Presentation - City of Abilene

Agenda
• Background
– History
– Regional Context of South
Downtown
– Need to Plan
– Planning Process
• Economic Enhancement
Study
• Master Plan Concept
– Vision & Goals
– Guiding Principles
– Components – Transportation, Buildings, Housing, Open Space
• Implementation Plan
– Physical Recommendations
– Funding Mechanisms
– Policy Recommendations
Background - History
• 1984 Tax
Increment Finance
District
– $15 million in tax revenue
generated over period
– For most part, investment
was concentrated in
historic district
Original TIF District
Background - History
• Other Planning Efforts
– Downtown Strategic Action Plan, 1998
– Downtown Streetscape Plan, 1998
– Comprehensive Plan, 2004
These plans all spoke to a strong city center,
infill development to conserve natural and
fiscal resources, and improving the physical
appearance of downtown Abilene
Background – Planning Process
• Part I – Economic Study, HyettPalma
– Identify market conditions and future orientation
• Part II – Master Plan Recommendations
Background – Planning Process
• Public Participation
KEY DATES:
MAY 2009:
– Issue Sessions
– South Downtown Users Focus Groups
– Stakeholder Interviews
– Community Visioning Session
OCTOBER 2009:
– Open House presentation of plan
components
MARCH 2010:
– Presentation to and review by Process Committee
Economic Enhancement Study
Study Areas
WAREHOUSE
DISTRICT
TREADAWAY
CORRIDOR
SOUTH DOWNTOWN
DISTRICT
Existing Building Uses
Current Building Uses in South Downtown Abilene
Use
Number of
Businesses
Commercial Uses
Retail
63
Office
121
Other Commercial
103
Vacant Commercial
Residential Uses
Single-family
78 dwelling units
Multi-family
37 dwelling units
Square Feet
Percent
453,000
1,115,578
970,000
462,000
15%
37%
32%
16%
-
68%
32%
Warehouse District:
Future Market
• Eclectic mix of cultural uses, institutional
uses, offices, art production & classes, loft
housing, dining establishments
• Phase out light manufacturing and
warehouse uses
Warehouse District:
Strategic Actions
• Convert traffic flow through the district to
two-way
• Transform farmers’ market to year round
market
• Repair structurally sound buildings
• Enforce screening requirements for outdoor
storage areas
• Feasibility study for civic center hotel in
northwest area of Warehouse District
South Downtown District:
Future Market
• Developed as government and professional
office center
• Convenience retail, personal services, and
restaurants to accommodate employees
• Multi-family housing to support residential
base
• Phase out manufacturing, industrial,
warehouse, and outdoor storage uses
South Downtown District:
Strategic Actions
• Massive clean up
• Enforce building, health, and safety codes
• Graffiti removal and police presence to improve
public safety
• Consolidate Greyhound and CityLink bus facilities.
Should be located on a major thoroughfare
• Enhance linkages between north and south sides of
downtown
• Create and implement a Taylor County Master Plan
• Seek master developer to implement the South
Downtown master plan
Treadaway Corridor:
Future Market
• Will likely remain auto-oriented commercial
corridor
• Entire corridor needs enhancement
Treadaway Corridor:
Strategic Actions
• Conduct corridor study to determine
appropriate economic orientation, physical
appearance, and traffic flow
Vision of the Master Plan
A people place that entices you
To play, shop, eat,
To come during the day,
To come in the evening,
To come spend the weekend.
A part of Downtown Abilene that
Looks terrific and “lives terrific”
It’s fun, safe, open, and alive.
A great destination –
It’s cool and unique
Friendly, vibrant, and diverse,
Entertaining and fun.
You’ll want to come back next weekend
You’ll want to move right in and never leave.
It’s the heart and soul of West Central Texas!
Master Plan Goal
Create a sense
of community
Master Plan Goal
Create a sense of place
Austin Farmer’s Market
Plaza between buildings in
Downtown Austin, TX
Fort Worth Stockyards
Master Plan Goal
Create a sense of
value
“There were quite a few thousand people
from all over Taylor and Jones counties who
headed for the South Side as soon as they
hitched their teams or got off the Abilene &
Southern train.”
-Excerpt from A Personal Country by A.C. Green
Photos courtesy the Abilene Photograph Collection
at Hardin-Simmons University
Guiding Principles
Guiding Principles
Build off Existing
Efforts
Everman Park
Taylor County Courthouse
Events in Abilene
Frontier Texas Museum
North 1st Street at Cypress Street
South 1st Street
Guiding Principles
Clear hierarchy
of streets
…helps identify
appropriate street
design
…recognizes that
the street is a
place
Proposed Street
Hierarchy
The Street Place
Source: Project for Public Spaces
Outdoor eating
Source: www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden
Street activity
A Farmer’s Market closes a downtown street every Saturday in Austin
Guiding Principles
Character
Subdistricts
Proposed Character
Subdistricts
Guiding Principles
Network of
public spaces
…framed by the
character
subdistricts and
street hierarchy
…and connects to
the regional
network
Guiding Principles
Housing choices
Small-lot single family
Garden or courtyard homes
Excerpt from Visualizing Density by Julie Campoli and Alex S. MacLean. ©
2007 by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Julie Campoli, and Alex S.
MacLean. Aerial photographs © 2007 Alex S. MacLean
Luxury housing in mixed-use
Low-rise apartments
Townhome/row-houses
Historic warehouse lofts
Guiding Principles
Mixed use development
Don Mills Centre, Toronto, Ontario
The Domain, Austin, Texas
Saltillo Lofts, Austin, Texas
Guiding Principles
Adaptive reuse of historic buildings
Guiding Principles
A connected
pedestrian environment
Cesar Chavez Promenade in Austin, TX
The Domain in Austin, TX
Chicago, IL
Victoria Gardens in Rancho, CA
Washington, D.C.
Implementation
Implementation
• Recommended Physical Public
Improvements
• Recommended Policy Actions
• Funding Mechanisms
Physical Recommendations
Improvements for Immediate Action
Potential Cost
Action
Range
Clean up entire area
S 1st Street: Median and streetscaping
Improve pedestrian underpasses
Install high-visibility crosswalks across S 1st
General roadway improvements in all districts
N/A
$1 - 1.5 M
$50k - $75k
$275k - $325k
$1.25 - $1.75 M
Clean up entire area
• Code enforcement
• Grant assistance might be appropriate to
induce immediate action
S
S 1st
1st Street:
Street: Median
Median and
and Streetscaping
Streetscaping
• Major gateway into
South Downtown
Abilene
Improve pedestrian underpasses
Murals in an underpass
Lights under a bridge in San Antonio
Glowing fish along the Riverwalk in San Antonio
Greater sense of safety
Source: www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden
Roadway
Roadway improvements
improvements in
in all
all districts
districts
• Curbs and re-paving will help enhance quality of
street and improve overall appearance of South
Downtown
Physical Recommendations
Improvements for Medium-Term Action
Action
Convert Warehouse District streets to two-way
Potential Cost Range
$30k - $50k
Establish more permanent Farmers’ Market location
$500k - $750k
Develop park near Farmers’ Market
$400k - $650k
Establish wayfinding system
$75k - $100k
Enhance gateway intersections
Create transit facility that integrates CityLink and Greyhound
bus services
Enhance gateway streets throughout district
Improve pedestrian facilities along Treadaway Blvd
Reconfigure Pine Street Underpass & convert Chestnut,
Oak, and 2nd Streets to two-way
Renovate Historic Courthouse & improve grounds
$550k
$7 - $8M
$2 - $3.25M
$500k
$450k - $725k
$50k - $75k
Convert
Convert Warehouse
Warehouse District
District streets
streets to
to
two-way
two-way
• Traffic calming
for pedestrians
• Improve traffic
flow
• Increase
accessibility to
businesses
Establish
Establish more
more permanent
permanent Farmers’
Farmers’ Market
Market
location
location
Dallas Farmer’s Market
Frontier
Texas
Jackson, MS farmers’ market
Develop park near Farmers’ Market
Establish wayfinding system
Enhance gateway intersections
Gateway
Markers
Intersection
Design
Textured
Crosswalks
Create
Create transit
transit facility
facility that
that integrates
integrates
CityLink
CityLink and
and Greyhound
Greyhound bus
bus services
services
• Option 1: Move bus storage out of South Downtown area
and expand on current site (see below).
• Option 2: Identify location on major corridor
Move bus
storage out of
the South
Downtown area
and build
additional office
space for
CityLink and
Greyhound.
If necessary,
acquire
additional
buildings on
block to expand
offices.
Enhance
Enhance gateway
gateway streets
streets throughout
throughout
district
district
Images source:
www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden
Improve
Improve pedestrian
pedestrian facilities
facilities along
along
Treadaway
Treadaway Blvd
Blvd
• Auto-oriented does not preclude safe
facilities for walking and bicycling
Reconfigure
Reconfigure Pine
Pine Street
Street Underpass
Underpass &
&
Convert
Convert Streets
Streets to
to Two-way
Two-way
Chestnut Street:
Two-way conversion example
Example: Chestnut
Street
Chestnut Street:
Two-way conversion example
Renovate
Renovate Historic
Historic Courthouse
Courthouse &
& Grounds
Grounds
Physical Recommendations
Improvements for Long-Term Action
Potential Cost
Action
Range
Create pedestrian and bicycle linkages to
Cedar Creek
Enhance lawn in front of City Hall to be more
usable and accessible as a public space
$150k - $200k
$250 - $300k
Create
Create pedestrian
pedestrian and
and bicycle
bicycle linkages
linkages to
to
Cedar
Cedar Creek
Creek
Enhance
Enhance lawn
lawn in
in front
front of
of City
City Hall
Hall to
to be
be more
more
usable
usable and
and accessible
accessible as
as a
a public
public space
space
Policy Actions
• Opportunities Public-Private Partnership:
– Infrastructure
– Financial Incentive Programs
• Grant programs
• Tax abatements
• Streamline administrative & approval process
– Land Assembly Program
Policy
Policy Action:
Action: Land
Land Assembly
Assembly Program
Program
• City purchase (fee
simple) and holds land
till ready to be developed
• City gains “bargaining
power” to ensure some
public benefit is gained
from development
• Funding options:
– Bond
– Tax increment finance
revenue
– 4B sales tax revenue
Major Property Owners in South
Downtown Abilene
Policy Actions
Within 1 year: • Enforce health & safety code for exterior storage, condemned
buildings, pick up stray animals, etc
• Review existing zoning and make changes where necessary to
facilitate implementation
• Establish design guidelines for South Downtown Districts
• Update Abilene Register of Historic Properties
• Feasibility study for a new tax increment finance district
• Explore potential of creating a public improvement district
• Develop a formal Chapter 380 policy for South Downtown
• Re-institute façade enhancement grant
• Pursue grant opportunities to fund implementation
Within 3 years: • Establish grant assistance program for property owners and
business owners in the downtown area
• Conduct a corridor study for Treadaway Blvd
• If feasible, assist with the development of a civic center hotel
• Hire a professional, full-time Downtown Director
Within 5 years: • Establish a strong marketing campaign for downtown Abilene
• Begin building relationship with Union Pacific & Lone Star railroad
companies
Funding Mechanisms
• Tax Increment Financing
• Public Improvement District
• Bond Funding
• Grant Opportunities
Tax Increment Finance District
What it’s NOT:
• It’s NOT a new tax
• It’s NOT used to fund
private development
What it IS:
• It is a tool to direct City property tax revenue
already collected back into the district
• It is used for public infrastructure projects
Tax Increment Finance District
Tax Increment Finance District
• Previous TIF generated $15 M in 25 years
• Current (2008) assessed value of South
Downtown Abilene Area: $65,110,946
• Potential growth in assessed value (assumes
5% annual increase): $144,878,362
• Potential City property tax revenue
generated over life of TIF (based on
0.6854% tax rate) to be reinvested in TIF
district: $20.9 million
Public Improvement District
What is a PID?
• A new taxing entity that finances, constructs, and
maintains public improvements or public services
• Can also be used as incentives/assistance for existing
businesses
How is a PID formed?
• With citizen consent! Property owners in the affected
area must sign a petition approving it and passed in an
election
• Development of a Service Plan
Public Improvement District
• Examples:
– Downtown Austin District
• Tax rate: $0.10
• Funds security, graffiti and litter removal, wayfinding, street
improvements and streetscaping
– Downtown Dallas District
• Tax rate: $0.1190
• Funds Downtown Safety Patrol and assists with landscaping,
streestcaping, trash, graffiti removal, and downtown marketing
– Downtown Fort Worth District
• Tax rate: $0.11
• Funds maintenance, landscaping, special events, marketing,
transportation, parking, and security
– Downtown San Antonio District
• Tax rate: $0.12
• Funds streetscaping, maintenance, and “ambassador program”
to assist visitors to downtown
Grant Opportunities
• U.S. Department of Transportation Grants
– Transportation enhancement grants
– Transit grants
– Pedestrian & bicycle mobility grants
• Historic Renovation Grants
• Parks & Open Space Grants
• Future Stimulus Grants
Potential Revenue Sources
Thank you!
Questions?