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CCDA Minutes - 03/04/2014 City of Tigard City Center Development Agency Board - Agenda CCDA TIGARD CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING DATE AND TIME: March 4,2014- 6:30 p.m. MEETING LOCATION: City of Tigard -Town Hall 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard, OR 97223 1. CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEETING A. Chair Cook called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. B. Roll Call: Name Present Absent Chair Cook ✓ Director Henderson ✓ Director Buehner ✓ Director Snider ✓ Director Woodard ✓ C. Call to CCDA Board and Staff for Non Agenda Item—Executive Director Wine advised there is one non-agenda item regarding the CCDA work plan for parking strategy implementation. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly reviewed the following,referring to several slides illustrating his comments: • A review of a proposed parking strategy implementation work plan. In 2011 Consultant Rick Williams provided recommendations to better manage the on- street and off-street parking resources in the downtown. • Since 2011,some of the recommendations of the parking strategy were implemented;i.e.,completion of the Burnham Street parking lot,input to the green street parking design (clearly marking parking spaces and standardizing signage on Main Street). • As the Main Street/Green Street project was further refined,a few parking spaces were going to be lost to make room for some of the other improvements. • Staff has come up with a work plan to further refine many of Mr. Williams' recommendations for a parking strategy. • The Burnham Street parking lot is now signed to note a two-hour parking time limit. This lot is designated for customer parking. There is consideration being TIGARD CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES — March 4, 2014 City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 1 of 6 given to permit parking for employees of downtown businesses. Another option is to encourage shared parking for employees. There are a number of private parking lots in the downtown and many of them are not being used to capacity. In response to a question from Director Snider,enforcement issues are acknowledged and under review since the Police Department does not have the staffing to enforce parking. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly advised that since the posting(just this week) of the two-hour parking limitation,usage of the lot has declined. Perhaps some police enforcement is attainable for periodic parking enforcement activity. In the long term the Tigard Downtown Alliance (TDA) could play a role in enforcement. There are business enterprises that offer parking enforcement services. After meetings with business people, staff will bring recommendations to the CCAC,TDA and the CCDA regarding parking. • There are opportunities for parking in the area behind Cafe Allegro. Staff has had some discussions with the property owners (Cach and Capistrano families) about a partnership to pave,stripe and light this area. Discussions have not progressed very far. • Director Henderson noted the parking at the WES station appears to be full on a regular basis. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly said it would be interesting to find out if the parking is comprised of mostly commuter rail riders. • Executive Director Wine advised the purpose of this agenda item is inform the CCDA board of the parking strategy work plan. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly said this is an agenda item for the CCDA June meeting. 2. DISCUSS URBAN DESIGN -STROLLING STREET(Proposal for a program to improve private landscaping areas on Main Street.) Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly said this is a new program to further improve Main Street and implement the city's strategic plan. The proposal is intended to make Main Street a destination for shopping and strolling. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly reviewed a PowerPoint slide presentation during his report to the CCDA. Comments included: • Main Street has the potential to be the best"walking street"in the city and will further the city's strategic plan to become the most walkable community in the Pacific Northwest where people of all ages and abilities can enjoy healthy and interconnected lives • Main Street can attract pedestrians with a comfortable and safe walking experience. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly referred to improvements made possible by the fagade improvement program. When the Main Street/Green Street project is completed, there will be a vastly improved right of way in the downtown providing safe pedestrian crossings,street lights,landscaping,street trees,public art and street furniture. TIGARD CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES — March 4, 2014 City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 2 of 6 • There are many areas of private landscaping that have not been maintained and are in need of some improvements. • Nice landscaping is powerful and has a large potential to shape the pedestrian experience. • A Portland Community College student intern (architectural drafting) did some work for the city focusing on private landscaped areas in downtown. Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly referred to drawings and slides showing the student's work. • There are a lot of buildings on Main Street where the structure is not closely abutting the sidewalk. Many of these areas are under private control (not public right of way). • Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly reviewed the slides showing illustrations of conditions of these properties starting at the northeast end of downtown. • Some areas were noted to be in need of more improvements than landscaping. The shopping area around McDonalds/Rite Aid/Value Village represents a challenge as a variety of people and entities own parts of the complex. • Chair Cook noted he was in the Sellwood area recently and he saw places where parking spots were being used for fenced-off outdoor dining areas. • Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly's illustrations included properties where owners spent a lot of time and energy maintaining the landscaping. • There are several areas with a significant amount of square footage that could be utilized for outdoor spaces,mini plazas and landscaping. • Through the Main Street/Green Street project,areas of private sidewalk were purchased by the city and are now publicly owned. • Examples of good strolling street designs with attractive landscaping can be found in the downtown. • There are opportunities for several semi-public areas for seating and providing space for outdoor entertainment;i.e.,musicians. There was discussion on the types of structural amenities that might be possible including awnings or umbrellas. • The purpose of the strolling street design would be to address landscaping,pavement finishes and street furniture. Roofs and retractable awnings would not likely be an element of this type of design program. Pedestrian experience improvements would be the first focus to incentivize businesses to make investments in their outside areas. The urban renewal budget cannot address all of the improvements needed. Community Development Director Asher advised when compared to the cost for building structures, the"bang for the buck"with improved landscaping is enormous. • Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly reviewed elements of the proposed strolling street urban design project: o Four leading landscape architect firms were interviewed and the proposed program is based on this feedback. The proposal includes: ■ An incentive monetary contribution that would pay for up to 80 percent of the improvement to encourage participation. TIGARD CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES — March 4, 2014 City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 1 www.tigard-or.gov I Page 3 of 6 ■ Still to be determined is whether the program would provide for a reimbursement process (similar to the fagade improvement program) or if the city would pay upfront with the property owner also making a contribution. Staff will work with the city attorney to limit the city's liability. • The CCAC reviewed the strolling street proposal on February 12 at which time they approved the concept and requested to be kept informed as the details progress. • CCAC Chair Tom Murphy advised the CCAC reviewed the proposal on a conceptual level. Members commented that this represented an opportunity to advance the public/private partnership not only in the funding/design stage but also in the use stage. Outdoor space is susceptible to public as well as private use. In some situations,it might be worth exploring whether there would be a good trade-off for expenditure of public dollars if some kind of public use is possible. Also,CCAC members acknowledged that the cost-share (80 percent urban renewal funds/20 percent private funds) proposal is different from the facade improvement program,primarily because of the ongoing maintenance expenditures to be borne by the property/business owners. Generally,the fagade improvement program represents upgrades that will stand in place for a period of years,while landscaping would require ongoing active maintenance. How this maintenance component is incentivized is one of the details that will be interesting to address. The overall sentiment of the CCAC regarding this proposal is extremely positive. • In response to a question from Director Buehner,CCAC Chair Murphy advised there was no discussion with regard to addressing maintenance through the TDA. The CCAC was looking at the proposal from a conceptual standpoint to determine whether it was an idea worth pursuing. • Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly said staff is considering that,in exchange for participating in the program,a five-year maintenance agreement is to be signed. • Community Development Director Asher commented that he believes immediate participation will likely be on a small scale. Success stories might lead to larger-scale endeavors. • If the CCDA board approves of the concept of a strolling streets program,continued conversations will be held with owners of key properties regarding their interest in participation. o The next step would be to hire a landscape architect firm to analyze existing conditions and to look at opportunities along the length of Main Street. The firm would complete conceptual designs of several areas and make suggestions for paving,planters,landscaping,lighting,benches, signage,etc. o The architect firm would be asked to suggest a family of materials. Not every property would have identical landscaping,but a similar theme would be encouraged to run for the entire street. o The architect firm would also estimate how much the improvements would cost, which will help with the next step to identify the first project(s). TIGARD CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES — March 4, 2014 City of Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 1 www.figard-or.gov I Page 4 of 6 o Staff would like the architect firm to stay involved to assist with the bidding and construction administration. • In response to a comment by Director Buehner,Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly agreed that consideration should be given regarding who should be required to sign the maintenance agreement contract—the business owner and/or the property owner. Director Snider pointed out that business owners are more apt to move on and Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly said that this might be why it would be more appropriate to have the property owner sign the maintenance agreement. • Former CCAC member Elise Shearer commented that she is aware of a property owner who is interested in this program. She asked if it was possible if a person owns a collection of properties on Main Street but does not own one key piece,could the city help negotiate a long-term lease of that space(transferrable upon property sale) to allow a section of the contiguous properties to be improved under the program. Community Development Director Asher commented that when the time comes to solicit for projects in August or September,he hopes there is a lot of interest in the program and the city can select the best project(a) as pilot(s). The goal is to select a project(s) that has great visibility and creates the best public space. The first objective is to determine the level of interest to participate in the program and from there it is hoped that the city will be in the position to pick from a number of applicants for the first round of improvements. Then,additional projects could be picked up for next summer. • Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly gave CCDA board members a handout,which will be used to publicize the program. • In response to a comment from Director Henderson,Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly explained the facade improvement program covered some landscape improvements. It was determined to be a good idea to look at the whole of Main Street for a more coordinated exterior area design. Artwork might also be an interesting component for landscape improvements. Grants might be available for artwork. • Staff will request$65,000 in next fiscal year's budget for the pilot effort for up to two projects. • Community Development Director Asher said once there are interested property owners,key sites will be considered for the program. • Director Henderson noted he attended a recent session on successful redevelopment programs. It is important that all windows in the area contain displays making it a pleasant experience to walk by. In many cases,historic pictures or other types of photos were placed in windows,including vacant stores. • Director Buehner referred to an artwalk hosted by the City of Toledo on Labor Day Weekend where well-known artists'works are on display throughout the community. • Executive Director Wine said the Tigard Chamber Director advised her that a downtown artwalk event is being planned and is also under discussion by the TDA. • Redevelopment Project Manager Farrelly noted the city has developed a relationship with PCC,so additional intern assistance might be available for future projects. TIGARD CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES — March 4, 2014 City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 1 www.dWd-or.gov I Page 5 of 6 3. NON AGENDA ITEMS At 7:13 p.m.,Chair Cook announced the Executive Session as follows: • EXECUTIVE SESSION: The CCDA will enter into an executive session in the Red Rock Creek Conference Room to discuss real property negotiations,under ORS 192.660 (2) (e). All discussions are confidential and those present may disclose nothing from the Session. Representatives of the news media are allowed to attend Executive Sessions,as provided by ORS 192.660(4),but must not disclose any information discussed. No Executive Session may be held for the purpose of taking any final action or making any final decision. Executive Sessions are closed to the public. The CCDA Board will adjourn at the end of the Executive Session. 4. ADJOURNMENT—7:46 p.m. Motion by Director Buehner,seconded by Director Woodard,to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of CCDA board members present. Chair Cook Yes Director Buehner Yes Director Henderson Yes Director Snider Yes Director Woodard Yes 6 Catherine Wheatley,City Record Attest: AWN Chair,C Center Development Agency C)14 Date TIGARD CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES — March 4, 2014 City of Tigard 1 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard,OR 97223 1 1 www .tigard-or.gov I Page 6 of 6