Washington Neighborhood Comprehensive Plan Funds ApprovalTHE CITY CAF
DUB E
Masterpiece on tl~e Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Comprehensive Plan for the Washington Neighborhood
DATE: December 13, 2007
Dubuque
All-Ana;riea City
E
x
2007
Housing and Community Development Department Director David Harris is
recommending that a comprehensive planning process be conducted for the
Washington Neighborhood, now that the four-month long visioning process has been
completed.
The Vision Statement developed through this process is as follows:
The Washington Neighborhood is a vibrant and integral component of
Dubuque. Residents include a broad spectrum of ages, income levels,
and ethnicities, each contributing to sense of community pride.
The Washington Neighborhood maintains a diversity of options for
housing and home ownership, entrepreneurship and employment within its
historic urban fabric. Property owners and residents work to improve and
maintain an inviting physical infrastructure that encourages social
interaction, neighborhood pride, public and private investment, and civic
responsibility.
Residents have access to a full range of services within the neighborhood
to meet their needs. The neighborhood has access to safe and inviting
public spaces, where interaction among community members of all ages,
backgrounds, and abilities is common.
The Washington Neighborhood is well connected to the Dubuque Region.
Neighborhood residents have transportation options linking them with
employers, educational opportunities, and social and community activities.
Residents and visitors feel safe and welcome in the neighborhood. The
Washington Neighborhood, as a unique and diverse community,
enhances the quality of life in the City of Dubuque.
The comprehensive plan will involve the Washington Neighborhood Association and
others to delineate goals and objectives for implementation of the Vision Statement.
This is phase two of a three phase process that involves the vision, the comprehensive
plan and then plan implementation.
There is an existing $20,000 allocation for the process. The remaining $40,000 of the
$60,000 needed will come from the Riverfront Leasehold Improvements Capital
Improvement Project.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
~~ ~.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
David Harris, Housing and Community Development Department Director
Jerelyn O'Connor, Neighborhood Development Specialist
THE CITY OF
DUB E
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
6 December 07
MEMORANDUM
To: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
~ ,~
From: David arris, Housing and Community Development Department
Re: Comprehensive plan for the Washington Neighborhood
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to request approval of funds to begin a
comprehensive planning process for the Washington Neighborhood.
Discussion
A four-month visioning process has recently been completed for this area. The
consensus~leveloped Vision Statement speaks to concepts including a diversity
of people, community pride, housing options, public and private investment,
neighborhood services, inviting public spaces and civic responsibility.
The Vision is seen as a precursor to development of a comprehensive plan for
the neighborhood. The Plan will specif+cally delineate goals and objectives for
implementation of the Vision Statement. It is `phase two' in a three-phase
process: vision, comprehensive plan, plan implementation. The process focuses
on attaining broad-based participation from all stakeholders in the future of this
neighborhood, recognizing that self-governance is a critical element in the
success of our efforts to revitalize this area.
The plan will address issues of land use, zoning, historic preservation, traffic flow
and public transportation, the physical infrastructure, investment incentives,
public spaces, municipal services, code enforcement, small business
development, and other aspects typically included in a planning document.
In addition, this planning effort will also focus on the needs of residents of this
neighbofiood. We want to address issues including access to education and
employment training opportunities, provision of social support systems to young
families, after school programming for young children, personal accountability for
both tenants and landlords, and `re-marketing' the image of this neighbofiood as
a safe and inviting place to live and make investments.
We have estimated the cost of this citizen participation-based planning process
and final document at $60 000. $20 000 is available in current fiscal year funds
that have been committed for this purpose. Requested is an additional $40 000,
in general tax funds, in order to select a consultant and convene this process, in
this fiscal year.
Recommendation
The Council is asked to support this request in the interest of expediting our
Washington Neighborhood revitalization efforts. We are asking approval at this
time -rather than delaying into our next budget year - as we have the
opportunity of building on the commitment of the stakeholder groups involved in
the visioning process we have just completed. We want to keep that momentum
moving and generate wider enthusiasm and participation in the planning effort.
The plan will guide our policy and investment decisions as we seek to determine
the future of a revitalized Washington Neighborhood.
cc:
Jenny Larson, Budget Director
Laura Carstens, Planning Director
Jerelyn O'Connor, Neighborhood Development Specialist