Title
Neighborhood Centers - Briefing
Recommended Action
Information only; no action requested.
Report
Issue:
Overview of the Planning Commission's previous work on neighborhood centers and discussion of next steps.
Staff Contact:
Cari Hornbein, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.753.8048
Presenter(s):
Cari Hornbein, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development
Background and Analysis:
Olympia's Comprehensive Plan identifies 17 areas for future neighborhood center development (Attachment 1). Neighborhood centers are small walk- and transit-friendly areas within neighborhoods that serve the day-to-day retail and service needs of local residents and foster community interaction. These destinations are essential to achieving community goals to reduce environmental impacts, improve human health, provide greater housing options, and foster healthy and resilient neighborhoods. Descriptions of designated neighborhood centers can be found in Attachment 2.
Despite long-held goals to encourage them, neighborhood centers have not been developed as envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan. In 2014, the Planning Commission set out to find out why and to help create solutions. Originally, the Neighborhood Centers project included three phases:
* Phase I - Information Gathering (2014)
The Planning Commission gathered input about the public's desires as well as barriers to neighborhood centers development. An online questionnaire was conducted, as were interviews with business owners and operators. Results were compiled in the 'Summary of 2014 Finding about Olympia's Neighborhood Centers' (see Attachment 3 for link to this document).
* Phase 2 - Outreach (2015-2016)
During this phase, Commissioners were going to share what they learned about challenges, opportunities, and success factors with neighborhoods and other stakeholders. The Neighborhood Centers project was put on hold before outreach occurred.
* Phase 3 - Regulatory Changes (...
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