I call the workshop of the Planning and Zoning Commission to order at four thirty-two.

I'll now turn it over to staff.

All right.

And of course, we just have one item on the agenda today.

And so I think what we plan to do is give the presentation for the comp plan update and and then roll into the regular agenda in case the public has any comments, and then they'll have an opportunity to learn about the latest on the comprehensive plan before they can ask their questions.

So that's if that makes sense, we'll we'll move forward.

Two, the shared responsibility to establish a positive culture and environment that people want to be a part of.

So whether living here or visiting, and then number three, it a truly local business ecosystem that is self-sustaining.

And you know, so of course that includes downtown, but it's the entire community, it's not just downtown.

Uh, number four, uh access to safe, affordable and efficient mobility systems, so that's not just safe streets, but also sidewalks and trails, uh, transit, of course, transit has changed in the last couple years with the hop going to more of a micro mobility rather than the traditional hey, there's this is a bus stop that's going to be here for 20 years.

So, but still trying to make sure that we have the infrastructure to be able to address transit as well.

Five neighborhoods, not subdivisions, make great places for everyone.

Um, and of course, Platt's no longer come to the planning and zoning commission, focus your attention on uh zoning cases, which there's uh a lot more flexibility in terms of evaluating compliance with the comprehensive plan, but that's just the first step, and then of course, Platt's and then just keeping you all up to speed on what kind of development is coming in within the community, and then the last one that vibrant downtowns are valuable places.

So, you know, I've been here for three months now.

I think yeah, it's been almost three months exactly.

Actually, it is so to the day, uh start on January 12th, and as I think I mentioned in the previous meeting, you know, working with boards and commissions, but also uh implementing comprehensive plans, that's something that I love doing.

It's exciting to take that vision by the community and ultimately put it into action.

And so what you see on the screen, that is just a screenshot of what was in your packet, the full 172 action steps that were adopted by council in August of 2022, and so the my uh direction has been to provide the update, but in order to provide the update, needed to meet with relevant departments, you know, met with engineering, uh, community development, um, also finance, parks, um, IT, and then of course, with the various divisions within our department led by Miss Mesher as our executive director, and getting some feedback.

So, looking at these action steps and the ones that pertain to each department, are the are these still relevant?

Um, and keep in mind this is just an update at this time, but you know, at year five, we would propose to take that five years of knowledge and what has changed and and make some changes uh to the comp plan or the recommendations, but still ask the question, still relevant, any changes to the action of those 172 steps, uh, the timing, as you can see in the packet and up here, there's a year identified for at least beginning, if not completing the status, so not started, and and you'll see in in your packet, those are those are orange, and uh the good news is there isn't a whole lot of orange in there.

So I think we're at 76% of those initiatives that have begun.

Um, another, of course, the green there that's in progress and ongoing, and then you've got a light blue on or in progress, and then dark blue, which we like because that is means it's complete, uh, and there's a lot of that as well.

So evaluat the the uh status and where it is, whether it's in progress or what hasn't started or it's been completed, and then the departments involved.

You know, are there additional departments are involved, you know, maybe uh it engineering used to be in planning and development and is now its own department, and so having to you know pulling out those items that are engineering related that were shown as development services before because engineering was in it, but anything related to mobility to make sure that engineering is still involved in that, even though they're not in the same department.

So asking those kind of questions, having a conversation with the department heads over the last couple months, and you know, so we have a snapshot of where we are at this point.

And then the plan is to do this every six months and check in so that we can help facilitate the completion of these action steps.

So I'm just gonna go through some of the major accomplishments over the last year, starting with formalizing the pre-development process.

And so you'll see a B-1-1, B1, you know, six.

Of course, those are the big ideas, the relevant big ideas that these accomplishments came out of.

And so that pre-development process has been formalized within the last year.

Uh, it seems to be going well, at least in my short time here, to uh to make sure that these developments as they come in, they've got a seat at the table with the appropriate departments to get have a conversation about what they want to do, and we can give feedback in a little more formal setting so that they can take that to the bank design or it were go for a zoning if needed or go straight to platding.

Uh, but I think that's been going well.

Establishing the site development permit and process, and so that is you know, some of that there's overlap in terms of needing to meet with an applicant when they look at where the building locations and um and the additional work related to a commercial or multifamily project.

We also uh turning our attention to downtown, held two seasons of farmers market, and I think this is particularly exciting is that two of those vendors have already transitioned to brick and mortar establishments, and so uh kudos to the downtown team code amendments.

So, as you all uh may or may not know at the state level, we we get mandates uh for things that we can and can't do, and so we have an opportunity sometimes, which is what the staff did, took it to you all and and to council uh to take some of those state mandates and make them better.

And so in this case, it was related to State Bill 15, where the state said that you know, outside of a 3,000 foot buffer in clean adjacent to uh Fort Hood, that property owners had a by right could do essentially 30 foot residential lots, so which understandably the idea is to address affordability, but when you got 30-foot lots, you've got lots of driveway, you've got issues where we have sidewalks, and so in a lot of communities don't have the sidewalks that we do, but so having a small driveway, you know, small house, cars parking over sidewalks, you know, separating that car traffic from the bike and the hike and bike traffic, and also just from an aesthetic perspective, have the driveway in the back.

So that's where that those set of amendments to require any lots, residential lots of less than 40 feet to have alley access.

So that means parking in the back.

So it's it's a matter of following state law, but making it something that works for our community.

Uh next one implementation of an ordinance requiring uh perimeter masonry walls for subdivisions that abut a collector or arterial, and so I we do have some neighborhoods that have implemented that, and it makes a big difference, and and stark contrast to the community I worked in before, City of Temple, where that's an issue in terms of you know wood privacy fences that ultimately fall into disrepair on our major streets, and you know, that's not something NHOA typically maintains, so that is a huge improvement, uh, but also adding screening requirements, masonry walls for property commercial where it abuts residential to have an eight-foot masonry wall.

And so that once again, that is a significant impact, positive impact on the community, and it it puts the focus on long-term benefit as opposed to short-term, hey, let's this the cheapest will put up a six-foot privacy fence that in five years is in disrepair.

So it's a longer term investment, lower maintenance, and in the end, that commercial property is going to spend less on fencing in the long run.

Code enforcement.

So the My Government Online software that permitting and planning has been on that for a little over two years, I believe.

Well, code enforcement was the next function that made that transition to my government online, and that was done just a few months ago, and that is going well over at least the last couple months.

Also, in terms of neighborhood revitalization, a plan for North Kleen, a special area study that there's a draft has been finalized, and it at some point in the near future, taking that plan back out to the community, then to PNZ and to council, and uh and at some point, if you all wanted a an update on that prior to it coming to you all for action, we're happy to do that.

Uh reconstruction of Bunny Trail and Gilmer, and once again, that's of course related to mobility, and then turn our attention to increasing the tax base value, and particularly within the tax increment reinvestment zone number two, uh, downtown area.

And so when that was established, I believe that was the establishment year, but in 22, 37 million dollars in um in new value.

So that's that is taxable value, you know, a total value of you know, for residential but mostly commercial of 37 million and 22, and that's assessed value.

So that is the taxable value, and you look at that 204 million this past year, so significant, significant increase, which funds infrastructure.

So create establishing the Texas Main Street, and uh Commissioner Cooper.

Um I know you're very familiar with the main street program as a downtown business owner.

This is really exciting, and for someone who has dealt with main street programs and my previous city and and others, this is a great tool for downtown for not only preservation of the historic buildings because it is a historic registered national registered historic district, but for economic development, and so for example, in 2025, 12 new businesses opened downtown in the main street boundary, adding 94 jobs, 63 of those being full-time, uh, and but bringing the total employment to 319 uh within the district boundaries, and then also generating more than a million dollars in private investment toward the rehab, so reinvestment in those historic buildings, and also winning the Texas downtown president's award for best economic game changer, and that's for downtown.

So this is what I understand is the second year that we want it, so not as a we I didn't do anything, but uh I like I like to say we now but yeah, so the exciting stuff also designation of statewide, you know, designations like music friendly city, first year for that, but maintaining the designation as a film-friendly city and also a Texas brew city.

So looking at some a little more in the weeds kind of numbers for downtown occupancy has reached a level of 82.5 percent with an additional 5% essentially under construction to accommodate incoming businesses, downtown signature events last year, 55,600 attendees, and I think we are we appear to be on pace to surpass that fairly quickly.

Uh, in including Crawfest, of course, I'm sure you all are aware.

If you didn't attend, or even if you did, you probably saw the number, 11,000 estimated attendees, and many of those coming from out of town.

Um, and so that 55,000 represents a 17% increase over last year, and then sponsorships and event revenue tied to those vendors, uh, also that that increasing by 176%.

So huge, huge success for downtown that we'll continue to build on.

Also more on the engineering side, adoption of the 2025 water and wastewater master plan, which of course that is essential.