Planning Commissioners Journal

Mayor: Citizens are Developing a Green Grand Rapids

This January and February we'll periodically be including excerpts from "State of the City" addresses given by mayors from across the U.S. These addresses can offer insights into both innovative programs and challenges facing cities.

Previously posted:

Shoreview, Minnesota, Mayor Sandy Martin

Salt Lake City, Utah, Mayor Ralph Becker

Ashland, Oregon, Mayor John Stromberg

Topeka, Kansas, Mayor Bill Bunten

Albany, New York, Mayor Gerald Jennings

---

Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mayor George K. Hartwell
To read his complete State of the City address (pdf)

A vision must reflect the past, incorporate learning from our failures and build on our successes. 2009 will forever be known as the year of Green Grand Rapids … and the Green Grand Rapids Plan will forever shape the face of our city ... 

Our community drew together over 100 times in public meetings; more than 1800 people participated in the design of the plan. The results are stunning … but are not exactly what we had anticipated. You see, we knew we’d have a great plan when the day was done, and that then we would take its component parts out and sell them to the public. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Teams working on the plan got so enthusiastic about the emerging results that they forged new coalitions and created new organizations, and began to implement the plan before it was even completed. 

Friends of Grand Rapids Parks formed to raise money for improved parks and green spaces in our city. This non-profit foundation has hosted park clean-up events in all four quadrants of the city. 

The Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition formed to implement complete-street design initiatives and seek funding for bike lanes and trails. Under the Coalition’s leadership this year Grand Rapids was designated as a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly City and we have our eyes on the gold! ... and the Grand Rapids Whitewater non-profit organization formed to advance the plans for a Grand River whitewater kayak course. These citizens – every one of whom captured the vision and made it their own – have raised the first money for engineering and hydrological studies.

Also, before the ink was set on the pages of Green Grand Rapids the Planning Department applied for $1.9 million in federal stimulus funds as part of a larger Kent County grant. If approved ... we will be able to implement 100 miles of on-street bicycle improvements, we will make safety and access improvements to 20 neighborhood parks, we will install bike parking at four transit stops, we will engineer four miles of sidewalks along 28th St., and we will assist in funding consulting services for the Downtown Urban Market.

There are many bold and exciting recommendations in Green Grand Rapids. A few of them are: 

• Provide an accessible park within 1/4 mile of all residents 
• Extend the Riverwalk system from Riverside Park to Millennium Park 
• Achieve 40% tree canopy coverage in the city 
• Manage stormwater where it falls 
• Adopt a Complete Streets ordinance Design all streets to be safe, walkable and bikeable, and pleasing to the eye 
• Return the Rapids to the river 
• Develop ordinances to support community gardening, and 
• Support a 4-season downtown farmers' market

As citizen groups coalesce around these audacious goals you will see a new Grand Rapids emerging; a green Grand Rapids; a Grand Rapids that will provide national leadership in the sustainable communities movement.

... Governmental leaders, elected and staff, must maintain the tools, sharpened and polished and easily accessible to assist citizens in doing important initiatives be they neighborhood-based or city-wide. Then those government leaders, elected and staff, must get out of the way and let the citizens do what needs to be done. We can harness the energy, we can provide the structure, we can promote the ideas, but we must let our citizens accomplish the great things they have in mind.

Stop, Look, Loiter

Now available for your review, a draft article prepared by Dave Stauffer for our Spring issue: "Stop, Look, Loiter." Here are excerpts from the start of the article. Use the link at the end of this post to download the full article.

Use of the word "loitering" is usually pejorative. The Mirriam-Webster dictionary says loitering is "to remain in an area for no obvious reason." Wikipedia says it means "to stand idly, to stop numerous times, or to delay and procrastinate."

So the person who loiters isn't industrious, nor accomplishing anything of benefit to him or herself, let alone contributing to the common good. I contend that the pejorative sense of loitering isn't always accurate; that, in fact, loitering done in a certain way -- by planning commissioners, no less -- can benefit the person doing the loitering and the community.

The greatest value in loitering is seeing how people interact with the built environment. For veteran commissioners, it's a great way to stay (literally) grounded. We maintain a direct connection with the people we represent and see whether they’re enjoying or having problems with their surroundings.

For newly appointed commissioners, loitering can be a revelation and a great introduction to their new job. In these early days of service, the newbie's mind is uncluttered with didactic planning -- especially the profession's accumulated case law and best management practices. It's when a commissioner is best able to interpret human-environment interactions in their purest form, as Madonna said, "like a virgin."

Whether veteran or rookie, what might be learned by loitering? ...

To download a review copy of the full draft article, go to: http://drop.io/pcjournal -- available through Feb. 12th.

Preserving Historic Schools

 Very nicely produced video by Colorado Preservation, Inc., on the value of saving historic schools -- and keeping them in use as schools.

As noted by Jenny Buddenborg of the National Trust for Historic Preservation: 

"Historic schools are community assets. That’s the message Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI) is taking to school districts across Colorado. Through their historic schools survey project, CPI combed the Centennial State to inventory schools still owned by school districts, completing reconnaissance-level surveys for those more than 50 years old. Using this information, they commissioned a film, “Our Living Legacy: Colorado’s Historic Schools,” featuring six historic schools that underwent successful rehabilitations. The goal? To demonstrate that older and historic schools can be rehabilitated to meet today’s educational standards, save capital costs, eliminate indirect costs of sprawl, and be a source of community pride. 

A copy of the film has been distributed to every school district in the state, along with publications from the Council of Educational Facility Planners International on how to successfully renovate older and historic school facilities." 

---

We've also published two articles on schools and their relationship to planning & land use: Back to School for Planners,by Tim Torma, and School Sprawl, by Edward McMahon. For excerpts and information on ordering & downloading these two articles. Torma's article is also included in our special issue on schools & planning.

We Must Take Steps to Avoid a Financial Tsunami

This January and February we'll periodically be including excerpts from "State of the City" addresses given by mayors from across the U.S. These addresses can offer insights into both innovative programs and challenges facing cities.

Previously posted:

Shoreview, Minnesota, Mayor Sandy Martin

Salt Lake City, Utah, Mayor Ralph Becker

Ashland, Oregon, Mayor John Stromberg

Topeka, Kansas, Mayor Bill Bunten

---

Albany, New York, Mayor Gerald D. Jennings
To read his complete State of the City address (pdf)

I have taken great pride and satisfaction in reporting that the state of our City is strong, and that our future is bright. But tonight, as our State and Nation continue to struggle through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the effects of that crisis on our City present challenges that will require us to make difficult decisions in the days, weeks, and months ahead -- challenges that will require us to work together to maintain the quality of life that has earned our City national recognition, and the strongest bond rating in the State outside of New York City.

First and foremost will be the challenge to maintain our City’s financial stability. Since 2008, we’ve lost millions in anticipated, even budgeted State aid, with threats of more cuts to come. ... As we move forward, our challenge will be first - to impress upon the Governor and State Legislature that they cannot continue to pass on the State’s financial crisis to local governments through additional cuts in State aid payments. We must additionally convince our State leaders that Albany needs to be justly compensated for the high percentage of State land that is tax-exempt. Accordingly, I will ask our State legislators to reintroduce the Harriman PILOT [payment in lieu of taxes] bill, and I ask you to advocate for its passage, and for its signature into law by the Governor. We cannot and should not be told once again, that - it’s not the right time, Albany. ...

We will also continue to look for additional Federal aid. This year, stimulus funding will enable us to add 10 additional police officers. These additional officers will enable us to put beat cops back into neighborhoods as we renew our commitment to community policing. ...

Our challenge then is clear; to work to preserve -- and even enhance -- vital programs without resorting to cuts in personnel or to implementing higher real property taxes.

Just consider what our Department of Development and Planning, our Housing Authority, and our Community Development Agency have accomplished in terms of neighborhood revitalization projects ... using a variety of State and Federal funding sources to leverage private investment. This year, we’ve included in our capital budget, $1 million dollars in new borrowing for additional neighborhood revitalization initiatives that will enhance our successful Block-by-Block Program.

We need, of course, much more to make the kind of dramatic impact that will eliminate vacant and abandoned buildings from all of our neighborhoods. ...

The combination of decreasing revenues and increasing expenses has created a situation that will require extraordinary action in the coming months to avoid a financial tsunami next year. So tonight I am appointing a new task force that will include the Council President, the President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader, our new City Auditor and new City Treasurer, and our Deputy Mayor and Budget Director, to review the financial challenges I’ve outlined.

I will also begin the process of engaging an outside independent financial management firm that will review and make recommendations with regard to City-wide operations [and] will also shortly be appointing a separate task force of outside financial experts to focus on the fiscal issues attendant to our status as the State Capital and the issue of the inequity in our State aid payments. ...

So tonight, despite all the challenges, I am once again the optimist. Our City is resilient, our people are resourceful, and our opportunities for success unlimited. ...

C is for Comprehensive Plan

Note from Planning Commissioners Journal Editor Wayne Senville:

Over the next several months we'll be posting weekly installments of Laurence Gerckens' Planning ABC's, previously published in the PCJ. We're adding links at the end of each post to related articles we've published. If you don't want to wait for each installment, you can order & download the complete publication, from Automobiles to Zoning.

---

 A community's comprehensive plan is not just a file cabinet full of plans for future streets; parks and recreation; housing; fire protection; environmental protection; historic preservation; land use zoning; sewers; ground drainage and flood protection; water supply and distribution; downtown rehabilitation and parking; school location; and community character.

More importantly, the comprehensive plan is an integrated statement of the aspirations of the community ("this is what we will ourselves to be") illustrating how the various function-specific plans in the community file cabinet are tied together to achieve a broad array of community objectives.

The comprehensive plan (also often referred to as the "master plan" or "general plan") is a practical vision of the future capable of shifts in detail and arrangement over time as available resources and public preferences change. Note the juxtaposition of the words practical and vision in the preceding sentence. The comprehensive plan is practical in that it lays out a series of objectives that the community realistically intends to accomplish over the coming years. The plan also reflects vision in that it encapsulates the community's goals and aspirations for its future.

While comprehensive plans typically include a "land use" component, this is not zoning. The land use element of the comprehensive plan is a more generalized statement of the objectives of future actions -- to be implemented, in turn, by detailed and immediately effective zoning, subdivision regulation, and other land use ordinances.

Both the comprehensive plan and the capital budget (see B is for Budget) were introduced in Cincinnati in the mid-1920s as part of a successful political reform movement. Acceptance of the comprehensive plan idea, however, spread slowly. It received its first major boost in the federal Housing Act of 1949, which conditioned receipt of federal central area redevelopment funds on compliance with a community plan. The widespread development of local comprehensive plans was further stimulated by the federal Housing Act of 1954's provision of matching funds (through Section 701 of the Act) to communities for developing such plans.

Unfortunately, by 1970s, very few of these "701" plans were being kept up-to-date. Instead of allocating funds to maintain dynamic and useful comprehensive plans, many cities and towns fell back on "winging it" with uncoordinated function-specific plans, redevelopment plans, and neighborhood area plans that rarely met more than short-term local functional needs and those of special interests.

The pendulum began to swing back in the other direction in the late 1980s and '90s as a growing number of states began to require that all units of government prepare comprehensive plans. Some states specified the minimum content for these local plan; made adoption of a comprehensive plan prerequisite to the enforcement of local zoning power; and/or required substantial compliance of zoning ordinances with comprehensive plan objectives. Several states also required that local plans be consistent with adopted state planning and development objectives.

By the start of the new century, there was renewed interest in the use of comprehensive plans, as many planners -- both professional and citizen -- rediscovered the benefits of an integrated, comprehensive approach to fulfilling community aspirations and functional objectives.

---

For more on preparing comprehensive plans, see a 4-part series of articles from the Planning Commissioners Journal by Jim Segedy & Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy (articles can be individually ordered & downloaded).

---

See also Joel Russell's recent article: Building Your Planning Process from the Ground Up (available to order & download).

---

Text by Laurence C. Gerckens, FAICP. Illustration by Paul Hoffman.
Text & illustration copyright Champlain Planning Press, Inc. | contact: pcjoffice@gmail.com

Preparing a Local Comprehensive Plan

What's the recipe for successful implementation of your community's plan? That's the focus of this installment of the Segedys' series on preparing the comprehensive plan. How Do We Get There? by Jim Segedy and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy From the Spring 2009 issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal. Available to order & immediately download. Use icon button at end of excerpt below. Note that there are three other articles in this series, each can be individually ordered & downloaded. Use the links at the end of the posting for more on these articles.

Read excerpt from article: This concluding article in the series will answer the final question we originally posed: "How do we get there?" In other words, what's the recipe for successful plan implementation. We'll draw on our experience to try to provide you some key ingredients. 1. Prioritize! How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Establish priorities for your plan's goals. Consider using a 1-5 scale for importance, visibility, "do-ability," budget availability, and other criteria. This will cut down on the inertia that can result from the task of plan implementation appearing to be so large that no one knows where to start. We like putting a space for this prioritization right in the plan itself. We have found that a good role for the planning commission is to facilitate the setting of priorities with input from municipal departments and the public. You can do this through questionnaires or preference surveys, followed by a workshop that allows face-to-face interaction. This process allows for open discussion of priorities and any obstacles to an item's implementation. Not only will you gain the perspectives of all parties affected by the plan, but you will also build public support and a sense of ownership of the plan that will carry through to elected officials as they set the budget and allocate resources. 2. Have a specific action plan. ... For each goal, your action plan should specify the steps that will be taken, in what order, by whom, and with what resources. Make the steps small and measurable. You can present these steps in either a list or a table, but make sure to link each item in the action plan to the specific plan goal it is meant to address. We like to include check boxes for each step, so that when they're complete, they can be marked off. ... ... article continues with: 3. Provide for local "adoption" of projects; 4. Find those early success projects and use them to build momentum; 5. Celebrate success; and 6. Have an annual review of the status of your plan's implementation. The full article can be ordered & downloaded. Click this icon for details. Other articles in this series by the Segedys: Community Self-Assessment: A Way of Looking at the Whole Picture PCJ #73, Winter 2009 Where Do We Want to Go? PCJ #72, Fall 2008 This Plan's for You PCJ #71, Summer 2008

Drafting Clear Ordinances: the Dos and Don'ts

Now available for your review, a draft article prepared for our Spring issue by Carolyn Braun (Planning Director for the City of Anoka, Minnesota, and past President of the Minnesota Chapter of the APA) with tips on how to draft clear, readable ordinances. As any of you who have been involved in ordinance drafting know, this is an important -- yet seldom covered -- topic. 

For example, what's clearer (and why?):

"A project will be approved only if the applicant meets all requirements." 

OR

"A project will not be approved unless all application requirements are met."

-----------------------------

"The materials submitted for the application must be approved."

OR

"The administrator must approve the submission materials."

-----------------------------

Braun will give you her answers to the above, and more

We invite you to read Braun's draft, and let us know if there are any points not clear (or that you disagree with). Also, we'd welcome hearing your own tips on how to draft clear ordinances. 

To download the draft, simply go to: http://drop.io/pcjournal

Final Results of our January Poll -- Gender is Focus of February Poll

Here are the final totals on our January poll. 

 Check out our just-posted February poll on the gender make-up of local planning commissions (you'll find the poll is in the left-hand sidebar). 

After voting, consider taking a minute to add a comment about whether you think the gender composition of a local planning commission matters. Although this is not a scientific poll, we're still interested about both the poll results and your comments.

Our February Special Offer

The just-published Winter issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal marks Elaine Cogan's concluding column for us after some 19 years. Honored for her more than thirty years of work with communities undertaking strategic planning & visioning processes -- Elaine provides insights into the valuable role planning board members play, and how they can use their skills most effectively. For this month only, we're offering substantial discounts on Elaine's Now that You're on Board: How to Survive ... and Thrive ... as a Planning Commissioner. In this 50 page, attractively designed booklet -- with illustrations by talented cartoonist Marc Hughes -- Elaine encapsulates much of what she has covered for the Planning Commissioners Journal through a series of 25 tips. Feel free to take a look at the contents and some sample pages from Now that You're on Board. -- Our special February pricing is $19.00, plus an additional 25% off for Planning Commissioners Journal subscribers (bringing your price down to just $14.25).  -- What's more, if you decide to stock up on Elaine's publication & order 5 or more copies, we'll reduce the per copy price to $15.00 (or $11.25 for our subscribers).  Again, this special pricing is only available through February 28th. Shipping & handling is a flat $5.00 regardless of the number of copies you order. Not a subscriber? Subscribe now & you can take advantage of the 25% discount. order online now using our shopping cart (credit card or PayPal); use the buttons below. Planning Comm'rs Journal subscribers: activate your additional 25% discount using this link, then return to this page. local governments can request invoice: call us at: 802-864-9083 (between 9 am and 4 pm Eastern time). Order 1 to 4 copies of Now that You're on Board. # of copies: Order 5 or more copies of Now that You're on Board. # of copies:

Some Feedback: "Now that You're on Board is a an easy-to-read guide book full of practical tips for Planning Commissioners and other citizens involved in the public community planning process. The guide provides thoughtful advice on topics ranging from the conduct of meetings, working with staff and elected officials, and public involvement. I purchased copies for all Kirkland's existing Planning Commission members and I plan to use it as part of the orientation for all new members." -- Eric Shields, Director, Kirkland [Washington] Dept. of Planning & Community Development "Your excellent new informational booklet, Now that You're on Board by Elaine Cogan, should be an addition to every Planning and Zoning Commissioner's library as reference material." -- Judith Cutler, Chair, Cedar Falls [Iowa] Planning and Zoning Commission "I encourage all Planning Commissioners, especially new appointees, to obtain and use Now that You're on Board." -- Richard L. Stup, Planning & Zoning Administrator, City of Brunswick, Maryland

Administration Announces High-Speed Rail Projects

It was really quite remarkable. After nearly half a century of ignoring rail's potential, the nation is finally making a major investment in developing high-speed rail corridors. The confluence of: the need for major infrastructure projects to create jobs; the track record of success of high-speed rail in Europe and Asia; the prospect of a continued long-term rise in gas prices; the energy/environmental benefits of rail; and the increased congestion on urban interstates (linked to the enormous cost of expanding highway capacity) helped result in an initial commitment of $8 billion for high-speed rail.

Of course, high-speed rail in America will generally still be considered low- or medium-speed rail in the many countries far in advance of the U.S. in developing their passenger rail networks. Nevertheless, it's an important start. See our May 9, 2009 post for more on how U.S. rail stacks up to high-speed rail in Europe.

Why $1.25 Billion for Florida

Of the projects awarded funds, perhaps the most interesting choice was the $1.25 billion to be invested in Florida. In fact, the very day after his State of the Union Address, President Obama along with Vice President Biden were in Tampa to highlight the significance of this project. As the President told the town hall crowd, "there is no reason why other countries can build high-speed rail lines and we can't. And that's what's about to happen right here in Tampa -- we are going to start ... building for the future, putting people to work." 

A press release issued by the White House described the project: "This investment will initiate the development of the Tampa to Orlando segment, with speeds reaching 168 mph and 16 round trips per day on brand new track dedicated solely to high-speed rail. Trip time between the two cities on the new line will be less than one hour, compared to around 90 minutes by car. This project will create jobs and generate economic activity as 84 miles of track are constructed, stations are built or enhanced, and equipment is purchased. Completion of this phase is anticipated in 2014." This is to be followed by completion of a link from Orland to Miami three years later. 

As Bryan Walsh explains in an interesting report just posted on Time's web site: 

"Demographically, Florida is an ideal state in which to launch the rail projects. Together, the metro areas of Tampa and Orlando are a major economic unit, home to more than 3.4 million people and close enough on the map to make high-speed rail competitive with air and auto travel. The region is also a tourist hub, which makes it likely that a Tampa-Orlando rail line will be well-used by Americans from around the country. That makes it a smart advertisement for other high-speed-rail projects back in their home regions.

Florida's project is also an optimal test case, having already been approved by the state and relatively free of red tape. The line is set to open by 2015, the environmental-impact assessment has already been done, and the state owns more than 90% of the route's right of way."

Moreover, in October it was reported that Disney will provide up to 50 acres of free land for a station serving Disney World and the huge Orange County Convention Center (the nation's second largest convention center, with 2.1 million square feet of exhibition space).

The very ambitious time frame for the Tampa-Orlando work also seems aimed at having a high-speed rail service in operation in the near future. As Walsh noted, this will help visibly demonstrate rail's benefits and keep momentum rolling. Moreover, it's a much shorter time frame than California will need for its much more complex & costly high-speed rail plans, having a target date of 2020. 

As many recognize, the $8 billion going to high-speed rail is really just a down-payment on what will be needed to develop the high-speed rail corridors designated so far. 

click on U.S. map to view larger image -- for list & information about the selected projects

The best initial analysis we've found of the Administration's selection of projects was posted by Yonah Freemark on theTransportPolitic web blog. As he notes:

"After months of speculation about which states will get funding from the Federal Railroad Administration to begin construction on new high-speed corridors, the news is in. As has been expected, California, Florida, and Illinois are the big winners, with more than one billion in spending proposed for each. But other states with less visible projects, including Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Washington will also get huge grants and begin offering relatively fast trains on their respective corridors within five years. The distribution of dollars is well thought-out and reasonable: it provides money to regions across the nation and prioritizes states that have made a commitment of their own to a fast train program. ... Despite the excitement, though, there is plenty of work that still needs to be done -- and huge amounts of money that still needs to be spent -- to get most of these projects up and running. Eight billion dollars of spending won’t be enough for even one true high-speed line."

Also of interest, remarks by John Robert Smith, President of Reconnecting America and former Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi:

"Hearing President Obama call high-speed rail 'the infrastructure of tomorrow' gave me great hope. Very rarely has transportation investment made the final cut in a presidential State of the Union address. The fact that it did make the cut this time really speaks to the president’s commitment to making high-speed rail a reality.

I’ve heard critics say over the years that the U.S. is too big for high-speed rail. China is the biggest country in the world and they built over the Himalayas and are now committing an additional $500 billion over the next 20 years. Saudi Arabia too is investing in high-speed rail in preparation for that certain day when oil reserves will no longer sustain the country. If they can do it, we can do it."

As Smith went on to note: "High-speed rail investment is about jobs, and not just temporary jobs, but long-term American jobs that cannot be outsourced. These jobs will employ Americans to build both rail networks and passenger rail equipment. I have seen first-hand what investment in rail infrastructure and transit-oriented development can do to lift a mid-sized city like Meridian, Mississippi. Now there are people living in downtown, there’s entertainment downtown and a conference center has been built. It all started with a public sector investment done right." 

Fact sheets on all the projects selected for funding are available to download (go to links near the end of the Press Release). Applicants submitted over $55 billion in project proposals for the initial $8 billion in funds awarded on Thursday.

It's a Wonderful City!

 You've got to see this video to believe it. It's a wacky takeoff of "It's a Wonderful Life" that only planners from Beverly Hills could create. Yes, it's a bit longer than most of our Friday video shorts, but it's a video I think you'll find entertaining -- especially if you're a planner or planning commissioner!

You'll meet George Buildley, Harry, Mary, and, of course, Clarence. It starts when George learns he needs to have a planned addition reviewed by the Planning Department. In response, George cries out: "I wish there was no planning department ... I wish the gosh darn Planning Department never existed." And his wish comes true. Then see what George discovers. Written & directed by Richard Gale.

Sales Up for Independent Retailers

Came across some interesting information from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Coincidentally, read this at about the same time we received a draft article for the Spring issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal highlighting the importance of strong local economies. See: Coping With Economic Meltdown, by Gwen Hallsmith, Planning Director for the City of Montpelier, Vermont. (Would welcome your feedback on this draft article)

Read complete Press Release; Download Survey Results

Excerpts: More holiday shoppers deliberately sought out locally owned businesses this year, according to a national survey of more than 1,800 independent businesses. 

The survey found that holiday sales for independent retailers were up an average of 2.2%. That contrasts with the U.S. Department of Commerce figures released today, which show that overall retail sales were down 0.3% in December and up 1.8% in November.

The survey also found that independent retailers in cities with active "Buy Independent / Buy Local" or "Local First" campaigns reported stronger holiday sales than those in cities without such campaigns. These campaigns have been launched in more than 100 cities and towns. Independent retailers in these cities reported an average increase in holiday sales of 3.0%, compared to 1.0% for those in cities without an active Buy Local initiative.

The survey was conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit research organization, in partnership with several business organizations, including the American Booksellers Association, American Independent Business Alliance, American Specialty Toy Retailers Association, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, and National Bicycle Dealers Association.

B is for Budget

Note from Planning Commissioners Journal Editor Wayne Senville:

Over the next several months we'll be posting weekly installments of Laurence Gerckens' Planning ABC's, previously published in the PCJ. We're adding links at the end of each post to related articles we've published. If you don't want to wait for each installment, you can order & download the complete publication, from Automobiles to Zoning.

---

The public aspects of cities include not only services (i.e., police and fire protection, education, and protection of the public health) but also things (i.e., capital goods) that require labor, materials, and finance to bring them into being. Acquisition of these capital goods requires careful budgeting.

A budget balances income sources against outgo items in the fulfillment of needs and aspirations. A municipal operating budget does this annually for the costs associated with the provision of on-going city services. A municipal capital budget does the same for facilities to be constructed on land owned by the community or to be acquired to fulfill the community's needs.

Responsible expenditure of public funds requires foresight into the emerging character of the community and its needs. Responsible encumbrance of public funds and credit (future income) calls for a plan for public construction prepared, in most cases, well ahead of actual needs.

One of the principal purposes of the comprehensive plan is to serve as a guide to the preparation of a capital budget to assure rationality and efficiency in the expenditure of public funds on capital projects.

Capital funds borrowed to construct municipal projects are commonly provided in the sale of 20-year or longer, bonds. Public facilities are constructed to serve, and are expected to endure, at least as long as it takes to pay off the bonds sold to construct them. For this reason, a carefully prepared forward-looking community comprehensive plan is valuable in assessing whether the proposed facility will meet the community's needs years into the future, and -- quite importantly -- whether it will be physically located where it can best serve current and future users. This means examining how the facility relates not only to current, but also to future land use patterns.

The capital budget (or "program") is often conceived as a six-year budget drawn from the recommendations of municipal departments with reference to a continuously updated comprehensive plan. The capital budget is periodically revised (commonly every other year) as elements are completed or revised, and as new projects are added.

The capital budget includes not only a list of projects and their estimated costs, but also the source of the funds to be used to pay for each project. Running totals are kept to track their impact on the encumbrance of the municipal borrowing power and on the municipal tax rate.

One of the key responsibilities of many planning commissions and departments is the preparation of a recommended capital program for the local governing body's consideration. This planning commission role, first undertaken in Cincinnati in the 1920s, has helped ensure that the municipality's capital expenditures serve to meet the goals and objectives contained in the adopted comprehensive plan.

---

For more on the role of planning commissions in preparing the capital program, see the following article from the Planning Commissioners Journal:

Capital Improvement Programs

---

Text by Laurence C. Gerckens, FAICP. Illustration by Paul Hoffman.
Text & illustration copyright Champlain Planning Press, Inc. | contact: pcjoffice@gmail.com

Capital Improvement Programs

Series of three columns by Michael Chandler covering the basics of putting together a capital improvement program. From PCJ #25, 26, 27 (Winter, Spring, Summer 1997); 5 pages

Read excerpts from start of article: As you know, the comprehensive plan establishes policies for current and future land use throughout a community. However, we often forget that the plan, although an important instrument of public policy, cannot by itself produce change. Zoning and subdivision regulations are the most familiar "tools" used to implement the plan. Another important implementation tool is the capital improvement program, usually referred to as the CIP. Defining the CIP The CIP is a management and fiscal planning tool communities can use for financing and constructing needed public improvements and facilities. Properly designed, a CIP enables a community to identify its capital needs, rank them by priority, coordinate their scheduling, and determine the best method of paying for them within the community's fiscal capacity.

order & download full article $6.00 (single copy license)
order & download full article $22.50 (license to print/store up to 20 copies of article)

Dream of Revitalizing Downtown

 This month and next on our News, Notes, & Quotes page we'll periodically be including excerpts from "State of the City" addresses given by mayors from across the U.S. These addresses can offer insights into both innovative programs and challenges facing cities.

Previously posted:

Shoreview, Minnesota, Mayor Sandy Martin

Salt Lake City, Utah, Mayor Ralph Becker

Ashland, Oregon, Mayor John Stromberg

---

Topeka, Kansas, Mayor Bill Bunten's State of the City Address
to read his complete State of the City address (Jan. 19, 2010)

... If we’re going to be successful in this life as persons, we’ve got to have dreams or goals and attain them, and if this city is to grow and prosper we need to dream too. ...

The last dream is one I believe most Topekans have, and that is to revitalize our downtown, to make it special once again, a part of our city we can again be proud of. Let me speak briefly to this last dream.

The Heartland Visioning program began in 2008, and identified the concerns of the residents of our city. There were many, but the greatest concern was the deterioration of downtown, for despite substantial economic activity, there was an abundance of vacant space, the second stories of many buildings were empty, the infrastructure, water, gas and electric lines, are aging and showing it.

At 6:00 at night the downtown is pretty much vacant and it is not a destination for diners and revellers as it once was.

In November of this year the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce held a retreat, the purpose of which was to consider ways to breathe life into this central and important area of our city. Committees were established and met during the day in an effort to find a spark, an idea we could embrace.

It came from a committee co-chaired by John Dicus of Capitol Federal and Jim Parrish, and had among its members, Mike Morse and former city manager and public works director, Neil Dobler.

They spoke to the 150 or so who attended the retreat of an idea so different, so surprising, that the place fell silent.

They spoke not of parades or events, not of a farmers market or a baseball stadium, although those willbe hopefully, a part of a plan in the future, instead they spoke of changing the look of our downtown area to create green space; make Kansas Avenue two lanes —- and make those lanes serpentine; to revive the 8th street corridor and to have fountains at 6th, 8th and 10th street intersections.

... This was the beginning of a serious effort to develop a plan for our downtown. That plan, now only a concept, must be developed over a period of time with input from citizens and the consent of those whose businesses are located on or near Kansas Avenue and are most affected.

There will be a host of problems to be addressed and there will be serious opposition from some. But it is the genesis of a plan that began with the Heartland Visioning process and will continue or end with the consent or rejection of your city council.

... We either do something, or we do nothing. If we do nothing the downtown could continue to decline. If we do something it costs money. ...

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Incentives

There's an excellent online reference source for information on federal and state incentive programs related to renewables and energy efficiency. DSIRE is a project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy.

The entry page shows a map of the U.S. (we've highlighted Missouri with our mouse).

 

You can click on any state to find links to all sorts of renewable energy & energy efficiency incentive programs. 

Dsire is a web site well worth bookmarking. We'll be adding it to our Key Sites for Citizen Planners online guide.

Draft Article Available for Review: Coping With Economic Meltdown

We'd welcome your comments & feedback on a draft article by planner Gwen Hallsmith scheduled for the Spring issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal. Hallsmith is Director of Planning & Community Development for the City of Montpelier, Vermont. She founded Global Community Initiatives, a non-profit organization based in Montpelier, Vermont, and Johannesburg, South Africa, that supports municipal sustainable development initiatives.  

Set out below is the start of the article. If it sounds interesting to you, download the full article (pdf) and, if you have the time, email us your comments (pcjoffice@gmail.com). Feedback we receive will help make for a better published article. Thanks!

---

Coping with Economic Meltdown
by Gwen Hallsmith

You are sitting in a public hearing about the zoning changes you have been preparing for the past year and a half, fighting a sense of despair and futility. More projects have been abandoned over the past year than have been started. Money is tight -- at least one of the cancelled projects lost its financing at the last minute. More than ever, it feels as if the title "Planning Commissioner" doesn't reflect your role -- shouldn't planners be able to offer a path forward, even through dark times?  

The local economic development authority has been working as hard as they can to attract new businesses. They spend money, even in the downturn, on trips to distant places to try and find the next big new enterprise to bring to town. They often return empty-handed. The economy elsewhere suffers the same sluggishness as here at home, they say. Maybe when things pick up they'll have better luck.

What they don't know is that the search for external investment, the next big corporation who will locate part of its empire in your community, ignores several fundamental economic realities:

1. The vast majority of new jobs are created by small and medium sized firms, not large employers.

2. New markets, jobs, capital, technology, and economic expansion are generated when cities start to produce goods and services that were previously provided by distant exporters.

3. Start-up, innovative, entrepreneurial enterprises are on the increase in the 21st Century, while the large manufacturers that dominated the economies of the 19th and 20th Centuries are declining.

4. Local long-term wealth creation and economic security are dependent on local ownership of productive capacity; simply receiving wages for employment while the profits are exported to distant corporate centers robs the local economy of the capital it needs to succeed.

5. An over-reliance on export-led development will undermine the long-term economic health of a community. Equal attention needs to be paid to local needs and markets. Similarly, communities that develop local exchange systems and reduce reliance on the national currency will also enhance long-term local wealth creation.

6. Companies that are not locally owned are much less sensitive to community needs and environmental conditions, and can make communities vulnerable to sudden downturns when one large employer cuts back or goes out of business. ... 

To view the rest of the article & provide your feedback, download the full article (pdf) 

Pop Up Lunch

Have you ever had a hard time finding a spot downtown to sit down and eat your brown bag lunch. There's hope ... and inspiration from the very creative Alexandra Pulver and her Pop Up Lunch web blog. As she notes on her web page: "I am exploring how nontraditional public spaces - like sidewalks - might be easily transformed into lively places to lunch. This blog follows a series of Pop Up Lunches I have staged (some big, some small) and my development of mobile eating tools designed for the sidewalks of NYC. Ultimately, I hope that my efforts might inspire even a handful of my fellow urbanites to reconsider the potential for lunch - to be a joyful daily event - and for the sidewalks of NYC to serve as more than just pathways."

Browse through her site. It's fun! One of my favorite posts on her blog is: Who Needs a Designer When You Have Common Sense.

Thanks to the Inspiration Wall web blog where I came across Pop Up Lunch.

Now Available: Our Winter Issue

Subscribe to the Planning Commissioners Journal, and start with our just published Winter issue. Order online, or call our office: 802-864-9083. Note: government orders can call and request to be invoiced.

Contents of our Winter 2010 issue
See also our online Public Hearings resource pages	Dealing With Contentious Public Hearings by Wayne Senville One of the toughest challenges facing planning commissioners is how to deal with public hearings involving controversial development projects and zoning amendments. Planners and planning commissioners from across the country offer practical suggestions based on what's worked in their communities.
Building Your Planning Process From the Ground Up by Joel Russell It's time for the final public hearing on a zoning revision or comprehensive plan amendment that the planning commission has been working on for over a year. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, massive opposition erupts as rumors spread around town about what they are about to do to us. You can minimize the chances of this happening if you build your planning process "from the ground up."
	Some Parting Thoughts by Elaine Cogan After writing some 70 columns for the Planning Commissioners Journal over the past 19 years, Elaine Cogan offers some parting thoughts in her final "The Effective Planning Commissioner" column.
Top New Stories of 2009 by the Editors of Planetizen A look back at the top stories of 2009 involving planning, development, and the state of our cities.

Recent Back Issues:	Special Focus Issues:
Fall 2009: Zoning for Religious Institutions | Stand by Your Plan | Public Transportation in Rural Communities | Where's Art in Planning? | and more	Winter 2006: Bright Ideas: 21 creative planning-related ideas & programs you should know about
Summer 2009: Libraries at the Heart of Our Communities | Learn to Speak So People Will Listen | Are We There Yet? | Circle the USA Reports | and more	Fall 2005: This Land Is Your Land: on "takings" and property rights, and how planners can respond
Spring 2009: Getting the Density You Want | Growing Safer: Improving Roadways for Everyone | Dialing for Citizens | Learning to Enjoy Your Service on the Commission | and more	Fall 2004: Back to School for Planners: on the impacts of school location, and the relationship between planning and school boards
Winter 2009: Managing Stormwater Runoff: A Green Infrastructure Approach | Taking Low Impact Development from Research to Regulations | The ABC's of Transit-Oriented Development | and more	Spring 2004: Sphere of Influence: water and its impacts
Fall 2008: Pattern Books: A Planning Tool | GIS & Planning | Where Do We Want to Go? | and more	Fall 2003: Planning for Historic Preservation: an introduction to historic preservation planning
Summer 2008: Greenways | Developing at the Edge | An Introduction to Charrettes | and more	Winter 2002: Opening the Door: planning for affordable housing
Winter 2008: Downtown Futures: continuing a series of reports from planners across the U.S., focusing on downtown issues	Spring 2000: The Promise of America: an historical look at 10 successes & 10 failures that having affected America's cities

"We Broke the Law Literally ... But All Stood There Together"

A fascinating project in Portland, Oregon, is described in this video. It focuses on bringing neighborhood residents together by building special places, often at local intersections. After seeing this video, I want to organize one of these for my hometown -- it looks like a creative idea that's also great fun! (Just don't tell our Public Works Department I said that). 

For more about City Repair.