HOOD RIVER — The city council unanimously voted to adopt the Heights Streetscape Plan into the Heights Urban Renewal Plan on Jan. 8, which makes the project eligible for urban renewal funding and gives it legislative intent.
The final concept plan for the heights district was previously approved in late December. The only changes made were the inclusion of an executive summary and appendices. The city webpage also now includes answers to frequently asked questions.
“This is a really big deal,” Council Member Mark Zanmiller said. “I hope we have the guts and wherewithal to make it happen.”
The Heights Streetscape Plan is a construction project within the commercial core of OR-281 that includes street, driveway, bicycle lane, and sidewalk changes that aim to benefit the local community and economy. Project planning began in 2018 when city officials determined that small-scale changes wouldn’t be sufficient to meet the community’s vision for the district.
“Tonight the fairly simple action is to approve the resolution. But, while it is a small simple action, it really is encompassing those four years of really hard work and engagement across the community,” Urban Renewal Administrator Will Norris said.
Council Member Gladys Rivera expressed concern about a lack of clarity surrounding specific funding being pursued in the list of potential grants. Project costs and funding were a concern in previous council meetings — and grants were pointed out as crucial to the project’s success.
Norris said that steps must first be taken to make the plan competitive for grants. These steps include the formal adoption of the heights plan and the district’s jurisdictional transfer from state to local authority. The Urban Renewal Agency, he further stated, is keeping an eye out for helpful federal legislation and grants, such as Safe Routes to School grants, that can be applied for once the agency is ready.
“We’re going to jump on those [grants] as quickly as possible,” Norris said. “But … this is probably a generational plan that will take many, many years, so it will be a constant pursuit of as many sources of outside funding as possible.”
The Heights Streetscape Plan has had three phases. During phase one, the Urban Renewal Agency Board stated its values and intent, and created a community engagement plan. During phase two, multiple options were generated that met those values and were scored. Phase three then facilitated open houses, online surveys, traffic studies, and design review studies that created the final concept plan that was approved late last year.
The plan doesn’t include a specific completion date. Instead, projects will be implemented based on funding availability.
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