Title
Sub-Area Planning - Discussion of Project Initiation Letter Response
Recommended Action
City Manager Recommendation:
Provide guidance on a draft response to the letter submitted by Sub-Area A leaders.
Report
Issue:
How should the Olympia City Council respond to the project initiation letter submitted by Sub-Area A leaders on February 23, 2015?
Staff Contact:
Michelle Sadlier, Associate Planner, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8031
Presenter(s):
Michelle Sadlier, Associate Planner, Community Planning & Development
Leonard Bauer, Deputy Director, Community Planning & Development
Background and Analysis:
Sub-area planning is called for in the newly-adopted Comprehensive Plan as a collaboration between the City of Olympia and its neighborhood-level community groups to identify local priorities and strategies for shaping our city. As described in the Comprehensive Plan, the process can be initiated either by the City or the community. For this pilot sub-area planning process, the community has stepped forward to initiate the process. Sub-Area A leaders have submitted a letter to City Council asking for recognition of Sub-Area A's intent to proceed with this neighborhood planning effort (Attachment 1).
This letter outlines the process the community of northeast neighborhoods has gone through so far to develop an approach to sub-area planning. It includes a list of actively involved Recognized Neighborhood Associations and their leaders as well as the steps they've taken to develop their process with input from City staff. Along with a request for recognition of the community's intent to initiate sub-area planning, the letter asks City Councilmembers a series of questions that are intended to provide Sub-Area A with clarity on Council's assumptions and expectations for sub-area planning in Olympia.
Following a study session on March 3, 2015, the full City Council referred the letter to the LUEC to work on formulating a response. To help guide the LUEC's discussion, staff has provided recommended talking points for each of the questions in the letter (Attachment 2). Comprehensive Plan language on sub-area planning is provided in Attachment 3 as a reference for this discussion.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Sub-area planning is of interest to Recognized Neighborhood Associations, the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, informal citizen groups, business owners, and other residents of Olympia and the Urban Growth Area.
Options:
Provide guidance on a draft response to be forwarded to the letter submitted by Sub-Area A leaders.
Financial Impact:
Existing budget resources provide for 0.25 FTE Sub-Area Planning Liaison position in 2015.