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Quality Control Needed
Why
are our citizen-committees
being passed over by
the decision makers
at City Hall? Is the
zeal to jumpstart efficiencies
promised by a new Form-Based
planning code spawning
decisions that are poorly
thought out — lacking
the quality control
normally provided by
the Design Review Board
(DRB) and Planning Commission
(PC)? Two
recent examples:
The outdoor
cafes on
15th Street
were allowances
for businesses
to use
public space.
And no
one would
object to
improvements in
our City’s
ambiance
and
economic
base.
But
the
structures
as
built
are
regarded
by
many
in
the
community,
and
even
some
Council
members,
as
sub-optimum,
having
unintended
consequences.
The
sidewalk
became
too
narrow,
the
pedestrians’ view
of
Powerhouse
Park
was
obstructed,
etc..
That’s
where
the
DRB
would
have
added
needed
quality
control.
The
committee
is
all
about
helping
the
developer
and
the
community
anticipate
and
deal
with
the
real
consequences
of
projects.
The
DRB
has
a
long
history
of
ensuring
quality,
community-sensitive
development
by
dealing
with
unintended
consequences.
The
DRB
is
arguably
the
single
most
important
institution
in
this
City.
It
has
made
it
a
beautiful
place
to
live,
with
high
property
values
and
an
aesthetically
pleasing
ambiance.
The
DRB
should
have
reviewed
the
café designs. Then,
July 27,
the City
Council approved
a 4,400
sq. ft.
increase in
restaurant use
of the
Plaza’s
outdoor patio.
However, on
the sticky
issue of
the Plaza
having too
few parking
spaces to
meet requirements
for the
added restaurant
areas, the
Council hemmed
and hawed,
struggled to
understand the
planning implications,
and related
their very
different impressions,
as citizens,
of any
parking or
valet problems
at the
Plaza. Councilmember
Filanc, in
the midst
of the
protracted head-scratching,
pushed, although
not successfully,
to send
the many
questions to
the PC.
And that’s
exactly who
should review
the Plaza’s
plan! The
PC informs
the City
Council and
has the
technical experience
and the
forum for
resident input
to do
it right.
How will
intensification
of
use and
increased mandatory
valet parking
impact easy
use by
residents of
the remaining
public spaces
at the
Plaza? This
is the
stuff of
the PC.
Skipping a
step in
our public
process is
a false
efficiency if
our community
has to
endure undesirable
decisions. |
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