HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/07/2013 08 Action Plan for North 1st StreetItem No.
For Meeting of: 5/7/2013
ITEM TITLE: Action Plan for North 1 st Street
SUBMITTED BY: Steve Osguthorpe, Community Development Director
(509) 575 -3533
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
This is a proposed action plan for addressing Council's direction to revitalize North First Street. See
.attached memo and Action Plan.
Resolution: Ordinance:
Other (Specify): Memorandum to Council
Contract: Contract Term:
Start Date: End Date:
Item Budgeted: Amount:
Funding Source /Fiscal Impact:
Strategic Priority: Improve the Built Environment
Insurance Required? No
Mail to:
Phone:
APPROVED FOR
SUBMITTAL: � City Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Direct staff to move forward as outlined in prposed Action Plan
ATTACHMENTS:
Name: Description:
❑ City Council - May 7 2013.doc Memo describing Action Plan for North 1st Street
❑ North 1st Street Action PLan doc North 1st Street Action Plan
MEMORANDUM -
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Steve Osguthorpe, AICP
Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Action Plan for No. 1st Street
DATE: May 7, 2013
To move forward on our No. 1st Street revitalization efforts, staff has prepared the
attached North 1st Street Action Plan that includes defined steps and estimated time
frames for completing each step. Council will note that Steps 1 & 2 involve an outreach
effort to stakeholders in the area. To ensure the greatest degree of cooperation and buy -in
from stakeholders, it is important to make them an integral part of early conversations
about positive features of No. Is' Street we want to build upon, and negative features we
want to change. The Plan therefore includes a discussion of the area, followed by more
specific discussions of preferred uses, what characteristics of the built environment are
necessary to attract preferred uses, and also signage issues.
The next step involves finalizing plans for the Street Corridor Improvement Project. We
want to develop final details on such things as planting strips vs. tree wells, pedestrian
amenities & crossing designs, utility locations, center island features and travel lane
details. These details will be part of a final cross - section design, which will be essential
to moving forward with a utilities undergrounding effort.
Steps 3 — 5 of the Plan include more behind- the - scenes efforts of staff to develop draft
standards for both signage and landscaping, but such efforts will be based upon up -front
input received from our stakeholder meetings. Once drafted, staff will then reconvene
with the stakeholders group for final input and feedback before moving to a formal public
review process.
Based upon standards developed, we will then explore under Step 6 development of a
grant program that would help to incentivize many of the needed improvements in the
area. The initial grant program would focus on signage. There are many signs in the area
that do not comply with current codes and that have been installed illegally. Rather than
taking a hard -line enforcement approach that would require immediate compliance on
expensive items, we would provide an extended period of compliance (perhaps two
years), and offer grants and /or low interest loans to those that would make the needed
changes sooner. The changes would be based upon newly adopted sign standards, which
would result in notably visible and positive changes in a relatively short period of time.
The 7th step in the strategy is actually an ongoing step which is underway now. It
includes immediate and consistent enforcement of health/safety issues along No. 1st
Street. We have already inspected all hotel /motels in the area, and are moving forward
with inspection of all commercial establishments for compliance with fire and other
safety codes. We are also requiring compliance on all easily corrected violations, such as
illegal temporary and portable signs, and we will also be addressing abandoned sign
structures. These provide no current benefit to property owners, and are a major source
of visual clutter in the area. Finally, we will also be addressing through enforcement
some of the more severely blighted conditions that discourage investment adjacent to or
near those conditions and that are visually offensive to the general citizenry.
Staff will be prepared to provide more detailed discussion of the proposed strategy at the
May 7 meeting, and looks forward to Council feedback and direction.
Attachment: North I" Street Action Plan
North 1st Street Action Plan
Step 1: Identify Major Stakeholders — Next 30 days
1. Develop mailing list of all property owners and send invitations.
2. Identify and contact prominent business operators and major landholders —
Encourage participation
Step 2: Develop Proposal to take to Stakeholders within next 60 days. Proposal to
include:
1. General visioning exercise. Solicit input to:
a. Define positive attributes of No. 1 st Street we might build upon
b. Define items that create a negative image of No. 1st Street.
2. Preferred Use Discussion.
a. Discuss uses we wish to target and recruit
b. Define what characteristics of "place" attract or entice preferred uses.
3. General Signage Discussion
a. Identify signage issues, needs, and alternative approaches.
b. Features to build upon; features to avoid.
Step 3: Finalize Plans for Street Corridor Improvement Project— Next 90 days
1. Finalize Street Cross - Section.
2. Finalize construction /phasing plan, etc.
Step 4: Sign Standards Development — Complete within 6 months
1. Draft standards addressing stakeholder input and the following:
2. Follow -up meeting with stakeholders
3. Begin text amendment process, (i.e., required notices, SEPA, Planning
Commission review, City Council review and action)
Step 5: On -site Landscape Standards Development — Complete within 12 months
1. Draft standards addressing stakeholder input.
Step 6: Develop /Implement a Grant Program and /or Low Interest Loan Program —
Timeframe dependent upon securing funding source
1. Identify funding sources, e.g.,
2. Sign Replacement Grant. An initial matching grant program could be focused
solely on signage issues.
3. Consider as a second phase Site Enhancement Grants, e.g., Landscaping
Step 7: Ongoing Implementation
1. Site -by -Site Development.
2. Code Enforcement