Th Planning Commission meeting last night focused on the almost completed city Comprehensive Plan, presented by Mike Piersall and Chris Wallace to the commission and the sparse crowd of two. They pointed out that the current comprehensive plan was ignored by almost everyone and hadn't been updated since its unveiling in 1997. This new one is supposed to take into consideration the current state of the city and its potential development. I did note that this one is much more generalized than the 1997 version, which, for example, called for extending and linking West Mill with Chautauqua.
According to Wallace, what you see at the above link is about 90% completed, with work still needing to be done on Chapter 5, Economic Development. After that is completed, the finished plan will go before the Planning Commission for a vote in Jan. or Feb. If approved by the commission, it goes before the City Council for a vote to adopt in Feb. or March. From then on, all development within the city is supposd to be measured against the Plan, to see if said development is taking the city in the way we just spent a year determining we want to go. At least, that's what is supposed to happen. My bet is, we pay attention to the plan for about a year, then it gets put on a shelf and ignored until someone decides it's time to write another one.
Incidentally,t he other attendee at the meeting took a reference in the Plan to the city fostering entrepreneurship as an opportunity to launch into a lengthy complaint about how the city risked crushing the entrepreneurial spirit of its citizens because it had enforced the code moving the non-complying mobile homes to places where they would be in compliance. My guess is, he was looking for an opportunity to complain again about the amendment and seized on that part of the plan as a hook on which to hang his complaint.
One of reasons there is so little participation in the Comprehensive Plan Process is that the public is not getting information about it. For example, check out posted “Carbondale Project Schedule - last Updated: 07/22/09” http://www.ci.carbondale.il.us/?q=node/357. The Planning Commission Meeting you mention is not even on it. Also note that while drafts of chapters 4, 5 and 6 are completed, they are not posted but chapters 1, 2, and 3 are.
ReplyDeleteConcerns were voiced early on the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee that staff cut backs would impede the development of the Comprehensive Plan process, and I would note this reflects shades of things to come if there are further staff reductions . The following is a from a letter sent to the Review Committee from Study Circles--Neighborhood and Housing Action group sent May 2009:
"Over the last year the structure of Development Service Department has been significantly changed and reduced. The Planning Services Manager position has not been refilled. The Building and Neighborhood Services Manager position has been eliminated. Thus, the two manager positions in that department are gone. This means that the Department head, Mike Pierceall, is now serving as the Department head and manager of the two major divisions of the Development Services Department. In addition the City did not hire the number of new Housing Inspectors that had been anticipated when the City implemented a fee for housing inspections. This represents a major structural change in the Department that is largely responsible for the oversight and implementation of the Comprehensive Plan.
As one of the five principle components of the plan states, "The plan must be grounded on realistic assumptions about the future”, we are interested on how the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee views the elimination of middle management positions on the structure of City government and its impact on the realistic development and implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. These are our questions to the Plan Review Committee:
1. Major themes at Comprehensive Plan meeting discussions focused on the preservation and revitalization of neighborhoods and improvement of Carbondale's housing stock. These discussions occurred without knowledge of impending changes in the staff structure of the Development Services Department. How does the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee view the impact of changes in staff structure to the Comprehensive Plan? What is our consultant's view on the relationship between staff structure and Comprehensive Plan?
2. How does the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee think that these changes in the Development Services Department impact the Advisory Committees' process in developing the new Comprehensive Plan? What is City staff's role in completing the plan and how will changes in the staff structure impact the Plans completion? What are the Consultant's thoughts on these questions?"
As to the use of the past plan, from my perspective as a resident of the Arbor District, we have relied on numerous occasions on the Plan to "hold the line" in our Neighborhood. It has validated both our opposition and support of various proposals.
There are numerous problems with implementing Comprehensive Plans. One is establishing a process that links staff, council, planning commission and the comprehensive plan in a regular priority and evaluation process. As noted at a recent meeting, this does not currently exist. Another major obstacle is that Comprehensive Plans pose real challenges to the status quo, especially local business elites who view such things as "design standards and Performance standards" as another expense that they cannot afford. If Lance Jack truly wants to create the "destination Carbondale" feel that he mention at the last Council meeting, he will have to advocate for such things as have the towns like Paducah that he mentioned. Mary O'Hara