Title
Creative District Development Code Amendments and Downtown Strategy Alignment
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Move to recommend that staff develop code amendments for consideration by the Planning Commission, to better align downtown development regulations with the goals and intentions of the Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Strategy for the Creative District.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to recommend development of Creative District code amendments for Planning Commission consideration.
Report
Issue:
Whether to explore amendments to code that better align current development regulations for the Creative District with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan and the Downtown Strategy, including discussion of the appropriate scope of those amendments.
Staff Contact:
Marygrace Goddu, Historic Preservation Officer and ArCH Coordinator, Community Planning & Development, 360.480.0923
Presenter(s):
Marygrace Goddu, Historic Preservation Officer and ArCH Coordinator, Community Planning & Development
Leonard Bauer, Director, Community Planning & Development
Background and Analysis:
Staff are exploring ways that our development regulations can better support the creative economy in our Downtown, particularly in the Creative District. The Creative District was drawn in 2018 to encompass the Artisan Tech District and the Entertainment Districts identified as character areas in the Downtown Strategy (DS).
The DS recommended actions to update zoning and development standards to explicitly identify desired uses consistent with the composition of the Artisan Tech District as "a setting for light industrial, fabrication, food production, technical shops and related activities" (DS p 13), and to encourage "light industrial uses, such as artisan manufacturing/studios and microbreweries, distilleries and wineries."
The DS also addressed the potential scoping of these changes: "While these uses might fit throughout Downtown, the City may want to consid...
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