Title
Approval for the Eastside Neighborhood Association’s (Sub-Area B) to Initiate the Sub-area Planning Process
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee; Land Use and Environment Committee (LUEC) received an informal update from Leonard Bauer, Deputy Director, Community Planning and Development, and Sam Greene, President, Eastside Neighborhood Association at their July 20, 2017 meeting.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the Eastside Neighborhood Association’s request to initiate development of a Sub-area Plan for Sub-area B, and approve a response letter outlining expectations and commitment to process.
Report
Issue:
Whether to formally recognize the Eastside Neighborhood Association’s intent to develop a Sub-area Plan for Sub-area B, and whether to approve a draft City Council response letter that establishes City Council’s expectations and the City’s staff commitment to the process.
Staff Contact:
Stacey Ray, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.753.8046
Presenter(s):
Stacey Ray, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development
Jim Sweeney, Eastside Neighborhood Sub-area Planning Committee
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia 2014 Comprehensive Plan allows for and encourages a grassroots process whereby local residents, businesses, and community organizations work together in partnership with the City to help shape how neighborhoods grow and develop. This process, known as sub-area planning, gives neighborhoods the chance to collaborate with the City to help shape their future development in alignment with neighborhood priorities, while remaining consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
See Attachment A for a map of the city’s 10 different sub-areas, not including Downtown. Sub-area boundaries are intentionally blurred to allow for flexibility. The planning process within each sub-area is also intended to include all different types of stakeholders within that area, like residents, business owners, property owners, etc.
Initial Subarea Plan: Olympia Northeast Neighborhoods Alliance
The first Sub-area Plan for (coincidentally) Sub-area A was accepted by the City Council on August 30, 2016. (See attachment). Sub-area A encompassed seven Recognized Neighborhood Associations in northeast Olympia. These neighborhoods coalesced into the Olympia Northeast Neighborhoods Alliance (ONNA), and representatives of five of the neighborhoods formed the Sub-area planning team.
The team, working in collaboration with City staff, designed a process and completed a plan that now serves as a template for the development of other Subarea plans. Major steps established in that process include:
1. Formation of a Sub-area planning team;
2. Recognition by the City Council to proceed with developing a Sub-area Plan;
3. Outreach and information gathering;
4. Planning Commission review of a draft plan for consistency with the Comprehensive Plan;
5. LUEC review of a draft plan; and
6. Review and final acceptance by City Council.
The final plan includes background information and data about the seven neighborhoods in Sub-area A; goals, objectives, and actions; and guidance for implementing the plan’s actions.
At the conclusion of ONNA’s Sub-area planning process, staff and members of the planning team wrote a document capturing both what worked well and what could be improved about the sub-area planning process (Attachment C).
Sub-Area B: Eastside Neighborhood
Sub-Area B is ready to initiate the next sub-area planning process and seeks City Council’s recognition of their intent to proceed. Sub-Area B is comprised of one Recognized Neighborhood Association: the Eastside Neighborhood Association (ENA). With support from their Board, the ENA has formed a Sub-Area Core Planning Team and is in the process of forming a larger Planning Committee.
Attached is ENA’s formal request to proceed with the sub-area planning process. The request includes a Planning Committee Charter outlining the ENA’s approach to completing their Subarea Plan, including:
1. A project purpose and mission;
2. A preliminary list of anticipated stakeholders and partners;
3. Project scope and objectives;
4. Membership and decision-making protocols;
5. Meeting frequency; and
6. A general approach to outreach and communications.
Following the Council’s acceptance, the Core Team will engage the full Planning Committee and Board in developing a detailed Neighborhood Outreach and Communications Strategy. The team feels it is vital to engage residents and stakeholders in the development of the strategy for it to be most effective.
Some initial thoughts on outreach and communication include:
1. Using the neighborhood’s existing website and other social media sites;
2. Leveraging a recently awarded neighborhood grant to distribute notice of the Sub-area plan and opportunities to be involved to all residents;
3. Distributing an online survey;
4. Hosting “town hall”-style meetings on the topics of greatest interest to the neighborhood; and
5. Communicating with businesses and adjacent neighborhood association representatives.
Another notable addition to ENA’s planning process is the inclusion of key performance metrics to track and keep neighborhood residents informed of progress on development and implementation of the Sub-area Plan.
City Council Response
Staff has included a draft response letter for Council’s consideration (See attachment). If approved, the letter will formally recognize ENA’s intent to begin work on the Sub-area Plan for Sub-area B. Additionally, approving ENA to proceed allows Community Planning and Development to dedicate .25 FTE of staff time to providing support throughout the collaborative planning process.
The draft letter recognizes ENA’s commitment to furthering the goals, policies, and vision of Olympia’s Comprehensive Plan at the neighborhood level. It also recognizes the efforts ENA has dedicated thus far to the process, and outlines specific expectations City Council has for ENA’s sub-area planning process and final plan.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The continuation and further development of the sub-area planning process is of interest to Recognized Neighborhood Associations and the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations. The development and outcomes of the Sub-Area B Plan are of interest to residents, business owners, and other stakeholders in the Eastside Neighborhood, as well as those adjacent to Sub-Area B.
Options:
A) Recognize the Eastside Neighborhood Association’s intent to develop a Sub-Area Plan; approve the response letter with no revisions.
B) Recognize the Eastside Neighborhood Association’s intent to develop a Sub-Area Plan; approve the response letter with revisions as directed by City Council.
C) Do not recognize the Eastside Neighborhood Association’s intent to proceed in developing a Sub-Area Plan; do not allocate staff time to support the planning process.
Financial Impact:
Community Planning and Development has budgeted a 0.25 FTE to support the sub-area planning process. Other departments have committed to providing staff support as needed throughout the process.
Attachments:
Citywide Sub-area Map
Olympia Northeast Neighborhoods Alliance Sub-area Plan
Olympia Northeast Neighborhoods Alliance Sub-Area Plan Retrospective
Eastside Neighborhood Association Initiation Letter and Charter
Draft City Council Response Letter