Happy New Year 2009

It looks like this is going to be another banner year - 2009! Such wonderful things have happened in 2008 that it will be hard for 2009 to keep up. Let's have a look at some of the things that have happened:

• City park plans were finalized and we got bids. 2009 will have to see the final tweaking of those plans and beginning of construction (no, nothings EVER as easy as you might think...)
• Hurricane Ike tested our City on every level. Some people were devastated while others were spared the worst effects of the storm. We learned a lot from Ike and move forward with plans to improve our systems and community in an effort to respond better in the future.
• We passed a new over-arching zoning ordinance. This feels like a personal victory for me, but it was completed as an effort that reflects the work and contributions of the entire City staff and officials.
• We built 70 new buildings in the City. Most of these were homes in new subdivisions. This represents an increase of about 75% over 2007. The economic slow down has certainly affected us, but not as much as in other, even nearby, communities.
• Two new Planning and Zoning members were added to our team - Mr. Mark Ables and Mr. Roger King. These welcome additions to the Commission will help us reviewing and approving plans. It will be great to be able to tap into their expertise and enthusiasm.
• Snow! It snowed here in southeast Texas for the first time in several years. While this has little to do with community planning, it was certainly remarkable and fun!

So looking forward to 2009, there are a number of things that are outstanding that need to be addressed. These include revisions to the subdivision ordinance, access management ordinances, Eagle Drive improvements, sewer, water, and other infrastructure improvements, and many other activities and goals that are in the works. It's an exciting time to be here in Mont Belvieu, and I am grateful and humbled to be a part of it.

The Park! (Round 2)

This is Central Park in New York. I would like to point out a couple of things:

1. Notice how this area of green is completely surrounded by buildings that are very large. It is almost as though a portion of the city were cut away, peeled back, to reveal the natural environment. This is not the case - the park was there first. I am not going to go into the history of the park, but suffice it to say that there was a great deal of planning and foresight that took place prior to the development of the park and surrounding areas.

2. Notice the relative lack of green space elsewhere. This is the front yard and backyard for many millions of people who live in New York. Whether it was designed to function in this way or not, it has evolved in a way that is personal and real for the people of New York. It's their park. They own it in a way that is just as meaningful as those who have their own little suburban lots.

3. Notice also that there is a variety of uses - forests, trails, lakes/ponds, meadows, fields, museums, restaurants, etc. This is a quality place to be - each detail of your experience has been carefully tailored to provide maximum enjoyment. Thus people can enjoy the park on many levels - casual strolling, relaxing for an afternoon, ball games, remote control boating, etc.

We got our bids back for our park here in Mont Belvieu. They were very high - probably too high to put in place as they are currently formulated. We were very surprised to see how high they were and we will have to go back to the drawing board. But as we do so, I want to keep in mind the lessons that can be learned from successful parks like Central Park. The main focus should be toward quality over quantity. We may be able to get a lot from our park if we creatively edit some of the elements that are currently in the park, allowing for further growth in the future. It was discouraging to see the numbers come in as high as they were.

Stay tuned. More information to come.

Dream City...

We all (I think) have a dream or vision of what our community could and should be.

When I was in college, I worked on a project that related to planning. The way our cities evolve over time is a beautiful, organic (if chaotic) process of trial and error. Even planning, as noble a profession as it is, and as necessary for the development of the community, has limitations. We cannot formulate a series of iron-clad laws and regulations that will force people into doing the will of the planner. We are ultimately responsible to the elected officials of the community, who in turn are responsible to their constituents. The planner acts as the fulcrum or pivot, balancing the needs and goals of the community against what has been gleaned from other experiences in other places. It's an interesting process, with almost no real parameters and where outcomes are always in a state of flux.

But there are certain elements of a strong community that are ubiquitous. Things such as provision of services, transportation, shopping, employment and education opportunities, and other basic infrastructure elements establish the foundation, to which are added the equally important but often overlooked things like parks, recreation, library services, arts and cultural opportunities, and community celebrations and festivals. All of these things are vital to the success of any community. These things provide opportunities for growth - goals can be made which will direct development of plans, objectives, and steps to move forward with achieving the goals.

So I would like to know specific elements of YOUR dream city or community. Where have you been that you really loved? What was it about the place that made it memorable? How can we generate that same kind of thing here in Mont Belvieu?

Please let me know what you think!

Dream City...

The Park!

It's going to happen!

The Mont Belvieu City Park is one step closer to reality today. Yesterday afternoon we met with many of the contractors who wish to help build the park. It was as packed as I have ever seen the council chambers (I wonder why we don't get that kind of turn out for council meetings?!?).

As always with a project of this size there will be questions that are outstanding and need resolution. The bids are due in a couple of weeks and we will need to amend the bid in the mean time as these questions get resolved. The contractors will be called on to give suggestions about how to best proceed with the project, utilizing their expertise and experience in these matters.

But another milestone has been achieved. It's a fun and exciting time to be in the City! Stay tuned for more!