Res 2011-145 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Awmi iiv i t� t City o r Shit INlarwa B D uiltling on our owntown 11,111 Requirements for Successfiil Implementation Parking: Downtown must coordinate a parking strategy. Other cities have funded centralized parking through mechanisms such as tax increment financing (TIF), business improvement districts (BID) and public - private agreements to lower the cost of parking structures. If the City were to proactively fund and build parking, or participate with private owners in shared parking arrangements, it would act as a strong incentive for property owners to build out at higher density and would reduce issues with project financing entities. On -Site Requirements: City site requirements, including tree replacement, impervious coverage and storm water management, preclude the intensity of development envisioned for downtown. There is a need for solutions that cover the entire downtown and allow individual sites to fully develop. In lieu fee programs have been suggested as a way to pay for tree planting, for instance. Dousing: There is a growing demand for residential units close to downtown amenities. To capture the potential non- student segments in San Marcos, the Downtown and Activity Center need to plan for housing products for middle - income professionals, families and empty nesters. These new residents will also appreciate, and provide support for a broader range of retail and services. Recommended Actions, Organizations and Roles Strengthen parking Enforcement: Technology such as scanners that issue parking citations but also send them to the courts for collection, and parking pay - stations as opposed to meters can enhance the ability to enforce parking to solve the issue of long -term student parking using up customer spaces. An enforcement program could then be pursued with part -time student employment. Downtown parking Management: While the idea of a "parking bank" is a good start, the City needs to invest in public lots or structures that can be leased by businesses or land owners to provide off-site parking, allowing properties to redevelop to their full potential. The city also needs to work directly with owners of current parking to more efficiently use existing parking. Storm Water Management: In coordination with street improvements, provide capacity to manage water runoff, removing requirements for retention and impervious coverage on Downtown sites. A Downtown Drainage District that has its own funding and plan for storm drainage. The importance of relieving individual site requirements for detention is essential to the success of the downtown vision. Financing Resources and Strategies There are potential sources for funding improvements to carry out the downtown plan, but the majority of economic activity will be private sector capital that is enabled by simplifying and clarifying the downtown code, and particularly by working to manage the issues and change the on -site requirements noted above so that individual sites no longer need to provide detention basins and abundant parking. Current development in downtown already demonstrates that if these constraints were eased, there would be immediate response by the market to develop underused sites. We believe that the most important financial implementation tool available to the City as an incentive is finding area -wide Vtllih'�IYlyy� �dl Iil',IIII � ly, �yYjdbulii�IdlWhlllllllYllldlll�lulolimu�uni� .,� DISCOVER I101V AT �c'�vaC.t't)U1 •ttl�,lr,NAfit`t)S,t't)�I �