Homeowners, renters, business owners all have a stake in the upcoming decisions on how the city will "update" the existing 38 neighborhood plans. Changes in neighborhood plans and policies are a precursor to land use and zoning changes as well as a way to identify and prioritize needed infrastructure improvements to accommodate growth.
The forum is Saturday, April 19 from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Bertha Knight Landes Room, City Hall, 600 4th Avenue
The City Council is weighing a proposal from the mayor to spread the updates over several years, group plans by geographic sector and rely heavily on city staff for professional guidance.
The City Neighborhood Council has raised questions about this approach particularly the way it differs from the grassroots model used when the plans were prepared in the late 1990s.
Come and join in the conversation on Neighborhood Planning II and help the Council decide what to authorize and how to allocate those resources. Hear from and talk to:
❚ Richard Conlin, City Council president
❚ Sally Clark, City Council Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods chair
❚ Stella Chao, Department of Neighborhoods director
❚ Jim Diers, author and consultant on neighborhood development
❚ Tom Hauger, senior planner with DPD
❚ Fellow citizen panelists with diverse experience in the successes and shortcomings of neighborhood planning and the current approach to dealing with the impacts of growth on neighborhoods citywide.
Sessions will be held in sequence so no one misses any of the topics.
PANEL 1: Why do Neighborhood Planning - GMA Compliance or More?
PANEL 2: How Should Planning Be Done and by Whom? - What are the models to keep citizens engaged and respected?
PANEL 3: What does Success Look Like? - Can planning improve our quality of life? Provide fair distribution of growth and public investment?
The program begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. There will be light refreshments.
If you have questions, e-mail Chris Leman at
cleman@oo.net or Irene Wall atiwall@serv.net.