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On June 9, 2010, at the CNA Steering Committee's monthly meeting, the Committee unanimously passed a resolution urging the inclusion of a seventh theme in the Vision Statement for Imagine Austin, the current update of the Comprehensive plan.  Cherrywood Neighbors who would like to provide further support for this idea may contact Matt Dugan of the City's Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Resolution as passed by the Steering Committee:

• Whereas: The City is updating the Comprehensive Plan, and
• Whereas: The City Charter calls for the Comprehensive Plan to " contain the council's policies for growth, development and beautification of the land within the corporate limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city, and
• Whereas: The current draft of the Vision Statement for Imagine Austin calls on citizens to imagine our most desired future, and
• Whereas: The current draft of the Vision Statement for Imagine Austin contains six themes, none focusing on Beautification, and
• Whereas: Beautification includes the removal of ugliness;

Now therefore be it resolved that the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association recommends a seventh theme in the Vision Statement, as follows:

The Austin we love is Beautiful:
    • We have preserved our most beautiful  structures and our most precious natural features.
    • We have created public spaces that represent the highest standards of design, both urban and exurban.
    • We have made sure that as we have grown, we have plenty of functional, connected open space.
    • We have incorporated public art, created both by local artists and artists of international esteem throughout our public spaces.
    • Our downtown and all of our commercial corridors have tree-lined Great Streets defined by shady, human-scale building facades.
    • We have built new buildings, bridges and other improvements that are not only functional but are beautiful to the eye.  We have embodied the ancient principles of "firmness, commodity and delight" in all that we have built.
    • In addition to eliminating air and water pollution, we have similarly eliminated visual pollution throughout the city and it’s ETJ.
    • We have eliminated or reduced to a minimum the previously existing visual barriers represented by overhead power and telecommunication lines, utility poles and other infrastructure that cluttered our commercial nodes, parks and roadways in general.
    • We have eliminated billboards and excessive on-premise signage and have banned overly bright, kinetic and otherwise obtrusive technologies that previously distracted drivers and pedestrians, promoted competition among signs thus making appropriate use of signage difficult or impossible and have prevented the clear, unobstructed view from the public way of our beautiful natural and built environment.

Submitted by CNA Steering Committee Member, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , AIA. Girard is also president of Scenic Austin and a member of the Scenic Texas Executive Board.