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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.03 - Agenda Packet PLANNING COMMISSION A G E N D A October 3, 2024 Notice is hereby given of a Public Meeting to be held before the City of Wheat Ridge Planning Commission on October 3, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be conducted as a virtual meeting and in person at 7500 W. 29th Avenue, Municipal Building. The public may participate in these ways: 1. Provide comment in advance at www.wheatridgespeaks.org (comment by noon on October 2) 2. Virtually attend and participate in the meeting through a device or phone: a) Click here to join and provide public comment (create a Zoom account to join) b) Or call 1-669-900-6833 with Meeting ID 885 6390 8594 and Passcode: 958514 3. View the meeting live or later at www.wheatridgespeaks.org, Channel 8, or YouTube Live at https://www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/view 4. Attend in person. 1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. APPROVE THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – None 6. PUBLIC FORUM (This is the time for any person to speak on any subject not appearing on the public hearing agenda. Public comments may be limited to 3 minutes.) (continued on next page) Planning Commission Agenda – October 3, 2024 Page 2 Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to participate in all public meetings sponsored by the City of Wheat Ridge. Call Amanda Harrison, Public Information Officer at 303 -235-2877 at least one week in advance of a meeting if you are interested in participating and need inclusion assistance. 7. PUBLIC HEARING * A. No cases to be heard. 8. OLD BUSINESS 9. NEW BUSINESS A. City Plan Update B. Upcoming Dates C. Project and Development Updates D. Commissioner Updates 10. ADJOURNMENT * Public comment is welcome during any public hearing item. The standard procedure for a public hearing is as follows: a. Staff presentation b. Applicant presentation – if applicable c. Public comment – time may be limited at the discretion of the Chair, often to 3 minutes d. Staff/applicant response e. Close public hearing f. Commission discussion and decision ADA Accessibility Statement The City of Wheat Ridge (City) is committed to providing accessible facilities, services, and communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, the City aims to provide an accessible website compatible with W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) that is in compliance with Colorado HB 21-1110, allowing individuals with a disability to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without a disability. As the City works toward this goal, you may have a need to access documents in an accessible format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio, etc.). In that event, please contact the ADA Coordinator, Kelly McLaughlin, at ada@ci.wheatridge.co.us or 303-235-2885 who will make every effort to respond to your inquiry and provide an alternative solution. Memorandum TO: Planning Commission FROM: Ella Stueve, Senior Neighborhood Planner DATE: September 20, 2024 (for October 3 meeting) SUBJECT: City Plan Status Update PURPOSE The purpose of this study session is to provide Planning Commission with an update on the City Plan process and to have a discussion with commission members regarding the content included in the third phase of City Plan public engagement. In Phase 3, we are translating what we heard in the first two phases into draft policy direction for land use, mobility, and how the City Plan can facilitate peaceful coexistence between existing neighborhoods and future development. Attachment 1 is a memo provided by the City Plan consultant, czb, which includes more details to support this study session. This is the third of four anticipated Planning Commission discussions on this project, with the subsequent meeting scheduled for early 2025. BACKGROUND The City Plan is the next iteration of the Comprehensive Plan and will supersede Envision Wheat Ridge, which was adopted in 2009. The City Plan will articulate a community vision for Wheat Ridge through 2045. A specific focus has been to ensure robust community input and to create a plan that balances different values and tradeoffs that emerge from community conversations. A successful City Plan process will result in an adopted document that reflects community values and acts as a foundation for future decision-making on all topics related to the physical development of the city for years to come. PROJECT STATUS Timeline This 15-month process formally began in late January 2024 with a project team kick-off and the first phase of engagement from mid-April to early May. The second phase of engagement took place from early June to mid-July. The third phase of engagement includes the following events: • City Council Study Session on Monday, September 16 • A public open house on Tuesday, September 17 • A steering committee meeting on Wednesday, September 18 • A Planning Commission discussion on Thursday, October 3 The fourth phase will take place in February 2025. It is anticipated that the final plan will be brought to Planning Commission and City Council for final adoption by summer of 2025. 2 Public Process Since December 2023, the City Plan project page on What’s Up Wheat Ridge has been live: https://whatsupwheatridge.com/city-plan. Since then, the project team has encouraged community members to subscribe to project updates and become neighborhood champions. Neighborhood champions are a group of people who want to stay up to speed on the City Plan and help promote participation. As of September 19, the City Plan has 705 subscribers and 93 neighborhood champions. The third public open house was on Tuesday, September 17 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center and had approximately 170 attendees. At this event, participants reviewed the proposed land use and mobility frameworks, and they also participated in small group discussions about how Wheat Ridge can manage growth in a way that facilitates peaceful coexistence between existing neighborhoods and new development. The information and activities from the Open House are also available online on the project website until October 11. Communications for this phase of public engagement includes the following: • A postcard sent to every residence in Wheat Ridge • What’s Up Wheat Ridge newsletters • Connections newsletters • Rooted in Fun Activity Guide advertisement • Mayor’s Matters articles • City of Wheat Ridge’s website newsflash • Yard signs distributed to neighborhood champions and steering committee members and displayed at city parks and facilities • Social media ads and posts • Coasters with a QR code to the project webpage distributed to local businesses to give to customers • Invitation for neighborhood champions to host a round table discussion with their neighbors An outreach summary for the entire project up to this point is included as Attachment 2. Next Steps Based on Phase 3 feedback from Council, the steering committee, and the public, the project team will revise the land use and mobility frameworks and work on a toolkit to enable future development to peacefully coexist with existing neighborhoods. The project team will also continue to develop focus areas, or areas in the city where the City Plan can develop strategies to implement the core values, principles, and priorities of the plan that can be replicated in other areas in the city. All of this content will then inform the draft City Plan document, which we plan to share with the public, Planning Commission, and City Council in 2025. PLANNING COMMISSION FEEDBACK REQUESTED This meeting is intended to provide a forum for commission members to learn about and share input on the draft land use and mobility frameworks that the project team has created, and to discuss how the City Plan can facilitate peaceful coexistence between existing neighborhoods and future development. No formal consensus or direction will be required from Planning Commission to move the project forward. Instead, Planning Commission is asked to come to the October 3 meeting prepared to discuss the content included in Attachment 1 of this memo. 3 On October 3, the place type framework will be presented by the consultant team. This is a series of draft maps included in Exhibit 1 which is proposed to replace the “structure map” that exists in the City’s current comprehensive plan. Place types consider both character and land use and will be described in more detail in the study session. Planning Commission will be asked the following questions about the place type approach: 1. Are these the right place types? 2. Are the geographies accurate? 3. What are the most common issues that could be better managed to achieve peaceful coexistence between new development and established residential neighborhoods? A draft mobility framework is also included in Exhibit 1 and will be presented in the October study session. The mobility framework seeks to reflect all recent planning efforts related to mobility and seeks to reflect the City’s multimodal network as a whole. The mobility framework considers both character and traffic counts. Planning Commission will be asked the following questions about the mobility framework: 1. Are there any items missing from the framework? 2. Is the toolkit approach the right one? Staff is seeking input from commission members on these questions on October 3. Attachments 1. City Plan Status Update, September 2024 2. City Plan Outreach Summary, September 2024 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Wheat Ridge City Plan Planning Commission Check In #3 October 2024 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 1.Process Overview and Updates •Engagement •Focus Areas 2.Place Type Framework 3.Mobility Framework 4.Next Steps Agenda 2 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 PROJECT OVERVIEW Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 The City Plan will be an update to the City’s existing comprehensive plan It should: •Articulate the community’s vision and establish shared values •Identify priorities for the future •Provide the framework for many decisions for years to come •Guide the actions of property owners, residents, elected and appointed officials, City staff, and others. Project Basics 4 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 A great plan Gets the big things right Plans for what is known Creates a decision- making framework for what is unknown 5 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 There will be four phases of engagement where community members will have the opportunity to provide input, both in person or online. Engagement will culminate in the formal adoption process in the spring of 2025. The Wheat Ridge City Plan process is informed and guided by the Wheat Ridge community through several methods of engagement: •Multiple public engagement options •A Steering Committee •City Council and Planning Commission touchpoints A Community-driven Process 6 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Online Surveys Month-long online engagement matching in-person events Multiple Options For Engagement Targeted Intercepts Targeted opportunities to talk and present 7 In-Person Events Open Houses throughout the course of the project Project Webpage Comment through the project website 24/7 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 •Public can sign up to join the conversation. •Engage at their convenience. 8 ONLINE SURVEY STILL OPEN This survey is part of the third phase of community engagement, and will be available until Friday, October 11 at 5 p.m. What’s Up Wheat Ridge Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 An 18-member steering committee of local stakeholders is working closely with city staff and project consultants throughout the process. Steering Committee 9 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Timeline WE ARE HERE Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 WHAT WE HEARD IN JUNE Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 •City Council small groups discussions week of June 3. •Open house event at the Recreation Center on June 6, with over 140 attendees. •Project Steering Committee meeting on June 4. •Planning Commission discussion at a Study Session on July 18. •Online survey offered via What’s Up Wheat Ridge from May 24 through June 30, with nearly 400 responses. The Second Round Of Engagement 12 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 The community confirmed…. three Core Values, four Planning Principles, and four Planning Priorities which now set the foundation for everything else in the City Plan. 13 Emerging Consensus Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 14 Emerging Consensus % of respondents who said they Agree & Mostly Agree with the draft language presented in round 2 engagement Core Values Independent Minded 72% Inclusive 82% Forward Looking 87% Planning Principles Serve a Mix of Incomes 77% Preserve our Patchwork Quilt 89% Focus on Sustainability 86% Strengthen the City's Fiscal Position 88% Planning Priorities Improved Retail and Business Environment 78% 38th Avenue from Lutheran to Harlan 78% Network of Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities 86% Proactive Infrastructure Management 95% Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 FOCUS AREAS 15 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Purpose: to illustrate how key City Plan priorities could be addressed in real settings Prototype Focus Areas Five Focus Areas, chosen because: •They address several of these hard-to-fix issues that are directly related to community priorities as expressed in the City Plan process to date. •The solutions developed in the Focus Area Plans are exportable to other locations in Wheat Ridge. •They are important locations within the community. Focus Areas •44th Ave. Clear Creek to Independence St •W. 29th Ave. Fenton St. to Chase St. •38th Ave. Upham St. to Harlan St •Big Lots/Ross Dress for Less Wadsworth Site •Ward TOD 16 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 17 Prototype Focus Areas Which Types of Issues Could be Addressed in Which Areas? Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 DRAFT PLACE TYPE FRAMEWORK A map of character areas, or place types, that make up the patchwork quilt of Wheat Ridge Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Place Types 19 Four Residential Types Five Non-Residential Types Combination of character and land use. Today's reality. Tomorrow's aspiration. Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Residential Place Types Dominated by a single housing type. Usually, but not always, single-unit detached. Common era of construction. 20 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Residential Place Types Less single-unit detached than lower variety. Not dominated by a single housing type. 21 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Residential Place Types Widest variety of housing types. Variety of construction eras. ​ Presence of 20th Century rental properties. 22 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Residential Place Types High-density residential around rail station. Integrated limited commercial uses. 23 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Residential Place Types 24 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Place Types 25 Four Residential Types Five Non-Residential Types Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Non-Residential Place Types Community center. Gathering place of civic, social, and cultural importance. Shopping and dining are important activities. Unique place. 26 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Non-Residential Place Types Smaller-scale commercial buildings. Walkable retail where pedestrian access is prioritized. Parking generally behind commercial or mixed-use buildings. 27 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Non-Residential Place Types Accommodates a mix of commercial uses. Buildings variable in size. Often auto-oriented. Multi-unit or attached residential uses. 28 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Non-Residential Place Types Large-scale buildings with regional market geography. Includes campus- style employment centers. Auto-oriented favoring vehicular access. Multi-unit residential. 29 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Non-Residential Place Types Industrial Fabrication Processing Manufacturing Shipping Warehousing 30 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Non-Residential Place Types 31 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Draft Place Type Framework 32 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Place Type Framework Implications 33 •Boundaries between different places can be fuzzy. •Areas for conflict if not handled thoughtfully. •Different residential areas have different levels of housing variety. •New housing fits differently in different neighborhoods. •Peaceful coexistence is the goal! Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Place Type Framework Implications 34 •Peaceful coexistence is the goal! •Future regulations will need to be sensitive to these realities..... •City Plan will give "instructions" to future code updates based on: •Place types •Transition areas between place types •Transitions between properties Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Place Types: Commission Discussion 35 1.Are these the right place types? 2.Are the geographies accurate? 3.What are the most common issues that could be better managed to achieve peaceful coexistence between new development and established residential neighborhoods? Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 DRAFT MOBILITY FRAMEWORK 36 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 37 The Mobility Framework envisions how the existing network can be incrementally improved to help meet community goals in a practical manner. Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 A toolkit approach allows the City to pick the tools that work for each specific location when improvement opportunities arise. 38 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Mobility: Commission Discussion 39 1.Are there any items missing from the framework? 2.Is the toolkit approach the right one? Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 NEXT STEPS 40 Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 Next Steps 41 •Revise Place Type and Mobility Frameworks based on feedback. •Continue work on "Peaceful Coexistence" concepts. •Continue work on Focus Areas: •Peaceful Coexistence •Other common issues citywide •Draft City Plan and Engagement Round 4 in February 2025. Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 42 Thank you! Wheat Ridge City Plan | Planning Commission | October 2024 REMINDERS 43 ONLINE SURVEY STILL OPEN Available until Friday, October 11 at 5 p.m. 1 Attachment 2: Planning Process Outreach Summary As of September 19, 2024 Meetings and Online Engagement: The project will include a total of four engagement phases. Each include a public open house, an online survey or activities that reflect the content in the open houses, a City Council study session, a presentation and discussion at Planning Commission, and a steering committee meeting. The events and online engagement through the first three phases include: • Phase 1: o A steering committee meeting on March 14 – 14 attendees o A City Council study session on April 15th o A public open house on April 16 – approximately 120 attendees o Online activities from April 12 to May 3 – 267 respondents o A steering committee meeting on April 17th –17 attendees o A Planning Commission meeting on May 2nd • Phase 2: o City Council discussions on June 4 and June 6 o Online activities from May 25 to June 28 – 395 respondents o A public open house on June 6 – approximately 140 attendees o A steering committee meeting on June 4 – 16 attendees o A Planning Commission discussion on July 18 • Phase 3: o City Council Study Session on September 16 o Online activities from September 6 to October 11 – respondents TBD o A public open house on September 17–approximately 170 attendees o A steering committee meeting on September 18 – 14 attendees o A Planning Commission discussion on October 3 Additionally, the project team has attended several community events to provide information and activities related to the City Plan, including: • Performance in the Park on June 26 • Ridgefest on June 29 • New Lutheran Hospital Open House on July 20 • Carnation Festival on August 9-11 2 Direct Mail: Staff sent every residence in Wheat Ridge two postcards notifying residents of the open house and directing them to the project website to complete online surveys/activities in both phase two and phase three of the engagement. The first postcard was sent in May, and the second postcard was sent in August. The City’s Connections newsletter is mailed to every household and business in Wheat Ridge and is the primary source of direct mail for citywide projects such as this one. The project appeared in three editions of Connections: • November 2023 – The City Plan was featured as the City Manager letter on page 3, introducing the plan effort and directing the community to the webpage to subscribe to project updates • March 2024 – City Plan and the upcoming April meeting date were featured on the cover • May 2024 – Public launch of the City Plan and the upcoming June meeting were featured on page 5 • July 2024 – City Plan and the upcoming September meeting were featured on page 5 The Parks and Recreation quarterly newsletter, Rooted in Fun, included a quarter page ad in the Summer and Fall/Winter issues advertising the open houses for phases one and three. Email: Several different distribution lists were utilized to send email updates directly to stakeholders: • Mayor’s Matters is a monthly e-newsletter containing updates on the City’s latest news, current projects, and upcoming events. It is mailed on or just before the 1st of each month. The City Plan project has been featured in five editions: March, April, May, June, September • In each engagement phase, an email was sent to all active board and commission members informing recipients of upcoming open houses and directing them to the What’s Up Wheat Ridge page to register and subscribe for updates. • What’s Up Wheat Ridge allows users to register on the site and subscribe to various projects. The City can send newsletters through the site to all registrants or to the subscribers of specific projects. On January 4, an announcement of the City Plan and an invitation to subscribe to project updates was sent to all site registrants (2977 recipients with a 73% open rate). Since that initial newsletter, the following newsletters have been sent to project subscribers only: ­ March 28 email to 237 recipients with a 101%1 open rate ­ April 17 email to 270 recipients with a 93% open rate ­ April 30 email to 390 recipients with a 78% open rate ­ May 23 email to 435 recipients with an 84% open rate ­ May 28 email to 448 recipients with an 87% open rate ­ June 11 email to 557 recipients with a 78% open rate ­ June 25 email to 647 recipients with a 71% open rate ­ September 3 email to 699 recipients with a 71% open rate ­ September 10 email to 705 recipients with a 73% open rate ­ An additional two emails will be sent during the course of phase three (industry standard is a 21.06% open rate) 1 The email was sent to 237 people and 241 opened it, meaning it was forwarded and opened by others outside the original list. 3 Additionally, the City Plan website has invited community members to become Neighborhood Champions throughout the planning process. Neighborhood champions are a group of people who want to stay up to speed on the City Plan and help promote participation. As of September 19, 93 people have signed up to be Neighborhood Champions. During each phase of engagement, Neighborhood Champions have received between three and four emails describing how to get involved and reminding them to spread the word. During phase three, Neighborhood Champions were also invited to pick up a meeting in a box, or a take-home version of the phase three open house round table discussions. Traditional Media: • CBS ran a story on the City Plan, “Wheat Ridge asking for community feedback on future city plan north of Denver” on June 19 • The Neighborhood Gazette prints 16,000 copies and has included the following story related to the City Plan: ­ May 2024 “City Begins Year-Long Update Process for Guiding Plan” ­ July 2024 “The City of Wheat Ridge Brings the City Plan to Carnation Festival” ­ September 2024 “Wheat Ridge City Plan Engagement Continues” • Staff created a promotional video discussing the City Plan and advertising upcoming open houses and opportunities to get involved. The video was promoted on social media, sent to local reporters, and airs in rotation on Wheat Ridge TV 8. The video is available at https://whatsupwheatridge.com/city-plan/widgets/84432/videos/5488 Social Media: The City’s social media channels were used to advertise project-specific events including upcoming public meetings and active surveys, including on Next Door, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Social media posts also include notice of Connections, Mayor’s Matters, and City Council meetings/study sessions. Miscellaneous: • Approximately 90 yard signs were distributed to steering committee members, neighborhood champions, and other community members or installed on city property • Flyers were distributed to neighborhood champions, at other city events, to large apartment complexes, and upon request • The front page of the City’s website included several newsflashes for the project • Public meetings were included on the City’s website calendar • Coasters with the City Plan logo and a QR code leading to the project website were distributed at local restaurants in the weeks leading up to each public open house 4 What’s Up Wheat Ridge: In addition to emails sent to registrants and subscribers (see page 2), the What’s Up Wheat Ridge platform allows staff to see how many people interact with the site. • The project site launched on November 6, 2023. • As of September 4, 2024, there were 3,688 unique visitors to the project page. Of these, 1,417 individuals interacted with the project in some way (downloaded documents, viewed key date details, visited multiple pages, or engaged in an activity). • The chart below shows the volume of pageviews and visitors for thus far.