT, THAT WILL CAUSE THE TERMINATION OF THE BUILDING AT JEFFERSON. SINCE WE WENT TO COUNCIL AND PURCHASED THE PROPERTY FROM WFA AND THE PROPERTY WITH DALLAS MORNING NEWS, ETC. AND SO THAT TO FINISH THE BUILDING THOSE INTERSECTIONS WITH THE VIADUCT ARE NECESSARY. IF I COULD JUST ADD COUNCIL MEMBER. THE RAMP FROM JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL IS AN IMPORTANT NEW ROADWAY ELEMENT TO INTRODUCE FOR CONNECTIVITY INTO DOWNTOWN AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN, THE VIADUCTS DO NEED REHABILITATION AND WITHOUT THAT ADDITIONAL ROADWAY ELEMENT THAT WE'RE INTRODUCING IN THIS TIME FRAME, WHEN THOSE VIADUCTS GET TAKEN OFFLINE, WE WOULD NOT HAVE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES AND WE WOULD BE DISRUPTING THE PEDESTRIAN, [00:50:07] THE BIKE YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY THE STREETCAR GOING IN AND OUT AS, AS THAT REHABILITATION OCCURRED. SO YOU KNOW, HAVING THIS ROADWAY ELEMENT IS BENEFICIAL NOT JUST FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW WITH RESPECT TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. IT IS AN IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION SOLUTION FOR THE LONGER TERM CONNECTIVITY. WELL, LET ME ASK A DIFFERENT SOME DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. DO WE KNOW THE NUMBER? OKAY. WELL, LET ME START OFF WITH THE STREETCAR. I UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE WE MAY HAVE TO HAVE THE STREETCAR, BUT. WHY ARE WE, WHY ARE WE GIVING UP? A PATHWAY FOR RESIDENTS, FOR A MAJORITY OF THOSE THAT ARE GOING TO USE THESE VIADUCTS FOR WHAT WE HAVE SEEN SO FAR ON THE STREETCAR. A MINORITY WHO USE A MODE OF TRANSPORTATION, MEANING THE STREETCAR. AND CAN WE CAN WE ADD TO THAT THE NUMBER OF BIKERS WE FORESEE WILL USE THIS PATHWAY IN AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN? SO THE IF THE. LET ME REPEAT THE QUESTION TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD IT. SO THE QUESTION IS, CAN WE. I KNOW IT WAS LOADED. WELL, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION. SO THE QUESTION IS, CAN WE SUSPEND OPERATION OF THE STREETCAR FOR TWO YEARS OR THREE YEARS, WHATEVER THAT TIME FRAME TO TO USE IT AS VEHICULAR IN VIEW OF THE OPERATION, I THINK, AND I HAVE TO VERIFY THAT, BUT I BELIEVE UNDER FEDERAL LAW, BECAUSE WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH NCT COG AND AND BACK TO BACK AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDS ABOUT THE TERMS OF THE OPERATION OF THAT STREETCAR, THAT THAT STREETCAR HAS TO BE OPERATED FOR THE DURATION. SO. SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE STREETCAR HAS TO BE EVEN THOUGH THE STREETCAR IS NOT THERE TODAY? WE HAVE TO PUT THE STREETCAR ON THE VIADUCT. AND IN ORDER TO BRING PEOPLE IN AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN VIA STREETCAR. SO TO CLARIFY, THE STREETCAR IS ALREADY OPERATIONAL ON THE HOUSTON VIADUCT. IT IS NOT. IT'S NOT ON JEFFERSON. SO THE OPERATION OF THE STREETCAR WILL REMAIN IN OPERATION ON JEFFERSON. I MEAN, ON ON HOUSTON. HOUSTON AS CURRENTLY IS. OKAY. SO NOW LET ME LET ME MAYBE PUT LIGHTEN THIS UP A LITTLE BIT. YOU ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO, IN THE INTERIM PERIOD, DO SOME MAINTENANCE TO HOTEL STREET, WHICH IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY EASY IN AND OUT THAT NOBODY KNEW ABOUT UNTIL YOU GUYS STARTED PUBLICIZING IT. SO NOW MY. NOW YOU'RE TAKING AWAY MY EASY IN AND OUT. SO ARE YOU GOING TO WIDEN THE HOTEL SO THAT WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO USE IT LIKE I DO, I WON'T GET STUCK IN TRAFFIC AGAIN? YES, THAT THAT IS PART OF WHAT WE'RE CONTEMPLATING HERE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT HOTEL BECOMES A NEW ACCESS WAY YOU KNOW, INTO DOWNTOWN AND, AND IS NOT USED AS SORT OF THE BACK DOOR AND IT BECOMES MORE OF A FRONT DOOR EXPERIENCE. THERE YOU GO AGAIN, TAKING ALL OF MY EASY ACCESS AWAY, HOUSTON STREET, I MEAN, JEFFERSON HOTEL STREET, THERE'S A FEW OTHER STREETS THAT I KNOW. WE'RE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THOSE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE. WE WE'RE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. MY OTHER EASY INS AND OUTS. ALL RIGHT. WELL, WE'LL KEEP THOSE A SECRET. YEAH, WE KEEP THOSE A SECRET. RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT HOTEL JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON. SO I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS FOR BETTER ACCESS, NOT ONLY TO THE CONVENTION CENTER, BUT I WOULD HOPE. ACCESS FROM THE SOUTHERN AREA INTO DOWNTOWN AS SO THAT, SO THAT THOSE THAT ARE IN, IN TRYING TO FURTHER THEIR CAREER STILL HAVE ACCESS TO DO SO. CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY, WHEN WE'RE DOING THIS, WHAT KIND OF JOB CREATION ARE WE GOING TO HAVE FOR THOSE WHO NEED JOBS, CERTAIN CAREERS? THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. SO FROM A CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION COMPONENT [00:55:09] AT PEAK, WE'LL HAVE 2500 WORKERS ON SITE. THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE OTHER POSITION THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY USING OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO TRAIN PEOPLE FOR. THAT IS ALSO TRAINING FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FOR ADVANCEMENT IN CAREER, ETCETERA. AND SO SOME OF THE DATA I THINK YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE OVERALL HOSPITALITY RETAIL TOURISM SPACE THAT'S GOING TO BE GENERATED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND SO WE HAVE HEAT MAP THAT USING INFORMATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. MARRYING THAT WITH INFORMATION FROM OUR HOTELIERS AND BUSINESSES THROUGH A SURVEY THAT WE DID. AND FROM THAT, THE PREDOMINANT NUMBER OF, OF JOBS THAT ARE HELD NOW AND ASPIRATIONAL FOR THE PROJECT ARE PRIMARILY PERSONS FROM THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF DALLAS, FROM SOUTH DALLAS PROPER, FROM WEST DALLAS AND FROM SOUTHEAST DALLAS. AND SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS WITH FROM MASTER PLANNING TO NOW WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER IS ONE, CREATING A PARTNERSHIP WITH DALLAS COLLEGE AND A PARTNERSHIP WITH UNT, DALLAS AND SOME OTHER LOCAL COLLEGES, INCLUDING PARKLAND, TO CREATE AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT LOWER LEVEL JOBS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JOBS THAT CREATE ADVANCEMENT AND CAREER PATHS, RIGHT? AND SO THOSE JOBS ARE WORKING IN THAT HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM SPACE TO SHOW HOW YOU CAN OPEN A DOOR. AND THIS HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM SPACE IS ONE WHERE YOU CAN START LITERALLY AS A HOUSEKEEPER AND BECOME THE MANAGER OF A HOTEL. RIGHT. AND SO IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPACE. AND WE TALK IN TERMS OF THERE'S THE COLLEGE PATH. THERE'S A TRADE PATH. AND THERE'S ALSO THE PATH OF WORKING YOUR WAY UP. AND SO WE HAVE WORKED IN GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOTEL ASSOCIATION OF NORTH TEXAS, WITH VISIT DALLAS, WITH OUR RETAIL AND RESTAURANT PARTNERS TO ENSURE THAT THEY'VE ALL CREATED PROGRAMS WITHIN THEIR CIRCLES THAT ARE PATHWAYS TO HIGHER PAYING JOBS. AND AS WE ALL UNDERSTAND IT, THOSE JOBS THEN CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO DO THE THINGS WE WANT THEM TO DO WITHIN DALLAS, WHICH IS PURCHASE A HOME, BEGIN TO FOCUS ON BEING A. WE'VE STRAYED FROM. YES, I THINK WE HAVE TO. COUNCILWOMAN BLAIR, COULD YOU RESERVE ANY REMAINING QUESTIONS FOR ROUND TWO SO THAT WE CAN MOVE ON TO OTHER MATTERS? I CAN I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO. THANK YOU. SO. COUNCILWOMAN. BLACKMON. AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING. THANKS TO EVERYBODY. I KNOW THIS IS A HIGHLY DISCUSSED PROJECT. SO OKAY, DEV, YOU TALKED ABOUT CONNECTIVITY AND WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. CONNECTIVITY IS MORE OF A VISION. I WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR. BECAUSE TO ME, CONNECTIVITY IS VAGUE. IT'S A VISION, RIGHT? IT'S WE WANT TO CONNECT EVERYBODY. BUT THIS IS HAS A SPECIFIC ELEMENT OF ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO DEAL WITH. AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THOSE AND THEN IDENTIFY WHAT ARE OUR TARGETS TO KEEP THE STATUS QUO, TO INCLUDE IT BETTER. LIKE I'M, WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF FOGGINESS INTO THIS. AND SO I WANT TO BE SPECIFIC. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR? WELL, THANK THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE QUESTION. COUNCIL MEMBER. YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, WE USE THE WORD CONNECTIVITY. AND IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION AND WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS TO GET PEOPLE FROM POINT A TO POINT B SPECIFICALLY WITH THIS ISSUE. WELL, AND AND I THINK WE SHOWED YOU ON THE TRAFFIC MODELING SLIDE. YOU KNOW, WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT IS HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE ACROSS THESE VIADUCTS IN THE, THE, THE EASIEST FASHION THAT WE CAN DURING CONSTRUCTION. AND SO AND THEN HAVING A LONGER TERM SOLUTION THAT IS IN TWO PHASES ONE WITH THE RAMP AND THE OTHER WITH THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY TO IMPROVE THAT ACCESS. YOU KNOW, COUNCILWOMAN BLAIR TALKED ABOUT ACCESS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, ACCESS INTO DOWNTOWN AND THEN ACCESS ACROSS THESE VIADUCTS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE AN IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION COMPONENT THAT WE HAVE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE REALLY BEEN FOCUSED ON. WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE CONNECTIVITY TO THE CONVENTION CENTER. [01:00:03] YOU KNOW, THAT AS ROSA MENTIONED, IS AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC INVESTMENT. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN GET IN AND OUT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER IN A SEAMLESS WAY. AND SO WE SAW THAT AGAIN THROUGH THE RAMP FROM JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL. YOU KNOW, WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE INTEREST IN DEVELOPMENT AROUND THIS AREA. SO THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. AND SO WE WERE LOOKING AT HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE BUILD MORE CAPACITY THROUGH STREETS THAT ARE NOT COMMONLY USED, LIKE HOTEL. WE WON'T SHARE ANY MORE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS BLAIR'S OTHER BACK ROAD ROUTES, BUT THERE ARE OTHER ROUTES THAT WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE ACTIVATE. AND YOU KNOW, WE HAVE DEVELOPERS WHO HAVE HAVE PROJECTS THAT ARE THAT ARE OUT THERE. AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO YOU KNOW, DELIVER SOLUTIONS TO GET PEOPLE ACCESS TO THOSE DEVELOPMENT PROPERTIES AS WELL AS AGAIN, IN AND OUT OF OF THE DOWNTOWN CORE OVER TO OAK CLIFF WEST DALLAS, SOUTHERN DALLAS. OKAY. SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT KB, THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THAT CONNECTIVITY COMMUNITIES THAT ARE USING THESE VIADUCTS AT 78 TRIPS THAT, THAT THAT'S JUST THAT ONE. IT'S NOT COMBINED. IT'S JUST THAT THAT ONE SEGMENT. RIGHT? YEAH. THAT'S THAT'S JEFFERSON. THAT'S OVER A FULL DAY. OKAY. AND THAT'S A FULL DAY. YEAH. AND IS THAT INCLUDING PEDESTRIAN STREETCAR AND BIKERS OR IS THAT ONLY CARS? THAT'S ONLY VEHICLES THAT INCLUDE BIKES AND BIKES. IT WAS A SMALL NUMBER. RIGHT. BUT I WAS JUST WONDERING TO GET THE WHOLE. OKAY, SO YOU'VE GOT COMMUNITIES THAT OBVIOUSLY USE THESE VIADUCTS. YOU'VE GOT CONNECTION INTO A. AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPERS. SO YOU'VE GOT THREE STATE GROUPS, STAKEHOLDERS, RIGHT? RIGHT. BUT THEN YOU'VE GOT A CONSTRUCTION AND A LONG TERM. OKAY. SO THE QUESTION IS, IS WHAT ARE OUR TARGETS DURING EACH OF THESE. ARE YOU TRYING AND YOU KIND OF SAID THAT YOU WANTED TO CREATE IN AND OUT WITH MORE CAPACITY USING HOTEL. AND I'VE SEEN THAT AND I'VE SEEN THAT YOU'RE MOVING THIS. BUT DO YOU DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU'RE HITTING WHAT YOUR I GUESS YOUR LONG TERM MILESTONES ARE. IF WE COULD JUST PULL UP. SLIDE 31. I THINK THAT SORT OF HELPS, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING AT. I THINK, I THINK ABOUT I THINK ABOUT THIS IN TERMS OF LANE CAPACITY. CORRECT? RIGHT. YEAH. BECAUSE SO IF WE LOOK AT THIS, YOU LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, YOU HAVE THREE LANES OF COMING ACROSS AND INTO DOWNTOWN. THAT'S THE NORTHBOUND. YOU HAVE TWO. AND THIS IS ALL VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. YOU HAVE TWO LANES GOING OUT. AND THIS IS ACROSS THE, THE WHOLE EACH OF THE VIADUCTS. NOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS DURING CONSTRUCTION, WE'RE LIMITING THOSE. WE STILL HAVE TWO LANES GOING OUT AND THREE LANES COMING IN. BUT WHEN YOU GET TO THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR, WE'RE SHIFTING TRAFFIC OVER. OKAY. SO IT'S NOT THE WHOLE IT'S NOT THE ENTIRE VIADUCT. IT IS THAT SEGMENT FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR IN THAT WE'RE REDUCING DOWN TO ONE LANE BECAUSE ONLY DURING CONSTRUCTION, ONLY DURING CONSTRUCTION, IN THAT, YOU KNOW, JUNE, JULY TO 2029 TIME FRAME. OKAY. DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, WE WILL BE WORKING TOWARDS THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THIS ADDITIONAL RAMP. OKAY. THE RAMP THAT WILL BE FROM JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL. AND NOW YOU HAVE THE SAME. YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY OF THREE LANES COMING IN AND TWO LANES GOING OUT. WITH THIS SCENARIO. SO YOU'VE MAINTAINED WHAT WE HAD WITH THE EXISTING. EXACTLY. OKAY. OKAY. AND THEN WHEN WE GO TO THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIO, AS WE'VE OUTLINED, IT IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE COULD POTENTIALLY MAKE CHANGES. THIS FUTURE SCENARIO WAS REALLY ALIGNED WITH OAK FARMS. SO SOUTH OF THE, THE FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR, YOU ACTUALLY ONLY HAVE TWO LANES COMING IN TO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO WAY TRAFFIC NOW ALL ON JEFFERSON, AND WE'VE SHIFTED THE BIKE AND WE'VE REDUCED THE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC OFF OF HOUSTON. AND SO COMING FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR INTO DOWNTOWN, YOU HAVE THREE LANES COMING IN AND THREE LANES GOING OUT. AND SO WHAT I'M TELLING YOU IS WE CAN ADD CAPACITY. [01:05:02] WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO. THIS IS WHAT THIS IS THE SCENARIO BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW RIGHT NOW AS WE GATHER MORE INFORMATION, AS WE WORK WITH TEXDOT ON THE BRIDGE REHAB WORK, WE'LL CONTINUE TO REFINE THIS FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIO. OKAY. SO ON THAT FUTURE CONNECTIVITY, DO THEY ALL IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ALL GET FUNNELED RIGHT INTO ONTO THE JEFFERSON. YES. OKAY. AND YOU TALK ABOUT BOTTLENECKING. WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT DOES. IT SLOWS EVERYBODY DOWN AND BACKS IT UP. AND IT'S GOING TO ADD FIVE MORE MINUTES. IS THAT THAT'S ONLY DURING CONSTRUCTION. THAT'S ONLY DURING CONSTRUCTION. AND AND AGAIN, I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE ARE YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT PEAK TIMES, WE'RE LOOKING AT MIDDAY. AND WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS WE'VE LOOKED AT THE MIDDAY OR MIDWEEK WEDNESDAY TRAFFIC. YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A CONDITION THAT PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE AT ALL HOURS. THIS IS THE I GET IT. YOU GET YOU'RE DOING THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. WE ARE. AND AND WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THIS CONDITION. YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROVIDING CONCEPTS, WE, WE'RE WORKING WITHIN THE EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO, TO USE OUR TEAM OF, OF EXCELLENT CONSULTANTS TO HELP US CONTINUE TO REFINE THIS INFORMATION AND, AND IMPROVE IT WHEREVER WE CAN. OKAY. SO I'M GOING TO THROW OUT, WE HAVE A PARKING GARAGE IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS. IT'S KIND OF A WEIRD IT'S A WEIRD RELATIONSHIP. WHAT? WHAT? HOW ARE WE ADDRESSING THAT? WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE OWN THE PARKING GARAGE AND, YOU KNOW, ROSA CAN PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT IF NEED BE. AND THEN WE HAVE A DEVELOPER THAT OWNS THE AIR RIGHTS AND YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED IN CONCERT WITH THEM TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT IMPACTING THOSE AIR RIGHTS AS WE LOOK AT THIS SCENARIO. OKAY. SO WHEN YOU SAY WE OWN THE GARAGE, DOES THAT MEAN WE OWN THE STRUCTURE, BUT THE AIR IN THE GARAGE? DO WE NOT OWN I MEAN, THIS IS I MEAN, SO I GUESS I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE DOES IT STOP AND START? BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF LIKE IN THE MIDDLE. I MEAN, WE'RE IN THE HABIT OF TEARING EVERYTHING DOWN. SO ANYWAY, I'M KIND OF WONDERING WHY WHY IS THE PARKING GARAGE IMPORTANT IN THIS SCENARIO NOT TO TOUCH? IT'S AN EXISTING CONDITION THAT WE WORKED WITH. IS IT BEING USED? ROSA, WHY DON'T YOU ADDRESS THAT? THANK YOU. SO, TO ANSWER YOUR YOUR FIRST QUESTION, WE OWN THE GARAGE UP TO THE TOP OF THE OF THE ACTUAL STRUCTURE, THE ACTUAL STRUCTURE. AND EVEN IF THE STRUCTURE COMES DOWN, IS THAT WHERE IT STARTS AND STOPS? IT STARTS AND STOPS AND THERE'S A PORTION OF IT. IT'S, IT'S MOSTLY TO ONE SIDE OF THE ACTUAL STRUCTURE. AND SO WE CAN PROVIDE THE, WE'VE GOT A MAP THAT KIND OF SHOWS THAT IN THE DIAGRAM. SO WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO THE COMMITTEE. SO THERE'S A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THAT IN TERMS OF USAGE FOR THE GARAGE RIGHT NOW IT'S BEING USED. AND IT'S BEEN IF YOU TAKE A TOUR OF IT, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S BEEN IMPROVED BY OUR CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK AND OUR TEAM TO BE USED AS A PLACE TO HOLD MATERIALS, ETC.. THE STAGING AREA AS A STAGING AREA. CORRECT. OKAY. YEAH, I USED TO PARK THERE AND IT'S COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND IT AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE, SO WHAT IS THE FUTURE USE OF IT? SO THE FUTURE USE IS STILL BEING ANALYZED. THERE'S ALWAYS A QUESTION OF PARKING. AND SO AS WE WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS IN DETERMINING WHAT'S GOING TO BE DEVELOPED AROUND IT, THERE'S THE OPTION TO KEEP IT AS PARKING, BRINGING IT UP TO CURRENT STANDARDS AND PROVIDING ADDITIONAL PARKING IN THE AREA FOR BOTH THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE CONVENTION CENTER. OKAY. I'LL, I'LL LET THE OTHER MEMBERS AND I'LL RESERVE FOR ROUND TWO. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. SO YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE OVER 400 I THINK, COMMUNITY MEETINGS. HOW MANY MEETINGS WERE HELD WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC ROAD CLOSURE? SO THE CURRENT SITUATION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. FROM A TRANSPORTATION PERSPECTIVE, WE WERE BASICALLY REACTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER BUILDING. AND ONCE WE GOT TO THIS POINT, AND THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED THE PROCESS. AND LIKE I SAID, THERE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR THE THOROUGHFARE PLAN AMENDMENT FOR TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS, [01:10:04] ONE FOR THE AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL MEETING. SO WE HAVEN'T HAD THOSE MEETINGS YET. SO IF I COULD ADD SOME CLARITY TO THAT. SO PART OF THE PROCESS THAT GUS IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN IS THAT WE FIRST BRING IT TO YOU ALL TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE. AND THEN ONCE WE GET PAST THIS, THAT IS WHEN ENGAGEMENT AS PART OF THE PROCESS STARTS. SO YOU SAY, YES, MOVE. AND THEN WE START TO SCHEDULE ALL OF THE ALL OF THE MEETINGS AS WE DID WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND THAT ALIGNS WITH THAT PROCESS TOO. WE DIDN'T START ENGAGING WITH ANYONE OTHER THAN STAKEHOLDERS AND THE COUNCIL UNTIL SUCH TIME AS YOU SAID, YES, YOU CAN GO TAKE THESE 16 OPTIONS OUT AND LOOK AT THEM WITH THE COMMUNITY. SO SAME PROCESS. WE'RE COMING TO THE POLICY BODY FIRST. AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION, WE HAVE A LOT OF RAILROADS IN DISTRICT SIX. AND YOU MENTIONED THE RAILROAD CONNECTION IN WEST DALLAS WE HAD WHAT WAS CALLED A THREE HOLE PUNCH. IT TURNED INTO ONE HOLE PUNCH BECAUSE OF OUR BECAUSE OF RAILROAD. WE ALSO HAD RIVERFRONT, WHICH WAS A MAJOR STREET PROJECT. I THINK, GUS, YOU ENDED UP FIXING THE ROAD UP TO THE RAILROAD BECAUSE IT WAS SO DIFFICULT. SO WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY GET APPROVAL FROM U.P. TO BUILD THE BRIDGE WITH THE ALTERNATE CONNECTION. SO THERE IS NO DENYING THAT THERE WILL BE SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THE UNION PACIFIC AND DART BECAUSE I THINK DARK ALSO HAS A TRACK IN THAT AREA. SO ONE THING THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS THE DESIGN IS CONCERNED WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE, THE DETAILED DESIGN OF IT, BUT THE CONNECTOR IS PLANNED TO BE NOT TO HAVE ANY INTERIOR SUPPORTS IN AND WITHIN THE TRACKS. SO THEREFORE THAT MAKES THE CONVERSATION A WHOLE LOT EASIER WITH THE RAILROAD COMPANIES BY FULLY SPANNING THE THE CROSSING. AND THEN I KNOW IN WEST DALLAS, WE DO HAVE A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE. AND SO I SEE ON HERE THAT HOUSTON ENDS UP CLOSING FOR FUTURE CONNECTIVITY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD MENTION IS THAT IT IS SO HOT ON OUR PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS. I THINK IT WAS FOR GREEN SPACE, BUT BECAUSE OF THE TEMPERATURES HERE IN TEXAS, LIKE IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO USE IT. AND ACTUALLY WE END UP HAVING A LOT OF CODE ISSUES ON THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE. SO I JUST MENTIONED THAT TO MY COLLEAGUES WHO WOULD BE CONNECTING TO THAT PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE. MY OTHER QUESTION IS, SO IS FOURTH STREET. I SEE IT MENTIONED ON HERE. IS THAT A PRIVATE DRIVE OR IS THAT PUBLIC? SURE. THERE ARE SEVERAL STREETS THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED PRIMARILY FOR THE FORMER REUNION ARENA. THOSE STREETS WERE NOT NECESSARILY ABANDONED, BUT THEY WERE GIVEN TO THE CONVENTION CENTER TO USE FOR ENTRANCE AND EXIT INTO THE CONTINUED USES OF, OF, OF LOT E. AND SO AS WE USE THEM, WE'LL GO THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH DOCTOR MCCARLEY AND, AND ASK HIM TO RETURN THOSE BACK AS CITY STREETS RATHER THAN CONVENTION CENTER CONTROLLED PROPERTY. OKAY. AND THEN ALSO IN THE BUDGET THAT WAS LISTED I, I SEE FROM THE OAK FARM STUDY ON PAGE FIVE THAT WE RECEIVE 30 MILLION IN STATE BRIDGE FUNDS FOR BOTH OF THE VIADUCTS. WAS THAT INCLUDED IN THE COST OR I GUESS IN THE BUDGET THAT WAS PROVIDED? THOSE ARE SEPARATE. THE $30 MILLION ARE TAX DOLLARS FUNDED. I MEAN, OUR TAX FUNDS FOR THE REHABILITATION OF THOSE TWO. OKAY. MR. CHAIR, I'LL WAIT FOR A SECOND ROUND. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN. GRACEY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION. AND LET ME SEE. WHERE DO I WANT TO START? COUNCILWOMAN. BLACKMON KIND OF ASKED THE QUESTION, WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR? AND I, I GUESS I'M TRYING TO I WANT TO ASK THAT QUESTION AGAIN. WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE? I'M GOING TO TRY TO YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK MY THE RESPONSE IS, IS ANY DIFFERENT. WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE ACCESS IN AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN USING THESE VIADUCTS [01:15:03] DURING THE CONSTRUCTION CONDITION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND THEN BEYOND THAT WE'RE INTRODUCING ELEMENTS IN OUR SOLUTION THAT SOLVE BROADER PROBLEMS SUCH AS EXPANDING OTHER ROADWAY ROUTES AS WELL AS CONNECTIVITY, DIRECT CONNECTIVITY ACROSS THESE VIADUCTS INTO THE CONVENTION CENTER ITSELF INTO THE MOBILITY HUB. AND SO YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE AS PART OF OUR BROADER SOLUTIONS. BUT THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE IMPORTANT ROADWAY CONNECTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO MAINTAIN THE MULTIMODAL NATURE OF THESE FACILITIES AND MAINTAIN THE PEDESTRIAN, THE STREET CAR, THE BIKE EXPERIENCE THAT, THAT PEOPLE WANT TO USE NOT JUST COMING IN, BUT NOW AS WE CONNECT TO THE CONVENTION CENTER OUR VISITORS WOULD POTENTIALLY USE THESE ROUTES ALSO. SO, SO IT'S BIGGER THAN I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR. AND I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO ASK THIS QUESTION WITHOUT BEING INSULTING, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS NOT JUST A, A A CIRCUMSTANCE SOLUTION VERSUS A SOLUTION THAT'S REALLY CONSIDERING THE FLOW OF DOWNTOWN AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST THIS PARTICULAR CORNER, BUT WHAT WE WANT ALL OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT TO BE. EXACTLY. AND AS I AS I MENTIONED, THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, SUCH AS THE RAMP REALLY OFFER A CRITICAL ADDITIONAL CONNECTIVITY PIECE. SO THESE BRIDGES WILL NEED TO BE REHABBED, NOT JUST IN THE 2030, 20, 31 TIME FRAME. THAT'S GOING TO BE AN ONGOING CONDITION. YOU KNOW, EVERY TEN YEARS OR SO. AND SO BY HAVING THIS ALTERNATIVE ROUTE BOTH IN AND UP YOU KNOW, REALLY PROVIDES THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HAVE ALTERNATIVE FLOWS OF TRAFFIC WHILE THOSE CONDITIONS OCCUR. OKAY. SO. AND NOW I'M GOING TO SHIFT A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE, THIS, THIS CBD PLAN AMENDMENT PROCESS AND WHERE THIS. SO DO. DOES THAT HAVE TO TAKE PLACE IN ORDER FOR THESE OPTIONS TO BEGIN? ANY TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION, ANY TYPE OF PROCESS. SO THE. WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THEM. HOWEVER, THE FIRST PHASE, WHICH IS THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE, IS JUST LIKE ANY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. IT'S A CONSIDERED TO BE A TEMPORARY CONDITION AND WE CAN PROCEED WITH IT. IMMEDIATELY IT'S THE FUTURE MID-TERM OR MID RANGE AND LONG RANGE PLANS THAT REQUIRE THE THOROUGHFARE AMENDMENT BECAUSE YOU'RE CHANGING THE OPERATION AND THE ALLIANCE. LET ME ASK IT THIS WAY ON SLIDE. I THINK THAT'S SLIDE 31. YEAH. SO ON SLIDE 31, WHICH ONE OF THOSE FRAMES OF THOSE THREE DURING CONSTRUCTION, OPENING TIME FRAME, FUTURE CONNECTIVITY, WHICH ONE OF THOSE ADJUSTMENTS ACTUALLY HAS TO GO THROUGH THIS THROUGH THIS PLAN AMENDMENT PROCESS. SO DEFINITELY THE, BY THE TIME THE OPENING FRAME HAS TO GO THROUGH THE THOROUGHFARE AMENDMENT AS WELL AS THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY, THE LAST TWO. OKAY. AND THEN WHAT'S THE OVERALL TIME FRAME? AND I APOLOGIZE, SOMEBODY ALREADY ASKED THIS AND YOU SAID IT, BUT WHAT'S THE OVERALL TIME FRAME FOR WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT SLIDE 31? WHAT IS THAT TIME FRAME? SO AGAIN, ON THE OPENING TIME FRAME, AS ROSA MENTIONED, IS ABOUT THE END OF 2029 TIME FRAME. 29. YES, SIR. AND THEN FUTURE CONNECTIVITY, FUTURE CONNECTIVITY IS STILL YET TO BE DETERMINED BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE ON THE FUNDING AND A LITTLE BIT OF DISCUSSIONS WITH UNION PACIFIC AND THEN FOR THE DURING CONSTRUCTION PHASE THAT. WHAT IS THE TIME FRAME AND START AND OVERALL TIME FRAME FOR THAT. SO I THINK THE CONVENTION CENTER HAS THE PLAN TO BEGIN THE REMOVAL OF THAT SECTION OF THE ROADWAY SOMETIMES IN THE JUNE, JULY TIME FRAME OF THIS YEAR. OKAY. SO THEREFORE, WE WILL HAVE TO IMPLEMENT THE TEMPORARY CONTROL TRAFFIC CONTROL CHANGES AS SOON AS THE ROADWAY IS REMOVED FROM OPERATION. OKAY. AND THEN THAT BRINGS ME TO THE, THE, THE TRAFFIC STUDY AND THE NUMBER OF THE 7800 CARS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH. [01:20:03] AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED, YOU SAID YOU REDUCE THAT 7800 BY 25% BECAUSE WHEN CONSTRUCTION HAPPENS, PEOPLE TYPICALLY FIND ALTERNATIVE ROUTES. WHAT ARE BEFORE YOU ANSWER THAT? WELL GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY. NO, I WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION. YEAH. SO YOU REDUCE THAT. AND I GUESS THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE WITH THIS ONE IS IF THAT STARTS TOMORROW. THERE AREN'T MANY ROUTES INTO DOWNTOWN COMING OUT OF SOUTHERN DALLAS THAT I CAN EASILY. EASY ROUTE SO THERE AREN'T ANY MORE SHORT ROUTES. EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION TRYING TO GET IN. SO TO ME, REDUCING THAT 78 7800 BY 25%, THOUGH I GET THE SCIENCE BEHIND, IT MAY NOT BE THE REALITY IN THAT CASE. SO MY QUESTION, I TOOK A LONG WAY TO SAY ALL OF THAT TO SAY, WHAT WOULD THOSE NUMBERS AND THE TIME FRAMES LOOK LIKE IF THAT 25% WERE PUT BACK INTO THAT TRAFFIC STUDY? JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS GREAT. IT REDUCES IT BY, YOU KNOW, ONLY ADDS THREE MINUTES HERE, TWO MINUTES HERE, THOSE KIND OF THINGS. BUT IF YOU PUT THAT 25% BACK INTO THAT WITH WHAT, WHAT DOES THE WHAT DOES THAT TIME FRAME LOOK LIKE? THEN IF YOU IF YOU ASSUME NO ONE DIVERTED, LIKE EVERYONE STAYS ON BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY OPTIONS. RIGHT. IN MANY PEOPLE'S MINDS. YEAH, I, I THINK THAT GO AHEAD. I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER. GRACEY. WE JUST NEED SOME TIME TO LOOK AT THAT AND AND GET BACK TO YOU. WE DON'T WANT TO BE MODELING TRAFFIC ON THE FLY. FAIR ENOUGH. AND. WELL, GOOD. AND I GUESS I'LL MAKE THAT AS A REQUEST. THANK YOU FOR STOPPING, BECAUSE I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE PRESENT THIS STUFF FOR THE SAKE OF PUBLIC TRUST PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, BUILDING IT BACK. MY PHILOSOPHY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS THE LAST PLACE THAT'S ON THE FENCE. SO WE HAVE TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT ALL OF THIS. SO I DON'T WANT TO MISLEAD. YES, THAT IS A TRUE MATHEMATICAL EQUATION, BUT IN THE REALITY OF IT, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE WHEN WE DON'T HAVE VERY MANY OPTIONS AS IT IS GETTING INTO DOWNTOWN? SO I WANT TO JUST KIND OF PUT THAT OUT THERE SO THAT WE CAN COME BACK TO, TO SOME TO WHAT THE REALITY IS NOT WHAT THE, YOU KNOW, THE PROBABILITIES, RIGHT. AND TO THAT, TO THAT POINT, COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AS A TEAM AND WE DO HAVE SOME HANDOUTS TO PASS OUT AT THE END OF THE MEETING IS HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE PUBLIC ABOUT THOSE DIFFERENT ROUTES? AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TRAVELING PUBLIC KNOWS THE, THE WAYS TO GET IN AND OUT AS EASILY AS POSSIBLE. SO WE'LL PROVIDE THAT SCENARIO. BUT I ALSO WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, 25% REDUCTION IS A CONSERVATIVE REDUCTION. WE OFTEN SEE MUCH MORE THAN THAT IN A REAL LIFE SCENARIO. AND SO, YOU KNOW THAT THAT 0% WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, VERY BE AN UNUSUAL SITUATION. BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT CALCULATION. BUT WE WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE OFTEN SEE, YOU KNOW, 50% REDUCTION. FAIR ENOUGH. AND, AND MY POINT IS THAT MIGHT BE THE CASE IF THERE WERE EITHER. WELL, MORE BETTER COMMUNICATED ALTERNATES INTO DOWNTOWN, OR THERE WASN'T AS MUCH CONSTRUCTION ON ALL SIDES OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, WHICH IMPACT GETTING INTO DOWNTOWN. I GUESS THAT'S THE THOSE ARE THE THINGS I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THE OPTIONS AND GETTING THOSE COMMUNICATED. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'LL BE KEY IN HOW PEOPLE RESPOND TO THIS. HE'S GIVING ME THE TAP. MY MUSIC'S PLAYING. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. CAN I ADD JUST THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN GRACEY. ONE MORE COMMENT ON THE ENTRY INTO DOWNTOWN. SOME OF THESE LANE CLOSURES ALSO ARE DUE TO THE UPCOMING FIFA. SO THOSE WILL BE SHORT TERM DURING THE JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST TIME FRAME. COUNCILWOMAN. MENDELSOHN. THANK YOU CHAIR. SO I'M GOING TO START WITH THIS QUESTION. THE CONSULTANT SAID THAT THERE'D BE A 25% DIVERSION. CAN YOU EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANS. YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S ASSUMING THAT DURING CONSTRUCTION IT'S A ROUND NUMBER, 25% OF THE TRAVELING PUBLIC WOULD CHOOSE A DIFFERENT ROUTE TO AVOID CONSTRUCTION DELAYS. AND WHAT ROUTES DO YOU EXPECT THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE WHEN WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THE REMOVAL OF MULTIPLE BRIDGES OVER I-30, THEY ALREADY HAVE LESS OPTIONS. SO WHERE WOULD 25% OF THAT TRAFFIC DIVERT TO? WE WE THINK. BECKLEY. AT EASE. THERE ARE OTHER THERE ARE THERE ARE OTHER ALTERNATIVES. BECKLEY. CADIZ. THEY COULD CHOOSE TO TAKE TEXDOT CORRIDORS, I-35 AND I-30 COMING IN FROM OAK CLIFF. [01:25:05] IF YOU'RE COMING IN FROM THE WEST, WE'RE TRYING NOT TO PUT A LOT OF TRAFFIC ONTO THE TEX DOT FACILITIES, BUT IF YOU PUT PUNCH IN TWO WAYS YOUR ROUTE, IF YOU'RE COMING OUT OF OAK CLIFF, IT'S MORE THAN LIKELY GOING TO SEND YOU ON A TECH STOCK CORRIDOR, OR IT'S GOING TO SEND YOU BACK TO THESE OR A DIFFERENT ROUTE. AND HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH 25%? LIKE WHAT GOES INTO THE ALGORITHM TO DETERMINE THAT? OR, I MEAN, IT'S A PRETTY ROUND NUMBER. LIKE SOMETIMES IT'S EASY TO JUST THROW SOMETHING OUT. WE JUST KNOW WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT FOR A VERY. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW LONG YOU'RE WORKING ON IT. I WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT IS THAT FORMULA MADE UP OF? IT'S IT'S JUST MORE STANDARD PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE. SO IT'S JUST A LIKE YOU LOOK IN A TEXTBOOK AND IT SAYS, IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT, ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE PEOPLE WILL GO A DIFFERENT ROUTE. IT'S NOT SPECIFIC TO THIS PROJECT. NO, IT'S SPECIFIC TO THIS THIS PROJECT, WE WOULD ASSUME THAT 25% OF THE OF THE PEOPLE TRAVELING INTO DOWNTOWN, COMING VIA THE JEFFERSON CORRIDOR TODAY, BECAUSE ANY TRAFFIC PROJECT WOULD HAVE A 25% DIVERSION OF THIS NATURE. OKAY, SO IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT YOU STUDIED. WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATE ROUTES AND WHAT IS THE CAPACITY OF EACH LANE? IT'S JUST THAT'S KIND OF THE INDUSTRY NUMBER. IS THAT RIGHT? AT THIS POINT IN OUR PROCESS. CORRECT. OKAY. SO CAN CAN WE GO BACK TO WHAT THESE ASSUMPTIONS ARE, PLEASE? AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S YOU OR THAT'S GUS OR ROSA THAT WOULD BE ANSWERING THIS OR, OR DEV, BUT WHAT ASSUMPTIONS WERE MADE ABOUT HOW THAT TRAFFIC MOVES DURING CONSTRUCTION? AND THEN WHAT YOU GUYS KEEP CALLING THIS FINAL CONDITION, WHICH REALLY SOUNDS OMINOUS. I. I'M SORRY I MISSED THE QUESTION. I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ASSUMPTIONS WERE ABOUT HOW THAT TRAFFIC'S GOING TO FLOW DURING CONSTRUCTION AND THEN WHEN IT'S IN THE FINAL CONDITION. OKAY, SO DURING THE CONSTRUCTION AND AGAIN, JUST ROSA CONFIRMED THAT THAT WE CAN POTENTIALLY DELAY THE DEMOLITION UNTIL FIFA IS OVER. AUGUST. SO HAVING SAID THAT THE FLOW DURING CONSTRUCTION AS MENTIONED, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, I MEAN, IT'S GOING TO HAVE DELAYS. THE QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS? ON THE LONG TERM, IF THE ASSUMED 25% DIVERSION CONTINUES THROUGH THE OPENING DAY AS WELL AS THE LONG TERM CONDITION. OKAY. WELL, I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO OUR VERY FIRST BRIEFING AND SAY, I WILL NOT BE IMPACTED BY THIS TRAFFIC. MY DISTRICT WILL NOT BE IMPACTED BY THIS TRAFFIC. BUT WHAT I CARE ABOUT IS THIS IS CLEARLY GOING TO IMPACT DOWNTOWN IN OUR CITY AND OUR PEOPLE. AND NOT ONLY DO THE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON EITHER SIDE OF ME TALK ABOUT THIS AND THEIR RESIDENTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IT. WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT DISTRICT EIGHT IS TALKING ABOUT THEIR OWN TRAFFIC COMMUTE, BECAUSE THIS IS MUCH FURTHER THAN JUST WHO'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE. AND SO I'M JUST GOING TO PAUSE AND SAY, I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS HAS BEEN GIVEN NEARLY THE ATTENTION AND CONSIDERATION THAT IT NEEDS TO. IT'S INTERESTING TO ME THAT THE OAK FARM PLAN KEEPS COMING UP. SO YESTERDAY AT OUR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, I ASKED HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED IN THAT. THE NUMBER WAS LESS THAN 50. AND YET THIS IS SOMEHOW THE BASIS FOR THIS MASSIVE CHANGE. THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE. ALSO, THAT ENTIRE PLAN IS ACTUALLY NO LONGER RELEVANT BECAUSE THE ASSUMPTIONS MADE DURING THAT PLAN DIDN'T INCLUDE THESE CHANGES TO THE VIADUCTS. SO EVERYTHING THAT CAME OUT OF IT IS NOW HOW INCORRECT THAT WHOLE THING, WHICH I BELIEVE WAS A MULTI YEAR EFFORT. AND I DO THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF MEETINGS OF, AGAIN, A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT ANYMORE BECAUSE EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED ON THAT AND IT'S NO LONGER RELEVANT. SO NUMBER FOUR THAT I HAVE FOR YOU IS I THINK IT WAS ROSA. PERHAPS IT WAS DEB, ONE OF YOU SAID, QUOTE, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO REFINE. IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, THE I, I DON'T KNOW IF I USE THOSE WORDS, BUT SOMEBODY USE THAT QUOTE CONTINUE TO REFINE. WELL, THESE ARE CONCEPTS STILL. WE DON'T HAVE THE DETAILED DESIGN. AND SO YES, WE WILL CONTINUE TO REFINE THESE SOLUTIONS AS PART OF THE NORMAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. OKAY. WELL, THE OTHER QUOTE WAS CONTINUE TO LOOK AT IT. [01:30:04] AND ALL I'M GOING TO SAY IS YOU ALSO SAID JUNE AND JULY FOR DEMO. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEMO WHEN YOU'RE CONTINUING TO REDEFINE AND YOU'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT IT. THAT IS SHOCKING. AND I'LL JUST SAY, EVEN TAKING DOWN PART OF THE CONVENTION CENTER THAT HAPPENED, WHY WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE REST OF THE INFORMATION ON, ON THE BUDGET. LIKE WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. AND THEN YOU'RE DEMOING IT. SO I MOST CERTAINLY HOPE THERE WILL BE NO DEMO UNTIL THERE'S AN EXTREMELY CLEAR PLAN THAT NOT JUST THE COUNCIL MEMBERS UNDERSTAND, BUT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS. NOT A 50 MINUTE PRESENTATION. PLEASE, NO DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE GALLERY, BUT NOT A 50 MINUTE PRESENTATION. LIKE SOMEONE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE MAP AND GO, OKAY, I UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON HERE. AND THIS IS VERY COMPLICATED. FIRST YOU GO DOWN THIS, YOU TAKE A LEFT, THEN YOU TAKE A RIGHT AND THEN YOU GO, I MEAN, THIS IS NOT GOOD. SO I PULLED UP THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK LOAN APPLICATION THAT WAS SUBMITTED. THIS IS HOW OUR INITIAL FUNDING WAS GOING. AND I JUST LIKE TO READ TO YOU UNDER TRANSPORTATION SCOPE THIS INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH. THE CONVENTION CENTER WILL TRANSFORM MOBILITY IN THIS PORTION OF DOWNTOWN. I THINK THAT MIGHT BE TRUE, BUT IT MIGHT NOT BE IN A POSITIVE WAY. BECOMING A CENTRAL NODE FOR SEAMLESS AND CONVENIENT ACCESS TO THE DISTRICT AND REGION. THE MANY MODES OF TRANSPORTATION THAT MEET AT THE FUTURE CONVENTION CENTER, INCLUDING LIGHT RAIL, HIGH SPEED RAIL. BY THE WAY, WE HAVE A RESOLUTION BANNING THAT STREET CAR BUSSES VERTIPORT, WHICH NOW YOU HAVE MOVED BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS BUILDING HEIGHT ISSUE, TAXI AND RIDE HAILING, MICRO MOBILITY, BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS WILL FACILITATE THE MOVEMENT OF MASSIVE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE SERVING NOT ONLY TRAVEL TO THE CONVENTION CENTER FOR MAJOR EVENTS, BUT TO THE DISTRICT AND DOWNTOWN FROM ACROSS THE CITY AND REGION. ONE OF THE BULLET POINTS UNDER THERE IS EASE OF ACCESS AND CONNECTIVITY ENSURE CONVENIENT ACCESS FOR ALL USERS. I DON'T THINK YOU'RE MEETING THAT. I THINK THAT'S A VERY SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM. THE OTHER ITEM IS UNDER THE PROPOSED ROADWAY MODIFICATIONS. EACH STREET WILL BE DESIGNED THOUGHTFULLY TO SUPPORT THIS VISION. IT GOES ON. BUT THE LAST THE LAST PHRASE IS TO REALIGN JEFFERSON VIADUCT AND MEMORIAL DRIVE, PROVIDING NEW ACCESS POINTS FOR GREATER CONNECTIVITY. AGAIN, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE ACTUALLY ACHIEVING GREATER CONNECTIVITY. THE DALLAS RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT BE ON THE LOSING SIDE OF CHANGES TO THE SCOPE AND THE DIRECTION OF THIS PROJECT BECAUSE IT WAS ALTERED. THE RETURN OF THE BUILDING TO THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT IS ACTUALLY WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, BECAUSE THIS ENTIRE CONVERSATION GOES AWAY AND THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS FIND OTHER COST SAVINGS. SPEAKING OF BUDGET, THIS PROJECT WAS APPROVED IN 2022 MULTIPLE TIMES. MULTIPLE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE REPEATEDLY ASKED FOR A BUDGET. THIS IS A FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY FAILURE THAT WE STILL DON'T HAVE IT. I'VE SUBMITTED AND IS POSTED ON THE CITY SECRETARY AN OFFICIAL MEMO. IT'S BEEN COMPLETELY IGNORED. IT'S OUTRAGEOUS. IT'S ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS HOW THIS IS BEING HANDLED. SO I'M JUST GOING TO SAY WE'VE ALREADY PURCHASED TWO BUILDINGS UNPLANNED, OVER $50 MILLION BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE AN ACTUAL PLAN BEFORE WE STARTED AND WE GOT STUCK. WE GOT LOCKED IN, HAD TO DO IT. IT WAS A VERY BAD IDEA. AND WE ARE WASTING MORE MONEY IN THIS ENTIRE CONVERSATION IS AGAIN, A HUGE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. SO I JUST SAY, PUT THE BUILDING BACK. STOP DISCONNECTING THE SOUTH AND WEST DALLAS FROM DOWNTOWN. LITERALLY. THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE KEEP TALKING ABOUT. FOR SEVEN YEARS I'VE BEEN ON CITY COUNCIL. WE'VE GOT TO CONNECT DOWN THE SOUTHERN SIDE AND THEN THIS IS DISCONNECTING IT. IT'S REALLY KIND OF CRAZY, BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, WE HAVE TO PUT OUR RESIDENTS FIRST AND HEARING THE DISCUSSION ABOUT, WELL, WE'VE GOT DEVELOPERS. WELL GUESS WHAT? WE'RE HERE FOR OUR RESIDENTS. THANK YOU, VICE CHAIR ROB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF WORK GOING ON GOING INTO THIS PROCESS AND IT'S VERY, VERY COMPLICATED AND IT IS A BIG PROJECT. AND SO SOME OF MY QUESTIONS MAY BE NAIVE. SOME OF THEM MAY BE ALREADY ANSWERED, BUT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE ANSWER. [01:35:05] SO IF YOU'LL BEAR WITH ME. NUMBER ONE, IT SEEMS LIKE ALL OF THIS DISCUSSION IS REALLY BEING ACTIVATED BY THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO REMOVE A SECTION OF JEFFERSON. INITIALLY RIGHT NOW, WHAT IS WHAT EXACTLY? WHY ARE WE REMOVING? CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THAT FITS INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER? IT SEEMS LIKE ALL OF THIS IS BEING TARGETED BECAUSE WE'RE REMOVING PART OF THAT STREET AT THIS TIME. OKAY. SO THE CONVENTION CENTER BUILDING BASICALLY THE FOOTPRINT CROSSES OVER JEFFERSON INTO THE ACQUIRED LAND ON THE FORMER DALLAS MORNING NEWS SITE. AND THEREFORE, WHEN, AS THEY PREPARE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER, THEY HAVE TO DEMOLISH. I THINK THERE IS AN EXISTING STRUCTURE ON THAT SITE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF JEFFERSON. SO IN ORDER FOR THEM TO REMOVE AND DEMOLISH THE STRUCTURE ON THE NEWLY ACQUIRED LAND IN PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE LAYOUT OF THE BUILDING. THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE HAVE TO REMOVE THAT PIECE OF OR THAT SECTION OF JEFFERSON. AND THAT, AGAIN, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT, THAT THE REMOVAL OF THAT SECTION OF JEFFERSON WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAPPEN REGARDLESS WHETHER WE ELEVATE THE BUILDING AND PUT THAT CONNECTION BACK OR WE KEEP THE BUILDING AS CURRENTLY DESIGNED AT THE LOWER ELEVATION AND AND OF COURSE, OR CAUSING THE EVALUATION OF THE ALTERNATE CONNECTION, THERE'S GOING TO BE A BUILDING ON THAT PIECE OF ROAD. SO CURRENTLY, THE WAY MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER DESIGNERS IS, YES, THE BUILDING STRUCTURE IS WHERE THE CURRENT ELEVATION OF THE CURRENT JEFFERSON IS. SO UNLESS THE BUILDING IS ELEVATED AND THIS IS WHAT ROSA MENTIONED IF THE BUILDING IS TO BE ELEVATED TO RESTORE THAT CONNECTIVITY, THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A COST IMPLICATION TO IT THAT WAS PROVIDED. OTHERWISE IT'LL KEEP, WE'LL KEEP THE BUILDING AT THE CURRENT ELEVATION AS DESIGNED AND HAVE TO LOOK FOR ALTERNATE CONNECTIONS AND RELATIVE TO THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE IS THAT, IS THAT IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE, IS THERE A BUILDING? WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BE BUILDING SOMETHING ON THAT PIECE OF DIRT? AND IN OTHER WORDS, WHY DO WE HAVE TO REMOVE THE STREET NOW AND WORRY ABOUT ALL THIS. THIS TRAFFIC. UNLESS IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S CRITICAL. THE OTHER THING IS IF. AND IS THERE ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE TO GET THROUGH THAT STREET? CAN YOU BUILD A BRIDGE? CAN YOU MAKE A TUNNEL? CAN YOU DO SOMETHING WITHOUT GOING UNDER THE GROUND? BUT CAN WE JUST KEEP THAT BUILD A BUILDING AROUND IT? AND AGAIN, I'M NOT TRYING TO REDESIGN THE PLAN. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE REAL PLAN IS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE TO ME THAT THIS IS A TAIL WAGGING THE DOG. IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT TEARING UP THIS STREET. AT THAT POINT. AND THEN WE'D HAVE TO RECONFIGURE EVERYTHING ELSE, AND I. AND I'M ASKING THE QUESTION, EVEN THOUGH I'M MAKING A DECLARATORY STATEMENT. I'M SORRY. SURE. I'M GOING TO BRING OUR CONSTRUCTION MANAGER TRINITY ALLIANCE, UP. DEWEY NEWTON IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS, BUT TO, TO YOUR POINT AND TO TO OPINE ON WHAT DOCTOR HARLEY SAID EARLIER. WHEN YOU'RE CONSTRUCTING NEAR A ROADWAY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE BUILDING IS, YOU KNOW, AT THE HEIGHT IT IS NOW OR CONSTRUCTED OVER, YOU WOULD STILL HAVE TO CLOSE. IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERN, KNOCKING DOWN CERTAIN BUILDINGS, KNOCKING DOWN COMPONENTS THAT ARE THAT LARGE NEAR WHERE PEDESTRIANS, BIKERS, CARS ARE TRAVELING. IT IS A PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERN. SO THAT'S THE INITIAL COMPONENT FOR THAT PORTION OF, OF THE VIADUCT. AND SO I'LL LET JULIE NEWTON, WHO IS THE TURNER PORTION OF THE TRINITY ALLIANCE TEAM, KIND OF SPEAK TO YOUR OTHER QUESTIONS. AND YOU MAY HAVE TO REPEAT SOME OF THEM. THERE WAS KIND OF LAYERED AGAIN, I DON'T NEED TO GO INTO THE CONSTRUCTION AND PLANNING, AND I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO HIJACK THE THE CONVERSATION TO GET INTO THE DESIGN ISSUE. BUT THAT'S MY CONCERN, IS WHY ARE WE HAVING TO CLOSE THAT STREET AT THIS POINT IN TIME? IF IT'S SAFETY, THAT'S A DIFFERENT ISSUE AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND PERSONALLY WHY IT IN ANY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, [01:40:01] WHY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANY BIKES, ANYBODY WALKING AROUND THERE, ANY STREET CARS GOING THROUGH THERE? AND WHY WOULD WE HAVE PEOPLE IN AN AREA WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING MAJOR CONSTRUCTION? SO I THINK ABSOLUTELY, WE SHOULDN'T BE HAVING ANY OF THAT ACTIVITY THERE ANYWAY. SO WHAT WE'RE REDIRECTING AND WE'RE REDESIGNING EVERYTHING FOR PEDESTRIANS, FOR BIKES, FOR FOR STREETCARS, WHICH YOU'RE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. NOBODY SHOULD BE THERE ANYWAY. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE, WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS TO ACCOMMODATE THAT FOR THE 2 OR 3 YEAR PERIOD. THAT'S NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN 2031 WHEN THE VIADUCTS ARE BEING REMODELED. HOW IS THAT GOING TO TAKE THOSE TWO VIADUCTS OUT OF SERVICE? IS IT ARE THESE REPAIRS? ARE THESE ARE THESE RENOVATIONS OR THESE REPLACEMENTS? WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ON THAT? SO THE WORK THAT TEXDOT WILL BE DOING IS THE REHABILITATION OF THOSE VIADUCTS. AND THEY WILL WORK ON ONE WHILE THE THE OTHER ONE WILL BE IN OPERATION. AND THIS IS THE REASON WHY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE DOWN RAMP THAT WILL HAVE TO BE CONSTRUCTED WILL ADD AN ELEMENT OF ACCESSIBILITY WHILE THE THE VIADUCTS ARE BEING REHABILITATED. SO THEY WILL FINISH ONE AND THEN WILL COME BACK AND DO THE OTHER ONE. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE A STILL ANOTHER PERIOD OF CONSTRUCTION PERIOD OF TIME. SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT A FIVE TO A FIVE YEAR PERIOD, I WOULD IMAGINE, OF DISRUPTION OF SERVICE AND ACTIVITY. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IN HOW WE'RE MANAGING PEOPLE IN TRAFFIC. TO ME, THE OBJECTIVE IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE THE, THE DEVELOPMENT AS FAST AS WE CAN, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO INSERT ELEMENTS THAT ARE COMPLICATED THIS UNNECESSARILY, LIKE THE BIKES, LIKE THE PEDESTRIANS AND LIKE THE STREETCAR. TO YOUR POINT THAT THERE MAY BE A FEDERAL OR A TEXDOT ISSUE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THAT, THAT, THAT CAN'T BE REVISED, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE'VE GOT BUSSES. IF YOU'VE GOT LANES, YOU GOT BUS TRAFFIC THAT CAN COME BACK AND FORTH. THE STREETCAR IS A SEPARATE DEAL, AND IT ALSO CREATES A WHOLE LANE OF TRAFFIC, AS DOES THE BIKE PATH, CREATES ALL LANES OF TRAFFIC. I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE TO ELIMINATE EVEN IN YOUR PLAN. AS LONG AS WE GET RID OF THE THE BIKES AND THE PEDESTRIAN, I MEAN THE BIKES IN THE STREETCAR DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, I, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S GOING TO HELP EVERYBODY. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS ARE THEY WHAT IS THERE GOING TO BE TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND, AND OTHER KIND OF TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT'S GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN SOME OF THIS STUFF. AND MAYBE YOU MENTIONED IT AND I DIDN'T PICK UP ON IT. I SAW SOME INDICATIONS IN SOME OF THE DRAWINGS. YES, SIR. ON THE INTERIM CONDITIONS AND THE FUTURE. SO THEY'RE IN THE INTERIM. WE FORESEE THAT THERE WILL BE A STOP CONDITION ON JEFFERSON AS YOU'RE GOING NORTHBOUND TO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. AND THEN ONCE YOU MAKE THAT LEFT TURN, THERE WILL BE ANOTHER STOP SIGN THERE OR STOP CONDITION. THE STOP THE TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU MAKE THE TURN OR TO GO NORTH ON HOUSTON AND THEN IN THE CONDITION OF THE DAY THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE OPENING DAY OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. WE ANTICIPATE TO HAVE A TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT THE INTERSECTION OF JEFFERSON AND THE DOWNTOWN. AND THEN THE, THE $32 MILLION THAT THE TECH SIDE HAS GIVEN US TO CUTS TO FIX THE VIADUCTS. IS THAT WHAT IT IS? THAT IS CORRECT. AND THEN IS THE CITY OF DALLAS ALSO CONTRIBUTING AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT TOWARDS THAT ALSO ANOTHER 30. NO, SIR. THIS IS ALL. IT'S ALL IN. IT'S THERE'S NO COST. NO COST TO THE CITY OF DALLAS. THAT'S A THAT'S A TEXT. THAT'S A TEX DOT. OBLIGATION. YES, SIR. GREAT. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. AND THEN IN TERMS OF THIS BRIDGE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING OVER HOUSTON, HOUSTON, HOUSTON STREET BRIDGE WHAT'S INVOLVED IN THAT IN TERMS OF DISRUPTION AND IN TRYING TO. IS THERE AND I'M NOT I'M NOT TRYING TO TO BE CRITICAL. I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT HOW THAT BUILDS INTO THE PROCESS OF, OF DOING THIS. THAT'S A IS THAT A MAJOR COMPONENT PROJECT? IT'S A MAJOR EXPENSE PROJECT THAT WE'RE DOING. AND HOW LONG DOES SOMETHING LIKE THAT TAKE TO DO? [01:45:02] SO TO CLARIFY, MY ASSUMPTION IS YOUR QUESTION IS ABOUT THE NEW CONNECTOR THAT GO GOES OVER THE UNION PACIFIC, RIGHT? THAT CONNECTS THE JEFFERSON TO HOUSTON ON A DIAGONAL IN A DIAGONAL DIRECTION. SO YES, THAT, THAT ONE WILL REQUIRE SOME DISRUPTION BECAUSE I MEAN, BUT NOT AT THE, AT THE EXTENT OF THE CURRENT DISRUPTION BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT YOU'RE BUILDING IT ON A NEW ALIGNMENT. AND YOU KNOW, WHILE WE HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO THE FULL DETAILS OF THE DESIGN, BUT WE PLAN ON EMPLOYING A, A CONTINUOUS SPAN OVER THE THE SPAN, THE FULL THE RAILROAD TRACKS. SO MOST OF THAT WORK IS GOING TO BE PRIMARILY COORDINATED WITH THE UNION PACIFIC AND DART, WHICH ARE THE CURRENT TRACKS THAT ARE IN THE. THE IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME ALSO MY LAST POINT, AND MAYBE I MISSED THIS ALIGHTING HERE. IT LOOKS LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE GOING TO BE PULLING TRAFFIC GOING, LET'S CALL IT NORTH ON JEFFERSON TO THAT SOUTHERN CONNECTOR. AND THEN ALLOWING THAT TRAFFIC TO DO NORTH ON HOUSTON. IS THAT AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE SORT OF DESIGN PLANS? YES. THAT THAT IS THE DURING CONSTRUCTION CONDITION DURING THE THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT YOU KNOW, ONCE WE HAVE THE ADDITIONAL THE RAMP FROM JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL, YOU'D STILL HAVE THE OPTION TO DO THAT, BUT YOU COULD ALSO USE THE RAMP. AND SO WE'RE KEEPING THAT OPTION OPEN UNTIL YOU GET TO THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIO WHERE WE'RE SHIFTING ALL OF THE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC OFF OF HOUSTON ONTO JEFFERSON. AND THEN ONCE YOU HAVE THAT NEW BRIDGE, THEN THAT BRIDGE FROM JEFFERSON ONTO TO HOUSTON, WE'RE ALSO MAINTAINING A VEHICULAR TRAFFIC LANE ON HOUSTON. SO THAT IT PROVIDES SOME CIRCULATION AROUND THE, THE, THE PARKING GARAGE. AS WE GATHER MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT OPPORTUNITIES THERE MIGHT BE FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE'VE KEPT THAT OPEN. YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT, THAT SCENARIO OF FUTURE CONNECTIVITY IS BASED ON ALIGNMENT WITH OAK FARMS. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE PIECES OF FEEDBACK THAT I'M HEARING IS YOU'RE NOT SURE WHY WE'RE WHY WE'RE ALIGNING WITH OAK FARMS. THAT WAS A DIRECTIVE FROM THE PREVIOUS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MEETING THAT WHAT WE BRING FORWARD HAS THAT ALIGNMENT WITH OAK FARMS. THANK YOU. AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS THE THE, WE WANT TO MAKE DOWNTOWN DYNAMIC. WE WANT IT TO BE PROSPEROUS. THE CONVENTION CENTER IS REALLY THE ANCHOR TENANT THAT WE'RE GOING TO USE TO REALLY DEVELOP THIS, THIS MARKET DOWN HERE. AND, AND IT'S GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT THAT SUCCESS IS ALSO NEEDS TO BE TRANSLATED INTO OAK CLIFF. OAK CLIFF IS BECOMING SUCCESSFUL. IT'S TREMENDOUS WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS NORTH OAK CLIFF AND THE DOWNTOWN AS A AS A, AN AREA OF, OF JOINT ACTIVITY OF SYNERGY OF, OF, OF, OF, OF STABILITY, THE FOLK, THE, THE STUFF THAT AND I, I LOOK, I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON OAK CLIFF, BUT I'VE BEEN DRIVING DOWN THERE, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO PEOPLE DOWN THERE, I'VE BEEN DOING A LITTLE BIT OF, OF ON THE, ON THE GROUND STUFF. THERE'S A LOT OF NEAT STUFF THAT'S HAPPENING THERE TO MY COLLEAGUES WHO NOT, AND TO MY CONSTITUENTS WHO MAY NOT KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE. IT'S A VIBRANT AREA, AND IT'S PART OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF DOWNTOWN. AND IT'S ALSO PART OF THE ECONOMIC AND DOWNTOWN IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF OAK CLIFF. SO THAT'S IT'S REALLY CRITICAL THAT WE MAKE IT EASY AND ACTIVE AND, AND, AND, AND SIGNIFICANTLY TRANSITORY TO GET STUFF IN THERE. SO WITH THAT, I, I REALLY WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DENSITY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP DOWN HERE IS NOT A BOTTLENECK AND CHOKED OFF BY REMOVING ACCESS POINTS IN AND OUT OF OUR CORE, OUR CORE ECONOMIC AREA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, VICE CHAIR. I'D LIKE TO GO BACK IN HISTORY TO AN EARLIER SCHEMATIC DESIGN FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER WHEN IT WAS STILL AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE. [01:50:06] WHAT WAS THE PLAN AT THAT TIME FOR MANAGING THE TRAFFIC TO AND FROM OAK CLIFF ALONG THE VIADUCTS? I'M GOING TO ASK EITHER ANGELA DANIEL WITH INSPIRE DALLAS OR DEWEY NEWTON WITH TRINITY ALLIANCE TO COME TO THE PODIUM AND RESPOND. THANK YOU. ROSA. WHAT? WHAT IS THE QUESTION AGAIN, PLEASE. THE QUESTION IS GOING BACK IN TIME TO AN EARLIER SCHEMATIC OF THE CONVENTION CENTER AT A TIME WHEN THE BUILDING WAS STILL ELEVATED. HOW WAS TRAFFIC TO AND FROM OAK CLIFF? OAK CLIFF GOING TO BE HANDLED ALONG THESE VIADUCTS? EITHER WAY, HOUSTON WOULD HAVE REMAINED THE WAY IT WAS, BUT THE PLAN WAS ALWAYS TO REROUTE JEFFERSON BECAUSE WE WOULD BE BUILDING THE NEW STRUCTURE OVER THE TOP OF IT EVENTUALLY. SO WHY WAS THE BUILDING LOWERED? IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS IN COST TO LOWER THE BUILDING AND REROUTE JEFFERSON. WELL, LET ME ASK THE REVERSE. WHY WAS IT ELEVATED IN THE FIRST PLACE? IF IT WAS HALF $1 BILLION CHEAPER TO BUILD IT AT A LOWER ELEVATION? WAS THAT TO CLEAR THE VIADUCT. LET ME ANSWER THAT QUESTION. SO THE INITIAL DESIGN, WHAT WE BROUGHT TO COUNCIL WAS ITERATIONS SIMILAR TO HOW WE DID DURING THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS. AND SO THAT FIRST PASS WAS TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO LOOK AT WHERE WE WERE IN THE SCHEMATIC PHASE BEFORE WE WENT INTO DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER. AT THAT POINT, YOU ALL, AS A BODY COLLECTIVELY ASKED US TO LOWER THE COST OF THE BUILDING AND THE, AND THE NUMBER I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW WAS AROUND NUMBER OF 500 AND 500 MILLION. AND SO WE WENT BACK, WE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS. WE BROUGHT OUR DESIGN TEAM, AMPLIFY DALLAS AND OUR CMAR TRINITY ALLIANCE, ALONG WITH INSPIRE DALLAS KIND OF LEADING THE CHARGE TO LOOK AT AND BRING IN OUR CUSTOMER BASE FIRST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUILDING WOULD WORK. AND SO WORKING WITH THEM AND WORKING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS AROUND US, WE WERE ABLE TO REDUCE THAT BY COMPRESSING THE BUILDING A BIT. AND LOOKING AT HOW WE COULD KEEP THE AMOUNT OF SQUARE FOOTAGE WE COMMITTED TO IN ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTATION TO THE STATE AS WE SUBMITTED BREMER AND FD. SO ALL OF THIS KIND OF GOES TOGETHER, RIGHT? THERE'S THINGS WE CANNOT LOSE BECAUSE IT, IT TIES INTO EVERYTHING THAT WE DID IN 2019, 2021, 22. AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT BY LOWERING THE BUILDING, MOVING WHERE THE ESCALATORS AND ELEVATORS WERE LOOKING AT THE ACCESS FLOW, BUT KEEPING THE, THE EXHIBIT SPACE AT THE 750 K AREA SQUARE FOOTAGE AREA, WHICH IS WHAT WE SUBMITTED TO THE STATE AND WHICH WILL BE THE BIGGEST DRIVER FOR US TO BRING REVENUE IN. SO THAT'S THAT'S KIND OF THE HISTORY OF HOW WE GOT TO THAT. SO WHEN WAS THE DECISION MADE TO LOWER THE BUILDING? SO WE BROUGHT THAT BRIEFING TO YOU. WE DID WANT TWO BRIEFINGS IN 2025 AND THEN THE LAST BRIEFING IN JANUARY OF OF THIS YEAR. AND SO WE'VE BEEN TRANSPARENT WITH COUNCIL AS WE'VE LOWERED THE BUILDING, HIRED THE BUILDING ET-CETERA. AND SO THE ULTIMATE. WE SAID IN OUR JANUARY BRIEFING AND OUR. I BELIEVE WE BRIEFED IN DECEMBER. I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THOSE DATES, BUT THAT WE WOULD NEED TO GO INTO DESIGN DEVELOPMENT TO MEET THE 2029 DELIVERY. THAT TIES INTO THE CLIENTS THAT WE'VE WE'VE PRE-BOOKED. WELL, THAT'S WHEN YOU BRIEFED THE COUNCIL, YOU SAY, BUT WHEN WAS THE STAFF DECISION MADE TO LOWER THE BUILDING? SO THE STAFF DECISION CAME DURING THAT TIME WHEN WE WERE ASKED, WHEN WE SHOWED THE SCHEMATIC THE FIRST TIME, AND WE WERE ASKED TO REDUCE IT BY 500. SO THAT WAS THE REALLY THE ONLY WAY. AND I'LL ASK TOM RICE FROM PERKINS AND WILL TO KIND OF EXPLAIN HOW THAT COST DRIVER WORKED IN TERMS OF, OF LOWERING THE BUILDING. TOM. I'M SORRY. TOM PERKINS AND WILL PART OF THE AMPLIFY DALLAS TEAM. MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND HOW DID WE LOWER THE COST THROUGH THE EFFICIENCY OF THE BUILDING? YEAH. SO THERE'S MULTIPLE ASPECTS. AND TO ROSS'S POINT EARLIER, THE CUSTOMER THE CUSTOMER SESSIONS THAT WE DID WITH [01:55:09] VISIT DALLAS ALSO INFORMED THE REASON TO LOWER THE BUILDING TO MAKING THE VERTICAL CIRCULATION MUCH MORE EFFICIENT IN TERMS OF LOWERING THE BUILDING TO GET IT DOWN. WE WERE ABLE TO. DO MANY THINGS. IT'S NOT A SIMPLE ANSWER, SO I'M GOING TO TRY AND SIMPLIFY IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. BUT WE DROPPED THE BUILDING 16FT, WHICH TOOK OUT MANY CUBIC MILLIONS OF SQUARE FEET OF THE BUILDING. WE REORGANIZED THE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM OF THE BUILDING TO CHANGE WHERE THE BALLROOM IS, SO IT'S NO LONGER OVER THE DARK TRACKS. AND WE REDUCED THE STRUCTURAL SPANS THAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR BY DOING THAT. SO THERE'S A THERE'S PROBABLY 25 DIFFERENT THINGS I COULD GO THROUGH THAT WE COMBINED TO RESOLVE REDUCING THE COST OF THE BUILDING. MOST OF THOSE WERE DRIVEN BY A COMBINATION OF WANTING TO REDUCE THE COST OF THE BUILDING AND SATISFYING THE CUSTOMER DESIRES FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND THAT DECISION COMPLICATED THE TRAFFIC CIRCULATION COMING OVER FROM THE VIADUCTS, DIDN'T IT? IT DID A LITTLE BIT, YES, BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW THAT DURING THAT TIME, WE WERE TAKING DOWN PART OF THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT TO BRING IT DOWN TO WHAT? THE EXTENSION OF CEREMONIAL DRIVE. SO THAT WE COULD CONNECT CEREMONIAL ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CONVENTION CENTER AND YEAH. I'M SORRY I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. SORRY. WELL, SO, IN OTHER WORDS, CEREMONIAL WAS TO CONTINUE AS A THOROUGHFARE FOR TRAFFIC ON THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT INTO DOWNTOWN. THAT'S CORRECT. AND WHEN YOU LOWER THE BUILDING, THAT WAS NO LONGER FEASIBLE. THAT'S CORRECT. AND LIKE I SAID, PART OF THE WHEN THE BUILDING WAS HIGHER, WE WERE STILL RECONSTRUCTING JEFFERSON VIADUCT BECAUSE OF WE WERE HAVING TO TAKE IT OUT OF SERVICE FOR THE DURATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION. AND IT IMPROVES CIRCULATION BY CONNECTING IT TO CEREMONY. OKAY, BUT WOULD HAVE STILL BEEN A THROUGH ROUTE FROM OAK CLIFF TO DOWNTOWN WHEN THE BUILDING WAS ELEVATED. THAT'S CORRECT. SO AFTER THE CONSTRUCTION IS CONCLUDED AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THE ULTIMATE. LONG TERM TRAFFIC PATTERNS, WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO, UNDER THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIO, TO BUILD THIS DIVERTING BRIDGE OVER THE UP RAILROAD TRACKS AT A COST OF 66 MILLION. IF YOU'VE ALREADY BUILT THE DOWN RAMP OFF OF THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT TO CONNECT UP TO YONGE STREET. WHY DO WE NEED A SECOND PATHWAY AT THAT POINT? COUNCIL MEMBER. WHEN. WHEN OUR TEAM. WE. WE HAD SEVERAL WORK SESSIONS TO REVIEW THE BEST SOLUTION. WE ALL CAME TOGETHER OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS. WE FELT LIKE THAT STREAMLINED THE CONNECTIVITY. IT. IT BETTER CONNECTS YOU IN SO THAT YOU HAVE DIRECT CONNECTION. WE'VE ALSO MET WITH SOME STAKEHOLDERS. WE MET WITH THE DEVELOPER TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT ACCESS TO THAT GARAGE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. IT PROVIDES THAT AS WELL. SO IT, IT JUST MAKES IT AN EASIER CONNECTION INTO YOUNG, A DIRECT CONNECTION INTO YOUNG, BUT IT ALSO THE CONNECTOR DOWN TO HOTEL UNLOCKS AND PROVIDES A CONNECTION THAT WE DON'T HAVE TODAY. SO FROM A DESIGN PERSPECTIVE, I PUT ON MY URBAN DESIGN HAT FOR A SECOND. IT PROVIDES ACCESS TO PROPERTY THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCESS TODAY. YOU'D HAVE TO LOOP BACK ALONG REUNION TO COME BACK. WELL, I'M NOT SEEING THAT THIS WOULD BE AN ELEVATED BRIDGE, WOULDN'T IT? OVER THE RAILROAD TRACKS. IT WOULD. SO IT'S NOT BY ITSELF GOING TO PROVIDE ANY ACCESS TO DIFFERENT TRACKS OF PROPERTY. WELL NO IT WOULD. WHAT, WHAT IT DOES IS PROVIDES MORE OF A DIRECT LINK LIKE YOU HAVE TODAY WITH JEFFERSON TO MARKET TO YOUNG. IT PROVIDES MORE OF THAT DIRECT LINK RIGHT DOWN TO YOUNG. BUT IT'S VIA THE HOUSTON HOUSTON ROUTE. AND HAVE YOU DONE ANY TRAFFIC ORIGIN DESTINATION COUNTS FOR THAT BRIDGE AND JEFFERSON VIADUCT IN THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SCENARIO? WE'VE LOOKED AT A HIGH LEVEL AT EACH OF THOSE SCENARIOS, BUT NOTHING. YEAH. NO ORIGIN DESTINATIONS YET. WELL, THE 7800 COUNT THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. [02:00:01] WHAT IS THAT IN COMPARISON WITH THE CAPACITY OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPENING TIME FRAME SCENARIOS. THE I MEAN, I'M ASKING MY TRAFFIC ENGINEER. YEAH, WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE TO YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. OKAY. I THINK THAT'S RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION AT THIS POINT. I'LL GO TO NON-COMMITTEE. MEMBERS. COUNCIL MEMBER WEST. THANK YOU. CHAIR. I WANT TO THANK STAFF FOR PULLING THIS TOGETHER. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMING TO OUR FRIDAY NIGHT MEETING WITH MY COLLEAGUE FROM DISTRICT FOUR WHERE WE HAD ABOUT 150 PEOPLE WHO. SO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OAK CLIFF, AS YOU HEARD FIRSTHAND FROM MY NEIGHBORS, WHAT STAFF HAS PROPOSED FOR THE 2029 PLAN AFTER THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER OPENS UP IS IS SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR OAK CLIFF. THE CONVENTION CENTER HAS DONE A GOOD JOB FOR DOWNTOWN. IT TURNED ITS FRONT DOOR THERE AND FOR THE CEDARS BY ENVISIONING A GREAT NEW DECK PARK THERE. BUT WHAT ABOUT OAK CLIFF? WE'VE GOT THE BACK END OF THE BUILDING. IF THAT WASN'T ALREADY ENOUGH INSULT TO INJURY, THIS NEW CHANGE TO LOWER THE CONVENTION CENTER IS GOING TO SEVERELY CHANGE HOW OAK CLIFF RESIDENTS GET TO DOWNTOWN, AND HOW PEOPLE FROM ACROSS DALLAS GET TO OAK CLIFF BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS AND PARKS. I'M NOT NORMALLY ONE TO THROW OUT CRITICISM WITHOUT A SUGGESTION ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. BUT I'M NOT AN ENGINEER. I'M NOT AN ARCHITECT. I'M NOT A PLANNER. AND SO I RELY ON PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO, AND OUR CONSULTANTS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS TO HELP US EXECUTE A PLAN THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE. AND TO PUT IT SIMPLY, THE OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED ARE FAILING OAK CLIFF. I HAVE STRONG CONCERNS ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE WITH THREE LANES REDUCING TO ONE WITH TWO QUICK TURNS. I ALSO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER OPENING PHASE. GIVING DIRECT ACCESS TO DOWNTOWN FOR NORTHBOUND TRAVELERS IS STILL REDUCED IN THIS PHASE. I WORRY ABOUT CARS AND BIKES HAVING TO CROSS. STAFF CONTINUES TO TALK ABOUT THE NEW CONNECTION TO HOTEL STREET AND THE CONVENTION CENTER'S MOBILITY HUB, BUT THAT'S NOT WHERE OAK CLIFF RESIDENTS ARE ASKING TO GO. THEY'RE ASKING TO MAINTAIN THEIR DIRECT ACCESS TO DOWNTOWN. I'VE RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF EMAILS FROM MY CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THESE CHANGES ARE GOING TO IMPACT THEM AND ADD TRAFFIC TO THEIR COMMUTES. ONE NEIGHBOR PUT IT QUITE SIMPLY, HOW DOES THIS MULTIBILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR OAK CLIFF? I DON'T HAVE TIME TO ASK THE DOZENS OF EMAILS FROM MY CONSTITUENTS THAT I HAVE. BUT I'M GOING TO SUBMIT THEM TO STAFF FOR AND HOPE TO GET AN ANSWER BY FRIDAY VIA A MEMO. SO HERE'S A FEW OF THE URGENT QUESTIONS THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE NOT ALREADY DUG INTO. AND THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES, FOR GREAT QUESTIONS. SO THE FIRST ONE IS, ARE ANY OF THESE REALIGNMENT SCENARIOS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED TODAY GOING TO MAKE CONDITIONS BETTER FOR OUR RESIDENTS THAN THEY ARE TODAY? LOOKING AT SLIDE 34, I'M SEEING A TEN MINUTE INCREASE IN NORTHBOUND TRAFFIC IN THE MORNING DURING CONSTRUCTION AND A 6.5 MINUTE INCREASE WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER REOPENS. THIS IS SEEMS LIKE A HUGE STEP BACKWARDS. SO GOING BACK TO MY ORIGINAL QUESTION TO STAFF, ARE ANY OF THESE SCENARIOS GOING TO MAKE CONDITIONS BETTER FOR RESIDENTS? THE QUESTION THAT IT'S NOT RHETORICAL, IT'S A REAL QUESTION. HOW DOES IT HOW DOES IT MAKE LIFE BETTER? WHICH SCENARIO WOULD YOU LIKE FOR ME TO BEGIN WITH? DO YOU WANT TO BEGIN? YOU CAN PICK ONE CONDITION. YEAH. ANY ANY SCENARIO THAT'S GOING TO BE BETTER FOR OAKLAND. WELL, YEAH. WE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT AS A TEAM OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS. AND, AND I CAN TELL YOU, THERE'S A LOT OF SMART PEOPLE WORKING REALLY, REALLY HARD, REALLY HARD TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR. I'LL, I'LL START WITH THE OPENING WITH THE CONNECTION DOWN TO HOTEL. AND, AND I, THESE ARE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT IT PROVIDES A NEW CONNECTION THAT DOESN'T EXIST TODAY. I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT. THE HIGH SPEED OF JEFFERSON. I THINK SOME OF THE TRAFFIC THERE HAS BEEN CLOCKED AT OVER 60 MILES AN HOUR. PREVIOUS STUDIES. SO THAT'S NOT GOOD FOR PEDESTRIANS TODAY THAT WANT TO WALK OR RIDE A BIKE. WE WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT CHOOSE NOT TO RIDE A BIKE IN THAT LIVE IN OAK CLIFF. WE HAVE AN OFFICE DOWNTOWN BECAUSE OF JUST THE SCARY ENVIRONMENT THAT JEFFERSON IS TODAY. SO I THINK PART OF WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO IS, IS THINK ABOUT THOSE THINGS. AND WE HAVE ACTUAL USERS THAT THAT LIVE AND WORK AND USE THE CORRIDORS TODAY. SO WE WERE RELYING ON THAT QUITE A BIT. WE JUST SPENT A LOT OF TIME OUT THERE AND WE THOUGHT THAT I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF DALLAS FOR 31 YEARS, [02:05:07] AND THAT AREA HAS ALWAYS BEEN HARD TO GET TO. YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU GET THE HOTEL? YOU MENTIONED IT BEING THROUGHOUT COUNCILWOMAN, IF YOU CAN USE TODAY THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT. YOU KNOW, I THINK UNLOCKING THAT AND MAKING IT A TRUE CITY STREET, IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. AND I THINK THAT IN AN INDIRECT WAY DOES HELP THE CITIZENS OF OAK CLIFF, BECAUSE NOW THAT'S MORE FRONT DOOR AND BACK DOOR. I, I'LL CATCH YOU. I MEAN, I APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION. I, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE I'M TRYING MY BEST. YEAH, YOU'RE TRYING YOUR BEST. WE'VE WE'VE TRIED, WE'VE TRIED TO LOOK AT THIS IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO MAKE THIS MUCH BETTER THAN IT IS TODAY. YEAH. FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, FIRE TRUCKS, EMERGENCY VEHICLES CAN GET ON TO JEFFERSON QUICKER TO GO BACK TO OAK CLIFF. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS AND WE CAN GIVE YOU A MORE DETAILED LIST OF WHAT'S COME OUT OF OUR WORKSHOPS AND CHARRETTES SINCE YOUR LAST MEETING. LET'S LET'S GO AHEAD AND JUST ADD THAT QUESTION TO THE TOP OF MY MEMO FOR YOU GUYS TO RESPOND TO. SO LET'S GO TO SLIDE 40 FOR A SECOND. I BELIEVE THAT IS THE SLIDE. OKAY. SO THIS, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE RED LINE THERE OR PINK LINE IS THE COST OF REVERTING TO THE ORIGINAL CONVENTION CENTER PLAN WHICH WOULD ALLOW JEFFERSON TO CONTINUE AS IS. AM I RIGHT, ROSA? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. WHERE CAN WE GET A BREAKDOWN OF THAT $597 MILLION COST? I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT. SO WE DO HAVE THAT. AND MY STAFF, REGINALD WILLIAMS, ONE OF MY ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, WILL PASS THAT OUT TO THE TO THE BODY. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A THREE PAGE. DOCUMENT THAT HE'S GOING TO PICK UP BACK HERE AND PROVIDE TO YOU ALL. IT INCLUDES. THE FIRST PAGE IS A RECONCILIATION ON THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT THAT WAS CREATED BY OUR TRINITY ALLIANCE AND PERKINS AND WILL STAFF. THE SECOND PAGE IS GOING TO BE A RECONCILIATION OF THAT COST THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO DOCTOR KALI TO SHOW WHERE THOSE ALIGN AND WHERE HE FOUND SOME THINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE CHANGED. AND THE LAST SLIDE IS THE LINE BY LINE RECONCILIATION, REDESIGN AND REALIGNMENT OF THE EXPANDED BUILDING THAT WAS DONE BETWEEN PERKINS AND WILL AMPLIFY DALLAS AND TRINITY ALLIANCE. AND SO. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU ROSA. SO I'M JUST GETTING THIS. SO I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE QUESTIONS YET. I'M THINKING MY COLLEAGUES MIGHT HEAR IN A MINUTE AFTER I'M DONE. BUT I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND GET BACK TO YOU. ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHT. SO THE IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT THERE'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE SOME REHAB WORK ON THE VIADUCTS IN 2030. IS THAT RIGHT? OR MAYBE BEFORE. IS THERE IS IT PROJECTED THAT EITHER VIADUCT WILL BE CLOSED DURING THAT REHAB WORK? AND IF SO, DO WE HAVE DO WE HAVE TRAFFIC MODELING FOR THAT? SO TEX DOT IS DOING THE DESIGN AT THIS POINT. IT'S STILL IN THE ASSESSMENT PHASE. SO I DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON HOW THEY PLAN ON APPROACHING THIS. HOWEVER LIKE I MENTIONED, IT WILL BE IN THE 2030, 20, 31. SO WE'LL WHAT I KNOW WHAT I'M AWARE OF AT THE MOMENT IS HOUSTON FIRST AND THEN COME BACK AND DO JEFFERSON. OKAY. AND MY CONCERN IS THESE SCENARIOS THAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN DON'T EVEN FACTOR THAT IN. THAT'S, THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER SCENARIO THAT COULD CLOSE LANES FOR A YEAR OR SO. THEY JUST HIRED THE CONSULTANT ON THAT AND I HAD MY FIRST MEETING WITH THEM. IT WAS AN INITIAL MEETING YESTERDAY FOR THE INITIAL PHASE, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE ASSESSMENT PHASE. AND THE ASSESSMENT PHASE WILL MAY REQUIRE SOME PERIODIC LANE CLOSURES ON THOSE TWO VIADUCTS AS THEY GO THROUGH THE ASSESSMENT, BUT IT'S SHORT DURATION FOR THE CLOSURES. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THAT I THINK WE NEED TO BE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THAT, MAKE SURE WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT COULD THAT'S ANOTHER LANE THAT'S GOING TO BE CLOSED DOWN. ALL RIGHT. GUS, YOU YOU TALKED PRETTY ELOQUENTLY ABOUT THE THOROUGHFARE PROCESS FOR PERMANENT CLOSURE. WHAT IS THE APPROVAL PROCESS REQUIRED BEFORE CLOSING DOWN? JEFFERSON DURING CONSTRUCTION, DOES COUNCIL NEED TO APPROVE CLOSURES OF ROADS DURING CONSTRUCTION? SO THE APPROVAL OF THE CLOSURES IS MORE OF A MORE OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION, JUST LIKE THE CLOSURE OF ANY ROADWAY FOR A PROJECT. SO THERE'S NO APPROVAL BY US ON THAT. THIS DOES NOT REQUIRE, HOWEVER, WHAT WE HAVE DONE, AND AT LEAST SINCE I TOOK OVER THE COMBINED DEPARTMENTS, [02:10:01] IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO A BETTER JOB IN THE OUTREACH PROCESS TO, TO INFORM OUR RESIDENTS ABOUT THE CLOSURES AND THE POTENTIAL DETOUR. IN THIS CASE. THERE IS ALSO, AGAIN, THE FIFA. SO WE'RE TRYING TO COMBINE AND PREPARE SOME SORT OF A DOCUMENT THAT WOULD HELP WITH THE PROJECT. IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY OF A DEMOLITION OF ANY OF THE ROADWAYS BEFORE WE APPROVE THE THOROUGHFARE AMENDMENT AND GOES THROUGH THAT PUBLIC PROCESS? SINCE THIS IS A CONSTRUCTION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION DURATION, IT AGAIN, DOESN'T IT DOES NOT REQUIRE THE COUNCIL APPROVAL BECAUSE IN THEORY, WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH CONSTRUCTION YOU'RE GOING TO RESTORE BACK. YOU'RE GOING TO RESTORE BACK THE OPERATION. HOWEVER, IF THE CONDITION CHANGES MORE ON THE PERMANENT BASIS, THEN IT WILL HAVE TO BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE THOROUGHFARE. YEAH. SO MY MY CONCERN IS THIS LIKE IF THIS MOVES FORWARD, THE THOROUGHFARE APPOINTMENTS DON'T THOROUGHFARE AMENDMENTS DON'T MATTER BECAUSE THE ROADS ARE ALREADY GONE. IT'S ALREADY BEEN CHANGED. I MAYBE AM I JUST GETTING THAT Y'ALL HAD THIS THE WHOLE TIME. OKAY, SO THE THOROUGHFARE PROCESS IS A GREAT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT, BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THIS BRIEFING. Y'ALL HAVE ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAFFIC IMPACT DURING THE DIFFERENT PHASES. AND THE SLIDES ARE GOOD ON THAT. SO I'M GOING TO SKIP THOSE QUESTIONS. I WANT TO POINT OUT SOMETHING ON THE OAK FARM STUDY THAT WAS I THINK MISUNDERSTOOD IN TRANSPORTATION. AND THEN IN HERE TODAY IS THAT THERE WERE ONLY 44 PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED IN THAT. THAT'S NOT CORRECT THERE. THE FIRST MEETING HAD 44 COMMENTS. THERE WERE OVER 100 PEOPLE AT THE FIRST MEETING, AND WE HAD A DOZEN MEETINGS FOLLOWING THAT FIRST MEETING WITH ALL OF THE ORGANIZED NEIGHBORHOODS IN THAT AREA. SO IT WAS A TWO YEAR PROCESS. THE OAK FARM STUDY WAS WELL ATTENDED AND UNANIMOUSLY AGREED TO BY PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR TWO YEARS WITH HUNDREDS OF NEIGHBORS. SO FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. COME TALK TO ME. THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY, I DON'T HAVE THE SLIDE NUMBER, BUT THERE WAS A FUTURE CONNECTIVITY SLIDE OPTION. WHAT'S THE COST AND TIMELINE FOR THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY? AND DO WE HAVE ANY MONEY IDENTIFIED FOR THAT? THIS IS THE ONE WITH THE, THE BRIDGE FROM JEFFERSON TO HOUSTON. RIGHT? WELL, IF WE JUST STAY ON THE COST LINE BECAUSE YOU ASKED ABOUT THE COST FUTURE CONNECTIVITY AND AND SO IT IS HERE ON ON SLIDE 40 WE'RE ANTICIPATING IN THAT $67 MILLION RANGE. WE'RE BUILDING A FREE SPAN BRIDGE FROM JEFFERSON ACROSS CONNECTING TO TO HOUSTON. AND SO THIS IS THE THE BRIDGE OVER UP, WHICH IS REALLY THE CRUX OF THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY. WE'VE INCLUDED ACROSS THE PROJECTS ABOUT $5 MILLION FOR OWNER'S CONTINGENCY. SO WE'RE ESTIMATING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE COMPLETE SOLUTION FROM THE RAMP DOWN FROM JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL. AND THIS WHICH ALIGNS WITH OAK FARM. I MEAN, THIS, THIS COMPLETE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTION NOT ONLY ALIGNS WITH OAK FARM. I THINK IT, IT ENHANCES OAK FARMS BECAUSE IT PROVIDES CONNECTIVITY TO THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND SO I DO THINK THAT THIS CREATES A NEW FRONT DOOR. I KNOW YOU EXPRESSED THAT YOU THINK THIS IS A BACK DOOR, BUT BUT IT DOES CREATE A NEW FRONT DOOR INTO DOWNTOWN. COMING ACROSS THIS NEW BRIDGE OVER UP GIVES YOU DIRECT ACCESS, TWO WAY ACCESS ONTO JEFFERSON, WHICH THEN BECOMES A FOUR LANE ROADWAY YOU KNOW, MAINTAINING THE OAK FARMS VISION ALL THE WAY UP TO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. SO YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT THIS PROPOSED, THIS PIECE WAS ALL ABOUT. YOU ASKED ABOUT TIME FRAME ALSO YOU KNOW THERE IS A LOT HAPPENING IN THIS AREA AND, AND SO THE PROCESS WITH UP THE DESIGN EFFORTS WHAT WE WOULD TRY TO DO IS TO ALIGN THIS WORK WITH THE BRIDGE REHAB WORK. SO WE'RE LIMITING THE DISRUPTION ONTO THE ROADWAY AND BUILDING CONNECTIVITY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WHAT WE HAD IN OUR NEXT STEPS IS WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT OPTIONS FOR FUNDING. WE KNOW THAT COG PARTICIPATED IN THE OAK FARM STUDY. BUT NONE OF THE PROJECTS IN OAK FARMS PROGRESSED FROM STUDY TO FUNDING. [02:15:02] AND SO THAT THIS ELEMENT WOULD NEED TO BE ADDED TO THAT. AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO MEETING THE VISION THAT WE'RE PRESENTING TODAY AND FINDING THE OPPORTUNITIES TO FUND THAT BRIDGE. I'M INTRIGUED BY THE SUGGESTION. IT'S, IT'S, BUT IT'S HARD TO MOVE PAST STEP ONE WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING IDENTIFIED. AND THERE'S NO LIKE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL ON FUNDING BECAUSE IT'S SAYS $66 MILLION, $67 MILLION HERE. I'M JUST ASSUMING BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE POINT WE WOULD PAY FOR IT, IT'S GOING TO BE $100 MILLION. SO IT'S HARD TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY WHEN THERE'S NO MONEY, BUT FOR ME SO THAT BEING SAID, CHAIR, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO THE SENSE I'M GETTING AS I'M TRYING TO REACQUAINT MYSELF WITH THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON MASTER PLAN AND THE OAK FARMS PLAN AND ALL OF THIS, THAT IT'S JUST SORT OF MISSING. SO IT, IT JUST IT FEELS A LITTLE FRAGMENTED. AND DOCTOR KEN CARLEY, YOU ACTUALLY SAID, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REACTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. SO IT'S LIKE AS THAT MOVES, YOU HAVE TO MOVE TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS. AND SO WE ASKED TO SAVE MONEY, BUT WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW AT WHAT COST. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE NOW WE ARE UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT COST IS. AND I THINK EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE OUTLINED A TIMELINE TO MOVE THIS THROUGH, IT JUST SEEMS TOO SOON. I THINK THERE ARE OTHER COLLEAGUES WHO'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THE FULL IMPACT OF THIS, AND INDEED IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS VERY TOP LINE. BUT THE OTHER CONCERN I HAVE IS JUST HOW THIS INTEGRATES WITH DEVELOPMENT ALL THE WAY AROUND IT. I THINK, MISS RASTOGI, YOU SAID THERE'D BE MORE INFORMATION IF NEED BE. AND YOU'RE WORKING IN CONCERT WITH THE DEVELOPER THAT IT WON'T IMPACT ON THE AIR RIGHTS. AND I THINK YOUR FRONT ROW AND THEIR CHEAP SEATS. SO I GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW THIS WHOLE THING IS GOING TO WORK TOGETHER AND NOT SHUT OFF ACCESS. SO, I MEAN, WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT? AND HOW THIS IS NOT JUST SO FOCUSED ON THE CONVENTION CENTER, BUT RATHER THE BIGGER PICTURE. YES, THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS. SO THE INITIAL FOCUS IS ON THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND THE, THE RAMP THAT WE'VE PROPOSED IS ABOUT THAT FOCUS. HOWEVER, AS WE LOOK AT THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT ALONG HOTEL THERE, THAT NEW ACCESS POINT IS, IS IMPORTANT. AS WE LOOKED AT THE CONDITIONS DURING CONSTRUCTION AND AT THE OPENING YOU KNOW, THE DEVELOPER THAT WE DISCUSSED THIS WITH HAD SEVERAL DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND WANTED TO HAVE ACCESS FROM ALL AROUND THAT PARKING GARAGE. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP A PLAN THAT ACCOMMODATED THAT BUT UNTIL WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THAT DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BE WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC SOLUTION FOR THAT. AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE THE CURRENT CONDITION. SO. AND WHEN I HEAR ABOUT THAT KIND OF THING, I'M THINKING OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS MISS BENTLEY, THIS IS OUR CITY MANAGER. I MEAN, THIS IS SUCH A BIG DEAL. YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS IN JUST THE TRANSPORTATION REALM WHEN REALLY IT'S MUCH GREATER. AND IF THERE ARE A LOT OF SCENARIOS AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH THEM AND THEY NEED TO SHARE MORE WITH YOU, IT JUST, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S JUST NOT COMING TOGETHER AND THAT WE'RE AT AN INFLECTION POINT WHERE IT'S JUST GOT TO COME TOGETHER MORE. SO I, YOU KNOW, THIS ALL SEEMS TO BE THE RESULT OF LOWERING THE CONVENTION CENTER, MAYBE THAT WE TOOK THOSE STEPS AND NOW WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHERE WE WERE. THAT MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER. IT MAY COST MORE, BUT IT MAY ULTIMATELY BE BETTER. AND I KNOW WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS TO UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT I JUST THINK THIS NEEDS FURTHER EXPLORATION. I WOULD SAY THAT THE THE RAMP ELEMENT IS A ROADWAY CONNECTION THAT I THINK IS AN IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT THAT I WOULD SAY I WOULD RECOMMEND, REGARDLESS OF OF THE PLAN FOR JEFFERSON CONNECTING DIRECTLY TO DOWNTOWN. I THINK IT, IT REALLY DOES OPEN UP ACCESS AND JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT AS WE LOOK AT SOLUTIONS GOING FORWARD, THAT THAT PIECE IS NOT LOST BECAUSE REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING ELSE, THE VIADUCT [02:20:06] REHAB WORK WILL HAPPEN. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT ADDED CONNECTIVITY WHEN THAT WORK HAPPENS. AND THAT CONNECTOR PIECE MAY INDEED BE EXACTLY WHERE WE WANT TO GO. BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S FEELING LIKE A BAND AID. IT'S FEELING LIKE WE'RE RETROFITTING A SOLUTION BASED ON LOWERING THE CONVENTION CENTER IS WHAT IS COMING DOWN TO. AND SO, YOU KNOW, NOW WE KNOW WHAT THE IMPACT OF THAT WILL BE TO A DEGREE. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THIS BODY NEEDS TO GIVE A LOT OF THOUGHT TO ABOUT WHICH WAY WE GO ON THAT. I WOULD JUST SAY, AS I MENTIONED, THAT I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ROADWAY CONNECTION. THAT SHOULD BE BUILT INTO. THANK YOU. CHAIR. COUNCIL MEMBER. JOHNSON. THANK YOU CHAIR. I WANT TO GO TO THE SLIDE WHERE IT SHOWS THE FOUR THE FOUR WAYS THAT THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE, I THINK THE SLIDE. SLIDE 31. CAN YOU PLACE THAT UP THERE, PLEASE? YES. I THINK IT'S 53531. OKAY. THE GENTLEMAN SAID THAT THEY COULD USE BECKLEY TO GET TO DOWNTOWN BECKLEY. COULD BE USED AS AN OPTION. HOW FAR IN BECKLEY WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT? AND I'M GONNA GET TO THAT IN A FEW MINUTES, SIR. HOW FAR ON BECKLEY WERE YOU SPEAKING OF? WELL, WHEN I SAID BECKLEY, WE. I KNOW WE HAVE. WHAT? WHY DON'T YOU LET ME ASK CHRISTIAN TO ANSWER THAT? BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE LOOKED AT BECKLEY AS AS AN ALTERNATIVE, AND WELL, WHEN CARA MENDELSOHN WAS SPEAKING, YOU WERE SPEAKING. SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK. WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM HIM NOW. YEAH. OKAY. WHAT WHAT WHAT IS HE ACTUALLY DOING THAT STUFF? OKAY. MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPEAKING INTO. SO I'M CHRISTIAN ALONSO I WORK WITH. I'M THE TRAFFIC LEAD FOR THIS MODELING EFFORTS. WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE BECKLEY INTERSECTION, WE LOOKED AT ALL THE WAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF BECKLEY IN COLORADO ALL THE WAY, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE TOP AND BACK TO COMMERCE. SO THAT WHOLE CORRIDOR. OKAY, SO YOU DIDN'T COME DOWN TO LIKE ILLINOIS AND YOU DIDN'T COME DOWN TO LIKE ZANG AND YOU DIDN'T COME DOWN TO OVERTON, RIGHT? NO, WE DIDN'T GO ALL THE WAY DOWN THERE. WE BASICALLY SAID, IF YOU'RE ALREADY ON COLORADO GOING UP JEFFERSON, YOU WOULD JUST STAY ON COLORADO TO GO UP. BECKLEY. SO DO YOU KNOW. SO I'M IN DISTRICT FOUR. WE ALSO ARE INCLUDED IN THAT. BUT YOU GUYS DIDN'T INCLUDE US IN THAT STUDY. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO. OUR FOCUS WAS FOCUSED ON THE JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON FOR RIGHT NOW FOR THIS SPECIFIC MODEL. SO IT WAS NOT CLEAR IF YOU FOCUS ON JEFFERSON HOUSTON AS COUNCILWOMAN BLAIR SAID. WE ALSO TAKE THAT SAME ROUTE AT TIMES. SO WE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT STUDY. HOLD ON. THE, THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS THAT THE GENTLEMAN SAID THAT WE ARE WE ASSUME. AND. THE ASSUMPTION IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS. BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING READY TO MAKE A DECISION BASED OFF OF ASSUMPTIONS. ARE YOU ASKING THIS COUNCIL TO DO THINGS BASED OFF OF ASSUMPTION? AND I'VE SAID IT VERY CLEARLY AND PLAIN. I CAN'T SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT DON'T GIVE ACCESS TO SOUTHERN DALLAS. AND IT SEEMED LIKE WE'RE WE ARE BEING EXCLUDED FROM DECISIONS AND THE PROCESS THAT ARE BEING MADE IN MY DISTRICT WITH THE. I SAID, ASSUME. WHAT WAS THAT IN RELATION TO? WAS IT FOR WHEN GERALD MENDELSOHN WAS ASKED THE QUESTION, THE 25%. YEAH. EVERYTHING WAS AN ASSUMPTION. YEAH. WELL, IT'S IT'S PART OF OUR PROCESS. IT'S MORE STANDARD PRACTICE. AND WE'RE VERY EARLY. WE HAVEN'T DONE THE FINAL MODELING, BUT IN OUR, IN OUR MODELING TO DATE. YES. THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT 25% OF THE TRAFFIC. I DON'T MAKE DECISION OFF ASSUMPTIONS. LET ME STOP YOU. I DON'T MAKE DECISIONS OFF OF SOMETHING. I HAVE A SIN. DON'T PRACTICE ON OUR REALITY. SO HOLD ON, HOLD ON, HOLD ON, MISS DALE. AND THAT'S WHAT I SEE GOING ON PRACTICING ON MY REALITY. SO LET'S GO TO TO HERE, MISTER. SO I GUESS THIS IS WHERE AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE GOTTA KEEP THE PROJECT ON TIME WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND I MEAN, I'M, I'VE MET WITH THE ROLES OF CONCERNING THAT. SO I KNOW WE HAD ONE MEETING AND WE HAVE OTHER MEETINGS, BUT MY CONCERN IS THE EXISTING CONDITION. [02:25:02] THEN IT SAID DURING CONSTRUCTION, NOW DURING CONSTRUCTION, I KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME UNCOMFORTABLENESS. OKAY, I UNDERSTAND THAT I'M I'M SAYING IT RIGHT NOW. WE'RE I'M TELLING OUR COMMUNITY WE'RE, WE'RE FIXING STREETS, BUT PLEASE BE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE, I UNDERSTAND THAT. HOWEVER, I SEE ONE LANE HERE AND ONE LANE. IT'S A LITTLE BLURRY AND I GOT MY GLASSES ON. SO IS IT ONE LANE IN OR ONE LANE OUT? SO SO JUST UNDERSTAND THAT THIS GRAPHIC IS ABOUT FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR THAT CONNECTS HOUSTON AND JEFFERSON ON THE SOUTH END OF THE GARAGE INTO DOWNTOWN. SO PRIOR TO THAT, YOU HAVE TWO LANES. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR ACROSS TOWARDS OAK CLIFF. YOU'RE STILL, YOU STILL HAVE TWO LANES. WHEN YOU'RE COMING IN ON JEFFERSON, YOU STILL HAVE THREE LANES. WHAT WE'RE DOING DURING CONSTRUCTION IS WE'RE SAYING YOU CAN'T GO STRAIGHT ON JEFFERSON. WE'RE IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. WE'RE BUILDING. IT'S NOT SAFE. WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE. WE DON'T WANT TRAFFIC. WE DON'T WANT BIKES. WE DON'T WANT TO PUT ANYBODY IN JEOPARDY. SO WE'RE TAKING A SEGMENT OF HOUSTON AND IT CURRENTLY HAS TWO LANES OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE CREATING A TWO WAY CONNECTION. IT'S I THINK IT'S ABOUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, WHAT THE LENGTH IS, BUT IT, IT IS A, IT IS THE SEGMENT FROM YOUNG IN HOUSTON DOWN TO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. THAT IS THE SEGMENT THAT'S DOWN TO ONE LANE. THE REST OF IT STAYS EXACTLY THE WAY IT IS, TWO LANES GOING SOUTH, THREE LANES COMING NORTH. SO WHEN I GET OFF ON WHEN I GET OFF ON 35 AND I MAKE A LEFT FROM COLORADO, OR IF I'M COMING DOWN MARSALIS FROM BECKLEY, WHERE HE ASSUMING. AND I COME DOWN BECKLEY TO MARCELLUS. GO OVER TO THE JEFFERSON BRIDGE OR THE HOUSTON BRIDGE, AND THEN SO IT IT WOULD BE TWO LANES AS WE GET ON. IF YOU'RE COMING ON TO JEFFERSON. I'M COMING FROM OAK CLIFF. OKAY. I'M HAVING TROUBLE. ESPECIALLY IF I GO OFF OF 35, I EXIT OFF OF 35, I MAKE A LEFT AND I MAKE A RIGHT WHEN I'M GETTING ON. THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT IS COMING INTO DOWNTOWN. COMING DOWN INTO DOWNTOWN. YOU WILL BE YOU WILL BE IN THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC DURING CONSTRUCTION, DURING CONSTRUCTION, UNTIL YOU GET TO THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. AND THEN WE'RE BRINGING IT DOWN TO ONE LANE. SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE GOING FROM THREE LANES DOWN TO ONE AT THAT SOUTH CONNECTOR. BUT WHEN YOU GET ON, IT WILL BE THREE LANES. SO WHEN WHEN THOSE WHEN THOSE HOUSTON BRIDGE AND THE JEFFERSON MERGE TOGETHER TO THOSE ONE BRIDGE. SO ON BOTH SIDES, IT WILL GO FROM THREE MULTIPLE LANES TO ONE LANE. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OTHERS? I'M ASKING, ARE YOU YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY. IF WE PULL UP SLIDE 13, I THINK THAT'LL I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. IT'S JUST BILIERAE ON THE SCREEN. SO ON THE HOUSTON BRIDGE, IT'S WHEN I'M LEAVING, WHEN I'M COMING IN GOING TO DOWNTOWN. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? IS THAT MULTIPLE LANES? HOW HOW DOES THAT LOOK? AND THIS IS DURING THE CONSTRUCTION CONDITION. YOU HAVE ONE LANE COMING OUT OF DOWNTOWN AND ONE LANE GOING IN FROM THE SOUTH CONNECTOR. THIS IS WHY. AND THANK YOU, CHAIR WEST. THIS IS WHY WE HAD THE MEETING, THE URGENT MEETING ON A FRIDAY NIGHT THAT WE NORMALLY DON'T HAVE. AND I APPRECIATE YOU COMING TO THE MEETING, DALE. WE NEED MORE TIME. THE COMMUNITY NEEDS MORE TIME TO HAVE REAL DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING THIS. AND. THERE'S A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING. THERE'S ASSUMPTIONS BEING MADE WITHOUT SPEAKING TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT REPRESENT OUR COMMUNITIES. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO STAY ON TIME WITH THE PROJECT. WE GET THERE. HOWEVER, WHEN WE GET READY TO MAKE DECISIONS LIKE THIS, THERE NEEDS TO BE PREPARATION, [02:30:03] CONVERSATION, AND NOT ANYTHING THAT SEEMED LIKE BEING FORCED DOWN THEIR THROAT. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE DISCOMFORT IS COMING FROM, IS COMMUNITY MEMBERS FEEL LIKE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN INCLUDED. ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE DONE, WHETHER PEOPLE AGREE WITH IT OR NOT, I MAKE SURE, AND I PROMISE THE COMMUNITY TO LET THEM BE AT THE TABLE AND TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE AT THE TABLE IN THE EMPHASIS OF PROJECTS SO THEY CAN GIVE THEIR INPUT AND NOT BE TOLD WHAT'S BEST FOR US. WHEN YOU DON'T LIVE OVER HERE, THAT'S DON'T SEEM LIKE THAT'S BEING DONE. AND SO I, I DON'T THIS IS GOING TO CAUSE MAJOR TRAFFIC. AND I UNDERSTAND CONSTRUCTION CAUSES SOME DELAYS AND SOME DISCOMFORT. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT THIS IS GOING TO CAUSE MAJOR TRAFFIC. I HEARD JOHN MIDDLETON SAID SHE ASKED FOR SOME INFORMATION THAT WAS NOT RECEIVED. I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE SEVEN YEARS, BUT I'VE BEEN HERE EIGHT MONTHS AND I JUST GOT THIS REALLY THE OTHER DAY. WE NEED MORE TIME TO DEAL WITH THIS, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M LISTENING TO MY COLLEAGUES IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE DISTRICT WHERE WE SERVE. OUR COMMUNITIES ARE CONNECTED TO OUR WEST. COUNCILMAN. COUNCILWOMAN. BLAIR. COUNCILMAN. GRACEY. OUR COMMUNITIES ARE CONNECTED AND WE'RE HEARING IT ALL OVER. WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR MAJOR COMMUNITIES HEARING IT AND THEIR VOICE MATTER. AND SO WE NEED TO FIND OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. BUT TO THE GENTLEMAN THAT SPOKE, I WANT IF YOU DON'T HEAR NOTHING ELSE, PLEASE DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS CONCERNING THIS PROJECT BECAUSE ASSUMPTIONS AGAIN LEADS TO MAJOR PROBLEMS. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN, FOR BRINGING THAT THOSE POINTS OUT. AND SIR, PLEASE STOP PRACTICING ON OUR REALITY. OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT SUPPORTING STUFF THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. WE WANT TO SUPPORT, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT. AND WHEN YOU MENTION BERKELEY, YOU DIDN'T EVEN COME COME INTO MY DISTRICT. SO RIGHT THEN AND THERE, MY DISTRICT IS LEFT OUT. I CAN'T SUPPORT THAT. THANK YOU. CHAIR. COUNCIL MEMBER STEWART. THANK YOU CHAIR. ALL RIGHT. LET'S LET ME START WITH THIS. I'LL SAY JAMES FREY, DISTRICT TEN REPRESENTATIVE OR RESIDENT. I'M THE REPRESENTATIVE. YOU'RE THE RESIDENT MYSELF. MY ROLE STRAIGHT. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. AND WOULD YOU JUST OUTLINE FOR ME WHAT THE SCOPE OF YOUR STUDY HAS BEEN? THE CITY HAS BROUGHT YOU IN TO DO THIS WORK. AND SO I THINK JUST GEOGRAPHICALLY, SOMETIMES SOME OF OF US ARE CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT WERE YOUR YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITS. SO WHAT, WHAT AREA WERE YOU HIRED BASICALLY TO STUDY. CAN YOU JUST DEFINE THAT FOR US? WE. SO HE WAS BROUGHT IN TO, TO DO THE JEFFERSON BRIDGE MODIFICATION. YES. FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN AND CHAD YOU AS WELL. OUR PROJECT MANAGER I THINK IS HERE BEHIND ME HERE. LARSON. WE WERE HIRED TO DO THE JEFFERSON BRIDGE REDESIGN, AND AT THE TIME IT WAS I THINK IT WAS ONE A, IT WAS MORE OF THE, THE CONDITION THAT TAKES JEFFERSON DOWN TO HOTEL. RIGHT. AFTER THE LAST COMMITTEE MEETING, WE RECONVENED AND STARTED LOOKING AT A BROADER IDEA PALETTE YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT IDEAS MEETING WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER TEAM, MEETING WITH ASSOCIATES BECAUSE FARMS WAS MENTIONED IN THE LAST MEETING AS WELL. SO THAT'S THAT'S PART OF IT. THE OTHER PART IS THE TRAFFIC AND TRAFFIC MODELING. YES. AND THAT'S THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE I WANT TO SAY APRIL, RIGHT WHEN WE WERE DOING DATA COLLECTION AND WE WERE COMPARING THAT TO THE WORK THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE. SO DATA COLLECTION, WHAT PARAMETERS WERE YOU GIVEN? COLLECT DATA FROM WHICH CORRIDORS GOING FROM POINT A TO POINT B. SO JUST SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND HOW FAR SOUTH YOU WENT, I THINK THERE MIGHT BE SOME CONFUSION ON THAT, BUT WHAT WE ASKED FOR, I JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT THE OVERARCHING REQUEST OR THE REASON WHY THEY'RE DOING THIS HERE IS THAT ANY THOROUGHFARE AMENDMENT REQUIRES TRAFFIC STUDY BEFORE STAFF CAN MAKE ANY TAKE ANY POSITION OR ANY RECOMMENDATION TO WHETHER THE THOROUGHFARE COMMITTEE, THE CPC OR COUNCIL. SO THAT HAS TO BE PART OF THE FULL PACKAGE. [02:35:06] SO SINCE WE HAD TO BE ON BOARD UNDER CONTRACT, WE REQUESTED THAT THEY UNDERTAKE THE, THE NECESSARY TRAFFIC STUDY. AND WE RELIED ON THEIR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ON HOW FAR AND THE LIMITS OF THE SCOPE THAT THEY CONDUCTED AND THUS WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. SO I THINK WHAT WE'RE, YOU MIGHT BE HEARING FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS IS THAT WE'RE CONCERNED WITH GOING DEEPER SOUTH INTO THE, INTO THE CITY. MAYBE JUST LOOKING AT OAK CLIFF WASN'T BROAD ENOUGH IN OUR STUDY AND I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO EXTEND THOSE LIMITATIONS SO THAT ALL OF THE COUNCIL, BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY COUNCIL DISTRICTS THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THIS, I MEAN THE VIADUCTS ARE USED, I'M ASSUMING, BY JUST, YOU KNOW, ANYONE LIVING IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OR IN SOUTH DALLAS COULD OPT TO DO THAT VERSUS I-35. AND ANYWAY, I WON'T GO INTO A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, BUT SO I THINK BECAUSE OF THAT, BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING AT A DEEPER JUST LOOKING DEEPER SOUTH INTO THE CITY COULD BE BENEFICIAL IN TERMS OF THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT WERE ANTICIPATING WILL USE THE VIADUCT, THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO MAYBE CURRENTLY ARE, WE ANTICIPATE WILL CONTINUE. WE KNOW THE CONSTRUCTION, YOU KNOW, WILL IMPACT AND PEOPLE WILL LOOK FOR ALTERNATE ROUTES, WHICH IS VERY WISE OF THEM AND THEIR, THEIR GPS WILL HELP THEM FIGURE THAT OUT. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE THAT BUT ANYWAY, I JUST, I THINK THERE'S SOME CONCERN THAT THIS IS IMPACTING MORE PEOPLE THAN WE MIGHT INITIALLY HAVE THOUGHT, AND WE JUST MIGHT NEED TO BROADEN THE SCOPE OF THAT TRAFFIC DATA AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GATHERING THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS OF ALL OF OUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS THAT ARE PERHAPS SOUTH OF THE TRINITY, SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW MANY ARE USING BOTH, BOTH VIDEX. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I DON'T SIT ON THIS COMMITTEE NOW. BUT I DID IN MY LAST TERM AND VERY IMPORTANT DIRECTION IS GIVEN BY THIS COMMITTEE TO THE COUNCIL. THIS COMMITTEE DIGS INTO THE DETAILS, BUT I WANT THIS COMMITTEE TO REMEMBER THAT THE COUNCIL AS A WHOLE, YOU KNOW, SENT THE CONVENTION CENTER BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND SAID, CAN YOU FIND SOME COST SAVINGS FOR US? AND WE'VE JUST HAD HEARD THE ARCHITECT SAY, WE DID THAT. AND THIS IS WHAT WE HAD. THIS IS THE RESULT OF THAT. THEY DIDN'T TAKE THAT ON JUST BASED ON A WHIM. THEY ARE DOING THAT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE AS A COUNCIL ASK FOR, WHICH IS WHAT WE SHOULD DO. WE SHOULD ALWAYS ASK OUR PROJECT MANAGERS AND OUR PROJECTS. CAN YOU DO THIS WITH LESS TAXPAYER DOLLARS? RIGHT. THAT IS OUR JOB IS TO ASK THAT QUESTION. WE ASK IT. THEY CAME UP WITH ANSWERS. THEY STARTED REALIZING THERE WERE CONSEQUENCES TO THAT, AND THEY BEGAN WORKING ON IT. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY'S PULLING A FAST ONE ON US. I THINK WE ARE WALKING THROUGH A PROCESS. THIS PROCESS IS ALWAYS UNCOMFORTABLE. IT IS ALWAYS UNCOMFORTABLE. WE DO NOT DO BIG THINGS WITHOUT HITTING ROADBLOCKS, WITHOUT HITTING PROBLEMS. SO ALL I WOULD SAY IS, LET'S BE PATIENT WITH OUR EXPERTS AND OUR CONSULTANTS, BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE DOING A VERY GOOD JOB. AND LET'S REMEMBER, WE ALSO WANT TO KEEP THIS PROJECT THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER PROJECT ON SCHEDULE. WE NEED THIS ECONOMIC ENGINE. SO LET'S LET'S BE PATIENT. LET'S ASK FOR CLARIFICATIONS. LET'S CONTINUE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS, BUT LET'S DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU CHAIR. MAYOR PRO TEM MORENO. THANK YOU, CHAIR RIDLEY, THANK YOU FOR HAVING THIS SPECIAL CALLED MEETING AND FOR INVITING US. THANK YOU TO ALL THE STAFF, THE ENGINEERS FOR BEING PART OF THIS PROCESS TO CHAIRS WEST AND JOHNSON, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO YOUR NEIGHBORS. THIS DOES IMPACT DISTRICT TWO, BUT IT DOESN'T IMPACT IT THE WAY IT DOES. THE DISTRICTS TO THE SOUTH. BUT NONETHELESS I'M DEALING WITH SOME OF THOSE ISSUES RIGHT NOW WITH I-30, THE CANYON PROJECT, MULTIPLE BRIDGES THAT HAVE CUT OFF ACCESS TO THE CEDARS TO DOWNTOWN. IT'S DIFFICULT. PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO ADJUST. PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO FIND ALTERNATIVE ROUTES. DOES IT ADD TIME? YES. BUT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMPLETION OF THE OF THOSE BRIDGES BEING BROUGHT BACK. [02:40:07] FIRST QUESTION IS GOING TO BE ON THE VIADUCT. SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE, THIS MAINTENANCE AND REHAB IS, HAS TO BE DONE REGARDLESS IF WE DO OR DON'T DO ANYTHING WITH THE BRIDGES. HOW OFTEN DO THOSE VIADUCTS HAVE TO BE REHABBED? SO TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, YES, THEY IT IS THOSE, THE REHAB WORK WILL HAVE TO BE DONE. REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS. AS FAR AS THE FREQUENCY, IT DEPENDS ON THE LEVEL OF REHABILITATION AND SO ON. SO RULE OF THUMB ABOUT 20 YEARS OR SO, PLUS OR MINUS DEPENDING, LIKE I SAID, DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE REHABILITATION WORK. SO AT THIS POINT I DO NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION BECAUSE THE CONSULTANT JUST STARTED OR WILL BE STARTING THE ASSESSMENT HERE SHORTLY. AND WHEN WE'RE DOING THAT REHAB WORK, IS THAT ADDING YEARS OF, OF LIFE TO THE BRIDGES SO THAT THEY CAN BE AROUND FOR ADDITIONAL TIME AND STILL BE ABLE TO CARRY THAT TRAFFIC. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. SO JUST AS AGAIN, NOT AN ENGINEER, NOT, NOT A TRAFFIC CONSULTANT DID WE EVER LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING THE TRAFFIC CUT THROUGH THE CONVENTION CENTER AND HAVING ACTUAL LIKE LANES OF TRAFFIC GOING THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE CONVENTION CENTER? WE DID. AND I'LL HAVE EITHER DOING YOU OR TOM. COME TO THE PODIUM. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE. SO COME TO THE PODIUM AND AND RESPOND TO THAT. DID WE EVER LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING TRAFFIC LANES CUT DIRECTLY THROUGH THE CONVENTION CENTER? SO HAVING TRAFFIC LANES RUNNING THROUGH THE CONVENTION CENTER DIRECTLY? YEAH. WE DID. AND WE FELT LIKE, WELL, LET ME KIND OF PARAPHRASE WHAT WE DID. WE LOOKED AT THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT COMING THROUGH. WE LOOKED AT IT GOING UNDERNEATH AS A TUNNEL, AND WE LOOKED AT IT GOING LIKE IT'S ELEVATED COMING THROUGH. AND BOTH OF THOSE OFFER CHALLENGES TO THE MOBILITY HUB AND ACCESS INTO THE CONVENTION CENTER. EXCUSE ME. THEY ALSO PROVIDE A LOT OF GAS FUMES, CONGESTION, NOISE. THAT IS NOT GREAT FOR THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. THEN WE AT ONE POINT, WE LOOKED AT MEMORIAL DRIVE COMING THROUGH, AND BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEDESTRIANS AT THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING AND NOT WANTING TO HAVE TRAFFIC CUTTING THROUGH AND ENDING UP ON LAMAR STREET, WE THOUGHT THAT WAS NOT THE BEST SOLUTION. THANK YOU. SO IF I COULD ADD TO THAT, I THINK THAT SOME OF WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF GOING THROUGH THE BUILDING HAS TO DO WITH FIRE CODE AS WELL. AND SO THAT IS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHEN HE'S REFERRING TO THE TO THE CUTTING THROUGH AND CREATING A VACUUM, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS WE COULDN'T DO THE KLYDE WARREN ESQUE OVER I-30, RIGHT? IT CREATES A GAS FILLED BUBBLE THAT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE CONVENTION CENTER, BUT MORE SO FOR THE DRIVERS AND THE WALKERS AND PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS GOING THROUGH. SO. I'M SORRY. OKAY. SORRY. THE FIRE CODES? YEAH. THE AMOUNT OF. WELL, LET ME JUST SAY, THE AMOUNT OF FIRE CODES ON THIS BUILDING ARE PRETTY AMAZING IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AND THE POPULATION WITHIN IT AND THE THE BUILDING THINGS UNDERNEATH THE BUILDING COMMISSIONER COULD POTENTIALLY BE COMBUSTIBLE IS COMPLICATES THE BUILDING STRUCTURE AND THE BUILDING FIREPROOFING. OVERALL, WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE EXHAUST SYSTEMS IN THE BUILDING AND AROUND THE BUILDING UNDERNEATH IT TO MAKE SURE THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST KIND OF DEMONSTRATED AN EXAMPLE OF OF A POSSIBLE SOLUTION. UNDERSTAND THAT THERE, THERE'S IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THIS IS POSSIBLE SOLUTION, BUT I, I POSED A QUESTION TO ASK IF THERE'S NEIGHBORS, IF THERE'S BUSINESS OWNERS, IF THERE'S FOLKS OUT THERE WHO FEEL THAT THERE'S ALTERNATIVES, SOLUTIONS, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO OUR TEAMS SO THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE THOSE? [02:45:02] YEAH. IF THERE'S IF THERE'S ALTERNATE SOLUTIONS OR IDEAS OUT THERE, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR THEM, FRANKLY. I MEAN, IF WE COULD AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PROVIDE MY EMAIL INFORMATION AND CONTACT INFORMATION, ALL THAT, BUT WE'RE OPEN TO ALL THE IDEAS OUT THERE. THANK YOU. HOTEL STREET AGREE IT IS A UNDERUTILIZED ROAD RIGHT NOW. NOT A LOT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR EVEN USE OF THE, OF THE ROAD ITSELF. ROSA, HAVE WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON HOTEL STREET AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING MORE ACTIVITY? YES. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS LOOKED AT IT NOT JUST IN LIGHT OF OF, YOU KNOW, THE GARAGE AND PROPERTY NEXT TO IT, BUT WE'VE DONE KIND OF MORE OF A GLOBAL LOOK AT ALL OF THE LANDOWNERS AROUND US AND HAVE MET WITH THEM IN TERMS OF HOW THEY'RE GOING TO FEED IN AND BE HAVE CONTINUITY TO THE OVERALL PROJECT. SO IT IS THAT ECONOMIC ENGINE IN THAT AREA. WE DO HAVE SOME EARLY STUDIES AND SOME REFRESHED STUDIES ON WHAT THOSE ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES ARE BASED ON WHAT THOSE OWNERS HAVE SAID THEY'RE GOING TO DEVELOP THEIR PROPERTY INTO AT THE TIME. SO WE WOULD NEED TO GO BACK, REFRESH IT WITH SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE RECENTLY HEARD OF, BUT WE'VE LOOKED AT ALL OF THOSE STREETS AND HOW THEY CAN BECOME, AGAIN, USEFUL STREETS FOR THE CITY. YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY THIS IN ALL OF OUR BRIEFINGS. THERE'S STREETS TO NOWHERE RIGHT NOW. I BASICALLY JUST GO INTO THE CONVENTION CENTER. SO FIGURING OUT HOW TO USE THEM IN A WAY THAT'S GOOD FOR THE PUBLIC PARTICULARLY THOSE COMING FROM THE SOUTHERN PORT OF DALLAS IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO US. SO WE'RE CREATING SOMETHING SPECIAL AT THE CONVENTION CENTER THAT'S GOING TO HOPEFULLY BE GOOD FOR ALL OF DALLAS. CHAIR WEST HAS DONE A LOT IN OAK CLIFF AND BISHOP ARTS AND DEVELOPING THAT AREA. AND I KNOW IT'S ONLY GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW. AND SO I THINK THE BIGGEST QUESTION FOR ME HERE IS WITH THE PROPOSALS BEFORE US, DOES IT AT ALL CUT ACCESSIBILITY CONNECTIVITY TO AND FROM DOWNTOWN TO OAK CLIFF? NO, IT IT DOES NOT. AS I INDICATED, WE'RE BRINGING THREE LANES IN, TWO LANES OUT. THE CHANGE HAPPENS AT THE SOUTH CONNECTOR DURING CONSTRUCTION. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR, OUR NEW RAMP. AS WE COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. AND THEN A MORE LONGER TERM SOLUTION IS THAT BRIDGE WITH A DIRECT CONNECTOR PROVIDING EVEN ADDITIONAL ACCESS. OKAY. NOW I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WILL IMPACT A LITTLE BIT OF THE MODELING ON COMMUTER TIME. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ANYWHERE BETWEEN 3 TO 10 MINUTES AT THE, AT THE HEIGHT WHEN IT'S TEN MINUTES, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT 30 MINUTES? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT FIVE HOURS? WHAT'S THE DURATION OF THE TEN MINUTE IMPACT? I'LL START THE RESPONSE HERE. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PEAK A M PERIOD. THE TIME FRAME IS 730 TO 830. AND THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING THE BIGGEST IMPACT WE HAVE BASED ON THE MODELS BASED ON THE CURRENT TRAFFIC DATA. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A FULL YEAR'S WORTH OF TRAFFIC DATA THAT WE'RE AVERAGING. WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, JUST A SPECIFIC POINT IN TIME. AND AND SO THAT'S WHAT THIS MODEL SHOWS. BUT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO WORK ON OPPORTUNITIES, OPERATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUT IN PLACE TO IMPROVE THAT PERSPECTIVE. OKAY. SO THE, THE SLIDE DECK THAT WE RECEIVED IS THEY'RE ALL STILL PICTURES. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW TRAFFIC MOVES. IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE COULD GET SOME SORT OF VIDEO OR IMAGERY THAT SHOWS US HOW THESE VEHICLES ARE MOVING? ONE OF THE IMAGES IS FINALLY HAS A GOOD SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE ELEVATION OF A, OF A RAMP GOING DOWN, WHICH WE HAVEN'T HAD BEFORE. THAT WAS REALLY HELPFUL. BUT WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME IS FOR A VISUAL IS TO SEE SOME SORT OF VIDEO THAT KIND OF SHOWS HOW THE TRAFFIC IS MOVING. APPRECIATE THAT, THAT FEEDBACK. AND I'LL JUST CLOSE WITH THIS. YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING FEEDBACK, ESPECIALLY FROM THE IMPACTED DISTRICTS IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR AND THAT WE ARE LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITIES, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO COME IN AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN EFFECTIVELY. BUT THERE HAS TO BE A TIMELINE. THERE HAS TO BE A A CUTOFF OF WHEN WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION. [02:50:04] AND SO DO WE HAVE A TIMELINE WHEN WE CAN EXPECT OUR SUBMISSIONS TO BE FINALIZED, ANY NEW IDEAS AND CONCEPTS IN ORDER TO KEEP THE CONVENTION CENTER ON TRACK AS SCHEDULED? WE TALKED ABOUT BUDGET GUYS. WE ASKED OUR STAFF TO COME BACK AND DELIVER A MODEL THAT SHOWED US SAVINGS ANY. EXTENSION OF NOT DELIVERING THE CONVENTION CENTER IN TIME WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF SKIP PRE APPROVED AND SCHEDULED CONVENTIONS. BUT ALSO MY CONCERN IS THE COST OF INCREASE OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND MATERIALS. IF WE GO OUTSIDE THAT WINDOW THAT WE'VE ALREADY COMMITTED TO. SO IF, AGAIN, SORT OF AN OPEN CONCEPT TO THE PUBLIC TO SUBMIT THEIR SUBMISSIONS, WHEN WOULD YOU GUYS HAVE TO RECEIVE THAT IN ORDER TO EVALUATE IT AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY VIABLE OPTIONS THERE. SO IN TERMS OF THE CONVENTION CENTER TIMING, WE START TO SLIP INTO 2030 IN SEPTEMBER IF WE DON'T KEEP ON THE DEMOLITION SCHEDULE AS IS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR WRIGLEY. SO AT THIS POINT, EVERYONE HAS HAD TO AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND ASK QUESTIONS OF STAFF. I'D LIKE TO DIRECT THE DISCUSSION NOW TO NEXT STEPS AND POTENTIAL ACTION ON THIS ITEM. MISS RASTOGI, DO YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR REQUEST OF WHAT YOU ARE WANTING FROM THIS COMMITTEE IN TERMS OF ACTION AT THIS POINT? YES. IF WE COULD GO TO THE THE NEXT STEP SLIDE. SO WE CAN, WE CAN GO THROUGH THAT. IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS BODY WOULD LIKE FOR US TO, TO CONTINUE TO SEEK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS WE TALK ABOUT THESE SOLUTIONS I'M JUST TRYING TO GET TO THAT LAST SLIDE. SO I HAVE IT IN FRONT OF US. I THINK THE, THE AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, I THINK THIS THIS ADDITIONAL ROADWAY ELEMENT OF THE RAMP FROM JEFFERSON TO HOTEL IS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED AS THE OPENING DAY SOLUTION IS ONE THAT, THAT I THINK IS, IS WORTH CARRYING FORWARD WILL PROVIDE BENEFIT. I THINK THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO, TO PROCEED WITH PRETTY MUCH ALL THESE ELEMENTS. I THINK WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT THE, THE TRAFFIC CONTROL ELEMENT ON HOUSTON AND JEFFERSON. I THINK WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER TEAM WITH RESPECT TO THEIR SCHEDULE ON THE, THE CLOSURE OF THE, OF THE VIADUCT, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY SCENARIO UNDER WHICH WE CAN CONSTRUCT THE CONVENTION CENTER WITHOUT DISRUPTION OF THAT SECTION, AND SO WE WOULD NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT. AND THEN IN TERMS OF DISCUSSION OF THE OF THE COSTS AND FUNDING AND TIMELINE FOR THAT BRIDGE OVER, OVER, UP AND THEN, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE WITH THIS DIALOG WITH THE COUNCIL, THIS COMMITTEE IN PARTICULAR. SO YOU KNOW, I I APPRECIATE THE ENGAGEMENT AND THE FEEDBACK OF THE COMMITTEE. I THINK THAT THE NEXT STEPS THAT WE HAVE OUTLINED HERE ARE STILL ARE STILL VALID. AND I TAKE IT THAT YOUR RECOMMENDED OPTION IS. 60. SCENARIO. 60. I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE USING THE ORIGINAL SCENARIO NUMBERS. IT'S IT'S BASICALLY AS WHAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE RAMP FROM JEFFERSON TO HOTEL. WELL, I BELIEVE THAT'S INCLUDED IN SIX C ON PAGE 47 OF THE PRESENTATION AS A SHORT LISTED SCENARIO. IS THAT NO LONGER WHAT YOU'RE ADVOCATING? IT'S A REFINEMENT OF 60 60 CONTEMPLATED JEFFERSON ACTUALLY TERMINATING AT HOTEL. WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT PIECE. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE, WE'RE FINDING ANOTHER WAY TO CONNECT JEFFERSON TO HOTEL, BUT IT IS A REFINEMENT. [02:55:05] SO CAN YOU IDENTIFY WHAT YOUR RECOMMENDED SCENARIO IS? LET'S GO TO SLIDE 31. SO I, I BELIEVE THAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE OPENING TIME FRAME SCENARIO, WHICH IS AS WHAT WE'VE PROVIDED IN THIS BRIEFING. IS A RAMP FROM JEFFERSON TO HOTEL. OKAY. SO YOU, YOU DIDN'T MENTION THE FUTURE CONNECTIVITY. THAT'S ON SLIDE 31. IS THAT BECAUSE FUNDING FOR THAT IS UNCERTAIN? THAT IS CORRECT. WE WOULD CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE FUNDING AND TIMELINE OPTIONS. AND THEN COME BACK TO THIS BODY TO DISCUSS HOW WE CAN PROCEED WITH THAT ELEMENT. SO I TAKE IT THAT THAT CAN'T BE FUNDED WITH THE REVENUE SOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION. SO THE DOWN RAMP, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THE DOWN RAMP, THAT IS THE OPENING TIME FRAME. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE PUT INTO THE REVISED CIP LOAN APPLICATION. WE RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM THE STATE. THE ONE THAT WAS REFERENCED EARLIER WAS ONE THAT WAS SUBMITTED A YEAR AGO. WE SUBMITTED A SECOND VERSION. THE STATE RESPONDED TO US AND ASKED US TO INCLUDE YOU KNOW, THEY'RE AWARE OF SOME OF OUR CONVERSATIONS TO INCLUDE SOME OF THE COST OF SOME OF THE ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS. AND SO WE'VE SUBMITTED THAT TO THE CIP HOPEFULLY HEARING BACK IN AUGUST REGARDING THAT. SO BOTTOM LINE, SOME OF THAT 25 MILLION FOR THE JEFFERSON AVENUE RAMP COULD BE INCLUDED IN THE CONSTRUCTION BUDGET FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER. YEAH. WE REQUESTED ON THAT LINE ITEM 20 MILLION. AND SO THAT WOULD COVER THIS 25 INCLUDES SOME CONTINGENCIES AND OTHERS THAT MAY BE A LITTLE HIGH AT THIS POINT. SO WE REQUESTED 20. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO I'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION. AND WE'LL ENTERTAIN ULTIMATELY A MOTION ON WHAT YOU THINK THE COMMITTEE SHOULD DO AT THIS POINT. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER MENDELSOHN. WELL, THANK YOU. AND I'M RECOGNIZING WHAT YOU JUST SAID, BUT I JUST HAVE TO ASK. WE WERE HANDED A THREE PAGE DOCUMENT WITH A LOT OF NUMBERS ON IT. WE NEVER EVEN DISCUSSED IT. AND THERE'S SOME VERY SERIOUS. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE SPENT VERY MUCH TIME ON IT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS WAS PASSED OUT, NOT EVEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. LIKE TWO HOURS INTO THE MEETING, WE GOT THIS THREE PAGE SIZE 8 OR 9 POINT FONT. BUT I'LL TELL YOU, I TOOK SOME PHOTOS, THREW IT INTO AI. AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE SUMMARY IS? THESE ESTIMATES SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED AT FACE VALUE WITHOUT INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY REVIEW AND LINE BY LINE VALIDATION. IT GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT HOW THERE ARE LAYERED UPON, LAYERED UPON LAYERED CONTINGENCIES. IT'S GOT SOME KIND OF DUPLICATION. IF YOU LOOK AT NUMBER SEVEN AND TEN ON THE THIRD PAGE WHERE IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE ESCALATION DUE TO THE TIME FRAME. THIS IS THE SAME ESCALATION. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE. THE $8 MILLION PER MONTH ON ITEM TEN IS JUST A MASSIVELY CATASTROPHIC SITUATION ON ITEM SEVEN, A 6% ESCALATION, VERY PROBLEMATIC. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF $950 A SQUARE FOOT FOR ITEM TWO, FOR RAISING THE BUILDING, THAT DOES NOT SOUND THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LUXURY TOWER. TEN ESCALATORS. I MEAN, DO WE NEED TEN ESCALATORS? AND THEY ADDED IN THE MEZZANINE BASED ON THIS. I MEAN, THERE'S A THERE'S A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS IN HERE, SO I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE READY FOR RESOLUTION, BUT IF WE ARE, IT'S PROBABLY NOT WHICH ONE OF THE MAPS THE RESOLUTION SHOULD BE. [03:00:05] SHOULD WE EVEN BE GOING FORWARD WITH THIS, OR SHOULD WE RETURN THE BUILDING TO THE DESIRED HEIGHT. NOW, COUNCIL MEMBER STEWART WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW WE ASKED FOR THE PRICE TO BE LOWERED. SURE YOU'RE GOING TO ASK US ANY PROJECT? WOULD WE LIKE THE PRICE BE LOWERED? I GUARANTEE YOU THE ANSWER IS GOING TO BE YES. BUT WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THAT CONVERSATION WAS TO SAY, BECAUSE IF WE DO THAT, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. HERE'S THE CONSEQUENCES OF IT. THAT DISCUSSION NEVER HAPPENED. AND SO I WOULD LIKE YOU TO TELL US, WHEN WAS THE FIRST BRIEFING ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS FOR JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON. SO WE BROUGHT THAT IN JANUARY WHEN WE BROUGHT YOU THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE COST OF THE BUILDING, BECAUSE IT TOOK SEVERAL MONTHS TO GO BACK AND LOWER THE BUILDING. THAT WAS A REDESIGN PROCESS. BUT THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD PROVIDE US, HEY, WE CAN LOWER IT $500 MILLION WITHOUT ALSO SAYING WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES IS NOT RIGHT. AND IT'S PROBLEMATIC TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MAKING THESE DECISIONS TO NOT GET ALL OF THE INFORMATION. AND SO, YEAH, THERE'S A PROCESS PROBLEM THAT'S HAPPENED HERE. AND SO I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE THOROUGHFARE AMENDMENT. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? I MEAN, ARE WE ADVANCING THAT. IS THAT COMING FROM CPC. DOES STAFF DO THAT. HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO ACCORDING TO THE RULE, THE COUNCIL CAN INITIATE THAT IN ADDITION TO STAFF AND OR PRIVATE PARTY. SO ANYWAY, WHAT'S THE DRAWBACK AND BENEFIT OF EACH GROUP HAVING INITIATED IT? SO IF COUNCIL INITIATES IT, I THINK IT IT WAIVES THE FEE FOR THE FOR THE AMENDMENT PROCESS. OKAY. AND WHAT HAPPENS IF THE THOROUGHFARE AMENDMENT COMES TO COUNCIL AND WE DON'T APPROVE IT, THEN IN THAT CASE, THE ROADWAY WILL HAVE TO STAY WHERE IT'S AT. BUT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DEMOLITION. I MEAN, YOU SAID JUNE. WE'RE IN MAY. AND THIS IS AT A TIME WHEN YOU'RE ALSO SAYING, HEY, WE'RE WILLING TO TAKE PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS, RIGHT. THE DEMOLITION WILL HAVE TO TAKE PLACE REGARDLESS OF WHAT OPTION IS SELECTED, WHETHER TO PUT JEFFERSON BACK AS IT IS OR LOWER THE BUILDING BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE WAY THEY HAVE TO COME ACROSS AND DEMOLISH THE BUILDING NEXT DOOR NEXT TO JEFFERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF JEFFERSON. JEFFERSON, KIND OF THAT PIECE OF JEFFERSON IS IN THE WAY, ESPECIALLY THE ONE THEY START PUTTING IN THE BIG CRANES AND ALL THAT STUFF. SO THERE ARE LOGISTICAL ISSUES WITH KEEPING JEFFERSON OPEN AND NOT TAKING THOSE SECTIONS DOWN. NOW, THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE IS THIS OPTION THAT WAS PRESENTED TODAY OR PUTTING IT BACK. THAT IS THE QUESTION. AND THIS IS WHERE THE AMENDMENT AND THE CPC AND COUNCIL'S DECISION. WELL, THEN, CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO RETURN THE BUILDING TO ITS ORIGINAL HEIGHT. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO RETURN THE BUILDING TO ITS ORIGINAL HEIGHT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? MAYOR PRO TEM. THANK YOU. CHAIR. ROSA, WHAT WOULD THIS DO TO THE TIME CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER? I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK. BUT YOU'RE YOU'RE ADDING A YEAR TO THE PROJECT. CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? YOU'RE ADDING A YEAR TO THE PROJECT. WE'LL LOSE ALL THE CLIENTS FROM 2030. AND WHATEVER THE RAMIFICATIONS ARE, THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, A ROLLING IMPACT TO THIS, RIGHT? WE BRING IN SALES TAX, WE BRING IN HOTEL TAX. WE START TO SEE ALL THOSE THE DOMINO EFFECT. SO YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOTTA GO REDESIGN. YOU'VE GOTTA GO RE YOU KNOW THERE'S A TIME PERIOD TO REDESIGN. WE'RE PUTTING IN A MAIL ORDER FOR THE STEEL THAT WOULD HAVE TO STOP AND EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE TO BE REPRICED. AGAIN. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE STEEL COST WILL DO. WE GOT THEM AT A YOU KNOW, A LOW POINT. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE. THERE'S A LOT OF RAMIFICATIONS, A DOMINO EFFECT. SO I'M NOT ON THE COMMITTEE. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS MOTION AT THIS TIME. I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PERHAPS DO THIS AT A LATER DATE ONCE WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION AND DETAILS, BUT JUST DOING THIS WITHOUT HAVING ALL THE INFORMATION ON THE IMPACTS TO THE ECONOMIC VIBRANCY OF OUR CITY. I CANNOT SUPPORT THIS IN GOOD CONSCIENCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL MEMBER MENDELSOHN. [03:05:01] DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF YOUR MOTION? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MENDELSOHN FOR ANOTHER THOUGHT PROCESS. NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. BUT WHAT I WOULD ASK WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT, WHATEVER THE MOTION THAT WE GO WITH, WHAT I WOULD ASK THAT YOU DO IS TO GO BACK TO THE NEXT STEPS, PAGE 42 AND ADD THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU NEED TO ADD IS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. AND IT'S NOT JUST COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AROUND JEFFERSON. THE IMPACTS ARE FAR GREATER THAN JEFFERSON. LIKE I'VE SAID ALL ALONG, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, WE DIDN'T TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION IN THIS PROCESS. I DON'T KNOW IF WE KNEW AT THE TIME OR DID NOT KNOW AT THE TIME THAT THE THE IMPACTS THAT TXDOT WAS DOING TO I-30. WELL, THOSE THOSE IMPACTS AS WELL AS THIS WITH THE JEFFERSON VIADUCT, IT LITERALLY CUTS THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OFF TO DOWNTOWN. AND ONE THING WE DID NOT DO IS HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE RESIDENTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO IMPACT. SO NO MATTER WHETHER YOU KEEP THE BUILDING THE SAME, YOU REMOVE IT AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH IT. I WANT TO BE ASKED, I WANT TO I WANT TO KNOW UP FRONT HOW IT'S GOING TO IMPACT ME. BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? I AM THE MOST SOUTHERN SECTION OF THE CITY. I DRIVE THIS EVERY TIME I COME DOWNTOWN. I HAVE SAID THIS OVER AND OVER AND OVER UNTIL I'M SICK OF SAYING IT. TEX DOT'S IMPACT HAS IMPACTED THE WHOLE ENTIRE SOUTHERN AREA OF THE CITY. THIS IMPACT IS GOING TO IMPACT US FURTHER. WE WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CONVERSATION. PLEASE INCLUDE US. THAT'S ALL I WANT. THAT'S ALL WE WANT. THAT'S ALL MY MY MY DISTRICT WANTS. THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE TRANSPARENCY. AND THEY WANT TO FEEL AS THOUGH THEY'RE BEING VALUED IN THE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE. THEY ARE. WE ALREADY FEEL LEFT OUT BECAUSE WE ARE THE LEFT OF THE LOWEST PART OF THE CITY. THIS MAKES US FEEL MORE LEFT OUT THAN WE ALREADY DO. WE DON'T THAT RESIDENTS DON'T WANT TO COME DOWNTOWN AND THEY DON'T COME DOWNTOWN. THAT'S THE IMPORTANCE OF MY COMMUNITY OFFICE, BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET DOWNTOWN BECAUSE IT'S TOO CUMBERSOME AND COMPLICATED. PLEASE STOP. PLEASE STOP AND CONSIDER US. PLEASE STOP. AND WHEN WE HAVE WHEN WE HAVE CONSULTANTS THAT ARE GIVEN A TASK, PLEASE ASK THEM TO DO THE COMPLETE TASK. AND THAT'S NOT JUST TO LOOK AT ONE LITTLE SUBSECTION. LOOK AT THE TOTALITY OF THE CITY. BECAUSE WHEN WE AND WHAT WE DO. WE MAY THINK IT IS A SMALL THING. IT'S A GREAT THING, NO MATTER IF IT'S NORTH, SOUTH, EAST OR WEST. WHEN WE ALTER OUR TRAFFIC FLOW, IT'S GREATER THAN THE THE THE ACTION, THE PART THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT. I READ THE BOOK THE SUM OF US. THIS IS THE SUM OF US. WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ADD THAT. I THINK I'VE MENTIONED IT IN MY REMARKS ON NEXT STEPS, BUT WE HEAR YOU COUNCIL MEMBER THANK YOU CHAIR, FOR GIVING ME THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK FOR ALL OF THE SOUTHERN SECTORS, ESPECIALLY MY DISTRICT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN BLAIR, ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK TO THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR? YES. VICE CHAIR ROFF JUST A QUESTION AGAIN. THE IMMEDIATE ISSUE IS THAT YOU NEED TO DEMOLITION THE BUILDING THAT'S ON JEFFERSON, IS THAT CORRECT? [03:10:03] THAT'S CORRECT. AND THAT'S THE AREA THAT'S I CALL IT TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PHOTO. THAT'S THE BUILDING THAT YOU'RE TEARING DOWN AT TXEN BUILDING AND THE BACK PART OF THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THE BACK PART. OKAY. BUT BUT YOU'RE IN. HOW LONG IS THAT DEMOLITION PROCESS GOING TO TAKE? ANGELA DANIELS, CAN YOU COME TO THE PODIUM AND GIVE ME THE TIME FRAME FOR THAT? GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. CLARIFYING THE REQUEST IS THE DEMOLITION TIME FRAME FOR THE BUILDING THAT HAS IS THAT THE IS THAT THE IS THAT THE BUILDING TO THE TO THE SORT OF I DON'T KNOW WHERE NORTH, SOUTH AND EAST IS HERE, BUT IT'S ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PICTURE. CORRECT. IT. IT HAS A PERPENDICULAR BORDER WITH THAT SECTION OF THE NORTHERN PORTION OF JEFFERSON. CORRECT. THAT DEMOLITION TIME FRAME WILL EXTEND INTO SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR. IT TAKE IT TAKES FOUR MONTHS TO TO GET THE DEMO A BUILDING. YES, YES THERE ARE. IT'S CONNECTED ALSO TO THE EXISTING DALLAS MORNING NEWS BUILDING. AND SO THERE'S SOME VERY CAREFUL AND SELECTIVE DEMOLITION THAT IS REQUIRED AT THE CONNECTION OF THOSE TWO BUILDINGS. SO IT, IT ISN'T, UNFORTUNATELY, AS SIMPLE AS JUST KNOCKING DOWN A STRUCTURE. THERE ARE SOME COMPLICATING SITUATIONS. AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER, CAN I MENTION ONE THING? YES. AND I THINK YOU PROVIDED A VALUABLE INPUT. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT I WILL GO BACK AND TALK TO THE CONTRACTOR AS WELL AS THE DESIGNER TEAM TO SEE IF WE CAN KEEP JEFFERSON CLOSED. JEFFERSON. BUT KEEP THE STRUCTURE AS IS WHILE THEY'RE DOING THE DEMOLITION. I'M NOT SURE THEY CAN DO IT, BUT WE WILL HAVE THE CONVERSATION. RIGHT. AND CONFIRM WHETHER THAT IS DOABLE OR NOT. YES. AND I, I AGREE WITH, I AGREE WITH DOCTOR CALI. THAT WAY WE CAN MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO REACH A MEDIUM WHERE WE KEEP THE, THE CONSTRUCTION ON TIME WHILE LOOKING FOR THE SOLUTIONS AND STARTING IF YOU ALLOW US TO THE ENGAGEMENT THAT AC AND RASTOGI TALKED ABOUT AND MAYBE WE CAN REACH A CONSENSUS BECAUSE THE DEMOLITION HAPPENS ANYWAY, UNDER ANY SCENARIO, WHETHER WE'RE UP OR DOWN OR WE STILL HAVE TO, WE STILL HAVE TO TEAR DOWN THAT BUILDING. AND HOW ABOUT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STREET? DO WE HAVE TO TEAR DOWN SOME OF THAT BUILDING STILL TOO, WHICH IS THAT'S THE THE CONVENTION. THAT'S THE CONVENTION? YES. THAT WAS STILL PART OF THAT WOULD STILL HAVE TO COME DOWN. THE REMAINING PART WILL BE THE PART OF HALL F, THAT IS THE GRANDFATHERED PORTION. THAT GIVES US THE HEIGHT TO NOT HAVE TO INTERFERE WITH UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD, BUT THE REST OF IT. I'M SORRY. SAY THAT AGAIN. THERE'S A PORTION OF THE BUILDING CURRENTLY ALREADY OVER UNION PACIFIC THAT ALLOWS US IN THAT PORTION NOT TO HAVE TO INTERACT WITH YOU BECAUSE IT'S GRANDFATHERED. SO THAT'S THE ONLY PORTION YOU'LL SEE REMAINING. OKAY. SO WHAT WHAT I'M TRYING TO TO LOOK, I'M NOT GOING TO BE SCARED INTO DELAYING STUFF AND I MEAN INTO FORCING ENERGY. THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS WE GOT TO COME UP WITH A WITH A PRACTICAL SOLUTION. AND IF THE REAL ISSUE IS WE'RE CLOSING JEFFERSON BECAUSE WE WANT TO PROTECT OURSELVES DURING THE DEMOLITION, THEN WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT, AND WE GOTTA GET THE PEOPLE OFF THAT STREET THAT DON'T NEED TO BE THERE, LIKE BIKES AND PEOPLE WALKING. AND, AND IF WE NEED TO LIMIT THE, THE, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT, THE STREETCAR. THEN WE OFF OF HOUSTON EVEN TO GET PEOPLE OFF OF THERE. THAT'S ONE THING. BUT THEN LET'S GET LET'S SEGREGATE THAT AREA, LET IT FIGURE OUT HOW TO TEAR DOWN THE BUILDING, LEAVE JEFFERSON OPEN FOR RIGHT NOW, AND THEN FIGURE OUT. LET'S START REALLY GETTING A PRESSURE POINT OF WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO THERE IN ANOTHER WAY AND ANALYZE THE POINTS THAT ARE HERE. I, I LOOKED AT THIS TO THIS, THIS LIST, I GET IT, WE'RE GOING TO LOSE CONVENTION. WE'RE GOING TO THERE'S EXTENSIVE. BUT COME ON GUYS, YOU CAN'T YOU CAN'T SAY THAT IT'S GOING TO COST US IS 500 MILLION, AND THEN IT'S GOING TO COST US MORE MONEY TO DO THAT WITHOUT US HAVING A CHANCE TO TO LOOK AT THIS STUFF. THESE ARE BIG NUMBERS. THESE ARE BIG STUFF. BUT AT THE SAME TOKEN, WE SHOULDN'T BE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO HAVE TO STOP EVERYTHING WITHOUT. THERE SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF A PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO, TO KEEP THIS BALL MOVING. [03:15:03] BUT ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER MENDELSOHN AND OTHERS ARE SAYING, LOOK, WE'VE GOT TO DO THIS, RIGHT? THESE ARE BIG NUMBERS, BIG, BIG DECISION. AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE MONUMENTAL DECISIONS FOR THE FUTURE. CHAIR, ON THE ADVICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY, I'D LIKE TO RESTATE MY MOTION WITH SOME DIFFERENT WORDS. WERE YOU THROUGH COUNCIL MEMBER? YEAH. OKAY. GO AHEAD. SO I I'M MOVING TO RETURN THE CONVENTION CENTER BUILDING TO THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT IN ORDER TO ADDRESS PROBLEMATIC JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON VIADUCT REALIGNMENTS, MEANING I'M TYING IT TO THE AGENDA ITEM AND THEN I AM HAPPY TO SPEAK ABOUT IT WHEN YOU'RE READY FOR THAT. ALL RIGHT. DOES THE SECOND AGREE WITH THE CHANGE? ALL RIGHT. WELL GO AHEAD AND SPEAK ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE'S NO DEMO THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN DURING FIFA. RIGHT. THAT'S NOT CORRECT. WE DID THE DEMO THAT IS CLOSEST TO A, B AND C ERECTED A WALL TO CLOTHE IN C. NEGOTIATED AN AGREEMENT WITH FIFA OF A DECIBEL LEVEL THAT WE COULD BE AT. AND SO WE THEN MOVE UP TO THE BACK OF THE CONVENTION CENTER TO START IT THERE, BECAUSE THAT'S DISTANCE ENOUGH FOR US NOT TO REACH THAT DECIBEL LEVEL THAT WILL INTERFERE WITH BROADCASTING. SO IT'S A VERY LONG PROCESS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH WITH THEM. WOW. SO WE'RE LIKE PLANTING FLOWERS ALL OVER DOWNTOWN, BUT WE'RE GOING TO DO DEMO ON THE BUILDING THAT THEY'RE IN. I MEAN, THAT'S PRETTY CRAZY. OKAY. THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT IF WE KNEW ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH I-30 WHEN WE APPROVED THE WHOLE CONVENTION CENTER PROJECT, I SEE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR HAD TO LEAVE. THE ANSWER IS YES, WE DID. IT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I SAID NO TO THIS PROJECT. THIS ENTIRE BRIEFING, WE'RE REALLY BEING OFFERED A BINARY CHOICE. EITHER PUT THE BUILDING BACK OR ACCEPT THE REDESIGN, THE MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS OF REDESIGN. BUT WHAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN ARE ANY ALTERNATIVES THAT ARE PARTIAL. THERE'S NOTHING IN HERE THAT SAYS, WELL, IF WE DO A LITTLE OF THIS AND WE DO A LITTLE OF THAT, THEN THIS COULD HAPPEN. SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BECAUSE IT'S ALL ENGINEERS LOOKING AT IT THAT IT HAS TO HAVE THIS ENGINEER SOLUTION. BUT MAYBE THERE'S ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE. ONE OF THE ALARMING THINGS THAT'S HAPPENED DURING THIS MEETING TO ME IS LIKE, KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE THE CITY HALL DEBATE WHERE, OH, WE'RE GOING TO OPEN UP TO THE PUBLIC IF YOU HAVE A SOLUTION. I MEAN, YOU CAN HAVE A PORTAL. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A COUPLE HUNDRED SUBMISSIONS FROM AI. I MEAN, THIS WHOLE THING IS KIND OF CRAZY. AND YET YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DEMO DURING FIFA, BUT YET. OH YEAH. PUBLIC. YEAH. GIVE US NEW SUGGESTIONS. SO THIS WHOLE THING IS ALMOST COMICAL, EXCEPT IT ALMOST MAKES ME WANT TO CRY. ANOTHER PROJECT THAT IS LIKE, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING HERE? AND I FEEL LIKE ALL OVER THE CITY, EVERY BIG PROJECT, SAME SITUATION, LIKE WHAT'S EVEN GOING ON WITH THIS? THIS IS CRAZY. HOW MUCH ARE WE PAYING FOR THE WINGS? WHAT'S HAPPENING TO CITY HALL? I MEAN, LIKE, YOU JUST GO ON AND ON. AND SO THIS PUTS IT BACK TO THE CERTAINTY OF WHAT WE WERE FIRST TOLD, WHAT THE PUBLIC WAS TOLD, WHAT THE PUBLIC VOTED ON FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND JUST STOP ALL THIS NONSENSE. AND AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER WAY, I THINK, TO DISTRACT THIS COUNCIL AND THE CITY FROM THE ACTUAL WORK THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. THERE'S A MANAGEMENT PROBLEM HAPPENING RIGHT HERE. AND PUTTING THE CONVENTION CENTER BACK TO THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT TAKES CARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THEN GO VALUE ENGINEER IT AS YOU NEED TO. YOU HIRED SOMEBODY TO MANAGE THIS PROJECT. GO HAVE THEM DO IT. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CADENA. SO IN LOOKING AT THE OAK FARMS CORRIDOR STUDY, IT SAYS THE HOUSTON STREET AND JEFFERSON BOULEVARD VIADUCTS ARE ESSENTIAL CORRIDORS IN BOTH THE CITY OF DALLAS AND THE COG STUDIES. PRESERVATION OF THESE CORRIDORS IS VITAL FOR EFFICIENT LOCAL AND REGIONAL MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY. BETWEEN DOWNTOWN DALLAS AND NORTH OAK CLIFF. I WOULD EVEN ADD OAK CLIFF AND WEST DALLAS. AND SO I HEAR A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER. YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW I LIKED MAYOR PRO TEM IDEA IN THAT. I MEAN, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE CARS THAT GO UNDERNEATH THE CURRENT CONVENTION CENTER. WE EVEN HAVE A DART RAIL. [03:20:02] I THINK WHAT'S LACKING IS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CONCERN FOR OUR RESIDENTS. WE WANT EQUITY ON THE OAK CLIFF SIDE. I MEAN, THERE WAS A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THE CONNECTIVITY WITH THE CEDAR SIDE. AND I ECHO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER WEST SAYS. ON THE OAK CLIFF SIDE, IT JUST SEEMS TO BE AN AFTERTHOUGHT. AND I WOULD LIKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF FUNDS EQUITY INVESTMENT ONTO OUR OAK CLIFF SIDE. AND THIS DOES IMPACT MY DISTRICT BECAUSE I THINK SOMEBODY MENTIONED YOU KNOW, THAT THAT, THAT TRAFFIC WOULD BE ROUTED TO BECKLEY. BECKLEY AND COMMERCE IS ALREADY A MESS. BECKLEY. PEOPLE TAKE IT TO GO TO COMMERCE. THEY TAKE IT TO GO TO MARGARET HUNT HILL BRIDGE. THERE'S ACCIDENTS ALL THE TIME AT BECKLEY AND COMMERCE. AND SO THAT'S NOT A PERFECT SCENARIO EITHER, YOU KNOW. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT HOTEL STREET BEING A, YOU KNOW, A STREET TO NOWHERE. WEST DALLAS WAS ALSO CALLED THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE. WHEN WE PUT IN MARGARET HILL BRIDGE, THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT USE THAT CONNECTION ALREADY. THEY USE THESE BRIDGES, THESE VIADUCTS. AND SO FOR THAT REASON, I WOULD DEFINITELY SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER. MENDELSOHN. MOTION. COUNCIL MEMBER. GRACEY. THANK YOU. AND AGAIN, I THINK I'M NOT GOING TO BELABOR BELABOR THIS CONVERSATION. I'M STILL STRUGGLING. I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE BEING BRIEFED IN DECEMBER, IN JANUARY ABOUT THIS. BUT AGAIN, I THINK SOMEBODY ALREADY SAID THAT WE MISSED THE CAUSE AND EFFECT, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE WERE SO FOCUSED ON THIS PART OF IT. WE DON'T REALIZE THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT. SO AND THANK YOU TO CHAIR STEWART FOR, FOR, AGAIN, WE END UP IN THESE SEATS. AND AGAIN, I'VE SAID ON THAT SIDE, WE END UP HERE AND SOMETIMES IT CAN APPEAR ONE WAY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT CAN FEEL ANOTHER WAY TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY. AND I THINK THAT'S THE PART THAT FOR ME, I WANT TO STRESS, AND WHILE I WILL BE SUPPORTING THIS, IS BECAUSE OF HOW IT GETS COMMUNICATED TO THE COMMUNITY OR DOESN'T GET COMMUNICATED TO THE COMMUNITY. BUT EVEN BEYOND THAT, HOW IT GETS EXPLAINED AFTER IT'S BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE COMMUNITY, I THINK IS THE OTHER PIECE OF THIS. SO ONE, I DO WANT US TO SLOW DOWN ON THIS. AND AGAIN, AS WE TALK ABOUT THOSE STUDIES, AGAIN, THERE'S SEVERAL I CAN THINK OF THREE EXITS RIGHT NOW TRYING TO GET INTO DOWNTOWN. I DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO STOP OR WHEN, BUT AGAIN, UNDERSTANDING THAT IMPACT, UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS HAS TO HAPPEN. SOME OF THIS CONSTRUCTION HAS TO HAPPEN. THOROUGHFARE PLANS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT I THINK THE PIECE THAT'S MISSING THAT MAKES THIS HARD TO SWALLOW IS IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE, WELL, IT WASN'T WE WEREN'T CONSIDERED IN TERMS OF ALL OF THOSE OPTIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. IN TERMS OF THE CONSTRUCTION INTO DOWNTOWN AND HOW LONG THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND HOW ONGOING IS THAT GOING TO BE FROM THERE? AND AGAIN, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS, I ASK THE QUESTION, WAS THIS A A CIRCUMSTANCE SOLUTION OR WAS THIS A THOUGHT OUT THOROUGH PLAN, YOU KNOW, THOROUGHFARE PLAN? AND THE SHORT ANSWER WAS, YES, IT WAS TO AN EXTENT. AND IT WAS THOUGHT OUT PLAN GOING INTO DOWNTOWN, BUT MAKING SURE THAT IT WAS A THOUGHT OUT PLAN AS IT RELATES TO MOVING PEOPLE INTO DOWNTOWN. AND THE LAST THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THIS IS WE'VE GOT SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES WE MISSED IN SOUTHERN DALLAS. AND AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS WHOLE TRANSPORTATION THING. THIS IS YET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE INCREASING SOUTHERN DALLAS FROM A TRANSPORTATION MOBILITY PERSPECTIVE. OUT OF SOUTHERN DALLAS SOUTHERN DALLAS COUNTY INTO DOWNTOWN. WE'RE MISSING THAT OPPORTUNITY TO. SO I WANTED TO THROW THAT IN THERE, BUT I AM GOING TO BE SUPPORTING THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE WHERE I DON'T THINK THE COMMUNITY IS READY TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS. AND WE OWE THAT TO OURSELVES. SO AGAIN, IF THERE'S SOME WAY WE CAN MOVE, CAN DO THIS AND COME BACK AND STILL NOT MESS UP THE TIMELINE BECAUSE I AM SENSITIVE TO THAT, THEN I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO DO THAT. THANK YOU. CHAIR. YES. GO AHEAD. REPEAT THE MOTION. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE MOTION. SURE. MISS MENDELSOHN, DO YOU CARE TO REPEAT? SURE. IT'S TO RETURN THE CONVENTION CENTER BUILDING TO THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT IN ORDER TO ADDRESS PROBLEMATIC JEFFERSON AND HOUSTON VIADUCT REALIGNMENTS. NOW, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THAT WOULD BE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL COUNCIL. POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IF YOU WILL ANSWER IT, DOES YOUR. DOES YOUR MOTION ALSO INCORPORATE THE FARMS CORRIDOR PIECE, WHICH IS IN ALIGNMENT SO FAR WITH WHAT YOU'VE SAID, BUT IT WOULD ALSO COMPLETE THAT PROCESS FOR THE SOUTHERN CONNECTION. THE MOTION IS SILENT ON THAT ITEM. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN. BLACKMON. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO I THINK YOU MENTIONED THIS GOING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT DESIGN WOULD ADD COST. IT COULD ADD COSTS AND IT COULD INCREASE. IT COULD ALTER THE TIMING. IT'S GOING TO ALTER THE TIMING. IT'S GOING TO CAUSE US TO CALL CRAIG AFTER THIS MEETING. [03:25:05] CRAIG DAVIS WITH VISIT DALLAS AND TELL HIM WE POTENTIALLY HAVE TO CANCEL CONTRACTS WITH PEOPLE WE'VE SIGNED CONTRACTS WITH FOR 2030, BECAUSE THEY CAN NO LONGER GUARANTEE THAT THE BUILDING WILL BE UP. IT'LL IMPACT HOT. IMPACT SALES TAX IS A DOMINO EFFECT. SO YOU POSTED THESE NEXT STEPS. AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU WHEN AFTER WE HAD THE DISCUSSION, YOU BASICALLY DIDN'T DEVIATE FROM THESE NEXT STEPS, DID YOU? WAS WAS THERE ANY DEVIATION? WE ADDED NO, NO, NO, THAT WAS ADDED AFTER YOU TALKED ABOUT IT, THE PUBLIC COMMENT. I BELIEVE I MENTIONED THAT IN MY REMARKS, BUT IF I DIDN'T SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, IS WHY ARE WE HAVING THIS MEETING IF NOTHING CHANGED? BECAUSE I, I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK WE WANT TO STOP THE PROJECT CAUSE MORE MONEY, BUT IT'S LIKE THERE, THERE IS OBVIOUS REAL CONCERN ABOUT THIS FROM PEOPLE IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF OUR CITY. AND WHETHER IT'S IT'S HOW THEY FEEL, THEY FEEL THEY'RE GOING TO BE CUT OFF. AND WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT AND TO COME WITH THE SLIDE AND THEN SAY, WE'RE NOT CHANGING ANYTHING. AND, OH, WAIT, WE MAY DEMO. AND AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE THOROUGHFARE, YOU MAY JUST HAVE TO SUCK IT UP AND ENJOY IT. THAT, THAT. AND SO THAT'S THE FEEL THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE GETTING HERE, THAT WE'RE NOT LISTENING. AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY I SECONDED IT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE TO LISTEN. AND EVEN IF IT IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, SAY WE HEARD YOU AND LET US GO BACK AND WORK ON IT AND WE'LL COME BACK AND WE'LL MEET EVERY WEEK IF WE HAVE TO. BUT I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO FEEL. AND THIS IS JUST THE TEMPERATURE OF TODAY. THEY NEED TO FEEL THEY'RE BEING HEARD. AND AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, WE ARE AT THE CLOSEST TO THAT, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE AND THEY DON'T WANT THAT TAKEN AWAY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I DO. I WANT TO GO BACK. NO, I'M MARRIED TO AN ARCHITECT. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND VALUE ENGINEERING. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THE THING IS, IS THAT THERE'S AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO LISTEN AND TAKE THEIR CONCERNS AND SAY, WE WORKED IT AND MR. FRY. YOU'VE GOT A VERY GOOD REPUTATION, AND YOUR FIRM'S GOT A GOOD REPUTATION. TAKE THIS FEEDBACK. LET US COME BACK TO YOU NEXT WEEK. AND LIKE I SAID, WE WOULD MEET EVERY WEEK IF WE HAD TO, TO GET IT RIGHT. AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY I SECOND IT IS BECAUSE I PLEASE LISTEN. I MEAN, THAT'S THAT'S THE THING. WE'VE GOT SO MANY THINGS COMING TOGETHER AT ONE ITEM. I MEAN, IT'S AND IT'S COMING TOGETHER RIGHT NOW RIGHT HERE. AND I JUST FEEL THAT HALF OF OUR COMMUNITIES NEED TO BE HEARD. DISTRICT NINE IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE AFFECTED MUCH, BUT WE CANNOT CUT OFF HALF OF OUR CITY IN FOR A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. I MEAN, THERE ARE CUSTOMERS TOO. SO THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT LET'S TAKE A MOMENT, A WEEK, EVEN GO BACK AND COME BACK AND SAY, WE DID IT. WE WE TRIED EVERYTHING. THIS IS THE ONLY OPTION. AND AND BUT I MEAN, HAVING A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE HERE TAKING OFF ALL MORNING IS A PRETTY GOOD INDICATOR. AND THEN ON A FRIDAY NIGHT, 150 PEOPLE. I'M HOPING YOU HAD HAPPY HOUR CHAT. I MEAN, MR. WEST, I MEAN, AND THAT'S THAT MEANS THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY ATTUNED TO THIS AND WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED WITH THEIR CONCERNS. AND IF IT COMES BACK AND SAYS, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK BACK AT THE COMMUNITY AND SAID, THIS IS THE ONLY OPTION. THIS IS THIS IS HOW WE GET IT ALL. WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WORK THROUGH IT. THEN THAT'S SO BE IT. BUT I JUST DON'T FEEL WE'VE GIVEN THEM THAT BY SAYING, HERE'S THE SLIDE. WE HAD THIS MEETING AND OH WAIT, WE'RE NOT CHANGING OUR APPROACH. THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING. BUT I APPRECIATE YOUR YOUR COMMENT. AND THAT WAS NOT THE INTENT IN SAYING THAT WE WOULD FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE ITEMS ON THESE NEXT STEPS. YES, WE WOULD TAKE THE FEEDBACK FROM THIS COMMITTEE. AS DOCTOR CARLEY MENTIONED, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, CAN WE KEEP A SEGMENT OF THE ROADWAY YOU KNOW, ACTIVE DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PERIOD. YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE CONCEPTS THAT WE'VE SHOWN IN TWO DIMENSION ARE NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE. AND SO THE FEEDBACK ON, YOU KNOW, A MORE VISUAL MODEL TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WORKS. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE ARE GOING TO TAKE BACK. AND COME BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTOOD THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, A RETURN OF THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON PROJECT TO ITS EXISTING HEIGHT. YOU KNOW, DOES HAVE A, HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE PROJECT AND AND DOES PROVIDE THE COST SCENARIO. [03:30:06] THAT WAS SHOWN COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT AND, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS, THIS MATTERS TO OUR TO OUR CUSTOMERS AS WELL. YES. AND CONSTITUENTS. SO I MEAN, THAT'S THE BALANCE. AND SO IF I COULD ADD TO THAT, WE WE DID HERE. AND WHEN COUNCILMAN ROTH WAS TALKING ABOUT, CAN WE FIND A, A MEDIAN, A COMPROMISE, WE, WE'RE ABSOLUTELY AGREEING TO THAT. I LIVE IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR. I HAVE TO DRIVE THE SAME WAY. SO I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND. AND SO I THINK ALL OF OUR CONSULTANTS ARE ALREADY WORKING. THAT CAME AFTER WE KIND OF HAD TO THROW OUT THIS NOTION, AND I WISH IT WOULD HAVE COME DURING THE CONVERSATION. ABSOLUTELY. ANYWAY, THANK YOU AND THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND THANKS EVERYBODY. IT'S IT'S A BALANCING ACT. AND WE ARE HERE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND FIND SOLUTIONS. AND Y'ALL ARE SMART PEOPLE. SO I THINK ALL OF US PUT TOGETHER, WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPLICATIONS IF THIS MOTION PASSES NOW, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT AN ADDITIONAL WEEK OR TWO WOULD ALLOW YOU TO DO WITH REGARD TO WORKING OUT SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU JUST ADDRESSED A MOMENT AGO? I THINK AS, AS I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WE'VE RECEIVED FEEDBACK, YOU KNOW I APOLOGIZE IF IT APPEARED THAT WE WERE NOT LISTENING. WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO, TO TAKE IN THE INFORMATION. THIS PRESENTATION IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF SOME OF THAT FEEDBACK FROM THE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE AT MEETING. SO I, I BELIEVE THAT THERE CONTINUES TO BE MORE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. YOU KNOW, DON'T BELIEVE THAT. I BELIEVE WE CAN FIND SOLUTIONS THAT ALLOW THE PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD. BOTH THE KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON PROJECT AS WELL AS YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS. WE JUST LIKE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO CONTINUE TO, TO LOOK AT THIS, GET SOME MORE TRAFFIC DATA. YOU KNOW PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP TODAY. HOW MUCH TIME WOULD YOU LIKE? I WAS I'M, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT LET'S GET HER RESPONSE. I'M SORRY. I'LL RECOGNIZE YOU. OH, I'M SORRY. I THOUGHT YOU SAID I WOULD PREFER TO TO CONFER WITH THE TEAM BECAUSE THE LAST TIME I MADE A COMMITMENT TO COME BACK IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO HONOR THAT COMMITMENT, BUT I KNOW THAT THIS COMMITTEE IS READY AND PREPARED TO HEAR OUR PRESENTATION. SO I JUST WOULD PREFER TO HAVE A HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONFER WITH THE TEAM TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ABLE TO, TO DELIVER ON, ON A COMMITMENT. OKAY. VICE CHAIR. QUESTION. WOULD IT, WOULD IT BE WOULD IT BE USEFUL? WOULD IT BE HELPFUL? IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE HELPFUL AND USEFUL FOR ME IF WE COULD DEFER THIS, THIS MOTION FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, NOT FOR A LONG TIME IN ORDER TO SEE IF YOU ALL CAN COME BACK AND GIVE US SOME, SOME SOME PATCHING SOLUTIONS HERE TO GET OVER THIS ISSUE. SO I, I'M, I'M REALLY STILL IN FAVOR OF SAVING MONEY. I WANT TO KEEP THE PROJECT GOING. BUT I DON'T WANT TO TO, TO CAUSE THE CAUSE, A PROBLEM BASED ON MAKING A DECISION WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU ALL TO GIVE US SOME, SOME OTHER SOLUTIONS ON THE PROCESS. AND IF, IF I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST IF, IF, IF, IF THE MOTION MAKER WOULD ACCEPT THE AMENDMENT TO, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S AN AMENDMENT, BUT TO ASK TO DEFER THE THE ACTION ON YOUR MOTION FOR TWO WEEKS AND THAT WE WE REGROUPED HERE AND THAT WE HAVE A A PRESENTATION BY THE STAFF AND BY THE THE FOLKS THAT ARE INVOLVED HERE TO TO BRING US TO GIVE US SOME CLARIFICATION ON THE ITEMS THAT WE'VE BEEN RAISING THE ISSUES ON. MR. ROTH, YOU CAN STYLE THAT AS A MOTION TO DEFER THE CURRENT MOTION ON THE TABLE. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO DEFER THE MOTION FOR WEEKS. [03:35:01] OKAY. WE'VE GOT A MOTION TO DEFER. AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT MOTION? YES. COUNCILWOMAN. MENDELSOHN. SO THE POINT OF THE MOTION IS ACTUALLY TO BRING THIS TO THE FULL BODY. WE'RE ONLY MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO THEM, AND THAT WOULD THEN GIVE THEM TIME TO DEVELOP WHATEVER THEY NEED TO. IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY PUT A TIME FRAME ON IT. IF WE APPROVE IT. BUT WHAT'S HAPPENED IS WE HAVE SOME VERY IMPORTANT COUNCIL MEMBERS WHOSE DISTRICTS WILL BE IMPACTED THAT AREN'T EVEN AT THE TABLE RIGHT NOW. SO IF WE APPROVE THIS, IT'LL GO TO THE FULL BODY. YOU CAN COME UP WITH NEW PLANS THAT WOULD ENTICE PEOPLE TO CHANGE FROM RETURNING THE HEIGHT TO SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY ACCEPTABLE, BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, WHAT WE HAVE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THERE WAS A STATEMENT MADE THAT, OH, WE CAN SEE THAT YOU CAN'T VISUALIZE IT. WE'RE GOING TO WORK ON THAT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID THAT THE LAST BRIEFING WHERE WE ALL COMPLAINED. REALLY HARD TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THIS AT A 2D. SITUATION, BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN ANYTHING TO IMPROVE THAT. AND SO WE JUST KEEP. I MEAN, HOW MANY TIMES WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS. SO THE MOTION TO TO A TO PASS WHAT I HAVE PROPOSED, WHICH IS RETURNING THE HEIGHT TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES, PUTS THIS BACK FOR THE MANAGER TO DECIDE WHEN IT COMES TO THE COUNCIL. AND FRANKLY, THEY COULD SCHEDULE A FULL COUNCIL BRIEFING IN BETWEEN THERE TO ADDRESS THIS. AND I HIGHLY SUGGEST THEY DO. THERE'S LOTS OF INTEREST ALL ACROSS THE CITY IN THIS TOPIC, AND IT PROBABLY, AT THIS POINT IS BEYOND THE COMMITTEE. AND WHAT DO WE HAVE 12 OF US HERE AT ONE POINT. IT'S ALREADY BECOME A FULL COUNCIL DISCUSSION. SO I WOULD JUST RECOMMEND MOVING FORWARD WITH THE RECOMMENDATION AND THEN LETTING THE MANAGER DO THEIR THING. AND I'M SURE WE WILL BE LOBBIED BY MANY DIFFERENT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION TO DEFER? SEEING NONE, I CALL THE QUESTION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF A MOTION TO DEFER THE MENDELSOHN MOTION, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. YEAH. LET'S SEE. ONE. TWO. THREE. OKAY. THE MOTION FAILS. AND SO WE GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION, THE MENDELSOHN MOTION WHICH WAS. CHAIR. CHAIR. I'M SORRY. I THINK YOU ONLY HAVE SIX ONE TWO, SIX COMMITTEE MEMBERS. SO IT'S TIE FAILS. SO WE'LL GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MENDELSOHN MOTION, WHICH WAS TO PRESENT A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO RETURN THE HEIGHT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN. IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THAT MOTION? YES, MISS BLACKMON. OKAY, SO IT GOES BACK TO COUNCIL. YOU COME, I GUESS, A BRIEFING IN TWO WEEKS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT DOES THIS DO TO EVERYTHING ELSE? BECAUSE DOES EVERYTHING STOP AND ONLY FOCUS ON THIS? DO YOU STILL GET TO CARRY ON WITH THE DEMOLITION? LIKE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PROJECT? I. WILL THE DEMOLITION THAT DOESN'T IMPACT IT DOESN'T AFFECT THE CONSTRUCTION. THEY CAN STILL CONTINUE. RIGHT. WHAT'S IMPACTED? I HAVE TO GO BACK. I HAVE TO ASK IF WE CAN EVEN ORDER THE STEEL, WHICH I THINK WAS HAPPENING TODAY. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF IMPACT TO THIS THAT'LL STOP THE PROJECT IN AND OF ITSELF. SO SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS GOES EVEN JUST GOING TO A FULL COUNCIL BRIEFING TO TAKE IT TO THE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT WILL STOP EVERYTHING. YEAH, PRETTY MUCH BECAUSE THE THE COST OF STEEL WAS PREFACED AND I'LL HAVE TO GET I DON'T NEED THE DEBIT COSTS, BUT I'M JUST WONDERING ABOUT THE OVERALL PROJECT. AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT EVEN BRINGING IT. YEAH. WE CAN CONTINUE SOME OF THE SOME OF THE DEMOLITION. BUT THE ORDERING OF MATERIALS, WHICH WAS ALWAYS SCHEDULED ON OUR CRITICAL PATH WAS THIS WEEK. AND HOW WOULD WE DO IT IF WE DON'T NOW HAVE A DESIGN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE BASICALLY THERE'S OUT THE DESIGN GOES OUT THE DESIGN. AND SO WITH THAT, THE, THE PROJECT STALLS UNTIL SUCH TIME AS SOMETHING. AS SOMETHING ELSE IS REVISED AND, AND BROUGHT BACK TO COUNCIL. SO WE'RE IN THE SAME SITUATION OF OF A DELAY. AND, YOU KNOW, SO IF WE COULD BRING BACK A FULL IF THIS IF THIS COULD FAIL, YOU COULD STILL BRIEF US AND CHANGES CAN BE MADE, [03:40:06] BUT NOT NECESSARILY TO THE BUILDING HEIGHT, NOT TO THE BUILDING ITSELF. I'M TRYING TO SPLIT THE BABY IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO. I'M TRYING TO, BUT I CAN'T. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANSWERS THAT ARE THEN GOING TO END UP, I GET IT, THE MEDIA THAT I DON'T HAVE THE FULL ANSWER TO, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD THE BENEFIT OF MEETING WITH THE ENTIRE TEAM TO SEE ALL OF THE RAMIFICATIONS. NOW NOT BEING ABLE TO ORDER. I ALREADY KNOW THAT'S A THAT'S A GIVEN. NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT GIVEN I, I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS. I'M WITHDRAWING MY SECOND. SO SOMEBODY ELSE WILL HAVE TO PICK IT UP BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DO I WANT TO FIX IT, BUT I DON'T NECESSARILY WANT TO KILL IT. AND I HAVE A FEELING THIS WILL KILL IT. AND I DON'T THINK THAT IS A GOOD PROPOSITION EITHER. SO I'D LIKE TO ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD. SO THIS SEEMS TO BE VERY NEW INFORMATION. AND IF YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEDIA. LET ME TELL YOU THERE'S NO MOTION ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN. WELL, I THINK SHE'S JUST ASKING STAFF A QUESTION. IT'S NOT A MOTION MOTION BECAUSE THERE'S. I DIDN'T SECOND IT. WELL OKAY. IS THERE ANYONE WILLING TO SECOND MISS MENDELSOHN MOTION? OKAY. IT IS NOW SECONDED. PLEASE PROCEED WITH YOUR QUESTION. THANK YOU. SO IF YOU DIDN'T WANT THE MEETING NOTE, LET ME TELL YOU, THEY'RE ALL STANDING UP WHILE YOU WERE TALKING. THE MEDIA UNDERSTANDS THEY'RE WATCHING THIS. NUMBER TWO, ARE YOU SAYING THAT IF WE DEFER FOR TWO WEEKS, IF WE WAIT FOR YOU TO COME BACK WITH NEW OPTIONS, YOU ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PROCEED WITH THOSE ORDERS. AND THEN IT WOULD NO LONGER EVEN BE POSSIBLE TO RAZE THE BUILDING. THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID AT ALL. THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID. I MEAN, YOU'RE SAYING THE WHOLE THING STOPS IF YOU DON'T ORDER TODAY. I MEAN, THEY SAY THE DROP DEAD DATE THIS WEEK BASED ON TODAY, THERE'S CERTAIN AMOUNTS OF STEEL TO LOCK IN THE PRICES THAT WE BROUGHT YOU ALL TO COUNCIL BEFORE THEIR LOCK IN DATES FOR THE RECOMMENDATION FOR AWARD OF ALL OF THIS PRICING. THAT'S HOW A GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE SITUATION WORKS. AND THE LAST ACTUAL SUPPLEMENT, THE LAST GMP WE BROUGHT TO COUNCIL HAD ALL OF THAT IN IT. IT HAD THE STEEL ORDER, IT HAD THE CONCRETE ORDER, IT WAS APPROVED BY THIS BODY. AND SO THAT TAKES IT A STEP BACK. IT IS UNADVISABLE TO PURCHASE SOMETHING IF I'M, IF THE DESIGN IS GOING TO CHANGE, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A WALK BACK FROM THAT. AND THAT'S WHY I SAID TO COUNCILWOMAN. BLACKMON LET ME GET BACK SO THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL THE RAMIFICATIONS ARE. BUT AT THIS TIME, AS A PROJECT LEAD ON A PROJECT FOR THE CITY, I WOULD GO BACK AND I WOULD SAY WE WE NEED TO STOP AN ORDER BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DESIGN WOULD BE. THANK YOU. YEAH. DO YOU REALIZE HOW THAT SOUNDS TO SOMEBODY ON THIS SIDE OF THE TABLE THAT IF YOU DON'T DO IT TODAY, THE PROJECT IS STALLED. IT'S STOPPED. WHY DID WE HAVE THE MEETING TODAY? WHY DIDN'T WE HAVE THIS MEETING A MONTH AGO? TWO MONTHS AGO, THREE MONTHS AGO? THIS IS WHAT I'M SAYING ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS PROJECT. WELL, WE TOOK THE GMP TO COUNCIL. WE BRIEFED THE GMP AT COUNCIL. YOU APPROVED THE GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE AT COUNCIL. THOSE ITEMS INCLUDED THE PURCHASE OF STEEL, THE PURCHASE OF OKAY, BUT IT DIDN'T INCLUDE. HEY, WE'RE GOING TO TOTALLY MESS UP THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. IT INCLUDED A TIMELINE. SO THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING I'M SORRY. OKAY. ABSOLUTELY. IT HAS NOT BEEN IT WAS NOT BRIEFED TO US WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE SAID YES. WE WOULD LIKE A LOWER COST. ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD HAPPEN FROM THAT DECISION WERE NOT EXPLAINED TO COUNCIL. NONE OF IT WAS. AND FRANKLY, ANYBODY CAN GO BACK AND WATCH THAT MEETING AND SEE IT. AND SO THIS IS ONCE AGAIN WHERE WE HAVE THE CITY PUTTING A GUN TO PEOPLE'S HEADS, SAYING, YOU HAVE TO DECIDE THIS OR ELSE, OH MY GOSH, THIS PROJECT IS STALLED. YOU HAVE TO MAKE A BAD DECISION THAT WILL, AGAIN, OUR RESIDENTS ON THE BAD SIDE OF THIS BECAUSE OF THAT. AND I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THE PRICE OF STEEL MIGHT ACTUALLY GO DOWN DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THANK YOU. ACM RASTOGI. WHEN DO YOU THINK IF THIS MOTION WERE TO PASS, THIS COULD REACH A COUNCIL? BRIEFING OR AGENDA MEETING? YOU KNOW, WE WOULD OBVIOUSLY TRY TO GET IT ON THE AGENDA AS QUICKLY AS [03:45:02] POSSIBLE. HOWEVER, I, I BELIEVE THAT THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO TALK ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IS THIS COMMITTEE AND YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE NEED TO COMMIT TO COMING BACK IN TWO WEEKS TO THIS COMMITTEE, WE'LL COMMIT TO DOING THAT. COUNCIL MEMBER I HAVE A, WITH REGARD TO THE, TO THE ORDERING OF MATERIALS AND STUFF, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A, AN ORDERING OF MATERIALS AND BASED ON A CERTAIN PLAN. AND IF YOU ORDER THOSE MATERIALS, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS POTENTIALLY INCREASING THE COST OF THE PROJECT. IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE NEEDING STEEL, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE NEEDING CONCRETE, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE NEEDING STUFF. WE MAY NEED TO ORDER MORE LATER. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE COMMITTING TO, WE ALWAYS COME BACK AND AMEND AND ASK FOR MORE MONEY WHEN WE NEED IT. SO MICHAEL, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE I'M, I'M, I'M BEING SORT OF FACETIOUS, BUT I'M NOT. IS THAT THE CRITICAL ISSUE ON ON ORDERING AND ON DOING THAT IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS AND I'M ASKING THE QUESTION NOT TELLING, BUT I'M ASKING THE QUESTION THAT WHETHER THERE'S SOME FLEXIBILITY, THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITY. AND WHAT'S THE WORST CASE IF YOU DO MAKE THE ORDER AND YOU DON'T, AND WE NEED TO BUY MORE STUFF. IN OTHER WORDS, I THINK THAT THAT I, I, I, I'M REALLY INCLINED, I WANT TO GIVE YOU ALL TIME TO FIGURE OUT A, WORKAROUND. I DON'T WANT TO DELAY IT. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THE THE DOWNSIDE OF MOVING FORWARD IN YOUR ORDERING IS STILL PART OF IT. WE HAVEN'T SAID WE'RE NOT GOING TO BUILD THE PROJECT. WE'RE JUST GOING TO BUILD IT DIFFERENTLY. AND SO YOU'RE STILL GOING TO NEED STUFF. AND SO I, I'M, I'M ASKING YOUR ADVICE AS, AS OUR STAFF TO IS THIS SOMETHING THAT ALSO THERE MAY BE SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU ALL TO MANAGE THAT PURE PROCUREMENT PROCESS TO THE, TO THE BENEFIT AND NOT TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE PROJECT, SO THAT IT'S NOT AN ALL OR NOTHING SCENARIO. SO THAT IS WHY I ANSWERED COUNCILWOMAN BLACKMON THE WAY THAT I DID THAT, I NEED A LITTLE TIME TO GO BACK BECAUSE PART OF ORDERING INCLUDES MILLWORK. MILLWORK IS A DESIGN. IT SAYS CUT THE STEEL TO THIS LENGTH, CUT THIS TO THIS LENGTH. DO THE, COLUMNS, TO THIS LENGTH AND THIS HEIGHT. SO THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLICATIONS TO THAT THAT INVOLVE A DESIGN OF A BUILDING. AND SO IF WE ORDER IT TO X, Y, Z HEIGHT AND THEN WE CHANGE X, Y, Z HEIGHT, WE POTENTIALLY LET ME USE THAT WORD POTENTIALLY LOST SOME MONEY BECAUSE WE CAN'T USE HALF OF THE ORDER AT THAT HEIGHT OR SOME PORTION OF THE ORDER. SO IT'S NOT A HISTRIONIC THING. IT'S NOT TRYING TO HOLD ANYONE TO THE WALL. WHY WE BROUGHT THE GMP TO COUNCIL. IT'S WHY WE STRUCTURED IT AS A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK, AT RISK, SO THAT ALONG THE WAY YOU ALL COULD SEE THE PRICING AS IT WAS LAID OUT. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE BROUGHT THAT AND IT EXPLAINED HOW MUCH WE WERE BUYING IN EACH OF THOSE PURCHASING CATEGORIES. AND IT INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, THE HEIGHT AND ALL OF THAT, RIGHT. AND SO IT'S THE MILLWORK THAT DETERMINES A LOT OF IT. AND SO IF THAT STOPS, THE PURCHASE STOPS. AND SO I'LL NEED TO GO BACK, AS I SUGGESTED TO COUNCILWOMAN BLACKMON AND REALLY HUDDLE WITH THE TEAM AND FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANY OF IT THAT'S SALVAGEABLE BUT ADVISABLE FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS A, YOU KNOW, THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO BE HELD TO THIS AT COUNCIL WOULD BE TO LET'S HOLD ON THAT FOR A MINUTE AND FIGURE THAT OUT, WHICH SETS THE PROJECT BACK BECAUSE WE FALL IN A DIFFERENT ORDER IN THAT MILLWORK PROCESS. RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S WHAT THEN THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK HAS TO GO BACK AND TELL US, HEY, ARE WE IN THE JUNE LINE, THE JULY LINE, THE AUGUST LINE, OCTOBER. AND THEN THAT DETERMINES WHEN WE CAN ACTUALLY START THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION. SO THAT'S WHY I SAID THAT. CHAIR, COULD I SPEAK? YES. THANK YOU. I THINK WHAT I SEE IS THE CRITICAL ISSUE WITH THIS MOTION IS THAT IT DOES SPEAK TO DESIGN. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HEIGHT AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DESIGN, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THE SENTIMENT OF THIS COMMITTEE IS TO HOLD UP THE DESIGN AT THIS POINT, BUT IT IS TO GET ANSWERS TO THE TRANSPORTATION QUESTION. SO IF THE MOTION COULD BE AMENDED SO THAT IT'S NOT TALKING ABOUT THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING, BUT INSTEAD IS FOCUSED ON WHAT I'VE HEARD THIS MORNING, WHICH IS ALL OF YOU BEING VERY, VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUE. [03:50:06] THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S AT ISSUE. AND I KNOW THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING IS WHAT BROUGHT US TO THIS TRANSPORTATION ISSUE, BUT CHALLENGE THESE VERY BRIGHT PEOPLE TO FIGURE THIS OUT AND NOT HAVE TO ADJUST THE HEIGHT SO WE DON'T HAVE COST OVERRUNS AND WE DON'T MISSPEND OUR OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GET THE ALL THE ORDERING CORRECTLY. SO ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT LET'S FOCUS ON WHAT OUR ISSUE IS. BUT THE ISSUE OF THIS COMMITTEE IS NOT THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING. ULTIMATELY, IT IS FINDING A SOLUTION TO THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUE. GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO TRY TO SOLVE THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUE, WHICH I BELIEVE IS WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH HAS SAID. GIVE THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY AND PULL THIS DESIGN PIECE OUT FOR NOW. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER WEST. THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING NON-COMMITTEE MEMBERS PARTICIPATE. I'M HEARING WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAYING. I MEAN, I MY HOPE IS THAT STAFF, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE MOTION IS, IS GOING TO SPEND THE NEXT TWO WEEKS WORKING THROUGH A COMPROMISE. I FEEL LIKE THE MOTION PUTS PRESSURE ON US ON ON STAFF TO COME TO THE TABLE WITH THE RESIDENTS, TO LISTEN TO THE CONCERNS AND AND TO NOT TURN THE BACK ON OAK CLIFF AS THE CURRENT DESIGN IS DOING. YOU KNOW OFTENTIMES IN DISTRICT ONE, WE SEE CONFLICTS BETWEEN OUR OUR MOTORISTS, OUR CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS. BUT IN THIS SCENARIO, EVERYBODY HATES IT. NOBODY'S HAPPY. WE REALLY NEED A BETTER OPTION FOR OAK CLIFF. AND I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE MY COLLEAGUES UNDERSTANDING AND RECOGNIZING THAT IT'S LEAVING US BEHIND IN THIS CURRENT CYCLE. THANK YOU. WELL, I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY TO SCHEDULE ANOTHER SPECIALLY CALLED TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MEETING IN TWO WEEKS TO ALLOW STAFF TO ABSORB THE INPUT THAT THEY'VE RECEIVED FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND THE NON-COMMITTEE MEMBERS. TODAY, WE'VE HAD A LENGTHY DISCUSSION. IF STAFF BELIEVES THAT THAT TWO WEEKS CAN BE PUT TO PRODUCTIVE USE AND HOPEFULLY COMING UP WITH A COMPROMISE THAT WOULDN'T DELAY THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ENTIRE CONVENTION CENTER, THEN I AM CERTAINLY OPEN TO THAT. IF SOMEONE WISHES TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATE MOTION. I THINK THERE'S ALREADY A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, THOUGH. WELL, THIS WOULD BE A ANOTHER MOTION TO DEFER, WHICH WOULD TAKE PRECEDENCE. BUT. I'M MAKING THE MOTION TO DEFER FOR TWO MORE WEEKS LIKE MR. ROTH MADE HIS. YES. AND I MAKE THE MOTION. MOTION TO DEFER FOR TWO MORE WEEKS AND COME BACK AND HAVE THIS DISCUSSION FOR FIVE MORE HOURS AGAIN. WELL, HOPEFULLY NOT FIVE HOURS. IS THERE A SECOND MOTION? YOU CAN SECOND THAT. WELL, I'LL SECOND IT. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON A MOTION TO DEFER FOR TWO WEEKS? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY AYE OR RAISE YOUR HANDS. ONLY TWO IN FAVOR. SO THAT MOTION FAILS. SO WE'RE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION AGAIN. AND I'LL CALL A QUESTION AT THIS TIME. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO REFER THE MATTER TO THE CITY COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION TO RAISE THE HEIGHT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER BACK TO THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT TO ACCOMMODATE THE VIADUCT TRAVEL, PLEASE SAY I, I, I BELIEVE THAT WAS ONE, TWO, THREE AND FOUR. SO THAT MOTION PASSED. I RECOGNIZE THAT FOR ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR. YEAH, I VOTED NO, I DID, I DID ONE, TWO, THREE AND FOUR. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. IS THERE ANY OTHER BUSINESS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE? I BELIEVE THIS IS OUR ONLY AGENDA ITEM. NOTE SOMETHING. YES, I BELIEVE THAT EVEN WITH THIS, ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO PLACE AN ORDER FOR THE MORE CONSERVATIVE AMOUNT, EVEN IF IT WASN'T FOR THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT. WELL, WE'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO STAFF. THANK YOU. YES. VICE CHAIR. IS IT APPROPRIATE, EVEN WITH THIS BE PASSED TO THE CITY COUNCIL, THAT IT IS, IS IT APPROPRIATE TO HAVE OR ARE WE ABLE TO CALL A SPECIAL MEETING IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO GET FEEDBACK ANYWAY? NO, BECAUSE WE'VE PASSED IT DOWN TO COUNCIL AND SO WE CAN'T MAKE IT. [03:55:01] NO. THE PROCESS. YEAH. OKAY. BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT COMMITTEE LEVEL BECAUSE WE'VE FORWARDED THIS ON TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING. THANK YOU FOR OUR VARIOUS PRESENTERS. IT IS NOW 1:25 P.M.. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.