Introduction | Summary | Master Plan Document | Annual Reports | Implementation Strategies
2005 Master Plan Annual Report
Introduction
2005 Annual Report | Land Use | Economy | Community Appearance | Community Facilities & Services | Housing | Transportation | Implementation
Click here to view/download a pdf version of the Introduction.
Upper Arlington’s new Master Plan was adopted March 26, 2001, following three years of planning and participation from numerous community members.
Landlocked and fully developed, less than five percent of the City’s land use is dedicated to commercial activities and, of this, only 1.1 percent is in office use. Local income tax is a key revenue source and, as such, infrastructure maintenance and City service demands are outpacing the City’s funding capacity. Wishing to address these issues, Upper Arlington City Council initiated an update to the City’s 1962 Master Plan.
Eight goals helped direct development of the new Master Plan:
- Land Use – Recognize the City’s residential nature while enhancing redevelopment and revitalization.
- Economy – Place emphasis on creating a stronger, more diverse economy.
- Community Appearance – Preserve and enhance neighborhoods, natural surroundings and architectural amenities.
- Community Facilities – Maintain/expand community facilities for recreational, social and cultural opportunities.
- Community Services – Provide high-quality, cost-effective community services.
- Housing – Facilitate provision of a range of well-built housing to accommodate all ages.
- Transportation – Provide a comprehensive, safe and convenient network.
- Implementation – Emphasize accountability, fiscal soundness, monitoring and appropriate regulations, while fostering citizen and business involvement.
From these goals, 184 specific strategies for implementation were developed falling within four key actions the City must undertake to realize the overall goals of the Plan:
- Undertake redevelopment using the Study Areas as the framework – Several key areas are identified for potential redevelopment to create a mix of office, retail, residential, and civic use. These areas are: Kingsdale Shopping Center; Tremont Center; Henderson Road corridor; Lane Avenue corridor; Northwest Boulevard (south of Zollinger); the Mallway; and commercial areas along SR 33.
- Create land use tools – Develop tools to enhance and protect the City’s character while giving guidance and control for redevelopment. Update the City’s Planning and Zoning Code and create a series of development standards and guidelines to permit and encourage mixed-use development.
- Provide incentives to encourage desirable change – To stay competitive in the region and attract desirable development, consider a combination of economic and zoning incentives.
- Improve the City’s fiscal capacity – To ensure the community has adequate, stable funding, redevelopment strategies should encourage intensified land use in existing commercial areas and emphasize office development to generate new revenues.
Methodology in Preparation for the
2005 Master Plan Annual Report
Staff continued the approach taken for the 2004 Master Plan Annual Report, holding team meetings for each of the primary sections: Land Use; Economy; Community Appearance; Community Facilities & Services; Housing; and Transportation. A representative from each division/department that played a role within each section was required to attend.
A team leader was assigned to each meeting, charged with framing the discussions around the following themes:
- Review/discuss the overriding goal and subsequent objectives.
- Status – how successful have we been implementing the goal’s objectives/strategies?
- What is outstanding? Why?
- Is there anything missing that should be part of this section or considered as part of the Master Plan update process?
- Identify any issues/roadblocks that have been or continue to be encountered with this goal.
- What are Staff’s recommendations for addressing these issues? This could include:
- Requires further community consideration
- Requires clarification/direction from City Council
- On hold until appropriate opportunity presents itself
- Where appropriate, identify action steps to move certain objectives forward.
Upon completion of the team meetings, reports were crafted to summarize the discussion. These reports were shared with participants for any additional feedback. A final group meeting was scheduled with participating Staff members to identify key findings and recommendations that emerged from each group.
This process again proved invaluable on several levels. It brought together different members of Staff who typically do not work together, providing an opportunity for each to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the City organization as a whole and the contributions of each division. The groups engaged in active dialogue, bringing forward new and creative ideas for enhancing existing activities or for creating new approaches to achieving specific strategies. Contributors left these meetings with a renewed sense of purpose and attachment to the Master Plan document and its intent.
Key Highlights
The City can be proud of how much has been achieved to realize Master Plan goals for the good of the community. Much of the framework is in place to direct opportunities for change and development in keeping with and supportive of Upper Arlington’s long term health and success.
As the City moves into the long-term implementation phase and begins to look ahead to the next update process, tentatively scheduled to begin in 2008, several key factors play an important role in how and when many pending objectives and strategies can be moved forward.
Funding Issues
Across all sections of the Master Plan, funding remains a challenge. Key areas include:
- Future funding needs to support the Capital Improvements Program, which funds the City’s surface and underground infrastructure projects. While the City has been successful in expanding this program, the community-wide need is significant in comparison to the existing identified resources. This concern will be among the topics reviewed by the Council Finance Subcommittee, when it reconvenes early 2006.
- Available resources to support economic development incentives. The City is not in a position to provide financial incentives to support redevelopment in all the commercial districts. It is recommended that the City revisit existing qualification guidelines and expand them to include some process for prioritizing project incentives.
- The necessary staffing and financial resources to implement new or expand existing programs and projects, such as: upgrading, maintaining or adding new public facilities; expanding the community’s bike lane and sidewalk systems.
Facilitating Change Versus Instigating Change
With the updated Zoning Map and related development approval processes in place through the Unified Development Ordinance, key Master Plan goals for the City’s commercial districts are now dependent upon the private sector and market forces initiating change.
City leadership and Staff will continue efforts to encourage and facilitate discussions that will hopefully bring together a complementary mix of interested parties (property owners, businesses, developers, etc.) at an opportune time in order for redevelopment to occur.
Recommendations of the Transportation Plan
Since completion of the Transportation Plan update in 2002, the overall recommendations contained within it have proven a challenge to set in motion, primarily a result of associated overall costs and some uncertainty regarding the value and need for significant change.
In 2005, the work of the Infrastructure Policies Committee of City Council began to explore and address the best way forward. Much was achieved to develop a process that allows for a complete approach to considering and addressing infrastructure and Transportation Plan goals cost effectively and in a timely fashion.
As a result of this process, Staff was directed by the Committee and ultimately City Council to proceed with plans for rebuilding Kenny Road north of McCoy Road – and at the same time enhancing the community gateway, adding beautification elements and incorporating the option for installing a multi-use path along the western side of this arterial road into the engineering plans. This project, and its associated options, was delayed in early 2006 to allow for a review by the 2006 Infrastructure Policies Committee and a recommendation back to Council as a whole, later in the year.
Master Plan Interpretation
By its nature, the Master Plan is a document subject to interpretation. It provides guiding principles and long-term aspirations for the community, but was intentionally created in a way that allows for its evolution over time.
Within the document, primary directives have the potential to work at odds with each other. For example, the Master Plan directs us to preserve and enhance our residential nature however, securing the necessary funding that allows us to do this requires expanded economic development activity which, in turn can be perceived as an area that could change the community’s character.
As a built-out community, development or redevelopment projects brought forward by the private sector are often the cause of extensive community discussion, present challenges in Master Plan interpretation, and can result in recommendations and decisions that appear contradictory as they proceed through the development approval process.
Our community leaders are challenged to find balance within the Master Plan, to weigh the wishes of some neighborhoods with the overall effect any given project may have for the community as a whole. An April 2005 retreat of City Council, Staff, the Board of Zoning & Planning and the Community Improvement Corporation began to address some of these items, taking a big picture look at the roles of each entity, and how to best facilitate leadership’s and the community’s discussions of such issues. A similar meeting is scheduled spring 2006 and Staff believes this should become an annual practice.
Next Steps
Following presentation of the 2005 Master Plan Annual Report to City Council and the community, steps will continue to move many items identified in the Report forward.
Most sections of this Report contain recommended amendments and additions to the list of objectives and strategies. These include minor language changes to assist in accurate interpretation, some streamlining of duplicate strategies, and some proposed additions. These changes do not represent a shift in overall Master Plan goals and objectives, but are suggested as a means to provide Staff with a clearer set of strategies with which to work and to enhance the City’s implementation of these goals on an ongoing basis.
Short Term
Pending approval from City Council to proceed with the recommended amendments, a revised set of strategy tables will be produced to serve as the new working directives for Staff in the coming months.
Staff has identified a list of items to be addressed and reported on throughout the coming year and within the 2006 Master Plan Annual Report.
At the May 15, 2006 Council Conference Session, these items were discussed by Council and Staff with some amendments made to the priorities outlined for the year ahead. These changes are indicated in italics/bold font.
To summarize:
Land Use
- Establish an annual “peer review process” for City leadership to revisit the intent of the Master Plan relative to the reality of key projects and issues.
- Explore establishing a framework of development standards as an option for encouraging development/redevelopment in keeping with overriding Master Plan goals.
Economy
- Incorporate opportunities for grant funding into the budget process.
- Develop consistent cost recovery analysis procedures across the organization.
- Review economic development incentive programs – what is being offered to retain existing businesses versus attracting new businesses and how to encourage existing office property owners to improve their spaces to remain attractive in comparison to the new offices being built.
- As appropriate, provide reports and recommended action steps emerging from the City’s business retention and expansion efforts.
- Bring forward recommendations on the options for City involvement in the provision or facilitation of wireless technologies.
- Actively participate in the 315 Corridor Initiative.
Community Appearance
- Consider streetscape reconfiguration requirements, such as the installation of sidewalks, with regard to new residential and commercial projects, as well as rebuilds.
Community Facilities and Services
- Seek City Council direction on how to prioritize infrastructure improvements within the study areas as/when redevelopment projects actually come forward.
- Take a comprehensive look at the ongoing need for repairs at aging City facilities versus a complete replacement of these facilities relative to long-term fiscal considerations.
- Undertake a review and report back regarding emergency preparedness – clarify the issues and threats, necessary preparations and training, and identify funding opportunities.
- As the 2006 Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan evolves, consider the appropriateness of inserting new strategies within Objective 8, “Provide parks and recreation facilities and programs.”
- Continue exploration of the logistical and financial issues surrounding the proposed expansion of sidewalks, bike paths and multi-use paths in the community.
- Undertake a Solid Waste study.
- Explore partnership and revenue sharing opportunities with the Schools and Library with regard to programs, classes and activities offered to the community.
Housing
- Formalize volunteer project assistance programs for older adults who can’t afford or do home maintenance assistance in partnership with the Code Compliance Division.
- Consider options for instituting an add-on fee for permits, with funds to be set aside to support home maintenance assistance for qualifying residents in need of assistance.
- Explore incentives for builders/developers to incorporate universal design standards in new housing, and to retrofit homes to be user-friendly for older adults (moved to short term from long term).
Transportation
- Monitor resident satisfaction with recent road improvements as part of the 2006 Community Survey.
- Address policies and set direction for considering sidewalks and multi-use paths (also tied to Community Facilities and Services).
- Review the existing neighborhood streetlight policy to determine if options exist to further this program.
- Explore in depth the status of Transportation Plan acceptance by City Council relative to seeking and securing grants from various funding agencies.
Implementation
- Undertake the 2006 Community Survey to gauge resident satisfaction with services, and identify priorities and issues for the City to focus on in the coming months.
- Consider the pending role of the Community Vision Partnership or some version of a resident-based committee prior to preparations for the 10-year update process.
Longer Term
While not necessarily identified as projects to actively pursue within the next 12 months, Staff has an additional list of items it wishes to keep in the forefront for attention as the resources and opportunities arise. They are:
Economy
- Revisit the Study Areas to explore what can realistically be achieved within them and what the anticipated timeframes might be.
- Prioritize the Study Areas for redevelopment, tying incentive programs to them based on their level of importance to the community.
- Consider a fee attached to permits (where appropriate) to support Information Technology enhancements.
Community Appearance
- Preserve and enhance the streetscape throughout both residential and commercial areas.
Community Facilities and Services
- Undertake a broad-based review of all City facilities to include appropriate locations and necessary upgrades.
- Explore partnership opportunities with the City of Columbus and other communities regarding green spaces adjacent to Upper Arlington, such as the Quarry Park opportunity.
Implementation
- Formally begin the update process in 2008.
Taking a look ahead, preparations for framing the 10-year Master Plan update process are already being considered, with anticipation of a formal launch in 2008. The role of residents who were members of the Community Vision Partnership that helped craft our current Plan, and the involvement of other citizen stakeholders will again be vital to the process.
Conclusion
The discussions arising from Master Plan implementation efforts are a sign of a healthy community at work. Oftentimes, the process of informing citizens is a long-term proposition, and the Master Plan presents a complex set of directives that must be considered as a whole to understand where it’s leading the community. Residents are becoming more aware of the Master Plan and its intent as we continue its implementation over time.
Most agree with the primary directives of preserving and enhancing the community’s overall quality of life while assuring fiscal stability over the long term, and headway is being made toward those ends. However, there is no “one size fits all” solution to how pockets of our community can and should evolve – with careful consideration and community discussion necessary as specific redevelopment projects are brought forward.
Upper Arlington is fully developed and aging – today’s reality is finding ways to revive and reinvest in what we already have. Just as homeowners are modernizing their older homes to meet today’s living standards while preserving architectural integrity, Upper Arlington must modernize the community to meet today’s quality of life and services standards, while preserving the unique fabric that has been created over the course of many decades.
Our Master Plan gives us a long-term vision to head toward, as well as many of the tools to take us successfully on that journey. Achievements to date indicate this vision is the right one for Upper Arlington. In a few short years, we have been able to lay the foundation to fulfilling our long-term goals and much more. We look forward to working with the community to continue this effort in the coming months and years.
NOTE:
A draft copy of the 2005 Master Plan Annual Report was presented to City Council for discussion at its May 15, 2006 Council Conference Session.
At that time, City Council requested some additions and changes to the “Next Steps” section of this Introduction, and also indicated its satisfaction with the recommended implementation strategy amendments recommended by Staff (as shown by the Bold/Italics updates in the strategy tables contained within this report).
City Council formally accepted the 2005 Master Plan Annual Report document at its May 22, 2006 Council Meeting.
A revised set of strategy tables will now be used by Staff to aid in Master Plan implementation efforts in the coming months. These tables can be found at the City’s Web site, under the “Master Plan” section, at www.ua-ohio.net. For additional details, please call the City Manager’s Office at 583-5040.
Updated 5/24/06
City Manager's Office
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
Phone: 614-583-5040
Fax: 614-457-6620
www.ua-ohio.net
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