Back after a week off, council brings forth several items of note this Thursday, March 26. Getting the local technorati all atwitter is Item 38, which, if approved, would award redesign of the city’s website to California firm Cignex Technologies (though at press time, council was expected to delay the vote). Apparently the Left Coasters were one of a whopping three firms to respond to the city’s request. Will the city shop local, even if it’s at a premium? Elsewhere, Randi Shade and Laura Morrison sponsor two items, one allowing for limited “on-premise” signs advertising home businesses in designated core transit corridors (Item 48), which was not allowed under the existing development code. The second (Item 50) is a neighborhood-association-friendly resolution directing the city manager to discontinue considering amendments allowing one-time extensions of development site plans. The council also considers creating a board to oversee tax increment financing (capturing a portion of newly created sales tax to funnel back into the project) for the Seaholm redevelopment (Item 24).
This article appears in March 27 • 2009.