An Over-Protective Planning Commission
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 18 November 2009 — 3 comments below »
I’ve dedicated a good amount of space criticizing the City Council — Don Kuehne has been a disaster; Kris Valstad is vulnerable in his bid for reelection (there, I said it); Joe Eddy McDonald is either a laughingstock or the Caped Crusader; Ed Balico is both Mister Hercules and Captain Corruption; and Joanne Ward is the librarian who will waive your overdue library book fees is you ask nicely — so it is about time I honor the pledge of equal opportunity and criticize the Planning Commission.
The site of the future Market Town is a parking lot. It is the former park-n-ride which has been relocated to the other side of I-80. Construction of Market Town will not start for at least 18 months, most likely two years. The parking lot is fenced, and it is in the center of town, at the intersection of the city’s two major streets. It will be the site of a lot of construction work in due time.
The developer of Market Town (Red Barn) has offered to do something with the space in the interim, i.e., in between now and when construction begins, on a site that is a vacant parking lot, fenced on the most prominent corner in town. The developer has suggested creating a makeshift outdoor market, with temporary structures hosting vendors, coffee stands, an outdoor fireplace and lawn-space, all on his own dime (in part to raise awareness for the future project, and develop future sales opportunities, for sure). The City would simply need to approve the permits.
The Planning Commission wasn’t buying it at Monday evening’s meeting however. They questioned whether or not there is demand for such an outdoor market; they wondered whether the temporary structures would look good enough; they worried that it would hurt current businesses in the city; they thought it may turn into a flea market.
The Commission has approved hundreds of thousands of square feet of future retail in the city — Bayfront, Sycamore Downtown and Crossing, New Town Center — but wanted a market study for a few hot dog stands. The Commission demanded design review for all the structures, temporary structures that would serve the community for a fixed amount of time. Design review for retrofitted shipping containers and recreation vehicles on a vacant parking lot in the center of town.
The Planning Commission was outwardly worried that such an outdoor market — at the center of town, on the site of the future Market Town, the hub and front door for the city — would create blight. On the site of a vacant parking lot. An interim flea market wouldn’t even be that bad (and the developer made clear that was not his intention). Life at that corner would be a good thing. It would get residents excited about what is in store for the very near future. It is an interim use.
The Planning Commission saw the issue differently; all that is needed is eighteen months of design review.
I agree that it might be a nice thing for the town, but I’m concerned that once installed, it won’t be so temporary. I could imagine years going by with a substandard set of buildings as an excuse to delay construction of the real Market Town that we want on the site. I’d prefer that it remain vacant and all effort be expended to move forward on Market Town instead.
@Jeff Boore – The permit would only be good for 12 months. As noted in the staff report: “Staff is considering AUP 09-37 be limited to a maximum time limit of 3 months, with possible extensions of time up to one year.” And as Commissioner Mitchell conceded, “If it is not working, we will shut it down.”
I agree with Jeff. My husband, son and I were at the meeting Monday night and the presentation by Red Barn was quite impressive and a great “out of the box” idea for an area that will be under heavy construction in the next 2 years or so. With the ability to utilize the space during the planning and design process of the Market Town and possibly bring in vendors that would eventually be part of Market Town is a great idea. The problem with the City Planning Commission and the Council is they don’t even know what “the box” is, let alone be able to look outside of it.