Title
Presentation and Discussion: Connecting direction and decision making to Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Plan.
Body
Comprehensive Plan Density Discussion
The Comprehensive Plan discusses denser residential developments as mechanisms to address population growth. Then there are tools to make sure these projects fit into the fabric of the City. They are strategically locating these types of projects along our major corridors and within activity centers. These approaches are not the only mentions of high-density development within the plan, rather they are the most discussed and are important to understand for reviewing projects. Staff will be available at the November 15 joint meeting to answer questions as well.
The Comprehensive Plan addresses high and medium density development as a way to address population growth. The population is projected to reach 138,00 by the year 2040. The plan advocates for increased residential density to accommodate anticipated population growth through the goal, “Build and adaptable framework for continued growth in a changing environment.” Page 27 of the plan states that “land use and density as tools for achieving the right range and variety of character areas necessary to support community growth.” This means that we should have a variety of project designs and densities throughout the City to accommodate our future growth.
The element of Strong Neighborhoods and Housing Choice advocates for a variety of housing choices throughout the community. Major corridors throughout the City are good places for high and medium density residential development. Proper design can mitigate the perceived impacts of high-density projects to residents living near corridors. The plan recommends the creation of overlay districts along major corridors with supporting design standards. This could help revitalize some of the City’s older major streets where there are challenges with vacant storefronts.
There are five Activity Centers in the plan. Activity Centers are areas within the community where the plan shows mixed-use development with taller buildings and high-density residential above commercial uses. The goal within these centers is to create nodes of walkable areas within the City. This can only be achieved by having enough residents to support commercial uses within the Activity Center. At meetings with citizens there was excitement about the Activity Center concept. The plan has urban place types that define what development should look like in each Activity Center, these start on page 106 of the plan.
Presenter
Joshua Johnson, AICP, Assistant Director of Plan Services