INTER-NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Making Better Neighborhoods
http://www.rtpnet.org/durhminc
Minutes of Meeting of March 28, 2000
Police Department Community Services Room
Dale Stouch |
Placid Valley |
Dewey Davis |
Latta Rd. |
Lee Noel |
The Valley |
Rosemarie Kitchin |
Grove Park |
George Carter |
Forest Hills |
Randy Pickle |
Forest Hills |
Steve Bocckino |
Fern Valley |
Erick Larson |
TLNA |
Cheryl Sweeney |
Northgate Park |
Pat Carstensen |
Cross County |
Thad Howard |
Carpenter Fletcher |
Patricia Stubbing |
Lakewood Park |
N.R. Standerfer |
City/County Planning |
Charlotte Hyer |
Stirrup Creek |
Linwood D. Best |
City of Durham Housing & Community Development |
Ted Murphy |
Burch Ave. |
Stacy Ballantyne |
Burch Ave. |
Stan Hoffman |
Garrett Farms |
Ed Harrison |
Cross-County |
Ethel Simonetti |
|
Norm Krause |
Hope Valley |
Harry Dawley |
Trinity Park |
Mike Shiflett |
Watts Hospital/Hillandale |
Jay Hallan |
Colony Park |
David McCary |
Solid Waste |
Carrie Mowry |
Colony Park |
Fred L. Mowry |
Colony Park |
Terri Koch |
Watts Hospital/Hillandale |
Jennifer Albright |
TLNA/PAC # 3 |
Mary Kiesau |
Sierra Club |
Al Stone |
Duke Homestead |
Mike Shiflett called the meeting to order at 7:05.
"Reinventing the Department of Planning": Norman Standerfer explained his goals and summarized what he has done since he took over the department in October 1999. He aims to fix broken external processes, to restructure the way the department does its work, and to improve the planning framework within which zoning decisions are made.
· External processes: developers complain that there is no time line between when they submit a request and when the request is decided on. Planning department employees complain that developers submit unfinished plans and depend on the department to complete them. Standerfer has changed the process to require a zoning pre-conference at least 2 ½ weeks before a zoning application is filed. There developers are given a checklist and told they can submit their applications when they have completed all the items. (One of the items on the list, he explained in reply to a question from the floor, is for developers to notify neighborhoods.) Once the application is submitted, Standerfer's department will undertake to have everything under Durham control completed within that zoning cycle. (Things done by the state, like traffic impact analyses, may extend beyond the cycle). Development Review Board processes will take a little longer, about six weeks.
· Internal processes: Standerfer has set up an internal checklist to coordinate what all the departments must do for a zoning request or DRB case. He has also been brainstorming with his staff on how to restructure their work. One example: formerly the Planning department was responsible for putting up and maintaining the signs around a site explaining that a zoning change has been requested for it. Now this responsibility has been turned over to the developers.
· Planning framework: Standerfer wants to complete the small area plans in 2-3 years and then to go back to areas with problems and update their plans. "The real, essential battleground is in planning," he asserted. It should not be in the mechanics of the zoning process.
American Tobacco Trail: Thad Howard asked for neighborhoods to participate in the opening ceremony on Saturday, June 3. There will be a 3.2-mile walk from Hillside High School starting at 8:30 and arriving at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in time for the ceremony at 11:00.
Newsletter: Carrie Mowry passed out copies of the INC newsletter. This and subsequent editions of the newsletter will be available on the INC Web site - www.rtpnet.org/durhminc. A motion was made and passed unanimously to authorize Carrie to spend up to $400 for the year to cover printing costs.
City Council: Erick Larson reported that City Council has moved its meeting time up to 7:00 pm. He urged anyone with ideas for shorter meetings to tell him about them.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:06
AAS
4/25/00