Review Findings of The COR Development Plan Policy Maker Survey

The purpose of this case is to review findings from the recent COR Development Plan Policy Maker Survey. The intent of this survey was to review where those involved in land use policy decisions felt the master plan for The COR should be headed. Over several recent Land Use Applications, it became evident that there were different interpretations on what the current plan indicates and where different stakeholders felt the development should be headed. The survey concept was the result of a 2015 Joint Work Session between the City Council and Planning Commission.

Staff will present a more refined presentation at the meeting highlighting key trends. Here is a potential list of key trends to consider:

1. Good Planning for Pedestrian Facilities. There is strong consensus that the City continues to do well on planning for adequate pedestrian facilities.
2. Good Architectural Design. Focus on good architectural design appears to continue to be a key goal.
3. Maintain Vision Area Surrounding Rail Station, With Tweaks. Vision for the downtown/station area (quarter-mile around the Northstar Station) should largely stay the same in terms of design. However, the mix between residential and commercial should be re-evaluated.
4. Evaluate the Vision for the Retail District. Vision of the north west retail area (Sunwood and Armstrong) should be re-evaluated. While there is not a full consensus on this policy direction, there are enough responses to warrant the discussion for future consideration. Responses were nearly 50/50 to change the vision for this area. Evaluating the vision does not necessarily mean a plan change will occur.
5. Maintain the Vision for the Office District. Vision for the south east office district should largely remain the same.
6. Maintain the Vision for the Community-Oriented User. The vision for a larger community-based user in The COR should be maintained. This could range from a community center to movie theater, etc.
7. Evaluate the Zeolite Retail Parcel. Disclaimer: this question was worded incorrectly. The intent of the question was to determine whether the City should consider a change from retail to residential based on actual developer interest and challenges as a retail pad side. This question will be reviewed, considered, and resolved throughout any potential amendment to the plan. However, as worded and based on a response, there appears to be a desire to retain the retail vision. Evaluation does not necessarily mean a plan change will occur.
8. Continue Discussion on Sign Regulations. There appears to be some hesitation in allowing 75 foot tall advertising signs (result of the grade-separated interchange), while also a showing of those that desire to allow for them.
9. Generally Maintain the Vision for Shared Parking Strategies. A majority of respondents indicated that we should retain the vision to require shared, potentially structured parking in the downtown district and there is appetite to consider financial tools in order to facilitate this vision. The intent would be to reduce the amount of surface parking where warranted and underutilized.
10. Establish Architectural Review Committee. There appears to be a desire to re-establish an Architectural Review Committee, so long as it does not slow down the review process.
11. Build Upon Existing Natural Resource Policies and Consider Additional Best Management Practices. The City appears to be doing fairly well on protecting natural resources, with some room for improvement and growth.

Potential Next Steps

1. Broader Citizen Engagement? A key discussion topic in developing this survey was public involvement due to the high level of involvement in previous iterations of the plan. The City did hold a public workshop to gather ideas; however attendance was low and feedback was minimal. While this feedback provided a lot of good information, the format did not engage as many of the pubic as Staff desired. Staff would recommend using remaining City events, such as Happy Days and The Draw Event Series, to provide opportunities to submit ideas and review any potential amendments to the plan in addition to standard processes.
2. Broader Stakeholder Engagement? Similar to above, Staff would like to engage property owners impacted by the current plan and any potential amendments. Staff would like to review the results of this survey with stakeholders for feedback. Staff would present a simplified version of this survey for these stakeholders.
3. Direct the Planning Commission to develop a revised Development Plan for The COR. This step only needs to be as in depth as needed. It is possible that amendments only need to go so far to provide clarity that appears to be currently lacking in the plan. As noted previously, Staff also desires to simplify design requirements to make the document more easy for all to navigate and comprehend. Plan Amendments would also be reviewed by all City policy boards that participated in the survey.

1 hour

This case is being handled as part of normal Staff duties. Staff supplemented its work by having WSB and Associates, the City's consulting planner, manage the survey input and review process.

Community Development Director

Provide feedback on survey findings. Provide direction to Staff on the following:

1. Is additional citizen engagement desired?
2. Is an amendment to the Development Plan desired?