ULI Explores Community Planning and Development

three-hour program on collaborative community planning and development at

Spanish Wells Country Club in Bonita Springs. Representatives from Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties were featured speakers.

In opening remarks, David Graham, ULI Southwest District chairman, expressed that

the organization's main objective is in the program was to make a difference

by building relationships through public and private partnerships that knit

communities together.

Referring to ULI's recent involvement in community outreach projects such as

affordable housing and The Estero Plan, Graham said, "ULI's goal is to

convene the community and help our leaders to understand the overall impact

of changes that they enact.

"For example, increasing the density along the transportation corridor makes

public transit feasible and affordable, while lower density not only renders

transit inefficient, but causes development to move into environmentally

sensitive areas but also increases the cost of housing.

"In every ULI endeavor we provide education through experts and encourage

all interested parties to think comprehensively. Since the Estero Plan is

such an excellent example of what can be achieved by convening the

community, we have brought together the experts involved to allow them to

share their personal and professional experiences with collaborative

community planning and improvements to their community," concluded Graham.

Stressing that changes to the development process now require more time,

more money and more people, Robert Mulhere, program moderator, pointed out

that overall changes are good if they produce a consensus, better results,

and a better product.

"That everyone is in agreement is secondary to having an outcome that

everyone is better off with; and this can only happen with a well

facilitated planning process" said Dan DeLisi, program speaker and vice

president of planning and development for Barraco and Associates.

DeLisi's extensive training and experience in conflict resolution served the

collaborative process and grass roots plan for Lee County's Estero Plan,

awarded 2002 Outstanding Report/Study award by the Florida Planning and

Zoning Association.

"Mutual gains, necessary to the process, mean that some one gives up

something less important to gain something more important. For instance, an

Estero developer added more landscaping to make the project more

aesthetically pleasing. This is an action taken as a result of the

collaborative process," said DeLisi.

"Highlighting the involvement of all stakeholders as one of the basics of

community planning, DeLisi continued, "This ultimately organizes more

resources for implementation. A second basic, establishing a problem-solving

forum, creates the best plans that make adoption easier. It also results in

better outcomes that represent the overall interest of all stakeholders.

"The process is as important as the product. If the process creates the

perception of fairness, and if all parties feel they have had an opportunity

to give meaningful input and be listened to, it should create a buy-in and

desire from interest groups to implement the plan," DeLisi said.

Communication is key to resolving most disputes. Both the development

community and the community at large must communicate their intentions while

understanding each other¹s options and alternatives in order to reach a

consensus.

Citing a number of achievements in The Estero Plan, DeLisi added, "less

uncertainty was the result of developers who were happier to work with,

rather than against, the community and no more protests were the result of

the community review at the zoning and development stage."

Because of the organized, diverse, consensus-based committee, a plan and

zoning overlay were created that turned the Estero Community from being

perceived as "no-growth" to "pro-vision," thus the level of development

proposed substantially increased and the county committed over $600,000 for

enhanced landscaping on major corridors.

"Other successes in Lee County have been Palm Beach Boulevard and

Caloosahatchee Shores in east Lee County. There have also been significant

national collaborative planning and development successes such as West

Harlem, NY and Roxbury, MA as well as others," concluded DeLisi.

Neal Noethlich, chairman of the Estero Community Planning Panel praised the

effect of collaborative planning. "If it had not been for the involvement of

every individual in the process we could not have gone forward."

Continuing, Noethlich outlined the highlights of the six-member panel¹s

progress in the process.

"Things to avoid along the way are a my way or the highway attitude,

alienation of stakeholders, very rigid policies, negativism and

unreasonableness. Community planning is a good thing. It develops a sense of

community, empowerment and trust. It is really the duty of the community to

get involved. Community planning is a win-win-win situation," concluded

Noethlich.

Ron Dillon, vice president of Florida operations for Oakbrook Properties,

responsible for Coconut Point at Town Center, spoke on the challenge

to permit the potentially controversial new project, a 490-acre mixed-use

property facing US 41 in front of The Brooks, to be co-developed with Simon

Property Group.

Agreeing with the previous speakers, Dillion said, "To arrive at a solution

we created a collaborative effort among the stakeholders ­ the property

owner, project developers, area residents, community groups and

organizations as well as local government."

Outlining the numerous steps taken in the approach, Dillon emphasized that

the process removed the element of "fear of the unknown," built trust and

uncovered mutually acceptable solutions.

"Addressing an issue before it becomes a crisis and having a community plan

and planning panel to create a framework for permitting as well as a forum

for discussion and negotiation are just a few of the benefits of

collaborative process," concluded Dillon.