There has been a lot of discussion lately about expanding the
recreational opportunities in Elizabethton and Carter County. The Carter
County Parks and Recreation Board has discussed creating an extension
to the Tweetsie Trail, both City and County boards have discussed
opportunities for multi-sports facilities, and planners from across
Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia have been discussing the
development of a master plan for the Overmountain Victory Trail.
While the goal of Parks and Recreation Departments and Boards is to
provide open-space and recreational opportunities for their citizens and
not primarily tourism, many times we see others from outside the area
interested in the recreational opportunities that are available in a
nearby community and, therefore, travel to see and partake of these
assets. The activities, programs, and facilities that the parks and
recreation boards are discussing are no different. These are all very
exciting opportunities!
The Overmountain Victory Trail is
especially of interest because of it’s significance and the support it
can draw. As many of you know, the Overmountain Victory Trail is the
route that the Overmountain men took from Washington County, Virginia to
Sycamore Shoals, and then on to King’s Mountain. Here they successfully
defeated the British in a battle. This battle is commonly noted as the
turning point in the Revolutionary War in favor of the Patriots.
This trail also brings with it National recognition, since it is a
federally recognized park. With that comes additional funding from the
Federal Government and national marketing helping to put Elizabethton on
the map again and giving us a unique federal park through our county.
Developing and implementing these activities help build Elizabethton
and Carter County’s asset base. It gives us something to be proud of,
gives us something unique, and gives others the desire to discover more
about Elizabethton and Carter County.
Uniqueness is the
cornerstone of Tourism. People travel to see and experience something
different, something they cannot find more locally near their home. As
we continue to work on and develop unique assets in our cities and in
our county, we will find more and more people wanting to discover and
experience what we have to offer. What else can we be doing to welcome
them and show them more of what makes us unique? Let’s talk about it!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Local Planning Greases the Gears of the Free Market
The political season has begun in American and while I don’t
typically dip into politics too much in my column, I do want to touch on
one point as it is applied to our city -- the economy. This year is a
particularly interesting presidential election year, because we have
almost complete opposite approaches to the economy. On the one hand we
have Senator Bernie Sanders proposing more socialist or communal
economic policies and Senator Ted Cruz as well as Mr. Donald Trump
proposing more laissez-faire or free-market economic policies. While I’m
not going to take sides, I do want to talk about how such an approach
works on the local level and the role that planning plays in economic
policy.
In a city setting many people feel that a free-market approach to development is the best approach and this may be true. But as we’ve seen in Elizabethton, a free-market approach can lead to problems down the road. West Elk Avenue is an example of this. Free-market development was allowed to happen along this corridor. As someone wanted to develop a piece of property, it was split off and developed with little thought to larger impacts and long-term implications. Today, we deal with traffic problems that will only grow worse, because the free-market drove the development in this area and resulted in no frontage roads, multiple driveway cuts and smaller lot sizes. This creates slower traffic flow, more traffic lights, and, thus, more congestion along the corridor.
Another example is the downfall of the Rayon Company. The free-market demanded less rayon, the industry began to suffer and the Elizabethton economy began to fall as well. The free-market did not bring new industries or companies to Elizabethton and, in the end, we ended up with stagnant or falling household incomes.
Don’t take me wrong, I am far from a socialist, communist, or other economic structure you can think of...a laissez-faire or free-market economy is, in my opinion, the only player on the field because it’s been proven to work! But I also believe in appropriate planning on a local level. In my opinion appropriate planning greases the gears of a free-market economy and makes it work better and more efficient. If appropriate planning had been done along West Elk Avenue, there would likely be more lots for the free-market to development, less congestion allowing higher traffic counts, and making it more attractive for new business. If appropriate economic planning had been done when the Rayon plants started layoffs, new industries might have moved to Elizabethton to help fill the unemployment gap, the skills of the former employees may have been retained in Elizabethton, and household incomes may have continued to increase.
A free-market economy works, but on a local level it is important for the government to keep their thumb on the pulse and, when necessary, step in and grease the gears of the free-market by planning for the future of our city. Let’s talk about it!
In a city setting many people feel that a free-market approach to development is the best approach and this may be true. But as we’ve seen in Elizabethton, a free-market approach can lead to problems down the road. West Elk Avenue is an example of this. Free-market development was allowed to happen along this corridor. As someone wanted to develop a piece of property, it was split off and developed with little thought to larger impacts and long-term implications. Today, we deal with traffic problems that will only grow worse, because the free-market drove the development in this area and resulted in no frontage roads, multiple driveway cuts and smaller lot sizes. This creates slower traffic flow, more traffic lights, and, thus, more congestion along the corridor.
Another example is the downfall of the Rayon Company. The free-market demanded less rayon, the industry began to suffer and the Elizabethton economy began to fall as well. The free-market did not bring new industries or companies to Elizabethton and, in the end, we ended up with stagnant or falling household incomes.
Don’t take me wrong, I am far from a socialist, communist, or other economic structure you can think of...a laissez-faire or free-market economy is, in my opinion, the only player on the field because it’s been proven to work! But I also believe in appropriate planning on a local level. In my opinion appropriate planning greases the gears of a free-market economy and makes it work better and more efficient. If appropriate planning had been done along West Elk Avenue, there would likely be more lots for the free-market to development, less congestion allowing higher traffic counts, and making it more attractive for new business. If appropriate economic planning had been done when the Rayon plants started layoffs, new industries might have moved to Elizabethton to help fill the unemployment gap, the skills of the former employees may have been retained in Elizabethton, and household incomes may have continued to increase.
A free-market economy works, but on a local level it is important for the government to keep their thumb on the pulse and, when necessary, step in and grease the gears of the free-market by planning for the future of our city. Let’s talk about it!
Monday, January 25, 2016
Utilizing Placemaking in Elizabethton
During my Master’s Degree program there was a lot of concepts of
urban planning and design, economic development, and redevelopment that
my fellow students and I were exposed to. Once planning and
redevelopment tool that I really found interesting was the concept of
placemaking. This may be a newer concept from some readers, but it
employs time-tested techniques that have unknowingly been used for
centuries to develop cities in Europe and America before the 1930s.
So what is it that makes a great place? A place you WANT to be in or go to? Well, the space or destination must be fun and active, unique, safe, clean, attractive, walkable, convenient, welcoming, interactive, and friendly. When you think about your favorite places to visit, are these adjectives you would use to describe that place? We must think about places here in Elizabethton that both citizens and outside visitors would use these words to describe. And if we don’t have any, we must work to create such a place.
So how do we go about creating a place or more places? First, of all we must begin designing our spaces (including our streets) to a people or pedestrian scale. Street lights high above the street provide little light for pedestrians, but a lower, people scaled light provides lighting for both pedestrians and vehicles. Another way is by developing as many uses for one space as possible. Parks are a great example! A big open yard can be considered a park, but aside from playing football, soccer, or tag, there is very few uses that can be accommodated there. Add a playground set, a few picnic benches, some trees, and a basketball hoop and now you’ve more than doubled the number of uses that that park can accommodate. Kiwanis park is an excellent example of creating a good space. The bottom line, the more there is to do, the more attractive a place will be.
One technique that I like to use to help make this concept more tangible is the Power of Ten rule. This rule or technique can be applied to almost any city, county, region, or specific place. It goes like this, within Elizabethton we should have at least 10 areas or places that are destinations -- places citizens or visitors want to visit. Within each of those destinations there should be 10 specific places that people want to visit, and within each of those 10 places there should be 10 things to do, see, or interact with. Taking the example of downtown as a destination, what are 10 places that people go downtown for? Assuming Covered Bridge Park is one of the places, what are 10 things you can do, see, or interact with at Covered Bridge Park?
Placemaking is a concept that is tried and true. It was worked over and over again in city after city to help create more and better places. The best part about placemaking is that it is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t involve expensive consultants, but rather the people who use the space. There is no overnight miracle to help save and create Elizabethton’s places, but remember the tortoise won the race and small changes add up to making Elizabethton a better place. Let’s talk about it!
So what is it that makes a great place? A place you WANT to be in or go to? Well, the space or destination must be fun and active, unique, safe, clean, attractive, walkable, convenient, welcoming, interactive, and friendly. When you think about your favorite places to visit, are these adjectives you would use to describe that place? We must think about places here in Elizabethton that both citizens and outside visitors would use these words to describe. And if we don’t have any, we must work to create such a place.
So how do we go about creating a place or more places? First, of all we must begin designing our spaces (including our streets) to a people or pedestrian scale. Street lights high above the street provide little light for pedestrians, but a lower, people scaled light provides lighting for both pedestrians and vehicles. Another way is by developing as many uses for one space as possible. Parks are a great example! A big open yard can be considered a park, but aside from playing football, soccer, or tag, there is very few uses that can be accommodated there. Add a playground set, a few picnic benches, some trees, and a basketball hoop and now you’ve more than doubled the number of uses that that park can accommodate. Kiwanis park is an excellent example of creating a good space. The bottom line, the more there is to do, the more attractive a place will be.
One technique that I like to use to help make this concept more tangible is the Power of Ten rule. This rule or technique can be applied to almost any city, county, region, or specific place. It goes like this, within Elizabethton we should have at least 10 areas or places that are destinations -- places citizens or visitors want to visit. Within each of those destinations there should be 10 specific places that people want to visit, and within each of those 10 places there should be 10 things to do, see, or interact with. Taking the example of downtown as a destination, what are 10 places that people go downtown for? Assuming Covered Bridge Park is one of the places, what are 10 things you can do, see, or interact with at Covered Bridge Park?
Placemaking is a concept that is tried and true. It was worked over and over again in city after city to help create more and better places. The best part about placemaking is that it is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t involve expensive consultants, but rather the people who use the space. There is no overnight miracle to help save and create Elizabethton’s places, but remember the tortoise won the race and small changes add up to making Elizabethton a better place. Let’s talk about it!
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
We Have a Case of Too Much Parking
Parking has become a common occurrence with almost any
development these days. It is expected that a new development will want
to build their own parking lot. Having parking extremely close to the
building makes it convenient for customers to get in, get out, and go to
their next destination very quickly. But the larger the parking lot,
the more cost for construction, the less square footage of the lot could
be used for buildings, and the more cost to deal with stormwater
runoff.
From a city planning perspective, parking lots play an integral part, but they can also cause problems. With new federal and state standards and requirements, water runoff is a big issue. Additionally, the cost of construction for parking lots has increased as oil has increased. The question becomes, should the city look at utilizing or implementing shared parking standards? This would allow other businesses to utilize the parking spaces of another businesses if it’s during a time they won’t be using the parking lot.
Churches are an excellent example of this. If the peak parking lot usage for a church parking lot is Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, why not let another business use the parking lot Monday through Friday 8:00-5:00?
This brings about another question, should large parking lots be limited? Over the past 5-10 years, many cities around the country have begun implementing parking maximums rather than parking minimums. These maximums limit the number of parking spaces a parking lot can have. It is an attempt to decrease developer costs and mitigate high impacts on stormwater runoff and heat zones for cities. Smaller parking lots also can make a community more attractive by not having a large black lake along the highway as cars drive by. Parking maximums allow a developer to construct a parking lot with a maximum number of spaces per square foot of the building, thus limiting the maximum size the lot.
Parking maximum have seen some recent kick-back from retail businesses and developers who argue that by setting a maximum limit, it does not allow for a store to maximize the number of customers they could have. Rather customers may choose to go elsewhere because they are unable to find a parking space.
This brings us to our last question, would it be more beneficial for the city to decrease its minimum sparking space requirement? Lowing the parking requirement would decrease costs for developers while also mitigating impacts of stormwater, heat islands, and aesthetics. It also allows the flexibility for retail stores to construct more parking if they feel it is necessary.
I believe a combination of lower minimum parking requirements and shared parking arrangements garner something as close as we can get to maximizing the positives while mitigating the negative aspects of parking lots. But this is where you come in, how do you think parking lots should be managed in the city? Let’s talk about it!
From a city planning perspective, parking lots play an integral part, but they can also cause problems. With new federal and state standards and requirements, water runoff is a big issue. Additionally, the cost of construction for parking lots has increased as oil has increased. The question becomes, should the city look at utilizing or implementing shared parking standards? This would allow other businesses to utilize the parking spaces of another businesses if it’s during a time they won’t be using the parking lot.
Churches are an excellent example of this. If the peak parking lot usage for a church parking lot is Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, why not let another business use the parking lot Monday through Friday 8:00-5:00?
This brings about another question, should large parking lots be limited? Over the past 5-10 years, many cities around the country have begun implementing parking maximums rather than parking minimums. These maximums limit the number of parking spaces a parking lot can have. It is an attempt to decrease developer costs and mitigate high impacts on stormwater runoff and heat zones for cities. Smaller parking lots also can make a community more attractive by not having a large black lake along the highway as cars drive by. Parking maximums allow a developer to construct a parking lot with a maximum number of spaces per square foot of the building, thus limiting the maximum size the lot.
Parking maximum have seen some recent kick-back from retail businesses and developers who argue that by setting a maximum limit, it does not allow for a store to maximize the number of customers they could have. Rather customers may choose to go elsewhere because they are unable to find a parking space.
This brings us to our last question, would it be more beneficial for the city to decrease its minimum sparking space requirement? Lowing the parking requirement would decrease costs for developers while also mitigating impacts of stormwater, heat islands, and aesthetics. It also allows the flexibility for retail stores to construct more parking if they feel it is necessary.
I believe a combination of lower minimum parking requirements and shared parking arrangements garner something as close as we can get to maximizing the positives while mitigating the negative aspects of parking lots. But this is where you come in, how do you think parking lots should be managed in the city? Let’s talk about it!
Monday, January 4, 2016
Why Even Have Zoning?
Although I thoroughly enjoy my job, sometime it can be very
difficult. Part of my job as the Planning and Economic Development
Director is to interpret and make determinations in the city’s zoning
code. Often, by the time a citizen or property owner gets to me, I am
the one who has to tell them “no” to their intended project. Some
typical responses are, “but [whatever the project is] won’t be that big
or impact my neighbors” or “you’re telling me that I can’t [whatever
the project is] on my property”.
Believe me, there are times that I personally don’t see a problem with a project or think this really won’t impact the neighbors or neighborhood at all. Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to override the city zoning code. But, why even have zoning regulations? Why can’t we just let people do what they want with their property? Well, believe it or not, zoning plays a very important role in the development of a community.
Zoning regulations are in place to help create a city that is attractive, desirable, and has stable property values. We know from the business world that the more retail businesses are concentrated the better they all do. So rather than have them spread randomly throughout the city, concentrating them in specific areas benefits them, city sales taxes, and allows other areas to be developed for other uses. Additionally, some citizens may not want to live right next to Walmart, Star Building, or other busy establishments. Zoning helps protect those residents from having a Walmart or a loud factory pop-up in a field next to them.
Zoning regulations are created with an idea of putting a puzzle together. Your house or property is a puzzle piece. Your piece must match and fit with your neighbors piece and, collectively, your neighborhood forms a section of the puzzle. Each neighborhood, commercial center, or industrial park is a section of the puzzle and must be compatible and fit together with other sections of the puzzle in order for it to be complete!
Zoning regulations are created with sections of the puzzle in mind so that the puzzle can be completed. So while some may get upset with zoning regulations, it’s important to remember that zoning is looking at your whole neighborhood when making regulations, not your individual piece of the puzzle. And if your individual piece is changed, it cannot fit into your section of the puzzle.
These regulations can be difficult at times and some may even need to be changed, but keep in mind that they are in place for a reason and have a purpose even if you don’t understand how it fits with your small piece of the puzzle. Let’s talk about it!
Believe me, there are times that I personally don’t see a problem with a project or think this really won’t impact the neighbors or neighborhood at all. Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to override the city zoning code. But, why even have zoning regulations? Why can’t we just let people do what they want with their property? Well, believe it or not, zoning plays a very important role in the development of a community.
Zoning regulations are in place to help create a city that is attractive, desirable, and has stable property values. We know from the business world that the more retail businesses are concentrated the better they all do. So rather than have them spread randomly throughout the city, concentrating them in specific areas benefits them, city sales taxes, and allows other areas to be developed for other uses. Additionally, some citizens may not want to live right next to Walmart, Star Building, or other busy establishments. Zoning helps protect those residents from having a Walmart or a loud factory pop-up in a field next to them.
Zoning regulations are created with an idea of putting a puzzle together. Your house or property is a puzzle piece. Your piece must match and fit with your neighbors piece and, collectively, your neighborhood forms a section of the puzzle. Each neighborhood, commercial center, or industrial park is a section of the puzzle and must be compatible and fit together with other sections of the puzzle in order for it to be complete!
Zoning regulations are created with sections of the puzzle in mind so that the puzzle can be completed. So while some may get upset with zoning regulations, it’s important to remember that zoning is looking at your whole neighborhood when making regulations, not your individual piece of the puzzle. And if your individual piece is changed, it cannot fit into your section of the puzzle.
These regulations can be difficult at times and some may even need to be changed, but keep in mind that they are in place for a reason and have a purpose even if you don’t understand how it fits with your small piece of the puzzle. Let’s talk about it!
Monday, December 28, 2015
City of Elizabethton 2015 in Review
Wow! It’s hard to believe another year has passed by already. And
it has been a busy one for the city! Today I’d like to do a rundown of
some of the top things the city has accomplished this past year.
To start off, the City Council voted to decrease property taxes by 2 cents this past year. After the budgets were completed for the 2015/2016 budget year, City Council decided that some of the additional revenues not budged for operations should be returned to the property owners in the form of a tax cut. The rationale was that this would also help out homeowners pay for an increase in water rates which also happened during the same budget cycle.
This past year has also been a good year for the city’s finances as well. As our community continues to slowly move out of the recession, financial revenue projections are surpassed. Other financial moves were made this year to help improve the city’s financial state. Some Electric Ratepayer Debt was refinanced this year in order to take advantage of low bond rates. This refinancing saved Elizabethton Electric ratepayers over $799,000 in interest payments over the life of the bonds.
Also, the city applied for multiple different grants this year and were awarded three! These grants totaled over $417,000. While many of these require the city match money, many of the projects the grants will be used for are projects that the city would need to complete at some point in the future. Rather than city taxpayers paying for the entire amount the state will be paying for a portion of these projects.
This year the city also updated and adopted new building code regulations, property maintenance regulations, and disability accessibility code regulations. These regulations ensure that buildings are constructed as they were designed to be and that they were constructed safely for the resident or occupant of the building. These regulations also help the city enforce a minimum standard of external appearance of buildings within the city. The disability accessibility regulations ensure that facilities constructed in Elizabethton will be accessible to all citizens regardless of disability.
This past year also brought the completion of two major projects. The first was the completion of the Eastside Waterloss project. This project was targeting the dramatic water loss that we saw in many of Eastside’s old water lines. This was a large project which utilized various funding mechanisms including grants. I’m sure many of our citizens in Eastside were glad to see this project completed! The completion of the Tweetsie Trail was also another major win for the City and our citizens. You can now ride from Snap-On to Old Navy in Johnson City along a variety of paths and trails.
Some other projects this year included the completion of the new Citizen’s Bank Stadium, the beginning of the EHS Band Room, the implementation of new library software, and a variety of other projects. As we look to the new year, what progress would you like to see your city make? Let’s talk about it!
To start off, the City Council voted to decrease property taxes by 2 cents this past year. After the budgets were completed for the 2015/2016 budget year, City Council decided that some of the additional revenues not budged for operations should be returned to the property owners in the form of a tax cut. The rationale was that this would also help out homeowners pay for an increase in water rates which also happened during the same budget cycle.
This past year has also been a good year for the city’s finances as well. As our community continues to slowly move out of the recession, financial revenue projections are surpassed. Other financial moves were made this year to help improve the city’s financial state. Some Electric Ratepayer Debt was refinanced this year in order to take advantage of low bond rates. This refinancing saved Elizabethton Electric ratepayers over $799,000 in interest payments over the life of the bonds.
Also, the city applied for multiple different grants this year and were awarded three! These grants totaled over $417,000. While many of these require the city match money, many of the projects the grants will be used for are projects that the city would need to complete at some point in the future. Rather than city taxpayers paying for the entire amount the state will be paying for a portion of these projects.
This year the city also updated and adopted new building code regulations, property maintenance regulations, and disability accessibility code regulations. These regulations ensure that buildings are constructed as they were designed to be and that they were constructed safely for the resident or occupant of the building. These regulations also help the city enforce a minimum standard of external appearance of buildings within the city. The disability accessibility regulations ensure that facilities constructed in Elizabethton will be accessible to all citizens regardless of disability.
This past year also brought the completion of two major projects. The first was the completion of the Eastside Waterloss project. This project was targeting the dramatic water loss that we saw in many of Eastside’s old water lines. This was a large project which utilized various funding mechanisms including grants. I’m sure many of our citizens in Eastside were glad to see this project completed! The completion of the Tweetsie Trail was also another major win for the City and our citizens. You can now ride from Snap-On to Old Navy in Johnson City along a variety of paths and trails.
Some other projects this year included the completion of the new Citizen’s Bank Stadium, the beginning of the EHS Band Room, the implementation of new library software, and a variety of other projects. As we look to the new year, what progress would you like to see your city make? Let’s talk about it!
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