Title
Subarea Planning
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
To be developed.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to recommend City Council acceptance of the attached "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" from the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) ), with City staff's suggested edits, as the guide for a pilot subarea planning process. The pilot subarea planning process would be initiated when included in the adopted City budget.
Body
Issue:
Should the CNA-proposed "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" be the guide for a pilot subarea planning process?
Should City staff's suggested edits be included?
When should a pilot subarea planning process begin?
Staff Contact:
Leonard Bauer, Deputy Director, Community Planning and Development 360.753.8206
Presenter(s):
Leonard Bauer, Deputy Director, Community Planning and Development
President or designee, Coalition of Neighborhood Associations
Background and Analysis:
The draft comprehensive plan update proposes that planning processes be completed for subareas to establish priorities for detailed implementation of the comprehensive plan (draft comprehensive plan policy PL23.1). The City has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations that encourages a partnership for subarea planning in which the CNA "would be in a leadership role to help form strategies, regulations and approaches for this important addition to our Comprehensive Plan." The CNA Steering Committee has developed the "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" in coordination with city staff and the chair of the Olympia Planning Commission to establish a pilot process for carrying out the direction of the comprehensive plan and MOU regarding subarea planning. This plan anticipates the effort extending out over a two year period and involving approximately .25 of a planning FTE to accomplish this work.
City staff suggests minor edits in the attached draft to:
1. Clarify the role of the Olympia Planning Commission to ensure consistency with the Olympia Comprehensive Plan.
2. Provide for opportunities to complete the subarea planning process in a shorter time frame.
3. Clarify the city's role in providing documents and other public information about the subarea planning process.
There are a number of potential planning projects on the work plan for 2014 beyond the completion of the Comp Plan Update that need to be prioritized and have resources allocated. Staff will provide a projected work plan at the meeting that lists these projects and identifies a potential sequence for the Committee's consideration. There are currently no identified city resources in the proposed 2014 city budget for subarea planning.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The CNA is a coalition of many of the neighborhood associations in the city, and reports strong interest in implementing subarea planning throughout the community.
Options:
1. Accept the "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" from the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) as the guide for a pilot subarea planning process, with City staff's suggested edits, and direct the pilot subarea planning process be initiated when included in the adopted City budget.
2. Accept the "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" from the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) as the guide for a pilot subarea planning process, without City staff's suggested edits, and direct the pilot subarea planning process be initiated when included in the adopted City budget.
3. Do not accept the "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" as the guide for a pilot subarea planning process, and direct staff or the Olympia Planning Commission to develop a different approach to subarea planning.
4. Do not accept the "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" and direct that further work on developing a subarea planning process be tabled until after adoption of the Olympia Comprehensive Plan Update.
Financial Impact:
The "Implementation Strategy for Neighborhood/Subarea Planning" estimates a pilot subarea planning process would require approximately .25 FTE of City staff time for two years, plus a cash outlay of approximately $22,000, to work with the neighborhood associations. City staff's suggested edits include the possibility of a shorter time frame to complete the pilot process - as little as one year. Alternatively, if the city chose to hire a contractor to assist the neighborhood associations, the estimated cost is approximately $130,000 - $140,000. Both estimates are in addition to the value of the volunteer work by the association members and potential interns.