Economic Development Plan
City of Oregon
Phases One and Two
“Plan Definition”
Economic Planning Process
Walter Wayne Development has been hired by the City of Oregon to manage and complete
phases one and two of an Economic Development Plan (EDP) for several blocks of their
downtown. The objective of the EDP is to provide a tactical plan for the economic revitalization
of the area being considered. The Economic Planning Process includes all project management
tasks required by Walter Wayne to complete both phases of work. Work includes hiring and
managing the engineering team for the S.W.O.T. Analysis and Design Workshop sessions. Hiring
and managing the S.W.O.T. facilitator and creating a method for managing the strategic
planning information. Hiring and managing the Design Workshop facilitators and overseeing the
Design Workshop Process. Hiring and managing the Information Technology personnel,
identifying keynote speakers and creating program for the Kick-off dinner, overseeing the
Property Valuation and Building Analysis Reports, hiring and overseeing the Environmental
Study Report, hiring and managing the Civil Engineer and overseeing work on the Infrastructure
Report, and hiring and overseeing the economic planning consultant for work on the Economic
Base Analysis Report.
Kick-off Dinner and S.W.O.T. Analysis
The Kick-off Dinner’s purpose is to identify, involve and inform community leaders concerning
the Economic Development Planning Process. This event ignites an on-going community
dialogue of the issues and challenges facing the community in terms of downtown
redevelopment. Guest speakers are chosen for the dinner based on their expertise and
knowledge on economic planning and development. The event is designed to attract one
hundred or more community members interested in actively becoming involved in the planning
process.
The S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis is a strategic
planning tool used to better understand the socio-economic culture and priorities of the
community. The S.W.O.T. session allows community leaders the opportunity to give input on
what matters most to them in terms of redevelopment. These community priorities are
documented at the planning session and incorporated into the Design Workshop. The event is
designed to involve approximately one hundred community participants.
Building Analysis and Property Valuation Reports
The Building Analysis Report provides a cursory overview for the structural integrity of the
primary buildings occupying the two block area. There is a concern that older buildings at times
can be too costly to maintain and rehabilitate. This report attempts to examine what the
rehabilitation costs would be to preserve many of the primary historic buildings in the two
block area being considered for redevelopment.
The Property Valuation Report provides the City with an understanding of the properties
potentially considered for rehabilitation or removal for the redevelopment. The report provides
property information such as, property boundaries, setbacks, zoning, valuation and other
pertinent data strategic to the redevelopment.
Environmental Survey
The Environmental Survey is an attempt to understand through the Freedom of Information Act
Records, properties with past or present environmental incidents that may impact the
redevelopment plan. Information regarding the properties within the two block area is
gathered from the IEPA and other government sources, reviewed and categorized as a property
with or without environmental concerns. Environmental impacts can be costly to remediate. A
thorough understanding of the issues surrounding impacted properties is critical to the success
of the Economic Development Plan. Unfortunately, the information reviewed can sometimes be
limited to what is publicly available by the State’s records.
Design Workshop (Charrette)
The Design Workshop is an intense two day “design” event for community leaders to create a
working site plan for the redevelopment. Leaders are instructed to incorporate information
gained from the planning process including engineering reports and data collected from the
community, including results from the S.W.O.T. Analysis. Leaders are divided into design
groups of six to eight participants per table. Each group works independently working to create
a plan that represents priorities established over the entire economic planning process. The
professional design facilitators are given the task to create two working plans from the five
completed after the first day of the workshop and present to the community leaders for
discussion on day two. Final concepts are completed at the end of the second day.
Economic Base Analysis
The Economic Base Analysis is a quantitative report that is defined in two parts. The first part
provides historical financial information concerning the revenue generated from various taxing
authorities. The report identifies trends with respect to property values, retail sales,
property/sales taxes, revenues and other financial factors impacting the financial stability of the
community.
The second part addresses how the proposed future redevelopment could financially (tax
revenues) impact the City and business community overall. Secondly, the report provides a
brief summary of the public financial tools available to the community for support of the
project.
Phase three will provide a detailed financial plan for the redevelopment of the proposed area.
Civil Infrastructure Study
This work examines the current public infrastructure in place and recommends improvements
that would need to be completed if a redevelopment were to take shape. The study includes
reviewing sanitary, storm-water, utility, gas service, access, easements, setbacks, wells, well
houses and other civil systems that could impact a redevelopment.
Municipal Ordinances Review
A review of the City’s ordinances for building requirements and specifications attempts to
ensure the City has addressed the future design criteria for a redevelopment. Many times
communities wish to create a historical business district for their downtown. Ordinances and
design specifications need to be created to preserve the historical integrity of the community.
Communities may desire to create a business district that allows for incentives to the business
owners for rehabilitating their businesses. Phase three of the EDP addresses these financial
concerns.