Label
Zoning & Planning Committee
Title
Approving and adopting the M-11-13 Junction Avenue Neighborhood Plan as an amendment to the Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan for the City of Toledo, Ohio; and declaring an emergency.
Body
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
The applicant is requesting a review of the Junction Neighborhood Master Plan, prepared by the Toledo Design Center, and the Junction Coalition (JC). The Junction Neighborhood Master Plan is intended to be a flexible, long term guiding document that is intended to help direct development / reinvestment in a coordinated fashion while focusing on strengthening the community, increasing overall environmental awareness and guiding the proper use and allocation of resources.
The Junction Neighborhood Master Plan focuses on revitalizing the area that was previously served by the Community Development Corporation (CDC) known as Organized Neighbors Yielding Excellence (O.N.Y.X). That CDC is now defunct and the Junction Coalition has taken charge of revitalization efforts. The Junction Coalition was developed as a guiding force for systematic change and to combat the blight of vacant lots and abandoned in the neighborhood. Through planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating economic revitalization activities, the Junction Coalition will oversee the development and redevelopment within and adjacent to the boundaries of the Junction Community.
The Junction Coalition is three (3) individual groups that together form the whole. These diverse group of people consist of Private Sector Stakeholders, the Steering Committee, and Public Sector Stakeholders. Among the Private Sector Stakeholders are: residents, institutions, home and business owners, and merchants. The Steering Committee is comprised of the Toledo Design Center, Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commission, and the JC Core Planning Team. This a sub-group of members of the Junction Coalition as a whole who met on a regular basis to review and interpret data gathering, explore options, and refine recommendations. The Public Sector Stakeholders are government entities such as the Lucas County Land Bank, The Toledo Economic Development, and Public Services.
Located in Council District 4, the Junction neighborhood sits centrally in the City of Toledo and is within close proximately to downtown Toledo; and other neighborhoods like Uptown, the Middlegrounds, and the Warehouse District. The Junction neighborhood has a total population of approximately 7,721 of which is eighty-seven percent (87%) African American. Community and stakeholder engagement was achieved through a series of four (4) design workshops. These workshops focused on Open Space (Health and Wellness); Housing; Business and Churches; and Education. Moving forward there will be a continuous effort for community engagement as development opportunities present themselves.
The plan proposes to use a series of destination nodes and street corridor connectors to facilitate interconnectivity throughout the neighborhood. The street corridor connectors stitch together the larger pieces by connecting a main corridor or node to another. These are intended to be pedestrian friendly routes that highlight green spaces located along the way throughout the neighborhood. Other notable design concepts include: development of an ownership and maintenance model for vacant lots; renovate existing housing and develop new housing; stormwater infrastructure installations; urban agriculture; and Swan Creek clean up.
Junction Avenue Neighborhood Business District Revitalization Plan
Developed in 1987, the Junction Avenue Neighborhood Business District Revitalization Plan presents a revitalization plan for the Junction Avenue Neighborhood Business District. It was developed through the realization that the district plays an important role in the life of the community. This plan addresses deterioration and neglect as well as other recognized problems through a realistic appraisal of where the district stands as a business entity within the community and a determination of what should be done to improve its present state. Among the goals and objectives outlined in the plan is to improve the condition and appearance of buildings and to promote the revitalization of the Junction Avenue Neighborhood Business District as both a convenient shopping area for neighborhood residents and as a religious/entertainment center for the larger community. The proposal is in compliance with the Junction Avenue Neighborhood Business District Revitalization Plan
The Junction Neighborhood Greening Plan
The Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) worked with the Junction community and the Toledo Design Center to develop a greening plan that would mitigate water runoff while providing additional green space within the Junction neighborhood. The outcome of this process is a vision for community beautification and stormwater management using green infrastructure that can be integrated into larger community plans for redevelopment, urban agriculture, and green spaces. The goal of this plan is to improve livability in the short term through beautification and mitigation of maintenance concerns and to lay the groundwork for reinvestment in the neighborhood. The proposal is in compliance with the Junction Neighborhood Greening Plan.
Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan
The Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan provides a set of recommendations to guide the future growth and development of the city. Included in the plan is a set of land use and related recommendations outlined neighborhood by neighborhood for the development and redevelopment throughout the city. A future land use map and land use policy are to be used as a guide for decision making and implementation. The Junction Neighborhood Master Plan provide the supporting documents that meet the stated intent of the Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan and is in compliance with said plan.
The Plan as an amendment to the Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan was submitted to the Toledo City Plan Commission for its review and recommendation. This matter was considered by the Toledo City Plan Commission at its meeting on December 6, 2018 and the City Plan Commission recommended approval.
On January 9, 2018, the Zoning and Planning Committee of City Council considered the Plan and the committee voted to forward to the full Council with a recommendation of approval the request to adopt the Plan as an amendment to the Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan.
Summary
NOW, THEREFORE, Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That the 2018 City of Toledo Junction Avenue Master Plan as an amendment to the Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan for the City of Toledo, Ohio, be and the same is hereby approved and incorporated into the Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan. A copy of the Plan is on file with the Clerk of City Council's Office.
SECTION 2. That the Secretary of the Toledo City Plan Commission be and he hereby is directed to revise the official 20/20 Comprehensive Plan of the City of Toledo to conform with the 2018 City of Toledo Junction Avenue Master Plan as an amendment to the Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan as approved in Section 1 above.
SECTION 3. That this Ordinance hereby is declared to be an emergency measure and shall be in force and effect from and after its passage. The reason for the emergency lies in the fact that same is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and property, and for the further reason that it is required to provide for the orderly development of the area and to protect the land values in the area.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas _____, nays _____.
Passed: _________________, as an emergency measure: yeas _____, nays _____.
Attest: ________________________ __________________________________
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: _____________________ __________________________________
Mayor
I hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of an Ordinance passed by Council ________________________.
Attest: ________________________
Clerk of Council