How Planners Trick You
Did You Know:
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The city already has a plan for your neighborhood,
you will only get to decide the minor details like what color to paint the
row houses, condos and apartments that the city plans. Perhaps where some
of them are located, but not wether or not to have them. They might improve
a park or two, but not much else.
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The process is designed to make you
think your neighborhood is actually making the decisions. Try saying
NO to something the city really wants like a big apartment or bubble
curbs.
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Many city employees and employees of companies
that do business with the city are at tonight's meeting. They will pretend
to be your neighbors and will make suggestions to mold your neighborhood
to the city's plan.
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City planning is NOT a SCIENCE, instead it
is based on multiple, dubious, assumptions about
how people should live, without
regard to how people want to live. Your neighborhood is about to
become a social experiment.
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Urban renewal funds include transportation
upgrades. These funds will be taken for light rail if light rail is contemplated,
otherwise they will be spent on wide sidewalks, street trees and bubble curbs
instead of paving your unpaved neighborhood streets. Or adding sidewalks
where there are none.
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Neighborhood advisory committees claim to represent
the neighborhood, but are usually dominated by city employees and companies
that do business with the city.
The City's
plan
The city's plan is pretty much the same throughout
the whole city:
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Put 30-50% more people in the neighborhood
by encouraging giant apartment buildings, row houses and other high density
development.
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Improve "walkability" at the expense of
"drivability"
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Add bike paths to main streets instead of secondary
streets.
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Widen sidewalks and add trees.
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Add center medians, with trees.
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Easier pedestrian crossing.
What they don't mention
The tradeoffs
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Those wide sidewalks and medians require space
that is only available by removing "on street" parking and driving lanes.
This means more traffic congestion. Both of which will destroy small businesses
in the area.
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Increased congestion WILL cause people to cut
through your neighborhood.
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More people with their cars, means more
pollution.
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Increased congestion means even more
pollution.
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Increased congestion takes your time away from
your family.
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Parking behind businesses is more prone to
muggers & rapists.
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Bubble curbs and speed bumps slow emergency
vehicles, actually causing deaths.
The Cost
They never mention costs. Street "improvements"
are very expensive and money might be better spent:
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Reducing traffic congestion in anticipation
of 30-50% more traffic from all of those new residents.
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Paving the unpaved streets.
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Adding sidewalks where there are none.
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Trees require watering. They fill the streets
and sidewalks with leaves every fall. These cause traffic accidents and slippery
sidewalks which are a particular hazard to older people.
Fight the Tricks
They don't
tell you about the process, so you are always disoriented. Here it is:
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They have a series of meetings to gather
information and input. These include neighborhood walks, meetings with various
groups, business associations, neighborhood associations etc to gather
neighborhood opinions.
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They then go away and create their vision for
your neighborhood, trying to describe their plan in terms gathered from your
neighborhood.
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More meetings to modify the minor elements,
but not the important stuff like wether or not high rise (stack & pack)
apartments are desired. They are coming - you get to advise on the color
and siding materials.
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Urban renewal districts form advisory committees
composed of people from the neighborhood (allegedly). The city will try to
load these with city sympathizers.
Know the enemy
It is not unusual to have far more city people,
than neighborhood people in meetings. Always ask: "How many people
here work for the City or a company that does business with the city".
These are the people who will advance the city's agenda by mentioning things
that the residents don't want. This is a very important item - don't
let then fool you.
The usual procedure is to ask people what they
like and dislike about the neighborhood, what are the problems. There will
be much probing for details, but no mention of tradeoffs. These statements
are recorded on giant post-it notes and later turned into a plan. Speak up
- be sure that the tradeoffs are recorded on those post-its -- they are the
only record of what was said.
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If you don't want big apartments, speak
up!
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When they ask what color to paint the giant
apartments, be outspoken that the real problem is the size not the color.
Same for the building's appearance.
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If speed bumps come up, mention that they slow
emergency vehicles (one study showed that speed bumps kill 37 people for
every life they save.)
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When they talk about helping pedestrians cross
the street, mention that extended curbs
should not include
bus stops which causes busses to block traffic.
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Ask if people will be less safe standing close
to oncoming traffic on extended curbs.
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Ask about costs. Are there better ways to spend
the money.
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They will ask business groups if they want
more customers. Ask if those new apartments will bring more competitors.
(The answer is YES)
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Complain about the removal of parking.
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Complain about the removal of driving
lanes.
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Remember, more people on the same roads = more
congestion.
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When they talk of new buildings reflecting
the local character of the neighborhood, they mean that the oversized apartments
will be the same color with similar looking outside materials and decorations.
They will still be four or five story monsters next to your home or the next
to the one story buildings that predominate the area.
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Videotape all city promises - they will lie
to you to get their way.
If you don't speak up, your
neighborhood plan will be the city's scheme, not your Plan.
If You Really Care About Your
Neighborhood
Organize
a true neighborhood group to figure out what you want and what you don't
want. Be sure your "don't want" list makes it to the record. For instance
you might not want increased congestion, speed bumps, bike paths on the main
street, loss of parking and bus stops in the middle of traffic.
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If you appear to be a group, they will try
to separate you into smaller groups at meetings to dilute your power, insist
on staying together. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SAY NO to them. After all it's your
neighborhood, not theirs!
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When advisory committees are formed, be sure
that ALL of the voting members are from your neighborhood. Normally, these
working committees that "represent" the neighborhoods are loaded with city
employees or employees of companies that do business with the city (These
people tend to be very active in the neighborhood to promote their employer's
agenda and thus the city's agenda) This will be very contentious an will
require persistence and maybe even multiple calls to city hall. Be prepared
to become a real pest to each and every city commissioner. These committees
are only advisory, with the PDC overruling them at will.
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If you doubt this, ask the people in Lents
about the Rose development. Portland's PDC overrode the neighborhood committee
by claiming the committee wasn't representative of the neighborhood. As if
bureaucrats in city hall are representative!
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Why not ask tonight's PDC people about Lents
and Rose development?
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Try to get real power, not just advisory.
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Go the library and look at books on neighborhood
political action. Consider Donald Trump's "Art of the Deal" -- it mentions
a lot of tricks he used against neighborhood residents.
Some Facts
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Most of Russelville, The commons, Pearl District
and Riverfront development get special property tax breaks and pay little/no
property tax for 10 years, while schools, fire and police get shortchanged
or we make up the difference in higher taxes
.
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Sometimes the builders even get land from
PDC at big discount, while we make up the difference. The new high density
apartments in your neighborhood will get these 10 years breaks while you
have to make up the difference.
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The little guy doesn't matter: PDC is proposing
the city spend about $200 million in infrastructure cost to enable the North
Macadam development while little people have to pay "system development fees"
to move a Pizza parlor across the street (Beautiful Pizza on Belmont
St.).
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For examples of the kind of development pushed
by the city take a look at:
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Russelville (S.E. 102nd, 1 block
South of Burnside)
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The Commons (60th & Glisin, that Moscow
style apartment building abutting Banfield on the south side.)
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Pearl District
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River Front Development.
How_Planners_Trick_You13.wpd
HOW BUILDERS TRICK
YOU
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Present the worst possible building permitted by law then compromise on what
they really want. Or propose what they really want and threaten to build
the worst if you won't let them do it.
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For small apartments: Claim that you will live in it. Of course change you
mind later.
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This will be quality project (no one builds junk!)
More Planner Deceptions:
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Neighborhood walk shows the pedestrian view. The lack of a drive around the
neighborhood prejudges the process against cars. The lack of walk & talk
with businesses prejudges against business. Etc.
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