Ideas Presented at Land Use Education and Communication Task Force

[landruler]

I started thinking about a concept for online delivery of land development rules and processes in 2002 when I worked at INCOG. I left there in 2004 but have continued to see a need. Lately I started a blog and when this task force was formed to look at how we handle land use communications, it seemed like the right time to bring it out. Here's a presentation I made at this evening's task force meeting: http://landrules.com/?p=201.

[pmcalk]

I think this is an excellent idea.  TMAPC/INCOG's current website leaves a lot to be desired (that's putting it kindly).  If the property next to you is zoned as a PUD and you want to find out what can be done with it, try finding that online.  It's not there.  Try to find out what the current comprehensive plan says about your neighborhood.  Again, not there.  What if you want to find the Brookside study?  Nope.  You see something about a meeting with the Technical Advisory Group, but have no idea what that is.  Nothing online would help you figure that out.

Land use decisions must be made in an informed, transparent and open arena.  If not, people will see conspiracy in every decision that doesn't go their way.

[sgrizzle]

That topic may also be discussed here to do some degree:
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=13175.0

[PonderInc]

Love the concept! 

One interesting point that Mr. Beach made in his presentation was that when people are considering moving to a new city, they look at municiple websites.  When developers are considering making an investment in a community, they, too, begin their research online.  The website acts as a marketing tool that says: We've got our sh_t together, and we've made it easy for developers AND citizens to participate in the success of our community.

Unfortunately, this is not the opinion that anyone would form if they looked at the TMAPC/INCOG website.

The INCOG / TMAPC website looks like it was designed in the late 90's (as a school project?).  It is as remedial as online technology can be.  We are failing to utilize vastly improved technology that could transform the development process.  (By making it easy to understand what's going on, how things work, and how to get involved.)

Imagine a system where I could highlight areas on a map and say "inform me of any zoning changes or PUD applications within this area."   Or, think about how Zillow.com works.  (You can browse through neighborhoods using satellite photos, and when you want to see details on a property, you just click on the house.)  Imagine being able to click on a property, and see all the information about zoning and proposed developments in the area ("Show me all proposed/approved PUD's within X distance of this property"), etc.  Then, imagine being able to see all the developers proposals/exhibits online right then and there.  (Along with 3-D conceptual drawings of the plan.)

The sky's really the limit, and we have nowhere to go but up.  Even minor changes would make a huge difference.  But a well-planned, intuitive website that could help citizens understand what's going on (development-wise) in their city?  Amazing!

One of PLANiTULSA's Guiding Principles includes the following language:

"Tulsans expect city planning to be inclusive and transparent, with land use and neighborhood plans adopted, funded, implemented, and monitored for performance in an open, public process. "

This proposal for easy, online access to all relevant information for all citizens would be a huge step towards making this a reality.