Title
Public Hearing and Resolution Adopting Legal Findings to Recertify and Update the Downtown Redevelopment Area Boundaries (Resolution 21832)
Description
Public hearing and adoption of Resolution finding the conditions of a slum area in Downtown Phoenix, to recertify and update the Downtown Redevelopment Area boundaries.
Report
Summary
The City Council initially established the Downtown Redevelopment Area (RDA) in January 1979, by the City Council's designation of a slum area. To comply with 2018 amendments to Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) section 42-6209(F), the City must review each RDA with portions that lie within the City’s Central Business District and either renew, modify or terminate each RDA designation every 10 years. This law affects two existing City of Phoenix Redevelopment Areas: the Downtown RDA and Government Mall RDA. In order to meet the State's deadline, the City must complete this RDA review process by Oct. 1, 2020.
PLAN*et Communities LLC (PLAN*et), the City’s consultant, completed a survey of the Downtown area, and based on the prevalence of slum and blighted conditions, has proposed an updated RDA boundary (Attachment A) that consolidates the following RDAs:
- Downtown
- Government Mall
- Hope VI
- 7th St/Buckeye
- Booker T. Washington
- Edison Eastlake
- Special
- Western portion of the Sky Harbor RDA
PLAN*et's survey (Attachment B) indicates the proposed Downtown Phoenix RDA qualifies for a renewed slum or blighted area designation under A.R.S. section 36-1473, because a predominance-50 percent or more-of properties exhibited slum or blight indicators. A total of 7,031 parcels were surveyed to evaluate the potential existence of slum and blight indicators. Of the 7,031 properties surveyed, 4,953 properties, or 71 percent of the properties within the redevelopment survey area, exhibited one or more indicators of slum or blight. The results of PLAN*et's survey, as well as other information on the proposed Downtown RDA, are available at phoenix.gov/econdev/downtown-rda-update.
During the community outreach, property owners of several parcels adjacent to, but not within the proposed boundary requested to revise the updated boundary to include their properties. Each of these property owners has provided the City with a notarized letter waiving any requirement that they receive notice to their property being included in a slum or blighted area by the City Council, and that they agree to indemnify, defend, and hold the City harmless from any future claim arising out of the City choosing to include the property in the proposed RDA. The additional properties are as follows:
- 949 E. Van Buren St. - APN 116-42-019 (owned by Copper Square, LLC)
- Northeast corner of 7th Street and Fillmore Street - APNs 116-32-136 and 116-32-002B (both parcels owned by Mihan Fillmore, LLLP)
- 819 N. 7th Ave. - APNs 111-39-136, 111-39-138, 111-39-140, 111-39-141, 111-39-143A, 111-39-145A, 111-39-146, 111-39-149 (all parcels owned by McKinley Ventures, LLC)
City staff recommends including these parcels in the revised Downtown RDA boundary.
This consolidated Downtown RDA creates one unified RDA to be used for redevelopment purposes. This action does not modify Phoenix's Central Business District. Upon adoption of the boundary in compliance with A.R.S. 42-6209(F), City staff will bring forward a detailed planning document that will merge several of the existing plans and include significant input from community members. The timing of this activity will depend upon the ability to perform the significant community outreach necessary to update the redevelopment plan.
Public Outreach
Property owners within the proposed updated Downtown RDA boundary were mailed letters on May 1, 2020 to inform them of the proposed change. The letters included a link to the Community and Economic Development Department website where additional information is provided, including:
- Interactive map of the proposed boundary
- Alphabetized list of the parcels
- A history and context of the area
- Survey methodology
- Community meeting details
- Online comment/question form to provide questions
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the public outreach portion of the project has been significantly impacted and all meetings are being offered virtually. Community meetings include the City's Encanto Village Planning Committee on May 4, 2020, the City's Central City Village Planning Committee on May 11, 2020, Planning Commission on May 7, 2020, and two City hosted virtual meetings on May 12, 2020 and May 18, 2020. Staff also provided the opportunity for a virtual presentation to the effected neighborhood associations.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval by the Land Use and Livability Subcommittee at the May 20, 2020 meeting by a vote of 4-0.
Location
Council Districts: 4, 7 and 8.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Deanna Jonovich, Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua, and the Planning and Development, Neighborhood Services and Community and Economic Development departments.