02-03-14 JDA - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Huffman thanked the presenters and stated that he loved the framework provided. He felt an energy plan would be a good idea. Commissioner Grant noted that an energy plan is not only the right thing to do, it can also be a selling point for the site. Commissioner Ortega asked for staff’s recommendation on how to move this issue forward. Commissioner Grant asked about organizational issues related to the Master Plan and how the energy plan would fit with that. Commissioner Ortega stated he believes we don't need to make a decision now; we can ask staff to bring more information and give us ideas how to proceed. Ms. Knuth mentioned that having an advisory group working on these issues makes sense in the context of the next steps for the energy framework. Commissioner Ortega is sensitive to the issue the Mayor raised; as the JDA has moved forward, we have tried to work to a common goal. He wants to make sure the County and City representatives agree on the process. Chair Sand expressed his concern that JDA would direct staff to do something without being clear about its intentions. Commissioner Holden said this should go to the City first since it may change how the City thinks about the Master Plan. Review of Draft TCAAP Master Plan Development Director Hutmacher reviewed information presented to the City Council on December 26, 2013. She reviewed the amount of parks, trails, and open space in the draft master plan and how that compared to the rest of the City as a percentage of total land and open space acres per person basis. Information on the projected number of jobs, residential densities, connections to County Road I, flex business areas, and mixed use development was also provided. Commissioner Huffman was excited to see the creativity and liked the balance between housing and business. He referenced the ICIC Study which showed that commercial property provided positive net revenue to municipalities. He stated that the use of environmental water features were exciting and saw some comparisons to Denver to redevelopment projects that the JDA visited in Denver. Huffman was excited about the economic development and the housing.