vision2020@moscow.com: Public Hearing/Comp Plan
Public Hearing/Comp Plan
Kenton (90142419@WSUVM1.CSC.WSU.EDU)
Wed, 24 Jul 96 15:39:40 PDT
Visionaries: Attached is a copy of comments I sent to the Moscow P&Z in
response to Joel's notice of the public hearing on 4 elements of the
comprehensive plan. I have copies of 2 sections of the plan, natural
resources & hazards, and citizen participation, if anyone would like to
review them. --Kenton
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Jay and Commissioners:
I just learned on Tuesday of the hearing on four elements of the comprehensive
plan to be held this evening. I will try to attend your meeting and comment;
please include these comments as part of the public record if I don't arrive
in time.
Section 2-Natural Resources & Hazards
page 4 - I am concerned that the section on underground water supply is
actually weaker than in the current comp. plan. I can understand your
desire not to be too specific on technical details about the aquifers,
but I think you should at least mention the inter-local agreement that
Moscow signed agreeing to hold its annual increase in pumpage to no more than
1% of the rolling 5-year average. (I don't recall the exact language of
the agreement.) I think the Council and other readers of the plan need to
be reminded of that agreement, and the Comp Plan seems a good place to do it.
page 9
Policy #9 --
It appears to me again that you're backing away from good language in
the 1985 plan that legitimately asks developers to estimate the impact
of their development on the water table. While this policy has largely
been ignored the last 10 years, I don't think that's a reason to discard
the language. Rather, I think the plan should suggest ways that this
policy should be implemented; i.e., who makes the estimate and at what
stage of the development process it occurs.
Section #13 -- Citizen Participation
I applaud your efforts to increase public participation, especially
through non-traditional means. However, I think it's ironic that none
of the methods suggested on pages 2 & 3 (in my un-numbered draft) were
employed for this particular hearing, except for the legal notice in the Daily
News, which unfortunately I did not see.
To your list of methods, I would suggest distribution of notices to
electronic mail list-servers and active outreach by P&Z members, such as
speaking to service clubs, holding neighborhood meetings and sponsoring
inter-active planning "fairs," similar to the urban-planning event in
a Pullman city park last week. To boost public participation, you need
to be creative and fun -- publicity alone isn't enough to attract
citizens to attend meetings.
I hope that you will employ some of these methods to encourage participation
in public hearings on subsequent sections of the plan.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Kenton Bird (kbird@wsu.edu)
1006 East D
Moscow, ID
This archive courtesy of:
First Step Internet