"As city centers and corridors begin to change from more suburban development
patterns to a more compact, urban, pedestrian-oriented character, cities and
counties are struggling with the best way to gracefully achieve this physical
transition. Issues arise as to how to increase densities over time, how to build
transit-oriented design in infill areas and how to address the transition areas
between more suburban and urban zones. Throughout the region, communities
need to know how to best facilitate and accomplish this transition."
<<<<<<>>>>>>
The excerpt above was taken from Metro's Community Investment Tools: Innovative Design and Development Codes, written in 2007. The plan has been in the works ever since, and most probably long before. Despite protections in the state's land use laws, how much influence have citizens had in being involved in the creation of local development codes in the last 10 to 20 years? Aside from hand-picked advisory committees, there has been little to no citizen influence on codes; the plans march forward according to Metro's master design. (Emphasis mine)
<<<<<<>>>>>>
Toolkit for investing in our communities
Metro’s Making the Greatest Place Initiative seeks to identify proven strategies and tools that can be used to stimulate investment in the region’s centers, corridors, employment, and industrial areas to implement the 2040 Growth Concept. The strategies address:
+ financial incentives
+ urban design and local zoning and building codes
+ employment and industrial areas.
The toolkit provides local governments, developers, nonprofit organizations, property owners and investors with important information, considerations and local perspectives for the various investment tools in the region. By highlighting the region’s success stories, the toolkit shares these successful approaches across the region, demonstrates how these strategies are achieving results and serves as a guide for future investments. With technical assistance from Metro, this toolkit will help local partners overcome barriers to building vibrant downtowns and main streets and creating places for businesses to flourish.
(Note: This toolkit was created in 2007. In 2012 LO put the streetcar plan on hold, but it can be reinstated at any time. "Investing" means public money spent on developers' projects that achieve government goals.)
The "Toolkit" is 109 pages long and can be accessed HERE. It will give you an inside look at how Metro has worked "with" local governments (that they call "partners"), planners and consultants to create Transit Oriented Communities in every town in the region, for the benefit of developers, investors, construction/transportation industries, and for the greater good, without the specific knowledge or approval of the public.
Lake Oswego is deep into the process of a physical transformation that, for the most part, is neither required nor wanted. We have a new Comp Plan and are part way through code rewrites that support urbanization. Next will come funding strategies (typically subsidies) and specific projects tied to the preferred change. Getting to know the beast is important in understanding how the codes and city processes and affect you.
Metro’s Making the Greatest Place Initiative seeks to identify proven strategies and tools that can be used to stimulate investment in the region’s centers, corridors, employment, and industrial areas to implement the 2040 Growth Concept. The strategies address:
+ financial incentives
+ urban design and local zoning and building codes
+ employment and industrial areas.
The toolkit provides local governments, developers, nonprofit organizations, property owners and investors with important information, considerations and local perspectives for the various investment tools in the region. By highlighting the region’s success stories, the toolkit shares these successful approaches across the region, demonstrates how these strategies are achieving results and serves as a guide for future investments. With technical assistance from Metro, this toolkit will help local partners overcome barriers to building vibrant downtowns and main streets and creating places for businesses to flourish.
Investing in our communities
The first policy element is to focus efforts to stimulate investment in existing communities in a way that supports the regional vision. A key component is to develop strategies, partnerships and tools to best use the land in centers, along corridors and in employment and industrial areas. There are many examples of successful public investment that has stimulated private development within the region and in our neighboring cities, including several communities around light rail stations, Lake Oswego’s downtown and the South Waterfront area in Portland, to name just a few.
The first policy element is to focus efforts to stimulate investment in existing communities in a way that supports the regional vision. A key component is to develop strategies, partnerships and tools to best use the land in centers, along corridors and in employment and industrial areas. There are many examples of successful public investment that has stimulated private development within the region and in our neighboring cities, including several communities around light rail stations, Lake Oswego’s downtown and the South Waterfront area in Portland, to name just a few.
Mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development projects built around special places typically require a much higher up-front cost, resulting in more risk to investors and developers regardless of impressive midand long-term returns. Design and development
codes can unintentionally create additional barriers and financial costs to developers
building projects in these locations. By reducing these barriers and creating innovative
design and development codes that respond to the unique conditions of centers and
corridors, local governments can provide the framework to reduce a project’s financial
gap and encourage desired developments in these areas.
The model approaches for implementing the tools included in this toolkit are:
+ transitions from suburban style development to walkable urban style places, includ- ing how to phase these changes over time
+ code flexibility to support building design that fits in the existing neighborhood context and improve the relationship between buildings and areas of different scale
+ managing parking to maximize and support urban form+ visualize zoning to improve policy decisions and facilitate developer and neighborhood understanding
+ creatively involve neighborhood residents and community leaders in the planning and development process.
+ transitions from suburban style development to walkable urban style places, includ- ing how to phase these changes over time
+ code flexibility to support building design that fits in the existing neighborhood context and improve the relationship between buildings and areas of different scale
+ managing parking to maximize and support urban form+ visualize zoning to improve policy decisions and facilitate developer and neighborhood understanding
+ creatively involve neighborhood residents and community leaders in the planning and development process.
*
Lake Oswego is deep into the process of a physical transformation that, for the most part, is neither required nor wanted. We have a new Comp Plan and are part way through code rewrites that support urbanization. Next will come funding strategies (typically subsidies) and specific projects tied to the preferred change. Getting to know the beast is important in understanding how the codes and city processes and affect you.
No comments:
Post a Comment