MEMORANDUM

The City Council has adopted a goal to continue master planning of large undeveloped properties. This memo discusses the process of master planning in general, and the application of that process to some areas of the community, specifically the Croman site and the North Normal area.

From The Urban Pattern (1980), "Master Planning is a means of controlling the urban environment for a specific area, addressing community values, and guiding growth in desired directions."

In Ashland, we have had success with master planning specific areas of the community, most notably the North Mountain neighborhood area. However, it is not as simple as the standard zone and ordinance approach. Rather, this reliance on the master plan, and the planning process specifically, produces two significant developments:

1.	Planning becomes far more complex, affecting a vastly wider range of issues.
2.	New public awareness makes the master plan much more powerful - addressing property rights, land values, and the quality of urban life.

Master planning imposes burdens on the property owner, the developer, and the community. However, the effort is designed to produce a more efficient, humane, and attractive community, with the rationale behind the plan grounded in the City's comprehensive plan. It is a way of ensuring that the future more clearly reflects the community's values rather than the current market.

An effective plan must reflect an accurate picture of the current conditions, present a challenging but achievable pattern for future development, and incorporate a fair and accurate assignment of costs and benefits. A key point is to "present a challenging but achievable pattern" for the future. Master planning gives the city the opportunity to think outside the box, to consider options not normally considered, and to create places that will hopefully better serve future generations.

Master planning is not, and cannot be an exact science. However, with the appropriate process, care, and judgement, the plan will achieve the community's goals.

MAIN AREAS FOR MASTER PLANNING

Previous:		North Mountain Neighborhood (completed)
Current:		Railroad Property      (zoning/land use completed)      (street network completed)
Proposed:		Croman Property (Council goal) North Normal Neighborhood (Council goal) Continue Railroad Property (Council goal)      (design standards)      (revisit land use?)

CROMAN PROPERTY AND SURROUNDING AREA - approx. 70 acres

A master plan is generally based upon an outline - an approach to addressing the issues that will be used to create the basis of the plan.

A.		Historic background
		Previous uses of site (mill site, log deck, milling structures) Relationship to community (major employer, focus of community) Change in economy (downturn in logging, ultimate shut down)
B.		Present Conditions and Trends
		Site conditions (gernally vacant, large amounts of fill on log deck, slopes, access, views, rail access, etc…) Relationship to community (relatively isolated from residential areas) Industrial zoning - (zone change?)
C.		Current and Emerging Issues
		Economic Development - (need for industrial? Commercial/office? Light manufacturing? Rail access? Live/work units?) Long term value of this site to the community - variety of job creation opportunities Affordable Housing - (high density - 40-90 units per acre? - 5+ stories with structured parking?) Deep subsidies, mixed income, market rate. Market-rate housing can also be the engine that drives the infrastructure improvements necessary for economic development. Open space - park area? Neighborhood Design - traditional neighborhood, grids, terminated vistas
D.		Community Assumptions
		Long term community concerns - job creation (no other land within UGB for significant employment opportunities…short term residential development to allow infrastructure improvements may be at the long term detriment of the community for jobs and business development). Housing Opportunities - plan policies for mixed use, affordable housing, transportation benefits of live/work units, etc… Balance of need for affordable housing vs economic development needs. High quality development pattern with traditional neighborhood design - successful urban patterns from the past, updated to address current demands. Do not introduce incompatible patterns of development (suburban office campus aka Silicon Valley) but utilized time-proven designs.
E.		Plan Development - Goals and Policies
		City-driven vs Developer-driven? Community long-term values may be better represented by city initiated process rather than following developer. Developer may be more market-driven - time value of money may overshadow community needs. Difficult for developer to address community needs while maintaining a viable long-term project. Economic Policies - change from industrial to local based smaller uses. Light industrial, office, commercial. Live/work in balance with area. Affordable Housing - consider High Density (5+ stories with structured parking) to maximize units and minimize lot coverage/utilization - maintain larger open spaces in residential area. Open Space/Park Land - opportunities for neighborhood park area? Design issues - transportation pattern (multi-modal), bldg design, neighborhood pattern.
F.		Plan Adoption
		Citizen involvement throughout process, with Planning Commission and City Council adoption of final product. The key issues with this project involve the following: 1.  Who takes the lead in preparing the plan? A developer has taken substantial initial steps in preparing a master plan for the site, based up their understanding of the community's needs balanced with the reality of market forces, and what it will take to make the project achievable. While there are some merits to this approach, the current financial viability of the project tends to take priority over the long-term community interests - and understandably so. Staff would recommend that the City take the lead in the preparation of the plan, working with the property owners of not only the mill site, but also of the surrounding properties. A community based involvement process will likely produce a plan that is more grounded in the long term values of the community. The downside is that the developer currently interested in the process may not be able to continue to be involved due to the extended timeframe. Further, the current property owners may choose to develop a use based on the current zoning rather than the future plan, due to the long time frames involved. 2.   Nature of Plan Should the plan be based upon an aggressive and innovative approach to redevelopment? Or based upon more readily accepted patterns of development? In the outline above, staff has presented some options concerning housing patterns that are substantially different that others historically seen in the community. That is, perhaps allowing the construction of true multi-story housing (5+ stories) utilizing structured or underground parking as a way of maximizing the number of units. This approach, not seen in Ashland's past, would allow for a greater number of units, greater affordability, preservation of open areas, and efficient use of land. However, it is a pattern that tends to raise concern in the community - a truly "urban" pattern of development. While this is an example, it provides a discussion point for the Council Similarly, regarding the development of the potential commercial portions of the site, would the community be better served by a multi-story approach with some mixed use buildings while others remain of a more industrial style? Or do we prepare a plan that separates uses in a way that is generally more understood based on past development patterns?
Next Steps: Based upon Council discussion, Staff could continue to work with the current developer on revising the proposed master plan, or the Staff could prepare a timeline and project budget for a master planning process for this site.

NORTH NORMAL NEIGHBORHOOD

This is a key area for the accommodation of future residential growth within the urban growth boundary for Ashland. The primary points in master planning this area involve:

1.		Identification of key natural features
		Wetlands Riparian Corridors
2.		Transportation Network
		Preliminary work was done several years ago on a local street plan for this area. That effort would need to be expanded to ensure that the proposed street pattern encompasses the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan and Street Standards, while recognizing the limitations associated with the natural features.
3.		Possible Zoning Changes
		The area is primarily zoned for R-1-5 (single family - avg. 5 units/acre) and R-1-3.5 (suburban residential - avg. 7-9 units/acre). The Housing Action plan has recommended that some areas of the community be upzoned to accommodate greater densities to provide greater opportunities for affordable housing. This area may one that could accommodate higher densities. However, unlike the Croman site, we would not recommend multi-story high density housing at this location, due to the proximity to existing neighborhoods and incompatible development patterns. As part of the master planning process, the community may also want to consider a small neighborhood commercial overlay to allow for limited commercial development that could serve the immediate area, reducing vehicle trips and providing diversity of uses.

Given the large number of property owners in the area, it may only be feasible for the City to take the lead in master planning this area, rather than a private developer. This area would involve significant amounts of public involvement to address the wide variety of issues that exist in the neighborhood.

RAILROAD PROPERTY

The final steps in the Railroad Property master plan involve the development of design standards. The land use and transportation aspects of the plan have been adopted by the City, ensuring that the future uses will develop in a pattern appropriate for the area.

However, it was recommended in the draft plan that specific design standards be adopted for this area to reflect the nature of the development patterns as a transition between the Historic Railroad District and the Hersey Employment/Industrial area.

Further, the City may wish to consider other residential options for the property. Initially, the property received a E-1 zoning designation (from the original M-1 - Industrial) with a residential overlay. However, interest has been raised in increasing the residential opportunities.

ATTACHMENTS:   • Area Maps

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