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HomeMy Public PortalAbout7-CED Department Report Aug21Monthly Department Report – Community & Economic Development Memo To: City Council From: Michelle Groenevelt, AICP, Community & Economic Development Director CC: Anette Spickard, City Manager Date: 9/1/21 Re: Monthly Department Report – August 2021 1. Housing: The Local Housing Action Plan Request for Qualification (RFQ) to hire a housing consultant to develop an action plan was scored by a review committee. A selection was made on Local Housing Action Plan consultant team and staff is working on budget timeline and scope for contract development. Staff continues to meet with developers and housing nonprofits who are interested in utilizing local housing code provisions and the incentive program. 2. Long-range Planning: The Valley County Waterways Management Plan is underway. We completed several lake surveys, interviews, and lots of user surveys with a team of volunteers. You can learn more about the project here: http://www.co.valley.id.us/waterways-management-plan/ The Craig Group has been selected as consultants to lead the effort to update the McCall Historic Preservation Plan. Community outreach will begin in late October with a goal of completing the plan by mid-2022. 3. Code Update: We are working on code updates, and these will come through the land use process this fall. 4. Urban Renewal: The McCall Redevelopment Agency (MRA) Board will hold a special meeting on September 7 for the termination budget for the 1990 District and is completed work associated with this effort. Brown Park construction is underway. The Board would like to celebrate the close out of the district and the accomplishments on October 28 as part of the Mill Whistle project event (see below). 5. GIS: Staff has made good, although slow, progress toward a full understanding of how Elements, GIS, and Caselle interact with one another. A path forward is emerging in which the various venders and their databases will talk with one another. Elements seems to be where we have the most ‘surface area’ in Monthly Department Report – Community & Economic Development terms of exposure to workers and their workflows, so has been a priority to get good understanding, with clear and thorough documentation of this institutional knowledge. The underlying software which manages and serves our GIS data is in process of being upgraded. We are a step behind the industry best practices in terms of management and web delivery of GIS data. The upgrade to “Enterprise” is being coordinated with Vlatko in IT. Field work continues during busy construction season. 6. Building: See attached Building Permit report. 7. Current Planning: The September Planning & Zoning agenda contains a record of survey application, a design review application, and a scenic route application, a shoreline application, a design review application, and a conditional use permit application. 8. Grants: See attached Grant Status Report. One notice of grant award was received this month: $700 from the Payette Lakes Progressive Club to support Youth Recreation Scholarships. 9. Public Art: The Mill Whistle project for Brown Park is in the final fabrication and installation stage and will be blown on October 28 at 1:55 p.m. Communications will be issued in advance to inform the public of the planned whistle blow. This event will also celebrate the closure of the Downtown East Urban Renewal District and, in partnership with the Chamber, will kick off a weekend of locally focused events including a concert, movie night and Trunk or Treat. 10. Historic Preservation: The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) will be hosting a free public presentation by Nez Perce Cultural Resources Manager Nakia Williamson on Saturday, September 25 at 10 a.m. in Rotary Park on the importance of Cambium Peeled Trees to Indigenous Peoples (Rotary Park has one of these trees!). 11. Economic Development: Staff has been assisting the Idaho Commission on the Arts in creation of an online GIS-based survey tool to inventory the creative economy of the Valley and north Adams County region. The survey will launch in late October along with a dedicated web site. The 2021 West Central Mountains Economic Development Summit planned for the first Monday in October has been canceled due to COVID safety concerns.