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Take note planning commissioners! The Segedys (with apologies to David Letterman) offer their own “top 10” list.
by Jim Segedy, FAICP, and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP; from PCJ #80 (Fall 2010); 2 pages Read excerpts below; to order & download the full article use Shopping Cart button at bottom of this post. See other articles by the Segedys. |
 Lisa recently visited with Paulding County, Georgia's Planner, Chris Robinson, whose career has included work at two regional planning commissions, two counties, one city, and one state agency. She asked him "over the years and in all the places where you have worked as a planner, what did you wish your planning commissioners knew?"
Chris' answers started us down a road studded with memories of our own experiences over the years as we worked to empower planning commissioners at their job. Sometimes it simply comes down to taking a step back and reminding ourselves of the basics. Obviously, these don't all apply to everyone, but it never hurts to remind ourselves who we are, and what we're doing on the planning commission in the first place.
Each state has a slightly different set of rules and definitions for each of these, and local groups can establish their own procedures, but the basic ideas work across the board. So with our thanks to Chris for his perspective, and apologies to David Letterman, here's our Top Ten List of things that planners wish their planning commissioners knew:
10. The responsibilities and duties of being a planning commissioner. Planning commission involvement is not an appointment to accept for status or a community service item activity to add to your resume. It involves training, study, and preparation for every meeting. You will need a clear understanding of the planning commission's role in administrative and legislative actions, as well as legal issues such as due process, "takings," preemption, and more.
Planning commissioners are responsible for working together to ensure that the community grows and develops according to the vision established in the plan. As you consider an appointment (or accepting a re-appointment) carefully consider the significant commitment required, from the amount of time involved in preparing to make informed decisions to the (potentially lengthy) meetings each month.
9. Proper adoption of the zoning ordinance, map, and amendments is very important. Planning commissioners should be familiar with their state's code language that spells out the procedures for how a zoning ordinance and/or map can be amended. Requirements for advertising and public hearings are the most common items addressed in these procedures, but some states specify additional standards.
8. The relationship between the comprehensive plan and the zoning ordinance. Your comprehensive plan (or master plan, or something similar) is the critical guidance document for your community. It likely contains an examination of current conditions, identifying goals and objectives for the future, and a general framework for how to achieve those goals -- and why. The plan establishes the framework for decision-making and the public purpose for local government regulations pertaining to land use.
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In June, the technology giant Apple finally opened its first store in the 
An important responsibility of planning commissioners and staff is to enhance their community's character by strengthening its positive attributes and modifying negative ones. These efforts can increase the sense of pride and belonging people have, while making your community a more desirable place to live and work -- boosting economic development efforts.
If your commission is like the one in my town, more developers and applicants are loading their project designs with features intended to impress you because they're "sustainable."
That's no simple task. Opinions on a project's sustainability will often range widely among commissioners. Moreover, assessing a project's attributes will seldom be a matter of black or white, but rather a frustrating grey.
But grey terms are nothing new for us; we toil in a realm of squishy definitions. What's the pay range, for example, of a "well-paying job"? What project attributes constitute "responsible" development?
We shouldn't -- and in my opinion can't -- shy away from our own determination of whether project features really are sustainable.
How might we do that?
Dave Stauffer is a freelance writer and chairman of the Yellowstone Business Partnership. He is a former city planner, planning commission chair, and city council member in Red Lodge, Montana.
Stauffer regularly writes for the PCJ. 
On the corner. In the downtown. Along highway strips. At interchanges. Retail development is a significant land use in virtually every community. It has its own demands and impacts that are distinct from offices or services. One only has to look at the acres of parking and traffic congestion commonly associated with shopping centers to understand this.
In many communities today, the supply of retail space exceeds the demand for it. There are vacancies in downtowns, strip centers, and shopping malls. We have over-zoned land for retail development and in the process have spread it out across the landscape. So how does a planning commissioner determine where retail development should go and how it should be designed and accommodated?
Regional Retail Market Analysis
The first step in planning for retail development is to undertake a regional market analysis. Shopping is largely a regional experience. In spite of the interest in buying locally, most consumers do travel around a region for shopping purposes as not all goods are provided in each community. In addition, people often shop where they work -- which is often in a different part of their region.
Regional retail market analyses are typically conducted by regional planning commissions, chambers of commerce, or regional development agencies. Some analyses are undertaken in response to major retail development proposals; others in anticipation of retail changes or needs. Planners should be cautioned about developers' or retailers' market analyses as they may be skewed towards favoring a specific proposal.
A retail market analysis estimates the potential growth in retail demand and compares that to the supply of retail facilities within the trade area. Information is compiled on population growth, income, and expenditures by retail type (groceries, apparel, furnishings, etc.). From these projections, estimates of retail sales and square footage demand for different types of retail stores in the region can be obtained. The analyst will also consider what share of sales will take place online, especially important since some goods, such as computers, have a high share of online purchases. Sidebar, E-Commerce.
Next, a community-by-community inventory of existing retail space and occupancy rates is conducted. This inventory will show where the retail areas are within the trade area. A comparison between the existing available space and the projected space needs can be made and gaps identified.
Most market analyses distinguish between convenience goods and comparison goods. Convenience goods are widely distributed, less expensive, and frequently purchased items. Examples include food, newspapers, and gas. Comparison goods are purchased at less frequent intervals and are generally more expensive; they also are often purchased after examining prices at several stores. Examples of comparison goods include major appliances, furniture, and sporting goods.
The regional market analysis will indicate the extent to which the region may already be "over-stored" (more space than demand justifies) or "under-stored" (less space than demand justifies) with either convenience or comparison goods. It may even point out areas where future shopping should be planned.
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Relying heavily on highway LOS as the dominant indicator for transportation planning tends to encourage ham-fisted solutions to complex problems. As the old saying goes, "to a man with only a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Roadways with poor LOS show up on traffic model maps as red lines. The easiest way to deal with them in the model is to keep adding roadway links and lanes until you "get the red out." But LOS models don't help us consider the adverse impacts that can result from roadway expansion, such as destroying natural areas, bisecting neighborhoods, or affecting pedestrians, bicyclists, or transit riders.
In many communities, major arterials have been widened extensively in order to maintain the highest possible LOS at rush hour. But they may sit unused much of the time. Those wide, empty lanes tempt drivers to zoom well above posted speeds most of the day and night. The resulting conditions are dangerous for motorists and downright hostile to bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders.
Congestion problems can often be solved by simpler, less expensive, and more environmentally sound methods than highway expansion. For example, instead of widening a single congested artery, a community can make the existing system more efficient. Operational improvements such as coordinated signal timing and turning lanes can often go a long way towards clearing up rush hour bottlenecks. Networks of local connector streets can enable travelers to avoid using major arterials, and thus provide more opportunities for pedestrian, bicycle, and transit options.
Local community leaders can -- and should -- engage with transportation agencies to customize LOS expectations for different contexts along a given corridor. More importantly, communities need to expand the types of indicators and tools they use for transportation planning.
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