Meeting Summary & Discussion

On June 2, 2006 the Campaign for Community-Based Planning Task Force held Connect Celebrate Activate, at the UrbanCenter. This first annual networking event heard from Jim Diers, former Director of Seattle’s Office of Neighborhoods and the author of Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way; Council Member Tony Avella, Queens District 19, chair of the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee; and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

Meeting Report

Opening remarks were presented by Frank E. Sanchis III, the Municipal Art Society's Senior Vice President, who outlined the important role the Planning Center plays in advancing MAS's mission.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer - The Borough President indicated his intention to transform the Manhattan community boards into more land-use aware entities. He's ordered 600 copies of the "Intro to Land Use" for distribution to all board members. He also indicated a desire to initiate a more regular training regimen.

Councilmember Tony Avella - The councilmembers presentation focused on the real estate inductry, and his belief that, while real estate is a key component of the city's economy, it has undue influence on the planning and governance processes. He said developers and a small group of pofessionals who receive huge fees, would resist any reform to the extant system.

The Councilmember also spoke of his conderns that community boards might not be the proper vehicle for enhanced role in local planning with his concerns centering on representativeness of the boards and the strong influence exerted on them by the political process.

Jim Diers - The former Director of Seattle’s Office of Neighborhoods and the author of Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way, Jim Diers presented his experiences with community-based planning in Seattle.

Discussion

The discussion that followed these fine presentations raised questions about the makeup of community: What is the community? How do we identify its borders? What's an appropriate size? Who represents it?

A woman from zip code 10021 revealed instances in which a few residents spoke against a local hospital caliming they represented the community.

Council Member Avella expressed skepticism about giving new powers to community boards. His concerns included the size of the districts and the variable quality of board operation. He suggested that a 1 to 1.5 year conversation was needed to create legislation that might improve the situation.