Title
RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE RIVERSIDE SMALL AREA PLAN.
Body
CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that:
(a) The city council adopted the comprehensive land use plan on June 26, 2006, via Resolution 06-0491, which outlined the desired arrangement of land uses for the next 20 years and identified sub-areas of the city to be studied in more detail; and
(b) The city council adopted Resolution 15-0123 on March 9, 2015, accepting a donation from the Spirit Valley Land Company for the preparation of the small area plan; and
(c) The city planning division has prepared and recommends approval of the Riverside small area plan (SAP), a land use plan for one of the sub-areas identified in the comprehensive land use plan; and
(d) The purpose of the Riverside small area plan is to provide guidance for the area that will influence future developments through an assessment of current demographics, land use, zoning, transportation, development opportunities, and environmental characteristics that will form the basis for the plan recommendations and implementation strategy; and
(e) The city planning commission has reviewed the SAP and conducted a public hearing on September 22, 2015, at their planning commission meeting, and recommends adoption of the Riverside small area plan recommendations.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution adopts the Riverside small area plan (SAP). The recommendations in the small area plan is the result of a seven month planning process which enlisted the assistance of a nine person advisory committee with ties to the neighborhood. The advisory committee met four times throughout the study period. In addition there were two public meetings that involved more than 100 residents in the process and provided input on land use, transportation, environmental/open space, and housing/community priorities. Understanding that not every stakeholder was able to attend a public meeting, the planning staff operated an online website throughout the project which was hosted by “My Sidewalk” where questions were posted and feedback was provided.
The purpose of the planning process is to provide guidance for the Riverside area that will influence future developments. Through a series of community engagement events, analysis of the history of the neighborhood, review of past and current planning efforts, and an analysis of the current demographics, the planning team gained an intimate understanding of the current community context, as well as its present challenges, and future opportunities.
The study reveals areas in which investments should be made in the existing housing stock and where new housing should develop in a way that will blend with the historical character of the neighborhood. The small area plan is a framework to guide the future development of the Riverside community, offering tangible implementation action items to make connections between short-term actions that will help shape the long-term visions articulated by residents and community members who live and work in the neighborhood.
The small area study recommendations are focused on supporting areas of opportunity surrounding land use and housing, businesses, and economic development to strengthen recreational amenities as well as recreational amenities in the neighborhood.
On September 22, 2015, the Duluth city planning commission held a public hearing on the plan and voted unanimously (7-0) to recommend that the city council approve it.
The motion to approve requires affirmative votes of at least two-thirds of those members constituting a quorum.