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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-20-18 Downtown URD Minutes Downtown Urban Renewal District Downtown Business Improvement District Joint Board Meeting Minutes November 20, 2018 Attending: URD—Bobby Bear, Bob Hietala, Cory Lawrence, Tony Renslow BID—Eric Bowman, Erik Nelson, Susan Neubauer, Eric Sutherland Chris Naumann, Jeff Krauss Public Comment: None Minutes No minutes were presented Financial Report No financial reports were presented Executive Director’s Report No ED reports were presented Discussion and Decision Items Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District Discussion Chris presented printed copies of the NCOD memos to the board he sent on November 4 and 16, 2018 (included below). He reiterated that the downtown boards should seriously consider responding to the consultant proposed changes to the NCOD. Jeff Krauss urged the boards to communicate to the City Commission their thoughts about the proposed NCOD changes as the Commission relies on them regarding downtown issues. The board members voiced several thoughts and concerns about the implications of the NCOD on downtown generally summarized as follows: • NCOD is an unnecessary layer of regulation that does not serve a constructive purpose downtown. • The NCOD seems to apply more to residential zoning districts and historic districts rather than mixed-use and commercial districts like downtown. • The B3 district should be guided by the Downtown Plan and the NCOD should guide residential districts. • “Good fences make good neighbors” and the B3 boundary should be the good fence inside of which the Downtown Plan rules the day. • The NCOD adds yet another layer of regulatory complexity, and at times confusion, to downtown projects which are challenging enough as is. • It does not seem like the NCOD is preventing any development from happening so is it really a problem to be solved or a solution looking for a problem. • Are there any unidentified or unintended consequences with downtown being excluded from the NCOD? The board members agreed that changing the B3 zoning boundary and/or adding a new type of B3 zoning designation was not acceptable. In regard to supporting a formal letter to the City Commission, the members agreed they could not make that decision without an actual draft letter to consider. Chris offered to draft a letter that captures the board’s discussion and concerns for their review via e-mail. The attendees agreed that was the logical next step and generally agreed that the letter should suggest excluding the downtown from the NCOD. Meeting was adjourned at 1:05 pm Overview of the NCOD Update November 16, 2018 Prepared for the Downtown BID, DBA, and URD Boards By Chris Naumann, Executive Director, Downtown Bozeman Partnership After reviewing the NCOD Draft Policy Recommendations released on October 23, 2018 (the subject of my November 4th board memo) and attending several public and private meetings with the NCOD consultants, I would like the BID and URD Boards to consider taking a formal position on the NCOD and the proposed policy changes. I think there are three overarching issues with the NCOD: • The NCOD is best suited for residentially zoned neighborhoods • The NCOD conflicts with business and mixed-use zoning districts • The NCOD is incompatible with urban renewal districts Therefore, I recommend the BID and URD Boards consider requesting that the Downtown B3, BID, and URD Districts be excluded from the NCOD and its associated regulations. Below are several aspects supporting that recommendation. 1. Downtown has a long history of thoughtful planning: 1995 Downtown Urban Renewal Plan; 1998 Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan; 2009 Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan; and the pending 2019 Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan. All the plans have spoken to the importance of our Historic Districts and adjacent residential neighborhoods. All the plans also call for change and the evolution of Bozeman’s central business district in order to remain vibrant and viable. For decades, downtown has had a clear plan for the future that is rooted in the past; downtown does not need a conservation overlay. 2. Until recently, the NCOD included the primary set of design guidelines for new construction and significant remodels for downtown. Recently a robust set of commercial design guidelines were codified in Article 5 of the 2018 UDC Update. Therefore, that roll of the NCOD has been supplanted. 3. The six nationally recognized Historic Districts in and around downtown provide considerable protections, stability and predictability. Very little to no change will occurring in these districts. See Figure 1 below. 4. At least 12 significant properties within downtown are protected by ownership including: City, County, Federal governments; School District; Non-Profits (numerous traditional churches and Emerson Cultural Center). These properties are in essence “conserved” with little to no probability of changing significantly, thus providing a significant buffer particularly adjacent to three of the Historic Districts on the southern edge of downtown. See Figure 2 below. 5. The 2019 Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan provide an opportunity to enhance the transition requirements that were also codified in the 2018 UDC. The new Downtown Plan will also reinforce importance of Historic Districts and Historic Buildings and consideration is being given to recommending up to 20 currently unprotected buildings to be considered for formal historic designation and protection. It should be noted that the Midtown-North 7th URD Board unanimously voted to formally request that the City Commission exclude the URD from the NCOD citing the need to streamline the implementation of the Urban Renewal Plan. Figure 1: Downtown contains and/or is adjacent to 6 formal Historic Districts that protect a significant amount of property. Figure 2: In addition to the 6 Historic Districts a significant amount of property within downtown is protected by ownership subject to little or no change. Summary of the Draft NCOD Analysis November 4, 2018 Prepared for the Downtown BID, DBA, and URD Boards By Chris Naumann, Executive Director, Downtown Bozeman Partnership The recently released draft NCOD plan recommends several options to down zone significant parts of the downtown B3 district (making it considerably smaller) in conjunction with exporting growth (infill and redevelopment) to Midtown and North 7th. The recommendations severely contradict the vision and objectives of every downtown plan we have ever had and directly conflict the recently adopted Bozeman Strategic Plan. The consultants were required to articulate how the proposed changes to the NCOD would support the objectives of the 2018 Bozeman Strategic Plan. Down zoning and restricting infill development directly contradict several Strategic Plan objectives that I will detail in my long-form critique. But the most direct contradiction between the NCOD draft and the adopted Bozeman Strategic Plan is under the section titled “A Well-Planned City”. 4.4 Vibrant Downtown, Districts & Centers- Promote a healthy, vibrant Downtown, Midtown, and other commercial districts and neighborhood centers -including higher densities and intensification of use in these key areas. a) Update the Downtown Plan. Simply put, the Strategic Plan calls for higher densities and intensification of use downtown, in keeping with the 1995, 1998, 2009, and draft 2018 downtown plans. Interestingly, the NCOD draft proposes that the Midtown/North 7th district should be “all in or all outside” the NCOD. The NCOD consultants state that “dividing the design standards and guidelines into specific neighborhoods is strongly recommended.” One option that would solve all the inherent contradictions between the NCOD and the downtown would be to request an “all out” option for the B-3 and Downtown Urban Renewal District, and subsequently develop downtown-specific design standards and guidelines. This ironically is exactly what was recommended in the 2015 NCOD analysis. Below are the images from the NCOD draft that illustrate the recommendations to down zone significant portions of downtown and export further infill development to Midtown and North 7th. I will share my more in-depth analysis of the draft NCOD plan as soon as possible. Graphic from page 36 of the draft NCOD illustrating a new much more restrictive zoning designation (B-3T) covering all the current downtown north of Mendenhall and south of Babcock. Graphic from page 36 of the draft NCOD proposes relocating the southern boundary of the downtown B-3 district to Babcock Street and relocating the northern boundary to Beall Street. Graphic from page 36 of the draft NCOD showing the entire northern and southern thirds of the B-3 district eliminated and suggesting that the resulting lost infill redevelopment potential can be exported to Midtown and North 7th Avenue.