Upcoming opportunities to be an informed citizen

…because, after all, the private citizen is the most important political position there is and we should be informed in our carrying-out of the duties of that office.

The West Alabama Regional Commission (which has not yet been done away with but is apparently in some danger:  http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20120122/NEWS/120129954) is meeting several times next month and some things are on their agenda which will definitely impact certain residents of Tuscaloosa.

They will be discussing protective purchases for the McWrights Ferry Road project as well as the extending and adding of new turn lanes on McFarland Blvd.  The latter project is the one that threatens to tear up the sidewalks that are being installed at this very moment at McFarland and 15th and 13th.  I wonder, also, whether this is being planned with cooperation with the Planning Department and their revitalization efforts of that area which are intended to increase walkability.  Hmmm.

Click here to see the notice which gives meeting times and location.

What’s a Tree Worth?

So I was looking through a notebook I have used to save articles about plants and I found this article from This Old House magazine (March/April 1998!) titled, “Finances:  What’s a Tree Worth?”  (by Gary Belsky).  Considering the massive tree loss we have suffered here in Tuscaloosa, I thought it might be of some use to some folks when filing their taxes next year.

Useful nugget for those who have not already lost their trees:  “An early [landscape] appraisal is also wise for those who live in an area prone to lightning, tornadoes or other of nature’s perils.”  Yeah.

 

…back again with a bit of insight on post-tornado planning

If I was being paid for blogging I would have been fired by now.  But hey, I do what I can…

Which, since this summer, has included (among other things) serving as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee dealing with post-tornado planning, and now, implementation.

As you may recall, after the tornado, the City pulled together a very large group of citizens as well as staff members and consultants and that task force worked on the preliminary draft of the Tuscaloosa Forward Plan.  After that plan was edited by the Mayor, it was submitted to the Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) for review and comment.  The CAC is composed of 10 individuals appointed by the City Council and the Mayor.  We met for two weeks on an almost-daily basis and ultimately produced our own document with broad recommendations which can be summarized as follows:

•  Communication: It is urgently important that ALL citizens of Tuscaloosa understand the vocabulary of the plan – what it is NOT as well as what it IS – as well as the possible timeline, funding plan, and City-wide impact. As changes occur, it will be essential to update and disseminate that information.
•  Collaboration: West Alabama earned the admiration of our nation in the aftermath of the April 27 storm as we joined together to dig our way out of a historic catastrophe. That same creative, “can do” attitude must continue to guide us forward.
•  Cooperation: Longstanding political and economic barriers must be bulldozed to make way for a new level of cooperation that will guide Tuscaloosa’s future progress.

(Citizens Advisory Committee’s Assessment)  Ultimately, the plan was approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission (although not unanimously) and then, unanimously by the City Council.  Our comments were not officially adopted as part of the plan.  They are apparently being considered by staff when making implementation decisions…

The CAC is continuing to work through the implementation stage of the recovery.  Right now, the City’s consultant, Code Studio, out of Austin, Texas, is drafting a new zoning code that will be applicable to the recovery zone only.  This is going to be a different kind of zoning code than most of us have ever lived with – I, for one, fully expect it to be a vast, vast improvement over what we have now and I hope that it will not take too long to expand to cover all of our city.

The new code is called “form-based.”  The code we have now is “use-based.”  Use-based codes separate uses – business is separate from residential is separate from institutional is separate from industrial.  Single-family one-size lot residential is separate from single-family smaller-size lot residential is separated from multi-family, etc.  In form-based zoning, we look at how a community and the human beings who inhabit it best function.  We benefit when things we need (think grocery store, cafe, etc.) are close enough to walk to rather than drive.  It is nice to work near our homes – maybe even in a street-level business that we live above.  Basically, I think of the difference like this:  form-based zoning puts priority on people.  Use-based zoning puts the priority on motor vehicles.

So, anyway, the Code Studio people were here in late September and I attended a meeting they had with business owners and if you want to, you can read my notes on that.

They will be back in town and appearing in a public forum on Monday, October 17 from 5-7 at the Bryant Conference Center.

Notes from 5/10/11 City Council briefings and public projects committee

Some say “better late than never.”  I don’t know, but at least I can now throw away the hard copy of my notes…

Notes of 5/10/11 Pre-Council Briefings.

Notes of 5/10/11 City Council Public Project Committee meeting.

Emergency City Council Meeting 5-5-11

The Tuscaloosa City Council met in emergency session this afternoon at 1:00.

They had already started when I got there at approximately 2 minutes after 1:00 and were hearing from Planning Director John McConnell who at that time was telling them that tornado-impacted buildings were going to be inspected and given a placard colored green (safe for occupancy), yellow (in need or repair) or red (unsafe – do not enter).

Mr. McConnell reported that the Alabama Historical Commission has visited each of the impacted historic districts as well as Forest Lake (which was on the verge of obtaining historic status at the time of the April 27 tornado).  They determined that Forest Lake will NOT receive historic designation now and that other historic districts may be reduced.

Mr. McConnell had a bullet point list of items for the Council’s consideration:

• Mobile Homes:  currently mobile homes are not permitted for residency in the city of Tuscaloosa.  There have been requests coming in to place mobile homes on residential lots in the recovery zone pending rebuilding and also on lots outside of the recovery zone in order to house displaced people.  There are also businesses which have requested permission to use job trailers to house their displaced businesses.
• Modular construction (i.e., Katrina cottages):  this type of construction is not currently allowed in residential zones, but is allowed in business zones.
• Permit fees reduction/waiver requests.  (Demolition as well as construction must be permitted.)
• Registration of contractors in recovery zone in order to get them licensed and to provide proof to citizens that they are not scammers.
• Moratorium on new construction:  some in commercial areas want to hurry up and throw up undesirable buildings with which we would be stuck for the long-term.  We don’t want the impacted commercial areas to become like that stretch of Northport out McFarland Blvd where it is row after row of metal building strip malls.

Walt Maddox (WM) said the moratorium could be as short-lived as even 24 hours while they are working on policy decisions.

Lee Garrison (LG) wanted to know if it would apply to residential and commercial zones.

John McConnell (JMc) said maybe but reminded the council that all zoning is still in effect.

City Attorney Tim Nunnley (TN) mentioned that they want to grant the fire department the authority to issue stop work orders during this recovery period.

There was a discussion of coordination with insurance companies which may be quickly paying to have property repaired and then a city official may declare the property unsafe.  Cynthia Almond pointed out that even property the City has condemned in the regular course of business may be repaired and become occupiable (sp?), so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Bobby Howard (BH) urged that ALL contractors, whether they are working in the recovery zone or elsewhere, be required to be licensed in order to help prevent the scamming of elderly people.

WM pointed out that he can do each of the things on the list through executive order, but that he wanted to meet with the Council to get their input.

Taking the bullet points one at a time, the council began with the question of mobile homes.

FEMA has requested some sites for temporary housing.  They will try to do this within the zoning ordinance.  FEMA does NOT have authority to ignore/change zoning.

This issues does not concern FEMA; it has to do with private developers or property owners looking for lots in existing residential districts on which to place trailers.  So, do we want to allow this exception for hardship and, if so, for how long?

WM – It will be hard to go backward once they are allowed, but there is a great NEED so we will need a tight time frame and, for landlords, an even tighter time frame.

Bill Tinker (BT) – People will probably want to use local contractors and the local contractors will be stretched so it may take people a long time to get their work done.

JMc – we will probably see blue tarps a long time

Bob Lundell (BL) asked John what he had been able to find out about other cities’ experiences with trailers after similar disasters.

JMc:  where they were allowed, they were hard to get rid of.  Sometimes the hardship that allowing the trailer was intended to help relieve never went away (i.e., they never repaired their house.)

TN:  If you do nothing, they are prohibited.  We have identified sites to FEMA where they can go.  We could exhaust those sites and capabilities before considering changing the code.

WM:  FEMA may also place trailers other places.

TN:  FEMA won’t violate the zoning ordinance.

JMc:  We are discussion private requests, not FEMA-provided units.

BH:  Someone who spends their own money to place a trailer is not going to have the same incentive to move it than FEMA would.

BT:  a lot of the lots aren’t big enough for both a trailer AND reconstruction.

LG:  recommends letting the process filter itself out and then consider it with tight limitations later.

BH:  agree.

Taylor Harrison (TH):  They shouldn’t be allowed to stay more than one year on private lots.

LG:  we should get quarterly updates on their progress.

(Me:  this sounds like an administrative nightmare…)

WM – OK; let’s take no action.  They won’t be allowed.

TN:  the sites identified to FEMA will require feasibility studies – no housing will be placed before that.

There are about 250 people in shelters.  Other victims have self-placed elsewhere.

JMc:  FEMA is also seeking available apartments.  It is unclear how many are now available.

SECOND ISSUE:  Modular Construction

TN & JMc:  could flag this type of construction by asking on the permit form whether that kind of construction will be used.

What about businesses?

BT:  OK for temporary.

JMc:  No, they’re not permitted.  No one has applied for a permit for this, plus they would have to go to the Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBA) for permission.  Someone brought up CVS which is operating out of a trailer.  JMc said he didn’t know about it.

WM:  Can we work with  ZBA to expedite an exception approval process?

JMc:  We can do a blanket exception and essentially the ZBA would cede authority to the Planning Department to approve.

WM:  OK.  I will instruct ZBA to do that.

TN:  going to research whether WM can just order it or if ZBA has to do it and he will draw up the order.

NEXT BULLET POINT:  Permit fees and penalties waiver

JMc:  100 or so permits have been issued.  MOst have been for electrical work, simple repairs and demolition.

LG:  if it’s insurance-related, then the cost of permits are built into what general contractors will charge so City shouldn’t waive fee if it’s being paid by insurance.  Could waive if person proves insurance isn’t going to pay.

WM:  does FEMA pay these fees?

JMc:  everyone is emotional.  After a tornado tears down their house it is a slap in the face to then have to pay for a permit to clear the debris, BUT it’s necessary to make sure things are taken care of properly like having the sewer capped and turning off utility service.

LG:  let’s put in a mechanism for hardship.

NEXT BULLET ITEM – registration of contractors:

 JMc:  We want to make laminated tags to hang from the rear-view mirrors of each vehicle in the contractor’s fleet and one to be worn by the foreman.  Won’t require every worker to wear one.

BH:  this is a good idea for the whole city

WM:  the silver lining of this disaster is the number of volunteers that have turned out.  Starting  Saturday morning, all volunteers will have to be credentialed to enter recovery zone.  This will be done at the McAbee Center beginning at 8:00 a.m. Saturday.  This will help keep volunteers safe during the dangerous heavy debris and hazardous waste removal operations which will be starting soon.  Coordination has been challenging because the storm took out our EMA, the Salvation Army and Red Cross.  Existing networks were gone.

LG:  we will need to work hard to get the word out to the public that registration is required for all contractors and then the first thing people need to ask for is the contractor’s registration permit.

KT:  does EVERY volunteer have to go to McAbee and stand in line?  Some companies want to have their employees work on recovery and in other instances, large groups of volunteers are coming in.  An employer doesn’t want to have to pay all of its employees to stand in line.

WM:  Good question about the employees.  Instructed Tracy Croom (city clerk) to coordinate this.  For large groups of volunteers, they should be come “affiliated groups” and their process will be expedited.  This will also help in the neighborhoods because all volunteers will have to have credentials so this should help keep bad guys out.

Cynthia Almond (CA) requests more frequent updates.

Tracy Croom announces that University Blvd from Juanita Dr. to Helen Keller Blvd. is going to be closed for an undetermined period of time.

LAST BULLET POINT:  Moratorium on Construction

WM:  reason is the fear of substandard construction, for example modular or metal buildings.  We will have the Rebuilding Tuscaloosa Task Force which will consist of two committees, an internal one of City people and a citizen committee consisting of 7 (seven) people from impacted areas which will be appointed by City Council members.

LG:  Back to the moratorium.  If you don’t put one in place and people start signing contracts private work is going to happen fast.  One metal building can ruin our comprehensive plans.  Can we go ahead and require aesthetic guidelines?  If we don’t have a moratorium, what’s the point of later getting a comprehensive plan and appointing a committee to do the plan?

(Note:  most, if not all, parts of town have specific plans.  These were all supposed to be knitted together to create a new city-wide comprehensive plan.  This has not been done.  The mayor has ordered the planning department to get this done for an August 1 approval date.)

CA:  what kinds of buildings have been requested so far?

JMc:  none yet; inquiries only.  Lots of old businesses were torn down that no longer fit into the code or plan.  Another request he has received is to be allowed to put up metal buildings.

LG:  put a moratorium on it and if staff can come together by Tuesday with guidelines for disaster zone overlay then they can get it permitted within those guidelines.  If not they can wait until the comprehensive plan comes out in August.

BL:  this is our one chance to do it right.

WM:  can we set up a system to flag metal building requests?

JMc:  yes; we already require a full set of architectural plans

WM:  can we do a “materials” moratorium?

LG:  don’t want a loop-hole

TN:  will you be impeding progress?  Is there new construction that will start before Tuesday that we don’t want to prevent?

JMc:  can’t think of any

TN:  better if City Council adopts moratorium resolution than if it’s done by executive order.  He read aloud the proposed ordinance which generally said that before any new construction an orderly process is needed and the temporary moratorium on certain new construction and demolition is needed to allow planning to be implemented.   It will stand until 5/11/11 for metal buildings and construction that is not brick, masonry or traditional materials/design and which is not approved by the planning director in compliance with prior approvals.  There is also a demolition moratorium on new permits and existing permits will be suspended.

LG:  why are we slowing demolition?

TN:  this is a worker safety issue and was a request of the incident command.

JMc:  only 5 demolition permits have been issued yet.

(Council took a 15-minute break)

WM:  make the moratorium on new permits for and suspension of existing permits for demolition until monday at noon.  The moratorium on new construction until Wednesday.

At my request, the ordinance was clarified to include the areas impacted by the April 15 tornado which is being covered by FEMA also.

There was then a discussion of changing the City Council’s meeting schedule and they mostly wanted to begin their committee meetings at 12:00 on Tuesday, but Kip Tyner cannot be there until after his show is finished at 1:00 and he didn’t think it would be fair for the representative from one of the hardest-hit districts to have to be absent.  They agreed to start the pre-council briefing at 1:00 on Tuesday and the rest of the meetings would flow thereafter at 1:45, 3:00 and 4:15.  Council meeting at 6:00.

The Planning Department needs to hire a consultant to help with the comprehensive plan and this is an immediate need.  There isn’t time to go through at Request For Proposal process.  There was a discussion of whether or not to allow the mayor to authorize a contract with a consultant under his emergency powers.  They decided to allow that.

There will be a meeting tomorrow, Friday, May 6 at 5:30 at the Bryant Conference Center for impacted businesses.  i think they said this was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

Kip Tyner announced that John Plott Construction had helped excavate his family extermination business and that all of their records and things had been salvaged as had all of his district 5 items.

ADJOURN

On the agenda at Zoning Board of Adjustments

Three items of interest to those concerned with District 6 are on the agenda of the Zoning Board of Adjustments for this coming Monday, April 25.  Click here for the agenda.  These items concern an existing law practice on Loop Road and requested sign variances for auto dealerships on Skyland Blvd.

News about the fate of McFarland Mall – and more…

I’m back!

Did you know that the Tuscaloosa Planning and Zoning Commission now meets to hold public hearings at NOON on a weekday?  The pre-meeting starts at 11:30 a.m.  There were very few items on the February agenda and the meeting ended around 2:10 p.m.  I would love to hear what you think about holding public hearings during that time of day so please post a comment.  (Note:  I moderate all comments to keep out spam and crazy (really crazy) rants.)  For full notes on the meeting, please see: http://readlistenthink.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/february-2011.pdf

Anyway, I went to P&Z last week with great curiosity about the agenda item:

“S-3-11:  McFarland Mall No. 2, consisting of two lots on approximately 38.37 acres located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Skyland Boulevard East and McFarland Boulevard East. (Council District 6)”

Here’s what’s up:

The mall is finally being re-developed.  So far, it will be keeping Chilli’s, TJ Maxx, Michael’s, Shoe Station and Dollar Tree.  New restaurants will include Cheddar’s and Texas Roadhouse.  There will also be other outbuildings containing a bank, pharmacy, fast food and retail.  The part of the mall holding the above-named existing businesses will probably be saved and give a new exterior.  The rest of the mall will be demolished and rebuilt in a more modern style.  Bed, Bath and Beyond is committed.  Other stores which may come include:  Pet Smart, Ross, Earth Fare, Dicks and Kohls.  I didn’t quite get what was said about Books-A-Million, but I think what was said was that they want to downsize and may go into a smaller space in the re-developed mall.  For certain, their current location will be demolished.

In other development news, the old Advance Auto Parts building next to the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on McFarland Boulevard will be demolished and a parking lot will be built to house the restaurant’s overflow parking.

The City is expecting several new large-scale (20+ acres) Unified Retail Centers to be developed soon.  These are separately-owned parcels which are operated as one shopping center.  The current sign ordinance doesn’t address this kind of development so a new ordinance is being submitted to do so.

The City got a grant to write a tree plan for the downtown area which looks terrific.  I wish it applied to more than just downtown.   Oh, and I hope against hopes that if it is adopted, they will actually consult and follow it.

Finally, there is nothing new to report on the Subdivision Regulations which have been under development or at least under promise of development for several years now.  The lack of these regulations has led to extensive erosion and siltation of our waterways and, by extension, to the great expenditures we the taxpayers are now making on the Noah’s Ark projects as well as on studies and remediation of our drinking source, Lake Tuscaloosa.  But it’s been good for the developers…corporate welfare at its best.

More soon on last night’s Zoning Board of Adjustments meeting…

 

 

 

Road Building Planning Meetings

The West Alabama Regional Commission’s Metropolitan Planning Organization and its committees  will meet this month as follows:

Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee – Monday, 12/6/10 at 10:00 a.m.

Citizens Transportation Advisory Comm’ee:  Tuesday, 12/7/10 at 5:00 p.m.

Technical Coordinating Comm’ee:  Thursday, 12/9/10 at 10:00 a.m.

Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Comm’ee:  Monday, 12/13/10 at 2:00 p.m.  (For the News Release, click here.)

Additionally, the West Alabama Transit Committee will be meeting on Wednesday, 12/8/10 at 9:00 a.m.  (For this News Release, click here.)

All meetings are at the offices of the West Alabama Regional Commission at 4200 Highway 69N, Suite 1, Northport, AL  35476 and are open to the public.

Click here for the

Opportunity Knocks: Possible money source for textbooks

I recently got an email newsletter from a Tuscaloosa City School Board member regarding an opportunity for financial assistance to purchase text books for our schools.

Members of the Tuscaloosa City School Board will be attending the Tuscaloosa County Commission Meeting on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 to discuss funding for textbooks. The meeting is 9:00 am at the Courthouse Annex in the Cooperative Extension Auditorium on 7th Street.

Apparently this funding does not involve money being taken away from the school system or reducing funds already being received from Tuscaloosa County; these are additional funds just for textbooks.

Show the Commissioners and the Board that you care about this issue by being there!

Just when I begin to despair…

…there is a glimmer, a sparkling promise, of good things on the horizon.

This just came across the wire from BoE member, Kelly Horwitz and no commentary is necessary.

“Dear Facebook Followers:

“As you know, I frequently post links to Tuscaloosa News stories about our school
board. I have done that again today, but feel that the topic of the story – the plan
for our city’s system – is of such importance and entails such background and
nuance that it warrants more than a short Facebook post can capture.

“To understand where we are, it’s important to understand where we have been. As
you know, a new Board was elected last year and was installed in November. We
have been endeavoring to take a fresh look at our system and how we do business.

“There were two inter-related issues that quickly captured our attention and energy.
The first was the lack of a regular evaluation of the Superintendent. When we
took office, an evaluation had not been conducted in about 5 years. We remedied
that this spring and going forward will routinely evaluate the Superintendent.

“Evaluations, however, are not particularly helpful when conducted in a vacuum.
The other matter of concern to the Board was the lack of an articulated vision and
goals from this Board to set expectations and drive the conversation with our
Superintendent and throughout the system. To that end, in the spring, we engaged
in two half-day sessions facilitated by the Alabama Association of School Boards
and the State Superintendents Association to set goals for the system. We brought
in these two professional organizations to help us understand our role as a board
and establish a process with the Superintendent for carrying out the goals once
established. All board members and the Superintendent participated in these
sessions which were extremely helpful, unifying and encouraging. In June, the
Board completed its training with a united vision of four areas of concentration for
the 2010-2011 school year:

• To foster a system-wide culture of innovation.
• To continually increase academic achievement for all students, leading to
  100% graduation.
• To improve communications within the Tuscaloosa City School System and
  with the community.
• To maintain, support, and expand existing enrichment programs for all
  students.

“I believe it is fair to say that student achievement is the common thread that binds
this Board together. I, for one, have been very concerned about the data we’ve
received in this past year.

“By way of perspective, the United States ranks 22nd in math and 19th in science out
of 26 developed countries. (PISA 2006 data.) In Alabama, our 8th graders’
reading scores place us behind 40 states and their math scores lag behind 45 states.
(2009 NAEP data.) And, within Alabama, our system ranks 111th out of 126
systems in the state by test scores. (www.schooldigger.com) This past spring, 11
of our schools were ranked in bottom 20 percent of Alabama by our state
Department of Education. The test scores included in the Superintendent’s
presentation this week confirm that for the past 6 years, our system’s reading and
math proficiency largely has stagnated. Even our best schools do not yet rank
among the best in the state and can find room for improvement. By way of
comparison, George Hall Elementary in Mobile, by test score outperforms every
school in our system. In fact, it now ranks as one of the best in the state. And this
is a school that is drawn almost exclusively from a high-poverty housing project in
Mobile. Somehow they have figured out how to bring out the best in their
students; we now need to do the same.

“This is what has driven my desire as a Board member to do things differently and
to focus on improving student achievement in our district. That is why we are
seeking out best practices and are engaged in ongoing intensive training offered to
a select number of boards in the country to improve student achievement. That is
why we engaged in the goal-setting exercise.

“In our training, we were advised that our role as the Board is to set the broad
vision and that we then must charge our administrators to come back with a plan
for how these goals will be achieved and measured throughout the coming school
year. This implementation plan then can drive our agenda and our discussion
throughout the year to make sure that we maintain our focus on what we want to
achieve for our system. I am sure many in business are familiar with this kind of
model – the Board sets the “what,” and the CEO will set the “how” and provide
benchmarks for measuring progress.

“We left that meeting in June with an understanding that we would unveil our
mission statement and goals to teachers and staff at the start of the school year in
August and our Superintendent would then present the implementation plan at our
September board meeting. That, then, is the backdrop against which the
Superintendent made her presentation on Tuesday.

“The Board members did not have a copy of the Superintendent’s presentation and
supporting materials prior to the meeting, so we did not have an opportunity at that
time to have a meaningful discussion about the implementation plan. I regret that
this is how the matter unfolded and trust that in the future we can structure our
meetings to encourage meaningful discussions and feedback.

“I have reviewed the documentation presented and provided feedback to the
Superintendent. I believe there are many worthy ideas and aspirations included in
the plan. But I am concerned that it does not do what the Board has asked for, and
what the school system needs: namely, to provide a clear set of tangible goals,
which can be monitored on a regular basis by objective data, that help the Board to
meet the four areas of concentration that we have agreed should be the focus of
our united efforts in the 2010-2011 school year. I am concerned that some of the
ideas presented do not have the necessary detail to allow us to fulfill our oversight
duties as a Board and assess our progress as a system each month. I think we need
additional information to determine exactly what ideas are linked to which goal,
what actions will be taken to accomplish the objective, the timetable that will be
followed and what data we can look to in order to assess our progress. The
Superintendent has worked with principals this year to come up with action plans
tied to their specific goals for their school. That is the kind of tangible and clear
approach we need for each of the four goals the Board has set. I am hopeful that
we can come up with a similar action plan for the system.

“Setting goals and expectations in this manner, seeking detailed action plans and
benchmarks and re-designing Board meetings to focus our attention on student
achievement is perhaps a new way of operating for the Board and Superintendent,
but I believe it is a process that is worth getting right. We understand that our
system needs to improve. When we succeed in getting our goals, implementation
plans and benchmarks in sync, our system will succeed beyond our wildest
imagination. This success is not about the success of the Board, the success of the
Superintendent or our administrators, but is about the most important success of
all – that of the 10,000 students entrusted to us.

“All my best,

Kelly Horwitz”