Rebecca Jun 9 2025 at 11:46PM on page 11
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The installed version of the browser you are using is outdated and no longer supported by Konveio. Please upgrade your browser to the latest release.Southwest Area Plan Full Public Review Draft
Read and comment on the public review draft of the Southwest Area Plan, covering Athmar Park, Mar Lee, Overland, Ruby Hill, and Westwood. You can click directly on the document to comment and/or go to the overview to take a survey.
Visit the project page for additional ways to get involved.
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Sanjay Bhasker Jun 9 2025 at 3:09PM on page 113
Sanjay Bhasker Jun 9 2025 at 3:03PM on page 71
Sanjay Bhasker Jun 9 2025 at 3:01PM on page 71
Wendy Willbanks Wiesner Jun 9 2025 at 11:40AM on page 161
Wendy Willbanks Wiesner Jun 9 2025 at 11:04AM on page 1
My first impression: consistent with what I heard in these neighborhood meetings, the overarching values of preservation, access, support, and development rise to the top. As it should be.
What I also heard in these community gatherings is the importance of flexibility, creativity, and innovation. These values, applied to both problem-solving and building things anew, are critical for unfolding this vision for the southwest area. They also happen to be the most difficult for large, established organizations like long-term industry and city government to fully embrace.
As a result, I would hope they can be featured more prominently.
For example, how does prioritizing flexibility, creativity, and innovation affect a 20-year approach to solving a problem already identified in the plan, say specifically affordable housing? First of all, it's the realization that we may need completely new tools for approaching the problem, since we've not been able to do it with the tools we possess now. For example, considering the possibility for new zoning categories, incentives, and programs for live-work, tiny home, housing-industrial combo with suggested/supported complimentary uses, incremental development, missing middle, small developer, community-driven development, and supportive housing that mixes populations that are in a position to materially help one another (i.e. seniors and foster kids, just one example).
It is nearly impossible to create these things today, because other typologies are more familiar and as a result seem less trouble, less risky, and are therefore naturally favored by government and industry.
For example, using predominantly time-worn, go-to affordable housing tools perpetuates the problem of affordable housing that isn't durable (i.e. use of 15-year tax credits) nor does it match the breadth of real needs (i.e. of dearth of 3 bedroom units for large families). Ground floor retail often fails because housing developers are not in the business of creating, understanding, or managing the real estate requirements of business, specifically small and local ones.
This is just a small subset of already identified city-wide problems, ones that put a wrench in the goals we are trying to accomplish with this plan.
The upshot with affordable housing is that we build the 5 over 2 platform building without design or use thought/guidelines over and over because we know how to do it. But that doesn't mean we should.
Can the southwest area be a pilot place where we come up with new ways to solve intransigent problems like (but not restricted to) affordable housing? A place where we can expressly try new things and do better? Can we put this goal front and center?
Already the neighborhood engagement has taken place in a way that is flexible, creative and innovative; this draft plan is a clear demonstration that this approach yields dividends.
Let's continue the new tradition.
Jolene Cardenas Jun 7 2025 at 7:59PM on page 75
Fedde Jun 3 2025 at 9:07AM on page 116
Hamilton R. Jun 1 2025 at 12:26PM on page 174
Hamilton R. Jun 1 2025 at 12:21PM on page 162
Hamilton R. Jun 1 2025 at 12:12PM on page 127
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Hamilton R. Jun 1 2025 at 11:59AM on page 94
Hamilton R. Jun 1 2025 at 11:53AM on page 84
Paula Pinkley May 29 2025 at 9:37AM on page 1
Daniel May 23 2025 at 9:44PM on page 121
Emma Hand May 20 2025 at 6:51PM on page 182
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Emma Hand May 20 2025 at 6:19PM on page 28
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Lia C May 20 2025 at 11:43AM on page 66
Lia C May 20 2025 at 11:36AM on page 58
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Daniel May 19 2025 at 7:26PM on page 141
Hamilton R. May 18 2025 at 8:24PM on page 73
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Hamilton R. May 18 2025 at 8:06PM on page 67
Hamilton R. May 18 2025 at 8:03PM on page 66
For example, see the bridge over Bear Creek on the Bear Creek Trail @ 39°39'47.9"N 105°06'10.9"W
Paula Pinkley May 15 2025 at 10:55AM on page 10
Mara May 12 2025 at 8:46PM on page 54
Mara May 12 2025 at 8:45PM on page 54
Mara May 12 2025 at 8:42PM on page 50
Mara May 12 2025 at 8:36PM on page 46
Mara May 12 2025 at 8:32PM on page 43
Nathan Adams May 12 2025 at 7:42AM on page 28
Nathan Adams May 12 2025 at 7:39AM on page 15
Nathan Adams May 12 2025 at 7:37AM on page 8
Nathan Adams May 12 2025 at 7:35AM on page 11
Mara May 11 2025 at 8:01PM on page 42
Mara May 11 2025 at 7:58PM on page 11
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