ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Director of Community Development with a Request to Concur with the Recommendation from the Planning & Zoning Commission and Staff to APPROVE a RESOLUTION Amending the OFFICIAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN by Incorporating the LOCAL FOODS, LOCAL PLACES PLAN.
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BACKGROUND: The City of Peoria is a member of the Building Healthy Communities collaborative, a cross-sector group that aims to improve health outcomes through the built environment. Building Healthy Communities, with the City serving as project lead, applied for and received technical assistance as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Local Foods, Local Places” program, one of only fifteen communities nationwide to be selected. In May 2019, the EPA led a two-day workshop focused on food access and food system sustainability on the Southside, with over forty partners in attendance, including community members, local agency staff, and more.
In summer 2019, the local steering committee developed a plan based upon workshop, the EPA providing guidance along the way. Main goals include establishing a “food equity center,” where a food hub and grocery store could be collocated with financial planning services, health screening facilities, workforce development opportunities, and more. Another major goal is to connect neighborhood voices to the redevelopment process to ensure that the project(s) that grow out of the plan align with community needs, wants, and culture. Other goals include increasing the demand for locally-grown agricultural products as well as providing business development and educational resources around food and farming on the Southside.
Both in scope and timeframe, the Local Foods work has run parallel to the development of the South Village Implementation Plan featuring the MacArthur Corridor Plan, Southern Gateway Plan, and Western Avenue Plan, approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission as well as City Council in December 2019. Further, the South Village Implementation Plan and the Local Foods plan give specific mention and reference to each other, amplifying the impact and goals of each. The Local Foods plan also connects with the Building Healthy Community Collective’s endeavor to solicit and contract a community development corporation to carry out future projects in Peoria. Together, these plans and efforts strive toward a holistic vision of equitable community redevelopment and revitalization on the Southside.
The Planning & Zoning Commission found that the request met the Findings of Fact and voted 6 to 0 to APPROVE the request.
See the attached Planning & Zoning Commission case packet and meeting minutes for detailed information.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: N/A
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS (at the Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting): None
IMPACT IF APPROVED: The Local Foods, Local Places Plan will be adopted by the City of Peoria, providing guidance on food access and community revitalization on the Southside.
IMPACT IF DENIED: The Local Foods, Local Places Plan will not be adopted.
ALTERNATIVES: N/A
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: N/A
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2017 - 2032 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Grow Peoria
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Support sustainability.
2. Reinvest in neighborhoods.
3. Grow employers and jobs.
DEPARTMENT: Community Development