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CR 09-039 Blake Road Corridor Small Area PlanNS May 19, 2009 OPKIN Council Report 2009 -039 BLAKE ROAD CORRIDOR SMALL AREA PLAN Proposed Action Staff recommends adoption of the following motion: Adopt the Blake Road Corridor Small Area Plan (The Plan). The attached Plan may incur minor formatting and text changes based on City Council comment or further review by staff. Adoption of the Plan at this time allows such minor changes that do not alter the intent of the Plan. Overview In 2008 the City of Hopkins received a $40,000 grant from Hennepin County and contributed an additional $10,000 for planning efforts on the Blake Road Corridor. In July of 2008 the firm Hay Dobbs was selected to complete a Small Area Plan for the Corridor with those funds. Work began in August 2008, and included background data collection and analysis, multiple public meetings and other stakeholder collaboration, and a proposed concept plan that has been extensively reviewed by all involved. The Plan supports three major recommendations for the area: • Improved green spaces and green connections • Land use and design recommendations for redevelopment opportunity sites • Improved streetscape conditions along the Blake Road Corridor Primary Issues to Consider • Was public participation for the Plan adequate? • Is the guidance proposed in the Plan consistent with other City goals and plans? Supporting Information • Blake Road Corridor Small Area Plan Tara Beard Community Development Coordinator Financial Impact: $ 0 Budgeted: Y/N Source: Related Documents (CIP, ERP, etc.): Notes: Council Report 2009 -039 Page 2 Analysis of Issues Was public participation for the Plan adequate? In the appendix of the plan you will find a public meeting schedule and a description of public participation efforts. This intent of this plan was to be highly informed by residents, business owners, and other stakeholders in the area. Significant efforts, including a mailed newsletter, National Night Out visits, and a press release did lead to an excellent turn -out at the first public meeting in August. Unfortunately, attendance decreased from there and future public meetings were not as well attended. Staff has analyzed the process and offers the following observations to inform public participation strategies in the future: Provide time to listen to the community before presenting to them. There is an important need to educate the public about the scope and intent of the project (in this case, The Plan). Since a presentation about the subject matter is needed as well, this can lead to a long presentation where the public are asked to be attentive before having any chance to share concerns, which is what drives most people to come to a public meeting. A well - facilitated listening session before starting the project agenda should be used before or in conjunction with the education piece to involve participants immediately. Give as much information as possible about future meetinas. It is always difficult to ask folks to take hours of their precious time to participate in a public process. It is worth the extra work up front to plan and define the purpose and activities of future meetings to ensure that participants know that new work will be done and that additional meetings will not be repeats of the first meeting but part of a comprehensive process. In The Plan's case, there was not funding to mail a newsletter before each public meeting, nor was there a community event such as National Night Out to use to promote each meeting. This may have contributed to the lesser participation in the second and third meetings. This is all the more reason to use the first meeting to entice participants to stay involved in future meetings. Is the guidance proposed in the Plan consistent with other City goals and plans? The Plan is consistent with City Council Goals, specifically: Goal I: Build on the Small Town Feel of Hopkins The Plan primarily respects this goal by being intentional that land use and development recommendations will not create a destination shopping area that would compete with Downtown Hopkins, which is the center of the physical embodiment of Hopkins' small Council Report 2009 -039 Page 3 town feel. Previous efforts in the Blake Road Corridor, including the Wilder Assessment that helped inform the Plan, indicated a need for increased community capacity and social capital in the Corridor, which are both indicators for a small town feel. This information lead to the aggressive attempts to secure public participation throughout the process. Other efforts to this effect are underway to build on the momentum of public involvement that the Corridor has experienced in recent years. Finally, recommendations in The Plan encourage more informal public interaction that can also be an indicator of a small town feel. This includes changes that would increase Cottageville Park's visibility and safety, and add amenities such as a community garden that would encourage neighbors to share public space. Improved green connections in general are a large theme of the plan, as well. Goal II: Enhance and Promote Smart Urban Design and Walkability The Plan directly addresses this goal by providing Design Guideline and Streetscape Improvement recommendations. Blake Road is notoriously lacking in pedestrian amenities, and while it is the physical connection between two regional trails, there is no designated way for bicyclists to get from the on- street bicycle lane on Interlachen Road in Edina (which turns into Blake Road) to the Cedar Lake Trail that intersects Blake Road in the study area. These pedestrian and bicycle needs are the focus of one of the major recommendations of the plan. Design Guidelines for redevelopment sites in the area are also provided, reflecting the setbacks, densities, and heights that would best serve a multi -modal neighborhood, especially nearest to the proposed Blake Road LRT Station. In conjunction with phased Streetscape improvements, the vision for Blake Road as a walkable corridor is well presented by The Plan. Goal III: Take it To Them This goal was realized through various public outreach strategies. First, the location for each public meeting (except the final open house which was in City Hall) was at a location within the study site. Second, staff attended community events, such as National Night Out and a local Somali leader's meeting, to promote the public meetings and solicit input. Furthermore, some recommendations in The Plan address the need for more community gathering spaces in the Corridor, such as a small stage or pavilion at Cottageville Park. More community gatherings would allow the City more opportunities to "take it to them." The Plan is also consistent with the Comprehensive Plan update, specifically: Land Use Council Report 2009 -039 Page 4 The Land Use map in The Plan is consistent with the Land Use map in the updated Comprehensive Plan with the exception of some of the housing densities in areas around Cottageville Park. This inconsistency is indicative of the need to redesign the area in general with various options having potential. The intent of The Plan, which is consistent with the updated Comprehensive Plan, is to maintain single - family homes in stable neighborhoods. However, the exact layout of a future redevelopment in and around the Park make exact Land Use boundaries somewhat flexible. Alternatives The City Council has the following alternatives regarding this issue: • Approve the motion to adopt the Plan as outlined in this report. • Approve the motion to adopt Plan with amendments preferred by Council. • Deny the motion to adopt the Plan as City policy.