LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN

We need EVERYONE to send letters to the people making the decisions regarding the proposal of townhomes being built on Live Oak Road!

We have put together a guide to help you write a letter to share your thoughts and feelings regarding this proposal.

At the bottom of this page are the names and addresses (email and/or snail mail) to send the letters.

Checklist to help write a letters to the 'Decision Makers':

Establish who you are, where you live, and why you are writing.
Explain the impact of the proposed development plans on you and your family (i.e., list specific concerns and things that the decision makers may not be aware of).
Highlight other concerns, such as quality of life issues, water concerns, road shortcomings, safety concerns, noise pollution, light pollution, etc. Doesn’t need to be all-inclusive, but what are one of two things that really bother you?
Summarize by restating your position and politely asking to be involved or notified when things begin moving through the hearing process, or proceed through committees or council agendas. Remember, be brief and be done.

A SAMPLE LETTER

Dear _____________,

(PARAGRAPH 1: ESTABLISH WHO YOU ARE...)

I am a resident of the Live Oak Ranch subdivision and have been learning about some of the proposed plans to allow Leander to annex properties adjacent to our area and then follow up with high density residences or townhomes.

(PARAGRAPH 2: EXPLAIN THE IMPACT ON YOU...)

If the City of Leander is serious about thoughtful development as it marches to the North with housing starts, I really hope these properties along Live Oak Road and Byron Circle get proper public input before spoiling our quality of life. We moved to the area from Austin in 2002 to get away from the traffic and construction headaches and I hate to see this reach all the way out to this area, Our main concern about allowing aggressive development nearby is that the already stressed county road system along CR 279 / Bagdad Road is already overloaded and getting worse by the day. One of our neighbors was in a serious auto accident on February 19th at the intersection of CR 279 and Live Oak Road just trying to get home from Liberty Hill. Traffic is just relentless in the area and travels consistently over the posted speed limit (including the parade of gravel trucks). Adding the density of additional homes in an area that would feed into an already problematic road system is simply unthinkable. Additionally, Live Oak Road has been suffering for years from neglect by Williamson County and has been effectively reduced to a one lane roadway.

(PARAGRAPH 3: HIGHLIGHT OTHER CONCERNS...)

In addition to traffic and road concerns, water (and also wastewater and other utilities) will pose challenges. It’s my understanding that Leander is still under water restrictions (Stage 2?) and if developers were to further stretch the available water source with more and more homesites in the proposed area, that would be a major cause for concern. The noise pollution from the current new housing projects just to the South of Live Oak Road is continuous and is ruining what was a nice quiet lifestyle in the Live Oak Ranch area.

(PARAGRAPH 4: SUMMARIZE BY RESTATING YOUR POSITION...)

Please do what you can to manage the situation and discourage the aggressive development into our existing neighborhood. Surely Leander isn’t that hard up for new property tax revenue!

Please advise on future plans for these projects or let us know how we can provide input at the appropriate time.

Sincerely,

Your Name