HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem IXPLAN COMMISSION STAFF REPORT OCTOBER 17, 2017
ITEM IX: APPROVAL OF THE IMAGINE OSHKOSH PLAN-A MASTER PLAN FOR OUR
CENTER CITY/CENTRAL CITY INVESTMENT STRATEGY
ACTION REQUESTED/BACKGROUND
Staff requests approval of the Imagine Oshkosh/Central City Investment Strategy (CCIS) plan which
focuses on the broader area surrounding the “downtown” to also include the S. Main and Oregon
Street corridors and South Shore areas. Imagine Oshkosh provides a policy guide and action
framework to elevate Center City and provides recommendations, strategies, and policies to maintain
and improve this critical area of the community. One of the major themes of the Plan is how to
promote or catalyze investment within the Center City. The Plan was prepared by Houseal Lavigne
Associates in cooperation with City Staff and an advisory committee as identified in the
acknowledgments page after the title page.
Staff is requesting the Plan Commission to review the Plan and make a determination that is
consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and further that the Comprehensive Plan be amended
to include Imagine Oshkosh by reference.
ANALYSIS
The Plan contains 10 chapters with the bulk of recommendations coming under the following major
chapters:
Land Use and Development Economic Development and Commercial Areas
Housing and Residential Areas Transportation and Mobility
Civic and Institutional Resources Arts and Cultural Resources
Urban Design and Public Spaces
The Plan’s area has been divided into 9 distinct Functional Subareas (see page 19 of the Plan) as well
as adding “supporting neighborhoods” as a classification. Each functional area includes a description
of desired conditions that the City should work towards and are broken into the following major
categories:
Desired Land Use
Design/Development Guidelines
Relation to Surrounding Districts
The Plan includes various recommendations for each of the chapters and ends with an
Implementation Chapter. That chapter contains a Matrix with implementation items by Chapter that
includes priority level, public cost estimate, ease of implementation, lead responsibility, and potential
partnerships. The Plan contains 148 implementation items from which the consultant is also
developing a Top 5 or 10 Implementation list.
Approval of the Plan constitutes the culmination of a long planning process that will continue to
elevate the Center City and promote continued investment in this special area of the community.
ITEM IX –Imagine Oshkosh 2
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Plan Commission recommend adoption of the Imagine Oshkosh Plan and
incorporate by reference as part of the Comprehensive Plan.