ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Community Development Director with a Request to Concur with the Recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission and Staff to APPROVE a Resolution Amending the Official Comprehensive Plan for the City of Peoria by Incorporating the Wisconsin Avenue Business Corridor Plan. Case No. PZ 14-34. (District 3)
Body
BACKGROUND:
On December 10, 2013, the City Council approved hiring Farnsworth Group to develop a plan for the Wisconsin Avenue Business Corridor, generally between Glen Oak Avenue and Forrest Hill Avenue. The intent of the plan was to complement other ongoing activities in the East Bluff Area, such as the East Village Growth Cell TIF, the Illinois Attorney General Grant, and the location of the Resident Police Officer in the East Bluff NHS House.
The City requested that the final product be a one page poster that could be used by the City, the business owners and stakeholders in the area, and potential developers, to create a vision for the future. This stretch of Wisconsin Avenue has been a commercial corridor since the early Twentieth Century, and although it is not as healthy as in past decades, the potential exists to strengthen and revitalize this important corridor.
The planning process involved two stakeholder engagements. The first stakeholder engagement included individual interviews with each business owner. Approximately 20 businesses/property owners were interviewed during this process. The second stakeholder engagement was a neighborhood walking tour and design workshop, with approximately 30 business and community stakeholders in attendance. This was an interactive session in which participants sketched ideas on maps of the Wisconsin Avenue Business Corridor.
Ideas and suggestions from each outreach component were incorporated in the attached 'Poster Plan'. The Plan creates a vision for the future and is representative of those who live and work in the neighborhood. The Plan will be displayed in business windows throughout the District, and includes practical implementation steps that can be checked off as completed. East Bluff Build It Up, which is collaboration of key neighborhood leaders in the East Bluff, has agreed to champion the plan. They will work with the City to ensure that actions items outlined in the plan are accomplished.
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ACTION:
The Planning & Zoning Commission found that the request met the Findings of Fact requirements and VOTED 6 TO 0 TO APPROVE.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: A financial impact would be realized if the City Council makes a decision to allocate funds to the implementation of the plan.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS (at the Planning and Zoning Commission): Roger Sparks, Advocate for Disabled Rights, stated that the current state of the Kroger Shopping Center area is an eyesore and inaccessible for the disabled. The bus stops and sidewalks need improvement throughout the corridor.
Sara Partridge, 2207 N Atlantic Street, representing the East Bluff neighborhood, stated that she saw a need to resolve crime and slumlord issues in the area before the area could be improved. Partridge noted that district 3 needs to be stabilized before the improvements will make a difference in the community.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: The Comprehensive Plan will be amended to incorporate the Wisconsin Avenue Business Corridor Plan.
IMPACT IF DENIED: The Comprehensive Plan will not be amended to incorporate the Wisconsin Avenue Business Corridor Plan.
ALTERNATIVES: N/A
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: N/A
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL'S 2014 - 2029 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Grow Peoria: Businesses, Jobs, and Population
2. Attractive Neighborhoods with Character: Safe and Livable
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Reinvest in neighborhoods.
2. Grow employers and jobs.
3. Invest in our infrastructure and transportation.
4. Reduce Crime
DEPARTMENT: Community Development