CH2020
The leadership team of Chapel Hill 2020 discussed the timeline issue yesterday afternoon. Apparently the conversation was quite passionate and the group is divided with strong opposition to extending from co-chairs George and Rosemary. I'm a bit surprised since they have always said they had an open mind and were committed to getting it done right. I have yet to hear a clear articulation of why this comprehensive plan should be created in less than a year.
I have heard some people raise valid concerns about sustaining people interest for a multi-year process, but I think that points to changes that may be needed in the process. For example, what if the stakeholders only met monthly rather than every 2-3 weeks? What if we let the community lead the process more and didn't lean so heavily on the staff to run things? If you would like to explore these questions rather than rushing to complete, please sign on to our letter asking for more time.
This weekend, a group of people who have been involved since the very beginning of the Chapel Hill 2020 process (including the editors of OP) drafted a letter to town leaders asking them to take more time. You can see it at http://bit.ly/ch2020-letter. Currently the entire timeline from kick-off to plan approval is less than 8 months. Last week when UNC planning Professor David Godschalk gave a talk about comprehensive planning, he referenced the plan done in Fort Collins, CO which took 18 months to complete. That is the fastest of any of the other examples I've heard. The City of Austin is currently reviewing a draft plan after spending almost a year and a half on their visioning process alone.
Last month Chapel Hill 2020 Co-Chair Rosemary Waldorf asked a group of former Chapel Hill Planning Board Chairs to write short essays about why they believe the Comprehensive Plan is important. In addition to my response, replies from the Mayor, the Manager, the chair of the Sustainability Committee, and 3 other past and present Planning Board Chairs were posted on the Town web site and in The Chapel Hill News.
Presentation offered by Friends of Bolin Creek with the UNC Institute for the Environment.
Date:
Saturday, February 11, 2012 - 9:00am to 1:30pm
Location:
NC Botanical Garden, 100 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill
January marks Chapel Hill 2020’s fifth month, and if the schedule of planned events is any indication it will its busiest by far.
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