Friday, August 15, 2008

The Orton Foundation Arrives

John Carney from the Rocky Mountain branch of the Orton Foundation will be arriving next Wednesday August 20th for initial planning work on our Heart and Soul project. As a recap, the Heart and Soul project is a 2 year $100k planning project for Victor. Next week John is looking to meet with Victor citizens who are interested in learning more about this project and sharing their views on Victor. If you have anytime on Thursday the 21st and Friday the 22nd to meet with John send me an email with times that work for you: scottf@victorcityidaho.com

As we get into the Fall there will be a series of community meetings which we'll keep you posted on.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Meet the new urbanists (08/05/2008)

Lisa Haidostian, ClimateWire reporter

A white picket fence, a well-manicured lawn and a cute little house owned by ... a recently graduated twentysomething?

Not so much.

The suburbs, which since World War II have dominated the American real estate scene, are suffering an identity crisis. Baby boomers are nearing retirement age, people are marrying and having kids later in life, and college graduates are flocking to cities. Housing experts say these cultural and aging shifts have slammed the door on the era of urban sprawl.

Add to the mix crippling energy prices, rising awareness of climate change and the glorification of urban lifestyles in hit shows like "Friends" and "Sex and the City," and you've got yourself a housing revolution, experts say.

"With the demographic changes, I think that we are going to see a different development paradigm than we've seen in the past," said David Goldberg, spokesman for Smart Growth America, a national coalition of groups that promotes walkable communities and sustainable development.

But there's only so much city, and not everyone can afford to get it. According to Chris Leinberger, a top land use strategist and director of the graduate real estate program at the University of Michigan, home prices in urban communities have "gone through the roof." As evidence, he cited a recent Brookings Institution study showing a 40 to 200 percent price premium on a price-per-square-foot basis for walkable urban housing.

"That's pent-up demand speaking. That's the market speaking," he said. "I never thought I'd say this, but it's a supply-side problem. We don't have enough supply."

Enter "smart growth" communities, on which Leinberger said developers will place "considerably more focus" when the current housing slump straightens out. Often taking the form of redevelopment projects, such communities feature mixed-use zoning, easy access to public transportation and a general focus on energy-efficient design.

"We have this climate crisis to deal with, and at least a piece of that will be how we deal with transportation," Goldberg said. "The best way to [reduce greenhouse gas emissions] is to meet this rising demand for conveniently located homes in walkable neighborhoods."

The American Dream, Part 2

Geoff Anderson, president and chief executive of Smart Growth America, noted recently that a real estate consulting firm found about a third of the market wanted to live in walkable urban communities. That figure, he said, is "expected to accelerate because of some demographic changes and changes in buyer preferences."

Changing households are key, he said, noting that in 1960 about 48 percent of households were composed of a mom, a dad and two kids. By 2025, only 28 percent will have that makeup, eliminating issues like transporting a large brood.

Further, as the population grows older, many say they don't want to maintain a large lot and hop in the car for a run to the dry cleaner. "The baby boom generation, as it always has in the U.S., is going to be driving changes," Anderson said.

Job opportunities and the desire for high-density neighborhoods are making urban communities even more popular for young singles and recent graduates, adding more fuel to the smart-growth development fire.

And, Goldberg noted, exurbs were hit hardest by the mortgage crisis, while many urban areas held their value. The suburban market model, he said, is "looking a little shaky these days."

But more intriguing even than changing demographics, experts say, are the ways in which new communities seem to be leading a climate-conscious charge.

"We believe that the asphalt-intensive sprawl that dominates our landscape is no one's idea of the American Dream," Smart Growth America's Web site proclaims.
The most fuel-efficient car is the one that's barely driven

The main tenets of "smart growth" are to create safe, affordable neighborhoods built with the environment's best interests in mind. They aim to have mixed-use zoning and easy access to public transportation and to promote clean air and water. Along with boasting LEED-certified buildings and other sustainable gold stars, the communities are designed to dramatically reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to downsize their carbon footprint.

A report released recently by the Urban Land Institute found that compact urban development, as opposed to sprawl, could reduce VMT by 20 to 40 percent. Another reported that public transit displaces about 16.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from private vehicles every year. And two other housing studies found that multi-family buildings use an average of almost 50 percent less energy than single-family detached units.

The poster child: Atlantic Station. Based in Midtown Atlanta, Ga., the community is a 138-acre redevelopment of the old Atlantic Steel mill. Started in 1997 and officially opened in 2005, the project will ultimately have 6 million square feet of Class A, LEED-certified office space and 3,000 to 5,000 residential units, planners say.

The whole idea is that people can walk to both work and to their errands or entertainment -- no car necessary. There's a clean-fueled transit shuttle system that carries about 60,000 people a month to and from a nearby transit site, along with a parking garage underground, on top of which is commercial space, on top of which are condominiums.

The result? A puny average of 8.6 miles traveled daily per resident of the site. People who work but don't live in Atlantic Station clock in a bit higher at 12 miles a day -- still comparatively insignificant to a number that can often be in the hundreds for suburbanites with long commutes. In total, their carbon footprint is reduced by about 60 percent because of the mixed-use nature of the project and transportation impacts, according to Brian Leary, vice president for design and retail at AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., one of the development firms that masterminded the project.

Zoning laws still a barrier

For now, the housing crash has put the brakes on most smart-growth development, Goldberg said. There are also several obstacles in the way of the developments, not the least of which is legality.

Leinberger said that in 95 percent of America, only drivable suburban developments can legally be built because of zoning laws and rigid construction regulations like height limits or labor requirements.

"In essence, we have a system that makes the right thing hard and the wrong thing easy," he said. Because there are so many hoops to jump through, he said, a developer will "throw his hands up and say, 'Aw, too much trouble.'" Meanwhile, the suburban fringe is being "massively subsidized" because it's so easy to build there.

Known to be "unbelievably complex and risky," smart-growth projects require a totally new way of development, Leinberger said. He compared it to a race car driver suddenly being told he has to become a fighter jet pilot. "It's a fundamentally different skill set that we in real estate have to learn to pull off that kind of a project," he said.

But he and other experts agree that if laws can be changed, the market for smart-growth communities will skyrocket. Most zoning regulations exist at the local level, but Goldberg said the federal transportation bill, which expires at the end of fiscal year 2009, is the "big mondo policy change that really we gotta take a serious look at." He thinks the bill should shift transportation funding away from encouraging highways and toward encouraging transit systems.

"There are very few people," he said, "who fail to recognize this as some sort of turning point."

Friday, July 25, 2008

Victor wins $100k Grant!

This past Spring the City of Victor applied for a very coveted Heart and Soul grant with the help of VARD and Stephanie Thomas (Grant Writer). What do you know, we won! Check out the press release below and keep coming back to this blog for more info about the upcoming process.


ORTON FOUNDATION BEGINS $10 MILLION HEART & SOUL COMMUNITY PLANNING INITIATIVE

Four towns in New England and Rocky Mountain regions selected for a program moving community planning back into the hands of citizens

July 25, 2008

Middlebury, VT -- The Orton Family Foundation has committed $10 million in cash and staff over the next five years in a major new initiative to stem the tide of “anywhere USA” development and help communities strengthen their unique spirit of place as they face growth and change.

Biddeford, ME; Damariscotta, ME; Golden, CO; and Victor, ID (all under 23,000 in population) are the first communities to be awarded $100,000 each plus Foundation staff support to help them tap into their own citizens’ wisdom about what is best for their towns.

For decades, most planning has been top down, with economic growth a driving force behind many land use decisions. “We should challenge the single-minded notion that if it’s good for the economy, approve it,” said Lyman Orton, Board Chair and Founder of the Foundation. “After all, are we just an economy, or are we a society?” Values-based Heart & Soul Community Planning entrusts the future of a town to those who know it best—its citizens.

While growth sustains towns, it can lead to disastrous results without the awareness of an empowered citizenry with a strong identity. In a Heart & Soul planning approach, as many local people as possible first identify the qualities that make their town special. Then those qualities and places most valued are broadly acknowledged and used as touchstones in revising ordinances, reviewing projects and making decisions.

In a series of gatherings, events, meetings, interviews and polling, the four towns will learn to take action to protect and strengthen those assets for the future. In addition to its grants, the Foundation contributes expertise and training on using innovative tools such as CommuntyViz™ visioning and analysis software, keypad polling, online surveys and other ways to increase citizen participation.

“We believe a diversity of citizens have the wisdom and ability to steer the change in their communities,” said Bill Roper, President and CEO of the Foundation. “Through our Heart & Soul initiative, we’re giving people the power and confidence to engage and enhance their unique places for many years to come.

In a collaborative effort with citizen’s groups, non-profits, developers, municipal governments, the planning community and others across the country, the Orton Family Foundation aims to transform planning so that residents can live, work and play in the places they cherish, and ensure that their towns are thriving and livable for their grandchildren.

”We build partnerships to build and sustain community,” said Roper. “We’ve found that when towns have some skin in the game, they are even more determined to work hard for lasting results.” That means each town provides matching funding in a combination of dollars and in-kind contributions. Volunteers, every town’s greatest asset, bring hours of their time and talent to the table, and other partnerships are formed to bring as many views and abilities to the table as possible. The communities were chosen after responding to the Foundation's Request for Proposals.

Nationally, the Foundation is working with many other individuals and organizations to build a Community Heart & Soul network of practitioners, citizens and towns to share ideas, lessons and successes and seed the kind of change that will put the future back into the hands of local residents.

The Orton Family Foundation, based in Middlebury, Vermont, serves cities and towns under 50,000 in population in the Northeast and Rocky Mountain West. It was created in 1995 by Lyman Orton, owner of the Vermont Country Store, and is supported with profits from the Store.

For more information contact:

Joh Barstow, Director of Communications
The Orton Family Foundation

802.388.6336
PO Box 111
Middlebury, VT 05753
communications@orton.org
www.orton.org

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Budget Process Cometh

The following is an op-ed to appear in the TVN on July 31st.

What an exciting time of the year this is! Fourth of July celebrations, music festivals, bbq's and most importantly it's time to work through your City's budget process once again. You've waited patiently all year to review last year's budget against the actual numbers like a kid on Christmas Eve tossing and turning frantically in bed waiting to finally run down stairs and rip into the new toys under the tree. Or maybe you're like most people and haven't actually found the thrill of the budget process yet and just read a blurb about it in the paper every year.

Ok, I must admit that as a new Council member I am very new to the budget process and I actually wasn't eagerly anticipating the extra budget meetings I've been sitting through. In fact I was dreading the whole affair quite frankly. I wasn't sure where to begin, how to formulate my opinions, and have no previous municipal budgeting experience to draw upon. Luckily, at this year's Association of Idaho Cities conference I sat in on a budgeting workshop and learned about a great book called “The Price of Government” which advocates a process called Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO). Although I wouldn't exactly call it a page turner, it did get me excited about actively participating in the budget process. It made me realize that the budget is where it all goes down. This is where the action is, where the look and feel of your City is decided, and where YOUR money gets spent.

Of course the budget process can be boring, frustrating, draining, and painstakingly slow. That's where BFO comes in. This methodology guides the process with a level of common sense and transparency that takes away the sting of the whole experience. While budgeting might not be for everyone, this certainly makes it way more bareable.

It will take a few years to fully utilize BFO in Victor, but we have opportunity this year to take the first steps. Step one: actively engage the public more in the process. So here I am asking all the citizens of Victor to email me your wish list and come to our budget hearing on August 27th. It's an opportunity for every citizen to come forth and let us know where we did well, where we screwed up, and how you want the City to operate in the future. The budget process is a lot like voting. If you don't go to the polls, you can't complain about the results.

Councilmen Attend AIC Conference

This post is a little outdated, but just to let the general public know what's going on I thought I'd share the info. From June 24th - 27th Councilmen Kearsley, Bergart, and Fitzgerald attended the Association of Idaho Cities Conference in Boise, ID. Here's a quick breakdown of a few seminars we attended:

- Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention
- Transportation Funding
- Water Issues Affecting Idaho Cities
- Effective City Council Meetings
- Understanding Access Management
- Water Hot Topics
- Environmental Forum
- Grants for Street Projects
- Best Practices in Municipal Budgeting
- Grants from the Dept of Commerce
- Developing Capital Improvements Plans
- City and County Relationships
- The EFC Financial Dashboard

Other highlights included a speech by Governor Otter on Transportation funding, and a speech by political analyst David Gergen on the state of the Presidential Election. Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the conference and it's relevance to Victor. I look forward to going back next year.

PS. Had a chance to ride the Idaho VeloPark. Pioneer Park perhaps?

Monday, June 30, 2008

Jackson Spill Over

Here is a link to a study just completed by the Sonoran institute. It documents growth impacts in the Teton region of Wyoming and Idaho. I have also heard this report referred to as the "Jackson spill over study." Don't be scared of reading it. There are nice photos and it's short, but definitely a worthwhile read.

www.sonoran.org

Thursday, June 5, 2008

June 11th Agenda - City Council

7:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance
7:02 Minutes
7:10 Bob Hardy – Final Audit
7:30 Sunrise Engineering
8:00 Mountain Shadows Developer’s Agreement
8:30 Trail Creek Crossing Developer’s Agreement
9:00 Blackhawk Estates – Final Plat

Visitors
Maintenance
P&Z
Administrative
Fall River Annual Meeting
Bond Counsel for Sewer Bond

Calendaring

Arbor Day & Community Picnic – June 14th

Budget Workshop – June 18th 7:00 p.m.