Pinthouse Pizza
What About the Traffic?
RECEIVED Wed., May 12, 2004
Dear Editor,
The controversy surrounding the proposed Shops at the Galleria and the Hill Country Galleria developments overlooks one critical fact. What about the traffic? The developers conducted a traffic impact analysis for each proposed site. Projected car trips per day in and out of the Hill Country Galleria are a minimum of 46,000, and 28,000-33,000 for the Shops. Combined, these developments will produce 80,000 additional car trips in the Bee Cave corridor. (In 2000, there were roughly 65,000 cars/day through this area.) None of these figures include all the new developments proposed down Hamilton Pool Road or farther west out Highway 71.
The developer claims he'll solve the problem by adding two additional lanes to Highway 71 and a four-lane bypass road between FM 2244 and RR 620. But the numbers just don't add up. The Village approved the traffic impact analysis for the Shops without even requiring the developer to update his old traffic study for the Galleria – even though the new Galleria plan includes an additional 490,000 square feet of apartments/condos. Village of Bee Caves ordinances prohibit the board from approving any development that will create failing intersections (as calculated by wait time, number of cars stacked up per intersection, etc.). So why is the Village turning a blind eye to this legal requirement and not insisting that the developer supply new, comprehensive traffic calculations instead of rushing through these approvals? Probably because the combined projects will fail the test miserably.
This Saturday, the Village of Bee Cave residents will determine what the Village will look like in 2007. If they vote for the incumbents, we'll soon see elevated freeways (most likely toll roads) and sprawling parking lots with big-box USA. If they vote for new leadership, maybe they'll get a vibrant, unique, thoughtfully planned town center community that serves the real needs of local citizens.
The controversy surrounding the proposed Shops at the Galleria and the Hill Country Galleria developments overlooks one critical fact. What about the traffic? The developers conducted a traffic impact analysis for each proposed site. Projected car trips per day in and out of the Hill Country Galleria are a minimum of 46,000, and 28,000-33,000 for the Shops. Combined, these developments will produce 80,000 additional car trips in the Bee Cave corridor. (In 2000, there were roughly 65,000 cars/day through this area.) None of these figures include all the new developments proposed down Hamilton Pool Road or farther west out Highway 71.
The developer claims he'll solve the problem by adding two additional lanes to Highway 71 and a four-lane bypass road between FM 2244 and RR 620. But the numbers just don't add up. The Village approved the traffic impact analysis for the Shops without even requiring the developer to update his old traffic study for the Galleria – even though the new Galleria plan includes an additional 490,000 square feet of apartments/condos. Village of Bee Caves ordinances prohibit the board from approving any development that will create failing intersections (as calculated by wait time, number of cars stacked up per intersection, etc.). So why is the Village turning a blind eye to this legal requirement and not insisting that the developer supply new, comprehensive traffic calculations instead of rushing through these approvals? Probably because the combined projects will fail the test miserably.
This Saturday, the Village of Bee Cave residents will determine what the Village will look like in 2007. If they vote for the incumbents, we'll soon see elevated freeways (most likely toll roads) and sprawling parking lots with big-box USA. If they vote for new leadership, maybe they'll get a vibrant, unique, thoughtfully planned town center community that serves the real needs of local citizens.
Pat Sinnott
Lake Pointe resident
Lake Pointe resident