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Ordinance No. 15,813ORDINANCE NO. 15,813 AN ORDNINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS, ADOPTING THE CITY OF BAYTOWN'S DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT BLUEPRINT; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE THEREOF. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS: Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, hereby adopts the City of Baytown's Downtown Arts District Blueprint. A copy of the Downtown Arts District Blueprint is attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein for all intents and purposes. Section 2: This ordinance shall take effect immediately from and after its passage by the City Council of the City of Baytown. INTRODUCED, READ, and PASSED by the affirmative vote of the City Council of the City of Baytown this the 23rd day of May, 2024. RANOON CAPETILL }, Mayor ATTEST: ANGEL CKSON, City C k1 ` �� DAP •O'��" -/ OF - APPROVED A 'TO FORM: SCOTT LEMO , City Attorney R:%VaneHindsiOrdinanccs32024'-2024.05.23'..Ordmance Adopting Downtown Arts District Blucprint.docx Arts District Blueprint n EXHIBIT W LAYTOWN BAYTOWN ARTS DISTRICT BLUEPRINT .............. ......... .... ..............................................................................-2 PlanObjectives ... ...................................................................... ...................... ........... ..............................9 Baytown, TX Arts District Blueprint BAYTOWN BAYTOWN ARTS DISTRICT BLUEPRINT - t � � . ` � �. � " � ,i. A}e� ..�►��+'� «tea.-ti,` , Contents: Executive Summary Introduction Plan Objectives Part 1: Downtown Past and Present Geographic Context Physical Context 2004 Downtown Plan Public Engagement Summary Part 2: Opportunity Analysis The Downtown/Goose Creek Waterfront (The "Inner Bay") Town Square 2.0 Arts District 3.0 Linking Downtown to Other Activity Areas Part 3: Looking to the Future Design Plan Economic Plan Part 4: Where to start? Immediate Priorities: Near to Mid -Term Priorities (1-3 years) Longer -Term Priorities (3-5 years) Implementation Matrix Baytown, TX 2 Arts District Blueprint Baytown, TX Arts District Blueprint Downtown Arts District Blueprint > Introduction Effective revitalization planning requires focus on people and programs as well "bricks and mortar." It involves both "313s" (public -private partnerships) as well as the three "P"s: projects, programs and policies. It is equal parts physical design plan, economic development strategy and public policy framework. Achieving visible results requires financial resources, staffing capacity, corporate involvement and political leadership. Like any plan, the Arts District Blueprint will require the combined application of: zoning, incentives and direct public investment to make it materialize. It will also need developers and entrepreneurs who are willing to invest, along with private property owners and elected officials who believe that the status quo is not acceptable. Baytown, TX Arts District Blueprint The plan, as a whole, is conceptual in nature and is intended to convey a preferred direction, but not an absolute direction, for district development. The plan does not attempt to capture all of the desired changes for the district; only the ones that seem to be the most realistic based on current market conditions, staff capacities and where the city is in the strongest position to help drive outcomes. The main purpose of the plan is to inform and provide a window into the city's current thinking about the district's future. It is designed to help "steer" the voluntary actions of private developers and landowners, working in their own interests, in the approximate direction of the plan through the gentle push and pull of zoning, incentives and leading public investments. The plan also provides city officials with a roadmap on where and when to make strategic investments including the use of incentives, and — as importantly concerning the latter -- when not to. The main objectives of the Arts District Blueprint can be summarized as follows: --) Increase district activity by increasing its residential base. 4 Unlock downtown's college town and urban waterfront potentials. • Improve the investment climate for small business and physical (re)development. • Enhance the district's overall visibility and connection to other parts of the city. --) Improve the user experience. The plan's central themes and strategic approaches based on the above are: 1. Start at the water. Although not technically inside the district, the Goose Creek waterfront represents one of the city's most important strategic assets as well as one of its most construction -ready development sites. Quality development here will help "make the market" and drive investment deeper into the district's core. 2. Enclose the square. The Town Square needs to be ringed with buildings to become a truly celebrated and self-sustaining community space. The edges of the square are the district's next best redevelopment opportunity after the waterfront. 3. Lead with housing. Downtowns need to have people occupy it throughout the day and week. The only way to do this is to have more, better and denser housing located in and adjacent to it. New multi -family and mixed -use development represents the district's most realistic new construction opportunity. A larger captive resident base also makes commercial development more viable. 4. Buildings and Businesses ("B+B"). Downtowns need to build a roster of small businesses to help enliven their streets. Although new housing will help improve the retail market, most prospective new businesses will (should) be small independent retailers. Baytown needs to begin to build its small business ecosystem to help facilitate a stronger storefront economy. A central theme of the plan is that the city needs to double -down on its already significant activity in the Arts District to get it to turn -the -corner. This can be done through the use of new and expanded incentives along with taking a more direct role in the redevelopment process. Tools include: Baytown, TX 5 Arts District Blueprint --) More expansive and aggressive use of 380 Agreements 4 An augmented Revitalization Incentive Zone (RIZ) tax rebate program �i The creation of a Revolving Loan Fund Program (RLF) The formation of a redevelopment enterprise agency Proactive, and strategic land acquisition and marketing Early action projects are key to building momentum for harder and longer -taking implementation projects. Some recommended early action projects for the DAD ,nclude: • Adoption of the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). • Adoption of an Enhanced RIZ program. • Coordination with Lee College on their new campus facilities plan. • Resolution of Sterling Library's future --i Return Defee and Sterling streets to two-way traffic. 4 Restripe Commerce and Pearce streets for diagonal on -street parking. Baytown, TX 6 Downtown Arts District Blueprint > Introduction Arts District Blueprint OF.-4111 Baytown's Downtown Arts District in 2024 is at an inflection point. After reaching its reported nadir in the early 2000s, it is now, thanks to some recent public interventions as well as a rise in urban lifestyle preferences nationally, poised for a resurgence. In recent years, the city has expended substantial resources in civic beautification and blight removal with the reasonable expectation that private investment would follow. Yet despite these investments, significant sustained private investment has been haltingly slow. This tepid pace of revitalization has caused some in the community to question the wisdom of any further major public investments in the Downtown Arts District (DAD) area especially if it means depriving other worthy projects of funding instead. Meanwhile, a new sports -anchored mixed -use entertainment district has been proposed for an alternative site well outside of the DAD. Combining urban -format retail, entertainment, hospitality and residential components, this development has the potential to replicate some aspects of a traditional downtown environment. These factors combined have some people wondering whether redeveloping the city's historic Downtown Arts District is worth the effort or whether it should just be left to flounder. Although opinions will differ, the idea of disengaging from the city's historic core is fiscally and economically questionable. It is hard to find a successful city anywhere in the country with a faltering downtown at its center. Moreover, a city the size of Baytown (36 square miles, 84,000 people) is large enough to support multiple urban hubs and mixed -use neighborhoods of which the Downtown Arts District should be considered but one. Baytown, TX 7 Arts District Blueprint The Downtown Arts District is one urban node in a potentially multi -centered city. This plan presents various strategies to energize redevelopment in the still important, still viable Downtown Arts District. The strategies were selected based on: 1. The community's stated priorities as inferred through various public input sessions. 2. The "found" opportunities presented by the district's current assortment of assets. 3. The perceived capacity of the city to execute specific elements of the plan based on current and future resource availability. Baytown, TX 8 Arts District Blueprint Plan Objectives The condensed goals of the plan derived via public input are: Goal #1 Increase district activity by increasing its residential base. Successful downtowns need people to animate them throughout the day and week. This is best achieved by increasing and improving the residential base of the surrounding neighborhood through new mixed -use, infill development and by improving the stock of existing single-family housing. It also means increasing residential density in select locations to help infuse the district with regular activity and to create a captive, built-in, customer base for downtown businesses. Goal #2 Unlock downtown's college town and urban waterfront potentials. Both Lee College and the Goose Creek waterfront are major downtown -adjacent assets that are not well integrated into the Downtown Arts District. Tying them more firmly into the district through improved bike- ped amenities, infill development and cross -programming of events will widen downtown's geographic scope and create more momentum for redevelopment. Goal #3 Improve the investment climate for small business and physical (re)development. The slow pace of private development activity in the DAD is probably due to basic economic infeasibility: This happens when the combined costs of site acquisition and construction exceed a project's ability to service its Baytown, TX 9 Arts District Blueprint debts and return a reasonable profit. The city can help change this calculus by helping to assemble development -ready sites and by introducing new gap financing programs and other subsidies to make urban development "make sense". On the demand side, it can introduce new programs to help small businesses become more interested in the district and more economically viable at the same time. Goal #4 Enhance the district's overall visibility and connection to other parts of the city. Because of the city's skewed geography of physical growth, the Downtown Arts District is somewhat isolated from the rest of the city. Increasing reinvestment along with improving the district's western gateway at the junction of Market, Decker and Texas Avenue, along with expanded wayfinding, co -marketing and public programming (at both Bicentennial and Town Square parks), will help improve its connectedness to other parts of the city. Goal #5 Improve the user experience. This encompasses a host of things that build off many of the above items. They include: slower speed, two- way streets (Defee and Sterling), expanded bike-ped features, improved/expanded parking options, storefront activation, waterfront orientation and cleanliness, and improved perceptions of public safety. Baytown, TX 10 Arts District Blueprint Downtown Arts District Blueprint > Introduction History Physicality 4 legacies Baytown, TX 11 Geographic Context The Downtown Arts District's surrounding transportation network. Source: Baytown Public Library Arts District Blueprint Baytown, TX 12 Arts District Blueprint Situated approximately five miles south of 1-10 and two miles to the northeast of the Fred Hartman Bridge (Highway 146), the history of Downtown Baytown closely parallels that of many other downtowns' whose existence was shaken during the freeway building era of the mid 20th Century. Originally known as Downtown Goose Creek prior to the merger of the three communities (Baytown, Pelly and Goose Creek) that joined together to form Baytown in 1948, the area originally served as the bustling main street district for the de -facto "company town" that took shape in the shadows of the region's early oil industry. With the construction of Interstate 10 during the 1960s, the City's * economic center -of -gravity began to shift northward where it has remained to this day. And while "Downtown Baytown" may never regain its stature as the city's main commercial center, it does �. contain the city's richest collection of historic buildings and cultural + assets, and has a ready-made physical framework for the type of walkable urbanism that is so much back in -vogue today. It has also served as the focal point for the city's cultural ►� �- community as evidenced by its recasting _ AAr 1-- * a as the city's "Arts District". Therefore, if - Source: Baytown Public Library not the singular, capital "D" downtown of years past, the area has all the physical characteristics of a traditional, mixed -use urban neighborhood in the mold of a Source: Baytown Public Houston Heights or a "Fifth Ward". It is in that spirit (and with that stated potential) Library that this plan is undertaken. Source: Baytown Public Library Baytown, TX 1 Arts District Blueprint Physical Context The Downtown Arts District is a linear, 22 square -block area -oriented east to west and bracketed roughly by Main Street and Goose Creek respectively. Texas Avenue is its main street and, together with the adjoining Town Square, form its central organizing feature. The dimensions of Individual blocks are approximately 300' by 200' and the average parcel is approximately 100' deep with no alley separating the backs of individual lots. Downtown is traversed east to west by a pair of one-way streets (Defee and Sterling Avenues) and paralleling Texas Avenue to the north. Alternating north -south one-way streets serve the district's main core from Ashbel to Jones Street extending between Sterling and Gulf streets. • ',",� cv -r - .-,fit,• _.- '�[''�',: ' . "+ ' r �" ,67ft fk Ti i •1 Rae.: :"� ;w. "i i *`++Irk -{ 9 Sanborn fire insurance map of the downtown core c. 1920: Source: The Library of Congress The building stock is primarily of early to mid 201, Century vintage and, while many blockfaces are still largely intact and interspersed with landmark quality buildings, much of it consists of unadorned single -story commercial buildings of little remaining architectural distinction. Surviving landmark structures include the Brunson Theater block, the Art Deco 300 West Texas Avenue (BDI Solutions), 400 West Texas Avenue, the K'nesseth Israel Synagogue, the former railroad depot building, and the modernist former Citizen's Bank Building. Baytown, TX 14 Arts District Blueprint Although several buildings have been meticulously restored, many others remain vacant and/or in rundown condition. Many buildings been stripped of any architectural detail through successive phases of adaptation and remodeling. Many are also faced with severe physical and economic constraints that hamper their reuse. Among these are the prevalence of "cheek by jowl" party -wall construction and the lack of rear -lot alleys or access easements. This physical tightness poses major difficulties in l . I unning new or expanded utility services to - or accommodating second points of egress for - interior block buildings. This impinges the adaptability of these buildings into restaurants and other more intensive commercial uses that require heavier "back -of -house" functionality. Moreover, the costs of implementing these adaptations in the instances where they are physically possible, often aren't _ justified by the prevailing rents that can be charged in return. This has resulted in a lack of sustained redevelopment activity despite the city's own investments in the district over the past decade. Besides its still impressive collection of historic buildings, the district's most distinguishing permanent features include Town Square, the Goose Creek waterfront, and the campus of Lee College that anchors its west end. (The defiant old oak tree situated in the middle of Texas Avenue near Felton. _&. . ,. 1�1 The Texas Avenue oak tree through the years. c.1920s, 1964's and today: Source: Baytown Public Library Baytown, TX 15 Arts District Blueprint Whiting streets is also a long-standing local fixture.) Downtown's urban framework has been enhanced in recent years by the district's formal designation as a Texas cultural district along with the public art installations comprising the Baytown Sculpture Trail along Texas Avenue. The relatively recent development of the Town Square park together with Texas Avenue streetscaping work and the Art Alley, has signaled the city's commitment to both the arts and to redevelopment more generally. Taken as a whole, these combined assets and achievements have positioned the City well for a new era of downtown revival and reinvestment. Ongoing challenges facing the district include its lack of both a concentrated resident population and the typical downtown institutional anchors that normally infuse activity throughout the day and week. (e.g. city hall, courthouse, library, theater etc.). Other challenges include the district's relative isolation and disconnection from the larger city, and the earlier mentioned physical constraints facing some of its older, hemmed -in building stock. None of these are themselves unique or insurmountable but will require sustained levels of public investment and proactive district management to overcome. 2004 Downtown Plan Prior to this plan, the most recent plan covering the are now known as the Downtown Arts District was the 2004 Baytown Downtown Plan: Area One. This plan began to address many of the same topics that are further explored in this plan including the need to revitalize and connect Downtown -adjacent residential neighborhoods with higher quality pedestrian infrastructure; the conversion of Downtown's one-way streets to two-way; the importance of historically appropriate building renovations, and the need to establish downtown -focused small business programs --specifically, a revolving loan program and a business incubator. 2004 Downtown Plan Baytown, TX 16 Arts District Blueprint Other recommendations of this plan included: the removal of the "snake" along Texas Avenue (e.g. the 1960's-era street "modernization". Completed); "phase one" streetscaping along Texas Avenue (completed); and the reconstruction of the historic traffic circle at the intersection of Texas Avenue, Decker Drive and Market Street (underway). The plan also emphasized the importance of the arts — a concept that the City has since fully embraced with the creation of the Downtown Arts District and its many offshoots. The plan also mentioned the importance of establishing a district management entity to help coordinate area business and property -owners, pursue funding opportunities, program special events and recruit new businesses. Public Engagement Summary The initial public participation element of the plan consisted of several focus groups and listening sessions along with approximately 10 one- on-one interviews conducted over a two day in September 2023. The early sessions and interviews culminated in an Arts District Blueprint open house event held on the evening of October 11th, 2023. This event was attended by approximately 30 people including city staff members. Some of the themes and objectives arising this event included the need for the city to: 4 Update infrastructure to expedite redevelopment. Reduce the level of commercial vacancy. Reduce the permitting and economic barriers to investment. Improve the climate for small business development. Encourage renovation of existing buildings. Intensify the pattern of physical development and human activity (more buildings and more people) A second open house was conducted on February 20+h, 2024 to receive feedback on the direction of the plan to that point. Approximately 20 individuals attended this event held at the Lee College Performing Arts Center. The planning process was overseen by a Downtown Initiative Steering Committee (DISC) consisting of city staff, elected officials and various district property and business owners. The group met every other month during the eight -month duration of the plan (four meetings). Baytown, TX 17 Downtown Arts District BI nt > Introduction �i "Putting the `Bay' back in Baytown" �i Enclosing the square -,i "Town to gown" and other linkages Arts District Blueprint el BAYTOWN S In looking at Downtown's physical setting, a number of potential redevelopment opportunities and linkages present themselves. Perhaps the most catalytic of these are the potential off -campus expansion of Lee College, the reclamation and redevelopment of the City's Goose Creek waterfront, and a fuller realization of Town Square into a central "quad" framed by new buildings. All will require significant amounts of public leadership and investment. They are also seen as complementary and synergistic and will help drive interstitial private investment throughout the district. Baytown, TX 18 Arts District Blueprint Connecting the district core with Lee College and Goose Creek, and stretching the "paths of investment", are key goals of the plan. The Downtown/Goose Creek Waterfront (The "Inner Bay") Much of the downtown waterfront area is currently city -owned and/or underdeveloped. And while much of it consists of unbuildable floodway, a significant amount of land area is not and could be redeveloped either with or without special flood protection engineering. Redeveloping the former hospital site, in particular, along with the underused property behind the library could help unlock the latent value of the waterfront and create a powerful gateway (and market driver) to the DAD from Decker Street and Garth Road. It could also help create a stronger market for infill development and commercial rentals in the district core. Baytown, TX 19 Arts District Blueprint The combination of substantial potential acreage, consolidated city ownership and waterfront location easily makes this site the largest, most attractive and potentially catalytic redevelopment opportunity in or near district. The potential relocation of the Sterling Library (the specter of which has been discussed during this planning process) could make it even more so. Optimizing this opportunity will involve working with state and Federal environmental and natural resource agencies — as well as volunteer and non-profit groups -- to improve and remediate the natural environment of Goose Creek over time. The formation of a "Friends of Goose Creek" organization for instance, can help mobilize political support and open -up funding opportunities for clean-up efforts. The aesthetics of the Goose Creek waterfront can also be improved by amenitizing the floodway area with more natural landscaping and boardwalk extensions etc., as well as by introducing aerator fountains or water jets in strategic locations (to both improve water quality and to obscure views of the chemical facilities that some people may find objectionable). Marketing this area to prospective developers will require proactive marketing involving the offer of incentives to offset the costs of flood hazard mitigation and structured parking. The developer recruitment process should also involve attaching a more distinctive brand identifier to this sub -area that more strongly communicates its urban waterfront location (and the city's higher expectations for development here). Names such as: The Inner Bay, The Esplanade, The Estuary and The Strand all have strong urban waterfront associations that could bring greater attention to a marketing campaign. The city should intend to retain a public access easement along the water's edge which should be clearly communicated in all marketing collateral along with a basic funding plan for public improvements such as through a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). Further amenitizing Goose Creek will help accentuate the Downtown waterfront The process would start by resolving the issue of the library's future and and soften its industrial backdrop. possibly acquiring purchase options on adjacent and available privately owned land in order begin the request for proposals (RFP) with the largest assemblage possible. The RFP document itself should include other content from this plan that communicates the city's larger vision for the Downtown Arts District and the related projects, policies and programs that will help realize it. Baytown, TX 20 Arts District Blueprint Ylydljr(�r�s+l +.aa... AwwNw *.4 YW Yr (M�wryY� YWwMYI v/CiM llw 7 �tlwY�l Miw.�. 4M. ��MMIw MI Gw N Ca DM 1. wq s�ww,7�ws �rDn M�tM� �M►Y�F� 1r /�I�YRM(ww�w� Key redevelopment opportunities based on available public/vacant land. Town Square 2.0 The Town Square project along with the Brunson Theater and the new public utilities building provide solid foundations for future redevelopment. Through the excellent work of the city's Parks Department, the Town Square project, in particular, has proven itself a powerful mixing ground for people from various walks -of -life who otherwise would have little or no occasion to visit the district. The project demonstrates the special drawing power of well -designed urban spaces and the symbolic value that people attach to them particularly in historic downtown settings. Although begun mainly as a blight removal initiative, Source: Getty Images this project has become an embodiment of the city's urban aspirations, both cultural and civic, and has attracted a loyal fan base. As a place of public celebration, it is also a potential staging -ground for various future public events hopefully for generations to come. Baytown, TX 21 Arts District Blueprint Special events notwithstanding, the symbolic power of a true town square derives as much from the frame of buildings that surround it, and help keep it in constant use, as the public = , landscape itself. This is what elevates it from a simple park to a flexible, tiM µ multi -purpose, enclosed civic space in the fullest meaning of the term. The classic urban ensemble of an ornamental town square wrapped by distinctive, landmark -quality buildings (often civic ones) is the stuff of old postcards and modern master -planned developments alike (the Sugar Land Town Center and La Centerra at Cinco Ranch are but two regional yTill examples). Currently, the Town Square Park Source: Getty Images doesn't have any activity - generating buildings adjacent to enliven it during non -special event times (which is to say, most of the time). Keeping it active throughout the day and week will require more intensive redevelopment along its perimeter: a frame for the 'picture' so to speak, and something that can both take advantage of the city's major investment here and give something back in return. Namely, neighborhood "ownership" and activation including passive resident surveillance. Redevelopment around the Town Square should strive to extend and Source: Getty Images intensify periods of activity in the district by introducing new mixed -use development that includes a strong housing component. Another goal is to integrate shared public -private parking into new developments to both eliminate the deadening effect of surface lots and to maximize the area's development potential. Mixed -use examples include one or two floors of apartments over ground floor commercial occupancy with shared, covered, public parking also at ground level. Another example would be a joint City/Lee College cultural center (i.e. library/visual or performing arts center) also with integral parking and optional upper -story apartments. Mixing uses in this way helps elongate periods of active use and helps both moderate and optimize parking needs by mixing daytime and nighttime activities. Arts District 3.0 With assets like the Sculpture Trail, Art Alley and the Little Theater, the city and its arts community have done admirable work putting Baytown on the state's cultural map. A potential next phase of its evolution would be to set about establishing a functioning, district -centered arts economy where resident -artists actually live, work, create, perform, display and sell. More programmed events around the arts such as art fairs, theater in the park, concerts, demonstrations and artist competitions would draw more artists and their patrons into the district and help support revitalization. Source: Wikimedia Commons Baytown, TX 2 Arts District Blueprint BAYTOWN Source: Wikimedia Commons A new facility or facilities such as an industrial arts makerspace, arts incubator and artist -oriented live -work housing would greatly add to the cultural milieu and economic development potential of the arts in Baytown. An improved and programmed Bicentennial Park would help fuse together the city's waterfront area, Lee College campus and district core into a greater whole. A new Arts District cultural center perhaps combining a new library and Little Theater would help "landmark" the district's cultural identity and provide it with the institutional anchor that it currently lacks. More immediately, if the city aspires to be a ranking arts community, this needs to come across boldly at the district's front door. The new gateway roundabouts at the district's west end present a great opportunity to punctuate the Sculpture Trail with a major new art installation (its piece de resistance). A large, commissioned piece at this high -profile location will announce the district's arrival as a serious creative center as well as arrival into the district itself. Holding a national design competition for this project would further enhance the city's arts cachet by generating positive media. Meanwhile, more commonplace opportunities may exist elsewhere in the district to use serviceable vacant storefronts as pop-up galleries and event spaces. Source: Wikimedia Commons N, IL Baytown, TX 23 Arts District Blueprint Linking Downtown to Other Activity Areas The district's separation from other centers of activity within the city, including the bayfront and the planned San Jacinto Marketplace development, is a challenge that defies easy solutions. The routes connecting them are indirect and the distances too far for wayfinding alone to be an effective fix. Although enhanced wayfinding signs will certainly help people navigate the city's large land area (especially along the main connecting routes of: Main Street, Lee Drive, Market/Decker and Garth Road) it won't necessarily compel them to make the trip absent more direct and intentional measures. Some ways to make stronger connections include: permanent or intermittent shuttle service or paratransit to and from the district between area hotels, the hospital, Lee College; continuing to build -out the city's bike trail system along Goose Creek and City's many utility easements; and making sure that the Downtown Arts District figures prominently in the city's visitor/tourism marketing collateral. The latter should rigorously promote the district's arts scene and special events held at Town Square, as well as a rediscovered and actively programmed Bicentennial Park until a stronger collection of restaurants and entertainment venues begins to take shape. The introduction of micro -transit options such as bike -share, scooters and intermittent river taxis could also help reduce the psychological distance between key destinations. L. orrtdwttirc: Otf-eampas s�ru'a.a EMS Xl ndma pr+��er areendt # us#itie Sgww. nd dojln"9t 0t1 1nlp s r ow + TF"tkMal5r0ftttuw Td*n5gWe`gwd• trox4-x�.tl[ acerru �p - lDm houft &hsriopubnt FA leak tree uplig" [ompWbr fL4k cwrwWd ddewa *. +. a Baytown, TX 24 Arts District Blueprint Flood Zones Publicly -Owned Parcels Public -Owned + Vacant Publicly Owned + Vacant + < Parcels 2 Owners Urban Building Stock Permanent Stock Key Redevelopment Opportunities Analysis of existing conditions and key redevelopment opportunities based on public ownership, vacancy, marginal building stock and consolidated private ownership. Baytown, TX 25 PART 3: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE MA0. I. rid 1; NJ Cal .o pa S to ow K1 n i- IL, �'.u.�n I aN C r,lrtrrlei4xnrrM ':4 r!r h Arts District Blueprint Design Plan The below schematics comprise the Downtown Arts District design plan. The plan as a whole is conceptual in nature and is intended to convey a preferred direction, but not an absolute direction, for district development. The plan does not attempt to contemplate all of the desired physical changes for the district; only the ones that seem to be the most realistic based on current site and market conditions, and where the city is in the strongest position to help drive outcomes. --JEE-7 DRAFT: Conceptual Arts District Redevelopment Plan The main purpose of the plan is to inform and provide a window into the city's current thinking about the district's future. The plan is designed to help "steer" the voluntary actions of private developers and landowners, working in their own interests, in the approximate direction of the plan through the subtle push and pull of zoning and incentives. The plan also provides city officials with a roadmap on where and when to make public investments including the use of incentives, and — as importantly concerning the latter -- when not to. pp� 4,pLr 1116—.. The graphics are largely self explanatory. An exception is the area around the Town Square where two alternatives are shown. Alternative 1, "The Quad", depicts a frame of new and renovated buildings surrounding the square. Alternatives 2.a and 2.b show different variations on extending the Town Square park into the 100 block of Texas Avenue. Both alternatives 2.a and 2.b are intended to show how that space could be used on an interim or temporary basis (5-10 years) in the event that the preferred development fails to materialize in a timely way. Neither alternative 2.a or 2.b contemplate the construction of permanent buildings. Baytown, TX 27 Arts District Blueprint Conceptual Plan (Area 1) t WN&VA. 7r6nhrls�y f �N~ilLy Sln[WA/MtN9 # . .,,a • #, F Wi4oi lViAfy T ¢ f f WkOF Fr�q J s.aRrr 1 � I 1� nw # 1 • r l r� . - i,l.i7W"y '� iaMl`YM IOIn *�[ e Oka mpW&F4 pro \4 46 Source: PWL Partnership Baytown, 7X 28 Arts District Blueprint 0 wig. ®r q T� R i • LIJ• AkO 0 Baytown, TX 29 Source: Clark Condon Source: SWA r Arts District Blueprint s. Irtily MrN�rrYY�� r n y • • r.FMA omit s• i A* • w Af•�!�+}X1'd. ] 7. d+?Fi}� •J[ .��FSL_� �• ..f ��i'.i. N +f_ I1Mr�w+�++1 Baytown, TX 30 Arts District Blueprint Economic Plan Uke any plan, the Arts District Blueprint will require the joint application of: zoning, incentives and direct public investment to make it materialize. It also needs developers and entrepreneurs who are willing to invest along with private property owners and elected officials who believe that the status quo is no longer an acceptable option. More fundamentally, the new development scenarios depicted in the plan need to be shown to be doable by developers. This boils down to two essential things: (1) that key redevelopment sites are the right size and are, in fact, acquirable (can they be gotten for a fair price?), and (2) that developing them can be shown to be economically feasible (Le, will developing them return a fair profit compared to a developer's next best investment opportunity?). Equally importantly, the district's economic plan needs to be focused as much on business development as physical development if it is to be optimally successful. Summarized below are suggestions for several new or modified economic development programs that apply directly to the Downtown Arts District. These have been excerpted from the Baytown Economic Prosperity Roadmap plan whose full text can be found here (insert link). Baytown, TX 31 Arts District Blueprint The KKC team recommends wider and deeper use of this tool to potentially include redirection of property taxes beyond the state mandated 10-year limit on standard tax abatements (e.g. a semi-TIRZ structure freed from the strict "public use" restrictions on the use of project revenues). This tool should be bundled into the city's request for proposals (RFP) for DAD and DAD -adjacent city -owned properties (i.e. in -lieu of standard RIZ) to help close the potentially very large financial feasibility gaps that these projects are likely to face; particularly those requiring costly structured parking and specially engineered flood protection infrastructure. The KKC team recommends that the city adopt a two -tiered Revitalization Incentive Zone (RIZ) structure whereby projects exceeding $2.5 million in total project costs (including site acquisition) be eligible for the state maximum of a flat 10 years of 100% tax abatement on incremental tax value. This "longer and deeper" tax reimbursement program should be available on an automatic by -right basis based on cost verification. Projects under $2.5 million would continue to be eligible for the standard RIZ incentive. The KKC team recommends that the city capitalize an RLF program or programs (for both buildings and businesses) to augment its existing RIZ (tax rebates) and Building Improvement Grant (BIG) programs. Such a fund or funds would help fill the intermediate needs of projects that cannot be fully funded through equity, grants or conventional debt alone. An RLF program structured as a lower -interest, subordinated, extended amortization "soft second" mortgage would position borrowers to leverage larger conventional loans and help bridge feasibility gaps while allowing the city to recapture and recycle a portion of its limited incentives resources. The program can be structured similar to the Small Business Administration (SBA) 540 program. (See Madison, Wisconsin's Business Loan Program for working capital or real estate as a model program https://mdcorp.org/businessloanprogram). Until the downtown market can gain traction, the city will need to build the capacity to take a more proactive, interventionist role in the redevelopment process. This means operationalizing an entity that can function as a de - facto real estate agency or "developer in the public interest Such an entity must be resourced and empowered to acquire, control and assemble (at "arms length") marginal real estate; conduct selective predevelopment work, and then shepherd assembled properties into the hands of vetted developers to build plan -proscribed projects. Baytown, TX 32 Arts District Blueprint BHT0WN S l8 , / Lee/ /W"44* The purpose of the enterprise agency described above is to assemble existing publicly -owned sites, vacant and blighted properties, tax delinquent parcels and available privately -owned sites into scalable development opportunities for developers. it then needs to actively market these opportunities on behalf of the city. This plan identifies several potential redevelopment target areas for the city to pursue. These were selected based on concentrations of existing public ownership, vacancy, marginal building stock and existing private owner consolidation. Marketing the Downtown Arts District to developers is best done through the creation of a market prospectus and website highlighting elements of the DAD Blueprint Plan and city incentives. This needs to be followed up by direct developer solicitations. Baytown, TX 33 Arts District Blueprint BAl"fOWN Downtown Arts District Blueprint > Introduction 't - 4.,L •.M1 � 5 Ohl � . fi ��; *' � �T � µ� •FR 4 Early actions -> Short -medium -long term priorities Effective redevelopment planning requires focus on people and programs as well "bricks and mortar". It involves both "313s" (public -private partnerships) as well as the three "P"s: projects, programs and policies. It is equal parts physical design plan, economic development strategy and public policy framework. It also requires financial resources, staffing capacity, corporate involvement and political leadership. Perhaps most importantly, it requires the achievement of some early wins to help build confidence among project stakeholders and to build momentum for projects requiring sustained efforts over several years. To help break -down the process into manageable pieces, the KKC team suggests an implementation framework ranging from immediate (easier, less costly) to long-term (harder, more costly) priorities. The latter, in particular, are grounded in the understanding that the city will need to build-up its capacity both financial and human, to undertake them effectively. Baytown, TX 34 Arts District Blueprint Immediate Priorities: Concurrent with this plan, the city is working to update its land use regulations. Recommendations for the Downtown Arts District (officially denoted by the acronym "DTA" District in the code), center around making sure that the district provides maximum flexibility within the parameters of current best zoning practices. Specifically, to make sure that the district preserves its compact pattern of development, but that it also encourages more mixed land use (including residential), and that new development and redevelopment adhere to traditional principles of urban design. These principles include, among other things, that building fronts have a minimum of structural definition and articulation, that they extend out toward the sidewalk, that they have a minimum percentage of window and door opening, and that the main entrances face main public rights -of -way. The need to get the code adopted soon stems from the boxed -in situation facing many district buildings which severely limits their reuse. Under these circumstances, it is not unrealistic to expect that the owners of buildings along Texas Avenue will attempt to acquire the lots directly behind them to facilitate the new utility hook-ups, rear building egress and rear -lot parking that are currently denied to them. If and when this happens, there will be a strong temptation to flip the orientation of the buildings to the rear (i.e. to face the parking lots) possibly resulting in a deadening of the Texas Ave frontage. The new ULDC can help prevent this while also making sure that all rear building entrances have a modicum of design treatment including secondary signs and adequately appointed doorways. L. i 4� V' .. # u %iMMM"*P k S ••�� 7 fl-W-M Baytown, TX 35 Arts District Blueprint Infill development to full-scale redevelopment: Downtown's fragmented property ownership and uneven building conditions makes wholesale redevelopment improbable in the short run. This series shows how incremental (re)construction can ultimately lead to a fully reconstituted block with main buildings facing Texas Avenue and parking behind. Downtown's small block sizes (200' x 300') and the need to accommodate off-street parking limits the intensity of development along the Defee frontage. Replacement buildings should adhere to traditional downtown design principles. Source: Hitchcock Downtown Redevelopment Plan 2023 The city should work immediately to increase the tax incentives within the Revitalization Incentives Zones (RIZ) to help make the Downtown Arts District a more attractive investment proposition. This should be a fairly simple and straightforward process to expand a program that is already on the books. KKC recommends that the Enhanced RIZ program be offered automatically for projects that comply with the zoning code and that meet the proposed investment criteria. (See Economic Prosperity Roadmap (insert link here) for implementation details.) Baytown, TX 36 Arts District Blueprint Also concurrently with this plan, Lee College is preparing a new facilities plan to identify and quantify their space needs for the next several years. As stated repeatedly in this plan, the future success of the district hinges heavily on creating a stronger "town to gown" relationship with Lee College and a general blurring of the edges that spatially define them. Achieving this will require a strong sense of joint-ventureship between the parties and an openness by Lee College to adopt more of a decentralized urban campus model whereby more college buildings are spread -out from, but still within easy walking distance of, the main group of campus buildings. The city should make sure that campus planners have a deep familiarity with this plan as the facilities needs assessment work unfolds. The obvious growth path for the college is the north side of Texas Avenue directly across from the main campus, as well as the Goose Creek waterfront; however, sites elsewhere downtown core shouldn't be ruled out either. The city should also work to connect the college with private developers to help build any off -campus facilities that might be desired such as affordable student housing, temporary faculty housing, co -working space, or any student serving retail and entertainment development. The library has been a topic of speculation throughout the development of this plan. The current building (although an interesting example of Modernist architecture) is somewhat dated and it is not located in an area that allows it to contribute to the life of the Downtown Arts District. The time to examine the library's long term future is now when major capital investment is needed (e.g. new HVAC system etc.). Major decision factors include both the structural condition of the building and its adaptability to meet new or emerging program needs years into the future. If it is determined that the costs to renovate, adapt, and maintain the library are untenable, KKC strongly recommends relocating it to the heart of the Downtown Arts District, preferably on or off the Town Square, so that it can serve as a consistent activity generator for the district. This is an idea that was initially brought up in the 2004 Downtown Plan but never acted upon. The current one way pair is a relic of 1960s transportation planning designed to move heavy volumes of traffic at high speed. The Defee/Sterling pair cuts downtown off from the residential neighborhoods to the north and causes excessive speeding. Moreover, there is not a purely transportation -related need that justifies maintaining this system in its current configuration (Defee currently handles only about 2800 vehicles per day which is the same as two-way Texas Avenue and two-way Pruett, while Sterling carries only 1600.) Many cities have made their downtowns' more walkable and safe (and have maximized on -street parking in the process) by long ago converting their one- way pairs systems back to two-way streets. Baytown, TX 37 Arts District Blueprint The availability of on -street parking especially during events held at Town Square, has been cited as problem by many people consulted for this plan. At 50 feet wide, Commerce Street is much wider than it needs to be to carry the extremely light traffic on it. The center left hand turning lane is superfluous. This street is wide enough for diagonal parking on at least one if not both sides. The slightly narrower Pearce Street (approximately 46 feet), is also likely wide enough to have diagonal parking on one side and parallel parking on the other. Restriping one or both of these streets would help maximize on -street parking directly where it is currently needed the most —just off the Town Square. Near to Mid -Term Priorities (1-3 years) The new roundabouts on the west end of the district and the newly established TIRZ are excellent early action projects that can be leveraged to strengthen its arts district brand. As depicted in the accompanying design plan, KKC recommends that the city conduct a national design competition for a new, monumental sized gateway art installation in or near the main roundabout. The basic steps to conduct a competition would involve: establishing a project budget (at least $1 million is suggested), empaneling a design jury, securing a permanent site, establishing design criteria; issuing a request for qualifications, and then awarding approximately $20,000 each for up to four finalists to submit mock-ups of their designs. The winner would be awarded the final contract. This process would garner positive media attention and hold out the promise of getting the most innovative design. Baytown, TX 38 Arts District Blueprint The city's economic development department currently has two generically defined economic development "analyst" staff positions. KKC recommends that going forward, that these positions be more defined in scope with the intent of building more professional specialization within the department. One of these positions should focus on small business development and the other on redevelopment. Depending on their qualifications, the redevelopment position should serve as either the executive director or assistant executive director of the recommended redevelopment agency depending on the disposition of the host entity. This person will need to have or obtain a strong working understanding of the urban real estate development process including financial feasibility, site and developer due diligence, marketing, gap financing tools and methods, and deal -structuring among other skills. Economic development generalists can typically acquire this knowledge through various certification programs offered through organizations such as: the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the National Development Council (NDC) or the CCIM Institute. The small business specialist should serve as an ombudsman between the business community and city departments. S/he should have a strong grasp of business finance, marketing and management and work primarily as a small business coach and resource -connector. Qualified candidates may come from the ranks of academia or chambers of commerce, or from within the small business community itself. As stated earlier, city led redevelopment activity requires new staff capacity, financial resources and agency (in both the noun and verb usage of the term). Establishing the enterprise will assign responsibility and ownership over the redevelopment process and accelerate outcomes. (See Economic Prosperity Roadmap (insert link here) for implementation details.) This is essentially a professional marketing piece oriented to developers with plan highlights, descriptions of available sites, area demographics, incentives information and a summary of citywide assets. Baytown. TX 39 Arts District Blueprint At approximately seven acres in size (not including the library property) this site easily represents the district's most attractive and development -ready redevelopment opportunity. Quality redevelopment of this site similar in flavor and scale to what is shown in this plan, will act as a catalyst for other district redevelopment. In the early fledgling stages of redevelopment, dormant downtowns such as Baytown's need to have development -ready sites that are both large enough to generate developer interest and to effectively change the market at the same time. Next to the Goose Creek site, the 100 Block is the Downtown Arts District's next best redevelopment opportunity. Acquiring control of the remainder of the block will be key to maximizing the redevelopment possibilities around Town Square, and establishing a redevelopment foothold and momentum - builder in the heart of the district. The city's current assemblage there is not quite big enough to be of interest to most developers or to be able to move the downtown market. Begin Phase 2 Streetscape The creation of the new Arts District TIRZ provides both the impetus and a funding source to extend streetscaping along select segments of Texas Avenue and adjoining side streets. These improvements should be scheduled into the city's capital improvement plan with eventual construction work coordinated, to the extent possible, with other public infrastructure work (e.g. stormwater, utilities) or adjoining private construction activity. Priority streets include: Texas Avenue from Jones to Pruett streets (including intersection accents at Pruett); and from Asbel to Commerce Streets with a one -block wraparound treatment along Commerce Street. This work should begin with preliminary design and engineering (years 1-2) and proceeding to budgeting, final design and construction in years 2-5. In the longer term, secondary streetscape (i.e. outside of the immediate district core) should also be coordinated with future infrastructure work and private development as resources permit. Baytown, TX 40 # ! , +r •' w Longer -Term Priorities (3-5 years) Arts District Blueprint %"mob=** Proposed droompe � � ■ Seoand�ryslreat:esp+ . sdv.wkes Rebuilding downtowns is as much or more about building new businesses as it is about building buildings. Incubators are a lynchpin of any small business ecosystem. One is needed in Baytown to help build and sustain the tenant pipeline for the Downtown Arts District's many vacant storefronts as well as in other locations. The incubator needs to be more than a low-cost co -working space. It needs to offer entrepreneur training support services such as classes, business coaching, mentoring and connections to first customers as well as potential funding sources. Establishing an incubator usually involves a collaboration between municipalities, non -profits, corporate foundations and institutions of higher education. A first step is to create an online portal and clearinghouse for small business support programs/organizations available/present in the region. A model website is KCsourcelink.com. (See Economic Prosperity Roadmap (insert link here) for implementation details.) Baytown, TX 41 Arts District Blueprint Such a fund is needed to support the gap financing needs of small to medium sized development projects as well as for the start-up and working capital needs of small businesses. KKC recommends that Baytown's program should be structured as a basic loan loss reserve program capitalized in increments by the city and/or the MDD over a period of a few years. A consortium of local banks (including those where the city currently maintains deposits) and regional CDFI institutions should be enlisted to help fund, underwrite and service the loans in conjunction with the city's economic development staff. The process could begin by a city pledge of $150,000 - $250,000, the recruitment of an RFL task force from among prospective participants, and a capital campaign led by city political leadership and the BCW-EDF. (See Economic Prosperity Roadmap (insert link here) for implementation details) The current lack of a critical mass of district businesses challenges the creation of a formal DAD business organization. However, as redevelopment takes place and as new businesses take up residence in the district, the formation of such an organization becomes more possible and potentially more fruitful. Such a group can serve as the collective voice of the district and join together to do things that no one business by themselves can do through cost sharing and "economies -of -scale" (i.e. group purchase of health insurance, group promotional events, customer valet service etc.). As it matures, the organization can choose to implement a dues paying system and management structure to give it more financial and promotional heft. Down the road, this group could coalesce support for the establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) to help fund additional district beautification projects and special events. With enough momentum, it could also springboard into a campaign to seek National Main Street and Certified Local Government (CLG) status and the additional outside funding that such designations can sometimes bring. Baytown, TX 42 Implementation Matrix Near -mid term priorities (1-3 years) Roundabout entry monument TXDOT approval/site selection Recruit design jury and project chairperson Raise funds for design competition Establish solicitation notice and design criteria Publicize competition Solicit design entries Begin capital campaign for construction Select winning entry District Investment Prospectus Arts District Blueprint ._M- TXDOT, City Eng, X Planning, Public Works X Arts District Board Arts District Board, TIRZ, corporations, X Design Jury, foundations, Project Chairperson naming rights Public Affairs, Arts X District Board, Arts Connect Design Jury Houston Arts District Board Arts Connect City Public Affairs Houston. Houston X and AIA, National Communications Foundation For Depts. The Arts X Arts District Board, TIRZ, corporations, X Mayor, Project foundations, Chair naming rights Design Jury Produce marketing collateral and website X ED staff, consultants Issue RFP for former hospital site X ED staff, consultants Design and pre -engineering of phase 2 X City Engineering streets cape Longer term priorities (3-5 years) Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Convene working group X ED staff ULI-Houston, CCIM-Houston TIRZ, MDD EDF, Harris County, CDFIs, Local banks Baytown, TX 43 Arts District Blueprint Secure challenge grant X City Council/MDD MDD, 212 funds, EDA, TX EDC ED staff, EDF, Corporations, Begin capital campaign X Foundations CDFIs, foundations, 212funds Develop program guidelines and bylaws X ED staff Local banks Recruit loan underwriter and servicer X ED staff Local banks Establish loan committee X ED staff, EDF Local banks Promote program X ED staff Social media, city website Make first loan X ED staff Redevelopment Enterprise Agency TX EDC, IEDC, NDC, Establish charter, mission, bylaws and ED staff, City legal Harris County governance structure dept. Economic Development Determine controlling entity X MDD, EDF, City ED Controlling entity adoption of charter X Controlling entity, City Council Secure seed funding allocation X City ED staff +controlling City, MDD entity Professional services agreemcnt or IDA (if City and/or applicable) X controlling entity legal Develop and post executive director job X ED staff, City HR description Dept Hire executive director X City HR Dept Business Incubator Recruit project task force X ED Staff, EDF, Lee College SBDC Solicit potential operators X ED Staff, EDF Establish budget X ED Staff, EDF, Develop programming X Chosen operator, Lee College Baytown, TX 44 Arts District Blueprint YBA TOWN S Foundations, Begin capital campaign and endowment x corporations, ED staff, Mayor, EDF, Select location Break -ground, cut ribbon operator (X) Operator, Lee College (X) Baytown, TX 45