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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/15/1999 Work Session . MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, MARCH 15,1999 The city of Springfield council met in work session in the Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, March 15, 1999, at 6:00 p.m., with Mayor Maine presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Maine, Councilors Ballew, Fitch, Hatfield, Leiken, Lundberg and Simmons. Also present were Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Tim Harold, Senior Management Analyst Rosie Pryor, City Recorder Julie Wilson and members ofthe staff. 1. Status Report for the Springfield Commercial Lands Study (SCLS). Susanna Julber presented the staff report on this issue. Ms. Julber also provided a handout titled Springfield Commercial Lands Study. As part of the Metro Area's Periodic Review Work Program, the city must prepare a Springfield Commercial Lands Study (SCLS). This Study must comply with the requirements of Statewide Planning Goal 9, and to be of greater use to the city, should set the framework for commercial development to the year 2015. The overall objective of the SCLS is to contribute to a healthy and stable economy of Springfield by ensuring that the long term supply of commercial land is adequate to meet the community's commercial development needs in terms of both quantity and quality. . The updated Commercial Lands Inventory suggests that the supply of quality commercial sites in Springfield is not adequate to meet the projected demand for commercial land to the year 2015. Currently, there are between 77 and 82 vacant areas of developable commercial land remaining in the Springfield Urban Growth Boundary, approximately a four year supply of buildable commercial land based on a demand analysis completed by LCOG and city staff. Of these vacant areas, roughly 30 acres is contained in one site; the old Springfield Airport site. Further, many of the vacant commercial sites in the inventory are small and constrained, with no real opportunity for successful commercial development to occur. The CAC is now beginning to formulate policies and implementation strategies to ensure that the commercial land supply in Springfield will be adequate to meet the projected demand. To accommodate the forecasted demand for commercial land, policieS that are derived from the SCLS could emphasize the following alternatives, or combination of alternatives. None of the alternatives come without negative implications, and the following is not an exhaustive list: . Policies to encourage redevelopment . Policies requiring rezoning residential or industrial land to commercial . Policies to encourage mixed use development . Policies to encourage the expansion of the UGB Councilor Hatfield said the issue at hand is what direction we want to go as a city. He discussed the categories of commercial use. He discussed the retail component (e.g., grocery store) and a busine:;s such as Symantic Corp, which is not necessarily support toward the . Work Session Meeting Minutes March 15, 1999 Page 2 . residential area but does provide jobs to the residents of the area. The council needs to decide how much commercial land is desired in Springfield. He also discussed the Natron site and supply and demand issues. Ms. Julber discussed the differences between commercial and industrial as it relates to allowable uses and zoning. She discussed the Weyerhaeuser site and explained it was heavy industrial. She then reviewed light medium industrial designation. Ms. Julber discussed the results of what one business might generate, for instance, a particular business may generate the need for a print shop nearby. Councilor Hatfield discussed development and policy. He said the council needs to decide how much commercial job development is desired. He said land needs to be made available to meet with those needs. A map depicting "vacant commercial land" was displayed and reviewed by Ms. Julber. Mayor Maine said there is potential for redevelopment in the community. She discussed the fact that some property may not be utilized in the best possible way. She suggested stafflook at areas on Main Street as far as land that may have redevelopment potential. Discussion included direction that staff should look into allowing mixed uses and redevelopment is a number one item of discussion. It would be good to get an idea of what the options are and see what works in different areas. There is preference for job creation and opportunity for the Springfield community. . Councilor Hatfield discussed permitted uses and the support for retail business. Councilor Fitch discussed the need for incentives and encouragement so the proposal would be viable. It is more costly to redevelop versus starting from the ground up. Councilor Lundberg discussed the difference between industrial and commercial use. She discussed commercial providing retail service, a product you are selling. She supported the idea of job creation. She said there would always be support services nearby, such as a deli business. She would like to see how the different businesses would work hand-in-hand. She supported the idea of commercial and industrial working grouped together along with the redevelopment concept. Councilor Leiken discussed the need to look toward the future and also discussed needs for new development. Councilor Hatfield discussed the aspects of commercial redevelopment. He said many other communities have three story retail buildings that work.' He thought we should look into the possibility of encouraging multi-story development. Councilor Simmons 'said there is work that can be done on industrial properties. He suggested the best use for property should be evaluated. He discussed the importance of planning along with enhancement of properties. Ms. Julber said she was targeting June for a draft proposal. . Work Session Meeting Minutes March 15, 1999 Page 3 . Planning Manager Greg Mort discussed the time frame and said the time frame would be dependent on the direction provided to staff. It was suggested that staff examine redevelopment options closely along with incentive for redevelopment. It could possibly be brought back to council for a work session meeting. Councilor Ballew discussed buffer zones and barriers around commercial land. Mr. Mott provided additional information related to buffer zones and barriers. Ms. Julber discussed mixed use and provided an example of having a commercial core, mixed use with housing, then low density around that mixed use and discussed the buffer created by this use. Councilor Simmons encouraged that staff look at South of Main Street and referenced the hillside / quarry area, property values and the mill race. Councilor Maine said their best work will be on the polices that they develop and talk about, in terms of encouraging redevelopment and what types of goals the council has in mind for that. She thanked staff for the update and requested that their comments be provided to the committee. 2. Mixed Use Development Ordinance Project - Update. . City Planner Mark Metzger presented the staff report on this issue. "Mixed-Use Development" is defined as the compatible mixing of commercial, residential or even light industrial uses on one lot or in close proximity to one another. It's the approach that marked development at the turn of the century when it was necessary for people to live close to where they lived and shopped. Buildings in downtown area with apartinents over storefronts are examples of such early mixed use in Springfield. Like many communities, Springfield is rediscovering the value of "mixed-use concept, but struggles with how to implement it. The Springfield Development Code does not contain the language needed to allow the compatible mixing of commercial, residential or light industrial uses, even where such mixing would be a valuable tool for development. The city has received a grant for $20,000 to fund the creation of a Mixed-Use Ordinance (zoning district) to fill the void in our Development Code. Work is progressing on the project and a draft ordinance is expected by July. Mixed-use zoning offers flexibility that is often needed to revitalize older commercial centers and neighborhoods. Many believe that mixing commercial and residential uses has appeal for new development as well. The challenge is to produce guidelines that allow flexibility when it makes sense to mix uses while ensuring such mixing is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Issues to be addressed in the ordinance include 1) what kinds of uses can or should be mixed; 2) where should mixed-use development be allowed or encouraged; and 3) how can building scale and forms be made compatible with one another. Councilor Simmons discussed how interesting mixed use can be and said there was a need for it in the community. He noted some benefits of mixed use such as easy access to get back and forth from locations. . Work Session Meeting Minutes March 15, 1999 Page 4 . Councilor Hatfield discussed multi level buildings such as a building with retail business on the first floor, residential/town houses on the second floor, etc. He said many major cities develop in this way because it makes financial sense. The most likely areas for that to take place would be in the downtown area along with Mohawk area. Mixed use can provide financial incentive for redevelopment. Councilor Lundberg said she liked the idea of residential above commercial. She liked the idea offull time presence in an area. She said if the development can happen, the city will not only address the mixed-use issue but safety issues too. Mr. Metzger provided information regarding district centers and industrial settings. He discussed the desire for quality development in the community and the use of mixed-use designation as a tool. Mr. Metzger provided a brief slide show of possible mixed use in a community. The group then discussed design standards in detail. Councilor Leiken discussed residential being near commercial along with some of the effects that result from this mix. He discussed the need to pay attention to detail and regulation related to this mixed use. Mayor Mainereminded staff to continue to look at this issue with open eyes and keep all factors in mind when further working on this issue. ADJOURNMENT . The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Julie Wilson Maureen Maine Mayor Attest: Sit ~ (~"--- Juh WIlson City Recorder .