Middletown City Manager DouglasAdkins

www.cityofmiddletown.org

City Master Plan

MARCH1, 2016

So, over the past few weeks I’ve talked about therevenues we need to return to providing needed public services year afteryear.  We’ve talked about how we might generate those revenues.  Weneed new business and new families and improving property values and astrong quality of life.

The planI’ve laid out for you up to this point is intended to be the skeleton ofthe plan.  We know where we need to be with revenues and we know the typesof things that could reach those revenue goals. We knowthat we need to pave, maintain water and sewer, and add quality of life backfor our residents… about $4 million additional dollars per year.

Now how do we turn the model above into reality and how do wemake sure we are moving in the direction that the residents want for theircity?  A lot of 2016 will be spent trying to answer those questions. The pieces generated this year will lead to a new City Master Plan in 2017.  Thosepieces include:

Community Visioning

The Community Building Institute and Middletown Moving Forwardhave conducted almost 40 focus group discussions asking residents and businessowners “What do you want Middletownto be?  What is missing?  What would you like to see change or addedto the city?”   As they finish this process, it should give us apicture of what types of changes would benefit our residents, make themhappier, and in turn, make this a better place to live, work and play, which inturn, makes Middletowna more attractive place to bring your family or business.  The Master Planshould address what we have to have in revenues, but it must reflect what ourcitizens expect from their government.  We look forward to those results.

Downtown Master Plan

Downtown Middletown, Inc., has been working with downtownproperty owners to select a consultant to prepare a new downtown MasterPlan.  The last one was completed around 2008-2009 and contemplated a railstation that never materialized.  The recession created problems andopportunities and now the downtown has or will open about 20 businesses thatweren’t there just five years ago.  The new downtown plan will be based onthe Main Street concept and provide details on business support, branding,amenities, style, and housing to make downtown the most sustainable and vibrantit can be moving forward.  After it is completed, I expect to change outthe street lights (which are at the end of their useful life) with some new styleof light, and then add benches, trash cans,  and other amenitiesconsistent with the new plan.  As we continue to gear up our publicrelations efforts, we will be marketing city-wide and downtown events to theregion.  Downtown is one of many areas that will receive specificattention during the next few years.

Zoning Code

We have a new CityPlanner, a new Zoning Administrator and the City will be adopting in 2016 a newzoning code.  Our current code was written predominantly in the 1960’s andthe style of zoning law in Ohiohas changed since that time.  The old code does not contemplate thingsthat didn’t exist in the 1960’s.  We have an ongoing discussion underwayright now about food trucks and whether they can operate in the city.  Theold code doesn’t define them and never contemplated their use orprohibition.  When enacted this  year, the City should have one ofthe most modern zoning codes in the State of Ohio.

Airport Layout Plan

I’ve discussed in previous posts the need to expand airportoperations and to generate as much economic development out ofthe airport property as possible.  We have a preliminary planthat lays out additional tourism opportunities, industrial/manufacturingacreage and backfilling of the existing facility when completed.  The nextstep is to update the Airport Layout Plan with the Federal AviationAdministration, laying out the details of the plan.  Once thatprocess is complete and approved by the FAA, we can start adding new businessto the airport.

Housing Study

I have spent the last few months meeting with local real estateprofessionals including realtors, home builders and landlords (they own almost50% of our housing stock) to understand their perspective and challengesin today’s real estate market.  Our property values have not rebounded asquickly as other communities.  Our effective tax rate is higher than someother communities.  We have an older and smaller housing stock than manyother communities.  We have almost 400 vacant residential lots fromdemolition during the recession.   My goal is to create a housingstrategy that over time raises values, aids in recruitment of families, andbuilds a housing stock that allows families to move up and move down in priceand size while staying in Middletown. What is the best balance in today’s market of rental vs. home ownership? The best balance of multi-family vs. single family rentals?  The bestbalance of new vs. old vs. historical?  The best balance of two, three andfour bedroom houses?  What is the best use of the vacant lots?  Wehope to start answering those questions this year.

Connectivity Study

This is a fancy term for “how do we move people aroundtown?”  How do we improve the way we use automobiles, transit buses,bicycles and pedestrian traffic?   How do we make it faster andeasier to get from downtown to the highway and back again?  How do weimprove the health of our community by providing better walking andbicycle options throughout the city?  How do we use transit not just tomove people, but as an economic development tool to get people to and fromwork?  How do we utilize the latest in traffic signals, etc., to speed upauto traffic throughout the city?  We hope to develop viable alternativesthrough this process.

East End Plan

The City developed a comprehensive East Endplan before the recession hit.  We will be looking at that planclosely to determine if it is still relevant or whether changes need to bemade to reflect today’s market opportunities.  The development of AustinLanding, Union Centerand now Liberty Center may show us better and moremodern approaches to development around the highway than were originallycontemplated before the recession.

So… as we complete these items, a vision starts to cometogether.  We know what we need… $4 million extra dollars each year tocomplete needed city services.  We know the types of things that cangenerate that additional money… new families, new jobs, improved propertyvalues, etc.  Now we use the information above to create the path to thegoal.  Not an inspirational plan but a strategic plan designed to bring usback to sustainability using the city residents’ vision of what they would liketheir city to become.  In 2017, we put the whole package together.

Have agreat day!