Advanced Plans Committee

Advance Plans Committee Summary of Meeting Thursday, September 10, 2020 City Council Chambers Attendance AP Committee Members: Mike Greene (Chair), Chuck Warren, Joe Johnson, Bob Dool, Schane Gross; Members Absent: Rob Hartman MAPD staff: Scott Wadle, Mary M. Hunt, Stephen Banks, Matt Williams, Jim Schiffelbein; Other: Tammi Krier, Mike Tann, Kurt Yowell; Discussion Summary 1. Advance Plans Committee Chair, Mike Greene called the meeting to order at 10:30 am; 2. The Advance Plans Committee voted unanimously (5 to 0) to approved the August 6, 2020 meeting summary 3. Mary M. Hunt, Advance Plans division notified the Committee members that there are two guest speakers at today’s meeting. They are Mike Tann, from Wichita Transit, and Tammi Krier from the YMCA who will speak about the Food Policy Plan. 4. Mike Tann, Transit Director of Wichita Transit provided the Committee information about the current status of the transit system. The transit system experienced a 40% drop in ridership when COVID 19 commenced in March 2020. This was due to job loss and the closing of schools, including Wichita State University (WSU) and School District 259. The buses are disinfected each night and social distancing is currently observed. Masks are provided to riders. The transit system was awarded a federal grant to assist in continuing providing service. Core ridership (except for student ridership) is back to pre-COVID levels. Service to WSU was increased from one to three buses. Wichita Transit provides a ‘no-fare’ service to Veterans. More than 800 veterans have used the service thus far. The transit systems goal is to fill seats and establish relationships that can justify system expansion. There are 11 electric buses in the fleet, accounting for 25% of the fleet. An app is available that identifies where every bus is, all day. A rider can plan trips through the app. Electric buses are charged overnight with a lower rate through Evergy than what would be charged during the day. Operational costs are 50% less than a diesel bus, creating tremendous cost savings. The infrastructure built to accommodate the electric buses can accommodate up to 15 buses. After COVID is resolved, a micro-transit pilot program, in west Wichita, will be initiated for six months. Riders can schedule a ride at a cost of $2.50. The service is a demand-response system. Cost to riders will be $2.50. The City was awarded a $17 million FTA Build grant for the transit center across from the new stadium. Completion is expected in the spring of 2023. Wichita Transit has always struggled with a lack of dedicated funding for transit and asks the Advance Plans Committee members to speak positively about the transit system. Kansas City, and Sacramento are currently implementing micro-transit Advanced Plans Committee Meeting Summary – September 10, 2020 1  systems. Savings are measured by way of a conversion between diesel miles per gallon and kilowatt miles per kilowatt. Batteries are built to last 12 years and are located between axels and are vulnerable on during a side impact crash. It is anticipated that due to additional buses on the WSU campus, their ridership could increase to 16,000 rides per year. 5. Tammi Krier, Dietician with the YMCA shared an update on the Food System Master Plan. The Plan is a joint effort with the Health and Wellness Coalition, the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County. The partners are working on getting the word out to the public and get input on priorities. Tammi shared a video available on-line that explains the issues within the community. They include food deserts, economic growth, local food production barriers, health and wellness, social equity, protecting natural resources and reducing food waste. The video invites viewers to take the survey and share their experiences. The Plan is funded through the Kansas Health Foundation. With the public’s input, the Plan can then narrow down the focus to the most important issues. Tammi explained that the food system is very complex and impacts everyone. A good Plan will address access to healthy foods and is an opportunity to support the local economy. Food policy is impacted by zoning regulations and land use policy. The Plan should be completed by early 2021 with adoption by the City Council and the Board of County Commissioners. The Plan is looking at having an appointed implementation body such as the Health and Wellness Coalition. 6. Scott Wadle updated the Committee on the Open Air ICT program. COVID 19 impacted small businesses like restaurants. The program allows outdoor seating either in an adjacent parking lot, or in the public right-of-way. Turn-around time for an application is two weeks, and permits are good for one year. The Fire Department is working with Public Works on including propane heaters as an option for use in cooler weather. 7. Stephen Banks, Advance Plans division shared the Urban Areas of Influence report. The process asks cities within the County to review their growth patterns and their ability to provide services to areas outside their city limits. Some communities wanted appropriate expansion while a small number of others wanted expansion far beyond their ability to provide services or the likelihood they would see development reach this far within the planning horizon of 2035. Other cities were in conflict due to pursuing the same areas. Stephen shared a series of maps depicting the current and proposed changes. Staff is asking for approval of the report and forward the report to the full MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Commission) for consideration at their October 22, 2020 meeting. The Committee voted unanimously (5 to 0) to do so. 8. Mary Hunt, Advance Plans division updated the Committee on Wichita: Places for People. The implementation teams include the Zoning Team, where the first round of zoning changes are nearly complete. The Land Bank team is in discussion about what information should be attached to the ordinance and what should remain in the Policies and Procedures. The Incentive’s team will have a joint meeting with the Land Bank team to hear from two developers who build in the scale as outlined in the Places for People Plan. Staff is entertaining a contract with Development Strategies consulting firm to explore a deeper investigation of top-ranking nodal locations with absorption rates to assist in selecting the location with the highest chance of success. Transportation data is being added to the analysis. Advanced Plans Committee Meeting Summary – September 10, 2020 2 9. Matt Williams, Advance Plans division updated the Committee on the Delano Land Use Plan. Three topics are being reviewed, including updating the Design Guidelines; updating the Overlay area for the Guidelines; and converting some parcels along Douglas Ave to CBD (Central Business District) zoning. New thoughts include waiting until the Parking Plan is complete and after the multi-modal transit center is complete before working on the rezoning along Douglas Ave. Staff anticipates working with a consulting group on the Design Guidelines. 10. Scott Wadle, Advance Plans division share information on the Downtown Streets Plan. Concepts are developed and taken to the public. The Open-House scheduled in March 2020 was cancelled due to COVID constraints. New ideas include an on-line survey, on-line social media platform, booths are setup at Century II where the public can make comments and are provided a way to get answers to their questions. 11. Scott Wadle updated the Committee on the Douglas Design District BID (Business Improvement District). Staff is currently working with business leaders to wrap this up soon. 12. Scott invited the Committee to submit any legislative topics for consideration within the next few weeks. 13. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 8, 2020 beginning at 10:30 am. 14. With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:48 am. Advanced Plans Committee Meeting Summary – September 10, 2020 3