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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 04 18 AIS CCIAGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: April 18, 2017 Meeting Type: Regular Meeting of the CCI Staff Contact/Dept.: Linda Pauly/DPW Staff Phone No: 541-726-4608 COMMITTEE FOR CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT (CCI) Estimated Time: 20 Minutes ITEM TITLE: DOWNTOWN DESIGN STANDARDS PROJECT: CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT UPDATE (File No. TYP 414-00001) ACTION REQUESTED: Review staff’s proposed mid-term adjustments to citizen involvement activities for the remainder of the project. If approved by the CCI, the proposed changes would: 1) Modify the Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) roster as proposed in Attachment 1; and 2) Direct staff to seek additional citizen input over the next 4 months through focused outreach to address the vacant categories on the CAC, and to address the City Council’s request for input from the development community. Staff will continue to seek citizen input as outlined in the approved Citizen Involvement Plan (Attachment 3) ISSUE STATEMENT: Since the CCI’s approval of the Citizen Involvement Plan for this project (Attachment 3) and previous appointments to the Downtown CAC, changes in committee membership have occurred. Staff’s recommended project mid-term adjustments address these changes, while maintaining an intact core committee to see the Downtown Design Standards project through to completion. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Existing and Proposed Committee Positions 2. CAC Meeting and Code Amendment Adoption Schedule 3. Citizen Involvement Plan (approved by the CCI on June 3, 2014) DISCUSSION: The Downtown CAC provides City land use planning advisory functions associated with the implementation of the Downtown Refinement Plan and the Downtown Urban Design Plan — consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 1 and Section II of the City’s Citizen Involvement Program. Since appointment of this committee, the CCI has appointed new members to fill vacancies on the CAC and has approved changes to categories of representation as members move, resign or no longer reflect the category of representation for which they were appointed. The CCI’s most recent appointments and adjustments to the committee roster occurred on May 7, 2015. After advertising two committee vacancies through a City media release and through communications to a range of interested parties, the City was unsuccessful in recruiting to fill the Downtown Business or Property Owner and Springfield Downtown School representative positions and those positions remain unfilled. Other changes in membership are due to members resigning, moving out of the area, or changing employment. The City is at the mid-point of a planning process to develop Downtown Design Standards that are scheduled to be adopted this calendar year. Staff does not recommend asking dedicated committee members to resign or recruiting new committee members at this time. To address vacancies and to ensure that the project will continue to engage a variety of Downtown stakeholders, staff proposes to seek input from groups no longer represented on the CAC — the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business or Property Owner, Springfield Downtown School Representative, and Historic Commission through individual or group stakeholder interviews. Historic Commission members are actively participating in the review process. At their May 24th, 2016 Historic Commission meeting, the commission designated member McKenzie Karp as their representative. The Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation (SRDC) group has volunteered to participate in the review process. Staff proposes to request input from Mike Eyster, as representative of the Chamber of Commerce. At their July 2016 work sessions, Council directed staff to seek input from members of the Development Advisory Committee (DAC). That committee has since sunsetted. Staff proposes to request input from former DAC members Shaun Hyland (President of John Hyland Construction) and Rick Satre (Schirmer-Satre Group) as we conduct review of the next draft of the proposed design standards. A copy of the approved Citizen Involvement Plan (Attachment 3) is provided as background. Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee Members Member Category as Appointed by CCI Proposed Category (changes shown in green font) Shannon Mudge General Public General Public John Tuttle Washburne Historic District Neighborhood Washburne Historic District Neighborhood Daniel Basaraba Realtor/developer Realtor/developer John Qualman Area resident (Realtor/developer) Area resident Celia Barry Area resident Area resident Kip Amend Designer Designer Karen Hageman, Vice Chair Re-assign Karen Hageman Plan Area Business Owner/Renter (sold her downtown businesses) Add new category: SRDC Steve Moe, Chair Re-assign Steve Moe Planning Commission (no longer serving on PC) General Public Angelynn Pierce Re-assign Angelynn Pierce Downtown Business Owner, Chamber of Commerce (alternate) General Public Vacant: Re-assign Vincent Martorello or Willamalane designee Willamalane Parks and Recreation (Bob Keefer retired Nov. 2016) Willamalane Parks and Recreation Vacant: focused outreach to Historic Commission with McKenzie Karp as liaison Historic Commission Representative (position vacated by Vincent Martorello) Historic Commission Representative Vacant: focused outreach to architects serving on Historic Commission Designer (position vacated when Julie Romig) Designer Attachment 1, Page 1 of 2 Vacant: Stakeholder Interview Springfield Downtown School Representative Springfield Downtown School Representative Vacant: Stakeholder Interview Chamber of Commerce (Dan Egan resigned, Angelynn Pierce is no longer with Chamber) Chamber of Commerce Vacant: Re-assign Angelynn Pierce General Public (Ted Corbin resigned) General Public Vacant: Stakeholder Interview Community Development Advisory Committee Delete category Mayor Lundberg and Planning Commissioner Tim Vohs serve on CDAC Vacant: Stakeholder Interview NEDCO Downtown Program Representative (Jim McHugh left NEDCO) Delete category Position was intended as liaison to NEDCO’s Downtown Main Street program. That program no longer exists. Attachment 1, Page 2 of 2 Downtown Design Standards Project Schedule 2017 Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) Meetings 4/5/17 Date Meeting/Communication Work Products Presented/Reviewed April 27 CAC Meeting (5:30 PM Jesse Maine Room) Downtown Design Standards – Compatibility 1 May 25 CAC Meeting (5:30 PM Jesse Maine Room) Downtown Design Standards – Compatibility 2 June 8 CAC Meeting with Technical Advisory Group (5:30 PM Library Meeting Room,) Draft Design Standards 3 July 13 CAC meeting (5:30 PM Jesse Maine Room) Draft Design Standards 4 CAC recommendations July 27 CAC meeting (If needed) (5:30 PM Jesse Maine Room) Draft Design Standards 4 CAC recommendations (continued) November 7 Planning Commission Work Session & Public Hearing Code Amendments Ordinance PC recommendation December 4 City Council Work Session & Public Hearing Code Amendments Ordinance Attachment 2, Page 1 of 1 Approved by Committee For Citizen Involvement (CCI) June 3, 2014 1 | Downtown District Design- Citizen Involvement Plan Downtown District Design Citizen Involvement Plan The Springfield Downtown Design Citizen Involvement Plan is meant to ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to contribute, become informed and provide input during the course of the Downtown District Design project. Background - Project Description and Intent: The Springfield City Council is interested in adopting new Downtown Design Standards to ensure that development projects, new uses and new public improvements will make positive contributions to improve the look, feel and functionality of Downtown. This project will coordinate a public planning process to produce a set of coherent and consistent design standards to improve the overall image, attractiveness and economic vitality of the City’s heart. Revitalizing Downtown requires actions by many partners. One way the City of Springfield can contribute to making a better Downtown is through its administration of design standards through the building and land use permitting process. This project will review and update the existing City codes, design manuals and plans that regulate design in the Downtown to produce new standards that recognize and build upon the qualities that make Downtown Springfield a distinctive destination with a strong identity, such as: Physical features (e.g. building heights and setbacks, sidewalk and street widths, paving materials and treatments, signs, lighting, street tree canopy, planters, streetscape furniture, bike vehicular parking facilities) Urban design qualities (e.g. human scale, building façade articulation and transparency, City image, legibility, wayfinding, overall walkability, requirements Attachment 3, Page 1 of 7 Approved by Committee For Citizen Involvement (CCI) June 3, 2014 2 | Downtown District Design- Citizen Involvement Plan to buffer adjacent residential neighborhoods and to address historic, cultural and natural resources) Design qualities that influence sense of safety, comfort, walking behavior and level of Downtown user/visitor/shopper interest (e.g. natural surveillance, lighting levels, crime prevention through design, protected bikeways, weather protection, outdoor seating and food vendors, plazas, water features and public art, retail district design best practices) The project will engage a variety of Downtown stakeholders to identify design elements to be regulated and to prepare draft standards for review and adoption by the City Council. Through the public involvement process, the project will also identify potential “do it now” project initiatives and partners and coordinate with ongoing efforts such as the Downtown lighting installations and other design-related initiatives identified by Council. The new standards will be adopted by the Council as amendments to existing regulatory codes (e.g. Springfield Development Code, Municipal Sign Code), manuals and plans to guide construction of public and private improvements and other redevelopment activity. Project Deliverables: The Downtown District Design Standards project will produce three major deliverables: Public Realm Standards (Engineering Design Standards – EDSPM) Downtown District Code Chapter (Springfield Development Code) Code and Plan Amendments Package (Municipal Code, Downtown Sign Code, Downtown Refinement Plan, Springfield Zoning Map) Staff also proposes to publish a final document that combines all applicable standards into one user friendly, color-illustrated Downtown District Design Standards guide and to develop a ”roll out” public information strategy to communicate the new standards in a way that promotes Downtown Springfield. Attachment 3, Page 2 of 7 Approved by Committee For Citizen Involvement (CCI) June 3, 2014 3 | Downtown District Design- Citizen Involvement Plan Citizen Involvement Plan - Purpose of the Citizen Involvement Plan (CIP) The purpose of the Citizen Involvement Plan is to ensure that citizens have an opportunity to be involved in all phases of the planning process. To comply with the requirements of Oregon’s Statewide Planning Goals and Guidelines for Citizen Involvement Goal 1, the City adopted a Citizen Involvement Program in 1990 that guides how the City provides for citizen involvement in the planning process. Proposed Citizen Involvement Strategies This project will solicit stakeholder and citizen input during key phases of the project to ensure that a range of perspectives and values are considered. The project team will utilize a broad set of involvement strategies including: 1. Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee 2. Technical Advisory Group 3. Outreach to Stakeholders and the Public 4. Public Events 5. Project Website 6. Public Hearings 1.) Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) The CAC has been in place since the committee was appointed by the CCI on October 7, 2008 to provide City planning advisory functions associated with Downtown revitalization. They have played a critical role guiding development of the Downtown Urban Design Plan and Implementation Strategy, and providing input on initiatives to improve the physical appearance, safety and vitality of Downtown. The CAC contributes considerable knowledge, valuable experience, history and continuity to this project. Background: When the Downtown Urban Design Plan project was initiated at the July 7, 2008 Council work session, the Council directed staff to consider the appointment of the existing Downtown Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (DURAC) members to serve on the Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee. The DURAC was originally appointed by Springfield Economic Development Agency (SEDA) in December 2007 to advise SEDA on urban renewal issues. DURAC members were recruited through notices in the local media and the City’s website. Attachment 3, Page 3 of 7 Approved by Committee For Citizen Involvement (CCI) June 3, 2014 4 | Downtown District Design- Citizen Involvement Plan On several occasions since then, the CCI has appointed new members to the CAC to fill vacancies and has approved minor adjustments to membership recruitment categories to expand the expertise and community representation on the CAC. On February 3rd, 2015 the Committee for Citizen Involvement approved the following citizen categories to be represented on the Downtown CAC: Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee Positions Category # of Positions General Public 2 Chamber of Commerce 1 Historic Commission 1 Springfield Downtown School 1 Plan Area Business Owner/Renter 1 Downtown Business/Downtown Property Owner 1 Washburne District 1 Willamalane 1 NEDCO Downtown Program Coordinator 1 Area Resident 2 Designer 2 Realtor/ Developer 1 TOTAL Positions 15 DPW staff will convene the CAC as needed during the Downtown Design Standards project to advise and provide input into the development of work products for this project and will forward recommendations to the Planning Commission. 2.) Technical Advisory Group (TAG) A Technical Advisory Group (TAG) will be invited to provide technical guidance and specialized knowledge to inform and review the development of new design standards. Meetings with the TAG will also help forge partnerships for implementation. The TAG will consist of representatives from groups, organizations and agencies interested in Downtown. TAG members will contribute specialized expertise and understanding of policy, legal, operational and/or planning issues. They also will serve as project liaisons with their respective groups and help identify opportunities to coordinate projects. Attachment 3, Page 4 of 7 Approved by Committee For Citizen Involvement (CCI) June 3, 2014 5 | Downtown District Design- Citizen Involvement Plan TAG members will be identified during the 1st phase of the project, but may include representatives from: Willamalane Springfield Public Schools Lane Transit District ODOT NEDCO/Main Street SUB Historic Commission City of Springfield Staff The project team will utilize input from the CCI, Oversight Team, project kickoff meeting attendees, and other internal and external stakeholder to help identify TAG participants and then coordinate individual and group TAG meetings, as needed, during the course of the project. 3.) Outreach to Stakeholders and the Public The project team will meet with stakeholders in the project area and work to foster communication with those individuals and groups who may be impacted by the project. The purpose behind this activity is to allow stakeholder input to inform development of project outcomes. This involvement strategy will allow staff to explore specific issues and concerns posed by individuals and delve into needs and expectations on specific topic areas. As part of this involvement strategy, staff will develop communication materials that provide background information on the purpose and intent of the project for distribution to stakeholders. Specific outreach activities will be developed during the 1st phase of the project, but will likely include: 1. Focus group meetings 2. Presentations at Main Street program meetings 3. Distribute communication materials to interested stakeholders 4. Conduct outreach to Title VI populations using phone, paper and face-to-face communication strategies 5. Group listening sessions with stakeholder groups Attachment 3, Page 5 of 7 Approved by Committee For Citizen Involvement (CCI) June 3, 2014 6 | Downtown District Design- Citizen Involvement Plan Database for Outreach A database will be developed during phase 1 of the project and will be used to support outreach activities to stakeholders and the public during the project. The database will be developed using input received from the kickoff meeting, from contact information that has been compiled as part of previous downtown planning efforts, and during outreach events held for this project. The complete list of database categories will be developed further during the 1st phase of the project, but an initial list will include the following groups: Chamber of Commerce Property owners Business owners/renters Downtown residents Willamette Heights neighborhood residents Washburne Neighborhood Association Washburne neighborhood residents Agencies (Willamalane, SUB, ODOT, LTD) SRDC NEDCO Other nonprofits Youth City residents Potential developers Underserved populations (those with disabilities, low income, non-English speakers) Community leaders City staff City council Planning Commission Historic Commission Arts Commission BPAC CDAC DAC Library Parking Advisory Committee Public Safety Attachment 3, Page 6 of 7 Approved by Committee For Citizen Involvement (CCI) June 3, 2014 7 | Downtown District Design- Citizen Involvement Plan 4.) Public Events The project team will conduct an event(s) to get input on the proposed design standards, such as an open house at city hall or outreach at community events. Specific public event activities will be developed during the 1st phase of the project, but may include: 1. Open house event(s) with the following focus: Review of existing design standards and proposed categories Review of proposed amendments and design standards 2. Display outreach at local community events, such as the Springfield Farmers Market and Summer Fair 5.) Project Website The project will utilize the existing Downtown Planning website to communicate project updates and provide draft work products for public review. The current website will be updated to include information about the Downtown Design Project scope of work and opportunities for involvement and input. The website will be updated on a regular basis to reflect the changing status of the project and its work products/outcomes. 6.) Public Hearings Public hearings provide opportunity for community members to submit formal comments to the Planning Commission and City Council regarding the project prior to formal adoption. The Planning Commission and City Council will both conduct public hearings on this project. The final schedule of public hearings will be determined during the course of the project. Attachment 3, Page 7 of 7