04/27/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e the Downtown Commission. He suggested trying to find ways to allow joint participation by the commission and the council in developing common goals. Mayor Obie added that he always had felt that the relationship between the Downtown Commission and the Planning Commission was a compromise, both to staff and to members of the commissions. He suggested that too many non-land- use issues were being sent through the Planning Commission and that too many participants made processes cumbersome. Ms. Bascom said she thought a council position on the Downtown Commission would help communciation and understanding, adding that she did not think the voting status was a crucial issue. Ms. Wooten said she was glad the council would be meeting as an Urban Renewal board and she appreciated and trusted the work of the Downtown Commission, but as a policy-maker, she was tired of the IIpiecemeal vision" that was being pursued downtown, and she was disappointed that no broader vision was being communicated to the public. She said she thought that the council as an Urban Renewal board could communicate that vision from the guideline of the Downtown Plan and could collaborate to identify goals and development projects on a phased time period. She said she favored a process that included goal-setting and work plan approval and she thought it was time to be much more assertive about financing mechanisms for the larger redevelopment hope for the entire downtown core area. e Mayor Obie asked about plans to involve the Downtown Commission in goal- setting. Mr. Farkas said he intended to have the Downtown Commission meet with the council at the initial Urban Renewal Agency session, but the goals ultimately would be adopted by the City Council, which would set policies to guide the actions of the Downtown Commission. Mr. Holmer said he thought it would be useful to have the Downtown Commission present recommended goals to the council, in order to preserve the creativity of the commission. Ms. Schue noted that the Downtown Commission or the Urban Renewal Agency had a special fund. She said communication problems might have resulted from different views of the budget and of downtown needs, such as parking garages. She said she thought more clarity about direction was needed. Ms. Ehrman asked whether the Downtown Commission perhaps should report to the Urban Renewal Agency, with the Planning Commission to report to the council. Mayor Obie said that was a possibility, and he asked for Mr. Bennett1s opinion. Mr. Bennett, a former Planning Commissioner, said he thought the Planning Commission should deal only with land-use issues. He said actions of the Downtown Commission that were related to land-use might need to include Planning Commission involvement, but he favored keeping the delineation as clear as possible. He said he had noticed concern and frustration on the Planning Commission about not being involved in Downtown Commission recommendations that affected the whole community. He said staff had made efforts to integrate the work of both commissions, but he thought it would be helpful in the future to continue to make the process clearer. Mr. Rutan, also a former member of the Planning Commission, said he supported Mr. e MINUTES--City Council Dinner/Work Session Apri 1 27, 1987 Page 6