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2005 Workshop Reports -
Smart Growth Discussion Forum
Background on Yellow Spring’s Situation
The opening session of the Yellow Springs
forum provided background information on Yellow Springs. Highlights
included a declining population; less diversity in terms of race,
income, and educational attainment; higher housing costs and tax
burden; and a declining business tax base.
At the same time, Yellow Springs and Miami
Township are situated in the purview of growth at the borders of
Beavercreek, Fairborn, Xenia, and Springfield/Clark County. The infill
development in these communities, especially in Beavercreek, can be an
impetus for some Beavercreek residents to move further out so they can
enjoy open space. So Yellow Springs’ and Miami Township’s future
bodes both commercial and residential pressures.
Smart Growth Discussion Summary
The smart growth discussion was designed to
consider (1) the core values of residents and leaders of Yellow
Springs, (2) how those values align with Smart Growth Principles, and
(3) the thoughtfulness that must accompany action if Yellow Springs is
to develop in a manner that aligns itself with the community’s core
values.
The residents and community leaders who met on
March 26, 2005 embrace community core values that closely align with
smart growth principles (listed below).
- Create a range of housing opportunities and
choices
- Create walkable neighborhoods
- Encourage community and stakeholder
collaboration
- Foster distinctive, attractive communities
with a strong sense of place
- Make development decisions predictable,
fair and cost effective
- Mix land uses
- Preserve open space, farmland, natural
beauty and critical environmental areas
- Provide a variety of transportation choices
- Strengthen and direct development towards
existing communities
- Take advantage of compact building design
The greatest amount of the two hours was spent
discussing development decisions and how to make those decisions
"predictable, fair, and cost effective" (the 5th bullet
statement above). The concerns articulated are likely affected by
recent community angst regarding development in and near the Village.
Detailed Discussion
Question 1: Tell me the first words that
come to mind when I ask, "What do you value most about living in
Yellow Springs?" "Smart Growth recognizes there is no
"one-size-fits-all" solution. However, successful
communities do tend to have one thing in common--a vision of where
they want to go and of what things they value in their community--and
their plans for development reflect these values."
Responses:
Values
- It is a manageable community meaning it is
easy to get around in it, to become involved in it, etc., and it
is the right size
- The feel of community
- Eclectic
- Diverse
- Walkable
- Safe
- Respect for history
- Informed cultural style
- Glen and other green space
- Creative
- Friendly
- Interesting
- Convenient
- Colleges/Universities and schools
- Highly unique
- Stimulating
Physical Values
- Diverse land use, housing stock
- Condensed downtown
- A full service, mixed use downtown
- Alternative transportation means
- The community preserves its buildings and
finds alternative uses for them as former uses decline
- Proximity to natural areas
- The naturalness of the setting shapes the
community
- Treesà when residents think of Yellow
Springs, they think of the color green
- Informal
- Clean air
- Low traffic (comparatively)
- Infill development and reuse—strong
urban/rural boundaries
- New PUD embraces, more strongly, compact
building design and cluster housing concepts
Question 2: A central theme in smart growth
principles is balancing economic growth with environmental
preservation. Given current and possible future development pressures,
how can Yellow Springs’ balance economic need and environmental
preservation?
Probe 1: What is at stake if we
lose green space? What is at stake if we lose downtown's vitality?
What is at stake if we lose businesses?
Probe 2: Green Industries try to
balance economic growth and the environment. How can we provide
support to create our own green industry?
Responses:
- Delineate in the comprehensive plan the
types of development we want.
- Last update was 2002
- The plan should focus on family affordable
housing (to what level of detail has the plan specified the types
of housing that are supported?)
- Does the plan delineate the types of smart
growth features the community espouses?
- Does the comprehensive plan address density
development concepts?
- Does the comprehensive plan consider
annexation as a means of preserving community values? (Any more
work related to the comprehensive plan should address annexation
issues)
- One suggestion from the participants was to
develop and use a checklist to be included in the comprehensive
land use plan. A checklist would communicate community values and
actually solidify common values, and the result would likely be
more predictable, fair, and cost effective development.
- Design the checklist to be encouraging
rather than regulatory. Provide detail in the checklist,
addressing:
- Incentives to the degree we can, for
example, encouraging and attracting companies that score high on
the checklist. This means that incentives would be directed to
companies with high scores.
- The types of growth that are valued
- All in a positive language
- How the Village will fund (incentivize) the
set of principles that it is trying to establish
- Design the checklist flexibly, recognizing
that the application of smart growth principles will be
situational
- There were concerns about limiting the
little development the Village has seen in recent years
- Involve the public in open discussions
about the comprehensive plan. Although the comprehensive plan
currently includes many smart growth principles, maybe it’s time
to openly discuss it again so as to increase awareness and improve
trust
- How can the public be drawn into
discussions about smart growth principles and the checklist,
before development discussions ensue (not later on when all is
left is to say, "We don’t like this")?
- Discussions will not erase disgruntlement,
but will help clarify
- Lack of information leads to unnecessary
friction
- Establish a protocol that requires
developers to hold public forums about their development plans as
early as possible.
- The checklist will clarify community goals
and should be shared with developers early on in the process.
Developers need to describe the relationship between their goals
and community goals early on in the development process as well.
- The western part of the green belt is only
a concept in the comprehensive plan. The lack of solid protection
to the west of the Village creates opposition from some local
residents for development that appears to threaten that border
- Creates sense of urgency for sustaining
green belt
- Recognize that in discussions about
balancing economics and environment, there is a sense of urgency
regarding the environment because it is not easily restored
- Cooperate with regional partners
(especially Xenia and Fairborn) to communicate and promote the
value of the green belt. In a small village, leadership has an
opportunity to broker the types of growth that the community
values.
- There are only about 12 land owners to
broker and negotiate with
- The Village needs to broker deals that
enhance natural resources at its borders
- Conduct background research to inform
development decisions
- Research why people leave the Village
- Research why people cannot move into the
Village
- The Village should consider developing
specific land use plans, open space/park plans, and other targeted
plans to accompany the comprehensive plan
Question 3: Smart growth brings attention
to the discussion of development HOW and WHERE and concerns itself
with growth at the borders. Is it important to protect green space at
our borders? Why? What is valuable? What is problematic?
Responses:
- The closer to the Village that development
occurs, the greater the benefit as long as this development
preserves the environment, because the Village can serve the
development with existing utilities
- There was general agreement in the group
for the preservation of agricultural land.
- Any approach by the Village to Miami
Township property owners needs to be done with sensitivity (Miami
Township is not there simply to serve as a buffer to the Village).
- If the community continues to support
conservation easements, then there needs also to be sensitivity to
the fact that the easement is essentially requesting the land
owners relinquish 25% of the market value of their property.
- The community may need to be prepared to
trade off some protection with some development. For example, let’s
assume 1,000 acres are available. Perhaps the community could
agree to preserve 500 acres and develop the other 500 acres in a
more dense way. This comment did not negate the recognition of a
desire by the people in the group for a green buffer.
- Having few land owners with which to
broker, and having the groundswell of interest regarding
development at the borders, the Village and Township have a great
opportunity
- Currently there is a clear delineation
between Village and farmland/openspace at the borders of the
Village due to the density immediately existing at the borders of
the Village. The Village needs to continue to ensure a similar
density at its borders that is characteristic of the Village
(e.g., this group of residents and leaders does not support less
and less density at the borders).
- The Village should study the Main St. USA
program as a resource for preserving and vitalizing the downtown.
- Some development will work for us, some
against. The community needs to continue this discussion as it
conducts strategic visioning
Question 4: How do we continue this
community dialogue? How do we achieve inclusiveness in community
visioning?
Responses:
- Stage smart growth discussions invitingly
- Need steering committee of 30 people, who
will dedicate 6 to 9 months to the visioning process
- Invite stakeholders into the visioning
process
- Ensure there is informal dialogue
- Tour success stories with developers; give
stakeholders a chance to tell their success stories
- Continue to hold community dialogues
sponsored by the Village
- Video tape these community dialogues and
play them on Channel 13
- Play planning commission meetings on
Channel 13
- Continually re-recruit new members to the
community dialogue
- Add a representative to the Community Round
Table who promotes the Smart Growth viewpoint. CRT Nominees: Bill
Slattery, Ted Donnell, Len Kramer; Len Kramer selected
Smart Growth Recap
1. Brainstorm/ list of values
2. Balancing economy-environment
- Checklist
- Regulatory vs. incentive struggles (there
were concerns about limiting the little development the Village
has seen in recent years)
- Must identify what’s importantà what
is valued
- Set out key principles that allow some
flexibility
- Developer Protocol that is transparent and
offers opportunities early for dialogue
3. Concerns regarding borders
- What is important? What is problematic?
- Continuing the dialogue in a productive,
inclusive way
Recommendations (from the subject matter
expert)
- Yellow Springs has a definite identity;
this should be identified and marketed as much as possible;
similar to "brand name" labeling. Capitalize on existing
strengths; compose a "motto" and market it. Take your
unique qualities and use them to your advantage. (Example:
Philadelphia = city of brotherly love).
- Look into the Main Street USA program from
the National Historic Trust. They have a lot of good resources.
- Does Yellow Spring have a design guide as
part of their planning and zoning documents?
- Has anyone looked into new developments
that are "built green." Cleveland’s EcoVillage &
EcoCity Cleveland are good examples
- Does any mapping exist that defines the
"green belt" or specifically draws it out?
- Is it possible to obtain real estate
"options" on properties that would give individuals
wanting to preserve the green space the "first right of
refusal" in desirable properties?
- Yellow Springs is an involved community—perhaps
an organized "Big Read" like Dayton is doing covering
some good planning/environmental/preservation texts might be a fun
and different way to educate the community at large.
- Could the county economic development (ED)
professional help Yellow Springs work with potential developers to
get a "better fit" between developers and the community?
- Use interesting & innovative ways to
further educate the general public about the existing
comprehensive plan and planning documents that are already in
place.
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