Nine Rails Creative District Master Plan
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NINE RAILS CREATIVE DISTRICT MASTER PLAN Adopt/Not Adopt Resolution Approval of the Nine Rails Creative District Master Plan subject to defined conditions (8-0) The City Council has received a proposal to consider a Nine Rails Creative District Master Plan. The Creative District is proposed to extend from 24th Street to 26th Street (north to south) and from Madison to Grant Avenue (east to west). June 29, 2018 The Council received an initial presentation about the proposed Creative District. July 17, 2018 The Council received a follow up presentation with more in-depth information on the planning items related to the Creative District Master Plan as well as the logistics of implementation. The current design standards of the East Central Community were discussed and described to generally reflect traditional architecture. The Creative District proposes added flexibility in its design standards to provide a new, urbanistic feel to the area, although specific design standards for the area would need to be approved in a separate process. The timeline for considering future planning items included in the proposal was also discussed. The first consideration would be to amend the East Central Community Plan and then a new zoning designation would be considered, both of which would be reviewed by the Planning Commission and City Council. The Creative District Plan was developed through working with a steering committee consisting of roughly 12 members, including property owners, business owners and residents. Ogden City Council Meeting: August 14, 2018 Page 1 of 7 The steering committee has no formal chair and is an ad-hoc group driving the creation of the Creative District. In January, a scoped version of the Creative District Plan was also taken to the Diversity Commission for its review. There was Council discussion about the Planning Commission’s recommendation to include the Oasis Community Garden in the Creative District area and the reasoning for this was to provide another location to create and display art. The Council discussed possibly moving the Creative District boundary to Monroe Boulevard to incorporate the Oasis Community Garden, because the only current entrance to the garden is off of Monroe. There were concerns expressed with expanding the Creative District as this may make the area too broad and lessen the possible impact of a smaller plan area. There was Council discussion to incorporate other Planning Commission recommendations. The Council also discussed minor modifications to provide additional clarity in some areas of the Plan and to remove the specific timelines included and keep reference of these as short-term, mid-term and long-term phases. Additional Background The Administration is proposing the Council’s consideration of establishing a Nine Rails Creative District housed within the Central Business District and East Central Community planning areas, the proposed district also overlaps with three historic districts. The Creative District is intended to encourage artists and other creatives to work and live in Ogden, create new opportunities for the community to engage with the arts, and develop a vibrant connection between Downtown and East Central. In 2015, Ogden City received a $50,000 grant from the Our Town program of the National Endowment for the Arts to use creative placemaking and arts engagement for the revitalization of Downtown Ogden and the East Central area. The focus of this grant is to develop a community vision, conceptual plan and identity for the Creative District. Ogden City Council Meeting: August 14, 2018 Page 2 of 7 The city has contracted with IO Design Collaborative, a local Landscape Architecture firm, to utilize the grant funding and develop the proposed Nine Rails Creative District Plan. The contract with IO Design Collaborative totals $10,000. The City has also contracted with kbENT Media Group to brand and market the Creative District. The Contractor is providing $3,800 in services for the Our Town grant, with $1,800 of the services being provided as an in-kind contribution and the remaining $2,000 being paid by the city from received grant funding. The Creative District Master Plan was submitted to the Planning Commission for consideration and review by the City’s Community Development Division and contractor IO Design. The Planning Commission considered this item on April 4, 2018, and found it consistent with the General Plan. However, the Planning Commission also recommended approval subject to: 1. Inclusion of the Oasis Garden into the District Boundaries; 2. Include the Eccles Art Center and reuse of the old Methodist Church annex into the plan as potential use spaces; 3. Move Lester Park to an earlier implementation period project; 4. Add language to look at quick wins by doing temporary activities and displays on vacant lots until they are developed; and 5. Revise design standards to consider context of existing conditions. The Planning Commission discussed that the Creative District Plan is anticipated to have Capital Improvement Project (CIP) implications, which furthers the need for Council review and consideration. The Commission also raised questions about whether adopting the Creative District Plan would also adopt the standards included. Planning staff described that although the Plan provides ideas of possibilities this would not commit the area to exact design standards. Ogden City Council Meeting: August 14, 2018 Page 3 of 7 Two individuals provided comment during the public hearing for this discussion, both expressing support. Proposed Nine Rails District Master Plan The proposed Creative District Plan addresses the history of the plan area and some of the existing conditions. This also discusses various challenges and opportunities within the proposed geographic boundaries, evaluates current programming and reviews relative planning efforts, i.e. Transportation Master Plan, Bicycle Master Plan and proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Proposed Nine Rails District Master Plan Challenges Opportunities Dilapidated Buildings Lower 25th Street Vacant Buildings Jefferson Avenue Historic District Substandard Housing Distinctive Architecture Poorly Managed Rentals Affordability Lighting Low-Income Apartments Parking Imbalance Development Opportunities Washington Blvd Walkability Topography Bike Infrastructure Low Visibility/Activity Streets Transit Zoning Parking The proposal was informed by existing efforts and similar districts in other communities, including: Little Rock, AR, Atlanta, GA, Baltimore, MD, Asheville, NC, Salt Lake City, UT and Las Vegas, NV. Public Outreach The development of this plan included various public outreach and engagement efforts. Informational meetings were held with artists, creatives and arts organizations throughout 2016 to develop the preliminary Creative District concept. Two focus group discussions were held to receive more specific input from area residents. The Creative District project concept was presented at a community open house during May 2017, and the top five project categories were prioritized by open house attendees: 1. Funding/Business Support 2. Lighting 3. Public Art Ogden City Council Meeting: August 14, 2018 Page 4 of 7 4. Transportation 5. Performance Space A steering committee was established to develop goals and objectives for the Creative District. Property and business owners were consulted several times during master plan development, and a second community-wide open house was held January 2018 to gather feedback on a draft version of the plan. In addition, a few pilot projects were used throughout the planning process to try different ideas and collect feedback from the broader community. Goal, Objectives and Strategies The Creative District steering committee used the feedback received during public outreach efforts to develop a goal, objectives and specific strategies to meet the goal and objectives for the Creative District. Creative District Goal Have an epicenter for art and culture that provides opportunities for the creative community to live, develop, share, and teach their diverse skills for the benefit of Ogden’s artists, citizens, and visitors. There are five objectives outlined, each with accompanying strategies to accomplish the main Creative District goal. Objective 1 Establish a defined area that creates positive impact to the broader community by means of generating creativity and collaboration. Strategies include: supporting places where artists/creatives can live, work, exhibit, perform and teach; supporting and promoting affordable live and work spaces; and creating a new zoning district to allow flexibility in land use regulations and the diversity of creative activities and housing in the Creative District. Objective 2 Promote the development of unique places and wayfinding that make the District easily identifiable. Strategies include: developing public places for community gatherings; art installations with an emphasis on interactive art; streetscape, landscape and lighting designs; promoting the Creative District identity; and developing connections to access the district through all forms of transportation. Ogden City Council Meeting: August 14, 2018 Page 5 of 7 Objective 3 Establish the Creative District as a place where community members access resources that support collaborative and individual creative pursuits. Strategies include: supporting the development of physical facilities to provide co-working, maker, classroom, gallery and performance spaces;