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Resolution No. 05-60 CITY OF TIGARD, OREGON RESOLUTION NO. 05- A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE URBAN RENEWAL PROJECT PUBLIC OUTREACH PLAN. WHEREAS, on June 2005, Council authorized the hiring of Norton-An-old & Company to help develop strategies to foster public understanding of the Urban Renewal Plan; and WHEREAS, the product of this work effort, The Urban Renewal Project Public Outreach Placa, has been completed; and. WHEREAS, The Urbana Renewal Project Public Outreach Plait was developed under the guidance of the City Center Advisory Comnnission; and WHEREAS, the Plan was reviewed and discussed by the City Center Development Agency at its meeting on September 13,2005, NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Tigard City Council that: SECTION 1. The City Council adopts 77ae Urban Renewal Project Public Outreach Placa (Exhibit A) and directs City staff to use the strategies described in the Plan as a blueprint for the public outreach program to support the City Center Urban Renewal Plan. . SECTION 2. This resolution is effective inunediately upon passage. �1 PASSED: This ^day of 2005. i Mayor- ity of Tigard ATTEST: .Q�,i r►.,t W City Recorder-City of Tigard RESOLUTION NO. 05 - (4PO Page 1 City of Tigard Urban Renewal Project Draft Public outreach Plan i QZ �MpROV�M�� Prepared by: Norton-Arnold & Company - 8/19/05 Reviewed by: Tigard City Center Advisory Commission - 8/24/05 Revised for Presentation to: Tigard City Council - 9/13/05 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................3 SCHEDULE AND COORDINATION........................................................................................................4 HOW THE PUBLIC WILL INFLUENCE THE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN.......................................5 GOALS FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH.........................................................................................................6 WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT URBAN RENEWAL?.......................................6 PUBLICOUTREACH STRATEGIES.......................................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION Autumn 2005 marks a significant time as the City of Tigard forges ahead with plans for a revitalized downtown area. The Downtown Improvement Plan, culminating a comprehensive two-year public process, will be complete by the end of September. Likewise, a Draft Urban Renewal Plan,which will serve as the fielding mechanism for many of the projects included in the Downtown Improvement Plan, will be complete and ready for public review at the end of September. And, a landscape architect firm will be hired to design the first of the "catalyst projects" outlined in the Downtown Improvement Plan. This "Comprehensive Streetscape, Commercial Streetscape, and Burnham Street" design project will serve as a concrete, highly visible example of how the Downtown Improvement Plan will be implemented over time. As the first tangible project to emerge from the Plan, it can serve to generate excitement and enthusiasm for the types of downtown revitalization efforts that will continue to develop over the next twenty-five years. The combination of these projects creates powerful momentum for a public outreach program, and the Public pDowntoOutreach Plan outlined herein will be stronger and more effective by taming advantage of the synergy created by all three efforts. The Downtown Improvement Plan provides an Synergy and Urban Renewal overall context for the city's Momentum Plan-Provides -� future, and enjoys strong support the Funding;- from an active, committed leadership group. The tre Provide es th i]esig�a Comprehensive Streetscape g Provides evidence o project will provide opportunities downtown for the public to actively weigh vitalization in with their ideas on how the city's streetscapes and gateways can best be designed. And the Urban Renewal Plan will provide a road map for how long-term fielding will be achieved for the catalyst and other-projects delineated in the Downtown Improvement Pian. Working with all three projects, we will invite the public to learn more about the future of downtown, assist in their understanding of the upcoming Urban Renewal ballot measure, and engage their creative ideas for downtown streetscapes. By talcing advantage of this project synergy, we will also make it easier and more efficient for more people to get involved in the future of downtown. Every public meeting,presentation, discussion group, and set of printed materials will include Tigard Urban Renewal Plan 3 Council Review Draft Public Outreach Plan September 1,2005 references to all three projects, creating a"one-stop shopping" experience for those who want to learn more. The details of how all three projects will work together for more effective public outreach are included in this plan. SCHEDULE AND COORDINATION The Downtown Improvement Plan will be finalized on approximately September 30, 2005, and the Draft Urban Renewal Plan is scheduled for completion on September 27. The landscape architect for Streetscape Design is also scheduled to be under contract by September 27. The Downtown Improvement Plan is nearly complete, and identifies a series of revitalization projects that are envisioned over the next 20-30 years. A highlight the Downtown Improvement Plan is a series of catalyst projects, those identified actions that will jumpstart other development in the area and create a climate for investment. Although the planning process has come to an end, it will be important to continually remind the public of what-the Downtown Improvement Plan includes,the design principles it embodies, and the identified projects that serve as its core. The Urban Renewal Plan will describe how the catalyst projects will be funded, as well as the details of using tan increment financing to fund the proposed Urban Renewal District. The City Center Advisory Commission(CCAC) will complete its work on the draft Urban Renewal Plan by the end of September. After public review and comment the Urban Renewal Plan will be adopted by the Tigard City Council; this is anticipated to occur in December 2005. Because the use of tax increment financing requires a public vote of approval., it will be identified as a ballot measure in February 2006, and the public vote on tax increment financing will occur in May 2006. City of Tigard staff, elected officials, and the many community members actively involved in efforts to revitalize and renew the City's downtown core,will work hard between October 2005-February 2006 to make certain there is broad public awareness and understanding about tax increment financing and the Urban Renewal Plan. Thus,the Public Outreach Plan identified here contains numerous opportunities to share information with the public. Once it has been identified as a ballot measure,however,tax increment financing becomes the work of an election campaign. At that point city staff and elected officials are not allowed to endorse the measure in any way, although they can continue,within limits,to provide factual information to the public. A separate campaign committee will assume the responsibility to build public awareness and support leading up to the May election. In recognition of this separate campaign effort to support the election,this Public Outreach Plan describes tools and strategies that will be implemented starting in early September 2005 and completed perhaps as early as mid-December,2005. Limited elements of the Outreach Plan may perhaps continue after mid-December provided such elements clearly provide neutral information only. Tigard Urban Renewal flan 4 Council Review Draft Public Outreach Plan September 1,2005 The Streetscape Design project will get underway in October 2005, and is expected to extend through August 2006. The architect team will be working closely with the Downtown Improvement Task Force and various advisory groups during the design process; opportunities for broader public involvement have also been specified in consultant scope of work. Pictures are well worth 1000 words and beyond. The drawings and illustrations created through this design process will serve as effective tools to build continued public enthusiasm for the revitalization of the downtown area. If this design process is widely opened to the public, and if people have the opportunity to see their "fingerprints" on the final design, there is a much higher likelihood that the design itself- as well as the longer-term goals of the Downtown Improvement Plan—will achieve broad, sustained, public support. HOW THE PUBLIC WILL INFLUENCE THE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN The Urban Renewal Plan is being developed by the CCAC, with assistance from consultant Tashman Johnson LLC. The CCAC, which is made up of community leaders with diverse perspectives, will ensure that the Urban Renewal Plan is written in a way that enables the effective use of tax incrementing financing to fund the catalyst projects. The CCAC began work in July 2005, and will issue the Draft Urban Renewal Plan in September 2005. After broad public review and comment, as well as review from the Tigard Planning Commission, the CCAC will revise the Urban Renewal Plan as necessary and reissue it in final form; this will occur in mid-November. The City Council will then review the Urban Renewal Plan, and will conduct a public hearing on the Plan before the Council votes to adopt the Plan in mid-December 2005. The Urban Renewal Plan will be centered around the catalyst projects that have been identified in the Downtown Improvement Plan. The Urban Renewal Plan specifies how the fluids acquired through tax increment financing will be applied to these catalyst projects.As such,much of the Urban Renewal Plan has already been determined through the major components of the Downtown Improvement Plan; the catalyst projects, for example,will not be changed at this time. Nonetheless, Tigard's citizens can influence the Urban Renewal Plan in other important ways. As they review the Draft Urban Renewal Plan,they will be encouraged to: ➢ Ask questions to clarify key points; offering suggestions on how the Plan may be revised to be clearer to the reading public. ➢ Share their ideas on ways in which key elements of the Plan can be implemented in ways that are in the best interest for the city as a whole. ➢ Discuss any concerns they may have about urban renewal and/or downtown revitalization. Comments on the Draft Urban Renewal Plan will be collected throughout the month of October and into November. The CCAC will meet in early November to determine if, and how,the Plan should be revised. Based on their decisions,the Plan will be finalized and submitted to the City Council for adoption in December 2005. Tigard Urban Renewal PIan 5 Council Review Draft Public Outreach Plan September 1,2005 GOALS FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH This Public Outreach Plan has been designed to share as much information as possible about the Urban Renewal Plan, Downtown Improvement Plan, and upcoming"on the ground" design projects related to downtown Tigard. The goal of the Public Outreach Plan is to ensure that those who live and work in Tigard are as informed as possible about the revitalization efforts underway,the implications of their May 2006 vote on tax increment financing, and the ways in which they can continue to be involved in improvements to the downtown area. WHAT IS.MOST IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT URBAN RENEWAL? During the creation of the Downtown Improvement Plan, Tigard's citizens shared their ideas and visions for a revitalized downtown. A public opinion survey conducted in July 2005 also identified the components of urban renewal that are most important to the city's voters. The following "key messages"reflect the priorities that have previously been expressed by the public: 1) Urban renewal will give Tigard a new-"heart". As do most people in most communities,residents of Tigard have said they are looking for a"core"that clearly identifies their city. The catalyst projects identified in the urban renewal plan do that by identifying green space and town square projects, and by various additional improvements that will help the city establish a unique identity. 2) Urban renewal makes economic sense for the whole city. The catalyst projects will spur economic development far beyond a few downtown streets.'They will help Tigard become a nicer place to be overall, making it more enticing and safe to come to the downtown area for a meal or shopping. This means a stronger, more vital economic base that everyone will benefit by. 3) Tax increment financing is supported by the city's leadership. The fire chief, school superintendent, and leaders of other special districts understand the importance of tax increment financing. Although future financial resources may be shifted away from these important institutions, our leaders understand that the benefits from urban renewal far outweigh the relatively small budget reductions they may experience. A rising tide lifts all boats. An improved core economy will ensure that tax dollars are stable and healthy for the long-term. 4) Both the Downtown Improvement and Urban Renewal Plans are built on broad public input. The Downtown Improvement Plan benefited by frequent, in-depth discussions and feedback from a broad diversity of citizen perspectives. The catalyst projects reflect the priorities identified through this public process. The recent survey indicates that Streetscape Improvements are a number one priority for city's voting public, and, in fact, Streetscape Design is the first funded project"out of the box" for downtown Tigard Urban Renewal Plan 6 Council Review Draft Public Outreach flan September 1,2005 revitalization. This strong commitment to extensive public involvement will continue throughout the implementation of the Downtown Improvement Plan. PUBLIC OUTREACH STRATEGIES 1) Creation of Support Materials To assist the individuals and groups ultimately assigned the responsibility for delivering on the other strategies and programs identified in this Public Outreach Plan, a number of supporting materials will be created, including: 9 A brief Q-and-A fact sheet ➢ A presentation outline and key speaking points. ➢ A PowerPoint presentation for use where appropriate ➢ Talk in a Box Kits (see strategy#3 for details) 2) Open House/Public Meeting An open house/public meeting will be held in the first week of November to present, and take public comments on,the Draft Urban Renewal Plan. Information about the Downtown Improvement Plan and upcoming Streetscape Design Project will also be shared in graphic forinats, e.g. illustrations from the Downtown Improvement Plan, a list of the catalyst projects, etc. If possible,the landscape arclutect firm hired for the Streetscape project will be on hand to informally discuss ideas for how this project might be envisioned. The meeting will begin with a walk-around opportunity for attendees to review displays and ask questions of both CCAC members and Tigard staff. This will be followed by a "Town Hall"meeting that will include a presentation followed by a facilitated question/answer/cominent session with the assembled audience. The presentation will include a brief overview of the Downtown Improvement Plan, as well as a timeline that highlights public involvement opportunities related to the Streetscape Project. The bulk of the presentation will be focused on the Urban Renewal Plan,providing attendees with a summary of what the draft includes and what its implications are for the future of the downtown area. If possible, a representative from a neighboring city (Tualatin or Sherwood, for example) should also spend a few minutes presenting information on how Urban Renewal has worked in that jurisdiction. This might include an overview of what was funded, challenges experienced along the way, and the results of tax increment financing in that area. A representative from one of the organizations (such as the school district)that may experience a shift in resources due to tax increment financing should also be on hand to reassure attendees that this shift will not place an undue burden on other public services and programs. Although this meeting will be open to the general public and widely advertised, letters of invitation will also be sent to an identified mailing list that includes, for example,the Tigard Urban Renewal Plan 7 Council Review Draft Public Outreach Plan September 1,2005 leadership of Tigard's business and service organizations, downtown property owners, downtown business and property owners, leaders of special service districts. These letters will highlight the importance of that individual's attendance at the meeting, and the need for them to participate as an active voice in the development of the Urban Renewal Plan. Participants will be encouraged to stay for the entire meeting,but those with more limited time can come, review the displays, share their thoughts with the staff at the display areas, and/or leave written comments as is convenient for them to do so. All comments received at the meeting will be summarized in a brief report. The City and the CCAC will then determine how the Urban Renewal Plan might be revised in response to the comments received. 3) Presentation and Discussion Sessions Numerous presentations and discussion sessions will be held to inform and share information about the Downtown Improvement and Urban Renewal Plans, as well as listen to any questions or concerns raised by participating individuals and groups.These sessions will be similar to those held in earlier phases of the Downtown Improvement Plan, and will range from relatively formal large group presentations to smaller, informal "living room"meetings throughout Tigard's neighborhoods,to small-group discussion sessions with property and business owners. These sessions will be held with as many interest groups as possible. Participating City staff, CCAC members and others presenting at and"hosting"these sessions will be provided with Talk in a Box lits to help them carry out this task. The Talk in a Box will include a fact sheet,presentation outline and PowerPoint, and other information related to the Plan. If possible,brief videos that describe successful urban renewal efforts in other cities will also be included in the Box. Perhaps most importantly, the Box will also include a series of structured questions that will enable the presenter to elicit feedback from the assembled group. This will ensure that all presenters are asking similar questions,maintaining consistency in the types and levels of feedback received. 4) Recruitment of Key Influentials "Key influentials" are those community leaders whose opinions are likely to be most important to Tigard's citizens. In the case of urban renewal,the community's key influentials are, of course, elected members of the City Council. In addition,however, because tax increment financing calls for a shift in property tax revenues away from other institutions, it will be particularly important to have the support of those who are in leadership positions at, for example,the school district,the fire district, and any other organizations that may experience this shift in resources. The July 2005 public opinion poll indicates that when people do have concerns about tax increment financing,they are most concerned that it will take money away from schools or other vitally-important programs. These leaders need to visibly reassure the public that the shifts in resources will not in any way lessen the quality of the services and programs they currently provide. Key influentials will be recruited through one-on-one meetings with these Tigard Urban Renewal flan 8 Council Review Draft Public Outreach Plan September 1,2005 individuals, asking them to appear at public meetings, assist with presentations, and generally lend their voice of endorsement to the urban renewal process. 5) Insertion in the High School Curriculum The Downtown Improvement and Urban Renewal Plans are vitally important to the future of Tigard, and, as such, are ideal topics for the high school curriculum. One or two high school teachers willing to include the revitalization of the downtown area into the 2005-2006 curriculum will be recruited. These high school students may attend meetings of the CCAC or other review sessions to help craft the Urban Renewal Plan. They could assist with presentations and/or the public meeting, or staff one of the public display areas. The goal would be to gain their active participation, and to use these youthful voices to share information with both their peers and their families. Given that the vote will also occur within the school year,the entire process could be a valuable lesson in how public decisions are both informed and ultimately determined. 6) Creation and Placement of News Tidbits Every two-three weeks, a new"piece of news" about downtown revitalization will be placed on the city's website, included in the Cityscape newsletter, or highlighted in the Tigard Times. In addition, the City maintains a listserve of approximately thirty neighborhood organizations; this Community Connectors listserve will be an effective tool for sharing information.News tidbits can also be placed in inserts that are mailed out with the City's water bills. The goal is to ensure frequent placement and visibility of easy-to-read short articles that highlight developments in the two Plans as well as the Streetscape Design project. In addition, at appropriate junctures meetings will be scheduled with the editorial boards of both the Tigard Times and the Oregonian Metro West. 7) Establishment of a "Storefront" and other Public Displays The Tigard Sub Shop on Main Street will serve as a"storefront" for Urban Renewal. Drawings that illustrate key concepts of the Downtown Improvement Plan and Streetscape Design project will be 'installed as displays in the shop's windows and regularly updated. Two Sub Shop tables will be available for public questions and discussion for two hours on three afternoon weekdays. Coffee or soft drinks will be available at no charge. Displays reflecting the Downtown Improvement and Urban Renewal Plans will also be placed in the Library, in other downtown stores, and at other public venues as appropriate. These displays will be designed to share information and to encourage passers-by to access the city's website for additional information or to share their comments. Tigard Urban Renewal Plan 9 Council Review Draft Public Outreach Plan September 1,2005 8) Inclusion in Major Public Events There are numerous-opportunities to share information about the Downtown Improvement and Urban Renewal Plans, as well as the Streetscape Design project. Displays, fact sheets, and other information about these efforts will be available at: ➢ Citizens Academy, a ten-week session that provides training on city government. ➢ Tigard Downtown Halloween Event ➢ Tigard Farmers Market ➢ Tigard High School football games ➢ The formal public meeting on the Streetscape Design project tentatively scheduled for December 2005. 9) Outreach to Additional Property Owners and Businesses The preparations and review of the Draft Urban renewal Plan now underway with the CCAC has generated several proposal for expanding the boundary of the Urban Renewal District beyond the downtown limits contemplated in the Downtown Improvement Plan. These discussion have identified the rail corridor northwest of downtown up to Tiedeman Avenue,the other three"corners"of the Highway 99W and Hall intersection(the fourth is already in the Improvement Plan boundary), and about 65 acres of light industrial land southeast of downtown bounded by Hall, Hunziker, Wall and the railroad tracks. Should one of more of these areas be recommended for inclusion in the Urban Renewal District,property owners,residents and businesses in these areas will need to introduced to the city's aspirations for downtown and the urban renewal concept. As the areas were not necessarily considered in the course of developing the Downtown Improvement Plan, these stakeholders were not directly brought into the outreach process associated with the Improvement Plan effort. Two neighborhood meeting are recommended—one for the Railroad/99W/Hall properties, and a second for the southeast industrial properties 10) City Council Public Hearing A final opportunity for public comment will occur at the public hearing held prior to City Council adoption of the Urban Renewal Plan. This hearing will be held in early December;the Council is likely to vote to adopt the Plan at its second December meeting. 11) Outreach Plan Evaluation and Transition It is also recommended that,the CCAC will hold a special meeting to evaluate the effectiveness of the Public Outreach Plan in December 2005 or January 2006. Questions such as: what has worked well,what hasn't worked,where are there key groups that still need to be reached, should be asked. This will provide CCAC members with the opportunity to fine tune the Public Outreach Plan, and identify strategies that may continue into the campaign phase,with the understanding that roles will change once the ballot measure becomes final. Tigard Urban Renewal Plan 10 Council Review Draft Public Outreach Plan September 1,2005