Advisory committee presented with alternative visions of Marysville's future

Jul. 1—In their continued effort to craft a 2050 general plan and specific plan for Marysville, consultants working for the city presented alternative plans Wednesday that could help shape the direction and ultimately look of the miniature metropolis.

Matthew Gerken, a consultant with AECOM who was hired by the city to help develop the plans, presented three alternative concepts that will help guide the drafting of the city's new general plan. The alternative plans were presented during the third meeting of the Marysville General Plan Advisory Committee — a select group of Marysville business owners, former officials, and longtime residents.

The alternatives focused on themes such as where and how the city should grow.

Because Marysville is more or less limited in its growth options due to its geographic location and surrounding levees, the city's population has remained relatively stagnant for much of its existence. If the city hopes to grow in population and opportunities, then the establishment of general and specific plans have been considered necessary to keep up with progress in and around the region.

The three alternative plans the committee reviewed on Wednesday shared several key traits. They included: — 500 to 1,500 housing units added between now and 2050 (10% to 30% growth) — 800 to 1,200 new local jobs added between now and 2050 (10% to 15% growth) — Focus on: Increase housing, support infill, reduce vehicle miles traveled, implement Bounce Back, and inclusive engagement

While the alternatives presented did share these traits, their differences were stark in how to achieve the goals the city is looking to ultimately achieve.

Alternative one puts a focus on the downtown area with accelerated infill development. Alternative two seeks a reinvestment throughout West Marysville. Alternative three looks at moderate infill with the development of downtown and the possibility of using annexation as a tool for growth.

During his presentation, Gerken outlined what each alternative sought to accomplish.

"Under this alternative, policies are drawn to facilitate and expedite investment and development downtown and in portions of the Medical Arts District near downtown, involving higher-density, mixed-use development with housing and non-residential uses, including restaurant, retail, entertainment, lodging, and related uses," Gerken said in his presentation to the committee about alternative one. "Under this alternative, the city would intend to take advantage of catalytic effects of development in a focused area where the development of properties helps to encourage the development of other surrounding vacant and underutilized properties. The general plan update would include policies for downtown and the eastern Medical Arts District that would create incentives for property owners, developers, and builders for compact, mixed-use development and would create disincentives for keeping prominent, developable properties vacant or underutilized for extended periods of time."

Alternative two is a plan that involves the entire West Marysville area.

"This alternative would involve investment and development, with housing, trails, park improvements, infrastructure improvements, and employment throughout the entire West Marysville area, including downtown, the entire Medical Arts District, and the Ellis Lake District, including redevelopment of the Washington Square Park for higher-density, mixed-use development," the presentation said. "This alternative envisions compact, mixed-use development throughout West Marysville, with the understanding that there are opportunities for reinvestment outside the downtown core that could benefit the community. As with alternative one, the city would encourage compact housing in infill settings and complementary non-residential development. With the broader geographic focus for infill development, there may not be the same degree of development focused in the downtown area that would support new restaurant, retail, and entertainment uses as rapidly as under alternative one."

The third alternative presented an even broader option for growth that included the ambitious idea of annexation of the communities that surround Marysville. It involves less dense infill development and because it would reduce the amount of focused housing development in the downtown area, there would be reduced support for new restaurant, retail, and entertainment uses.

"Under this alternative, the city would contemplate annexation to the south, involving the northern parts of Linda and West Linda to approximately Erle Road, where there would also be some infill, mixed-use development," the presentation said. "This alternative involves negotiation of a retail sales tax sharing agreement with Yuba County to allow Marysville access to a portion of retail sales tax from large-scale retailers in the Linda area."

The following is a look at each alternative and the key factors associated with them:

Alternative one — Facilitate and expedite development downtown with an eastern Medical Arts District — Higher-density, mixed-use housing with restaurant, retail, entertainment, lodging, and related uses — Catalytic effects of development in a focused area — Strong incentives for compact, mixed-use development — Safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian connections to and from downtown, eastern Medical District, to and from Riverfront Park, and to and from East Marysville — Improvements to parks and open space, including Ellis Lake, Riverfront Park, and others downtown — Assertive actions by the city and partners to make improvements to infrastructure — Higher-density, mixed-use development development of a portion of Yuba Park that generates activity and revenue

Alternative two — Investment and development throughout West Marysville, including downtown, Medical Arts District, Ellis Lake District and Washington Square Park for higher-density, mixed-use development — Compact, mixed-use development, including housing, trails, park improvements, infrastructure improvements, and employment — With broader geographic focus, may be less new restaurant, retail, and entertainment uses — Safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian connections throughout West Marysville — Improvements to Ellis Lake, Riverfront Park, and other parks throughout West Marysville — Less assertive policies to encourage infill development compared to alternative one — Infill development overall may happen at a reduced pace compared to Alternative one

Alternative three — Focus for infill development would be downtown and east Medical Arts District near downtown — Somewhat reduced support for new restaurant, retail, and entertainment uses — Somewhat less of a focus on near-term investment intended to directly facilitate compact, mixed-use development, relying more on private development to initiate development activity. — Annexation to the south, involving the northern parts of Linda and West Linda to Erle Road — Safe and convenient bike and pedestrian facilities throughout expanded planning area — Improvements to Ellis Lake, additional facilities and improvements in Riverfront Park and others — Will need to carefully prioritize and phase infrastructure improvements plus rely more on private development and less on strong incentives

To view these alternatives and provide input, a survey is available online for those that would like to participate. To access the survey, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/6MBDF2Z. The deadline to submit answers is July 20.