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Staff previews 10-year CRA master plan; commissioners push infrastructure, housing and public art
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Summary
City staff presented a draft 10-year Community Redevelopment Agency master plan that emphasizes economic development, parks, housing, corridor redesigns and public-art initiatives; commissioners pressed for clarity on funding, sidewalks, alleys and accessory dwelling-unit incentives.
City staff laid out a draft update to the Community Redevelopment Agency master plan on March 23, asking commissioners for guidance on which capital projects and policy tools the CRA should prioritize over the next decade.
"The district is about 1.3 square miles. Residents within the CRA is about 3,300. There are 306 businesses within the CRA, and the district employs about 1,750 employees," staff said while summarizing the plan's baseline data. Staff described outreach results from a community workshop and an online survey and said the draft plan groups projects under priorities that include economic development, parks and open space, housing and neighborhood improvements, corridor and gateway places, and transportation and infrastructure.
Commissioners and staff discussed specific project ideas: restoring Zephyr Creek, redesigning 5th Avenue to improve pedestrian crossings (including temporary "scrambler" event closures), transforming Gull Boulevard as a mixed-use corridor, and creating wayfinding and gateway signage to strengthen downtown identity. Staff highlighted a recently reactivated one-percent commercial building permit fee for public art and said the master plan includes public-art initiatives that could be funded through that tool.
Housing and infill were a recurring focus. Staff said the draft plans anticipate roughly 462 new housing units and 260,000 square feet of commercial space by the CRA sunset in 2045 and described a mix of strategies—land banking ("there's $400,000 in my budget this year to buy land"), preapproved duplex/stacked-duplex plans, and incentives to encourage accessory dwelling units. On ADUs, staff suggested fee reductions and preapproved plans to cut costs and approval time.
Commissioners urged a more targeted use of incentive funds to recruit desired businesses downtown ("we can target it if you would like to"), and one member recommended outreach to building owners to encourage private investment alongside CRA incentives. Multiple commissioners emphasized walkability improvements—wider sidewalks, lighting and alley upgrades—and the team proposed phasing neighborhood- or alley-level projects to concentrate impact and public visibility.
On funding risk, staff acknowledged the uncertainty caused by state legislative proposals affecting ad valorem taxes and described an initial finance-team estimate that the city could face a roughly $3.7 million impact overall; staff said they were working to model how different tax changes would affect the CRA budget.
Staff asked commissioners to review the online draft over the next month and return with specific project and policy feedback so the plan can be finalized on a near-term schedule.
