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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-22-2013 c8 nea grant applicationcounci lj',agenba nepon t C I T Y O F S A N L U I S O B I S P O FROM : Derek Johnson, Community Development Department Directo r Prepared By : Kim Murry, Long Range Plannin g SUBJECT :GRANT APPLICATION FOR PREPARING A MASTER PLAN FOR TH E MISSION PLAZA AND CULTURAL CORRIDO R RECOMMENDATIO N Authorize staff to apply for a grant offered by the National Endowment for the Arts and authoriz e the City Manager to execute any agreements related to such grant . DISCUSSION Backgroun d The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is offering funding for grants to support the Our Town initiative in the amount of $10 million nationwide . This makes grants available to local jurisdictions in the range of $25,000 to $200,000 for "place making" activities that pair loca l • government with the local arts and cultural communities . Through input received as part of the Land Use and Circulation Elements update, staff has identified development of a master plan fo r Mission Plaza improvements and surrounding streets (including an update to the Downtow n Concept Plan) as an eligible activity for this grant . The intended outcome will be a master plan to address the long term revitalization of Mission Plaz a as well as establishing connections between art and cultural centers of the Mission, Art Center , Historic Museum and Children's Museum . Consultant assistance will be needed to help develop a n infrastructure phasing plan, conduct the community engagement and visioning process, as well a s coordinate with the City's partners in the business, arts and cultural communities . In addition , Pierre Rademaker and Chuck Crotser, two community members who helped author and illustrat e the Downtown Concept Plan, have agreed to participate in the effort . General Plan Guidance The Land Use Element has a variety of policies that support developing a master plan for the area . Specifically, LUE 4 .19 states ; "The City will consider including features of "A Conceptual Physical Plan for the City's Center," as appropriate, in its Zoning Regulations, architectural review guidelines , engineering standards, and capital improvement program ." The improvements shown in the Downtown Concept Plan provide for extension of the Missio n • Plaza (Monterey Street) between Chorro and Nipomo, and for Broad Street between Palm an d Higuera. Other Land Use Element policies which support the efforts that would be funded with thi s grant include : Meeting Date 1-22-201 3 Item Number C 8 NEA Grant Application Page 2 •LUE policy 4 .7,...Downtown should include some outdoor spaces where people ar e completely separated from vehicle traffic, in addition to Mission Plaza . Opportunitie s include extensions of Mission Plaza, a few new plazas, and selected street closures ." LUE policy 4 .4 — Public Gatherings,"...Downtown should provide a setting which is festiv e and comfortable for public gatherings ." LUE policy 5 .2 .2,"An appropriate area for cultural facilities is the vicinity of Missio n Plaza ." LUE program 5 .6,"The City will attempt to acquire land for cultural facilities or Missio n Plaza extension as sites become available." These policies support the concept of a cultural corridor linking the facilities along Monterey Stree t to the Mission Plaza . How this concept is refined and identification of associated infrastructur e would be addressed through a master plan, development of which is the intended focus of the gran t application . LUCE Update Process and Property Owner inpu t The potential street closures associated with the "dogleg" adjacent to the Mission have bee n identified as an issue in the Land Use and Circulation Elements update and the recent Communit y Forum on the 2013-15 Financial Plan . Community input received during workshops indicates tha t refinement of the Downtown Concept Plan for this area is needed . The current General Pla n policies endorse the ideas contained in the Concept Plan but clearly indicate that further work i s needed to implement the Plan. Issues raised in previous discussions regarding the Downtown Concept Plan include propert y owners' desire to maintain vehicular access (i .e . driveways) to the properties on Monterey Stree t between Broad and Nipomo . Recently concerns about damage to the Mission structure and wal l from existing trees and irrigation systems and concerns about appropriate lighting and public safet y issues in the plaza area ; and the desire to make the Mission Plaza area more visible and accessibl e to visitors and residents . Developing a master plan for the area that addresses updates to th e Mission Plaza itself and considers the ultimate configuration of this cultural hub of the City will b e imperative so that implementation can be more clearly defined and phased . Development of a master plan for Mission Plaza is included in the outlying years of the Capita l Improvement Plan for the City (beyond the five-year CIP). This grant would accelerate the timin g of plan development . Grant awards are expected in the Fall of 2013 . If successful, the City woul d have up to two years to complete grant-funded work . This work could piggy back on the LUC E effort and could use that public forum as a mechanism to meaningfully engage the public . Due to the grant deadline for submittal (January 14 `"), Mayor Marx has signed a letter endorsin g submittal of the grant . If the Council chooses not to pursue the grant, staff will withdraw th e application from NEA consideration . • • NEA Grant Application Page 3 CONCURRENCE S The grant application requires the City to partner with an arts non-profit and Karen Kile (Ar t Museum) has agreed to be the assigned collaborator . In addition to the required partner, othe r organizations have expressed support for the effort : the Downtown Association, ArtsObispo, Ol d Mission Church, County Historic Museum, and Little Theater are all writing letters of support fo r the effort. The Council has also received a letter from the Chamber of Commerce Board requestin g the revitalization of Mission Plaza be prioritized as part of the 2013-2015 Financial Plan . Public Works and Parks and Recreation staff support the grant application . FISCAL IMPAC T The grant requires a one-to-one match for dollars awarded but allows some of this to be offered a s "in-kind" match . The grant guidance documents indicate applications will be ranked by the artisti c excellence and outcomes associated with "strengthening communities through the arts" in additio n to the ability to engage the public in the planning process . In 2012, 317 eligible applications wer e received for this grant while only 80 grants (25%) were recommended . The Community Development Department proposes to allocate $7,500 in the 2012-2013 departmental budget fo r consultant assistance to this effort as well as staff time, grant partners' staff time, meeting venu e • expenses, and noticing and outreach expenses related to the effort . In total, the proposal includes a request for $50,000 in grant funds to be matched by $7,500 in General Funds and $42,500 in "in - kind" services . ALTERNATIVE S The Council may choose to not support a grant application for this effort . If this alternative i s chosen, development of a master plan for Mission Plaza will remain on the CIP for future fundin g and staff will withdraw the grant application from NEA consideration . ATTACHMENT S 1.Grant description 2.Letter from Mayor Mar x 3.Resolution authorizing City Manager to execute grant documents if application i s successful . T:\Council Agenda Reports\2013\2013-01-22\Grant Application - NEA\NEA-Grant-CAR .docx • • Attachment 1 Our Town Grant Program Descriptio n Art works to improve the lives of America's citizens in many ways . Communities across our nation are leveraging the arts and engaging design to make thei r communities more livable with enhanced quality of life, increased creative activity,a distinct sense of place, and vibrant local economies that together capitalize on thei r existing assets . The NEA defines these efforts as the process of Creative Placemaking : "In creative placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit, an d community sectors strategically shape the physical and social characte r of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city, or region around arts and cultura l activities . Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces , rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local busines s viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together t o celebrate, inspire, and be inspired ." Ann Markusen, Markusen Economic Research Service s Anne Gadwa Nicodemus, Metris Arts Consultin g From Creative Placemaking Through Our Town,subject to the availability of funding, the National Endowment fo r the Arts will provide a limited number of grants, ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 , for creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communitie s and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts a t their core .Our Town will invest in creative and innovative projects in whic h communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to : •Improve their quality of life . •Encourage greater creative activity . •Foster stronger community identity and a sense of place . •Revitalize economic development . Through Our Town projects, the NEA intends to achieve the following outcome : Livability: American communities are strengthened through the arts .See "Intended NEA Outcome" for more details . Partnerships A key to the success of creative placemaking is involving the arts in partnership wit h committed governmental and private sector leadership . All Our Town application s must reflect a partnership that will provide leadership for the project . Thes e partnerships must involve two primary partners : a nonprofit organization and a loca l government entity . One of the two primary partners must be a cultural (arts o r design) organization . Additional partners are encouraged and may include an appropriate variety of entitie s such as state level government agencies, foundations, arts organizations and artists , nonprofit organizations, design professionals and design centers, educationa l institutions, real estate developers, business leaders, and community organizations , as well as public and governmental entities . You may find it helpful to contact your local arts agency as you begin the proces s within your community . RELATED MATERIALS Or Director's Welcome (video ) •Our Town Communitie s 0 .Our Town Webinars p,. NEA ARTS Magazine o n Creative Placemakin g 0- Creative Placemaking (pdf) O 2011 & 2012 grants (by state ) •2011 & 2012 grants (by type ) :?- Sample Application Narratives • • C8-4 Projects The Arts Endowment plans to support a variety of diverse projects across the countr y in urban and rural communities of all sizes . Please review the list of grants on ou r website to see the types of projects that have been funded recently through Ou r Town and the related Mayors' Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative . Our Town projects should represent the distinct character and quality of thei r communities and must reflect the following principles : •A systemic approach to civic development and a persuasive vision fo r enhanced community livability .•Clearly defined civic development goals and objectives that recognize an d enhance the role that the arts and design play at the center of community life .• An action plan aligned with the project vision and civic development goals . •A funding plan that is appropriate, feasible, indicates strong and wid e community support, and includes a well-conceived strategy for maintaining th e work of the project . •Artistic excellence of the design and/or arts organizations, designers, or artist s involved with the project . Projects may include arts engagement, cultural planning, and design activities such as : Arts Engagemen t Arts engagement projects support artistically excellent artistic production or practic e as the focus of creative placemaking work . •Innovative programming that fosters interaction among community members ,arts organizations, and artists, or activates existing cultural and communit y assets . •Festivals and performances in spaces not normally used for such purposes . •Public art that improves public spaces and strategically reflects or shapes th e physical and social character of a community . Cultural Plannin g Cultural planning projects support the development of artistically excellent loca l support systems necessary for creative placemaking to succeed . •Creative asset mapping . •Cultural district planning . •The development of master plans or community-wide strategies for public art . •Support for creative entrepreneurship .•Creative industry cluster/hub development . Desig n Design projects that demonstrate artistic excellence while supporting th edevelopment of environments where creative placemaking takes place, or where th e identity of place is created or reinforced . •Design of rehearsal, studio, or live/work spaces for artists .•Design of cultural spaces - new or adaptive reuse . •Design of public spaces, e .g ., parks, plazas, landscapes, neighborhoods , districts, infrastructure, bridges, and artist-produced elements of streetscapes , •Community engagement activities including design charrettes, desig n competitions, and community design workshops . We understand that creative placemaking projects are often multi-year, large-scal e initiatives . Please specify in your application which phase or phases of your projec t •are included in your request for NEA funding . All phases of a project -- except fo r construction, purchase, or renovation of facilities as noted below -- are eligible fo r support . All costs included in your Project Budget must be expended within you r period of support. • • If relevant to your project, you will be required to provide information in accordanc e with the National Environmental Policy Act and/or the National Historic Preservatio n Act . Funding under Our Town is not available for : •Projects that do not involve the required partnership that will provid e leadership for the project . Partnerships must involve at least two primar y partners : a nonprofit organization and a local government entity . One of th e two primary partners must be a cultural (arts or design) organization . •Activities that are not tied directly to long-term civic development goals . •Projects where the arts, design, or cultural activity are not core to the project's plan . •Capacity building initiatives for artists that are not integral to a broader civi c development strategy . •Construction, purchase, or renovation of facilities . (Design fees, community planning, and installation of public art are eligible ; however, no Art s Endowment or matching funds may be directed to the costs of physica l construction or renovation or toward the purchase costs of facilities or land .) •Costs (and their match) to bring a project into compliance with federal gran t requirements . This includes environmental or historical assessments o r reviews . •Subgranting or regranting, except for local arts agencies that are designated to operate on behalf of their local governments or are operating units of city o r county government . (See more information on subgranting .) Subgrantin g activity by designated local arts agencies must be directly relevant to the Ou r Town project activities . •Financial awards to winners of competitions . •Fund raising or financing activities . Note : The Grants for Arts Projects guidelines provide additional information on what we do not fund . Intended Outcom e Through Our Town projects, the Arts Endowment intends to achieve the followin g outcome from our strategic plan :Livability:American communities are strengthene d through the arts . The anticipated long-term results for Livability projects are measurable communit y benefits, such as growth in overall levels of social and civic engagement ; arts- o r design-focused changes in policies, laws, and/or regulations ; job and/or revenu e growth for the community ; or changes in in-and-out migration patterns . You will be asked to address the anticipated results in your application .If you receive a grant , you will be asked to provide evidence of those results at the end of your project . Given the nature of Livability projects, benefits are likely to emerge over time an d may not be fully measureable during the period of a grant . You will need to provid e evidence of progress toward achieving improved livability as appropriate to th e project. Before applying, please review the reporting requirements for Livability . W e recognize that some projects involve risk, and we want to hear about both you r successes and failures . Failures can provide valuable learning experiences, an d reporting them will have no effect on your ability to receive NEA funds in the future . Beyond the reporting requirements for all grantees, selected Our Town grantees ma y be asked to assist in the collection of additional information that can help the NE A determine the degree to which agency objectives were achieved . For example,Our Town grantees may be asked to participate in surveys or interviews, and/or may b e asked to assist in publicizing and promoting these data collection efforts . You may b e contacted to provide evidence of project accomplishments including, but not limite d to, work samples, community action plans, cultural asset studies, programs, reviews , relevant news clippings, and playbills . Please remember that you are required t o maintain project documentation for three years following submission of your fina l report. • • • C8-6 •We may publish grantees' reports and products on our website . Please note that al l federal grantmaking agencies retain a royalty-free right to use all or a portion o f grantees' reports and products for federal purposes . Deadline Dat e You are required to submit your application electronically through Grants .gov, th e federal government's online application system . The Grants .gov system must receiv e your validated and accepted application no later than 11 :59 p .m ., Eastern Time, o n January 14, 2013 . We strongly recommend that you submit at least 10 days i n advance of the deadline to give yourself ample time to resolve any problems that yo u might encounter . We will not accept late applications . The Grants.gov Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week . Privacy Policy Important Notices Contact Us USA .gov National Endowment for the Arts . an independent federal agenc y 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue N W Washington, DC 2050 6 • • Attachment 2 January 10, 201 3 National Endowment for the Art s 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 2050 6 SUBJECT : FY 2013 Our Town Gran t Dear Grant Administrator : My name is Jan Marx, Mayor of the City of San Luis Obispo, California . In this city, the Mayor is th e highest ranking government official . Attached you will find an application for an "Our Town" grant from your organization to prepare a master plan for a key location in our City – the historic Mission de Tolos a and associated cultural corridor . This corridor connects the vital central gathering place of the Mission t o the other cultural and arts facilities in our City . The City of San Luis Obispo has a history of citizen engagement and dedication to the arts . Our city • standards require provision of public art as part of both public and private development, and the heart o f our Downtown – the Mission – has long been a community "place" serving as a venue for music, ar t festivals, and cultural events . The Mission Plaza has served the community for nearly 50 years ; it is i n sore need of a future plan to guide how this vital public space will remain relevant and connected to th e larger arts community and facilities in the coming years . Many years ago, a preliminary concept wa s forwarded that envisioned this area transitioning to a car-free zone from the Mission Plaza to th e Children's Museum – connecting the Museum of Art and History Center along the way . That vision was never formalized in a plan . In order to accomplish this vision, a detailed master plan with phasing need s to be developed so that the City and its partners can begin to work towards implementation . Please look favorably upon this grant application . It is the sole project being submitted by the community for consideration. It also has the support of our partners in the community – the San Luis Obispo Museu m of Art, the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council, the History Center of San Luis Obispo County, and the San Luis Obispo Children's Museum as well as the Mission de Tolosa, the Downtown Association an d San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce . We look forward to seeing this plan come to life through grant - funded activities such as community visioning and development of a graphic plan that illustrates an d gives life to the idea of a cultural and arts corridor . Thank you for your consideration , Jan Marx Mayor, City of San Luis Obispo • ATTACHMENT 3 • RESOLUTION NO . (2013 Series) A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISP O APPROVING THE PREPARATION AND APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS FO R PREPARATION OF A MASTER PLAN FOR THE MISSION PLAZA AND CULTURA L CORRIDOR INCLUDING IMPLEMENTATION PHASING UNDER THE NATIONA L ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS "OUR TOWN" INITIATIV E WHEREAS, the National Endowment for the Arts is offering funds for Creative Place - making efforts as part of the "Our Town" initiative; and WHEREAS, developing a Master Plan including implementation phasing for th e Mission Plaza and cultural corridor linking the Children's Museum, Museum of Art, Histor y Center, and Mission de Tolosa provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with the Arts an d Cultural communities as well as Downtown businesses and community members ; and WHEREAS, Council procedures require authorization of grant applications to ensur e efforts being funded address appropriate priorities ; and WHEREAS, developing a Master Plan including implementation phasing for th e Mission Plaza and cultural corridor implements the Downtown Concept Plan . • NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of San Lui s Obispo : 1.Approves the preparation and filing of a grant application for development of a Master Plan and implementation phasing for the Mission Plaza and cultural corridor area of th e Downtown ; 2.Certifies that the applicant understands the assurances and certification in the application ; an d 3.Certifies that the applicant or title holder will have sufficient funds to develop th e proposal or will secure the resources to do so ; and 4.Certifies that the proposal will comply with any applicable laws and regulations ; and 5.Appoints the City Manager, or designee, as agent to conduct all negotiations, execute an d submit all documents including, but not limited to applications, agreements, paymen t requests and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of the aforementione d project(s). Upon motion of , seconded by and on the following vote : AYES : NOES : • ABSENT : The foregoing resolution was adopted this day of 2013 . R C8-9 Resolution No . (2013 Series ) Page 2 • Mayor Jan Marx ATTEST : Maeve Kennedy Grimes City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM : J . Christine Dietric k Christine Dietric k City Attorney • • C8-10