TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Steve Powers, City Manager
FROM: Norman Wright, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
title
North East Salem Community Association (NESCA)-Lansing Neighborhood Plan.
Ward(s): Wards 1, 2, 5, and 6
Councilor(s): Councilors - Kaser, Andersen, Ausec, and Hoy
Neighborhood(s): NESCA and Lansing
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ISSUE:
Shall the City Council advance to second reading for enactment Ordinance Bill No. 27-17, adopting the goals, policies and generalized land use map of the NESCA-Lansing Neighborhood Plan as a component of the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan and adopt the other portions as support documents?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Advance to second reading for enactment Ordinance Bill No. 27-17, adopting the goals, policies and generalized land use map of the NESCA-Lansing Neighborhood Plan as a component of the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan and adopt the other portions as support documents.
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SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:
NESCA and Lansing Neighborhood Association have partnered with the City of Salem to prepare a new joint NESCA-Lansing Neighborhood Plan (Neighborhood Plan). The draft Neighborhood Plan is available for review online at <http://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/NESCA-Lansing-Neighborhood-Plan.aspx> and is also attached (Attachment 1).
On November 7, 2017, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the goals, policies and generalized land use map of the Neighborhood Plan as a component of the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan and adopt the other portions as support documents (Attachment 2). Salem Revised Code (SRC) Chapter 64 requires the Planning Commission’s recommendation to be forwarded to the City Council within 30 days of the conclusion of its deliberations.
A neighborhood plan documents citizen desires on a broad range of concerns in a designated neighborhood, or in this case, two neighborhoods. The purpose of a neighborhood plan is to provide detailed goals and policies for the designated neighborhood in a manner consistent with the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan.
The Neighborhood Plan is the second to be prepared by two abutting neighborhood associations (Attachment 3). It is the result of a collaborative process called “Envision” that began in early 2016. The planning process included extensive public outreach, including 12 facilitated community meetings, 20 public outreach events in the two neighborhoods, and 35 in-depth stakeholder interviews with key community leaders.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
Several highlights from the Neighborhood Plan include Goals, Policies, and Recommended Actions that aim to achieve the following:
• Improve pedestrian safety and connectivity: Chapters 5 (Commercial Development), 6 (Transportation), 7 (Parks and Open Space), 8 (Public Facilities), 9 (Oregon State Fairgrounds), and 10 (North Campus of the State Hospital) contain Goals, Policies, and Recommended Actions that promote pedestrian safety and connectivity. For example, the Neighborhood Plan recommends adding or repairing sidewalks and crosswalks throughout the neighborhoods, particularly along corridors like D Street NE and Sunnyview Road NE and on streets that lead to destinations like schools, parks, and commercial areas. There are also recommendations to create more trails in and around the neighborhoods, including along and through the fairgrounds property, and to encourage commercial development to provide safe pedestrian access to businesses and through parking lots. These and other recommendations recognize that many residents walk in and around the neighborhoods, and improvements are needed to connect areas that have effectively been separated by major streets and highways that run through NESCA and Lansing.
• Celebrate neighborhood identity: Chapters 3 (Heritage and Identity), 6 (Transportation), 7 (Parks and Open Space), and 9 (Oregon State Fairgrounds) contain Goals, Policies, and Recommended Actions that aim to celebrate NESCA and Lansing’s neighborhood heritage and identity. Specifically, the Neighborhood Plan describes their identity as neighborhoods that are family-oriented, culturally diverse, centrally-located, and welcoming to people of all incomes, ages, and backgrounds. Recommendations in the Neighborhood Plan then identify ways to promote and celebrate that identity such as organizing neighborhood festivals and installing murals or plazas in neighborhood parks. This focus on neighborhood identity is new to neighborhood plans in Salem.
• Encourage a broader mix of compatible uses: Chapters 4 (Housing), 5 (Commercial Development), 9 (Oregon State Fairgrounds), and 10 (North Campus of the State Hospital) contain Goals, Policies, and Recommended Actions that support and encourage a greater diversity of uses to serve the neighborhood and its residents. For example, the Housing chapter encourages mixed-use development in existing commercial areas and on major corridors, and it promotes a broad range of housing types to serve seniors. There are also recommendations in other chapters that encourage the development of small-scale, neighborhood-serving retail businesses and restaurants in residential neighborhoods, on the Fairgrounds property, and as part of the redevelopment of the North Campus. The Neighborhood Plan stresses that new uses and development should be compatible with the existing neighborhoods.
• Increase parks and park amenities: Chapters 7 (Parks and Open Space), 9 (Oregon State Fairgrounds), and 10 (North Campus of the State Hospital) contain Goals, Policies, and Recommended Actions that seek to increase the number of parks in and around NESCA and Lansing and improve existing neighborhood parks. The Neighborhood Plan recommends that new parks be developed on the Fairgrounds property, on the North Campus site, and in underserved residential areas such as along Sunnyview Road NE in Lansing. It also recommends enhancing existing parks with amenities like drinking fountains and sheltered areas so that they better serve people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. These and other recommendations recognize that parks provide neighborhoods with essential public gathering spaces, and they are free and open to all residents, making them especially important for those without other recreational opportunities.
Procedural Findings
1. The City, NESCA, and Lansing undertook a collaborative effort to prepare the new joint Neighborhood Plan. The collaborative effort, “Envision,” was initiated in early 2016. Affected property owners, residents, businesses, and other community stakeholders were afforded maximum opportunity for involvement through a variety of means in all phases of the preparation of the Neighborhood Plan under SRC 64.325(a) and (b).
2. The draft Neighborhood Plan was adopted by resolution by NESCA’s Executive Board on July 18, 2017 and Lansing’s Executive Board on July 25, 2017. The resolutions, along with a copy of the draft Neighborhood Plan, were submitted to the Planning Administrator in accordance with SRC 64.325(d).
3. On August 15, 2017, Planning Commission and representatives from the NESCA and Lansing Executive Boards held a joint work session to exchange comments about the draft Neighborhood Plan. The Planning Commission did not recommend any changes to the draft Neighborhood Plan. One Commissioner submitted suggestions to add information about recent plans or activities related to the neighborhoods’ recommendations. The draft neighborhood plan was updated to incorporate the suggestions. The NESCA Chair and Lansing Chair submitted Notices of Completion to the Planning Administrator on September 19, 2017 and September 29, 2017, respectively, and indicated that the two neighborhood associations do not wish to make any changes to the draft Neighborhood Plan.
4. Adoption of the Neighborhood Plan is a “Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment” under SRC 64.020(b) and will be considered under the provisions of SRC 64.320-335 and SRC 300.1110. City Council has standing to initiate major amendments to the Comprehensive Plan as provided in SRC 64.020(e)(1) and SRC 300.1110(a), and Council may refer the matter to the Planning Commission for public hearing and recommendation pursuant to SRC 300.1110(a)(1).
On September 25, 2017, City Council adopted Resolution No. 2017-23, initiating the formal process to adopt the Neighborhood Plan as a component of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and to refer the matter to the Planning Commission for its recommendation. Notice of the proposed amendment was submitted to the Department of Land Conservation and Development on September 26, 2017 as required by SRC 300.1110.
5. In accordance with SRC 64.330(c), the Planning Commission held a public hearing on November 7, 2017 and unanimously voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the goals, policies and generalized land use map of the Neighborhood Plan as a component of the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan and adopt the other portions as support documents.
6. On December 4, 2017 City Council conducted first reading of the ordinance and scheduled the matter for a public hearing. In accordance with SRC 64.335, Council shall hold a public hearing on the final draft Neighborhood Plan within 120 days following receipt of the Planning Commission’s recommendation.
7. Only the Neighborhood Plan’s Goals, Policies, and Generalized Land Use Map may be adopted as a component of the Comprehensive Plan. The Goals, Policies, and Generalized Land Use Map must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and statewide planning goals. Other portions of a neighborhood plan, such as recommended actions, may also be adopted as support documents.
Planning Process
To prepare the draft Neighborhood Plan, City staff conducted a wide variety of public engagement activities in NESCA and Lansing. Activities included monthly meetings, a survey, a project website, the use of social media, stakeholder interviews, flyers, and emails. The NESCA and Lansing boards also helped with outreach by announcing upcoming neighborhood plan meetings at their regular neighborhood association meetings and by posting meeting invites on social media.
In the summer of 2016, City staff began to augment its outreach efforts after discovering that monthly meetings were not an adequate way to reach a broad segment of NESCA and Lansing’s population, which includes many Spanish-speaking families. City staff went to events and organizations in the two neighborhoods to get more input. This included attending events at the three schools in NESCA and Lansing, regularly visiting a local networking and parenting support group called La Casita (a.k.a. Little House) in Lansing, and hosting tables at neighborhood events. In total, City staff attended 20 events to talk to stakeholders about the Neighborhood Plan and get their input.
A steering committee of NESCA and Lansing neighborhood representatives guided the planning process, providing valuable feedback and input. Through the various public outreach activities, hundreds of neighborhood residents, property owners, business operators, and other stakeholders participated in the process and contributed ideas and comments about the future of their neighborhoods. All of this input was used to develop the goals, policies and recommended actions in this Plan.
Neighborhood Plan Highlights
A neighborhood plan documents citizen desires on a broad range of concerns in a designated neighborhood, or in this case, two neighborhoods. The purpose of a neighborhood plan is to provide detailed goals and policies for the designated neighborhood in a manner consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Specifically, neighborhood associations and City agencies, boards, and commissions consider a neighborhood plan when making recommendations and decisions that would affect the designated neighborhood.
The Neighborhood Plan contains Goals, Policies, and Recommended Actions to guide and shape the futures of NESCA and Lansing as envisioned by the two neighborhoods. It includes the following components:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Neighborhood Profiles
Chapter 3: Heritage and Identity
Chapter 4: Housing
Chapter 5: Commercial Development
Chapter 6: Transportation
Chapter 7: Parks and Open space
Chapter 8: Public Facilities and Services
Chapter 9: Oregon State Fairgrounds
Chapter 10: North Campus of the Oregon State Hospital
Generalized Land Use Map
Lansing Neighborhood Opportunities Map
NESCA Neighborhood Opportunities Map
Substantive Findings
Adoption of the Neighborhood Plan as a “Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment” may be made if the following criteria are met per SRC 64.020(f)(1):
1. The amendment is in the best interest of the public health, safety, and welfare of the City.
2. The amendment conforms to the applicable Statewide Planning Goals and applicable administrative rules adopted by the Department of Land Conservation and Development.
Attachment 4 contains findings that indicate that the proposed amendments are in the best interest of the public health, safety and welfare of the City, and they conform to the applicable Statewide Planning Goals. In summary, the goals, policies and generalized land use map of the Neighborhood Plan convey the priorities of NESCA and Lansing in a manner that is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. They aim to guide development in NESCA and Lansing, while enhancing livability in the two neighborhoods.
The goals and policies of the Neighborhood Plan seek to reinforce residential neighborhoods as safe, attractive places to live; support commercial development that provides goods and services for nearby residents; enhance connectivity and safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders; and enhance parks to ensure they are safe, high-quality facilities for people of different age groups and cultural backgrounds.
ALTERNATIVES:
Following the public hearing, Council may:
1. Adopt the amendment to the Comprehensive Plan by ordinance.
2. Refer the proposal back to the Planning Commission for additional deliberation.
3. Dismiss the proceeding by resolution.
Notice of the Council’s decision shall be given in accordance with SRC 300.1110(j).
Eunice Kim
Planner II
Attachments:
1. Draft NESCA-Lansing Neighborhood Plan
2. Planning Commission Recommendation
3. Map of NESCA and Lansing
4. Criteria and Findings for Proposed Amendment