Goal 5: Inventory Update

Martin Schott indicated that his work on wetland identification was in the preliminary stage.  Spectral images and aerial photos were taken with some verification simply by driving to the location, such as the Cimmaron Terrace site, the end of Main Street, and near the Umatilla River.  He stated that many of the wetland sites identified in the images were irrigation driven and that once irrigation resumes, it would prove the sites to be non-wetland.  He added that per federal law, irrigation canals are required to be included on the maps.  Additionally, artificially created wetlands over one acre are jurisdictional per state mandate.

The City may consider a 25-foot buffer around significant wetland areas.   This is similar to the existing easements along irrigation ditches and canals.

Commissioner Sheffield wanted to know if the classification of our wetlands was adequate.  Grant Young explained that Goal 5 was split into two phases with the first phase being the use of photos and documents, identification of potential sites, the development of a sample program, and presentation to the public.  The second phase includes on-ground confirmation, determination of the significance of each wetland for preservation, and finally, presentation to the State for review.

Goal 9: Economic Opportunities Analysis

Jerry Johnson stated that both the buildable land inventory and the reconciliation have been completed.

Hermiston’s economic development is focused on three major areas:

• Agriculture/Food Manufacturing
• Retail Services
• Warehouse/Distribution

With agriculture and food manufacturing being key industries in Umatilla County, Hermiston needs to capitalize on the agritourism industry which would supplement farmers’ income during non-production periods, increase diversity in the local economy, and draw visitors year round thereby positively impacting the leisure and hospitality services industry.  Target industries like wineries and permanent farmer markets are two agritourism ideas offering alternative growth scenarios.

Hermiston’s retail service area is a very broad geographic region that includes the Tri-Cities and encompasses 320,000 residents.  Local retail sales exceed retail spending in areas such as motor vehicles, building materials, and general merchandising.  However, Hermiston runs a deficit in spending on furniture, sporting goods, electronics, and clothing.  Opportunity exists to continue serving a broader region by providing adequate land for commercial business.

The second largest sector of the Hermiston economy is warehousing and distribution, which accounted for 20% of jobs in Hermiston.  Having multimodal transportation access will allow for continued growth in this industry.

Overall, it is projected that in 20 years, Hermiston will have more than adequate commercial land.  The availability of land for industrial sites is just adequate and runs a deficit of nearly 15 acres in high growth scenarios for medium sized sites.
 

         
Total commercial acreage, depending on realized growth, is a net-surplus of 407.8 to 447.8 acres while industrial acreage runs a 363 to 239.7 acre surplus with the majority being large-site types.

Goal 10: Housing Analysis

The analysis outlines a 20-year forecast of housing need and residential land need within the City of Hermiston and UGB.  Estimates of the current housing needs based on the demographics of local households matched rather closely with the current inventory of housing in the area.  The numbers show a 10% surplus in ownership and a 1% surplus in rental units.

The current housing stock offers ample lower end units and insufficient median and higher priced units.  Demographic trends indicate younger and less affluent people are moving to the Hermiston area.  This could reduce future need for high-end ownership units and rentals.

The UGB currently has vacant buildable residential land with the capacity for 11,900 new homes.  Since this exceeds projected household growth, the City does not need to add residential acreage for the foreseeable future.

Next Steps

1. Policy assessment – do comprehensive plan policies support growth?
2. Economic and housing elements
3. Determine need for additional residential land, over time

Downtown Revitalization Plan

During the July 2008 design workshop, a six-block concept plan was developed that included E. Gladys Avenue, E. Main Street, and E. Hurlburt Avenue between NE 2nd Street and NE 4th Street.  In addition, auditing of the C-1 zone began.  Marty Stiven presented the following information.

A list of strengths was developed, including the following:

• Historic buildings
• Holiday lighting
• Municipal parking lots
• Alleys serving Main Street businesses

Weaknesses were presented as well:

• No public open space to gather
• Lack of consistency in architect and dated façades
• No public art
• High rent for storefronts

Bob Foster shared some of his conceptual drawings of the Cozy, Hale’s, Hermiston Drug, and Rosie’s.

Creation of a festival area along NE 2nd Street between Gladys and Main Street was a part of the overall design.  The details included artistic bollards separating pedestrian pathway from on-street parking spaces, narrow entrance with an archway, and distinctive paving patterns.

During the code audit for the C-1 zone, it was determined revisions were needed to achieve the suggested downtown upgrades.

• Removing new commercial off-street parking requirements
• Allowing sandwich board signs in downtown
• Review regulations regarding awnings
• Adopting design guidelines for the overlay district
• Review sign code
• Allowing 2nd story dwellings above retail
• Changing height maximum
• Removing setback requirements

Low interest loans, economic grants, and private investment were suggested ways to pay for downtown improvements; however, storeowners will need to buy-in to the downtown improvements.  In residential areas, home improvements of 30% or more trigger civil upgrades whereas no triggers exist in commercial areas.  It was suggested that a change in use could be one trigger requiring exterior improvements to a storefront.  Others thought that low interest loans or incentives would have a more positive impact.

Chairman Saylor stated that the group should create an image – what are we and how can our downtown reflect this image?