[Vision2020] RE: The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

Wed Jul 13 19:50:02 PDT 2005

John,

Thank you for your response and your willingness to share your thoughts with that part of the public that reads Vision 2020 (a very risky endeavor).  Some points:

That the last revision of the city comp plan took 7 to 8 years to complete makes my general point exactly.  How egregiously pathetic!  Revising the comp plan is not all that complex.  What it needs is diligence, focus, and the realization on the part of elected officials and city staff that continuing education and expeditious action are part of their duties.  A gutsy, well-informed city council could revise the comp plan in a matter of a few months, not years.

Hiring consultants at outrageous prices is just plain sloth.  If a city council person or an assigned city staffer does not know how to go about expeditiously revising the comp plan and zoning ordinances, then they need to learn how, right now!  That is part of their duties to their constituents/employers.  They could start by reading the Local Planning Act of 1975 and its amendments and follow that by reading a short primer on small city planning.

If city council persons are not willing to spend the time educating themselves so that they can do their statutory duties effectively, then maybe they should rethink whether they are ethically fit to be council persons.

Why pay for New Cities?  Learn the material, save the city taxpayers money, and do it yourselves.  When persons stand for paid public service, they are expected to learn how to effectively provide that service, and that learning should be basically on their own time and dime like it is for almost all other professionals.

Want help?  There is at least one downtown business person who has an impressive background in planning.  There are other Moscow residents with skills that would really help.  Use them as volunteers.  That's what several Idaho cities did either from the beginning or after learning that paid planning consultants are like bottomless pits.  [I remind you of the results of the decision to hire a local consultant to raise money for the 1912 building.]

Whether the changes to Friendship Square are worth the money expended or whether something cheaper but just as effective or as beneficial to the community as a whole could have been executed is still an open question in the minds of many.

The city comp plan and zoning ordinances are an important/essential part of the process of creating a vibrant downtown core.   They are not the complete answer.  But they are the basis for creating attractive opportunity for risk and investment.  Do you think the current NSA zoning mess and the way the city is handling it is encouraging investors in downtown businesses?  Why don't individual council members independently take the time to talk to some of the more successful downtown merchants to find out how they feel about this mess from a business investment standpoint?

We both agree that money spent locally is more economically effective for the entire community than otherwise.  Do you know why my wife and I don't support certain local businesses?  Because their customer service concepts and practices really suck!  The city could encourage local business persons to learn how to compete and even to compete successfully against lower priced big box stores.  We have several sterling examples of such businesses in Moscow right now.  Perhaps the city council could find ways (possibly through other organizations) to encourage local business people to learn how to compete effectively.  Certainly this a worthy goal for a comp plan.

Here some more learning that the council needs to do:  Find out how certain cities were able to successfully revitalize their downtown cores, and also find out why those that failed to do so, failed.  Hint: Start with Google.  Here's another hint:  Assign this task to an appropriate city staffer who could present the material to the council and also benefit from the learning involved.  Just make sure the staffer does it intelligently, diligently, and expeditiously instead of the hand jobs we have seen from certain city staffers.

When I think of political leadership I think of situations where the leader says:  

"We're going to do X.  Were going to find a way to do it.  We are going to start now and we are going to do it expeditiously.  We are going to involve as many people and volunteers as we can.  And we are going to do it so that the community as a whole benefits."

I have not seen this entire attitude on behalf of the city council.  Parts of it are there, but there is a visible lack of drive, priority setting, knowledge, and focus.  Some locals call it floundering.

For example, the council addressed the current NSA zoning mess by sending it to a citizen commission without clear guidelines.  The council should have said:  

"The issues invovled in this dispute have far/long reaching consequences for the downtown area.  Let's imbed a vision for the downtown core in the comp plan, let's do it starting now, and then derive the appropriate zoning ordinances.  The council will lead by suggesting some elements for consideration in that vision, and some questions/issues to consider."

[Note:  You can revise the comp plan a little at a time!  That part dealing with the downtown core may be a good place to start.]

The council is supposed to be the leaders, but in the NSA issue what the council is doing can hardly be called leading.  Instead, the council is engaging in the dangerous practice of crisis management  [something more for the council members to learn about in order to avoid it] rather than intelligent planning and execution of those plans [modern management practice].

I have lived in a number of cities.  Some of which faced greater problems than Moscow does today.  Some did not solve those problems very well.  Some did.  The difference in my opinion was in the amount of effort expended by, the open-mindedness of, and how intelligently that effort/open-mindedness was expended by the elected officials.

The council needs to forget about its pride and its past/current practices.  It needs to do what almost every successful organization does:  It needs to learn and to grow from that learning at a rate demanded by the circumstances.  If the council is not willing to invest the time in self-education and application of that education, then Moscow citizens will be given a hose job, and perhaps the tenure of certain council members will be abruptly terminated.

Wayne A. Fox
1009 Karen Lane
PO Box 9421
Moscow, ID  83843

(208) 882-7975
waf at moscow.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John Dickinson 
  To: 'Vision 2020' ; 'Art Deco' 
  Cc: 'JoAnn Mack' ; 'Nancy Chaney' ; 'Peg Hamlett' ; 'Linda Pall' ; 'Marshall Comstock' ; 'John Dickinson' ; 'Jon Kimberling' 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 11:14 PM
  Subject: RE: [Vision2020] RE: The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

  Hi Art,

  There has been some follow-up from the planning done several years ago. Barbara points out that the short term downtown plans resulted in grant proposals that were successful and that are currently renovating Friendship Square. There was money for a downtown coordinator position but that money was used up a couple of years ago.

  Revising the Comp Plan is not a task taken lightly. The last revision of the comprehensive plan took 7 or 8 years to complete. The length of time was due primarily to the time commitment required of staff to create a new plan. The council desires to have this revision of the Comp Plan to happen more quickly. We are bringing in a group, New Cities, to help us focus on a few areas and to provide specific technical assistance in those areas. Our current Comprehensive Plan is not bad, but it is ten years old and time to once again think about the future.

  I do think that Council has acted quickly concerning the "current zoning issues/fiasco" since the first time that council was given an opportunity to express an opinion on this matter was about two weeks ago and we made a decision.

  I find your paragraph asking Where is the reform? to be interesting because changes are happening each month with new ordinances and hearings on changes to major development processes like the Subdivision ordinance. I suspect that advances are not happening in areas of interest to you and so I would like to know what those areas are so that we can look at them.

  Concerning the $50,000 and the rat hole - I may be wrong since this happened before I was elected, but I believe that the $50,000 has resulted directly in the current grant fro the State of Idaho to update Friendship Square, so the return on the money was 10 to 1, I think.

  What happens downtown is a complex function of zoning, building permits, specific local economic factors, and the general health of the economy. Downtown is not under the control of the city to manage. There are organizations that are trying to bring individual businesses together to create a healthy economic atmosphere in our downtown, the Chamber is one of those, but the viability of any single store on Main St (or anywhere in our community) can only be assured through a combination of hard work and economic well being in the region generally. There also needs to be a commitment from the community to support local businesses. It is not enough to not support a few businesses that you do not like - we must positively support our local businesses. Every one of you should be buying books, CDs, paper, groceries, furniture, etc. from the most local business you can. In this way, almost all the money we spend gets spent in our community again by the store owner and employees.

  Leadership involves many things - one of the agendas that I hope to press is to influence all of Moscow to buy local, starting with the City. The City of Moscow has a policy whereby it can select a local bid over a non-local bid even if the local bid is higher, as long as the local bid is within 10% of the lower bids. Since spending locally generates so much economic good, perhaps the city should consider strengthening this policy.

  That's probably enough for the moment. Do let me know if there are areas that any of you feel need revision. Thanks.

  John Dickinson

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  From: Art Deco [mailto:deco at moscow.com] 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 9:08 PM
  To: Vision 2020
  Cc: Peg Hamlett; Nancy Chaney; Linda Pall; Jon Kimberling; John Dickinson; JoAnn Mack; Marshall Comstock
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] RE: The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

  Barbara, et al,

  I guess I'm not very bright.

  I still do not see the reason for a three year delay by the city council to begin to revise the comp plan, New Cities or not.  

  Had the council acted in a timely and effective manner, the current zoning issues/fiasco would not be.  And still they do not squarely face the issue in a manner suggested and propelled by law.  I see a lot of hemming and hawing and a great reluctance to do their statutory duties in a prompt and courageous manner.  I am particularly disappointed in those that ran for office on a reform promise.  Where is the reform?  I do not want to hear that it takes time.  Time has already passed with little or no results!  Where is the community leadership they should be eagerly supplying?

  With regard to the BID:

  [1]    There has been a lot of negative comment about the goals and effects of the proposed BID by several downtown businesspersons.  They do not believe that it really will return a viable cost benefit to their businesses.  Some of that comment has appeared here on Vision 2020.

  [2]    The last organization I would trust to implement any kind of more than a very elementary plan is the Moscow Chamber of Commerce.  During the just previous years they have exhibited grossly inept financial management, extraordinary insensitivity to community values, and a close-mindedness, secretness that rivals the most dogmatic religious leader/organization.

  [3]    The city council cannot delegate its responsibility to govern!!!  They are in charge of producing the comprehensive plan, the resulting zoning ordinance, and the other various elements of insuring the opportunity for a viable downtown core.

  Perhaps, the city has poured $50,000 and a lot of well-intended citizen effort down a rathole.  Perhaps they need to start over again or at least public review the $50,000 masterpiece and try to determine if it has any useful parts.

  As V 2020er Pat Kraut asked:  Why did they need to spend the $50,000 on outside consultants in the first place?  Why are we paying elected officials and city staff if not to tackle problems like these?   

  I may be in error, but between the elected officials, the city staff, and a wealth of community expertise that could be had on a voluntary basis just for a polite, open invitation, I should think that in a fairly short time, a downtown vision/plan could be generated.  However, it won't be if the city council continues to act like sluggish, snaffled, prideful, frightened snails.

  Wayne A. Fox
  1009 Karen Lane
  PO Box 9421
  Moscow, ID  83843

  (208) 882-7975
  waf at moscow.com

    ----- Original Message ----- 

    From: Barbara Richardson Crouch 

    To: Art Deco 

    Cc: Vision2020 at Moscow. Com 

    Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 9:30 AM

    Subject: RE: [Vision2020] RE: The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

    Wayne,

    The City has begun the Comprehensive Planning process by utilizing the New Cities Initative.  I'll try an answer your questions.

    Originally, the Comprehensive Plan was going to be worked on in sections - Downtown, Economic Development, etc.  It was decided by Council and agreed to by many groups interested in the Comprehensive Plan that first the City needed to find a way to engage all stakeholders.  This lack of engagement was made clear during the formulation of the Downtown Plan.  Action has been taken on the Downtown Plan, the Chamber was selected to implement the Downtown Plan and has been working with the merchants association to do some things - BID, Parking Survey, etc.

    As far as the information being "stale", many of the suggestions made in the plan  are being implemented - the use of CDBG funds to improve Friendship Square

    The LEDC agrees that the focus should be on completing a Comprehensive Plan update that contains the following:  a clear vision for Moscow's future; sufficient public input to validate the vision; a buy-in from the decision makers and citizens. I know that the City Council, MCA, LEDC, Chamber, etc. all want to ensure that the planning process is open, fair and respects the needs of all citizens and other stakeholders.

    Barbara

    -----Original Message-----
    From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Art Deco
    Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 7:49 AM
    To: Vision 2020
    Cc: JoAnn Mack; Nancy Chaney; Peg Hamlett; Linda Pall; Marshall Comstock; John Dickinson; Jon Kimberling
    Subject: Re: [Vision2020] RE: The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

    Barbara,

    Thank you for the information about previous work on a downtown Moscow plan.  It was most informative.  Perhaps you can post a précis of the major elements and goals of that plan.

    Perhaps also you and/or some open-minded city council members (not an oxymoron, I hope) can answer the following questions:

    After spending $50,000 and lots of effort on the part of citizens, businesses, political figures, and governmental staff:

    Why has action been delayed for more than three years after the downtown plan was completed on the city comprehensive plan?

    Has not some of the information gathered and recommendations made in this plan more than 3 years ago become stale?

    Since the issue of allowing educational institutions and other possibly counter-productive uses in the downtown core is one with great consequences for the future of Moscow, shouldn't the current city zoning ordinances be updated only after the comp plan is updated and clear goals are set for the downtown core and its relationship to the rest of the city?

    I am sure there are a large number of citizens (residents, patrons, users, visitors, etc) that want to know why the normal city planning processes are not being followed and what effort, if any, is being made to get them back on track instead of doing planning/zoning business in a crisis driven, piecemeal fashion.

    Wayne A. Fox
    1009 Karen Lane
    PO Box 9421
    Moscow, ID  83843

    (208) 882-7975
    waf at moscow.com

      ----- Original Message ----- 

      From: Barbara Richardson Crouch 

      To: Art Deco ; Vision 2020 

      Cc: Linda Pall ; Nancy Chaney ; John Dickinson ; Peg Hamlett 

      Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2005 2:05 PM

      Subject: RE: [Vision2020] RE: The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

      Everyone,

      If you do not remember, Moscow and the University did complete a Downtown Plan.  The Committee was the CRC and was a part of the LEDC.  We solicited for consultants, hired a group and actually received and the City Council accepted a short term plan from them - they felt the long-range plan was too grandiose.  This plan was the basis of the Downtown Grant and the activities happening in Friendship Square.  The plan cost a minimum of $50,000 and the LEDC/Chamber used the plan to receive a grant from Verizon to hire an interim Downtown Coordinator until a BID could be done.  The implementation of the Plan was left to the Chamber.  The LEDC's participation ended after we supervised the interim Coordinator.  In fact, First Step was kind enough to give the Downtown Association a website and free hosting.  This all happened in the last three years (3).  There is also a section that talks about zoning changes in the Downtown.  If you would like this section (it is about 40 pages) just e-mail me and I will send it to you.

      There was lots of public input sought, including a tenant at the Ren Fair and a table at the Latah County fair.  The General Public Input was solicited in 2001 and 2002.  Downtown Property owners and Business people met for almost a year before public input.

      Moscow plans to start the public process for the Comprehensive Plan re-write this fall as part of the New Cities Initative.  I would like to see the community focus on writing a good solid, 20-30 year Comprehensive Plan.

      Barbara Crouch

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