Strange “vybe” concerning tonight’s city council meeting

My edition of the Webster’s II New Collegiate Dictionary does not include the word “vybe.” According to the Urban Dictionary “vybe” is a word used in the Caribbean but what it says about the word comes across as gibberish to me. It says “vybe” typically refers to “a relationship without the titles. You can vybe with more than one person and then choose, or if the vybe is very serious with the person it's a good idea not to vybe with someone else.” Sure. Fine. Whatever. I can say this for certain, however: there are a lot of “vybes” emanating from tonight’s city council meeting. So many “vybes,” in fact, I really hope the council pulls Item 10 from tonight’s Consent Agenda.

And the “vybes” are not the only reason Item 10 should be pulled.

This item calls for the approval of a “citywide trail master plan.” I’m not sure how the city council and the city staff and everybody else feels about this, but, to me, this is a big freaking deal that deserves much more discussion than it will receive if it remains on the Consent Agenda. We’re talking about a proposed 51-mile, at least, network of trails costing the city, according to a presentation that accompanies the item, the spending of around a half million dollars a year to construct. (The item doesn’t specify how many years it will take to complete, but learning that fact is another reason this item should be pulled.)

These trails will feature such amenities, according to the presentation, as “community gardens, enhance landscaping, benches, swings, ponds, fitness stations, smart light poles, charging stations/ports (for the electronic carts allowed on the trails as well as smartphones, etc.), wi-fi, security cameras, and LED lights.” They will employ culverts and “decorative bridges” to minimize roadway crossings. We’re talking about 12-foot-wide trails (“to accommodate golf carts and other neighborhood electric vehicles”) with two-foot buffers on each side “for additional safety and utility placements.” Like I said: This is a big freaking deal.

And I haven’t even mentioned how the “vybes” are involved.

I’m not exactly sure that a “vybe” is. I am convinced it is a made-up, PR word, similar to the term “Metroplex” some PR braintrust coined to label the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area many decades ago. Here’s how an attachment to the Consent Agenda item introduces and explains the word:

“The Kyle trail system is an extension of the city’s park system, and is meant to connect people to recreation, commerce, and neighborhoods. Every resident of Kyle should be able to access the trail from a trailhead that is close to them. Every resident should have access to commercial nodes, or Vybes, that offer a unique experience of shopping, dining, relaxation, and fun. This connection to Vybes has led to the recommended name of the trail system as The Vybe Kyle. The Vybe employs a new term labeled TOD: Trail-Oriented Development. In other words, shopping centers, restaurants, neighborhoods, parks, and other areas along the trail should be oriented toward the trail rather than the automobile. Indeed, we believe that foot traffic equals retail sales and proximity to people equals experiences. Developments along the Vybe are encouraged to face the trail as well as to provide destination place-making activities. … Kyle residents deserve the highest quality of life which they will be able to obtain via The Vybe. The Vybe is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a living system that continues to grow with more individual Vybes and greater use.”

Any questions?

Trouble is, council members won’t have the opportunity to ask any questions and, thus, further inform and educate us, the great unwashed, about what this is all about unless the item is pulled from the Consent Agenda.

But wait, there’s more. The presentation contains additional information about the “vybes,” such as:

“Individual Vybes should be unique to the developments where they are located. Much latitude is provided to each development to encourage variety and attraction, but each Vybe is encouraged to include: decorative pavers in the herringbone configuration, raised speed tables, grand entry signage, sufficient golf cart and vehicular parking, and charging stations. To encourage continuity along The Vybe and avoid visitor confusion, all Vybes should include activities throughout the day until 9 p.m. Certain restaurants and other retail may open early and close later.”

And:

“The Vybe will feature multiple distinct environments such as urban, natural, wooded, residential, commercial, etc. Vybes may also include unique signage, raised speed tables with the herringbone brick pattern (Kyle Style), art installations and other features to differentiate themselves from other Vybes. Along The Vybe certain features may include community gardens, enhanced landscaping, benches, swings, ponds, fitness stations, etc. To encourage visual variety as well as to enhance safety, long sections of trail should be built with a slight serpentine design.”

Hold on! Wait a minute! Just when I think “vybes” are distinct entertainment-type centers scattered around the city that are all connected by these trails (or “commercial nodes,” as explained earlier in the presentation) now I’m beginning to wonder if “vybes” are actually the name given to the actual trails:

“Many modes of recreation are allowed on The Vybe, including golf carts, neighborhood electric vehicles, personal scooters, running, jogging, walking, cycling, skateboarding, and roller blading. Any motorized or electric vehicle must be governed at 20 MPH and be street legal to ensure safety. All vehicles must be permitted through the city of Kyle. Individuals 15 years old (with a valid learner’s permit) and older may operate a motorized vehicle on The Vybe. Golf carts always yield to bikes and both to pedestrians … The Vybe is being designed to minimize roadway crossings as much as feasible. Where crossings must occur, safety beacons such as HAWK Signals should be implemented. The Vybe has been planned along greenbelts, under bridges and culverts, along easements, etc. to minimize vehicle conflicts. However, in the event a trail segment cannot be feasibly constructed, motorized vehicles will be able to utilize local roadways at or under 35 MPH while pedestrians will take advantage of narrower sidewalks. Such utilization of existing roadways also reduces construction costs for trail construction. The Vybe is not intended to function as an alternate transportation network.”

That last sentence contains the nugget of my concern: If the Vybe "is not intended to function as an alternate transportation network," how is it supposed to function? To be precise, what exactly is a Vybe? Is it a “commercial node” containing “shopping, dining, relaxation, and fun,” or is it the actual trail? Will someone please give the public a definition of this word that we can wrap our minds around and thus understand the structure of the entire proposed trail system? Will someone on the council please pull this item from the Consent Agenda so we can find out everything we need to know about “Vybe” and understand and digest completely the “citywide trail master plan”? It really is a big freaking deal — too big and too complex to shrug off in such a cavalier fashion.