AGENDA DATE: 5/10/2017
TITLE: Neighborhood Improvements Funding Initiative
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Review priority project ideas by each community advisory committee area, opportunity for discussion and Q&A, and identify any additional information necessary to inform a decision about funding allocation.
ITEM TYPE: Regular Information Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Walker, Catlin, Henry, Kilroy
PRESENTER (S): Lee Catlin, Emily Kilroy
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Douglas C. Walker
BACKGROUND: During the Two Year Financial Plan process, the Board directed staff to allocate $1.4 million in one-time funding to support neighborhood level improvement projects prioritized with community feedback and leadership from the County’s Community Advisory Committees (CACs). This effort directly supports the FY17 - 19 Strategic Plan, specifically several initiatives related to revitalizing aging urban neighborhoods.
Major milestones since that initial direction include:
December 14, 2016 - Staff presented initial concepts about how such a program could be developed as part of the Two Year Financial Plan work session.
February 1, 2017 - A more refined proposed program was presented and the Board directed staff to proceed with the first several steps in the proposed process and return in May with an initial list of prioritized projects by CAC-area for further consideration of funding allocation process.
March 28, 2017 - The Board directed an additional $200,000 be allocated for support costs associated with implementing the program, including $82,658 to fund a Neighborhood Planner position in Community Development and $117,342 in other support costs as part of the proposed FY18 budget.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Thriving Development Areas: Attract quality employment, commercial, and high density residential uses into development areas by providing services and infrastructure that encourage redevelopment and private investment while protecting the quality of neighborhood
DISCUSSION: Staff has taken guidance provided by the Board during the February 1, 2017 work session to move forward with the Neighborhood Improvement Funding Initiative, outlined in the Program Guide (Attachment A).
On February 23, 2017, an orientation session was held for CAC members to learn about the program purpose, scope, and schedule, as well as receive baseline information on the costs, timelines, and possible grant funding opportunities; 45 members attended in all.
During March, a community brainstorm was facilitated in each of the seven CAC areas, both online and in-person at each CAC meeting. As a starting point, each CAC-area was given a list of projects previously identified for the area, drawing from the Master Plan, the Capital Needs Assessment, and the Transportation Priority List, and then participants were invited to identify other community needs not yet identified. Following the brainstorm sessions, staff aggregated and condensed all of the ideas generated and developed three lists of projects (Attachment B) as follows: Lower cost (<$50,000), more easily implemented projects ($); higher cost, longer implementation projects ($$+); and the Parking Lot, those project ideas that will not move forward through this process because they may be underway through other processes, do not meet the program criteria, are premature given other ongoing efforts, or would need to be pursued by a different organization. These ideas will be forwarded to the applicable department/agency/partner organizations (as appropriate) for further consideration.
During April, the community received the project lists and had several opportunities to select their top projects from the “$” list and the “$$+” list, both online and in-person. The prioritized project lists by area are available in Attachment C.
BUDGET IMPACT: The Board has directed that $1.4 million in one-time funding be allocated to this program, as well as $200,000 in support costs.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Board identify any additional information necessary to inform a decision about funding allocation for the Neighborhood Improvement Funding Initiative program in June.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Program Guide
Attachment B: Full Project Lists
Attachment C: Prioritized Project Lists