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Presentation of the “Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence” Award (CLIDE Award)
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MEETING DATE: July 16, 2013
DEPARTMENT: Planning Department
CONTACT: Corey Young, Planner
Jennifer Arnold, Planning Manager
Kevin Spath, AICP, Assistant Director
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION: Acceptance of the award
ITEM SUMMARY:
• The City of McKinney recently received the Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence (CLIDE) Award from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). McKinney is recognized for the comprehensive implementation strategy (Phase 2) of the McKinney Town Center Study Initiative. In 2009, McKinney was honored with a CLIDE Award for Phase 1 of the same study.
• This evening, Staff would like to formally present this Award to the City Council to recognize the Council’s support and leadership throughout Phase 2 of the Town Center Study Initiative.
• The biannual CLIDE Awards honor development and planning projects that exemplify the region’s Ten Principles of Development Excellence, which outline a vision for sustainable and livable communities in North Texas.
• Thirteen (13) winners were selected from a field of thirty-nine (39) applicants from across North Texas. CLIDE recipients were selected by a distinguished panel of 3 nationally recognized experts in the fields of architecture, development, and planning. The Awards Ceremony was on June 14, 2013 at the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Annual General Assembly luncheon.
• Awards were given in five different categories: New Development, Redevelopment, Special Development, Public Planning and Policy, and Raising Public Awareness. The Town Center Study Initiative was one of four (4) award recipients in the category of Public Planning and Policy.
• In 2006, McKinney initiated the Town Center Study in an effort to address the specific needs of McKinney’s historic Town Center. Since then, the City has worked closely with stakeholders to establish and implement a community-based vision for how McKinney’s Town Center should look, feel and function over the long-term.
• In 2008, the Town Center Study Phase 1 Report and the associated illustrative vision (known together as the “Town Center Master Plan”) were approved by City Council. The Town Center Master Plan serves as a road map for the future by outlining preferred redevelopment concepts to ensure that future choices are consistent with the shared vision.
• Over the past 4 years, the City of McKinney has been focused on a comprehensive strategy of implementation (Phase 2) in order to bring the vision to life. This strategy has included the completion of various planning and policy analysis activities in the Town Center that have led the way to several actions, including:
• A market feasibility analysis of the timing and scope of absorption of the Town Center vision
• A comprehensive analysis of the city’s land development regulations, which led to the drafting and approval of a form-based zoning code for the Town Center
• A Request for Proposals (RFP) for master development proposals from qualified private development teams for the redevelopment of 10 underutilized city-owned properties in the Town Center
• Analysis and implementation of the city’s first Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) for the Town Center
• A comprehensive parking analysis of the Town Center
• Award of almost $2 million in Sustainable Development grant funds from the NCTCOG
• Award of $400,000 in Brownfields Assessment grant funds from the Environmental Protection Agency
• Key capital investments in public infrastructure in the Town Center
• Ongoing marketing and extensive stakeholder engagement
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), together with private and public partners, works to help create a North Texas region that is recognized nationwide as a center of development excellence. The goal is to create a region where residents, businesses, and visitors enjoy a built environment that creates a true sense of place; uses water, energy, and environmental resources effectively and efficiently; protects a diversity of habitats; reduces vehicle miles traveled (VMT); and supports public health and quality of life.
• To achieve these objectives, regional leaders adopted Ten Principles of Development Excellence in 2003 and NCTCOG carries out various strategic initiatives (including Vision North Texas, the CLIDE Awards Program, a Regional Repository of Best Practices, Sustainable Development activities, and many others).
• The Principles of Development Excellence center on providing choices for how and where people choose to live/work, promoting walkable environments through transportation and resource-efficient growth, and encouraging mixed use and environmentally responsible development - all in quality places that people will be proud to inhabit.
• To learn more about the Town Center Study Initiative, visit: www.mckinneytexas.org/towncenterstudy <http://www.mckinneytexas.org/towncenterstudy>.
• For more information about the Center of Development Excellence and the CLIDE Awards, visit www.developmentexcellence.com <http://www.developmentexcellence.com>.