If you haven't read the URGENT! blog post, you might want to read that one first.
As I keep reading the IGA the panning staff is bringing to the Council on Tuesday night, I keep finding bombshells buried within. (See City Council Agenda Packet; Item 8.3 starts on pg. 89)
Will Lake Oswego be committed to more Metro goals than just the obvious that are referred to here, but not specified? Multimodal transportation (anything other than cars and usually includes high capacity transit - rail or BRT), low-income housing, mandated density once the Comp Plan and development codes are in place?
The City intends to use a Metro Community Planning and Development grant (matching grant - requires $41,000 from the city) to assist in preparation of a special district for
the area. The project goals and expected outcomes are listed below. (Pg. 100 of agenda packet)
SW Employment Area Plan
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Project Goals
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Project Outcomes
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Involve stakeholders and the community in
the planning process.
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Strong community and stakeholder support for the plan.
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Enhance opportunities for redevelopment
and high quality job creation within the
district.
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Provide multimodal connectivity within and
to the district.
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A plan element addressing pedestrian, bicycle, and transit
connections within and to the district.
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Create a more sustainable community and
minimize environmental impacts.
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Identification of opportunities for mixed use at key locations
within the district.
Development code amendments that include incentives for green development practices. |
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Develop a plan that can be implemented
quickly to enhance job creation.
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An implementation strategy that includes short term and long
term projects and programs.
A financing strategy for implementation. |
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Up Sucker Creek Glossary Glossary:
The colored words and phrases above have more complicated meaning than may first appear.
Community - Mostly the Citizen Advisory Committee who vet the SW Employment District Plan elements as the Plan is created, made up of primarily property owners and business owners in the district, a rep from adjacent Neighborhood Associations, Metro, ODOT...). The Public isn't involved until the Plan is just about ready to be sent to the council.
Redevelopment - Typically tearing down existing buildings and businesses and replacing them with "higher value" development that will "benefit the city (and Metro) goals. Redevelopment may put the District under LORA authority with the Redevelopment Department in charge with possibly a new Urban Renewal District for the "blighted" (or ;underperforming - for property taxes) land.
High Quality Job - a white dollar job maybe? Does the Planning Dept. and the City Council know what kind of jobs are in the district and how much they pay? Biotronic/Micro Systems Engineering is the largest employer in the district, has high-skilled, high-paying jobs. Shouldn't the city be concentrating efforts on finding businesses for vacant buildings with jobs of every "quality" level?"
Multimodal connectivity - Transportation other than auto, within the district and/or connects to "transit" outside the district. Can mean bikes and walking, but more often used with HCT.
Sustainable community - refers to concepts of whole, dense. community development, mixed-use buildings, compact form, not dependent on autos, walkable, vibrant, 24-hour activity on the streets (folks moving through from the freeway perhaps?)
Stakeholder - a person who owns land or owns a business in the affected area.
Implemented quickly - before citizens can mount a protest, put in place in 2015 with q more friendly council, or mess with transportation planning still in progress
Regulatory changes - Comp Plan, Development Codes, IGAs and other contracts that allow the district to be developed according to the Plan. Supportive regulations precede the rest of the development and funding.
Modify the existing development code - Same as above - just a way of saying the codes need to allow for taller buildings (90' - 9 stories like the Foothills Plan, or more like Kruse Way?) and more lot coverage (100% like in the approved Foothills Plan?)
Economic Opportunity Analysis - report done by ECONorthwest in 2009-10 and updated by staff in 2011; follows "vision" of the previous mayor and council and CAC plus advisors with a grant from the State Department of Conservation and Development. Click here for final draft of report.
Financing strategies -
Infrastructure and transportation projects - stuff that taxpayers pay for and developers make money from. If funds come from Urban Renewal, taxpayers have NO say in what happens or how much is spent.
Connections within and to - like above, but this suggests its own transportation corridor from I-5 or connections to the HCT in the SW Corridor in the North along Kruse Way, then through the Lake Grove Town Center, and down Boones Ferry Rd. to the SW Employment District (will a fancier name be coming soon?) and then to either I-5 or other HCT within the SW Corridor Plan. Alternatively, traffic (and maybe future connecting HCT?) from Kruse Way up Boones Ferry Rd., then along Country Club Rd. and straight down A Ave. to the planned Transit Center (See East End Redevelopment Plan - the City already owns most of the property) and to Portland or Oregon City and the "high speed rail" to Eugene.
Development code amendments - can't start tearing down and building until the codes are there to support new development! And in the Draft of the Code Updates, there will be opportunities for community gardens in all zones! Yea! Zoning and land use would need tweaks to get the mixed use and housing in the area.
Incentives - money out of taxpayer pockets into developers' pockets. OR, leeway in code application like with the Wizer block. Eg. If a developer agrees to X, then they can remove X parking spaces or other code bending tricks.
Short term and long term projects and programs - get something definitive done right away so there can be no back-sliding on the Plan, perhaps with LORA purchasing the land to make it work. The rest of the area will be developed more slowly, when the city is able to buy and assemble lots that are attractive to developers (at a loss to the taxpayer). There are plenty of property owners in the district (stakeholders on the citizens advisory committee) who will want this new district, and it will provide a lot of jobs within the city and with consultants as more land gets developed. Without Foothills, and the downtown vision slowing down and petering out, there is little redevelopment going on in the city in the near and far future. Oh no!
I hope I can get one more blog post out before Tuesday's Council meeting, but it is important that people inform the council to NOT sign the IGA on Tue., preferably not at all, or at least not until they understand everything it involves and how it might encumber the city with goals and statements that may sound good, but are loaded with alternate meanings. Perhaps the City Council ought to hire a land use lawyer of its own to review all of these types of documents. Because they are so specialized, a general attorney or public administrative attorney will not be able to describe the nuances of planner-speak. Someone not already associated with the city would be best - no loyalties or connections to protect or be influenced by.
The colored words and phrases above have more complicated meaning than may first appear.
Community - Mostly the Citizen Advisory Committee who vet the SW Employment District Plan elements as the Plan is created, made up of primarily property owners and business owners in the district, a rep from adjacent Neighborhood Associations, Metro, ODOT...). The Public isn't involved until the Plan is just about ready to be sent to the council.
Redevelopment - Typically tearing down existing buildings and businesses and replacing them with "higher value" development that will "benefit the city (and Metro) goals. Redevelopment may put the District under LORA authority with the Redevelopment Department in charge with possibly a new Urban Renewal District for the "blighted" (or ;underperforming - for property taxes) land.
High Quality Job - a white dollar job maybe? Does the Planning Dept. and the City Council know what kind of jobs are in the district and how much they pay? Biotronic/Micro Systems Engineering is the largest employer in the district, has high-skilled, high-paying jobs. Shouldn't the city be concentrating efforts on finding businesses for vacant buildings with jobs of every "quality" level?"
Multimodal connectivity - Transportation other than auto, within the district and/or connects to "transit" outside the district. Can mean bikes and walking, but more often used with HCT.
Sustainable community - refers to concepts of whole, dense. community development, mixed-use buildings, compact form, not dependent on autos, walkable, vibrant, 24-hour activity on the streets (folks moving through from the freeway perhaps?)
Stakeholder - a person who owns land or owns a business in the affected area.
Implemented quickly - before citizens can mount a protest, put in place in 2015 with q more friendly council, or mess with transportation planning still in progress
Regulatory changes - Comp Plan, Development Codes, IGAs and other contracts that allow the district to be developed according to the Plan. Supportive regulations precede the rest of the development and funding.
Modify the existing development code - Same as above - just a way of saying the codes need to allow for taller buildings (90' - 9 stories like the Foothills Plan, or more like Kruse Way?) and more lot coverage (100% like in the approved Foothills Plan?)
Economic Opportunity Analysis - report done by ECONorthwest in 2009-10 and updated by staff in 2011; follows "vision" of the previous mayor and council and CAC plus advisors with a grant from the State Department of Conservation and Development. Click here for final draft of report.
Financing strategies -
Infrastructure and transportation projects - stuff that taxpayers pay for and developers make money from. If funds come from Urban Renewal, taxpayers have NO say in what happens or how much is spent.
Connections within and to - like above, but this suggests its own transportation corridor from I-5 or connections to the HCT in the SW Corridor in the North along Kruse Way, then through the Lake Grove Town Center, and down Boones Ferry Rd. to the SW Employment District (will a fancier name be coming soon?) and then to either I-5 or other HCT within the SW Corridor Plan. Alternatively, traffic (and maybe future connecting HCT?) from Kruse Way up Boones Ferry Rd., then along Country Club Rd. and straight down A Ave. to the planned Transit Center (See East End Redevelopment Plan - the City already owns most of the property) and to Portland or Oregon City and the "high speed rail" to Eugene.
Development code amendments - can't start tearing down and building until the codes are there to support new development! And in the Draft of the Code Updates, there will be opportunities for community gardens in all zones! Yea! Zoning and land use would need tweaks to get the mixed use and housing in the area.
Incentives - money out of taxpayer pockets into developers' pockets. OR, leeway in code application like with the Wizer block. Eg. If a developer agrees to X, then they can remove X parking spaces or other code bending tricks.
Short term and long term projects and programs - get something definitive done right away so there can be no back-sliding on the Plan, perhaps with LORA purchasing the land to make it work. The rest of the area will be developed more slowly, when the city is able to buy and assemble lots that are attractive to developers (at a loss to the taxpayer). There are plenty of property owners in the district (stakeholders on the citizens advisory committee) who will want this new district, and it will provide a lot of jobs within the city and with consultants as more land gets developed. Without Foothills, and the downtown vision slowing down and petering out, there is little redevelopment going on in the city in the near and far future. Oh no!
I hope I can get one more blog post out before Tuesday's Council meeting, but it is important that people inform the council to NOT sign the IGA on Tue., preferably not at all, or at least not until they understand everything it involves and how it might encumber the city with goals and statements that may sound good, but are loaded with alternate meanings. Perhaps the City Council ought to hire a land use lawyer of its own to review all of these types of documents. Because they are so specialized, a general attorney or public administrative attorney will not be able to describe the nuances of planner-speak. Someone not already associated with the city would be best - no loyalties or connections to protect or be influenced by.
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