INC NEWS - Letter: Bad idea to shorten development review (Herald-Sun)

[John Schelp]

Letter: Bad idea to shorten development review
Herald-Sun, 14 May 2008

The local chamber recently sent a memo to City Council
saying, "The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce Board
of Directors reviewed the proposal ... we requested
that City Council delay the effective implementation
date to Jan. 1 ..."

How ironic that the business community is complaining
about not having enough time to review a City Hall
proposal on water rates -- at the same time the
biggest players in the business community are trying
to further shorten the time neighborhoods can review
development projects in Durham.

Long before citizens find out what's going on,
developers are working with planning staff shaping
their plans. The staff stakes itself out on what it
likes and doesn't like about a developer's plan long
before trying to find out what citizens think. By then
the developer has altered the plan to please staff --
and the staff feels committed to back the developer
because they have influenced the plans. By the time
neighborhoods find out what's happening, the train has
left the station.

These efforts to "streamline" the process will weaken
community involvement in local government.

It's a bad idea -- and another reason why we need a
neighborhood advocate in Durham.

JOHN SCHELP
Durham