I came across a great blog post on PlanSJ, written by Andrew Matheson, over at Spacing Atlantic.

Here are a few snippets:

Saint John’s current Municipal Plan received Council approval in 1973 and was based on the assumption that the City’s population would grow to some 250,000 residents. Today, almost 40 years after the plan came into effect, the City’s residents number 68,000 – less than one third of the plan’s anticipated total. With faulty projections and dozens of subsequent amendments, the current plan has slipped into obscurity over the years and has failed to adequately guide development in a manner that best serves the interests of Saint John residents.

That’s all about to change.

Click here to read the full article!

Join in the conversation on the Saint John’s Municipal Plan online using: Twitter (via the hashtag #plansj) or the Facebook Group!

Last week the Telegraph-Journal printed the following opinion on PlanSJ:

Council knows public’s priorities
There are a number of ways one could interpret the rush of applications to serve on Saint John’s municipal planning committee.

Clearly, many citizens want to have their say in how the city will develop over the next 25 years. The question is, how much of the interest stems from the perception that council is not achieving enough progress on the city’s priorities?

This year and next, council will invest approximately $1 million on devising a new municipal plan. Such a plan is badly needed, since the city’s zoning and development strategy hasn’t been overhauled since the 1970s. But the magnitude of the investment is disappointing in a city where basic services such as reliable drinking water, well-paved streets and recreation facilities require significant capital investment.

Does City Hall really need a new storefront office to communicate with the public about planning issues? Does council really need an elaborate process to understand what residents want in terms of facilities and community development?

If so, there’s something wrong.

Citizens have been telling councillors what their priorities are since before the last municipal election. Veteran council members, such as Mayor Ivan Court, Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase, Chris Titus, Bill Farren and Peter McGuire, have heard the same concerns raised year after year. New councillors don’t have the same depth of experience, but they must be noticing certain common threads in the conversations they have with their constituents.

Council members should not need to muse about what kind of city people want to live in. One where the water is treated to national standards, and people can drive on the roads without losing hubcaps, bending struts or wrecking their cars. A place where their children can play hockey and soccer and baseball, and not need to walk in the street in winter because the sidewalks are impassable. A city where rainfall is collected and diverted before it floods streets and houses; where phone calls to municipal departments are answered or returned; a city whose administration is focused on improvement and which tracks quality control because it is proud to serve a public of neighbours.

Perhaps council should spend $1 million more on these priorities, which it already knows about and has made a public commitment to, and direct the city’s planning department to handle planning issues at a minimum of additional expense.

Today, local artist Sarah Jones had a great response printed:

PlanSJ seems like dynamic initiative

Sure, everybody wants clean water and passable roads, but these demands do not amount to a sound, effective or long-term urban plan. Contrary to what you suggest in your editorial, it is not necessary to sacrifice a long-term plan for short-term necessities.

And when your newspaper calls so frequently for governmental transparency and public consultation, I find this editorial critique of PlanSJ odd. After meeting the Citizens Advisory Group, attending the launch last week and checking out the great storefront in Brunswick Square, PlanSJ strikes me as one of the most dynamic initiatives and extensive community engagement projects we have seen in this city. Too bad you can’t see past the potholes.

SARAH JONES

Saint John

If we have all learned one thing from the recent NB Power controversy, it’s that citizens want to be engaged from day one. They want to have their thoughts and opinions heard.

PlanSJ is a process that will ensure the people in this city have a voice in the new municipal plan.

I believe in this process.

Join in the conversation on the Saint John’s Municipal Plan online using: Twitter (via the hashtag #plansj) or the Facebook Group!

The first newsletter for PlanSJ (Saint John’s Municipal Planning Process) is now out, click the image below to read it:

Join in the conversation on the Saint John’s Municipal Plan online using: Twitter (via the hashtag #plansj) or the Facebook Group!

More great coverage on the Municipal Plan today in the TJ, be sure to check it out!

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on January 29th, 2010:

A committee of 13 people from diverse backgrounds will help guide common council through the next two years as the city embarks on rewriting its yellowing municipal plan.

“It’s really to bring that community voice and consensus to the work we’re doing,” said Jacqueline Hamilton, deputy commissioner of planning.

Council has appointed all but one of the members based on recommendations from council’s nominating committee. The 13th member is expected to be appointed next week.

Ten members are Saint John citizens, two are city councillors and one comes from the city’s planning advisory committee.

The city had an overwhelming response of applications for the citizen spots – with nearly 80 submitted, Hamilton said, which slowed down the hiring process.

“I think that just goes to the interest in the work we’re doing,” she said, adding it’s four-times the number of applications the city would normally get.

The citizen members come from all corners of the city and represent different social, economic, cultural, and environmental interests. Some are newcomers to the city and others are long-term residents.

Hamilton said some cities rely on their planning advisory committees to assist with a new municipal plan, but city staff wanted a focus group with a more diverse makeup.

“Certainly, this model is more unique,” she said.

The group will meet monthly in the city’s new storefront for PlanSJ in Brunswick Square, which was unveiled Wednesday.

The committee members will review what work has been done by staff and consultants, Urban Strategies and ADI, and will provide feedback, often presenting recommendations to council, Hamilton said.

“We want their feedback on what we’re presenting and whether it reflects on what the community has told us.”

The committee will elect a chair and vice-chair from its non-council members. It will make decisions by consensus, and if necessary, by a majority vote.

Coun. Carl Killen, who sits on the committee along with Coun. Peter McGuire, said the committee does not have the same kind of power as council.

“But as far as input goes, the committee’s impact will be huge,” he said.

The people on the committee will have the chance to set the direction the city goes in terms of green spaces, landscape, industrial zones and many other areas, Killen said.

“This is not a simple, ‘What are we going to build in a certain place?’ This is a plan that’s intended to last and endure for at the very least a quarter of a century.”

It’s why Shawn Peterson, who is also the chairman of FUSION Saint John, thought it was important to get involved.

“A lot of times stuff goes on with the city and the average person doesn’t get to give their input,” said Peterson, 25, who works at a software company.

“I’m a real firm believer this process is going to be a lot different.”

He said he wants to reach out to not just youth, but the whole community, in whatever way he can – including Facebook and Twitter.

It’s important to get young people’s input because this plan will set the city’s growth for their future, he said.

“It’s going to be us kind of running the show at the point,” he said. “As much input we can get in now will ensure we’ll be all happy with it.”

Join in the conversation on the Saint John’s Municipal Plan online using: Twitter (via the hashtag #plansj) or the Facebook Group!

Some very exciting news in the TJ this morning.

Saint John’s Municipal Plan is official kicked-off and underway, read on for the details.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on January 28th, 2010:

SAINT JOHN – Mayor Ivan Court calls it the city’s newest hub.

A storefront location for Saint John’s municipal plan opened Wednesday in Brunswick Square.

“Actually it’s an extension of my office,” the mayor joked before a crowd of about 50 people, as he revealed a logo with the plan’s new official slogan: PlanSJ.

Onlookers sipped coffee in the mall walkway, where Court said he likes to hang out.

“It’s their city. They pay the bills,” Court said, gesturing to the people sitting nearby. “We have to listen. What do they want for their city, their children and their grandchildren?”

The city is undertaking a two-year process to rewrite the municipal plan – something that hasn’t been done since the early 1970s.

Public consultation is a huge part of the process, with a citizen advisory committee and the storefront as key pillars.

The plan will act as a legal document to direct the city’s growth, development and land use for the next 25 years.

The Brunswick Square location will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a couple Saturdays per month.

The smell of fresh paint lingered in the bright, white space. Maps and panels explain the process and plan, and a room at the back of the store has a white projector screen, several chairs and a table that could be used for children’s activities.

Cyndi Rottenberg-Walker of Urban Strategies Inc. said she hasn’t seen a city take such strides to involve the public in its municipal plan.

“This storefront will be the energy centre – the brain centre – of this plan,” she said. The Toronto-based consultants, along with Saint John-based ADI, will help city staff and the citizen advisory committee with the nuts and bolts of the plan.

Councillors Carl Killen and Peter McGuire, who sit on the advisory committee, were also on hand for the announcement.

“This will be council’s legacy as we move into the future,” McGuire told the crowd.

Council has earmarked $750,000 in the 2010 budget to create the new plan. Next year, that amount is expected to go down to about $250,000.

Dave Drinnan, who owns a communications company and will sit on the citizen advisory committee for the next two years, also attended the storefront opening.

“I’ve had a long-term interest in the city, both as a resident and in its economics, where it’s going,” Drinnan said.

“When they invited participation, I jumped at it.”

The city received 90 applications for nine citizen spots on the committee, Court said.

The way planners are reaching out to the community is encouraging, said Steve Carson, the chief executive of Enterprise Saint John.

“I think that’s really critical,” he said in an interview at the storefront.

“If it’s a Saturday morning, they’ll be able to come in and feel a real comfort. Some people aren’t comfortable with big office buildings and going to a floor at City Hall. This will really make it friendly, especially for the young people.”

Carson said creating a new municipal plan will be important for attracting new investment to the city.

On Wednesday night, the city held a public launch at the Market Square atrium. Planners and staff answered questions as residents wandered through the displays. There was also a public presentation.

Join in the conversation on the Saint John’s Municipal Plan online using: Twitter (via the hashtag #plansj) or the Facebook Group!

Join in the conversation on the Saint John’s Municipal Plan online using: Twitter (via the hashtag #plansj) or the Facebook Group!