INC NEWS - Comprehensive Plan

[Mike - Hotmail]

Thanks Pat,

The Comprehensive Plan revisions (draft) took over two years to collate.

It's been a year since the taskforce completed the project and given the 
draft Comp Plan up for further revisions and improvements by the public and 
our elected officials.

As one of more than two dozens community and neighborhood people (builders, 
developers, Smart Growth advocates, school and transportation reps along 
with an architect and homebuilder or two) who participated in updating a 
VISION FOR DURHAM in the next 20 years,  we spent months and months reading, 
talking about and revising this essential document.

But yes it is Big.

The final draft dated January 31, 2005 is up for approval next Monday (Feb 
28th) as Pat informs us.

However,  there is a lot more work that needs to be done for the PLAN to be 
executed and vigilance among the citizenry to make sure that monies are 
spent wisely on what WE want if it is to be a successful and useful 
document.

A number of us have said it before.   There are a lot of 'needs' in Durham. 
A number of them have been determined by many of us as 'essential needs', 
like paving dirt streets, maintaining our infrastructures and keeping up or 
schools, parks and roadways.

Funding for 'wants'  should come AFTER those essential needs are met.

This Comprehensive Plan lists, categorizes and organizes (hopefully) all of 
those needs and wants into one document that should be the guiding vision to 
elected officials on where we (the citizens of Durham) want to be and look 
like as we approach the year 2025.

It is not that far away.

If you get involved, stay informed and work towards making sure we stay on 
the course that's been laid down in this planning document,  maybe we can 
get there with a smile on our face and money in our pockets!

Wouldn't THAT be a nice vision for the year 2025!

mike


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "pat carstensen" <pats1717 at hotmail.com>
To: <inc-list at durhaminc.org>
Sent: Monday, February 21, 2005 8:55 AM
Subject: INC NEWS - Comprehensive Plan


>A quick status update.  We can discuss tomorrow what actions neighborhoods 
>may want to take.
>
> Regards, pat
>
> ------
>
> As I understand it, elected officials are going to try to pass the 
> Comprehensive Plan on February 28.  The Comprehensive Plan sets the bigger 
> picture into which the UDO fits.  It:
> 1) Is more general than the UDO; for example, it sets targets for levels 
> of service for libraries
> 2) Sets requirements for the UDO by, for example, directing it to 
> encourage "attractive and varied residential development" in fairly 
> specific ways
> 3) Includes a new Comprehensive Plan map showing boundaries for the tiers, 
> residential vs. non-residential areas, and densities for development.  The 
> UDO includes a process for developers to ask for changes to the plan when 
> their proposal does not fit with the long-range plan shown in the map.
>
>
> Public comment is officially closed.  There are some open issues - details 
> in the map in the Old West Durham area and some problems identified by the 
> Planning Commissioners, for example - but I think we need to move forward 
> on the plan for two reasons.
>
> 1) We can't move forward on the UDO until we finish the Comprehensive 
> Plan, and development in Durham, while FAR from perfect under the UDO, 
> will generally be better than what we have now.
>
> 2) The Comprehensive Plan has an awful lot to be proud of.  In addition to 
> the big-picture stuff like tiers, the plan has some pretty good details 
> such as:
> a - Directing governing bodies to create a maintenance standard in a 
> "non-residential code"
> b - Forbidding traffic mitigation for new development from impacting 
> existing development in the Urban, Compact, and Downtown tiers.
> c- Mandating a process (including INC) to define standards and best 
> practices for traffic calming.
> d - Establishing levels of service for parks, such as needing 1 playground 
> per 1000 people, or 230 playgrounds by 2010.
> (This is a random sample of good ideas, based basically on what I happened 
> to look at last)
>
> The plan sets a very ambitious agenda for what various city and county 
> departments need to do and will take a serious commitment of resources in 
> terms of funding, staff that can carry out its goals, staff development 
> and general community support.   For example, it will create greater 
> density in some areas.  Since neighborhoods are justifiably suspicious of 
> greater density (it too often means more traffic and de-stabilizing uses), 
> we need to make sure we know how to replicate and celebrate what works and 
> have the courage to analyze and correct what doesn't work.
>
>
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