04-23-12 Regular Meeting of La Porte City Council

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REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Appropriation Agenda Date Requested: April 23, 2012 ______N/A___________ Source of Funds: Tim Tietjens Requested By: Account Number:______N/A__________ Department: Planning Amount Budgeted: _____N/A___________ Report: _X__Resolution: __Ordinance: ___ Amount Requested: ____N/A__________ Budgeted Item: YES NO Exhibits: 1.Northside Neighborhood-2012 Plan Update 2.Appendix A SUMMARY City Council allocated fundsfor Fiscal Year 2011 toupdate the City’s Northside Neighborhood Plan, which wasadopted in 2000. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. has been contracted to assistthe City with updating theplan. The purpose of the neighborhood plan update is to guide the residents and stakeholders of the Northside community and the City in collective decision-making on future economic development, physical development, and social issues and opportunities within the Northside Neighborhood. On November 10, 2011, a kickoff meetingwasheld at the Jennie Riley Center to seek citizen inputon plan development and to solicit feedback from the community concerning needs forthe next ten years. At the January 24, 2012, neighborhood meeting, each recommendation was discussed and the consultant asked the citizens to prioritize the recommendations for implementation purposes. A summary of recommendationsand aprioritization matrix were presented during the March 29, 2012, neighborhood meeting. All recommendations were supported by the residents and participants of the meetings. Plan recommendationshave beensummarized based on five general categories including: Land Development & Redevelopment, Infrastructure, Transportation, Urban Design,and Community Engagement,as follows: Historic Preservation –La Porte’s first African-American School Housing –Housing programs for affordablesingle-family development Community Attraction –Splash pad evaluation/development Drainage –Maintenance of ditches andculverts Landscaping –Clear underbrush and debris from vacant lots Sidewalks –Connect San Jacinto trail to North E Street Linear Park th Parks –Incorporatepark space leading up to Tyler & 5Street Youth Programs –Encourage the establishment of achild safety/D.A.R.E. Summer Camp in joint cooperation withPoliceandParks & Recreation Departments. Transportation –Construct bus shelter and better advertise buses by developing a brand transit logo, well-advertised route map. Workforce Training Program –utilize the three track training program offered by Harris County for target area non-profit organizations.