Urgent: Arterial road shown on top of SWCT in Dog's Head Development proposal for Thu 5/21 council meeting

[Tom Wald]

All,

A plan at Austin City Council this week includes a conceptual map with a major roadway to be placed on top of a significant portion of the Southern Walnut Creek Trail (SWCT).

I saw the items for the agreement and annexation of the Dog's Head on the May 21st Austin City Council Agenda. Item #38 has some informative backup materials.

https://www.austintexas.gov/council/2026/20260521-reg#038

Per the draft agreement, p. 22:

Section 6.07 Conceptual Major Street Circulation Alignment. For the area within the Dog’s Head Property, Dog’s Head and the City agree to implement the street alignments and cross-sections depicted on Exhibit “D”. Dog’s Head acknowledges that certain street alignments may require regulatory authority from other jurisdictions, 

 

You can find Exhibit "D" on p. 19 of the exhibits document. The map shows options for a new arterial roadway that significantly negatively impacts the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. It appears that the roadway would replace a significant portion of the SWCT. The black lines noted as "MoKan Rail ROW Parkway Extension Option" and "MoKan Rail ROW Option" are the ones that would directly impact the SWCT. From what I can gather, the "City Property Option" does not significantly impact the SWCT

You can email Austin City Council Members to ask them to remove the "MoKan Rail ROW Option" and the "MoKan Rail ROW Parkway Extension Option" from Exhibit "D". This is Item #38 on the 5/21/26 agenda.

-Tom

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Tom Wald

Executive Director

512-203-7626

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Red Line Parkway Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that unites partners and communities to successfully plan, fund, build, and activate a celebrated Parkway that will be enjoyed for generations.  

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[Shefman Law Group]

Tom can you put this together in some

Social

Media slides to blast and share? 

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[Tom Wald]

See Lenore's message below--post this to social media.

-Tom

Tom Wald

Executive Director

Red Line Parkway Initiative
512-203-7626

[Laura Carbonneau]

The developer rep said today they would change that part of the plan by Thursday council meeting. This was said during the council work session. That said we definitely need to watch this item - anyone who can review and speak ideally this would get postponed and reviewed by commissions instead of this HUGE development that gets its own rules not required elsewhere in the city. 😐 

Lots of stuff on council agenda this week including a massive project at COTA for a luxury resort and golf course (item 74, removing 200 acres of open space and not addressing water or transit), plus Austin energy asking for $ 1B  gas powered ‘peakers’ to shore up the grid. 

Whew. 

Sent from my iPhone

On May 19, 2026, at 11:11 AM, Tom Wald <t...@redlineparkway.org> wrote:



To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/austin-bac/CA%2BPM1570kriUTjDY2g2Oh4mZHVumXZai6GstzWxDYmKkreu0rw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Noni Jarnagin]

I'm working on it....

What I have so far:

Instagram / Facebook Caption

Don’t pave over one of East Austin’s most important trails.

Austin City Council is considering Item #38 on the May 21 agenda, connected to the Dog’s Head development agreement.

The backup materials include a conceptual roadway map, Exhibit D, that shows roadway options labeled:

• MoKan Rail ROW Option

• MoKan Rail ROW Parkway Extension Option

These options appear to run through or directly impact the Southern Walnut Creek Trail, a major community trail used by walkers, runners, cyclists, families, commuters, and nature lovers.

We are not against thoughtful growth.

We are against sacrificing a beloved public trail and surrounding natural area when a less harmful option appears to exist.

Ask Austin City Council to remove the MoKan Rail ROW Option and the MoKan Rail ROW Parkway Extension Option from Exhibit D of Item #38.

Protect the trail. Protect the trees. Protect safe public space.

Email City Council today: https://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members

#ProtectSWCT #SouthernWalnutCreekTrail #SaveOurTrails #BikeATX #WalkATX

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/austin-bac/29CCD585-3B74-45F4-A8A2-95161376CB5F%40gmail.com.

[Noni Jarnagin]

Slides for an Instagram Carousel post. They can be shared on Facebook simultaneously.

On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 6:05 PM Noni Jarnagin <non...@gmail.com> wrote:

Slides for an Instagram Carousel post. They can be shared on Facebook simultaneously.

[Noni Jarnagin]

Slides for an Instagram Carousel post. They can be shared on Facebook simultaneously.

[Noni Jarnagin]

Instagram / Facebook Caption

Don’t pave over one of East Austin’s most important trails.

Austin City Council is considering Item #38 on the May 21 agenda, connected to the Dog’s Head development agreement.

The backup materials include a conceptual roadway map, Exhibit D, that shows roadway options labeled:

• MoKan Rail ROW Option
• MoKan Rail ROW Parkway Extension Option

These options appear to run through or directly impact the Southern Walnut Creek Trail, a major community trail used by walkers, runners, cyclists, families, commuters, and nature lovers.

We are not against thoughtful growth.

We are against sacrificing a beloved public trail and surrounding natural area when a less harmful option appears to exist.

Ask Austin City Council to remove the MoKan Rail ROW Option and the MoKan Rail ROW Parkway Extension Option from Exhibit D of Item #38.

Protect the trail. Protect the trees. Protect safe public space.

Email City Council today: https://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members

#ProtectSWCT #SouthernWalnutCreekTrail #SaveOurTrails #BikeATX #WalkATX

[Tom Wald]

UPDATE: The developer shared an updated Exhibit "D" slide without that highway overlapping the SWCT. A council staffer is working on getting it added to the public council agenda webpage, to help indicate that publicly. Please feel free to reply here if you see it posted there.

Thanks,

Tom

Tom Wald

Executive Director

[Tom Wald]

Thanks to all of those who sent emails to city council! The updated version of the map is here: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=474032
It is linked from the council agenda item #38: https://www.austintexas.gov/council/2026/20260521-reg#038

-Tom