Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required. City costs associated with urban development in this area will be included in future operating and capital budgets, subject to Common Council approval.
Title
Adopting the Greater East Towne Plan as a supplement to the Comprehensive Plan and directing staff to implement the recommendations contained in the plan.
Body
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan, adopted in August, 2018 (Legistar File # 51349), provided a vision for the City’s future and established goals, strategies and actions in the following areas: Land Use and Transportation, Neighborhoods and Housing, Economy and Opportunity, Culture and Character, Green and Resilient, and Effective Government; and
WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan calls for the preparation and adoption of a detailed plan addressing connectivity improvements, more parks and open space, and other amenities and infrastructure necessary to support residential development within the area; and
WHEREAS, the changing nature of retail has resulted in several store closures, vacant retail spaces and changes of uses, all of which has been further accelerated by Covid-19; and
WHEREAS, the auto-oriented style of the majority of the development in the area has detrimental impacts on climate and the environment by encouraging driving through the overprovision of surface parking; and
WHEREAS, the Greater East Towne Area is planned to receive bus rapid transit service, which is an enhanced level of transit that is expected to further increase the demand for redevelopment within the planning area and reduce the area’s dependence on the automobile; and
WHEREAS, in November 2019, the Common Council adopted a resolution (Legistar File # 57900), authorizing the development of an area plan for the Greater East Towne Area; and
WHEREAS, the Greater East Towne Area Plan process utilized multiple public engagement activities that were adapted to seek input and feedback during a pandemic, in which traditional in-...
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