http://citymanagermiddletown.com/2016/03/01/city-master-plan/" rel="nofollow - - MARCH
1, 201
So, over the past few weeks I’ve talked about the
revenues we need to return to providing needed public services year after
year. We’ve talked about how we might generate those revenues. We
need new business and new families and improving property values and a
strong quality of life.
The plan
I’ve laid out for you up to this point is intended to be the skeleton of
the plan. We know where we need to be with revenues and we know the types
of things that could reach those revenue goals. We know
that we need to pave, maintain water and sewer, and add quality of life back
for our residents… about $4 million additional dollars per year.
Now how do we turn the model above into reality and how do we
make sure we are moving in the direction that the residents want for their
city? A lot of 2016 will be spent trying to answer those questions.
The pieces generated this year will lead to a new City Master Plan in 2017. Those
pieces include:
Community Visioning
The Community Building Institute and Middletown Moving Forward
have conducted almost 40 focus group discussions asking residents and business
owners “What do you want Middletown
to be? What is missing? What would you like to see change or added
to the city?” As they finish this process, it should give us a
picture of what types of changes would benefit our residents, make them
happier, and in turn, make this a better place to live, work and play, which in
turn, makes Middletown
a more attractive place to bring your family or business. The Master Plan
should address what we have to have in revenues, but it must reflect what our
citizens expect from their government. We look forward to those results.
Downtown Master Plan
Downtown Middletown, Inc., has been working with downtown
property owners to select a consultant to prepare a new downtown Master
Plan. The last one was completed around 2008-2009 and contemplated a rail
station that never materialized. The recession created problems and
opportunities and now the downtown has or will open about 20 businesses that
weren’t there just five years ago. The new downtown plan will be based on
the Main Street concept and provide details on business support, branding,
amenities, style, and housing to make downtown the most sustainable and vibrant
it can be moving forward. After it is completed, I expect to change out
the street lights (which are at the end of their useful life) with some new style
of light, and then add benches, trash cans, and other amenities
consistent with the new plan. As we continue to gear up our public
relations efforts, we will be marketing city-wide and downtown events to the
region. Downtown is one of many areas that will receive specific
attention during the next few years.
Zoning Code
We have a new City
Planner, a new Zoning Administrator and the City will be adopting in 2016 a new
zoning code. Our current code was written predominantly in the 1960’s and
the style of zoning law in Ohio
has changed since that time. The old code does not contemplate things
that didn’t exist in the 1960’s. We have an ongoing discussion underway
right now about food trucks and whether they can operate in the city. The
old code doesn’t define them and never contemplated their use or
prohibition. When enacted this year, the City should have one of
the most modern zoning codes in the State of Ohio.
Airport Layout Plan
I’ve discussed in previous posts the need to expand airport
operations and to generate as much economic development out of
the airport property as possible. We have a preliminary plan
that lays out additional tourism opportunities, industrial/manufacturing
acreage and backfilling of the existing facility when completed. The next
step is to update the Airport Layout Plan with the Federal Aviation
Administration, laying out the details of the plan. Once that
process is complete and approved by the FAA, we can start adding new business
to the airport.
Housing Study
I have spent the last few months meeting with local real estate
professionals including realtors, home builders and landlords (they own almost
50% of our housing stock) to understand their perspective and challenges
in today’s real estate market. Our property values have not rebounded as
quickly as other communities. Our effective tax rate is higher than some
other communities. We have an older and smaller housing stock than many
other communities. We have almost 400 vacant residential lots from
demolition during the recession. My goal is to create a housing
strategy that over time raises values, aids in recruitment of families, and
builds a housing stock that allows families to move up and move down in price
and size while staying in Middletown.
What is the best balance in today’s market of rental vs. home ownership?
The best balance of multi-family vs. single family rentals? The best
balance of new vs. old vs. historical? The best balance of two, three and
four bedroom houses? What is the best use of the vacant lots? We
hope to start answering those questions this year.
Connectivity Study
This is a fancy term for “how do we move people around
town?” How do we improve the way we use automobiles, transit buses,
bicycles and pedestrian traffic? How do we make it faster and
easier to get from downtown to the highway and back again? How do we
improve the health of our community by providing better walking and
bicycle options throughout the city? How do we use transit not just to
move people, but as an economic development tool to get people to and from
work? How do we utilize the latest in traffic signals, etc., to speed up
auto traffic throughout the city? We hope to develop viable alternatives
through this process.
East End Plan
The City developed a comprehensive East End
plan before the recession hit. We will be looking at that plan
closely to determine if it is still relevant or whether changes need to be
made to reflect today’s market opportunities. The development of Austin
Landing, Union Center
and now Liberty Center may show us better and more
modern approaches to development around the highway than were originally
contemplated before the recession.
So… as we complete these items, a vision starts to come
together. We know what we need… $4 million extra dollars each year to
complete needed city services. We know the types of things that can
generate that additional money… new families, new jobs, improved property
values, etc. Now we use the information above to create the path to the
goal. Not an inspirational plan but a strategic plan designed to bring us
back to sustainability using the city residents’ vision of what they would like
their city to become. In 2017, we put the whole package together.
Have a
great day!