Created April 4, 2019
My Short Position:
I strongly support the city's efforts to create a modern city code which can serve as a platform for sustainable economic development, increased government efficiency and improved quality of life for residents. The new Downtown Visioning process is a critical part of developing this code, and I'm excited to be a part of it.
Background & Explanation:
Our current zoning ordinances are based on a framework that was built in 1970; since that time, the philosophy around urban planning has evolved away from zoning large swaths of land for only one use (i.e. 'carpet zoning'). On April 2nd, 2019, the community kicked off a "Downtown Visioning" process to explore how we, as residents, want to experience our downtown in the years ahead. It's a big deal for me, because our downtown was the main reason we chose to live in Cedar Falls, and why we bought a house just seven blocks away.
I can express my own views on what I'd like downtown to look like in the coming decade, but what really matters is the consensus from residents. It's very important that you participate in the Downtown Visioning process these next few months, because the input will influence policymaking for years to come.
If you're looking for some specific positions and philosophies from me about downtown issues, check out my related positions on:
- The need to promote and incentivize business infill
- My desire to keep downtown as the 'city center'
- My views on bikability, walkability and public transit
- The importance of neighborhood revitalization
- My rationale for close (not liberal) City Ordinance interpretation
I'll also note that I'm a fan of the Strong Towns organization, a non-partisan group which seeks to spark conversation and critical thinking about the right and wrong way to carry out development and urban planning. Take a look at their blog -- one of my favorite topics is the dangers of stroads (I'm looking at you, West First Street) ... and over the last couple of years, I've been interested in what's coming out from Congress for the New Urbanism (with a desire to innoculate our downtown from the risks of the McMain Street).
Over the couple of months, I've been studying the concepts of the Smart Growth Manual that Mayor Brown gave all the City Councilors...I see some interesting ideas that I believe are worth discussing as part of recodification effort...I built a database to track resources on these topics, and have tagged the ones that I think are related to downtown at https://citygrowth.robgreeniowa.com/tags/downtown. I listed my interest level in discussing each topic, based on how practical they might be for our downtown. I look forward to discussing some of these as part of the Downtown Visioning process!
I should note that, when it comes to urban development, some of the detractors of the concepts in the Smart Growth Manual say it's part of a UN-driven global effort to force people into high-density apartment living, like a Soviet-era metropolis. I appreciate that some people really like their subdivisions and suburban living....I just want to make sure that's not the only game in town, and that poeple still have opportunities to live affordably, close to (or even inside) our downtown area like my family does. I'll be bringing that up as part of Downtown Visioning, and if you disagree I hope we can talk about it so I can better understand your point of view.
And along those lines --- these are some tough, complicated concepts. I'm constantly learning, and challenging my own assumptions on urban planning. It's a fascinating topic, but my only expertise is that - like you - I'm living it everyday as a resident. Let's share resources and ideas, for the best outcome for Cedar Falls.