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How It’s Done
<br />in Georgia
<br />Georgia employs a “devel-
<br />opment of regional impact” (DRI)
<br />approach to regional coordination of land
<br />use decisions.
<br />The DRI process establishes separate
<br />thresholds for developments in urban and
<br />rural areas. Any permit request that
<br />exceeds the appropriate threshold auto-
<br />matically triggers the DRI process, which
<br />provides for review and comment from
<br />surrounding units of governments and
<br />the regional planning council. While
<br />these comments are advisory only, input
<br />from affected neighboring communities
<br />has benefited the development permitting
<br />process.
<br />Georgia also has a formal mediation
<br />process that allows neighboring jurisdic-
<br />tions to negotiate the issues of concern
<br />when development in one community
<br />poses impacts on an adjacent community.
<br />In many ways, this is like the environ-
<br />mental impact process which should be
<br />integral to all comprehensive plans.
<br />Taking Regional Impacts Into Account
<br />Some suggestions for how to think
<br />regionally while acting locally:
<br />• revisit your comprehensive plan to
<br />ensure that you’ve adequately considered
<br />regional issues.
<br />• consider adding a check box to your
<br />development permit review checklist to
<br />specify the type of review or comment
<br />opportunity that your planning commis-
<br />sion needs in order to address the re-
<br />gional implications of proposed local
<br />developments.
<br />• look into allowing for public hearing
<br />input from parties outside of your corpo-
<br />rate boundary.
<br />• work with your counterparts in adjoin-
<br />ing jurisdictions to formulate a system
<br />for sharing the benefits and drawbacks of
<br />development and regional demands, be it
<br />resources or services.
<br />The important thing is to fine-tune
<br />your process so you can avoid those
<br />abrupt, incompatible changes in land use
<br />that, just like changes in pavement, tell
<br />everyone that now they’re in a different
<br />community. ◆
<br />Jim is the Director of Community Planning for the
<br />Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Lisa is the
<br />Associate Director for River Restoration for Amer-
<br />ican Rivers’ Pittsburgh field office. Their respective
<br />positions require them to foster regional thinking
<br />and local action for communities that share natur-
<br />al resources and environmentally sensitive areas.
<br />Coordinating With
<br />Multi-Jurisdictional Bodies
<br />Coordinating your comprehensive
<br />plan with local school districts (which
<br />frequently cross political boundaries)
<br />and shared public services will not only
<br />allow proactive consideration of regional
<br />issues, but can enable plan implemen-
<br />tation to take advantage of economies
<br />of scale.
<br />We can’t over-emphasize the impor-
<br />tance of coordinating your community
<br />plan with the school board, the water
<br />and sewer authority, or any other entity
<br />whose service area impacts your commu-
<br />nity, particularly if it also crosses political
<br />boundaries.
<br />Getting Assistance
<br />As a planning commissioner, where
<br />do you turn for assistance with informa-
<br />tion, data, maps, and analysis to think
<br />regionally and act locally?
<br />Luckily, every state has a system of
<br />regional planning organizations available
<br />to assist you. While their name, scope of
<br />services, and business relationship with
<br />cities and towns will vary from state to
<br />state, they typically offer valuable assis-
<br />tance. Upon your local government’s
<br />request, they can usually provide regional
<br />information on transportation systems,
<br />housing needs and trends, demographics,
<br />economic development, natural and his-
<br />toric resources, infrastructure, environ-
<br />mentally sensitive resources, and other
<br />issues.
<br />Regional planning agencies may also
<br />be able to assist you in public involve-
<br />ment activities and coordination with
<br />other jurisdictions.
<br />Other important resources you can
<br />avail include your state planning agency
<br />and the extension program of your land
<br />grant university. Many universities have
<br />service learning programs through which
<br />planning, architecture, or landscape
<br />architecture students can provide your
<br />community with assistance. Jim and his
<br />students assisted over one hundred com-
<br />munities during his two-decade tenure at
<br />Ball State University. If you’re not sure
<br />how to access these resources, a quick
<br />call to your regional planning agency will
<br />get you started.
<br />5
<br />PLANNING COMMISSIONERS JOURNAL / NUMBER 78 / SPRING 2010
<br />Online Comments:
<br />“It may be a good strategy to consider joint
<br />development and design standards among dif-
<br />ferent jurisdictions to avoid the abrupt transi-
<br />tions mentioned by the authors. Orange
<br />County, Florida, has adopted joint design
<br />standards with three municipalities for West
<br />State Road 50, a major commercial corridor,
<br />to improve the appearance of the corridor and
<br />promote redevelopment and infill develop-
<br />ment, which are goals at the heart of the
<br />County’s planning process. For details, see:
<br />www.orangecountyfl.net/cms/DEPT/growth/
<br />planning/urban/wsr50.htm.”
<br />– Susan Caswell, AICP, Planning Manager,
<br />Orange County, Florida
<br />“This is an important topic that lies right at
<br />the intersection of psychology, finances, taxes,
<br />land use rights and responsibilities, and
<br />politics. As we all know, environmental,
<br />economic, and other plans and impacts do
<br />not stop at political boundaries; yet laws and
<br />legal responsibilities often do. Then there’s
<br />the human and psychological drama, along
<br />with turf and control issues, involved in
<br />organizations. We’ve had challenges getting
<br />our elementary school, high school, and pub-
<br />lic libraries to have a rational discussion
<br />together about whether to even consider the
<br />idea of sharing space or resources. Ideally,
<br />entities such as regional planning commis-
<br />sions, watershed councils, and similar organi-
<br />zations can help transcend town by town
<br />politics and thinking.”
<br />– Lee A. Krohn, AICP, Planning Director, Town of
<br />Manchester, Vermont
<br />★
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