City Plan Commission And Community And Economic Development Committee Receive Presentation On College North Neighborhood Plan – CEDC Votes To Approve The Plan

The City Plan Commission met 07/27/2022. The one item on their agenda was a presentation on the College North Neighborhood Plan.

This item also appeared before the Community and Economic Development Committee but as an action item rather than an information item, and they ended up voting unanimously the approve the plan. For the purposes of this website and Facebook page, I’m going to recap the presentation given to the City Plan Commission even though no action was taken.

Community and Economic Development Director Karen Harkness told the committee that they had started creating the College Avenue North Neighborhood Plan in August of 2021, so it had taken almost a year to complete. Two teams were involved with its creation, an internal team and a steering committee made up of community members. The city had created an interactive online map for community members to provide their feedback on the College North Neighborhood, and over 100 community members utilized that tool which far exceeded the city’s expectations.

The city had hired RDG Planning & Design as a consultant to work on the project, and RDG employee Cory Scott appeared virtually to discuss the results.

He said that the purpose of the entire plan was to have a neighborhood “by design rather than by default.” There was a lot of momentum in the area including both public and private investments. Public investments included street improvements [and presumably the library], and private investments included the Merge project and other things like that.

He showed a slide and told the committee that the yellow areas were areas where a lot of activity was already taking place and the blue areas were locations that RDG was asked to do some further investigation and exploration to see if they could figure out what might be able to happen in those areas. [They look green and purple to me, there are so many disagreements in my house about colors that I’ll take his word they’re yellow and blue.]

One of the big themes that emerged from the process was “Connections,” so he said that was seen throughout the plan. He reiterated that there were a number of different projects happening and the spirit of the entire project was to have a neighborhood “by design not by default.”

The plan included a number of different concepts including what could be developed on the land and what could happen regarding mobility. The idea was to help inspire the private sector to create a number of investments. There were already public investments such as the library and, potentially, the transit center. They hoped to stimulate the private sector to do more.

City staff and the steering committee had provided a lot of great ideas and feedback. One of those was the idea of introducing housing options. Right now, there were a lot of multifamily apartments being put in, but they wanted to think about what the future customer would be looking for down the road such as townhouses. Townhouses would provide a nice transition between what was happening in the central core of the city into the single-family neighborhoods and make it feel like things were seamlessly stitched together.

They wanted to have mixed-use development located closer to the College Avenue core. He said that they wanted to make sure that the first floors of those mixed-use developments promoted the feeling of a cadence of activities as people travelled up Appleton Street. They pictured the upper story dwelling units of those mix-used developments being focused on single-family urban living.

In terms of mobility, they wanted to build off of and reinforce past planning project that have already been completed by making small alterations to those so that everything was in alignment. They were picturing a potential extension of Harris Street over and into the triangle site between Franklin Street, Appleton Street, and the train tracks.

That triangle area between Franklin, Appleton, and the train tracks was an area that could be “assembled” because it consisted of lots owned by relatively few property owners. [For example, that area includes Rookies Bar, Missfits Tavern, a church, and property owned by Pillars. It’s really just a handful of owners.] They hoped that they would see that area come together into a master planned neighborhood development; although he acknowledged that it could be developed in smaller chunks as well. Either way, reinforcing the corner of Franklin Street and Appleton Street was a really important opportunity. They even put together an illustrative graphic as a way to help inspire some people to see what could go there and help the project become a reality.

They provided some other graphics that were a little more basic for other areas in the College North Neighborhood as a way to illustrate what might be a good fit in those areas. They looked at various spots where different types of housing could be located. He mentioned specifically an area by Pacific Street, Appleton Street, and Superior Street which is currently a cluster of homes and suggested that it would be a good potential location for multi-family housing.

Finally, Washington Street was a very important parallel street to College Avenue so they wanted to make sure that they were reinforcing the development that took place along it. They wanted to reflect some of the existing investments and developments that were happening along that corridor and see where some of the gaps were. Ultimately, they wanted to see if they could expand downtown into that neighborhood.

With that, Cory thanked the City of Appleton staff who had helped them put together the plan. They hoped that through listening that trying to translate everything that they had heard from the neighborhood they had been able to create a plan that was not RDG’s plan but instead Appleton’s plan. They wanted to make sure that this plan helped set the whole neighborhood up for the next 10-20 years. He also noted that, separate from this plan, there was a housing study that looked at this area and all of downtown and the feasibility of creating another 400 dwelling units in the area over the next 10 or so years.

Director Harkness encouraged all the commission members to take a look at the College North Neighborhood document. Regarding the housing study Cory had mentioned, she said that was an update of the city’s market and housing analysis from Appleton 2016/2017 comprehensive plan. IT was a piece of their comprehensive plan that they used regularly and showed to developers to illustrate what they were seeing as market gaps. Some gaps the city had identified were retail, food, and automobiles. They used that information to target some of those types of businesses and try to get them to locate themselves downtown.

Additionally, there was a housing component to that market analysis. They were going to marry some of the information the city had with analysis from an Outagamie County study about housing.

She talked more about housing and mentioned that “affordable housing” had become a big topic. “If you were to ask fifteen people ‘give me a definition of affordable housing,’ you’d get fifteen or seventeen definitions, ’cause some people would have a couple of definitions for that.” In her world of community and economic development the definition of “affordable housing” was the definition used by HUD which was based on county media income. However, they just had a meeting with the Realtors Association the previous week, and the Realtors Association was really worried about the affordability of housing for people at the entry level into home ownership.

She went on to share a couple of statistics. Recently 461 dwelling units had been created in downtown Appleton. That number included units that had already been created, were in the process of being built, or were in development with a development agreement. 21% of those 461 units were WHEDA tax credit units, so they met the HUD definition of affordable housing. Those units represented 15% of the city-wide 10-year unit demand.

Current average household size in Appleton was 2.1 people. They were seeing a national trend of household sizes falling. It used to be 2.8 and back in the day when she first started with the city [don’t quote me on this, but I think that was back in the early 2000s or the very late 1990s] it had been 3.0.

The downtown area represented 30% of the 2030 population forecasted growth. They expected to see between 1,600 and 1,700 people added. The city’s vacancy rate for rentals was between 3.7 and 4.0%. In order for there to be choice and competitive pricing, the vacancy rate should ideally be somewhere between 5 and 6%.

The city was not going to be able to add units to the market that would rent for under $650 a month without federal, state, and local support.

Per Director Harkness, the study Cory had mentioned had forecast between 340 and 410 additional units in downtown. That was above the 461 units that had already been added.

Some of the positive things Appleton had going for it was that its downtown was diverse, and that diversity was growing, no just in terms of race and ethnicity but also in the types of businesses that were situated in the area. They were going to look to retail, food, public administration, and professional/technical services for future growth. Those types of businesses were already established here an all of them had opportunity for growth in the downtown area.

Mayor Woodford thanked Cory, the RDG team, and the Community and Economic Development Department for moving this process forward. He talked a little about what prompted this conversation/plan in the first place. They had started discussion the College North Neighborhood in connection with the library project because the city was making a significant investment in a municipal building in that area and they wanted to use it to spur further investment in the area. They recognized that, as a city, they had limited resources and, beyond that, the scope of the city’s role was limited in terms of what kind of development they could encourage or carry out on their own. They really need the help of the private sector to do the work of the plan that had been presented.

He noted that when they talked about building housing stock, they were talking about the private sector developing housing stock. The city did not build housing; that was not its business. They needed partners to build housing, bring in grocery stores, and help the neighborhood reach its potential.

The city has a comprehensive plan that allows them to go deeper into the detail of the neighborhood and provides an important tool for city staff to be able to articulate to developers what the city was looking for. “And if there are any developers listening to this meeting right now, here you have it. This is what we’re looking for in this neighborhood. We want to talk to you. We want to hear about your ideas and hear about your projects. That is part of the purpose of this plan too—is to more clearly articulate that.”

He asked Director Harkness if he could talk about the plan process and what happens from here.

Director Harkness answered that they have identified 28 projects which were all segmented out by highest priority. One was the library project. Some other high priority projects were the transit center, the Merge housing development project, City Center Plaza, and a lot of opportunities along Appleton Street. They will begin to focus on those area and try to find private sector partners to move forward and help fill in the vision the city had for those areas.

They also wanted to work on what they considered to be low hanging fruit such as the streetscape design guide that city staff had put together. They wanted to look at where that streetscape design guide could be implemented concurrently with development projects that were happening. Where could they put more green space and art? Aesthetics were important.

She reiterated that they would also be taking a deeper dive in the marketing and housing study that had been mentioned earlier and would be having more robust discussions both internally and with the community about not just housing but all types of housing.

Mayor Woodford opening things up for questions and comments from the commission members.

City Plan Commissioner Adrienne Palm noted that one of the things highlighted in the development policies was to reinforce the character of the neighborhood, and Director Harkness has also mentioned that aesthetics were very important. Commissioner Palm felt very strongly about that. She wanted to know how, as the city was courting potential investors, it was defining the current character of a neighborhood. She mentioned that, historically, there had been some beautiful old buildings that are not longer standing and the aesthetics of the Appleton community had changed dramatically over the years. She wondered if aesthetics were not a focus of high-priority projects, and she wanted to know what the city’s mentality on that was.

Director Harkness thought that the character of a neighborhood could mean a lot of different things, and the character of a neighborhood changed as the neighborhood changed. In terms of what the city had in mind when they talked about the character of a neighborhood, she mentioned that College Avenue had to be professional retail businesses in order to maintain the continuity of shopping and having a feel of vibrancy and vitality.

A neighborhoods character could also refer to the connectivity of how people moved from point A to point B within it. She noted that Appleton did not have design standards. The city of Williamsburg, VA for example had very, very detailed design standards, but Appleton did not. Appleton did, however, try to look at what made a development inviting, how it connected to its environment, how it connected to the streets and sidewalk, and how it connected to the surrounding area.

She said the library was a great example of that—the way in which it connected to the transit center, City Center Plaza, the Building for Kids, and the retail establishments on Appleton Street.

All of those things were discussed in conversations with developers. Developers would have a vision and know what they were trying to build and accomplish, and the city would share its studies, comprehensive plan, streetscape design guide, and mobility study. All of those were taken into account during the development process.

Commissioner Palm felt that the aesthetic aspects of the community did matter, particularly in terms of attracting a young demographic that wanted to stay in the community. She thought that was something that had to be prioritized. She thought one of the challenges of having private sector developers place such a large role was that the proposed designs didn’t have many options. [I took her to be referring to aesthetic options.] She understood that architectural trends changed over time, but in the absence of a style guide or an aesthetic framework, she wondered if the city had an aesthetic philosophy.

Mayor Woodford said he thought the challenge for the city was always what was the appropriate role of the municipality in terms of dictating to a property owner what to do with that property. That was a constant tension that they were trying to navigate.

From an aesthetic standpoint, one of the things the city was trying to do in the neighborhood was raise the level of expectation by example. The library was a case in point; the city had worked with the architecture design firm to create a design that raised the level of quality in the neighborhood.

He added that in the conversations the city has with developers, the developers are concerns about the neighborhoods their projects are located in and want to fit their buildings with the aesthetic of the neighborhood.

Commissioner Palm expressed a desire for something similar to a Pinterest mood board showing what they wanted the city to look and feel like. Functionality was a priority, but they also wanted it to feel modern and not like a place that was dated.

Mayor Woodford said that while they were on that point, one of the other things the city planners talk about all the time is the importance of maintaining the street edge. That makes a big difference in terms of the experience a person has in a neighborhood. Regarding the College North Neighborhood specifically, one of the things that came up during the planning process was the fact that they have a lot of empty lots or parking spaces, and the street edge was not being maintained as it should be. That, in turn, detracted from the feeling of quality and comfort in the neighborhood. Part of the intention of the plan was to more clearly articulate to developers what the city was aiming for as it looked toward the redevelopment of the neighborhood.

Commissioner Sabrina Robins commented that she had participated in some of the early meetings. She thought that one of the strengths of picking RDG was that they respected that Appleton was a midwestern city with a midwestern culture and aesthetic. Appleton was not going to look like Park Avenue because that wasn’t who we were or what we were striving to be. She thought that RDG very much took the aesthetics, charm, and culture of the area into consideration. They wanted to create a welcoming and inviting atmosphere that created a sense of belonging not only for long-term residents but also to those who were new to the area.

Someone else agreed that they were trying to maintain a balance between not losing the character of a place but still making it welcoming and functional.

Alderperson Denise Fenton (District 6) said she was reading with great interest the mobility plan and how it would coordinate with the streetscape plan. She noted that the College North Neighborhood was right next to College Avenue which was a very loud street. Washington Street was much quieter than College Avenue and she wondered if they were going to be working on any sort of calming efforts for College Avenue.

Mayor Woodford responded that for the purposes of the conversation about this plan they were really focusing on the study area. That had been a challenge as they worked on this project and something they had all wrestled with. There had definitely been some scope creep early on when they had been talking about how the College North Neighborhood connected to other pieces, and they had ended up having to really just keep their focus only on the area the neighborhood plan was supposed to be for.

Alderperson Fenton understood, but she felt the area to the south was the elephant in the room and cause for some concern.

Mayor Woodford thought in part what she was describing was the changing needs and expectations of the community, particularly around College Avenue and their experience on College Avenue. Those needs and expectations had changed significantly since College Avenue was first designed and reconstructed. That presented a different set of planning challenges for the city that they would have to continue to work at. Those challenges and the attempt to meet those challenges were not necessarily going to be driven by the plan they had for the North College Neighborhood. However, whatever they did moving forward with College Avenue would need to connect to and reinforce what they were doing in the College North Neighborhood.

Alderperson Fenton said she was impressed and very enthusiastic about the College North Neighborhood plan, and she did not want to sound like she was questioning it.

Mayor Woodford understood where she was coming from and felt her concerns were something they would need to continue to work on as a city.

Going back to the question about aesthetics, he mentioned that if people wanted to get an early taste of what the streetscape master plan for the neighborhood looked like, they could take a look at the newly reconstructed Appleton Street, at its lighting fixtures, sidewalk, and decorative concrete. That should give a flavor of what the city could do and what was within the city’s control and influence. He thought the fixtures alone made a difference in terms of the experience of quality and aesthetics in the neighborhood, and it certainly dressed up City Hall.

Director Harkness added that the changed helped to activate that area and make people feel drawn to it and comfortable walking through it. There had been a lot of discussion with the College North Neighborhood steering committee about how the area felt like—not only did it feel safe but was it pleasing to walk through and was it a place people wanted to walk through at night to get from point A to point B? Did it make people feel calm and serene or excited as they walked through there?

Mayor Woodford said that the at night on Appleton Street, the light quality was great. “If you’re a lighting nerd like I am, you’ll enjoy the lighting and the color, temperature, and the spread of the lighting, and dark sky compliance. It’s awesome.” He said they had a lot to be excited about regarding this neighborhood.

The commission had no further comments or questions, so they adjourned.

As noted at the beginning of this post, although this was an information item for the City Plan Commission, it was an action item for the Community and Economic Development Committee which voted unanimously to approve and adopt this plan.

View full City Plan Commission meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=970921&GUID=23D50642-2567-4E06-AD57-E4EAC55C228A

View full Community and Economic Development Committee meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=970922&GUID=D3370BA9-0648-40DB-BCD0-A8347152F796