Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/09/2007 Work Session City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2007 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, April 9, 2007 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lundberg, Wylie, Ballew, Ralston, Woodrow and Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Interim Assistant City Manager Mike Harman, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. 1. Historic Commission Applicant Interviews. City Planner Kitti Gale presented the staff report on this item. The Historic Commission has one opening on its seven-member commission. The recruitment for this opening began February 21, 2007, and closed March 29, 2007. Two candidates have applied, Paula Guthrie and Elizabeth Uhlig. Section IX, 3.8 of the Springfield City Council Operating Policies and Procedures, states that the ". .. Mayor and Council will hold formal interviews of applicants for positions on the Budget Committee, Historic Commission, and Planning Commission and a recommendation from these bodies is not necessary although they may have a representative present to participate in the . . / " mtervlew process. . . Springfield Code 1-10-1, Historic Commission Charge, requires that the 7-member Commission shall be residents; electors; property owners within Springfield; appointees of other Spririgfield public agencies such as WiIIamalane Park & Recreation and School District #19; or, specialists with expertise in such fields as architecture, history, architectural history, planning, or archaeology who live within the Metro-Area General Plan boundaries. For state certified funding it is recommended that a majority of the Commission have professional qualifications. The vacancy on the commission is that of James McNett who had served on the Commission since February of2005; Jim recently moved to the state of Washington to accept new employment in historic preservation. Each Councilor chose the questions they would like to ask of the candidate. Ms. Guthrie knew all of the Mayor and Council except for Hillary Wylie. Councilor Wylie introduced herself. The Mayor and Council interviewed Paula Guthrie. Following the questions by the Mayor and Council, Mayor Leiken asked Ms. Guthrie if she had questions of them. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 9, 2007 Page 2 Ms. Guthrie asked what expectations the Mayor and Council had for the person in this position. She also asked what the Council saw as potential projects that the Historic Commission could undertake. Mayor Leiken said Council would be hearing a presentation from staff regarding downtown revitalization and that there were a number of historic buildings in the downtown corridor. The City would likely work closely with the Historic Commission on some of the opportunities that . could exist downto~n. He noted the quality of the members on the Historic Commission and said Council liked to hear the commission's ideas on potential projects. Councilor Pishioneri said he would like to see the Historic Commission in the forefront of revitalization projects. There was a great history in downtown and he wanted to see the historic buildings preserved and would like to see that same caricature strengthened downtown. Councilor Ballew said she would like to see links on the website to specialty items for restoration. She said she would like to see someone with an interest in downtown revitalization. Other than what was required by law, Council didn't have a specific expectation of this position. Someone'with enthusiasm was important. She asked if there were any homes in Thurston that were identified as historical. Ms. Gale said there were one or two off of Thurston Road. Surveys had been conducted in that area looking for others. Ms. Guthrie said there was a lot of work to be done by the Historic Commission in expanding to areas outside the Washburne District, such as Thurston and Glenwood. The Mayor and Council introduced themselves to Ms. Uhlig and which ward they represented. The Mayor and Council interviewed Elizabeth Uhlig. Following the questions by the Mayor and Council, Mayor Leiken asked Ms. Uhlig if she had questions of them. Ms. Uhlig asked what the Mayor and Council saw as their goals and objectives for downtown or other areas in Springfield. Councilor Pishioneri said Council wanted to revitalize downtown, but not sacrifice the historic aspect of downtown. It was important to maintain the historic connection. Discussion was held regarding the charge of the commission and the different strengths each member brought to the commission. Councilor Woodrow asked if the commission had a recommendation regarding the two candidates. Ms. Gale said in the past the commission had preferences, but were not asked for those preferences by the Council. The commission did not voice any preferences on the two candidates interviewed tonight. ' City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 9, 2007 Page 3 The Mayor and Council discussed the qualifications of the candidates. Both were very well qualified. Council consensus was to appoint Paula Guthrie to the Historic Commission during the April 16, 2007 regular meeting. Councilor Pishioneri said it was refreshing to see a City employee getting involved with the community. Council asked staff to encourage Ms. Uhlig to participate with the City because she was well qualified. Ms. Gale said the Historic Commission changed the date of their meetings so Councilor Pishioneri would be able to attend. Councilor Pishioneri said he appreciated that, and although he would not be able to attend every meeting, would enjoy attending periodically. Ms. Gale said the Historic Commission members looked forward to his participation. 2. Downtown Revitalization Update. City Planner Mark Metzger presented the staff report on this item. Downtown is showing signs of new life. New construction and increased activity is evident, particularly within a two-block radius of City Hall. A combination of strategic public/private investments, fruitful policy . initiatives, and changing market conditions are raising interest in the downtown area. At issue are thoughts about the different strategies and resources that can be applied downtown to support revitalization efforts. The 1984 "Downtown Tomorrow" report by the Springfield Downtown Commission, opens with this observation: "Downtown Springfield has needed revitalization for a long time. The jumbled mix of signs, vacant buildings, ragged patches of landscaping, crumbling sidewalks, and heavy vehicle through-traffic vividly portray a lack of care and a message of neglect." Much has changed since that report was completed. Some impediments to revitalization continue to be a challenge, and there is no "silver bullet" to resolve them. Working to implement an agreed upon set of strategies while remaining opportunistic and flexible in responding to both prospects and problems has proven to be effective in other communities like our own. Staffwill illustrate recent accomplishments and continuing impediments, and wiII share a variety of strategies and resources. that could be applied in the effort to revitalize Downtown Springfield. Central to a strategy for recovery wiII be a renewed focus on the basic elements of downtown revitalization: organization; design; promotion and economic restructuring. These elements formed the framework for the 1984 "Downtown Tomorrow" effort and are at the core of the national1y recognized "Main Street" approach to downtown revitalization. The attached report describes these elements in more detail and suggests actions that may be taken to reestablish a focus for continued downtown revitalization efforts. Mr. Metzger said the focus of tonight's meeting was to give Council a broad brush of issues downtown and ideas to address those issues. At the end of the discussion, staff would like feedback from the Council whether or not staff was looking at the right issues and proposing the right actions. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 9, 2007 Page 4 , Mr. Metzger presented a power point presentation. He noted the number of studies that had been done regarding revitalization of downtown. He reviewed some ofthe many projects that had been completed over the years when a plan was in place. He discussed policy actions that had been put into place by the current Council including: formation of the downtown redevelopment area allowing the City to focus Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in that area; downtown bicycle police patrol; Vertical Housing Development Zone; and system development charge (SDC) discounts trying to encourage and support new businesses downtown. In 2005 the City updated the Downtown Refinement Plan and adopted mixed use zoning. It formally identified the downtown area as a nodal development and also applied higher design and development standards for downtown buildings. He discussed some newer high profile projects that had happened in downtown over the last several years. Mr. Metzger discussed the impediments in redeveloping downtown. Police met with downtown business owners during the summer of 2006 to address some of the crime issues in downtown. Truck traffic along Main Street was a major issue as was the amount of traffic along South A Street. Lack of front doors on the north side of South A Street, and shortage of visible and accessible off street public parking were other issues. A dedicated downtown manager and staff point person for downtown redevelopment was instrumental in addressing some of these issues. Mr. Metzger discussed the four strategies for the future of downtown; organization; design; promotion and economic restructuring. Downtown Tomorrow was developed with those strategies. He reviewed the actions staff was recommending, such as having a downtown association in place, establishing an urban renewal district, hiring a downtown manager, supporting enforcement, and establishing design standards. The Historic Commission was meeting with Council in June and would discuss design standards. Mr. Metzger reviewed the list of resources including: CDBG funds, HUD Section 108 Loan Program Funds, Downtown Urban Renewal District Local Improvement District (LID), Economic Improvement District (EID), Business Improvement Districts (BID), State Transportation Enhancement Funds, DLCD and TGM Planning Grants and Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) ProgranIs. Mr. Metzger asked Council if staff was on the right track. Mayor Leiken complimented Mr. Metzger on a nice power point. This was a good st~rt on downtown revitalization. Springfield had a good track record and this was a good opportunity to see where we could go from here. Councilor Ralston said this was a great plan. He asked where the heavy truck traffic was coming from and where were they going. He said 1-105 was a major thoroughfare from the east to the west end of town and he felt the trucks should use that route. Councilor Ballew said Main Street was a state highway and part of the freight route. Councilor Woodrow noted the number of trucks coming from lumber companies along Main Street and trucks that had to deliver to downtown. Councilor Ralston said it was a great plan. He asked who would pay for a downtown manager. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 9, 2007 Page 5 Mr. Metzger said in many cases it was the Downtown Association, but occasionally the City might put money in to prime the pump. It was good to build a strong association and out of that strength, the association could choose to set up the funding mechanism for that position. Some cities partly funded that position. Olympia, Washington had a parking district downtown, businesses paid for the parking structure and part of those funds paid for the downtown manager. Councilor Wylie asked who the point person for the City was now. City Manager Gino Grimaldi and Development Services Manager Bill Grile were currently the point people. Councilor Wylie asked who gave the guidelines for St. Vincent's new building. Mr. Metzger said it was the planning staff and Historic Commission. Councilor Wylie asked if there was a formal truck route. Main Street was a truck route. Mr. Metzger said both Main Street and South A Str.eet were state highways. Councilor Pishioneri asked about making South A Street and Main Street two way streets, with South A Street as the main truck route. Mr. Metzger said that idea was in the 1984 plan. Councilor Pishioneri asked City Attorney Joe Leahy if the downtown district could be designated an enhanced criminal activity district to double fines, like in a construction or school zone. He would like to move that into the Glenwood area. Mr. Leahy said there could be some potential, but he would like to research it further. Councilor Pishioneri said the State had brownfield and redevelopment funding tied to CDBG match funds. There were several grants available that dealt specifically with buildings that were in need of repair. Councilor Woodrow said it was a great presentation and he appreciated staff bringing it to Council. He would like to hear what the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) would say about making Main Street and South A Street two way. Design standards for downtown was a fabulous idea, especially on the north side of South A Street. He would like the Council to ask staff to go forward with more information on design standards. It was ti~e to c1~an up downtown as much as possible. By working with business and property owners, the City could increase the appearance of downtown and get a better environment. Councilor Ballew said she was not overly concerned about the trucks. They had always been around and always would be. There was a very narrow swath for downtown and the City needed to look more at what was rather than what wasn't. She thought the downtown committee was a good idea, but it needed new members, including downtown business people and others. She City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 9, 2007 Page 6 suggested making a definition of who should be on the committee. It shouldn't be too big, but needed high energy. She suggested looking at the plans from the Charette. Mr. Metzger said one of the great ideas from the Charette was to establish South A Street as a civic street. He said he envisioned the downtown committee reviewing past planning and reports, not reinventing ideas or plans. Get people that knew the downtown, had experience and could focus on the priorities. Councilor Ballew said the committee or the Councilor both needed to be focused and to find the catalyst that kept it moving. It could be an Arts and Cultural District or an Entertainment District or something else. She said Washburne was the neighborhood and perhaps a bakery would be a good addition to serve those neighbors and others. Parking was an issue because of the number of City employees that parked downtown. She suggested looking into building parking garages with urban renewal district funds. She was not sure if an urban renewal district would be significant enough, but felt it was important to use all resources available. She said the, City needed to know where they were headed. Councilor Lundberg said it was a great list and a concise power point. She said she was part of the last downtown grouping. She said things could be done on a two or three pronged approach. A committee was a must and Council was very good at defining who could be on the committee. She suggested representatives from the four public agencies and the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Lane Transit District, as major investors in downtown. She said the Washburne neighbors also needed to be involved because they were enthusiastic and understood downtown. The neighbors were very invested in the success and reduction in crime in downtown. Someone was needed to call the meetings, and it could be a combination of TEAM Springfield funding. She suggested the Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation (SRDC) taking the lead, perhaps with a new board. She said the idea of SRDC was to take on civic improvement projects and this could be an expansion of SRDC. She agreed they should look at Charettes and the work done on the Mill Race. It would be important to come up with one project to work on. The best thing for downtown was to have a lot of people, such as in a parade, the Springfield Cruz or a Friday or Saturday night event during the summer. A committee could work on a signature project to compliment those activities, pooling resources to fund it. She said walking tours downtown would be great to capitalize on what we had downtown. It could promote businesses, eateries and other venues downtown had to offer. Councilor Ballew said another idea from one of the Charettes was to open up the streets to connect with the Willanlette River. Councilor Wylie said a downtown committee, downtown manager and the Chamber could coordinate events. A manager could communicate between everyone. Mayor Leiken complimented staff on their work. Their recommendation was a good starting point and good plan of attack. The City was still open to adapting as this moved forward. It was important to identify the committee, including committed and talented people from downtown. He mentioned former councilor Tanlmy Fitch and the owner of Econo Sales. This would eventually be driven by the private sector, but first needed a commitment from City Hall. The City could provide the committee with this plan and get their input. It provided additional tools to help it move forward. He discussed the impact of the new Justice Center, and the asset of Booth Kelly. Traffic was an issue, but we needed to adapt to that and address that issue. He City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes April 9, 2007 Page 7 suggested incorporating the history of Booth Kelly and the Mill Race and capitalizing on that. When the Mayor was in Salem, an influential lobbyist noted that Springfield was the guiding light of Lane County. Now was the time for Council to plant seeds for this change. He appreciated serving with the Council because once they put their minds to it and staff went forward, things got done. He thanked all the staff that helped on this project. Mr. Metzger said the following staff had contributed: Housing Manager Kevin Ko, Housing Assistant Jodi Peterson and City Planner Kitti Gale. Mr. Metzger introduced Betty Trotter, a new business owner in downtown. / Councilor Pishioneri would like to look at putting the Downtown Urban Renewal District on the ballot in November 2007. Councilor Ralston agreed as did Councilor Woodrow. Councilor Ballew asked for a fact sheet about where the funds had_gone into these downtown projects to date. Councilor Ballew said she would be talking to the Washburne Neighborhood Association tomorrow evening about downtown revitalization. Tonight's discussion was very timely. Mr. Metzger said he would come back to Council with more details. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:58 pm. Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa Attest: Amf;:t..JrnJ L City Recoraer .