Fw: IMPORTANT request regarding Arlington

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Joe Bruner

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Jun 27, 2013, 6:28:12 PM6/27/13
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LIVE LIFE WITH LOVE.
JOE BRUNER

Thanks, Gary.
Appreciate your insight. We sure don't need this to back fire on us
with the council just so they can get rid of it.
Lib 
 


I thought I would share a few thoughts and suggestions regarding the Arlington rezoning fight. (Actually it has been more of a war with multiple battles over the past several years). 
 
Anyone may forward this email as they see fit.

  
1.  I would like to request all of us encourage those in opposition to the Arlington rezoning to stop their phone calls to the Mayor and city council members. I have been assured that they "get it".  The barrage of phone calls is beginning to irritate them and could work against us.  Like us, the council is weary of this issue. The quickest way the council could stop future battles, along with the phone calls and emails, is to simply allow this property to be rezoned R4S on July 9th.  Obviously none of us wants that kind of outcome and frankly I am optimistic we will prevail.  

 2.  Our primary goal from today forward needs to be to get as many of the neighbors and supporters to to attend.   The Chambliss family is telling their supporters from Tuscaloosa and surrounding areas to be at the council chambers at 5 p.m.  We need to have some of our supporters in those front middle seats as early as possible.

3. Petitions from citizens who live in the neighborhoods surrounding Arlington are important. The more the better as the Chambliss family is copying our strategy from past battles and has been circulating their own petitions.

4. I am also going to suggest we only have a few (and I do mean a few) members speak in opposition at the July 9th council meeting.  If we are seen as taking the high road and keep this from being a long, drawn out, contentious meeting I feel it will actually work in our favor.

5. I like Robert’s idea of having a representative from each of the neighborhood associations available to stand up to confirm that their neighborhoods oppose this rezoning.

 
NOTE: Obviously these are only suggestions. Everyone has the right to do what they feel is best as each of us is concerned about our quality of life. 
 

Gary

 

 




Joe Bruner

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Jun 27, 2013, 6:36:36 PM6/27/13
to Neighhborhood
 
LIVE LIFE WITH LOVE.
JOE BRUNER

Dear Mayor and Council Representatives:
 
This is a follow-up to my comments last night.  Although having the developer’s phone number on the zoning and variance notification letters is a very welcomed element of the notification letters, we believe that there needs to be an officially listed community contact person filed on every application.  As you well know, the notification letters only reach a small segment of the citizens that are potentially interested in a project. The Contact for Community and Neighborhoods would be responsible for being available to address citizen questions and hold meetings (if requested) outside of those that occur at City Hall.   I have appended a letter below (also see attachments) that we sent to Mayor Maddox and Council Representative Lundell last Fall that summarizes some of our ideas.   Let me stress that this is a work in progress, Further discussion with the Planning Department, the Chamber and other interested parties can surely refine and improve these ideas.
 
After the last ZBA meeting, I am even more committed to promoting dialog outside of public hearings. I have included Jim Page from the Chamber in this email and have sent a separate email to him yesterday inviting him to meet. I hope that you share our concern for creating opportunities for civil discourse.
 
Thanks so much,
 
Joan Barth, President
Tuscaloosa Neighbor Together
 ***************************************************
October 18, 2012
 
Dear Mayor Maddox:
 
On behalf of TNT I want to thank you for meeting with us last week about our proposal for Early Notification and Public Participation.  We are delighted with the revisions to the notification letter and the design of the new signs.  TNT is glad that they include many of the suggestions we made in our proposal.  We are hopeful that these changes will improve citizens’ understanding of re-zoning and variance requests.
 
The third part of our proposal concerns neighborhood meetings with the developer.  We realize that this is more difficult to implement than the other ideas we proposed because it would require changing the filing requirements.  It’s also likely to meet some resistance from developers because it could be perceived as yet another hurdle to overcome.  Nevertheless, we believe that good relationships with neighborhoods can be built during the planning stage and that dialogue  between all parties can avoid costly conflict later.   Although our ultimate goal is to make such meetings routine, it might be best to ease into this ideal more slowly.  To this end we would like to suggest two possible “first steps” in this direction that might be easier to implement.  Neither “step” would require a meeting between developers and neighborhoods.
 
We propose that every project that requests a rezoning or variance be asked to designate a Contact for Community and Neighborhood Development Operations (CCAN-DO) at the time they file plans with the City.  That person would be responsible for fielding questions and requests to meet from citizens.  Information about how to contact the CCAN-DO would be included in the notification letters, and meetings would only occur upon request. Perhaps even phone conversations could handle most concerns.  The handout that I provided at our last meeting (also attached) has many examples of how to structure a meeting if one were requested, including responsibilities assigned to the developer and the citizens.  
 
A second possibility is for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama to create a version of the CCAN-DO that would be included in its new responsibilities for economic development for the city.  This option has several advantages: First having the CCAN-DO signals to businesses that there is a mechanism in place for communicating with the citizen’s of Tuscaloosa.  Second, having a good relationship between the Economic Development Office and the community gives organizations like TNT a way to show our support for neighborhood-friendly businesses. Finally,
it might promote an image for the Chamber as an institution that cares about ordinary citizens and neighborhoods.
 
These ideas are still in their formative stage and TNT will want to discuss them more with our membership and the Chamber.  The two ideas are obviously not mutually exclusive.  At this point we offer them as another possible way to improve communication between neighborhoods and developers.  An alternative title to “CANN-DO is certainly acceptable too!  We look forward to meeting with you and your staff again soon to discuss these ideas.  Thanks again for your leadership on early notification and public participation.
 
Sincerely, 
 
Joan Barth, President
Tuscaloosa Neighbors Together
Joan Barth
joanm...@aol.com


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