PLANiTULSA Proposal - Step 6: Organize Planning & Development Functions

[PonderInc]

From the PLANiTULSA "Our Vision" document - Proposed Strategies
http://www.planitulsa.org/vision/strategies

Step 6:  Organize Planning and Development Functions for Implementation
Taking PLANiTULSA to BUILDiTULSA

Our Vision for Tulsa lays out an ambitious agenda for change that will require a high degree of coordination and skill to accomplish. The city will adopt the comprehensive plan, but most of the key projects will be built by the private sector. Therefore, it is crucial that the process of development is clear and easy to follow. Cities that have been successful implementing visionary plans have carefully coordinated their long-range and current planning, capital improvement, economic, and redevelopment programs to reinforce one another.

Organization matters, and currently Tulsa's planning and development functions are spread between many agencies and departments. Development services and economic development functions reside in different departments. The city's redevelopment activities and programs are carried out by the Tulsa Development Authority, and staffed by the City's economic development and real estate management staffs. Neighborhood planning functions are a part of city government. While the city is leading PLANiTULSA, long range planning and zoning is staffed by INCOG under contract with the City, and the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) with both county and city appointees is the key planning advisory body and is responsible for both zoning and comprehensive planning.

For PLANiTULSA to be successful it is critical that the city coordinate development-related activities so they work together to effectively address changes desired by Tulsans. Tulsa should enhance staff capacity and technical skills and consider organizational changes that will allow the city to lead in local land use decision making. These changes could include more direct coordination of zoning administration, permitting, long range, and community planning between the City of Tulsa, INCOG and the TMAPC. These changes could also include consideration of the consolidation of some or all small area planning, long range planning, capital planning, economic development, community development, zoning administration and development permitting functions into a Community Development Department within the City of Tulsa. It is also important that the city continue to support regional transportation and land use planning, economic development and growth policy initiatives as well.  The city should establish measurable goals based on the PLANiTULSA strategic plan, make sure the departments and agencies have adequate resources to accomplish them, and hold them accountable for performance.

[PonderInc]

I liked what Fregonese said about this topic:  Start with the outcomes you want to see, and then build an organization to achieve those goals.  (Ah, common sense...)

I was intrigued to learn that it's unusual for a "COG" to provide zoning services to a city Tulsa's size.  Typically, this only happens in small towns that can't afford their own planning/zoning departments.

However, this highlights one of Tulsa's big problems.  We have a City planning department that is desperately understaffed and underfunded and lacks a Planning Director (Pat Treadway's position has remained unfilled since his retirement); we have a City budget that is at the mercy of sales tax revenues;  and we have a City Council that doesn't seem to understand the importance and ecomonic impacts of zoning decisions, urban design, and long-range planning.  (Motto: "All we need are cops and folks to fill potholes.")

If I understand correctly, the county (which is funded mostly from property taxes), pays for half of the cost of INCOG.  On the other hand, 80% (or more?) of the county property taxes are generated from within the City of Tulsa.  On the other hand, most of the work that INCOG does is for projects and planning within the City of Tulsa.  So, is that a bargain, a fair trade, or a goofy system?

I definitely see the sense in coordinating/bringing together "small area planning, long range planning, capital planning, economic development, community development, zoning administration and development permitting functions into a Community Development Department within the City of Tulsa."  But only if we can fully fund it, and give it the tools it needs to succeed.  (Perhaps if the money weren't scattered throughout the City of Tulsa budget, efficiencies could be found?)

This is an interesting statement: "Cities that have been successful implementing visionary plans have carefully coordinated their long-range and current planning, capital improvement, economic, and redevelopment programs to reinforce one another."

How badly does Tulsa want to succeed?  Enough to make some bold changes?  Or are we too timid, and too easily intimidated by the keepers of the status quo.  (Motto: "Mediocrity is good enough for us.")

Time will tell.