May 9, 2024
AGENDA
• Presentation
• What we Heard (Community Workshop #2)
• Project Website Orientation
• Small Group Activity #1 | Growth Options
• Large Group Activity #2 | Conceptual Growth Strategy
• Adjourn
What We Heard
(Community Workshop #2)
Guiding Statement
Johnson City fosters responsible and robust growth by enhancing quality of life and providing an environment for citizens to prosper. The character of our city is comprised of its location in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, a historic downtown, and welcoming community; this Growth Management Plan will build upon these assets, our unique culture, and the institutions that attract people to our thriving city.
Guiding Statement Reveal
Preserve history + culture while growing to share with others. Protect the generational farms that drive and feed our community. Build more generational sustainability by doing this.
I'm happy to see the focus on downtown, outdoor recreation, and responsible growth. I would like to see a focus on equity in housing, transportation, and other future development.
Prioritize the existing citizens + businesses while making room for others to join our great city.
Planning Themes
QUALITY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
• Attract growth that is manageable and desirable
• Strategically distribute development
• Contribute to the community’s quality of life
STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS.
• Maintain cohesive, livable, and people-oriented neighborhoods
• Encourage housing options in a variety of locations, types, and price points, including future affordability
• Bolster Johnson City’s sense of community
• Support neighborhoods in their efforts to enhance aesthetics and housing quality
PROSPEROUS ECONOMY.
• Maintain a vibrant local economy
• Supporting diversity across job sectors
• Encouraging revitalization of commercial centers
VIBRANT DOWNTOWN.
• Retain and enhance the unique character of Downtown
• Support Downtown’s viability as an economic anchor
• Market Downtown as an unmatched amenity
Planning Themes
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT.
• Support overall community health
• Preserve the natural environment
• Connect the city to the natural beauty and outdoor amenities of the region
SUPPORTIVE SERVIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
• Provide high-quality public services that are fiscally responsible and secure
• Protect the safety and security of all citizens
• Match the pace and distribution of growth to the ability to serve
COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
• Enhance the existing transportation system for all users
• Support transportation innovations
• Focus on safety and efficiency
• Connect Johnson City to the greater region
FIRST CLASS EDUCATION SYSTEM.
• Ensure a first-class education system for students of all ages
• Distribute education services evenly based on growth and development
• Create an attractive environment for students during and post higher education
• Support ETSU as a cornerstone of the community
Planning Theme Priorities
For this activity, participants ranked eight planning principles from highest priority to next highest priority on a worksheet.
Overall… STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS ranked highest.
COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ranked the lowest.
Results
The scale below shows the average priority ranking of each of the planning principles. On the left, the percentage of times a priority was ranked first by a group is shown, and the percentage of times the priority ranked is the top five.
QUALITY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROSPEROUS ECONOMY
VIBRANT DOWNTOWN
STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS
COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AND UTILITIES
FIRST-CLASS EDUCATION SYSTEM
Results
The scale below shows the average priority ranking of each of the planning principles. On the left, the percentage of times a priority was ranked first by a group is shown, and the percentage of times the priority ranked is the top five.
QUALITY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROSPEROUS ECONOMY
VIBRANT DOWNTOWN
STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS
COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AND UTILITIES
FIRST-CLASS EDUCATION SYSTEM
Representative Street Segments
Attendees viewed existing conditions boards for eight representative street segments. On worksheets, they selected their top three concerns for each segment, out of safety, congestion, appearance, walk, bike, and transit.
Representative Street Segments
Defining Activity Centers
Attendees reviewed descriptions on a board of three different activity centers. After reviewing, participants indicated how much of each activity center scale they would like to see in and indicated on a map where in the study area that scale is preferred.
Regional Activity Center
• Mix of land uses
• Wide attraction of visitors, beyond Johnson City
• Highest densities in the core, reducing towards edges
• Seek high visibility and easy access
Employment Center
• Focus on job creation
• Mix of non-residential uses; housing is limited
• Public spaces are important as an amenity
• Accessibility and infrastructure critical
Neighborhood Activity Center
• Serve nearby residential areas
• Smaller-scale retail, dining and entertainment options
• Can be urban, suburban or rural
• Form can be a single building or a node of usese
Regional Activity Center
A little A lot
Employment Center
Neighborhood Center
Employment Center
Neighborhood Activity Center
Website Orientation
Small Group Activity │ Growth Options
Growth Options
Focus growth on the CORE of Johnson City.
Focus growth on Johnson City’s CORRIDORS.
Focus growth on Johnson City’s ACTIVITY CENTERS.
Focus on the CORE
Directs growth to areas of Johnson City that are already urbanized, most notably the downtown and immediate surrounding areas.
WHAT I LIKE WHAT I’D CHANGE
Historic foundation buildings & streets
Walkability, small businesses, green space, lighting
Availability of housing near destinations
Not enough reliable transit
Fast-track process for infill development
Greater shopping and entertainment options
Focus on CORRIDORS
Directs growth along Johnson City’s major roadway corridors that can move people and goods, today and in the future.
WHAT I LIKE WHAT I’D CHANGE
Preservation of agricultural land
Rezone areas around corridors to allow denser development
Develops corridors for more affordable housing options Corridors connect distinct places
Fast-track process for infill development
More sidewalks, bike paths/lanes & lighting
Focus on ACTIVITY CENTERS
Directs growth throughout Johnson City, with new development focused on multiple activity centers that offer a variety of scales and land uses.
WHAT I LIKE WHAT I’D CHANGE
Allows growth in areas where clusters already exist
Encourages neighborhoodlevel vitalization
Balance with attention to downtown
Small town feel in a big city
Keep population dense and small centers walkable
More pedestrian paths and greenways
Reflections
• Which Growth Option is your group reflecting on?
• For that Option, what was the biggest benefit? Biggest challenge?
• How would that Growth Option apply in Johnson City? Which locations are key to successful implementation?
Large Group Activity │ Conceptual Growth Strategy
Path to the Future Land Use Map
Guiding Statement and Planning Themes
Community Characteristics Report + Engagement Reflects existing and projected conditions as well as community input
Conceptual Growth Strategy
Opportunity Areas
Future Land Use Map
Provides a spatial representation of the Guiding Statement and Planning Themes Not as detailed as the parcel-specific Future Land Use Map
Informs the Future Land Use Map and the City’s approach to land use and development in the years to come
Chip Game Results
Groups tended to place dots in similar areas throughout the Study Area.
Conceptual Growth Strategy
• Preserve and Protect (10 minutes)
• What areas are so special they should remain unchanged?
• Enhance and Promote (10 minutes)
• What areas are on the right track but could accommodate additional growth, density or intensity?
• Reimagine and Change (10 minutes)
• Which part of Johnson City could have a different community role in the future than they do today?
• Open Topics (10 minutes)
Adjourn
