CITY OF HOMER
HOMER, ALASKA

BECK

RESOLUTION 03-90(S)

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF HOMER, ALASKA, AUTHORIZING THE FORMATION OF THE TOWN CENTER DEVELOP-MENT COMMITTEE AND SUPPORTING ITS MISSION.

         WHEREAS, the Town Square Project was launched in May 1998 as a citizen-based effort to envision and create, through inclusive community planning, an area within the Central Business District of Homer that will be a magnet for the community, provide for business development, instill a greater sense of pride in the downtown area, make Homer more pedestrian-friendly, and contribute to a higher quality of life; and

         WHEREAS, the Homer City Council has expressed support for this mission in previous resolutions, memoranda, and ordinances; including the appropriation of funds; and

         WHEREAS, the Town Square Project (referred to at different times as a committee, working group, or task force) has made significant progress since its inception, including:

·        raising over $70,000 in non-City funds;

·        holding numerous public meetings and focus group sessions to elicit community input and ideas and share information;

·        sponsoring a landowner workshop with major Central Business District landowners and a professional land design consultant;

·        working with the professional consultant to develop preliminary design concepts for presentation to the City Council, the Planning Commission, and the community;

·        commissioning a Fiscal and Economic Analysis of Homer Town Square Proposed Development Alternatives, prepared by the University of Alaska's Institute of Social and Economic Research;

·        working with the Homer Chamber of Commerce and the City of Homer to involve students from the University of Washington Landscape Architecture program in developing a project called Community Heart: Alternative Futures for Homer, Alaska;

·        making numerous presentations to the City Council, the Planning Commission, and other groups; and providing media interviews to publicize the project and encourage community support and involvement; and

         WHEREAS, these efforts and other developments have resulted in heightened awareness of the importance of Homers town center to the future of our community, but more work needs to be done to turn ideas into action and physical transformation; and

         WHEREAS, future project goals should include the following:

·        Utilizing all plans and ideas proposed thus far, develop two or three proposals to recommend to the Planning Commission by January 2005.

·        Develop concrete recommendations for Town Center thematic approaches and elements by January 2006.

·        Continue to facilitate discussion among interested citizens and act in an advisory capacity at the direction of the Planning Commission until the Planning Commission makes its final recommendation to the Homer City Council.

         NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Homer City Council that the work of the original Town Square Project shall continue under the name Town Center Development Committee, with the purpose of achieving the goals set forth above; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the area under consideration by the Town Center Development Committee be that area within the boundaries of Main Street and Heath Street, and Pioneer Avenue and the Sterling Highway; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town Center Development Committee shall prepare written reports and provide a presentation of findings and recommendations to the City Planner and the Planning Commission on a regular basis; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor shall nominate and the City Council approve the members of the Town Center Development Committee.

         PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE HOMER CITY COUNCIL this 28th day of July, 2003.

                                                                        CITY OF HOMER

                                                                                                                        ________________________
                                                                        Jack Cushing, Mayor

ATTEST:

___________________________
Mary L. Calhoun, City Clerk

Fiscal Impact: Meeting costs.