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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-11-30 CorrespondenceWorking Draft 11/30/15 From JIm Throgmorton Strategic Plan Focus Areas This Strategic Plan intends to foster a more INCLUSIVE, JUST, and SUSTAINABLE Iowa City Complete committed economic development activities, and initiate new ones • Make good progress toward completing committed activities for: • Towncrest • Iowa City Marketplace and the First Avenue Retail Corridor. Consider the possibility of creating a new Self Sustaining Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) for the IC Marketplace and immediate environs. • Moss Ridge Campus and Northgate • The Gateway Project • Development agreements that have already been adopted. • Undertake new initiatives: • Explore with the ICCSD, Kirkwood CC, Iowa Works, and others the feasibility of creating an industrial arts/crafts facility in the southeastern part of the city. • Identify a substantial and achievable 2030 goal for reducing city-wide carbon emissions and, with the help of a new Ad Hoc Climate Change Advisory Committee, identify the best means of attaining the carbon reduction goal. This might include partnering with MidAmerican, ICCSD, and private businesses to develop a rooftop solar initiative that places solar panels on the extensive array of low- to no -pitch rooftops in the city. • Facilitate construction of at least one architecturally notable "Net Zero" carbon emitting building within the next two years, and request proposals for a solar energy power purchase agreement on at least one municipal building. • Raise Iowa City's bicycle -friendly status from Silver to Gold. • Partner with local foods theme businesses to determine how City government can effectively market and grow a local foods economy. • Modify the City Council's criteria and process for reviewing/approving possible TIFs. Continue improving the urban core • Work with private property owners to renovate historic buildings and ensure that new buildings are complementary in mass, scale, and character with their contexts. Working Draft 11/30/15 • Continue collaborating effectively with the U of Iowa, the Downtown District, locally owned businesses, and arts/culture organizations, while also enhancing the sustainability and social justice components of their efforts. • Assist the U of Iowa's and ICAD's new MERGE project on the Ped Mall. • Make observable progress toward completing the Downtown Streetscape Plan. • Transform Jefferson, Market, Gilbert, and Burlington Sts into safer, more accessible, and more pedestrian/bicycle-friendly streets. • Work with private developers to fulfill the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan. • Temper the maximum allowable building heights and density bonuses specified in the Riverfront Crossings District's Form Based Code. • Make significant progress toward developing the new Riverfront Crossings Park. Incrementally thicken and improve older core neighborhoods, and enable construction of sustainable new neighborhoods • Older core neighborhoods: • Significantly improve existing streets, sidewalks, ADA compliant curb ramps, streetscapes, and neighborhood parks. • Provide additional financial assistance for incrementally improving owner - occupied residential buildings. • Consider expanding the UniverCity program. • Ensure that new developments enhance Iowa City's "sense of place" and enjoy community support by being complementary in mass, scale and character with their surrounding contexts. • Consider extending the Form Based Code concept to selected parts of core neighborhoods. • Ensure that apartment buildings include adequate recycling facilities. • Sustainable new neighborhoods: • Ensure that new neighborhoods on the periphery of the existing city are designed to include (or be within easy walking distance of) neighborhood parks and schools, public transit stops, and a diversity of uses and housing types/costs. This might be achieved by using the Form Based Code concept. • Consider amending the City's annexation policy to ensure that new residential developments include a specified percentage of affordable units. Make measurable progress toward achieving social justice and racial equity • Create new programs and financial incentives that will significantly increase the supply of housing that regular working people (especially cost -burdened Working Draft 11/30/15 households) can afford. This would include, but not be limited to, adopting an inclusionary housing ordinance for the Riverfront Crossings District. • Modify the Affordable Housing Location Model to permit the development of government -assisted affordable rental units in more parts of the city. • As called for in the City's most recent Equity Report, make significant and measurable progress over 3 to 5 years toward reducing race -related disparities in youth arrests, traffic stops/arrests, and adult arrests. • Make significant and measurable progress toward increasing racial equity in education/training and household income. • Enhance the Police Department's ability to informally deescalate situations involving youth in neighborhoods, recreational facilities, and school settings. This might be achieved by creating two new full-time community assistant positions, neither of which would be staffed by sworn law enforcement officers and one of which would be staffed by a woman. • Explore possible joint -use agreements with the School District to strengthen neighborhood identity and provide social and recreational opportunities, especially for lower-income youth. • Explore innovative means of providing lower-income residents with off -hour transportation access to employment centers, and increase the availability of shelters for users of public transit. Keep City government on a solid financial foundation • Maintain City government's financial strength and stability in light of state property tax reform, and maintain the City's Aaa bond rating. • Explore with neighboring jurisdictions, the local legislative delegation, and the public the desirability and feasibility of adopting a 1% Local Option Sales Tax. Improve policy-making capacity, intergovernmental relations, and communications/marketing efforts • Create new institutional structures that improve the City Council's ability to: (1) interact with diverse publics, (2) consider possible revisions to City policies and assess the effectiveness of existing programs, and (3) improve relations with elected representatives of other governmental entities in the area. • Significantly improve the Council's and the staff's ability to discuss TIF, the Budget, and the CIP with diverse publics. • Consider televising Council work sessions. • Continue and improve Council listening posts. • Continue to improve the staff's ability to provide better customer service and coordination of communications.