“Tell me what I can do to keep this place up,” he said he asked city
officials. “Anything, tell me what is the legal use and
landscaping. What can I do to use the property, then I can develop
it.”
This reminds me of a story recounted by Milton Friedman in his book/TV show Free to Choose. He asked a university student in the Soviet Union what did he plan to do with his future. The student answered, "I don't know, they haven't told me yet!"
Sadly, Joe, this is a common problem with our local community development departments. The "planners" are geared to only comment on "submitted" projects with engineering, 5 copies of plans drawn by an archetect, photometric criteria and the like to hear that it doesnt conform or will need additional research by staff (at the applicants cost, of course),or it just doesnt work for this site.
ReplyDeleteHelp is seldomly provided on what could be built or what changes could be made to make it work. The planning deprtments in this area are geared to only tell you when it is wrong.....not help you in desiphering what "could" be done......
In Lathrop, this has become commonplace.....It frustrates a great many potential builders that bring services, retail stores, and the like to our community.
Dan Mac Neilage
Last January, Manteca's Director of Community Development stated publicly, with visible passion, "It is not my job to perpetuate the mistakes of the past!" (Don'tcha love people who define themselves with double negatives?) He failed to follow up with what IS his job. One would like to assume it IS his job to correct as many past mistakes as come to his attention, as well as actively support projects that comply with city law.
ReplyDeleteBut, really, it is simply too much to expect him and his department to have any good ideas of their own. The taxpayers do not pay them enough for that.