3/1/2016. City Council City Hall Wilmington, North Carolina Dear Mayor and Councilmembers:

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ITEM PH2 OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER (910) 341-7810 FAX(910)341-5839 TDD (910)341-7873 3/1/2016 City Council City Hall Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 Dear Mayor and Councilmembers: Attached for your

1 ITEM PH2 OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER (910) FAX(910) TDD (910) /1/2016 City Council City Hall Wilmington, North Carolina Dear Mayor and Councilmembers: Attached for your consideration is a resolution adopting the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan. The policies, maps, and recommendations found in Create Wilmington represent nearly two years of public input, research, and planning best practices. This plan will help guide the physical development of the City over the next 25 years, and help to make Wilmington a safe, healthy place to live with a high quality of life by focusing on infill and redevelopment, job growth, and housing options City Council accepted drafts of the Growth Factors Report and the Foundations report in April On October 29, 2015, City Council, the Planning Commission, and the plan Steering Committee held a work session to review the draft plan. Following a public hearing, Planning staff recommends approval of the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan. The amendment is consistent with all of the City s Adopted Focus Areas of Create a Safe Place, Foster a Prosperous and Thriving Economy, Promote Culture, Arts, and Public Spaces, Support Efficient Transportation Systems, Engage in Civic Partnerships, and Provide Sustainability and Adaptability. The plan will support and enhance the City s Strategic Plan and departmental work plans. If approved, the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan will be used to guide daily decision making, to guide the capital improvements plan, and to form the foundation for new land development regulations. Passage of the attached Resolution is recommended. Respectfully submitted, Sterling B. Cheatham, City Manager PH2-1

2 Resolution City Council City of Wilmington North Carolina Introduced By: Sterling B. Cheatham, City Manager Date: 3/1/2016 Resolution Adopting the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan for the City of Wilmington, North Carolina (OBG-2-315) LEGISLATIVE INTENT/PURPOSE: WHEREAS, the City Council directed staff to undertake the development of a comprehensive plan for the City of Wilmington; and WHEREAS, the Create Wilmington team, made up of staff members and a Council-appointed Steering Committee engaged in an 18-month public engagement process; and WHEREAS, the during the public input process, citizens clearly indicated their desire for an attractive city with a strong economy, a vibrant downtown, safe neighborhoods, quality infrastructure, and transportation options; and WHEREAS, the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan is intended to guide the physical development of the city to help meet the expectations of citizens; and WHEREAS, the Plan captures the community s preferences for the future and provides guidance for development and redevelopment decisions over the next 25 years; and WHEREAS, the Plan was submitted to Council on September 4, 2015 and a work session was held with the City Council, Planning Commission, and Steering Committee on October 29, 2015; and WHEREAS, the City Council has taken due notice of comments from the public, interested parties, and the appointed Steering Committee. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: THAT, the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan, as submitted to the Council on September 4, 2015, is hereby adopted; and THAT, the policy statements, growth strategy maps, and growth strategies report of the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan may be amended only in accordance with procedures PH2-2

3 established in the Land Development Code for code text amendments; and THAT, this resolution shall be effective May 1, 2016, with the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan taking the place of the Future Land Use Plan adopted by resolution on September 7, Adopted at a meeting on 2016 Bill Saffo, Mayor Attest: Approved As To Form: Penelope Spicer-Sidbury, City Clerk City Attorney PH2-3

4 CREATE WILMINGTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADOPTION City Council: March 1, 2016 Case: OBG Staff Contact: Christine Hughes, Staff Recommendation: Approval Request Request Applicant To adopt the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan City of Wilmington Overview Wilmington is a unique place with a bright future. As the hub of the Cape Fear region, the city faces important issues related to urban growth. Wilmington s population is expected to continue to grow over the next 25 years. The city can be a safe, healthy place to live with a high quality of life by focusing on infill and redevelopment, job growth, and housing options. Wilmington s opportunities for growing outward are severely limited due to legislative changes in annexation laws. Over the next 25 years, Wilmington should focus on growing inward and upward, integrating land uses to reduce traffic congestion and improve housing, employment, and shopping options. A more densely developed, walkable city can be achieved while maintaining the integrity and desired character of the city s neighborhoods. Wilmington s new comprehensive plan, Create Wilmington, is best viewed in its online version, which can be found at ANALYSIS 1. History/Background The city of Wilmington has not adopted a true comprehensive plan since It was not until September 2004 that the City Council adopted the Future Land Use Plan (FLUP), which was focused on land use planning, but lacked many elements of a true comprehensive plan. Around 2011, the city began to consider options for a more comprehensive planning approach that would help address not only emerging trends in development, redevelopment, and infill, but also explore a wider array of issues affecting the city s ability to grow into a world-class city. In April 2013, City Council appointed a 15-member citizen steering committee, charging them with guiding the preparation of the comprehensive plan to help address the city s challenges and opportunities head on. Thus began in earnest the two and half-year process for developing Create Wilmington - the city s first contemporary comprehensive plan. 2. Process and Plan Components The Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan was developed in four phases: background data analysis and in-depth research listening to the public policy development and mapping review PH2-4

5 OBG Each component of the comprehensive plan box set results from one of these phases. Background and Research In early 2013, City Council began accepting applications for appointment to a citizen steering committee to help guide the development of the plan. At the same time, staff began to research the factors that have affected the growth and development of the city over the past 50 years. In addition to studying the growth factors specific to Wilmington, the Create Wilmington team also researched best practices in plans from benchmark cities, best planning practices, and emerging market trends. This study and research would become the Growth Factors Report, which is a snapshot of what Wilmington looks like today and tells the story of how the city has evolved over time. It provides the context, or starting point, from which the community moved forward to create a shared vision for the future. Listening Starting in April 2013, the 15-member Steering Committee immediately set to work on the listening phase as the research phase continued. The listening phase kicked off with a citywide input meeting in May 2013 and lasted more than a year. The listening process was grounded in the idea of engaging as many of Wilmington s citizens as possible, which meant meeting people where they are not only in terms of how they like to participate, be it in person, online, or traditional public meetings but also in terms of understanding what people value about their community. The process was a two-way street, in that meetings were also intended to show citizens how comprehensive planning can benefit them, their neighborhoods, the economy, and future generations of Wilmingtonians. To broaden the discussion, the public input process included several types of meetings and other public input methods. A series of meetings was held with Wilmington s business leaders as well as a series with Wilmington s neighborhoods. A number of man on the street surveys were conducted across the city, and a meeting in a box tool was developed for use by existing groups and organizations. Input was also collected from school children at representative public school sites, as well as on-campus meetings at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Cape Fear Community College. The Create Wilmington team also expanded public input through Connect Wilmington, an online forum. In addition to the public input collection process, there were several other outreach and engagement opportunities, a lunch and learn series, an educational poster series, and sharing of case studies, articles, and research. In addition to traditional media outlets, the team also used social media, an listserv, signs posted in neighborhoods, and the city s newsletter to inform the public and encourage engagement. The Create Wilmington team compiled thousands of individual comments from more than 1,000 citizens. All of the comments received were sorted and analyzed using a keyword approach. This method helped to reveal patterns and trends, which then led to major issues and themes. The public input process and analysis are detailed in the Foundations Report. Policy Development and Mapping As the plan team moved through the listening phase, seven themes began to emerge, which were translated into Policies. These seven themes served as the foundation for the creation of the Policies component of the plan. These themes are: Creating a place for Everyone Changing Places, Revitalized Spaces Regional Collaboration Unique Places, Captivating Spaces Nurturing Our Community Opportunity and Prosperity The purpose of the policies chapter is to demonstrate the city s preferred policies, practices, and priorities surrounding physical development, quality of life, and livability of the city. These policies are intended to encourage and support the following: PH2-5

6 OBG Increasing the city s livability through improved quality of life features Promoting the responsible growth of the city through redevelopment, infill, and appropriate new development and annexation Acting as a partner with to help achieve the goals of building a healthy, vibrant, world-class city Encouraging appropriate capital investments in the city Minimizing the region s sprawl, traffic congestion, and environmental impacts Establishing a positive climate for the creation and retention of jobs Promoting the expansion and diversification of the city s tax base Policy provisions may be applicable to only certain parts of town, particular aspects of city building, or specific quality of life elements. The intent of these policies is to guide and complement the work of all city departments and actions of the City Council as well as to serve as a guide to the city s development partners, including private sector developers, economic development agencies, utility providers, schools, and other agencies. The key themes revealed through the listening phase were also used to help create six Alternative Future Visions that led directly into the mapping process. The Growth Strategies Maps function as layers placed over the city, one atop the other in various combinations, thus affecting future development in coordinated fashion. Five individual maps each describe different features and combine to form a single composite growth map. This enables both the development community and the city to exercise greater flexibility in creating more innovative and market-driven developments. These are intended to provide a framework for future growth rather than a parcel-specific future land use map. The maps are supplemented by the Growth Strategies Report. This report is forward looking and works with the Growth Strategies Maps to describe how future development could affect the city. A series of bold visions are presented throughout the report that emerged from the community input process and are worthy of consideration for future growth. Review As the plan components were drafted, the public was invited to review and comment on the content. Drafts were posted online and made available at several public meetings. As the maps were drafted, they were presented in partnership with New Hanover County s draft future land use map so that citizens could see how the city s and the county s maps might work together. Citizen input was used to continue to shape the drafts, through , direct feedback, social media, and an online survey. Upon completion of the Foundations Report and the Growth Factors Report, drafts of these first two documents were presented to City Council at their April 7, 2015 meeting for acceptance. The Steering Committee led a joint work session for the City Council and Planning Commission on October 29, 2015 to review the draft of the entire plan and gather feedback on the draft. 3. Implementation Implementation of the plan will be an ongoing effort over many years, requiring cooperation of all city departments, decision makers, development partners, and community organizations. The plan will be implemented through coordination with the city s capital improvements program (CIP), as the plan will guide investments in roads, sidewalks, parks, and other physical infrastructure. There are several policies in the plan that will guide City Council and staff in prioritizing specific action items through departmental work plans and the city s strategic plan. The plan will be implemented as the Planning Commission and City Council engage in month-to-month decisions regarding land use, development, and redevelopment. Perhaps most critically, at least in the near team, the plan sets the foundation for the modernization of the city s land development regulations and revisions to the technical standards to ensure these critical documents support the policies and urban development goals outlined in the plan. PH2-6

7 OBG CONCLUSIONS The Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan was developed based on more than two years of public input, data analysis, meetings with stakeholders and subject matter experts, and observation of best practices for urban development The plan sets the general direction and tone for future growth and redevelopment across the city for the next 25 years. The plan serves as a guide for decision makers regarding land use, real estate development, capital investments, and placemaking. The plan helps identify and recommend physical improvements such as streets, bicycle paths, parks, sidewalks, and other public facilities. The plan will provide the foundation for the modernization of the city s land development regulations. RECOMMENDATION The Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan will be used by city officials when making decisions about future investments and how the city will grow. The cumulative impact of these decisions will not be realized today, but by future generations. The plan does not change the current zoning of any property or the current zoning regulations; however, development proposals, rezoning requests, and code amendments will all be assessed to determine their consistency with the plan s Policies and Growth Strategies Maps. The plan will help identify and recommend improvements to the city s physical resources such as streets, parks, sidewalks, and public facilities and provide specific guidance for design standards. The plan also provides the foundation for the modernization of the city s land development regulations. For all these reasons, staff recommends adoption of the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan. NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACT Planning Commission, Steering Committee and Council March 19, 2013 kickoff meeting Public Input Launch May 14, 2013 Public Input Collection May 2013 March 2015 Release of Draft for Public Input May 12, 2015 Advertisement Date(s) for City Council Public Hearing February 19 and 26, 2016 ACTIONS TO DATE Resolution Accepting Draft of Foundations Report April 7, 2015 and Growth Factors Report Finalized draft Presented to Steering Committee, September 4, 2015 Planning Commission, and City Council Joint Steering Committee, Planning Commission, October 29, 2015 and City Council work session City Council Public Hearing Scheduled for public hearing March 1, 2016 PH2-7

8 OBG ATTACHMENTS 1. Resolution Due to the size and nature of the complete Comprehensive Plan, a draft is not attached to this report, but may be found online at and print versions may be reviewed at the Planning, Development, and Transportation Department offices at 305 Chestnut Street, Wilmington. PH2-8

9 Presentation City Council City of Wilmington North Carolina Presentation Thanking the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee for Their Service to the City of Wilmington, North Carolina The City Council appointed a citizen steering committee to help guide the development of a comprehensive plan for the City of Wilmington, and to serve as the community s voice throughout the plan development process. The Create Wilmington team, led by this Steering Committee engaged in an 18-month public engagement process, collecting public input and drafting policies to help guide the growth and development of the city over the next 25 years. The citizens on the Steering Committee served tirelessly for three years. We would like to thank the Steering Committee members for their service to the city and their commitment to helping to make Wilmington a safe, prosperous, and thriving city for years to come. Members of the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee are Carlos Braxton Kemp Burdette Howard Capps Elizabeth Hines J. Clark Hipp Paul Lawler Bonnie Nelson Linda Pearce-Thomas Tomas Pollard Randy Reeves Jennifer Rigby Robert Rosenberg Kevin Smith PH2-9

1. I N T R O D U C T I O N

1. I N T R O D U C T I O N INTRODUCTION The Chico 2030 General Plan is a statement of community priorities to guide public decisionmaking. It provides a comprehensive, long-range, and internally consistent policy framework for the