Economic Development and the LDC

Both the Future Land Use and Economic Development Elements of the City Comprehensive Plan direct review of the commercial corridors within the City – 8th Street/Downtown, 14th Street, Sadler Road, and the Main Beach/Seaside Park areas. Given the built out nature of these parts of town, redevelopment and infill activities will be the focus. The Economic Development Element directs evaluating these parts of town as Job Opportunity Areas, and laying the groundwork to introduce new business and employment opportunities to the City.

In 2014, Planning Staff conducted research on potential policies and land use mechanisms to foster and support these directives. As part of the research, staff convened a technical working group ("Land Development Code and Economic Development Working Group") which assisted staff in evaluating potential options. The group elected to work on the 8th Street Corridor and area first. Stakeholders from particular fields or interest groups related to 8th Street and the area were invited to meet with the working group. The group met in the sunshine and all meetings were open to the public. This working group met from March 2014 to March 2015.
  • At the working group meeting on March 25, 2015, the group elected to forward their ideas to the Planning Advisory Board, and sunset the LDC + Economic Development Working Group for 8th Street.
  • The recommendations on 8th Street from the original working group have moved to the Planning Advisory Board (PAB). The PAB has formed a subcommittee to work on these items.
  • A new group has formed called the "8th Street Streetscape and Improvement Group." That group will address streetscaping and other initiatives for 8th Street outside of Land Development Code changes.
Information on all groups is found below.

Stay tuned for working groups in the future to address the other commercial corridors in the City.

Economic Development and LDC Working Group

Staff convened the technical working group for assistance in fact-finding and analysis. The work done by the group in gathering this information will help staff in drafting policies in 2015.

The group first met in March 2014 and sunset in March 2015. Members of the group included an architect, engineer, the County Economic Development Board director, a citizen-at-large, Planning Advisory Board members, and a retired economic development professional. All meetings were noticed and open to the public, and minutes were taken. All input was welcomed. The group chose to work on 8th Street first.

The group issued a public survey and survey of business owners along 8th Street during 2014.
As part of the process, group members also wrote viewpoints to share with the media and community:

View LDC and Economic Development Working Group Meeting Minutes

8th Street Streetscape and Improvement Group Meeting Minutes

The 8th Street Streetscape and Improvement Group is a spinoff group from the original working group. This is an informal group that is meeting about every other month at City Hall. Group members have selected areas of interest and work on them outside of the meetings on a volunteer basis. It is a volunteer-based group that is not an official staff working group or advisory committee. All are welcome at the meetings.

Planning Advisory Board 8th Street Subcommittee

The PAB 8th Street Subcommittee held their first meeting in conjunction with the 8th Street Streetscape and Improvement group on June 11, 2015. The group continued to meet over the summer. Their efforts involved consideration of a small area master plan, review of Future Land Use Map and Zoning changes, and associated LDC amendments. The 8th Street Small Area Plan contains background and history of the project, recommendations, and our implementation strategy. The area under consideration for these changes is described in this 8th Street Map Exhibit.

Meetings:
June 11, 2015 (Joint Meeting with 8th Street Streetscape group)
June 25, 2015
July 2, 2015
July 14, 2015
July 30, 2015
August 12, 2015
September 18, 2015
October 1, 2015
October 15, 2015
November 10, 2015
The PAB Subcommittee will take draft language to the full PAB for an initial discussion at its regular meeting on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. The PAB will also consider next steps including a public outreach effort to obtain community feedback on the proposed revisions.