AIRLINE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, HARRIS COUNTY AND H-GAC TO HOST LIVABLE CENTERS STUDY, REQUEST COMMUNITY INPUT”

The Airline Improvement District Board of Directors is working in conjunction with the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) and Harris County Community Services Department on a Livable Centers study aimed at facilitating the creation of a vision plan to provide multi-modal transportation options, improve quality of life for the residents of the District, and promote economic development. The first public workshop for the study is this Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:30pm at Carroll Academy (in the school’s cafeteria), 423 Gulf Bank Rd. Houston, TX 77037.

This Livable Centers study is the first step in a process to seek funding for projects in the area identified by the community as high-priority. The Project Team, selected by H-GAC, consists of SWA Group, Inc. leading the overall effort, with the support of sub consultants such as Knudson, LP for public outreach, Transportation Alliance for traffic modeling, and CDS Market Research and Spillette Consulting for demographic and market analysis.

The Project Team will host a series of three public workshops over the next five months in an effort to have as much direct input from the community as possible on which projects the community would like to see come to fruition. In addition, the Project Team is working with administrators at Carroll Academy, Stovall Middle School, and Aldine Senior High School to involve their students at various levels in the study process.

The first public workshop will be held to gather community input on the following basic questions: What changes or improvements within the District would make your daily life better? How do you envision the District in the short- and long-term? What projects would you consider high priority to pursue? The format of the first workshop will include stations where participants may suggest METRO bus routes, complete opinion surveys, and work interactively with the Project Team to show on a map of the district areas where they see potential for improvement. Refreshments will be provided for attendees, activities will be provided for children, and there will be three chances to win a $50 gift card to local favorite Dee Dee’s Pie shop! Spanish-speaking members of the project team will be present, and all written materials will be provided in Spanish as well.