Coffeehouse Discussions

The Coffeehouse Discussions will begin next Monday (July 28th) from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm at Starbucks (Harbor Station) 32650 SR 20.

I'll be at Starbucks to provide information, hear your ideas, and generally discuss this project for the next few weeks, on Mondays-Wednesdays-Thursdays.

See you there.

"Lifestyle Habits"

During the July 14th Governmental Services Standing Committee meeting, an interesting large scale issue was raised for discussion. The theme of the issue was our "community's lifestyle habits", and how we design our neighborhoods for them.

Some of the specific subdivision design elements that were included in this theme were:

1) amount of parking required (both on street and off) for neighborhoods;
2) pedestrian oriented design; and,
3) design standards for narrower neighborhood streets.

Standing Committee Meeting

On July 14th, I presented a project update to the Governmental Services Standing Committee of City Council.

The presentation outlined the project to date, including its scope; general findings; and public engagement strategies and statistics. A video of the presentation will be available shortly.

The Governmental Services Committee regularly scheduled meeting is the second Monday of each month, at 7:00 a.m. at City Hall.

Subscribe - Automatic Updates

I have added a new feature! Now you can automatically receive updates from the blog.

In the left hand sidebar you see this icon under the heading Subscribe. By clicking on it you can have updates automatically sent to you – this is called an RSS feed.

Click here to see a short 3 min video explaining how it works, and how to sign up for this free service.

Staff Technical Meeting

On June 24th staff continued the review of the Puget Sound Partnership recommendations for incorporating Low Impact Development (LID) into our Municipal Code.

This is a significant body of work, and is expected to take many more months. The benefit to the Subdivision Update Project, is that the City is receiving expert assistance for the LID project that will directly benefit the goals of this project as well.

As the LID recommendations are refined, they will be discussed with the Planning Commission at future monthly meetings.

Staff Technical Meeting

On June 16th staff met to review the preliminary recommendations associated with a project from the Puget Sound Partnership, for which the City is receiving State assistance. The State is providing expert assistance to review our Municipal Code and create amendments that support Low Impact Development (LID).

The range of these draft recommendations includes: subdivision regulations; street design standards; stromwater facility management; zoning districts; and, land clearing regulations. As we move through this process of reviewing the recommendations, those that relate to the subdivision project will be rolled into this project/process.

Municipalist Blog Post

Just as I am launching the blog for the update to the Design Regulations, a public sector focused blogger based in Washington DC has asked me a number of questions about how we are using this medium here in Oak Harbor.

For those of you interested in knowing more about how all this blogging stuff works, take a look at the post here.

New Blog - Design Regulations Update

I have launched another blog for the project to update the Oak Harbor Design Regulations and Guidelines. While this project is not part of the Subdivision Code Update, it may be of interest to the community because it relates to the regulations that direct the look and feel of new development within our city.

The update is focused on our community's historic downtown and builds upon the work completed as part of the Windjammer project.

This is a relatively short project that is scheduled to be completed by August. Check out the blog at: http://www.cohurbandesign.blogspot.com/.

Planning Commission Meeting May 27

On May 27th staff, the Planning Commission and the public had another opportunity to review and discuss the issues identified during the Delayering analysis recently completed.

The discussion centered on park and walkway design, and connections between walkways, transit facilities and subdivisions.

The next meeting will be on June 24 and will focus on alternative short plat requirements to support infill development; as well as, the remaining five items from the issues list.

I will be posting a complete list of talking points from these Commission meetings shortly.

Roundtable Meeting May 14th

On May 14th I facilitated the first stakeholder roundtable meeting.

The 7 participants included representatives from the development industry (including locally based builders), and community members that have a long history of community service through participation in various planning initiatives.

The discussion went very well with many important points raised. The overall themes included:

• providing clear design direction;
• allowing for site specific flexibility;
• performance based measures for requirements; and,
• infill development with alternative short plat regulations.

I will be posting a complete list of items from this, the April 9th and May 7th meetings shortly; as well as, adding items to the Ideas/Concepts Flip Chart.

Video Report - Planning Commission April 22

The video report about the first phase findings has been posted (22 min). It shows the presentation I made to the Planning Commission on April 22. The complex urban design principles are explained with visually interesting and insightful images generated through an innovative mapping technique called delayering.

The information is also available, and can be commented on, at www.cohdelayered.blogspot.com.

Whidbey News Times Article

The May 15 edition of the Whidbey News Times (opinion section) has published an article about our use of blogs for engaging the public.

Meeting May 7

On the morning of May 7th I had another discussion with a community group about this project; this time it was with the Sunrise Rotary group.

Fifteen to twenty Rotary members participated in the discussion with questions and comments ranging from the need for community members to be active in this project; to open space in new subdivisions; and the importance of walkability and trails.

I will be meeting with other interested groups of citizens and businesses throughout this project. If you would like to participate and have me present and/or facilitate a discussion at your business, or organization, please contact me and we can make arrangements

Meeting April 9

On April 9 I made a presentation about the Subdivision Code project to a group of about 15 local realtors at Koetje Real Estate. The discussion we had covered a range of points about the purpose of this project and community outreach.

Interest for more connectivity between neighborhoods was perhaps the most important urban design issue discussed.

I will be meeting with other interested groups of citizens and businesses throughout this project. If you would like to participate and have me present and/or facilitate a discussion at your business, or organization, please contact me and we can make arrangements.

First Phase Findings

A companion site ( www.cohdelayered.blogspot.com ) detailing the findings of the first phase of subdivision analysis has been set up. This outlines the general characteristics of “existing conditions”, in terms of how our subdivisions look and function. The intent is to provide information on this major component of the project in a cohesive way and facilitate discussion.

The information on the companion site is essentially the same as presented to the Planning Commission on April 22, 2008. Some changes have been made to suit the blog format. Also, unlike a typical blog this second site is meant to be read from top to bottom as a single report. (see video of presentation)

To gauge community interest, and desire for certain design characteristics, staff developed a visual preference survey for the 2006 comprehensive update to the Design Guidelines and Regulations. That process resulted in more effective and streamlined site planning, and is making new developments streetscape oriented and pedestrian friendly.

For this project, we are developing another VPS, and would like your assistance. Please email images to rvoigt@oakharbor.org showing subdivision characteristics that you like or dislike, with a short comment about each picture. Note that the images can be of any location; since we can adapt successful design solutions for our community, and learn lessons from examples of unfavorable designs.

I will be posting notices about where and when the surveys will be conducted in the coming weeks.

Poll Results

The results of our last on-line poll are in! 18 people voted and answered the question “Should walk/bike trails be required in new subdivisions, and should they connect to neighboring subdivisions?” with the following responses:

1. Yes, require them - 72% - 13 votes
2. No, don't require them - 16% - 3 votes
3. Yes, connect them - 66% - 12 votes
4. No, don't connect them - 5% - 1 vote.

These results point to a preference for using trails as neighborhood connections.

Whidbey News Times Article

The April 9 edition of the Whidbey News Times (front page) has published an article about the use of blogs for various projects at the City http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=84&cat=23&id=1190746&more=0.

Fellow Senior Planner, Cac Kamak was quoted in the article discussing this new use of blogs for City projects: “It’s like a virtual, on-demand City Hall. People can chime in at anytime and have their issues addressed”. This is evident in the fact that to date this blog has received over 150 unique visitors, with over half returning repeatedly to gather more information about this project.

You can now participate in conversations and meetings without being in the same place, or at the same time together, by coming to the blog when it's convenient. As more of you participate in the process the more complex, interconnected, and holistic the "solutions" can become. This way you can have a direct impact on your community.

When visiting also remember to check out the archive section for past posts!

Video Report - Parks Board March 10

The next video report will be posted this evening and outlines the Park Board meeting held March 10.

The discussion focused on pedestrian/bicycle connections and trails within our neighborhoods. The Chair of the Board also suggested that the City use the local radio station to get the word out on this project. That idea is being added to out "to do" flip chart. Feel free to leave comments about the content of the video under this posting.

The park board also discussed the current Comprehensive Park Plan update (see blog at www.cohparkplan08.blogspot.com). The issues of interconnectedness of neighborhoods and trials throughout the community were also part of that discussion. One aspect of how both projects are interrelated was the conversations about pedestrian/bicycle connections in neighborhoods and how that impacts park use and access to parks and open space. I will be explaining this more extensively at the Planning Commission meeting on April 22.

Planning Commission Meeting April 22

The Planning Commission meeting on April 22 is designed to provide staff and the Commission with an opportunity to discuss, and provide direction on two aspects of this project, specifically:

A. an outline of the analysis I have completed on past subdivisions, and how their characteristics influence the livability of our neighborhoods; and,

B. an introduction of issues associated with short plat requirements and how they impact opportunities for infill development.