There was one key item on the agenda last night and that was a discussion about what process we should engage in to determine how the open city owned downtown lot should be utilized. There were a few options presented:
- Hold public meetings with the Planning Commission and City Council only (3-6 months)
- Community Meetings with consultant resource and public meetings with the Planning Commission and City Council. This would work out to approximately 3 community meetings, a Planning Commission study session, and a City Council study session. From there conclusions would be brought by city staff for final Council decision. (6-12 months and $12K - $15K)
- Community Meetings and Charette Sessions with consultant resources and public meetings with the Planning Commission and City Council. This would work out to approximately 4 community meetings, 4-5 Charrette Sessions with the intent to get maximum community involvement, a Planning Commission study session, and a City Council study session. From there conclusions would be brought by city staff for final Council decision. (12-18 months and $34K - $50K)
Ultimately the whole council was in favor of #3, with the caveat that it should not take 12-18 months. I think this option ensures the maximum public involvement which is critical for the city to ensure that we hear as much input as possible before deciding how to proceed. I raised a concern that the longer more involved process may be difficult for interested community members to participate in, but I think if we publicize the process, record it, and take feedback from all available channels, it could mitigate that risk.
We gave direction to staff to move forward with preparing an RFP for #3 with a reduced timeline of 9-12 months.
There was also a closed session to discuss the open City Manager position.
