the master plan and collaborative planning - land uselanduse.org/wp-content/uploads/chapter7.pdf128...

Collaborative Land Use Planning — 127

CHAPTER SEVEN

Contents

Success – Blairstown, New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

What Is the Connection Between Master Planning

and Collaborative Planning? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Making the Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

How Can Collaborative Planning Help Implement

the Master Plan? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

How Can the Master Plan Committee Encourage

Use of the Collaborative Planning Process? . . . . . . . . 140

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

The Master Plan andCollaborative PlanningThe Master Plan and

Collaborative Planning

128 — Collaborative Land Use Planning

The Master Plan and Collaborative PlanningThe Master Plan and Collaborative Planning

CHAPTER SEVEN

The natural resourceinventory is complete.

Conventional zoningis done.

How can each andevery project beplanned to contributeits rightful share ofcommunity-enhancing features?


Success — Blairstown, New JerseyConflict: Residents vs. officials over village revitalization. Solution: Relations improved. State Dept. of Transportation to the rescue.Master plan for revitalization.

In the village of Blairstown a loopwalk was created that connected a well-traveled bike/walking trailon an old railroad bed to the shops in the village, past historic structures, over a river and past awaterfall, and across a state highway. Since they were planning to widen the highway, the StateDept. of Transportation was invited to participate in the modeling sessions. When they saw the collaboration and the vision, they contributed design and financial support for improving existingsidewalks, traffic calming at the state highway crossing, and entry kiosks to identify the historic village to highway travellers.

“We, the Main Street and Village Association, asmall group of village residents and business owners, had been trying to work with regular roadmaps to create a vision plan. We had no particularidea of exactly what was where. Several studieshad been done previously that had gone nowhere.

Once we started using this process we cameup with a specific direction, and we were able to prioritize the various steps. With the aerial photowe realized that we could create a loop walk thatwould tie the park and the downtown together,and we could see where to plan the loop. By working in a round table, collaborative group, newideas and discussions came about regarding buildings, businesses and the value of the loop topedestrians.

When we went to the Township Committeewith our ideas, we took our aerial photo and stoodit upright. We could make concrete statementssince we had done the planning three- dimensionally placing the buildings and the parkareas and color coding the entire concept. In 25minutes, they were able to clearly understand our

months of thought process. It was extremely positive. From that presentation we have gaineddecided municipal cooperation in each directionthe project has taken. We invited town officials tojoin in. They are a part of the whole process now,and they are as excited as we are in terms of ourplan development. We have now received severalgrants to carry out our vision of connecting walk-ways, bikeways, and parks in the village, and wehave several more grant opportunities. Thingsmoved forward with this process where they hadn’t moved forward at all with alternative processes.”

Gerry Manger, Village and Main Street Association and Realtor

“People in the community were interested inthis process enough to come out, and really feltgood about the vision plan we came up with. Thisprocess allows the planning board and council toknow what the community wants. Then, they cantake that vision and go forward. It’s the com -munity’s vision, not their vision!”Kara Quick, Village and Main Street Association

THE MASTER PLAN AND COLLABORATIVE PLANNING

The village of Blairstown, New Jersey.


CHAPTER SEVEN

Life gets easier for the planning board and the master plan committee with collaborative planning!


What Is the Connection Between Master Planning and Collaborative Planning

I am often asked what the connection is between the Master Planand collaborative planning. It is a very positive connection. They canhelp each other! The basics of this mutual support are summarized onthe next two pages, and the details are provided in the rest of the chapter. The coordination of the master plan and collaborative planningoffers much promise, little cost, and little risk. Try it and e-mail yourresults and any questions to me at [email protected].

The master plan committee can

encourage use of collaborative planning.

Collaborative planningcan help update and implement

the master plan.



CHAPTER SEVEN

How Can Collaborative Planning HelpImplement the Master Plan?

1. By generating projects that expressly improve exist-ing neighborhoods so residents prefer to live in thedeveloped areas of the municipality.

2. By including community-enhancing features ineach proposed project.

3. By finding community residents who are interestedin land use planning, and training them in community-enhancing features, creative thinking,and consensus building.

4. By decreasing the animosity and lawsuits asso -ciated with land development and thereby givingcommunity officials more time, energy, andresources to plan townwide community-enhancingfeatures.

5. By increasing townwide stakeholder support forthe master plan and its community-enhancing features and thereby helping the municipalityattract state, federal, and philanthropic fundingneeded to build the townwide features.

6. By providing a collaborative model for updatingthe Master Plan.

7. By including the collaborative planning process inthe Master Plan as the implementation component.


How Can the Master Plan CommitteeEncourage Use of CollaborativePlanning?

1. By suggesting to municipal officials that theyencourage use of collaborative planning with proposed projects in existing neighborhoods.

2. By recommending that the planning board andgoverning body adopt the Collaborative Planningguidelines in the Appendix.

3. By applying the principles of inclusive team- building, outward focus, enhancement, and sustainability when they update the master plan.

4. By informing collaborative planning teams of proposed townwide community-enhancing features in the master plan.



Making the Connection

The link between collaborative planning and masterplanning hasn’t always been clear.

For years, whenever I give a presentation about collabo-rative planning, I always get questions about how what Ihave learned applies to the master plan. When I began thisresearch I spent a lot of time exploring ways to make master plans better and ways to implement them. It wasvery frustrating. Nothing was working.

Finally, a breakthrough came when I realized that the physical structure of a healthy, vital community had to emphasize features that create community spirit among its residents. It is the feeling of connectedness among the residents that achieves safety, security, pleasing character,and neighborhood pride and identity. Walkways, recrea -tional facilities, schools, libraries, post offices, workplaces,and other community features need to be located wherethey expressly foster a feeling of connectedness and achievea sense of community. That was not happening in develop-ment projects, and I wanted to know why.

In meeting after meeting, at planning boards and with neighborhood groups, developers, and environmentalgroups, people battled it out over density, buffers, and setbacks. Community-enhancing features couldn’t havebeen further from their minds. When I mentioned pedes -trian promenades and public greens, they just stared at meand then went back to arguing about density. Was some-thing missing?

The missing ingredient that would enable participantsto talk about community-enhancing features was collabora-tion. The participants needed to take off their hats, setaside their agendas, and work as a team – a team with thecommon goal of building a better community. Since com-munity spirit seemed to deteriorate a little with each battleover a proposed project, I began to concentrate at the project level. I searched for ways to build community spirit

CHAPTER SEVEN

My research showsthe missing ingredientis collaboration – and collaboration worksat the project level.

The physical structureof a community needsto foster communityspirit. Unfortunately,discussion is usuallycentered on density,buffers, and setbacks.


and teamwork. The successes that resulted from that experimentation are great, and the previous chapters showyou how to reproduce those results. But what about themaster plan? In my mind I put the master plan idea on theback burner while I concentrated at the project level.

Ironically, as the master plan was de-emphasized in theresearch, the efforts at the project level did more to imple-ment the goals and values of the master plans than masterplan hearings and land development regulations ever did.Collaborative teams started achieving useful pedestrian walkways, centrally located public greens, efficient traffic circulation, and identifiable and pleasing character in the projects they were designing. For me the master plan hadbecome a legal necessity that was irrelevant to getting realimprovements in neighborhoods. And yet, the questionsabout how this work applies to master plans kept comingup at every presentation. I couldn’t just forget about masterplans, and that is a good thing, because I was wrong.Master plans play an important role in making better neighborhoods and improving our quality of life. Aftermany many conversations with talented, committed publicservants involved with master planning, it is clear how toconnect collaborative planning with master planning.

Master plans can playan important role inimproving existing neighborhoods.

“They had been battling foralmost two years and therewere three distinct groupsin the battle at that point,the developer, two sets of neighbors, and the planningboard. When we got calledin, everybody was pretty frustrated. No one wasreally talking to each otherand knowing what to do.”

Audrey O’Connell,Environmental Commission,

Byram, New Jersey



CHAPTER SEVEN

How Can Collaborative Planning HelpImplement the Master Plan?

1. By generating projects that expressly improve existing neighborhoods so residents prefer to live in the developedareas of the municipality.

Collaborative planning provides a way to design infilland redevelopment projects in developed areas that, inspite of adding more people to the neighborhood, areappealing to local residents because they provide need-ed community-enhancing features and help solve traffic,crime, and pollution problems. This helps implementthe master plan in zones slated for denser develop mentby gaining public support for proposed projects. As resi-dents learn that there is a process for integrating pro-posed projects into the existing neighborhood in a waythat specifically improves their lives, rather than addingmore problems, they gain interest in the neighborhoodand lose incentive to move to less developed areas.

2. By including community-enhancing features in each proposed project.

Every master plan committee wants to improve life intheir community, and committee members work hard toinclude community-enhancing features in the masterplan. There are, however, many opportunities toimprove community life that have not been recognizedor are too small to be included specifically in the masterplan. Every time a new project is proposed there is achance to discover and build small, neighborhood- specific community improvements. With the collabora-tive planning process a community can seize each ofthese opportunities.



3. By finding community residents who are interested inland use planning, and training them in community-enhancing features, creative thinking, and consensusbuilding.

Planning and zoning boards, environmental commis-sions, and master plan committees are largely volunteeractivities. The collaborative planning process provides away for people interested in land use issues to volunteertheir time and achieve clear success with specific projects. Collaborative planning trains them to be con-structive instead of obstructive, flexible instead ofdefensive, and optimistic about their community insteadof dispirited. Enthusiastic, knowledgable citizens canturn a good master plan into reality.

4. By decreasing the animosity and lawsuits associated withland development and thereby giving community officialsmore time, energy, and resources to plan townwide community-enhancing features.

Planning board meetings relax when the developer,master plan committee, neighbors, city planners, andenviron mentalists together present a project plan thatincludes the desired community-enhancing features.Community improvement, rather than damage control,becomes the focus, and the relaxed creativity of every-one yields innovative and workable solutions for diffi-cult problems.

5. By increasing townwide stakeholder support for the master plan and its community-enhancing features and thereby helping the municipality attract state, federal,and philanthropic funding needed to build the townwidefeatures.

When the collaborative planning process is used,redevelop ment projects are carefully designed by neighborhood-based collaborative planning teams who understand the benefits of the community-enhancing

“People keep telling me,‘We really intend to moveinto this project!’ Even theother night when we wentbefore the planning boardand the town council, therewere several people in theaudience who came up tome and said, ‘I’m going tobuy one of those houses!’And I really think theymeant it, because most ofthem have gray hair like Ido and we’re getting readyfor retirement and you simply can’t live here with a retirement income. So Ithink we’re all looking for-ward to buying into this.”Ruth Smith, Planning Board

and Boro Council, Mendham, NJ


CHAPTER SEVEN

features they include. With their enthusiasm and support, bikeways and other recreational facilities,affordable housing, and traffic calming features cangain the local public support needed to attract funding.(See the Blairstown success story on page 129.)

6. By providing a collaborative model for updating theMaster Plan.

In a collaborative Master Plan update process (MPUP), interested residents can help the master plan committeeselect and plan for townwide community-enhancingfeatures in the best locations. The use of collaborationin updating the Master Plan is outlined in the table onthe next page and discussed after that.

By applying the principles and techniques of collabora-tive planning, the master plan committee, town officials,and the public can reach consensus on placement of town-wide community-enhancing features. Then, by using thecollaborative planning process with proposed projects in theareas where the townwide community-enhancing featuresare contemplated, the desired features can be in cluded inthe projects and the master plan implemented.

The best way to achieve community-enhancing featuresin the municipality is to apply the principles of inclusiveteam-building, outward focus and sustainability. Buildingteam spirit on the master plan committee also helps achieve consensus, support, and funding for larger community- enhancing features. Collaborative, hands-on modeling cre-ates a townwide vision of community- enhancing featuresthat is easily understood and inspiring. An outward focuson including features that enhance life in the surroundingcommunities can make your town the heart of the area.Citizen hosting of a collaborative Master Plan updateprocess uses the talents and energy of the public to make apositive contribution to the master plan. Citizens with suc-cessful experiences on collaborative planning teams bringtheir expertise to the master plan com mittee as members oras supportive citizens.

“This is a process wherebycitizens become involvedto create a positive vision,to take the traditions oftheir town, to take whatthey see in their town andcreate a positive vision togo forward with.”

Peter Meyer, President,Professional Planning

and Engineering Corp. Cedar Knolls, NJ


Principles of Collaborative Planning

• Developer wants to develop the property

• Goals:(1) include community-enhancing

features in the project plan(2) insure proposed project helps

achieve the master plan

• Planning board encourages citizensto host the collaborative planningprocess

• Collaborative planning team includesneighbors, city planner, and partici-pants from environmental groups,master plan committee, and thedeveloper

• Collaborative planning team care -fully places community-enhancing features on map or aerial photo ofproject

• Participants’ focus on team-buildingallows resolution of difficult issues

• Collaborative planning team submitsproject plan for approval

• Cohesive team vision allows outside funding of features

• Trust and collaboration improvesbetween citizens and town officials

• Shorter, more cooperative boardmeetings

• Enthusiasm and community spiritkeeps building with each success

Principles of the CollaborativeMaster Plan Update Process

• Master plan committee wants toupdate the master plan

• Goals:(1) include community-enhancing

features in the master plan(2) insure proposed projects help

achieve the master plan

• Planning board encourages citizensto host Master Plan Update Process

• Master Plan Update team includescitizens, city planner and participantsfrom environmental groups, past collaborative planning teams, and theMaster Plan Committee (acting asthe developer)

• Master Plan Update team carefullyplaces community-enhancing featureson map or aerial photo of town

• Participants’ focus on team-buildingallows resolution of difficult issues

• Master Plan Update team submitsmaster plan for approval

• Cohesive team vision allows outsidefunding of features

• Trust and collaboration improvesbetween citizens and town officials

• Shorter, more cooperative boardmeetings

• Enthusiasm and community spiritkeeps building with each success



CHAPTER SEVEN

“We had the opportunity,by using collaborative plan-ning, to take a couple ofmajor parcels and to re-establish a hamlet centerthere with a very attractivemixed use, mixed residen-tial and very small scalecom mercial use develop-ment which combines twoseparate tracts and twoseparate developers work-ing very closely together onone collaborative planningteam.”

Ted Chase, Planning BoardChairman, Lewisboro, NY

How Can the Master Plan CommitteeEncourage Use of the CollaborativePlanning Process?

1. By suggesting to municipal officials that they encourageuse of the collaborative planning process with proposedprojects in existing neighborhoods.

Traffic, crime, and pollution can all be reduced as aresult of using collaborative planning on proposed projects in settled areas. The public wants these prob-lems solved, and the public becomes part of the solu-tion as the talents and skills of local residents con-tribute to the collaborative planning teams. Once themaster plan committee has recommended collaborativeplanning as a way to improve existing neighborhoods,town officials can enthusiastically suggest that neigh-bors, environmentalists, and developers use it.

2. By recommending that the planning board and govern-ing body adopt the Collaborative Planning guidelines inthe Appendix.

The easiest way for a municipality to start using collaborative planning is to adopt the CollaborativePlanning guidelines in the Appendix. These guidelinesexplain how colla borative planning works and howeach party becomes involved so that town officialsknow how to encourage collaborative planning forappropriate projects.

3. By applying the four principles of inclusive team- building, outward focus, enhancement, and sustainability when they update the master plan.

Consistency of values among municipal officialsinvolved in land use decision-making is very helpful ingetting community-enhancing features included in proposed projects. When the principles of collabora-tion, outward focus, enhancement, and sustainabilityare understood and applied, collabora tive power canthen be generated to get good projects done for thecommunity.


“It was a rewarding experi-ence because I thought alot of good ideas cameacross. I particularly appreciated it because ittook into account the sensibilities of the propertyowners whose propertieswere involved and alsotheir financial investment intheir property, consistentwith the concept of developing this villageatmosphere.”Paul Nussbaum, land owner

and attorney, Hope, NJ


4. By informing collaborative planning teams about proposed townwide community-enhancing features in themaster plan.

Members of the master plan committee know the town-wide community-enhancing features that are sought inthe master plan. They know where bikeways and otheradditional recreational facilities are needed. They knowthe locations of existing conservation easements andparkland that could be enhanced by the addition of certain parcels. Their participation on collaborativeplanning teams brings a townwide perspective to theselection of needed community-enhancing features, andprovides encouragement and support for the teams.

ConclusionHow do we update and implement master plans in a

way that ends Sprawl? That was the challenge that initiatedthe Smarter Land Use Project. Research quickly showedthat master planning has been constrained by existing regulations, by apathy, and by opposition at the projectlevel.

Through years of research the Smarter Land UseProject developed the collaborative planning process tofocus project design on community-enhancing features andencourage cooperation among the stakeholders. It turns outthat collaborative planning does much more than that – itimproves proposed projects, enhances the surroundingneighborhoods, decreases animosity and lawsuits, andrelieves the pressure that creates Sprawl. The original chal-lenge has been met, but much more can be achieved.

Collaborative planning can be coordinated with masterplanning to make the entire process of community- buildingmore effective. This work is just beginning. I would behappy to share ideas and progress reports with interested readers. Write me at [email protected].

the master plan and collaborative planning - land uselanduse.org/wp-content/uploads/chapter7.pdf128...

Documents