Daniel G. Voketz Planning Consultant
NOTE: If you are not a public agency, city, town or other governmental entity, please see the *Individuals* page before you leave!
Jefferson County, Alabama, is home not only to the City of Birmingham, but to 29 other whole incorporated cities and towns; to parts of 7 other cities and towns; to 9 census-designated places; and to 20 major unincorporated communities. And yet, within its 1,124 square miles, you can still find rural communities, farmland and even vast areas areas of raw undeveloped woodland stretching across its unincorporated areas. So in my 30 years of planning for the County, I was fortunate enough to experience planning and zoning in every kind of environment imaginable: from pristine natural areas to high-rise downtowns; from riverbanks to inland lakes; from pastures of crops, cows and horses to suburban subdivisions; from rural communities to small towns to the County's larger cities.
And because of that, I came to realize that EVERY community - city, town, village, hamlet, whatever - is special and unique. It has its own specific circumstances and situation, its own specific needs and aspirations. So, unlike the philosophy of some larger or regional planning organizations, I am convinced that there is NOT a one-size-fits-all, off-the-shelf plan or code that you can simply plug a new city's name into, and then send them off and running with. Furthermore, it has been my experience that many of those other organizations will leave a community to get "up and running" on their own: and if you need help, well, that's going to cost you extra!
I don't do that. If I help develop a plan, code or anything else for your community, I will be there to help you understand and administer it from that day forward - at NO additional cost. Administrative support is just a phone call away. After all, what's the point of having a new plan or code and not being able to implement it?!
Furthermore, I fully understand the financial difficulties municipalities are experiencing these days. My rates are hourly, and are geared according to the Class (i.e., population size) of the municipality with which I am contracted. I work at your direction and at the pace you set. And I do NOT punch a timer button every time the phone rings: if it doesn't require specific additional research, investigation, reporting, meetings or paperwork, I do not charge for it.
But most importantly, your community is YOURS. And it should always BE yours. So MY job is to make sure that whatever we do - in terms of plans, zoning codes, subdivision regulations, special districts, whatever - that it best represents what you and YOUR COMMUNITY want FOR your community. I am not here to tell you what you should do: I am here to help you achieve what YOU want to do; to give you options as to the best ways of achieving your goals; and to make sure that you do it all in a way that is both proper according to sound planning principles, and legal according to Alabama state law.
tactical
Just as my general philosophy on planning might be a little different than what you are used to seeing, so too might my tactical approach to planning projects themselves. So here is just a brief word on three elements I believe are important to the successful development of a quality project and its positive reception by the community.
EDUCATION This is at the top of the list for a reason, and is as multifaceted as it is important. But the bottom line is if people understand not only what you are doing, but also why you are doing it, then they will not be so quick to condemn you for how you are doing it. And this applies just as much to board members and government officials as it does to a community's residents and businesess. The more that folks can see and understand about the process behind the project, the more likely they will be to listen to what you've got to say -- ESPECIALLY so with the people, groups, businesses and/or industries that will be most directly affected by the project in question.
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT Or maybe just "involvement" in general, because people are going to be more receptive to, and/or supportive of, something they believe they have had a part in creating. For board members, it's called "taking ownership" because they were present and active in the meetings. For the citizenry, it is embracing the end product because they were included in the process and purpose behind it. And for everybody, it is education through -- if nothing else -- osmosis! So I believe in including opportunities for public participation (as and where appropriate) in the project schedule; keeping the whole process as open and transparent as possible; and encouraging board members to be as active as they can be -- including, if not especially, when the public comes to the table.
TWO ZONING BOARDS Yes, state law calls for the master plan to be developed by the planning commission; and the planning commission is to make recommendations on zoning matters, and approve subdivisions, and so on and so forth. However, the board of adjustment has the authority to essentially override the commission (and the council) on the elements in the zoning ordinance -- and the zoning ordinance is the main tool the community has for implementing its master plan! Furthermore, who better to identify and help address areas in the zoning ordinance where its application "on the ground" might need some tweaking? Yet historically, there has been a disconnect between the board of adjustment and, well, everyone else. (Even to the point that a city would file suit against its own board!) But to develop and maintain the best plan possible, board of adjustment members -- though they don't vote on its adoption -- should be just as involved in the development process as the planning commission; and certainly they should be included in any discussion of amendments to the zoning ordinance. Plus, playing back into the first two items, their involvement in these processes will help them to be "on the same page" with the commission and the council in the decisions that they will be called upon to make down the road.
Certainly, I have other things that I am particularly "enthusiastic" about; and citizen participation is not always required or necessary, particularly for projects that are more administrative in nature. But for plans and public ordinances, these three are most definitely at the top of my list.
And even if you are not a public agency, city, town or other governmental entity, I can still help!
Please see the *Individuals* page before you leave.